I'm vaguely optimistic suddenly, and yet there's an ancient nutcase making speeches

The latest outrageous and (maybe?) demented contention from Trump, from the New York Times: 

In the closing minutes of his speech to a gathering of religious conservatives on Friday night, former President Donald J. Trump told Christians that if they voted him into office in November, they would never need to vote again.

“Christians, get out and vote. Just this time,” he said at The Believers’ Summit, an event hosted by the conservative advocacy group Turning Point Action, in West Palm Beach, Fla. “You won’t have to do it anymore, you know what? Four more years, it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine, you won’t have to vote anymore, my beautiful Christians.”

Mr. Trump, who never made a particular display of religious observance before entering politics, continued: “I love you, Christians. I’m a Christian. I love you, you got to get out and vote. In four years, you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not going to have to vote.”

First, what!!??? So, the goal for a true Christian is to never vote again? So, the convicted felon who is nearing 80 just needs to use a few million people to vote to keep him out of jail? Then they can return to irrelevance?

Second, can you imagine if ANY remotely normal politician would say such a thing in public? It would lead every news report, scream from front page headlines, and dominate social media chatter. For Trump, there are reports, certainly (see above), but our media seems unable to identify the clear nut case who is leading one of our two national political parties into the fall election. 

The tone and rhetorical strategies here are identical to the Vice President making a policy speech calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. BTW: Trump called Kamala Harris an anti-semite in that same speech. And she's married to a Jew! 

It's hard to accept the fact that the Republican Party has no clear platform beyond the appalling Project 2025 drivel that they went ahead and put in writing so it can be analyzed and argued with. It's demoralizing to realize that one political party has chosen to manufacture fear for their benighted followers to fetishize. It's appalling that people who claim to be moral and good are just fine with political leaders who name call in ways that would have them removed from an elementary school playground. 

Anyone in public life had some skeletons, some "I wish I hadn't said that" moments, and some beliefs that have "evolved." None of us should be judged by our very worst moments, and it is reasonable to assume that thoughtful people can change their opinions over time. 

Shouldn't someone be asking what Trump means by "it'll be fixed"? It's both ominous and meaningless... perhaps an accurate representation of Trump himself. 

I have given up on any hope of the die hard cult members who will find any excuse for their Beloved Leader and his minions. I mean, come on. Over 25 percent of Americans are certain the sun revolves around the earth. Just being in public reminds us that many of the people around us are morons (not all, but enough to remark upon).

But must the news media default to "we try to balance our reporting to show both/all sides"? Must we continue to pretend that "everyone does it"? Must we sort of laugh off an outrageous TV host who you never invite to sit down for dinner when he produces his latest drivel? Must we treat the obvious sycophants looking to make some money or gain attention by consorting with a man without principles and without shame as politicians to pay attention to?

There are heroes in America. Few can be found among the owners and publishers of our media. They did manage to bring down Joe Biden, a man who actually supports the free press and who actually pays attention to what the media says. 

And Trump continues to tease, offend, bully, and amuse those same media leaders. And many citizens of America seem content with that. Appalling.

Joe, you've got to go... and assorted thoughts on aging

Age is the hot topic across the country... at least for the remarkably few people who are paying attention to politics and the inexorable decline of our two major party candidates for the presidency. And since I turned 74 just yesterday (I am a day late with this post), I suppose I have spent more time than I should on the topic of aging.

In July of 1950, Harry Truman was president and also busy being born on July 12 was Eric Carr, who become the drummer for KISS. He died in 1991. So it goes. Just a week prior to my entrance, Private Kenneth Shadrick was the first American soldier killed in the Korean War. Also on July 5, the "Law Return" passed, which guaranteed the right of all Jews to live in Israel. That was the end of any controversies in Palestine, thank goodness.

On July 19, the New York Yankees signed their first two Black baseball players: Elston Howard and Frank Baines. I would later have both their Topps baseball cards and would never give a single thought to their race (or what they must have endured). At some point while I was in England in the Air Force, my mom cleared out the shelf in an upstairs bedroom where a large box of baseball cards were stashed. Old news. 

On July 27, 1950, President Truman promised aid to Taiwan. And that was the end of any controversy about that island.

Being born in 1950 helped out my parents, I would guess, as my dad would not be drafted during the Korean War due to having a family. They doubled down on this protection by adding brother Mike less than two years later, though my mother always said she wanted "Irish twins" and the fun of having two young children to dress alike, etc. I am quite certain that the idea ended up being more fun than the reality.

I was born in Mercy Hospital, which still exists but has now been taken over by University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. My mom claimed that I was the first baby delivered by our long-time family physician Dr. Charles "Chuck" Eicher. He delivered 2,682 after me. He was just 26 in 1950, and got married that year, which is irrelevant but a reminder of how young he was. I continued getting occasional physicals and assorted medical care (minor bone breaks, illnesses, etc.) until his retirement in 1991. He passed in 2009, age 85.

Kathleen and I still have a bowl he gave my parents as a wedding present. I guess Barb and Jack were friends... or maybe Dr. Eicher was just making an investment to insure that all eight Kennedy kids would be born under his watch. As Kathleen points out, the bowl must have been stylish then, but it didn't stand the test of time. It is some weird shade of green with scalloped edges and we retain it because... we don't really have a good reason.

Similarly, there is no good reason to search through history for significant events from 74 years ago, though it is good to be reminded that "stuff happens," whether we are actively participating or not. It's also bracing to realize that a lot of things haven't changed all that much in nearly 3/4 of a century or that "ancient history" really is within my lifetime. 

We haven't quite "solved" racism in America. Israel and the simple fact of a person being Jewish can still be a life or death situation. Taiwan continues to be in the middle of Great Powers pulling and pushing. The world will never rid itself of men who long for authoritarian power (and 1950 came just five years after the free world defeated Hitler). 

And on we go.

I just can't let this go...

In a logical, sane world, we would all be clamoring for BOTH Biden and Trump to withdraw as candidates for the presidency. Biden's aging is accelerating and we are learning more and more about observations by politicians and friends about his decline (not into dementia or anything... just a decline in focus and energy) over the past couple years. Trump is a convicted felon and exhibits an assortment of deranged declarations that we just can't accept as "normal." And he is 78.

Both parties have many potential candidates for the job, but none of them are willing to be open about the clear fact that we have two poor choices for the most important position in the world. 

My guess is that non-politicians (the vast majority of the country) would be fine with both of them shaking hands, dropping out, and freeing their delegates to vote as they wish at their respective nomination conventions. I honestly don't know who would be the preferred candidate for either group, though you can be sure that the Republicans would choose someone we might term Trump Lite, while Dems would pick someone with few quarrels with Biden. 

The culture war issues would remain and the media would go nuts and the nation might continue slowly (so slowly!) working toward a more perfect union. The Supreme Court would continue to dig itself into a deep hole of irrelevance to go with the general lack of trust they now enjoy. Our gerrymandered Congress would continue to be split, with neither party having much of an advantage.

So, two new candidates would hardly "fix" our fractured country.

But we could move past what is now a battle between two old, tired men, with almost no discussion about what their administrations might do to advance any agendas, improve the social fabric, make practical decisions that most Americans could support... How can we have those discussions when it's just about two cults of personality? 

Don't get me wrong. They are not equal. The Republicans have surrendered all moral or ethical authority to lead the nation, but Democrats are in danger of doing the same on some level if they refuse to see reality and make a change.

Yes, the national media must step up and call the Liar a liar. They must point out that he is deranged. The media is fine pointing out every flubbed line or weak moment of one candidate but seem to calmly accept Trump calling for military tribunals and locking up political rivals.

If it ends up being Biden vs. Trump, I am quite willing to go down with the ship, so to speak. There is no real choice for me based on that contest. 

But is there anyone who seriously will argue that Mr. Biden will still be capable of leading a complex and divided nation in two years (and forget about four!). 

I have gone back and forth on this for over a week, though I should have been at this point long ago. I have eyes and ears and a somewhat diminished brain (heck, I will be 74 in one week). It's been clear for some time that we need two new candidates.

I am not naive. The odds that Trump would drop out are prohibitively against. And it is possible that the Republicans have now devolved completely, to the point where it's just Trump.

But that is not a valid reason for the Democrats to follow the same course. Bowing to reality is not surrendering. It's common sense.

Trump may win (shame on America!) but my plea is for the Democrats to fight with a candidate we can all agree will be able to stay up past 8 p.m.