I cannot think of a word that is not obscene to describe the naked display of a farce as this so-called debate. "Travesty" is the best I can do. There has been no other display of the depth of desperation, despair, and incompetence so clear. Heaven save us! The US is going down in flames, and the rest of the world knows it, even if we do not. Paul laid it all bare, good job.
This is what late stage, slowly collapsing capitalism arrives at. No competent person will stand forth in the "two sided of the same coin" uni-party. And candidates who are even remotely coherent and competent have been kept out of the system for a couple of decades now. (Remember Ross Perot? I do.)
At the heart of the problem, at least as it seems to me, is that fundamental truths are not told to the American people. And thus most Americans don't really know how precarious their economic condition is. And I don't just mean their short term situation; but the long trajectory of their entire middle classes' economic decline. If one is inquisitive and diligent one can seek these truths out but the majority of people don't have the time or capacity to seek out these fundamental truths and therefor their view of America is flawed at the very basis of their world view.
Such things as: America is the "indispensable" nation. America has used its military might since 1945 and the formulation of the Bretton Woods Accord to make the world safe for American capitalist exploitation. America doesn't sow peace or bring democracy; it paves the way for American capitalist exploitation of much of the rest of the world. Ever wonder why "the developing world" never develops? Because it was never meant to; it was meant to be a place where excess production from U.S. companies could be dumped and cheap commodities obtained. (See e.g. the late Dr. Immanual Wallerstein for his World System Theory.)
Secondly, America is not a "democracy" nor is it a democratic republic. It is an oligarchy run by well to do, well connected financiers and capitalist (owners of the means of production). To the extent the oligarchy was harnessed or brought under control by Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" from about 1933 to about 1980 that control has been eroded since 1981 almost to the point of being uncontrolled now. Most of the New Deal constraints on millionaires and billionaires controlling the national agenda have been repealed or revoked since Reagan's term began in 1981.
As a late stage capitalist economy with economic growth now rarely achieving the rate of 3% annually, the capitalist and financier owners of the country have found new ways to siphon wealth out of the middle-class and in to their private pockets. (The capitalist-financier class, the 1% as Occupy Wall Street called them, demand greater than 3% growth to satisfy their profit expectations.) Such events as the Savings and Loan crisis, the 2008 Financial Crisis followed by the TARP bailouts which funneled Trillions of dollars to private financiers from the U.S. taxpayer and the Covid vaccine debacle/scam which funneled billions in to the pockets of Big Pharma were essentially massive frauds perpetrated against the public to shift wealth from the increasingly beleaguered middle class to financiers and capitalists.
So while average Americas still are under the delusion that they live in a uniquely "indispensable" nation which, they are repeatedly told over and over, ad infinitum, is the "greatest" nation on earth. Their putative leaders (the capitalist and the financiers) are picking their pockets. The real trick and con here (the confidence game) is how long can America's putative leaders keep the con going and the public hoodwinked?
As the recent presidential debate has allowed a peak behind the curtain, the big-con (confidence game) is coming unraveled. The questions remain: when will the American people truly awake from their dogmatic slumber about the hegemonic greatness (as they have been propagandized for decades now) of their capitalist system? And what will they do when they do indeed awaken?
I don't see how the Dems can keep this up. It's pure insanity not to replace Biden after such a disastrous performance. His incoherent words were cringe inducing, and the lost look on his face on the split screen when he was listening to Trump was pathetic.
meanwhile in the UK we have a meaningless debate between an out of touch multi-millionaire ex hedge fund bank destroyer trying desperately to defend the 13 year tory destruction of the economy, and a serial liar with no coherent policies funded by ultra-rich donors who used fake antisemitism charges, Stalinist politburo methods and top down candidate selection to purge opponents, which has gutted the labour party. A total sham of an election, just as in the US, no real choice, both parties are the same neo liberal corporate shills.
I watched the debacle and hoped that it was a sick, but hilarious, take-off on presidential debates, starring two great impersonators. So much for hope. One thing that you didn't mention, but stunned me upon hearing it, was Biden's rationale for "stopping" the Russians in Ukraine--he suggested that if we did not do so, Poland would be Russia's next victim. Apparently, the eastward growth of NATO member states, since 1989, in absolute violation of the U.S. government's promise NOT to do so, in negotiating the reunification of Germany and the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact, was completely lost to the current "leader" of the "Free World." The basic demand for an end to their presence on Ukraine soil, is an agreement to NOT join NATO. And, as Poland already IS a member, that fear of further Russian high jinks is an empty one, as any attack against that country would result in an immediate military response from all the countries in NATO.
What really shocked me most about the “debate” last night was the realization that if Biden’s words had come out of the mouth of a younger candidate with a pleasing voice and appearance the MSM talkers and much of America would have been ok with that performance.
The reason why you and some other brave folks sat through that torture session that passed for last night’s debate is so why the rest of us don’t have to do so.
If I tried to watch, I would have thrown a shoe at my TV. Luckily, I had to work last night, so I got a pass from that shit show.
Really and truly, the Democrats are genocidal,imperialist war criminals pushing out a demented, genocidal war criminal corpse, a la Weekends at Bernie’s, while the Republicans are pushing a demented, convicted felon, fascist, misogynist, rapist, racist, Amerikkkan Hitler as their “ fair haired boy”.
This system is SO overdue for an actual, real revolution that will dismantle this hellish system that threatens humanity and the planet.
I have seen scuttlebutt that Kop Kamala and Genocide Joe are going to be given the “Golden Handshake”, while Smiling Jack,imperialist, Kennedyesque Gavin Newsom becomes the nominee, and ain’t that grand. LOL!!!
So, it will be interesting to see what a dumpster fire the DNC in Chicago will be this summer.
[ Hi Paul: if you print this remark, leave what’s below out. Thx. JJ]
This reminds me of a situation years ago when I was a Physician Assistant in a major metropolitan teaching hospital, where there was a surgeon who was way beyond retirement time(but the hospital didn’t want to retire him because he brought in many patients).
So, what does this hospital do? There was this open and well known secret that the hospital insisted that the Chief Residents and Senior Residents ALWAYS had to be in the room before the surgery started and if they were NOT in the room and that doctor started the operation, then they, the Residents would be fired. No exceptions. I kid you not. So, no wonder these guys were always freaked out. Any PA who worked with them, always tried to protect them, even if some of them were assholes, cuz once you’re bounced from a residency(training program), it’s almost impossible to get into another one and finish.( the only exception if an entire hospital system shuts down, leaving thousands of people without medical care, but that’s another story)
P.S.: I will never, ever write a novel about even 1/10 of the stuff I’ve seen in healthcare cuz then , my life won’t be worth a plugged nickel.
Thank you…spot on and scary towards the end. I could write a novel about restaurants where I spent 20 years and you’d never eat out again. Tame though compared to healthcare…
Paul, thank you for another great read, even if the subject was Thursday night’s debacle. I gave the live “ debate” a pass because knew it would be a pissing contest and didn’t want to endure 90 minutes of torture. But, oh dear God, after reading the transcripts I could never have envisioned anything so horribly bad. Trump is the way he is; we suffered through four years of his lunacy and it was expected. I had no idea though that Biden put on such a muddled, rambling performance given to disjointed thinking and backhanded racist comments. Indeed, one sounded pretty much like the other and could have swapped places. It seems that there is no bottom deep enough for this country to fall. Just when you think you’ve reached it, something like this happens and another trapdoor opens. The thought that either of these incompetents will win in November is beyond belief and I don’t mind saying scares me s*#tless. To paraphrase Joseph Welch have we no real leaders in America? At long last have we no real leadership?
Paul, thank you for another great read, even if the subject was Thursday night’s debacle. I gave the live “ debate” a pass because I knew it would be a pissing contest and didn’t want to endure 90 minutes of torture. But, oh dear God, after reading the transcripts I could never have envisioned anything so horribly bad. Trump is the way he is; we suffered through four years of his lunacy and it was expected. I had no idea though that Biden put on such a muddled, rambling performance given to disjointed thinking and backhanded racist comments. Indeed, one sounded pretty much like the other and could have swapped places. It seems that there is no bottom deep enough for this country to fall. Just when you think you’ve reached it, something like this happens and another trapdoor opens. The thought that either of these incompetents will win in November is beyond belief and I don’t mind saying scares me s*#tless. To paraphrase Joseph Welch have we no real leaders in America? At long last have we no real leadership?
I cannot think of a word that is not obscene to describe the naked display of a farce as this so-called debate. "Travesty" is the best I can do. There has been no other display of the depth of desperation, despair, and incompetence so clear. Heaven save us! The US is going down in flames, and the rest of the world knows it, even if we do not. Paul laid it all bare, good job.
...atrocity, obscenity are words thay come to mind. We were all defiled by that nauseating feces fest.
Biden was a disaster!
and is a disaster and has been one for a long time
.
This is what late stage, slowly collapsing capitalism arrives at. No competent person will stand forth in the "two sided of the same coin" uni-party. And candidates who are even remotely coherent and competent have been kept out of the system for a couple of decades now. (Remember Ross Perot? I do.)
At the heart of the problem, at least as it seems to me, is that fundamental truths are not told to the American people. And thus most Americans don't really know how precarious their economic condition is. And I don't just mean their short term situation; but the long trajectory of their entire middle classes' economic decline. If one is inquisitive and diligent one can seek these truths out but the majority of people don't have the time or capacity to seek out these fundamental truths and therefor their view of America is flawed at the very basis of their world view.
Such things as: America is the "indispensable" nation. America has used its military might since 1945 and the formulation of the Bretton Woods Accord to make the world safe for American capitalist exploitation. America doesn't sow peace or bring democracy; it paves the way for American capitalist exploitation of much of the rest of the world. Ever wonder why "the developing world" never develops? Because it was never meant to; it was meant to be a place where excess production from U.S. companies could be dumped and cheap commodities obtained. (See e.g. the late Dr. Immanual Wallerstein for his World System Theory.)
Secondly, America is not a "democracy" nor is it a democratic republic. It is an oligarchy run by well to do, well connected financiers and capitalist (owners of the means of production). To the extent the oligarchy was harnessed or brought under control by Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" from about 1933 to about 1980 that control has been eroded since 1981 almost to the point of being uncontrolled now. Most of the New Deal constraints on millionaires and billionaires controlling the national agenda have been repealed or revoked since Reagan's term began in 1981.
As a late stage capitalist economy with economic growth now rarely achieving the rate of 3% annually, the capitalist and financier owners of the country have found new ways to siphon wealth out of the middle-class and in to their private pockets. (The capitalist-financier class, the 1% as Occupy Wall Street called them, demand greater than 3% growth to satisfy their profit expectations.) Such events as the Savings and Loan crisis, the 2008 Financial Crisis followed by the TARP bailouts which funneled Trillions of dollars to private financiers from the U.S. taxpayer and the Covid vaccine debacle/scam which funneled billions in to the pockets of Big Pharma were essentially massive frauds perpetrated against the public to shift wealth from the increasingly beleaguered middle class to financiers and capitalists.
So while average Americas still are under the delusion that they live in a uniquely "indispensable" nation which, they are repeatedly told over and over, ad infinitum, is the "greatest" nation on earth. Their putative leaders (the capitalist and the financiers) are picking their pockets. The real trick and con here (the confidence game) is how long can America's putative leaders keep the con going and the public hoodwinked?
As the recent presidential debate has allowed a peak behind the curtain, the big-con (confidence game) is coming unraveled. The questions remain: when will the American people truly awake from their dogmatic slumber about the hegemonic greatness (as they have been propagandized for decades now) of their capitalist system? And what will they do when they do indeed awaken?
I don't see how the Dems can keep this up. It's pure insanity not to replace Biden after such a disastrous performance. His incoherent words were cringe inducing, and the lost look on his face on the split screen when he was listening to Trump was pathetic.
I am hearing from a bunch of his defenders. Geez,, they might as well just sign up with Fuhrer Trump movement.
meanwhile in the UK we have a meaningless debate between an out of touch multi-millionaire ex hedge fund bank destroyer trying desperately to defend the 13 year tory destruction of the economy, and a serial liar with no coherent policies funded by ultra-rich donors who used fake antisemitism charges, Stalinist politburo methods and top down candidate selection to purge opponents, which has gutted the labour party. A total sham of an election, just as in the US, no real choice, both parties are the same neo liberal corporate shills.
I watched the debacle and hoped that it was a sick, but hilarious, take-off on presidential debates, starring two great impersonators. So much for hope. One thing that you didn't mention, but stunned me upon hearing it, was Biden's rationale for "stopping" the Russians in Ukraine--he suggested that if we did not do so, Poland would be Russia's next victim. Apparently, the eastward growth of NATO member states, since 1989, in absolute violation of the U.S. government's promise NOT to do so, in negotiating the reunification of Germany and the disbanding of the Warsaw Pact, was completely lost to the current "leader" of the "Free World." The basic demand for an end to their presence on Ukraine soil, is an agreement to NOT join NATO. And, as Poland already IS a member, that fear of further Russian high jinks is an empty one, as any attack against that country would result in an immediate military response from all the countries in NATO.
Great report! As for Biden: There’s no way to spread jelly on that “bumbling toast.”
Come on, Biden isn't utterly confused while cross-fading into another dimension - didn't you hear? He had a "cold." Ahem, yep, he sure did.
What really shocked me most about the “debate” last night was the realization that if Biden’s words had come out of the mouth of a younger candidate with a pleasing voice and appearance the MSM talkers and much of America would have been ok with that performance.
I left after 15 minutes, mad at myself for watching it at all. Is having a competent executive in charge really too much to ask?
The "transactional" anarchy of capital has blown up long lost US ruling class "power elite" coherence. It's been going on for decades.
I liked the bumbling toast comment.
Hi Paul:
The reason why you and some other brave folks sat through that torture session that passed for last night’s debate is so why the rest of us don’t have to do so.
If I tried to watch, I would have thrown a shoe at my TV. Luckily, I had to work last night, so I got a pass from that shit show.
Really and truly, the Democrats are genocidal,imperialist war criminals pushing out a demented, genocidal war criminal corpse, a la Weekends at Bernie’s, while the Republicans are pushing a demented, convicted felon, fascist, misogynist, rapist, racist, Amerikkkan Hitler as their “ fair haired boy”.
This system is SO overdue for an actual, real revolution that will dismantle this hellish system that threatens humanity and the planet.
I have seen scuttlebutt that Kop Kamala and Genocide Joe are going to be given the “Golden Handshake”, while Smiling Jack,imperialist, Kennedyesque Gavin Newsom becomes the nominee, and ain’t that grand. LOL!!!
So, it will be interesting to see what a dumpster fire the DNC in Chicago will be this summer.
[ Hi Paul: if you print this remark, leave what’s below out. Thx. JJ]
This reminds me of a situation years ago when I was a Physician Assistant in a major metropolitan teaching hospital, where there was a surgeon who was way beyond retirement time(but the hospital didn’t want to retire him because he brought in many patients).
So, what does this hospital do? There was this open and well known secret that the hospital insisted that the Chief Residents and Senior Residents ALWAYS had to be in the room before the surgery started and if they were NOT in the room and that doctor started the operation, then they, the Residents would be fired. No exceptions. I kid you not. So, no wonder these guys were always freaked out. Any PA who worked with them, always tried to protect them, even if some of them were assholes, cuz once you’re bounced from a residency(training program), it’s almost impossible to get into another one and finish.( the only exception if an entire hospital system shuts down, leaving thousands of people without medical care, but that’s another story)
P.S.: I will never, ever write a novel about even 1/10 of the stuff I’ve seen in healthcare cuz then , my life won’t be worth a plugged nickel.
Yet, another reason for all-the-way revolution.
Okay but I might want to steal Weekends at Bernies and Smiling Jack,imperialist, Kennedyesque Gavin Newsom
OK
Thank you…spot on and scary towards the end. I could write a novel about restaurants where I spent 20 years and you’d never eat out again. Tame though compared to healthcare…
Paul, thank you for another great read, even if the subject was Thursday night’s debacle. I gave the live “ debate” a pass because knew it would be a pissing contest and didn’t want to endure 90 minutes of torture. But, oh dear God, after reading the transcripts I could never have envisioned anything so horribly bad. Trump is the way he is; we suffered through four years of his lunacy and it was expected. I had no idea though that Biden put on such a muddled, rambling performance given to disjointed thinking and backhanded racist comments. Indeed, one sounded pretty much like the other and could have swapped places. It seems that there is no bottom deep enough for this country to fall. Just when you think you’ve reached it, something like this happens and another trapdoor opens. The thought that either of these incompetents will win in November is beyond belief and I don’t mind saying scares me s*#tless. To paraphrase Joseph Welch have we no real leaders in America? At long last have we no real leadership?
Paul, thank you for another great read, even if the subject was Thursday night’s debacle. I gave the live “ debate” a pass because I knew it would be a pissing contest and didn’t want to endure 90 minutes of torture. But, oh dear God, after reading the transcripts I could never have envisioned anything so horribly bad. Trump is the way he is; we suffered through four years of his lunacy and it was expected. I had no idea though that Biden put on such a muddled, rambling performance given to disjointed thinking and backhanded racist comments. Indeed, one sounded pretty much like the other and could have swapped places. It seems that there is no bottom deep enough for this country to fall. Just when you think you’ve reached it, something like this happens and another trapdoor opens. The thought that either of these incompetents will win in November is beyond belief and I don’t mind saying scares me s*#tless. To paraphrase Joseph Welch have we no real leaders in America? At long last have we no real leadership?