Generally I'm allergic to pro forma clichés, to saying what
everyone else is saying on a subject.
Like announcing to a world that is not waiting to hear on
Thanksgiving what I'm thankful for. Dozens of politicians,
organizations and op-ed writers filled my Inbox today with their own announcements of thankfulness, and I deleted almost all of them unread.
Except I did open one this morning, from a South Jersey
Congressman-elect named Jeff Van Drew. I opened it because I
wanted to give him some feedback regarding the letter he
co-signed to pledge to vote NO on Nancy Pelosi. In his
message he told me that he is "grateful" for my
support of his campaign, to which I had sent a contribution.
My reply to him is at the bottom of this post.
Now as I said I am usually loathe to add to anyone else's
Inbox one more banality of thankfulness. However, because I (rightfully) spend most
of my keyboard time bitching, railing, accusing, indicting,
exposing, spreading dark apprehension and alternatively
sometimes exhorting and rallying, I wanted to go positive-ish
today.
I'm as thankful as everyone I know is thankful for beloved
family and friends on both sides of the semi-permeable
membrane between planes of existence, not to mention on both
sides of the country! Those in between, meh. (Kidding!) And for lots of other things about
being healthy and alive in America in 2018 -- to list which
would turn a brief bout of banality into a blechy blob of
bathetic bromides. So just fuggedaboutit.
We can each reflect on the timeless joys, memories and
connections in our lives without a manual.
So I just wanted
to spotlight an item or two that have made me grateful and
hopeful over the last few days: a 39th net-gain House seat
called in Utah (Dems at 236 with one yet to call -- leaving room for 18 stalwart NO's to show their purple districts that they're not flaming socialists); Rep.-elect Ocasio-Cortez and Rep.-elect Higgins declaring yesterday for Nancy Pelosi;
John Roberts standing up against micro-Mussolini to defend the "independent
judiciary", which is anathema to autocrats, along with an
independent legislature (come on, January!) and a free press (with his despotesque verbal onslaught against the freaking Chief Justice of the United States, rump may have set
the SCOTUS default in U.S. v. Trump toward upholding the law and leaning away
from the appearance of collusion with a coercive foreign power -- i.e.,
rumputin; the twit's attacks on Roberts may be designed as a play to delegitimize all courts and thus to keep the cult on his side when he loses in the top court, but
70 percent of the country will side with the Constitution in a
Constitutional crisis.); and, last but never least,
high-quality, highly snarky wit. Such as is found in the two
wonderful Thanksgiving commentaries from today's Philadelphia Inquirer, here and here.
Happy Thanksgiving with Love, H~~
Here's my reply to Rep.-elect Jeff Van Drew (D, NJ):
To:
info@vandrewforcongress.com
Subject:
Re: Grateful
Date:
Nov 22, 2018 12:50 PM
|
I'm
glad you won your seat. With my support.
Congratulations!
Now
I would be gladder if you gave up your
opposition to Nancy Pelosi's Speakership. She
supports policies that nurture your constituents'
ability to attain and sustain a high quality of
life.
Pelosi
is the best choice to lead the Democratic effort
to pass desperately needed funding to begin
restoring American infrastructure, to which the
American Society of Civil Engineers has
(generously) given a grade of D. That means 11
million well-paying jobs will be created in the
service of bringing our country up to the level
that many other developed nations already have
achieved. We are shamefully behind China, Japan
and Europe in roads, bridges, railroads, ports
and low-emissions public transportation in, around
and between cities.
Speaking
of catching up, expanding Medicare eligibility
down to age 50 would also help bring the country
up to the level of other industrialized nations in
health-care outcomes. Ask Congressman Brian
Higgins, an ex-signatory of your pledge letter
against Ms. Pelosi. (By the way, pledge letters
are a bad look for us Democrats. We should
leave that cattle-herding groupthink to the
Nordquists and other plutocrats.)
The
richest country in the world? It's time to find
a cure for the disease of toxic inequality that
has only been exacerbated by tax cuts for the
wealthy and policies that have caused
stagnation, deterioration and diminished quantity
and quality of services in public education,
health care, transportation, energy, housing,
etc. etc. etc..
Thanks,
Jeff.
Howard
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