Hollywoods premier award ceremony, the Oscars, went without a Master of Ceremonies in a show off great cowardice. You remember the Cowardly Lion's search for courage... from The Wizard of Oz. Looks like Hollywood forgot the wonderful message, you need a brain, a heart and courage to find yourself and make your way in the world. Those things make it more likely when you encounter witches, flying monkeys and the occasional tornado or rainy day.
Hollywood steering clear of a comedian host indicates a detour from the truth of today's world. Comedians are truth tellers, it's essential to their DNA. I always loved the way Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal guided us through the evening, poking fun at the stars. The comedian hosts offered subtle hints to the workings of their industry because comedians are truth-tellers and Hollywood surrounds the room on Oscar night.
Today's fear-filled world can send your career on downward spiral based on a statement, rumors generated and highlighted on social media or based on comedy material once appreciated but no longer embrace by polite, politically correct, society.
Woody Allen seems to be the filmmaker to most rapidly fall from hero to zero. Not sure exactly why. You've heard the stories. Nobody wants to produce his movies now but he's had a hell of a run. Stay around too long and the barking dogs eventually pull you down. Now some film critics refuse to consider his films. Sounds like Mao-style re-education going on in certain corners of American society.
Great Comedian Oscar Hosts (a few from the list)
Will Rogers-- 1934
George Jessel- 1936
Bob Hope-- 1940s,1950s, 1960s, 1978
Jack Benny-- 1947
Jerry Lewis- 1950s
Johnny Carson-- 1970s
Billy Crystal-- 1990s
Whoopi Goldberg-- 1990s
(since 2000)
Whoopi Goldberg
Steven Martin
Chris Rock
Jon Stewart
Ellen Degeneres
Jimmy Kimmel
Double hosts don't work. Didn't like Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin together. James Franco and Anne Hathaway was a disaster. Franco seemed at a loss as a host. David Letterman notably failed. The comedians listed above, from this millennium, could have done an excellent job and added a little of the unexpected. That's the role of comedian. But unexpected was verboten this year.
Failure of the comedian host was not the concern-- so much as possible backlash generated by controversial commentary from center stage.
Harvey Weinstein's ghost hung over the proceedings. He was referred to as the Oscar Monster by Vanity Fair. As recently as 2017, Harvey was the most thanked man at the Oscar's. Alas. how times change.
Talks of casting couches and alleged sexual assault have sullied the reputation of the grand master of Oscar victories. He's now joined the Hall of Shame from the Alliance of Women Film Journalists. Maybe Hollywood feared a comedian emcee would point out some of Hollywood's warts and that was a prospect the brass could not and would risk taking.
Race issues, along with #metoo movement influence, were front and center. Minority concerns were indicated by the choice for Best Picture-- Green Book-- a fairly sweet story, dare I say saccharine, about the challenges of integration. John L. Lewis appeared on the program as a symbol of the great struggle for Civil Rights and brought a dose of the deeply painful reality of US race relations to the stage. The Favourite, my favorite of the year, may not have received serious award consideration because its story-- two women who struggle mightily to destroy each other may have been a bit too real and raucous for the Oscar's of 2019.
The automaton-like voice introducing the "next presenters" fell flat for me. It had no personality and lacked for truth. Hollywood struggles on many levels-- just to keep up with changing media platforms and tastes. Removing a human element-- the comedian emcee-- does not solve any of these problems. The disembodied voice suggested machines are taking over and not doing a good job of it.
The kings of the days of old had Court Jesters to bring them unpleasant realizations. The Jester might himself without a head if the material went badly enough. Talk about high stakes!
Hollywood just did not want to hear from the Court Jesters on Oscars night. Laughs were few and far between and the night smacked of restraint and overly tight production deadlines. The trains were running on time but the absence of a core-- an emcee and toastmaster-- showed the importance of heart, brains and courage.
Thursday, February 28, 2019
Sunday, February 24, 2019
New York runs Amazon out of town .... what bugs me!
What bugs me about NYC running Amazon out of town... Let me tell you what I know as an ex-New Yorker. New York is full of loud mouth, know-it-all types... until, like with the Amazon screw-up, results prove maybe they were wrong all along.
AOC, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, looked very sheepish when reporters stopped her in the halls of Congress with Amazon questions. She called it a victory for "every day people" against Jeff Bezos. She affirmed that the stood up to the richest man in the world.
Stood up to Bezos? Bezos took his ball and moved the game to Nashville, TN and Arlington, Virginia. He walked away from the deal when it looked like New York politicians, etc.,, prepared themselves to rake him over the coals. Now they can fight and curse among themselves and put up billboards in Times Square attacking possibly the stupidest political decision ever made.
Giving up 25,000 jobs and $27 billion in projected income does not sound like a victory. Smells more like regret. New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill Deblasio of NYC, more seasoned Democrats, were excited to offer Amazon a deal. They wanted to bring jobs to Queens, NY and the average salaries were said to be upwards of $150,000 per year. That wasn't good enough
I tried to delve into the protests against Amazon from the left and the roots of their discontent. Maybe it's connected to the way New York City is actually thriving these days with a combination of immigrant energy and white flight back to the city.
I wondered if a weird nostalgia for the old New York can be the cause for leftist confusion. In the 50s, when I was a kid in Manhattan, the city felt polluted with smokestack industry, along with crowded streets and noisy traffic. My family was part of the white flight to the suburbs. The city became increasingly dangerous and unappealing through the 60s and 70s.
Now gentrification has flip-flopped the equation and maybe that helps explain people like AOC. They may feel things are too good-- too many rich people and young, educated types moving into the city and crowding the subways.
Amazon may symbolize more prosperous folks sipping lattes and crowding the subways. But Amazon jobs had potential for low-skill and high-skill employment-- and that's what bugs me!
You would have had construction jobs and low skill jobs available to the many people. Amazon wanted to assist with New York's infrastructure, including education. Some of those Queens College students would have had opportunities to put new found programming skills to use-- and raise themselves economically.
The deed is done. New Yorkers of various political persuasions have only to dry their eyes and point the fingers at each other to determine where the fault resides.
I call it "being too smart for your own good."
New York City will go on and continue to prosper on its upward trajectory.
Meanwhile we've got a New Yorker running the country. Trump did not win his own NY state but he looks formidable as a 2020 candidate. And the Democrats must evaluate their platform and decide if job creation is a plan they can support.
AOC, Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, looked very sheepish when reporters stopped her in the halls of Congress with Amazon questions. She called it a victory for "every day people" against Jeff Bezos. She affirmed that the stood up to the richest man in the world.
Stood up to Bezos? Bezos took his ball and moved the game to Nashville, TN and Arlington, Virginia. He walked away from the deal when it looked like New York politicians, etc.,, prepared themselves to rake him over the coals. Now they can fight and curse among themselves and put up billboards in Times Square attacking possibly the stupidest political decision ever made.
Giving up 25,000 jobs and $27 billion in projected income does not sound like a victory. Smells more like regret. New York governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill Deblasio of NYC, more seasoned Democrats, were excited to offer Amazon a deal. They wanted to bring jobs to Queens, NY and the average salaries were said to be upwards of $150,000 per year. That wasn't good enough
I tried to delve into the protests against Amazon from the left and the roots of their discontent. Maybe it's connected to the way New York City is actually thriving these days with a combination of immigrant energy and white flight back to the city.
I wondered if a weird nostalgia for the old New York can be the cause for leftist confusion. In the 50s, when I was a kid in Manhattan, the city felt polluted with smokestack industry, along with crowded streets and noisy traffic. My family was part of the white flight to the suburbs. The city became increasingly dangerous and unappealing through the 60s and 70s.
Now gentrification has flip-flopped the equation and maybe that helps explain people like AOC. They may feel things are too good-- too many rich people and young, educated types moving into the city and crowding the subways.
Amazon may symbolize more prosperous folks sipping lattes and crowding the subways. But Amazon jobs had potential for low-skill and high-skill employment-- and that's what bugs me!
You would have had construction jobs and low skill jobs available to the many people. Amazon wanted to assist with New York's infrastructure, including education. Some of those Queens College students would have had opportunities to put new found programming skills to use-- and raise themselves economically.
The deed is done. New Yorkers of various political persuasions have only to dry their eyes and point the fingers at each other to determine where the fault resides.
I call it "being too smart for your own good."
New York City will go on and continue to prosper on its upward trajectory.
Meanwhile we've got a New Yorker running the country. Trump did not win his own NY state but he looks formidable as a 2020 candidate. And the Democrats must evaluate their platform and decide if job creation is a plan they can support.
Saturday, February 9, 2019
Blackface, White Frocks and Dems seeing Red
Virginia's leadership shows itself wanting: Governor Northam gets exposed for featuring racist imagery on his medical yearbook page, the Lieutenant Governor has been accused of sexual assault, and the Attorney General admits to wearing blackface getup at parties in his youth.
On the other end of the color spectrum... many of the newly elected women of Congress featured white garb at President Trump's State of the Union speech. Trump's most lighthearted moment occurred when he acknowledged the number of women elected to office and the white suits came alive with laughter and happiness. White is the color of spiritual purity.
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and many of her white-suited colleagues hope to change the world through visionary thinking and spiritual vigor. Just to add another color, she has proposed a Green New Deal, working to save the environment with a powerful plan like FDR's New Deal of the 1930s. The Congresswomen in white brought a nice change of pace to the the red/blue binary in the color wars.
Trump seemed to address AOC directly midway through the State of the Union. He addressed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, progenitors of the new progressive wing of the Democratic Party, stating "America will never be a socialist country." Trump compared the USA would have a similar outcome to tottering Venezuela should we go that route.
The color thing-- Republicans are the reds and Democrats the blue-- has a strange parallel to the the Bloods and Crips, famous street gangs of LA. Politics is a street fight, fought by rich and powerful in business suits but the partisanship of today has Democratic politicians in blue tie and Donald Trump and company more likely to go for the red cravat. Not much difference between a politician's tie and a street gang bandana in certain situations. Our reptilian brain kicks into action when our survival is at stake, no matter our social class or education.
Also in the area of political fashion statements. What's with Donald Trump and the long coats? Methinks he's feeling kingly and wants a robe like James Brown halfway through his act.
The Democratic representatives saw red when Interim Attorney General Matthew Whitaker took the congressional stand looking like Benito Mussolini's healthiest son. They attacked him unmercifully. They don't want him messing with the. Robert Mueller investigation. Whitaker proved dogged in refusing to answer questions about his conversations with Donald Trump. Whitaker was a piñata for the Democrats in his role as proxy for Trump. Maybe he got loyalty points from the president for absorbing the abuse though Jeff Sessions proved Trump has a short span for the loyalty of friends and/or allies. Michael Cohen never got a chance to take a bullet for President Trump-- but Matthew Whitaker did.
Maybe Roger Stone fancies himself the finest dresser of them all.
Paul Manafort... he's unpredictable and almost always shows bad judgment. Manafort is known for paying top dollar to achieve sartorial splendor and achieves nothing more than a Men's Warehouse look. Money cannot buy taste.
Different colors for different folks.
On the other end of the color spectrum... many of the newly elected women of Congress featured white garb at President Trump's State of the Union speech. Trump's most lighthearted moment occurred when he acknowledged the number of women elected to office and the white suits came alive with laughter and happiness. White is the color of spiritual purity.
Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and many of her white-suited colleagues hope to change the world through visionary thinking and spiritual vigor. Just to add another color, she has proposed a Green New Deal, working to save the environment with a powerful plan like FDR's New Deal of the 1930s. The Congresswomen in white brought a nice change of pace to the the red/blue binary in the color wars.
Trump seemed to address AOC directly midway through the State of the Union. He addressed Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, progenitors of the new progressive wing of the Democratic Party, stating "America will never be a socialist country." Trump compared the USA would have a similar outcome to tottering Venezuela should we go that route.
The color thing-- Republicans are the reds and Democrats the blue-- has a strange parallel to the the Bloods and Crips, famous street gangs of LA. Politics is a street fight, fought by rich and powerful in business suits but the partisanship of today has Democratic politicians in blue tie and Donald Trump and company more likely to go for the red cravat. Not much difference between a politician's tie and a street gang bandana in certain situations. Our reptilian brain kicks into action when our survival is at stake, no matter our social class or education.
Also in the area of political fashion statements. What's with Donald Trump and the long coats? Methinks he's feeling kingly and wants a robe like James Brown halfway through his act.
The Democratic representatives saw red when Interim Attorney General Matthew Whitaker took the congressional stand looking like Benito Mussolini's healthiest son. They attacked him unmercifully. They don't want him messing with the. Robert Mueller investigation. Whitaker proved dogged in refusing to answer questions about his conversations with Donald Trump. Whitaker was a piñata for the Democrats in his role as proxy for Trump. Maybe he got loyalty points from the president for absorbing the abuse though Jeff Sessions proved Trump has a short span for the loyalty of friends and/or allies. Michael Cohen never got a chance to take a bullet for President Trump-- but Matthew Whitaker did.
Maybe Roger Stone fancies himself the finest dresser of them all.
Paul Manafort... he's unpredictable and almost always shows bad judgment. Manafort is known for paying top dollar to achieve sartorial splendor and achieves nothing more than a Men's Warehouse look. Money cannot buy taste.
Different colors for different folks.
Sunday, February 3, 2019
A Picture worth thousands of words... can end a career pronto
Ralph Northam, governor of Virginia, has insurmountable odds to overcome. An embarrassing photo can kill a career, electrocute the victim in a matter of hours. Just ask Al Franken.
Franken's career ending on a silly photo seems extreme-- and may be a case of new Puritanism causing harm unnecessarily. He acted like he was going to grasp the breasts of a sleeping colleague, a fellow performer, on a USO tour flight.
Northam has a weaker case. He complains that the photos of medical students in black face and Ku Klux Klan outfit is not him. Funny how he didn't think that when first accused. You cannot undo a picture once it has entered the psyche of the citizens. Voters rise from their couches when encountering a horrible visual image.
Somehow Donald Trump has escaped the impact of the new awareness. Call him Teflon Don just like we called John Gotti, the Mafia Don. John Gotti escaped the courtroom conviction every time until he didn't. Sammy the Bull's testimony proved too much. Hard to say if Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen of Roger Stone will ever bring such a result to the President....?
Two are from the Vietnam War era and may have influenced our withdrawal from the war. The third is an image none of us can escape...;
1)The photo of a crying Vietnamese child, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, now called the Napalm girl, as she runs stripped of clothes amid other fleeing villagers, to escape from an air attack. This is one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War.
3) The Blue Marble, the first photo of earth taken from space. The photo has changed consciousness, made us aware that national boundaries are of miniscule importance compared to our mutual dependence.
If the earth is to survive we must go back to this third photo--- as our point of reference. We only survive if we share. Share with other people, share with polar bears, share with trees, birds, bees and flowers.
Pollution may happen over here goes over there. Global climate change is exactly that-- global!
A picture of photograph-- may be worth a thousand word, or multi-thousands-- and these words change the world.
Franken's career ending on a silly photo seems extreme-- and may be a case of new Puritanism causing harm unnecessarily. He acted like he was going to grasp the breasts of a sleeping colleague, a fellow performer, on a USO tour flight.
Northam has a weaker case. He complains that the photos of medical students in black face and Ku Klux Klan outfit is not him. Funny how he didn't think that when first accused. You cannot undo a picture once it has entered the psyche of the citizens. Voters rise from their couches when encountering a horrible visual image.
Somehow Donald Trump has escaped the impact of the new awareness. Call him Teflon Don just like we called John Gotti, the Mafia Don. John Gotti escaped the courtroom conviction every time until he didn't. Sammy the Bull's testimony proved too much. Hard to say if Michael Flynn, Paul Manafort, Michael Cohen of Roger Stone will ever bring such a result to the President....?
3 Photos That Changed the World
Three other photos since the late Sixties jump to mind. These consciousness-altering photos, non-sexual in nature, have influenced human awareness and political developments and hopefully do so.Two are from the Vietnam War era and may have influenced our withdrawal from the war. The third is an image none of us can escape...;
1)The photo of a crying Vietnamese child, Phan Thị Kim Phúc, now called the Napalm girl, as she runs stripped of clothes amid other fleeing villagers, to escape from an air attack. This is one of the most haunting images of the Vietnam War.
3) The Blue Marble, the first photo of earth taken from space. The photo has changed consciousness, made us aware that national boundaries are of miniscule importance compared to our mutual dependence.
If the earth is to survive we must go back to this third photo--- as our point of reference. We only survive if we share. Share with other people, share with polar bears, share with trees, birds, bees and flowers.
Pollution may happen over here goes over there. Global climate change is exactly that-- global!
A picture of photograph-- may be worth a thousand word, or multi-thousands-- and these words change the world.
Monday, January 28, 2019
Nancy to Donald: Not in my House!
Nancy Pelosi didn't request a RSVP from President Trump to the State of the Union address; in fact she uninvited him.
But Nancy Pelosi seems to have flummoxed Donald Trump. She brought something new to the table. Some call it "legislative experience" and others just pure confidence and toughness that brings her to confront the President on equal terms. Trump, not one who likes equal terms, looks around for leverage and instead takes a whipping from right-wingers Ann Coulter and Lou Dobbs. Those pundits, Ann the author and Lou the broadcaster, hurl insults at Trump-- "wimpiest President" ever or "Cave Man" as the New York Post dubbed Trump for caving to the Democrats no-wall position.
Details never trouble Donald Trump. He must be given credit for flexibility. The guy assumes more shapes than Hermes the god of speed, businessmen and thieves. He has had trouble transacting to the Pelosi refusal to invite him to her house, the House of Representatives, to give the State of the Union speech.
Pelosi's strategic response to the government shutdown was to disinvite Trump for the big State of the Union speech on supposed security concerns. Her move has been acknowledged as political genius. We've never seen it before so let's give the Lady Speaker credit.
Pelosi denied Trump a megaphone. Trump likes giving speeches more than just about anything else. He likes being the center of attention and feeling respected by important people. The environment for the State of the Union provides all those things but Donald got denied. Seemed to throw him off his game.
Maybe concerns about the Mueller investigation setting sights on Trump pals like longtime political crony Roger Stone made him more vulnerable. Trump has handled immense amount of pressure but does not age from pressures of the presidency in the usual manner. Everything about the guy is unprecedented.
Watching the Democratic presidential candidate hopefuls step to the fore.
Older generation-- Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and did I hear Hillary Clinton's name mentioned...?
* Bernie-- a socialist at heart, set the progressive agenda now reflected by Democratic left-wing
* Joe-- has the "centrist" touch the Democrats need
* Hillary-- OMG
3 Female competitors-- Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris have all formally announced:
* Elizabeth-- a numbers person, shows an accountant instincts for rich people's thievery
* Kirsten-- may be a Republican in sheep's clothing, make that donkey's clothing
* Kamala-- smiles nicely with impeccable grooming, a tough DA type, somewhat intimidating
2 Billionaire independents-- Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz
* Michael-- capitalist but also Mayor of New York City, fights large soft-drinks and pollution
* Howard-- the former Starbucks CEO, business savvy, invented $5 coffee
The question for everybody considering the Democratic nomination. Can you beat Trump?
One candidate I've never heard mentioned-- Nancy Pelosi.
But Nancy Pelosi seems to have flummoxed Donald Trump. She brought something new to the table. Some call it "legislative experience" and others just pure confidence and toughness that brings her to confront the President on equal terms. Trump, not one who likes equal terms, looks around for leverage and instead takes a whipping from right-wingers Ann Coulter and Lou Dobbs. Those pundits, Ann the author and Lou the broadcaster, hurl insults at Trump-- "wimpiest President" ever or "Cave Man" as the New York Post dubbed Trump for caving to the Democrats no-wall position.
Details never trouble Donald Trump. He must be given credit for flexibility. The guy assumes more shapes than Hermes the god of speed, businessmen and thieves. He has had trouble transacting to the Pelosi refusal to invite him to her house, the House of Representatives, to give the State of the Union speech.
Pelosi's strategic response to the government shutdown was to disinvite Trump for the big State of the Union speech on supposed security concerns. Her move has been acknowledged as political genius. We've never seen it before so let's give the Lady Speaker credit.
Pelosi denied Trump a megaphone. Trump likes giving speeches more than just about anything else. He likes being the center of attention and feeling respected by important people. The environment for the State of the Union provides all those things but Donald got denied. Seemed to throw him off his game.
Maybe concerns about the Mueller investigation setting sights on Trump pals like longtime political crony Roger Stone made him more vulnerable. Trump has handled immense amount of pressure but does not age from pressures of the presidency in the usual manner. Everything about the guy is unprecedented.
Watching the Democratic presidential candidate hopefuls step to the fore.
Older generation-- Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, and did I hear Hillary Clinton's name mentioned...?
* Bernie-- a socialist at heart, set the progressive agenda now reflected by Democratic left-wing
* Joe-- has the "centrist" touch the Democrats need
* Hillary-- OMG
3 Female competitors-- Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand and Kamala Harris have all formally announced:
* Elizabeth-- a numbers person, shows an accountant instincts for rich people's thievery
* Kirsten-- may be a Republican in sheep's clothing, make that donkey's clothing
* Kamala-- smiles nicely with impeccable grooming, a tough DA type, somewhat intimidating
2 Billionaire independents-- Michael Bloomberg and Howard Schultz
* Michael-- capitalist but also Mayor of New York City, fights large soft-drinks and pollution
* Howard-- the former Starbucks CEO, business savvy, invented $5 coffee
The question for everybody considering the Democratic nomination. Can you beat Trump?
One candidate I've never heard mentioned-- Nancy Pelosi.
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
Trump Goes to the Mattresses
Donald Trump came into office just like a Mafia Don. Don Donald. Michael Flynn, the guy who led chants of “Lock her up,” and Michael Cohen, Trump’s personal lawyer, began selling favors before the inauguration. Flynn could be seen making deals on his cellphone from the White House lawn. Cohen sought out multi-national companies and advertised his strong access to the President of the United States as a strong selling point.
No hesitation in these gangster types. They get a foot in the door and you have to pay them protection…. Or else.
Trump took the same approach as his associates. Emoluments clause? Hell with it. I can run a business and the USA at the same time. He did not want to divest his business holdings and never did.
Trump has “played” politics just the way the recently risen Mafia Don works his crew, the streets and the civilians. Everything’s for me. Everybody sends a cut of their earnings to the top.
Donald Trump will steal your lunch money until you fight back. America has not fought back and he keeps gouging until the final dollar is pressed into his personal coffers. Don’t like it and you can try your best to get him out of office.
Office never mattered to much to Donald Trump. He loves the theater and confrontation of electoral politics and loves watching television. But a certain movie captures the Trump phenomenon, even better than Celebrity Apprentice.
In Casino, the 1995 Martin Scorsese film starring Joe Pesci, Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro, we get an insight into Donald Trump.
Robert De Niro as Ace Rothstein is quietly running a casino in Vegas. The De Niro character translates to Barack Obama, a capable man doing an honest day’s work. Joe Pesci is Donald Trump—the guy who shows up like a tornado, kills the game for everybody else.
The Joe Pesci character, based on Anthony Spilotro, a real life mob enforcer and hit man, arrives and things spiral downward and end with a thud. Joe’s character lacks self-control. He is programmed to hurt others. He lives only for himself. The Joe Pesci character adds insult to injury by stealing and banging De Niro’s wife—Sharon Stone as Ginger McKenna.
Okay, so Donald Trump never made a play for Michelle Obama. I’m sure she’s not his type. He likes tall women but prefers Eastern European and Russian woman. That’s how you end up with a daughter named Ivanka.
Trump’s daughter’s name does not imply he’s colluded or conspired with Russians. Trump’s most obvious trait—acquisitiveness—includes the element of bringing everybody else down. It’s not enough for him to win. The others, (i.e. the American citizenry) can fend for themselves.
We must protect ourselves from Donald Trump’s habit of playing the game so hard, working the casino till every nickel has dropped out of the slot machine and then declaring bankruptcy.
After 5 bankruptcies, including Atlantic City casinos, Trump moved to the next hustle. Bankers lost confidence in his Midas touch and Donald Trump went east to Moscow to find new bankers.
Russia, as the banker of last resort, may prove to be the end of Trump. Putin is a better gangster, probably more cruel and efficient than the garrulous Donald Trump. Putin is more the Carlo Gambino style mob boss. He keeps quiet and motivates associates—called Russian oligarchs—to do his bidding. Putin is said to be the richest man in the world.
The Mueller probe gets closer to President Trump and Don Donald hires an army of lawyers. I heard 40 lawyers hired—but maybe 17, the more conservative number is accurate? In either case, that’s a lot of lawyers.
Trump hiring an army of lawyers is a presidential version of the old Mafia term “going to the mattresses.” Mob wars required the Mafia soldiers to move into apartments and sleep on mattresses on the floor—until matters were settled.
Trump’s two greatest assets are:
1) His base of loyal voters
2) His mastery of media communication
Like a good gangster movie, the two sides are lined against each other and ready to do battle. Carlo Gambino survived by following the traditional Mafia rule of omerta—silence when questioned by police and total loyalty to the mob family. But that is more Putin. Trump plays more like John Gotti—very fond of the spotlight and his notoriety.
Gotti flamed out quickly as “boss of all bosses” precisely because he was too loud, too flamboyant and overly narcissistic.
Sound familiar?
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Yellow Vests: fighting Society's Reboot
The Yellow Vests, Gilets Jaunes, have taken Paris by storm. Yellow protective vests, mandated by the French government for all drivers, have become the symbol of dissatisfied French citizens. The protesters, many of them from rural areas or districts far removed from the central city, feel abandoned by President Emmanuel Macron and the ruling elites.
Macron has goals to protect the environment and imposed a gasoline tax. That decision stirred Yellow Vest protests and rioting in the streets of Paris. The workers cannot afford to live in central Paris where mass transit is easily available. They drive cars, burn gas and feel the pain of a fuel tax hike imposed by Macron. The Yellow Vests took to the streets and the fuel tax quickly disappeared.
The consistent theme is that people outside the urban centers are taking action to be included in the new social contract.
Sound familiar? Look at England. Britain had their Brexit partisans, those determined to remove England from the European Union. The Brits outside of London got Brexit passed and they too seemed to feel they were getting shafted by the new social contract.
In the USA we have the Trump base who shocked the world by getting Donald Trump elected. They express a desire to return America to its days of heavy manufacturing. That day seems to have passed. Industry has moved to the Third World and may soon move entirely to AI, artificial intelligence… the dreaded robot society.
The new social contract is an elusive concept. The consistencies between these movements is twofold:
1) A nostalgic longing for past conditions.
Belgium protestors were heard chanting something like “We don’t want to change.” Perhaps this was a longing for the days before the big demographic change. Immigration to European countries from Third World countries threatens the status quo. The vaunted charms of the European lifestyle seem under assault.
2) A desire to survive the technological revolution and the resulting society re-boot.
The rich get richer. The educated have enough computer mastery to sustain themselves and even flourish with their programming skills. The robots get jobs once held by the blue collar folks.
Protestors realize there is a re-organization of society taking place. They don’t want to be left broke, cold and devoid of the wine, cheese and pub life that makes for an enjoyable life, European style.
Can’t say that I blame them.
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