Saturday, April 27, 2019

Everybody Loves Old Joe (until he runs)

JAZZMAN CHRONICLES:  TRUMP DAZE.  





OLD WHITE MEN

Everybody Loves Old Joe

By Jack Random



Despite my approximate seven percent Native American bloodline by way of the Great Oklahoma Land Rush and the Dust Bowl migration to Central California, I am what I appear to be:  an old white man.  I am neither proud nor ashamed of that identification.  It is what it is. 

I am not proud to be old though it beats the alternative.  I am not proud to be white though I am grateful I did not have to endure the pains of discrimination that so many of my darker complexioned peers did.  I am not proud to be a man though I am fortunate I did not have to suffer the indignity of sexual bias and intimidation that women have experienced. 

All of this brings me to the latest entry in the Democratic presidential sweepstakes:  Old Joe Biden.  Everybody loves Joe.  Just listen to all the old white men on television giving testament to Old Joe’s character.  Listen to them proclaim the same old ode to moderation that they deliver every four years:  Only Joe can win the White House.  Only Joe knows how to talk to the working stiffs in Middle America.  Only Joe can avoid the stinging charge of socialism. 

Everybody loves Joe until he actually runs for the presidency.  Now we begin to see the dark side of Old Joe, the borderline racist-sexist shadow of his past policies:  His failure to stand up for Anita Hill as he chaired the committee that systematically assassinated her character, his advocacy of the infamous Clinton Crime Bill that resulted in the mass incarceration of minorities and his hand in creating the Free Trade mandate. 

Old Joe aint quite what he appears to be when you look a little closer. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I like Old Joe.  No.  I really do.  He reminds me of my father who was one of the most progressive men of his generation.  He meant no harm when he used phrases like: a credit to his race.  He regarded women much as men of his age did. 

Old Joe is like my father.  He didn’t mean any harm.  He really didn’t.  And maybe his vulnerability in these areas would make him a great president for women and minorities by way of compensation.  Nevertheless, Democrats must ask themselves if they really want a candidate with some of the same character flaws as the sitting president. 

When it all comes down, like all the other old white men, I don’t believe that age, race or gender should disqualify anyone from the presidency.  Being an old white man, however, I do believe that age becomes a factor in the way we think, the way we act and the way we respond to criticism.  As much as we want him to do well, Joe aint gonna make it down this road unscathed and neither is Bernie.  It’s a long hard road and one that both Joe and Bernie have traveled before.  Take it from one who has traveled this nation by air, rail, highway and thumb, the road gets rougher and winds in ways we don’t even remember. 

I recall Ronald Reagan musing on the long and winding road to nowhere in his presidential debate with Walter Mondale.  In an actor’s vernacular, he “went up.”  His mind abandoned him mid-thought.  Yet we the people re-elected him.  Later, he would feign hard-of-hearing while wife Nancy whispered what to say in his ear.  Later still, he would admit guilt in the Iran-Contra affair with one of the strangest statements ever enunciated in the Oval Office before Trump:  “A few months ago I told the American people I did not trade arms for hostages.  My heart and my best intentions tell me that’s true but the facts and evidence tell me it’s not.”  Translation:  I lost control of my presidency.  We would learn that Reagan suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. 

Ronald Reagan was 73 years old when elected to a second term.  Joe Biden will be 77 in November.  Bernie Sanders will be 78 in September.  Elizabeth Warren is a relatively youthful 69 and will turn seventy in June.

Chris Matthews, the elder statesman of MSNBC, is 73 years of age.  Pundit and former Governor of Pennsylvania Ed Rendell is 75.  Respectfully, it is time for the old white guys to step down and make way for the young, the vibrant and the innovative. 

Matthews believes that the charge of socialism will skewer any Democrat who advocates universal Medicare.  He speaks for a generation past – a generation that depends on Medicare.  Rendell is sure that only Old Joe can take back the Rust Belt from Donald Trump but Biden has no more or better answers to the loss of industrial jobs than Hillary did.

Old white guys like Old Joe.  I’m with the young people.  I still like Bernie.  But if I’m being honest, having watched the CNN town hall forums, age marked Bernie in a way that it did not four years ago.  By comparison, Elizabeth Warren appeared youthful and vibrant.  It’s not that he lacked energy and passion but his answers seemed a little pat and he was not as quick to respond to criticisms as he once was. 

Age like death comes for us all and it leaves an indelible mark. 

I believe in my soul it is time for the old white guys to step aside.  It is time for someone younger and more in touch with technology to carry the torch.  It is time for a candidate who is not afraid of words like “socialism” and has the courage to stand up for policies that align with principle. 

I will not be supporting Bernie Sanders this time around – not because he is a socialist but because he is too old.  Frankly, Bernie is not a socialist.  He does not advocate abolishing free enterprise or private property.  He only wants to moderate capitalism a with healthy dose of social medicine, including universal healthcare, a decent safety net, a higher minimum wage and progressive taxation.  If only Bernie were younger I would not hesitate to support him as the mainstream progressive candidate. 

It goes without saying that I will not support Joe Biden.  He’s had his day.  Let others speak of his shortcomings.  He is too old to be president. 

I have not eliminated Elizabeth Warren though her age is certainly a concern.  Her policies are breaking new ground.  Her two percent tax on the super rich makes a lot of sense.  She is the enemy of the elite and is well positioned to expose Donald Trump as the spoiled elitist he really is.  Her proposal for rolling back student debt is bold.  Her stands on impeachment, breaking up the Tech giants and Medicare for All are direct and uncompromised.  She strongly supports the Green New Deal – the minimum we should expect from any candidate for president.  She also has the ghost of Pocahontas but nobody really cares. 

Of the younger women, Senator Amy Klobuchar stood out at the town hall meetings for her knowledge of the issues and her specific policy proposals.  I don’t buy her dodge on impeachment: she believes that senators must be neutral because they would serve as the jury.  I believe that presidential candidates must have the courage to say where they stand.  She advocates a public option on healthcare insurance, mental health parity, targeted loan forgiveness for student debt and supports the Green New Deal.  She wants Big Pharma to pay for the drug treatment needed to counter the epidemic of addiction they created.  There is a lot to like here but she needs the passion of Bernie. 

Senator Kamala Harris seems to have a pattern of coming on strong and then backing away from issues she perceives as controversial.  Too often she fell back on the phrase:  “Let’s have that conversation.”  Translation:  She’s not ready to commit. 

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand lost me when she was so quick to throw her colleague Senator Al Franken under the bus.  He was guilty of very bad taste – even for a comedian – but he did not deserve summary execution of his political career. 

Senator Cory Booker was somehow omitted from the town halls – perhaps replaced by Mayor Pete Buttigieg.  Booker has a problem in his ties to the pharmaceutical industry.  Mayor Pete is a brilliant man – too brilliant to believe he is actually running for president. 

There are of course a lot of other candidates and we’ve got a long way to go.  At this juncture, like most Americans, I am nowhere near committing.  The only decision I’ve made is:  It aint Old Joe and it aint Old Bernie.  Not this time. 

Jazz. 

JACK RANDOM IS THE AUTHOR OF THE JAZZMAN CHRONICLES AND NUMEROUS NOVELS, INCLUDING PAWNS TO PLAYERS: THE CHESS TRILOGY.  HIS COMMENTARIES HAVE APPEARED AT DISSIDENT VOICE AND COUNTERPUNCH. 

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