Legitimate Protest in New York?

Charles Krauthammer’s recent brimstone lecture to those daring to protest the Wall Street greed and subterfuge that led to the present economic crisis is more amusing than it is alarming.  Amusing because it seems to have sprung more from concern that this movement could derail Republican plans for 2012.  Otherwise, wouldn’t Mr. Krauthammer simply ignore it since it is—in his eyes and in the eyes of FOX and a bevy of other conservative pundits—bereft of a specific set of goals, not significant when compared to the Tea Party, and full of privileged ipad carrying liberal kids who are just spoiled?

That Herman Cain spoke of these protesters in equally derisive terms was not surprising.  That his comments—and a cavalcade of similar comments—are meant to be applied to the middle class unemployed as a whole is more alarming.  The message:  if you’re out of work and struggling, it’s your fault.   If you’re not rich, it’s your fault.  Wall Street, according to these pundits, earned their fat bank accounts, water view mansions, and heated leather-seat luxury cars the old-fashioned way.
So who’s at fault?  If we believe the Tea Party Express, the Obama Administration is entirely at fault.  It was Obama, and he alone, that drove up the federal debt to buy his way with Wall Street by throwing money at them and giving them a free ride despite overwhelming evidence that they gamed the system in ways unimaginable.  Do these pundits really think that the average American, even the average college-educated American, could possibly have comprehended the algorithms used to game an already complex financial system stacked against the American worker and the American consumer? 

And yet, of these three participants in the death dance of the American economy—the federal government, Wall Street, and American workers—the only one blameless is the one that had the most to do with it.

As far as the issue of legitimate protest, I’ll let others figure it out.  Tea Party activists put a lot of time and effort into creating racist placards and spent some time harassing and spitting on elected legislators.  Their supporters will deny these facts.   The protesters in New York and elsewhere do not have a cogent message—but they reflect a growing national anger.   If the only result of their protests is the increasing coverage they’re getting  (with even FOX NEWS getting into the mix), then that will have been worth the effort. 

I’m hoping that they coalesce enough to have a profound effect on the next election.  Both parties have participated equally in the debacle we now face, and both deserve to be brought down to size.

THE NEW POLITICAL SEASON

We are entering the 2012 presidential race--as the new media never ceases to remind us--and I don't see any other way to approach it. The campaign season is a coming storm that arrives slowly, almost in slow motion. It sucks the air out of the air. It spins like a giant big wall cyclone. And while the two parties stake out their own camps and plans for battle, they seem relatively the same; cut from the same broadcloth; lacking in imagination.

At recent republican debates, we've been witness to crowd cheers and applause. Tea party activists have applied their purity tests with wild abandon. They've celebrated the number of executions under Texas Governor Rick Perry. They've booed a gay soldier with a heartbreaking story to tell. And they've shown no compassion for those unable to get health care and even those who have died for lack of care and resources. And they're supposed to be representative of the pro-life movement?

But the Obama White House has been equally skilled at honing its recent message to market itself for the election season. The jobs plan tour has taken him to the states he needs to win in 2012 and yet his advisors will say there is no political intent in this action plan. He's just selling jobs.

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are out of work. Sold down the river by political inaction, by 3 decades of increased globalization and a government bailout of the national moneyed class that let their greed get the best of them. The economy we now face, the very one that is sucking the life out of the middle class, was created intentionally by the very greed that was rewarded by both parties.

Republicans denigrate a new class warfare. Democrats try to look like they're doing something useful to help the middle class. The only real class warfare is the one that has been going on since Reagon took office. It's the one that has effectively shrunk the very segment of our population from which has sprung this nation's ingenuity, work ethic, and creation of goods.

A new political season is upon us. But there's no reason to believe that the status quo created by the two parties--working in concert in ways that they may not fully realize--will bring positive change for the vast majority of Americans suffering in these economic times.

TOO MUCH TIME IN FRONT OF THE COMPUTER

Writing, for some, is an art form. It is approached from the standpoint of using the English language in new and interesting ways, or taking the novel in a new direction. Some writers have read a lot of Flannery O'Connor, William Faulkner, or others in the Southern Gothic field and they may find themselves incorporating similar themes and textures into their own works. Others read Pat Conroy's page turners and notice his sales and dream of emulating his success by coming up with the next beach novel. The right mix of social upheaval (within the world of that work of fiction), sex and some violence: it's a like a recipe and it works if the measure used for each ingredient is just right.

Writers like Stephen King may fall into both categories: the novelist who works to hone his craft and the book writer with marketing on his/her mind. In today's world, if one looks across the landscapes that comprise the internet, millions of would-be creative artists are vying for public attention. Right now, I am one of them. But I join the ranks of so many that I have to do something to cut through the crop. Internet advertising ventures are waiting to scoop up newcomers like me who read about others who claim to have made their first million from a new book. And it's debatable whether or not any of these campaigns are any more effective than simple word of mouth and step by step introductions (on forums and in social networks).

But what are the chances? Bad writers have made money. Good writers are still waiting to recoup their costs. And some great writers have been lucky: they've written wonderful books that are selling. The advice that makes sense--advice that I've not yet quite taken--is to take some time to market but avoid getting obsessive about it. Keep your computer time short. Write another book. And make time to get out of the house and enjoy the outside world.

This advice falls into the category of easier said than done, but it's advice that I haven't always followed. When my daughter tells me that I'm spending too much time in front of the computer I realize just one thing: I'm spending too much time in front of the computer.

Dystopian Novels

Novels that fall into this category seem to be very popular, especially with young people. Why is that? These books have protagonists who are trying to survive in very difficult environments--worlds overtaken by marauding zombies (many books, too numerous to mention) or vampires, worlds nearly destroyed by asteroids, nuclear explosions, or environmental disasters (The Road), or communities of the future with dictatorial governments where small groups decide to fight back or take back the light (City of Embers). So many writers have delved into these waters; so many readers love these kinds of books. And older people--parents especially--worry that their children are teetering at the edge of despair. But I see the explosion of this market as a very positive sign. By reading the great novels in this genre, readers learn about how the main characters strive to stay alive and to solve problems. Main characters usually, and ultimately, make decisions that set them on the better path. And they often learn to lead others in the right direction. Young readers aren't just seeking out negative stories to fuel their despair when they flock to the latest novel about characters caught up in the aftermath of armageddon. They are, I believe, also looking for solutions to problems--although they might not readily admit that. In the best of these novels, there are resolutions that teach lesson, endings that might even contain some glimmers of hope for a better world. As teenagers venture out into a world that they didn't create, but one that presents them with problems that they will be asked to help solve, the books on their reading list will serve as possible resources for how to act.

The Agony and the Continued Agony

In a world of nations and people that seem to make due with little or who rise up to fight against heavily armed governments even when they know that such protests will end badly, it comes off as arrogant and selfish when people like myself complain about the food order at a restaurant or being putting on hold by my cable company. A little perspective is in order. I offer no advice to anyone out there about how to make life more livable because I haven't figured it out. I know a number of people who have great struggles to overcome and yet they have little to complain about. Whether it's the hand of God working in their lives or an innate sense that each moment of their each and every day is precious, they don't complain. They can't complain. Therefore: I sound shrill and small and pointless when I do it.

Tone Deaf White House

I mentioned in an earlier "blog" that I was and am a registered democrat, a lifelong democrat in fact. I voted for Mr. Obama and was caught up in the wave of hopeful fervor that swept across the nation from November 2008 through much of last spring. The success of healthcare--the fact that the White House kept working the process through many arduous months, refusing to give up despite national opposition--was another plus for Obama in my view and in my eyes.

But I've always felt that his coolish demeanor and the overarching intellect of his advisory circle members created a cone of insularity that prevented he and his advisors from understanding the issues and problems of everyday America. His economic policies have always shown a favoritism towards corporate interests despite expressions to the contrary. His choices for top economic positions have demonstrated an affinity for the politically well-connected and well-heeled. True economic progressives have been exiled to government siberias where the positions they take have no chance of being recognized much less made part of federal policy.

His advisors proved their worth to him in keeping out of the White House the truth and pain of the Gulf Coast tragedy these past few weeks. They also revealed an unfortunate provincialism, a rearing of hidden north-south animosities or, more to the point, northern liberal ivy league arrogance vs. southern working class ethics. Even if that wasn't the intended consequence, and you'd have to be politically stupid beyond all reason to knowingly push these kinds of agendas, that is how it will be perceived.

If anything could have lost the American South for the democrats in upcoming elections, the uncalculated, passive White House response to the Gulf oil disaster would be it. It won't be an obvious factor. And yet, while republican strategists sharpen their knives, democrats will be preparing the "drill, baby, drill" ads. When the dust settles, however, and democrats scratch their heads, many standing along the edges will remember the moment in President Obama's recent press conference when he said that his detractors--many of whom were salty and salt of the earth southern democrats--didn't understand if they chose to criticize the federal response.

This is just the kind of attitude that is sowing the seeds for the demise of the Obama presidency. It's looking less and less, each passing week, like Mr. Obama and his tight circle of highly educated advisors are cognizant enough to figure out where and why they've gotten it so completely wrong: the pulse of the American electorate, that is.

This is a National Emergency

Dear Mr. President:

With all due respect, your administration is beginning to look a lot like that of your predecessor, especially with regards to how you're not handling the catastrophe now unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico.

What is happening down there constitutes a national emergency and, as such, it must require a robust federal response. Many who have been unwavering in their support of your administration--including respected commentators like James Carville, Senator Nelson of Florida, and David Gergen--have been livid over the federal government's seemingly passive response. Many have suggested a number of options that I agree with: miltarize the clean up. Order all available oil tankers to the gulf to begin mopping up the oil spill. Let BP handle the logistics of stopping the leak, but take them off of the clean up. They're clearly not up to the job and they seem, frankly, to be uninterested in the environmental nightmare that they created and that is spreading like wildfire across the Gulf. It threatens to, if not contained, enter sea currents and spread beyond Gulf waters.

Perception is reality in politics and the general perception right now is that you're allowing a private company oversee the debris of a possibly criminal action that they are legally responsible for. Though there is precedent for this with regard to oil spills, it's time for you to cut short the fundraisers and demonstrate to BP and the rest of the nation that you are indeed in charge. Leadership is required here. If it's not demonstrated, and demonstrated soon, this absolute disaster will doom your presidency as well as your chances for a second term. If your advisors are not telling you this, then you need to pull apart the veil of insularity that surrounds you in the White House, roll up your sleeves, and demonstrate that you are, indeed, the elected leader of this country.

Thank you.

Stephen Graff
Woodbury, NJ