The Joy Ploy Collapse
Tears in Liberal Mudville.
Working class abandonment is just PART of the reason for the Democratic Party belly-flop this week. Fact is that the Dems abandoned the working class long ago ... DECADES ago. So in this context, consider that when he ran for president, tired-out pasty-faced backward old Joe Biden still received more votes and higher percentages in battleground states than Harris. As of the weekend, Harris had about 12 million fewer votes than Biden received in 2020. Where did they all go ? After the two-week sugar-high of the Joy-Ploy and the big-tent convention show, Kamala Harris’ message was "business as usual" on all issues with the only significant exception being reproductive rights. Most damning of all, she loudly declared “business as usual” with war and genocide. This allowed Trump to pose as an antiwar and America First candidate JUST as he did first time around. And let us not overlook her almost complete lack of charisma and visible principles. The one thing almost all voters agree upon is that the system is strained and teetering; still reeling from the Covid epidemic and the aftermath of lockdowns and palpable inflation; now bled dry by Ukraine, Israel, and an already massivly bloated “defense” budget [see previous post on “Department of War/Department of Defense”]. Though it stems from completely different causes, the rise in the cost of housing aka real estate has placed home ownership out of the reach of millions, particularly the young. The inflationary explosion in housing costs was caused by real estate speculation, America’s second most popular passtime after war. So here comes Kamala with “business as usual” in her somewhat whiney, nasal voice. This was NOT what voters wanted to hear. And her “progressive” base is emphatically not “I’m With Her!” on more war and mass extermination. Trump’s image from day one of his groaty polital career has been “the change agent.” Another way to put it: the Grenade Vote blew up the Joy Ploy.
For a sharp analysis of the Harris belly-flop, check out Palestinian scholar Yousef Munayyer, founder and editor of Jewish Currents, head of the Palestine/Israel Program and senior fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC, and member of the editorial committee of the Journal of Palestine Studies.
The interview with Munayyer begins at 16:36
Meanwhile, don’t forget to leave a comment, like, and SHARE this content. THANKS for stopping by.
Good analysis in the midst of liberal angst and denial.
Hi Ken,
I have been giving a lecture series on the evolution of the U.S. Constitution for the Henry George School of Social Science. Among the attendees are several rather progressive, several rather conservative and one very libertarian person. The back and forth discussion regarding very fundamental principles of justice and the limits to one's liberty as an individual reveal that Americans are (as Richard Hoftstadter argued decades ago) essentially anti-intellectual. Even many college or university educated people are such. Higher education for many is about getting credentials rather than acquiring a deeper understanding of the human condition. The study of constitutional law is a very minor part of the requirements to obtain a law degree.
And, there is this (which you appropriately point to). In matters of wealth acquisition, Americans have been speculating in property (meaning "land") markets since the first Europeans landed on the shores of the western hemisphere. Few ever have cause to think about the societal destruction associated with the rentier-driven economic system condemned by Thomas Paine and later by Henry George.
One thing I know with absolute certainty. If Donald Trump's administration follows thru with what he proposed as changes in public policy, the nation will be pulled into a catastrophic economic and financial crisis in 2026. That said, I would have expected a similar outcome would have occurred under a Harris administration. Ours is a credit-fueled and speculation driven economy. What is needed are systemic reforms, not shoot-from-the-hip policies designed to meet the demands by special interests.
My lecture series continues for the next four or five Monday evenings on Zoom beginning at 6:30 p.m. on the east coast. We have finished discussing Franklin Roosevelt, the New Deal and the changes in law that occurred during the Second World War. This coming Monday we will cover the post-war era under Truman and Eisenhower. This is the period of American Liberalism, by which I mean a period during which the center emerged to guide policy and contain the influence of those on the far right or far left. The entire lecture series was recorded before being delivered and can be viewed and listened to on my personal Youtube channel (search "Edward Dodson"). If you would like to join in on the discussion, you still might be able to register for the series (it is free of charge) on the website of the Henry George School of Social Science.