That's a grounding, humbling and thought provoking piece. Unfortunately, many of the thoughts could spawn a horror film. I'm going for a walk to see how my Christmas lights look in the dark. Thanks for the article. Well written as always.
Well said. It will undoubtedly get MUCH worse. If Trump & the Christofascists he's aligned himself with get their way (likely), we will probably won't have a free and fair election in 2028. We're not going to have another shot at this ... we're just in this ride to the end. So, there won't be Democrats, or another Bernie Sanders, or Jill Stein 🙄 to come "save" us, course correct ... this is our path now. With Kamala there was a potential for change (even if ppl think it was small or unlikely, she was the most Left leaning Senator in the Senate during her tenure). Perhaps she would've wanted to leave a dynamic & powerful legacy as the first female president ... now we have reality TV stars & fascists in charge.
Biden's let's get back to normal have us the 2022 Midterm results we needed, as Democrats were no longer scared of COVID since they'd been vaccinated & many survived Omicron. It was the last thing they were concerned about, literally. However, the Biden Administration should have tasked an outside agency and created a "Truth Initiative" style campaign, outside of the CDC or government, to slow-drip the truth about COVID and Long COVID, get ppl informed, not let them forget. And, they should have never changed the colors on the map that let ppl know if COVID was high or low in their area. Regular updates & accurate info would have kept ppl in the loop & an information campaign to help ppl understand the long term affects would've gone a long way, especially, now. Proper masking in Healthcare & calls for ppl to use masks during surges.
All of these would've gone a long way & not too much to "scare" the public who are fucking "big T" traumatized over the pandemic ... that's why no one wants to talk about it, ever. Everyone just wants to forget. It's a coping mechanism. Completely unhelpful right now as the pandemic is still on going, but here we are. I watch people's eyes glaze over, forget they even had COVID ... it's wild how the mind copes with trauma. Everyone is traumatized & we have a Christofascist regime about to take power, likely for good.
What you wrote is exactly what I have been thinking. What is so sad is that kept thinking that the Biden administration would finally kick it in gear and inform people that COVID had changed and that we needed more use more protective measures to stay safe, and would be taking steps to ramp up protections in healthcare etc. Then I thought well it is election year so they will continue to downplay until Kamala gets into office and then....childish thinking. But, now it is a true nightmare...daymare.....dreading the near future, thinking there is no good future and will the US collapse? Will Putin attack us because Trump will open the door wide to let him in? How do you prepare for this and how can you possibly protect your loved ones, community and just everyone including those oblivious to the fact that by voting for Trump they have released the hounds of hell. The only reason that I am not sinking into depression, because I start to when I wake every morning is that I love my family and will do whatever I can to stay with them thru this. But, I am 68 and feel worthless. I was going to semi-retire in about five years and now I worry that I really don't have and skill sets needed to survive. I feel like I weigh 1000 lbs and just drag along.
I think the only hope is with grassroots activism and building an alternative to the Democrats. They will never change. The Green Party is the best alternative out now, but they do not have a COVID public health policy. COVID cautious people can and should inundate that party to steer it in the right direction.
I agree a third party MIGHT be an option, but not the Green Party. I find the fact that they only pop up every 4 years for a Presidential election incredibly disingenuous. Jill Stein and the Green Party are in no way the route to salvation here. The Green Party hasn't even run a successful campaign for mayor or state representative in VERY Blue states like California, Massachusetts, etc. If they can't win in a Blue state like CA or MA, they DEFINITELY cannot win a national election. Also, If they're only showing up for POTUS elections they're useless at best or election spoilers at worst ... purposefully siphoning votes from the party they are closer aligned to which is the Democratic party. Either way, building up a third party that has some real power takes time, a lot of time, something the Green Party has not even attempted.
It would have been much easier to push Democrats to the Left than to start a whole new party from scratch. However, progressives are fickle are yearn for the "Perfect candidate."
Republicans don't have that problem, they vote down ticket, every time, and that's why they win. Hard stop. That's why that they've been SO successful at shaping policy over the last 40 years is because their voters show up, reliably, for whoever is in the ticket with a "R" by their name. So, even though Republicans are the minority and their policies are not seen favorably by the majority of Americans, their voters show up and are reliable so they get to shape policy.
The same cannot be said about progressives, Democrats, Leftists. They want a candidate to check all their boxes, and if the Democratic candidate doesn't get everything done that they promised (often the result of Republicans blocking their legislative agenda), then they don't vote the election or they'll vote Third party. Progressives are a completely unreliable electorate. That's just a fact and why Democrats have moved farther and farther to the Center and Right...because those people actually show up more reliably. Better to have small increments of change over time than descend into authoritarianism and fascism. That's just my opinion. Real change takes time, it's incremental, takes persistence, and patience.
Imagine everyone who stayed home in 2016 or voted 3rd party in protest & we had HRC at the helm when COVID hit in Fall 2019 in China ... we would have still had our Chinese arm of the CDC in China (Trump closed it) so we wouldve known about COVID the same time as China and could've assisted them like we did w/ SARS 1.
We would have led the world w/ science and facts instead of Trump's let's take ivermectin, hydroxychlorequine, bleach, or shoot light at it, gaslighting the population and calling COVID a hoax. She would've used the pandemic playbook & we likely would not be having this conversation right now.
Elections have consequences. We're now entering year 6 of the COVID pandemic & another Trump presidency. We'll have another massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the ultra rich (Trump's only legislative accomplishment in his first term) and a complete dismantling of our Federal Government, Regulatory agencies, and he will 100% ask Thomas & Alito to step down (just like he did with Justice Kennedy) and he will put two young, ultra right wing Justices to fill their spots - locking in a Far-right majority SCOTUS for the next 30+ years.
Now, Biden's response to COVID was calculated and based on a tired electorate who no longer were afraid of COVID, had gotten vaccinated, had gotten COVID, and were feeling the affects of the inflation caused by both corporate greed and the pandemic itself. He triaged the country. I believe there should've been an investment into properly educating the VERY traumatized public at large, but the reality is that people did not want to hear about COVID anymore and we likely would've lost the House & Senate in 2022 if Biden kept talking about COVID. Very sad, but very true. Trump had exhausted the majority of Americans. Again, elections have consequences.
It didn't have to be like this if we'd played the long game like Republicans do, but here we are.
Thank you Julia for another incisive and courageous piece! Right on the money.
Something happened in the last four years, something that broke so many of us lifelong Democrats who simply couldn't NOT see the basic truth anymore: that the party leadership just truly don't give a shit. It's all just a cynical game, and the most cynical game was the campaign itself we just saw. A campaign where the Democrats couldn't bother to actually have a primary, or something resembling democracy, despite an unpopular Democratic President who was clearly incapacitated--though of course the party and its media minions changed the channel with lots of passionate energy about the existential importance of "Democracy", etc. and how anything but Biden/Harris would mean no elections ever agin, but rather fascism, deportations, etc.
But when you stop believing in the leadership and step back, you can suddenly see the psychic operation at work: Hey, we don't have to actually promise our voters anything, which otherwise means we'd have to make difficult political decisions and face down powerful existing institutions and donors; rather, we can just scare the living shit out of them--what a great plan! I have many friends and family who have literally lost their minds in this election cycle. They are sure they've already lost all their rights. Ironically they had zero awareness of the terrifying censorship and media manipulation around Covid, Ukraine, etc. that the Party was already deeply committed to.
I feel terrible for my friends and family: the Dems were happy to tell them that if we lost they would be lined up in a firing squad, but gave them no tools to escape that fate, no candidates worth a dime, no policies anyone really wanted or needed, nothing to work with. Just lots and lots of fear of the other side. And fear makes people crazy. What an unfortunate mess they've made. Now we'll all have to suffer through more Trump years.
And, like you've pointed out powerfully, everyone just keeps getting sick again and again, and some get strange and serious health problems, and others get Long Covid. Two people I know in the last two months, one particularly close, strongly suspect that they've come down with Long Covid. One is quite young, now taking a sabbatical from a great position, and the other an older teacher. Both in previously terrific health. And no one, but almost no one, is aware of what a complete betrayal of public health they've been subjected to, as you've so powerfully and beautifully chronicled. So Thank You for your work!
This is so right. The only thing I would add is the evil disgusting Gaza genocide. That's a few hundred thousand deaths on the American administration on top of the 800k plus. Over a million dead on Biden/Harris. How can anyone vote for these people? "It is against this backdrop that the Democratic Party attempts, every two years, to defend the status quo." As Glen Ford said, democrats are the MORE EFFECTIVE, not lesser evil. They sell the same and worse policies in a way that republicans can't. We need to build up the Green Party and grassroots activism. There's no alternative.
Yep, this is what the situation is. No political party is going to change the pandemic response - for either this one or the next. This political pattern was described in Thomas Frank's 2016 book Listen Liberal. Unfortunately, a disease pandemic has deadlier consequences than other issues. I saw Sanders as an old school centrist Democrat which was so much better than the alternatives but as you point out, that was not going to be allowed. I can't imagine voting for either party candidate again.
That's a grounding, humbling and thought provoking piece. Unfortunately, many of the thoughts could spawn a horror film. I'm going for a walk to see how my Christmas lights look in the dark. Thanks for the article. Well written as always.
Well said. It will undoubtedly get MUCH worse. If Trump & the Christofascists he's aligned himself with get their way (likely), we will probably won't have a free and fair election in 2028. We're not going to have another shot at this ... we're just in this ride to the end. So, there won't be Democrats, or another Bernie Sanders, or Jill Stein 🙄 to come "save" us, course correct ... this is our path now. With Kamala there was a potential for change (even if ppl think it was small or unlikely, she was the most Left leaning Senator in the Senate during her tenure). Perhaps she would've wanted to leave a dynamic & powerful legacy as the first female president ... now we have reality TV stars & fascists in charge.
Biden's let's get back to normal have us the 2022 Midterm results we needed, as Democrats were no longer scared of COVID since they'd been vaccinated & many survived Omicron. It was the last thing they were concerned about, literally. However, the Biden Administration should have tasked an outside agency and created a "Truth Initiative" style campaign, outside of the CDC or government, to slow-drip the truth about COVID and Long COVID, get ppl informed, not let them forget. And, they should have never changed the colors on the map that let ppl know if COVID was high or low in their area. Regular updates & accurate info would have kept ppl in the loop & an information campaign to help ppl understand the long term affects would've gone a long way, especially, now. Proper masking in Healthcare & calls for ppl to use masks during surges.
All of these would've gone a long way & not too much to "scare" the public who are fucking "big T" traumatized over the pandemic ... that's why no one wants to talk about it, ever. Everyone just wants to forget. It's a coping mechanism. Completely unhelpful right now as the pandemic is still on going, but here we are. I watch people's eyes glaze over, forget they even had COVID ... it's wild how the mind copes with trauma. Everyone is traumatized & we have a Christofascist regime about to take power, likely for good.
What a time to be alive. 🫠
What you wrote is exactly what I have been thinking. What is so sad is that kept thinking that the Biden administration would finally kick it in gear and inform people that COVID had changed and that we needed more use more protective measures to stay safe, and would be taking steps to ramp up protections in healthcare etc. Then I thought well it is election year so they will continue to downplay until Kamala gets into office and then....childish thinking. But, now it is a true nightmare...daymare.....dreading the near future, thinking there is no good future and will the US collapse? Will Putin attack us because Trump will open the door wide to let him in? How do you prepare for this and how can you possibly protect your loved ones, community and just everyone including those oblivious to the fact that by voting for Trump they have released the hounds of hell. The only reason that I am not sinking into depression, because I start to when I wake every morning is that I love my family and will do whatever I can to stay with them thru this. But, I am 68 and feel worthless. I was going to semi-retire in about five years and now I worry that I really don't have and skill sets needed to survive. I feel like I weigh 1000 lbs and just drag along.
I think the only hope is with grassroots activism and building an alternative to the Democrats. They will never change. The Green Party is the best alternative out now, but they do not have a COVID public health policy. COVID cautious people can and should inundate that party to steer it in the right direction.
I agree a third party MIGHT be an option, but not the Green Party. I find the fact that they only pop up every 4 years for a Presidential election incredibly disingenuous. Jill Stein and the Green Party are in no way the route to salvation here. The Green Party hasn't even run a successful campaign for mayor or state representative in VERY Blue states like California, Massachusetts, etc. If they can't win in a Blue state like CA or MA, they DEFINITELY cannot win a national election. Also, If they're only showing up for POTUS elections they're useless at best or election spoilers at worst ... purposefully siphoning votes from the party they are closer aligned to which is the Democratic party. Either way, building up a third party that has some real power takes time, a lot of time, something the Green Party has not even attempted.
It would have been much easier to push Democrats to the Left than to start a whole new party from scratch. However, progressives are fickle are yearn for the "Perfect candidate."
Republicans don't have that problem, they vote down ticket, every time, and that's why they win. Hard stop. That's why that they've been SO successful at shaping policy over the last 40 years is because their voters show up, reliably, for whoever is in the ticket with a "R" by their name. So, even though Republicans are the minority and their policies are not seen favorably by the majority of Americans, their voters show up and are reliable so they get to shape policy.
The same cannot be said about progressives, Democrats, Leftists. They want a candidate to check all their boxes, and if the Democratic candidate doesn't get everything done that they promised (often the result of Republicans blocking their legislative agenda), then they don't vote the election or they'll vote Third party. Progressives are a completely unreliable electorate. That's just a fact and why Democrats have moved farther and farther to the Center and Right...because those people actually show up more reliably. Better to have small increments of change over time than descend into authoritarianism and fascism. That's just my opinion. Real change takes time, it's incremental, takes persistence, and patience.
Imagine everyone who stayed home in 2016 or voted 3rd party in protest & we had HRC at the helm when COVID hit in Fall 2019 in China ... we would have still had our Chinese arm of the CDC in China (Trump closed it) so we wouldve known about COVID the same time as China and could've assisted them like we did w/ SARS 1.
We would have led the world w/ science and facts instead of Trump's let's take ivermectin, hydroxychlorequine, bleach, or shoot light at it, gaslighting the population and calling COVID a hoax. She would've used the pandemic playbook & we likely would not be having this conversation right now.
Elections have consequences. We're now entering year 6 of the COVID pandemic & another Trump presidency. We'll have another massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the ultra rich (Trump's only legislative accomplishment in his first term) and a complete dismantling of our Federal Government, Regulatory agencies, and he will 100% ask Thomas & Alito to step down (just like he did with Justice Kennedy) and he will put two young, ultra right wing Justices to fill their spots - locking in a Far-right majority SCOTUS for the next 30+ years.
Now, Biden's response to COVID was calculated and based on a tired electorate who no longer were afraid of COVID, had gotten vaccinated, had gotten COVID, and were feeling the affects of the inflation caused by both corporate greed and the pandemic itself. He triaged the country. I believe there should've been an investment into properly educating the VERY traumatized public at large, but the reality is that people did not want to hear about COVID anymore and we likely would've lost the House & Senate in 2022 if Biden kept talking about COVID. Very sad, but very true. Trump had exhausted the majority of Americans. Again, elections have consequences.
It didn't have to be like this if we'd played the long game like Republicans do, but here we are.
Thank you Julia for another incisive and courageous piece! Right on the money.
Something happened in the last four years, something that broke so many of us lifelong Democrats who simply couldn't NOT see the basic truth anymore: that the party leadership just truly don't give a shit. It's all just a cynical game, and the most cynical game was the campaign itself we just saw. A campaign where the Democrats couldn't bother to actually have a primary, or something resembling democracy, despite an unpopular Democratic President who was clearly incapacitated--though of course the party and its media minions changed the channel with lots of passionate energy about the existential importance of "Democracy", etc. and how anything but Biden/Harris would mean no elections ever agin, but rather fascism, deportations, etc.
But when you stop believing in the leadership and step back, you can suddenly see the psychic operation at work: Hey, we don't have to actually promise our voters anything, which otherwise means we'd have to make difficult political decisions and face down powerful existing institutions and donors; rather, we can just scare the living shit out of them--what a great plan! I have many friends and family who have literally lost their minds in this election cycle. They are sure they've already lost all their rights. Ironically they had zero awareness of the terrifying censorship and media manipulation around Covid, Ukraine, etc. that the Party was already deeply committed to.
I feel terrible for my friends and family: the Dems were happy to tell them that if we lost they would be lined up in a firing squad, but gave them no tools to escape that fate, no candidates worth a dime, no policies anyone really wanted or needed, nothing to work with. Just lots and lots of fear of the other side. And fear makes people crazy. What an unfortunate mess they've made. Now we'll all have to suffer through more Trump years.
And, like you've pointed out powerfully, everyone just keeps getting sick again and again, and some get strange and serious health problems, and others get Long Covid. Two people I know in the last two months, one particularly close, strongly suspect that they've come down with Long Covid. One is quite young, now taking a sabbatical from a great position, and the other an older teacher. Both in previously terrific health. And no one, but almost no one, is aware of what a complete betrayal of public health they've been subjected to, as you've so powerfully and beautifully chronicled. So Thank You for your work!
This is so right. The only thing I would add is the evil disgusting Gaza genocide. That's a few hundred thousand deaths on the American administration on top of the 800k plus. Over a million dead on Biden/Harris. How can anyone vote for these people? "It is against this backdrop that the Democratic Party attempts, every two years, to defend the status quo." As Glen Ford said, democrats are the MORE EFFECTIVE, not lesser evil. They sell the same and worse policies in a way that republicans can't. We need to build up the Green Party and grassroots activism. There's no alternative.
Yep, this is what the situation is. No political party is going to change the pandemic response - for either this one or the next. This political pattern was described in Thomas Frank's 2016 book Listen Liberal. Unfortunately, a disease pandemic has deadlier consequences than other issues. I saw Sanders as an old school centrist Democrat which was so much better than the alternatives but as you point out, that was not going to be allowed. I can't imagine voting for either party candidate again.