A Little Less Shouting, Please......

So much noise!  The Democratic debate over two nights showed us some remarkable traits exhibited by the participants.  Warren is as committed and motivated as a freight train; Beto is all waving arms and not terribly charismatic; Bernie is old news and not much different from 2016 (seems strangely stale); Biden seems to be a step behind somehow and struggling to connect his thoughts; Harris showed critical mettle as a prosecutor with clear plans on how to accomplish things; and Gillibrand showed us she can outshout anyone and is not particularly interested in listening. All the others had their individual moments.

But the big surprise for me was how rude all of them were with each other, not letting others finish their statements, or shouting over them.  Harris characterized it correctly—it was a food fight.  The only two level-headed entries in this circus were Mayor Pete and Tulsi Gabbard.  Those were the two who had the most patience and seemed to be centered in the most secure way to comment and consider paths of action.

Who the Democrats choose as nominee to lead the charge against Edna will have to be someone who will meet Edna’s manic vitriol with a level of intelligence that is frankly beyond Edna’s ability.  Age has nothing to do with this ability.  This kind of intelligence is measured, razor sharp, and can search and destroy lies and fallacious reasoning like a hot knife through butter. 

If you listen to Mayor Pete, there seems to be just the right amount of humility and awareness of where things can and will go wrong. He seems to possess the brilliance to chart a course to overcome the possibility that those conditions might ultimately become real.  Gabbard exhibits the seasoned intelligent resolve of someone who knows war.  If you truly know war, then nothing can really rattle you. 

That is the kind of person I want navigating a world with hair-trigger dangers everywhere. She sees Edna for what he really is: a true threat to national security.  Dealing with that is certainly in her wheelhouse.  Besides, she seems to be the only candidate who really wants us to end the wars we are in, based on her first hand experience with it.

So maybe the dream ticket is Buttigeig/Gabbard.

Look at that spectacle over those two nights and you see an event made for media.  How important was that audience?  They were only there for media effect and wasted precious minutes with their clapping.  Wouldn’t it have been better to conduct interviews over a period of 5 nights with a panel of reporters querying 2 candidates at a time in a quiet setting so we could consider and analyze their thoughts and positions?  Not nearly as sensational, but we already have sensationalism and it is not edifying.

If the Democrats don’t stop shouting and trying to outdo each other with their Spanish, they are headed for defeat.  Let’s winnow down the candidates by making them discuss in detail their plans and strategy for restoring the country’s moral direction.  There needs to be a different format for that, and I am not sure Tom Perez, Chairman of the Democratic Party, is a believer in that process.

Also, in other news, there was a ruling by the Supreme Court on Friday that was an appalling decision for our democracy.  The Court declined responsibility to prohibit partisan gerrymandering. They basically cleared the way for state legislators to create voting districts in their states that favor minority rule.  For example, if the Republicans win in the State legislature they can create the shape of a district so it contains only their supporters, thereby insuring control over the next decade at least by their party.  Or they can draw a district in a state like Alabama where the shape of that district contains virtually all the minority residents in the state, thereby minimizing the effect of their voting power.  This is a clear abdication on the part of the Supreme Court to protect the voting rights of all of us citizens.  In states where there is already rampant disregard for voting rights especially of minorities, we will now see unfettered gerrymandering proceed to it’s ultimate unfair result.  Goodbye democracy!  This is the first of what will probably be many victories for the Republican strategy to stack the courts with right wing activist judges.  Goodbye rule of law.