Hanging chads and the inspirational Meryl Streep
1. The elaboration of an appropriate strategy and tactics isn’t about one’s political desires and hopes. It informed by a vision, but grounded as well in material realities of the moment. To slow down and then defeat what is coming down the track will take a super-sized coalition of disparate people, organizations, and political formations. Thinking big, not smsll and reflexively, strikes me as the thing to do in present circumstances.
2. I’m no expert on cyber warfare or the inner workings and conflicts in the country’s security apparatus, but in regard to the charge of Russian interference in our elections, I have two observations. One is that the dismissive attitude of some on the left strikes me as predictable, reflexive, and premature. The other is that it’s a problem when our talking points are not that different than Trump’s.
3. We will soon see many retrospectives on the Obama Presidency. A problem I anticipate is that too many will take place in a vacuum. That is, all the contending forces and circumstances won’t frame and inform them. And I have in mind here not only the scorched earth and racist outlook and policies of the right wing, but also the political and organizational weaknesses of the broader democratic coalition and the left.
4. And far more importantly than anything I say above: Watch and listen to the inspirational Meryl Streep.
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