November 4, 2010 archive

(updated for coherencea and now available at DKOS)

Framing is not everything but it contains all the problems we speak of. I see several aspects of this problem:

1. History: the left and center-left in America have not created a historical narrative that makes sense to most Americans as an alternative to both the MSM corporate narrative that is radically ahistorical, i.e., they pick and choose historical facts to present a pro-corporate narrative simply because it is there. I include the MSNBC and Comedy Central pundits in this–the accept at face values unproven and clearly false historical facts as being accepted truths. Don’t ask me to list them right now–I’m not trying to prove anything here just to spur discussion and thought.
2. Class struggle: any framing of issues has to be done within the context of class-struggle which is very real in this country. The Democratic Party is very afraid of this because they are worried about cultural backlash–yes, there will be a severe cultural backlash from people who are obsessed with American Exceptionalism (the new buzzword on the right) but it’s time that progressives and liberals desacralize that concept–the data doesn’t lie, we are a deeply class-divided society with an entrenched oligarchy with relatively static social movement. What movement there is comes form immigrants who start out relatively poor and within a generation or half a generation return to whatever social class they populated in their native country, e.g., a doctor comes to the U.S and drives a cab until he/she can get their credentials here.
3. Pragmatism: the left/progressive movement should emphasize pragmatism as a deep American value and use it to frame issues as much as the class-struggle frame. The right in America has descended into a moment where it traffics strictly in fantasies. I’ve heard various discourses on the right in this country and they bear no relationship to reality. These notions can be dismissed easily. For example, their views on health-care are easily repudiated–why didn’t the left do its job? The “debate” that occurred had no basis in fact because the left, did not insist on using facts, studies and the scientific method but were suckered into the MSM narrative that the rest of the world does not exist and “nobody” really knows how to “fix” health care. There is no and was no ambiguity! The only way you fix health-care is through making it a public utility like the rest of the world does. The right-wing and centrist counter-arguments are basically the equivalent of saying the world is flat–disproving that contention is incredibly easy. There is no reasonable argument on their side! Now, as a counter-example there is a reasonable argument for Empire, there is a reasonable argument for authoritarian rule and social Darwinism thought the right doesn’t even bother to make those arguments except in private. People need to be forced to choose between reality and fantasy–the HCR debate was a debate that was entirely conducted in fanstasyland and for this the left bears a lot of responsibility.

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Rashomon:(the south entrance gate to Kyoto) no longer exists.  It fell into decay and suffered and crumbled under the ebb and flow of many civil wars centuries ago.  But I’ve been to where it was:  now just a stone marker in a small playground, about a 5-10 minute walk from Toji Temple.  

“Rashomon” was also a film by Director Akira Kurosawa.  

I discuss the “Rashomon Effect” below.

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 I used to litigate.  No more.  I still keep a hand in “traditional” law with Will drafting, contract matters, employment policy drafting and consultation, etc., but I focus more and more on international business matching and related work.

 I say all that (in the preceding paragraph) to say, well, I used to litigate (I’m thinking this comment may just get turned into an essay).  And in litigation one quickly learns the practical side of what everybody instinctively knows about the Rashomon Effect:  people can see and experience virtually the same thing and, yet, see and experience very different things!

 This is why we have trials:  two witnesses to a car accident standing next to one another and both looking at the light at the same time.  One swears it was yellow and the other swears it was read.  The outcome of the thing depends on who the jury thinks is more credible.  Neither is lying; they both believe they’re telling the utter truth. So we have to (for example, through cross examination) test their respective perceptions.

 While there were and are as many varied viewpoints of Barack Obama, among those who viewed him favorably, who supported his candidacy in the fall of 2008, I see two general views that emerged (I actually saw this back then and diaried to some degree or another several times on this over at orange; I feel that my conclusions then have been confirmed countless times since then, right up to today):

  1. The Gateway.  He is a vehicle through which desired changes will come.  A conduit by and through which reforms will be made.  He is bright and capable and should be given (it was right, perhaps, to have given him) a shot at effectuating real, substantive progressive changes in government, economic priorities, and even to the American zeitgeist.  He has the brains, the background, the skills needed and the motivation to bring about the desired (by progressives, Democrats) systemic changes.

  2.  The Gate.  He himself is a person to be followed and implicitly trusted and believed in.  Whatever setbacks or (perceived) failings that may occur along the way would be (are, have been) owing either (a) to other people failing him and/or failing to have faith in him; or, (b) a misperception among critics and cynics that he has failed, when, in fact, nothing he does falls short of the mark and that his wisdom and vision should not be questioned; that he “gets” the Big Picture in a way and to a depth that his detractors cannot begin to understand (how can an ant in Alabama understand how the Taj Mahal was constructed?).

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 Well, need I go further?  

 I was there in Mile High Stadium in Denver when he gave his acceptance speech.  I got choked up many times over, not so much in listening to Barack Obama, but in seeing the tens of thousands of people who believed that he would usher in a new and better day for the United States.  Little did I really, really “get” that I was not seeing a unified body (except unified in the desire and determination to get him elected).  I was seeing people who, individual variations notwithstanding, who either believed he was an agent for change, or that he was The One.

 The light was Yellow, no, the light was Red!

                             

With my camera pointed at the People, not the Podium.

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Were they looking at a Gateway, or a Gate?

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Dear Dick,

As you may remember, when last I wrote – I told you I would keep you informed of my sacrifices.  This is, of course, in the spirit of your exhortation to me to make such sacrifices as an American.  As a teaching moment, on Halloween, I gave the working class kids in this area one (I repeat one) piece of candy, and not the 2 or 3 I sometimes bountifully passed out in past years.  After all, these are mostly working class kids and in the future they will be the ones called to the sacrificial altar again and again.  You will agree that Halloween is a good time to begin the lessons of austerity. I couldn’t bring myself to buy the cheapest candy but as you know, some of us must ease ourselves into the spirit of austerity.  Next year I will do better.

To that end, duly noted that most of the candy is made in America.  Surely we can do something about that.  Frankly, I am surprised.  Why have these jobs not been outsourced?  And I don’t mean Belgian chocolate for instance.  LOL.  What is this  –Kenilworth?  (I presume the children of Kenilworth, Illinois are exempt from the call for sacrifices as their parents’ median income is $237,7l7.  It was $200,000 in 2000 – so they are doing something right unlike my own suburb.)

Yes, they were disappointed.  Their little faces lit up when I opened the door soon darkened.  They will learn, of course.  

Also, accept my condolences for your recent loss.  As the leading Democrat here, you must feel quite down.  I did not vote for a Democratic Senator because look here, I take your call to sacrifice seriously.  How could I not vote for the Green candidate who spent $5,000 in campaigning.  His name is Lealan Jones.  It is shorter than the Democratic candidate which is appropos.  And he knows how to scale down.  Unfortunately, the 3 or 4% he garnered seemed to be a factor in the Democrat’s loss.  Ah well, austerity has consequences!  LOL.

As a Chicago winter is approaching, there will be many occasions for sacrifices.  The heat will be turned as low as possible without harming my critters.  I can wear several layers of clothing and go to bed early.  Better for me actually – I won’t watch TV – I’ll read – am currently reading Thorstein Veblen’s The Theory of the Leisure Class. You don’t want too many of your constitutents to read this book btw (LOL).  However, you must consider that long, cold winters are just the right setting for this kind of reading.  I love that he is Norwegian – I am Norwegian and have been to Norway.  They know how to live thru cold weather there for sure.  Though I think the state coddles them.  (LOL)

You may also remember that I asked you to list your and your family’s sacrifices on your webpage.  Where is it?  I haven’t seen it.  I saw the many requests for donations and your sterling list of accomplishments but not the sacrificial list.  Please consider informing your constituents of your own efforts here.

Spending blitz by outside groups helped secure big GOP wins

Hedge fund moguls helped bankroll groups’ attack ads, sources tell NBC News

By Michael Isikoff and Rich Gardella

NBC News

A tightly coordinated effort by outside Republican groups, spearheaded by Karl Rove and fueled by tens of millions of dollars in contributions from Wall Street hedge fund moguls and other wealthy donors, helped secure big GOP midterm victories Tuesday, according to campaign spending figures and Republican fundraising insiders.

Leading the GOP spending pack was a pair of groups – American Crossroads and its affiliate, Crossroads GPS – both of which were co-founded by two former aides in the George W. Bush White House: Rove, and Ed Gillespie.