I just cannot muster any outrage over politics these days. The denizens of the swamp and those who feed there, namely the press and lobbyists, are going to fight tooth and nail to make sure outsiders are stripped of power. There is just too much money at stake.
I listened to a lengthy podcast this week about Teddy Roosevelt. It is interesting to trace his political fights. While I do not agree with many of Roosevelt's political positions, TR was similar to Trump in that he was popular with the voters and absolutely loathed by the politicians and Party bosses. The media hated him but he sold papers. TR bucked the system and fought the corruption, lobbyists, and bureaucracy. When he made his comeback bid in 1912 TR won the primaries but the Republican party had a pocketful of delegates that were not tied to the primaries that swayed the convention. Sounds a lot like "super delegates" doesn't it? In truth, the Republicans preferred to lose an election rather than let Roosevelt back in the White House.
Thus we got the despicable Woodrow Wilson.
Roosevelt was unpredictable, eschewed political correctness, impulsive, and straight talking. He upset foreign nations, and was decidedly Pro-American. TR was unconventional in his life and habits. While he spent his life in politics, Roosevelt was not a politician. That was his unforgivable sin.
Some things don't change. Even a century later.
The only real change has been the instant communications plaque. Social Media is anything but, people no longer read and digest the news they read the headlines and figure it has to be right. We have generations of people who don't understand the difference between the USSR and Russia. 90% of the crap I read and see on the tube is just that crap and rumors with no substance. I have been to Haiti and it is a shithole and that is being kind.
ReplyDeleteJames Old Guy
I have a post in that shithole subject posting early this afternoon
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