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Mammoth Springs

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

I wish you many happy returns

It's my birthday. Sixty one if you care. I'm holed up in a hotel in Buellton, pretty sick with a horrible bronchial ick. Drove down Highway 1 today, past Point Lobos, Big Sur and San Simeon. Took pictures of the zebra herds at the latter. Who knew?  Fresh halibut and a great bowl of chowder  at Morro Bay.

First antique show in San Francisco was good. Best in a while, actually. A lot of consignments but every dollar counts and I will take it.

Not going to belabor this, I feel like hell, you get the cliff notes version for now. Had some wonderful food up there which I will recount in all of its glory at the appropriate time.

Election returns are starting to come in. I have been intentionally quiet of late, you know how I feel about Trump but what in the hell does it matter what I think? Think anybody's mind is getting changed? Thought it would be better to sit out the daily outrage than to add to the ever present noise and chatter. Recent AP poll says that 58% of the American public is not happy with the direction that we are headed. I'm blue in the face from trying to explain my exasperation at the GOP. Unfortunately Trump could send stormtroopers out to gun down the little sisters of the poor and my Republican buddies would still point to their fat I.R.A.'s and say it was worth it.

Even if the Dems take the house, what really changes? Impeachment is a longshot, all we will get is a Trump firewall and two yeats of infighting. Truth is that no matter who wins, people on either side are going to remain pissed off and so invested on the edge that they will neglect where we all should be headed, towards the middle.

We are a divided nation, no longer capable of bipartisanship. This started long before Trump, I lay a lot of the blame at McConnell's feet, he set the tone with his Obama freeze out, the Garland machinations and Grassley gets some blame too with the recent blue slip controversy. Ditto Nunes and Gowdy and their blatant partisanship.

After Trump, it will be interesting to see if we can ever restore normal comity and convention. Sort of doubt it, when they had the chance the GOP tried to crush the democrats windpipes. Whoops, I'm getting all heated up and political and it is my birthday. Promised not to do that.

Peace.

1 comment:

Jon Harwood said...

Sixty one is still "youth". Ha, ha!

I figure if the Dems get the house that might be good enough. It places a check on Trump and sets the stage for political trench warfare. Not so good but it does seem to replicate the divided state of the country and the absence of a clear sense of direction. Somehow we will might to find a way to mutual respect and a center oriented government, but perhaps not. I ran out of predictions for the US. I think we have to live through it as one of those times when history is sure being made but no one knows just what sort of history it is that is getting made.

Perhaps I will take up quilting.