The Nation Disappoints
Online and in print the Nation fails to take a leadership role as this current national disaster unfolds. Endless fear mongering and rabble rousing in reaction to Trump is an act of desperation characteristic of those bereft of critical thinking skills and a clear vision of objectives.
The democratic party (against an abundance of advice to the contrary) attempted to ram Hillary Clinton down the throats of the body politic. Fully aware of the folly they perpetrated, the party leadership feigned surprise when Trump was elected. "Disingenuous" just doesn't seem to capture the blatant disregard for reality and the lack of understanding the true nature of the political process.
The democratic party has nothing of value to offer as the leadership panders to the wealthy and seeks only to protect their considerable assets. As the two parties play war games scrapping over the right to allocate control to the CEO's of select corporations, the rest of us don't even get table scraps. Basic dignity in the form of universal health care, education, and (real) public safety will never become extant until real national leadership renders the dominate parties moribund and we all can get on about the business of creating a truly great country.
A letter to the editor, sent a few minutes ago.
Comments
I just received the most recent The Nation
I was a bit disappointed, to say the least.
Instead of these amorphous "protest" galas
Should not all protests be Pointed like a chisel or a screw head at one topic? We seem to be discussing this all day. Nevermind kumbaya.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Agree to the n^(th) degree
There are many examples "out there" of activists trying to do just that. But far too many get blindsided by interlopers attempting to push their own agenda without regard to context. I still "flash back" to the stupidity in Seattle and the fall out of supposed BLM supporters claiming Bernie was not sympathetic to BLM.
As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy · · ·
kumbaya politics
"Kumbaya politics" is how B. Obama took all his political capital and flushed it down the sewer. You remember, bi-partisanshit and all that.
I can see a place for solidarity protesting; after all, Occupy protested against all this shit at the same time. But the current protest galas aren't real protests at all. At least at their origin, they're just more sore-loser kabuki from the Hillbot klan.
My main aspiration for "The Women's March" and its ilk is best expressed by the ancient Chinese proverb:
In other words, I hope this climate of "resistance" actually breeds some real resistance, rather than the phoney-baloney stuff so prevalent out there right now!
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
@riverlover Whatever his other faults
Whatever his other faults Bill Clinton was a consummate political animal. He was right about the central problem:
We just need to to push for different solutions. (OK, we need to push for solutions that help actual everyday citizens.)
What are 5 things ordinary people of all political stripes would support?
Issues to address include affordable housing, college loans, and jobs. Other suggestions are welcome.
Several people here have economics backgrounds and can keep talking about the housing issue. Then we need to get them to explain their solutions so those of us who do not have an econ background can get it.
We could propose a government program to let people refinance their loans at 1% interest or just slightly more than the Fed is giving to the banks. This is obviously revenue neutral. It it offends the banksters, well . . .
Rebuilding infrastructure is good.
Fining employers who violate immigration laws is better than attacking immigrants. This could be a hard sell, though.
Our 'justice' system is entirely broken. We should oppose civil asset forfeiture and stop and frisk. This needs to be replaced with appropriate funding for police. Cops are not anywhere near the 1%, and we need to get them back to being part of our community.
We need to stand for fairness and justice.
It is not obvious to me which issues should be emphasized first. Allies should not be rejected, but everyone here is right that a clear message is essential.
The Nation
isn't that the Katrina vanden Heuvel load of dribble?
A weather vane if anything.
Gëzuar!!
from a reasonably stable genius.
The Nation
The Nation was a valuable publication for a long time. It was at its best when Navasky was its editor and Alexander Cockburn had two full pages. Navasky left and Cockburn got cut to one page than got cut completely. Patricia Williams, identity politics and all, got some of the space. When the current editor/publisher got the job I had already lapsed but what I've seen tells me it's standard 3rd Way deadend crapola with a bit of humanitarianism added.
Cutting Cockburn was good in a way: He started his CounterPunch and that is still a primier publication in my view.
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
Quite the downward spiral in going from Cockburn to Drum
Have you ever read any of Kevin Drums columns? I have mentioned him a number of times, mostly because I can't believe that such a second rate writer has a regular gig in what used to be a major mouthpiece for the liberal left. I don't have any personal animus, I just continually wonder why his editors don't demand more from him in terms of offering fresher or more thoughtful insights. Every single column that he writes could have the subtitle "Gee whiz, what am I missing?"
" “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” FDR "
No I don't think I have read Drum
From what you've written, it doesn't seem I've missed anything.
Admire your "Gee whiz, what am I missing" sentence!
"The justness of individual land right is not justifiable to those to whom the land by right of first claim collectively belonged"
A Matter of Perception
I have been only vaguely aware of the changes as in reading less with each issue. I can remember a time when I eagerly read (or at least skimmed) most articles, now, not so much.
I won't renew my subscription to The Nation
On top of their political issue deficiencies, they've seemed lately more interested in becoming a literary/cultural journal. Half of what they put out is sometimes focused on obscure elite amusements. There was an article on Capital after it came out that had very little to do with the book or its ideas. Just strange.