Now What?

Bernie outlines what should happen next after the Blunami, and though your Head Trucker is not a socialist, I agree wholeheartedly with everything he says - though I reserve the right to differ on some details:

I also endorse Pete's clearheaded strategic vision as explained in this brilliant New Yorker interview:

What I Say:

My papaw, who died 60 years ago last summer, used to say, "The Democrats are for the little man."  That’s as true today as it ever was.  The Democrats are still the Party of the People (i.e., the bottom half), while the Republicans are the Party of Business (the top half).  The sane, sensible middle way between the two extremes is the path of wisdom and moderation.

Through the midterm miracle of a Blue Wave, Democrats now control both houses of Congress -- an epochal turn of events, and a once-in-a-generation chance to rewrite the script. I hope the wise old heads and the bright young faces now blessed with this rare opportunity to turn the country around will make the best use of it. How? Give the People what they want, pronto:  Prices down, paychecks up.  Stop the war and Trump’s thug army too!

Beyond that, with the help of his bootlicking minions and billionaire buddies, Trump has taken a wrecking ball to our government and the whole world order, and it will take years to repair all that's broken.  It won't get done in two years, and though he seems at the moment to be resigned to working with a Democratic Congress, you can bet he'll soon be back to his old routine of smash and grab.  You can't believe a word he says; and he's never happy unless he's breaking things.

And yes, he and his lackeys must answer for their crimes. But there is a difference between Justice and Vengeance. Justice is patient and composed; Vengeance is hurried and sloppy. There is time enough to assemble a case, or should I say, cases with which to prosecute the guilty.   Whether to start with the big boys at the top of the pile or the small fry at the bottom is a question for the shrewd and savvy to ponder.  

But I am pretty sure that the People did NOT vote for wholesale prosecutions in all directions, endless hearings, blithering soundbites, political carnage.  That might feel good at the beginning, but it might also backfire bigtime in the end.  

Yet this unexpected blue wave is the bright, shining moment when Democrats can be the saviors of this country and guardians of all that is good. If they don't do that, and are not SEEN to do that, well guess what?  That big blue wave can easily roll right back out to sea and leave the Dems high and dry.  I have seen it happen several times before.  Now is the time to build support and consensus with Republicans.

As Pete said in his interview, this may be a chance for a New Deal moment that will bring good and lasting change for the benefit of all Americans, not just the rich and powerful.  Indeed, the whole world, friends and neutrals alike, wants America to be a shining light, a force for good again, not a den of thieves and warmongers.  

Fate or Destiny or Providence, however you want to put it, blessed us with great wealth, but has also given America a job to do: to be the cavalry coming over the hill, to be the Marines storming ashore, to be the guys in white hats running the bandits out of town, to be helping, healing, feeding, and leading the world.  If not us -- who then?  As someone long ago once said: 

America is great because it is good; when it ceases to be good, it will cease to be great.

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Bernie: The Most Dangerous President

Boo!

Bernie tells it like it is, and I agree:

For an even bigger scare, see this interview by Ezra Klein on Elon Musk's endgame, which I haven't finished watching yet.

What I Say:  Trump and his deranged doppelganger Musk, and some other henchmen and hussies I could name, ought to be sent in a big, beautiful, gold-plated rocket to Mars, where they would have a whole planet to rule and ruin and fight over with robots.  No return fuel, though, and no radio to disturb the rest of us with.  Just eternal silence - no adoring audience - it would drive them both mad in no time.

Bonus: Obama provides some comedy relief and straight talk at a rally in Atlanta:

FYI:  All 435 House seats are up for election every two years.  Senators serve six-year terms, but one-third of the 100 Senate seats are up for election every two years.  Here are two graphics showing the current membership of both houses of Congress, from Wikipedia:

The six non-voting delegates in the House (not included in the graphic) are from the District of Columbia and five overseas territories:  Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Marianas.  They can participate in debate but cannot vote.  

For more graphics, maps, and the latest polling data, see 2026 United States elections at Wikipedia.

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Bernie Says: Dems Need Guts to Save Our Democracy

And that starts at the ballot box:

Your Head Trucker endorses this message. 

M.P. and I plan to early-vote tomorrow. What about you?

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Nineteen Seventy-Five

I've been meaning to write something about 1975 for months now, but the year is nearly over.  So I'll just post a few thoughts today, and may post some personal reflections another time.

Bernie asks a question that can only be answered by those who are old enough to remember the time: Was life better fifty years ago?

Regardless of Bernie's remarks, the truth is that the question has no factual answer. Whether life was better then depends entirely on one's point of view. And indeed, no matter what year you want to talk about, in human life it is always the best of times or the worst of times - for somebody.  Your answer hinges on whether you feel loved or unloved, content or unsatisfied, hopeful or despairing.

I am annoyed by some people's comments on YouTube and in other places, people who were children or young teens then -- Oh, what a glorious time it was to be alive, a golden age! The music, the clothes, the cars - and everybody was so kind and courteous and loving. Well, no, that's not the way it was -- it was far from a golden age, as this CBS news summary makes clear, for anyone who cares to look back at the reality of 1975:

After long, dreary years of conflict and protests, defeat and deceit, Vietnam and Watergate were finally behind us.  Tricky Dick Nixon was gone, and steady Jerry Ford was in the White House; he survived two assassination attempts by wild-eyed leftist radicals (seriously) in this year.  Other wild-eyed leftist radicals blew up the State Department, and the Patty Hearst kidnapping ended horrifically.  The Middle East was still in turmoil, as it always is, and the Cold War was still on, with the spectre of nuclear war always in the background. The crime rate was rising, and there was a growing sense of decline in American power, politics, money, and manners, from the bold optimism of the Kennedy years to the stagnant malaise of the post-Nixon era.  Many felt the country was going to pot.

The change was felt most acutely in the pocketbook.  Inflation was out of control:  the Oil Crisis of '73 had made the prices of everything go up sharply.  I remember that the price of sugar zoomed from, say, a dollar a bag to five bucks.  (That equals $30 today.)  The same with coffee.  And for the first time in my life, there were empty shelves in the supermarket.  The recession of 1974 was still going strong, and jobs were hard to find.  Your Head Trucker was finding out the hard way that it was just not possible to live well on minimum wage - $1.60 an hour, so take-home pay was about $240 a month.  Rent on my first little cottage was $80 a month, plus phone and utilities.  For comparison, an apartment in a nice complex with swimming pool cost about $120 a month, or more.

My first home after high school was very similar to this one - but the front door was on the side, under a porch roof, and there were no basement stairs, so the kitchen was wide enough for a table and chairs.  It wasn't new, but it was decent, and it was MY place, where I could do as I pleased.  I felt very grown-up,

The placid "happy days" of the 1950s and early 1960s were long gone by this time, as I remember discussing with my friends.  However, I will say that compared to the state of the world today and the polarized society we now live in, it was easier to live without constant fear and dread back then. The world was already quite complex in those days, but it all seemed more understandable somehow - and it was easier to hope that tomorrow would be better.  

In the Deep South, far from the tumults and convulsions in the big cities up north and out west, everyday life was mostly calm and pleasant as long as you could pay your rent and feed yourself:  books, magazines, records, radio, television, movies, church doings, and simple outings with friends were enough to keep a young man occupied.  Nobody had a home computer; cable TV was non-existent, as were VCR's and DVD's.  Phones still had dials, and they were hard-wired into the wall.  You didn't buy one, you rented it from the phone company for a nominal fee, with a choice of four styles and half a dozen colors.

All that would soon begin to change, but as yet, no one felt a need to be "linked in" every single waking moment, and broadcast to the world pictures of their cat, or their butt, or what they were eating at the burger joint.  People would have fallen down on the floor laughing at the very thought of such nonsense.  

But now we live in a world seemingly controlled in nearly every detail by nosy machines and callous trillionaires. Since this old man's exit will be coming up sooner rather than later, I don't obsess about these things, though I deplore them heartily. But God help the younger generations.

Speaking of whom, someone has come up with a way to assimilate them even faster into the Hive Mind: watch this report on a new school with no human teachers -- and shudder.

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The Anti-Trump Has Arrived

As my longtime truckbuddies know, I've pretty much given up following or blogging about politics lately - it's all too terribly sad, and totally disgusting.  But I did watch the astonishing New York mayoral returns last night, and I listened to Mamdani's victory speech; a cinematic finale to a hard-fought campaign by a political upstart.

So come January 1st, New York will have a Muslim socialist mayor from Uganda.  That's a scenario even Hollywood wouldn't have tried to put over -- "What?  Nah, nobody would believe that."  I'm not sure what to think about it.  New York, you know, is a whole 'nother world from Texas.  What's normal here is considered bizarre there, and vice versa.  So I will reserve judgment until I see what he does in the job.  

Right now, Mamdani is an unknown quantity:  a youngster with lots of idealism but no executive experience - and more than a little naivete, too.  But what's apparent to all is that Mamdani is a born politico, and Fate has dealt him a mighty good hand of cards.  Call it charisma.  It's what makes people sit up and listen.

First of all, he's a sexy guy - handsome, smart, witty, friendly, talkative, flashing a megawatt smile often and easily.  He'd be the life of any party he cared to drop in on.  These things shouldn't count for much in politics, but of course they do.  Imagine if an unknown 33-year-old Woody Allen had run for office, saying all the same things Mamdani has said - would he be in the driver's seat now?  I think not.

Besides his looks and personality, the other thing that stands out is that he's got balls.  At this dark moment in our history, when so many others who ought to be leading the resistance are quaking in their boots, afraid of the Orange Wrath, Mamdani seems ready and eager to face off with the Tyrant.  No fear.  No worry.  Bring it on.  You have to admire a guy with that kind of guts.

One more thing that stands out is his cocksure confidence that he is right.  He doesn't beat around the bush; he knows what he wants to do, and states it plainly.  Promising free goodies is always a crowd-pleasing strategy, on the right or the left.  The possibility of being wrong or mistaken doesn't seem to enter his mind.  That may show leadership ability - or foolhardiness.  A little time in office running the biggest, grittiest, most contentious city in the world will surely temper his juvenile certainties. 

But beyond all that, the headline of  this article from The Atlantic - "Mamdani Is the Foil Trump Wants" - made me realize what the dramatic set-up is here, the protagonist and antagonist.  David and Goliath.  Wow.  Oh wow.  This will make great reading in the history books of the future.  All the elements and players are coming together now, and the drama will proceed to the climax step by step.  

Of course, no one can foresee with certainty the eventual outcome.  But I say, firebrand socialist or not, thank God somebody is standing up for truth, justice, and the American way!  Cometh the hour, cometh the man.

So go make some popcorn and stay tuned.  This is gonna be quite a showdown.

For further reading:  "Zohran Mamdani Is About to Confront Reality" in The Atlantic.

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Bernie Denounces Trumpism at No Kings Rally

Last Saturday in D.C.  Goddamn, what a man.  You go, Bernie.

I don't agree with some of Bernie's proposals, and he is wrong on a couple of points of history.  But I endorse the main thrust of his message.  There's far too much money in too few hands.  Money = power, and power, as Lord Acton said, tends to corrupt; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

That's why our Founding Fathers set up a government with three branches (divided power; checks and balances) and periodic elections, ensuring that power changes hands from time to time.  They also endowed us with a Constitution that cannot be easily changed (the rule of laws, not men) and a free press that can expose the misuse and abuse of power to the attention of the people.  But when 3 or 4 people own most of the wealth in this country, working hand-in-glove with a would-be dictator, you don't have to be a "communist" to see that means the end of democracy. 

The system is not perfect, but then NO system is.  There is not now, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be a Utopia where everyone gets everything they want when they want it.  The best that can be done is to provide the greatest good for the greatest number most of the time.  Capitalism properly restrained and regulated can be a good thing, bringing prosperity and security to many millions - with enough left over in the public treasury to provide a social safety net for the elderly, disabled, and unfortunate - as has been generally the case in the Western world for over a century now.  

But unbridled, unregulated capitalism is simply the dictatorship of the rich, and profoundly un-American.

Unelected and unaccountable, the super-rich could buy and sell all the lawyers, judges, police, and politicians they need to get their way, immune from any and all consequences.  They could control all sources of news and information, in print or online, indoctrinating everyone young and old with their corrupt wordview, and inciting the masses to fear, resentment, hatred, or violence against anything or anyone, as their masters pleased.  And rhey could manipulate the price of all goods and services and housing to squeeze the last dime out of the propertyless common people, in effect making them serfs perpetually dependent on the goodwill of the overlords and their digital informers/enforcers.  America or Soviet Russia?  Who could tell the difference?

The super-rich could also dispose of whoever is president, if he doesn't do their bidding.  There is an old saying that "there is honor among thieves."  But who knows what might happen when thieves fall out with one another?  

And by the way - don't fear what may happen one day.  It has already happened.  That little god-box in your hand that you just can't live without?  That plastic slab you carry everywhere you go and use to do everything with?  You do know, don't you, that it tracks every movement you make, 24/7, and they are recorded somewhere, as is every call you make and every word you type.  So are all your purchases, all your bank and credit card data, the names and numbers of all your friends and kinfolks, even your casual hookups and favorite porn.  It can all be used against you - and may well be.  Don't fear the slavery to come - the chain is already around your neck and the knife at your balls.  Resistance, I'm afraid, is too late.  You have been assimilated.  And paid good money for it, too, you fool.  So enjoy it while you can.

But what do I know?  I'm just a tired old man who has outlived his time, waiting for his flight to be called, that's all.  Move along, nothing to see here.

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Bernie Sanders Condemns Murder of Charlie Kirk

I agree with everything Bernie says:

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Bernie and Pete: Where We Go From Here

Bernie Sanders denounces the looming healthcare disaster caused by Trump's "big, beautiful bill":

Pete Buttigieg is rocking the beard and stache, with a message of hope for all Americans:

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Pleas for Peace: Senator, King, and Pope

For the record, I'm presenting clear sight and plain speaking from three good men - but who will listen?  The world has been warned.

1.  Senator Bernie Sanders, always a voice of reason and justice for all:

2.  King Abudllah of Jordan, who was educated in Britain and the United States, is the longest-serving monarch in the Muslim world and one of the most respected, and has always been a voice of tolerance and peace in the Middle East:

3.  Pope Leo also calls for peace, warning of a return to savage barbarism if peace is not preserved:

The world is sitting on the edge of a volcano. It's too awful to think about.  God help us all.

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OPINIONS, 4/29/25: the first 100 days of Trumpocracy

Note:  Your Head Trucker may not agree with everything 

these folks say, but I like the way they say it.

Trae Crowder on the Tyrant's first 100 days:

 

Robert Reich gives the Tyrant a report card:

 

Former House Republican Adam Kinzinger critiques the sissified Tyrant:

 

Rachel Maddow blasts the Loser: 

 

And Bernie Sanders tells what must be done now to save democracy in America:

 

Bonus:  Mark Carney, fresh from his election victory, has a word for the Tyrant:  R-E-S-P-E-C-T!  Find out what it means to me . . . 

 Gotta love what one commenter on the above video wrote:

So which country got the better deal leader wise?
CANADA picked a Winner in MR. MARK CARNEY!

AMERICA picked a Weiner in Donald "THE FELON" Trump. 

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OPINIONS, 4/23/25

Note:  Your Head Trucker may not agree with every word these fellas say; but I like the way they say it.

Trae, Bernie, and Robert tell it like it is.

Trae Crowder irreverently "pontificates" on Pope Francis, whom he admired, and lambastes the rightwing Catholics who despised him:

 

Bernie Sanders finds out why Republicans are coming to his rallies:

 

And Robert Reich tells a Berkeley crowd why not to feed the Tyrant:

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OPINIONS, 4/15/25

Bernie slams the Tyrant at a rally in Idaho yesterday:

 

At another rally, location not given, Bernie says "We are the 99 percent" and "we're scaring the hell out of Trump and Musk":

 

And Trae Crowder recommends empathy to all the rightwing voters who just don't give a fuck if innocent people are "disappeared" and sent to hell on earth: 

 

Look who's sporting a new beard and stache.  I'm lovin' it:

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Bernie: Stand Together and Fight Back

Bernie Sanders reports on the progress and purpose of his Fighting Oligarchy tour:

A real American hero.  Makes me think of Horatius at the Bridge.  God bless Bernie.

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Where Do We Go from Here?

Revolting, absurd, utterly childish.  Like something out of a cartoon or a cheesy sitcom - but this is the filthy, despicable reality of the new America.

Bernie Sanders tells it like it is. I wish this was required viewing for everyone in America.

And here is an excerpt from former President Obama's remarks on democracy, during a visit to Hamilton College in upstate New York two days ago:

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Bernie Responds: Stand Up and Fight Back

I couldn't watch the Tyrant's speech last night - it nauseated me.  Bernie's response is golden.  I might quibble over the nuances of some of his proposals, but he is holding up the torch of American democracy, and God bless him for that.  Bernie is a great patriot, a real American, keeping hope alive.

And he's got BALLS.

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Crowder, Pritzker, Sanders Tell It LIke It Is

First up, the Liberal Redneck has something to say about MAGA madness and the DOGE boys:

While we're on that subject, Governor J.B. Prizker of Illinois, in his State of the State address yesterday, rang the alarm bell loud and clear on the Nazi parallel with Trump's actions:

And Senator Bernie Sanders makes plain the parallels between Putin and his American wannabe:

I was never a Bernie supporter, but he would sure get my vote now, if I could cast it for him.

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Bernie: Stand Up and Fight Back

In the history of the world, if we stand together and oppose right-wing efforts to divide us up by our race, by our religion, our sexual orientation, or where we were born -- if we stand together, there is nothing we cannot accomplish.

Bottom line, let us go forward and fight for a government and an economy that works for all, not just a few.

We simply do not have the luxury of moaning and groaning.  We have got to stand up and fight back.

We can do it.  Let's go forward together.

Your Head Trucker is not a socialist; but I'd damn sure rather see Bernie remake our country than Jackass Genius & the Wrecking Crew.  I agree with everything Bernie says here.  God bless him.

P. S. -- While I'm on the subject, I think it's obscene that 3 men have nore wealth than half the population of the United States.  NOBODY SHOULD BE THAT RICH OR THAT POWERFUL.  There's a limit to everything earthly, including capitalism.

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Bernie Warns: They're Buying Our Government

Senator Bernie Sanders decries the oligarchic takeover of America.  BTW, "oligarchy" simply means rule by the [rich] few, which is very different from democracy, or rule by the people.

We have been here before. as this 1889 political cartoon shows.

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Playing to Win: All Gas, No Brakes

* * * * *  W E  V O T E D !  * * * * *

Only a week now till Election Day, November 5th.  Here's a few heads-up for you.

1.  It's straight out of a Frank Capra movie.  Gotta love Coach's do-or-die pep talk to Team Blue:

 

2.  Bernie Sanders cogently explains why you should vote for Kamala even if you disagree with her on some issues:

 

3.  Robert Reich warns us not to fall for the old Red Mirage trick that Trump exploited last time:

4.  Ragin' Cajun James Carville says, "We're gonna win, baby!"

5.  Mika from Morning Joe says "this is the election where you want to know you did everything you could when America was on the line":

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Pete, Bernie, Trae on Kamala

Official White House portrait of Kamala Harris,
Vice President of the United States
Click to enlarge.

Well, what a weekend that was, a total turnaround in the Democratic party, which raked in $80 million in campaign contributions from small donors in 24 hours.  Whooeee!  We are fired up for sure, now.  

This is the most electrifying political moment in my memory, which goes back to the time of JFK.  Your Head Trucker voted for him, I'm proud to say.  It's no lie - I went into the voting booth with my mom, and she let me pull the lever next to his name

This was state of the art in 1960, and they kept working just fine all over the country for decades.  The votes were recorded and tallied electrically.

.But between you and me, fellas, although I'm very enthused about smart, strong Kamala, I also know she has flaws alongside her virtues:  she's a human being, like all other politicians.  I may not agree with everything she says and does; but I do believe her heart and mind are firmly on the side of democracy and the rule of law, with liberty and justice for all.  

And she's electable!  She has my vote in the bag already, and I hope will get enough more to stop the fascist steamroller from taking over.  That's a mighty big, mighty tough job - she will be a target for outrageous abuse and maybe worse.  We should all keep her in our prayers.

Here's Secretary Pete:

 

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) ;  I was never a Bernie fan, but I agree with every word he says here:

 

And here's that hillbilly sumbitch Trae Crowder, plagiarizing me. What he says about the veep choices in the last part of this video is exactly what I wrote in my Sunday post - a part I later deleted, thinking it sounded too smartass. 

Damn, boy! What you mean, poaching off my blog? Or are you some kinda fuckin' mind reader or somethin'? Hell, maybe we just think alike, in which case you are a goddamn smart fella. Next time you come through town, gimme a call, I'll buy you a beer.

BONUS:  Kamala outlines her experience and her vision in her first speech to campaign workers in Wilmington, Delaware, yesterday:

And this just in:

AP Survey Shows Kamala Harris Backed by Enough Delegates to Become Democratic Nominee

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