Generational Dynamics World View

[John J. Xenakis]

** 27-Apr-2020 World View: The Kim Jong-un mystery continues

At Donald Trump's press conference a few minutes ago, he was asked
about the status of Kim Jong-un. He said that he knows something, but
he can't talk about it.

[David Horn]

(04-27-2020, 05:41 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 27-Apr-2020 World View: The Kim Jong-un mystery continues

At Donald Trump's press conference a few minutes ago, he was asked
about the status of Kim Jong-un.  He said that he knows something, but
he can't talk about it.

Yeah, right. 

[John J. Xenakis]

** 28-Apr-2020 World View: Increased hostility to American citizens in China

I received the following from a web site reader:

Quote:> "Spent yesterday afternoon with a friend whose wife
> has family in China. She talked to her sisters on Sunday (here).
> They spoke of the government encouraged hostility towards the US
> and now expanded to US citizens. The level of overt hostility
> towards the US in propaganda is at a very high level. US citizens
> are being encouraged (told in not so many words) to leave and that
> includes employees of US and Chinese companies. This includes
> ethnic and non ethnic peoples US or Chinese born. Everyone is
> being health checked at the points of entry with blood samples
> drawn (and who knows what else, his surmise). His experience
> there is that the govt does what it wants to anyone anytime as no
> rights exist for anything in China."

This is the standard playbook for the CCP -- incite xenophobia and
hatred toward citizens of a country as a foreign policy tool. If the
pattern used with Japan is repeated with Americans, then we can expect
the CCP to incite riots and violence toward American businesses and
targets within China.

The next step could be some "small" Chinese military attack to teach
us a lesson. That could be the trigger that leads to a major war.

The CCP is becoming increasingly desperate and is flailing around in
all directions.

The CCP is being blamed for inflicting Covid-19 on every country in
the world. They could have contained the spread right at the
beginning, but instead chose to censor all news and imprison anyone
who reported what was going on. Then they chose to hide the community
spread from the world, and even used their WHO puppets to vouch for
their lies. These criminal actions by the CCP are now believed by
almost everyone.

As I always point out, the CCP criminals are the stupidest bunch of
thugs in the world. Every decision they take makes things worse, but
this strategy of hiding the communal spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus,
and then seeding every country in the world with the pandemic, has got
to be the stupidest policy of any government in world history.

Hitler's invasion of Russia was incredibly stupid, but not nearly as
stupid as the CCP purposely inflicting the virus on the entire world.

So now the clumsy, bumbling, vicious, iniquitous CCP thugs are
desperately looking for a way to shift the blame to the US, and
they're expelling US citizens from China. Nobody believes a word that
the mealy-mouthed CCP thugs are saying any more.

The CCP thugs are also being heavily criticized for their policies in
Hong Kong. Also, the CCP is facing a major crisis if Kim Jong-un dies
or is incapacitated. And China is overdue for its next massive
anti-government rebellion.

Unfortunately, this is all very bad news, because these are further
steps on the path to world war. As my article yesterday showed,
American hostility to China has been growing steadily since Xi Jinping
came to power, and has shot up enormously because of the US-China
trade dispute and the Wuhan Coronavirus situation. Chinese hostility
to America is also shooting up enormously.

These two trend lines are continuing to grow, and will not be
reversed. This will not end well.

** 27-Apr-20 World View -- CNBC's Jim Cramer: Hostility to China grows in America
** http://www.generationaldynamics.com/pg/x...tm#e200427

[John J. Xenakis]

** 28-Apr-2020 World View: Hundreds of Iranians poison themselves with ethanol to cure coronavirus

Iran's Health Ministry on state TV is reporting that over 5,000 people
have been poisoned by taking methanol alcohol between February 20 and
April 7, falsely believing that it cures Wuhan Coronavirus sickness.
Over 700 have been killed by drinking methanol, and about 90 people
have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol
poisoning.

Methanol cannot be smelled or tasted in drinks. It causes delayed
organ and brain damage. Symptoms include chest pain, nausea,
hyperventilation, blindness and even coma.

Iran mandates that manufacturers of toxic methanol must add an
artificial color to their products so the public can tell it apart
from ethanol, which is far less toxic.

The part of this story that really blew my mind is that bootleggers in
Iran have found a way around that problem. They add a little bleach
to the colored methanol, to mask the color. So now, Iranians are
drinking toxic methanol mixed in with a bit of toxic bleach. Yuk.
Iran is one screwed up country.

Iran is one of the hardest hit countries in the world from Covid-19.
That's because they didn't want to insult their Chinese masters by
shutting down travel from China, at a time when many other countries
were doing so. Iran has 92,500 confirmed cases and almost 6,000
deaths.

John Xenakis is author of: "World View: Iran's Struggle for Supremacy
-- Tehran's Obsession to Redraw the Map of the Middle East"
(Generational Theory Book Series, Book 1) Paperback: 153 pages, over
100 source references, $7.00
https://www.amazon.com/World-View-Suprem...732738610/

---- Sources:

-- False belief that methanol cures virus has killed over 700 in Iran
https://www.timesofisrael.com/false-beli...0-in-iran/
(AP, 27-Apr-2020)

-- Iran’s Rouhani Says Excessive Fear Worse than Coronavirus
https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/...oronavirus
(Asharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia, 28-Apr-2020)

-- Iran Arrests Editor, Journalist Over Cartoon Mocking Khamenei
https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-arrests-edi...81070.html
(RFERL, 28-Apr-2020)

[Bob Butler 54]

(04-28-2020, 07:12 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 28-Apr-2020 World View: Hundreds of Iranians poison themselves with ethanol to cure coronavirus

Iran's Health Ministry on state TV is reporting that over 5,000 people
have been poisoned by taking methanol alcohol between February 20 and
April 7, falsely believing that it cures Wuhan Coronavirus sickness.
Over 700 have been killed by drinking methanol, and about 90 people
have lost their eyesight or are suffering eye damage from the alcohol
poisoning.

Do you know where the drinking of methanol started?  It seems February 20 was well before Trump advised taking weird stuff, and I wouldn’t have put Iran as a likely place to find Trump followers anyway.

Just curious.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 29-Apr-2020 World View: Iran's Methanol

(04-28-2020, 07:12 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: > ** 28-Apr-2020 World View: Hundreds of Iranians poison themselves
> with ethanol to cure coronavirus

> Iran's Health Ministry on state TV is reporting that over 5,000
> people have been poisoned by taking methanol alcohol between
> February 20 and April 7, falsely believing that it cures Wuhan
> Coronavirus sickness. Over 700 have been killed by drinking
> methanol, and about 90 people have lost their eyesight or are
> suffering eye damage from the alcohol poisoning.

(04-29-2020, 03:07 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: > Do you know where the drinking of methanol started? It seems
> February 20 was well before Trump advised taking weird stuff, and
> I wouldn’t have put Iran as a likely place to find Trump followers
> anyway. Just curious.

It must be Trump's fault. Every problem in the world is Trump's
fault.

[Bob Butler 54]

(04-29-2020, 07:02 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: It must be Trump's fault.  Every problem in the world is Trump's fault.

Just judging from the dates, we might have found the exception that proves the rule.

[David Horn]

(04-29-2020, 08:37 AM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote:

(04-29-2020, 07:02 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: It must be Trump's fault.  Every problem in the world is Trump's fault.

Just judging from the dates, we might have found the exception that proves the rule.  

If not the man, then the plan.  Whacknuttery is not a unitary position.  There are plenty of nuts to go around.

[pbrower2a]

(04-28-2020, 10:42 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 28-Apr-2020 World View: Increased hostility to American citizens in China

I received the following from a web site reader:

Quote:>   "Spent yesterday afternoon with a friend whose wife
>   has family in China.  She talked to her sisters on Sunday (here).
>   They spoke of the government encouraged hostility towards the US
>   and now expanded to US citizens.  The level of overt hostility
>   towards the US in propaganda is at a very high level.  US citizens
>   are being encouraged (told in not so many words) to leave and that
>   includes employees of US and Chinese companies.  This includes
>   ethnic and non ethnic peoples US or Chinese born.  Everyone is
>   being health checked at the points of entry with blood samples
>   drawn (and who knows what else, his surmise).  His experience
>   there is that the govt does what it wants to anyone anytime as no
>   rights exist for anything in China."

This is the standard playbook for the CCP -- incite xenophobia and
hatred toward citizens of a country as a foreign policy tool.  If the
pattern used with Japan is repeated with Americans, then we can expect
the CCP to incite riots and violence toward American businesses and
targets within China.

The next step could be some "small" Chinese military attack to teach
us a lesson.  That could be the trigger that leads to a major war.

The CCP is becoming increasingly desperate and is flailing around in
all directions.

I am more likely to see ineptitude than design. The PRC is highly secretive, as one should expect of a nasty dictatorship. The only good that I can say about China in its response to COVID-19 was that once the rest of the world knew about it, the Chinese government didn't mess around. 

Quote:The CCP is being blamed for inflicting Covid-19 on every country in
the world.  They could have contained the spread right at the
beginning, but instead chose to censor all news and imprison anyone
who reported what was going on.  Then they chose to hide the community
spread from the world, and even used their WHO puppets to vouch for
their lies.  These criminal actions by the CCP are now believed by
almost everyone.

Much the wrong thing to do. 

Quote:As I always point out, the CCP criminals are the stupidest bunch of
thugs in the world.  Every decision they take makes things worse, but
this strategy of hiding the communal spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus,
and then seeding every country in the world with the pandemic, has got
to be the stupidest policy of any government in world history.

Hitler's invasion of Russia was incredibly stupid, but not nearly as
stupid as the CCP purposely inflicting the virus on the entire world.

Incompetence can be as devastating as malevolent design. 

Quote:So now the clumsy, bumbling, vicious, iniquitous CCP thugs are
desperately looking for a way to shift the blame to the US, and
they're expelling US citizens from China.  Nobody believes a word that
the mealy-mouthed CCP thugs are saying any more.

The CCP thugs are also being heavily criticized for their policies in
Hong Kong.  Also, the CCP is facing a major crisis if Kim Jong-un dies
or is incapacitated.  And China is overdue for its next massive
anti-government rebellion.

"Clumsy" and "bumbling" fit my explanation. For COVID-19 in the USA, there is plenty of blame to spread, but much of it obviously gets concentrated in one fellow whose initials are "DJT". Obviously the Communist Party of China would not win a free election... of course we know why that is irrelevant. 

Quote:Unfortunately, this is all very bad news, because these are further
steps on the path to world war.  As my article yesterday showed,
American hostility to China has been growing steadily since Xi Jinping
came to power, and has shot up enormously because of the US-China
trade dispute and the Wuhan Coronavirus situation.  Chinese hostility
to America is also shooting up enormously.

[/quote]

[/quote]


Who was President four years ago? Was America more or less admired back then worldwide? Mister, we could use a man like Eisenhower again... instead we have an arrogant, narcissistic, neglectful, glory-seeking President who thinks any expertise that contradicts him is simply wrong.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 30-Apr-2020 World View: Chinese face masks

I have multiple e-mail addresses and so I often get 200 or so
spam messages in one day. I try to skim through all of them,
so I can keep apprised of what the assholes of the world are doing.

Lately, I've been getting a lot of spam for Chinese face masks. Here's
one that came today:

Quote:> "Subject: We offer high-quality civil, medical
> protective masks, protective masks, protective clothing, infrared
> thermometers, etc.

> Dear friends, we are a Chinese medical protection equipment
> manufacturer, engaged in civil masks, medical masks, KN95, FFP2,
> FFP3 masks, as well as infrared thermometers, protective clothing
> and other import and export business, CE certification OF the
> European Union complete. If your company is interested in our
> products, please let us know. Once we receive your detailed
> request, we will be happy to quote the lowest price. In our
> exchanges with business people, we have always adhered to the
> principle of equality and mutual benefit and hope to work together
> to promote trade and friendship and realize the common interests
> of both sides. Best Greetings Mr. Yin"

We now know that the CCP purposely took steps, with the help of their
WHO puppets, to infect every nation in the world with Wuhan
Coronavirus, and then went around the world and bought up every
country's entire supply of medical protection equipment (PPE).

So now, to complete the picture, the Chinese spammers are trying to
sell garbage to replace the PPE that they've bought up and hoarded.
This is not going to end well.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 30-Apr-2020 World View: Defective face masks

Guest Wrote:> In Europe, most of the masks were found to be infected with the
> virus.

I'm not aware of any news report that supports your claim. In fact,
even if the masks were infected before shipment, the virus would not
survive the trip to Europe, as I understand it.

However, there are number of news reports of defective PPE
from China. Here's a news story that summarizes the situation:

-- Faulty masks. Flawed tests. China’s quality control problem in
leading global COVID-19 fight
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/sto...ty-control
(LATimes, 10-Apr-2020)

[John J. Xenakis]

** 30-Apr-2020 World View: Social unrest

guest Wrote:> 50MM unemployed, millions more trying to file, and tens of
> millions still "working" with major drops in their pay. I'm
> technically still employed but so far this year my income is down
> 90%.

> I cannot imagine the social unrest that will follow! Hungry people
> with a completely armed Nation. Frustrated angry hungry
> people. Food riots and deaths with the Dow at an all-time high
> coming to a neighborhood near you!

Lol! Wishful thinking!

[David Horn]

(05-01-2020, 10:25 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 30-Apr-2020 World View: Social unrest

guest Wrote:50MM unemployed, millions more trying to file, and tens of millions still "working" with major drops in their pay. I'm technically still employed but so far this year my income is down 90%.

I cannot imagine the social unrest that will follow! Hungry people with a completely armed Nation. Frustrated angry hungry people. Food riots and deaths with the Dow at an all-time high coming to a neighborhood near you!

Lol!  Wishful thinking!

Don't discount random but intense violence. You live in a relatively benign Cambridge Massachusetts.   That's a far cry from some of the more rural and isolated areas that still believe that the government is doing this intentionally to hurt them -- and they are armed to the teeth.  So no, not wishful thinking at all. If anything, growing concern.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 01-May-2020 World View: Violence

(05-01-2020, 10:35 AM)David Horn Wrote: > Don't discount random but intense violence. You live in a
> relatively benign Cambridge Massachusetts. That's a far cry from
> some of the more rural and isolated areas that still believe that
> the government is doing this intentionally to hurt them -- and
> they are armed to the teeth. So no, not wishful thinking at
> all. If anything, growing concern.

Lol! Wishful thinking!

I may live in Cambridge, but I watch the news on BBC, Fox, CNN,
MSNBC, al-Jazeera, CNBC, Bloomberg, and others, so I would know.

The greatest concern is left-wing violence.

The Democratic Party, which supported slavery during and after the
Civil War, and which practiced White Supremacy and lynchings for well
over a century through its military militia, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK),
is now nominating and supporting a new White Rapist, Joe Biden, and is
activating its White Fascist militia, Antifa. These people are so
desperate to win, they'll resort to any sort of violence and criminal
activities, as they did with General Michael Flynn and many other
Trump supporters, to get their way.

[Bob Butler 54]

(05-01-2020, 11:35 AM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 01-May-2020 World View: Violence

(05-01-2020, 10:35 AM)David Horn Wrote: >   Don't discount random but intense violence. You live in a
>   relatively benign Cambridge Massachusetts.  That's a far cry from
>   some of the more rural and isolated areas that still believe that
>   the government is doing this intentionally to hurt them -- and
>   they are armed to the teeth. So no, not wishful thinking at
>   all. If anything, growing concern.

Lol! Wishful thinking!

I may live in Cambridge, but I watch the news on BBC, Fox, CNN,
MSNBC, al-Jazeera, CNBC, Bloomberg, and others, so I would know.

The greatest concern is left-wing violence.

The Democratic Party, which supported slavery during and after the
Civil War, and which practiced White Supremacy and lynchings for well
over a century through its military militia, the Ku Klux Klan (KKK),
is now nominating and supporting a new White Rapist, Joe Biden, and is
activating its White Fascist militia, Antifa.  These people are so
desperate to win, they'll resort to any sort of violence and criminal
activities, as they did with General Michael Flynn and many other
Trump supporters, to get their way.

Of course, that changed big time when LBJ allied with MLK and went after the black vote, and the Nixon responded with the Southern Strategy. In the late 60s, the racist element switched political parties.

Crisis war was also essentially rendered mute by nukes too, and violence was replaced by legislation as the way to transform societies.

It doesn't matter how many news sources you listen to if you haven't figured out those things. Your analysis is way off.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 01-May-2020 World View: Controlling blacks

(05-01-2020, 02:09 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: > Of course, that changed big time when LBJ allied with MLK and went
> after the black vote, and the Nixon responded with the Southern
> Strategy. In the late 60s, the racist element switched political
> parties.

Let's not forget the high-tech lynching of Clarence Thomas, long
after LBJ was in office.

Of course I'm familiar with your argument, but it has nothing to do
with the issue. Yes, blacks vote for Democrats, but as Trump
frequently pointed out in 2016 when he asked "What have you got to
lose?" that Democrats have done nothing to improve the lives of
blacks.

In fact, I would be curious to know if you can name a single policy
besides welfare payments implemented by Obama or Clinton to improve
the lives of blacks.

One of the many things that have startled me since Trump took office
is the hostility shown by Democrats to the historically low
unemployment rate among blacks.

Democrats have had plenty of opportunity to spin it with something
like, "Yeah, it's nice that the black unemployment rate is down, but
that's because of policies during the Obama administration." But I
can't recall ever hearing anything like that. The left ABSOLUTELY
HATES IT that blacks have a low unemployment rate. The same is true
of Trump's Opportunity Zones, which are meant to encourage employment
in black neighborhoods.

It's not hard to find a reason. Democrats don't care anything about
the lives of blacks. Democrats want only one thing: to control
blacks, and for blacks to do as they're told by the Democrats, just
like the slaves. And they do that by controlling welfare payments to
blacks. Blacks are forced to beg Democrats for the latest welfare
handout, and have to do as their Democrat masters tell them to do to
get the money.

That's why the Democrats ABSOLUTELY HATE low black unemployment rates,
since it means that blacks can earn their own income and escape from
poverty on their own, without having to kowtow to Democrats and beg
for welfare. A black earning his own income might actually vote for a
Republican! Heaven Forbid!

I see Trump as being in a situation similar to that of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln wanted to free the slaves, and Democrats hated and opposed that.
Trump wants to free the blacks from poverty, and Democrats hate and
oppose that.

If you think I'm wrong, then I'd be really curious to know if you can
name any policies besides welfare payments that have the objective of
improving the lives of blacks.

[John J. Xenakis]

** 01-May-2020 World View: Picture of Kim Jong-un

Jeepdinger Wrote:> https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200502000500325

> Kim Jong-un seen in public?

John Wrote:> ** 01-May-2020 World View: Kim Jong-un

> This was an unconfirmed report from North Korean state media. No
> pictures are available.

A picture has now surfaced:

• North Korean leader Kim Jong-un cuts a ribbon for the
  completion of a fertilizer factory in this photo released by KCNA on
  May 2, 2020. (Yonhap)

I believe that the chick is his wife, Ri Sol-ju.

Correction: "That's his sister. She got a haircut."

-- N.K. leader reemerges after 20-day absence amid rumors over hi
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20200502000553325
(Yonhap, 2-May-2020)

[pbrower2a]

(05-01-2020, 03:33 PM)John J. Xenakis Wrote: ** 01-May-2020 World View: Controlling blacks

(05-01-2020, 02:09 PM)Bob Butler 54 Wrote: >   Of course, that changed big time when LBJ allied with MLK and went
>   after the black vote, and the Nixon responded with the Southern
>   Strategy. In the late 60s, the racist element switched political
>   parties.

Let's not forget the high-tech lynching of Clarence Thomas, long
after LBJ was in office.

Clarence Thomas sold out to the American Right. 

Quote:Of course I'm familiar with your argument, but it has nothing to do
with the issue.  Yes, blacks vote for Democrats, but as Trump
frequently pointed out in 2016 when he asked "What have you got to
lose?" that Democrats have done nothing to improve the lives of
blacks.

Blacks are doing better, statistically at least, then at any time in American history. More and better formal education and better work. Reduction in residential segregation, so that they are less likely to live in hideous slums is a factor. Blacks have gotten more political representation, so they get more respect in the political process than they once did. Of course such is mostly the result of their own efforts and being further away in time from the consequences of Jim Crow practices that crippled many black people by consigning them to inadequate schooling and vocational opportunities. If they attribute such to liberal policies that gave them the chance, then what can I say?

Quote:In fact, I would be curious to know if you can name a single policy
besides welfare payments implemented by Obama or Clinton to improve
the lives of blacks.

Not standing as rigidly for trickle-down economics as Reagan, both Bushes, and Trump: trickle-down economics imposes sacrifices by people not rich on behalf of people already filthy-rich on the assumption that those already filthy-rich know far better than the rest of us how to create wealth. Maybe in fifty years time we get to benefit from the delightful radiance of the ostentatious castles and palaces that those elites build. More likely those elites do more high-rolling at casinos, bid up art masterpieces, buy expensive jewelry, and hire more domestic servants off the enhanced profits.

Also being less likely to support hare-brained schemes that depend upon a few people betting other people's money for questionable investments such as financial bubbles that devour wealth instead of creating it. How many black people do you see as hucksters in stock-market swindles? 

Quote:One of the many things that have startled me since Trump took office
is the hostility shown by Democrats to the historically low
unemployment rate among blacks.

A rate that went down while Obama was President, and due to COVID-19 is high again. Unless blacks are heavily concentrated in 'necessary' retailing, medicine, media, utilities, or food processing they are almost surely enduring the recent mass firings and lay-offs that have happened during the Plague of 2020. 

 

Quote:Democrats have had plenty of opportunity to spin it with something
like, "Yeah, it's nice that the black unemployment rate is down, but
that's because of policies during the Obama administration."  But I
can't recall ever hearing anything like that.  The left ABSOLUTELY
HATES IT that blacks have a low unemployment rate.  The same is true
of Trump's Opportunity Zones, which are meant to encourage employment
in black neighborhoods.

What have I seen? One day while I was in Greater Detroit I saw commute traffic going both ways... I am guessing that blacks from the slums of Detroit were headed to a great extent to the low-paying jobs that would go begging  if employers had to rely upon the local, largely-white population that has usually had better opportunities than such work once 25 or so. Such work is much less available in Detroit, but it might be available 20 miles north or west. Such does not depend upon any 'enterprise zones'.

I live in a small town with relatively few blacks, but (before such businesses were largely shut down)  out-of-proportion numbers of blacks working in retail and restaurants. Obviously some of those are commuting 40 miles one way to work where they work for near-minimum-wage jobs. 

When Biden is elected President and things go back to normal will you give Trump credit for that? I expect Biden to go back to Obama policies.  

Quote:It's not hard to find a reason.  Democrats don't care anything about
the lives of blacks.  Democrats want only one thing: to control
blacks, and for blacks to do as they're told by the Democrats, just
like the slaves.  And they do that by controlling welfare payments to
blacks.  Blacks are forced to beg Democrats for the latest welfare
handout, and have to do as their Democrat masters tell them to do to
get the money.

Most welfare recipients are white. Note well that in a study on economic realities in the many states to which I linked "Is Connecticut the Best State in Which to Live"... white people still fared statistically better than blacks in all states... but blacks in Maryland fared much better than whites in West Virginia. OK, Maryland has a stronger overall economy than West Virginia, Baltimore notwithstanding. West Virginia is toward the bottom among the states in almost every measure of economics and health -- life expectancy, obesity, drug use, formal education, credit rating on the average, and smoking. Of course we all know why West Virginia has become a piece of the Third World in America, and Democrats who used to dominate state politics have much to account for -- under-investment in education, public health, and highways... not that Republicans who now dominate the state are doing any better for West Virginia. It is safe to say that the economic solution for many West Virginians is to take I-77 south to Charlotte, I-64 or I-68 east as part of the route to some prosperous location in Virginia or Maryland, I- 70, US 33, or US 50 west to or toward Columbus or Indianapolis, or maybe I-79 north to Pittsburgh (I-77 leads to such urban calamities as Canton, Akron, and Cleveland in Ohio).    

Quote:That's why the Democrats ABSOLUTELY HATE low black unemployment rates,
since it means that blacks can earn their own income and escape from
poverty on their own, without having to kowtow to Democrats and beg
for welfare.  A black earning his own income might actually vote for a
Republican!  Heaven Forbid!

I can assure you that Democrats would rather have blacks thanking them for a robust economy capable of sustained growth, the sort that offers what JFK called, and Reagan co-opted, as the "rising tide that raises all boats". Of course those boats need be seaworthy, and Democrats have no qualms about making those boats seaworthy lest the "rising tide" sink them. But whether one is a liberal or a reactionary, helping people caulk holes in their boats means that more people can rise with the tide.  

Quote:I see Trump as being in a situation similar to that of Abraham Lincoln.
Lincoln wanted to free the slaves, and Democrats hated and opposed that.
Trump wants to free the blacks from poverty, and Democrats hate and
oppose that.

You are not talking about the same Party of Lincoln, and you are not talking about the same Democratic Party associated with nostalgia for the Confederate side in the Civil War. I do not trust Trump with prosperity for any but his cronies. His dream is much the same as for right-wing front groups such as Citizens for prosperity and Freedom Works! which hold that nothing matters except the power, indulgence, and gain of the top 2% or so of income-grabbers in America. (3% of Americans would do well in any sort-of-free-market economy, and the other 95% have as their duty to suffer for the 2%. Trump stands for a high-tech feudalism reminding me of the fictional Planet Mongo on Flash Gordon serials. 

Quote:If you think I'm wrong, then I'd be really curious to know if you can
name any policies besides welfare payments that have the objective of
improving the lives of blacks.

Improving educational standards and access. 

Outlawing red-lining. 

Reduction of lead exposure to which blacks were heavily exposed -- to the benefit of impulse control and the reduction in learning disabilities. Learning disabilities and poor impulse control are bad for formal learning and avoidance of violence -- and performance on the job.  This could be the biggest difference -- that motor fuels in America have not contained tetraethyl lead since the late 1970's.

A crackdown on crime (it was heavily black people preying upon black people, so such isn't racist. Real racists don't care about black-on-black crime and want white people to see blacks as inherent criminals. 

Tax policies that squelch speculative booms (freeing more money for legitimate investments that really create jobs).

A return to a graduated income tax that fosters small business instead of vertically-integrated monopolies.

[Bob Butler 54]

Pbower has listed some current day issues which will do well enough.

My primary concern is that you have not seen how the races and parties have switched allegiances, and how nukes have changed the philosophy of warfare.

Most of the overt racism was handled in the 1960s. Blacks not being able to stay in many hotels, eat in most restaurants, purchase housing in many neighborhoods, all changed with the Civil Rights Act. At that time LBJ and MLK were working together, in part for justice, in part for the Democrats to get the black vote. This made Nixon’s Southern Strategy nigh on inevitable, as the Republicans quietly gathered the racist vote. If you haven’t noticed that, if you don’t believe me, you can do some research on various polls. Who voted for whom and when?

In Obama’s years there was a war between those trying to roll back affirmative action and those that came to be called the Social Justice Warriors. In Trump’s years the action switched to the Neo Nazi, KKK and Antifa. This seems to be what is left of the problems with the blacks. These groups are all affiliated with one or another of the major parties. It doesn’t take much effort to see which party is affiliated with the racists today, and which is resisting them.

The issues of racism, equality tribal thinking and white privilege have moved on to the latinos and immigration policy. Again, the progressives are for equality, and the conservatives are not.

Nor does it take much to see that nukes changed warfare. When was the last crisis war? Did Vietnam and Bush 43’s Middle Eastern wars suggest that proxy war, changing the culture at gunpoint and neocolonialism were bad ideas? This is not to say we have grown entirely beyond violence. There are some autocratic governments that are not going to peacefully let go of their power. Still, if you learned the patterns of war from the Industrial Age, your analysis of the Information Age is going to be way off.

[pbrower2a]

I can show how states trend. In this case I suggest that  even if the partisan identities of the states are almost opposite in the elections involving Eisenhower and Obama, the blocks of states involved suggest that Ike and Obama got (and lost) many of the key constituencies in their elections. This, if you are aware of my posting history, is one of my favorite contrasts.

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When all is said and done, I think that the Obama and Eisenhower Presidencies are going to look like good analogues. Both Presidents are chilly rationalists. Both are practically scandal-free administrations. Both started with a troublesome war that both found their way out of. Neither did much to 'grow' the strength of their Parties in either House of Congress. To compare ISIS to Fidel Castro is completely unfair to Fidel Castro, a gentleman by contrast to ISIS.

The definitive moderate Republican may have been Dwight Eisenhower, and I have heard plenty of Democrats praise the Eisenhower Presidency. He went along with Supreme Court rulings that outlawed segregationist practices, stayed clear of the McCarthy bandwagon, and let McCarthy implode.



gray -- did not vote in 1952 or 1956
white -- Eisenhower twice, Obama twice
deep blue -- Republican all four elections
light blue -- Republican all but 2012 (I assume that greater Omaha went for Ike twice)
light green -- Eisenhower once, Stevenson once, Obama never
dark green -- Stevenson twice, Obama never
pink -- Stevenson twice, Obama once

No state voted Democratic all four times, so no state is in deep red.