FROLITICKS

Satirical commentary on Canadian and American current political issues

Oct 8

Politics and the Tragic Story of U.S. CDC in Tackling COVID-19

by bcurry

On October 7th, it was reported that U.S. coronavirus cases surpassed 7.5 million with most states seeing a rise in cases and a startling nine states setting ominous, seven-day records for infections.  Even these numbers may not reflect the reality given that the nation’s patchwork pandemic response has led to wide disparities in data reporting.  There are apparently even differences in definitions for basic medical concepts.  In the absence of federal standards, states have also adopted divergent and sometimes scientifically questionable approaches to disease control.

Where has the leadership role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) been in all of this during the past nine months?  William Foege, a renowned epidemiologist who served under Democratic and Republican presidents, detailed in a recent private letter to CDC Director Robert Redfield (obtained by USA TODAY) what he considered as the White House’s meddling in the agency’s efforts to manage the COVID-19 crisis.  He reflected what a number of Director Redfield’s predecessors at the CDC strongly believe have been serious failures in the administration’s coronavirus response. Dr. Foege expressed how many scientists and experts feel about the CDC’s failure.  Moreover, Dr. Foege’s letter lamented that “the CDC’s scientific experts have been rendered impotent during the most significant health crisis in a century while decades of experience have been ignored.” He concluded: “This will go down as a colossal failure of the public health system of this country.”

Here in Canada, the CDC has had an excellent reputation for its work in the past and government bodies such as the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada have interacted on health issues with the CDC on numerous occasions.  Now, the CDC’s scientific reputation has unfortunately been tainted because of the administration’s actions and its failure to provide national science-based standards in addressing COVID-19 issues and to help develop applicable national policies. 

In a virtual event held by American University, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious diseases expert, recently said that as many as 400,000 Americans could die from COVID-19 if action isn’t taken in the fall and winter.  Dr. Fauci acknowledged that there was the decreasing trust in him as a public official, especially in light of mixed coronavirus messages coming out of the CDC.  President Trump’s frequent attacks on the CDC’s integrity and several renown scientists have done nothing to help matters.  In direct contradiction of the experts and the CDC, Trump persists in stating that a vaccine will be available in the very near.  However, experts and researchers have asserted that a vaccine will probably not be available to most Americans until next summer or the fall at the earliest.  Once again, Trump is attempting to undermine the expert advice of the CDC and others for political reasons to the detriment of all Americans.  What a shame!

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Sep 30

American Presidential Debate Was An Embarrassment And A Disgrace

by bcurry

The other day I went to a boxing match and a street brawl broke out.  This is what most people felt after having watched the first televised presidential debate last night.  Just like boxing matches, debates have rules for both sides to adhere to.  However, no one should be surprised that Donald Trump does not believe in rules and constantly interrupted Joe Biden throughout the debate, despite the admonitions of the poor moderator.  Like many other observers, this was the first and hopefully last time that I ever witness such an embarrassing spectacle after having followed many years of political debates held here in Canada and in the U.S.

Normally, a debate allows two or more participants to lay out their positions on one or more issues in a civil and respectful manner.  The key adjective here is “respectful”.  In a democracy, one is taught that everyone has a right to express their opinion in a non-violent and transparent way, respecting the right of others to do so as well.  Under most debating protocols, persons are given a specific time frame in which to outline their position on the issue in question without interruption.  Then the opposing person is allowed to present his or her views.  Next, each side usually is then given time for rebuttal of the other side’s position.  The main role of the moderator should be to submit the issue for discussion and then to ensure the allocated time frames are adhered to by the debaters.  The primary purpose of a debate is to provide the viewer with an overview of the debaters’ positions on certain specific issues in a brief, fair and concise manner.

Name calling and personal attacks have no place in a civil debate.  These belong in places where mob rule applies, which unfortunately often leads to violent confrontations.  If the American people endorse Trump’s behaviour during the debate, then there is little left to salvage civil society.  As in most debates, I chose to not pick sides and was more interested in the issues being debated and the manner in which they were debated.  These are extremely important issues and candidates for such a powerful position need to be clearly heard.  To do so in a constructive manner, all sides need to refrain from mud slinging — increasingly an inherent part of political rallies.  Otherwise, what is the point of holding future debates?

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Sep 4

A September That No One Will Ever Forget!

by bcurry

Well, here we are.  We’ve almost survived the summer of COVID-19 and are anxiously awaiting to see that the fall has to offer.  Kids are going back to schools for the most part across the continent.  Parents are as anxious as ever for their safety.  Already, there are signs that troubled waters lie ahead, especially on college campuses.  While the coronavirus outbreaks are relatively under control in Canada, the same cannot be said for the U.S.  Community cases continue to emerge in the mid-west and in California.  Over six million COVID-19 cases have to date been confirmed in the U.S., making it statistically the leading country in the pandemic, ahead of such countries as Brazil and India.

In the meantime, the U.S. is preparing itself for a presidential election which everyday is becoming nastier and nastier.  Donald Trump will keep on tweeting right up to election day and will continue to use scare tactics and conspiracy theories to justify his position.  There is no doubt that this will be the weirdest American election of all time — virtual or not.  As a long-time student of American political history, this should be one for the books — and there are plenty of those already starting to emerge.

As far as the North American economies go, tougher times are expected.  As of mid-August, more than 29 million Americans were receiving some sort of unemployment insurance.  In Canada, although there was a labour market improvement in August, that may not be as robust as headlines suggest.  The fact is that most of the job gains have been due to the return of workers, especially part-timers, who became unemployed during the early stages of the pandemic.  The damage to both economies has been wide and deep.  Economic growth is in negative territory and is not expected to improve substantively for some time, perhaps years.  The two big risks for the recovery remain the uncertainty around back-to-school plans and the onset of colder weather which will also bring in the normal influenza season and potential second waves of COVID-19.

There appear to be two economies in both countries, that of wall street and that of main street.  The average American and Canadian is struggling to pay their bills, make mortgage payments and put food on the table.  The rich on the other hand are just getting wealthier, exacerbating the already established inequalities in society.  A huge question remains as to how long government assistance can continue?   The U.S. debt is set to exceed the size of the economy next year, a first Since World War II.  The federal debt held by the public projected to reach or exceed 100% of U.S. gross domestic product (GDP).  In Canada, the combined debt level of all governments is poised to surge to an unprecedented $1.9 trillion or 85% of GDP.

The fact of the matter is that the only way that both economies can improve is by first getting COVID-19 outbreaks under control and, as experts note, by flattening the curve related to community spread.  In the meantime, school re-openings will no doubt test the resolve for both parents and politicians alike.

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Aug 25

When Leaders Turn To Scare Tactics to Win Elections

by bcurry

As many of you are aware, the Republican National Convention (RNC) is happening this week. It is so full of positivism that it’s scary!  It would appear that Trumpism has consumed the Republican Party, once a viable and respected political entity in America. What’s worst is that although the President earlier stipulated that the RNC would be full of positivism, it has to date been anything but.  On top of which, the Trump re-election campaign has no platform for 2020, but is instead referring back to its 2016 platform.  Also, during the course of the four days of the virtual RNC, Trump in an unusual move will be speaking to his followers — as if he’s heading up some kind of cult. The only and primary onus of the entire event will be to attack Joe Biden and the Democratic Party as being out to destroy the American way of life with radical socialism and unholy devil-made policies.

This leads one to the next well defined theme that, when one cannot defend one’s policies while in government or has no real new platform to offer, then the next best thing is to employ “scare tactics”. This is exactly what the Trump campaign intends to do.  Forget the fact that the U.S. is leading the world in coronavirus deaths (over 177,000 deaths to date) and confirmed cases and that average Americans are suffering from the worst economy since the depression, Trump believes that everything is just honky-dory. Miracles will happen, right?  However, should the Democrats come into office, Trump supporters literally scream out that the American way-of-life will be destroyed, freedoms will be lost, cities will burn and crime will increase ten-fold.  One might call this “negativism” or a warning of the coming of armageddon.

Nothing has changed in Trump’s extreme style and approach to campaigning. It may even be worst this time around.  Again, he is perpetuating baseless conspiracy theories such as the one surrounding the extent of potential voter fraud in U.S. elections, particularly due to the use of mail-in voting. His most recent theory is that, if the Democrats win the election, they will have done so through electoral tampering.  Trump further claims that this is the only way that he would not be re-elected.  Perhaps he should give the American electorate a little bit more credit for their active participation in free elections.

Many leaders of undemocratic countries, Russia, Iran and Belarus to name a few, use scare tactics to remain in power. Hopefully, the U.S. 2020 elections will not go as far as the case in such countries. Simply defiling your opposition’s positions without any substantive evidence is not the way to go.  Such scare tactics should be seen for what they are — the undermining of credible debate over the important issues of the day. Failure to provide meaningful and plausible policies to voters would be an unfortunate outcome of the RNC.  Such an outcome would simply confirm that a once proud Republican Party has been swallowed up by the occult of Trumpism and left to fade away into darkness.

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Aug 20

Conspiracy Theories Abound Under the Trump Administration

by bcurry

Never in the past when I was studying American politics have I seen as many conspiracy theories being touted by a President and a party than under the Trump administration. First, one has the President arguing that mail-in ballots only lead to electoral fraud, without any clear evidence to back up his belief.  Unfortunately, the result has been an attempt by the administration to undermine the U.S. Postal Service in advance of the November elections through deliberate cutbacks. All this during the pandemic!

Next is the President’s expressed appreciation for the support of QAnon. The QAnon conspiracy theory is based on unfounded claims that there is a “deep state” apparatus run by political elites, business leaders and Hollywood celebrities who are also pedophiles. They are actively working against Trump.  Supporters of the Democratic Party have been described nonsensically as belonging to a satanic cult of pedophiles and cannibals.  Here we have a group comprised of conspiracy advocates that even the FBI has identified as a domestic terrorism threat.  Their theories have resulted in violence by followers.

Then there is Trump’s unsubstantiated accusation that he is saving the world from “… radical left philosophy that will destroy this country.” Again, with no substantive evidence, the President is claiming that the Biden ticket is out to implement some form of radical socialism into American society.  Nothing in the Democratic platform would substantiate such a ridiculous claim.

Finally, there was the claim by Trump’s administration that the coronavirus outbreak was the result of being released by a laboratory in China. Further investigations, including those by the World Health Organization, have proven that this conspiracy theory was not only untrue but also nonsensical.  Why would the Chinese deliberately introduce a new virus into the population which would sicken thousands and even kill thousands of people in China, while seriously damaging the Chinese economy at the same time? On the other hand, the President initially even referred to COVID-19 as a “hoax”, a belief unfortunately taken up by many of his supporters resulting in serious health consequences.

It is regrettable and a tragedy that, during a time of major economic, political and health challenges, one has a regime that is perpetuating conspiracy theories. As always, I imagine that history will be the final judge.

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Aug 16

Postal Service Is More Than Just Delivering Mail

by bcurry

In many rural American and Canadian communities in particular the only contact with the federal government is the local post office. People rely on the postal service to deliver their old age security cheques, medical prescriptions and devices, food stamps, and now mail-in ballots for the next American elections.  Rural community offices serve as a gathering point and source of stability, employment and a critical link to the rest of the world.  Up to now, American experts and employees believed that the Postal Service was still capable of operating as usual. However, under the Trump administration all that has changed with blatantly obvious cutbacks to the postal service under the new Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a Republican megadonor to President Trump. Incidentally, he has no previous experience at all with any postal service. The President has argued that the purpose of Mr. DeJoy’s appointment is to make the postal service great once again — a recurring theme.

Among claims being made by employees and citizens are that postal boxes have been removed from certain key locations, mail-sorting machines were removed from processing centers, drivers are being sent out according to set schedules whether or not all of the morning’s mail is ready for them, and increasingly limits have been placed on working overtime or overtime has been eliminated. Today, citizens are complaining more about increasing delays in the receipt of mail and packages than had been the case a few months ago. This apparently is not just about the fact that the service is already short on staff because of quarantines and the coronavirus outbreak.

Instead, what it is about is the fact that the President does not want the states to rely on mail-in ballots for the election and continues to argue that, without substantive evidence of any kind, mail-in ballots lead to fraud. While nearly a quarter of Americans voted absentee or by mail in 2016, millions more are expected to mail their ballots this year because of the coronavirus crisis.  Polls have shown that two-thirds of Democratic supporters intent to vote by mail due to the pandemic compared to one-third of Republican supporters.  This could offer an advantage to Trump should there be serious delays in the receipt of mail-in ballots. Due to the recent cuts in service, the Postal Service has already warned states that it may not be able to meet their deadlines for delivering last-minute ballots.

Yes, as in Canada, the U.S. postal service has to adapt to the realities of a new era driven by major technological advances and competing delivery services. However, is this the right time to be making major changes when so many citizens, especially vulnerable persons, are even more dependent than ever on essential mail deliveries because of isolation due to the pandemic?  Or is this just another political ploy by a desperate Trump administration in advance of the upcoming elections?  Do the administration’s actions justify hurting millions of Americans, especially those in rural communities?  Perhaps there is significant danger in this tactic where many of Trump’s rural supporters may become disillusioned and either not vote altogether or vote for Democratic candidates.  Hopefully, Congress will look into the matter more closely.  Time will tell.

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Jul 23

Trump’s ‘Law and Order’ Gamble Gone Very Wrong

by bcurry

Imagine living in an urban setting and witnessing people being dragged off the streets and driven away by uniformed agents who can’t be identified. Almost sounds like Nazi Germany or today’s communist China. Well, this is what recently happened in Portland, Oregon, where federal agents, including several from Homeland Security, were employed in a kind of protest crackdown. Next, President Trump, joined by Attorney General William Barr, announced a plan to send federal agents to the Democratic-run cities of Chicago and Albuquerque to crack down on violent crime. All of this grand gesture appears to be part of an escalation of his “law and order” theme heading into the final months before the presidential election.  How convenient!

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot for one rejected the use of federal agents for the kind of protest crackdown seen in Portland, saying such actions were deemed unconstitutional, an infringement on peoples’ liberties and would be met with legal action. Like other mayors around the country, she does not want to see authoritarian, unnecessary and unaccountable military-style ‘crackdowns.  Instead, as in the past, local police forces are quite willing to have the help of the federal law enforcement agencies, such as the FBI, to work alongside them when needed in resolving outstanding criminal cases, including homicides.  Unlike the national guard units in each state, most federal law enforcement agents are not adequately trained and equipped to deal with protesters as witnessed in Portland. Even the use of the national guard is seen as a last resort under certain conditions.

One has to ask, with everything going on in the U.S. including a pandemic and protests against police shootings of unarmed civilians, why the President would launch such an far-fetched initiative at this time?  In two words: ‘political tactics’.  Trump is down in the polls by double-digit numbers in his bid to be re-elected.  Extreme desperation has set in, especially now that the on-going battle against the coronavirus is in wretched straits.  As for the President’s actions, let us remember what Lord Acton once declared: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  He also stated: “Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the highest political end.”

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Jul 7

One Word for What’s Going on in the States: “Nuts”

by bcurry

The U.S. has just passed 130,000 Covid-19 related deaths, while the President claims that 99 percent of those infected don’t have to be concerned. Now, you have the 43-year-old rap star Kanye West announcing via Twitter on the Fourth of July that he is plans to run in the 2020 election for U.S. president. Great, now one has one nut job aspiring to replace the current nut job.  Obviously, he can’t run for either of the two existing parties. However, unfortunately there is technically a way that West could still run for president. He would have to register as an independent candidate.  This would depend on where he wanted to run, as deadlines for those intending to run in several states have already passed with the remainder closing registrations by August.  Like many, I can only hope that this is a PR stunt or some form of joke à la comedian Pat Paulsen who ran satirical campaigns for President of the United States between 1968 and 1996.

What’s happening in the States is no longer a laughing matter. The issues raised by the Black Lives Matter movement are no laughing matter.  The record daily counts of positive coronavirus cases are no laughing matter.  The increasing violence and shootings in American cities are no laughing matter.  While the relevant statistics are a concern, the impact on individual Americans, particularly on those marginalized and vulnerable citizens, is even more of a concern.  The inability of the national government to provide real leadership in light of the realities of the afflictions, including the pandemic, affecting the society is of grave concern.  Instead, the President is perpetuating policies of division in order to placate what’s left of his supporters in order to somehow get re-elected — no matter what the consequences.

All this may represent the last straw, given that the President continues to ignore the advice and concerns of his own advisors and leading experts. As an extreme narcissist, Trump is unable to admit that he had made mistakes and that his decisions have resulted in unintended consequences, both within the U.S. and elsewhere. There is an old adage that you get what you voted for.  That definitely applies in this case a hundred times over.  Perhaps, Trump should secretly elope to Russia into the welcoming arms of his friend Vladimir Putin, another extreme narcissist. However, I’m not too sure that the First Lady, Melania Trump, would join him?

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Nov 9

Do Current Democratic Presidential Candidates Have Billionaires On The Run?

by bcurry

Well, now we have one Michael Bloomberg interested in perhaps running in the Democratic primaries. For those unaware, Mr. Bloomberg is a 77-year-old former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman who has been outspoken in his criticism of President Trump, even prior to the last election. Bloomberg’s entering the race would make him the richest person to ever run for president, beating out billionaire Ross Perot who ran as a third party candidate in the 1990s.  Bloomberg is considered to be a centrist policy-wise.  One of the main reasons he is considering running is his stated belief that he doesn’t think that former Vice-President Joe Biden or Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders could beat Donald Trump.

I have another theory. Bloomberg may not like the left-leaning Democratic candidates Senators Warren and Sanders, who are among the top performers in early primary polling. One of Warren’s signature policy proposals is a wealth tax that would require the rich to pay 2 cents for every dollar over $50 million in their personal fortunes. Sanders, a self-declared democratic socialist, has also proposed a version of a wealth tax and is famous for railing against “millionaires and billionaires” in his campaign speeches.  Now this has made a number of multi-millionaires nervous, including Bill Gates, Tom Steyer and John Delaney to name a few.

Although it may be that the Democratic Party believes it is the party of working people and people of colour, there is always the danger of its policies being taken over by the super rich. Allowing an ultra-wealthy centrist to dominate its platform would be an unhealthy turn of events.  Indeed, one could argue that the 2020 Democratic primary is a referendum on billionaire control of the Democratic Party.  I strongly believe that working-class Americans would prefer to see a clear delineation between the corporate stooges in the Republican Party led by Donald Trump and the more progressive policies supported by the likes of Biden, Sanders or Warren.

Make no doubt, the Democratic Party has its supporters among the .1 percenters. No political party in the U.S., as in Canada, can ignore the influence of the super wealthy. However, it is a perilous move to allow a billionaire or multi-billionaire take control of its platform.  After all, it was many of these same people who got us into the worst recession since the great depression, from which many ordinary Americans and Canadians are still recovering.  In any democracy, one needs some clear choices.  With Mr. Bloomberg’s candidacy, we would only be muddying the political waters.

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Jul 15

Is Donald Trump “Xenophobic”?

by bcurry

The Oxford English Dictionary defines xenophobia as “intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries.” For some time now, President Trump has been accused of being a “racist” and more recently as showing signs of xenophobia.  These allegations arose once again because of his tweets on July 13-14 in which he asserted that certain Democratic congresswomen should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”  Without naming the congresswomen, there is little doubt that he is referring to Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All four are women of colour and American citizens, while only one was not born in the U.S.

One must remember that the phrase “go back to where you came from” has been a standard refrain mostly used by disgruntled white men or women, and certainly by white supremacists. It would appear that Trump’s statements are aimed at a particular element of his base support.  Indeed, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said that Trump was trying to “gin up his base” by “keeping Americans divided”.  Trump appears to have forgotten that the above-mentioned Representatives were legally elected by a majority of their constituents.  In addition, in a democracy, people have the right to express their views.  Once expressed, people then have the right to openly agree or disagree with them.

I defend the right of the President or anyone else to express their views. Indeed, knowing one’s views is a good way of determining what are their core values and beliefs.  This is a good thing.  How else would one know that Trump is obviously xenophobic!  What is sad that America was built on the blood, sweat and tears of immigrants. Remember as well, the only peoples who can rightly say that this was originally their land are the indigenous peoples of North America. Today, America is a country based on diversity and inclusion. It welcomed people of different races, religions and ethnic backgrounds from many places to participate in the so-called American dream.  This represents the real “greatness” of America.

What Donald Trump is doing is political manoeuvring by a desperate man focused on one thing alone — getting re-elected. He is even willing to undertake this shameful campaign at the expense of some admirable and fundamental American values.  Let’s hope and pray that he is unsuccessful!

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