Tribes

No, I haven't read her book, but finding out she's the original "Tiger Mom" cements my disdain for her argument as presented in an interview I heard today.  An analysis will all the depth of a teaspoon, all the insight of a broken mirror.  Feh.

It's early voting for primaries in Texas, and I'm getting a lot of mail from Democratic hopefuls.  (I've voted in Democratic primaries, they've found me.).  I've noticed a common thread in them:  they're all about helping people.

Candidates send me postcards proclaiming their interest in healthcare for people; education for children.  Jobs for everyone.  I can't speak to Republican campaign literature, except what I see on line or in yards, and the emphasis there is on ideology or fear.  Republicans will protect our bathrooms (be afraid!  Innocent daughters are at risk!) and protect convervatism ("a true conservative" is a favorite).  Dan Patrick did try to re-write his legacy in the last legislative session (he forced a special session just to get his "bathroom bill" banning transgendered public school children from having a bathroom set aside for them at school; he lost) to say he wanted to raise teacher's salaries (he did; he wanted to tell school districts, which are taxing entities on their own, to be required to pay teachers more.  He didn't want the state to contribute to that effort.  It's an "unfunded mandate."  Texas schools face a lot of those.).  That wasn't really about people, but about the old hand jive:  don't pay attention to what I do, pay attention to what I say.

Are the Democrats ta-roo and ba-loo, foursquare and Boy Scouts every one, male or female?  No, of course not.  But the appeal is to people, not to ideas; and not to a bait and switch like Patrick's "I-gave-them-more-money-what-more-do-they-want?", which is how he will play that if he wins again. Right now he's playing it to keep his job, because his primary opponent is trying to get school employees across the state to turn out and vote in the GOP primary, so Patrick never makes it to the ballot in November.  He's a bit concerned, in other words.

And still a weasel.

There is much talk now about tribalism and how divisive we have become.  Feh.  I remember the '60's, when the Baby Boomers were convinced they were going to rule the world and make radical changes.  I remember American society ripping at the seams as blacks demanded the same treatment socially and under the law, even economically, as whites.  I remember the government shipping people off to Vietnam, the ones who couldn't afford college.  I remember Malcolm X, and Muhammed Ali becoming "Muhammad Ali."  Divided?  You people are pikers.  Boomers assisted their elders (King & Co., LBJ, etc.) in some of that, but immediately turned into yuppies when the decade (and the war) were over.  I'm impressed by the Parkland kids and their frontal assault on the NRA (they have yet to face the group that makes the NRA look like squishy liberals) and power to them if they can break the hold on our national politics that guns have had for 40+ years (no, it hasn't been since the ratification of the 2nd Amendment).  Their pitch is people, too:

@nra my favorite teacher at Dalton high school just blockaded his door and proceeded to shoot. We had to run out The back of the school in the rain. Students were being trampled and screaming. I dare you to tell me arming teachers will make us safe.

— Chondi🌙 (@_omg_chondi_) February 28, 2018

And yeah, they're good at this "social media" thing:

That picture of him was a mugshot after police and the swat team escorted him to jail. Yeah, probably not the best picture, but if the only argument you have against my teacher and I is based on our looks, stop arguing. Youre trolling a 16 year old. Let that sink in.

— Chondi🌙 (@_omg_chondi_) March 1, 2018

Really good:

He calls his rivals and other leaders names like:
Crooked Hillary
Little Marco
Lyin’ Ted
Pocahontas
Mr. Magoo
Low energy Jeb

But sure...we teenagers are the ones who are too “immature” to be involved in politics.

— Emilia (@PoliticalEmilia) March 1, 2018

Don't troll Emilia.  She doesn't deserve it.  Besides, she's only 14.

Grow up.