The current regime

The current regime thinks his attacks on being held accountable to the constitution and laws of the USA--not nearly enough for what he's done--begging for 11k votes in Georgia would have gotten him locked up if I had any say about it, and his not calling off January 6th attempted insurrection, and funding it, also still has him needing to be held accountable, and all the emoluments from his first presidency, and all the corruption and graft he's been doing so far this term. 

He's pretty horrible, but now they're arresting judges, and saying ICE officers don't need warrants. He's the one who bends justice. He basically ran for office to avoid being held accountable. 

He's trying to get Ukraine to give up territory to Russia, and well, why? 

He supports the genocide in Israel.  I think Israel has the right to defend itself internally, but snipers picking off children is just too much. 

He's killed the economy, and tourism with his ways. 

The car guy lost a lot of imaginary money with stock dropping 71%, which is alright with me, hope it gets worse for him. Sieg heil twice and there are hopefully consequences.

It's hard to explain to the Egyptian roofer I was talking to the other day, who though Biden stole the election from Trump. 

Turning allies into enemies, everything he has done to extort money. It's just sickening. Corruption, harm, lies.

The legislature and judiciary and press that ennabled him will be held accountable. 

Today's political thought

Retrenchment and regression happen, progress isn't always a straight line forward. And the opposite contains some wisdom unfortunately. All the right wing people who believe this reset is healthy have to know it's not going to stay that way. The dialectic of the left and right means that things will swing back and forth. 

I'm so far left that it seems to me to swing from far right to center, and back. 

There are two ideas. Don't get along with government, government needs to be cut and limited. The other idea is that we should redistribute money through taxation and programs, and ameliorate some of the excesses of capitalism. We should promote the common good through healthcare, education, transportation, infrastructure, and even defense and foreign policy. 

I do think America gets over it's skis with ideas of exceptionalism. The Marshall Plan was a good thing to do, in our own best interest. 

Clearly what is going on in America is very destructive at the moment. After Woodrow Wilson came FDR, and his years as presidents created the Reagan voters and over and over again. I don't know if I'll see the end of this great depression or not, I'm getting older. I don't know if I'll see the booming 90's again, seems unlikely. 

Humans are stupid and limited and selfish and short sighted, and can be amazingly spiritual, kind, generous, wise and insightful. Their politics reflect that. 

I don't mean to be blase and abstract about all the people dying. It's hard to imagine people straight up dying because of this regime but it's happening. From the loss of due process to life giving benefit cuts, to withholding health care, and on and on. Supporting the genocide in Gaza, to shifting to voting with Russia in the UN. 

I keep coming back to the 2 humans who said to me they don't notice a difference between Obama and Trump. So willfully ignorant and proud of it. 

Today's political thoughts

America has been lucky, in the presidents in my lifetime. Lyndon Johnson was president when I was born, then Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, GHW Bush, Clinton, GW Bush, Obama, Trump, Biden, Trump.

None were not as for sale, venial flim flam men, soft shoe shufflers as the current regime, wannabe gangsters, running illegal protection rackets. I wish the legislature, courts, press and people would hold him more accountable. Or even a little accountable. 

He's running a protection racket, from himself. Threat, shake the money tree, see who pays for protection. In a way it's amazing the idealistic rhetoric. 

I've never really believed in exceptionalism, that was too boastful and not humble. You get hubris. Hubris is over arching pride that leads to your downfall. 

Humility, being right sized, isn't built into the American ethos, but as we mature and find our place in the world, it would behove us to find some. Most people didn't buy into America's hype, they witness too much to the contrary. 

American politics is what we create, how we react, and what we discover our virtues and values to be. I pretty much ignored politics, always leaning left and voting Democrat. I voted for a Republican sheriff in Madison because I went to school with his son, that's the only Republican I voted for, in my memory. My memory isn't that great, life can be long and I've always struggled to cope with the flurry of information out there. 

Democrats aren't perfect, and some people see them be venial for sale politicians like the Republicans and see no difference, but I see a huge difference. That try not to be so corrupt, and resign quicker. To deny the difference is a radical political stance, two neighbors have said that to me. These are the kind of people who feel like Trump telling the truth about his grifting is somehow noble. They feel Trump is being persecuted for his politics, instead of him just straight up being a criminal and being held accountable. 

I'm OK with more people choosing not to vote, that enlarges my vote, but voter suppression is evil, and I really hope the courts prevent Trump from doing what he hopes to do by making voting harder. 

It's hard to know which is the distraction grift in this house of cards, the rope a dope, the gish gallop. 

To me Jasmine Crockett, Cory Booker and AOC are stepping up the most to fight this nonsense.  

Hands off! Huge protests

Over 5 million people! 5.2 is highest I’ve seen.

Massive turnout in NYC and in many cities around the USA to protest harm. Hands off!

Evolving analysis

 

The shock doctrine is the idea that throwing the USA into turmoil will benefit the hyper rich, and make the workers more willing to be exploited. 

The Atlantic has an article about how people try to ideologically justify this turmoil. 

People balk at giving Trump sophisticated ideas, he's a dolt, a dummy. He's a toddler trapped in the genital phase. 

One thing I've noticed, his autocratic style, he doesn't feel like explaining, justifying or even persuading the people, he just wants to do what he wants to do. His anti-social ways are about cutting corners and not following the rules. He's not excited unless he's getting away with something. He's still angry at his father. 

It's really hard for me to read about all the business that are being ruined, lives, and when the economy goes down, aside from ruining things, 

Protests all over the USA are voicing the urge not to just do things for the oligarchy. 

Mayoral race NYC

Working Families endorsed 4 candidates (Gothamist): Adrienne Adams, Brad Lander, Zohran Mamdani and Zellnor Myrie.

Zohran Mamdani (33) was born in Uganda, to Indian parents. Move to Cape Town when he was 5. His mother is a filmmaker (1991 film Mississippi Masala, starring Denzel Washington and 2016 Disney film Queen of Katwe) and his father is an academic at Columbia, who studies colonialism, was expelled from Uganda under the dictator Idi Amin. He's from Queens, he's in the State Assembly. Moved to NYC when he was 7. Went to Bronx Science, then Bowdoin College in Maine with a bachelors in African studies. Mamdani worked as a prevention counselor and cricketer, and attempted a career in hip hop (video). He worked on a few political campaigns and then ran himself. His district includes Astoria and Long Island City. 

Quoting articles:

Mother Jones Article (3/27/25): He's fundraising well so far. Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran political strategist based in New York City, had a simple explanation for Mamdani’s emergence as the leading progressive contender: “He’s not boring! He’s handsome, articulate, and his ideas are very romantic and interesting.” 

The city’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter has added 1,500 members—about a quarter increase—since last October, when it endorsed Mamdani. “We’re not only winning elections with downwardly mobile college-educated people,” said Grace Mausser, co-chair of the local chapter. “We’re becoming more diverse.” 

His theory is that the saliency of universal services will win over working-class voters, particularly those who have become disillusioned by the Democratic party. Whether or not he succeeds, Mamdani’s candidacy is a test of the widespread appeal of a left-wing economic populist platform, at a time when Democrats desperately need to find a better message. 

He has steadfastly condemned Israel’s war on Gaza, even as pro-Israel PACs have spent millions to sink progressive candidates nationwide. Mamdani likes to joke that, as a Muslim and a socialist, he is “no stranger to bad PR.”

Mamdani brought that penchant for showmanship to the state Assembly after being elected in 2020, ousting a popular incumbent. As a legislator, Mamdani was skilled at winning over powerful allies. In 2021, he helped the taxi drivers’ union win debt relief, with the backing of New York Sen. Chuck Schumer. When union members went on a hunger strike to try to force a deal, Mamdani fasted alongside them all 15 days.

...a recent poll shows Mamdani 10 points ahead of the next progressive candidate, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander.

Politico (3/22/25): ...some recent polling even has him in second place in the crowded field of 11-plus candidates — behind only former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a dynastic politician who is the prohibitive favorite to win the Democratic primary in June.

Bernie Sanders playbook: Pick a handful of straightforward economic proposals that would impact the daily lives of regular people and repeat, repeat, repeat. Attendees of a Bernie rally are primed to chant Medicare for All before they even get there. Now, thanks to his social-media savvy outreach, Mamdani draws crowds ready to sing along to his own greatest hits.

Thoughts: The idea that he can't win is based in a kind of assumption about how left a candidate can win. I don't actually know, and nobody really knows, how left a candidate can win. When he doesn't win, they'll say I told you so, but is it really true that there's a too left candidate that can't win, or they just don't communicate well in the campaign, or money overwhelms them from the other side, which has a moneyed interest in them not winning. I'm not convinced in the too left to win argument. Obviously I'm too left myself.

Regarding Cuomo who is leading: He wouldn't make my top 5. The reason he resigned is the reason he shouldn't run again. People can change, but they don't have the right to run for government. His name recognition gives him a huge advantage. I basically don't think he deserves to win because of name recognition, but it's a real factor in reality, but not why I would vote for him. (NPR article on resignation.)

Same with Eric Adams. He's running as an independent because the Democratic party doesn't want him to run under their ticket. I guess he doesn't have enough power in the party to over-ride them. I like that. I would never vote for him. He didn't make my top 5 last time. He's too corrupt, should be in jail, it's only sucking up to Trump that got him off the hook--another element of his corruption. 

Probably it will be a fight between Adams and Cuomo and the Republican, maybe Curtis Sliwa. Adams wasn't on my top 5 and he won, so thinking my opposite instincts will be right. 

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Adrienne Adams is a 64 year old Speaker of the New York City Council. Her district includes the Queens borough neighborhoods of Jamaica, Rochdale Village, Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park. I'm sure she would be fine. She seems like the uninteresting type of person we need to just get things done. I'll probably include her in my 5 for the democratic primary. 

My 9 year old daughter wants to vote for Jessica Ramos based on looks and gender. She also liked Adrienne Adams. She favors women. Ramos is a 38 year old state senator who represents Corona, Elmhurst, East Elmhurst, and Jackson Heights. She was born at Elmhurst Hospital and grew up in Astoria. She has Colombian heritage. She quit Hofstra to work for New York City Council Member Hiram Monserrate. I'm not sure why she didn't get the Working Families endorsement. She's had high level communications jobs, and is journalists go to hispanic politician. Zohran Mamdani recommends everyone else on my list but her. 

Brad Lander is the 55 year old Comptroller for NYC.  He grew up in St. Louis in a Jewish family. He got a masters degree in anthropology in London, and urban planning from Pratt. He is described as a progressive. He's been on the city council. Seems like a competent government worker, he's probably going to make my top 5 for the democratic primary.

Lander is sort of suring in a way (Reddit).

Zellnor Myrie is a 38 year old state senator representing Brooklyn. He was born in Brooklyn to parents who were born in Costa Rica. He went to Fordham and got a masters in urban studies. He went to Cornell Law School. Myrie proposed to increase housing supply in New York City by 700,000 homes by allowing more housing in neighborhoods with stringent zoning rules, in order to alleviate the housing shortage in the city. He's another candidate to consider for top 5. 

My 5: Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander, Adrienne Adams, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos

So I wrote this above summary on 4/3/25, and thought I would follow these people in the news to see how things go and add in information. The election is on November 4, 2025, but the primary is more interesting to me on June 24, 2025, that's less than 3 months to pay attention.

6/5/25 ranking: Zohran Mamdani, Brad Lander, Adrienne Adams, Zellnor Myrie, Jessica Ramos

Wednesday

The principle Trump doesn’t understand is that fascism isn’t good for business. Enough people understand that and are educating others.

Crashing the economy through layoffs, tariffs wars, tourism is crashing, Tesla is crashing, education is suffering because of Trump’s attacks. 

The people who voted for Trump because they wanted to wreck things up, don’t hold life dear can watch the kakocracy as RFK does the opposite of what would be helpful and good information. The greed of lying that pays. RFK gets kickbacks from a lawfirm that sues based on the misinformation he peddles. And on and on.

Gross incompetence isn't quite as bad as disappearing people off the streets and sending them out of the country, without due process because if there was a process, they wouldn't be sent out of the country. Trump is punishing people for protesting against Israel. He likes strongmen doing horrible things like him, he's using it as a pretext to be a bully, sew fear in the air. His multi-pronged attacks on the economy, freedoms of the citizens and guests, and threats to overstay his constitutional welcome with another term, are egregious. Ignoring the court, the cowardly legislature is dominated by republicans, and are complicit in his crimes. 

Lying fucks say there’s no difference from Obama. That’s the most offensive rancid lie. You can not like government but it’s murderous. So killing others through deny, depose and defend is insurance murder. Cacking up government kills people.

Cory Booker stepped forward to do something to resist. He stood up and put on the record the big bowl of wrong that is happening.

This Saturday there are protests nationwide.