Glenn Greenwald and Joe Biden, and the corporate owned media

Glenn Greenwald should not have been censored for this proposed article he submitted to The Intercept regarding Joe Biden's son, Hunter, and brother, Jim, and their pretty pathetically brazen attempts to trade on Joe Biden's name in dealings with Chinese investors and businesses. 

Greenwald is certainly correct how those corporate media outlets who are not in the tank for Trump are protecting Biden. I would add that this is of a piece with the whole Tara Reade allegation. Yeah, it's been a long year. I think, and Glenn does allude to this, that the pro-Biden bias is just as much related to their own guilt in printing the endless Hillary email stories and making Jim Comey think he needed to go public with a nothing-burger--a deadly one, though--just before the election. 

However, Greenwald is deadly wrong about Biden and Ukraine. James Risen, the NY Times reporter who broke the initial Biden-Ukraine story, and now is with The Intercept, wrote over a year ago at The Intercept how Biden wanted the prosecution of Buisma to proceed, and that what the prosecutor had in his possession, but did not act on, was Burisma's corruption from before Hunter Biden's time on the board. Greenwald cites Matt Tiabbi's anti-Biden biased opinion-based reporting, and makes no mention how James Risen had written an extensive piece in The Intercept showing this.

Greenwald is right to wonder just how far Hunter and Joe's brother Jim Biden had gone in trading on the Biden family name, and whether Joe may ultimately be in for a taste of whatever deals they struck in China. My sense, from the fact Biden is not anywhere near as rich as most senators, starting with DiFi and McConnell, is he was probably not. Joe seems to ingratiate himself to bankers and credit card industry types for straight up campaign contributions, and he does not live anywhere near as lavishly as the other senators. So count me skeptical, though I am okay with the questions Greenwald is posing to the Biden camp, which will never answer those questions before this election and without those questions copied for a prosecutor or a congressional investigation. 

The Greenwald resignation from the journalism outlet he founded--and which I subscribe--was a long time coming, once I saw that Risen article last year. I have found Greenwald surprisingly obtuse, and more than a few times, cynically so, regarding Trump's connections to Russia.  This is when Trump's connections are far more direct and far-reaching. Yet, Greenwald breathlessly loves to connect dots and hurl speculation against Joe Biden, when we know, from the Risen article, how Biden was pretty blunt with his son that he wanted nothing to do with what Hunter was up to with respect to Burisma.

Finally, I would say to those fretting about this, from either a Trumpist or anti-anti-Trumpist stance, You ought to remember how, in 1972, only Walter Cronkite was willing to broadcast the information Woodward & Bernstein were uncovering at the Washington Post about the Watergate crimes and ethics violations. The NYT, Boston Globe, ABC, NBC, and others at CBS were largely ignoring the information that W&B were finding, information they could have easily found or followed up on. I also think there is at least some reason, though questions should still flow, to avoid doing what happened in the last days of the 2016 presidential election.

I again feel badly for Greenwald, as I would not have censored him. I would have, however, let another reporter critique the analysis beyond what I am saying here on my lunch break from teaching. :)

Biden campaign jitters--with good reason

Corporate-hack LA Times reporter, Evan Halper, has written an article that is certainly a controlled leak, designed to allow the Biden-Harris campaign managers a chance to say, "Hey! We warned you, and it's just the fault of those inept candidates--and COVID-19, of course."

A recent dip in Biden's support among young Black and Latino voters, as reflected in a UCLA poll, moved Democratic operatives to reassess their work in places including Milwaukee, Detroit and Philadelphia.  

The article then goes on to state:

Karen Finney* is also fixated on Democrats' need to listen to local operatives. Perhaps the Clinton campaign's biggest mistake in the last cycle was ignoring activists on the ground who warned that it was wrong to be complacent about Michigan and Wisconsin, both longtime Democratic strongholds. “The campaign manager made the decision that [computer] modeling was telling him something different than the buzz on the ground,” she said. “We ended up taking Black voters for granted.” Clinton lost both states. Even as the Biden campaign and allied groups are hyper-focused on mobilizing swing state Black voters, recent polling data from UCLA hasn’t calmed their nerves.  It showed Trump making slight inroads with Black voters younger than 45, with 21% signaling support for the president, double his share in 2016."

Oh my.  You mean it's not Bernie Bros and purity-progressives?  

But, wait! There is some of the purity-progressive phenomenon among young progressives. And remember, MSBC fans who read me on Facebook. To the consternation of left-wing FB friends I respect, I voted for Biden when I probably didn't have to, here in NM, as I think it is important to run up the score as much as possible for Biden-Harris in case there is a closer Electoral College vote.  

Still, there is a big reason why young progressives are not all that enthused to run out and vote Biden-Harris. Biden and Harris have so focused on old, white people in retirement communities and suburbs, and so terribly ignored the young, the people of color, and the like.  And worse, in the debates these older Boomers and aged Oldsters watched, Biden and Harris could have changed the discourse surrounding the Green New Deal and Medicare for All. Instead, they accepted right-wing framing. 

Regarding the Green New Deal, Biden and Harris could have said: 

"You know that the Green New Deal is a jobs bill, right?  It makes clear people will be paid in the coal and other fossil fuel industries over time and train them, first priority, in the solar and wind and thermal jobs. This will be better, and I mean better for all of us, starting with these fossil fuel industry workers, than the hit-and-mostly-miss subsidies little farmers sometimes got when Trump messed up soybean trade with his fit against China. The Green New Deal is not a radical proposal, but there are things in it we can talk more about, as I want to listen to scientists and economists, since this is about both. We want to be careful, yet firm in protecting the planet with a gradual move toward alternative, safer, and renewable energy sources."  

On health insurance, which is very precarious for young people who hit 26 with poor paying jobs and uncertain futures, Biden and Harris could have said, "You know, this pandemic made it clear how employer-based insurance doesn't help us when we lose our jobs. We need to ensure every American is covered for any and all health needs.  Canada does it.  Europe does it.  We can do it, too, and we pledge to work with workers and their bosses to make sure we take care of each other--and everyone."

But, no.  Biden and Harris weakly accepted right-wing hateful and fear mongering framing.  For those aging Baby Boomers who still think of themselves as non-racist and non-right wing, my message to you is:  Sure, Baby Boomers. If Biden loses, blame your children and grandchildren.  It will be what you always do with them anyway.  

* For those who may be interested, Karen Finney is the one Krystal Ball filleted on CNN about eight months ago, and showed she is just as out of touch with reality on the ground as the people in the Clinton camp (she was one of them) she is criticizing in this article.  See this Rational National (David Doel) copy of the CNN clip at the 10 minute mark forward, and at the 13:40 mark when he shows why Krystal is correct on facts, while Karen Finney just laughs with condescension without having any facts to back her laugh.  What is interesting is CNN did not put this into a condensed clip--as if they didn't want to embarrass not only Finney, but the CNN talking head, who appeared to be unaware of the information Krystal was talking about, either.  These people (Finney and CNN talking heads) are essentially lazy. They go to cocktail parties and tell each other lies they themselves have come to believe, and they have no data to back up their political-economic biases and cultural prejudices. They only see rich people or professionals who are way up there in the upper-middle class, and never hear or see the pain of the vast majority of Americans.

Red Auerbach just choked on his cigar

After the Lakers' role players' poor performances in Game 5, the Lakers, in Game 6, put their defense hats on, and, using points in transition, and with LeBron James and the veteran Rajon Rondo leading the way in driving to the basket, crushed the Miami Heat in the decisive Game 6 to win the Lakers' franchise's 17th championship (tying them with the Boston Celtics, who won 11 of their championships in one decade, the 1960s--mostly under Red Auerbach).  The Lakers finally returned to the Finals after a decade drought, the longest in their existence from Minneapolis and Los Angeles (I mean, really, how many lakes are there in Los Angeles, people?).*

At the start of this decisive and finals' victory game, Game 6, I had muttered to The Folks how the Lakers needed to crush this Miami Heat team to show their greatness for this victory.  And the Lakers proceeded to do just that, which shocked me.  The way they built up the lead to 30 points at the half was stunning.

However, let's be clear what also happened: The Heat came out tired, and never really recovered.  Jimmy Butler ran out of steam, Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro stopped hitting their amazing on-the-run-quick-release 3s, and suddenly, the entire Heat team fell back to Earth in a way that would have left them losing in the first round to the Milwaukee Bucks, The Team Everyone Thought Were Going to be NBA Champions in 2020.

The key role players who won this game for the Lakers, as fans knew they could count on AD and The King, LeBron James, were first and foremost, Rondo, but also Alex Caruso and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, affectionately called KCP.  I should add The Dad and I call Caruso "Enrico," which shows our age--well, The Dad's, actually.  Frank Vogel deserves great credit as a coach to have inserted Caruso into the starting lineup, and benching Dwight Howard, as Caruso immediately showed his smart, defensive play, and ability to move the ball into the right hands, starting with LeBron, to gain points.  KCP hit early 3s that further crushed the often listless Heat in that amazing first half. Also, Danny Green, who I ripped for his open 3 miss at the close of Game 5, hit 70% of his 3s in this game, an amazing percentage.  Kuzma, who I had also been disappointed with for the entire season, was 50% for both 3s and non-3s scoring. See the NBA website stats here.

Commentator and former coach, Jeff Van Gundy, was appalled at how often cutting and driving Lakers, particularly Rondo, were beating even Jimmy Butler and other Heat players to the basket, which told me the Heat were simply tired after beating the Lakers in Game 5.  Still, as much as I have given great credit to coach Eric Spolestra, Red Auerbach would not have put up with a 1960s Celtics team that let tiredness stop them.  He would have ripped them a new one, as we used to say, and I can't imagine Celtics' center and leader Bill Russell just lying down in the middle of the third quarter when it looked like the Heat could only get within 20 points of the Lakers.  There would have been far more physicality and determination.  As I ripped into the Lakers the other day for a poor performance, and compared the Heat favorably to the 1960s Celtics' teams, I think one must be honest and say what I just said about the Heat team.

Give credit, though, where credit is due: Frank Vogel's continued emphasis on defense paid off in a way that must be leaving Lakers' critics, who thought Vogel a poor choice at the start of this now past season, fuming and embarrassed. Also, I must admit I was deeply impressed with the way Vogel and James strongly and emotionally defended Danny Green in the press, and with nothing showing they were ripping him in private. This proved to be the right coaching approach to ensure Danny Green kept his head in the game. My Italian-New Jersey approach would have utterly failed, I think, if one reads my blog post from the other day. :). Also, LeBron won his record setting fourth Finals MVP trophy, and with his third championship team, four Finals Championships overall (two behind MJ and Kobe).  Anyone who does not think LeBron should be the Finals MVP of this series, or this season is beyond any reasoning, and really just contradicting, not arguing, as in the Monty Python sketch.  I also tire of whether we think MJ, Kobe, Magic Johnson, Kareem, Bill Russell, or LeBron are the Greatest of All Time (GOAT). They were each amazing in his own ways, and I just leave it at that.  And finally, let's give relief credit to Anthony Davis, who is beyond amazing in how he played throughout the entire playoffs. He did not miss a free throw in this series until later in this game, and when they needed early scoring and confidence, he came through. When they needed hard defense, with blocked shots, he came through. He rebounded off offensive boards, and was constantly following up other players driving to the basket for tip-ins and short high percentage shots.  Davis was worth every player they traded for him, and I hope Lakers' ownership can make clear to him they will spend whatever takes to build a team around him post-LeBron.

The Mom thinks LeBron will retire now, and run for office in Ohio. I say, not yet, but won't rule out The Mom's thinking.  I think LeBron would like to see if he can grab a fifth championship, at age 37, and figures AD is only going to get better, barring any injury to AD or LeBron himself.  Rajon Rondo may hang it up, and start to look for management opportunities, as it is finally clear why Rondo wore out welcomes with other teams--which is he is such a brilliant basketball mind, and such a tough guy on everyone, including himself.  The Lakers' ownership had better not lose him, as Rondo has some of the managerial mindset that Kobe would have had...

And yes, this is ultimately about Kobe.  If 2020 had not been such a ridiculous year, we would have spent most of this NBA playoff season talking nearly non-stop Kobe.  I am still in shock about his tragic death, and I continue to believe the NBA and WNBA will miss Kobe for years to come. 

However, I must say a word about the referees' philosophy for this series:  I never saw so many offensive fouls called, particularly for players passing the ball in the lane.  Most of the calls went against the Lakers, who were, admittedly bigger and stronger than Heat players.  But those calls often hurt the Lakers and gave momentum to the Heat.  There has long been a conspiracy theory about NBA Finals, which is the refs do whatever it takes to prolong a Finals series, and change from game to game in how closely or loosely they decide to call fouls.  I have seen analyses over decades challenging the theory, but I really have to wonder in this series.  I mean, I never saw offensive foul calls away from the ball more than rarely in my half century plus of watching the NBA, and here, there were probably 20 calls during the series, again the vast majority against the Lakers. I really felt yesterday, especially in the third quarter, the refs were trying to revive the Heat team with such calls, and what Chick Hearn would have called "ticky-tack" fouls, meaning fouls called against defense players where there was very little or no contact.  But try as the refs did to revive the Heat, they simply lacked the stamina for reasons I am still a somewhat surprised about.

Anyway, those are my thoughts about this improbable NBA Finals, though NBA Commissioner Adam Silver deserves major kudos for his leading the NBA through what it called "The Bubble," and the way he spoke last night as he provided the NBA Finals trophy to the Lakers' owners.  He spoke about social justice, and, did so in a manner that shows just how clearly the NBA ownership is different from MLB and especially the NFL ownership.  The original NBA ownership included Jewish men, who were not welcome at NFL and especially MLB ownership circles.  The NBA did not lose its mind when African-Americans began to predominate in the 1970s, though so many smart business minds outside the league thought the NBA would collapse before the arrival of Magic Johnson and the Great White Hope, Larry Bird in 1979.  The NBA owners saw international potential in a way that continues to elude the MLB and NFL ownership, no matter how hard the latter two leagues have tried over the past decade or so. What this Finals sealed, for me, at least, is how culturally progressive the NBA ownership is, and how astute Adam Silver has been in his leadership during a pandemic.  Yeah, the ratings are down, but this analysis shows this is not as dire as NBA-haters, mostly on hate talk politics radio, want to believe.  

OK, some last minute grading to do, and classes begin.  The rest of you can go back to worrying about the horse loose in the hospital.  Oh, yeah, the Los Angeles Dodgers begin their NL Championship Series tonight against the pesky Atlanta Braves.  Mom, I am hoping to get another championship t-shirt this year....:)

* Celtics fans are likely fuming and saying the Lakers can't count their first championships with the George Mikan-led Minneapolis Lakers. However, that is a canard, as the Lakers never ran away from their roots in Minneapolis, unlike some professional sports teams that have left town, changed their names, etc.  The Celts still have the best percentage of victories when in the Finals, as the Lakers have lost as much as they have won in Finals, mostly due to the traumatic losses the Lakers suffered nearly year over year in the 1960s to the cigar-lighting Auerbach led Celtics teams.

Somewhere Red Auerbach is smiling

I know these are serious times. Fascism is clearly in the air in the United States, and it is not certain our oligopolistic republic will survive. I try to laugh about it, as if Trump is just a horse loose in the hospital, but, again, these are serious times. 

However, I have to say out loud I was so angry at the Lakers' squad last night, after watching how the Miami Heat played like the Boston Celtics of the 1960s, while the Lakers played, well, like the Lakers of the 1960s--and then having to watch Danny Green do his Frank Selvy impersonation as he clanked a wide open three from the top of the key in the closing seconds that would likely have won the game.  

The signs of a Lakers' collapse in these NBA Finals should be apparent, and that, even if the Lakers win this series, this may be the worst Finals Lakers' team since the 1960s. Those 1960s Lakers' teams were famous for losing to the well-coached Celtics in the Finals, despite having the amazing duo of Jerry West and Elgin Baylor--if you have to look up who West and Baylor are, then, this is just ancient history to you, so just trust me on this one, okay? :) Anyway, if you want to understand why the Lakers kept losing to the Celtics in the 1960s, you should take the time to read Roland Lazenby's biography of Jerry West, which contains some of the most amazing insight into professional basketball strategies from the 1950s through 1980s. For those who won't read the bio, I'll say it simply: Lazenby analyzed the losses, and, with great research into the stories from that time, plus some interviews with survivors, said Auerbach's strategy in those Finals was this: He let West and Baylor score like hell for much of the game. But, then, in the fourth quarter, he had the Celtics double team the duo, and put the pressure on the largely rusty, and not as great, background players to either win the game or choke. Auerbach knew the Lakers did not have star players after West and Baylor, and those other players simply missed their shots or their defensive assignments, or not cut to the basket for a driving score--while Auerbach kept his team playing together as a team, and knowing their roles. As some who know me know, I remain a deep fan of the legendary football coach I still like to call St. Vince. However, Red Auerbach must rank as at least the greatest NBA coach of all time.*  

All season, I have said I did not think the Lakers were a championship team because I saw too much inconsistent, non-championship play from the rest of the team. However, as I watched the Lakers' role players playing well in much of the playoffs, I have almost gotten used to the idea that the Lakers could win everything this year. Last night, though, I saw what I was worried about all season long. While the pre-game and game commentators at ABC--who cannot hold a candle to the always brilliant Chris Webber on NBA.tv and TNT--were saying the NBA may as well crown the Lakers now, I was full of foreboding. I don't know what series the ABC commentators and analysts have been watching, but I knew the Heat had played the Lakers hard throughout Games 2-4, and the Lakers were lucky to be up 3-1. Last night, the Miami Heat role players did what they were supposed to do, while the Lakers' role players were tight for much of the game. Lebron's close-out performance was simply not enough--and it was a close-out performance by almost every single measure. And let's put it as bluntly as I can: AD had a good game, too, but, if the Lakers did not have LeBron James, the Lakers would have lost last night in a 25 point blowout. 

I hate to say it, but I don't see this situation changing in Game 6. All, and I mean all the pressure is on the Lakers right now. Somewhere, last night, Red Auerbach lit up his victory cigar, and there is no Celtics' fan worth his, her, or their salt who wants to see the Lakers win their 17th NBA Championship (tying the Celts for most NBA Championships). What happened last night may be the start of the second 3-1 collapse of a team in the NBA Finals, which would be ironic, since LeBron James was the leader of a pesky Cleveland Cavaliers team that beat the august Golden State Warriors in 2016 by coming back from a 3-1 deficit--the first time that had ever happened in an NBA Finals series.  

If I was LeBron James right now, I'd be trying to figure out how to get confidence back into the rest of the Lakers' team, starting with Danny Green, and not be yelling at them for choking--as I am sure that is running through James' mind right now. Maybe, if I was James, I would be telling Frank Vogel that now is time for Vogel to get angry at the entire team, and let James then pull the team to come together in a show of confident defiance.  

Otherwise, I see no way the Lakers can beat what is a better overall team, which is this year's Miami Heat. Remember, this is the same Heat team that stomped, and I mean, stomped, on the team "everyone" (including me) said was this year's team to beat, the Milwaukee Bucks led by the superstar known simply as Giannis. Anyone who still thinks this Miami Heat team is too young and inexperienced is not watching what I have been watching.  The team which was coolest throughout last night's game was the Heat--not the Lakers.

Oh well.  Onward, and hopefully upward for the Los Angeles Lakers. As for me, I have homework from my teacher course night classes, as those who know me know I am now teaching high school history by day, and trying to ensure not returning to being a lawyer--though if an NBA team wants me as an assistant general counsel, I'm ready! :)

*Auerbach's strategy even worked after Auerbach ascended to the general manager position, and he put the also legendary Bill Russell in as the first black coach in modern US professional sports history.  The Lakers' loss to the Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals remains miserable for Lakers' fans of a certain age, and for Jerry West most personally. Before the start of the 1968-1969 season, the Lakers miraculously acquired the single most individually dominant player, Wilt Chamberlain, to form what, again, "everyone" thought was now a championship trio. Yet, the Celts-Lakers Finals series in 1969 came down to a seventh game, and the Celts, improbably to nearly all observers, prevailed. In the last five minutes of that decisive game, Chamberlain refused to play hurt in the fourth quarter--though there is also evidence the Lakers' then-coach (who I refuse to name, as I consider him a jerk) refused to let Wilt back in the game, saying to Wilt the team had played better without Wilt in coming back from a deficit at that point in the game. I remember the game vividly because it was in that 1968-1969 season, as an 11 year old, I fell in love with Jerry West's Lakers--and I have remained a devoted fan ever since. Jerry West represented, to me, everything I admired about the game of basketball, and, while players like Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, and now LeBron James, have eclipsed West's consummate play, West does remain The Logo.

A "Republic," Not a "Democracy" is a cover for racists and people who don't understand either word. I know, Venn diagram, right?

Yeah, I know this. Do you?

Don't let anyone bullshit you about "We're a republic, not a democracy" when talking about things like voter suppression, the Electoral College, or any number of electoral issues. When talking about the EC, and you hear that bullshit, just ask them why states don't have an electoral college for governor, as there are a whole bunch of rural, small towns in each state, and why there is no EC for any other executive office.

A republic is simply representative government. And, in its purest sense, a democracy is where people, who are eligible to vote (remember how that is itself a political issue), get to vote on nearly every decision, without any representative. Until recently, we used democracy and republic as synonyms because...well, we just did.

That's it.

And also, until recently, before the masks fell off, our elected leaders and media used to tell our nation, and teachers still tell our civics class students, how the basis for our nation's government was "majority rules."

White supremacy dies hard. And capitalism, when in crisis, tends toward fascism to protect the capitalists who kept telling you before about the foundations of "freedom."

The latest in Republican right wing doubling down.

The latest in Republican right wing doubling down is where a Trump official ridicules Biden for wearing a mask--after the President has knowingly infected others and has had to be hospitalized for contracting the COVID-19 virus.  And we see how Trump fans are reacting to even a far fight FoxNews host who is wearing a mask in public. This is how doubling down on delusions and hatred works with a small, but significant portion of the public. 

It may be said this particular doubling down is where desperation, a cynical and cruel hope for end times, and abject hatred, overlap.  Anyone voting for Trump who thinks they are conserving anything right now should take a long look in the mirror and do a check on the reality or delusion that they believe is driving their vote for Trump.  

Oh, and don't ask me to give my thoughts and prayers for Trump, as he has shown himself, once and for all, to be a person who is selfish and cruel to a level that should have anyone with any decency deeply concerned.  Trump knowingly put others at risk of infection, and promoted lies while doing so.  One can blanch at the over 200,000 dead, including Herman Cain, who bought into Trump's slow-moving Purple Kool-Aid.  But, this deeply personal level of deliberately putting people at risk of infection is astonishing to me. 

Yes, I feel badly for those Trump's conduct over the past week alone have become infected--and I feel especially badly for those people's families. However, I cannot feel badly for a guy who not only knowingly infected others, but who refuses to follow doctor's orders during his quarantine period.  I don't remember anyone feeling badly or asking for thoughts and prayers for the few people with AIDS in the 1980s who continued to have sex with others, without telling them they had contracted AIDS. And, really,  why is Trump any different than this guy?

Right now, it is as if John Mulaney's allegory about a horse loose in a hospital has gone to a demented level, where the horse gets out of the hospital, only to go into a contained vehicle to infect others before returning to the hospital to run loose again.  "I didn't know he could do that..."