Not a Serious Candidate

Pat Paulson (1927-1997) was an Emmy-winning comedian who satirically ran for President several times. His campaigns received light-hearted press coverage; the reporters knew he wasn't a serious candidate. Even so, he did get votes in some primary elections (both Democratic and Republican), beating some of the real but minor candidates. In 1996, he received 921 votes in the New Hampshire primary, coming in second to Bill Clinton (76,754 votes).

Everyone in the media knew that Paulsen's campaigns were performances, and he was not viewed as a serious candidate. Years later, when game show host donald trump announced his candidacy, I expected the media would give him the Pat Paulsen treatment. Instead, the networks promoted him as vigorously as they could, catapulting a New York real estate conman into national office. It was even more of a disaster than most people predicted, leading to the emergence of a strange, fascististic cult.

Those People Are Dangerous

In the 1920s and 30s, there was a special propaganda technique used in Germany to make people hate and fear Jews and other minorities. If a Jew committed a crime, the news headline would state, "Jew convicted of theft", or "Jew murders neighbor", or whatever it was. They would often include a very unflattering photo, intended to reinforce racist stereotypes. If questioned (which rarely happened), they could point out that it was a true story, the Jew really did do that crime. But they never published headlines like, "Lutheran man accused of rape", or "Blonde Aryan girl caught shoplifting". The goal was to use this kind of repetition to make people feel that Jews were a class of criminals, responsible for most bad things. It worked pretty well, along with other tactics, and few German gentiles complained much when their Jewish neighbors were rounded up and "deported".

We see something similar here. The news site that proclaims, "Illegal immigrant robs Quickie Mart", or "Transgender athlete beats up on girls" never tells us that "Natural-born citizen shoots 5 people" or "Biological female stabs classmate". They are building a narrative about how the Other is bad and dangerous, even though this isn't supported by statistics. ^@themrswest



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Ending Social Security

If you are retired or soon to retire, and you think the Republican plan to end Social Security and Medicare makes sense, think again. Ask your doctor's office how much an office visit costs an uninsured person. Ask your pharmacist for the full retail price of the medication you take.

Do you have a 401k or other retirement account? Will it be enough to pay your bills and allow for some occasional fun?

Do you think you can just move in with your adult children or grandchildren? If so, are you sure they would welcome you? Do they have room in their home? Who would you share a bathroom with? Would they expect you to be an on-call babysitter for small children? Do you and they like the same kind of food? How much money can you contribute toward groceries, rent/mortgage and other household expenses? Do you approve of the way they clean house, or the way they cook? Do you approve of the way they are raising their children? Do they perceive your helpful suggestions and comments as interference? Do you believe they'll be able to support your needs if you become disabled or if you require full-time care? If you become incontinent (like over half of older people), do you want them to have to change your underwear?

If you'd rather keep your Social Security and Medicare, the time has come to vote for Democrats, all the way down the ballot.



Image by Besno Pile from Pixabay

Getting Rid of Medicare

If you think cutting off Social Security and Medicare is not a problem, think about it. If you're under 65, do you want your elderly parents to move in with you? It might not be as much fun as you think.

Look up the retail prices of the medications they take. Ask the doctor's office how much an uninsured patient pays for a visit. How much help with housework will your aging parents be able to provide? Do they have problems like incontinence, short-term memory loss, hearing impairment, failing eyesight, difficulty walking? Will you be able to leave them alone when you go on vacation? Or will you take them with you, and will they (or you) enjoy it? if the day comes when they need full-time care, will you or your spouse be able to provide it? Or can you afford health care workers (strangers in your home all day)?

Do your parents want to move in with you, or would they rather stay independent as long as possible? Do you have a spare room, or will someone have to sleep on the couch? Do you have closet space for them? How many bathrooms do you have? Are you all able to make major decisions together? If your parents are no longer living, will these issues apply to aunts and uncles, aging cousins, or even your older siblings? If you still have teenagers or 20-somethings living with you, can you afford to keep them plus the older relative who needs expensive pills? ^@themrswest

Photo by Christina Victoria Craft on Unsplash