Day: July 7, 2019

Denial of reality as a political tactic

Ok, it is true that Trump lies constantly and weaponizes his dishonesty. But today, I am going to talk about my party (I have nowhere else to go…I like the “you are stronger than you think” that the best of the rank-and-file Republicans believe but their leadership is just crazy; I cannot swallow lies)

First, consider this:

Of course, this is correct. The bottom line is that in 2016, Trump won 230 Congressional districts; Clinton won 205. Now, the Democrats have 235. Ergo, the shift came from winning Trump Congressional districts, and these were won by MODERATES. The high profile liberals were “Democratic holds”, no matter how you spin it. They had zero to do with the House changing hands, no matter how they spin it:

No, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, you do NOT have public sentiment on your side. Tiwtter does not represent the Democratic base, at all.

What I am seeing is a lot of “group-think” and, at times, a denial of reality. (Yes, I know that Republicans deny the reality of climate change, the effectiveness of demand side economics, etc, but I am talking about Democrats here)

Take our immigration/asylum seeking crisis. Our asylum rules ARE in desperate need of revision; fact is that many are using asylum as an end run to becoming a legal immigrant. Our situation is unsustainable.

Yes, for all his lies and faults, President Trump does have a point.

But in our current political culture, to admit that the other side has a point is political suicide, at least in the primary. And think about the debate over the Kamala Harris attacks on Joe Biden over busing and his relationship with the segregationists in the US Senate in the 1970’s: it really is asking too much of today’s voters (especially the younger ones) to put themselves in Biden’s place in the US Senate at that time. To do so would be to deny one’s “woke” credentials.

In this day in age, at least in some circles, mental flexibility is seen as a fault, not as a desirable asset. We demand a “Princess and the Pea” level of being able to find offense of today’s politicians, at least on OUR side (yes, this holds for Republicans too..but they get offended by different things).

This is one reason I like Amy Klobuchar so much, and probably at least one reason she has virtually no chance in the Democratic primary.

Facing Facts (walking)

I walked 4.3 with Pat (maybe 17 mpm-ish pace) then 8.26 on my own (15:48 pace). It was a pleasant morning. I feel much, much better, but it felt good to not have the fanny pack (belly does not like the pressure)

I felt like my old self during my 8 mile segment.

Reality: there was a time in my life where I was a “fast” walker..not “racewalker” fast but “reasonably fast”; my marathon powerwask PR is 4:44:34 (10:51 pace) and my judged 5K PR is 30:42 (9:53 pace)
Training was somewhat slower than that; 11-14 mpm was typical. But when I went to a trail, bike path, or just walked around the neighborhood, I was usually, by far, faster than anyone else who was walking.

That is no longer true. Though I sometimes dip into the 11 mpm range during interval work, my training is typically 14-17 mpm, with 15-16 more typical. And yes, I sometimes get caught and passed by other walkers, and sometimes walkers can hang with me for at least a little while.

And that will get worse. Savor every walk; one day, one of them will be my last. Probably not today’s though. 🙂