Kamala Harris as VP, health officials 👩⚕️, and Masks for All.
khive is going absolutely bonkers rn
Good morning folks! Did you uh, hear the news? You did? You have strong feelings about it? Cool, cool. Let’s get to it then.
Joe Biden has selected Kamala Harris to be his vice presidential running mate: which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone really. We’ll sum up some feelings regarding the pick nonetheless.
Health officials are facing difficult work situations, leading to resignations, retirements, and firings: this whole pandemic thing has gotten so terrible that the people who know most about it are burning out.
Bernie Sanders hones in on his Masks for All plan: which has been kicking for a while now but considering his recent statement on it, it’s time to take a look at the idea.
Stay safe out there, folks, it’s certainly harder than ever these days.
VEEPSTAKES
Kamala Harris is Joe Biden’s VP Pick
Kamala Harris has been chosen as Joe Biden’s running mate. We called Harris the “safe choice” back in May and considering how bonkers the world is right now, it’s no wonder that the Biden campaign wants to play it as safe as possible. Still, let’s look at what this may mean.
Why Kamala?
First, some good things: Kamala Harris, for all her flaws, was one of the more progressive options that was actually realistic. We weren’t going to get Nina Turner. Elizabeth Warren and Karen Bass were pretty much long shots. Worse options, like Susan Rice, were probably more likely.
Harris has done some good as a Senator. She co-wrote a version of Medicare for All though she’s flip-flopped on it considerably, she supports a ban on fracking, she wants to end support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen, she fought for $2,000 direct cash payments during coronavirus alongside the Squad and Bernie, and probably some other decent stuff.
She’s also an excellent orator who, when she has a good script to lean on, can be a good mouthpiece for the Democratic party. Certainly better than Biden. Remember when she landed blows on Biden over him buddying up with segregationists? That said, she also floundered at debates when she tried to make waves by repeatedly bringing up the idea of banning Trump on Twitter.
Lastly, she’s from one of the safest blue states in the country. She won’t be replaced by a Republican. That’s good.
Detractors will (rightly) point to Harris’ awful record as a prosecutor. She is definitely a cop. Right now, with protests raging across the country, it certainly feels tone deaf to choose a former prosecutor as the potential vice president. Like Biden, she’s historically been big on tough on crime policies, resulting in a whole lot of Black and brown folk getting arrested who shouldn’t have. Maybe because she’s Black and a cop, they think that means it’s...fine?
Seriously though, she would be America’s first woman, Black person, and South Asian person to be elevated to the position of vice president. Someone’s identity isn’t what gets us animated about politics but representation and diversity are certainly important ideas as well. That’s kinda cool right?
What’s Next?
It won’t sway any votes but it’ll be fun to watch Harris decimate Mike Pence in a debate. He’s an idiot and even if she can be kind of an evil career politician, she can run laps around Pence.
We’re also interested in who will end up taking her spot as a senator in California. Gavin Newsom may appoint someone or propose a special election. We would love to see a Senator Karen Bass, Barabara Lee, or even Katie Porter.
We wouldn’t be surprised if Harris does a lot of the legwork for this campaign. Biden may have name recognition but he’s not the greatest speaker these days.
Bottom line: this is mostly a return to Obama-era moderate politics. It’s far from exciting, it’s pretty disappointing, but it’s also not very surprising and is unlikely to change the political calculation of who people are going to vote for.
There’s a slight tinge of progressive influence somewhere in there though. We’re seeing huge wins in Congress across the country. Biden and the rest of the party may be too cynical to embrace it but we aren’t. We just need to keep fighting to make sure that leftists end up reshaping the Democratic party. Who gives a shit about Kamala Harris? At the end of the day, not us. No cops, no compromise, we will win.
CORONAVIRUS
Health Officials Are Burning Out Because of COVID-19
We’re months into this thing. You know, the thing. The pandemic thing. It’s no wonder that the people bearing the brunt of this, especially in the wake of how it has been politicized, are burning out.
A Tough Gig
A recent review found 49 state and local public health leaders who either retired, resigned, or were fired since April. That spans 23 states.
Part of this is burnout: with round-the-clock expectations on what to do and how to do it, being the point person for a global pandemic has its obvious difficulties.
A more concerning element is the hostile tone towards these experts. With a government that is hostile towards health professionals from the top down, it’s got to be an exhausting job to hold down. You’re out here trying to keep people alive and they’re spitting back in your face (sometimes literally) telling you to go fuck yourself.
The issue is that this is coming at a time when these folks are needed most. We’ve overburdened them while simultaneously doubting their expertise, leading to a drain of the kinds of people we’re going to need as the death toll continues to rise. We do not have a grasp on the pandemic right now.
Bottom line: there’s this bullshit line of thought that somehow both sides of the aisle have politicized this, but if Democrats have done that, it’s mostly been useless considering what little is actually being done. It’s like we’re seeing the same kind of science denialism associated with climate change and the Republican party, just happening in real-time, with the bodies piling up by the day instead of being more abstract concepts. Guess what? Conservatives just don’t give a shit!
MASK UP
Sanders and his Masks for All Plan
Masks for All. A play on Sanders and his push for Medicare for All, it’s a piece of legislation also by Sanders that would send three high-quality, reusable masks to every person in America. Hell yeah.
Bipartisan Support
Some estimates say as Sanders notes in his new piece on this legislation that masks could save 70,000 lives this fall.
Hence using the Defense Production Act to manufacture and distribute masks to everyone. Masks would even be given in jail and to homeless centers.
It’d also make those precious N95 masks more abundant for health care employees/
70% of voters support this proposal according to one poll.
Bottom line: in truth, it seems like we’re beyond the point where we let voters decide policy. If widespread mask adoption does in fact reduce the number of cases by a drastic amount, most folks will come around. Until then, we say treat it like drunk driving: in both instances the argument for doing it is essentially “I can fuck myself over if I want,” and in both instances the reality is that no one is concerned about restricting your freedom to harm yourself, we want to restrict your freedom to harm others. This is exactly what wearing masks does: restricts the harm you can do to others.
Make the masks. Distribute them. Enforce them. It’s time.
BREADCRUMBS
Where the News Gets “Fun!”
“Global coronavirus cases top 20 million after doubling in 45 days.” America racked up about five million cases.
“A National Lockdown Could Be The Economy’s Best Hope, Says Minneapolis Fed President.” How politically viable do you think that is nowadays?
“The Rise of Hakeem Jeffries is Being Disrupted From Below.” The corporate lawyer is practically at war with progressives right now. We’ll see you in 2022, Jeffries.
“Progressive Group MoveOn Endorses Markey Over Kennedy, Says It Will Run Ads.” Ed Markey rocks, this support is much needed.
Ilhan Omar won her primary! This time it’s true and actually happened. Hell yeah. Ilhan is the best.
END OF THE LINE...
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The Bread Line
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