Yesterday I learned that Rep Jackie Speier (D-CA) was an aide to Rep Leo Ryan and was with him when he visited Jonestown where he was murdered and 909 members of a cult committed suicide. Speier was shot five times and left for dead. In a recent debate, when a Repub blowhard called the impeachment a cult, Speier was righteously outraged. #
A few days before, I caught the end of a Speier interview where she said something about white males doing something awful. I don't remember what the specific issue was. When I hear that, a white male myself, and Jewish, I get a sick feeling in my stomach. How the hell can we get anywhere if we're stuck in this kind of bullshit. I am a first-generation American, my parents and grandparents fled the Nazis, horrific stories, because of something as irrelevant to the quality of a person as being a white man. When I hear "white men" accused, I hear them talking about Jews. The same hate, the same impulse to run away. I imagine this is how Speier feels when Republicans accuse Democrats of being a cult.#
The next interview on the show was Matt Gaetz. Where I generally agree with and support Speier, and think she's a good person, Gaetz is the worst Trump-loving creep imaginable. It's not a matter of agreeing or disagreeing with him, I don't think he believes in anything other than his political career. He's glad to carry water for Trump, no matter what Trump does. #
But the first thing Gaetz says is (paraphrasing) -- Did you hear what she just said? Democrats are always doing that. Identity politics. He goes on to say (he was prepared for this obviously) that he represents a diverse district and yadda yadda etc etc. But you know what. The miscreant Gaetz was right. Never mind the pragmatism of appealing to white male votes (yes, some of us vote), some things are just right and this is one of them. #
So my question for Democrats is do you really have to make gender and race a hate-level issue? Democrats fix this and you might get more white male votes. Or better, stop doing it simply because it's wrong. #
Now I'd like to turn to President Obama who has something to say. #
Last update: Friday November 1, 2019; 9:12 PM EDT.
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