---- Original Message ---- From: joanna To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Friday, April 29, 2005 5:55 PM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Arnie
First, I need to redact a previous statement:
"I've seen no change whatsoever... about literally anything."
Corrected copy:
"I've seen no positive change whatsoever about anything economic."
> Somehow, he managed to get the cops, nurses, firemen, and teachers
> all organized against him.
It's true that he has those elements against him, plus the inability to get anything substantial done that's not of further damage to an economy that seems to churn a lot of dollars, but I suspect in reality, is on life support, and ready to flatline with the slightest economic shock.
It looks bad. Doesn't seem to be able to
> spin himself out of this one.
>
How did they put it so aptly on Saturday Night Live? AK' ...ting. Or: If you can't dazzle 'em with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit.
It's worked up till now... and I'm not sure that his "spin" has fully unwound itself yet... A good actor knows how to "work" an audience, and that requires a certain kind of social "sensitivity" that many people will respond to favorably even in circumstances where an average person would wind up being lynched.
A comedic example would be Cleavon Little, in Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles, talking his way out of a lynching by holding a gun to his head and telling the crowd "One move and the N*** gets it!"
Not exactly a superb description of the "sensitivity" I'm attempting to describe, but it does display the brashness that is a part of it, and believe it or not... people believe it... it works! Brashness is uncommon in conformist American society... it projects as positive charisma... ... boldness or bravery. Ask any "pick-up" artist, or political agitator. (RIP Abbie)
This just in today... local economy. The Supervisor of Public Libraries, after 4(+-1) consecutive years of brutal budget slashes decides to close one of the rural branches as a management decision, and the County Board of Supervisors was ALL over her... I guess *THEY* wanted to wield the axe because it would be a politically popular thing to do [snicker into cuff].
No, they are looking for scapegoats... can't you smell the blood?
When bureaucrats eat their own... it's nearing the bottom my friends.
And Jordan... I forgot about the SacBee... It's to Sacto what the WSJ is to Wall Street and I've added it to my ...500(!) other newspaper links, but it stays on my desktop for now. The L.A. Times and the SFChron don't seem to do very well on state coverage... just statements on the issues by various *interested* parties, and the vote tally, with no real glimpse of the politicking involved, or any thorough analysis of issues.
The only thing that seems to make them slightly better than the SJ Merc is they aren't written for people with a 7th grade reading ability.
(I have noticed it in the choice of words used to describe things of complexity, as might occur in the science and technology section.)
The LA Times and the Chron are 10th grade... Which is appropriate for a state that willingly graduates HS students who are *truly* functional illiterates without any hesitation at whatsoever. I know literally dozens of people who graduated from the Caifornia public school system who qualify as functional illiterates.
That hasn't changed in the thirty years I've lived here.
An aside regarding California's educational system and maybe slightly OT:
When my X and I wanted one daughter held back a year because she wasn't "getting" the 7th grade math and english, the principal at the school called us into a conference and begged pleaded cajoled, damn near accused us of being abusive parents because "...it would hurt your daughter's self esteem terribly" (as if being math illiterate later in life was going to be *good* for her self esteem) or perhaps that was a cajole, and I'm just overly sensitive...
At any rate, if the daughter got left back, the school would lose part of the funds for her schooling that year.
They ignored our wishes... and Lomi never did "catch up", she dropped out instead, overwhelmed by the inability to do the work required and catch up at the same time. They caught up with her eventually and put her in an "alternative school program", where she got to meet all the local gangsters kids and proceeded to get kicked out in the 9th grad for stashing a "friends" vodka cache.
Then she met Mr. Methamphetamine, and with her self esteem already shattered, she was fresh meat for the (artificial) psychological boost it could provide.
Leigh www.leighm.net