We live in very schizophrenic times. On the science front, beset w/ the worst pandemic in over a century, big pharma performed as never before, developing vaccines virtually overnight. Yet a significant sector of the country actively opposes preventative measures and apparently won’t be vaccinated to enable the herd immunity we enjoy over most once-deadly childhood diseases because… vaccines. One step forward, two steps back. On the justice front, we just saw the first verdict of its kind: a white officer convicted on all counts of murdering a black man. Most stunning, fellow officers testified against him. Video from a 17 yr old girl obliterated the complete fiction which was the official account of a “medical emergency,” released to protect Derrick Chauvin. Even as the trial unfolded, several black citizens died egregiously at the hands of enforcement, captured on video by body cams worn by the officers who fired their weapons. One step forward, two steps back.
On the political front, Democrats pass an urgently needed New Deal-sized relief bill without a single vote from Republicans, and Biden backs badly needed infrastructure spending to match, both popular with majorities of all voters. He also backs HR-1 and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, push-backs against voter disenfranchisement and dark money, which is backed by majorities of both parties. Yet Republican lawmakers continue to obstruct. One step forward, two steps back. On a journalistic front, daily WH briefings have returned. Jen Psaki takes question from all with courtesy and candor which didn’t exist during the previous admin. Yet right wing news outlets continue to distort and ignore facts on the ground, telling whatever story best fuels partisan anger. One step forward, two steps back.
It’s entirely possible we’ve reached a point at which the status quo won’t hold. Enforcement mendacity in the cell phone era can’t stand. Voter suppression and white separatism, klaxon-loud GOP positions, see fierce opposition, some of it corporate. Who saw that coming? “Anglo-Saxon” zoo-babies like Majorie Taylor Greene had to back away from forming an “America First Caucus” as a “solution” to immigration, because even Kevin McCarthy, a 24 carat political opportunist, can’t countenance their “nativist dog whistles.” Yet Tucker Carlson doubles down on “replacement theory” during his Fox White Power Hour. Still, that’s two steps forward, and only one step back. We may never see bipartisanship in this bizarre two step, but I for one am looking forward to more courtroom Dancing With The Stars featuring Roger Stone and the Mar-A-Lago Mikado. Stay tuned- there are still some earthshaking verdicts ahead, if karma hasn’t given up on us completely.