Reading Between The Lines In Joseph Cotto's Article About Why Gov. Scott Walker Should Lose

Show me a coach who wants to strategically lose a game or two and I'll show you a bad coach.

FLORIDA, May 17, 2012 — In Wisconsin’s ever contentious gubernatorial recall, most would probably expect the garden variety Republican to support incumbent Scott Walker. After all, he is a standard bearer for America’s gut-the-government movement and unapologetically brash about his beliefs to boot.

 This is the standard introduction before the big 'BUT' of my appeal. 

While this sort of thing might appeal to certain factions of the Republican base — specifically elements of it which are so far right that they have come to despise the GOP’s traditional form — it does not appeal to me.

This is why I believe that Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett must claim victory come June 5th.

You knuckle-dragging bitter clingers just don't appreciate the fine work the Republican party has done these last 10 years.

Pundits have speculated that the recall is about far more than local affairs; it is a referendum of sorts on the distinct breed of right wing politics that has taken hold since the 2010 midterm elections. Despite being rooted in fiscal matters, like curtailing collective bargaining for labor unions, it has transcended them to include social policy as well; as the continuing siege on women’s reproductive rights is a shameful testament to.

Even though the GOP was almost beaten to obscurity in 06 and 08 and it too the help of all the local Tea Parties to make a record breaking change in the House of Representatives in 2010, shut up and let the policy people like me make decisions for you all. 

And I've also fallen for the Democrat lie about the GOP's "War On Women" when it's about the government telling what should and shouldn't be covered with insurance.  

If the Republican Party has any desire to remain electorally viable in both the immediate and distant futures, then such radicalism must be addressed. In the event that Walker were to lose, the national party — in spite of its chairman, Reince Priebus, who never seems to have surpassed amateur hour as far as the science of practical politics is concerned — would most certainly promote a more temperate dialogue.

Despite the evidence of history to the contrary that Republicans have been gaining in electoral ground, moderation, moderation, moderation.  


But what will never be addressed is the extremism in the Democrat party.  That would offend the moderates to point that out and send them running to those same Democrat extremists. 

Even more importantly, presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney could finally seize the opportunity to do something revolutionary: run on his own extensive record as a moderate. Throughout this year’s primaries, he was left with little choice other than to pose as a rock ribbed rightist; an cringeworthy feat that produced a plethora of unintentionally comedic moments.

Blah blah blah, shut up bitter clingers and get back to stuffing envelopes.  Your opinions are not needed.

Following a Walker loss, the far right would become almost completely devoid of political capital. Consequently, its ability to tack Romney down to a host of extremist positions should vanish. The Tea Party, which originally functioned as a positive influence of fiscal restraint during an era of runaway government spending, has morphed into a strange hybrid of the Religious Right and the John Birch Society. One of Walker’s most prominent supporters, its current incarnation might be decisively repudiated in the event that its star politico is sent packing.

Yes, I am seriously talking about demoralizing the Republican base.  You know, the people who do volunteer for candidates, knock on doors, stuff envelopes and actually donate to the causes they believe in. 

As a Republican in the vein of Dwight Eisenhower and Nelson Rockefeller, I believe that this is the best case scenario. Of course, a great deal of those on the far right may threaten to leave the GOP and start their own party in the event of a centrist shift. If that is what they wish, then no one should try to stop them. After a few election cycles yielding returns no higher than five percent of the popular vote, they ought to get the message that extremism is anything but a virtue.

 While everyone remembers fondly the Reagan years, I'm above that.  I would even add in Nixon if it wasn't for Watergate.  

While it is regrettable to advocate the defeat of a fellow Republican, the Party’s temper has reached the point of this becoming an absolute necessity. Hopefully, not too far down the line, said scenario will be rendered obsolete, as adequate room will have been made inside of the supposedly big tent for not only differing viewpoints, but that nagging inconvenience known as reality.

The sooner this can be accomplished, the brighter America’s horizon stands to shine.

They say that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step and-- nothing personal--  Scott Walker is that first step to glorious moderation.  

Now go out there and lose one for the Gipper.  

Character mode off:  Now that pretty much all the candidates have dropped out and endorsed Mitt, there hasn't been much reluctance about Mitt's nomination that I can tell.  And this is obviously more anectdotal rather than data but my father-- who has voted third party and his beliefs for the last 40 years or so-- is pondering a Mitt vote.

And sorry this is about two weeks old but it was in my queue and finally had some time to get it finished. 

But if what Cotto wrote is what the Republican Party thinks, it's time for a new party.

Reading Between The Lines Of JD Samson's Posting At The Huffington Post

AKA, Navel Gazing From A Self-Described "99%er".

JD Samson, who is the East Coast's version of Sam Ronson, has an exercise in sophistry up at the Huffington Post where she wines about having fame and money from making music and losing it all because of poor decisions.

And if you don't know and don't care who Samson and Ronson are, don't worry about it. You'll be better off not knowing.

I am so lucky that I have been able to create art and music and fulfill my passions through my job for the past 11 years. But I'm stupid enough to have put all my eggs in one basket. It is now the only thing I can do to make money. I'm 33 years old and I can't make coffee. I don't know how to use Excel, or bartend, or wait tables, and I'm officially too old to join the police force. I've lost the confidence to go back to school and feel stressed out about impending debt when I think about further education for even one second.

There is really one person to blame for her situation: JD Samson.

By the way, restaurants are always hiring for positions where no experience is needed. Hosting, busing tables and washing dishes can be done with little to no training. And from there it's a short jump to to waiting tables for cash tips.

Seriously? She can't make coffee? I made my first cup over 12 years ago, first try. It was easy. This is more of a case of 'Not Bothering' rather than 'Tried Then Failed'.

I have several jobs within the music industry as of now: bands, DJing, remixing and even writing music for other artists. I'm a workaholic and have my hands in a bunch of different places. But, all these jobs have unstable incomes. I don't get a salary; I don't know how much money I will make next month, next year or five years from now. I don't have health insurance. And I live with the stress of not knowing, not planning and not understanding whether or not I will ever be able to reach my goals of having a family and feeling safe financially. When I say "safe," I mean safe. I mean basics. I mean health insurance that is good enough for me to take care of myself, not just if I need a $10,000-dollar, life-threatening procedure. I mean dental care. I mean saving money in a retirement fund so that I can take care of myself when I'm 80 years old. Clearly, there is a difference between survival and luxury.

If all of this is true, she's made some very bad business decisions about her musical career. If she's signed all of her rights away, she's has no one else to blame for that.

Also, she should have known that the music industry is very unstable. She's right in the fact she needs to be working all the time but she also answered her own question to this later on.

Like so many teenagers, I believed in the "American Dream," that I could move to New York from the Midwest and become an artist. I would achieve both fame and success, and I would never have to think about money. The first half was true. I made art and lived activism, and I achieved amazing amounts of success that I feel incredibly proud of. The second half, not so much. I have been able to live well, eat well, invest in my arts and make my own schedule, but I forgot to save money and think about my future.

Bingo. One would think that she would have ended it right here with an epiphany of being responsible for yourself and self determination. But then liberalism is a mental disorder so it would be dangerous to assume that her comprehension skills are normal.

Plus, she lives in New York City. More on that later.

This summer I tried to rent an apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The process sent me into an emotional crisis and awakened me into a whole new realization of our economy, the music industry at large and, more specifically, what it means to be a queer artist in 2011.

I spent days trolling around Williamsburg, looking at shitty apartments with cockroaches lining the doorways, fighting neighbors, rats in the ceiling, bedbugs infesting the linoleum floors, fifth-floor walk-ups and cat-pee-soaked carpets. The rent was exorbitant, availability was scarce, and I was turned down by two different landlords for being "freelance." To be honest, I don't blame them. Not only am I freelance, but I'm lesbian freelance. Double whammy. What was the reason they turned me down? Because it was easier to rent to a rich, trust-fund, straight-guy banker who wants to live in the coolest borough in the world? Because when he met me he saw a tattooed gender outlaw who makes "queer electronic punk music" and isn't sure when the next check is going to come in? Yeah, I don't blame him. He doesn't give a shit about how kids email me all the time thanking me for keeping them from committing suicide. It's not part of his capitalist business practice.

So what is a 'Gender Outlaw' anyway? If she filled that out in the application process, no wonder she was turned down.

Here is the New York City angle again. She wanted to live in the 'Coolest borough in the world'. Those usually cost a bit more than the 'Plain Jane apartment in the average borough'.

I surround myself with amazing and talented people, people who have made it in every sense of those words. They buy apartments, invest in their futures successfully, have children, save money. How do they do it? How can I keep up with them?

Chances are, they aren't as well off as you think they are. But it's still more whining and that epiphany that should have kicked in yet, hasn't.

So I have to ask myself: where did I go wrong? And I can only guess that the answer lies in a combinations of three things: 1) my family is not rich, 2) I am a queer woman, and 3) I am trying so desperately to keep up with my peers that I am living beyond my means.

Really, the only answer that matters is the last one. And the chances of that epiphany happening just keep getting more and more slim.

And as I am a productive, workaholic, processing lesbian, I am the only one responsible for change and growth and my own future. So I consider:

1. My family will never be rich; in fact, as they get older, they will use up their supply, perhaps even leaving me with their debts. Now, don't get me wrong, I am so lucky to have the incredible health and support of every member of my family. I never forget how blessed I am to have such an incredible group of people in my life. In fact, our mutual understanding about how frustrating it can be to try to support yourself with your art is something we can all relate to as a family. And our own personal class struggles are not insular but truly a family affair. Now I understand why they supported my dreams but continually suggested having other interests or skills. My dad, a wood sculptor, turned sand and gravel miner. And my mother, a silversmith, turned elementary-school art teacher.

Shorter DJ: She should have listened better to her parents.

Also, how can one be left debts? Unless she has cosigned with her folks on something then-- generally speaking-- I don't see how it can be done.

2. I will always be a queer woman, a woman who makes 77 cents to the man's dollar, and a queer who makes 23 percent less than the heterosexual. Does that mean that I make 54 cents to the straight male dollar? Wow.

No, she chose to make her occupation in a very, very niche market. A lesbian techno band instead of a techno band that happens to be lesbian. There's a subtle difference but it's there.

3. OK, so here's the emotional part: I'm trying to keep up with artists who have had a similar amount of success as I have had, buying expensive meals, expensive jeans, expensive drinks, and trying my hardest to appear to be making the same amount of money as they are. I'm not them, for whatever above-mentioned reasons, but I just can't pretend anymore. This is my coming out. I'm done feeling bad about myself. I wish I could afford a personal meeting with Suze Orman. She's a lesbian. Maybe she could help me reestablish my financial security.

Know what Suze would say? Stop spending so much!

This is what frustrates me about this article. She's laid out all the reasons why she's broke and she hasn't figured out how to change that yet? Live in expensive areas of the city. Buy expensive clothes and food. But yet she claims she doesn't have a cent to her name? It's her own damn fault.

I'm so lucky to have gained so much from my life and my amazing career, but I'm ready to feel secure. I'm ready to build my future and save money so that I can have a family, so that I can enjoy making art and not trying to create a product out of it, so that I can spend more time being present and less time being a workaholic, frantically searching for the profitable answer. And if I need to, I'm ready to get a job, go to work in the morning, get a paycheck once a week, go to the dentist, get a check-up, bottom out to a boss and appreciate music without being worried that I can't keep up.

We live in a society where people equate success with money. They see me on the pages of Vogue. They see me playing to an adoring crowd. They see me flying to gigs all across the world. And I'm not sure what people imagine, but I'm struggling, too. Over the past couple of weeks, I have realized how many other artists and musicians are in my position, people who are proud of their success but feel unable to continue, based on financial strain. Artists such as Spank Rock, Das Racist and the Drums have featured lyrics on their new records about struggling financially. My band MEN put out a record in February with similar tones. I know the economy is failing, but I think it is important to remember that it is failing for everyone. Even the people you think might have money. So here we go. Another reason to come together. Another reason to occupy Wall Street. Another reason for change.

She claims all of these brushes with fame for her music and band. Well, if that's true, start touring. Make a few circuits in clubs. Hit some other cities like San Diego or LA or San Fransisco. Self promote via Twitter and Facebook where she will be playing at. Something that would bring in some money while she works on toning down her lifestyle.

But no. No epiphany of self-awareness. Just a sophistic ending to say, "because of all of my piss poor decisions I've made in my life, the system must be broken".

Thanks to Scott 'Big Daddy' Edwards for finding this.

Updated: A fiskful of thanks goes out to Bob at The Camp Of The Saints and Smitty at The Other McCain for linking this.

What Does Paul Krugman And Plumping Have In Common?

After a hard day of unclogging drains or having just read Krugman's latest column, you need to wash your hands before eating.