Black History Month Represents Centuries of Slavery, Hatred and Bigotry  

February 1, 2021 – 10:45 am ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com) 

It’s Black History Month. As white people, we need to envision and understand the history, starting in 1619 in Point Comfort, Virginia with the arrival of the first 20 African slaves brought onto the shores of this continent. This nation was built on the backbreaking work of enslaved black people for the following 250 years, and many of the nation’s founders and writers of the Declaration of Independence and subsequent U.S. Constitution were themselves slaveholders, unwilling to recognize the horrors of slavery and the institutional persecution of black people, and they baked racial inequality into the Constitution. Racism has always played a fundamental role in our nation since its inception. 

By the 1860 U.S. Census, there were 4 million black slaves in the U.S. just prior to Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and the passage of the 13th Amendment in 1865 following the end of the Civil War (1861-1865). Eleven southern states initially created the Confederate States of America in 1860 and began the Civil War. The Confederacy existed for less than five years until 1865. And the Confederate (aka rebel) flag was created in 1863 and lasted less than two years. These states declared themselves to be independent of the U.S. after Lincoln was elected, so as to form a separate nation with highly limited central government and with the institution of black slavery at its core. Although based on centuries of brutal slavery and racism, the Confederacy was defeated in those five years, thus ending hundreds of years of the horrific institution of black slavery in the U.S. The end of the Confederacy should have marked the beginning of the inclusion of black Americans into the concept of “we the people.” 

But it didn’t. 

Institutionalized and systemic racism and white supremacy continued and grew in different forms and not restricted to the southern states. Slavery may have been abolished, but the disdain and cruelty towards black people immediately exploded following the passage of the 13th Amendment, with the formation of the KKK in 1865 in Tennessee, and years of continued riots of white people against black people, starting with those in New Orleans and Memphis in 1866. The following year, the Jim Crow laws era emerged and lasted 100 years until 1965, where denial of civil rights and horrific acts against black people, including mob lynchings and destruction of black homes and businesses, were the norm. As a part of it, came the destruction and massacre of vibrant black communities throughout the nation, including Greenwood, Tulsa (OK) in 1921 and Rosewood (FL) in 1923, to name just a few. 

Throughout the U.S., segregation, inferior housing and schools, lynching, redlining and ghettoization, economic subjugation, denial to medical access, political oppression through poll taxes and other forms of denying black people access to vote, and a deep-rooted cultural bias against black people and their ability to be free and equal remained and continues to be a part of the American experience. 

The modern civil rights movement of the 1960’s pushed the issue front-and-center and moved it forward. We saw black leaders being fire hosed and even murdered, including Medgar Evans (1963), Malcom X (1965) and MLK (1968). We saw children being attacked for going to school, and ordinary people being beaten or killed simply because they wanted black people to be treated not as lowly and dispensable, but as full human beings. And we saw the rise (and ultimate defeat) of Alabama Governor George Wallace as a serious national Democratic and then 3rd party presidential candidate, running on a segregationist platform.

Although advances were made, the 1960’s civil rights movement did not eradicate the multi-faceted institutional and systemic racism that remains part of the American psyche. Certainly, the Trumpian display of white supremacy and other racist beliefs are a reaction to having had an educated, eloquent, dignified and admired President Obama. And yet, we continue to see the ugly face of racism alive in our culture with racist policing and privatization of prisons, and in the full support from its enablers in the U.S. Congress and in other government bodies throughout the nation. We have seen the horrific racist response among many white people to the BLM movement, unwilling to stop the horror we see of black injustice through cell phone videos. 

And now, just a few weeks ago, Confederate and Nazi symbols of white supremacy were weaponized in our Capital through a violent act of insurrection by the supremacists, angered by the rejection of Trumpism and a Biden/Harris win, which the haters see another positive step for POC which should be battled. 

White supremacy is alive in America. And it’s our job as white people to grab our chisels and actively chip away at its foundation. We start by educating ourselves on black history and face the realities of that history, and America’s role in dehumanizing our fellow black citizens, from Point Comfort in 1619 up through today at the nation’s Capitol. For 400 years, white America has been and is racist. It's time for us to end that cycle.

The Sham of Trickle-Down Economics   

January 22, 2021 – 12:45 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

Let's look at this objectively. Trickle-down economics has failed. We've learned that when tax breaks are given to the wealthiest Americans and to the large corporations, those dollars do not quickly move back into the economy. No, they are hoarded. Sure some are invested in the market, but that has not produced a growth in wages, employment or consumer spending. Corporations often keep those windfalls and boost up their equity, and don't increase jobs and wages as a result. 

After all, we are a consumer based economy. Economic growth occurs when we have a stable and growing working and middle class that engages in purchasing of consumer goods and services, so that money quickly flows through the system. The rate of that flow broadens our economy.

When average consumers have more money, they spend it on new washing machines, cars, services, travel, homes, clothing, furnishings, restaurants, etc. And they do it on a significant scale. This creates jobs, wage increases and small business and corporate profits; it results in a robust economy. But when only the wealthy have more money, this cycle of growth doesn't occur. How many more washing machines, cars, etc. does the top 1% purchase? Not many, and consumer spending, the lynchpin of economy, stagnates. These windfalls do not move money back into the economy, and they money is hoarded in investments and corporate equity that typically do not trickle down. They don't result in job growth, wage increases, and other indices of economic growth. 

And, the stock market is not a measure of overall economic prosperity; it's an indication of what the market believes the future earnings will be among the listed companies on the various exchanges. And corporate earnings are very different than employment, wage, consumer confidence, housing starts and prices, etc. that are far more important measures of a nation's economic health. And when the super rich and large corporates don't pay taxes, the rest of the nation has to foot the bill, taking more away from the average consumer to spend. 

That's why the tax restructuring under the last administration added incredible wealth to the top 1%, but not to anyone else. With Janet Yellin at Treasury, and with the new Biden/Harris administration, let's hope that we relegate the trickle-down concept to the flat earth and blood-letting ideas of the past, and get busy on restructuring the current tax code to encourage growth among the working and middle class. Economies that are robust are dependent upon a robust working and middle class, with good wages, low unemployment, and low inflation, where the working and middle class pay disproportionally less in taxes than those at the top (and no taxes for the poor). Let's turn this around and get our economy on track to become a healthy and vibrant one. It's good for the average consumer and it's actually good for small business and the large corporations. In this new era of "truth." let's start talking truthfully about how to grow our economy.

A Future for Donald? Probably Not 

January 17, 2021 - 10:30 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

Imagine if Trump had simply waited in November for all ballots to be counted, gave a polite and conciliatory concession speech, and then quietly finished the remainder of his term. Things would have been quite different for him, his family, and for the GOP. He could have blamed COVID for his loss, claiming that his base didn’t trust the mail and were afraid to go to the polls because of the pandemic; he could have blamed the RNC for not raising sufficient campaign funds; he could have blamed whomever and whatever he wanted. He could have boasted about the number of states he won and the specific Senate and House races he kept in the GOP camp. He could have positioned himself as a “winner” with 75+ million votes, albeit insufficient to win the election. He could have focused on stopping the Democratic wins for Senate in Georgia. And, he could have told his base that he will be back as President in four years, jump-starting his next campaign with a roll-out schedule of fundraising events and rallies. His base would have remained loyal and Trump would have owned the GOP. 

But he didn’t. Of course he didn’t. 

He is a sociopath and a narcissist, and his psychiatric defects and history show us that nothing ever ends well with Trump. In an article I wrote after the election, I said that he would self-destruct in short order, because that’s what he does. He leaves behind a trail of lies, ruin and devastation, law suits, betrayals and animosity. He does not have the capacity to self-introspect, calmly and with expert guidance put together a plan that elevates him. No, he always goes for the gutter, turns on his allies, and winds up in bankruptcy court, civil court, divorce court (and soon criminal court), with everyone from friends to employees to contractors to his wives, all opposing him one way or another, destroying his reputation and wealth. Trump is consistently the ultimate loser and idiot, humiliated in the end. And that’s exactly what happened since the election. 

Now, he has incited insurrection and a coup against the United States, where people died, endangered the lives of the Congress, Vice President, and police, alienated the vast majority of Americans (his approval rate is an abysmal 26%), lost the allegiance of the leaders of the GOP as many have turned their backs on him, been rejected by businesses of all kinds who are running away from his “brand” and refusing to fund the GOP, and rejected by his bankers who are calling his loans and unwilling to re-finance. His family is ostracized (Ivanka and Jared were rejected from their country club of choice!) and afraid to go back to their homes in NYC or elsewhere. It looks like the whole family will all be sheltering in Mar-a-Lago – won’t that be cozy – and the city is going to start proceedings against them for staying longer than 21 days, as per city ordinance. And, they have lost their ability to use social media and to communicate to their base. America is tired of hearing from them. Moreover, the Trumps no longer have attorneys willing to represent them. No one wants to work with them anymore. 

Their political, financial, legal and social futures look dim, and they are isolated simply because Trump could not contain himself and finish his term with maturity and grace. And now he’s impeached again and soon going to trial in the U.S. Senate, along with other potential Federal and state arrests and trials. Poor Donny and his clan. Things aren’t looking good right now. Instead of becoming the new American King and Emperor, which he most likely thought would happen with the insurrection (he is so self-absorbed that in his mind it was a real possibility), he has been relegated to history as the worst U.S. President ever and will soon face a barrage of criminal accusations. 

More importantly, we are witnessing chaos within the GOP. It is splintering from all angles. Sycophantic supporters are running away in droves, and the reliable mega-donor financial backers dwindling. There are talks of 3rd parties, new right-wing media outlets (FOX news viewership is down 20%) and other divisive activities within the GOP to create schisms within from the very far right to the middle. And finally, the notion of “truth” as a core value emerging in the post-Trump era is becoming the new calling for the nation. These recent events have become a wake-up call.

All because of Trump’s inability to behave like an adult; all because his enablers kept silent until they were forced to deal with a domestic terrorist attack and attempted coup. The nation is finally and openly crying out that the emperor has no clothes and that his enablers need to be punished. My, my, my, how the mighty do fall.

 The Great Divide in America   

January 4, 2021 - 2:00 pm ET

By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

This explains a lot … A recent and serious Vanderbilt University study (Political Science Professor Larry Bartels’ “Ethnic Antagonism Erodes Republicans’ Commitment to Democracy”) revealed something critical. The 2020 study compared people who are Republicans vs. Democrats in a national sample (n = 1,151) on a series of value statements. It found that Republicans are likely to believe that the most significant threat to the nation is that white people are diminishing in power, and POC and non-white immigrants are gaining in power. And, the study revealed that Republicans are prepared to engage in activities that that are counter to democracy and law so as to maintain white dominance, including the use of force. The study revealed that they do not view democracy as a critical value to uphold, and view anti-democratic actions as acceptable mechanisms for maintaining white control, even violence. Democrats, on the other hand, are very different and typically reject white supremacy, and they believe that democracy and law are of the highest value. This gap is real. For the majority of Republicans, it’s not economic, it’s not political ideology, it’s not positions on issues; no, it’s pure unbridled racism (and bundled into that is hatred of those who are not Christian and do not follow the white model of supremacy). And that is why Republicans have and continue to allow Trumpism to thrive, and there are no facts nor counter arguments to which they care to hear. This is America.

We have to face this serious divide. It’s ugly and pernicious. So let’s be clear, as a group, Republicans of all types today are more concerned about maintaining white supremacy than in upholding the Constitution and its democratic values and laws. This is alarming, and I believe the most serious threat to our democracy. The notion that we can all come together as a nation and heal seems insurmountable. Even in the midst of a national crisis like COVID, which should have brought us together for common cause, it only divided us further along these lines. Republican voters don’t care that Trump and his cohorts engage in illegal and unconstitutional activities, including attempting to upend the election. They don’t dismiss the insane conspiracies. Instead, they embrace these as rationales for promoting white dominance. They don’t follow what we expect as “normal” behavior from the electorate. And none of the outrageous activities and statements they see their leaders say or do evoke outrage from them. They don’t care, as first and foremost they are supremacists, and any path to maintain supremacy they view as justifiable.

I don’t know the solution, and I hope minds smarter than mine can find a path that takes us away from this divide. But to do that, we all need to begin to understand the basis of the chasm: the willingness of Republicans to dismiss democracy and law in the name of white supremacy. This is not a “difference of opinion.” There is no collective reasoning that can coalesce based on a shared belief of democratic values. And without common ground, it becomes impossible to govern. We are in an untenable bind, and all we can do at this point is to call it out for what it is and hold Republicans, from our families, friends and communities to elected Republican officials at every level, accountable for the culture of supremacy and anti-democratic values they have engendered. This study touches at the core of our national angst and it does not bode well for the future. Frightening.

Trump’s Future – It Ain’t Looking Good

November 20, 2020 – 1:15 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com) 

Why is Trump so adamant about refusing to concede the election? On some level he knows he will leave the White House by January 20^th, so why continue the charade? Does he genuinely think he can still perpetuate his election fraud narrative, or engage in a martial law coup, or manage to keep his base’s adoration at heightened levels after his presidency, or even run for the office again in four years (there are rumors that he may announce his candidacy on the day of Biden’s inauguration; there are other rumors that Ivanka may run, and other rumors that Lara may run for Congress)? If so, this would be a good time to appear calm and forward-thinking, not to be seen as a rabid, foaming at the mouth, incalcitrant sore loser.

What may be behind all this? Let’s deconstruct and get into Trump’s head ...

First, he knows that on January 20^th there are dozens of serious criminal indictments waiting for him in New York, from tax evasion, bank fraud, rape and other sexual offenses, to a plethora of engagements in syndicated crime-like activities. Of equal importance is that they will come from a variety of courts, where he will be shuttling across court jurisdictions. He cannot pardon himself out of these, nor ignore them. Who knows how indictments on the federal level might unfold, but the New York State and the New York City cases alone have the potential to put him away for the remainder of his lifetime, not to mention potential D.C. and Maryland cases. Interesting, Michael Cohen recently said that Trump will not pardon his children because such pardons would negate their ability to plead the 5^th as subpoenaed witnesses in court cases against Trump, and they would be forced to testify (and Cohen noted that Trump doesn’t care about his children’s legal battles, only his own).

Second, he has few attorneys left in which to engage in a serious defense. His top, middle and even low tiered firms and individual lawyers have abandoned him in an effort to keep themselves from further disgrace, and he is, at best, scraping the bottom of the barrel with the craziness of Sidney Powell and Ian Northon. Rudy is a buffoon (and may be disbarred), and Trump can no longer utilize the U.S. Attorney General and DOJ for help. Not only can these cases result in prison, but also repossession of Trump financial assets for back taxes, fees, penalties, etc. Even at the New York State and New York City levels, these could be significant, where a self or Pence pardon would have no standing, and Trump would desperately be searching for legal representation.

Third, detailed information about Russian hacking and cyberattacks, bounties and the use of Trump as a tool for the Russians will most likely surface in the Biden administration. There may be access to detailed information as department staff and others may speak out publicly once Trump leaves. This will further discredit Trump and his administration, and a new understanding of Trump as a Russian asset may become clearer with potential confessions, tape recordings, files, etc. that may surface. Once Trump is out of office, there may be an abundance of people coming forward. In addition, people may come forward on other fronts, demonstrating ways in which Trump acted to harm the American people while in office which are not yet know by the media. Such a narrative with supporting evidence would further erode Trump’s plans for a come-back, and he may be overwhelmed with worry that these kinds of connections will surface with genuine supporting documentation and witnesses, and not just conjecture.

Fourth, Deutsche Bank, through whom Trump accessed Russian banks (at a premium cost, because reputable U.S., European, Asian or Mid-Eastern bank would not loan to him), will be made to appear in court, and soon will be calling on his loans as they come due within the next two years. Deutsche Bank recently made it clear that no further lending facilities or assistance will be provided to Trump. And there are other separate lenders in line for additional loans that are coming due as well. Forbes estimates that there are over a billion U.S. dollars Trump owes in upcoming loan payments. Trump does not have that kind of cash available, which will require him to liquidate real estate or the bank/lender to repossess properties, depending on the amounts due and the current valuations of those properties (and he won’t be able to fudge the valuations as he has in the past - these will be conducted by independent 3^rd parties). In any event, it will become a battle of Trump vs. the lenders (spoiler alert: usually the bankers win).

Fifth, he finds himself in a conundrum relative to housing. He’s afraid to go back to NYC and the charges that await him there. Yet, he will soon be involved in another lawsuit, now with the city of Palm Beach if he attempts to live at Mar-a-Lago, which is zoned (Trump did this to create his private Mar-a-Lago social club) as a private club and not as a place for primary residency, with strict limits on the number of days one can stay at the club. The city has long tried to restrict Trump’s use of the property as a city nuisance. Sure, he owns many properties elsewhere, but they are not in locations he prefers, and they lack the culture of sycophancy and the sheer square footage that Mar-a-Lago offers and that Trump needs for his ego. He will no longer be on the social A-list, and in many places he will be treated as a pariah, no longer the darling of the jet-set world of the glitterati he once commanded. He and his family may soon become socially ignored has-beens.    

Sixth, he may soon find himself served with divorce papers. We know that Melania re-wrote her prenup as a condition for moving to D.C. after a long period of remaining in NYC after Trump’s inauguration in 2017. This document may soon surface and she, along with Baron and Melania’s parents, might part from Trump and his family. If so, Trump will have no-one at his side, even for the optics. Interestingly, it appears that Trump’s adult children may not be living with him in Mar-a-Lago (we know that Ivanka and Jared are not going back to their NYC home, but moving to Bedminster in New Jersey; they also bought land on an island an hour from Mar-a-Lago for a future building site, keeping their distance). For whatever reason, his family may not want to be part of Trump’s household or the legal battles with the city of Palm Beach. Trump may be living alone.

Seventh, he is of no value to foreign governments once he leaves office. There is no reason for them to take his calls, stay at his properties, invite him to events, or provide him with financial support. He can comb through his contact list on his cell phone of foreign dignitaries, but there will be little reason for them to talk with him. Biden and Antony Blinken now act as their contact points, and Trump has nothing further to offer foreign leaders. He will soon learn that those who showed interest in him were not because of their adoration of Trump, but because of his title, and without that title he has no worth on the international stage. 

Eighth, Trump will lose many media outlets for his daily barrage of messaging. His presidency was based on his social media, press conferences, a cadre of communications spokespeople, his regular appearances and call-ins on Fox News, and his coverage in mainstream media based on the incessant drivel he would blather minute-by-minute, typically but not restricted to Twitter. On January 20^th, he will no longer be able to use Twitter as he had, He will not have an in-house, on-call national media audience at the Rose Garden with communications staff to speak on his behalf. He is currently at war with Fox News, and who knows how that will resolve itself. Will he become a regular on Fox or other cable outlets? Will there be a split among the viewers on the far-right who will leave Fox and join other further far-right nascent outlets? Will Parler become a vehicle for Trump? Who knows, but in any event Trump’s presence in the mainstream media will diminish, and he will lack the ability to have a broad national audience and presence as he has been accustomed. Certainly, daily Trump news and interviews with Trump staff will no longer abound on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, PBS, etc., and in the written media of the NYT, WP, WSJ, HuffPost, Bloomberg, Newsweek, Time, etc. Most of the nation will no longer be interested in what he has to say. He may, ultimately, become ignored and irrelevant by most of the media, which for Trump translates into a special kind of prison.

Ninth, the empty and decaying Trump Plaza hotel in Atlantic City is to be dynamited by the city on January 29, 2021. It is Trump’s last casino of the four he owned in Atlantic City. All declared bankruptcy over the years. Atlantic City is holding a charity auction for the “joy” of pressing the button to activate the explosion (the auction will end on January 19, 2021). Trump left the city with a wake of unpaid bills, and the city holds no allegiance to him. All funds go to the Boys and Girls Club, and they expect it to raise over $1 million for the button-pushing event. This should be quite the national media event next month and further humiliation for Trump.    

Finally, all of the above may leave him in a very different financial situation, and without the U.S. government, foreign governments, the GOP and the mainstream GOP donor base, and other funding sources, he may find that his lifestyle diminishes. Sure, he raised $200 million for his special PAC from his core supporters, and we are now learning that he has skimmed large sums from the GOP and other conduits while in the White House. We are now learning that Jared had much of these contributions and funds laundered into Trump family personal accounts. He may be able to continue to extract funds from his cult base through paid rallies and other initiatives, but the use of all this money may come under scrutiny. These sources may provide some relief, but with potential cases facing him, Ivanka, Jared and Don Jr., the entire family may find themselves in a financial squeeze (along with the legal peril his children may face as well). Certainly, the Trump brand as a high-end marketing device has tarnished (perhaps a K-Mart Trump clothing line at their few remaining stores, or Ivanka handbags/jewelry at the Dollar Store).

Most Presidents and their families leave office respectfully and with dignity, not worried about legal, financial and personal ruin. They hand over the reins to the next group, and go on to write their memoirs, give speeches, engage in charity and education work, build a presidential library, and understand their new role as a former President. They focus on their legacy. This kind of thinking is simply not part of the Trump psyche. It requires maturity, perspective and self-assuredness, something Trump lacks. He’s like a child who can’t stop pushing the balloon until it explodes, and then cries that the balloon has been taken from him. His history is clear: his endeavors consistently result in bankruptcies, lawsuits, divorce, shame and ultimately anger. He doesn’t know how to end things gracefully, and that pattern won’t change as he exits the White House.

These are all reasons for Trump to feel isolated and panicked. They all based on potential upcoming disasters for him, and demonstrate that he is indeed a “loser,” a depiction he despises. For Trump, these are humiliations that go against everything he believes in himself. Above all, Trump is a narcissist and a sociopath who operates on a childish level of intellect and emotion. He only cares about his image and the power he can brandish, and he lacks any sense of introspection and resolve. He deludes himself and lives in a fantasy world of mythological greatness, and he believes it. For him, it’s not a political game; no, for him, his narrative is real, and he is incapable of seeing himself otherwise. Losing the election is horrific enough for him, but to add to that disgrace and shame are the potential indignities noted above that, unlike most Presidents before, he will start to face in just one month, and they may each unfold, one-by-one, over the next two years. He is unable to accept anything but a perfect self-image (“I am the smartest person in the world”; “I have the best brain”, “I can do anything”), and he does not have the psychological character to face his new reality. He is a deeply disturbed and damaged person, with severe and dangerous psychiatric issues, and unable to accept his fate of personal, legal and economic humiliations and other challenges that may lie ahead. 

So he denies and clings to his cult base that remains faithful. It’s all he has now. And he watches, one-by-one, as the GOP appointed judges provide no relief, and as the GOP leadership ultimately accepts the humiliation of the countless and baseless lawsuits denied, and as they come to accept Biden as the new President. Some of them are simply done with the Donald. And the demons in his head cannot deal with what is unfolding. Trump is terrified and psychologically in an unbridled rage.

What will Trump do? To quote Rhett Butler, “Quite frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.” I think it will be highly unlikely (but not impossible) for him to seriously run in 2024. He may try, but he would need to start that effort soon. It would take a lot of money and ground support, and the barriers that the above potential hurdles present over the next four years may be too much for him to overcome. He’s not an outsider anymore; he’s a failed insider. Sure his core cult base still adores him, and many in the GOP are unwilling to disengage from him, but “build that wall” and “lock her up” have long lost their MAGA luster. He has shown himself to be a humiliated loser on many fronts, and that’s not the narrative that gave him the 2016 win. And, others want the crown jewel, such as Pence, Cotton, Rubio, Haley, etc. For sure, Trump will be divisive, and the GOP may fracture into the pro-Trump camp (his cult and the emerging “Patriot Party”) and the non-Trump camp. Unifying that party may become a serious barrier. I’m hoping that along with the implosion of the Trump Plaza hotel next month, there will be a concurrent implosion of the GOP. It may not come to be, but the seeds are there. 

In any event, the path for another Trump presidency diminishes with time, and I am looking forward to a fantasy day when we all say, “Whatever happened to Trump after his divorce and after he lost all that money and was sent to jail? Haven’t heard much about him lately.” A day when we have to google his name to see if he hasn’t already died.

CAVEAT: The Democrats need to make sure that they remain unified and don’t allow fractions within the party and base to distract from the Biden/Harris presidency. This is not a time for in-fighting among the Democrats. Picking apart Biden/Harris, their administration and programs will not serve the nation. Biden/Harris need support in order to undo and move forward from the broken nation Trump leaves behind.

Anit-Vaxxers and Anti-Semitism - A Long History Together

December 16, 2020 – 5:00 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

Western pandemic conspiracy movements are not new. Their origins are to be found in the anti-Semitism of the “poisoning of the well” narrative, which developed as a Christian trope at the time of the bubonic plague in Europe in the 1300’s, when Jews did not typically succumb to the disease. Jews were usually physically isolated from the non-Jewish world, with strict Kosher laws forbidding the contact or consumption of many kinds of animals that spread disease, rules for maintaining clean and separate food chains from the general population, and having strong religious demands for daily personal washing and household cleanliness (from cleanliness requirements of bodily functions and sex, to how dishes and other cooking/eating utensils are cleaned and stored, to how farm animals are separately housed and managed outside of the home, to a ban on hunting as animals in the wild might contain disease, etc.). These rules and customs, which were quite different from the rest of Europe at that time, and they allowed the Jews to survive the plague when others did not. And so the Christian world blamed the Jews for the pandemic and committed atrocities against them in the name of this conspiracy.

The narrative has continued throughout the centuries and is still alive in modern times and poses conflict with many important vaccines and medicines that have been discovered by Jewish scientists, including, in part, today’s COVID-19 vaccines. Although the world has generally adopted a science-friendly set of values, the conspiracy theories of the “poisoning the well” trope continue as anti-Semitism continues to be an unspoken foundation of the current anti-science and anti-vaxxer movement (see the British government report findings below, in which they found 79% of all anti-vaxxer networks world-wide advocate anti-Semitism as a basis for rejecting vaccines). Most of us don’t read the postings, articles and discussions among the anti-science and anti-vaxxer networks, so many of us are unaware of these insidious conversations.

In addition, Jews have traditionally played a critical role in the science of discovering vaccines and medicines, including Waldemar Mordecai Haffkine, who discovered the vaccines for cholera and the plague in France and India in the late 1800’s, through Jonas Salk who developed the polio vaccine in the U.S. in the mid 1900’s. Over the past two centuries, Jewish scientists have helped discover and develop vaccines and methods for inoculation of smallpox, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, bacterial meningitis, and many others, including the ground-breaking discovery of penicillin. Jerome Horwitz discovered AZT antiretroviral medication, which became the nascent foundation for combatting AIDS, a field in which many Jewish scientists worked. It was Jewish scientists who discovered the mammogram, leukemia pharmaceuticals, infant exchange transfusion for Rh hemolytic disease, fluid flow drip method for intravenous injection (invented by Dean Kamen, someone I personally knew in my childhood on Long Island, and who has 440+ patents for his work, many in the medical field, but also including inventing the Segway), and many other critical disease-fighting discoveries. (Henry Judah Heimlich himself was Jewish – he discovered the Heimlich maneuver). The list goes on, and while it may evoke pride within the Jewish community, it evokes a different sentiment among the Christian right – a distrust of “Jewish science.”

This role of anti-Semitism in the anti-vaxxer movement was recently studied in-depth by the British government who released a detailed report in October 2020 (“From anti-vaxxers to antisemitism: conspiracy theory in the COVID-19 pandemic” by John Mann, Britain’s independent government adviser on anti-Semitism), which began with an historic overview of blaming the Jews for the great plague through other epidemics up to the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study of anti-vaxxers across the globe concluded, “Most people are desperate for a safe and effective vaccine for COVID-19, as are governments across the world. Once a vaccine becomes available it will be essential to quickly sideline the conspiracy theories and misinformation of the antivaxxers. Exposing their links to antisemitism and age-old conspiracy theories can only assist the public health message, but in doing so government and civil society organisations must also combat the resurgence of antisemitism that, as this report evidences, is present in 79% of antivaxxer networks. Exposing the level of antisemitism amongst the anti-vaxxer movement now is therefore of the utmost importance.” The report noted one of the current anti-vaxxer movement’s symbols is the Nazi yellow Star of David used to identify Jews during Hitler’s time, only now replacing the term “Jude” (German for “Jew”) with the term “no vax” in the center made to look like Hebrew letters (see below).

ADL (Anti-Defamation League, the American organization focused on anti-Semitism) in their April 2020 report analyzed the underlying anti-Semitism of the anti-vaxxer movement. They, too, noted that the basis of the current anti-vaxxer movement is the idea that COVID-19 is seen as “a tool for Jews to expand their global influence,” where “Jews will not only profit from a vaccine but will also exploit desperation by overcharging for it and limiting availability.” The report states that, “As the coronavirus continues to surge globally, virus-related conspiracy theories are proliferating online. These antisemitic, xenophobic, hateful messages spread misplaced blame and misinformation, making it more difficult to access accurate information while elevating fear and anxiety. While some of these messages are new, many are simply old tropes repackaged for a modern pandemic.” They noted the use of the “greedy ugly Jew” meme pushing the sale of COVID-19 vaccine (see below).

These kinds of beliefs and symbols further perpetuate the abundance of centuries of historically Christian conspiracy theories about the dangers of “the Jew,” such as the age-old “blood libel” conspiracies about Jews murdering Christian children, the conspiracies about Passover where Jews were believed to need Christian bodies for ceremonies, the Good Friday “perfidious Jews” conspiracies, and many others, all aimed at a distrust of the Jews and their nefarious motives against the Christian world. These conspiracies formed the foundation for atrocities throughout the centuries, including giving permission to the Nazis for the Holocaust.

What is behind this? Judaism, as its core, is not a religion of belief, but one of debate. Over the centuries, the Talmud teaches Jews to question everything and to propose alternative hypotheses through thoughtful examination and discussion. Education and intellectual discipline are pervasive Jewish values. And these values have inspired Jews to seek scientific methodology as a mechanism for understanding the universe, the world and humankind. In addition, Judaism is a religion that focuses on the key concept of “tikun olam” (Hebrew for “fix the world”). Judaism demands that each Jewish person is obliged to improve the world in a meaningful way during their lifetimes; legacy is the Jewish concept of life ever-after. And so, Jews are disproportionately attracted to the pursuit of scientific research and development, including the area of medicine. Over 22% of all Nobel Prizes have been awarded to Jewish people, including such names as Albert Einstein for creating the discipline of modern physics, Emmy Noether for creating the discipline of abstract algebra, to name a few. And yet, Jews only represent 0.2% of the world’s population (and only 2.5% of all people in the U.S.). Intellectual analysis is simply a crucial part of the Jewish experience, psyche and aspiration.

As a result, Jews are often equated with scientific and mathematical thinking and are viewed as the enemy by the anti-science and anti-vaxxers, throughout history and now during the COVID-19 pandemic, questioning the legitimacy of the vaccines that can eradicate the disease. It is important to understand the role of bigotry in this movement. It is real and it is based on centuries of distrust of the “other,” particularly of the Jews.

For COVID-19, the two key players in the vaccines (Pfizer and Moderna) are heavily Jewish, and include Muslim, people of color, and immigrants. Albert Bourla is Jewish and the CEO of Pfizer and the son of Holocaust survivors. Mikael Dolsten, the head scientist at Pfizer, is Jewish. They are working with Ugur Sahin and his spouse Ozlem Tureci who are Muslim and founded BioNTech in Britain and they developed the BioNTech’s vaccine, which is now part of Pfizer. For Moderna, Kizzmekia Corbet, a black American scientist is the key scientist behind their vaccine. She works with the Israeli Jewish scientist Tal Zaks who is Chief Medical Officer at Moderna. And, the scientists responsible for the groundbreaking work in creating the new mRNA vaccine technology (which is the basis of the COVID-19 vaccines) is Jewish scientist Drew Weissman (no known relation) who worked under Anthony Fauci at the National Institutes of Health, and at the world-renowned Weizmann Institute of Science outside of Tel Aviv for his Ph.D. work, along with Katalin Kariko, an immigrant from Eastern Europe. Both of them worked at University of Pennsylvania in the research and development of new vaccine methods.

The COVID-19 vaccines are the works of a diverse and brilliant group of scientists in the U.S., Europe and Israel, with many Jews and other minorities among them, who are often viewed by the Christian right as people who are undeserving of trust, even though these people are heroes saving the human race from this horrific pandemic.

Yet, the anti-science and anti-vaxxers continue, and we all need to understand that much of their call to conspiracies is based on centuries of anti-Semitism, and for these people, that kind of hatred continues and expands to include other minorities whom they view as deceitful as well. We must uncover these ugly truths if we are to inoculate the nation and squash these dangerous conspiracists. We must embrace a culture of medical progress based on scientific analysis, and not age-old tropes of fear and prejudice.

 

Embrace Biden’s New Cabinet – It’s the Anti-Trump Team

November 25, 2020 – 3:00 pm ET
By Rich Weissman, Palm Springs, California (www.richweissman.com)

 To anyone who is displeased that their Democratic primary candidate or other favorite politician isn’t included in the Biden administration: We voted to end Trumpism and its politics of cronyism, grifters and political payoffs. Biden is the anti-Trump (and that’s why he won), and he is assembling a thoughtful, professional (yes, professional) cabinet and group of advisors based on expertise, experience and ability to implement change. He has many issues to immediately tackle (COVID, economy, climate change, racism, women and LGBTQ equality, immigration reform, American leadership in world affairs, voter suppression and election reform, Supreme Court reform, electoral college reform, undoing all of the horrific executive and other orders introduced by Trump, etc.). He needs to have people on his team who can day-one take on the job and quickly effectuate change in the U.S. and on the world stage. He doesn’t have time, and he needs to immediately operate and win on multiple fronts concurrently and have an administration that can within months can clean house.

For the past four years we have been screaming that Trump’s team was one of pure kleptocracy and personal gain, and that we needed a President and team who focused on moving the nation forward, not padding their pockets or furthering their political careers. And we won, and we now have a President who embraces a future without political cronyism. Hooray! Sure, there are people we would each personally love to see in the administration but who won’t necessarily be offered a position because they are not the foremost professional fit for a job based on hiring the best and the brightest with demonstrable leading expertise and experience in a particular field.

As an example, Janet Yellen has a Ph.D. in economics from Yale, taught at Harvard and other institutions throughout the world, and was head of the Federal Reserve. Clearly, she’s most qualified to head up the Treasury. Antony Blinken, who will be Secretary of State, served as Deputy Secretary of State, Special Assistant to the President and Sr. Director for Strategic Planning, NSC Senior Director, to name just a few foreign affairs positions this Harvard alum has held. The bios of others named Biden cabinet members thus far are equally impressive and show depth in their fields of professional expertise.

In addition, there are considerations for moving people from the Senate to the cabinet, particularly in states with Republican governors (e.g. Massachusetts and Vermont). This could further undermine Biden’s ability to move legislation forward. We need to see the big picture and support Biden in his efforts to create a cabinet that has the experience and expertise to tackle the job at hand, while growing the Democrats in Congress, hoping for wins in the upcoming Georgia election, so that Biden has a friendly House and Senate. That is more important than egos or self-promotion.

So, proponents for the cast of the primary runners and other political supporters of Biden may be disappointed. I understand, but they (and we) supported Biden not to get a job offer (that’s a strategy of the likes of Betsy DeVos), but because Biden could move the nation away from the evils of Trumpism. Executive positions shouldn’t be pay-back jobs and they shouldn’t be currency (that would be Trumpism); they are professional jobs for the most qualified. Hats off to Biden for doing just that, and hats off to those who have supported Biden’s initial choices. If some Democrats complain, then they are no different from the cronies of Trump.