Instagram
RSS

Posts by Devon Greene

The Last Word of Positivity Before the Election

Devon Greene

Well, here we are. Election night. Tomorrow, or for you readers (both of you), today, could go either way I suppose. Biden could win in an obvious fashion and we could be partying our asses off that the Trump era is over. Then again, Trump could squeak or cheat another one by, and we wind up either miserable, or resolute that it’s time to leave the U.S. before it’s too late. There are those that would advise not to write a positive piece at this point. After all, I might “jinx” the election! It seems unlikely though, with a record number of early votes already turned in, and perhaps millions floating around in the U.S. Mail, I somehow think the toothpaste is out of the tube already. Yes, there may be an equally impressive turnout on Election Day, and perhaps we won’t know right away who the true winner is. That doesn’t mean that all writers should be cowering in fear, too worried about bad omens to write something positive and uplifting while we still can. Once the results are counted, we have our answer, good or bad. It’s only before the election is officially over that we can capture this moment in time in which we don’t know, but we think we have an idea of what’s about to happen. This is, for me right now, a Schrödinger’s Cat of articles. If I were to predict a Biden win right now, I could be right, with plenty of evidence to suggest that this is no big feat of psychic projection, or I could be horribly wrong, this entire article ultimately serving as a big “I told you so” to myself for ever engaging in that four-letter word known as “hope”.

 So, if not now, when? If Trump and his Republican friends somehow steal, or simply take over and make pointless, the election, or God forbid, actually win fairly… I’ll be depressed for another four years, or more and I’ll have no record for one of the few times I could still think positively. So here goes: I think Biden’s going to win, and win big! There I said it. It’s crazy to wish I know, but where we stand here is that the numbers are in our favor. Yes, 2016 seemed that way too. Donald Trump wasn’t going to become President, that was ludicrous… and then it happened. But let’s remind ourselves just how much it’s not 2016 anymore.  Trump is no longer a candidate coming out of the business world as an alternative to the standard politicians who’ve gotten it so wrong, for so long. Trump is now the incumbent, the standard bearer of the last four years, in which families and friendships broke apart over political battles, often about Trump and whether or not the latest news story is proof that he’s mentally deranged and completely lacking in empathy or decency. For Trump, the mystery is gone. You’re either a fan of his non-traditionalness, willing to accept anything he does an example of not being predictable (which is… good?), or you hate him, viewing him as a pathological liar, and uncontrollable narcissist who will side with anybody who’s willing to throw him some undeserved praise. He’s now the establishment, perhaps the establishment candidate that establishment-haters vote for, but still, he represents the status quo. Biden is not Hilary Clinton, and he represents change, even though he is tempered with experience. Trump tells us there will be no more God if Biden is elected. No Christmas, no suburbs, no a lot of things that don’t make any sense, particularly since Biden was an influential Vice President for eight years and none of that stuff was ever in any danger.

With what’s on the line, how can you be positive, you might be asking. Let’s actually pay attention to the polls, okay? The fear people have is that we believed the polls in 2016, and they were wrong. Not quite. The final polling the day before the 2016 election had Hillary Clinton up by 3 points. She would go on to receive nearly 3 million more votes than Trump, winning the popular vote by 2.1 percent nationally. The polls really weren’t that far off. It’s just that that damn electoral college can really shift things around and needs to be accounted for. So let’s look, skeptically of course, at today’s polls. By many counts, Biden is up by 8 points, as much as 10 or 11 in some of the most positive leaning ones. That’s far better than what was predicted for Hillary at this point. Add to that that pollsters are more aware than ever of the electoral college and are providing more state information as well. Trump won by a tiny margin in three key states: Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. An average of 7 polls has Biden up in Michigan by 5.4%. Pennsylvania: 3.7%. Wisconsin: in an average of 5 polls – Biden +9.2%. (all averages taken from the website 270towin.com.) The Demographics speak loudly in Joe’s favor as well. Trump is losing key groups in the elderly in general and suburban women. Two pretty massive groups that helped push him just over the edge last time. Thanks to the epic Coronavirus mismanagement, seniors realize that Trump isn’t looking out for them. And his general misogynistic behavior has been on display for the last 4 or more years to turn off all kinds of women. Trump was losing voters before Covid-19 was even a thing. Many voters who thought having a businessman run America like a business might work, just because it was different, soon became disillusioned with the experiment. Trump is crass, he’s alienated our foes and kissed the asses of dictators and fascists. His Trade Wars were a disaster for Farmers, the volatile turnover of his staff was telling to at least some, and oh yeah, he was impeached. 

Still, Trump has his fans. Just the fact of lowering taxes seems to get a lot of people excited, even if it was a poorly concealed scam to make the rich richer and the not-so-rich…. not-so-much richer. And don’t forget the judges. The courts all over America are now packed with conservative judges, whose decisions will affect this country for years after Donald Trump is dead and buried, or lit on fire, or tossed on the world’s most disgusting compost heap. The fear of what the now right-leaning Supreme Court is palpable and certainly an issue not to be under estimated. Still, the cases have to get to the court, and a Democratic President may just make some changes he’s not discussing right now to make things a little more even. Could happen. 

The point is that we don’t have to be afraid to keep our hopes up. The numbers speak for Biden. Trump’s approval rating has never surged above 50%, and they’re well below that now. Biden’s been ahead in an average of all polls since before he officially announced he was running. There has been no October surprise like in 2016 when Comey kind of sort of “re-opened” the investigation on Hillary’s emails. Covid is still quite present, and is making standing on long lines for hours among strangers in winter even less appealing than it sounds normally. The stock market even has indicators that favor a Biden win, with the S & P 500 officially posting a (slight) loss over the quarter that ended on October 31. And let’s not forget that there are a significant number of Republicans who have made it clear that Trump is not the horse to back this year. To name just a few who have announced their support of Biden: Colin Powell, Cindy McCain, John Kasich, Christine Todd Whitman, Meg Whitman, Carly Fiorina, former RNC chair Michael Steele, and The Lincoln Project is a whole bunch of Republicans who are not only pushing for Biden, but recommending turning the Senate blue, to get rid of everyone who made Trump possible. It all adds up to a Biden win, and maybe more, and if that somehow doesn’t happen, we either have a serious problem with our polling methods, or the Republicans have out-and-out falsified an election. This is not the same as Trump claiming that “the only way we lose is if it’s rigged”. It’s essentially the same words, but we have actual reasons behind saying it, and all “jinx” talk aside, it’s probably better if we document those reasons now and explain why we had every reason to believe our guy would win, then to downplay everything and have no argument if he doesn’t.

My Letter to Nancy

Devon Greene

Who am I really to suggest a major political action? Truth is, I’m just a guy who sometimes works in show biz. But I’ll tell you, I’d love to pitch an idea to Nancy Pelosi. Could this be the biggest political sequel of all time? I present for you: 

Impeachment II – The Wrath of Kahn(gress)

Dear Speaker Pelosi,

I’m a lifelong Democrat who works in the Film and Television business, and have I got a pitch for you! Impeachment – The Sequel. Yes, I know this has its risks, a lot of people didn’t really like the first one. But this one has everything: Tear gas!  Mounted Police! Angry clergy people! Rubber bullets!??

The short version? You impeach Trump’s ass again for improper use of the Military for attacking the protesters in Lafayette Square. The Ukraine scandal was nothing compared to this. There’s tons of action: Trump using the military on American citizens? Now that’ll get butts in the seats.

And the kicker? Regardless of what the Senate does, Trump becomes history’s first twice-impeached President. So audiences— I mean registered voters, are pretty much guaranteed to watch a historic first! Warning, I think this will make the President very mad.

Your republican colleagues were shameful in the plot twists they were willing to introduce last time, but you gotta give ‘em one thing, they didn’t seem to underestimate their public. Ultimately, making the story seem too complicated, foreign, and boring (and they said that one out loud), they managed to make a perfectly good story get an “unripe” on Rotten Tomatoes.

But this takes place on American soil. This could literally be any city in America. We’ve got to make it clear to our viewers that these are the tear-gassed pepper-sprayed protesters that could be you! 

Much better casting for witnesses on this blockbuster: Mayor Bower? Bishop Marian Budde? You think Doug Collins might try to bully her while she’s on the stand? That won’t look good. Isn’t he running for Senate? I think we have journalists who were at the scene. They communicate really well to audiences, don’t they? And then the Main Event, Mad Dog Mattis. You think Jim Jordan’s going to try to yell him down?

And video? We got video! Big exciting action video! Soldiers! Explosions! Maybe Wolf Blitzer gets footage from everyone who was there with a cell phone and makes a 3-D Panorama of the whole event.

I’m having trouble with the ending though. I’m sure Senate Republicans will have the last chance at a rewrite, and presumably, they’ll want it to end exactly like the original. I don’t see that working quite the same though. This is a far more egregious abuse of power. Not so easy to laugh off and go the trial without witnesses route. With Mitt joining the march, and Lisa Murkowski showing signs of a backbone, will other Republicans be willing to step off the line? Maybe. Could serve as a pretty wild twist ending!

And might I make one more suggestion? Last time, Democrats’ catch phrase to Republicans was to “follow your heart” “Do the right thing.” Clearly, that’s didn’t resonate as well as it should. Instead, what if Democrats went more Machiavellian, and more challenging? What if the slogan at the trial were: “What if you did?” What if Republicans just stopped supporting this loser Trump? What if they agreed that he was hurting more than helping? What if there would be no reason to be scared of him, if they just removed him? What if everybody grew a spine at once? That might be stretching the Visual Effects budget, but it’d be worth it.

Sure, the ending may wind up similar to the first one, but it could have some significantly different context. Maybe, just maybe some of our cast won’t survive to make it to any future installments. But then again, let’s hope there aren’t any future installments.

Hit me up when you can, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Devon Greene

Are Democrats in Too Much of a Hurry?

Devon Greene

Another day another hearing. Monday’s circus, in which the lawyers from the previous hearings were interviewed for their… opinions? quickly turned into a shit show where Republicans continuously objected, maligned the process, and generally just walked over Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Jerry Nadler. Tuesday, Democrats officially brought two Articles of impeachment against the President: abuse of power, and obstruction of Congress. This seems like weak sauce, given all that we’ve been through for these past three years. It seems shocking that some Democrats fought bitterly to keep these articles down to two, when Donald Trump has been breaking the law since before he got into office. Now I find myself surprisingly agreeing with constitutional scholar and witness for the Republicans, the factually challenged Professor Jonathan Turley. What’s the rush, Democrats? Turley was certainly wrong in stating that this is the fastest impeachment process in history. In fact he was completely wrong, it has become the longest impeachment proceeding we’ve ever had, and it’s still not finished. But a scholar as witness-who-gets-his-facts-completely-wrong is just par for the course for the Republicans. In terms of the calendar, Democrats are taking their time, but sometimes appearance matters. Professor Turley is not the only one asking why Democrats seem to be in such a rush. Tuesday morning, Adam Schiff responded directly to this question admirably. It is true the Trump and the Republicans’ modus operandi is to bring their objections to court and upon losing, appeal, go to another court, rinse, wash, repeat, until hopefully their case gets to the Supreme Court which they’ve stacked in their favor. If Democrats waited for every issue to plod its way through the courts, yes, the clock would run out and Trump could very well be reelected because no decisions ever came to completion. But that assumes playing by the rules, strictly, and almost to a fault. It’s clear the other side hasn’t even looked at the rulebook, and it’s time that Democrats considered goals as opposed to the step-by-step process.

(more…)

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas–Unless Your Last Name is “Trump”

Devon Greene

If I understand the term “Christmas spirit” correctly, it’s probably not exactly proper to be laughing at someone else’s misfortunes, let alone those of their whole family. Yet, with Trump and company, it’s just so hard to resist. Yes, Donald Trump may be compromised mentally and emotionally to a degree that one might even feel genuine pity for the man. It’s harder to offer passes to the entirety of his inner circle and family. The stark corruption tainting everyone who surrounds him is so tangible it’s nearly impossible not to imagine them all gathered in some inactive volcano, maniacally laughing until it peters out and things get awkward. Or at least, that’s what they might have been metaphorically doing last year, maybe even some of this year. But as the holidays quickly approach, the Trump clan isn’t laughing anymore. The blunt truth is, they’re fucked, royally. The walls are closing in and every aspect of Trump is being investigated: his business, his campaign, his inauguration fund, his charity… it goes on and on. But wait! Haven’t we been here before? In fact, haven’t we been here before so many times that we’ve not only already said “Haven’t we been here before?”, but followed it up with “only this time it’s different.” Except this time, it really does seem different.

(more…)

My Economy isn’t Booming, Is Yours?

Devon Greene

The approach of the midterm elections can now be measured in hours, and television, if you still watch standard TV, is filled with attack ads telling you just how terrible the other side is. It seems like an exercise in futility as our current acrimonious political divide leaves most voters quite sure of which side they’re already on. This means these commercials, and rallies, and any other form of campaigning, is designed for Independents, Undecided Voters, and whatever registered voters there are that are going through a crisis of faith with their stated Party. How many people does this make? Hard to say, but politicians seem to think that there’s still enough votes to grab that aren’t yet set in stone to make an important difference. So what do you run with to convince people? For Democrats, it seems to be a referendum against Trump and the quickly approaching death of human decency. This sounds biased I know, but how else do you describe an administration that has: Tripled down on banning people from distinctly Muslim countries, separated children from parents who are just trying to find asylum at our southern borders, forced in a Supreme Court Justice who is clearly biased and has provably lied under oath, and now has vilified a group of families trudging through South America to apply for asylum from dangerous gang violence as invaders that need to be defended against by a three to one ratio of our militia? For Republicans, the motivator as always is fear. Fear of Muslims, Latinos, Transgender people… whoever they can find to touch the hot buttons of racist America. Oh, and taxes. It seems like every election, Republicans raise their skirts at the horrible taxes those nasty Democrats are going to impose on you. Of course, Democrats are really only interested in taxing people who can afford it, and providing relief for people who can’t, the exact opposite of the Republican approach to taxes. However, there’s one thing Republicans at one point thought would work in their favor: The Booming Economy. Ten weeks and at least a dozen unbelievable stories ago, Republicans wanted this to be the main message for midterms. Look at the numbers. Unemployment’s way down, GDP numbers are up, the stock market’s breaking records! All of this may be true, but with a caveat for any positive thing they can mention. Unless you’re a CEO or have an already great financial portfolio, chances are things aren’t booming for you.  (more…)

The New Politic Arena

Devon Greene

It’s football season and that means, regardless of whether ratings are up or down, that there are literally millions of people spending their Sunday afternoons glued to the TV or streaming device of their choice. Chances are you know at least one person, maybe it’s you, who gets so involved in the games that they wind up yelling at the screen, questioning whether the referee is blind, or screaming for their team “Get him!” in reference to whoever has the ball. Sometimes those screams become “kill him!” or “rip his head off!” There might not be as many of those cries as there used to be since it’s become more public that these hard hits lead to concussions that can have long-term effects on players’ health. But don’t feel guilty if you’re an intense fan, we all have those moments where we’re swept away by the thrill of something we’re passionate about. The truth is, we have some strong reasons why we identify with our favorite sports teams. For most, it’s a direct identification with their immediate surrounding area. Supporting your team is, in essence, defending the territory in which you live and the choice you made to come or stay there. For some, the favorite team comes from where they used to live. The move may have been necessary, but rooting for their former home team is one of the few ways to stay connected to a previous life. Then there are people who simply became fans of whoever was winning championships when they first started watching. Loyalty often has moments of disappointment, but rooting for your team come hell or high water can keep a person connected to their childhood. It’s no wonder with these intense underpinnings we have traditionally viewed the players not so much as human than as the flickering lights of a digital avatar in a video game. Now, however, in an age where we have almost too much information, it’s impossible to ignore players’ backstories: whether they beat their wife and/or kids, arrange vicious dog fights for money, or are possible co-conspirators to murder. You don’t want the League to suspend or completely end a top star’s season, especially if he’s on your Fantasy team and yet, there’s this whole morality thing. And let’s not forget the latest issue: whether players stand for the national anthem or kneel in protest of racial injustice. (more…)

Street Fightin’ Dems

Devon Greene

Well, the battle for the Supreme Court Seat is over and Democrats came up snake eyes… again. It looks bad for the Democratic brand getting constantly get walloped by the Republicans who seem to operate by the motto: “rules are for sissies”. Then again… A “glass is three quarters full” type person might see the Kavanaugh debacle as actually resulting in the best possible outcome. Here’s the reality: It should be no surprise that Kavanaugh got onto the Supreme Court. If votes went strictly across partisan lines, he would have been confirmed. If one Republican voted no, they still had Mike Pence to cast the tiebreaker. And let’s not forget that there were at least two deep red state Democratic Senators that might have voted in favor, and one of them did. Had there been no sexual misconduct accusations, chances are Brett would have slid right in and made the Democrats look completely powerless during the process. That’s not what happened though. Without Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony, there’d be no Kavanaugh testimony. The sight of the red-faced former frat boy, sniffling at all the wrong times and snidely challenging Democratic Senators did not make a great accounting of himself. By the time it was all over, former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, a Republican, stated Kavanaugh was not suited for the Supreme Court. The American Bar Association has reassessed their recommendation. Former friends and classmates of his have spoken out, noting that he lied to Congress about his drinking at the very least. Brett Kavanaugh has become a controversial candidate for the Supreme Court, one that Republicans looked worse for pushing through anyway. Mitch McConnell may snidely say that the Democrats’ actions have whipped up their base for the midterms in a way that the GOP never could, but we’ll see how long that outrage lasts.  It is the history of the midterm elections that the Party that suffered the most recent loss becomes fueled by outrage and fear of what the opposing Party can do with their newfound power. The Party with the most recent win becomes more complacent. There simply isn’t the same desperation fueling Republicana to run out and try to make a major change. Thanks to Trump and the GOP, the Republican brand has become toxic, more people will spend money to get Democrats in or just to get Trump clones out than to fight to keep things as they are.

None of this addresses the largest criticism the Democrats are getting, especially lately: They’re too soft. Bill Maher, certainly outspoken against Trump and the GOP, might admit to at least being a Liberal, and recently donated a million dollars to the Democratic cause, but prides himself on being hard on both major parties. His main jab at Dems is that they’re weak; he was making fun of political correctness before Republicans were. Michael Avenatti, lawyer to Stormy Daniels, and now Julie Swetnick, has been teasing a presidential run in 2020. He feels the Democrats desperately need someone who will actually fight back, and there’s perhaps an implication here that he’d also be willing to fight dirty. Recently, Eric Holder, former Attorney General and now also a potential Democratic candidate for President, has made waves by changing his good friend Michelle Obama’s famous quote from “When they go low, we go high” to “When they go low, we kick them.” It’s caused some controversy, but the meaning is clear: Democrats don’t want to be seen as pushovers anymore.  (more…)

What We Aren’t Saying About Brett Kavanaugh Anymore

Devon Greene

The story of Supreme Court candidate Brett Kavanaugh being accused of attempted rape when he was a teenager is dominating the news these days. Not just because it’s the latest chapter in the seemingly never-ending drama of Donald Trump and his Republican enablers gleefully defecating all over the Constitution. No, this story has tentacles that reach out to a number of key issues of the day, and it’s got people talking, regardless of which hill of political ideology they’ve chosen to die upon. It’s the #MeToo movement, showing the ultimate case of old-school white males ignoring, or deeming inconsequential, a woman’s right to be heard if it interferes with their goals, or even the tranquility of their day-to-day lives. It’s about the Republican Party, discounting anything that gets in the way of getting their hand-picked guy through to the highest court in the land, knowing that he will faithfully protect their agenda of enriching only the wealthiest of Americans, taking the right to choose from women in regards to what occurs or doesn’t in their own bodies, and, if it comes to it, providing the protections of a dictator onto our President, who at this point in time is the woefully unequipped Donald J. Trump, a man who may very well be clinically insane. It reaches back to the consistency of Republican hypocrisy, as they now push forth a candidate for the Supreme Court, who hardly qualifies as a learned theoretically non-partisan arbiter of justice, simply because they can, while, in 2016 preventing President Obama from placing a highly respected, moderate judge to the court, simply because they could.

The story continues to explode as more allegations surface, suggesting that the bravery of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford has opened the door for other victims to come forward and share their encounters with Kavanaugh. Encounters they felt powerless to address previously. Of course, it’s possible that this, as Republicans are immediately assuming, is a political dirty trick on behalf of Democrats desperate to prevent The Supreme Court from being loaded with right-wing appointees who will influence major decisions in this country for decades. Is this revenge for Merrick Garland? Have Democrats forgone the motto: “When they go low, we go high”? Can they even afford to operate by that standard in this partisan political arena, or would that doom them to near-certain extinction? (more…)

What Donald Trump Doesn’t know Could Kill Us

Devon Greene

If you’re worried about our inexperienced President actually causing World War III, I wish I could tell you not to worry, but the truth is I’m not an expert in world politics, or military strategy. It would be irresponsible of me to tell you not to worry, although I can express an opinion that this may be one of those frightening situations where cooler heads must, in the end, prevail. Why? True it’s mostly wishful thinking, but it’s worth a look at Trump’s history of opinions on U.S. military actions to see a pattern, or lack thereof that ought to make even the Republicans who continually protect him take a closer look in the mirror and decide if it’s really worth it. Is it really worth looking the other way and pretending there’s nothing wrong here when the consequences are so great that even their families are threatened? And the real question: Is Donald Trump in any way justified to make this major decision for the rest of the World? (more…)

Regrets: I’ve Had a Few, but Maybe Not This Time

Devon Greene

According to political satirists and late night talk show hosts, it’s been an eternity since Donald Trump officially took office as our nation’s (this can’t be right) President. It’s not so much that the last 2 and ½ months have been boring, it seems like almost every day there’s a White House related gaffe that certainly makes things… “interesting”. If anything it’s a depressing look into the future to see just how much time is still left of Trump’s 1st term that makes time seem interminable, without even allowing ourselves to imagine the horror of Republicans somehow sneaking and cheating their way into a second term. With that in mind it must be ages ago that we all were arguing on social media about who was more pure evil, Trump or Clinton.

I remember those days. As someone who takes the term “friend” fairly seriously, even on social media, I was a good example of the Bubble attached to debating politics in that forum. My “Friends” were actual friends, which meant they were people I like, therefore when I made my political leanings rather obvious, I was preaching to the choir, mostly. In fact, I only had one friend that I de-friended, both on Facebook and in life, a scene that played out across the nation at that time and to some extent, the world. Friendships were destroyed, and even family members stopped talking to one another. It sucks to end a relationship of just about any kind. I had a long history with this guy. We had made movies together, written scripts together, and fought with the intensity of brothers about some of the concepts of those scripts among other things. But was this really “brotherly debating”? Or was it missed signs that we were two different people who were only “friends” through shared particular experiences and otherwise had little in common? Being so far apart on what has to be some of the most important political news of our lifetime was a wake-up call as to just how incompatible we were as friends. While the specific details may have been unique to our situation, the general pattern was something that was playing out on computer screens across the Nation and beyond. My friend had admitted to another of our circle that he hadn’t actually had much interest in politics until this cycle. In fact, he had never registered to vote before. But if he knew one thing it was that Hillary Clinton was evil. The Clintons were a pair of corrupt politicians trying to create a modern-day Dynasty. My friend was a big fan of conspiracy theories. This fit right in to Trump’s approach, branding the “dishonest” media and treating them with blatant animosity during his rallies. As such, it became increasingly impossible to discuss any developing news with him as his answer to anything was that the “mainstream” media was all compromised. According to him, most of the major media groups were in some way part of the Time-Warnerconglomerate. Time-Warner had contributed to Hillary’s campaign, therefore, any subdivision of Time-Warner would only report pro-Hillary news and all articles defaming Trump were false or at least biased. Even comedians were in Time-Warner’s pocket. I tried logical arguments, such as “follow the money”, which usually appeals to the conspiracy folk. I noted that publications like The New York Times and Newsweek and The Washington Post still derived a lot of money from subscriptions. That in those cases, reputation was a huge factor. Imagine if The New York Times was caught peddling falsehoods to put their preferred candidate in the White House? That’s a huge risk to take. If the truth got out, NYT would be done, finished. Likewise with just about any other news source with a long-standing reputation. It’s not to say that none of these organizations could possibly get a story wrong, but when they do, they print retractions. Breitbart.com has a completely different business model. These Internet “news” sites just need to get clicks for their advertisers. Being accurate is a deep second to drawing traffic to your site. And what better way to draw traffic than to print exactly what your fan base wants to hear, even if it isn’t true? (more…)

Load More
Menu