The View from Right Field

Texas - and Illinois

Texas has been getting a lot of bad press lately.  I commented here last Thursday.  But Texas isn’t the only state that is messed up.  Here is a letter to the editor that was published in the Chicago Tribune yesterday:

“Comparing Texas, Illinois

The more I read of the problems in Texas, the more it sounds like Illinois.  Texas could have built a utility system that would have handled the recent cold weather.  We have windmills in Illinois that work in winter, and Manitoba in Canada has water systems that work.

Why Wasn’t Texas Ready for the Cold? Why Weren’t We Ready for Covid-19?

In talking about getting ready for the next coronavirus, etc., last April, I said this in my conclusion:

“Robustness.  Resiliency.  Nimbleness.  These are what we need if we are to be ready for the emergencies and disasters that will happen, though we don’t know which ones or when.” 

The problem is, however, as I said in December:

“Building robustness, resiliency, and nimbleness into our systems and our countries, and maintaining them over time, will cost money, a lot of it.” 

“Grifting” for a Cause

Last year the Lincoln Project was a big deal in the mainstream media: a group of Republicans running ads against Donald Trump.  It was big news.  It made the mainstream media feel good.  It was a story they could throw in Trump supporters’ faces. 

Except now, we are finding out there were problems with the Lincoln Project.  Last week, the Associated Press reported on at least ten allegations of harassment (I think sexual harassment) by one of the co-founders of the group.¹  Interestingly, it appears the members of the group’s leadership (or at least some of them) were told about this in June of last year, but the AP only reported it last week.  I guess the AP was busy.

Got That Wrong: Inflation

As you saw last Friday, I am starting a new feature: “Got That Wrong.”  I have been blogging a long time.  It’s time to go back and fess up on things where I “got that wrong.”¹ 

Today, inflation.  I have really gotten that wrong over the years.  I have written about inflation many times.  And I have been wrong pretty much all of them.  At one point, I wrote about an increase in the money supply that did not result in an increase in inflation.  I thought it might have been because there was a drop in the velocity of money.  I don’t know.  For whatever reason, inflation didn’t come.  Which I think is good.  Others, such as the Federal Reserve here and the European Central Bank there, don’t.  They have been trying, and pretty much failing, to get the inflation rate up for quite a while.  

On Convicting Donald Trump

Even though I think the better constitutional argument is that it is constitutional to impeach and try former President Trump (he was, after all, impeached while he was still in office), I probably wouldn’t have impeached him (for the reasons stated here).  However, once he was impeached, given what he did, I couldn’t not convict him. 

As I said here, I don’t know if he “incited” an “insurrection” in the legal meaning of those words, but what he did was wrong.  A president doesn’t have to be guilty of a crime to be impeached and convicted (and a president doesn’t always get impeached and convicted just because he committed a crime – see, for example, Bill Clinton).  What former President Trump did was sufficiently wrong that, as I said above, I couldn’t not convict him.  Unfortunately, it appears that not enough Republicans agree with me.

Got That Wrong: U.S. Attorney for Northern District of Illinois

In a post back in August of 2020 on why Kim Foxx would win re-election as Cook County State’s Attorney (she did), I said:

“It is entirely possible that the biggest reason the Illinois Democratic Party, or at least its leaders, wants to beat Donald Trump in November is not his response to Covid-19 – or any other policy President Trump has.  Instead, it might be because, if Joe Biden wins, John Lausch might no longer be U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois.  A President Biden can replace him.  In 2008, when the investigation of then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was going on, Barack Obama promised that he would not replace then-U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald­­­­­.  As far as I know, Joe Biden has not made a similar promise.  And I would not expect him to do so.  Getting rid of Mr. Lausch is too important to Illinois Democrats.”

It looks like I might have been wrong on this.  The Biden administration has told almost all U.S. attorneys that they need to submit their resignations by the end of February.  In response, both Illinois Senators, Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth (the former being more important than the latter), have urged President Biden to keep John Lausch, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, on the job.  Which is the opposite of what I said in August.

What’s Next for the Virus? Shots, Restrictions, and Masks.

Both Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. Scott Gottlieb are saying that, by April, we are going to have plenty of vaccine.  Everybody who wants a shot will be able to get one.  In other words, the problem pretty soon is not going to be getting a shot; it will be getting enough people to get a shot.  One hopes the powers that be are working on that.

But another question: Once we get to that point, i.e., when there is enough vaccine for everybody, what does that mean about all the restrictions we have been living under?  What about social distancing?  Limits on restaurants?  Plays and concerts and sports?  Ultimately, what about masks?

Vaccine Bragging

With the number of people getting at least their first Covid-19 vaccine shot going up, we are seeing more and more posting, on Facebook and elsewhere,¹ by people showing pictures of their vaccine cards or standing in line to get their shot, etc.  Which I wonder about. 

While more people are getting shots, a lot of people aren’t, even in the “essential worker and old people group” that they are doing now.  It’s hard, especially for those who may not be computer-literate, to figure out how and where to get an appointment.  Even those who are on-line have to be lucky to get an appointment because there just isn’t that much vaccine available yet.  And then there are those people who aren’t eligible yet for a shot.  They too are concerned and worried.  Their risk may not be as high, but it isn’t zero. 

Polio – and the Covid-19 Vaccine

With Covid-19 and everything else that is happening, polio isn’t something most people think about right now.  But I do – because I remember when polio was a big deal. 

In the early 1950s, 25,000 or more children were getting polio every year.  Some years it was more.  In 1952, it was 58,000, and in 1953, it was 35,000.  But then, in the spring of 1955, it was announced the Salk vaccine worked!  I don’t remember much about it, I was only six at the time, but I remember getting a shot early in the process.  Maybe it was because of what was happening in Joliet, where I lived.  I don’t know.  But what I do remember is getting that shot and how happy my mother and dad were when I got it.

And that’s why I am getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

Bringing Us Together: We Have to Do It Ourselves

In his Inaugural Address, Joe Biden talked about how he wanted to bring us together:

“My whole soul is in this.  Bringing America together, uniting our people, uniting our nation. And I ask every American to join me in this cause. …

And so today at this time in this place, let's start afresh, all of us.  Let's begin to listen to one another again, hear one another, see one another.  Show respect to one another.”

I hope he can do it.  He seems like a nice guy (I talked about this before, so I won’t repeat myself).  What I would say, though, is while I hope President Biden can help to bring us together, it’s not something he can do himself.  It’s something we have to do ourselves.

Are Joe Biden’s Problems Greater Than Franklin Roosevelt’s?

In Monday’s Financial Times, Rana Foroohar, in defending Joe Biden’s tightening of “Buy American” rules for federal government purchasing, said “the political challenges facing the Biden administration … are arguably greater than Franklin Roosevelt faced in the 1930s.”¹

While I understand President Biden faces challenges, to compare today’s problems with the 1930s is to not appreciate the situation then.  The unemployment rate in 1933 was 24.9%.  With no nationwide unemployment insurance system, no job meant no money.  When thousands of banks failed in 1933, people’s money was gone because there was no national deposit insurance scheme.  While these might be called economic problems (as opposed to political problems), if they were not dealt with to at least some extent, they would have resulted in real political problems.

Impeachment Jeopardy: The Only Senator to Vote to Convict a President of His Own Party

Who is Mitt Romney?
--------
UPDATE (2/13/21 5:30 pm): The answer should be changed to: “The Only Senators to Vote to Convict a President of Their Own Party.”
The question should be changed to: “Who are Mitt Romney, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Sasse, Paul Toomey, Richard Burr, and Bill Cassidy?”

On President Biden’s First Week

I have not posted since Joe Biden was inaugurated last Wednesday, so maybe I will now.  I thought President Biden’s inaugural address was pretty decent.  It did not get into details, but it hit a lot of things I believe in.¹  Whether he is going to be able to do those things, who knows.  It depends on him, his team, and the other team(s)².

I don’t agree with some (a lot-?) of the executive orders, etc., that President Biden has issued/signed, but I have not commented because, well, it is early.  Also, the way Donald Trump left the presidency, especially since the Electoral College met in December, has bothered me so much that it is hard to criticize what President Biden is doing.  I don’t know if President Trump “incited an insurrection” on January 6 in the legal meaning of those words, but what he said was not, in my opinion, acceptable.³

While Trump Stews, Mike Pompeo Has Been Busy

It’s unclear what Donald Trump has been doing with his time now that he is off Twitter, Facebook, etc., but Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has been working hard.  Karen DeYoung has a list of what he has been doing.  It’s a lot – and it’s wrong.  Instead of working on a transition, Secretary Pompeo has been throwing up roadblocks for the Biden administration.

As Ms. DeYoung notes, what Secretary Pompeo can be reversed, but in most cases, it will take time.  Also, the process of reversing those decisions could hurt the very people and policies Secretary Pompeo is trying to protect. 

Covid-19 Relief Ought to Be More Than Just Throwing Money Around Randomly

President-Elect Biden is proposing a big Covid-19 stimulus program: $1.9 trillion.¹  The plan includes an additional $1400 per person payment (to bring the total up to the $2,000 Donald Trump proposed in late December), additional unemployment payments of $400 per week (up from $300 in the bill signed in early January), and much more.

The $1400 payment (plus the $600 already approved), is a follow-up on the $1200 per person payment in the first Covid-19 program last spring.  Back then, the idea of giving everybody a lump-sum payment made some sense because (i) we didn’t know what was going to happen and (ii) we needed to get money to people as quickly as possible and we didn’t have time to come up with a more carefully targeted program. 

Just Because I’m Glad Trump Is Leaving, Doesn’t Mean I Agree With Biden

A comment on the upcoming change in administrations that many in our polarized America may not appreciate: Just because someone is incredibly glad Donald Trump is leaving the White House, doesn’t mean they think Joe Biden will wind up being a good president or that the Democratic Party has the right policies for the United States.

President Trump has been a terrible president; possibly the worst in our history.¹  His administration did some good things (I’ve talked about them before), but the farther we got into his term and the more the decisions were made by him, rather than some of the people he appointed, the worse things got.²  While the last two months would not have happened if he had won re-election, a second Trump term could have been even scarier, perhaps especially in foreign policy and other areas where he could have acted on his own.

The Cubs Convention That Isn’t Happening

But for this stupid virus, I would be at the Cubs Convention this coming weekend – for the 30th time in 32 years.¹  I understand why the Cubs cancelled the Convention this year.  What I don’t understand is why they are doing nothing for the fans in its place.

People are working from home on their computers.  Schools that can’t open in person are teaching via Zoom.  Theaters and concerts are livestreaming performances.  But the Cubs?  Nothing.

The Tolerance of “I Might Be Wrong”

A long time ago, I wrote a post entitled “Truth and the Right to be Wrong.”¹  I said in part:

“I believe that some things are right and that some things are wrong.  But my certainty does not make me think I have the right to force my beliefs on others … because I think we all have the right to be wrong. …

Some will object to my concept of ‘the right to be wrong’ on the ground that I am disrespecting them and their beliefs when I say they are wrong. That is not true.  In fact, I am giving them the ultimate respect: I am defending their right to believe what they do even though I know they are wrong. …

Making Sure This Week Is Our Last Memory of Donald Trump

Kimberley Strassel said, in Friday’s Wall Street Journal: “A politician has to work hard to destroy a legacy and a future in a single day.  President Donald J. Trump managed it.”  Early Thursday morning, after a mob, urged on and incited by Donald Trump, assaulted and occupied the Capitol, the Senate voted 93 to 6 against his objection to Arizona’s electoral votes.

And that is the way I want Donald Trump to leave Washington.  I want these things to be the final memories his supporters have of him as he leaves office: A President who incited a mob to assault his own Capitol and a man who lost in the Senate 93 to 6.  Because that is how he deserves to be remembered.

A Thought on Using the 25th Amendment to Get Rid of President Trump

If you use the 25th Amendment for a purpose for which it was not intended, even if it is a really good purpose, do not be surprised if you are not happy the next time the 25th Amendment is used for a purpose for which it was not intended.