We're Lucky There Are No Real Problems To Solve
by tristero
This is a brilliant summary of one of the most astounding — and most sordid — weeks in recent American history. As I remarked to Digby privately, the plot of Westworld is far more plausible than what's going on right now. The level of incompetence, maliciousness, and corruption seeping out of the Republican party — especially but not exclusively from Trump and his cronies — staggers belief.
But these pathetic paragraphs caught my attention:
Buried under the news avalanche: the White House released a greenhouse gas emissions plan that could boost output from coal-fired power plants rather than push them towards closure. Trump’s supreme court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh, moved closer to confirmation as he appeared to get the nod of approval from the Republican senator Susan Collins.
Richard Haas, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, tweeted: “i understand the focus on politics here at home, but 1) NK is not denuclearizing; 2) Venezuela is on the precipice; 3) a crisis with/over Iran is brewing; 4) climate change is worse sooner than predicted; 5) US relations w China and Russia are at post-Cold War nadir. just sayin’”.
And that's just the start. Can you say rotting American infrastructure? Genocide in Myanmar? Worldwide hunger?
But we're right to pay attention to the Trump/Republican madness. Until Trump and the current incarnation of his party are history, very little can be done to address any real-world problem. They are far too powerful and obstructive.