The below-duplicated is my old electronic submission to The New York Times in its digital edition. My contribution as a reader was posted and liked by the author of the opinion piece, Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor herself.
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Approved by NYT:
Posted on "The End of Black Politics" (by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor; op-ed): as reader's comment on 6/14/2020
Exact time of approval by NYT : dim. 14 juin [Sunday 6/14] 2020 13:09 [1:09pm]
Juliette Masch | Northern Indiana for Now
This piece is powerful, keen, and sincere. In the middle, the paragraph starting with “As the black movement wound down..” is one of the best summaries of the issue which I have ever read in publishing. Prior to that, “It is the nature of politics and compromise” tells the truth so obviously true that no one can dismiss the force of the statement. Later, “ ..older black voters .. have been **conditioned** to accept the absolute least from political representatives (the emphasis is mine)” is far beyond any categorical opinion, despite its appearance of saying a plain fact. The most extraordinary, I find, moreover, is that her whole opinion and observations point to the next hardship to come. Young black leaders with no political positions or status for local policing would be able to move righteously with courage, until they step up to ladders and happen to gain officially legislative power or any distinguished power. At that time, they might face the difficulty in necessities for compromise as being indicated by the writer on this piece.
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To note about the location, please remark: For years around that time, I had been back and forth between this “Northern Indiana” and the East Coast. Unlike well circulated gossips (when expressed in the most generous concession of mine), there is no medical reasons for my routine travels between those two locations.
(photo taken by me - reframed with color modifications)
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I believe Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor received a renowned genius grant from The MacArthur Foundation, not at the time when NYT published this opinion piece of hers to which I commented on, but a bit later. I’ve been a fan of her thoughts and writings, and followed her Twitter (before the Elon Musk’s take-over purchase of the platform). I withdrew my followership only to shut off unwanted intrusions onto my Twitter account, which might or might not have been related the people whom I had followed. That same Twitter account on X of mine is now locked, the username of which is “@masch_j” without quotation marks.
This morning, just a couple of hours ago, I posted a new note on my Notes section. An excerpt from it can be read as:
I’ve been keeping my stance against Biden most obviously and openly since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. For me, that is not (all) about his age, but himself as a career politicien in Washington in all his life with (an impeccable) success. The proof is that Biden has still strong supports for his second term from people with whom he has been interwoven into the power networks - despite all those recent revelations of his condition.
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If you are a committed Democrat and your diehard position toward the presidential election in the coming November is to support Joe Biden, you may not heartfully like me as one of many possibilities I can imagine in the lowest line of highlighted scales of yours relevant to this subject matter.
The Democratic Party, in fact, hold firm certain type of women in their seemingly never loosened grips. Who are they? Usually women in the white middle class. The age range is also in the middle between young and old. The media often describe them as educated liberals. According to my empirical personal reception, I have more vividly and concretely figurative images of them. Very nice, friendly, approchable and sociable. Their tears for unfortunate children are genuine with no contrive nor nor calculative, nor thus anything bad in concealment. Their empathy and sympathy to people seeking helps are truly from their warm hearts with no contestation. They also love what they see in themselves. Let me say therefore that can be described as to be a perfection of inter-fulfilments, the psychologically functioned in terms of love and compassion multiply directed, inwardly most importantly.
Sooner or later, if not already done, “compassion of politics” as a words-label would be diffused for the Biden presidential nomination to be pushed forward. The huge group can positively receive the message. They may see themselves in a mirror image of Jill Biden at the top of compassion pyramid. Or, they may prefer seeing themselves in a mirror image of Jill Biden at the top of compassion pyramid of care and love. Admiration and aspiration. The country needs love and healing. Dems are basically a gathering of coalitions. What works would work, if all others can see that is working.
By the same logic, if that “Lord Almighty” works, it would work except other Dems who have different assessments of the matter other than waiting for a divine intervention.
By the way, I suddenly remembered that Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor often said of “words salad” when pointing out at certain patterns of liberal speechs.
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I am not indicating Compassion Politics is a words-salad bowl. Toss it, though, to get what you’ll get! After the Atlanta debate, Jill Biden hugged Joe Biden on the stage, which was super-widely viewed on social media along with successive events and occurrences in which the first lady praised the President for having been able to answer all the questions. Those “You did it!” (Jill Biden) and smiling back (Joe Biden) to her, when received as love, care, compassion, marital bond, trust, dedication and commitment, were a jump-dive into a compassionate constituency with a projectile arch made with many heart-marks. Otherwise, what this b*tch wants and looks for by abusing her husband who needs a life of peace with no political turmoil right now more than anything might be a question arising from different kinds of female constituencies.
Important note: The word “b*tch” while referring obviously to Jill Biden is not my invention. I was just introducing the existence of such a view.
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On 6/28, the day after the CNN debate in Atlanta on 6/27, I wrote and posted my view:
Post CNN PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE of last night, my view follows: I’ve been openly anti-Biden ever since Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. My lines about it were such that Biden should have acted before and upon the Russian mobilization on the border, instead of prioritizing social occasions with donors. After the CNN debate, I strongly think Dems should give Biden a chance to step down with no more disgrace asap. It is considered “too late” just only from the party’s point of view. As for Trump on the stage, all he said was false is not true. Trump allies also should stop mocking Biden after all those embarrassing self-exposures of himself last night. That direction in fact seems to be what Dems are expecting to deplore for Biden to go on while pointing at Trump and his supporters as morally low. In either way, Dems would be viewed as a cruel party for Biden if they continue with him.
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I wonder how many people regard the party as cruel like me? That depends on what people in what habituality. There are constituencies for love, healing, and compassion for whatever on anything. Right now today, Dems leaders are in the meeting to discuss on Biden in the headquarter of the party, but not in the Capitol Hill, for press leaks or any kind of leak to avoid.
In my guess as many others who would think of the same, if Biden is forced to step down or aside, the narrative would go onto the lines such that Biden has been a fighter and now good bye, thank you in the most elaborated oratories. Another possibility is medical reasons; so that he regretfully disappears from the front for the democracy and the country. Or, there would be some other supernatural divine decree which can be made up to make Dems cry. If one of those or all of those happen, you will know how conservatives and independents leaning to Republicans for this presidential election react. Oh, sure, Dems really like those kinds of stuff will be a response.
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Not all voters project their minds onto that of Jill Biden. Those with traits of political thinking may, first of all, wonder why Biden himself desires for the reelection run. He might be too deeply deranged to realize his real conditions by himself is one possibility. Or, he has been persuaded that no one but him only can bring the executive office to his party. Or, something else may exist …..
One does need to be no insightful genius to speculate there may be effects if Biden drops out of the race now. The immediate question is why he will be able to continue the presidency for the rest of year 2024 while he cannot run for his reelection. Other concerns with urgency are the number of seats in the Congress. When Biden sinks, how many more will sink together?
If you like crime and political fictions, you must certainly be in an amusement of seeing the US be a fun ride nation of politics and mysteries. Even if you are not a reader of crime and political fictions, you must be inevitably noticing that the unusual degree of eagerness of Jill and Hunter Biden by which Joe Biden has been completely sealed and set for it. Well, but, it? What is this “it”, if there is such “it”?
That will be something no one wants to say with clarity. I myself cannot say, even in conjecture, because I don’t want to know it until everyone knows.
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Nevertheless, I write and wrote my conjectures at many times. On 6/5, I posted the following note in my Notes section, which is an excerpt:
My view: Prior to his presidency, I’d never imagined Biden would become my interest at this high degree. It began for me upon the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Israel-Hamas war hit the peak. If one speaks of any matter only in one’s conjecture, anything can be spoken of as on hypotheses. So, I clearly state what I say of Biden in this note is my thought in such a scope.
Biden has been a centrist and a lifelong politicien whose base was built as a congressman. If he is an excellent negotiator able to deal for different interests according to his reputation; these political experiences of his may not be, when being out of Washington, the best for the presidency. In my hypothesis, Biden has little or no political instinct which is required in the geopolitics nor charisma to deal with the world leaders of truly different kinds.
More hypothesis; If I had been trapped into hands of wrongdoings and the doers were privileged and influential, both politically and socially on his party base; Biden still would not have turned around the victimhood to persecute me, but I would lose forever the exit door.
PS: I live in a very blue city in a deeply and fundamentally blue state. Wherever I go, Biden supporters are ubiquitous and I am their target. Nevertheless, I continue writing about Biden, because I cannot imagine what would be worse or the worst socially for me while my having been already, sufficiently and continuously, harassed. One sure thing is, though, Biden does not care at all what operatives are locally capable of with this regard.
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Re-reading it now, I remark my modesty according to which I asserted and assumed in my speculative hypothesis that Biden would not have turned around the victimhood [to prosecute me “legally”]. The reality could be more than a mere fiction, however. It does not have to be me in a case, but it could be anyone or any one. All things might have been entangled. Whether one or someone want to be saved or not, as being innocent or not entirely innocent, a payback politics will be looking for the annulment of the discharge.
“Payback politics” by Juliette Masch (7/9/24)