Polyticks: Bob Butler's Perspective

[Bob Butler]

Not really a neanderthal. That is a species, not a way of thinking.

You just think like a neanderthal.

[John]

Not really a neanderthal. That is a species, not a way of thinking.

You just think like a neanderthal.

Yeah, that's what I meant.

[Bob Butler]

The way I look at it, if you had a primarily scientific worldview, it would be a plus. Many parts of the world are dominated by tribal thinking. Understanding triable thinkers would be a plus. Who would be better at understanding tribal thinking than a tribal thinker? Certainly some of the predictions made assuming WIERD beliefs can be absurdly off.

But if you have a more political worldview, if you think it wise and natural to accept and exaggerate tribal thinking, to oppress and perhaps use violence directed at the other, tribal thinking is not so wonderful a thing. If one of the big things in the red blue divide is the WEIRD vs tribal perspectives, it is likely just as well to see the old values fade.

[Bob Butler]

> I don't see Kamala being anything but a 3td rate Pol Pot.

Pol Pot was a very powerful leader. Harris isn't anything like that.

How about a 10th rate Pol Pot?

By now folks should get that I think WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, democratic) individuals and cultures are quite different from tribal thinking individuals and cultures. In tribal thinking, you build up xenophobia, come up with reasons to dislike people and justify oppressing or using violence against them. In WEIRD your values might be centered on equality, human rights and democracy.

John has rightly highly criticized WIERD people who predict tribal thinkers would behave as WIERD folk would. WEIRD thinkers judging tribals often make predictions that are just wrong, absurdly wrong.

I would just be careful about doing the reverse, predicting a WIERD person will behave as a tribal thinker. I have long thought John is particularly bad at understanding those whose motivations are different from his. This may be part of it. He and a lot of others just do not understand or acknowledge the sort of ideas that WEIRD folk come up with. They are just too busy working up their xenophobia.

[John]

** 10-Mar-2021 World View: Kamala Harris

Lol!

So what's your analysis? How will Kamala Harris do as president?

[Bob Butler]

I have not paid all that much attention. She did well enough as a prosecutor and as a congressman, but she has never been at the top of an executive branch. I expect she will pick up a few projects under Biden to become ready. I'll look at how she handles those.

But I don't expect her to be another Pol Pot. Law and order, yes. Respecting the constitution, likely.

Into Stalinist censorship and as unable to defend her views at you? Hardly.

[Bob Butler]

One thing I noticed on blue leaning shows is that if you see Biden, you will often see Harris lurking or beside him. This may be in part just TV sense, giving her as much face time as they can on camera. It may be in part learning on the job. Biden was Obama''s VP, and is having Harris learn by just watching him do it. For example yesterday Biden gave a speech cheerleading the relief bill, and Harris was lurking on the edge of the stage. Today they showed Biden celebrating the House victory, and Harris was in the next chair, both masked.

Don't know if it still happens when they are not on camera. Still, I think they know Biden may well only have one term.

[Bob Butler]

America has become a pagan nation.

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ar ... on/618072/

Interesting. I wouldn't say pagan, as in centering on a pantheon of highly related gods. Olympus or Asgard were pagan. I would put the emphasis on the atheists, agnostic, non believer aspect, as I believe the article does. I also think secular ideals such as human rights, equality and democracy come to play a deep anchoring moral role much as religion traditionally did.

There does seem to be a red - blue divide in it.

[John]

** 10-Mar-2021 World View: The lurking girl-president to be

> One thing I noticed on blue leaning shows is that if you see
> Biden, you will often see Harris lurking or beside him. This may
> be in part just TV sense, giving her as much face time as they can
> on camera. It may be in part learning on the job. Biden was
> Obama''s VP, and is having Harris learn by just watching him do
> it. For example yesterday Biden gave a speech cheerleading the
> relief bill, and Harris was lurking on the edge of the stage.
> Today they showed Biden celebrating the House victory, and Harris
> was in the next chair, both masked.

> Don't know if it still happens when they are not on camera.
> Still, I think they know Biden may well only have one
> term.

Biden is cognitively impaired, and the symptoms are worse every day.
They're preparing Harris to take over very soon.

[Bob Butler]

Biden is cognitively impaired, and the symptoms are worse every day. They're preparing Harris to take over very soon.

I'm not too worried about it. If you have competent cabinet level people keeping the departments going, Reagan proved your cheerleader in chief doesn't have to be the sharpest guy in the room. I do remember one passage in Tip O'Neal's book. Tip asked when the Grenada invasion was announced if Reagan had talked to Maggie Thatcher. Why talk to Maggie Thatcher? Well, Grenada is a Commonwealth country. You might expect little details like that to slip by an old guy, and Biden too could slip up, but you would think somebody in the administration would have remembered that little detail.

I do see Biden as being a one term president. Prepping Harris would be prudent. Still, if the Republicans are going to try to obstruct any attempt to help the people, things are going to look blue. The obstructionist strategy that worked in Obama's time is looking bad now. The death of the filibuster is only being justified. The Big Lie is looking shakier. Trump's legal problems are building in Georgia and New York, and he is trying to take money from the GOP contributors into his own PAC. Biden's first big legislative hurdle in the relief act is cleared. We finally have a Justice Department again.

Not bad for 50 days.