Author Archive: Bill Black
I'm a baby boomer, lefty Democrat, Boston Irish Catholic, born in 1953. I work as a public affairs consultant in Washington.
Obamacare Rises from the Politically Deadly
I’ve been thinking, and occasionally saying, that Obamacare will be a net benefit for Democrats in the midterm election. There is a growing chorus of speculation among the chattering class about this and they are saying it better than I could.
I particularly like Greg Sargent’s view in the context of the Arkansas race pitting Senator Mark Pryor against Rep. Tom Cotton.
And by the way, Cotton isn’t the only high profile GOP Senate candidate pulling a homina homina homina on his state’s Medicaid expansion. So is Scott Brown. And Thom Tillis’ gyrations on Obamacare repeal are similarly absurd. So clearly, this isn’t the uniform slam dunk issue Republicans claim it is. The scrutiny is entirely on how Democrats are handling Obamacare. But some attention should be paid to how Republicans handle the pitfalls of repeal going forward. Time to take another look at the conventional wisdom here.
Things could get very interesting in the Fall.
The Real Battle in the GOP
E.J. Dionne has an insightful piece in the Washington Post today reframing the battle within the Republican Party. Rather than describe the struggle as the tea party against the establishment, he points out that there are two establishments. When you look at where the money comes from to fund the tea party, it is difficult to portray them as a grassroots insurgency. Moreover, since the so-called “establishment” wing of the GOP has pretty much adopted the policy preferences of the tea party, as well as their loathing for negotiation with Democrats, it shows what the fight is really about. Power.
So, is this really the grass roots speaking to Washington? Or is it more accurately seen as a cadre of conservative groups, largely working out of Washington, rising up with a ton of cash to persuade voters to listen to them?
I would say the latter.
Philomena
The Real Philomena
Philomena is an outstanding movie. It has a plot that is full of surprises and a sensibility that is deep and spiritual. It tells the story of a Irish woman whose son, born out of wedlock, was ripped from her by nuns in Ireland who were, at best, misguided and, at worst, evil. Because it dares to expose a true story of bad behavior by the Catholic Church, it has unified both anti-Catholic atheists and conservative Catholics in their interpretation of the film. Both claim that the nuns represent the Catholic Church and that their evil is the Catholicism’s evil. Of course, the Catholic critics applaud the movie and the fundamentalists denounce it.
I saw a different movie. For me, Philomena represents Catholicism. I draw a distinction between the institutional Church, a human organization, and the so-called “body of Christ,” which is the congregation of the Church. Obviously, throughout history, the Catholic Church has committed some serious atrocities, from the Crusades to the Inquisition to recent clergy abuse of children. But I consider true Catholicism to be based on the actual life and teachings of Jesus, not what was decided by a bunch of bishops at the Council of Trent.
By that standard, Philomena represents my Church, or at least the Catholic religion that I observe. She suffered at the hands of the sanctimonious nuns, just as Jesus suffered at the hands of Romans and sanctimonious Jews. And, in the end, Philomena forgave her tormentors, as did Jesus. And she remained faithful, despite doubt.
The best thing you can say about the nuns is that they were profoundly misguided. What they did was beyond sinful. And the fact they continued their crime was unforgivable…..except by a true Catholic. But it was people like them that Jesus denounced the Gospels.
Philomena is the only Christ-like person depicted in the movie. That said, I also admired the atheist reporter, who was fairly principled, albeit cynical, in his atheism. Not to mention, very funny.
Nevertheless, despite the tremendous suffering that was visited upon her, Philomena forgave the evil nuns and chastised the reporter for his justifiable anger. Her behavior epitomized the words of Jesus on the cross, “Forgive them, Lord, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:24). That’s about as Christian as you can get.
The Passing of an Era
Speaker Tom Foley
Former House Minority Leader, Bob Michel, had a very touching remembrance of former Speaker Tom Foley in today’s Washington Post. He starts the piece with this incident:
Try as he might, Speaker Tom Foley could not gavel the House to order. It was Nov. 29, 1994, the last day of the 103rd Congress. I had just offered a resolution honoring him, and the speaker was being given a standing ovation for his 30 years of service. Our fellow members would not sit or quiet down.
It was a fitting tribute to a great public servant who assumed the mantle of leadership in the House at a difficult time.
Tom had just been defeated for reelection, and I was retiring. In an unprecedented gesture of goodwill and comity, Tom invited me to assume the chair on the speaker’s podium while he gave his farewell address. For the first time in 40 years, a Republican presided over the House, if only for a few minutes.
I was there. I was chief of staff to Rep. Steny Hoyer, then Chairman of the Democratic Caucus, and I was on the House floor to witness it. I remember it vividly, particular the gesture of Foley inviting Michel to hold the gavel and sit in the Speaker’s chair. Michel was clearly stunned. There wasn’t a dry eye in the House. He sat on the edge of the seat like a kid who knows he’s not supposed to be sitting in a grownup’s chair. It was enormously touching. Continue Reading
Winston Chases Deer
We are dog-sitting Winston, a tiny little dog who definitely competes above his weight class. Check out how he deals with some unwanted visitors in our yard.
A Trip to the Bund
Went to the Bund at the recommendation of the concierge. It is the waterfront walkway that overlooks Shanghai harbor. He said there were shops and restaurants. I found neither. It was a very scenic place. The Shanghai skyline is truly unique. It’s like the skyline that people in the 60’s would have predicted for the 21st century. Kind of like the Jetsons.
It was blazing hot. I walked along the waterfront and saw fewer and fewer people. The place was deserted and I was starving. I actually, got a little light-headed. What a place to have my heart attack.
Finally, I just decided to walk off “The Bund” and go into the city to find food. Went down some back alleys, incredibly grim. Dirty and smelly. People in little hovels cooking food for sale in open pots with the trash nearby. Dogs and cats roaming freely. Incredibly unsanitary and I have a high tolerance for those things. Starving, but couldn’t eat. Do I have to go all the way back to the hotel for food?
Finally, I stumbled upon “tourist central” and bought a cantaloupe on a stick just for sustenance. It was actually very good. Then, I wandered into a large open tourist area that was packed with people. Found a Coldstone and was very excited. But it was not like U.S. Coldstone. Two scoops of ice cream in a cup. The clerk ripped open a small package of M&Ms and just poured them on top. I threw half of it away to maintain my diet.
Still hungry, I came upon a long line for a dumpling place. Figured they must be good dumplings, so I got in line and waited about 20 minutes for my dumplings. They were fine, but again, threw about half of them away because they seemed so heavy.
Went back to the hotel to cool off. Secured a private tour for the evening.
Mass in Shanghai
St. Ignatius aka Xujiahui Cathedral
I attended Mass at St. Ignatius Church in Shanghai. It is presumably a Jesuit Church. It was much more traditional, in every respect, than Mass in Beijing. In fact, outside of the language, it was more traditional than most of the Masses I’ve been to in the U.S.
I went to the 7:30 am Mass on Sunday, which in the U.S. is usually a short Mass. One American priest said in his homily that he keeps his sermons short for the 7:30 am Mass, because people that come to Mass that early “have things to do.” Not so in Shanghai. In fact, the 7:30 wasn’t even the first Mass of the day. They had one at 6 am.
This Mass was a full “smells and bells” extravaganza. I was splashed with holy water and immersed incense before the priest even gave the sign of the cross. And the sermon was interminable, even allowing for the language barrier. It went on for about half an hour, where sermons in the U.S. are usually about 10 minutes.
Otherwise, however, I have to say it was a pretty rich experience. The choir and the congregation filled the church with song. And, unlike Beijing, the hymns were traditional western church music, though sung in Mandarin. I enjoyed the Mass and it was a good view of authentic Shanghai, as I did not see another non-Chinese person in the congregation.
Traveling at 187 mph
I’m on the high speed train from Beijing to Shanghai. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. Honestly, it was a bit of a let down. It’s very cool to travel at more than 180 miles an hour. But once you’re at that speed, that’s it. Nothing changes. So, the novelty wears off.
That said, it is an unbelievably smooth ride. It makes the Acela seem like a steam engine. But the seats are pretty common and it’s not a particularly luxurious experience. And I couldn’t get wifi to work.
So, one thing off the bucket list.
The video below is taken out the window and I regret that I stopped the video just as another train was passing. Of course, the relative speed between the trains was almost 375 miles an hour. Now that’s cool.
