On My Favorite Presidents, Zohran Mamdani, and Willie Nelson
MY REPLY: Where I answer your questions and try not to sound stupid.
You answered the call. The Convulsion community responded to my request for questions with a big bundle of queries. Your part is in italics. Mine is not.
Who’s Your Favorite?
College pal noted that I covered three presidents for The Associated Press — Clinton, Bush and Obama — and asks:
“Which POTUS’ White House that you covered was (seemed) most competent?”
“On a personal level, which POTUS did you like best?”
“(Fantasy question here) If they were each on the same ballot for POTUS while in their prime, who would you vote for?”
REPLY:
Obama
Bush
Clinton
Rancid, Dying Status Quo
Convulsions regular asked about potential lessons we might learn from Zohran Mamdani, the 33-year-old Democratic Socialist who is poised to be New York’s next mayor. Was his primary victory, Alan asked, “another sign of erosion for that ‘living embodiment of a rancid, dying status quo,’ as you described it two months ago?”
REPLY: It most certainly is. Mamdani’s victory — like Trump’s victories, like Obama’s 2008 win, and even like Clinton’s 1992 assault on the political establishment — is less about ideology than change. Voters are so desperate for change to the status quo that they’re taking desperate chances on disruptive change agents.
Beyond that, there are some tactical lessons we can draw from Mamdani. In today’s “Morning Read-In” for paid subscribers, I highlighted a Substack column by Democratic operative
, who wrote: “I’m impressed by the campaign he ran, and I’m inspired by the movement he built. I believe there are lessons in his win for every Democrat running for office in every part of the country—from places as blue as New York City to as red as rural West Virginia.” Those lessons:
Never Stop Communicating
Simple, Memorable Policies that Communicate Your Values
Focus on the Cost of Living
Insider vs. Outsider, not Left vs. Right
Running to Win vs. Running Not to Lose
Can I Trust Trump?
asked, “Is it possible to believe the Trump administration's intelligence regarding Iran?”
REPLY: No.
On Willie Nelson!
took me up on my offer to ask about anything — including my passion for classic country music. “Ron, have you heard Lukas Nelson sing? The tone, the phrasing—it’s a carbon copy of Willie. Makes me wonder: Are we drawn to this out of genuine appreciation for legacy and craft, or are we just hardwired to crave the familiar?”
REPLY: Yes. In life, as in politics, we are hardwired to crave the familiar — to believe what we want to believe. It’s called confirmation bias. On the subject of America’s greatest songwriter, I ache to know there is an equal talent waiting in the wings as Willie Nelson plays out his final tune. But it’s not the case. His son, Lukas, is a wonderful musician but he’s not his father. These are not his father’s time. Familiar is never exactly the same.
The Human Condition
followed up with a political question: “If politics is just a mirror of the human condition, full of preening, posturing, and chronic cowardice, could you seriously make the case that real change will ever be more than slow, incremental, or purely cosmetic? In terms of human dynamics, aren’t the political parties really just two sides of the same tired coin?”REPLY: Politics is a mirror of the human condition because its a human institution. Change often comes slowly and then all at once. And, yes, the duopoly is a mutually beneficial corrupt institution that needs to die.
Your underlying question is whether Americans will force substantial positive change on the political system. I hope so. But, honestly, I don’t think so. I’ve spent the last six months writing columns here that basically explain why we, the people, are responsible for political dysfunction, and why we are wired to resist making the changes that need to be made.
Anybody who wants to know more can start with my first two columns here and here and then scroll my Convulsions archives, which I’ve temporarily opened for to all subscribers.
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This has been “My Reply, a regular feature that allows me to engage directly with you. Ask me anything!
An unverified story has it that Jimmy Carter, RIP, smoked cannabis in the White House with Willie Nelson, extraordinary troubadore. I suspect that, unlike Bill Clinton, he DID inhale.
Hesitant to ask this, because it makes me seem insentive, but....
On tonight's NBC Nightly News, Morgan Chesky reported from his hometown of Kerrville, TX, point zero for the Texas floods. Makes sense to send him there for the story.
He interviewed his mother as part of the story. She still resides there.
At the segment end, they embraced and said loving words. Heartfelt, for sure. But I wonder, should NBC should have included that in the segment. Chesky was there to report on conditions. Did the hugs make it overly personal?
Your opinion?