Today in History, July 17, 1918- Czar of Russia and Family Executed

Just Who is Joe Biden? Part 1-

Ok, I know what you're thinking. "Ugh. He's the nominee, Sanders has conceded and endorsed him, as have all the others. He's the only candidate running against Trump who can defeat him, unless some MCU Action hero barges into the Nationwide Zoom broadcast of the Democratic Convention, and somehow uses levitation to hijack the nomination. I. Don't. Like Him. My friends don't like him, they would rather stay home than vote for him. He's old, he's white, he voted with Conservatives, his memory is failing, he makes embarrassing gaffes, his hair transplant is awful, his son Hunter has been for the last year the "Hunted" as he is accused of everything from being an Agent of China and Ukraine, to covering up the truth about Area 51. Plus, Biden's grabby. Women have said he's everything from a rapist to overly affectionate. I would never, ever, I, I I, ah, ahhhhhh, aaaaauuuuuugh! Fuck."

So, I feel you. I know how it is. I wish it wasn't this way. I wish I could send a condolence card from Hallmark to every Sanders supporter and Independent, that says, "so sorry for your loss". I wish I could make you all feel better with a pedicure, and a Shiatsu massage, and maybe a little taste to take the edge off. Well, I'm sorry, I'm stuck here in Upper fucking Darby sheltering in place, and I can't be there for all of you who need me. So, no massage, just a pithy, short, possibly unpleasant riff on "why things are the way they are", and why you'll need to dial down on your gaming for the next 5 months.

First, some house keeping. You have your opinion. That's nice. The good thing about that is that you don't necessarily need to know anything about anything in order to have one. You can know something, of course, but it's not a requirement. But, if any of you should decide that you want to speak with others for purposes of engaging them in activity, you'll need to know some stuff, and be accountable for what you say, since it affects others. That is a whole 'nuther Universe of difficulty, because it means that before you open your mouth, or pound your keyboard, you need to do a "validity check", and subject your own opinions to an evaluation, which is both factual and subjective. You can do this in the shower in the morning, ladies after they do a Breast self exam, and guys after they feel around their groin for Hernias. "Balls, check, Boobs, check, Opinion Validity, check". etc.
This is uncomfortable, since the reason you rarely check yourself is that you are afraid you'll find something bad, so it's easier to avoid it than stress out. For example, "I hate politics, both Parties are the same, you can't trust anybody, it's all about _____, it's just a class struggle and you can't change that until you get rid of ___ ism and replace it with _____ism, etc etc".

Now, admit it, an honest self evaluation of this set of opinions is not accomplished by "fact checking". It is 100% subjective. Think through the implication of this belief. The cynical, rage driven populist posturing which insists that change is not possible within the system, is simply a self written "permission slip" from your Mother, asking to be excused that day from participating in being a human being. (which starts after Gym class) Wooaaaahhh! Yep, getting in your cage a little bit. Humor me, I'm stuck at home by myself, gotta have some fun.

I'll take the "leap of faith" that if you have made it this far into this thing, that you have an attention span, (or that I haven't blown you out yet) and are interested in talking with others. That you're not cynical and want to change things. So, you have separated yourself out, and want answers to the question on the table. What was it again?. Oh yeah, Joe Biden's memory, or something like that. Don't worry, I'll get there.

For the moment, put aside all of the "oh fucks" I mentioned in the beginning. Let's start at square one. Joe Biden is from Delaware. He's a Delawarean, or Delawoid.
Look at the Map. Delaware is small. Its hanging there between NewJersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland like a tiny little Micro-penis, flopping in the breeze, never getting any bigger, just kind of there. Old Joe is the six term US Senator from that shriveled up, dangling participle of a State, and is inextricably patterned on its political and economic DNA. So, to understand why Joe Biden is your Savior, (oops, jumped the Shark on that one) you need to understand where he comes from.

Delaware. "The First State". Yep, that's right, Delaware was the first of the newly Independent Colonies to ratify the new US Constitution. They got off to a great start, but it was all downhill from there. The duPont Family which had attained power and wealth by manufacturing the Gunpowder for the Continental Army also went downhill, as they oriented toward wealth creation instead of progress. The Maps say that the Mason Dixon line ran through a part of the State in the Southwest corner. Geographically it is parallel to the Peninsula of Maryland which falls mostly below that line. It was also a Slave State, and though it was a Border State that remained in the Union, 3,000 or more Delawareans joined the Confederate Army to fight for Slavery. That means that every time you Philly guys drive over the Border to the Total Wine on Naaman's Rd looking for bargains, you are in Rebel territory, and ya better git outta there, right quick.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Delaware is infamous as well as having been the staging ground for the Southern Slavecatchers, who made their living capturing runaway Slaves and returning them to their owners. The Underground Railroad operation of Harriet Tubman went right through there to bring them to Philadelphia, through our very own Upper Darby. Thomas Garrett, after whom Garrett Rd here is named was a Philadelphia Iron factory owner, who equipped the escaped Slaves with shoes, both to protect their feet, and also because with shoes they were less likely to be ID'd as Slaves. So, there was a large network which facilitated this from Delaware to Philly, run by Harriet and her collaborator William Still. However, it was dangerous work, because the Slavecatchers would also kidnap free blacks and take them South to be sold, so they had to have a good early warning system. Yes, Delaware was a mixed bag. And, it still is.

To this day, the State is run like a Plantation by the mega Corporation duPont. They pretty much control the politics of the State, and have for a Century and a half. Add to that the fact that the State has no sales tax or Banking regulation worth speaking of, and the sixth lowest property tax in the Nation. They have become a safe haven for Credit Card companies, and Safe Deposit Box for offshore money, who set up LLC's there to avoid taxes. When Trump paid off Porn Star Stormy Daniels, lawyer Michael Cohen set up an LLC in Delaware for the purpose of the one transaction, with money brought in from offshore.
Someone should look up "Putin Bank and Slush Fund, LLC", it's probably there.

Then there is the other Delaware, which is the one that elected Joe Biden 6 times as a Democrat. There are the cities of Wilmington, which is historically African American, as well as Newark and Newcastle, which have large, ethnic working class populations, many of whom are Union Autoworkers and Machinists, who work at the Autoplants there or the Aerospace plants and International Airport along the Delaware River. There is also the Philly Navy Yard, (What's left of it) and the Oil Refineries close to the ports of Wilmington and Philly. Then, you have the US Airforce base in Dover Delaware, which is unfortunately most well known for its role of taking the remains of US Military personnel who were KIA in their coffins from the planes that bring them home. It's a hallowed place, and anyone whose been there knows that it's a big part of of the pro-military culture of the State.

So that is your mix. Military families, Unions, White and ethnic working class, highly skilled Labor, descendants of Slaves and Slave catchers, Oligarchs, mega corporations, African Americans and Bankers. So, imagine what you have to say, and have to be, in order to get elected in that State six times. What's involved is creating yourself as a Hybrid Democrat, an amalgam candidate who can't get elected without the Democratic activist base, or the money coming from Banks, Industry, and Military families that are traditionally Republican. You not only have to run a balancing act, you have to have Multiple Personality Disorder. Imagine for a minute, being a Chameleon, who accidentally wanders onto a swatch of cloth which is green red and blue Scotch Plaid, huffing and puffing, giving itself heart failure trying to change color to blend in. This little metaphor aptly describes the entirety of Joe Biden's political Career. Aside from his personality, and the fact that he is Catholic, these are things you need to know to understand what makes him tick, from his affinity for Barack Obama and African American political causes, to defense of Labor, to his not so good votes on Judicial, Criminal, Environmental, Tax and Banking policy. Like the State he comes from, he is and always has been a mixed bag. However, you will be happy to be reminded he is emphatically not running for the President of Delaware. This has implications.

So, hit the pause button, and hold on to one thought: the only thing which is constant is change. Which emphatically can apply to people. I'll be back with part 2.