Format Changes, Part Two

Good news: 

*** Everything is pretty much the same. If you liked things the way they were, you can relax.

*** If you got the blog by email, it is an improvement. 

*** The new typeface is larger and easier to read.

But first, highlights of what has happened politically in the past 24 hours. This blog appears every day because so much is happening every day.

Election 2024. Mike Pence found reason to speak to some 300 Republicans in Manchester, New Hampshire. That is news in itself and a signal the he considers himself in the running as Trump’s successor.

Coup d'état. Mike Pence said that he and Donald Trump "would never see eye to eye" regarding January 6, but that Trump got a lot of great things done. Pence is threading a needle, being pro-Trump, but with reservations. Pence failed to condemn outright the fact that a president would actively, publicly demand that he throw out votes of the electoral college to perpetuate keeping the incumbent president and himself in power, and would then whip up a mob calling to hang the vice president if he didn't do so. A significant number of Republicans wanted him to consent to the overthrow of the election, and still do. He is hoping there is middle ground. Some people consider Pence a January 6 hero, but there is a long-term consequence to his position. He has normalized voiding an election to maintain power as something good people might debate and agree to disagree.

Infrastructure. President Biden continues negotiating with Republicans. They want the infrastructure, but don't want to pay for it by increasing taxes. Biden wants to tax individuals making in excess of $400,000 a year, and corporations by raising the tax rate. Biden agreed to drop his proposal to raise the marginal rate hike back up to 28% by replacing it with a 15% corporate minimum tax. Either way, taxing corporations is popular with the public, but it won't matter. There will be no GOP votes for a corporate tax hike. A more charismatic spokesperson than Biden might be able to make the case that some of the nation’s wealthiest corporations are making billions and paying zero—and rouse up the public. The problem for Biden is that he does not have the persuasive skills to rouse the public, and he couldn’t fully use them, even if he had them. The value proposition that got him elected was that he wouldn't be rousing up the public.

Vaccination rights. The GOP found a way to address COVID: Don't bully Americans about getting a vaccination. Their talking point is that it is a matter of medical privacy and "personal choice." They think they are trolling the abortion and reproductive rights advocates, throwing the autonomy and choice line back in their faces, and they are, but the more vigorously they adopt their language the more they validate that principle. It isn't a problem now for the anti-abortion effort, but they are sowing the seeds of future regret.

More about these in future blog posts. 

Let me answer some questions that came to me regarding the format change.

I will keep the current blog format of Up Close with Peter Sage at blogspot. People who have bookmarked that site and who go there will be able to do so as before. This site has a five-year archive and a search function. 

The typeface and background color will change to the one here or something like it. It is easier to read. I like it better.

The comment section will continue at blogspot, as before.

Instead of blogspot issuing an email version of the blog at about noon Pacific time, a copy of the blog will be sent out mid-to-late morning from Substack. It looks better.

People who get the email feed will be invited to click on the blogspot home link so they can comment.

Most of the readers of this blog do so because of word-of-mouth referral. Someone may have liked a blog post and forwarded it to a friend. Substack makes that sharing a little easier and it makes signing up for a subscription easier. People can un-subscribe easily. It is free and always will be.

People with questions or concerns--or if there is a technology glitch--should write me at peter.w.sage@gmail.com.