Elisberg Industries
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like
Decent Quality Since 1847

Whine Cave

12/26/2019

0 Comments

 
I wanted to write this last week, but other issues and the holidays jumped ahead in line.  It came to mind after watching the Democratic debate.
 
I watched about an hour -- it was interesting enough, but I found a lot of repetition from having watched the other previous debates, and saw enough, figuring anything else of note that came up would be covered on the post-debate analysis.  But as time passed, by the next day, the more I thought about it, the angrier a particular section of what I saw made me.  The clip in question got shown a lot, so it's likely many, if not most people have seen it now, as well.  However I didn’t hear any commentary saying that the problem with it was the same as what I felt.  Other here may not either.  But for me, the issue has just grown.  It was when Pete Buttigieg and Elizabeth -- and to a lesser degree, Bernie Sanders -- got snipping at each other over fund-raising in “wine caves.”
 
What bothered me at the time, and all the more as I kept thinking about and see the clip over and over, is that there are three goals to the 2020 election – 1) Beat Trump, 2) Beat Trump, and 3) Beat Trump.  And some of these Democrats, mainly Warren and Sanders at that debate, are trying to be SO freaking pure that they’re complaining about where someone legally raised money. 

To be clear, I'm a strong supporter of strict campaign finance laws.  And I love being on the side of the Angels.  And I think holding out with purity as the goal should be striven for. 

But -- 

This coming year, 2020 -- as long as it’s absolutely legal and without any fishy stretching of the limits, and as long as we have no evidence of a candidate being corrupted by it – with the three top goals "Beat Trump," then I think Democrats should try to raise as much money as they possibly can!!!! 

If a candidate is against holding these small, elite events and doesn't want to hold them, fine, don’t hold them.  But the three goals are all to Beat Trump, so don’t start ripping part the Democratic Party because of where someone else raised money.  It was legal, we know of no corruption, and it was money, and it counts as money.  We can all be pure in 2024.  But I’m absolutely fine with setting a high standard in the Democratic Party for fundraising that is legal and decent and fair and above board.  What I don’t need is climbing even higher on the mountain top for “pure” in 2020 against Trump.  To paraphrase the old saying – that’s bringing lace gossamer doilies to a gun fight.

I understand that undue corporate influence in politics is something to work to avoid.  And I understand that favoritism to those who can buy it is unfair.  What what I also understand that the absence of these standards is not corruption.  Acts of corruption are corruption.  Legal, decent and fair are uncommon, good standards in politics   And when the goal is to defeat someone using Russian assistance, and using voter suppression, and using improper gerrymandering, and using impeachable extortion against foreign governments, and throwing people off the voter rolls, and is taking children from their parents and putting those children in cages, and is aligning himself with foreign dictators and is siding with white supremacists and is running an administration which is the dictionary definition of fascism --

-- then as long as its legal and without corruption, I couldn't care less if someone holds a fundraiser in a wine cave.  Or wherever they're doing their fundraising.  It's legal.  And without corruption.

If the question is "But how do we know it's not corrupt?", the answer is that asking a question is not proof of something's existence.  If it was, if questioning something meant the answer was proven, then pretty much everything would be suspect.  And we would live in Conspiracy Believer's Heaven.  Actually, there's an even better answer:  We know something is corrupt when there are indications and evidence of it.  Holding a fundraiser in a wine cave is not a corrupt act -- it's done because, when you're raising money, there's a good chance that that's where you're going to find money.

I understand wanting the most noble candidates to be elected.  And I don't mean that facetiously, but seriously.  But being legal, decent and fair, but not "pure," is not being corrupt nor even underhanded or improper.  It's being legal, decent and fair.

And the goal in 2020 is not to rip apart the Democratic Party for a lack of purity.  The goal is three things -- 1) Beat Trump, 2) Beat Trump, and 3) Beat Trump.

For 2020 most especially, as long as it's legal, decent and fair, I couldn't care less less where a fundraiser is held.  I care that every legal, decent and fair action -- every one -- helps to Beat Trump.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture
    Elisberg Industries gets a commission if you click here before shopping on Amazon.
    Picture
    Follow @relisberg

    Author

    Robert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. 

    Elisberg is a two-time recipient of the Lucille Ball Award for comedy screenwriting. He's written for film, TV, the stage, and two best-selling novels, is a regular columnist for the Writers Guild of America and was for
    the Huffington Post.  Among his other writing, he has a long-time column on technology (which he sometimes understands), and co-wrote a book on world travel.  As a lyricist, he is a member of ASCAP, and has contributed to numerous publications.



    Picture
           Feedspot Badge of Honor

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    Categories

    All
    Animals
    Audio
    Audio Land
    Books
    Busienss
    Business
    Chicago
    Consumer Product
    Education
    Email Interview
    Entertainment
    Environment
    Fine Art
    Food
    From The Management
    Health
    History
    Huffery
    Humor
    International
    Internet
    Journalism
    Law
    Los Angeles
    Media
    Morning News Round Up
    Movies
    Music
    Musical
    Personal
    Photograph
    Piano Puzzler
    Politics
    Popular Culture
    Profiles
    Quote Of The Day
    Radio
    Religion
    Restaurants
    Science
    Sports
    Technology
    Tech Tip
    Theater
    The Writers Workbench
    Tidbits
    Travel
    Tv
    Twitter
    Video
    Videology
    Well Worth Reading
    Words-o-wisdom
    Writing

    RSS Feed

© Copyright Robert J. Elisberg 2023
Contact Us    About EI    Chicago Cubs
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Products
    • Books
    • Movies
  • About Elisberg Industries
    • Our Corporate Board
    • Information Overstock
    • Elisberg Industries Entertainment Information
    • Elisberg Statistical Center of American Research
    • Consultancy Service
  • Contact
    • How to Find Us
  • Kudos
  • Good Things to Know
    • The BOB Page
    • Sites You Might Actually Like