HRC As FDR - A Rhyme

OK, OK, I get the message.  Write more, work less.  Right?

It's been a stressful month of putting together several projects at one time.  One of the banes of the freelancer is marketing one's self.  When one is busy, it is easy to forget selling for future projects.  But even worse is when one goes all out to bring in new projects and they all hit at once.

And thus it has happened, after a long dry spell in July and August, suddenly all the various bids and proposals I've floated out there are coming back to haunt me.  Any one of them would require my complete attention, but more than that would absolutely swamp me.  Thus, here I sit wondering how to juggle a couple of massive projects lasting several months to years, and trying to keep up with a rather vocal and persistent readership that insist on their daily abuse.

At any rate, I still have a minute or two a week to keep up with the absurd circus generally referred to as the US Election 2016.

A lot has been made of Hillary Clinton's perceived health issues and the somewhat obvious attempt by the media to bury the story.  A few writers and commentators out there have said that this is unprecedented in US political history.  This observation is completely incorrect.

A few decades back, there was a president called FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt).  Few people know or stop to think about the fact that his was the first case of political health cover-up that I am aware of in US history, and it is a whopper.

FDR was stricken by polio as a child and was left permanently crippled - unable to walk.  He wore heavy iron braces on his legs that could lock in place when he wanted to stand.  You need to look long and hard at the historical record to find photos of him in a wheelchair or being helped by attendants.  The famous photo of FDR, Churchill and Stalin at Potsdam shows all three seated to accommodate his handicap.

In fact, you would be hard pressed, even today, to find a photo of FDR where he isn't seated (think fireside chats) or behind a podium.  When he stood, he was subtly helped to his feet until his braces were locked in place.  He then would make a practiced move to the podium without waddling to speak.

Keep in mind that FDR was elected to four terms - unequaled in US history - and was president throughout the Great Depression and World War 2, for a total of just over 12 years.  He was arguably the most visible world leader in all of history, to that point.  He died one month after being inaugurated a fourth in 1945, which begs the question of his health issues during the final campaign.

Despite all this, FDR's handicap was nearly invisible, and the media were actively complicit in hiding it.  They knew about his infirm condition and yet refused on a voluntary and conspiratorial level to keep the facts a secret.

Whatever you think of FDR (I happen to think he was one of the worst things to ever happen to the US), you cannot deny the well-documented media cover-up of his health, which was clearly failing during his fourth and final campaign.  The media knowingly and actively hid pertinent facts from the masses, and proves conclusively that it not only can be done, but has been done, regardless of how you justify it.

Turning again to Clinton's perceived problems, we see much the same effort and possibly motivation to hide her health issues.  Despite what are rather obvious things, such as bulky clothing to hide devices, fresnel-lensed glasses, hand rails and handlers, coughing fits, seizures et cetera ad nauseum, the media not only ignore these things, but actively work to stifle any but the most fringe discussions of such.  They have even gone so far as to demand a retraction from Dr. Drew and label anyone bringing up the issue with the dreaded "conspiracy theorist" title.

Many folks, at this point, will ask what could motivate the media to do such a thing?  Thought you'd never ask.

Suppose Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, is truly the one the elite want in office, yet know he could never win, or at least his chances were minuscule compared to the field. Further suppose the elite wanted to grant Hillary's dying wish to be the first female president as a reward for many years of unquestioning service (servitude).  Would you, as a member of the 0.001%, pair Clinton with Kaine knowing that she would most likely be dead or incapacitated within the first year?  Would you plan, with your cronies who control 98% of the media, to hide, obfuscate and circumvent the health issue?  Would you keep your candidate out of the public eye and rig the elections to kill two birds with one stone?  Would you do anything - drugs, machines, trick photography - to keep your candidate moving long enough to make it past the Electoral College vote, if not the inauguration?

While this may seem preposterous to some, it has already been done with FDR.  It also fits the known facts and strong suspicions.  It would be relatively easy to achieve, if you owned the media and the electronic voting boxes.

In short, we see the means, motive and opportunity converging on Election 2016.  Whether one supports Clinton out of party, gender or ideological solidarity, one would do well to examine the health issue and take a much closer look at Tim Kaine, as he could likely be the actual next president of the US, after Hillary's ceremonial history-making month or two in office.

It is also worth a moment to re-examine FDR's presidency and the massive media complicity, when considering whether it is possible or not to pull off such a cover-up.

As I've stated a number of times this year, history is rhyming and on all kinds of levels.  In fact, one could even view Trump as Teddy Roosevelt and Clinton as Franklin Roosevelt when assessing their characters and public personas.

It's a remarkable year in so many ways.

Deja Vu Once Again

It's rather spooky really.

I have these memories burned into my brain from a year called 1968.  I was an impressionable 7-year-old with a father in politics, so I was in the center of a lot of things I didn't really understand at the time.

That year, the Republican National Convention was in Miami, FL, and my dad had just been elected to the Texas Senate after switching to the Republican Party (a revolutionary act in 1960s Texas controlled by the Johnson Machine).  Richard Nixon was the nominee and Eisenhower was one of the key speakers.  The date was August 5, so the notorious Democratic Convention was still two weeks away in Chicago.  But even still, there were violent protests, tear gas and plenty of unrest.

That year, it wasn't the Iraq/Afghanistan War, it was the Vietnam War.  Instead of five cops getting killed in Dallas, it was four students at the Kent State May 4th Massacre.  A month before that, Martin Luther King, Jr. had been killed, and a month after Kent State, Robert F. Kennedy was shot dead.

That year, there had been huge race riots in parts of Baltimore, MD, and the governor of Maryland, Spiro Agnew, had done a fair job of calming folks down.  That brought him to Nixon's attention and he ended up being the Vice President nominee.

The entire US was embroiled in the anti-war/pro civil rights movements, with one of the largest demographic groups in history - the Baby Boomers - coming of age and causing a major disruption to nearly every segment of society.  America society was dealing with significant issues on nearly every front - social, political, racial, religious.  The year 1968 was one of great upheaval.

A number of well-known writers and pundits, including Dr. Benjamin Spock, were indicted for telling folks to burn their draft cards.

The USS Pueblo with 83 souls on board was captured by the North Koreans for violating territorial waters.  Nguyen Ngoc Loan executes a Viet Cong prisoner captured during the Tet Offensive and the photo goes viral (see above).

Walter Cronkite declared the Vietnam War unwinnable.

US troops kill 500 men, women and children in My Lai, Vietnam.

Violence breaks out during King's March on Memphis, with a black boy dead and 60 people injured.

LBJ announces he won't run for president.

In Paris, the Student Revolt flares with violence and the infamous Bloody Monday riots.  The revolt spreads with nine million workers going on strike.  Eventually, de Gaulle calls out the military.

Andy Warhol is (mercifully) shot dead.  RFK is shot by Jordanian Muslim Sirhan Sirhan.

Prague Spring heats up in Czechoslovakia and Soviet leaders begin planning an invasion to suppress the movement.  Later in the year, 200,000 Soviet troops cross the border on the way to Prague.

LBJ gives his "guns and butter" speech while announcing a 10% hike in income taxes to pay for the war.

Abbie Hoffman calls on Yippies to come to Chicago to disrupt the Democratic National Convention.  During the convention, Chicago police cause a riot by beating protesters and launching tear gas into the crowd, forcing Mayor Daley to try and explain their actions to the world.

Women's libbers and NOW join forces to "burn" their bras at the Miss America contest (presumably before Trump owned the brand).

Mexican troops kill student protesters in Mexico City.  The Olympic Games in the same city are boycotted by several African nations to protest apartheid in South Africa, and two US athletes make headlines by giving the "black power" salute during their metal ceremonies.

LBJ halts the bombing of North Vietnam.  Richard Nixon beats Hubert Humphrey by less than 1% of the vote, while George Wallace pulls 14%.  The election is followed by national draft card burning and South Vietnam finally agreeing to join the Paris Peace Talks.

The year ends with one of the lowest unemployment rates for two decades and three men orbiting the Moon for the first time ever, making an immortal Christmas broadcast to the world.

As you read all that, you may hear some echoes with 2016.  The parallels are rather spooky, really.  Sure, the names have changed, but the currents and eddies seem familiar.  About the only thing the world hasn't seen yet is a wave of assassinations (gods forbid).

If we take the time echo as an indicator for the remainder of the year, we are likely to see some wild events in the coming months.  It's likely the conventions will be tumultuous, racial tension will remain high and a lame-duck president will try desperately to salvage his place in history.

As George Ure is fond of saying, history doesn't repeat, but it does rhyme.

Buckle up folks.  Here comes the big dip!