_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Henhouse


The point is that you just can’t be too greedy.
-- Donald J. Trump


Howard Schultz is running for President.

Former CEO of Starbucks. Self-described “self-made” billionaire.

Everything I've seen from this guy, every word he's spoken, every interview he's given, every poll he's bought, every article he paid someone to write, everything over the last few days tells me just how utterly horrible he'd be as President.

But this, this right here, this is the linchpin of it:


This is exactly what's wrong with Howard Schultz.

And it's the same thing that's wrong with Donald Trump.

Look at this. Look at what Schultz tweeted this morning.

Lots of opinions this week. Here’s another: 'They’re trying to bully Mr. Schultz out of running, but along the way they’re making the case for why he should.'

Bully.

He thinks he's being bullied.

He thinks he’s a victim. Of bullying. This guy.

He's quoting the conservative press, who thinks he's being bullied.

Bullied.

Howard Schultz, billionaire straight white guy running for president – the very epitome of power and privilege in America – thinks he’s the victim.

He thinks he is being bullied because the press asked him some questions.

He thinks he’s being bullied because social media asked him some questions.

He thinks he’s being bullied because his past is being scrutinized.

Most of all he thinks he being bullied because suddenly he's facing criticism that he can’t ignore for the first time in his life.


Pity him, Howard Schultz, poor little rich man put upon so unfairly.


Great. Another rich white straight male martyr, just what America needs.

These sons of bitches should be bullied. Maybe they'd understand what it actually means. How it actually feels. The damage that it actually does. The lives it destroys.

Listen to me: bullying is what happens when those who have power use that power to brutalize those who do not.

That is not what’s happening to Howard Schultz.

Howard Schultz isn't being bullied.

No one is bullying Howard Schultz, I doubt he’s ever been bullied.

He has all the power and now he wants more. And he’s trying to use that power to silence any questions, to bully his critics and his questioners into silence.

Just as rich privileged assholes like Howard Schultz always do.

He wants to be president. President. And so he's getting the scrutiny and the questions every candidate gets. No more, no less. But just like Trump, he thinks he's special and he shouldn't have to face it.

And that's it, right there.

That's the thing.


That is what makes Howard Schultz, and his ilk, ultimately unqualified to lead this nation.


It is not just that he doesn't know how to handle that scrutiny, it's that he doesn’t think he should have to handle it at all.  

He thinks his privilege, his wealth and power, put him above question, above examination, above criticism, above having to be better.

White, male, straight, wealthy beyond the reach of 99% of Americans, that’s who Howard Schultz is. The rules the rest of us labor under don't apply to Howard Schultz – he’s the guy who makes the rules. He doesn't think he has to answer questions. He doesn't think his qualifications are open to debate. He doesn't think that he has to face any criticism or produce any details. He’s got people for that.

No, he has all the power, all the money, he lives in the big house on the hill and owns every street corner and how dare the peons question him?

To Howard Schultz, that’s bullying.

He actually thinks he's being bullied because for the first time he has to answer, not the shareholders, but to those he wants to rule over.

Imagine a guy like that in charge.

A guy like that would never understand the powerless who actually are bullied by the powerful, from the weird awkward kid in grade school to those abused by business and government in this country every single goddamned day.

Imagine it?

You don’t have to imagine it, you already have that guy in office now.

That’s what makes Howard Schultz unqualified to be president. That right there.

Guys like this, Schultz, Trump, they think their wealth and power makes them infallible, makes them witty, intelligent, attractive, perfect. They do. Trump was right, when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, Grab 'em by the pussy. Shoot a guy on 5th Avenue. Hell, they'll tell you they like it, that you're funny, brilliant, so clever, ha hah, Mr. Rich Powerful Guy, you're amazing. So tall, so handsome, so smart, so funny – all while hiding their revulsion behind a fake plastic smile. If you think I’m kidding, just look at Evangelicals in this country, the ones trying to convince themselves that Trump is actually some sort of moral Christian. They know exactly how shitty Trump is. They know. Yes, they do. They pretend to hold the moral high ground, but they are every bit the greedy immoral money-worshiping pussy-grabbing hypocrites that Trump is. Because they enable him. Because they’ll put up with anything, so long as they get close to the levers of power. And so they tell Trump what he wants to hear, you’re so smart, you’re so handsome, you’re so sexy. And Trump is so morally bankrupt, so vain, so petty and small, that he believes them.

It’s no different with Howard Schultz, he’s the same thing in a slicker package – no different than the shitty burned coffee his company serves, whored up in slick packaging.





These guys, like Trump, like Schultz, their egos won't let them admit that it's their money other people admire. That's why everybody puts up with their idiotic comb-overs and bad breath, their ignorant clueless stupidity and their pussy grabbing boorish behavior.

We create these assholes.

Yes we do.

Rich guys like Trump, like Schultz? Sure, the fops and the hanger-ons, the toadies and the suck-ups, those who crave power, convince them that they're infallible and they believe it.

That's part of it. A big part of it.

But it's us too.

It is. We watch their horrible, idiotic TV shows. We buy their horrible shitty coffee. We elect leaders who enable their avarice and greed and selfish booger-eating stupidity at our own expense. We do.

It's our nature to do so.

That’s not an excuse, but maybe it’s an explanation of how we keep ending up here.

I, I, I, I, that's all these guys ever talk about. I. Me. Because that's all they ever think about. Themselves. You don't get to be Donald Trump, you don't get to be Howard Schultz, without first being a self-centered self-involved self-aggrandizing prick. If you do anything for anybody else, it's only because there's something in it for you.

Schultz isn’t a decent employer because he’s a decent guy, QED. He was a decent employer because it made him rich, because treating his employees with a bare modicum of respect was a whole lot cheaper than treating them like Trump treats his employees. That’s all. Is that terrible? Yes. No. Maybe. It’s good business. At least it was good for Schultz’s business. It made him rich.

But is that how you want America run?


Here's the thing: These people tell you that they'll run America just like they run their business.


And that is the one and only truth they will ever speak.

That's exactly what they do.

Howard Schultz will run government exactly the same way he runs Starbucks.

If you elect a businessman, they will run government exactly like they run their business. If they do anything for you, for the average American, it's only because there's something in it for them.

Hell, listen to Schultz, he's already talking about more trickle-down Reaganomics.

He thinks Reagan was a great President because he (supposedly) never took his suit jacket off in the Oval Office.

He doesn’t think rich people should have to pay for the privilege of being rich, instead he thinks they are entitled to it. Because they are better. Because they deserve it.

Folks, Government isn't a business.

Government should never be run like a business.

Good government is designed to protect you from business.

The business of business is business.

The business of government, our government anyway, is to protect its citizens specifically from businessmen just like Trump, just like Schultz.

You elect one of these greedy self centered sons of bitches and what do you get?


Look around, you're living it.


If you elect a businessman to run your government like a business, then you're gonna get the business.

And you're going to get it good and hard.

Every. Single. Time.


America isn't Congress. America isn't Washington. America is the striving immigrant who starts a business, or the mom who works two low-wage jobs to give her kid a better life. America is the union leader and the CEO who put aside their differences to make the economy stronger.
-- Barack Obama

68 comments:

  1. I seriously hope mister $5 cup of coffee realizes we do NOT need another billionaire in the White House.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He won't. I just hope his campaign fails fast enough he gives up in disgust. But he'll never believe America doesn't need him in office.

      Delete
    2. If he did, he wouldn't be musing about running.

      Delete
  2. Amen, Brother -

    You can extend that business bull shit to my states - Ohio and Michigan, after years of having Republican governors, and Florida, too.

    Business wo/men should never run government. They have the wrong skill sets, the wrong experience, and worst of all, the wrong attitude.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We need leaders who understand a balance sheet AND understand that they are being entrusted with the public's funds. Ideally, that would be anyone who manages a household and gets that taking out a loan for a house is not inherently a bad thing, but going into debt to buy magic beans is.

      Delete
    2. Without those magic beans there wouldn't have been the golden eggs...If anything we need leaders who understand our federal budget is nothing like a business or household budget at. all. That's one of the many problems we've had in the last 20+ years, we either have Republicans running up debt for short term tax cuts, or Democrats working to balance the budget when they should be focused on spending the provides more long term benefit (see maintaining and improving our infrastructure from roads and bridges to our electrical grid, to dumping tons of money in the sciences, etc.)

      That is why China is such a threat, they will work a trade deal that gives us short term benefit while they take the long term benefit.

      Delete
  3. He's also very FUCKING BORED because he has nothing left to buy and control!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HAHAHA...I just told him on twitter that he needs to go buy a 3rd world country

      Delete
  4. Dead on balls accurate. Every word.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You always write *exactly* what I'm thinking...always! Thanks Chief!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Brilliant as always. We don't need another businessman for president. And certainly not this one.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Bruce Springsteen said it best, "poor men wanna be rich, rich men wanna be king"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And the king ain't satisfied until he rules everything

      Delete
  8. The sheer arrogance of these guys is amazing. I'm fine if someone wants to change careers from business to politics - but why do assholes like these think they get to start at the top? If Schultz wants to be a politician, let him start off as a city councilman someplace, get some experience... Meanwhile, he can take his vanity campaign and shove it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Exactly! If he really wanted to make a difference he would start in his own community. Why do these guys think they are qualified to run the whole country with no government experience whatsoever?

      Delete
    2. Yes! Thank you! You put a name to the weird feeling I have about all this and that’s exactly it! They don’t want to be public servants. They want to be glorious leaders, with little to no climbing the ladder. Arrogance is the exact word. The office of President should have qualifications, dammit

      Delete
    3. There is NO chance that Howard Schulz could win any elective seat in Seattle, King County, or nearby suburbs. He is far from beloved in his home community.

      Delete
  9. Yeah this is spot on for sure! Funny how when I read your essays I always have Lewis Blacks voice in my head.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Questions and valid criticisms are not bullying. A business’s number one concern is the profitability and survival of that business. That is fine. But the government’s number one concern should be the people, not the government itself. As the Chief so accurately says, “... run your government like a business, then you’re gonna get the business.” Thanks for the excellent essay.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Has anyone of note gone on the record saying that they think it's a good idea for Schultz to run for President? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Man! am I glad that you have returned to the long-form blog: selfishly because I have terminated my FB and Twitter accounts but also because the medium facilitates longer/more cogent arguments in my view.

    Your analysis is spot on and I wish more people took the time to think through the "we need a businessman" (never a business woman as far as I can tell) as President platitude. As you so often state, "Why? Show your work." Is a business person better than, say, a nurse or social worker or musician or teacher? Is a businessman who came to power in a leveraged buyout and decimated the major employer in a small town a somehow better candidate than a long-time public servant?

    The fetishistic elevation of business leader (the greedier the better) as a model for public sector leader has been demonstrably disastrous for the country (as evidenced by the multiple indictments, ethics violations, and other assaults to the norms for officeholders by current and former members of the Trump administration). We simply must devote more time to thinking through the actual qualifications and policy positions of those running for office as citizens and members of a community rather than turning voting into an exercise in casual name recognition and "feeling good" about a candidate (that "He's a guy that I would like to have a beer (or overpriced coffee) with." B.S.). If not, we are in for greater and greater levels of trouble I'm afraid.

    ReplyDelete
  13. We view these things from down here in Australia with bloody amazement but not in a good way

    ReplyDelete
  14. I live in the greater Seattle metropolitan area, and I used to go to Starbucks when it was just a small business - five or six shops around town. I liked the one at Pike Place Market. I'd spend the morning busking over at the market, and pick up some coffee on the way home.

    When I joined the military, every time I came home on leave I'd nab some of their mail-order forms so I could get coffee shipped out to my base. It wasn't a judgement call on the quality of their coffee, though I really liked it then - just the powerful pull of something from home when I felt far away and isolated.

    I still feel that nostalgic fondness for Starbucks. No, the coffee isn't great. Yes, the coffee is overpriced. It's a huge globe-spanning business these days, and I recognize my emotional attachment as mere sentiment. I'm okay with that, and I can even admire the business savvy that resulted in such a ubiquitous presence. Millions of people will pony up too much money for that sub-par coffee, along with the Starbucks-branded cups, travel mugs, muffins, all the swag and bloat that comes from associating part of your identity with a big business. As if you, too, can become wealthy and famous by association.

    I know it's human nature, that ability to sell ourselves the idea that we're buying a shot at wealth and fame along with the overpriced swag. Trump's wealth and fame, used as a harness for the ignorant and dull, dragged his fat orange ass into the White House. Schultz's wealth and fame are already buying him unearned attention, and it's plain he hopes or expects that wealth and fame will buy him the Resolute desk as well. (Or the right to replace it with a desk bearing the split-tail mermaid logo, I dunno.)

    The Starbucks business model, like many other successful businesses, focuses heavily on crushing the competition - killing off the smaller companies who might siphon a few lousy bucks away from your own all-important coffers.

    When you're the President, the nation is your business. Men like Trump and Schultz are automatically going to view the citizens as their employees, or at best, their customers. Other nations are either competitors to be crushed or assets to be engulfed. Employees are as faceless and expendable as customers - there will always be more, and as you eliminate the competition they will all - employees AND customers - be forced to settle for what you'll pay (not a damned thing), and pay what you demand (walls, parades, every last thing you've ever owned.)

    American citizens aren't the President's employees, nor are we the government's customers. We are the government, and those in office govern only by our consent. It's designed that way.

    That doesn't make it eternal. The rights our ancestors won for us are being frittered away, whittled away, chipped away by men hungry for more - more power, more money, more control. These men have always existed, and I expect they always will. Men like Howard Schultz and Donald Trump, men who feel entitled to everything they want without question.

    So long as we're content to be consumers rather than citizens, so long as we're willing to give our votes to those who offer slick packaging on lousy coffee, or shitty vodka, or fraudulent universities - we'll get exactly the government we deserve. And as you say, we'll get it good and hard.

    Conversely, at least for a little while longer, if we pull our heads out and use our votes (every time, every cycle, every election) to elect our fellow citizens - men and women willing to work for the fairness and opportunity still embodied by the American dream, if not by the American reality? If we do our homework and do our duty, we can still drag that dream into existence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "If we do our homework and do our duty, we can still drag that dream into existence." Very well stated!

      Delete
  15. If, if this critter was as skilled and hardworking as the average Montana farmer, he should make as much.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wealth and privilege used to make a person feel obligated to help the less fortunate. At least for FDR and JFK. They both distrusted the ethics of businessmen and were in some ways considered traitors to their class. I guess what Mark Twain called the Gilded Age is the goal. At least now. Hoover was a businessman. And had some rapport with his nation. But ultimately failed. He was too tainted by the businessman ethos. It takes more to be a leader of this nation. And we tried military heroes, but they had imperfections. The right person comes from wherever but has the special gift. It isn't religion for sure we find out.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have to admit that I actually like Starbuck's coffee; I prefer it on the stronger side, and as long as I stick with the Coffee of the Day, I don't feel like I'm paying an arm and a leg for a fancy latte, which is more of a treat than an everyday wakeup ritual. :)

    That being said, Schultz's recent self-promotion of his campaign via the MSM--and his right-wing apologetics and "both sides are bad" views--has tarnished my opinion of him drastically. I used to have a modicum of respect for him for paying his employees more than the national minimum, providing them with healthcare and educational support, and also promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion (particularly against the RWNJs who complain about the Starbuck's "red cups" not being reverently "Christian" enough during the winter holidays).

    You are correct, though--as you wrote, "treating his employees with a bare modicum of respect was a whole lot cheaper", and, as you pointed out, made him a very wealthy man. Seeing him troll for trickle-down economics and lash out at Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for her support of a progressive tax structure is disappointing, to say the least. The fact that he badmouths "entitlements" and also trashes on the idea of Medicare for all when *his own company* provides healthcare for even part-time employees just doesn't make any sense to me as a ground-level voter and middle-class American who struggles with healthcare issues the same as millions of Americans like me.

    I do think his Presidential aspirations are ill-informed, arrogant, and even dangerous. We are at a point in our country where even the slightest risk of pulling away votes from the Democratic nominee and enabling another Trump win is incredibly dangerous, and for Schultz not to realize this makes me lose all respect for him. Here's to hoping he drops out of the running before March Madness hits, but I'll volunteer for and donate to whomever the Democratic nominee is all the same.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good post, I agree with most of what you wrote – except drinking their coffee. Nothing I can’t get at the local Speedway here in Indiana that won’t stand up to it. And it happens to be within a stone’s throw of the local Starbucks!

      But you made an interesting point about Schultz providing healthcare, while on the other hand trashing the idea of Medicare for All. I don’t know if Starbucks still does that, but part of the dynamic, I think, is the fact that his employees won’t need his healthcare anymore, because it will become portable. There’s an argument to be made that healthcare benefits provided by the employer leave the employees in thrall to the company that provides them. Whereas, Medicare for All would provide motility, and free them from having to work at a job that they can’t stand.


      Just like his railing against AOC’s views on taxation, his views only seem to bolster his own bottom line. Which seems to be a trend in those running for office.


      Leroy

      Delete
    2. I don't feel so bad knowing that I'm not the only person here at Stonekettle who likes Starbucks coffee. I usually only buy it off the shelf at the grocery store and consider it a luxury for my lifestyle.

      Delete
  18. Ridiculing Schultz, or other rich white guys like him, is the textbook definition of "punching up".

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not every rich white guy is getting punched here.

      Just the ones who are going out of their way to deserve it.

      There are ten other things Schultz could do to "fix" America - an honest moderate/centrist for example would be funding large-scale voter registration efforts - other than run a vanity independent campaign that threatens to spoil the 2020 election in trump's unholy favor.

      Delete
    2. I assume the point is that people who ridicule the powerless (punching down) are often told to use their creative powers for good by punching up. You obviously are doing just that. Keep on keeping on.

      Delete
    3. Sorry my point wasn't clear. If Schultz thinks he's getting bullied now, and he doesn't realize it's only going to get worse (five minutes of Colbert wailing on Trump would give him plenty of raw data), then he's neither smart enough nor observant enough for the campaign trail, let alone the Presidency. Even if being a billionaire did qualify him.

      LBJ said, "It is part of the price of leadership of this great and free nation to be the target of clever satirists." Eventually. To be strictly accurate, he also called CBS to ask the Smothers Brothers to ease up on him. It's never as simple as it initially looks.

      Delete
  19. Stonekettle essays, seem to be similar to buses, you wait around for ages and then 3 come along all at once.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heh heh! Great comment, I’m sort of off balance myself. : )

      Leroy

      Delete
  20. Starbucks has changed so much since they opened the first store in Seattle when i lived there. Schultz is the one who oversaw the whole expansion and commercialization. he's also the one who connected Starbucks to Nestle so now every time you buy a Starbucks brand item, at Costco for example, you're actually buying it from Nestle. We don't buy their stuff any more. You are absolutely right on in your assessment, he needs to crawl under a rock and never come out. I really hope we can get a reasonable candidate who appeals to a broad range of real people. I like Kamala Harris quite a bit, but i don't think it's very smart for her to run right now. it's early days, it will be interesting to see what happens.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You are cranking them out this month, Jim. And each is better than the last. Thank you and keep it up.

    ReplyDelete
  22. And so right about his coffee...burnt. I have a friend who envisions herself as part of his crowd here in Seattle
    Kids on the same soccer team, etc
    She is not rich like him.But it sounds good to rub elbows with, to drop his or his kids names...I never understood why. Whatever makes him think he's qualified ?

    ReplyDelete
  23. Not to mention Schultz fucked the Sonics (I'm from Seattle). Personally I want left of left this next time around. Someone that will get us back to what used to be center.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Indeed. The only good thing about Schultz's maybe/sorta/who knows candidacy is that the more whinging and entitled he sounds, the more likely he is to pull votes from the Republican Party. Because whinging about how badly they're treated is a central part of their psychology.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thank you for expressing your thoughts so well; I agree wholeheartedly.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Great piece but, you missed a word."...you don't get TO be Howard Schultz, without first..."

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thank you. You nailed what is wrong with Schultz.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm not a coffee drinker. Haven't found a cup of coffee yet that I find drinkable. But hot chocolate? Oh yeah. And IMHO, Starbuck's has the best. It is liquid chocolate. Not milk [or water] with lots of sugar and maybe a pinch of cocoa. I've even found the places I can buy the Starbuck's mix by the 2 pound canister. I've been stocking up on this in my pantry. Was just planning to add a couple more canisters to my stockpile. Family thinks I'm nuts. So be it.

    Now this CEO wants to be POTUS. So much for me increasing my stockpile. I'll go back to making my own mix. I hope his brand takes a HUGE hit over this political travesty.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Jim, I've been fallowing you for awhile. I find most of your essays and comments to be well thought out and informed. However; on this one I think you are being too harsh and painting with a overly large brush regarding Howard. True, he would not be my pic for President but not because he's managed to earn a few billion dollars. After all; he comes from modest financial beginnings, got a scholarship to be the first in his family to graduate with a college degree, and gotten to where he is by being good at what he does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I seem to recall him acknowledging Schultz's success in business, but I think we might want to pay some attention to those modest beginnings - living in housing paid for by healthy taxes on the extremely wealthy. HE got to use that ladder to climb up out of the hoi polloi, but he also wants to make damned sure he pulls that ladder up behind him.

      He's a pretty clear case of "I got mine, screw you."

      Being good at what he does is one of the most important things that makes him a TERRIBLE candidate for the presidency. I don't dislike Schultz as a businessman, but the skill set is completely different.

      Delete
    2. True in that Schultz had to work to his billionaire status. Problem is, when he got there he stopped being human.

      It's like becoming wealthy turns off an empathy switch in your brain.

      Delete
  30. This was worth every moment of my life that it took to read. Thanks (again), Mr. Wright!

    ReplyDelete
  31. "...and a king ain't satisfied 'til he rules EVERYTHING."

    ReplyDelete
  32. I don't drink coffee, but I laughed when I read the bit about the burned taste of Starbucks. My husband won't drink the stuff. He's been saying for years that it tastes like they left it on the roaster way too long.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Again, Jim, you have pierced the heart of the subject. These overly wealthy, privileged, out of touch assholes have no place in government, particularly as president. Aside from the fact he is unqualified in both experience and temperament, we need someone closer to the trenches who can empathize with the plight of those not hoarding millions and billions of dollars. I am a little proud that after tasting one Starbucks coffee I never went back. You are correct; it is horribly shitty coffee.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Besides, we prefer our monied elite to remain behind the scenes pulling strings, not out in public. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  35. Thanks, again, for your spot-on analysis.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I completely agree with you on this one. The government should not be run as a business. The government's purpose is to serve the people of the country, not the bottom line. The government's purpose is not to make a profit. The government's purpose is not to enrich those who serve. A businessman's priorities are not suited to run the country because he will always put his own interests above those he should be serving. Schultz claimed that AOC and Warren forced him to run as an independent. No, the ideals of the Democratic Party did because he doesn't want to serve the people of this country. He shouldn't be running at all.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Typo alert: "He think his privilege, his wealth and power, put him above question..." "Think" could use an "s" if you have one laying around.

    The only time I ever had Starbucks was when it was the only option in the Pittsburgh airport at 6 am. It was kinda OK, but it's rat piss compared to Tim Horton's.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I hear that tweeting anti-Schultz posts now gets you attention from a (presumably) Russian troll-bot.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. there's already twitter accounts like "BlackMen4Schultz" singing his praises. I doubt it.

      Delete
  39. When you watch and read Schultz, you're looking at a man whose agenda is very simple:
    He is terrified the Democrats will end the Republican tax cut policies and bring back high marginal tax rates on billionaires like himself.
    Look at who he's attacking. He's not attacking trump for being a failed leader the way an honest moderate would. Schultz is attacking Democratic Presidential candidates like Harris and Warren who are advocating raising taxes and paying for large-scale social aid programs, he's attacking AOC for promoting that 70 percent marginal tax for those earning over $10 million a year.
    Schultz has made his self-interest very clear here. In every other regard, he'll be just another Active-Negative self-obsessive angry at the checks and balances in government he never had to deal with running Starbucks company.
    Just read up the backstories coming out of Seattle about how he tore up a public park for his own goddamned driveway, and how he f-cked up Seattle's sports fanbase selling the Sonics over the building of a new arena Schultz could have paid for out of his own damn pocket.
    Schultz is no moderate/centrist. Schultz is an a--hole. Pardon my Swedish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The tax cut, and he sees what trump is making by selling access and public resources leases to foreign and business interests. He wants his cut.

      Delete
  40. He's a bully because he refuses to pay his own workers sub-livable wages! He's a bully because he ran the Seattle Supersonics outta Seattle!
    He's a bully because he refuses healthcare to all!

    ReplyDelete
  41. I could be wrong, but these guys have so much money I don't think that's it. I think it is the narcissism and other base qualities of the type that Jim writes about.

    ReplyDelete
  42. Jim, you always say the best things in the best way. the fact that 45 got elected proves beyond the shadow of a doubt but nothing is impossible. It's not impossible that Schultz could get elected. But if that ever happened, those who put him into office would deserve every bit of BOHICA but they brought down upon themselves. The sad part is, the rest of it would be taking it up the exhaust pipe at the same time, just like we are now.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Another brilliant observation. Thanks for this.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Schultz..reminds me of that beautiful,white,gleaming center you often see in the middle of a bird turd...thing is...no matter how beautiful it looks...it's still shit....==}:*{=}

    ReplyDelete

Comments on this blog are moderated. Each will be reviewed before being allowed to post. This may take a while. I don't allow personal attacks, trolling, or obnoxious stupidity. If you post anonymously and hide behind an IP blocker, I'm a lot more likely to consider you a troll. Be sure to read the commenting rules before you start typing. Really.