Good Day Sunshine

[H2O Man]

I was playing this song in my mind while on my daily walk. I've long thought it was one of McCartney's catchier tunes. Plus I love "Revolver." Perhaps that dates me as an old fool, which is fine with me.

Being an old man, I had the unpleasant experience of troubling in walking on some recent days. Being stubborn, I decided to go for walks in my mind. Although I almost certainly burn less calories on mental walks, there is the unique advantage of strolling back to previous times in my life.

In the past few days -- specifically since Joe Biden announced his choice for vice president -- I've had an increased number of conversations with friends and associates on the telephone and internet. They come from a variety of backgrounds: a couple with doctorates in medicine, one in philosophy, a carpenter, a mechanic, a book-keeper at a university, and a few social workers. Without exception, they are of my generation.

One is mourning the death of a child. That is, of course, a brutal fate for any parent. We've been friends for over 50 years, and so she knows I have zero social graces, and is patient when I make an awkward attempt to ask how she is doing. Last night, we had a fairly long talk, and she was able to discuss the pain. Eventually, our talk included lessons that a Clan Mother from the Onondaga Nation taught me decades ago. My friend liked them.

I had been remembering the days I spent at Onondaga while taking one of my mental walks through time. Times change. The Elders I knew then are gone, and now it's men and women my age taking their turn as Elders. I was remembering, among other things, how one of the Clan Mothers had been quietly invited to visit President Bush the Elder at the White House. He told her that despite what "Washington" said publicly, they knew the environment had been severely damaged.

He said that they knew future generations would suffer the consequences, and asked for her advice? In a sense, it was nice that he wanted to talk to her, even if he wanted no media coverage. But it was sad that he thought there might be some magic Native American solution.

She told him, "The only answer is to use common sense. If you pour toxic wastes into the water, it travels downstream in space and time." Around that same general time, she also met with Mikhail Gorbachev. My impression is that he had a deeper understanding of what she was saying. I suspect that is why his leadership would eventually be undermined.

At the beginning of the 2020 Democratic Party's presidential primary season, I decided that I wasn't going to favor any one candidate. I thought they were all good, and I would have been glad to support any one of them who won the nomination. I took that position in person, on FaceBook, and DU.
I had said, before the official start of the season, that I hoped our party would nominate a non-white woman, when discussing the yopic with my son. He asked if it was good to "pick" based upon sex, race, and/or ethinc identity, rather than looking for the best qualified person? I said that we aren't in normal circumstances, and more: I thought that in the 50 state presidential election, Senator Harris would be the surest bet to beat Trump. But, of course, she did not do well enough in the primaries to raise the funds needed to win the nomination.

About half the conversations I've had in these 48 hours were with people thrilled that Biden picked Senator Harris, and half were people hoping for Rep. Karen Bass. I should add that about half are registered Democrats, and half are progressive independents, though this was not a factor in how they viewed Harris as the VP candidate. However, I do think that age played a significant role in people who hoped for Bass to be on the ticket.

I am a progressive, leftist Democrat -- at least in my own mind. However, I have a different understanding of what is possible in politics than I did when I was young. Thus, I am happy with the Biden-Harris ticket. I know, for example, that there aren't magical solutions to crises such as the environment. So when discussing November with everyone, I've said, "The only answer is common sense. If Trump somehow 'wins' re-election, the Constitution is dead."

Peace,
H2O Man

[spanone]

1. When I saw the Op title, I knew it was you.

K&R.

I like this Biden-Harris ticket.

Tough kindness.

Anti-trump.

[H2O Man]

4. Ha!

You were able to narrow it down that easily, eh? I suppose I have a history here. (grin)

I think it is the right ticket at the right time. I know the Trump campaign will make it ugly, and cheat in any and every manner possible. But I think we can crush them.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. I absolutely love that song, my dear H20 Man! Thank you for posting it.

I so agree with your conclusions here: "The only answer is common sense. If Trump somehow 'wins' re-election, the Constitution is dead."

And then our beloved country will be dead too.

We MUST prevail, and I believe that Joe and Kamala are the pair that will bring victory to all Americans, even those who hate them.

Thank you for your excellent post.

[H2O Man]

5. Thank you, Peggy!

I'm mildly amused at some of the horse shit I've read on FB in the past 48 hours. The Trumpites seem a bit nervous!

[Martin Eden]

3. You're my Blue Sky, you're my sunny day

Lord you know it makes me high when you turn your love my way.

Eat a Peach once in a while, and be sure to listen to Little Martha after Blue Sky.

[H2O Man]

6. Peach trees ......

My cousin recently brough me a box of great fruit from his peach trees. I consumed a couple while writing the OP. It all makes sense now!

[Martin Eden]

10. Threads of Life

... often come Come Together in your threads, Brother Waterman.

[H2O Man]

12. Come Together

"The thing was created in the studio. It's gobbledygook; Come Together was an expression that Leary had come up with for his attempt at being president or whatever he wanted to be, and he asked me to write a campaign song. I tried and tried, but I couldn't come up with one. But I came up with this, Come Together, which would've been no good to him—you couldn't have a campaign song like that, right?" -- John Lennon


"I think it works just fine in 2020." -- H2O Man

[panader0]

7. "I need to laugh, and when the sun is out,

I've got something I can laugh about."
I'm beginning to have a small smile. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Only 80 or so days to see if my smile is justified. I'm pretty sure it is.

[H2O Man]

8. It's been a strange year.

Lots of things shifting about. One associate told me that next week could be the strangest in many years. As much as I love the summer weather, I can't wait until the election is over, with a large Biden victory.

[malaise]

9. You have a gift

This is beautifully written and I so agree with you.

I am way left of both of them but that doesn't matter right now. The Con has to be removed.

[H2O Man]

13. Exactly.

I've liked Joe Biden for as long as he's been in DC. I've thought he would make a fine president since the first time he ran. While I prefer the modern method of grass roots funded campaigns, rather than corporate funded, I recognize that the transition with the internet is not happening overnight with politicians from the pre-internet era.

Still, not only because of the dire threat to the Constitution, I like our ticket because with Joe in office, the new generation of leaders in the House -- such as AOC -- will harness more power than while Trump is in office. The Biden-Harris ticket is a step towards stability, which allows for the AOC Democrats to institute much needed change.

[musicman65]

11. Peace and Love

To you and all,,,

[H2O Man]

14. When I go out

to my garden, I bring a CD player. I have electricity there, which allows me to listen to Beatles music while I tend to the garden. Lately, that includes the 50-year anniversary editions of The Beatles ("White Album&quot and Abbey Road.