Person of the Year is Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine

One of my favorite pieces of music is the Concerto for Piano, Violin, and String Quartet in D major, Opus 21, by Ernest Chausson. Yes, this is classical chamber music. Chausson, who was French, did his writing towards the end of the 19th Century, the end of the Romantic Era. He died way too young from a bicycle accident. The piece is somewhat a cross between a violin concerto and a violin sonata. A concerto is music for a solo instrument and orchestra, though in this case the orchestra is reduced to a piano and four string players. A violin sonata would be for violin and piano, but this has the addition of the string quartet. I’m sure I first heard this piece on a classical music radio station. Not long after that I bought a CD of it. I’ve long wanted to hear a live performance. I mention all this because there was a live performance this evening and I didn’t attend. Violinist Itzhak Perlman and friends came to Ann Arbor sponsored by the University Musical Society. I knew they were coming and have it on my calendar. But because of COVID I didn’t want to buy a ticket too far ahead of time. I checked the UMS website last night. The concert was close to sold out and the remaining tickets were expensive. So there was the price. Also, I didn’t care for the other pieces on the program. Also, while Michigan’s COVID numbers are down considerably the Ann Arbor area is still designated yellow by the CDC and I would be sitting in a nearly full hall with 3500 other people. Because of all that I decided not to go. Instead, I looked for performances on YouTube and chose one where I could watch the performers. And it turned out to be a good one! The quartet wasn’t mic’d as clearly as I would want, but still pretty good. Even so, I very much enjoyed the musicality, intensity, and drama of the playing. This performance was led by by Janine Jansen. The quartet players are named individually, but not as a quartet. The piano was played by Kathryn Stott. It is close to 45 minutes. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona has been the lesser of two Democrats who have kept important bills from passing in the last two years. She’s in the headlines this week for shifting her party affiliation from Democrat to Independent. Notably, she did this days after Rafael Warnock won the election to keep him as a senator from Georgia and giving Democrats a 51st seat and better control of the Senate. Laura Clawson of Daily Kos discussed two reasons why Sinema left the Democratic Party – primary challenge and seeking attention. That second one first. Yup, her name is all over the news, including an op-ed she wrote for Arizona’s major newspaper with lots of words about why she did it. Clawson explained why all those words are just a lot of blather. Also, before every bit Senate vote there is a reminder she will have to get special treatment to woo her vote. As for the primary challenge, Sinema is quite unpopular with Arizona’s Democrats. Some notable party members were already hinting they were ready to challenge her in a primary in 2024. But as an independent she won’t be participating in a primary. I’ve heard from a few sources today that Arizona is about one third Republican, one third Democrat, and one third independent. The winner in a statewide race is the one that can convince the most independents. But as an Independent, will Sinema attract enough of both Republicans and Democrats to win? Or will being a third person in the race split the Democrats, giving Republicans the win? The 2024 race for Arizona senator has begun. David Nir of Daily Kos Elections explains that Sinema’s actions do not throw control of the Senate to Republicans. That may be the reason why she waited until Warnock won his race. There are three things Sinema might do. First is to caucus with Democrats. She has said this is what she’ll do and two other independent senators – Bernie Sanders and Angus King – already do that. Democrats keep their 51-49 lead. Second is she could be her own party of one and caucus with neither party. Democrats keep a 50-49 lead. Third, she switches to caucus with Republicans. If that happens the Senate is back to 50-50 with Kamala Harris breaking ties and Democrats keeping control as they did over the last two years. So don’t fret over that. There are, of course, lots of cartoons about Sinema’s switch. Most of them are about Sinema doing whatever necessary to keep rich donors happy. This one is an example. Back to the race Rafael Warnock won. His Republican opponent was Herschel Walker, great on the football field years ago, but cringe inducing on the campaign trail. Rebekah Sager of Kos explained why he was such a bad choice for a candidate and why Republicans ran him anyway. Why he was a bad candidate:

For months, Daily Kos has covered Walker’s past, from his ubiquitous lies to the hypocrisies, incidents of domestic violence, and his pervasive, troubling and incoherent comments—not to mention his virulent hatred of the LGBTQ community.

And why Republicans ran him anyway:

Walker’s candidacy was humiliating for any logical American. But for Black Americans in particular, he represented every demeaning trope we have tried to run away from since being kidnapped and dragged to this nation and forced into slavery for centuries. For Black men specifically, Walker’s the trope of the absent father and uncontrolled and violent monster. He can barely complete a sentence, and when he does, it’s not just cringe-worthy but opaque and baffling. He’s a trophy-winning athlete, and we all know what white Americans think of the physicality of Black people. The GOP even gave him a campaign slogan, “Run Herschel, Run,” without ever thinking for a second what those words meant to Black Americans. Lastly, he’s self-loathing, the GOP’s favorite flavor of Black person—like Ye, Justice Clarance Thomas, and South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, to name a few. So, why would the GOP run this guy? Because he is all those awful tropes. And most of all, he can easily be controlled because of them. They ran him because his skin is the same color as his opponent’s, and that is all Republicans see when they look at the two men. Sen. Raphael Warnock, 53, with all of his accomplishments and experience, is no different in their eyes than Herschel Walker, compulsive liar and bigot.

Thanks to the voters of Georgia, especially the many black voters, Walker won’t be going to the Senate. Andy Marlette tweeted a cartoon about a clown at the side of the road with his thumb out for a ride. The father in the passing car says, “Don’t worry kids, it’s just another Herschel Walker voter. They’re moving to Florida where clowns still win elections!” Mark Sumner of Kos reported that this year Time magazine got their Person of the Year right. It is Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Spirit of Ukraine. He has been doing a masterful job of guiding his country and the world in the effort to defeat Putin’s immoral and unprovoked invasion. The Spirit of Ukraine has been shown repeatedly over the last nine months as citizens taunt, resist, and expel the invaders who want to destroy them and their culture. For taunting the best example is the woman who told Russian soldiers to put sunflower seeds in their pockets so when they died and were buried at least something good would come of them. Sumner included a video of that encounter. He also included one of the Ukraine spirit, a refugee who sang with backup provided by Lithuanians. Time awards their Person of the Year to the person or people who most influence the world’s events for bad or good. And Zelenskyy’s good has been far more influential than Putin’s bad. In a report from a week ago Sumner wrote about Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv. This is another example of the Ukrainian spirit. Irpin was heavily damaged in the first weeks of the war. There were abandoned cars and empty strollers as people grabbed their children and ran. And now the city is rebuilding, or at least drawing art on the damaged buildings. And one can buy a Christmas tree. In a report from ten days ago Sumner wrote that in major wars a new technology makes a big difference. In WWII it was planes and aircraft carriers. In the Vietnam war it was helicopters. In this war of Ukraine liberation it is drones. Both sides are using them much more often, more effectively, and in more imaginative ways than had been used in previous wars. It may get to the point where we think of “pilot” as someone who guides a drone while keeping feet firmly on the ground. A week ago ChrisO_wiki tweeted a thread:

People across Russia are freezing in their homes in temperatures as low as -38°C because essential utility workers have been mobilised – even after the supposed end of mobilisation – and sent to Ukraine, hindering repair and maintenance work at home. The "We can explain" Telegram channel reports that several regions and cities in Russia, including Astrakhan, Krasnodar and Rostov, are suffering problems with their communal heating systems because the engineers responsible for maintaining them have been mobilised.

For those not used to Celsius -38°C is about -34°F. Mighty cold.

I don't care about his morals, I want control of the Senate

There are a pair of bridges, one for cars and trucks, the other for trains, across the Kerch Strait, that bit of water between the eastern side of Crimea and Russia. These bridges are the only way to drive from Russia to Crimea without going the long way around through Ukraine (even if it is Russian controlled Ukraine “annexed” by Russia). The bridges are 12 miles long. Today there was an explosion on the road bridge exactly when a fuel train was alongside. Yes, the train caught on fire. One section of one direction of the road bridge fell into the water. Kos of Daily Kos has the first images to the story posted at 12:48 am eastern US time (online time calculators say there is a 7 hour time difference, so Kos posted 7:45 am Ukraine time, though the explosion happened before the sun was up). Kos posted additional photos and videos over the next couple of hours (and didn’t get much sleep). Mark Sumner of Kos had time to do some analysis before posting this morning. The big question is what made the road go boom? Short answer: he doesn’t know. And no officials are saying. Well, Russia is saying a truck bomb, but we know they tend to not tell the truth. Sumner, who was in the military and dealt with things that go boom, explained what he saw in the best video of the explosion. It wasn’t a truck. It seems to have come from below and to the side of the road bridge. It doesn’t appear to be a missile (none appear in the video before the explosion) and how could a missile time it just right to catch the train going by? As Chereese tweeted, it could have been Godzilla. Russia had said the Kerch bridge is “civilian infrastructure” and thus supposedly off limits to war bombings. But Sumner included a video of tanks mounted on a train going across the bridge. Yes, this will hamper Russia’s war effort. This is a major way to get supplies into Crimea and from there into the Russian held territories in southern Ukraine. The bridge can be repaired, but it will take a while. In the meantime Russia will have to use alternate means to supply its troops and the residents of Crimea. And those residents are freaking out. Herschel Walker is a former football great and the Republican candidate for the US Senate for Georgia. He’s running against Rev. Rafael Warnock, who was elected to a partial term two years ago. It seems Walker has been saying stupid thing after stupid thing, including: He denied having children through any woman other than his wife, then admitted there were other children out there. He said he is firmly anti-abortion, then a woman came forward saying he paid for her abortion and has a get well card with his signature. Greg Dworkin, in a pundit roundup for Kos, quoted a few people with something to say on Walker and Republicans. First is Michael Cohen of MSNBC:

The muted response from some of the country’s most virulent critics of abortion is an instructive reminder that for many conservatives — particular conservative politicians — opposition to abortion has little to do with morality, and everything to do with politics. Indeed, conservative commentator Dana Loesch summed up best the rank hypocrisy of the anti-abortion movement. Calling Walker’s former girlfriend a “skank” she said, "I don’t care if Herschel Walker paid to abort endangered baby eagles. I want control of the Senate.”

As with the nasty guy, it doesn’t matter what he did. It matters whether his vote is reliable. Dworkin included a tweet by Doug Jones, who included a link to an article on Politico:

Folks it’s time to acknowledge that “evangelical” is no longer a Christian religous label but a political one focused on political power more than faith. Walker’s opponent is an ordained minister whose life has been a demonstration of faith and service.

Dworkin quoted Ty Rushing of Iowa Starting Line, which I’ll summarize: Routine stories about electric vehicles draw intense and fierce debates. And Dworkin quoted a tweet by Sarah Reese Jones that includes a video of comments by Biden. Jones wrote:

Biden names names of Republicans who voted against infrastructure and then asked for money. The President said, "I was surprised to see so many socialists in the Republican caucus."

Bill in Portland, Maine, in a Cheers and Jeers column for Kos, quoted late night commentary.

“A former girlfriend of Georgia senate candidate Herschel Walker claimed in a new interview that Walker paid for her to get an abortion in 2009. And the only way that will hurt him with Republicans is if some of that money went to pay down her student loans.” —Seth Meyers “I literally don’t even understand what that means. My sense of manhood is not connected to whether or not my vehicle is fueled by gasoline or whether it’s fueled by electricity.” —Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Fox News, responding to Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene's remark that electric vehicles “emasculate” drivers.

Sumner reported on the continuing protests by women over the requirement they wear the hijab while in public. The protests have added a new dimension – girls schools. Officials may think there is no leadership to these protests – leading people that, if eliminated, would cause the protests to collapse. Officials may also think a revolution can happen only with assault rifles. Sumner quoted Dr. Rohman Alvadi:

Unlike in previous protests, where people would flee the security forces, what we’re seeing in these protests is that unarmed young people are standing their ground. And that kind of bravery is a real problem for the regime, because it all it does is encourage more and more opposition and more people to come out. In my view, this is the beginning of the end. This is the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic. ... Something fundamental has changed in Iran and we are never going back.

In a show of sisterhood, famous women around the world are cutting their hair. This international solidarity is important both now and when the regime falls. Cartoon Movement tweeted one by Marzieh Khanizadeh showing the high heels kicked aside and a woman lacing up combat boots. Pat Begley, editorial cartoonist for the Salt Lake Tribune, tweeted one showing a man with an American flag draped as religious stole and holding high a cross saying “We need more God in government!” A woman looks over his shoulder to see an Iranian cleric and another I can’t identify about to beat women at their feet. Begley added above the image: “Mixing politics and religion is toxic.” A cartoon by Matt Wuerker of Politico shows a pastor changing the sign in front of the church. The top of the sign says “Today’s Religious Issues” and it shows “abortion.” Being taken off the sign are “Peace,” “Tolerance,” “Charity,” Poverty,” and “Love.” The pastor is looking over his shoulder at a statue of a benevolent Jesus and the pastor says, “What?!” Yeah, this is saying the conservative Christian pastors in America are quite similar to the conservative Muslim clerics in Iran.