I don’t get it.

She excoriates Biden in the debates and suddenly he picks her as his running mate? This is why people hate the Democrats. They’re squishy, without a backbone, so busy doing what’s expedient, triangulating, that you can’t believe in them so they lose.

It’s about passion more than dogma. One thing about Trump, you cross him and you’re toast. People are excited by Trump. Is anybody excited by Kamala Harris? If so, why did she have trouble raising money during her presidential run, why were her numbers so bad?

I know, I know, I’m raining on your parade. You’re thrilled that Biden picked a woman, a black one at that. And I’ve got no problem with that, it’s just unlike the talking heads, Rachel Maddow, and the newspaper writers, I cannot get excited about it.

I live in California. Before she became a senator, Kamala was attorney general, someone you voted for on a party basis, it’s not like she had a profile. And since she’s been in the senate…

This is not AOC. Someone like Trump, not beholden to the past, doing what she believes in her heart as opposed to her head. You see politics is a game. Of professionals. And they want you to play it their way. These same pros totally blew it in 2016. I’m not talking about the pollsters (who no matter what Nate Silver says got it wrong, I didn’t hear Silver emphasize the odds of Trump winning before election night, it was about the margin, not the possibilities), I’m talking about the whole damn Republican party. That’s right, the usual suspects, the kingmakers and their pawns, the candidates, were steamrolled by Trump. They didn’t see it coming. The truth is Republicans are anti-immigrant. And despite some good apples on that side of the fence, that’s where the white nationalists reside, and Trump plays right to them. You see Trump has a new style, you don’t play to everybody, just those on your team. He’s never been president of everybody, but he won, and he could still win again, not that I believe he will. But I do not believe he’ll go down without a fight. Come on, he’s already laying the groundwork to delegitimize the election. He’s cutting the Post Office in plain sight, decrying mail-in ballots, if you think it’s a fair fight, you’re ignorant.

And Biden… Come on, he’s done nothing to counter the image of senility. Of course anybody who has followed his career knows he’s the king of misspeaking, which is why he’d better not debate Trump whatsoever, the Donald will kill him. Come on, he killed Hillary, and at least she had her wits about her.

And we saw this movie four years ago. The coronation of the woman who didn’t stay home and bake cookies, who paid her dues, was the first female candidate for president and promptly lost.

Oh, don’t email me about the popular vote. That’s not the ultimate game. And never forget the Supreme Court gave 2000 to Bush. It’s never a fair fight, which is why you must fight. And Biden is not up to the task.

I’ve got no problem with what the man stands for, his experience, then again he’s completely out of date. I’d say he’s a BlackBerry in an iPhone world, but the truth is he’s still dialup. And let’s be clear, he was getting killed in the debates. Didn’t win a single one. And was losing in the primaries until the DNC got freaked out about Bernie and convinced Biden’s competitors in the middle to drop out. And the press always hated Bernie. They don’t want to hang with him. You can’t make any money writing for the newspaper, but you get access. Who wants access in a world without private jets and fabulous parties and… The writers are afraid they’ll end up eating sprouts on paper plates. With smoothies instead of martinis.

Yes, the Democrats are playing by the old rules. Afraid to move into the future they’ve literally jetted back to the past, with the aged Biden, and are crossing their fingers that people hate Trump just enough to push Joe over the top.

And if the election is close… Biden couldn’t even respond to the Ukraine attack FOR DAYS! It was like he was punch drunk. You hit back on falsehood, otherwise it looks like it’s true.

And Trump knows you make news 24/7, you’re top of mind, whereas Biden is in a bunker hiding, trying to run out the clock.

Did you watch the PGA? It wasn’t won by Tiger or Phil, or even Koepka or Johnson. No, a twenty three year old out of nowhere, Collin Morikawa came out on top, BY TWO STROKES! There were six people tied at ten under. If it was Biden and the DNC, they would have played it safe, hoping that someone else screwed up. But Morikawa? He played to win. He landed on the sixteenth green in one to set himself up for an eagle. And if you know golf, which everybody in D.C. is aware of, the longer the shot, the more of a chance it’ll go off course. And with trees by the green and a sand trap… Ooh, SCARY! Better lay up! But if you do… There are only so many opportunities to get ahead. An eagle was impossible on the following holes. Once the challengers were behind, they couldn’t make up the strokes. Kinda like Biden… When the going gets tough, in September/October, he’s gonna reach deep and..? There’s nothing there, other than a bunch of malarkey. Once again, Morikawa is young and fearless, he played to win. The DNC is old and scared, and it’s playing to lose.

Yes, lose.

So, Kamala Harris is the VP candidate. Has ANY VP candidate ever made a difference? Well, Biden attached his experience to Obama’s campaign, but even though I’d rather have Kamala Harris be president than Donald Trump, she’s done nothing in her career that demonstrates she’s up to the task. I’m not saying she could not grow into the job, but her experience in foreign affairs and economics and… She’s schooled in the law, in a lawless society.

As for motivating the African-American base… Biden had it right, he spoke truth, and then everybody beat him up and he had to apologize. THE BLACKS ARE NOT GONNA VOTE FOR TRUMP! NO WAY! It’s only an issue of getting out the vote, and Kamala doesn’t help that much, it really comes down to whether not only blacks, but everybody not on the right comes out and votes, whether it be in-person or by mail. Yes, it’s that simple, it’s all about motivating people to vote. And if you think the Biden/Harris team is exciting, you probably get off on watching “Murder, She Wrote.”

It’s very simple folks. And the Kamala Harris hoopla is just a sideshow. Our democracy is up for grabs. Even if Trump loses and agrees to leave, he can wreak untold havoc before he goes. Either you’re scared or you’re not.

But the public is depressed. I certainly am. It’s five months later and we STILL don’t have a comprehensive Covid-19 plan? Of course Trump is worthless on this, but in an era where he’s laying it all at the feet of the states, they can’t organize and institute a plan that keeps me and most everybody else safe?

And Biden comes from Delaware… Good luck with corporate downsizing.

There is absolutely nothing exciting on the Democratic ticket, and no matter how many articles are written, no matter how many headlines appear about Harris, that’s not gonna change. It’s not like she’s a noted left-winger. She’s all about law and order in a country where Black Lives Matter pushed Biden to pick a black running mate. Yes, protests make a difference, without them would Harris be on the ticket? Doubtful. But the underlying problems in this country, starting with income inequality, where’s Harris on that? Opportunity? Bernie got all his campaign funds from the rank and file, he was beholden to nobody and what was Hillary’s complaint? No one likes him and he won’t play the game. Well, Trump won’t play the game and he WON! Hillary’s just pissed that she sold herself out and lost. And the DNC and the media couldn’t take the temperature of the country and realize that the Republicans had tarred Hillary’s reputation to the point where not only those on the right, but many on the left, despised her. If you actually spoke with Americans, you weren’t surprised when Trump won. But the DNC and the media are in a bubble. Give Trump credit, at least he spoke to the downtrodden, he even said he liked the uneducated. May have turned your stomach, but if you dropped out of high school and were working a minimum wage job, Hillary was not speaking directly to you! Oh, forget that Trump hasn’t delivered for these people. Once again, the DNC is playing defense, making it about the other candidate as opposed to their own. And you cannot win if you don’t score points. And remind me what points Biden has scored in these past five months…hell, he can’t even make any news!

So it comes down to this. The Democrats versus Trump. But have people given up on government and won’t vote even if they hate what’s going on? I almost have. Come on, look at the salaries of these CEOs. Look at the stock market when workers are hurting. It’s like there are two different Americas and only a few live in the bright and sunny one, the rest of us are scrounging for food in the alley, amongst the rats and the dumpsters. We’re so busy trying to survive that we’ve tuned out the D.C. follies…they haven’t delivered for us before and they probably won’t this time either. We hear the pace of change must be slow… But if you’re feeling sick and can’t get a Covid-19 test, and if you do you have to wait a week for the results, speed is of the essence.

And the truth is we live in a selfish country anyway. Despite lip service and a bit of philanthropy the truth is everybody is out for themselves. That’s part of the appeal of Trump. Because his base has the same ethos.

Thank god the news cycle is so fast that this “excitement” about Harris will fade nearly instantly. As it is, the long reveal reminds me of nothing so much as Geraldo Rivera and Al Capone’s vault. They hyped it for eons, and after waiting all those weeks we ultimately found out…there was nothing there.

Oh, Harris is a bit more than nothing, but not as much as they’d like you to believe.

If the DNC were smart, and it is not, it would unleash Kamala, have her make news every day. But they won’t, because they believe that’ll steal the thunder from Joe, who can’t even produce a drizzle. As for the Trumps’ previous donations to Harris…there are no more gotchas. Trump has won again and again and again. We can analyze the subtext, but the truth is he’s gotten his way almost universally. Which appeals to Republicans. After all, he installed all those judges.

The Republicans know it’s about the team. You’ve got to rally the troops so they’re on the same page.

The Democrats? I’m gonna vote for Joe and even I can’t sell him to you. Same deal with Kamala. You can’t win without someone at the top. You need superstars and a coach. Ultimately Obama won because he was a superstar. The press didn’t even get it. He rolled Hillary in the primaries and then won in November because he appealed to the people, despite being black and inexperienced.

It’s like the Spotify Top 50. The oldsters, the usual suspects, they put out product and if it scores at all, it falls right off the chart. As for the weekly “Billboard” album chart…talk about being rigged. Think about it, albums are Top 10 that are truly anything but, because of bundles. So, if Trump wins will it be any different? The music industry wants no light on the “Billboard” chart, they love its flaws, the ability to manipulate it. And despite seeing the “Billboard” numbers every week in the news, we never see the streaming numbers, the Spotify numbers, because the industry doesn’t want the focus on them BECAUSE THEY CAN’T BE MANIPULATED!

I could delineate all the flaws of Trump and his team but I’m not gonna bother, nothing makes any difference, nothing moves the needle. I’m just waiting for November and hoping and praying Joe emerges victorious.

Yes, that’s what it’s come down to, a wing and a prayer. Has all the bloviation on MSNBC and CNN made any difference? Have all the opinion pieces in the NYT and WaPo inhibited Trump’s behavior? NO! So it’s useless for me to pile on.

So, once again, the Democrats want us to elect a tired old man to be king. They’ve got nothing in their arsenal other than hatred for Trump, who keeps on winning, yes, he’s winning on his terms. So, our only hope is to get out the vote. But that’s just the first step. We now live in an Eastern European country. Our election infrastructure is sketchy. In a world without facts, do you suddenly expect there to be some in the election process? NO WAY!

It’s scary out there folks. And I cannot sleep any better at night now that Kamala Harris is on the ticket. Who we really need is Batman, some other superhero. Someone we can all believe in who can get us to pay fifteen bucks to see their movies in the theatre. We live in a Comic Con world and the DNC’s offering is black and white. Literally, in this case. Trump is a cartoon. And despite being a buffoon, Homer Simpson’s show has run for three decades, not a single live action series has come even close. Because Homer is not radically different from the Trump base. And Grandpa Simpson is a Fox-watcher. But Lisa is smarter than everybody in the house, she can fix your computer. And Bart knows that rules are for losers. Yes, Lisa and Bart are the next generation, members of Generation Z and the aging millennials. And who is on the ticket for them? NOBODY!

Spotify

Pandora

Tune in today, August 11th, to Volume 106, 7 PM East, 4 PM West.

Hear the episode live on SiriusXM VOLUME: HearLefsetzLive

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app: LefsetzLive

Suburra | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

There’s something wrong with this series.

They keep battling and killing and it doesn’t seem true. Then again, it’s based on real events, does that mean truth is stranger than fiction?

Everybody’s involved. From the local gangsters, to the government to the Vatican to the Mafia, with a capital “M.” We’ve all got to serve somebody, and “Suburra” is all about who we owe fealty to, and what price we pay for that.

Samurai is the local crook/gangster. But technically, he’s not in the Mafia. But he’s controlled by the Mafia. You see the Sicilians want to open a port in Ostia.

There wasn’t enough jeopardy for me, not enough at stake, and now I find out that said port was and still is the basis for a scandal in Italy?

I guess we’re all used to these movies where world peace hangs in the balance, where some force is going to take over an entire industry. So, the Mafia building a port just doesn’t seem that big a deal.

But then it is.

“Suburra” is beautifully shot. And beautifully acted. But, like I said above, they’re constantly at war, constantly negotiating new alliances, to the point where that’s almost all the show is about, along with the violence, which detracts from its believability. But maybe it is believable. Then again, it’s a prequel to a book, which was already the basis for a Netflix film and…

Who knows what is truly going on outside the United States?

Maybe that will change, as America descends. That’s one of the great lines, employed twice, that the party of the right doesn’t want to act like the Far West, i.e. the United States, that that’s beyond the pale. You see there are immigrants, and this creates anti-immigrant furor, and what can be done to make the anti-immigrant party, the right, win the election? What was and will be done by Trump and his cronies to stay in power? That’s what this is all about. You can read the facts in the paper, but if you want the feeling, if you want to know what is truly going on, you need to watch images, whether it be a movie or a streaming series, and read books.

So how come “Suburra” isn’t the talk of the town, isn’t a part of the American culture? Is it because it’s in Italian? They know our language, we don’t know theirs.

So, once you cross the line, once you sell out, once you’re compromised, you can never be clean again, you are always beholden.

That’s one of the lessons in “Suburra.” Not one that is absent from other movies/shows, but here it is reinforced again and again and again.

And what will you do to get ahead?

The system is rigged. It’s controlled and you might be able to get in the door, but you cannot ascend the ladder. Right now, in America, there’s no revolt against this. People seem happy with their flat screens. If they can party and have sex, that seems to be enough. But will that sustain? We’ve got the Black Lives Matter movement, but how much of that is based on income inequality?

You’re not even living in the same world. You can’t get into an elite institution, even though almost all of them are need-blind. Because your school system didn’t prepare you for it and you’re unaware of the opportunities. That’s for someone else.

Everything is for someone else in the U.S. today. Did you read Ginia Bellafante’s article in the “Times” yesterday?

“Lifestyles of the Rich and Reckless: Posh Pandemic Parties – Because money appears to be one of the best protections against the coronavirus, why not party like it’s 2019?”

You can’t get tested. And if you do, you can wait a week or more for the results. But the rich and connected get tested all the time, so they can interact with each other, party, live in their bubble like there’s no problem. David Solomon, the Goldman Sachs CEO, you know “DJ D-Sol,” made $27 million last year.

You think musicians make that kind of money? No way! The media always trumpets the gross. And you can be Bono, trying to save the world while you’re paying no tax as you park your money in the Netherlands, but if you’re a U.S. act you ain’t netting this kind of dough, and in truth neither is Bono! But now, the artists want to be bankers, corporate majordomos, and the bankers want to be musicians. Oh, what a world.

So, if you want to get ahead, just about your only choice is to be a gangster. As for owning politicians…in America it’s up front, elected officials are owned by their donors, corporations and bankers and…your money is irrelevant, unless you donated to Bernie Sanders, but the powers-that-be killed his candidacy. Because the billionaires and the bankers didn’t want it. Oh, the country wants Medicare-for-all, higher taxes on the rich, but the rich don’t want to play.

So, the bottom line…is America turning into “Suburra”?

At first the politician, Amedeo Cinaglia, is a milquetoast. An honest lawmaker stuck on the back bench. Hell, his first wife left him because he was going nowhere, but once he starts to ascend, she’s interested again. This is the truth, at the elite level women are drawn to power. Secondarily money. Thirdly looks. And, of course there are exceptions, but if you’re poor, powerless and unattractive you don’t get to date Charlize Theron or Bar Refaeli, never mind Gal Gadot. Those in power will deny all this, say it’s bad form to discuss, just like they’ll tell you taxes on the rich are class warfare. It’s gaslighting 24/7, to keep you down where you are, out of competition with them.

So, Amedeo, the politician, gets sucked in. But he knows if you’re not looking out for yourself, you’re gonna get bit. So he stands up to the boss.

Meanwhile, Amedeo’s wife says to do what is necessary…

That’s another theme in “Suburra,” not only the supportive spouse, but the spouse who is a partner. Who does the behind the scenes shuffling, who defends her man. Two are stronger than one. If you’re going it alone, life is gonna get hard. Best to marry once and have someone you can depend on.

Flipping over the page, Claudia Gerini is so beautiful, so intelligent, so cunning, that men cannot help but be attracted to her. And she refuses to lose. If she doesn’t have a chair anymore, she creates one.

And the money runs on dope. Which is another reason why drugs should be legalized. You thwart criminals, you keep the underclass out of jail and you gain tax revenue. Sure, it would be better if people didn’t do drugs, but the fact is they can’t refrain, people are not that pure, so acknowledge this. Just like all the people ignoring social distancing rules today… Who should we blame? OUR LEADERS, THE GOVERNMENT! We all stayed home and where did it get us…NOWHERE! And if you can’t party and screw, many people think life isn’t worth living. And they believe the law doesn’t apply to them anyway, that they can’t get infected, just like the people in “Suburra” believe they’ll never get snuffed, that they’ll remain in power forever.

And the criminals think on their feet, they adjust, they rule Rome, not the politicians. The politicians are so busy trying to stay in office that they’re beholden to this minor game, while those with the real money and power control them.

So, Felice opted out right away, “Suburra” was just too violent for her.

And, like I said above, the story was hollow, there was something missing and then…I got hooked.

We’re all human beings, but life is different around the world. It’s fascinating to peer into the lives of others. And some of the actors are so good, that it’s hard to separate them from their roles. And the good guys don’t always survive, everybody’s up for grabs, everybody COULD die, so it keeps you on the edge of your seat.

“Suburra” is not the best show on Netflix. But it is its own world, which you get sucked into, and despite my analogies to U.S. politics you’re completely engrossed, believing you’re living in Rome, not America.

I guess they could remake “Suburra” as an American series. EVERYBODY would be gorgeous, not that they’re so unattractive in this. (Then again, the Italians have style. Diet, put on the right clothing and you’d be surprised who is attractive.) And there would be more at stake, and it would be clearer, it would resemble a cartoon.

But since “Suburra” is a foreign series, it’s getting little traction in the U.S. when the truth is Americans love this stuff. Not that it dominates the theatre anymore, that’s for high concept dreck, superheroes.

Much of today’s entertainment leaves you with nothing to say. But watching “Suburra” you’re eager to discuss it with others. That’s what makes a society, that’s what makes successful art, the hangover, the inability to get something out of your mind.

So, I’m recommending “Suburra.” It’s imperfect, but you get hooked and it ends up a satisfying viewing experience. You want to know more about these people. How they got here, where they’re going, exactly what they’re willing to forgive, exactly what they want.

And kudos to Netflix for investing and making this series. Screw Paramount, Universal and Warner Brothers, they’re so busy pandering as to be irrelevant. Everybody knows who Ted Sarandos is, never mind Reed Hastings, almost no one knows who runs the movie studios today.

You’ve got the time. You’ve exhausted other viewing options, check out this series. I can complain about it, but the good outweighs the bad, by far, not that this is always true in people, especially the characters in “Suburra.”

Doesn’t follow trends.

Sets trends.

Doesn’t give the audience what it wants.

Gives the audience what it needs.

Has a sense of history. If there’s no context, there’s no art. Art is a reaction, a transmogrification…unless you know where you’ve been, you don’t know where you’re going.

Knows that money is secondary to art.

Knows that money, if it comes, usually does so last…it takes that long for people to catch up with you, and once they do you don’t rest on your laurels but keep innovating, which challenges the audience to stay bonded.

Knows that execution is secondary to conception. All art is based on conception. The light bulb going off. The idea. Then it’s a race to get it down in a comprehensible form as soon as possible. The more you think about it, the greater the chance of compromise, and art is never about compromise.

Knows that some of their best ideas come when they’re not working.

Realizes they’ll never fit in, otherwise they wouldn’t be an artist.

Must change and grow. Which is why Picasso is a legendary superstar and Braque is a moment in time.

Listens to advice, listens to feedback, but is not bound by it. If you don’t read the reviews, if you don’t listen to what people say, then you’ve got no context. This does not mean you have to take blowback to heart, it just means you can’t create art that has impact unless you understand the populace that reacts. Today everybody reacts. How do you deal with that? Do you create art that makes people post, that offends them, that makes them jump for joy? You are in control of the journey but not the destination. But that does not mean you should not have a map.

Speaks truth to power.

Is not a member of the group, is not a member of the club.

Knows that awards are meaningless. Or at best meaningful for a day. Talk to any true star who’s won, the glow blows off very quickly.

Doesn’t have to tell people they’re great, their work speaks for itself. Unless telling people you’re great, braggadocio, is part of your art.

Doesn’t complain. The game is rigged, the odds are stacked against you, deal with it. Sure, you can be frustrated, but complaining about it just aligns you with the whiners who are not artists, and you don’t want to be dragged down into the hole they’re in.

Affects society, but is separate from it.

Knows that the power of their art supersedes the power of their pocketbook.

Doesn’t bitch about the value of their work. The value is established by the audience. Or, you have your own metric, but then you can’t bitch about the reaction or lack of acceptance.

Frequently creates alone, but oftentimes is inspired by interaction with others. And the closer they are to these others, the more contempt they have for them. You want to do it your way, they want to do it their way, and oftentimes this tension results in work that is better than either of you could do individually. Don’t confuse this with tracks built by twenty “songwriters.” There’s too much thinking involved in that, and art runs on instinct.

Let me repeat that, an artist runs on instinct, on their gut, on what feels right, and as soon as they go against that, they’re toast…their art is compromised.

An artist knows when they do great work. Which comes only occasionally. No one can ring the bell every time out. But when you’re channeling the gods, you know it. Actually, once you become aware that you’re walking on the tightrope, that you’re in the league of greatness, once you become self-conscious, you often fall. The key is to stay in the mood, the groove, for the duration of creation.

An artist is willing to fail. Not that they’re willing to share all their failures. But if you don’t play, you cannot win, you must be willing to fail in the eyes of the public.

Believes they’re God on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a piece of crap the rest of the week.

Art is a Sisyphean task. Once you make it to the top, you roll right down to the bottom and have to start all over again.