“This is not about Left or Right; this is about objective truth.”
“That’s pretty left-wing, I would say.”
The Right is not for the People but rather for the wealthy. So, they need to lie to get enough representation and win elections in a democracy.
Left-wing and right-wing are not two equal flavors the electorate can choose from. Rather, the Right needs to fool enough of the middle-class and working-class into thinking that they will take care of them. Not.
If you’d listen to the clip at the top here, you will hear Bernie talk about ideals for the People and how to get there, and Lindsey just pretending to be more for the average American, sidestepping any concrete action. This, combined with lying about what Joe Biden has done for the country. He’s done almost nothing, not having enough votes in the Senate and Congress.
And still, I blame Bernie for the ‘debate’ being a farce, because he agreed to debate this known chronic liar. And, I disagree with the commentator. Lindsey is not brainwashed, corrupted, oblivious, a weirdo, a mess, or unserious. He lies. That’s what Right-wingers must do to win elections.
Presently, the USA is expecting the 2022 mid-term elections to turn out a landslide Republican victory. That triumph will be based only on lies upon lies. That doesn’t mean that all Republican voters are liars. Most of them are the ones fooled. And, not because they’re deplorables or stupid, but because they are too kind-hearted and good-natured to believe that these right-wingers are flat-out lying to their faces. But, they are. Yes, They Can.
This is what the Left must do to stem the tide:
Kick out all their arrogant politicians. Most Americans can’t stand them.
Tell Joe all he must do is effectuate the changes most Americans want. (It doesn’t help to be principled and idealistic if that makes you lose.)
Don’t shy away from being seen as radical; the People can smell when you did it for them. So,
Stack the Supreme Court with countless new judges.
Propose legislation to guarantee A Woman’s Right to Choose, the Equality Act, Buy Back Guns. Take the right-wing talking point and turn it around. “You say this is radical? Surely this is radical. The USA is the most radical political system on earth, with safety and equality for all since Americans care.” Tell the electorate: If you want this, vote for us who’d support it.
Threaten the pharmaceutical, weapon, car, oil & gas industries with nationalization if they won’t reduce their prices directly and drastically.
Stop saying that the wealthy are too rich. Talk about their depressions and empty lives and hearts. And how much better they sleep when they return the too much they got to the People. Not to get their votes. The workers are overhearing this and they might vote for people who talk like that.
Admit that America is a cruel place to live. Safety only for the wealthy. Social security’s a farce. Healthcare is only for the lucky. Explain that those are echoes of the slave society the US was. It is in the interest of everyone to end the slave/owner mentality still dominating US work relationships.
Don’t go hostile on Trump. ‘Admit’ he did/does a great job for the rich.
Stop talking from anger; replace it with hope, Bernie. And stop throwing numbers around and answer questions with a straightforward yes or no.
In traffic, it’s immaterial if you’re right. You need to stay out of accidents. In politics, it doesn’t matter if you’re right. You need to stay in power.
About the Author
MM is a prolific and creative writer and thinker, previously a daily blog contributor to the TOI. He often makes his readers laugh, mad, or assume he's nuts—close to perfect blogging. He's proud that his analytical short comments are removed both from left-wing and right-wing news sites. None of his content is generated by the new bore on the block, AI. *
As a frontier thinker, he sees things many don't yet. He's half a prophet. Half. Let's not exaggerate. Or not at all because he doesn't claim G^d talks to him. He gives him good ideas—that's all. MM doesn't believe that people observe and think in a vacuum. He, therefore, wanted a broad bio that readers interested can track a bit what (lack of) backgrounds, experiences, and educations contribute to his visions. *
This year, he will prioritize getting his unpublished books published rather than just blog posts. Of the 15 (!) books he has in mind, the next two are about homosexuality in Judaism and new rabbinics. Next year, he hopes to focus on activism against human extinction. To find less-recent posts on a subject XXX among his over 2600 archived ones, go to the right-top corner of a Times of Israel page, click on the search icon and search "zuiden, XXX". One can find a second, wilder blog that also may contain updates to Times of Israel posts, to which one may subscribe, here: https://mmvanzuiden.wordpress.com/ or by clicking on the globe icon next to his picture on top. *
He's getting ready to publicize books on: "Free Will, "Judaism and Homosexuality, "His parents in the Holocaust, "Judaism, "A New Torah Translation and "A New Hebrew Grammar, "Co-Counseling, "Vegan Facts, "Immortality, and more. *
Like most of his readers, he believes in being friendly, respectful, and loyal. However, if you think those are his absolute top priorities, you might end up disappointed. His first loyalty is to the truth. He agrees that in a post-truth world, that's irrelevant, but then this is for the record. He will try to stay within the limits of democratic and Jewish law, but he won't lie to support opinions or people when don't deserve that. (Yet, we all make honest mistakes, which is just fine and does not justify losing support.) He admits that he sometimes exaggerates to make a point, which could have him come across as nasty, while in actuality, he's quite a lovely person to interact with. He holds - how Dutch - that a strong opinion doesn't imply intolerance of other views. *
Sometimes he's misunderstood because his wide and diverse field of vision seldomly fits any specialist's box. But that's exactly what some love about him. He has written a lot about Psychology (including Sexuality and Abuse), Medicine (including physical immortality), Science (including basic statistics), Politics (Israel, the US, and the Netherlands, Activism - more than leftwing or rightwing, he hopes to highlight reality), Oppression and Liberation (intersectionally, for young people, the elderly, non-Whites, women, workers, Jews, LGBTQIA+, foreigners and anyone else who's dehumanized or exploited), Integrity, Philosophy, Jews (Judaism, Zionism, Holocaust and Jewish Liberation), the Climate Crisis, Ecology and Veganism, Affairs from the news, or the Torah Portion of the Week, or new insights that suddenly befell him. *
Chronologically, his most influential teachers are his parents, Nico (natan) van Zuiden and Betty (beisye) Nieweg, Wim Kan, Mozart, Harvey Jackins, Marshal Rosenberg, Reb Shlomo Carlebach, and, lehavdil bein chayim lechayim, Rabbi Dr. Natan Lopes Cardozo, Rav Zev Leff, and Rav Meir Lubin. This short list doesn't mean to disrespect others who taught him a lot or a little. One of his rabbis calls him Mr. Innovation [Ish haChidushim]. Yet, his originalities seem to root deeply in traditional Judaism, though they may grow in unexpected directions. In fact, he claims he's modernizing nothing. Rather, mainly basing himself on the basic Hebrew Torah text, he tries to rediscover classical Jewish thought almost lost in thousands of years of stifling Gentile domination and Jewish assimilation. (He pleads for a close reading of the Torah instead of going by rough assumptions of what it would probably mean and before fleeing to Commentaries.) This, in all aspects of life, but prominently in the areas of Free Will, Activism, Homosexuality for men, and Redemption. *
He hopes that his words will inspire and inform, and disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. He aims to bring a fresh perspective rather than harp on the obvious and familiar. When he can, he loves to write encyclopedic overviews. He doesn't expect his readers to agree. Rather, original minds should be disputed. In short, his main political positions are among others: anti-Trumpism, for Zionism, Intersectionality, non-violence, anti those who abuse democratic liberties, anti the fake ME peace process, for original-Orthodoxy, pro-Science, pro-Free Will, anti-blaming-the-victim, and for down-to-earth, classical optimism, and happiness. Read his blog on how he attempts to bridge any tensions between those ideas or fields. *
He is a fetal survivor of the pharmaceutical industry (https://diethylstilbestrol.co.uk/studies/des-and-psychological-health/), born in 1953 to his parents who were Dutch-Jewish Holocaust survivors who met in the largest concentration camp in the Netherlands, Westerbork. He grew up a humble listener. It took him decades to become a speaker too, and decades more to admit to being a genius. But his humility was his to keep. And so was his honesty. Bullies and con artists almost instantaneously envy and hate him. He hopes to bring new things and not just preach to the choir. *
He holds a BA in medicine (University of Amsterdam) – is half a doctor. He practices Re-evaluation Co-counseling since 1977, is not an official teacher anymore, and became a friendly, powerful therapist. He became a social activist, became religious, made Aliyah, and raised three wonderful kids. Previously, for decades, he was known to the Jerusalem Post readers as a frequent letter writer. For a couple of years, he was active in hasbara to the Dutch-speaking public. He wrote an unpublished tome about Jewish Free Will. He's a strict vegan since 2008. He's an Orthodox Jew but not a rabbi. *
His writing has been made possible by an allowance for second-generation Holocaust survivors from the Netherlands. It has been his dream since he was 38 to try to make a difference by teaching through writing. He had three times 9-out-of-10 for Dutch at his high school finals but is spending his days communicating in English and Hebrew - how ironic. G-d must have a fine sense of humor. In case you wonder - yes, he is a bit dyslectic. If you're a native English speaker and wonder why you should read from people whose English is only their second language, consider the advantage of having an original peek outside of your cultural bubble. His posts are spell, grammar, and style polished by AI, but all written by himself. *
To send any personal reaction to him, scroll to the top of the blog post and click Contact Me. *
His newest books you may find here: https://www.amazon.com/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3AMoshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&s=relevancerank&text=Moshe-Mordechai%2FMaurits+van+Zuiden&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
