Jeff—Saturday
I was reading through the Greek
newspapers this week looking for a story to write about for today’s blog, when
I came across an article that reinforced my long-held belief that if you want
to know what’s going on in US politics, read the Greek papers—and
vice-versa—just remember to change the names to compromise the innocent.
Assuming, if we may, that most
Americans would agree the Democratic Party leans to the left and the
Republicans to the right, what we have at the moment are two nations—Greece and
the US—offering mirror images of the other’s dominating political parties.
Think of it this way. If you
stare at yourself in a mirror full-on face forward, your right side reflects
back as your left, and your left side as your right. Got it?
That’s precisely what we have
going on in the context of Greek and US politics. At the moment America’s (left
leaning) Democratic Party shares the position of Greece’s (right leaning) New
Democracy, what with neither controlling their nation’s executive branch of
government.
It is leftist SYRIZA and its
party leader, Alexis Tsipras, that’s in power in Greece, and Republican
President Trump in the US.
 |
| AP photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais |
The article, titled “New
Democracy is not SYRIZA,” appeared in Ekathimerini,
Greece’s newspaper of record, and in discussing what Greece faces, raised
mirror-like similarities to the state of political affairs in the US. Here are many of those observations, editorially
modified by me for clarity…or so I hope.
If Tsipras decided tomorrow morning to change jobs or pursue a fresh career in Brussels, his leftist SYRIZA party would most probably return to its small-party roots of yesteryear [as would likely Trump’s base without him.]
SYRIZA [and the Republicans] has a tactical advantage vis-a-vis its main opposition. No one in its party is pushing things to the limit and there is no such thing as party barons among the leftists [or US conservatives]. Even those who may sometimes criticize certain policies make sure they do not cross any red lines, not even pink ones for that matter.
Furthermore, being a relatively young party gives SYRIZA an extra advantage. Old party disputes and rivalries are not imprinted on its DNA. What happened 20 or 30 years ago interests no one and plays no role whatsoever [Trump, as the originator of his movement, shares that benefit.]
As we draw closer to the general election, the center-right party [in the US, the left leaning Democrats] should pay attention to the advantages of its leftist [in the US, conservative Republican] rival – whose officials spend much of their days conjuring up ways of sowing division in other parties.
A New Democracy veteran was saying the other day that his fellow conservatives are a “party of moaners.” [In our mirror world, read that as a Democrat going on about liberals].
In the run-up to the crucial next elections, there can be no room for long-running inner-party vendettas nor for those who want the stage for themselves. New Democracy [the US Democrats] will never resemble a church with only one person speaking. But it must not look like a gathering place where different people speak at the same time, creating a cacophony at the expense of a single, unified voice.
As I said, if you want to know what’s going on in the US, pick up a Greek newspaper, take a look in the mirror, and repeat after me: “It’s all Greek to me.”
—Jeff
Jeff’s upcoming book events:
March 2, 4:00 PM
Tucson, AZ
TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Student Union, Tucson Room
Panelist “Masters of the Police Procedural,” with Tim
Johnston and Peter Leonard, moderated by Anne Segal.
March 3, 10:00 AM
Tucson, AZ
TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Integrated Learning Center, Room
120
Panelist “CSI Publishers Row,” with Michael McGarrity and
Martin Walker, moderated by Cara Black.
March 3, 1:00 PM
Tucson, AZ
TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS – Koffler, Room 218
Moderating “A Legal Thriller Conversation” with Phillip
Margolin and Harriet Tyce
March 3, 2:15 PM
Tucson, AZ
TUCSON FESTIVAL OF BOOKS
Author Signing at CLUES UNLIMITED exhibition venue
March 29, 4:00 PM
Vancouver BC, Canada
LEFT COAST CRIME –Hyatt Regency Vancouver
Moderating “International Settings” with Alice K.
Boatwright, G.M. Malliet, Sujata Massey, and S.J. Rozan
THE MYKONOS MOB book tour begins:
April 2, 7:00 PM
Seattle, WA
THIRD PLACE BOOKS (Lake Forest Park)
Author Speaking and Signing
April 6, 3:00 PM
San Francisco, CA
BOOK PASSAGE (Ferry Building-Embarcadero)
Author Speaking and Signing
April 7, 3:00 PM
Orange, CA
BOOK CARNIVAL
Author Speaking and Signing
April 10, 7 PM
Pasadena, CA
VROMAN’S (East Colorado)
Author Speaking and Signing
April 12, 7 PM
Dallas, TX
Interabang (Preston Oaks)
Author Speaking and Signing
April 16, 7:00 PM
Scottsdale, AZ
POISONED PEN BOOKSTORE
Author Speaking and Signing
April 24, 6:30 PM
Houston, TX
MURDER BY THE BOOK
Author Speaking and Signing
April 26, 7:00 PM
Denver, CO
TATTERED COVER (East Colfax)
Author Speaking and Signing
April 29, 7:00 PM
Pittsburgh, PA
MYSTERY LOVERS BOOKSHOP
Author Speaking and Signing
May 1, 6:30 PM
New
York, NY
MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP
Author Speaking and Signing
May 2, 7:00 PM
Naperville,
IL
ANDERSON’S BOOKSHOP
Author Speaking and Signing
May 3, 7:00 PM
Chicago,
IL (Forest Park)
CENTURIES & SLEUTHS BOOKSTORE
Author Speaking and Signing
May 4, 2 PM
Milwaukee,
WI
BOSWELL BOOK COMPANY
Author Speaking and Signing
May 9, 5:00 PM
BRISTOL, UK
CRIMEFEST—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel
Panelist on “Nobody Would Believe it if You Wrote it: Fake
News, Post-Truth and Changing Words,” with Jørn Lier Horst, William Shaw, Laura
Shepherd-Robinson, moderated by Paul E. Hardisty
May 10, 5:10 PM
BRISTOL, UK
CRIMEFEST—Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel
Panelist on “Sunshine Noir,” with Paul Hardisty, Barbara Nadel, Robert Wilson, moderated by
Michael Stanley
October 31-November
3
DALLAS, TX
BOUCHERCON 2019---Hyatt Regency Dallas
Panel Schedule Yet to be Announced
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