PicoBlog

With Democrats like Jamie Dimon, who needs Republicans?The trouble with the Democratic Party is that Jamie Dimon wants to maintain some vestigial association with it. Not enough, alas, to have prevented the chief executive of JP Morgan Chase last January from saying nice things about Donald Trump’s economic policies (reportedly prompting an unnamed White House aide to label Dimon “MAGA curious”). Dimon’s cozying up to Trump prompted a White House meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris that, I suspect was inconclusive.

Welcome to the latest issue of Subtle Maneuvers, which I started writing four years ago this week. Thank you all for reading along! This has been my favorite writing I’ve ever produced, even as it’s also been the least remunerative. (Isn’t that always the way?) If you’d like to show your support and help me prioritize this work going forward, your paid subscriptions sincerely make a huge difference—THANK YOU. Special thanks to my book club for getting me to read Jane Bowles’s strange and hypnotic novel Two Serious Ladies last month, which inspired today’s post.

I’ve been to Monticello twice. Once in 1993, and again this past weekend. My first visit coincided with the celebration of Thomas Jefferson’s 250th birthday. As members of Virginia Tech’s Collegiate Times press corps, four other student editors and I dared to cross enemy lines to cover former USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev’s speech during the University of Virginia’s Founder’s Day ceremony on April 13, 1993—just eleven days after Mr. Jefferson’s 250th birthday.

Join me as my journey in music continues to unfold in the studio, on the road, and at home as a working bass player, composer, and small business owner. With a weekly podcast and regular posts, it's free to read and easy to support if you have the means. No thanksncG1vNJzZmiikaOyrLPWorGdmZyWe7TBwayrmpubY7CwuY4%3D

Weekend Water with Paul F. Tompkins & Janie Haddad Tompkins By Janie Haddad Tompkins Official substack spawned from the conversation podcast STAY F. HOMEKINS with comedian Paul F. Tompkins & actress Janie Haddad Tompkins. More random thoughts, tidbits, musings and movie watchalongs from podcast cohosts & married couple JHT & PFT. ncG1vNJzZmirpZfAta3CpGWcp51kjbixxKScp5ynlsGmvg%3D%3D

This article is brought to you by Freedom Financial. (Editor’s note: The content of this article may be disturbing to readers, as it contains allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse as well as profanity.) Charles “Chuck” Jansen currently is being investigated for allegedly grooming young men to perform acts of a sexual nature while he was employed as a teacher at two local schools. Two of his alleged victims came forward on social media on June 12, sharing communications with the once-prominent community leader that lend credence to the accusations.

Going to take tonight off, as Buddy’s season has ended and he is on vacation so we have been off gallivanting. I need to catch up on some sleep. One of the good things about hitting the road with a man who is accustomed to getting up at 4:00 is that he tiptoes out in the morning to see the sights while I sleep in, and then comes back to the hotel with coffee and a bagel or pastry.

Unlike way too many others, I don’t think about ancient Rome much until we slouch towards the end of the year, when references start popping up about the god Janus.  He is absolutely one of the coolest Roman gods, if only because he is one of the few who the Romans didn’t rip off from ancient Greece. Janus wasn’t just the god that looked forward and bac… ncG1vNJzZmilkaq%2Foq%2BNrKybq6SWsKx6wqikaKhfn66vwdJmnqicXaSzbsDRmqWsoaSevK%2B%2F

While reading the New York Timeslong interview with Jared Kushner this week, I felt something unfamiliar: defeat. I don’t know how else to say this but it’s time to face the reality: Jared Kushner has won. It seems clear to me that he’s the single biggest winner from the Trump White House, not just financially but, staggeringly, reputationally. In the last three or more years he’s swung from being a social pariah — unwelcome in New York and in many blue-chip business circles, as well as being investigated by various committees in Congress for the appearance of conflicts of interests — to a figure of both media fascination and global influence.