Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 15
James Carville, drugs, a bear attack, Al Michaels, Birria tacos, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting.
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The election is over. James Carville was right all along.
Ok. So what should we say about what happened last week?
One takeaway for me: James Carville was 100% right. Back in February (remember February? Seems like 9 years ago.), Carville admitted publically that he was “scared to death” about the election. His biggest fear wasn’t Donald Trump, it was Bernie Sanders.
I’ll just say it this way: The fate of the world depends on the Democrats getting their shit together and winning in November. We have to beat Trump. And so far, I don’t like what I see. And a lot of people I talk to feel the same way.
We have candidates on the debate stage talking about open borders and decriminalizing illegal immigration. They’re talking about doing away with nuclear energy and fracking. You’ve got Bernie Sanders talking about letting criminals and terrorists vote from jail cells. It doesn’t matter what you think about any of that, or if there are good arguments — talking about that is not how you win a national election. It’s not how you become a majoritarian party.
For fuck’s sake, we’ve got Trump at Davos talking about cutting Medicare and no one in the party has the sense to plaster a picture of him up there sucking up to the global elites, talking about cutting taxes for them while he’s talking about cutting Medicare back home. Jesus, this is so obvious and so easy and I don’t see any of the candidates taking advantage of it.
The Republicans have destroyed their party and turned it into a personality cult, but if anyone thinks they can’t win, they’re out of their damn minds.
Look, Bernie Sanders isn’t a Democrat. He’s never been a Democrat. He’s an ideologue. And I’ve been clear about this: If Bernie is the nominee, I’ll vote for him. No question. I’ll take an ideological fanatic over a career criminal any day. But he’s not a Democrat.
This is a lot more fun in retrospect than it was at the time. I remember one quote stood out to me at the time. Emphasis mine:
The purpose of a political party is to acquire power. All right? Without power, nothing matters.
The real argument here is that some people think there’s a real yearning for a left-wing revolution in this country, and if we just appeal to the people who feel that, we’ll grow and excite them and we’ll win. But there’s a word a lot of people hate that I love: politics. It means building coalitions to win elections. It means sometimes having to sit back and listen to what people think and framing your message accordingly.
That’s all I care about. Right now the most important thing is getting this career criminal who’s stealing everything that isn’t nailed down out of the White House. We can’t do anything for anyone if we don’t start there and then acquire more power.
There are people out there that say “I hate politics. I don’t pay any attention. Why should I care?” Those people are morons.
Why? Because everything is politics.
This morning, maybe you sat in your company’s conference room and discussed your employer’s priorities for the week. Maybe you agreed with your boss. Maybe you didn’t.
If not, perhaps you stood up and said something. Maybe you don’t have the stroke to challenge the CEO. Instead, maybe you talked to Jim outside the bathroom and told him your opinion. At the watercooler, you suggested a different approach to Carol. After you finish reading this newsletter, you’re hitting lunch with Mike and Eric. Sure, you’ll talk about the Cowboys game, but before the check comes, you’ll discuss your preferred approach. That’s politics.
Politics is essential. Politics is everything.
Maybe you own a restaurant. It’s a hard business. You have great food, much better than your competitors. You’re struggling, but they are busy and profitable. Why? Maybe it’s because they get better press than you. The local paper’s food writer is enamored with their overpriced product that’s inferior to yours. Bloggers hype their sugary drinks and twinkly lights.
But you know your food is better. And you’re not gonna hire the pricey PR firm that represents every hot restaurant in town. Because you know your product is better. Guess what? You’re bad at politics.
Politics is essential. Politics is everything.
James Carville knows this. He loves it.
Bernie did not like Carville’s criticism. Sanders fired back. Carville responded:
"Last night on CNN, Bernie called me a political hack. That's exactly who the fuck I am!" Carville told Vanity Fair contributor Peter Hamby in a phone interview. "I am a political hack! I am not an ideologue. I am not a purist. He thinks it's a pejorative. I kinda like it!"
"At least I'm not a communist," he added.
Politics is essential. Politics is everything.
Joe Biden knows politics. He’s been a professional politician for more than four decades. He is, by all accounts, a decent man. Ask Lindsey Graham:
“The bottom line is, if you can’t admire Joe Biden as a person, you got a problem. You need to do some self-evaluation.
He is the nicest person I’ve ever met in politics. He is as good a man as God ever created.”
He ran on that platform. “America is a good nation. We deserve leaders who are good people. I’m a good person. I’m decent. I listen to others. Vote for me.”
The President is, by many standards, not a good man. He publically cheated on his wives. He stiffed contractors. He attacks everyone, including Gold Star families. He never apologizes or admits fault for anything.
The President loves power. By all accounts, he is obsessed with winning, four years ago, he won the most powerful job in the world. But he doesn’t like politics. He never tried to build alliances.
Maybe you like the way the President did his job. Maybe you didn’t. But it’s hard to credibly argue that the President ever listened to others to build coalitions to get things done. That’s politics.
He did what he wanted. He tweeted. Perhaps that’s what he was elected to do. He clearly thought that was his mandate. And Trump clearly turned the GOP into his personality cult.
Sometimes, however, it is helpful to be political. In this race, the politician won. Politics is essential. Politics is everything.
James Carville was right all along, Pt. 2
Election Night (remember back then) was stressful for many. Obviously, there was a lot of uncertainty throughout the night (and the rest of the week).
Tuesday night, I drank a lot of whiskey and did not feel good about anything. Carville, to his credit, was not in a panic. He was chilling in an American flag shirt with a bottle Pappy Van Winkle, predicting a solid Biden win.
And he was right! Cheers.
Drugs won the election too
Oregon essentially legalized small amounts of all drugs. Weed is now legal in more states, including New Jersey.
Congratulations to drugs.
Read of the Week
Al Michaels is a legend. He’s called every major sport for decades. He also doesn’t eat vegetables. He lives in Brentwood. He used to play tennis with his neighbor, OJ Simpson.
This week on Mind of Micah I share a 6-part profile piece from The Defector. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Here’s a headline: ‘The Time I Was Bitten by a Bear and Didn't Know It’
This is a great lede:
Around 3 A.M., I woke up to my friend Leah screaming. I was confused. Just six hours earlier, we’d settled into our sleeping bags inside our tent. I’d been sleeping soundly, but even before I could get my bearings, I realized what she was yelling about—the top of our tent had fully collapsed onto our legs, and we were being crushed by something.
Camping in Montana can be dangerous. Read the whole thing. And be safe out there fam.
Recipe Corner
Birria Tacos are delicious and easy to make
Birria tacos are having a moment. This style of taco is made with stewed meat (traditionally lamb or goat, more commonly beef) and served with a consomé broth for dipping. The tortillas are dipped in the broth (and grease) before they are heated on a flat top. This gives these tacos their trademark red hue.
I made these this weekend. This is not my photo.
OK. So the recipe has a ton of ingredients. But you shouldn’t stress if you don’t have everything. It’s a delicious and complex broth that is extremely versatile. I used the Instant Pot method listed below, but you could certainly simmer the stew on the stove or in the oven.
Pour 3 Tablespoons of Oil into the Instant Pot, choose Sauté on High, once it says Hot, add 6 New Mexico Chile Pods, 5 Guajillo Chile Pods, 1 Pasilla Chile Pods, 3 Chile de Árbol, 1 Teaspoon Annatto Seed Powder, 1 Teaspoon Sesame Seeds and sauté for about 3 minutes stirring constantly. (Note: I used only New Mexico Chiles, and omitted the Annotto seed.)
Add 3 Cups of Water, 1 Teaspoon White Vinegar, 2 Roma Tomatoes, 8 Garlic Cloves, Pinch of Ground Cloves, piece of Fresh Ginger, 1 Teaspoon Sesame Seeds, 1 Teaspoon Mexican Oregano, 1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme, 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin, ¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon Powder, ½ Teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorn, and 5 Teaspoons Coarse Kosher Salt.
Seal the Instant Pot lid and select High Pressure for 5 minutes, once the timer is up immediately switch the knob to venting and once the pin has dropped, open the lid. Pour everything including the liquid into a blender and blend on high speed for 3 minutes, it should look very smooth.
Pour the blended spices back into the pot and add the Chuck Roast pieces, halved Onion, 3 Bay Leaves, and an additional 2 Cups of Water. Seal the Instant Pot lid and choose High Pressure for 50 Minutes.
Discard the onion and bay leaves. Use tongs to move the beef into a large bowl, add ½ Cup of the broth and sprinkle on ½ Teaspoon of Kosher Salt, use forks to shred the beef. Leave the broth in the Instant Pot to keep it warm while you fry the tacos.
Quickly dip one side of the corn tortillas into the broth or use a pastry brush to coat one side of the tortillas (this will be the outside of the taco). Place shredded Oaxaca Cheese and shredded beef onto the tortilla and fold in half to form the taco. Fry each taco for 2-3 minutes per side or until they are crispy. Garnish with plenty of chopped cilantro and diced onions. Serve with lime wedges and a bowl of the consomé for dipping. Enjoy!
Honey-Glazed Carrots with Lemon and Thyme
Carrots are delicious. They are also kinda boring. And that’s ok! This recipe seems like an easy side for Friendsgiving (or Thanksgiving). Easy!
Bring carrots, salt, honey, and chicken broth to boil, covered, in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally, until carrots are almost tender when poked with tip of paring knife, about 5 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to high, and simmer rapidly, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, 1 to 2 minutes. Add butter, fresh thyme and lemon zest to skillet; toss carrots to coat and cook, stirring frequently, until carrots are completely tender and glaze is light gold, about 3 minutes.
Off heat, add lemon juice; toss to coat. Transfer carrots to serving dish, scraping glaze from pan. Season to taste with pepper and serve immediately.
Where else can I find Micah content?
Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
Twitter: @micahwiener & @producermicah (Why two twitters? It’s a long story)
Instagram: @micahwiener
LinkedIn: @micahwiener
Peloton: #badboysofpelly@micahwiener
Email: micahwiener@me.com
Dang. Politics really is everything. I will be journaling about that later.
Congratulations to drugs. Congratulations to America. Congratulations to Micah on another solid week.