It has been nearly five months since Steven tragically left us. During these past few months, I have thought of our friend often, as I am sure that all of you have, also. I only had the privilege of meeting Steven once, but we had a lively friendship on the blogs. There were times that we didn’t agree, but for the most part, we shared similar philosophies.
Steven Davis was quite the unique individual, a mixture of unapologetic liberal, dedicated professional and (semi) frustrated musician. Above all, Steven was a doting father and good friend. He also did not suffer fools gladly, particularly if they were spouting the latest GOP talking points or Limbaughesque rhetoric.
As I write and comment on Pop Blog, I frequently reflect on what Steven would be thinking. (Or is thinking, if that is your mindset.) Since he died, the prospects for progressives and liberals have dimmed considerably, to the point that it is likely that the House will flip to the GOP and the Senate will be narrowly divided in favor of the Democrats.
What would Steven think about the likes of Sharron Angle? Rand Paul? Christine O’Donnell? What about the Republican-owned Tea Party that refuses to go away, despite the dismal opinion that most moderates hold of them? I wonder what he would think of House Minority Leader John Boehner’s assertion that the GOP will cut taxes and reduce spending, all without running up a deficit.
Like many of you, it still seems so strange to me that Steven is gone. I miss his input and his wit, not to mention his plain-speaking manner of addressing an issue. I miss cussin’ and discussin’ music and various artists with him. I miss his self-depreciating wit and quiet manner.
I miss Steven. I am sure that I am not the only one.
(Thread photo by the author.)
William Stephenson Clark
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
What a delightful happy uplifting picture to see when I logged on!
Ah, Steven. Ya know, one thought I had recently was that about every month or so I would get an email from Steven that said, “I’d like to get together for lunch next week…” And we would plan the where and when, then get together, usually with others and just enjoy being together. Rarely did we talk of the blog, or of politics. Usually we talked about what had been going on, the kids, life. He loved us all, he was interested in what was going on. He made the effort to keep us close.
If someone seriously wants to be a part of your life…they will seriously make an effort to be in it!
“What would Steven think about the likes of Sharron Angle? Rand Paul? Christine O’Donnell? What about the Republican-owned Tea Party that refuses to go away, despite the dismal opinion that most moderates hold of them?”
(Question asked and answered)
“He also did not suffer fools gladly, particularly if they were spouting the latest GOP talking points or Limbaughesque rhetoric.”
He often said (paraphrasing) that he dealt with certifiably crazy people but none as crazy as those who spouted the latest GOP talking points.
Here’s something he wrote about himself —
“I’m a liberal democrat living in Kansas. My parents were democrats and my father’s parents were FDR fans. In college I was completely converted by a Canadian socialist mentor to progressive ideals. I love visiting D.C.”
Here is the very last thread Steven started here at the blog —
https://iggydonnelly.wordpress.com/2010/04/29/anyone-else-sick-of-the-wink-hartman-campaign-ads/
That was on April 29th, just a few days before his death. He knew how bad it was, but didn’t live to see how bad it got.
On November 4, 2009, Steven attended a Tea Party gathering. Here is his report —
https://iggydonnelly.wordpress.com/2009/11/04/the-11-04-09-teabag-gathering/
I went back and read all the comments, including clicking the link to the video of the Tea Party. Still shaking my head over that one. Yes, most of the Partiers were older, graying, and overweight. (I shouldn’t talk, but… LOL) Why? Because those who aren’t and are actually working for a living don’t have time to party. 😉
I’m sure I can still find some of my old Hippie clothes: Bell bottoms, love beads, headbands, and even a Nehru jacket I once had. Let’s show these muthas how to protest! 🙂 (Yeah, as if I could actually get into those clothes.)
But wicked, I can (now; but I don’t recommend the diet plan).
http://news.yahoo.com/s//ynews_excl/20100921/pl_ynews_excl/ynews_excl_pl3668
An interesting read.
I certainly understand why the majority of people don’t have confidence in either party. I can only speak for myself, and I definitely have more confidence in the democratic party since they aren’t saying they will reduce the deficit by adding to the deficit by extending tax cuts for a few of the most wealthy who only comprise 2% of taxpayers. That’s just plain silly. I also understand how short a time it’s been, I see progress and expect that more time will show more progress. I have more patience than most maybe.
Patience is difficult to maintain when we have record level of poverty.
But the really insane thing is how the powerful have managed to misdirect the anger against those who are suffering the most.
Divide and conquer. A tried and true strategy.
And Steven would no doubt have some well-considered, undiscovered insight to offer.
“The American people are clamoring for a focus on jobs and righting our economy,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in a Sept. 16 statement. “Instead, for two years the president and the majority in Congress have veered off to the far left and pursued their own liberal wish-list agenda.”
Because the Republican Party has done such a great job of increasing jobs in the past twenty-five years, right? If I wasn’t so outraged, it would make me laugh very, very hard.