I got this comment on yesterday’s blog about what’s going on in America. I didn’t get the reference to Pancho and Lefty, it’s a backstory of how Pancho and Lefty died in very different ways
Here’s the comment – it’s from Derek Scott and it’s about how easy it is for us to make judgements. Nobody can make a proper judgement on Pancho and Lefty.
“… The desert’s quiet, Cleveland’s cold
And so the story ends we’re told …”But for the avoidance of doubt, Jack Towarnicky (who maybe lives in Powell OH rather than in Cleveland) would be welcome to dinner here in St Andrews, where nearly 40% of our students and academics are American.
British media coverage of US politics does not uniformly favour one party, but generally a large portion of the British press portrays the Republican party—particularly under presidents like Donald Trump—less favourably than the Democratic party.
More evidence of cognitive (“cold”) bias?
I admit to such bias and listening to the song that Derrick Scott’s reference to Pancho and Lefty. I now realise there are no simple answers to some stories. For Pancho and Lefty think Carney and Trump – or at least think about your reactions to what you saw in Davos.
Pancho and Lefty
This is its great cover by Emmylou, passed me by my friend Derrick Scott who made that comment and reminds me what Willie Nelson once said:
“There are two kinds of men. Those who are in love with Emmylou Harris, and those who haven’t met her.”
Here’s the song that has got many people talking of Pancho and Lefty as a song to listen to and then listen to Mark Carney’s speech in Davos last week.
The story in the song
Pancho is introduced first and Lefty next. Pancho went to Mexico to be a bandit and met Lefty who betrayed him to the Federales in return for a chance to live in Cleveland (where Jack is living).
I hope we can all listen to this song and get some thought of the lives and deaths of Pancho and Lefty.
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
And where he got the bread to go
Ain’t nobody knows
Many think that Pancho and Lefty are the same person , there’s no certainty what happened, a bit like what’s happening to Trump and Carney.
The lyrics of Pancho and Lefty are here
Living on the road, my friend
Was gonna keep you free and clean
Now you wear your skin like iron
Your breath’s as hard as kerosene
You weren’t your mama’s only boy
But her favorite one, it seems
She began to cry when you said goodbye
And sank into your dreams
Pancho was a bandit, boys
His horse was fast as polished steel
Wore his gun outside his pants
For all the honest world to feel
But Pancho met his match, you know
In the deserts down in Mexico
Nobody heard his dying words
That’s the way it goes
And all the federales say
They could have had him any day
They only let him hang around
Out of kindness, I suppose
And Lefty, he can’t sing the blues
All night long like he used to
The dust that Pancho bit down south
Ended up in Lefty’s mouth
The day they laid poor Pancho low
Lefty split for Ohio
And where he got the bread to go
Ain’t nobody knows
The poets tell how Pancho fell,
And Lefty’s living in cheap hotels
The desert’s quiet, Cleveland’s cold,
And so the story ends we’re told.
Pancho needs your prayers it’s true,
But save a few for Lefty too.
He only did what he had to do,
And now he’s growing old.
A few gray Federales say
We could have had him any day
We only let him go so long
Out of kindness, I suppose.
Emmylou Harris
Here is Mark Carney’s 15 minute speech at Davos
Pancho and Lefty play it out in Mexico and Trump and Carney play it out in Davos. But we watch and wonder what this means for America.
I think that Emmylou Harris who is 79 and playing a string of farewell gigs in Europe (including several in Britain); she should be playing Pancho and Lefty.
Emmylou Harris setlist at Emirates Arena, Glasgow, on Jan 16
1. My Songbird
2. Here I Am
3. Orphan Girl
4. Love and Happiness
5. Two More Bottles of Wine
6. Red Dirt Girl
7. Gulf Coast Highway
8. Green Pastures
9. Get Up John
10. Help Him, Jesus
11. Born to Run
12. Prayer in Open D
13. Bright Morning Stars
14. Goodbye
15. One of These Days
16. Pancho and Lefty
17. All the Roadrunning
18. Michelangelo
19. Wheels
20. Luxury Liner
21. Together Again
22. Rose of Cimarron
23. Boulder to Birmingham
24. You Never Can Tell (C’est La Vie)
It’s easy when you are a nice person who believes in the goodness and kindness of others to fall into the trap of thinking that you can defeat fascism with polite debate. I love people, I think most people are intrinsically good. But polite debate and the incorrect assessment that cognitive bias is the reason for the British press being more critical of Republicans than democrats is dangerous. Firstly, because it is wrong. Republican politicians are presented critically because they are responsible for allowing Trump to stand again. Because they overlooked the crimes of a convicted felon. Because they supported and endorsed the candidature of a man found to be responsible for sexual assault. Because they defend and support the tactics of ICE, terrorising people and throwing them out of the country. Because they endorse and support the use of tariffs based on who has upset their most stable genius leader. It is not cognitive bias that presents republicans as worse than democrats, it is factual reporting of the republicans political expediency that casts a light on their behaviour.
“One man’s cognitive bias is another man’s objectivity”?
On this Burns (Birth)Day, I remind you of one of his more famous lines:
O wad some Pow’r the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us An’ foolish notion.
There are many awful countries to live in around this world Brian. What is bad about the USA is obvious, how to find a way forward for it – not so. To use my analogy, it is hard to see how America will look back at Davos in 20 years time. Will they be following Trump or Carney?
Of course. But it’s important to identify the role the media has played in the rise of authoritarian politicians such as Trump. If people think there is a cognitive bias in the UK press against republicans I objectively can’t see how they arrived at that conclusion. Maybe that is my cognitive bias to think that I am being objective. Or looking more locally, maybe part of the solution Ito making things better for society is to realise that the UK media’s tendency to use “both sideism” is leading to quite extreme views being given the same amount of air time as those that do not involve divisive ideas. Whilst it is wrong to give zero platform to extreme ideas, they require proper scrutiny. The use of lies and false statistics needs to be called out. We saw how unchallenged mendacious statistics were used as a highly successful tool by the Brexit faction. They went largely unchallenged. And we end up with a situation where people were led to believe the sunny uplands lay ahead by leaving the EU. That worked out well. Every Sunday morning Laura Kuenssbergs use of framing questions makes it difficult for viewers to come to any other conclusion than right is right and left is wrong. Mainstream journalism is no longer properly challenging the untruths told by members of all political sides. Trump simply kerps repeating lies and people start to believe what he is saying must be true. He sues the shit out of media companies who don’t do what he wants and they cave. Carney is a serious politician. Trump is a narcissistic authoritarian sociopath. And yet your question is valid. The way things are going it may be Trumps way that prevails in 20 years’ time.
Maybe it is Townes Van Zandt, Emmylou Harris and Willie Nelson who have laid out the arguments and us to listen to them sing the song!
Emmylou did tell her audience in Glasgow recently: “There’s a little too much of this ‘America First’ going on right now.”
How did the vast majority of Americans respond to Davos? “Who is Davos?”
The vast majority didn’t hear even one word Trump spoke.
Many are not engaged in politics – solely focused on their own lives.
The majority who are engaged in politics certainly disapprove of Trump. Many have long ignored everything he says.
Mr. Gannon was right in earlier posts – be careful who you invite to speak at your “party” – dinner or otherwise.
I don’t think the UK is that different from the USA regarding Davos, BJ.
I could be wrong but many British people may at best be dimly aware of Davos 2026, but those who actively care about it are a small, politicised or professional minority rather than the broad public.
As for who won? You can take your pick between
youtu.be/RWjbt9QqOA4
(MS NOW, formerly MSNBC)
and
x.com/nfergus/status/2014992907934027946
(a Scots historian living in the USA)
while other opinions are available.