Truly riveting political teevee....

Friday is generally the dump day for news, however this is some of the most compelling political debate we have seen in some time. I am actually amazed at how this was covered.

Marc Ambinder at the Atlantic probably encapsulates it best in this post:

Accepting the invitation to speak at the House GOP retreat may turn out to be the smartest decision the White House has made in months. Debating a law professor is kind of foolish: the Republican House Caucus has managed to turn Obama's weakness -- his penchant for nuance -- into a strength. Plenty of Republicans asked good and probing questions, but Mike Pence, among others, found their arguments simply demolished by the president. (By the way: can we stop with the Obama needs a teleprompter jokes?)

Here is the video of the actual back and forth.

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I know I am political junkie, but really the public could benefit from more of this, not less. At least in this instance is shows the shallowness of the republican caucus and the command of the issues that the president has.

-Cheers

I weep for the Republic

I know that I am not the average citizen. I pay a fair amount of attention to civics and policy disputes, so I understand that I may have a deeper affinity for politics then most. I was going to write some stuff about the Presidents first State of the Union Address (I thought it was a very good speech, but I need to see some results, some actual iron in his spine, something for his extremely disheartened base, because as much as it is in vogue to say Presidents need to pick fights with their base, there hasn't been a whole lot to cheer about up to this point) but I came across this poll that that absolutely made my jaw drop.

Basically what this says to me, is that there are no consequences for being obstructionist. The Republican (and it will become the democratic mindset when they are in the minority) mindset is simply complete obstruction will not have any downside for us. People really only have two options if we cause the majority to fail, then by default they will pick us.

It turns out that is a good plan. People seem to be too ignorant of the actual issues, policies and statements of elected officials. Combined with the media's absolute abdication of its role as an adversary to the status quo.

We have weak representatives, a disengaged executive, a nihilistic minority, and an ignorant populace.

We are so screwed.

-Cheers

The Myth of the Independent.

This is probably one the most persistent myths that pundits cater too. That political Independents are this vast swath of the American electorate. Statistics to the contrary, they chirp about it every day. Here is a nice post that puts the truth to that lie, here.

-Cheers

Worst. Idea. Ever.

This is just a stupid panicky idea. It is an article of faith amongst Independents and Republicans that the government spends too much. During a recession cutting spending is absolutely the worst thing you can do. But I am no economist. Here is a bit of an aggregation of those less then sterling views here and here.

Basically you court this if you want a neo-Hooverite type of dip in the economy. It is idiotic and deeply unserious. I have said it before, and I will say it again. People do not understand the economy at large. They are upset about not having jobs, so they focus on a deficit they don't understand, and the government always spends too much.

I will turn it over to Ms. Maddow, because she is bringing the appropriate amount of rage.

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-Cheers

He wrote it down for them....all the have to do is read it....

Steve Benen over at the Washington Monthly penned, what could be described as a policy paper for the Democratic Party on Health Care.

It's a good piece I highly recommend reading it. I hope every member of the Democratic caucus reads it and that the President himself does as well. It is time for the Democratic Party to show some stones. They may have the better policy on the merits, but that isn't enough. They need to be willing to lose over it.

Elected leaders rarely get an opportunity to make a difference on such a grand scale. Indeed, in many ways, Democrats aren't just considering a solution to a chronic national problem, they're facing a test of their character. Democrats can either deliver or break their promise. They can either prove their ability to govern or appear inept. They can either satisfy the expectations of those who elected them or demoralize those who are counting on them. They can either watch the media cover their once-in-a-generation breakthrough or watch the media scrutinize a debacle for the ages.

Democrats, in other words, can either succeed or fail.

Looking back, the effort to reach this open door began last spring, but those with an eye for history know that America was actually carried to this point by giants with names like Roosevelt, Truman, Dingell, and Kennedy. With this once-in-a-generation opportunity, this Congress and this president can honor their legacy, and at long last, finish the task they began.

With a little courage and compassion, this generation of leaders can make comprehensive health care reform a reality, proving to the nation that they are worthy of the public's trust. House approval of the Senate bill — with additional improvements to be made through reconciliation — is the most efficient and effective way to deliver on the promise.

It simply requires one more step through an open door.

Otherwise they do not deserve my time or my vote. If they believe giving up will help them, they are are as misguided
as their opponents think they are.

-Cheers

You can't expect them to know anything.....

But this cartoon pretty much sums up my feelings on most media analysis, of well, anything even remotely complex.

-Cheers

Behold the GOP's 41 seat majority in the Senate!

There are many things I could say about the results from last night. I am disappointed no doubt. Cruelest of ironies that Sen. Kennedy's vacant seat could be the death knell for his life long crusade for Health Care Reform, for another generation.

I think this post by Ezra Klein sums up the my feeling about the Democratic Party right now (cross posted in full):

Demoralized Democrats

Reader MK writes:

I've voted for Democrats all my life. I've campaigned for and donated to the Democratic Party. But if they say they can't or won't go any further on health care because they only have 59 votes in the Senate, they deserve to lose.

I'm hearing a lot of this. Last night, I was talking to a committed Democrat. A Massachusetts Democrat, in fact. And her despair was persuasive. "I didn't vote for a party that would abandon my agenda because it lost one seat in the Senate," she said. "The party I voted for, and want to be part of, would recognize political opportunity in the waning days of its supermajority and pass what it could pass, and then keep coming back for more."

The loss in Massachusetts was a terrible disappointment to Democrats. But it can be explained away. Martha Coakley was a terrible candidate. Scott Brown ran an excellent campaign. These things happen.

But the reaction congressional Democrats have had to Coakley's loss has been much more shattering. It has been a betrayal.

The fundamental pact between a political party and its supporters is that the two groups believe the same thing and pledge to work on it together. And the Democratic base feels that it has held to its side of the bargain. It elected a Democratic majority and a Democratic president. It swallowed tough compromises on the issues it cared about most. It swallowed concessions to politicians it didn't like and industry groups it loathed. But it persisted. Because these things are important. That's why those voters believe in them. That's why they're Democrats.

But the party looks ready to abandon them because Brown won a special election in Massachusetts -- even though Democrats can pass the bill after Brown is seated. What that says is crucial: Whereas the base thought it was making these hard compromises and getting up early to knock on doors because these issues are important, the party thought all that was happening because, well, it's hard to say. It was electorally convenient? People need something to do? Ted Kennedy wanted it done?

If Democrats let go of health care, there is no doubt that a demoralized Democratic base will stay home in November. And that's as it should be. If the Democratic Party won't uphold its end of the bargain, there's no reason its base should pretend the deal is still on.

That is pretty much it for me. They asked me to help them get elected so they could enact an agenda I believed in. Make our country a little more humane and our policies a little more sane. Now they want to abandon that? Change is hard. It always has been. Moreover, they blame me for its failing (Greenwald shows the absolutely cravenness involved here), this is just too much to stomach. They asked me to compromise on the Single-payer. I did. Compromise on the Public Option. I did that too. All to satisfy feckless moderate democrats and disingenuous moderate republicans. This health care bill was not too liberal. No fair reading could call it that. It was moderate and conservative to the extreme. To placate the Evan Bayhs and Ben Nelsons of the world. So do not blame me for your lack of vision and weak spine.

I stood in the rain, and canvased in the cold. I phone banked, and logged hours registering people to vote. So I echo the refrain Ezra quoted, if this political party can not even stand up for its core beliefs. Then I want no part of it and will not support it. I will not support a President who is unwilling or squeamish about getting his hands dirty. Compromise is great when you have a willing partner. But sometimes you have to fight. Even if you finally lose.

-Cheers

Not to get racial on you....

But this bit from Morning Joe made my stomach turn.


I see something wrong with 5 wealthy Caucasian pundits sitting around musing on what an "American" looks like. My family has lived in the country for over 150 years. Evidently I don't fit that bill....

-Cheers

The Web is on Fire....

Full on liberal panic. Progressives are good at it. They love their circular firing squads.

So in instead of pointing to the various liberal/progressive pundits pleading with people to keep their shit together, instead I am going to head to the libertarian/conservative commentator Andrew Sullivan.

Why? Because he is not a supporter of some of the positions I favor (single payer for example), but even he is dismayed by what he sees:

The second explanation is the Brooks/Noonan theory that somehow everything feels wrong to the Independent or conservative-leaning voters. They have an instinctual fear of more government and, even though the Senate bill couldn't be more minimalist within the confines of expanding access and controlling costs, this gnaws at them. I think this is a legitimate feeling (I have it too) - but an illegitimate argument.

Look: the markets conservatives have believed in have failed.

As the more honest conservatives (Greenspan, Posner, Bartlett) have noted, the financial crisis was a clear indicator that we need a more active and vigilant government in regulating the financial sector. And when you look at the results of America's hybrid and dysfunctional healthcare system, it is more than clear that the status quo is unsustainable. Yes, this system has pioneered amazing breakthroughs and a pharmaceutical revolution that has transformed lives. But the cost and inefficiency of this is simply staggering. Look at the graph above. If you think it's great, support the GOP. They don't want to change anything, but a few tweaks.

The current system insures fewer and fewer people and costs more and more. It is crippling other sectors of the economy and will bankrupt the entire Treasury if some painful adjustments are not made. If America cannot grapple with a crisis this big, and cannot accept an imperfect but reformable piece of legislation that makes a start on this, then America is incapable of grappling with its serious problems. And if Republicans are in the forefront of defending every cent going to Medicare and refusing to offer a single credible path to cutting spending and offering even more tax cuts as some kind of panacea, they are much worse than the feckless Democrats. Even the drug and insurance companies know that the current system is broken. At least Obama seems interested in government. The GOP seems interested only in politics and rhetoric that can sustain the bubble of deep denial they live in.

This is someone who is making a conservative argument for Health Care reform. The system is broken. Honestly there is very little debate on that. But doing nothing harms the democrats so republicans have embraced that firmly.

-Cheers

Special Election Day....

Today is the day of reckoning in Massachusetts.

The thing that I find most disappointing is that if Martha Coakley loses, Health Care may be done.

Not because it was defeated in the legislature. But because a lone venerable Senator developed brain cancer, and passed away this past year.

Even worse, that even if you are given the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. That is not enough to enact an agenda. A thin minority in the Senate,
can thwart the will of people.

A 60 vote super-majority is not how the legislature is supposed to work. The filibuster was meant to ensure debate, not stifle it. And the press is majorly culpable in this belief that 60 votes is mandatory to enact legislation.

Going forward, this is even more destructive then most are aware of. One party has shown its true colors. It is only concerned with regaining power, not with governance. There is no percentage in implementing good policy. The public does not reward it. It has been proven to me conclusively that it is easier run on hate and what you don't like then to run on what you support. So we shall see more of this, not less. The Republicans will become even more obstinate this year, and the democratic agenda will fail because of that. Then the public will reward the very people who placed us as a country in this mess, with a return to power.

Being angry is not a solution. Saying no is not policy. Tax cuts and discretionary spending cuts are not the solution to every problem.

Yeah, so I am a bit disappointed in the electorate of Massachusetts. All I would say is remember Sen. Joe Lieberman. Look at what the individuals are actually saying and what they have actually done.

Martha Coakley is a machine politician, that is absolutely true. But at least she has a record and can articulate coherent policy issues.

Brown is nothing more then a political chameleon that once he arrives in Washington will fall lock-step in with the Republican caucus.

And because of that health care may die for another 15-20 years. Showing that we as a people can not handle the immense structural problems in our country, unless of course it involves a tax cut or bombing brown people.

-Cheers

MLK and Inauguration day....

I wanted to get a post up on MLK day, that wasn't completely vitriolic and disjointed, also I wanted to commemorate President Obama's Inauguration.

The general feeling I have nowadays is this, "Change is hard". I think that is the most important lessen Dr. King left us with. I look back at the euphoria of Inauguration day, and marvel at how quickly the tune changes. President Obama is doing nothing more then what he said he would and this is the response we have seen. It took us 8+ years to get into this mess...why does anyone think we would be out of it in just one year. The problems we face are systemic and multiple. Tinkering around the edges isn't going to cut it.

But even with all the acrimony this year has reveled in, I am still heartened by what we were a part of last year. My feelings from election day still hold true:

While the election did not change the problems I faced, bills still due, a cratering economy. Nor has it erased the injustices of old, racism is still well and truly alive, bigotry still is quite vibrant. I could look at my nieces and nephews and honestly tell them, that they could be anything their hearts desire. I could look look my parents in the eye and say, "All that you suffered, all that you have sacrificed and endured, was not for naught. Your sacrifices made this moment possible. You belong. This is your country too. You are home. You did overcome.". And to my own children, someday, I can say to them, "Though the world can be cruel, never forget this moment, when a people where finally embraced by their fellow citizens. Where the first shot fired at Fort Sumter was finally joined by a deafening chorus of 'Yes we can!'. Where we as a people took another step closer to the 'perfect union'. You can be anything you wish. The world is strange, and lets keep it that way.".

As Dr. King would say, we have all helped to advance the march of equality and freedom. Though there have been trials and tribulations, we are closer then when we started.

So on this day I will leave you with some of Dr. King's words on changing the status quo cause they seem appropriate in light of the currently political climate:

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial "outside agitator" idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds.

You deplore the demonstrations taking place in Birmingham. But your statement, I am sorry to say, fails to express a similar concern for the conditions that brought about the demonstrations. I am sure that none of you would want to rest content with the superficial kind of social analysis that deals merely with effects and does not grapple with underlying causes. It is unfortunate that demonstrations are taking place in Birmingham, but it is even more unfortunate that the city's white power structure left the Negro community with no alternative.

I think this point is very often overlooked. Whether the issue is Health Care, gay rights, or climate change, we are always told, "Now is not the right time.". Change is always painful. It is always difficult. But when it comes to alleviating inequality or providing a level playing field it is always necessary.

So that is why I support the current Health Care plan in congress. Not because it is perfect, but because it is progress. It is a step forward, like Medicare and Medicaid before it. It is a step towards making our society more humane.

Though the Democratic party has been craven and almost as corrupt as their Republican brethren. They at least have tried to offer solutions the problems which face our country. So I will choose progress (even slow, plodding progress)over obstructionism and empty rhetoric on fiscal probity.

But anyway, if we all spend some time on the sacrifices that people like Dr. King made, perhaps we can all help progress our republic towards that "more perfect Union", that Lincoln spoke so eloquently of.

-Cheers

Weekend Misc....

It's the weekend, gonna try to unhook for a little bit. But here again is another link if you are interested in helping out those in Haiti.

Now to (what is now) some old school beats....



-Cheers

Mind-boggling final.....

Andrew Sullivan over that the Atlantic (Daily Dish) has a quote, that express the problems I have with woman and this movement.

"We are a movement of the plain people, very weak in the matter of culture, intellectual support, and trained leadership. We are demanding, and we expect to win, a return of power into the hands of the everyday, not highly cultured, not overly intellectualized, but entirely unspoiled and not de-Americanized, average citizen of the old stock ... " - Dr. Hiram Wesley Evans, (1881 - 1966)

If you are curious who Dr. Evans is click here.

These are the sort of arguments that I hear growing fiercer everyday. That these "salt of the earth" common folk are fed up with the highfalutin intellectuals. I have seen not one substantive idea presented by the Republican party or their Tea bagging brethren. Other than, "do nothing" , of course. What is even more unsettling is this sort of comment could have just as easily been made yesterday (listen closely to Rep. Brown (R-MA), seeking to fill that Senate seat), or last year (2008) during the Presidential election, with all its talk of "real America".

That is what I find so terrifying about Mrs. Palin's rise. She embodies the same sort of know-nothingness embodied above. The idea that if you are not like "them" then you are other, is something I find amazingly disturbing. That all that is needed is commonsense and a faith in God (mind you the Christian God), to understand all the complexities of the world.

I am sorry but this stuff scares me. Diplomacy is hard. Economics is hard. Science is hard. Commonsense is all fine and good, but in my experience it is not all that common and very often what may sound sensical to an individual is disastrous for a large group or nation (e.g The Paradox of Thrift). Most people could not even explain how their televisions work, but that doesn't stop them from making asinine comments on things that are even more complex.

I will stop here, before I get into the racial aspects of this dynamic as well. But suffice to say I agree whole-heartedly with Mr. Sullivan's colleague, at the Atlantic, Mr. Coates when illustrates how the GOP just doesn't seem to get it:

Leaving aside political cynicism, this entire affair proves that the GOP is not simply still infected with the vestiges of white supremacy and racism, but is neither aware of the infection, nor understands the disease. Listening to Liz Cheney explain why Harry Reid's comments were racist, was like listening to me give lessons on the finer points of the comma splice. This a party, rightly or wrongly, regarded by significant portions of the country as a haven for racists. They aren't simply having a hard time re-branding, they don't actually understand how and why they got the tag.

These guys are lost. But Michael Steele's "off the hook" strategy will, presumably, point the way back. Not for nothing, I offer the wise and venerable words of my people: Negro, please.

-Cheers

Mind-boggling...ctd....

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This is what a significant portion of our society wants running the worlds most powerful Super-Power.

People are stupid. They always believe that every problem has a simple solution that their experiences with life prepare them for anything. They revel in their ignorance. Wear it as a badge of honor. This disgusts me on such a personal level.

You wonder what is wrong with America, it isn't the elites, it is those ostensible "real" Americans that can not pull their heads our of their asses.

And in answer to the question: Thomas Jefferson, followed closely by Benjamin Franklin. The raw intellectual rigor they brought to bare is and was formidable. The bicameral system, the idea of checks and balances, on the Jefferson front the wrestling with spiritual (going so far as to edit the bible to remove the "miraculous" events leaving only the philosophy). These were giants. I have respect for all the founding fathers, but these are the luminaries in my eyes.

I also even know some of the causes for WWI, II, the Korean War, and that Saddam Hussein was not responsible for 9/11.

Oh well. Guvb'ment is easy. Just good ole common sense!

My stomach hurts.


-Cheers

Mind-boggling...

Trying to blog a little less to help stave off an ulcer.

Anyway there is has been a lot going on. First and foremost if you have the time and means, please consider visiting here and donating a little.

Pat Robertson and Rush Limbaugh are trying to out douche each other. Seriously what does it take for these people not to have a public voice? They are simply purveyors of hate, bigotry and intolerance. If you do not follow their path you are evil. They are sick disturbed people. And those who support them are just as culpable.

Also am I the only one that is absolutely amazed that the possible loss of one Senate seat imperils the entire democratic agenda?

Our political system only functions if both parties decide they are interested in governing. Republicans are not. They are interested in returning to "power". That is all.

I understand people are depressed. I understand that the economy still looks shaky. I guess I expected people to understand the challenges that we faced and that at least one of the parties, whether you agree with them or not, was trying to tackle them.

But I guess if I use the "undie-bomber" reaction as a barometer then I was absolutely wrong (Granted polling says otherwise, but then elections are more about emotion and less about sense).

I know nobody likes taxes, but if I hear one person say we need to cut taxes, I may slap them. Without a hint of irony I can say we as a society pay lower marginal rates then at any point since income tax was instituted in this country. Most of the people who complain about this have no idea what they are talking about it. Or worse are just cynically exploiting the public's ignorance.

Good schools with good teachers cost money. Those roads you drive require maintenance. When your house is burning you would rather that you didn't have to worry about whether you had paid your fire department fee (Fire departments used to be privately owned, and fights would break out between competing teams while the houses would burn to the ground).

Anyway, we have system that when we need it most has been rendered impotent. Government is not the enemy. Republicans do a real disservice to the country and the fabric of the republic. Simply there never really seem to be any consequences for republican bad behavior. They race baited most of the latter 20th century, crippled the regulatory structure of the country and initiated one of the most massive foreign policy failures in our history. And they are still taken seriously?

No ideas, no solutions to our problems, and only the panacea of tax cuts and spending cuts to fix the economy (now the defense budget, veterans care, Medicaid, Medicare and the like are immune). Fucking idiots.


-Cheers

-edit (some errors corrected)

Better Commentary

So I have been fuming over the coverage of the "Undie Bomber", but I can honestly say the guys over at Lawyers, Guns & Money, have done the best job of encapsulating my problems with the coverage.

I’m quite sure I could beat LeBron James in a game of one on one basketball. The game merely needs to feature two special rules: It lasts until I score, and as soon as I score I win. Such a game might last several hours, or even a week or two, and James would probably score hundreds and possibly thousands of points before my ultimate victory, but eventually I’m going to find a way to put the ball in the basket.

Our national government and almost all of the establishment media have decided to play a similar game, which could be called Terrorball. The first two rules of Terrorball are:

(1) The game lasts until there are no longer any terrorists, and;
(2) If terrorists manage to ever kill or injure or seriously frighten any Americans, they win.

This to me is what we have been witnessing. The idea of perfect safety is a dangerous one, and the sliding scale used is even more corrosive for our political discussions. Because when people are afraid they make bad choices.

-Cheers

The Government ain't your daddy!

Let me be clear on this, not to be callous, there is going to be another terrorist attack on the United States.

That is a fact. We can prevent many, if not most. But we will eventually fail. It will not be anyone's "fault", more then likely. It will happen, because as long as we insist on a free and open society someone who is willing to die in the name of political ideology will have an advantage and incentive to kill innocent citizens.

Glenn Greenwald has the perfect distillation of the world that we live in. I highly recommend reading it. I wish someone would say this on national teevee:

Reducing the citizenry to a frightened puddle of passivity, hysteria and a child-like expectation of Absolute Safety is irrevocable and far more consequential than any specific new laws. Fear is always the enabling force of authoritarianism: the desire to vest unlimited power in political authority in exchange for promises of protection.

Yeah. That about sums it up.

-Cheers