Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Short On Trust
What on earth could happen next with this election. It must be a heck of a difficult time for the people in the media who sort the news and decide what should be covered and how much. I'm sure questions abound like how hard should we look into Rick Davis's recent involvement with his own lobbying firm. It calls so loudly to follow the money.
But with the shocking suspension of Sen. McCain's campaign and all? First and foremost, better not appear biased. Maverick McCain putting his country first does sound pretty good. Let's just see where this trail goes and we can always double back for the rest of that Rick Davis story. Then again he is Sen. McCain's campaign manager. Oh dear, who's idea was it to suspend the campaign?
Friday, 9/26: What Rick Davis story was that?
Some people get bailed out by luck and some people create their own luck.
But with the shocking suspension of Sen. McCain's campaign and all? First and foremost, better not appear biased. Maverick McCain putting his country first does sound pretty good. Let's just see where this trail goes and we can always double back for the rest of that Rick Davis story. Then again he is Sen. McCain's campaign manager. Oh dear, who's idea was it to suspend the campaign?
Friday, 9/26: What Rick Davis story was that?
Some people get bailed out by luck and some people create their own luck.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Karl Rove Creationism
I know that this appears trivial but it is classic Rovean politics and since nobody else seems to have mentioned it, I will. Yesterday Sen. McCain, during a speech, said he heard that Sen. Obama's advisers were happy with the financial crisis and that it would help their candidates chances. This drew a big reaction from the crowd. And if true it should have. In my mind I tried to imagine what had taken place and frankly, how could a campaign be so foolish. I thought about Sen. McCain adviser Charlie Black, famously saying that a terrorist attack would help the McCain campaign. But Charlie Black is sort of a loose cannon and from him you never know what to expect.
The Obama people are much smarter than that. So I wondered who was it that said such a thing.
Well, I searched and searched and here is all that I could come up with. Breitbart reports,
McCain aides: Obama 'cheerleading' Market. Top aides to Republican John McCain are claiming Democrat Barrack Obama and his advisers are exploiting Wall Streets financial problems for political gain. Aide Steve Schmidt, who worked for the Bush-Cheney team in 2004, told reporters Thursday aboard McCain's plane that Obama is "cheerleading this crisis." He said McCain is seeking a bipartisan solution although Schmidt and aides Mark Salter and Nicolle Wallace also said Democratic congressional leaders should be condemned for considering adjourning without addressing the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merril Lynch and the emergency government loan to insurer AIG. The aides say the Arizona Senator will make the same criticisms during his speeches.
Ok, first of all there is a connection between Breitbart and Matt Drudge of the right leaning Drudge Report where this story appeared. Breitbart looks far and wide to provide Drudge with what he is looking for. And although written by an AP writer, the story's incoherence and obvious lack of scrutiny is appalling.
But most important here is that Steve Schmidt is as close to Karl Rove as one can get. So the protege, borrowing from the masters playbook, creates a story out of thin air. Then Sen. McCain repeats it in a speech like it is true. But the bold face in the bold face lie belongs to Karl Rove.
So how many voters made up their mind yesterday because they heard something that sounds this revolting? Steve Schmidt knows and he'll keep doing it until it doesn't work anymore.
The Obama people are much smarter than that. So I wondered who was it that said such a thing.
Well, I searched and searched and here is all that I could come up with. Breitbart reports,
McCain aides: Obama 'cheerleading' Market. Top aides to Republican John McCain are claiming Democrat Barrack Obama and his advisers are exploiting Wall Streets financial problems for political gain. Aide Steve Schmidt, who worked for the Bush-Cheney team in 2004, told reporters Thursday aboard McCain's plane that Obama is "cheerleading this crisis." He said McCain is seeking a bipartisan solution although Schmidt and aides Mark Salter and Nicolle Wallace also said Democratic congressional leaders should be condemned for considering adjourning without addressing the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers, the sale of Merril Lynch and the emergency government loan to insurer AIG. The aides say the Arizona Senator will make the same criticisms during his speeches.
Ok, first of all there is a connection between Breitbart and Matt Drudge of the right leaning Drudge Report where this story appeared. Breitbart looks far and wide to provide Drudge with what he is looking for. And although written by an AP writer, the story's incoherence and obvious lack of scrutiny is appalling.
But most important here is that Steve Schmidt is as close to Karl Rove as one can get. So the protege, borrowing from the masters playbook, creates a story out of thin air. Then Sen. McCain repeats it in a speech like it is true. But the bold face in the bold face lie belongs to Karl Rove.
So how many voters made up their mind yesterday because they heard something that sounds this revolting? Steve Schmidt knows and he'll keep doing it until it doesn't work anymore.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
With Friends Like That...
I've been wanting to say something about Carly Fiorina since she became involved with the McCain campaign. I lived near Sacramento for several years and my next door neighbor worked for Hewlett Packard. I don't remember exactly what his title was but he was a mid-level manager in product development and he traveled to Denver frequently and occasionally to France. The period we were neighbors was from 1992 until 2001.
Our homes were on 3 acre parcels with distance between and I also traveled a lot so we didn't speak regularly but over the years we had many over the back fence type conversations.
I clearly remember that he had little use for Carly Fiorina. She became CEO of Hewlett Packard in July of 1999 and I left the area in April of 2001 but in that short period he shared his criticisms many times about what she had done to the company. Generally he blamed her for how bad things had become.
Of course to be fair, this is anecdotal information and it is entirely possible that he was on the wrong end of some reorganization or something. But from his vehemence I took away that there was something to his complaints.
There are other indications that she was not as skilled as she could have been. One thing is that the company stock was cut in half from the time she arrived until the time she left. Again to be fair the technology bubble burst during this time. But Hewlett Packard isn't exactly a risk prone dot-com company and Fiorina did not leave until 2005. She had the time necessary to affect a recovery.
But perhaps the strongest indication that stockholders were not pleased with her is that when she announced her resignation the stock jumped 7%.
In fact there is plenty of evidence that she was at minimum divisive and a highly controversial figure.
Fast forward to yesterday and we see that she still possesses some of those same characteristics. She said that Gov. Palin was unqualified to be CEO of a major corporation. No doubt this was a strange comment but then she tried to fix it by saying that none of the candidates for VP or President were qualified. Unbelievable. Who is she working for anyway?
She has said other odd things but this one might just take the cake. This goes directly to the 2008 election gaffe hall of fame. I'll put this on par with Gedaldine Ferraro saying that the only reason Sen. Obama is where he is today (around the time he became the presumptive democratic nominee) is because he is black. Or call it neck and neck with McCain economic adviser, Sen. Gramm saying, you've heard of mental depression, this is mental recession...we have sort of become a nation of whiners. Though for my money the real doozy award goes to another McCain adviser, Charles Black, who said about Gov. Palin's lack of foreign policy experience, "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long.
So once again I have some questions. Why on earth would he pick Carly Fiorina and what does this say about Sen. McCain? What does this say about who he would select to fill his cabinet?
I got the feeling that had she continued her thought that it may of sounded something like, hell, I couldn't even run a major corporation, you think these bozo's can?
Our homes were on 3 acre parcels with distance between and I also traveled a lot so we didn't speak regularly but over the years we had many over the back fence type conversations.
I clearly remember that he had little use for Carly Fiorina. She became CEO of Hewlett Packard in July of 1999 and I left the area in April of 2001 but in that short period he shared his criticisms many times about what she had done to the company. Generally he blamed her for how bad things had become.
Of course to be fair, this is anecdotal information and it is entirely possible that he was on the wrong end of some reorganization or something. But from his vehemence I took away that there was something to his complaints.
There are other indications that she was not as skilled as she could have been. One thing is that the company stock was cut in half from the time she arrived until the time she left. Again to be fair the technology bubble burst during this time. But Hewlett Packard isn't exactly a risk prone dot-com company and Fiorina did not leave until 2005. She had the time necessary to affect a recovery.
But perhaps the strongest indication that stockholders were not pleased with her is that when she announced her resignation the stock jumped 7%.
In fact there is plenty of evidence that she was at minimum divisive and a highly controversial figure.
Fast forward to yesterday and we see that she still possesses some of those same characteristics. She said that Gov. Palin was unqualified to be CEO of a major corporation. No doubt this was a strange comment but then she tried to fix it by saying that none of the candidates for VP or President were qualified. Unbelievable. Who is she working for anyway?
She has said other odd things but this one might just take the cake. This goes directly to the 2008 election gaffe hall of fame. I'll put this on par with Gedaldine Ferraro saying that the only reason Sen. Obama is where he is today (around the time he became the presumptive democratic nominee) is because he is black. Or call it neck and neck with McCain economic adviser, Sen. Gramm saying, you've heard of mental depression, this is mental recession...we have sort of become a nation of whiners. Though for my money the real doozy award goes to another McCain adviser, Charles Black, who said about Gov. Palin's lack of foreign policy experience, "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years, and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long.
So once again I have some questions. Why on earth would he pick Carly Fiorina and what does this say about Sen. McCain? What does this say about who he would select to fill his cabinet?
I got the feeling that had she continued her thought that it may of sounded something like, hell, I couldn't even run a major corporation, you think these bozo's can?
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Getting To Know The Republican Base
I was talking to a home schooling Evangelical Christian fellow yesterday that I have become friendly with. He indicated that he was pleased with the selection of Gov. Palin for VP. We talked about a number of related issues and as I had previously been made aware, he said that abortion and gay marriage are by far the most important issues for him in this election. If it isn't clear yet, I am pro-choice because I'm old enough to remember what it was like before Roe v. Wade and about gay marriage, I couldn't care less.
I'm one that has never quite understood how an irrational willingness to wage war and an unwillingness to accept any form of gun control can co-exist with a pro-life opinion. But what do I know?
The more we talked the more I realized that he was exactly what the calculation to select Gov. Palin was all about.
Discussing the respective campaigns it was obvious that as long as his candidate is solidly pro-life and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, nothing else really mattered that much. As I was to find out, the ethics involved in running a campaign was just simply not that important.
After I had given him plenty of time to talk, I was curious and seeing a limited opportunity I began to open up the possibility of a different perspective. I started by pointing out for example that Sen. McCain had not been truthful the day before when he said on the television show, The View, that Gov. Palin had not received earmark funding as Governor. I said, in fact, she will receive 256 million this year. I also pointed out that Gov. Palin told ABC's Charlie Gibson, touting her energy credentials, that Alaska provides 20% of the U.S. supply of energy when in fact the number is 3.5%. Then I told him that she had just told her son and fellow soldiers who were heading to Iraq, that they were being sent to protect us from the people who carried out the attacks on 9/11. I said, another falsehood.
He wasn't having any more of this and said, what's wrong with soliciting and receiving earmarks? To his surprise I said, nothing, I would expect my Governor to go after every penny available. Pork barrel rules do need to be changed but until they are it's fair game. He looked confused. I said, this is not about that, it's about lying to become President. Surely your religion teaches you that lying is wrong.
About Iraq, he said that it hadn't been proven that they weren't involved in 9/11. I said, yes it has. Then he went into this whole-all is fair in love and war-type of counter argument and says that both sides are as guilty as the other.
Well, I quickly realized that I was never going to convince him of what I do strongly believe, that the McCain campaign has run a much more deceptive and dirty campaign.
To change the subject I asked if he had seen Saturday Night Live. He said he hadn't but he did catch the Gov. Palin/Sen. Clinton bit on line and he thought it was very funny. Then he surprised me by saying that he couldn't believe that people in the McCain campaign thought it was disrespectful. Then adding that this was what satire is all about and what about that New Yorker cover with Barrack Obama and his wife as terrorists? Talk about disrespectful he said, did you know that there was even an American flag burning in the fireplace on that cover. I hadn't thought about it until then but it was an excellent point and I told him so. Then he said, you know, except for a few big issues I bet you and I don't see things all that differently. I said, I'm not so sure about that.
I'm one that has never quite understood how an irrational willingness to wage war and an unwillingness to accept any form of gun control can co-exist with a pro-life opinion. But what do I know?
The more we talked the more I realized that he was exactly what the calculation to select Gov. Palin was all about.
Discussing the respective campaigns it was obvious that as long as his candidate is solidly pro-life and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman, nothing else really mattered that much. As I was to find out, the ethics involved in running a campaign was just simply not that important.
After I had given him plenty of time to talk, I was curious and seeing a limited opportunity I began to open up the possibility of a different perspective. I started by pointing out for example that Sen. McCain had not been truthful the day before when he said on the television show, The View, that Gov. Palin had not received earmark funding as Governor. I said, in fact, she will receive 256 million this year. I also pointed out that Gov. Palin told ABC's Charlie Gibson, touting her energy credentials, that Alaska provides 20% of the U.S. supply of energy when in fact the number is 3.5%. Then I told him that she had just told her son and fellow soldiers who were heading to Iraq, that they were being sent to protect us from the people who carried out the attacks on 9/11. I said, another falsehood.
He wasn't having any more of this and said, what's wrong with soliciting and receiving earmarks? To his surprise I said, nothing, I would expect my Governor to go after every penny available. Pork barrel rules do need to be changed but until they are it's fair game. He looked confused. I said, this is not about that, it's about lying to become President. Surely your religion teaches you that lying is wrong.
About Iraq, he said that it hadn't been proven that they weren't involved in 9/11. I said, yes it has. Then he went into this whole-all is fair in love and war-type of counter argument and says that both sides are as guilty as the other.
Well, I quickly realized that I was never going to convince him of what I do strongly believe, that the McCain campaign has run a much more deceptive and dirty campaign.
To change the subject I asked if he had seen Saturday Night Live. He said he hadn't but he did catch the Gov. Palin/Sen. Clinton bit on line and he thought it was very funny. Then he surprised me by saying that he couldn't believe that people in the McCain campaign thought it was disrespectful. Then adding that this was what satire is all about and what about that New Yorker cover with Barrack Obama and his wife as terrorists? Talk about disrespectful he said, did you know that there was even an American flag burning in the fireplace on that cover. I hadn't thought about it until then but it was an excellent point and I told him so. Then he said, you know, except for a few big issues I bet you and I don't see things all that differently. I said, I'm not so sure about that.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
This Ain't Top Dead Center
Senator Obama listen up. You may not think they're in your head so let's try and explain it in a different way. Let's just say that the Rovean approach is to get under the hood of your car.
There is something under there called ignition timing and it has to do with an exact moment when gasoline vapor is compressed and spark plugs fire. If it occurs at the right moment your car runs great. This moment can be adjusted to either side of what is called, top dead center, or TDC. Depending on how much your timing is set away from TDC your car runs more and more poorly or even not at all. Karl Rove has taught his disciples to do whatever it takes to keep your car adjusted off of TDC. And if I may say so, they're doing a pretty good job of it right now. In Simpler terms-they are driving the debate or how about starting a lot of fires they know you'll try to put out.
Surely you have someone on your staff to remind you that under the circumstances you shouldn't try colloquialisms that have anything to do with pigs right now. Remember when Sen. Clinton, refusing to back out of the race and explaining why, mentioned one too many times that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in the month of June. People were appalled because she uttered the assassination word. She needed that same person on her staff to.
I know you have plenty of people around you who could take on a little more responsibility. That same person could have given you a much better line like, do you know what the difference is between President Bush or Vice President Cheney and Gov. Palin? Lipstick. Now, that one may have worked. Maybe even to fix the lipstick on a pig comment.
I realize that you are terrified of swift-boating but your situation is much different. Unless I'm mistaken there doesn't seem to be a lot of people in your past that are going to come forward to attack you. I know a guy who went to school with you in Hawaii and says nothing but nice things about you and this seems to be the general impression of everyone. Besides, you would know by now if there were any such people in the wings.
Remember, it is not dirty politics to discuss your opponents shortcomings. For example most people realize that "drill baby drill" is not a long term energy policy. And many agree with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance who said that Sen. Palin's philosophy is "cut,kill,dig and drill." In fact I think that you need to dust off, re-assert and be proud of a few principles of the democrat party and the environment might be a safe place to start.
Also, please stop explaining things in such detail. The crowd your trying to win over at this point has a limited attention span and thinks they're hearing re-distribution of wealth every time you go near economic fixes. You need quick pulses like, you'll bring tax relief to 95% of Americans. While we are here, please drop the neighborly talk, you already have the vote of the people with heart strings. And on the ethics front, another pulse might be, Sen. McCain has 159 lobbyist working on his campaign and you have none. At some point you may want to point out that your Vice Presidential nominee is not under investigation for abuse of power and that Alaska's Department of Public Safety Administrator, Dan Spencer said, that ebay thing didn't work out very well.
To combat McCain's veteran status how about contrasting your work on veterans legislation with his.
Finally, you can marvel at how dirty they are or you can marvel at how well they play the game, It's up to you.
One more point on energy. You need to make people realize that this isn't some gift that Alaskans are willing to bestow on the lower 48. This week every man woman and child in Alaska will receive 3269.00 dollars just for living there. This goes a long way to explain Gov. Palins approval rating but more so explains that they won't bite the hand that feeds them. Alaska's a red state with 3 electoral votes, you can afford to piss them off a little. The bloom on Gov. Palin's rose will begin to wilt soon and you should be ready to pounce because it's your turn to get them off of top dead center.
There is something under there called ignition timing and it has to do with an exact moment when gasoline vapor is compressed and spark plugs fire. If it occurs at the right moment your car runs great. This moment can be adjusted to either side of what is called, top dead center, or TDC. Depending on how much your timing is set away from TDC your car runs more and more poorly or even not at all. Karl Rove has taught his disciples to do whatever it takes to keep your car adjusted off of TDC. And if I may say so, they're doing a pretty good job of it right now. In Simpler terms-they are driving the debate or how about starting a lot of fires they know you'll try to put out.
Surely you have someone on your staff to remind you that under the circumstances you shouldn't try colloquialisms that have anything to do with pigs right now. Remember when Sen. Clinton, refusing to back out of the race and explaining why, mentioned one too many times that Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in the month of June. People were appalled because she uttered the assassination word. She needed that same person on her staff to.
I know you have plenty of people around you who could take on a little more responsibility. That same person could have given you a much better line like, do you know what the difference is between President Bush or Vice President Cheney and Gov. Palin? Lipstick. Now, that one may have worked. Maybe even to fix the lipstick on a pig comment.
I realize that you are terrified of swift-boating but your situation is much different. Unless I'm mistaken there doesn't seem to be a lot of people in your past that are going to come forward to attack you. I know a guy who went to school with you in Hawaii and says nothing but nice things about you and this seems to be the general impression of everyone. Besides, you would know by now if there were any such people in the wings.
Remember, it is not dirty politics to discuss your opponents shortcomings. For example most people realize that "drill baby drill" is not a long term energy policy. And many agree with the Alaska Wildlife Alliance who said that Sen. Palin's philosophy is "cut,kill,dig and drill." In fact I think that you need to dust off, re-assert and be proud of a few principles of the democrat party and the environment might be a safe place to start.
Also, please stop explaining things in such detail. The crowd your trying to win over at this point has a limited attention span and thinks they're hearing re-distribution of wealth every time you go near economic fixes. You need quick pulses like, you'll bring tax relief to 95% of Americans. While we are here, please drop the neighborly talk, you already have the vote of the people with heart strings. And on the ethics front, another pulse might be, Sen. McCain has 159 lobbyist working on his campaign and you have none. At some point you may want to point out that your Vice Presidential nominee is not under investigation for abuse of power and that Alaska's Department of Public Safety Administrator, Dan Spencer said, that ebay thing didn't work out very well.
To combat McCain's veteran status how about contrasting your work on veterans legislation with his.
Finally, you can marvel at how dirty they are or you can marvel at how well they play the game, It's up to you.
One more point on energy. You need to make people realize that this isn't some gift that Alaskans are willing to bestow on the lower 48. This week every man woman and child in Alaska will receive 3269.00 dollars just for living there. This goes a long way to explain Gov. Palins approval rating but more so explains that they won't bite the hand that feeds them. Alaska's a red state with 3 electoral votes, you can afford to piss them off a little. The bloom on Gov. Palin's rose will begin to wilt soon and you should be ready to pounce because it's your turn to get them off of top dead center.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Gov. Palin's Speech
Nice job reading a speech. Sen.Obama wrote his, there's a big difference. They even tried to say her tele-prompter wasn't working properly to leverage it's remarkableness (which has been proven false by people who could see it).
Madison avenue could learn a thing or two from this event. It was like watching a good TV commercial. Unfortunately it wasn't subject to truth in advertising laws. In fact it had nothing to do with the truth.
But most disturbing was that it was completely unhitched from the heavy load of the issues. Sen. McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis said it, the campaign has become one of personality over issues.
So there you have it, the McCain campaigns final act; people vote from their gut and not from their brain. Among the faithful, the truth being a nuisance, scores will resort to their comfort level and vote unwittingly for more of the same.
Fortunately the faithful is perhaps 35 percent of voters in this country so now the Obama campaign has to remind those who will listen that issues are how this contest should be decided and then they should work toward bringing Gov. Palin down to size. You may not be able to attack John McCain's risk taking behavior because his war record shields him from such criticism but the sexism or gender shield shouldn't hold for her. It's hard for a moose hunting moose eating woman to have it both ways.
They must shoot holes in her claims about what she has accomplished. It simply is not what she claims. There is solid stuff like Alaska has the lowest high school graduation rate in the nation. Or her 80 percent approval rating may have something to do with the 1200 dollars she gave each Alaskan due to the increased share of oil profits. And this is on top of the over 2000 dollars each Alaskan (children included) receives each year from oil profits from the permanent fund. Now you see why she's so hell bent on exploiting every drop of Alaskan oil.
Of course there's trooper gate and the bridge to nowhere flip flop where she managed to still receive the money. Or her beginning as mayor of Wassilla when it had no debt then leaving it 22 million in debt. She was on the receiving end of plenty of pork-barrel funds and had a relationship with the federally indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. They need to expose the good fortune of her being governor when the spike in oil prices flooded the State coffers with cash. Her veto pen wielding fiscal conservative reputation is also not at all what it seems.
There is plenty more that needs to be researched but what can't remain to stand is that somehow her life experience is in any way more preparatory than Sen. Obama. The whole band wagon now calls her government positions executive experience and somehow superior to Sen. Obama.
To start with, practically speaking, I have always found that when you come up through the ranks you work harder and learn more than the people who through good fortune manage to miss the thankless and tedious part of the career path. Once you do get to the top, under normal circumstances by earning it, it's a relief and an easier job because you now have the power to make a decision without having to convince the world first. But you can get there in other ways, like in an election.
The idea that her charmed life in Wassila Alaska with a good family that resulted in a B.A degree, beauty pageants, working in her husbands business, a stint as a sports announcer , a PTA member, City Councilwoman, Mayor and Governor, voted in by 114,000 voters, somehow constitutes more experience than Sen.Obama, is beyond ridiculous. Senator Obama lived off food stamps and without a father, he was schooled in Indonesia, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Columbia University and Harvard Law School where he received his J.D. and where he was the first black President of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a civil rights lawyer at a Law Firm and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law school. He served 7 years as a State Senator then was elected in 2006 to the U.S Senate.
But what did Gov.Palin mention repeatedly? His role as a community organizer which she mocked as being less important than her mayorial role. Sen. Palin might want to take a trip to Chicago's south side for some perspective before comparing her sun-kissed life to his. He volunteered for this work in poorer economic times. Her volunteer work was at the PTA.
But it's not surprising that she wouldn't know what a community organizer did when a month ago she said to Larry Kudlow of CNBC, "as for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you I still can't answer that question until somebody answer's for me what exactly a VP does every day..."
Madison avenue could learn a thing or two from this event. It was like watching a good TV commercial. Unfortunately it wasn't subject to truth in advertising laws. In fact it had nothing to do with the truth.
But most disturbing was that it was completely unhitched from the heavy load of the issues. Sen. McCain's campaign manager, Rick Davis said it, the campaign has become one of personality over issues.
So there you have it, the McCain campaigns final act; people vote from their gut and not from their brain. Among the faithful, the truth being a nuisance, scores will resort to their comfort level and vote unwittingly for more of the same.
Fortunately the faithful is perhaps 35 percent of voters in this country so now the Obama campaign has to remind those who will listen that issues are how this contest should be decided and then they should work toward bringing Gov. Palin down to size. You may not be able to attack John McCain's risk taking behavior because his war record shields him from such criticism but the sexism or gender shield shouldn't hold for her. It's hard for a moose hunting moose eating woman to have it both ways.
They must shoot holes in her claims about what she has accomplished. It simply is not what she claims. There is solid stuff like Alaska has the lowest high school graduation rate in the nation. Or her 80 percent approval rating may have something to do with the 1200 dollars she gave each Alaskan due to the increased share of oil profits. And this is on top of the over 2000 dollars each Alaskan (children included) receives each year from oil profits from the permanent fund. Now you see why she's so hell bent on exploiting every drop of Alaskan oil.
Of course there's trooper gate and the bridge to nowhere flip flop where she managed to still receive the money. Or her beginning as mayor of Wassilla when it had no debt then leaving it 22 million in debt. She was on the receiving end of plenty of pork-barrel funds and had a relationship with the federally indicted Sen. Ted Stevens. They need to expose the good fortune of her being governor when the spike in oil prices flooded the State coffers with cash. Her veto pen wielding fiscal conservative reputation is also not at all what it seems.
There is plenty more that needs to be researched but what can't remain to stand is that somehow her life experience is in any way more preparatory than Sen. Obama. The whole band wagon now calls her government positions executive experience and somehow superior to Sen. Obama.
To start with, practically speaking, I have always found that when you come up through the ranks you work harder and learn more than the people who through good fortune manage to miss the thankless and tedious part of the career path. Once you do get to the top, under normal circumstances by earning it, it's a relief and an easier job because you now have the power to make a decision without having to convince the world first. But you can get there in other ways, like in an election.
The idea that her charmed life in Wassila Alaska with a good family that resulted in a B.A degree, beauty pageants, working in her husbands business, a stint as a sports announcer , a PTA member, City Councilwoman, Mayor and Governor, voted in by 114,000 voters, somehow constitutes more experience than Sen.Obama, is beyond ridiculous. Senator Obama lived off food stamps and without a father, he was schooled in Indonesia, Hawaii, Los Angeles, Columbia University and Harvard Law School where he received his J.D. and where he was the first black President of the Harvard Law Review. He worked as a civil rights lawyer at a Law Firm and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law school. He served 7 years as a State Senator then was elected in 2006 to the U.S Senate.
But what did Gov.Palin mention repeatedly? His role as a community organizer which she mocked as being less important than her mayorial role. Sen. Palin might want to take a trip to Chicago's south side for some perspective before comparing her sun-kissed life to his. He volunteered for this work in poorer economic times. Her volunteer work was at the PTA.
But it's not surprising that she wouldn't know what a community organizer did when a month ago she said to Larry Kudlow of CNBC, "as for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell you I still can't answer that question until somebody answer's for me what exactly a VP does every day..."
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Is She Enough?
I think enough time has passed for me to comment on John McCain's V.P choice. When I have strong feelings about something I tend to allow a waiting period to send emotions packing while I call all thoughts back to the brain for a little meeting before I speak. But to my surprise I don't see it any differently now than I did when I first heard it. I'll reach up high on the shelves of over used and worn out transitive verbs for this one and go with flabbergasted.
Initially, I thought Sen. McCain must know a lot that I don't. But since all I knew was that she was the pretty Governor from Alaska who was attempting to clean up some wrongdoing by politicians in her state, I figured of course he would. Unfortunately, relative to qualifications for her new job, the answer was nope, that's about it.
Instead, what has rushed into the information void are things like she has completed less than half a term as Governor, an investigation into abuse of power, a for-before I was against, flip-flop about the bridge to nowhere touted in her V.P. acceptance speech, a mother-in-law who is undecided whether or not she will vote for a McCain/Palin ticket who adds, "I don't know what she brings to the ticket other than being a woman and a conservative." There are bruising appraisals of her V.P. potential from the Alaska press and among others, a line from the Alaska State Speaker of the House who, when asked about her qualification, replied, "She's old enough- she's a U.S citizen." To be fair this may be sour grapes resulting from her house cleaning efforts but it is surprisingly difficult to find positive appraisals at the local level.
Of course from the McCain camp there is no shortage of glowing commendations but listen to what McCain top adviser Charles Black said, "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long." What can you say to that?
In fairness to Gov. Palin there is no disputing that she has accomplished a great deal in her life. She has much to be proud of. But she has now climbed onto an entirely different stage with an audience that's gone from 700,000 to over 300 million, and I happen to be one of the latter.
Call me cynical but I just don't get all that assured by looking at her early life, her education, her success in beauty pageantry or sports reporting. Her service in city government may be qualifying if the city was Los Angeles or even Anchorage but I've been to Wassila and like all rural politics, becoming the big fish in a small pond is not all that remarkable. In fact all politics in Alaska can be called small town and Gov. Palins service in Wassila may have prepared her adequately for the governorship but the real question is does she posses the skills necessary to be the Vice President of the United States?
I think it's worth mentioning here that Alaska, with a population of 700,000, is physically larger than the next three largest states of California, Texas and Montana which have a combined population of 62 million.
I have experienced the largeness of Alaska with trips out of Fairbanks in bush planes and on the Yukon traveling to distant remote villages. Why is this important? Because it is one way, without going into great detail, to help explain what defines Alaskans and it contributes to how they view the world. Alaska just feels limitless and unrestricted and I see a lot of this manifested in Gov. Palin. It is reflected in her confidence about her positions on the issues of our time. It has served her quite well but has she been shaped by a place that matches up well with the lower 48?
Take issues like immigration? Smart young people leaving state is a greater concern to Alaskans. Pollution? Too much land, not enough people. Taxes? They receive far more money from lower 48 tax payers than they pay. They even receive over 2000 dollars each per year (including children) from oil revenue. Energy? There is a lot of it and finding and selling as much as possible is a self-serving economic goal. Terrorism? About as safe as it gets. Crime and drugs? Alcohol and drug abuse is a scourge and per capita crime statistics rival the rest of the country. There is even gang violence in Anchorage but still a stretch to compare it with major cities of the lower 48. Gun control? not on your life. Ethics in government? She maybe the cleanest, but from a very dirty house. The Iraq war? It's God's will so more of the same. Foreign policy? Sen. Palin has absolutely None. The Economy? Apples and oranges. Alaska lives in a distorted reality, awash in oil profits.
So is this just a pro-Obama/Biden rant about anyone that McCain selected? I like to think it is more objective than that. In fact among the people mentioned on the "short list" I could have easily been silenced. They got the gender right but It should have been the one with gravitas like Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Finally, I do worry that Gov. Palin would be out of touch with what this country really needs at this time. An Anchorage Dailey News reporter called her career "sun-kissed," which doesn't seem to be the right credentials for dealing with the problems which will face the next administration.
Initially, I thought Sen. McCain must know a lot that I don't. But since all I knew was that she was the pretty Governor from Alaska who was attempting to clean up some wrongdoing by politicians in her state, I figured of course he would. Unfortunately, relative to qualifications for her new job, the answer was nope, that's about it.
Instead, what has rushed into the information void are things like she has completed less than half a term as Governor, an investigation into abuse of power, a for-before I was against, flip-flop about the bridge to nowhere touted in her V.P. acceptance speech, a mother-in-law who is undecided whether or not she will vote for a McCain/Palin ticket who adds, "I don't know what she brings to the ticket other than being a woman and a conservative." There are bruising appraisals of her V.P. potential from the Alaska press and among others, a line from the Alaska State Speaker of the House who, when asked about her qualification, replied, "She's old enough- she's a U.S citizen." To be fair this may be sour grapes resulting from her house cleaning efforts but it is surprisingly difficult to find positive appraisals at the local level.
Of course from the McCain camp there is no shortage of glowing commendations but listen to what McCain top adviser Charles Black said, "She's going to learn national security at the foot of the master for the next four years and most doctors think that he'll be around at least that long." What can you say to that?
In fairness to Gov. Palin there is no disputing that she has accomplished a great deal in her life. She has much to be proud of. But she has now climbed onto an entirely different stage with an audience that's gone from 700,000 to over 300 million, and I happen to be one of the latter.
Call me cynical but I just don't get all that assured by looking at her early life, her education, her success in beauty pageantry or sports reporting. Her service in city government may be qualifying if the city was Los Angeles or even Anchorage but I've been to Wassila and like all rural politics, becoming the big fish in a small pond is not all that remarkable. In fact all politics in Alaska can be called small town and Gov. Palins service in Wassila may have prepared her adequately for the governorship but the real question is does she posses the skills necessary to be the Vice President of the United States?
I think it's worth mentioning here that Alaska, with a population of 700,000, is physically larger than the next three largest states of California, Texas and Montana which have a combined population of 62 million.
I have experienced the largeness of Alaska with trips out of Fairbanks in bush planes and on the Yukon traveling to distant remote villages. Why is this important? Because it is one way, without going into great detail, to help explain what defines Alaskans and it contributes to how they view the world. Alaska just feels limitless and unrestricted and I see a lot of this manifested in Gov. Palin. It is reflected in her confidence about her positions on the issues of our time. It has served her quite well but has she been shaped by a place that matches up well with the lower 48?
Take issues like immigration? Smart young people leaving state is a greater concern to Alaskans. Pollution? Too much land, not enough people. Taxes? They receive far more money from lower 48 tax payers than they pay. They even receive over 2000 dollars each per year (including children) from oil revenue. Energy? There is a lot of it and finding and selling as much as possible is a self-serving economic goal. Terrorism? About as safe as it gets. Crime and drugs? Alcohol and drug abuse is a scourge and per capita crime statistics rival the rest of the country. There is even gang violence in Anchorage but still a stretch to compare it with major cities of the lower 48. Gun control? not on your life. Ethics in government? She maybe the cleanest, but from a very dirty house. The Iraq war? It's God's will so more of the same. Foreign policy? Sen. Palin has absolutely None. The Economy? Apples and oranges. Alaska lives in a distorted reality, awash in oil profits.
So is this just a pro-Obama/Biden rant about anyone that McCain selected? I like to think it is more objective than that. In fact among the people mentioned on the "short list" I could have easily been silenced. They got the gender right but It should have been the one with gravitas like Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Finally, I do worry that Gov. Palin would be out of touch with what this country really needs at this time. An Anchorage Dailey News reporter called her career "sun-kissed," which doesn't seem to be the right credentials for dealing with the problems which will face the next administration.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Mono A Mono
Now we've got a fight. Senator Obama clearly gave a terrific nomination acceptance speech. For heaven's sake, Chris Wallace, Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer even said so. If this isn't confirmation, what is?
It was beautiful and complete and most important he convinced me that in fact he is a formidable force who could throw a punch if the time came.. It must feel like some surreal out of body journey for him but last night, being finally able show himself to the world, he stepped up and scored big.
Remember that each of us is dealt a hand of cards in life. If you think that being black in this country doesn't amount to a few low cards then your kidding yourself. Add the interracial aspect, no father and no money and your ready to fold before you begin. Sen. Obama though, was dealt a few kings, maybe even an ace by having a good external image, a good mother and grandparents and a head on his shoulders. He stayed in the game but to do so he had to play his cards just right. The little intro film before he spoke may have given a clue about the source of a part of him--his reticence.
He said the only time his mother got mad was when she observed cruelty to others. And to her son she said, when people are mistreated, imagine standing in their shoes. This, working together with the don't be too uppity pledge that many African-Americans must take to succeed, could well of suppressed Obama's desire to engage. But it wasn't born from an emotional fear, it was a tried-and-true intellectual one.
Many instances along the way served to reinforce the relative safety of his reticence place. Recall his early "your likable enough Hillary" comment to Senator Clinton. Hardly a serious attack but success in Iowa came to a screeching halt in New Hampshire, reportedly due to this comment.
Maybe the campaign has finally adjusted to running against a man. A standard that sports served to normalize, where man on man rules nearly ignore black man on white man rules of yesteryear.
Well, to say the least Senator Obama did play his cards right and now has raked in about half the chips. The other half, ironically, may only be won if the full and genuine man emerges and that's what I hope we saw last night.
It was beautiful and complete and most important he convinced me that in fact he is a formidable force who could throw a punch if the time came.. It must feel like some surreal out of body journey for him but last night, being finally able show himself to the world, he stepped up and scored big.
Remember that each of us is dealt a hand of cards in life. If you think that being black in this country doesn't amount to a few low cards then your kidding yourself. Add the interracial aspect, no father and no money and your ready to fold before you begin. Sen. Obama though, was dealt a few kings, maybe even an ace by having a good external image, a good mother and grandparents and a head on his shoulders. He stayed in the game but to do so he had to play his cards just right. The little intro film before he spoke may have given a clue about the source of a part of him--his reticence.
He said the only time his mother got mad was when she observed cruelty to others. And to her son she said, when people are mistreated, imagine standing in their shoes. This, working together with the don't be too uppity pledge that many African-Americans must take to succeed, could well of suppressed Obama's desire to engage. But it wasn't born from an emotional fear, it was a tried-and-true intellectual one.
Many instances along the way served to reinforce the relative safety of his reticence place. Recall his early "your likable enough Hillary" comment to Senator Clinton. Hardly a serious attack but success in Iowa came to a screeching halt in New Hampshire, reportedly due to this comment.
Maybe the campaign has finally adjusted to running against a man. A standard that sports served to normalize, where man on man rules nearly ignore black man on white man rules of yesteryear.
Well, to say the least Senator Obama did play his cards right and now has raked in about half the chips. The other half, ironically, may only be won if the full and genuine man emerges and that's what I hope we saw last night.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Well Done Convention But Get Ready
No thoughtful and objective person could believe that the speeches we heard from Michelle Obama, Brian Schweitzer, Senator Clinton, Senator Kerry, President Clinton and Senator Biden were not superb. As usual the hours of analysis, produced commentary that lost it's moorings. But the few remaining unaffected and unbiased media people scattered across the network and cable outlets did get it right and found that the speeches did all they could politically for the Democratic party.
So, even as the Republican party worked hard through ads, surrogates and party friendly media to interfere, it seems that the democrats will come out of their convention in fairly good shape. Senator Obama should dazzle the crowd as usual tonight and in the process have put together a nifty little organization in Colorado and beyond in the critical west.
So why don't I feel as excited as I possibly should? Simply because the Obama juggernaut was stalled by the efforts of the McCain campaign over the last month or so and they are working very hard to do it again.
The addition of Senator Biden will help to deliver whatever strategy they intend to use but the campaign itself must provide that strategy.
The problem is that this campaign has put it's bet down on the high road approach. Please don't think that I believe that they should wallow in the mud with McCain's Rovean warriors but there is a mile between the respective campaigns tactics. There is plenty of room to be aggressive or on offense or proactive if that feels better, without being dirty. The Republicans will continue to drive the debate unless the Obama campaign gets some surrogates out there willing to win at a cost greater than what their willing to afford right now.
So, even as the Republican party worked hard through ads, surrogates and party friendly media to interfere, it seems that the democrats will come out of their convention in fairly good shape. Senator Obama should dazzle the crowd as usual tonight and in the process have put together a nifty little organization in Colorado and beyond in the critical west.
So why don't I feel as excited as I possibly should? Simply because the Obama juggernaut was stalled by the efforts of the McCain campaign over the last month or so and they are working very hard to do it again.
The addition of Senator Biden will help to deliver whatever strategy they intend to use but the campaign itself must provide that strategy.
The problem is that this campaign has put it's bet down on the high road approach. Please don't think that I believe that they should wallow in the mud with McCain's Rovean warriors but there is a mile between the respective campaigns tactics. There is plenty of room to be aggressive or on offense or proactive if that feels better, without being dirty. The Republicans will continue to drive the debate unless the Obama campaign gets some surrogates out there willing to win at a cost greater than what their willing to afford right now.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Be On Offense And Drive The Debate
This is the Republican mantra. Make no mistake about it.
All the cogs are beginning to turn and don't forget they are very good at what they do. They have been at this for a very long time and they do this for what in their minds are principled reasons but, the soldiers also know that there are millions to be made and vast new avenues for networking for future deals. Add it all up and there are plenty of reason for the McCain team to start unbolting the kitchen sink.
One sure sign that the time has come is that Harold Simmons, the Texas billionaire and McCain campaign fund raiser, has started a non-profit group called American Issues Project to finance ads against Obama. Yep, same guy who funded ads attacking John Kerry's military service in 2004.
With this kind of horsepower it's no wonder that they can put the Democrats in a defensive posture which for all intents and purposes is them "driving the debate." The Obama camp takes the logical step by looking at what the Kerry campaign did wrong, then launches counter attacks and guess what--they look defensive. This is why the Carville's and Gergan's and Buchanan's of the world keep begging for red meat. The Obama camp needs to take it to the enemy. They need to abandon the "above the fray" mentality that the American people object to dirty politics. The bottom line is that the America People don't somehow live outside of the boundaries of human nature. And if your losing, human nature says bring out the biggest guns you got.
All the cogs are beginning to turn and don't forget they are very good at what they do. They have been at this for a very long time and they do this for what in their minds are principled reasons but, the soldiers also know that there are millions to be made and vast new avenues for networking for future deals. Add it all up and there are plenty of reason for the McCain team to start unbolting the kitchen sink.
One sure sign that the time has come is that Harold Simmons, the Texas billionaire and McCain campaign fund raiser, has started a non-profit group called American Issues Project to finance ads against Obama. Yep, same guy who funded ads attacking John Kerry's military service in 2004.
With this kind of horsepower it's no wonder that they can put the Democrats in a defensive posture which for all intents and purposes is them "driving the debate." The Obama camp takes the logical step by looking at what the Kerry campaign did wrong, then launches counter attacks and guess what--they look defensive. This is why the Carville's and Gergan's and Buchanan's of the world keep begging for red meat. The Obama camp needs to take it to the enemy. They need to abandon the "above the fray" mentality that the American people object to dirty politics. The bottom line is that the America People don't somehow live outside of the boundaries of human nature. And if your losing, human nature says bring out the biggest guns you got.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Dear Sen. Obama
Your first momentous decision, the selection of Sen. Biden for your running mate is for me enormously fulfilling. Shamelessly I must mention that I made this hopeful prediction on June 12, 2008. I gave my reasons at that time. How you exactly came to this decision, we may never know for sure but if you can keep up the good decisions, I'll make another prediction, you just might become the next President of the United States. Btw, the best line of the event in Springfield was Senator Biden saying, "These times require more than a goor soldier, they require a wise leader." All the pieces are in place, now make it reality.
Monday, August 18, 2008
You Never Stop Earning Trust
There are a lot of addictions out there and not too many people would argue that one of them is an addiction to trust, but I'm going to risk the wrath of God himself and stick my neck way out there and ask, why are we going to give Rev. Rick Warren a pass on what happened at his "Saddleback Civil Forum?" To start, it was rather confusingly billed as an encounter of some kind between Sen. Obama and Sen McCain.
If you don't know, to save me a lengthy explanation please Google "Cone of silence."
Warren, with his squeaky clean persona promised fairness in the design of this event and in his failure furthered the idea that extending unlimited trust even to his group comes with peril.
Warren has spent most of the day defending himself and in my opinion not very well. In each interview, when asked why Sen. McCain was in fact not in the sound proof room (cone of silence) for all of Sen.Obama's questioning period, he gave answers which were purposefully evasive.
He quickly, and with Warren style charm redirected the questioners by saying these were bogus charges because the secret service was with McCain in the motorcade and when he did arrive he entered a sound proof room, with Saddleback security staff present.
Then he incredulously discounted an examples of a rumor about a monitor in the green room by saying it was disconnected two days earlier by his staff. These are clever responses that in my opinion are crafted. They dodge the issues and redirect the conversation in a hospitable direction. These are classic examples of verbal dances that are designed to make petty the accusation and simultaneously damage the credibility of the accusers.
Then he worked to place the idea that if anything, Sen.Obama had the advantage because by McCain being late Obama received a tip off on a question about relief for orphans he had planned to give both of them. This attempt appears to try to compensate which only continues to incite suspicion. It's also like not having to cook tonight because your house just burned down.
When asked if McCain could have heard anything in the car, Warren responded, not a chance because the secret service would have reported it, and in a beyond everything else manner, Warren places high value on McCain giving his word on the issue. Maybe civil but not a luxury one should blindly extend to a politician especially during an election.
I don't believe that much if anything was answered about the fundamental questions here and I know this because I still have them. Why was McCain late? Warren said that there was an agreement reached between all parties. Considering the event design, wasn't this an important part of the agreement? How late was McCain? Why would one believe that the secret service is responsible to monitor such things? With today's technology shouldn't it be acknowledged that McCain was at least able to receive improper information? Instead impropriety was simply represented as preposterous. I realize that the imagination can run wild here but the lack of rules creates suspicion about everything including the coin toss that determined who would go first. A smart caller asked the question on CNN's Larry King show and amazingly Warren answers that it was done a month ago with his staff without the candidates present. I realize that we are talking about a church here but I'm sorry, I don't like going for this ride without the assurance of a little proof.
With mixed feelings I expect Warren will escape further scrutiny because everyone seems to love this man and by all accounts he has done more for his fellow human beings than any thousand others. And it is hard for me to suspect that this was planned. But his answers were given like a politician instead of a pastor and if nothing else it exemplifies the importance of the separation of church and state.
The politics of the state is a contaminant that if allowed to seep into faith based organizations, will destroy them as it has in many other examples around the world. Unfortunately the same can hold true in the reverse. The founding fathers were well aware of this and took appropriate measures.
Warren says he believes in this separation but re-entwines the two with talk of individual world views that are part and parcel in the equation. It's like just wanting a little protectionism from world market capitalism. In simpler terms, it's flirting with disaster.
In my last post I spoke about the exact players in the McCain campaign staff who were front and center during this controversy. I think you know whether or not I believe this crew is capable of carrying out something this devious. But because of what appeared to be loose rules I can't know the truth and likely will never know it so I hold nothing against McCain for this.
But I do know that if Rev. Warren is going to continue to play a role in the election of my president he had better get his act together because this was harmful and an early sign of the hubris that has spelled doom for many of his kind before him.
If you don't know, to save me a lengthy explanation please Google "Cone of silence."
Warren, with his squeaky clean persona promised fairness in the design of this event and in his failure furthered the idea that extending unlimited trust even to his group comes with peril.
Warren has spent most of the day defending himself and in my opinion not very well. In each interview, when asked why Sen. McCain was in fact not in the sound proof room (cone of silence) for all of Sen.Obama's questioning period, he gave answers which were purposefully evasive.
He quickly, and with Warren style charm redirected the questioners by saying these were bogus charges because the secret service was with McCain in the motorcade and when he did arrive he entered a sound proof room, with Saddleback security staff present.
Then he incredulously discounted an examples of a rumor about a monitor in the green room by saying it was disconnected two days earlier by his staff. These are clever responses that in my opinion are crafted. They dodge the issues and redirect the conversation in a hospitable direction. These are classic examples of verbal dances that are designed to make petty the accusation and simultaneously damage the credibility of the accusers.
Then he worked to place the idea that if anything, Sen.Obama had the advantage because by McCain being late Obama received a tip off on a question about relief for orphans he had planned to give both of them. This attempt appears to try to compensate which only continues to incite suspicion. It's also like not having to cook tonight because your house just burned down.
When asked if McCain could have heard anything in the car, Warren responded, not a chance because the secret service would have reported it, and in a beyond everything else manner, Warren places high value on McCain giving his word on the issue. Maybe civil but not a luxury one should blindly extend to a politician especially during an election.
I don't believe that much if anything was answered about the fundamental questions here and I know this because I still have them. Why was McCain late? Warren said that there was an agreement reached between all parties. Considering the event design, wasn't this an important part of the agreement? How late was McCain? Why would one believe that the secret service is responsible to monitor such things? With today's technology shouldn't it be acknowledged that McCain was at least able to receive improper information? Instead impropriety was simply represented as preposterous. I realize that the imagination can run wild here but the lack of rules creates suspicion about everything including the coin toss that determined who would go first. A smart caller asked the question on CNN's Larry King show and amazingly Warren answers that it was done a month ago with his staff without the candidates present. I realize that we are talking about a church here but I'm sorry, I don't like going for this ride without the assurance of a little proof.
With mixed feelings I expect Warren will escape further scrutiny because everyone seems to love this man and by all accounts he has done more for his fellow human beings than any thousand others. And it is hard for me to suspect that this was planned. But his answers were given like a politician instead of a pastor and if nothing else it exemplifies the importance of the separation of church and state.
The politics of the state is a contaminant that if allowed to seep into faith based organizations, will destroy them as it has in many other examples around the world. Unfortunately the same can hold true in the reverse. The founding fathers were well aware of this and took appropriate measures.
Warren says he believes in this separation but re-entwines the two with talk of individual world views that are part and parcel in the equation. It's like just wanting a little protectionism from world market capitalism. In simpler terms, it's flirting with disaster.
In my last post I spoke about the exact players in the McCain campaign staff who were front and center during this controversy. I think you know whether or not I believe this crew is capable of carrying out something this devious. But because of what appeared to be loose rules I can't know the truth and likely will never know it so I hold nothing against McCain for this.
But I do know that if Rev. Warren is going to continue to play a role in the election of my president he had better get his act together because this was harmful and an early sign of the hubris that has spelled doom for many of his kind before him.
Saturday, August 09, 2008
McCain, A Campaign Reformer?
I've purposefully steered clear of politics for a while to clear my head before the final stretch. While the Democratic primary got a bit surly toward the end with it's Democrat style pillow fights, what's coming will make these skirmishes look like Haight/Ashbury before the summer of love.
The "Brittany/Paris" add gave a glimpse at where it's headed.
Whether or not you think a President McCain administration will be an extension of the Bush administration, we can be sure of one thing, the guys who are trying to put him there are from a Pedigree that stretches back to the Nixon Administration.
All you have to do is look at Senator McCains top people to realize that from the beginning of his campaign he has utilized the same kind of players that Republicans seeking the presidency have gone to since Donald Segretti was hired to conduct his "dirty tricks" campaign against Democrats in 1972. Segretti was convicted of distributing forged campaign literature and other types of "ratfucking" as he crudely referred to his duties.
Astonishingly in 2000 he served as co-chair of Senator McCain's presidential campaign in Orange County, California.
Guess who is commonly considered a protege of Segretti ? None other than Karl Rove.
McCain has shuffled the deck to assuage periodic rises in criticism but he continues to return to the tried and true dirty pool solutions to his political problems.
His latest addition and likely responsible for the Brittany/Paris add is Karl Rove protege Steve Schmidt. He was along for the ride with Rove as he ran President Bush's Re-election campaign in 2004. He was an exclusive member of the "Breakfast Club" as it was known.
He was also a White House strategist in charge of the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts and worked on the Schwarzenegger campaign in 2004 and was a top aide to Vice President Cheney.
Then there is Charles R. Black Jr. who most recently and quite famously said that a terrorist attack would help his candidate, Senator McCain.
His relationship with Karl Rove started with a dust-up over leadership of the College Republicans way back in 1972. None other than RNC chairman George H.W. Bush had to step in and ruled in favor of Rove. Black also met the notorious Republican attack dog and Karl Rove associate Lee Atwater at that time and later hired him for the Reagan campaign. Black worked on the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush campaigns as well.
Who is he? He's a lobbyist extraordinaire who's done work for a long list of unsavory clients including dictators and other regimes around the world. He has a reputation for being a tough guy as colleague Roger Ailes said, " Charlie's the kind of guy who if he came home and found somebody making out with his wife on a rainy day, he'd break his umbrella and ask him to leave, then have him killed a year later. Lee Atwater would blow the house up."
How he was able to stay on after McCains recent campaign lobbyist purge is a mystery but it highlights just how inadequate election rules really are.
His relationship with Ahmed Chalabi, a champion of the Iraq war, is laced with controversy. He received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S for consulting with Chalabi. One can only wonder what that money bought.
Next there is Richard "Rick" Davis. Again a puzzle as to why McCain allows this super lobbyist to continue. Davis watched first hand in 2000 as his candidate, Senator McCain, was smeared by the the Bush Campaign in South Carolina. He knows the game well although seemingly less inclined to go dirty, which may explain the acquisition of Schmidt.
But his hands are are not much cleaner. Though it's said he is on leave from his lobbying firm and doesn't currently receive a salary, he has made plenty off his relationship with McCain and if he can put him in the White House he'll make plenty more.
Another recruit from the Bush Administration, Greg Jenkins, was recently sued by the ACLU for removing peaceful protesters from a McCain appearance in Denver, Colorado. Finally the lovely and talented Nicolle Wallace who also worked closely with Rove as President Bush's communication director and before that Jeb Bush's press secretary. Wallace can be summed up with her primary goal which is to be aggressive and drive the debate in the campaign. Unfortunately anything goes in that pursuit.
This is just a sample of the people who survived the shake-up of the McCain election staff. Imagine the conflict of interest for those who were let go.
The bottom line is that the McCain election crew is a who's who of lobbyists and operatives who thrive in a sham world where perception is reality and in the end having all to do with getting their hands on your tax dollars. They do it the only way humanly possible, without conscience.
It's an especially awkward duplicity when you consider Senator McCains projected image as an election reformer.
The "Brittany/Paris" add gave a glimpse at where it's headed.
Whether or not you think a President McCain administration will be an extension of the Bush administration, we can be sure of one thing, the guys who are trying to put him there are from a Pedigree that stretches back to the Nixon Administration.
All you have to do is look at Senator McCains top people to realize that from the beginning of his campaign he has utilized the same kind of players that Republicans seeking the presidency have gone to since Donald Segretti was hired to conduct his "dirty tricks" campaign against Democrats in 1972. Segretti was convicted of distributing forged campaign literature and other types of "ratfucking" as he crudely referred to his duties.
Astonishingly in 2000 he served as co-chair of Senator McCain's presidential campaign in Orange County, California.
Guess who is commonly considered a protege of Segretti ? None other than Karl Rove.
McCain has shuffled the deck to assuage periodic rises in criticism but he continues to return to the tried and true dirty pool solutions to his political problems.
His latest addition and likely responsible for the Brittany/Paris add is Karl Rove protege Steve Schmidt. He was along for the ride with Rove as he ran President Bush's Re-election campaign in 2004. He was an exclusive member of the "Breakfast Club" as it was known.
He was also a White House strategist in charge of the U.S. Supreme Court nominations of Samuel Alito and John Roberts and worked on the Schwarzenegger campaign in 2004 and was a top aide to Vice President Cheney.
Then there is Charles R. Black Jr. who most recently and quite famously said that a terrorist attack would help his candidate, Senator McCain.
His relationship with Karl Rove started with a dust-up over leadership of the College Republicans way back in 1972. None other than RNC chairman George H.W. Bush had to step in and ruled in favor of Rove. Black also met the notorious Republican attack dog and Karl Rove associate Lee Atwater at that time and later hired him for the Reagan campaign. Black worked on the George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush campaigns as well.
Who is he? He's a lobbyist extraordinaire who's done work for a long list of unsavory clients including dictators and other regimes around the world. He has a reputation for being a tough guy as colleague Roger Ailes said, " Charlie's the kind of guy who if he came home and found somebody making out with his wife on a rainy day, he'd break his umbrella and ask him to leave, then have him killed a year later. Lee Atwater would blow the house up."
How he was able to stay on after McCains recent campaign lobbyist purge is a mystery but it highlights just how inadequate election rules really are.
His relationship with Ahmed Chalabi, a champion of the Iraq war, is laced with controversy. He received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the U.S for consulting with Chalabi. One can only wonder what that money bought.
Next there is Richard "Rick" Davis. Again a puzzle as to why McCain allows this super lobbyist to continue. Davis watched first hand in 2000 as his candidate, Senator McCain, was smeared by the the Bush Campaign in South Carolina. He knows the game well although seemingly less inclined to go dirty, which may explain the acquisition of Schmidt.
But his hands are are not much cleaner. Though it's said he is on leave from his lobbying firm and doesn't currently receive a salary, he has made plenty off his relationship with McCain and if he can put him in the White House he'll make plenty more.
Another recruit from the Bush Administration, Greg Jenkins, was recently sued by the ACLU for removing peaceful protesters from a McCain appearance in Denver, Colorado. Finally the lovely and talented Nicolle Wallace who also worked closely with Rove as President Bush's communication director and before that Jeb Bush's press secretary. Wallace can be summed up with her primary goal which is to be aggressive and drive the debate in the campaign. Unfortunately anything goes in that pursuit.
This is just a sample of the people who survived the shake-up of the McCain election staff. Imagine the conflict of interest for those who were let go.
The bottom line is that the McCain election crew is a who's who of lobbyists and operatives who thrive in a sham world where perception is reality and in the end having all to do with getting their hands on your tax dollars. They do it the only way humanly possible, without conscience.
It's an especially awkward duplicity when you consider Senator McCains projected image as an election reformer.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Some Thoughts On Hope
Slow but sure our paths wear deep. The more traveled the more appealing until new paths, we no longer seek. Narrow becomes the trough that shadows dim the way. Once aimless, those who follow trade tomorrow for today. Few step up to take a stance. Treasure brinks existence until courage breaks the trance.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Examine This
As someone who favors the "examined life" approach to dealing with their time here on earth, I must say that deciphering the raw data can sometimes be a real chore. Here is a sample of the things that are rattling around upstairs from the week gone by.
I was doing some work in a sort of generic middle class neighborhood (in California this means your likely broke because it cost so much to buy your house) when I met Tom. He's a friendly and folksy 70 year old fellow, an Illinois transplant back 47 years . He's a chipper early riser, sans coffee; you know the type.
We were sort of talking about his pleasant demeanor in a round-about way when he offered an example of the alternatives. His neighbor, a nasty curmudgeon, who still harbors ill feelings toward Japanese people due to his participation in WWll, got his comeuppance recently.
It seems his neighbors feelings were a little deeper than perhaps normal for so many years after the fact considering all that has transpired. Tom said that over time he actually ran off his Japanese neighbor with his nastiness, "yeah, they just finally moved because they couldn't take it any longer and it was a shame because they were good neighbors, and they kept there place up real nice."
Well the nasty guy swelled with pride for his deed until last week. It seems that the four young men who bought the house quickly started doing what young men do like party around the clock, play loud music, take up all the parking spaces and not water or mow the lawn. It took a little while but this week Tom said nasty guy came over to complain to Tom about the new neighbors and said, "jeez, I wish the Japs hadn't moved now."
There are a lot of thoughts that come to mind, like maybe a Karmic boomerang coming back around and hitting old nasty one square in the chops. But Tom, being a real decent sort of guy, reduced it to a nice and basic moral level and said he thinks maybe old McNasty might stop hating Japanese, but at least he learned that things could always be worse.
Over the period of a few days it became clear that Tom lived his life by a set of moral guidelines. Right down to making sure that the construction debris was properly disposed of. He said, "this old planet of ours can't take much more abuse."
Now this comes in contrast to another debris disposal situation that came up with another customer. This one is a well off guy (seriously well off) who suggested I drive somewhere and dump his old doors down some street somewhere in effort to avoid the 65 dollar transfer station fee. This is the same guy who earlier said, "the way they fix the tax problem in this country is to figure out how to make guys like me pay their fair share." He is full of self serving ideas and doesn't appear to follow any particular moral code except for his Christan beliefs which seem to dwell on the Book of Revelations and the coming end of the world. Let's just say his strike zone is a lot wider than Toms.
Later on in the week in another well-to-do neighborhood passing temporary signs to a horse show and stuck in a Mercedes and BMW traffic jamb, I was listening to a NPR radio story about a man in Newfoundland who, because the fisheries are so depleted, now catches small ice bergs. (They call them bergie bits!) He then melts them and sells the water to someone in Texas who sells it again for it's purported health benefits for a ridiculous amount of money.
I drove on noticing that the folk in this neighborhood don't own non-purebred dogs and they hire people to walk them. When looking to park I noticed that the trees on side of the street each had a little sign on them that said, "caution trees dripping sap." Taking my lesson from Tom I looked for the good in it and will only say, I guess it doesn't get anymore civilized than that.
Then there was a grand old lady who I do work for who told me more stories about her friendship with Anna Mahler and how she once gave a Judy Collins album to Julio Cortazar who visited her at her (rather unique) home. She also told me about the mother of a woman she knows who scolded Albert Einstein for bringing a lit pipe into her house. She says, "he then childishly snuffed the pipe out in his coat pocket, can you imagine?" with a big laugh.
Back to NPR and a story about a couple who decided to have sex for one hundred and one days in a row and write a book about it. And politics? I didn't even get there. It is an odd life we live isn't it.
I was doing some work in a sort of generic middle class neighborhood (in California this means your likely broke because it cost so much to buy your house) when I met Tom. He's a friendly and folksy 70 year old fellow, an Illinois transplant back 47 years . He's a chipper early riser, sans coffee; you know the type.
We were sort of talking about his pleasant demeanor in a round-about way when he offered an example of the alternatives. His neighbor, a nasty curmudgeon, who still harbors ill feelings toward Japanese people due to his participation in WWll, got his comeuppance recently.
It seems his neighbors feelings were a little deeper than perhaps normal for so many years after the fact considering all that has transpired. Tom said that over time he actually ran off his Japanese neighbor with his nastiness, "yeah, they just finally moved because they couldn't take it any longer and it was a shame because they were good neighbors, and they kept there place up real nice."
Well the nasty guy swelled with pride for his deed until last week. It seems that the four young men who bought the house quickly started doing what young men do like party around the clock, play loud music, take up all the parking spaces and not water or mow the lawn. It took a little while but this week Tom said nasty guy came over to complain to Tom about the new neighbors and said, "jeez, I wish the Japs hadn't moved now."
There are a lot of thoughts that come to mind, like maybe a Karmic boomerang coming back around and hitting old nasty one square in the chops. But Tom, being a real decent sort of guy, reduced it to a nice and basic moral level and said he thinks maybe old McNasty might stop hating Japanese, but at least he learned that things could always be worse.
Over the period of a few days it became clear that Tom lived his life by a set of moral guidelines. Right down to making sure that the construction debris was properly disposed of. He said, "this old planet of ours can't take much more abuse."
Now this comes in contrast to another debris disposal situation that came up with another customer. This one is a well off guy (seriously well off) who suggested I drive somewhere and dump his old doors down some street somewhere in effort to avoid the 65 dollar transfer station fee. This is the same guy who earlier said, "the way they fix the tax problem in this country is to figure out how to make guys like me pay their fair share." He is full of self serving ideas and doesn't appear to follow any particular moral code except for his Christan beliefs which seem to dwell on the Book of Revelations and the coming end of the world. Let's just say his strike zone is a lot wider than Toms.
Later on in the week in another well-to-do neighborhood passing temporary signs to a horse show and stuck in a Mercedes and BMW traffic jamb, I was listening to a NPR radio story about a man in Newfoundland who, because the fisheries are so depleted, now catches small ice bergs. (They call them bergie bits!) He then melts them and sells the water to someone in Texas who sells it again for it's purported health benefits for a ridiculous amount of money.
I drove on noticing that the folk in this neighborhood don't own non-purebred dogs and they hire people to walk them. When looking to park I noticed that the trees on side of the street each had a little sign on them that said, "caution trees dripping sap." Taking my lesson from Tom I looked for the good in it and will only say, I guess it doesn't get anymore civilized than that.
Then there was a grand old lady who I do work for who told me more stories about her friendship with Anna Mahler and how she once gave a Judy Collins album to Julio Cortazar who visited her at her (rather unique) home. She also told me about the mother of a woman she knows who scolded Albert Einstein for bringing a lit pipe into her house. She says, "he then childishly snuffed the pipe out in his coat pocket, can you imagine?" with a big laugh.
Back to NPR and a story about a couple who decided to have sex for one hundred and one days in a row and write a book about it. And politics? I didn't even get there. It is an odd life we live isn't it.
Thursday, July 03, 2008
How about a Poem
It seems the worst thing you can do when drawing a blank is to amble through the thoughts of those who don't seem to be as stuck as you. In fact it is so corrupting that like television, sometimes I must swear off the internet for a period of time. How long? Until I can see clearly again. For now I'm trying some poetry.
I stayed in
for a pounding rain,
timed flash to thunder
in a hurricane.
Doors ajar
struck with fear,
fury and darkness
move far to near.
Beneath a dinosaur,
path unaligned,
will it touch down
is now the time.
Brilliant light,
fraction of time,
clapping resound,
a foot hit the ground.
Now wait,
and wait more?
Where is
the dinosaur?
But no closer comes
peril this day,
relieved so
that fate had it's way.
The journey over,
pleased how all fared,
I step through the door,
breath the sweet sweet air.
I stayed in
for a pounding rain,
timed flash to thunder
in a hurricane.
Doors ajar
struck with fear,
fury and darkness
move far to near.
Beneath a dinosaur,
path unaligned,
will it touch down
is now the time.
Brilliant light,
fraction of time,
clapping resound,
a foot hit the ground.
Now wait,
and wait more?
Where is
the dinosaur?
But no closer comes
peril this day,
relieved so
that fate had it's way.
The journey over,
pleased how all fared,
I step through the door,
breath the sweet sweet air.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Guess What, Another Obama Smear
Thanks, Jake Tapper of ABC news for getting to the bottom of the latest Obama's a Muslim smear. This is especially noble because you don't strike me as an Obama supporter. You could have ignored this story but instead you did your journalistic duty and set the record straight.
Quickly, the story goes like this. The Jerusalem Post reported, Barack Obama's half brother Malik said Thursday that if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background. As you can imagine it soon showed up on conservative and other blogs who ran with the Muslim background aspect of the report and then it found it's way to Fox news on June 16th. Brit Hume said, "Barack Obama is a practicing Christian, married in a Christian church, whose children were also baptized in that church. His campaign has emphasized his faith in part to dispel what the campaign calls an online smear campaign which contends among other things that Obama was raised a Muslim. There is even a statement on his official campaign website reading quote, Obama has never been a Muslim, and is a committed Christian. But Obama's half brother is not so sure. Malik Obama tells the Jerusalem Post that, if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background."
The problem is that Malik Obama never said that. ABC news got a hold of the audio interview and there was no such thing said. The Jerusalem Post has removed the story from it's website.
I'm not exactly sure why I feel so compelled to stick up for Barrack Obama, especially when I see him smeared. I think that part of it is that in the past it seemed that if one politician didn't come through then the next one probably possessed a similar set of skills and all the other attributes, that in my eyes, this country stands for. But now so much has changed and the stakes are much higher. At the same time the probability has never seemed lower that someone could rise through the ranks with the important qualities necessary to improve things.
I view Jon McCain as a good man but I am not sure he comprehends the degree of the problem. Regardless of which patriotic coat you wear most would agree that the U.S does not hold the same place of power it previously did. World wide envy has resulted in the closing of the gap. After all haven't we been in the business of spreading our secrets to success like democracy, human rights and capitalism so the world could catch up? Well it's happening and I don't think the old guard likes it much.
In these marketplaces things are far more efficient these days and the smart guys are the ones who know that strength means something different than it once did.
Quickly, the story goes like this. The Jerusalem Post reported, Barack Obama's half brother Malik said Thursday that if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background. As you can imagine it soon showed up on conservative and other blogs who ran with the Muslim background aspect of the report and then it found it's way to Fox news on June 16th. Brit Hume said, "Barack Obama is a practicing Christian, married in a Christian church, whose children were also baptized in that church. His campaign has emphasized his faith in part to dispel what the campaign calls an online smear campaign which contends among other things that Obama was raised a Muslim. There is even a statement on his official campaign website reading quote, Obama has never been a Muslim, and is a committed Christian. But Obama's half brother is not so sure. Malik Obama tells the Jerusalem Post that, if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background."
The problem is that Malik Obama never said that. ABC news got a hold of the audio interview and there was no such thing said. The Jerusalem Post has removed the story from it's website.
I'm not exactly sure why I feel so compelled to stick up for Barrack Obama, especially when I see him smeared. I think that part of it is that in the past it seemed that if one politician didn't come through then the next one probably possessed a similar set of skills and all the other attributes, that in my eyes, this country stands for. But now so much has changed and the stakes are much higher. At the same time the probability has never seemed lower that someone could rise through the ranks with the important qualities necessary to improve things.
I view Jon McCain as a good man but I am not sure he comprehends the degree of the problem. Regardless of which patriotic coat you wear most would agree that the U.S does not hold the same place of power it previously did. World wide envy has resulted in the closing of the gap. After all haven't we been in the business of spreading our secrets to success like democracy, human rights and capitalism so the world could catch up? Well it's happening and I don't think the old guard likes it much.
In these marketplaces things are far more efficient these days and the smart guys are the ones who know that strength means something different than it once did.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Missing Tim Russert
I'm crushed. I'm not sure there is anyone beyond who I know and love whose death could rattle me more than Tim Russert's. I adore him, and having tea with him every Sunday morning was pure pleasure.
There is no replacement. The bull pen is empty. The TV journalism reservoir is nearly dry.
I do get the vast majority of my news from the print guy's. The Warren Strobel's or Jonathan Landay's of the world keep me informed, but Sunday morning the television is king. It's a mindless sort of intravenous way to be royally fed the news.
So, looking forward, who will those people of interest meet with each weekend? There is Andrea Mitchell, whom I deeply respect, yet still insufficient for the role. Chris Mathews? His looming threat of running for political office turns me off. Who's left? Who has the footwork to dazzle a guest into parting with information that reveals more than their projected self? I can't come up with a single name. The extra sleep will do me some good.
Mr. Russert, may you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows your dead.
There is no replacement. The bull pen is empty. The TV journalism reservoir is nearly dry.
I do get the vast majority of my news from the print guy's. The Warren Strobel's or Jonathan Landay's of the world keep me informed, but Sunday morning the television is king. It's a mindless sort of intravenous way to be royally fed the news.
So, looking forward, who will those people of interest meet with each weekend? There is Andrea Mitchell, whom I deeply respect, yet still insufficient for the role. Chris Mathews? His looming threat of running for political office turns me off. Who's left? Who has the footwork to dazzle a guest into parting with information that reveals more than their projected self? I can't come up with a single name. The extra sleep will do me some good.
Mr. Russert, may you be a half hour in heaven before the devil knows your dead.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Obama-Biden Ticket
Just going to rattle off some stuff here because I don't have much time. Senator Obama, I predict, will convince Senator Joe Biden to become his running mate. How's that for a prediction. Maybe wishful thinking but there is a radiating simpatico there that I can't ignore. There is a no-nonsense directness they share that appeals to me. I may be repeating myself but there is an old Italian saying that goes something like, "between to say and to do is half an ocean." I see them, shirt sleeves rolled up, filling and placing the sand bags trying to save the town rather than working hard to avoid work like so many do. That's my dream ticket anyway.
Next, Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame who I admire, endorsed Senator Obama. Great news.
And finally a little joke. Funny to me anyway. I was in a local plant nursery yesterday and was waited on by my favorite Brooklyn, New York born clerk. One of those guy's who just puts a smile on your face when you see him. We were talking about this and that when I spotted some containers with some live snails inside that were for sale. I asked him about them and he said, " yeah, ya put dee's in da god'n and day eat da bad snail eggs, and da debris and udder stuff." He seemed a little strained having to explain this to me which green-lighted me to bust him a little bit so I said, wow you know a lot about these, you have some at home? They eat debris? and he says, yeah, da bree cheese. He claimed it with a high five and we laughed.
Next, Garrison Keillor of Prairie Home Companion fame who I admire, endorsed Senator Obama. Great news.
And finally a little joke. Funny to me anyway. I was in a local plant nursery yesterday and was waited on by my favorite Brooklyn, New York born clerk. One of those guy's who just puts a smile on your face when you see him. We were talking about this and that when I spotted some containers with some live snails inside that were for sale. I asked him about them and he said, " yeah, ya put dee's in da god'n and day eat da bad snail eggs, and da debris and udder stuff." He seemed a little strained having to explain this to me which green-lighted me to bust him a little bit so I said, wow you know a lot about these, you have some at home? They eat debris? and he says, yeah, da bree cheese. He claimed it with a high five and we laughed.
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