61 posts from 2009

I like the media

I know, I know, everyone loves to hate the press.  I feel like everywhere I go people are whining that things would be better ‘if only the media would cover things right.’  Well, boo-fucking-hoo.

When George Clooney gave a press conference to ask the media to quit following him around I thought it was a pretty douchebag move.  You call the press to come to an event where you tell the press not to cover you?  Are you fucking serious?  Oh, right, you are serious.  I would have been far more impressed had he said something like the following:

“I would like to thank all of you for coming today to my press conference.  I have a request to make, not of the media covering this event but of the fans who will read about it.  I owe, all of in Hollywood owe, everything to you.  You are the reason we have careers.  For that, I cannot thank you enough.  Having said that, I would like to make a deal with you.  If you stop buying People and the Inquirer, the paparazzi will stop stalking us.  The situation with the gossip press has gotten totally out of control and does more than take away our privacy.  It endangers us, our families and innocent bystanders.  I cannot stress enough how much it means to all of us that you enjoy our work.  We promise to share details about our lives with you if you will stop buying the magazines that send photographers after us all the time.  As the consumer, you have the power to stop this.  Please consider helping us with this problem.”

I have no illusion that this would end the paparazzi crap but it would have been more honest and to the point than what he did.  And that brings me to my real point, if you don’t like the press coverage of an issue or topic, do something about it.  You can boycott certain outlets, sure, but there is more you can do.  Support press you like by buying it.  Write the sponsors of the press you dislike and tell them.  The press produces a product to be sold.  That probably seems pretty basic but for a long time, the news divisions of certain companies were not required to make money like the other departments.  ABC News wasn’t expected to make the same money as the entertainment departments until Disney took over.  In local news, the adage is ‘if it bleeds, it leads.’    Bottom line:  if consumers stop buying the product they are selling they will change it. 

And if you want more immediate coverage of something, use Twitter.  Seriously.  CNN must spend eight hours a day reading Tweets.  Personally, I don’t need CNN to read Tweets, I can go to Twitter myself and would prefer they do some actual reporting but it is one way to get their attention.

Paranoia

My first real job was for Senator Feinstein (D-CA).  Like many recent college grads and recent arrivals in Washington, DC, I got an internship on Capitol Hill that led to a full time job.  I lived in a group house on Capitol Hill with five other people.  It was fantastic.

One thing I learned pretty early on was how much more in common I had with staffers across the aisle than I expected.  Sure, we disagreed on just about every public policy issue in the world but our lives were pretty similar otherwise.  We worked in the same building and went out to the same restaurants and bars.  Being a Hill staffer is a lot like going back to college.  Especially at that point in a career.  Moreover, although we had our differences I always felt that we were united by a central theme:  the desire to make the world a better place.  We just disagreed on the best way to reach that goal.

I cling to that world view – that Democrats & Republicans, liberals & conservatives are all working in politics because we want to make a difference.  That’s the whole basis behind the saying, “Politics is the art of the possible.”  Yes, it is.  My problem is that it seems the people across the aisle from me don’t necessarily feel the same way about me.  That saddens me.

When George W. Bush got into the White House I had every reason to be upset.  I had spent almost two years on the road doing advance for President Clinton and Vice President Gore.  I exiled myself for almost six months because I was just too bitter to be around people.  No, I did not believe (at least not then) that the 2000 election had been stolen.  I actually found it more comforting to think we just lost because when you work on campaigns that is always a possibility.  I was just tired, sad and depressed.   The combination made me awful to be around. 

Never did I think that George W. Bush was like Hitler.  Nor did I come up with elaborate theories to discredit him and his election.  Even when, about a year and a half into his presidency, I started to think the 2000 election had been stolen, I didn’t think his presidency was illegitimate.   Moreover, it seemed pointless to argue the point because it was a fait accompli.  As opposed to some of his policies as I was, I even gave him credit when he stuck by his campaign promises such as drilling in ANWR.  I don’t support that policy and am glad Congress said no but during his campaign he said he would support it so when he did, well, that’s the point of campaigns.  As Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) put it so eloquently, “Elections have consequences.”

In poll after poll and from anecdotal Facebook and Twitter evidence, I see that many on the right aren’t just upset that we have President Obama they are rabidly upset.  It’s no longer enough to say you oppose someone’s positions, their entire character needs to be destroyed as well.  It’s not enough to say “liberal policies are bad for America” you have to say “Liberals hate America and the Constitution.  They have ended America as we know and we now live in a tri-state nation called the ’North American Union.”  And/or “Obama cannot be president because he a, was born in Kenya b, lied about being a Muslim c, his health care plan will force you to kill or be killed and d, he eats puppies for breakfast.”  The scariest part of that last sentence?  Only choice d has not been uttered by at least five conservatives I know.  Polls show that conservatives hate Obama more than liberals hated Bush II and that only 22 percent of Republicans think he was born in the US.

Oh, well.  We Democrats will go back to making the world better.  The right wing can go back to watching Glenn Beck.

I found this and wanted to share.  Love the guy with the giant cross who 'didn't know' about the tea parties.

Bills of attainder and why the ‘defund ACORN’ may hurt groups you like

This post is not about ACORN.  I mention that because really, it isn’t.  Hell, I don’t think the ‘defund ACORN bill is about ACORN but that’s also another topic.  This post is about ‘bills of attainder.’  If you don’t know what they are, they are bills that signal out one group or individual for punishment.    Article I Section 9 of the US Constitution bans them.  This was not something, like the Bill of Rights, that was added later.  The point is those groups/people should be prosecuted in the legal system.  It says that people or organizations cannot be punished for political reasons. 

The problem with the ‘defund ACORN’ then becomes, who will their next target be?  Let’s take a wild flight of fancy and suppose that liberals take totally control of Congress .  These aren’t your garden variety liberals, they make me look like Rush.  They hate the NRA (not signaling them out, it’s the only group I can think of right now) so they ban funding.  While the group in question may or may not get money from the feds, it hurts. 

Article I Section 9 prohibits any legislation that signals out a group for punishment, the idea being that the duty of punishments should be left to the judicial branch.  People and organizations should be prosecuted judicially not persecuted legislatively.   Moreover, the judicial process has remedies for those who commit crimes while the legislative branch does not.

Bill of attainder – definition: A legislative act that singles out an individual or group for punishment without a trial.

Bottom line: any bill that singles out one group is bad for anyone who works for any group.  You are all about the Christian Coalition, this bill makes it ok to go after you, too.  Now, legally, precedent means something .  That provides the basis for other findings.  And this all begs the question: why would Congress pass a bill that is unconstitutional?  That is a very good question.  The legislative branch makes laws and the judicial makes sure that they comply with the Constitution.  If you are all – why bother passing something you know violates the Constitution? – I am right there with you.  Having said that, this is the reason we have the ‘checks and balances’ system we have.  Congress passes laws and the parliamentarian is there to make sure they abide by the rules of the House and Senate, not meet Constitutional muster.  That’s not as bad as it sounds.  There is a reason it is hard to get a job at the Supreme Court. (Not only ON but also AT)  I talked about this with a Senate staffer who handles judiciary committee issues and he explained to me that Congress doesn’t have to make sure its bills are Constitutional because it is not their job.  The legislative branch makes laws, the judicial branch interprets them and the executive enforces them.

The problem them becomes when un-Constitutional laws pass and become law.  You may think this is about liberal organizations but DC v Heller was the first case the NRA won based on the Second Amendment.

There’s a poem:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist; Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist; Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist; Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew; Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me." Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) 

I have been pretty upfront about where I am politically; I am a liberal Democrat.  I find it ironic that some of the same people who claim to love our Constitution are willing to bypass it when politically advantageous to them.  I am not talking about the Republicans in Congress who support this bill – it is not their job to adhere to it when writing legislation though I think it’s a different matter all together when they campaign with a pro-Constitution and pro-‘Defund ACORN’ message because that message is hypocracy, but the bandwagon jumpers who don’t see the far reaching implications of this bill.  There are other ways to defund ACORN without violating the Constitution.

Does anyone here watch C-Span?  No?  Beuller?  Beuller?

We’ll miss you, Teddy

There is nothing I can write that is unique or brilliant to add other than my personal feelings.  Living in a city where cynicism and callousness are often the response to events and tragedies of the day, I was caught completely off guard by how emotional Senator Kennedy’s passing made me this morning.   I did not know Senator Kennedy but I wish I had the chance.  My memories are more indirect. When I worked in the Senate, I would bring friends to the Senate floor when they were not in session and they always wanted to see his seat.  I saw him at events and around the Capitol area and was always impressed with his staff and him.  It seemed to ask too much of someone who has lost so much.  You may think I feel this way because I am a liberal Democrat, which I am, but it is also from the deep respect I have for him and the work – the breadth and expanse of which is pretty amazing – he did to make our lives better and his ability to befriend and work with political advisories.

If I could say one thing to the Kennedy family it would be that while the phrases I am sorry and thank you, seem terribly inadequate at a time like this, they are the best tools I have.  Today the world is darker because Senator Kennedy is no longer a part of it but generations of people will live in a brighter world because he was.

Elections matter.  Campaigns have consequences.  The rule of law as the basis for a civilized society remains paramount.

Gallupbueredstates

There is a saying:  If the facts are with you, go with the facts.  If public opinion is with you, go with public opinion.  If neither the facts nor public opinion are with you, pound the table.  Over the past few weeks we have seen a lot of table pounding by opponents of heath care reform.  Personally, I think that the only poll that matters is the one taken on Election Day but other people clearly like polls. 

Gallup recently came out with the following data; they found that the country has shifted a bit since Barack Obama was sworn in, it has become more Democratic.  http://www.gallup.com/poll/122003/Political-Party-Affiliation-States-Blue-Red-Far.aspx?CSTS=alert

Last November, we elected Barack Obama.  This was not a close election.  We also elected a Democratic Congress.  Democrats said if they won, they would push for health care reform.  If you were paying attention during the election, you should not be surprised that they are following through on their campaign promises.  That’s what they’re supposed to do.  When George W. Bush did things that he said he would do, I may not have supported the policy but I appreciated that he had been honest.  I do not support drilling in ANWR, for instance, but he did.  It should not have been a surprise that he actively worked to open up that area for drilling.

I have spent most of my life trying to get people more involved in politics.  I worked on my first campaign when I was eight.  I love that people are paying more attention to what is going on in Washington, DC.  Democracy is not a spectator sport.  My concern, therefore, is not whether or not the rallies or protests are staged or ‘manufactured.’  That question misses the point; people have a right to voice their opposition (or support, though people are more likely to do something when they are angry) to government policies.  We need more dialogue and what we are getting is more debate.  We don’t listen to each other.  It’s kind of like a scene in Fight Club where the narrator and Marla agree that when people think you are dying they ‘really listen’ instead of wait ‘for their turn to speak.’

As Senator Linsday Graham (R-SC) said, “Elections have consequences.”  He was referring to his vote for Sonia Sotomayor.  She was not the person he would have selected but he feels the Senate’s job is to make sure the nominee is qualified, which she is.  He could have been talking about a lot of policies.  Health care reform is one of them.  And if people are really unhappy, we can give Congress back to the Republicans next year.  I would rather have the Democrats follow through on their promises and lose next year than wuss out and win.

Gophcr

Unless you live under a rock, and even if you do, you probably know that health care reform is the hot topic du jour.  It has taken what is normally a very quiet time in Washington, DC and made it anything but.  Organizations on both sides are gathering their supporters and rallying their troops.  My feeling about polls has always been that the only one that matters is the one taken on Election Day and this is no exception.  I want to see health care reform pass this year.  I wanted to see it pass 14 years ago.  Having said that, and after I pay homage the saying “There are three kinds of lies; lies, damned lies and statistics.” – I will give you a few facts I have dug up.

We tend to think we have the best health care system in the world.  I think that is for two reasons; we think more equals better and we think we are getting more and we tend to think everything is better in the US. 

Is the US health care system the best in the world?

Not so much.  Our life expectancy is lower and our mortality rate higher than most other developed countries.  Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in industrialized countries and people die more often from it in the US, this is despite the fact that we perform more procedures to prevent or treat it than other developed nations.   Moreover, we have the third highest infant mortality rate in the developed world – we are behind just two countries: Mexico and Turkey.  We also lead the world in medical errors.  If our health care system was the best in the world, we would live longer.   According to CRS: “The United States has below-average life expectancy (Figure 24) and mortality rates (Table 5). The United States has the third-highest rate of deaths from medical errors (Figure 25) and the highest infant mortality rate among the eight countries that report this metric similarly (Figure 26). (http://opencrs.com/document/RL34175) 

More equals better and we get more.

This is an interesting point.  The US spends more on health care per capita than other industrialized countries but we don’t necessarily get more care.  In fact, US citizens are more likely to postpone or forgo treatment due to the cost.  When compared with other industrialized countries, the US is almost at the very bottom in terms of how often we go to the doctor. (http://opencrs.com/document/RL34175)  Even when we do ‘get more’ it doesn’t seem to make us get any better.  In fact, a recent New Yorker article compared the health care in several US cities.  Health care in McAllen, Texas is some of the most expensive in the nation but the residents are not healthier for it.  The cause?  It seems they also do more tests and procedures.  It might seem that this would lead to better outcomes for the recipients but it doesn’t. (http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/06/01/090601fa_fact_gawande)

People in countries with universal care all have to wait for it.

Again, not really.  Again, CRS says this about wait times:

Although the United States does not have long wait times for non-emergency

surgical procedures, this does not appear to be the case for primary care doctor visits.

In a survey of five OECD countries in 2004, U.S. respondents were the second-least

able to make a same-day doctor’s appointment when sick and had the most difficulty

getting care on nights and weekends. They were also the most likely to delay or

forgo treatment because of cost.86

Most Americans like their health care so we shouldn’t change it.

Yes and no. Most Americans do like their health insurance as long as they have it. I say that not in reference to the 47 million who don’t have it but to point out that many people lose their insurance when they get sick.  More than 50 percent of US bankruptcies are due to medical bills and this is something unique to the US and 60 percent of people with medical debt have health insurance (http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSN1932186920080820).

As I have said, and will say a lot, I want to see real changes in our health care system.  We spend more than any country on earth but rank 37^th in quality of care and 72^nd in health (http://www.photius.com/rankings/who_world_health_ranks.html)

One of the reasons I voted for Barack Obama and Eleanor Holmes Norton is that I want to see our health care system changed.  We need to get away from the system that incentivizes more treatment and move towards one that promotes better treatment.  The Mayo clinic should be our model, not McAllen, TX.  Some of this cannot be done by the government, but the government can lead the way in promoting certain programs.  Changing anything this big is scary but not as scary as doing nothing.