64 posts tagged “politics”
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.
Well, if this week has shown us anything it is that we live on a very dangerous planet.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that not only was the election totally legitimate but that the protesters are responsible for any unrest or violence. He also vowed to prosecute them. The idea that Iran is a democracy ended the minute they stopped letting the situation be covered by the press. It comes as no surprise that the pro-Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rally crowd changed “Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to Britain!” Ahmadinejad has said these things before and Khamenei already blamed the west for stirring up trouble there. So while protests will continue and the Guardian Council will still look into the more than 600 complaints about the election, it looks like Ahmadinejad will keep the presidency and given how much he wants to get nuclear weapons, that’s a bad thing for everyone. I know, his rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi , also favors continuing their nuclear program but he is not bat shit crazy. He’s not perfect but he would be a step in the right direction. This situation remains dicey for the US, given our past with Iran but I applaud Congress for voting on a resolution supporting free elections there. The White House needs to be more careful. I suspect some people here will hammer me for this but it is in times like this that I am glad Barack Obama won the White House and even more that George W. Bush is gone. That’s not a partisan thing, if George H.W. Bush was there I would feel the same way. He knew his way around the Middle East.
As all of our attention has been on Iran, another crazy dictator has been feeling a little ignored. Kim Jung Il behaves
like a spoiled child. When another country’s bad deeds capture the world, he has a temper tantrum. Unfortunately for his neighbors and us, his version of a hissy fit is a threat to nuke somebody. This week he announced his plan to shoot a missile at Hawaii. If you missed it, South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak , met with President Obama this week. He said that South Korea would ‘not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea’ but I think the genie has left that bottle, too.
The rationale these countries use for obtaining nuclear weapons is simple: Other countries have them so they should, too. It’s a matter of ‘national pride’ they say. I have an idea for both countries – and this could go for any nation – how about you work on feeding, clothing and housing your people? Take that money you want to use on missiles and buy some food. The national disgrace for you is not your weak militaries, it’s your piss poor records on human rights and horrible economies.
Really? Yes, really.
This has become my favorite word. I think I must say ‘Really???’ about a hundred times a day.
· Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his opponents use ‘Hitler tactics.’ Really? Mr. Abmadinejad, one of the world’s most famous and infamous Holocaust deniers, has accused his political rivals of behaving like Adolph Hitler when they insulted him: It is illegal to insult the president in Iran. He furthermore threatened to put them in jail for saying that he had lied about the economy. And they’re acting like Hitler? So the man who thinks Hitler really didn’t do anything all that bad is threatening to throw people who disagree with him in jail. Really? Yes, really. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5592OM20090610
· The GOP ‘disses’ Sarah Palin. Palin disses David Letterman. The press wonders what this means for the Party. Really? Sarah Palin was invited to speak a fundraiser in DC but the offer was rescinded when she didn’t give a firm answer and Newt Gingrich stepped in. Her response seems to have been to call David Letterman ‘pathetic’ and the media ‘buffoons.’ Before jumping on Palin, it should be noted that the press really hyped the infighting and given the current position of the GOP in America, this is what makes them think it is in disarray? And Mrs. Palin, this is the battle you want to have? With Letterman? Really? Yes, really.
· Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) thinks President Obama’s ‘paygo’ idea is hypocritical. Really? Eric Cantor sure is living up to his new nickname, ‘Dr. No.’ He has opposed pretty much everything President Obama does or says. First he accused the president of being a hypocrite when he asked Congress to make the ‘PayGo” (any spending needs to be paid for) rule law – mostly because of the new spending. Apparently, he was absent during his first eight years in office when the Dubya admin spent like drunken sailors and ran up our deficit and debt. Of course, it didn’t look as bad then because the costs for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were included in the budget (nice accounting trick there). Then he said “the stimulus package is not a success story, people are still suffering.” Note to Rep. Cantor – the bill passed about six months ago, it took us longer than that to get into this mess, it will take longer to get out. So, the Minority Whip both thinks it is ok when his party spends money on unnecessary wars (Iraq) and tax breaks for the uber-wealthy but cannot stand to see it spent on Americans and wants policy changes he doesn’t like to work immediately. Really? Yes, really.
· When all else fails, we know Joe will find a way to remind us all what a (insert your favorite expletive that means jerk here) he is. Really? Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have said they plan to do everything in their power to block CIA photos of ‘enhanced interrogation’ from being released. By anything, they mean stop the Senate from getting any work done until their amendment is added to a bill that would fund our troops. Hey, it’s not like the Senate has work to do, right? They only have to hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, work on overhauling health care, fix the economy, deal with escalating violence in Pakistan/Afghanistan/Iraq, prevent a pandemic, keep an eye on North Korea…. And did I mention the first bill they want to filibuster is for funds for our troops? Really? Yes, really.
As a final note on torture, mom you might not want to read this, this quote seemed really appropriate for the torture debate: “If you beat this motherfucker long enough, he will tell you he started the fuckin’ Chicago fire but that won’t make it true.” ‘Nice’ Eddie – Reservoir Dogs. Exactly, thanks Eddie for making my point so eloquently.
More thoughts on abortion…
FYI: Whenever I write about, or mention, abortion I get emails asking why I enjoy killing babies so much. No one enjoys killing babies. My sarcastic side, commonly referred to as ‘me,’ wants desperately to add the words more than me but there are a lot of people who cannot understand sarcasm and would probably think I was serious. Actually, there are probably people out there who a, really like abortion and b, really like killing babies but I would argue they are probably insane and hopefully there aren’t many of them.
My view is the same as the Clintons' view. Abortion should be safe, legal (available) and rare. The recent killing of Dr. George Tiller (http://remembertiller.com/) has brought the issue back front and center, though next month’s Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotamoyor would have done the same thing, only with less violence. What troubles me, other than the obvious pang one has when one reads about senseless violence, is that this tactic worked. Dr. Tiller’s family will not reopen their clinic.
While this may seem like a hollow victory for anti-abortion groups, they have said they are glad the clinic will close but worried about the legal ramifications this will have, really the end result may be more chilling. Abortion may be legal in the United States but legal does not equal available. As we debate Roe v. Wade, I have to wonder about its relevance today. I do not want to see it overturned but would like to see access expanded, funding restored and better sex education promoted.
Dr. Tiller’s clinic was one of three in the country that performed late term abortions on fetuses with horrific abnormalities. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tiller10-2009jun10,0,6032915.story) Clinics that provide reproductive services all over the country are beefing up their security in the wake of this tragedy. This can only limit people’s access to care, not just abortions but health care. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0m25jqgrTdVNnZHlJuXK3DbHG1AD98JE1A80)
It is already more difficult than most people realize for women to get abortions. For low income women it can be almost impossible. This map shows states that restrict access for poor women to abortion. There are 33 states plus the District of Columbia – seen here in red. The blue states (no, the political parallel is incidental) provide them with access, there are 17 of them.
Currently, 23 states have laws banning abortion at 12 weeks or after (red) but these laws are considered to be unconstitutional and unenforceable. Five states (blue) have enforceable laws against abortions at 12 weeks and after.
Five states require women to get written permission from their spouse before getting an abortion. (last map)
This study has data for both side; http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/4000608.pdf. One alarming number from it is that 86 percent of US counties do not have any abortion providers at all. One could argue that the decline in abortions, which began in 1991 following an all time high in 1990, accelerated under President George W. Bush. But I would point to the fact that the high point was under the first President Bush and that 2000 saw the introduction of mifeprisone (RU-486) and cases in which this was used may not be counted in the full abortion count.
All this just makes me more grateful that Barack Obama was elected president. Not only because he will pick judges who are less inclined, or not inclined, to overturn Roe but his Justice Department will take seriously the threats clinics face. That’s good for women and medical professionals in every state.
Who are we? Who do we want to be?
History has shown that from time to time a society has to decide who they are and what they want to be. This is not something they do on purpose but are more often forced into it when things get really tough. It makes some sense as when things are going well, people don’t have the need for such thoughts. The United States has been in that position several times; just before and during the Revolution, the Civil War and during the Great Depression and World War II. As we enter the second year of the worst economy since the Depression and are entrenched in two wars, we find ourselves again at that point. These are not the only issues that beg these questions, however.
· Torture: Does protecting our national security ever give us the right to use this? No, it does not. I reject the suggestion that we need to do away with our values to stay safe and believe when we turn our backs on our core beliefs we increase the risks we will be attacked.
o Torture is the antithesis of everything we stand for. Benjamin Franklin said ‘Those who would give up liberty for security deserve neither.’ He was right. There are a number of reasons for this. I am honestly torn about which I think it more important – the precedent with set abroad or the one we set at home? If we can torture others, we inch closer to the day when we can torture our own citizens. This isn’t just my opinion, it was that of several George W. Bush lawyers who opposed it. Moreover, one can see this in action when they see how long some American citizens have been detained for suspected anti-American activities. These are the very things our founding fathers wanted to prevent. There’s also the point that we see ourselves as a benevolent force in the world but not everyone else does. When we forfeit our belief in the rule of law as it pertains to others, we become hypocrites and pave the way for others to do as we have done.
o Torture doesn’t work. Don’t take my word for it, read a little about how investigators get decent information. It is not through torture. Al Qaeda trains its people to deal with torture so they aren’t going to talk. Ask John McCain how much he gave up during his seven years in a POW camp. Plus, the people who would talk, generally would say anything to stop the pain so whatever intel they give cannot be relied on. Dick Cheney has said that we got good information through these methods but has never said if we could have gotten it any other way or if better information was missed because of what we did. In fairness, he probably doesn’t know and that is a whole different problem.
o We follow the Geneva Convention to protect our soldiers. If we can find loopholes in the Geneva Convention, do we really think other countries won’t do the same thing? Really? Are we that stupid?
· Social safety net: Our political debates tend to center around a few themes and one is how big our government should be. Do we want a small government with almost no taxes where we all fend for ourselves or do we want one that does for all of us collectively what we cannot do individually? I would opt for the latter. The irony is I know we don’t want to decide, we want both. Exhibit a for this theory is California, which has the closest thing to direct democracy in the US. The Californian electorate is confused about this as anyone. Because they can hold direct referendums, they prove they want it both ways. Prop 13 gutted the state's ability to tax the citizens (yes, I know property taxes were crazy back then) but the same people vote for plans to expand health care and improve education. It seems we all want decent roads, a good military, an education system that doesn’t suck but you know what? Taxes pay for that. Oliver Wendell Holmes said, ‘Taxes are the price you pay for a civilized society.’ Who are we then?
· Why do we care about places outside the US and even in space?
o Foreign aid: When polled, people will consistently think that we both spend too much money helping other countries but then think we should be spending more than we are (their estimates are that we spend at least 10 percent of our budget on aid and should spend something closer to that but less while the real amount is less than three percent.) I think a huge chunk of this is that most people cannot find most other counties on a globe. President Clinton said that we should have a policy where we have more friends than enemies, and I agree with that. A first step would be to know more about other cultures. It is hard for us to ‘get’ the India/Pakistan situation if we do not know the history and/or cannot find either on a map. Africa is not only not a country but is much larger than Europe yet we learn a lot more about England than anything in Africa.
o Spacedust: I attended an event this week where people seemed to think the space program is just not worth anything. They are not alone. At least a few Members of Congress have supported ending NASA and using that money for things closer to home. President Kennedy was right when he said we should go to the moon, though it’s too bad he didn’t live to see it. Studying the stars does more than waste tax dollars, it inspires innovation. It creates jobs. It teaches about who we are and why we are here. Plus if we don’t get global warming under control it might find us a new place to live… (no, I don’t think we will do that – at least in my lifetime)
o The arts & humanities: Such an easy target and so important to our society. We may not always see the immediate value of either but should they go away we would see the impact of their absence.
Barack Obama’s victory in November was, to me, a sign that we want to go in a new direction. The course he has set for the country is one that I think we will make life better for all of us and inch us closer to being what we want to be. My hope is that we will not just look to him but to each other and start to openly talk about this and not just debate it.
The craziness just keeps on coming… (or in case you missed these gems)
The last few months have been fun for most Democrats, with the GOP imploding in the most public of ways. Last week’s bombshell was Senator Specter’s defection and nothing topped that but that doesn’t mean the week wasn’t funny and strange.
· Conservatives attack President Obama’s condiment choice: Arlington, VA residents were treated to a rare POTUS/VPOTUS visit when the duo went out for a ‘working lunch’ at a local favorite. Personally I thought the most absurd thing to come out of the stop was the amount of time MSNBC devoted to it until I read this: http://mediamatters.org/research/200905070031 Sean Hannity, and a host of his colleagues, were outraged that the President ordered his hamburger with mustard and not ketchup. I get that they have been trying to paint him as someone who is out of touch with the American people but is this really the best they have? Does anyone really think FOX News is ‘fair and balanced?’ What-ever.
· Republicans attack each other over ‘listening tour’: In an effort to ‘re-brand’ the party, several prominent Republicans set out on their listening tour. The team, made up of Mitt Romney, Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Jeb Bush held a pizza party in northern VA. Now there is an inherent irony in having Mr. Cantor (aka ‘Dr. No’ to the people on the Hill for his obstructionist positions and rhetoric – he even got into an argument with President Obama regarding the decree John Boehner issued instructing all GOP Members of Congress to reject any Obama proposals even before reading them) speak about this issue but there’s more to this than that. Shortly after, Michael Steele, head of the GOP, told the press that moderates ‘are welcome in the party as long as they don’t change it.’ My translation: We are a big tent party as long as we don’t have to listen to anyone who doesn’t share every one of our views. The National Council for a New America has said they want to focus on the ‘traditional’ Republican values such as reducing the size of government, increased personal liberties (and probably responsibility) and supply side economics and move away from the cultural issues. For some reason this just reminds me of Gordon Ramsey’s Kitchen Nightmares. It’s as if some Republicans understand the menu that has won elections in the past (during the first W administration Ohio lost more than 300,000 jobs but the state went for him in 2004 because of gay marriage) doesn’t work anymore but others want to stay where they are. Mike Huckabee said this was a ‘sad day’ – maybe for them, it sure made me laugh. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0509/22242.html
· Ron Paul makes sense, sort of: I don’t often get to say that I agree with Ron Paul and think most of what he said about the flu is wrong, he did get it partially right. I did read a headline that indicated the former presidential nominee and Congressman thinks the federal government is hyping the flu for its own nefarious reasons and while I DO NOT believe that, a little less paranoia about it would be a good thing. Back in 2006, I was always talking about the bird flu and all my friends and colleagues thought I was crazy. Maybe I burned through all my flu fears then but I just cannot worry too much about H1N1. Should people be careful? Sure. Should we all stock up on three months of food and water? I don’t plan to and will not get vaccinated should a vaccine be developed. My only remaining concern is that the outbreak will subside in the northern hemisphere, it will come back next fall when the regular flu season begins. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/05/03/swine.flu.react/
Oh, no he di’n’t. Oh, yes, he did. Now former Governor Rod Blagojevich said that he is ‘just like tens of thousands of other Americans who have lost their jobs.’ Right. Those other people were all laid off for corruption. I read his ‘speech’ and honestly, I would have voted against him for just being incoherent. I had no idea what he was talking about half of the time. At one point he compared his situation (and this may not be his exact wording) to what happens on a schoolyard when ‘one kid kits another kid and the kid that hit the other kid didn’t do it but the teacher won’t listen to any of the other kids who were there who could prove that he didn’t hit the other kid.’ What? What the hell are you talking about?
As we struggle through this horrible economic situation and try to deal with two wars, this situation is really a distraction. Whether or not it is good (at least for comic relief, I mean is there any press he didn’t do in NYC?) or bad (don’t we have better things to do?) is not for me to decide. I think it proves that the appearance of impropriety is worse than the impropriety itself because nothing has been actually been proven yet. Though Blago’s effectiveness was zero and it is important for people to have some faith in their government.
Note: Despite claims that they would work with President Obama, not one Republican voted for his stimulus package. Not one. And it passed anyway. I guess you can’t blame them, if the Democrats can do what they need to do without the GOP, they should and will. Good for them. Good for us.
Note to right wing: You lost, get over it
After stealing the 2000 election, you have the nerve to say that President Obama is not really the president because the chief justice that your president appointed screwed up. Are you fucking kidding me? Seriously. People, you desperately need lives. My bitterness about the Gore 2000 campaign aside, what do you do? Is your entire diet irony mixed with crack?
And the difference this groups is making would be huge. All those executive orders yesterday would have to be signed again. Oh, and I guess the senior staffers could retake the oath. Second note: the 20th amendment to our Constitution states that the POTUS takes office at noon on 20 January, no matter what he says in the oath. http://www.classbrain.com/artteenst/publish/20th_amendment.shtml
Note three: If you have one job on Inauguration Day and it is to say 35 words, get it right. Write it down. On your hand, on your butt on an index card. This is not the day for improv. But sure, blame the Dems.
And while I am on my high horse, does anyone believe Cheney hurt his back moving boxes? The VP with an ambulance in his motorcare (no, Gore did not have one, he was healthy) was told to move boxes? Right. Moving bodies, I would accept. Moving boxes, not unless they contain said bodies or secret files.
The bottom line is that you cannot totally fuck with the constitution for eight years and then use it against your opponents because you lost. Welcome to the wilderness, bastards.
· Bush admits he made mistakes. Ya think? It’s so good to admit that now. Now, eight days before a new president takes office, you are ready to say you made mistakes. Of course, not for anything that really matters. Was the response to Katrina slow? Not according to Dubya. How ‘bout the economy, “I inherited a recession and I am leaving a recession.” While he finally admitted the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner was not a good idea, he still thinks the war in Iraq was a good idea and considers Abu Ghraib ‘unfortunate.’ Because it happened or because we found out about it? While the White House called today’s press conference the ‘ultimate exit interview’ if you are one of the few Americans out there who will miss George (the) W (rong son got elected) Bush, fear not. He still has plenty of ‘legacy saving’ interviews/speeches on his schedule.
· You voted for Obama, bought the hat, t-shirt, etc. but do you have the commemorative Metrorail pass/smartcard? No? Well, you had better buy one right now because they are going fast. I shouldn’t joke about such seriousness, they probably will go fast. I am still waiting for my Illinois quarter – in color no less – to arrive, what a steal! A quarter only cost me $20.
· Are political pundits like sharks? By that I mean, if they stop talking, do they die? Do they need polls to survive? Was the most important thing about the meeting Obama requested last week of all living presidents, the colors of their ties and/or what they ate? Does anyone really give a shit about that?
· He really likes to work. “I'm a Type A personality…I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach, particularly since I quit drinking," Bush said. (from ABC News among other sources.) Yeah, that’s what I have heard about the President who I believe spent more time away from the White House than any other president and on vacay than anyone in 60 years.
· Say it ain’t so, Joe. Sorry, Joe-the-not-really-a-plumber, your 15 minutes ended about, well 15 minutes after they started. First you were an annoying campaign ploy, then a fraud, then a war correspondent and now are considering running for the US Senate? (http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/12/ohio-sen-voinovich-to-retire-could-joe-the-plumber-run-for-senate/) Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Hey, GOP, good luck with that.
