I have an economic stimulus plan every bit as large as the one grinding its way through Congress. I have based my approach on William F. Buckley’s notion that he would rather be governed by the first 1000 people in the Boston telephone directly than the faculty of Harvard. I would rather give ALL of the stimulus dollars to the American people, and let them spend it, than give it to the legions of government Rod Blagojevich’s at the Federal, State and local level.
Here’s my plan. Enlist the support of the credit card companies to manage a process where:
Every family with a credit card receives a credit of $4,000 (on one of the cards) every six months for a total of $12,000 per family over 18 months
Each payout is “use it or lose it”, with any of the $4,000 not spent in 6 months being returned to the Treasury
Any family not currently in possession of a credit gets sent one, but without a credit facility beyond the stimulus “check” amount
For simplicity, every family gets the three checks
Unmarried individuals get 50% of the married stimulus allowance
As no one is going to look a gift horse in the mouth, this plan guarantees that the economy with receive a cash injection of $300bn every 6 months for the next year and a half, based on the fact there are 75m families in America. Best of all, the $300bn will be spent on the things Americans need, rather than the things politicians want.
Simple, not perfect, but effective and best of all, it cuts out Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid!
Thursday, February 12, 2009
DoublePlusBad—Liberal Group Think In An Age of Crisis
So, so many journalists and politicians still don’t get it! As I sit through hour after hour of moronic punditry and asinine interviews, where it is abundantly clear that neither, reporter, anchor, pundit nor politician has the remotest idea what they are talking about, I find myself feeling like one of those aliens in the 1950s movies who look at earthlings with pity, wondering can we really be this dumb?
Here are the top five myths trumpeted by the on air “talent” in our nation’s newsrooms:
Myth #1: The last eight years prove that free market capitalism doesn’t work. Baloney: The last eight years prove only one thing. George W. Bush is an idiot—and half of us were idiots to vote for him! The laws of the free market are as indisputable as the physical laws of the universe. If you are stupid (or unlucky) enough to fall out of a tree, does it mean that gravity is wrong?
Myth #2; The New Deal worked. Yes, if you think that doubling government spending, tripling the tax burden with a consequent decrease in unemployment from 25% to a median of 17% (through the 30s) is a walloping success. How successful do you think Barack Obama is going to be at the next election if he reproduces that result?
Myth #3: In bad times, government can run economies more effectively than the private sector. If that were true, Detroit and New Orleans would be the richest cities in America. Ever wondered why places like Detroit stay basket cases for decades despite voting Democrat across the board, year in and year out? If liberal policies worked, the Detroit’s of the world would be fixed. Unfortunately, meddling in the economy, vilifying business and free trade, increasing public spending according to a wish list of party activists and (subsequently) raising taxes to pay for it all, kill any chance of recovery—it’s that simple!
Myth #4: All government spending is stimulative. Apart from the fact that this is blatantly not true—art spending may have the power to move us, but it won’t move our economy one bit—what are the chances of one person (or a small group of people) guessing where the government will get the most bang for it’s spending buck? I love the Orwellian double think that allows friends of Obama to believe that when Geithner was on “Team Bush” he was an idiot and now he is on “Team Obama” he is suddenly omniscient! After all, he has been so successful up to now.
Myth #5: If we ignore it, it will go away! If we don’t report bad news (the morning after, NPR didn’t feel the need to mention the post-Geithnerian stock market plunge at all) or if we don’t ask the President any tough questions, the American people won’t notice that the economic meltdown isn’t being fixed. Not true. The American people are, quite rightly, giving the President and his team the benefit of the doubt, for now. But, the only metric that matters for Obama is not just related to whether or not the economy is working, but, whether or not the American people BELIEVE the economy is working. And that, as we all know, is, like unemployment, a lagging indicator.
Obama has 18 months to get this right. It sounds like a long time. It isn’t.
Here are the top five myths trumpeted by the on air “talent” in our nation’s newsrooms:
Myth #1: The last eight years prove that free market capitalism doesn’t work. Baloney: The last eight years prove only one thing. George W. Bush is an idiot—and half of us were idiots to vote for him! The laws of the free market are as indisputable as the physical laws of the universe. If you are stupid (or unlucky) enough to fall out of a tree, does it mean that gravity is wrong?
Myth #2; The New Deal worked. Yes, if you think that doubling government spending, tripling the tax burden with a consequent decrease in unemployment from 25% to a median of 17% (through the 30s) is a walloping success. How successful do you think Barack Obama is going to be at the next election if he reproduces that result?
Myth #3: In bad times, government can run economies more effectively than the private sector. If that were true, Detroit and New Orleans would be the richest cities in America. Ever wondered why places like Detroit stay basket cases for decades despite voting Democrat across the board, year in and year out? If liberal policies worked, the Detroit’s of the world would be fixed. Unfortunately, meddling in the economy, vilifying business and free trade, increasing public spending according to a wish list of party activists and (subsequently) raising taxes to pay for it all, kill any chance of recovery—it’s that simple!
Myth #4: All government spending is stimulative. Apart from the fact that this is blatantly not true—art spending may have the power to move us, but it won’t move our economy one bit—what are the chances of one person (or a small group of people) guessing where the government will get the most bang for it’s spending buck? I love the Orwellian double think that allows friends of Obama to believe that when Geithner was on “Team Bush” he was an idiot and now he is on “Team Obama” he is suddenly omniscient! After all, he has been so successful up to now.
Myth #5: If we ignore it, it will go away! If we don’t report bad news (the morning after, NPR didn’t feel the need to mention the post-Geithnerian stock market plunge at all) or if we don’t ask the President any tough questions, the American people won’t notice that the economic meltdown isn’t being fixed. Not true. The American people are, quite rightly, giving the President and his team the benefit of the doubt, for now. But, the only metric that matters for Obama is not just related to whether or not the economy is working, but, whether or not the American people BELIEVE the economy is working. And that, as we all know, is, like unemployment, a lagging indicator.
Obama has 18 months to get this right. It sounds like a long time. It isn’t.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
"Nancy Reid" Must Go....!
I want Obama to succeed and still believe he may be a great President, but he needs to take control now! Who would have thought Obama would have been getting press like this 17 days in…..?
The Stimulus Bill is a Bomb - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
Obama Losing Stimulus Fight To Defeated GOP - E. J. Dionne, Wash Post
Can Obama Reboot After Daschle? - Joe Klein, Time
Obama's 'Screw-Up' Puts Geithner on Thin Ice - Caroline Baum, Bloomberg
Obama Losing The Stimulus War, Jeanne Cummings, Politico
Here are 10 crucial errors he has made already. Obama:
1. Hasn’t learnt the key lessons for Democratic Presidents that their own party is often a bigger liability than the opposition [I am not a member of any organized party—I am a Democrat (Bill Clinton)]
2. Allowed Nancy Pelosi to oversee the drafting of the stimulus bill that would ultimately have his name (and brand) on it
3. Failed to pressure her early enough to remove politically suicidal items like condoms and financial help for Hollywood producers
4. Allowed Pelosi to put a stimulus bill before the House of Representatives that was so toxic, not only did it fail to garner a single Republican vote (not important in and of itself), but couldn’t even secure the votes of all Democrats—surely the most under-reported of the major blunders so far!
5. Handed the Republicans an easy victory in the air war on spending vs. stimulus
6. Was incredibly sloppy in vetting his nominees—the American people are losing count of the number of Friends of Obama (FOOs) falling on the road to the Cabinet
7. Hasn’t dealt with the ticking time bomb of Geithner—when the American people realize that he knowingly committed fraud (asked to be compensated by his employer for tax he had no intention of paying) rather than simply screwed-up, he will have to resign (Why Geithner Was Worse Than Daschle)
8. Was seemingly caught completely unawares that there’s a big difference between the FOO anchors on network TV, CNN and MSNBC and the White House press corps whose job is to ask tough questions day in, day out
9. Has lost the huge momentum he had following his election and inauguration (is it too early to invoke deja vu, GWB and the lost consensus after 9/11?)
10. Worst of all, he is squandering the bipartisan goodwill of the American people and in great danger of crushing the hopes and dreams he so eloquently raised only weeks ago. (Remember, this is going on against a political background where Democrats are starting to look every bit as sleazy as Republicans: Edwards, Kilpatrick, Dixon, Rangel and, of course, Blagojevich).
So what does Obama need to do? In the short term, he must:
1. Take aggressive control (in the Chicago-way sense) of the stimulus package (behind the scenes as Pelosi and Reid are nominally in control) and shape a bill that focuses like a laser (great sound bite, Republicans) on job creation and getting the economy back on track
2. Clean out the cabinet now—Geithner (and others?) must go—these scandals can’t be allowed to distract from the real work that we all know needs to get done, and revelations will continue to leak out
3. Move the conversation on from this self-inflicted chaotic mess to announce a dramatic bank rescue package, with a focus on equity investment (and future payback) for the American people, and a new bank to hold the toxic assets of the existing banks
In the longer term, the greatest threat to Obama is not the Republicans. It is Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. These clowns will throw away the Democrat majorities in Congress and they could severely damage Obama’s chances of reelection. However unpalatable (for them), Democrats must face up to the fact that America is a center right nation, not a center left nation.
Obama was elected because he promised the opposite of Bush—coherence, competence and hope. He was not elected because the American people suddenly decided that European style big government is the answer to all their problems. Pelosi and Reid will never get this and they will continue to provide manna from heaven for Republicans. Obama must play hardball. Will no one rid him of these turbulent bleeps!
The Stimulus Bill is a Bomb - Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
Obama Losing Stimulus Fight To Defeated GOP - E. J. Dionne, Wash Post
Can Obama Reboot After Daschle? - Joe Klein, Time
Obama's 'Screw-Up' Puts Geithner on Thin Ice - Caroline Baum, Bloomberg
Obama Losing The Stimulus War, Jeanne Cummings, Politico
Here are 10 crucial errors he has made already. Obama:
1. Hasn’t learnt the key lessons for Democratic Presidents that their own party is often a bigger liability than the opposition [I am not a member of any organized party—I am a Democrat (Bill Clinton)]
2. Allowed Nancy Pelosi to oversee the drafting of the stimulus bill that would ultimately have his name (and brand) on it
3. Failed to pressure her early enough to remove politically suicidal items like condoms and financial help for Hollywood producers
4. Allowed Pelosi to put a stimulus bill before the House of Representatives that was so toxic, not only did it fail to garner a single Republican vote (not important in and of itself), but couldn’t even secure the votes of all Democrats—surely the most under-reported of the major blunders so far!
5. Handed the Republicans an easy victory in the air war on spending vs. stimulus
6. Was incredibly sloppy in vetting his nominees—the American people are losing count of the number of Friends of Obama (FOOs) falling on the road to the Cabinet
7. Hasn’t dealt with the ticking time bomb of Geithner—when the American people realize that he knowingly committed fraud (asked to be compensated by his employer for tax he had no intention of paying) rather than simply screwed-up, he will have to resign (Why Geithner Was Worse Than Daschle)
8. Was seemingly caught completely unawares that there’s a big difference between the FOO anchors on network TV, CNN and MSNBC and the White House press corps whose job is to ask tough questions day in, day out
9. Has lost the huge momentum he had following his election and inauguration (is it too early to invoke deja vu, GWB and the lost consensus after 9/11?)
10. Worst of all, he is squandering the bipartisan goodwill of the American people and in great danger of crushing the hopes and dreams he so eloquently raised only weeks ago. (Remember, this is going on against a political background where Democrats are starting to look every bit as sleazy as Republicans: Edwards, Kilpatrick, Dixon, Rangel and, of course, Blagojevich).
So what does Obama need to do? In the short term, he must:
1. Take aggressive control (in the Chicago-way sense) of the stimulus package (behind the scenes as Pelosi and Reid are nominally in control) and shape a bill that focuses like a laser (great sound bite, Republicans) on job creation and getting the economy back on track
2. Clean out the cabinet now—Geithner (and others?) must go—these scandals can’t be allowed to distract from the real work that we all know needs to get done, and revelations will continue to leak out
3. Move the conversation on from this self-inflicted chaotic mess to announce a dramatic bank rescue package, with a focus on equity investment (and future payback) for the American people, and a new bank to hold the toxic assets of the existing banks
In the longer term, the greatest threat to Obama is not the Republicans. It is Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. These clowns will throw away the Democrat majorities in Congress and they could severely damage Obama’s chances of reelection. However unpalatable (for them), Democrats must face up to the fact that America is a center right nation, not a center left nation.
Obama was elected because he promised the opposite of Bush—coherence, competence and hope. He was not elected because the American people suddenly decided that European style big government is the answer to all their problems. Pelosi and Reid will never get this and they will continue to provide manna from heaven for Republicans. Obama must play hardball. Will no one rid him of these turbulent bleeps!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Good, The Bad And The Ugly
Free market capitalism is not dead. The conservative movement is not dead, but the Republican Party is on its knees, or will be shortly.
It is has become so excruciatingly embarrassing to be a Republican. David Brookes of the NYTs described Sarah Palin as a “cancer” on the Party. Christopher Buckley has abandoned the Party for which his father provided the intellectual foundation stone. Republican is now synonymous with ignorance, bigotry and incompetence.
There is no other conservative party in a modern democracy that would put up Sarah Palin as a VP candidate. Culturally conservative countries like Catholic Spain allow gay marriage. Until the Republicans grow up, they deserve to be kept out of power.
The inmates have taken over the asylum and ugliness is rampant in contemporary Republicanism. It may take at least two election defeats, as it did with the British Conservative Party, before conservative leaders come to their senses—there is no future in the 17th century.
The Good
Obama has a first rate, centrist economic team. If this team (and a desire to win a second term, unlike Carter) can keep the loony left in Congress at bay, there is hope that we can pull out of the current recession riding a wave of hope and public infrastructure spending. If, and it is a big if, Obama sticks to his tax program, he will do no harm to the economy, provided that in revising corporate tax policy, he doesn’t close too many of those loop holes, remembering that if he closes them all, the US would have the highest business taxes of all the advanced democracies. We have to hope that he is smart enough not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
We do need (private) affordable universal healthcare. It should be a right in a modern democracy. It is the morally appropriate thing to do and a well thought out move towards this goal should mitigate some of the fear of job loss and change, ultimately lessening fear of the global free market.
Obama’s Nixon goes to China moment may be in tackling the issue of performance pay in education. Although sadly opposed to parent choice and charter schools, he has made positive sounding noises on performance pay. The teaching profession needs to be radically reformed and Obama would have the political amity to make these changes, if he is brave enough to seize the moment.
Above all, Obama will transform the world’s perception of the US and if he exploits overflowing goodwill in the early years of his administration, who knows what he will accomplish in the Mid-East, with Russia and against international terrorism. The international euphoria (and it will be euphoria) may even partly help drag us out of a global recession—there is that level of irrational exuberance around his upcoming presidency.
The Bad
Of course, it could all go horribly wrong. Obama won’t be the first left leaning politician in history to realize (if he doesn’t already) that one thousand promises made on the campaign trail will cost one thousand times more to implement than is raised through tax increases on “the wealthiest Americans”. Add to that the existing deficit and the final cost of the bailout and technically, Obama will have no room for maneuver whatsoever.
The bad scenario sees Obama moving too quickly on too many fronts, spending too much money and crippling the economy with a wider range of tax increases than he will currently admit to. That is what has happened under Labour Party leadership in the UK, and that is why Prime Minister Brown, having taxed the life out of the economy, is destined to lose the next election in a landslide.
The Ugly
Two names that should strike fear into the hearts of any independent—Pelosi and Reed. Two of the most monumentally incompetent politicians to have ever been elected in the history of democracy. With approval ratings substantially below those even of Bush, these two are determined to salvage their reputations and left wing bona fides, having completely failed to close down the Iraq war as promised.
At least 80% of the risk associated with an Obama presidency is the certain pressure he is likely to come under from these two clowns and their fellow travelers on the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. There will be huge pressure on Obama to redress the income inequality gap that has grown in the Bush years. Additional income redistribution(the top 1% of earners already pay more than 33% of all taxes, where the bottom 50% of earners pays just 3.6%) , strengthened unions, trade barriers and protectionism are all strong possibilities.
This is an intoxicating cocktail for the left and a surefire way to bring a recession burdened economy to its depressive knees. As the commentariat gleefully surveys what they hope are the death throes of global capitalism, many believe that this is their best chance of implementing Euro-style social welfarism since the great depression.
The ugly scenario is ten years of economic stagnation as radical liberals, unchecked by an adoring media, regulate everything that moves, tax everything that’s earnt, and pour our dollars into anything that bleats, with no regard to outcome.
And In The Final Reckoning
To a certain degree, an Obama win is a good thing on two fronts for centrist Republicans. The natural centre right leaning of the American electorate and the constant pressure from conservative think tanks, cable news and talk radio has steered team Obama to articulate a reasonably centrist approach. So the question becomes, once in power, does Obama stick to his word and keep the American people with him, or does he do a Clinton and govern from the left in year one and two, conceding the House of Representatives back to the Republicans in the first mid-term of his presidency?
If Obama sticks to the centre, we are happy. If Obama capitulates to the radical left in his own party, the Republicans will be back on the Hill within two years, hopefully chastened somewhat, and we will have what seems to have worked best for America in the past—a centre left President, held in check by a Republican party better at managing the opposition then managing themselves.
It is has become so excruciatingly embarrassing to be a Republican. David Brookes of the NYTs described Sarah Palin as a “cancer” on the Party. Christopher Buckley has abandoned the Party for which his father provided the intellectual foundation stone. Republican is now synonymous with ignorance, bigotry and incompetence.
There is no other conservative party in a modern democracy that would put up Sarah Palin as a VP candidate. Culturally conservative countries like Catholic Spain allow gay marriage. Until the Republicans grow up, they deserve to be kept out of power.
The inmates have taken over the asylum and ugliness is rampant in contemporary Republicanism. It may take at least two election defeats, as it did with the British Conservative Party, before conservative leaders come to their senses—there is no future in the 17th century.
The Good
Obama has a first rate, centrist economic team. If this team (and a desire to win a second term, unlike Carter) can keep the loony left in Congress at bay, there is hope that we can pull out of the current recession riding a wave of hope and public infrastructure spending. If, and it is a big if, Obama sticks to his tax program, he will do no harm to the economy, provided that in revising corporate tax policy, he doesn’t close too many of those loop holes, remembering that if he closes them all, the US would have the highest business taxes of all the advanced democracies. We have to hope that he is smart enough not to kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
We do need (private) affordable universal healthcare. It should be a right in a modern democracy. It is the morally appropriate thing to do and a well thought out move towards this goal should mitigate some of the fear of job loss and change, ultimately lessening fear of the global free market.
Obama’s Nixon goes to China moment may be in tackling the issue of performance pay in education. Although sadly opposed to parent choice and charter schools, he has made positive sounding noises on performance pay. The teaching profession needs to be radically reformed and Obama would have the political amity to make these changes, if he is brave enough to seize the moment.
Above all, Obama will transform the world’s perception of the US and if he exploits overflowing goodwill in the early years of his administration, who knows what he will accomplish in the Mid-East, with Russia and against international terrorism. The international euphoria (and it will be euphoria) may even partly help drag us out of a global recession—there is that level of irrational exuberance around his upcoming presidency.
The Bad
Of course, it could all go horribly wrong. Obama won’t be the first left leaning politician in history to realize (if he doesn’t already) that one thousand promises made on the campaign trail will cost one thousand times more to implement than is raised through tax increases on “the wealthiest Americans”. Add to that the existing deficit and the final cost of the bailout and technically, Obama will have no room for maneuver whatsoever.
The bad scenario sees Obama moving too quickly on too many fronts, spending too much money and crippling the economy with a wider range of tax increases than he will currently admit to. That is what has happened under Labour Party leadership in the UK, and that is why Prime Minister Brown, having taxed the life out of the economy, is destined to lose the next election in a landslide.
The Ugly
Two names that should strike fear into the hearts of any independent—Pelosi and Reed. Two of the most monumentally incompetent politicians to have ever been elected in the history of democracy. With approval ratings substantially below those even of Bush, these two are determined to salvage their reputations and left wing bona fides, having completely failed to close down the Iraq war as promised.
At least 80% of the risk associated with an Obama presidency is the certain pressure he is likely to come under from these two clowns and their fellow travelers on the Democratic wing of the Democratic party. There will be huge pressure on Obama to redress the income inequality gap that has grown in the Bush years. Additional income redistribution(the top 1% of earners already pay more than 33% of all taxes, where the bottom 50% of earners pays just 3.6%) , strengthened unions, trade barriers and protectionism are all strong possibilities.
This is an intoxicating cocktail for the left and a surefire way to bring a recession burdened economy to its depressive knees. As the commentariat gleefully surveys what they hope are the death throes of global capitalism, many believe that this is their best chance of implementing Euro-style social welfarism since the great depression.
The ugly scenario is ten years of economic stagnation as radical liberals, unchecked by an adoring media, regulate everything that moves, tax everything that’s earnt, and pour our dollars into anything that bleats, with no regard to outcome.
And In The Final Reckoning
To a certain degree, an Obama win is a good thing on two fronts for centrist Republicans. The natural centre right leaning of the American electorate and the constant pressure from conservative think tanks, cable news and talk radio has steered team Obama to articulate a reasonably centrist approach. So the question becomes, once in power, does Obama stick to his word and keep the American people with him, or does he do a Clinton and govern from the left in year one and two, conceding the House of Representatives back to the Republicans in the first mid-term of his presidency?
If Obama sticks to the centre, we are happy. If Obama capitulates to the radical left in his own party, the Republicans will be back on the Hill within two years, hopefully chastened somewhat, and we will have what seems to have worked best for America in the past—a centre left President, held in check by a Republican party better at managing the opposition then managing themselves.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Natural Born Hippy
Check this out http://jeremyrix.blogspot.com/ (no relation, honest). It's enough to turn a gnarled old conservative...... well I almost wish I was as rabidly left as this bloke. He may be a hippy, but he is a happy hippy and if your life or business is f**ked up, you should sit down with this guy and he will sort you out. And, unlike all the therapy I've been through, you'll leave with a graphic roadmap to your own personal authenticity. I feel good looking at the work he has done for other people--imagine how good you'd feel if you had one of your own! You can do worse in life than put your future in the hands of a happy hippy! Very cool..... for a lefty!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
An American Tragedy
It is an American tragedy that no matter who wins in November, nothing real will change. Barack Obama is not qualified to be President. John McCain, in a fit of pandering to the lowest instincts of the fundamentalist wing of the Republican party, picked a running mate who is equally unqualified. Both candidates have jettisoned their supposed maverick, outsider status and jumped head-first into the cesspit of Presidential politics.
To be fair, neither man could escape the five forces that shape the political landscape in America.
1. Money Talks; Principle Walks—Both men’s campaign teams are loaded with lobbyists, seemingly with every major player in each team connected with some ugly episode in recent American history. Even if Obama and McCain were the two most principled men in the world—and the current state of the race skewers that laughable notion, the billions of dollars involved for either party to secure the White House and Congress absolutely guarantees that the last voice heard in the first days of the next Presidency will be that of the American people.
2. Extreme is the New Normal—Closed primaries (nearly half of all states still run closed or semi-closed primaries) reward the party faithful with the choice of candidate for a given race. The men and women moved to vote in these primaries are usually more doctrinaire and extreme than the population as a whole. As a candidate it pays to be prejudiced, partisan and unflinchingly dogmatic if you want to be successful at this first stage gate of the electoral process.
3. The Superfluous Voter—Once selected in a primary, gerrymandering on an unprecedented scale means that only 13% of Congressional Districts are seriously in play during any given election. An astonishing 87% of the House of Representatives need have no fear of the electorate at large. As long as they do their part for the local party machine and hold true to party orthodoxy, they will be returned to Congress again and again and again.
4. The New Propagandalism—If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In the news business, the lesson of the last several years is partisanship pays! Talk radio and Fox News proved that the American people apparently can’t get enough of other people who think just like them—especially, if they shout a lot!
MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times, and NPR have all decided to give their viewers, readers and listeners what they want—lashings of liberal orthodoxy with a sprinkling of conservative commentary to remind their audiences who to hate. (Network television news has decided to ignore its demographic and give its audience the liberal line, whether they like it or not!). This may be financially astute and truer to the underlying beliefs of the journalists involved, but it is somewhere between pointless and destructive for American democracy.
Liberals are overjoyed at the success of Maddow and (until recently) Olbermann, but what’s the point? Will either of them change one vote? If you are a liberal, ask yourself this question, “would you become a conservative because of anything Bill O’Reilly said”? No? Well, surprise! It works both ways.
This echo chamber of self-defeating nonsense that rewards the loudest, most stupidly partisan hate speech is destroying our democracy. (Bernhard’s recent gang rape joke at the expense of Sarah Palin, which incidentally said more about Ms Bernhard’s attitude to African American men, than it does about the Republican VP candidate, is an increasingly typical example of modern political discourse—see HuffPo, Kos, Hannity, et al.). Ignorant people shouting at each other will not move the country forward….. in any direction.
How about some facts? Some comparative analysis? A hint of objectivity? How about getting creative in explaining challenging concepts in compelling ways? How about holding politicians accountable for their actions, no matter their political affiliation?
One third of Cook County (covering Obama’s home town of Chicago) healthcare centers have closed in the last year due to corruption, cronyism and incompetence. Presumably, poor people have died or at least suffered because of this. Does it matter that the hopelessly inept President of Cook County is a Democrat? Apparently, it does to most journalists in Illinois who assiduously avoid all mention of this and may other corruption issues facing the state. The press sins of commission (outright bias and misreporting) and omission (keeping stories that harm favored candidates out of the press) is a kind of Miracle Grow for appalling governance.
5. Any low you can reach, I can go lower—Whether it is our political discourse, television, education, manners—you name it—we are in a committed race to the bottom. The tragedy of democracy is the triumph of idiocy over civilization. Where a stupid thing and the right thing come into conflict; too many times the stupid thing wins out.
There are a lot of stupid people out there and increasingly, leaders are not willing to tell us what we NEED to hear, rather than what we WANT to hear. (Note to Democrats: just telling people they are stupid, is stupid! You need to be more constructive in your observations. And, of course, real leaders, Al Gore, walk the talk and inspire people through their example too—do as I say, not as I do is a recipe for cynicism and failure, as you are finding out).
These five challenges underpin all the other problems that American faces. Bi-partisan solutions to climate change, comprehensive healthcare reform, social security and all the other challenges we face are out there. Except that in our system, no one, apparently, is rewarded for sticking their neck out and trying something new.
No matter who runs his hand across the desk in the Oval Office for the first time next January, THEY won’t have the power or the stamina to change any of this. No Congressperson is going to vote away their safe seat. No Managing Editor is going to watch her audience evaporate as she experiments with real news for articulate people. No money man is going to shrug his shoulders and write-off his million-dollar check for nothing. No politician is going to antagonize a local party elder who can sink her with the base of her own party.
How this tragedy plays out depends on the AMERICAN PEOPLE, as always. There are answers to these five challenges. We can cut money out of the election process; institute an independent electoral commission to define Congressional Districts; hold open primaries; implement a modern version of the Fairness Doctrine; and, find ways to reward civic virtue and thinking of the good of the many, rather than the comfort of the one.
The important point, however, is that this election is not that time, unfortunately. Only a third party candidate, backed by a boiling mad bi-partisan electoral coalition will have the power to do this. Our audacity in hoping that this time would be different has been drowned in the mud-wrestling pit where the 2008 Presidential election is being played out.
To be fair, neither man could escape the five forces that shape the political landscape in America.
1. Money Talks; Principle Walks—Both men’s campaign teams are loaded with lobbyists, seemingly with every major player in each team connected with some ugly episode in recent American history. Even if Obama and McCain were the two most principled men in the world—and the current state of the race skewers that laughable notion, the billions of dollars involved for either party to secure the White House and Congress absolutely guarantees that the last voice heard in the first days of the next Presidency will be that of the American people.
2. Extreme is the New Normal—Closed primaries (nearly half of all states still run closed or semi-closed primaries) reward the party faithful with the choice of candidate for a given race. The men and women moved to vote in these primaries are usually more doctrinaire and extreme than the population as a whole. As a candidate it pays to be prejudiced, partisan and unflinchingly dogmatic if you want to be successful at this first stage gate of the electoral process.
3. The Superfluous Voter—Once selected in a primary, gerrymandering on an unprecedented scale means that only 13% of Congressional Districts are seriously in play during any given election. An astonishing 87% of the House of Representatives need have no fear of the electorate at large. As long as they do their part for the local party machine and hold true to party orthodoxy, they will be returned to Congress again and again and again.
4. The New Propagandalism—If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In the news business, the lesson of the last several years is partisanship pays! Talk radio and Fox News proved that the American people apparently can’t get enough of other people who think just like them—especially, if they shout a lot!
MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times, and NPR have all decided to give their viewers, readers and listeners what they want—lashings of liberal orthodoxy with a sprinkling of conservative commentary to remind their audiences who to hate. (Network television news has decided to ignore its demographic and give its audience the liberal line, whether they like it or not!). This may be financially astute and truer to the underlying beliefs of the journalists involved, but it is somewhere between pointless and destructive for American democracy.
Liberals are overjoyed at the success of Maddow and (until recently) Olbermann, but what’s the point? Will either of them change one vote? If you are a liberal, ask yourself this question, “would you become a conservative because of anything Bill O’Reilly said”? No? Well, surprise! It works both ways.
This echo chamber of self-defeating nonsense that rewards the loudest, most stupidly partisan hate speech is destroying our democracy. (Bernhard’s recent gang rape joke at the expense of Sarah Palin, which incidentally said more about Ms Bernhard’s attitude to African American men, than it does about the Republican VP candidate, is an increasingly typical example of modern political discourse—see HuffPo, Kos, Hannity, et al.). Ignorant people shouting at each other will not move the country forward….. in any direction.
How about some facts? Some comparative analysis? A hint of objectivity? How about getting creative in explaining challenging concepts in compelling ways? How about holding politicians accountable for their actions, no matter their political affiliation?
One third of Cook County (covering Obama’s home town of Chicago) healthcare centers have closed in the last year due to corruption, cronyism and incompetence. Presumably, poor people have died or at least suffered because of this. Does it matter that the hopelessly inept President of Cook County is a Democrat? Apparently, it does to most journalists in Illinois who assiduously avoid all mention of this and may other corruption issues facing the state. The press sins of commission (outright bias and misreporting) and omission (keeping stories that harm favored candidates out of the press) is a kind of Miracle Grow for appalling governance.
5. Any low you can reach, I can go lower—Whether it is our political discourse, television, education, manners—you name it—we are in a committed race to the bottom. The tragedy of democracy is the triumph of idiocy over civilization. Where a stupid thing and the right thing come into conflict; too many times the stupid thing wins out.
There are a lot of stupid people out there and increasingly, leaders are not willing to tell us what we NEED to hear, rather than what we WANT to hear. (Note to Democrats: just telling people they are stupid, is stupid! You need to be more constructive in your observations. And, of course, real leaders, Al Gore, walk the talk and inspire people through their example too—do as I say, not as I do is a recipe for cynicism and failure, as you are finding out).
These five challenges underpin all the other problems that American faces. Bi-partisan solutions to climate change, comprehensive healthcare reform, social security and all the other challenges we face are out there. Except that in our system, no one, apparently, is rewarded for sticking their neck out and trying something new.
No matter who runs his hand across the desk in the Oval Office for the first time next January, THEY won’t have the power or the stamina to change any of this. No Congressperson is going to vote away their safe seat. No Managing Editor is going to watch her audience evaporate as she experiments with real news for articulate people. No money man is going to shrug his shoulders and write-off his million-dollar check for nothing. No politician is going to antagonize a local party elder who can sink her with the base of her own party.
How this tragedy plays out depends on the AMERICAN PEOPLE, as always. There are answers to these five challenges. We can cut money out of the election process; institute an independent electoral commission to define Congressional Districts; hold open primaries; implement a modern version of the Fairness Doctrine; and, find ways to reward civic virtue and thinking of the good of the many, rather than the comfort of the one.
The important point, however, is that this election is not that time, unfortunately. Only a third party candidate, backed by a boiling mad bi-partisan electoral coalition will have the power to do this. Our audacity in hoping that this time would be different has been drowned in the mud-wrestling pit where the 2008 Presidential election is being played out.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
You are a bitter, mean, ignorant racist… Please vote for me!
Mr and Mrs Obama: you are not like us! We are not like you. We don’t recognize the America you live in. It’s not because you are black and we are white. It’s because we see an imperfect America trying to do the right thing; you see a devil colossus rampaging against its own people and the rest of the world.
Most Americans would (rightly) rather be the poorest person in America than the richest person in most other countries around the world. We know our country isn’t flawless, but it’s sure as hell easier and better living here than many other places we could mention.
America fits its people like a glove. You can live the life you want to live in America—independent and proud in the South West or nannied (and taxed till you bleed) in California. Everyone can find a piece of America that works for them.
If you live in Denmark, France or Germany, there are no choices. There is the over-arching state involved in every aspect of your life, and the government has a permanent hand in your pocketbook. If you want to live free of the choking French government and social system, you leave the country, as millions of young French people are doing. We have everything we want—all of us—right here. You sometimes have to move State—big deal!
That doesn’t mean we don’t want better, more available and cheaper healthcare options. We’d like schools that actually teach our kids something useful and if we are going to pay into social security all our lives, we’d like to see something in return.
Heck there are a lot of things about our country we’d like to fix. But unlike you, Michelle and Barack, we don’t want to turn our country into Sweden….. or Venezuela!
Most of all, we don’t take kindly to be slapped (repeatedly) by the folks asking for our vote. You absolutely will not win the white working class vote by insulting them—you are a bitter, mean, ignorant racist—please vote for me! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that that strategy ain’t gonna fly come November!
We do want change and this country does need fixing, but we don’t need to (metaphorically) blow it up and start again. We like it (mostly) the way it is.
We live in the real world—on farms, working in businesses, teaching, policing, and looking after families. We make real decisions, based on real pay checks, paying real (high) prices for the things we need against a backdrop of a dangerous and complicated world.
The Obamas are not like us. What is a $300,000+ per year “Outreach” worker, Michelle? Why are you friends with someone who planted a bomb and tried to kill Americans, Barack? What is a “Community Organizer” and how does it prepare you for the Presidency, Senator?
No, the Obamas are not like us and we know it to our core. There’s no dressing that up in conference tinsel. We see through the glitter: an inexperienced young man, with no track record of ever doing the things he claims he will do for us. Past behavior is the best predictor of future intent and there is nothing in Senator Obama’s past that gets us comfortable with him being President.
The Democrats put up another northern liberal for the Republicans to knock down, and compound this failing by choosing the most left wing and least experienced candidate since Jimmy Carter. We see it as clear as day. Barack Obama will lose in November. Who are the ignorant ones in this equation?
Most Americans would (rightly) rather be the poorest person in America than the richest person in most other countries around the world. We know our country isn’t flawless, but it’s sure as hell easier and better living here than many other places we could mention.
America fits its people like a glove. You can live the life you want to live in America—independent and proud in the South West or nannied (and taxed till you bleed) in California. Everyone can find a piece of America that works for them.
If you live in Denmark, France or Germany, there are no choices. There is the over-arching state involved in every aspect of your life, and the government has a permanent hand in your pocketbook. If you want to live free of the choking French government and social system, you leave the country, as millions of young French people are doing. We have everything we want—all of us—right here. You sometimes have to move State—big deal!
That doesn’t mean we don’t want better, more available and cheaper healthcare options. We’d like schools that actually teach our kids something useful and if we are going to pay into social security all our lives, we’d like to see something in return.
Heck there are a lot of things about our country we’d like to fix. But unlike you, Michelle and Barack, we don’t want to turn our country into Sweden….. or Venezuela!
Most of all, we don’t take kindly to be slapped (repeatedly) by the folks asking for our vote. You absolutely will not win the white working class vote by insulting them—you are a bitter, mean, ignorant racist—please vote for me! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that that strategy ain’t gonna fly come November!
We do want change and this country does need fixing, but we don’t need to (metaphorically) blow it up and start again. We like it (mostly) the way it is.
We live in the real world—on farms, working in businesses, teaching, policing, and looking after families. We make real decisions, based on real pay checks, paying real (high) prices for the things we need against a backdrop of a dangerous and complicated world.
The Obamas are not like us. What is a $300,000+ per year “Outreach” worker, Michelle? Why are you friends with someone who planted a bomb and tried to kill Americans, Barack? What is a “Community Organizer” and how does it prepare you for the Presidency, Senator?
No, the Obamas are not like us and we know it to our core. There’s no dressing that up in conference tinsel. We see through the glitter: an inexperienced young man, with no track record of ever doing the things he claims he will do for us. Past behavior is the best predictor of future intent and there is nothing in Senator Obama’s past that gets us comfortable with him being President.
The Democrats put up another northern liberal for the Republicans to knock down, and compound this failing by choosing the most left wing and least experienced candidate since Jimmy Carter. We see it as clear as day. Barack Obama will lose in November. Who are the ignorant ones in this equation?
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