Kris Schultz

The Circle

2008-11-22T16:18:00.004-05:00

I once had a moment of perfection, but it’s the only thing from that day I can recall. Honestly, this perfection wasn't supposed to matter. It was supposed to just be an insignificant part of a much more important day of some urgent, paramount training. I was trying to transmit my wisdom to the sponge-like listeners ready to receive what I was to give, and it was to include a circle on a chart, just an afterthought or springboard for more central facts and figures necessary for the lesson.

We’ve all taken those moments for granted, drawing some box or circle or stick figure on a chart, a mere vehicle to get to some larger point.

I’ve got a visual memory, so drawing that circle needed to be done. I’m sure I’d done it many times before and since to make those forgettable points, assuming the circle was just a train to board to get to the important destination I’d chosen, but plane or car would have gotten me there just the same. But the destination this circle was bringing me to I’ve oddly since forgotten, some important argument that served the purpose at the time.

But this was devinely created, this endless cycle with no beginning nor end, with circumference balanced well centered on the page, this one was different.

I remember vaguely that it was sometime in my past, in some forgotten town, with a kind but forgotten group of listeners the audience to a feat I’ve yet to repeat: I’d drawn the perfect circle and I knew it at once. It was so perfect you’d have though I used a compass to draw it, with a stick-pin centered on the page, the pencil firmly attached to the holster, and the proper distance measured for the median between, all whipped around from beginning to end… the perfect circle I’d drawn was free-handed and unaided, no metal or measuring stick helped me out.

I’ve long since forgotten the details that brought me to the page with the sharpie firmly in hand, but this much I know: I did it on presentation paper – butcher paper – at the beginning of a meeting during my presentation, but even after much struggling I can’t remember to whom I was speaking, what the topic was, nor where I was… but the circle is unforgettable. Perfect. Round. The digital graphic version of a hole-in-one.

I knew what I'd accomplished immediately, saying allowed, “I just drew the perfect circle.” I paused. Admired it. And then said, “Sorry, I got to keep this one.” While the group - was it a crowd of people, or a pair, maybe a Small semi-circle of listeners? - laughed politely at my accomplishment, I tore off the circle from the presentation pad, folded it up, and put it in my briefcase, and I’m sure I set off to finish my presentation, drawing a normal presentation worthy circle with it’s bit of wobbliness and uneven rejoinders, going on to finish my presentation about whatever it was.

I struggle with being imperfect so often in my life, wishing everything was like that moment in all that I do. I’ve suffered, berated myself, gnashed my heart out with guilt and regret about so many things I’ve done over the years, but for the moments I spent in awe of that circle I was in the zone, sublimely satisfied, of what I’d just accomplished. Just like the topic, audience, year and setting, I’ve also lost piece of paper, but I’m not upset.

The perfect circle drawn freehand is ever in my memory, savored as if my last meal before the execution. The perfect circle that I savored and somewhere kept still exists, savored forever in my otherwise imperfect memory like one of the greatest treasures ever known to humankind.

A full circle completed, just for that moment and nevermore.

HI-SEN: Akaka & Case on Iraq

2006-09-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

For the last week of the Hawaii Democratic Senate primary, I promised a dairy a day to help Akaka, and raise awareness about this race, but that's getting hard! Since we only have two days to go until primary day, I can't stop now, can I?

Hope this doesn't seem lazy, but the email from the campaign listserv today is really good. So I am just going to cut and paste their comparison here. Ironic, because I criticised an Ed Case blogger for doing that... This is different, because rather than cutting and pasting here without attribution, I'm properly giving credit where it's due.

"The two candidates have vastly different records on the Iraq war,
as well as several other issues where Case stood with the Bush administration
while Akaka strongly opposed Bush."

- The Council For a Livable World,
a national arms-control and anti-Iraq War group,
announcing their endorsement of Senator Daniel Akaka over Ed Case

Oh! And if you want my original writings, please see my diary listing. I've written quite a bit about this race already... back to the cut & paste...

On Authorization For War
Akaka Votes Against Giving Bush Authorization To Invade Iraq. Akaka was one of only 23 senators who opposed giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq. [Vote 237, 10/11/02]

Case Would Have Voted With Bush. Until his sudden flip-flop last month, Case had insisted for nearly three and a half years that he would have voted to give Bush the authority to invade Iraq. [Honolulu Star Bulletin, 6/27/06; AP, 12/17/03; Honolulu Advertiser, 1/28/03]

On Faith In Bush
Akaka A “Top Skeptic” From Beginning. Even before the invasion, the Honolulu Advertiser called Akaka a “top skeptic” of Bush’s drive to invade, noting that Akaka had said Bush “has not made a persuasive argument for war or explained the long-term role for the United States in a post-war Iraq.” [Honolulu Advertiser, 1/28/03]

Case Decided To Put Faith In Bush. Case said he supported the war because "I decided to believe my government.” [AP, 12/17/03]

On The Invasion
Akaka Condemns Decision, Presciently Predicts Difficulty With Occupation. Upon the invasion of Iraq in March of 2003, Akaka expressed confidence in the ability of the U.S. military to defeat the Iraqi army, but worried that such action would lead to an occupation for which President Bush had not prepared the country. The U.S. is not, Akaka said, "sufficiently prepared either materially or psychologically for a protracted occupation of that country…. We are not as prepared as we should be for the consequences of a war with Iraq." Akaka added that he did not understand why the President "has chosen to fight Iraq at this time or what his objective is in so doing." Moreover, while Saddam Hussein was a terrible dictator, his “actions do not justify going to war now if we are unprepared for the consequences of war and if we do not have a clear exit strategy for getting out of Iraq.” [Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 3/18/03]

Case Praises Invasion Of Iraq. Upon the invasion in March of 2003, Case released a statement praising the decisive action. “Democracy depends on both debate and decision, and with Iraq we have now had both.” [Case Statement, 3/19/03]

On Progress In Iraq
Akaka Calls for Exit Strategy. In November 2005, Akaka publicly questioned Bush’s Iraq policy, “We need an exit strategy from Iraq. The Administration should have had one before the war.” [Akaka Statement, 11/18/05] As the situation deteriorated in Iraq, Akaka urged that “…a reassessment would be really needed at this point in time.” [Honolulu Advertiser, 3/6/06] After Bush suggested that troop withdrawal would be decided by future Presidents, Akaka expressed his strong disapproval, “President Bush says withdrawal from Iraq will be up to future Presidents. This is completely unacceptable. While we must not abandon the Iraqi people until we have provided them with the tools necessary to stand on their own, I am outraged that the Administration has no exit strategy to complete our mission and return our soldiers home safely…I insist that the Administration provide a more comprehensive plan that includes specific criteria to determine if our goals in Iraq are being met and to develop a timetable for bringing our soldiers back to their families.” [Akaka Statement, 4/24/06]

Case Echoes Bush’s Rosy View of Iraq. Throughout the end of 2005 and the beginning of 2006, Case continued to parrot the Bush line on Iraq. In September of 2005 Case insisted that things were improving in Iraq and that the media was exaggerating the problems. When Bush defended his strategy in Iraq in a December speech to the nation, Rep. Neil Abercrombie hammered Bush’s speech, saying “it isn’t a plan; it is a prayer” while Case insisted that Bush was “articulating a set of goals that are pretty much what I have been articulating for three years." He also called the speech realistic and said, "I think [Bush] is trying to do the right thing." Finally, earlier this year Case again endorsed the Bush approach saying, “I think we are collectively doing what we must be doing at this point given the reality of Iraq today.” [Hawaii Tribune Herald, 9/8/05; Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 12/1/05; Honolulu Advertiser, 3/6/06]

Staying The Course
Akaka Calls For New Direction. Akaka called for a “new vision to strengthen the war on terror” and voted to begin a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. Akaka explained his vote by saying, “I believe our country and our military need a clear and decisive exit strategy for Iraq. Tragically, the Bush Administration’s open-ended no plan, no end Iraq policy has failed and it is time to begin redeploying our U.S. forces out of Iraq.” Akaka voted for the Levin-Reed amendment calling for a phased withdrawal beginning this year. He was also one of only 13 Senators to vote for the Kerry-Feingold amendment to redeploy US forces from Iraq by July 1, 2007. [Akaka Release, 6/22/06; Vote 182, 6/22/06; Vote 183, 6/22/06]

Case Endorses Bush’s “Stay The Course” Position. Last month, the House passed a resolution endorsing President Bush’s “stay the course” Iraq policy. The resolution also takes a stand against setting withdrawal dates. The resolution was written entirely by the GOP and Democrats were barred from proposing an alternative. Many Democrats felt the resolution was unfair because it conjoined non-controversial measures, such as declaring support for the ongoing Global War on Terror, with controversial measures, such as joining the War in Iraq to the War on Terror. Ed Case abandoned his party, voted for the resolution and joined Republicans in endorsing George Bush’s “stay the course” policy in Iraq. [House Vote 288, 6/16/06]

OH! One last thing - can you please help Akaka with his GOTV fund?

Crossposted to dailykos.com

HI-SEN: Case Supports Bush in Iraq & Guantanamo, and Torture too?

2006-09-18T22:23:00.000-04:00

I know incumbent Senator Dan Akaka’s primary challenger, Ed Case, supports President Bush and his war in Iraq. He's one of only three remaining Democrats-in-name-only to back Joe Lieberman’s I-bid for Senate in CT. But this piece of news is simply too much, in light of Republican criticism of Bush’s suggestions to break the Geneva convention, Case's statements go too far. He says the Guantanamo prison camp is run well. He goes further than many Republicans are willing to go!

Ed Case needs to come clean. He needs to clarify his stand on torture and the Geneva Convention, in light of the recent Supreme Court decision. Will he support the President’s torture policies? Or, will he do the right thing and stand by the Geneva Convention and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? After all, isn’t that what separates us from what’s humane treatment and what’s barbaric?

Here’s the deal. Last summer, Ed Case went to Guantanamo Naval Base with a delegation of folks to check out the prison camp for himself. What gems of wisdom did he impart, post trip? I found this link from Ed Case’s kosopedia page, an article from the Star Bulletin:

Case says Guantanamo prison camp run well…

Democratic Rep. Ed Case said Sunday that the Guantanamo prison for terrorists was being run well and did not match allegations the detainees were being abused and tortured.

…”I think Gitmo is being operated well and operated in a way that is necessary to the safety and security of our country and in a way that is humane under the circumstances,” Case said, using the prison's nickname. “The sum total of what I saw does not match the statements by Amnesty International nor by attorneys for some of the detainees.”

…Case said the prison had some trouble getting started as it was built from scratch in 2002, but that concerns about the camp had been addressed. He said the prisoners were given good food, health care, and access to lawyers. The interrogations were carefully monitored and the questioning was nowhere close to abusive, he added.

...Case said the prison was necessary and believed those who advocate shutting it down are making a “naive statement born of ignorance.”

Parachutec went there first. But before that, a Case consitutent says some interesting thigns, even posting a letter from Case.

Saturday's Hawaii Senate Primary, and Why You Should Give A Who-Haaaa....

2006-09-18T01:13:00.000-04:00

Did you support Ned Lamont against Lieberman?
It's a reverse of that primary, as Akaka needs your help to STAY in office. In this primary (on Sat., Sept 23), it's the incumbent, Dan Akaka, who voted against Bush's failed war in Iraq, who spoke out against Rumsfeld's failed leadership, and stands up for veterans. He's the ranking member of the Venterans Committee, by the way. All those Vets in Hawaii should want him to stick around.

Like Lieberman, Ed Case supports Bush's war and likes Rumsfeld. After his trip to Guantanamo, he didn't seem to understand what the fuss was all about. Oh, and he is supporting Lieberman in his General Election. You could call Ed Case the Doppelganger for Joe Lieberman, except Ed Case's more conservative. Part of his strategy is to appeal to Republicans, his real base, because Hawaii's primary is an open one. That means Republicans can ask for the Democratic primary ballot on Saturday and vote for their friend Ed Case. That scares me. I don't think CT voters could do that, right?

Do you believe Democrats have a responsibility to the regular person over big corporate interests?
Akaka has the backing of groups like labor, social workers, and Progressive Democrats of Hawaii. Basically, regular, rank-and-file Democrats. Also, he's received the endorsement of Asian American Action Fund, Peace Action, Senators Inouye, Feingold, Kerry, Obama, and Congressman Dennis Kucinich (who came in second in the Hawaii Presidential Primary). He's supported a number of measures for the little guy. Take that horrible new bankruptcy law that passed last year. Senator Akaka fought for the Democratic alternative to the bill that did become law, which would have given needed support to those who declare bankruptcy due to health care crises.

Ed Case, the cousin of Steve Case of AOL fame, is an active DLC'er. He has the backing of big business groups like the National Realtors Association and The American Restaurant Association. The Realtors spent over $600K in TV ads in July alone campaigning for Ed Case. He supported the DLC efforts for tougher individual bankruptcy laws. He maid it more difficult for folks to declare bankruptcy, and provided no breaks to people who suffer a health care crisis when unemployed and/or without health care. They declare bankruptcy because they are sick, but suffer the consequeces for a decade. It's simply not right.

Ed Case could have stood for the sort of changes Dan Akaka wanted, but he went with the DLC's efforts to leave no loopholes, supporting big credit card companies. Compare the crappy new law Ed Case wanted with corporate bankruptcy laws. Corporations have so many holes in it you could drive a truck through them, including allowing corporations to pass of their pensions, leaving retirees with smaller pensions than they'd planned for. This sends many seniors, including my own father, back to work to make up the difference just so they could live. Compare that to another family member who had to declare bankruptcy just because she got sick, and she'll have to suffer far longer than her illness lasted, thanks to 10 years of bad credit.

Do you oppose Bush's War?
Dan Akaka has strongly opposed Bush's failed war in Iraq, speaking eloquently about the sacrifices our troops have made. He was one of 13 brave Senators to call for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq by the end of the year.

Check this excerpt from his website:

In 2002, as chairman of the International Security Subcommittee, Senator Akaka held hearings on Iraq's purported weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He attended classified briefings, participated in Armed Services Committee hearings, and listened to outside experts. He concluded that Iraq's alleged WMD programs did not pose an immediate threat and, more significantly, that the President's post-war strategy would not work. He along with 22 other senators made the difficult and (at the time) unpopular decision to vote against waging a war against Iraq.

He cautioned that before the United States considered invading Iraq, the U.S. should (1) exhaust all means short of war to enforce United Nations resolutions concerning Iraq, (2) build an effective international coalition both to fight the war and to win the peace, and (3) ensure that Iraq did indeed have weapons of mass destruction.

Ed Case strongly supports President Bush, his war, Rumsfeld, the way things are going in Guantanamo, doesn't want the troops to be withdrawn, and has voted for Bush's war every chance he could.

Now, do you give a who-haa?

Akaka needs your help. Donate, blog, & tell your friends.

crossposted to my diaries at dailykos and mydd... I also posted a diary entry yesterday on dailykos that isn't here on my home blog...

HI-SEN: 7 Days to Save Peace-Loving Akaka from Lieber-Case

2006-09-16T01:11:00.000-04:00

Cross-posted to my DailyKos Diary...

If you found your way to DailyKos and, therefore, my modest little diary today, you've probably heard that Senator Joe Lieberman lost the Democratic nomination in Connecticut to pro-Peace/Anti-Bush Ned Lamont. But did you know there's an ideological flip of that primary challenge in the progressive, blue state of Hawaii this year? THIS WEEK, in fact?

Senator Dan Akaka is in the fight of his life in Hawaii, and he needs our help. Dan Akaka voted against Bush's failed war, while Ed Case praised Rumsfeld, Bush, and their failed the war in Iraq. Ed Case is one of three fellow Democrats-in-name-only to stand by Joe Lieberman's independent run for Senate. Like Lieberman, Case is now actively seeking Republican votes. The Hawaii primary is an open one, and Republicans and Democrats can choose whatever ballot they want on Primary Election Day, September 23.

I'd been writing about this race in my occasional diary here this summer, wrote a few at mydd.com, and some more on my own humble little blog. I have a problem, though. I am not a well-known entity here in KosWorld, and garnering attention for this race has been Herculean to me.

I need your help. Unlike the forces for good which descended in Connecticut to aid Ned Lamont, we can't all carpool from our corners of the mainland to knock on doors for the good Senator Dan Akaka. I did make a modest donation on my actblue page, and I urge you to donate to him too.

Another key thing I need your help with is getting the word out and raising awareness. Please speak out on this race. Please tell others about the reverse Lamont/Lieberman situation Akaka is facing.

I am making a commitment right here, right now: I commit to writing a dairy a day about the reasons Akaka needs our support. Just seven more days until we can send Ed Case back to the beaches of Hawaii for good. Can you help me help Akaka? Let's work together to keep Akaka in the Senate.

If you are reading this far, can you do one more thing? Can you tell your friends about the Akaka race, too, and how it's a reverse Lamont/Lieberman situation? Please ask your friends to donate and blog as well. Thank you!

Akaka getting any progressive blogosphere love?

2006-08-10T11:12:00.000-04:00

I hope so!

I just posted this to my dailykos diary, and this yesterday to it.

Logan, Former Dem Staffer, 87th in World Series of Poker

2006-08-06T09:29:00.000-04:00

Many of you know Ben Logan, my former housemate and former employee on the Wisconsin Democratic Coordinated Campaign in Milwaukee, so I thought I'd post some great news. Heading into day 5 of play, Ben is 38th in the chip count at the World Series of Poker Texas Hold 'Em Championship. If he loses right now with 169 players remaining, he is guaranteed no less than $47K. If he pulls out a win, he gets $7.5 Million. My guess is that he wins at least $100K as a rookie player, and that is huge.

I know, it's not strictly political. But I know many of my loyal readers are friends of Ben Logan's too, and would want to watch him progress in this world famous event. See this post from day two with his picture. I'll keep you posted - and I bet all y'all who are working on campaigns are going to call him to donate to your race! LOL.

Okay, now back to politics.

UPDATE
There are in fact 135 players remaining after the end of day 4 of play, out of 8773 entrants. Ben Logan is guaranteed $47K, no matter what happens from here on out. Ben now has a chip count of $430,000, and has fallen in the ranks to 80th in chip count. But he's at Jamie Gold's table, who leads the entire tournament with an almost $4Mill chip count.

Ben and the other 134 players begin day 5 of play today at Noon, Vegas time.

You can see a live update at this website: http://www.cardplayer.com/

UPDATE 6pm
Ben is now in the top 100, and will make $51K, regardless. He's #87 in chip count, and going strong.

FINAL UPDATE Proudly, Ben Logan comes in 87th out of 8774 entrants, giving him over $51K in winnings. Not shabby at all! Both my Dad and my friend Jeff said, "well, $10K a day isn't too bad a job to have!" I am so proud of you, Benji! Great job!

UPDATE: '06 Hawaii Democratic Senate Primary

2006-08-01T23:58:00.000-04:00

AKA the "reverse Lieberman/Lamont" Race...

While most of the progressive blogosphere is watching Lieberman and Lamont's every move ahead of the August 8 Connecticut Democratic Primary, Akaka is fighting hard to fend off Democrat-In-Name-Only (DINO) Ed Case's primary election challenge. Here is a quick update on some of the more important developments in the race for the September 23 Hawaii Democratic Primary. While each of these subjects deserve their own post, here's a quick litany for your comprehensive reading pleasure:

Case Going For His Base: Republicans
This is a must read article from the Honolulu Advertiser about DINO Case's strategy to get out his base of Republican voters. Hawaii has an open primary, after all, where voters can choose whichever primary ballot they wish, regardless of party registration.

The Air War
Senator Dan Inouye appears in TV ad for Akaka. It's my understanding that this isn't the sort of thing Inouye usually does. He's never been in a primary ad for any Democratic candidate in Hawai'i, but he's supported Akaka since Ed Case announced. You can see the ad here. Also check out the TV ad featuring Akaka's eloquent call for peace and an end Bush's failed war in Iraq.

Endorsements
Akaka gets the endorsements representing pro-worker, pro-peace and pro-environment organizations like Hawaii Government Employees Association. Proving his DINO credentials, Case gets business endorsements from the Realtors and Restaurant Associations.
UPDATE: Because of their differing views on Iraq and Bush, it's my understanding that Akaka received the endorsement of Peace Action's national PAC.

Akaka Campaign Manager Blogs From The Inside
Andy Winer, Akaka's Campaign Manager, is now a diarist on dailykos. His first post challenges Ed Case for not stating his positions regarding the Iraq war, Patriot Act, and Bush Administration tax policies on his website and to Democratic groups who request them. He's posted this last Friday about Case's flipflop on PBS funding, which includes his insider views about Case's votes:

Some pundits have compared Case to Lieberman, but to my knowledge even Lieberman didn't vote to kill Big Bird and Elmo.

Iraq Continues As Central Theme In Race
This must read Op Ed by Senators Feingold & Kerry support Akaka's troop withdrawal vote on Iraq:

It is true that Sens. Akaka and Inouye were two of only 13 senators to support this timetable. However, when Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) first stepped up to the challenge of leadership in the House on Iraq, he was alone. Then, recently, 140 House members voted to support his leadership. Congressman Ed Case was not one of them. When we in the Senate began the fight to change course in Iraq, we, too, were almost alone. Ending the Bush administration's disastrous approach to this war isn't about counting votes.

It isn't about legislative strategy or electoral calculation. It's about applying constant pressure to change a broken course

The Lieberman/Lamont = Case/Akaka Connection Continues
Pachacutec crossposted a great comparison of President Clinton's stumping for Lieberman with the potential of stumping for Akaka to firedoglake and huffingtonpost.

Will Bill Clinton Stump for Akaka? Or will he only place his foot on the scale in favor of conservative, pro-war incumbent Democrats who blamed and shamed him during the Republicans impeachment overreach?

Coffee Enters Race for Republican Nomination
Look at a portion of the quite candid to-do list disclosure from Coffee:

10. Interview with Senator Elizabeth Dole, Chair of National Republican Senatorial Committee. (All of the above were very enthusiastic about my candidacy, but the money depends on our own ability to fund raise and poll numbers.)...

JONATHAN MILLER: Compassionate Community Values

2006-07-20T22:45:00.000-04:00

Kentucky State Treasurer Jonathan Miller is releasing a book this fall, and I can't wait to read it: THE COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY - TEN VALUES TO UNITE AMERICA. The forward is written by his friend and former boss Al Gore.

Jonathan is one of my favorite politicians in Kentucky, along with Mayor Jerry Abramson, State Auditor Crit Luallen, and State Senator Denise Harper Angel. He's bright, articulate, and foresighted enough to understand that a book like this not only deserves to be written, but might actually make a difference to a once fully-blue-political landscape. I'm ready to see the Bluegrass state turn BLUE for good.

Here's a quick listing of the 10 Values:

1. Opportunity
2. Responsibility
3. Work
4. Family
5. Freedom
6. Faith
7. Justice
8. Peace
9. Respect
10. Security

I wouldn't be surprised to eventually see him run for and become a Senator or Governor of Kentucky, and he'd have my support. He's the kind of politician to restore pride in being a Kentuckian again. Our current governor is an embarrassment, and our Senators spend more time voting in the interests of the large donors and their big businesses, not the people. Jonathan is the kind of person who'll do the right thing for regular, everyday people.

Kentucky has a deep bench of great people, and Jonathan leads the way. He's only a few years older than me and makes me feel like a slacker, but that's my fault, not his :-)

Look for more on this book in the fall.

In Case You Forgot, There's a Health Care Crisis

2006-07-19T11:08:00.001-04:00

You'd never know it from how things go in our Republican Congress or in our Republican White House, but there is still a health care crisis in America affecting millions of people every year.

It really bothers me that because of our health care funding system, tens of thousands of people face a conundrum every day. People without health care fail to seek preventive care, treatment for undiagnosed illnesses, or get emergency care where they worry about getting healthy while they see their bank account get deathly ill.

Something must change in our system, and it is the number one problem in America. Here are a few new things I've found about this subject that I wanted to bring to your attention:

Andy Stern, the leader of the SEIU, issued a challenge to Fortune 500 CEO's to join him in calling on our government to find a solution.

The Center for American Progress released this survey about personal debt, especially regarding the fears over rapidly rising health care costs.

Michael Moore issued a call for health care horror stories back in February, and received over 20,000 letters back. His next movie is about the health care funding crisis. Maybe that will help bring about a solution.

If we take back Congress - and I am optimistic - Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky will play a major role in solving this problem. She's a high ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, which works on health care coverage, and she's a great person to do just that. I found this older post on the web about her views. I just wish our Congress made it as high of a priority as Congresswoman Schakowsky has, perhaps we could have saved regular folks a lot of suffering by now.

CHALLENGE TO BLOG READERS
Okay, I have my own health care funding crisis story to tell, but as yet, I've failed to tell it on my blog. I've been open about it with my friends and progressive political coworkers, but I've yet to really tell my story. I thought about responding to Michael Moore's calls for stories, but I did not. I did tell a portion of my story in a letter to the corporate leaders of Whole Foods Market, where I also work, calling on them to join Andy Stern's effort to bring about a better health care system in America. I feel that despite the fact that Whole Foods Market is not unionized (something I don't support), the overwhelming amount of effort at Whole Foods is spent trying to be more socially responsible and good. I appreciate Whole Foods for the hard work they do to promote environmental sustainability, giving back to the local communities through donations and collaborations, and do provide us with health care. It isn't the best health care I've had, but it is sure better than nothing. Quite a bit better than nothing. Anyway, I am rambling and not getting to my challenge...

Here's the challenge: Do you think I should "out" myself and my own health care story? I certainly don't mind, as it's not embarrassing, really, and might actually help someone. I challenge my friends who know my story to tell me what you think - is this an appropriate forum for me to tell what happened? Once it's on the web, it is as public as it gets. I'd love your honest feedback.

To tell or not to tell....

Hi-Sen: Stopping the Next Lieberman Before He Enters the Senate

2006-07-16T23:25:00.000-04:00

Hawaii isn’t exactly a conservative state. Sure, HI has a Republican Governor, but so does Massachusetts. Liberals comfortably serve the state well with little fear of sloganeering like those facing the “L” word in southern states used to get.

So how is it that proud conservative Congressman Ed Case has any traction at all? Why does he think he has a shot to challenge a fellow Democrat in this year’s primary for Senate?

Every new thing I learn about Ed Case proves to me that he is the classic American DINO - a Democrat in Name Only. He’s essentially created the reverse of the Lamont/Lieberman primary in CT by challenging Senator Akaka. Here’s the Case against Ed Case:

Ed Case endorsed Joe Lieberman for President in the Hawaii primary of 2004. Lieberman dropped out before the Hawaii primary even took place, so then Case did switch his endorsement to Kerry. Members of Congress, should they choose to, automatically get a vote at the Convention towards their party’s nomination for President. It’s not uncalled for that a member will endorse one candidate for president over the other, despite the fact that they are not a super-early primary state. But campaigning for Joe Lieberman in Hawaii? Doesn’t jive to me.

Ed Case is a proud DLC’er, just like Joe Lieberman. Despite the DLC distancing themselves from him in this Chris Bowers post, Case is a member of the New Democrat Caucus on the Hill, the official caucus for DLC-supporting Democrats in Congress.

Ed Case is trying to appeal to Republicans in his primary for Senate, just as Joe Lieberman did in New Hampshire in his primary for President. Ed Case called Senator Dan Akaka an extremist for simply being a liberal, despite the fact that he is a voice of reason and represents the voters of Hawaii well. He is trying to appeal to Republican voters, who can choose whichever ballot they want on Primary day. He is hoping many republicans will pick up a Democratic ballot and vote for him. The active primary to replace him in the House might complicate that, as might the fact that there is a more viable Republican candidate for Senate now in Jerry Coffee. However, Ed Case cannot win a primary if only Democrats vote in it. He can only win if Republicans pull that D ballot and vote for his DINO self. Joe Lieberman was hoping for the same trend on Election Day in New Hampshire, where the independent-minded voters could choose either the D or the R ballot for the Presidential Primary. Did not work out so well for him, though.

Ed Case has significantly differing views on Iraq, rubberstamping Bush’s war in Iraq every chance he has had, just like Joe Lieberman. and

Ed Case, like Joe Lieberman, has quite conservative National Journal ratings for a Democrat representing a more liberal state. (See here and here.)

Contrast all I say about Ed Case with this, the text of Senator Akaka’s new TV Advertisement, which you can watch on his website:

This is no time for the faint-hearted, no time for the inexperienced, because this Republican White House has thrown down the gauntlet. It is highly appropriate that we remind Hawaii's voters what this war has cost our families. It is highly appropriate to ask, even in hindsight, whether this war was just and warranted. It is highly appropriate to demand of this administration a strategy and timetable for peace and how we intend to ensure a stable and Democratic government in Iraq. That’s why I need your support. That's why I need your vote.

I believe the progressive blog world would be doing a great thing if they took a strong stand for Akaka, and stand strong against this challenge from a DINO like Ed Case. We cannot let him beat a good incumbent like Akaka, especially if Lamont wins. If Lamont wins, yet Case does as well, then they will cancel each other’s votes out just as Lieberman and Akaka have, meaning no net gains for progressives. I think it helps the karma for taking on an incumbent (even a bad one) by supporting a good one who has his own primary challenge. The law of universal averages.

You can support Dan Akaka here, and here.

Akaka Ahead in Fundraising, Iraq the Central Issue in Race

2006-07-16T00:19:00.000-04:00

Make sure you read this article in the Honolulu Advertiser about the fundraising numbers for the Akaka/Case Democratic Primary in Hawai'i. In it are the differentiations between Senator Dan Akaka and Congressman Ed Case on the Iraq war:

The theme of Akaka's early advertising has been the war in Iraq, which shows the senator believes Democratic primary voters, who tend to be more liberal, will respond to his anti-war record. Akaka opposed giving President Bush the authority to invade Iraq, was openly critical of post-war planning, and has called for the withdrawal of U.S. troops by July 2007.

Case has said he likely would have voted for giving Bush the authority to invade, has raised concerns about being misled on whether Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, but does not believe in setting a withdrawal date until the country is stable.

Akaka's DAV Rating Much Higher Than Case's

2006-07-14T22:30:00.000-04:00

Project Vote Smart posted the Disabled American Veterans' ratings based on votes by our members of the House and Senate. Senator Akaka, the ranking Democratic member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, has voted time and again to support our veterans, and it shows in his numbers. His DAV rating is the highest any Senator got this Congress with a 92%. That means that he supported the DAV point of view on key votes in the Senate supporting disabled vets.

If Democrats take it back, Akaka will lead the charge in the Senate for our veterans, many of whom are suffering right now from injuries from a prolonged war in Iraq. Too many of them are being left behind, thanks to Bush, without the sort of support and care that they've more than earned by risking their lives in the name of our country - an honorable cause no matter the President's policies.

And, I'll take this opportunity again to mention the fact that Akaka was one of the 13 smart Senators to back the Kerry/Feingold Amendment calling for a reasonable withdrawl of troops from Iraq.

Unfortunately, Congressman Ed Case, Akaka's opponent in the Democratic Primary, has a much lower rating from the DAV with only a 60%. He did rubberstamp Bush's war in Iraq. This rating shows that he seems to be following Bush's lead in leaving behind too many of our veterans too, especially those that need us the most: the disabled veterans.

Yet another reason to back Akaka.

MYDD Gets It Right Again!

2006-07-11T22:58:00.000-04:00

This time, the post is about an exchange from mydd's Chris Bowers and Ed Kilgore of the DLC regarding Ed Case. It's interesting that Kilgore tries to distance himself from Case, while Case is actually a member of the DLC's caucus on the Hill. Just another reason to back Akaka, if you ask me. The DLC is so helpful to the Democratic Party (NOT.)

I post multiple comments to this, and some Ed Case supporter is posting the argument that Case is more like Lamont than Akaka. How wrong is that? I would say the similarities lie only in the fact that both are challenging Democratic Senate incumbents this year. Quite simply, the Akaka/Case race is a reverse Lieberman/Lamont situation, especially considering the candidates views on Bush's Iraq war.

Just another reason to back Akaka.

Akaka-Case National Journal Ratings Show Strong Differences

2006-07-10T23:10:00.000-04:00

Check this out, from a posting to this blog, comparing the National Journal Ratings (a liberal to conservative vote comparison) of Senator Dan Akaka with his primary challenger Congressman Ed Case:

Case:
2004 LIB -- 2004 CONS
Economic 61% -- 38%
Social 64% -- 35%
Foreign 58% -- 42%

Akaka:
2004 LIB -- 2004 CONS
Economic 90% -- 7%
Social 82% -- 0%
Foreign 99% -- 0%

Yet another reason to back Akaka.

By the way, many people are saying the reason that the Lieberman/Lamont race garners so much attention is because of the Iraq war. They should start paying larger attention to the Hawai'i primary. The contrasts between Akaka and Case are just as strong. Case rubberstamped Bush's war in votes during June, and Akaka was one of the 13 good Senators who voted for the Kerry/Feingold amendment calling for a withdrawal of troops.

Mydd About Senate Primaries

2006-07-08T14:01:00.000-04:00

Chris Bowers of mydd.com makes some great points about Senate primaries this year that are worthy of a gander. He says it's fascinating how much ink is given to the Lieberman/Lamont Senate Primary in Connecticut compared to two other races - the RI and HI primaries. He says editorial boards are critical of progressives who are shepherding Lamont forward in a great primary run.

If they, or any other organ of the political and media establishment think that primary challenges against incumbent Senators are wrong, then why aren't they editorializing about Hawaii and Rhode Island? All of the complaints that have been leveled against progressives for trying to unseat Lieberman can easily be turned against the DLC for trying to unseat Akaka, or against the conservative movement for trying unseat Chafee.

I'd say the same to the blog world. Overwhelming numbers of bloggers have donated to Lamont via websites like the ActBlue site, and pushed the race forward via thousands of posts. I hope even just a portion of them will also take Senator Akaka on, and support him. Otherwise, all this help for Lamont might mean he gets elected, while Ed Case is sent in from Hawai'i and cancels all his votes. What would be the point of that? I hope they share the love.

UPDATE - 7/9/06
Make sure you check out other follow-up posts to Chris Bowers' post on the media coverage of Lamont/Lieberman compared to Akaka/Case, like this from Lizzy, this from Matt Browner-Hamlin, and this from Digby.

And, for fun, check out Craig Crawford's Sunday Concert.

Akaka Ahead in Polls... as long as R's take R ballots!

2006-07-05T00:52:00.000-04:00

With all the attention given to Lieberman's announcement to potentially run as an independent, don't forget the other big Democratic Senate primary this year in Hawai'i. Ed Case rubberstamped Bush's war in Iraq, so support Dan Akaka today.

The Honolulu Advertiser released a poll over the weekend showing Akaka has the lead in the Primary, but one major factor which isn't considered in this poll is the fact that Republicans can pull the ballots of the Democrats on primary day. Commentary on the Hawai'i-based blog Poinography shows such voter choices could easily help Ed Case, as Republicans (surprise) are much more likely to back Case than Akaka.

Donate to a good guy who's getting a primary challenge from a D-in-name-only.

2006-07-01T15:57:00.000-04:00

Support Senator Dan Akaka today in his Primary.

See my posts below.

Thank you!

Akaka, 10 Other Senators, Support Kerry/Feingold's Amendment

2006-06-26T22:52:00.000-04:00

So, we know Friday that 13 Senators voted for a firm timetable of withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. Many of us also saw a wonderful performance by Senator Russ Feingold on Meet The Press, where he pointed out the fact that these 13 Senators stand strong with the majority of the U.S. public, who also support a firm timetable of withdrawl. Certainly it seems that the leaders of Iraq want us to go, too. Now we know our own military leaders were proposing pretty much the same thing to the Bush administration but were ignored. How frustrating is all this? How much more do we need to know? Where was the rest of the Senate?

Personally, I'm turning my energies towards expressing gratitude to those 13 Senators who are doing the right thing with their vote last Friday. I've specifically choosen to send a small donation to Senator Dan Akaka, as he is facing a reverse Leiberman/Lamont situation with a DLC/D-in-name-only/pro-Bush/pro-war Ed Case in a primary this September.

I've been saying all along that if as much ink were spent protecting a good incumbent like Akaka, we'd be doing a very good thing.

SUPPORT AKAKA TODAY!

Mydd Diary: The Faces of Those Two Soldiers Haunt Me

2006-06-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

I just posted this on Mydd.com diary section, where I'm known as (surprise) schultzy. I just noticed a few typos - I need to stop posting my first drafts of things, don't I? Anyway.
I thought you guys would like to read it - the original post on mydd.com also has a poll that I started, and I urge you to go there and vote on my question, too:
The Faces of Those Two Soldiers Haunt Me...
by schultzy, Fri Jun 23, 2006 at 11:35:21 AM EST

My friend brought me a copy of the Express, a free publication from the Washington Post, when I was sick this week. This publication usually gets a quick flip-through, then a swift toss into the recycle bin. This one is different - the one from June 21. It has the pictures of Thomas Tucker and Kristian Menchaca on the front. Their bodies were found on Tuesday. They were brutally executed - "barbaric killing" the paper says. But they are so young and handsome and innocent in these pictures, and it rips my heart out. I have kept these pictures face up on the table, and every time I pass it, I stare at them and am deeply sad.

I go through this with every new milestone the media announces - or every time NPR airs a profile on a dead soldier or any time I see one of those "soldiers who died today" lists on the news - I I am gripped in grief for a stranger. They are there fighting for us, so I do take it personally, even though I don't know these men and women. But I don't want them there for Bush's lie, and I get just as angry as I did the morning I woke up and saw Bush was elected President in 2004.

The public wants the war to end, but only 13 Senators voted for a firm timetable to withdraw our troops. Of the 13 includes my new cause: raising awareness that Senator Akaka is facing a primary challenge from a pro-war D-in-name-only. I am going to find a way to express my gratitude to him - probably send a small donation.

When is this war going to end? Unfortunately, not soon enough for these two beautiful young men who died. Why hasn't Bush been held accountable for the lies he told to get us in this bogus war, causing these two beautiful men, and over 2500 other soldiers, to die? I know I have to recycle this paper at some point, but I can't let them go.

Only 13 Senators voted to do the right thing yesterday, and the timetable seemed too long to me, in a sense. And yet only 13 did the right thing. Yep, the anger's back. I'm going to do the only thing I know to do - keep blogging, donate to a candidate or two (Akaka gets a small check of thanks from me today), and start to figure out a way to get back on the campaign trail. That's the only way I know to channel all this anger.

{UPDATE JUNE 25, 2006}
Gratitude to the following 13 Senators who stood up and voted the will of the American people:

Akaka (D-HI)
Boxer (D-CA)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Wyden (D-OR)

Senate Votes on Two Iraq War Resolutions, Akaka Does it the Right Way!

2006-06-22T23:49:00.000-04:00

There were two resolutions voted on today in the U.S. Senate. Both were calling for a withdrawl of troops from Iraq, and both times Senator Akaka did the right thing by supporting the troops and calling for a reasonable timetable for withdrawl.

His opponent in the primary in Hawaii, Ed Case, voted last week in Congress to rubberstamp Bush's failed Iraq war strategy.

Support Akaka!

Iraq War: Case Votes to Support Bush’s Failed Course in Iraq, While Akaka Fighting for a New Direction

2006-06-21T21:40:00.000-04:00

I'm still following the Hawaii Senate primary, and I stumbled on another excellent reason to put the Akaka race at the top of your "MUST SUPPORT" list. Last Friday, Congressman Ed Case, who is challenging Senator Akaka in a primary this September, voted to support President Bush’s failed course in Iraq. Yet again we see Ed Case and his friends in the Republican Party rubberstamping the Bush Administration’s poor planning and mismanagement of the Iraq War.

Senator Akaka strongly support our troops, and believes, as I do, that we have the finest armed forces in the world and they are doing a great job.

Bush Republicans and their friend Ed Case (a.k.a. D-in-name-only) have failed to conduct oversight to make sure that our troops are properly equipped and have failed to demand accountability so that taxpayers’ dollars are not wasted on no-bid contracts for Halliburton.The Iraq War is straining our military and undermining the war on terrorism.Case, like Bush, wants to stay the course in Iraq, with an open-ended commitment and no end in sight.

Akaka wants to move us in a new direction – ensuring that 2006 is a year of significant transition with Iraqis assuming responsibility for their country and with the responsible redeployment of U.S. forces.

The best reasons to support Akaka over Case:

Ed Case rubberstamped the President’s mismanagement of Iraq – no oversight.

The Bush Administration poorly planned the war -- rejecting the calls of military leaders for more troops, failing to provide adequate equipment for our troops, and wasting billions of taxpayers’ dollars on no-bid contracts for Bush cronies, such as Halliburton.
A former commander of US Central Command, General Anthony Zinni said that “ten years worth of planning were thrown away; troop levels dismissed out of hand…these were not tactical mistakes, these were strategic mistakes, mistakes of policy made back here.” Our troops have suffered and no one has been held accountable.
Soldiers and their families have been forced to purchase body armor – to ensure they have necessary protection when in Iraq. It took more than 18 months after the invasion of Iraq for all American soldiers to receive the body armor.
All of the problems we see in Iraq today – the daily deadly attacks by insurgents, the rise of ethnic militias, the shortage of gas and electricity, the weakness of the economy – can be tied to the complete lack of planning by this Administration.
Congress has a responsibility to ask questions and do oversight. On every significant issue related to Iraq -- Abu Ghraib, too few troops; soldiers having to literally put together scrap metal for ... their humvees; parents doing bake sales for Kevlar vests -- Congress has failed to ask the questions.

Republicans in Congress and their friend Ed Case rubberstamped Iraq reconstruction waste, fraud and abuse – no accountability.

The United States has allocated $50 billion to private contractors for reconstruction and rebuilding efforts in Iraq – with $17 billion squandered on no-bid contracts for Halliburton.
No bid contracts and overcharges have cost U.S. taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars, projects remain incomplete, and billions of dollars in Iraqi oil revenue have simply disappeared.
Nearly $9 billion of Iraqi and U.S. funds for reconstruction was mismanaged by the U.S. led Coalition Provisional Authority and are unaccounted for. [Report of the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction, January 2006]
Republicans and their friend Case in Congress have refused to demand accountability regarding the money going to Iraq – repeatedly rejecting the creation of a special investigating committee to ensure that taxpayer funds are being spent properly.

The Iraq War is straining our military.

The Bush Administration’s poor planning for the Iraq War has strained our troops, with many units on their second or even third tour in Iraq or Afghanistan. Some troops are on their fourth deployments since 2001Army and Marine Corps units have more than 40 percent of their equipment deployed in support of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the cost of repair and replacing Army equipment alone will be $36 billion.
Retention rates and recruiting are being affected and some recruiting standards are being loosened.

This prolonged engagement in Iraq has undermined the war on terrorism.

Because resources and attention have been diverted to Iraq, the job is not finished in Afghanistan.
The Taliban is resurgent, Osama bin Laden is still on the loose, and the Afghan government does not control the countryside.

Bush Republicans and their friend Ed Case want to stay the course -- leaving us with an open-ended commitment – with no end in sight.

The Bush Administration has refused to offer any plan for Iraq that will bring our men and women home, and has failed to even provide the American people with the mileposts and benchmarks that would define success and allow us to begin bringing home our troops.
This spring, the President Bush conceded that troops would remain in Iraq after 2008, and the Administration has recently added 2 more brigades in Iraq.
Ed Case supports the Bush Administration in this failed policy 100%.

Baka Akaka

2006-06-14T11:19:00.000-04:00

In the blogosphere, you hear tons about Lieberman v. Lamont, but I want to bring another U.S. Senate primary to your attention. Senator Dan Akaka in Hawaii is up for reelection, and Congressman Ed Case is challenging him in the primary this fall.

Case has not been in congress long, but for the time he has been there, he has shown himself to be a Democrat-in-name-only. Case has said he supports Bush in Iraq, voted to fund it just as Bush wanted, supports the Patriot act, and even took up for Rummy and Cheney’s remarks about Guantanamo.

Basically, you can boil the race into one contrast:

Akaka = pro U.S. troop withdrawl & anti Bush’s failed Iraq war

Case=supports Bush and his war

With Akaka, you have the assurance of a senator who has carried water for Democrats and stood the test of time. However, reading the main blogs, you won’t hear much yet from progressives about Akaka, but you will hear conservatives backing Case. Well, I feel it is a much better use of our energies to fight off the DLC/in-name-only-democrat Ed Case, and protect a good incumbent who does represent progressive values.

If you’ve found yourself watching the Lieberman race because of the war, well, this is your race. Protect a good incumbent, and help it get more attention. Back Akaka.

An Inconvenient Truth

2006-04-12T13:10:00.000-04:00

Sorry I am a blogger-slacker lately. I am focusing on other things temporarily, but I want to do more in the future... so fret thee not!

Here is something not to be missed... the trailer for AL GORE'S documentary AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. Then learn your carbon footprint, which numerates your part of the global warming crisis and gives tips on how to reduce your part of it. Because I don't have a car, and my place is tiny, my carbon footprint is less than 3000 pounds per year, far less than the national average. Yeah! Now if my pug Frankie would stop leaving the lights on... ahem...

Anyway... I am looking forward to seeing this movie, and it makes me very proud that I worked for him. I hope it makes the difference it needs to. Stop global warming, y'all!

Minimum Wage is Only $5.15?

2006-03-22T10:47:00.000-05:00

Please become a citizen cosponsor of Senator Edward Kennedy's RAISE THE MINIMUM WAGE campaign in the U.S. Senate.

Follow Feingold. Call for a Bush Censure Today.

2006-03-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Senator Russ Feingold called for an official censure of President George W. Bush for his illegal wiretapping, and you can join him as a co-sponsor by signing up HERE.

Here is an excerpt of Senator Feingold's email from yesterday:

This week, I will introduce a resolution in the Senate to censure the President. The reasons for censure are clear: the President authorized a program that illegally wiretaps American citizens, on American soil, without a court order; he also actively mislead the public and Congress on the existence and legality of the program.
Congress can no longer stand by and allow such disregard of the Constitution, the rule of law, and two branches of government to continue. Censure is an appropriate first step in demanding accountability from a President who disregards the rights and freedoms on which our country was founded.

Every American wants to fight terrorism and fight those who wish to do our country harm. We all stand together in that fight. Every American wants the government to be able to wiretap terrorists, and we can under current law! However, this President, or any President for that matter, cannot decide which laws they will obey or cherry-pick which articles of the Constitution they will uphold - and this President continues to do just that. He must be held accountable.

Happy Belated International Women's Day

2006-03-07T15:13:00.000-05:00

I am learning what this day is about, as I don't know if I've ever heard of this commemoration before. Now that I am getting more involved in the Women's Information Network in DC, I am learning many things I'd missed out on before in Kentucky, etc. I meant to post this research yesterday: Read THIS great backgrounder on the history of Women's History Month, which also links to THIS about International Women's Day. And find events HERE which commemorate this day.

But in my opinon, it's not truly belated, as EVERYDAY is a woman's day.

Three 6 Mafia Wins Oscar

2006-03-06T11:43:00.000-05:00

They were the Governor Jesse Ventura of this year's Oscars.

I love rap, and I love it that they won on many levels. How else we gonna get rap on NPR?

But I am sad that Dolly Parton lost. I love Dolly. Three things I need more of in my CD/MP3 Collection (and I do have lots of rap in there): yodeling, polka and Dolly Parton. I am comin' out the closet about all three.

Congrats to George Clooney, who gave the classiest acceptance speech. Up yours, Bill O'Reilly.

But CRASH wins best picture? Give me a break. My five fans know that I would not have put it in my top five in 2005. Top 10, yes, but not top five. I think Brokeback Mountain was robbed. I wish Jake G coulda won too. And more for Brokeback. I am sad.

So I hope the win for Crash does what the voters wanted: open up a big dialogue on race issues. I share the underlying sentiments that all too often our frustrations and steriotypes are only spoken behind closed doors, not out in the open. I've thought about trying to write about my own thoughts on race relations, but I do fear that what I would say might be taken out of context. I understand the overarching fears behind our lack of a dialogue. There are so many strong feelings and so many chances for misunderstandings all steming from a basic misunderstanding of a differing perspective. But I think Oprah did the best job on this when she hosted the CRASH cast last summer, and I know she was pulling for a Crash win. So I do hope that the millions more people who will now see it will reconsider their deepest negative steriotypes and grow in a bigger, more inclusive perspective. But I was hoping the same for gay marriage. I wish we could expand perspectives on both issues.

But I stand by my previous statements - Crash is too over the top and in your face in ways that are too implausible to make it the best picture. I know, me picking subtle over in your face? But Brokeback was robbed.

Center for American Progress: NO QUESTIONS ASKED

2006-03-02T15:36:00.000-05:00

Here is a complete reprint of the Center for American Progress talking points on the new revelation that the President was in fact fully briefed about potential Hurricane Katrina related levee breaks before the hurricane hit.

No Questions Asked
March 2, 2006
Yesterday the embattled residents of the Gulf Region received yet another slap in the face as the Associated Press released a leaked video of high-level government meetings before Hurricane Katrina. The tape reveals that the President was fully aware of potential catastrophe when the Hurricane reached the Gulf Coast region. On the tape, government officials insistently warned the President and others of ensuing havoc, and even the maligned former FEMA director Mike Brown had the foresight to predict the coming atrocities if the Superdome were used as a refuge. Nevertheless, despite incontrovertible evidence, the White House stands by its 228 page report entitled, “Lessons Learned”, where the Administration admits few mistakes but concedes no failure.

The video confirms that the White House was well-informed, but failed to act. The video reveals an administration that was given all of the facts prior to the Hurricane’s landfall, yet their incompetence proved the biggest obstacle in protecting the residents of the Gulf Coast Region. Even after the Hurricane Bush insisted, “I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” This we now know is patently false.

Even in the face of indisputable evidence, the White House denies that it knew of the serious nature of the storm. They failed to take appropriate action and continue to blame others. It does not matter whether the Administration is talking about Iraq, Social Security, Health Care or Katrina – it is never wrong.

The White House has not budgeted enough money for emergency preparedness, and their solution to the failures of Katrina is inadequate. President Bush’s budget cut "funds for state and local programs by nearly 10 percent. Despite a promise to make the levees stronger in New Orleans, the Bush budget called for a 34 percent cut on the construction budget for the Army Corps of Engineers" and a 13 percent cut to flood prevention. The White House solution to Katrina problems is to create more levels of bureaucracy. They would create local offices of DHS which would replicate the regional FEMA offices that, when managed properly, worked fine.

Moyers Speaks Out About The Bad Influence of Money in Politics

2006-02-27T11:15:00.000-05:00

Check out this reprint of a Bill Moyers speech being delivered all over California this week. Moyers, LBJ's former Press Secretary and former PBS heavy, continues to speak out on so many important topics, and this speech is a great follow-up to what I was saying yesterday about my future Powerball winnings.

Randomizing™: LEONARD BERNSTEIN! (but he actually has nothing to do with the topics of today's post)

2006-02-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

Hey y'all. I am long overdue for a post, I know. I finally got internet at home, so I should be back on the wagon to post more regularly again. To my five fans (and you know who you are) I regret I've left you in the lurch. It's gotten to the point where I've wanted to blog about so many things that I've blogged about nothing. What a story of life in general - so many things to do, not enough time to do them all, right? My friend Pittman said I should do one of those REM "eye of a hurricane" style rants of subjects and just list them all, but I'd only do it if I could scream LEONARD BERNSTEIN! But I digress...

Here are some quick bits of musings on various things I've been thinking about:

5 Oscar(tm)-Nominated Best Films Worthy of a View

I am proud to say I've seen all five movies nominated for best picture, and this is the first year this has happened. Normally I'm scrambling to try to catch up before the awards ceremonies so I can make my best picks and see why they were nominated. I've had the luxury for the first time in over a decade not to be working during election season, and thus the luxury to follow my growing hobby to view the best movies. So I get to sit back next Sunday and watch the Oscars well prepared. Here's a reason each Best Film Nominee is compelling to me, in order of my favorites:

1) Good Night, and Good Luck
George Clooney rules. He channeled his political agenda, his craft, and his love for family all into this beautiful project. He grew up going to the news room with his father, Nick Clooney, a candidate for Congress in my neighboring Kentucky Congressional District in 2002. He grew up knowing the legend of journalist Edward R. Murrow, and combined the compelling story of his taking on Senator Joseph McCarthy for his witch-hunt hearings on Communism to a critique on the media today. It's a heady, elegant, thoughtful, and pointed movie worthy of your time.

2) Brokeback Mountain
This movie is the front runner for one major reason - it's the first time a compelling love story has been told of intertwining the lives of gay men and our all too large portions of repressed society. I love the author Annie Proulx's the Shipping News, and this story comes from one of her short stories. It's just a beautiful love story, regardless of the context. But it's the context that gives it it's heft. And Jake Gyllenhaal rules, with his worthy best supporting actor nomination. Go, Jake, Go!

3) Munich
depicting the craziness that happened after the '72 Olympics and the murder of Israeli athletes and the tit-for-tat violence that ensued between Israelis and Palestinians. It seems to show the futility of such quid-pro-quo violence in the Middle East and with US politics today. Eric Bana did a wonderful job, as did his posse of assassins. Terrific film. I hear there are controversies about this film, but I'll admit, I missed those articles and stories, so I can't speak of them. And some of Speilberg's symbolism at the end is over the top. But this movie isn't getting the acclaim it deserves, in my opinion. Hey, did you know Golda Maier grew up in Milwaukee? I find that odd. I learned that from Garrison Keillor on this past weekend's prairie Home Companion.

4) Capote
I love Philip Seymour Hoffman. He's one of our generation's best actors, and has not received the fame he's so richly deserved. This portrayal shows why he'd be deserving, and I am pulling for his win in the best actor category. This straight guy plays flamboyant and ever watchable Truman Capote in his greatest endeavor - the true story of his writing In Cold Blood, a book about the brutal murder of a family in Kansas in the 60's, the creation of the true crime book genre, and the resulting murder trial and execution of the murderers. And, by the way, I haven't written this in awhile - the death penalty is wrong.

5) Crash
With a mishmosh of stories from all kinds of races, misunderstandings, and plotlines with twists as swift as Lombardi Street, Crash comes on like it's title. Sometimes I felt it was over the top. Sometimes I felt moved. Sometimes I felt manipulated. Sometimes I felt exasperated. It's the intensity of the story coupled with outing lots of stereotypes in one big mixing bowl that makes this good vs. bad juxtaposition so fascinating. It does have at it's core the message that there is a bit of good in the bigot and a bit of the bad in the oppressed. I hope it gets you talking and thinking as much as I did, though I wish not so many of them had chosen to do so at the Village 8 Cinemas when Mom and I saw it.

-> Shoutout to The Constant Gardener, the movie I would have placed at #5 ahead of Crash. Have you rented it yet?

Betty Friedan, REST HER SOUL

I regret to admit I've never read the Feminist Mystique, Ms. Friedan's groundbreaking book releasing the bonds of the June Cleaver world that kept women barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen for her man and family. I felt detached from her thinking for one reason or another - not uncommon thinking for my post-feminist generation grappling with both being raised in the spirit of YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU WANT combined with many deep remnants of what women are "supposed to do" with their lives. I regret I haven't learned more of what she wrote, because here I sit a single woman of 35 years old with the ability to do whatever I want to do and so many more freedoms, thanks to her and the women who fought with her in the cause of feminist equality. Sure, there are still remaining social pressures for me to get married and have a family, but I still can either embrace them or ditch them at will with little social ostracism. But this obituary from the New York Times is worth the read to honor her life as we mourn her death.

Actually, the revolution that needs to occur is one for men, especially for fatherhood and the workplace. Why do two working parents not equally share the load of parenthood? The pressures on men in the workplace. I have more I could say about this, but I need to keep fleshing it out before I do.

Coretta Scott King

God Rest Her Soul Too. We are loosing too many of our change-agents, right on the heels of Rosa Parks' death, too. What an inspiring, wonderful woman.

Did you know that when Oprah Winfrey heard the house that Mrs. King lived in for 40 years kept getting broken into, she moved her to a fancy Atlanta high-rise where celebrities and moguls live.

So, any of you who heard that quote "there's a person in there, not a symbol" from President Bill Clinton, aren't you wishing he was our President again? Wow, he wowed me again. I missed that from him, and from Democrats in general. I can't wait til we control things (or something) again.

Someday I'll Win the Powerball

I think it's great that the big Powerball jackpot is being shared by meat packing plant workers - and UFCW members at that, I believe. Isn't that who we'll hope will win? I hated hearing that wealthy and powerful Senator Gregg won last year, because he didn't need 800K or whatever it was. But packers? Heck yeah.

I do dream about winning the Powerball. I buy a ticket every once in awhile, because for those few hours I get to dream. I dream about getting out of debt, taking care of my parents, traveling the world, and parlay my riches to political change.

If I ever do, I am going to become the new George Soros. I'll start a 527 and do all I can to elect one or two people who deserve it.

But it's just another note about the sad state of affairs that after all my years of sacrifice in the political system as a mid-level campaign operative that I feel it would take millions of dollars won in a lottery to actually affect change. Money still controls the system so much, and Democracy is in the hands of those with the biggest pocketbook. Not really much of a Democracy, if you ask me. I always said that if regular people fully understood the K Street system, and how many hours a day their average Member of Congress spent raising money rather than solving social problems, they'd want revolutionary change in the system. When the heck does that Ah Ha moment start?

well... this is a start to my return. How y'all doing?

Cheney: A Big Bowl of Bad

2006-02-23T16:49:00.000-05:00

This (click here) is the best thing I've seen in a long time, and it's funny but sad, because it's 100% true. Letterman rules.

I have a longer post in the editing room - soon! I promise! To you, my five fans... I'll be back.

Great Quote on Today's Meet the Press

2006-01-22T12:49:00.000-05:00

Paul Begala said the problem with the Democratic party isn't ideology -
that we are liberal - but that we come across as week. I agree.
Democrats who stand up for something - ANYTHING - will do well.

People want to know we stand up for them and have a backbone in
Washington.

MUST RENT DVD: The Constant gardener

2006-01-11T15:50:00.000-05:00

New on DVD is last summer's release THE CONSTANT GARDENER. I highly recommend you see it. It's a political thriller and love story in Africa based on a John LeCarre novel. Ralph Fiennes has never acted more lovely, and does a wonderful job in the title role as a British diplomat and husband to activist Rachel Weiss's character. It examines what bad things a drug company could do with government cooperation and viewing Africans as expendable human beings.

Rent it.

The bonus features are pretty good too, including a piece on adapting LeCarre's novel and on filming in Kenya.

Digression: ironically, tuberculosis is a sub-theme I just blogged about yesterday (see post below.)

Randomizing™: Poverty, Health Care and Theater. One of these things is not like the other…

2006-01-10T13:03:00.000-05:00

OKAY, y'all. Randomizing is back for a second round. Here’s to the hodgepodge of things catching my eyes today:

Reprise (or is it coda?):On Virginia Woodward & the KY State Senate: What about the basic art of “dancing with the one that brung you?” How about supporting a person because she did everyone’s work to get the seat back open through the court system? Seems plenty enough to me. If for no other reason, the people who didn’t support her should be ashamed due to this principle: it simply was the right thing to do, and I’ve heard no decent excuse to support their poor decision to leave the dance with somebody else.

Reprise #2 (again, or is it coda #2?): Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World: I’ll look it up in time for the next Randomizing™ Here is a new article about Albert Brooks’ new movie.

Don’t miss this article on out of control health care costs. Have you signed this pledge yet?

Don’t miss this op-ed in the NY Times by Nikolas Kristof on eliminating extreme poverty in Africa. Nevermind! I can't link it for you because it's on blasted Times Select. Am I the only one that hates Times Select? I miss regularly reading Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd, much less linking to them from this blog. Please, New York Times people, ditch it, so we poor on-line folk can be liberated by their thinking once again. Times Select, I ain't payin'. It's really too bad that I can't blog about this important op-ed, as it's really good - but Times Select says "NO!" But I digress...

Back to Africa. Have you signed the One Campaign pledge? Just 100 years ago, extreme poverty existed in the U.S.A., and preventable disease once plagued us too. 50 years ago, Africa and most of Southeast Asia were at the same place, development-wise. Now it’s time to help the poorest countries in Africa catch up and live up to their potential. I can’t sit idly by while so many are dying of the most extreme poverty and preventable disease like tuberculosis, when there are decent plans to end it in the next 10 years. Digression: I reconnected with Chantel McCormick, who’s organizing great things for the One Campaign in Lexington. If you are in Kentucky, look her up, help her out, and get involved. More Digression: did you know that if it weren’t for tuberculosis, I wouldn’t be alive? My grandparents met and fell in love while living in a t.b. sanatorium. My Grandmother lived there for four years, can you believe it? So to hear that t.b. exists after all these years and advances in science while being so treatable here, well that just doesn’t jive with my morals and values.

Bill Clinton Spontaneously Greeting? I loved this story and this story about Clinton accidentially greeting troops returning to the U.S. Just the way I think about him, able to hang with regular people, talking about life. He’s already done more off the record talking with soldiers than our current President. Go, Bill, Go! Can’t we election you again?

Another Greeting in the Works. President Bush is going to Kentucky tomorrow – my home town. Hope all my friends back home are going out with signs to say "bring home the troops." I am there in spirit, y’all.

Are you in DC, and wanna go see any of the following with me? I hope to go to them and blog about them: Fat Pig, a play about body image and dating; Eve Ensler’s Good Body, another play about body image & the ladies; Betty Rules, a fun musical about cool women who do great singing.

One Deploying to Afghanistan; Another Bypassed for Larouche Supporter In Kentucky

2006-01-09T11:11:00.000-05:00

This weekend I got two pieces of bad news about friends.

First, Staff Sgt Dana Christofferson is being deployed to Afghanistan in February. I am following lots of stories about our troops, but didn't realize we were still deploying them to Afghanistan. I told him I was happy it wasn't Iraq, and that Afghan food was tasty. I know it's still hard for him to leave, and thought that would make him laugh. Honestly, I pray for his safety. Feel free to post your well-wishes here, as he does read this blog. Yes, Dana and I dated this fall, and he is a good guy who enlisted to earn money to support his daughter and to recover from heavy student loan debt. Ironic that congress decided to cut student loan funding, isn't it? Sort of a back-door draft, ehu? Anyway, Dana would appreciate your well wishes.

Second, my dear friend Virginia Woodward, the woman who has been fighting for the 37th State Senate District seat in Kentucky for the past year, was by-passed in support of Perry Clark, a Lyndon LaRouche supporting wacko! Yes, it's true - party hacks in my home district of Louisville's South End chose a wacko over a decent woman. This fact isn't in his press clippings, but it's true. When I worked for Al Gore's campaign for President in Kentucky, Perry Clark filed to support LaRouche for President. I saw the signed affidavits myself. They absolutely chose the wrong person, and the decision represents everything I hate about politics. No wonder we lose elections in Kentucky.

Looking For Comedy in the Muslim World

2006-01-08T17:20:00.000-05:00

I just left a showing of this new movie - Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World - at a premier hosted by the Center for American Progress. Albert Brooks, the writer, director and lead actor in the film, did a lovely job of addressing a range of American assumptions about Muslims,
India, Pakistan, and diplomatic relations. But really, it's a funny movie. Senator Fred Thompson is in it. Go see it.

If you are in DC, and aren't going to events hosted by John Podesta's Center for American Progress, you ought to be. They have a range of events, and I've attended a handful of them. It's egalitarian, too. They open up their attendance to anyone who gets the emails, and it's usually first come, first serve. Senator John Kerry, Paul Begala and Grover Norquist were all there, a few rows behind me and a bunch of regular DC folks at the Regal Gallery Place 14 . It's a lovely roster of events that CAP hosts, and I urge you to join me in the future.

Go see Albert Brooks' film too.

Belated New Years

2006-01-06T16:19:00.000-05:00

So, here are famed friends (left to right) Oh Tannenbaum, Jeff Pittman,
and Erik Norby. Seems they only gather once a year, but boy do they
make the best of it.

Madeleine Albright Has Big Ovaries!

2006-01-06T10:33:00.000-05:00

Former U.S. Secretaries of State and defense gathered at the White House yesterday, a full three years after invading Iraq . Finally, the White House feigns interest in the opinions of others outside that cabal.

And who has the ovaries in the room? The only woman in the room, of course - Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State under President William J. Clinton. Oh wait... I forgot about Condi. Opps.... I should rephrase... who has the ovaries in the room to stand up to the President about his poor leadership? MKA!

Her best quote from the Washington Post: "I feel very strongly it is wrong to say something publicly critical of the president and then don't say it to his face," she said. "I said this was a war of choice, not necessity. But getting it right is a necessity and not a choice."

Best NY Times quote about her comments during the meeting: His predecessor, Madeleine K. Albright, a bit stirred up after hearing an exceedingly upbeat 40-minute briefing to 13 former secretaries of state and defense about how well things are going in Iraq, asked President Bush whether, with the war "taking up all the energy" of his foreign policy team, he had let the nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea spin out of control and allowed Latin America and China policy suffer by neglect.

So, total digression - why do we still say so-and-so "has balls" or "has big balls" when clearly that is a male-only reference? I think we should start gender-appropriate application of such comments - and apply the ovary comments to comparative analogies by gender. That's why I titled this as I did. SHE HAS BIG OVARIES! That means she's strong! If that shocks you - rethink the "big balls" comments before you use them again. Want more proof of cheesy sexism in our analogies of gender bias & adjectives for talent? Read the Gil Cates quote about testosterone & Jon Steward's hiring as Oscar Host. I am thrilled they picked Jon, and his quote in this article is charming... but, come on, Gil! Testosterone???

Like You, I've Been Thinking About Those West Virginia Miners All Day...

2006-01-04T16:56:00.000-05:00

....so I wanted to pass on some information I'd remember working with last year at the UFCW about Worker's Memorial Day. It's astounding how many people die doing their jobs. I doubt this counts the members of the U.S. military, but I think of them a lot too. I'll be praying for all of them today. But, here you go, an interesting excerpt about a good tradition created at the AFL-CIO:

Decades of struggle by workers and their unions have resulted in
significant improvements in working conditions. But the toll of workplace
injuries, illnesses and deaths remains enormous. Each year more than 56,000
workers die from job injuries and illnesses and another 6 million are injured. The unions of the AFL-CIO remember these workers on April 28, Workers Memorial Day.

Randomizing

2005-12-29T10:48:00.000-05:00

There are tons of things that I think about passing along. Now I’ll start doing a random amount of randomizing here on the blog to list a few of the interesting and – well – random bits to share with my 5 loyal readers!

New Hampshire & Iowa
Anybody even slightly interested in politics must read this article about the Presidential selection process. The bigger sociological delimma isn't diversity, but the fact that the candidate who runs the best primary may not run the best general election strategy. Having worked in both states, it would be bad for this tradition to go away, but not simply to maintain a tradition. The good people of both states have examination of candidates down to a science. Both states bring a qualitatively different process assessing candidates that helps define the primary process for the better. While diversity should be considered, the bigger sociological complaints shouldn't be IA & NH, as they successfully choose the candidate who runs the best primary. Gore and Kerry ran tremendous primaries. Clinton pulled out a great second place in NH, and was deemed the winner because of a superior primary campaign strategy. Iowa and New Hampshire aren't the problem, they choose the best primary strategist. The solution: Democrats should keep IA & NH as is and do better general election strategery. Rather than hold this national DNC commission to review the primary process, do one to review the general election process. Fix what is broken.

Movies
Five movies I highly recommend are Munich, Brokeback Mountain, Syriana, Good Night, and Good Luck, and Capote. I could write full blog postings on each, but gosh, if only I were paid full time to be a blogger, I would. But I digress. Oh, heck, more digressions… can I just tell you guys? I am so frustrated with movie-going, in general. There is a lot of pressure now to catch movies on their opening weekend to help support the indies, with the ways corporate cinema gauge a movie's success and failure by quickly ousting the low performing films. Or, feeling pressure to catch a film before you get tainted by too much information about it. This creates a delimma for me, as one of my biggest pet peeves in life is to be in a movie theater with people who talk during a film. People talking ruined Crash for me (another film I recommend, now out on DVD), and caused me to miss the last minute of Syriana, and created anxiety during Brokeback Mountain, too. If Entertainment Weekly wants to know why regular cinema-goers are not going to the cinema, I think the number two reason is because of poor cinema etiquette (reason #1 is $/inflation). I know! Me, you say? Give an etiquette lesson? But seriously, the last thing I want to hear when I’ve paid my hard-earned $10 to see Brokeback Mountain is some prissy person behind me gasp in awe when two guys kiss. I don’t care that she’s shocked. I just want to watch my movie. Note to you who talk during a film: the people in front of you can hear every word you say, even when you whisper. Your voice carries forward, you goobers.

Vitamin D
This Washington Post article (see the bottom) made me want to start taking Vitamin D beyond my daily multiple. If the research cited is true, using Vitamin D for cancer prevention will be the new aspirin for heart disease prevention. I love following health news, was a vegetarian for 13 years, am dedicated to improving my health, and have worked at health food stores twice. I don’t focus enough of my blogging attention to it, but after considering this article, I vow to do more.

Anna Nicole Smith
I love it that CNN had this piece about her court case and I love it that the White House, for all their troubles (war, indictments, bad economy, and tanking polls) has time to support her case. I don’t know why, but I love her. Not at all the same way have I loved George Clooney, who I look up to, but as a guilty pleasure. She really IS so outrageous. And I love it that I was at Live 8 to see her crazy appearance crashing the stage that pretty much went under the radar, until this. I think she’s a hoot. I just wish her a visit to rehab and deep happiness, and hope she gets some of Hughes’ money – that’s what he wanted, it seems. Go Anna! Even the President supports you – and doesn’t that just seem fitting?

Wishes & Gratitude
Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, & Happy New Year. I am a sentimental person, and use this time of the year to look back on all that has passed, doing an assessment of how the year went and how I can do better next year. For all the crud that happened in 2005, I am happy. I am deeply blessed with great friends and family who make me laugh hard and feel love, worked with a wonderful group of warm-hearted Democrats who’ve inspired me to work harder, and have the best doggie in the whole world. A toast to 2006! May it get even better for us all – and may we have lots of victories in November, world peace, single-payer health care, and a better economy for all. And, what the heck, an Oscar for George Clooney too.

Paul Krugman: Tax Cut Zombies

2005-12-23T10:14:00.000-05:00

The Tax-Cut Zombies
By Paul Krugman
New York Times
December 23, 2005

If you want someone to play Scrooge just before Christmas, Dick Cheney is your man. On Wednesday Mr. Cheney, acting as president of the Senate, cast the tie-breaking vote in favor of legislation that increases the fees charged to Medicaid recipients, lets states cut Medicaid benefits, reduces enforcement funds for child support, and more.

For all its cruelty, however, the legislation will make only a tiny dent in the budget deficit: the cuts total about $8 billion a year, or one-third of 1 percent of total federal spending.
So ended 2005, the year that killed any remaining rationale for continuing tax cuts. But the hunger for tax cuts refuses to die.

Since the 1970's, conservatives have used two theories to justify cutting taxes. One theory, supply-side economics, has always been hokum for the yokels. Conservative insiders adopted the supply-siders as mascots because they were useful to the cause, but never took them seriously.

The insiders' theory - what we might call the true tax-cut theory - was memorably described by David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's budget director, as "starving the beast." Proponents of this theory argue that conservatives should seek tax cuts not because they won't create budget deficits, but because they will. Starve-the-beasters believe that budget deficits will lead to spending cuts that will eventually achieve their true aim: shrinking the government's role back to what it was under Calvin Coolidge.

True to form, the insiders aren't buying the supply-siders' claim that a partial recovery in federal tax receipts from their plunge between 2000 and 2003 shows that all's well on the fiscal front. (Revenue remains lower, and the federal budget deeper in deficit, than anyone expected a few years ago.) Instead, conservative heavyweights are using the budget deficit to call for cuts in key government programs.

For example, in 2001 Alan Greenspan urged Congress to cut taxes to avoid running an excessively large budget surplus. Now he issues dire warnings about "fiscal instability." But rather than urging Congress to reverse the tax cuts he helped sell, he talks of the need to cut future Social Security and Medicare benefits.

Yet at this point starve-the-beast theory looks as silly as supply-side economics. Although a disciplined conservative movement has controlled Congress and the White House for five years - and presided over record deficits - public opposition has prevented any significant cuts in the big social-insurance programs that dominate domestic spending.

In fact, two years ago the Bush administration actually pushed through a major expansion in Medicare. True, the prescription drug bill clearly wasn't written by liberals. To a significant extent it's a giveaway to drug companies rather than a benefit for retirees. But all that corporate welfare makes the program more expensive, not less.

Conservative intellectuals had high hopes that this year President Bush would make up for this betrayal of their doctrine by dealing a death blow to Social Security as we know it. Indeed, he tried. His proposed "reform" would, over time, have essentially phased out the program. And he seemed to have everything going for him: momentum from an election victory, control of Congress and a highly sympathetic punditocracy. Yet the drive for privatization quickly degenerated from a juggernaut into a farce.

Medicaid, whose recipients are less likely to vote than the average person getting Social Security or Medicare, is the softest target among major federal social-insurance programs. But even members of Congress, it seems, have consciences. (Well, some of them.) It took intense arm-twisting from the Republican leadership, and that tie-breaking vote by Mr. Cheney, to ram through even modest cuts in aid to the neediest.

In other words, the starve-the-beast theory - like missile defense - has been tested under the most favorable possible circumstances, and failed. So there is no longer any coherent justification for further tax cuts.

Yet the cuts go on. In fact, even as Congressional leaders struggled to pass a tiny package of mean-spirited spending cuts, they pushed forward with a much larger package of tax cuts. The benefits of those cuts, as always, will go disproportionately to the wealthy.

Here's how I see it: Republicans have turned into tax-cut zombies. They can't remember why they originally wanted to cut taxes, they can't explain how they plan to make up for the lost revenue, and they don't care. Instead, they just keep shambling forward, always hungry for more.

special thanks to Dr. Bill Siroty of New Hampshire for his wonderful daily newslinks, enabling me to bypass the cheesey "Times Select" and get back to Krugman reading!

Almost One Out Of Four Senate Chiefs of Staff is Female

2005-12-21T15:15:00.000-05:00

With a Congressional directory sitting on my desk, I started flipping through the pages. Looking at the names of the U. S. Senate Chiefs of Staff (CoS), I simply counted how many are women. My directory perusal yielded 23 out of 100.

Of the 14 female U.S. Senators, 6 have a female CoS. Of the 5 Republican female Senators, only 1 has a female CoS, and of 9 Democratic female Senators, 5 have a female CoS.

Though the 2006 elections are a year away, many already prepare for the 2008 Presidential Elections by throwing names like Clinton and Rice around. The White House Project and the TV show Commander In Chief ignite more discussions of gender and political leadership. But as a behind the scenes person, I’m equally interested in the numbers of females serving as campaign managers, press secretaries, and chiefs of staff. I mean, Karl Rove is doing something over there in that White House, isnt’t he?

Though we’ve come far in a generation, gender matters still have some evolving to do, especially when it comes to men balancing family life and work. Gender issues in the workplace are a frequent topic of conversation amongst my friends – as in “are female bosses tougher to work for?” to “with all our advances as women, guys still have an easier time in the workplace!” to “gosh, why is it in politics that many straight guys are married with kids, and by and large many straight gals seem to have no social life at all?”

At recent soirees, I ran into old campaign trail friends - men - who are now serving as U.S. Senate Chiefs of Staff. I look up to both men, but was curious to know how many women shared their role. At another soiree, my friends and I were trying to name all 14 women serving as U.S. Senators, a number to us that seems far too low. We kept forgetting Senator Murkowski of Alaska, as we liberals pulling for Knowles blocked her from our brains… but I digress.

DISCLAIMERS: The directory I used is probably out of date. Regard this as a snapshot in time, probably printed in the late spring of 2005. As a “Kris,” I also understand that names should be construed as gender neutral. Using my best albeit subjective judgment, I googled and yahooed my way through references to the CoS in news articles or press releases to best establish CoS gender. I did not call one single Senate office to confirm the names or the genders of the current CoS. Also, regarding NJ, I kept Governor-Elect Corzine on the list and Senator-to-Be Menendez out. If you know the name and gender of Senator Menendez’s CoS, feel free to update me. Heck, feel free to update me on any of my mistakes. I would like to reflect the true genders of all CoS in the U.S. Senate.

Here is my (surely not 100% up to date) analysis from a Congressional directory from the 109th Congress, 1st Session, in no typically organized fashion:

Party/Senator's Name/Gender of CoS:

1. R Chambliss M
2. D Stabenow M
3. R Thomas M
4. R Shelby M
5. R Sessions M
6. R Stevens M
7. R Murkowski M
8. R McCain M
9. R Kyl M
10. D Pryor M
11. D Feinstein M
12. R Allard M
13. D Salazar M
14. D Biden M
15. D Carper M
16. D Nelson M
17. R Martinez M
18. R Isakson M
19. D Inouye M
20. D Akaka M
21. R Craig M
22. R Crapo M
23. D Durbin M
24. D Obama M
25. R Lugar M
26. D Bayh M
27. R Grassley M
28. D Harkin M
29. R Brownback M
30. R McConnell M
31. R Bunning M
32. R Vitter M
33. R Snowe M
34. R Collins M
35. D Kerry M
36. D Levin M
37. D Dayton M
38. R Coleman M
39. R Cochran M
40. R Lott M
41. R Talent M
42. D Baucus M
43. R Burns M
44. R Hagel M
45. D Nelson M
46. R Ensign M
47. R Gregg M
48. R Sununu M
49. D Lautenberg M
50. R Domenici M
51. D Bingaman M
52. D Schumer M
53. R Dole M
54. D Conrad M
55. R Voinovich M
56. R Inhofe M
57. R Coburn M
58. D Wyden M
59. R Smith M
60. R Specter M
61. R Santorum M
62. D Reed M
63. R Chafee M
64. R Graham M
65. R DeMint M
66. D Johnson M
67. R Thune M
68. R Alexander M
69. R Cornyn M
70. R Bennett M
71. D Leahy M
72. I Jeffords M
73. R Allen M
74. D Murray M
75. D Cantwell M
76. D Kohl M
77. R Enzi M
78. D Corzine F
79. D Sarbaines F
80. D Kennedy F
81. D Dodd F
82. D Lieberman F
83. R Burr F
84. R Hatch F
85. R Warner F
86. R Frist F
87. D Dorgan F
88. D Reid F
89. D Byrd F
90. R DeWine F
91. D Rockefeller F
92. R Roberts F
93. R Bond F
94. D Feingold F
95. D Clinton F
96. R Hutchison F
97. D Boxer F
98. D Mikulski F
99. D Landrieu F
100. D Lincoln F

RAISING MORE QUESTIONS:
How many CoS are African American, Asian American, or Latino? How many U. S. Representatives have female CoS? How about targeted campaigns’ Campaign Managers? District directors, schedulers, receptionists, Press Secretaries? How many total hill staffers are female compared to male? Campaign staff? What about race and class composition of hill and campaign staff? My inner sociologist is stirring…

Russ Spinegold

2005-12-21T11:35:00.000-05:00

Senator Russ Feingold had a spine when we desperately needed more folks in Washington to have one. He was the first U.S. Senator to consider troop withdrawals from Iraq, and his lone originating Patriot Act "no" vote seems prophetic now. I am glad to see Senate Democrats standing strong together on so many issues now, and admire the work they are doing, but Feingold was first.

Though liberals easily like Feingold, he remains politically viable because large numbers of swing-state Wisconsin independents voted for him and genuinely like him too.

Working in Wisconsin in 2004 enabled me to see what a man of character he is, so yesterday I added Senator Russ Feingold to my hero's list (see right-hand column.) I've been a strong John Edwards supporter, and remain so. But Chris Cillizza is right. Go, Russ, go.

I Wish Justice Were Blind

2005-12-21T10:28:00.000-05:00

Reading this morning of Stanley Tookie Williams' funeral, and I can't help but think how wrong the death penalty is. Because of the redemption he had and the positive impact he made on so many, I feel putting him to death was simply the wrong thing to do.

My only hope is that something good will come out of his death. Perhaps more people will oppose the death penalty. Maybe more will mobilize to end it. Maybe it will become a cause for people like Snoop Dogg to take on. I hope Snoop uses his celebrity to raise public awareness of all the reasons the death penalty is wrong.

This is what I know for sure about the death penalty:

Innocent people have been put to death by the death penalty. Mr. Williams claimed to be innocent of his crimes. The mere questioning of his innocence alone makes me discount the death penalty’s necessity.
I wish justice were blind, but more often than not a jury or judge's sentencing has more to do with the size of the defendant's pocketbook or the color of his skin than guilt or innocence.
The death penalty isn't a crime deterrent. It does not bring back the dead. It isn't a solution to crime, but a poor punishment unworthy of an evolved society.
If someone did a crime, punish them. I don't believe criminals should get off without punishment. They must pay their debts to society, yet the death penalty should not exist as an option to prosecutors.
Study after study shows that no matter how much we wish to be unbiased and judge by the facts alone, certain subconscious factors - especially appearance - enter into our decision-making. This happens in all aspects of life, and I wish it weren't a part of human nature, but unfortunately it's a shortcoming most humans have. This bias impacts sentencing.
There is nothing more final than death. The government is killing in our name as citizens, and it's the morally wrong thing to do.
Many people around the world – including Amnesty International – declare our death penalty to be a human rights violation.

Hey everybody - if I am murdered, I do not want prosecutors to seek the death penalty for the murderer. I once signed a document saying so and put it with my will.

Coincidentally, this past weekend I saw the movie CAPOTE, and highly recommend it. It also depicts the death penalty. Philip Seymour Hoffman's talent shines in his portrayal of writer Truman Capote's way of getting the IN COLD BLOOD story. Go see this movie.

It's Not Paranoia If They Really Are Out To Get You

2005-12-19T11:36:00.000-05:00

Bubble-boy Bush just isn't getting it yet, is he. Boldy admitting he authorized phone tapping without warrants. Well, calling all civil-libertarians! He is taping the phones of Americans without a warrant, and surely this isn't legal.

I was liking the bad press that Bush has been getting, as he's finally getting the scrutiny he's deserved for years. But now it's getting creepier and creepier. I am astounded that the Bush Administration still believes that if it says something strongly enough, and frequently enough, that they are going to get away with what they want and how they want it.

Much of the "new press" coverage on Bush's failures isn't so new to me - like these sentiments: torture is bad; the war should be stopped; Bush ignores the poor (thanks, Hurricane Katrina debates); and, my favorite reverse Robbin Hood - the Bush economy favors the rich. But this phone-tapping thing? This is different, freaky and new!

Direct phone tapping WITHOUT A WARRANT admission by Bush isn't some bold PR move, or a populist showing of strength on terror, it's just plain creepy. Good ole Orwellian, neo-totalitarian, creepiness.

If the world were a cocktail party, our country has become that creepy guy in the corner that all the women avoid for fear of being hit on. I want an un-creepy country. Daggumit, I want my country back from this neo-totalitarian Bush regime!

But how much creepier is it going to get with this President of ours? Stolen elections - got away with it. War on lies - got away with it. Rob from the poor to give to the rich - got away with it. Living in a self-contained bubble and ignoring reality - seemingly getting away with it. Indictments of chief of staff, investigations of leaders, scandals - might not get away with it, if we ever learn what he knew and when he knew it. When is he finally going to not get away with this, and when are we going to start seeing some serious investigations on this guy?

Our previous President was investigated to the tune of millions of dollars, thousands of inches of print columns, and all for something that should have been a private personal matter between his family.

Somebody with power and the legal authority has to be bold and stop the creepiness before anything else un-American happens in this country because of the Bush regime!

I don't want to live in a country that is hated world-wide, seen as a human rights offender, and viewed as forcing poor values on others.

I am deeply patriotic. This vision George Bush has is not the country I love! I love an America with freedoms, with a moral leg to stand on when it comes to human rights and treating our own citizens well.

Clooney: "I knew it then and I don’t have national security clearance."

2005-12-15T12:11:00.000-05:00

I love George Clooney.

I love George Clooney because he's smart, he understands what's really going on in the world, and he's genuinely talented.

I love him because he's more clearly articulated what's frustrating me about U.S. Senate Democrats than I could myself.

Go see SYRIANA and GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, if you haven't already. I saw both on their opening nights in DC. Both are tremendous in their own right, with interesting depictions of issues facing our nation today: freedom of speech vs. fear-filled demagoguing for the later and the connections within oil & corporate influence on world affairs for the former.

The quality of Clooney's performances, writing, directing, and overall career choices of late should garner him a statue or two this awards season. He's already received three Golden Globe nominations, one for acting in SYRIANA, and two for directing and writing GOOD NIGHT - much deserved. Sounds good too that he only made $2.00 for Good Night, and Good Luck, according to the London Times, and only $250,000 for Syriana. He boasts that money isn't the reason he makes decisions anymore - how endearing is that to my bleeding-heart?

Clooney never needed to do anything but be himself to win my support and accolades. His ability to bring lots of stars together to raise money for the 911 and tsunami victims, along with his championing the One Campaign alongside arch-Christian-Conservative Pat Robertson, prove he's a solid, quality man through and through. His appearance on Oprah was simply charming.

I love it that Clooney wears his liberalism as if it's a bumper-sticker across his forehead. As someone personally attacked as a "liberal" - as if it's negative! - by various politicos over my years on the campaign trail, I am glad he helps us reclaim the honor in the title.

Some may question why actors get media coverage for political commentary. They are Americans, and questioning their right to speak out is pure crap.

Clooney's message is proof that he can articulate his liberal agenda better than anybody here in DC. The Advocate, one of the nation's leading gay publications, features Clooney in a fascinating cover story, as another example.

I hope he gets to make many acceptance speeches this coming awards season, because he deserves the honors and what he'll say is worthyof a listen.

Total digression: I love him because he's a fellow Kentuckian, Cincy Reds fan, and his father, Nick, should have been elected the Congressman from the 4th District (he got my largest donation ever) to succeed my former boss, Ken Lucas.

Another Reason I Believe In Miracles...and the #1 Reason I'll Never Skydive

2005-12-14T09:22:00.000-05:00

CNN gives the AP story of Shayna Richardson, a woman who survives a skydiving accident then, when in the hospital recovering, discovers she is pregnant. This story indeed is stunning. When I read about it on the metro this morning, I gasped.

Wolf Blitzer gets a Shayna interview in "THE SITUATION ROOM!"

I am facinated to hear this story once, and really glad she survived, but I feel badly for the baby who is going to have to hear this story her or his whole life... "Great, Mom! PLEASE! Tell me the 'my parachute gave out and we almost died, but that's how I found out I was pregnant with you, and you should be greatful we feed and clothe you' story for the 12-millionth time! I forgot about the first 11,999,999 times. Now can I please have the keys?"

Dear regular readers - sorry I've been lazy with my blog lately. As usual, I have plenty I could post - plenty that peeks my brain... but now with two jobs and no home internet, I'll have to temporarily hold off on my longer, more political postings and relegate my dear readers to the stunning or brief.

By the way, Shayna wants to skydive again!

WHAT IS SHE THINKING?

Chalk it up to miracle, have that baby, and take up another hobby... one that doesn't so directly endanger your life. Say... nitting? SuDoKu? Heck, even mountain biking, like the President. You're a baby-mamma now, girl!

Check Out Wonkette

2005-12-05T15:30:00.000-05:00

For the President's evolving vision. So much for that whole "mission accomplished" thing a few years ago...

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

2005-11-25T13:28:00.000-05:00

This posting on TomPaine.com lists many things I am politically thankful for this year. What a difference a year makes.

My personal thanks goes to my best friends Julie Pearson, Jeff Pittman, and Tina Mitchell for all their support, to my family (especially thankful that blasted Newburgh, IN tornado missed my brother's house), to Frankie the pug, and to my personal troop, Staff Sgt Dana Christofferson of Sioux Falls, SD - may you not have to go to Iraq ever!

Express Guilty of Downsize-ism

2005-11-16T14:11:00.000-05:00

Through a lot of focus, hard-work, and determination, I've lost almost 70 lbs since February. It's the hardest thing I've ever done - harder than running a Governor's race, harder than graduating college a year early, and harder than surviving a New Hampshire blizzard. One of the things I was looking forward to doing when I lost my weight was shopping at "normal stores."

See, for those of you who are of "normal" size, you probably take it for granted that you have a wide array of store choices. I did too, until I gained those 70 lbs.

It was mortifying for me to realize I needed to switch to the plus sizes. I will never forget the day I had to buy bigger clothing 10 years ago. I was in Louisville standing in Bacon's "Woman's" Department - the code word for fat chicks in many stores - and I just started to cry. I couldn't believe I was a size 18. I eventually grew to my largest size 24.

It was embarrassing to stand there that day and know things had changed for me. I will never forget the shame I felt. It wasn't until years later that I learned that it was due to a medication I took that ruined my metabolism. I was at the time a vegan, and eating a whole foods diet. I was exercising. But my body had changed due to the medicine, and to reverse that - now off the medicine - has taken a strict eating program and exercise. No surprises there. There is definitely something to be said about metabolism that has nothing to do with will-power or caring for oneself. It just happened, and it has taken a lot of attention for me to reverse it.

So, my size 18 jeans are now loose after dropping almost all of those 70 lbs., and I know I need a new wardrobe again. I am at the magic weight I'd hoped to reach when I could go to the "normal" stores again. A size 16 was always at stores like the Limited (now Express), where I spent the majority of my clothing budget.

Today, however, not so, just a big disappointment. Today I feel the same sense of embarrassment I felt 10 years ago when I was ghettoized to the fat chick department when I entered the Express store at Union Station to learn that the largest size they now carried was a 12! That is the size I'll be when I finally reach my goal weight, but what happened to sizes 14 and 16 they used to carry?

So I did something I've wanted to do for the last 10 years since gaining that weight - I asked for the Express corporate customer service number to complain. It's 1-877-415-4551, if you'd also like to call, or email them. I told them I used to spend all my clothing money at this store, and about my weight loss, and wanted to know if they carried any bigger sizes. They said no. I asked for an explanation of why they chose to eliminate sizes 14 and 16, and they said they would send me a formal letter. I promise to reprint it here if it comes.

It will be interesting to find out how they try to justify this. The average size of a woman in America is a size 14. I am tall for a woman at 5ft 8 inches, and am a German descendant (and all the brawnyness that comes with that.) I am looking more fit and better looking than I have in years, and am deeply proud of my weight loss.

But I strongly believe Express is wrong to exclude these sizes.

I think Express - and all women's stores - should sell at least to a size 18, if not larger. They are loosing money by this choice, so it doesn't make any sense - and at a time when women are growing larger, not smaller.

Now, you may say it is the store's way of sending a message to women that they should loose weight. Give me a break - stores aren't fitness centers or intro preaching morality, they are into taking our money. By that logic, it's an unwise financial decision. These stores have lost money from me for years.

God bless Lane Bryant for changing their styles, becoming hip, and dumping the moo moos, because they've kept me clothed for years. But this isn't about Lane Bryant, they'll be getting my money for a bit longer, it seems. It's about arbitrary beauty discrimination.

What is beautiful, after all? Do they not want woman of "size" shopping or being seen in their stores? If so, shouldn't they do a beauty-check at the door to make sure teeth are white and straight, hair is well-coiffed, and faces fit a certain level of beauty too? Wouldn't want all ugly chicks to be seen in your stores, right?

I am angry because it is wrong of Express to eliminate these sizes. It is embarrassing to me personally - and an affront to the majority of women in America - who are size 14 or larger.

I urge you to join me to complain about their downsize-ism by calling 1-877-415-4551 or emailing today to tell them they are wrong to choose arbitrary beauty limits over free market choices, and are loosing money because of it.

Oprah became "Oprah" How?

2005-11-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

So, Oprah, as you know, is an influential person in my life. She
inspires me all the time to live a better life, most recently inspiring
me to loose 70 lbs on her Boot Camp program.

Yesterday she revealed how she got her big break on her 20th Anniversary
show, nationally syndicating her talk show.

She first found out about syndicating her show while on a date with
movie critic Roger Ebert, who had his own syndicated show.

Soon thereafter, Oprah became OPRAH.

Moral of the story: you never know when or how your big break is going
to launch you into bigger or better things.

Oprah was on a date with Roger Ebert... How random is that?

Congratulations, Mayor-Elect Marchand!

2005-11-09T12:15:00.000-05:00

I am proud to announce that Steve Marchand - who served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Mark Fernald for Governor (NH) when I was Campaign Manager, is now the Mayor-Elect of Portsmouth, NH!

Listen to an interview of the Mayor-Elect.

Tornado Spares My Brother's Family's House - BARELY...

2005-11-07T11:44:00.000-05:00

My brother Greg, sister-in-law Kathleen, niece Mallory and nephew Michael live in Newburgh, IN, where the tornadoes hit night before last. Though they sustained only minor damage, houses in their small neighborhood were destroyed.

The Red Cross took out a full page ad in today's Washington Post Express requesting more money because they are stretched beyond their limits.

Even with all of our giving, they still need more.

If you haven't given already, please donate to the Red Cross today.

Have You Signed the One Declaration Yet?

2005-11-03T13:50:00.000-05:00

Fact: 30,000 people will die today of preventable disease and extreme poverty

Fact: 70% of Sub-Saharan Africans live on less than $2 a day

Fact: 25 million Africans have HIV, over 2 million of them children

Fact: As Americans - citizens of the most wealthy and most powerful nation in the world - we have the power to change Africa right now with our voices.

Please, if you haven't already, take a moment to sign the One Campaign Declaration:

WE BELIEVE that in the best American tradition of helping others help
themselves, now is the time to join with other countries in a historic pact for
compassion and justice to help the poorest people of the world overcome AIDS and
extreme poverty.
WE RECOGNIZE that a pact including such measures as fair trade, debt relief, fighting corruption and directing additional resources for basic needs - education, health, clean water, food, and care for orphans - would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the poorest countries, at a cost equal to just one percent more of the US budget.
WE COMMIT ourselves - one person, one voice, one vote at a time - to make a better, safer world for all.

Today this blog is in closed session...

2005-11-02T11:55:00.000-05:00

WATCH

One Person Can Make A Difference

2005-11-01T15:20:00.000-05:00

As I left my apartment building near 15th and N Sts NW in Washington yesterday, the air was clear, the day was bright, and a spring was in my step. Walking to my bus stop, thinking of my work day ahead, I saw a crowd gathering a block away. The officer told me as I was to cross M St that this is where Rosa Parks funeral is going to take place – one blessed block from my new place. A national treasure’s final goodbye one blessed block from my place. Oprah Winfrey expressing her gratitude and farewell one blessed block from my place. I couldn’t believe it.

Me being me, I stopped in my tracks and considered going to the CVS around the corner to buy a piece of poster board and grab a sharpie from home to put “ONE PERSON CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” in big, bold, thank you letters to say my part. Like anyone would care, necessarily? But Rosa Parks inspires me deeply, and it’s only (did I mention?) one blessed block from my place and I am standing right there.

But, though the tug to stand there with my sign was strong, I knew I had a lot on my plate at work, so I headed on to my bus stop. The irony that I was walking to catch a bus was not lost on me, knowing anybody who boarded could sit anywhere they liked.

I am glad I didn’t see those days of Jim Crowe laws. I can’t imagine someone’s skin color relating to those crazy, insane, arbitrary Jim Crowe laws did back when Rosa Parks stayed put in her seat. It really hasn’t even been that long ago, has it? I can’t imagine it, really. But I board the bus, sit in the back, and keep on thinking.

I know we have more to do to defeat the effects that slavery and racism have on our society even today. We have plenty to do on a lot of issues, and I think about that all the time. Lately, my thoughts have gone from “Please, let’s bring home the troops from Iraq!” to “How do we have a balanced Supreme Court with Bush as President?” to “How can we win at least either the House or Senate next year?” to “We have the power to save millions in sub-Saharan Africa if the USA acts now.” I am thinking about this all the time, and trying to find my role in that process as each day passes. I never feel like I am accomplishing enough, but I know this field is where I belong.

And then here’s Rosa Parks’s funeral one blessed block from my place. It motivates me just at the right moment when I am looking for a sign that I am on the right path in my life.

My journey started young and strong. From the moment I became politically aware as a 6th grade student at Our Lady of Mt Carmel, I knew I wanted to be in politics – I knew clearly that if government performed correctly it could be a force for good in the lives of others. I’d heard the stories from my Grandfather about FDR and the Civilian Conservations Corps that saved our family from starvation and dire poverty.

I remember the nuns and priests at OLMC and at Holy Rosary telling me about social justice issues and I knew I wanted to make a difference. As I grew older, I knew I could be a teacher or an aid worker and affect the lives of people on an individual basis, and I admired that. Yet I felt from that early age that if I were in politics I could potentially affect larger numbers of people in need. I’ve always wanted to be in politics not for power for myself, or greed, or fame, or wealth, but in service to others and make the world a better place.

But as the years went on and my ambition crept smaller and smaller, I’ve wondered if I really could make a difference.

I’ve had many a jaded year in Democratic politics with its hardball and smashmouth and its take-no-prisoners survival of the fittest craziness, just as much from my own party as the other. That young person who wanted world peace and food for all is still there.

My deep, compassionate heart always wanted to win with my agenda so I could help the powerless have more power and help the voiceless have a voice. I knew what it was like first hand to be the little guy, and I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve had. And though I know that’s why I got involved in politics and campaigns in the first place, Rosa Parks’ legacy inspires me personally to know for sure that one person really can make a difference. I hope I get to too.

Bush Gets Just a Smidge of Karma

2005-10-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

Scooter Libby gets 5 indictments for doing a bad thing, and people are going to say Democrats are gloating a bit at all the pain and suffering this causes at the White House. Sure, I did for about 5 seconds. And then it dawned on me - THIS IS ONLY BUT A SMIDGE OF THE KARMA THEY'VE EARNED.

This time, it's indictments about outing Valerie Plame Wilson and putting the lives of government assets at risk. But I dream of a day that the Bush Administration finally grasps all the pain they've caused this country, a la Earl from my new favorite show My Name Is Earl.

Earl is a guy who did alot of bad things in his life, but then he won the lottery and was immediately hit by a car and lost his ticket. He was in his hospital bed when he heard Carson Daily say he believed in Karma - that what you send out into the world comes back to you. If you do good things, then good things will come to you.

Finally, Earl got it - he was hit by that car because he had done so many bad things that he didn't deserve the lottery ticket (ahem, no Senator Gregg stories here, please, that is a digression that irks me since I do good things and my blasted powerball ticket is now at the trash heap.) Earl then sets about rather humorously to write a list of all the bad things he's done and try to fix them.

Here's what I'd rather enjoy than having glee at Scooter Libby's indictments today.

Let's help the President out - here is just a start - the first five off the top of my head of the list of things he's done wrong. If he starts to atone for the things he did wrong by trying to right them, perhaps he could just turn things around and good things - like better poll numbers - will come to him again. But he's got alot of work to do, dontcha think? And wouldn't the episodes be just great seeing him trying to undo the wrongs he's done? (with bows to www.televisionwithoutpity.com)

Episode I. Stole the election in Florida ballot fiasco from Al Gore.

recaplet: Found Al Gore in California producing his new TV channel. Said, "Mkay, Al, you did win the popular vote, and my friends and family stole Florida's electoral votes from you... you wanna be President?" Al said, "No thanks. I like spending time with Tipper. But could I at least go sit in the chair for a bit? George, your saying that redeems you - scratch me off the list."

II. Spent Billions of dollars the government didn't really have on a war because of WMDs that didn't exsist at the cost of over 2,000 U.S. soldiers lives, thousands more injured, and a hundred thousand Iraqis, most of whom were innocent civilians.

recaplet: President Bush flies across the country visiting wounded soldiers
and families of those who died apologizing for sending soldiers to war on a lie, then
holds a national bake sale to raise funds to repay the U.S. Treasury for the cost. Then he flies to Iraq where he asks the new government how he can make it up to their newly democratic country - hoping bring in voting machines was enough and he gets a pass.

III. Gave big tax breaks to the rich at the expense of the most vulnerable in our society, like children, the elderly, and disabled.

recaplet: signs a law that retroactively reverses crazy tax breaks for the rich,
and then re-funds programs for the vulnerable which were previously cut. His signing ceremony is performed in a Robin Hood costume.

IV. Put the short term profits of corporations ahead of protecting our air, water, lands, and the wildlife that live on them.

recaplet: became a member of the Sierra Club, got rid the Presidential limo in
lieu of a union-made hybrid vehicle, and started a commitment to getting
back to nature beyond just mountain biking... but does something pro-environment every day from then on. (Reminiscint of how Earl has to constantly pick up litter, since he used to be such a litter-bug.)

V. Ignored at first, and now only partially funds the U.S. commitment to the United Nations' millennium Development Goals containing the best solutions to save needless deaths due to the emergency situations of extreme poverty and preventable disease -mainly in subsaharan Africa - equating to 30 hurricane Katrinas a day.

recaplet:commits to the MDGs at the UN, and then gets congressional approval.
Decided to throw in the bonus safari trip for him and his Dad and see the
suffering himself on the side - but imagine the fish they caught in the
Ngorongoro Crater! But they actually pitch in at an AIDS hospital, and
bring in a ton of drugs from their friends in the pharmaceutical industry.

Bloomberg News: War on Global Poverty Should Be Fixed, Not Ended

2005-10-21T15:49:00.000-04:00

By Gene Sperling

Oct. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Amid the turmoil swirling around the administration of President George W. Bush, there is one positive Bush legacy Democrats ought to recognize: the increase in bipartisan support for U.S. aid to fight AIDS and global poverty.

For most of the 1990s, the Republican leadership was either cool to foreign assistance or bent on cutting it. After seizing control of Congress in 1994, the Republican majority won a 10 percent reduction in foreign aid. During this period, Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jesse Helms referred to aid as ``money down a rat hole,'' while as late as 2000, former House Majority leader Tom DeLay accused Democrats who voted for aid of ``putting Ghana over Grandma?''

The year 2000 was a turning point. The Reverend Pat Robertson and Republican members of Congress such as Spencer Bachus and John Kasich -- buoyed by the multi-denominational ``Jubilee 2000'' grassroots movement dedicated to canceling the debt of developing nations -- joined with President Bill Clinton and key Democrats to secure congressional support for a G8 plan to provide tens of billions of dollars of debt relief to the world's poorest nations.

Although this was an important victory, the fact that it took a full-court press to overcome intense congressional resistance was discouraging, particularly given how much more the U.S. still needs to contribute to the global war on poverty.

Nixon to China

That is why President Bush's call for a multibillion dollar emergency plan for AIDS relief as well as the so-called Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) to provide assistance to countries deemed to perform well on measures of governance, investing in people and promoting economic freedom, was a Nixon- going-to-China moment in development assistance.

Certainly the administration's record is not beyond criticism. The U.S. is still following too slowly an emerging consensus among richer nations on increased global development assistance.

The Bush administration was seen to have lagged behind the U.K. and European nations in pledging to do its share on global poverty at the recent G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland. And there are serious concerns about whether ideology has restrained the effectiveness of how the AIDS money has been spent.

Even with these caveats, President Bush deserves significant credit for winning aid increases that could have never passed a Republican Congress in the 1990s.

Proposing Cuts

Will this bipartisan support hold? In a disturbing sign, the Congressional Republican Study Committee recently released a plan by Representative Mike Pence of Indiana and Jeb Hensarling of Texas proposing dramatic cuts to development assistance, including the complete elimination of the MCA, which is up for reauthorization this year.

Critics on both the left and right -- and even within the administration -- point to the fact that it took three years after President Bush's original announcement and more than 14 months after congressional authorization to agree on the first MCA compact, finalized with Madagascar in April 2005.

Even after signing agreements in recent months with four more nations -- Cape Verde, Georgia, Honduras, and Nicaragua -- the MCA has committed just about $200 million a year through 2010, less than a tenth of the funding originally announced.

These criticisms don't justify eliminating the funds dedicated to the MCA. A better plan would be to broaden the MCA while still keeping its focus on strong country plans, performance and accountability.

Second Tier

One reform proposal would be to create what Tom Hart, a top official at DATA (Debt AIDS Trade for Africa, founded by U2 frontman Bono), and I have called a ``second tier'' for the MCA.

Currently, 90 percent of MCA funds go to the few first-tier nations that score well on a range of positive indicators. Allowing assistance only for this handful of high performers not only has prevented dollars from getting out the door, but also provides little incentive for reform for those nations that are still far from such a record.

A second tier would say to countries: even if you have not shown progress in every area, we will support you if you have an initiative to give children a free, quality education; basic health services; or clean water, and if you can show you are meeting rigorous standards of accountability and transparency.

Focus on Performance

This reform would maintain the MCA's focus on performance and on ensuring that recipient nations feel ownership of their assistance strategies. What would be different is that it would give a nation like Ethiopia or Rwanda an incentive to undertake dramatic reforms in health and education, even if it is years away from reaching first-tier status.

So far, the MCA has done very little in the areas of education and health, in part because it is seen as discouraging such investments in favor of infrastructure and the private sector.
While there is currently in place a scaled-down version of this idea, a strong second tier would enable up to 50 percent of MCA funds to support such significant reforms.

Because such a second tier would help fund other congressional proposals for clean water and education for girls in poor nations, it could also help provide the MCA with sorely needed bipartisan support.

This type of reform makes far more sense than simply rushing to the misguided conclusion that we have no other way to reduce our budget deficit and curtail spending than by cutting assistance for the poorest children, whether here in the U.S. or around the world.

To contact the writer of this column:Gene Sperling in Washington at gsperling@cfr.org.

The New War on the Poor

2005-10-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051019/the_new_war_on_the_poor.php

by Paul Waldman
October 19, 2005

Paul Waldman is a senior fellow at Media Matters for America. His next book, Being Right is Not Enough: What Progressives Can Learn From Conservative Success, will be released in the spring by John Wiley & Sons.

Now that President Bush’s plan for partial privatization of Social Security has been spat out of the public’s mouth in disgust and shelved indefinitely, the left has a rare victory it can savor. And one coalition, consisting in part of those who formed Americans United to Protect Social Security, is looking to duplicate that success on a new issue: the conservative attempt to use the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina for a new war on the poor. A group of progressive organizations has formed the Emergency Campaign for American Priorities , a “grassroots, grass-tops, public relations and lobbying campaign to convince Congress to stop a plan backed by President Bush and the Republican congressional leadership that would drastically cut programs that primarily benefit the poor and middle class to finance tax cuts that benefit only the wealthiest among us.”

Will they succeed? Can progressives without any institutional power beat back yet another retrograde Republican plan? The answer is a qualified yes, but it will be an uphill battle.

As many have begun to notice, while President Bush was speaking nice words about the effects of racism and poverty on those who became Katrina’s victims, Republicans in the administration and Congress were preparing to use the tragedy as an opportunity to pursue the same agenda they had in mind all along. With an executive order, Bush suspended the Davis-Bacon Act, which mandates that government contractors pay the “prevailing wage” in the area of operation to their workers, thereby enabling contractors to slash the wages of workers helping to rebuild the Gulf Coast. In order to pay for the reconstruction, Republicans in Congress have proposed cutting programs like Medicaid that directly serve the poor. Some have even suggested cutting taxes for the wealthy, because—well, because that seems to be the Republican solution to pretty much any problem.

As Robert Greenstein of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities told The New York Times: “We've gone from a situation in which we might have a long-overdue debate on deep poverty to the possibility, perhaps even the likelihood, that low-income people will be asked to bear the costs. I would find it unimaginable if it wasn't actually happening.”

But 11 years into the Republican Revolution, should any of us be surprised?

Even as Katrina recedes from the front pages, the opportunity for progressives to pose to the public the kinds of fundamental questions that define the ideological divide in America has not been lost. What sorts of security do we expect from our government? Who is it that government supposed to serve? What are our moral obligations to the vulnerable amongst us? What does our vision of the good society look like? If progressives can generate discussion on these questions, they will be able to put conservatives back even farther on their heels.

This battle is fundamentally different from the Social Security fight in a number of ways. For starters, there is not a single bill or policy proposal progressives are opposing, but a whole host of moves coming from the executive branch and Congress.

Secondly, the argument progressives were making on Social Security—that Republicans wanted to take away something the public values highly—was both simple and extraordinarily powerful. People are extremely loss-averse, and Social Security may be the single most popular program the federal government administers.
So the argument about what the Republicans are up to needs to be made in a way that links the current issues to the larger ideological divide between progressives and conservatives. The cronyism and corruption that courses through this administration is not simply an accident or the acts of a few “bad apples”—it is the direct consequence of the conservative creed. For decades, conservatives have been telling us that government can’t do anything right, and when they got complete power, they set out to prove themselves right. Of course they installed incompetents like Mike Brown in crucial positions, because they just don’t care whether government serves the people. Of course every event, positive or negative, has been an excuse to cut taxes on the wealthy, because that’s what they believe in above all else. Of course Tom DeLay and Karl Rove are under investigation for abuse of power, because power is what government is all about for them.

It is critical that as ECAP and others make these arguments and beat back Republican efforts to strike at the most vulnerable, they do so in terms that are persuasive to all Americans. “We must help the poor,” for all its moral rightness, is not the most politically effective argument one can make. The sad fact is that among all the things the federal government does, direct aid to the poor (welfare, food stamps, etc.) is among the least popular. That doesn’t mean the public wants to dismantle those programs; their feelings run more toward grudging acceptance than outright hostility. But it does mean that arguments about poverty must flow from larger progressive principles that apply across classes. Cutting Medicaid is wrong because it deprives Americans of security. Pushing for lower wages is wrong because it deprives hardworking people of opportunity.

Progressives need to pick out a small number of the policies the Republicans are pursuing and bring them to the front of the rhetorical line. One perfect candidate is the suspension of Davis-Bacon. People believe that an honest day’s work deserves an honest day’s pay. And it isn’t as though there will be a dearth of contractors willing to come to the Gulf Coast and feed at the enormous federal trough. Changing the rules so that the contractors can charge poverty wages and increase their profits even more, giving the residents of the Gulf Coast who suffered so much another slap in the face? How can that possibly be defended?

The answer is, it can’t, which is why progressives should make the Republicans try. Just as they did on Social Security, progressives will be successful if they force members of Congress to defend something their constituents are against. The turnaround in Republican rhetoric was remarkable: After most every Republican had been advocating some form of Social Security privatization for years, when the issue actually came to the fore and members had to lay their markers down in a public way, Republican after Republican jumped off Bush’s sinking privatization ship.

But Bush’s Social Security scheme depended on public persuasion, something that isn’t true of executive orders and the budget reconciliation process, where much of the new war on the poor will be waged. Progressives need to realize that Republicans are probably going to accomplish at least some of what they’re trying to do. So they must be made to pay a price. Sometimes you can win by losing—although it’s even better to win by winning, which is what happened with Social Security. Not only did the president’s plan fail, but the debate sharpened distinctions between progressives and conservatives, and Democrats, for a change, actually seemed to be standing firm on a fundamental principle. In the case of the post-Katrina debate, since progressives don’t have any institutional levers at their command, they need to tell a story about what the Republicans are up to that advances the larger progressive cause.

The lesson of recent events is that when the American people get a good, long look at the content and consequences of the conservative agenda, they want no part of it. It is only when that agenda can be enacted stealthily that it is able to move forward. So progressives need to highlight on every front just what it is that the Republicans in Congress and the White House are trying to do. If they can do that, they’ll succeed.

Ed Schultz Gets the Shaft (No Relation)

2005-10-18T13:30:00.000-04:00

Here are talking points from the Center for American Progress about the Pentagon's canceling of the Ed Schultz Show (no relation.) If you haven't signed up for their daily talking points, I urge you to do so, as I promise you that you'll learn something new from this - John Podesta's (former Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton) - think tank every day. For example, today's additional talking points speak of the new bankruptcy law, state-by-state coverage, stories you may have missed, and invites to chats and events with key leaders. But the Center details issue or concern facing Americans, providing helpful talking points for those of us who wish to better articulate our views and concerns to others.

Center for American Progress Talking Points: Shafting Schultz

Yesterday, the Pentagon abruptly canceled the debut of The Ed Schultz Show -- the country's most popular progressive radio talk show -- on Armed Forces Network Radio (AFN), a station broadcast to U.S. troops serving outside the United States. AFN currently features an hour of programming from the right-wing Rush Limbaugh show, but no comparable progressive content. That was supposed to change. But early yesterday morning, the producer of the Ed Schultz show, James Holm, received a call from Pentagon communications aide Allison Barber informing him that the show would not be debuting on AFN. Coincidently, Schultz "spent the end of last week chastising Barber for coaching a group of U.S. soldiers in Iraq before a teleconference with President Bush."

EMAIL CONTRADICTS PENTAGON SPIN: The official line from the Pentagon is that there was "no decision made with respect to expanding the programming.Â An email sent to Schultz's syndication company from AFR proves otherwise. Manny Levy, radio division chief at AFN, wrote "AFN Radio has squared away everything on our end to begin carrying the first hour of 'The Ed Schultz Show' each day, beginning Monday, October 17, 2005 at noon PT/3 ET." Levy added, "An awful lot of people in the government had (or tried to have) a hand in program selection process that ended with the decision to add 'The Ed Schultz Show.'"

BARBER STRIKES AGAIN: Last week, Barber was caught on tape coaching U.S. troops about what to say during a televised conversation with President Bush. Barber said, "So if there's a question that the president comes up with that we haven't drilled through today, then I'm expecting the microphone to go right back to you, Captain Kennedy." There is evidence that Barber was familiar with the contents of Schultz's show on Friday, where he replayed Barber's comments. Barber told Holm that she was aware that Schultz announced he would begin broadcasting on AFN during Friday's show. Schultz made his views clear: "The fact is, they don't want dissenting voices or any other kind of speech unless it's going to be promotional for them. Obviously, these people are making sure they're not going to have any opinion other than the Rush Limbaughs of the world." Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said the perception that Schultz's criticism of Barber had anything to do with the decision to cancel his debut was "an unfortunate misperception."

REGULATIONS REQUIRE ARMED FORCES RADIO TO BE BALANCED: Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has worked hard to bring balance to AFN. With his leadership, the Senate passed a resolution "asking, that AFRTS meet its own mandate, as generally articulated in Department of Defense Regulation 5120.20R. That regulation calls for AFRTS political programming that is 'characterized by its fairness and balance,' as well as news programming guided by a 'principle of fairness' that requires reasonable opportunities for the presentation of conflicting views on important controversial public issues.'" At the time, Harkin said he believed "the bias that exists in the social and political commentary portions of this talk radio service is not intentional." Perhaps he was being too generous.

RUSH TRIVIALIZES TORTURE, STAYS ON THE AIR: The Pentagon has retained the services of Rush Limbaugh even after he spent weeks "condoning and trivializing the abuse, torture, rape and possible murder of Iraqi prisoners." For example, on May 6, 2004, Rush Limbaugh said of the abuse at Abu Ghraib prison,"This is no different that what happens at the Skull & Bones initiation. ... I'm talking about people having a good time. These people -- you ever heard of emotional release? You ever heard of needing to blow some steam off?" Two days later, he called torturing prisoners a "brilliant maneuver." A petition signed by nearly 50,000 people demanding Rush be removed from AFN was ignored.

My Actions for Africa

2005-10-17T10:29:00.000-04:00

Some of you may know that in 1993 I was in training to work in Western Africa with a group called the Society of African Missions, a Catholic aid organization. Unfortunately, after 5 months of state-side training and a few weeks shy of leaving for a job in Liberia during a raging civil war, I decided to drop out of the group. I didn't fit in - reasons for which warrant another blogging on misogyny and Catholicism, but I digress.

I'd graduated college a year early in 1991, and took some time to figure out what I specifically wanted to do with my life besides the vague notion of SAVING THE WORLD. I knew I wanted to work with political and social justice issues, but didn't have the confidence in my talents and lacked direction. I probably shouldn't have graduated a year early, as I really did need that extra year to build my confidence, figure things out and find my purpose. But financially I couldn't manage another year of studies at American University, had the credits to graduate, and so I did - off into the "real world" I floundered.

Thoughts of Africa have lingered on.

Eventually I found my way to professional politics, spending most of the last ten years on the campaign trail. Yet, I haven't quite shaken the idea that I should be doing something good for Africa too.

I've listened to lots of Afro-Pop music, daydreamed about camping and trekking through the Ngorongoro Crater, walking through the markets of Morocco, or climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, and learning from Nelson Mandela.

Celebrity involvement in Africa has increased in recent years, as stars use their press coverage for good works, and I've paid attention. It's easy to be inspired by Oprah's Christmas Kindness efforts in South Africa, as she shows what little it takes on the part of westerners to make a difference and care about those suffering from extreme poverty and preventable disease.

It reminds me of all I'd learned years ago. Americans have lots of misperceive of Africa, and my SMA training helped me ditch those. SMA systematically changed my thinking about the continent, the effects of western colonialism, and the broad and diverse cultures that shouldn't be reduced to negative stereotypes of some primitive civilization who can't fix their own problems.

Africa is a huge continent. Americans seem to think of Africa as one big country, yet the enormity of Africa is lost in such references, as the United States, China, and most of Europe could fit inside Africa easily.

The ONE Campaign

After last year's polls closed, I gave up full time on the ground campaign trail action for the more subdued consulting gig in DC. I did so deliberately to find a balance in my life with work, health, finances, friendships, etc. I deliberately wanted to pick one social justice cause and donate some time and money to helping it. Then what really moved me into action - of all things - was an interview of Brad Pitt by Diane Sawyer, showing clearly how I could combine my political work with my love for African culture and desire to donate time and money to a social cause - the One Campaign! It's what Oprah calls an "A-ha Moment."

The One Campaign is the citizen lobby effort that is asking our political leaders to make a bigger commitment to ending extreme poverty and preventable disease in Africa:

The ONE Campaign seeks to give Americans a voice, to ring church bells and cell
phones, on campuses and in coffee shops, for an historic pact to fight the
global AIDS emergency and end extreme poverty. We believe that allocating an
additional ONE percent of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like
health, education, clean water and food, would transform the futures and
hopes of an entire generation of the poorest countries. (http://www.one.org/)

I've been volunteering with the DC One Campaign, signed the declaration, attended Live8, wrote my Senators and Congresswoman, and recently began lobby visits to the offices of Congressmen I know, including Representatives Mike Ross (AR-04) and Ben Chandler (KY-06). I'll post the successes here on the blog as they happen.

I urge you to go to the One Campaign website and sign the pledge.

As I get more involved with the One Campaign and do these lobby visits, I am trying to get up to speed on all the policy lingo and specifics. Here are a few resources I've come across:

For those in Washington, DC, The National Geographic Live series is hosting a variety of events on Africa, including this interesting lecture called War and innocence in Central Africa Tuesday, October 18 at their 17th and M facility. I am hoping to go, if anyone wants to join me.
NRP Report: Africa's Hunger Crisis Complicates AIDS Response (10/16/05).
Yahoo is sponsoring Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone, as he tours the world and reports on various conflicts. Currently he's in Uganda, where hundreds of thousands of refugees are on the move to escape danger. His coverage is tailored to those of us who aren't used to keeping up with Africa and world news. I highly recommend it.
Jeffrey Sachs' book about the End of Poverty.
Open CRS is a clearing house for links to the Congressional Research Service reports that Members of Congress use to make laws and learn about the issues, such as Africa, G8 and the Blair Initiative.
Here's the CRS Intro to Foreign Aid, which is helpful when understanding Senator Mitch McConnell's importance as chair of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Agencies which dolls out foreign aid.
The UN's Millennium Development Goals is one of the best websites on the One Campaign goals from a worldwide perspective.
GW Bush's U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation and Millennium Challenge Account websites.
The Brookings Institute on the Millennium Challenge Account.

It's my blog and I'll cry if I want to (pt 2)

2005-10-15T11:30:00.000-04:00

(Read part 1 below before you read this one...)

After I wrote yesterday's post, I had a brief discussion with a colleague who was insistent that women - or anyone - not cry during a campaign. He wouldn't even read what I wrote, just insisted nobody cries, and that's the rule.

And I keep thinking about it.

On the one hand, he's right. During a campaign, you really do need to stuff a lot of emotions and just do the work in front of you. There's too much to do - it's too much of a pressure cooker - and though everyone's at their wits-end you have to keep chugging along - no sleep for the wearily - no breaks for the burned out - and no matter how tired or cranky or emotional you get in this worn down state your candidate(s) needs you to work hard and do your best. Even though the body/mind/spirit isn't built for 16 hour days for four month's straight - you gotta find other ways to unwind than falling apart on a tough day on the campaign trail. Sometimes I think I learned that lesson too late in my career.

But I can tell the ones who'll do well in this business by how well they do in the final days of a campaign by how they respond to the stress.

I've learned to enjoy that stage of the campaign and ride it with adrenaline, caffeine, loud cathartic singing ("Don't Cry for Me, Argentina was my 2004 campaign song), and annoying high-fives and pep talks to the newbys. I wish I could start over with this newfound peace during stress, but it's ironically the reason why I'm retired from that part of politics.

But here are a few questions to think about women and crying in politics:

Is it fair that President Bill Clinton crying at key moments is endearing, but a potential President Hillary Clinton can't follow suit? I think it would make her look cold in comparison, and, I think, less compassionate and real.

What would Pat Schroeder think about women crying in politics now? She cried at a press conference when she dropped out of the Presidential race. Many thought it undid her career as a politician. I think she is a wonderful person who charted new territory, and was fully herself
every step of the way. I deeply admire her.

Was it wrong when Senator Mary Landreiu cried during her flyover of New Orleans with George Stephanopolous for This Week? Honestly, she did the right thing and lived in the moment. She made me cry in empathy and feel her pain.

It's My Blog, and I'll Cry If I Want To!

2005-10-14T14:31:00.000-04:00

This New York Times article looks at the phenomenon of women crying on the job. I'd been thinking about that since I heard Martha Stewart threatened to dismiss an apprentice who was upset about a team failure on the show, saying "Cry and you are out of here. Women in business don't cry, my dear."

I am fascinated by the gender differences between women and men in politics and in work, but this quote from the article was my favorite:

Executives like Susan Lyne of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and Anne Sweeney, president of the Disney-ABC Television Group, were models for the president on "Commander in Chief," according to Rod Lurie, the executive producer of the series. And while his fictional president may be unlikely to break down in the
Oval Office, would a real woman as president need to be as stoic?

"Unfortunately," Mr. Lurie said, "she would have to be more stoic than a
man."

When President Bill Clinton got teary-eyed over an injustice or tragedy, I felt comforted. I wish President George W. Bush would have gotten at least a bit teary-eyed during Hurricane Katrina, rather than the same old arrogant jocularity we got during his first on-the-ground press conference in Alabama joking with Senator Trent Lott.

What I say to the future Ms. President is "be yourself, cry away, and I'll send the tissues. Be human and show us your gravitas. " I think there can be more leadership in a moment of true emotion than a distancing coldness of so-called proper and collected behavior.

So, cry away, sisters! And guys, too, for that matter.

Bush Caught Singing Tom Petty's Freefalling?

2005-10-13T10:18:00.000-04:00

Polls show President Bush in continued decline, just as I'd suspected yesterday. NBC/WSJ Poll: Bush approval drops below 40 percent, and only 28 percent believe country headed in right direction.

Perhaps some folks in Ohio are having buyers remorse? I can't help but say, "I TOLD YOU SO!" I wish these were the poll numbers from this time last year. So, to laugh it off: What does the Bush free-fall of poll numbers look like to those with computer graphics experience and too much time on their hands? Something like this, or this.

NOTE: Eventually, such polling news will move to the Bannon Communications Research website.

Is 2006 Going to Be Our 1994?

2005-10-12T12:16:00.000-04:00

Public support continues to shift as Republicans become their own worst enemy: Bush's shrinking public support, Frist's HCA imbroglio, DeLay's indictments, and, as a loyal Kentuckian, Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher's ongoing brouhaha. No question "2006 can be a banner year for Democrats" has passed the lips of many a strategist here in Washington.

I can't help but think back to the last Congressional heave-ho built on corruption. The Nation's article by Center for American Progress/Progressive Majority's Robert Borosage thinks back to 1994's Gingrich "revolution", and provides some concrete ideas for 2006 Dems potential 2006 takeover.

Questions to ponder:

Are Republicans going to get out of this public relations slump, dumping the label "corrupt politicians" in time to recover by November 2006?
Do you think the Democrats are filling the positive issue vacuum left behind by all this bad Republican press?
Does it even matter anymore what the NATIONAL campaign themes and messages are in 2006, with no Pres/V.Pres campaign? Or will indivudual local/district/state issues trump anything said about Democrats and Republicans?
Can we do what I hope we can do and ride this "Republicans-Are-At-Best-Inept-And-At-Worse-Corrupt" pony all the way to the finish line and win big in 2006?

OCT 13th UPDATE: I can't believe I missed this story in the NYTimes. Great minds think alike, I guess. Though I can say the buzz about Dem potential in 2006 is everywhere around town, and I am glad to see my home state of KY mentioned:

Democratic campaign officials are racing to recruit more House candidates in places like Ohio and Kentucky. Representative Steny H. Hoyer, the Democratic whip and a leader in the recruitment effort, said he spent part of last week in Ohio with potential candidates, and his message is simple: "My basic premise is, I think this is the best context for Democrats to be running in for the House of Representatives since 1994."

I'm Back!

2005-10-12T11:48:00.000-04:00

So I'd written all this great stuff - on the Dove "real beauty" campaign, Oprah's Katrina coverage, and on poverty in general - but without decent internet access while in Kentucky, I was S.O.L! But I am back in DC, getting re-settled, and here we go. Reminder - any feedback you can give about my writing - especially to make it easier to read - is most appreciated. I am practicing here before I launch the work blog - then I'll be writing for two blogs! Yeah! But if you wanna say anything about the Dove "read beauty" campaign, Oprah's Katrina coverage, or poverty, feel free. I may still post those articles later on. The issues of female body image, outrage over Bush, and US avoidance of class are unfortunately issues that will be relevant for months to come.

Me, Blog?

2005-08-13T14:52:00.000-04:00

Okay, I reluctantly followed the world of Blogging at first. I mean, doesn't the best writing get published in some mainstream fashion?

But then I became a fan of some blogs - especially David Sirota. And I love how the internet has helped grow a groundswell of grassroots attention on stories that the media previously ignored. These rank-and-file media consumers found a new way to raise awareness through blogs, and then I got it. The mainstream media doesn't always follow the stories it needs to follow without public demand, and blogging is an easy way to get at that.

I doubt I will garner such influence. To be honest, I doubt anyone will read my blog except a few friends and family members. That's awesome.

What sort of topics? Politics, pop culture (especially movie and celebrity news), and various items that pique my curiousity or ire.

But I keep thinking of things I wanna comment on - and want to find a way to become a better writer on these subjects. So if you have editorial comments on the way I write, bring it. I really wanna improve my writing style.

So, bring it! What do you think?

2005-08-13T12:12:00.000-04:00

Self Portrait - Summer 2005