Thinking Points

Thinking Points is Moving!

2010-04-26T18:51:00.000-04:00

You may have noticed we've been on a brief hiatus lately. Sorry about that.

For the past week, we've been working on a brand new site and format we think is even better than before.

Without further ado, click HERE to be redirected to our brand new site and make sure to bookmark, favorite place, and especially share our new website with your friends and family.

Thinkingpointsblog.com (Minus the blogspot, all the same news and commentary you've come to know).

Thanks for reading,

Ben and Andrew

Long Live the Confederacy! wait, what?

2010-04-14T17:04:00.000-04:00

I touched on this last week, but my Wednesday column in Athens The Post newspaper touches on Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell's stunning proclamation last week. Read a brief excerpt below:

Last week, Virginia's supposedly moderate governor, Bob McDonnell, declared April "Confederate History Month."

His official proclamation called on "all Virginians to reflect upon our commonwealth's shared history" and "understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War."

The seven-paragraph statement, however, included a glaring omission - any mention of our nation's most criminal injustice - the practice of slavery.

Read the whole thing on The Post's website and leave me love via the comments section there!

Test Your Political Acumen

2010-04-13T17:51:00.003-04:00

The folks over at Pew Research have put together a short, 12 question test concerning current political processes and events.

Click here to take the test.

Unfortunately, the national average for the test was a resounding 5.3. So take the quiz and post your score in the comments (if you dare), then gauge how much more you should be reading Thinking Points!

Boom...Roasted

2010-04-12T18:06:00.003-04:00

Oft-cranky Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) woke up from a nap recently and released this hilarious video concerning his primary challenger J.D. Hayworth.

Virginia Gov. McDonnell Proclaims April "Confederate History Month"

2010-04-08T14:36:00.000-04:00

So-called “moderate” conservative, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, last week declared April to be Confederate History Month.

...

Per his official proclamation:

[I]t is important for all Virginians to reflect upon our Commonwealth's shared history, to understand the sacrifices of the Confederate leaders, soldiers and citizens during the period of the Civil War…

[A]ll Virginians can appreciate the fact that when ultimately overwhelmed by the insurmountable numbers and resources of the Union Army, the surviving, imprisoned and injured Confederate soldiers gave their word and allegiance to the United States of America, and returned to their homes and families to rebuild their communities in peace.

As if the proclamation in of itself wasn’t appalling enough, Governor McDonnell chose to mention nothing of the period’s worst injustice — slavery.

Pressed about why his statement omitted any references to slavery, McDonnell said (bold is my doing), “there were any number of aspects to that conflict between the states. Obviously, it involved slavery. It involved other issues. But I focused on the ones I thought were most significant for Virginia.”

Most significant for Virginia?

Excluding the fact that Virginia was home to hundreds of thousands of slaves, slavery stands as the most gross, inhumane injustice in our nation’s history.

And it was nothing if not a central tenet of the confederate movement. If you disagree, you’re wrong. According to an infamous speech by Confederate Vice President Alexander Stephens in 1861 (bold, again, is my doing):

Our new government is founded upon exactly the opposite idea; its foundations are laid, its corner- stone rests upon the great truth, that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery — subordination to the superior race — is his natural and normal condition. [Applause.] This, our new government, is the first, in the history of the world, based upon this great physical, philosophical, and moral truth.

Following warranted outrage by civil rights leaders in Virginia and across the country, McDonnell’s spokesman (not the Governor himself) said in a statement, “[t]he failure to include any reference to slavery was a mistake, and for that I apologize to any fellow Virginian who has been offended or disappointed.”

Sorry, Governor. Too little, too late.

On Right Wing Extremism

2010-04-08T11:43:00.000-04:00

An excerpt from a column of mine that appeared in The Post yesterday:

Last April, conservatives chastised the Department of Homeland Security for warning law enforcement about a probable rise in "rightwing extremist activity."

As one might expect, GOP leaders were up in arms, prompting DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano to rescind the controversial report. Twelve months later, it would appear the warning was correct.

After passing health care reform, right-wing anger and a legitimate threat of violence has reached a fever pitch.

Read the entire piece here, and comment on The Post website!

An Ounce of Civility in a Discourse Filled with Hostility

2010-04-06T20:08:00.005-04:00

Tom Coburn is narrow minded. He is ultra-conservative. He is fiercely pro-life and pro-gun, and strongly opposes gay rights. He legislates irresponsibly. He even protested an airing of Schindler's List once. But Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) is also one of the most sensible, if not fair Republicans in Congress when it comes to dealing with the other side of the aisle.

While it does not take an Olympic athlete to clear the bar of cross-party civility in Washington these days, Coburn is sensible when he does not have to be, human when his counterparts are anything but, and should be seen as an example. An example that Democrats and Republicans can indeed still privately be friends while publicly averse to the other's ideas. Coburn should not be mistaken for a rebel who bucks the party line - because he isn't - or someone who goes out of his way to help the other side - because he doesn't (and why should he) - but his civility is somewhat of an aberration, and should not go unnoticed.

At a recent townhall, the same townhall setting that has recently become infamous for its vituperative tenor and venemous, caustic dialogue, a surprising but not shocking moment took place. Tom Coburn defended Nancy Pelosi, and lambasted Fox News. During one moment in which a tragically misinformed citizen spewed back the talking points and fallacies propagated by Fox concerning the Speaker and her policies, this exchange took place,

"Come on now. She is nice – how many of you all have met her? She’s a nice person,” Coburn said as he went on to lecture the crowd about civility. Just because somebody disagrees with you dodn’t (sic) mean they’re not a good person,” Coburn said. “I’ve been in the senate for five years and I’ve taken a lot of that..."

Coburn further went on to warn against the dangers of watching Fox - no, really.

“What we have to have is make sure we have a debate in this country so that you can see what’s going on and make a determination yourself,” Coburn added and then again warned the crowd against the myths perpetrated on FOX News. So don’t catch yourself being biased by FOX News that somebody is no good. The people in Washington are good. They just don’t know what they don’t know.”

Undoubtedly refreshing, it hardly comes as a surprise. The junior Senator counts himself a good friend and frequent correspondent of the current president, whom he admits he is much closer to than the last one. He has also called President Obama, "a wonderful man".

So while it may seem silly to devote so many words to pat a grown man on the back for doing the right thing, in a political world filled with polemics and mistrust, this moment was not. There are but a few pairings with the scope of ideological divide as great as the chasm between a Coburn-Pelosi pairing, yet in this moment it was not about ideology, politics, or hegemony; it was about people. It was about civility.

And it was about time.

In Case You Missed it...

2010-04-01T17:28:00.005-04:00

Here are some stories (lighthearted and otherwise) worth catching up on from the last few days*:

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is realistic, in that healthcare repeal is not very probable.

If you try donating to the RNC, you may find yourself having phone sex instead.

Veep Joe Biden is a big fuckin' deal in the world of NCAA brackets.

As if the RNC didn't have enough problems, a splinter group is poised to challenge the reeling arm of the GOP.

Glenn Beck making sense! These things happen once in a lifetime folks...

The numbers are in, and they're up, up, up for President Obama. Hey, I wonder if that has anything to do with that healthcare thing...

In other news, many campaign supporters are none too pleased about the President's new expanded offshore drilling plan.

In the future, Sarah Palin may want to ask people to be her guests before labeling them as such.

*In the spirit of April Fools' Day, one or more of these stories is not true. Click the links to find out and win the prize. What is the prize you ask? This is your prize.

The US Senate: Where Bills Go to Die

2010-03-31T14:13:00.001-04:00

My first column in Athens' The Post ran this morning. Check out an excerpt below:

The dust has settled. The votes are in. After more than 12 months of raucous town hall meetings and tea party rallies - intense public debate over supposed death panels, government takeovers and socialized medicine - health care reform finally became a law last week.

Democrats call it an historic victory, and by all objective means, they're right. But to those of us with a daily addiction to politics, the year-long debate over health care reform is a microcosm for everything wrong with Washington. In particular, it's the Senate. In case you live outside that political bubble, I'm referring to using and abusing the filibuster and budget reconciliation.

While the House of Representatives follows our country's basic premise of majority rule, the Senate is a contest over who better misuses and manipulates the rules. For the minority party, it's about filibustering to block everything in sight. For the party in power, it's about rewriting legislation to meet the guidelines of budget reconciliation. For everyone else, it's why Washington does not work.

Read it in its entirety here.

UPDATE: Please leave me love via comments on The Post's website!

The Palin Test for Financial Regulation

2010-03-29T08:47:00.002-04:00

Both the Times' Paul Krugman and WaPo's Ezra Klein apply the Sarah Palin Test to the proposed Wall Street regulatory reforms.

Would they still work if Sarah Palin were to become President?

If you're an economic policy buff, both pieces are must-reads.

UPDATE: Picture obtained from here.

Making Sense of Healthcare Reform

2010-03-26T13:21:00.002-04:00

There's been lots of talk about voting and procedure lately, and lost in the proverbial shuffle may be the real-life effects of the passing of healthcare reform.

Harry Reid's campaign website has a good breakdown of what healthcare means for real people, whatever their circumstances or position in life may be.

A Disproportional Response

2010-03-24T23:34:00.009-04:00

In the wake of the jubilation aimed at the passage of the healthcare reform bill, an ugly wave of violence has ensued. Propelled by the fervency of the ignorant shouting for an instant repealing of the bill, fringe GOPers and Tea-Party extremists alike have taken to unforgivable, unwarranted, and inexcusable acts of violence.

What is it that plants the seed in the minds of these misguided individuals, that through violence they can achieve their goals? What makes them think that through hate, intolerance,and bellicosity they can finagle their way into keeping whats laws they so choose, and banning others. It's hard not to think back to other instances in this same vein, such as when anti-abortion extremists gunned down Dr. George Tiller for providing late term abortions. Laws are laws, and like them or not, they are legal. Many if not all of us are passionate about certain rulings, but violence begets violence and at best begets ignorance and confusion.

Last Friday, a brick was thrown through the window of Rep. Louise Slaughter's (D-NY) district office in Niagra Falls, New York. On Sunday, a brick was thrown through the Democratic headquarters in Rochester, New York, shattering the glass door. Vandals have also struck democratic headquarters in Wichita, Kansas, Denver, Colorado, as well as Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' office in Tuscon, Arizona. Both representatives were crucial supporters of healthcare efforts.

Unbelievably, culpability has been almost gleefully admitted to in relatively quick succession.

"The Alabama-based blog, called "Sipsey Street Irregulars," says it has launched a so-called "window war" against Democrats and has kept a tally of the recent incidents of damage, including the ones in New York and Kansas. Blogger Michael B. Vanderboegh of Pinson, Alabama [said], 'My answer is violence, by getting their attention...If we can get across to the other side, that they are within inches of provoking a civil war in this country, then that's a good thing.'"

But the violence is becoming evermore dangerous and exceedingly personal. Last week a group named the Committee to Rethink Reform published a picture of freshman Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-OH) and his children in the local paper, along with plans for a protest to be held outside his house (directions and phone numbers included). Driehaus now has a Cincinatti officer stationed outside his home amidst death threats. Bart Stupak (D-MI) and John Boccieri (D-OH) have also received numerous death threats. Lest you think the provocation has been limited to fringe wing-nuts, allow me to sadly set the record straight. Many Democratic congressman have pointed to republican leadership for the vituperative language spurring this violence. None other than House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) told Driehaus if he voted for the bill he would be "a dead man".

Opposition is a good thing. Fierce and spirited debate are healthy and salubrious. Disagreement is what keeps democracy alive and its representatives honest. But at the risk of appearing trite, violence is not, nor will it ever be the answer. How long until the violence becomes more serious? How long until a window isn't the only damage caused? Simply put, this is sickening and inexcusable. A lawmaker should never fear for their safety, or worse their wife and children's because of a vote. The House minority leadership, Senate minority leadership, and the RNC should immediately condemn these egregious acts of domestic terrorism, because that is what they are.

Those unfamiliar with history are doomed to repeat it, and one can only hope that the outpouring of hatred and violence in recent days is not anything close to the type of violence that has continually emanated from hate-mongering and extremist groups protesting civil rights and abortion. It is truly a shame that after what should be a celebratory moment in American history, an asterisk will blemish its spot in the history books.

At Long Last, Healthcare Reform

2010-03-22T17:38:00.004-04:00

The saying goes, there's two things you never want to see being made - laws and sausages. Only this time, it was well worth it to be an active witness to one of the most historic legislative moments in recent memory. On Sunday evening, the House passed comprehensive healthcare reform and the bill is expected to be signed by President Obama tomorrow. The House also passed a series of fixes that will be taken up for debate in the Senate starting tomorrow.

For those following the healthcare reform debate, it's been a long time coming. But in actuality, the fight has spanned decades and numerous presidential administrations. If nothing else, President Obama can already look back on a pioneering legacy that consists of reforms to our nation's healthcare system that so many tried to traverse but were turned back empty-handed. If he were the gloating kind, the President could laugh in the face of those who pronounced reform dead on numerous occasions, or portended how this would be his Waterloo. Of course, the legacy for President Obama does not and will not end here.

Amidst the insidious lies, skewing of facts, and desperate attempts to mislead the public, 219 brave individuals stood up for reform, the likes of which have not been seen since the presidency of LBJ. To be sure, this process saw our democracy at some of its lower points - but it also shone brightly on some of its finest. I defy you to watch Nancy Pelosi's impassioned pleas for the passing of this bill and not feel your heart race a little faster, I defy you to watch the passing of this bill and listen to the House begin chanting 'yes we can', and not feel a chill, a sense of pride, or a sense of history. For many career politicians, the passing of this bill was the crowning culmination of a life's work. 219 men and women stood up for what they knew to be right, even if it wasn't always popular or smart politically.

Because of these men and women, 32 million more people will have access to healthcare in this country, many of them children. No longer will someone be denied coverage because they have a preexisting condition, no longer will coverage be dropped because one loses their job or they get sick, no longer will premiums arbitrarily rise or cap their coverage unexpectedly, no longer will preventive care prevent a family from being able to afford food or rent, all while bringing down the national debt. In an age in which too many are the times our government is derided, its politicians ridiculed, and its processes obdurate, we can point to this legislation and proudly say - this has made our country better, it has made its citizens lives easier,more bearable, and certainly more fair.

This is an example of government at its finest, an activist government that improves the lives of its citizenry in an easily discernible way. And sure, there were lies, name-calling, and petulant behavior to be had, but nothing could marr the importance of what was done in the late hours sunday evening. This is a bill that will have far-reaching consequences, and affect each and every one of our lives. In an age when we still celebrate JFK's iconic quotation to "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country", it is refreshing and perhaps even necessary to have an instance to point to where one's government is looking out for their interests and trying to improve their lives.

Ever the articulate orator, President Obama succinctly and accurately declared, "This is what change looks like". It is not radical or all encompassing, and it does not go as far as some would have hoped, but it lays a brilliant foundation, a foundation that is now exponentially easier to build upon. The debate surrounding healthcare reform has often taken on a personal tone, and thus let me end on a personal note. Moments like this one are the reason I want to work in government. Every moment like this erodes away at the skepticism and cynicism that so surrounds and pervades our psyches when we think of politics. It's emblematic of a mindset that politics does not have to be, and should not be a dirty word.

This is what change looks like. But it feels even better.

Election Day Registration & Happy Spring Break!

2010-03-18T12:52:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in a couple days because we're in finals week here at OU, and I've been spending most of my days and nights studying for final exams and working on final papers--one of which I like enough to post a draft of online for any interested to read.

The topic of course, is same day (or Election Day) registration, a policy that allows eligible to register and vote on Election Day instead of having to pre-register weeks or months in advance.

Here's a small excerpt:

What's sad about the state of our democracy is that our law-making bodies largely ignore those among us who need help the most. The single mother who has to take a second job just to pay her mortgage and feed her kids, the high-school dropout, guilty only of being born into a bad situation, a bad neighborhood, and a failing school district, and the young, eager college student who's forced to withdraw because he and his family can't qualify for student loans--they're the people that really need help. And they're the same ones that often fail to register, and fail to vote.

You can read my research in its entirety, here.

Otherwise, tomorrow morning I'm off on Spring Break, where I'll be without internet access for a little over a week.

Ben will be back next week though, so keep checking back for updates!

**Also, starting next quarter I'll be doing a weekly political column for The Post. I'll let you know when it starts running.

GOP Makes Me LOL

2010-03-15T17:56:00.003-04:00

I came across this gem via Ezra Klein's WaPo blog, and it's just too funny to ignore.

Via the Times (bold added for emphasis):

While a bill-signing ceremony in the Rose Garden would provide at least a short-term boost to a beleaguered president, Republicans have made clear that the legislative procedure Democrats are using to avoid another filibuster would so anger them that they would not cooperate on other major initiatives this year.
“If they jam through health care,” said Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, then Democrats will have “poisoned the well” on other issues. He was interviewed Sunday on ABC’s “This Week.”

In other words, don't pass health care reform, or else we'll continue doing exactly what we've been doing for the past 14 months!

Hilarious.

Democracy Inaction: Senate sitting on more than 290 bills passed by the House

2010-03-15T15:01:00.004-04:00

It has to be noted that the current Republican minority in the Senate is misusing the filibuster like we've never seen before.

Here's a small sampling of the more than 290 bills that passed the House but are being held up by Senate Republican filibusters (this list excludes health care reform):

Climate Change legislation (cap and trade)
Food Safety
Financial Aid for the U.S. Postal Service
Job Security Act for Wounded Veterans
Civil War Battlefield Preservation Act
Vision care for children
A bill to improve absentee voting
A bill to improve cyber security
Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act

And the latest hostage? None other than the widely popular Senate jobs bill.

Democratic Leaders are preparing to hold the Senate in session all night long tonight to hold an immediate vote because Republican filibusters have forced 30 hours of post-cloture debate.

Is there any real doubt that the bill is gonna pass? No, not really. But that hasn't stopped Republicans from ensuring that business as usual in Washington is, well, business as usual.

Reason #301 to Support Healthcare Reform

2010-03-09T17:57:00.005-05:00

And it may be the best one yet. Okay, not really - but it's got to at least be in the top ten. Rush Limbaugh has promised to vacate the United States if his personal illogical nightmare becomes reality and healthcare reform passes. The transcript from his call-in show is below:

CALLER: If the health care bill passes, where would you go for health care yourself? And the second part of that is, what would happen to the doctors, do they have to participate in the federal program, or could they opt out of it? [...]

LIMBAUGH: My guess is even in Canada and even in the UK, doctors have opted out. And once they’ve opted, they can’t see anybody Medicare, Medicaid, or what will become the exchanges. They have to have a clientele of private patients that will pay them a retainer and it’ll be a very small practice. I don’t know if that’s been outlawed in the Senate bill. I don’t know. I’ll just tell you this, if this passes and it’s five years from now and all that stuff gets implemented — I am leaving the country. I’ll go to Costa Rica.

You can also listen to the exchange by clicking below:

Here's to hoping Rush Limbaugh keeps this particular promise, and may god have mercy on all Costa Ricans. If you still needed a reason to support healthcare reform, well, here you go.

Hypocrisy, Preditability, and Other Emotions (Or, the News)

2010-03-04T18:08:00.006-05:00

Hypocrisy

In what has to be my favorite news story of the week, Ray Ashburn (R), a state senator from California was recently spotted being a hypocrite. Ashburn was arrested for driving drunk around 2am this past Wednesday, wherein when asked for identification, he announced himself as 'Senator Ashburn' (a moral defect in and of itself). But wait, it gets better (or worse). The lawmaker is a consistent foe of homosexuality as well as gay rights, but was leaving a gay nightclub named "Faces", and had an unidentified male in the car who was not detained. Assburn is a father of four.

Predictability

Democrats and Republicans have been going back and forth about the merits of reconciliation lately. And in case anyone needs help, the Sunlight Foundation explains with this useful graphic how reconciliation is mainly used for partisan votes. Hey, thanks for clearing that up for us but did you really need to commission a study to come to that conclusion?

In other nauseatingly predictable news, the Republicans in a leaked memo outline how they plan to run in the 2010 elections on how awful and scary Barack Obama is, as well as saving the country from socialism. Wow, an election in which Republicans try to win by attempting to scare people, how refreshing. In the same memo, the GOP also manages to ridicule its best donors.

Other

CQ Politics examines the recent entry of a Tea-Party candidate in the Nevada Senate race. This can only help Harry Reid's chances.

Sarah Palin wants to produce a tv show, which certainly seems like a job she's more suited for than say, President.

Who says politics is boring?

Jim Bunning Knows His State Birds

2010-03-02T18:01:00.004-05:00

Or at least how to flip the bird anyway. In his latest asinine move, Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) has launched a solo filibuster against a bill that would extend unemployment benefits to some of those who have been hit hardest by the recession.

For a rundown on the Bunning's filibuster, Roll Call has the story. Today, the Democrats announced a counter-strategy that would make Bunning look like the selfish, petulant man that he is. Although, he's doing a good job so far all on his lonesome - what with his profanity laced tirades against his fellow lawmakers and his childlike outbursts viewable below.

Meanwhile, Politico chronicles how Bunning's one-man runaway strategy is uniting Democrats while putting his own party in a jam.

Obama v. McCain Part Deux

2010-02-25T17:44:00.004-05:00

I hear Obama won the first round. In today's summit, largely dubbed political theatre extravaganza 2010, there weren't a whole lot of new ideas or headway that made headlines.

*Pause for shock*

What did make headlines were exchanges like the one below (my favorite from today).

Video courtesy of TPM. Enjoy.

A "Schocking" Tale of GOP Hypocrisy

2010-02-15T23:14:00.002-05:00

The White House should take a page from Rachel Maddow and be more active in calling out GOP Senators and Congressman for trashing the stimulus package while in Washington, but then taking credit for projects it funds back in their home states.

Continuing to spotlight this blatant hypocrisy, Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press yesterday took Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) to task for doing just that:

“Just this week you were at a community college touting a $350,000 green technology education program, talking about how great that was going to be for your district. You voted against the bill that created that grant. And so that's happening a lot with Republicans sort of taking credit for things that Democratic bills do, and then Republicans simultaneously touting their votes against them and trashing them. That's, I think, a problem that needs to be resolved within your caucus, because, I mean, you seem like a very nice person, but that's a very hypocritical stance to take.”

Watch Rachel embarrass the Illinois freshman:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

EDIT: Here's more footage of Maddow calling out others on her show last week. This people, is a MUST WATCH:

Schocking indeed.

Everything Louder than Everything Else

2010-02-09T16:55:00.006-05:00

Regardless of where you fall on one of the fundamental issues of representation, a new study out finds that in large part, the Republican party is on the wrong side of public opinion. Nate Silver, of fivethirtyeight.com (if you're not familiar with the site, it's a must for political junkies), took a long hard look at 25 specific issues consistently and forcefully advocated by President Obama and deciphered each item's public opinion.

At a glance, of those 25 items, Silver finds Obama to be on the right side of public opinion on 14 of them, a healthy majority. In just 5 instances is Obama on the wrong side of the public's approval, while the remaining 6 cases lack a sufficient enough sample size to render an accurate conclusion.

For a complete list of the issues and analysis, be sure to click one of the links above. But the kicker, and get ready to be blown away, is that Republicans have overwhelmingly opposed all of these measures save for three (Ben Bernanke and the Afghanistan surge which falls under the insufficent sample size category, and the credit card bill).

As if this wasn't enough for a polite kick in the behind to wake up the GOP, a new Washington Post/ABC News poll ultimately found 6 in 10 Americans peeved at the unwillingness of republicans to compromise in any fashion with President Obama, while 4 in 10 felt the inverse. Amongst the all important independents, 56% saw Republicans in Congress as too unwilling to change, and perhaps most importantly, nearly 2/3 of Americans want Congress to keep working on a way to pass healthcare reform.

How long is it going to take the GOP to figure out that even their own party is starting to get annoyed with their leaders' obstinacy? The Post writes,

"The sticky part of widespread desire for compromise is that it's simple to want it from the other side. About three-quarters of Democrats see the congressional Republicans as intransigent, while a similar proportion of Republicans see Obama that way. But even Republicans are critical of their congressional leadership, with 44 percent seeing them as doing too little to strike deals with Obama; that compares with just 13 percent of Democrats worried about inaction on Obama's part."

So with Democrats attempting to enact President Obama's agenda, one that seemingly meets the public's approval in large part, perhaps it's high time for the pundits to pop a Pepto and quell the verbal diarrhea that results when they say things to the effect of 'President Obama's far left, liberal agenda is turning off the American public, and they better watch out come midterms'. Midterms will likely come down to a few main factors: the shape of the economy in the preceding weeks, public opinion of the party in power as well as their agenda, and who is the loudest and/or (yes or) most effective at delivering their message to the voting public.

Maybe the smallest tent in the circus that is D.C. politics needs a few more Q&A sessions with the President. Or maybe they just shouldn't depend on leaders who need to write down talking points on their hands, like the always tough to remember "lift American spirits".

When Ignorance Knows No Limits

2010-02-02T18:03:00.004-05:00

In a Daily Kos/ Research 2000 poll released earlier today polling solely Republicans, some truly startling statistics were produced. In a fairly extensive line of questioning, perhaps the most finite take away point from the aggregate data is that an overwhelming amount of the current Republican party is shockingly ignorant. Now in fairness, while Kos' polling operation is non-partisan, some of their past polls have been skewed very slightly to favor the left. That said, even if these numbers are somewhat true, it reveals an appalling, even nauseating level of stupidity.

Take for instance, that 63% believe President Obama to be a socialist against 21% who say he isn't - 16% aren't sure. I honestly don't know which grouping is worse. Perhaps even more astounding is that a whopping 53% believe Sarah Palin to be more qualified to be president than Obama, while just 14% believe Obama to be more qualified - again, 33% were unsure. In this case, the worst group is easily discernible. If you are not sure who is more qualified to be president - Barack Obama or Sarah Palin - there may be no help for you.

The stupidity continues: 39% want to IMPEACH President Obama (for what?), 36% say he wasn't born in the United States (22% unsure), 24% say Obama wants the terrorists to win (33% unsure), 31% believe Obama is a racist who hates white people, 23% want their state to secede from the United States, 77% believe Genesis should be taught in public schools, 31% want all birth control to be outlawed, and finally, 67% believe that only through Jesus can one go to heaven.

For lack of a better word, Jesus Christ. It's no longer any wonder that republican representatives espouse asinine and wholly ignorant views on a nearly quotidian basis, now we know who is sending them to Congress. All joking aside, this is scary, scary stuff. Impeach Obama? A racist who hates white people? Outlaw all contraception? Are 1 in 3-ish Republicans really this, well - dumb? Where do they find these people?

State of the Union, Year One

2010-01-28T18:29:00.004-05:00

Last night, President Obama gave his first official State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress. In a speech laden with personality, frankness, and a heavy dose of reality, President Obama did not shy away from taking aim at obstructionist Republicans while outlining his agenda for the coming months.

It was hard not to feel hopeful and renewed after hearing the speech. Whether or not you agree with his policies, it is clear that President Obama has steely determination and no intention of backing down.

You can get a full transcript of the speech here, or watch the video below.

Some highlights included:

Justice Alito not bothering to hide his blatant disagreement with the President's disagreement with last week's court decision.
Vice President Biden looking more, um, enthusiastic than usual.

"Our most urgent task upon taking office was to shore up the same banks that helped cause this crisis. It was not easy to do. And if there's one thing that has unified Democrats and Republicans, it's that we all hated the bank bailout. I hated it. You hated it. It was about as popular as a root canal."

"One place to start is serious financial reform. Look, I am not interested in punishing banks, I'm interested in protecting our economy. A strong, healthy financial market makes it possible for businesses to access credit and create new jobs. It channels the savings of families into investments that raise incomes. But that can only happen if we guard against the same recklessness that nearly brought down our entire economy."

"I know there have been questions about whether we can afford such changes in a tough economy; and I know that there are those who disagree with the overwhelming scientific evidence on climate change. But even if you doubt the evidence, providing incentives for energy efficiency and clean energy are the right thing to do for our future - because the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy. And America must be that nation."

"In the 21st century, one of the best anti-poverty programs is a world-class education. In this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than their potential."

"Instead, let's take that money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college and increase Pell Grants. And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only ten percent of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after twenty years - and forgiven after ten years if they choose a career in public service. Because in the United States of America, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college."

"But I also know this problem is not going away. By the time I'm finished speaking tonight, more Americans will have lost their health insurance. Millions will lose it this year. Our deficit will grow. Premiums will go up. Patients will be denied the care they need. Small business owners will continue to drop coverage altogether. I will not walk away from these Americans, and neither should the people in this chamber."

"But what frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day. We cannot wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about their opponent - a belief that if you lose, I win. Neither party should delay or obstruct every single bill just because they can."

"To Democrats, I would remind you that we still have the largest majority in decades, and the people expect us to solve some problems, not run for the hills. And if the Republican leadership is going to insist that sixty votes in the Senate are required to do any business at all in this town, then the responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it's not leadership. We were sent here to serve our citizens, not our ambitions."

"But remember this - I never suggested that change would be easy, or that I can do it alone. Democracy in a nation of three hundred million people can be noisy and messy and complicated. And when you try to do big things and make big changes, it stirs passions and controversy. That's just how it is."

Massachusetts: Lessons Learned

2010-01-27T14:49:00.002-05:00

There’s been a lot of tealeaf reading going on in Washington. As we’ve all observed since Republican Scott Brown’s special election Senate victory on January 19, pundits and politicians alike can’t seem to help but give their take on why Brown won and what it means for the Democratic Party.

Is this a sign that Democrats need to tamper expectations and take a turn towards the center? Is this the end of health care reform? Are Democrats screwed in 2010? Many in Washington and in the news seem to think so, but I think they’re missing the point. Here’s what Democrats should take away from Martha Coakley’s failed campaign to retain Ted Kennedy’s former seat in blue Mass:

1.    Running good campaigns still matters.

By every objective measure, Martha Coakley ran one of the worst high-profile campaigns in history. Countless gaffes aside (she said, now famously, that Red Sox pitching great Curt Schilling was a Yankees fan and went on record mocking the idea that she shake voters’ hands outside Fenway Park), Martha Coakley ran as if she’d already been elected. A telling statistic: After the Democratic Primary, Coakley made only 19 campaign stops. In the same period of time, Scott Brown made 66.

Brown ran the better campaign. He won.

2. You can’t forget about the base.

Yes, Scott Brown won the independent vote in Massachusetts (handily I’ll add), however Coakley still could have won had she turned out the Democratic base. Exit polls confirmed that women, minorities, and young people turned out in numbers far lower than expected. Granted, progressive discontent over health care reform likely also played a role in this, but Coakley did zero outreach to communities of color or to young people. Especially as a Democrat in Massachusetts of all places, you can’t win without your base voters. 

3.    People are angry about the economy, and feel like Washington is putting Wall Street before Main Street.

Exit polls out of Massachusetts also confirmed that it wasn’t health care that was most important to voters, but the economy. And people feel like Washington has been more concerned with Wall Street’s economic recovery than the middle class’. As a result, everyone running now who associates themselves with Washington is in trouble.

In this election, Coakley ran as the establishment candidate. Scott Brown ran as the outsider; the independent ‘change’ candidate, much like President Obama did in 2008. Anyone who thinks Brown won by brandishing his Republican Party credentials should watch his acceptance speech and count the number of times he uses the word “Republican” (the answer is zero).

4.    Democrats need to do a better job of explaining what they’re doing to the American people.

This to me is perhaps the most important lesson of all. Democrats need to do a much better job of communicating with the American people. On the economy—they’ve basically failed at explaining to people 1) why action they took on the economy was necessary and 2) how much worse things would have been had we done nothing. That narrative never really stuck.

And on health care—when you consider the individual elements contained in the health care reform package, they are all tremendously popular ideas. But when you ask people about the bill coming out of Washington, they adamantly oppose it. The White House especially has allowed Republicans and special interests to completely mischaracterize the bill, to the point where we stand today in which almost no one really understands what’s in it to begin with.

If Democrats really want to win back support from the American people, they need talk to them about what they are doing and why. Hopefully that process begins tonight.