A Conservative's View: The Remmers Report blog was created to listen to all sides of political, economic and interesting points of view discussed in an intelligent manner. As we grow and establish our street creds, we welcome perspectives that differ from ours. This is the first posting from a true conservative. His name is John Cothern, a health insurance broker from Huntington Beach, Calif. He filed these remarks Wednesday, the day after Barack Obama was elected president. It has been edited only for purposes of brevity. John, it's all yours:
The reason behind "change" is to create solidarity (the feeling or expression of union in a group formed by a common interest) was clear in the acceptance speech last night, where it was stated he needed to win over more of the populous to his side. He even went so far as to ask for more acceptance (he needs to win more of us over?)...to what? For what? There is still no goal stated or established in any speech or discussion - ever! If there is ever to be "change," there must be a goal of common interest, hence solidarity. If only emotional "feelings" create that solidarity, which is what we have just seen, then a "hidden agenda" (the goal) may turn out to be the rudest of rude awakenings, and if that goal is only to sway the opinion of the masses to make "radical" change, then the major change will occur in not only what we believe in, but also how we believe (our ability to reason logically). The first step - remove the basis for your beliefs from religion - take God from the equation (looks as if that's working too), remove the concept of Jesus (especially his teachings). Now your morality is questioned and ethics no longer has importance. Then you have human beings in doubt and back to their basic emotions, seeking the unattainable fantasy. We just "feel" things are not quite right, and we don't know what is wrong, thus we must need "change." Saul Alinsky's (an abject Marxist) "Rules for Radicals" produced this excerpt: "The means-and-ends moralists...The standards of judgment must be rooted in the whys and wherefores of life as it is lived, the world as it is, not our wished-for fantasy of the world as it should be" is exactly my point of reference. It is the exact reason for change. The fantasy or quest to change what the "world as it is" to what "...it should be" is essentially the root that can bring about radical upheaval. Just look at Kenya. It's a freaking mind game plying good against evil. What better way to do it then to create division (those who believe in him, and those who do not), which is an intermediate goal. Then ask the balance (the non believers) to come over to his side (in other words, give him a chance) to provide the ultimate authority he needs to make radical change to everything as you knew "it to be" to what "it should be." That only exists in his mind, and I've never been in there. There's but one thing left, and that is for the rest of us to slip into a coma. Don't forget, freedom is what "it should be."
A Rebuttal: Having just awakened from a coma, I agree and have said earlier that Barack Obama's change message hammered throughout his 19-month trek to election could be defined any number of ways: Against eight years of the Bush administration, against how lobbyists control Congress, for a fresh bottom-up approach to governing, etc. However, during the course of the campaign, Obama established himself on enough issues that by Nov. 4 52% of the voters believed he was credible to be our commander-in-chief. Despite a limited voting record to support his intentions, he convinced us otherwise. The ball is now in his court. The fantasies end.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Playing Hopscotch With Medicare
On Again, Off Again: California's low income seniors are being used as pawns in a game of table tennis between Medicare, Medi-Cal and private health insurance carriers. It's a direct result of the state's budget deficit. First to be axed was the state's annual rental subsidy check of $320 to the single poor. The amount wasn't much but to seniors living solely on Social Security benefits it was a welcome stimulus. The latest round of cuts eliminates Medi-Cal from paying the $96.40 monthly premium for health care provided by Medicare. The net effect is nearly $100 in income lost from one's Social Security benefit which averages about $1,192 while at the same time re-qualifying the individual to receive no co-pay health coverage from Medi-Cal. If Medi-Cal pays the Medicare premium, except for the lowest income seniors the state pays for catastrophic coverage after medical expenses exceed $520/mo. This forces the individual to obtain health coverage from private carriers and only HMO's offer it. If that's not perplexing, it gets worse. A directive from Sacramento tells caseworkers at the county-level Department of Public Social Services that funding by the state for Medicare premiums will be stopped and started in two-month increments as long as the state budget crises lasts. For the thousands of seniors who fall under this umbrella, health care costs are paid by their private carriers for two months and the next two months are free under the Medi-Cal no copay system. We kid you not. What we have here is a bureaucratic nightmare. Seniors who play the system are coerced to stack all their medical needs short of hospitalization in two-month windows of opportunity. The private carriers should be happy to oblige. It is estimated it costs an average of $167 for the insurance carriers to process each claim, no matter what dollar amount of the claim may be. The track record of most carriers is to stick Medicaid with medical claims at every opportunity. Is California really saving money in this on-again, off-again venture of passing the Medicare premium payments on to the consumer? What they save in premium costs is drowned by a flood of anticipated increases in full-coverage claims every two months. Do the math. This is crazy. It's insane. It's our government at work.
Friday, November 7, 2008
How Obama Governs
In The Beginning ...: The genesis of Barack Obama's method of operation for governing is traced to his days at Harvard Law School where he attended in 1989-91. It also explains his concept that judges failed to extend the Civil Rights movement to a more righteous conclusion. More on that later. The environment at Harvard during Obama's matriculation was rife of protests and peaceful sit-ins of the Dean's Office and other faculty. Divergent activist groups of blacks, Hispanics and others demanded more diversity among the composition of law professors. They were not advocating quotas or affirmative action, recalls Juan Zuniga, a law student one year behind Obama. Rather, it was a protest of "polemic faculty obsessed with their own ideological agendas but no clue as to what happens in the real world." In this divisive setting, Obama was selected to join The Harvard Review, the most prestigious publication of any law school in America. His peers elected him president/editor of the group his third and final year at Harvard. Zuniga did not know Obama other than to exchange greetings as they passed each other in hallways. However, all the 1,500 law students knew of him because his achievements as first black president/editor of Harvard Law Review were chronicled in the New York Times, Boston Herald and Wall Street Journal. Zuniga said Obama's emergence in the selection process was "a neutral, middle-ground, non-threatening, non-ideological candidate." His impressions of Obama from friends on the Harvard Law Review and faculty were "that he was not perceived as an ideologue by those who knew him. Rather, he has an incredible facility to listen to other people, consider their positions, respect their positions when making a decision and then use his own intellect to reach his own conclusion. He draws talented and respectful people to himself. He makes responsible decisions based on merit and not ideological principles. It is very much worth noting that in many ways he keeps himself above the fray. While a bunch of us were out there trying to take over the Dean's office, Barack was never a meaningful presence at any rallies. I once was on a panel debating Professor Charles Fried (a grade A knucklehead and later Justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Court) about diversification of the faculty, but I don't once remember Barack making any public statements about the issue. I have no doubt he believed we needed a more diverse faculty, but he also knew that the role he had as Editor in Chief of the Law Review meant he could accomplish so much by approaching his task with professionalism without raising an ideological torch and be a rabble rouser. ... If he used the position as a pulpit to become involved in the cultural wars, he (would) have lessen his stature but more importantly weaken the cause that he otherwise might strengthen. In stead, by keeping outside the thickest part of the debate, we could point to him as the type of qualified (also read as non-threatening) candidate with integrity, smarts and people skills who could fit right into the faculty. I don't think we ever dreamed he could become president of the country."
Flash forward to 2008. Obama applied those same principles conceived and tested at Harvard Law School to win the presidency. He listened and weighed input from some very shrewd advisers and experts, made decisions and demanded discipline and loyalty down to the very last volunteer. The only gaffes in the campaign came from Obama himself (rural people clinging to guns and religion) and wife Michelle (for the first time in her life proud to be an American). Willie Brown, California's best and most astute politician ever, proclaimed on MSNBC's Hardball show yesterday Obama ran the best, most disciplined national political campaign he ever witnessed. "It was virtually flawless," he said.
A Diversified Court: In the final weeks of the campaign, Republicans leaped on a statement from Obama in which he told The San Francisco Chronicle he believed the court fell short in its decisions involving civil rights. The full text of Obama's comments were on the Chronicle's website since February. Why it took Republican opposition researchers nine months to bring up the subject may be an indication how dysfunction the campaign was. Their argument was that Obama would appoint judges who legislated from the bench rather than follow the intent of the U.S. constitution. Again, the genesis of that position by Obama goes back to his days at Harvard Law School. Juan Zuniga explains: "In deed, one of the central arguments we tried to overcome was that we were not advocating a simple quota or numbers system. ... Rather, we wanted qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds to be able to introduce the real world context of race and gender into the law. The truth of the matter is America treats a 62-year-old white male grandfather living in Connecticut different than a 34-year-old Guatemalan immigrant single mother living in Arizona. The teaching of the law, by its nature, needs to be to incorporate how society (law enforcement, public schools, employers, landlords, etc.) views and is viewed by these different people. When your faculty is comprised of 90% of older white gentleman who have lived exclusively in New England and have no job experience except for academia, how are they going to make the law relevant in a society they don't reflect? The law is not static and objective in the same way mechanical engineering is and the institutions that teach the law cannot be so arrogant that only a single perspective is valid." It doesn't matter if one agrees with Obama, this is how he formulates his policy decisions. It's been that way since Square One at Harvard Law School.
Full Disclosure: Juan Zuniga practices international and finance law in San Diego. He donated $1,000 to Obama's primary campaign. He is a second cousin in my extended family.
Flash forward to 2008. Obama applied those same principles conceived and tested at Harvard Law School to win the presidency. He listened and weighed input from some very shrewd advisers and experts, made decisions and demanded discipline and loyalty down to the very last volunteer. The only gaffes in the campaign came from Obama himself (rural people clinging to guns and religion) and wife Michelle (for the first time in her life proud to be an American). Willie Brown, California's best and most astute politician ever, proclaimed on MSNBC's Hardball show yesterday Obama ran the best, most disciplined national political campaign he ever witnessed. "It was virtually flawless," he said.
A Diversified Court: In the final weeks of the campaign, Republicans leaped on a statement from Obama in which he told The San Francisco Chronicle he believed the court fell short in its decisions involving civil rights. The full text of Obama's comments were on the Chronicle's website since February. Why it took Republican opposition researchers nine months to bring up the subject may be an indication how dysfunction the campaign was. Their argument was that Obama would appoint judges who legislated from the bench rather than follow the intent of the U.S. constitution. Again, the genesis of that position by Obama goes back to his days at Harvard Law School. Juan Zuniga explains: "In deed, one of the central arguments we tried to overcome was that we were not advocating a simple quota or numbers system. ... Rather, we wanted qualified candidates of diverse backgrounds to be able to introduce the real world context of race and gender into the law. The truth of the matter is America treats a 62-year-old white male grandfather living in Connecticut different than a 34-year-old Guatemalan immigrant single mother living in Arizona. The teaching of the law, by its nature, needs to be to incorporate how society (law enforcement, public schools, employers, landlords, etc.) views and is viewed by these different people. When your faculty is comprised of 90% of older white gentleman who have lived exclusively in New England and have no job experience except for academia, how are they going to make the law relevant in a society they don't reflect? The law is not static and objective in the same way mechanical engineering is and the institutions that teach the law cannot be so arrogant that only a single perspective is valid." It doesn't matter if one agrees with Obama, this is how he formulates his policy decisions. It's been that way since Square One at Harvard Law School.
Full Disclosure: Juan Zuniga practices international and finance law in San Diego. He donated $1,000 to Obama's primary campaign. He is a second cousin in my extended family.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Obama's Fleeting Moment
Time Out: Let's just take a moment to think about what we've just done. At 8:01 p.m. PST Tuesday Nov. 4, 2008 we elected the first black president of the United States. We knew the inevitable. It was going to happen. It did. Many of us cried. Those who witnessed the turbulent Civil Rights movement of the 1960s remain dumbstruck. It happened in our lifetime. A minority, an African-American, historically the most oppressed people in our country, achieved the impossible dream. President of the United States. If ever there was a time -- and there have been many -- this one is to be cherished: We can honestly say we are proud to be Americans. This is what we're all about. Barack Obama, son of a Kenyan father and white woman from Kansas, does not epitomize an end to racial prejudice but rather transcends it. As one foreign newspaper headline plagerized, Obama's election is one giant leap for mankind. Obama not only won, he won by an electoral college landslide and propelled a strong majority of Democrats to Congress. His election changes the demographics of America. His is a coalition of youth, minorities, women, labor, the affluent and those with more than high school diplomas. Exit polls indicated race was less a factor for Obama than age for the 72-year-old John McCain. Keep in mind that by 2020 America's white majority will be a minority. This election is a harbinger of what's to come. Most interesting is the reaction of the U.S. business community at home and foreigners abroad.
World Opinion: In Berlin, jaded teenagers at the bilingual John F. Kennedy School favored Obama by 86% but said that represented a rebuke of President Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and unilateral foreign policy, not the slick slogans from Obama who has yet to prove himself. At the United Nations headquarters in New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon praised Obama and was confident the new administration would improve working relations which have been radioactive the past eight years. In Baghdad, today was the first time a group of poets and writers who meet twice a week for lunch and debate agreed on any topic: Obama. Such platitudes as "admirable," "inspirational" and "exciting" were heard among the members who represent all Iraqi factions -- the secular, religious, Sunnis, Shiites and former Saddam Hussein reform loyalists. "A black man in the White House, that is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life," said Daoud al-Rahmani, a self-styled poet and satirist. Walid al-Jubouri, a Saddam loyalist responded he was skeptical the president-elect would stop what he described as America's plan to "occupy the world." In Kisimu, Kenya, where Obama's father was from, thousands danced in the streets shouting slogans of going to America without passports and beating their chests that a half-Kenyan was the new president of the United States. The last time this nation held a presidential election, riots erupted protesting the results. In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, nearly all the citizens favored Obama except the ruling class emirates. "Americans can't think outside the box," declared the news director for the nation's television network. When the U.S. networks announced the projected victory, the director shook his head. "I'm positively surprised," he said. "It's great." In New Delhi, the headline for the lead editorial in the Hindustan Times, read "The World Enters America." The editorial reminded the 44th U.S. president of a world connected with economic problems and two wars. "For America to chart these choppy waters, it will have to have a helmsman who understands and engages the world on the world's terms," it urged. In Buenos Aires, Alejandro Saks, a television writer celebrating the election with Americans at a local bar, said "There is a feeling that the first time since Kennedy, America has a different type of leader." Similar sentiments were expressed in Caracas and Bejing. Not since the immediate aftermath of 9/11 has the world regarded us in such high esteem. That's one characteristic of Americans. We like to be liked.
Business Not As Usual: Business leaders are coming to grips that the new Obama administration and strong Democratic Congress will mean new regulations they hope will not impede commerce. More importantly, they want more money from the government to help spur the economy. "If you think we won't get more regulation in places other than financial services, you're nuts," said General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt several weeks ago. "We'll get more regulation in health care, energy and other areas." He also said some of the regulations need not be a negative. It "could be a catalyst for positive change," he said referring to expanded jobs in the renewable energy fields. Another worry is the opinion Democrats will shift the balance of power from employers to unions which have been all but mortally wounded since the Reagan administration. Among other potential losers with the Democrats in power could be banks, private equity funds and Big Oil. Congress also is expected to push legislation requiring businesses to pay for the right to emit carbon dioxide under a cap-and-traide system. Coal and oil producers would be penalized although other energy producers would benefit. Businesses are concerned of health care mandates if Congress adopts a universal reform plan while U.S. pharmacuetical industries fear the monoply they hold selling drugs to Medicare will be open to global bidding. The defense sector is nervous Congress will reduce spending because of the bad economic conditions and a drawdown of troops in Iraq. The defense industry wants the Pentagon budget increased to 4% of gross domestic product, up from 3.1% this year but likely to get less than that. The nation's technology sector could thrive on new green policies but are holding back investments unless the Democrats change course and grant them tax investment credits to expand. As Bob Dylan wrote, times they're a changing.
World Opinion: In Berlin, jaded teenagers at the bilingual John F. Kennedy School favored Obama by 86% but said that represented a rebuke of President Bush's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, torture of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and unilateral foreign policy, not the slick slogans from Obama who has yet to prove himself. At the United Nations headquarters in New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon praised Obama and was confident the new administration would improve working relations which have been radioactive the past eight years. In Baghdad, today was the first time a group of poets and writers who meet twice a week for lunch and debate agreed on any topic: Obama. Such platitudes as "admirable," "inspirational" and "exciting" were heard among the members who represent all Iraqi factions -- the secular, religious, Sunnis, Shiites and former Saddam Hussein reform loyalists. "A black man in the White House, that is the most beautiful thing I have seen in my life," said Daoud al-Rahmani, a self-styled poet and satirist. Walid al-Jubouri, a Saddam loyalist responded he was skeptical the president-elect would stop what he described as America's plan to "occupy the world." In Kisimu, Kenya, where Obama's father was from, thousands danced in the streets shouting slogans of going to America without passports and beating their chests that a half-Kenyan was the new president of the United States. The last time this nation held a presidential election, riots erupted protesting the results. In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, nearly all the citizens favored Obama except the ruling class emirates. "Americans can't think outside the box," declared the news director for the nation's television network. When the U.S. networks announced the projected victory, the director shook his head. "I'm positively surprised," he said. "It's great." In New Delhi, the headline for the lead editorial in the Hindustan Times, read "The World Enters America." The editorial reminded the 44th U.S. president of a world connected with economic problems and two wars. "For America to chart these choppy waters, it will have to have a helmsman who understands and engages the world on the world's terms," it urged. In Buenos Aires, Alejandro Saks, a television writer celebrating the election with Americans at a local bar, said "There is a feeling that the first time since Kennedy, America has a different type of leader." Similar sentiments were expressed in Caracas and Bejing. Not since the immediate aftermath of 9/11 has the world regarded us in such high esteem. That's one characteristic of Americans. We like to be liked.
Business Not As Usual: Business leaders are coming to grips that the new Obama administration and strong Democratic Congress will mean new regulations they hope will not impede commerce. More importantly, they want more money from the government to help spur the economy. "If you think we won't get more regulation in places other than financial services, you're nuts," said General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt several weeks ago. "We'll get more regulation in health care, energy and other areas." He also said some of the regulations need not be a negative. It "could be a catalyst for positive change," he said referring to expanded jobs in the renewable energy fields. Another worry is the opinion Democrats will shift the balance of power from employers to unions which have been all but mortally wounded since the Reagan administration. Among other potential losers with the Democrats in power could be banks, private equity funds and Big Oil. Congress also is expected to push legislation requiring businesses to pay for the right to emit carbon dioxide under a cap-and-traide system. Coal and oil producers would be penalized although other energy producers would benefit. Businesses are concerned of health care mandates if Congress adopts a universal reform plan while U.S. pharmacuetical industries fear the monoply they hold selling drugs to Medicare will be open to global bidding. The defense sector is nervous Congress will reduce spending because of the bad economic conditions and a drawdown of troops in Iraq. The defense industry wants the Pentagon budget increased to 4% of gross domestic product, up from 3.1% this year but likely to get less than that. The nation's technology sector could thrive on new green policies but are holding back investments unless the Democrats change course and grant them tax investment credits to expand. As Bob Dylan wrote, times they're a changing.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election Reflections
The Sun Also Rises: Today's voting may establish new turnout records. That's good. It marks the closing day of a presidential election which began 19 months ago. That's bad. Or, is it? Much has been written about the short, peppy political campaigns in Great Britain and the Euro nations. Converted to our political system, primaries would begin in April and the general election on Labor Day. If that were the case, unknown national candidates such as Barack Obama wouldn't stand a chance to compete. Neither would favorite sons and daughters, harking back to the pre-primary convention days. Only long-established Washington politicians, perhaps a popular governor in a large state or a well-known corporate executive would emerge in an abbreviated campaign cycle. Don't fix it even if it appears broke. The campaigns are too expensive. That's bad. Or, is it? The presidential campaigns have raised and will spend nearly $2 billion. Think for a minute where that money is flowing. Yes, campaign consultants and chief staff members are paid handsome salaries. On the other hand, most of the money is spent in small communities of Iowa and New Hampshire, in particular, but also in the large urban centers for television and newspaper ads. The campaign staffs and their entourage spend millions for food, drinks, hotels, private security, supplies and sundry other services. It's a mini economic stimulus package. Smart small and large city mayors insist the campaigns pay them for local services their police and firemen provide. Certainly, the system is flawed. The two major political parties should agree to divide the country into sections balancing the East, South, Midwest and Pacific region states into consolidated primaries. The debate formats are atrocious, especially when equal time is delegated in a 90-minute airing spread among 11 candidates. From those, we hear only canned talking points and an occasional zinger. The final debates before the conventions and general election in which only two or three candidates remain standing should be a free-flow of ideas and positions quarterbacked by a moderator allowed to ask follow-up questions. And, then there's the media, the 400-pound gorilla in the room. Is it biased? Damn right! But, is it? To address this question properly is to search all the news gathering stories and opinions in newspapers, television, websites and blogs. Combined, what a voter is looking for is there. Somewhere. For example, take the major cable news networks. Fox slants its coverage in favor of Republican conservatives. MSNBC takes the opposite approach. CNN strives to be middle-of-the road except for Lou Dobbs. CNBC focuses on the economic impact of the two political parties. The Drudge Report breaks news. The Huffington Post and MoveOn.Org lean to the left and further. Rush Limbaugh leads conservative talk radio. The thing is, people are attracted to forums in which they agree and feel most comfortable. We no longer live in an era in which the New York Times, CBS, NBC and ABC speak for all of us. So, what about the voter who remains uninformed until the final days of an election? Would it be presumptuous to ask: Do your homework! Collectively, American voters are uncanny is making the right decision. And, the sun will rise tomorrow morning.
The Audacity of Scarcity: Years ago, California's Jerry Brown, a brilliant Jesuit, terrific politician and mediocre governor, chided his state's minions to "lower your horizons." He was addressing the baby boomer generation who grew up in an economic climate where anything could be achieved. Not much has changed as the boomers reach Social Security age and the generations that followed them continue to press for the material things in life. Those days are gone, folks. The current economic meltdown coincidentally colliding with a new political era has sprung us into a world of which we never dreamed. Now's the time for some major belt-tightening. We've seen early glimpses of the public adjusting to high gasoline, energy and food prices. Fewer toys for the children and grandchildren. Less demand for SUVs. One trip to the grocery store rather than two or more per week. Less travel on vacations. And, the biggest surprise of all -- Americans receiving economic stimulus checks from the government last July placed two-thirds of the money in savings. Because of the credit crunch, the favorite game of homeowners using the equity in their houses as an ATM machine is long gone. Not surprisingly, Main Street is years ahead of the politicians spending our money in Washington. There is no way in hell the new congress under either a McCain or Obama administration will not raise taxes -- even if only half of their domestic and foreign spending budgets are adopted that were proposed during the campaigns. Balancing the budget in four years? Forget it. There's rumors the Democrats want to cut the Defense budget by 25%. That doesn't sit well for national security where a scalpel rather than an ax may be the better solution. The list is endless. The new president faces a formidable challenge because there is such a scarcity of resources to tinker with. The margin of error is zilch. The public's getting the hang of it. Now, it's up to our leaders.
The Audacity of Scarcity: Years ago, California's Jerry Brown, a brilliant Jesuit, terrific politician and mediocre governor, chided his state's minions to "lower your horizons." He was addressing the baby boomer generation who grew up in an economic climate where anything could be achieved. Not much has changed as the boomers reach Social Security age and the generations that followed them continue to press for the material things in life. Those days are gone, folks. The current economic meltdown coincidentally colliding with a new political era has sprung us into a world of which we never dreamed. Now's the time for some major belt-tightening. We've seen early glimpses of the public adjusting to high gasoline, energy and food prices. Fewer toys for the children and grandchildren. Less demand for SUVs. One trip to the grocery store rather than two or more per week. Less travel on vacations. And, the biggest surprise of all -- Americans receiving economic stimulus checks from the government last July placed two-thirds of the money in savings. Because of the credit crunch, the favorite game of homeowners using the equity in their houses as an ATM machine is long gone. Not surprisingly, Main Street is years ahead of the politicians spending our money in Washington. There is no way in hell the new congress under either a McCain or Obama administration will not raise taxes -- even if only half of their domestic and foreign spending budgets are adopted that were proposed during the campaigns. Balancing the budget in four years? Forget it. There's rumors the Democrats want to cut the Defense budget by 25%. That doesn't sit well for national security where a scalpel rather than an ax may be the better solution. The list is endless. The new president faces a formidable challenge because there is such a scarcity of resources to tinker with. The margin of error is zilch. The public's getting the hang of it. Now, it's up to our leaders.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Dirty Tricks And Unsung Heroes
How Dumb Are We?: David Broder, the dean of political reporters, writes in the Washington Post that this is the best election since 1960 won by the Camelot candidate, John F. Kennedy. Few can quibble with that observation. But, the flurry of last-minute campaign pranks remain. What's amazing in this election cycle is the degree opposition forces believe how stupid some voters, especially blacks and Latinos, really are. One flyer in a predominately black Philadelphia neighborhood advised voters, because of anticipated heavy turnout, polls were open for two days. Tuesday for Republicans and Wednesday for Democrats. In New Mexico, a Mexican mother and daughter were told by a Republican lawyer that they had to produce citizenship papers at their polling precinct or they would be arrested and deported. The mother, who speaks only Spanish, was freaked out. She is a naturalized citizen and her daughter was born in this country. Elsewhere, flyers warned voters they could be arrested if they had outstanding parking violations or criminal records. In Pennsylvania, Jewish voters were targeted with advertising by a Republican special interest committee linking Barack Obama to the Holocaust. In Nevada, Latino voters received robocalls in which the callers identified themselves as Obama supporters and they could cast their vote by telephone. "We see this every year," said Jonah Goldman of the advocacy group Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. "It happens around this time when there's too much stuff going on in the campaigns and doesn't get investigated." Goldman blamed the increased dirty campaigning -- from both Democrats and Republican operatives -- on the proliferation of the Internet and emailings. "It's difficult tracking them down," he said. In recent years, only one dirty trickster was arrested and convicted. But, the most effective pranksters were members of the Nixon re-election team and former fraternity brothers at USC calling themselves ... well, let's say sexually active rats. Their phony letter brought Democratic candidate Edmund Muskie to tears and drop out of the race.
The Good Guys: Unpaid and unsung volunteers are the hallmark of democracy and the linchpin of political campaigns no matter which side of the political aisle they work. I'm proud to reveal my niece from Las Vegas and nephew from the San Francisco Bay Area are spending all their time these days getting out the vote in Nevada. Here are excerpts from an email sent Sunday night by my nephew: "Here's the situation on the ground... We go to the staging location each day where we get our assignments.... Apparently there are many such places in Clark County, home of Las Vegas... The staging location is a yellow pentagonal-shaped domed hut literally surrounded by dusty, rocky dirt wastelands. Except for one lonely dirt road, there is nothing around it for at least 100 yards ... This isolated dome has Obama signs all around it and somehow attracts loads of volunteers... People are coming in from all over California and Arizona and the locals to help knock on doors and be observers at polling places on Tuesday... To give you an idea how good the Obama ground game is, people here are certain we have knocked on every single door in Clark County where people were suspected of voting for Obama. Every single door! This is insane when you realize how many doors that is. One reason I believe it's true is because I have literally driven into neighborhoods that don't have houses but have compounds -- tall barbed wire fences with towers in the backyard, loose dogs barking, security gates. ... Supposedly, these are drug dealers or rich eccentric people. And most aren't voting for Obama, or we can't tell, but a few are. "Meth Manufacturers for Obama."... This is the south side of the city. Behind me, all I can see are mountains, no more houses. We're going everywhere -- gated suburban communities and rural neighborhoods that have only two houses on a street. Some of the streets are paved for a block, empty and dirt/rock road, paved again for a block then dirt/rock, etc. ... One Republican I talked to here said they are getting 10 calls a day (from McCain supporters), even though they made it clear they are voting for Obama. They told me the live callers don't have the nerve to say the things the robocalls do (graphic descriptions of dying fetuses because of Obama's pro-choice stance, terrorism, socialism, etc." Meanwhile, my niece, a mother of four pre-school children, is so busy doing volunteer work for the Obama campaign we haven't heard from her in two months.
More Unsung Heroes: Last weekend, Brad Adams of Ocean Beach, Calif., was among thousands of volunteers from California canvassing Nevada neighborhoods for the Obama and McCain campaigns. "I already voted (early)," Geri Mondolino told Adams. He asked whom she voted for. "I couldn't wait to vote for Obama -- get those idiots out of the White House." Early on the next afternoon, Renee Scherlein of Oceanside and Cynthia Corelius of Vista walked up the driveway where Jim Roench was in his garage working on his motorcycle. "Can we count on you Tuesday to vote for John McCain or Sarah Palin?" asked Scherlein. "I think we're in real trouble if we don't," Roench said. "I really got a problem with that whole Obama deal. My only concern about McCain is he's run a terrible campaign." What is remarkable is that all the volunteers mentioned in this blog are donating their efforts for the first time in their lives. "We've never had a ground game machine like the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign has here," said Jon Ralston, a Las Vegas columnist and commentator. Ted Jelen, a political science professor at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, said the Obama campaign is flush with resources. "They've got more volunteers than they can use," Jelen said. "I think the ground game is really going to matter." Nevada historically has been a Republican stronghold but the demographics are changing with a vast influx of new homeowners, blacks and Latinos. Obama's lead in the state polls Sunday was 4 points.
The Good Guys: Unpaid and unsung volunteers are the hallmark of democracy and the linchpin of political campaigns no matter which side of the political aisle they work. I'm proud to reveal my niece from Las Vegas and nephew from the San Francisco Bay Area are spending all their time these days getting out the vote in Nevada. Here are excerpts from an email sent Sunday night by my nephew: "Here's the situation on the ground... We go to the staging location each day where we get our assignments.... Apparently there are many such places in Clark County, home of Las Vegas... The staging location is a yellow pentagonal-shaped domed hut literally surrounded by dusty, rocky dirt wastelands. Except for one lonely dirt road, there is nothing around it for at least 100 yards ... This isolated dome has Obama signs all around it and somehow attracts loads of volunteers... People are coming in from all over California and Arizona and the locals to help knock on doors and be observers at polling places on Tuesday... To give you an idea how good the Obama ground game is, people here are certain we have knocked on every single door in Clark County where people were suspected of voting for Obama. Every single door! This is insane when you realize how many doors that is. One reason I believe it's true is because I have literally driven into neighborhoods that don't have houses but have compounds -- tall barbed wire fences with towers in the backyard, loose dogs barking, security gates. ... Supposedly, these are drug dealers or rich eccentric people. And most aren't voting for Obama, or we can't tell, but a few are. "Meth Manufacturers for Obama."... This is the south side of the city. Behind me, all I can see are mountains, no more houses. We're going everywhere -- gated suburban communities and rural neighborhoods that have only two houses on a street. Some of the streets are paved for a block, empty and dirt/rock road, paved again for a block then dirt/rock, etc. ... One Republican I talked to here said they are getting 10 calls a day (from McCain supporters), even though they made it clear they are voting for Obama. They told me the live callers don't have the nerve to say the things the robocalls do (graphic descriptions of dying fetuses because of Obama's pro-choice stance, terrorism, socialism, etc." Meanwhile, my niece, a mother of four pre-school children, is so busy doing volunteer work for the Obama campaign we haven't heard from her in two months.
More Unsung Heroes: Last weekend, Brad Adams of Ocean Beach, Calif., was among thousands of volunteers from California canvassing Nevada neighborhoods for the Obama and McCain campaigns. "I already voted (early)," Geri Mondolino told Adams. He asked whom she voted for. "I couldn't wait to vote for Obama -- get those idiots out of the White House." Early on the next afternoon, Renee Scherlein of Oceanside and Cynthia Corelius of Vista walked up the driveway where Jim Roench was in his garage working on his motorcycle. "Can we count on you Tuesday to vote for John McCain or Sarah Palin?" asked Scherlein. "I think we're in real trouble if we don't," Roench said. "I really got a problem with that whole Obama deal. My only concern about McCain is he's run a terrible campaign." What is remarkable is that all the volunteers mentioned in this blog are donating their efforts for the first time in their lives. "We've never had a ground game machine like the Democratic Party and the Obama campaign has here," said Jon Ralston, a Las Vegas columnist and commentator. Ted Jelen, a political science professor at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, said the Obama campaign is flush with resources. "They've got more volunteers than they can use," Jelen said. "I think the ground game is really going to matter." Nevada historically has been a Republican stronghold but the demographics are changing with a vast influx of new homeowners, blacks and Latinos. Obama's lead in the state polls Sunday was 4 points.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Obama's Late October Surprise
Auntie Zeituni: Barack Obama's life associations and extended family tree are so diversified it's tough to know who's on first. He's often joked he has distant cousins of the likes of Dick Cheney and Brad Pitt. Now comes his aunt who is his late father's half sister. She is Zeituni Onyango, an illegal immigrant. She's been one since 2004 living in a South Boston public housing complex. It's rather fascinating that the first reaction statement from the Obama camp is that Barack believes her immigration status should be handled like any other illegal immigrant. As a secondary thought, the campaign said Obama was unaware of her immigration status. Right. Same as Obama's earliest utterances he was unaware of his former pastor's inflammatory un-American diatribes from the pulpit Obama attended for 20 years. Neither pass the smell test. This latest revelation just days before the U.S. is poised to elect its first black president comes out of nowhere. The Associated Press which broke the story nationally, said it could not determine weather the leak came from the Bush administration or Republican opposition operatives. The story established the following facts:
- An immigration judge ordered her deportation four years ago denying her plea for asylum from her native Kenya which at the time was in civil war.
- Obama first met Auntie Zeituni as a young adult when he visited Kenya to meet his father who abandoned him as a baby.
- Onyango visited Obama and his family in Chicago on a tourist visa nine years ago. The two met on several occasions, including in 2006 when she joined the Obamas during his swearing in ceremony as newly elected U.S. Senator.
- The campaign said she called Obama two years ago, telling him she was living in Boston. They did not visit. Since that time, she mailed him campaign checks of $5, the last one Sept. 19. She has contributed $260 over the course of the campaign, according to federal election officials.
- It was unclear how Onyanga received public housing during a time she was under a deportation order.
What this disclosure means politically remains to be seen. It's reminiscent of news George Bush was arrested on drunken driving charges years earlier but not made public until four days before his election in 2000. It cost Bush thousands of votes from evangelical supporters. But there is a huge difference here. Bush committed the offense. Obama is a bystander. Its been that scenario throughout Obama's campaign. He's been charged and convicted in public opinion over his relationships with unsavory characters -- the Rezko's, Wrights, Ayers and Palestinian movers and shakers. All were guilt by association. Nothing he did was wrong or illegal, merely suspicious in the minds of the accusers. We've already experienced one Teflon president in Ronald Reagan. Are we about to see deja vu all over again with Barack Obama? One final thought. There's a video circulating the Internet whose author claims Obama does not have a valid birth certificate from either of the two hospitals in which he may have been born in Honolulu. The author, an attorney, believes Obama may have been born in Kenya and thus constitutionally unqualified for president. He claims a copy of the birth certificate on Obama's website appears fraudulent. He's filed the claim in federal court. Seems to me this is a case of the opposition entering the bizarre. For one, even a lowly copy kid on the Honolulu newspapers could locate the birth certificate at the county courthouse. He must have one. Otherwise, how would he be awarded a passport to travel to Kenya and most recently his tour of the Middle East, Germany, France and England? The United States is remarkable how it can peacefully transfer the reigns of power at the highest level of government. It is also remarkable to what extent those in power stoop to hang on to that power.
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