The stimulus bill passed the House today with all Republicans voting against it, and 11 Democrats joining them. My first thought was "Wow! The Republicans really plan to sink together. Good!"
My second thought was, "Uh-oh, 11 Democrats. Better check to see if Carney was one." But he wasn't! Good for you, Carney, and good for us!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
An ungracious speech?
Some people didn't like to the inaugural speech. Most of them are taking a plane back to Texas. Here's the NYTIMES story reporting that some of those around the ex-president thought Barach Obama was taking shots at the Bush administration.
They probably thought lines like the one about the need to "restore science to its rightful place" were out of line. It's laughable to hear Karen Hughes complain about sharp elbows and being "ungracious." Sometimes you just need to tell it like it is. But the new chief of staff had the best answer to the complaints:
Mr. Emanuel mocked Bush advisers for bristling at the message of the Inaugural Address. “If they didn’t know that was the judgment of people, then their subscription to the newspapers were canceled over the last three years,” he said.
If you want evidence to support the suggestion that science has been removed from its proper place in the last eight years, there are plenty of places to look. A good starting point is the story of James Hansen, a climate scientist for NASA whose conclusions were rewritten by unknown Bush appointees.
They probably thought lines like the one about the need to "restore science to its rightful place" were out of line. It's laughable to hear Karen Hughes complain about sharp elbows and being "ungracious." Sometimes you just need to tell it like it is. But the new chief of staff had the best answer to the complaints:
Mr. Emanuel mocked Bush advisers for bristling at the message of the Inaugural Address. “If they didn’t know that was the judgment of people, then their subscription to the newspapers were canceled over the last three years,” he said.
If you want evidence to support the suggestion that science has been removed from its proper place in the last eight years, there are plenty of places to look. A good starting point is the story of James Hansen, a climate scientist for NASA whose conclusions were rewritten by unknown Bush appointees.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Where should my money go?
I'm having a hard time deciding which organizations should get my money this year. Of course, I'll be renewing my CSCC membership for $20 because I want to see this local effort at grass roots communication and organization continue, but what else?
I stopped by the Brasserie Louis as the Obama party was winding down last night. I was struck by how many new faces were in the crowd of about 30--and these were young faces. That got me thinking about the Obama movement and what comes next. It seems clear that the Obama organization is going to remain together in some form. I expect that they will be soliciting contributions for their organization before too long. I've already received a mailing from DFA (Democracy for America, Howard Dean's old outfit, now run by his brother Jim) and an email from MoveOn today asking for $15 per month (now that's aggressive). When I get time I'm going to log into change.org to vote in the poll they have going on, and I can expect a request for a contribution after that. About a year ago I contributed to the Nature Conservancy, so I've been getting a weekly request of some kind from them.
So here's what I'm wondering: how do we measure whether any of this is doing any good? I think MoveOn is making a difference, but do I know? Is it better to give a larger amount to one organization or small amounts to several different efforts? What about the national Democratic party (now run by Tim Kaine) or the DCCC or the local UCDC?
So here's my thought: the group that I can see is able to leverage a small amount of money into a big impact is going to be most likely to get a contribution from me this year. Frankly, after all the campaigns and efforts of the past year, there's not a lot of excess money to give.
I stopped by the Brasserie Louis as the Obama party was winding down last night. I was struck by how many new faces were in the crowd of about 30--and these were young faces. That got me thinking about the Obama movement and what comes next. It seems clear that the Obama organization is going to remain together in some form. I expect that they will be soliciting contributions for their organization before too long. I've already received a mailing from DFA (Democracy for America, Howard Dean's old outfit, now run by his brother Jim) and an email from MoveOn today asking for $15 per month (now that's aggressive). When I get time I'm going to log into change.org to vote in the poll they have going on, and I can expect a request for a contribution after that. About a year ago I contributed to the Nature Conservancy, so I've been getting a weekly request of some kind from them.
So here's what I'm wondering: how do we measure whether any of this is doing any good? I think MoveOn is making a difference, but do I know? Is it better to give a larger amount to one organization or small amounts to several different efforts? What about the national Democratic party (now run by Tim Kaine) or the DCCC or the local UCDC?
So here's my thought: the group that I can see is able to leverage a small amount of money into a big impact is going to be most likely to get a contribution from me this year. Frankly, after all the campaigns and efforts of the past year, there's not a lot of excess money to give.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Looking for Spilling Ink?
If you are looking for more political commentary with local connections, take a look at Spilling Ink: Voices of Radical Democracy. You'll probably see some names you know offering up some opinions you haven't heard.
http://radicalwriting.wordpress.com/
http://radicalwriting.wordpress.com/
Monday, January 12, 2009
Letting Go of W.
I want to look forward and not backward, forget about everything that George W. Bush did wrong. But then I read Maureen Dowd in the New York Times:
Asked by People magazine what moments from the last eight years he revisited most often, W. talked passionately about the pitch he threw out at the World Series in 2001: “I never felt that anxious any other time during my presidency, curiously enough.”
Asked by Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard if he had made progress in some areas for which he hasn’t gotten credit, the president put trying to privatize Social Security at the top of his list. It’s frightening to think where a lot of people would be now if that effort had succeeded.
I recall one time when George W. Bush admitted making a mistake (he said he believed he'd worn too many red ties in the 2000 campaign). I'm not expecting a mea culpa (wouldn't that be refreshing), but some acknowledgement that maybe something has been mismanaged in the last 8 years would be nice. Just as he tried to blame the Clinton adminstration for 9/11, now he says that history will show that our economic problems stem from decisions made in the 1990s. So much for personal responsibility.
Asked by People magazine what moments from the last eight years he revisited most often, W. talked passionately about the pitch he threw out at the World Series in 2001: “I never felt that anxious any other time during my presidency, curiously enough.”
Asked by Fred Barnes and Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard if he had made progress in some areas for which he hasn’t gotten credit, the president put trying to privatize Social Security at the top of his list. It’s frightening to think where a lot of people would be now if that effort had succeeded.
I recall one time when George W. Bush admitted making a mistake (he said he believed he'd worn too many red ties in the 2000 campaign). I'm not expecting a mea culpa (wouldn't that be refreshing), but some acknowledgement that maybe something has been mismanaged in the last 8 years would be nice. Just as he tried to blame the Clinton adminstration for 9/11, now he says that history will show that our economic problems stem from decisions made in the 1990s. So much for personal responsibility.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Meetup Tonight
Please join us for the first monthly CSCC Meetup of 2009, tonight at 7:30 pm at the First Baptist Church, 51 S. 3rd St., Lewisburg. Hope to see you there!
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