(Dear God. Few videos have left me speechless this campaign season, but John has found one. Charley made it half-way through before the pain became too great. Please chip in with your one-word review in the comments. Here is mine: "schadenfreude." Senator Clinton is a far better candidate than this spokesmuppet would suggest: she should pull the plug on him. - promoted by Bob)
Republican John McCain declared for the first time Thursday he believes the Iraq war can be won by 2013, although he rejected suggestions that his talk of a timetable put him on the same side as Democrats clamoring for full-scale troop withdrawals.
This is what a sane Republican looks like in public -- somebody who thinks the Iraq War will be over in "only" five years! During the campaign season, a time of optimistic, sunny promises, McCain hopes that we've hit the halfway point of this bloody, needless, expensive war. Privately, he's gotta be thinking, what, seven, eight years?
Imagine General Washington telling the troops "halfway there" a year before Yorktown. Or use these other metrics:
... First, it's absolutely shameless that an American President would use a speech in front of a foreign government to launch such a petty political attack. President Bush has abused the dignity of the office in ways that make especially ironic his long ago pledge to "restore dignity and integrity to the Oval office."
... The Bush/McCain Republican Party is heading straight into the gutter with this campaign, and, while I can't say I'm surprised, it's always shocking to see how low they will go.
Put it this way: I actually welcome Mr. 28% weighing in on the Presidential race. Whatever he says, people are now correctly primed to believe the opposite.
BTW, let's keep in mind that in Massachusetts, our elected officials voted to protect equal marriage by more than a 3-1 margin. Now California voters can follow suit and vote to protect the rights of their neighbors. Donate to Equality California here. - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
It appears the California Supreme Court decided, 4-3, to extend marriage rights to all couples in America's largest state (over 10% of the USA's population). Of course, there's an initiative to amend the CA constitution to ban marriage equality, and a similar initiative (a law not an amendment) once passed with 63% of the vote. In the face any possible backlash to civil right's progress, I say...
This is one state where the huge youth turnout could really make a tangible difference in real people's lives immediately. If they come out in the numbers we expect in November, I believe we will defeat this on the ballot, no matter how many reactionary wingnuts get excited about it.
It's fitting that in an election year where we are dealing head on with all these issues of race and sex that we're going to have a showdown on gay marriage in the most populous state in the union. The chances have never been greater to defeat the forces of bigotry and discrimination. It's a risk, but there will probably never be a better time to take it. Bring it on.
A couple of wind-related items today ... First, Terry Murray takes care of business and sets the table to zone our oceans. This will hopefully give us some regulatory clarity for wind farm development and fishing vs. preservation. Good stuff, and this will likely free up the pipeline for other important legislation, like the green energy bill.
A new lobbying firm for the group opposing a wind farm off Cape Cod filed a federal document last month reporting that its work for the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound is partially funded and shaped by an international energy conglomerate.
The disclosure represents the first documented financial connection between the group opposing the wind farm and Oxbow Corp.,which mines and markets energy and commodities, including coal, natural gas, and petroleum.
The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound immediately decried the filing as a mistake, and the lobbying firm later amended it in the US Senate Office of Public Records to eliminate the reference to Oxbow.
Oxbow's founder, Osterville yachtsman William I. Koch, has been a cochairman of the alliance since 2005, a year that saw a flurry of congressional attempts to kill the wind farm. While Oxbow maintains that its lobbyists monitor Cape Wind because of the corporation's interest in energy and shipping, Cape Wind proponents assert that Oxbow's lobbyists have been doing far more to fight the wind farm.
Ah yes, a mistake. Of course, whether Koch hmself or Oxbow gave the money and effort is a distinction without a difference, but whatever.
Wind or oil. The oil folks understand that's what's at stake.
Update: From the comments, stomv posts this very cool map of megawatt wind generation capacity by state. This should prove a motivating irritant to everyone who thinks we ought to be in front of the pack on wind.
(That's a major savings ... and the time one actually loses is miniscule. - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
Yes, that was me you passed on the highway today. Inspired by Renee Loth's plea to lower the speed limit to 55 mph in order to save gas, I decided to experiment.
Like many people, I drive a lot and simply go with the "flow of the traffic", which is a euphemism for driving an average of 80 mph on the highway. At the very least, I wanted to see if it was possible to actually drive slow...that is, near the speed limit...on the highway and see how much gas and money I could save.
Not at all surprising. I think the Edwardses were legitimately torn between the two candidates, but now they're adding one more voice to the wrap-it-up sentiment. One wonders if agenda-favors were promised by Obama -- a special emphasis on poverty, a cabinet position, that kind of thing.
I hope so. Edwards played a hugely constructive role in this campaign on the policy side; realizing, perhaps earlier than the other candidates, that a strategy of stark departure from the Republicans was going to be a winner -- not to mention downright necessary. It would be great to see him as part of an Obama administration, though I could imagine the Edwards' staying as public gadflies on poverty and health care.
The DNCC previously announced an expansion of the credentialed blogger pool from past Conventions and the addition of a state blogger credentialing program. As part of the new DemConvention State Blogger Corps, designed for bloggers covering state and local politics, bloggers will receive unparalleled access to state delegations and the floor of the Convention hall. In a truly unprecedented move, the DNCC will seat these bloggers with their respective delegations during the historic four-day event, providing even greater access for local coverage and perspective. Highlights from these blogs will also be featured on www.DemConvention.com in the lead up to and during the Convention.
"The members of the DemConvention State Blogger Corps represent a broad spectrum of voices that illustrate the 'big tent' nature of our Party," said DNCC CEO Leah D. Daughtry. "Many of these blogs are vibrant communities, well respected in their home states and committed to ensuring that all voices can be heard in the political process. I'm excited about the roles these bloggers will have in engaging an even broader, more diverse base of people from around the country in conversations not only about the Convention, but about the future of our nation."
All three of us get one credential to share between us, so that's not altogether luxurious, but understandable.
What kind of coverage of the event would you find useful and meaningful?
(Yeah, who is this guy? - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
I've watched the Massachusetts House of Representatives from a distance for a long time, but I don't claim to understand it. It always strikes me as one star politician surrounded by 159 extras. That must be why the House's constant obsession is "who'll be the next speaker?" - while the political/media class watches for clues to the subterranean maneuvers like Cold War era Kremlinologists.
I wrote an editorial last week in the MetroWest Daily News complaining that, while the House appears intensely focused on whether John Rogers or Robert DeLeo will succeed Speaker Sal DiMasi - who insists he's going nowhere - the people of Massachusetts are entirely left out of the process.
In Norwood, Rogers read the editorial in our Dedham Daily Transcript. In Waltham, Rep. Tom Stanley, a Rogers supporter, read it in our News Tribune. They agreed, or at least saw an opportunity. Stanley called and offered to bring Rogers in for a visit.
After Sal DiMasi's asserted his innocence Monday and reasserted his intent to stick around as speaker for a long time to come, I half expected Rogers might cancel the meeting. But he showed up and made it clear he doesn't care what Sal thinks about it.Look for a story in Wednesday's MetroWest Daily News.
During two separate periods - each spanning two weeks during March and early April - police assigned an undercover officer to stand watch outside DiMasi's North End condominium, because of threats contained in an anonymous letter sent to his State House office and overheard in a conversation, said the sources, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation.
... Those speaking in the overheard conversation, which took place in a public facility a day or two after the casino vote, were quoted as saying that unspecified actions by the speaker were "unacceptable," according to the sources.
Now, it's curious that it's Frank Phillips who makes the connection between the threats and the casino debate, saying they were contemporaneous. So they might be connected, and maybe not.
Still, that's damn frightening. Being a public figure shouldn't involve having your life threatened.
Hey Frank, do your sources know who did this? Kind of important.
The Senate recently passed legislation prohibiting pharmaceutical and medical device companies from giving gifts to health care providers. This measure is critical for consumers. The industry spends billions of dollars each year on these gifts to increase sales of their products. These costs get passed along to all of us in the amounts we all pay for our medications. Gifts also influence prescribing decisions, increasing prescribing of newer, more expensive drugs without a proven safety and efficacy record.
The pharmaceutical gift ban is now in the House Ways and Means Committee. Please contact your state representative and ask him or her to improve health care access and quality and decrease health care costs by supporting the pharmaceutical gift ban.
Medications are not some tasty treat whose consumption is to be maximized by whatever marketing means; they're medicine. And as such they should be treated differently.
Controlling costs is going to be a process of telling each special interest steak eater stakeholder, one at a time, that they're going to have to give up a little for the whole system not to come crashing down.
State House is 617-722-2000. If you get a yes or no from your rep, post the response here.
UPDATE: I contacted Carl Sciortino's office (not my rep, but the email was handy). This is from Daniel Glasser, his legislative aide:
For the record, Rep. Sciortino hasn't had a chance to review the amendments the Senate recently passed to the gift ban and can't yet take a firm position. He is supportive of the concept, but he wants to ensure that educational materials and drug samples are not included in the ban, since samples are often given by doctors to patients who can't otherwise afford certain prescriptions. I believe those two exceptions were resolved by the Senate, but again we haven't had an opportunity to look the new language over.
The bill is in House Ways & Means now, so the Rep. will have a chance to familiarize himself with the new text before it comes to the floor of the House for a vote.
This Sunday (May 18), we'll be officially kicking off Sonia Chang-Diaz's campaign for the Second Suffolk Senate seat.
Come learn more about Sonia's campaign to bring new leadership to the district and find out how you can be a part of making change happen in Boston this year.
Campaign Kick-Off Sunday, May 18th
12:30pm
At Campaign HQ:
3357 Washington St in Jamaica Plain
(very close to Green St T stop)
After a short rally and speech from Sonia, we'll all share a light lunch and head out to knock doors throughout the district for the first major canvass of the campaign.
To learn more about Sonia Chang-Diaz and our campaign, go to our website.
If you have questions or want to sign up to help the campaign, please email us at changdiazfield@gmail.com or call our office at 617-390-7913.
(Obama's proactive coat-tails? Big loss for the Party of the Iraq War. - promoted by Bob)
Democrat Travis Childers won a Republican-held seat in a Mississippi special election Tuesday. This is a stunning upset in the state's First Congressional District, which George Bush carried with 62 percent in 2004. The election was to fill a vacancy created when Roger Wicker, the district's former Congressman, was appointed to the U.S. Senate to fill Trent Lott's seat. Lott, a Republican, resigned in December in order to become a lobbyist.
Republicans had run ads against Childers tying him to Sen. Barack Obama. These would appear to have backfired, as Childers won with more than 53 percent of the vote. Democrats now hold three of Mississippi's four congressional seats.
This is the third Democratic pickup of a Republican-held seat since the 2006 elections. In Illinois Democrat Bill Foster now holds the seat of former speaker Denny Hastert and in Louisiana Democrat Don Cazayeaux took the seat of former Rep. Richard Baker.
By a lot. The networks called it so fast, I didn't have a chance to jump the gun!
While the math won't change a lot tonight (WV has only 28 delegates), here's an interesting nugget:
Clinton is also using electoral history to make her case.
"I think it's fair to say that West Virginia is a test. It's a test for me, and it's a test for Sen. Obama, because for too long we have let places like West Virginia slip out of the Democratic column. And you know it is a fact that no Democratic president has ever won the White House since 1916 without winning West Virginia," Clinton said.
Bill Clinton won West Virginia in 1992 and 1996. George W. Bush took the state in 2000 and 2004.
In other news, the WaPo reports today that a pledged delegate has switched from Clinton to Obama. AFAIK, that's the first such report this cycle.
Easy Rider? Whuh? - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
Well, here's the "end" of the James Marzilli harassment case. A tough charge to prove, and a tough one to really defend against. "If God did not exist, it would be necessary for man to invent him."- from a mural in the New Orleans bordello scene in "Easy Rider". Here I quote it to suggest the limitations of our ability to carry out justice. Marzilli's facing challengers in the election, and I wonder what role this incident will play?
(This is an important question. Andrea Estes' recent stories on the Speaker are a good example of why we desperately need aggressive, full-time reporting -- something that bloggers can't readily supply. But the economic model for newspapers is starting to collapse ... what is the alternative? - promoted by David)
A question for BMG'rs: How would this site, and state politics in general, change if The Globe and The Herald ceased to exist tomorrow?
The Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee will be holding its next meeting on Thursday, May 15, 2008, beginning at 7:00 pm at LIR Restaurant, 903 Boylston Street, Back Bay, Boston (between Gloucester Street and Hereford Street), in the downstairs function room. The featured speaker at the meeting will be United Stated Senator John Kerry. The senator will be speaking on the important topics of the day, and there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
The public is welcome to attend this important meeting.
Contact:
Robert A. Whitney,
Committee Chair
617.335.1380
rawhitney@gmail.com
----------------------------
Joshua L. Dawson
Democratic State Committee
Second Suffolk Senate District
(Absolutely pathetic -- a waste of lives and money. Gotta do better than this. - promoted by Charley on the MTA)
Today's Globe has an Op Ed about the fact that if you are an mentally ill minority teen the most likely "treatment" you will receive is criminal lockup.
Adding insult to injury, the Commonwealth's failure to adequately fund its child welfare and mental health systems falls heavily on the shoulders of youth of color. Although children of color comprise slightly more than 20 percent of Massachusetts's population between ages 7 and 17, they account for 60 percent of all children detained before a trial.
We are failing our children if we are locking them up for weeks at a time because we have nothing else to offer them. We are also threatening public safety. National research demonstrates that secure detention is one of the most accurate predictors of future criminal behavior. It further demonstrates the detention environment exacerbates behavioral problems, mental health issues and educational difficulties, and that detained youth are more depressed, angry, and dysfunctional when they are released than when they entered.
That was 2008. In 2001:
Some of these children are locked up because they're accused of serious criminal acts, such as assault or robbery. Others are there for charges as minor as trespassing or truancy. In either case, though, the offenses often can be traced to their mental problems.
Experts say most of these children need mental health services -- counseling, group therapy, perhaps medication -- in secure facilities where they are not mixed in with other young criminals. If they could get that, they say, many of them would not commit new crimes.
But virtually none of the young mentally ill people housed in the nation's juvenile detention centers get such services, and ever since states moved to shut down adolescent units in mental institutions several years ago, there are fewer and fewer places that will accept these sometimes violent children for treatment.
Juvenile justice "is where the children go when all the other systems fail -- the school system, the welfare system, the mental health system," said Tammy Seltzer of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law in Washington, D.C.
Victoria Switzer, a retired social studies teacher, was on phone-bank duty one night during the Pennsylvania primary campaign. One night was all she could take: "It wasn't pretty." She made 60 calls to prospective voters in Susquehanna County, her home county, which is 98 percent white. The responses were dispiriting. One caller, Switzer remembers, said he couldn't possibly vote for Obama and concluded: "Hang that darky from a tree!"
... In a letter to the editor published in a local paper, Tunkhannock Borough Mayor Norm Ball explained his support of Hillary Clinton this way: "Barack Hussein Obama and all of his talk will do nothing for our country. There is so much that people don't know about his upbringing in the Muslim world. His stepfather was a radical Muslim and the ranting of his minister against the white America, you can't convince me that some of that didn't rub off on him.
"No, I want a president that will salute our flag, and put their hand on the Bible when they take the oath of office."
Ugh. So, we're really over the race thing, right? Right?
Now, canvassing/phone banking are really eye-opening activities. You run into all kinds of people; some with, er, idiosyncratic views. And some folks will have odd/totally wrong/conspiratorial ideas about whatever candidate. That being said, this campaign is different from any we've experienced. I expect that racist attitudes are actually quite common -- more common than they might show up in polls. (It also might be the case that someone's personal or ideological antipathy for Obama might get expressed in a racist way -- race being the brickbat-at-hand.)
I find our intense reliance on sociological/racial analysis to be really arid and uninformative: So Clinton is winning white working-class voters: Why? Is it really racial and cultural affinity? Or do those folks just think she'd be a better president for a basketful of other reasons? We've been focusing so much on that particular correlation of voters-to-candidate, at the expense of investigating causation. Don't we have any better information for what is actually motivating her (or his) voters?
In the context of our unfortunate media discourse, when Hillary Clinton refers to her success with white people ... it's really playing with fire, even if you don't consider it out-and-out race-baiting. And actually, she sells herself short in the process.
(Well, too late for that anyway. On to the general, where we can be sure the GOP will not let anyone forget he's black.)
PS: Original title said "it's not pretty in some places", which would seem to single out PA and IN as particularly prone to racism. I don't know that's the case, so I changed the title.
(Now is the time to be thinking about this. Once things really get rolling, it's too late. - promoted by David)
Within the State House, despite Speaker DiMasi's protestations, the battle to choose his successor has been joined. Republicans are excited.
Ways and Means Chairman DeLeo has his list of supporters, and Majority Leader Rogers has his. Here is my question for all you Blue Mass Democrats: How can we make sure the winner of this contest will champion the values we share?
We can start by making sure that Democrats, not Republicans, determine the victor. More on the flip side...
