Politics – Geoff Fox: My Permanent Record

Bernie Sanders For Gadfly

Wonkette said it best today, “Bernie Sanders has approximately zero percent chance of being elected president.” And yet I’m excited about him entering the race for the Democratic nomination for president, probably tomorrow.

Bernie will fractionally do to Hillary what the right wing of the Republican Party did to Mitt Romney… in the opposite direction.

Even though Sanders isn’t particularly well known outside Vermont (where he won his last Senatorial election with 71% of the vote, even against candidates from the Republicans, Marijuana Party and a guy named named Pete Moss!) his ideas are. He speaks to labor and the forgotten middle class. He rails against the moneyed and powerful (actually the powerfully moneyed).

Without Sanders in the race, Hillary Clinton could stake out her territory by being a centrist or even right-of-centrist candidate.

Mitt Romney was a reasonably middle-of-the-road governor in Massachusetts. He was for a lot of things there that he was forced to run against as the Republican candidate for president.

“What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages, we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels,” Sanders told the AP.

“This is a rigged economy, which works for the rich and the powerful, and is not working for ordinary Americans. … You know, this country just does not belong to a handful of billionaires.” – AP

Now things get interesting.

Torture

I read a survey today. It says most Americans think torture is OK. I’m in the minority, again. It makes me sad.

By a margin of almost 2 to 1 — 59 percent to 31 percent — those interviewed said that they support the CIA’s brutal methods, with the vast majority of supporters saying that they produced valuable intelligence.

In general, 58 percent say the torture of suspected terrorists can be justified “often” or “sometimes.” – Washington Post

Everything I know and believe says torture is wrong, producing few results. Former POWs, like John McCain say it’s wrong. We have even signed agreements saying there are no circumstances under which we would use torture.

I watch Dick Cheney, General Hayden and the others on TV and get sick to my stomach. My enemies don’t influence my moral compass.

About This War

These wars are never as simple as the planners see them. Remember, ISIS is armed only because we gave arms to Iraq… which ISIS captured. We have literally armed the enemy!

There’s been a lot of drum beating about Syria and ISIS lately. I have been to this rodeo before. I remember Vietnam and everything that’s followed.

I’ll fast forward for you. We do not win.

These wars are never as simple as the planners see them. Remember, ISIS is armed only because we gave arms to Iraq… which ISIS captured.

We have literally armed the enemy!

So now we’re going to try again?

The worry is attacks in America from ISIS and its followers. These would be concentrated attacks–just a few people inflicting huge damage. But what we’re doing now won’t stop that kind of attack!

It’s a tough situation. Many of the best paid workers in America manufacture military hardware. Our economy is dependent on a constant war footing. The tendency is to use what you’ve got.

Maybe my fear of war is best stated by General/President Eisenhower who saw the problem from both sides.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

I’m not a fan of war.

Tough Crowd: Forecasting In North Korea

Blown forecasts are the bane of a meteorologist’s existence. Painful! I’d bow my head in shame and speak in a softer than normal shout after a miss.

I’ve apologized for blown forecasts more than once. Everyone knew.

Some of you have personally made sure I understood your anger. Not easy to deal with.

However, I’ve never had Kim Jong-un as my boss&#185. In North Korea he’s the last word in everything.

Quoting the BBC:

Kim Jong-un says there have been “many incorrect forecasts” because the Hydro-meteorological Service’s methods aren’t “modern or scientific”, state newspaper Rodong Sinmun reports.

Ooh. Bad employee review.

The North Korean leader says weather service staff must “fundamentally improve their work”, because good forecasts are needed to “protect the lives and properties of the people from disasters caused by abnormal climatic phenomenon”

Must I explain how downsizing works in North Korea?

After a bad forecast I’d try not to go out in public too much. Seriously. No one wants to subject themselves to that!

But North Korea. Tough crowd.

&#185 – The lovely and talented Ann Nyberg often called his late father, Kim Jung-“Mentally”-Il.

Why Politics And Politicians Suck

There are loads of ways to disagree without making foolish claims like this, which no one should take at face value. You don’t take them at face value, do you?

I follow the GOP on Twitter. They posted this today:

GOP 2:30pm via Sprinklr
Harry Reid supports trapping kids in failing schools. gop.cm/6013cjeB Tell him: Give #schoolchoice a vote. pic.twitter.com/3fKzIMyFva

As with many issues Republicans and Democrats disagree. But does anyone actually think “Harry Reid supports trapping kids in failing schools?” It’s a ridiculous claim.

Why do politicians throw Molotov cocktails at each other? Where is civil discourse?

It’s this kind of inflammatory rhetoric on both sides that keeps anything from being accomplished. Sentences like this make compromise or any kind of reasonable achievement nearly impossible.

There are loads of ways to disagree without making foolish claims like this, which no one should take at face value. You don’t take them at face value, do you?

Blogger’s note: I chose this Republican tweet as a demonstration, but if you have a similar Democratic claim, please include it in the comments. This crap is, unfortunately, bipartisan.

I Didn’t Bring The Envelope!

It’s voting day in California.

We have open primaries here. I can vote for candidates from either party. We also have California’s election laws which add complexity… and lots of words. It was a long ballot.

I am a beneficiary of California’s motor voter law. My driver license came with voter registration.

Our polling place is in the clubhouse at a nearby apartment complex. I walked in with my mail-in ballot and puppy dog look! In front of me was a table with forms in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean.

“This is my first time voting in California. I’m going to need some help.”

Four poll watchers looked up and smiled. One asked, “Do you have the envelope?”

Do I have the envelope? Of course not. That would be too easy.

He was referring to the envelope for mailing my ballot in. An extra form to fill. I had to surrender the papers I brought in. My ballot is officially ‘provisional.’

Another poll watcher escorted me to the voting machine and gave me a quick lesson. “It’s not touchscreen.”

Glad she told me. It looks like a touchscreen, but there’s a wheel with thumb hole used to select everything. In 2014 this is a bad human/machine interface.

I spun my way through all the candidates and three ballot questions. One authorized money for subsidized housing for vets. Isn’t that a no brainer, especially after what we’ve seen the last few months?

A few more clicks and a printed ballot with bar code moved through a window. My last chance to check my work.

“Here’s your receipt.”

Really. You get a receipt for voting? I think it had to do with my provisional status.

“Can I return it in 30 days if I don’t like who got elected,” I asked?

The poll watchers smiled. Slow day.

I don’t believe I’ve missed an election day since 1972.

On Buying Health Insurance

There are more choices than there are distinctions. It’s impossible to see what’s different between various policies without being a statistician and actuary. I’m pretty math savvy and my head is swimming!

In the past we depended on insurance to help beginning with dollar one. Now, I’m wondering how important ‘dollar one’ really is.

Since I left FoxCT I have been insured through COBRA, the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act. All that means is no employer subsidy. I’m paying 100%.

Insurance is expensive. You probably already knew that.

Eighteen months have passed. I’m forced to get coverage on my own. This is among the most confusing things I’ve ever done!

First the good news. Under the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, I can buy insurance! How that would have worked out before, considering my back surgery two summers ago and my age? All I know is, I’m insurable.

My beef with Obamacare is it doesn’t go far enough. Why do we bother with private insurance? Why must we confuse everyone? The rest of the world seems to prefer a single payer system. Seniors seem happy with Medicare.

There are too many choices.

Let me refine that. There are more choices than there are distinctions. It’s impossible to see what’s different between various policies without being a statistician or actuary. I’m pretty math savvy and my head is swimming!

In the past we depended on insurance to help beginning with dollar one. Now, I’m wondering how important ‘dollar one’ really is. Are we better off ‘self insuring’ for common medical problems and letting insurance kick in at big dollar amounts? How much out-of-pocket can I take?

Within the next day or two we will reach a decision. I wish it was a more educated decision.

You Don’t Piss In The Well

It’s early afternoon in SoCal. Right now it looks like Congress will reach an agreement, the government will reopen and the debt ceiling crisis will be averted.

Where was all of this two weeks ago before we started looking like yahoos to the rest of the world? That’s humiliating.

In many ways this fight between Republican and Democrats reminded me of squabbles with Stef when she was four. Little kids have no leverage. To gain some their strategy often includes actions objectionable to both sides.

I’ll hold my breath until I turn blue while you think about that last sentence.

Like Stef at four the Republicans in Washington feel they’re without leverage. I won’t lie. That’s mostly true. They only have the power to say no and even that’s limited.

Hopefully, by our actions, Helaine and I taught Stef what Congress doesn’t seem to understand. When you fight, you need to remember there is a tomorrow. You don’t throw firebombs to make a point.

More succinctly, you don’t piss in the well.

Seriously Cable News, Don’t Rush It

I am watching MSNBC at the moment. Chris Matthews is in his usual hyperactive state. As they approached a commercial break, on came a Quinnipiac Poll with the potential outcome of Hillary Clinton versus a few Republicans in Virginia.

Hello! We just re-elected a president in November. The next presidential election is 3 years, 5 months, 22 days away. Am I going to have to go through this worthless horse race analysis for the next 1,271 days?

Looking at politics as a race instead evaluating competing issues trivializes the whole process. Little we know about the candidates today will make a difference then.

Isn’t there enough real news to fill their time?

I Am Livid

I am livid. I am incensed. I could not be more upset by today’s defeat of the already compromised gun bill background check amendment.

First things first. The right to bear arms is not absolute. You can’t buy a tank or mortar or go to the napalm store and stock up. Second Amendment rights are oversold.

I was for background checks before I read this morning’s NY Times. Then I found out about armslist.com.

Yes, there’s an online marketplace for guns. I’m not sure why I was surprised, but I was. There are no background checks nor do you have to register your purchase.

The Times quickly found a felon posting ads to buy. Is this really what we want?

Surveys show the vast majority of Americans want background checks. That majority holds for Republicans, Democrats, gun owners, even NRA members!

A majority of Senators voted in favor of checks today. That’s no longer enough. Majority rule has disappeared.

The NRA wields great power because they aggressively campaign against anyone they see as their enemy. Their money has been effective, and elected officials know it.

The only way to beat the NRA is to prove there’s a downside to today’s vote. Michael Bloomberg and friends will attempt to make that point in November 2014.

I have friends who are sportsmen and hunters. I have no desire to take away their guns.

I want purchases registered. I want trafficking stopped. I want majority rule returned to Congress. I want the NRA cut down to size.

Like I said, I’m livid.

The Thursday Night Debates

Tonight, Joe Biden showed the Democrats do have a story to tell. In my opinion (reinforced by most of the snap polls) Biden won the debate, even after subtracting for his goofy grin and interrupting.

If President Obama can be aggressive and relatable, as Biden was, he can change minds. Is he capable of that? I’m no longer sure.

A few weeks ago it looked like a done deal. Now it does not.

I watched two debates tonight. First up was the Connecticut Senate debate, which we aired on FoxCT.

Too close to home. I’ll leave the candidates unjudged by me.

If they didn’t hate each before, the certainly do now. Ouch.

I knew some of the people onstage. Al Terzi, Laurie Perez and Chris Keating all work with me at FoxCT/Hartford Courant. That adds an interesting twist to my viewing.

They’re my friends. I want them to do well.

They did.

On to the Veep Debate. I thought Martha Raddatz from ABC News did a great job. Having both candidates in close proximity is the way to go. All debates should be staged that way.

After the first presidential debate I hung my head in shame. I, along with everyone else, though President Obama did a terrible job. That debate still could cause the Democrats to lose the White House. I said it then. Little has happened in the interim to sway hearts.

Tonight, Joe Biden showed the Democrats do have a story to tell. In my opinion (reinforced by most of the snap polls) Biden won the debate, even after subtracting for his goofy grin and interrupting.

Vice Presidential debates seldom change things. Remember, the guy who said, “You’re no Jack Kennedy,” lost.

If President Obama can be aggressive and relatable, as Biden was, he can change minds. Is he capable of that? I’m no longer sure.

A few weeks ago reelection looked like a done deal. Now I’m not so sure.

One Of The Most Disappointing Experiences Of My Adult Life

President Obama was everything the staunchest Republicans have claimed. Governor Romney, on the other hand, was poised, warm and aggressive. I didn’t want to watch (and 22 hours later still haven’t watched) a series of “told ya’ so” pronouncements. My TV has been off all day.

It is no surprise to anyone who reads this blog, I support President Obama. With that in mind I was primed for last night’s presidential debate.

It was one of the most disappointing experiences of my adult life!

Last night on Facebook I posted:

“I have muted the TV because sticking my fingers in my ears and humming seems childish.”

I didn’t say why. Did I have to?

President Obama was everything the staunchest Republicans have claimed. Governor Romney, on the other hand, was poised, warm and aggressive.

I didn’t want to watch (and 22 hours later still haven’t watched) a series of “told ya’ so” pronouncements. My TV has been off all day.

I have only now begun to read a few of the post mortems. There’s been a lot of soul searching. Why didn’t the president call Romney out on his policy reversals and what are characterized as lies? Why was President Obama so wimpy? Why?

There are two debates yet-to-come. I still believe the president’s roadmap is the better way to lead us out of our malaise. However, I’d be a fool not to admit those still undecided were shown a much more acceptable Romney last night.

It is possible the election was lost in this debate.

Where’s The Substance?

Neither side will open up because both sides are scared of how their own words will be used against them!

Have you seen that bike race in the Olympics where they starting going very slowly until one finally seizes the moment and speeds away? That’s what’s going on!

We’re about three months from the presidential election. Where’s the substance? No one’s talking specifics.

The Republicans are right. President Obama isn’t running on his record.

The Democrats are right. Governor Romney speaks in platitudes without specifics.

Neither side will open up because both sides are scared of how their own words will be used against them!

Have you seen that bike race in the Olympics where they starting going very slowly? When the moment’s just right one rider seizes the moment and speeds away? That’s what’s going on!

Both parties have shown a propensity to take words out of context to distort their opponent’s meaning. Effective!

It’s like “Frankenbites” in reality television. A word here… a word there… all of a sudden it’s a sentence. With a little helpful prodding meaning can be redefined after the fact!

One of two things will happen. It’s possible the debates will force one or both the contenders to open up. That would be good. I can also see one side trailing by a wide enough margin that specificity is all that’s left. It’s truth as a Hail Mary pass!

This is all just sad. I know “it ain’t beanbag,” but it shouldn’t be this either. Campaigning this way does a disservice to us all.

I Am Not Unhappy About Romney’s Choice

OK — three paragraphs in. Why am I elevating someone I’d never vote for and with whom I disagree so deeply? Ryan, finally, makes the conservative agenda understandable… and once their philosophy is understood I suspect many people will recoil.

If Congressman Ryan makes Governor Romney’s campaign attractive they deserve to win.

Congratulations to the Republican Party on picking Congressman Paul Ryan to be Mitt Romney’s running mate for Vice President. I’m not being facetious. This was a smart choice and he is a smart man.

If you’ve ever heard Congressman Ryan speak you know he’s bright and articulate. He passionately believes in the right-of-center philosophy he espouses. In this era of politicians who turn with the wind that’s remarkable as well as refreshing.

Conservatives are thrilled! Congressman Ryan hasn’t always been in lockstep, but he’s been consistent when it counts.

If Congressman Ryan makes Governor Romney’s campaign attractive they deserve to win. Most likely conservatives will discover what Democrats have learned, America is a nation that wants to be governed from the center.

It’s about time for Americans to (hopefully) get a clear and well differentiated choice.

The Pols Call

Wow — two political campaigns calling within minutes of each other… on my cellphone… while I’m in the studio… while I had the ringer on.

Oops. My bad.

Primary day approaches!

One was a robocall from a name I recognize. The caller’s number was revealed on my cell. Oh the temptation to return this call at 3:00 AM.

I hang up on robocalls and this was no exception. The candidate got ten seconds of my time and left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is not a movie, but it would be nice if he lost by one vote.

The other call was from “Private Number.” I thought it was my secret friend from the San Fernando Valley. I quickly answered.

Not my pal. It was another candidate, but this time with a live voice.

“I think your candidate is a crazy person,” I said.

That is what I actually think.

“You won’t get my vote,” I continued. “Please don’t call back.”

He politely said, “Thank you.” Classy touch from the wacko’s camp.

I hate any kind of solicitation call whether they be from a political campaigns or folks offering to get me a better rate on my credit card&#185. I find it distasteful that politicians carved an exclusion to the “Do Not Call” rule just for themselves. Shame on you.

There is a happy ending. I meant what I said about the candidate! It’s so seldom you get to let them know.

&#185 – Note to solicitors. Since Helaine took over the books in 1982 we haven’t paid a penny in credit card interest. Stay away.

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