Tag: Politics

The Campaign Is Underway

Election season is underway. I just saw an article talking about sniping TV ads from the presidential candidates. We will see few of those in Connecticut.

Nobody loves us!

Connecticut will go Democratic. Both campaigns believe this. Neither feels the outcome can be changed. Why piss away your bankroll?

Where there is a contest the ads will be gonzo! Not only will the candidates be buying spots, so will non-aligned Super PACs. Viewers in Ohio and other states up-for-grabs won’t see many commercials for local businesses. Pols will dominate the airwaves.

There is no other product sold (and politicians are certainly being sold in TV ads) that uses as much negative advertising! Being the lesser of the evils seems to be the technique of choice. Much of the scorched Earth rhetoric heard and read from partisans on both sides is fueled by that negative advertising.

The whole system is ridiculous and ill suited for 2012. Don’t expect it to change.

Those who exert an disproportional amount of power will never give it up.

The New Lobbyists

We are the new lobbyists! That’s got to be scary to politicians used to playing by the old rules.

The House and Senate were about to pass hardnosed anti-piracy legislation (SOPA & PIPA) when a funny thing happened. People spoke up. Congress backed down.

A Eureka&#185 moment!

As the Internet transformed shopping and news and just about everything else it is about to transform government and governance. Voices can be amassed in numbers never before seen. “People power” might actually be at hand.

We are the new lobbyists! That’s got to be scary to politicians used to playing by the old rules.

Too bad.

&#185 – From Wikipedia: This exclamation is most famously attributed to the ancient Greek scholar Archimedes. He reportedly proclaimed “Eureka!” when he stepped into a bath and noticed that the water level rose—he suddenly understood that the volume of water displaced must be equal to the volume of the part of his body he had submerged

I’m A Political Junkie

Have the Republicans marginalized their chance in the general election by moving outside our nation’s norm? Could be. Or maybe it’s me who’s out-of-step?

I am a political junkie. I follow politics, but more importantly I usually enjoy following politics. That being said I’m sick of Iowa and ready to move on. In fact more ready to move on than see the results!

Rick Santorum helped me better understand my own angst by explaining today he supported Mitt Romney in 2008 because Romney was more conservative than John McCain. Of course Santorum is and all the other candidates now claim to be more conservative than Romney.

Wherever the Republican Party was four years ago it’s more conservative today.

Have the Republicans marginalized their chance in the general election by moving outside our nation’s norm? Could be. Or maybe it’s me who’s out-of-step?

I don’t like Romney. It has been said he looks like the guy who fired your dad.

I disapprove of the role of firms like Bain Capitol in our economy. It is Romney whose leadership at Bain helped shape that parasitic industry. He is very good at doing something most of us would find quite distasteful. In Bain’s game there are a few big winners and a lot of losers!

Dislike is one thing. A few of the candidates outright scare me.

I am obviously not the target audience for the candidates in Iowa.

This is not to say President Obama is the draw he was four years ago. Sure he walked into a horrific situation left by the previous administration, but it’s the other stuff that’s upsetting.

He gave telcos who spied on American citizens (aka – us!) retroactive immunity. The Patriot Act and other affronts to our liberty remain in place. The Bush era tax cuts remain for the wealthy. Guantanamo. Our continued presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. NDAA. It goes on.

Even with those weaknesses barring a “’68 Chicago” scene at the Democratic Convention I can’t imagine the Republicans winning.

Maybe I should follow my weather advice and avoid long range forecasting. It’s seldom right.

Some Of My Best Friends Are Republicans

Look at these candidates and understand why you shouldn’t get engaged on the first date!

Between work and home news is a nearly constant companion. I watch and read too much news! That’s especially true pre-Iowa when I’m watching the dance for the Republican presidential nomination. Look at these candidates and understand why you shouldn’t get engaged on the first date!

Tucker Carlson, a man with whom I share virtually no opinions put his finger on it yesterday while referencing Tea Party influence on Republicans.

I think it’s had a huge effect, and its biggest effect that almost no one ever mentions is that the Tea Party destroyed the Republican establishment.

Yes, Tucker. Though you’re still a weasel.

Look who’s running? There have been brief love affairs with Bachman, Trump, Perry, Cain and now Newt (forgive me–I love that I can call a man Newt). Each is dogmatically pure, but carries more baggage than a luggage store!

Gingrich has mostly been given a pass from the press. He’s now viable. He will now be scrutinized.

It will be interesting to see if Republicans agree he was hired post-Congress because he was a valuable historian.

Why would a sane person with middle-of-the-road or even slightly right-of-center leanings try for this nomination? You have to be ant-science, anti-tax, anti-compromise and the right kind of Christian. You have to pander to groups which hold much power at this stage of the process, but only a fraction in the general election.

It’s not that the Republican Party hasn’t had good ideas. They just can’t be brought out now because they won’t appeal to conservative Iowans and the farthest right.

The part of this primary process that boggles my mind is how many of the party’s most faithful are working against their own best interests. It’s tough to see how they benefit from the policies that are championing.

I am decidedly liberal progressive. I admit that. This isn’t about my desire for Republicans to adopt my philosophy. It’s just my wonderment why they aren’t trying to maximize their chances of winning?

John Huntsman scares me the most as the president’s opponent. He could be attractive to mainstream independent voters. He’s got no traction with Republicans.

It’s all very curious. Is having a philosophically pure candidate who can’t win in November the goal?

In many ways (manny, many ways) I have been disappointed by President Obama, but he doesn’t scare me. Some of these candidates do.

My Wisconsin Fight Song

After the budget tumult in Washington I’d like to think these tiny elections will signal a change in the electorate’s thinking.

I’ve become way too politically obsessed! Six elections were held today in Wisconsin. I am anxiously awaiting the returns. I don’t know any of the candidates. There are no individual issues involved. It’s really bloodsport now–Republicans versus Democrats after collective bargaining for Wisconsin state employees was eliminated earlier this year.

This is the “Steel Cage Death Match” of the early 2011 election season!

I’m usually checking poll numbers around now. There are few to find.

Nate Silver in the NY Times writes:

Most of the polls have either been conducted by partisan groups, have unorthodox methodologies, or both.

After the budget tumult in Washington I’d like to think these tiny elections will signal a change in the electorate’s thinking. Maybe the take-no-prisoners orthodoxy of the most radical political partisans has passed its prime? Maybe not?

I can’t wait to see.

The Media Overvalues Twitter

The discussion framed Twitter as a place for political discourse. Maybe it is, but that’s a minor piece of what Twitter is.

I embrace social media. I am on Facebook. I am on Google+. I am on Twitter. Of those three the most misunderstood and incorrectly valued by the press is Twitter.

Today Howard Kurtz interviewed Jeff Jarvis on CNN’s Reliable Sources&#185. They discussed a Jarvis originated tweet with the hashtag #f*ckwashington. (The original didn’t have an asterisk and it’s sort of juvenile that I choose to use it since you all knowthe actual word anyway.)

The discussion framed Twitter as a place for political discourse. Maybe it is, but that’s a minor piece of what Twitter is and unless you know what you’re looking for beforehand politics is impossible to stumble upon.

I have a few special Twitter searches set up on my computers. They’re not looking for keywords. They’re looking for people within a specific geographic region. There’s one centered on a 15 mile circle around New Haven. Another does the same for Hartford.

My original thought was locals would tip me off when something was going on in either place. It works sometimes–not dependably. Most time it’s worthless.

Having this localized firehose of messages lets me see tweets without worrying if they’re sent by people I care about. There’s no concern over the subject matter either. Not all tweets are geotagged yet, but if it’s sent near New Haven or near Hartford there’s a chance it gets to my screen.

New Haven has Yale University. Hartford is the state capitol. You would expect some political talk and smart discussions. And yet I rarely see political or learned tweets! They are a rarity.

Here’s a brief sample received within the last few minutes:

  • Damn, tht was short lived smh oh well. Better luck next time
  • I should brought some weed for this car ride #DecisionsRegreted
  • @Liana_Gianna Yeayeayea, I wass likee ahaa oh heyy lianaa.

You get the idea.

This is not to say there aren’t valuable tweets. They’re just tough to find in all the noise.

The people you want to hear from are already writing elsewhere… and not limited to 140 characters. I continue to come back to Twitter, but sometimes wonder why?

&#185 – CNN’s Reliable Sources hosted by Kurtz examines the media and its role in news and society.

The Republican’s Dilemma

There are really two elections for president. The first election gets you nominated. The second gets you elected. They are very different elections with a very different electorate.

The 2012 presidential election is a long way off. There’s no way to know who the candidates will be (though President Obama as the Democratic nominee seems certain). The Republicans have a problem.

OK–first things first. Yes, I am a registered Democrat and probably more liberal than most. In that regard what I’m about to tell you is delicious.

However, this isn’t going to be a heavily partisan post. The Republican dilemma is real and the Republican leadership knows it.

There are really two elections for president. The first election gets you nominated. The second gets you elected. They are very different elections with a very different electorate.

Primaries attract less participation. Most people feel they’re not that important. That concentrates power in those who are motivated–often with narrowly defined issues that are very important to few.

Simply put you need to be farther right to win the Republican nomination than to win the general election. You need to be farther left to be nominated by the Democrats.

Today that motivated far-right wing of the Republican Party is the Tea Party. From where I sit they seem intransigent in their positions.

That’s why Mitt Romney has been forced to run away from moderate programs he endorsed while the Massachusetts governor. The same seems to be happening with Tim Pawlenty who was governor in Minnesota.

True moderates are scared to run because conciliatory talk about budget compromises or social programs will surely bring out “friendly fire” from the right! It’s already happened to Newt Gingrich!

Though the far right needs to be courted to get the nomination they really aren’t as necessary in the general election. It’s not as if these disappointed right-wingers will ditch a moderate Republican to vote to re-elect President Obama.

Candidates are left with a “Hobson’s Choice.”

Like I said, the election is a long way off. I’ll be interested in seeing how the Republicans intend to extricate themselves from this trap of their own making.

Don’t Ask Don’t Care

It’s 2010. Gay Americans are a mainstream part of our society. Haven’t the senators watched cable recently?

I am incredibly disappointed and angered the repeal of “Don’t Ask. Don’t Tell” failed in the Senate. The defeat was procedural as ‘only’ 57 senators voted to bring the bill forward. That meant a Republican filibuster was certain. The minority ruled!

It’s 2010. Gay Americans are a mainstream part of our society. Haven’t the senators watched cable recently?

Gay people aren’t a threat. They’re just people! That’s why my personal policy is “Don’t Ask. Don’t Care.”

DADT in general and today’s debacle in particular will be looked upon as an embarrassing moment in our history. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves.

How I Got Hooked On Watching Elections

This was as exciting as any Bourne movie!

I plan on watching the election results tonight. I’ll watch them closely. I’m hooked because of what happened the first time I watched.

I was born in 1950 and grew up a precocious kid. I remember discussing politics with my grandfather before I was 10&#185.

November 8th, 1960 I sat in front of the TV to watch Huntley and Brinkley and see who would win. No fancy graphics. No satellite live shots (no satellites). Lots of older, white, male, talking heads and numbers written with grease pencils. I was mesmerized.

Through the evening the numbers were tight. I went to bed not knowing who won.

By Wednesday morning nothing had changed! The election was still up in-the-air. It wasn’t until Illinois reported that the election was won.

Kennedy won Illinois by less than 9,000 votes out of 4.75 million cast, or a margin of two-tenths of one percent. However, Nixon carried 92 of the state’s 101 counties, and Kennedy’s victory in Illinois came from the city of Chicago, where Mayor Richard J. Daley held back much of Chicago’s vote until the late morning hours of November 9. The efforts of Daley and the powerful Chicago Democratic organization gave Kennedy an extraordinary Cook County victory margin of 450,000 votes—more than 10% of Chicago’s 1960 population of 3.55 million—thus barely overcoming the heavy Republican vote in the rest of Illinois. Earl Mazo, a reporter for the pro-Nixon New York Herald Tribune, investigated the voting in Chicago and claimed to have discovered sufficient evidence of vote fraud to prove that the state was stolen for Kennedy. – Wikipedia

This was as exciting as any Bourne movie!

I came back in 1964 thinking excitement was an integral part of elections. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Barry Goldwater took only six states. Johnson won in a romp. It was over early.

There’s something about the finality of elections that attract me still. There are few other things in life that have such well defined conclusions.

No matter what the result I’ll be watching the numbers tonight. There might not be as much excitement as 1960 but there will be a whole lot more data to sift through.

&#185 – One of the big issues of the 1960 election was the conflict between Mainland China and Taiwan over the islands Quemoy and Matsu and how the U.S. would respond. Please don’t ask how I remember… I just do. As far as I know this conflict has not been resolved fifty years later!

Yachts And Taxes

There was one line that stood out and which irks me–though there might be an explanation I haven’t thought of.

There’s an article in the Stamford Advocate about the wealth of our gubernatorial and senatorial candidates. I can’t fault anyone for being rich. Don’t we all aspire to wealth? There was one line that stood out and which irks me–though there might be an explanation I haven’t thought of.

They’d be swamped in the wake from “Odalisque,” Republican Tom Foley’s 100-foot ship flagged under the Republic of Marshall Islands and hailing from the port of Bikini.

It doesn’t seem right when someone registers a yacht or plane in a tax haven. I have written about this in the past.

Why does this loophole continue to exist?

The Probama Saga: Small Changes

Oh, it’s still Probama under-the-hood. The screencap on the left is a small comparison between the original Probama and the Daria Novak site today. There are some cosmetic differences–not many.

Overnight I wrote about my discovery Daria Novak’s congressional campaign website was built using Probama, a WordPress ‘theme’ (which defines the site’s look) which claims:

A timely WordPress theme for supporters of Senator Barack Obama’s political career and presidential campaign. Built-in control panel options allow easy management of images, video, podcasts and other RSS info.

That’s somewhat ironic as Ms. Novak is decidedly not an Obama supporter.

Truth is, if you read her bio, she is a very accomplished person. My blogging has nothing to do with her qualifications. She has done a lot. I just found the irony irresistible. I’d feel the same way if she were a Democrat using material designed to promote John McCain or George Bush.

Last night I wrote, “My bet is Daria Novak will soon have a new look on her campaign’s website–and again, it’s a really well designed site. I hope I’m wrong, but “Probama?” That’ll be difficult.”

Sure enough today the look is different. The background has been removed as has any reference to Probama in the code. That’s a shame because the original theme author, Darren Hoyt, who lets anyone freely use his work no longer gets credit. He isn’t totally surprised.

“Holy cow, that is really funny. I have actually gotten some email from people saying essentially, “I’m gonna use your theme to make an ANTI-Obama site, hahaha!” but I haven’t seen anyone using it quite this unknowingly/ironically.”

Oh, it’s still Probama under-the-hood. The screencap on the left (click it to enlarge) is a small comparison between the original Probama and the Daria Novak site today. There are some cosmetic differences–not many.

Here’s why I started this thread in the first place. I knew Ms Novak (or any Republican candidate) wouldn’t want to be associated with anything having anything to do with Barack Obama no matter how tenuous the connection. I’m guessing the same would apply to a Democrat in a similar situation. What she was using was well designed and suited her (and I assume approved by her)–it just made a positive reference to Obama.

Why does that mere fact make it bad?

If Candidate Novak can take anything away from this it’s that no one but me really cares. I posted a link to last night’s entry on Facebook and got no response from my 1,500+ friends. Same thing here, no comments.

What My Facebook Friend Running For Congress Probably Didn’t Know… Until Now

My problem… and now possibly her problem… is I’m a geek. I looked at her site and immediately looked under-the-hood.

If you ask to be my friend on Facebook and you’re a person and not a business, you’re my friend. It didn’t start out like that, but I’ve learned the error of my ways. That’s how I amassed 1,604 ‘friends’.

One of my ‘friends’ is running for Congress. She posted a link on her wall and like an obedient puppy I followed.

My problem… and now possibly her problem… is I’m a geek. I looked at her site and immediately looked under-the-hood. It’s possible for anyone to see this kind of thing. Your browser is equipped to divulge the code it sees.

The site is run under WordPress. My site too. Obviously I approve.

The site is very stylish so I checked out the theme–“Probama.” Uh oh.

Daria Novak is a Republican candidate for Congress. She’s a former Reagan administration staffer and is pictured with Newt Gingrich on her site.

On the other hand “Probama” is described as:

“A timely WordPress theme for supporters of Senator Barack Obama’s political career and presidential campaign. Built-in control panel options allow easy management of images, video, podcasts and other RSS info.”

My bet is Daria Novak will soon have a new look on her campaign’s website–and again, it’s a really well designed site. I hope I’m wrong, but “Probama?” That’ll be difficult.

It’s possible there’s a real life lesson hidden in here somewhere. A good idea doesn’t become a bad idea just because someone you don’t support or don’t like is associated with it.

Will the theme lose its luster because of its name? Stay tuned.

The story continues with changes made to Candidate Novak’s site after this entry went onlline.