A recent survey has just shown that candidates identified as moderates on both sides of the political spectrum are facing more and more challenges to win their seats this year in the Congressional elections.
In the primaries this past spring both parties, especially the Republicans, lost moderate Republicans to much more conservative and it the case of Deleware, Nevada, and Alaska, Kentucky and others establishment candidates lost to tea party insurgents.
What this means long term is that more and more candidates in office are on the extreme right and extreme left. Not coincidentally the people most likely to vote are those that are strong right or strong left.
This is the problem.
Until the vast center of Americans in the middle choose to get involved and active, not just in November elections but in the primaries themselves we will continue to get extreme candidates who listen to those extreme voters that elected them.
This will not be a good thing.
There is hope. While I do not like Joe Lieberman the fact that he as a Democrat when he ran as an independent after having been taken out in the Democratic primary ended up regaining his seat shows the middle counts. It also illustrates how in the primary a small group of inspired voters can upset the applecart.
Mike Castle in Delaware can attest to that.
Lisa Murkowski an Alaska Republican taken out by a tea party Republican is running as a write in candidate in Alaska and according to polls leading. Even in Alaska it would seem those closer to the middle can in the right circumstances win.
Another example is Charlie Crist, one time Presidential contender in Florida lost in the primary to a tea party candidate and running as an Independent can now win only if the Democrat Kendrick Meek gets out of the way.
There is room for a third party. However this will only work if those people in the middle get involved early in the process.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Aqua Buddha
First off it should be noted that it was highly unlikely Jack Conway was going to win as a Democratic candidate for Senate in Kentucky. His opponent the Tea Party favorite Rand Paul however opened the door to give him a chance.
Some of Paul's statements against the Department of Education, revamping the tax code and questioning the Civil Rights Act may not play well in most of the country but in Kentucky they are not automatically disqualifiers.
About 10 days ago Conway, perhaps overreaching, ran an ad talking about Rand's proclaimed Christian faith and comparing with his actions in college when he joined a " secret society that asked women to kneel and worship Aqua Buddha." I do not know what is true but most people who went to college did some things they would prefer not to talk about 30 years later and if you ever pledged a fraternity I am sure that is true.
Parents everywhere who ever smoked marijuana in college struggle with what of the truth to admit to as their kids come of age.
I actually have an acquaintance from college who is now active in Republican circles in the state of Maine. I remember things he did in college that he would not want talked about in a campaign should he ever run for office. The question is does it matter. I think not.
I don't think Aqua Buddha matters either.
Some of Paul's statements against the Department of Education, revamping the tax code and questioning the Civil Rights Act may not play well in most of the country but in Kentucky they are not automatically disqualifiers.
About 10 days ago Conway, perhaps overreaching, ran an ad talking about Rand's proclaimed Christian faith and comparing with his actions in college when he joined a " secret society that asked women to kneel and worship Aqua Buddha." I do not know what is true but most people who went to college did some things they would prefer not to talk about 30 years later and if you ever pledged a fraternity I am sure that is true.
Parents everywhere who ever smoked marijuana in college struggle with what of the truth to admit to as their kids come of age.
I actually have an acquaintance from college who is now active in Republican circles in the state of Maine. I remember things he did in college that he would not want talked about in a campaign should he ever run for office. The question is does it matter. I think not.
I don't think Aqua Buddha matters either.
Bill, Juan, NPR and the ladies of the View
In the last couple of weeks a couple of incidents have occurred that could be construed as issues of free speech while others would classify them as shouting fire in a movie theater.
I am a Democrat. A moderate Democrat, a moderate anything is a rarity these days but a moderate one at that.
Still, surprisingly I guess, in the last couple of weeks I find myself coming down one hundred percent on the side of Bill O' Reilly and Juan Williams in their recent controversies.
O' Reilly while on The View expounding his opinion on the " Mosque at Ground Zero" and the fact that President Obama's actions had not been as strong as they could be. His main thrust of his argument was that Obama had equivocated stating that he would not challenge the right to have the mosque built at Ground zero but would hold off on his own judgement. Which was a prevaricating answer trying to offend no one. O' Reilly's point was that Americans are overwhelmingly against the mosque which, no matter what your individual opinion is on the issue, is a true fact.
Joy Behar was offended and stated that she agreed with Obama and she was an American and felt that O' Reilly was wrong. As the discussion got more heated at one point O' Reilly states " Look people can have that opinion, it was Muslims who blew up those planes." This caused Behar and Whoopi Goldberg to march off the set and to this moment I still do not understand.
It was Muslims who blew up those planes. Not all Muslims any more than all Christians who are responsible for the bad things people have done in the name of Christianity. Still for folks to think Muslims to have a mosque on the site of a terrorist attack by Muslims is not unreasonable.
I personally think that the mosque is Ok. But to get upset over someone saying Muslims blew up those planes is just ridiculous. Do we have to temper it by saying extremist Muslims. Does that somehow make it more acceptable.
Still worse was the Juan Williams fiasco. Williams on O'Reilly's show as a contributor per normal was talking about Bill's trip to The Viewand stated in support of O ' Reilly that when he gets on a plane and he sees people in Muslim garb getting on the plane he gets nervous.
For this he has been crucified and NPR fired him for these comments. Maybe I do not know anything but I have felt that way. I think that 95 percent of people have felt that way and might still feel that way under the circumstances.
I think Juan Williams comment was an honest admission. It was part of a larger comment that was not inflammatory in anyway.
A special note. Years ago Juan Williams criticized white jewelry store owners in the Baltimore metro area who stated that they were nervous when black men came into the store. By that statement his statement about Muslims is hypocritical but in my opinion this is nothing more than a man walking in the shoes of someone he previously criticized. He was after all a black man.
So is it understandable for Muslims not to like these comments. Of course it is. Does it make them less honest and true and part of a legitimate discussion. No it does not.
I am a Democrat. A moderate Democrat, a moderate anything is a rarity these days but a moderate one at that.
Still, surprisingly I guess, in the last couple of weeks I find myself coming down one hundred percent on the side of Bill O' Reilly and Juan Williams in their recent controversies.
O' Reilly while on The View expounding his opinion on the " Mosque at Ground Zero" and the fact that President Obama's actions had not been as strong as they could be. His main thrust of his argument was that Obama had equivocated stating that he would not challenge the right to have the mosque built at Ground zero but would hold off on his own judgement. Which was a prevaricating answer trying to offend no one. O' Reilly's point was that Americans are overwhelmingly against the mosque which, no matter what your individual opinion is on the issue, is a true fact.
Joy Behar was offended and stated that she agreed with Obama and she was an American and felt that O' Reilly was wrong. As the discussion got more heated at one point O' Reilly states " Look people can have that opinion, it was Muslims who blew up those planes." This caused Behar and Whoopi Goldberg to march off the set and to this moment I still do not understand.
It was Muslims who blew up those planes. Not all Muslims any more than all Christians who are responsible for the bad things people have done in the name of Christianity. Still for folks to think Muslims to have a mosque on the site of a terrorist attack by Muslims is not unreasonable.
I personally think that the mosque is Ok. But to get upset over someone saying Muslims blew up those planes is just ridiculous. Do we have to temper it by saying extremist Muslims. Does that somehow make it more acceptable.
Still worse was the Juan Williams fiasco. Williams on O'Reilly's show as a contributor per normal was talking about Bill's trip to The Viewand stated in support of O ' Reilly that when he gets on a plane and he sees people in Muslim garb getting on the plane he gets nervous.
For this he has been crucified and NPR fired him for these comments. Maybe I do not know anything but I have felt that way. I think that 95 percent of people have felt that way and might still feel that way under the circumstances.
I think Juan Williams comment was an honest admission. It was part of a larger comment that was not inflammatory in anyway.
A special note. Years ago Juan Williams criticized white jewelry store owners in the Baltimore metro area who stated that they were nervous when black men came into the store. By that statement his statement about Muslims is hypocritical but in my opinion this is nothing more than a man walking in the shoes of someone he previously criticized. He was after all a black man.
So is it understandable for Muslims not to like these comments. Of course it is. Does it make them less honest and true and part of a legitimate discussion. No it does not.
Trees
Maybe it is a sign of age but I find myself just mesmerized by trees. It is not just this fall though watching the trees just in our neighborhood turn is for me an almost religious experience but through the summer as well.
Watching the trees come to life in the spring. The buds and then almost overnight we look up and it is green everywhere.
The trees before a summer thunderstorm when they turn in a bit before the rain and the wind from a tropical breeze such as when a tropical storm passed to the south of us this fall.
For me trees have become something that makes me wish I had more land just so I could have one of every kind of tree. I find myself spotting certain trees on routes I frequently take and adding them to my inventory of trees I look forward to watching all year.
I feel like my grandfather with this feelings but they are real.
Maybe it is part of the overall new spirituality I feel since my sickness. Maybe as we get older we are jealous of the trees and their copying the cycle of life each year while we only get one chance.
Whatever it is for me a tree is part of my life that makes me stop and wonder. That is a very good thing.
Watching the trees come to life in the spring. The buds and then almost overnight we look up and it is green everywhere.
The trees before a summer thunderstorm when they turn in a bit before the rain and the wind from a tropical breeze such as when a tropical storm passed to the south of us this fall.
For me trees have become something that makes me wish I had more land just so I could have one of every kind of tree. I find myself spotting certain trees on routes I frequently take and adding them to my inventory of trees I look forward to watching all year.
I feel like my grandfather with this feelings but they are real.
Maybe it is part of the overall new spirituality I feel since my sickness. Maybe as we get older we are jealous of the trees and their copying the cycle of life each year while we only get one chance.
Whatever it is for me a tree is part of my life that makes me stop and wonder. That is a very good thing.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Carly Stays on Message
Sunday morning as my wife and I started our day and ate a late breakfast I was going around the Sunday morning news programs and landed on Fox's Chris Wallace interviewing California Senate candidate Carly Fiorina.
The candidate, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard challenges Barbara Boxer the three term Democratic Senator.
As is the case with Republican candidates this year Fiorina talked about cutting the deficit as a number one concern along with lowering taxes. Wallace, to his credit, did not let the candidate slide. Repeatedly asking her to explain just what she would cut to balance the budget with this scenario she repeatedly danced around the subject.
Wallace pressed and she feinted. This was not what she was promised on a Fox interview. Finally pressed she loaded up for a quasi answer. I looked at my wife and reminded of the old Hi Bob drinking game said to her " Here it comes, we are going to cut waste." 10 seconds later she spoke of estimates of as much as 50 billion dollars of waste in the budget that needed to be corrected.
Wallace, congratulating her on what each candidate says, Obama too by the way when campaigning talked about cutting waste, advised her that we had a 4 trillion dollar shortfall with the Bush tax cuts extended.
She never did answer. They never do.
Here is the truth. The military budget must be cut. Drastically. It is a jobs program for the arms makers and for the cities and towns that house them. As Bill Maher says we need to undertand that we have an army ready to fight the Russians in 1982.
Another place is Social Security and entitlements. Can someone explain to me why I have to pay X percent of my income as do most people as we do not make more than 100 K a year but that those above that amount pay a progressively lower percentage of their income as their income rises. How about keeping that percentage steady all the way thru the income brackets.
If you see France in the news right now with protests over raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 then you see the problems coming down the road. Our issues are not trim around the edges issues. We need a hacksaw not a chisel, the problem is the patients family wants you to save everything not cut off a leg to save the body.
Good luck to all those elected this year. Let's hope Carly is not one of them.
The candidate, the former CEO of Hewlett Packard challenges Barbara Boxer the three term Democratic Senator.
As is the case with Republican candidates this year Fiorina talked about cutting the deficit as a number one concern along with lowering taxes. Wallace, to his credit, did not let the candidate slide. Repeatedly asking her to explain just what she would cut to balance the budget with this scenario she repeatedly danced around the subject.
Wallace pressed and she feinted. This was not what she was promised on a Fox interview. Finally pressed she loaded up for a quasi answer. I looked at my wife and reminded of the old Hi Bob drinking game said to her " Here it comes, we are going to cut waste." 10 seconds later she spoke of estimates of as much as 50 billion dollars of waste in the budget that needed to be corrected.
Wallace, congratulating her on what each candidate says, Obama too by the way when campaigning talked about cutting waste, advised her that we had a 4 trillion dollar shortfall with the Bush tax cuts extended.
She never did answer. They never do.
Here is the truth. The military budget must be cut. Drastically. It is a jobs program for the arms makers and for the cities and towns that house them. As Bill Maher says we need to undertand that we have an army ready to fight the Russians in 1982.
Another place is Social Security and entitlements. Can someone explain to me why I have to pay X percent of my income as do most people as we do not make more than 100 K a year but that those above that amount pay a progressively lower percentage of their income as their income rises. How about keeping that percentage steady all the way thru the income brackets.
If you see France in the news right now with protests over raising the retirement age from 60 to 62 then you see the problems coming down the road. Our issues are not trim around the edges issues. We need a hacksaw not a chisel, the problem is the patients family wants you to save everything not cut off a leg to save the body.
Good luck to all those elected this year. Let's hope Carly is not one of them.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Elliott Cutler for Governor
This past weekend the Bangor Daily News endorsed Elliott Cutler for governor. Not that surprising really when one considers the candidates running.
More of a question is can he win. I think much will depend on turnout. I get the sense people in Maine are not that worked up about this election. I also get the sense that the same small group that got Lepage as the winner of the Republican primary will be sure to vote this November. Lepage's followers are true believers.
Libby Mitchell is like Lepage from the extreme base of her party and just not a good candidate. A fine person as is Lepage I suspect but neither are equipped to do what must be done.
The question is can he win. This race reminds me of the 1974 election of Jim Longley. Being a young child at that time I do remember his commercials in the last week saying People tell me they think we could win if we just had one more week to get the message out. Cutler's adds seems sharper and the unfavorable ratings of the two party candidates keep rising.
Of course very soon an attack ad will be placed against him. This is a double edged sowrd as it means that he could be hurt by it but it will also be an acknowledgement from Mitchell because I believe it will be her that he has a chance.
Lepage should ignore Cutler or even build him up as Cutler clearly hurts Mitchell more while Mitchell has to make people believe a vote for Cutler is a vote for LePage.
According to recent polling that may not be true.
I am going to vote for Cutler. We need a good governor as this is going to be a terrible time to be Governor. Lepage and Mitchell are not equipped to do what needs to be done.
More of a question is can he win. I think much will depend on turnout. I get the sense people in Maine are not that worked up about this election. I also get the sense that the same small group that got Lepage as the winner of the Republican primary will be sure to vote this November. Lepage's followers are true believers.
Libby Mitchell is like Lepage from the extreme base of her party and just not a good candidate. A fine person as is Lepage I suspect but neither are equipped to do what must be done.
The question is can he win. This race reminds me of the 1974 election of Jim Longley. Being a young child at that time I do remember his commercials in the last week saying People tell me they think we could win if we just had one more week to get the message out. Cutler's adds seems sharper and the unfavorable ratings of the two party candidates keep rising.
Of course very soon an attack ad will be placed against him. This is a double edged sowrd as it means that he could be hurt by it but it will also be an acknowledgement from Mitchell because I believe it will be her that he has a chance.
Lepage should ignore Cutler or even build him up as Cutler clearly hurts Mitchell more while Mitchell has to make people believe a vote for Cutler is a vote for LePage.
According to recent polling that may not be true.
I am going to vote for Cutler. We need a good governor as this is going to be a terrible time to be Governor. Lepage and Mitchell are not equipped to do what needs to be done.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
What If It Was Your Child
I like to think I am a pretty regular parent. I want what is best for my kids. I would like to help them avoid mistakes that can be avoided and hope the mistakes they do make are ones they learn from and that they do not bruise to much from.
When I hear about all of these young people killing themselves because they are gay or lesbian, or have been outed as such, or bullied as such it makes me rethink how I would react.
As a man well into middle age we usually do not change much. I have always of course said I would love my kids no matter what but we so often hear about parents who disown their kids, kick them out of the house etc. I could not imagine it before. Now I do not even think that is sufficient. Now I think as parents we have to be proactive. Now my ex wife one day in passing said don't make it seem like it is too OK you will encourage it.
To me that is just not a real worry. Gay people are born. Now I know we all have seen the Girls Gone Wild things and yes it is true that seemingly many young people ( mostly girls) experiment a bit with same sex activities while in college. But for those people who are gay or lesbian based on the laws of attraction I do not think there is any real doubt that these people are made this way by nature. Is it a faulty chromosone or something I do not know. I think it is also pretty clear that not many people would choose to be gay.
What I wrote in the last paragraph about a defective gene would make some folks who are gay upset. Any implication they are defective is hurtful to them and understandably so. Still if they ask the heterosexaul majority to understand science proves they are who they are not through choice then they must understand that scientifically and biologically we are supposed to be heterosexaul. From a scientific perspective that is our purpose. To procreate.
Beyond all that however I am done saying that if my child is gay or lesbian I will love them. The other night I said to my two boys " Not that I think you are but listen to me if you ever find yourself feeling like you are gay I want you to know that it is not the end of the world, we love you and support you. Do not do anything stupid. " I am a man that is about as delicate as I can be. I also told them and listen guys just as importantly there is a real chance somebody you know, a friend might be and might tell you...for goodness sakes be supportive and help them and be a friend."
I would not wish my child to be gay. I want their life to be as easy as possible. But the thought that my child or anyone's child could feel so alone as to hurt themselves over who they are attracted to. We need to really think about what we are doing.
The way to fix things is not by worrying about crazy people like the minister who pickets funerals saying how God hates fags. We need to make sure that we the huge majority of people in the middle are doing all we can to let those we love know we love them through thick and thin.
So yes in middle age I guess I am now a person who strongly believes in gay rights. DADT and laws forbidding same sex unions I don't know. I guess I have moved beyond it. If two people love each other the world is a scary place. I know lesbians who have adopted. One of the nicest people I ever worked with was a gay man.
The world needs more love. It needs less hate.
Just think if it was your child would you rather have them come to you in fear or know that no matter what you would be on their side. For me the choice is easy
When I hear about all of these young people killing themselves because they are gay or lesbian, or have been outed as such, or bullied as such it makes me rethink how I would react.
As a man well into middle age we usually do not change much. I have always of course said I would love my kids no matter what but we so often hear about parents who disown their kids, kick them out of the house etc. I could not imagine it before. Now I do not even think that is sufficient. Now I think as parents we have to be proactive. Now my ex wife one day in passing said don't make it seem like it is too OK you will encourage it.
To me that is just not a real worry. Gay people are born. Now I know we all have seen the Girls Gone Wild things and yes it is true that seemingly many young people ( mostly girls) experiment a bit with same sex activities while in college. But for those people who are gay or lesbian based on the laws of attraction I do not think there is any real doubt that these people are made this way by nature. Is it a faulty chromosone or something I do not know. I think it is also pretty clear that not many people would choose to be gay.
What I wrote in the last paragraph about a defective gene would make some folks who are gay upset. Any implication they are defective is hurtful to them and understandably so. Still if they ask the heterosexaul majority to understand science proves they are who they are not through choice then they must understand that scientifically and biologically we are supposed to be heterosexaul. From a scientific perspective that is our purpose. To procreate.
Beyond all that however I am done saying that if my child is gay or lesbian I will love them. The other night I said to my two boys " Not that I think you are but listen to me if you ever find yourself feeling like you are gay I want you to know that it is not the end of the world, we love you and support you. Do not do anything stupid. " I am a man that is about as delicate as I can be. I also told them and listen guys just as importantly there is a real chance somebody you know, a friend might be and might tell you...for goodness sakes be supportive and help them and be a friend."
I would not wish my child to be gay. I want their life to be as easy as possible. But the thought that my child or anyone's child could feel so alone as to hurt themselves over who they are attracted to. We need to really think about what we are doing.
The way to fix things is not by worrying about crazy people like the minister who pickets funerals saying how God hates fags. We need to make sure that we the huge majority of people in the middle are doing all we can to let those we love know we love them through thick and thin.
So yes in middle age I guess I am now a person who strongly believes in gay rights. DADT and laws forbidding same sex unions I don't know. I guess I have moved beyond it. If two people love each other the world is a scary place. I know lesbians who have adopted. One of the nicest people I ever worked with was a gay man.
The world needs more love. It needs less hate.
Just think if it was your child would you rather have them come to you in fear or know that no matter what you would be on their side. For me the choice is easy
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
I Am Not a Witch
When a candidate for the United States Senate seat from Delaware has to start a campaign advertisement by saying " I am not a witch" perhaps we have gone down into The Twilight Zone.
Christine O Donnell is not a bad person. She has some sincere beliefs and like most of us she made a few mistakes when she was younger. That said she is not a viable candidate for Senate.
The real issue this year is that the Tea party candidates won elections in primary season with a very low turnout. In Delaware Republicans totaling 10,000 voted for Christine O Donnell and that was enough to win. More than anything this should alert people affiliated with a party that primaries matter and they can no longer assume anything.
The next test of ethics is if Republicans will embrace these candidates such as Christine O Donnell, Joe Miller of Alaska, Rand Paul in Kentucky. The answer is a resounding yes. The Republicans will deal with any devil they have to to reach a majority. Should any of these candidates win the most interesting thing may be is how they affect the Republicans they join.
Christine O Donnell is not a bad person. She has some sincere beliefs and like most of us she made a few mistakes when she was younger. That said she is not a viable candidate for Senate.
The real issue this year is that the Tea party candidates won elections in primary season with a very low turnout. In Delaware Republicans totaling 10,000 voted for Christine O Donnell and that was enough to win. More than anything this should alert people affiliated with a party that primaries matter and they can no longer assume anything.
The next test of ethics is if Republicans will embrace these candidates such as Christine O Donnell, Joe Miller of Alaska, Rand Paul in Kentucky. The answer is a resounding yes. The Republicans will deal with any devil they have to to reach a majority. Should any of these candidates win the most interesting thing may be is how they affect the Republicans they join.
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