Catching Up With LePage, Scarborough, The NRA and the Crisis in Africa

That title of this article implies a general roundup and this correct. The news never stops and it is time to catch up so here we go around the world.

MSNBC host and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough continues to walk the fine line between being a television personality and a serious politician. Over the weekend Scarborough spoke at a National Review Conference and was one of the more popular speakers. Still several members of the far right criticized the National Review for allowing him to speak. This might be the clearest picture of the dysfunction on the right. When an articulate, fiscal Conservative like Mr. Scarborough is not worthy of a speaking slot due to his not drinking the kool aid on issues like guns then the right has a problem. Scarborough continues to argue persuasively for the right to find a voice, to carve a niche and stop being so closely identified with the one percent. He peddles the idea of a right leaning populist movement focused on debt, shared sacrifice, and the breakup of the big banks. It all sounds good to me. Most think Hillary is unbeatable in 2016 and that might well be true. Still a Christie, Scarborough ticket certainly would be worthy of much consideration.

An interesting article the other day from economist Paul Krugman talking about the new Republican bogeyman, folks on disability. Krugman shows that just as Reagan's welfare queen was a stereotype that was salable to a segment of the population so does this argument also work at times. The problem as Krugman states it is that while the disability rolls are increasing, and while inevitably there is some small amount of abuse, that the real rise is nothing more than a demographic truism. As the baby boomer population ages it is inevitable that they amount of people qualifying for disability will rise. It is a correct argument but one that we know will not be understood in all circles. As long as the right can gain followers by targeting " the lady with food stamps buying steak in front of you at the supermarket" this sort of hate and fear-mongering will not go away.

On Meet the Press this week former Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan praised Hillary Clinton stating that if we had a Clinton Presidency we would not have this debt crisis we are in. It is interesting how respected the Secretary of State is on the right, how will they react if she does agree to run. Will they be able to disavow all of their praise over the last few years when they were using her as a wedge against the President.

Watching the NRA's response to the President's gun control measures he put forth last week is a demonstration of how out of tune this organization is. When a true blue Conservative such as Oklahoma's Tom Coburn says that if measures can be taken to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people and those with mental issues they should be pursued then you know that the NRA is perhaps too far out in front of it's supply train on this one.

The political word of the week is gerrymandering. Suddenly average citizens are becoming aware of how this system of rigging Congressional districts to insure one party control is paralyzing our government. When the Republicans kept control of the House of Representatives last November despite losing the popular vote by a considerable margin what was known to a few became obvious to all.

On that note with ideas being floated in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and other states to change the electoral college in those states to match the gerrymandered districts it would be good to note that in 2004 when Democrats in Colorado suggested a similar measure they were criticized by Republicans as being hyper partisan and attempting to subvert the votes of the majority. Perhaps our friends on the right pushing these plans should ask themselves if the shoe fits.

It seems that each week we hear of another employer stating that Obamacare will cost them so much money that they will either have to manipulate their employees hours and status to get around the coverage or pass the costs on to customers or both. While it is easy to pillory executives like Papa John and the Whole Foods CEO we should understand that despite our dislike for their methods they have a point. What we have now with the President's plan is the best we could get but the problems these employers have is just another example of why employer based healthcare needs to be replaced. Remember our auto manufacturers for example are at a competitive disadvantages because of the insurance costs they bare for their employees while foreign car makers are not. The answer, as always, is a single payer system run through the government.

An article in the Bangor Daily News two Saturdays ago illustrated the coming crisis on local funding of education costs. As more and more funding is passed from the state level to the local level, and certainly the Governor's recent proposals will do nothing to alleviate that, local cities and towns are going to be in a terrible position. With the likelihood of large increases in property taxes just to maintain the status quo you are going to see divisive battles between those who have children in the school system currently and those who do not. I propose a rule that any person in elected office who claims to be pro education should have the Pinocchio treatment when saying so if he has voted to pass these costs from their constitutional place in Augusta to the local governments to fund.

Washington Post writer Eugene Robinson noted recently that it certainly appears Republicans are digging in their heels on issues rather than seeing the demographic shifts. The recent reelection of RNC head Rance Priebus indicates that little change will be forthcoming. Robinson also notes that it is interesting that Micheal Steele who led the party to it's sweeping victories in 2010 was immediately fired as RNC head while Priebus was rewarded for the defeats of last November with another term. I guess we will file that one under things that make you go hmmmm.

Proving that Arizona is tired of Florida being the state with the craziest Republicans a bill has been put forth in the Arizona legislature which would not allow qualified students to graduate high school until they took or signed some sort of loyalty oath to America. With all of the problems in this country it is interesting to think this is the biggest concern out west. Certainly this would never pass Constitutional muster.

For those in the know the decision by Senator Saxby Chambliss to not seek reelection to the Senate in Georgia is a bit ironic. Chambliss who deserves begrudging respect by Democrats for working as a member of the Gang of Six on a budget deal last year chose to resign say most insiders due to the prospect of a challenge in the primary from the right. The Senator, a strong Conservative, has been criticized by the Tea Party groups for joining the Gang of Six and even talking about the potential for revenue increases, i.e raising taxes. Irony comes in the fact that Chambliss gained his seat by running advertisements that insinuated that the incumbent at that time Democrat Max Cleland was soft on Iraq and other military matters. Cleland, it should be noted was a triple amputee as a result of his service in Vietnam. One would have thought that entitled him to an informed opinion on matters military without having his patriotism questioned. So in the case of Chambliss I guess it is karma, though one wonders about the future of a party for whom he is not Conservative enough.

Lastly there is our own Governor. Now he thinks we should take some of the Oxford Casino money that was to be targeted to education to shore up his general budget. Mr. Governor how many ways will you try to break the rules, here is an idea, reverse the tax cuts you put in place as your first act as a sop to your right wing friends. After doing that if we are still short you might have a better argument to make for shared sacrifice.

Let's hope things quiet down this week so we can all enjoy this midwinter thaw we have promised.

Republicans Looking For a Revolution

You have to, and I mean this, give credit to the Republicans. They much moreso than the Democrats have grasped that controlling Government at the state level can lead to changes that can affect the balance of power nationally.

In the years since the 2010 elections we have heard over and over about the horror stories, if your a Democrat, that have taken place in states like Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and sadly Maine with the Republican controlled legislatures working in concert with Republican Governor. Without going into long detail it is safe to say that unions, education, and voting rights have all taken a hit.

Since the results of the November Presidential election made them aware that they are headed into a demographic pit the Republicans have begun floating ideas that are exceptional in how far they go. We in Maine over the last couple of election cycles have been made aware that we distribute our electoral college votes in an odd way, namely rather than winner take all by state, the winner of each Congressional district can gain an electoral vote even if they do not win the state as a whole. With the wide demographic split between our first and second district it has been thought that perhaps this split would occur. It has not yet, however, come to pass.

Tired of losing on a national level we are now hearing rumblings in states like Pennsylvania, Virginia, Michigan and Ohio of a plan to change how their electoral college votes are distributed. Simply put they would like to have their votes given out as a result of each Congressional districts vote tallies. While this might seem an acceptable idea one must understand that Congressional districts, everywhere not just in these states, have become a gerrymandered mess. When Republicans won control of these states in 2010 they went even further than before in redistricting plans to make sure they held their majority. I suspect Democrats too would have done so had they thought of it but the truth is it Republicans who are better at knowing how to win and then how to rule with a dagger.

What does it all mean. The similarities in all of the state mentioned are that they are state's that the Democrats consistently win in National elections but more often than not, as a result of gerrymandering, lose at the state level. If, for example, the methodology that these states are proposing were in place at this last election Mitt Romney would have won a significant victory. He would, however, have lost by over five million votes. With the divisive nature of this country, with talks of state's seceding and the overall climate of general hatred between the right and the left do we really think that people would stand still for a result such as that.

Republicans can easily win elections and become a force on the National level, all they really have to do is moderate some views that all but their most extreme element know are crazy and move forward. If, however, they truly intend to move forward in these movies that have the intent to do nothing but thwart the views of the majority and in effect rule this country in almost apartheid way then I do fear the results. I do fear that we might drift into an era where clashes in the streets, and open violence becomes a way of life.

It is not a good thought and I hope and pray that those on the right will hold back their extremists, realizing that their future success will not come as a result of gimmicks but by following their hero Ronald Reagan's " big tent" inclusiveness.

Erick Erickson's Brilliant Column

Erick Erickson is a Conservative Republican. He runs the highly regarded Red State Blog. Few people would expect Erick Erickson to be calling out his fellow Republicans to be more respectful of the President.

On January 20th in a column Mr. Erickson wrote his Congratulations to the President on his recent inauguration. In doing so he advised that when he had done the same on Twitter on Monday he had received responses that embarrassed him and should embarrass the party that he loves.

Erickson goes on to write that he does not in anyway agree with the President and his plans for America. He believes that they will not produce the results the President intends. He also goes on, however, to advise that he does not think the President is doing what he does maliciously, he does not think the President is treasonous, he does not hate him, in short he thinks that the President is a good man with whom he simply disagrees.

If only it could be so simple. Erickson states that he in fact is more outraged by his own party and their own outrageous behavior. He states that the party needs to sell something that they believe in, to be a party of ideas again. In short they need to be the party of that Americans can believe in.

I doubt that Erick Erickson and I would ever agree with each other in regards to many things political. I salute him however for understanding and stating that those on the extreme in his party and mine are the ones causing permanent damage to our country. Calling out " outrage pimps" on both sides of the aisle Erickson has done a great service, the question is of course will anyone listen.

Paul Lepage and the Cost of Pettiness

Today we were advised that one of the credit rating agencies has lowered the State of Maine's credit rating to AA from the higher rating of Triple AA. What does this mean? It means that they have less confidence in the financial health of the State of Maine. And like you or me when our credit rating is lowered it means that the cost of borrowing increases. This is never a good thing.

What is more concerning is the statement released by Fitch and company that stated that while Maine's significant budget gap was a cause of this drop it was not the only reason. One does not need to wonder what else caused the change. We are told by Fitch that they are concerned over the " contentious decision making environment" present in Augusta.

Let me spell it out for you. L-E-P-A-G-E. Lets keep in mind that it is not the Democrats who are refusing to meet with the Governor. It is not the Democrats who call names and storm out of a meeting. In short it is not the Democratic leadership or members who perform the equivalent of a teenage girl running upstairs and slamming their door or a boy not allowed to pick the teams taking his ball and going home.

It is our one and only Governor. Paul LePage. I do not know anyone who needs more evidence to be convinced what a terrible Governor he is but if one does consider how much money he will be costing us because of this drop in the state's credit rating.

In Virginia It's You Take The Low Road and I'll Take the Lower Road

The Virginia state Senate yesterday made news by finding the new standard for low road politics. Well actually I should be specific and say that the Republicans in the state Senate have done so. Be honest. Are you surprised?

A little backstory will be helpful. The Virginia State Senate is evenly split between Democrats and Republicans twenty to twenty. One of those Democrats is an African American man named Henry Marsh. Marsh is a longtime civil rights activist, active in the sixties, and eventually served as the first black Mayor in Richmond. As might be expected Mr. Marsh chose to attend the inauguration yesterday. At seventy nine there might well not be another inauguration as meaningful to him as this one. Attending however seems to have been a big mistake.

A reasonable person might say why and the answer will shock a reasonable person. While state Senator Marsh was in Washington the Republicans in the Senate sprung an unannounced bill, a bill to redistrict the state Senate districts in Virginia. The bill passed twenty to nineteen. This is an incredible act. Important beyond belief. Analysis of the new districts has shown that four new safe districts will be established for the friendly Republicans and might well make it impossible for the Democrats to ever gain control of the State Senate.

This should make Republicans happy but the question is does the end justify the means. What if Mr. Marsh had been in an accident and faced a life threatening situation. What if he was attending the funeral of a wife or child or grandaughter. Would that be different? Is there any reason for a person being absent from a Senate session that would keep Republicans from their dirty tricks. One wonders. Virginia Governor Bob McDonnel has stated he does not approve of the methods his Republican counterparts in the State Senate used to pass this bill. That said he has not said that he will not sign it. If he does we will have seen a new standard for low behavior by a legislative group. Something the good folks of Virginia can be proud of.

What the Hell Paul, The Breakdown of Paul LePage

How many times will I have to write an article like this. How often do we find ourselves reviewing our esteemed Governor's most recent outburst and wondering if he has hit the limit of his own capacity for foolishness.

I think I have to accept that these writings are pointless. It would appear there is no end to how ridiculous he can act.

Yesterday news broke of a meeting that took place between the Governor and three members of the Maine house who caucus with neither the Republicans or the Democrats. Holding to Maine's long tradition of supporting Independent candidates these men are a vital part of the center in Maine. The meeting did not go well. If what we are told, and the reports are confirmed by all three members that were in the meeting, Mr. LePage, upon being asked about the increase in property taxes that would be necessary on the local level as a result of his plan to halt municipal revenue sharing, went off. Calling the legislators " idiots" he advised that they were worse than those other guys ( presumably the Democrats). LePage then stormed out of the room. Many of us have been in a meeting or place where someone storms out. One can only imagine how these men felt. The meeting was not over however, LePage stormed back in moments later, swearing, and pounding the table stating that if the legislators could find 200 million he would put back the revenue sharing.

I think these fellows were surprisingly able to keep their composure. LePage from all accounts was acting a bit unbalanced and yet a valid response was given him with one of the gentleman advising that the revenue and more could be found if the Governor's controversial tax cut that he put in place as his first act was reversed. Needless to say our Governor was not interested in that.

Lets look at where we are right now, on the twenty-second of January. We have a gaping hole in our budget. To get through this year, the budget ending June 30, 2013 school districts are now meeting to make mid year cuts to get through the year. With his municipal revenue sharing on the table to be cut, local towns will be forced to raise more money than ever, and homeowners will be losing their homestead exemption. The pressure on school districts is only increasing.

One should keep in mind that the Governor surely has a bug in his bonnet about education. With his constant statements about Superintendent's double dipping, his claims about the paucity of the education received in Maine schools, and his claims that Maine teachers should make much more the Governor is all over the map.

We should also keep in mind that since the election in November when Democrats regained control of the State Senate and House the Governor has not met with the leaders of his opposition. Why? Well it seems that he really does not like having his public appearances taped. The state's Democratic party is taping all of LePage's public moments and speeches. One may not like it, but as the Governor it goes with the job these days.

The fact is our Governor has some personality issues that are making him even less successful than a person of sane behavior with the same Conservative approach would be. One might notice that since his budget proposals there is not a great deal of support coming from the state's Republicans. The fact is no one wants to stick their neck out for Governor Paul LePage.

He is fast moving up the charts as the worst Governor in the country and one thing we can evidently be sure of is this is one category he is going to make sure Maine leads the nation.

It is an embarrassment that even Republicans are starting to tire of. Perhaps the Governor should do what he seems to want to do, take his ball and go home. We would all be better off.

Guns, Video Games, and Movie Violence Advocates Are All The Same

While we debate what can be done to control gun violence it is interesting to see almost no one do anything less than you would expect.

You have gun advocates and the extreme right wing manipulating through fear and having folks gather in their state capitals yesterday .

While those of us in favor of gun control however look at these folks and feel superior lets remember this.

Have you seen anyone on the left speak out in favor of any limitations or common sense measures to control violence in movies or television, or to admit that sending teenage boys to play shoot and splatter video games constantly might not be a good thing.

The fact is that both sides are just as rigid and both sides are wrong.

Our President and Extralegal Assassinations

Did you know that last year our President ordered the death of an American citizen. This citizen was not convicted of a crime, he had not even been prosecuted in a court of law. Was he a bad guy? Probably. We must understand however that when the President can order the execution of American citizens we might have a real problem. How would you feel about George W. Bush doing this.

It is extralegal and against everything we stand for. And our Democratic President, you now the liberal, is the man doing it.

Something is wrong with this picture.

Republicans Lose, Would Like To Change the Rules

The Republicans have now lost the popular vote in five of the last six Presidential elections. This cannot sit well with the folks of the right.

In the last month we have heard that in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan Republican controlled legislature's are moving bills to change the way the state's electoral college votes are split. What they envision is splitting the electoral votes by electoral vote, interestingly the same way that Maine currently does it. In many states however, with the gerrymandering of districts, this will insure that many states that are currently blue in electoral politics will be sure to give some of their votes to Republicans. Conversely few if any states that are Red electorally have non Republican majorities in the legislatures to effect similar changes.

Consistent discussion about going to strict popular vote are valid discussions but most anyone should realize that this proportional question is just a short sighted attempt to gain power where there is none.

It seems unlikely to pass.

John Roberts Didn't Save ObamaCare

Imagine a football game. Perhaps tonight's Patriots game. One second left in the game, Patriots down by five but the ball on the opponents one. Brady keeps the ball on a quarterback sneak and jumps over the pile. A mass of bodies meet and the all eyes move to the referee, will it be called a touchdown or will they rule the defense held. No one knows. Now imagine that the referee rules in your favor, you celebrate and all is well. Until...the next morning you wake and find out that this was not the case. Things were not as they seemed.

This is what John Roberts did to Barack Obama's Healthcare Law. George Will, who I do not often agree with, wrote a brilliant column this week that unveiled how the President's victory holds in the keys to defeat.

Here is what Will tells us. It should be noted that Will himself bases his article on the work of respected Missouri professor who has written on the subject. He supposes that whereas Justice Roberts saved the Presidents bill by declaring the mandate not mandate but a tax he sealed it's destruction.

The thinking goes like this. The purpose of the mandate originally was to make sure that young and healthy people were forced to buy health insurance. Without this provision the only people insured would be the elderly and those already sick. This is because the healthcare law also insists that people not be penalized for having a preexisting condition when gaining insurance. Without the penalty a young, or old, for that matter, can wait to get insurance until he gets sick because there is no monetary penalty for waiting, he will not pay higher rates.

Justice Roberts however ruled that the mandate was not a mandate but a tax. In this way those people who do choose not to purchase health insurance will be forced to pay a tax for not doing so. However Roberts set a precedent by saying a tax can only work if it is not such a large amount of money that an average person can't pay it. In fact Roberts stated that if the tax did become a higher amount, an amount enough to make sure that people would buy insurance, it would no longer be a tax it would be a mandate,and thus, veer into unconstitutionally.

So where does this leave us. It means that folks who do not wish to buy insurance can save money by paying a minimal yearly " tax" of an estimated sixty dollars. This is, of course , much less expensive than purchasing insurance which means that eventually premiums will have to rise to cover the clients that do buy insurance, the old and the sick.

John Roberts gave Obama a true Judas kiss.

Another reason that the only healthcare reform that will work is a single payer system run by the government.

The NRA Wants You To Stand and Fight

Rarely, very rarely my friends, am I out of words. I am this morning. If you have not yet, you need to watch the new NRA commercial. Make you are are close to a wastebasket, you will need to vomit directly after, but, even so, you do need to see it.

You will see an advertisement that brings the President's daughters into the conversation. Stating that the President is an elitist as his children are protected everywhere they go but that " your " kids go to a gun free zones to be educated.

Just in case that is not enough symbolism to make you ill, the fine folks decide to end the advertisement with a totally acceptable slogan. What is it. Stand and Fight with the NRA.

Good Lord, what is wrong with these people.

The NRA Is Tone Deaf and Apple Ignores the Music

So have you heard the latest kerfuffle surrounding the NRA. I know, I know, it is hard to keep track but they might have topped themselves. Not satisfied to be in bed with gun manufacturers and evidently resistant to common sense measures on gun safety that most of their members endorse the group has now done something I defy anyone to justify.

What is so bad. More bad than usual I guess is what I mean to say?

Well they have created, endorsed, and are currently marketing an App that allows people, it is aimed at children, ages four and up it proudly suggests, to fire an assault weapon at a target. What might that target be. Just to make sure to be as offensive as is humanly possible, the targets are coffins.

No matter what you think of gun control, no matter which side you are on can you tell me how, in what way, can the folks at the NRA think this is a good idea.

It is simply beyond comprehension.

An additional note should be added. Perhaps someone should tell the fine folks at Apple that if they are very concerned about sexuality in apps, they might want to consider their association with Wayne Lapierre and his friends. Some might think that marketing a game such as this would represent a poor choice on their part as well.

If CBS ( and the other networks) Really Care

When we were young the networks were forced to have a family time, a time in their schedule when they were forced to show family friendly programming.

Somewhere along the line those days have come and gone. We now are treated to shows and humor at eight pm that often would make a normal person blush.

However if anything is worse than the shows that we are seeing early in the schedule each evening it is the commercials. The commercials for the shows that will be on later are usually dripping with violence, blood, and gore.

Last evening after watching a CBS Cares commercial I was struck that it was followed soon after by a commercial for one of constant new kill porn movies coming out, something called Warm Bodies.

Let me get this straight, we are against gun violence, we are against desensitizing our children to violence and yet even if we abhors these movies we are subjected to commercials for them.

Perhaps the largest offender is ESPN. We encourage our young men to enjoy sports and yet one cannot watch a Sportscenter episode without seeing a commercial for a violent crime or horror movie.

Show me you care. Stop airing commercials for shows that are in no way similar to the programming being watched. Just stop.

Mr. LePage Says We Teach Our Kids Good

The State of Maine, like most states, has some serious financial problems. It seems every two year budget cycle that our revenue does not meet expectations so the Governor and his legislature are left to fix the budget in place and hack the coming one.

Maine with its new legislature is a reverse microcosm of what is happening in Washington. You have two sides that have little to no common ground, with a political philosophy difference so large that both groups can barely fit in the same room.

After having been silent much of the fall to try to help Republicans get elected, a strategy that clearly did not work, LePage has now emerged from his bunker and made a couple of budget proposals that are not destined to be very popular. To be fair to the Governor there may be no proposals that can make people happy at this point but anybody who thought that our Chief Executive taking a look at the makeup of the legislature would modify his positions to bring about consensus has not had that bubble burst.

Directly after Christmas the Governor proposed fixing the gaping hole in the budget that ends July 1, 2013 by slashing funds from DHS and Education. After all clearly there is money to burn in our education budget. Seriously can someone tell me why it is that each and every year our teachers are asked to spend the last six months of the year wondering if they will have a job the next year.

That however was just the warmup. Last week the Governor rebuked his own Charter School Commission. These folks are a committee of folks who approve or reject proposals for future Charter Schools. For those who do not know the Governor loves Charter Schools. If you live in the inner cities of DC or Detroit or some such place perhaps an argument could be made for a charter school. I do not think that we need them in Maine and I certainly do not think that in the budgetary environment we are in they should be draining money from public education. Four of five of the recent applicants were rejected last week and Mr. LePage accepted the decision with his usual grace and aplomb. He took to microphone and blasted the group and told them if they were going to be intimidated to approve new charters they should " quit " and " go home." In the Governor's kingdom any committee would be a rubber stamp only.

Alas Mr. LePage was still not finished and he saved the best for last. After chastising the Charter School Commission and advising that Maine teachers are paid much too little, this a month after saying that Maine schools are the worst in the nation, the Governor has brought forward proposals for the next two year budget.

These proposals include a two year moratorium on municipal revenue sharing. This was greeted with as anger at the city level, all these mandates passed down will now be the responsibility of each individual town.

The Governor also wishes to cap General Assistance funds for the next two years. I think that is a great idea. After all if too many people come to Bangor or Portland or other population centers and need help well too bad.

Best of all our esteemed Governor, lover of education that he is, plans to flat fund education for the next two years. Flat fund ladies and gentleman, schools that have been stripped to the bone will now have to dig deeper. Moreover he did not really propose flat funding as he now states that districts should pay fifty percent of the teachers pension program going forward rather than all of it being paid at the state level. Do you realize how much money this is being forced to the town level.

For anyone who does not know what this proposal means in the big picture it is this. The state does not have enough and in LePage's case, would like to renege on their existing commitments to pensioners. Beyond that towns will, as has been done all over the country, start to refuse to pay pensions they are responsible to pay, and if towns are held to paying these pensions well who can blame the Governor.

A man who claims to be all about education is nothing but a joke. I would like to know how the thirty nine percent can justify this clown. Oh I forgot a good part of those people received the tax break that he put through as his first act of business. Personally as that has been in place for two years I am surprised our economy is not booming. After all was that not the point, more dollars kept in folks pocket would certainly lead to more investment, an economic boom.

My Good Lord since 1980 Republicans have been spouting this trickle down crap and yet it continues. I would respect them more if they just said Rich folks should keep more of their money and tough on you middle class losers. The rightest thing George Bush the first ever said was on the campaign trail when he decried Reagans policies as Voodoo economics.


For those of you who do not get the reference in the title it was Bush the second who spoke with the syntax of someone educated in one of LePage's vision of a Maine public school. Perhaps soon all our children will speak gooder than kids from out of state.

I do not propose to have all the answers but I am tired of education being the first place that our Governor looks for money, it is a constant shortchanging of our future. Anyone except our pal Paul knows that. Simply put the worst politician this state has ever produced.

No Easy Answers on Guns

As the debate over gun control, gun violence, or gun safety heats up we need to all realize there are no easy answers. There is no one dimensional answer. Certainly it would seem to many of us, myself included, more importantly a high percentage of gun owners themselves, feel that some common sense restrictions on the purchase of guns should be enacted.

It seems to me that large magazines and Bushmaster weapons are not really something any private citizen needs. As Jon Stewart said on his show recently when the Second Amendment became law a musket was the weapon of choice. His answer that muskets be exempted from all gun control has a wry merit to it.

What those folks on the side of gun control need to realize is that a large majority of Anericans are in favor of private gun ownership and have at least some reservations about the government restricting gun access. For me personally I think this is kind of silly but just because I do does not mean I am correct. We on the left on this issue need to be very careful to be respectful of those we disagree with. A great majority of those who own guns are good citizens and they deserve no condescension.

Fox news analyst and political commentator Charles Krauthammer write a column in December after Sandy Hook that was dead on in his assessment. Rarely do I agree with this man but in this article he spoke eloquently and correctly about the challenges we face on this issue.

He pointed out that while taking a few types of guns away, even large cartridges, would make us feel like we were doing something, would inevitably stop a few terrible events from happening, it would not be the panacea to the problem that those on the left believe.

Our country has a mental health crisis. One could argue why this is so, but what is most evident is that in the last generation a great number of people that in a previous life would have been institutionalized are not anymore. Moreover those that need mental help are often caught in limbo. Often times a parent or a guardian or even a friend of a person struggling with mental health issues cannot get the help they need. More than one person related to one of these mass murderers has stated that they were previously denied help because the individual had not " done anything to get in the system." In short the house needs to be on fire before the fire department can come.

The third issue and for some reason the issue the left seems to have the most vocal response to is the discussion of movie violence and video games such as Call of Duty and Halo. I hate these games. My sons both have played those games, they use them as much as a social tool as the boys play them together with headsets but I still feel a remorse every time I hear them playing. I would throw them all out today but I am in the minority in both my house on this issue, and certainly with the other places my children go. My argument of acceptance, weak though it is, is that at home I can monitor them but I feel that this is my greatest mistake as a parent. Now my children are not desensitized to violence, they are well adjusted, and of course most children who play these games have no issues. The problem is that some, a small minority do. On top of this a whole new breed of movie has sprung up in recent years, a kind of violence porn that is to me reprehensible.

What is to be done? As pointed out by many experts including my father years ago the mind is a sponge. In the case of video games and movies it is garbage in, garbage out. Would this be a good place to limit free speech? First amendment advocates, many of whom who have no problem with the limiting of the second amendment have no ability to comprehend the need for this discussion on movies, videos and the like.

Mental health care needs to lose it's stigma, something that might or might not happen, but many experts and people in the know state that the only way to get a real handle on the mental health crisis in this country would be to have a database of those seeking help. This too makes alarms go off for many people. A violation of privacy. If in the interests of society the ability to commit people against their will, even if advocated by their loved ones, would butt up against the Fifth Amendment.

As Krauthammer says we need to make sure that all of the people involved in the solution have respect for each others opinions and also each sides attachment to a particular amendment.

Quentin Tarantino might claim the First Amendment is sacrosanct and that is right but then he must be understanding of those that feel the same way about the Second.

In short there are no easy answers. We all need to understand that to solve the problem something we all need to understand is that perhaps stopping this violent culture from worsening can be the only goal that is sacrosanct.

Chris Christie Just Gets It

If in these days of gridlock you would like to have a sense of what a successful politician looks like I urge you today to seek out a video of Chris Christie's interview this morning on Morning Joe.

On the shows website or likely anywhere one wishes this interview will be easily found. What is so special about the short interview. In fifteen minutes Christie defines his view of governing in a way that makes perfect sense. Stating that his success is based in large part on his understanding when he gets out of bed every morning that he will not get everything he wants in governing. He understands that he is in a minority party in a blue state and yet, he still gets things done, he does not break his promises or his principles, and he is the most popular Governor in America.

Watch this interview. If Hillary Clinton does not run for President he might well be our next President. This might not be a bad thing.

Democrats Win in the House but Lose Anyway

Those on the right have claimed that the recent election was a split decision. They advise that the election of the President and the small gains in the Senate by the left are countered by the Republicans still holding power in the House.

On first blush it would seem to be a legitimate article. However the argument does not hold up. In the house elections the Democrats easily outpaced the Republicans in votes received. However they still lost a majority of the races. I was surprised to see that this is a rare event. Only five times since 1900 have the biannual elections not had the results in majority mirror a majority of the votes received.

Before the Democrats cry foul they should understand that while the cause of this is in some ways the result of large totals received in the cities for their candidates the true meaning of this factor is that gerrymandering works. Works if the goal is making sure that those in power stay in power. This is a problem that needs to be solved. Democrats are not without guilt both sides have engaged in this practice.

It well might be an issue that is beyond the scope of the average voter. One needs to see the moving pieces to understand. It is, however, a huge problem. Term limits anyone?

The Wall Street Journal : Not Fair and Not Balanced

I read an interesting comparison of the editorial policy of the venerable Wall Street Journal recently that took the time to compare some editorials at the time of George W Bush's reelection in 2004 and the recent reelection of President Barack Obama.

The point that is easy to discern is that the Conservative Wall Street Journal is, upon comparison of the statements, evidently not anymore than a branch of the right. What is the point to be made?

When George Bush defeated John Kerry the paper advised that he had received a mandate unlike any President in decades. To be clear they were stating that he had a severe mandate from the voters.

With Mr. Obama's election this fall the paper was a bit more restricted in it's praise. About Mr. Obama the paper said that he had won election by the barest of majorities and had a mandate of slimness that was only in the amount of votes received and not a clear endorsement from the people.

The problem with this analysis. President Obama won a significantly larger portion of the electoral college, he also in raw numbers defeated Romney by more votes than did Bush gain victory over Kerry. One might expect than the paper would recognize the President's clear mandate as well. Mysteriously however it would seem that the margin of victory needed for a mandate was much less in 2004 than it is today with a Democrat victorious.

It would be welcome to understand how this might be the caes.

Chuck Hagel for Defense Secretary

We are told that today President Obama will be submitting Senator Hagel's name to the Senate for confirmation as Secretary of Defense. Hagel as a moderate Democrat should be a no brainer and it is expected that he will eventually be confirmed.

Still many Conservatives are lining up against the Senator. With his shocking belief that the Iraq War was a mess, that the Israeli lobby puts a great deal of pressure on American policy, and worst of all, that perhaps starting a new war with Iran might not be to our advantage Hagel has made enemies of the Neocons. I have decided that Neocons must be code word for those that have investment in Defense contractors and armaments companies.

Bill Kristol evidently has more power on the right than a two term Republican Senator who is a decorated Medal of Honor winner from Vietnam. Yesterday our friend South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham called Hagel an " in your face " nomination from the President of a candidate who " is far outside the mainstream."

I am not sure what mainstream is. We are told that any and all military leader of note approves of Hagel's nomination. Those that are against Hagel are a mystery to me. One would think that they would realize that attacking a Republican nomination would make them look silly.

The Civil War in the Republican party goes on. Barack Obama, perhaps in a smooth political move, has just fed the flames by giving ammunition to both sides.

The Crucifixation of Chuck Hagel

Former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel has seen his name floated recently as a potential Defense Secretary for the President's second term. Chuck Hagel has long been one of my favorite politicians and indeed has for quite sometime held the title as Democrats most favorite Republican.

Perhaps that is the reason that this man, a Conservative Republican Senator , has seen a groundswell movement against his potentially taking this job. Hagel, a decorated Veteran of the Vietnam War would also be the first enlisted man to hold the title of Defense Secretary.

What did the Senator do to bring about the ire of the Neocons in the Republican right. According to the primary inciter of the anti- Hagel chorus Bill Kristol Hagel has had the temerity to make statements advising against the United States taking military action against Iran. A position not ruling out any future action but simply stating that a reckless campaign for another Mideast intervention should be considered somberly and not entered into lightly suddenly becomes not a voice of reason but an anti Israel statement. Only in Washington.

That is not his only crime. Hagel also has stated that we should engage in conversation with those we do not agree, some would say our enemies, such as the Taliban and yes, Iran. I am sure that I am not smart enough to understand all the reasons for not engaging with a group we disagree with. However it seems to me that refusing to talk, not with a splinter group, but a viable government whether we disagree with them or not, is a recipe for further strains, trouble and the like.

As a man who has seen all sides of the military Hagel might be the best candidate to oversee troop draw downs in Afghanistan and some potentially painful cuts in Defense. Certainly the President has reasons for looking for a Republican in this position, it gives him some political cover for a very hard reduction in forces.

That said going after Chuck Hagel in the way that is being done is silly. Would the right prefer to have a Democrat in that office. Perhaps they would. To me the only thing more embarassing than the actons of Kristol and his ilk is the potential that the President himself will throw Hagel over the side if his nomination proves to be too controversial.

Already throwing Susan Rice, perhaps as a sacrifice to hypocrites like John McCain it is time for the President to understand that he has to stand up for those who stand up for him. Chuck Hagel would be a good place to start.

John Boehner : Leader Again

Ohio Congressman John Boehner was reelected as the Speaker of the House today. While there had been some doubt as to his ability to hold his position in his own party in the end with a few defections Boehner gained the gavel again.

This is a tough time for Republicans. We are told that the Speaker recently in the middle of negotiations on the Fiscal Cliff told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to do something physically impossible to himself. Boehner is under incredible stress. The party of the right is now the party of the far right and the reasonable right. Boehner is a pragmatic man.

He is not someone I would vote for. He still is indebted to Corporations, Banks and those that manipulate the far right. He does not however feel a need to send his country to the brink to prove a point. In short, much as my Democratic friends will flay me for saying so, the Speaker is a patriot.

One of the great things about America in the past, and what is missing now is that we all should feel a genuine sureness of the patriotism and goodwill of those who have differing viewpoints. I will not lie, I could not say that about every Republican that I know of. I think some of them are reprehensible. Boehner however is not one of them.

In the coming battles over the debt ceiling, entitlement reform and a myriad of other issues the only person who has a tougher job than the President and honestly perhaps even tougher is the Speaker. Trying to hold together his own caucus is a challenge for any speaker, in these days of the Tea Party it is even tougher.

Boehner is not perfect but he is a patriot and I believe a man of honor. It will be interesting to see what develops, there will be days that I curse him, but, considering his position, we should remember he is in a tough position. He will not ask us to cry tears for him, one could jokingly say that he will cry those himself, but perhaps we all should try, for as long as we can, to keep goodwill in our hearts. Check back with me in March and I will surely disagree with myself by then.

I think we all have to realize Boehner's position.

Mark Kirk, Joe Biden and The Way Things Should Be

Illinois Senator Mark Kirk made it back to the Capital today. This is significant in ways that many of us may not be aware.

Senator Kirk, a first term Republican, suffered a massive stroke last January and has been working toward rehabilitation since that time. Today as the Senator made his way up the Capital steps, 45 of them, with one hand on an aid and his other using a cane one could not feel but good.

Kirk who is only in his early fifties, suffered near total paralysis on his left side and he still is dealing with those issues. Still as he made his way to the top of the steps, with a greeting party of colleagues awaiting him, standing back to allow him to achieve his goal, his face broke out into a bit of a twisted smile that anyone Democrat or Republican has to admire.

Greeting Senator Kirk at the top of the steps was Vice President Joe Biden. Biden, in this case relishing his role as the head of the Senate, greeted Kirk with a hug and a smile and the conversation between the gentleman showed genuine good feelings. Also present was Kirk's fellow Illinois Senator Durgin and his great friend Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Manchin had held an empty seat at last years State of the Union Address in honor of his friend and Kirk has advised that the friendships and encourgaement of his Senate colleagues was a great enticement in the grueling schedule of rehabilitation he has followed.

One has to, or should, ask themselves why this genuine good feeling between these men, Democrats and Republican should be so exceptional. It should not, it is something one would expect out of any group of people in any workplace. The fact is however, with the disgust and venom spouted daily between members of the opposite parties in Washington this interaction does feel like something out of the ordinary.

It is unlikely that things will ever return to the days of good will between men of opposing parties and viewpoints in Washington. For me, this demonstration of common decency, and goodwill and genuine human compassion between all the participants today is an example of what we miss today. What we may not realize is that behavior and common goodwill such as this makes it much harder to demonize ones opponent. That would be a great start toward progress.

Grover Norquist : Master Contortionist

Watching Grover Norquist state that because we technically went over the fiscal cliff Republicans who voted for the Fiscal Cliff bill just passed were voting for a tax decrease instead of a tax increase.

Oh my Gosh. That is some serious justification. That is like finding your wife in the act with another man and then accepting her excuse that she just fell under him.

I do not like this bill. I accept that Norquist dislikes it more than me. You cannot hold onto your power by letting people cheat and just agreeing to call it something else.

This is what Grover Norquist is doing. Someone needs to call him on it.

Hillary Clinton Versus The Tin Foil Hats

With the recent news that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is currently in a Washington hospital dealing with a serious medical issue there have been several comments regarding the apologies that should be forthcoming from those on the far right who made claims about the veracity of earlier reports of a concussion she suffered.

I did see a few respectful statements of that ilk and with the news that she is expected to make a full recovery I did not really think much further on the issue. This morning after waking late, I was up reading very late last night my goal to finish reading Anna Karenina before the end of this first day of 2013, I was looking over Twitter and saw a few posts from Mika Brzezinski regarding making some sort of dessert by her Grandmothers recipe. Forgetting my own constant advice I looked at a few of the comments below here post and saw some amazingly awful, vulgar tweets regarding Mika. I decided to look at the twitter account of the jackass that would make such comments and soon saw that this gentleman and many of his specific type of Twitter brethren still believed that Hillary Clinton is still faking her medical condition to hide from the Benghazi issue.

This my friends and followers is the curse of both the Republican and Democratic parties. It is these tin hat freaks that are increasingly making up a large part of the primary electorate on both the right and left. If you wonder why Congressman cannot make any move toward the middle this will answer your question. When you are dependent on people who believe that Hillary Clinton is not in the hospital right now you are in pretty significant trouble.

As to what was written about Ms Brzezinski it is I guess not worth even acknowledging. It is the curse of both parties and partisans. The lack of civility and then speaking in such a way, albeit in an anonymous way, to a person, a lady, a person who treats both sides in the political wars with respect. My wife knows I am in love with Mika so I can openly say that I would punch this person in the nose were he near me right now.

Trust me I am aware there are clowns like this on the left as well. This is a symptom of the sickness in our politics and our culture. I am appalled and ashamed for us all.

What Obama Accomplished

I want to make sure that I am as fair to the President as I strive to be to the Republicans I often disagree with. Let me make clear, I think the President has a crippling aversion to using the power he has gained by nature of being reelected, his overwhelming need to be seen as " above politics" makes him consequently a poor politician.

I do not support his fiscal cliff bill. I believe he gave too much and got too little.

That said to be fair I should acknowledge what the President did accomplish in this bill.

He did have the Bush tax cuts repealed for individuals with incomes over 400 K and couples over 450K. By doing so he has placed Republicans on the record of breaking their no tax pledge and in theory could set up a precedent for them seeing that the world did not end.

He did not lower or limit any benefits currently paid to Social Security recipients.

He did extend unemployment benefits for another year.

He did gain a modest increase in the taxes paid with the estate tax.

The Alternative Minimum Tax issue that has to be dealt with each year has finally been put to bed.


The payroll tax cut was not extended. As a Democrat I was not in favor of this cut as it was from Social Security. I found it to be playing in to the hands of Republicans who want to starve the program to kill it.

What did it not accomplish. I have spoke of that previously and I do not want to be repetitive. However there were a couple of glaring failures by the President.

There was no need to extend the Bush tax cuts beyond the barrier of 250K, and if the President was going to do so he should have gained more for doing so.

The infitismal carried interest rate of much less than one percent for the super rich still exists. Mitt Romney surely appreciates that.

The estate tax still only affects estates of over five million. This was a perfect opportunity to finally change the language that has been coopted by Republicans on the estate tax, not the death tax. Moreover if, as we are told Midwestern Democrats were skittish on this issue it would have given Obama a great chance to show that he wants all sides to share in the pain.

Perhaps most importantly by agreeing to a package that is all revenue increases and no spending cuts the President did exactly what those on the far right accuse him of doing. Being a liberal tax and spend. The President should have found one of two obvious targets and insisted they be in the bill. You cannot be taken seriously if you are just as shallow as your Congressman when it comes to making a tough decision.

Was this the best that could have been accomplished. I refuse to believe it. This President is an awful, perhaps the worst I have ever seen, negotiator.

We will be talking about the debt ceiling in a couple of months. Lets hope that somehow, someway this President changes is ways.

That Can Gets Further Down the Road

At this time lets take a moment and think about all the commissions that you have heard about in your lifetime. Think about the 9/11 Commission sanctioned by President Bush to make changes in government that would make us more secure. Remember how then the White House fought to keep their personnel from speaking with that same commission.

Remember, more recently, Simpson-Bowles. The truly bi partisan commission created at the behest of the President to come up with ideas on how to solve the nations debt crisis. I believe I remember that the President promised that the report proposed by the group would then receive an up or down vote in Congress. That never happened. Congress could not work out any plans last year so the much spoken about Sequestration was set up, this would set up automatic cuts in the budget, including Defense to be effective January 1, 2013. This would, we were told, finally force Congress to act on our debt problem,

So what happened last night at the Fiscal Cliff? One of the major roadblocks to a deal last evening was the sequestration cuts themselves. Both sides wanted to prevent them, God forbid we make cuts to our bloated Defense budget. What could not be decided was how to prevent them. Democrats wanted to use the savings from the agreed upon expiration of tax cuts, in other words to spend the revenue new gained. Republicans wanted to make further cuts to pay for this extension of Defense spending. Also in dispute how long to put off Sequestration, the Dems wanted a full year, while the right wanted a mere three months.

In this case the Democrats need to be slapped. Eventually you have to deal with the issue. From a political standpoint the Democrats should welcome every opportunity to get the Republicans on record with what they would cut.

The idea of going from Erksine/Bowles to Sequestration to another delay like the Democrats proposed in outrageous and they should be ashamed.

We all know that I was in favor of National Health Care. We all know our Congressman and women have the best health care programs. Perhaps they could all take part in a pilot program that features backbone replacements. These clowns, as a whole, are worse than any people you could pick off the street.

A Pox on Both Their Houses

Would you like to know what is wrong with Washington? How much time do you have? Not that much, well then here is a quick example of what is wrong. These people in our government are perhaps the most craven group of six hundred or so people you could find in our population.

Led by a President that needs to update his Webster's so that he can see that negotiation does not equal capitulation and a set of Senate Leaders on both sides of the who would rank amongst the least feared and least popular members from their own brethren you can see why little gets done. At times in the last week it seemed like The President was negotiating against himself. Faced with getting basically everything that Democrats want by doing nothing the President like a movement junkie could not do so, like an unpopular kid offering more and more of a handicap to get someone to play ball with him in the end he is stuck with a bill that no one likes, no one feels good about, and that frankly he owns completely. President's in their second term do not need to capitulate before the second inauguration.

The folks in the House are no better but at least in these cases you have over 500 of them with the expectation that it will be hard for a leader to keep them corralled.

The right's new boogeyman Nate Silver wrote last week about one of the biggest causes of the inability of Congress to get anything done. The outrageous gerrymandering that has been done to Congressional districts over the last couple of decades has changed our electorate in an overwhelming way. Silver shows us that the amount of districts considered Swing Districts have dropped more than twenty percent to an all time low. At the same time the percentage of districts considered landslide Democratic or landslide Republican has increased exponentially. Who did this? Sad to say in most cases this has been with the sole purpose of keeping those in power in office. Almost twenty years after Newt Gingrich's Contract with America and term limits the entrenchment of incumbents on both sides is nearly absolute. The net result of this is that for many if not most incumbents their greatest obstacle to reelection is a challenge in their primary, from the left for a Democrat and the right for a Republican. Thus anyone who acts in a centrist manner, who does not demonize the other side, is setting himself up for defeat. Ask Richard Lugar about this principle?

As a Democrat, and I consider myself a moderate I understand that there is a need to work with the other side but this President is the worlds worst negotiator. How would you like to be part of his team, forced to say never, never, never , only to have at the last minute he capitulate on something he insisted and forced you to constantly insist would be the " one thing" he would not negotiate on. It is an old saying but it it so applicable here, " If you do not stand for something you will fall for anything." Mr. President what will you fight for?

Republicans are intractable, some of their actions are crazy. House Speaker Boehner last week proposed a bill that would cut school lunch and the child tax credit but he was negotiating. This President...well I have said my piece.

Why it is though that when the President is done negotiating that I often feel like I am hoping that the bill is rejected in the house. This happened in our public option less health care bill and certainly is my hope in this awful extension of the Bush tax cuts.

Terrible. Terrible. Terrible. All aboard for the Disappointment Express conducted by Barack Obama.