NBC Congressional Correspondent Luke Russert reported on today's program that $4 billion dollars have been spent on this year's midterm elections, which of course prompted the question as to whether or not money is taking over American politics. While it's mildly commendable that the question would be raised at all since media companies like Comcast, which owns NBC, it's silly to even ask. With a disgustingly gaudy number such as $4 billion staring us in the face, it's more like to what extent is it dominating our political system.
Earlier this week, The Washington Post published a piece outlining how much politicians' wealth has increased over the years (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/10/22/so-just-how-rich-is-congress-richer-than-you/) so it's not difficult to decipher why the money is spent and who eventually benefits from it. Understandably, the system as is motivates politicians little to make any changes. It all stems from a cynical Supreme Court decision - the Citizens United ruling - that has allowed an unlimited amount of dark money (where donors do not have to be disclosed) that has nothing to do with the general welfare of a nation but the narrow agenda of a select few.
The results the American people see are the further enrichment of that select few, gridlock and dysfunction in Washington DC, more polarization between the political parties, and the increasing difficulty for the general populace to make ends meet.
Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for The Washington Post, explained that everyone is sick of these political ads, even the producers that make them but there is too much money involved to say no. Chuck Todd offhandedly mentioned that it could jeopardize the two-party system, but we're not there yet. Mr. Todd also pushed the notion that the public wants to punish the Democrats without rewarding Republicans, the reward being control of both houses of Congress. This presumes that Democrats are solely at fault because they back the 'failed' policies of President Obama. If you disagree with the President's policies or not, that doesn't necessarily mean they are unsuccessful. For example, you would have to conclude that if the goal of the Affordable Care Act is to insure more people while slowing the growth in healthcare costs, you would have to deem that a success. However, if you own the hospital, you're making less profit so it's a failure.
No matter how the elections turn out - whether either party is punished or rewarded - today's panel seemed to think that little would change in terms of the gridlock. But from Mr. Todd's 'on the road' interviews, once again you see that the American public is ahead of its leaders. The final interview quote was a man in Wisconsin saying that you had to make friends with the people you were most afraid to make friends with, in terms of political viewpoint, which is another way of saying that it is all right to compromise. The sad reality is that there is no money in compromise, only in gridlock.
It's also clear that no matter what happens in the senatorial races, Harry Reid (D-NV) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) are not the men who can fix Washington dysfunction. Hence, it's not encouraging to hear Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rob Portman (R-OH) defend their respective leaders.
Mr. Todd explained that the two most important concerns in this election for voters are the economy and Washington gridlock. (Both go hand in hand.) Coupling that with what Mr. Balz said about the Ebola virus and ISIS providing a general foreboding over this election season, it's no wondering the American people are frustrated. All we want to see is our political leaders come together on something, anything instead of politicizing everything. Unfortunately, there's no money in that either.
Panel: Dan Balz, Chief Correspondent for The Washington Post; Luke Russert, NBC Congressional Correspondent; Caroline Ryan, The New York Times Washington DC Bureau Chief; Nia Malika-Henderson, National Political Reporter for The Washington Post
As for Dr. Fauci's now weekly Ebola update, the only way to stop the Ebola virus here is the eliminate it in West Africa as he explained. Quarantines and travel bans, though he was reluctant in disagreeing, Dr. Fauci said would be detrimental in accomplishing that goal where Dr. Sophie Delaunay, Ex. Dir. of Doctors Without Borders, stated is out of control. She also explained that the doctor in New York followed all the necessary protocols to safeguard against spreading the virus. On all this, we're still with Dr. Fauci in that we're going to put our trust in science and government. What else is there? You tell us!
And this is our 300th published post; thank you so very much for reading us.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
10.19.14: Perspectives on Ebola in the U.S.
Does a travel ban make sense if it is only to make the American people feel better? Chuck Todd discussed this with Senators Roy Blount (R-MO) and Bob Casey (D-PA) during today's 'Ebola Summit' on "Meet The Press," among many other aspects in combating an outbreak of the virus. We'll dissect the above mentioned tactic and a couple of other points in an attempt to bring perspective to the whole thing.
Laurie Garrett, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and long-time medical journalist explained that since Ebola is new, there is a new fear, and what comes with new is unknown so it's natural national reaction. The media hasn't been any help in quelling those natural fears, especially when you present the story in terms of a summit. That's a cheap jab because all the guests offered insightful perspectives.
(Cudos this week to Mr. Todd and his team for their best show so far in terms of pacing, tone, and information. Staging still a little awkward but to an increasingly minimal degree.)
But the first thing that should be noted is when Mr. Todd reminded us that over 50,000 people per year in the United States die of flu and pneumonia; one has died from Ebola, to which Ms. Garrett commented that since it's familiar there is no hysteria. (Makes you think about going out to get that free flu shot now, doesn't it?)
However, and this is a big 'however,' there is an epidemic occurring in Africa - all agreed - and it is to be taken seriously. The Ebola virus is a deadly disease, as we know, that attacks the central nervous system and causes dementia and violent behavior on the way to a quick death. From Ghana, Dr. Anthony Banbury, UN Mission Ebola Emergency Response, warned that the world is not prepared to combat the spread of this virus and the number one resource needed on the ground is more healthcare workers.
When Senator Blount was asked about his support for it, he dialed back his answer saying that we should not issue visas to individuals from countries where there is emergency status. That's a lot different than a travel ban. A ban means no to-and-from at all. A ban means that Dr. Banbury is never going to get those healthcare workers that he needs to fight the spread. As Ms. Garrett commented, it disincentives healthcare professionals from going overseas because they wouldn't be sure that they would allowed to come back. And with all due respect to Senator Blount, you can not call from a travel ban and then NOT support making CDC protocols in hospitals mandatory, reasoning that it's not realistic that all hospitals would comply; as if it's realistic that an issued travel ban is going to keep everyone from west Africa out of the United States. In essence, Senator Blount is saying that it's OK to be irresponsible here at home. (Freedom doesn't mean act stupidly.)
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, making a return visit to the program, warned that this initial experience should serve as a wake up call for preparedness. We also agreed when he said it would be 'nice' (his word) to have a Surgeon General so that there is a central figure to get information out and coordinate cooperation between agencies - the essential function of a 'czar' he said. (Former vice-presidential chief of staff Ron Klain has been appointed to that position.) But on the topic of Surgeon General, Senator Casey said that simple Washington dysfunction was the reason why we do not have one. Senator Blount blamed senate majority leader Harry Reid for not bringing it up for a vote. The truth there is in what Mr. Todd said that the current nominee (the more than qualified, impeccably credentialed Doctor Vivek Murthy) stated that gun violence is an issue of public health and because of that the National Rifle Association stated it would then score the Senators' votes, hence holding up the process.
If flu and pneumonia, at 50K deaths per year, is a public health concern, why wouldn't 30K deaths per year from guns also be a concern? The NRA will not allow to be versus one death in the United States from Ebola. It would be more than just 'nice' for the United States to have a Surgeon General.
Another curious thing that Dr. Fauci said was that he disagreed with the notion, presented by one of his colleagues earlier in the week in an op-ed that we would have a vaccine by now if budgets for research hadn't been cut by more than 50 percent over the last three years. He explained that nothing less in research is being done, the cuts just mean it's being done slower. Wait....What? He basically just confirmed the point that he disagreed with. As the guests discussed, private funding - tens of millions of dollars - for something like a vaccine for Ebola, a virus never before present in the United States, is going to be readily available, and this is understandable. What's not understandable or comprehensible is increasing funds for border security in reaction to the presence of the Ebola virus while decreasing funding for vaccines. As we stated in last week's column, diligence to what Dr. Fauci called contact tracing along with quick responsible care will stem fears in the U.S.
The doctor also stated that the deadline to reverse the spread of the virus in Africa is Dec. 1st. If the numbers don't start going down by then, the epidemic there will be out of control. Laurie Garrett pointed out that for every known case of infection, there are 2.5 that are unknown according to the World Health Organization so there is no way that deadline will be met and that given that math, 300,000 cases could be recorded in Africa by Christmas.
Dr. Danbury described it as fighting a medical war in Africa, where we don't have enough combatants. Sure sounds that way to us.
Panel: Mike Murphy, Republican Strategist; Andrea Mitchell, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News; Stephanie Cutter, Democratic Strategist; and Manu Raju, Politico
Laurie Garrett, senior fellow at the Council of Foreign Relations and long-time medical journalist explained that since Ebola is new, there is a new fear, and what comes with new is unknown so it's natural national reaction. The media hasn't been any help in quelling those natural fears, especially when you present the story in terms of a summit. That's a cheap jab because all the guests offered insightful perspectives.
(Cudos this week to Mr. Todd and his team for their best show so far in terms of pacing, tone, and information. Staging still a little awkward but to an increasingly minimal degree.)
But the first thing that should be noted is when Mr. Todd reminded us that over 50,000 people per year in the United States die of flu and pneumonia; one has died from Ebola, to which Ms. Garrett commented that since it's familiar there is no hysteria. (Makes you think about going out to get that free flu shot now, doesn't it?)
However, and this is a big 'however,' there is an epidemic occurring in Africa - all agreed - and it is to be taken seriously. The Ebola virus is a deadly disease, as we know, that attacks the central nervous system and causes dementia and violent behavior on the way to a quick death. From Ghana, Dr. Anthony Banbury, UN Mission Ebola Emergency Response, warned that the world is not prepared to combat the spread of this virus and the number one resource needed on the ground is more healthcare workers.
When Senator Blount was asked about his support for it, he dialed back his answer saying that we should not issue visas to individuals from countries where there is emergency status. That's a lot different than a travel ban. A ban means no to-and-from at all. A ban means that Dr. Banbury is never going to get those healthcare workers that he needs to fight the spread. As Ms. Garrett commented, it disincentives healthcare professionals from going overseas because they wouldn't be sure that they would allowed to come back. And with all due respect to Senator Blount, you can not call from a travel ban and then NOT support making CDC protocols in hospitals mandatory, reasoning that it's not realistic that all hospitals would comply; as if it's realistic that an issued travel ban is going to keep everyone from west Africa out of the United States. In essence, Senator Blount is saying that it's OK to be irresponsible here at home. (Freedom doesn't mean act stupidly.)
Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health, making a return visit to the program, warned that this initial experience should serve as a wake up call for preparedness. We also agreed when he said it would be 'nice' (his word) to have a Surgeon General so that there is a central figure to get information out and coordinate cooperation between agencies - the essential function of a 'czar' he said. (Former vice-presidential chief of staff Ron Klain has been appointed to that position.) But on the topic of Surgeon General, Senator Casey said that simple Washington dysfunction was the reason why we do not have one. Senator Blount blamed senate majority leader Harry Reid for not bringing it up for a vote. The truth there is in what Mr. Todd said that the current nominee (the more than qualified, impeccably credentialed Doctor Vivek Murthy) stated that gun violence is an issue of public health and because of that the National Rifle Association stated it would then score the Senators' votes, hence holding up the process.
If flu and pneumonia, at 50K deaths per year, is a public health concern, why wouldn't 30K deaths per year from guns also be a concern? The NRA will not allow to be versus one death in the United States from Ebola. It would be more than just 'nice' for the United States to have a Surgeon General.
Another curious thing that Dr. Fauci said was that he disagreed with the notion, presented by one of his colleagues earlier in the week in an op-ed that we would have a vaccine by now if budgets for research hadn't been cut by more than 50 percent over the last three years. He explained that nothing less in research is being done, the cuts just mean it's being done slower. Wait....What? He basically just confirmed the point that he disagreed with. As the guests discussed, private funding - tens of millions of dollars - for something like a vaccine for Ebola, a virus never before present in the United States, is going to be readily available, and this is understandable. What's not understandable or comprehensible is increasing funds for border security in reaction to the presence of the Ebola virus while decreasing funding for vaccines. As we stated in last week's column, diligence to what Dr. Fauci called contact tracing along with quick responsible care will stem fears in the U.S.
The doctor also stated that the deadline to reverse the spread of the virus in Africa is Dec. 1st. If the numbers don't start going down by then, the epidemic there will be out of control. Laurie Garrett pointed out that for every known case of infection, there are 2.5 that are unknown according to the World Health Organization so there is no way that deadline will be met and that given that math, 300,000 cases could be recorded in Africa by Christmas.
Dr. Danbury described it as fighting a medical war in Africa, where we don't have enough combatants. Sure sounds that way to us.
Panel: Mike Murphy, Republican Strategist; Andrea Mitchell, Senior Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News; Stephanie Cutter, Democratic Strategist; and Manu Raju, Politico
Sunday, October 12, 2014
10.12.14: U.S. Culture Wars and Perpetuating Fear
Considering the three main topics of discussion today - the Ebola virus, the war against ISIS, and the culture war/election (in that order), we'll take on the last first as we haven't given it attention previous as much as the other two. After all, it is election season.
To the chagrin of social conservatives, the U.S. Supreme Court decided not to hear pending cases on same sex marriage, which essentially paved the way to legalization in now what is a majority of states. After an outlining series of historical clips of Republicans' alliance with the religious right, Chuck Todd discussed with syndicated Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker and David Brody, political director of the Christian Science Network, how Democrats are winning the culture wars right now, dictating its movement which is decidedly left. That would seem to be the case on the surface but the Democrats aren't the deciding factor in this case. No one touched on the core cause of the conflict within the Republican party.
Ms. Parker explained that conservatives, like Pope Francis and the Vatican, are trying to reconcile being opposed to such cultural shifts and not judging too harshly being more accepting - a 'reformation' to use her term. We agree with the notion that same sex marriage is not a potent an issue as abortion and Ms. Parker pointed out. Mr. Brody explained that evangelicals don't always vote in the numbers people think and because of the cultural shifts within the Republican party, there is always the possibility that they could stay home from the polls.
The core conflict within the Republican party is between the notions of social conservatism and libertarianism, and it's odd that none of the three in the discussion outlined it as such. Perhaps unconsciously, Mr. Todd did when he explained that independents [read: libertarians] are cutting into conservative votes in senate races in various states.
One of the unintended consequences of continually advocating for gun freedoms, for example, is that people will start to apply those ideas of freedom in other areas; in other words, live and let live. If two gay people want to get married then so be it. This is what you're seeing from libertarian conservatives, and this is the group that is really causing the shift in the culture wars. Abortion is a different issue because some people consider that to be 'killing a person.' For the record, we would disagree with that - for the sake of the focus of this column, please agree to disagree with us here. Overall point being is that conservatives are the source of the shift and it's the conservative idea of libertarianism that is the cause.
This idea runs counter to another the conservatives are perpetuating right now, because of the election, and that is the politics of fear. A classically effective short-term strategy that is always a long-term loser for Americans - think about the all-consuming NAS data monitoring we now live with. However, it's to be expected that in a bid to control the Senate, Republicans would hammer the President and by extension the Democratic candidates with these kinds of political tactics focusing on the Ebola virus and war with ISIS. As Tom Brokaw correctly noted, the latter more of a dangerous threat than the former.
In the interview with National Security Advisor Susan Rice, we liked most of what we heard. Ms. Rice outlined how Turkey, formerly a non-voice on the scene, is responding with action since ISIS is now 6 miles from its border in the city of Kobani, Syria. They have decided to allow the training of moderate Syrian forces at their bases, they are blocking the flow across their border of foreign fighters to ISIS, among other things. The broad strokes of a strategy that Ms. Rice spoke about - continuing U.S. airstrikes and support of the Kurdish and Iraqi armies and coalition building - all seemed sensible though the degrees to which their employed is debatable. And even if the United States is cooperating with Iran in this fight, we understand why Ms. Rice would deny any such contact.
However, the one thing that Ms. Rice said that was truly disappointing, infuriating in fact, is what she explained as building the capabilities of regional partners and that it is something that takes time, not overnight. With the exception of the Kurds and moderate Syrians, Ms. Rice was referring to the Iraqis and an army, in which the United States has poured billions. How long is that supposed to take after ten years already?
In the one confrontation between ISIS and the Iraqi Army, sans American participation, the Iraqis dropped their guns, turned and ran. Evidence that the training we've been giving them didn't take, unlike the Kurdish Peshmerga who just needed the resources and with the assistance of American air power were able to keep ISIS from advancing. Given this, it shouldn't be surprising to hear NBC's Richard Engel report that ISIS has turned its attention toward Baghdad, where the army is weak and the United States can not bomb.
So we contend with one more of Susan Rice's points, which was her 'yes' answer to whether or not the United States has been successful in its degrading of ISIS. Chuck Todd brought the point to Ms. Rice about a request from an Iraqi minister in the Anbar province for more troops to fight ISIS. With that in mind, it seems as though ISIS is advancing and therefore the answer is clearly 'no,' to success so far.
And lastly, if you listened to what The New York Times Helene Cooper said about traveling to Liberia for two weeks (clip below), political leaders spreading fear about an Ebola outbreak in the United States is irresponsible.
Calm, in control, and disciplined are the qualities that should be expressed.
Anthony Fauci MD, Director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, believed this first transmitted case of Ebola to a hospital nurse was due to an inadvertent breach of protocol when removing protective clothing. The aforementioned qualities are more important than ever when it comes to this public health risk, do you think?
Round Table (Panel): Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Robert Gibbs, fmr. Press Secretary for President Barack Obama; and Sara Fagen, fmr. White House Political Director to President George W. Bush.
Question of the Week: Where is Korean Dictator Kim Jung Un? And Susan Rice's awesome answer: We're continuing to monitor.
Sunday, October 05, 2014
10.5.14: America on Edge
Chuck Todd aptly began today's "Meet The Press" with the phrase America on Edge. Americans are in fact on edge because of this ebola scare, yes, but also because they see our institutions getting sloppy like the Secret Service, the Center of Disease Control (CDC), the I.R.S., and the real root of the problem - Congress.
Many members of our House of Representatives and Senate actively sew the seeds of distrust in the federal government and then later harvest all the rewards that it gives a person upon reelection. One of the ways this now established distrust has manifested itself is that it has given the motivation to these leaders to make big cuts in the funding for these institutions rendering them ill-equipped to handle an emergency. With lack of resources and morale trampled by distrust in their work, just like physical infrastructure, our institutions will inevitably break down. This is what we are seeing now, and furthermore we can not, as a country, feel reassured by the President of the United States because the non-stop personal attacks have flooded into damaging the office itself.
However, given that, we do feel reassured when Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the CDC, said that an epidemic in the United States is highly unlikely and it is because, as he also said, the United States, in spite of its communication issues (our injection), is the best in the world in terms of monitoring and containing capabilities. If it turns out that no one else is infected in Dallas then you would have to consider that a big win considering that the U.S. is a free country and it is inevitable that someone infected with the Ebola virus would make it into the country. It's inevitable that it will happen again. And it will be contained with even more diligence, unlike in western Africa where 7,492 have been infected and 3,439 have died in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea as a result of infection.
The United States is the most prepared, but as Joe Scarborough pointed out, the World Health Organization and the governments of these respective African countries have done a poor job in their response to the epidemic, which is troubling. Andrea Mitchell mentioned that the U.S. military is having trouble setting up emergency facilities because any sense of infrastructure in these countries is nonexistent. We disagree with Senator Rand Paul who thinks the U.S. military shouldn't have been deployed to contain the virus. We would contend that this is the sort of preemptive foreign policy that makes sense. With that, Mr. Scarborough pushes the panic button too hard and we agree with David Axelrod when he said that these healthcare professionals do not have political agendas when it comes to the work they're doing, specifically at the CDC.
The two men verbally sparred on the topic, which was inappropriate for "Meet The Press," and as we've said before, having Joe Scarborough on the program hampers the show being synonymous with the moderator. Then again, "Meet The Press" now has a 'coffee bar' on the set, which is the perfect notion of a setting to have an in-depth, serious discussion about the key issues affecting millions of Americans. A coffee bar on the 'program of record?'
In that dig we digress but then yet again the first guest to sit there was Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who is hard to take seriously anyway. But we believe him when he said that it will be considered a loss for Republicans if they do not take control of the Senate in November, a point at which he hammered away repeatedly. He softly predicted Republicans picking up anywhere from 6 to 8 seats in the Senate but we would say that even six is a stretch. As the conservative Mr. Scarborough pointed out, Republicans do not have an agenda, a concrete set of policy proposals that run counter to Mr. Obama's policies, which can do it better. And that's why you see Democratic candidates doing well in states that Mr. Obama didn't win (the south) in 2012. It also plays into the notion we spoke about in a previous column which is that Americans like big state government despite all the conditioning to dislike big federal government.
On the subject of big government, we thought Mr. Todd's tact in questioning Mr. Priebus about the contradiction within the Republican philosophy of deregulating business, but when it comes to abortion clinics Republicans want to heavily regulate them, referring to the state of Texas as the specific example. Mr. Priebus punted on the question saying that Mr. Todd would have to ask someone in Texas. He went onto to say that public money shouldn't be used to fund abortion but that was not what was at issue. But what he didn't say is that abortion should be made illegal - a total ban, which is part of the Republican platform.
It's inflexible ideology that have set Americans on edge because they see it in their government, but not in themselves, and only given stark choices in terms of candidates. It's starting to show through, especially in the Kansas Senate race between Pat Roberts (R) and the independent Greg Orman. Take today's 'Meet The Candidate' series guest, fmr. Democratic Senator and fmr. Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb who used to be a Republican. Mr. Webb would be a potentially compelling candidate for many Americans because you see the ability to compromise there.
As that refers more to domestic policy, on foreign policy we agree with Mr. Webb that the United States does not have a clearly stated approach, which he made a point to say that both Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush before him are guilty of this. As Mr. Webb correctly reminded us, this escalation of violence in the Middle East (read: ISIS) was all set into motion by the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
That was eleven years ago and here we are again. In the op-ed segment with Iraq War veteran Clay Hanna (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/boots-on-the-ground-iraq-111271.html#.VDGAU-dXSX1), he send that the United States already has 'boots on the ground,' which isn't surprising. We know this given the airstrike operations going on, which require personnel on the ground to conduct. However, Mr. Hannah made two critical points: one, that the United States overestimates it's Middle Eastern allies in helping the U.S. In conjunction with this Senator Webb explained that the loyalties of moderate Sunnis are fluid and that he wouldn't be surprised to learn that some senior ISIS fighters were trained by the U.S.
With that in mind, consider the other important point Mr. Hanna made and that is a big victory for ISIS would be a dead American soldier by their hand. That would really put Americans on edge, perhaps over it.
Round Table (Panel): David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Obama; Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe;" Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Gwen Ifill, PBS The News Hour
Many members of our House of Representatives and Senate actively sew the seeds of distrust in the federal government and then later harvest all the rewards that it gives a person upon reelection. One of the ways this now established distrust has manifested itself is that it has given the motivation to these leaders to make big cuts in the funding for these institutions rendering them ill-equipped to handle an emergency. With lack of resources and morale trampled by distrust in their work, just like physical infrastructure, our institutions will inevitably break down. This is what we are seeing now, and furthermore we can not, as a country, feel reassured by the President of the United States because the non-stop personal attacks have flooded into damaging the office itself.
However, given that, we do feel reassured when Dr. Tom Frieden, Director of the CDC, said that an epidemic in the United States is highly unlikely and it is because, as he also said, the United States, in spite of its communication issues (our injection), is the best in the world in terms of monitoring and containing capabilities. If it turns out that no one else is infected in Dallas then you would have to consider that a big win considering that the U.S. is a free country and it is inevitable that someone infected with the Ebola virus would make it into the country. It's inevitable that it will happen again. And it will be contained with even more diligence, unlike in western Africa where 7,492 have been infected and 3,439 have died in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea as a result of infection.
The United States is the most prepared, but as Joe Scarborough pointed out, the World Health Organization and the governments of these respective African countries have done a poor job in their response to the epidemic, which is troubling. Andrea Mitchell mentioned that the U.S. military is having trouble setting up emergency facilities because any sense of infrastructure in these countries is nonexistent. We disagree with Senator Rand Paul who thinks the U.S. military shouldn't have been deployed to contain the virus. We would contend that this is the sort of preemptive foreign policy that makes sense. With that, Mr. Scarborough pushes the panic button too hard and we agree with David Axelrod when he said that these healthcare professionals do not have political agendas when it comes to the work they're doing, specifically at the CDC.
The two men verbally sparred on the topic, which was inappropriate for "Meet The Press," and as we've said before, having Joe Scarborough on the program hampers the show being synonymous with the moderator. Then again, "Meet The Press" now has a 'coffee bar' on the set, which is the perfect notion of a setting to have an in-depth, serious discussion about the key issues affecting millions of Americans. A coffee bar on the 'program of record?'
In that dig we digress but then yet again the first guest to sit there was Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, who is hard to take seriously anyway. But we believe him when he said that it will be considered a loss for Republicans if they do not take control of the Senate in November, a point at which he hammered away repeatedly. He softly predicted Republicans picking up anywhere from 6 to 8 seats in the Senate but we would say that even six is a stretch. As the conservative Mr. Scarborough pointed out, Republicans do not have an agenda, a concrete set of policy proposals that run counter to Mr. Obama's policies, which can do it better. And that's why you see Democratic candidates doing well in states that Mr. Obama didn't win (the south) in 2012. It also plays into the notion we spoke about in a previous column which is that Americans like big state government despite all the conditioning to dislike big federal government.
On the subject of big government, we thought Mr. Todd's tact in questioning Mr. Priebus about the contradiction within the Republican philosophy of deregulating business, but when it comes to abortion clinics Republicans want to heavily regulate them, referring to the state of Texas as the specific example. Mr. Priebus punted on the question saying that Mr. Todd would have to ask someone in Texas. He went onto to say that public money shouldn't be used to fund abortion but that was not what was at issue. But what he didn't say is that abortion should be made illegal - a total ban, which is part of the Republican platform.
It's inflexible ideology that have set Americans on edge because they see it in their government, but not in themselves, and only given stark choices in terms of candidates. It's starting to show through, especially in the Kansas Senate race between Pat Roberts (R) and the independent Greg Orman. Take today's 'Meet The Candidate' series guest, fmr. Democratic Senator and fmr. Secretary of the Navy Jim Webb who used to be a Republican. Mr. Webb would be a potentially compelling candidate for many Americans because you see the ability to compromise there.
As that refers more to domestic policy, on foreign policy we agree with Mr. Webb that the United States does not have a clearly stated approach, which he made a point to say that both Mr. Obama and Mr. Bush before him are guilty of this. As Mr. Webb correctly reminded us, this escalation of violence in the Middle East (read: ISIS) was all set into motion by the U.S.'s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
That was eleven years ago and here we are again. In the op-ed segment with Iraq War veteran Clay Hanna (http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/09/boots-on-the-ground-iraq-111271.html#.VDGAU-dXSX1), he send that the United States already has 'boots on the ground,' which isn't surprising. We know this given the airstrike operations going on, which require personnel on the ground to conduct. However, Mr. Hannah made two critical points: one, that the United States overestimates it's Middle Eastern allies in helping the U.S. In conjunction with this Senator Webb explained that the loyalties of moderate Sunnis are fluid and that he wouldn't be surprised to learn that some senior ISIS fighters were trained by the U.S.
With that in mind, consider the other important point Mr. Hanna made and that is a big victory for ISIS would be a dead American soldier by their hand. That would really put Americans on edge, perhaps over it.
Round Table (Panel): David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Obama; Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe;" Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Gwen Ifill, PBS The News Hour
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