1.24.10: We Can Not See Clearly Now

Is it just us, or is Senior White House Advisor Valerie Garrett scary when it comes to speaking on behalf of the Administration. With every question, the tone of her answer comes off as defensive, and then made a huge gaffe in saying that the Administration has turned the economy around. Rightly challenged by Mr. Gregory. Yes, they have brought it back from the brink as she later revised in the interview. However right now as it stands, enough hasn't been done.

Yes, healthcare is important, essential we'll say, but most people view it as an extension of their employment situation. The Democrats have had the view that by fixing healthcare, jobs we'll return. That logic is definitely flawed. Skipping ahead in today's program, it's important to listen to Senator Lloyd Benson's comments in the Minute The Press Minute.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

He mentions at the end of the clip in instilling self-confidence in the American people through creating jobs and getting people on the payrolls again. This is the key. Most people feel that if they had a job, they'd have access to healthcare or at least the means to get it if their employer doesn't provide it. Change is difficult in this country when circumstances of the economy are good. With joblessnes in its current state, change is like root canal without novocain. You don't even want to sit in the chair. Self-confidence is what the American citizenry lacks, the confidence to step into a progressive agenda because the foundation to do so hasn't solidified. Putting people to work creates this confidence and then people will be able to look ahead and be more open to new ways of doing things.

With regard to the stewardship of one crucial aspect of the economy, The Federal Reserve, we really haven't heard anyone get very vocal in opposition and Mr. Bernanke will be confirmed. It has been an interviewer's requisite question for all politicians this week to the point of being a non-story. Perhaps the Fed is the one place where the status quo is the best course, but then again it is essentially a reactionary entity.

Speaking of reactionary entities, Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said as much with regard to his party on today's program - 'he [President Obama] and we react.' Does anyone else see a problem with that? Republicans keep saying that they haven't been given a say and haven't been involved in the conversations, but that simply isn't true. Mr. Gregory confronted the Senator on this point, asking rhetorically if there are Republicans on the Finance Committee, hence they are involved. Given Senator McConell's non-answer on what Republicans would keep in the current healthcare bill, the answer is nothing. Mr. McConnell ticked of T.O.R.T. Reform, buying insurance across state lines, and of course tax breaks. (Republicans never fully explain the details of their tax break plans... because they never seem to help the people who need them the most.) He continued saying that Republicans right now are acting on principal, but what does that mean anymore? When Mr. Gregory asked the Senator if he wanted to see everyone in this country with healthcare coverage, all he said was that he wanted it expanded without even saying how much, a disgusting display to say the least.

And lastly, with Republican rhetoric in mind, Mr. McConnell responded with the requisite party talking point with regard to this week's Supreme Court decision on campaign finance, "It's an important victory for the first amendment." We remember during Chief Robert's confirmation hearings he said that his role was to call 'balls and strikes.' But with this decision, activism was definitely at work on the part of the conservative judges on the court. May we remind that 'activism' was a grave concern for Republicans during the Sotomeyer confirmation hearings. We'll even grant that given a good enough argument, the first amendment should be applied to corporations, but in most Americans' minds, the Bill of rights is meant for the individual, not the corporation. Not to mention that this ruling is contrary to the common good and all the things you hear about corporations now being able to essentially buy candidates is true. This is a prime example of how poisonous Republican rhetoric can be - spouting about freedom and then giving the most who have the most, the little guy be damned. And just so we're clear, Democratic rhetoric is so much poisonous as it is mind-numbing.

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Today's panel consisted of The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne; BBC's Katty Kay; The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan; and NBC News' Chuck Todd. The conversation revolved around an interesting theme given the completion of President Obama's first year and that is how can the great communicator of our generation fail in getting his message across? Phrases such as "Wall Street Liberals," coming from Mr. Dionne and "The White House arrogance," from Ms. Kay.

Let's provide a little context. It is true that an individual can be so convinced in the rightness of what he or she is doing that blindness to how others are perceiving you sets in. This is the arrogance that Ms. Kay was referring to and she continue to say that it seems as though the White House didn't need to explain itself to the people. In terms of explaining an agenda, the Republicans are always more effective because they present issues in black or white. But it's also been proven that they do not govern well because it reality, issues are a complex grey. The Democrats understand the nuances but do not know how to cut through them when explaining their proposed solution. This is exactly what the current Administration is suffering from, and dare we say that the individuals who asked way back when, "Well, he can give a good speech, but can he govern?" could have a point.

However, we do believe that President Obama can govern if he more decisively takes control of the issues and the agenda instead of leaving it to Congress. Ms. Noonan, perpetually mired in her own dogmatic pontifications, suggested that the communication problem may be the result of a 'faulty product' that the Administration is selling and buttressed the statement with the recent election results in Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia. She then focused on New Jersey electing a Republican Governor, but that's not without precedent in that state, by any means. And what the Massachusetts election really showed was that Democrats know how to screw up a campaign so badly that it ensures a loss.

When historic legislation is on the table and the opposition is settling for nothing short of blood, politically screw ups are unacceptable and that's what Massachusetts was. Now, you're hearing all sorts of Democrats saying all sorts of stupid things about dead bills, no votes, tough races ahead as if they're tentative because they are trying to anticipate the blinding headlight they feel is coming. It's simply not the way to act as the majority party.

1.10.10: California Edition

The incredible partisanship that we have been seeing since Barack Obama took office will be our undoing. Many in this country wish for bipartisanship and for the country to realize a new future. But in the media celebrates political partisanship, no big mystery as its a money maker. And before we get to the two key faces within that celebration (respective National Committee Chairs - Republican Michael Steele & Democrat Tim Kaine), it's worth opining that this may be the worst state of governmental futility in the past thirty years, and yes, that includes the Clinton years when the government was brought to a halt by the Republicans of that era. The congressional Republicans compel their party members to stick with the concept of group think and hence, no one really has an answer for the problems facing this country, just solid opposition to the party 'in power,' the Democrats. The obvious problem with the Democrats is the same problem that always plagues them. Indecisiveness and sheepishness. They have never been willing to push through a unified agenda for fear of alienating the Stupeks and Nelsons of this congress. What they should do is sink those people and if they have to go with cloture to push through their agenda.

We've heard that to enact cloture so that the Senate would not require 60 votes is a long and tedious process, one which they should have started as soon as they started even discussing healthcare. Democrats have to be willing to piss people off, but not like they are doing now. People are angry with them because they are tip-toeing around instead of throwing around the hammer. You get what we mean.

First off, let's just say that Michael Steele and Tim Kaine are both counterproductive in the conversation about solving the nation's problems. Their jobs are to win elections, hence creating partisanship is what they do, but they make for some colorful commentary.

For example, there is a bit of a bruhaha about some statements that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) said about Barack Obama, referring to his electability because of his light skin and non-accent. Mike Steele insisted on today's program that Mr. Reid should step down. And that Democrats are hypocritical when it comes to statements about race as Republicans feel Democrats would be all over them for something like that had the roles been reversed.

Another Sunday morning political distraction that sucks more oxygen out of the room. However, one thing that Mr. Steele did say does concern us. He said that Republicans are not politicizing terrorism and national security. For the record, they most certainly are, and we could go into examples, but just the fact the Mr. Steele also said on today's program that President Obama is unwilling to use the word 'terrorism,' and then wrongly extrapolating that if he can't say the word, he can't fight against terrorism tactics. Frankly, this is childish reasoning and hence disqualifies Mr. Steele from the discussion.

On the other hand, Mr. Kaine didn't really have anything constructive to say either. How many times are you going to repeat that the Republicans are the party of 'no?' Granted it is true and we realize that it is a statement that stems from frustration, but the Democrats need a solid wordsmith to create the narrative of Republican irrelevance.

On a program note, we realize that the program is experimenting with little twists and tweaks here and there, but doing a debate style interview like the one with Mr. Steele and Mr. Kaine without all the players, including the moderator in the same room just doesn't resonate - contrived and edited.

However irritating it was to sit through the first segment listening to those two individuals, the interview with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was, dare we say, refreshing. This is one frustrated individual, but one that should be listened to. Here is a Republican Governor that has to work with a Democratically controlled state government to get things done, and with one year left in his term, he is more free to speak his mind then anyone else.

What people should understand is that California is the barometer for the entire country. The economic meltdown cripple California first and then moved across the country. As the Governor pointed out, California has the most diverse economy of any state so given this diversity, the state needs to experiment for the benefit of the rest of the country. A lab if you will.

It was good to hear the Mr. Schwarzenegger's outrage by the deal cut for Senator Ben Nelson of Nebraska with regard to free Medicare expansion in Nebraska at the expense of the other states. He was right to say that reform of this type should not be voted for. It is deals like these, where entrenched Senators from less populated states get larger benefits and/or concessions while population centers suffer. (Yes, we'd love to see Mr. Schwarzenegger get Mr. Nelson in a hammer lock until he pledges to shut up for good.) But the Governor is correct, the vote was bought, the asking price was clear and to get the vote, Democrats and the country have to pay, figuratively and literally. Whether you agree with Mr. Schwarzenegger's politics or not, there was nothing petty in his statements during the interview. A Republican, a moderate, or as the Governor described himself, a reformer, would not fly in a normal primary race. Base Republicans do not even consider him as a part of their party, except for when they need a good celebrity reference.

"You have to be a servant of the people, not the party," the Governor stated. It's an essential reminder for all politicians so let's just leave it there.


(Good to back in the new year. - we keep striving to do better than the last.)

12.20.09: Idealism and Realism

It's the season of giving but you'd never know it from today's Meet The Press, and everyone's working through this Christmas with the gifts being understated and modest at best. As a general rule, one should have very low expectations of people, all the time in all instances. Because if you do not, you end up feeling disgusted, frustrated, disappointed et al., like so much of the American public about the politics in this country.

Today's telling Meet The Press first featured White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, pleading his case within almost every answer he gave on the merits of the present Healthcare reform bill. He spouted facts such as that 7 previous Presidents had tried to pass Healthcare and failed. That no bill this significant has ever passed without compromise. He softly argued that the Administration's core principals on healthcare have not been compromised with the bill in it's current form citing various fine-print statements by the President. But none of this left us convinced.

One of the methods, whether conscious or not, of the Obama Campaign/Administration has been to sell the ideal but not push hard enough for it and then settle for what others decide. During the campaign, Americans' collective expectations were so high on the idea of change and hope and a new idealism, there was no other way to go but down. However, there's down and there's thrown out the window and now we're left with the reality that the Administration didn't fight hard enough for them in the previous rounds of this heavyweight fight. David Gregory pointed out that the Administration didn't fight for the public option until the very end when it had no chance of surviving in the Senate, which is a compromised institution and that's putting it mildly.

Mr. Axelrod did rightly state that this Healthcare bill will make it affordable for 31 Million more Americans to get insurance, but later in the program during the panel discussion The Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas framed it as 31 Million more people being able to buy into the current system. If his opinion is to be believed and that's what this bill real boils down to, then that's not reform. And you would be inclined to believe his general premise because why would insurance stocks close on Friday at 52 year high as Joe Scarborough, also on the panel, echoed Howard Dean from earlier in the program? Here we have a problem with the idealism/realism equation.

[By the way, Mr. Scarborough is good spouting and analysing facts, but no good at all with opinion calling Afghanistan and Healthcare a distraction from the job creation priority - one small example from today's program. ]

Howard Dean, former DNC Chair and Vermont Governor - today's second interview, said earlier this week that the bill should be scrapped and restarted. He did pull back from that today citing various amendment changes that represented 'positive' reform. However, he also stated that serious problems remain, one being that cost controls would not be applied to hospitals. But significantly said that if the final compromise bill between the House and Senate did not contain the public option, he could not support it.

Real Democrats and Progressives (not Blue Dogs) are not imploding as it is made out to seem. It's more correct to say that they are having a serious discussion while having to deal with Blue Dog agendas to achieve the traditional 60 votes in the Senate. [Always remember that the 60 vote majority is a Senate traditional, and not a rule of law.] And Dr. Dean understated it when he said the compromises in the Senate bill have been too much.

However, he accurately stated, in spite of his dissatisfaction, that the Republicans have acted reprehensibly. Their entire strategy is politically motivated. The reason we know this is that they haven't offered any real comprehensible solutions to the problem. And we'll at this point mention that Fmr. RNC Chair Ed Gillespie was also on today's panel, but all that can be said for his contribution to the discussion was forwarding Republican talking points.

So in the Senate, you have the Progressives gnawing at each other, Blue Dog Democrats holding the majority hostage with personal political agenda items, and Republican Senators collectively doing everything they can to obstruct, delay, sabotage, and ultimate crash the bill. Here is your reality.

"Where is the principal we started out with?" PBS's Tavis Smiley asked. "This is not the healthcare we were promised," he also stated. Americans wanted healthcare for all and now that we've gotten so far along from that idea, opinion and hope have soured. Mr. Smiley opined that the Administration lost its first big fight with an entrenched lobby. And that leaves us to ask how will the Administration do in its next major bout? Compromising and parrying?

Mr. Smiley also threw this one out there, "Campaigning and governing are two different things." Yes, they are. Campaigning is talking about the fights you're going to pick, and governing is fighting those fights. And even if you lose, if you go down swinging, the ideals stay in tact.

12.13.09: The Economy - "I Don't Know the Answer, but Don't Call Me Stupid"

Today's Guests:
Dr. Christina Romer who chairs the President's Council of Economic Advisers.
Former Fed Chairman, Alan Greenspan, Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Michigan), 2008 Republican Presidential Candidate
and former Massachusetts Governor, Mitt Romney, and the Host of CNBC's Mad Money, Jim Cramer.


And you thought Afghanistan was a quagmire? Judging from every answer, or non-answer, from all of today's guests, the one thing we do know is that no one wants to get into this swampy mire of an economy above the hip. With all due respect to Dr. Christina Romer, she had the skill of a seasoned politician when it can to giving a straight answer, she didn't... or maybe couldn't. And that's the thing with the U.S. economy, it makes the Afghan War seem predictable.

However, when she said that the Administration hit this recessive economy with everything it could get through Congress, I take her at her word. The Obama Administration instituted a tax cut for 95% of middle class families. Then there was the first home buyer tax credit, small business tax breaks for hiring, and cash for clunkers of course to name a few. Staying with taxes for a minute, Mr. Gregory hammered Ms. Romer on the question of taxes because it is a key factor in how the government is going to pay for everything. The reason it is a non-answer because as Ms. Romer stated, you can not raise taxes during the recession we're in. However, you can not lower them to the extent the Republicans want, breaks in which only the top of the monetary food chain truly take advantage of. To fully recover, tax breaks in the short term are a good helping fixer, but eventually they are going to have to go up. It's a hard truth that no politician can utter unless the increase is direction at the super rich. And unfortunately for this column, Jim Kramer on today's program said that same thing so now we have to agree with him on this point, something that gives us no pleasure.

The Administration has floated the idea of a second T.A.R.P. program, but taxing some one some where is a necessity for this to happen. And as Mr. Gregory pointed out via the op-ed in the Los Angeles Times, aren't we getting ahead of ourselves since we've only doled out 20% of the initial T.A.R.P. allocation? It is and people do cry about the size of the initial fund saying it was too much so how could you even consider another. Well, economist Paul Krugman has stated that the initial amount was too little. Realistically, the amount was too small, but politically it was way too much.

[It always strikes this column as funny to think that when the Obama Administration raised the richest 1% of the population's taxes from 36 to 39%, ordinary folks called him a socialist. If that's true then Eisenhower was a communist. Just plain silly.]

The other key question of the program was if the recovery, when it comes, would be a jobless one? Another question that no one is willing to answer because the inclination is that it will, in fact, be a recovery where many jobs are not replaced. Dr. Romer is disqualified from anything reliable as she was one of the ones who said with the T.A.R.P. enacted, unemployment would go above 8% - well, we're at 10. Knowing that Mr. Gregory asked her if unemployment would be a 5% within a year? Again, she didn't answer but THE ANSWER is no way - 7% if we're lucky.

But who the hell knows? If you ask a Democratic State Governor, like Jennifer Granholm of Michigan, she'll say the what the administration is doing is the right thing. She mentioned the Chevy Volt being in production putting Michigan residents to work along with re-tooling some manufacturing in the state from auto to wind turbines. However, if you ask Mitt Romney, former Republican Governor of Massachusetts, he tells you that the stimulus grew the government and not the economy - a jobless stimulus.

Actually, what he is saying is true, but he doesn't truly know why he's right. The stimulus didn't actually grow government as much as it headed off the municipal meltdown that many states would have experienced forced to lay off teachers, firefighters, policeman and countless others - hence sustaining the levels of employment. With giving this money, the federal government reached farther into the say of the states - thus expansion. You have to have a solid base before you can start the rebuilding of the structure. Jim Kramer (in this column's opinion he is completely discredit as a thoughtful economic analyst, reduced to a corporate shill) said that municipal and state worker compensation created no jobs, without ever finishing the sentence - that hundreds of thousands of those jobs were saved. It's a fact that get swept under the rug, but shouldn't be.

Even Alan Greenspan couldn't really give an insight on what to do. Keep in mind that looking back on his record more closely has not done much to bolster Mr. Greenspan's reputation or legacy for that matter. The one thing he said that struck us as comically ironic and that was that the Federal Reserve has done all it can do at this point. Let's just say, that yes, it has done enough. However, he did state a concern of his, which should concern us all. Mr. Greenspan pointed out that 38% of the total number of people unemployed has been so for over 27 weeks - over six months. How much of that 38% is ever going to make it back fully? As time goes on, the existing skills fade and retraining becomes more difficult. And then you have to consider the individuals coming into the workforce who can not find work. The 38% could easily increase.

But it's all so difficult to predict for anyone, no matter the extent of the expertise. It's really the only thing that you can take away from today's program.... Romer - non-answer; Alan Greenspan - discredited; Gov. Granholm - naively optimistic; Jim Kramer - irresponsible; and Gov. Romney - stupid.

11.22.09: Buy American - How?

Given last night's vote in the Senate [The Senate voted 'yes' to send the Healthcare bill to the floor for debate.], it's important to see a representative swatch of the institution sit down at the Meet The Press table to discuss the bill's merits. Today's guests: Senators Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas and Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. These four Senators all have their significant stakes in the debate. Mr. Durbin is the senior Senator from Illinois - pretty much tied at the hip of Obama policy. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is leaving the Senate for a potential successful gubernatorial run in Texas. Ms. Feinstein represents a state that drives the American economy, but that is also in the tank financially, high unemployment a given. And last but not least, there is Senator Joe Liberman, who caucused with the Democrats last night to bring the debate to the floor.

But it was just that - simply to bring the debate to the floor, and if you are a Democrat or caucus with them only occasionally, you have to vote yes on this measure. And of course, on the other hand, if your a Republican its a slam-dunk 'no.' It's kind of like, 'You at me everyone, I'm fighting it..." But when it comes to Mr. Lieberman it is easy to read his motivations given his tendency to sway back and forth between his conservative tendencies and his more progressive ones even if they occur within the same debate which is the case here with Healthcare. He wants to show his constituents that he is open to discussion about the bill. It's shallow but it's a gesture we guess. But he will filibuster any sort of public option. Why? well he got his chance to explain.

Lieberman: One last word on the public option. I understand that some who have, who have advocated say we need to have a government insurance company in the market to keep the insurance companies honest. This is a radical departure from the way we've responded to the market in America in the past. Here's what I mean. We rely first on competition in our market economy. That's brought us a lot of wealth and given people a lot of jobs. But when the competition fails, then what do we do? We regulate or we litigate. We have never before said, in a given business, we, we don't trust the companies in it so we're going to have the government go into that business. And irony of all ironies, Congressional Budget Office says, I repeat, the government-run public option company will charge more than the private companies will.


At the very end of this explanation, Senator Hutchinson says, "That's counterintuitive. There's no way," agreeing with Mr. Lieberman. But what both Senators fail to understand is that Healthcare reform is essential to the long-term recovery. (We'll try to stay to what they said instead of digressing into what their respective special interest donors would like them to do.) They fail to understand how the insurance industry has cripple one sixth of our economy, as Republicans like to quote, one that is failing and the government needs to create a system and program that give one sixth of the population a chance to succeed in the marketplace without having to be attached to the wrecking ball and chain that are healthcare costs.

[Mea Culpa: There was a time, way back, when this column thought that Senator Hutchinson was a deeper thinker on the issues. A conservative view but a thoughtful one. Not in the slightest - She is just another Texas politician, mired in ideology and short term advantage. And when you complain on national television that you just got the bill on Thursday when versions have been online and public for some time, frankly, you should be called what he fellow Texas Republlican Phil Gramm called the American public at the outset of the financial crisis - a whiner.]

She seemed to plead that they should start over with Republican input. This has been floated before gained no traction for the party of no on this issue. Additionally, it's an attempt to delay the vote through the mid-term elections where maybe Republicans can gain in the polls, and hence gain some public support for their position.

And about Joe Lieberman, he just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand the extraordinary times we're in and to simply compete in this world, the United States has to change how it does business. With regard to his particular point that government hasn't ever gone into business or should not co-exist, he needs to take a look at public and private schools and universities, medicare, public libraries vs. bookstores for cryin' out loud. The public healthcare insurance option will not cost more than private insurance and if it does, it is only because the private companies have adjusted their cost structure to compete.

Senator Feinstein's statement is a fact: no other developed country in the world has the big for-profit insurance industry that we have [that basically controls what treatments people get.] This fact, if only taken by itself, should trouble every American. It says that the playing field is tilted and not in our favor - individuals spending an inordinate amount of their income comparatively.

And one more thing about healthcare and particularly the mammogram coverage or lack thereof. What is with all this talk about regulating every part of a woman's body?! First, abortions and now mammograms. How about this? If a woman decides to have a mammogram check up once a year or if she wants to skip a year if she feels, then fine - it's her choice. Exasperating to say the least.

If only the Democrats could say that healthcare reform would create jobs, then they wouldn't have a worry. Hmm... We agree with Senator Feinstein that infrastructure projects are essential for this country's recovery on several levels. Much of the bridges, roads, tunnels, and levees are in disrepair and this will put people to work. The energy initiative that President Obama announced in Florida was a solid first step. Start converting how we use energy will save money and create jobs. Senator Feistein said, 'buy American' but in the absence of competitive manufacturing in this country, we have to create industry jobs that can not be exported - healthcare and energy/infrastructure.



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We'll leave it there, but the discussion did continue to the subject of Afghanistan (we'll have more later in the week of the prospective trial in New York City). Just know that if we send 40,000 troops to Afghanistan, that will mean having all eligible troops that the U.S. has to active duty. If any additional troops are needed for any other emergency in the world in which we do need the armed forces, we will simply not have them. Period

President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Not exactly topical but we felt that this video needs to reside on the blog. This warning from President Eisenhower should serve as a constant reminder of where this country is and where it shouldn't be.

11.8.09: You Hear Things...

A revisited guest list arrived yesterday via the Meet The Press newsletter and included General George Casey, Army Chief of Staff to discuss this week's tragic events at Fort Hood in Texas and some of his views on Afghanistan. With regard the to the shooting perpetrated by Major Nidal Hasan earlier this week, one can only dread the social repercussions of a soldier of Muslim faith committing mass murder at an Army, whether or not it is justified. But you hear things, such as that the other soldiers hazed him because of his faith. When you hear something like this, one can say, "but that doesn't justify his actions." Of course not, but it is most certainly one of many factors that lead to what he did. This ridicule can only serve as the impetus for Major Hasan to move closer to his faith, be more isolated, and hence more radicalized. You hear that he vocalized ideological conflicts with the wars - that should disqualify someone immediately from deployment, not from the army necessarily, but definitely from deployment because his hesitation in the field could cause the death of a fellow soldiers. It puts people's lives in danger.

The General did say some of the right things in today's interview, in which Mr. Gregory's questions and tone showed his potential as a moderator of trust - he just needs to be much more consistent. However, Gen. Casey lead off with the statement, "I don't want to say that we missed it," meaning the signs leading up to the shooting. Simply, you better believe they missed it. Nonetheless, we have arrived at this point and ultimately, the best thing to do is to extricate ourselves from these countries and wars as quickly as possible. The General did say some encouraging things in that he feels that the diversity of our country and our fighting force is a strength - we would totally agree.

But the most significant thing he said to Mr. Gregory came in two statements that seem to contradict themselves. First, he said that he has been concerned and has vocalized the fact that the Army is out of balance, meaning that if it were in balance then the deployment rates would be sustainable so that soldiers aren't required to do multiple back to back combat tours. Later, in the interview, in which Mr. Gregory declared news, General Casey said that he would like to see an increase in troops for Afghanistan. Well, where are they going to come from if our Army is 'out of balance?' It seems like the administration is the only ones considering this problem. Republicans want more troops - that's the 'right thing' as Governor Haley Barbour (R-MS) said later in today's program. But again, from where?

And speaking of Governor Barbour, in light of the House Healthcare bill passing last night, he said that Americans don't want it. However, his counterpart for the interview, Governor Ed Rendell (D-PA) succinctly replied that we need it. He also said that the Democrats have to move beyond bi-partisanship because they simply will not get it. This column would agree with that line of action on the part of the Democrats. They have the majority and are in the right to set the agenda for the country. Republicans would do the same if they were in the majority - citing that this is what the majority of people want. And again, you hear things, such as earlier this week Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) said that if it did, in fact, pass, it would be impossible to get rid of it because it would become another third rail of politics, people would love it.

Mr. Barbour also stated that government run healthcare would be bad for this country. However, that is not what the bill is. Let's be clear - it is healthcare industry reform that includes an option in the form of a government program. This column is amazed by the incredible number of people who do not know the definition of the word 'option.' Additionally, Lastly, this column is a strong supporter of, as Mr. Rendell put it today, healthcare security for this country. That means giving everyone access to affordable healthcare, which the Republicans' alternative bill doesn't provide in the slightest.

Mr. Barbour also in the interview said that Americans want jobs, not healthcare. With all due respect to the Governor, they want both. However, there is truth to his statement that there has never been a bigger disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street. The Administration needs to be very concerned about this because as Wall Street thrives, unemployment is at 10.2%, and it will climb. It is imperative that while the Congress is engaged in healthcare that the Administration focuses on bank lending and job creation. Yes, Mr. Rendell was correct that the stimulus retained jobs and we applaud that effort, but the tide needs to turn quickly for small businesses. Mr. Barbour again, said that the Democrats are focused on energy and healthcare and not jobs. This is a ridiculous statement because it implies that all of these things are not interconnected, which they are. In a multi-tasking world, the government must be able to do the same.

Lastly, some insights from today's panel, which consisted of David Brooks of New York Times, Rachel Maddow of MSNBC, E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post, and Republican Strategist Ed Gillespie.

First, Ms. Maddow was spot-on that the troop number decision will be a political issue - no matter how you slice it. How can everyone NOT weigh in? However, Mr. Dionne observation that we need a 'Karzai' strategy in Afghanistan. This is the biggest conundrum in the country. How do you have the citizenry go along with what you're trying to do when the central government does things that directly fly in the face of that agenda? If that continues, it will not matter what the U.S. does there, it won't hold. Focus on the Pakistan border and militant extremists - tell Pakistan that if they help us find the operational head of Al Qaeda then we can begin to fully pull back. In simpler terms, let's get the hell out of there.

With regard to the merits of the healthcare bill passing, Ms. Maddow pointed out that this bill has more restrictions on abortion than any other bill in a generation. One, this column finds that disturbing and two, this is essentially a case of religious belief as to when life begins, and you may readily agree. However, this column also strongly endorses a separation of church and state. With that said, abortion is a medical procedure and further restrictions on healthcare for women is unacceptable in the equal society that we idealize.

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Today's Meet The Press Minute (again, we're delighted its back) commemorates the 20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. A great look back.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

and Mr. Brokaw's Report...

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11.1.09: A Job Saved... Is a Job Earned?

Benjamin Franklin said that a penny saved was a penny earned. Well, one thing we know for sure is that a penny isn't anywhere what it used to be, but here we are - saving our pennies. True recovery is not going to begin until consumers start spending again, which their not doing. Because we, at this column, are essentially an 'everyman' we can only speak from our own experience and we've spent sparingly with the bulk of the coffers dedicated to paying off debt.

So while no one is equipped to handle sustained spending, the government has been doling out the stimulus (Recovery Act) money, which Secretary Geithner, today's prime guest, has said has is working but will take a least two years to be fully distributed. People have lost sight of this and as we have said before, when the government enacts something, it will take years for the full effect to be felt. So of the approximately $900 billion, half has been spent.

Mr. Gregory asked the Secretary, given that Wall Street is seeing gains, if a number of companies feel the recession is over. Mr. Geithner stated that a good number of companies feel the recession is over. He through in the disclaimed that this is just the beginning and that it's still very tough out there (saying the right things). The problem is that from Mr. Geithner's seat, surveying the largest of American companies, this may be true but that's not the reality on the ground for the smaller businesses or individuals.

And with that, a new number to debate - 640,000. This is the number of jobs that the administration is saying we've added or saved since the Recovery Act took effect. Of course, this was immediately countered by Republicans, citing a Carnegie Melon economist who explained that there is no way to measure 'jobs saved.' This is silliness and Secretary Geithner was correct, when confronted with this, when he said that the stimulus has prevented the furloughing of teachers, policemen, and firemen alike. Those are jobs saved! And remember that the stimulus also provides relief for states, which will also lead to recovery but slowly. One also has to keep in mind that the Bush Administration, to accommodate costs for Iraq and Afghanistan, drastically cut back on federal money, practically killing it all, going to help the individual states. Now they are feeling the burden of this, five-fold.

Mr. Gregory then pointed out that sixteen states had double-digit unemployment and that 2.7 million jobs have been shed since the beginning of the year. To which, Mr. Geithner interjected that given under-employment those numbers are actually higher. So to reverse this course, the first thing that must happen is that jobs have to be saved - stemming the tide of unemployment is the first step in turning things around - obvious notion so why can't you measure jobs saved?

The basic question: Is the Government (read: Administration) doing enough? At this moment, the simple answer is 'yes.' However, the perception is 'no' because it is not going fast enough, but as we've already said - it will be a slow process any way you look at it.

Conversely, is the Administration doing enough in Afghanistan (today's, and every day's, other big topic)? Well, given what Jim Miklaszewski, NBC's Chief Pentagon Correspondent, said - the answer would be no. He reported from Afghanistan, and explained on today's program, that 80% of the country is essentially under Taliban control and that they have established shadow local governments. As we have said in this column, the Obama Administration has no choice but to wait for the new election until implementing a strategy going forward. But this revelation has us reconsidering an overall recommendation for what to do. Is the country lost? A report like this would make one inclined to say yes. So are 40,000 more troops, as General McChrystal has recommended, the correct move?

Given acclaimed author, Jon Krakauer's insight on General McChrystal's handling of Pat Tillman's death and a fraudulent medal recommendation, the whole episode, see clip below, makes it seem as though the General is just covering his own ass. Is that what the 40K troops recommendation is? We can not be that cynical, no way, but one now has to question the motivations here. All Generals want more troops - that's what they do.

So here is Jon Krakaur calling out General McChrystal:

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Full List of Guests for Today's Program:

TIM GEITHNER
Treasury Secretary

DAVID PLOUFFE
Campaign Manager, Obama 2008 Presidential Campaign
Author, "The Audacity to Win: The Inside Story and Lessons of Barack Obama's Historic Victory"

JON KRAKAUER
Author, "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman"

JIM MIKLASZEWSKI
Chief Pentagon Correspondent, NBC News

ANDREA MITCHELL
Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent, NBC News

10.25.09: Stepping Up

Guests: Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., weigh in on the numerous issues facing the Obama administration. Also: Erin Burnett and Andrew Ross Sorkin on the possible repercussions of cutting executive pay on Wall Street. Plus, a political roundtable: Jane Mayer, Joe Scarborough, Dan Senor and Tavis Smiley.


Today's program centered around two topics, no matter what segment and who the guest, the public option of the healthcare bill and Afghanistan strategy. I listed the guests above simply for reference.

Straight off, we need to discuss the statement made by Senator Schumer that he believes the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, has the 60 votes in the chamber to pass a public option, which he will introduce into the bill. Obviously, Republicans are not for the public option in the healthcare and simply feel that letting people buy insurance across state lines would suffice to foster mpre competition and hence more competitive pricing which will lower costs overall. Both have their pitfalls to be sure and Senator Cornyn stated what all Republicans think is that the public option is just the first step to singular payer (as they have in many European countries).

Erin Burnett, who by the way has been wrong on so many occasions with regard to the market that we distrust her expertise, said that the U.S. will be borrowing a lot money to cover everything until 2019. Will we be running deficits until then as she's saying? Not necessarily. Pragmatically, what she is calling for is fiscal responsibility. To say that one party, usually the Republicans, have a monopoly on responsible spending is complete nonsense. Both parties spend big, they just spend big on different things. Republicans incur huge military debt and Democrats spend big domestically.

However, right now we're in a position where we have to do both.

With regard to Afghanistan, there is disagreement within the administration and amongst the public on what to do - increase the troop levels another 41,000+ as General McChrystal is recommending or concentrate more on Al Qeada solely as Vice President Biden is advocating.

The former Vice President Dick Cheney now famously said this week that the President is 'dithering' with regard to his no decision on Afghanistan. The politically correct thing to say here is that this is out of line because it undermines the Administration and the U.S. policy blah blah blah... Not Mr. Cheney's style of course, and it was a cheap shot, and we agree with what many in the press have said that Mr. Cheney is so discredited on good foreign policy decisions that he should really just.... to use his words, 'fuck off.'

The back and forth, the up and down, side to side.... Anyway, you look at it, here's the bottom line:

President Obama really does need to step up and start making some hard decisions. This column is growing impatient with just hearing that 'The White House is signaling... etc.' With regard to Afghanistan, frankly the Administration is stuck and caught in a holding pattern because of the election run-off, the United States can not announce a strategy while the Afghan government is in question. They should explain this to the public and plan for the different scenarios in the meantime.

This column recommends that the U.S. should commit more troops, but what ever number we commit, the N.A.T.O. forces should match to put as much of an international face on the increase as possible. Have them take the in-country/city patrols with U.S. assistance and then with the rest of our force concentrate on the border - Al Qeada and extremists. But this should be done in post-haste so we can get out of there as quickly as possible.

So when the election is decided, President Obama better have something at the ready. We're giving him a little window here.

However, what has been much more disappointing is Administration's positions on healthcare. We now here that they are leaning toward the 'trigger' idea with regard to the public option, employed only if the insurance companies don't get their act together as Senator Snowe of Maine suggested. What this essentially does is drop the public option from the bill. But... remember, the Administration has given such a declarative statement.

We could go on, but the time is overdue that the President, not people in his administration, but the man himself should state precisely what he believes should be in the bill. (It should be a public option - 61% of the public want it - in so many words, he campaigned on it.) If the public option is of the state by state opt-out, fine. Trigger or nothing at all, this column would just like to know for what he is willing to go to the mat. He's trying not to get his hands too dirty, leaving it to others in the administration.

Mr. President, whatever it is you believe, tell us flat out and take the lead. The time for wonder on these two critic issues is over.