11.20.11: The No-So Supers…

The not so super Congressional Super Committee has a deadline of tomorrow morning to put its proposal for deficit reduction in front of Congress, and the initial question is if the respective Republicans and Democrats will come to an agreement. Senator Kyl’s answer is that hope spring eternal, but this is no consolation or even acceptable as an answer in discussing the committee’s goals. The committee has neither achieved tax reform nor entitlement reform, and went on to explain that we would need to grow our way out of deficit spending and not tax ourselves out of deficit spending. This is in response to David Gregory’s assertion that the Bush Tax Cuts are going to add $3.7 Trillion dollars to the national debt and that most economists – Republican and Democrat recommend that they expire. Mr. Kyl was unfazed by this and went on to explain that we would increase revenue to the government by reforming the tax code. The problem with this is that Republicans want to reform the tax code by eliminating loops holes for corporations, but then also lower the overall tax rate, which becomes a wash – the lower rate offsets any gains that closing the loopholes offered. What he didn’t mention is that the lower tax rate would apply to everyone, “broadening the base,” which would levy taxes on families and individuals who have just enough income to meet monthly obligations, in other words the working poor.

For this opening segment, Senators Kyl and Kerry were introduced together but Mr. Gregory interviewed Mr. Kyl first while Mr. Kerry sat by. Then when Mr. Gregory interviewed Mr. Kerry, Mr. Kyl had left the set. Who set that parameter? The public needs to see and hear some of this debate, which was denied by this format. There was exchange at all, and this seems the typical way of Washington – deny listening opportunities. I’ll say what I have to and then you do the say and neither have to listen to the other.

Mr. Kerry explained in his segment that there are two things holding up any agreement that would cut $1.7 trillion dollars from the budget. One is that Republicans want to wait for the 2012 election so that they can take control and then implement their full agenda without Democratic opposition. Secondly, they will not let the Bush tax cuts expire and are subservient to Grover Norquist’s pledge to never raise taxes.

The entire point of the super committee was so that both sides would have to share in some sacrifice, and that if the committee could not come to an agreement automatic spending cuts would be implemented. For the Republicans, those cuts would effect defense spending. On this point, Secretary Panetta was cited that the cuts to defense would effect our national security. When Mr. Gregory confronted Mr. Kyl with this reality, The Arizona Senator eluded that they would try to work around it. Later in the segment, Senator Kerry took exception to this. This should have been a major point of the discussion, but today’s interview format did not allow for it – a mistake by the producers and the moderator.

Where we stand is that the Republicans won’t give in on the most major one demand that the Democrats have, which is to allow the Bush tax cuts to expire and given this, it has become all too easy for Democrats to blame Republicans of intransience. The end result is nothing will get done. To watch these two individuals just makes one bubble with frustration. The inability of the Senators of Rome caused its demise. We, the United States, are no better than Greece or Italy at this moment. The only difference is that we know the cash exists in the United States where it is nonexistent in these countries.

One last note on this dual interview and it’s something that Senator Kyl said that we take exception to. With regard to the Occupy Wall Street movement, Mr. Kyl said that these people didn’t understand the free market and how it works. This is clearly not true, but it does illustrate how out of touch Mr. Kyl and many of his party colleagues are in understanding the hardships of a shrinking middle class. With that said, we have to admit that after two months, the movement doesn’t have a clear message and they only have themselves to blame.

Speaking of only having yourself to blame, this is the Republican electorate given that their frontrunner for the nomination this week is Former Speaker Newt Gingrich, described by Dee Dee Meyers during today’s panel as a political sociopath – something that no one else on the panel could really dispute. Mr. Gingrich has clearly shown that he will take any position that is politically expedient. Republican strategist Mike Murphy demurred simply saying that he would be surprised if Mr. Gingrich is the nominee.

It’s simply another illustration of how the Republican party is completely dissatisfied with their respective candidates. Herman Cain can not answer a questions on foreign policy then claimed his is there to “lead and not to read.” After that statement, there is no way to take him seriously. Governor Rick Perry, who Eugene Robinson thought still has a shot to unseat Mitt Romney as the favorite, is consistent, but consistently nonsensical in his answers. And as for Mr. Romney, conservatives just don’t believe in him. They would be right to say he’s not a true conservative. In a way, he’s like Newt Gingrich in that he’ll say what ever is most politically expedient, what ever answer it takes to get elected, Mitt Romney can be counted on for that answer.

Round Table: Democratic Strategist Dee Dee Meyers, Republican Strategist Mike Murphy, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson, and former RNC Chairman, Ed Gillespie

Last thought: Statistic of Note (from today’s program) – Over the past thirty years, the richest 1%’s income has gone up 300 percent, while the middle class’ income has only increased 18 percent. Trickle down economics has worked if a trickle is all you’re trying to achieve.

11.13.11: The Bystander Effect

David Brooks talked about the "Bystander Effect" in reference to the Penn State tragedy, and make no mistake, it is a tragedy. Mr. Brooks explained that study after study has shown that most people would just as soon as walk away or ignore criminality than do something to intervene. E.J. Dionne begged to differ with his colleague, but unfortunately David Brooks is correct and most would do nothing.

It is in an instant where the bystander effect appears. However, it is also that instant that produces heroes. In the case of Penn State, Mike McQuery - the assistant coach who witnessed and didn't stop Jerry Sandusky from sodomizing a boy in the shower - is no hero. In that moment, he could have done the right thing, he had the means. Mr. McQuery is a former Penn State quarterback - 6'5"/220. He's not a criminal, but he's no hero, something that has been sorely missed through out this entire investigation. And Mr. Paterno isn't one either, deserved to be fired and is too senile to understand that in trying to protect his legacy and his job, every moral fortitude he said he tried to instill in his players was never a factor in his own conduct. Many victims and no heroes define a tragedy. Today's first guest, Governor Tom Corbett (R-PA), didn't know if there were more victims, but there most certainly are - how could there not be when considering loved ones and family members.

Speaking of a bystander, Michele Bachmann was the latest on the "Meet The Candidate" series, and the reason for this designator is her answer on torture. She would reinstate it by allowing interrogators to use water boarding, which is in fact torture.

Congresswoman Bachmann said that the Penn State tragedy should start a national dialogue. On what? Morality? It's difficult to have that discussion with someone who has no moral dilemma when it comes to torturing people. Also, in being another candidate who would 'listen to the generals on the ground" when it comes to foreign policy, she won't listen to them when it comes to their collective opposition to water boarding.

Ms. Bachmann went on to explain to the key to winning the 'war on terror' comes in the form of interrogation, and that Mr. President is almost trying to lose the battle because of his lack of use of this torturing. It is exactly why we may be winning the war on Al Qaeda - because we're not using water boarding. What Michele Bachmann doesn't understand is that by not using torture, our moral compass in the view of the world has a better perception while we are in the midst of sending out more predator drones.

She then switched to the real right-wing fear mongering and pandering rhetoric, saying the the A.C.L.U. is running CIA, and that we have no prison for Al Qaeda terrorists refusing to acknowledge Mr. Gregory's reminder of the Guantanamo Bay Prison. She said that President Obama is 'losing the peace' in Iraq and that the Iraqis should pay back the United States the $800 billion it spend on the war and should also pay back the families of fallen soldiers.

But how about the 10's of thousands of Iraqi citizens killed in the war? What amount the millions who were displaced to other countries because of the war? What about the $9 billion dollars in cash the Secretary Rumsfeld lost, yes lost, in Baghdad?

Lastly, Mr. Gregory asked the Congresswoman if it were a disqualifier for Herman Cain as a candidate if the sexual assault allegations turn out to be true, and her response was telling. She said it is up to the voters. Well, if those allegations are proven, then it's not up to the voters, it's up to the law, and in fact is a disqualifier. In this moment, Ms. Bachmann could have stood up in the face of a popular candidate (Mr. Cain), as she does when it comes to Mitt Romney's flip-flopping, and taken the right stand. By not doing it, she is suffering from the bystander effect.



Guests: Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett, GOP candidate Representative Michele Bachmann, DNC Chair Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz, roundtable with David Brooks and E.J. Dionne.


Post Script:

During the interview with Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), the congresswoman had a tough time defending President Obama's economic policy. And remember she is also the DNC chairperson. She pleaded the case that it's Republican obstruction that it causing the economy stagnate, outlined the job growth for the last 20 months versus the massive job losses prior.

So why do we say that she had a tough time - two reasons. One, the congresswoman did not possess a compelling answer for the mother of all political questions, are we better off than we were four years ago. She said the 'President's fighting,' Well everyone's 'fighting' right now literally and figuratively in this country so if the President wants to cut through the clutter, his DNC chair needs a list of accomplishments because Americans really like it when they see the government getting something done.

Secondly, the debt is blowing up and we're still at 41% deficit spending during this administration year over year with employment figures at 9%. Her rebuttal was that the debt needs to be reduced in a responsible way, but it would be more responsible to always have your budget in line, which frankly the Obama Administration does not.

One More Thing...

E.J. Dionne used the great word 'bellicose' in describing Mitt Romney's rhetoric on Iran's nuclear ambitions. Mr. Romney said during the second of two Republican debates this week that under President Obama's leadership, Iran will acquire nuclear weapons, while under a Romney Administration they would not. We get it, it's a sexy Republican position to be rhetorically hard on Iran's nukes and threaten military action - a bad idea by the way. Another word should be added which was noted in the first debate - pandering. Jon Huntsmann said that Mitt Romney's economic stance on China was pandering, and with regard to Iran, his comments are just more of the same. It's not like when he's sitting in the White House and then Iran does indeed get nukes, he can just say, "Oops."

11.6.11: A Bridge Too Far

Today’s blog title doesn’t come from the show directly but from a clip of Representative Darrel Issa (R-CA) that Mr. Gregory highlighted. In the clip, Mr. Issa explained that when he first ran for office, his challenge was going from the business world to Congress. He went on to say that in the case of Mr. Herman Cain and his candidacy for President, going from business man to the Presidency is a ‘bridge too far.”

However, as Chris Matthews pointed out, Mr. Cain is exactly what conservatives are looking for – a southern business man. This is where Republicans have government horribly wrong – the United States government should not, repeat should not, be run like a business. A government is not in the business of profit, it is in the business of the general welfare of its people. Should we be running huge deficits? Of course not, but Republicans seem to conveniently forget that it was Vice President Dick Cheney who said that deficits don’t matter.

Mr. Cain, with all due respect to his business acumen, is not Presidential material. The sexual harassment allegations swirling around his campaign aside for a moment, in an interview this week Mr. Cain talked about China aspiring to have nuclear weapons. The layman that writes this column has known that China has had nuclear weapons since 1964 so how could a Presidential candidate not know this. To quote Mr. Matthews, “it’s like he hasn’t read newspapers for the last 50 years.” To use a Hillary Clinton metaphor, if Mr. Cain were the President, that 3am phone call would go to voicemail. Mr. Cain as President is a bridge too far.

Also, that he would scold the news media, attempting to put the blame on them, for these sexual assault allegations is cowardice and irresponsible. Is this man not willing to take responsibility for his actions. Governor Haley Barbour on today’s program said that this smelled of what Judge Clarence Thomas went through with his confirmation hearing, explaining that if Herman Cain weren’t running for President, these allegations wouldn’t matter. But the fact is that he is running for President, and he needs to be vetted like everyone else. Because Mr. Cain doesn’t want to answer such questions, doesn’t mean they will stop coming. The long he delays in getting the facts out, the more amount of people will start digging, and dig deep they will, and should. Mr. Matthews described Herman Cain as the most confident man he’s ever seen in politics. We would amend that to be the most arrogant, evidenced by his campaign staff e-mailing the journalism code of ethics to Politico as pointed out by senior reporter Maggie Haberman.

Also a bridge too far is the personhood amendment being pushed by the extreme right wing of the Republican Party. Never in the forty years since the Roe vs. Wade decision, has women’s rights in this country been under such assault – life beginning at fertilization is a ridiculous notion. Mr. Barbour said he’s not a physician and not a theologian, but… and that’s where he should stop. It implies that theology, counter to what it says in the First Amendment of the Constitution, should be taken into consideration when making law in this country. Forget about health care mandates for a moment, these actions by Republicans, if based on the majority of the party’s faith is unconstitutional. Governor Bill Richardson is correct that this is dangerous action.

Presidential candidate who appear on the program as part of the "Meet the Candidate" series, said that fertilization goes too far, though he is pro-life with, as he explained, a few exceptions in the case of rape or incest. Throughout the interview, this column couldn't help thinking that if the Republican Party weren't so far to the right, Jon Huntsman could be the nominee. He has the approach that would draw in independent voters, especially when he says that we can not run away from mainstream science in particular on climate change.

However, Mr. Huntsman has his flaws as well, specifically on health care, which Mr. Gregory pointed out that previously the candidate said that mandates had to be worked in some way as part of the solution of reforming health care, but now he is firmly against them. We can not really hold Jon Huntsman's feet too hard to the fire on health care as every candidate and the President have had changing views on health care. It's the most complex issue that we have domestically and unless the two sides can meet in the middle, there will be no solution - too far left or too far right won't work.

With that said, the one person who is disqualified on this issue is Mitt Romney because he implemented a policy as governor of Massachusetts that works, and instead of defending the policy and explaining it thoroughly, he ran away from his original position. This has become a bad trend on many issues for the candidate. And in relation to Mr. Romney, David Gregory asked Mr. Huntsman about his Mormon and if America was ready for a Mormon President. Mr. Huntsman said that America has moved beyond religion in this election cycle.

This is naivete reminiscent of President Obama on race. There are those in the Republican party who will fight with everything they have to make sure the Republican nominee is of Christian faith, where the base of the party is firmly entrenched. One could say that the ever-changing positions of Mitt Romney are the cause for his poll numbers never really rising above 30% amongst Republican voters, but make no mistake, his Mormon faith plays a big role. It's why he won't win the Iowa Caucus. It doesn't draw confidence from the base, and it sours any potential conservative allies.

Speaking of friends, apparently President Obama doesn't have any, and it's hurting his chances for reelection. Some of the time, we look at this Republican field and think that President Obama's chances for reelection are great, but then we here a panel discussion such as this and then we think, maybe not so much. In particular, Chris Matthews pointed out that the President hasn't formed the close bonds that help a President muscle through tough legislative situations, people who willing to drop everything else to fight for him. He has many endorsers/advocates but not political warriors. Mr. Matthews cited his new book on President Kennedy as a key example of a President who could commandere such loyalty. Everyone on the panel agreed that since President Obama has been taking his American Jobs Act to the American people, there haven't been any Democratic politicians willing to stand with him. "There are more Clinton people out there then there are Obama people," Mr. Matthews said. In essence, Mr. Obama hasn't instilled fear in his opponents, he hasn't in fact bridged the apparent gap between his stand and where the others are standing.

Round Table: Republican strategist Alex Castellanos, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Kim Strassel, Senior Political Reporter for Politico, Maggie Haberman and author of the new book "Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero," and host of MSNBC’s Hardball, Chris Matthews.

Last Note: This Sunday was Meet The Press's 67th Anniversary - the longest running television program in history. The genius to make this the first show - putting our leaders on the spot and having them be accountable for their actions - is the reason why this column exists.

Happy Anniversary.

10.23.11: Iraq and Beyond War

Secretary Clinton said that Iraq is taking care of it's own security and that President Obama is following a withdrawal timetable that was set by the Bush administration. That timetable for withdrawal concludes at the end of this year. She also said that President Obama has passed the '3 am phone call test' with flying colors, but Republicans are not convinced and have criticized the administration saying that security in country and Iranian influence still pose a great threat.

The reality is that there is still the prospect of sectarian violence in Iraq and as any laymen knows, Iran's influence in Iraq is real in history, the present, and will be in the future. Neighboring countries have relationships and it will always be that way, whether the United States government approves of those relationships or not. It's denying a reality that will be present whether the United States military is in country for the next two months or the next two decades. It's also silly to think that the United States will ultimately determine the relationship between the different sects inside Iraq or the relationship between the Shia of Iraq and their religious brethren in Iran.

The Republican candidates throughout the debates and their respective campaign stops have advocated that government should get out of the way in people's lives - let people help themselves and to determine their own success. Why shouldn't that apply to the rest of the world? There's a large amount of naivete in that question, and you could dismiss it because there remains the grave threat to the security of the United States. However, as Secretary Clinton pointed out, the United States still maintains a significant presence in the region, and at some point we must the United States must move beyond Iraq and perpetual war.

Cynically, our military industrial complex will remain in tact as we are training and supporting the Iraqi military as they are buying our military equipment. Our role as the biggest arms dealer in the world remains in tact as we pull troops out of country. On the other hand, as the Madam Secretary pointed out, we've paid too high a price to not let Iraq go forward with democracy - their own democracy. And that price - 823 billion dollars and 4,500 American lives lost, over 35,000 injured.

You just can't have it both ways. Democracy on our terms isn't democracy and as Iraq decides its own fate, we have live with the consequences of our actions and their decisions. It's time to get out. Actually, the time to get out has passed as we should have been out sooner.

Mrs. Clinton said that she is out of politics, is not talking about it and doesn't want to look back. All of this was in response to Mr. Gregory's question as to whether or not she regretted her vote on the Iraq war. What is always painfully obvious, and this time was no exception, was that by avoiding the question, the answer was obviously yes. She does regret her vote and she can not admit that, which in essence makes it a political answer.

Mr. Gregory's more important question was if the Iraq war was worth it? Secretary Clinton stated that we'll have to wait a long time to find out. As nebulous as this answer is, it's correct, but the time that we have to wait can only begin when we leave the country.

Now according to Presidential candidate Ron Paul, who appeared on the program today, 15,000 troops at the U.S. embassy in Iraq, the largest embassy we've ever built, is not an exit, and he would be right. These days, unfortunately, leaving 15,000 troops in country constitutes a withdrawal. Dr. Paul's ideal of the role of the U.S. military is where most Americans would like to see the United States, not bogged down in perpetual troop presence in every corner of the world serving as the world's policeman.

However, where most would agree with Dr. Paul's assessment of government withdrawal from people's lives abroad, his views on the student loans, Fannie and Freddie, the Fed, and entitlement programs simply isn't realistic. The draconian cuts that got us out of the great depression that he mentioned is an inaccurate statement. The cuts that Republicans made after Roosevelt instituted the New Deal set the country back on a course of recession, not prosperity. He failed to mention the role of WWII that ultimately forced the United States government to employ the country which in turn lifted the country out of the depression. He went on to explain that taxation is immoral and that tax policy was amended in 1913 because the Founding Fathers didn't like taxation.

With this last statement, can you not see how problematic it is? First, the Founding Fathers did not dislike taxation, more accurately taxation without representation. The Founding Fathers understood that taxes were necessary. More over, we amended the law in 1913 because the Founding Fathers didn't like it? That's about 130 years after the fact. He statement absolutely made no sense. Dr. Paul said there aren't any real differences between the Republican candidates and President Obama when it comes to major policy issues, social issues yes, but not the things that would change the trajectory of the country. This may be true but Ron Paul refuses to recognize that his libertarian ideal would not only leave millions out in the cold, disenfranchised, but also without the means to help themselves.

In his assessments, he separates himself from the other Republican candidates, but as far as providing solutions for all of American, he's just one in the same.


Round Table

NYT’s David Brooks; former Congressman Harold Ford, Jr.; former Chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch; and Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent for NBC News, Andrea Mitchell.

10.16.11: The Herman Cain Interview

The message is well constructed and it's simple, and the messenger stays on point with it, and that goes a long way. That's why Herman Cain is at the top of the polls for the Republican nomination for President. Many people are taking the line that at least Mr. Cain has a plan, more than can be said for Rick Perry, the governor of Texas.

In today's interview, Mr. Cain's simplistic '9-9-9' tax plan was front and center, and the news is that he admitted that in fact some people would pay more in taxes, while acknowledging that some would certainly pay less. This does go against the grain of what is now standard Republican doctrine in that it raises taxes on people. Grover Norquist is not an advocate for the plan, not because the raised taxes will be on the poor, but because the sales taxes on goods that are not taxed now would be raised.

The inequity of the 9-9-9 plan is easily evident. There are a few echoing complaints about how there are so many people do not pay federal taxes. These complaints remain echoes due to the reason, which is that many people do not make enough money to pay - the working poor. It's precisely this group of the electorate that is hit the hardest by Mr. Cain's plan while the wealthiest Americans will see another overall tax reduction. When the candidates speak of 'broadening the base' in terms of taxes, this is one of those approaches. Broadening the base means having the poorest Americans pay more in taxes.

Speaker John Boehner, quoted by Mr. Gregory, said that tax reform in this political climate would be difficult. To which, Mr. Cain countered that public support and simplicity would cut through the difficulties and his plan will go through. The unfortunate reality for Mr. Cain is that he will need powerful advocates within the beltway to champion his plan. Whether we like it or not, that's how our system works now, and there is just not that support. The Wall Street journal points out that the 9 percent federal sales tax combined with a state sales tax will in effect put a 17% levy on consumption. That number, no matter how you try to wring it out through explanation, becomes a simplistic 'no' in the minds of voters.

Finally, Mr. Cain's tax plan takes so much revenue out of the federal government, that it is a mathematical reality that cuts will have to be made in government programs. Mr. Cain has not outlined those cuts, which will not be in defense as Mr. Cain stated.

He stood by his statement that liberals in the United States have the objective of destroying this nation. It's a notion that he believes, which is certainly not a way to lead, automatically alienating a large part of the electorate. He explained that because of liberal economic policy, we need to cut defense, which is something he will not do as President.

When speaking about foreign policy, Mr. Cain invoked Ronald Reagan in as much as to achieve peace, we must do it through strength and clarity, strength through a robust military and clarity by clearly outlining who our friends and enemies are respectively. He went on to say that many positive things have come out of our war in Iraq and he would not reduce troops. However, that is as far as that answer went. Mr. Cain said that he would listen to the generals on the ground as to the best way to proceed in regard to military matters. This is distinct substance that Mr. Cain lacks in his approach to foreign policy. We are left to glean how he would act by the sources he looks to for his foreign policy philosophy, which include John Bolton and Henry Kissinger. Given these two references, we would have to conclude that Mr. Cain, as President, would be inclined to take preemptive military action. The type of action that Mr. Bolton advocated in Iraq and the kind that Mr. Kissinger proposed in Cambodia.

With regard to Afghanistan, Mr. Cain outlined victory as when the Afghan people can defend themselves. To extrapolate this out, we presume he means that the central government of Afghanistan under President Karzai has a military large enough to keep the peace in country with the ability to quash any resistance from the Taliban, for example. This definition is the conventional thinking, but if there is one aspect in which we need a difficult line of thought it is with regard to Afghanistan. Within that different line of thinking should be a way to get U.S. troops out of country as quickly as possible.

This column just finds it generally troublesome that prospective leaders in this country automatically defer to the 'generals on the ground' for their military advice. This notion assumes that we consistently have generals on the ground, which is an unsustainable approach to foreign policy, both in man power and money. When the generals aren't on the ground, what would you do as President?

Mr. Cain said he's a 'Main Street' executive as opposed to Mr. Romney being a 'Wall Street' executive, implying that he's more in tune with the American populace as a whole. He stated the President Obama is outside the mainstream in an experiential sense [read: no business experience]. Keeping these two views in mind, Mr. Cain will first have to explain what programs he is going to cut that will directly effect the middle class. And why would we ever want to discount state experience and the knowledge of foreign policy as Mr. Cain does? The market is so volatile right now because of what is happening in Europe and their euro debt crisis. It's the curiosity to understand something like this and make decisions accordingly that vets the best Presidential candidate.

Herman Cain is not that candidate.


Quick Note: The back third of the program featured Governor Bobby Jindal and former Governor and Presidential Candidate Tim Pawlenty advocating for their prospective nominees; Mr. Jindal for Rick Perry and Mr. Pawlenty for Mitt Romney.

Tim Pawlenty, when played the MTP clip of himself from July in which he said the Mr. Romney couldn't be the nominee because of the Massachusetts health care law, said that he believes Mr. Romney when he said that he would repeal 'Obamacare.' Mr. Pawlenty said he looked into Mr. Romney's eyes. Yeah, just like George Bush looked into Mr. Putin's soul and knew what kind of man he was. Mr. Pawlenty said, in reference to Mr. Romney's Mormon faith, that there should be no religious litmus test, it's prohibited by the constitution. This is a statement of expediency as religious attacks from the right have bombarded President Obama throughout his entire term in office. No a very good surrogate for Mr. Romney.

And as for Mr. Perry, he'll certainly need a more convincing advocate than Bobby Jindal. Hard stop.

9.18.11: Conflict and Cooperation

Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is a political operative, not a legislator. We'd like to be able to say differently, but when sifting through his statements, there's nothing we can find that's helpful to moving this country forward. President Clinton talked about cooperation and conflict, in which conflict makes for good politics, and that is Mr. McConnell's forte, creating conflict. It's unfortunate because Americans obviously need a lot more 'leadership' from their leaders right now and the creation of conflict is unhelpful. Mr. McConnell reminded us that the election is not this year, but next year and there are steps that legislators can take to help the economy before then.

To remove the 'wet blanket,' as the Senator termed it, over the economy, Mr. McConnell focused on tax and entitlement reform, but there's so much more that needs to be done to get the economy back on track. When you pair these two reforms together it is simply a money shuffle, eventually transferring from one group to another. The goal for tax reform, in Republican terms,
is to lower the tax rate, not necessarily make it more fair. As we've seen for the past thirty years, lowering the tax rate has not increased middle-America's earnings. Simply doing tax reform will not put people back to work. Entitlement reform is a euphemism for decreasing benefits. These aren't notions that people don't understand, they're quite banal, but for whatever reason the general public looks beyond these truths.

Mr. Gregory wanted to get the Senator's reaction to a clip from earlier this week in which John Boehner in a speech first said that the 'my way or the highway' approach to politics is not good for the country and then later said that tax increases were 'off the table,' talking 'out of two side of his mouth.' Mr. McConnell parried on the question and went back into tax reform. But later in the interview, Mr. McConnell said this,

"...I would simply go back to what the President said last December and signing a two-year extension of the current tax rates is a bad thing to do in the middle of an economic downturn. and of course the economy somewhat argues even worse now than it was when the President signed the extension of the current tax rates back in December."

That's a direct quote and it makes no sense, it's 'talking out of the two sides of your mouth.' The President said that signing this tax extension is bad for the economy, something that Republicans wanted. Then Mr. McConnell turns around then says that because of this tax extension, the indication from the economy, is that they made it worse and he blamed the President?

The Republicans will get these two reforms out of the President in negotiations. The other reality is that the President will not get the concessions that he is seeking from Republicans, and this is why the President's reelection is tenuous.

Even President Clinton, the answer man, couldn't really come up with any additional solutions, as per his usual, in terms of the other side of the equation - cooperation. He did endorse President Obama's job plan, but didn't seem convinced that the President could sell it. Mr. Clinton could sell it, because his presentation of the facts breathes authority. He explained that an economic downturn such as we had usually takes 5 years to recover from, but also that a broad range of economists say that we'll have growth of 1.4 to 2 percent if we enact the President's proposals. Sadly, Mr. Obama could say that same thing and no one would believe it.

Mr. Clinton also said that for the President to be reelected, he has to win the argument to the American people that his plan is sound, and that it is Republicans who have done nothing but obstruct. (This is given the 9.1% unemployment rate.) Cooperation was certainly not part of the answer on how Mr. President Obama could win.

New York Times White Correspondent Helene Cooper said that the voters will not tolerate doing nothing, and that falls squarely on the President. Even if he does successfully make the argument, as Mr. Clinton advised, the public will go with the person that they believe can get something done with regard to the economy. As it stands, they don't believe that that person is Barack Obama. Whom ever the Republican nominee given the current field, that individual instantly has the advantage over the President even if his or her 'do something' doesn't do anything. Just making the claim may be good enough.

Round Table: Former Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), Republican strategist Alex Castellanos, Senior political analyst for TIME Magazine, Mark Halperin and NY Times White House Correspondent Helene Cooper. The Buffett Rule

9.4.11: The Role of Government Discussion

On this last Sunday of the summer, today's discussion was big picture - where the country is going, how we're adapting to the ever-evolving global market and workplace, and the role of government in this country going forward.

To boil it down, here are the two competing philosophies. Democrats believe in a bottom up structure to achieve economic success, which means starting with the middle class and programs that are centered on that group to facilitate overall growth - this requires more government. Conversely, the Republicans approach it top down, by focuses on growth in the corporate sector first, which will in turn in theory filter down to the middle class and build it that way - this way advocates for less government.

So you have to choose, while considering what government means to you. It's easy to go cynical in both directions. The Democrats want socialism and the Republicans want corporatism, but regardless, there are some issues that transcend politics that are crucial to the future success of the United States and one in particular discussed today is education.

New York Times columnist Thom Friedman described high imagination countries and low imagination countries, and though this column agrees with his overall premise that the high imagination countries will win out, it's problematic to call the United States a low imagination country. As a country, yes, we are definitely low imagination, but as individuals, Americans perhaps the most imaginative in the world. Mr. Friedman mentioned Twitter, Facebook, Skype, apps (think Apple)... All of those are American innovations.

Education starts with how we set the priorities as a society and we've failed in stressing the importance of it. Then you think of South Korea, China, and India all being ahead of the United States in math and science. To innovatively educate of youth in this country, we have to invest so much more than we do now, with a necessity of having a robust and strong public education system. Frankly, a school system of this sort is what launched this country into the technology age, leading the world in the 50's and 60's. Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) said that many cities and states are going are cutting education to a four-day school week. This is exactly what we should not be doing, and in fact, we should have more schooling, more after-school programs everything from the chess club to the school newspaper to the debate team to football to field hockey. With a four-school week, kids will get part time jobs on the other three days, then probably putting the priority on working and making money instead of educating themselves to a high level. So what could be the result? A very large uneducated workforce earning minimum wage.

Investing tremendously in public education - that would be going big, politically fraught but big. Which brings us to the upcoming speech by President Obama on Thursday. [By the way, the Administration should not have requested to address Congress on the same day as the Republican debate. They knew what they were doing and it was not politically shrewd. Our two cents.] The talk is whether the President's job plan will be big or more modest, i.e. supposedly politically feasible.

Congresswoman Waters insisted the President be bold and call for a trillion-dollar jobs program. Conservative columnist Paul Gigot, understanding that the officials in the Administration are advocating for an FDR type approach, said that the President should go more into Republican territory, 'changing the debate,' and start with tax reform.

Politically, a trillion-dollar jobs investment won't fly. The Republicans would never go for it, called it more stimulus and you know the rest. From the Democratic point of view, we agree with the number, but Democrats should do like Republicans. When negotiating, start with a huge number that the other side would never go for but start from there. In a tug of war, you actually want to be on your heels. We do believe that there has to be some type of investment regardless.

Simply doing tax reform won't jump start job growth quickly enough not taking hold fast enough, would be a slow process in legislating, and wouldn't as beneficial to the middle class as it should be. Tax reform in necessary but is just a part of the answer, not the answer. Mr. Friedman also stated that we do, in fact, need a 'shock to the system.' What that shock would be is anyone's guess, but we're afraid it might not be one that has a positive result.

We can right ourselves economically if we could only right ourselves politically and the two political parties are fighting it out on the role of government. This is the core argument. However, if you think of government in terms of how Presidential historian Doris Kearns-Goodwin did, that government not only includes Washington but also our local teachers, policemen, and firemen, then government will always have a large role in our lives, it's unavoidable. So when Rick Perry says that he wants to make government as inconsequential as possible in the lives of Americans he just not being realistic. It sounds good on the stump but it's not at all practical. Ms. Goodwin also blurted out that it didn't make any sense to her why people who hate government are involved in government. It doesn't make sense to us either but if the motivation is money and individual power then it makes perfect sense.

The panel discussed five pillars for our success - education, infrastructure, the rules for capital investment, government funded research, and immigration. Also, it is the private sector-government partnership that can stabilize these five pillars. These require two things - compromise and regulations (otherwise known as rules) for the chance of successful implementation, but the two words have some badly been taboo'ed in Washington that we're set in a debilitating political paralysis. The debt ceiling debate's negative consequences are still rippling through people's minds, ensuring a no-confidence vote.

It's a big political week coming up, with both the Republican candidates, highlighted by Mr. Perry's first national appearance, getting their big stage on Wednesday followed by the President and his spotlight on Thursday. We hope that it will be an essential informative way for Americans to decide as to which path they want to take.



Tom Friedman; editorial page editor for the Wall Street Journal, Paul Gigot; congresswoman from California, Maxine Waters (D); co-founder of No Labels, Mark McKinnon; and Presidential Historian, Doris Kearns Goodwin.

8.28.11: Don't Get Katrina'ed

Most of today's coverage as should be the case was focused on the tracking of Hurricane Irene and Meet The Press appropriately checked in with the top state and city officials, getting governors and mayors on the line.

Natural disasters should be the one area in which we do not play politics, but when asking politicians it's unavoidable. Mr. Christie clearly, and sensibly we might add, stated that the number one task is saving human life and that everything else is secondary. When asked about the damage, he anticipated costs being in the billions, if not 10s of billions of dollars. Governor Martin O'Malley (D-MD) said that the Obama Administration has been great in their response and support. Governor O'Donnell in Virginia said that state officials have been working closely with FEMA and taking all the necessary precautions. So it's good to know that FEMA is on the case with a timely response. Lastly, mayor Cory Booker (D-Newark, NJ) stressed that it is these natural emergencies that make it all the more important to invest in our infrastructure to make it better and more prepared for such occurrences.

With regard to preparedness, David Brooks seems to think that the public will tune out if officials make too much of warnings in these cases. There may be a spec of truth to that, but when it comes to homes and lives, people heed hard warnings when it comes to natural disasters. Plus as Ms. Gangel said, which gave us this week's title, is that no politician wants to get Katrina'ed. And since then, politicians are on notice for these things as Michael Eric Dyson pointed out.

So where is the politics? Curiously, this was not mentioned or discussed on the program, but earlier this week House Majority leader Eric Cantor said that if there is federal money that has to serve disaster relief, there would have to be spending cuts someplace else. Mr. Cantor is the worst of what has become of the American politic.

In the aforementioned assessments from top officials, not one Democrat or Republican alike mentioned 'expense' in dealing with these problems. And yet, a Washington politician can make a callous statement like that with no consequence. One reason for this, and why it wasn't mentioned today, could be that people are beginning to take what Eric Cantor says not seriously. The statement was simply irresponsible because it doesn't even vaguely consider the human condition and potential hardship for people.

Slipping into Presidential politics, also earlier this week Congressman Ron Paul said that the Federal Government has no reason to be involve with relief efforts and that it should solely fall upon the states to deal with. Mr. Paul's dogmatic philosophy to the role of the Federal Government is distressing because it leaves people with the feeling that if something like a natural disaster happens, there would be serious limits to what can be done to help and leaves people with an empty feeling of insecurity. It's not a President would respond and that's why he'll only ever get a small percentage of the vote.

And to join the chorus and extend the metaphor, it was Mitt Romney who was hit with a hurricane in the form of Rick Perry's candidacy. Mr. Perry is now the Republican front-runner with 29% of the vote. So how would a President Romney respond in a time of crisis. Well, he was laying low on the campaign trail this summer and he saw a Rick Perry entrance into the race for weeks. Yet, he did nothing except for proclaiming that corporations are people too, and he's instantly been overtaken. David Brooks summarized that the Republican electorate has been waiting for Perry because of Romney's shaky stance on issues.

There was also mention of Presidential candidate Jon Huntsman's statement that he's a center-right candidate and that's where the country is, not to the extreme right like some of his primary opponents and not too far left like President Obama. Mr. Huntsman had also stated that he believes in climate change and the science that shows it as well as evolution. That the theory of evolution is now equaled in importance to intelligent design in Mr. Perry's book, let alone anyone's, is truly befuddling to the writer of this column. However, here is what's really scary.

David Brooks said that 15% of the Republican electorate is in line with the statements of Mr. Huntsman, leaving the other 85% to be far-right in the Perry, Bachmann, Santorum camp. The reason that it is scary is because for Mr. Perry and Ms. Bachmann it all comes down to one thing: money. In the case, for example, of Mr. Santorum, it is much more about the social issues and that's actually why he lost his Senate seat. He wants government out of people's lives but wants to dictate how women conduct their own personal health.

Look at it, Follow it, and take note of the consequences; it's the money, especially for Mr. Perry given his record in Texas where he'll say he's created a third of the new jobs in this country. However, Texas is 47th in the country in average wages earned, the biggest employer in the state is the Federal Government, and the education efficiency ranks in the bottom 5 of states as well. Those low wages and minimum wage paying jobs are the result of the leverage and influence that large corporations have with Mr. Perry to create conditions that do not improve our labor force and suppresses it. It's not so much of an indictment of Mr. Perry as it is common knowledge if you follow politics.

Lastly, there's the gift that keeps on giving, Dick Cheney. "Heads exploding all over Washington," is the only true takeaway quote, and from what was previewed on today's program, Mr. Cheney spares no one. Colin Powell's resignation was for the best; Condoleezza Rice was a train wreck; CIA Director George Tenet couldn't hack it. Who was the one correct in all cases - VP Dick Cheney. But remember that George Bush awarded George Tenet the Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can receive. The Bush Administration (Mr. Cheney) sent Colin Powell to the United Nations General Assembly to make the case for a war that he didn't believe in and disagreed vehemently with Mr. Cheney on Iraq. And Ms. Rice was the foil to Mr. Cheney on advising the President, and was closer to the President than the Vice President. We look forward to reading about Mr. Cheney's own reality.


New York Times Columnist, David Brooks; Georgetown professor Michael Eric Dyson; Washington Correspondent for the BBC, Katty Kay; and National Correspondent for NBC'S TODAY, Jamie Gangel

8.14.11: Some Perspective Please / Meet The Candidate: Michele Bachmann

Oh boy, where to start?

Well, let's start with this. This column owes Congresswoman Bachmann an apology for in previous columns, we've most probably spelled her first name incorrectly, using two 'l's' instead of one. Sorry about that... but, that's as far as that goes.

And we'll say this for Mrs. Bachmann, which is that she is a disciplined candidate, but when a question comes her way that she can't handle, she directly faces it down and she's "I'm running for President of the United States." Today was no exception on today's program, and we just don't see how this will be successful in a general election or beneficial for the country if she's says one thing on a radio show and then won't own up to it when asked face to face. So we agree with Republican Strategist Mike Murphy when he confirmed his previous statement that Michele Bachmann has as much chance of landing on Jupiter as she does to become the Republican Presidential nominee.

With Texas Governor Rick Perry getting into the race and former Governor Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) getting out of the race, that's a net loss in the challenge quotient for the Congresswoman. Mr. Perry is a much harder challenge for her in terms of getting the conservative Tea Party vote. And as for Tim Pawlenty, by the way, who didn't see that coming that he was going to fold. Even we called that over a month ago. Mrs. Bachmann said that she would be calling Mr. Pawlenty and that she welcomes anyone into the race - strictly lip-service.

However, on more important points brought up by Mr. Gregory, the 3rd-term Congresswoman's answers were fraught with incorrect facts or hollow talking points or conflicting statements or non-answers.

On the debt ceiling vote, she is on the opposite side of conventional Republican opinion and outside expert opinion on advocating not to raise the debt ceiling. She would not have voted to raise it under any circumstances, saying that the American people didn't want it raised and I listened to the people of this country. However, if just looking at polls and asking a small sampling of like-minded people, framing the question in a particular way, isn't sound judgment for a serious Presidential candidate. How many of those people also understand that the debt ceiling has to be raised for money we've already spent. To which, people may say, yes, money that President Obama has already spent. But do those people know that it is because President Obama put the two wars we're in on the books along with Medicare Part D, both of which we're never factored into Bush Administration spending. The wars were done on emergency supplemental allocations. Mrs. Bachmann knows these things but chooses not to acknowledge these facts. Americans, unfortunately, are not fully informed (not implying that we are).

She began to say that the President said to the troops that he didn't know if they would be paid, to which Mr. Gregory immediately corrected her saying that it was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Either way, she called it irresponsible. And when confronted by Standard & Poor's statement as to why they downgraded U.S. credit, because of political brinksmanship on the part of the Republicans, she blamed the President on threatening our full faith and credit, imploring not to blame her. It seems like she hears something but is not listening just simply ignoring what is not agreeable to her. As President, you just can not ignore inconvenient reality, which is what the Congresswoman seems to be doing. And this goes toward her own statements.

"Did the Republicans use the debt ceiling vote as a bargaining chip?" Mr. Gregory asked. She never answered the question, which in political interviews means that the real answer is yes, in this case, but that's an unforgivable answer for a Republican. When asked about her religious beliefs, which influence her decisions and especially with regard to rights for gays and lesbians (though she denies this), she refused to even acknowledge her previous statements from a radio that gays are in bondage, have sexual dysfunction, and live a life of despair. Well, maybe we understand that she wouldn't acknowledge that statement, it's just weird, not to mention offensive.

David Gregory asked her if she would appoint an openly gay person to her cabinet, administration, et al., and she said that she wouldn't judge.

"You did judge," Mr. Gregory exclaimed. Then she just kept repeating "I'm not anyone's judge," until the question went away. It's obvious that she does by not even answering whether or not she thinks a gay couple with a child is a family.

Mrs. Bachmann has explained that God spoke to her through her husband to become a tax attorney (for the IRS - Thanks Mr. Eugene Robinson for the reminder), which you have to judge for yourself what you think of that. All we know is that if God tells us that we have to do something, we hope it's not that! But she cites this an one of her qualifications to be President.

Let's keep some perspective here. Despite what Michele Bachmann says about there being a number of Democrats and Independents at the Ames, Iowa Straw Poll, this was strictly a small sampling of Republicans who participated. And don't believe Iowa's Governor, Terry Branstad (R), when he says that Iowa is the key to the nomination, in this case on the Republican side. Only approximately 17,000 people participated in the poll, of which Mrs. Bachmann got a little over 4,800 votes in a particularly far-right Republican caucus. The Governor cited that fact that Rudy Giuliani didn't get the nomination because he didn't compete in Iowa. No, Mr. Giuliani didn't get the nomination because the man he recommended to head the Department of Homeland Security was arrested for tax fraud (among other things).

In fact, all we heard from Governor Branstad were standard Republican talking points in his criticism of the President's fiscal policy and pointed out that we're losing jobs to Canada. Eugene Robinson pointed out that Canada recently discovered huge reserves of oil. The Governor said that we have too but the President won't let us use it. He was laughed at by the entire panel, but his limited understanding of the issue. He had no unique answers that echoed Mrs. Bachmann's which were to repeal 'Obamacare' and repeal financial regulation (The Dodd-Frank Act).

[As a side note, Congresswoman Bachmann is against extending an unemployment benefits, "We can't afford it." Again, there's a larger picture that she's not acknowledging. For every dollar of unemployment insurance that goes out, $1.70 comes back into the economy. And what happens to those people? They go homeless, and if that is the case, it will cost the government even more money to build shelters, soup kitchens, and the like. Just saying.]

Mr. Murphy's disdain for extreme-right evangelical Republicans always comes into distinct focus on Meet The Press and this week it made the Iowan Governor clearly uncomfortable. Mr. Murphy quipped that he could get a 1,000 signatures this week to ban algebra, not speaking well of the Straw Poll. On Texas Governor Rick Perry getting into the Presidential race, he said that he has a great first sentence - I've created a third of the jobs since the recession hit. But Mr. Murphy then said that his second sentence is that those jobs are at Burger King or for the government.

He did acknowledge that Mr. Perry changes everyone's strategy and is now a part of what Chuck Todd outlined as the top tier of Republican candidates - Romney, Bachmann, and now Perry.

Since Michele Bachmann will not get the nomination, that leaves Mr. Romney and Mr. Perry. Jonathan Martin, during the roundtable, beside putting out the requisite question, "Is Palin getting in the race?" he asked can Rick Perry appeal to Republicans like the ones in suburban Philadelphia or suburban Columbus. We don't know about Columbus, but as for suburb Philadelphia, the answer is no. Strictly having the 'Tea-vangelical' vote, as was quoted today, will not win the general election.

With that, we agree with the consensus on today's panel that Rick Perry could turn conventional Republican wisdom on its head and take the nomination from Mr. 'Next-in-Line' Romney has a better chance in the general. A barracuda is how Mike Murphy described Rick Perry as a candidate. He cited Mr. Perry's race with Kay Bailey Hutchinson for Texas Governor where he smeared her relentlessly. What he didn't mention that we're bringing up now is if it comes down to Perry and Romney, Mr. Perry's campaign will indirectly (through surrogates) wage a heavy continual attack on Mr. Romney's Mormon faith, no question about it.



Iowa’s Governor Terry Branstad (R); GOP strategist Mike Murphy; the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson; senior political reporter for Politico, Jonathan Martin; and NBC News Political Director, Chuck Todd.