It's a rare occurrence that we would even comment on Mr. Todd's 'Nerdscreen' feature, let alone lead off the column with it, but it serves as the most relevant base from which to comment on the rest of today's program.
The focus of the Nerd Screen concerned the opposing economic outlook between what is essentially blue-America (living in cities and suburbs around cities) and red-America (living in rural areas, more faith-based communities), and blue-America is much more optimistic about the future of the economy than red-America. In fact, red-America is depressed and pessimistic about their economic future. However, let's not mince words here, red-America is lead by conservative, Republican governors and legislatures. In states such as Kansas and Louisiana for example, ideological conservative economic principles are getting in the way of the practical needs of these states' citizens. Being conservative about fiscal matters is not a bad approach per se, but not at the expense of the majority of constituents.
As Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader, reasoned, governors have to understand the mechanisms of government and have to be real [read: practical] about solutions, and being real means being conservative in some areas and more progressive in others. This is how he essentially justified his paper's endorsement of the governor for president of the United States. What he wasn't describing are thegovernorships of Sam Brownback in Kansas and Bobby Jindal in Louisiana. (see this Washington Post editorial: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/cleaning-up-bobby-jindals-mess-in-louisiana/2015/11/26/58cd4e2c-9231-11e5-b5e4-279b4501e8a6_story.html).
These governors and others are economically running their respective states into the ground, and instead of being like Gov. John Kasich of Ohio who took the Medicaid expansion to help the state, there is unwillingness to bend even slightly away from a pure ideological line. But if people are still unhappy, purity for the sake of it, becomes plain cynical the more people suffer. Instead of changing the approach, it's much easier and politically expedient to do two things: point the finger at someone to blame and make people upset about something else.
And this is the approach of the Republican presidential front runners: Donald Trump, Ben Carson and Ted Cruz. The most subtle: In response to his comment about comparing Syrian refugees to rabid dogs, Dr. Carson said that the Syrian people understood what he was saying that he was referring to extremists and that he found it interesting how the American media as a whole misunderstood him. Words do matter and Dr. Carson doesn't take responsibility for any of his, and what's really disheartening is that he's not the worst offender in the race, which of course is Mr. Trump.
The most outrageous example is his statements about thousands of people in Jersey City and Patterson, New Jersey (across the river) respectively were cheering when the Towers came down on September 11, 2001. Not only is he perpetuating and exaggerating a gross lie that has thoroughly been debunked by various news agencies, he's using the tragedy of that day solely for his own political gain while in the process denigrating the memories of the people who died that day but also demonizing an entire population of Americans.
To his credit, Mr. Todd tried to step up the argument with the Republican front runner but was unsuccessful - Mr. Trump barked louder, citing 'reliable' sources like Twitter. Mr. Trump insists that we take it on faith that he 'knows people' who told him that President Obama's real plan is to bring in 200K-250K Syrian refugees into the country, not 65,000 or even 10,000, which Trump called a potential Trojan Horse of terrorism. There is no basis or real source for his figures but it doesn't matter because it achieves the goal of making your hardships the fault of someone else - President Obama and Muslims. It's not so sad that Mr. Trump says these things - Molly Ball called it his political genius - but that people listen... and believe.
To this point, the biggest turkey on this holiday weekend goes to conservative commentator Hugh Hewlitt for passively aggressively defending Donald Trump's gross falsehoods by laying blame on the media for not going after Hillary Clinton as doggedly on her e-mails as they have gone after Donald Trump. We give him the turkey for being chicken.
And of course, all this roundabout talk of irresponsible rhetoric leads us to what happened this past Friday in Colorado Springs at a Planned Parenthood clinic where a mentally deranged man in possession of a gun (of course) terrorized the facility in what appears to be politically motivated.
As the panel understandably acknowledged, Republicans' responses have been muted because the incident speaks negatively to their positions on guns and abortion. The panel also had consensus on the fact that Democrats who have customarily staying away from these issues, are 'leaning in' to them as it was described. The issue of gun regulation, more so than the issue of abortion rights, is becoming trickier for the Republican party because when domestic terrorism and/or mass shooting happen, the NRA and 2nd Amendment absolutists eventually just ride out the storm letting time pass to forget about it. However, the growing frequency of such mass shootings is alarming and not allowing us to forget. We can only hope that there isn't a similar waiting game being played to the end where mass-shootings are a socially accepted consequence of living in America.
But if that happens, we're sure that some 'political' leader like Trump will find something else for us to be afraid of and most certainly know who exactly is to blame. That's living in Donald Trump' age of misinformation.
Panel: Molly Ball, The Atlantic Monthly; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post
One more thing...
We stayed away from ISIS this column despite the significant perhaps game-changing incident for Russia this week where one of their fighter jets was shot down over Turkey over its air space. We'll hit it later in the week because talking about Donald Trump so much makes our brain ache.
Sunday, November 29, 2015
Sunday, November 22, 2015
11.22.15: Exacerbating the Threat To Public Safety
If we are in fact at war, as Tom Brokaw stated, then we're certainly not in a sufficient state of readiness, and we're not talking about our reactionary preparedness to a terrorist attack. We talking about political leadership here at home and abroad. There is no doubt that that serious people like New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson are working on keeping us safe, but President Obama, even though we agree with him on the substance of Republican presidential candidates speaking completely irresponsibly, can not make statements that smell of pettiness. Unfortunately for President Obama and the majority of Americans, Republicans have poisoned the well of this president's ability lead to us all so much that Ron Fournier's worry about how this country would react to another 9/11-style attack is real cause for concern.
President Obama hasn't been great, but in all due fairness he hasn't gotten any support either, and where he has been right is on not playing to the politics of fear like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or Ben Carson. And for all his shiny new poll numbers, Marco Rubio is being completely irresponsible in saying that this 'war' is a clash of civilizations. What is also very clear in the Republican presidential race is that these front-running candidates (Trump, Cruz, Carson) have the Republican electorate so washed in the paranoid politics that more reasonable voices such as Governor John Kasich's (How crazy is it when you say that the man who proposed a Judeo-Christian federal agency is a reasonable voice.) get no traction.
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/gop-candidates-playing-on-the-politics-of-fear--572056131507
It's of little consolation that when candidates do speak up against Donald Trump's idea of registering and surveil Muslim Americans because these same candidates won't stand up to an NRA that doesn't support a bill to restriction gun purchases by individuals on the terrorist watch list, on which Commissioner Bratton called upon Congress to act on the program today. And in that clip, you listen to Mr. Trump and you can't help but think that he wants to run the country like he would want to run one of his companies, but companies aren't democracies. Everything he talked about directly flies in the face of American values, then cheered on by uninformed people. Senator Cruz does his best as always to stoke bigotry and division and what kind of doctor is Dr. Ben Carson that he would analogize Syrian refugees with rabid dogs. So much for the Hippocratic oath, which has a passage in it by the way that says, I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. Maybe Dr. Carson left that part out when it took it.
Enough of that... Because what happened in Paris and Bamako, Mali this week required serious-minded solutions and negotiations, not bluster, which only serves to exacerbates the threat to public safety. Helene Cooper's question to fmr. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta cut to the heart of the matter, which was how do you build a coalition with Russia and Iran, two governments with adversarial competing agendas to the United States in the Middle East? Secretary Panetta called Assad an international criminal yet Vladimir Putin supports him and wants him to stay in power as does Iran. Due to this, a coordinated effort to combat ISIS or Daesh (It's Arabic name) doesn't exist as Richard Engel pointed out in his report. Sec. Panetta pointed out that NATO should invoke Article 5, which means that if one member state is attacked, they all are and need to come to a common defense (loosely paraphrased), and he was surprised that this hasn't happened yet.
As we pointed out last week, it's reasonable that it would be but also it should be to put pressure on Turkey (a NATO member) to act more responsibly when it comes to ISIS because Turkey is has been a wildcard here playing it a bit on both sides. They tacitly assist in the fight against ISIS but goods flow from Turkey easily into ISIS territory because ISIS fights the Kurds who the Turks despise.
As Secretary Panetta said, eventually both Assad and ISIS have to go and that requires uniting leadership and nuance that we need to see more of from the President because frankly, it isn't coming from the loudest Republican voices right now.
In the case of ISIS, Sec. Panetta said that to defeat them we have to take their territory aware from them and to do that it's going to require send soldiers to Syria... U.S. soldiers. As long as Assad is in power, that can not happen - strategically not sharp let's face it not to mention that lack of enthusiasm the American people have for such an idea. The issue of the Syrian refugees and the divisive rhetoric coming from Republican candidates is too far gone to be settled at the primary ballot box (see our last column). However, on the issue of ISIS, American political leaders have to get on the same page, or at the very least reading the same book, for the good of us all because the squabbling and talking at each other instead of with each other puts our safety at risk.
Put your politics aside and give credit to the Administration, particularly Secretary of State John Kerry, for taking the small but significant step of getting stakeholders to the table to negotiate a ceasefire, which has ISIS worried. David Ignatius from The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-surprise-in-syrias-civil-war-that-could-be-bad-news-for-the-islamic-state/2015/11/20/83fe3fd8-8fc6-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-alt1-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Panel: Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Ron Fournier, The National Journal
President Obama hasn't been great, but in all due fairness he hasn't gotten any support either, and where he has been right is on not playing to the politics of fear like Donald Trump, Ted Cruz or Ben Carson. And for all his shiny new poll numbers, Marco Rubio is being completely irresponsible in saying that this 'war' is a clash of civilizations. What is also very clear in the Republican presidential race is that these front-running candidates (Trump, Cruz, Carson) have the Republican electorate so washed in the paranoid politics that more reasonable voices such as Governor John Kasich's (How crazy is it when you say that the man who proposed a Judeo-Christian federal agency is a reasonable voice.) get no traction.
http://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/video/gop-candidates-playing-on-the-politics-of-fear--572056131507
It's of little consolation that when candidates do speak up against Donald Trump's idea of registering and surveil Muslim Americans because these same candidates won't stand up to an NRA that doesn't support a bill to restriction gun purchases by individuals on the terrorist watch list, on which Commissioner Bratton called upon Congress to act on the program today. And in that clip, you listen to Mr. Trump and you can't help but think that he wants to run the country like he would want to run one of his companies, but companies aren't democracies. Everything he talked about directly flies in the face of American values, then cheered on by uninformed people. Senator Cruz does his best as always to stoke bigotry and division and what kind of doctor is Dr. Ben Carson that he would analogize Syrian refugees with rabid dogs. So much for the Hippocratic oath, which has a passage in it by the way that says, I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. Maybe Dr. Carson left that part out when it took it.
Enough of that... Because what happened in Paris and Bamako, Mali this week required serious-minded solutions and negotiations, not bluster, which only serves to exacerbates the threat to public safety. Helene Cooper's question to fmr. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta cut to the heart of the matter, which was how do you build a coalition with Russia and Iran, two governments with adversarial competing agendas to the United States in the Middle East? Secretary Panetta called Assad an international criminal yet Vladimir Putin supports him and wants him to stay in power as does Iran. Due to this, a coordinated effort to combat ISIS or Daesh (It's Arabic name) doesn't exist as Richard Engel pointed out in his report. Sec. Panetta pointed out that NATO should invoke Article 5, which means that if one member state is attacked, they all are and need to come to a common defense (loosely paraphrased), and he was surprised that this hasn't happened yet.
As we pointed out last week, it's reasonable that it would be but also it should be to put pressure on Turkey (a NATO member) to act more responsibly when it comes to ISIS because Turkey is has been a wildcard here playing it a bit on both sides. They tacitly assist in the fight against ISIS but goods flow from Turkey easily into ISIS territory because ISIS fights the Kurds who the Turks despise.
As Secretary Panetta said, eventually both Assad and ISIS have to go and that requires uniting leadership and nuance that we need to see more of from the President because frankly, it isn't coming from the loudest Republican voices right now.
In the case of ISIS, Sec. Panetta said that to defeat them we have to take their territory aware from them and to do that it's going to require send soldiers to Syria... U.S. soldiers. As long as Assad is in power, that can not happen - strategically not sharp let's face it not to mention that lack of enthusiasm the American people have for such an idea. The issue of the Syrian refugees and the divisive rhetoric coming from Republican candidates is too far gone to be settled at the primary ballot box (see our last column). However, on the issue of ISIS, American political leaders have to get on the same page, or at the very least reading the same book, for the good of us all because the squabbling and talking at each other instead of with each other puts our safety at risk.
Put your politics aside and give credit to the Administration, particularly Secretary of State John Kerry, for taking the small but significant step of getting stakeholders to the table to negotiate a ceasefire, which has ISIS worried. David Ignatius from The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/a-surprise-in-syrias-civil-war-that-could-be-bad-news-for-the-islamic-state/2015/11/20/83fe3fd8-8fc6-11e5-ae1f-af46b7df8483_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_opinion-card-alt1-d%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
Panel: Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Kathleen Parker, The Washington Post; Ron Fournier, The National Journal
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
11.18.15: Syrian Refugees - What Not To Do
This blog originates from New York City and we've been here long enough to have experienced what it was like to live here on that tragic September day a little over 14 years ago. The reason we mention this is because today there were rumors going around about not riding the subways and something could be going on in New York, which the police later verified as false. The first thing we did when we left our day job (shocker: we don't blog full-time), it was right to the subway. Because we refuse to live in fear and we're not going to alter our routines because of futile, hateful threats. Not going to happen. Maybe this is just us wearing the New York City badge on our collective sleeve, but that should not be how it goes in the United States.
So what does all that have to do with Syrian refugees?
It strikes us an odd that the same people who would be willing to send our soldiers back to the Middle East as a show of strength are afraid to take in Syrian refugees. These people would send our troops back to a hotter zone where they're essentially a target for not just ISIS but Hezbollah, the Iranians, Al Qaeda among others. Yet, they are scared of carefully vetting refugees from Syria. And the ones who say that they don't trust this Administration to conduct the vetting process is simply trying to score dirty, cheap political points. If Congress insists that these refugees need to be screened more thoroughly, then so be it. We encourage it, but know it will still be the same people in the FBI doing the vetting no matter who's in the White House. And do you think that if they determine any one to be even slightly suspicious that person would be getting in? Please.
The governors, who really have no control over this, refusing to take in refugees are acting cowardly, frankly. They are living in fear and pessimism, and they're making you think that way as well. Where's the America that says, "You know what? We'll take them in and help them live their dreams here in The States until we defeat the nightmare that is you." Pardon the phrase, but these governors need to man-up.
If you've shown any support or sympathy for the people of France in the past few days (We all have.) then read this:
So what does all that have to do with Syrian refugees?
It strikes us an odd that the same people who would be willing to send our soldiers back to the Middle East as a show of strength are afraid to take in Syrian refugees. These people would send our troops back to a hotter zone where they're essentially a target for not just ISIS but Hezbollah, the Iranians, Al Qaeda among others. Yet, they are scared of carefully vetting refugees from Syria. And the ones who say that they don't trust this Administration to conduct the vetting process is simply trying to score dirty, cheap political points. If Congress insists that these refugees need to be screened more thoroughly, then so be it. We encourage it, but know it will still be the same people in the FBI doing the vetting no matter who's in the White House. And do you think that if they determine any one to be even slightly suspicious that person would be getting in? Please.
The governors, who really have no control over this, refusing to take in refugees are acting cowardly, frankly. They are living in fear and pessimism, and they're making you think that way as well. Where's the America that says, "You know what? We'll take them in and help them live their dreams here in The States until we defeat the nightmare that is you." Pardon the phrase, but these governors need to man-up.
If you've shown any support or sympathy for the people of France in the past few days (We all have.) then read this:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tost to me,
I life my lamp beside the golden door.
-Emma Lazarus
Of course, that's the inscription on the statue of the big beautiful lady majestically standing in Upper New York Bay, but remember - it was a gift from the French.
Sunday, November 15, 2015
11.15.15: Paris Changes Everything
The worst attack on Paris since WWII. Everything has changed, and it is going to get invariably worse before it can get better. The French president, Francois Hollande, declared the attack an act of war.
129 dead.
352 wounded.
We've always said that President Obama's weakness as president has been on foreign policy, and have been a little forgiving at times. We agree with the administration's initiatives in the Iranian nuclear deal, but putting that aside for now, his policy with regard to Syria and ISIS has been a disaster. Tell the French people that ISIS has been contained; that they are diminished.
On today's 'special edition' of "Meet The Press," NBC's Richard Engel outlined ISIS's plan very simply: First, establish territory control in Iraq and Syria then establish a presence in other countries. From there, the next expansion is to attack the west followed lastly by targeting the United States. The president's administration has failed to act adequately, for this there is little doubt. As national security expert Michael Leiter said, the president's policy has been "insufficiently robust."
Two key things are missing from the entire discussion of the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS: One, a coherent U.S. strategy for the region - combating ISIS, which should now be easier to put together if France invokes the NATO charter, which wouldn't be a bad idea. The second and more infuriating aspect is the absence of the richest Arab countries [read: Saudi Arabia] taking a strong stance against ISIS. How is ISIS at this point still flush with cash from black market oil sales? There is great appreciation for moderate Muslim clerics and dignitaries to condemn the attacks, but without a country such as Saudi Arabia lending actionable support, the condemnations then carry little weight.
However, as Andrea Mitchell correctly assessed, you can not have NATO and Russia fighting the same war at the same time, and that's what makes Jeb Bush's suggestion that there should be a no-fly zone so difficult. It sounds good, but it's not realistic as Russia is not going to shutdown their sortie missions.
Speaking of Jeb Bush, when Chuck Todd ask him about all his brother's military advisers (e.g. Paul Wolfowitz) who were the architects of the disastrous Iraq War that started all this on his team, he said that the times and conditions have changed significantly since 2001. That's true but here's the problem with that answer: The group of people that Gov. Bush has assembled for such situations operates with an agenda that would try to exploit the situation. They have never changed their thinking so while Gov. Bush said we need to focus on the future, the past history for some of these individuals isn't (shouldn't) be kind. For Mr. Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney, the idea of going into Iraq was eventually to control the oil - a cynical agenda. In other simpler words, they can't be trusted. To be fair, at least Gov. Bush has a reasoned opinion and strategy points as opposed to Dr. Carson who said we have to make ISIS feel like losers. But just know that Gov. Bush's foreign policy will cast shadows akin to Vice President Dick Cheney's. If that's something you're in favor of then Jeb Bush is the most rational actor of the lot.
The Iraq War, as the neocons hoped for, also created the conditions where the U.S. military would have to have a large presence in Iraq for decades, on the scale of South Korea where we've been for over 60 years. But an American public that felt duped had no appetite for such a long-term military expansion, especially in a region as volatile as the Middle East. This gave President Obama the political will coming from public opinion to remove troops from Iraq. Should those troops been removed so quickly as Republicans argue against the president? That was not the problem as much as the administration not staying heavily engaged with Iraqi politicians, putting pressure on Nouri al-Maliki much earlier.
As you can see, it's easy to get bogged down in the minutiae discussing the complicated conflicts in the Middle East, but the bottom line is that the United States now needs to act more assertively and decisively in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, standing with France, its oldest ally (as President Obama stated). Supporting the people of France is an honor that the United States should never forfeit.
The political effect here in the United States should be that everyone's attention should be snapped into focus for this presidential campaign because surely the next president is going to have to have a strategy for combating ISIS and a workable proposal to end the Syrian civil war. For the Democrats, it's obvious especially given the clip of the focus group that Hillary Clinton is the consensus choice to lead on foreign policy and she will be more hawkish than President Obama. In the debate last night, however, she did tack to the left in abdicating U.S. leadership role in the fight, saying it was not ours. Surely, it is a moment she wish she could take back because she knows that to defeat ISIS, the United States has to lead. Russia isn't going to do it because Putin's primary agenda is to keep Assad in power.
For the other side, are the Republican front runners, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, up to the task of leading the nation through these perilous conflicts? When Chuck Todd asked Jeb Bush, he said that this is why we have elections. But clearly conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin and Jeff Greenfield simply wanted him to answer with a resounding 'no,' as he should have. As Ms. Rubin said, Gov. Bush needs to call these people out. As you're aware, we're on the record saying that Ben Carson would be downright dangerous for this country in how much his inexperience would jeopardize our national security. And don't be mad at us for saying it, but that's nothing compared what Donald Trump has been saying these past few days, calling the man pathologically diseased among other things, clearly going off the rails in his rhetoric. So before Donald Trump completely denigrates every other candidate in the race, Republicans need to decide who can rationally step up to the task because right now the only vote they're all qualified to get is 'no confidence.'
Panel: Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Jeff Greenfield, Politico contributor.
129 dead.
352 wounded.
We've always said that President Obama's weakness as president has been on foreign policy, and have been a little forgiving at times. We agree with the administration's initiatives in the Iranian nuclear deal, but putting that aside for now, his policy with regard to Syria and ISIS has been a disaster. Tell the French people that ISIS has been contained; that they are diminished.
On today's 'special edition' of "Meet The Press," NBC's Richard Engel outlined ISIS's plan very simply: First, establish territory control in Iraq and Syria then establish a presence in other countries. From there, the next expansion is to attack the west followed lastly by targeting the United States. The president's administration has failed to act adequately, for this there is little doubt. As national security expert Michael Leiter said, the president's policy has been "insufficiently robust."
Two key things are missing from the entire discussion of the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS: One, a coherent U.S. strategy for the region - combating ISIS, which should now be easier to put together if France invokes the NATO charter, which wouldn't be a bad idea. The second and more infuriating aspect is the absence of the richest Arab countries [read: Saudi Arabia] taking a strong stance against ISIS. How is ISIS at this point still flush with cash from black market oil sales? There is great appreciation for moderate Muslim clerics and dignitaries to condemn the attacks, but without a country such as Saudi Arabia lending actionable support, the condemnations then carry little weight.
However, as Andrea Mitchell correctly assessed, you can not have NATO and Russia fighting the same war at the same time, and that's what makes Jeb Bush's suggestion that there should be a no-fly zone so difficult. It sounds good, but it's not realistic as Russia is not going to shutdown their sortie missions.
Speaking of Jeb Bush, when Chuck Todd ask him about all his brother's military advisers (e.g. Paul Wolfowitz) who were the architects of the disastrous Iraq War that started all this on his team, he said that the times and conditions have changed significantly since 2001. That's true but here's the problem with that answer: The group of people that Gov. Bush has assembled for such situations operates with an agenda that would try to exploit the situation. They have never changed their thinking so while Gov. Bush said we need to focus on the future, the past history for some of these individuals isn't (shouldn't) be kind. For Mr. Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney, the idea of going into Iraq was eventually to control the oil - a cynical agenda. In other simpler words, they can't be trusted. To be fair, at least Gov. Bush has a reasoned opinion and strategy points as opposed to Dr. Carson who said we have to make ISIS feel like losers. But just know that Gov. Bush's foreign policy will cast shadows akin to Vice President Dick Cheney's. If that's something you're in favor of then Jeb Bush is the most rational actor of the lot.
The Iraq War, as the neocons hoped for, also created the conditions where the U.S. military would have to have a large presence in Iraq for decades, on the scale of South Korea where we've been for over 60 years. But an American public that felt duped had no appetite for such a long-term military expansion, especially in a region as volatile as the Middle East. This gave President Obama the political will coming from public opinion to remove troops from Iraq. Should those troops been removed so quickly as Republicans argue against the president? That was not the problem as much as the administration not staying heavily engaged with Iraqi politicians, putting pressure on Nouri al-Maliki much earlier.
As you can see, it's easy to get bogged down in the minutiae discussing the complicated conflicts in the Middle East, but the bottom line is that the United States now needs to act more assertively and decisively in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, standing with France, its oldest ally (as President Obama stated). Supporting the people of France is an honor that the United States should never forfeit.
The political effect here in the United States should be that everyone's attention should be snapped into focus for this presidential campaign because surely the next president is going to have to have a strategy for combating ISIS and a workable proposal to end the Syrian civil war. For the Democrats, it's obvious especially given the clip of the focus group that Hillary Clinton is the consensus choice to lead on foreign policy and she will be more hawkish than President Obama. In the debate last night, however, she did tack to the left in abdicating U.S. leadership role in the fight, saying it was not ours. Surely, it is a moment she wish she could take back because she knows that to defeat ISIS, the United States has to lead. Russia isn't going to do it because Putin's primary agenda is to keep Assad in power.
For the other side, are the Republican front runners, Donald Trump and Ben Carson, up to the task of leading the nation through these perilous conflicts? When Chuck Todd asked Jeb Bush, he said that this is why we have elections. But clearly conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin and Jeff Greenfield simply wanted him to answer with a resounding 'no,' as he should have. As Ms. Rubin said, Gov. Bush needs to call these people out. As you're aware, we're on the record saying that Ben Carson would be downright dangerous for this country in how much his inexperience would jeopardize our national security. And don't be mad at us for saying it, but that's nothing compared what Donald Trump has been saying these past few days, calling the man pathologically diseased among other things, clearly going off the rails in his rhetoric. So before Donald Trump completely denigrates every other candidate in the race, Republicans need to decide who can rationally step up to the task because right now the only vote they're all qualified to get is 'no confidence.'
Panel: Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Jeff Greenfield, Politico contributor.
Sunday, November 08, 2015
11.8.15: We Want It in Writing... With a Signature
One of our pet peeves is when people, especially in the press, use the phrase, "the devil is in the details." Our contention is that, "No! the devil is NOT in the details, the information is in details." (However, if you're Carly Fiorina, it's a case of the lack thereof.)
And within the details of what Dr. Carson said in response to what he has written, the retired neurosurgeon said that he had better things to do beside being president. We'll be honest in saying that it upset us throughout the program until Marc Caputo from Politico recognized this statement toward the end of the program. Hugh Hewlitt was spot on to say that, "You have to want it," and that the martyr thing doesn't fly (our words).
We agree with Bernie Sanders that these personal embellishments (if that's what they actually are) Dr. Carson is making don't really matter that much. The squabbling between Ms. Maddow and Mr. Hewlitt over the West Point scholarship offers was superfluous. But the fact that he doesn't believe that human activity plays a role in climate change and that is naive thinking. He wants to do away with Medicare, he has said. So yes, in that respect Dr. Carson is, as he stated, a threat to the secular progressive 'movement,' as if that is some evil organization that should be feared. He also said the 'personal' attacks on him go beyond anything seen by other candidates, even beyond the attacks about President Obama's birth certificate, which is simply ridiculous. But what does he expect? He has no record of voting, of taking positions, and is running on his biography so the press will ask him about it.
Speaking of asking questions, we like PBS's Gwen Ifil like the forum-type format for engaging with the candidates, but what could have been truly insightful became an infomercial for the Democratic candidates. And for the Republican side, the 'offense' that the candidates take at a question that contends with something they've said, like a 10 percent tax on everyone not adding up in terms of not exploding the deficit, candidates become 'offended.' Give us a break, this isn't a game show and we're not low-information voters hence requiring detailed information, taking nothing on faith which is how Dr. Carson would prefer us to take it.
And speaking of detailed plans, Ms. Fiorina has a lot of nerve in saying that she's not going to put any of her positions down on paper, that the written word is no more important than what she says. Sound bites are not the equivalent of a well thought out, detailed written plan.
Also, it's a matter of sourcing. The press could transcribe what she says as Rachel Maddow suggested but that leaves room for bucking responsibility for what you say. Anything less than a detailed written statement on a position is simply not serious and reflects disqualifying silly political games. Ms. Fiorina, Americans want it in writing... with your name signed to it.
****
We agree with Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) that the United States needs to have a joint strategy with Russia to combat ISIS, or ISIL as she referred to it, but how that would play out just makes the imagination run wild. And you can believe that it when Senator Feinstein says that there is a "strong probably" that it was indeed a bomb that downed that Russian passenger jet in Egypt. If the Islamic State is in fact as described, a state, then they have committed an act of war against Russia.
The FBI is on the ground investigating and if they conclude the cause to be a bomb then Russia will have a big choice to make, and unfortunately as you can deduce from the Senator's statements that we'll be a big factor in that decision. If the U.S. and Russia were to have a joint strategy, maybe it plays out that the two nations work cooperatively; creating two fronts in which to combat ISIL; meeting in the middle in defeating them; splitting up influence in the region; eventually setting up fierce competition for power and influence in a vital region in the world.
Haven't we already lived that history? Or is our imagination just running wild?
Panel: Gwen Ifil, PBS News Hour; Rachel Maddow, MSNBC; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Marc Caputo, Politico (Florida desk)
One more thing...
We owe a couple columns/opinions. We're on it, and thanks for reading!
And within the details of what Dr. Carson said in response to what he has written, the retired neurosurgeon said that he had better things to do beside being president. We'll be honest in saying that it upset us throughout the program until Marc Caputo from Politico recognized this statement toward the end of the program. Hugh Hewlitt was spot on to say that, "You have to want it," and that the martyr thing doesn't fly (our words).
We agree with Bernie Sanders that these personal embellishments (if that's what they actually are) Dr. Carson is making don't really matter that much. The squabbling between Ms. Maddow and Mr. Hewlitt over the West Point scholarship offers was superfluous. But the fact that he doesn't believe that human activity plays a role in climate change and that is naive thinking. He wants to do away with Medicare, he has said. So yes, in that respect Dr. Carson is, as he stated, a threat to the secular progressive 'movement,' as if that is some evil organization that should be feared. He also said the 'personal' attacks on him go beyond anything seen by other candidates, even beyond the attacks about President Obama's birth certificate, which is simply ridiculous. But what does he expect? He has no record of voting, of taking positions, and is running on his biography so the press will ask him about it.
Speaking of asking questions, we like PBS's Gwen Ifil like the forum-type format for engaging with the candidates, but what could have been truly insightful became an infomercial for the Democratic candidates. And for the Republican side, the 'offense' that the candidates take at a question that contends with something they've said, like a 10 percent tax on everyone not adding up in terms of not exploding the deficit, candidates become 'offended.' Give us a break, this isn't a game show and we're not low-information voters hence requiring detailed information, taking nothing on faith which is how Dr. Carson would prefer us to take it.
And speaking of detailed plans, Ms. Fiorina has a lot of nerve in saying that she's not going to put any of her positions down on paper, that the written word is no more important than what she says. Sound bites are not the equivalent of a well thought out, detailed written plan.
Also, it's a matter of sourcing. The press could transcribe what she says as Rachel Maddow suggested but that leaves room for bucking responsibility for what you say. Anything less than a detailed written statement on a position is simply not serious and reflects disqualifying silly political games. Ms. Fiorina, Americans want it in writing... with your name signed to it.
****
We agree with Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) that the United States needs to have a joint strategy with Russia to combat ISIS, or ISIL as she referred to it, but how that would play out just makes the imagination run wild. And you can believe that it when Senator Feinstein says that there is a "strong probably" that it was indeed a bomb that downed that Russian passenger jet in Egypt. If the Islamic State is in fact as described, a state, then they have committed an act of war against Russia.
The FBI is on the ground investigating and if they conclude the cause to be a bomb then Russia will have a big choice to make, and unfortunately as you can deduce from the Senator's statements that we'll be a big factor in that decision. If the U.S. and Russia were to have a joint strategy, maybe it plays out that the two nations work cooperatively; creating two fronts in which to combat ISIL; meeting in the middle in defeating them; splitting up influence in the region; eventually setting up fierce competition for power and influence in a vital region in the world.
Haven't we already lived that history? Or is our imagination just running wild?
Panel: Gwen Ifil, PBS News Hour; Rachel Maddow, MSNBC; Hugh Hewlitt, conservative commentator; Marc Caputo, Politico (Florida desk)
One more thing...
We owe a couple columns/opinions. We're on it, and thanks for reading!
Sunday, October 25, 2015
10.25.15: Common Sense and the Lack Thereof
In defense of his inexperience, presidential candidate Ben Carson said that common sense (which he implies that he possesses) is more important than the collective political experience of the other candidates in the race, but in interviews Dr. Carson doesn't demonstrate that he has any of the common sense he's referring to.
And speaking of 'making no sense,' the Benghazi hearing need to end. Wrap it up... now.
After watching just a few hours (we have working lives that interfere with watching 11 hours of pointless testimony) of the hearings, it's clearly evident that the Republicans controlling the committee are just out to capture of soundbite from Secretary Clinton that they can use as indictable 'evidence' in the court of public opinion to damage her candidacy for president. At this juncture, these hearings are pointless, senseless, a waste of money and time.
Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) who heads the committee said that it concerns him that Secretary Clinton testified that she takes responsibility for what happened, but never really answered the question of what went wrong for which she takes responsibility. With all due respect to Congressman Gowdy, he had 11 hours to ask these questions and get that answer. If he's still asking the question at the point, then he hasn't done his job as committee chair. He said that he still didn't know what errors were made and who made them. That's on him and his committee! Chuck Todd ask Mr. Gowdy why the committee didn't ask the secretary about Libya policy in general, and the reason is because Republicans are interested in that. When will Republicans give up the pettiness and stop embarrassing themselves.
Which brings us back to Dr. Carson who must stop with comparing everything to Nazism and Slavery. First, it trivializes both and second, most importantly, the comparisons are offensive because his logic (his common sense) is so off-base that it disqualifies him to be president. If the Jews in Germany were armed, they would have stopped the Nazis from committing the Holocaust is one of Dr. Carson's statements, to which he said that Jewish leads said he was 'spot on.' No, not all. The Polish, French and Russian armies were armed and didn't fare so well.
Obamacare is the worst thing the U.S. government has done to its people since slavery is another one of Dr. Carson's gems. Never mind that he forgets about Native American genocide, Japanese internment camps, Jim Crow laws. Just because Dr. Carson is soft spoken doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about because he clearly doesn't.
And what consideration does he show to women and their well-being when he says that they should not be allowed to obtain an abortion because of rape or incest? It's a complete disregard for women's health, specifically their mental health (if not for anything else). And doesn't this disregard constitute a breach of his hippocratic oath as a doctor?
Yet, mental health consideration should be a determination when purchasing a gun according the Dr. Carson whose interpretation of the Second Amendment as he outlined today is incorrect. He said that the second amendment assures that people have the right to the same guns as its government so that tyranny by said government could never occur. His is a dangerous reading because it discounts a critical word in the amendment, which is 'regulated.'
The Second Amendment
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Panel: Doris Kearns-Godwin, Presidential Historian; John Harwood, CNBC; Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post; Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press
A few more things...
Though we didn't quote the panel at all this week, we did notice the slight change in format for the program, stacking into the second half of the program - all sitting at a table. This pretty much reverts back to the format of one when Tim Russert was moderator. Much better use of the panel for sure.
And then there is Mitt Romney who even when he gets it right, he gets it wrong (the fatal flaw of his candidacy as John Harwood pointed out). Mitt Romney walked back a comment he wrote about Romneycare, which was followed by Obamacare making the inference that both in the end were good ideas. Mr. Romney is still unable to truly speak his mind so we'll take the gross liberty of doing it for him. Yes, they were both good ideas.
And lastly, repealing Roe v. Wade is a non-starter for this column. We do not advocate for women to have abortions and we wish that they were only few and rare, including in cases of rape and incest unlike what Dr. Carson appalling said today. However, that decision ensures that and assures all women in the United States that they have complete control over their own bodies not to be dictated to by any government entity. In other words, freedom to decide. Personal freedom is important to all conservatives (emphasized because this group speaks loudest about the concept) and all Americans so to be true to that ideal then it has to be defended on all fronts.
And speaking of 'making no sense,' the Benghazi hearing need to end. Wrap it up... now.
After watching just a few hours (we have working lives that interfere with watching 11 hours of pointless testimony) of the hearings, it's clearly evident that the Republicans controlling the committee are just out to capture of soundbite from Secretary Clinton that they can use as indictable 'evidence' in the court of public opinion to damage her candidacy for president. At this juncture, these hearings are pointless, senseless, a waste of money and time.
Congressman Trey Gowdy (R-SC) who heads the committee said that it concerns him that Secretary Clinton testified that she takes responsibility for what happened, but never really answered the question of what went wrong for which she takes responsibility. With all due respect to Congressman Gowdy, he had 11 hours to ask these questions and get that answer. If he's still asking the question at the point, then he hasn't done his job as committee chair. He said that he still didn't know what errors were made and who made them. That's on him and his committee! Chuck Todd ask Mr. Gowdy why the committee didn't ask the secretary about Libya policy in general, and the reason is because Republicans are interested in that. When will Republicans give up the pettiness and stop embarrassing themselves.
Which brings us back to Dr. Carson who must stop with comparing everything to Nazism and Slavery. First, it trivializes both and second, most importantly, the comparisons are offensive because his logic (his common sense) is so off-base that it disqualifies him to be president. If the Jews in Germany were armed, they would have stopped the Nazis from committing the Holocaust is one of Dr. Carson's statements, to which he said that Jewish leads said he was 'spot on.' No, not all. The Polish, French and Russian armies were armed and didn't fare so well.
Obamacare is the worst thing the U.S. government has done to its people since slavery is another one of Dr. Carson's gems. Never mind that he forgets about Native American genocide, Japanese internment camps, Jim Crow laws. Just because Dr. Carson is soft spoken doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about because he clearly doesn't.
And what consideration does he show to women and their well-being when he says that they should not be allowed to obtain an abortion because of rape or incest? It's a complete disregard for women's health, specifically their mental health (if not for anything else). And doesn't this disregard constitute a breach of his hippocratic oath as a doctor?
Yet, mental health consideration should be a determination when purchasing a gun according the Dr. Carson whose interpretation of the Second Amendment as he outlined today is incorrect. He said that the second amendment assures that people have the right to the same guns as its government so that tyranny by said government could never occur. His is a dangerous reading because it discounts a critical word in the amendment, which is 'regulated.'
The Second Amendment
"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."
Panel: Doris Kearns-Godwin, Presidential Historian; John Harwood, CNBC; Jennifer Rubin, The Washington Post; Stephen Henderson, Detroit Free Press
A few more things...
Though we didn't quote the panel at all this week, we did notice the slight change in format for the program, stacking into the second half of the program - all sitting at a table. This pretty much reverts back to the format of one when Tim Russert was moderator. Much better use of the panel for sure.
And then there is Mitt Romney who even when he gets it right, he gets it wrong (the fatal flaw of his candidacy as John Harwood pointed out). Mitt Romney walked back a comment he wrote about Romneycare, which was followed by Obamacare making the inference that both in the end were good ideas. Mr. Romney is still unable to truly speak his mind so we'll take the gross liberty of doing it for him. Yes, they were both good ideas.
And lastly, repealing Roe v. Wade is a non-starter for this column. We do not advocate for women to have abortions and we wish that they were only few and rare, including in cases of rape and incest unlike what Dr. Carson appalling said today. However, that decision ensures that and assures all women in the United States that they have complete control over their own bodies not to be dictated to by any government entity. In other words, freedom to decide. Personal freedom is important to all conservatives (emphasized because this group speaks loudest about the concept) and all Americans so to be true to that ideal then it has to be defended on all fronts.
Sunday, October 04, 2015
10.4.15: Is Government Abdicating Its Responsibility on Guns?
Another mass-shooting in America - this time in Roseburg, Oregon at the Umpqua Community College, the 294th according the mass-shooting tracking data. What can we possibly say that hasn't already been said? This is an American failure, without question. How can one not say that we as a society have failed by endangering itself by not regulating deadly weapons. Some of the observations from today's panelists and the political soundbites stuck with us as key insights into the problem, the politics and the lack of a solution.
The National Review's Rick Lowry outlined the problem succinctly when he explained that doing things around the margins of the gun laws aren't enough the stem the problem or gun violence and anything beyond that infringes on people's individual gun rights under the constitution. Mark Leibovich of The New York Times noted that President Obama in his statement in reaction to the shooting accurately predicted everything that Republicans would say and how the media would cover it, and he really did.
Republican presidential candidates' statements ranged from Jeb Bush's lackluster "stuff happens" to Ben Carson and Marco Rubio saying that more gun laws don't protect us from the crazies and John Kasich said that gun control laws aren't a good idea because it takes guns away from law abiding citizens, which is conflating the problem with confiscation and that is not what should be done.
With all that laid out, Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post was correct in saying that for the government not to do anything is an abdication of its responsibilities, and those responsibilities do not include confiscation, to be clear. However, the car-gun comparison does make you do more than just scratch your head. You have to get a license to drive (all 50 states), you have to have insurance (all 50 states), register the car (all 50 states) and in some states have it inspected yearly. You can draw your own conclusion as to whether having a license to own a gun infringes on your rights to have one. You can own a car and not have a license or insurance, but it's then unlawful to use it without those things.
And for Donald Trump's comments about Chicago having the strictest gun laws yet gun violence is out of control is to not understand the comprehensiveness of the problem. The only way to solve this comprehensive problem is to act nationally, through Congress, because leaving the problem to the individual states won't solve it. Debate away on that one. Another notion to chew one would be the result of any stronger gun laws would essentially slow the amount of guns being purchased, not limit the amount, but slow the pace of the number in society. The NRA can never go for that.
Using Mr. Trump as a pivot point in the conversation, we are leery of his statements on Syria in as much as he thinks its a good idea that Vladimir Putin has brought Russia into the conflict unmistakably on the side of Assad. Fmr. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explained that Putin is in Syria because he's been supporting Assad all along but now weapons and money are not enough and Russia has to become directly involved in the conflict. Putin is "doubling down," Amb. McFaul said. And in that 'doubling down' Mr. Putin will certainly would mind having some proxy wins against its adversary the United States, like this week's bombing of rebel bases backed by the CIA. It's less likely that Mr. Putin will get bogged down in Syria as Mr. Trump described and more likely that in the midst of a practical power vacuum in the country, Mr. Putin sees the opportunity for a strategic foothold in the region, with an assistant from Iran. Not to mention that it shows such a cynical and callous view of life and suffering for Mr. Trump to say that things are better with Assad, Gaddafi, and Hussein still in power.
However, even though Mr. Trump is ahead in the polls (the only thing that matters to him), he really has no interest in overthinking these things. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be when deciding your vote.
Panel: Mark Leibovich, The New York Times; Ruth Marcus, The Washington Post; Amy Holmes, Anchor on The Blaze Network; Rich Lowry, The National Review
One More Thing...
Mixed Emotions... about there being an hour-long "MTP Daily" program on MSNBC. It's completely understandable that NBC wants Mr. Todd on the air more. His strength as a good, fair questioner is paying dividends that David Gregory couldn't deliver which was to have political guests from both parties come to the table. We also understand that Meet The Press is now Mr. Todd's brand and the two are hand in hand. We get it.
We not sure if it diminishes "Meet The Press" as the institution that it is or not, but here's the thing. Institutions, attitudes, and laws have to change with the times and we live in a different age where seeing you for an hour a week will lead to success, you 'gotta get it out there more,' as it were. The formats are different in that the daily is typical cable news/talk format that differs from the Sunday edition, but even so it would be great to differentiate the Sunday a bit more - a portion of the program that is truly meeting the press. Otherwise, more "Meet The Press?" Why not?!
(Whether we'll be commenting on it all remains to be seen, but it is giving us a reason to pause and think about our format as well.)
P.S. We'll be off for the next two weeks.
The National Review's Rick Lowry outlined the problem succinctly when he explained that doing things around the margins of the gun laws aren't enough the stem the problem or gun violence and anything beyond that infringes on people's individual gun rights under the constitution. Mark Leibovich of The New York Times noted that President Obama in his statement in reaction to the shooting accurately predicted everything that Republicans would say and how the media would cover it, and he really did.
Republican presidential candidates' statements ranged from Jeb Bush's lackluster "stuff happens" to Ben Carson and Marco Rubio saying that more gun laws don't protect us from the crazies and John Kasich said that gun control laws aren't a good idea because it takes guns away from law abiding citizens, which is conflating the problem with confiscation and that is not what should be done.
With all that laid out, Ruth Marcus of The Washington Post was correct in saying that for the government not to do anything is an abdication of its responsibilities, and those responsibilities do not include confiscation, to be clear. However, the car-gun comparison does make you do more than just scratch your head. You have to get a license to drive (all 50 states), you have to have insurance (all 50 states), register the car (all 50 states) and in some states have it inspected yearly. You can draw your own conclusion as to whether having a license to own a gun infringes on your rights to have one. You can own a car and not have a license or insurance, but it's then unlawful to use it without those things.
And for Donald Trump's comments about Chicago having the strictest gun laws yet gun violence is out of control is to not understand the comprehensiveness of the problem. The only way to solve this comprehensive problem is to act nationally, through Congress, because leaving the problem to the individual states won't solve it. Debate away on that one. Another notion to chew one would be the result of any stronger gun laws would essentially slow the amount of guns being purchased, not limit the amount, but slow the pace of the number in society. The NRA can never go for that.
Using Mr. Trump as a pivot point in the conversation, we are leery of his statements on Syria in as much as he thinks its a good idea that Vladimir Putin has brought Russia into the conflict unmistakably on the side of Assad. Fmr. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul explained that Putin is in Syria because he's been supporting Assad all along but now weapons and money are not enough and Russia has to become directly involved in the conflict. Putin is "doubling down," Amb. McFaul said. And in that 'doubling down' Mr. Putin will certainly would mind having some proxy wins against its adversary the United States, like this week's bombing of rebel bases backed by the CIA. It's less likely that Mr. Putin will get bogged down in Syria as Mr. Trump described and more likely that in the midst of a practical power vacuum in the country, Mr. Putin sees the opportunity for a strategic foothold in the region, with an assistant from Iran. Not to mention that it shows such a cynical and callous view of life and suffering for Mr. Trump to say that things are better with Assad, Gaddafi, and Hussein still in power.
However, even though Mr. Trump is ahead in the polls (the only thing that matters to him), he really has no interest in overthinking these things. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't be when deciding your vote.
Panel: Mark Leibovich, The New York Times; Ruth Marcus, The Washington Post; Amy Holmes, Anchor on The Blaze Network; Rich Lowry, The National Review
One More Thing...
Mixed Emotions... about there being an hour-long "MTP Daily" program on MSNBC. It's completely understandable that NBC wants Mr. Todd on the air more. His strength as a good, fair questioner is paying dividends that David Gregory couldn't deliver which was to have political guests from both parties come to the table. We also understand that Meet The Press is now Mr. Todd's brand and the two are hand in hand. We get it.
We not sure if it diminishes "Meet The Press" as the institution that it is or not, but here's the thing. Institutions, attitudes, and laws have to change with the times and we live in a different age where seeing you for an hour a week will lead to success, you 'gotta get it out there more,' as it were. The formats are different in that the daily is typical cable news/talk format that differs from the Sunday edition, but even so it would be great to differentiate the Sunday a bit more - a portion of the program that is truly meeting the press. Otherwise, more "Meet The Press?" Why not?!
(Whether we'll be commenting on it all remains to be seen, but it is giving us a reason to pause and think about our format as well.)
P.S. We'll be off for the next two weeks.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
9.20.15: Respect and Compromise, the Next Political Trend?
Once again, this time through an interview lightning round of Republican presidential candidates, you see that John Kasich is one of them that the Democrats should be most worried about because he's the type that can draw Independents and conservative Democrats who don't like all of President Obama's policies. Unless the Democrats nominate Bernie Sanders, their candidate is going to be an extend of President Obama's presidency.
John Kasich's personal politics are pretty conservative but as a public figure, he's a centrist Republican equidistant on the opposite side of the middle axis as Hillary Clinton is a centrist Democrat. It's a rare breed these days to hear a Republican, especially one running for president, say that we have to 'respect the basic institutions.' Mr. Kasich seems to recognize that there is another political party present in the United States and that they have a say in how things work.
Contrast with the other two candidates interviewed today - Donald Trump and Ben Carson. First off, the more we listen to Donald Trump the more quickly you get bored because he really doesn't say anything. He simply talks about the polls, what other people are saying about him, who he likes and doesn't like and the polls, again. However, in his defense of his not refuting a questioners claim during a rally that the president is a Muslim and that we have a 'Muslim' problem here in this country, Mr. Trump said that it wasn't his obligation to correct him. No, it is Mr. Trump's responsibility to correct him. Exactly what John Kasich was talking about in as much as Mr. Trump doesn't respect the office of the presidency.
As far as Ben Carson is concerned, his view that a Muslim should not be able to hold the office of President of the United States disqualifies him from holding the office himself because as Hugh Hewlitt described, he is putting a religious litmus test for holding the office which is unacceptable. It's safe to say that Dr. Carson would apply that very same test in hiring administration staff and that's against the law. You see where we're going with this.
Conversely, Dr. Carson did have the most coherent ISIS policy, from a Republican perspective that is, that we've heard. We don't agree with ground forces, but he said that he would use ground troops to push ISIS out of Iraq and into Syria and then let them fight it out with Asaad, then clean up the mess from there. Politically there's a problem with sending troops back into Iraq. If that were to happen it would be it seem like Republicans want more war while the Democrats do not, and at this point the American people are weary of war.
How all of this stacks up against Hillary Clinton and her campaign woes, right now we agree with Maria Shriver that we need to take a step back. Think about it this way, the panel discussion focused on Mrs. Clinton not having the charisma of Bill, likability, etc. What they weren't focusing on was the handling of e-mails. What Mrs. Clinton's apology did was subdue the press attacks a bit. This gives her the opportunity to move beyond it and perhaps change some of those opinions. Whether you like Mrs. Clinton or not, she is, by experience, the most qualified of all candidates. And for what it's worth, having Bernie Sanders in the race is key for Mrs. Clinton because it will pull her a little left [read: populace] on some issues, you're already seeing.
Lastly, and this is weird for us to say, but our initial reaction to the interview with Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase, is that we didn't have a problem with anything he said. The banks are going to do what they are going to do in terms of trading and creating financial products to sell that no one understands. It's up to government to properly regulate and see that they don't break the law - hold them responsible... And to have a contingency plan. This is just our practical nature as to how we see it. Let's be honest, when the banks are booming and you have an IRA or 401(k), you're feeling pretty good. And we appreciated his honesty about his bank getting involved with Detroit. Mr. Dimon has that he was thinking that it's good for the bottom line of the bank, but at the same time, he sees a problem where the bank can help. That's the trade-off, the compromise. And speaking of that, Republicans should listen to his advice that 'my way or the highway' isn't thinking about America and a shutdown is bad management. All makes sense, right?
And last of the lastlies, the shutdown over planned parenthood, exacerbated by Ms. Fiorina's graphic abortion description during the debate, is counter-productive at the least. Instead of working through each sides' concerns and issues, it says we don't want to work at all. And make no mistake that Republicans will take the blame and rightly so.
America is so tired of tone-deaf ideological stance where no compromise is possible. The voices of mutual respect are starting to speak up. Hopefully, the momentum will build.
Panel: Molly Ball, The Atlantic; Hugh Hewlitt, Radio Host; Maria Shrvier, NBC; David Maraniss, The Washington Post
A few more things...
First, on the cusp of Pope Francis' visit to the United States, one quick take that we have is that the pope speaking about income inequality and climate change and current issues because he recognizes that in order to lead a billion people, you have to be in touch with what they are talking about and what there concerns are. He wants to make the Church relevant and he knows that if he can do that, the residual effect is more people in the pews.
And then...the best for last (we told you so).
Scott Walker better give the money to the Milwaukee Bucks to build a new arena because one thing is for sure, he's got no game. Ouch!
John Kasich's personal politics are pretty conservative but as a public figure, he's a centrist Republican equidistant on the opposite side of the middle axis as Hillary Clinton is a centrist Democrat. It's a rare breed these days to hear a Republican, especially one running for president, say that we have to 'respect the basic institutions.' Mr. Kasich seems to recognize that there is another political party present in the United States and that they have a say in how things work.
Contrast with the other two candidates interviewed today - Donald Trump and Ben Carson. First off, the more we listen to Donald Trump the more quickly you get bored because he really doesn't say anything. He simply talks about the polls, what other people are saying about him, who he likes and doesn't like and the polls, again. However, in his defense of his not refuting a questioners claim during a rally that the president is a Muslim and that we have a 'Muslim' problem here in this country, Mr. Trump said that it wasn't his obligation to correct him. No, it is Mr. Trump's responsibility to correct him. Exactly what John Kasich was talking about in as much as Mr. Trump doesn't respect the office of the presidency.
As far as Ben Carson is concerned, his view that a Muslim should not be able to hold the office of President of the United States disqualifies him from holding the office himself because as Hugh Hewlitt described, he is putting a religious litmus test for holding the office which is unacceptable. It's safe to say that Dr. Carson would apply that very same test in hiring administration staff and that's against the law. You see where we're going with this.
Conversely, Dr. Carson did have the most coherent ISIS policy, from a Republican perspective that is, that we've heard. We don't agree with ground forces, but he said that he would use ground troops to push ISIS out of Iraq and into Syria and then let them fight it out with Asaad, then clean up the mess from there. Politically there's a problem with sending troops back into Iraq. If that were to happen it would be it seem like Republicans want more war while the Democrats do not, and at this point the American people are weary of war.
How all of this stacks up against Hillary Clinton and her campaign woes, right now we agree with Maria Shriver that we need to take a step back. Think about it this way, the panel discussion focused on Mrs. Clinton not having the charisma of Bill, likability, etc. What they weren't focusing on was the handling of e-mails. What Mrs. Clinton's apology did was subdue the press attacks a bit. This gives her the opportunity to move beyond it and perhaps change some of those opinions. Whether you like Mrs. Clinton or not, she is, by experience, the most qualified of all candidates. And for what it's worth, having Bernie Sanders in the race is key for Mrs. Clinton because it will pull her a little left [read: populace] on some issues, you're already seeing.
Lastly, and this is weird for us to say, but our initial reaction to the interview with Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JP Morgan Chase, is that we didn't have a problem with anything he said. The banks are going to do what they are going to do in terms of trading and creating financial products to sell that no one understands. It's up to government to properly regulate and see that they don't break the law - hold them responsible... And to have a contingency plan. This is just our practical nature as to how we see it. Let's be honest, when the banks are booming and you have an IRA or 401(k), you're feeling pretty good. And we appreciated his honesty about his bank getting involved with Detroit. Mr. Dimon has that he was thinking that it's good for the bottom line of the bank, but at the same time, he sees a problem where the bank can help. That's the trade-off, the compromise. And speaking of that, Republicans should listen to his advice that 'my way or the highway' isn't thinking about America and a shutdown is bad management. All makes sense, right?
And last of the lastlies, the shutdown over planned parenthood, exacerbated by Ms. Fiorina's graphic abortion description during the debate, is counter-productive at the least. Instead of working through each sides' concerns and issues, it says we don't want to work at all. And make no mistake that Republicans will take the blame and rightly so.
America is so tired of tone-deaf ideological stance where no compromise is possible. The voices of mutual respect are starting to speak up. Hopefully, the momentum will build.
Panel: Molly Ball, The Atlantic; Hugh Hewlitt, Radio Host; Maria Shrvier, NBC; David Maraniss, The Washington Post
A few more things...
First, on the cusp of Pope Francis' visit to the United States, one quick take that we have is that the pope speaking about income inequality and climate change and current issues because he recognizes that in order to lead a billion people, you have to be in touch with what they are talking about and what there concerns are. He wants to make the Church relevant and he knows that if he can do that, the residual effect is more people in the pews.
And then...the best for last (we told you so).
Scott Walker better give the money to the Milwaukee Bucks to build a new arena because one thing is for sure, he's got no game. Ouch!
Sunday, September 13, 2015
9.13.15: Blaming President Obama and Unrealistic Expectations
New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie, clearly illustrated why he will not be the nominee for the Republican party and in doing so also answered why Bernie Sanders is ahead of Hillary Clinton in the first few Democratic primary polls. The reason is that as long as you are answering questions about questionable conduct, you can not state your ideas for moving the country forward. Those ideas do not gain any traction.
Too many hanging questions about 'bridge-gate' for Gov. Christie to escape along with indictments of top staff, while donors are having trepidation about giving money wondering when the other shoe will drop and the feds will come after Mr. Christie himself, are the threatening campaign clouds that keep hovering about. As the saying goes, "something just doesn't smell right." And it's the same with Hillary Clinton and the e-mail issue. Even though, as Mr. Todd noted, the Department of Justice found that Sec. Clinton was within her legal right to delete personal e-mails. "When you use phrases like "within her legal right," you know that's not good for a candidate. The residual effect is going to be negatively lasting, hence Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign is surging.
Keep this in mind, at this point in the campaign: Independents haven't weighed in yet and the polls in both parties are more of a reflection of the attitude of the respective bases. Right now, that thinking is being turned on it's head in the Republican party given that one of the topics on today's program covered the in-fighting within the party. Basically, the Republican electorate is disgusted with its leaders in Washington because they have broken so many promises. Gov. Christie let them have saying that there has been no "repeal and replace" legislation on Obamacare or any tax reform legislation put forward. The governor said the Republican Congress has "under-delivered."
And Governor Christie hasn't? When faced with what are just downright ugly economic statistics for your state, the answer of "you should have seen it when I got there" is an unacceptable answer, seriously. The governor turned down an opportunity to give his state's economy a shot in the arm by not doing a deal with New York state to expand the transit system between north Jersey and New York City. He said that New Jersey would be on the hook for too much money, but the real reason was more of a political nature and the governor not wanting to compromise. That's under-delivering.
Senator Tom Cole (R-OK) in his joint interview with head of the Heritage Foundation Jim DeMint blamed President Obama for none of the Republican agenda items passing, which is incredibly wrong-headed, and not being honest with yourself as to why none of your agenda is getting through. President Obama is not to blame for what he believes and then acting on those beliefs. The blame is on the Republican caucus and the Republican National Committee for setting the expectations too high in what they promised and employing the strategy of unilaterally opposing the president on every vote turning everyone into a partisan fight while he still maintains the power of the veto all the while never putting forward a clear plan of their own that the electorate can get behind. President Obama is not to blame for that.
As for Mr. DeMint who talked about "common sense conservative ideas" and supports a governmental shutdown over the continued funding of planned parenthood seems to live a a world that doesn't acknowledge the existence of Democrats or Independents - a majority of whom do not agree with him. If you can not compromise with people and continually make it a zero-sum game as Mr. DeMint does then you'll have to get used to disappoint because you're hardly ever going to get your way. The Republican ideal (read: ideological purity) is being promised and reality keeps smacking it down. The booing of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senator Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) by Republican primary voters is well placed because they've perpetuated the paradigm. Reince Priebus should be included in that group as well.
With regard to the other side, Bernie Sanders, his argument to the contrary, would not see much cooperation from Congress for his initiatives if he were president. [Here we like to note that this stems from Mr. Todd asking Senator Sanders about the lack of co-sponsors on legislation that he proposes. We'd add that Mr. Todd is getting better at the friendly-but-tough tact of interviewing, reminiscent of Tim Russert. That's not to say that Mr. Todd is derivative but to say he getting better at facing people down in the moment while maintaining his innate enthusiasm in the topic. All good.]
However, outside of that, Mr. Todd focused on foreign policy with Senator Sanders and on key votes, Mr. Sanders has made the correct decisions - not voting for the Iraq War, but for Afghanistan. He also voted for U.S. intervention in Kosovo, which was big as well. What we take away from all of this is that while his judgement on foreign policy matters is sound, he has no foreign policy agenda, which is to say that we're not sure how he would take the "world" leadership role. Decide for yourself as to whether actually having a foreign policy agenda is a good or bad thing.
Panel: David Brooks, The New York Times; Sara Fagen, CNBC Contributor; Ron Fournier, The National Journal; Maria Hinojosa, NPR
One more thing...
Former Ambassador to Syria under the Bush Administration Robert Ford said that he disagreed with Richard Engel's assessment in his report that the United States' actions in the region have unleashed the brutality in the region causing the massive refugee crisis. Instead Amb. Ford said that instead the brutal regimes in the region are to blame. What he doesn't acknowledge in his answer is that those brutal regimes are being threatened by groups that want to set up their own brutal regime. ISIS, hello. So yes, the United States toppled a dictator that unleashed a sectarian civil conflict in Iraq that exploded in Syria.
Too many hanging questions about 'bridge-gate' for Gov. Christie to escape along with indictments of top staff, while donors are having trepidation about giving money wondering when the other shoe will drop and the feds will come after Mr. Christie himself, are the threatening campaign clouds that keep hovering about. As the saying goes, "something just doesn't smell right." And it's the same with Hillary Clinton and the e-mail issue. Even though, as Mr. Todd noted, the Department of Justice found that Sec. Clinton was within her legal right to delete personal e-mails. "When you use phrases like "within her legal right," you know that's not good for a candidate. The residual effect is going to be negatively lasting, hence Senator Bernie Sanders' campaign is surging.
Keep this in mind, at this point in the campaign: Independents haven't weighed in yet and the polls in both parties are more of a reflection of the attitude of the respective bases. Right now, that thinking is being turned on it's head in the Republican party given that one of the topics on today's program covered the in-fighting within the party. Basically, the Republican electorate is disgusted with its leaders in Washington because they have broken so many promises. Gov. Christie let them have saying that there has been no "repeal and replace" legislation on Obamacare or any tax reform legislation put forward. The governor said the Republican Congress has "under-delivered."
And Governor Christie hasn't? When faced with what are just downright ugly economic statistics for your state, the answer of "you should have seen it when I got there" is an unacceptable answer, seriously. The governor turned down an opportunity to give his state's economy a shot in the arm by not doing a deal with New York state to expand the transit system between north Jersey and New York City. He said that New Jersey would be on the hook for too much money, but the real reason was more of a political nature and the governor not wanting to compromise. That's under-delivering.
Senator Tom Cole (R-OK) in his joint interview with head of the Heritage Foundation Jim DeMint blamed President Obama for none of the Republican agenda items passing, which is incredibly wrong-headed, and not being honest with yourself as to why none of your agenda is getting through. President Obama is not to blame for what he believes and then acting on those beliefs. The blame is on the Republican caucus and the Republican National Committee for setting the expectations too high in what they promised and employing the strategy of unilaterally opposing the president on every vote turning everyone into a partisan fight while he still maintains the power of the veto all the while never putting forward a clear plan of their own that the electorate can get behind. President Obama is not to blame for that.
As for Mr. DeMint who talked about "common sense conservative ideas" and supports a governmental shutdown over the continued funding of planned parenthood seems to live a a world that doesn't acknowledge the existence of Democrats or Independents - a majority of whom do not agree with him. If you can not compromise with people and continually make it a zero-sum game as Mr. DeMint does then you'll have to get used to disappoint because you're hardly ever going to get your way. The Republican ideal (read: ideological purity) is being promised and reality keeps smacking it down. The booing of House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and Senator Majority leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) by Republican primary voters is well placed because they've perpetuated the paradigm. Reince Priebus should be included in that group as well.
With regard to the other side, Bernie Sanders, his argument to the contrary, would not see much cooperation from Congress for his initiatives if he were president. [Here we like to note that this stems from Mr. Todd asking Senator Sanders about the lack of co-sponsors on legislation that he proposes. We'd add that Mr. Todd is getting better at the friendly-but-tough tact of interviewing, reminiscent of Tim Russert. That's not to say that Mr. Todd is derivative but to say he getting better at facing people down in the moment while maintaining his innate enthusiasm in the topic. All good.]
However, outside of that, Mr. Todd focused on foreign policy with Senator Sanders and on key votes, Mr. Sanders has made the correct decisions - not voting for the Iraq War, but for Afghanistan. He also voted for U.S. intervention in Kosovo, which was big as well. What we take away from all of this is that while his judgement on foreign policy matters is sound, he has no foreign policy agenda, which is to say that we're not sure how he would take the "world" leadership role. Decide for yourself as to whether actually having a foreign policy agenda is a good or bad thing.
Panel: David Brooks, The New York Times; Sara Fagen, CNBC Contributor; Ron Fournier, The National Journal; Maria Hinojosa, NPR
One more thing...
Former Ambassador to Syria under the Bush Administration Robert Ford said that he disagreed with Richard Engel's assessment in his report that the United States' actions in the region have unleashed the brutality in the region causing the massive refugee crisis. Instead Amb. Ford said that instead the brutal regimes in the region are to blame. What he doesn't acknowledge in his answer is that those brutal regimes are being threatened by groups that want to set up their own brutal regime. ISIS, hello. So yes, the United States toppled a dictator that unleashed a sectarian civil conflict in Iraq that exploded in Syria.
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