Many Americans supported George W. Bush because they viewed him as a nationalist who would protect America. The refusal of Bush to back down from supporting the Dubai ports deal should make any thinking person question if our Commander in Chief has any real concern about protecting the American people from terrorism. I doubt that our President is a patriot is any sense. Bush has refused to secure our borders and supported trade policies which continue to destroy America's industrial capacity. Bush and the free traders think it is perfectly OK if Americans must import most of the components necessary to make weaponry. Why is anyone surprised that the Bush Administration is willing to give control of our ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates - one of the three countries which recognized the Taliban before 9/11 ? Below are excerpts from a column by Joe Conason writing in the New York Observer which points out the hypocrisy of Bush and his free trade apologists including the idiots at the Cato Institute.
Questions about the U.S. approval of Dubai Ports World should begin with the fact that it is not a private business but a government-owned enterprise. The “free-market” fanatics of the Bush administration and the conservative movement should explain exactly why they believe a corporation owned by a foreign state is an acceptable business partner, when they so vigorously oppose public ownership of any economic entity within the United States. Even the Cato Institute, that bastion of libertarian thought, is urging the approval of the Dubai deal.
Imagine the ideological fury among conservatives if our own federal government proposed to take over the operation of American ports (which might not be such an awful idea, considering the risk we now confront from nuclear or other threats that could be shipped into our cities by terrorists). They would scream about “socialism” and unfair competition with private enterprise. After all, they resisted the establishment of the Transportation Security Administration after 9/11 because of their knee-jerk preference for private security firms. Yet the tribal rulers of the U.A.E. evidently should be encouraged to profit from government enterprise, while the free people of the United States cannot. [For the complete Conason column go to http://tinyurl.com/gfe6d]
Today's Seattle Times reports that former New Jersey Governor Thomas Kean, a Republican who chaired the 9/11 Commission has called the Dubai ports deal a big mistake because of close ties between the 2001 hijackers and the UAE. "It shouldn't have happened, it never should have happened," Kean stated. "The quicker the Bush administration can get out of the deal, the better, he added. "There's no question that two of the 9/11 hijackers came from there and money was laundered through there," Kean said. http://tinyurl.com/nyx8w
Public opinion clearly opposes the ports deal and Democrats appear to be making political gains as a result of a backlash against the Bush Administration on this matter. According to a newly released Rasmussen Reports survey, only 17% of the public favors control of U.S. ports by Dubai while 64% are opposed. By a margin of 43% to 41%, voters trust the Democratic Congress to protect American national security interests over the Bush White House. I will be the first to point out that Democrats need to take a tougher stand on national security matters, but the polling certainly suggests that the public is starting to recognize that "W" is much more focused on protecting special interests and "free trade" than defending America. For more information about the polling go to http://rasmussenreports.com
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Friday, February 10, 2006
It's time for a change in the Democratic Party
The following column written by R. Justin Day appeared in the Fort Report (Florida's most powerful news service) http://www.fortreport.com. Day is Executive Director of Florida Mainstream Democrats http://www.mainstreamdemocrats.com. I think that this up and coming political organizer and strategist offers some excellent advice for Democrats on how we can become a majority party once again.
If Democrats ever want to regain the glory days of what seems like centuries ago, we must be competitive in the rural areas of the South. If we continue to concede the South, then we will continue as a minority party longer than any of us would like. Democrats must overcome the desire to only reach out to the Northeast and West-Coast base, and not be afraid to stand up against interest groups in our own party. It is time for the Democratic establishment to open up and invite elected Democrats from red states, who may disagree with national Democrats on issues such as gay rights, abortion, and gun control, to sit with labor leaders, trial lawyers, and civil rights groups and us how to win there.
Democrats should not adopt the agenda of social conservatives, but we need to do a better job of opening up and accepting social conservatives into our own party. Most Americans are not religious right-wingers, but most Americans are religious. Democrats need to do a better job of listening and speaking to them in their terms. As Congressman Artur Davis once said "The party of tolerance cannot make religion the one value it cannot tolerate."
We need to be strong on national security by developing our own strategy against the war on terrorism, and prevent the Republicans from portraying us as the antiwar party.
As Democrats we need a plan to recruit Democratic business leaders and speak on issues such as: lowering health care cost, simplifying the tax code, and increasing tax breaks for small businesses. Democrats must begin pushing for tax reform. We must continue to oppose the Republican tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans, while calling for increases in tax breaks for middle-class families. Democrats must also find a way to make the tax code in America less complex.
We need to lead, in the family values debate. We need to discuss ideas on how to give parents more tools to protect their children and enable parents to spend more time with their families.
Finally, we must push for budget reform. It's time for Democrats to fight for budget reforms, including reinstating budget controls and paying down the national deficit. These are the issues that Democrats should address in 2006.
By reaching out to small business owners, strengthening our stance on national security, leading the family values debate, and pushing for budget reforms, Democrats will win over independents and conservative Democrats, we have lost in the past. The DLC has said, "The test for Democrats is to convince the voters that they will defend their country, share their values, and champion their economic interests." Clearly, if we continue to lose two out of three we will never win again.
If Democrats ever want to regain the glory days of what seems like centuries ago, we must be competitive in the rural areas of the South. If we continue to concede the South, then we will continue as a minority party longer than any of us would like. Democrats must overcome the desire to only reach out to the Northeast and West-Coast base, and not be afraid to stand up against interest groups in our own party. It is time for the Democratic establishment to open up and invite elected Democrats from red states, who may disagree with national Democrats on issues such as gay rights, abortion, and gun control, to sit with labor leaders, trial lawyers, and civil rights groups and us how to win there.
Democrats should not adopt the agenda of social conservatives, but we need to do a better job of opening up and accepting social conservatives into our own party. Most Americans are not religious right-wingers, but most Americans are religious. Democrats need to do a better job of listening and speaking to them in their terms. As Congressman Artur Davis once said "The party of tolerance cannot make religion the one value it cannot tolerate."
We need to be strong on national security by developing our own strategy against the war on terrorism, and prevent the Republicans from portraying us as the antiwar party.
As Democrats we need a plan to recruit Democratic business leaders and speak on issues such as: lowering health care cost, simplifying the tax code, and increasing tax breaks for small businesses. Democrats must begin pushing for tax reform. We must continue to oppose the Republican tax breaks for the wealthiest of Americans, while calling for increases in tax breaks for middle-class families. Democrats must also find a way to make the tax code in America less complex.
We need to lead, in the family values debate. We need to discuss ideas on how to give parents more tools to protect their children and enable parents to spend more time with their families.
Finally, we must push for budget reform. It's time for Democrats to fight for budget reforms, including reinstating budget controls and paying down the national deficit. These are the issues that Democrats should address in 2006.
By reaching out to small business owners, strengthening our stance on national security, leading the family values debate, and pushing for budget reforms, Democrats will win over independents and conservative Democrats, we have lost in the past. The DLC has said, "The test for Democrats is to convince the voters that they will defend their country, share their values, and champion their economic interests." Clearly, if we continue to lose two out of three we will never win again.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Conservative Democratic Governors show poll strength
Here is a great post from a conservative Democratic blog Blue Dog Howl. I agree that Governors Frudenthal and Henry are models for red state Democrats seeking to capture statehouses.
http://www.njbluedoghowl.blogspot.com/
Two Conservative Democrats Getting a Thumbs up From Voters
To many in the GOP, the Democrats have become a conglomeration of interest groups and East Coast liberal elites who like to hear themselves talk. Yet, in the most solid turf of Bush country (at least in 2004), two Democratic governors are tremendously popular and well set to run for reelection.In Oklahoma, Governor Brad Henry leads Congressman Ernest Istook 58-31%. Henry is especially popular in rural areas of the state and has been able to connect with constituencies not normally associated with the Democrats. In Wyoming, Governor David Frudenthal has an amazing 81% approval rating, including a thumbs-up from 78% of Republicans. Frudenthal leads nearly 3-1 in his reelection poll. This Rocky Mountain Dem has yielded tremendous surpluses that federal politicians could only dream of.These are the kind of candidates our party needs to be promoting nationally. We cannot keep running left-of-center candidates that fail to appeal to people in the "flyover" states as well as working-class suburbs in the coastal states. The kind of fiscally and socially responsible government that conservative Democrats offer is clearly something the majority of the American people suport.
posted by Daniel Beckelman
http://www.njbluedoghowl.blogspot.com/
Two Conservative Democrats Getting a Thumbs up From Voters
To many in the GOP, the Democrats have become a conglomeration of interest groups and East Coast liberal elites who like to hear themselves talk. Yet, in the most solid turf of Bush country (at least in 2004), two Democratic governors are tremendously popular and well set to run for reelection.In Oklahoma, Governor Brad Henry leads Congressman Ernest Istook 58-31%. Henry is especially popular in rural areas of the state and has been able to connect with constituencies not normally associated with the Democrats. In Wyoming, Governor David Frudenthal has an amazing 81% approval rating, including a thumbs-up from 78% of Republicans. Frudenthal leads nearly 3-1 in his reelection poll. This Rocky Mountain Dem has yielded tremendous surpluses that federal politicians could only dream of.These are the kind of candidates our party needs to be promoting nationally. We cannot keep running left-of-center candidates that fail to appeal to people in the "flyover" states as well as working-class suburbs in the coastal states. The kind of fiscally and socially responsible government that conservative Democrats offer is clearly something the majority of the American people suport.
posted by Daniel Beckelman
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Do we have a China problem ?
China has clearly emerged as a powerful economic competitor and potential military threat to the United States. Despite the destruction of America's manufacturing capacity, loss of millions of U.S. jobs and a rapidly growing trade deficits, many Republicans and even some Democrats continue to defend suicidal "free trade" policies which benefit China - not America. The failure of our leaders to act borders on treason. Alan Tonelson, a economic research fellow with the U.S. Business & Industry Council Educational Foundation http://www.usbusiness.org/, wrote an excellent column in the Wisconsin Economic Threat in answer to the question, "Do we have a China problem ?" http://tinyurl.com/9ssjj Tonelson presents a convincing case for the affirmative in the excerpts from the column below:
America's lopsided trade with China not only endangers future U.S. prosperity. America's huge deficits are also undermining national security by financing the expansion and modernization of China's military. Just as important, the U.S.-China trade imbalance is boosting the odds of a long, deep downturn in the entire world economy whose consequences China will not escape.
While lobbying hard for expanded trade with China over the last decade, cheerleaders for the China trade status quo have consistently promised Americans more access to a huge, fast- growing market for U.S.-made products. Thus America's producers could grow their earnings, create jobs and pay their workers better.The results, however, have been completely different. China sells the United States more than six times the value of the goods it buys from America, and the ratio keeps rising. Although U.S. exports to China are increasing, imports from China are surging nearly 70 percent faster. Worse, a large and growing percentage of these products are not labor-intensive goods like apparel and toys, but advanced manufacturing products from the sectors that create the highest-paying U.S. jobs on average. And these Chinese goods keep taking share from their U.S.-made counterparts in the American market.
Yes, Americans get low-cost consumer goods in return. But largely because so many high- paying jobs have been displaced by imports from China and elsewhere, the inflation- adjusted wages of American workers have stagnated for more than 30 years - a first in U.S. economic history.These destructive results were inevitable. As the China cheerleaders knew all along, most Chinese are far too poor to buy U.S. products with any regularity, if at all. In addition, China's economic strategy emphasizes producing and exporting, not importing.As a result, Beijing heavily subsidizes manufacturing in China in myriad ways from keeping its currency artificially cheap to protecting Chinese industry from foreign competition that also depress imports and consumption in general.
The damage done to domestic manufacturing by Chinese and other imports, however, has an impact that transcends economics. U.S.-China trade is also endangering industries vital to maintaining a world- leading American military. Worse, the huge sums Beijing earns from its exports are making possible a military buildup that senior U.S. officials are openly criticizing.Indeed, China's $148 billion trade surplus with the United States so far this year alone equals nearly 38 percent of the entire 2005 U.S. defense budget. Yet with few in Washington recognizing the link, U.S. trade policy literally keeps arming America's likeliest future rival.
CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT SEEKS WYOMING U.S. SENATE SEAT
Right Democrat is more geared to promoting ideas than politicians, however, one candidate seeking high office seems to offer a rare candor and might provide a refreshing perspective in Washington. Conservative Democrat Dale Groutage is seeking the Wyoming U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Senator Craig Thomas. Groutage appears to be the kind of common sense Democrat that we need in Washington. Groutage has a interesting background as a rocket scientist and espouses strongly rooted mainstream values. See link to his campaign website http://www.dalegroutageforsenate.com/ and read the Planet Jackson Hole newspaper interview with Dale Groutage at http://tinyurl.com/dacqa
America's lopsided trade with China not only endangers future U.S. prosperity. America's huge deficits are also undermining national security by financing the expansion and modernization of China's military. Just as important, the U.S.-China trade imbalance is boosting the odds of a long, deep downturn in the entire world economy whose consequences China will not escape.
While lobbying hard for expanded trade with China over the last decade, cheerleaders for the China trade status quo have consistently promised Americans more access to a huge, fast- growing market for U.S.-made products. Thus America's producers could grow their earnings, create jobs and pay their workers better.The results, however, have been completely different. China sells the United States more than six times the value of the goods it buys from America, and the ratio keeps rising. Although U.S. exports to China are increasing, imports from China are surging nearly 70 percent faster. Worse, a large and growing percentage of these products are not labor-intensive goods like apparel and toys, but advanced manufacturing products from the sectors that create the highest-paying U.S. jobs on average. And these Chinese goods keep taking share from their U.S.-made counterparts in the American market.
Yes, Americans get low-cost consumer goods in return. But largely because so many high- paying jobs have been displaced by imports from China and elsewhere, the inflation- adjusted wages of American workers have stagnated for more than 30 years - a first in U.S. economic history.These destructive results were inevitable. As the China cheerleaders knew all along, most Chinese are far too poor to buy U.S. products with any regularity, if at all. In addition, China's economic strategy emphasizes producing and exporting, not importing.As a result, Beijing heavily subsidizes manufacturing in China in myriad ways from keeping its currency artificially cheap to protecting Chinese industry from foreign competition that also depress imports and consumption in general.
The damage done to domestic manufacturing by Chinese and other imports, however, has an impact that transcends economics. U.S.-China trade is also endangering industries vital to maintaining a world- leading American military. Worse, the huge sums Beijing earns from its exports are making possible a military buildup that senior U.S. officials are openly criticizing.Indeed, China's $148 billion trade surplus with the United States so far this year alone equals nearly 38 percent of the entire 2005 U.S. defense budget. Yet with few in Washington recognizing the link, U.S. trade policy literally keeps arming America's likeliest future rival.
CONSERVATIVE DEMOCRAT SEEKS WYOMING U.S. SENATE SEAT
Right Democrat is more geared to promoting ideas than politicians, however, one candidate seeking high office seems to offer a rare candor and might provide a refreshing perspective in Washington. Conservative Democrat Dale Groutage is seeking the Wyoming U.S. Senate seat held by Republican incumbent Senator Craig Thomas. Groutage appears to be the kind of common sense Democrat that we need in Washington. Groutage has a interesting background as a rocket scientist and espouses strongly rooted mainstream values. See link to his campaign website http://www.dalegroutageforsenate.com/ and read the Planet Jackson Hole newspaper interview with Dale Groutage at http://tinyurl.com/dacqa
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Republicans to increase deficit while cutting critical programs
Our Republican controlled U.S. House of Representatives has passed a budget bill by a 216 to 214 margin that will cut $40 million from the budget most through reducing spending on critical programs like Medicaid, student loans and child support enforcement. Perhaps these cuts could be justified in the interest of deficit reduction if similar cuts were being made across the board, but this is not the reality. In fact, Republicans in Congress want tax cuts that far exceed the total spending cuts to programs which include areas like renewable energy research. The reckless Republican fiscal policies are clearly summarized in this February 3 report http://tinyurl.com/djkqp from Reuters.
"House Speaker Dennis Hastert, also speaking to journalists, emphasized trying to balance the U.S. budget, which the Congressional Budget Office says will hit a $337 billion deficit this year. 'What we want to do is hold the line on spending,' said Hastert, an Illinois Republican. He added that he wanted to restore "a surplus in the budget."
"Republicans have sought to advance both objectives in Congress this week. Democrats argued that the goals were in direct conflict, with the proposed renewal of tax cuts more than wiping out savings in federal spending. The Senate on Thursday approved $70 billion in tax cuts, part of the Republican effort to maintain President Bush's lower tax rates. Differences will have to be negotiated with the House, which has passed a $56 billion tax-cut bill. The House narrowly approved earlier in the week a controversial bill to cut domestic spending by $39 billion."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorialized in December that "With all the pork, boondoggles and pet projects gouged out of the federal treasury each year, it's dumbfounding to see Congress take one-third of its budget cuts out of the hides of college students and their families."
http://tinyurl.com/8jled Bush is cutting student loan programs while stressing the need in the Status of the Union address for "more engineers and scientists that are able to compete with other students around the world."
George W. Bush called for a greater emphasis on renewal energy resources in his State of the Union speech, however, the New York Times http://tinyurl.com/9zua4 reported on Thursday that Republican budget cuts will reduce spending on energy research.
"The Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget."
"A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports."
The cuts in child support enforcement agencies are especially short-sighted as the activities of these programs pay for themselves. Child support enforcement plays a important role by reducing welfare dependency, recovering the cost of public assistance programs and reducing the need for Medicaid expenditures through obtaining private health insurance for children. Child support enforcement agencies help to make sure that deadbeat parents pay their share of the cost of raising children rather than the taxpayers.
Let's hope that the voters will end this insanity by defeating members of Congress who vote to increase the deficit through massive tax cuts while cutting critical programs for those without powerful lobbyists.
"House Speaker Dennis Hastert, also speaking to journalists, emphasized trying to balance the U.S. budget, which the Congressional Budget Office says will hit a $337 billion deficit this year. 'What we want to do is hold the line on spending,' said Hastert, an Illinois Republican. He added that he wanted to restore "a surplus in the budget."
"Republicans have sought to advance both objectives in Congress this week. Democrats argued that the goals were in direct conflict, with the proposed renewal of tax cuts more than wiping out savings in federal spending. The Senate on Thursday approved $70 billion in tax cuts, part of the Republican effort to maintain President Bush's lower tax rates. Differences will have to be negotiated with the House, which has passed a $56 billion tax-cut bill. The House narrowly approved earlier in the week a controversial bill to cut domestic spending by $39 billion."
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer editorialized in December that "With all the pork, boondoggles and pet projects gouged out of the federal treasury each year, it's dumbfounding to see Congress take one-third of its budget cuts out of the hides of college students and their families."
http://tinyurl.com/8jled Bush is cutting student loan programs while stressing the need in the Status of the Union address for "more engineers and scientists that are able to compete with other students around the world."
George W. Bush called for a greater emphasis on renewal energy resources in his State of the Union speech, however, the New York Times http://tinyurl.com/9zua4 reported on Thursday that Republican budget cuts will reduce spending on energy research.
"The Energy Department will begin laying off researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in the next week or two because of cuts to its budget."
"A veteran researcher said the staff had been told that the cuts would be concentrated among researchers in wind and biomass, which includes ethanol. Those are two of the technologies that Mr. Bush cited on Tuesday night as holding the promise to replace part of the nation's oil imports."
The cuts in child support enforcement agencies are especially short-sighted as the activities of these programs pay for themselves. Child support enforcement plays a important role by reducing welfare dependency, recovering the cost of public assistance programs and reducing the need for Medicaid expenditures through obtaining private health insurance for children. Child support enforcement agencies help to make sure that deadbeat parents pay their share of the cost of raising children rather than the taxpayers.
Let's hope that the voters will end this insanity by defeating members of Congress who vote to increase the deficit through massive tax cuts while cutting critical programs for those without powerful lobbyists.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
