by Nathan Empsall, Fri Feb 22, 2008 at 11:26:09 AM EST
Republican Congressman and McCain ally Rick Renzi has been indicted on multiple corruption counts, Nader's thinking about running again, foreign policy matters again in Serbia and Iraq, and the previous open thread's about to fall off the frontpage, so here's another.
Tags: Open Thread, Rick Renzi (all tags)
February 20, 2008
Roberts Supreme Court gives medical device makers a license to kill - YOU!EXCERPT
Congress can "solve" the problem by restoring the rights of injured citizens to sue the companies that injure them. A new law would tell most of the justices of the Supreme Court to take a flying leap of their own.
Moreover, an overwhelmingly Democratic Senate and House, with a Democratic president, could begin taking steps to bring the Supreme Court back to earth where it can focus on law and justice rather than so-called "Conservative" radicalism.
http://www.californiaprogressreport.com/ 2008/02/why_is_schwarze.html
http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.ph p?itemid=5393#more
Why is Schwarzenegger Not Being Recalled?The Difference Between Right Wing Activists and Progressives
By Randy Shaw
In the spring of 2003, right-wing activists seized upon California's massive budget deficit to launch a recall campaign against Governor Gray Davis. Although Davis had faced voters and won re-election the preceding November, he was charged with making such a financial mess that a recall was essential. Arnold Schwarzenegger soon led the charge against Davis. The successful actor argued that he had what it takes to restore the state's fiscal health, and to end the gridlock in Sacramento. But after five years in office, the Governor has broken all his promises to voters, and the state is in a much worse financial predicament than when he took office. So why are there not efforts to recall Schwarzengger? This may sound drastic, but with his "no new taxes" vow ensuring the state's continued insolvency, we should either get rid of him or allow the destruction of the state's schools, health care system, and California's longtime image as the Golden State.
One of the biggest differences between conservatives and progressives in California is the willingness of the former to try to achieve goals through the ballot box that they could never gain through the legislature or through the regular election process. Proposition 13 in 1978, term limits in 1990, Prop 209 in 1996 and the recall of Governor Davis in 2003 are all examples of conservatives pursuing objectives that were originally described as crazy, but which ended up prevailing at the polls.
When an ill-conceived conservative measure loses at the polls - like the phony eminent domain initiative in 2006 - they do not give up. They come back with an even more odious Prop 98 for the June 2008 ballot, which adds the elimination of rent control and environmental depredations to the bad ideas rejected by voters in Prop 90.
Progressives, on the other hand, have never given voters the chance to meaningfully reform Prop 13. Our pollsters tell us that such a measure cannot win, so we do not even try. When we lose a ballot initiative for single-payer health care, we don't try again -unlike conservatives, who keep throwing junk on the ballot year after year until they get lucky and prevail.
In the pre-Internet age, the right's greater resources could explain this distinction. But Howard Dean and Barack Obama have certainly shown how progressives can win the money battle through small contributions donated on-line.
So what is holding progressives back from moving to recall a Governor who has no political support in Sacramento, and whose 2006 re-election was largely made possible by a subprime-loan generated housing bubble that has since burst?
I think there are three factors holding this off.
First, the focus on 2008 is getting a Democrat in the White House, and a November 2008 recall election of California's Governor would be seen as a distraction. This factor, along with the state legislative races in November, makes deferring a recall move understandable.
Second, progressives support reform, but a surprising number believe strongly in working through the established rules. While the right to recall is enshrined in the California Constitution, many progressives see such a move as unfair - or in bad faith - even though conservatives have no such reservations.
Third, many progressives do not pay much attention to state budget issues, and likely see a Democratic President and Democratic-controlled Congress in 2009 as greatly helping California's financial woes. The feeling is that Arnold will be out of office at the end of 2010 anyway, so why bother recalling him a year early.
Here's why it still makes sense. Replacing Schwarzenegger in a spring 2009 special election would allow the 2009-10 budget to protect schools, health clinics, public transit, and other vital services. It would also allow the 2010-11 budget to include the income tax hikes and vehicular license fee increases that are necessary to keep the state operating.California has a $16 billion deficit and a Governor that refuses to raise taxes. Allowing him to stay in power means three more years of draconian budget cuts, and/or even more mortgaging of the state's future by funding operations through high-interest loans.
This makes no sense. Progressives are likely to be riding high in the spring of 2009, and will flock to the polls to recall the Governor. In contrast, the California Republican Party is in financial disarray, and neither its legislative members - nor many of its constituents - support Schwarzenegger.
Organized labor proved the Governor's vulnerability in the 2005 special election, when they led the fight to defeat all of his ballot initiatives. A similar campaign could be waged in the spring of 2009 - if grassroots activists push the state's progressive leadership hard enough.
Progressive activists have used MoveOn.org, Daily Kos and other Internet resources to greatly increase their influence in national politics. Now this resource can be used to rescue California from a Governor who is increasingly out of touch with reality.
Randy Shaw is the editor and publisher of Beyond Chron, an alternative online daily newspaper, with whose permission this article is republished.
And Mr. Maverick McCain had the great vision and clarity to select this guy as a state chair for his campaign "Renzi, a three-term congressman who was a state co-chair for Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign "
And as long as Obama is the Nominee, he will help other Dems on the ticket even in the south, where usually theres barely any enthusiasm on the Democratic side. Obama has the potential to turn some "red" states "blue", like Missouri, N. and S. Carolina, Virginia, and yes possibly even Texas.
Thats the one good thing about this nomination dragging out so long. As a result, Obama has had to travel to many states he normally wouldnt have been to this early, and has gotten the people in those usually neglected states all "Fired Up and Ready to Go" and has established armies of volunteers in those states, who are gaining important experience heading into November.
Ha! I went to high school in Virginia with two of Renzi's daughters; both were slutty and loved to party. I remember in my senior government class we went to capitol hill and got to meet Renzi along with a few of his congressional buddies. There were a few overachieving journalism students who asked him about how it felt to be named one of the ten most corrupt congressmen. I still get a good laugh every time I remember the look on my teachers face after that question was asked.
I met Don Sherwood about a year and a half ago through a College program. Our administrator didn't bother to Google him, he just knew he was an alum and came recommended - so he booked the meeting without knowing he was accused of strangling his mistress! Out of respect for him, the ten of us didn't bring it up, but the anxious look on his face every time another student started to ask a question was priceless.
WTF is wrong with Nader? Shouldn't he have lost all credibility by now? Who on earth would give him money, press time, or - well, anything?
I'd give him money and press... just not for the presidency... it's tough to forget the good things he once did, but he's making it easier.
I can appreciate it; he does have a legacy. And maybe had he learned the lesson of 2000, I could forgive him.
But he hasn't.
I watched an Unreasonable Man, the documentary on Nader, and he deserves a ton of credit for all the consumer stuff he did in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. However, what has he done in the last decade other than pursue this ego trip run for the Presidency?
He has every right to to run for the Presidency but what I still resent is the obvious lie in 2000 that there was no difference b/w Bush and Gore. Can anyone believe that 8 yrs later? Bush has led us into a needless war while Gore won the Nobel prize for his work on Climate Change. No difference, Ralph?
Nader's rational for running has been built around the idea that corporate contributions are corrupting the system through influence buying. If Obama is the nominee as seems likely, how does that fly considering the majority of his money is being raised in small, individual contributions on the Internet?
Nader really seems like a relic from another era to me.
AP survey: Superdelegates jump to Obama
The Democratic superdelegates are starting to follow the voters -- straight to Barack Obama.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080222/ap_o n_el_pr/superdelegates
Nader jumped the shark a long time ago. What does he do anymore beside run quixotic races for the presidency. Does he really think that getting .3% of the vote and then vanishing for four years is doing anything to build a progressive populist movement?
It's sad that he's choosing to end his career as a punchline rather than as one of the great progressive crusaders of the 20th century.
This was inevitable after Wisconsin...
AP Survey: Superdelegates Jump to Obama
Feb 22 02:51 PM US/Eastern
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Democratic superdelegates are starting to follow the voters--straight to Barack Obama.
In just the past two weeks, more than two dozen of them have climbed aboard his presidential campaign, according to a survey by The Associated Press. At the same time, Hillary Rodham Clinton's are beginning to jump ship, abandoning her for Obama or deciding they now are undecided.
The result: He's narrowing her once-commanding lead among these "superdelegates," the Democratic office holders and party officials who automatically attend the national convention and can vote for whomever they choose.
As Obama has reeled off 11 straight primary victories, some of the superdelegates are having second--or third--thoughts about their public commitments.
Take John Perez, a Californian who first endorsed John Edwards and then backed Clinton. Now, he says, he is undecided.
"Given where the race is at right now, I think it's very important for us to play a role around bringing the party together around the candidate that people have chosen, as opposed to advocating for our own choice," he said in an interview.
Clinton still leads among superdelegates--241 to 181, according to the AP survey. But her total is down two in the past two weeks, while his is up 25. Since the primaries started, at least three Clinton superdelegates have switched to Obama, including Rep. David Scott of Georgia, who changed his endorsement after Obama won 80 percent of the primary vote in Scott's district. At least two other Clinton backers have switched to undecided.
None of Obama's have publicly strayed, according to the AP tally.
There are nearly 800 Democratic superdelegates, making them an important force in a nomination race as close as this one. Both campaigns are furiously lobbying them.
"Holy buckets!" exclaimed Audra Ostergard of Nebraska. "Michelle Obama and I are playing phone tag."
Billi Gosh, a Vermont superdelegate who backs Clinton, got a phone call from the candidate herself this week.
"As superdelegates, we have the opportunity to change our mind, so she's just connecting with me," Gosh said. "I couldn't believe she was able to fit in calls like that to her incredibly busy schedule."
In Utah, two Clinton superdelegates said they continue to support the New York senator--for now.
"We'll see what happens," said Karen Hale. Likewise, fellow superdelegate Helen Langan said, "We'll see."
Other supporters are more steadfast.
"She's still in the race, isn't she? So I'm still supporting her," said Belinda Biafore, a superdelegate from West Virginia.
Obama has piled up the most victories in primaries and caucuses, giving him the overall lead in delegates, 1,361.5 to 1,267. The Illinois senator's half delegate came from the global primary sponsored by the Democrats Abroad.
It will take 2,025 delegates to secure the nomination at this summer's national convention in. If Clinton and Obama continue to split delegates in elections, neither will reach the mark without support from the superdelegates.
That has the campaigns fighting over the proper role for superdelegates, who can support any candidate they want. Obama argues it would be unfair for them to go against the outcome of the primaries and caucuses.
"I think it is important, given how hard Senator Clinton and I have been working, that these primaries and caucuses count for something," Obama said during Thursday night's debate in Austin, Texas.
Clinton argues that superdelegates should exercise independent judgment.
"These are the rules that are followed, and you know, I think that it will sort itself out," she said during the debate. "We will have a nominee, and we will have a unified Democratic Party, and we will go on to victory in November."
Behind the scenes, things can get sticky.
David Cicilline, the mayor of Providence, R.I., indicated this week that his support for Clinton might be wavering after--he contended--members of her campaign urged him to cave to the demands of a local firefighters union ahead of her weekend appearance there. The firefighters, in a long-running contract dispute with Cicilline, have said they would disrupt any Clinton event the mayor attends. A Clinton spokeswoman said the campaign would never interfere in the mayor's city decisions.
Obama has been helped by recent endorsements from several labor unions, including the Teamsters on Wednesday.
"He's our guy," said Sonny Nardi, an Ohio superdelegate and the president of Teamsters Local 416 in Cleveland.
The Democratic Party has named about 720 of its 795 superdelegates. The remainder will be chosen at state party conventions in the spring. AP reporters have interviewed 95 percent of the named delegates, with the most recent round of interviews taking place this week.
The superdelegates make up about a fifth of the overall delegates. As Democratic senators, both Clinton and Obama are superdelegates.
So is Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory, which is one reason his phone rings often.
He is a black mayor, and Obama has been winning about 90 percent of black votes. His state has a March 4 primary with 141 delegates at stake. The Democratic governor, Ted Strickland, is stumping hard for Clinton--and perhaps a spot on the national ticket.
A phone call from former President Clinton interrupted Mallory's dinner on a recent Saturday.
"I continue to get calls from mayors, congresspeople, governors, urging me one way or another," said Mallory, who is still mulling his decision. "The celebrities will be next. I guess Oprah will call me."
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