Day: June 9, 2010

California: Two Businesswomen Fighting The Democratic Dominance!

California, one eighth of the nation’s population, will be the center of a lot of political coverage this fall.ร‚ย  Two GOP businesswomen are challenging two long time Democratic officeholders who have never had trouble being elected, and are unlikely to lose their races for Governor and Senator!

I am referring to Meg Whitman, former CEO of Ebay, who is challenging former Governor Jerry Brown, who was the youngest governor in California history when he served from 1975-1983, and now will likely be the oldest governor in the state’s history!

I am also referring to Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett Packard (who was fired with a great severance package), who is challenging Senator Barbara Boxer, who has served three terms in the Senate, and has long been a liberal champion!

Whitman spent approximately $80 million of her own money to win the GOP nomination over an opponent who ONLY spent about $25 million! ๐Ÿ™‚ This is again proof of the need to limit private spending in politics, which has become an epidemic! One has to wonder how a person as rich as Whitman can possibly understand the problems of average Americans! Whitman has painted herself in a very right wing corner, and one has to be creative to figure out how she expects to win a state that has long been one of the most liberal in the nation!

Brown not only served as Governor for two terms, but also ran for President in 1976, 1980, and 1992.ร‚ย  He has also, at different times been Mayor of Oakland and California Attorney General, his most recent position. While Brown has long been considered quite weird by many, he has constantly been in public life for nearly forty years, and has always remained popular with voters. His earlier experiences make him far better qualified to run the state than a novice politico with corporate experience who has never had to deal with real life government issues!

Carly Fiorina had lots of troubles with the Board of Hewlett Packard and was forced out in 2005.ร‚ย  She went on to be an adviser to Senator John McCain in his 2008 Presidential campaign, although causing some controversy by some remarks she made, losing her close contact with McCain as a result!

Barbara Boxer has never been known to cut back on her outspokenness, so therefore is controversial. ร‚ย  However,ร‚ย  her heart is always in the right place, and her seniority is something California is unlikely to wish to lose! And since Fiorina is running a hard line conservative campaign, again, it is not likely that California is going to go all the way to the Far Right!

One has to remember the importance of the Latino vote, and since it is a large portion of the voting population in California, to project a victory for Whitman and Fiorina over Brown and Boxer would seem to be a bad bet! LOL ๐Ÿ™‚

British Petroleum’s Arrogance And Those Who Defend Them! :(

British Petroleum, and the oil industry in general, has been running amuck over our country, buying up politicians such as Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski and Louisiana Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, and is now gaining backing from Tea Party Movement candidates, including Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky!

BP has made no plans for safety of its workers, and lost eleven of them in the April 20 explosion that led to the Gulf Oil Crisis! It has made no plans ahead of time to react to an industrial accident, and has only been concerned to maximize profits at the expense of workers, consumers, and the environment! ๐Ÿ™ They have no clue as to how to resolve the crisis and have proved to be highly arrogant in their approach to the media and the public! ๐Ÿ™

The idea that ANY politician could continue to back the oil industry in its rapacious disregard for the American people is an outrage, and the idea that deregulation is still being promoted after years of abuse, makes one wonder how any sane American could back any of these politicians and those who, like Sarah Palin, endorse “Drill, Baby, Drill”! ๐Ÿ™

Is there any sense of responsibility to the American people by oil company leaders and their political “prostitutes”? Apparently “NO” is the answer! ๐Ÿ™

Sharron Angle And Rand Paul: Rivals For Most Loony Senate Nominee!

GOP Senate nominee Rand Paul in Kentucky has been raising many people’s eyebrows with his libertarian sentiments, but he now has a rival for creating outrage, in Nevada GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle!

Angle is against Social Security; for deregulation of the oil industry in the midst of the BP Oil Spill Crisis; against fluoridation of the water supply; against legal alcohol; pro gun rights; anti abortion; endorses a one parent income family; wants the Department of Education phased out, as well as the federal income tax; believes the government wants to set up “concentration camps” for critics; and is backed by conservative talk show host Mark Levin, singer Pat Boone, and “Joe The Plumber”!

If this woman and Rand Paul are elected to the Senate, that body will lose some of its dignity and stature, as they will stand out as among the most whacky and loony members the Senate has ever contained! Such characters as Jim DeMint of South Carolina, Jim Bunning (retiring) of Kentucky, James Inhofe of Oklahoma and others like them, will suddenly seem very stable and dignified Senators! ๐Ÿ™‚

In other words, the United States Senate, like many institutions across America, seems to be declining in quality, and that is a sad commentary on the future of this great nation! ๐Ÿ™

The Tea Party Movement will likely destroy itself from within, as it is hard to imagine a majority of voters tolerating such nut cakes as Rand Paul and Sharron Angle!

Should Barack Obama Be Emotional, Or Be “Mr. Spock”?

It is ironic that Barack Obama is being criticized by many for being unemotional in public, more like a “Mr. Spock” character, as in STAR TREK!

What is wrong with that? Do we really want a President who is raging fury, is crying in public, is losing his temper, using foul language, maybe even being physical as he “blows his stack”?

Have we forgotten Richard Nixon losing his temper, Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine “crying” when he was running for the Democratic Presidential nomination in 1972, Senator John McCain infamous for a furious temper and using foul language, and other examples of politicians acting inappropriately in public in the past?

Don’t we really want a President who is stable, secure, confident, and intelligent enough to come across as an “egghead”, an intellectual who gives dignity to the office, and has ability to act like a true leader should be–meaning NOT one of us, but better in statesmanship and human relations than the average person, who would be a horror as President of the United States!

Another factor to consider is IF President Obama was an “angry black man”, that would only terrify those who already fear the idea of the “angry black man”, particularly those white racists who see Obama as unacceptable, and privately are furious that an African American President can actually possess dignity and class, something that goes against their warped stereotype! ๐Ÿ™

In other words, Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is fine for his position, but his well known temper, anger, and foul language would NOT be appropriate behavior for the Presidency.

So, President Obama, stay exactly the way you come across, as you are a credit to the dignity of the office of the Presidency! ๐Ÿ™‚

Nevada Primary Results A Boost For Harry Reid!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada is often underrated and misjudged, both by his party members, and also by the GOP opposition!

Not a great speaker, not particularly photogenic, and not a dominating personality, Reid actually has managed to organize and control his 59 member Democratic majority with lots of work behind the scenes, and has handled right wing attacks in a very effective, if quiet fashion!

Reid has done a lot for Nevada, and it would be silly and ridiculous for Nevada to defeat such a powerful leader who gives the state distinction! So despite all the talk that Reid is “prime meat” for defeat, don’t bet on it, particularly by the results of the GOP primary for the Senate yesterday!

Sharron Angle, the most right wing candidate of the three candidates, managed to come from behind and defeat Sue Lowden, who had suggested that people could pay their doctors with chickens, as in the olden times, apparently, in Nevada!

Lowden came across as loony enough, but, believe it or not, Sharron Angle comes across by her viewpoints and statements to be even MORE whacky a nominee! Being backed by the Tea Party Movement only makes her more nutty than otherwise, and it is said that Harry Reid is thrilled at her nomination, as he thinks, rightfully it is believed, that he has an easier road to reelection!

Reid may not be charismatic or great looking, but the GOP has made it more likely than ever that he will be reelected, and stay on as Senate Majority Leader in the next two years!

Arkansas Primary Results Disillusioning But Also Important Statement About Democratic Party!

The defeat of Lieutenant Governor Bill Halter by Senator Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas yesterday is disillusioning to liberals and progressives, but also an important statement about the Democratic Party nationally!

While labor unions and progressive organizations such as Moveon.org spent a lot of money trying to defeat Lincoln as too conservative, her narrow victory leads to two conclusions!

First, since Arkansas is basically more conservative than much of the nation, Lincoln has a better chance of defeating her Republican challenger for the seat, Congressman John Boozman. It will not be easy, so under the circumstances, her seniority and experience and the fact that no one considers her a liberal, should help her.

Secondly, the nomination of Lincoln demonstrates that the Democratic Party is one that has a “big tent”, and can contain within itself liberals, moderates, and even some conservatives. That is more than the Republican Party can claim, as it becomes more right wing and extremist by the day! ๐Ÿ™

No Resolution Of Issues Mentioned In Last Blog Entry Before Vacation!

I am back from my vacation, and the world has not ended! ๐Ÿ™‚ LOL

But the Oil Spill Crisis in the Gulf of Mexico continues, and is doing great harm to Louisiana in particular, but also to Mississippi, Alabama and Florida beaches and wildlife. This will be discussed in more detail at a later point.

The Korean Crisis, with the sinking of the South Korean ship by North Korea, and the heavy loss of life, has not led to outright war as of yet, thank goodness, but Kim Jong Il has reorganized the government of North Korea in expectation of a change in leadership, due to his poor health and advancing age.

Finally, there have been no more terrorist attacks on the homeland, but two young men in New Jersey were intercepted trying to leave the country and to train for “jihad” with an Al Qaeda unit in Somalia, after a four year investigation and tracking of their statements and activities by counter terrorist groups within our intelligence agencies. The fact that they were caught is an encouraging sign after the last few terrorist incidents in the past few months which were only unsuccessful because of missteps by the terrorists!

Commentary on these issues and others of the past eleven days while I was away, along with new events, will be analyzed as the days go by! It is good to be back and writing! ๐Ÿ™‚