Month: October 2009

The Growing Influence Of Vice President Joe Biden In Foreign Policy

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Vice President Joe Biden is rapidly becoming as influential Vice President close to the level of former Vice President Dick Cheney, but politically the exact opposite of Cheney.

Cheney promoted a hawkish view of foreign policy, while Biden is promoting a more dovish view, that we should not promote more troops in Afghanistan, but rather depend on drones and intelligence in Pakistan to hunt down Al Qaeda while, for the time being, NOT withdrawing the 68,000 troops already in Afghanistan. The history of Afghanistan is that no nation has ever, going back to ancient times, conquered or won in an intervention in that country.

This is wise advice in my view, and it is hoped that President Obama will listen to the Vice President. But the suggestion by Ariana Huffington that Biden should resign if he loses the battle over troop increases in Afghanistan is preposterous.

The way to change policy over time is to stick it out and work to change the President’s mind, even if not possible immediately.

Biden is one of the major assets of the Obama Administration, and he is a man of much wisdom!

The Two Maine Senators: Again Open To Bipartisanship

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Again, the two women Republican Senators from Maine–Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins–seem to be on the way to bipartisan support of the health care bill, as they were of the economic stimulus bill last winter.

Snowe voted for the Baucus Senate Finance Committee bill, and Collins now hints she may also be willing to support the bill on the Senate floor.

The problem for both is their unwillingness to support a public option as costing too much and adding to the debt, so if the House bill or the Senate Health Committee (Tom Harkin of Iowa) wins out over the Baucus bill, they may yet vote no, but even the possibility of support is appealing to the Obama Administration.

Some observers also think that George Voinovich of Ohio, another moderate and getting ready to retire from the Senate in 2010, might be a possible vote for a health care overhaul.

At the same time, there is no hint that even one GOP congressman will vote for it when the House gets to the final roll call.

The growing impact of Maine and its independent streak politically, as evidenced through its two GOP senators and otherwise, may yet be the story of the year, depending on events yet to be foretold.

Robert Wexler To Leave Congress: Sad Day For His District in South Florida

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The sad news has emerged that Congressman Robert Wexler of Boca Raton, Florida, my Congressman, is leaving the House of Representatives, effective January 3, 2010.

Wexler will become the President of the Center For Middle East Peace, a think tank dedicated to the search for a  solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Wexler will play an important role in the quest for peace in the most tumultuous area on earth. He leaves behind a great legacy in the halls of Congress for the past 13 years.

Wexler is best remembered for his defense of President Bill Clinton in the House Judiciary Committee hearings on the impeachment of the President in late 1998. He was also the first Congressman in South Florida to back Senator Barack Obama when he announced his run for President. He brought about large scale Jewish support for Obama in the presidential race in 2008.

Wexler also worked constantly and with great loyalty for his constituents, heavily senior citizens, in his district, and was always a man of principle in his views and voting record on domestic and foreign policy issues.

He is noted for displaying courage and steadfastness when he came under attack, and was proud to write his memoir on his years in Congress with the title “Firebreathing Liberal”!

Who could not admire a political leader who was proud to call himself a liberal, in a time when most politicians and intellectuals have been unwilling to promote what they believe in, because of the constant attacks on liberalism and progressivism?

As a professor myself proud to be a progressive and a liberal, I salute Robert Wexler for his service to the nation and wish him God speed in his work in his new position!

I have a feeling we will hear more about Robert Wexler in a public sphere in future years! 🙂

The Senate Finance Committee Vote And Senator Olympia Snowe

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Today’s 14-9 vote by the Senate Finance Committee on the so called Baucus bill on health care reform, with every Democrat and Republican Olympia Snowe voting yes, is a welcome moment, but it is not enough.

The lack of a public option in the bill means that the Baucus bill cannot be accepted as it is. Since Olympia Snowe does not promise that she will support the ultimate health care bill that is reconciled between the House and the Senate, we can thank her for her support, making the proposal slightly bipartisan, but not allow her to dictate the final version of the bill, as the price for her vote.

Optimism is arising that the health care bill will pass by Thanksgiving, and if it does, it will be the ultimate triumph of a vision first enunciated by former President Theodore Roosevelt in the 1912 presidential election when he was the candidate of the Progressive Party for President.

Senator Lindsey Graham Declares Republican Party Must Moderate To Have Future

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South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is continuing his quest to broaden the base of the Republican party by appealing to moderates and independents.

In so doing, he is openly challenging the conservative base of the party, and talk shows hosts, including Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Glenn Beck.

Graham is to be commended for understanding that the conservative base of the party is not a winning combination, and that the Republicans must return to the center to have a chance to grow.

Comparing Nancy Pelosi To Adolf Hitler: A New Republican Outrage!

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The National Republican Congressional Committee has reached a new low in political attack by comparing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to Adolf Hitler!

Trying to compare Pelosi’s campaign for health care reform with a man responsible for the mass loss of life in the Holocaust is despicable and is bound to reverberate next year, since the Republicans, while withdrawing this video, have made it clear that they will make the Speaker the “poster boy” for their attack on the Democrats in the congressional races of 2010.

It is hard to imagine that the American people will react in a positive way to these outrageous attacks and character assassination, not only against Pelosi, but against the President and other Democratic figures.

The Obama Administration And Increased Regulation

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The Obama Administration is taking active steps in three government agencies to promote regulation on issues that affect public safety and work conditions.

New activism is being promoted by the Food and Drug Administration (originated under Theodore Roosevelt); the Consumer Product Safety Commission (begun under Richard Nixon); and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (also originating under Richard Nixon).

This is on top of the effort for new financial regulations, and also the beefing up of the regulatory powers of the Environmental Protection Agency (also initiated under Richard Nixon).

While conservatives will, of course, attack this new emphasis on regulation, I see it as an important step in the return of the nation to the best aspects of the Progressive Era, The New Deal, and The Great Society, as well as the numerous reforms under Republican Richard Nixon, who is seen more than ever as having been quite significant in promoting reform and regulation, despite his many negatives, and involvement in the Watergate scandal.

Hillary Clinton Gives Up Quest For The Presidency

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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton apparently has given up any thought of seeking the Presidency in 2016.

She talked about eventual retirement in an interview with NBC News, and declared that she loves her job and does not feel marginalized, as some people think she is.

She seems contented to play a major role in diplomacy as her final role in American politics, and somehow, I tend to believe her that she has no further ambitions.

She went through so much stress and pressure, and being in a major role under President Obama, seems to satisfy her need for a public role and major contribution.

The good thing about this is that she can devote all her time to her commitment to improve America’s position and image in world affairs. She certainly has the potential to become one of our more outstanding Secretaries of State!

Barack Obama And Native Americans Conference On November 5

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It has just been announced that President Obama will host a White House meeting on November 5, a year after his election, for native Americans.

Entitled the Tribal Nations Conference, a representative of all 564 federally recognized tribes will be invited to the gathering, which sounds likely to be the biggest conference in size and detail regarding native American issues, in the history of the country.

This is a major step forward, which hopefully will lead to work on matters important to native Americans, since the tendency has been to ignore our smallest minority, which remain by every statistic available, the poorest group in America. It is time for real action and return of dignity to native Americans, so it is expected Obama will go beyond the niceties of the conference and produce major results that will affect the long term future of native Americans.

California And Direct Democracy Gone Amuck!

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The Chief Justice of the California Supreme Court. Ronald George, has denounced the state’s reliance on the referendum process to deal with many state issues.

He said too much direct democracy has hampered the ability of the state to deal with tax and human rights issues. Everything is resolved by voter participation, which sounds great in theory, but has in reality created dysfunctional government, and a massive government crisis on the state level never matched in US History.

Ballot initiatives have become so common as to paralyze the ability of state government to have any stability, and “direct democracy” needs to be curbed so that state government may have more ability to deal with issues, such as the budget and gay rights.

A conference is being held to deal with constitutional reform, with one of the key changes needed being to end the two thirds requirement to raise taxes, which has placed California in a straitjacket atmosphere, which makes one wonder why anyone would want to be governor of California after Arnold Schwarzenegger leaves office at the end of 2010.