Democrats

Senator Evan Bayh Leaving Congress, Condemning Its Paralysis

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It was a sad moment today when Indiana Democratic Senator Evan Bayh, a moderate liberal, announced he would not seek re-election after twelve years in the Senate, out of frustration and anger at the intransigence and paralysis that Congress has developed into during the past few years, and its basic inability to get anything done for the country.

Bayh may yet run for Governor again in Indiana, as he was in that office in the 1990s before going to the Senate. He indicated his desire to do public service for the people, but sees the legislative branch as in total disarray and gridlock, which disgusts him.

While claiming that the extreme left and the extreme right were both responsible for the disaster that Congress has become, Bayh did make clear that the final straw was when seven members (Republicans), who had agreed to work toward creation of a commission to deal with deficit spending and the national debt, ended up voting against the legislation they had co-sponsored!

This forced President Obama’s hand, making him create such a commission by executive order.

It is therefore clear that it is the far right, and really the Republican party, which has destroyed any camaraderie in the Senate, as they prefer the failure of the Obama Presidency over what is good for the country.

When a party wins control, they are entitled to operate the government by their ideas, but with the occasional cooperation and support of opposition party members, but that is not the case now, and the Senate filibuster has become totally destructive, with more use or threat of use of the filibuster in the past 14 months than in any past period, including the civil rights era of the 1950s and 1960s.

So we are losing top people like Evan Bayh, and one has to wonder will we be fortunate enough to have new senators on the level of quality that Bayh represented.

This is a low moment in Senate history, with good people deciding to bow out, and mediocrity reigning supreme! 🙁

The Growing Number Of Independent Voters: Not A Smart Move!

Ronald 11 Comments

Disillusionment with the economic conditions of America have led growing numbers of Americans to abandon their party loyalty and registration in the Democratic and Republican parties, and to register instead as Independents.

This is supposed to be a good thing, as it indicates separation from the two major parties. But in actuality, it is NOT a good thing, as it decreases a voter’s opportunity to affect political change.

This concept going around that an “Independent” or third party can somehow win over enough support and revolutionize the party system we have had since 1854, when the Republican party was created, is a fallacy, as our political system has never allowed for such a concept, certainly not for the White House, and only very rarely for a seat in Congress or a Governorship.

One can count on the fingers of both hands the number of independent candidates for office that have been elected. We can think of Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an independent Socialist who managed to be elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate as a true independent.

We can think of Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, who most recently beat out a Democrat and Republican to retain his seat.

We can remember Governors Angus King of Maine, Lowell Weicker of Connecticut, and Jesse Ventura of Minnesota, but all were actually party members who broke with the party and won a three way race.

There are a handful of other people who at some point were elected on an independent or third party line, but after being identified as a Republican or a Democrat in earlier elections. These include three senators who were part of the group that I wrote about in my book TWILIGHT OF PROGRESSIVISM: Senators George Norris of Nebraska, Robert La Follette, Jr. of Wisconsin, and Henrik Shipstead of Minnesota–all during the New Deal era of the 1930s.

As far as the White House, the closest any third party or independent candidate has gone is Theodore Roosevelt, former Republican President running as a Progressive in the 1912 election, winning six states, 88 electoral votes, and 27.5 percent of the vote.

So the thought that an “Independent” party or candidate is the future of American politics is just a dream. It will not happen, and by people abandoning the major parties in their registration, they actually are cutting down their voting power by half, as in most states, they cannot vote on Primary Day, and therefore only can vote for the choices made by Democrats and Republicans who have stayed with the party and tried to bring change from within.

So, truthfully, the move toward independent voters is actually based on ignorance of the realities of our political system. How it will play itself out on Election Day 2010 and 2012 is anyone’s guess!

Democrats’ New Strategy: Force Votes That Will Show Republican Support Or Intransigence

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The Obama Administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress are adopting a strategy to force the opposition Republicans to make a decision: support legislation on various matters, or be recorded as against the legislation and make it a case against the party in the upcoming Fall elections.

While there is hope that bipartisanship will occur, particularly at the scheduled White House summit on health care on February 25, the plan is to promote legislation on some aspects of health care, a job creation bill, legislation to lift the anti trust exemption for insurance companies, action to help small businesses and extend unemployment compensation, and a measure to levy fees on Wall Street banks that received bailout money.

There are hints that some GOP senators might join the Democrats on some legislation, including Tennessee Senator Bob Corker, Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, and Utah Senator Orrin Hatch.

At the same time, the Democrats in the House of Representatives face the fact that there are now two vacancies of members who supported the health care bill, when it passed 220-215 last fall. Robert Wexler left in January and John Murtha died last week, and neither seat will be filled until the spring. And Joseph Cao, the one Republican who voted for the health care bill, now indicates he will not support the bill on later passage if it comes up for a vote, so the House probably does not have a majority for the bill at this point.

So the Democrats are trying to figure out a strategy to gain action in both houses, but the road ahead is still very complex and difficult. It is hard to see any great prospect for action anytime soon! 🙁

Republican Hypocrisy On Medicare: Time For the President And His Party To Act!

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As Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman declares yesterday in the NY Times, the Republican party is extremely hypocritical on Medicare.

After spreading distortions on the Obama Health Care plan, including the concept of “death panels” and the idea of the plan cutting Medicare funding dramatically, it turns out that the budget plan released by Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, often seen as a leader of the future in the Republican party, calls for even bigger Medicare cuts over the next decade, if the GOP ever gains control of Congress in the next few years.

The Ryan proposal would end Medicare for those under 55, creating privatization, and would cut future coverage benefits for those about to go on Medicare or already on Medicare.

The American people fail to study history or have a collective memory. The GOP opposed Medicare in 1965, and the party worked to undermine Medicare under Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1995, but was stopped by the opposition of President Bill Clinton.

These realities should be enough for the Democrats to move ahead on their health care reform plan and use “reconciliation” to accomplish it. Better to push through a program under a web of controversy than to do nothing at all, which will convince the American people that the Democrats are unable or unwilling with a nearly 60 percent majority in both houses to accomplish their major goal.

A failure to take action on health care will doom the American people, including those on Medicare, to a future of Republican efforts to dismantle federal programs on Medicare, a crime against humanity at a time when health insurance companies are jacking up rates on health insurance faster than ever.

The health care crisis will only grow if the Democrats allow the Republicans to have a victory. The planned health care summit at the White House should be the last attempt at bipartisanship, extremely unlikely to work. Then, it is time for Barack Obama and the Democrats to act like a combination of “Give Them Hell Harry” (Truman) and “Wheeler Dealer” (Lyndon Johnson) to get things done!

The Crisis In Health Insurance Costs: A Moral Issue!

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While the Republicans refuse to negotiate on health care legislation, and the Democrats are unable to unite to accomplish necessary reform, the health care costs of the American people are skyrocketing! 🙁

Health care is already 17 percent of the total national budget for all Americans, and is expected to rise to 20 percent in the next decade if nothing is done to contain costs. And this does not even include the millions of Americans who have no health care.

Many health insurance companies are raising their health care premiums in an obscene way, some as much as 35-40 percent. There is no motivation by these companies to promote cost containment to their customers, and this will continue, unfortunately. In other industrial nations, where everyone is covered, the percentage spent on health care is dramatically lower, as in Great Britain, where the cost is seven percent of the total budgetary expenses, as compared to our seventeen percent.

The longer we take to deal with this issue on a national basis, the more we will have millions of Americans thrown off health care by skyrocketing costs, and lives will be lost, as already we know that 45,000 per year are lost due to lack of health insurance coverage.

This is a moral issue, if nothing else, but it is more, as so many lives depend on it, and decent health care costs are essential as the population increases, and more Americans are going without health care coverage.

Unemployment Rate Goes Down But Number Of Unemployed In Recession Was Greater In Last Year Than Originally Thought!

Ronald 1 Comment

The good news this morning is that the nation’s unemployment rate dropped three tenths of one percent from 10.0 to 9.7.

However, it has been discovered that the statistics of how many people have lost their jobs since the recession began in December 2007 was underestimated by approximately a million people! 🙁

It was thought that the total was about 7.2 million people, while now it is believed to be 8.4 million.

This is bad news, but at least no one can claim that the Obama Administration is trying to cover up the bad news. And there is some hope with the unemployment rate down one half of one percent since its high point of 10.2 percent three months ago.

However, it is still true that lowering that unemployment rate is essential for the Democrats as they face the challenge of the midterm congressional elections this coming November.

Time To Reform The Filibuster As It Is Out Of Control! :(

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It is time for Senate rules to be changed and the filibuster to be reformed, if not, ended!

President Obama made the assertion, in a meeting with Senate Democrats today, that the Republicans had abused the filibuster, and the need for a cloture vote of 60 senators to end a filibuster had gotten out of hand.

He is totally right, as CNN proved! From 1949-1970, records show that a total of 30 cloture votes were needed, with no more than seven in any session.

Starting in the 1970s, with cloture possible with 60 votes, rather than 67, the tactic was used more often, with the 110th Congress in 2007-2008 using it 112 times, a record.

So far, in the 111th Congress, it has been used 41 times, with 39 last year and two this year so far.

Obama’s statement is that the present Congress had used it more than all the Congresses in the 1950s and 1960s combined, and he is totally correct! Remember, the number is 30 over twenty two years from 1949-1970, and now 41 in a year and a month.!

This tactic must be fought against, as it blocks progress and allows a minority to abuse its position. The minority has the right to its views; it does NOT have the right to deny the majority its rights to pass legislation, as a simple majority in the House is enough to pass a bill.

This is not democracy in action; it is obstructionism, pure deception and truculence, and it is time it ended! The majority should have the power, not the minority! Enough of this dirty tactic which has never contributed to anything good, as for years it prevented civil rights laws! Now it is negating the results of the Presidential election of 2008! The people voted, and their will should be obeyed and respected! 🙁

New Gallup Poll On Party Affiliation Good News For Democrats Despite Slippage

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A new Gallup poll indicates that the Democrats have lost some of their edge in party affiliation across the country, but still show great advantage on a lesser level.

In 2008, the Democrats had a party affiliation edge of 18 points, while now it is down to ten points. 39 states have shown shrinkage in Democratic support, but yet 33 states show a Democratic edge of at least five points, as compared to just 5 states showing a GOP edge. 12 states show a swing state (less than five point edge) status.

23 states were strongly Democratic (more than 10 points) and ten states were Democratic leaning (five to ten point edge). Four states were strongly Republicans (Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, Alaska), and one state was leaning Republican (Alabama).

Eight states showed substantial loss of Democratic support, including Ohio (8); Hawaii, Louisiana and Montana (7); and Iowa, Maine, Vermont, and Wisconsin (6). The drop in Democratic support in Ohio and Wisconsin, the largest of these eight states, is most worrisome.

Overall, the Democrats are still in good shape, but while they still have the clear edge for the Presidential election of 2012, there are danger signs with the withering economy that could complicate the campaign of Barack Obama for a second term.

Unemployment Rate Prediction For 2010, 2011, 2012 Grim :(

Ronald 9 Comments

The Obama Administration has released projections of the unemployment rate expected at the end of 2010, 2011 and 2012, and they are indeed extremely grim news! 🙁

9.8 percent is expected at the end of this year, down only two tenths of one percent from what it is now. That is extremely bad news for Democrats in the House and Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.

In 2011, the expectation is that the unemployment rate will drop to 8.9 percent, a drop of only about a point from the end of 2010. That is very slow progress toward lower unemployment.

And in 2012, as the year ends, and the Presidential election is taking place, it is expected that the unemployment rate will only have dropped another point to 7.8 percent, higher than it was when Obama took the oath of office. This will make Obama’s unemployment rate in office higher than any other President since World War II at the end of the first term of office.

This all bodes badly for the future of the Democrats, as it is likely that the American people will blame the party for the slow progress downward on unemployment. It will make the job of reelecting President Obama all the more difficult! 🙁

Obama’s Target Groups To Work On For Support: Independents, Senior Citizens, Suburbanites

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Recent polls make it clear that Barack Obama has three major target groups he will need to work on, as they are becoming more disillusioned with him, when compared to their support for him in 2008.

These groups are Independents, senior citizens, and suburbanites. Independents are unhappy that the Congress has been unable to accomplish very much, while seniors worry about how their health care might be affected by a national health care reform, and suburbanites are suffering through heavy job losses and foreclosures.

Ironically, many people in these target groups seem to think a Republican Congress working with Obama would be better, comparing it to cooperation at times that developed between Bill Clinton and the GOP Congress after 1994. Actually, this concept of divided government as better really is not to be preferred, as much more than not, it causes fireworks and gridlock. The memory of the American people about a split government being preferred is based on false premises and a clouded image of reality! The same Congress that at times worked with Bill Clinton also impeached him and caused tremendous fireworks that impeded the ability to deal with many problems of the 1990s.

The way to regain support of these target groups for the President is to have the Congress accomplish the goal of health care reform, and aggressively bring about a jobs program and a foreclosure initiative that makes average Americans feel that their government is concerned about them, not just Wall Street and the banks!