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Thursday, December 10, 2009
Obama looks to give $600 million of stimulus dollars to health centers for jobs and updating medical records.
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Thursday, December 10, 2009
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Alyssa Giachino writes that tough times equals a boon for military recruiters. The unemployed and underemployed turn to the Army to help ends meet. Normally, this would actually be good news for African Americans, but recruiting has gone so well this year, the Army could actually reject recruits. Not good for African Americans who happen to be a bit overweight or have minor criminal records.
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Opposition to a second stimulus plan.
In a generic ballot, congressional Republicans barely lead congressional Democrats.
South Carolina Republicans prefer the more conservative Jim DeMint over Lindsay Graham.
Tea Party candidates might sipher lots of Republican votes according to generic ballot polling. Read about it at Reuters too.
Do Americans really reject the science behind global warming? I'm starting to doubt the validity of Rasmussen Polling.
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Jesse Jackson has called on the Obama Administration to put more effort in solving unemployment in minority communities (double the national average). Jackson argues that stimulus spending has been exceedingly slow to reach hard hit urban areas. Jackson is right, but that does not mean Obama should do anything special.
Analysis
Obama campaigned on a promise of not bowing to special interests. This is especially difficult for Obama because people (mainly his detractors) have always assumed that Obama would go out of his way to help Black America. While Obama does need to move faster in helping the unemployed get back on their feet, it must be done in a manner that helps all Americans get back on their feet. Playing favorites is the surest way to ensure Obama does not get a second term to affect real change. Obama must resist the temptation to cater, no matter how much the hurt. Jackson,
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Tea-Party activists that want to change the status quo of American government are trying to affect change by following the same procedures as every other political institution. They're creating PACs. Wow, that's a recipe for change.
Analysis
They don't realize how stupid this approach is. Your or your only organization can only be on the "outside looking in" for so long. Eventually, if you're successful, you become the status quo. Then what? If these organizations won't support incumbents, what happens when they actually get a handful of people elected? Will they turn on the the candidates they once supported and help them no more. It's not a strategy for long-term success.
It's a problem inherent in any guerrilla/insurgent operation. And, it often explans why rebels are so bad at governing. A strategy to defy the status quo is very different than actual governing. What the Tea Party activists refuse to understand is that their governing principles were soundly rejected by Americans in the 2006 and 2008 elections. Why? Those professing to hold similar values as core to their construct (i.e. Republicans) could not actually govern that way. Hard core rightist extremism is not what Americans want. In the meantime, they'll only tear the GOP asunder.
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Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Lisa P. Jackson, boss at the Environmental Protection Agency had strong words in Copenhagen. Claiming the United States is making up for last time, she all but blamed the previous administration for dragging its' feet when it came to addressing climate change. Jackson even intimated that America could lead on this issue, but I really doubt Europe would follow the U.S. on this issue. Our reforms are too slow, measures too weak, not to mention we probably lead the world in doubters of man-made climate change.
Analysis
Even if you are a global warming skeptic, that's still no reason not to support efforts to clean the environment. Certainly, it's costly, but the United States does emit about 1/4 of all pollutants into the earth's air. We should take the lead in cleaning the air, but I doubt we have the moral authority to do so.
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Dan Gerstein (Forbes) chastises Obama for not being innovative enough in solving the financial crisis. Steps taken so far are too tepid and an unwillingness to really cut government spending limit real reform to the government. Gerstein is partly right, but he forgets that massively cutting government spending would have only increased unemployment in the short-run, the last thing Obama wants.
When Obama spoke yesterday calling for a second round of stimulus spending, he did so in a more pugilistic style than we're accustomed to seeing from the president. However, as it lacked details, it remains to be seen how seriously Congress will heed his call to action, not the least while still hammering out health care legislation.
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Devona Walker takes on Sarah Palin for buying in to and propagating the birther conspiracies.
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The government expects to lose less on TARP than initially thought. Reason: big banks recovered faster than expected.
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Barbara Lee (D-CA), chair of the Congressional Black Caucus discusses congressional and presidential initiatives.
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A federal judge in New Jersey has refuted Republican attempts at ending minority voter protections.
Analysis
This is an important development. Too many minority voters do not like or appreciate feeling intimidated when they vote. Under the guise of preventing voter fraud, almost always Republican efforts are aimed at suppressing the minority voter. It's a good thing the judge also saw that.
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...should be better now that all these affairs will be ending. He'll have more time to practice.
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John Nichols supports Obama's proposals of spending some of the unused TARP money directly on tax credits for small businesses to encourage hiring workers.
Analysis
This might work, but the government would have to be careful businesses did not surreptitiously use the money for savings.
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