If you've looked at the American political scene this year and thought it looked insane - but you were worried it might just be you - we're here today to reaffirm your sanity.
Some of the actions happening on either side of the political aisle lately have been more than a bit strange. Looking deeper, we can understand some moves - for example that of former U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey - as highly strategic maneuvers. However, some of the recent actions - especially by the GOP Presidential contenders - make absolutely no sense to us.
Take the words and actions of the former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum.
Heading into a five day stretch capped off by today's primaries in Arizona and Michigan, Mr. Santorum was already hammering on the culture wars, with attacks on topics like abortion and contraception.
But last Friday, Santorum seemed to kick his campaign for Mayor of political Crazytown into high gear. He called President Obama a "snob" for heavily supporting college education - including community colleges and trade schools, along with four year institutions.
Mr. Santorum - a Catholic - went further, however, when he insisted that the famous speech on the separation of church and state by America's first Catholic President, John F. Kennedy, made him "want to throw up." Santorum made it VERY clear - he believes in a partial theocracy. On Monday, he even topped his previous comments, claiming that the massive 2008 Bush recession was caused not by fraudulent dealing by banks, or even shady borrowers, but by gas prices that were too high - which he then blamed on Mr. Obama (who was only a Senator in 2008).
Not to be outdone, Mitt Romney seemed to be attempting his own crazy stunts, including scheduling a minor policy speech for 2500 attendees on Friday in the 65,000+ seat Ford Field in Detroit - where he continued to say that the auto bailout was a bad thing. Romney even insisted he remembered the fiftieth anniversary of the automobile, a landmark moment in Detroit - which he couldn't have remembered, as it happened before he was even born.
Newt Gingrich couldn't let everyone else have all the fun, so he attacked the Afghan people verbally, saying it's impossible for anyone to fix their country, as he suggested Afghan citizens should “figure out how to live your own miserable life.” All this as America continues to wrangle with a particularly touchy diplomatic situation. Meanwhile, Ron Paul sat in the metaphorical corner and never attacked the frontrunner, Romney - but pounded Romney's rivals, all while denying he's already made a deal with Romney.
Don't even talk to us about the insanity at the state level in places like Pennsylvania, Alabama, and New Hampshire.
Democrats haven't seemed one hundred percent sane either this season. Some Democrats in Michigan have vowed to wreak havoc in Michigan's open primary today - a tactic they learned from Rush Limbaugh's actions four years ago. Further, news leaked out that former Governor, and U.S. Senator from Nebraska, Bob Kerrey, may change his mind and run for the Senate seat currently occupied by Ben Nelson - which has Nebraska republicans gobsmacked and in a panic.
Of all these actions, Kerrey's are the ones we understand most. After all, as we noted at the beginning of February, sources have said internal Democratic polling confirms Kerrey could decisively win over any of the Republicans currently vying for the Nelson Senate seat. For Kerrey not to run at this point would almost be more crazy than if he ran.
If we were writing a script to produce this year's election season as a book, TV show, or movie, we'd have to admit - so far, it's been non-stop excitement, on multiple levels.
The problem is, this isn't entertainment. It's supposed to be about governing.
Somebody, please tell all the fools to return to their respective native kingdoms, from whatever planet they might have originated. Their loyal subjects are missing their idiocracy.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
The Next Middle East Mess
For nearly a year now, in the links we provide with our weekday e-mail edition and in the other content we provide, we've mentioned the ongoing conflict in Syria. We have watched sadly as the conflict has gone from what appeared to be a bright light in the Arab Spring, to the ugly and bitter beginnings of an internal Syrian war.
If you're surprised, as a reader, to see a cartoon about Syria, or read a commentary about Syria in today's edition, we understand. Stories on Syria didn't grace the print editions or the online front pages of the L.A. Times, the Wall Street Journal, or the Washington Post over the weekend. The New York Times had only a small lead story on Sunday, with the rest of the story tucked inside.
The cable so-called news networks each devoted only one quick segment each to Syria this weekend, and none seemed to concentrate heavily on the ongoing massacre. The best that most media organizations did was to report on the sham constitutional election being held while government forces bomb the hell out of the opposition and innocent civilians.
The Red Cross & Red Crescent have yet to be able to strike a deal with President Bashar al-Assad's government to evacuate journalists and wounded Syrians, and the government forces continue to destroy their own country's infrastructure. The few Western journalists left in Syria are there at the risk of their own lives. Media reports from the region have shrunk to an ever smaller number since the recent killing of three journalists, including French photographer Remi Ochlik and American war correspondent Marie Colvin.
Meanwhile, representatives from more than sixty nations - including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - kept trying to discuss ways that they could apply even more outside political pressure to the Assad regime than they already have been, for most of the last year.
In short, things in Syria are a mess.
This situation is not, however, America's mess to clean up, regardless of the inaction on the part of the rest of the civilized world.
As we mentioned in a commentary that drew some sharp comments last year, America is no longer the world's policeman. We can not afford the cost, in dollars, lives, or political capitol - regardless of what those within the military industrial complex are pushing for. President Obama and Secretary Clinton kept America at a significant distance with the Libyan conflict, and should America offer any aid at all in Syria, it should be no more than what was offered in Libya.
We understand - there are those in the world who already are crying for America to clean up yet another nation's mess that isn't our responsibility. Yet the best policy for America, and for the world, is to NOT get involved with the internal conflict in Syria any more than we have to.
America's lack of direct involvement has nothing to do with oil or Iran - though Syria's conflict has elements that could destabilize both.
It has to do with the proper place of America in the world, and in the future, politically.
America may appear to some to be waiting in the wings with mop and bucket in hand, to clean up Pres. Assad's mess in Syria. The truth is, we're merely holding the cleanup tools for the Arab League, the U.N., and the Syrian people.
If other world powers decide they want this Syrian conflict cleaned up in a short period of time, they're going to have to get their own hands dirty for a change.
If you're surprised, as a reader, to see a cartoon about Syria, or read a commentary about Syria in today's edition, we understand. Stories on Syria didn't grace the print editions or the online front pages of the L.A. Times, the Wall Street Journal, or the Washington Post over the weekend. The New York Times had only a small lead story on Sunday, with the rest of the story tucked inside.
The cable so-called news networks each devoted only one quick segment each to Syria this weekend, and none seemed to concentrate heavily on the ongoing massacre. The best that most media organizations did was to report on the sham constitutional election being held while government forces bomb the hell out of the opposition and innocent civilians.
The Red Cross & Red Crescent have yet to be able to strike a deal with President Bashar al-Assad's government to evacuate journalists and wounded Syrians, and the government forces continue to destroy their own country's infrastructure. The few Western journalists left in Syria are there at the risk of their own lives. Media reports from the region have shrunk to an ever smaller number since the recent killing of three journalists, including French photographer Remi Ochlik and American war correspondent Marie Colvin.
Meanwhile, representatives from more than sixty nations - including U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - kept trying to discuss ways that they could apply even more outside political pressure to the Assad regime than they already have been, for most of the last year.
In short, things in Syria are a mess.
This situation is not, however, America's mess to clean up, regardless of the inaction on the part of the rest of the civilized world.
As we mentioned in a commentary that drew some sharp comments last year, America is no longer the world's policeman. We can not afford the cost, in dollars, lives, or political capitol - regardless of what those within the military industrial complex are pushing for. President Obama and Secretary Clinton kept America at a significant distance with the Libyan conflict, and should America offer any aid at all in Syria, it should be no more than what was offered in Libya.
We understand - there are those in the world who already are crying for America to clean up yet another nation's mess that isn't our responsibility. Yet the best policy for America, and for the world, is to NOT get involved with the internal conflict in Syria any more than we have to.
America's lack of direct involvement has nothing to do with oil or Iran - though Syria's conflict has elements that could destabilize both.
It has to do with the proper place of America in the world, and in the future, politically.
America may appear to some to be waiting in the wings with mop and bucket in hand, to clean up Pres. Assad's mess in Syria. The truth is, we're merely holding the cleanup tools for the Arab League, the U.N., and the Syrian people.
If other world powers decide they want this Syrian conflict cleaned up in a short period of time, they're going to have to get their own hands dirty for a change.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Friday Funday: Getting Away From The Insanity
As another weekend approaches, our staff is hungrily planning their staycations and events, to try and get away from the sheer insanity of the past week. While there have been some good things going on in the political world, many of the actions that have happened may have never needed to happen - and have us shaking our heads at the pure stupidity of them all.
Take the battle over women's health rights in Virginia.
After all the howling in the media, after the sneaky underhanded actions used to get the bill to the Virginia Legislature in the first place, the invasive transvaginal ultrasound bill died this week after massive protests, as we noted earlier in the week. The ridiculous personhood bill in Virginia also got scuttled, which we were glad to see.
The ultrasound bill itself was stupid, mean-spirited, and as any just person can see, a poorly-disguised attempt by right-wing extremists to raise a huge barrier to a procedure that is legal under Federal law, and has been for nearly forty years. For our staff living in Virginia, it was an embarrassment, and wasted state funds unnecessarily.
In Nebraska, our legislature didn't do much better in avoiding stupid actions this week.
On Thursday, a constitutional amendment to lengthen term limits cleared a first round hearing easily, and will likely eventually end up on the 2012 ballot - where 'common wisdom' is that it will likely also pass. What we can't understand is that a short dozen years ago, Nebraskans voted in favor of the original constitutional amendment which set up term limits in the first place, and pushed a large number of Nebraskans who were highly skilled public servants out of the Legislature.
Many of those former state senators simply ended up working elsewhere in state or local government, and more than a few became members of lobbyist organizations in Nebraska. If the intent of the original law was to force those individuals out of government completely, it failed miserably - as many said it would, a dozen years ago.
Don't even talk to us about how mind boggling the actions of state government are down in Florida. We'll have to explain some of those actions soon enough - and we're heading for the weekend, so we're simply filing those stories for another day.
Too many of the good media folk we know get so caught up in the stories we all cover that sometimes, it's hard for them to pull away and look at the good things in life. advancement
A friend of one of our staffers adopted a little girl a few years ago, who - this past week, at the proud age of nine-and-a-half learned to ride her bike without training wheels. We've got new flooring in one of our offices, and it looks great. We also have some new technology toys to play with - and our staffer Amy hosted her daughter's second birthday party this week.
We have a friend of the staff in Maryland who will begin planning his wedding soon, thanks to the Maryland legislature's actions this week. And a couple of our friends in radio earned national honors - and promotions.
We even know someone who will be involved in the Lincoln Polar Plunge at Holmes Park this weekend, to benefit the Special Olympics - though the weather is looking is be a fairly balmy 48ยบ on Saturday.
No matter what insane things our elected officials do, there is so much more to our lives than what we focus on here, five days a week. Whether you're involved in politics or in the media - as many of our readers are - or you're simply retired and loving it, we sincerely hope that you remember your lives are more than just the political battles that we all so often focus upon.
The things we focus on are important, yes, - but they're not worth bashing one's head over, every single day.
Get out and enjoy the weekend. The insanity will resume on Monday, guaranteed.
Take the battle over women's health rights in Virginia.
After all the howling in the media, after the sneaky underhanded actions used to get the bill to the Virginia Legislature in the first place, the invasive transvaginal ultrasound bill died this week after massive protests, as we noted earlier in the week. The ridiculous personhood bill in Virginia also got scuttled, which we were glad to see.
The ultrasound bill itself was stupid, mean-spirited, and as any just person can see, a poorly-disguised attempt by right-wing extremists to raise a huge barrier to a procedure that is legal under Federal law, and has been for nearly forty years. For our staff living in Virginia, it was an embarrassment, and wasted state funds unnecessarily.
In Nebraska, our legislature didn't do much better in avoiding stupid actions this week.
On Thursday, a constitutional amendment to lengthen term limits cleared a first round hearing easily, and will likely eventually end up on the 2012 ballot - where 'common wisdom' is that it will likely also pass. What we can't understand is that a short dozen years ago, Nebraskans voted in favor of the original constitutional amendment which set up term limits in the first place, and pushed a large number of Nebraskans who were highly skilled public servants out of the Legislature.
Many of those former state senators simply ended up working elsewhere in state or local government, and more than a few became members of lobbyist organizations in Nebraska. If the intent of the original law was to force those individuals out of government completely, it failed miserably - as many said it would, a dozen years ago.
Don't even talk to us about how mind boggling the actions of state government are down in Florida. We'll have to explain some of those actions soon enough - and we're heading for the weekend, so we're simply filing those stories for another day.
Too many of the good media folk we know get so caught up in the stories we all cover that sometimes, it's hard for them to pull away and look at the good things in life. advancement
A friend of one of our staffers adopted a little girl a few years ago, who - this past week, at the proud age of nine-and-a-half learned to ride her bike without training wheels. We've got new flooring in one of our offices, and it looks great. We also have some new technology toys to play with - and our staffer Amy hosted her daughter's second birthday party this week.
We have a friend of the staff in Maryland who will begin planning his wedding soon, thanks to the Maryland legislature's actions this week. And a couple of our friends in radio earned national honors - and promotions.
We even know someone who will be involved in the Lincoln Polar Plunge at Holmes Park this weekend, to benefit the Special Olympics - though the weather is looking is be a fairly balmy 48ยบ on Saturday.
No matter what insane things our elected officials do, there is so much more to our lives than what we focus on here, five days a week. Whether you're involved in politics or in the media - as many of our readers are - or you're simply retired and loving it, we sincerely hope that you remember your lives are more than just the political battles that we all so often focus upon.
The things we focus on are important, yes, - but they're not worth bashing one's head over, every single day.
Get out and enjoy the weekend. The insanity will resume on Monday, guaranteed.
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