How Will You Vote in November?

I got the quote below from a comment posted on Op Ed News. I assume the attribution to Bill Maher is correct, but no matter who said it, it's worth repeating. This was part of a discussion about whether or not it makes sense to vote for Democrats in November. That's a hot topic in the blogosphere, and I don't have anything to add. Heck, I'm still trying to convince myself that's worth voting at all, after 40 years of faithful voting, believing it was my civic and patriotic duty. It feels like a joke now.

In the words of Bill Maher,

We have a center-right party and a crazy party. Over the last 30 years, the Democrats have moved to the right, and the Republicans have moved into a mental hospital.

One woman in the Op Ed News discussion commented that she would rather vote for an "honest Republican" than a Democrat in name only. Seriously?! An honest Republican? When is the last time anybody saw one of those???

Alas, I'm sure I will vote in November, only because we have to keep the Right at bay as much as we can for as long as we can. Then, again, an argument could be made that we may as well let the dam burst wide open, let the chips of right-wing neofeudalism fall where they may, and hope it results in the drastic, cataclysmic correction we must have for the human race to survive. Either way, it's a tough decision.

Democracy Is Dead; We Are Not

"How can we solve the problem when we are the problem . . . ?" So asks Joe Bageant, author of Deer Hunting with Jesus, in a recent blog post, Live from Planet Norte. That is the question, isn't it?

I've grown disillusioned. Not so much about Obama--my expectations for him were not so unrealistic--but with my fellow citizens and most profoundly with the idea of America that I believed in through thick and thin for over half a decade. The reasons have been hard to put into words, perhaps because it didn't seem to matter any more.

But something has started to shift. I began to discover others who are experiencing the same thing. Many of us are trying to find words . . . . "Democracy is dead," is about the best we can do at first. We feel like lunatics because we have an impulse to run through the streets screaming, "The end is near!" But slowly, now, some are finding words, and that is heartening. Not because our words will save democracy, not because they will save the planet or raise anyone's awareness, but because they will help us move on.

Joe Bageant has a lot to say about all of this. His perspective on what's happening in America is enlightening, and his grasp on how it's impacting some of us is astute. Most importantly, though, he knows we must move on. It's too late now for significant political change; America is too far gone. But politics and social systems are human constructs; they will fail.

So, as we give up on things that in the past have given us meaning and hope and passion, we find that "change we can believe in" is happening not in our country, not in the world, but within ourselves. Maybe it's not so bad if we are able to shift our hopes and energies to something that transcends the creations, the constructs, and the hopeless foolishness of mankind.

Mr. Bageant's essay is long, but it's worth the time and effort to read in its entirety: Live from Planet Norte.

American Mythology: The Good Corporate Citizen

"Seventy percent of Americans can't find their butt with a map and flashlight."

That's from a caller on one of my favorite radio talk shows. I heard it tonight on the way home. Not more than an hour before, I'd had a conversation with an engineer at work about the Gulf oil catastrophe. He couldn't understand why BP had not tried a particular plugging device that is supposed to be highly effective. "Maybe it costs too much," I said. "I'm sure they don't care about cost," he responded (with a touch of condescension).

I thought he was implying that the cost of the damn device is nothing when compared to the liability and stock-market losses BP has to face. I was wrong. Another engineer carefully and politely explained to him that BP "thinks like a corporation" and makes decisions based on its own bottom line. It seems he meant that BP would, of course, put the benefit of human beings and the planet above the cost of a device that could stop the gushing oil.

Perhaps he, like Sarah Palin, believes Americans "should be able to trust the oil industry."

To the Tea Party Patriots . . . You Didn't Get Mad

Here's my version of the open letter to the Tea Party crowd.

What Does It Take To Make You Mad?

You didn’t get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.
You didn’t get mad when Cheney allowed energy company officials to dictate energy policy.
You didn’t get mad when he outed a covert CIA operative.
You didn’t get mad when our government illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.
You didn’t get mad when they spent over 600 billion on that illegal war.
You didn’t get mad when they refused to provide adequate armor for our troops.
You didn’t get mad when they allowed war profiteers to bilk and defraud the American people.
You didn’t get mad when over 10 billion dollars of tax money simply vanished in Iraq.
You didn’t get mad when they let Bin Laden get away.
You didn’t get mad when they passed the Patriot Act.
You didn’t get mad when they illegally wiretapped American citizens.
You didn’t get mad when you saw the Abu Grahib photos.
You didn’t get mad when you learned about the torture.
You didn’t get mad when you heard about the horrible conditions at Walter Reed.
You didn’t get mad when they let a major US city drown.
You didn’t get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark.

You finally got mad . . .
when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick.

Yes; illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, and stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer are all OK with you.

But helping Americans . . . over that you will arm yourselves and take to the streets.

Is that about right?

In The Wake of Van Jones: Showing Themselves As They Are

As I said previously . . . like wolves with fresh kill. Now this from Phil Kerpen at FOXNews.com:
it's "one of the most significant things I've ever had the honor of being involved in."

How Van Jones Happened and What We Need to Do Next

I've come across much uglier things about Van Jones, such as one person who was happy that he he'd been "lynched," but I'm not going to provide further links to venomous diatribes. We've seen and heard enough.

Another Victory for Insanity: Van Jones Resigns

A little more than a year ago, I sat a few rows in front of Van Jones as he addressed the 2008 National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis. I could not have been more impressed. He was genuine, passionate, dedicated--a good man, a good citizen, doing work that no sane person would criticize. He was working to create green jobs, jobs that are good for the environment, good for the economy, and good for Americans. As Jones says, "One dollar spent to create a green job is the hardest working dollar you can spend."

Hiring Van Jones is one of the best things President Obama did. Sadly, Jones resigned yesterday after attacks from Glenn Beck, Republican legislators, and the right-wing blogosphere.

Maybe Mr. Jones' biggest problem is that he recently called Republicans "assholes." Can you imagine using such nasty language against people who regularly call President Obama a "racist socialist Nazi"? Yes, Jones' use of the word "assholes" apparently proves he is a dangerous man.

Here is an example of the ravings of this man who is being called an "avowed communist":

Video: CSPAN, 5/18/09, Students & Leaders 2009

<<<< >>>>

You know, I learned an amazing lesson growing up: most bullies keep beating on you until you make it abudantly clear that they have made an unwise choice.

I understand why Jones left, and I don't blame him. But the extremist right is celebrating like wolves with fresh kill.

Enough!

Yes, average, civilized Americans like to play nice. But some people do not play by the rules of civil society. I've seen it work time and time again: you must make a bully respect you. Turn the other cheek in the true meaning of that phrase: stand up and call them out.

It's high time.

Now I Understand: The So-Called 'Healthcare Debate'

I just heard the Chairman of the GOP in Florida say that right-wing protesters at raucous town hall meetings don't want "Dr. Obama" making the decisions about their health care.

Is that right? Do these fucking people think President Obama has nothing better to do but sit around and decide which fucking lab test or drug or medical treatment they should have?

Apparently, they don't remember or don't care that we are in the middle of two wars and a global financial meltdown. But they do know the following:

• President Obama is both a socialist and a Nazi, despite the fact that he is very much a conciliator and a centrist. Is this a political version of the Trinity? No mere mortal could be all three, or any two of the three. Maybe they think this astounding feat is possible because Obama is, of course, endowed with the magical powers of the Antichrist.
  
  
• Congress and President Obama plan to pass legislation to kill old people, despite the fact that most Senators are themselves old people.
  
  
• They won't stand for "socialized medicine," as if Congress or the Obama Administration is proposing any such thing. They don't want government-run health care. Oh, except for Medicare and the VA.
  
  
• President Obama, exhibiting more astounding magical powers, was born both in Hawaii and Kenya, and is, therefore, not a US citizen. He is, of course, an alien.
  

After listening to some of these people, both in person and on television, I've come to an understanding that had escaped me until now: some of the stupidest people on the planet live right here in the USA, and there is nothing the rest of us can do about that. They are unwilling or unable to be anything but stupid.

Now I understand that the only thing to do is to keep on keeping on, giving no more regard to this crowd than one would give to the folks with tin foil hats.

(But we cannot lose sight of the puppet masters and their propaganda machines--like this one--who so successfully manipulate hapless souls as they continue working to completely hijack and derail American democracy.)

Was The Financial Collapse Planned?

I accidentally came across a post from the Information Clearinghouse, dated in 2003, in which the author contends that fiscal collapse was the intended purpose of the Bush tax cuts.

Fiscal Collapse in America: Privatization and Neo-Feudalism

I dunno. Maybe. I can't vouch for the credibility of the Info Clearninghouse site; it certainly has a strong point of view. In any case, it's smart to keep an eye on the wily rat bastards and the corporatocracy.

This and That: What's On My Mind

Life has been a bit crazy lately and I'm way overdue for a post. This will be a short one, but I have a few things on my mind:

• I discovered a great song today: Hero In Me (You Tube video) by Jeffrey Gaines. Gaines is a serious, thoughtful artist, and these lyrics blow me away.
  
  
• Speaking of finding the hero inside, I wonder if Dick Cheney ever had any hero in him. What an ass that man is. It turned my stomach to hear him say today that Al Qaeda was a "little known" organization prior to 9/11. Little known to him perhaps, but not to others, especially not to those who tried so hard to get a message through to people like Cheney who were too damned full of themselves to care. Oh, don't get me started.
  
  
• I'm reading an intriguing book called Jesus Against Christianity by Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. He quotes Marcus Borg in saying that Christianity, especially in the US, is "massively idolatrous." I couldn't agree more.
  
  
• It's not just American Christianity that has gone horribly awry, the whole self-centered consumer culture has been unhealthy and unsustainable for a long time (maybe since the first Europeans set up shop on this continent--check out We Shall Remain on PBS). I recently listened to a series of lectures by Derek Jensen. He's another author/speaker who turns tradition on its head, and he does it with humor and smart social commentary. Unfortunately, Derek believes that anarchy and massive social destruction are the answer. In this case, I could not disagree more. From where I sit, we sure as hell don't need more suffering and chaos.
  

Till next time, peace . . . .

I Am so Moving to Brazil

On Sundays, I love to watch Fareed Zakaria's interviews with world leaders and influential thinkers on his CNN program, GPS (Global Public Square). Today, he interviewed the President of Brazil, Ignacio Lula Da Silva, who has an 80% approval rating, the highest of any leader in the world.

President Lula, as he is called, may be the ultimate populist leader. He knows a thing or two about life in the real world, coming from the humblest of beginnings and having worked as a machine lathe operator. He's about to join other world economic leaders in London for the G-20 and shared his thoughts in today's interview:

I don't know if a president of a country should say what I'm going to say now, but I will say it anyway. When I'm sitting in the G-20 meetings with all of those presidents or heads of state, I know I am the only one who definitely went through a lot of misery and hunger.

I lived in houses that were flooded by water inside my house, one and half meters high. Sometimes I had to fight over space with rats and cockroaches, and waste would come in when it flooded. I know what unemployment means because I was unemployed for one and half years. I know the drama that the worker and unemployed worker face. . . .

So, once in a while, I feel like an outsider. I think, "What am I doing here?"

When Zakaria asked what has made him such a popular leader, he explained:

We tried to develop a very strong policy to prove to the theoreticians that is was possible to . . . develop a policy for economic growth on one hand while simultaneously improving income distribution. What the theoretician says is that, first, the economy has to grow, and then you can distribute income. We said that it's now necessary to do both together.

During his six years in office, his administration has:

• Lifted 20 million people out of poverty
  
• Brought electricity into 10 million Brazilian households
  
• Increased the minimum wage every year

The conversation turned to the world economic crisis. Lula recently met with President Obama and urged him to study and learn from Japan's economic crisis of the 1990's:

It lasted 10 years because Japan did not take bold action with its banks. I ask myself how much longer can the US pour money into the banks if the credit doesn't begin to flow. I read about AIG, how they took money from the government and paid bonuses. . . . I think it's a scandal. The poor people are waiting for us to fix these things. . . . What we need is to make investments to create jobs.

Brazil recently discovered rich oil resources off its coastline and plans to begin oil production in the coming months. Lula wants price controls on the oil to make it affordable to the world:

After all, we need to lift millions of people from India, millions of people from Africa, millions of people from Latin America out of poverty. They want to have breakfast in the morning, they want to have lunch, they want to have dinner. . . . They aren't asking for much.

Neither are the growing numbers of poor in this country.

Lula is a strong proponent of democracy, believing that only democracy could bring about a President Obama or a President Lula. Because of his progressive policies, a journalist recently asked Lula if he is a Marxist-Leninist. His response: "I am a lathe operator." Zakaria asked him why he gave that response:

I said that because I wanted to go against labels, but I consider myself a socialist. I have a world vision that is more just. I want a world with more social fairness, where the state would regulate society so the poor are not victims of speculators and exploitation.

Hurray for President Lula! I hope the G-20 leaders hear this man.

I'm not really moving to Brazil, but I am so longing for a world that shares President Lula's vision of simple, basic justice.

More:
President Lula predicts a "spicy" affair at the G-20 summit--UK's Mail Online article

Iran and the US: Those "Family Values"

I have so many subjects I want to write about and so little time and energy to get them written, but this afternoon I'm putting it all aside to write about my experience in the moment. I'm watching CSPAN's Book TV. The program, which originally aired on 1/26/09, is called simply "Rick Steves." Mr. Steves is a travel writer who recently visited Iran because, he says, we should not bomb people we don't know.

As Steves shows slides and describes his experience, he compares and contrasts US and Iranian history, culture, and beliefs. He reminds us that for most adults in the US, the 1979 hostage crisis is a powerful influence on our ideas about Iran. For Iranians, events of 1953 have shaped their collective concept of the United States:

• In 1953, a democratically elected Prime Minister, Dr. Mohammad Mosedegh, governed Iran. Mosedegh nationalized Iran's oil. In response, the CIA overthrew the Prime Minister and re-instated a monarchy in the person of the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, so US oil companies could access and profit from Iranian oil.

The Iranian people eventually overthrew the Shah in 1979, installed a theocracy, and instituted "The Revolution of Values," which would stand in stark contrast to their experience of Western values.

While US culture is saturated with consumerism and the free-market ideology, Iranian culture is saturated with theocracy and their version of "family values." Reminders of Iranian values are everywhere, just as ads are everywhere in the United States. Steves gives this example:

• On every street corner in Tehran is a metal box, similar to a small mailbox, for depositing alms. On each box is written an admonition from the Prophet Mohammad to care for the poor.

<<>> <<>> <<>>

Right there, as I watched the program, I stood stunned. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. What would happen to the American psyche if we had a box for alms on every street corner with this inscription:

Sell what you have, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.
or this:
Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

We call ourselves a Christian nation, but the words should stick in our throats. Politicians and citizens scream bloody murder over something so small as a meager increase in food stamps for the desperately poor, while bankers and corporate fat cats wallow in reprehensible excess on the public dole. The message is loud and clear:

Blessed are the rich and powerful, for theirs is the wealth of the Empire.
and this:
Accumulate all that you can with no regard for your neighbor.
<<>> <<>> <<>>

Steves gives more examples of Iranian revolutionary values. Some sound good to Western ears; others, not so much. Billboards and posters proclaim "Death to America" at every turn. Steves' purpose is not to paint a rosy picture of Iran, but to give Westerners a framework with which to understand it. In the process, I hope he helps us understand something of ourselves. That is ultimately the more important but much more difficult task.

More on Rick Steves in Iran:

Rick Steves: Rick Travels to Iran
Salon.com: The Other Side of Rick Steves
KCTS Video: Rick Steves on Iran

Michele Bachmann Conducts Inquisition

Tim Geithner and Ben Bernanke are testifying before a House committee today regarding the AIG mess. Sadly, Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) is on the committee. In her opening remarks, Bachmann claimed that the American people are wondering if their government is "jettisoning free-market capitalism in favor of centralized government economic planning." Who among you, my fellow Americans, sees any evidence that this corporatocracy-gone-mad is about to turn its back on the capitalist spoon that so lavishly feeds it?

Bachmann then repeatedly hammered Geithner and Bernanke with this question:

"What provision in the Constitution could you point to to give authority to the actions that have been taken by the Treasury?"

Geithner wrinkled his brow tightly and cocked his head a little to the side as he listened. It was easy to imagine his thoughts:

"What the f*ck . . . ??"

Both Geithner and Bernanke responded that the authority came from Congress, the body that authorizes U.S. government expenditures.

This mini-inquisition--and the resulting middle-school civics lesson--was a waste of time and tax-payer dollars in a situation that calls for honest inquiry, not extremist grandstanding.

Bachmann has issues. Perhaps she has a form of schizophrenia that manifests as political paranoia. Maybe she's been brainwashed by a bizarre right-wing cult. According to Wikipedia, her husband runs a Christian counseling center. Hmmmm. . . . Everything with Bachmann smells fishy.

For more of Michele's antics, check out the following:

• Bachmann Wants McCarthy-Like Witch Hunt (video)
• Bachmann on Superiority of Western Culture (video)
• Bachmann: "I want people 'armed and dangerous' . . . " (Huffington Post)
• Dump Michele Bachmann (blog dedicated to exposing and ousting Bachmann)

Jerks Trash Universe

Astronauts and cosmonauts were forced to retreat to the Soyuz space capsule today as flying debris threatened their safety on the International Space Station. MSNBC reported that the Air Force tracks 13,400 space objects, and only six to seven percent are active satellites. That means at least 12,462 of those objects are space junk: scrap metal, old tools and equipment, dead satellites, etc. According to Space.com:

Thousands of nuts, bolts, gloves and other debris from space missions form an orbiting garbage dump around Earth, presenting a hazard to spacecraft. Some of the bits and pieces scream along at 17,500 mph.

Who the hell left all that crap up there? The USA and the former Soviet Union are, of course, the big offenders. A complete list of offenders from nine years ago is available at Space.com. The total amount of junk has grown by 50% since then.

Some of us on this planet have lived for years like a bunch of drunken frat boys on spring break. It wasn't enough to trash the planet; we have to trash the entire galaxy. With the economic collapse, a few of us have a new-found sobriety. Imagine if we all sobered up enough start cleaning up after ourselves. Where in the world would we put the space trash? Do you suppose there is enough landfill space on earth to "dispose" of it?

What a mess we have made. I fear we've gone too far and too many are still unwilling to change. But those who are waking up have to speak up. In so many ways, we're backing ourselves into a very small corner. We don't have anymore time for short-sighted, self-serving attitudes. We don't have anymore time for extreme greed and the politics of nationalism.

At times, I worry that my outrage over the insane behavior of corporations, governments, and powerful individuals will lead me to embrace a totalitarian ideology on the left. But what are we to do when so many of our fellow human beings live without regard for the rest of us and for the natural world? They will not control themselves, so how shall we reign them in? Let me know if you have any ideas.

Sen. Harkin Explains Pig Odor Funding

Senator Tom Coburn, a leading thorn-in-the-side to Senate dems, has proposed an amendment that would kill funding for the projects that were the subject of Sen. McCain's rant yesterday. Today's Senate session is devoted to debate on this amendment, and senators on both sides of the aisle are speaking on behalf of the so-called earmarks.

Senator Harkin (D-Iowa) defended the $1.8 million appropriation for pig odor research which will go the USDA Argriculutural Research Service in Iowa. The odor caused by Iowa's 20 million pigs, according to Sen. Harkin, is a very serious impediment to growth of the pork industry and to the use of pig manure as fertilizer in farming (a good thing, perhaps, for organic farming) . The research would be a benefit to the pork industry nation wide.

I understand what Sen. Harkin is saying. I live in Champaign-Urbana, home of the University of Illinois. For years, we have suffered the ridicule of Chicagoans and football fans from around the Big 10 because of the University's infamous South Farms. Until very recently, the South Farms swine and sheep herds were located one block south of the football stadium. On warmer days, the foul stench wafting from the Farms was enough to sicken out-of-town visitors who were unaccustomed it. The smell had a significant negative impact on the image and enconomy of our community, and the University was ultimately forced to relocate the livestock much farther to the south.

So, I get it. Nobody wants a pig farm in their neighborhood. Nobody wants to use pig manure for fertilizer. Not until it doesn't stink. What I don't know, however, is just how much economic growth would result from solving this problem. I sure hope it's worth the $1.8 million.

Omnibus Budget Musings

Two weeks since I last posted. . . ugh. Feeling much better today, but I've been so fatigued again. I guess that's how it's going to be--up and down.

I just saw the Senate vote down Sen. McCain's amendment to retain the 2008 budget rather than pass Pres. Obama's 2009 proposed budget. Yesterday, Sen. McCain gave an angry rant on the Senate floor about some of the line items in the new budget. The rant was followed by a round of applause from Republican senators, something rarely seen in the chambers of either legislative body.

Some budget items raised by McCain do beg for an explanation:

• funds to research pig odor
  
• a grant to The Polynesian Voyaging Society
  
• money for the Alaska PTA
• funding for a rodeo museum

On the other hand, Republicans have pegged as earmarks items that are precisely the kind of spending we need:

At a recent news conference on the stimulus . . . Senate Republican Whip Jon Kyl (Ariz.) pointedly criticized earmarks, such as $2 billion for a near-zero-emissions power plant in Mattoon, Ill.
-TheHill.com

This plant will create meaningful, lasting jobs and--just as importantly--it is an investment in clean energy technology. So, what's the beef?

I watched some of the rancorous debate yesterday and again today. The bill will pass, of course, with most of the GOP voting no. In the meantime, both sides are making plenty of politcal hay with it.

Ding, Dong, the Blago's Gone / Quinn is In

Governor Patrick Quinn is the new chief executive of Illinois. A few months ago, I'd never have imagined that Bush and Blagojevich would both be gone by the end of January.

BLAGO FULL OF BULL

For six years, Blago held the State of Illinois hostage. Oh, yeah, he talks a good game. But he has bankrupted the state. He brags incessantly about the children's health insurance plan that he championed, but it has not helped children. Healthcare activists say there are almost no providers who accept payment from the program. Why would they? The state has not been keeping up with its obligations for a long time.

For all of his populist talk, the former Governor showed no interest whatsoever in supporting and funding agencies that provide services to the poor and needy. He seemed to have a vendetta against higher education, consistently slashing funding to the state's universities. He raided state pensions. He rarely visited the state capitol in Springfield, opting instead to "work" from his home in Chicago. A Chicago commentator claimed today on MSNBC that he regularly saw Blago jogging through his neighborhood on weekday afternoons. That's how the man "worked on behalf of the people."

A friend and I campaigned in the last election for one of Blagojevich's opponents, hoping to do whatever we could to get rid of him. In downstate Illinois, even hard-core Democrats were ready to abandon the party because of Blagojevich. So, why did the people re-elect him for a second term? I suppose for the same reasons that people re-elected George Bush: ignorance? loyalty? fear of change? Or maybe it was just the Chicago machine that is capable of producing thousands of votes.

Re-election notwithstanding, the impeachment of Blagojevich has been on the table for some time, along with efforts to introduce recall as an option in Illinois law. Today's impeachment was not about pay-for-play with the U.S. Senate seat. That escapade simply gave Illinois legislators the balls to finally do what should have been done a long time ago.

GOVERNOR QUINN

Many people, even in Illinois, aren't familiar with the new Governor and are wondering what to expect. I can tell you this: he will not be one of those who follows his term in the State House with a term in the Big House. Pat Quinn has been an activist and reformer for years. I was delighted when he was elected as Lieutenant Governor. I wish him God speed in his efforts to bring good government and fiscal responsibility to the State of Illinois.

Rahm Emmanuel: More Interesting Than You Think

This was supposed to be a post on healthcare reform. Boy, did I get side tracked when I started researching an expert whose opinions I planned to discuss. The expert is Ezekiel Emmanuel, the brother of the new White House Chief of Staff, Rahm Emmanuel.

There is plenty of interest here. First of all, the Emmanuel brothers--there are three of them--are each interesting in their own right:

• The oldest, Ezekiel, is an oncologist and Chair of the Department of Bioethics at Harvard University. He is the author of Healthcare, Guaranteed: A Simple, Secure Solution for America.

• Rahm, the middle son and Obama's Chief of Staff, was once a ballet prodigy who was offered a scholarship with the Joffrey ballet. Political activism led to his early career as a political fundraiser whiz kid. His later position in the Clinton White House inspired the character Josh Lyman on The West Wing. (1)


• The youngest, Ariel, a former professional racquetball player, is the founder of Hollywood's Endeavor Agency and represents prominent personalities, such as Martin Scorsese, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Moore, Jude Law, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg.
  

The brothers are very close, usually in daily contact. And all three have strong personalities. They are not shy about confrontation and controversy. Rahm, for example, spoke with Tony Blair in the Oval Office just prior to a joint appearance with Pres. Clinton: "This is important," Emanuel said, "Don't f--- it up." (1)

CONTROVERSY

But this is where it gets really interesting. Close followers of the recent Presidential campaign will remember that Obama struggled to win Jewish voters. Many suspected--and some vehemently claimed--that he would not support Israel. But Obama's new Chief of Staff is Jewish--and not just any old liberal Jewish guy. Like Obama, he is the son of an immigrant. His father, Dr. Benjamin M. Emanuel, was born in Israel.

Dr. Emanuel was, according to Wikipedia, militantly active in a Zionist paramilitary organization. (2) A Google search quickly produces pages that refer to Dr. Emanuel as a "terrorist" and a "racist." But the subject of Israel has become more heated and polarizing than an abortion rights debate, and sometimes it's hard to sort out the facts.

This much is clear: the Emanuel family will be a pro-Israel influence on the White House. According to ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper in his blog, Political Punch:

Israeli newspapers are already rejoicing about President-elect Obama's selection of Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill., to be his White House chief of staff.

Tapper quotes the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz:

Emanuel "is the son of a Jerusalem-born pediatrician who was a member of the Irgun (Etzel or IZL), a militant Zionist group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948." (3)

There's plenty of controversy, and I find it a bit curious that the mainstream media hasn't picked up on this.

"There could not be a more provocative appointment than Rahm Emanuel, if he wanted to send a signal that he is going to stick by a quite hard-line pro-Israel policy," said Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifadah on Democracy Now. (3)

CONCLUSION

I can't wrap my mind around the socio-political implications of Barack Obama's election and his subsequent appointments. What strikes me most is how stunningly wrong his opponents have been about him. Both he and his Chief of Staff are complex and deeply interesting personalities. President Obama, certainly, is not easily pigeon holed. The first few days of Obama's administration have been exhilirating, and it's going to be fascinating to watch events unfold in the weeks and months to come. Some will question whether Obama's supporters have also been wrong about him. Some probably have been.

SOURCES

1. Washington Post, Fighting for The Spoils, October 2006.
2. Wikipedia, Ari Emanuel.
3. Political Punch, Will the Arab World Take Issue with Rahm's Israeli Roots . . . ., November 2008.
4. New York Times, The Brothers Emanuel, January 25, 2009.

W., The Movie

I couldn't wait to see Oliver Stone's new movie, W. Reviews from friends and media personalities promised a hilarious movie, like an SNL skit, yet moving in a way that leaves the viewer almost feeling sorry for George Bush.

So, I saw the movie today. At the well-attended afternoon showing, about a fourth of the audience laughed out loud at W's naive, blundering behavior and at the foolishness of the Bush Administration's war deliberations. But I couldn't laugh; maybe the events are just too painfully real for me.

In no way does Stone portray Bush as diabolical. Oddly enough, not even Dick Cheney is portrayed as a villain. If there is a villain, it's "41," the indulging but disapproving father. Forty-three is portrayed more as a sad victim. For me, that is where Stone's story diverges from reality. As Vincent Bugliosi has pointed out, George W. Bush's public behavior has been glib, cavalier, and callous. This man is not a victim. He is not a sad or remorseful man. Despite Stone's oddly sympathetic portrayal, I did not leave the theater feeling sorry for George W. Bush. Instead, I left scratching my head, wondering what Oliver Stone is trying to say with this movie.

My Mistake: Gov. Palin is a Neo-Federalist

I erred in a post of a few days ago when I assumed that Gov. Palin was mistaken in referring to herself as a "Federalist." It turns out that George Bush and the Neocons have re-invented the notion of federalism in American culture. They proudly own it now, using the term in its pre-Constitutional sense, meaning a loose confederation of independent states. Take the word out of the context of U.S. history, pretend that the great constitutional debates over federalism v. states rights never happened, and you may get an idea of the meaning. Palin and the Neocons are not Federalists in the traditional sense of American History; rather, they are neo-Federalists.

Somehow, I'm reminded of how the Nazis decided to call themselves the "National Socialist Party." I don't mean to suggest a similarity between the Neocons and the Nazis; they use the terminology correctly in the strictest sense, but it's just so darn misleading.

For a good (and brief) summary of the meaning of federalism in the context of U.S. history, check out Country Studies: Hamilton vs. Jefferson. The one solid similarity between Alexander Hamilton and the Neocons is their belief that government should be about the business of protecting business and commerce above other interests. Perhaps that's really what they mean when they call themselves Federalists. If so, then Gov. Palin used the term incorrectly, after all.

House Roll Call: Bailout Votes

FYI: See how your Representative voted on HR 3997, "The Bailout Bill." Don't be confused by the strange description of the bill; it seems the bailout was tacked onto an older bill having to do with the IRS tax code.