Did I miss something or did Michigan and Florida just get kicked out of the Democratic Party?
“The DNC voted to punish both Michigan and Florida by refusing to seat their delegates at next summer's Democratic National Convention.” http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/09/michigan.primary/index.html
So now the Democrats are not going to count the votes at all in Florida, or Michigan?
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Call a cow a chicken
Q: Who said the following and in what context?
I guess you can call something, anything you want, but in Iowa you can't call a cow a chicken and have it be true.
Reply: Eisenhower said it to Khrushchev during a visit to an Iowa farm. OR, Chuck Grassley said it about Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill. I like the first one better.
A: You are closer on the second one. Grassley said it about the other Congressional Republicans who were calling SCHIP the first step toward socialized medicine. And apparently they have the Republican votes to override in the Senate but maybe not in the House.
Note: I don’t believe Eisenhower accompanied Khrushchev to Iowa. Khrushchev went by himself to visit the Roswell Garst family in Coon Rapids. It is interesting how Khrushchev’s belligerence helped elect John Kennedy, who campaigned on the premise that Nixon and Eisenhower were not doing enough to stand up to the Soviets. Garst was a business partner of Henry Wallace, the Progressive Party presidential candidate in 1948. Wallace was VP until January 1945 and would have become President at the end of World War II if FDR had not replaced him with Truman on the 1944 ticket. The big question is whether Wallace would have dropped the bomb on Japan. Wallace undoubtedly would not have started the Cold War with the Soviets. And he might well have put in a national health care program, which happened in most other industrial nations right after World War II.
I guess you can call something, anything you want, but in Iowa you can't call a cow a chicken and have it be true.
Reply: Eisenhower said it to Khrushchev during a visit to an Iowa farm. OR, Chuck Grassley said it about Bush's veto of the SCHIP bill. I like the first one better.
A: You are closer on the second one. Grassley said it about the other Congressional Republicans who were calling SCHIP the first step toward socialized medicine. And apparently they have the Republican votes to override in the Senate but maybe not in the House.
Note: I don’t believe Eisenhower accompanied Khrushchev to Iowa. Khrushchev went by himself to visit the Roswell Garst family in Coon Rapids. It is interesting how Khrushchev’s belligerence helped elect John Kennedy, who campaigned on the premise that Nixon and Eisenhower were not doing enough to stand up to the Soviets. Garst was a business partner of Henry Wallace, the Progressive Party presidential candidate in 1948. Wallace was VP until January 1945 and would have become President at the end of World War II if FDR had not replaced him with Truman on the 1944 ticket. The big question is whether Wallace would have dropped the bomb on Japan. Wallace undoubtedly would not have started the Cold War with the Soviets. And he might well have put in a national health care program, which happened in most other industrial nations right after World War II.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bill Richardson on Iran and Iraq
He had some good things to say in the debate tonight on both Iraq and Iran, but I can’t find them online yet.
From last week on Iraq: http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/community/post_group/Headquarters/CLhp Ads Don't Kill People, Wars Do
From February on Iran: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022301595.html. The Iranians will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names. They will renounce nukes because we convince them that they will be safer and more prosperous if they do that than if they don't.
From June on Iran: http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/speeches?id=0013 Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons: virtually the entire international community agrees about this. The P5+1 countries -- the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the US, UK, Russia, China and France) plus Germany -- have been negotiating with Iran, and in June 2006 offered the Iranians a package of incentives to give up their nuclear enrichment efforts.
From last week on Iraq: http://action.richardsonforpresident.com/page/community/post_group/Headquarters/CLhp Ads Don't Kill People, Wars Do
From February on Iran: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022301595.html. The Iranians will not end their nuclear program because we threaten them and call them names. They will renounce nukes because we convince them that they will be safer and more prosperous if they do that than if they don't.
From June on Iran: http://www.richardsonforpresident.com/newsroom/speeches?id=0013 Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons: virtually the entire international community agrees about this. The P5+1 countries -- the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the US, UK, Russia, China and France) plus Germany -- have been negotiating with Iran, and in June 2006 offered the Iranians a package of incentives to give up their nuclear enrichment efforts.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Ahmadinejad at Columbia
What did you think of the students applauding and cheering Ahmadinejad?
If the Republicans are smart, they will send Condi Rice to speak at Columbia (some other Ivy League would work as well). She’ll get booed. Then they run the students booing her in contrast to cheering Ahmadinejad. That will cost the Democrats the 2008 election.
Of course, that could also undermine the US before the United Nations. So maybe they will someone else out to get booed. Or maybe they have to choose which is more important to the nation, getting Iran to back down or winning the next election.
If the Republicans are smart, they will send Condi Rice to speak at Columbia (some other Ivy League would work as well). She’ll get booed. Then they run the students booing her in contrast to cheering Ahmadinejad. That will cost the Democrats the 2008 election.
Of course, that could also undermine the US before the United Nations. So maybe they will someone else out to get booed. Or maybe they have to choose which is more important to the nation, getting Iran to back down or winning the next election.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Amid struggles, arts center chief got $1.2m bonus
Some interesting reading in today’s Globe.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/07/31/amid_struggles_arts_center_chief_got_12m_bonus/
Let’s see. Cut Shakespeare on Common budget by 500,000, that pays for almost half your bonus. Take 100,000 a year pay cut (from 500,000 to 400,000 per year). Over 7 years that will pay for the rest of your bonus. But hire wife to manage web site, that will help with cash flow. Cut performances from 96% of available nights to 33%. That gives you more time to spend at your 3 vacation properties. On the other hand, Boston Globe gets on your case, makes you look greedy, makes your board look stupid, makes your corporate sponsors nervous. You may lose job, wife may lose job. Oh well.
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/07/31/amid_struggles_arts_center_chief_got_12m_bonus/
Let’s see. Cut Shakespeare on Common budget by 500,000, that pays for almost half your bonus. Take 100,000 a year pay cut (from 500,000 to 400,000 per year). Over 7 years that will pay for the rest of your bonus. But hire wife to manage web site, that will help with cash flow. Cut performances from 96% of available nights to 33%. That gives you more time to spend at your 3 vacation properties. On the other hand, Boston Globe gets on your case, makes you look greedy, makes your board look stupid, makes your corporate sponsors nervous. You may lose job, wife may lose job. Oh well.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
RE: Presidential preferences
Q: Mitt in your top 4? I have lost all respect.
A: Well, Hillary would go up to #2 on my list if I could be sure her husband won’t embarrass her again. As for Romney, I guess I always go for the underdog. His Mormon background isn’t going down well in certain quarters, and if you take the long view that might shake things up in a good way. My favorite Romney quote: "marriage is between a man and a woman ... and a woman and a woman."
A: Well, Hillary would go up to #2 on my list if I could be sure her husband won’t embarrass her again. As for Romney, I guess I always go for the underdog. His Mormon background isn’t going down well in certain quarters, and if you take the long view that might shake things up in a good way. My favorite Romney quote: "marriage is between a man and a woman ... and a woman and a woman."
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Presidential preferences
Since you asked, here’s my current personal picking order:
(1) Bill Richardson
(2) Mitt Romney
(3) Rudy Guliani
(4) Hillary Clinton
Right now it’s most likely that the race will be between Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. So I guess I’m voting for Rudy. But if it ends up being Hillary v. John McCain, or Hillary versus Fred Thompson, I guess I’m voting for Hillary.
Hillary has got a big lead for the Democratic nomination and is likely to be able to protect it. What dirt could they dig up that would be worse than the smacking around she’s taken all these years? Rudy’s lead on the Republican side is not so great. I think he’s perceived as a good match up against Hillary in some ways (puts New York in play, which will cost the Democrats money to defend) but not so good in others (he’s on wife #3, Hillary is still on husband #1). John McCain could be strong against Hillary too, but his statement that he wants to be the last man standing in Iraq is costing him (on some level you got to admire a guy willing to go down fighting for a lost cause). Mitt Romney makes the Christian conservatives nervous and that is fun to watch. Enter Fred Thomson.
There a lot of other people running, although a lot of these candidates are really running for Vice President or cabinet posts. And, in fact, I suspect my two top choices Richardson and Romney, are probably only in contention for VP at this point in the race.
Here’s my take on the rest of the field:
Other Democrats running not currently on my list to vote for:
Joe Biden – longtime Senator from Delaware
Joe Edwards – former one term Senator with no executive experience
Barak Obama – first term Senator with no executive experience
Christopher Dodd – longtime Senator from Connecticut, familiar face that stands for what?
Mike Gravel – former Senator from Alaska, aging crackpot
Dennis Kucinich – Congressman with limited executive experience
Wesley Clark – retired general not officially running
All Gore – former VP not officially running
Other Republicans running not currently on my list to vote for:
John McCain –admirable individual but no executive experience. GWB’s worst mistake was not picking him to be VP instead of Cheney.
Fred Thompson – protégé of Howard Baker (one of the last honest men on American politics), but no real executive experience, except on the screen
Tommy Thompson – former Wisconsin governor, solid Midwesterner with some good ideas on health care.
Mike Huckabee – former Arkansas governor, possibly a crackpot
Jim Gilmore – former Virginia governor no one has heard of
Sam Brownback – Senator with no executive experience
Tom Tancredo – Congressman with no executive experience
Duncan Hunter – Congressman with no executive experience
Ron Paul – Congressman with no executive experience
New Gingrich – former Speaker of House not officially running
(1) Bill Richardson
(2) Mitt Romney
(3) Rudy Guliani
(4) Hillary Clinton
Right now it’s most likely that the race will be between Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani. So I guess I’m voting for Rudy. But if it ends up being Hillary v. John McCain, or Hillary versus Fred Thompson, I guess I’m voting for Hillary.
Hillary has got a big lead for the Democratic nomination and is likely to be able to protect it. What dirt could they dig up that would be worse than the smacking around she’s taken all these years? Rudy’s lead on the Republican side is not so great. I think he’s perceived as a good match up against Hillary in some ways (puts New York in play, which will cost the Democrats money to defend) but not so good in others (he’s on wife #3, Hillary is still on husband #1). John McCain could be strong against Hillary too, but his statement that he wants to be the last man standing in Iraq is costing him (on some level you got to admire a guy willing to go down fighting for a lost cause). Mitt Romney makes the Christian conservatives nervous and that is fun to watch. Enter Fred Thomson.
There a lot of other people running, although a lot of these candidates are really running for Vice President or cabinet posts. And, in fact, I suspect my two top choices Richardson and Romney, are probably only in contention for VP at this point in the race.
Here’s my take on the rest of the field:
Other Democrats running not currently on my list to vote for:
Joe Biden – longtime Senator from Delaware
Joe Edwards – former one term Senator with no executive experience
Barak Obama – first term Senator with no executive experience
Christopher Dodd – longtime Senator from Connecticut, familiar face that stands for what?
Mike Gravel – former Senator from Alaska, aging crackpot
Dennis Kucinich – Congressman with limited executive experience
Wesley Clark – retired general not officially running
All Gore – former VP not officially running
Other Republicans running not currently on my list to vote for:
John McCain –admirable individual but no executive experience. GWB’s worst mistake was not picking him to be VP instead of Cheney.
Fred Thompson – protégé of Howard Baker (one of the last honest men on American politics), but no real executive experience, except on the screen
Tommy Thompson – former Wisconsin governor, solid Midwesterner with some good ideas on health care.
Mike Huckabee – former Arkansas governor, possibly a crackpot
Jim Gilmore – former Virginia governor no one has heard of
Sam Brownback – Senator with no executive experience
Tom Tancredo – Congressman with no executive experience
Duncan Hunter – Congressman with no executive experience
Ron Paul – Congressman with no executive experience
New Gingrich – former Speaker of House not officially running
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)