Chicagoland for Obama 2012

My nomination for Top Villain of the Decade

The Bard of Wilmette — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:46:51 EST

In a recent post, I commented that elected public officials almost always have sought public office in large part motivated by the genuine desire to perform good public service. This is not to say that there are also less altruistic motives involved, but only to point out that it is generally not fair to say that a particular president/senator/congressman/etc. is simply in office for the purpose of enriching himself or his family and friends. The specific example I cited was former President George W. Bush. I thought he was a substandard president for many reasons, and I thought that most of his important political decisions were wrong. To be fair, however, I also believe that he was doing his best to be a good public servant to the American people. Mr. Bush acted with grace and class in the way he handled the transition period between the November, 2008 election and the January, 2009 inauguration of President Obama. In the time since he left office, Mr. Bush has refrained from any public criticism of his successor, and I am sure that President Obama appreciates that.

In broader terms, the distinction is between the politicians and the hate-mongering pundits who have never held positions of genuine responsibility. Glenn and Rush and Sean, and some others, have identified an audience, and have made a fortune by exploiting people’s fears, bigotries, and insecurities. They are answerable to nobody, and contribute nothing positive to American society, other than (I presume) paying taxes on their huge incomes. They are professional haters, and there is not even a serious pretense that there is any intended public benefit to their, uh, activities. Most politicians, however misguided we may believe their policies to be, are at least trying to give reasonably honest service to their constituents. This is the contrast I have in mind.

Then, there is former Vice-President Dick Cheney. The contrast could hardly be more striking. Dick Cheney has shown that he does not have an ounce of class in him. Based on the generally observed tradition of ex-presidents (and vice-presidents) refraining from criticizing their successors, it would already be in poor taste for Mr. Cheney to publicly trash the Obama administration for alleged mistakes of policy. He could argue, for example, that Mr. Obama’s intended health care reforms – despite good intentions – would do more harm than good for the U.S. economy. That is at least a debatable point. Of course, Mr. Cheney goes far beyond suggesting that the current administration is well-meaning but mistaken. He has repeatedly suggested that President Obama, and his top associates, are actively engaged in a campaign to ruin this country. Dick Cheney has got to be one of the most loathsome creatures ever to hold such high office in American history.

While I can credit Mr. Bush, and most other politicians I don’t particularly like, with at least some good intentions, I cannot say the same thing for Mr. Cheney. To my way of thinking, he is more in the category of Glenn and Rush and Sean. He may have been an honest public servant once upon a time, but he has become an unequivocally malevolent force in American life. History’s verdict on Dick Cheney should be a very harsh one.

Here is a link to an excellent column by Eugene Robinson regarding Mr. Cheney:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/30/AR2009123001696.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

Last chance for Republicans to influence health care reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:56:33 EST

Historically, political leaders from the two major parties have often been able to work together to advance the public interest. There is deal making and compromise, and the result may be nobody’s ideal, but still something pretty good. In 1986, President Reagan and House Speaker Tip O’Neil – despite being almost polar opposites – worked effectively to get a major tax reform bill done. I know that it is tempting to reminisce about the good old days that, in reality, were maybe not so good.

Still, it seems to me that the political climate in Washington is in some ways worse than it has been in a very long time. President Obama made clear from the beginning that health care reform was to be his top legislative initiative during his first year in office. It could not come as a surprise that Republicans in Congress would oppose many aspects of the proposed reforms. As an Obama supporter, I do not like some of the proposals, either. It was my genuine (and apparently naïve) hope that moderates in both parties would be able to get together and produce a bill that took some of the better ideas from both sides. The Republican lawmakers had basically two choices available to them:

As the minority party, they could recognize that their influence on the bill would be less than that of the majority party, but they could still work to get a bill much more to their liking, and one that would be better public policy from their point of view. Or…
They could simply oppose everything that was proposed in the name of health care reform, so that President Obama would be weakened politically, and probably enhancing the chances of GOP gains in the 2010 elections.

Well, they made their choice. It is almost funny to hear Republican officials complain that President Obama is refusing to work with them. I also heard one of their leaders complain about being forced to cast votes at 1:00 AM or on Christmas Eve. It was Republican stalling tactics that forced these roll call votes at such odd times. Obama has tried to work with Republicans, but without exception, they have refused to work with him. The likely result is going to be a health care reform bill that will only contain provisions favored by congressional Democrats. The Republicans, or even just a few of them, could have improved the bill (with some sensible tort reform, for example), but instead they made the calculation that their party’s political interests would be best served by making the president look bad.

There is still an opportunity for some Republicans in Congress to show some statesmanship, although I have no reason to think this will happen. The House and Senate have passed different versions of health care reform, and a conference committee will have to reconcile the two versions. Everything is open for reconsideration, and the final bill can contain provisions that were not in either the House or Senate bill. Would a few Republican senators or congressmen be interested in improving the bill? My guess is that President Obama would gladly accept some GOP-backed changes in exchange for a few of their votes in favor of the final bill. Obama has some bargaining power, because he can get a bill without any GOP support, but it would be preferable to get at least some support from the opposition party. Unfortunately, the Republican attitude appears to be that this is a zero sum game, as if to say: “If the process helps Obama, it necessarily hurts the Republicans.” I prefer to think that voters will reward incumbents (in either party) who do a good job, and punish those who cynically weigh partisan calculations over the national interest.

Congratulations to all of us!!!We still have work to do for another year of change!!

Elliott Hartstein — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:48:06 EST

Today is an exciting day with the Senate passing health care reform. I know we all may have certain things we would want in that bill that are not there and other things we might want out, but this is indeed historic and the type of thing that we all fought for when we worked to elect President Obama. With the House and Senate both passing health care reform bills we can now look forward to seeing a meaningful bill emerge through Conference, and a bill on the Presidents desk in the new year. This is hope, this is change and this is real reform that we all made happen my knocking on doors and making calls and making contributions .Yes there is more to do on health care and many other issues which we all need to continue to work for. We also need to get involved and make a difference locally and in our State. We have another election around the corner on February 2 with early voting starting on January 11. We have important races for the US Senate seat the President held, for Governor, for Congress for State reps and many more. I am engaged in one of those races for State Rep. and I hope to have the opportunity to go to Springfield to fight for real change which we desperately need, and I could use your help and support since I am up against the powers that be. Please consider visiting my web page www.elliotthartstein.com to see the issues I am talking about and consider helping out if you can. Regardless, I urge you to get engaged in this upcoming important election that is around the corner for one or more candidates that can make a difference. Best wishes for the holidays and for a healthy and happy and another year of change in 2010. Congratulations to all of us who have worked for change as we are beginning to see the results of our efforts!!!!!!!! I would love to hear from any of you on concerns that you have or ideas you have for addressing issues facing our State.

Thanks and Best Wishes

Elliott Hartstein

Mayor, Buffalo Grove

Candidate for State Rep 59th District

My email:elliotthartstein@yahoo.com or elliotthartstein@elliotthartstein.com

My Cell: 847- 548 8485

My Campaign committee:

“Citizens for Hartstein”

908 Providence Lane

Buffalo Grove Il 60089

Hold your nose, and support the Senate HCR bill

The Bard of Wilmette — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:42 EST

Barring a last minute snag, the Senate will finally pass its version of health care reform within the next 24 hours. Then, the real challenge begins, trying to reconcile the House and Senate versions to arrive at a single bill that can pass both houses, and then sent to President Obama for his signature. If they manage to get a unified bill through both houses of Congress, it will almost certainly more closely resemble the Senate bill than the House bill, which has zero chance of getting through the Senate. The one thing that every American can agree on is that there is a lot to dislike about the Senate bill. The part about exempting Nebraska (unlike the other 49 states) from Medicaid financing is probably unconstitutional. Critics from both the right and left have legitimate objections to various provisions in the bill. I doubt that any lawmaker is a good enough actor to keep a straight face and tell us that this bill is anything close to ideal. Assuming that the final product will be something close to the Senate bill, the real question is this: Is it better for the country if this bill becomes law, or conversely, is it better not to pass any bill at all?

My own opinion is that, for all of its serious flaws, the Senate bill is preferable to the House bill, and it is better to pass the bill than to defeat it. I am against the public option and the expansion of Medicare, for reasons I have discussed in previous posts and which do not need repeating here. The issue is not my personal preferences, but rather political reality. Many of the more radical or progressive reformers complain that they are the ones having to make nearly all the concessions in the negotiations to get any kind of health care reform bill passed. That may be true, but they do not advance their cause by wishing that things were different. Former Vermont Governor Howard Dean has basically said that the Senate bill does not deserve the “reform” label, and that it is therefore better to defeat the bill. Those members of Congress who share Dr. Dean’s attitude have a choice to make. They can hold their noses, and support a disappointing health care reform bill, or they can refuse to support it, effectively killing off any kind of health care reform for the foreseeable future.

As President Obama and others have noted, various presidents in both parties, and spanning several decades, have attempted to reform the health care system in the U.S., and all previous efforts ended in failure. Major reforms are seldom accomplished in a single piece of legislation, but they have to start somewhere. This proposed reform is a beginning, and if it is passed, further reforms and improvements can follow later. The first bill is by far the most difficult in the process. On the other hand, if this bill is killed off, there is no doubt in my mind that there will not even be a serious attempt at health care reform for a very long time. Republicans are likely to make significant gains in the 2010 elections, and the resulting shift of power in Congress assures that health care reform will be dead for many years to come. The progressives who turn down the reform bill currently available will regret it later, because this is the best deal they are ever going to get. While the Senate bill may be disappointing to those who think that the public option (or single payer) is a great idea, it is still a major step forward in extending coverage to tens of millions of Americans presently unable to get health insurance. Then again, don’t take my word for it. The Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson, who favors much more progressive reforms than I do, makes an excellent case for supporting even the watered down version of health care reform:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/12/21/AR2009122102488.html?wpisrc=nl_opinions

Copenhagen: President Obama - "I Came Here To Act"

EsquireUK — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:38:38 EST

http://cop15.state.gov/

As the fifth speaker, President Barack Obama took the floor in the plenary. He stressed that he did not come to talk, but to act.

Being the world largest economy and second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, America has a responsibility, he said, and added that America would continue to move toward a green economy – "but we will be stronger if we act together," he said.

He told the heads of state and governments that it is imperative with a "mechanism to review whether we are keeping our commitments, and to exchange this information in a transparent manner." Without such accountability, any agreement would be "empty words on a page".

"Mitigation. Transparency. And financing. It is a clear formula - one that embraces the principle of common but differentiated responses and respective capabilities. And it adds up to a significant accord – one that takes us further than we have ever gone before as an international community", Obama said in his address.

Finally he urged world leaders to "choose action over inaction; the future over the past - with courage and faith, let us meet our responsibility to our people and to the future of our planet".

http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=3054

http://www.google.com/landing/cop15/showyourvote.html

OFA Volunteers Take Part in DNC Video Shoot Downtown at the Pegasus

Matthew Elias — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:49:50 EST

Earlier this evening a small group of Organizing for America Illinois volunteers gathered at the Pegasus Restaurant on S. Halsted in Chicago to take part in a video shoot for an upcoming Democratic National Committee project.

Everyone involved had a great time - Stephanos, the owner of Pegasus, was more then accommodating, and the lunch we had prior to the shoot was absolutely delicious.Here are some "behind the scenes" pictures from the days event.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find an OFA Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Barack Obama

Walt — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:56:15 EST

Born in Hawaii
Of parents disparate
Educated here and abroad
Hawaii, Indonesia, California,
New York and Massachusetts
He worked in the heartland
He organized with a heart
Then he declared his intent
To serve a greater community
Thus he serves us all today
Will his service be rewarded with success?
Only time and tide and you and I will decide.

In (limited) defense of Senator Lieberman

The Bard of Wilmette — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:07:56 EST

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut has been an irritant to most left-of-center Americans for several years. I would not exactly call myself a big fan of the guy, except probably in comparison to most OFA bloggers. Unlike most Democrats in Congress, Sen. Lieberman has been a long time supporter of free trade. In my view, Lieberman is right and most other Democrats are wrong, regarding this particular issue. My general preference is to have political leaders who have socially liberal instincts but who are also supporters of free trade and reasonably friendly to small businesses. Bill Clinton combines these characteristics. To a greater degree than most members of Congress, so does Joe Lieberman. On the other hand, I strongly disagreed with his support for the disastrous invasion of Iraq, so my overall opinion of him is mixed.

I have never called myself a Democrat, but rather an independent who usually favors the Democrats in national elections, and I have been an enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama. Although I have a generally negative opinion of the top Democratic leaders in Congress (especially Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi), I do want President Obama to succeed as a president, and for that to happen, the Democrats have to be able to stay in control of both houses of Congress after the 2010 elections. On that basis, therefore, I am advocating for the Democrats. The Democrats need to be a “big tent” party if they are going to be successful, and this means that they should not insist on ideological purity within their ranks. If some Democrats in Congress tend to side with the Republicans on selected issues, I do not have a problem with that. In Lieberman’s case, he sides with the Republicans on most defense and national security matters, but with the Democrats on most other issues. Some other Democrats, especially those from conservative states or districts, are “pro life” or “pro gun” regarding those particular issues.

At the national level, the Democrats should understand that it is better, for their general political interests, to have a state or district represented by a Democrat who caucuses with their party, and who votes with their party half the time than to have it represented by a Republican who opposes them nearly all the time. One might argue that it is one thing to have a relatively conservative Democrat in a “red” state such as Virginia or Montana, but that it should not be acceptable in a “blue” state such as Connecticut. In my opinion, the big tent principle applies across the board.

When Lieberman lost a well-funded challenge from Ned Lamont in the Democratic primary for the Senate in 2006, he won the election as an independent, mainly with the help of Republican voters who correctly determined that their own party’s candidate had no chance of winning. As a consequence, Lieberman had little reason to remain loyal to his old political party. Following his reelection, he secured a deal with the party leadership that would keep him caucusing with the Democrats. This was critical to the balance of power in the Senate, which otherwise would have stayed under Republican control. He may not have been a reliable vote on various issues, but most critical under the circumstances was his continuing to caucus with the Democrats, giving that party the committee chairmanships.

Like most Obama supporters, I was appalled by Lieberman’s decision to conspicuously support Republican John McCain for president last year. I would have tolerated it if Lieberman’s support was very low key. Suppose, for example, that Lieberman made no public appearances related to the presidential campaign, and issued a statement such as: “Senator Obama is a good and intelligent man who might make a good president some day. However, at this time I believe that Senator McCain has superior experience, and is better qualified to be president right now. For that reason, I will vote for John McCain in November.” While I would have sharply disagreed with the premise that McCain’s longer experience implied that he would make a better president, it would have been an understandable public position for Lieberman to take. Instead, as we know, Lieberman energetically campaigned for McCain, and joined others in disparaging Obama. I did not like that, but again, it is not as if Lieberman still owed any allegiance to the Democratic Party. When Obama won anyway, and was gracious enough to welcome Lieberman back as a semi-official ally, I figured that the rest of the Democrats ought to do the same.

The most ambitious challenge of the early Obama presidency is the attempt to enact a major reform of health care in the U.S. Sen. Lieberman has serious misgivings about some of the provisions in the proposed legislation, and so do I. A lot of Republican opposition is heavily motivated by a desire to weaken the presidency of Barack Obama. They (meaning most, but not all, congressional Republicans) will oppose anything that appears to help Obama politically, regardless of its merits. I do not believe that this is true of Lieberman or the other relatively conservative Democrats who have been working to water down the bill. They want to get a bill passed, but are rightly concerned about removing the elements of the bill they regard as unacceptable.

My hope is that a health care reform bill will be passed very soon. We already know that whatever passes will not be anybody’s idea of perfect legislation, but it can be a significant improvement over the House bill and what was initially proposed in the Senate. If we do get a final bill that is pretty good, it is quite possible that part of the credit should go to the contributions of Joe Lieberman and a few other centrist senators from both parties.

A fragile planet

Walt — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 12:39:44 EST

Fluffy blue ball
Afloat in a black velvet sea
Lit by glimmering diamond suns
Our home
Our only home
A fragile planet
Temperatures rising
Glaciers melting
Fickle winds
Fickle weather
Rising seas
Our home
Our only home
A fragile planet
Only we can save.

We MUST Fight For RECONCILIATION !!!

Greg Jones' Blacks4Barack ! — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:22:29 EST

Greg Jones

Blacks4Barack

As the health reform debate continues we are hearing of the continuous watering-down of the bill for the purpose of appeasing various Democrats including Senators Joe Lieberman, Mary Landreiu, Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson. But there is a process available to be used by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid which would make these obstructionists absolutely meaningless.

RECONCILIATION is the process by which a bill can be passed with 51 votes instead of 60. THIS is what we must DEMAND Reid uses to pass a bill with a strong, robust, National, competitive Public Option...the ONLY way to create affordable, competitive premiums for the 47 million Americans struggling throughout life without the basic right to be seen by a doctor. It is absolutely PATHETIC that hard-working Americans are forced to stand in long lines for as long as 8 hours, at make-shift free clinics just to be seen by a doctor, as recently occurred in Kansas City; a scene reminiscent of a third-world country.

This is a 2 part FIGHT....FIRST...we must FIGHT for a STRONG, Competitive Public Option. In the same call or email we must DEMAND that Harry Reid uses the RECONCILIATION process. As The President has said

The Time is NOW....44,000 Americans DIE each year due to the lack of affordable health care. This must end NOW...and it can...through RECONCILIATION !!!!

Please help spread the word as if your life depended on it. One day...it just might !!!

Contact Sen. Harry Reid/YOUR Senator/THE MEDIA...Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz, Keith Olbermann etc. to say WE DEMAND STRONG PUBLIC OPTION THROUGH RECONCILIATION !

CONTACT YOUR SENATOR TODAY !

Greg Jones

National Director

Blacks4Barack

Illinois

Walt — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 13:38:14 EST

Flat
Endless rows of corn
Champaign-Urbana
U of I
Fighting Illini
Peoria
Caterpillars
Caterpillar tractors
Chicago
Lake Michigan
Glittering lakeside wall
Hub of the nation
Sports
Cubs, Sox
Bulls, Bears
Home
Home, sweet home
Home of Presidents
Lincoln, Grant
Reagan, Obama
Illinois

President Obama Accepts Noble Peace Prize In Oslo

EsquireUK — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 12:32:21 EST

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

Barack H. Obama

USA 44th President of the United States of America

b. 1961

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/10/war-and-peace-oslo

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009"for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples"

"Somewhere today, in the here and now, in the world as it is, a soldier sees he's outgunned, but stands firm to keep the peace. Somewhere today, in this world, a young protestor awaits the brutality of her government, but has the courage to march on. Somewhere today, a mother facing punishing poverty still takes the time to teach her child, scrapes together what few coins she has to send that child to school -- because she believes that a cruel world still has a place for that child's dreams. Let us live by their example." -- President Obama

President Obama traveled to Oslo, Norway, to accept the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. In his speech, he described the Nobel Peace Prize as "an award that speaks to our highest aspirations," proof that, "our actions matter, and can bend history in the direction of justice." But the President also acknowledged that, even as he receives this prize, he is the Commander-in-Chief of the military of a nation in the midst of two wars:

One of these wars is winding down. The other is a conflict that America did not seek; one in which we are joined by 42 other countries -- including Norway -- in an effort to defend ourselves and all nations from further attacks.

Still, we are at war, and I'm responsible for the deployment of thousands of young Americans to battle in a distant land. Some will kill, and some will be killed. And so I come here with an acute sense of the costs of armed conflict -- filled with difficult questions about the relationship between war and peace, and our effort to replace one with the other.

...I do not bring with me today a definitive solution to the problems of war. What I do know is that meeting these challenges will require the same vision, hard work, and persistence of those men and women who acted so boldly decades ago. And it will require us to think in new ways about the notions of just war and the imperatives of a just peace.

We must begin by acknowledging the hard truth: We will not eradicate violent conflict in our lifetimes. There will be times when nations -- acting individually or in concert -- will find the use of force not only necessary but morally justified.

I make this statement mindful of what Martin Luther King Jr. said in this same ceremony years ago: "Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem: it merely creates new and more complicated ones." As someone who stands here as a direct consequence of Dr. King's life work, I am living testimony to the moral force of non-violence. I know there's nothing weak -- nothing passive -- nothing na-- in the creed and lives of Gandhi and King.

But as a head of state sworn to protect and defend my nation, I cannot be guided by their examples alone. I face the world as it is, and cannot stand idle in the face of threats to the American people. For make no mistake: Evil does exist in the world. A non-violent movement could not have halted Hitler's armies. Negotiations cannot convince al Qaeda's leaders to lay down their arms. To say that force may sometimes be necessary is not a call to cynicism -- it is a recognition of history; the imperfections of man and the limits of reason.

Despite these harsh realities, President Obama concluded with a call to "reach for the world that ought to be."

We can acknowledge that oppression will always be with us, and still strive for justice. We can admit the intractability of depravation, and still strive for dignity. Clear-eyed, we can understand that there will be war, and still strive for peace. We can do that -- for that is the story of human progress; that's the hope of all the world; and at this moment of challenge, that must be our work here on Earth.

Read the full remarks . . .

President Barack Obama has said the US must uphold moral standards when waging wars that are necessary and justified, as he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/10/war-and-peace-oslo

President Obama arrived in Oslo Thursday to receive this year's Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the first sitting president in 90 years, and just the third ever, to win the award. As the AP noted of his acceptance speech, "entered the pantheon of Nobel Peace Prize winners Thursday with humble words, acknowledging his own few accomplishments while delivering a robust defense of war and promising to use the prestigious award to "reach for the world that ought to be."

This morning the President spoke at the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony at the Oslo City Hall. His speech accepting the prize was well worth reading in full.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/10/war-and-peace-oslo

The Nobel Peace Prize 2009

English
Norwegian

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2009

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The Committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons.

Obama has as President created a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained a central position, with emphasis on the role that the United Nations and other international institutions can play. Dialogue and negotiations are preferred as instruments for resolving even the most difficult international conflicts. The vision of a world free from nuclear arms has powerfully stimulated disarmament and arms control negotiations. Thanks to Obama's initiative, the USA is now playing a more constructive role in meeting the great climatic challenges the world is confronting. Democracy and human rights are to be strengthened.

Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future. His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world's population.

For 108 years, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has sought to stimulate precisely that international policy and those attitudes for which Obama is now the world's leading spokesman. The Committee endorses Obama's appeal that "Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges."

Oslo, October 9, 2009

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/10/war-and-peace-oslo

A plug for America's best conservative columnist

The Bard of Wilmette — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:42:51 EST

Some day, when I have lots of time to think and write, I hope to do an essay about how liberal goals can be achieved with the use of “conservative” policies, and also how conservative goals can be achieved with “liberal” policies. In the meantime, I would like to call attention by my liberal friends to an excellent recent column by David Brooks of the New York Times. In my opinion, Mr. Brooks is by a wide margin the best conservative columnist in America (I also must admit to liking George Will, but even Mr. Will seems unable to resist cheap shots at left-of-center public officials).

In the December 8 Times, Mr. Brooks discusses a series of policies that he argues will encourage innovation that will fulfill goals that most liberals and conservatives alike should be able to agree on. I am persuaded that his “innovation agenda” is an excellent idea, and I would like to see the Obama administration give it serious consideration, and probably act on most or all elements of it.

Here is a link to the December 8 David Brooks column:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/opinion/08brooks.html?_r=1&scp=10&sq=december+08+2009&st=nyt

Another rant about health care reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:09:07 EST

Republican lawmakers have several reasons for opposing the health care reform efforts now pending in Congress. Some of their stated reasons are just plain false, or improperly assume that this bill is simply the first step toward something else they consider to be more sinister. One of their generally unstated, but critical, motives is the desire to hand a major political defeat to President Obama. There may be genuine and principled reasons for their opposition, but there cannot be a serious doubt that the desire to politically weaken Obama is a major consideration for many GOP congressmen and senators.

One of the stronger arguments by the opposition is that the bill would commit the government to huge new expenditures, resulting in either staggering deficits or stifling new taxes. In other words, however worthy the reform goals may be, this version of health care reform is unaffordable. The two major objectives of health care reform are: extending coverage to those who currently cannot get it, and reducing actual health care costs as a percentage of the U.S. economy. Pursuing either one of these two goals while ignoring the other will not work. Assuming that the Senate passes something, and that a unified health care bill is eventually passed and sent to the president, the bill will very likely succeed in the first test (substantially extending coverage) but fail the second (reduce overall costs).

On this point, I think that the Republicans and moderate Democrats are correct. Unlike most Obama supporters, I do not favor the public option, with the possible exception of the so-called "trigger." Under the trigger provision, the public option would not come into being, unless certain conditions prevailed at some future date (let's say, five years after the bill becomes law) that by definition would make the public option necessary. Presumably, the private insurance companies do not want to compete with a government-backed entity, and they would have five years to make sure that this would never become necessary. The prospect of the trigger is both a carrot and stick to the insurance companies. It would spell out what is required of them in order to avoid a situation they would like to prevent, but it also gives them a reasonable opportunity to achieve those conditions.

In my opinion, the preferable outcome would be to leave the majority of health insurance in private hands, but the insurance companies could not deny or revoke coverage to any U.S. citizen or lawful resident due to personal health issues. This condition, where all applicants must be accepted, cannot work without the requirement that everybody must have health insurance. A young healthy person should not be able to decide not to take coverage (and therefore not pay any premiums), and then suddenly be given guaranteed coverage only after an obvious need arises.

There would still be many details to work out. For example, to what degree, if any, can the insurer discriminate regarding premiums between old and young people? As we all know, age discrimination exists in most other kinds of insurance. Young people pay less for life insurance, and more for car insurance, than old people do. Even assuming that discrimination based on specific health issues would be prohibited, older people are in general far more likely than younger people are to be consumers of health care services. If no age discrimination of any kind is allowed for health insurance, the program would represent a large transfer of wealth from the young to the old (I am sure that AARP would be fine with that). Maybe the best answer is to allow some age discrimination, but only within certain limits. I do not have any hard numbers, but I would guess that on average, a 64-year-old person is likely to incur at least five times the insurable medical expenses in a year, compared with the average 24-year-old. We might allow age discrimination, but limited to a smaller ratio than what would be suggested by the actual average usage by the different age groups. An even more politically sensitive issue than age discrimination is sex discrimination. Again, that does exist with other kinds of insurance. I won't dwell on the matter here, except to note that the health care reform bill has to address the issue, one way or another.

How do we reduce actual health care costs? This would involve facing some unpleasant realities. Two things ought to be easy. First, enact some meaningful tort reform. Set limits on non-economic damages, eliminate most punitive damages, and make it easier to get rid of incompetent and irresponsible doctors and other health care providers. Second, get rid of the prohibition against selling health insurance across state lines. That would do far more to introduce competition into a non-competitive market than the public option ever could. These things would help, but they are not enough. Many people use very expensive hospital emergency room services, when the same quality of treatment could be done at much less cost in outpatient clinics if they were available. There also needs to be more emphasis on prevention, compared with cure and treatment. A depressingly high percentage of America's total health care expenditures is spent in the last six months of a person's life. At the risk of making Sarah Palin's comments about "death panels" sound legitimate, some expensive procedures that might keep a terminal patient breathing a few additional days are not worth full insurance coverage. The reason that Ms. Palin's comment is nonsense is that there is nothing in the currently proposed bills in Congress that would force these kinds of difficult choices. Under most health insurance plans, there is absolutely no incentive for cost control. There is a deductible and some coinsurance limit, and after that, the patient (or patient's family) has no reason to place limits on the most extraordinary and expensive treatments, no matter how dubious their value to the patient... because 100% of the cost is paid by others. Until this system is changed, Americans will continue to pay far more than our friends in other Western countries do for health care, and without compensating gains in the quality of our collective health.

I noted in the first paragraph above that many Republican lawmakers oppose the proposed health care reforms, based on the desire to hurt Obama politically as much as any ideological reason. I am just the opposite. I want Obama to have a political victory, and for that reason I may wind up supporting a health care reform bill that I know is seriously flawed. I think that Barack Obama has some qualities that potentially can make him a great president, and a big political victory for him on health care reform can enable him to accomplish other things of value. For this reason, along with the obvious reality that nobody's idea of a "perfect" health care reform bill is going to happen, I want Obama to succeed in his efforts to get something passed that can credibly be called health care reform. Some of Obama's supposed friends in Congress seem to be more interested in moral grandstanding than in serving the public interest, let alone help the president politically. Whether we think the bill is politically too left or too right, passage of a mediocre bill now leaves the door open for improvements later. I should note, however, that given the uncertainties about future effects of passing a major health care reform bill, it is better to do too little initially than too much. It is much easier to add later on than to subtract. Failing to pass any health care reform will have two main consequences. It will greatly weaken Obama's presidency (along with the stature of all Democrats in Congress), and it will make any health care reform extremely unlikely for many years to come. So, let's get something passed, and now.

Organizing for America National Training Weekend: Rogers Park

Matthew Elias — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:49:48 EST

Saturday was a busy day for everyone involved with Organizing for America Illinois. The Organizing for America Illinois office in Rogers Park served as headquarters for one of the many training sessions running across the state.

Brian Gorman, an OFA Illinois regional field organizer, hosted this event and provided us with a summary of what the group was able to get accomplished:

"Saturday's training was an excellent blend of community organizers, neighborhood team leaders and new volunteers to OFA Illinois. If I had to choose one word to sum up the day’s events it would have to be productive. We as a group have a full two months of activities planned, taking us through January and we made sure to place a hard emphasis on recruiting and developing new volunteers. The goal is to find new folks to lead yet unplanned events throughout the month of February. This group really gets the long term view of OFA and I'm really excited to see what we can do."

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Organizing for America Illinois"Supporter Sound-off"

Matthew Elias — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:38:28 EST

This past weekend, OFA Illinois hosted training events across the state as part of the National Training Weekend being conducted by Organizing for America. In the end, over 100 attendees successfully completed the session and are ready to hit the field running, with many of the attendees having already planning their first phone banks, canvasses and organizational meetings.

Organizing for America National Training "Supporter Sound-off" is a collection of highlights from the attendees in their own words.

"The camaraderie that we the participants developed during the training session was amazing and refreshing. All of the personal stories were very inspiring and educational as well."
-Gwendolyn, 12/05/09, attended the Hyde Park training event.

"I've never felt more hopeful of contributing positive, constructive change to America- OFA has once again given me hope! Many thanks to OFA and the memory of the great Ted Kennedy!"
-Bob, 12/05/09, attended the Brighton Park training event.

"I really enjoyed the personal story section of the training, as well as learning how one's personal story is a strong building block for making connections with people in the community."
-Leroy, 12/05/09, attended the Homewood training event.

"The event was absolutely tremendous! There was a great deal of positive reactions to the materials shown and the format of the training. People were really excited and impressed with the individual “break-out” sessions."
-OFA Illinois Community Organizer Camille, 12/05/09, hosted the Hyde Park training event.

"Being a Vietnam veteran, I am really excited to create a stronger connection between Homeless and Disabled Veterans. The training taught me that many of our wounded warriors may benefit from the grass root level where door knocks can and will make a difference. I am looking forward to making sure veterans like me keep voting for change."
-Virgil, 12/05/09, attended the Brighton Park training event.

"Sharing war stories from the campaign with other volunteers was great fun -- almost as fun as discussing ways to beat back health care opponents!"
-Michael, 12/06/09, attended the West Loop training event.

"We had a compact but mighty group at the OFA Greenleaf office on Saturday! The networking was brilliant, we outlined some exciting events already on the calendar for 2010"
-Janet, 12/05/09, attended the Roscoe Park training event.

We would like to also take a second to thank the Organizing for America regional field directors, community organizers and neighborhood team leaders who worked tirelessly to make sure this weekend was nothing short of a glowing success. Without these dedicated folks, our organizational growth would be impossible.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Wednesday "Snapshot": 12/02/2009

Matthew Elias — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:41:21 EST

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

OFA Illinois Volunteers Serve Families for Thanksgiving at the Holy Family Food Pantry

Matthew Elias — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:01:06 EST

On Tuesday, November 24 the Organizing for America Illinois Springfield team spent time with the Holy Family Pantry at their Thanksgiving Food Bank. Holy Family Food Pantry is an organization that provides food, clothing, shelter and resources to the homeless and low-income families.

Holy Family Food Pantry is a community outreach program that provides food basics for meal preparation to an average of 800 families per month to those in need, their soup kitchen is a community outreach program that provides a meal for 165 families per night, four nights per week to those in need in the surrounding area. October marked a record month for Holy Family Food Pantry as they served a total of 964 families.

Joshua Blessman, an Organizing for America Illinois Community Organizer who works out of the Springfield area writes about the teams volunteer efforts:

"The OFA Springfield Team donated food and helped to serve families in the community for Thanksgiving. Thirteen Team Members volunteered to donate food and serve at the Holy Family Pantry. The team and the pantry staff bonded well. Camaraderie was luminous; some team members served, while other others were dropping off food items for the Thanksgiving baskets. Enthusiastically performing designated duties; the team shared the activities of sorting and serving an assortment of Thanksgiving foods. While cars were pulling up the team members proudly wheeled out baskets brimming with Thanksgiving trimmings and the spirit of the helping hands permeated throughout the holy pantry."

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Wednesday "Snapshot": 11/25/2009

Matthew Elias — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:50:12 EST

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

RSVP for an Organizing for America Illinois Training Session Near You

Matthew Elias — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 12:44:37 EST

On December 5th and 6th OFA Illinois will be holding multiple training sessions across the state. These trainings are a great chance to learn how to make the biggest impact in your community, ask questions, and learn specific skills such as how to talk with your neighbors about health reform and use OFA's technology to organize most effectively.

During the election last year, we learned that when we build a dedicated community of volunteer leaders, we can bring about powerful change.

RSVP now to reserve your spot in an OFA National Training event near you.

This training is part of building our momentum on the ground -- strengthening our community in every part of the country by bringing volunteers together, learning and sharing best practices, and refining our plan to move forward with our vision for the future.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Decision time in Afghanistan

The Bard of Wilmette — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:28:44 EST

After several weeks of gathering as much information as possible, President Obama is reportedly within a few days of announcing his revised approach regarding the war in Afghanistan. Obama has come under a lot of criticism for his alleged “dithering,” as some political opponents have famously put it. Maybe the president could have come to his decision one month earlier, but personally, I would prefer to have him “dither” for a little too long than to make a decision of this importance without first considering all the relevant information and the perspectives of his chief military and civilian advisors. I do not know what the president’s decision will be, but there are two certainties:

Whatever he decides to do will be wrong, in the opinion of many good and knowledgeable people, and
Wishing that we could turn back the clock to reverse past events does no good.

Most observers seem to believe that President Obama will opt to send more American troops to Afghanistan, but probably less than the 40,000 requested by General Stanley McChrystal. Even if this is true, that still leaves open a lot of questions regarding where the military personnel will be specifically deployed, and what will be the focus of their mission.

With my usual disclaimer that I have no personal military experience and have little knowledge of military affairs, I am of the opinion that it is time to scale down the mission. Fighting terrorism is important, and I generally supported President Bush’s decision to invade Afghanistan and bring down the Taliban regime that provided a base to Al Qaeda. I thought that it was most unfortunate that Mr. Bush switched his emphasis in his “war on terror” from Afghanistan to Iraq, because we might have had much more success in Afghanistan without the very expensive sideshow in the Middle East. However, as noted above, there is no turning back the clock, and President Obama has to deal with the situation as it now stands, rather than what we might think it should have been.

Advocates of a troop surge in Afghanistan, with a change in strategy focused on protecting the civilian population, note how well this approach worked in Iraq. If I believed that this would work as well in Afghanistan, I would probably support it. However, I am persuaded that an additional 40,000 troops –or even double that amount – will be nowhere near enough to do the job in Afghanistan. Compared to Afghanistan, Iraq is a very advanced country, with a well educated population and a strong middle class. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, is hopelessly corrupt. Given the tribal nature of the Afghan population, Mr. Karzai is effectively not much more than the mayor of Kabul. He does not come even close to being widely recognized as the legitimate leader of his country.

One of my major objections to President Bush’s actions in the name of fighting terrorism was that, even if we assume honorable motives on the part of Mr. Bush, he was fiscally reckless. It seems amazing that, while the supposedly “conservative” George W. Bush was president, both the White House and its allies in Congress completely ignored the idea that wars are expensive and have to be paid for. Again, previous events cannot be reversed, but it has to be recognized now that there are limits to most resources. When it comes to the ability of the federal government to spend additional funds, those limits were unacknowledged several years ago, and as a result are more severe today.

This does not mean that we abandon Afghanistan as quickly as possible, regardless of the consequences, but it does mean that we have to factor into the decision the costs involved, and honestly explain how we will pay for it. This was largely ignored throughout the Bush years, but there is no excuse for ignoring it any longer (the same principle applies to health care reform and any other major spending proposals, but the subject for today is Afghanistan).

The way I see it, we cannot afford a counterinsurgency strategy of the type used in Iraq. I do not believe that the 40,000 additional troops requested by General McChrystal would be enough to make an effective difference. Besides that, our military forces have already been overcommitted. My impression is that doing the job “right” in Afghanistan would require hundreds of thousands of troops, and that is not going to happen. It is far too expensive, and in any case cannot be accomplished without resuming a military draft. I strongly doubt that there is much of an appetite for that among most Americans.

If General McChrystal or anybody else can make a convincing case that a maximum addition of 40,000 additional troops will produce lasting and positive results by the end of one additional year, I would like to hear it. Otherwise, we have to scale down our goals. We should continue to pursue known terrorists, and otherwise try to work with the less odious factions of the Taliban. America and its NATO allies might find it easier to work with local Afghan groups if it is clear that our presence there is diminishing. What about the argument that reducing the mission from the previously loftier goals to a more simple counterterrorism would mean that so many lives of brave Americans (and our allies) will have been “wasted?” Unfortunately, we cannot get those lives back, no matter what we do. What we can do is to stop compounding past mistakes.

Another Milestone: Sweeping Healthcare Overhaul

EsquireUK — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:44:20 EST

http://www.healthreform.gov/index.html

The U.S. Senate has narrowly voted to hold a full debate on a landmark bill designed to overhaul the country's healthcare.

All 58 Democrats, plus two independent senators, approved it. All but one of 40 Republican senators voted against.

Two Democratic senators whose support had been in doubt earlier said they would back the package, a key election pledge of President Barack Obama.

The White House said President Obama was "gratified" by the result.

http://www.healthreform.gov/index.html

From The Atlantic:

When I reached Jonathan Gruber on Thursday, he was working his way, page by laborious page, through the mammoth health care bill Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had unveiled just a few hours earlier. Gruber is a leading health economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is consulted by politicians in both parties...
"I'm sort of a known skeptic on this stuff," Gruber told me. "My summary is it's really hard to figure out how to bend the cost curve, but I can't think of a thing to try that they didn't try. They really make the best effort anyone has ever made. Everything is in here....I can't think of anything I'd do that they are not doing in the bill. You couldn't have done better than they are doing..."
The attempt in all these ideas to nudge the medical system away from fee-for-service medicine toward an approach that ties compensation more closely to results captures how much the health care debate has shifted toward cost-control. So far, the rise in health care spending has proven almost invulnerable to every previous attempt to tame it, like the managed care revolution in the 1990s. Even if Obama signs into law a final bill embodying all these reform proposals, many skeptics wonder if they can bend, much less break, the seemingly inexorable increase in health care spending. Reischauer understands that skepticism, but isn't able to entirely suppress a kernel of optimism that this latest reform agenda may prove more effective than its predecessors. "One never knows whether we're turning the corner or if this is just playing the same old game for another inning," he says. "But I sense there's something different out there. I think the medical profession and its leaders have read the handwriting on the wall and are trying to evolve." If so, the ideas the Senate will begin voting on tonight could mark a milestone in that journey.

From the Washington Post:

The Senate voted along party lines Saturday night to overcome a Republican filibuster and bring to the floor a bill that would overhaul the nation's health-care system...
The 60 to 39 vote marks a milestone in the decades-old quest for health-care reform, President Obama's top legislative priority. "The road to this point has been started many times," Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid said before the vote. "It has never been completed." The debate is expected to last weeks. Reid is aiming for final passage by Christmas.
"We know not all 60 senators in my caucus agree on every aspect of this bill," Reid told reporters. "But they agree on the vast, vast majority."
The Senate bill would provide coverage to 31 million uninsured Americans by vastly expanding Medicaid and creating insurance "exchanges" for individuals who do not have access to affordable coverage through their employers. For the first time, it would require most people to carry health coverage, although families with incomes up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level would receive subsidies to buy policies.
The legislation would also force widespread changes to the insurance industry to end discriminatory practices, including the rejection of coverage based on preexisting conditions. It would provide new incentives to encourage disease prevention and to institute the most effective treatments for chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma...

Affairs of state and affairs of the church

The Bard of Wilmette — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:54:20 EST

The story from Rhode Island about the bishop and the congressman is very interesting. The Roman Catholic bishop in Providence has publicly requested that Rep. Patrick Kennedy not take communion, because Mr. Kennedy's pro-choice position on abortion rights is contrary to church doctrine. Mr. Kennedy, of course, is a son of the late Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, and a member of possibly the most famous Catholic family in America. Bishop Thomas Tobin has not only made this request to Mr. Kennedy, but he has ordered that all Catholic priests in Rhode Island refuse to offer communion to the supposedly wayward congressman.

I have no personal stake in this story. I am not Catholic, and while I am generally pro-choice regarding the permissibility of abortions, I do not have a problem with the government's authority to impose some restrictions after the early stages of a pregnancy. Besides that, I do not have daughters, so the issue is not likely to affect me personally. I say this not to take up the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate, but only to note that the outcome of the controversy about the bishop and the congressman does not directly concern me, except as an outside bystander.

It seems to me that in America, clerics of any denomination should be cautious about how they wander into political issues. The messages to their flock should focus on how they can do their best when it comes to their personal conduct. Be the best spouse/child/parent/friend/neighbor/etc. that you can be. Recognize that nobody is perfect, but emphasize that people should do the best that they can. The point is that the sermons and other messages should guide the members of the congregation on their personal behavior, not their political beliefs. If Congressman Kennedy was actually performing abortions, or paying somebody else directly for that purpose, I could understand the bishop's response. Instead, the bishop is taking this action because Congressman Kennedy supports others to have the right to make that decision (whether or not to voluntarily terminate a pregnancy) for themselves.

If the reader will excuse the cheap shot, it is my strong impression that in the numerous reported incidents of Catholic priests sexually molesting young boys, the usual reaction of the bishops was to cover up the crime, and quietly transfer the religiously devout child rapist to another unsuspecting community, hoping that the priest had learned his lesson. The lesson? The lesson appears to be that raping a child is a minor embarrassment, which they can hopefully cover up. Conversely, advocating a purely political position that conflicts with church doctrine is a major offense.

Congressman Kennedy is not about to ask for my advice, but in case he does, my suggestion is that he tell that bishop to get a hobby, but only one that is limited to consenting adults.

Sarah Palin and other conservative heroes

The Bard of Wilmette — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:02:45 EST

The general impression I get from watching news programs these days is that Barack Obama’s popularity is slipping away, and that conversely, Sarah Palin is more popular than the Beatles and Elvis Presley combined at their respective primes. For those of us who admire Mr. Obama and hold little regard for Ms. Palin, it would seem that we are headed for some politically bleak times. This picture may not be completely false, but it is probably much less true than it might seem at the moment.

President Obama’s halo is a bit tarnished, which is inevitable for almost any new president, especially one who entered office accompanied by such high expectations. He has made a few missteps (which will be the subject of a later essay by yours truly) during his first year in office, but nothing he cannot recover from. As long as unemployment remains high – and realistically there is no quick fix for that – President Obama will get the blame. It appears that the economy is already in recovery, and when unemployment goes back down to more tolerable levels, it will likely get Obama’s public approval ratings back to the solidly favorable range. It may not happen soon enough for his party to avoid getting clobbered in the mid term elections next year, but it will happen.

As for Sarah Palin, she is going to make millions of dollars selling her book, but I cannot see her as a credible candidate for President in 2012, or any other year. There is an old cliché about how we underestimate her at our peril. I believe I used that line myself, in reference to Palin, during the campaign last year. Some of Palin’s conservative admirers like to compare her to Ronald Reagan, who also showed great skill with a right wing populist appeal, and was also underestimated by his political opponents. One of my favorite conservative pundits, Steve Chapman of the Chicago Tribune, has a great column comparing Sarah Palin with conservative patron saints Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Here is a link to that column:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-oped1119chapmannov19,0,4222240.column

To me, Sarah Palin more closely resembles Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, and in my opinion, Ms. Palin combines the worst qualities of each of them. Mr. Nixon had what I believe psychiatrists would call a paranoid personality. He was obsessed with the idea that anybody who criticized or disagreed with him was a personal enemy, and therefore, because he was the president, a traitor to the U.S. The fact that Nixon was also very bright, well read, and hard working was not enough to compensate for the serious deficiencies in his character. Mr. Bush was (is) almost the opposite of Mr. Nixon. He is more at ease with himself as a person, but was one of the most intellectually lazy presidents we have ever had. He acted out of a gut feeling of what he thought was right, and (being the “decider” as he famously put it) pursued his policies without much serious analysis. When he did receive advice that did not fit into his preconceived notions, he ignored it, often with tragic consequences. Sarah Palin has managed to combine Nixon’s persecution complex with Bush’s incredible ignorance and lack of curiosity .

Ms. Palin has a devoted following – enough to make her a rich author, and if she wants it, she could probably get a very lucrative job at Fox News. However, while perhaps 20% of the country absolutely loves Sarah Palin, I cannot see her ever making serious inroads on the other 80%.

Snapshot of the Week: 11/12/2009

Matthew Elias — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 16:45:14 EST

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Congress is full of idiots in both parties

The Bard of Wilmette — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:06:26 EST

Liberal pundit E. J. Dionne has an excellent column in today’s Washington Post. Regarding the ongoing health care reform efforts in Congress, there has been a lot of chatter about “perfect” becoming the enemy of the good. This has been a concern of mine for some months. Here is a link to Mr. Dionne’s column:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111122256.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

If any kind of health care reform does get passed into law, the one certainty is that the final product will not be ideal by anybody’s reckoning. I have said in previous blog posts that the biggest obstacles to health care reform are those who insist that the bill contain certain characteristics, such as a “robust public option.” These people – including former Democratic Party leader Howard Dean and interim U.S. Senator Roland Burris (the choice of disgraced former Illinois Governor Blagojevich to fill the unexpired senate term of Barack Obama) – have made clear that they would rather see all reform efforts fail than to have what they believe is half-hearted reform pass. In a way, I have more respect for somebody like Senator Jim DeMint, who at least makes no serious pretense to being anything other than a political enemy of President Obama. If Obama’s presidency fails to achieve its major goals, it will be more due to his supposed allies (such as Dean and Burris) than to his overt opponents (such as DeMint). Reform can pass without any Republican support, but in order for that to happen, the Democrats have to able to unite behind something. As a practical matter, this means accepting the reality that many Democrats representing relatively conservative states and districts cannot support all the provisions favored by their more left-leaning colleagues.

If there is going to be any kind of health care reform bill that clears Congress, it will almost certainly contain some degree of restriction on taxpayer-financed abortions, and it will quite likely not provide for a public option, except perhaps one based on future contingencies. It would still be a major achievement, both in terms of politics and public policy, to get health care reform that extends coverage to all Americans, is fiscally neutral, and controls overall health care costs. This can be done, but not if side shows about the availability of abortions and the public option control the debate.

Public opinion surveys have consistently shown that most Americans have a low regard for Congress, and the contempt is well deserved. Most Republicans in Congress are more focused on opposing Obama, no matter what his policies are. They largely act like Rush Limbaugh, even if they generally do so in more polite language. Like Mr. Limbaugh, they want Obama to fail, even if that would be detrimental to the national interest. Many Democrats are no better. They are so obsessed with their own pet causes (in most cases, their reelection) that they are oblivious to the negative consequences of their own narrow focus. As for President Obama, he has to work with Congress, for all of its imperfections. He has to treat them (both parties and both houses of Congress) with more respect than they deserve… even though that respect does not appear to be rewarded. In the long run, this gives him the best odds for a successful presidency. I think that Obama knows this, and he acts accordingly. He cannot say this, but I can: Congress does not deserve much respect from the American people. If health care reform completely fails, it will be the failure of the Democratic leadership, and they will have themselves to blame if their party is swept out of power in the 2010 elections.

Rep. Debbie Halvorson: The 11th District; Health Insurance Reform

Matthew Elias — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:01:19 EST

After countless meetings with constituents, and hearing their health insurance horror stories, (D-11th) Rep. Debbie Halvorson's mind was made up - change was needed.

Organizing for America Illinois would like to thank Rep. Debbie Halvorson for her strong support of health insurance reform, and share a brief video put together by Rep. Halvorson and her staff that relays some of the health care stories from the Illinois' 11th Congressional District.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Cobblestones

Walt — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:07:03 EST

When sailing ships still used ballast to keep from being blown over by the wind, rock was commonly used as cheap ballast. Then when no longer needed, the rock was used for other purposes. Ships sailing to and from Kabul, Afghanistan, frequently used the local rock for ballast. Upon returning to home ports in Europe, the offloaded stones were dumped in piles in port cities. At some point, someone decided that the stones from Kabul could be put to use paving the muddy streets of those cities. They were Kabul stones that gradually was changed in English to cobblestones.

I still have hopes for bipartisan health care reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:21:11 EST

One of the points made by President Obama in his speech to the joint session of Congress to advocate health care reform was that he would be receptive to good and constructive ideas from any source, including Republicans who oppose nearly everything he does. It was a fine speech, and it succeeded in raising the prospects of enacting some kind of significant health care reform. If he really meant what he said about considering good ideas from the political opposition, he should make that more clear.

Without a doubt, health care reform is a very difficult challenge. As the saying goes, if it was easy, it would have been done long ago. Obama’s allies in Congress (the Democrats) have major differences among themselves, regarding the merits of different aspects of reform. The Republicans are almost 100% united in opposition, both for sincere ideological reasons and for pure political motives. Obama would like to have a bipartisan bill, but (with very few possible exceptions) congressional Republicans will refuse to back any bill, even if it contains several provisions to their liking. By temperament and political background, Obama has always tried to build a consensus, but neither party in Congress is in the mood. What is a president to do?

In apparent opposition to all conventional wisdom, I still believe that the best solution – both for policy and politics – would be a moderate health care reform bill that uses some of the better ideas from both parties. For the reforms to work, they will have to expand access and reduce overall health care costs, regardless of how payment of those costs is distributed. Reforms that focus on one of these issues while ignoring the other will ultimately fail.

With my usual disclaimer about not being an expert on this or any other subject, the best health care reform at this time would have the following characteristics:

1) No legal resident of the U.S. can have his/her coverage denied or revoked due to personal health issues. [The issue regarding illegal residents is trickier. My inclination is to believe that illegal residents should be included, but I would not insist on it as a condition to support an otherwise good bill.]

2) All persons eligible for coverage must be covered. There can be no “opt out” for individuals or families. Tax credits or similar assistance should be available for those who are too poor to afford coverage, but they have to get the coverage. If insurance companies must accept all applicants and all preexisting conditions, then it makes no sense to allow healthy Americans to stay out of the system before the need for insurance becomes obvious.

3) The tax favored treatment for employer-sponsored insurance should be ended, or at least sharply reduced. People who cannot get health insurance through work should not be disadvantaged the way they are now.

4) Individuals and small groups should be able to join large risk pools, in order to remove cost distortions due to underwriting.

5) Sensible tort reform is necessary. This includes caps on non-economic damages and an effective distinction between ordinary and gross negligence. In return for setting limits, the medical profession must do a better job of policing its members. The current practical necessities of defensive medicine and huge malpractice premiums greatly add to overall health care costs, while doing very little for patient well being.

6) End the interstate prohibition on selling medical insurance. Most states need more effective competition among its potential health insurers. Allowing the sale of insurance across state lines would be a big help.

7) Emphasis on prevention, as opposed to treatment and cure, needs to be a component of health care reform. There needs to be financial incentives for people to participate in wellness programs and annual physical exams.

8) For all the talk about “death panels,” the fact is that a large chunk of health care costs take place in the last six months of the patient’s life. I am not about write off somebody for being terminally ill, but there needs to be more honest discussion about the costs associated with extraordinary measures to keep somebody breathing for a few extra months, or weeks, or days. I don’t know what the appropriate answer is, but this is a big element of the national health care bill, and the issue must be faced with more honesty than it has had so far.

9) The public option is not as great an idea as its advocates suggest. This is especially true if there is an “opt out” provision for each individual state. It would likely have the effect of denying coverage for many vulnerable Americans. It will do nothing to contain actual costs, and the notion that it will “save” money by paying doctors at Medicare (or Medicaid) rates makes no sense. Doctors and hospitals can presently treat Medicare as a loss leader item, pushing up the costs to everybody else. They cannot do that if there is no everybody else. The public option either works like Medicare, providing a short term illusion of cost saving, or it works like a private insurance company, with no saving. The “trigger” provision suggested by Olympia Snowe and some other senators, where the public option would be created something like five years in the future if demonstrated to necessary by conditions at that time, might make sense.

Anyway, the status quo cannot continue indefinitely. We need to have some sensible health care reform, but we need to get something that can pass both the House and Senate. Passing a feel good measure that passes only one house of Congress is useless. I believe that a health care reform bill with the characteristics outlined above would be good public policy, and can pass Congress if President Obama makes clear that this is something he supports. It may seem to be too much of half-hearted reform for the liking of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, but even a half-hearted reform now leaves open further reforms in the near future, if those are believed to be needed. The reverse is not true. Failure to pass something now will almost guarantee a very long delay in passing any reform. It will also seriously weaken Obama’s presidency. I do not want that to happen.

"By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" West Loop Watch Party

Matthew Elias — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:00:47 EST

Organizing for America Illinois vounteer, and long time Obama supporter Jeremy Cohen held "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" watch party earlier this evening in Chicago with a group of 15 friends and fellow supporters. Here are some of the event highlights that Jeremy provided for us:

A group of fifteen of us gathered tonight (November 4, 2009) in the West Loop of downtown Chicago for a watch party of the documentary "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama." Prior to viewing the film, we reminisced over the events of the past year. While November 4, 2008 at Grant Park seemed like an eternity ago, we realized the great strides Organizing for America, the President, and our country has gone through. At the same time, we all realized the hard work that still needs to be done to achieve the change we need. The attendees had a real upbeat attitude on health care reform. While the specifics still need ironing out, we all plan on continuing to voice our support of reform to our elected representatives until it is signed into law.

After our discussion, we began the documentary. The film brought back emotionally powerful memories of the entire 2008 presidential campaign. Whether it was the Iowa primary or the announcement of Barack Obama becoming President-elect on election night, all of the memories from one-year ago came back to the surface. The watch party had members who worked the voting stations, campaigned on the President's behalf, and/or were in Grant Park one-year ago to the day. For that reason, the memories were particularly strong and personal. Overall, we all greatly enjoyed the film. It rekindled warm memories from the past, but also re-focused the need to create the change we voted for going into the future.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Wednesday Evening "Snapshot": Election Anniversary Edition

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 23:27:02 EST

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Election Day Memories: Tiffany S.

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:33:53 EST

Organizing for America Illinois volunteer Tiffany reflects on her 2008 Election Day experience:

"November 4th 2008 starter as usual, I headed in to the OFA office located in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago where a large groups of volunteers myself gathered for the final push of the campaign. As the day began we had a steady stream of people of all ages come into the office we were working out of asking if they could help.

Throughout the day we focused mainly on phone banking into neighboring states such as Indiana and Wisconsin. I will never forget watching all of the kids who had come into the office looking to help, and wondering if they realized the historic nature of what they were taking part in."

As they day progressed on groups of people left and began their journey to Grant Park where the post election festivities were going to take place. A handful of us decided to instead stay back in the office and make last minute phone calls to make sure everyone had made it to the polls. I spoke with a few people who wanted to get out and vote, but needed a ride to the polls due to their age and lack of transportation Needless to say; we managed to get them to their polling place in time to cast their votes.

"By this time we had a feeling our hard work had paid off, and let me tell you – it was a feeling I cannot really describe other then saying it is something I will never forget. We had done it – our new leader was President Barack Obama."

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Election Day Memories: Juan

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 19:11:20 EST

University of Chicago student and Organizing for America Illinois intern Juan, recants his 2008 election day experience:

"Throughout 2008, I had some odd, subconscious feeling that Barack Obama was going to win. So as then Senator Obama cleared each major obstacle, I had a sense that events were flowing in the path of least historical resistance. This of course culminated on Election Day, which I was lucky enough to be in Chicago for.”

"As I arrived at Grant Park, I began the trek past the winding mile of security checkpoints. It was during this time that screen confirmed President Obama’s victory – and needless to say crowd erupted in cheers.

"As the atmospherics cooled and the crowds scattered, I caught a glimpse of the distant stage: a blurry miniature in a blue suit, taller than the others and even then, the Obama presidency still hadn’t sunk in.”

"Since the election, I haven't experienced that single, overpowering moment of being struck by the magnitude of the event. Its meaning has come gradually, in quieter guises in various forms such as the outright reasonableness of much of foreign policy. Its instances like this that make me realize how nice it is to have a President like Barack Obama.”

“ I feel as though the tide has turned - that there is finally the possibility of addressing the mounting challenges that burden this country, and I look forward to the passing of health insurance reform legislation. The historical achievement that bill will represent may be the only thing comparable to what so many of us felt one year ago on Election Day."

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Election Day Memories: Cathy F.

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:45:48 EST

Cathy Foster has been involved with Organizing for America Illinois since day one. Below she talks about her 2008 Election Day experience:

"On Nov. 4, 2008, I voted early. I was on pins and needles all day. I felt like Obama was going to win, but I hardly dared believe it. I had a ticket to Grant Park, but it was already jam-packed when I got there. I will never forget that night. Shoulder to shoulder with people who had fought, worked, prayed and hoped for Obama's victory just as I had. We cheered as election results from CNN showed state after state going to Obama.

At 10 p.m., I saw the words "Barack Obama elected president" beamed on the jumbo screens. It was real. We had done it. Tears started trickling down my face. Was anybody NOT crying? The jubilation, the euphoria, the electricity was like nothing I'd ever experienced before. But Obama's quiet, low-key, almost somber address helped underscore the enormity of the task that lay before him and us.

I'm 53 years old and I've never been moved to get involved in a campaign before or follow the issues as closely as I do now. I write letters to the editor that have been published and call and write my legislators. I'm always exhorting my friends and family to do the same. I've gone to rallies for health care. I hosted my first call party on Oct. 20. It's not much compared to what others are doing, I know. But this is Obama's true gift that he inspires people like me, people who never bothered to do anything at all before. I have taken to heart his words:

"I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington. I'm asking you to believe in yours."

On the one-year anniversary of Obama's election, I renew my commitment to working for the change that only we can help make possible--Obama can't do it without us.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

"By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" Watch Party

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:17:25 EST

Organizing for America Illinois Sarah Frankiewicz shares some of highlights from last night's event "By the People: The Election of Barack Obama" which took place at the Clarion Inn, in South Holland, IL:

Sheena Patton, the OFA Field Director and I started out planning for the November 3rd Watch Party of the documentary By the People expecting a decent turnout, weeks ago. We began building for this event by inviting former election volunteers and supporters, as well as current Organizing for America Illinois volunteers from all across Chicago.

People began to arrive at 7:00pm, there was plenty of food and drink, all of which was donated by local area businesses and the volunteers themselves. I was amazed at how many people showed up to the event and the level of excitement they had over what they were about to watch. Former election volunteers spent a good chunk of time before and after the film getting reacquainted with one another, rehashing campaign stories, and updating each other on their post election life.

Eventually the film began, and the reactions of those in attendance were priceless. There were tons of laughs when the film gave a glimpse into President Obama's candid side, one of the attendees even said that it made her feel like she was more like the President then she thought. "He is a real man, with real issues, like every-one else, family, bills, and life." She also commented that the film reaffirmed for her that the President had her best interests at heart, as he serves the greater community. There were a few teary eyed moments, one in particular came when candidate Barack Obama addressed a crowd of people and mentioned the passing of his dear grandmother. All attendees said the really connected with the film, and they felt it truly embodied the electoral experience.

Leaving that night I have to admit, I felt good – really good about the outcome. Everyone was charged up and ready to go forward in volunteering for Organizing for America.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Election Day Memories: Camille M.

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:30:08 EST

Organizing for America Illinois Community Organizer Camille Mitchell talks about last year’s election, and everything that has changed in her life happened since:

“I guess it started around November 3rd - I have to admit I was skeptical - not of Barack’s ability but of his chances with the American public. Then it was the big day - November 4th. I woke up and immediately ran out to vote and then returned back home with buzzing with excitement. Some of us in the neighborhood (and yes, unfortunately this included me too) still thought that this couldn’t happen -- THANK GOD I WAS WRONG!!!!!

As the day turned to night I decided that my daughter Jolie and I had to get downtown. By some stroke of luck we managed to find an AMAZING spot and began to watch as history was being made. The atmosphere in Grant Park was electric, and even with the crowd as large as it was I did not see any arguing or fighting what so ever - and that my friend is A LOT to say about any large crowd in Chicago.

Once the Grant Park celebration began winding down Jolie and I decided to head over to one of my friend’s house to immerse ourselves in more of the news. As my friend and I watched, we both began crying and jumping around singing “Obama…Obama…Obama…Obama”.

I have to admit that my volunteer numbers weren’t all they could have been. I had an 8 year old and was working full time in the financial district downtown - I guess you could say that I was even somewhat apathetic. However on that night, I vowed to myself that I would do more - serve more, and not ask for anything in return.

This past July I was became a Community Organizer with Organizing for America Illinois and have treated it as though it was a full time job. While there has been rough times for me and my daughter over the past year, I have to admit that this ride, and working within my community – from working food banks, to organizing my neighborhood – has really changed my life and now that light at the end of the tunnel, no longer looks too far away. And for that thank you Mr. President, Organizing for America – you have changed my life forever.”

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Election Day Memories: Kathy G.

Matthew Elias — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:34:52 EST

Organizing for America Illinois volunteer Kathy G looks back at last year’s historic election and shares her November 4th memories:

“Many of us volunteers brought cameras to the office and throughout the day photos were taken. We also exchanged hugs. We all wanted the campaign to end but many of us did not want the experience to end. I think you can understand what I mean.

We wanted Sen. Obama to be elected, and we wanted the negativity to end. We didn't want to lose the spirit and the relationships we volunteers had developed. We spent some of the time reminiscing of the experiences we had shared over the last 18 months.”

"We watched the results for each state and cheered as one by one they were called for Sen. I don't remember exactly when MSNBC and CNN called Pennsylvania for Sen. Obama, what I do remember is that we suddenly heard a cheer from the room next door and within a minute Pennsylvania was called for Sen. Obama. What was next door? The people who were monitoring the exit polls and precinct totals, which was a really big moment because we felt we were on the way to a win."

"Shortly thereafter one of the staffers started a cheer. He said, "Whose house?" The response to this is "our house." He then said "what house?" We then responded the "White House." The first time I'd heard this cheer was the night of the Iowa caucuses, needless to say I got chills."

"About 8:30 Katy called and we were able to meet nearby and head to the rally at Grant Park. We walked through the crowd across the bridge to the south and were able to find the entrance for people with tickets and got in. As the electoral vote count rose for Sen. Obama, it became clear that 10:00 would be the magical moment, and the crowd was very anticipatory. The roar from the crowd when his election was announced was electric. I shed a few tears with a smile on my face. We cheered and hugged and took photos."

Civility was the order of the day; strangers talked to and hugged strangers. Entrepreneurial vendors were selling new t-shirts and buttons. On the way out they were half price. The streets were awash with people, moving like lemmings to the sea but with smiles on their faces. People stopped and sat on the medians on Michigan Avenue. People danced; people sang. I had a feeling that the country had somehow changed in one evening. AMAZING."

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

When public officials abuse their trust

The Bard of Wilmette — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:26:35 EST

This week, the U.S. Supreme Court is to hear a case involving alleged misconduct by prosecutors in Iowa in a case dating back to 1977. An editorial today in the Washington Post titled The right not to be framed provides useful background on the case. Two black men convicted of murdering a retired white police officer are suing the prosecutors for fabricating evidence to frame the two men, who each spent 25 years in prison for the crime. The convictions were overturned by the Iowa Supreme Court, which concluded that the star witness was a “liar and a perjurer.” One of the two defendants was cleared. The other one initially sought a new trial, but eventually agreed to a conviction, with the sentence limited to time served.

It appears that the prosecutors are not seriously disputing the allegations of their own misconduct, because they are emphasizing not their innocence, but rather that “there is no freestanding constitutional right not to be framed.” According to the allegations, the prosecutors knowingly coaxed supposed witnesses to fabricate testimony against the suspects. The justification for claiming immunity to lawsuits based on malicious prosecutorial misconduct is based on the idea that if you let this suit go forward, then you would have to allow it for every acquitted defendant and every defendant whose case was subject to minor mistakes by the prosecution. That is ridiculous, and the U.S. Supreme Court should say so.

Prosecutors are an important part of protecting the public from the bad guys, and they should be immune from lawsuits based on innocent errors and “gray area” incidents of possible wrongdoing. Sometimes, the wrongdoing is apparently clear in hindsight, but seemed reasonable at the time it happened. Personally, I am not sympathetic to lawsuits based on alleged misdeeds of this kind. For a lawsuit based on prosecutorial misconduct to have legal standing, the alleged misconduct must far exceed the usual kinds of activity that might be of dubious legality. For the lawsuit to be successful, there should be a high burden of proof by the plaintiff. However, it is outrageous to suggest that such a lawsuit should never have legal standing, no matter how badly the public official abused his authority.

Readers of my past OFA postings might recall that I was opposed to bringing criminal charges against President Bush and/or Vice-President Cheney, as some of my fellow bloggers were inclined to do. As deplorable as some of their (Bush and Cheney) actions were, they can at least make the credible argument that they acted with the motive of protecting the American people from terrorists. I believe that some of their methods were illegal, and they deserve a very harsh judgment by future historians, but I have never thought that criminal charges against them would be appropriate. I mention this now, in order to make clear that I am not a big advocate for legal punishment of government officials for abusing their office. This appears to be one case where it is appropriate.

Here is a link to the Post editorial:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/01/AR2009110101950.html?wpisrc=newsletter

A major newspaper's pundit contest

The Bard of Wilmette — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:44:59 EST

Some weeks ago, The Washington Post announced an op-ed writing contest, where non-professional writers were invited to submit an essay of 400 words or less. The essays would be judged by the clarity of writing, and content with an interesting message, but not on whether or not the editors agreed with the content. There were thousands of submissions, including one from yours truly. Out of these thousands, only ten of these amateur writers would advance to the second round, and the process would gradually whittle down to a single winner, who would get the honor of contributing a regular column for something like ten weeks. The winner would receive a fairly modest fee for his/her columns, but the main prize would be the prestige, not the money.

My essay was not one of the ten that made it to the second round, and of course, I was well aware that my odds were very remote. Anyway, now that I am officially out of the running, I would like to share my essay with my fellow OFA bloggers:

With multiple international crises and a serious economic recession to address, along with an ongoing effort to accomplish major reforms in healthcare, other issues have understandably been set aside for now. It can wait awhile, but I hope that some time before the end of Barack Obama’s presidency, there will be a serious examination of the various laws enacted, and enforcement methods used, in the name of “getting tough on crime.” We have the infamous war on drugs, which generally criminalizes the casual possession and use of various drugs, some of which are relatively harmless. We have the “three strikes” laws in many states, which in some circumstances impose long prison terms for minor offenses. Capital punishment is as popular as ever. Politicians frequently try to outdo each other in the contest to appear tougher on crime, because that perception is always a big advantage in elections. Conversely, an American politician who dares to suggest that these measures are ineffective in combating crime have as much chance of getting elected as would a candidate for the Iranian parliament who publicly doubts the existence of God.

I have no problem with being tough on crime, but I believe that many of the actions done with that supposed objective are ineffective at best, and in some cases counterproductive. Smarter and wiser people than yours truly may disagree, but let’s at least challenge some of the cherished assumptions.

Problems with the war on drugs include wasted resources (police, courts, jail), drug classifications which defy common sense (tobacco cigarettes are legal, marijuana is not), enrichment of organized crime (because lawful merchants cannot supply the people with what they apparently want), and the lost opportunity for excise tax revenue.

The three strikes laws remove the ability of a trial judge to use common sense in sentencing a convicted defendant. By imposing a mandatory twenty year sentence (for example) when a much shorter sentence is appropriate under the circumstances, the prisons become overcrowded with inmates who should not be there.

The usual justifications for capital punishment are false. They do not generally deter crime or save the taxpayers money, nor can we be sure that an innocent person is never executed. Execution undeniably does serve one purpose, which is to satisfy our collective thirst for revenge for an especially gruesome crime.

Let’s have some open an honest debate on these issues.

Now, back to the present day (11/2/09). I wrote the above words about a month ago. The Post editors had to sift through thousands of submitted essays – most of them undoubtedly well written – and it cannot have been easy to select the ten best. For the second round, they asked the would-be pundits to write a 750 word essay, on a different subject matter from the one they used in the first round. Two examples are provided in today’s on-line edition of the post:

http://views.washingtonpost.com/pundits/contestants/mara.gay/2009/11/mom_in_chief.html

http://views.washingtonpost.com/pundits/contestants/darryl.jackson/2009/11/sarah_palins_second_act.html

In my own (obviously biased) opinion, their writings are no better than mine, and Mr. Jackson’s is definitely worse.

I am not a Marxist

Walt — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 12:26:34 EST

I am not a Marxist.
Barack is not too.
Call us socialists if you will
Labels do not matter
To those who care
Or to those who care to think.
To a good Christian or Muslim
Charity is a necessity.
Fairness, not charity, is what we seek
Putting the needy before the greedy
Is our program and our creed
Doing right for the many
Not right for the Right few
It is time to put our differences
To the side and be done
The Founding Fathers gave us more than they received
Let us emulate their vision and their wisdom
We can/must advance the cause of freedom and equality
Both here and abroad
Let us lead by example
Not by force and bluster
We can make the US number one again
In the hearts of all mankind.

Weekly Address: Milestones on the Economy and the Recovery Act

Matthew Elias — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 23:51:29 EDT

While there is nothing to celebrate until job numbers turn around, the President cites the recent dramatic turnaround in gross domestic product as a sign of better things to come. He also applauds the fact that the Recovery Act has now created or saved more than a million jobs.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

OnStar

Walt — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:49:21 EDT

Barack bailed out GM so that the government could install OnStar in all new cars to spy on US citizens and their driving habits. More nonsense from the Right. What do they think that the Bush administration was doing when they monitored everyone's cell and land line phone calls?

Wednesday Evening "Snapshot": 10/27/2009

Matthew Elias — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:46:34 EDT

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Keeping Barack Obama human

The Bard of Wilmette — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:17:48 EDT

The OFA blog today contains a post from somebody, apparently with the moniker “Worship,” with an interesting message:

Our first announcement to all Obama supporters We want to move past being known as an Obama supporter, and move into the realm of an Obama Worshiper. President Obama is the greatest world leader the world has ever seen, and we should worship the ground he walks on out of respect for him and his accomplishments.

While I respect the sincerity of people whose admiration for President Obama seems to extend to the level of elevating the president into a deity, I cannot share the attitude. I want to be clear about my own attitude. I do admire Barack Obama as a person. He is the first presidential candidate to get any direct financial support from me. His campaign was also the first, since I was an idealistic high school student forty years ago, where I volunteered my time. I shared in the excitement of his 2008 election victory. This was not merely a victorious candidate who got my vote, but also (for the first time in my life) my enthusiastic support.

To be realistic, however, it is far too early to be sure that Obama will be a great president, let alone the greatest world leader the world has ever seen. For one thing, a great man (or woman) who happens to be the president is very different from being a great president. The qualities are not the same.

President Obama has, in my opinion, qualities that potentially can make him a great president. He is highly intelligent, a well read student of history, and trained to understand and appreciate competing viewpoints regarding a particular issue or problem. He is secure enough about himself that he does not take political attacks personally. He understands, maybe to a greater degree than nearly any of his predecessors (on a level with the senior President Bush), the role of diplomacy in international relations. While not historically a good predictor of presidential performance, Barack Obama is also (by all available evidence) an excellent family man who lives by an admirable personal moral code. Maybe that is not very important, but if nothing else, the absence of any scandal in his life at least precludes his being a target of personal blackmail. It also could give him some additional credibility when he is trying to push some moral cause.

Great presidents have to be excellent politicians. This means sometimes compromising with ideals in order to achieve something important. It sometimes involves choosing the least bad of several unappealing alternatives (the war in Afghanistan comes to mind). It involves making mistakes. Most historians have judged (correctly, in my view) Franklin Roosevelt as one of our greatest presidents. Despite that, however, there is absolutely no justification for FDR rounding up large numbers of Japanese-Americans and putting them in concentration camps. That is just one example. Jimmy Carter had, and still has, many of the same admirable personal qualities as we see in Barack Obama. Unfortunately, Mr. Carter was not a successful president.

If Obama is going to be a great president, the biggest pitfall he has to avoid is the tendency for presidents to be isolated from conflicting policy arguments. Many of our presidents would not tolerate even private dissent. They surrounded themselves with advisors who only told them what they wanted to hear, and anybody who dared to differ with the president’s inclinations would soon be out of a job. Other presidents became that way after starting out differently. In Obama’s Harvard Law training, he learned the value of competing arguments as a means of ultimately arriving at a good solution to a problem. This does not mean that he will get it right every time, but at least he should be well aware of the legitimate reasons in support of an alternative answer. This is a very good quality for Obama to have, but the surest way for him to lose it would be if he is surrounded by people who worship the ground he walks on. Obama is not right all the time, and when we believe he is wrong, we should say so. To cite one small example, he was wrong to slap a punitive tariff on tires from China. In my own opinion, he has not handled the health care reform efforts in Congress as well as he could, although events in the coming several weeks will make it clearer than it is now whether or not my criticism on this issue is premature.

Wednesday Evening "Snapshot": 10/21/2009

Matthew Elias — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:14:14 EDT

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Time to Deliver in Illinois: Ladies Night Call Party

Matthew Elias — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:36:41 EDT

Last night was ladies night in the Organizing for America Illinois Homewood office as groups of women gathered for a Time to Deliver call party. Below is an overview of the event courtesy of OFA intern Sarah Frankiewicz:

“Ladies night phone bank in Homewood was a huge success. From 4-8 pm volunteers streamed in and made calls urging others in their neighborhood to support the President’s plan for health insurance reform.

When the clock hit 7 pm we took a break from calling and watched the President’s address to volunteers on the web. It was a moment of solidarity as we realize that across the country groups like us were coming together to make real positive change.

We are all connected; - small efforts become a bigger as we collaborate together. We can constructively get work done without screaming like brutes at open forums, or distorting the truth in an attempt to grab some short term gain. Yes we can. We ARE part of the change that needs to happen!!! We can, and we are making our voices heard.”

Over 330,000 calls! Check out the call count meter: CLICK HERE
Watch this special message from the President CLICK HERE

Interesting allies regarding the war on drugs

The Bard of Wilmette — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:08:48 EDT

Syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker has an excellent op-ed in today’s (10/21/09) Washington Post. Ms. Parker is generally conservative, but not right wing, and this column concerns the Obama administration’s decision that the federal government will not interfere with states which permit the use of medical marijuana. I think it is an excellent column, because it articulates the case I have been trying to make in some previous blog postings, but in this case with the skill of a professional writer. She praises the administration for making the first step toward sensible drug policy, but she also advocates going further.

The usual arguments in favor of legalizing (or at minimum, decriminalizing) weed note that it is less harmful and addictive than some other currently legal products, that its illegal status means a huge waste of police/court/jail resources, and various other ways that the “war on drugs” is counterproductive, at least regarding marijuana.

In addition to these things, although the foolishness of the “war on drugs” has a long bipartisan history, self-described conservatives should oppose the long standing U.S. policy on ideological grounds. It is a case of government interference with an individual’s choice regarding a recreational activity. Besides that, it is (or at least was, when the supposedly conservative George W. Bush was president) a case of the federal government overruling the states on matters of social policy. True conservatives should be appalled by such arrogance of big government.

Anyway, here is a link to Kathleen Parker’s column:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/20/AR2009102003084.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter&sid=ST2009102003110

Time to Deliver in Illinois: Albany Park Health Reform Now Call Party

Matthew Elias — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:48:56 EDT

Albany Park volunteers did their part and helped continue the trend of successful Time to Deliver call parties. Here's a quick rundown courtesy of the events host Terrie Albano:

"What a great night. Five of us Organizing for America ladies made 200 calls from a home in the Albany Park neighborhood of Chicago and the response we received was overwhelmingly supportive. We got total of 43 new people to commit to call their members of Congress and urge them to support the President's plan for health insurance reform, and 11 new volunteers for Organizing For America Illinois. Along with the pizza, cookies and tea, we celebrated being part of this movement for change."

285,928 calls and counting! To follow the current call count meter: CLICK HERE
Check out the Organizing for America blog for Time to Deliver updates from across the country: CLICK HERE

Time to Deliver Illinois: 32nd Ward Democrats Call Party

Matthew Elias — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:37:41 EDT

The 32nd Ward Democrats incorporated food and friends into their Time to Deliver call party in Roscoe Village earlier this evening:

The outdoor patio at the Village Tap, a neighborhood bar in Roscoe Village, was filled with the hum of Organizing for America Illinois volunteers making calls encouraging their neighbors to get behind the President's plan for health insurance reform. Two dozen folks from all walks of life settled down with food and drink and enlisted the President's supporters to join in the push to for real change. The President's web cast was displayed on a big screen TV located in pubs main dining room. Everyone crowded around, and watched as the President spoke -- one lady was overheard saying "we really are helping make this happen!"

285,928 calls and counting! To follow the current call count meter: CLICK HERE
Check out the Organizing for America blog for Time to Deliver updates from across the country: CLICK HERE

Time to Deliver Illinois: Smilin' and Dialin' in Chicago

Matthew Elias — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:12:38 EDT

Organizing for America Illinois intern Juan Velez fills us in on yet another Time to Deliver success story:

Ten volunteers spread around Susan Kytola's cozy apartment on Damen St., calling supporters of health care reform and encouraging them to voice their support to Congressmen Shock, Durbin and Burris. Susan's friends and relatives made up half of the motivated callers, three others found the event through OFA IL. After crowding around a laptop for President Obama's address, the group toyed with the idea of making "grab a mop!" shirts.

Faminta Zamen, a psychologist, spoke about her reasons for getting involved: "A lot of the populations I work with are uninsured, such as refugees and the homeless. I've had first hand experience seeing what happens when people can't get medicine... how much they suffer, especially their mental health."

At around 8:45, everyone crowded around the dinner table while the results where tallied: 165 commitments in two hours!

200,000 calls and counting! To follow the current call count meter: CLICK HERE
Check out the Organizing for America blog for Time to Deliver updates from across the country: CLICK HERE

Time to Deliver Illinois: Democrat Party of Oak Park Call Party

Matthew Elias — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:25:30 EDT

Another Time to Deliver call party success in Illinois. Event host Jerry Delaney provides us with highlights:

"The phone bankers at the Democratic Party of Oak Park filled each other with hope tonight! We had almost 30 volunteers show up to make calls for health reform! It was an overflow group with some volunteers having to make calls from chairs in a parking lot.

We had overwhelming positive responses from those we called with some of them thanking us for doing this important work. One person called us back to let us know that when he called Congressman Danny Davis he actually talked to the Congressman!"

285,928 calls and counting! To follow the current call count meter: CLICK HERE
Check out the Organizing for America blog for Time to Deliver updates from across the country: CLICK HERE

Time to Deliver in Illinois: Homewood Seniors are Ready for Their Voices to be Heard

Matthew Elias — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 18:50:38 EDT

Volunteers across the state of Illinois are taking part in a national day of action to support President Obama’s plan for health reform, calling on their neighbors to ask them to tell their representatives that it's time to deliver on health reform.

At this event in Homewood, Illinois, senior citizens got together and made calls to fellow seniors in the area urging support for the President's plan. Needless to say, the response they received was great, and this group of seniors are ready for their voices to be heard!

200,000 calls and counting! To follow the current call count meter: CLICK HERE
Check out the Organizing for America blog for Time to Deliver updates from across the country: CLICK HERE

End the war... on Fox News

The Bard of Wilmette — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:40:59 EDT

I have zero respect for Fox News, and in my own opinion, that organization deserves nothing but contempt. Then again, I can say that, because I am nobody of significance. For President Obama’s top White House aides to say it is quite different. Contrary to the assertions of David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, Fox is a news organization. It may be highly slanted and lacking in integrity, but it is still a news organization. It contains legitimate journalists, in addition to the ranting pundits. In my opinion, it is a big mistake for the Obama White House to openly carry on a campaign against Fox News. In doing so, he lowers himself to their level. Maybe I don’t personally think so, but that is the way it looks to a lot of people.

One of the qualities I most admire about Barack Obama is his ability to stay above most of the petty verbal trashing. There can be no serious doubt that at least some of the anti-Obama rhetoric is based on racist motives. By “some,” I do not suggest that most is based on racial fear or anger. A lot of opposition to Obama’s policies is based on pure political differences, and would be no different than if the same policies were being articulated by a white president. On the other hand, I doubt that the ridiculous “birthers” would have gotten much attention if Obama’s ethnic background was similar to mine. Anyway, despite the likelihood that some of the unfair attacks on Obama are based on racism, Obama has never made that accusation against any of his political rivals, nor has he said or implied that the opposition from ordinary voters is based on racism. This is very much to Obama’s credit. Of course, racism still exists, but President Obama is right to never use racism as an excuse for political difficulties or defeats.

So why does he declare war on Fox News? It just makes Obama – or his White House staff, which amounts to the same thing – look as petty as Nixon and Agnew did when they basically accused much of the press of being unpatriotic. Obama should not bring himself down to Nixon’s level. During the campaign, Obama did an outstanding job of remaining good-natured and calmly shaking off the taunts of his political opponents. As a result, he was the one who looked like a statesman, while the others looked like low-class political hacks. President Obama should remember how Senator and presidential candidate Obama handled political attacks.

Here is a link to an essay by somebody who apparently does not agree with me. The writer says the White House is acting appropriately in “fact checking” the various lies by Fox News. That statement may be true, when it comes to false statements of apparent fact, but that does not extend to general disparaging characterizations about Fox News. That goes far beyond fact checking.

http://mediamatters.org/blog/200910090010

Keith Olbermann

Walt — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:08:57 EDT

Tonight Keith Olbermann will repeat his passionate denunciation of healthcare insurers that was so effective the first time it was run. Money is being donated to set up free clinics in cities in the districts of ranking members of Congress who have a big say in healthcare reform legislation. It is an effective way to influence some votes.

The undocumented

Walt — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:55:57 EDT

Why do the undocumented come to the US from Mexico and points South? For the money of course. If we truly want to slow or stop illegal immigration, we must eliminate the attraction of earning money in the US. Money spent on a southern border fence would be better spent, in my opinion, on undercover INS agents posing as undocumented aliens in sting operations in our larger cities and towns. Stiffer penalties for hiring the undocumented and mandated jail sentences will go a long way toward reducing hiring. With no way to support themselves here in the US, many of the undocumented will return to their homes to the South.

In addition, we should work with Mexico to help their leaders make Mexico a better place for their citizens to live, thereby reducing the need to work in the US. We should make it clear that Mexico and others can no longer export their problems north. Phasing in increased penalties and mandatory jail time here in the US over 5 or 7 years will give the leaders of Mexico and others time to make the needed reforms that will keep the undocumented home, not here in the US. Mexico should enforce progressive taxation, reduce corruption, and with our help, destroy their drug cartels.

Illinois Physicians for Health Insurance Reform Press Conference

Matthew Elias — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:07:00 EDT

Last week, as he stood side by side with doctors from all 50 states on The White House lawn, President Barack Obama said:

"When you cut through all the noise and all the distractions that are out there, I think what most telling is that some of the people who are most supportive of reform are the very medical professional who know the health care system best -- the doctors and nurses of America."

"These men and women here would not be supporting health insurance reform if they really believed that it would lead to government bureaucrats making decisions that are best left to doctors. They wouldn't be here today if they believed that reform in any way would damage the very critical and sacred doctor-patient relationship. Instead, the reason these doctors are here is because they have seen firsthand what's broken about our health care system."

This was the sentiment yesterday when a group of physicians held a press conference outside Cook County Hospital to declare their unwavering support for health insurance reform. Accompanied by Organizing for America Illinois State Director David Seman, Doctors Dan Felten, Suneel Udani, Philip Verhoef and Badewa Fatunde shared stories of patients who couldn't get the care they needed because their coverage had been severely attenuated, stories of patients who failed to receive regular screenings or checkups because their insurance would not cover the cost, The same sentiment was shared by all; the system currently in place needs to be fixed.

They have seen firsthand what's broken in our health care system and that's why they have decided to join the President in pushing for health insurance reform now. You can help them by signing up for our day of action events. We've come a long way, but we can't stop now. As health reform legislation moves to the full House and Senate, we need your help now more than ever.

Sign up for a "Time to Deliver" Call Party in Your Neighborhood: CLICK HERE
Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Wednesday Evening "Snapshot": 10/14/2009

Matthew Elias — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 22:15:36 EDT

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Organizing for America Illinois "Volunteer Spotlight"

Matthew Elias — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:30:45 EDT

This week’s "Volunteer Spotlight” is focused on Organizing for America Illinois community organizer Tom O'Connor. Having been involved with OFA throughout the primaries and general election, community organizing is nothing new to O'Connor, who credits the sense of fulfillment he feels when working with people on a grassroots level as being the key motivation behind his continued work with Organizing for America.

When then Senator Obama announced his candidacy for President I knew right away that I was going to do all in my power to get him into the White House. Shortly after I traveled to Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana to canvass during the primaries, and when I couldn’t travel to other primary states, I phone banked from my home.

I spent the last three weeks of the general election in Indiana, which turned blue for the first time since 1964. This made me especially proud.Since the summer of 2009 I've been concentrating on health insurance reform just like everyone else.

I am ready to continue with whatever the next issue happens to be, whether it is Education, Energy, or bringing reform to the financial sector.I truly believe that the 2008 election was just the start of a transformation in our country, and I am happy to be a part of it through my work with Organizing for America.

1) How long have you been involved with OFA?
I first volunteered for the Presidential campaign back in 2007, prior to the Iowa caucus. I began volunteering with Organizing for America Illinois as soon as the state staff hit the ground in early 2009.

2) What got you involved with Organizing for America?
Sheena Patton, an Organizing for America Field Organizer, whom I worked with throughout the campaign, called me around the time that the health insurance reform opponents began receiving a lot of attention in the news. Then, when I found out that Organizing for America was focused on building support for health reform at a grassroots level - block by block - I signed on to help.

3) What have you found to be effective in getting new volunteers mobilized?
It's gotten to the point where opponents of health insurance reform have given us a motivational gift as their behavior and outright lies have been so over the top that people are itching to do something to counter them. Turning the anger we feel toward those tactics into positive action requires almost a counseling type approach.Most of the people I talk to at first blow off a lot of steam and anger at the opposition. Their initial notion is usually to fight fire with fire, but after a conversation about the tactics that put Barack Obama in the White House – inclusion instead of rejection and calm over chaos - they tend to come around and begin focusing their energy on making calls, knocking on doors and letting their representatives know that they support the President.

4) What's been the highlight of your time with Organizing for America?
In September I had a chance to spend a few hours helping to train some of OFA's interns. I was really impressed by their enthusiasm and desire to improve this country and our world. It gives me great comfort knowing that we have great leadership on the horizon.

5) What issue/issues matters most to you and why?
I am one of the millions of Americans without any health coverage, so health insurance reform strikes a very personal note for me. Energy and environmental policy are also very important to me and I look forward to working on those issues with the same vigor.I know that powerful interests are invested in the status quo, so folks like us are going to have to be activists from now until 2012, then until 2016 and on to our next president and for the sake of our country. President Obama helped get me interested in politics but it is important now to remember that we all have a stake in our country’s future. I hope you will join me in helping out with Organizing for America in Illinois.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

President Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

EsquireUK — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:02:24 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Building-a-World-that-Gives-Life-to-the-Promise-of-Our-Founding-Documents/

Early this morning, it was announced that President Obama had been selected as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. From the New York Times:

In a stunning surprise, the Nobel Committee announced in Oslo that it has awarded the annual prize to the president “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.” The award cited in particular Mr. Obama’s effort to reduce the world’s nuclear arsenal.

“He has created a new international climate,” the committee said.

The announcement, coming extraordinarily early in Mr. Obama’s presidency — less than nine months after he took office as the first African American president — shocked people from Norway to Washington.

The White House had no idea it was coming.

...a senior administration official said in an e-mail message that Mr. Gibbs called the White House shortly before 6 a.m. and woke the president with the news.

“The president was humbled to be selected by the committee,” the official said, without adding anything further.

Mr. Obama made repairing the fractured relations between the United States and the rest of the world a major theme of his campaign for the presidency and since taking office as president, he has pursued a range of policies intended to fulfill that goal. He has vowed to pursue a world without nuclear arms, as he did in a speech in Prague earlier this year, reached out to the Muslim world, delivering a major speech in Cairo in June, and sought to restart peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

“Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world’s attention and given its people hope for a better future,” the committee said in its citation. “His diplomacy is founded in the concept that those who are to lead the world must do so on the basis of values and attitudes that are shared by the majority of the world’s population.”

President Obama is only the third sitting U.S. president to win the award.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Building-a-World-that-Gives-Life-to-the-Promise-of-Our-Founding-Documents/

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/

Organizing for America /Democratic Party of Evanston/Organizing for America Phone Bank for Health Insurance Reform

Matthew Elias — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:29:46 EDT

There was a packed house at the Evanston Democratic Party Headquarters last night.as Volunteers with phones and laptops in hand went to work talking to citizens all over the state, enlisting them to join the fight for Health Insurance Reform.

Organizing for America and the Democratic Party of Evanston have transformed Wednesday nights into one of the most productive, phone banks in the state. Each week, the number of volunteers in attendance grows in size as the debate for health insurance reform continues on. The focus has been on contacting voters outside of Cook County, and build Organizing for America into an even larger statewide force.

Wednesday nights with Organizing for America Illinois and the Democratic Party of Evanston is the perfect time for anyone who has been thinking about, or waiting for the right opportunity to get involved with the push towards health insurance reform.

For details including the location, time, and dates of the Wednesday night phone banks for health insurance reform click HERE.

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow OFA Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Wednesday Evening "Snapshot": 10/08/2009

Matthew Elias — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:30:21 EDT

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow OFA Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

About that assumed necessity for 60 Senate votes...

The Bard of Wilmette — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:54:12 EDT

I have not seen anybody discuss the issue so far, so maybe the answer is so obvious that it is not worth the brief time to address this question: Is it really necessary for a healthcare reform bill to get the support of 60 senators? I understand the business about filibusters and cloture votes, but the press has implicitly assumed that, without exception, every senator who does not support the Senate legislation will automatically support a filibuster against the bill. Maybe this is true, but have our Senate leaders (along with former Senators Obama and Biden) even considered the possibility that one or a few senators might behave differently from what is assumed?

One famous TV newsman, who should know better, brought up the issue again yesterday about Barack Obama's "present" votes while in the Illinois State Senate. The implication was that Obama was too much of a weasel to vote for or against a proposed bill, so he voted "present" in a cynical attempt to avoid committing himself. The context of yesterday's reference was in relation to Obama's taking some time to consider his alternative courses of action if Afghanistan. In the Illinois state legislature, "present" has a specific meaning, of which most of Obama's critics are either ignorant or else willfully distorting the picture. In effect, "present" means the same thing as "nay" (or "no"), but is basically a signal that the legislator supports the intentions of the bill, but that the bill as written is too flawed to support. I bring this up now, only to illustrate that what may seem obvious is not necessarily so.

Back to the subject of getting healthcare reform through Congress, it appears that the House will pass some kind of a bill, the Senate will pass a very different kind of a bill, and hopefully a conference committee will work out some unified bill that the president can sign. This process is clearly difficult, and it is not yet certain that anything will eventually pass both houses of Congress. It would be a difficult task in any circumstances, but it is made much more difficult by the fact that a determined group of 41 senators can block any legislation. Even getting unity among the Democrats in the Senate seems impossible. Some of the progressives have indicated that they will absolutely refuse to support a bill that does not contain certain provisions, while some moderates in the same party apparently will refuse to support a bill that does contain those same provisions.

Is it at least possible that a small number of senators could be persuaded, even if the bill that emerges is personally disappointing to them, to invoke cloture? In other words, they might not vote in favor of the legislation itself, but they would agree to kill a filibuster that would prevent the Senate from voting the bill up or down. President Obama's popularity may not be as high as it was when he first took office (those poll ratings were never going to be sustainable), but he is still by far the most popular and admired politician in the country. There have got to be some senators who owe him, at minimum, the opportunity for a Senate bill to come to a floor vote. In addition, some "blue state" Republicans, most notably Olympia Snowe, might find it to their own political advantage to kill a filibuster, even if they do not support the bill. The Senate bill may not really need 60 votes.

I have previously written about my own preferences about what healthcare reform bill I would like to see enacted into law, but I will not rehash the arguments here, because that would confuse the more basic issue. Politically, Obama needs some kind of healthcare reform bill to pass, and I would rather see a disappointing healthcare reform bill pass than to have no healthcare reform pass. While the task is difficult, I believe it is at least possible that support by a slightly under 60 senators could be enough.

Health Insurance Reform Phone Bank at The Village Tap in Roscoe Village

Matthew Elias — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 13:03:41 EDT

Supporters gathered at the Village Tap in Roscoe Village for what has become a weekly Organizing for America phone bank.

Volunteers called through local constituents in Roscoe Village and spoke to them about the President's plan for health reform, encouraging them to voice their support for the President's plan to their member of Congress, Rep. Danny Davis.

While Rep. Davis is an unwavering supporter of health insurance reform, Organizing for America wants to encourage members of Congress who support health reform to maintain the momentum on the debate as the legislative process takes its course.

Phone banks are a key part of the grassroots effort that is helping to finally make health insurance reform, and the rest of President Obama's agenda, a reality.

If you or anyone you know are interested in joining us at next weeks Organizing for America phone bank at the The Village Tap, or if you want to check out the event details please go ahead and CLICK HERE. Hope to see you there!

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow OFA Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

"Walk/Run/Roll for Health Insurance Reform" in Grant Park a Huge Success

Matthew Elias — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 13:14:20 EDT

Content contributed by Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care

This past Saturday, the Campaign for Better Health Care (CBHC) organized 55 individuals to take part in the "Walk/Run/Roll for Health Insurance Reform," part of the Chicago AIDS Run/Walk. CBHC runners and walkers gathered in Grant Park in downtown Chicago for the event and carried signs calling for the choice of a strong public health insurance plan.

At the CBHC tent, team members also distributed literature calling for a strong public option. Response was overwhelmingly positive, and participants left ready to keep racing for reform.

This serves as another example of how the Illinois Campaign for Better Health Care and Organizing for America volunteers are committed to serving their communities and directly involving themselves in the process.

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

The depression that did not happen

The Bard of Wilmette — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:01:43 EDT

In a famous Sherlock Holmes story, one of the important clues was a dog that did not bark. In evaluating the early stage of the Barack Obama presidency, one of the significant achievements may be the depression that did not happen. Sure, unemployment is 9.8%, the highest rate since Ronald Reagan's first term, and the U.S. economy at this time is hardly the backdrop for bragging rights. What we will never know for certain is what would have happened in the absence of some of the controversial measures taken by Barack Obama during the first year of his presidency. The U.S. has experienced a nasty recession, but it could have been a great deal worse. It looks like the recession may be technically over, in the sense that the economy could show positive growth in the quarter that ended Sept. 30, 2009. The numbers are not in yet, but it looks likely that the recession is over, or about to be over. High unemployment will continue to be a fact for some time to come, and for those who are unemployed, it has to feel more like a depression than a mere recession that may be technically over.

Former Vice-President Dick Cheney tells anybody who will listen at Fox News that the previous administration kept America safe for 7+ years after the "9/11" terrorist attacks in 2001. Given the rest of the legacy of that administration, there is little to brag about. The most significant achievements of the Bush "43" record are the tax cuts and the Iraq War. Both were presented to the American public on a foundation of lies, although I really do not want to rehash the arguments here. My point is that the main positive legacy that Bush "43" officials emphasize is the disaster that did not happen: a major terrorist attack in the U.S. after 2001. I have always thought that this was an overblown claim, and that their careless disregard for constitutional rights was not a necessary component for keeping America safe. Still, for the sake of the moment, let's concede the argument that Bush-Cheney kept us all safe from the terrorists after you-know-what. It is obvious that Bush administration officials, who want to portray their record in as positive terms as possible, are counting on the absence of later terrorist attacks in the U.S. as an important positive element of their legacy. Their biggest credit, in other words, is not for something that actually happened, but for something that did not happen.

In a similar line of thinking, I believe that a major achievement of the first year of the Obama presidency is a disaster that did not happen: an economic depression reminiscent of the 1930's. There has definitely been a serious recession, and unemployment will remain uncomfortably high for many months after the resumption of positive economic growth. The recession was brought on by the collective actions of governments, companies, and individuals over a long period of time. President Obama inherited a bad recession, and irresponsible stewardship from the federal government during both Republican and Democratic administrations contributed to the problem. A long period of very low interest rates discouraged saving and encouraged increased debt. In effect, presidents and congresses continued to put off the needed changes, because it was easier to put off the day of reckoning and let their successors get the blame than to assume the responsibility themselves. It does no good for Obama to blame his predecessor(s) for the conditions confronting him. He knew what he was getting into, and he wanted to be president anyway. The U.S. economy is badly in need of certain adjustments, and there is no way to make those adjustments painless.

The U.S. economy may be starting to recover, but it will not feel very satisfying for quite some time. This would be the case, no matter who was president. Where I believe that Obama deserves some major credit is that the recession did not turn into a 1930's-style depression. It could have happened. The stimulus bill, which I thought was basically a good idea but not well executed, is criticized for being ineffective. It may have been ineffective in bringing down unemployment, but its main effect - and I don't know if Obama will ever get credit for this - is that it prevented a far worse economic downturn than what actually happened.

Economics columnist Robert Samuelson, who is hardly an apologist for Barack Obama, has an interesting column on the subject. Most of us, including yours truly, are not old enough to remember the 1930's, so we may sometimes be naive in characterizing a modern recession as being similar to the depression. This is not at all the case. Here is a link to Samuelson's column in today's (10/5/09) Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/opinions/?nid=top_opinions

Weekly Address: Health Reform Urgent for the Economy

Matthew Elias — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 16:25:14 EDT

The President discusses ongoing efforts to spur job creation. He also explains why health insurance reform is needed not just for long-term economic stability, but in the immediate future, discussing statistics on how costs will continue to skyrocket and hurt small businesses even next year. October 3, 2009.

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Organizing for America Illinois "Volunteer Spotlight"

Matthew Elias — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 11:58:32 EDT

This week’s edition of 'Volunteer Spotlight' features not one volunteer, but three. Our the lean, mean volunteering machines are collectively known as the "Mary Todd’s". Kathy Gallo, Janet Taylor, and Susan Gottlieb (L to R in the image below) began volunteering at the campaign headquarters call center in April of 2007. Since then they have made the transition from Obama for America to Organizing for America without as much as a hitch in their step, and just last month completed the OFA community organizer training together.

Nicknamed after Abraham Lincoln's wife, each member of the "Mary Todd’s" plays a distinct role. Kathy was the driving force behind the founding of Organizing for America Illinois Lincoln Chapter and is in charge of maintaining their volunteer database and heads up manages all call center alumni activity. Susan acts as group liaison on the coordinating committee which works with OFA groups in the South Shore and Oak Park. Janet manages a lot of the day to day affairs - this includes setting up phone banks with new volunteers, the planning of neighborhood canvasses and recruiting new folks to help with their organization's efforts.

Susan Gottlieb: I grew up here, also on the South Shore. I had spent many years supporting progressive causes – civil rights, opposing the Vietnam War, but not as a front line activist. When it became clear that I had the opportunity to participate in a historic campaign, I wanted to shift thoughts into action and be a part of it.

Kathy Gallo: As a Chicago native from the South Side, I’ve been politically aware and active as a matter of course throughout my adult life, volunteering regularly with the 46th Ward Democratic Organization since I’ve been a resident of the ward. Watching the President as a state legislator and then working for him as Senate candidate, I was impressed with his serious potential. When he declared, I knew I had to come along for the ride.

Janet Taylor: I’ve been involved in politics since I was an 11 years old. I knocked on doors for my father’s campaign for district judge in 1967 -- he was running as a Democrat in Kansas, so I got used to getting doors slammed in my face early. When I heard Obama’s convention speech in 2004, I said “that guy’s going to be President someday.” I felt the same gut-level commitment that I had felt as a kid watching Bobby Kennedy speak. I wanted to work for the candidate that spoke for me.

How long have you been volunteering with Organizing For America?
KG: We all became a Headquarters Call Center Volunteers in April of ’07.
JT: I remember the night of the Iowa primary, watching from headquarters, when Kathy and I looked at each other and said, "Well, I guess we’re in it for the long haul."

Why did you get involved volunteering with Organizing For America?
KG: As the campaign was winding down, it started out as a plan for an inaugural party for those who were not going to D.C., but it became something more quickly. We wanted to make sure that we all kept in contact -- this core group of people who were willing to be the voice of the campaign one call, one email at a time. It was grassroots politics at its best. So I collected phone numbers and emails of those people who were interested in keeping the ball rolling.
SG: Since I had canvassed in Indiana during the campaign, I knew that the post-election the battles would be even tougher. Gaining the White House was only step one. The momentum from the campaign was too important not to harness. Kathy has been the catalyst and the collective momentum is infectious.
JT: Kathy was willing to keep the records and keep asking “who wants to be involved?” She rolled us from OFA v.1 into OFA v.2. We had a membership in place and waiting for Organizing for America.

What are some of the more effective practices you have found that work in getting people mobilized with Organizing For America?
SG: Sharing the work load and always having a sounding board keeps the three of us motivated and focused. As long as we keep giving volunteers concrete, measurable tasks that move the legislative agenda forward, it makes the next steps apparent. Also, the terrific communication infrastructure is invaluable, constant communication amongst group members is the key to our success.

What has been the highlight of your time volunteering with Organizing For America?
ALL: The President’s address to Congress, the watch party was pretty good. Passing a health care bill will be a highlight.
JT: There are many times when it is difficult to see the big picture – the terrific camaraderie and good humor of these two women are a big reason I’m still here.

What issue/issues matters most to you and why?
JT: I’m an underinsured, self-employed person so health insurance reform matters most right now.
SG: Education – once a teacher, always a teacher.
KG: Cap and trade and the enviroment -- we’ve got a lot of work to do to make up for the past eight years.

Join the OFA Illinois Facebook Page: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Rep. Jan Schakowsky & Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn Hold a Heath Care Update Forum in Lakeview

Matthew Elias — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 14:06:37 EDT

Content contributed by Juan-Pablo Velez

Over 300 people packed in to the Holiday Club in Lakeview this past Saturday to hear Governor Pat Quinn and Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky give an update on the current status of health care reform. Governor Quinn took the microphone first and spoke at length about the current push to get health care reform through Congress. Quinn, who walked across Illinois in support of health care reform in 2001, re-emphasized the importance of health care reform:

"When you're talking about the Land of Lincoln, we understand that everybody should be covered," Quinn said. "This is not something that is an option. This is something that is a fundamental right."

Up next was Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who promised that strong legislation would be on the President's desk by the end of the year. Congresswoman Schanakowsky went on to describe the mindset of Democratic lawmakers as they returned to Capitol Hill from their town care hall filled summer recess:

"Some members came back from recess even more determined," she said. "You know, when you're hanged in effigy it kind of makes you mad!"

Also speaking at the event were a half dozen local Democratic candidates, including State Senators Greg Harris and Heather Steans.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE

Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE

Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE

Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

President Obama To Lobby Olympic Games Bid

EsquireUK — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 11:24:15 EDT

Barack Obama is to deploy his renowned powers of persuasion and charm against the International Olympic Committee this week in an effort to win the 2016 summer games for his old hometown, Chicago.

Obama will become the first US president to lobby the IOC in person when he travels to its meeting in Copenhagen on Friday to try to ensure that Chicago, his hometown before he became president, walks away with the prize.

Ban Ki-moon to make keynote address at the opening of the Olympic Congress

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is very pleased to announce the presence of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon, at the XIII Olympic Congress, which will open on 3 October 2009 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Mr Ban Ki-moon will open the IOC Congress with a keynote address to the Olympic family. For IOC President Jacques Rogge, the presence of Mr Ban in Copenhagen strengthens the partnership between the two organisations. “It’s a strong commitment to the recognition of the increasingly important role of sport in the implementation of internationally agreed development goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals. In the global community of the 21st century, the Olympic Movement is more accountable to the whole of society than ever before, and it must be sure of its place in all regions of the world. This is why the participation of the United Nations in its Congress, placed under the main theme of ‘the Olympic Movement in Society’, is invaluable.” The Congress will be held under the theme of “the Olympic Movement in Society”. Participants will discuss the current status of the Olympic Movement and projections into the future around five main themes: Theme 1 “The Athletes”, Theme 2 “The Olympic Games”, Theme 3 “The Structure of the Olympic Movement”, Theme 4 “Olympism and Youth” and Theme 5 “The Digital Revolution”.

http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp

Organizing for America Illinois "Volunteer Spotlight"

Matthew Elias — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:25:54 EDT

This weeks Volunteer Spotlight shines on Chicago's own Antonia Ruth. This tireless south-sider has been involved with OFA since the Democratic Primaries last year. President Obama's election was just the beginning of Antonia Ruth's relationship with OFA - whose involvement over the past eight months has been nothing short of awe-inspiring.

When discussing who would be subject to this weeks Volunteer Spotlight, everyone involved was in full agreement that Antonia Ruth was long over due, and had to be this weeks recipient. So with that said, here is her story:

Antonia M Ruth joined the campaign out of a duty to honor her grandmothers, Elizabeth Palmer and Mary Alice Ruth. Both of her grandmothers were active in their communities, advocated for human rights and frequently campaigned for their person of choice.

Since either is no longer with us, she decided to do the work on their behalf. With every call, trip to Indianapolis, and engaging my neighbor in the dialogue of change, it was to honor them. Once the election was over yes the duty ended, however, the seed of change that she helped to plant in many took root in her. The first House Party request went out in December; Antonia was waiting to see if someone else would plan an event. When no such invitation came, she decided to host the Change is Coming House Party.

To prepare for the event, she took a bus stop poll asking people if they knew who their elected officials were. About two-thirds did not. She decided to create an informational booklet that each attendee could use for reference. Once the meeting concluded, she was asked “when are you going to have another meeting?” Since then with every call to action for phone bank, canvass, community service or house meeting, Antonia answers.

By day, Antonia is an Office Manager for Headstrong Inc. As soon as the clock strikes 5:00, she becomes the Community Organizer for the 2nd Congressional District City. There are 2 listening tours scheduled for September 30th, a forum on October 10th, and an adult education expo soft dated for October 24th. She expects that once the soil has been cultivated, the seed for real change in Washington will take root and bloom on the South Side of Chicago.

When asked why she has committed herself to Organizing for America, she simply states:

“I believe in the President’s agenda and his ability to facilitate real change in Washington. My grandmothers helped the leaders of their time to bring about the change that I freely enjoy. It is my responsibility to help my president to invoke and invite change so that my nieces, nephews along with their friends can have an even brighter future.”

Here’s to positive energy, growth and the reinforcement needed to assist the President in his endeavors. South Side, are you ready

How long have you been volunteering with OFA?
My journey with the Obama campaign began the morning after the New Hampshire Primary.

Why did you get involved volunteering with OFA?
When I saw President Obama’s quote “I am asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change to Washington…I am asking you to believe in yours” was when I decided to carry the legacy my grandmothers left me forward. Those 2 activists helped the leaders of their time to bring about a change that I freely enjoy. I now have the fiduciary responsibility to help my president, to invoke and invite change so that my nieces and nephews can have an even brighter future.

What are some of the more effective practices you have found that work in getting people mobilized with OFA?
Two words…”follow up.” It pays to send a personalized email to all who have confirmed for an event. Sometimes people just forget a need to be reminded. If they have provided you with a phone number or go the extra step and get their phone numbers from VAN. Most people do appreciate the phone call. At the event, there are those who are so passionate that they would attempt to dominate the conversation. I make sure that all voices are heard and all issues are addressed. The smaller the attendance, the more personable you can become with the volunteer thereby building a relationship.

If you had to choose, what would you say has been the highlight of your time volunteering with OFA?
Two things: 1) Watching the faces of the people while the President was speaking. It showed me that hope will prevail. 2) I was able to share the podium with the President at the July 09 POTUS event in Chicago. What an awesome moment for me! I wished my grandmothers were alive to witness the moment with me.

What issue/issues matters most to you and why?
Health Care and Education are issues that matter to me most. I have insurance but each year, the insurance companies trim coverage. This should not be. I have come across people who have no coverage or poor benefits. I have seen oxygen rationed to a patient. Oxygen! The thing we take for granted someone has to use sparingly, and forbid the day if he decided to have a productive life. Education should be fair and equitable for all. I eagerly await the opportunity to engage in the full discussion on education reform.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

President Obama Visits the Late Show with David Letterman

Matthew Elias — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:30:17 EDT

Last night President Obama stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman and discussed various issues ranging from foreign policy to heart shaped potatoes.

The President's Plan

Matthew Elias — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:57:36 EDT

The "Obama Plan in Four Minutes" video outlines the basic principles of President Obama's health insurance reform plan as presented to the joint session of Congress on September 9, 2009.

Read the full transcript of the President's remarks.
Watch the full video of the President's remarks.
Read the full plan for health insurance reform.
Download a concise, printable version (pdf)

The President's Weekly Address: Progress in the Global Economy

Matthew Elias — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:44:35 EDT

President Obama goes over the progress in stemming a global economic crisis, discusses the impact of the Recovery Act, and pledges that lobbyists for big Wall Street banks will not prevent real reform for the future, including a new Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Representative to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Care Reform Event Near You: CLICK HERE
Follow Organizing for America Illinois on Twitter: CLICK HERE

Fired Up, Ready To Go!

Matthew Elias — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:42:33 EDT

Civility

Walt — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:05:47 EDT

I want more civility, but not censorship, in our daily political discourse. Jimmy Carter was viciously attacked for a recent book on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He will again be attacked for his statement yesterday on racism in the attacks on Barack. It takes great courage to speak the truth these days and it should not. I do not know if Jimmy Carter is correct, but he should be able to speak freely.

Congress should enforce a standard of free and responsible speech on its members. If it will not expel some members, then it will be up to the voters to do the job. We the people own the airways, not the broadcasting companies, who license their use from the FCC. If the broadcasters will not discipline their employees in the search for bigger profits, then we the people through our government should refuse to renew their licenses when they expire.

President Obama: Normalcy Cannot Lead to Complacency

EsquireUK — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 12:31:22 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Normalcy-Cannot-Lead-to-Complacency/

While full recovery of the financial system will take a great deal more time and work, the growing stability resulting from these interventions means we're beginning to return to normalcy. But here's what I want to emphasize today: Normalcy cannot lead to complacency.

Unfortunately, there are some in the financial industry who are misreading this moment. Instead of learning the lessons of Lehman and the crisis from which we're still recovering, they're choosing to ignore those lessons. I'm convinced they do so not just at their own peril, but at our nation's. So I want everybody here to hear my words: We will not go back to the days of reckless behavior and unchecked excess that was at the heart of this crisis, where too many were motivated only by the appetite for quick kills and bloated bonuses. Those on Wall Street cannot resume taking risks without regard for consequences, and expect that next time, American taxpayers will be there to break their fall.

And that's why we need strong rules of the road to guard against the kind of systemic risks that we've seen. And we have a responsibility to write and enforce these rules to protect consumers of financial products, to protect taxpayers, and to protect our economy as a whole. Yes, there must -- these rules must be developed in a way that doesn't stifle innovation and enterprise. And I want to say very clearly here today, we want to work with the financial industry to achieve that end. But the old ways that led to this crisis cannot stand. And to the extent that some have so readily returned to them underscores the need for change and change now. History cannot be allowed to repeat itself.

So what we're calling for is for the financial industry to join us in a constructive effort to update the rules and regulatory structure to meet the challenges of this new century. That is what my administration seeks to do. We've sought ideas and input from industry leaders and policy experts, academics, consumer advocates, and the broader public. And we've worked closely with leaders in the Senate and the House, including not only Barney, but also Senators Chris Dodd and Richard Shelby, and Barney is already working with his counterpart, Sheldon Bacchus. And we intend to pass regulatory reform through Congress.

And taken together, we're proposing the most ambitious overhaul of the financial regulatory system since the Great Depression. But I want to emphasize that these reforms are rooted in a simple principle: We ought to set clear rules of the road that promote transparency and accountability. That's how we'll make certain that markets foster responsibility, not recklessness. That's how we'll make certain that markets reward those who compete honestly and vigorously within the system, instead of those who are trying to game the system.

The President went on to lay out the specifics of the new regulations and oversight that the largely Wall Street audience would come under. Read the full transcript for the details.

Respect

Walt — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:02:40 EDT

During my lifetime, I given my highest respect to 3 politicians who had the courage to stand up straight and tell the truth:

Barry Goldwater, Republican

Tom Bradley, Democrat

Ralph Nader, Green party

Telling the truth is one reason I voted for Barack Obama. After 16 years of presidential lies during the Clinton/Bush years, I wanted a president I could trust. For many young adults, this is their first experience with a president whose words they can trust.

Joe Wilson is guilty of bad taste, and bad timing

The Bard of Wilmette — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 16:17:47 EDT

Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst ("You lie!") during President Obama's speech to the joint session of Congress this week was extremely inappropriate by any standard, and in my opinion, such conduct should be reprimanded in some manner. Even if the president was George W. Bush, and the congressman was somebody who I normally liked, there is no excuse for that kind of extreme rudeness on the part of our high government officials. The president is both head of government and head of state (kind of like the combination of temporary monarch plus prime minister). To some extent, I believe in the idea of respecting the office, even if not the office holder. I am not trying to legislate my idea of good taste. People who know me personally know that legislating "good taste" is just about the last thing in the world I would want to do. Hate mongers such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck have the legal right to carry on with their rants about Obama supposedly being a racist, or drawing idiotic comparisons to Hitler. Limbaugh and Beck have counterparts on the left who engage in similar over-the-top verbal attacks against so-called conservative leaders. In spite of the LEGAL rights of these people, which I have no intention of curtailing, I do think that it is reasonable to expect some degree of decorum by our elected officials. Joe Wilson clearly violated that principle. He can think whatever he wants, and if he privately trashes the president while talking with friends/family/congressional staff, I do not think that is a big deal. Within the halls of Congress, I expect better behavior by our esteemed representatives. Actually, I kind of wondered if Mr. Wilson was tempted to throw his shoes at the president. Maybe he was too far away to get a good shot, or maybe he did not want to lose a perfectly good pair of shoes. Mr. Wilson did apologize privately to Mr. Obama, and the president graciously accepted the apology. Then again, it also appears that Mr. Wilson's apology was very half-hearted, and he has indicated that he meant what he said. I think he also owes an apology to Congress, because his outburst is (or should be) an embarrassment to Congress as a whole.

The irony in all this is that Mr. Wilson's chosen moment to accuse the president of lying was in a context where the president was certainly not lying. This was over the question of whether or not the federal government would be forced to include illegal immigrants in its "universal" coverage. Some of the scare mongers make this claim, but it is not true, according to any of the pending bills in Congress, and President Obama made this clear. "You lie" was the shouted out response by Joe Wilson. Besides being in such poor taste, Mr. Wilson is also objectively wrong. I could even say that Wilson is the one who is lying.

One claim made by President Obama that I do find hard to believe is that passage of his proposals will not add to the government's deficit. While I would certainly not suggest that he is lying, I think it is fair to suggest that he is quite possibly being overly optimistic. The truth is that we cannot know with certainty what the effect on future government finances will be as a result of Obama's proposed health care reforms becoming law. I hope that he is right, that we can achieve all these desirable health care goals in a budget-neutral way. I believe that this is not very likely, and I know that nobody in the White House can say with perfect knowledge that this will not add to future deficits.

To take an example from recent history, recall that President George W. Bush assured us all back in 2001 that the budget surplus that he inherited was so structurally solid that his major tax cut legislation would, at most, merely reduce future suplusses by half. Mr. Bush and his top economic advisors were absolutely certain of this, and to emphasize the point further, he said that all this even provided for an economic downturn plus some other as-yet-unknown crisis (today is September 11; I am trying to think of what kind of unknown crisis they might have contemplated in the early summer of 2001). We all know how that turned out, don't we? The point is not that Mr. Bush was lying in his belief that the government would continue to be in fiscal surplus for years to come, but rather that he had no legitimate basis for his tone of apparent certainty. Maybe Obama has better economists than his predecessor did, and maybe their analysis is carried out with greater objectivity. Maybe, but not to the point where I am likely to believe any statements of apparent certainty about the long term future of government finances.

Despite the unfounded hysteria (regarding alleged death panels, illegal immigrants, required abortion services, etc.) about the health care reform proposals, there are legitimate concerns regarding how the program will be paid for. I want to see President Obama meet the issue more forthrightly than I believe he has up to now. For many reasons, I am rooting for health care reform to succeed, but I do not personally believe the program is likely to be neutral on the budget. Hey, I like President Obama. I strongly supported him in his campaign, and I generally give him favorable marks on his performance during his first several months as president. If a supporter such as yours truly does not believe his proposals will not add to the deficit, what must the opponents be thinking? On the other hand, to the best of my knowledge, very few of those in Congress who now emphasize the fiscal concerns with health care reform in 2009 expressed any skepticism in 2001 when they were told by Mr. Bush that his tax cuts would not lead to budget deficits. Call them partisan hypocrites if you want to, but the issue is still a matter of legitimate concern.

South Shore Democrats Gather to Watch President Obama's Speech on Health Care Reform

Matthew Elias — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:50:29 EDT

A group of South Shore Democrats gathered to watch President Barack Obama's address to Congress about the his plan for health care reform. Prior to the speech, the group discussed health care reform and what they as a group planned to do support the President.

Pictures provided by Melvin Adams of Have Faith Productions

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Members of Congress to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Learn More About the President's Plan for Health Care Reform: CLICK HERE

The President's Health Care Address Watch Party in Roscoe Village

Matthew Elias — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:25:09 EDT

Last night Organizing for America Illinois and the 32nd ward Democrats hosted a watch party for President Obama's Health Care Address to Congress at The Village Tap, in the Roscoe Village. Over 100 supporters, both young and old, were in attendance to watch the President address Congress on his plan for health care reform.

To say the crowd liked what they heard would be something of an understatement, in fact, one gentleman was overheard saying "I hope is that there's much cheering in here on Sunday for the Bears game as there was tonight during the speech."

Pictures from the Roscoe Village Watch Party:

Join Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Tell Your Members of Congress to Support President Obama's Plan for Health Reform: CLICK HERE
Learn More About the President's Plan for Health Care Reform: CLICK HERE

The last good chance for health care reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 23:18:48 EDT

I do not know what President Obama is going to say in his address to the joint session of
Congress tomorrow, but I am convinced that the success of his entire presidency is likely to depend on his ability to achieve some kind of health care reform by the end of this year. It is not critical that he get something passed that is as far reaching as he has sometimes suggested that he wants, but he badly needs something that can credibly be called health care reform... at least a good start in that direction. I am beginning to wonder if President Obama, who ran such a brilliant campaign for the presidency just last year and who possesses such extraordinary public speaking skills, has already become so isolated in the White House that he is losing his political touch just a matter of months into his presidency. I really hope that I am wrong in my suspicions. I cannot think of another public figure in America that I admire as much as Barack Obama, but he has not handled the health care reform issue very well. He avoided the Clintons' 1993-94 mistake of trying to dictate a detailed plan to Congress, but he went too far in the other direction by having Congress work out all the details. Now, it appears that we have multiple plans with irreconcilable conflicts, and the very real possibility exists that there will be no health care reform at all. I do not mean to dwell on mistakes already made, beyond noting that Obama should learn from the experience, and hopefully do a better job with his next major initiative requiring congressional approval.

What I want the Obama White House to do is to face certain facts. First, Obama has effectively staked the prestige of his presidency on accomplishing health care reform during his first year as president. Second, any mistakes (or political miscalculations) already done cannot be undone. The political situation is less favorable than it was a couple of months ago, but there is no turning the calendar back. Third, major reforms are often done in stages. Think of the landmark civil rights bills of the 1960's. There were several bills, passed over a period of a few years, enacted to give all Americans certain rights that for many had previously existed in theory but not in practical effect. Fourth, passage of some health care reform bill now, even if more limited than many of its boosters would like, would make possible additional reforms later. Fifth, in contrast to the immediately preceding point, failure to pass any health care reform this year will almost certainly make any reform impossible for many years to come.

I do not believe that any of these points can be seriously disputed. In case any explanation of the last two statements is necessary, look back to the early years of Bill Clinton's presidency. A huge health care reform bill was crafted in the White House, and was presented to Congress with the message, in effect, "Take it or leave it." We know how that turned out. The proposal was rejected, and the 1994 mid-term elections swept the Republicans into control of both the House and Senate, and no health care reform of any kind was even possible for the next fifteen years. If no health care reform passes this year, I think it is very likely that we will see similar political developments. Whether Obama serves four or eight years as president, he would be badly weakened by the failure to pass health care reform during his first year. On the other hand, passage of a health care reform bill, even a bill that omits some of the provisions that many advocates would like to see, will strengthen Obama's political standing, and will keep open at least the possibility that further reforms could be passed later.

The people who argue, as Howard Dean keeps telling us, that "health care reform without a public option is no reform at all" have it all wrong. In my opinion, the members of Congress who hold that attitude are the real enemies of health care reform. This is presumably not their intention, but it is their effect. We have already seen what happens with insisting on "all or nothing." They get nothing. Actually, it is worse than nothing, because the cause of reform is set back for many years, due to adverse political developments that follow this kind of political defeat. President Obama has some very smart political advisors (Rahm Emanuel, David Axelrod, etc.) who should understand these things, and I hope they are counseling the president appropriately.

What kind of health care reform should still be achievable this year? Drop the public option. Whether it is a good idea or not, it will not pass this year, and its continued presence in the debate makes any kind of reform nearly impossible. Allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. We are trying to encourage competition, but the current prohibition is a major impediment to competition. Allow all Americans to join large risk pools. This should have the effect of removing most, if not all, individual underwriting issues. Prohibit all companies selling health insurance from discriminating against any members or prospective members due to their personal health issues. Health insurance in America can remain mostly under private enterprise, but only on the condition that nobody's coverage can be denied or revoked due to personal circumstances.

Health insurance reform that has these characteristics, even though it does not contain the public option, would be a substantial achievement, blowhards like Howard Dean notwithstanding. There are other aspects of health care reform I would like to see, but they are less critical for immediate purposes. I would add them if doing so would help pass the bill. If not, I hope they can be put into place in the near future. In the long run, health care reform will only succeed if it has the effect of reducing overall health care costs. Enact some meaningful tort reform. Among other things, this should help attract Republican support to the cause. That would be good politically, but I also favor the measure on its own merits. Excessive malpractice insurance and defensive medicine add significantly to health care costs, without any incremental benefit to patient care. Make it easier to get rid of bad doctors. There are three major hospitals within five miles of where I live. I know of one sadistic and/or incompetent doctor who was booted out of one of the three hospitals. He transferred to a second hospital, then was booted out of that one, too. Now, he is practicing on unsuspecting patients at the third hospital in our area. I really do not know if this kind of situation is subject to a legislative cure, but something has to be done to prevent bad doctors from simply moving to a neighboring hospital with a clean slate. End the tax difference between health insurance from an employer versus individually purchased insurance. A tax credit to individuals should replace the current system where most employer provided health insurance is tax deductible for the employer but not taxable as a benefit to the employee. For people whose incomes are too high for Medicaid, but too low to afford private health insurance, provide tax credits or subsidies. It is bound to be difficult trying to determine the details that make the best sense, but as a general principle, some Americans will need some kind of subsidy.

Anyway, all this has been my effort to make the case that health care reform can still succeed, but at least for the short term, the public option has to be dropped. I hope that President Obama will make a good case to Congress tomorrow, keeping in mind the political realities he faces. In the Sept. 8 Washington Post, Matt Miller has a good essay on the subject:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/07/AR2009090702070.html?hpid%3Dopinionsbox1&sub=AR

Organizing for America Illinois "Volunteer Spotlight"

Matthew Elias — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 19:30:25 EDT

Organizing for America Illinois is proud to announce the kickoff of our brand new feature entitled; Illinois "Volunteer Spotlight". Each week we'll profile a volunteer from across the state who has gone above and beyond what was asked of them.

The inaugural OFA Illinois volunteer profile will focus on Matt Flamm, a lawyer and a dad from Palatine, Illinois whose dedication to both OFA and his surrounding community are second to none.

Volunteer Profile:

Matt Flamm, a 55-year old resident of Palatine, is married and the proud father of two daughters. Flamm, an attorney by profession became active in Democratic politics in the northwest suburbs back in 2001 when he volunteered for local Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s campaign. From that point on Flamm was hooked – and has has since become the Vice President of the Palatine Township Democratic Organization.

Back in February of 2007, Flamm attended Barack Obama’s Springfield announcement which he announced his entry into the Democratic Presidential primaries. Later that month, Flamm joined the NW Suburbs of Chicago for Obama and later became the head Administrator of the group - which currently has more than 700 active members. After being approached by Field Organizers in the area, Flamm became an organizer for the Obama campaign focused on the 8th Congressional District in August 2007.

Matt organized dozens of trips to Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania; as well as phone banks focused on contacting voters in battleground states. Given his legal prowess, Flamm also served as a voter protection attorney for the Obama campaign in rural South Carolina and in urban Milwaukee and Cleveland and was an active volunteer during the Democratic National Convention in Colorado. To top it off, a well deserving Matt Flamm and his wife, Betty, were in attendance at both the election-night celebration in Grant Park and the Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.

Matt Flamm remains an active volunteer with Organizing for America and has been working closely with Health Care for America Now (HCAN) in organizing phone banks and other action events aimed and bringing new folks on board in supporting the President's health care reform proposals. Some of the action events have included several parades, calling and meeting with Representatives in Congress and door to door canvases in and around their neighborhoods.

5 Questions:

1) How long have you been volunteering with OFA?
Since my first trip to Iowa back in August of 2007.

2) Why did you get involved volunteering with OFA?
I wanted to identify other progressive residents of the northwest suburbs of Chicago (a traditionally conservative area). I had heard Barack Obama’s call for concerned citizens to become part of the process. And I believed that he represented the best chance for progressive change in our country.

3) What are some of the more effective practices you have found that work in getting people mobilized with OFA?
The OFA website is a great tool. We’ve posted many events and people have signed up, many of whom had never been involved before. The NW Suburbs of Chicago for Obama has become a very effective organization. An email sent to the group brings forth many volunteers. And encouraging other volunteers to take responsibility for events and activities multiplies what we can do and carries out our goal to get people involved in the process.

4) What's been the highlight of your time volunteering with OFA?
There are two highlights. The first was the Iowa caucus, which I spent in a town of 500 people. We won the caucus in Lamont by two votes in a tight three-way race. The second was our “Unite for Change” party in my backyard in June 2008. The party was attended by 140 people, including people who had supported Clinton, Edwards, and Dodd.

5) What issue/issues matters most to you and why?
Health care reform is a critical issue. Too many lives have been ruined because people weren’t able to afford proper medical treatment. I also believe that we need to restore President Kennedy’s philosophy of “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” For too long, people have been focused on what’s good for them or their families. We need to refocus people on what’s best for all of us.

Become a part of Organizing for America Illinois: CLICK HERE
Find a Health Insurance Reform Now event near you: CLICK HERE
Pictures & stories from Health Insurance Reform Now events from across the country: CLICK HERE

President Obama Speaks to America's Students

EsquireUK — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:31:46 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streaming-at-Noon-The-Presidents-Speech-to-Americas-Students/

UPDATED: The speech has ended, but you can read the full text of the President's prepared remarks below:

Prepared Remarks of President Barack Obama
Back to School Event

Arlington, Virginia
September 8, 2009
Hello everyone – how’s everybody doing today? I’m here with students at Wakefield High School in Arlington, Virginia. And we’ve got students tuning in from all across America, kindergarten through twelfth grade. I’m glad you all could join us today.

I know that for many of you, today is the first day of school. And for those of you in kindergarten, or starting middle or high school, it’s your first day in a new school, so it’s understandable if you’re a little nervous. I imagine there are some seniors out there who are feeling pretty good right now, with just one more year to go. And no matter what grade you’re in, some of you are probably wishing it were still summer, and you could’ve stayed in bed just a little longer this morning.

I know that feeling. When I was young, my family lived in Indonesia for a few years, and my mother didn’t have the money to send me where all the American kids went to school. So she decided to teach me extra lessons herself, Monday through Friday – at 4:30 in the morning.

Now I wasn’t too happy about getting up that early. A lot of times, I’d fall asleep right there at the kitchen table. But whenever I’d complain, my mother would just give me one of those looks and say, "This is no picnic for me either, buster."

So I know some of you are still adjusting to being back at school. But I’m here today because I have something important to discuss with you. I’m here because I want to talk with you about your education and what’s expected of all of you in this new school year.

Now I’ve given a lot of speeches about education. And I’ve talked a lot about responsibility.

I’ve talked about your teachers’ responsibility for inspiring you, and pushing you to learn.

I’ve talked about your parents’ responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don’t spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox.

I’ve talked a lot about your government’s responsibility for setting high standards, supporting teachers and principals, and turning around schools that aren’t working where students aren’t getting the opportunities they deserve.

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed.

And that’s what I want to focus on today: the responsibility each of you has for your education. I want to start with the responsibility you have to yourself.

Every single one of you has something you’re good at. Every single one of you has something to offer. And you have a responsibility to yourself to discover what that is. That’s the opportunity an education can provide.

Maybe you could be a good writer – maybe even good enough to write a book or articles in a newspaper – but you might not know it until you write a paper for your English class. Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. Maybe you could be a mayor or a Senator or a Supreme Court Justice, but you might not know that until you join student government or the debate team.

And no matter what you want to do with your life – I guarantee that you’ll need an education to do it. You want to be a doctor, or a teacher, or a police officer? You want to be a nurse or an architect, a lawyer or a member of our military? You’re going to need a good education for every single one of those careers. You can’t drop out of school and just drop into a good job. You’ve got to work for it and train for it and learn for it.

And this isn’t just important for your own life and your own future. What you make of your education will decide nothing less than the future of this country. What you’re learning in school today will determine whether we as a nation can meet our greatest challenges in the future.

You’ll need the knowledge and problem-solving skills you learn in science and math to cure diseases like cancer and AIDS, and to develop new energy technologies and protect our environment. You’ll need the insights and critical thinking skills you gain in history and social studies to fight poverty and homelessness, crime and discrimination, and make our nation more fair and more free. You’ll need the creativity and ingenuity you develop in all your classes to build new companies that will create new jobs and boost our economy.

We need every single one of you to develop your talents, skills and intellect so you can help solve our most difficult problems. If you don’t do that – if you quit on school – you’re not just quitting on yourself, you’re quitting on your country.

Now I know it’s not always easy to do well in school. I know a lot of you have challenges in your lives right now that can make it hard to focus on your schoolwork.

I get it. I know what that’s like. My father left my family when I was two years old, and I was raised by a single mother who struggled at times to pay the bills and wasn’t always able to give us things the other kids had. There were times when I missed having a father in my life. There were times when I was lonely and felt like I didn’t fit in.

So I wasn’t always as focused as I should have been. I did some things I’m not proud of, and got in more trouble than I should have. And my life could have easily taken a turn for the worse.

But I was fortunate. I got a lot of second chances and had the opportunity to go to college, and law school, and follow my dreams. My wife, our First Lady Michelle Obama, has a similar story. Neither of her parents had gone to college, and they didn’t have much. But they worked hard, and she worked hard, so that she could go to the best schools in this country.

Some of you might not have those advantages. Maybe you don’t have adults in your life who give you the support that you need. Maybe someone in your family has lost their job, and there’s not enough money to go around. Maybe you live in a neighborhood where you don’t feel safe, or have friends who are pressuring you to do things you know aren’t right.

But at the end of the day, the circumstances of your life – what you look like, where you come from, how much money you have, what you’ve got going on at home – that’s no excuse for neglecting your homework or having a bad attitude. That’s no excuse for talking back to your teacher, or cutting class, or dropping out of school. That’s no excuse for not trying.

Where you are right now doesn’t have to determine where you’ll end up. No one’s written your destiny for you. Here in America, you write your own destiny. You make your own future.

That’s what young people like you are doing every day, all across America.

Young people like Jazmin Perez, from Roma, Texas. Jazmin didn’t speak English when she first started school. Hardly anyone in her hometown went to college, and neither of her parents had gone either. But she worked hard, earned good grades, got a scholarship to Brown University, and is now in graduate school, studying public health, on her way to being Dr. Jazmin Perez.

I’m thinking about Andoni Schultz, from Los Altos, California, who’s fought brain cancer since he was three. He’s endured all sorts of treatments and surgeries, one of which affected his memory, so it took him much longer – hundreds of extra hours – to do his schoolwork. But he never fell behind, and he’s headed to college this fall.

And then there’s Shantell Steve, from my hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Even when bouncing from foster home to foster home in the toughest neighborhoods, she managed to get a job at a local health center; start a program to keep young people out of gangs; and she’s on track to graduate high school with honors and go on to college.

Jazmin, Andoni and Shantell aren’t any different from any of you. They faced challenges in their lives just like you do. But they refused to give up. They chose to take responsibility for their education and set goals for themselves. And I expect all of you to do the same.

That’s why today, I’m calling on each of you to set your own goals for your education – and to do everything you can to meet them. Your goal can be something as simple as doing all your homework, paying attention in class, or spending time each day reading a book. Maybe you’ll decide to get involved in an extracurricular activity, or volunteer in your community. Maybe you’ll decide to stand up for kids who are being teased or bullied because of who they are or how they look, because you believe, like I do, that all kids deserve a safe environment to study and learn. Maybe you’ll decide to take better care of yourself so you can be more ready to learn. And along those lines, I hope you’ll all wash your hands a lot, and stay home from school when you don’t feel well, so we can keep people from getting the flu this fall and winter.

Whatever you resolve to do, I want you to commit to it. I want you to really work at it.

I know that sometimes, you get the sense from TV that you can be rich and successful without any hard work -- that your ticket to success is through rapping or basketball or being a reality TV star, when chances are, you’re not going to be any of those things.

But the truth is, being successful is hard. You won’t love every subject you study. You won’t click with every teacher. Not every homework assignment will seem completely relevant to your life right this minute. And you won’t necessarily succeed at everything the first time you try.

That’s OK. Some of the most successful people in the world are the ones who’ve had the most failures. JK Rowling’s first Harry Potter book was rejected twelve times before it was finally published. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team, and he lost hundreds of games and missed thousands of shots during his career. But he once said, "I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

These people succeeded because they understand that you can’t let your failures define you – you have to let them teach you. You have to let them show you what to do differently next time. If you get in trouble, that doesn’t mean you’re a troublemaker, it means you need to try harder to behave. If you get a bad grade, that doesn’t mean you’re stupid, it just means you need to spend more time studying.

No one’s born being good at things, you become good at things through hard work. You’re not a varsity athlete the first time you play a new sport. You don’t hit every note the first time you sing a song. You’ve got to practice. It’s the same with your schoolwork. You might have to do a math problem a few times before you get it right, or read something a few times before you understand it, or do a few drafts of a paper before it’s good enough to hand in.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. I do that every day. Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness, it’s a sign of strength. It shows you have the courage to admit when you don’t know something, and to learn something new. So find an adult you trust – a parent, grandparent or teacher; a coach or counselor – and ask them to help you stay on track to meet your goals.

And even when you’re struggling, even when you’re discouraged, and you feel like other people have given up on you – don’t ever give up on yourself. Because when you give up on yourself, you give up on your country.

The story of America isn’t about people who quit when things got tough. It’s about people who kept going, who tried harder, who loved their country too much to do anything less than their best.

It’s the story of students who sat where you sit 250 years ago, and went on to wage a revolution and found this nation. Students who sat where you sit 75 years ago who overcame a Depression and won a world war; who fought for civil rights and put a man on the moon. Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other.

So today, I want to ask you, what’s your contribution going to be? What problems are you going to solve? What discoveries will you make? What will a president who comes here in twenty or fifty or one hundred years say about what all of you did for this country?

Your families, your teachers, and I are doing everything we can to make sure you have the education you need to answer these questions. I’m working hard to fix up your classrooms and get you the books, equipment and computers you need to learn. But you’ve got to do your part too. So I expect you to get serious this year. I expect you to put your best effort into everything you do. I expect great things from each of you. So don’t let us down – don’t let your family or your country or yourself down. Make us all proud. I know you can do it.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Streaming-at-Noon-The-Presidents-Speech-to-Americas-Students/

We Can Not Afford The Status Quo

EsquireUK — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 09:22:42 EDT

We Can Afford Reform, We Can’t Afford the Status Quo

Jared Bernstein, Chief Economist for the Vice President and Executive Director of the Middle Class Task Force, debunks the myth that we can’t afford health insurance reform. To the contrary, not only has the President demanded that reform not add to the deficit in the short term, but reform is the only way to get skyrocketing health care costs under control that will be devastating not for families , businesses, and for government deficits in the long term under the status quo.

Watch the Video

Earlier today, it was announced that President Obama will address a joint session of Congress on the issue of health insurance reform next Wednesday, September 9th. CNN reported:

It will be Obama's second speech to the full legislature since he took office in January, and the setting and rarity of such an event highlighted the importance the president places on his top domestic priority: overhauling the nation's ailing health care system.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid formally invited Obama to make the address, as required, in a letter issued Wednesday after news broke of the planned speech.

We'll have more information on this important speech in the days to come.

www.whitehouse.gov

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky's Town Hall Meeting in Skokie, IL

Matthew Elias — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:19:52 EDT

Last night Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky held her highly anticipated town hall meeting at the at Niles West High School Auditorium in Skokie, Illinois. The health care reform supporters made up a heavy majority of both the 1,300 plus people who made it into the meeting as well as the 600 plus who remained outside the auditorium due to the building reaching maximum capacity.

The loudest cheers erupted from the packed auditorium when Congresswoman Schakowsky declared; "I believe by the end of 2009 we will have affordable, quality health care for all Americans".

Here are some images from last nights event in Skokie.

To see images from Health Insurance Reform Now events taking place around the country, or to find a HIRN event in your area, please click here.

Death panels

Walt — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 10:01:54 EDT

Thank you, Sarah Palin, for bringing the existence of death panels to the attention of the American public. Society wanted those decisions made by someone and no one volunteered for the job, so health insurers got the job by default, which they preformed in back rooms out of sight of the public. Now that the public is aware of the insurance company death panels, I am confident that they will be abolished and no one will be willing to suggest that the government use health care reform as an excuse to set up public ones.

Do not prosecute Bush-era interrogators, unless...

The Bard of Wilmette — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:28:21 EDT

It is not easy to take the side of the Bad Guys, but on the subject of possible prosecutions for alleged Bush-era torture of captives by CIA operatives, I might be playing for what I would normally consider the wrong team. Attorney General Eric Holder has apparently seen some new information that leads him to believe that prosecutions in some cases might be warranted. Of course, I do not know what his new information is, but I would strongly advise against prosecuting the interrogators themselves, unless there is strong evidence that they went far beyond even the guidelines of the Bush Administration Justice Department. The Bush Administration, as we know, did everything they could to restrict the definition of "torture" as only applying to the most extreme forms of torture, and then basically said that anything short of that was acceptable as "enhanced interrogation techniques." If CIA or military personnel clearly engaged in what even the Bush Justice Department agreed was torture, then I can see a case for prosecution. More likely, the interrogators followed the guidelines they were given, but the guidelines themselves were later (and correctly) revised to prohibit certain actions that had been deemed acceptable under President Bush. Where that is the case, it would be wrong to prosecute the interrogators. Legally, they should only be judged based on the standards in place at the time of their actions.

This was a topic of hot debate a few months ago, and I thought the issue had faded away. Now, it is back, which cannot be welcome news for President Obama. I wrote a blog post back on April 29 on this subject, and so far, I stand by my earlier essay. In case anybody is interested, here is the link:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/georgemartin/gGxpby

President Obama Nominates Fed Chairman Bernanke to Second Term

EsquireUK — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:28:39 EDT

www.whitehouse.gov

Bernanke Is Nominated for Second Term as Fed Chief President Barack Obama nominated Ben S. Bernanke to a second four-year term starting Jan. 31. "Ben approached a financial system on the verge of collapse with calm and wisdom," Obama said. Bernanke has expanded the bank's power by the most in history to battle the worst economic slump since the Great Depression. His nomination requires Senate approval.

www.whitehouse.gov

Aug. 25 (Bloomberg) -- Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke, who led the biggest expansion of the central bank’s power in its 95-year history to battle the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, was nominated to a second term today by President Barack Obama.

“Ben approached a financial system on the verge of collapse with calm and wisdom, with bold action and out-of-the box thinking that has helped put the brakes on our economic freefall,” Obama said in Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, with Bernanke at his side.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&refer=top_news&sid=a3rutrLT32Jw

Obama NEEDS a victory on healthcare reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 23:07:15 EDT

One of Barack Obama's heroes in history, Abraham Lincoln, made clear during the Civil War that preserving the Union was his top priority. As for freeing the slaves, Lincoln said that whichever alternative best served preserving the Union (in effect, winning the war) would guide his decision, even though he personally would prefer to abolish slavery. If his main goal of winning the war would be best served by freeing all the slaves, he would do it. On the other hand, if his main goal was best served by freeing none of the slaves, or freeing some and not others, he would act accordingly. In modern terminology, Abraham Lincoln was a practical politician who recognized that achieving his top priorities might sometimes have to come at the expense (whether temporary or otherwise) of his secondary considerations. I raise this issue not to debate the merits of Abraham Lincoln and his priorities, but because his dilemma from the 1860's has been faced by most of his successors, albeit usually in less dramatic circumstances.

Fast forward to 2009, and President Obama needs to focus on his top priority, and what is needed to achieve it. It is apparent that, aside from averting the potential for the recession to become a depression reminiscent of the 1930's, healthcare reform is Obama's top domestic priority. If the general economy was in better health, Obama would probably have a much easier task in accomplishing significant healthcare reform. Unfortunately, we have this recession, and even if it is technically over now (with positive economic growth for the current quarter, and it is not yet clear if this is the case), unemployment will remain high for awhile, and it will be at least several more months before the American people in general will feel good about the general economy. In these circumstances, it is a major uphill battle for any major reforms.

While any reasonable person would have to admit that the success or failure of healthcare reform in 2009 does not have quite the same ramifications as the outcome of the Civil War, President Obama has staked his reputation on accomplishing some meaningful healthcare reform. In my own opinion, it would be better politically for Obama if he is able to achieve healthcare reform with legislation that has bipartisan support. Subsequent efforts to accomplish other goals, such as a good immigration reform bill, will be easier to attain if at least some Republicans participate in the process. On the other hand, if the Republicans are determined to oppose anything and everything supported by Obama, and the signals on this matter are mixed, courting Republican support becomes a waste of time. Democrats have comfortable majorities in both the House and Senate, and if the Democrats can unite behind one healthcare proposal or another, in theory it should not matter what the Republicans do.

The problem is that the Democrats are not even close to being united. The moderates and progressives seem to be insisting on mutually exclusive conditions (I intend no value judgments on the labels "moderate" and "progressive" and I assume equal moral standing to the motives of each group), and it seems highly questionable as to whether or not they can reach a consensus.

I suggest that the fate of Obama's presidency is very much at stake. He needs to achieve healthcare reform, and as a practical matter, he needs to achieve it before the end of this year. Obama is still the most popular political leader in the country, and is far more popular than any congressional Democrat. Obama has indicated a preference for a bipartisan bill, but it is not clear that this is possible. While attracting at least some Republican support is desirable, it is not absolutely necessary. It is essential that the moderate and progressive Democrats reach an agreement that both subgroups can agree on. Obama has got to meet with representatives of each faction and pressure them to reach an agreement. The essential points are as follows:

1. Obama is by far the most popular Democrat in the country.

2. Obama's political strength, or weakness, in 2010 will determine the outcome of many congressional elections next year.

3. The success or failure of healthcare reform in 2009 will be a big factor affecting Obama's (and congressional Democrats') political standing in 2010.

4. Democrats' control of both the House and Senate means that if healthcare reform fails to pass, it will be only due to the inability for Democrats to agree on a bill to pass. Blaming the Republicans for the failure will not come across as believable.

5. The main goals of healthcare reform are health insurance coverage for all Americans, which cannot be denied or revoked due to personal health issues or the change or loss of a job, plus containment of healthcare costs.

In case he reads these pages, my advice for President Obama is to become more directly engaged with congressional leaders than he appears to have done up to this time. He may have to sit down, for example, with Senator Conrad and Speaker Pelosi together and tell them: "I need some kind of healthcare reform bill to pass. My personal preference is closer to what the House is working on, but I need something that will pass both the House and Senate. This will necessarily require compromise from both the moderates and the progressives. If you fail to deliver this, you will wreck my presidency, and if that happens, you and all of your fellow Democrats in Congress stand a good chance of losing your power and influence after the 2010 elections. You could also have the effect of shifting control of Congress to people whose agendas are far different from all of ours. You have the power to prevent this from happening, but if you insist on sticking to provisions that will be impossible to get through, the best opportunity for healthcare reform in 15 years will be wasted. Our party will get clobbered in next year's elections, and it will be richly deserved. I am not trying to dictate the details, but you have got to get this done! I was elected president last year by a sizeable margin, and with long coattails. You and your fellow Democrats in Congress owe me this."

Again, this is a little bit like Lincoln and the slavery question. Lincoln's attitude about race was not very enlightened by modern standards, and his emancipation proclamation in 1863 came after he had already been president for over two years. Even then, it did not apply to the slaves in the border states that were not part of the confederacy. Still, his actions set in motion the ending of slavery by constitutional amendment just a few years later. Obama needs a political victory regarding his healthcare reform efforts, and he needs it badly. If what he gets in the short term is less than what he and his progressive supporters like, he should take his proverbial half a loaf now. Those who argue that "healthcare reform without a public option is not healthcare reform at all" are missing an important point. The public option is a means, not an end. If a more limited form of healthcare reform passes this year, it will be reasonably possible to get the more comprehensive aspects of reform next year. Conversely, if nothing passes this year, no meaningful reform will pass for many years to come, and as I suggested above, Obama will be politically weakened and the Republicans could well retake control of Congress after 2010.

As for the more limited healthcare reform that might become law, I think that Obama can credibly call it a major achievement if a bill passes that assures practically all Americans of access to decent health insurance, regardless of a person's employment, income, or personal health. If a bill that addresses these issues can be passed and signed into law, it will be a major step forward. Even if the bill that passes this year seems incomplete, if it achieves these objectives, or at least goes a long way toward achieving them, it becomes an important political victory for the president, and makes possible other valuable accomplishments in the future, on this and other issues.

Setting The Record Straight

EsquireUK — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 09:38:50 EDT

Check out the site today and then spread the word to your friends.

The Age of Turbulence

Walt — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 23:07:27 EDT

The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve. At least he got the title right. On pages 370 to 372, he praises hedge funds and CDS, credit default swaps. Let's deal with them one at a time.

Hedge funds are mostly unregulated and Greenspan likes it that way. He was and is philosophically opposed to government regulation. In his opinion, the bankers and others who lend to hedge funds will keep a sharp eye on them since it is the lenders's money at risk. We all know now how that turned out with huge sums of TARP money required to bail out the lenders when hedge funds lost tons of our money.

Then there are the CDS, credit default swaps. These are financial instruments that allow lenders to spread the risks so that the failure of one lender will not spread to others. AIG provided buckets of CDS for others and we know what happened to AIG, now known by another name yet to be finalized. Again a massive bailout using our money. So much for Greenspan's aversion to regulation. He brags in the book how he contributed to the repeal of that bad law, Glass-Steagall, which kept the banks from underwriting stock issues. The Great Depression led to the enactment of Glass-Steagall and Greenspan issued a sigh of relief when it was repealed in 1999 at the sponsoring of Phil Gramm and others. It was Phil Gramm who famously said that this is not a recession; the US is a nation of whiners. An interesting website is www.econowhiner.com

In Spanish: The Truth About Health Insurance

EsquireUK — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:03:58 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/La-Realidad-The-truth-about-health-insurance-reform-is-now-available-in-Spanish/

La Realidad: La verdad sobre la reforma del seguro de salud ahora está disponible en Español.

No nos podemos dar el lujo de ignorar la reforma del sistema de seguro de salud. Cada día, 14,000 personas pierden su cobertura de seguro de salud, y los costos del seguro de salud en los últimos nueve años se han doblado. Además, un reporte reciente encontró que en solo los últimos tres años las compañías de seguro le han negado cobertura a mas de 12 millones de personas simplemente por que alguien decidió que la persona tenía una condición preexistente.

WhiteHouse.gov/LaRealidad incluye los hechos sobre lo que verdaderamente haría la reforma del seguro de salud para enfrentar los retos del sistema actual, y por supuesto, lo que no haría. Ya tenemos también un video en español:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/La-Realidad-The-truth-about-health-insurance-reform-is-now-available-in-Spanish/

Remorse

Walt — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:14:36 EDT

I will not begin to forgive the actions of the previous administration until the following persons start showing some remorse for their actions: George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Doug Feith, John Yoo, Condoleezza Rice, Karl Rove and others to numerous to mention.

Bug

Walt — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 12:10:44 EDT

There is a bug in the software the Obama administration is using to call supporters and it was present during the campaign too. The software does not do a good job of keeping track of who has been already contacted. This leads to a duplication of effort and is irritating to supporters and potential supporters who receive more than one call with the same message.

Health Insurance Reform Reality Check

EsquireUK — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 12:23:19 EDT

Reality Check: Reform will eliminate insurance discrimination against the disabled

Mike Strautmanis, Chief of Staff for Valerie Jarrett and father of a child with a disability, addresses the myth that health insurance reform will mean children with disabilities will not get the care they need. To the contrary, reform will make insurance more affordable, provide more options, and eliminate discrimination in purchasing health insurance so families won't be turned down if a parent or child has a pre-existing disability or other health condition.

Watch the Video The return of the viral email

There are quite a few "viral emails" floating around, making outlandish claims about health insurance reform and pretending to be careful analyses of the bills moving through Congress. Drafted to appear as if they are written by concerned citizens, more often the information comes from organizations with a strident agenda to protect the status quo. White House Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann DeParle takes on one of the most prevalent emails directly.

Watch the Video Reform will stop "rationing" - not increase it

Kavita Patel, who works with Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett and who worked for years before as a physician, debunks the myth that reform will mean a "government takeover" of health care or lead to "rationing." To the contrary, reform will forbid many forms of rationing that are currently being used by insurance companies.

Watch the Video The "euthanasia" distortion on help for families

Melody Barnes, the President's Director of the Domestic Policy Council, debunks the malicious myth that reform would encourage or even require euthanasia for seniors.

Watch the Video Vets' health care is safe and sound

Matt Flavin, Director of Veterans and Wounded Warrior Policy, explains that nothing in health insurance reform will affect veterans' access to the care they get now. To the contrary, the President's budget greatly expands coverage for veterans who have been denied access in the past.

Watch the Video Reform will benefit small business - not burden it

Christina Romer, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, debunks the myth that health insurance reform will hurt small businesses. To the contrary, reform will ease the burdens on small businesses and help level the playing field with big firms who pay much less to cover their employees on average.

Watch the Video Your Medicare is safe, and stronger with reform

Robert Kocher of the National Economic Council debunks the myth that Health Insurance Reform would be financed by cutting Medicare benefits. To the contrary, reform would simply eliminate waste and unnecessary subsidies to insurance companies.

Watch the Video You can keep your own insurance

Linda Douglass of the White House Office of Health Reform debunks the myth that reform will force you out of your current insurance plan or force you to change doctors. To the contrary, reform will expand your choices, not eliminate them.

Watch the Video http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck/

Health Care For America Now

EsquireUK — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:27:36 EDT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cqQl3lZzzE

We launched www.WhiteHouse.gov/realitycheck this week to knock down the rumors and lies that are floating around the internet. You can find the information below, and much more, there. For example, we've just added a video of Nancy-Ann DeParle from our Health Reform Office tackling a viral email head on.

Another case for moderate healthcare reform

The Bard of Wilmette — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 10:44:51 EDT

Last week, I posted an essay, which in effect argued that the centrist healthcare reform plan by a coalition of moderate Democratic and Republican senators deserved support. My main points were that:

This bipartisan proposal stands a good chance of passage (if President Obama publicly supports it and the more leftist congressional Democrats can agree to settle for it). The other proposals’ prospects of passing look doubtful.
While it may not be ideal, especially to those who are determined to have a more radical overhaul, this would go most of the way toward meeting the goals of universal coverage and eliminating discrimination based on personal health issues.
Much more than the pending bills in the House, the Senate proposal would credibly address the valid concerns about unsustainable costs, and would therefore be more sustainable for the long term.
Do not confuse ends with means. Single payer and public option are possible means toward achieving certain admirable goals, but they are not the ends themselves.
Do not let the supposed perfect become the enemy of the good. Failure to support a good, if more limited than desirable, healthcare reform bill now could set back any meaningful reform for many years, as we already should know from the experience of 1993-94.
Healthcare reform is the intended crowning achievement for the first year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Failure to pass such a reform – which is a serious possibility – would seriously undermine Obama’s political standing.

I did not note it at the time, but I also do believe that there is genuine value to passing healthcare reform on a bipartisan basis. It is possible that nearly all congressional Republicans will refuse to support any reform at all, making bipartisanship impossible, but I believe it is worth the effort. If a good effort at bipartisanship fails, it will be the Republicans, not the Democrats, who will be generally perceived to be at fault.

Some of my fellow bloggers reacted as if I was auditioning for a show on Fox News, and of course, they are correct. My job is to make Glenn Beck look like a reasonable and thoughtful intellectual by comparison to my own idiotic rants. Nonetheless, I want to note that Paul Begala, whose liberal credentials are impeccable, is making a similar case for the compromise Senate proposal. He notes that the original Social Security Act of 1935 was very limited in scope, compared to what it became later on, but it was a critical beginning. Here is a link to his article in the August 13 Washington Post:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081202575.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter

Health Reform Town Hall

EsquireUK — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 14:02:32 EDT

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Taking-Questions-on-Health-Reform-in-New-Hampshire/

The President hosted a town hall in Portsmouth, New Hampshire on health insurance reform, telling the crowd, "I don't think government bureaucrats should be meddling, but I also don't think insurance company bureaucrats should be meddling. That's the health care system I believe in." The President was introduced by Lori, a woman who can’t find coverage because of her medical condition. We all know someone like Lori who has been discriminated against because of pre-existing conditions, and can't receive the care they need. This is a personal issue for the President, who recounted his mother's battle with insurance companies as she battled with cancer in the last months of her life.

The President outlined how his plan will end these unfair, and often deadly, practices:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Taking-Questions-on-Health-Reform-in-New-Hampshire/

Media

Walt — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:28:40 EDT

Medium, media, median, mediate, all from a root meaning in the middle, between two opposing sides or views.

The purpose of the media in the US and other democracies is to inform the citizens so that they can make intelligent decisions. Here in the US, the purpose of the media has been perverted to making profits at the expense of the news and providing entertainment in place of information. The Right derides the media as liberal dominated in an effort to discount what ever little information the media does provide. It is the plan of the Right to deprive our citizens of any information that could counter the propaganda the Right wishes to use to govern by misleading the voters.

The angry mob mentality at town hall meetings

The Bard of Wilmette — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:22:16 EDT

I have been reading Renegade, Richard Wolffe’s excellent book about Barack Obama’s presidential campaign, and got reminded about something that I had practically forgotten about. After all, it happened a whole year ago. There were widely circulated rumors that Obama was (and supposedly still is) a Muslim, that he took his Senate oath on a Koran rather than a Bible, that as a child he attended a radical Muslim school in Indonesia, and assorted other complete lies. All this was spread by right wing kooks, who may or may not have believed what they were saying. However, some of Obama’s more decent minded political opponents, including John McCain and Hillary Clinton, assisted in the process by their equivocal “defense” of Obama against the false claims [“There is no truth to those rumors… as far as I know.”]. It was not until very late in the campaign that Colin Powell said what should have been said earlier, that while Obama is not a Muslim, it should not have been a big deal even if he was. Then again, given the general circumstances, a presidential candidate who is Muslim is effectively unelectable. If the facts did not support the candidate’s identification as a Muslim, the next best thing was to spread lies to make that Muslim identity widely believed. Fortunately, in spite of great efforts to create such impressions, it was not enough to prevent Obama’s election.

While I know that all presidents, and most presidential candidates, are targets of false and irresponsible charges, the irrational fears about the Obama presidency make me wonder how much racism in the U.S. has really diminished, and whether it has just taken a more subtle form. The attacks on Obama are different in scale from the attacks on his recent predecessors. I have heard the claim, for example, that George W. Bush knew about the “9/11” terrorist attacks in advance and did nothing to stop them so that he would have an excuse for a big power grab, and an excuse for invading Iraq in order to settle a personal score with Saddam Hussein. While I do believe that Bush talked himself into believing justifications (unsupported by objective evidence) for a war that he wanted based on different motives, the notion that he knowingly stood by while thousands of innocent people got killed by terrorists is ridiculous. The difference between the false allegations about Bush and Obama is that only a small lunatic fringe believes the claims about Bush, and no elected officials or mainstream media personalities ever promoted such a notion. In Obama’s case, the false rumors are given currency by elected officials, and especially by cable news pundits and radio talk show hosts.

Now that the right wing has failed to prevent Obama from becoming president, they have worked to undermine his legitimacy as president, with the “birther” campaign suggesting that Obama was not born in the U.S. and is therefore supposedly not a natural born citizen, and not eligible to serve as president. Again, this has been aided by some members of Congress. If that is not enough, we now have town meetings disrupted by people who were brought in for the purpose of preventing any exchange of ideas and information regarding proposed healthcare reforms. There are legitimate concerns about some of the proposed legislation. The town hall meetings should be a forum for those questions and concerns to be raised, but shouting down speakers with false assertions about “death panels” and other nonsense just serves to prevent the opportunity for the town hall meeting attendees to learn anything about the policy issue.

I expect hate mongers such as Rush Limbaugh and some of the crowd at Fox News, as the spiritual heirs to communist witch-hunting Senator Joe McCarthy, to engage in this kind of dumbing down of American political discourse. It is very disappointing when Republican office holders encourage this behavior, or at best stand by passively, implying approval. My own congressman, Mark Kirk, is generally regarded as a moderate Republican, and he has recently declared his candidacy for Obama’s old Senate seat (currently being kept warm by interim Senator Roland Burris). I want to challenge Mr. Kirk to denounce all politicians and pundits who encourage the mob mentality at these town hall meetings. There are several competing healthcare reform bills pending in Congress. Whether Kirk favors or opposes a particular proposed bill, he could really distinguish himself by publicly condemning the conduct that has been actively encouraged by Sarah Palin and others. I would further encourage anybody out there who is represented by a Republican in either the House or Senate to do the same thing. Contact your Member of Congress, and let him/her know that you expect a civil discussion of important issues at town hall meetings. Whatever their own positions are regarding healthcare reform, congressmen and senators should stand for the principle that freedom of speech means allowing the discussion of ideas. Conservatives and liberals alike should be able to agree on this. You have a concern that a proposed piece of legislation would have serious negative effects? Fine, raise the issues, ask your questions, but shouting down speakers at these meetings is no more “free speech” than is screaming “FIRE” in a crowded theater. So far, to the best of my knowledge, the mob behavior has not yet descended into actual physical violence, but that seems likely to follow. There have been death threats. When there is actual violence at (or following) any of these town hall meetings, we can blame the politicians and other public figures who encouraged it with rants about “death panels,” but I would also blame the politicians who knew better but who also elected to stand by and let it happen.

On a lighter note, I was surprised to see a very pleasant puff piece in the August 9 Parade Magazine by, of all people, Bill O’Reilly. Whether O’Reilly actually wrote it or not does not matter. He either wrote it or authorized its ghost written content. The message is basically non-political, and suggests that the compelling personal life story of Barack Obama should be an inspiration to America’s children. At least on this occasion, O’Reilly showed that he can separate his opposition to Obama’s policies from his evaluation of Obama as a person. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.parade.com/news/2009/08/09-what-obama-can-teach-americas-kids.html