ABC News Is Insipid and Elitist

This post is a short and angry rant. ABC News debate moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous were a disgrace this evening. Remember when Obama/Clinton debated health care for fifteen minutes prior to their contests in Ohio and Texas? There wasn't a single question about health care this evening. Over forty minutes had to pass before Iraq and Afghanistan were even mentioned. And of course not a single question about the Bush Administration's latest disgrace on torture. Nor did most of the debate address specifics about our collapsing economy such as the housing crisis, credit crunch, globalization and free trade. Overall, this evening's debate was a display of insipid futility. Apparently, ABC News believes a vacuous tabloid oriented debate is what voters really want. I'm disgusted and have nothing else to say.

Keeping It Real

Obama is getting pounded in the media to the point of absurdity about his remarks at a San Francisco fundraiser last week. Clinton is attempting to squeeze as much juice out of this orange as possible. Unlike other Obama supporters I'm not gnashing my teeth about Clinton's tactics. Politics is a contact sport and the Clintons play the game hard. Republicans will play even rougher this November. Obama's campaign needs to learn how to regain the initiative when his comments are unfairly distorted.

My sense is that Obama like most politicians spoke to the sensibilities of his audience last week. And in San Francisco those sensibilities belonged to classic limousine liberals. Politics today however is very different. What is seemingly spoken in private to one group will soon by heard by all. An important lesson he should never forget.

Obama's responded well to the incoming fire so far. Clinton's inauthentic embrace of gun culture was an overreach. McCain of course with his pro-corporatist sympathies is beyond hypocritical when calling Obama an elitist. In the YouTube below Obama fires back at Clinton and McCain, while acknowledging his semantic errors and attempts to refocus the campaign dialog about people who are struggling. The media today has mostly portrayed Obama's response as a single sound bite of him uttering the word "shame" about Clinton. So, as an Obama supporter, I'll provide more than a mere sound bite. Thank goodness for YouTube.

Wisdom From Maryscott O'Connor

There has been a lot of silliness from Clinton and Obama supporters alike as we approach the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd. One of my all time favorite bloggers and an Obama supporter like me, Maryscott O'Connor of My Left Wing, essentially spoke for me with her most recent post:

"It's a daunting task, bringing people out of their cushy soundbite bubbles -- but if we are ever to truly affect any meaningful changes, it will have to be done. And I respectfully suggest that neither bombastic rhetoric of the impending apocalyptic doom we face nor gentle, hopeful platitudes about the power of positive thinking will do the trick. Obama is not the new Messiah of the Left; neither is Clinton the anti-Christ of Conservative Centrism. Obama will not solve all our woes, nor will Clinton catapult us into a deeper abyss. Obama has my support and preference, but I have no illusions about him. He's not going to be the President of My Dreams. But Clinton wouldn't be the President of My Nightmares, either... that role has already been filled by the nutsack currently ensconced in the White House."

Click here to read the rest of Maryscott's trenchant post. On a personal note I was delighted to read Maryscott today. She's absorbed more than her share of personal adversity the past couple years. Most recently Maryscott was inactive on My Left Wing due to her mother's health problems and the passing of an uncle. Her voice and insights are much needed this presidential campaign. Welcome back Maryscott!

McCain & Clinton Are Calling Obama An Elitist?

Senator Obama recently made the unremarkable observation that downscale working class voters are "bitter." People are losing their jobs, health benefits, pensions and homes so how could they not be bitter? Senator John McCain and his pseudo running mate, Senator Hillary Clinton have accused Obama of elitism for making this observation. Refer to the YouTube player below for Obama's response.



Enough said.

Crunch Time In America: An Interview With Economist Jared Bernstein

How many economists have you read or watched on television in recent years that claimed the economy was performing well while you struggled to make ends meet and keep up with the cost of living? Indeed, until recently a happy talk virus had infected a cabal of conservative plutocrats who preached the virtues of limited regulation, market forces and free trade as wages declined and predatory lenders had a party. It seemed we were hearing conservative politicians and their mouthpieces at the Heritage Foundation or Fox news refer to the economy as “the greatest story never told” at every opportunity.

Now that the housing and credit crisis has metastasized, conservative apparatchiks are fighting to minimize government intervention on behalf of regular folks while preserving corporate welfare. They accuse anyone who raises a fuss of waging class warfare. Instead these agents of the status quo prefer we erroneously obsess about Social Security going bust and agree to privatize it for Wall Street's benefit.

Thankfully, renowned economist and the director of the Living Standards Program for the Economic Policy Institute, Jared Bernstein is using his megaphone to fight the madness. With his new book, Crunch: Why Do I Feel So Squeezed? (And Other Economic Mysteries), Bernstein responds to dozens of questions asked by working Americans that relate to the dollars and cents concerns of real people. Bernstein who often appears as a commentator on CNBC wrote in the preface of his book that,

“I’m tired of being stuck in the studio engaging in rants with Darth Vaders with PhDs. Wouldn’t it be more useful to have an open-ended, rant-free dialogue with real, everyday people about their economic questions.”

With Crunch, Bernstein effectively validates the daily experience of working people struggling to keep up in a treadmill economy. He also adroitly writes with accessible prose and powerful anecdotes to both educate readers about economic nuances and empower them to influence politics in a more populist direction. Bernstein contends that the rich and powerful have as much influence on who benefits from the economy as the will of the market. He therefore hopes to inspire readers not to cede any more ground to the practitioners of hyper individualism at the expense of the American community.

One of the most memorable anecdotes in Bernstein’s book describes how Circuit City announced it planned to lay off 3,400 sales associates in the spring of 2007 in order to appease their shareholders. Bernstein utilized this anecdote to illustrate how corporate greed is both heartless and self-defeating:

“Talk about in-your face management. I can absolutely see why a firm whose stock was down by a third over the past year would decide to make some big changes. But unless your workforce is truly overpaid, replacing a big chunk of it with lower-paid workers is a recipe for lousier service, fewer sales, and lower profits. At the time, many predicted that after the initial jump, stock prices would sink further. We were wrong, though. They never got that initial bump, and the stock just kept sliding, down 15 percent a few months later (while the overall stock market was up strong).”

It’s that kind of prose that led former North Carolina Senator and populist presidential candidate John Edwards to issue the following praise:

“Jared Bernstein’s new book is a must read for everyone who cares about restoring economic fairness in an America with the greatest income inequality since the Great Depression. Drawing on everyday examples, Crunch is an accessible explanation of economic principles presented with equal parts of insight, humor, and stimulation. In the process, Bernstein explains how we got to where we are, what to do to fix it, and why fighting for a fair society is so important.”

An expert on issues of labor and income inequality, he frequently testifies on Capitol Hill. Bernstein is also the co-author of eight editions of The State of Working America and he posts frequently on Josh Marshall’s blog, TPM Café. Longtime readers/listeners of the Intrepid Liberal Journal may recall an interview he did for this blog after his book, All Together Now: Common Sense For A Fair Economy was published in 2006.

Bernstein agreed to a podcast interview over the telephone about his current book and the current challenges confronting the American economy. Our conversation was approximately forty-eight minutes and among the issues covered includes the housing and credit crisis, needed regulatory reform, healthcare, globalization, Social Security, America’s investment deficit and free trade. Please refer to the media player below.



This interview can also be accessed for free by searching for “Intrepid Liberal Journal” on Itunes.

The CIA Wants Me?

So are any of you receiving spam recruitment email from the CIA? Apparently, I am. Below is an email I received from the CIA on April 2nd. That includes the picture you see to the left of happy cool people. Has the CIA become so desperate that they're reduced to sending spam emails just like Viagra? Or maybe they're hoping to influence us crazy left wing bloggers by recruiting someone on the inside? Most likely they're just pathetically incompetent. Osama Bin Laden continues to elude them so they try recruiting anti-war bloggers like me with spam email?

According to the disclaimer at the bottom, my email address "has been verified to receive online promotions and offers from one of our affiliates." Let's see which one of these sneaky affiliates could they be? Recently my cousin had a baby and I ordered flowers online. Could 1-800-Flowers be an affiliate of the CIA? Anyway, read they're lovely email to me below and have a laugh.

Our mission depends on different views. Because nothing in the world is the same.
At the Central Intelligence Agency, diversity is our strength, and a mission imperative in an ever-changing world. Find out the difference you can make for the nation in one of a wide variety of career opportunities, such as:

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The Truth About CIA Opportunities
Some people believe that choosing a career with the CIA means they'll never see their friends and family again. Or, that they'll never make it through our stringent security clearance process unless their background is stellar. Though some of our roles do require a great deal of tact and confidentiality, these myths do not reflect what life is truly like at the CIA. The fact is, we offer a wide range of opportunities that make an important contribution to the security of our nation - from Administrative roles, to Science and Technology, to information Analysis, to Languages, to Clandestine. So, you can participate in any number of professional areas and know that you're making a difference for America.

Diversity at the CIA
On the international stage, the CIA is the eyes and ears of America and, at times, its hidden hand. Collecting intelligence that matters. Providing relevant, timely and objective analysis. Preempting threats or achieving United States policy objectives at the direction of the President through covert means. All of these activities require a workforce that reflects the talent, values and demographics of our nation - the most diverse nation on the planet. It is through the contributions of the individual expertise, dedication, perspectives and cultures of all of our professionals that we are empowered to achieve our mission objectives. Your unique qualities can become one of our most valuable assets to ensure the national security of the United States and protect our American life and ideals.

The Agency's inclusive environment challenges every member of our work force to possess and maintain the highest level of personal and professional integrity; to work effectively with others as part of a team; to be innovative and take calculated risks; to adapt to an ever-changing environment; to take responsibility and be personally accountable for all that they do; and to continuously seek to improve themselves. So, while you're working with smart, focused people from all types of backgrounds, you are expected to expand your mind. Look deeper. Understand more. And realize your unlimited potential.

You can make your individuality work for you by joining the Central Intelligence Agency, in an environment that enables you to perform your best work on a united team committed to meeting today's and tomorrow's Intelligence challenges.

Learn more about our opportunities, or apply online. Please visit us at www.cia.gov and click on the CIA Careers link.

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Clinton Stands Tall On Gay Rights

As regular readers of this blog know, I don’t want Hillary Clinton to become my party’s nominee for president. She enabled President Bush’s illegal and immoral war in Iraq. Hell, she even echoed many of Bush's false arguments about al quaeda and Iraq. Both Clinton and John McCain are guilty of not reading a ninety page National Intelligence Estimate in 2002 which contained evidence undermining Bush's rational for war and we still don't know if Clinton learned from her mistake.

I’m also offended by the subtext of Clinton's efforts to persuade the super delegates that Barack Obama can’t win in November because he’s black. No matter how you slice it, that's what "he can't win" means.

However, I must give credit where it is due. Nedra Pickler reported in the Associated Press earlier this evening that Clinton promised to be a strong advocate for gay rights. Noting how both Massachusetts and New Jersey have expanded rights for gay couples, Clinton said,

"and the federal government should recognize that and should extend the same access to federal benefits across the board. I will very much work to achieve that.”

Clinton also deserves credit for making a point of opposing a measure in Pennsylvania to ban gay marriage. Keep in mind that Clinton’s core constituency in Pennsylvania is older more culturally conservative working class voters and their high stakes primary is just nineteen days away. Nevertheless, the Associated Press quoted Clinton as saying,

“I would be very distressed if Pennsylvania were to adopt that kind of mean-spirited referendum and I hope it won't happen,"

I was especially gratified that Clinton told the Associated Press she would be “very strongly outspoken” against foreign governments that execute gays and use America’s economic and diplomatic leverage to prevent such atrocities. As I wrote in a post two years ago, gay rights are human rights. To believe anything else is immoral. Clinton assertively putting this issue front and center is a reminder of why I vote Democrat.

I remain a Barack Obama supporter. However, if Clinton can be a positive voice of conscious on such issues and in turn constructively push Obama, then perhaps she can earn back a measure of good will. Sadly, it’s impossible to reconcile someone who is so passionate advocating for gay rights while simultaneously telling skittish inside the beltway white elitists that America isn’t ready for a black president.

Warning: This Is A Horserace Post

My apologies for not posting anything new these past couple weeks. As with most of you, I’ve been following the “horserace.” Typically, I prefer to let others do horserace posts and focus on policy issues or insights about our society. Besides, there are plenty of quality horserace-oriented bloggers if that’s what you’re into as well as the punditocracy. But the stakes in the Clinton/Obama horserace are enormous and progressives are understandably preoccupied with it.

Two contrasting perspectives on the campaign today come from the Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne and one of my favorite bloggers, Booman. Dionne writes,

“For all Democrats, the worst thing that has happened since January is the tarnishing of the Clinton brand. Clinton haters: Don't laugh. The truth is that when this whole thing began, the vast majority of Democrats -- including Obama supporters -- and a fair number of independents had largely positive views of Bill Clinton's record and Hillary Clinton's merits.”

In response Booman writes,

“To my way of thinking, the health and future of the Democratic Party (and, therefore, the nation) actually depends on the Clinton legacy being discredited and their brand tarnished. It's nice, and valuable, for a party to have a president in the somewhat recent past that they can point to as a positive example. For the Republicans, the cult of Ronald Reagan is more than an example; it is a recruitment strength and an ideological rallying cry. But Ronald Reagan didn't get impeached. Ronald Reagan didn't preside over huge congressional losses for his party. Ronald Reagan's presidency was validated by the election of his vice-president as a successor, not rejected in favor of a chimpanzee.

But more to the point, Obama keeps saying that he wants 'to change the mindset that got us into the war' in Iraq. A prerequisite for that, is that Democrats revise their opinion of Clinton's foreign policy. The Clintons spent the 1990's feeding us trumped up intelligence about the dangers of Saddam Hussein as a way to maintain domestic and international support for the sanctions, for an aborted coup attempt in 1996, for the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, and for the bombing of Iraq at various points throughout the decade. The Bushies then took that falsified intelligence and used it to justify the invasion and five-year occupation of Iraq. ‘"Even the Clinton administration thought he had WMD.’

Domestic affairs are a more mixed bag. Clinton did cut through some ossified liberal dogma, but the overall effect of his New Democrat policies was to complete the destruction of the party in the South, badly weaken the party in the Plains states and Interior West, and freeze the Democratic momentum in the suburbs. The Clinton presidency was partly successful because of a booming economy and relative peace, but we should never forget that he squandered the peace dividend and kept the country on a permanent war-budget footing.”

Booman is also one of many bloggers and growing chorus of Democrats agitating for Clinton to end her campaign. I definitely agree with Booman’s assessment of the Clinton brand and their culpability on foreign policy. Furthermore, I agree with progressive bloggers such as Booman that the Clinton campaign has been a graceless and joyless exercise of bottom feeding.

Clinton’s rhetorical grenades and race baiting grates Obama supporters. Her negative tone is especially off putting because Clinton doesn’t have a realistic shot at the nomination anyway. Hell, at one point Clinton even claimed McCain was qualified to be commander and chief and implied that Obama wasn't. Is she a Democrat or John McCain’s running mate?

Nonetheless, I hope Clinton continues in the race. In my opinion, Democrats are overly skittish about blowback this November from the drama of the primaries. This has been healthy for the Democratic Party’s eventual nominee. Obama needed to weather some adversity and be tested by a win at all costs opponent.

As the cliché goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger and Obama’s national standing is fine. I’m not troubled by the tightness between Obama and McCain right now. Once he becomes the official standard bearer Obama will be in a very strong position to compete with McCain for independent voters. Most independents don’t want to elect a third Republican term.

In the meantime, the Clinton-Obama race has contributed to needed party building in every region. That is an essential component to Howard Dean’s fifty-state strategy which the Obama campaign organization has embraced while the Clintonites play with an outdated and static map. Even better, Obama has been compelled to campaign for older downscale working class voters because of the upcoming Pennsylvania primary. This is a constituency he’ll need to persuade this November anyway. So, as an Obama supporter I have no problem with the contest continuing. Competition and rigorous debate is good.

My problem is that the debate has not been rigorous enough about high stakes issues such as global warming, addressing national poverty and standing up for civil liberties. Instead both candidates are wrapped up in their intense personal drama. It seems Obama wants to elevate the conversation as he did with his response to the Reverend Wright controversy. But neither the media, wealthy corporatist Democratic Party donors or Senator Clinton herself believe an elevated debate is in their interest. Too often the Obama campaign has taken Clinton's bottom feeding bait.

At this point Senator Obama should ignore Senator Clinton and not allow her campaign to debase his message. It’s counter-intuitive to ignore a rival candidate’s rhetorical bombast. But Senator Clinton has crossed the George W. Bush credibility threshold in recent days. Everything she says is viewed through the prism of suspicion and disbelief. Hence, her critique of Obama is no longer effective. Obama therefore has the luxury to tweak his general election message and avoid further alienating Clinton’s supporters.

Clinton can best serve her own legacy, the party and nation if she aims for a higher tone, pushes Obama on issues such as healthcare as she has throughout the campaign and the metastasizing credit crisis. Unfortunately, she's chosen bottom feeding over honor.

Can you just imagine what position Clinton would be in today if she had seized the moment following the Reverent Wright controversy in a positive way? Obama was struggling before delivering his tour de force and Clinton had an opportunity to fill the void. But she was cautious and let the moment pass. Then following Clinton’s own controversy about her so-called dangerous mission in Bosnia, she opted to exploit white resentment and fear. Sadly, those ends justify the means tactics is a window into the kind of president she would be. Thankfully though, Clinton has strengthened and enhanced Obama's candidacy in spite of her cynicism.