Why Passing the Health Care Bill is Strictly the Republicans Fault

That's it, the Grand Old Party has lost it.

From the looks of it, they really hope that blaming this expensive healthcare fiasco is going to unseat President Obama and win back Congress.  Here's the problem, the reason this bill is going to pass, and the reason the bill is so crappy is because the Republicans refused to drop their partisan behavior, refused to stop thinking about ways to thwart the President's legislative agenda long enough to actually craft a bill that actually helped America.  That makes me mad.

First, this healthcare bill looks a lot like the bill proposed by Nixon and opposed by Ted Kennedy back in 1974!    The Democrats opposed it the bill because they thought...wait for it...that it would be too expensive and would only benefit the insurance companies.  Gah!!! it's back to the future night.  Am I the only one that sees this or am I on crazy pills.

Here's a novel idea, stop fighting the President just because he beat the crud out of your candidate in the last election and start freaking legislating for a change.  Try that as a strategy and you might actually hold on to the elusive center of the nation's political sepctrum.

What's the Same About New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger?

What you may find is that both leaders may have identified a model for post partisan cooperation, a model identified by Mark Satin, Editor of the Radical Middle Newsletter  as,"the first genuinely American political ideology," our country ever has had.  


If you read Bloomberg’s and Schwarzenegger’s speeches HERE and HERE (and supplement them with Schwarzenegger’s important Second Inaugural and National Press Club speeches, both from 2007), you’ll find the outlines of a powerful new political ideology, broken down into 10 key elements below.

---

From Post-partisan!: The first uniquely American political ideology is being born, Issue No. 110 (August 2007), Radical Middle Newsletter, by Mark Satin, Editor.

1. Relationships as important as convictions. At Los Angeles, Bloomberg waxed eloquent about “teamwork,” “reaching across the aisle,” etc. He went so far as to call for “a fundamentally different way of behaving -- one built on cooperation and collaboration.” And in his National Press Club speech, Schwarzenegger said, “[Politics] starts with something very basic -- establishing relationships. I read where the President asked a Senator about his son who is in Iraq. The Senator’s dismissive reply was not in the spirit of the question. How did that reply advance the public good?”

2. Criticism well balanced by self-criticism. Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger do not hesitate to criticize whatever earns their ire (e.g., Bloomberg: elected officials “become hooked on partisanship because it offers easy answers.”). But they also look coolly at themselves. For example, Bloomberg pointedly noted that it’s “a waste of time pointing fingers and blaming the politicians in Washington -- after all, we elected them.” And Schwarzenegger told the National Press Club, “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t claim to be Gandhi. In 2005 I contributed to the polarization. I tried to push through some [California ballot] initiatives the wrong way -- us versus them.”

3. Overriding commitment to dialogue and deliberation. Ben Franklin used to convene feuding Constitutional Convention delegates under a gorgeous mulberry tree in his back yard (see “Origins of the Post-Partisan Perspective” below). Just so, Time magazine reports that Bloomberg “broke with 200 years of tradition by rearranging [New York’s formalistic] city hall into a bullpen modeled on a trading floor, with his desk in the middle of 50 aides.”  And Schwarzenegger told the L.A. conference,

In the courtyard of our State Capitol in Sacramento . . . I have a politically incorrect smoking tent. And let me tell you, a lot of [legislators] come down there, take off their jackets, loosen up their ties, take a stogie out of my humidor, and they smoke and they schmooze. How come Republicans and Democrats in Washington don’t schmooze with each other? You can’t catch a socially transmitted disease by just sitting down with some people who maybe hold ideas different from yours.

4. Overriding commitment to diversity of opinions and perspectives. Post-partisanship goes beyond just accommodating differences. Bloomberg put it nicely when he said, “Solutions will require a diversity of opinion” [emphasis ours - ed.]. And at the L.A. conference Schwarzenegger said, “If you stick to just one party’s proposal[s] you miss half of the good ideas.” (He also said, “My in-laws for the last 30 years, every time I go over there [they have] Democrats and Republicans over there!”)


5. Compromise not the only endgame. “From my experience,” said Bloomberg,

ending Washington paralysis means bridging divides, but that does not mean just splitting differences. That’s a common political cop-out. Public policy is not a zero-sum game. . . . By thinking outside the box, and bringing creative ideas to the table, we can increase the benefits that both sides can achieve -- and more importantly, what America can achieve.

Schwarzenegger made the same crucial point when he said, at the National Press Club, “Politics is about compromise. . . . Post-partisanship, however, is not simply Republicans and Democrats each bringing proposals to the table and then working out differences. Post-partisanship is the new concept of Republicans and Democrats giving birth to new ideas together.”

6. Simultaneously creative and practical. Bloomberg is attracted to “creative” ideas, he said, not because of a taste for high theory but because he’s interested in “producing real results, solving tough problems.” In his Second Inaugural Address, Schwarzenegger called for “a new creative center . . . a dynamic center.” But his motives are as pragmatic as Bloomberg’s. He expects that the creative middle will generate neither haplessly visionary nor “warmed over” public policies, but “well-balanced and well-grounded” ones.

7. A penchant for big ideas. Partisan politicians “see the same problems we do,” said Bloomberg. “But instead of working to address their causes, and provide real, lasting solutions, they tinker around the edges, offering band-aids. . . . We’re not going to solve [our challenges] with small ideas.” In his L.A. speech Schwarzenegger proudly claimed, “Last year California passed the world’s most comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gases.”

8. A bias for action. Michael Grunwald, who wrote Time magazine’s aforementioned cover story on Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger, put his finger on a key part of the post-partisan dynamic when he said, “Love of action is the real link between Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg.” He quoted Schwarzenegger saying, “We don’t need another meeting on global warming. We need action.” And he observed that the real source of Bloomberg’s appeal is his image as “a businessman who can work across party lines to get things done” [emphasis ours - ed.].

9. A concern with values and principles. Pragmatism and compromise are parts of the post-partisan arsenal. But a deeper part is values and principles that can ensure integrity. At the L.A. conference, Bloomberg devoted a good part of his speech to describing his six key personal and process values: independence, honesty, innovation, courage, teamwork, and accountability. In his National Press Club speech, Schwarzenegger memorably declared, “The left and the right don’t have a monopoly on conscience! We should not let them get away with that! . . . You can seek a consensus and retain your principles. What is more principled than giving up some part of your position to advance the greater good of the people? That is how we arrived at a constitution in this country.”

10. A long-term vision. Bloomberg envisioned such far-seeing policy solutions as a preventive-care-oriented health care system and an anti-poverty program that offers cash to poor people for maintaining high rates of school attendance, participating in job training programs, etc. (“This approach has worked well in Mexico, but it’s never been tried in the U.S.,” Bloomberg said -- thereby boldly and even bravely exemplifying his insistence on taking good ideas from everywhere.) In his Second Inaugural Address, Schwarzenegger offered a vision of California 20 years hence:

Because we . . . committed ourselves to the environment, we lead the world in the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy -- and as a result, a clean-tech industry has sprung up creating jobs for our people. And because we were leaders in stem cell research, California’s bio-tech industry has boomed, offering new cures for spinal cord injuries, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other diseases. And because we took action to correct our fiscal crisis [we] have learned, once and for all, to live within [our] means. . . .

---

So how is this working.  Well, after having read this article I need to do some research.  How are Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Schwarzenegger doing three years later?  The Mayer looks like he's an effective chief executive, but the Governor seems to be struggling with his legacy in California.  I wonder if that has more to do with the dysfunctional California Legislative environment.  

I'll write back again after I've done some home work.

What Does it Mean to be Center of the Spectrum

CENTRISTS espouse a "middle ground" regarding government control of the economy and personal behavior. Depending on the issue, they sometimes favor government intervention and sometimes support individual freedom of choice.  Centrists pride themselves on keeping an open mind, tend to oppose "political extremes," and emphasize what they describe as "practical" solutions to problems. 

What's Arabic for "You're No Atticus Finch"?

by Ann Coulter for Townhall.com

A group of "leading conservative lawyers" -- a phrase never confused with "U.S. Marines" -- has produced an embarrassingly pompous letter denouncing Liz Cheney for demanding the names of attorneys at the Justice Department who formerly represented Guantanamo detainees.

The letter calls Cheney's demand "shameful," before unleashing this steaming pile of idiocy:

"The American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients is at least as old as John Adams' representation of the British soldiers charged in the Boston Massacre."

Yes, but even John Adams didn't take a job with the government for another 19 years after defending the British guards -- who, in 1770, were "the police." He also didn't take a position with the U.S. government that involved processing British murder suspects.

I'd be more interested in hearing about the sacred duty of lawyers to defend "unpopular clients" if we were talking about clients who are unpopular with anyone lawyers know.

Every white shoe law firm in the country has been clamoring to take the cases of Guantanamo detainees, while young associates line up to be put on the case. This is even more fun than defending Ted Bundy!

As The Wall Street Journal put it in a 2007 article, a list of the law firms representing Guantanamo detainees "reads like a who's who of America's most prestigious law firms" -- which conveniently doubles as Santa's "naughty" list.

The terrorists' lawyers have included Shearman and Sterling, Arnold & Porter; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr; Covington & Burling; Hunton & Williams; Sullivan & Cromwell; Debevoise & Plimpton; King & Spalding; Cleary Gottlieb, Morrison & Foerster; Jenner & Block; O'Melveny & Myers and Sidley Austin.

At least 34 of the 50 largest firms in the United States have performed pro bono work on behalf of Guantanamo detainees.

Years ago, when I nearly died of boredom working for a law firm, I heard whispered rumors about a partner, Michael Tierney, whom none of the female associates wanted to work with because his pro bono work included defending -- gasp! -- pro-life groups. (There was at least one female associate who wanted to work with him!)

I didn't hear a peep about the august "American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients" back then.

Like Hollywood actresses, lawyers need to believe they're noble and courageous to help them forget that they are corporate drones doing soul-destroying work, which mostly consists of making photocopies.

Defending terrorists gives status-conscious attorneys a chance to get standing ovations at the annual ABA convention -- much like promoting "global warming" makes climatologists feel like they're saving the world, rather than studying water vapor.

It took me exactly one Nexis search for "ABA," "award" and "Guantanamo" to find that the 2006 "Outstanding Scholar Award" at the ABA annual banquet was given to New York University law professor Anthony G. Amsterdam for his "extensive pro bono practice, litigating cases that range from civil rights claims, to death penalty defense, to claims of access to the courts for the detainees at Guantanamo Bay."

A rule I have is: You're not defending an unpopular client if you're getting awards from the ABA, particularly if the award mentions "courage."

You'll never see a pompous letter like the one attacking Liz Cheney on behalf of any lawyer defending clients who are unpopular with lawyers, which terrorists are not.

Ken Starr, a signatory to the "Please God, Let This Get Me a Good Obituary in The New York Times" letter, once, totally by mistake, had a case unpopular with the establishment: Bill Clinton's impeachment.

He's shown his mettle by saying that if he met Clinton today, he'd say "I'm sorry." Because isn't that what Jesus said? Be very concerned with the opinion of the world!

Speaking of which, I also never heard any testimonials to the sacred duty of lawyers to defend unpopular causes when every lawyer working on the Clinton impeachment was being smeared as a "tobacco lawyer."

Tobacco companies, being wildly unpopular, are in need of a lot of legal services. Scratch any litigator from a big law firm and you'll find someone who, if necessary, could be slimed as a "tobacco lawyer."

You will notice a pattern developing: We only hear paeans to the "American tradition of zealous representation of unpopular clients" when it's being used to defend causes popular with liberals -- serial killers, terrorists and a horny hick who promised to save partial-birth abortion.

Lawyers want to be congratulated for their courage in defending "unpopular" clients, while taking cases that are utterly noncontroversial in their social circles.

They'd be scared to death to take the case of an anti-abortion activist. Defending the guy who killed George Tiller the Baby Killer won't make them a superstar at the next ABA convention.

Not only do Americans have a right to know the legal backgrounds of lawyers setting detainee policy at the Department of Justice, but I personally demand the right not to have to listen to Eddie Haskell lawyers constantly claiming to be Atticus Finch.

In Marjah, Rooting Out The Taliban Is Only The Start

An NPR story by TOM BOWMAN

Thousands of U.S. and Afghan forces are continuing an offensive to clear insurgents from Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

It's been a long slog, with dozens of casualties and the continued threat of roadside bombs. But the most difficult part of the operation — paving the way for effective local governance — has only just begun.

People in Marjah and places like Marjah have actually preferred the Taliban to the government because of the lack of security, the lack of justice, the lack rule of law that past missions have represented.

- Alex Thier, Afghanistan expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace

Marine Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson has been at war with insurgents in Afghanistan for more than a year. After operations last summer in Helmand province and the fight now against the Taliban in Marjah, Nicholson reminds his troops of this basic reality.

"I tell the Marines consistently that — and they always give me big eyeballs when I say [it] — we cannot win this war, we can't possibly win it, but we can help the Afghans win it," Nicholson told reporters.

Helping the Afghans win means offering a better life. But Nicholson, speaking recently from Afghanistan, says not everyone in Marjah believes that will happen.

"We've got a very skeptical population here, though. The population here is concerned about what we're going to be able to do for them," he said.

That's because if they have seen any government at all, says Nicholson, it's been corrupt politicians and police chiefs. The Marines say they have a "narrow window" to win over the residents of Marjah.

The U.S. has "failed to maintain security and to establish decent enough governance," said Alex Thier, an Afghanistan expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonpartisan group created by Congress.

Thier says in past military operations in Afghanistan, the Americans were never able to provide security and better governance.

EnlargePatrick Baz/AFP/Getty Images

A U.S. Marine officer with the 1/3 Charlie Company guards an Afghan family in Trikh Nawar on the northeastern outskirts of Marjah in February.

"People in Marjah and places like Marjah have actually preferred the Taliban to the government because of the lack of security, the lack of justice, the lack rule of law that past missions have represented," he said.

But, as Thier acknowledges, these issues are "enormously" out of U.S. hands. He says there has been one clear lesson from America's involvement in places like Vietnam, Bosnia and Iraq.

"Unless it is ultimately under local leadership, then we will not succeed," he said.

U.S. military leaders in Afghanistan are aware that history is not on their side, but they say their mission is to try anyway. So U.S. forces have been transporting local leadership and bureaucrats into Marjah by convoy. Those leaders will have to demonstrate to residents that they are the legitimate government.

One U.S. official who requested anonymity says the second test will be if and when those leaders will deliver schools, health clinics and jobs to residents.

It is these basic-level services that Afghans are looking for most, British Maj. Gen. Nick Carter, the top NATO officer in Afghanistan's south, told reporters at a briefing at Kandahar Air Base.

But he says local leaders just aren't getting the help they need from the national government, long seen as corrupt and incompetent.

"Trying to get Afghan capacity from Kabul in support of the district governors is challenging. But nonetheless there are some good Afghans stepping up to the plate in Kabul that are able to deliver what Afghans require on the ground. We're talking about basic stuff, basic human needs," Carter said.

The Marines are delivering some of those basic human needs.

The third part of the plan is long-term projects, also run by the Americans and the international community. One is an agricultural development program that will bring tens of millions of dollars to Marjah and elsewhere in Helmand province. The aid money will help rebuild the rural economy with wheat and vegetable crops, along with fruit trees such as pomegranates.

Richard Owens, who manages the program for the State Department, says it will begin with a quick infusion of cash for work — which will include everything from rebuilding markets destroyed under the Taliban era to cleaning out and repairing irrigation canals and re-establishing plant nurseries.

Owens hopes to begin soon, once Marjah is more stable.

"We have a team ready to move out and begin cash for work. At this point we're just waiting for a green light," he said.

The Iranian Regime: What You Need to Know - From the Heritage Foundation

The Iranian Regime: What You Need to Know

Published on March 5, 2010

Iran's Terrorism Credentials

•  State Sponsor of Terror: Iranhas been on the State Department's list of state sponsors of terrorism since the list's inception and is seen as the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism. It continues to provide arms, training, and financial support to a wide array of terrorist groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Active in Iraq and Afghanistan:Iranian Revolutionary Guards have been deployed to both countries to provide support to radical Shiamilitias and other insurgent groups fighting against and killing U.S. and coalition troops, including providing lethal explosive devices that can destroy the heaviest tanks in the U.S. arsenal.

Growing Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Capability

• Ballistic Missile Force: Iran has a large and growing ballistic missile force that can reach targets in Israel, Egypt, Turkey, and other U.S. allies, as well as U.S. bases in the Middle East. It has launched a satellite into space, demonstrating that it could soon build an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of targeting American cities.
• Imminent Nuclear Threat: Iran already has enough enriched uranium to build at least two nuclear weapons if that material is further enriched. The International Atomic Energy Agency recently reported that Iran has conducted experiments that suggest it is working on a nuclear warhead for its missiles. It could build a nuclear weapon in a matter of months to a few years, at most, if the regime decides to push ahead on its weaponization efforts.

No Friend to America, Israel, or Its Neighbors

• Growing Influence in Middle East: Since the 1979 revolution, the regime in Iran has sought to overthrow the balance of power in the Middle East and export its Islamist revolution, subversion, and terrorism to its neighbors. To advance its goal of establishing hegemony over the oil-rich Persian Gulf, Tehran has sought to drive U.S. influence out of the region and intimidate its neighbors.
• American Hostages: Iran continues to hold Americans as hostages. Three American hikers who inadvertently strayed over Iran's border last year are being charged with espionage, and an Iranian-American scholar has already been sentenced to at least 12 years in prison for the same charge. Tehran also has stonewalled American efforts to locate a former FBI agent who disappeared on a 2007 trip to Iran.
• Anti-Israel: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has repeatedly called for the destruction of Israel. If Iran acquires a nuclear weapon, he will be in a position to carry out his threat. In addition, Iran has transferred sophisticated short-range rockets to Hezbollah and Hamas that the two terrorist groups have used to kill Israeli civilians in past wars. Iran continues to work with Syria to build up Hezbollah forces in neighboring Lebanon, which threaten not only Lebanon's stability but Israel's as well.

For more information, please visit:
http://www.heritage.org/Research/Middleeast/iranbriefingroom.cfm

What the Marines Have to Say About Don't Ask Don't Tell

The Commandant of the Marine Corp, General James T. Conway testified in Congress about his views on the current ban on gays serving openly in the military.  As reported by ABC news:

---

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James T. Conway

(Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Conway told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that he does not think the law should be changed.

"At this point, I think that the current policy works," Conway said. "My best military advice to this committee, to the secretary, to the president would be to keep the law such as it is."

Conway said he looks at the issue strictly from the point of view of whether changing the law would "enhance the war-fighting capabilities of the United States Marine Corps by allowing homosexuals to openly serve."

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, presented the administration's proposal that Congress repeal "don't ask, don't tell". At the time, Mullen said he supported changing the policy because letting gays serve openly in the military would be "the right thing to do."

---

I like Secretary Gates' plan for a year-long study of military attitudes within the ranks before Congress proceeds with repealing the law, but it's more than about attitudes, it is about military effectiveness.  I mean will we need separate showering and sleeping facilities for gay and non gay soldiers, sailors and marines?  Do some jobs need to be restricted from openly gay service members?  The military needs time to figure out these answers.