The Outspoken Liberal

Questioning religion

2010-12-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

I normally do not like to comment on religious issues here since this is a blog about politics but the concept of questioning religion has really gotten under my skin lately. As an agnostic/deist I really don't care if someone questions my own religion, but I don't think it's anyone's business when you run for and/or serve public office what your religion is or is not.

So 2010 brings us two instances of questioning religion in politics. The first one was in the form of a nasty campaign ad (that shall remain nameless) where a Democrat asks a Republican to be a man and own up to his mistakes of worshiping his bong in college. The Republican turns around and spins the ad so it makes the Democrat look like he's questioning the Republican's religion. The voters of the Bible Belt state believe the Republican and the Democrat's campaign is over.

After the election the Republicans are at it again. Just yesterday Senators Jon Kyl and Jim DeMint (R-teabagging morons) yelled at Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid because he's keeping the Senate in session through the holidays and accuses him of disrespecting Christianity for making them work through the holidays (waahh waahh I will work through the holidays for 6 figures and I'll be happy to take their jobs). Luckily Harry Reid is finally starting to grow a pair and stood up to them.

I am sick of the Republicans questioning religion for their own personal gain. They started in 2008 with Barack Obama and it was just a disaster since. In fact the Republicans being in bed with organized religion has taken a formerly apathetic voter like me and turned me off from organized religion and their party. I am sure I am not alone here. Heckuva job GOP!

I'm not dead yet!

2010-11-16T11:12:00.003-05:00

Most of my readers probably left this blog for dead. However since starting this blog two years ago (on a much happier note), I have since decided to pursue politics as a career and was working on a campaign that gave me experience outside of the blue northeastern politics that I am used to. I must say that getting involved in politics is one of the best things to ever happen to me. My life has definitely changed for the better due to politics.

This flaming liberal from NY/NJ was sent right into one of the most watched senate races in the country—Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway against legacy teabagger Rand Paul. Although we did not win the senate race, we did narrowly win the congressional so I don’t feel as bad this year as I did last year. (Last year I was absolutely devastated by the election results. This year while the Democrats did lose the House and a lot of senate seats, my own representation is still Democratic which makes me a very happy camper).

Kentucky’s an interesting place politically. Unlike the New Jersey politics that I am used to, there are often competitive Democratic primaries, thus there is a large Democratic advantage in voter registration. But how someone is registered in Kentucky does not predict how they will vote in the general election. Throughout the campaign, we talked to several “tea party Democrats” (the term continues to confuse me) and had several registered Republicans in our office making phone calls for us. Unlike the two states I have voted in, independents (non-affiliated voters, as I once was) make up only a small fraction of the electorate.

Also being in the heart of the Bible Belt religion is always an issue (and in this case I think cost us the election). My experience started out with rural church picnic that is the state’s biggest political event of the year. And the Republicans being the masters of spinning the facts that they are made an ad that Jack released asking Rand Paul to man up and admit he made some mistakes in college was seen as questioning his religion. Apparently it’s only acceptable to question a candidate’s religion if you are a Republican calling a black guy a Muslim.

That will probably be my only comments on the race. I enjoyed my time in Kentucky and everyone that I met along the way. In the mean time I will be posting a lot more frequently now about various federal issues that concern me, and I welcome my readers back to The Outspoken Liberal.

The Phoenix Suns took action....

2010-05-04T23:22:00.002-04:00

Onto another day of organizing the Arizona Major League Baseball Boycott. Although this focuses on baseball and the Arizona Diamondbacks, I want to give major kudos to the Phoenix Suns, Arizona's NBA team, who is changing their jerseys tomorrow (Cinco De Mayo) due to this law.

Now I do not follow professional basketball the way I do baseball. I will be the first person to admit that I am honestly not sure what the demographics of a typical NBA team. I do not think they have very many Latino players though (if I am wrong here, please correct me in the comments). However the fact that the Suns are willing to do something before the Diamondbacks are, and that speaks volumes.

Come on Diamondbacks, it's time to step up to the plate. Basketball's already beat you to it.

Why Arizona's immigration law matters

2010-05-02T12:16:00.003-04:00

So for the last week I've found a new cause to work on-- getting Major League Baseball to move the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona due to the state's new law that legalizes racial profiling.

Like when I got involved in the fight for marriage equality in New Jersey, I am often asked why I am involved in a law that does not affect me personally. This is true. I'm a white Mayflower descendant and both sides of my family have been here for generations. I would probably not be profiled in Arizona. I'm fighting this law on behalf of everyone in America, legally or illegally, citizen, alien, or tourist, who may be profiled by the police.

Racial profiling is wrong. How is Joe Police Officer going to distinguish between someone who crossed the border yesterday and a third generation American who's grandparents came here from Mexico as children. How do you tell if someone is illegal by looking like them? It's not like they're wearing a t-shirt that says "I'm illegal arrest me."

The reason why we are trying to get Major League Baseball involved is because of the high concentration of Latino players, fans, staff, umpires, coaches, etc. It truly has become a worldwide game. It is also a very lucrative business for any state that has a team (or more). By moving the 2011 All-Star game out of Arizona, it costs the city of Phoenix lost revenue not only from the game itself but from hotels, restaurants, and other touirst attractions.

I will agree with most that something needs to be done about immigration. However, this is a federal issue and not a state issue. And the best way to approach this problem would be penalizing the employers that knowingly hire illegal immigrants.

Arizona's new immigration law and an action plan

2010-04-25T12:42:00.002-04:00

On Friday, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) signed into a law that passed the Arizona legislature that allows police to make people produce papers to prove their immigration status (and without cause). It's one of the most racist laws in recent American history. Arizona is going to take a significant hit in their tourism as nobody will want to visit Arizona anymore (it's ashame because I've been there before and the Grand Canyon is beautiful).

As my fellow Tweeple (the great progressive community on Twitter) and I were discussing, the best recourse for this law is to utilize an industry that is a significant source of direct and indirect revenue that employs a lot of (highly-paid) Latinos-- Major League Baseball. Not only do the Arizona Diamondbacks play in Phoenix, but exactly half (15 of 30) of the teams call Arizona home for spring training. In addition, several players call Arizona their offseason home.

Fortunately a lot of the voices in the media are baseball fans. Keith Olbermann (who's sportscaster days gave him several MLB connections) is aware of the campaign but wants something bigger. His fellow MSNBC hosts Ed Schultz, Chris Matthews, and Rachel Maddow are also baseball fans who have the power to use their shows to advance this cause. Here is a copy of the email that I sent to their shows.

Dear (Ed, Chris Rachel) (ed@msnbc.com, hardball@msnbc.com, rachel@msnbc.com)

As a fan of your show, I know enough that you are both disgusted by this new Arizona law and a fan of Major League Baseball. Approximately 25-30% of players on MLB rosters are Latino. Depending on who you ask, an argument could be made that the best position player in each league (Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols) is Latino along with the best closer the game's ever seen (Mariano Rivera.) If this law were always in effect in Arizona, some of the best players in the game such as 2009 All Stars Felix Hernandez, Mariano Rivera, Victor Martinez, Carlos Pena, Hanley Ramirez, Albert Pujols, Raul Ibanez, Yadier Molina, Francisco Cordero, Adrian Gonzalez, and Freddy Sanchez. could be asked for their immigration papers without just cause.

On Twitter (hashtag #AZMLBB) and the Daily Kos (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/4/25/860578/-Join-Major-League-Baseball-Boycott-of-Arizona:-Hit-the-Pocketbooks) and people are well-aware that baseball has a higher Latino following and could have a greater impact than another sport. It's time to take this story to the next level. I am writing you, both as a fan of the game, and as an American who is against racial injustice to cover this story on your show. Arizona already lost the Super Bowl in 1993 because of their opposition to Martin Luther King day.

Thanks for all your work from a concerned American and a baseball fan.

Caroline Lastname

In addition I am sending the following email to the ESPN Baseball Today podcast (baseballtoday@espnradio.com)

Dear Eric and company
As employees of ESPN I am sure that you are very aware of the influence that Latino baseball players have had on the game, especially since you could argue that the best offensive player in each league (Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols) and the best closer the game has ever seen (Mariano Rivera) are Latino. I think it would be a disgrace to the game if players getting to the ballpark were asked for their papers.

ARizona's racist behavior already cost the state a Super Bowl. It's time for MLB to step up to the plate and look out for their players and fans.

Sincerely

Caroline Lastname

IF you want to help spread our cause, copy and paste my emails and send them.

Sarah Palin--Mother of the year

2010-04-11T16:16:00.001-04:00

I am normally of the school of thought where a politician's children are off limits. However, I saw this video and could not resist sharing it.

This guy kicks ass

2010-03-27T14:27:00.003-04:00

I love seeing a Democrat with a spine. I love everything there is about Alan Grayson..... here he is in action

Sarah Palin-- Domestic terrorist?

2010-03-24T20:01:00.003-04:00

I think so. Check out the FBI's definition of domestic terrorism.

Domestic terrorism refers to activities that involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or of any state; appear to be intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; to influence the policy of a government by mass destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the United States

Now check out the picture that she posted on her Facebook page

I get it that they're targeting certain seats and districts. That's politics. However the symbol she chose to means that she's targeting them in more ways than just electorally. In my opinion that's condoning violence against them. Sarah, I get it that in Alaska you like to shoot things. But here in the Real America, what you did is inciting violence.

yes we did

2010-03-23T15:26:00.001-04:00

and it was signed today.

the chants of "fired up ready to go" bring tears to my eyes. I hope that Democrats stay 'fired up ready to go' through November

yes we can, yes we will, yes we did

2010-03-21T23:20:00.002-04:00

Those were my words when I was driving home from Pennsylvania on Election night 2008. In fact it's the last status update I did on my Myspace profile. Well I am again crying tears of joy. For the first time in over a generation, healthcare reform has been passed. this

This bill is far from perfect, but thanks to the leadership of President Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid, it was resurrected after the pundits called it dead after Scott Brown won MA. Tonight it is all but passed.

Remember that celebrating victory should be quick though. We still have a lot more work to do. Next thing we should focus on the Senate ending the antitrust exemption for the health insurance companies and to pass Alan Grayson's public option law.

The other thing that we have to do is work very hard to get the 220 Democrats who voted for this bill, including my representative Frank Pallone, re-elected in November. Yes we can!

stay klassy teabaggers

2010-03-21T18:14:00.001-04:00

The United States is about to witness history. Sometime today or tonight, healthcare reform legislation will be voted on (and should pass) the House of Representatives. This legislation is not perfect but it’s a long time coming. While the support for the bill is increasing among Americans (especially when one takes apart the legislation and asks about specific provisions of the bill such as ending the horrible business practices of the insurance companies), the opposition is still vocal than ever.

I’ve written about the tea party, or teabaggers (a term they originally called themselves before realizing that the term comes from porn and means a vulgar sex act) as I’ve called them are still as loud and vocal than ever. This is both on the ground and in the media. I’ve long considered the teabagger movement as a racist one, as it started only after President Obama took office (they were not opposed to his predecessor spending like a drunken sailor in a whorehouse without paying for his spending.) Some of the things they’ve said about President Obama have been racist.

However this weekend when they marched on Washington, their racism and bigotry was even more vocal. They called Representative Barney Frank, the only openly gay congressman, a f****t (rhymes with maggot) and Representative John Lewis a n****r. They also spit on Representative Emanuel Cleaver.

I get that they are opposed to the legislation. I get that they’re exercising their right to protest. However, spitting on people and using racial and homophobic slurs is not the way to do it. Hopefully this will let the public know that the tea party movement is just the Ku Klux Klan version 2.0.

pass the damn bill

2010-03-21T11:42:00.001-04:00

Healthcare reform has been debated in Congress for almost a year. Now we’re at the finish line—today the House is going to vote on the Senate’s bill (that cannot be changed due to GOP obstructionism). The House will vote on the bill, and later a reconciliation amendment that can pass the Senate with 51 votes and would correct some of the worst pieces in the Senate bill.
As I have said before, this legislation is far from perfect. However if you look at the history of healthcare reform legislation, it’s the furthest we’ve gotten in a century. This alone must be looked at as a victory.

This legislation has not been without controversy. It is not a government takeover as Faux News tells their sheep, I mean viewers, that it is. I WISH it was a government takeover because I believe that our problem with the healthcare system is the profits. Government can do things without skimming so much off the top like for-profit companies do.
Some of the better items that have been left out of the current legislation have been introduced as separate bills. Perhaps this legislation should have been introduced as separate pieces of legislation (ie ending preexisting conditions in one bill, etc) but it’s too late now.

To my representative, Frank Pallone, thank you for all your hard work that you have done on this bill (as the rally outside your office yesterday showed). To the Democrats still on the fence (I highly doubt any of them are reading my blog), just do the right thing and vote yes on this bill. IT’s far from perfect but it can be fixed down the line.

And there will be one added bonus should this legislation pass. Hatemonger Rush Limbaugh promised he would leave the country if this bill passes. That should be reason alone for the Democrats to pass the bill.

the tea party and the circus

2010-03-20T09:47:00.000-04:00

for those of you who say that the tea party is a legitimate movement (which I think it is not) and that they're informed (which they are not), I invite you to watch this video. They all admitted that they watch Faux News, who has been on the forefront of misinforming the American public, especially since President Obama took office.

a new way to look at the deficit

2010-03-14T12:56:00.001-04:00

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the federal deficit. Most people understand that as a country, we are in debt. But what many do not understand is how we got there. Everyone also understands that there are two parties that are in charge. So instead of trying to explain things the way that most do, I am going to pretend that it’s a household instead of a country. The two parties usually involved in a running a household are a husband and a wife (let’s assume this is a heterosexual couple running this household). I’m going to make one more assumption in this household—the couple has several marital problems and does not always get along.

Before the couple got married, each spouse had some savings. Instead of keeping their previous finances separate, they decided to combine them and use them to start their marriage. After a few months of marriage, he develops a few bad financial habits---he must have all the latest electronic toys and a develops a gambling addiction. Neither of these bad habits are paid for in cash. He eventually runs up credit card debt to feed his habits. The debt and interest payments are higher than she is comfortable with, and he continues to spend the money. For eight years, due to his habits, the couple spends more than they make.

So the wife decides she needs to take charge of the finances. Before she’s ready to do this, she consults financial counselors and family, and they agree that she should manage the finances. So she takes control. However, in the first few months of her control of the finances, there is a major spending issue that comes up that they cannot control. Her old gas guzzling SUV breaks down to the point it is not worth fixing. So she goes and buys a car, so she can get to work and therefore keep her job (and income). She makes the decision to buy a new hybrid vehicle. She justifies her purchase by looking at the long-term savings. She will no longer have to pay for frequent repairs and will save money at the pump (going from 12 to 50 MPG). Now that he all of a sudden pays attention to the household finances, he yells at her for buying a car. He claims she should be more fiscally responsible and either buy a clunker or take the bus and that she’s running up the household debt by buying the car. The price of her car is a drop in the bucket compared to the electronics and gambling that he spent the household money on.

Does this sound familiar? Let’s translate this to politics. The husband in this situation is the Republican Party. His financially irresponsible habits of gambling and electronic toys are the Party favorites of war and tax cuts. The responsible wife trying to clean up after him is the Democratic Party. Her purchasing a new car is the Democratic Party’s health care reform bill--- it spends money in the short term but corrects problems in the long term. The husband has very little credibility here on financial issues, as he blew the couple’s finances on gambling and electronics. So why is America even listening to him in this situation? Clearly the wife needs to get her message out more. And this is true for the Democratic Party.

Is the perfect the enemy of the good?

2010-03-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, I attended a Progressive Democrats of America state conference. And I felt like the most conservative person (if one could imagine) in attendance. I agreed (and still do) with all of the issues that the organization stands for. However, I also consider myself a realist. Most people (even conservatives) would not disagree with me that healthcare reform has been one of the hottest issues of 2009 and into 2010, so that is the issue that I will focus on today. PDA endorses single-payer health care. I would like this too, but the realist in me does not see it happening anytime soon. The House was able to pass a public option, but a very watered down one that not everyone is eligible for. The Senate, held hostage by every Republican, and Democrats such as Ben Nelson and Blanche Lincoln, was not even able to pass a public option or an optional Medicare buy-in for Americans aged 55-64.

Health care reform is at the finish line and needs a final push. Because of the Republicans filibustering everything, the Senate bill cannot be changed at all. The House is (thankfully) more progressive than the Senate and rightfully has a problem with some of the measures in the Senate bill. However, President Obama’s plan is to pass the Senate bill through the House and later a reconciliation bill, which would only require 51 votes (instead of 60) in the Senate to pass, that would correct some of the biggest problems in the Senate bill.

There are a few Representatives that will not vote for the Senate bill to get healthcare reform over the finish line. Most notable is Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), my first choice in the 2008 Democratic Presidential primary. I admire the man for his guts and how he stands up to Corporate America. Kucinich is a single-payer guy who was one of the sponsors of HR 676, the single-payer bill in the House. He was one of the 39 Democrats who voted against the House bill in November. However, he was the only one of the 39 who did not come from a conservative district, identified as a blue dog, or is a freshman member of Congress. He voted against the bill because it did not go far enough. Today, he went on Ed Shultz’s MSNBC show saying he would do the same again.

I will agree with Dennis Kucinich and the rest of the progressives opposing the current healthcare reform bill that it is not perfect. It’s far from it. However this is a question I would like to ask all of the progressives opposing the bill. Is the perfect the enemy of the good? I think not. This bill is far from perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. If this bill passes, discrimination based on pre-existing conditions would end, insurance companies could not drop a customer if they get sick, and young adults would be able to remain on their parents’ plan until age 27. This is just part of what the bill would cover.
If healthcare reform is not passed, insurance companies will continue to raise rates by double digits as they have done recently. Someone with a pre-existing condition, no matter how minor, would be excluded, and more people will go without insurance and preventive care. This is the cost of doing nothing.

Lessons from GOP obstructionism

2010-03-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

On Friday, several Americans who have dealt with long-term unemployment learned that their unemployment benefits would run out on Monday (which was yesterday). They have one person to thank for what will be another wreck in their financial life--- baseball player turned Republican Senator Jim Bunning of Kentucky. As a baseball fan, I respect the man as a baseball player because he had one hell of a career (although not in my lifetime). However he’s a nasty old man who needs to get the hell out of politics (and will when his term is up this year.) Maybe he’s bitter that he did not play baseball in the modern era, where players are multi-millionaires (his talent alone would have fetched him a hot contract). Such is life and here he is imposing his misery on the rest of the country.

I will be the first person to admit that I am no expert on Senate procedures. In fact a whole bunch of them make absolutely no sense to me and I’m seeing the consequences of them now. Two procedures in particular baffle me. The first is the filibuster. The procedure is clearly being abused by the Republicans (I’ll post a chart and accompanying blog entry depicting the number of filibusters over the years when I get my regular computer back up and running) to block President Obama and the Democratic Party’s agenda (290 bills have passed the House and are being held up in the Senate by obstructionism). The second is Senate Holds, where one Senator can hold up a bill or nominee. The latter is where I have a problem with Jim Bunning in particular.

Senator Bunning had reasons for holding up this spending bill—he was worried about the national debt. Like most members of his party, he only worries about the national debt when there’s a Democrat in office and the government money is being spent on the working class (as opposed to on war or tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans). His record indicates votes for the Bush tax cuts and all funding related to the Iraq war, both of which are going to be paid for by my generation and younger, not his generation. He obviously had no problem with Bush looting the treasury to give the money to the wealthiest Americans and his friends in the military industrial complex.

However Bunning is not alone in his obstructionism. Rather he is the latest of several Republican Senators to play politics with the safety and (in this case) financial security of the American people. The party is the party of no. The Democrats have been handed political gold from Senator Bunning and really have to use it in campaign ads this fall if they would like to hold onto Congress. It’s time for the Democrats to stop rolling over and playing dead every time a Republican (or 41) obstructs. Put the gloves on and time to fight back.

sticker I saw today

2010-03-01T17:59:00.000-05:00

As I was driving through Long Branch, a municipality in my county that is predominately Democratic, I saw a disgusting sticker. It read “I love (heart) Gitmo.” Guantanamo Bay, more commonly known as Gitmo, is a detention camp owned by the United States located in Cuba. The Bush administration used it as a prison for foreign terror suspects and used “harsh interrogation techniques” such as waterboarding on detainees. Waterboarding is an act that stimulates drowning. Critics of waterboarding like myself believe it is torture. Most on the right, however, agree with the use of waterboarding. Right-wing radio host Eric “Mancow” Muller underwent waterboarding in May 2009. Previously the radio host did not believe that it was torture, however after undergoing the procedure he changed his mind.

Regardless of how one feels about whether or not waterboarding is torture, Gitmo is commonly associated with torture. Do you really want to drive around in a car with a sticker saying that you love torture? People are free to place whatever stickers they want to on their cars (I’ve seen plenty that I disagree with and I am sure several people disagree with the Democratic stickers on my car), but I just find it rather odd that you would advertise on your car that you love torture. Makes me wonder how this driver treats his/her friends and family.

Miss me yet?

2010-02-20T18:43:00.003-05:00

Last week this billboard appeared on a highway

Bill Maher had the most brilliant response

The President said I don't begrudge, and I fully believe him

2010-02-13T00:28:00.001-05:00

Here's another gem that I found over at DU from user AllentownJake, who I have a great deal of respect for. I admire his dedication and insight on how to move the United States forward in a progressive direction. Jake, thanks for letting me share your brilliant post with my blog audience.

When the President says he doesn't begrudge Goldman and JP Morgan's CEOs I fully believe him, because every action he's taken since after election day, say that is 100% true.

1) Appointing Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary. The guy who took tax payer dollars and handed it over to Golman Sachs, in the year long quest to "save the world" from the banksters facing consequences for their actions. When Tim was appointed, some people thought he had turned state evidence, he was now going to be working for the good guys! He was the Joe Kennedy of 2009! 2009 has shown, that is not the case.

2) Backdoor bailouts. The Fed has undergone a toxic asset purchase program (this is what TARP was originally supposed to be), however, the institution that prints our money can't let anyone know any details about it, and conducting an audit for congress would be bad according to the people at the Fed. Now the President does not control the Federal Reserve, but he picks the Fed Chair every 4 years. He reappointed Ben Bernake, which is a defacto endorsement of the policy of purchasing toxic assets from failed institutions and not letting anyone know what you paid for them.

3) Rewriting tax rules to extend losses and reduce tax liability. If you hate the bonuses, there is a policy undertaken in 2009 that rewrote some tax rule interpretations to reduce the liability of Too Big to Fail. They don't pay those bonuses without the tax breaks.

4) Finance reform policy proposed to congress was weak in 2009. It was panned by nearly every single major activist on this issue as doing next to nothing. Barney Frank's finance committee took a weak bill and made it weaker and the White House was next to silent on it.

5) Freddie has been given unlimited ability to buy toxic mortgages in 2010. Another one of those actions that bypassed congress. The Fed has promised to stop it's policy in March on Toxic assets, around that time, Freddie will pick it up. We shall see if the same level of secrecy is required on what was bought and what was paid for assets in 2010 at Freddie. It can kind of hide because it is an arm of the federal government with the illusion of being a private entity.

6) The executives at Freddie were just given banker level bonuses and salaries, despite the fact, they are working for a bankrupt government sponsored private entity that will never be solvent on its own merit again.

7) Lack of prosecutions. Alan Grayson is correct, 20% of our wealth has disappeared overnight, and no one has been held accountable for the biggest fraud in the history of the world. Like under Bush, the New York Attorney General appears to take his job and mandate more seriously than the SEC or the Attorney General of the United States of America.

I can continue if you really wish me to. This is the issue, I'm loaded for bear so to speak, because I read up on it everyday, follow it closely, and try to educate as many people as I possibly can where ever I'm at.

The reason why I don't begrudge the salaries and they are hard working savvy businessman has hit a nerve with everyone from Moveon.org to Paul Krugman, is that the words do match the actions or privatizing gains and putting losses on the public and CEOs taking huge profits while people can't find work, and a lot of people are fucking sick of it.

Fun With Teabaggers

2010-02-06T14:30:00.000-05:00

This is the weekend of the first annual tea party convention. Lucky teabaggers pay over $500 to attend, and much of that revenue goes to their heroine, quitter Sarah Palin. This won’t be my last entry about this said convention as I’m snowed in today and am using the time to catch up on blogging.

While reading about the teabag convention at Democratic Underground, I stumbled upon this comment posted from “teabagtommy” in the comments of the article

Here is the comment in question

I wanted to go but my retarded communist terrorist muslum wife wouldnt let me go. She also wouldnt let me go to Nashvle to see Sarah because her corns was hurtun her. My wife needs a good talkin too by Rush and Glen Beck they would tell her that we need to stop the aborshun dokters and stop aborshuns in the white house that aint white no more and that the retarded democrats better lisen to Sarah and the teabaggers because they are real smart and there wont be no phony soldiers there only real soldiers like Rush likes. Rush is a war hero just like Bill Oreilly and Shawn who also hates Obama and Joe the Plummer was kidnaped by Obama and the terrorists who want us to give lazy Hatis money so they can buy more crack from Obama. And now Obama wants to take our guns away so I'm gonna have to fix my sling shot I used to use it for keepin the wife in line but she broked it. She sure akes like a muslum. I hope she fails too like we hope America fails so Sarah can be Presidents with Glen Beck.

Read more: Thousands gather to see Sarah Palin in Salina - KansasCity.com
http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/1729977.html?qwxq=4020731&pageNum=2&mi_pluck_action=page_nav#Comments_Container

Now this is either someone like me who spends times at blogs like Morons With Signs (on my blogroll) and doing this comment solely to make fun of the teabaggers or a complete moron. If this guy’s a fake, he’s a brilliant one and exposes the teabaggers for the morons that they are. Let’s assume for a second that this guy is real. The first conclusion that we can draw is that he did not pass the 5th grade due to his spelling and grammatical errors--- dude there’s a game show on TV for people like you. Second you seem to really hate people who are not like you (a common trait among teabaggers)—fine but why did you even consider marrying a Muslim? And Rush Limbaugh is a war hero? I thought he didn’t serve at all. Now Haitians use taxpayer money to buy crack from President Obama? Excuse me while I roll on the floor here. As for the guns issue--- in the year that President Obama has been in office he has made no attempts to reform our gun control laws, and that’s just a lie fed to you by Faux News. And if you use a sling shot to keep your wife in line—let’s just hope that she has 911 programmed in her phone because that’s called domestic violence.

If Sarah Palin and Glen Beck are on a winning ticket, I’m off to Canada. Fortunately I think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening. Liberals love their country too.

hilarious political ad

2010-02-06T10:11:00.001-05:00

I don't normally get involved with state issues besides New Jersey, but when Rachel Maddow showed this commercial, I knew I had to share it.

neglectful

2010-02-05T22:43:00.000-05:00

I have not been intending to neglect this blog lately-- I care deeply about my readers and keeping this thing up.

However I've been suffering from a major case of writer's block lately and I have several halfway done posts for it. They'll be posted as soon as I finish it, I promise.

If you want to weigh in, what particular topics do you think I should focus on?

A note to my readers

2010-01-25T20:05:00.002-05:00

I've noticed that a link to my blog has made it into right-wing political circles. To the readers of Free Republic, go away. You are just like the Republicans in Washington and want nothing else than to disrupt my agenda. I'm not an elected official, I write this as a hobby. I would prefer not to raise my blood pressure on you guys. I already had enough threats from the other side at my congressman's town hell meeting, and I certainly do not need them online.

I welcome an open and honest debate with you, but when you leave comments like "fuck off" they WILL be deleted.

I welcome the opportunity to have an honest poll, but I did not start this blog for a bunch of teabagging nutjobs to read. You guys have a whole channel on TV, you guys have blogs like Drudge, RedState, etc. I don't infiltrate your blogs, websites, etc and I would expect that you extend that courtesy to me.

Thank you.

President Obama's First Year-- part 1

2010-01-19T22:10:00.000-05:00

One year ago, there was a great deal of hope in this country, as President Obama took the oath of office with more than one million people standing outside watching on a cold winter day. I was not among those people, but I was there in spirit as I watched it with a campaign group at a hotel (and I was warm). It was really a magical day all around, and my spirit was lifted greatly by President Obama. Since I anticipate this post to be very long, I am instead making it a two part series.

I consider myself fiercely progressive, but I am also a realist. I realized that President Obama is not as progressive as I am when I voted for him in the primary in February 2008. My original choice for president was Dennis Kucinich, later John Edwards, who both dropped out of the primary before I had the chance to vote (in retrospect, I am glad that Edwards dropped out when he did because his affair would have ensured us a John McCain presidency.) Does the Democratic Party represent me 100%? No. However their platform aligns with my values much more than the Republican Party does, and therefore I am a Democrat. I’m loyal to my party because I do not want to see Republicans gain power again (they just did in New Jersey and I’m afraid for my state now.) There is one major issue I have with my party though, and that is the elected officials’ inability to locate and use their spines and stand up to the Republicans on issues that matter to their constituents. (There are a few notable exceptions like Alan Grayson on the federal level and Loretta Weinberg on the state level).

With all that background out of the way, if I were going to grade President Obama’s performance in his first year, I would give him a C+. If I was polled by a pollster tomorrow and asked whether or not I approve of President Obama’s job performance, I would say yes, but that yes is marginal. Most of my criticism of President Obama is about the people he chooses to surround himself with and not the President himself. This is a man who ran on a ‘change you can believe in’ campaign slogan and campaigned on hope. A year later, I am not seeing much hope. My theory for the reasons for this is the staff and cabinet that President Obama chose to surround himself with, particularly three people—Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and Economic Advisor Larry Summers. They represent the corporate wing of the Democratic Party, and not the populist wing.

However President Obama and his corporatist cabinet are not playing to the progressive base. I wrote about Emanuel before (and it won’t be the last time I write about him--- firing him would be a gift to his base, and could excite the party again) and his ties to the health care industry (his brother). This is perhaps why President Obama broke a campaign promise of allowing the government to negotiate prices with the pharmaceutical industry for cheaper drugs for seniors. At the beginning of the health care debate, the insurance industry had a seat at the table yet single-payer advocates did not. That has Emanuel’s hands all over it.
President Obama ran on the platform of change, meaning changing the way that corporations rule Washington. He was on the campaign trail for almost two years saying that lobbyists’ power will be severely limited in his administration. Instead things are worse. The Baucus healthcare bill that passed the Senate Finance Committee was practically written by health insurance industry lobbyists. The American people are divided about the health care bill. One major media network that shall remain nameless has spread outright lies about the bill. They claim that it means the government will take over the healthcare process, and it’s downright false. There’s not even a choice of a public option anymore because the insurance industry bought off “centrist Democrats” like Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman.

The healthcare issue will either make or break President Obama. Both sides realize it which is why the right is fighting it tooth and nail. However because he’s caved so far to the right (compromising on a public option, drug price negotiations, and mandates), the base is abandoning him. As I write this, the Democrats are on the verge of losing Ted Kennedy’s seat in what many call the most liberal state in the union to a teabagger. Just as in New Jersey in November, the party and candidates are not preaching to the choir.

President Obama claims to want to do things in a bipartisan manner. However in this political environment, one party is all about spreading lies and the other one tries to reach across the aisle, and waters down legislation that the other party would not vote for anyways. Yes it is true that IL Senator Obama said at the 2004 DNC that there are no red states and blue states, just the United States. Very good speech, but we’re more divided than we ever were, and as much as I wish he would be the one to unite the country, instead he’s brought out the Glenn Becks of the world who insight violence.

Unless President Obama goes on a progressive kick, his party is in trouble come November. If we want to win come November, we need to focus on putting people back to work. And FAST. Americans voted for change in 2008, not the corporate bullshit that we’re being fed. They want change, and it has to be done NOW.

A Call to Move Forward

2010-01-19T00:25:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is a dark day for the state of New Jersey. We're about to go from a good progressive governor to one that (in my opinion) wants to bring us back to the Stone Age. To be honest, I am scared for the people of New Jersey. However I know that we will move forward, just as we as a country did after eight years of George W. Bush in the White House. And if he is not effective in moving New Jersey forward, then the progressive grassroots will grow in opposition to him just as we did nationally during the Bush administration.

However it's a call for us progressives to move forward despite where the state government is headed. The Democrats still have a majority in both houses in Trenton and maintain a voter registration advantage in the state of New Jersey. I also don't think that Christie's election means a political shift in New Jersey either. Right now there's a very anti-incumbent attitude throughout the country, and I think that a non-incumbent Democrat with name recognition and the right campaign could have won this election. I have that candidate in mind for 2013 already, and did so before the election (Newark mayor Cory Booker.)

Do I worry about some of the things that Chris Christie will do as governor? Absolutely. Republicans have different priorities than Democrats do. I worry about how Christie will influence the public schools in New Jersey. I worry about Christie easing some of the regulations on businesses. I worry about Christie's socially conservative agenda because his values do not reflect those of New Jersey. As a recent transplant to New Jersey, I do not fully understand the ins and outs of how Trenton works (although I am learning). I am not sure how much the governor can do without the legislature's approval (marriage equality however is not one of them as we learned the hard way.) I am hoping that Christie alone cannot do that much damage.
According to the poll posted The Outspoken Liberal, my own blog, voters narrowly thought that the Democrats in Trenton should work with Chris Christie instead of fighting him. From the beginning, I tended to disagree with my readers there because what bipartisanship entailed in Washington in the last year has been Democrats bending over backwards for Republicans who won't vote for the legislation (watered-down or not) anyways. The Democrats have been willing to work with the Republicans, but in turn they stick their fingers in their ears and start singing. I don't want bipartisanship in Trenton to be like that. A big part of me wants the Democrats in Trenton to give Chris Christie a taste of what the Republicans in Washington did to President Obama.

I think that the Democrats can both work with and fight Christie at the same time. The key is to pick battles wisely. There are several issues in New Jersey that both parties will agree on (such as ending the corruption that is so rampant in New Jersey, fixing budget gaps, lowering property taxes, etc) and several that the parties will disagree on (social issues, the proper role of government's regulatory powers, etc.) Politics is supposed to be about compromise (although lately it seems the compromise has been in one direction). Most people who run for office do so because they want to make their municipality/county/state/country a better place to live and work. How they accomplish or plan to accomplish the common goal is what separates Democrats from Republicans, liberals/progressives from conservatives, etc.

To Chris Christie-I am probably one of your most outspoken opponents and am in no way a voter you would even think of targeting. However I am not going to go all Rush Limbaugh on you and wish failure on you before you take office. I sincerely do wish you luck because New Jersey does need leadership. Throughout my own blog I have called you a lot of bad names, and I really want you to prove me wrong. To Jon Corzine-thank you for serving the people of New Jersey. I hope that you continue to be a progressive voice for New Jersey in your post-political career. You have a unique opportunity to make New Jersey a much better place for progressives everywhere because there are many great progressive causes here. I hope that you find one and sincerely get behind it and help with some much-needed funds. I'll miss you as a governor.

To readers of The Outspoken Liberal , this will be my last blog post here covering state issues. I will continue to discuss state politics (they interest me a great deal, and I hope to one day work in state politics myself) only I will be using Blue Jersey as the forum to do so. As I have done in the past, I will post links to my Blue Jersey on The Outspoken Liberal. Since many of the readers of The Outspoken Liberal do not live in New Jersey, I will use it to discuss issues that matter everywhere, such as health care and the economy.

lessons from 5 years of political activism

2010-01-15T22:15:00.001-05:00

This was posted by the Democratic Underground user crispini, who gave me permission to repost in on my blog. Thanks crispini because I feel that my readers and I can learn from this post and your experience. Now as my readers may or may not know, I was not paying attention to politics at all prior to 2004. I voted, but because my parents insisted on it. In 2004, I saw Michael Moore’s movie Fahrenheit 9/11 and it woke me up. After coming home from that movie, I donated $20 to the Kerry campaign. That was the extent of my involvement back then, but I paid attention in the midterms, although did not seriously get involved until moving to New Jersey.

Since I became involved, I’ve worked on two campaigns (Obama and Corzine with all the Democratic candidates down the ticket) and am working on at least two in 2010.
I’m glad to see others getting involved, and crispini tells a great story of five years of involvement. Let crispini’s story be an inspiration for us all.
***************************************

Well, fellow Deaniacs, it's been five years, more or less, since we cowboyed up and got involved. I'd like to hear from you about what you've been doing and what your experiences have been since you've "answered the call" to get involved. Here's a little bit from me.

I wasn't a really super involved Deaniac -- although I supported him, I didn't travel for the primaries or anything like that, and by the time my primary rolled around, the race was pretty much over. However, I attended Democracy Fest that year and that's where I really date my political training and inspiration from. I will never forget listening to Howard stand up and tell us all, "If you only vote, then you get a D. You have to get out there and give money, give your time, and get involved. Work for a candidate or run for office yourself." Since then, I am proud to say that I have done my done my bit to get out there and tug on the rope.

I walked and knocked doors for Kerry in our county's grass-roots effort. We printed our own literature and our own signs because there was no campaign presence. I later stood up in front of our county's Executive Committee when I ran for precinct chair. There was a contested election, and I won because of the work I'd put in. Later, we had some absolutely hair-raising Executive Committee meetings over the county chair position, and that's where I learned exactly how ugly local politics could get -- there was some serious high drama, involving bullhorns and shouting and mad people, not to mention a heaping helping of behind-the-scenes intrigue. Nevertheless I stuck around. I continued to work my precinct, work for candidates and I even served as a campaign director for a state house candidate. I was also a delegate to our state party's convention, twice, and I was there when the Deaniacs tried to elect our candidate in for the state party chair. We failed, but we had some real impact on what the guy who got elected finally did when he got in, at least I think so. Oh, and then there was the 2008 primary. In order to keep the peace with my neighbors I kept my presidential preference to myself, and was able to pull off a pretty flawless precinct convention -- we had 400 people there, and I got the whole thing wrapped up in two hours. And more... there's been so much more... local zoning... the state legislature... I've had an up-close and personal view of the way the sausage gets made, and it's been a pretty crazy ride.

And here's what I learned.

Change is Harder Than You Think

Elections are pivot points, and when something dramatic happens like electing the first African-American president, or, as we did in 2004, electing a sheriff who is not only a Democrat, but also female and gay and Hispanic, it feels like a big break, like a dramatic thing, like you can see the fault lines of history moving in a sudden earthquake and pow, everything is different now and we're on the other side of history. But what you DON'T see ... at least if you're not involved in the campaign on an intimate level ... is exactly how many thousands and thousands and thousands of hours went into that change. Behind that change was a million boring meetings, a million frustrating phone calls, a million knocks on someone's door, a million flyers and a million one-on-one conversations.

And presidential elections are the EXCITING ones. Sometimes being involved feels like a life sentence to some godawful conference room in the sky. Local school board elections -- SNORE! Local zoning meetings with your city council person or plan commissioner -- BIG YAWN! But those are even MORE important than presidential elections, because nobody votes in those elections, and very few people get involved in local politics, so it's a economical way to use your time-- you can have a big impact on your town with your time. Nevertheless, this is not exciting, big-picture stuff like a presidential race is, and it's very hard to raise money or awareness when you're involved at this level.

Sometimes trying to get things done feels like Sisyphus trying to roll that ever-lovin' stone up the hill -- over and over and over again. It's boring, it's exhausting, it's frustrating, it's annoying, and sometimes it's just plain hard. It's harder to get anything done than I ever thought it would be. The universe does not instantly yield to what you want to happen. You have to push. And push. And push. And sometimes it doesn't happen anyway. You are disappointed because you didn't get the zoning change, or the bill through, or the candidate elected. And then you just pick yourself up and start over again.

Keep Going Anyway

This lesson came at exactly the right time -- early in my political involvement, a friend of mine went to see Tom Hayden speak. She came back with the following story. He told the group that he understands how frustrating in can be to be involved in the political process. We, the grassroots, get out there and lead, on the issues, with the candidates, with everything -- as much as we can. We have something we want to get through and we push and we push and we push, and at each step it gets watered down and compromised, and we get frustrated and want to quit. But it's important that we see that as a victory. When we get something adopted and it's not perfect, and it's not what we wanted, and we're angry and upset because we know that we wanted so much MORE -- we have to realize that if it hadn't been for our efforts at the grassroots, it would not have gotten adopted in the first place.

I've thought of this a lot myself in the recent HCR debate. You just have to get as much as you can and when it's done, you congratulate yourself for getting that much -- even though it's not what you want, you have to pat the team on the back for getting as much as you could -- and then you go back to the drawing board and make a plan to get MORE.

Volunteers are Paid in the Currency of the Heart

There are exactly two paid employees in our local county party. Many county parties don't even have that. Everything else-- EVERYTHING else -- is done by volunteer involvement. People are doing the work on the nights, weekends, and whenever they have a little extra time to do things. It amazes me that anything at all gets done. After all, it's work -- it's not exactly fun to plan meetings, call people, do data entry, or all the other million things that need to happen.

And you can't treat volunteers like a bunch of employees. You have to gently herd them in the right direction. You have to encourage people, not tell them to do stuff. If something needs to get done, and nobody wants to do it -- guess what -- it probably doesn't get done! And people get busy. Balls get dropped, things get forgotten, things don't get followed up on, and there are no consequences. It's a mess, and it can't be cut through with a big pair of scissors -- it has to be patiently untangled as best you can.

Furthermore, politics attracts every nutball on the planet. Seriously. Forgetful people, conspiracy theorists, touchy ex-Republicans, people who talk a lot about everything under the sun, people who have very odd ideas about how to get things done -- and they ALL have an opinion, and they're ALL going to show up at your committee meeting and have ideas they want to talk about. And you can only steer the meeting in the most general way -- you can't rule with an iron fist -- because after all, nobody here is getting paid money. They are getting paid in the currency of the heart -- the camaraderie, the companionship, the opportunity to express themselves and be heard, the opportunity to make a difference. And you have to understand that.

But what it means is that it's about 10 times harder to get anything done, because it's all getting done by volunteers, and by mostly odd ones at that. And I include myself in that group. :D

"Twenty Years Ago, I Was You."

We Deaniacs came in like a house on fire. We were going to take over the party structure. We became precinct chairs. We volunteered for committees. We even ran someone for our state party chair. We were HERE, damnit, and we were going to Make A Difference. We had DFA, and we we were going to take over the party!

Well, five years later the "class of Dean" is still around and we're still involved -- precinct chairs, serving on committees, and working on campaigns. We definitely know the ropes now. We're a little older and a little wiser and we know exactly how hard it is to get things done. We don't have quite the fervor we did five years ago, and we're a bit more world-weary. Some of us have gotten frustrated or distracted with life and disappeared. Nevertheless we're trying. DFA is still around, but our local organization doesn't have regular meetings -- we round up a group and hold a weekend training every year or so, and we still have DFA stickers on our cars, but most of us have gotten involved with campaigns or other party activities and we don't feel the need to hold other meetings.

So. At a primary night party last year, I found myself chatting with one longtime party activist. This was a guy that has been involved with local party politics. He's been around for 20 years. He knows everyone. He is pretty clearly a part of the "establishment." We Deaniacs have often identified him as "The Man," i.e. a member of the conventional way that the party does business. Nevertheless he's a nice guy and he and I are on friendly terms.

We toasted the candidate who was winning that night, and then he looked at me and he said, "You know, I know you guys look at me and you think I'm this old party hack. Well I've been around for awhile. But let me tell you something. Twenty years ago, I was you."

And I thought to myself, is that's what happening to us Deaniacs? We're getting assimilated?

And now there's a new class of kids on the block-- the Obama activists. It's interesting to watch. Some of them are becoming precinct chairs, joining committees, and otherwise putting their shoulder to the wheel. One faction thought about running someone against the county chair, but they did not get a lot of encouragement from other Obama folks or from the regular party activists -- she's pretty solid, and their potential candidate was pretty lightweight, so that didn't get far. Some of them even have their own organization -- of course, others are going off to work on campaigns.

It's an open secret that they have a plan to take over the party. When one of them told me that, I laughed and told her, "Go right ahead."

And I wonder if that's just the way it happens. The new kids come in full of enthusiasm, stick around, and get assimilated. Change is made, but slowly, and organically. And it's all about getting your butt in the chair and doing your best to make change, and keeping on even when you lose. That's what I've learned over the last five years.

Anything else? Let's hear from the rest of you Deaniacs out there.

politicizing disaster

2010-01-13T21:26:00.002-05:00

As anyone who does not live under a rock already knows, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere was hit by a devastating earthquake yesterday. Times of disaster in the past have been where people put aside their partisan differences and did all they could for those who lost everything they had. In this country, Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 come to mind. Most of the United States is devastated by the news in Haiti, and many are doing all in their power to help. However at least two Americans used this disaster as an opportunity to politicize it, and show their true colors—their names are Rush Limbaugh and Pat Robertson. Now that a precedent is set, how long before other crazy fright-wingers come out of the woodwork with such statements (Glenn Beckkk I’m talking about you)?

El Rushbo is not a friend of President Obama and will do all in his power to bring him down. This is not a surprise to anyone. He’s also an incredibly racist man and his racism has shown since the election of President Obama. He makes this no secret. But today Rush took his racism to a whole new level. Courtesy of Media Matters, here are a few gems from Limbaugh’s show today:

“I want you to remember it took [Obama] three days -- three days -- to respond to the Christmas Day Fruit of Kaboom bomber. Three days. And when he came out after those three days, he was clearly irritated that he had to do it. He didn't want to do it. He comes out here in less than 24 hours to speak about Haiti.
[...]
Oh, this is what he lives for. He lives for serving those in misery. Now don't misunderstand here, folks. See, this is -- I wonder -- I don't have the whole press conference, but I wonder: Did he apologize for America before acknowledging we are the only people on Earth that can possibly help them out down there in any significant way? “

“That place, Haiti, has been run by dictators and communists. And how long is it gonna be, how long is it gonna be before we hear Obama and the left in this country say that what we really need to do is reinstate the communist Aristide to the leadership position down there to coordinate putting the country back together? The Haitian economy is entirely dependent on foreign aid. They produce nothing -- zilch, zero, nada.”

“Yes, I think in the Haiti earthquake, ladies and gentlemen -- in the words of Rahm Emanuel, we have another crisis simply too good to waste. This will play right into Obama's hands -- humanitarian, compassionate. They'll use this to burnish their -- shall we say -- credibility with the black community, in the both light-skinned and dark-skinned black community, in this country. It's made-to-order for 'em. That's why he couldn't wait to get out there. Could not wait to get out there.”

And the final Limbaugh gem, a conversation with a caller

LIMBAUGH: Would you trust the money's gonna go to Haiti?
CALLER: No.
LIMBAUGH: But would you trust that your name is gonna end up on the mailing list for the Obama people to start asking you for campaign donations for him and other causes?
CALLER: Absolutely.
LIMBAUGH: Absolutely right.
CALLER: That's the point.
LIMBAUGH: Besides, we've already donated to Haiti. It's called the U.S. income tax.

And that brings me to my second creep of the day—good old Pat Robertson, who with the other hate-mongering Christian “minister, ” the late Jerry Falwell, blamed gays, abortionists, feminists, and the ACLU for 9/11. Here are his words (talking with co-host Kristi). These quotes are again courtesy of Media Matters.

“And, you know, Kristi, something happened a long time ago in Haiti, and people might not want to talk about it. They were under the heel of the French. You know, Napoleon III and whatever. And they got together and swore a pact to the devil. They said, "We will serve you if you will get us free from the French." True story. And so, the devil said, "OK, it's a deal."

And they kicked the French out. You know, the Haitians revolted and got themselves free. But ever since, they have been cursed by one thing after the other. Desperately poor. That island of Hispaniola is one island. It's cut down the middle. On the one side is Haiti; on the other side is the Dominican Republic. Dominican Republic is prosperous, healthy, full of resorts, et cetera. Haiti is in desperate poverty. Same island. They need to have and we need to pray for them a great turning to God. And out of this tragedy, I'm optimistic something good may come. But right now, we're helping the suffering people, and the suffering is unimaginable.”

I am at a loss for words here.

If any of you want to do something that these two incredibly wealthy men can't do any donate some money to Doctors Without Borders, who was in Haiti providing health care to the citizens before the earthquake, and is continuing to help out.

And the hypocrite of the decade goes to......

2010-01-08T13:44:00.001-05:00

This is cross posted at my diary at Blue Jersey. If you prefer, you can read it over there at http://www.bluejersey.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=14100

I headed to Trenton today for the fourth time in with the faint hope of witnessing history. Instead I witnessed a community denied the basic civil right of marriage. Throughout the campaign for marriage equality, I also learned where the pockets of the LGBT population are. By using logic and common sense, one would think that the senator who admits that his district is "the gayest in the state" would vote in favor of allowing his LGBT constituents to marry. But clearly logic does not exist in Senator Sean Kean's (R-Monmouth) mind.

In the last five years, the city of Asbury Park has made a miraculous comeback. For the first time in over a generation people want to move to and visit Asbury Park. People are no longer afraid of walking down the streets of Asbury. One group of people is largely (and correctly) credited with Asbury Park's comeback. And Bruce Springsteen has nothing to do with this group. The group is the gay and lesbian community, who invested in Asbury Park's comeback. Now the city has a boardwalk with many new businesses, hotels, restaurants, and entertainment. The gay community is as essential to Asbury Park's comeback as water is to an aquarium. Unfortunately the one person that Asbury Park counted on to be an ally in Trenton just threw the community where he works (in his non-government job) and his constituents under the bus. Today, Senator Kean, you threw your friends who own a restaurant in Ocean Grove, and helped you celebrate being elected, under the bus. I hope that they have the dignity to no longer call you their friend.

Today, Senator Kean, I am ashamed to call myself your constituent. I first contacted you Senator about the issue of marriage equality over a year ago, when I realized it could be on New Jersey's radar. I received a letter in response completely flipping my view and thanking me for "supporting traditional marriage" and was absolutely disgusted. (On a side note, can anyone in a traditional marriage who's marriage was negatively affected by someone else's same sex marriage please contact me.) As a legislator, you are welcome to disagree with me on an issue, but you have an obligation to listen to my opinion because ultimately you represent me. You did not listen to my opinion and instead flipped it, and that Senator is unacceptable behavior. I thought you would be a complete long shot on the issue when I first volunteered at Garden State Equality, and was pleasantly surprised to see you on the fence. However today on the senate floor, I saw more flip-flops from you than I see on a summer day on the beach. You had our hopes up and then let us down.

Senator Kean, after admitting that you represent "the gayest district in the state" why on earth would you vote against your constituents? On the senate floor today, you mentioned that this issue impacts "only a minority." But Senator, do you realize that more than the minority care about marriage equality? I've been fighting for marriage equality since June, and this is an issue that has no impact on me whatsoever. I'm a straight woman who is perpetually single. I take my right to marry for granted. But there are several people who have been in committed relationships for years that would love to get married, but New Jersey is keeping them from doing so even if their religion allows it.

Do you not realize that the gay community is very politically active? You do realize that your vote today possibly cost you any political future, including your senate seat. And don't think that your district is always Republican either, as President Obama carried the district in 2008. The fight has just begun, and this will be the first of many articles I write on the political future of Sean Kean. As a progressive community (gay and straight), we now have to mobilize. We need to find a candidate who can defeat Sean Kean, and make him regret his vote on marriage equality. If there was ever a call to action, this is it. As soon as I hear any news on a potential challenger to Sean Kean, I will update the Blue Jersey community and my readers at The Outspoken Liberal

How to pass marriage equality in New Jersey

2010-01-06T11:52:00.003-05:00

The New Jersey Senate is going to vote on marriage equality tomorrow. Everyone (gay, straight, New Jersey resident or not) can email the following message to the entire senate (all you need to do is copy and paste the email addresses and message and sign your name)

SenAllen@njleg.org, SenBaroni@njleg.org, SenBateman@njleg.org, SenBeach@njleg.org, SenBeck@njleg.org, SenBucco@njleg.org, SenBuono@njleg.org, SenCardinale@njleg.org, SenCiesla@njleg.org, SenCodey@njleg.org, SenConnors@njleg.org, SenCunningham@njleg.org, SenDoherty@njleg.org, SenGill@njleg.org, SenGirgenti@njleg.org, SenGordon@njleg.org, SenHaines@njleg.org, SenSKean@njleg.org, SenKean@njleg.org, SenKyrillos@njleg.org, SenLesniak@njleg.org, SenMadden@njleg.org, SenOToole@njleg.org, SenOroho@njleg.org, SenPennacchio@njleg.org, SenRedd@njleg.org, SenRice@njleg.org, SenRuiz@njleg.org, SenSacco@njleg.org, SenSarlo@njleg.org, SenScutari@njleg.org, SenSinger@njleg.org, SenBSmith@njleg.org, SenStack@njleg.org, SenSweeney@njleg.org, SenTurner@njleg.org, SenVanDrew@njleg.org, SenVitale@njleg.org, SenWeinberg@njleg.org, SenWhelan@njleg.org

Dear Senators:

When New Jersey passed its civil unions law in 2006, New Jerseyans thought it would mean equality for our state's gay and lesbian couples. But three years later, we have learned that only marriage equality can protect the legal and civil rights of all New Jersey's families.

That's why I'm writing you today. I want to urge you to support legislation guaranteeing the right of gay and lesbian couples to marry, before it's too late.

We're not yet certain of all of Governor-elect Chris Christie's positions, but we're sure of one thing: he will veto legislation for equal marriage for lesbian and gay couples. Governor Corzine has just weeks to sign marriage into law, which he swore to do. Your vote for equal rights has never mattered more.

A state commission found last year that gay and lesbian families suffer because civil unions are not equal to marriages. Same-sex couples routinely face discrimination in health care, taxes, education, and virtually every aspect of their lives because people are confused by the meaning of the alien term "civil union," and corporations and hospitals reject the term as unequal and meaningless as to marriage itself, which provides them cover for continued discrimination.

Civil unions establish the rights of gay couples on paper, but they deny lesbian and gay couples those rights in practice. THEY ARE NOT EQUAL, NOR ARE THEY EVEN "SEPARATE BUT EQUAL."

Marriage equality would also do more than legally protect the civil rights of gay and lesbian couples -- it would boost the finances of an economically battered New Jersey. People would flock to our state for weddings, while others would choose to move to New Jersey, knowing they can live their lives in the security and legal protection that only a marriage can provide.

It's time that all couples and families in New Jersey are treated as equal. We're counting on you to do the right thing by voting for equal civil rights and protections.

Thank you for your time.

Your Name

Please please send this email. It's just the right thing to do to let ALL couples marry here in the state of New Jersey.

another day in trenton

2010-01-04T21:04:00.001-05:00

Through the second half of 2009 and into the early days of 2010, I’ve been working hard at making marriage equality in New Jersey a reality. As the clock winds down, I spent yet another day in Trenton lobbying for marriage equality. As a straight woman, I have no dog in this fight, but I think that everyone should have the same right to get married that I enjoy (and take for granted as I’m pushing 30 and show no signs of getting married anytime soon). This issue does not affect me in any way, shape, or form, but I still think it’s important enough to go to Trenton to lobby the legislature for marriage equality. However as time goes on, I am growing increasingly pessimistic about marriage equality passing in New Jersey this year.

I first want to say that I really envy everyone who has come from other states to help out on Garden State Equality’s campaign. Most of you (from in and out of state) that I have met are some of the nicest people in the world. I also envy your dedication to be willing to leave your friends and family to travel to another state to work on a campaign. Is this issue important to me? Absolutely! Is it my top priority? Not at the moment. Unfortunately there are too many issues that affect me personally, such as the economy, healthcare, jobs, and my own safety. I’m in a very unstable situation myself, and I’m willing to do all I can for others once I’m in a more comfortable situation.

Timing is of the essence here. It’s now or we wait another 4 years until Governor Cory Booker (that has a nice ring to it doesn’t it? Please please let this become a reality) will sign the bill into law, or a Supreme Court case at the federal level changes everything (not likely to happen with the current Supreme Court).

My beef with Garden State Equality comes with some of the tactics they use with both their supporters and legislators. I’m a very private person by nature, so I am more offended by some of the tactics than others would be. They’re borderline invasive. Just last week, I was phone banking calling supporters inviting them to come to Trenton today to get a large number of us there. Before anyone from GSE sent out an email, supporters were called upwards of 5 times (if they did not pick up the first time). In the day and age of caller ID (and using peak minutes on incoming calls on most cell phone plans), many people like me do not pick up a call if they do not recognize the number. When that person calls back several times, in my opinion that’s harassment. In fact if I had the choice, I would not have organizations reach me by phone at all. (I don’t even prefer the phone to talk with my friends or family.) I’d rather be reached by other forms of communications such as Facebook, email, Twitter, or even text messages. Just don’t use up my minutes on scripted calls because it drives me crazy.

Another thing I would do differently is the way they handle the lobby days. We were given Garden State Equality t-shirts and told to wear them to the lobby days. That is great for an outdoor rally or a casual event. However when you’re in the statehouse there to sit in legislative hearings and lobby legislators, I personally think you should dress professionally. And yes a button could make a statement, but its better off left out. When you don’t look like you’re on one side of the fence or another, everyone is more likely to take you seriously. It’s just like going to a sporting event wearing neither team’s logo or colors—you’re seen as neutral no matter how you feel inside. You won’t be harassed or judged by fans of either team.

The third thing I would do differently is the way we approach our legislators and staff. Chasing them down in the hallways of the statehouse is unprofessional in my opinion. GSE has already utilized better ways to reach them, such as postcards, handwritten letters, phone calls, and constituent meetings. One thing they did not utilize was the email, which a grassroots group on Facebook has already emerged and is getting supporters to do so. Before the holidays, GSE took a very radical approach and approached the state Senators in their personal lives, which in my opinion is very invasive of their privacy.

The bottom line on marriage equality is this—we either have the votes or we do not. I honestly don’t think we can change any minds in the next two weeks. We won’t know until the bill is brought to the Assembly and Senate floor for a vote though, and that has to be done on Corzine’s watch. If we win marriage equality, that is great, and I will be not only very happy for myself, but for the entire LGBT community. Either way our work won’t go unnoticed.

If we do not win marriage equality, we will come back stronger when we have a chance. We reload for a future campaign. Between now and 2014, when the next governor will take office, the assembly is up for election twice and the senate once. I can only speak for my own county, but if Senators Sean Kean and Jennifer Beck, both Republicans who are leaning towards opposing marriage equality and who represent districts with overwhelming support for marriage equality, that is ammo for their opponent in the 2011 election. Both could easily be defeated by pro-equality candidates (more likely by Democrats than in a Republican primary). Maybe if we make enough of an impact, we could pass a marriage equality bill with a large enough majority to overcome a Christie veto.

There’s an old cliché saying “we won the battle but not the war” I’m starting to look at marriage equality as one battle in a war. Maybe we can't win this battle, but I do believe we can win the war. I do realize that GSE has fought and won several battles in the past (all before I moved to New Jersey). Our battle is an important battle for the war for marriage equality everywhere.

People and things that should disappear from NJ in 2010

2009-12-31T13:21:00.002-05:00

I really want to thank the great folks at Blue Jersey for keeping me informed when it comes to state news. I was asked to write a piece for them to wrap up 2009 and make it exclusive there. It does not mean that I won't share it with my readers here, but I'm just sharing the link so you go over and visit Blue Jersey. Happy New Year everyone, and may 2010 be a great year for progressives in NJ and the rest of the country.

http://www.bluejersey.com/diary/14010/people-and-things-that-should-disappear-from-new-jersey-in-2010

10 people who should go away in 2010

2009-12-29T18:25:00.002-05:00

This is part one of a series of year-end lists wrapping up what was 2009 in politics. More will be coming before the New Year as I want to wrap up 2009 in style.

1) Carrie “Miss Homophobe” Prejan—Carrie anyone who is doing any sort of performing or public appearances should know rule #1—know your audience. You’re a beauty queen, and a good part of the pageant audience includes gay men. Besides being the audience, chances are gay men were involved in designing your dress, and doing your hair and/or makeup. So to insult your audience by denying them a fundamental right is stupid on its own. But you used this moment to become a right-wing “celebrity” who is not worthy of a reality TV show. You complain about the media criticizing you and say they violated your freedom of speech. Carrie please study the Constitution and know that it applies to governmental agencies, not TV personalities. Unfortunately I don’t see her going away in 2010 as she probably has a job offer from Faux News.

2) Joe “You Lie” Wilson—Us liberals had to suffer through eight years of George W. Bush. Democrats in Congress sat through his speeches as he brought the country to war and ran up the deficit like a drunken sailor in a whorehouse. We were told to shut up and respect the office of the President of the United States. Not once did one of us use a nationally televised address to Congress to heckle the President like you did. We expect the same kind of respect. What’s good for the gander. Fortunately there’s a way to hand Joe Wilson an early retirement in 2010. His opponent, Rob Miller, has already raised over a million dollars because of the outburst. If you’d like to support Rob Miller, make a donation through ActBlue.

3) Mark “Hiking the Appalachian trail” Sanford--- So as Governor of South Carolina, before this summer he was best known for being a vocal opponent to President Obama’s stimulus package. Well all along when he was speaking out against the stimulus package, he was heading off to Argentina so his mistress could stimulate his package, all while telling his family and constituents that he was hiking the Appalachian trail. And you were a man who was one of the most vocal supporters of impeaching President Clinton because of his sex life. Your hypocrisy is showing there Mark, and it came at a great price for you--- it cost your wife, and almost your job. So much for that 2012 Presidential nomination. Stay classy Mark.

4) “Traitor” Joe Lieberman--- I can’t believe I voted for this man for VP back in 2000. Since 2006, when the Democrats in Connecticut voted him out in their primary, Traitor Joe shows his true loyalty—to himself, ran as an independent, and counted on Connecticut Republicans to keep his Senate seat. In 2008 he turned on his party even more by speaking at the RNC and campaigning for John McCain and Sarah Palin. He begged Harry Reid to let him keep his Homeland Security Committee chair, even though he turned on his party. We Democrats were told we could count on his vote for key domestic issues, such as health care reform. We’re suckers here. Joe Lieberman again flip-flops on his prior promises to reform the health care system. What the mainstream media (except for Rachel Maddow) failed to mention is his wife’s ties to the health care industry—Hadassah Lieberman’s an insurance/pharma lobbyist and her direct interests conflict with those of the American people (not the corporations she represents.) In any other occupation, this would be considered a conflict of interest, and it’s time to extend conflict of interest laws to elected officials.

5) Sarah “Quitter” Palin—Sarah Sarah Sarah where do I start. You start off the year quiet, which is the way a losing VP candidate should be. Then in May you make David Letterman your enemy because he made a joke about your daughter, who you forced into becoming an abstinence-only spokeswoman after she had a baby. A teen mom as an abstinence-only spokeswoman is like asking Mark Sanford to become a spokesman for how to stay faithful to his wife. Then in July she announces that she’s quitting her job as governor of Alaska after half a term to pursue other career opportunities--- like making up lies about President Obama’s health care plan, writing a book, and spending the day on Facebook. She decided to title her book “Going Rogue” which has other meanings (if she had only learned from the “teabagger” debacle and consulted Urban Dictionary first). Now I have not read her book (and I don’t plan on doing so), but apparently it’s spent trashing many staffers that worked with her so closely on the campaign trail with John McCain. Sarah, if you want to run in 2012, chances are a lot of the same staffers will also be working on the GOP campaign, so why trash them now? If you wanted to air dirty laundry--- why write a book when there’s already a venue for doing so that your followers could much more closely relate to. It’s called the Jerry Springer Show, and I bet your fans watch it a lot more than they read. Or you just a 7th grade mean girl who never grew up. Either way your credibility in 2012 will be slim, as nobody wants to elect a President who will only serve half a term.

6) Orly “Birth Certificate” Taitz —Orly you’ve gone off the deep end. President Obama released his birth certificate when he was a candidate, and the state of Hawaii confirms it’s real. I’ve seen President Obama’s birth certificate online, and you make up all this bullshit about the “long form.” Well I got news for your Orly—I was born 19 years after President Obama in a much more urban state (that by those standards should have more detailed birth certificates) and my New York birth certificate only has very few details--- just my date and place of birth, and the birth names of my parents. And when I moved here to New Jersey, the NJ Motor Vehicle Commission accepted it as full proof of my citizenship when I went to transfer my driver’s license. Now guess what Orly—I don’t have a “long form” birth certificate and could not produce one on demand, but I will give you the one issued by the hospital where I was born. I would expect you to treat President Obama the same way you would treat me.

7) Dick “Torture Defender” Cheney—Dick Dick Dick you were incredibly silent and under the radar as VP, yet now that you’re out of office you haven’t met a Faux News camera that you don’t like. You had one of the lowest approval ratings as Vice President ever. The public knew you were a war monger who saw oil dollar signs in your eyes at the thought of invading Iraq. Your and George Bush’s policies were unpopular, and in 2008 the American people spoke. Now that President Obama is trying to restore our image around the world that you destroyed, you’re bitching and moaning about it. Would you please go back into your bunker, and take your daughter with you.

8) Rush “Boss” Limbaugh—Not too many people will wish failure on a very popular elected official before he even takes office. I wish I could say that this was the worst of El Rushbo’s offenses, but it’s just the icing on the cake. Along with most of the other right-wing talkers on the radio and Faux News, Obama’s presidency exposed the real reason for Limbaugh’s hatred. It has nothing to do with President Obama’s politics, but instead his race. El Rushbo does not want someone who is not white anywhere near the White House. While 2009 was known as the year of the outrageous Limbaugh remark, when he mentioned that in “Obama’s America black kids beat up white kids on the school bus" and cited a single incident. Then he goes on about how we should go back to segregated buses. This rant (which was posted about early this year) sums up who Rush Limbaugh really is.

9) Glenn “Race Baiting” Beck -- Here’s another that I don’t know where to start for. Here is a man who in 2009 called for the assassination of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (previously his hit target was brilliant filmmaker Michael Moore), spread lies about President Obama (he’s a Marxist, Communist, Socialist, Fascist, etc), gave airtime to every radical conspiracy theory, organized the 9/12 teabag march on Washington, and had a famous “get off my phone” rant to a caller who dare disagreed with his radical theories. In the world according to Mr. Beck, President Obama has a deep seated hatred of white people (I guess Glen did not get the memo that the President’s mother and grandparents who raised him were white). The public was fed up with Glenn Beck’s antics and actually put their money where their mouths are, and his show lost over 80 advertisers. The American people do not want to turn on the TV or radio to see someone spreading lies, fear, and hate. However Faux did not get the memo.

10) Rahm “The Left Does Not Matter” Emanuel---President Obama’s chief of staff is the only official Democrat on my list. However in my opinion, Rahm is not a Democrat but a DINO. He represents the corporatist DLC wing of the Democratic Party, which the party’s base tries to distance themselves from. What Rahm fails to understand is recent election results when the Democratic party’s candidate did NOT play to their base. I’ve used this term ad nauseum on this blog, but you have to preach to the choir. President Obama’s approval numbers have been going down lately, and it’s not the center that he is losing. His caving in on healthcare reform is starting to cost him his base. Many of the people who spent countless (unpaid) hours knocking on doors, making phone calls, etc to make sure Obama is elected are the very people who he is starting to lose. And I blame Rahm Emanuel for this, as he’s famously said that the left does not matter (and had a public feud with Howard Dean in 2006). Personally I think the guy should be fired, and I will go into more detail about this in a future post. No president can afford to lose his base, and the chief of staff needs to understand that.

After writing this list, I realized that I want way more than ten people to go away in 2010. I do have a list of honorable mentions, but instead of mentioning them here, I am opening up the comments section for it. Who would YOU like to see go away in 2010? Please keep it politically related.

Frank Pallone on his Twitter Town Hall

2009-12-24T11:03:00.000-05:00

My political wish list

2009-12-23T14:53:00.002-05:00

Tis the season for making wish lists. I'm no longer a child who sits on Santa's lap with a list of toys that I want, but that does not mean I cannot make lists. As the year and decade comes to a close, this is what I would like to see in the next year and decade.

1) For all Americans regardless of their political affiliation to realize that the right to vote should not be taken for granted. Our founding fathers would be rolling over in their graves if they realized how low voter turnout can be, especially in off-year elections. Many Americans voted for the first time in 2008 and were very excited about voting for President Obama. My wish is that they will continue to vote in every election and vote for the candidates down the ticket too.
2) That any two unrelated consenting adults who would like to get married be able to get married in the eyes of the state.
3) That Senator Frank Lautenberg stays healthy for the remainder of his term, or at least until Christie leaves office.
4)That Jon Corzine will use his deep pockets to really do some good for New Jersey. He has the power to become an Al Gore type figure who is more influential outside politics than within politics. New Jersey is full of lots of great progressive organizations that could really take off with financial backing.
5) The health care bill passed the Senate today. My wish is that the final version is more like the House bill, and that it will strengthen in time (including a public option which anyone could buy into).
6) That all our soldiers return home from Iraq and Afghanistan safely so that they can spend the holidays with their families, where they belong.
7) That every vote is counted fairly and accurately
8) That the Democrats in Washington and Trenton locate their spines and learn how to use it. Take a lesson from Alan Grayson.
9) That progressives finally get an equal voice in the media, and that progressive talk radio is available to all who would like to listen to it.
10) That Sarah Palin crawls back under the rock where she came from.
11) That we finally end the tax breaks for companies who outsource their jobs to China, India, and the rest of the world, and that any American who wants a job can have a good job at a wage that will be enough to live on.
12) That the word "liberal" is no longer a dirty word in American politics, and that more people would speak up and say that they're proud to be liberal.
13) That we as a nation start to focus on Main Street instead of Wall Street.
14) That we never fight another war for oil.
15) That we pass some strong laws that limit the influence of corporate lobbyists in Washington. We can't have laws written by lobbyists anymore.
16) That our food movement goes from industrial food back to locally produced food.
17) That President Obama fires his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel and replaces him with someone who will actually listen to progressives instead of just Republicans and corporations.
18) That legislators be subject to conflict of interest laws the same way several other occupations are.
19) That progressives in New Jersey are get organized and build a strong enough base to take back Trenton in 2013, and possibly knock a Republican from NJ out of Washington this fall.
20) That all the readers of my blog, and all my fellow progressives throughout the country have a very happy holidays, and safe and healthy 2010.

Conngressman Frank Pallone's Twitter Town Hall

2009-12-22T23:24:00.003-05:00

This town hall was so much better than the town hell this summer in Red Bank. I had a few questions asked but am still not sold on the mandates. We'll see where reform leads us. Like I've said before, I have not been paying as close attention to national issues as I have to state issues over the last few months so I'm not as up to date on healthcare reform as I should be. For now I'm posting the transcript from Congressman Pallone's town hall. I've edited all the Twitter names except for his and mine to protect the privacy of the other users and instead they're referred to with initials so readers know which user the Congressman is responding to.

FrankPallone Welcome everyone to my first ever Twitter Town Hall on health care reform - I look forward to answering all of your questions. #ttpallone
JWMC @FrankPallone thank you for your tireless work for NJ and being the best person to intern for! Proud to call you my congressman #ttpallone
SH @frankpallone Congressman, thank you for doing this...do you remain committed to seeing a public option one day?#ttpallone
FrankPallone @SH - I intend to push for the public option and insist on the House version as we go to conference. #ttpallone
DMR Are you concerned about the big premium tax revenue loss for NJ if we have a public option plan #ttpallone
tabbycat331 @FrankPallone Question- Can u clarify about mandates? How can there be mandates w/o a public option to keep ins companies honest #ttpallone
FrankPallone @tabbycat331 -The exchange operated w/ private plans administered by fed gov't wld act like a lrge group plan & keep premiums low #ttpallone
FrankPallone @p1974 - By reforming health insurance we'll also improve access to health care & encourage prevention & wellness. #ttpallone (Original question was deleted from Twitter)
tabbycat331 @frankpallone what about the mandates? Are there penalties/fines like in the MA health plan that does not work #ttpallone
JL @frankpallone Do you know there are gays and lesbians who are uninsured because we can not get married? #ttpallone
RD How are the ins. companies going to be regulated so they're not raising rates unfairly?#ttpallone
FrankPallone @tabbycat331 - A penalty would be paid through your income tax if you don't have insurance. Mandating coverage lowers premiums. #ttpallone
LW What did you think of the idea of lowering Medicare to age 55 ?? #ttpallone
CM @FrankPallone what if people can't afford the mandated coverage but are still under the mandate rules? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @p1974 - Without SCHIP, kids will now be covered by Medicaid or the health exchange. #ttpallone (original question no longer available)
CM @FrankPallone also on mandates, even if premiums are lowered, would the quality of coverage be expanded or remain similar to now? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @RD - The health exchange will increase competition that didn't exist before and that will keep rates down. #ttpallone
FrankPallone @LW - Its a good idea, but the Senate has now dropped it so I don't see it happening as part of this reform package. #ttpallone
a23 @FrankPallone What is your view on low Medicare/Medicaid reimbursement in NJ & what's being done to ensure seniors are protected? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @CM - People should be able to afford coverage b/c of the expansion of Medicaid & the subsidies through the health exchange.#ttpallone
FrankPallone @a23 - In general the bill significantly improves reimbursement rates for both Medicare & Medicaid. #ttpallone
LW What happens 2 health bill after Senate votes on it? If it goes to conference committee could there be changes need to vote on #ttpallone
CM @FrankPallone would you vote for a final bill that contains much of the Senate provisions, Stupak amendment and no public option? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @JL - The House Bill changes the tax code and helps provide equal access to health care for civil union partners. #ttpallone
FrankPallone @JL - However, I support Marriage Equality. #ttpallone (personal note-- GREAT!! Now please fire up the Democrats in Trenton)
FrankPallone @CM -I am determined to fight for the House version in Congress & expect compromises to be made between the House & Senate. #ttpallone
a23 @FrankPallone Do you think premium tax fees incl. in Senate bill will ult. result in increase in cost of premiums for individuals #ttpallone
DG @FrankPallone Does the health bill cover outreach costs 2 uninsured Americans, who may not b following the news as closely as me? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @LW - The House & Senate will negotiate a conference report bill which both houses would vote on. #ttpallone
FrankPallone @a23 -I will work to strip the tax on insurance plans from the Sen bill during conference bc of these types of concerns. #ttpallone
a23 @FrankPallone Do you believe the final HC reform bill will do enough to address underlying causes of rise in healthcare costs? #ttpallone
FrankPallone The CLASS Act will help elderly & disabled get community based longterm care & support. An important part of the House & Sen bill #ttpallone
cm @FrankPallone Just wanted to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. This was a great idea. #ttpallone
wtu I am swm 38, earn $30k in NYS. I have Health insurance, but I cannot afford treatment (due to co-pays). Any help in this bill? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @dg -Over 30 million now uninsured Americans will be covered under this bill; near universal coverage.. #ttpallone
FrankPallone Thanks to the folks at @BlueJersey for live blogging the town hall: http://tinyurl.com/ygmswa5 #ttpallone
jl @FrankPallone that was pretty cool! #ttpallone
FrankPallone Sorry for the delay - my lunch just came. @wtu is next to be answered. Thanks for all the questions. #ttpallone
wtu @FrankPallone I am 38/s, earn $30k.I have Health insurance, but I cannot afford treatment due to co-pay. Any help in this bill?#ttpallone
FrankPallone @wtu - The House & Senate bill caps out of pocket spending & makes health insurance more affordable. #ttpallone
wtu @FrankPallone what is the out of pocket spending cap in the bill? Affordable 4 single earning $30k? My co-pays will be less? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @wtu -The caps depend on income levels & the size of your family, if you need more info call my office, 732-571-1140 #ttpallone
SS @FrankPallone, are you going to be on the conference committee that smooths differences between the House and Senate versions? #ttpallone
FrankPallone @SS -Its not clear if there will be a formal conference committee. House & Senate may work out the differences informally. #ttpallone
la @FrankPallone How will the health care reform bill affect medicare? #ttpallone
LW what would you change in the Senate version if you could? #ttpallone
SS @FrankPallone, can you appoint House pages? If so, can I apply through your office because my Congresswoman cannot. #ttpallone
FrankPallone @LW -I would replace the tax on insurance plans w/ the House millionaire surcharge & I would add the public option. #ttpallone
LW where can we read the latest version of bill and Reid's manager version?
LW Thank you for doing this Twitter town hall & thank you for answering my questions =) #ttpallone#ttpallone
FrankPallone @wrb - Yes, I believe #HCR will cover the uninsured, lower costs, and eliminate discriminatory practices. #ttpallone
FrankPallone Please visit my website to learn more: http://pallonefornewjersey.com/healthcenter.php #ttpallone
FrankPallone I want to thank everyone for participating in my first Twitter Town Hall. Thanks and I'll be back again for another one. #ttpallone
FrankPallone If you have any more questions you can contact me here: http://tinyurl.com/ykx9ttq #ttpallone - Thanks again!

Chris Matthews on the Netroots

2009-12-17T20:25:00.002-05:00

I must admit I haven't been paying as close attention to the latest developments in the healthcare bill as I should be. For one I have a life outside The Outspoken Liberal, and secondly I have been focusing more on state issues than national issues. I am very disappointed in some of the developments of the Senate bill (mainly bowing down to Traitor Joe Lieberman) but I don't know enough of the details to really comment everything. I plan on calling Menendez and Lautenberg's offices to see if their staffers will answer a few questions of mine tomorrow.

Back to Chris Matthews-- I can see his point. If he reads over at Daily Kos and Democratic Underground, there ARE people who are threatening to stay home in 2010 if the bill is not up to their standards. I will give him that. However there are also many in the "netroots" including myself that see the political reality. We had many angry Democrats stay home in 2009 in New Jersey and it got us Governor-elect Christie--- a Karl Rove protege. I voted (and campaigned hard) for Corzine despite his flaws. There is a time and place to let your anger be known at the polls within your own party. That is called the primary. Unfortunately many states don't take advantage of it, and I'm fully convinced that if someone else were on the Democratic ticket for NJ governor, we would have held the seat. It's very rare to primary an incumbent, but I think it's a practice that needs to be expanded upon everywhere. Turnout in the primaries is even worse.

I'm the kind of person who loves to prove naysayers wrong. Chris Matthews said that as the netroots, we have no desire to work in public service or hold elected office. I know that is not true for myself (I'm at least 5 years away from running for office myself though-- I want to establish myself in NJ more first). Would I like to work in public office? Absolutely! The more I think about it the more it appeals to me (especially after spending time at the statehouse).

To all you netroots supporters who may be reading this blog. We have to listen to Chris Matthews (even if it is painful to you). We need to turn out in large numbers in 2010 as we did in 2008, and keep enthusiastically going to the polls, and volunteering on campaigns just as we did in 2008. Protesting at the ballot box is not the way to go. Instead get involved locally, just as I have. Take back your local Democratic party and push them to run progressive candidates at all levels, or even run for office yourselves. Remember our fighting words-- yes we can.

thoughts from Trenton

2009-12-11T21:32:00.002-05:00

Even though the marriage equality bill in Trenton has been put on hold for the time being (tick tick tick, the clock's winding down otherwise we have to wait at least 4 years), I still spent the day yesterday in Trenton lobbying for marriage equality. It was a different experience than last week because I was healthy enough to make it through the day and realize the impact my visit to Trenton had.

Garden State Equality has been nothing short of amazing when it comes to organizing. Last week we filled every hearing room in the statehouse. They organized everyone by dressing them all in GSE t-shirts and buttons (more on that later). Their planning is nothing short of amazing, and I really admire their skills. We arrived in Trenton around 8:00 for a day filled with GSE events and to lobby our senators. We were given name tags with our name and city, as well as tags that just had the district on it. People could look at us and easily tell where we came to Trenton from. Because the vote was put on hold, our numbers were much smaller than they were in the past.

Yesterday the Senate caucuses had their party meetings. Since I live in a district represented by a Republican in Trenton, I was in the hallways at the Republican chamber of the statehouse. It's probably the only time I will ever be in any Republican chamber. Senator Bill Baroni was the lone Republican hero who voted for the bill in committee on Monday. He received a standing ovation when he walked out of the closed conference room, and it was his birthday, so he received warm birthday issues from GSE volunteers and staffers. He was very friendly and approachable, and listened to his heart and did the right thing, instead of looking at his party's platform.

I was able to tag along to another volunteer's conversation with my senator, Sean Kean. Senator Kean was a very nice and approachable guy, and is trying to keep an open mind about marriage equality, even though his religious beliefs are anti marriage equality. I was able to tell him that as a straight person (probably one of the only ones there) that it's important to me that everyone has the same right to marry that I do. Another promise that i wrote in a letter to Senator Kean (that I was not able to tell him in person) is that if he votes yes on this bill, I will not only vote Republican for the first time in my life, but also donate money to his campaign. For a lifelong Democrat, that is a huge promise.

My final reflection of the day came after all the lobbying was done, and I was enjoying pizza with a bunch of GSE supporters. I was probably the only straight in the room, and I did not mind it one bit. Everyone was super nice, and a real pleasure to be around. It dawned on me that their very livelihood is at stake, and could live or die depending on this bill. Would their relationships finally be seen as equal in the eyes of the state? They want nothing special, just the same treatment that I receive as a straight woman. And I want nothing more than for everyone to be able to get married.

Would I have organized these lobby days differently? In some ways absolutely. But overall I think that they've been effective if the senators are anything like I am. To be able to put a face to a unjust situation is often the most effective ways to change the world and achieve justice. I hope that over the last few weeks, our senators and assembly members in Trenton consider the hundreds of faces in the crowd, just like the group I had pizza with, when they are voting for marriage equality.

the frustrated progressive

2009-12-08T22:25:00.002-05:00

Maybe this should be my blog's name now because that's about what sums up my feelings when it comes to politics. I first got involved in politics back in 2004 after seeing a movie-- Fahrenheit 9/11-- and it woke me up to realize what damage Republicans can and have done to this country. Unfortunately on a daily basis, I see that Republicans are not alone in doing damage to this country. I can name two instances currently going on, one happening in Washington, and the other in Trenton where I feel like I'm being abandoned by my own party. Both issues have been commented on ad nauseum in this blog (healthcare and marriage equality).

Yesterday in Trenton, two Democrats voted no on moving the marriage equality bill out of committee. And in my home state just last week 8 Democrats voted against marriage equality. I thought that the Democrats had a party platform of valuing all families and hence giving the LGBT community the basic civil right of marriage. And now in New Jersey, with the fight for marriage equality on life support, we have to court Republicans because we can't get the Democrats to vote as a party for marriage equality.

And I had health care polls and posts on this blog earlier, before I started focusing on more local battles for and in Trenton. Today the key for healthcare reform that would keep the bloodsucking insurance companies honest-- a government-run public option-- was killed in the Senate today. Instead Medicare will be opened up to those 55 and older not 65 and older. I know that I did propose opening Medicare up at 55 over the summer, but not at the expense of the younger generation who needs healthcare reform just as much as the 55-65 crowd does (I am nowhere near 55, and have been ill for the last week-- I would have seen a doctor but because I'm uninsured, that was not an option for me). The Democrats have catered to their most conservative members and the Republicans in order to get more votes and appear bipartisan.

But I have some news for my fellow Democrats. The Republican party has been like a schoolyard bully. They're constantly spreading rumors and making threats if the victims (Democrats) don't cave into their demands. Just as in the schoolyard, if a nasty rumor gets repeated often and loud enough, the other kids believe it. Can we say death panels? Socialized medicine? The government will come between patient and doctor (which no MAN wants but apparently it's okay if you're female and want reproductive healthcare)? And personal attack rumors that are reminiscent of a schoolyard bully's words? He's born in Kenya? He pals around with terrorists? He's a socialist communist fascist? He's a secret Muslim?

And here come the Democrats, the spineless wonders who cave into the bully Republicans. The public option was the best hope for healthcare reform short of single payer. Most Americans wanted the choice of private or public insurance (and voters on my health care poll overwhelmingly favored public insurance). It was watered down so much to please the Republicans that it was barely viable. Most of us who WANT to be on the public option would not be able to. In my eyes that's not a viable option. Must we as a party compromise on our integrity in order to please the other side? From 2001-2007 when the Republicans controlled all 3 branches of government, I did not see them doing this. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

a legal argument for marriage equality

2009-12-08T14:59:00.001-05:00

In 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court Case Lewis v. Harris brings up several key arguments about the institution of marriage and what role the government should play. The Plaintiffs in the case are seven same-sex couples in long-term relationships who seek the remedies of the right to marry and all the legal benefits that come with marriage. Ultimately the Court told the legislature that they had to pass same-sex marriage or an equivalent institution that would grant same-sex couples the same legal benefits that come with marriage. The “separate but equal” institution of a civil union is supposed to grant same-sex couples all the legal rights of marriage short of calling their union marriage. Vermont was the first state to pass a civil union law, followed by Connecticut, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. Some other states currently have domestic partnerships, but not civil unions. All civil union states except for New Jersey have since upgraded to full marriage equality for all couples regardless of their gender.

The intent behind civil unions is good—to provide same-sex couples with all the legal benefits of marriage without “damaging” the institution of marriage. It’s seen as a compromise that many voters can agree on. As Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut have realized, they do not work. Many laws currently on the books that give married couples legal rights—such as the right to visit each other in the hospital, and to obtain health insurance through the spouse’s employer—are supposed to be extended to couples in civil unions, but are not. In New Jersey, many employers who offer health insurance benefits to a person’s spouse will not offer the same benefits to a person’s civil union partner. Hospitals often do not give medical information to a civil union partner the same way they would to a spouse. Also more same-sex couples are raising children together, and it is hard for a child to explain a civil union relationship.

Much of the opposition to marriage equality comes from a religious point of view. Many religious people see marriage as the exclusive union between one man and one woman as their religious text says. However the United States and New Jersey Constitutions have a provision for the separation of church and state. In my opinion any religion can deny a couple the right to get married for whatever reason, but a non-related pair of consenting adults should not be denied a civil marriage. Ultimately marriage is a civil institution. When a marriage ends in divorce, it is the state and not the church that will ultimately end the couple’s legal relationship. If the marriage equality bill passes the New Jersey Legislature, there is a provision that would not require churches to recognize or perform same-sex marriages.

There is already case law on the books that establishes marriage as a fundamental human right. In 1967, the United State Supreme Court case Loving v. Virginia ruled that Virginia’s marriage laws violated the due process clause and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Before her death in 2008, Mrs. Loving spoke on the issue of marriage equality and said that she believed that all couples should have the right to marry.

In 1967, the Courts decided that couples should not be discriminated against on the basis of race (incidentally this year, a Louisiana Justice of the Peace refused marriage to an interracial couple). At the time, race was the important civil rights battle of the generation. Now another generation is here along with another civil rights battle. The civil rights battle of the early twenty-first century is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation. New Jersey is a leader in anti-discrimination laws against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. In this day and age and with New Jersey’s anti-discrimination reputation on the line, it only makes sense to pass full marriage equality for all couples regardless of gender.

marriage equality clears 1st hurdle in NJ

2009-12-07T22:12:00.002-05:00

Breaking news on the New Jersey marriage equality bill--- it made it out of the judiciary committee on a 7-6 vote. While I REALLY wanted to be in Trenton today to witness this firsthand, I am not in very good health right now, and it was better off that I did not get a large group of people sick. Maybe I will go Thursday when the bill will be voted on, but that depends on other things too.

To all who testified, thank you. If given the opportunity, I would have testified by reading the blog entry from about a month ago that was widely quoted. It's very hard to imagine how important the issue of marriage equality is when you are straight like me. To me this is about letting all my friends have the same right to get married as me-- at least in New Jersey. In my mind marriage is a civil right, and the United States Supreme Court agrees with me on this, or they did a generation ago.

Now for the heroes and goats of tonight's committee hearing on the marriage equality bill. I'll start with the goats.

Paul Sarlo (D)-- Senator, thank you for allowing the bill to be voted on out of committee, but please reconsider your position (relative to your party) when it comes to voting for all families. This is a direct quote from his website "TRENTON – Senator Paul A. Sarlo, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today posted S-1967, the Marriage Equality Act, on the Judiciary Committee’s December 7th agenda, keeping a pledge he made to supporters of the act, but reiterated that he does not support the legislation and will vote against it."
This vote may cost you your job, and if you vote no again I really hope that you face a strong primary challenger in your bid for re-election in 2011.

John Girgenti (D)-- Another Democrat who voted no on the bill. Again listen to his constituents and be prepared to face a primary challenger.

Jennifer Beck (R)-- I thought that you would be one of the few Republicans to come on board and support full civil rights for all couples wishing to get married. The 12th district has a lot of supporters of marriage equality, especially in municipalities like Red Bank. There may be a possibility that her vote could be flipped--- I urge everyone to call and email her right now 732-933-1591, SenBeck@njleg.org

Gerald Cardinale (R)-- probably the most vocal opponent of marriage equality in New Jersey. Reading some of the things he said, I might as well have been reading a fundamentalist Christian publication or Sarah Palin's book. Does he realize that New Jersey is not Oklahoma? I don't know anything about his district, but he's one senator I'd love to see defeated.

And now for the heroes of marriage equality-- part one.

Loretta Weinberg (D)-- She was Jon Corzine's running mate this November. And after seeing her in action tonight, I think that we could have pulled this election off if she were on the top of the ticket. Senator Weinberg-- even though I am not your constituent, I wish I was. Thank you from all of New Jersey, and keep up the good work.

Ray Lesniak (D)-- Another strong supporter of marriage equality, who also lead the battle to abolish the death penalty in New Jersey. Sees this as an important piece of civil rights legislation that will move New Jersey forward.

Bill Baroni (R)-- Thank you for going against your party's best interests and with yours and your consitutents interests. We need more Republicans like you. Thank you.

And to the other Democrats who voted yes today, thank you. Thank you for showing a spine and doing the right thing.

One last thanks goes out to the great folks at Blue Jersey, without you guys I would not have been following this debate the way I did. Thanks for providing me with a venue to see the debate unfold.

marriage equality again

2009-12-02T20:57:00.002-05:00

This time I am not talking about New Jersey's marriage equality (which I plan on going to the state house tomorrow to lobby for). I'm talking about the vote in the state senate of my home state of New York. Today I was very disappointed in my home state of New York. They had an opportunity to make me proud, instead they let me down.

Even though I lived most of my life in NY, I was never very politically active there. I always voted when I was there, but I was not involved the way I am now. I never really paid attention to local, county, and state elections and simply voted straight (Democratic) ticket.

The following Democrats and all of the senate Republicans need to be ashamed of themselves. Joseph Addabbo, Darrel Aubertine, Ruben Diaz, Shirley Huntley, Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate, George Onorato, and William Stachowski are all deserting the Democratic party's platform of valuing all families. They all need to hear from their constituents (like filling their voicemails, inboxes, and flooding their snail mailboxes with hand-written letters). If that does not change their vote, they must be challenged by a real Democrat in the primary. They do not deserve to be re-elected.

One thing I do wonder is how organized New York is. When i lived there, I was not aware of any local grassroots political groups like the ones I am a part of now in New Jersey. Do they have a group like Garden State Equality that is on the ground getting supporters to call their legislators?

The one bright spot about New York is that they have a much longer window of opportunity than New Jersey does. Their unpopular incumbent governor David Paterson is in office for another year (he's not likely to be re-elected) like our governor said he would sign such a bill. The voters in NY cannot put the issue on the ballot like they did in California and Maine.

I write this as I'm heading to a marriage rally in Trenton tomorrow-- for once can both my home state and my adopted state make me proud?

these numbers have to change

2009-11-30T21:20:00.003-05:00

I found this on Daily Kos today.

This has to change. Part of what made New Jersey and Virginia take a sharp right turn at the beginning of this month (it seems like forever ago, I know) was the lack of enthusiasm from the Democratic base (in VA's case a bad candidate, and in NJ's case an unpopular incumbent.) Neither candidate had the charisma of President Obama. I really can't speak for VA, but I can and will probably blog about in the future a laundry list of what the Democrats in New Jersey could have done to pull this thing off (we almost had it).

New Jersey's midterm elections next year will not be very exciting. Since our governor's races are in odd years, and we have no open positions for senators this year, the top of the ticket will be Congress. No state races, just maybe freeholder and local races depending on the county/municipality. Not very exciting considering in some states you have senators and governors up. It does not mean that the New Jersey Democrats can sit on their asses and watch TV o election day, it means we have to vote as if Obama is on the top of the ticket.

Part of the problem lies in the Democrats in Washington-- it's a little-known fact that President Obama did more in his first year than any president since FDR. However in general, nationwide the Democrats are not running with it. Of course there are always a few exceptions to the rule. We have less than a year until the elections, and 40% of Democrats need to be convinced to get their asses to the polls.

Here is what can be done at the national level by Democrats in Congress and President Obama (courtesy of Democratic Underground)
1) Repeal Don't Ask Don't Tell and the Defense of Marriage Act and actually do something for their constituents in the LGBT community.
2) Pass healthcare reform with a robust public option that will compete with private insurance. Let Americans CHOOSE whether they want public or private health insurance.
3) Pull out of Afghanistan. It's very clear that the American public is not in favor of this war that we've been in way too long. Get our troops home and stop spending our tax dollars there.
4) After healthcare reform is passed, make 2010 all about jobs. If people see that the Democrats are the party that put them back to work (in good-paying jobs, I'm not talking about Walmart or McDonald's here), then they will come to the polls with bells on. If people are back to work in good-paying jobs, then they will start paying taxes again, and tax revenues for all levels of government (federal, state, county, local) will be up. They'll be spending their $$$ again and sales tax revenues will be up.

And here is what can be done at the local and county level
1) Identify your base-- find out who they are and where they live. Open your campaign HQ in the towns with the highest concentration of registered Democrats.
2) Have fund raisers for all budgets. Have everything from a $10 ice cream social to a $5000 black tie dinner. Do not leave any dollar behind.
3) Reach out to the younger voters including the ones that are too young to vote in 2010. Even though they may not be 18, they still can canvass, phone bank, street canvass, and get their friends involved in the campaign.
4) Have several Q&A sessions with candidates so that anyone who wishes to can meet them and ask them a question (of course conduct these civilly so the teabaggers do not take over)
5) Have volunteers and staffers reach out to their peers first-- do you want to reach seniors? Have other seniors reach out to them. People respond more to their peers.
6) If there is a big name stumping for anyone-- advertise the event. If many people are expected, put strings on the tickets (for example a ticket in exchange for volunteering).
7) Last but not least preach to the damn choir first.

a day to be thankful

2009-11-26T00:49:00.002-05:00

Today is a day that we as Americans reflect on our lies and give thanks to those who have given our lives meaning. I will not get into my personal life here as that is not the point of this blog. What I will be thankful for are the things that are important to me as a New Jersey Democrat.

1) We have a President who is putting his efforts into solving the nation's problems instead of simply passing them off onto his successor. Say what you want to about Obama's healthcare plan-- many forget to realize that we've come farther with health care now than we have in over 40 years. We may not agree 100% with the way that he is solving all of the problems, but he is choosing to tackle them in his first term.
2) For the next 6 weeks, we have one of the most progressive governors that New Jersey has ever had. Again we may not all agree on the way he's trying to solve the state's problems, but unlike many of his predecessors (and most likely his successor), he's tackling the problems and trying to solve the state's financial troubles.
3) We still are a blue state despite our losses this month. New Jersey still sends a Democratic majority to Washington in Congress, we still have two Democratic senators, and we still have both the state assembly and state senate.
4) I am thankful to be represented in Washington by a Congressman (Frank Pallone) who shares my values and fights to do the right thing for New Jersey. I'm thankful for his strong positions on environmental issues and health care, and his role in drafting the health care legislation in the House.
5) Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, independent, or other party, we should all be thankful for our rights to free speech. Without that right that our founders fought for, I would be unable to publish this blog without fear.
6) Another right I am thankful for is my right to vote, and to become politically active. (I only wish that my fellow Democrats would exercise this right in every election but that's a post for another day.)
7) I am thankful that marriage equality has the chance of passing here in New Jersey within the next six weeks. I'm thankful that we have elected officials who want to extend the basic human right of marriage to the LGBT community here in New Jersey. As a straight woman, I believe that everyone should have the same rights that I (and so many of my straight friends) take for granted.
8) I am thankful for the many great people I have met while working on the various campaigns I've worked on in 2008 and 2009. I am thankful to call so many of you my friends. I am thankful for the strong presence of grassroots progressive political groups here in M county.
9) I am thankful for the experience I've gained while working on campaigns. Despite my blog's name, I am rather shy in real life. Street canvassing in urban areas was something that I would have never dreamed of doing just two short years ago. Now it's almost second nature to me and is something I enjoy very much. I can't wait to street canvass for Newark mayor Cory Booker's re-election in May.
10) I am thankful to all of the readers of this blog, my Twitter followers, and anyone who reads my posts on DU. Without you guys, I would have nobody to rant to and keep everything inside of me. As my presence grows, I want to extend a special thanks to Blue Jersey for featuring my post on marriage equality. Later that same post was quoted in two newspapers (Edge Boston and the Star Ledger) who's staff I also want to thank. This blog being quoted in the state's largest newspaper was beyond my wildest dreams just over a year ago when I started this blog, and now it's a reality.

I want to extend everyone who is reading this a happy Thanksgiving, and remind you guys that there is always something politically to be thankful for even after being creamed up and down the ticket. I know many people avoid politics on Thanksgiving (and rightfully so as it divides many families), but when you are giving thanks for the things in your personal life, consider giving thanks for the things in your political life as well. Happy Turkey Day :-)

Sarah you lost-- shut up and get over it

2009-11-14T15:07:00.002-05:00

2008 was a very good year for Democrats politically. We gained huge majorities in the House and Senate, and recaputured the White House. Many blame two people on the Democrats' huge gains made in 2008--- George W. Bush and Sarah Palin. Politically Bush is at the end of his career-- he was term limited out of office and probably will not run for anything again (shoot me if he does). Sarah Palin is a different story. She's now seen as a rising star within the party, and definitely has 2012 on her mind.

But if you have vast political ambitions, shouldn't you serve out your term first? People want elected officials to be committed to the office in which they hold. Sarah Palin did not do that to the voters of Alaska, who elected her governor in 2006 (hey Mr. Christie-- do New Jersey a favor and take a page out of this playbook!) She quit her job to become a media whore and spend all day on Facebook. I guess it's not PC to try and run a state while posting on Facebook all day and she took the road that most teenagers would take.

Now in her post-political career, she has made enemies out of David Letterman (who she accused of being a child molestor) and Levi Johnston, her ex future son-in-law and father of her grandson. I'm still surprised she hasn't ordered a hit on Tina Fey (the best thing to come from Sarah Palin).

So now Sarah's come out with a book, Going Rogue (and the Nation will release Going Rouge on the same day-- I'd rather read the latter). It's already a best-seller because like all of the other right-wingers who write books, groups like Newsmax, the Heritage Foundation, etc will buy them in bulk and make them appear to be popular. I honestly don't know how anyone in their right mind can read a 400 page word salad written by Sarah Palin. I wouldn't even use the book to line my cat's litter box. And of course the book tour comes with the media attention that she just lives for. I won't be watching any of the interviews, but I will inevitably see clips from it on Keith, Rachel, etc. Now is the time for Tina Fey to bring her back.

Would people really vote for her again in 2012? That is a huge question. I've noticed that some of her most vocal supporters are stepping away from her becasue of her turn off the deep end. That and she did not show a commitment to doing her job. If God forbid she is elected President in 2012, would she serve out her full term?

Sarah, the American people spoke. The polls were close before John McCain put you on the ticket. Your insane antics cost him the presidency. And as a Democrat, I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to see you run in 2012. Please Sarah run in 2012-- that would ensure a 2nd term for President Obama.

abortion and health care

2009-11-13T21:16:00.003-05:00

As you may or may not know, the health care bill passed the house last Saturday late at night. I have mixed feelings about this bill. In my opinion, it does not go far enough, but it is a step in the right direction. This bill can always be tweaked later on. I'm much more worried about whether it passes the Senate. I'd be on the phone daily with my two Senators, but I know they're both in favor of the bill and would vote for it (I've gotten letters and emails about it).

The bill barely passed the House. 218 votes are needed to pass, and 219 Democrats voted for the bill (and a lone Republican). A few progressive Democrats voted against the bill because it was not progressive enough (Dennis Kucinich). But we passed the first hurdle when it comes to health care reform and that's a good thing.

However Congressman Bart Stupak (D-MI) inserted an amendment in the bill that would ban any insurance company (including the public option and private companies) on the newly created "exchange" to pay for any abortion related services. There is already existing law that bans federal funds from covering abortion-- the Hyde Amendment-- and that has worked since its interception in 1976. I think it's worked well and is a good compromise on the issue.

I will also admit that abortion is the one issue that I have become more conservative on as I've grown older. It's most likely that I am watching my own clock tick wondering if I will ever have a child of my own. I used to be 100% in the pro-choice camp, but now I consider myself a part of the "personally pro-life politically pro-choice" camp. I'm also very mixed on abortion as a political issue because I know several otherwise liberal people who vote for Republicans solely on the abortion issue. The Democratic party is a big tent (unlike the Republicans who are purging moderates), and they should be welcome in the party. On the other hand, the pro-choice crowd is a very vocal part of the Democratic base, and New Jersey learned a lesson last week on what happens when you do not first mobilize your base.

It is a very complex issue. If the Republicans actually did care about abortion, they would have done something about it when they had all 3 branches of government (2001-2006). However most of the time it's only an issue that is discussed around the time of elections to pander to the church crowds. I personally think the best thing that could be done about abortion is maintain the status quo (Hyde Amendment). This will be an interesting story to watch as health care reform gets through the Senate.

Some resignations

2009-11-12T09:43:00.002-05:00

Since I'm flip-flopping between covering my take on state vs national issues, I'm flipping back to national issues for the time being. Two key figures resigned yesterday and they did not resign without my comments.

The first is CNN's Lou Dobbs. I must admit I don't watch CNN that much, I'm much more of an MSNBC girl. But I still see CNN as the middle of the road in cable news (to the left of Fox, to the right of MSNBC's primetime lineup). My main beef with CNN is that they launched the career of the uber right wing whackjob Glenn BecKKK. If they had been "liberal" as the right-wing claims, then Beck would not have been given any airtime by them.

Lou Dobbs did have some good ideas initially. His main good was that he's a crusader for the middle class, which has been decimated over my lifetime. We need more crusaders for the middle class on both sides of the aisle (the right-wing radio and TV hosts are filthy rich and look out only for themselves). Maybe another middle class crusader would convince people to stop voting against their own best interests. The downfall for Lou Dobbs is that he blames everything on illegal immigrants. In the months of the Obama administration, he's come across as downright racist. There's a lot of rumors that he'll be heading over to Faux. He'll fight right in, but the network will probably curb his fights for the middle class.

The other resignation I wanted to note was that of Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. Focus on the family is a group that I have absolutely nothing positive to say about. They're part of the Christian right wing of the Republican party that wants "big government" in your bedroom (yet out of the boardroom-- go figure!). They spend all their effort opposing gay marriage, abortion, and what not. Their idea of a "family" is one that would be found on the set of a 1950's sitcom-- Dad is the breadwinner, Mom is a housewife who is a doormat. Focus on the Family was one of the groups responsible for mixing religion and politics. IMO they're responsible for George Bush and his extremely conservative social policies.

To James Dobson, good riddance. I hope your organization folds too.

the case for working with Chris Christie

2009-11-11T18:01:00.003-05:00

I will admit this... I'm more inclined as a Democrat to give Chris Christie a taste of his own medicine. Yet since the election from talking to friends and fellow Democrats, they're more inclined to work with the guy to try and move New Jersey forward. So far, you guys think that we should work with Chris Christie. I'm now arguing the opposite of what I argued yesterday, and I will admit that this post was much tougher for me to write than yesterday's. So far nobody's talked me down from fighting him though. To every Democrat I've talked to that wants to work with Christie, you're a stronger person than I am.

Chris Christie ultimately has the same goal as anyone who has ever run for office, worked on a campaign, or gotten involved in any politics in the first place. We all want to make (in this case) New Jersey a better place to live, work, and visit. You can be a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Socialist, Green, etc and want to achieve those very basic goals. The issues at place here are how to achieve them, and what the finished product ultimately looks like.

New Jersey is not a red state. In the past, Republicans that have won statewide have been moderates, although that hasn't happened (until recently) since the 1997 when I was a high school student living in New York. Ironically there must be something about the name Christie that makes New Jersey vote Republican because the last Republican who won statewide was Christie Whitman, who's mess we are still cleaning up.

Democrats and Chris Christie working together can be a good thing. Even though New Jersey is known for dirty politics, that's not a reputation that we necessarily have to keep. One thing I do admire about Christie is his toughness and willing to fight corruption, which is so rampant here in New Jersey that a book has been written about it ("The Soprano State"). Maybe he can be the governor that ends corruption in New Jersey. I say if he puts one corrupt establishment player in jail, he's made a huge stride forward.

If the Assembly and state Senate Democrats and Christie successfully work together, we could also be a model for bipartisanship everywhere, after the pathetic attempts of bipartisanship in Washington so far in the Obama administration (which consist of the Democrats watering down the legislation to suit Republicans who block it anyways).

Ever since I can remember, we've been a partisan society. And frankly as partisan as I am, I'm sick of the bickering and would love more civility in politics. I came of voting age while the Republicans in Washington were trying to impeach a president because of his sex life. More than a decade later, the Republicans are still making the same pathetic attacks on a Democratic president. This time they're listening to the Glenn Beckkks of the world and comparing him to everyone from Hitler to the Joker-- yes the Batman villain.

Across the country statehouses need to show the pundits and politicians in Washington how the two parties CAN work together. New Jersey has the golden opportunity to become a leader to show the country and 49 other states how it can be done. I'd love to see this happen and our reputation change.

I really should not be judging Christie yet as he has yet to take office. Maybe what Trenton needs is a change in administration. As you can tell from the language of this post and the last, I am still not sold on everything. Someone please try and sell Chris Christie to me.

the case for fighting Chris Christie

2009-11-10T23:09:00.004-05:00

Before I start, again I must mention other matters. However this one is a positive note. My previous post on marriage equality was featured on Blue Jersey's "quick hits" list yesterday (and it's still up there today), and I wanted to thank "Hopeful" on Blue Jersey for sharing my blog. It means a lot to me to see this little blog start to gain some traction. I'm still debating on whether or not to focus more on national issues, as I did before, or state and local issues, which ultimately matter more to me (and anyone) than national ones. I'll probably keep it a mix. If you have a preference one way or another, let me know in the comments.

The subject of my latest poll is one that I've been thinking about a lot lately. I still have very mixed emotions on how we as a party should handle Chris Christie. There are two strategies that the Democrats can take-- we can either work with him or fight him. I'm going to argue for fighting him today-- maybe for working with him in a subsequent post. If you disagree on this, as Rachel Maddow would say-- talk me down (in the comments).

The case for fighting him is rather simple and the Democrats already has a blueprint to work from. Even though in Washington, the Republicans have minorities in both the House and Senate. President Obama chose to emphasize bipartisanship after a very nasty campaign in which the opposition went as far as calling him a terrorist (and to this day continue to use such divisive tactics which endanger his safety). In the year since he's been elected and the 10 months since he's taken office, the Republicans have had a say in the legislation that's come to his desk. In the stimulus bill, there was a good chunk of tax cuts (a Republican idea) in the bill. Yet how many Republicans voted for the bill? None in the house, and three in the senate (one of who has since became a Democrat). The health care legislation in Congress (that passed the House Saturday night-- I am sure there will be more on that coming) is loaded with compromises. Hell the public option *IS* a compromise on the original progressive idea of single payer. And that's being watered down.

Of course fighting Chris Christie does have some drawbacks. The issue is CAN we Democrats as a party fight him? First of all in order to engage in a political fight, one must have a spine. With the exception of guys like Alan Grayson (D-FL), the Democrats in Washington do not show any guts. This has been a problem since they regained Congress in 2006. It's now so bad that when a Democrat does "grow a pair" it makes the news. Until recently, I have not paid much attention to the Democrats in Trenton. Locally we have no Democratic representation in Trenton. However the Assembly Democrats recently started to use Facebook and Twitter, so I'll be able to keep an eye on them that way. If we have a party of Alan Graysons in Trenton, we can fight Christie. If we have a part of Harry Reids, we can't.

Chris Christie is not exactly coming to Trenton with a clean slate. As a Bush US Attorney who kept his job, he took orders from Karl Rove to prosecute Democrats for political reasons. I was not living in NJ at the time, but when Senator Robert Menendez was up for re-election in 2006, Christie brought corruption charges against him that were mysteriously dropped after the election. Christie has already gone on record saying he would love to replace Senator Menendez (who is not up for re-election until 2012). I just hope that the Democrats in Trenton give Christie a taste of his own medicine.

If the Democrats win this fight, we have a victory-- a one-term governor. Christie knows that the great Newark mayor Cory Booker is waiting in the wings, and could energize the Democratic base to get to the polls the same way that President Obama did.

why marriage equality matters in new jersey

2009-11-09T12:11:00.002-05:00

All year, there has been rumors that New Jersey could be the next state to pass marriage equality. Governor Corzine already said that he'd sign a bill in favor of marriage equality. Now the clock is ticking and we need to get this done fast because Chris Christie opposes marriage equality just like his party's platform.

People often wonder why I am fighting for marriage equality. As a straight woman, I have no dog in this fight, and many would sit back as a spectator. Many don't even care until legislation affects them personally. This does not affect me personally. Sure I'd like to get married someday (not sure if that will happen though-- I'm not exactly getting any younger), but no matter where I go, it will be legal for me to get married. That's not the same for my gay friends or family members, and I'm ashamed of it. Why should I enjoy rights that others can't? There's something fundamentally wrong with it.

People argue that marriage equality is wrong because it redefines the "traditional marriage" of one man and one woman. Yes those marriages have been around for centuries, even millenia. However in the past (and present), teenage girls are forced to marry men more than twice their age, polygamy is still practiced (even right here in the United States). And many churches have been the most vocal opponents of marriage equality, and often fund the campaigns against it. Funny how the Mormon church opposes marriage equality, yet it's fundamentalist sect practices polygamy. All the time, churches will deny a couple the right to get married, and IMO that's perfectly fine. City Hall should not have the right to deny two consenting adults the right to get married.

Maine also let me down last Tuesday by voting down marriage equality. The bright spot is that younger voters (under 35) tend to overwhelmingly support marriage equality, and over time the older voters (who oppose it) will die off. The problem is that the younger voters don't often get to the polls. I really don't want marriage equality on the ballot in New Jersey-- this is why we must pass it before Corzine leaves office.

If you're willing to join me in this fight, it needs to be done like yesterday. There are three major things that you can do to help. Unfortunately some only apply to New Jersey residents.
1) Send a handwritten letter to your two assembly members and one (state) senator telling him/her why you support marriage equality.
2) Call your assembly members and state senator on a daily basis urging him/her to vote for marriage equality.
3) Tell your friends and family in New Jersey to call and/or write their legislators about marriage equality.
4) Volunteer-- Garden State Equality needs your help with phone banks, office work, and postcarding to make marriage equality a relaity in New Jersey. If you're in my area, the office is located in Asbury Park, and could really use your help.
5) If you're on Facebook, become a fan of Garden State Equality (no matter where you live) and if you're on Twitter, follow Garden State Equality @GSEquality
6) Put your money where your mouth is. Garden State Equality's trying to put ads on TV and the radio, and currently can't put that many on due to funding. They need your help. Donate online at www.gardenstateequality.org

How to move New Jersey forward from here

2009-11-06T17:26:00.002-05:00

As you probably already know, this week has been tough for Democrats in New Jersey, especially in M county. Just when I thought that this week could get any worse, I wake up to some horrible news. I learned that a dear forum friend of mine passed away. This is uncharacteristic of me, but I want to dedicate this post to Shelly, a fellow progressive who was often the lone vocal liberal on a predominately conservative forum, and was not afraid to speak her mind. My thoughts are with your family and all who love you. I know that I will really miss you Shelly.

Unfortunately on Tuesday, New Jersey, and particularly M county took a giant step backwards. However with every loss comes an eventual greater gain. I'm trying to accept the fact, but I am still in the grieving process. We will come back stronger, I already know that in my heart. And I will do all I can to make us come back stronger.

Governor Corzine's a good guy. And now that he's not going to be our governor much longer (sob), he needs to start focusing on his post-political career. I really really hope that he does not go back into banking. Michael Moore called Corzine's defeat a message to the banking industry and was happy he was defeated. I usually love Michael Moore, but this is probably the first time I will disagree with him. Michael Moore will not have to live under Chris Christie for the next 4 years. I'm not giving up on New Jersey or M county because of this election, and I hope nobody else does too.

Because of his former career in banking, Governor Corzine has deep pockets. There are several progressive organizations throughout the state (many of which I am personally involved in) that could really use some financial help to make progress in New Jersey a reality. Several retired politicians use their money to advance their policies and pet causes, most notably Al Gore with climate change. Corzine could be a very strong backer of progress in New Jersey and use his fortune to fight for causes he holds dear to his heart, such as preschool. I really hope that he does.

Since I don't think that the powers that be read this blog (would be nice if they did but fat chance), I will be writing a letter to his office before he leaves Trenton outlining what I hope he would do to advance progress in New Jersey. I have not yet started to draft the letter, so if anyone has any ideas they would like me to add (or for a letter of your own), please utilize the comment section. I'm hoping that he gets a series of letters and will work with the grassroots groups to fight Christie's regressive policies.

Some of my friends think that Christie will not be that bad and to give him a chance. I'm still mixed on that idea, and that I am sure will be a series of new posts in the future.

preaching to the choir

2009-11-05T01:41:00.002-05:00

Most people say that they hate to preach to the choir. However most of the time they're wrong. When the choir is preached to effectively, they will sing to the congregation and beyond.

This is what the Democratic Party of New Jersey failed to do for the Corzine campaign. Whenever you run a campaign, you have to energize the party base first before you look towards the center. This is true for both the left and right. Last year, John McCain did not preach to the choir until he brought Sarah Palin on board. That was too late. However in the short time she had, she did effectively preach to the choir. She did not go for the centrists at all. However in her case, the choir liked her message but the congregation did not.

Governor Corzine could have preached to the choir more. I knew going into this election that I would vote for him, unless he had a primary challenger (who would have had my vote in the primaries as I was realistically looking at the chances there). Throughout the summer, he did not have the Democratic base on board even after President Obama's initial visit.

As a result, a lot of the Democrats stayed home. This IMO cost him the election. I hope that the Governor uses his fortune for good progressive causes after he leaves office. He could really make a difference and back some good groups in New Jersey (Bus for Change anyone?)

Democrats all over the United States, here's a lesson for you. Throw your base a bone, and they will come. Preach to the choir first and they will sing. And to the DGA, look at the approval ratings of all of the governors up for re-election and primary anyone below 50%. In this political climate of "throw em out" then the primary is the best way to hold the seat. My home state of New York comes to mind the most.

What we need to do from here

2009-11-04T11:08:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately electing Chris Christie as governor was a a short sighted move in the hands of New Jersey. The voter turnout was low as expected, but even more devastating for people like me who worked very hard to get people out to vote. I care about New Jersey way too much to see us get into the wrong hands.

The battle is not over yet though. In fact it's just begun. In defeat, we can accomplish a lot. First of all Chris Christie is not a clean candidate and he never was. He made his career out of airing the dirty laundry of Democratic politicians (like Senator Menendez) for political reasons. I hate playing dirty, but two can play at this game. Democrats must immediately start filing FOIA requests on Christie.

The Democrats must do the following in the lame duck session of the Legislature before Governor Corzine's term is up:
1) Pass marriage equality. Not only will it make the state a leader in progress, but it will also bring much needed revenue to the state. It will also turn Christie's attention to social issues which New Jersey does not agree with him on.
2) Change the rules on how US Senate vacancies are filled. Two major changes need to be made. The first is that a Democrat must be replaced with a Democrat (as well as a Republican with a Republican-- what's good for the goose is good for the gander here). The senate appointment must promise not to run in the special election to ultimately fill the senate seat for the rest of the term. In the mean time, we must all pray for Senator Lautenberg's health so he can serve out his term.

And finally my party needs to start growing a spine at all levels. Let the Senators and great Democratic Congressmen in Washington fight with Christie on state issues. Congressman Pallone, who I have the utmost respect for, needs to act like he did during his rally speech on Sunday and not like he did in the Red Bank town hell, err I mean hall, this summer. Our Democrats in the Assembly and State Senate need to start growing a spine and acting the same way to Christie as the Republicans in Washington are acting towards Obama.

We can bring Chris Christie down. Sure it will take a fight, but I'm up for it. I'm not sure about any of my readers (whoever they may be), but we need to fight. New Jersey has a history of governors who do not serve out their term. If we fight this, Chris Christie can join the list. We must write and call our Democratic legislators in Trenton (I would but they're all Republicans). We must be active in groups like Democracy for America. We must be active in our local Democratic parties. We can do this, but it takes a fight with an army. Right now, we need to build up our army.

What the hell happened?

2009-11-04T01:07:00.004-05:00

so New Jersey's no longer a solid blue state as it should be. We will soon have a Karl Rove protege as governor. Our great county is now in control of the Republicans. Here's what I posted on my Facebook page about this whole election:

What the fuck New Jersey? I thought you were better than this! WTF Asbury? WTF Long Branch--- I spend the last four days walking the streets and you can't even get out and vote? Hello!? Look where it got us--- we lost Trenton and we lost Monmouth County! What the hell do I have to do to get my fellow Democrats out to vote? People died for this right, and you just take it for granted. WTF?

That about sums up how I feel right now. And it surprised quite a few of my friends about this as I'm normally this calm nice girl. Not tonight. I see flashbacks to the 2004 election where the Democrats worked hard but ultimately did not show up. The same thing happened in New Jersey tonight. However the loss hits me so much harder tonight than it did in 2004. The great radio host Thom Hartmann always says to "get out there and get active and that Democracy begins with you." In 2004 I sat there. Yes I gave $20 to John Kerry's campaign. But other than that, I sat on my butt and didn't do anything to get him elected. I didn't knock on any doors, I did not make any phone calls, I did not street canvass, I did not ride on the Bus for Change and get people fired up. I watched the debates and results from home instead of with a group of fired up supporters. I did not bother in any of the local elections.

This time was different. I worked even harder on Corzine's campaign than I did on Obama's campaign. I paid attention to every race on the ticket instead of just the top. I even voted early. We got creamed in the county. Such great candidates, but ultimately all the campaigns could have been managed better. It came down to voter turnout. And ultimately the people that we needed to go get out and vote simply did not. The Democratic base lies largely in minorities and younger voters, who historically do not vote. I'm not sure what else can get them to learn the importance of voting in every election.

It all comes down to you

2009-11-03T08:58:00.002-05:00

The race for New Jersey governor has become ugly. Anyone living in NJ (or in the NYC and Philly media markets) have seen the ugly attack ads on both sides.

It's an off-year election, which really does not exist in New Jersey. However a good chunk of the electorate only cares in national elections and think that their representatives in Washington can change their districts. That they can, but Trenton has much more influence than Washington does. Trenton's up for grabs today. We Democrats need to prove the naysayers wrong and tell them that we do care about what goes on in Trenton. AP, LB, Newark, Camden, Paterson, etc all of you guys need to get out and vote. I'd love to see last year's turnout! We need to keep New Jersey blue.

I'll be working on a massive GOTV effort all day, and this will be my last post before the results come in.

rally with President Obama and Governor Corzine

2009-11-02T09:07:00.004-05:00

So after the Corzine campaign messed up royally in July by not moving the rally with President Obama to a larger venue, I was finally able to see the President stump for the Governor. We went up to Newark in the new Prudential Center (very nice venue, it was my first time there). I was hoping that Newark's awesome mayor Cory Booker (who will most likely run for Governor in 2013 and then IMO use Trenton to leapfrog to the White House), and I was right.

Before any politician took the stage, we were entertained. One thing that I like about living in NJ is its multiculturalism. Groups representing various cultures in NJ performed acts representing their culture, and I thought that was great. I think that people need to be aware of other cultures. It promotes diversity and increases tolerance.

Four New Jersey Congressmen took the stage. Keep in mind Newark's north Jersey and I'm in central Jersey, so I don't pay as much attention to their politicians. My own Congressman, Frank Pallone took the stage there too, even though M county is not that popular up in Newark (I guess they pay attention to the GOP strongholds in the rural and wealthy parts of the county). If he was as firm with his message as he was yesterday at the town hell, err I mean hall meeting in August, it would have been a completely different experience. I'm still confident that he's fighting for people like me.

Then came the great mayor of Newark, Cory Booker, who I had the pleasure of meeting last week in AP. If anyone can fire up a crowd, he can. Loretta Weinberg, who is Corzine's running mate also took the stage. She's just a ball of fire, and an inspiration to women everywhere. She'll be a great Lt. Governor.

Corzine took the stage and talked about how he is fighting for everyone in the room. People may be skeptical of him because he's an incumbent, but he's sincere in his beliefs and he really has been fighting for working people, education, jobs, and health care. And all this from a guy who works for $1 a year.

Then came the President. He mentioned how he's being told how to clean up the mess he inherited. He mentioned his naysayers that claim the mop he's using to clean up is a socialsit mop. Then he mentioned the importance of voting. Voting is what this election will come down to. If the Democratic base votes, then we win. If they don't then we get 4 years of a Bushie ruling the state. It's up to you New Jersey, I already voted, and I hope everyone else does.

comments on the NJ governor's race

2009-10-31T23:21:00.003-04:00

So I haven't been blogging much lately, but again real life got in my way :-) That and the fact that we in New Jersey don't have off year elections. We're in a very ugly race for governor, and Jon Corzine needs all hands on deck to get him re-elected because God knows what the batshit crazy Karl Rove protege Chris Christie would do to this state. We also have all of the state assembly up, and one freeholder in this county up. I'll be relieved when it's all over on Tuesday, but I'll be even happier if we can get at least one (of the 6 in the county) Assembly seat, freeholder, and governor.

I just wonder if that the campaigns have done all they could. I have a few major gripes with the Corzine campaign, as well as the assembly in my district. First I'll gripe on the Corzine campaign.
Corzine brought President Obama here to NJ to campaign for him in July, last week, and again tomorrow (yay I am going!). Now President Obama had some brilliant campaign strategies that should have been also used for Corzine. First of all if you're bringing the president into town, you are going to get a high turnout. The venue for President Obama's initial visit was changed, and ultimately was moved to one that held about 17K. The campaign should know that he could pack the house for a larger crowd. A better venue would have been Rutgers football stadium which holds at least three times that amount.

I also would have put strings on the tickets for the Obama (and VP Biden and President Clinton) events. Last year President Obama brilliantly gave away tickets for his DNC speech in Denver (video's here if you would like to watch) to people who were willing to volunteer for his campaign. Governor Corzine's campaign could have easily done the same thing, and would have had teams of canvassers, phone bankers, etc.

I also have issues with the way he handled my county. It's one of the larger counties in the state, and has a very diverse population-- demographically, economically, and politically. Naturally the wealthier areas lean Republican and the working class areas and inner cities lean Democratic. Corzine's done events in areas where you could count the number of registered Democrats on one hand, yet has largely ignored places like AP and LB, that has a high ethnic population who voted in large numbers for President Obama last year. It almost makes me sad that the campaign wrote off M county because even though we probably won't win (it's a very purple county that Obama lost by 3 points last year). But unlike a presidential election where states have a winner take all electoral vote policy, that does not work in statewide elections with the various counties. So even if you can't carry the county, look at the cities and municipalities within the county and see what you can realistically carry, and maybe stage a rally in one of those towns.

Ultimately I like Corzine. He's a very liberal guy, and I don't understand why everyone hates him. Unlike his predecessors, he did not push problems under the rug, and actually dealt with them. Some of the solution to these problems included finding ways to pay for them (such as raising taxes) but he's working on a long-term solution to the problems instead of a quick fix. Do I think that the Democrats would have had a better chance if Corzine had been primaried? Yes. But am I going to not vote just because the candidate at the top of the ticket is unpopular? HELL NO!! The stakes in this election are too high. A win for Chris Christie (R) would mean that NJ will probably not have the public option for healthcare, our schools privatized, our treasury (whatever's left) raided to give out tax cuts to the rich and corporate handouts. Besides the GOP is becoming such a marginal party now (and I am loving every minute of it), and I really don't want them to use this race as momentum for 2010 and 2012.

Get out and vote everyone.

Is the GOP becoming a reigional party?

2009-09-21T09:26:00.004-04:00

This chart (courtesy of Mother Jones) shows the regional favorings of the GOP. Notice the difference between the South and the rest of the country. I often wonder about their future. Are they going to become regional, or is a new conservative party going to form? This is what happens when you kick moderates out of your party.

I can't speak for the demographics of the South as I have never (nor do I intend to) live there.

I'd like to see the same survey regional surveying the favorability of the Democratic party. I wonder if it would be the same. Their stronghold is the northeast and the west coast.

Where the hell are the Democrats? Why are they not trying to cash in big time on this? I swear I need to take back my own party.

Limbaugh wants segregated buses

2009-09-17T12:46:00.002-04:00

http://rawstory.com/08/news/2009/09/17/limbaugh-we-need-segregated-buses/

Excuse my language but WHAT THE FUCK??? Is Rush back on the OxyCotin? Cause I can't think of any other excuse why a rational person would actually say something like that on the public airwaves. But he's Rush Limbaugh that mentioned this, and he is NOT a rational person.

I knew that a good portion (but not all) of the opposition to President Obama is racist. We can see that in some of these signs. And unfortunately Rush, Hannity, Glenn BecKKK, and the slew of others are simply adding fuel to the fire.

It almost seems as they're calling for the worst to happen to President Obama due to his race. I sincerely hope it's not true, but when their followers do things like bring firearms to presidential events, I worry about the President's safety.

a village cannot reorganize village life to suit the village idiot

2009-09-17T10:46:00.001-04:00

Yes New Jersey is a blue state, but we have our fair share of crazy CONservatives here. Rachel Maddow just reported that 61% of McCain voters here think that Obama is the antichrist. Seriously?

Video and the awesome quote above here.

Ten lessons for teabaggers

2009-09-15T16:13:00.002-04:00

thanks to the great folks at DU and Crooks and Liars. This was pure brilliance and I had to cross post it

Here, then, are 10 Lessons for Tea Baggers:

1. President Obama Cut Your Taxes
2. The Stimulus is Working
3. First Ronald Reagan Tripled the National Debt...
4. ...Then George W. Bush Doubled It Again
5. Republican States Have the Worst Health Care
6. Medicare is a Government Program
7. Barack Obama is Not a Muslim
8. Barack Obama was Born in the United States
9. 70,000 Does Not Equal 2,000,000
10. The Economy Almost Always Does Better Under Democrats

The details can be found here
http://crooksandliars.com/node/31244

Letter from my Congressman

2009-09-15T13:37:00.001-04:00

Glad to hear that people are still fighting for healthcare reform.

Dear Caroline,

Enough talk. It's time for action.

President Obama’s speech to a joint session of Congress helped focus the public’s attention on the urgent need for health insurance reform and the benefits of the reform plan in the House of Representatives, that I have spent more than a year working on. We have made a lot of progress. The plan has been approved by three committees and has generated a lot of support. That is more progress than any reform plan has ever achieved.
I've always believed health care is a fundamental right and not a privilege. I promise to work day-and-night to make sure we pass meaningful legislation that makes a real difference. This past summer, as I do every Congressional recess, I hosted town hall meetings in my district. This year, there were more attendees than ever before. As we've seen all across the country, the health care debate can at times be contentious, but that does not mean we should let our work be derailed.

I've continuously maintained that the public option is the best way to lower costs, increase marketplace competition and ensure that every American has affordable coverage. It is important, I believe, that everyone has choices, the ability to choose their doctors and the ability to choose their insurance plan. It is also important that insurance companies have competition. They should compete for our business, not tell us what they’ll cover and how they’ll do it.

Now is truly the season for action. We're so close to real health care reform. As President Obama said, this will issue will define America's moral character. We need your help, your voice and your passion to get this crucial legislation passed, once and for all.

Sincerely,

Frank Pallone, Jr.

P.S. As always, to stay up-to-date on the ongoing health care debate as it unfolds from Capitol Hill, or any other relevant issues from my office, please follow me on Twitter, connect with me on Facebook, or visit my website.

Billionaires for Wealthcare-- they did it again

2009-09-14T21:56:00.000-04:00

with pure brilliance. Here's their response to DC teabaggers on Saturday.

GREAT article on the state of the GOP today

2009-09-12T09:11:00.000-04:00

BACK IN 1970 when Richard Nixon nominated a little-known district court judge named Harold Carswell for the Supreme Court and Carswell’s opponents branded him “mediocre,’’ Republican Senator Roman Hruska of Nebraska famously rose to Carswell’s defense. Even if he were mediocre, Hruska said, “mediocre people are entitled to a little representation, aren’t they?’’ With that ringing endorsement, Carswell’s appointment was soundly defeated by the Senate, but not even Hruska could have foreseen how his prescription would be adopted by our political system.

Continued here

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2009/09/12/the_extreme_republican_party/?page=full

where were you?

2009-09-11T09:20:00.001-04:00

It's now been 8 years since the 9/11 attacks. If you're anything like me, you still know exactly where you were when you found out, like it was yesterday.

I was asleep when it happened. My dad called me at 8:30 or so and all he told me was "turn on the TV" and did not state a reason. Since that is so unlike him, I listened. Living in metro NY then, the network stations were out (broadcast from the top of the WTC) so I put on CNN and was in disbelief the whole day.

The night before, I went to a Yankees/Red Sox game that was never played due to rain. The following day all I could think about was "what if they attacked Yankee Stadium when over 50K people were there."

I had a co-worker who lost his brother, sister, and sister-in-law in the attacks. One of my classmates at the time worked in the WTC and called in sick that day. Who knew that missing work would save his life (nobody from his company survived). I'm reminded of them every day when I walk around town, as there are 4 benches right next to each other in memory of first responders who died in the attacks.

President Obama's address to Congress

2009-09-10T17:45:00.003-04:00

Last night, President Obama gave a kick-ass speech to Congress on health care. He debunked many of the right-wing lies that have been spread about health care (mandatory funding for abortions, they're going to euthanize Grandma, death panels, government takeover of healthcare, etc). However watching the behavior of the Republicans in Congress, I was absolutely appalled. Eric Cantor was on his Blackberry the whole time. But representative Joe Wilson (R-SC) was the most appalling. He had the nerve to yell out and call the President a liar.

If you are as appalled at Wilson's remark as I am, the old saying goes put your money where your mouth is. His opponent in 2010, Rob Miller is cashing in. http://www.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/19079

Here's the address to Congress (I can't find video I can embed on here yet. I will edit when I can find a complete version of the speech.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQhmRhqQsAE

President Obama's adress to students

2009-09-08T09:35:00.000-04:00

And this is the "controversial" speech that the right was up in arms about. What is so controversial about staying in school, working hard, and applying yourself?

Response to David Horowitz

2009-09-07T19:54:00.002-04:00

Dear Mr. Horowitz--

I agree with you that we are facing a budget emergency, and we have been since 1/20/01. Were you this vocal when opposing your boy George W. Bush when he redistributed massive amounts of wealth to the people who needed it the least in the form of tax cuts, most of which benefited the top 1% of income earners? Were you this vocal in your opposition when Bush also started a war under false pretenses and put it on the United States Visa card? We lost 8 billion dollars in cold hard cash in Iraq? Were you concerned with the deficit then?

I was just a baby when Carter left office. Sure he made some mistakes, but in hindsight he was absolutely right. I could just imagine the path this country would be on had Reagan never been elected. For one thing, we wouldn't have been at war for oil because Carter actually believed in alternative energy.

You seriously think that President Obama is a radical leftist? I would definitely disagree with you. Last year during the election cycle he was frequently called the "most liberal" Senator. I think Senator Bernie Sanders would disagree with you. Senator Sanders actually DOES call himself a Socialist and is not afraid to admit it. Compared to Senator Sanders, the people you mentioned in your letter look as far right as Reagan. And Rahm Emanuel is far from a leftist. In fact most on the left do not like the man, as he's a corporatist at heart with a brother in the health industry.

You seriously think college students are the next great hope for conservatism? Let's take a look at what a generation who does not remember Reagan got from 29 years of conservative rule. Many will graduate with massive student loan debt thanks to federal funding cuts for their education. And because of the bankruptcy laws that Republicans push with their "personal responsibility" talking points, should the worst happen, the debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. And that magical high-paying job that is sold to college students has now been outsourced to India thanks to conservative economic policies. If the Obama administration does not fix health care, many college will be uninsured the day they graduate thanks to the current system when they are no longer covered by their parents' plan.

You brag about doing a media tour and tout Glenn Beck. And you want to target young people by going on Fox news? Have you taken a look at the demographics of who watches Fox? It is most likely the grandparents of the college students you would like to target. And Glen BecKKK should just admit who he really is and appear on his show wearing a white hood and burning a cross.

You will not get one dime of my money. Never will so you might as well just kiss me goodbye right now. And don't let the door hit you on the way out. President Obama has promoted bipartisanship and reaching across the aisle, but I often wonder why he still does when all you guys do is spread lies like this piece of trash around.

Sincerely

Caroline

a cry to arms from the opposition

2009-09-07T19:48:00.003-04:00

The Freedom Center urgently needs your support!

We have plunged deeper than ever into the fight against the far left...we've had to. Now we're facing a budget emergency, and it could not come at a worse time. Barack Obama and the socialist leadership in Congress are working furiously to change America! They want to transform our nation and they're spending trillions of tax dollars to do it.

I am not talking about the type of misery Jimmy Carter inflicted on our nation. Conservatives were able to reverse the course Carter had put us on. But what we're seeing today isn't like anything you and I have ever seen! I'm talking about a whole scale, radical transformation of our nation. From our national defense to our foreign policy to our free market economic system - Obama and company have implemented and have plans to further implement massive government control over each of us.

Americans - your friends and neighbors - do not fully realize the radical changes Barack Obama and the socialists in Congress are foisting upon our way of life!

But you do. And you know I do as well. Today the Obamaites, George Soros, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Rahm Emanuel, Harry Reid - the small but powerful group of left-wing radicals who are at the controls of this transformation are all disciples of the 1960s radical Saul Alinsky. Alinsky's book, Rules for Radicals, was the Little Red Book for the college radicals of the 1960s. I know, I was one of them.

I understand better than most Alinsky's deep, deep hatred of America. A hate that ran so deep he wrote a blueprint for tearing our nation down. And while I outgrew and repented my anti Americanism and came to see how great and generous our country is, many agents of the radical left never grew up. In fact, today many of them are leaders in Congress and in our White House, all embracing Alinsky's Rules for Radicals - the road map for turning our nation upside down.

With every passing day we see what lays behind the Administration's piecemeal efforts to take over the car makers, the banks and the health care system: creating a new America that will bear little resemblance to the country in which we grew up. You and I must counter this. The Freedom Center willingly takes on the Paul Revere role. We have a massive media blitz planned including appearances on Glenn Beck and other widely viewed talk shows - detailing precisely the radical transformation we're undergoing.

I am writing a new booklet that I must blanket on college campuses as the new school year starts. This booklet - "Alinsky's Rules for Obama's Radicalism" - paints a clear picture of Barack Obama's agenda for our nation. And we have prepared an advertisement to run in papers around the country calling on Americans to derail this train before it's too late.

I urgently need your support. Will you help the Freedom Center with a contribution of $25, $50 or $100 would help lift us out of our budget emergency; $1,000 would be a terrific aid to getting our ads in newspapers and my new booklet published.

Use any of the links found in this email and help me and the Freedom Center expose the radicals and halt this transformation - while we still have time! Thank you .

Sincerely,

David Horowitz
President & Founder

P.S. Please keep in mind that our budget emergency couldn't come at a worse time. The idea that the disciples of Saul Alinsky - a man who so hated America he detailed a plan to tear it apart - are running our nation is hard to swallow. But the facts bear it out. Stand with me and the Freedom Center as we ride like Paul Revere across the nation and sound the alarm! Please follow this link to make your donation today.

I shall respond to this piece of trash in my next post

EDIT: I originally found this piece of trash from the great folks at Democratic Underground.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6486473

Fixing healthcare without a public option

2009-09-05T09:18:00.003-04:00

I am in favor of a public option when it comes to healthcare. And frankly I am sick of my party bending over backwards for a vocal minority. I would rather not give a dime of my money to a for-profit insurance company that rations care to increase profits.

However thanks to the GOP's mob scene tactics and talking heads on TV, it may be compromised. Maybe fixing healthcare is a gradual process instead of something that could be done overnight. Here's a start to how to fix healthcare without invoking a public option.

1) Lower the age for Medicare from 65 to 55.
2) Raise the age to which young adults can be covered under by their parents' insurance to at least 25, maybe even 30.
3) End all TV and radio advertising for any of the following products. Prescription drugs, hospitals, doctors, insurance companies, medical devices (such as wheelchairs), and specialists and any center they may work at (such as a cancer treatment center). Beyond the Yellow Pages, most doctors and specialists should not advertise.
4) Audit the books every year of any for-profit company involved in healthcare including drug and insurance companies. If a company is holding back a cure for a disease because it's more profitable to treat it, they should be shut down.
5) Make gym memberships and other wellness programs tax-deductible for anyone regardless of income.
6) Focus more on preventative care rather than treatment. Yes it is less profitable, but in the long run it will produce a healthier population.
7) We need more primary care doctors. In order to achieve this, the federal government should offer forgiveness of student loan debt to anyone entering family practice who stays there for X years.
8) Doctors should be paid on salary (yes they deserve over 6 figures) instead of per procedure.
9) Look at the leading causes for the chronic diseases that our country is suffering from and use policy to treat the causes. For example our diets are a leading cause of obesity and diabetes. So first start with the federal school lunch program and slowly make menus healthier by replacing hot dogs with things like wraps. Make it that a consumer in all neighborhoods has healthier food available at a reasonable price. And PLEASE PLEASE end the government's subsidy of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). I drastically reduced the amount of HFCS in my diet and as a result lost 30 pounds. Perhaps adding a 1% tax to any product with HFCS in it would pay for any new healthcare initiatives.

Bipartisanship

2009-09-04T17:55:00.002-04:00

I am still a supporter of President Obama. I voted for him, and I would against any Republican opponent. I do however have issues with his effort to "reach across the aisle."

Under normal circumstances I think bipartisanship is excellent, and compromise can be reached. After all that IS how Democracy works. However with this GOP, I don't see it happening at all. They want all this Republican bullshit in the bill (such as tax cuts for the wealthy, etc) then they all vote against it. I thought the Republican bullshit in the bill was in order to get them to vote for the legislation. Silly me, I thought they were actually negotiating.

And they're at it again with this health care bill. It already *IS* a compromise is what many fail to understand. The bill that the most progressive Democrats want is HR 676 which is a single-payer system. We've compromised on that in order to bring us the public option.

When Bush was in office, he never once tried to reach across the aisle. He basically thought Democrats were non-existent. Why can't President Obama do the same thing, especially when it comes to health care. Of course the Republicans don't have the equivalent of Blue Dogs (please neuter them now) either. There is no room in the GOP for moderates. I just wish the leaders in my party, including the President would grow a spine.

Billionaires for Wealthcare

2009-09-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

This. is. brilliant.

Town Halls

2009-09-01T19:55:00.002-04:00

After witnessing the riot act better known as Frank Pallone's town hall (and the TV clips of town halls around the country), I think that things need to be done differently so that people can actually be (gasp!) civil towards each other, and respect elected officials.

1) I would limit the town halls to constituents only. In order to prove that you LIVE in the district, I would require ID to be shown.
2) Anyone who speaks out of turn or shouts someone down should be ejected by the security at the event immediately.
3) No firearms allowed.
4) No signs/banners/flags should be allowed to be brought inside.
5) Upon entry, everyone in attendance should be given an index card. If they have a question for the Congresscritter/Senator, they should write it on that index card. Have a neutral 3rd party read over the questions and ask them. The 3rd party should read "this question is from John Doe from Anytown, John would you please stand up" so the Congresscritter knows who asked the question.

These simple options would make the last month so much more civil.

it's been awhile

2009-08-26T00:36:00.002-04:00

Sorry I haven't updated in awhile. A little thing called life got in the way, but rest assure I am back. I'm still politically active, this time I am trying to get active on the local level since as of tonight, I am officially surrounded by wingnuts.

I could get into more about healthcare, but instead I am going to focus on the town hall meeting I went to tonight with my Congressman Frank Pallone. I don't support Pallone 100% but overall I think he's a good guy to represent me in Congress. He's responsible for one of the first bills that President Obama signed expanding the SCHIP health insurance program for children. This is the same bill that Bush vetoed. I also love Pallone's positions on environmental issues, particularly offshore drilling (my hot-button NIMBY issue). And considering how conservative parts of this county can be, I am very thankful to have a great Congressman like Pallone because I could live 2 miles south and have a complete nutjob.

Tonight was the first time I've gone to a political event where I felt outnumbered, not only politically but also demographically. At one point, I felt like I was the youngest person in the room/line. Now I've seen some of the town hall footage on TV and heard Randi Rhodes and Thom Hartmann go off on this astroturf movement. I just never realized that in such a blue state that I would be caught in the middle of it. I had some great signs from the healthcare rally on the Belmar boardwalk the other day, and duplicated a few of them. For bringing those signs I was personally attacked and called every four letter word in the book.

I also thought that an event like a town hall type meeting would turn into a zoo. My father's career requires him to go to several town meetings, and not once has he told me about one that turned into anarchy. I guess I'm an idiot for believing that civilization and Republicans belong in the same sentence. They outnumbered us what it seemed to be 10-1. Since nobody would go with me, I clung to the few other Democrats there because I figured there is safety in numbers. However I am not that loud, and unlike many of these teabaggers (now there's a name-- I wonder if they consulted urbandictionary.com before they thought that one up!), I was taught manners growing up, and used them. I was told to never speak out of turn, and not to shout. A room full of unsupervised preschoolers would have been better behaved than this bunch.

I wanted to take this opportunity to get to know my representation in Congress and learn how he felt about key issues. Pallone's twitter feed (twitter is one of my latest addictions) shows that he is willing to fight the GOP on the issue of the public option (I would rather see single payer) and that he's willing to fight with fire. I was expecting a little more tonight, but I guessed a miked Congressman does not speak louder than screaming teabaggers.

To any Republicans, I will happily debate healthcare with you if you are willing to have a civilized discussion.

And as far as exercising my Democratic right to meet with my Congressman, I will have to schedule an in-person meeting instead.

Barack Obama's weekly youtube address

2009-01-03T17:13:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama's weekly youtube address

2008-12-20T17:14:00.000-05:00

Bailouts again

2008-12-13T00:27:00.003-05:00

I thought that I already made the last post about bailouts when I compared the blank check handed to Wall Street vs Detroit fighting for their lives.

This time the lame duck White House actually came through, and for the first time in his life, Dick Cheney actually said something smart (that did not have an evil consequence to it). The collapse of Detroit could lead to the 2nd Republican Great Depression.

I live in a region that is not very affected by the auto industry. We have dealers and service shops around here, but car manufacturing left this region years ago.

In the Senate, the GOP showed their true agenda, busting unions. If these workers were not unionized (because God forbid someone makes a livable wage, has healthcare and retirement benefits, and can actually AFFORD the product they're making). Not to mention that they fail to talk about their true base. The CEO. Their compensation adds about $2000 to the cost of every car. Do you hear them bitching about that? No.

President Bush ran on a "compassionate conservative" campaign in 2000. None of these conservatives are compassionate.

Governor Blagojevich and corrupt politics

2008-12-12T00:08:00.000-05:00

Ok this guy was caught trying to SELL Obama's Senate seat. Now I know that Chicago politics is known for corruption, but seriously (and I am not going to pretend to know the politics of a city that I've only been to due to airport layovers).

I've been following this story all week, and since I was rather quiet on my forums about it, I didn't post anything. But it's too big to ignore.

What gets me the most is that the corporate media was trying to tie Obama to Bigliarvich. Just like they tried to tie him to Bill Ayers just because he sat on a board. They're politicans in the same state, and same party, and that's about it.

So far, IMO Obama has handled this well. Now if only he could appoint his Senate replacement, but I don't see that happening.

One more thing about Blagojevich. His hair gives Donald Trump a run for his money.

Barack Obama's weekly youtube address

2008-12-06T15:10:00.001-05:00

Bill Richardson as Commerce Secretary

2008-12-03T22:54:00.001-05:00

Barack Obama reveals national security team

2008-12-01T10:10:00.001-05:00

And IMO a very good one. Watch the video

Barack Obama's weekly youtube address

2008-11-29T10:06:00.000-05:00

bailouts take 2

2008-11-26T23:25:00.000-05:00

I really don't understand our tax dollars being used to bailout private companies. However the activities of this week have made me even more furious. What drives me even crazier than even Republicans do is double standards. And we have seen a textbook example of a double standard when it came to bailouts this week.

First off we have the auto industry, who in my opinion have not been saints. However what they represent is the blue-collar segment of America in some parts of the country (I will admit that I have never even driven a GM car, and that I don't live in a part of the country that depends on the auto industry so I'm really not aware first hand of the economy's dependence on the auto industry). And the auto industry was told to come back when they have a concrete plan on what to do with the money. That sounds fine if you stand it by itself. And they've done some budget cutting when it comes to high paid avertising (they cut out the Tiger Woods endorsement)

However this was not an isolated incident. Just days after the auto industry fiasco happens Citibank comes and asks for a bailout. They're handed a blank check from Uncle Sam. However they represent a white-collar crowd that is not the bread and butter of an entire region of the country. And were THEY even asked twice about what to do with the money? Of course not. And when it comes to the high profile and pricey sports endorsemetns, well Citibank is still paying 400 MILLION to name the new Shea Stadium (even though I am a Yankees fan, I do respect the cross town rivals and HATE corproate stadium names, so I will continue to call it Shea Stadium). And guess who is paying for the naming of Shea Stadium? That's right it's you and me.

So tell me why Citibank can ask for a blank check and get it but GM needs to have a concrete plan?

Obama's cabinet so far

2008-11-25T23:34:00.002-05:00

Ok both Keith and Rachel were talking about how some of Obama's cabinet picks are not pleasing the left-wing bloggers and Obama's base. I consider myself a left-wing blogger (after all, you're not exactly reading Faux News approved material) and part of Obama's base. And I'm not furious with his cabinet announcements. I even expected him to keep a few Bush positions in office. I had cabinet picks in my head awhile ago (early summer), but so far none of mine have been right. I'm still holding out for Al Gore to head the EPA but realistically I don't see that happening.

I look at it like this. A cabinet is a team. Not all the appointments will be perfect, but they have to do a job for their boss, who will be Obama. No company I've worked for has ever had a perfect staff either. And given Obama's previous experiences, I think that he would fire anyone who's job he strongly disapproves of.

Another problem is that people are expecting a massive change. Yes Obama did campaign on change, and yes we will get that. However he does want experience around him too, and most Democrats with federal-level experience in the executive branch did serve in the Clinton years. Well if Obama returns us to the Clinton years, that would not be so bad either. Last time I checked, we did well in those years. I only wish I was old enough to reap the benefits of a Clinton economy.

Change WILL come, but not overnight.

I think this picture (from September) sums it up perfectly

see Sarah Palin pictures

President-elect Obama's weekly address

2008-11-22T12:04:00.001-05:00

Government bailouts

2008-11-17T22:15:00.000-05:00

First the banking/investment/insurance industry got a HUGE one on our dime, and now the auto industry wants one.

I was not very happy with the banking industry bailout, and now Detroit wants one. I can see both sides of this because if either industry fails, we are screwed (not that we aren't already). If I were in charge of this bailout business, I would put a few rules in place. If they want bailouts, they have to accept that the money will come in small installments with a lot of strings attached.

1) All of the executives of the company will be immediately terminated. There will be no bonus packages, golden parachutes, and pensions/healthcare for life. Depending on the executive's performance, he or she may have to surrender some of the compensation that they previously received on the job. And executive privileges such as corporate jets with gold-plated toilets will be sold, with the money helping otu the company.
2) New executives will be hired at a rate of 10x the average employee's salary. Bonuses can be awarded based on performance but not for at least two years.
3) If one single job is outsourced, then all remaining bailout money will be forfeited. Any money already received by the government will be paid back to them at the highest interest rate that credit card companies are allowed to charge.
4) There will be no comapny-paid fancy vacations for any employees as long as the company is receiving government money. AIG I am talking to you. Any money used to benefit any executive will be paid back to the government at the interest rate charged by the most expensive payday lender.
5) No company receiving a government bailout loan will be allowed to have a lobbyist working for them in DC or any state government for the duration of the bailout, and for at least five years after the last dime of money is paid back to Uncle Sam.
6) After 6 months, government auditors need to come in and audit the company's finances. This process will be repeated every 6 months. If the auditors find any misuse of the company's finances, the remainder of the bailout will be forfeited, and the company will have to pay back the government at the highest interest rate charged by credit cards.
7) If after one year, the company shows no improvement (such as new products in development by Detroit, or refusing to loan out the money for the banks) then the bailout money will be forfeited and paid back at credit card interest rates. If the company fails, the compay fails.

a 21st century President

2008-11-16T00:05:00.002-05:00

who addresses the nation via online video. I'm liking this. Is it January 20 yet? Anyways here goes

On a semi-related note, I will be posting a lot of back-dated video to this blog as I want to recap some of the key moments in the campaign (Biden's VP selection, DNC, etc).

something fun

2008-11-11T11:51:00.000-05:00

www.superobamaworld.com

I've only seen two levels so far ("for everything else, there's the RNC" and "I can see Russia from my house") and I can only beat one.

Brings me back to my childhood where the original Super Mario brothers game was out. Of course I'm as bad at this one as I was the original.

a bit of fear

2008-11-10T23:52:00.002-05:00

I know, I know. Barack Obama's campaign took the high road and promoted hope over fear. The fear-mongoring was the key to the right wing's success in the wake of 9/11. However I can't help but to be very afraid right now. NOt for the future of our country, but for the future of our President-Elect. This article explains the extensive security, and how he gave his acceptance speech behind bulletproof glass.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/3387103/Fears-grow-for-Barack-Obamas-security.html

There was already a foiled plot a week before the election (thank God that the thugs are behind bars), and I only fear that it would get worse. Despite Barack Obama's electoral landslide (yes!) we still have a very divided country, as I've seen by reading conservative forums. Just as I did not accept Bush's 2nd term, many of them do not accept Obama's first. The difference here is that I would never want anything to do with owning a weapon.

I also partially blame the GOP on this too. Not that I would make it through the doors at any GOP campaign rally (since they pre-screen their audience), but I've seen enough clips of McCain and Palin rallies on TV to know what the audience is like. I have not gotten the "Obama is a Muslim" emails (and anyone who sent them to me would not hear from me again). To John McCain's credit, he did correct a woman who accused Obama of being a Muslim terrorist. However Sarah Palin did not take the same route. At her rallies, people shouted "kill him" and "terrorist' at the mere mention of Barack Obama's name.

The people who attended the Palin rallies and shouted "terrorist" are the exact people that I fear. This time around, the Secret Service has their work cut out for them, and I don't underestimate their power. However in the back of my mind, there's some fear in there.

Sore Losers

2008-11-10T01:10:00.003-05:00

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-onthemedia9-2008nov09,0,4216330.story

I almost want to add a video of a crying baby to this post because that's what these right-wing nutjobs are. They're sore losers. Hey Rush, yes *YOU* are the type of person that will see their taxes increase under an Obama administration, but you're filthy rich and can afford to pay it.

And you are a lying scumbag. Barack Obama is not going to seize a 401K account, so please tell your sheep, err listeners what the truth actually is. Oh wait, you don't know the truth you jackass.

Well here is a dose of truth for you Rush. You probably told us whining liberals to get over it in 2000 and 2004 and accept the fact that Bush was our president. Most of us tried to like him in 2000, but could not in 2004 as we already saw what he could do to a country. Guess what buddy. You had your turn, now it's ours. Get over it you whining scumbag. And I hope that Air America kicks your ass in the ratings.

I'm going to do a Keith Olbermann and call you today's worst person in the world. Seriously STFU.

Voter Turnout

2008-11-09T20:52:00.002-05:00

According to this article in the Asbury Park Press, it says that voter turnout in NJ was down.
http://www.app.com/article/20081109/NEWS0301/811090324/-1/NEWS10

They (I couldnt find it online) listed the results of the two counties that encompass my region of the country. Although it is a heavily Republican area, hopefully we will do something to change that. The county south of me did not have a single town vote more for the Obama/Biden ticket than the McCain/Palin ticket.

At least my county is a little bit more Democratic. Hopefully that will change by 2012 as many enthusiastic people we met on voter registration drives wanted to vote for Obama but could not (due to age). On a positive note, Asbury Park had tremendous results of 4563 Obama/Biden to 512 McCain/Palin. My little town is not as Republican as I thought it was. It was 1132 Obama/Biden to 807 McCain/Palin. I didn't even realize there were almost 2000 registered voters in this town.

We've got our work cut out for us in the next election cycle.

Obama's victory speech

2008-11-09T19:28:00.003-05:00

Ok I'm trying my luck with HTML this time so I can share some videos from youtube. I will start by sharing President-Elect Barack Obama's victory speech

Link suggestions

2008-11-08T22:39:00.002-05:00

I plan on making my list of links into a very extensive collection of news sources and blogs for progressive causes. I need the help of my readers though. If you have any suggestions for some links that I should add, leave them in the comment section please.
Thanks in advance :-)

return to law and order in the White House

2008-11-07T23:15:00.002-05:00

Ok so we've had abuse of power in the White House for the last eight years. I think that Dick Cheney in particular abused his powers saying that he was not in the legislative or executive branch.

So less than a week after Obama is elected to the White House, this chart was released to the media.
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=2008_government_manual&docid=214669tx_xxx-3.pdf

What a difference an administration makes.

On a lighter note, who wants to place bets on a dog that the Obama girls will get?

Confidence Restored

2008-11-05T22:54:00.000-05:00

Politics has always been a divisive sport, and elections will bring out the worst in everyone. This year signs were stolen and cars were vandalized. It really is ashame that this country as divided as it is, but I think we made great progress last night.
In my adult life, politics were not always very exciting. I started my voting age life when we were spending taxpayer dollars investigating a blowjob. I don't know about you, but I really don't give a shit about someone else's sex life. That has no impact on anyone's ability to do the job. In my mind, it was a ploy to divide the country to separate the "values voters" conservatives with the rest of the world. The first presidential election separated the red and blue states, with the Supreme Court ruling against a Florida recount, and that brought us George Bush.
There was a moment in Bush's first term when the country WAS united. However it took a national tragedy to unite the country. Just in the aftermath of 9/11 was the only time I could honestly say that I approved of the president's job performance. The honeymoon was over as soon as he used the unity of this country to pursue his political agenda of leading us into two wars. By the time Bush came up for re-election, we did not have the United States of America, but instead had the Red States of America, and the Blue States of America. I fit the stereotype of a member of the latter.
I think much of that divide is gone as of today. Sure you still have the Sarah Palin Republican base, the social conservatives and single-issue (abortion) voters that are in tears right now. But I just hope that they realize that people like me were in the same boat just four years ago. And positions on social issues aside, many of them will be better off economically in an Obama administration. Ironically, some of the people who are such staunch social conservatives are the ones that end up using the forms of government assistance that their party opposes. And with the economy in the toilet, people losing their children daily to an unjust war, and the national debt soaring, many people realized that social issues are not at the top of the priority list right now.
It was not that long ago when people of my generation (who grew up in mostly Republican rule) did not care about politics. In 1996, more people watched the Super Bowl than voted. I was the only one of my friends who voted in 2000, and I voted for a candidate simply because he shared a birthday with me. In a neighboring city, Asbury Park, the turnout in 2000 was 6% jumping to 17% in 2004. Today it was in the 80s, and could be pushing 90. That is impressive.
Everyone I spoke to today when I was campaigning in PA had already voted and were encouraging their friends and family to vote, if not taking them to the polls. We rode in from NJ on the "bus for change" and gathered momentum on the way. Some people joined us from the local Democratic party HQ and others joined us as we were already on the streets. The youngest person to help us out was 6 months old (she was wearing an Obama onesie, she didn't do much but her sister who was about 2 happily waved a sign in the air). The oldest was well beyond retirement age. People joined us on the street corners to wave signs for us. They were black, white, and Hispanic (no Asians though). Young and old, and all had voted or wish they could have voted (due to their age). Everyone was honking their horns at us. For the first time in my adult life, I truly saw what unity was all about.
If the next 4 years is anything like the last 48 hours, my confidence in America is once again restored.

we did it

2008-11-05T02:00:00.000-05:00

And as Bush's infamous banner says, mission accomplished

All I have to say is

Yes we can, yes we will, yes we did!

Here's to President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice President-Elect Joe Biden. I'm very confident in their abilities to lead our country over the next four years.

Much more later.

I voted

2008-11-04T11:00:00.000-05:00

I was up early today and voted first thing in the morning. I went to bed late last night, so I didn't vote at 6 AM like I had planned on doing before heading off for a day of campaigning in PA.

I got to the fire house at 7:30, and was in and out of the polling place in five minutes. I guess that's an advantage of living in a very small tourist trap town where most people do not live here year round. The polling workers were impressed with me, and how I voted so fast.

I came armed with my sample ballot and school ID (I still do not have a NJ drivers license, and I know they would have turned me away with my NY license). There was not a single person waiting in line, and I was #80. The poll workers were impressed that i was able to vote so fast. My sample ballot was filled out, and I knew exactly how I was voting before entering the voting booth.

So how did your experiences go?

the writing on the car

2008-11-04T00:33:00.000-05:00

Ok so in 2004, I never had any stickers on my car, even though I wanted one. I never got around to ordering one. However the day before the election, I took a bar of soap and wrote VOTE BUSH OUT all over my car.

Since Bush is not running this time (even though McCain's voting record shows how much he supports the President), I didn't want to write the same. But I wanted to get more creative.

So a guy at a Bus for Change event in Red Bank yesterday handed us a sign that I wound up paraphrasing.

My Election Day message on the car this year was "Vote McCain and our future goes down the drain. Joe the plumber can't fix it" then I put "Obama/Biden 08" and "Vote 11/4"

America's voting system and how to fix it

2008-11-03T23:03:00.000-05:00

Before the next major election, the Help America Vote Act needs to be revised. If I held public office, I would make the following changes.
1) Require precincts to have 1 voting machine per X number of voters. That number will be the same in urban and rural districts, democratic and republican districts, rich and poor districts.
2) Allow early voting for all 50 states. Base machine capacity to assume a 25% turnout for early voters.
3) If a state requires a government-issued ID card to be able to vote, make it free of charge for people to get. In NJ a government issued ID card is $24, which could mean the difference between eating and starving for a low income household.
4) Any electronic voting machine must have a voter-verified paper trail. Two receipts would print, one for the voter and one for the machine BEFORE casting the ballot, and have the voter verify that their vote is counted correctly. Since voting machine companies can produce ATM machines that can print multiple receipts easily, I don't see how this would be a problem.
5) Any company that wishes to get in the business of voting machines must be non partisan. All executives and the company itself would be banned from making any political contributions to any campaign.
6) Allow voters without transportation to use public transportation free of charge to get to the polls.
7) State, county, and local officials should not purge voter registration roles within 6 months of an election. Require the official to attempt to make contact with every purged voter, barring an official death certificate.
8) Allow people to register to vote at the polls.

moments of election 08

2008-11-03T10:24:00.001-05:00

Was there any single moment of this election that really shaped the outcome for you? Now that it's almost over, we can take a trip down memory lane.

For the world's longest election season, I was an undecided Democrat. To be honest, I would have been happy with any Democrat over any Republican. I didn't have much of a choce by the time my primary came along (it was on Super Tuesday) because all but Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama had dropped out already. And neither of them were my first choice. I went into the voting booth that day undecided, and wound up voting for Obama because I did not want to see the White House run by two families for most of my lifetime (ok so it's been in the control of two families since I was eight years old, and I wanted fresh blood in there). I do think that Hillary Clinton is a very capable candidate, and she was my Senator until I moved down here. I did vote for her for the Senate.

What single moment shaped the election for you? For me, it started out with a Democratic debate that was about a year ago. Of the upteen debates, this one had the most memorable moments. Hillary Clinton was grilled on drivers licenses for illegals, Kucinich is questioned about UFOs (a wtf moment in a debate that could have killed him right then and there, I really wanted him to go further). And the two Democrats still still standing used the debate to not bring down their Democratic opponents, but their Republican ones. Since the debate was right before Halloween, the moderator asked about the candidate's Halloween plans. Future president Barack Obama mentioned that he was going to dress up as Mitt Romney and have three positions on every issue. However future VP Joe Biden had *THE* best one-liner of the whole campaign season, and killed the candidacy of Rudy Guiliani at the same time with his "a noun, a verb, and 9/11" line.

The other moment that really shaped me was the selection of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate. The moment he announced it IMO was wrong, because he took Obama's thunder away from a great DNC. But it was very clear that he was trying to go after Hillary Clinton's voters by putting a woman on the ticket. It seems fine on the surface, but once we get to know Sarah Palin, she stands about as far apart on the issues (including women's issues) than Hillary Clinton.

I'd like your comments on this one. What moments shaped this election for you?

Bus for Change on the boardwalks

2008-11-01T23:07:00.000-04:00

The Bus for Change is an old school bus that is painted in Red, White, and Blue, and travels through NJ to help out progressive causes in the state and region. I first had exposure to the bus in mid October when we were in Asbury Park registering voters. It is a great visibility tool for any campaign. If you would like to help out the cause, you can go to www.busforchange.com and make a donation.

In the weekend prior to the election, we were blessed with very good weather. So we decided to hit the boardwalks of Bradley Beach and Belmar. We had people from all walks of life helping us with the campaign. The thing that impressed me the most was the number of helpers we had that were not of voting age. There was a child with us, who was about 10, that wore an Obama halloween mask and stood on the boardwalk waving to people. He wore a blazer, and in my opinion, played the part perfectly. The response to a child did not fly well with me. As much as many people loved him, there was no shortage of negative responses. He did draw a one-finger salute from many drivers along Ocean Avenue. But that was the least of the responses. There were people that actually called a (white) child wearing a mask the N word.

Say what you want to about the likely president, but please refrain from calling a child the N word. That is inexcusable to me, and most people.

Bradley Beach is a lot more liberal than Belmar, but we're still in a very red part of New Jersey. Belmar had a much bigger crowd at the boardwalk due to being more of a destination town, and they had a dog rescue event and hokey-pokey contest going on too. So we were able to get more visibility but a lot more negative responses.

How this election turns out in Monmouth county is still unknown. As someone who is from a much more liberal area (neighboring town to the Clintons' post White House residence) I am not used to that many conservatives around. I guess I will have to get used to being in this red part of an otherwise blue state.