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June 27, 2007
"The Angler"
If you haven't yet done so, check out the Washington Post's remarkable four-part series -- The Angler -- which takes an in-depth (and very disturbing) look at Vice President Dick Cheney. The picture that emerges isn't pretty, and is likely to only further inflame those with a less than favorable view of the Veep.
WaPo's Cheney uses his mastery of the bureaucratic process to circumvent it and get what he wants. He has reinvented the role of Vice President as Chief of Staff without the title, but with free reign to shape the structure and operations of the Bush administration to suit his (and presumably President's Bush's) policy aims.
The Angler makes sure he receives all necessary information, while providing little to others. He marginalizes or runs off those on the inside who stand in his way, and adeptly adjust his tactics when confronted with obstacles. He has become the foil of his former self, who as Chief of Staff to President Ford admonished everyone to stick to the set process in the White House to get things done.
The series is a fascinating read, and well worth one's time.
Posted by houtopia at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 18, 2007
A Win For Houston
A good thing happened in Houston this weekend -- other than the Astros sweeping Seattle -- Melissa Noriega was elected to City Council.
Noriega defeated Roy Morales, who, to the extent he ran a campaign at all, was nothing more than a "johnny one-note" on the immigration issue. Her solid 11-point victory should make potential November challengers think twice before running against her.
Since Shelley Sekula-Gibbs left Council to briefly serve in Congress, things at City Hall have certainly been more pleasant, but her seat has been empty, until June 27th, when Noriega will take office. She will be a welcome replacement for Gibbs, who's irritating school-marm personality and shameless grandstanding did not endear her to her Council colleagues. Melissa is a professional, who will, unlike her predecessor, work and play well with others.
Our congratulations to Melissa Noriega. We have no doubt she will be a positive, able representative for the people of Houston.
Oh, and now that her victory is secure, there seems to be growing buzz about another Noriega. Stay tuned.
Posted by houtopia at 09:44 AM | Comments (0)
June 12, 2007
Busting An Obama Myth
Here at Houtopia, we have not chosen sides in the Democratic presidential primary (or the Republican one, for that matter), and are aren't likely to anytime soon. With 8 months or so before anyone actually votes, we'd like to see a great deal more about what the candidates have to offer, whether they can take a punch, think on their feet, etc.
Barack Obama burst onto the presidential scene several months back, and has clearly made quite a splash. He matched presumed Democratic frontrunner Hillary (Rodham - is the maiden name in or out these days - it's hard to keep up) Clinton dollar for dollar in the critically important first fundraising period, and many expect he will outraise her at the next reporting deadline. Obama has also built an impressive small donor base and volunteer organization, both of which could help him enormously in a long primary race. Most important, Obama has shown an ability to inspire voters not seen in the Democratic field since Bill Clinton exited the political stage.
His meteoric rise seems to have stabilized for the time being, though he remains a clear strong second in every poll -- not a bad place to be at this juncture of the race. With 60 to 65% of Democratic primary voters looking for an alternative to Hillary, he is at the moment well positioned to become the beneficiary of the coalesced anti-Hillary vote, if and when it coalesces.
One anti-Obama theme that has slowly developed -- born of his relative youth and scant national political experience, and no doubt quietly encouraged by his primary rivals -- is that the Illinois freshman is long on style but short on substance. (This characterization frankly reminds us more of another candidate in the field - he of the $400 haircut - but that is neither here nor there.) Aside from Obama's inexperience, however, we have never found much basis for this critique.
Sure, Obama was a bit shaky in the first candidate debate, but one could allow for simple nerves being the culprit in his first appearance on the grand stage. The numerous interviews we've watched of Obama over the last year have shown him to be polished, quick on his feet, and far from mistake-prone. We have been impressed.
A piece by Ben Smith up this evening at Politico confirms what we've thought all along -- there's plenty of there there with Barack Obama. Far from a lightweight slickster, the article portrays an Obama eager to engage on the substance of policy. It notes his unusual decision to convene policy experts (of various ideological and interest-based stripes) right from the start of his Senate term. Several went on the record for the piece, and to a person were complimentary of his intellect, curiosity and political understanding of the varying issues under discussion. In other words, plenty of substance to go with the exceptional political chops.
To be sure, Barack Obama must to do more in the coming months to put meat on the bones of his candidacy for president. Smith's article reassures us he at least has the capability to do that, and the fact that it was written demonstrates to us that Obama's people realize it's an issue critical to his nomination (and general election) hopes. We look forward to hearing more from the Illinois senator in the coming months, as well as the other contenders.
Posted by houtopia at 10:01 PM | Comments (0)
June 09, 2007
Cities Lead The Way
Today's Washington Post has a most interesting article about American cities leading the way on taking steps to reduce greenhouse emissions, while the federal government continues to stall.
From hybrid taxi cabs in New York City, to more energy-efficient home construction in Austin, to waterless urinals in Chicago, America's mayors are implementing actual measures to reduce emissions and decrease energy use, rather than talk about it.
Many in the press noted President George W. Bush's change in tone with regard to greenhouse emissions as he approached the just-completed G8 Summit in Germany. He actually called on the world's 15 biggest polluting countries to develop targets for reducing emissions by the end of next year. Sounds great, right? Wrong. Despite Bush's public proclamations to the contrary, nothing in his approach to actual policy has changed. He balked at German Chancellor Angela Merkel's proposal for the G8 nations to agree to fixed emissions targets; the U.S. was the only country not to agree.
It's good to see, at least, that U.S. mayors aren't waiting around for Washington to tackle this problem.
While Houston wasn't specifically mentioned in the Post article, rest assured that the White administration and City Council are taking steps to reduce Houston's carbon footprint as well. The new budget moves a substantial portion of the City's power use to renewable energy -- eventually about one-third. Improvements in water and sewer technology will make our water/wasterwater system more efficient. A new ordinance coming before Council will require set-asides for green space in new developments inside the City. And, of course, the City continues its legal action -- despite the efforts of some in the Legislature to shut it down, Lt. Gov Dewhurst comes to mind -- against the bad actors in local industry who continue to dump poisonous chemicals into the air.
As is true on so many other issues, the American public has left Bush behind on climate change, and they are simply going around him. Good for them.
Posted by houtopia at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
June 06, 2007
All Things Presidential
Still months away from any votes actually being cast, the presidential race -- in both parties -- churns along.
On the Democratic side, the race seems to have stabilized somewhat, though Barack Obama continues to creep up on Hillary Clinton in the polls. In fact, the latest USA Today Gallup poll has them essentially tied. The first-rate analysts over at pollster.com -- a site which aggregates polling data -- take a look at the poll in a larger context, and conclude that while it may be a stretch to characterize the race as tied at this point, aggregated polling shows the race narrowing.
Of course, as most folks know, national polls for the primary contests are far less important than those in individual states with early primaries. Still, these trends are not good news for team Hillary. She's the one candidate in the field with 100% name ID -- a largely defined entity in voter's minds -- and her numbers are going in the wrong direction. Basically two-thirds of Democrats are saying they want somebody else, and as the race progesses the non-Hillary vote is likely to start coalescing around a single alternative. So much for her shock & awe strategy of blowing people out of the race early. She may end up being the nominee, but she's going to have fight very hard to get it.
Over on the Republican side, confusion abounds. The field keeps expanding -- Fred Thompson now says he's in, and Newt Gingrich can't be far behind. The growing field likely means the pie of votes will only be further sliced up, complicating any one candidate's chances of breaking through.
The crowded GOP field went at it last night in Manchester, NH. But with so many candidates, how can anyone really stand out? Wonder what the wagering odds are these days on the Republican nomination going to the convention?
Oh, and in pondering the scrambled GOP field, don't miss Matt Taibbi's delicious Rolling Stone piece on "America's Mayor" and the current Republican frontrunner, our pal Rudy Giuliani.
Posted by houtopia at 07:59 AM | Comments (0)