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August 30, 2007
Bye, Bye Wi-Fi?
Houston's much anticipated municipal wireless program is in trouble. After striking a deal with Earthlink earlier this year to build the largest wi-fi network in the country, the City of Houston will accept a $5 million penalty from the company for failing to meet its deadlines to get the program rolling.
Meanwhile Earthlink, which is undergoing some corporate restructuring, will attempt to find additional investors for the project or risk eating the $5 million penalty by walking away from the deal. We sincerely hope Earthlink can make it work, because if not it may be quite a while before municipal wi-fi comes to Houston. We'll keep our fingers crossed.
Posted by houtopia at 08:52 AM | Comments (0)
August 29, 2007
Bacarisse Bites
The race for control of Harris County in 2008 figures to be one of the most interesting to watch for Texas political observers. Demographic change and erosion of the Republican brand have moved Democrats into nearly a dead heat with the GOP in a county dominated by Republicans for over a decade.
In 2006, with no governor's race to speak of and no high-profile countywide contests (read: no money being spent and terrible turnout from base Democratic voters), downballot Harris County Democratic candidates averaged roughly 48.5% of the vote. Jim Sharp, a Democrat running for the Court of Appeals, actually carried the county, only to fall short in the surrounding counties of the court's jurisdiction.
This surprisingly strong Harris County Democratic performance, given the less than optimal dynamics of the election in Texas, piqued the interest of many a local politico on both sides -- operative, donor, activist or observer -- and created heightened expectations (or tensions, depending on party) for the upcoming 2008 cycle.
Obviously, the races for President, U.S. Senate, Congress and the State Legislature will dominate next November's election. Here in Houston, however, the countywide races may constitute the pivotal battleground. A handful of county administrative offices and a few dozen judicial races are up for grabs in 2008.
Republicans currently hold every countywide office here in Harris, and (outwardly at least) they are confident of retaining control. Local Democrats, buoyed by a strong 2006 performance, are bullish about their 2008 prospects. Most knowledgeable observers think the contest will be very close, and could go either way. (Note: since most voters go to the polls to cast their ballot in the high-profile, top-of-the-ticket races, lesser-known downballot candidates tend to rise or fall depending on the overall partisan tide of the electorate. By this logic, either the downballot GOP or Democratic candidates could sweep, or something in between.)
The top prize among the countywide seats in 2008 will be County Judge, a seat that, ironically, should not even be voted on next year. Readers will recall that Robert Eckels was reelected to the position without opposition last fall, to a term that lasts through 2010. Soon after, Judge Eckels, the top countywide GOP electoral performer, and much to the chagrin of his local Republican brethren, decided to resign the seat and take a private sector job. County Commissioner's Court selected Ed Emmett, a former state legislator and Republican consultant, to take Eckels' place. Emmett's appointment was met with considerable grousing among local GOP activists.
By law, an election to fill the remainder of Eckels' term will be held next November. Emmett will run to hold the seat, despite lukewarm support from the Republican base. David Mincberg, a businessman and former Chair of the Harris County Democratic Party, just announced his candidacy on the Democratic side, and his background and fundraising ability, coupled with the party's increased viability of late make him a serious contender.
This Emmett-Mincberg matchup would figure to be a barn burner right off the bat. Not so fast.
Today, Charles Bacarisse, the current Harris County District Clerk, announced his entry into the Republican primary for County Judge. Bacarisse is an ally of two incredibly verbose and self-righteous "leaders" of the local GOP - Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt and State Senator (and talk radio host) Dan Patrick.
Bettencourt, who wanted Eckels job for himself and flirted with a run for Congress against Nick Lampson, and Patrick, who is enamored with the sound of his own voice, have led the criticism of Emmett's appointment and will undoubtedly back Bacarisse's candidacy to defeat him.
The GOP primary will pit the insider Emmett, who will likely be the institutional and business community's candidate, which will help him raise large sums of campaign cash, against the true believer activist-backed Bacarrise. It should be a battle royale. Some local Republican observers are not excited by the prospective fight.
Meanwhile, Mincberg and local Democrats will watch the upcomng battle with great interest, all the while preparing for the November 2008 general election. And a fascinating election it will be.
UPDATE: As noted in the comments, one reader took issue with the tone of a few lines crossing the line into personal attack. The post was written at the end of a long, difficult day, and after a night's sleep, we agree. In the interest of civility, we have made a couple of slight changes, and have noted the criticism for future reference.
Posted by houtopia at 09:23 PM | Comments (3)
August 28, 2007
A Laughingstock
These are not salad days for the Republican Party. With an unpopular president limping toward the finish line of his second term, a mass exodus underway among White House officials, a disastrous situation in Iraq, and a weak 2008 presidential field, the GOP faithful have lost their groove. Oh, and then there are the scandals.
As if Jack Abramoff, Duke Cunningham, Mark Foley, and our Texas favorite, Tom DeLay didn't do enough damage to their party during the 2006 election cycle, a whole new group of Republican leaders are carrying the torch right into 2008.
Let's see, we've had Louisiana Senator David Vitter, eschewing his "Christian values" to frequent prostitutes, Alaska Senator Ted Stevens ensnared in a corruption scandal back home (his son, the former head of the Alaska State Senate, has got troubles too), and Arizona Congressman Rick Renzi, who is "retiring" from Congress facing a federal investigation into his family insurance business.
Then there's Thomas Ravenel, the South Carolina Treasurer and erstwhile state chair of Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign, who was indicted on federal cocaine distribution charges, and Bob Allen, the Florida state representative and now former state co-chair of the John McCain presidential campaign who was arrested for soliciting sex from an undercover male police officer in a public bathroom.
And now there's Larry Craig. When your principal quote in a national front-page story is "I am not gay", you are not having a good day. And to think, he had just recorded a video explaining his support of Mitt Romney's presidential campaign. (Hey, at least these guys are spreading the love across the GOP presidential field.)
It seems there is just one Republican scandal after another, and we haven't even mentioned the litany of investigations of Bush administration officials in recent months. We'll go out on a limb and suggest that this string of bad news isn't exactly boosting morale among GOP activists, nor is it likely attracting converts to the cause. Sheryl Gay Stolberg confirms our suspicions in a piece running in tomorrow's Times.
Today's Republican Party -- a laughingstock.
Posted by houtopia at 09:46 PM | Comments (0)
August 27, 2007
What A News Day
The typically quiet week before Labor Day has begun as anything but quiet. From national to local news, Monday, August 27, 2007 will go in the books as a huge news day. Now to the headlines.
Gonzales Goes
In today's biggest national story, embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales finally called it quits. Democrats have long been after Gonzales for his role in the approval of controversial (to put it mildly) Bush administration policies, including warrantless wiretapping of Americans, secret foreign prisons, and torturing prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. His overall politicization of the Justice Department, culminating in the firing of a number of U.S. attorneys, drew even greater ire from Congressional Democrats, who, having regained control of both the House in Senate in the 2006 election, availed themselves of the ability to call for official investigations. The heat was turned up on Gonzales, likely making his situation untenable.
Interestingly, Gonzales was hardly beloved by conservatives either. While some, like Republican Senator Arlen Specter, questioned his competence, many suspected he was not a true conservative believer and didn't trust him. Gonzales instead relied on the unwavering support of President George W. Bush, his fellow Texan and longtime political benefactor, who famously values loyalty above all else. And loyal Gonzales was, right up to falling on his sword today.
Michael Vick Pleads Guilty
In perhaps the most-covered story of the day (hey, this is America), Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick pled guilty to a conspiracy charge today in a Richmond, VA federal court in his much-publicized dogfighting case. Vick was clearly contrite and apologetic for his actions, though we found his characterization of his behavior as "immature" rather than more apt terms such as cruel, inhumane and sadistic, a bit lacking to say the least. Vick will likely go to jail for at least a year, and it is unclear whether or not he will ever again play NFL football.
Astros Fire Garner And Purpura
In locally focused news, the Houston Astros fired there manager and general manager today, with 31 games remaining in a very disappointing season. Just two years removed from going to the World Series for the first time, the Astros are hovering near the basement of one of the weakest divisions in Major League Baseball. Professional sports is a results-oriented business, and the results for the Astros have been lousy. Both Garner and Purpura seem like hard-working, decent guys, but when the team stinks somebody's gotta take the fall. As far as we're concerned, it was time.
In other news, Houston State Representative Rick Noriega garnered some key endorsements today in his nascent campaign to unseat John Cornyn as Texas' junior United States Senator. Way to go Rick!
And we'll finish with yet another delicious morsel of Republican irony. From the party that brought us family values, we have yet another example of a GOP stalwart practicing the opposite of what he preaches. Yes, Larry Craig, the good GOP U.S. Senator from Idaho, was arrested in a Minnesota airport men's restroom, for attempting lewd conduct with an undercover male police officer. And to think, Craig had just recorded a video for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign celebrating Romney's family values. We couldn't make this stuff up if we tried.
Posted by houtopia at 09:49 PM | Comments (1)
August 25, 2007
China's Environmental Nightmare
Sunday's NY Times has an excellent but troubling story by Joseph Kahn and Jim Yardley, about the environmental crisis facing China today. China's explosive economic growth in recent years has rapidly lifted the standard of living there, but environmental degradation has spiraled out of control, with large, measurable consequences for public health.
Not surprisingly, China is trying to clean up its act, so to speak, before hosting next summer's Olympic Games. Achieving results, however, has become a problem. While edicts come forth frequently from the national government requiring improved environmental compliance, corruption rules the day in China, and little has changed.
In fact, many believe that China's environmental problems will only continue to worsen over the next number of years, as growth continues and the economy remains focused on manufacturing. A frightening thought, given the current pollution situation, but here's hoping the experts are wrong.
Posted by houtopia at 11:43 PM | Comments (0)
August 24, 2007
Hallelujah!
It's no secret that a religious conservative army in this country has been waging war on science in recent years, and among the most nefarious of its goals has been the fight to discredit evolution and require the teaching in our public schools of "intelligent design" -- a theology-based theory with no basis in fact -- as an equally plausible explanation for our existence.
Never mind that intelligent design is totally unsupportable scientifically, how about that little issue of separation of church and state, or that teaching it would only further hinder the math & science education of our kids, who are already less and less globally competitive in these fields all the time? The idea of teaching of "ID" as science in our public schools is preposterous on its face and antithetical to the very notions of science and reason.
Alas, we have come to expect little from state government in Texas these days, partly because the leadership is dominated by these same religious conservatives who want to ram their world view down everyone else's throats. One need only look at the last few sessions of the Texas Legislature for numerous examples of this modus operandi.
Well, consider us pleasantly surprised. This afternoon an AP story ran, reporting that two-thirds of the State Board of Education's 15 members said in interviews with the Dallas Morning News that they would not support requiring the teaching of intelligent design in public school science classes.
That may not sound like much, but these days we'll take it. Incidentally, of the 5 members who did not make that commitment, only one said she was open to the idea, while the other four did not comment for the record. Consider it a victory (albeit a very small one) for the forces of science and reason.
Posted by houtopia at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
August 23, 2007
New Pew Poll
As the dog days of summer roll on, so does the endless coverage and handicapping of the presidential race. Barbs are thrown back and forth, statements are taken out of context, and each candidate's history (public and private) is mined by opposing campaigns and the press. Still, we have a long way to go before anybody votes -- although at the rate certain states are moving up their dates, the nominations could be decided before the end of the year.
The Pew Research Center has taken its August snapshot of several major candidates from both parties in a new poll released today, with some interesting results.
Not surprisingly, Hillary Clinton posts the strongest favorability ratings of any candidate among members of her own party. Her numbers with non-Democrats, however, are the worst of any candidate tested. Conversely, Rudy Giuliani garners less enthusiasm from Republicans, but has the highest favorables of any candidate among voters not of his own political party. Rudy's numbers among Independents and Democrats have eroded significantly from just a year ago, suggesting that the more folks learn about "America's Mayor", the less favorably they are likely to view him.
For us, an interesting trend to watch will be whether or not Hillary Clinton can begin to improve her standing with non-Democrats, particularly Indpendents. Republicans have firmly held views about Senator Clinton, and are not likely to change much, but doing well with Independents will be critical for either nominee to win the presidency.
Equally interesting to see will be if Giuliani's downward trend among non-Republicans continues, or if he will stabilize after coming down from an artificially high level. And how will Fred Thompson fare, once he enters the race is subjected to the same scrutiny as the other candidates? (We think Fred's due for a major market correction, but we'll see.)
More entertainment to come for the politically wretched.
Posted by houtopia at 09:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 22, 2007
Delusion Watch
There is no doubt that the Iraq War will be the defining episode of George W. Bush's presidency, for better or worse. A final judgment, by historians and the American public, won't come for decades. The reviews to date, however, have been less than a rave. Over 3,700 brave American soldiers are dead, thousands more have been wounded (many severely), hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died, and an essentially non-functional Iraqi government has taken the month of August off while our troops stay and fight.
Two respected senior United States Senators -- Levin (D- Michigan) and Warner (R-Virginia) -- have just returned from Iraq and declared that the prime minister, Maliki, must go. (Note: the right wing was awfully quick to attack only Levin on this, why does Warner get a pass?) A massive truck bomb went off last week killing over 500 people, and apparently armed groups have seized control of Iraq's electricity grid.
In short, despite rosy depictions to the contrary, Iraq remains a disaster. The administration is set to begin releasing a grim analysis by American intelligence agencies of the Maliki government's ability to overcome the sectarian strife in Iraq. An utter mess.
What does the President have to say? Aren't you glad to know that a free Iraq is within reach? Amazing. President Bush, who won't even defend the Maliki government himself, nonetheless expects us to buy that freedom is within reach. That's rich -- right up there with the "we'll be greeted as liberators", "the insurgency is in its last throes", and "mission accomplished" lines.
In a particularly ironic touch, Mr. Bush trotted out an Vietnam analogy in his VFW convention speech, cautioning that a withdrawal now could result in destruction similar to what happened in Southeast Asia after the U.S. departed. There are indeed valid concerns about a rapid American pullout from Iraq, but we find it interesting that an administration which so resisted comparisions of Iraq to Vietnam, is now making the very comparison to advance its own arguments -- ah, GOP hypocrisy, we know it well.
George W. Bush seems simply out of touch on the difficult situation in Iraq. He truly seems to believe his rhetoric about happy days to come in Mesopotamia, no matter what the facts say. Well, how else can the guy sleep at night? God help us.
Posted by houtopia at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)
August 20, 2007
Vets At UH
Dane Schiller has a nice piece in Monday's Chronicle about recent U.S. military veterans now on campus at the University of Houston. On average, these students are a bit older than average, and certainly have had fuller life experiences than most college kids, to say the least.
Fundamentally, however, they are everyday young people taking the next step forward in their lives, and it's great to see. These folks have performed a great service for their country, and for those who have been in Iraq and Afghanistan, under tremendously difficult circumstances. Whatever one may think of the country's foreign policy, the overwhelming number of Americans serving do so honorably, and they deserve our gratitude.
So to the veterans on our local college campuses about to begin classes, we say go forward with the next chapter in your lives and continue to serve your country as productive members of society. Get that degree!
Posted by houtopia at 11:22 PM | Comments (0)
August 18, 2007
Rick Perry's TTC Conspiracy
We couldn't help but notice a humorous piece by R.G. Ratcliffe in today's Chronicle about conspiracy theories surrounding Texas Governor Rick Perry's promotion of the controversial Trans Texas Corridor "super highway" project.
The TTC is a source of great anger for many Texans, especially rural folks who would be severely impacted by construction of the 1,200-foot wide highway and right of way, and property rights activists who decry government infringement upon private landholders. It's also bad public policy that would waste billions of taxpayer dollars, but that distinction hardly makes it unusual for government action (state or federal) these days. Nonetheless, Rick Perry has continually championed the TTC cause, despite it's unpopularity among his conservative base, which was about the only group left in the state who still supported the Guv. Not anymore.
Many of Perry's former friends on the right are now accusing him of abetting a conspiracy to merge the U.S., Canada and Mexico into the "North American Union", an EU equivalent complete with its own currency, the Amero. Right wing author Jerome Corsi, he of Unfit For Command fame (the Swift Boat vets book attacking John Kerry), has now turned his guns on the purported North American merger rumor in a new book, and even devotes a chapter to the good Governor of Texas.
Ratcliffe's article was good for a chuckle. We don't doubt that there may be some wealthy shadowy figures who might advocate for such a merger, from which they might financially benefit. You know, kind of like those darkly lit, smoking guys in old X Files episodes. But after watching the last couple of sessions of the Legislature, does anybody really think Rick Perry is smart enough to be a player in such a scheme? Count us as skeptical.
Posted by houtopia at 05:12 PM | Comments (0)
August 17, 2007
Rolling The Dice
Few issues in American politics today have the ability to push emotional buttons and elicit visceral reactions from the public like the immigration issue. Immigration does not cut neatly across partisan or ideological lines like so many issues in today's polarized political environment. And while most Americans favor reasonable reform to the system that strengthens border security, documents the undocumented, and creates a much stronger legal immigration system, a very angry and vocal minority does not, and that minority has been very effective to date in halting reform.
President Bush, for his part, championed reform, but the collapse of an immigration deal in Congress earlier this summer bore witness to his badly diminished political clout in the waning years of his administration. Bush, as well as his soon to be ex-advisor Karl Rove and former national Republican party chairman Ken Mehlman, all have preached the importance of expanding GOP reach into minority communities, particularly the Latino community, as critical to the party's longterm national viability.
The Republican base, however, is sufficiently hostile to compromise on the immigration issue that it has simply tuned out this outreach message. These folks want the border closed, a crackdown on employment of undocumented workers, and deportation of those here illegally. Just this week, two of the top GOP presidential contenders (Rudy & Romney), in a sign of the issue's importance in the Republican primary, escalated rhetoric against one another about who's tougher on immigration.
While it may go against President Bush's political judgment, he seems to be bowing to the base's demands. By ramping up enforcement against hiring of undocumented workers, Bush is clearly feeding the base some red meat. But will there be a political cost to doing so?
No doubt, many of his traditional supporters in the business community will be very unhappy and will make those feelings known. And what of the effect on the millions of Latino citizens who vote, not to mention the millions more who are eligible but have so far not felt compelled to participate? Will this anti-immigration fervor produce an electoral backlash in 2008? What about in a state like Texas, who's Latino population is approaching 40%, but where Republicans like Bush and Governor Rick Perry have done well with traditionally Democratic Latino voters? Will John Cornyn suffer? Will Rick Noriega benefit?
The answers to these questions are unknowable at this point, but one thing is clear: Republicans are making a big roll of the dice on immigration. It may pay off, it may not, but it will be fascinating to watch.
Posted by houtopia at 05:18 PM | Comments (2)
August 16, 2007
Padilla Convicted
The sad case of Jose Padilla inched closer to a conclusion today, as he was convicted by a Miami jury of "conspiracy to support Islamic terrorism overseas." A serious charge, to be sure, but far from the dirty bomber rap the Bush Administration initially tried to put on him after four years of imprisoning him without charging him at all. The inimitable Glen Greenwald has the rundown.
Padilla was arrested in April 2002 on suspicion of plotting to detonate a dirty bomb in the U.S., declared an enemy combatant, and held (as well as possibly tortured) for nearly four years in military custody before actually being charged with a crime. Is Jose Padilla an illegal immigrant? An Afghani member of the Taliban? No, Jose Padilla is an American citizen. That's right folks, Jose Padilla's constitutional right as an American to habeus corpus -- to be charged with an actual crime -- was simply ignored by the Bush Administration, until the threat of a Supreme Court ruling rejecting its conduct forced them to finally charge him with something.
To boot, it became clear late last year that Padilla's confinement and treatment had completely dehumanized him and broken him psychologically. In fact, his treatment while incarcerated may well have amounted to torture.
Why, you may ask, should we care what happened to Jose Padilla? After all, Padilla was basically a career low-level criminal, and he was a radical Islamic sympathizer. Because he is an American citizen, and he, whether we like him or not, is entitled to basic rights. Those rights include the right to be charged with a crime in order to be detained for a lengthy period of time, and the right not to be subjected to cruel and unusual punishment, both of which were clearly and egregiously violated.
By so brazenly denying an American citizen these rights, the Bush Administration simply gave the Constitution, and thus all Americans, the big middle finger. If the very Americans who need to avail themselves of their constitutional protections don't have them, then what good are they? The Supreme Court did ultimately reject the adminstration's actions in the Padilla case as unconstitutional, but the damage to Padilla was done.
Jose Padilla was no saint. But his treatment at the hands of the United States government is nothing less than a travesty, and we should all be disgusted and ashamed.
Posted by houtopia at 07:05 PM | Comments (0)
August 15, 2007
Taking Stock Of Barack
The marathon races for the respective major party presidential nominations are in the early middle miles. It's hot, slow going, and the finish line is nowhere in sight. Nobody actually votes for months, so debates, straw polls, Web videos and earned media tit for tat are the weapons of choice at the moment, as campaigns continue to jockey and raise as much money as possible for prime time early in 2008.
The Republican race continues to be scrambled eggs. Mitt Romney spent a fortune to win, with an unimpressive 32% of the vote, the Iowa Straw Poll last weekend. That the event had dismal turnout -- just 14,000, down from the 20,000 expected and 24,000 in 1999 -- and was skipped by major GOP candidates Giuliani and McCain, not to mention potential candidates Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich, should speak volumes about its importance to the overall race. As right wing commentator Fred Barnes put it yesterday, "I think Ames meant zilch."
On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton maintains a sizeable lead in national polls, though the race is a good bit tighter in early primary states. She and Barack Obama have separated themselves, for the time being at least, from the rest of the field (Clinton's numbers average in the high 30s - a several point uptick in the last few months, while Obama's have stayed in the low 20s) and the campaigns have had a few early skirmishes in recent weeks, both in debates and via the news media.
Squabbling over foreign policy tactics, the hypothetical use of nuclear weapons, and lobbyist contributions probably hasn't changed the race much in our judgment. Rather, it's our guess that Clinton's polished performance in the debates accounts for the slight widening of her lead in recent weeks, but who knows for sure?
Clearly, the race remains very much in play, and while Clinton has the advantage at the moment, the fact that 60+% of Democrats haven't committed to a totally known and defined candidate suggests there is an opening for an alternative. But is Barack Obama that alternative? (We think he's probably the only viable alternative, by virtue of his appeal and fundraising prowess, save a very unlikely Al Gore entrance into the race. In other words, it's very likely going to be her or him.)
Whether Obama can take it to the next level is the million dollar question in the 2008 race, as far we're concerned, and the jury is very much out on that one. Can he convince the primary electorate he's ready to be president? Can he become a more disciplined candidate without losing his unique appeal? Can he successfully run an unconventional campaign of change against a battle-tested, status quo candidate? Not at all clear at this point. Two articles on the subject are very much worth your time.
The first is Ryan Lizza's cover story -- Above The Fray -- in the latest issue of GQ magazine. It is a lengthy, fascinating glimpse into Obama-world on the campaign trail. Lizza sharply captures Obama's strengths and shortcomings (any preconception that Obama is an intellectual "lightweight" should be put to rest by this piece), and really nails the challenge his campaign faces over the next several months. It is a must-read for campaign junkies.
Second is a Dan Balz piece in today's Washington Post. In it, Obama floats what could become a central theme in his primary campaign -- that while Hillary Clinton may well be able to win the presidency, she may not be able to govern. This notion speaks to a unease many Democrats feel about Clinton (and which may explain her less than dominant position in the race) -- she's so polarizing that the acrimony and gridlock people are so tired of will only continue if she's elected.
Obama is careful not to blame Clinton herself for her polarizing effect, rather he asserts he can bring the country back together. Such a message may have particular appeal in an early primary state like New Hampshire, where Independents often vote in one of the presidential primaries. And clearly, Obama needs an early state victory -- certainly by South Carolina -- if he is to go the distance with Hillary. Will this and/or other strategies be successful? Way too soon to say, but it bears watching.
Posted by houtopia at 06:32 PM | Comments (2)
August 13, 2007
Bye, Bye, Karl
Ladies and gentlemen, Svengali is exiting the stage. Karl Rove, architect of two presidential election victories for George W. Bush (well, we'd argue one - there was that little Florida controversy in 2000), is hanging up his political spurs.
"Bush's Brain" gave rise to strategy and tactics that yielded short-term gain for Republicans, and hinted at his party's possible longer-term ascendence, but the permanent GOP majority he sought to build is now arguably farther away than anytime since Ronald Reagan left the White House. We believe Rove deserves as much blame for the Republican Party's current woes as he does credit for its past successes.
Karl Rove is undeniably brilliant. His encyclopedic knowledge of voting data and historical precedent, as well as a nose for finding holes in an opponent's supposed strongest selling points made him a formidable campaign adversary. But there's also no denying Rove's methods succeeded in driving voter turnout down, polarizing the country, and alltogether disaffecting many Americans from the political process. These results will make up at least as much of his legacy as his many electoral victories.
Undoubtedly, speculation as to the timing of his departure will run rampant in the coming days. Count us among those who suspect that continuing (and possibly worsening) legal troubles may lie at the heart of the matter, but that's just a hunch. We'll have to wait and see what, if anything, comes of current -- and maybe future -- investigations.
Karl Rove will read and studied by devotees of political warfare for many years to come. He will not, in our judgment, be missed.
Posted by houtopia at 06:23 PM | Comments (0)
August 11, 2007
Rudy's Five Big Lies
Current GOP presidential frontrunner Rudy Giuliani has made his "leadership" in response to the tragedy of 9/11 the centerpiece of his early campaign. Rudy's reputation as "America's Mayor" in the wake of the attacks is largely responsible for his early lead -- a lead that has been shrinking, by the way -- in polls for the Republican nomination, as well as solid standing in hypothetical general election matchups against Democratic contenders.
Rudy is cleraly counting on his anti-terrorism bona fides to see him through the primary season, in spite of weighty personal baggage and positions on social issues that are anathema to today's right wing, religious conservative-dominated GOP, as well as provide enough crossover appeal to win him the general election in November 2008.
At first blush, it's a solid strategy. Republicans know they have a weak presidential field (note that undecided leads many GOP primary polls these days), and may be willing to swallow some unpallatable qualities in their nominee to get a win.
There's one big problem: turns out Rudy Giuliani's general sleaziness and serial dishonesty also extend to that vigilant anti-terrorist crusader image he has so meticulously cultivated. That's right, folks. Rudy's full of it on 9/11 just like everything else.
New York firefighters began poking the first real holes in Rudy's 9/11 urban legend with a hard-hitting video released a couple of weeks ago. It aims squarely (and pretty effectively) at Giuliani's principal rationale for being elected president. (Note to Karl Rove: others can play your game too.) The video's good, but not very many people saw it.
Well, Wayne Barrett took this line of attack quite a bit further a few days ago, in a devastating piece in the Village Voice. Barrett has a new book -- Grand Illusion: The Untold Story of Rudy Giuliani and 9/11 -- and his Voice piece is a summation of the book's argument.
Barrett identifies five big lies: 1) that Giuliani has more experience dealing with terrorism than others in the presidential field; 2) that NYC was better prepared in 2001 than anywhere else in the country for terrorist attacks; 3) that Rudy isn't to blame for locating the city's emergency-command center in 7 World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the attacks; 4) that Democrats don't understand the nature of the terrorist threat the country faces; and 5) that every effort was made by Mayor Giuliani and his staff to ensure the safety of rescue workers at Ground Zero.
Barrett takes on and effectively debunks each of these claims in great detail. The piece takes the bloom off Rudy's anti-terrorist crusader rose, to be sure, and if the facts become widely known to the American public, should have a chilling effect on his presidential prospects, to say the least.
With a number of months before the first GOP primary, an interesting question is whether Giuliani's Republican rivals will give him a pass on this fairy tale he's created, or will they open up the guns and make a turkey shoot out of his flimsy actual record? Time will tell there, but one thing is clearer than ever -- Rudy Giuliani should not be president.
Posted by houtopia at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
August 10, 2007
Watch Cheney On Iran
Well folks, our beloved vice president is at it again. It seems the rumors of Dick Cheney's political demise have been greatly exaggerated, and that he is once again, according to McClatchy News, agitating for military action against Iran.
Apparently Cheney is dubious of using diplomacy in dealing with Iran (gee, does this sound familiar), and believes Iran's meddling in Iraq, should "hard new evidence" of Iranian involvement there emerge, must be met with U.S. military strikes against Iran. Hmm... hard new evidence, huh? Given what passed for hard evidence in the lead-up to the Iraq War, we'd be awfully curious to know where the evidence bar will be set with Iran.
Unlike the Iraq situation, however, apparently this time both Secretary of State Condi Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates are opposed to military action against Iran. Bet Cheney's missing his old pal Rummy right about now, though he was able to steamroll Colin Powell last go-round, so don't count him out just yet.
So stay tuned. Expect increasingly bellicose rhetoric from the Bush Administration toward Tehran in the coming days, as the saber-rattling escalates. We as Americans, however, must exercise our civic duty and hold both our elected officials and the news media to account in demanding and scrutinizing any "hard evidence" against Iran that may (or may not) emerge.
Our war-weary, cash-strapped nation simply cannot afford another quagmire in the Middle East.
Posted by houtopia at 02:48 PM | Comments (0)
August 09, 2007
Hillary: Busted On Nukes
Remember when in a recent Democratic presidential debate, Hillary Clinton criticized rival Barack Obama for ruling out the use of nuclear weapons against terrorists in Pakistan or Afghanistan? Well, turns out she said something remarkably similar when asked about Iran just last year. Whoops.
One of Senator Clinton's main selling points against the younger Obama has been her experience. She haughtily lectured Obama that the president should not make any "blanket statements with respect to the use or non-use of nuclear weapons", and yet she did the same thing herself. Guess all that "experience" made a real difference, huh?
Speaking of, just how much more direct government experience than Obama does she really have, anyway? She's been in the U.S. Senate two years longer than he has, and has had a handful of direct policy responsibilities as First Lady of both Arkansas and the United States (one of those, healthcare in 1993, didn't exactly go very well), but Obama served in the Illinois Senate for a number of years himself before going to Washington.
Yes, he is over a decade younger than she, but if elected president, Obama would be older (47) taking office than JFK, Teddy Roosevelt, or Bill Clinton were when they entered the White House. So, note to team Hillary: be careful playing that experience card too often. Sometimes it can bite you in the butt.
Posted by houtopia at 07:41 PM | Comments (0)
August 08, 2007
Parsing The Polls - Hillary Vs. Obama
Months before anyone actually votes in the 2008 presidential primaries, it is risky to read too much into national polls of the nomination race for either major party. While we, the politically wretched, follow every zig and zag of the various campaigns, as well as any corresponding trends in the plethora of polls out there, most Americans, even the much smaller number who do vote in primary elections, just aren't paying much attention yet, so don't give too much credence to who they say they're supporting in August 2007.
If one is to watch polling data this early and wants the most accurate lay of the land possible, it is wiser to look at aggregated trends across a number of polls, as opposed to following movement in individual surveys. For example, it can be downright confusing to see something like (these are hypothetical examples only) the Post has Hillary up while the Times shows Obama gaining, or, Rasmussen gives Giuliani the edge but Gallup has him tied with Thompson; you get the picture.
One of the best sites out there for aggregating and analyzing polling data is Pollster.com. Rather than fixate on every up and down in every survey, the founders of pollster dot com -- Mark Blumenthal and Charles Franklin -- tend to take a comprehensive birdseye view, which is far more likely to yield an accurate picture of what's really happening.
Yesterday, on the heels of "dueling" memos from each campaign which, shockingly, favored its own candidate, Franklin took an overview look at the of Hillary vs. Obama polling data. The results are quite interesting.
Franklin observes that each campaign's memo cherry-picks, to a certain extent, recent polling data to show Clinton or Obama in the best possible position. Again, hardly surprising. Franklin's analysis, however, shows a modest but clear expansion of support for Hillary Clinton among Democrats, while Obama's numbers have remained flat. Franklin's numbers -- Hillary - 38.8% -- Obama - 22.6%, or a 16.2% lead for Clinton.
The reasons for, or significance of this movement is a question certainly open to debate, and we would caution against giving it undue weight at this early date, but these appear to be the numbers at the moment. If you must follow the horserace (and we plead guilty to doing so), at least get good information. Rely on Pollster.com.
Posted by houtopia at 06:21 PM | Comments (0)
August 07, 2007
The July Death Toll
Is the Iraq surge actually working? That's a very difficult question to answer. There have been, in recent days, some reports from Iraq that at least the security situation may have improved, though not true of the political situation. (Tough to make political progress when the Iraqi parliament takes the month off.) Over four years into the war, and with American military personnel serving bravely under terrible conditions, one can only hope for improvement there.
But are things really any better? One statistic that has been bandied about by those arguing they are, is that July had the fewest deaths of Americans in Iraq of any month this year- 80. Good news, right? Well, the death of 80 American soldiers will never be good news in our book, but if it represented a real decline then yes, that's at least better news. But not so fast. Stephen Farrell at Firedoglake is on the case.
While the July 2007 numbers look good compared to previous months this year, take a look at them vis-a-vis previous July totals.
July 2003: 48
July 2004: 54
July 2005: 54
July 2006: 43
July 2007: 80
(Source: Iraq Coaltion Casualties Web site)
Not so good news after all.
September is fast approaching, the deadline many Republican members of Congress have to set to weigh the situation in Iraq and reevaluate their support for the conflict. As disastrous as this war has been to date, all Americans should welcome improvement in Iraq, but it's got to be real improvement.
Posted by houtopia at 07:57 PM | Comments (2)
August 06, 2007
Which Is It, Senator Cornyn?
Will the real John Cornyn please stand up? After months of huffing and puffing from Cornyn on the hot-button immigration issue, veteran Texas political journalist Wayne Slater nails the junior United States Senator to the wall -- so to speak -- in today's Dallas Morning News.
Readers will recall that earlier in the summer, Mr. Cornyn led the right-wing charge against comprehensive immigration reform and in favor of constructing a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Anti-immigrant sentiment, fueled by conservative talk radio, boiled over into a deluge of calls and emails to Congress, demanding a vote against the immigration bill, despite President Bush's strong support for the legislation. (Guess he spent all that political capital he was crowing about after the 2004 election.) As a result, the tenuous coalition supporting the bill fell apart, and no deal was reached. Though Congress failed to act to fix a broken immigration system, Cornyn and the xenophobic right declared victory.
Well guess who's changing his tune? It seems that Mr. Cornyn has now remembered that Latinos constitute upwards of 40% of the state's population, and that he is up for reelection next year, potentially against formidable Democratic candidate, who also happens to be Latino. Now Cornyn is hedging on this beloved border wall, the wall he just voted to build, and is actually sounding a lot like he did in 2004, when he declared it a bad idea. Flip. Flop.
So which is it, Senator, are you for the wall, or against it? Are you an anti-immigrant demagogue or not? Ah, we can visualize the press conference now -- "I actually voted for the $3 billion border wall before I was against it." You'll make John Kerry proud. We especially loved Cornyn staffer Brian Walsh's statement in the Slater piece that the Senator's previous opposition to the wall was to an 1,800-mile version, not the current one planned. Nice, Brian. Think they might be hiring at the White House -- they could use you.
Once again folks, leadership that Texans can be proud of, brought to you by the Republican Party.
Posted by houtopia at 08:05 PM | Comments (3)
August 04, 2007
The Presidentials Arrive
Well, the 2nd annual Yearly Kos convention reached its climax in Chicago today with a lively presidential candidates' forum (quasi-debate), that featured Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama & John Edwards, as well as Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel. The gifted writer Matt Bai of the NY Times moderated, with assistance from Daily Kos contributor Joan McCarter and Frameshop's Jeffrey Feldman. Bai and McCarter ran the show from the stage, while Feldman handled audience questions out in the hall. It was a lively and interesting affair.
For one thing, no effort was made to squelch natural audience reaction to candidate responses -- a wise choice given the nature of the crowd. Such attempts at control would not have gone over well with this irreverent bunch. That said, all the candidates were generally very well received -- if laughing at Mike Gravel's answers constitutes a good reception -- with some exceptions.
The most interesting exchange of the forum came over remarks about public financing of elections and swearing off contributions from lobbyists, both of which (shockingly) were enormously popular ideas with the crowd. John Edwards -- who, by the way still seems virtually incapable of saying anything of substance regarding serious policy matters -- twice proclaimed his own virtue (as well as Obama's) for abstaining from lobbyist contributions, and challenged the rest of the field to come along.
Senator Clinton remained quiet, but Bai didn't let her off the hook. He asked her what she thought of Edwards' proposal, since he had mentioned it twice. Clinton, who, from our second-row seat looked pretty tense from the get-go (it's no secret she's not the blogosphere's favorite), initially said something like "well... it's clear John has taken that position...", which drew widespread hissing and grousing from the crowd. She then (oddly) added "finally, the reaction I expected all along!" or something to that effect, which only drew more audience grumbling. She then honestly responded that she would take lobbyist money, but that her record shows it would have no effect on her policy positions, and that it would take time to get public financing of elections. Lead balloon, folks. Obama then nicely finished the triangulation by touting his own record on campaign finance reform, both in Illinois and Washington, and calling for both immediate incremental change to the system, as well as a longer term overhaul.
The candidates generally came off as sunny, but vague. They said all the right things, but little substantive interaction took place. In our judgment, this lightweight tenor of the forum was mostly due to weak, general questions. If any audience ever cried out for a no bullshit exchange -- say, addressing candidates' perceived weak points and forcing them to respond -- this was it.
Where were the questions: Senator Clinton -- you have only recently changed your tune on begining to withdraw U.S. troops in Iraq, after having consistently voted for the policy since 2002. Why should we believe this change of heart is anything more than a craven political calculation? Or, Senator Edwards -- you too, proclaim yourself the real candidate of big change, and agressively rail against the War in Iraq, Patriot Act, etc. Yet, as a U.S. Senator, you voted for the war, and even helped write the Patriot Act. Why should we believe your judgment is suddenly better now? Or, Senator Obama -- you have little direct foreign policy experience, and many have characterized your policy statements in this area as naive. Why should we believe you're ready to be commander in chief? Sadly, no such questions were to be found.
Chris Dodd was surprisingly good. His sensible answers drew very positive reaction from the crowd. One can't help thinking he seems quite presidential. But, the New England senator profile (not to mention lack of funds) just ain't gonna get you there in 2008.
Once again, Bill Richardson -- again, highly qualified to be president -- was simply off base message-wise. Not sure who advises him, but a review on knowing your crowd is in order. He clearly did not really grasp what the Yearly Kos audience is all about.
Dennis Kucinich continues to offer a principled, if pie-in-the-sky agenda, but does help keep the others honest. And Gravel... what can you say, comic relief is always a plus.
Signing off from Yearly Kos. Back to more local concerns on Monday.
Posted by houtopia at 03:15 PM | Comments (0)
Immigration And The Hispanic Vote
This morning's panel of choice was on immigration and the Hispanic vote, obviously a particular matter of concern for residents of the Lone Star State. The presenters were Cecilia Munoz, Eliseo Medina of SEIU, Joe Garcia, and Simon Rosenberg moderated.
Cecilia Munoz, vice president of public policy for La Raza, led off sounding the alarm that the Latino and immigrant communities are under attack, and that progressives and Democrats need to stand up for them. Fixing the broken immigration system must be a priority.
Medina continued along the same lines, and debunked many of the myths surrounding undocumented immigrants -- such as, they don't pay taxes, they illegally get Social Security, etc. He echoed the imperative for reforming the current system, and allowing for a viable method of documentation.
Rosenberg took the political angle, noting the explosive growth in Latino population, and, though lagging, voting strength. With an estimated 4-5 million voting Americans who speak Spanish as their first language, he stressed how urgent it is for progressives and Democrats to make the Latino vote a priority. Six states -- New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada & Florida among them, are in the swing category and have large Latino populations. Rosenberg's point that seizing these states would easily clinch the 2008 presidential election, was well taken by the audience. He also challenged the online community to stand up and be counted on the immigration issue, and lamented its relative absence from the immigration bill debate earlier in the year.
Presidentials coming up!
Posted by houtopia at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)
August 03, 2007
On "Modern" Campaigns
Just wrapped up a fascinating session on modern campaigns, moderated by Simon Rosenberg of the New Democratic Network. (Note: Houtopia was an early backer of Simon's brief candidacy for Chair of the Democratic National Committee.) The panelists were Joe Trippi - of Howard Dean fame - now working for John Edwards, Stephanie Cutter, who did communications for the Kerry campaign, and Jerome Armstrong, an early influential blogger and top-drawer netroots consultant. It was a great group.
Interesting that in a different panel with a different subject, tension with the "MSM" mainstream media bogeyman was in abundance. A number of national reporters were there covering the session, including Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post and Kate Seelye of the New York Times, and both Rosenberg and Trippi pulled no punches ripping their profession for missing the boat on the emerging power of Internet activism. Rosenberg was particularly hot, lambasting the press for characterizing attendees at Yearly Kos as nothing more than "left-wing wackos", rather than modern-day activists responsible for reconnecting millions of disaffected Americans to the political process. It will be interesting to see what the MSM coverage looks like when the presidential show rolls into town tomorrow.
Rosenberg also had much to say on the continuing waste of campaign dollars on network television buys, despite the Big Three's (NBC, ABC & CBS) precipitous decline in market share over recent years. He estimates that cable now constitutes 60% of the market share, and noted that commercial advertisers now spend equal amounts on cable vs. network, while campaigns still choose network TV by a 10:1 ratio. Crazy.
Simon also touched on the budding Hispanic political market, and the unconventional ways to reach Latino voters (DJs, text messaging) that proved successful with the enormous organic immigration rallies that took place around the country in 2006. Lessons to be learned here, for sure.
Trippi focused on the exponential growth of the Web in politics since John McCain first pioneered its use in the 2000 campaign. To put it in perspective, in 2000, McCain signed up 40,000 people online and raised a couple million bucks for his first insurgent presidential bid. Skip to 2004, when Howard Dean had 650,000 sign-ups and raised $59 million in the Democratic primary. Kerry of course went on to leverage that network in the general election. Of course, 2008 candidates on the Democratic side are on pace to shatter those numbers yet again.
Trippi stressed here, as he did in a recent You Tube video we mentioned several days ago, that the GOP is woefully behind in this medium, and has a "deep and abiding" problem. We concur.
Cutter and Armstrong also added valuable insight into what was a most informative afternoon session.
Tomorrow the presidentials! Stay tuned...
Posted by houtopia at 06:00 PM | Comments (0)
Blogs And The Mainstream Media
Next session is bloggers vs. the hated "MSM" or mainstream media. This panel will seek to analyze the conflict that has arisen between the two sides, and whether there is way out that elevates political discourse -- a path from "clash to civilization." Panelists are Mike Allen of Politico, blogger Jill Filipovic, Jay Carney from Time, and Glenn Greewald of the Unclaimed Territory blog on legal and constitutional issues.
Mike Allen -- thinks bloggers and MSM are naturally moving toward meeting in the middle, and that many of the negative predispositions each side carries are begining to evaporate -- perhaps a bit sunny a take for our money.
Jill Filipovic -- gives MSM a grade of C+.
Jay Carney -- "goofy" of right wing to suggest that MSM attendance at Yearly Kos is a sign of leftist bias. He's here because of the power the blogosphere has excercised over the last several years. Starting Time's blog -- Swampland -- has been a "bracing" experience. Does not give MSM a good grade on covering the Bush Administration, particularly Iraq, and would like to have a do-over on that. Gives bloggers a B, and MSM a C grade.
Glenn Greenwald -- lines are being blurred, because many MSM journalists now write blogs, and many bloggers now write for establishment publications. Reminds audience that 70% of Americans in 2003 believed Saddam Hussein was directly involved in 9/11, and yet 44% of Americans earlier this year knew John Edwards was the candidate behind the haircut controversy. What Americans know and don't know speaks volumes about the state of the American political press. Missing from news accounts of the NSA wiretapping scandal, was that Bush's activity is a felony, punishable by prison time. Charlie Savage of the Boston Globe just won a Pulitzer Prize for covering what the White House does, not what it says. This should be the floor, not the Pulitzer standard for political journalism. Bloggers don't want MSM journalists to be partisans, they want them to do their jobs.
Great stuff.
Posted by houtopia at 01:02 PM | Comments (0)
Houston In The Spotlight (Sort Of)
Attending the luncheon panel here at Yearly Kos -- it's a very interesting discussion between Harold Meyerson, a Washington Post columnist and head of the American Prospect magazine and Andy Stern, the legendary head of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU).
Stern chose to highlight the efforts to organize janitors in Houston as part of his remarks. Houstonians will recall that union organizers and local janitors caused quite a kerfuffle when they decided to block traffic one day last fall at a busy Galleria-area intersection. The blogger audience gasped when Stern told them those arrested were held for over $800,000 bail.
Interesting perspective from Stern. While many locals -- including the Mayor and much of City Council -- condemned the action taken as lawless and over the top, Stern wears it as a badge of honor and necessary to get something accomplished. (A deal was reached to give those janitors health benefits and a pay increase.)
The discussion is continuing about the need for workers to organize beyond national borders, to create global standards for fair labor practices. Most interesting.
Posted by houtopia at 12:10 PM | Comments (1)
Wes Clark Wakes 'Em Up
Greetings from Day Two of Yearly Kos.
It's no secret we're big fans of retired General Wesley Clark. We pitched in on his (sadly) short-lived presidential campaign in 2004, and have continued to follow his worthy contributions to the national political debate.
Clark is waking folks up with a rousing keynote speech this morning. He's covered soup to nuts of American domestic and foreign policy issues, but, not surprisingly, he saved his most stirring commentary for the debacle known as the Iraq War. Favorite line of the morning:
"Mr President, stop hiding behind David Petraeus, and come out and defend your failed policy in the region!" Needless to say, this got a standing ovation. He's now taking Q&A (pretty detailed, sophisticated policy questions, we might add) from participants.
Some 1,500 folks are attending this year's convention -- apparently up 50% from last year's first go-round. Lots of laptops out in the ballroom, as folks blog away.
One interesting tidbit from the end of last night's main event: as housekeeping announcements were being made toward the end, the crowd was informed that while presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton will make an appearance at the conference, she won't participate in the "breakout" session scheduled with each of the candidates attending. This change in her schedule brought a huge chorus of boos from the audience, which was not particularly well disposed towards her to begin with. Ouch. More later.
Posted by houtopia at 08:48 AM | Comments (0)
August 02, 2007
Rick's A Rock Star
Greetings from Yearly Kos in beautiful Chicago.
A certain Houston State Representative eyeing a U.S. Senate bid has been making the rounds all day here, and is getting a rock star reception. We are currently seated in the grand ballroom, awaiting DNC Chair Howard Dean's keynote remarks, and every table has been blanketed with Rick Noriega flyers.
Rick is energetically working the crowd, and it's amazing to see how much this group -- from all over the country -- already knows about him, and how enthusiastic they are about his budding candidacy.
E Pluribus logged a dynamite interview with Rick this afternoon -- check out the podcast that is now up.
It's been a fantastic day for Team Noriega -- Rick has made quite the splash at YKC07.
More to come!
Posted by houtopia at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
Off To Yearly Kos!
Well folks, Houtopia is off to Chicago today to attend the Yearly Kos Convention, a meeting of "netroots" bloggers and others.
Numerous presidential hopefuls and other candidates, including Texas' own people-powered statewide candidate-to-be, Rick Noriega.
Stay tuned for live blogging from the Windy City!
Posted by houtopia at 09:13 AM | Comments (1)