The Undead Return to Washington

Dark clouds heavy with rain scudded over the Washington Mall on a cold, windy morning in our nation's capital. It was two days after the 2012 elections, and Constitution and Independence Avenues appeared to be populated only by brown and yellow leaves skittering down the wide avenues towards the Capital Complex. Then, rising from the depths of metro stations and despair, Republican members of Congress shuffled towards their offices. Their slumped shoulders, loose hanging arms, red eyes, and halting walk told all we needed to know about their condition. They are the undead, come once again to feast on the brains of America's citizens, hoping to reanimate the life of the Party.

Path to Fiscal Sustainability Requires Taking the Long View

I’d like to suggest that solving our fiscal problem requires more than just sacrifice, which most assuredly will be necessary. It requires smart people with the ability to take the long view. We need to think strategically when we envision the fiscal future we desire, and implement structural reforms that put us on a long-term path to fiscal sustainability.

Let’s take defense spending as an example. During the presidential campaign, Mitt Romney promised to increase defense spending by $2 trillion over the next decade. President Obama argued that the United States already spends more on defense than the next 10 countries with the largest defense budgets combined. He actually understated the disparity. We spend more than the next 13 countries combined, and this includes China and Russia. This year American tax payers shelled out $718 billion for troops, and tanks, and airplanes, and ships, and etcetera. That accounted for 20% of the $3.6 trillion  federal budget.

Failing to reach agreement on reducing the United States’ federal deficit by the end of this year will result in automatic spending cuts as mandated by the Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011. Among other things, this would slash an estimated $55 billion from defense spending in 2013. Making such cuts willy-nilly will degrade our national security in ways we can’t fully appreciate, and damage the US economy in ways we can -- America’s humongous military-industrial complex accounts for an estimated 10 million jobs. Cut defense by the 10% sequestration in the BCA and you’re looking at upwards of 1 million jobs lost.

Now that doesn’t mean we should buy tanks the army doesn’t want just because the manufacturing plant is in some congressman’s district. Nor should we keep plants open in order to manufacture advanced weapons systems to sell to our new friends in the Middle East. Friendships there change more often than Mitt Romney’s policy positions. What’s needed is a reduced defense budget based on an overarching defense strategy that reflects national security realities now and in the future and the military force structure needed to effectively deal with them.

We must move to this new force structure incrementally, and the spending cuts we realize must be allocated not just to deficit reduction, but to new programs aimed at helping veterans adjust to civilian life, and elements of the military-industrial complex convert to commercial endeavors.

If we were to take Mr Romney at his word, his presidency would have moved us toward war with Iran; an indefinite presence of thousands of US troops in Iraq; a more militant posture towards Russia; a trade war with “currency manipulator” China; a troop presence in Afghanistan until at least 2014; and a Reagan-like military buildup at home. If Mr Romney’s positions still reflect Republican foreign policy objectives, we are in for a knock-down, drag-out battle right here at home on the defense budget alone.

Then we have Medicare and Social Security to address. And once again, America is at war on multiple fronts.

The Minority White Establishment

On election night, 11/6/2012, Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly said, “The white establishment is now the minority.”

There are about 312 million people in the United States of America. According to the US Census Bureau, over 78% of them are white.


What the hell is O'Reilly talking about? Maybe by the "white establishment" he means the old, angry white guys that the Republican Party counts on to support their crazy ass policies.

Barack Obama's 2012 Election Victory Speech.

Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves forward.

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as one people.

Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.

I want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a difference.

I just spoke with Gov. Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. In the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.

And I wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady. Sasha and Malia, before our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I’m so proud of you guys. But I will say that for now one dog’s probably enough.

To the best campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics. The best. The best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning. But all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every valley. You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done and all the incredible work that you put in.

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home, you’ll discover something else.

You’ll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity. You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who’s working the phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when they come home.

That’s why we do this. That’s what politics can be. That’s why elections matter. It’s not small, it’s big. It’s important. Democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.

But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers. A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.

We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this — this world has ever known. But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.

We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner. To the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president — that’s the future we hope for. That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go — forward. That’s where we need to go.

Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path.

By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin.

Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.

Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.

But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.

This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.

What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.

I am hopeful tonight because I’ve seen the spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I’ve seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.

I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.

I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.

And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.

I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.

America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.

I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.

And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.

Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.

Rating the Presidential Candidates

Please score these statements for presidential contender, Mitt Romney. Score 5 if you "strongly agree," 4 if you "agree," 3 if you "neither agree nor disagree," 2 if you "disagree," and 1 if you "strongly disagree." Do the same for President Barack Obama.

Has a core set of principles that guide his life, what he says, and the decisions he takes.

Has the maturity and confidence to seek different viewpoints, to learn from his mistakes, accept blame, and share the credit for success with others.

Has a strong moral compass, is able to master his “inner self” and execute self control at all times.

Is courageous, stays strong in the face of adversity, conveys strength and resolve, and inspires others.

Is aware and in touch with popular sentiment, and gives the sense that he will hear and understand the concerns, hopes, and aspirations of all the people he hopes to lead.

Is intelligent, farsighted, imaginative, knowledgeable about key issues facing the Nation, makes informed, well thought-out decisions, and seldom or never gets his mouth in gear before engaging his brain.

I am comfortable with the views he espouses; the things he says make perfect sense to me.

He would “hit the ground running” and be an extremely hard working, exceptionally committed president.

He will work effectively with other world leaders.

I am confident that as the commander and chief of our armed forces and the deciding authority on committing our troops to war, or on the possible use of nuclear weapons, this man will make the right decisions.

Write the score you derive for each man in the Comment box.

Going Extinct

In what seemed to me a bizarre encounter in the second presidential debate, the incumbent president and his challenger argued over which of the contenders for leader of the free world was more supportive of coal -- America's dirtiest energy source, and the country's leading source of pollution. No one following climate change developments could take any joy from the exchange, especially those fearing the earth is already experiencing what would be its sixth mass extinction.

Human activities are causing the earth to warm. There are no national or major scientific institutions anywhere in the world that dispute the theory of anthropogenic global warming (AGW). Not one. And we are already seeing the effects: longer, more intense heat waves, extreme drought, increased incidence of wildfires and longer fire seasons, loss of Arctic sea ice, and ocean acidification, among other things.

It will get worse, perhaps catastrophically so. Why? Because: (1) carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary driver of human-caused warming, takes centuries to dissipate in the atmosphere and global CO2 emissions continue to rise; and (2) many of the drivers of global warming produce positive feedbacks -- they are self-reinforcing -- and thus amplify the effects of global warming.

An example of positive feedback is the melting of Arctic sea ice. When sea ice melts, open water takes its place and being less reflective than ice, absorbs more solar radiation. This causes more warming, which in turn causes more melting.

To those who admit to anthropogenic global warming, but are content to wait it out, I suggest that their complacency, as well as being shamefully self-centered, may well be misplaced. Why? Because there’s the potential for a catastrophic climate destabilization.

Destabilization is an abrupt change in climate that would trigger dramatically shifting weather patterns, producing coastal flooding and torrential rains in some regions, and extreme drought in others, as well as an increasing incidence of hurricanes and tornadoes. These weather phenomena could occur in areas not normally accustomed to such events, such as the tornadoes that touched down in New York City in September of 2012, and super storm Sandy, that devastated the East Coast in October of that same year. In short, destabilization would lead to climate hell today, not in 2050.

Aftermath of Super Storm Sandy, Queens NY, 10/30/2012

Is this science fiction? Not at all. Paleoclimate records indicate that climate changes of this size and speed have occurred many times in the past. Furthermore, studies of the earth’s past five mass extinctions, including the one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (mya), have shown that a buildup of atmospheric carbon dioxide is a concomitant, if not the driving factor, in extinction events. The most devastating extinction in earth’s history, the Permian mass extinction, which occurred 252 mya, has been linked to a massive release of CO2 and/or methane.

At over 390 ppm, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere currently is unprecedented, at least in the last 400,000 years. At the same time, we are seeing the release of methane (a greenhouse gas 60 times more powerful than CO2) from thawing permafrost, as well as from the Arctic sea bed, and from unstable water bound deposits all over the world. The release of methane is a self-reinforcing process. A runaway methane release will very likely trigger abrupt climate change, and bring earth’s sixth mass extinction event to its apogee, and the destruction of most life on earth.

If we can go by the record of past mass extinctions, the earth will, over a few million years recover from this human-caused extinction event, but earth’s newly evolving tree of life will develop in whatever way the environment dictates. The chances the tree will include a homo sapiens limb is slim to none, which is probably for the best. We had our chance, and blew it.

Texas, Iowa Threaten to Arrest Election Observers

By Gavin Aronsen | Mother Jones, Wed Oct. 31, 2012 3:42 PM PDT

When news broke last week that the United Nations-affiliated Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was dispatching election observers from 23 nations to the United States [1], conservative groups went up in arms, claiming that liberal activists [2] had sought international assistance to fight Republican-led voting reform efforts. Soon afterward, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton [3] threatening the observers with arrest if they got within 100 feet of a polling place and complaining that OSCE officials had met with a group formerly affiliated with ACORN. Yesterday, Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz, who has made voter fraud a central theme [4] of his time in office, followed suit, saying [5] that there would be "no exception" made for OSCE members to enter polling stations.

As a member of the OSCE, the United States has invited outside observers into the country since 2002 without incident. The State Department dismissed Abbott's complaint, saying that the election observers are simply observers (and would be eligible for immunity [6] if they are arrested). "[T]he mandate of the OSCE is designed to be absolutely and completely impartial, and that's what we plan on when we participate and that's what we'd expect here," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told the Washington Examiner [7]. The OSCE expressed willingness to meet with both liberal and conservative voter groups and has acknowledged the controversy over GOP-led voter ID efforts in a report released earlier this month [8].

In any case, any role the OSCE plays on November 6 will probably be minimal. A list of election observers [9] uploaded by conservative attorney J. Christian Adams suggests that only two observers will be in Texas, both in Austin; two others are scheduled to be in Des Moines, Iowa. But the OSCE, which sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling Abbott's threat of arrest "unacceptable," also responded to Abbott, saying that it plans to follow state laws [10] and wouldn't need to enter polling places in order to observe the election. In addition to monitoring potential voter suppression, the OSCE also plans to research [1] campaign finance, new voting technology, and the media. Meanwhile, many more American election monitors will be at polling stations, ranging from impartial observers to labor union members and recruits from a tea party group [2].