April 30, 2006
John Kenneth Galbraith dies at age 97
America has lost one of it's natural treasures...
"The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness." - JKG
(Updated below)
"John Kenneth Galbraith, the iconoclastic economist, teacher and diplomat and an unapologetically liberal member of the political and academic establishment that he needled in prolific writings for more than half a century, died yesterday at a hospital in Cambridge, Mass. He was 97...... Galbraith was one of the most widely read authors in the history of economics; among his 33 books was "The Affluent Society" (1958), one of those rare works that forces a nation to re-examine its values. He wrote fluidly, even on complex topics, and many of his compelling phrases - among them "the affluent society," "conventional wisdom" and "countervailing power" - became part of the language. An imposing presence, lanky and angular at 6 feet 8 inches tall, Galbraith was consulted frequently by national leaders, and he gave advice freely, though it may have been ignored as often as it was taken. Galbraith clearly preferred taking issue with the conventional wisdom he distrusted.
He strived to change the very texture of the national conversation about power and its nature in the modern world by explaining how the planning of giant corporations superseded market mechanisms. His sweeping ideas, which might have gained even greater traction had he developed disciples willing and able to prove them with mathematical models, came to strike some as almost quaint in today's harsh, interconnected world where corporations devour one another."
Reading ANYTHING written by Galbraith is a must.
Amazon search: John Kenneth Galbraith
Update: From Brad DeLong's blog...
"If there were justice in the world, John Kenneth Galbraith would rank as the twentieth century's most influential American economist. He has published several books that are among the best analyses of modern U.S. history, played a key role in midcentury policymaking, and advised more presidents and senators than would seem possible in three lifetimes..."
April 29, 2006
The 50 State Canvass
I went out to participate in the canvass today and me and my new buddy Steve had a whole precinct to ourselves. We were targeting unaffiliated voters and Democrats who don't vote in primaries. Mostly it involved a lot of lit drops but every so often I'd find someone working in their front yards (beautiful sunny day here) and hand it to them personally. One such encounter was with a guy who had a U (unaffiliated) by his name on my list but who proceeded to announce he was a Republican (his wife chimed in as such too) but after a little discussion admitted he was really more of an Independent. It was refreshing that, unlike my experience in Ohio on election day in 2004, where I was screamed at by a Republican woman, who was OUTRAGED that I was out doing GOTV, this was a pleasant and civil encounter.
Part of me wants to think that, after all, we are all just Americans seek a decent and honorable co-existance when we get past the politics. The other part of me knows better.
April 28, 2006
Republican propaganda 24/7
It's been many, many years since I've read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, but I think I remember that, in it, everyone was required to keep their "tv's" turned on to the government station all day. (You can correct me in the comments if I'm wrong.)
Now, without going into too much detail, I get my medical care via the military health care system. Every time I visit a clinic the television in the waiting room is usually tuned to one of the "news" channels, typically Fox. I don't know how many hours I've spent in waiting rooms listening to Republican apologists blathering on about how wonderful our Dear Leader is, how wonderful his programs are and so on, ad nauseam.
Several months back I had the pleasure of talking with my great Congressmen, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD). I mentioned that it would be nice, when the Dems take back Congress, that they would shut down all the tv's in all the waiting rooms in all the government facilities because they were always tuned to the Republican propaganda channels. He looked at me like that was one of the silliest requests that has ever come his way from a constituent.
Well, today I feel a little vindicated...
"It's come to my attention that there’s been requests - this is a serious question - to turn these TVs on to a station other than Fox, and that those have been denied," Washington Post reporter Jim VandeHei told Press Secretary Scott McClellan. "My question would be, is there a White House policy that all government TVs have to be tuned to Fox?"
Paul Krugman: The Crony Fairy
You need a paid subscription to see the whole thing but here is the best part...
"In the early 1990's, FEMA's reputation was as bad as it is today. It was a dumping ground for political cronies, headed by a man whose only apparent qualification for the job was that he was a close friend of the first President Bush's chief of staff. FEMA's response to Hurricane Andrew in 1992 perfectly foreshadowed Katrina: the agency took three days to arrive on the scene, and when it did, it proved utterly incompetent.Many people thought that FEMA was a lost cause. But Bill Clinton proved them wrong. He appointed qualified people to lead the agency and gave them leeway to hire other qualified people, and within a year FEMA's morale and performance had soared. For the rest of the Clinton years, FEMA was among the most highly regarded agencies in the federal government.
What happened to that reputation? The answer, of course, is that the second President Bush returned to his father's practices. Once again, FEMA became a dumping ground for cronies, and many of the good people who had come in during the Clinton years left. It took only a few years to transform one of the best agencies in the U.S. government into what Senator Susan Collins calls "a shambles and beyond repair."
In other words, the Crony Fairy is named George W. Bush..."
April 27, 2006
Essential Reading: John Dean at Findlaw's Writ
It's all a matter of character...
"Bush has never understood what presidential scholar Richard Neustadt discovered many years ago: In a democracy, the only real power the presidency commands is the power to persuade. Presidents have their bully pulpit, and the full attention of the news media, 24/7. In addition, they are given the benefit of the doubt when they go to the American people to ask for their support. But as effective as this power can be, it can be equally devastating when it languishes unused - or when a president pretends not to need to use it, as Bush has done.Apparently, Bush does not realize that to lead he must continually renew his approval with the public. He is not, as he thinks, the decider. The public is the decider.
Bush is following the classic mistaken pattern of active/negative presidents: As Barber explained, they issue order after order, without public support, until they eventually dissipate the real powers they have -- until "nothing [is] left but the shell of the office." Woodrow Wilson, Herbert Hoover, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon all followed this pattern..."
April 8, 2006
Helen Thomas: Want More Bush? Elect McCain.
WASHINGTON - In his bid for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination, Sen. John McCain is moving to the right.
The Arizona Republican, who failed to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2000, is the most visible Republican on television, outside the White House, and seems to never pass up an opportunity to appear on Sunday talk shows.
All this appears to be part of his effort to transform his image as a maverick independent so that he can make his pitch to the conservative Republican base that will vote in the party's primaries and caucuses two years hence.
McCain's focus is on Southern states where he will have to show his dedication to the conservatives who dominate the GOP. He was scheduled to be the main speaker at the Lincoln Day dinner in Lakeland, Fla., on Saturday. Later this spring, he will deliver the commencement address at Liberty University at Lynchburg, Va., the school founded by evangelical leader Jerry Falwell.
Falwell has indicated there are still some bridges to mend with McCain, who had called Falwell "an agent of intolerance" in his first bid for the presidency in 2000.
Although Falwell has not endorsed McCain, he has said that the senator "could be the GOP's best hope" if Sen. Hillary Clinton is nominated to head the Democratic ticket in 2008.
Falwell also says McCain is in the process of "healing the breach with evangelical groups."
Asked to explain his change of attitude toward the evangelist on "Meet the Press" Sunday, McCain said: "I believe that the Christian right has a major role to play in the Republican Party. One reason (that) is so is because they're so active and their followers are. And I believe they have a right to be part of our party."
McCain also has gone out of his way to cozy up to President Bush after their bitter rift in the 2000 presidential campaign. McCain has said he does not look back in anger at old political battles. That's wise -- he's going to need Bush's backing in a presidential bid.
McCain also has taken other stands that should put him in good with Southern conservatives. Hailing from a military family -- his father and grandfather were admirals in the Navy -- he is a strong supporter of the invasion and occupation of Iraq and believes the number of U.S. troops there should be beefed up.
He is against abortion rights and gun-control laws and believes students should be taught the religion-oriented "intelligent design" theory of creation as well as the theory of scientific evolution.
His painful experience as a POW during the Vietnam War led him to buck the White House on the question of using torture to interrogate detainees and prisoners of war. Despite White House opposition, he triumphed with a 90-9 Senate vote on his anti-torture amendment to the defense appropriations bill.
Well, almost.
In signing the bill, the president issued a statement that under his constitutional authority as commander in chief, he did not have to abide by the anti-torture amendment. This is a dubious claim of presidential power that should be challenged.
McCain's political record is not entirely pristine. He was a member of the so-called Keating Five -- five senators linked to Charles Keating in the savings and loan scandals in 1991. But a special investigator found that McCain had not been substantially involved in influence peddling but criticized him and three others for "questionable conduct."
That searing experience may explain why McCain has been an avid advocate of campaign finance reform.
With his "hail fellow well met" persona and tendency to jaw with the media and pundits in the back of the campaign bus, he has created the impression in some quarters that he is a "moderate."
Forget it. His voting record speaks for itself.
McCain is working hard to prove his staunch conservative credentials as he woos the far right in his party.
If he wins the presidency, the country can expect a continuation of Bush's aggressive foreign policy and ultra-right domestic programs.
Helen Thomas is a columnist for Hearst Newspapers.
