As far as the nuclear deal with Iran, what is the alternative? Invading a large country that is physically the size of Saudi Arabia, but with seventy-five-million people, where the people there tend to be somewhat pro-American, at least the young people. I mean look at Iraq, anyone want to call that a success? Iran is three times the size of Iraq with three times as many people. You want to take their nuclear program out through the air? You have to find it first. Again large country with a lot of people. There’s nothing to lose here for America and everything to gain. If Iran behaves, they won’t get nuclear weapons, they misbehave and will continue to pay the economical price for their bad behavior. Their people want to end the economic sanctions and it looks like so does their government. If you can negotiate with a giant the size of the Soviet Union back in the day that already had nuclear weapons and around four-hundred-million people, you can negotiate with a country that is not nearly as powerful or as large.
As far as CPAC, the one thing I respect about that group is that they do actually bring in lets say Classical Conservatives or Conservative Libertarians and actual Libertarians. It’s not just about mushy-middle establishment Republicans who always play it safe and the Christian-Right and the broader Far-Right of the Republican Party. So with this event you really get to see the state of the Republican Party and what they are thinking. And right now the Conservative Libertarian wing of the party that Senator Rand Paul seems to lead, seems to have the strongest voice.
As far as the Homeland Security shutdown in Congress, thank God for gerrymandering if I’m a Republican and water is dry and fire is cold! Otherwise they would never be in charge of anything with the current state of the party and their inability to govern and work with people who don’t agree with them on everything. I would say how do Democrats keep losing to people who believe the Earth is flat and climate change is a hoax and gays are responsible for 9/11 and America is being invaded by Latinos and every other conspiracy theory that they have. But I know about gerrymandering.
If the Republican Party actually had leadership in the House instead of a punching bag or puppet in John Boehner, someone would’ve told and convinced that caucus that you don’t attach riders to bills that have to be passed in order for the government to run. You do those things separately. The first rule of government is do no harm. And that means performing the basic functions of government like funding the basics like homeland security and law enforcement. And issues where you disagree with the President, you debate those things separately and through other bills that don’t have to pass. So you can make your point and case, but still do your job at the same time.
The Keystone Pipeline is something that President Obama almost has to do for the economy. And I believe he and Secretary of State John Kerry who are going to have to sign off on this. Because of the jobs in the energy sector that will come to the United States. And also the biggest thing that President Obama can do for the economy to create good jobs by himself. So if he’s getting environmental reports that say there isn’t much of an environmental impact to this, he almost has to sign off on it. For the jobs and economic growth that is needed in this country.
As far as Governor Chris Christie, wow those Dick Nixon comparisons from a few weeks ago might have looked extreme then, but are now looking real and credible. About someone who probably knows more about a bad story than he wants to admit to, but if he gives too much out right away it could hurt him politically. But the problem being for him that he can’t control the story. Which is what happened to President Nixon in 1973-74 with the Watergate scandal.
State of the Union, I would give President Obama a B perhaps even a B+, but certainly not a great speech. It was strong in the areas that he wants to move the country forward especially economically. And that he’ll do whatever in his power to make that happen. But I don’t believe there was anything in it that will bring people who weren’t already behind him to him. “And say we need to get Congress especially the Republican House of Representatives to work with President Obama.”
I don’t know why anyone takes Representative Michelle Bachmann seriously on anything. Except when it may come to satire or what is stupid in the world today. I could just concentrate on the fact that she spends her time repeating Tea Party talking points that are completely false. The Obama War on Women to use as an example, the Obama War on Success or the Obama War on Energy. Are just a few examples and the fact that CNN brings her to debate someone as serious as knowledgeable as Senator Bernie Sanders whose also a gentleman and let’s people speak, is beyond me.
You want to know why CNN’s ratings are down and they are actually losing viewers to that joke called a news network MSNBC, I’ll tell you anyway. Because Wolf Blitzer and other’s at CNN bring on Michelle Bachmann and people just as ignorant and rude as she is. And just basically let her talk the whole time and when they have what they call debates with her there, she not only get’s to speak as long as she wants to, but get’s to take the person’s she’s debating with time as well. Not stopping her awful interruptions and as a result viewers have to listen to all of her garbage. That doesn’t get questioned or turn to another channel.
As far as poverty in America, I actually watched the entire video of the interview of the poor single mom. And what she was said was that she needs additional skills and education so she can get herself a good job and not need public assistance at all. Because she knows she simply can’t support herself on public assistance or working a minimum wage job with public assistance. Which has been one of my main points when it has come to the so-called War on Poverty in America.
As far as the State of the Union if I’m President Obama or he could hear my advice for him, I would say use this speech to kickoff the 2014 Campaign to Save Congressional Democrats. Keeping the Senate majority and keeping the House Democratic Caucus at about where it is right now. “And this is how we are going to do that by making 2014 all about the economy and the Liberal Democratic vision to move the country forward economically.” If he’s successful in doing that, he could take sixty percent of the country with him who tend to like Democrats more on these issues than Republicans.
Economic mobility is about making 2014 about the economy. Again the Liberal Democratic vision.
1. Extend Unemployment Insurance so people struggling so hard just to go back to work at least have some income while they are doing that. And what we are also going to do is expand job training for these unemployed workers, but also for low-income low-skilled workers. So they can get the skills they need to either go back to work at a good job, or get an even better job from what low-income low-skilled workers are doing right now.
2. We are going to create a ten-dollar an hour minimum wage to make work pay more than not working. And so these workers can purchase more which will help drive consumer spending and economic growth.
3. We are going to create a National Infrastructure System and actually add to that. With a national public/private corporation or National Infrastructure Bank with the simple task of prioritizing infrastructure projects that either have to be rebuilt or built. That would reward contracts to private construction companies to do the work and bring in private investors to pay for the projects.
What President Obama could say to Congress that is the Republican House that isn’t really interested in doing anything that may need Democratic support to pass. And a Democratic Senate that has a Republican minority that is only interested in winning back the Senate. “I’m offering my hand and if you want to be my partner in helping to put Americans back to work and jumpstart the economy. You can either work with me on this, or I’m going to do as much as this by myself as I can. In case you try to stonewall me with the Republican House not doing anything. Or Senate Republicans trying to block anything that the Senate Leader Harry Reid brings to the floor to address these issues.”
As far as Syria the United States lost whatever opportunity it had a year ago or two years ago to knock out the Assad Regime. And at least give the Syrian Opposition a fighting chance to not only defend themselves, but to try to do the job themselves. And now as a result we are at a point where we are trying to prevent the worst from happening with Bashar Al-Assad still as President of Syria. And both sides already know this.
Liberal vs. Progressive or even Social Democrat as I prefer to call it. Is really about the two Democratic economic visions coming from the Left. Liberals want to empower Americans who need it to be able to create their own freedom for themselves. Which is why President Obama is going to focus so much on education, job training and infrastructure. Today’s so-called Progressives are essentially saying that, “the wealthy have too much and what we really need to do is take a lot of money from them so the Federal Government has enough money to take care of everyone else.”
I covered this last night but President Obama essentially gave the speech that he had to give. And I believe the speech that he wanted to that he and his administration are aware of the concerns that. Americans have over their privacy at it relates to the surveillance reports that the NSA and other agencies. Cover but that he and his National Security Council are going forward in doing what they believe they need. To do to protect the country and will try to find a way that better protects our privacy.
Benghazi is only big news to Republicans and others who do not like Hillary Clinton. And she’ll find Democrats and I’m one of them who do not like her that much as a presidential candidate. Because she’s too safe, too centrist, not Liberal enough for me and a lot of other Democrats. And other reasons I’ll spare you for now but the only real threat she has to not being elected President of the United States. In about three years other than not running for president. Still a possibility comes from her center-left in the Democratic Party real Liberal Democrats who want to move in a clear direction.
One thing I agree with Bob Gates on is that Richard Nixon is our strangest president in at least. Modern times let’s say since TV has been with us since the late 1940s. But like a lot of other president’s he’s someone who looks better as history moves along because of his. Success’s in foreign policy and even making energy independence and putting Welfare reform and broader health care reform. On the national agenda even though he failed get to major legislation passed in those areas.
Here’s an example of bad Bipartisanship. What is going on in Congress right now with Iran. For the first time in thirty-five years America has a chance. To get a real diplomatic agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran over their nuclear weapons program. With a chance later on of reaching an agreement that may lead to both countries opening up a dialog. That could lead to the countries back to diplomatic relations with each other and officially talking to each other again. Having a formal relationship with each other that would include international trade. And Congressional Democrats and Republicans for political reasons and what they are trying to do with new sanctions. Would end that possibility.
The speech on national intelligence that President Obama gave, was almost a speech that he had to give because of the political situation with so many Americans on both the Left and Right. Worried about government spying on them especially innocent civilians. And with the Obama Administration being caught spying on people and the country starting to look like a National Security State. And less like a Liberal Democracy.
The way Hillary Clinton get’s beat in 2016 if she get’s beat at all and right now she’s the favorite both to win the Democratic nomination for president and the presidency itself, but the way she’s get’s beat is from a strong center-left Liberal Democrat, no one on the Far-Left can beat her whether it’s Bernie Sanders or Dennis Kucinich, but someone like Brian Schweitzer or Martin O’Malley. One a former governor and the current Governor of Maryland in Martin O’Malley. Because they both have solid liberal credentials unlike Hillary. Both would be liked by young voters. Not so much Hillary who looks like an establishment inside Washington politician politically. And both would be able to raise a lot of money.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie taking the I was in the dark about this defense. In the dark about the New Jersey traffic jam story or in the dark about his own administration. Remember Governor Christie likes to come off as a strong leader who doesn’t take let’s say junk from anyone. The person head of this scandal also happens to his Deputy Chief of Staff. So we are talking about someone pretty close to the chief executive of New Jersey and the governor not knowing what she was up to.
As far as the Robert Gates book. This man was President Obama’s Secretary of Defense for over two years and if he really believed that President Obama was a weak leader and remember Bob Gates is a career civil servant whose spent most of his career working for the National Security Council and if he really believed President Obama was making national security decisions for political reasons, the man would’ve stepped down well before he did.
As far as Unemployment Insurance if that if not extended which I believe it will be and even the Republican House at the end will agree to do it. And the question is just really how it will be done. We’ll see millions of Americans with absolutely no income with more people being evicted or being foreclosed. Because they can’t keep up with their payments and then what, a lot of people literally on the street with nowhere to go.
As far as the Chris Christie let’s say stuck in traffic in New Jersey scandal. It just feeds into what we already know about Governor Christie that he is a big tough guy not afraid to throw his weight around (pun intended) and that in some ways he isn’t as strong of a leader as he likes to come off as. Instead of saying the buck stops here to quote an actual strong leader, he tried to put the blame on others. And not to say he deserves all the blame, but this traffic story happened on his watch.
The Bob Gates story the book he wrote about being President Obama’s Secretary of Defense. Of course the partisan Right just focusing on the negative things he had to say about the President, like the defense cuts. But Secretary Gates also called President Obama a strong leader who made strong and good decisions. Who took risks and wasn’t afraid to take risks. And the Osama Bin Laden capture and shooting in 2011 is a perfect example of that.
The War on Poverty, well fifty-years later and we are still fighting this so-called War on Poverty. That has been covered several times on this blog this week. And if you are really interested in that and what has been said about it on this blog, then I suggest you check out the War on Poverty section. But again mixed results at best and as Mark Shields and David Brooks said in the video, the Great Society has benefited seniors very well. But as far as children in poverty they are still growing up in rough high poverty neighborhoods with their parents. And generally one parent not having the skills to raise them in a positive way and move them to the middle class.
Good news for unemployed workers and I did here a couple of positive things even from Speaker of the House John Boehner. Who basically said the current bill in the Senate is dead on arrival in the House. But would be open to an Unemployment Insurance extension. If it includes an amendment that has something to do with putting these workers back to work. And that could be thing things like new help for education and job training so these workers can get new skills. But also even requirements that these workers even do that for the workers who’ve been unemployed for a long time. And as far as paying for the bill, there is so much room in the federal budget to cut including in the tax code. That they should be able to find something to cut without hurting the economy. Sometimes it is just a matter of Congress actually sitting down with each other and talking about issues and how they feel about them. And when they actually do that you see mutual legislation move in both the Senate and House.
Source:Meidas Touch– left to right: Defendant Don’s defense attorney Todd Blanche & guess who. Source:The New Democrat “Trumps lawyer Todd Blanche just LOST ALL CREDIBILITY before the jury when a stunt he pulled on Friday SPECTACULARLY BACKFIRED as the prosecution found over the weekend VIDEO PROOF THAT TRUMP AND HIS BODYGUARD WERE together AT THE […]
Source: This piece was originally posted at The New Democrat Plus 
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