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Mar
19
Carnival of Ohio Politics #109 now posted
Filed Under 'Roots News, Announcements, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment
Many thanks to Scott Piepho of Pho’s Akron Pages for posting this week’s Carnival of Ohio Politics #109 here.
If you haven’t been following Scott’s posts on the Heller gun law/Second Amendment case in SCOTUS, you really need to catch up. It’s all you need to read to learn about a very important decision that will come down by the end of June 2008.
As always, thanks to the Carnivall participants and please consider participating in the future.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:45 pm March 19th, 2008 in 'Roots News, Announcements, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment
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Mar
19
The World Beyond Iraq
Fayetteville, NC
March 19, 2008
As Prepared for Delivery
Just before America’s entry into World War I, President Woodrow Wilson addressed Congress: “It is a fearful thing to lead this great peaceful people into war,” he said. “…But the right is more precious than peace.” Wilson’s words captured two awesome responsibilities that test any Commander-in-Chief – to never hesitate to defend America, but to never go to war unless you must. War is sometimes necessary, but it has grave consequences, and the judgment to go to war can never be undone.
Five years ago today, President George W. Bush addressed the nation. Bombs had started to rain down on Baghdad. War was necessary, the President said, because the United States could not, “live at the mercy of an outlaw regime that threatens the peace with weapons of mass murder.” Recalling the pain of 9/11, he said the price of inaction in Iraq was to meet the threat with “armies of fire fighters and police and doctors on the streets of our cities.”
At the time the President uttered those words, there was no hard evidence that Iraq had those stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction. There was not any evidence that Iraq was responsible for the attacks of September 11, or that Iraq had operational ties to the al Qaeda terrorists who carried them out. By launching a war based on faulty premises and bad intelligence, President Bush failed Wilson’s test. So did Congress when it voted to give him the authority to wage war.
Five years have gone by since that fateful decision. This war has now lasted longer than World War I, World War II, or the Civil War. Nearly four thousand Americans have given their lives. Thousands more have been wounded. Even under the best case scenarios, this war will cost American taxpayers well over a trillion dollars. And where are we for all of this sacrifice? We are less safe and less able to shape events abroad. We are divided at home, and our alliances around the world have been strained. The threats of a new century have roiled the waters of peace and stability, and yet America remains anchored in Iraq. Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:24 pm March 19th, 2008 in Politics | 1 Comment
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Mar
19
Video of Barack Obama speech on Iraq, Fayetteville, North Carolina 3-19-08: will end war on Day One
Filed Under Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, Military, WH2008 | Comments Off
See the full video (with an accompanying text article) from here. Many key graphs, see this post for the text of the speech. Here is where he makes the Day One promise:
When you have no overarching strategy, there is no clear definition of success. Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy indefinitely. Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war without end will not make the American people safer.
So when I am Commander-in-Chief, I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end this war. Not because politics compels it. Not because our troops cannot bear the burden- as heavy as it is. But because it is the right thing to do for our national security, and it will ultimately make us safer.
In order to end this war responsibly, I will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. We can responsibly remove 1 to 2 combat brigades each month. If we start with the number of brigades we have in Iraq today, we can remove all of them 16 months. After this redeployment, we will leave enough troops in Iraq to guard our embassy and diplomats, and a counter-terrorism force to strike al Qaeda if it forms a base that the Iraqis cannot destroy. What I propose is not – and never has been – a precipitous drawdown. It is instead a detailed and prudent plan that will end a war nearly seven years after it started.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:14 pm March 19th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Foreign Affairs, Military, WH2008 | Comments Off
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Mar
19
Democratic Party should replace primary with Surma stick fight*
Filed Under Flip, Politics, Primary, WH2008 | 5 Comments
Here’s the written, audio and video description of a Surma stick fight. Now, in Ethiopia, they do it for the right to marry a woman. But when I heard the Pulse of the Planet feature this morning, all I could think was: what if the Democratic Party replaced the current primary procedure with the Surma stick fight? To hell with Florida, Michigan and Ohio.
It’s not like it would be all that more violent or intense. Take a look:
*VSAS: 9.9 (Vessels Sarcasm Alert Scale)
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:46 pm March 19th, 2008 in Flip, Politics, Primary, WH2008 | 5 Comments
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Mar
19
Yesterday Brunner, today Cordray: SBA 2008 Financial Services Champion award
Filed Under Business, Economy, Education, Elections, Government, Meet the Bloggers, Ohio, Politics, Predictions, Voting | Comments Off
According to the press release, Ohio State Treasurer Rich Cordray, “has been selected by the United States Small Business Administration as its 2008 Financial Services Champion of the Year for Region V – Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.”
More from the release:
“We in the Columbus SBA District office are very pleased to honor the State of Ohio’s Treasurer Richard Cordray,” said SBA Columbus District Director Thomas K. Mueller. “Mr. Cordray took over as State Treasurer and hit the ground running hard in his desire to help small businesses in Ohio. He has worked on several key initiatives with SBA that will impact small businesses and the State of Ohio in a very positive way. Mr. Cordray is not only the 2008 Financial Services Champion of the Year award winner for Ohio but also the award winner for all of Region V. His interest, flexibility, cooperativeness, and intelligence are a great asset to all in Ohio.”
Cordray was nominated by the SBA’s Columbus district office based on his work to reinvigorate the Ohio Treasury’s interest rate reduction program for small business loans, GrowNOW. The SBA also recognized Cordray’s focus on personal finance education, highlighted in new outreach efforts and the Treasury’s “Your Money NOW” financial literacy website, at www.YourMoneyNowOnline.org launched in November 2007.
“Over the past year Treasurer Cordray has worked to better deploy the resources of his office in support of the state’s small businesses. He has been active in engaging stakeholders from across the State in finding ways to ensure that his programs reach as many small business owners as possible,” said Steve Millard, President and Executive Director, COSE.
The award recognizes, ” “an individual who assists small businesses through advocacy efforts to increase the usefulness and availability of financial services for small businesses.”
I’m two for two when it comes to what I thought based on Meet the Bloggers sessions (or as MTB sessions as a predictor of good political candidate choices). Here’s what I wrote in my first post about the Cordray MTB:
On the issues, he’s got it all. Cordray has an excellent handle on how to translate his successes and efforts in Franklin county (he’s in his second term there as treasurer) to the state office. He connected the dots from the state treasurer’s office to the Noe Coingate scandal. He’s a lawyer and a numbers guy. I trust him when he says he’ll be aggressively against bad practices and aggressive in instilling good or at least better ones.
…
Bottom line: he’s looking to continue, extend and ascend his career in politics. I suspect he has an excellent chance at doing so and probably deserves that chance. Do I like the idea of career politicians? Only if they show me that they’ve made the right career choice, via their success in that career – through my eyes as a voter.
Let’s hope he won’t disappoint. Based on his record and presentation, there’s no reason right now to think that he will.
Here’s my far more analytical based on the interview second post.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:35 pm March 19th, 2008 in Business, Economy, Education, Elections, Government, Meet the Bloggers, Ohio, Politics, Predictions, Voting | Comments Off
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Mar
19
Two Ohioans die daily due to lack of health insurance; how will Clinton, Obama plans impact
Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Ohio, Politics, Primary, WH2008 | 13 Comments
The Families USA report, Dying for Coverage, was released yesterday.
“Our report highlights how our inadequate system of health coverage condemns a great number of Ohioans to an early death simply because they don’t have the same access to health care as their insured neighbors,” Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA, said today. “The conclusions are sadly clear—a lack of health coverage is a matter of life and death for many Ohioans.
“Health insurance really matters in how people make their health care decisions,” Pollack said. “We know that people without insurance often forgo checkups, screenings, and other preventive care.”
As a result, he said, uninsured adults are more likely to be diagnosed with a disease, such as cancer, in an advanced stage, which greatly reduces their chance of survival. The Institute of Medicine found that uninsured adults are 25 percent more likely to die prematurely than adults with private health insurance.
Another recent academic study found that uninsured adults between the ages of 55 and 64 are even more likely to die prematurely. For this group, a lack of health insurance is the third leading cause of death, following heart disease and cancer.
I’m not familiar with what Ohio’s U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown or Congresswoman Betty Sutton (D-13) have said about Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama’s health care plans and I couldn’t find anything direct with a little searching, but I’d like to. I know neither Ohio politician has stated how they cast their votes on 3/4 nor how they’ll vote as superdelegates.
FactCheck.org provides a comparison of the two plans here.
Read Obama’s explanation of his plan here. One of the main criticisms has been that it mandates coverage for all children, but not all adults. But in Obama’s speech in January 2007 to Families USA, while his plan was still in formation, he states something that implies that all adults would have – as in, possess and maintain and keep, not just have an oppotunity to have – universal health care:
Plans that tinker and halfway measures now belong to yesterday. The President’s latest proposal that does little to bring down cost or guarantee coverage falls into this category. There will be many others offered in the coming campaign, and I am working with experts to develop my own plan as we speak, but let’s make one thing clear right here, right now:
In the 2008 campaign, affordable, universal health care for every single American must not be a question of whether, it must be a question of how. We have the ideas, we have the resources, and we will have universal health care in this country by the end of the next president’s first term. [my emphasis]
Read Clinton’s explanation of her plan here. One of the main criticisms has been that it imposes monetary fines on individuals who do not have health insurance and already may not be covered due to financial constraints and that it forces people to buy something they may not want. Ohio Daily Blog posted a copy of the Obama flyer that identifies his primary points of opposition to Clinton’s plan.
The Health Care Blog analysis of Clinton’s plan is here but that blog doesn’t seem to have an analogous critique of Obama’s plan. For comparison, they have this one for John McCain. They also pit Clinton v. Obama here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:28 am March 19th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Health Care, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Ohio, Politics, Primary, WH2008 | 13 Comments
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Mar
19
Barack Obama speech highlights The Problem With People
Filed Under 'Roots News, Barack Obama, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Ohio, Politics, Religion, Voting, WH2008 | 17 Comments
Ugh. I can’t believe I’m reading this:
Minutes after the speech, two brothers from Cleveland, sitting in a food court in North Olmsted, said they will pass up the election rather than vote for a black man, a woman or a Republican.
“I won’t vote for a woman or a black man,” said one brother, a 29-year old construction worker. “That’s not racist. It’s just a fact. I’m not even going to vote.”
The men, who are white and asked to remain anonymous, speculated that the majority of voters share their view.
“I just can’t imagine George Washington thinking a black man or a woman would be president. I know things are changing. But, what’s next. Isn’t he Muslim? Just his middle name is scary.”
The man acknowledged that reports about Obama’s Muslim heritage have been discredited, but added, “There must be something there.”
Added his brother, 23: “Maybe it is a racist thing . . . but I want a white guy.”
Such comments don’t surprise John Russo, co-director of the Department of Labor Studies at Youngstown State University.
“I think there has been incredible changes in America, but race is still there underneath the surface,” he said.
Yeah, except that doesn’t sound too superficial to me, Mr. Russo.
Sigh. The most positive thing I can say about what the two brothers said? I absolutely, positively do not believe that the marjority of voters share their view. I sincerely, honestly do not.
I guess I at least have to give them points for watching the speech. But to say they won’t vote for a black, a woman or a Republican?
I bet they didn’t give a dime or time to anyone that they would think they might vote for. Maybe we’re better off for them to not vote?
Feh. When I read stuff like what those two brothers said, I want to use the “s” word.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:34 am March 19th, 2008 in 'Roots News, Barack Obama, Campaigning, Civil Rights, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Ohio, Politics, Religion, Voting, WH2008 | 17 Comments
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