The Etch-A-Sketch Candidate

There is something to be said about the vicissitudes of Presidential campaigns.  Even though the current one has seen obscene gobs of money spewed forth by Super Pacs to merely denigrate the opposing side, it has proved helpful in getting to the heart of the matter by showing us the true character of the current would be Republican nominees.  After umpteen debates and dozens of “misquoted, misstatements”, a pattern is clearly visible.  The American people are able to see through the smoke screens conjured up by the political consultants, and view the candidates for who they really are. It is not a pretty picture.

     Mitt Romney, a/k/a the “etch- a- sketch” flip flopper , has been done in for the general election by his own General, top campaign aide  Eric Fehrnstrom,  who compared the primary positions Romney has had to take to the positions he will need to pivot to in the general election to an “etch a sketch” process. He said “You can kind of shake it up and we start all over again!” The result? The red bordered metallic erasable tablet manufacturer's stock shot up 200%, while Romney's stock as a credible candidate plummeted.  Mitt Romney has taken flip flopping and etch- a -sketchery to new heights!

     His Republican primary opponent Rick Santorum, whose own views on such issues as abortion, contraception, and gay marriage are etched instead in stone tablets handed down to him on some remote Pennsylvania mountain,  has now said that he would even prefer a continuation of the Obama Presidency to having the “Etch-a- Sketch Presidency” of Mitt Romney. 

     Wow! Did he really say that? Has it come to this? If the Romney train is finally leaving the station on the tracks of inevitably, who will be at the campaign's final destination to greet him when and if it arrives?  If not  Santorum, will it be just Jeb Bush?

     Perhaps the only crowd to greet him will  be the enthusiastic stock holders of the Etch- a- Sketch company.  There are pitifully few others to cheer him on,  excepting the most avid Obama haters. These are the folks who would conceivably back Lucifer himself, were he to chastise, cajole and challenge Obama in a red meat sort of way.  But wait, their candidate would be the cheerful Mr. Newt Gingrich.., and his train seems to have left the tracks somewhere west of Georgia.  So even they might not show up at the end of the tracks.

      Suffice it to say that Washington’s Union Station will be mostly empty  on the day Romney arrives as the eventual Republican nominee. Why?  Because he has continually traded principle for political pivoting,  consistency for chicanery and bald faced about facery for the truth. No amount of Super Pac money will ever be able to hide the two , three, or four faces of Romney that the campaign has allowed us to see.  He huffed and he puffed and he blew his own house down.  There is no putting this Humpty Dumpty back together again. The jig is up.

    In fact, maybe we should just  move up the date of the Presidential campaign to September,  and get the agony over with.  Why spend umpteen millions more on negative ads between now and November, when the choice will be clear by the end of August.  Maybe September would be a good time to put aside the partisan divide, and start to rebuild our national consensus.  Of course, that can’t happen, but at least we know that by the time the November election does come, we can choose to spring forward, not fall back.  It will seem good to have it all over, and have a real chance to begin to put the country back together, again.

The Silence is deafening!

Silence

The silence is deafening. The silence of the Republican Presidential candidates in the face of Rush Limbaugh's latest misanthropic diatribe about contraception and a Georgetown female law student's testimony before Congress . Rush Limbaugh labeled her a "slut' for wanting free contraceptive coverage. According to Limbaugh, " if she wants to get paid for having sex she is a prostitute", and she should videotape and share her sexcapades so Rush and his cigar chomping confreres could at least watch.

What? Did he actually say that on a nationally syndicated radio show that is on the public airwaves? That is pretty creepy, not to mention, over the top. The last time this kind of thing happened it was " Imus in the Morrning" who became a casualty of his own loose lips which sunk his broadcasting ship. Talking about "Nappy hoes" with kinky hair was considered beyond the pale, and Don Imus had to go. So does Rush.

There was a time when it was unthinkable that a radio personality could engage in such vituperative doggerel and get away with it. Pre 1987, back in the "Happy Days" of 1947-1987 when the FCC's Fairness Doctrine existed, such conduct would have been unthinkable. With all the retro like rhetoric coming from the Republican Presidential candidates about family values and the good old days, nary a one has advocated a return to the Fairness Doctrine. That was the national policy which required broadcast stations to balance their political commentary by offering responsible spokesmen for opposite points of view to be given airways access to counter and/or balance comments that could be viewed as one sided. That policy is no more. It was done in by Ronald Regan and his political minions , and it ushered in the likes of Don Imus and Rush Limbaugh's and Michael Savage and Keith Olberman. Some say the quality of our political dialogue went to hell in a hand basket with the repeal of the FCC's Fairness Doctrine. It has given license to political debate which is not fact centered or civil, but comes down to a "Your mother wears combat boots" approach.

It was the Danish political philosopher Soren Kierkegaard who said. "If you label me, then you can dismiss me". If you're not a "ditto head" or a "Great American", it is Limbaugh or Hannity who controls the kill switch on the microphone, not some dispassionate moderator. Daytime talk radio has become a cesspool of political invective, political labeling, and political demagoguery of unparalleled proportion. If ever there were an argument to be made about restoring civility in our political dialogue, and a return to the Doctrine which required fairness and balance on the public airwaves, this is it.

I am a firm believer in Free Speech and the First Amendment rights of all citizens, but as the courts have long held, there can and should be time manner and place restrictions in the exercise of that freedom. You can't yell fire in a crowded theatre, and your ought not be able to defame other citizens caustically and with impunity on the public airwaves. Such
drivel may be suitable for Internet podcasts, but not for the public airwaves.

When I was a young man, I was a disc jockey on a local radio station. One day I had to fill in as moderator of a local talk show called " Open Mike". I will never forget the owner of the station, Cliff Harris, coming into the control room flailing his arms at me and mouthing for me to " go to a commercial" while I was on air. I did, and he laid me out in lavender for giving my opinion on a subject to a caller. The hot controversy at the time was whether the city should adopt a dog leash law, and I had my opinions on the subject. So did the caller with whom I was disagreeing on the air. He said " you are the moderator...moderator.. Do you understand me? Your opinion does not matter, it is the public opinion that does!" I will never forget the fire in his eyes and his tone of voice in correcting my errant ways. Too bad Cliff Harris isn't still around to do the same thing to Rush Limbaugh today! He certainly deserves a comeuppance for his over the top remarks. Can you step up to the plate and call out the bully 'Messrs. Romney, Santorum, Gingrich and Paul? Who will be the first to say to him as Joseph Welch did to Senator Joe Mc Carthy , " Enough! At long last, have you no decency , sir?" We are all waiting and watching.

A milestone or a millstone birthday?

On Turning 65.....some reflections.

It has been along time coming, but I am now officially a Medicare recipient. That happens on the first day of the month when you turn 65.

I actually attained that milestone yesterday. It has been quite a ride so far, and I'm.struggling to remain in the saddle, even if the ride is getting a little bumpier.

Along the way, I have been extremely fortunate, and extremelyunfortunate as well. There have been good times and bad, and lots of in between.

I have survived cancer (melanoma). I had an emergency appendectomy at 63, and I am still going strong, able to not only sit up and take nourishment, but healthy enough to walk fast, if not run, still dance ( a little slower)., exercise, travel, read, write, smile at life, sip a little wine, and laugh loudly at the ridiculousness of much of it.

I have also been unfortunate. I lost my wife, my best friend and love of my life in her early fifties. That leaves a huge hole in your heart that you can never really close . You just cover it, and try to move on. But it's always there. We were fortunate to have had four wonderful daughters who continue her quest and embody her spirit. For that. I am most grateful.

Balancing between happiness and heartache is always a challenge. But the most important thing I have learned along the way , as my late wife used to say, is to " Keep a happy heart". I think that is the key...maintaining a sense of the ridiculous, and trying to see the humor in the human predicament.

I find myself waxing on about the past, and eagerly sharing the stories of my life ( of which there are many).

I am grateful that ( for the most part) I can remember them, and for having a new group of recruits each semester to share them with. That's one of the great things about teaching...your kids have already heard all your stories, but your new students have not! I love teaching as a retirement avocation. Let's face it... I love to entertain, enlighten, and even intrigue, and I love an audience.

That's what keeps me vital, and hopefully undull.

I particularly like to muse about the

Life's lessons I have learned, and to share the little aphorisms that I have

absorbed along the way. My favorite one is "Hope springs eternal! ...( in the human breast).

My second favorite is "Be sure you're right, and then go ahead" ... Davy Crockett. ( My Davy Crocket pocket knife is a little rusty, but still one of my most prized possessions. )

And... My third favorite is "Don't sweat the small stuff!". Worrying only produces more woe, so embrace the philosophy of "Que sera, sera..". What will be , will be!

Thank you Fess Parker and thank you Doris Day! You have greatly.molded my life. But as much as I love to look backward, to the Howdy Doody and leave it to Beaver Days...to the Happy Days of early rock 'n roll, to the hippy happy sixties, the squirrely 70's , the productive 80's , the responsible 90's... I really enjoyed the reflective

00's, and am eagerly sailing through the 2010's., I love to look forward as well. Each new day is a blessing.

Time may no longer be on my side., but as the old Ann Murray song goes... "Time...don't run out on me!"

I want to keep my

plane flying, even as life's runways grow shorter. I always did like takeoffs better than landings.

The wheatfields of Kansas are starting to green up. The Hills of the Finger Lakes are covered in snowy white. The hair on my head is finally getting a little bit white, and the celebration of all things green is almost in sight. It's been a great, a happy, and a powerful journey so far, and I am enriched by all those whose paths I have crossed, and who have crossed my path along the way. I am especially grateful for those who have walked along that path with me, and sometimes guided me back when I got detoured. Thank you all so much for being part of my life. I am many times blessed!

And lastly, If life is like a big ice skating pond, and you never know when the ice is going to give way underneath you, the only thing to do is "Keep on skatin' " !

Our unpersuadeable relatives

How to argue politics with your redneck relatives...or not.

My brother in law is an avid Obama hater. I made the mistake of engaging him in a policy debate over tax reform. After several volleys, and me continually confronting him with the facts, he finally said, "I don't care about the facts! Obama is just wrong! Ok?

Don't confuse me with the facts... you're spoiling my theory! Well if you don't care about the facts, why am I bothering to debate with you in the first place when your final line of attack will be not fact based or rooted in reality. It will be along the lines of "your mother wears combat boots!" It will be personal and ad hominem argumentation, because the facts do not support your position.

There is an old law school adage. .."When the facts are on your side. pound the facts. When the law is on your side, pound the law, When nothing is on your side, pound the table. " That's what Nikita Kruschev did at the UN. He literally took his shoe off and pounded the table with it! Well, look what happened to the USSR along the way. It wound up in the dust bin of history. Table pounding only gets you so far. We will bury you? Yeah right!

So, lesson learned. When you want to argue with your redneck friends and relatives, first, ask them to just ignore those "nattering nabobs of negativity" on daytime talk radio. Ask them to at least listen to the President for once. Listen to him. Just listen.

He makes sense, that President Obama. He does not make sense, that Mitt Romney. He can't even get his jargon right..."Severely conservative?"
What does that say about how , in his heart of hearts, he actually views Conservatism!

Let the Bush tax cuts expire? "That's not class warfare. That's just common sense"...Obama.
He has the ability and the willingness to tweak and fix things... Not just take a dogmatic approach. That's the essence of leadership. He's finally got a grip.

For example...the way he's beginning to define the debate. Take the issue of tax fairness. He is no longer willing to cede the stage to their agenda. and the Republicans have been reduced to name calling. The worst President ever, etc. ...the job killer...etc.

In the final analysis, the genius of our democracy has been the ability of the American public to see through the smokescreen, and to make sense of it all. The American electorate is the ultimate jury, and while they are occasionally swayed by the passion of the moment, it is a dispassionate analysis of the facts, and the search for truth, justice, and the American way which is their ultimate measuring stick . It is just that, at times, the smoke screen becomes so thick, it can cloud their reasoning, but when, and if the thick smoke settles, the American people will see through the fog of pure politics, and will do the right thing. Trust the voters. When all seems lost in a cacophony of negativity..trust the voters to figure it out, and they will.

So , to the 1/3 of the electorate who are not persuaded by the facts , I say, God bless you! I choose not to argue with you. It matters not because your mind is made up, and you are unpersuadable.There is another old adage. "never get in a wrestling match with a pig. The pig will squeal, slip away, and enjoy it, and you"ll just wind up with mud all over you".
I am not going to waste my time.

To the one third who agree with me, I say thanks. Hang in there.

To that middle one third, who will listen to reason, who are fair minded, and just want to do the right thing...hear my plea!

It is that portion of the electorate to whom the President must speak His mantra must be "Let me persuade you with the facts. Let me appeal to your passion for common sense solutions to our problems. Let me engage and enlighten you" . If he does, and if he speaks in a direct, clear, and common sense way...if he truly channels Harry Truman , not Adlai Stevenson, in the final analysis,, all will be well.

Keep your language simple, clear, concise, and direct, Mr. President. Keep saying things like " If everybody gets a fair shot, and everybody plays by the same rules, then everybody will get their fair share. " That is the American way.

Thank you, Mr. President . Keep talking truth to the American people. The curmudgeons will think it's hell. But we, the people, will know the difference. And our unpersuadable relatives? Oh well, we’ll love them anyway!

Of Demons and Dragons

As the old saying goes, “Money is the mother’s milk of politics.” Assuming that to be true, , the question then becomes, what does mega money do to politics?, i.e. mega money in the form of undisclosed million dollar donations to SuperPacs, which are supposedly independent of political candidates. Will such an infusion of cash to mega money pacs sour that mother’s milk, and sound the death knell for our American political system as we know it?

The challenge we face involves the kind of money which is rooted in a form of Sorcery, trying to cast magical spells over an unsuspecting electorate. Under the Super pac system, we never really know who is churning and turning the wheels behind the powerful veneer of that great and glorious wizard of mass media, advertising. For all we know, “Citizens for a brighter tomorrow” could be funded by the American Association of Witches, Wizards and Warlocks. Their true identity is inscrutable. They poison the process, and diminish voter participation,. They succeed in denigrating an opponent to such an extent that survival is almost impossible after being “carpet bombed” by their Super Pac ad blitzkreig. Negative campaign ads work. Sadly, but inevitably, this will lead us to government not of , by, and for the people, but government of , by, and for the Oligarchs.

Oligarchy. I know. It sounds a bit queer. Like a mythical word from a bygone era...Oligarchy...a governmental system run by a small group of very rich men who manipulate the electoral process to their own ends, and whose agenda , not the agenda of the American electorate, predominates. We are clearly on the road to Oligarchy, if we aren’t there already.

It is as if we have been taken over by a group of powerful dragons whose mystical monied manipulation of the common folk is undertaken by the fire breathing force of mammon which has become their archer. If a small group of billionaires can buy our elections, our democracy is at an end. We will be left with the illusion of a democratic system which is in fact controlled by the masters of the SuperPac world, whose hegemony will be unbridled, and whose dominance of the political system will be complete.

Wittingly or unwittingly, the USSC has paved the way for this tragic scenario with it's rulings in Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo, which hold , inter alia, that money is equivalent to free speech and that corporations are people whose political voice cannot be shackled by restraint on the gross expenditure of money to further whatever corporate goals they champion.

It is a sinister and unparalleled perversion of our political system, and it cannot go unchallenged. The highest court in this country is directly responsible for this travesty, and only that court can save us from the fate which they have consigned us to. A constitutional amendment might be the long term solution, but we can't wait that long to face the demons that this decision has unleashed. Immediate action , and intervention by the courts is necessary to stop this dragon like behemoth before it fissures and cracks the very foundation of the Commonweal.

It is pure folly to think that these Super Pacs are independent of the Presidential campaigns. It is clear that their actions are highly connected and any Prosecutor worth half a grain of salt could get to the bottom of this charade with a few subpoenas and a Grand Jury empanelment. Why wait until after the election? Why not act now,? What magic can we summon to slay these demons before their dastardly deeds are done, and we are subservient to their every whim?

How can we unmask them for what they are, and seek to enjoin their expenditures as violative of not only the spirit and intent of the law, but it's actual prohibitions as well? The courts are the answer. If we have to get an expedited hearing before the Supreme Court on the legality of such Mega Money Super Pacs as constituted, prior to the election, so be it. Our system has moved quickly before to decide momentous issues in a matter of weeks , instead of months and years. In support of that argument, I need only cite one case.... Bush v Gore 2000 !

An expedited investigation is not only justified, but duly warranted by the dire straits our democratic system finds itself in. Who will step up to the plate, to save the Republic? Will you answer the call AG Eric Holder, or leave it to one of the state AG's like Bo Biden or Eric Schneiderman? Someone needs to slay this dragon soon before the Oligarchic trolls hold sway and have it entirely their way. It’s just that simple.

What say you Attorneys General? There is precious little time to waste.

Self Deporatation--The Mitt and Newt Show

Self Deportation... An idea whose time may have come!

I just love watching these Republican Presidential candidate debates. It is great entertainment.

First there is Newt---If some news correspondent challenges your marital ethics, turn the table on them, and go after the questioner. Hypocrisy be damned. Use the path to the Presidency...the ultimate bully pulpit, to bully the press and rally the Republican base. If someone calls you a lobbyist, tell them you are an historian! ! Hey, it works! He won South Carolina.

And how about that Mitt Romney? You're right Mitt, we envy you. We are part of the 99%, and you are the 1% of the 1%! You are one lucky guy! You are paying 13.9% on your income tax while most of us pay 25% or more on a lot less income. Yes Mitt, you are blessed that your income comes not from wages, or the sweat of your brow, but from corporate manipulation, vulture capitalism, and borrowing to buy fire sale corporations at near zero percent interest (Thank you Fed....), re-inventing them, squeezing out the money, and selling them for huge profits!

You are one of those rich guys who we are supposed to be calling "Job creators". And the great thing about America is that our tax code rewards your type of "work" by granting you special tax loopholes and concessions that we poor working stiffs only dream about! No wonder you reject the label 1% and say it's envy! You are not campaigning for President to change it. You are running to preserve it. Who's kidding who? What a great country this is ( if you are in the 1% ! ) The best thing is, you even do your own laundry. What a regular guy. I bet you iron those nicely starched shirts too!

How dare anyone not genuflect at the altar of Vulture Capitalism. Job killers? It is Obama and the Democrats who are the job killers, not the tax loopholing, tax dodging , Cayman Island bank account holding , Swiss bank depositing, job creators! Let's get our facts straight here!

And your answer to the immigration issue was absolutely, stunningly, brilliant! How do we deal with the 22 million undocumented residents of this country who arrived in the land of opportunity by extra legal means? The answer? Self deportation!

Self deportation... What a great idea. We could take it one step further and maybe even urge those lazy food stamp consuming largely African Americans to self deport too! Back to Africa! I bet Newt would even agree with you. Imagine the cheers that would draw from the Republican base at the next debate.
Even better... Why not scrap the food stamp program altogether, take the money, and buy plane tickets to the homeland for the self deportees.
Food stamp problem... solved!

And while we are at it, why not urge self deportation to Europe for all those Socialist state advocating Un-American acting Democrats who believe in a fair and universal health care system.

The possibilities are endless. Just think...we could solve the Social Security system shortfall by giving plane tickets to all Baby Boomers who want to self deport themselves back to the insolvent countries of their forebears, like Greece, and Ireland and Italy! Imagine..no more diners or Irish pubs or Italian restaurants!

Just think of the convicted felons who, once out of prison, cannot find a job. The answer? Self deportation. Buy 'em a bus ticket outta town, just like the old time Sheriffs used to do. What possibilities this Self deportation concept portends!

I just love these debates. They amuse. They unenlighten. They are great fodder for the befuddled. Move over American Idol and Survivor. The Mitt and Newt show is on . It could even outdraw Beavis and Butthead in the Neilsens.
America, stay tuned. ...but remember...The whole world is watching.

Richard Cordray--- Hooray and Hallelujah!

Recess appointment

Every school kid beyond Kindergarten understands what the term "recess" means. Time out from the school day to take a deep breath, recreate, re-focus, and then come back to the school day with a re-invigorated purposeful spirit.

Imagine if the teacher, during a twenty minute recess, came out to the school playground ringing a bell every 5 minutes, to remind the students that they are really still in school, that recess is not really recess after all, so don't get too involved in playing "Mother May I " because while you may be on the playground, it is not really recess! Huh? Recess is not really recess? A Rose by any other name is really not a rose... ?

Would that make sense to a second grader? Hardly!

And for Congress to leave town after Christmas, not returning until Jan. 23rd, a full month away, and claim that they are really still in session is not just an artifice... It is nothing short of preposterous! It is phony. It is a sham, and the American people know a hoax when they see one. Congress is playing a silly game, and finally...finally...President Obama is calling them on it, with his recess appointment of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau,

He has crossed the Republican's Rubicon River, by throwing down the gauntlet He may as well have said "Alea Iacta Est!" , as did Ceasar ( The die is cast). The battle for the heart and soul of the Republic now looms!

It is about time. Obama has faced nothing but obstruction from a Republican dominated Congress since he took office. Even when the Democrats held the majority in both houses, the Republicans used every available device to frustrate, delay, and obstruct Obama's agenda.

He has tried to reach out to them. ..to no avail. He has compromised with them on tax policy, only to be confounded again in the debt ceiling debate. He finally stood his ground on the middle class tax cut before Christmas, and the recalcitrant Republicans , with no reasonable retreat route, raised the white flag. They caved. No wonder Congress is only at an 11% approval rating.

They have done nothing to move the country forward. They have done nothing to create jobs. They have done nothing to protect the American worker. They have done nothing to help the middle class consumer. They have refused to raise taxes on the rich, but were ready to allow the middle class payroll tax cut to go by the boards. They have become the "Do Nothing Republican Congress" of 2011-12, and their days are now numbered.

Rome is burning. The choice is between "Don't just stand there...Do Something!", and don't do anything, just stand there!". The American people are finally calling them out on their failure to function. Fiddling amidst the flames of a faltering economy is no solution. As Lee Iacocca used to say" Either lead...follow..or get the hell out of the way!" Time for them to do the latter.