Cultural Junk

Republican Governors - They Came, They Saw, They Clustered

The Republican Governors Association met in Miami last week to determine a new direction for the GOP and present a united front and in the wake of their election defeat. They blew it BIG TIME.

The GOP governors got twisted internally, deadlocked between moderates who think the party should move to an ideological center and hard-liners who want a return to their core constituency. Caught in the middle was Sarah Palin, the Alaska governor and failed vice presidential nominee, who has emerged as her Party's most visible personality, but also a lightning rod among many of her fellow Republicans.

During a news conference promoting party unity with other GOP governors, Texas' Rick Perry stepped between Palin and the microphone on several occasions, cutting short her remarks. Not surprising, since Perry, Louisiana's Bobby Jindal, Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty and  Florida's Charlie Crist all have been named as potential 2012 presidential candidates who would face-off against Palin, the party's de facto front runner.

The GOP is not a happy place with lots of questions and no ready answers. Should Republicans tackle issues like education, energy and the environment to broaden the party's base? Will it ever engage in serious discussion of social issues such as abortion and gay marriage? Can it win back women, Hispanics and young voters? Does it remain mired in an ideology that most Americans see as irrelevant?

The Party of Lincoln should look for guidance in The Words of Lincoln.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”

''We need to reach out more as a party,'' said Gov. Crist, whose own home state and Republican bastion Florida went against tradition and voted for Barack Obama.

Listen up, GOP. You lost Florida's Hispanic vote, where Republicans had long dominated, HUGE. Obama won 57 percent compared to 42 percent for McCain. Nationwide, Obama won the Hispanic vote by a wider margin, garnering 66 percent to McCain's 32 percent. No Democratic presidential candidate had ever achieved either milestone since the exit polling of Hispanics first began in the 1980s. That's a demographic revolution of epic proportions.

Some within the GOP continue to place the blame on losing the election not on a failed ideology, but rather on a more technologically savvy Democratic campaign.  Others cited the unpopular Bush administration, the war in Iraq, the economy and even Hurricane Katrina.

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday."

The Republicans are grabbing at straws.  To exist, you need an ideology that is relevant to the world you live in. The Republicans haven't had one since Ronald Reagan was in office, and like so many nostalgic Alabama football fans who are watching the horizon for the return of Bear Bryant, the GOP keeps looking for their old-time religion to trickle down again. Until Republicans can look honestly in the mirror and see their own failures, they are going nowhere.

Gov. Pawlenty has an idea. He says the GOP needs to appeal to what he calls "Sam's Club voters.''

"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt."

Here's a better idea. Stop with the labels and try governing smart. In the seven years the GOP controlled both the Administration and Congress, annual deficits rose in excess of $400 billion per year, a $5.5 trillion increase.  Your bookkeeping sucks, your spending is over the top and ethics have long since gone out the window. Americans don't care about labels. They want good government.

Gov. Jindal got it right when he said, "We got fired for cause."

Abe Lincoln said it better.

"I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true."

     Looking to the future, perhaps the GOP can learn a few things from those across the aisle. The Democrats have a high degree of agreement about who they are and what they believe in. They found in Senator Obama a charismatic and articulate leader who most Americans could also believe in and trust. That's why the Democrats won and the Republicans lost, pure and simple.

Get on board with that, GOP, or get used to more lost elections thanks to self-imploding ideologies like "drill, baby, drill."

Mentos Eruption World Record set at Circle R Ranch (www.circlerranch.org)

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Conservative Talk Radio REALLY Doesn't Get It

One week since Senator Barack Obama became President-Elect Obama and most Americans, especially those who gave him a clear mandate to govern (by six points in the popular vote 52% to 46%) understand the reasons behind their vote. No recount needed here, as Obama blew past John McCain by 190 votes in the electoral college, 364 votes to 174.

In this history-making presidential campaign, the United States of America elected a black man to the highest office in the land. Young voters and minorities - the most disaffected segments of the electorate in recent years - rose up this time. Obama won 95% of the black vote, 66% of the Latino vote, 66% of voters 18-29 and 68% of all first-time voters. That's a movement with marching orders that any causal observer can recognize and take notice of.

Except, apparently, for Conservative Talk Radio, where the news is not good. One week has passed since Election Day and those angry white guys (it's almost always a guy) on AM are really pissed odd. To hear them tell it, an uniformed electorate whipped up by hype and hucksters have set our feet on the road to destruction. It's all over now.

In my home market, Dallas/Fort Worth, the hysteria was almost funny, almost. One host urged his listeners to "join the NRA now, because they're coming to get our guns." Another giggled while ridiculing an Obama supporter because he wasn't able to list specifics of Obama's economic plan, suggesting he had voted out of ignorance.

Ignorance is something Talk Radio knows all too well. Most of the opinions I've heard expressed for the past eight years are consistently unoriginal and dull. There is rarely anything resembling a worthwhile conversation, unless you consider frequent commercial breaks, traffic reports and callers who begin their 15 minutes of fame by telling the host they either love the show and that they agree with them 95% of the time, a riveting exchange of ideas.

Talk Radio is, however, entertaining. It's the New Professional Wrestling, the WWE of the airwaves. Instead of Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Undertaker, Talk Radio presents its superstar lineup of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Michael Savage, Glenn Beck, G. Gordon Liddy and Laura Ingraham.

Like professional wrestling, Conservative Talk Radio if not, fake, is scripted. The discussion is predetermined and carefully choreographed. Rush and Company are entertainers, jerks who go up against the good guys, not for championship belts, but for company bonuses and ratings. And ratings are real.

Rating have also been good, especially in a climate where you could wrap yourself in the Flag and blame our country's ills on anyone who disagreed with your particular point of view by calling them freeloaders or unpatriotic. Talk Radio built a loyal and rabid fan base of ringside fans who can draw very clear lines between "us and them." It was easy to recruit when we thought we were getting information that was fair and balanced.

Those days are over, done in by the same big-spending, debt-ridden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant conservatism of the past eight years. Take a look around. Conservatives promised smaller government, less intrusion and fewer taxes; and then just borrowed the money and tripled the debt, all the while being praised by Talk Radio as being better than the other side.

It's a New Day and America doesn't have time to waste on Talk Radio's narrow-minded and overbearing shtick. You got it wrong, angry white guys on AM. There's a new message to actually govern this country again and that's what America is tuned into now.

Get to Work, Mr. President - Really!

Tomorrow Americans elect a new President. Whoever gets the vote, Barack Obama or John McCain, the 44th President of the United States has a lot on his plate.

We're in trouble with a capital T, and we can't wait until January to hear the details about the plan to deal with the issues we're all facing. If ever there was a time to think and act collectively, that time is NOW.

So, Mr. President, here's the TOP TEN List of issues you better start managing as soon as the other side's concession speech begins to air.

1. The War in Iraq: As of September, 58% of Americans say the Iraq war was a mistake. While many Americans believe the United States can win the war in Iraq, only about a third think we actually will win. Surge or No Surge, it's time to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. At the same time, we need to hold the Iraqi government accountable for taking control of the situation in their country. Keep Gen. David Petraeus in charge of the boots on the ground. He makes a lot more sense than Nancy Pelosi.

2. It's the Economy, Stupid: Our current economic situation is bad, and it's bad across the board - unless you are one of the lucky former AIG executives who got fired for mismanagement, but are still pulling down $1 million a month as an AIG consultant.  Otherwise, pick your poison - rising costs and inflation, health care, retirement, home foreclosures, debt, college tuition, employment, taxes, gas prices, the federal deficit, etc. We don't trust BIG BUSINESS and Congress isn't much higher on the grid either. Whatever financial model Washington and Wall Street has been using, well, SUCKS. It's time to do things much different and much better.

3. Healthcare: The cost of Healthcare is an issue facing almost every American family - unless you're related to a member of Congress. One recent survey noted costs and access to health care are rated a higher health problem than diseases such as AIDS or cancer. There are various solutions here, including tax deductions, federal assistance, lowering the Medicare age to 55 and even requiring businesses to offer health insurance. A bold early move by the next administration to answer the tough questions here would be a giant leap forward - finally.

4. Education: If we can't do more here than come up with catchy phrases like "No Child Left Behind" we should just fold the tent and start handing out vouchers immediately.  Public schools need to do more to close the achievement gap between students, reduce the number of students per classroom, and the number and quality of teachers. Listen Up, Congress - this means more funding, and more focus on reading writing and arithmetic, and less emphasis on passing state-mandated tests. Stop dumbing down to the lowest common denominator. Throw into the mix charter schools, preschool programs for low-income students and extending the school day, and you've got yourself a great head start.

5. Immigration Policy: Look, this one really is pretty simple. You can't have it both ways - you can't cry about illegal immigrants draining our taxes and public services while at the same time hiring (and in many cases under-paying) the same illegal labor force. No immigration policy that doesn't provide the opportunity for eventual U.S. citizenship is even worth discussing - you know and so does everyone else. Let's also focus substantial effort on securing the border and stem the flow of illegal immigrants into the country.

6. The War on Terror:  Besides sounding like a 1970's Hammer Horror Film starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, our current efforts here have been pretty dismal. Hey, here's an idea - why not actually take the fight against terrorism to the place the terrorists live - like Afghanistan. Then maybe some time we can actually claim "Mission Accomplished" and it mean something. Legislation like the Patriot Act which compromises civil liberties to fight terrorism sounds good, but so did Weapons of Mass Destruction, and what we all wouldn't give to take that one back. And could someone call Tom Clancey and get him to kill Osama bin Laden?

7. A Green Agenda: OK, not high on everyone's Top Ten list, but that doesn't mean it doesn't the problem isn't real. The environment needs attention, at least Teddy Roosevelt thought so and he's on Mount Rushmore, so perhaps he knew a few things his modern-day counterparts don't. Look around - the environment is getting worse, not better. If you can't believe in global warming, can we at least agree to do more to address safe drinking water, curbing toxic waste, and improving overall water and air quality.

8. Energy: Stop wasting time trying to band-aid this issue with talk about opening up the Alaskan Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Energy and fuel prices are a top priority, so regulating the oil industry is a must-have. We need tougher emissions standards for autos, business, and industry, mandatory limits on greenhouse gas emissions, and developing alternate energy sources.

9. Fix the Damn Government:  Americans have had it with their elected representatives in Congress, whose job approval ratings are in the mid-20% range. It's taken a while, but we've finally figured it out - Washington is neither honest or ethical. Mr. President, you better focus more on public opinion and less attention to Congress' personal views. The next election is just four years away and you better believe we're going to be paying attention.

10. The Dixie Chicks: OK, this one is just a personal agenda item, but it's time to let Natalie Maines off the hook. It appears she was right, after all. Even the Republican Party is now ashamed of the President. Also, as previously stated, there still have been no WMD's found anywhere in Iraq, so we did probably jump the gun just a bit. In the interest of fairness, and especially in light of all the right-wing, extremist bullshit they've endured for the past four years, it seems only right to invite the Dixie Chicks to perform at one of the upcoming inaugural balls. I'm Ready to Make Nice.

English Only-Really?

Earlier this month the city council in Lewisville, Texas voted not to change the practice of translating documents into Spanish, a move precipitated by Deputy Mayor Pro Tem Lathan Watts’ motion to make English the city’s official language.

Watts said use of the English language is a "pillar of American unity and identity." Apparently his council colleagues disagree, as his motion failed to get a second.

The former staff assistant for Texas Senator John Cornyn attempted to save face by calling the English-only resolution, "largely symbolic" but emphasized that English has a critical place in American life.

"One of the things that allows that melting pot to melt together is common language. Without it we’re not a melting pot, we’re stir-fry, basically," Watts said. He pointed out that all American founding documents and great speeches were written in English.

REALLY?

Hey, Councilman Watts - do you think things may have changed a bit in the good old USA since 1776? I'm guessing Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence in English because, oh I don't know, he spoke English and he was writing it for a mostly English-speaking group of colonial radicals?

You're kidding us, right? Surely as Vice President of the Denton County Young Republicans, you're familiar with the history of the Republic?

English IS the official language of the U.S. - in fact, its spoken widely. Maybe you want to drive outside your gated community once in a while and discover America for yourself.

Using English as the sticking point in the nation’s immigration debate is stupid. If you want to talk about illegal immigration, let's have a serious discussion about the problem. Ask and Answer the tough questions: How did we get here? What are the economic realities? What as an open, democratic society are we willing and able to do now to get the situation under control?

Chafing at Spanish being spoken here or setting limits on document translation is smoke and mirrors politics. The City of Lewisville spends just $475.60 on document translation annually and has an operating budget of nearly $100 million.

Don't waste our time, Mr. Watts. Lighten Up.

Americans don't need a common language to unify us. We don't need elected officials trying to divide us either.

Here's a reality check for you:

Things Change. Time Marches On. Technology Advances. Wake Up and Smell the Coffee.

All those great founding American documents and speeches were originally written in English, but they've been translated into thousands of other languages because the words have meaning beyond borders - even our own. I'm guessing, Mr. Watts, that your Bible has been translated into English, right?

Lucky for you the original Hebrew authors aren't around to object to their words being translated so that we Gentiles could hear those truths.

AIG-Really?

Let's just Cut to the Chase.

American International Group, Inc. (AIG) is a train wreck, a classic example of corporate greed and denial that, while staggering in its stupidity, should come as no surprise.

Less than a week after the federal government offered an $85 billion bailout to AIG, the company held a retreat for its executives at the utlra-fabulous St. Regis Resort in California, running up a tab of $440,000 on rooms, meals, spa and golf. After being hammered by Congress, the press, the public and anyone else with a fourth-grade education, AIG cancelled an additional 160 conferences valued at $8 million.

One sympathises.

AIG has to cut costs somewhere. The House committee wading through the mess at Wall Street firm Lehman Brothers has uncovered some troubling (but not surprising) information among the documents received from AIG.

They include:

AIG lost more than $5 billion in the last quarter of 2007 through its risky financial products division, but when the company's compensation committee met in March 2008, CEO Martin Sullivan convinced the committee to ignore those losses, which of course, would have significantly reduced executive bonuses. Sullivan knows which side of the bread his butter is on - the board agreed with him and gave Sullivan a cash bonus of over $5 million.

The board also approved Sullivan's new compensation contract that covered him with a golden parachute of $15 million. Way to go, Marty!

Joseph Cassano, the executive in charge of the company's troubled financial products division, received more than $280 million over the last eight years. Even after he was terminated in February, he was allowed to keep somewhere in the neighborhood of $34 million in bonuses, and is still receiving a $1 million-a-month retainer from AIG.

REALLY?

All this high-finance, high-jinx had Congressman Waxman perplexed enough to remark, "we will ask whether any of this makes sense."

It makes about as much sense as asking taxpayers to pony up $700 billion BAILOUT BUCKS to Wall Street investment banks grown bold by lack of oversight and a Harvard education where apparently betting that people with the lowest income (and the poorest credit ratings) are going to be able to pay off their mortgages makes some kind of cutting edge economic sense.

I don't know about you, but I'm not in the habit of giving my hard-earned money to people completely incapable of managing their business. I'm even less inclined to do so with a gun to my head.

So, what's the fix?

Send some people directly to jail. No passing GO and no collecting any bonuses. If you are the CEO, CFO or executive of any Wall Street firm receiving the bailout money - you go to jail.

Put someone in charge at the asylum. Self-regulation works about as well as, well, self-regulation. Wall Street is in the business of making money (at least that's what they told us), but they'be blown it BIG TIME. They no longer get to make the rules and ignore the fine print. Certainly in a country as smart as the United States, we can find someone to balance the checkbook and make smart financial decisions.

Finally, wise-up, America! Main Street better start demanding a lot more from Wall Street and from Pennsylvania Avenue too.