Category: Politics Page 27 of 35

Presidential caucuses have been Connie’s specialty in Iowa as she followed the elections of 2004, 2008, 2012 and wrote the 2 books “Obama’s Odyssey: The 2008 Race for the White House.” She also continues to follow politics by avidly reading everything she can get her hands on, including “Rolling Stone,” “Mother Jones,” “Newsmax,” “Time,” etc.

ThrillerFest in New York City & Other Things That Have Kept Me Away from the Blog

By Connie Wilson

On August 6, 2012

In Books, Music, Politics, travel

I’ve been away from the keyboard for a variety of reasons:

1) I attended ThrillerFest in New York City July 11-14 and had the opportunity to hear wisdom from many great writers. Pictures are a few. The HWA’s own W.D. Gagliani was on one panel, as was Nate Kenyon (“Diablo: The Order”). I had the opportunity to see the Terra Cotta soldiers at the Discovery Center on W. 44th Street and, as a special treat, I got to wait in LaGuardia airport from 6 p.m. until almost midnight (the plane was supposed to leave at 8 p.m.)

ThrillerFest in NYC in July.

Joseph Finder, author of “Paranoia,” “Company Man,” et. al.

Lady Liberty has a small wardrobe malfunction n Times Square.

: Jon Land, author of the Caitlin Strong series.
Grand Central Terminal, right next to the Hyatt where Thrillerfest was held.

2) Upon our return, we spent some time at the beach with Scott, Jessica, Ava & Elise.

Ava & Elise with Grandpa at the 31st St. Beach in Chicago.

3) Then, of course, there was my birthday. We dined at Nellicoat, which used to be a different restaurant on Randolph, but is now very fancy.

Nellicoat, the fancy restaurant on Randolph Street where we dined on my birthday with son Scott and daughter-in-law Jessica.

4) July 28, Saturday: Chicago and the Doobie Brothers at Northerly Isle Pavilion (birthday celebration).

Northerly Isle Pavilion, July 28th, 2012: Chicago and the Doobie Brothers.

The Doobie Brothers appeared with Chicago this year (7/29/2012).

Chicago skyline at dusk.

5) Last, but certainly not least, I’ve been putting the finishing touches on “Hellfire & Damnation II,” which went “live” as an E-book on July 28th. It’s a truly entertaining book, with illustrations for each story and a great cover from Vincent Chong of the UK, plus a Fro the Author section explaining the inspiration for the stories. There will be a 5-day period when the book on Amazon Kindle will be free, but that has yet to be determined. Stay tuned for the exact dates, which will probably be near Halloween.

“Hellfire & Damnation II” available now in paperback from Amazon and Barnes & Noble and in Kindle E-book from Amazon. Stay tuned for free download dates, which will be somewhere near Halloween.

6) Lollapalooza has been ongoing in Chicago all weekend. I’ve been listening to the groups from my balcony, except when a very bad storm caused authorities to evacuate the park. The last band that got to play its set as originally scheduled was “Moon Taxi” from Nashville, friends of my daughter’s. At about 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the high winds and rain swept in. However, the concert continued after a brief period of time, allowing the Red Hot Chili Peppers to perform, at least. On Sunday, Florence & the Machine and Jack White played and they sounded great.

: Lollapalooza, August 3-5.

NATO Protests End with a Whimper, Not A Bang!

By Connie Wilson

On May 22, 2012

In Interviews, Politics

Protesters gathered in Grant Park on Sunday, May 20th, 2012.

I’ve just spent the last four days following protesters through the streets of Chicago. My feet, despite wearing my good walking shoes, are like bloody stumps. The problem was the inability to use the ell or buses, because you could not carry a bag that was bigger than 14” or deeper than 4”. Since I don’t own a purse that small, I’ve been walking.

Later, I considered the fact that I have a bicycle here and could have used it. Usually, I am fearful of all the Chicago traffic. There has BEEN no Chicago traffic to speak of, as the city is like a ghost town. Many South Loop merchants actually boarded up their plate glass windows as though a hurricane were coming.

My new friend, Jonathan Morris, sitting in the middle of an empty Lake Shore Drive, looking south.

The hurricane did not materialize. It was more a rainy day. The protesters did come, but so did the cops. There were more police in the city of Chicago—-10,000, I was told—than at any time in history. The entire state of Illinois sent policemen with special training (3 months of special training) to assist Rahm Emanuel’s troops in quelling any riots. The last thing that was wanted was another black eye for the city of Chicago like that incurred during the Democratic National Convention of 1968.

I still remember watching the DNC on my hospital television set, having just given birth to my oldest child. It was unbelievable! On top of that, commentators Gore Vidal (liberal) and William F. Buckley (conservative) got into verbal fisticuffs that deteriorated into physical fisticuffs, with both men rolling around on the studio floor. (“Listen, you God-damned queer, you say that one more time and I’ll punch you in the face!” to which Vidal responded by calling Buckley a “crypto-Nazi” and they were off to the races.)

Jesse Jackson, preparing to speak at the Petrillo Band Shell on Sunday, May 20th.

No such excitement this time around in Chicago. I muse on the demonstrations of my youth and my misspent adulthood, and I wonder what the difference is. I have some theories, which I will share here:

1) Back in the 60s, the demonstrators were primarily college-aged youth. Why? The draft, of course. Not many of my male classmates were too thrilled about the concept of going off to Southeast Asia to fight the Vietnam War. I couldn’t have agreed with them more, so I, too, drew blood, signed my name on a long roll in protest, and marched to the steps of Old Capitol in Iowa City to “protest.” However, the REAL City of Protests was Berkeley, where I attended in 1965, the hey-day of Mario Savio. I had to smile when I revisited the campus a few years back to find a statue of Mario, who is now deceased. Back in the day, they were hauling Mario off to jail with great regularity. Both campuses (Iowa City and Berkeley) learned that it is too easy to break out bookstore windows during a riot. The Republicans learned this during the Republican National Convention of 2008 when demonstrators, despite heavy security, ran through the streets breaking out windows. So, is it any wonder that some local South Loop merchants just closed up shop, boarded up their windows, and stayed home?

2) In the days of my youth, there was ONE thing being protested: i.e., the war in Vietnam. How many of us remember the chants of “Hey! Hey! LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?” and the “Hell, no! We won’t go!” sentiments? In Chicago in 2012, it’s hard to tell who is protesting what. Of course, there are those who simply don’t like NATO. Then there are signs that declare “Bring ‘Em Home!” (anti-war). Then there was a woman protesting evictions. Another woman, clad all in pink, was trying to secure signatures to run on the Green Party ticket.

The Storm Troopers Await.

Yet another country heard from: veterans of both the Vietnam War and the Iraq War, who were out in force and planning on returning medals earned during a dramatic set-to with the police that took place on Sunday about 4 p.m. at the juncture of Michigan and Cermak Streets, a 2 and ½ mile walk from Grant Park’s Petrillo Band Shell, where the festivities kicked off at 10:30 a.m. with Tom Morello (lead guitarist of “Rage Against the Machine”) playing. It was too bad that the sound system was defective, because Morello was recently voted the 26^thbest guitarist of all time by “Rolling Stone” magazine, but only played for about 20 minutes. I enjoyed the time in the park, as Haskell Wexler, Oscar-winning cinematographer (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) was in the park with a female camerawoman, whom he introduced as being a “very good filmmaker.” Haskell should know! It was a thrill to meet this icon, the last cinematographer to receive an Oscar for a black-and-white film and still going strong at 90 years young. (I was beginning to feel sorry for myself for being so old until I ran into Haskell.)

Oscar-winning cinematographer Haskell Wexler, age 90, was in Grant Park interviewing protesters. Haskell was the last person to win an Oscar for black-and-white cinematography. He was the cinematographer for both "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest."

I struck up a conversation with the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. There were three men present who showed me the map of the protest march route: the bespectacled Billy Kelly; the bearded Ron Arm, who served in ‘Nam in ’68 and ’69; and Bill Homans, aka “Watermelon Slim.”

Left to right: Billy Kelly, Bill Homans (aka "Watermelon Slim") and Ron Arm ('Nam, 68-69).

Bill, who was leaning heavily on a cane, told me he grew up North Carolina and Oklahoma and Mississippi, but now lives in Clarksville, about 75 miles southwest of Memphis. He has recorded 12 records, singing the blues, as Watermelon Slim, and his plan this night was to sing at Simone’s on 18^th Street around 6 p.m. The veterans shared with me that the city had provided them with a stage set up in the back of a flat-bed truck. This would be their impromptu stage where medals from veterans who fought in our nation’s wars would be returned in protest. Some of the medals were coming from expatriates who fled the Afghanistan War. (Obviously, they would not be there in person.) When asked how many medals, in all, would be returned, the answer was 35.

Slim said, “I’m 63 and I’m breaking down. I enlisted. My dad fought the Nazis and I knew it was not a matter of if, but of when I’d go (to Vietnam). I enlisted as a truck driver, because I really didn’t want to kill anyone. When I came back, I had a lot of survivor guilt, but I’m not going to take any money from the government. There are young people with their whole lives ahead of them that are coming back in worse shape than I’m in now. I’ve finally got a little house of my own and a woman…although we don’t live together. I’m doing all right.”

When I shared with Slim that I was older than he is, he gallantly declared that to be impossible.

ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) Observers.

Next, I caught sight of a sign that declared that we should all “Rise Up!” Yet the bearer of this sign, Taylor Nimey from Seattle who had come with 10 other Occupy Seattle people, was sitting on the grass smoking a cigarette, which struck me as ironic. I sat down next to him and a young (18 years old, a sophomore at DePaul) journalism student asked if she could speak with us about what we were there protesting. I quickly told her I was not really a protester (although I have been), but was a journalist, as she is training to be. (I spent a fair amount of time telling her she needed a “Plan B” in order to survive financially).

Our bright-eyed bushy-tailed young interviewer asked Taylor some questions and he declared that the protest was, “Definitely a great gathering of people around the world.”

Tom Morrell, lead guitarist for "Rage Against the Machine," who lives in the Chicago suburbs and was named the 26th best guitarist of all time by "Rolling Stone" magazine.

The young interviewer asked, “What do they represent?”

Taylor actually started to make some sense, pontificating about how “money doesn’t do anything but feed greed’ and that the government “Should listen to the people and start making changes to their policies.”

Taylor’s answers prompted me to ask him if he had gone to college, and he had, in fact, attended a junior college in Washington state.

“What do you do for a living?” I asked him.

“I work for the post office,” he shared.

I wondered if Taylor was aware that he was working FOR the very government he was protesting AGAINST. And then he came out with his Big Bright Idea: “anarchist communes.” O………….K……….

Moving on, I spoke with Kenneth Justus, who had been on Michigan Avenue the night before in a strange get-up. There he was again, only this time dressed as a court jester. I began to think that Kenneth is or was a professional protester.

Protester Kenneth Justus.

As someone who attended Berkeley back when Mario Savio was leading protests (now, he’s dead and there’s a statue dedicated to him on campus) and the Free Speech movement was just getting started (1965), I’ve seen some protests.

As someone who ran alongside the protesters in St. Paul as they broke out windows (despite the George W. Bush attempts to heavily fortify the city and also staff it with storm troopers), I did not find the NATO

Kenneth Justus on Sunday, May 20th.

demonstrations to be very intense, very well-organized or very effective. Some of the people leading certain groups were from out-of-town and would take wrong turns. The police were not letting the protesters cross the bridge and disrupt the Miracle Mile (one protester whose first name was “Taylor” was arrested for pushing a bicycle policeman’s bike against his chest, and I wondered if it was the “Rise Up” Seattle Taylor). I also witnessed demonstrations in Denver at the DNC in 2008 and also at rallies for George W. Bush and John McCain, and there was none of the enthusiastic vigor or over-the-top violence. This was undoubtedly viewed as a good thing by the PTB. Nobody wanted Chicago to come off as a town full of over-zealous storm troopers who would just as soon bash your head in as look at you, as they did in 1968. I am among that number, so I am not upset that there were so few real “moments” during the past 3 days of the NATO summit.

Grant Park, May 20th, 2012.

The only problem was that my reports from the front made everything sound so tame and well-behaved that the world, watching the few who were arrested or carted away (the technique being to cut the trouble-maker from the pack and get them away quickly, in a surgical strike), especially my very nice editor in Denver for Yahoo, couldn’t quite figure out how it was that I was seeing such a very different series of events.

I can’t figure it out, either. I think that more mature people do not take the risks that

Lawyer observers.

young people took in the 60’s, when it was their life on the line. I think that the “mix” of causes contributed to the disorganization and the failure to have an overriding cause. Yes, people are angry that the policies of our government seem to be widening the gap between the rich and the poor, and the poor are definitely paramount amongst the Occupiers. If you were to see how they must exist to occupy, you would understand that Occupying is not a pursuit for sissies (like me) who love their creature comforts. How many among us would willingly go without a shower or a bath or washed hair or brushed teeth for days on end? Not many, I’m sure.

The one “big news” story that came out of the NATO summit was the plot to use Molotov cocktails on Obama’s headquarters and to shoot an arrow through Rahm Emanuel’s house window. The 3 brainiacs who thought this up were not from Chicago.

They were also not students. One was 27; one was 25; one was 20. Only the 20-year-old sounds like he fell in with the wrong crowd. The others sounded like professional trouble-makers. One, in fact, quit his job as a cook to “occupy” in a variety of cities. There was also talk of a 37-year-old unemployed social worker who was arrested and of a Wisconsin man who was driving around Canal Street with rounds of live ammunition on the back seat of his car.

This group of young people was excited to have their picture taken on the closed down Columbus Drive.

Tomorrow, it’s all over and the city will return to normal. So much for my strolls through Grant Park after dark, alone. It was truly safe there this past 3 days because most of the police on duty were lolling around there. I saw a uniformed officer using his cell phone to take pictures of a man walking his 2 little dogs (terriers). I said, to my companion: “There ya’ go. Your tax dollars at work!”

Afghananistan War Should End…Soon

By Connie Wilson

On April 6, 2012

In Editorial, Politics

Here is an excerpt from April 5th’s “The Daily Beast:”

” Popular support for the Afghan War has sharply eroded in recent months, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll. Sixyt-nine percent of those surveyed now think that the U.S. should not be involved in the war in Afghanistan. That is a significant change from four months ago, when only 53 percent said that the U.S. should no longer be fighting in that country. The poll also found that perceptions of the war effort have changed dramatically. Sixyt-eight percent now feel the war is going “somewhat badly,” while only 42 percent of those surveyed felt that way back in November.”

In the March 26, 2012 “Time” this quote appears, from Richard Fontaine, former foreign policy adviser to Senator John McCain, who is now with the Center for a New American Security: “There’s a sense that things are out of control and that it is going to be difficult to find a successful endgame”

Well, gee whillikers, guys! Any Tom, Dick or Harry could have told you THAT with just Vietnam as our referent.

Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail in Davenport, IA.

Later, in the same article, entitled “No Easy WayOut: Obama Wrestles with a Withdrawal from Afghanistan” (Michael Crowley) the comment is made that a clear majority of Americans oppose the war (see the “Daily Beast” poll above) and that “the once resilient support of Republicans has begun to slip.” The article mentions the Newtster saying, “We are not going to fix Afghanistan. It is not possible.”
Did the Russians’ experience in trying to do exactly that not teach us anything?

On top of the sickening feeling that more American lives will be lost in a futile cause, the article gives Karl Rove’s argument, which is that Republicans must cast retreat as “emboldening America’s enemies.” Ha!

The only hopeful comments in the article are that Obama is considering withdrawing 10,000 more troops by year’s end and an additional 10,000 to 20,000 by mid 2013. To quote Representative Adam Smith, top Democrat on the Houes Armed Services Committee: “Momentum is gathering for the idea that we need to draw down sooner rather than later.”

Obama inherited the Afghanistan War and then escalated it by sending in 51,000 more troops. But Osama bin Laden is dead and too many of our brave American boys and girls are also dead or injured.

It is time. Stop the insanity. End the conflicts that “W” instigated and bring our boys (and girls) home.

Super Tuesday, March 6th, 2012 Versus Super Tuesday, 2008

By Connie Wilson

On March 7, 2012

In Politics

Mitt Romney in Davenport, IA.

Super Tuesday, 2012, is over. In a few ways, it was like Super Tuesday, 2008. There were more ways, however, in which it bore little resemblance to four years ago. For one thing, the enthusiasm in 2008 was at fever pitch. The Republican race is more like warmed-over left-overs. There are fewer contests this time, (none on the Democratic side), and the “winner-take-all” formula that helped McCain win the 1,144 votes needed for the Republican nomination has been changed in many states.

Romney Can’t Seal the Deal

The failure of Mitt Romney to decisively put away the states on the ballot on March 6, 2012, means that, much like Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards in 2008, this campaign will slog on to a far-off finish line. There aren’t too many big electoral vote states having contests until April.

Kansas is next on March 10. On March 13, Alabama, Mississippi and Hawaii vote. Super Tuesday was Mitt Romney’s chance to pull away from the pack, especially upstart former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum. He failed to do so. Now, Romney’s gearing up for a big campaign in Illinois on March 20.

Mitt carried Ohio, a must-win state, by only about 12,000 votes. This slim victory margin caused more concern than celebration. No Republican has ever won the nomination without taking Ohio. Romney also won Massachusetts, Vermont, Idaho and Virginia. (In Virginia, however, only Romney and Ron Paul were on the ballot.)

Newt Gingrich in Davenport, IA.

Meanwhile, Newt Gingrich carried his home state of Georgia, vowing (like Edwards before him) to fight on (although Edwards quit after Nevada) and Santorum racked up wins in North Dakota, Tennessee and Oklahoma. [Alaska—which seemed to be trending towards Romney—-was still out as of this writing.] Totals: 386 for Romney; 156 for Santorum; 85 for Gingrich; and 40 for Paul.

Romney/Santorum vs. Clinton/Obama in 2008

A CNN commentator said, “It was a slog. It took forever. His (Romney’s) negatives are shooting up because of all the negative campaign ads.” All agreed that Romney’s fundamental problem is that he cannot coalesce the Republican base. Said Donna Brazile on CNN, “I feel that is very weak.”

Compare Romney’s failure to win the hearts and minds of voters with the miracle in the cornfields of the Iowa caucuses that set Barack Obama on the path to the White House. With his first win in Iowa in 2008, there was talk of Obama’s “momentum in the Heartland.” This was especially sweet for Obama because, as described in the book Game Change, by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, Hillary Clinton decided to “double down” on Iowa.

She poured millions of additional dollars into the campaign. It was a political gamble with a huge upside, if she won. The downside was that Hillary burned through a lot of her campaign cash. If Hillary didn’t win in Iowa, a huge deficit faced her campaign in New Hampshire and beyond. Funding can hurt the lesser candidates (Paul, Gingrich), but Romney’s inability to close the deal may also hurt him. Santorum’s strong showings have swelled his war chest to $9 million.

Women Voters

Rick Santorum in Des Moines on Iowa caucus night.

One way in which 2008 and 2012 mirrored one another is that women voters went to the victor. Barack Obama took women voters away from Hillary Clinton in Iowa, but she came back in New Hampshire with her teary moment, won them back, and scored a victory there. Exit polls showed that this time women went for Romney over Santorum, 42% to 38% in Ohio.

Conclusion

Any way you analyze the results, Texas Governor Rick Perry was correct. He said, “This wasn’t a super night for anyone.” From now on, money woes could well plague those who did the least well.

Rush Limbaugh Goes Too Far in Sandra Fluke Fiasco

By Connie Wilson

On March 4, 2012

In Editorial, News, Politics

Rush Limbaugh & Sandra Fluke.

The big news on Saturday, March 3, 2012, was Rush Limbaugh’s belated apology to third year law student Sandra Fluke. Ms. Fluke was barred from testifying at the Senate’s health care hearings on women’s access to contraception. [Republican Darrell Issa of California called her “unqualified.”]

A panel of all-male others (including a male Catholic priest) were allowed to testify. This exclusion of Ms. Fluke prompted the Democrats to hold a forum where Ms. Fluke was allowed to tell her story of a friend whose struggle to secure birth control pills from Georgetown University (a Catholic institution) to prevent cysts took so long that medical complications cost her an ovary.

The attacks on Sandra Fluke started on the first day of Women’s History Month. Rush Limbaugh insulted and demeaned Ms. Fluke on his show for three full days. He called her “a slut” and “a prostitute” on day one. He moved on in the next two days to suggest that, if birth control pills were provided to female students, they should be required to post sexual videos online.

It is not the first controversy for Rush Limbaugh, whose antics provoked Senator Al Franken’s book Rush Limbaugh Is A Big Fat Idiot, in which he proved that Limbaugh did little fact-checking, preferring to broadcast inaccurate information if it would shock his audiences. Rush has mocked Michael J. Fox’s Parkinson’s disease and called Michelle Obama fat. He laughed at the Japanese earthquake disaster and made the outrageous statement soon after the 2008 presidential election, “I hope Obama fails.”

Limbaugh is not the only commentator who intends to provoke outrage. Bill O’Reilly often stirs things up. Bill Maher was taken to task for making fun of white men, (in the sexting scandal that involved Brett Favre.) Maher, on September 17, 2001, took on 9/11 saying, “We have been the cowards, lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That’s cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it’s not cowardly.” That remark cost Maher his ABC program, “Politically Incorrect.”

Perhaps the radio commentator most closely paralleling Limbaugh’s current brouhaha, however, is Don Imus, who was fired by CBS radio when he called the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hoes.” Despite repeated apologies and a two-week suspension, Imus was fired.

CBS said, “In our meeting with concerned groups, there has been much discussion of the effect language like this has on our young people..That consideration has weighed most heavily on our minds as we made our decision.” The fact that Imus scorned “women of color trying to make their way in this society” did not escape comment by CBS, but the rest of the CBS remarks apply equally to Sandra Fluke.

On Facebook, Carbonite’s CEO, David Friend, said that Limbaugh had overstepped “any reasonable bounds of decency” and added, “No one with daughters the age of Sandra Fluke, and I have two, could possibly abide the insult and abuse heaped upon this courageous and well-intentioned young lady.” Carbonite canceled all current and future advertising on Limbaugh’s show.

Most apropos of all Imus comments, however, came from then-Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, back on April 11 of 2007: “…there’s nobody on my staff who would still be working for me if they made a comment like that about anybody of any ethnic group. And I would hope that NBC ends up having that same attitude…It was a degrading comment. What we’ve been seeing around this country is this constant ratcheting up of a coarsening of the culture that all of us have to think about…Insults, humor that degrades women, humor that is based in racism and racial stereotypes isn’t fun. And the notion that somehow it’s cute or amusing, or a useful diversion, I think, is something that all of us have to recognize is just not the case. We all have First Amendment rights. And I am a Constitutional lawyer and strongly believe in free speech, but as a culture, we really have to do some soul-searching to think about what kind of toxic information we are feeding our kids.”

That was before Barack Obama became President Obama. President Barack Obama called Sandra Fluke to tell her that her parents should be proud of her (something Limbaugh had ridiculed on the air, saying, “Can you imagine, if you’re her parents, how proud you’d be?”)

Limbaugh’s defense?

In an apology on March 4 (after three days of attacks on Ms. Fluke) in which Limbaugh went totally off-topic ( “Will we be debating if taxpayers should pay for new sneakers for all students that are interested in running to keep fit?”) Limbaugh said: “My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choice.”

What Limbaugh doesn’t understand is that it’s not just his word choice, nor his insincerity in apologizing after three days of attacks. Rush Limbaugh insulted every female of child-bearing age in America with disregard for the truth and honesty of Ms. Fluke’s message. He insulted the mothers of America—all of us, regardless of age. It’s not Limbaugh’s word choice. It’s everything and everyone he ridicules, whether it is Michael J. Fox’s debilitating Parkinson’s disease or Michelle Obama’s weight (when a good long look in the mirror should tell him that mocking others’ weight is a bad idea.) It’s the lack of common human decency and mutual human respect.

Advertisers are defecting in droves from Limbaugh’s show. Perhaps, our long national nightmare will soon be over and Rush Limbaugh will be fired, as unlikely as that seems? As Bill Maher said, on September 18, 2006, after his own ill-timed remarks cost him his TV show, “And so, to anybody who gets fired like I did, my advice would be you never know—it could be a good thing. It really could.”

Update on the Status of 40 Foreign Nationals Detained in Egypt

By Connie Wilson

On January 31, 2012

In Local, News, Politics

Sam LaHood and recent bride, Katie.

From “The Daily Beast.” Sam LaHood, son of Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood and his wife are among those foreign nationals being refused permission to leave the country as of January 31, 2012.

2. Egypt Refuses to Release Americans
Egypt’s justice minister on Tuesday returned a letter to a U.S. ambassador asking Egypt to end a travel ban on Americans who are being investigated for illegally funding pro-democracy groups in the country. The minister said publicly that the letter should have been sent to the investigating justice, and that only those affected by the ban were entitled to make such a request. Egypt’s Parliament speaker, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the letter was “interference by the American embassy.” Several Americans were banned from leaving Egypt after their nongovernmental organizations were raided by the Egyptian military and are currently taking refuge at the U.S. embassy in Cairo.

Ten Questions for Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner

By Connie Wilson

On January 30, 2012

In Interviews, Politics

The following ten questions were asked of Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner on Fahreed Zakaria’s CNN television show “GPS” —Global Public Square—on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012, in Davos, Switzerland at the World Economic Forum.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

Q1: What is the United States economy going to grow at this year?

A1: “There are no oracles in economics and it’s still a pretty uncertain world, but I think the conventional view of the US now is that we’re growing between 2 and 3%, and I think that’s a realistic outcome for the U.S. economy, as long as we see a little more progress in Europe, and as long as we don’t see a lot of risk come up from Iran and the oil front.”

Q2: That scenario of 2 to 3% growth seems a little different from what Ben Bernanke thinks growth is going to look like. If you read the statement Ben Bernanke put out — to put out a statement almost guaranteeing that rates are going to remain where they are until almost the end of 2014 suggests that they don’t see any growth, any robust growth, for a long time. Are they wrong at the Fed?

A2: ” I’m not a forecaster, so my views aren’t worth much, but I think if you look at both the Feds forecast and the consensus of private forecasters in the business economy among economists, if you look in that cluster, it’s still pretty dependent on how the world unfolds. Again, I think it’s worth recognizing that we still face tremendous challenges in the country. We’re still repairing the damage left by a devastating financial crisis. Unemployment is still very high. Housing is still very, very weak, construction is still very weak. People still have too much debt. We’re bringing that down. That’s still gonna’ take a while to repair. That still has had a great impact on the fortunes of ordinary Americans.”

Q3: There is a very well-established narrative now among the business community in the United States that there would be a much more robust recovery, the U.S. economy would be recovering faster, if there were greater certainty, if people were willing to invest and the reason they are not is that there is sort of a tsunami of regulations, uncertainty about the tax policies, uncertainty about the deficit and above all that the economy is being thrown this huge array of legislation, that this is what is holding the economy is back.

A3: “I don’t think there is much basis for that line of thought. It’s true that we are putting in place tough new guidelines in the financial sector, we are trying to change the way the health care system works, and we are trying to change the ways Americans use energy and those are necessary, desirable, and very important for the long-term recovery of the United States. But I think if you look at the evidence about how the economy is doing and about how the business economy is doing, in particular, the reality does not justify that sense, so just look at the things you can use to measure basic health, business health. Profitability across the American economy is very, very high—higher than the pre-crisis peak—if you look at investment as a measure of confidence…private investment in equipment and software…it has grown more than 30% since the trough in the first part of 2009. That puts it up 22%. There is broad-based investment in energy, in agriculture, in manufacturing. Not just high tech manufacturing, but in heavy manufacturing. I was at a Seaman’s plant, a new plant, in North Carolina this week, which is building Seaman gas turbines and generators for export, and they’re doing that because they see in the basic fundamentals of the productivity of the United States, even with all our challenges, this pretty compelling competitive advantage relative to where else they are produced. So, I think if you look at the basic health of the American business sector it’s much stronger than anyone would have thought at the peak of our crisis, and stronger than many of us hoped.”

Q 4: While business productivity is up, manufacturing is up, unemployment still remains a huge challenge. Many businesses have become more productive because they’ve taken costs out of the system, they’ve managed things better. How do you get the American job machine going again?

A4: “The biggest drive of how fast the unemployment rate comes down is how fast we grow. And the biggest determiner of how fast we’re going to grow now is really going to depend on these two fundamental factors. One is what’s going to happen in the world, meaning in Europe and in the Gulf because of oil and, frankly, just to be direct about it, if the Republicans in Congress decide they want to legislate things that are good for growth in the short term. So what we think the right economic growth for the country is is to legislate a set of investment incentives that encourage things that are going to be good for long-term growth: rebuilding America’s infrastructure, education, more spending on innovation, basic science, better skills for Americans, tied to long-term fiscal reforms that restore sustainability. If we were able to legislate for those things in the short term that would make a big difference for confidence, that would make a difference for this rate of growth of the American economy in the short run. But, to be realistic, it’s going to take a long time still for us to repair the damage, particularly on unemployment, that caused the crisis. But the private sector has created 3.2 million (new) jobs and job growth has resumed. That’s actually pretty strong recovery in the job sector compared to the last 2 recoveries; it’s pretty strong, given the aftershocks of the crisis. We all want it to be stronger, though.”

Q5: Most people who look at the American tax code, which is, with regulation, 10,000 pages long, one of the most complicated in the world, believe that the key to reforming the tax code is broaden the base, eliminate the deductions and loopholes, lower the rates. Isn’t the president’s proposal in the State of the Union message taking us in exactly the opposite direction?

A5: “Not at all. The president’s proposals, which are focused on a set of investment favorable reforms in the investment sector, focusing on manufacturing and investment, and on a modest but necessary increase in the effective tax rate paid by the richest Americans, those 2 things I think are going to come, realistically, in the context of broad reform. What we’re going to try to do is to lay the foundation for tax reform, we can produce a more simple system (lower rates, broader base, more simple, less distortions….

(Fahreed, interrupting, “Why not just propose tax reform?”)

A6: “Because we have to start with principles for a framework and we have to be specific about those things which should dominate the debate. Again, I wish it were different for us, but the basic crude fiscal realities of the United States now, (and we have to recognize that we have to govern within those limits), means that when we do tax reform, we’re going to have to be helping contribute to deficit reduction. We don’t have the ability to offer the American people or the American business people a net tax cut. That is beyond the capacity of anybody realistic about our constraints, but again, just to put it in perspective, our fiscal problems are daunting for us, in the long run, but they are much more manageable problems than faced by almost any economy around the world. And it’s important not to lose sight of the fact that, given the high level of unemployment, given the very bad outcome for median income in the United States over the last 30 years, 20 years, 10 years, given the just appallingly high rates of poverty in the United States, given the competitive challenges we face that are going to require pretty significant investments in infrastructure, and in education, you have to take a much broader approach and we’re not going to solve our problems in this country by thinking they are about how we restore fiscal sustainability. That’s part of it, but it’s not the dominant challenge we face as a country.”

Q7: Does that suggest that austerity is not a path to growth?

A7: “I think the debate over austerity is mostly exaggerated. The people who talk about economic problems as being things you can fix by austerity get the main things wrong. It’s true, however, that in most of Europe, there are going to be significant budget reductions. They will not work if there is not a stronger commitment standing behind the European endeavor and, you’re right, the country will face the fact that austerity will feed the decline.”

Q8; Did you talk about the US/China trade in a way that you think will see results?

A8: “We’ll have to see. We measure people by their actions. China does provide a unique problem. They are still overwhelmingly dominated by the state and they still keep their exchange rate below fundamental and have for some time. Although China is, in many ways, is beginning to have a manufacturing presence that is major, they are supporting that presence in ways that are very damaging, not just to the economic factor, to the trade but to the political support around the world in order to support a more fair system around the world. I do think that China believes that it’s in its interests to try to make this broader system work. Of course it depends a lot on its access to our market and to other markets around the world and we hope that these markets are enough of an incentive to them to make more progress in these reforms.”

Q9: You announced recently that you would be leaving at the end of Obama’s first term. Was that your idea or his?

A9: “An excellent way to pose that question. Generally, anybody who takes these jobs serves at the discretion of the president. And at a time when we face so many challenges, so much pressure, and you have these things, you have to do them. And when he asked me to stay, when I thought it was the right time to leave, I agreed I would stay, and I agreed I would stay until the balance of his term, and he accepted that aspiration of mine. And that’s where it’s gonna’ come out, I think.”

Q10: What are you going to do next?

A10: “That feels like a long way away. Again, we’re in Europe and I know the eyes are all on Europe, but here living with terribly challenging and hugely consequential economic choices, we have a lot of unfinished business, even on the financial reform side and a lot of foundation laying on the things that are good for growth and investment in the United States, not just for the long-term fiscal economy, so I feel like we have a long year of hard work. It’s a political moment in the United States and people are skeptical if we can do anything but our judgment is that we still have a chance in some of these areas to make some progress, and I’m going to focus on that as long as I can.”

Sam LaHood, Son of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, Detained in Egypt

By Connie Wilson

On January 28, 2012

In Local, News, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics

Sam LaHood and new bride Katie.

Current Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood’s, youngest son, Sam, is among 10 American and European citizens denied permission to leave Egypt. I was instantly taken back to the day when Sam, our next-door neighbor (then aged about five), wandered down our court one day, while the family down the street was at the cemetery burying a family member. When the family returned and entered their unlocked house, they found little “Sammy,” who had climbed up on the counter-top to help himself to a snack. “Sammy” was a darling little guy and has grown into a handsome young man who was married to new wife Katie on September 5, 2011, in Bermuda.

Transportation Secretary LaHood told the (Moline, IL) Dispatch (Jan. 27, 2012, McClatchy-Tribune Information Services) that his son’s detention is “absolutely an escalation. It’s de facto detention.” Last month, Egyptian officials raided Sam LaHood’s Cairo offices where he was director of the Washington-based International Republican Institute’s Egyptian program. This week, Egyptian newspapers announced that as many as forty foreigners were to appear in court next month on charges of “illicit foreign funding.” The move detaining so many foreign nationals is viewed as a crackdown on foreign pro-democracy groups by the generals in power.

When the LaHood family lived near us in East Moline, Illinois, Sam’s father, Ray LaHood, was director of the Rock Island County Youth Service Bureau and served for three years as chief planner at the Bi-State Metropolitan Planning Commission, (now called the Bi-State Regional Commission.) The elder LaHood, a Republican, also worked for former U.S. Representatives Tom Railsback and Bob Michel before serving in the House for 14 years from Peoria. LaHood has announced plans to retire at the end of Obama’s first term.

Ray LaHood’s oldest son, Darin, was appointed to the Illinois State Senate on February 27, 2010, and took office on March 1, 2010, the day after incumbent Dale Risinger retired from representing the seven-county thirty-seventh legislative district in Illinois.

Iowa Caucuses in Des Moines, January 3, 2012: A First-Hand Report

By Connie Wilson

On January 5, 2012

In Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics

January 04, 2012

What the Candidates Spent Per Vote

Derek Thompson of BuzzFeed broke down the data on political spending in Iowa to determine how much each candidate and their supporters paid per vote in the Iowa caucuses.

The breakdown: Rick Perry spent far more than any other candidate with $478.40 per vote, followed by Mitt Romney at $154.90, Ron Paul at $103.30, Newt Gingrich at $89.84, Rick Santorum at just $20.50, and Michele Bachmann at $3.95.

I attended the caucuses in Des Moines as an observer at Precinct #4 in Clive. The building housed a management investment firm, DeWray Capital Management, at 1301 University. When we arrived at my friend’s original polling place, we learned that it was a very small precinct, but Rick Santorum was expected, in person, in Clive, so it was to Clive that we went next.

Rick Santorum asking Clive Precinct #4 voters for their vote on caucus night. He came within 8 vote of winning.

We could barely get inside the door to hear the pitches for each of the candidates. I actually ended up handing my Nikon D90 to a man who was at least 6’ 7”, and asking him to see if he could get a picture of Santorum, whom we could hear, but not see. Santorum was making a pitch for 2-parent families and talking about how people need to work and get married. He said, “You can’t mention or promote the word. We need someone who is going to draw a strong contrast (to the incumbent).” Rick Santorum said he stood for limited government, lower taxes and less government and added, “I’ve put forth a balanced budget. I would balance the budget in 5 years. I also have the experience. He claimed to be the major author of 2 pieces of legislation on Syrian and Iran. He ended by saying, “You need a leader who will make sure that tour enemies will fear us and our allies will trust us.” Santorum did not make mention of his remark (on “Meet the Press”) that he would bomb Iran if they crossed his “line in the sand.” Santorum said that those who participated in the Iowa caucuses would be better leaders because they came to Iowa. “If it were not for the caucuses, it would just be media buys and TV ads. If we’re fortunate, Iowa will be one of the battlegrounds. People like me criss-crossed this state. Come 2012 we’re gonna’ put it back in the Bush column. Whatever differences there may be, they pale into insignificance (with the incumbent.) Santorum cited the federal take-over of the auto industry, never once mentioning that, without such intervention, there would now BE no auto industry in the U.S. He also talked about the financial bail-out of Wall Street and Health Care, saying it represented 1/7 of our GDP. He claimed that the failed stimulus plan cost 4 million jobs and said, “Iran is on the verge of nuclear weapons. This is the record of this administration.” (*Actually, much of it is the legacy of the failed administration of George W. Bush.) He cited the Hyde Amendment of late 70s and said, “We must pray like it all depends on God and work like it all depends on us, because it does.” At no time did Santorum make mention of Obama’s successes such as taking out Osama bin Laden, getting any health care help out to the masses at all, or bringing home the troops from Iraq.

Ron Paul's After-Party sported a dog named Reeses wearing Ron Paul for President buttons,

At this point, “defeat Obama” clipboards were handed out and comments were made about what a powerful Republican voting block “Clive 4”is. (“We need your help.”)

After Santorum finished, representatives for the other candidates spoke on their candidates’ behalf.

Michele Bachman

Christina Messinia, speaking for Michele Bachman.

First up was a young woman in a black top and tight red pants with gold sparkly flats. She was dressed inappropriately for such an elite group. She did not speak well and looked as though she were no more than 21 years old. Her name was Christina Messinia and she espoused Christian values and the values of Ronald Reagan, calling Bachman “an inspiration” and “fearless.” Her pitch was weak.

Ron Paul

Ron Paul’s grandson, 13-year-old Robert “Robb” Paul came to the microphone next, accompanied by his mother Kelly, wife of Rand Paul. She mentioned her 21 years of marriage and ‘cousins by the dozens” and then let young Robb deliver a message about his grandfather, the 74-year-old Ron Paul. Kelly cited the fact that only 4 U.S. Congressmen stood up for Ronald Reagan when he wished to run for President, and one of them was Ron Paul. Kelly mentioned that Ron Paul had predicted the economic

Robert "Rob" Paul, son of Rand Paul and grandson of Ron Paul, delivers a pitch for his 74-year-old Grandfather in Clive.

collapse and went on to say that he would make $1 trillion in cuts without cutting Social Security or the national defense budget. She also said, “He (Paul) believes that war is not something we should go into without a Congressional declaration of war.” Kelly said, “National polls show him defeating Barack Obama in a head-to-head combat,” which she quickly changed to “head-to-head match-up.” Then young Rob had his say and was very cute.

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich's daughter, Jackie Cushman and son.

Newt Gingrich had sent a married daughter from one of his 3 marriages. Her name was Jackie Cushman and she brought her 2 children, a boy and a girl, whom, she said, would have to write a paper about the experience of the Iowa caucuses “as a civics lesson,” which caused her daughter to roll her eyes. Ms. Cushman rambled on about how Newt was the son of a 27-year World War II infantryman who served at Verdun and “A man who would risk his life for his dogs.” She said, “He is a doer not a talker,” although the impression I got of Newt at his rally here in town is that he is more of a talker than a doer.

Rick Perry

Jennifer Hayes, speaking for Rick Perry at the Clive Precinct #4.

Next up was Jennifer Hayes, who said, “I’m not a member of his staff. Just a follower.” She declared that she became a follower when she met Perry at church on Sunday. She cited his track record and “the person that he is.” She said she was “tired of politicians saying one thing and doing another. As the mother of 3 children, I want my country back.” It was about this point in time that I noticed that the audience did not have one single brown, black or any other ethnic face. It was singularly old and white.

Mitt Romney

Ambassador Mary Kremer spoke on behalf of Mitt Romney, citing her 13 years in the state legislature. She said, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Mary said that the 4^thprecinct was “a bellwether precinct.” She also said, “It’s not so much who wins,

Ambassador Mary Kremer speaks for Mitt Romney in Clive on caucus night,

it is that everyone can who comes here to show us who they are, what their values are. “ She then touted Romney’s leadership skills and his ability to create a vision of the future and said something about, “The world is a better place if the next century is an American century.” Ms. Kremer added, “It is a very different thing to get something passed than to get something implemented.” She claimed that every leadership opportunity Mitt Romney had encountered had been “a success,” although Wikipedia notes how his Mormon trip to France to try to convert the French to Mormonism did not go so well, at first. Of Obama, Ms. Kremer said, “On his best day he says, it could be worse. In my view, worse would be having a second term for our current president.” She described Romney as steadfast (despite evidence that he has changed his position(s) many times) and said, “He would never do anything in office that would embarrass the country or you or me.” (*The Ambassador must have a crystal ball to know such things.) She ended her remarks by saying, “Romney is the one candidate they (the Democrats) fear more than any other.”
That last part is probably true, even if the other parts weren’t. The Clive group did go for Romney in polling, although my hometown county (Buchanan) went for Santorum, which is disappointing, and Pocahontas County also seemed smitten with Santorum. What I have read about his taking his dead child home so his other children could play with it and subjecting his unborn child and pregnant wife to possible death, rather than a therapeutic abortion, also did not make sense. Santorum also said, on the most recent “Meet the Press,” that he would bomb Iran.

Newt Gingrich and wife Callista (& family) on caucus night in Des Moines.

After we left Clive, we went to the downtown Marriott, in search of the Ron Paul After-Party. It turned out that we were at the wrong Marriott. The streets of downtown Des Moines were deserted and there were many parking places on the streets. We went inside and ordered one drink and, during that brief period, while we talked to other caucus observers from Wisconsin (one named Moriarty), we learned that we should have gone to the Ankeny Marriott for the Ron Paul After-Party and I was able to get a picture of Newt Gingrich, his wife and entourage.

We drove out to Ankeny to the Marriott and just missed Ron Paul’s remarks to the crowd assembled. I took pictures of a dog named Reeses wearing Ron Paul buttons and we left and went home.

It was a very dull night out. “When did the Republican party become the party of the emotionally unstable?” asked David Letterman on his January 4^th program.

When, indeed.

The Gingrich Who Would Steal Christmas Hits Davenport, IA, on Dec. 19th

By Connie Wilson

On December 20, 2011

In Editorial, Local, Of Local (Quad Cities') Interest, Politics

Newt Gingrich in Davenport (IA) on Dec. 19, 2011.

Newt Gingrich spoke at Global Security Services in Davenport, Iowa at 2:30 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19, to a small crowd of approximately 100 people. There was no press check-in, which was odd, but there was food, which was also unusual. Only 10 chairs were set up in what appeared to be a garage. And a garage across from the Col Ballroom—not the best part of town— an area which the national media following the campaign were photographing in all its paint-peeling glory.

Face the Nation Appearance

The day prior, Newt appeared on the Sunday, Dec. 18 “Face the Nation” program with Bob Schieffer, where he discounted the Des Moines Register’s endorsement of opponent Mitt Romney saying it was from a liberal paper. He touted his own endorsement by the Manchester Union Leader. [Iowans would not categorize the Register as liberal.] At that time, he dodged Schieffer’s charges (from Romney) that he was “an unreliable leader in the Conservative movement.” Newt laughed when asked if he had asked for Christine O”Donnell’s (“I am not a witch”) endorsement, which Romney also got. Newt also seemed proud when he said, “I’m not a lawyer. I call that an advantage.”

Newt Gingrich.

From that point on, Newt rambled about the 1958 Warren Court, the Federalist papers (and the abolishing of over 1/2 of the judges that had just been placed in their posts, by Thomas Jefferson) and called the Dred Scott decision, extending a ban on slavery to the entire nation, bad. (So did Bachmann in the last Republican debate). Newt most famously and repetitively attacked the 9th Circuit Court because of its stance on “one nation, under God” and repeated that assertion on Monday in Davenport.

Newt: “Everything you’ve heard is true.”

For a guy who’s been married 3 times (cheated on his first 2 wives and asked for a divorce when the first was in the hospital recovering from cancer surgery), who has now announced that he is Catholic (in deference to wife #3), he sure has a “holier-than-thou” attitude. [I’m Catholic, and I’m even wondering how a man who has already been married two times can BE married, as a Catholic. Plus, he’s only BEEN a Catholic for 2 years.] And I’m not even going to get into his censuring by Congress or the lobbying charges hurled by Bachmann in the last debate.

Evangelical Voters in Iowa

Newt points the finger.

I don’t think Newt is fooling the Evangelicals in Iowa (or anywhere else.) In a piece entitled “Pastors: Newt Gingrich Is Empty Suit With Broken Zipper” by Tony Leys on 12/13, the Reverend Albert Calaway of Indianola wrote, “Mr. Gingrich is the Don Draper of 2012. When it comes to his character record, he’s a very fine, empty suit with a broken zipper. Christians in Iowa—and I understand many of his old U.S. House colleagues as well—desperately want to see a changed man, yet we keep on seeing a glib, wordy cheater. On all fronts, Newt should just be faithful.” The Reverend went on, “When you endorse a check, you sign it. When you get married, you sign the license. When you sign a contract or covenant, that means you are all in. But, Mr. Gingrich has yet to sign for many things which Christian Iowa cares about very deeply.”

Ouch!

The Courts

Larry Riney, author of the book on the "Effie Afton" and the Lincoln/Douglas debates, is this you in the crowd?

Newt also took some flak from Schieffer (on “Face the Nation”) over Newt’s avowed intention to reform the courts. Schieffer wanted to know: “Wouldn’t your policies throw the courts into chaos?” Newt pointed out that there were 80 judgeships vacant out of 800 and continued his attack on judges, in general. “There is a fundamental conflict underway about what kind of country we’re going to be,” said the Now Holy candidate. This quote (from Dec. 5, 2011 “Newsweek”) is also telling: “A country which has been, since 1963, relentlessly in the courts driving God out of public life shouldn’t be surprised at all the problems we have because we’ve in fact attempted to create a secular country, which I think is frankly a nightmare.” Oh, Puh-leese. This from the same man who was having an affair while prosecuting Bill Clinton during the Lewinsky mess.

That statement was made at the FAMiLY Leader debate, where Vander Plaats, who ran unsuccessfully for Governor against Terry Branstadt said, “Though they don’t embrace or endorse or condone his (newt’s) personal past,. they might be more willing to get over that if he’s the best one to lead to preserve the America they want for their children.” Well, Bob, he’s not. Get over it. Newt is Newt, and, as he said on Monday—the day after his “Face the Nation” appearance—“I’m really different than what they’re (Washington, D.C.) used to.” I would say that this comment, as well, is quite disingenuous, since Newt has spent more time in Washington than any of the other potential candidates, with the possible exception of Libertarian Texas Senator Ron Paul, who’s got to be the oldest guy running for anything (born Aug. 20, 1935).

An unidentified audience member catches the mood of the crowd.

The Dec. 5 “Newsweek” article stated —erroneously, I feel—“The Bible makes room for complicated, morally compromised heroes. Now Christian conservatives, desperate for an alternative to Mitt Romney, are learning to do so as well.” That was Michelle Goldberg’s view in an article entitled “Let There Be Newt.” No, Michelle, Iowans are not learning any such thing, and if you were from these parts, you’d have picked up on that, but, apparently, you’re not and you haven’t. Today’s Huffington Post polls show Ron Paul surging at 24%, Romney at 20% and Newt sliding into oblivion at 14%. The article was written by someone named Michelle Goldberg and accompanied by a picture of Newt with a halo light effect. I have a feeling that Ms. Goldberg is not from around here, she said wryly.

The Mainstream Media’s Take
The national media I spoke with today characterized Newt’s appearance this day as “Newt’s book tour” (he’s written 24) and a pushy woman in a red dress seemed to be barking orders about “the books” and getting the books out for purchase. There were precious few other workers apparent. Newt, himself, said in closing, “We need folks in every precincts.

Apparently Newt needs more workers to contact potential caucus-goers, since 60% had been contacted by Romney’s people, according to a poll by the “New York Times,” 47% by Ron Paul’s, and only 30%—-1/2 of what Romney has scored—by Gingrich’s workers. The comment made to me by the other press was that, “He’s disorganized.”

Newt quotes from his Davenport Dec. 19, 2011 appearance :

Zepelin, a guide dog for the blind, toughs out the speech with trainer Julie Hogenson of Princeton, Iowa.

On negative ads: “The only person who profits from negative ads is Barack Obama, and I think that’s pretty reprehensible behavior.” (Meanwhile, outside in the parking lot, ironically enough, opponents were placing negative flyers under our car door handles.) Most of the carping was about Newt’s taking money from Freddie Mac as a “lobbyist” by some other name.

On Israel: “I’m not prepared to see Israel annihilated. …We need to give a sense that we are a leading country and willing to defend ourselves.” In watching GPS (Global Public Square) with Fahreed Zakaria on Sunday, December 18th, all of the panelists. which included the Jewish editor of the “New Yorker” magazine and well-known Republican speechwriter Peggy Noonan, decried the constant harping by the Republican candidates on Israel as the sum and substance of U.S. foreign policy. All saw it as pandering to the United States Jewish vote. All noted that foreign policy is notoriously complex and simply declaring one’s support for Israel ignores the complexity of modern foreign policy. Most of the panelists, in fact, were complimentary of Obama’s handling of the Libyan situation. Newt then added that he had “taught 1 and 2 star generals” and you just got the feeling that his giant ego could barely be contained. The man has a HUGE head and a HUGE ego to go with it.

On North Korea (whose leader, Kim Jong II died recently): “We have no idea whether the new regime will be more open or worse.” [Well, gee, Newt. I’ll alert the media to that insightful bit of hot air.]

This man spoke up about having to work into his 60s and 70s, not being able to count on Social Security, which Newt did not seem particularly keen on preserving.

On the economy: “I believe it is possible to turn around the economy with amazing speed…That’s why we need a program for very dramatic job creation.” (No specifics offered.) Newt cited Ronald Reagan creating one million jobs in August of 1993 and unemployment dropping from 10.8 to 5.6% during Reagan’s years. Those were very different years, and I don’t see Ronnie (Trickle Down) Reagan anywhere around at this time. Nor do I see ANY president capable of turning around the economy “with amazing speed.” That includes Romney .

On Social Security: “People should not have to depend on politicians, nor be threatened by the loss of their Social Security check.” Newt seemed to be in favor of letting people not pay in to Social Security and save the money themselves….which, of course, is problematic if they do not.

On college students and student loans: “They (students at the College of the Ozarks, Newt’s model college for financial assistance) all do real work. I’m an advocate of real work.” Newt held up some College in the Ozarks to a student from Iowa State University in Ames who asked him a question about public education. The student noted that the average student debt for Ames graduates is $48,000. She wanted to know if that was “public education.” Ames is a fine school. To tell Iowa State University that they should start taking cues from a college in the Ozarks that nobody has ever heard of sounded lame.

On gun ownership: “Our rights will not be taken away from us by a dictatorial government.” Nice rhetoric. Again, no substantive policy discussion.

The sparse crowd. Only 10 chairs, and 2 of them are empty.

On Freddie Mac and charges that he received over a million ($1.2 million? $1.6 million?) in payment for lobbying efforts for them: “I should have had a much more coherent answer. The Gingrich Group was hired. I only made about $35,000 a year. I make more than that for speeches.” Again, your ego is showing, Newt. Take it down a notch.

On his run for the White House: “I am really different than what they’re used to.” About that time, as a joke, he said, “It’s tricky for me to turn to the left, but I’m trying.” Whatever Newt does seems “tricky,” to me, and I am not surprised that Donald Trump seemed to be his biggest supporter, while none of the 12 people he served with in Congress has come out and endorsed him, nor did John Boehner during his appearance on “Meet the Press” on Sunday, December 18th.

Would he propose a new Contract with America? “Yes. I’d use executive orders to do away with 100 to 200 White House czars on my first day in office.” I wonder if he would bring up some of his less feasible ideas about Mars, et. al.? About this time, Newt began comparing Obama to Saul Alinsky. I doubt if many in the room knew much about Saul Alinsky. I did not, so I looked him up when I got home. Here are the results:

Saul Alinsky Reference

Newt signing books, which went on for quite some time.

Saul Alinsky was born in Chicago in 1909 and became a cracker-jack community organizer. Adlai Stevenson said of Alinsky: “Alinsky’s aims most faithfully reflect our ideals of brotherhood, tolerance, charity and dignity of the individual.” If you don’t like Adlai Stevenson, consider that William F. Buckley, that Conservative icon said of him that he was a near-genius at organizing.

Alinsky wrote, “What follows is for those who want to change the world from what it is to what they believe it should be. ‘The Prince’ was written by Machiavelli for the Haves on how to hold power. My book was written for the Have-Nots on how to take it away.”

Wikipedia goes on to say that Alinsky would not join political organizations of any kind, including those he formed. He said, when asked about Communist and Socialist parties, “I prize my independence too much. And, philosophically, I could never accept any rigid dogma or ideology, whether it’s Christianity or Marxism. One of the most important things in life is what Judge Learned Hand described as ‘that ever-gnawing inner doubt as to whether you’re right.’ If you don’t have that, if you think you’ve got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated. The greatest crimes in history have been perpetrated by such religious and political and racial fanatics, from the persecutions of the Inquisition on down to Communist purges and Nazi genocide.” When I heard the term(s) “intellectually constipated” and “doctrinaire” and read Alinsky’s description of someone who thinks they know everything, Newt’s name was used to illustrate this personality trait.

So, here’s my question: Why would it be a “bad” thing to be compared to a man who tried to help the poor and disenfranchised to organize and get their fair share? Newt’s comparison of Obama to Alinsky seems to be the fear of the rich white man who sees his grip on power threatened by the likes of the Occupy movement.

Debates Ad Nauseum

Newt Gingrich.

Last, but not least, Gingrich told the audience (citing the Lincoln/Douglas debates) that, if he is the candidate, he wants to debate Obama constantly and that, if Obama will not agree, he would let the White House be his scheduler and arrive in the towns where Obama was to speak 4 hours behind him. “Unlike the president, I studied American history,” crowed Gingrich. Right. And Obama studied law at Harvard and life in the streets of both Chicago, the Philippines and Hawaii. Gingrich went on to say, “How can he say he is afraid to debate some guy who taught at West Georgia College?” (He hasn’t said it, that I have heard.) And Newt added, “I will concede in advance that he can use a teleprompter.” Wow! That old Speaker of the House arrogance just rolled off Newt’s back like water off a duck’s.

Woman Hurt at Rally

I hope this woman had an X-ray. Check out the bump on her forehead.

Gingrich then signed a book for a very nice elderly lady from Florida who fell down on her way into the garage (missed the step) and took a very nasty fall onto hard concrete, giving herself a huge goose egg on her forehead. I urged Lou Phillips to get an X-ray after she said, “Oh, the EMTs looked at it.” All I could think of was Liam Neeson’s loss of his wife, Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter, the actress Natasha Richardson, who fell while skiing and hit her head, but said she was “fine” for several hours afterward, ultimately dying from the fall.

After the rally was over, we were not allowed to leave until Elvis had left the building and we were sternly warned not to take any pictures or video. [Like anyone wanted to.] All the national press referenced this appearance as “Newt’s book tour.”

Polls Show Gingrich Falling; Paul Rising

Gingrich, put a brave face in the wake of the release of a new (Dec. 19) Huffington Post survey of 597 caucus-goers that shows Ron Paul at 23%, Mitt Romney at 20% and Newt sinking to 14% saying, “President Ronald Reagan was 30 points behind in the polls at this same time in his presidential run.”

That sounds about right, and it is what I predicted days ago: a Ron Paul surge. Let’s face it: Bachmann and Santorum are toast. Perry has done himself in with his “oops” moments. Cain was not able. Romney may take the nomination, nationally, but Iowans are peeved that he didn’t come here and court them, as he did in 2008.

Romney in 2008

That year, Romney started with his $10 million of ads in March (of 2007) and visited all 99 counties (either himself or via his family members). This year, he spent only about a week in Iowa and had spent $3.1 million on TV and radio spots, but had only used about $868,000 of it, to date.

The Col Ballroom on W. 4th St., across from the rally, in a decidedly seedy part of Daveport, Iowa.

I did hear some rumblings about Perry’s ads from the locals, also. They don’t like them.

If Iowa could give their seal of approval to Huckabee in 2008, despite the fact that he didn’t win the party’s nomination, there is nothing to stop them from anointing Ron Paul this time. Yes, he’s ancient. Yes, he’s flakey. But he’s likeable and the young support him. He won’t win the national nomination, but anybody but Newt!