Paul Soglin: Waxing America

"Lyndon Baines Obama"

The San Francisco Examiner nailed it. The headline is "Lyndon Baines Obama takes Afghanistan reins."

Earlier this year, President Barack Obama described the conflict in Afghanistan as a “war of necessity,” but the plan he announced last night at the U.S. Military Academy bears disturbing reminders of the doomed strategy doggedly pursued by the last Democratic president to commit the U.S. to a major land war in Asia.

Senator Russ Feingold gets it right:

I do not support the president’s decision to send additional troops to fight a war in Afghanistan that is no longer in our national security interest.  It’s an expensive gamble to undertake armed nation-building on behalf of a corrupt government of questionable legitimacy.  Sending more troops could further destabilize Afghanistan and, more importantly, Pakistan, a nuclear-armed state where al Qaeda is headquartered. While I appreciate that the president made clear we won’t be in Afghanistan forever, I am disappointed by his decision not to offer a timetable for ending our military presence there.  I will work with members of both parties and both houses of Congress to push for a flexible timetable to reduce our troop levels in Afghanistan, as part of a comprehensive strategy to combat al Qaeda in the region and around the world.

Representative Tammy Baldwin didn't equivocate:

“In 2001, I voted to authorize the use of force to bring to justice those responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I believe our current actions in Afghanistan and President Obama’s proposal for moving forward bear little resemblance to that original, narrowly-focused mission.

I cannot endorse a military surge in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  It’s time for our troops to come home.”

Paul thinks differently, and will post subsequently.

- Barry Orton

Paul Ryan: When Will You Look At the Facts About the Deficit?

In his crusade to reach the White House, Paul Ryan published another piece of phony history and econoomics last week. The Wisconsin Republican authored Why No One Expects a Strong Recovery:

He and his ultra-conservative cohort, Representative Jeb Hensarling (R - Texas) explain that we have to get back to Reagan's economics and that the Democrats are a disaster for the economy:

Why all the pessimism? The source appears to be a growing fear that the federal government is retreating from the free-market economic principles of the last half-century, and in particular the strong growth policies that began under Ronald Reagan. A review of the economic policies instituted by President Barack Obama and the Democratic-controlled Congress lends credibility to this concern...

...Anyone who believes the Democratic Party's recently expressed concern over the deficit should look at the relentless growth of spending on its watch. Total nondefense spending set an all-time record this year—20.2% of GDP—double federal spending as a percentage of GDP during the height of the New Deal in 1934

The problem, Mr. Ryan, is the facts.

As any fifth grader can tell you, the greatest federal budget deficit as a percentage of the GNP since World War II was the Reagan deficit. It was erased by Bill Clinton and then eclipsed by George W. Bush. It usually takes 2-3 years for a President's economic policies to take hold.

Republicans start these problems and Democrats get us out of them. Unfortunately, sometimes the Democrats need more than a year or two to fix a problem the Republicans created in eight years.

Notice that dip before 1980? That was Jimmy Carter's third year. The peak before was the height of Nixon's second term.  

Notice the surplus before and through the year 2000? Yup. That was Bill Clinton.

Two Wisconsin House Members Voted with Opposite Party On Wilson Spanking

The House symbolically spanked Rep. Joe Wilson (R-Old Dixie) yesterday.  The Hill reported:

House members formally scolded a defiant Rep. Joe Wilson on Tuesday evening for his "You lie!" outburst after he refused Democratic demands that he apologize on the House floor.

The House passed a "resolution of disapproval," considered the mildest form of punishment for a member, by a 240-179 vote that fell largely along partisan lines. Seven Republicans voted to rebuke Wilson, while 12 Democrats voted against the measure.

The actual roll-call vote had two interesting party outliers from Wisconsin: Rep. Tom Petri (R- Fond du Lac) voted "yes" with most of the Democrats, and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Milwaukee) voted "no" with most of the Republicans.

Rep. Petri is senior enough and frequently is independently thoughtful enough to defy his party on some issues, particularly on one that is entirely without real consequence.

Rep. Moore, on the other hand, almost never votes with the Republicans against her party, and as an early and strong Obama supporter, was no doubt outraged at Wilson. So what was up with her vote?

Most of the other Democrats voting "no" were of the "blue dog" variety, with the exception of Moore and Dennis Kucinich.  Maybe they both wanted Wilson defenestrated (look it up).

(hat tip: MyDD)

- Barry Orton

Important Food Safety Legislation Debate Obscured By Media Obsession With "Beer Summit"

While the media machine obsessed over the absolutely trivial "beer summit" in President Obama's backyard between Cambridge police Sgt. James Crowley and Harvard Professor Henry Lewis ("Skip") Gates, Jr., the House of Representatives has, after days of dramatic wrestling, passed an important bill, HR 2749, the Food Safety Enhancement Act of 2009.

Luckily, Obama Foodarama has been all over the story, calling it "the biggest change to the food safety landscape in fifty years."

In theory, the Bill will "modernize" our food safety system, by requiring more government inspections and oversight of food manufacturers, better monitoring of imported foods, and giving the FDA more authority to recall contaminated foods --currently, even Class 1 (you could die) Recalls are voluntary; the FDA has no authority to force producers get their contaminated products out of the food chain. The Bill will allow the FDA to impose civil and criminal penalties and to implement mandatory food quarantines, both for the first time. But before any of the new food safety initiatives can happen, the Senate must act on the same Bill. They're off to recess for five weeks, so...our food safety sitch remains just the same as it was yesterday...

It's terrific to actually have a food safety Bill passed, but if there's a recall this afternoon for, say, half a million pounds of ground beef due to E coli contamination (as there was just two weeks ago...) well, American eaters are still on their own. The Senate is concerned right now primarily with health care reform, and food safety still has adopted-child status. But the burdens to public health from foodborne disease can't be overlooked, either, which is an interesting disconnect on Capitol Hill. The Bill should be fast-tracked in the Senate, too.

So is it safe to eat again? Not yet.

Obama Foodarama also put the brewhaha event in context food-wise and politically:

 Any way you pour it, the Beer Lobby is, in general, thrilled as they have been for months, as president Obama has been photographed a couple times drinking beer in public--at a hometown DC basketball game, and more recently with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. And all those questions about beer track vs. winetrack voters that arose during Campaign Season? They're clearly over. The President is positioning himself, right now, as a beertracker. It works swell for generating all kinds of political capital, particularly for health care reform.

(As far as the brands of beer consumed, Dane 101's own Jesse Russell nailed it before the fact, asserting that Sam Adams would be ideal for the occasion. Gates clearly heard Jesse's plea for something domestic and tasty, ruling out President Obama's choice of Budweiser Light on the latter grounds, and his original choices, Red Stripe or Beck's on the former, winding up with Sam Adams Light.)

So now it's time to contact our Senators, and remind them that food safety is too important to ignore.  They (at least the two from Wisconsin) are smart enough to work on at least several issues at once, even as a recess period beckons.  If you see your Senator back home this August, remind them that attention to food safety shouldn't be left entirely to the week or so after each contamination recall story.

- Barry Orton

Obama Administration Nails One: Stan Gruszynski Appointed USDA Rural Development Director for Wisconsin

The Obama Administration is finally getting around to filling some very important federal jobs that have big impacts at the state level.  Stan Gruszynski is a great choice for US Department of Agriculture Director for Rural Development for Wisconsin. Gruszynski should be a great help in funneling federal dollars to worthwhile rural development projects in Wisconsin. For over 25 years, his work at UW-Stevens Point and in the legislature has been significant for the people of rural and urban Wisconsin.

Gruszynski is currently the director of Rural Leadership and Community Development for the Global Environmental Management Center at the University of Wisconsin's Stevens Point College of Natural Resources. Prior to that position, he served as the Director of Public Affairs for USDA Rural Development in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, for seven years. While at Rural Development, he promoted rural program initiatives and fostered working relationships with community groups, Indian Tribes and underserved populations. Gruszynski was also appointed acting State Director for several months in 2003. From 1984-1994, he represented the 71st district in the Wisconsin State Assembly and served on both the rural affairs and natural resources committees.

Back in the eighties in the Assembly, Gruszynski was often a guy who stood up in the Democratic Caucus and argued for doing the right thing instead of the expedient alternate. He usually lost those arguments, but he never stopped making them.

Good for the Obama Administration. Good news for Wisconsin.

- Barry Orton

Disclosure by Paul: Barry is not aware of all of the relationships between Energies Direct LLC a company that designs and builds biodigesters and in which I am a part owner and the USDA. It is possible that the Wisconsin USDA office will make decisions on grant appliations that our customers submit or in some way make decisions about biodigesters in Wisconsin that impacts our company.

It is my intention to post on this subject in the future.

Shootings In Iran, Kent State, Jackson State - Painful Then, Painful Now

Hopefully the painful, tragic loss of life will lead to freedom in Iran.

Last  night's news reports reminded me of the shootings almost forty years ago on the campuses of the Unites States.

    "Armed soldiers opened fire on  protesters....

Kent State : For an unknown reason, during their retreat, nearly a dozen National Guardsmen suddenly turned around and began firing at the still scattered students. In 13 seconds, 67 bullets were fired. Some claim that there was a verbal order to fire. Four students were killed and nine others were wounded. Some of the students who were shot were not even part of the rally, but were just walking to their next class.

Jackson State Accounts disagree as to what happened next. Some students said the police advanced in a line, warned them, then opened fire. Others said the police abruptly opened fire on the crowd and the dormitory. Other witnesses reported that the students were under the control of a campus security officer when the police opened fire. Police claimed they spotted a powder flare in the Alexander West Hall third floor stairwell window and opened fire in self-defense on the dormitory only. Two local television news reporters present at the shooting agreed that a shot was fired, but were uncertain of the direction. A radio reporter claimed to have seen an arm and a pistol extending from a dormitory window.

Big Ag Chemical Companies Resent White House Organic Garden; Want "Crop Protection Products" Used

Michelle Obama has started an organic White House Kitchen Garden and dug up part of the White House South Lawn to do it. Lots of good press. Even the Wall Street Journal purred:

Not since Eleanor Roosevelt’s World War II-era “Victory Garden,” has an administration eaten what it has grown on the White House grounds. Obama policy adviser Jocelyn Frye said the garden fits into the first lady’s broader agenda of promoting a healthy work-life balance for families.

The same Wall Street Journal story reported that the new White House Food Initiative coordinator is Sam Kass, Chicago-based local and slow food maven. He will help make health policy during the daytime and cook healthy for the Obamas at night. “The message is that food is really important with the health crisis we’re in,” Kass said. “Cooking is a big part of that.” So far, so good.

Now comes the blowback.  The Big Ag companies are aghast. That's the essence of a long letter addressed to "Mrs. Barack Obama," that urges her to "to consider using crop protection products and to recognize the importance of agriculture to the entire U.S. economy." It further asks that she "recognize the role conventional agriculture plays in the U.S in feeding the ever-increasing population, contributing to the U.S. economy and providing a safe and economical food supply." So whines the Mid-America CropLife Association, a trade association of chemical and other agriculture suppliers.  Among the members are Monsanto, Dow Agrosciences, DuPont Crop Protection, and many other large companies, many of whom have "warehouse" or "fertilizer" or "chemical" in their corporate name.

Translation: don't bring in cute DC schoolkids to weed that garden and keep it "organic," whatever that term still means these days. Spray those weeds with killer chemicals like real American farm (corporations) do.

The letter, in its entirety, is a gem of public relations obfuscation, and is available at the always-valuable La Vida Locovore.

(hat tip: MyDD.com)

- Barry Orton

End No Bid Contracts, End Corruption: The Real Obama Legacy

Barack Obama took a major step towards fixing what is wrong with the Untied States this week when he announced the curtailing of no bid and cost plus contracts.   Obama promises to limit no-bid contracts says $40 billion could be saved every year:

"We will stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government and open up the contracting process to small businesses," Obama said. "We will end unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts that run up a bill that is paid by the American people. And we will strengthen oversight to maximize transparency and accountability."

The new administration argued that its Republican predecessor's spending on goods and services increased from $200 billion in 2000 to more than $500 billion in 2008.

There is nothing more phony than politicians clamoring to save money, calling for an end to government wasts, advocating competition, and demanding higher quality when they perpetuate the practice of no bid contracts.

It is the height of hypocrisy.

It encourages corruption, it creates an unnecessary distrust of govenment, and it encourages sloppy work. The legacy of the Bush Administration:

Dozens of people have been charged with bribery and other contract fraud crimes as part of a Justice Department crackdown on contract and procurement fraud. Fraud has been particularly prevalent following the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, where billions of dollars was spent quickly and often with little oversight. More than 140 investigations are underway into allegations of contract fraud in Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan.

Historians will note that the Obama Administration took quick and decisive action in the adoption of the stimulus package but the more profound changes will result from management changes like these.

This Is The Kind of Art We Really Like

Zilly Rosen is our favorite new artist.  Her portrait of presidents Obama and Lincoln, titled "A New Birth of Freedom," was on display at the Smithsonian American Art Museum for just over six hours two weeks ago, and then the gallery audience destroyed it by eating its content: 5900 cupcakes. Our favorite new food quality blog, Obama Foodarama, is all over the story.

 

Also, check out their coverage of the Peanut Corporation of America scandal, with a timeline here.  The peanut butter from their now-closed Texas plant was (gasp!) certified organic.

- Barry Orton

Obama Follows Some of the Bailout Money - It Is Not Enough

The morning news contains reports that the Obama administration will restrict the use of federal bailout money when it comes to lobbying. The recently confirmed Secretary of the Treasury is prepared to issue rules:

                                    Geithner to issue new lobbying rules

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner is expected to unveil new rules Tuesday to limit special-interest influence involving the $700 billion financial rescue program.

The new rules are designed to crack down on lobbyist influence over the rescue program, according to an administration official with knowledge of the changes.

The new rules do not go far enough since they only, "...restrict the contact officials can have with lobbyists in connection with applications for funds from the bailout program..."

Of greater concern is the money that goes to the banks, insurance companies, and automakers and then finds its way into campaigns. As I noted yesterday,

Bailout Money to Be Used To Buy Elections

The bulk of the money will be used to purchase campaign “issue ads.” These  trade associations will either directly make the purchase, as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce did last fall to try to re-elect Norm Coleman (R-MN), or funneled to organizations like The Institute for Tort Reform, Americans for Prosperity, and even All Children Matter, who will then purchase issue ads to reward their friends.

Follow the money. Your tax dollars went from the federal government to the Citigroup to trade associations to issue groups to buy television ads to influence elections.