Tuesday, November 09, 2004
Belated Apologies: …to all those that I misled in the final days when I predicted that Kerry would triumph. Normally someone who espouses ‘low expectations’ (such as advising my son to self-protect against Red Sox disappointments), I yielded to my hope for a dose of sanity. Maybe my judgment was skewed by the World Series result.
One Week Later: Are we Depressed? Dazed? Enraged? A multiplicity of emotions, for many of us. I certainly have been monitoring as to where I’m at.
I was talking last night with a student of mine who has two sons in the military- one in Iraq, one just back and, questionably, heading back. She described her partially deaf son serving as a ‘radio man’ near Baghdad, despite his hearing problem and his well-documented poor enunciation. She was aghast, “He, a ‘radio guy’ That’s so dumb!” That reference led us to the military’s shortage of body armor and humvees without armor, which led us to the Bush campaign accusing Kerry of ‘not supporting the troops and voting against body armor’ when it was the Administration that sent the troops horribly unprepared for the war…and Kerry’s failure to confront such…and…
The Energy, the Outrage. Palpable. Intact.
I've commented on the directing of that energy. While encouraging those with information about the election irregularities to keep at it, the basic direction seems clear- to build / support structures and institutions that will combat the Right’s control. That includes, but is not limited to, electoral politics. The Right took over many state legislatures and state houses in the past decades and that has to be combated. The Right’s control of the media must be contested. Aside from the specifics in the last blog, I’ll add that we should encourage George Soros to establish an alternative to Fox News.
The Cheating: Again, we probably won’t know if it was decisive. Not that they didn’t try. Aside from ripping up Democrat registrations, there was possible voter intimidation, plenty of suppression, a high ballot spoilage rate; a large number of provisional ballots; no availability of provisional ballots; military, absentee, and provisional ballots lost, not counted, and/or not allowed to be created; lack of voting booths in poor, minority and urban precincts in the swing states, and thus 3-9 hour lines… and many giving up, etc.
The only ‘mainstream journalist who’s followed the story the past week is Keith Olbermann. His Countdown on MSNBC has exposed a pattern of electoral fraud, especially in Florida and Ohio. Only there can you find actual investigations plus Michigan Rep. John Conyers calling for a full-scale investigation by the General Accounting Office. Olbermann’s legal commentator, Jonathan Turley from George Washington U., commented that a successful Kerry challenge was “not likely”, but “not impossible,” but with less chance if the candidate himself stays out. The former ESPN host extraordinaire, Olbermann has integrity and a temper, and would quit if tampered with. [He also had a marvelous blog for each of the debates on msnbc.com.]
A sensible political action would be to support his efforts, via a simple email to Olbermann@msnbc.com.
Kerry Says He’s Available. Get some perspective, John
Democrat John F. Kerry plans to use his Senate seat and long lists of supporters to remain a major voice in American politics despite losing the presidential race last Tuesday, and he is assessing the feasibility of trying again in 2008, friends and aides said yesterday.
Kerry will attend a post-election lame-duck Senate session that begins next week and has said he is "fired up" to play a highly visible role, the friends and aides said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35224-2004Nov8.html
Electoral Post-Mortem:
Decisive Win? Yes, Bush got ‘more popular votes than any president in history.’ What a dumb claim. Who’s #2? Kerry, of course…followed by Reagan and Gore. So much for measuring population growth.
‘Decisive Electoral Margin’?: No, the second lowest since 1916, second only to 2000. Trivia: 3d lowest? 1916, Wilson over Charles Evan Hughes.
Bush's support among women increased by 5%, went up by 9 points among Latinos and increased by 7 points of those 60 and older. Most startling was his gain of 10 points among those with no high school education, typically a strong Democratic constituency.
Was it turnout of the Right that won for Bush? So many opinions. E.J. Dionne’s:
John Kerry was not defeated by the religious right. He was beaten by moderates who went -- reluctantly in many cases -- for President Bush. This will be hard for many Democrats to take. It's easier to salve those wounds by demonizing religious conservatives. But in the 2004 election, Democrats left votes on the table that could have created a Kerry majority.
Consider these findings from the network exit polls: About 38 percent of those who thought abortion should be legal in most cases went to Bush. Bush got 22 percent from voters who favored gay marriage and 52 percent among those who favor civil unions. Bush even managed 16 percent among voters who thought the president paid more attention to the interests of large corporations than to those of "ordinary Americans." A third of the voters who favored a government more active in solving problems went to Bush.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35437-2004Nov8.html
The World Responds: We don’t trust your economy. This bears following.
The U.S. has a current account deficit, a budget deficit and a president who appears unconcerned about dollar weakness," said Shahab Jalinoos, senior currency strategist at ABN AMRO. "No one can see any reason to buy the dollar at the moment."
The latest bout of dollar weakness began in the middle of last week as investors took the view the administration of re-elected President Bush would do little to alleviate the country's structural problems.
The budget deficit is about $427 billion, or 3.7 percent of gross domestic product, while the current account, the broadest measure of trade, hit a record $166.18 billion shortfall in the second quarter. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=6745993
Arlen Specter Grovels: The incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee first tells Bush that he can’t nominate any supreme court nominees that are anti-Choice. After a short day of being savaged by the Right, he backs off, says he didn’t mean it, begs for forgiveness. Pride, dignity, they doth not exist.
They tried to rid him in the primary; now, they’ll make him suffer. His chairmanship is in trouble.
What’s Happening, Iraq: Fallujah The Bush Group haven’t learned their lessons. More death, much more, including, thus far 10? 12? 16? Americans. Reporters, once again embedded, have their reportage reduced to ‘reporting’ the battle scene, save NPR’s Anne Garrels’ repeated references to the mass desertions from the Iraqi army. A typical comment from the Independent:
All embraced the US government rationale with nary a critical word or indication of how much opposition there is to this massacre posing as an offensive.
According to The Independent in London, many of the "insurgents" have already left the doomed town to attack elsewhere, AND "many of the 10,000 US troops have had no major combat experience; in one unit, 95% are inexperienced." Prediction: The attack will be bloody, It will, as in wars past, destroy the town top save it, And it will be tragic, another exhibit in the still to be built Museum of War Crimes. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=580338
Protests: Can’t expect Nancy Pelosi to lead a charge.
Called for, nationally: IMMEDIATELY: call local media outlets and members of Congress to denounce the attack
"*THURSDAY – SATURDAY: Organize actions outside and inside Congressional offices to demand an end to the assault on Falluja and an end to the occupation (action ideas below)
"*NEXT TUESDAY, 11/16: Protest in Washington, DC on the day that Congress goes back into session; details to be announced
"*Leaflet and talking points available online at http://www.unitedforpeace.org
In Boston, there’s a 4:45 – 6PM protest, Wednesday, Downtown Crossing.
What’s Happening, Iran: Progress, of sorts
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi of Iran on Monday praised the outcome of weekend talks with European negotiators, saying that a preliminary agreement had been reached to suspend Iran's production of enriched uranium immediately. But he emphasized that any suspension would be only temporary.
"We hope that the deal between Iran and Europeans can be finalized and create necessary confidence," Mr. Kharrazi said of the 22 hours of difficult negotiations in Paris on Friday and Saturday between an Iranian delegation and senior officials of France, Germany, Britain and the European Union.
But, he added, "The talk is about continuing the suspension for a short period to build confidence." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/09/international/middleeast/09iran.html?pagewanted=print&position=
So, who needs a draft? Such a scandal, so little publicity. The backdoor draft continues…and deepens.
David M. Miyasato enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1987, served three years of active duty during the first Gulf War and received an honorable discharge in 1991. He remained on inactive status for five more years, until 1996. Since then, the Kaua'i resident has married, started an auto window tinting business and this year, he and his wife had their first child.
But in September, Miyasato received a letter from the Army recalling him to active duty and directing him to report to a military facility in South Carolina on Tuesday.
"I was shocked," Miyasato said yesterday. "I never expected to see something like that after being out of the service for 13 years."
Miyasato is now suing the Secretary of the Army, asking a court to prevent the Army from ordering him to active duty. He is also asking for a court judgment declaring that he fulfilled all his obligations to the military. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Nov/06/ln/ln10p.html/?print=on
Bush, Israel’s Friend? A dissent [Gideon Levy]
The headlines in the mass circulation papers here screamed, "The friend stays" and "Bush is good for Israel," but from Israel's point of view he is one of the worst presidents ever. An American president who will give Israel four more years of freedom to act as it pleases in the territories is not a friend of this country. A true friend would save Israel from itself, as some European leaders are trying to do by means of the criticism they hurl at Israeli government policy. In a situation in which Israel is not restraining itself, restraint imposed from the outside is a supreme national interest, even if it involves exerting pressure that at times can be brutal. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498284.html
The President’s Supporters. We’re supposed to be healing, so I hesitate to mention again the U. of Maryland PIPA poll that found that:
72% still believe that there were WMD's in Iraq.
75% believe that Iraq was providing substantial support for Al Qaeda.
66% believe that Bush supports participation in the International Criminal Court.
72% believe that he supports the treaty banning land mines. http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/html/new_10_21_04.html
-R
One Week Later: Are we Depressed? Dazed? Enraged? A multiplicity of emotions, for many of us. I certainly have been monitoring as to where I’m at.
I was talking last night with a student of mine who has two sons in the military- one in Iraq, one just back and, questionably, heading back. She described her partially deaf son serving as a ‘radio man’ near Baghdad, despite his hearing problem and his well-documented poor enunciation. She was aghast, “He, a ‘radio guy’ That’s so dumb!” That reference led us to the military’s shortage of body armor and humvees without armor, which led us to the Bush campaign accusing Kerry of ‘not supporting the troops and voting against body armor’ when it was the Administration that sent the troops horribly unprepared for the war…and Kerry’s failure to confront such…and…
The Energy, the Outrage. Palpable. Intact.
I've commented on the directing of that energy. While encouraging those with information about the election irregularities to keep at it, the basic direction seems clear- to build / support structures and institutions that will combat the Right’s control. That includes, but is not limited to, electoral politics. The Right took over many state legislatures and state houses in the past decades and that has to be combated. The Right’s control of the media must be contested. Aside from the specifics in the last blog, I’ll add that we should encourage George Soros to establish an alternative to Fox News.
The Cheating: Again, we probably won’t know if it was decisive. Not that they didn’t try. Aside from ripping up Democrat registrations, there was possible voter intimidation, plenty of suppression, a high ballot spoilage rate; a large number of provisional ballots; no availability of provisional ballots; military, absentee, and provisional ballots lost, not counted, and/or not allowed to be created; lack of voting booths in poor, minority and urban precincts in the swing states, and thus 3-9 hour lines… and many giving up, etc.
The only ‘mainstream journalist who’s followed the story the past week is Keith Olbermann. His Countdown on MSNBC has exposed a pattern of electoral fraud, especially in Florida and Ohio. Only there can you find actual investigations plus Michigan Rep. John Conyers calling for a full-scale investigation by the General Accounting Office. Olbermann’s legal commentator, Jonathan Turley from George Washington U., commented that a successful Kerry challenge was “not likely”, but “not impossible,” but with less chance if the candidate himself stays out. The former ESPN host extraordinaire, Olbermann has integrity and a temper, and would quit if tampered with. [He also had a marvelous blog for each of the debates on msnbc.com.]
A sensible political action would be to support his efforts, via a simple email to Olbermann@msnbc.com.
Kerry Says He’s Available. Get some perspective, John
Democrat John F. Kerry plans to use his Senate seat and long lists of supporters to remain a major voice in American politics despite losing the presidential race last Tuesday, and he is assessing the feasibility of trying again in 2008, friends and aides said yesterday.
Kerry will attend a post-election lame-duck Senate session that begins next week and has said he is "fired up" to play a highly visible role, the friends and aides said. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35224-2004Nov8.html
Electoral Post-Mortem:
Decisive Win? Yes, Bush got ‘more popular votes than any president in history.’ What a dumb claim. Who’s #2? Kerry, of course…followed by Reagan and Gore. So much for measuring population growth.
‘Decisive Electoral Margin’?: No, the second lowest since 1916, second only to 2000. Trivia: 3d lowest? 1916, Wilson over Charles Evan Hughes.
Bush's support among women increased by 5%, went up by 9 points among Latinos and increased by 7 points of those 60 and older. Most startling was his gain of 10 points among those with no high school education, typically a strong Democratic constituency.
Was it turnout of the Right that won for Bush? So many opinions. E.J. Dionne’s:
John Kerry was not defeated by the religious right. He was beaten by moderates who went -- reluctantly in many cases -- for President Bush. This will be hard for many Democrats to take. It's easier to salve those wounds by demonizing religious conservatives. But in the 2004 election, Democrats left votes on the table that could have created a Kerry majority.
Consider these findings from the network exit polls: About 38 percent of those who thought abortion should be legal in most cases went to Bush. Bush got 22 percent from voters who favored gay marriage and 52 percent among those who favor civil unions. Bush even managed 16 percent among voters who thought the president paid more attention to the interests of large corporations than to those of "ordinary Americans." A third of the voters who favored a government more active in solving problems went to Bush.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A35437-2004Nov8.html
The World Responds: We don’t trust your economy. This bears following.
The U.S. has a current account deficit, a budget deficit and a president who appears unconcerned about dollar weakness," said Shahab Jalinoos, senior currency strategist at ABN AMRO. "No one can see any reason to buy the dollar at the moment."
The latest bout of dollar weakness began in the middle of last week as investors took the view the administration of re-elected President Bush would do little to alleviate the country's structural problems.
The budget deficit is about $427 billion, or 3.7 percent of gross domestic product, while the current account, the broadest measure of trade, hit a record $166.18 billion shortfall in the second quarter. http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=6745993
Arlen Specter Grovels: The incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee first tells Bush that he can’t nominate any supreme court nominees that are anti-Choice. After a short day of being savaged by the Right, he backs off, says he didn’t mean it, begs for forgiveness. Pride, dignity, they doth not exist.
They tried to rid him in the primary; now, they’ll make him suffer. His chairmanship is in trouble.
What’s Happening, Iraq: Fallujah The Bush Group haven’t learned their lessons. More death, much more, including, thus far 10? 12? 16? Americans. Reporters, once again embedded, have their reportage reduced to ‘reporting’ the battle scene, save NPR’s Anne Garrels’ repeated references to the mass desertions from the Iraqi army. A typical comment from the Independent:
All embraced the US government rationale with nary a critical word or indication of how much opposition there is to this massacre posing as an offensive.
According to The Independent in London, many of the "insurgents" have already left the doomed town to attack elsewhere, AND "many of the 10,000 US troops have had no major combat experience; in one unit, 95% are inexperienced." Prediction: The attack will be bloody, It will, as in wars past, destroy the town top save it, And it will be tragic, another exhibit in the still to be built Museum of War Crimes. http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=580338
Protests: Can’t expect Nancy Pelosi to lead a charge.
Called for, nationally: IMMEDIATELY: call local media outlets and members of Congress to denounce the attack
"*THURSDAY – SATURDAY: Organize actions outside and inside Congressional offices to demand an end to the assault on Falluja and an end to the occupation (action ideas below)
"*NEXT TUESDAY, 11/16: Protest in Washington, DC on the day that Congress goes back into session; details to be announced
"*Leaflet and talking points available online at http://www.unitedforpeace.org
In Boston, there’s a 4:45 – 6PM protest, Wednesday, Downtown Crossing.
What’s Happening, Iran: Progress, of sorts
Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi of Iran on Monday praised the outcome of weekend talks with European negotiators, saying that a preliminary agreement had been reached to suspend Iran's production of enriched uranium immediately. But he emphasized that any suspension would be only temporary.
"We hope that the deal between Iran and Europeans can be finalized and create necessary confidence," Mr. Kharrazi said of the 22 hours of difficult negotiations in Paris on Friday and Saturday between an Iranian delegation and senior officials of France, Germany, Britain and the European Union.
But, he added, "The talk is about continuing the suspension for a short period to build confidence." http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/09/international/middleeast/09iran.html?pagewanted=print&position=
So, who needs a draft? Such a scandal, so little publicity. The backdoor draft continues…and deepens.
David M. Miyasato enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve in 1987, served three years of active duty during the first Gulf War and received an honorable discharge in 1991. He remained on inactive status for five more years, until 1996. Since then, the Kaua'i resident has married, started an auto window tinting business and this year, he and his wife had their first child.
But in September, Miyasato received a letter from the Army recalling him to active duty and directing him to report to a military facility in South Carolina on Tuesday.
"I was shocked," Miyasato said yesterday. "I never expected to see something like that after being out of the service for 13 years."
Miyasato is now suing the Secretary of the Army, asking a court to prevent the Army from ordering him to active duty. He is also asking for a court judgment declaring that he fulfilled all his obligations to the military. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2004/Nov/06/ln/ln10p.html/?print=on
Bush, Israel’s Friend? A dissent [Gideon Levy]
The headlines in the mass circulation papers here screamed, "The friend stays" and "Bush is good for Israel," but from Israel's point of view he is one of the worst presidents ever. An American president who will give Israel four more years of freedom to act as it pleases in the territories is not a friend of this country. A true friend would save Israel from itself, as some European leaders are trying to do by means of the criticism they hurl at Israeli government policy. In a situation in which Israel is not restraining itself, restraint imposed from the outside is a supreme national interest, even if it involves exerting pressure that at times can be brutal. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498284.html
The President’s Supporters. We’re supposed to be healing, so I hesitate to mention again the U. of Maryland PIPA poll that found that:
72% still believe that there were WMD's in Iraq.
75% believe that Iraq was providing substantial support for Al Qaeda.
66% believe that Bush supports participation in the International Criminal Court.
72% believe that he supports the treaty banning land mines. http://www.pipa.org/OnlineReports/Pres_Election_04/html/new_10_21_04.html
-R
