Bleeding Heartland - Recent Comments

Agreed

jdunph1 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:52:43 GMT

Actually, he already is a very influential member of the House. He's the best the Party's got. And everyone knows it. I remember watching him on television grill that partisan republican government official in one of the state departments shortly after the '06 election. She was wrongly using her position for partisan objectives and he let her have it like he'd been there for years. Watching a freshman congressman do that was impressive to say the least. The guy is a phenomenon.
In what looks like it's going to be a wide open presidential field in eight years, I think Braley should start positioning himself now for a run the best way he sees fit.

I don't think Braley has any interest in the Senate seat

amcsepboe — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:33:27 GMT

He's already setting himself up as a very influential member of the House. The progress he's making would render a Senate effort counterproductive.

Bruce Braley

jdunph1 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 05:26:26 GMT

is one of the most impressive Congressmen to come around in a long time. This should be a stepping stone for someone as intelligent and well-rounded as he. I wonder if he may not be the best person in the House to head up the DCCC in two years. In looking at his future in the Party the Senate race in 2010 seems to me to be out of reach. But, I wonder if he may try and succeed Culver in 2014, and become a top contender for the vice-presidency in 2016 for our nominee. Or better, maybe he'll run for the presidency himself.

Darn.

American007 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:51:19 GMT

I knew I forgot something.

populist caucus

ragbrai08 — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 04:21:37 GMT

so far, 10 members, according to this article.

I'd like to know who joined.

Van Hollen/Braley = good team.

Generally, I like the way things are shaping up in the House.

by the way

desmoinesdem — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:46:56 GMT

I added a bunch of "tags" to your diary so make it easier for people doing Google searches or searches of this site to find it.

Interesting diary

desmoinesdem — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:44:06 GMT

I'll put this on the front page tomorrow morning.

I agree with many of your predictions. However, I think Obama will get his recovery bill through Congress quickly, in part because (as I have feared) he is going to move halfway toward the Republican position before negotiations even start. Republicans won't put up serious opposition to the stimulus bill if it's loaded with tax cuts the Chamber of Commerce will love. Of course, that won't stop the Republicans and business interests from fighting to the death against the Employee Free Choice Act (Obama will cave), and it won't stop the Republicans from blaming Democratic "big spenders" if the stimulus doesn't seem to work.

Unemployment is going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Using a large part of the stimulus for tax cuts won't help this situation as much as going all-out for green jobs would, but Obama would rather compromise with the Republicans than use his political leverage to get the bill he wants.

It wouldn't surprise me if Chrysler folded.

I agree, Caroline Kennedy botched her introduction to voters, and she won't get the call. Dianne Feinstein wants to seat Burris, and she runs the Rules Committee, so I guess that he'll be seated.

Grassley will retire in 2016, and his grandson will run for the seat.

I think Vaudt is going to be the GOP gubernatorial nominee--at least he will be if they are smart. I don't know what his position is on social issues, though. I'm hoping for a King or Vander Plaats type opponent, whom Culver could defeat by 10-15 percent of the vote.

My hunch is the Iowa Supreme Court will rule in favor gay marriage, but the ruling may not come down until the summer. Chet Culver will resist Republican calls for a special legislative session to address this issue (at least he will if he's smart).

Crime may rise, but in my opinion gun control is dead in this country. The Democrats are not going back there.

Yepsen made an interesting point in his Sunday column. Consolidating counties may be worthwhile but would be a long process, involving constitutional amendments. The quicker and easier way to get savings would be to combine some city and county governments (like Indianapolis has done, I think).

activism

ragbrai08 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:04:53 GMT

People are tightening their belts, and conserving energy is a good way to save money.

Couldn't agree more. While we take victories where we can get them, it's unfortunate that this favorable outcome is largely due to poor economic conditions/tight credit -- the same conditions that create barriers to mainstreaming sustainable agriculture practices.

Cutting back on usage, in addition to saving money, satisfies on the level of directly shaping the circumstances that "redirect" the priorities of LSP and their ilk.

Thanks again to all the environmental and community advocates

I am interested in hearing more about what kind of reception IA activists get from other actors -- business community, state government, law enforcement, other citizens, etc. Not necessarily a direct response but links or news items as you see fit.

You may have heard last July that in MD, the state police got caught maintaining a "terrorist" database. Fresh set of articles now indicate that the monitoring was more extensive than previously thought (duh) and there's evidence for similar practices in places like NY, SF.

Not surprising because these are all locations w/ an above-average nr of liberals, esp higher-income, which means a greater liklihood of making an impact. Some of the terrorists include:

Chesapeake Climate Action Network - probably put in db due to an act of peaceful civil disobedience led by a rabbi on a (public) county road in front of a coal-fired plant in a sparsely populated area. Some details:

But he and five other defendants got a sentence of $100 and 10 days suspended jail time from Montgomery County District Judge Cornelius J. Vaughey.
"I haven't gotten arrested since the civil rights era," said Tabor, 62, one of three Jewish activists sentenced Friday. "We're not people who committed a crime -- it was a statement of conscience."
Tabor, along with Rockville Rabbi David Shneyer, Riverdale activist Jonah Blaustein and three others, were tried for their part in a protest at the Dickerson Generating Station.

AFAIK, Shomrei Adamah of Greater Washington is not in the 'terra' db {{eye roll}}.

Other entries -- ppl who protest Lockheed Martin, cycling groups that take up the road ...

Lockheed and coal-fired plants are the model citizens in need of "protection."

Right now, corp-ag interests in IA have relatively little to worry about, but I wonder if activists were to make headway based on direct action (instead of macro conditions), what would happen?

Also read today that some guy wearing a t-shirt w/ arabic script was told to change shirts by some airline. For crying out loud!

Around '86-'87, I decided I wanted to learn Russian to read Dead Souls. In addition to scooting up to Brighton Beach once a month, I also frequented a local Russian language bookshop, Victor Kamkin (no longer exists). It was known that various intelligence agencies monitored the establishment, including videotaping the foot traffic. Didn't bother me at all, but I think today I would pause, or at least cover my face.

I thought that this was an interesting take...x

amcsepboe — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:36:09 GMT

But former intelligence analyst Greg Treverton, now with the Rand Corporation, said Panetta's experience as a former White House chief of staff might give him a unique understanding of the presidency and its needs for intelligence. "One of my experiences with people like Panetta who have been chief of staff is that they have a clear sense of what is helpful to the president that most senior officials don't," Treverton told me. "They get it. What he could do and couldn't do. And that's an interesting advantage Panetta brings. Knowledge of what the presidential stakes are like, how issues arise, and what they need to be protected from, for better or worse."

Harry Truman, when the CIA was founded, wanted a newspaper. In Legacy of Ashes, Tim Werner writes that Truman wrote to a friend many years later:

It was not intended as a 'Cloak & Dagger Outfit!' It was intended merely as a center for keeping the president informed on what was going on in the world.

However, the thrilling (if less than successful) days of the OSS led to the covert ops prevailing. Richard Helms-- a later CIA chief-- wanted to know the world. Frank Wisner-- who would head the Plans-- wanted to run the covert ops. Wisner and Allen Dulles would tend to win out, and the U.S. never really established a legit intelligence operation. It was about a decade old when it got into the coup business in Iran and Guatemala, and it's never looked back.

So, I like this possibility:

Picking an executive branch guy like Panetta may signal that Obama wants to push the CIA back toward something closer to Truman's original vision of an agency who's primary mission is to keep the president better informed than his international rivals.

Links:
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/...
http://thecable.foreignpolicy....

I'd recommend Legacy of Ashes, by the way. It's a bit dry at times, and Werner often comes across fairly biased against the CIA...but it's a good history, and you get a great sense of how the cooler and wiser heads lost out in the early days of the Cold War CIA. We're still paying for those mistakes today.

no opinion

ragbrai08 — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 03:06:59 GMT

on this one.

Of course, I can barely concentrate -- late this afternoon Mr. Burris arrived in Bawlmer, Marelin and headed down the B-W Pkwy to claim his due tomorrow. He's got all the law books on his side!

Thinking of going to the Capitol to cheer him on or to demonstrate, depending on my mood.

Ha!

Pistachio — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:05:24 GMT

I got my good belly laugh in for the day!
Mitt Romney? Peg, you make this daily grind possible.
Too Funny

Mitt Romney...

Peggy — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 15:06:04 GMT

for Commerce Secy.

I share your dismay

desmoinesdem — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:31:50 GMT

at how Culver said tax increases were off the table. What about closing tax loopholes? Republicans will scream "tax hike," but some of those are unjustified.

I had to laugh reading Yepsen today. Surprise, surprise, he wants to raise sales taxes so we can cut property taxes.

I'm with you on progressive taxation, but we won't get help from our current leadership on that.

I agree with you on the issue

desmoinesdem — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:29:52 GMT

but it's impossible for me to imagine Culver taking campaign finance on as an issue. Too bad.

Another route

IowaVoter — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:09:42 GMT

Culver could also become the anti-Branstad by moving us to a more progressive tax structure. I was bummed by Culver's recent proclamation that no matter how bad the budget looks he won't raise taxes.

He could raise some taxes and cut other and manage to come out both flush and popular. All he has to do is reverse the Branstad record. I recall Branstad's coffers were full at one time so he cut income taxes. Later the coffers were empty so he raised sales taxes. Culver could do the opposite.

He could also greatly increase gas taxes and use the money for something besides roads. This would be good for the environment, save state government and be a good out-of-the-box accomplishment. At the rate gas prices change, who would notice a tax hike of twenty cents if it was phased in?

Wonderful post

IowaVoter — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 03:50:59 GMT

Here's another way for Culver to become a great governor--live up to his promise to move us to public financing of state elections.

A man who owes his election to his father's name and his own non-controversial stint in the do-gooder's job as Secretary of State could establish a real record if he'd become the anti-Blagojevich by ending the buying and selling of state offices through campaign finance deals.

But I have little hope, having watched his handling of the voting machine controversy as SoS. If that was too hot for him to handle, most anything will be too hot for him.

Wait

Pistachio — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:43:10 GMT

I know how much you want a liberal police state, Bill. And how much you disagree with the term "Innocent until proven guilty" but this is quick to judge, jury, and execute, even by your incredibly low standards

every new coal-fired power plant

desmoinesdem — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:42:25 GMT

is a 50-year investment in the wrong direction.

There is no such thing as "clean coal." We need to aggressively promote energy efficiency and renewable electricity generation. Then, eventually, we will be able to take old coal plants offline. That won't happen overnight, but we can start on the right path by not building any new coal-fired power plants, anywhere.

Harnessing the carbon is not currently technologically feasible and doesn't solve the problem of other pollutants such as mercury and fine particulate matter.

The best way to lower electric bills is to use less electricity. We can all do things as individuals to use less energy, and the government can also do things to promote lower energy use.

why is it embarrassing for Obama?

desmoinesdem — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:21:02 GMT

Is there evidence he knew about this FBI investigation when he picked Richardson?

Anyway, Richardson is out of the picture before he has even been charged with anything.

I can tell how much you "hope" no more Democrats get caught up in scandals.

All Coal Bad?

Bill Spencer — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 21:07:35 GMT

Do you think all coal is bad?

How do we get abundant electricity without using coal? I understand the needed to harness the carbon - but just being against all coal is dangerous.

Those of us who are struggling here in rural Iowa - we cannot afford to pay already higher electric bills.