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The Republican leadership has done everything possible to discredit President Obama and to portray him as weak, indecisive and impotent as President. As we all know, this is being done for political reasons to ensure that the Republicans can win back control of the Presidency and the Senate in 2012. While this is bad enough in terms of domestic issues, in terms of foreign policy it is dangerous in the extreme.
I'm referring to the recent actions taken by North Korea. Yesterday, November 22, 2010, the North Korean military shelled the South Korea's Yeonpyeong Island killing two South Korean soldiers and wounding 15 soldiers and three civilians. This is the latest in a series of attacks by North Korea on the South. It is also important to remember that according to press reports, North Korea has five or six nuclear warheads.
So why is this important? After all the Korean peninsula is a long way from New Hampshire. There are 28,800 U.S. service members stationed in South Korea, many of them stationed near the border with North Korea. Also there are more than 100,000 American citizens living or working in South Korea, many of them in Seoul which is very close to the border. A war between North and South Korea could kill hundreds if not thousands of Americans.
Is it possible? Currently North Korea doesn't have sufficient food to feed its' population and people are starving. Some of this is caused sanctions imposed by the United States and other countries. It is getting to the point where the population will revolt or starve to death. Second, Dictator Kim, Jong-Il's youngest son, Kim, Jong-un, has recently been made heir apparent and may be trying to prove himself. The North Korean leadership is old and conservative. Kim, Jong-un was picked because he is young and aggressive.
But the third reason is what concerns me in this blog. The Republican attacks on President Obama have portrayed U.S. leadership as spineless and impotent. We have been involved in two wars with two small and weak nations for years without any kind of victory. Our military has been stretched to the breaking point and the North Koreans may believe that it is impossible for us to interfere in their plans for conquest.
Americans have traditionally rallied around the President in times of crisis but that may not happen this time because of the Republican attacks. The Republicans have put all of us at risk and I don't think they really give a damn.
I'm a bit depressed still, as I'm sure all Democrats are. Even though last June I wrote a column with my early-warning projections that we'd have 250 House Republicans and 16 Republicans in the Senate after November 2nd, and called all the other races as they turned out -- and I got blasted by some of my colleagues for saying so -- I was still unprepared for the depth of our losses.
Many good friends, many hard-working Democrats are being replaced by Republicans who have a view of government that most people really don't share -- but people voted for them anyway.
Government should work for people, and there is a role for government in finding solutions to our problems. From the post-election interviews, it's clear that too many of the newly-elected Republicans think government is itself the problem, and they want to use it for their own purposes.
A week ago the Portsmouth "Herald" reported on a talk given by Mr. Alex Ray, the owner of the "Common Man" restaurant chain, to a group business owners in the North Country. I don't know Mr. Ray or if he is a Democrat or a Republican but some of his comments apply to mistakes made in the last election.
"Your business is really dependent on what you do and not your competition. It's how you perform in the eyes of your customers, or not."
I think that this is where we made a mistake. The policies of President Obama and the Democratic Congress have had a positive effect on our economy. Government is our business and the election shows that the voters, our customers if you will, lost faith in us. However in a real sense we lost faith in ourselves long before the election. Week after week I listened to Democratic candidates talk about how bad the economy was, how we needed to cut the deficit, how we needed to take some unnamed action. Nowhere did I hear praise of the health care bill which while not perfect is a strong move in the right direction. No where did I hear President Obama's economic policies defended. I didn't hear Democratic candidates correct the misstatements and outright lies of the Republicans. In other words we abandoned our principles and presented ourselves as a confused group of want to be Republicans.
President Obama is our leader and the policies he is pursuing are the best short we have correcting the economic mess that we are in. By not backing the President we hurt ourselves and I believe cost Democrats the election.
On the road to Election 2012 we need to find ourselves again and take the leadership role. We need to be less dependent on polls and realize that we have to sell our point of view to the voters or not simply follow the polls. The Republicans, especially the "Tea Party" group, were perceived as leaders and even though much of what they said was nonsense, the people listened.
To paraphrase Alex Ray, the Republicans didn't win the election, we lost it. The voters, our customers, lost faith in us and we need to get that back. We need to change how we present our message to the voters before it is too late. The Democrats need to win in 2012.
This video brought tears to my eyes. Amid the hue and cry over immigration to this country, with the descendants of immigrants against the newcomers, we forget there were people living here for millennia before Europeans hit the shores of the Americas. They have been treated shamefully for generations. President Obama has taken a step toward improving their situation, especially that of Native American women suffering from violence that all women face, no matter what nationality or creed.
I am so happy we elected Barack Obama President of the United States.
(Thanks for stopping by Congressman. Only 160 days until we get to vote for you to be the next Senator from the great state of New Hampshire. - promoted by Mike Hoefer)
For 43 days, thousands of barrels of oil have been spilling into the Gulf Coast. 43 days of environmental disaster because big oil companies were given a blank check on offshore drilling with little regulation and poor oversight.
Now, with the recent failure of the "top kill" strategy, there is no end in sight to the amount of oil that is spilling into the Gulf. This spill is poisoning our waters, suffocating our plants and wildlife, and jeopardizing the health of our citizens - threatening jobs, businesses and communities along the Gulf Coast.
My thoughts and prayers are with the people and communities down on the Gulf, who are dealing day and night with the devastating aftermath of the spill.
This disaster was a warning sign. When government puts the profits of Big Oil first, when politicians listen to special interests instead of the people they are supposed to represent - then we put the safety of our workers, communities and economy at risk.
Here's something new to talk about for those who haven't liked my questions about "How Many Deaths Are Enough," yet unfortunately it is so old because I remember many of these, quite a few which I attended, during the Vietnam Era.
There's a giant "No You Can't"Rally in Washington, D.C. at the White House on December 12th. It will be attended by a number of peace movement groups against the Afghanistan War escalation announced by President Obama.
I received a news announcement of it today. Over 100 leading peace activists will been participating in the rally from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM "to reject President Obama's planned military escalation in Afghanistan."
The Rally is being organized by "End US Wars," which is a coalition of national and grassroots antiwar organizations. The Coalition has said that unless the President changes course, "efforts will begin to cut short his term in office, along with Congress, and protests will intensify against the United States war involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq."
Speakers will include a variety of nationally-known anti-war speakers, including former NH State Representative Betty Hall, who in her 80s has seen a number of wars, and "Granny D," who is turning 100 next month.
As we are about to reach the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I want to say thank you to all of our veterans. Here is a letter that President Obama sent to veterans today; one of my partners, who is a veteran, received it by e mail and forwarded it to me:
Today, on Veterans Day, my message to you is simple: Thank you. Thank you for your selfless service, for your valor, and for your strength of purpose that make all of us proud to be Americans.
Today, Americans will pause amidst a great conversation about the future of our nation to take a moment and recognize your service to our democracy -- a service that guarantees us all the liberty to engage freely in that conversation, no matter what our views may be.
We know that we owe you a debt that cannot be repaid. But we can and will fulfill our nation's promise to stand by you and your loved ones. That is why we've worked hard for better care for our veterans, and why we provided the largest increase in Veterans Administration funding in history.
Today, we honor those Americans past and present who've served on battlefields from Lexington to Antietam, Normandy to Manila, Inchon to Khe Sanh, Ramadi to Kandahar. You have defended our freedom on land, and at sea, and in the air.
You reflect the diversity that makes this America. You share a patriotism beyond question. And you share the same unflinching courage, selfless compassion, and uncommon camaraderie that -- when faced with the tragedy of a despicable and heartbreaking attack last Thursday -- the soldiers and civilians of Ft. Hood humbly revealed to the world.
You and your loved ones are the patriotic men and women we honor today, Veterans Day. And you are the men and women we shall honor every day, in times of war and times of peace, so long as our nation endures.
Here is the president's weekly address. He mentions the NH woman who cannot get health coverage because of a pre-existing condition. He calmly debunks the lies being put out there by Palin, Luntz, Grassley, et.al. He uses historical references that are accurate.
This push back on health reform reminded me of what they did to Hillary and Bill Clinton back in the early 90s. They made it about her hairband and glasses. Remember? And the Harry and Louise crap? After the bill was defeated through misrepresentation, they took over Congress with Newt Gingrich. They think they can do this again. Only their staged opposition is more violent and shrill than before.
I wonder how many families have gone bankrupt, lost all they spent lifetimes working for, because of old age, illness and infirmity.
Well, I got a couple of tickets to the President's town hall meeting in Portsmouth this afternoon. It was a beautiful day for the drive; I went with a fellow Obama activist. It was amazing to us to be seeing him in New Hampshire again, not as a candidate, but as POTUS.
Once we found the school, parking wasn't the problem I'd thought it'd be. And the first person we saw was BH's own Jack Mitchell directing traffic at the intersection to the school parking lot. We had to go to a lot down the road, but very close. There were a lot of people there, but not the crazy scene I was expecting.
John McCain was just on the news thumping a podium and declaring, "This bill is not bipartisan!"
Oh, give me a break already. The bill is very bipartisan; the drafters put a lot of money toward tax cuts right off the bat in an effort to be bipartisan. There are 299 billion dollars in tax cuts in the package. What is not bipartisan is the way the Republicans have put their party ahead of what is in the best interest of the country.
And here is another thing that is annoying: if I hear one more Republican whine that the next generation will have to pay for the bill, I may pull an Elvis and destroy my television. The next generation will be uneducated, ill nourished, ill housed and scrounging for work if the economy isn't fixed, because this generation won't have the money to pay to feed and educate the next generation, or to build the businesses to employ the next generation.
The Republicans, who never cared about the next generation's tax bill when it came to paying for a very wrong war in Iraq, and who never cared about the next generation when it came to protecting the envirnoment for future generations, are so full of partisan baloney that they could be served up as lunch meat at the local deli counter.
The reason the bill did not win "bipartisan" support is that the Republicans have made a very partisan decision that they want this presidency to fail, and if that means taking the economy and the middle class down along with the President, well, such is life.
(originally submitted to The Keene Sentinel as a Letter to the Editor)
It has been pointed out that if we do not learn from history then we are doomed to repeat it. With this warning in mind, let us take a quick look back at the month of January before we forget some very important lessons:
January 1
After much cheering and kissing and drinking and spitting out of confetti the world awoke to a bright, beautiful new morning in which absolutely nothing had changed other than the date. This, of course, was lost on those writing checks, not to mention those trying to calculate how many aspirins it takes to soothe a vicious hangover.
January 2
The Obama family moves into the Hay-Adams Hotel instead of Blair House, the usual temporary residence for the president-elect and his family. This was the result of the President Bush's scheduling a visiting dignitary from Australia to stay for a few days and not, as rumor had it, that he "forgot" that there would soon be a new occupant of the White House.
January 3
Having thoroughly recounted all votes cast for the Minnesota senate race, Al Franken was declared the winner. Incumbent Norm Coleman immediately sought help from the RNC and their corporate sponsor, Diebold. In a strange turn of events, after a quick recount it was discovered that the actual winner of the Minnesota senate race was George W. Bush.
January 12
Incoming Keene state Rep. Steven Lindsey's bill to bring a cat to the House of Representatives gains momentum with the public when it is suggested that 1) The cat be a large, not-well-fed lion, and 2) All internal doors be removed from statehouse offices.
January 15
The president-elect and his family finally move into Blair House, a 119 room residence located down the street from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue that has hosted hundreds of celebrities and dignitaries over the years. Within hours of settling in daughters Sasha and Malia manage to find the missing 18 ½ minutes from the Watergate tapes, Osama Bin Laden and the six-stroke lead Greg Norman lost in the '96 Masters.
January 20
Vice President Dick Cheney is forced to attend the inaugural ceremonies in a wheelchair do to his having hurt his back while attempting to move his ego out of the VP residence at the Naval Observatory.
January 21
President Obama is required to retake the oath of office due to Chief Justice Roberts' inability to properly administer it the day before. Justice Roberts: The oath is 40 words long. It would fit on a Post-it note. Get some.
January 22
Despite possessing all the qualities necessary to be a standout US Senator - cheating on her spouse, poor public speaking skills, tax problems and ""minor issues with a nanny" - Caroline Kennedy is passed over for the vacant senatorial seat from New York for a pistol-packing NRA supporter from upstate, thus proving that not only is justice blind, it has completely lost its mind.
January 25
The Covenant School in Dallas fired its girls basketball coach for having run up the score in the team's victory over Dallas Academy . Apparently certain coaching nuances were lost on the coach, such as not using a full court press in a 100-0 game.
January 26
Bolivian voters pass a new constitution. President Evo Morales thanks the US for allowing his country to borrow ours while we were not using it the last seven years.
January 28
Knowing that most US debt is held by the Chinese, on the eve of the Chinese New Year the US House of representatives paid homage to our Asian benefactors by passing an $819 billion dollar stimulus bill. Upon finding out that it will be the "Year of the ox" and not the "Year of the pig" as they had been lead to believe, all majority leader Pelosi could say was, "Oh g?u pì."
January 29
In keeping with long-standing Illinois gubernatorial tradition Governor Rod Blagojevich was removed from office for forgetting to demand political payments and kickbacks in the Jersey swamps instead of on phone lines you know are tapped. The vote was 59-0. In a related story, immediately after the vote the senate majority leader was removed from office for running up the score.
I hesitated about doing a diary at this point about the inaugaration since it now seems so long ago, and everyone watched it and/or read everything there was to read about it, but I'm still so excited that I can't help myself! So, here are some mental snapshots of the weekend - if you don't like watching slides of other people's trips, stop here!
1. As amazing as it looked/sounded on tv, being there to see and hear the 2,000,000 people on the Mall was doubly so. What seemed like low murmurs rippling from the Washington Monument forward turning into recognizable chants like waves breaking over the Capitol of "Obama, Obama" or, "Na, na, na, na", etc. The spontaneous cheers when someone like Ted Kennedy or Barney Frank appeared on the Jumbotrons (or, in the case of Joe Lieberman, the boos). When Cheney appeared on screen in a wheelchair, you could hear several hundred thousand people asking, "What happened to him"?
2. How calm and civil everyone was while making their ways through pedestrian traffic jams of thousands of people.
3. Aretha Franklin belting it out wearing that great bow hat that only Aretha Franklin could carry.
4. The utter silence of the crowd during that wonderful musical interlude with Yo Yo Ma, et. al..
5. Running into so many people from New Hampshire, or people who worked in New Hampshire for some campaign at some point. It was like a four day family reunion.
