Author: Trish

Why We Can’t Ignore the Termites in the Basement

Trish

How can governments, including ours, say it would hurt their economies to fix climate change? Don’t they realize, as Al Gore pointed out in the scene in An Inconvenient Truth with the gold bricks, that losing life as we know it not only costs more but trumps, well, everything?

PAX World Mutual Funds’ Julie Gorte, senior vice president of sustainable investing, explains the attitudes of those who think we have the luxury to ignore, or postpone dealing with, global warming.

The termites will destroy your house much more quickly and much more surely than some of those wolf-at-the-door problems, but you always have the feeling that you can get to them later

I sort of divide all problems into two types. There’s a wolf-at-the-door problem, which is how we think about things like terrorism and taxes, and then there’s the termites-in-the-basement problem, which is what climate change is. The termites will destroy your house much more quickly and much more surely than some of those wolf-at-the-door problems, but you always have the feeling that you can get to them later — that we can cut our energy consumption, that we can replace fossil fuels, that we can cut emissions next year or the year after that, when we can afford it.

And we end up never getting to those problems, and then we wind up in a world where the sea level rises not 35 millimeters but 35 feet, and the disease vectors have expanded so that tropical diseases are all over North America and they affect our food supply and everything else. There are so many things that climate change can do that will make this world something we never thought we’d see in our lifetimes that I think it’s the most important thing that we need to focus on.

Franken’s Opponent Undercharged for Attack Ad

Trish

Al Franken is getting a refund. After incumbent Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) was underchanged for an ad characterized by Franken as, “criticizing me for criticizing a Senate resolution that criticized MoveOn.org for taking out an ad in the New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus,” the paper decided to even the billing score.

The Star Tribune charged Coleman, R-Minn., around $20,000 for Tuesday’s ad criticizing Franken for not condemning the MoveOn.org ad. Two months ago it charged Franken around $32,000

…the Star Tribune, a Minneapolis newspaper, is refunding about $12,000 to Al Franken, a Minnesota Democratic Senate candidate, after undercharging Sen. Norm Coleman, for a full-page advertisement spawned by the one in the Times…

The Star Tribune said it charged Coleman, R-Minn., around $20,000 for Tuesday’s ad, which criticized Franken for not condemning the MoveOn.org ad. Two months ago, according to the newspaper, it charged Franken around $32,000 for a full-page ad in the paper criticizing Coleman’s record on the Iraq war.

Star Tribune spokesman Ben Taylor said Wednesday that a new sales representative had incorrectly quoted the Coleman campaign the local retail rate, rather than the rate charged to national advertisers.

Coleman’s ad accused Franken, who has entertained troops in Iraq four times as part of the U.S.O. tour, of undermining the troops by supporting an end to the Iraq occupation.

Meanwhile, the Pelosi-led House passed an idiotic resolution mirroring the Reid-led Senate’s earlier idiotic resolution condemning MoveOn’s Petraeus ad. I think Franken has it right.

As I go around the state, I don’t hear a whole lot about ads in the New York Times. What I do hear is that Minnesotans want this war to end, and that if this president won’t end it, they want the Senate to force him to end it…

Bush and his allies in Washington have blocked increases to veterans’ benefits, refused to be held accountable for the mistakes that ruined our military’s efforts in Iraq, and dodged every effort to bring our troops home…

As a satirist, I find the whole thing ridiculous. But as a Minnesotan who wants to bring the troops home, I also find it sad.

Romney Says Fund Raising Deficit is a Strategy

Trish

You have to hand it to Mitt Romney’s campaign folks. They are painting the millions he’s contributing to his own campaign as a choice to remain independent of special interests.

Right.

To date, the venture capitalist has contributed $9 million to his campaign, nearly a quarter of his overall contributions.

But that’s a good thing, he says.

Romney has contributed $9 million to his own campaign, nearly a quarter of the overall contributions

“I’m not beholden to any particular group for getting me into this race or for getting me elected. My family, that’s the only one I’m really beholden to, they’re the ones who let their inheritance slip away, dollar by dollar.”

Of course, the Romney boys are soaking up a lot of that future inheritance right now.

Yet, Romney’s rugged independence isn’t stopping him from holding $1,000-a-plate fund-raising dinners. The problem appears to be that the cash, and the poll numbers, aren’t increasing.

…a new CNN/WMUR-TV poll in the early voting state of New Hampshire showed that former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has pulled into a statistical dead heat with Romney, with Romney garnering 23 percent of the vote and Giuliani 22 percent. In July, Romney had a clear lead, 33 percent to Giuliani’s 18 percent.

Bush: “Childrens Do Learn”

Trish

…But presidentses have lost the ability to form sentences.

On pretty much a daily basis, Bush says something weird or phrases something wrong. Yesterday was no exception.

With a group of New York City elementary school students standing behind him, President Bush touted higher national test scores by proudly declaring: “Childrens do learn.”

…Bush followed with another cringe-worthy slipup: “Congress needs to work with this administration to pass legislation that helps gives our children the education they deserve.”

We believe the evidence indicates Bush has moved beyond the cute dumb stage to the dangerously incoherent stage, and someone needs to act. Very soon.

Inspired Casting: Laura Dern to Play Katherine Harris

Trish

We told you about the HBO feature film about the aftermath of the 2000 election, titled “Recount.” More cast members are being named and some of the choices make a lot of sense.

Kevin Spacey, Laura Dern, Ed Begley Jr., Denis Leary, John Hurt, Tom Wilkinson and Bob Balaban will star in HBO’s Recount, sources close to the production confirmed on Monday.

Spacey will play Ron Klain, former chief of staff to Al Gore, while Dern will portray Katherine Harris, Florida’s secretary of state, who certified that George W. Bush won the state during the closely contested 2000 presidential election.

Recount, which starts filming in Jacksonville next month, takes place during the five weeks between the 2000 election and the U.S. Supreme Court 5-4 decision that ended the Florida recounts. Jacksonville will stand in for numerous locations around Florida.

Balaban will play Ben Ginsberg, lead attorney for the Bush/Cheney camp. Begley will play David Boies, lead attorney for Gore.

Wilkinson will play James Baker, the secretary of state for George H.W. Bush, an advisor to George W. Bush during the recount. John Hurt will play Warren Christopher, secretary of state for Bill Clinton, who advised Gore.

Denis Leary will be Michael Wouley, Gore’s chief field operative.

Jay Roach, who directed the Meet the Parents and Austin Powers franchises, will direct. Executive producers are Paula Weinstein, Sydney Pollack, Len Amato and Roach. The film was written by Danny Strong.

Laura Dern was so likable in Jurassic Park(s) that it should be a challenge for her to play America’s most famous nutcase.

The roles of Poppy and Laura Bush are still open, we’ve noted. Both Bush and Gore have been cast although the actors playing them have not yet been publicly named.

Romney Shows He Read the Republican Playbook

Trish

Mitt Romney’s comments about the civilian killings by the Blackwater private security guards sound kind of familiar. Romney’s counterterrorism advisor, Cofer Black, is vice chair of Blackwater USA.

“I think the allegations are very serious indeed and that there is an investigation which is under way,” Romney told reporters in his first public comment on the case. “I don’t want to prejudge what will happen from the investigation, but if the investigations go through in a legitimate and appropriate way, then I would expect an appropriate response.”

Hmmm, that’s rings a bell. Especially the “prejudge” part. Where have I heard that before?

“I have instructed every member of my staff to fully cooperate in this investigation,” Bush told reporters after a Cabinet meeting at the White House.

“I also will not prejudge the investigation based on media reports. We’re in the midst of an ongoing investigation, and I will be more than happy to comment further once the investigation is completed.”

Yeah, that’s it! Bush talking about Rove and the CIA leak scandal.

No one will ever accuse Mitt Romney of original thinking but isn’t it funny how Republicans have complete confidence in the courts and the judicial process until they’re found out, or until they disagree with a ruling?

Why You Should Care About Florida’s Primary

Trish

You might already know the facts, but here they are again: Florida’s majority Republican legislature passed a bill earlier this year changing the state’s primary to Jan. 29. This placed the Florida election ahead of Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada, and good old New Hampshire, which is a violation of both Republican and Democratic party rules.

The Republican National Committee (RNC) punished Florida by taking away half its delegates to the 2008 Republican convention. The Democratic National Committee (DNC) took away all Florida’s delegates and made the Democratic frontrunners sign a pledge not to campaign in Florida. The pledge does not prohibit fund-raising.

Before, it looked like all Democrats needed to do to win in 2008 was show up — but we can’t even do that right

The DNC offered Florida Democratic party leaders a deal: if you nullify the results of the statewide Jan. 29 primary and hold party caucuses, pay-per-vote straw polls like Iowa, or some other behind-the-scenes event with extremely limited participation on Feb. 5, we will forgive you.

FDP leaders, wisely, went with “no deal.” They argue correctly that there is more for Florida voters to decide on Jan. 29 than just presidential preference, and besides, your average voter (like me) doesn’t agree that his or her vote should be tossed in favor of those from Democratic party insiders.

Here’s why you should care. The DNC, in refusing to allow candidates to campaign in Florida, is throwing the 2008 election to the Republicans. Picture it: months of TV spots with Rudy and Mitt telling Florida voters why we should love them, but also increasingly hammering away at Hillary, Barack, and John. Headlines like, “Thompson Eats Fried Gator Tail at Rotary Picnic” and “McCain Tours Military Base.”

And on the Democratic side? Silence, broken only the occasional dive for dollars at private parties.

“You’re going to continue to see Republican candidates coming to Florida, shaking hands, listening to voters,” said Erin Van Sickle, a Florida Republican Party spokeswoman.

Said Merle Black, a political scientist at Emory University and expert on Southern politics: “It’s a huge power struggle within the Democratic Party that cannot help the party’s candidates in Florida.

“But having nobody come to Florida, that’s theater of the absurd,” he added.

The fourth biggest state in the country, always a toss-up, is abandoned — no, handed on a silver platter — to the Republicans. And why? Because national Democrats have their panties in a wad over something Florida Democrats can’t change: the legislatively mandated election date.

If there was ever a time for the DNC to get its head out of its ass, the time is now. As Ben Weaver, North Florida Regional Director for the Florida Young Democrats, noted, before it looked like all Democrats needed to do to win in 2008 was show up. And we can’t even do that right!

Frustration with the DNC, and the candidates who fear losing its funding, is high.

Republicans have been aggressively mobilizing and courting Florida voters, while Democratic candidates have been wary of doing anything to antagonize party leaders in those early nominating states.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson’s campaign even refused recently to send a letter of greeting to a Jackson County Democratic picnic for fear of violating his pledge to the four early states.

And all the front-runners, even those who originally accepted, have now declined invitations to the state party convention in Orlando at the end of October.

But Weaver, and quite a few others, are betting that Florida will get its delegates back even if the DNC rigidly stays the course, as they say they will. He thinks that on the first day of the national convention the front-runner will reinstate our 210 delegates in a show of party unity. I hope it won’t be too late by then, that too many Floridians will have only heard the GOP’s side of things for so long that they’ve tuned out whatever last-minute campaigning the Democrats engage in. If so, Howard Dean can take the credit for blowing it — again.

Bush: Saddam Hussein Killed Nelson Mandela

Trish

What is Bush on?

In a speech defending his administration’s Iraq policy, Mr Bush said former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s brutality had made it impossible to unite the country.

Bush: “Mandela’s dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”

“I heard somebody say, ‘Where’s Mandela?’,” he said.

“Well, Mandela’s dead because Saddam Hussein killed all the Mandelas.”

The bizarre gaffe was made in a press conference in Washington yesterday.

Mandela became South Africa’s first black president in 1994. He won a Nobel Peace Prize for preaching racial harmony and guiding the nation into the post-apartheid era.

References to his death – Mandela is now 89 and increasingly frail – are seen as insensitive in South Africa.

Ya think? I imagine they’d be seen as insensitive anywhere, not to mention too stupid to contemplate

We already told you about the delusional antics of our president during his recent visit to Southeast Asia and Australia. We also postulated that Bush has advanced Lyme Disease, which causes brain fog and psychosis. But even we are becoming alarmed. This is getting way beyond just mispronouncing “nuclear.”

The Week magazine noted another mysterious Bush mistake.

He talked of the danger of terrorist groups such as “Jenna Islaaanah Nia,” which no one had ever head of (one can only assume that meant Jemaah Islamiyah).

The leader of the Indonesian terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, Abu Dujana, was arrested in June in connection with the 2002 Bali nightclub bombings, along with more recent attacks. But hey, Bush knows someone named Jenna and it sounds a lot like that.

The Week also quoted the Sydney Morning Herald’s Annabel Crabb about Bush’s public speaking meltdowns in her country.

One could almost sense the craning CIA sharpshooters wearily exchanging their live rounds for tranquilizer darts.

“Time to get the big guy out of there, Hank?”

“Roger that, Chuck.”

If only it were that easy.

HBO Will Relive 2000 Recount

Trish

HBO has chosen Jacksonville for the main location of its big screen feature, “Recount,” based on the 2000 presidential election and rumored to be staring Kevin Spacey and William Hurt.

Droves of local amateurs answered the call for extras.

“I’m not sure, but I think they cast me as a Democrat. Honestly, I’d rather be Green Party.”

A number of scenes in the movie involve crowd shots of protesters and will require thousands of voting-age extras, Davidson said. Senior citizens and college-age extras are in high demand for the shoot.

Lara Randall said she and her friend Melissa Lamanna learned of the open call online…

“It was a positive experience,” Randall said. “I’m not sure, but I think they cast me as a Democrat. Honestly, I’d rather be Green Party.”

And there’s one of the problems, but don’t get me started.

Speaking of casting, two roles are still open.

Representatives from Martini Shot [Casting] also have been actively looking for look-alikes to portray the major political figures from the 2000 presidential race. Davidson said they’ve found actors for George Bush and Al Gore, but they’re still trying to find some for Laura Bush and George Bush Sr.

Anyone got any suggestions on who could play the Lauratron or Poppy?

Breaking: Florida Democrats Tell DNC “Screw You”

Trish

That cheer you hear is Florida Democrats receiving some good news. At long last, state party leaders are showing signs of intelligent life. They are announcing today that they will tell the DNC they are not coming up with work-arounds for the national leaders’ sanction of Florida’s Jan. 29 presidential preference primary.

Instead of spending millions of dollars to hold caucuses, straw votes, or whatever else it would take to please Howard Dean & Co., they are doing the right thing and encouraging Florida Democrats to vote in our state’s authentic election. From a party email and new web site:

You should care about Florida’s situation even if you aren’t in Florida

…your Party’s leaders have chosen overwhelmingly to reaffirm our strong commitment to fully participating in the state-run Democratic Presidential Primary on January 29, 2008, despite the penalties from the Democratic National Committee.

There will be no other primary. Florida Democrats absolutely must vote on January 29th. We make this election matter. Not the DNC, not the delegates, not the candidates, but Florida Democrats like you and me voting together. We make it count.

Stating which candidate they like best isn’t the only issue on the ballot for Florida voters. A new tax plan that would starve local governments into cutting social services, law enforcement, and public works is also in play. Democratic voters can’t sit this one out, although many would if they thought they were not also helping select the party’s presidential candidate.

I’m planning a post on why you should care about Florida’s situation even if you aren’t in Florida. For now, trust me. This all matters.

I’ve been critical of FDC leader Karen Thurman for a number of reasons and I don’t expect that to change. But I have to give the devil her due on this one. Thanks, Karen, for getting it right!