The Pennsylvania Progressive

2007: A Look Back (National)

Here's a quick look back at the Top 10 issues we covered on the national level this year.  Everyone enjoy the holiday and remember not to drink and drive.  We don't need any more Paris Hilton-like escapades.

1.  GonzalesGate.  The scandals ripping through the Justice Department following the Specter Loophole provided daily coverage for much of the year.  It was the gift that kept on giving for months.

2.  Iraq.  Our continuing series "Meanwhile In Iraq..." attempts to keep you updated so the death and destruction isn't forgotten.

3.  Abuse of veterans.  The stories about how our war veterans were being abused and mistreated ranks as the most disturbing story of 2007 for me.

4.  Torture.  The issue of torture continues to resonate as Americans who once stood as beacons of human rights have become inhuman to human decency.  Shocking.

5.  NSA wiretapping scandal.  The disclosure that President Bush has been violating the law, the constitution and our privacy didn't even get him articles of impeachment said much about the lack of leadership by Democrats in Washington.

6.  Signing statements.  This issue arose last spring, especially in regard to Sen. Specter.  The discussion with his office about the Senator's stance on Bush's actions was interesting.

7.  ACORN presidential event.  This was a highlight of the year for me because I got to live blog an event with Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich and John Edwards.  I missed the formal presidential debate in Philadelphia because I was in Boston that week but that also would have been memorable.

8.  Immigration debate.  This issue raged on both the state and national levels.  We frequently discussed the dichotomy of the GOP supporters condemning these people then insisting on hiring them so they could exploit their status for cheap labor.

9.  The Imperial Presidency.  The matters involved in the President consolidating much power in the executive branch at the cost of checks and balances and separation of powers was a common theme through much of what we wrote this year.

10.  2008 Presidential campaign.  The election cycle keeps getting longer and there was quite a bit to cover this year.  This, of course, will be the number one story for 2008.

2007: A Look Back (State)

Being New Year's Eve let's take a look back at the year and the Top 10 stories we covered about Pennsylvania.

1.  The failure of the House and Senate to enact much meaningful legislation.  The failures include campaign finance reform, lobbying restrictions, open records, gun safety laws, and auditing of the legislative slush funds.

2.  PHEAA.  The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency was the gift that kept on giving with scandal after scandal.

3.  Philadelphia Mayoral primary.  This race was interesting and provided interesting fodder all spring.

4.  StaffGate:  The paying of taxpayer funds to legislative staffers for campaign work promises to be a big story in 2008.

5.  Vince Fumo.  Again, a story which will break big in 2008 when the trial begins.

6.  Tom Caltagirone:  The Judiciary Committee Chairman's treachery voting for John Perzel as Speaker began a difficult year in which he gave me story after story.  That saga continues also.

7.  Bob Regola:  The rogue's gallery of interesting people who got tangled in scandal also involved this State Senator whose handgun was used in the death of a neighboring teenager.  He is under indictment for perjury.

8.  Lou Barletta:  The Hazleton Mayor passed racist anti-immigrant laws and got his city sued, big time.

9.  Montgomery County Commissioners race.  Thanks to Bruce Castor for the great publicity you gave the blog.

10.  Judicial races:  the contests for Supreme and Superior Courts provided a welcome opportunity for those running to finally discuss their philosophies and tell voters what they stand for and who they are.

Meanwhile In Iraq...

Conditions in Iraq are bad.  In spite of decreased levels of violence violence continues to rage.   The surge has failed in its primary objective:  improve conditions enough to allow a political settlement.  There has been absolutely NO progress on the political front and until this is resolved there is NO success in Iraq.  None.  Yes, Iraqis are beginning to return from Jordan and Syria but this is because their visas and/or money ran out and they had no choice.

A Red Cross report from last month says this:

"The report documents the alarming state of Iraqi health-care facilities suffering critical shortages of staff and supplies. Many doctors, nurses and patients no longer dare to go to hospitals and clinics because they are targeted or threatened. The report also underlines that much of Iraq's vital water, sewage and electricity infrastructure is in a critical condition owing to lack of maintenance and because security constraints have impeded repair work."

This letter to President Bush by an Iraqi woman is also poignant:

“As the days pass, I have begun to feel that your words are in stark contrast to the desperate situation we are living through. You speak out and say that Iraq is headed toward democracy and stability, but in reality we sit at home terrified to even cross the street. You say that Iraq will prosper in democracy and justice while in reality no one can voice his opinion without being subject to harm or even death.”

“We sit at home terrified to even cross the street.”

The last report I saw said an average of 33 attacks are occurring every day.  Though down substantially with the increased troop presence 33 incidents a day is horrific.    The U.S. military is incapable of sustaining the surge and it is beginning to end.  It failed because of the failure of Iraq's political leaders to take advantage of decreased violence to forge progress in establishing a real unity government.  That's the only goal of significance and, without it, everything else is failure.

This is why benchmarks, nee, goals are needed.  Everyone who works for a living is familiar with goals.  These are the standards for which we strive and by which we are evaluated.  They are what we work toward and they are written down, distributed and made visible so we all understand what is required of us to achieve success.  Goals and benchmarks are basic management tools but George W. Bush and Republicans in Congress know only how to obstruct progress and legislation and not how to realize progress.

2008 starts tomorrow and we have a momentous election year.  Let us not forget the war and let us not forget the death and destruction amid which the Iraqi people live every day due to our actions.  Iraq must not become a backwater issue in 2008.

Bhutto's Son Elevated

Benazir Bhutto's 19 year old son was named Co-Chair of the Pakistan People's Party with her widower today.  The problem with political parties formed around personalities instead of ideals and issues is the vast void left when their leader exits the arena.  Bhutto's assassination this week leaves her followers with an inexperienced youth as their titular head.  This will spell doom at the polls and cease the democracy movement in its tracks.

Meanwhile the explanations by the Pakistani government are, as anticipated, appearing to be a cover up.  The notion Bhutto died of a head injury is undergoing serious doubt as the woman who prepared the former Prime Minister's body for burial says bullet wounds were clearly visible.  This is typical of Pakistan and why I questioned whether we'll ever know for sure what happened.  Who killed her also remains a question.  The influence of extreme elements within the Pakistani government, especially the intelligence service, masks everything they say with a cloud of suspicion.  Nothing they say can be believed and is why John Edwards called for an international inquiry to independently investigate this horrid crime.

By the way why does Hillary Clinton steal all of Edwards' ideas then claim them as her own?

The destabilization of Pakistan is going to be the issue in the early primaries.  Foreign policy is important and several candidates have fumbled this aspect.  None more than Mike Huckabee who has no idea what he talks about.  His latest gaffe is stating that Pakistanis comprise one of the largest segment of America's undocumented workers.  The facts say otherwise as only "a handful" of them have been caught by ICE.  Maybe Huckabee needs to actually ask all those hard working, legal entrepreneurs running Dunkin Donuts how they came to buy their franchises.  It's rather difficult if you don't have papers Mike.

Bloomberg For President?

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg remains a possible independent candidate for president in 2008.  The financial mogul can fund his own race tot he tune of $1 billion if necessary making him a formidable adversary should he run.  I'm going to find it extremely difficult to support Hillary Clinton if she's the Democratic candidate and would welcome a Bloomberg candidacy if she's my other choice.  If someone else gets the nod in Denver I can support the Party's choice.  Not Hillary however.

Much as I'd like to finally see a woman president I'm not going to support someone simply on the basis of her gender.  Issues, positions and experience matter.  Clinton has shown she's poll driven and changes as quickly as the wind blows.  Scenting that voters want change she did a complete 180 degree pivot and began marketing herself as an agent of change.  BS.  Her campaign is run by a pollster and it shows.  Hillary has shown extremely poor judgment on the war in Iraq and her husband signed NAFTA and DOMA, two disastrous bills.  She's beholden to the special interests, especially insurance companies, and I don't trust her to undertake real health care reform or end the war.

Since I endorsed John Edwards in July I haven't had a single doubt about his ability to do the job or win.  Polls increasingly show he's far and away our best choice for winning next November.  He adopted good positions on critical issues early on and stands for economic equality and focusing on the poor, issues desperately needing attention in this country.  He hasn't just talked about these he's walked the walk working closely with organized labor and organizations like ACORN.

All of the Republican candidates are seriously flawed and 2008 promises to be a breakout year for Democrats if they can field a strong team.  This Party has failed miserably in doing this in the past because it's controlled by too many hacks, inside consultants and old timers who act like sheep.  They will blindly support whomever their leadership says and, too many times, it's the person whose turn it has been deemed to be.  They're all a bunch of losers however, dull campaigners controlled by Beltway consultants afraid to make mistakes and running to lose rather than win.  The consultants don't care, they collect their fat fees and are off to the next campaign.

Michael Bloomberg would offer a true alternative to Clinton.  His running would also put New York State in play and make things very difficult for Hillary.  Replacing those electoral votes will be hard.  All Bloomberg need do is capture his home state to have an impact as an independent.  Rumors are also rife that Ron Paul will run independently.  He's no threat and will only siphon off the fringe voters who normally sit out anyway.

Democrats need to wake up and smell the danger a Bloomberg candidacy poses.

John Edwards: "I WILL BAN CORPORATE LOBBYISTS AND FOREIGN GOVERNMENT LOBBYISTS FROM MY WHITE HOUSE"

As he rides the momentum going into Thursdays Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary January 8th John Edwards released this statement today:

Edwards will end the corruption in Washington by holding his administration to a higher standard by banning corporate lobbyists from serving in an Edwards White House

Washington, Iowa – Today, Senator John Edwards said that he will ban anyone who has worked as a corporate lobbyist or has lobbied for a foreign government from working in an Edwards Administration.  Edwards is proud to be the only presidential candidate who has never taken a dime from any Political Action Committee or Washington lobbyist, because he’s determined to be a voice for regular families like the ones he grew up with. 

“I want to make an announcement today,” Edwards said at an event in Washington, Iowa. “No corporate lobbyists or anyone who has lobbied for a foreign government will work in my White House. We will not replace corporate Republicans with corporate Democrats.  I hear people argue that the way that you can get things done is to sit at a table with drug companies, insurance companies, oil companies, and negotiate with them and somehow they will voluntarily give away their power. I think this is a complete fantasy.

“I am proud of the fact that I have never taken money from a Washington lobbyist or a special interest PAC my whole time in public life,” Edwards continued.  “I don’t think you can bring about change by taking their money or sitting down at a table and trying to make a deal with them.  I think if that worked, we would have universal health care, we would be attacking global warming, we’d have a trade policy that makes sense, and we’d have a tax policy that makes sense. I don’t think these people will give up anything without a fight – they’ve been there too long and they have billions of dollars at stake.”

In August, Edwards challenged Senator Clinton and the other presidential candidates to join him in demanding the Democratic Party lead the way to real reform by refusing, as a party, to take campaign contributions from Washington lobbyists. And in October, Edwards unveiled his “One Democracy Initiative” to return the power in Washington to regular people and end the unique power of lobbyists.

Edwards called for prohibiting all candidates and federal office holders from accepting contributions from lobbyists and prohibiting federal lobbyists from acting as bundlers for federal candidates. As president, he will limit the ability of lobbyists to secure lucrative earmarks by enacting a Constitutional version of the line-item veto, where the president can require an up or down vote on special-interest spending. He also proposed curbing lobbyists’ influence by increasing disclosure requirements for lobbyist activity and by prohibiting government executives from accepting gifts and travel from lobbyists and their employers.

Edwards “One Democracy Initiative” also called for closing the revolving door between Capitol Hill and K Street by reinstating the five-year ban on lobbying by former top government officials. Edwards’ new proposal today builds on this by banning any former corporate or foreign government lobbyist from serving in an Edwards Administration.

Over the past few administrations, influencing our government has grown into a big business that employs a mass of lobbyists and lawyers.  Lobbying expenditures totaled $5.1 billion during the last Congress.  The number of Washington lobbyists has tripled in the past 10 years to almost 36,000—more than 60 for every member of Congress.  Edwards believes it’s time to end this permanent government and go back to a Jeffersonian model of public service. He believes there are plenty of skilled, honest and talented people from across our nation who will come to Washington to serve their country for four or eight years."

 

Vermont Town May Call For Bush/Cheney Arrests

I love this story because someone finally has the balls to do something.  Our Democratic leaders in Washington have failed us so many fronts, from impeachment to ending the war, it's gratifying to see ordinary citizens taking matters into their own hands.  The people of Brattleboro, Vermont are trying to pass a resolution calling for the arrest of George W. Bush and Richard Cheney should they visit the town:

"Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictment for consideration by other municipalities?"

Supreme Court Dismisses Stilp Suit

Gene Stilp's lawsuit trying to force the Auditor General to audit the legislative slush funds was dismissed yesterday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.  The activist was trying to force some openness and accountability to funds which have been the result of criminal investigations by the Attorney General.  The state legislature does not allow the Commonwealth to audit its finances.  It approved over $300 million in expenditures this budget year but will not allow the people to see how it spends those funds.

We're discovering how bit by bit however.  State lawmakers use this money for those glossy full color mailings instead of simple black and white newsletters.  They use this money to pay for breakfasts which really are campaign events because not everyone is invited and they're, conveniently, only held in even numbered (election) years.  We learned they were also used to pay legislative staffers for their campaign work.

Heaven only knows what other abuses have been committed because the Supreme Court refused to allow Mr. Stilp legal standing to demand accountability.  Of course the Supreme Court has been part of the problem itself.  Ralph Cappy and others decided they wanted a raise and plotted with legislative leaders to pass one in the middle of the night.  The Court then ruled only their raises constitutional.  How convenient!

Justice Ronald Castille wrote this opinion and chastised Gene Stilp with this statement:

"The fact that Stilp has a different view of the auditor general's authority, or the role of his office, does not make him better situated than the official.  Nor do Stilp's self-serving assertions of his own status, and his gratuitous denigration of elected officials, make him an appropriate party to litigate any question concerning the duties attendant upon an elective office."

I found this very offensive.  I know Gene Stilp and if anyone is NOT self serving, it's him.  He files these suits to bring openness and accountability to state government and is stifled at every turn by a bureaucracy opposed to such policies.  Gene does this on behalf of all of us and does it at his own expense.  We are all indebted to him for his efforts.  We all know who is actually being self serving:  the state legislature and the Supreme Court Justices.  Shame.

Romney's Decline

Mitt Romney's speech about his Mormon faith has failed to slow his rapid decline in polls.  Falling faster than a rock the former Massachusetts Governor is losing any chances remaining.  Even a New Hampshire newspaper has exposed him as the biggest phony in this year's field.  On the attack against his biggest rival, Mike Huckabee, the Mitt peaked too soon and is trying to reclaim support by taking the offensive.  That usually backfires in Iowa and may also hurt him in the Granite State.  John McCain is gaining fast in the New Hampshire primary in spite of a campaign which was on the brink of failure last summer.

Meanwhile reporters are saying Huckabee fired over their heads during a staged hunting expedition last week.  The reckless former Governor of Arkansas made a joke about Dick Cheney and then committed the same sin by shooting towards people.  This man has some of the poorest judgment I've seen since Barry Goldwater.

I saw some of the ads being broadcast from Boston this week and wasn't impressed.  John McCain had an effective holiday commercial which reminded voters of his POW status.  Hillary was on frequently trying to paint herself as an agent of change.  Sure, I believe in Santa Claus too Mrs. Clinton.  Romney's ads were very forgettable.  I've already forgotten what they were.

Updates

News is hitting throughout the morning.  The Pakistani government is saying Benazir Bhutto died from hitting her head on the back of the sunroof as the result of the shots and explosion yesterday.  They are saying she was not shot.  Her vehicle apparently accelerated at the sign of violence and that forced her against the back of the roof and she suffered a fatal head injury.  Who is to know how it happened?  Pakistan also released a statement blaming Al Qaeda for the assassination.

In the other piece of news President Bush says he will now veto the Defense Authorization Act.  This will be his newest attempt to cut funding for his war in Iraq.  Now, at this late hour, he is objecting to a provision in the bill allowing Americans to sue for damages suffered under Saddam Hussein's regime.  The current Iraqi government is objecting and George W. Bush, at this late hour, is folding to their demands.