The Pennsylvania Progressive

Obama Adviser Calls Naomi Klein a "Whackjob"

Paul Bucha, a public figure and foreign policy adviser to a presidential candidate and Senator from Illinois, called author Naomi Klein a "whackjob" during a recent tour of Pennsylvania college campuses.  As he discussed the situation in Iraq this key adviser mentioned several facts about Iraq and its invasion and occupation which resonated with anyone who has read Klein's book "The Shock Doctrine."  He mentioned how we are attempting to remake Iraq in our own image along with other references which match Klein's theory.

I asked him if this meant he advocated the position Naomi Klein took and whether the Senator also did.  He denied that which seemed strange since he'd just said some of the very same things she wrote in her book.  After the event he told me that Naomi Klein is a "whackjob."

McCain Rhymes With Same

Republican John McCain is trying to find separation from the failed policies of the Republican Party as personified by George W. Bush as he heads into the general election.  The failed policies of the GOP go well beyond Bush however to all those Governors, state legislators and Members of the House and Senate in Washington who also aspire to class warfare, deregulation, smaller government and privatization of public services for private profit. 

John McCain was a maverick once but he abandoned that position when he decided to run for president this year.  He has embraces most of all of the Bush agenda.  Do you really want to put your Social Security trust fund in the hands of Wall Street?  Do you actually trust investment bankers with your retirement?  John McCain advocates this.  Do you really want massive tax cuts for the richest people in America while 18,000 Americans die every year because they don't have access to medical care?  McCain supports this.

Do you believe invading Iraq was a good idea?  McCain supported that.  Do you think attacking Iran is a good idea?  John McCain goes around the country singing "bomb, bomb Iran."  If you support the failed policies of George W. Bush then John McCain is your man.  Remember it this way:  McCain means more of the same.

Obama: Pennsylvanians Are Bitter

Update:  I regret to inform readers of this blog I have been forced to suspend it.  More information is in this article.

Barack Obama told a fundraising event in San Francisco that Pennsylvanians are bitter.   According to The Huffington Post:

"You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them," Obama said. "And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

He could easily be talking about Northeast and Southwest PA and all the closed factories and lost jobs.  Saying these people are bitter though and implying they are turning to guns and God and against immigrants is insulting and simplistic.  I don't see these people as bitter.  Exasperated, but not bitter.  They are exasperated that their old ways of life are long gone, replaced by low paying jobs at warehouses and the service sector.

His message goes against the message of hope he's spent all these months conveying to voters:  that there is hope.   I've seen some pundits calling his comment elitist.  I'm not sure that's how I see it.  Perhaps out of touch with Pennsylvania is closer to the mark.  Pennsylvanians have always loved their guns and religion, especially in Pennsyltucky, is ingrained in these communities.  Lancaster Countians don't drive horses and buggies because jobs left 25 years ago.  The culture of hunting has been here for centuries.

The immigration hysteria hasn't been fueled by the economy as much as a demagogue from Hazleton who saw the issue as a ticket to Washington.  This issue is fueled by racism more than economics. 

Are Pennsylvanians bitter?  Not that I've seen.  Unfortunately many people here, like those elsewhere across the country, voted against the pocketbooks in 2000 and 2004 through slick campaigns based on fear.  These Republican efforts separated working people from their financial security by telling them they had more to fear from gays, lesbians and terrorists. 

No one I've met turned to guns and God because they lost their job.  It's tough to afford to hunt when you're unemployed.  It isn't cheap to buy ammo, gear and gas to go upstate to their hunting cabins.   I think it undervalues the mettle and intelligence of Pennsylvanians to accuse them of embracing guns and bitterness because of bad economic times.

The coal regions have been in bad shape for many years.  The former steel towns in western Pennsylvania got hurt badly.  A lot of our youth left the state looking for brighter futures and good jobs.  I was one of them coming out of college in 1974.  Many remained and built up new industries and new economies in these towns.  The mills sometimes were replaced by new firms like Arrow International.  The towns survived and survived without bitterness. 

I'm sad to see Barack Obama confuse bitterness with exasperation.  Exasperation that many politicians have failed them.  Exasperation that Washington forgot them.  Exasperation that their sons and daughters were sent to Iraq to die for a war based on lies.  Now there is bitterness about that.  Still, these folks haven't embraced guns or turned against immigrants.  The racists against the immigrants have always hated immigrants.

Hillary Clinton responded to the remarks this afternoon in her stump speech.

Update:  Here is Obama's explanation concerning his San Francisco comments.    This was given in Terre Haute, Indiana last evening.  Maybe it's just me but I think he needs to be in Pennsylvania, speaking directly to Pennsylvanians, to explain these statements.  I'm so darned bitter I'm going to grab a gun, go to church then shoot me some immigrants.

Hillary responds:

Cordisco, McCord Clash in Treasurer Race

One of the biggest races on the Pennsylvania primary ballot is the one for State Treasurer.  The post was vacated by Bob Casey when he was elected U.S. Senator.  Robin Weissman was appointed to the position temporarily on the condition she not run for the office.  This way Gov. Rendell was able to appoint someone qualified and be confirmed by the Republican controlled State Senate.

Four Democrats are vying to run against GOP candidate Tom Ellis, a man with a very questionable ethics record as Montgomery County Commissioner.  Jennifer Mann is seeking the women's vote but the State Representative's financial credentials don't compare with the three men running.  Dennis Morrison-Wesley is one of three candidates with an extensive financial background along with Rob McCord and John Cordisco.

All four are from eastern Pennsylvania which is unusual.  Statewide elections here normally split east/west.  Since western PA doesn't have a horse in this race it's harder to handicap.  McCord has raised $4 million from his Wall Street buddies (he's from the private equity, venture capital arena) and is the only one on television.  John Cordisco, a lawyer from Bucks County with extensive Democratic Party ties (he's the Chair of the Bucks County Democratic Committee), is challenging McCord's Wall Street connections.

Cordisco is claiming Rob McCord will have conflicts of interest when it comes to investing state revenues due to his many campaign contributions from investment bankers.  These people normally contribute to such campaigns in anticipation of getting business.  It's one of the areas where the Treasurer's office has been stuck in the muck and mire of politics.  McCord says he will recuse himself on investment decisions involving his contributors.  If he'll have to recuse himself why elect him in the first place?  The job of Treasurer IS to make these decisions and if we elect McCord he won't be able to do the job properly if he keeps to his promise.  If he doesn't has the Treasurer's position been, again, bought by Wall Street?

Beth Hafer For Congress

Congressman Tim Murphy of PA-18 is one of the worst and most extreme Member of Congress.  Pittsburgh media caught him using his federal government staff to run his campaign in 2006.  Taxpayer funded employees and equipment are not allowed to be used for partisan political campaigns.  When confronted Murphy snatched incriminating documents from the reporter.

His voting record is almost as bad as his constant staff turnover.  A change is needed in the 18th and one of the primary contest on April 22nd will determine which Democrat will knock him off in November.  Murphy is going to be tough to beat and we need our best candidate for that race.  Beth Hafer, teacher, ecological researcher, and, now, Vice President of her mother's firm Hafer & Associates, this daughter of a former Pennsylvania Auditor General and State Treasurer was born to be a leader.

I have gotten to know Beth Hafer and she has shown she can raise the funds and the issues necessary to beat Tim Murphy in November.   When it comes to name recognition few Pennsylvania families can compete with the Hafers.  Please support Beth, contribute to her effort and volunteer on election day.

Anne Dicker For State Senate

Anne Dicker is running for the Pennsylvania State Senate from the First District in Philadelphia.  This was the seat held by indicted Sen. Vince Fumo.  Anne was the first candidate to step forward and challenge the powerful and influential Fumo following his 139 federal indictment.  That took great courage and is emblematic of her efforts to combat the old machine style politics of Philadelphia.

Anne led Philly For Change, a Democracy For America movement which grew out of the Howard Dean presidential campaign.  I got to know her when I was the organizer of Berks For Change, my local DFA group.  Anne led an effort to organize the disparate and independent DFA groups in Pennsylvania and was also active in Neighborhood Networks.

She has two remaining primary opponents following Fumo's withdrawal from the race.  One is an old style machine union leader and the other is a center city lawyer.  Dicker will bring progressive reform to Harrisburg.  She needs volunteers for election day so please sign up at her website if you're available.

Large Donors Half of Obama's Total

The Washington Post today is debunking the belief that Barack Obama's campaign is funded by small owners in a grassroots effort.  In actuality half his money has come from people donating more than $200 and 79 bundlers have raised at least $200,000 apiece.  Five of them are billionaires.  These 79 have recruited 27,000 contributors who gave Obama the maximum allowable amount.  Among them are 21 Wall Street executives and "power brokers" from Fortune 500 companies according to The Post.

This is a far cry from the image created by campaign press releases describing the Obama phenomenon as grassroots when it also is heavily grasstops.   While the Illinois Senator decries the influence of lobbyists and special interests The Post notes this:

"Among the group are businessmen such as Kenneth Griffin, a famously private 39-year-old billionaire who threw his support behind Obama's presidential campaign just as he hired a team of lobbyists to urge Congress to preserve a lucrative tax loophole.

A year ago, Griffin invited Obama to speak to employees of his Chicago hedge fund, Citadel Investment Group, and in subsequent months, employees and their families gave the candidate nearly $200,000. Griffin had previously backed Republicans, including Obama's initial U.S. Senate opponent.

Obama resisted Citadel's lobbying push, but a hedge fund executive who knows Griffin said he suspects Griffin's continued support owes to more than a desire to sway the senator on the tax issue. "Ken's a smart guy, and I guess he's done the math and decided that Barack is the best candidate," said Daniel Loeb, the chief executive of Third Point Management in New York."

They also reveal the presence of a slots casino developer and a Director of General Dynamics, a major defense contractor and war profiteer.  Bundlers have an inordinate effect on campaigns and Administrations. They generally want something or expect something from a victorious candidate.  Over 100 of George W. Bush's bundlers either got a job in his administration or an appointment (23 of them ambassadorships).

This raises questions about Obama's rhetoric and lends credence to those who claim he is all rhetoric and no substance.  It also reminds me of the instances where it has been shown he said one thing on the stump while seemingly believing something else.  The case of homophobe Donnie McClurkin immediately comes to mind.   While talking a good game on gay and lesbian issues Barack Obama still used this so called "ex gay" to stand on the stage at an Obama fund raiser and spew his homophobic rhetoric.  Obama knew McClurkin would be controversial, was warned not to use him but chose to do so anyway.  I suppose that's why 71 GLBT leaders across Pennsylvania have endorsed Hillary and released this statement yesterday:

"The     LGBT community deserves a President who talks to our community and to the     issues we care about," said Kevin Lee, Lansdowne Borough Councilman.     "Hillary Clinton has a proven track record of doing that.  As a     Senator, Hillary Clinton worked with LGBT groups to develop the smart     strategy that defeated the Federal Marriage Amendment and championed the     Early Treatment for HIV Act. As a candidate, she continues to talk to the     community.  That matters to me, and it matters in this election."

 

“I     am proud to be from Pennsylvania,     I'm proud to be a Democrat, and I'm proud to support Hillary Clinton. She     has always been a supporter of our community and even more importantly she     is someone who has the experience, heart and intelligence that would make     her someone I would be proud to have as President of the United     States.," said Carson Kressley, actor, fashion expert, and host of     Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.

 

Hillary     has been a longtime ally of the LGBT community. She fought against the     Federal Marriage Amendment (FMA) both times and has worked on legislation     that would promote equality for LGBT Americans.  As President, Hillary     will work to ensure that gay and lesbian couples in committed relationships     have the same legal rights and responsibilities as all Americans. She will     also work to end discrimination in adoption laws, sign hate crimes     legislation and ENDA into law, and put an end to the failed policy of Don't     Ask, Don't Tell.

 

“I     am proud to receive the support of such a dynamic group of leaders in the     Pennsylvania LGBT community,” said Clinton.     “LGBT Americans have been a part of this campaign from the start and     I look forward to continuing to work with the community in the Keystone     state to ensure we end the divisive politics of the current administration.     As President, I will do just that and will continue fighting for equality     for all Americans."

                       

Madeline Albright Campaigns For Clinton at KU

Madeline Albright is one of my political heroes.  This courageous woman emigrated to America as a child along with her parents.  A Czech native she rose to become Secretary of State under Bill Clinton after serving as U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.  Albright was one of the most effective diplomats this country has had serving as Secretary of State in a long time.  Once upon a time the United States actually relied on diplomacy and brains to secure peace and prosperity.  Madeline Albright was a key facet of that policy.

I read her autobiography, which she very kindly signed for me today, several years ago and have recommended it to several federal candidates as a primer for  foreign policy information.  I know I learned a vast amount from simply reading "Madame Secretary."  She appeared nearby this afternoon at Kutztown University on behalf of Hillary Clinton talking about her experiences, her intimate knowledge of the former First lady and answered questions.

She note dhow well suited women seem to be at conflict resolution and reminded the audience of Hillary's vast experience working with various women's groups internationally to achieve results.  Her reference to Bejing was especially intriguing.  Hillary went there for an international women's conference as First Lady in what, at the time, was a very controversial speech.  The Chinese government did not want America's First Lady coming to Bejing an dgiving a speech on equal rights.  Albright spoke about her discussions with Hillary on the plane trip and how she believed "women's rights are human rights and human rights are women's rights."

That trip by Hillary Clinton greatly defined the woman's courage for me.  She stood up to the oppressive Chinese government and gave an historic speech. 

Albright also reminisced about policy discussions and briefings for Hillary in which she was always eager for more information, how she always had a deep understanding about what was going on in the world and sought to bring solutions to complex problems.  An audience member asked about the issue of the new president meeting with foreign leaders their first year in office.  This has been an issue between Hillary and Barack.

Madeline Albright provided a very serious answer to this question which bespeaks a deep understanding and thorough knowledge of diplomacy.  She pointed out that presidential visits are extremely important and operate as trump cards in difficult negotiations.  They should be saved for crucial moments in diplomatic negotiations to provide breakthroughs and finalize deals.  If you read Bill Clinton's bio, Albright's or even those of other Secretary of State's such as George Schultz, you'll understand how critically important this is.   Meeting right away before any agreements, deals or progress is made sharply degrades the possibility that any will succeed. 

Clinton Campaign Slams Obama For Misleading Ad

T.J. Rooney said this afternoon that the television commercial being run by Barack Obama's campaign is misleading because he claims to not accept campaign money from oil companies.  The ad has been widely debunked because federal law prohibits political contributions to federal candidates from any corporation or union.  Therefore the ad essentially trumpets Sen. Obama for obeying the law since neither he nor any other candidate can take such money.

This is like saying, look at me I haven't taken any campaign contributions from the Chinese government!  Those aren't allowed either.  The Clinton campaign criticized Obama however for voting for Dick Cheney's energy bill, something Rooney called "the best energy bill money could buy" and Howard Wolfson described as a "pinata of perks" for the oil industry.

The Obama campaign left themselves open to this sort of counterattack with this foolish ad.  It plays on voter's ignorance of federal campaign finance law.  Very few people are intimately knowledgeable of such restrictions so they have launched a radio commercial to explain the falsity of the claim.  They bemoaned the fact Obama is substantially outspending them in Pennsylvania, especially on television.  The fact their counter ad is only on radio illustrates the financial disparity between the campaigns.  When queried on finances Hillary's people always reply that they have enough resources to compete but I'm wondering if they are on the same playing field with Obama.

Hillary needs to return to Pennsylvania with Bill and Chelsea in tow and concentrate on this to win.  Barack Obama's TV buy of $6.5 million compares with her $2.5 million but holding rallies and events can neutralize that effect.  Sen. Clinton is very effective in person and connects well with her audiences.  Can she hold on these final two weeks and edge out a victory?  We'll know in thirteen days.

Clinton Campaign: "We Support Congressman Kanjorski"

Mark Nevins, Pennsylvania spokesman for Hillary Clinton emphatically stated today that they support Congressman Kanjorski.  Saying no meeting with official Clinton campaign people was going to happen with Mayor Lou Barletta, they said he was trying to capitalize on the issue for political gain.  New York volunteers for Hillary traveling through Pennsylvania arranged to meet with Kanjorski's opponent without campaign approval.  As soon as the campaign discovered the possible meeting they had it canceled.  There is no credibility for Barletta's claims about this issue and Hillary's staff strongly condemned his efforts to politicize the issue.

This, of course, is par for the course for Lou Barletta.