Tip 'o the hat

(I love this cartoon from Steve Benson via Senate Guru via TPC via My Left Nutmeg...sheesh, all this crediting is a lot of work; apparently I'm having a credit crisis! [insert groan here])

100 Days

President Obama finally reached this historic landmark, where traditionally the tone of the presidency is set and the "honeymoon" period supposedly ends.

Only in Obama's case, he never really got much of a honeymoon before the right-wing noise machine had fully cranked up and began firing counter-productive criticism at the president on all cylinders. An obstructionist Republican minority in the Senate also did everything possible to impede the progress of the new administration.

It's useful to frame a discussion of Obama's first 100 days in an historical context, so I'm going to compare his situation to those of former presidents. Generally, there are two categories that define the new president's initial months in office, and that's whether or not the nation is in "crisis" when he's sworn in.

FDR took office in 1933 to a nation mired in the depths of the Great Depression. On the day of his inauguration, he forewent the celebratory balls and began work directly. His cabinet was sworn in unceremoniously that afternoon, and he immediately issued proclamations calling Congress back to session and declaring a four-day bank holiday to allow the administration time to pen emergency legislation.

The remainder of FDR's 100 days resulted in landmark legislation, including a farm bill to help America's hard-hit farmers, creation of the SEC, establishing the CCC and the Tennessee Valley Authority, and passed Glass-Steagall and created FICA. By the end of the 100 days, FDR saw a total of 15 major laws passed which provided the framework for the New Deal.

In contrast to FDR, Dwight Eisenhower took office during the waning days of the Korean War. The stalemate was finally made permanent by the UN, which adopted India's proposal to use the vicinity of the 38th Parallel as the official DMZ.

Otherwise, Eisenhower's first 100 days were uneventful for the most part. Two notable exceptions were the establishment of the Department of Health, Education & Welfare; and the president's refusal to stay the execution of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg for espionage.

JFK's 100 days were mostly uneventful too, with his most significant achievement being the establishment of the Peace Corps; until Day 88, when he authorized and then withheld support for the Bay of Pigs invasion in Cuba. Kennedy admitted his failure in that debacle.

Nixon took office in 1969 during a time of significant social change. The War in Vietnam was in full force, and Nixon authorized the secret and illegal massive bombing attacks in Cambodia. Well, as Nixon said, it's not really illegal if the president does it, establishing the precedent that George W. Bush acted under during his reign.

Speaking of W, he took office after a time of huge economic growth and prosperity. Bush's first acts in office reflected the tone of his tenure. Two days in, Bush announced the end of funding for international centers that offer family planning. On Day 10 he announced the creation of an Office of Faith-based and Community Initiatives to help religious groups obtain federal tax dollars to address social problems. He also initiated the famous tax cuts that largely benefited the wealthiest Americans.

Clinton, upon taking office, immediately revoked the "Gag Rule", which forbade federally-funded clinics from discussing family-planning alternatives that included abortion. He lifted the moratorium on federal funding for stem-cell research, named Hillary Clinton to head a task force to reform national health care. Signed the Family and Medical Leave Act. Then Waco happened.

So, how does Barack Obama fit in with the historical perspective?

Obama took office during another national economic crisis, albeit not as bad (yet) as the Great Depression. His immediate concern was providing emergency help to jump start the economy. Congress passed a stimulus package that, while somewhat laden with earmarks, was immediately put to use to help get the economy moving forward.

One of the first acts by President Obama was to suspend all pending federal regulations proposed by outgoing President George W. Bush so that they could be reviewed. In his first week, Obama ordered the Guantanamo detention facility to be closed and that the Army Field Manual be used as the guide for terror interrogations; banning torture and other illegal coercive techniques, such as waterboarding. By that single act, Obama brought the United States back into the civilized world.

He established a weekly Youtube address similar to FDR's "Fireside Chats", and ushered in a new era of openness and accountability in the White House. He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which requires equal pay regardless of sex, race or age. He ordered the DOT to establish higher mileage standards for vehicles.

President Obama set an exit strategy for Iraq, and reinvested troops in Afghanistan, where they truly belonged for the last six years. He embarked on several overseas trips to strengthen U.S. ties with foreign nations, and worked to rebuild those bridges that the previous administration happily burned.

In his first international crisis, Obama authorized the use of deadly force to successfully end the piracy standoff in Somalia, much to the consternation of FoxNews pundits. Of course, the new administration was a target of wingnuts even before they got started, with Rush Limbaugh actively rooting for President Obama to "fail".

Even today, the New York Post, that awful rag owned by former Australian news magnate and alleged America-hater Rupert Murdoch, titled their overview of the Obama administration "100 Days, 100 Mistakes". Sometimes I feel the extreme Right would rather burn down the country than let the Democrats run it.

Of course, there are areas where Obama hasn't done everything I wanted. But I feel that 100 days isn't enough to accomplish it all, especially when we're in such difficult economic circumstances. So I'm willing to go easy on the president for the time being. Over the next few weeks I'll devote specific articles to issues that I think he may have missed the point about, or acted completely opposite than expectations.

But for now, I'm thinking along the lines of what the president said about the first 100 days very early on:

"The first hundred days is going to be important, but it’s probably going to be the first thousand days that makes the difference."

Arlen welcomed with open arms

Apparently, the not-entirely-surprising move by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) (D-PA) has rattled the GOP quite a bit. Their reaction ranges from denial to anger.

Here's Karl Rove describing his reaction to the leap:



Actually Karl, it turns out that Specter wasn't a "life-long Republican" as you claimed; he was a Democrat until 1966 when he joined the GOP, and he simply realized that during the last four decades (and especially the last one) the party has moved too far to the right for the moderate senator.

I still don't think I can forgive Specter for his awful interrogation of sexual-harassment victim Anita Hill during the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings; not unless he publicly apologizes to Ms. Hill. If after that she forgives him, then I'll forgive him.

But for now, I have to agree that it's a shrewd political move by Specter, which will ensure his spot on the ballot next year, as he would have faced a strong and very conservative GOP challenger in a primary for the state's remaining 21% Republican vote.

A dumb maneuver

OK, while it may not be the worst thing ever, it was shockingly stupid.

Last week, Louis Caldera, director of the White House Military Office, approved a mission for the 747 that carries the president to fly around New York City to be photographed for updated file photos. The plane is properly known as "Air Force One" only when the president is aboard; if Obama decided to go for a sightseeing flight in an Air Force-owned Cessna 172, the Air Traffic Controllers would refer to that plane as "Air Force One".

They decided that the mission should be somewhat "secret" for security purposes. New York Police Deputy Commissioner Paul J. Browne said the department had been alerted to the flight by the federal agency "with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it."

So, people in lower Manhattan were treated to the spectacle of a low-flying Jumbo jet(!), closely followed by two F-16 fighters(!)

Gee, I wonder how people reacted?

From CNN.Com:

"I was here on 9/11," said iReporter Tom Kruk, who spotted the plane as he was getting coffee Monday morning and snapped a photo. Kruk called the sight of the aircraft low in the sky "unsettling."

Linda Garcia-Rose, a social worker who counsels post-traumatic stress disorder patients in an office just three blocks from where the World Trade Center towers once stood, called the flight an "absolute travesty."

"There was no warning. It looked like the plane was about to come into us," she said. "I'm a therapist, and I actually had a panic attack."

Garcia-Rose, who works with nearly two dozen post-traumatic stress disorder patients ages 15 to 47, said she was inundated with phone calls from patients Monday morning.

"They're traumatized. They're asking 'How could this happen?' They're nervous. Their anxiety levels are high," she said.

President Obama and New York Mayor Bloomberg are reportedly furious about the incident.

Actually, that wasn't a "dumb" maneuver; that's too weak to describe it...more accurately, it was an "assholish" maneuver!

This isn't how the world ends...yet

(1918 flu pandemic photo)
As pandemics go, the Swine Flu isn't going to be the end-all for us. Not yet, anyway. Despite what the media is screaming about on every channel 24 hours a day, this isn't going to be much worse than any of the other flu variants that have gone around for the last 50 years.

The running tally at last count was around 1,600 reported cases with roughly 100 deaths. Giving it a mortality rate of roughly 6%. Which, while nothing to sneeze at (lol), isn't exactly Ebola Zaire (about 90% mortality).

Of course, Ebola isn't spread nearly as easily as the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus, so the actual total number of deaths will probably still be horrific should the virus actually become a version of the 1918-19 so-called Spanish flu pandemic (type A influenza, H1N1 subtype), which may have killed anywhere from 20 to 100 million people worldwide. That seems very unlikely given the improved government response to this kind of thing these days.

Still, the media being what they are, we'll see nothing but swine flu stories leading off every broadcast for the next several weeks. I strongly recommend bookmarking the CDC (Center for Disease Control) website to get sober analysis of the outbreak. It'll help you sleep better, trust me.

This won't be the way the world ends just yet.

Now, if Ebola ever mutates and becomes transmittable through the the air and through casual contact, hoo-boy!

Go fly a kite

(image from suehadora.com)
Today (Sunday) the weather here is going to be much too nice to sit in front of a computer all day. Go outside and do something fun; it's been a long, chilly Spring, and we all deserve a nice change of pace.

Me, I'm gonna go work on my boat and get it ready for a mid-May launch. Yesterday, Milford Living magazine held it's 2nd Annual Milford Living Family Fun Kite Fly at Walnut beach. They had great weather, and today is going to be even better.

Enjoy!

The Party of (Dr.) No

Other than Dr. No here, nobody seems very happy with the GOP and their obstructionist ways.

We're almost done with Obama's first 100 days, and here's a brief recap of exactly how helpful the Republicans in the Senate have been:



We can only hope that they learn to work a little better with their Democratic counterparts during the NEXT 100 days.

...and somewhat surprisingly, the terrible Dr. No himself, actor Joseph Wiseman, is still with us. Bravo on a fine performance, sir; you knew enough to stop acting when the director yelled "Cut!".

Too bad the Republicans don't know when to stop acting silly and start working towards meaningful solution solutions. Instead of "Just Saying No". Boy, those guys loves their Reagan!

Out with the old, in with the...old?

Ah, that would have been a lot more relevant around New Year's, but whaddaya gonna do? They ain't all gonna be golden nuggets!



OK, I'll admit it; I'm phoning this one in. Right now I'm so goddamn busy I had to post something that didn't require a lot of time, effort, or creativity on my part.

(I can already hear you wiseguys! "Why should today be any different? Hurr hurr hurr!" Shuddup, you's!)

I promise to be interesting, relevant, and insightful real soon.

("Well, there's a first time for everything!" I said Shuddup!!!)

A storm is coming

Finally, someone explains why same sex marriage threatens the very foundations of traditional marriage:

"Remember, when the gay community is granted personal freedoms, ours get taken away...

How? Shhhhh..."

- Stephen Colbert, spokesman for
"The National Organization For Colbert"

Rep. Holder-Winfield on Clean Elections System

Cross-post from My Left Nutmeg:

Says short term savings costs everyone in long term

State Representative Gary Holder-Winfield (D-94), who represents New Haven in the Connecticut General Assembly, has joined with activists and other legislators in saying that the state must resist the minority legislative Republican attack on our clean election system.

Yesterday (Thursday), Republicans offered a last second budget proposal that includes raiding the new Clean Election Fund as a cost cutting measure.

"Some of us have chosen to look solely at the numbers, and in this case when the system is so new I don't know that using that as a measuring device is fair. Beyond that, the system is not in place simply to reach a numerical goal but to offer the opportunity for citizens who are otherwise essentially barred from interjecting their voice by running for office," he said. (italics mine)

Holder-Winfield participated in the system during the last election cycle and has been an advocate of clean elections having spoken on the issue at the annual Congressional Black Caucus event this past fall.

"For people in certain communities this is akin to a civil rights issue," Winfield remarked. "We must work together to protect the voice of all of Connecticut's residents and seek their best interests as we tackle very tough economic realities. I am sure that we, as a body, can do better than the total evisceration of this program which my Republican colleagues have called for when it does so much good for so many."