The Daily Brief

I’m just checking out David Brooks’ favorite political essays for 2004. Good stuff.

Hat Tip: Instapundit

On tonight’s The O’Reilly Factor, Bill blamed Bush 43’s deficits on the 9/11 terrorist attack.

HARDLY! The cause of the ‘Clinton Surplus’ was that the ‘Clinton Bubble’ caused revenues to grow much faster than the proflegate 105th and 106th Congresses could spend them. Despite the fact that the bubble has burst, the 107th and 108th Congresses have not attenuated their profligacy. But still, as a percentage of GDP, our deficit remains close to that of pre-Clinton Bubble times.

Sunday is my day to peruse the blogosphere, which is probably my equivalent of other folks’ reading the Sunday paper or watching the morning talk shows. One of my favorite bloggers, Julie Neidlinger, linked to a new blog she had found after Yahoo! changed its format. Today was my day to check out the new blog she found.

I liked it.

The blog is called “The Moderate Left.” I’ve actually been able to read several of his posts in a row without raising my blood pressure, so I’ll be adding him to my bookmarks, as well as to the blogroll on my personal blog.

I especially liked his post called “Being Respectful.” You’ll have to scroll down to it, because I couldn’t find a permalink. That particular post was generated by this particular “cartoon” that has apparently been making the rounds of the ‘net. He thinks it’s counter-productive (it is), and hurts their cause (it does).

Check him out. He’s worth your time, I think.

Interesting article in the NYT (registration req), by Andrei Cherny, Kerry’s Speech-writer. I found it by following a link in one of the 96 comments that have sprouted on The Backseat Philosopher’s post to his fellow democrats (mentioned earlier in this blog). Here are some small snippets of his thoughts.

Any time Democrats spend in the coming weeks discussing the merits of our past candidates’ personalities or their campaigns’ personnel will be time wasted.

The overarching problem Democrats have today is the lack of a clear sense of what the party stands for. For years this has been a source of annoyance for bloggers and grass-roots activists. And in my time working for Al Gore and John Kerry, it certainly left me feeling hamstrung.

Democrats have a collection of policy positions that are sensible and right. John Kerry made this very clear. What we don’t have, and what we sorely need, is what President George H. W. Bush so famously derided as “the vision thing” – a worldview that makes a thematic argument about where America is headed and where we want to take it.

For most of the 20th century, Democrats had a bold vision: we would use government programs to make Americans’ lives more stable and secure. In 1996, President Clinton told us this age had passed, that “the era of big government is over.” He was right – the world had changed. But the party has not answered the basic question: What comes next?

and from near the end….

I don’t pretend to know exactly what the party should do now. But I do know that we better start answering some important questions. What is our economic vision in a globalized world? How do we respond to the desire of many Americans to have choices and decision-making power of their own? How can we speak to Americans’ moral and spiritual yearnings? How can our national security vision be broader than just a critique of the Republican’s foreign policy? If we sweep this debate under the rug, four years from now another set of people around another conference table will be struggling with the same issues we did. And America cannot afford the same result.

Cherny’s question “What comes next?” reminds me of the conversations taking place after the fall of the Soviet Union. When the Berlin Wall came down, when the Soviet Union fragmented back into separate countries, there was much discussion about what the world would look like and be like now that the Cold War had ended.

Maybe Republicans (and all other parties) should be asking themselves that question, as well? What comes next? Where do we go from here? What do we want for America, and for the world we live in? And how do we get there from here?

The BackSeat Philosopher debuted yesterday with a blog entry that should be mandatory reading for all political partisans. His entry earned him an Instalanche, and 84 comments.

I strongly encourage y’all to check him out – he may be a sporadic blogger, but I think he’s going to be worth watching, and reading.

Here’s a sample:

To My Fellow Democrats

We Democrats are supposedly the party of the therapists, the teachers, and the ‘relationship experts.’ If anybody would be proud of the title, ‘active listener’, it would be a Democrat. We’re the soft ones who understand where the other side is coming from and negotiate.

Many Democrats think that our patience and understanding are our weakness. “We don’t know how to fight like the Republicans,” we all told ourselves after Florida 2000. “We have to be more like them: tougher, meaner.” “We have to energize our base more.”

Actually, no. Our error is that we Democrats are far less understanding than we think we are. Our version of understanding the other side is to look at them from a psychological point of view while being completely unwilling to take their arguments seriously. “Well, he can’t help himself, he’s a right-wing religious zealot, so of course he’s going to think like that.” “Republicans who never served in war are hypocrites to send young men to die. ” “Republicans are homophobes, probably because they can’t deal with their secret desires.” Anything but actually listening and responding to the arguments being made.

Check him out. It’s worth reading, and refreshing to see cogent thought instead of strident slogans.

(hat tip to true blue)

Now that the election has ended, Peggy Noonan is back behind her keyboard at OpinionJournal.com (free subscription required). I was sad when she took a leave of absence, but glad that she was doing so, because she was leaving her keyboard to “put her money where her mouth was,” and work for the re-election of President Bush.

She’s back today, writing her usual Thursday column. This one, not surprisingly, deals with the election results.

Among many notable thoughts, she had these:

As I write, John Kerry is giving his speech. He looks hurt. Who wouldn’t? He fought to the end, for every vote, untiring and ceaseless. I told some young people recently who were walking into a battle, “Here’s how to fight: You fight until they kill you, until they kill you and stop your heart, and then you let them carry you out of the room. But you fight until they carry.” I think that’s how the Democrats fought. Good for them.

To admit defeat with attempted grace is a moving sight. Kerry did well. His talking about his “good conversation” with the president was gracious and helpful. He was honest about the facts of the vote in Ohio. When he thanked his people from the bottom of his heart it was a real thanks. (snip)

Mr. Kerry graced democracy today. He showed his love for it.

and these:

Who was the biggest loser of the 2004 election? It is easy to say Mr. Kerry: he was a poor candidate with a poor campaign. But I do think the biggest loser was the mainstream media, the famous MSM, the initials that became popular in this election cycle. Every time the big networks and big broadsheet national newspapers tried to pull off a bit of pro-liberal mischief–CBS and the fabricated Bush National Guard documents, the New York Times and bombgate, CBS’s “60 Minutes” attempting to coordinate the breaking of bombgate on the Sunday before the election–the yeomen of the blogosphere and AM radio and the Internet took them down. It was to me a great historical development in the history of politics in America. It was Agincourt. It was the yeomen of King Harry taking down the French aristocracy with new technology and rough guts. God bless the pajama-clad yeomen of America. Some day, when America is hit again, and lines go down, and media are hard to get, these bloggers and site runners and independent Internetters of all sorts will find a way to file, and get their word out, and it will be part of the saving of our country.

Pajama-clad yeoman. I think I like that better than the pajamahadeen. Must be my anglo-saxon heritage, perhaps?

Thank you, “pajama-clad yeoman”….. Stryker, Sgt Mom, Timmer and Kevin, and Baldilocks and Captains Quarters and Capt Smash, Instapundit and Hugh Hewitt and LGF, Command Post and LaShawn Barber (to name just a very few). Thank you for holding up a mirror to the truth, and shining it out for all to see who had a mind to look for it. Thank you for being bulldogs, and not letting go once you had your teeth into a story that had to be told, whether it was the Memo-gate, or the Swiftboat Vets, or the faux draft.

I relied on you for clear thinking, including reminders of where my president was making mistakes. I relied on you for accurate information, with sources, and you did not let me down. Additionally, you gave me your integrity. I knew that I could rely on the bloggers I read to correct themselves if they found out they were wrong. And you did, when necessary. Not by overlaying the incorrect story with a revised one, but by actually putting an update on your blog with the words “I was wrong.” or “I made a mistake.” Or “a reader commented, and pointed out an error.” Thank you for reading the comments on your blogs, wading through the trolls and the spam links to find the gold or diamonds that were buried there, and bringing them to the surface for us all to enjoy.

Thank you for being good, concerned, caring citizens, and exercising not just your rights to vote, but your rights to free speech, as well as your not inconsiderable researching and analytical skills.

I am a richer person today because I have read your words.

I am a better citizen because I have read your words.

The gift you have given to the country (dare I say the world?) is immeasurable, and all I can give you in return is my thanks. It seems like a poor exchange, 2 little words in return for all you have given me, but it’s sincere and heart-felt.

Thank you.

I went, I stood in line, I gave freshly-baked brownies to the poll-workers, and I voted. Georgia has computerized machines now (we may have had them for awhile, I don’t know – this is the first election I’ve voted in, here). The machines worked, and the process was simple and easy to follow. The text on the screen was big enough for my eyes to see it without my glasses, which is always a plus.

My total time for the process was about 20-30 minutes. I spent the time visiting with the other folks in line, and found a fellow Buckeye standing right next to me. All was peaceful, civil, and harmonious. One gentleman was hesitant about the new machines, telling me that he knew nothing about computers. I assured him that if he could use an ATM machine, he could use this one. I hope he did ok. I forgot to check on him when I was done. But they had poll-workers hovering around, just waiting to help people, so I’m sure he was fine.

The best part of the day for me was seeing how many folks had brought their kids along, to watch mom/dad participate in the most important duty and privilege of citizenship.

Let me just jump on the election bandwagon. 🙂

As a Christian, I’ve been praying about this election in a way that I don’t remember ever praying before. I’m not praying that a particular candidate will win – I don’t want to get into a discussion here regarding which side of the aisle God’s on, or if he even cares about our politics (or whether he exists at all).

My prayers have been for a spirit of peacefulness and calm reason to permeate the country tomorrow, and the rest of this week. This has been a very divisive campaign, and I can’t help feeling that there is a lot of strong emotion simmering below the surface, just waiting to erupt in a way that would make Vesuvius look like mild heartburn.

What I carried away from the Nov 2000 elections was the assurance that our system worked. Regardless of who won, regardless of who anyone wished would have won, we had a contested election that did not result in riots or massive bloodshed. Our procedures were followed, for the most part, and people used the courts to settle their differences, not the streets, or the military.

I expect there will be cries of foul play following this election, as well. I’m hoping, though, that the American citizenry will be willing to let the system and the procedures settle their differences again. I’m praying that there will be no violence on election day, or the days immediately following it.

I’ll continue to pray, I think…even beyond election day or inauguration day. I’ll be praying for our elected officials to work for the common good, in the best interests of our country and our citizens, instead of looking at what will give them the greatest political gain.

I’m currently watching Hardball With Chris Matthews on MSNBC. But I’m about to go shopping. I just don’t care at this point – it’s as academic as the winner of The World Series.

Does anyone here believe that, when the rubber finally meets the road, there won’t be a dime’s worth of difference between the two of them?

The General and I took advantage of early voting in NC and cast our votes for our candidates today. Here are some of my thoughts on the process:

1) I have mixed emotions about voting early. After spending twenty years voting by Absentee (because I maintained residency in one state as I moved around the country with the Air Force), I have really looked forward to heading into the voting booth on Election Day each year I have that opportunity. Early voting at least allowed me the option of voting at my polling place in a booth, but there’s something to be said for having an Election Day (as opposed to an Election Week or Election Month, or whatever we’ve effectively had this year).

I agree with Tony Snow, who wondered whether we have gone overboard in making it so convenient to vote. Voting may be a right, but it’s one that should be taken seriously. I went out of my way while in the military to request Absentee Ballots, to fill them out appropriately, to obtain the appropriate signatures, and to get them in on time. The more “convenient” we make it, the less people will take it seriously. And this doesn’t even touch on how it increases the risk of voter fraud. (Another subject, another day, but #4 below).

I’m not saying that we should deny any eligible citizen the right to vote, but really, it’s just about as convenient as it’s gonna get. Folks should be willing to invest a bit of effort in registering properly, finding out about the candidates and issues, and finding out where and when they can vote. It’s not that hard.

So anyway, I took advantage of this convenience. I’ll try to reconcile whatever moral quandary I have about early voting after the dust has settled.

2) I had the option of voting straight party — that is, touching one button to vote for all Democrat (yeah, right!) or all Republican candidates on the state slate (judicial races and the Presidential race still had to be voted for separately). I was tempted, since I planned to vote straight party, but I guess it’s that convenience thing again. I went through and voted for each candidate individually. It just feels right to me.

3) As I was writing this, we got a campaign phone call. I was able to cut the caller off by saying “We’ve already voted.” I guess this early voting thing isn’t so bad after all.

4) As in earlier elections, neither of us was required to show any form of ID. This continues to disturb me. It was probably my greatest motivation for voting early. In case someone decided to vote in my place, I wanted to have a few days to try to straighten it out. I’m just paranoid that way. I know we don’t have national ID cards, and I know all the reasons why, but really, shouldn’t you be required to prove who you are when you’re doing something so important? At the very least, couldn’t they ask for my voter registration card?

I could go on, but that’s probably enough.

I will be so glad when the election is over. Not that I expect it will be over Nov 3 unless it’s a complete landslide. Oh, even then the National-level Democrats will most likely be crying that it was stolen again, unless they steal it. I have decided that I am in election-year overload. Since discovering the blogosphere, I have a wealth of information at my fingertips. During my 5 years in the UK, the Early Bird, CNN, and Fox News were my primary sources of news. Every now and then I would watch Sky News, and watched BBC news for the weather, but I didn’t watch (or read) any of those sources with any regularity.

I got involved in politics, to an extent, when I turned 18. It all started with a phone call from my friend Kim asking if I wanted to be a poll worker in the May primary. So my first real paying job was for my county’s Democratic Committee, and yes, I was a registered Democrat. It was a great educational experience for me. Granted I had almost always gone with my parents when they voted, and know the basics: the voter signs the book, gets a ballot, fills it out, and puts it in the box. That first primary I worked, I learned the whole process. I had also heard my parents claim for 18 years that the elections were fixed, at least in our county, so I was on the lookout for it. There was none at that precinct. We were by the book, and the book was the law. We still had paper ballots then, and we were meticulous about counting them. For our table, Kim and I kept the counts while the ballots were read to us. If we came up with different totals, we started all over. I would end up working not only the Democrat Primaries, but also the general elections for the next 4 years.

Although I was a registered Democrat, I was a candidate voter. I voted against Clinton for governor, but voted for his Lt Governor. Of course, that was before the Lt’s indiscretions came out. I voted for Bush 41 both times, but I just couldn’t bring myself to vote for Dole. Since a vote for Ross Perot was a vote for Clinton, I sat that one out. I would have voted for Bush 43, but it really didn’t matter that I didn’t since Gore lost in Arkansas anyway, along with his home state of Tennessee. Heh. J I didn’t really have anything against Gore at the time other than the fact that he was associated with Clinton, until the after election debacle. Now I wish he would find his way back to whatever cave he crawled from.

I am now an undeclared voter in North Carolina, about 15 minutes away from Senator Gone’s hometown of Robbins. I can’t say that I have been happy with every decision President Bush has made. I had really hoped that he wouldn’t invade Iraq, not that I didn’t think Saddam deserved to be de-throned. Knowing now what I do about the UN’s Oil For Food “program,” I’m glad we went in. Expose those arrogant, worthless French as the criminals they are. And the Germans. And definitely Kofi Annan with his blind-eye-to-genocide. I would also like to see them all kicked out of our country. But that’s just my opinion, and off my original subject. I don’t think Bush lied to me about the WMD’s in Iraq. I didn’t think Clinton was lying about them, or Gore, or Kerry, or anyone else in the world who said Saddam had WMD’s since the first Gulf War.

I don’t see how anyone who has listened to Kerry can think he would make a better President than Bush. I think Hillary would make a better president than Kerry, although that thought will give me nightmares tonight. At this point though, I’m sick of the ads, I’m sick of the MSM and their tired line of negativity, I’m tired of the signs (with the sole exception of my co-worker’s “Al Qaeda for Kerry” sticker), and I’m tired of Kerry & Edwards. I wish I could be certain it would be over after the next 2 weeks.