Radio talk host Steve Corbett of WILK-FM serving the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre/Hazleton radio market in Pennslyvania launched “Operation Turndown” today on his radio programme.

Friday, May 16, 2008

“Operation Turndown” has deep roots in my own personal radical politics.

If Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee for president, I will not vote for him.

I will turn him down.

Judging from callers to “Corbett” yesterday, so will many other Democrats.

Democrats must follow their hearts and their heads.

I’m part of an impromptu movement born of outrage and frustration to which Democratic Party leaders need to pay very close attention. I’m a radical Democrat and proud of it.

Radical politics is one reason why I majored in “Community Development” at Penn State in 1970, after showing up there in September of 1969 with an open mind and a head loaded with ideas – not all of them good.

By November I was on the street in DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C., getting tear-gassed by National Guard troops during an anti-war protest. The next day I watched the attack on the Justice Department. The next year I watched my state cop father show up on my campus in riot gear.

I spent the next 30-some years developing my perspective and my honor as a daily newspaper columnist and broadcast commentator on television and radio.

I’ve learned from it all. I’m still learning.

And all these years later I still value my community development education and my degree from the counterculture school of hard knocks. The lessons of Kent State, My Lai, and the mean streets of Chicago under the first Mayor Richard Daley remain a part of my pledge of allegiance to real change I can believe in.

I’m not some bizarre social isolationist who’s stuck in the past, either. I value lasting friendships with a wide array of people who hold extremely different political beliefs.
I’m even friends with some conservative Republicans.

But in my heart I’m a radical Democrat.

Yet I’m a model citizen who advocates non-violence and negotiation.

Although I would have likely joined the Molly Maguires back when coal barons oppressed my Irish miner ancestors in Northeastern Pennsylvania and I publicly supported the IRA against British tyranny during my visits to Belfast during the war, I’ve evolved into a principled person who values the power of the ballot over the bullet.

That’s why I’ve decided not to vote for Barack Obama if he wins the Democratic nomination to run for president. I’m with Hillary Clinton until the end.

If she loses and Obama offers her a spot on the ticket as vice president, I’ll consider endorsing the ticket. Still, I offer no guarantees and encourage Hillary to decline the VP spot even if she’s offered the job.

Hillary is the strongest, best candidate. Hillary can beat John McCain. Hillary is my Democrat.

Even if party bosses tell me that we must get behind the nominee and that the nominee will be Obama, I have a choice. Even if family, friends and colleagues tell me I’m wrong, I have a choice. Even if you hate my decision, I have a choice.

And I will use it. To do otherwise would violate the principles I work hard to uphold. I’ve made a decision – a well-thought out, reasoned and rational decision.

Besides, I’ve been here before. I voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 and endured the scorn of others who blamed me for the Democratic loss. Don’t blame me, I said. Blame yourselves for not being able to convince enough people to vote for the Democrat.

The same argument holds true today.

Don’t blame me if Obama runs and loses because too many rogue Democrats, independents and Republicans do not have faith in his ability to lead during some very tough and trying times.

Ralph’s running again today.

So are many other candidates you’ve likely never heard of.

America is caught up in a two-party madness that offers voters too few options. The same well-heeled donors contribute cash to both parties and conspire for access that most Americans can’t even dream of having.

What we do have is a choice.

And I’ve made mine.

I’m turning down Obama.

Wow! The Democratic Party does have more than a few members that have a spine. We are the heart, soul and brains of this Party. Without us, the Democratic Party is an empty shell led by an empty suit.

This post is dedicated to Norm Jenson, my fellow warrior for science.

Very curious. Very interesting . . . there is a growing tendency to think of man as a rational thinking being, which is absurd. There is simply no evidence of any intelligence on the Earth. -Marvin the Martian

It was pointed out to me by a college friend of mine who is an engineer at NASA Ames down in Silicon Valley that Obama is not exactly science savvy. Really? Whatever can you mean? Well, apparently back in November 2007, the very junior Senator from Illinois gave a speech outlining his education policy. And in it, Obama in an sort off the cuff passing manner that in an effort to demonstrate fiscal responsibility, the very junior Senator from Illinois said he would delay NASA’s moon-to-Mars $100 billion program five years in order to fund education initiatives. My friend said this was the death knell not just of the NASA Constellation program but of NASA itself.

Isn’t that just hyperbole?

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For me the brilliant part is that it highlights that Barack Obama voted for the Bush-Cheney Energy Plan that prevents states from participating in the siting process for LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) terminals. Oregon is now fighting three proposed LNG terminals. Senator Ron Wyden and Senator Hillary Clinton have introduced legislation to rescind that part of the Bush-Cheney Energy Plan. Now for the hilarious irony of all this. In Oregon, Obama is sending out a flyer stating how he supports the Wyden Plan on siting. He fails to mention that it is his fault to begin with and omits Clinton’s leadership on this issue, not to mention the fact that she voted against the Bush-Cheney Energy Plan.

As I have said before, energy is the most critical issue because ultimately so much is tied to it. And someone who voted for the Bush-Cheney Energy Plan is not to be trusted.

Here is an interview of Hillary Clinton from KGW Portland News

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I have said that Michelle Obama will be a negative drain on Obama’s candidacy. Here is the first salvo.

Rwanda is a country near and dear to my heart and one where I am heavily involved. In my development work, I devote 90% of my resources to projects that largely benefit girls and women. Why? Because I get more bang for my buck. There is a much higher ROI. Women succeed where men fail.

It is thus with great joy that I can point this morning to a story in the Washington Post that touts the efforts of one of the non-profits with which I work, Vision Finance.

Officials at Vision Finance, the microloan arm of World Vision International that launched a program in 2005 in this town of 40,000, said that while women make up the majority of borrowers, four out of five defaulters are men.

“They say that women care more about the family, but I do not know if that is true,” Mukandayisenga said. “I think it has more to do with the self-control woman show in hard times. We know how to survive when men despair.”

Perhaps it should come as no surprise that women have been key in reconstructing Rwanda. In the effort to finance the reduction of poverty in the developing world, many leading experts said that women simply make better investments.

It is for me such a reward to see my work so well received. It is also something rather telling that in Rwanda the following is now the case:

Today women hold about 48 percent of the seats in Rwanda’s parliament, the highest percentage in the world. They also account for 36 percent of President Paul Kagame’s cabinet, holding the top jobs in the ministries of commerce, agriculture, infrastructure, foreign affairs and information.

Girl Power!
Hillary Clinton won’t say what was discussed, but she’s talked with Elizabeth Edwards about her husband’s endorsement of rival Barack Obama. Campaigning in South Dakota today, Clinton said she has a great deal of respect for Elizabeth Edwards, and that they have a lot in common. Perhaps an endorsement is yet to come? Unlikely, but this is certainly a strong signal.

The full story is from KAIT Channel 8 News. The above interview is from April 08, 2008 but I think it covers Elizabeth’s thoughts well.

Some Colour on John Edwards’ Endorsement

Over 90% of his staff migrated to Obama. His staff went to 0, his fund raisers went to 0, most of his voters went to 0, most of his grassroots activists went to 0 (and “most” doesn’t equal 55% but more like super majorities of 2/3+). His thought process over the past three months said he personally liked 0bama more, thought 0bama would bring “change”, preferred Clinton on policy. The major reason that he would endorse Clinton was he feared Obama was not tough enough to win the general election. And John Edwards cares very passionately for the Democratic Party and thinks that the longer this process goes on, the more serious problems Obama would have winning the general election.

Race was also apparently a factor. Edwards, not surprisingly given his background in the segregated South, seems to be excited about the prospect of having a black president. Remember the story a few days ago about him talking about how great symbolically that would be? Elizabeth got very annoyed at that and said something to the effect of “what about the symbolic value of the first woman president”? The annoyance was revealing. That probably wasn’t the first time he made that statement.

The official story, and you can buy this or not (I personally don’t care about why he did it. It was his right.), is that he grew concerned about the emerging narrative that 0bama can’t win white working class votes (let’s face it: that narrative is based on the assumption that a lot of racists won’t vote for him. Obama got far more white working class support than Biden. Does anyone think Biden would be unelectable? Exactly…) and endorsing 0bama would be a way to silence that talk and more importantly assuage concerns among party leaders about it. Having Edwards on 0bama’s side would assuage their concerns because they can say “well, he sucks with these voters but Edwards will be there to make the sell for him”.

That is from someone who worked in the Edwards campaign.

My Thoughts On This
I am bothered by the race thing frankly. Yes, it would be great to have a black President. But doesn’t competence matter? Obama’s inexperience and naivete is likely to blow up in his face and what will that do for another black running down the line? Duval Patrick has likely set back the cause of African-American politicians in Massachusetts, ten years. He has three years to turn it around but if not it is out the door.

Furthermore, John Edwards is not clearly examining why working class voters are not flocking to Obama. There are reasons and they are not race-based. It’s values. It’s the Reverend Wright. It is the bitter and clinging comments. It is the misogynistic remarks. It is also because it is hard to fool the working class. They can spot a fraud. Those are Obama’s problems and how John Edwards misses them is beyond me.

While Clinton’s candidacy is symbolic, I am not voting for her because she is a woman. I am voting for her because she is more experienced and because we line up on policy. And I admire her values and her dedication. Her indefatigable energy. I regret having given Edwards $2300 and I regret supporting him in the California primary if he is really this dense on symbolism. I didn’t support him because he was symbolic somehow. I thought he had the best policies. I still do but this symbolism stuff is inane.

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My disappointment with the leadership of Nancy Pelosi this term in Congress has reached a breaking point. Taking impeachment off the table was a mistake but the fault there lies primarily with Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the money man of Democratic politics. Still on most counts I find her leadership wanting, including Speaker Pelosi’s abject failure to defend Senator Clinton from misogynistic attacks. The Farm Bill is monstrous. Thus it is with relief that another woman has stepped into the fray of San Francisco politics to run for the seat held by Nancy Pelosi. It’s a longshot but I am onboard.

Shirley Golub, 61, has raised more than $90,000 so far largely through the progressive Democratic website Act Blue. I hope you can support this committed Democrat in her race for Congress.

I wish the land and the people of Israel, both Jewish and Arab, a happy 60th Anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel. May this year bring peace to the Israeli and the Palestinian people.

Here is the Friday May 17th, 2008 edition of interesting reads from around the world.

Food Insecurity In Afghanistan
The New York Times reports on rising food prices and food insecurity in an already troubled land. For approximately 1.75 billion people on the planet, 75% of their income goes into food. There is not much margin for error which is why we are likely to see famine in the coming years on a level that we have not witnessed it since the early 1980s. If you are old enough to remember the Ethiopian famine of 1980-81, this will be worse. More akin to Biafran and Bengali famine of the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Burma’s Isolation
It is the most amazing country that I have the pleasure of visiting, but Burma receives only 200,000 tourists a year, or what Bangkok gets in less than a week. Der Spiegel has a series of articles on the Burmese tragedy and on its isolation simply due to the fiat of its junta. Here is a related story on the relief efforts from the Asia Times.

Brussels Plans Crackdown of Auto Adverts
Good for the bureaucrats in Brussels. The European Union bureaucracy is on a roll: After imposing restrictions on how tobacco, alcohol and food products can be advertised, it has set its sights on gas-guzzling cars. But German manufacturers and media conglomerates warn the financial impact could be devastating. More on this from Der Spiegel. For the record, I was the Goldman Sachs global anaylst on global advertising for two years.

Did The Global Financial System Come Close to Collapse?
As former head of the International Monetary Fund, German President Horst Köhler is well qualified to comment on the global financial crisis. In an interview with Der Spiegel, he described financial markets as a “monster” and said the global financial system “came close to collapse.” Why is it that the European media reports on stories that the US media ignores?

German Economy Steams Ahead
Defying the global economic storms, German gross domestic product in Europe’s largest economy increased by 1.5 per cent in the first quarter – the fastest quarterly rate for almost 12 years, the country’s statistical office revealed on Thursday. That was far above expectations and compared with GDP growth of just 0.1 per cent in the US in the same period. More on this story from the Financial Times.

Japanese Economy Gains
Does it seem like the US is the sick man of the world or what? Europe, Latin America, China, India, Korea and now Japan are reporting strong economic growth in the 1Q08. Of course, the American cold may yet turn into a global flu. The Asia Times reports that Japan’s economy grew at a faster than expected 3.3 percent annualised pace in the first quarter of 2008 despite a global credit crunch and US economic slowdown, official figures showed Friday. The world’s second-largest economy remained in sound health as robust exports to China and other emerging markets offset weaker demand in the United States for Japanese cars and other goods.

US Sanctions Forthcoming on Venezuela?
Interpol authenticated the documents obtained from the computer of Raul Reyes, the terrorist commander of Colombia’s FARC. The documents point to an international web of terror across Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and even in the United States (Madison, WI & Raleigh, NC). The Miami Herald explores whether sanctions on Venezuela might be forthcoming.

Australia To Aid North Korea
I like Kevin Rudd, Australia’s new Prime Minister and I support this move. North Koreans should not be allowed to starve due to the incompetence of the North Korean government. The Asia Times reports on Australia’s new more assertive foreign policy. It’s about the time the Aussies led. It’s a remarkable country.

In his speech before the Israeli Knesset, President Bush noted that calls for negotiations with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are akin to the efforts to appease Hitler before World War II. Is it appeasement to talk to the Iranians? No, but there is a difference between Obama’s position and Clinton’s position.

Obama is wrong because he wants to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad without preconditions. That’s not appeasement just to talk but it sends the wrong diplomatic signals. It rewards the Iranians for poor behaivour.

Clinton will open diplomatic channels with the Iranians, most likely through the Swiss, the Germans and perhaps the Pakistanis, before any meeting would take place. Furthermore, as Senator Clinton made clear with her “umbrella of nuclear deterrence” comments, Senator Clinton would point blankly tell the Iranians where the United States would draw the line on Iranian behaivour in the region. This is a critical difference. Obama’s position is borne out of naivete and inexperience, Clinton’s position is based on rational experience and the theories of political realism, the prevailing theory on international relations.

Chris Matthews tried to score points on the Clinton’s views but notice how Senator Biden shuts Chris Matthews up on this point. Senator Biden remains one of the Senate’s senior stateman and the point man on foreign policy. He would make a great Secretary of State in a Clinton Administration.

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