Does anyone have a problem with that...

The United States is currently conducting military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Yemen. It is clear that within the next few months we will be sending arms and munitions to Jordan and Ukraine. Along with the weaponry will be “military advisors” who will train the Jordanians and Ukrainians in the proper deployment and usage of those arms. If you are a student of American military history you know what usually happens soon after the “advisors” arrive. And let us not forget the ongoing debate over whether we should engage Iran by destroying its nuclear facilities. Israel may very well make that decision for us.

By my count that makes eight countries where the United States is either actively engaged or contemplating some sort of aggressive military intervention. And by engaging in the Ukraine the United States would in affect be waging a proxy war against Russia.

Eight countries…

…plus Russia

Does anyone have a problem with that?

And just for the sake of conversation…does anyone have a problem with the fact that with the exception of Afghanistan and Iraq congress has yet to authorize the president to conduct any of these military engagements? In point of fact congress has done everything in its power to avoid addressing these issues. They would much prefer to allow the president to walk this path alone. What better way to avoid taking a politically risky, possibly career ending war vote, than to ignore the whole thing altogether. Better to deflect buy focusing the country’s attention on the president’s “blatantly unconstitutional executive orders.”

Does anyone have a problem with that…

…or is it just me.

Tipping Points?

During the past 24 hours we have witnessed two events that may significantly alter both our domestic and foreign policy.

Yesterday the House passed a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Normally this would not raise an eyebrow as this marked the 67th time in the past 6 years the House had taken up a vote to repeal the president’s signature piece of legislation. The bill will now go to the Senate where the 66 previous bills failed to reach the Senate floor. However this time the House bill won’t find Democrat Majority Leader Harry Reid blocking the Senate door. Republicans now control the Senate and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will most certainly allow the bill to come to the floor for a vote where there is the very real possibility that the bill could pass. The president will veto the bill undoubtedly saying that he will not take insurance coverage away from the 9.5 million Americans who have signed up under the ACA. Republicans will then attempt to muster the votes to overturn the veto. They may succeed. Regardless of whether they succeed or fail what is certain to follow are a series of bills designed to dismantle the president’s agenda…all of which the president will veto. This entire process may seem like a complete waste of taxpayer’s money. In reality it is designed by Republicans to accomplish one thing; which is to transfer the mantle of the “Party of No” onto the president and his Democratic party. To show with clarity that it is the president that is standing in the way of progress. It is the president that is defying the will of the people and their elected representatives. Republicans intend to ride this message all the way to the 2016 elections where they hope to win control of both congress and the White House. Should this all come to pass we may look back at yesterday’s vote on the ACA as a tipping point in American politics.

The other significant event that occurred is the horrific torching of the Jordanian pilot by ISIS. The event has sparked an explosion of outrage throughout the Islamic community. The burning of the pilot is particularly offensive to the Muslim world because cremation is specifically forbidden in the teachings of the Koran. Protests against ISIS have erupted throughout the Middle East. Jordanians had previously been critical of their government’s participation in the war against ISIS. Jordan has been overwhelmed with Syrian refugees fleeing the ISIS rampage. The Jordanian government has called on the US and its coalition partners for help but it has received little assistance. Locals took to the streets in protest. They saw no purpose in helping a coalition that they perceived offered nothing in return. But the mood shifted after the brutal murder of the Jordanian pilot. Crowds in the streets now call out in support of the government; urging it to take revenge against ISIS. The Jordanian government responded by quickly executing two Jihadists who had been convicted of terrorism. King Abdullah, who happened to be in Washington visiting the president when ISIS released the video of the murder, asked President Obama for arms and munitions “so we can take the fight to ISIS. He has promised publically to avenge the pilot’s murder. Since ISIS made its appearance on the world stage it has been desperate to draw attention to itself. The bombings in western cities…the beheading of western journalists and aid workers…all done to antagonize the west…to draw the west into a holy war…to generate a response from the west in order to gain credibility and attract others to their cause. But now ISIS has attacked the Muslim world; attacked it in a way that violates the very tenants of the Koran that ISIS purports to defend. Killing infidels is one thing. Killing Muslims, particularly in such an offensive manner, has galvanized the Muslim community. Will this one senseless act of murder prove to be a tipping point in the war on terror?

The President's Wish List

Many of us remember as kids scribbling out a Christmas wish list for Santa Claus. We filled it with all sorts of goodies and waited with great anticipation for Christmas morning to see if the jolly old guy had granted our wishes.

Today President Obama will unveil his wish list in the form of a $4 trillion dollar budget that calls for higher taxes and a 7% increase over sequestration spending limits. Unlike the rest of us he won’t have to wait for Christmas morning to see if he got everything he wanted. Republicans in congress have already responded with a big “bah humbug!”

The president is calling for a massive $4 trillion dollar budget that includes tax credits for child care, paid sick leave, two years of free tuition for community college and a comprehensive infrastructure program. The president proposes to pay for these goodies by closing tax loopholes that allow companies to shelter profits overseas and levying a 19% tax on all foreign profits as they are earned. The good news is the president’s budget does not add to our country’s staggering $18 trillion dollar debt. The bad news is it does nothing to answer conservative calls to reduce it.

Congressional Republicans have already said that anything from the White House that even sniffs at a tax increase is a non-starter. They argue that tax hikes, particularly those on small businesses and corporations will hinder economic growth; and that any new spending programs that aren’t paid for with offsetting spending cuts will only add more debt burden on future generations. The way to go about this they say is to roll back restrictive policies and regulations that hamper corporate growth. Free corporations from the shackles of Obama’s restrictive policies and the profits will flow down to the middle class in the form of job growth and higher wages.

The president’s policies are good for the middle class. But somehow he has to find a way to pay for them without playing the “income distribution” card that offends conservatives to their core.

Conservatives need to get over their fantasy that corporate profits trickle down to the middle class. Corporations profited from a decade of the Bush tax cuts while the country hemorrhaged jobs at a rate of 700,000/month. Even though the Bush tax cuts are gone corporations have continued to produce record profits under the president’s “restrictive policies.” But those profits have not trickled down to the middle class. Middle class wages have remained stagnant for over thirty years and corporate profits are more likely to be invested overseas or sheltered in off shore tax havens.

Once again Washington finds itself at an impasse.

The president has his wish list. I doubt many of his wishes will be granted.

This & That

A SIGN OF THE APOCOLAPSE – South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsay Graham is contemplating a run for the White House. John McCain’s mini-me…the man who never met a war he didn’t want to wage…has formed an exploratory committee to analyze the viability of his candidacy. Let me be clear…if Lindsay Graham is ever elected president I’m moving.

SPEAKING OF MCCAIN – Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was preparing to testify before McCain’s Foreign Intelligence Committee when a group of protesters interrupted the proceedings. The protestors shouted down the proceedings while brandishing signs accusing Kissinger of being a war criminal. Police quickly rounded up the protestors and escorted them from the room as McCain shouted after them: “Get out of here you low life scum.” McCain, in apologizing to Kissinger for the interruption, said that in all of his years in serving on the committee he had never witnessed such embarrassing and despicable behavior. Apparently McCain has never watched CSPAN. The disrespectful treatment leveled upon Dr. Kissinger bears a great deal of similarity to the manner in which witnesses are often treated by congressional committees…including McCain’s. If a witness can remain awake during the self serving speeches that committee members are apt to give before actually asking a question; they are often subjected to condescending barrage of one sided queries that serve no purpose other than to express the disrespect and disdain the committee member has for the witness. All orchestrated before the cameras to put on a show for the folks back home.

KEYSTONE PIPELINE – Yesterday the senate passed a bill approving the construction of the Keystone Pipeline. Nine Democrats crossed party lines to help Republicans pass the measure. These are many of the same Democrats who have repeatedly expressed their concerns over global warming and other environmental issues. I have no problem with a politician weighing the pros and cons of a bill and voting his/her conscience. But if you are going to go against your alleged principles than at least get something in return. This bill is a big deal for the right. But it is probably dead upon arrival on the president’s desk. I have said this before…if you are going to give in on the pipeline “because it creates thousands of short term jobs” they why not give that vote in exchange for a comprehensive infrastructure bill that creates hundreds of thousands of long term jobs. Compromise is good. Giving away the store is crazy.

“NO, NO, NO, NO, NO…” – That was Romney’s response just a few short months ago when he was asked if he was contemplating another run at the White House. Moderate conservative donors and former Romney campaign staffers are flocking to Jeb Bush saying that they were taking Romney at his word that he would never run again. Now that Romney has reconsidered, many of his former supporters are not certain that they want to go through Mitt Part III. The new Mitt says he wants to focus on helping the poor and the middle class. That’s quite a different message from the old Mitt that said: "I'm not concerned about the poor... we have a safety net for that.” Mitt Romney…three time presidential contender…still trying to define himself.

Playing Politics With Nuclear Holocaust

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been invited to address a joint session of congress on March 3rd.

Normally such an invitation would not raise an eyebrow in the political community. After all Israel is one of our strongest allies in the Middle East. A visit from the Prime Minister would typically be trumpeted as a sign of solidarity with our Jewish partners.

However this particular invitation has caused a firestorm on the Hill because it was not issued through the customary protocols via the White House and State Department but rather through the Speaker of the House, John Boehner. In fact the White House wasn’t notified of the planned address until a just a few hours before the announcement was made to the public. Neither were Jewish members of congress nor the usual gaggle of pro-Israel groups that are normally consulted whenever Israel wants something from the US. The snub has pissed off a lot of the usual suspects that Israel counts on for support.

So why did the Speaker call an end run around the White House?

Netanyahu and the president have a very deep difference of opinion on how to deal with Iran’s nuclear threat. The president, as is his custom, is seeking a diplomatic path toward persuading the Iranians to halt their development of a nuclear arsenal. He has issued a series of economic sanctions that seem to be working. For the first time in history Iran is engaging in substantive talks to deal with their nuclear development. The president wants to let the dialogue play out.

Netanyahu vehemently disagrees. He believes that Iran’s willingness to talk is little more than a delaying tactic to allow them more time to develop a bomb. Netanyahu would like send his fighters in to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities immediately…or at the very least initiate even tougher economic sanctions to bring the issue to a head. The president has resisted tougher sanctions for fear that they will curtail the progress that has already been made.

It should come as no surprise that Republicans agree with the Israeli prime minister. They see the president’s foreign policy as feckless, particularly when it comes to dealing with Iran. Republicans believe their views were validated in the recent mid-tem elections that handed them control of both chambers of congress. Euphoric after their victory, and if I must day a bit full of themselves, they by-pass the president and invite the prime minister to address their joint session; thereby sending the clear political message that Israel’s true friends reside in the GOP.

Netanyahu is no stranger to politics. He faces a re-election vote not two weeks after he addresses congress. What better demonstration of his bona fides than to be seen making Israel’s case to the world’s lone superpower.

Normally this move by the Republicans would be nothing more than the usual political grandstanding; just another example of the GOP’s ongoing effort to marginalize this president. More proof that any thought of political compromise and productivity over the next two years is just an illusion.

But playing politics with Iran’s nuclear threat is should not be “business as usual.” It’s dangerous! It sends a message to Iran that we are not unified in our response to their nuclear development. It opens up the very real possibility that Iran views our internal conflicts as a lack of resolve; which in turn emboldens them to continue their nuclear endeavors. Should that be the case, a heavy price will be paid. And the first to pay that price will be Israel.

How do you like me now?

Sixty days before the mid-term elections President Obama’s approval ratings languished at a “Bushian” 38%. Democratic candidates did everything in their power to distance themselves from the president and his “failed policies.” Democratic leaders like Chuck Schumer criticized the president publically for spending far too much of his political capital on health reform while ignoring the country’s desperate need for jobs.

Republicans were only too happy to seize upon the opportunity presented by the president’s party. They trumpeted the president’s lagging popularity and noted rightly that even his supposed supporters on the Hill had lost faith in his leadership.

Republicans sensed they had a winning strategy and they rode that horse to a huge mid-term victory. Having increased their majority in the House and gained control of the Senate, Republicans spoke openly of wresting control of the White House in 2016. In the meantime they promised to reward the voters who swept them to power by dismantling all of the “failed big government policies of the past six years.”

But a funny thing happened on the way to the 2016 inaugural ball.

Once the mid-tem votes were counted Republicans expected to be greeted by a cowed, conciliatory president; nursing his political wounds…humbly seeking some amount of consideration for the effort. Instead they found themselves confronted by an extremely confident and combative president whom Mitch McConnell noted “seemed to be running for a third term.”

No longer shackled by the prospects of future campaigns President Obama emerged from the mid-terms as more conquering hero than beleaguered lame duck. He said quite plainly if the new congress would not work with him then he would go it alone wherever he could. He used his executive authority to engage a bombing campaign against ISIS, to sign a controversial trade agreement with China, to raise the minimum wage of federal workers and to temporarily stay the deportation of over 5 million illegal immigrants. In a State of the Union address that was as combative as any campaign speech he has ever given, he challenged Republicans to set aside party differences and join him in doing the people’s work. He made it clear that he had no more campaigns to run and therefore nothing to lose.

Voters responded. Today the president’s approval rating stands at 50% and the Republican path to the White House seems far less certain.

You see the Republicans, pundits and at risk Democratic candidates misinterpreted those pre-mid-term polls. Voters didn’t want the president to roll back his agenda…they wanted him to fight harder and push the envelope further. How do I know this?

Because I was one of those polled. I was one of those people who generally supports the president’s agenda but disapproves of the way he is handling his job. I don’t want him to roll back his agenda. I want him to fight harder for those things he promised. So when asked if I approve of the way the president is handling his job, my answer before the mid-terms was a resounding “NO”. But when asked that same question today my answer is a resounding “Yes.” This is the Obama that I want to see. And millions of Americans agree with me.

Taken individually, most of the items on the president’s agenda are wildly popular among the electorate. I want a president who fights for those principles but is willing to compromise to get things done. I understand that the president can’t get everything he wants. But by throwing down the “my way or the highway” gauntlet in the past or sidestepping issues for political expediency, his tactics are not any different than those of his obstructionist opponents. The key is to compromise and get something in return to move the agenda forward. You want to raise the minimum wage…give Republicans a lower corporate tax rate in exchange. You want a massive infrastructure bill…work out a common sense increase in the eligibility age for Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare.

The president’s agenda has not changed. It remains popular among a vast majority of the electorate. It’s his tactics that have played hell with his approval/disapproval among the masses.

Post mid-term Obama is the one the voters elected…twice.

The polls don’t lie. You just have to know how to read them.

Campaigns and Elections

CAMPAIGNS - The race for the Republican presidential nomination kicked off in earnest this weekend.
Representative Steve King hosted the inaugural Iowa Freedom Summit in Des Moines on Saturday where nine Republican hopefuls tried to convince the social conservative base why they should be the next commander-in-chief. Serious candidates Chris Christie, Scott Walker, Rick Perry, Ben Carson, Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum and Carly Fiorina all took aim at the Obama Administration. Not so serious candidates Sarah Palin and Donald Trump also appeared; doing their best to remain relevant on the national stage.

The clear winner of the festivities was Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker. Conservative Republicans are desperate for a fresh face that is active in the trenches and boasts winning record defending conservative values. Walker hits the trifecta.

On Sunday the billionaire Koch brothers hosted a presidential forum in Palm Springs. Ted Cruz, Rand Paul and Marco Rubio traded blows on the economy, foreign affairs tax reform and immigration.

Noticeably absent from the weekend’s festivities…Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush.
Elitist, establishment Republicans want no part of Romney or Bush. They view Romney as a two time loser and Bush as another, well…Bush. But the people that vote don’t share in that opinion. In every poll Romney leads all other Republican candidates by at least 5 points. And should he run, Romney can and will raise money like no other Republican candidate could ever dream possible. Then there is the critical minority vote where Bush and only Bush can hold court. Even Rubio pales in comparison.
Bush says that he wants to steer clear of “gotcha politics” and run a positive campaign based on the issues. Romney has yet to formally enter the race. Perhaps that is why they chose not to show up this weekend. That was a mistake. Their absence sends a message that they somehow feel they are “better than” their opponents and have no need to bother themselves with such trivia. The fact is both Bush and Romney will have a very difficult time gaining the nomination. The baggage they carry is very real and very heavy. At some point they will have to prove themselves by mixing it up with their opponents. Then we will see if their front runner status is deserved.

ELECTIONS MATTER – Did you happen to see “60 Minutes” last night?

Speaker Boehner and Majority Leader McConnell sat down for an interview with Scott Pelley. The subject was the president’s State of the Union address. Pelley asked both legislative leaders to comment on the possibility of any of the president’s stated agenda making it through congress.

One by one Pelley ticked off the president’s bucket list and each time the leaders said “No.” McConnell then went on to express his surprise at the president’s combativeness saying: “…my first thought was it sounded like he was running for a third term…He seemed to have completely forgotten or chose to ignore the election last November.” Speaker Boehner chimed in that he was disappointed that the president didn’t “taken just a little bit different tone that would have indicated to us that there’s some interest in working with us.”

Boehner and McConnell’s comments to a national audience would be laughable it they weren’t so sad. Apparently the two most powerful men in congress were wounded by the fact that this president was treating their victory in the November mid-terms in the exact same manner that they treated his general election victories in 2008 and 2012. And had they been listening they would have been aware that the president spent the last ten minutes of his speech offering them the olive branch that they claim to so deeply desire.

The truth is that the leadership has no interest in compromising on anything. The plan, as McConnell clearly outlined, will be to pass a series of partisan bills, like repealing Obamacare that the president is certain to veto. The problem with this strategy is tHAT come 2016 voters will want to know if the new Republican majority made good on its campaign promise “to get things done.” Engaging in obstructionist tactics and repealing exiting law is not governing. It is partisan politics as usual.