Barackface: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Showing posts with label Franklin D. Roosevelt. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 05, 2014

Barack Obama's Third And Fourth Terms

Hillary and Natalie (Photo credit: Dan Correia)

I was Barack Obama's first full time volunteer in all of New York City where literally every black politician except Bill Perkins was for Hillary. I was early and hard core. For me Hillary is about term limits. Barack Obama deserves a third and a fourth term, and that is where Hillary comes in as far as I am concerned.

Hillary will win big, it is because FDR's third victory was bigger than his first and second victories. The 2008 primary really is not over until Hillary becomes president because that primary had two winners, the first black president and the first woman president.

I have been ready for Hillary since 1991, although I don't see me actively campaigning. I did not in 2012. In 2007-08 it was a real struggle. 2012 was not a struggle, 2016 will be even less so. I am in coasting mode.

And, by the way, stop f________ with Indian diplomats.

Franklin D. Roosevelt 1932 presidential election

Roosevelt won 57% of the vote and carried all but six states. Historians and political scientists consider the 1932-36 elections a realigning election that created a new majority coalition for the Democrats, made up of organized labor, blacks, and ethnic Americans such as Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans and Jews. This transformed American politics and starting what is called the "New Deal Party System"

Landslide re-election, 1936

Roosevelt and Garner won 60.8% of the vote and carried every state except Maine and Vermont.[138] The New Deal Democrats won even larger majorities in Congress. Roosevelt was backed by a coalition of voters which included traditional Democrats across the country, small farmers, the "Solid South", Catholics, big city political machines, labor unions, northern African Americans, Jews, intellectuals and political liberals. This coalition, frequently referred to as the New Deal coalition, remained largely intact for the Democratic Party until the 1960s.

Election of 1940

FDR systematically undercut prominent Democrats who were angling for the nomination, including Vice President John Nance Garner[167] and two cabinet members, Secretary of State Cordell Hull and James Farley, Roosevelt's campaign manager in 1932 and 1936, the Postmaster General and the Democratic Party chairman. Roosevelt moved the convention to Chicago where he had strong support from the city machine (which controlled the auditorium sound system). At the convention the opposition was poorly organized, but Farley had packed the galleries. Roosevelt sent a message saying that he would not run unless he was drafted, and that the delegates were free to vote for anyone. The delegates were stunned; then the loudspeaker screamed "We want Roosevelt... The world wants Roosevelt!" The delegates went wild and he was nominated by 946 to 147 on the first ballot. The tactic employed by Roosevelt was not entirely successful, as his goal had been to be drafted by acclamation. ..... He won the 1940 election with 55% of the popular vote and 38 of the 48 states.

Election of 1944

Roosevelt replaced Wallace with Missouri Senator Harry S. Truman, best known for his battle against corruption and inefficiency in wartime spending. The Republicans nominated Thomas E. Dewey, the liberal governor of New York. The opposition lambasted FDR and his administration for domestic corruption, bureaucratic inefficiency, tolerance of Communism, and military blunders. Labor unions, which had grown rapidly in the war, threw their all-out support behind Roosevelt. In a relatively close 1944 election, Roosevelt and Truman won 53% of the vote and carried 36 states.

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Barack Obama's Greatness

Jonathan Chait is making tremendous sense.

The Case for Obama: Why He Is a Great President. Yes, Great.

I supported Obama because I judged him to have a keen analytical mind, grasping both the possibilities and the limits of activist government, and possessed of excellent communicative talents. I thought he would nudge government policy in an incrementally better direction. I consider his presidency an overwhelming success. ........ Obama’s résumé of accomplishments is broad and deep, running the gamut from economic to social to foreign policy. The general thrust of his reforms, especially in economic policy, has been a combination of politically radical and ideologically moderate. The combination has confused liberals into thinking of Obamaism as a series of sad half-measures, and conservatives to deem it socialism, but the truth is neither. Obama’s agenda has generally hewed to the consensus of mainstream economists and policy experts. What makes the agenda radical is that, historically, vast realms of policy had been shaped by special interests for their own benefit. Plans to rationalize those things, to write laws that make sense, molder on think-tank shelves for years, even generations. They are often boring. But then Obama, in a frenetic burst of activity, made many of them happen all at once. .......... It is noteworthy that four of the best decisions that Obama made during his presidency ran against the advice of much of his own administration. ....... On Libya, Obama’s staff presented him with options either to posture ineffectually or do nothing; he alone forced them to draw up an option that would prevent a massacre. And Obama overruled some cautious advisers and decided to kill Osama bin Laden. ............ The latter three decisions are all highly popular now, but all of them carried the risk of inflicting a mortal political wound, like Bill Clinton’s health-care failure and Jimmy Carter’s attempted raid into Iran. (George W. Bush, presented with a similar option, did not strike bin Laden.) In making these calls, Obama displayed judgment and nerve. ............. the pervasive disillusionment felt by Obama’s supporters. It is a sentiment that has shadowed every Democratic president since Franklin Roosevelt, and even Roosevelt provoked long bouts of agony and disillusionment among his supporters. ..... Obama can boast a record of accomplishment that bests any president since Roosevelt, and has fewer demerits on his record than any of them, including Roosevelt. The only president that comes close in gross positive accomplishment is Lyndon Johnson, whose successes were overwhelmed by his failures to such a degree that he abandoned his reelection campaign. ........ September 14, 2008, when the U.S. financial system imploded. ... Obama managed to stabilize the financial system and, through the stimulus, avert a total collapse in consumer demand. ...... Voters reward or punish incumbents based on the weather or the success of local sports teams. ...... In 2004, Romney dismissed any attempt to blame George W. Bush for the decline of jobs under his watch as “poppycock.” ....... the Republicans' leadership in Congress grasped early on that its path to returning to power required Obama to fail, and that they could help bring this about by denying his initiatives any support ......... What can be said without equivocation is that Obama has proven himself morally, intellectually, temperamentally, and strategically. In my lifetime, or my parents’, he is easily the best president.

The Case Against Romney: At Heart, He’s a Delusional One-Percenter

The different iterations of his career differ so wildly, yet comport so perfectly with his political ambitions of the moment, that it is simply impossible to separate his panders from his actual beliefs, the means from the ends. ....... what Romney believes in above all is himself ...... when his campaign appeared hopeless, Romney approaches politics like a business deal: “Just do and say what you need to do to get the deal done, and then when it’s done, do what you know actually needs to be done to make the company a success.” ...... Romney truly believes in his own abilities ... He is a highly intelligent, accomplished individual. ...... that, once in office, he will craft sensible and data-driven, and perhaps even bipartisan, solutions to our problems — surely accounts for his political resurrection ....... a vote for Romney is a vote for his party ..... The party has almost no capacity to respond to the conditions and problems that actually exist in the world. ...... In the face of a consensus for short-term fiscal stimulus, they have turned back to ancient Austrian doctrines and urged immediate spending cuts. In the face of rising global temperatures and a hardening scientific consensus on the role of carbon emissions, their energy plan is to dig up and burn every last molecule of coal and oil as rapidly as possible. ....... Ryan’s frequently proclaimed belief that society is divided between “makers” and “takers.” It also informed Romney’s infamous diatribe against the lazy, freeloading 47 percenters. It is a grotesque, cruel, and disqualifying ethical framework for governing. ...... Both his fealty to his party and his belief in his own abilities point in the same direction: the entitlement of the superrich to govern the country.

Romney’s Nevada Bluff

Obama’s lead in the electoral college is persistent, but rests on very narrow advantages. ...... the polls miss the impact both of Reid’s turnout operation and the strength of the Latino vote. (Most polls don’t ask questions in Spanish, and thus miss the Spanish-speaking vote, which is expanding in size.) ...... their leaks about internal polling and the electoral map are a cultivated plan to project a false optimism.

Romney Says He’s Winning — It’s a Bluff

Romney is carefully attempting to project an atmosphere of momentum, in the hopes of winning positive media coverage and, thus, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. .... Last week, for instance, Romney’s campaign blared out the news that it was pulling resources out of North Carolina. The battleground was shifting! Romney on the offensive! On closer inspection, it turned out that Romney was shifting exactly one staffer. ....... 2000 .. Bush even spent the final days stumping in California, supposedly because he was so sure of victory he wanted an icing-on-the-cake win in a deep blue state. ........ Adding to his base of uncontested states, Nevada, Ohio, and Wisconsin would give Obama 271 electoral votes. According to the current polling averages compiled at fivethirtyeight.com, Obama leads Nevada by 3.5 percent, Ohio by 2.9 percent, and Wisconsin by 4 percent. Should any of those fail, Virginia and Colorado are nearly dead even. ....... he is leading, his lead is not declining, and the widespread perception that Romney is pulling ahead is Romney’s campaign suckering the press corps with a confidence game.

A Zombie Is a Slave Forever

For the slave under French rule in Haiti — then Saint-Domingue — in the 17th and 18th centuries, life was brutal: hunger, extreme overwork and cruel discipline were the rule. Slaves often could not consume enough calories to allow for normal rates of reproduction; what children they did have might easily starve.

Gov. Christie: Obama has been 'outstanding'

Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey normally isn't effusive about President Obama. .... The two politicians will tour storm damage together on Wednesday afternoon..... Obama will join Christie to talk to New Jersey residents affected by the superstorm and to thank first responders.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

The Mini Me Stimulus Bill Lacks Imagination

It is half the size of the original stimulus bill, which was too small in size in the first place. Tax cuts don't cut it.

A stimulus is like an electric shock to the heart. It is only appropriate for extreme circumstances. And logic for normal times does not apply. Too much of political debate in America has been about trying to apply normal time logic to abnormal times.

When you see the threat of a Great Depression, you go into massive deficit spending. But there is no budget for it is no argument. FDR was not given a World War II budget. He spent massively anyway.

Right now it feels like America is in terminal decline.

This great economic crisis is a time to rearchitect America in a massive way. This crisis is a grand opportunity. Tax cuts to make cry baby Republicans happy, extending unemployment benefits, keeping teachers and firefighters on payroll, those are all wonderful goals, but none of them are to do with the jobs, companies and industries of tomorrow.

Europe and America are now suffering from what Japan has been suffering from for close to two decades now. Band aid solutions don't work in these situations.

Bold, Drastic Action Necessary

Japan, Europe, America: Three Trillion Dollars

The three old economies should cough up some money and put a big chunk of it into connecting every human being to broadband internet. Down the line this infrastructure can be sold off to the private sector. The costs incurred now will be recouped.

Finance: A New World Order

The dollar's special place in the world has to come to an end. It is that special status that gives rise to fiscal irresponsibility on Capitol Hill.

A Total Spread Of Democracy

Total internet access will bring about a total spread of democracy. The people will rise on their own. They will help themselves. They will talk to each other and build the institutions of democracy.

Rule Of Law Between Nations

National armies are hangovers from the era of the nation state. Globalization taken to its logical end asks for rule of law between nations.

The Education Bubble

Peter Thiel is right. The education bubble is way bigger and way more dangerous than the housing bubble. Universal broadband has to be brought to the service of lifelong education for everyone on the planet. Traditional schools and colleges are simply not delivering. Their reaches are way too small.

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Stimulus Bill Was Messed Up

Mussolini (left) and Hitler sent their armies ...

Image via Wikipedia

It was too small. It should have been at least a trillion. (Stimulus: Make It A Trillion, Stimulus: Size Matters)
One third of the stimulus going to tax cuts was a huge mistake. That was like appeasing the Republicans, not one of who voted for the bill anyways. When the world appeased Hitler, World War II happened. When Obama appeased the Republicans, the Tea Party happened, and he lost the House.
That one third should have been spent on jobs programs where you train people for a week and you send them out to work for $10 per hour, $20 per hour. (Three Million Jobs)
The number one goal of the stimulus bill should have been to take every American to one gigabit per second kind of internet access. But most of the focus stayed on physical construction. That was the equivalent of FDR putting all his stimulus money into farm jobs. No, he focused on industries, and the jobs of tomorrow.
There was not enough global focus. There were too many Great Depression lessons that were applied to the Great Recession. The number one aspect of this Great Recession is its global component. A new global financial architecture has to be built. That is policy level work.

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Is America In Decline? Is It Rome Or FDR?

CHICAGO - NOVEMBER 04: A young child wearing ...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

The New Republic: Political Columnists Think America Is In Decline. Big Surprise.: Samuel P. Huntington noted that the theme of “America’s decline” had in fact been a constant in American culture and politics since at least the late 1950s. It had come, he wrote, in several distinct waves: in reaction to the Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik; to the Vietnam war; to the oil shock of 1973; to Soviet aggression in the late 1970s; and to the general unease that accompanied the end of the Cold War. Since Huntington wrote, we can add at least two more waves: in reaction to 9/11, and to the current “Great Recession.” ..... “By faith and honor, / Our madams mock at us, and plainly say / Our mettle is bred out and they will give / Their bodies to the lust of English youth / To new-store France with bastard warriors.”

There has been relentless talk that America is in decline. Just like the Roman Empire ended and the sun set on the British Empire as World War II concluded, America's number one position is now gone. That is the suggestion. That is one train of thought. (Another Trillion To Buy Real Estate?)

Another train of thought is that Barack Obama is like FDR. His Great Recession is like FDR's Great Depression was. Just like that big crisis, handled well, took America to new heights, Obama will handle this crisis well as well, and America will be taken to heights it has never seen before. (Father Of India Dot Com Craze Gives A Thumbs Up To America)

I belong to that second school of thought. I am a Barack Obama fan. I am an optimist. I have a realistic idea of where India and China stand today. China is still largely a Third World country. Hundreds of millions of Chinese are still Third World poor. And China does not have America's democracy or diversity.

But I am a cautious optimist. They say the proudest title to wear in a democracy is that of a citizen. The proudest hat during Obama 08 was that of a volunteer and I was wearing that hat. Barack Obama has done a good job so far, but he has not yet done everything that needs to be done. The unemployment level has to go down to five or six per cent on his watch, for example. And the political winds might blow in some unforeseen ways, he might lose the House next month. That might complicate matters for him.

The fundamental transformation has not happened. If America were to go back to the same old same old now, if America were to go back to being a country where only white men became president like the Tea Party wants, then yes, America is a power in decline. It is already a multi-polar world as it should be. Attitudes that get alarmed that China is pulling hundreds of millions out of poverty are attitudes that will ensure America's decline.

America could emerge stronger than ever out of this crisis, but that is not a certain outcome. The arc of history bends towards justice, but it does not bend on its own. There is work to be done. America could still see a second industrial revolution driven by clean tech.

Saturday, October 02, 2010

Health Care For FDR, Iran For Lincoln

Image via WikipediaLong before the first primary vote was cast, Barack said, for him it was not if he can get elected president, the issue was, once he got elected, could he become a great president. That's my guy. Well, after health care reform, he has hit FDR levels. Destiny put the Great Recession in his lap. That was a recipe for greatness. You need a big crisis to become a great president.

But there is a difference between FDR and Lincoln. FDR is Mars, Lincoln is Jupiter. You need an issue like slavery to hit Lincoln heights. The closest thing to slavery we have today are the women in the Arab world and what the mullahs do to them on a daily basis. The black slaves back in the days did not have to walk around with their heads covered.
That is where Iran comes in. Iran is Barack's chance to attempt Lincoln heights.

The question is not if the mullahs in Iran will go, of course they will go. Of course the democracy movement in Iran will succeed. The question is, can we turn success in Iran into a 1989 moment for the Arab world at large? I want the Saudi king out. I want Mubarak out. I want democracy in Jordan. I want democracy in Syria.

I think it is possible if all us play our roles, those of us who are members of the global netroots/grassroots, those who in power in the democracies of the world, the diaspora of those countries. We all have to pitch in and do all we can for the masses in those countries.

The hunger to be free resides in every heart, in every soul. There is a plant in every seed, but the seed does not become a plant on its own. It needs that right environment. We have to creat that environment.

A democracy movement is both art and science.

Friday, September 10, 2010

Bill Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani

Image via Wikipedia
So I met this Clinton 92 veteran dude at a Digital Dumbo event. (Digital Dumbo 18: The Dumbo Loft)

A week or two later he emailed me saying he had just read a newspaper article on Reshma and he thought that would be a great way to get on the Inside City Hall program on NY1. I passed on that email to Kevin, the campaign manager, and James, the media guy, and I asked the Clinton guy to share any contacts he might have with Kevin and James. Since I have not talked to him. Or to Kevin and James about this.

And now we get this: Reshma Saujani On NY1: The Big Moment.

This is how a skillful former president does what he needs to do, what he knows is the right thing to do.

And Jesse Jackson showing up right before Reshma's NY1 appearance is no accident. It is possible he showed up on his own as a proud Chicago guy. Or maybe Bill Clinton and Jesse Jackson had a little talk before that.

Hillary Clinton Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani
Barack Obama Just Endorsed Reshma Saujani

Who is next? FDR? Abraham Lincoln?

Monday, August 23, 2010

Maloney Should Skip Radio Debate And Create Jobs For An Hour Instead

This is me feeling Baruch College's pain. This is me feeling the pain of NY1. This is me feeling the pain of the League Of Women Voters. Maloney disrespected each of them and it is still not too late to remedy the situation.

Maloney kept saying she is too busy creating jobs for America to bother accepting debate invitations. Now I know how the unemployment rate went down from 12% to a measly 10%. I want it to go down to 8%. And I want Maloney to not show up for her radio debate on September 7. Because I care. Because I think it is important that jobs are created.

I have always known Maloney is kind of on the old side. But I did not realize how old until she expressed her preference for FDR era technology.

I hereby propose as one of Barack's earliest and strongest supporters in the country that Barack switch from his weekly addresses on YouTube to exclusive radio addresses. Pay homage to FDR, yo. He was a great president. Even Newt Grinch thinks he was a great president.

I am so offended by the radio format of the September 7 debate that I am going to actively campaign for Carolyn Maloney to not show up for the debate. Carolyn, I don't want you there. Stay put in DC, go create some jobs. You have overstayed your welcome. How I know that is because you got a serious attitude problem. Somewhere along the way you acquired senioritis.

If you ask me, I think this whole debate circus has gone way out of hand. Folks, we got a situation on our hands. Are you paying attention?

The Debate Format

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Carolyn Maloney's Newest Lie

Fisher 500 AM/FM hi-fi receiver from 1959. Cou...

Image via WikipediaCarolyn Maloney met Reshma Saujani long weeks ago at an event. Reshma Saujani proposed they debate, Maloney said sure. The following day Maloney put out a statement saying she never agreed to such a debate. Maloney lied.

Only a few days back a promising, young, female TV reporter asked Maloney point blank if she will debate Reshma Saujani. Maloney danced around the question. The reporter asked again, point blank. Maloney said her staff was in conversation with Reshma's staff about the details of such a thing. Maloney lied. Her staff has n-e-v-e-r been in conversation with Reshma's staff. Maloney lied.

A day later she put out a press release saying a debate has been fixed for September 7. There never was a negotiation, how can a debate have been fixed? Maloney is making it sound like she and Reshma talked about it, and together they decided they are going to hold a debate on radio - alarm bells ringing (Reshma is too digitally savvy to agree to a FDR era technology) - during the work day on September 7. I have not bothered to ask Reshma to ask if it is true. Because it is so obvious to me that Maloney is lying, again. Reshma would not agree to such outmoded technology. She is a YouTube/Facebook/Twitter kind of person. She will agree to nothing less than a TV debate that a bunch of TV channels are eager to host.

Maloney. Lied. Again.

No wonder we have suffered from the Great Rececession and the Big Oil Spill. Maloney is a big reason why.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Save Immigration For 2011

Official presidential portrait of Barack Obama...

Image via Wikipedia

As to what will happen in November of this year is anyone's guess, but Obama has set his mind to make history again by doing the best he can to keep the House and the Senate. If he loses one chamber, the next two years start looking shaky in terms of legislative work.

Passing health care reform was historic, and puts Obama in the FDR league of greatness. Work on financial sector reform also looks promising. Success on health made work on finance easy.

Obama might get tempted to make as much headway as possible on immigration as well. His commitment to the issue is beyond doubt, and the Hispanic caucus might even argue that putting immigration reform front and center will ensure crucial Hispanic turnout. And the Hispanic voters tend to cast the deciding vote.

That might as well be the case, but my instinct tells me the best strategy would be keep the immigration issue alive but saving actual work on it to begin in early 2011, hopefully to be completed by the end of that year, if not earlier. Some of the passions exhibited during the health care debate were to do with a really bad economy. People were hurting and anxious.

Health care reform, financial sector reform, comprehensive immigration reform: these are huge issues, and huge accomplishments when work is completed.

By the end of 2011 though, as Obama gears for his reelection effort, he is going to have to talk deficits and debt loud and clear. He will have to run on the platform that he will have balanced the budget early in his second term. Actually hinting towards that eventuality might be a great theme to keep echoing in the lead up to November this year itself.

A nuanced strategy would be to begin work on immigration this year but barely, so it does rouse Hispanic turnout at the polls, enough to tilt the tide in favor of Obama keeping both chambers, but to do actual work after the election is over. It is because immigration is a volatile issue. The top priority for the rest of this year for Obama has to be to keep the House and keep the Senate.

Gulf Oil Spill
A Dirty Bomb Just Went Off In The Gulf
In South Africa They Had Apartheid, In America They Got Immigration
Do I Know Rajiv Shah?
The Obama FDR Parallels
Obama's Got Momentum: He Could Defy History In November
State Of The Union: In Good Hands
Supreme Court Vs. Obama
Iran: An Opportunity

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Gun Toting Protestors: Racist

They did not show up for either Bush, Clinton, or the elder Bush. So this is not partisan. They did not show up for FDR, so this is not to do with the Great Depression's grand cousin, the Great Recession that we are ploughing through right now.

This is about race and racism. This is guttural. This is about some guys showing up with knives at a Hillary health care rally in Oregon in 1994. That was about gender, like Newt Gingrich told Bob Reich back then, "Tell the president, we like him, but his wife should not be making policy."

You can be thrown in jail for putting in writing that you intend to harm the President Of The United States, but you are okay if you show up for his rally with a gun? This makes absolutely no sense. The news is not that they are showing up, but that we are putting up with their showing up with their guns.

Granted the secret service keeps cordons around the POTUS, but how long before some nut mows down about 10 people in the audience before we cry Columbine? The political damage would be huge.

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