tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78443158059409119572024-03-13T05:22:17.238-07:00Roger's Unorthodox ThoughtsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-64812949992950694892010-10-21T16:21:00.000-07:002010-10-21T16:23:30.008-07:00Solving the Housing MessThere actually is a solution to the foreclosure mess which would go a long way to solving the underlying mortgage mess, increase consumer spending, cut tens of billions from the deficit and in all probability be the ultimate October Surprise that retains Democratic control of Congress and probably would reelect the President in 2012. It could be done with the combined power and authority of the Executive Branch in conjunction with the Federal Reserve.<br /><br />It is the automatic refinancing of all outstanding mortgages to the currently available interest rates. The Fed has pushed down interest rates as low as they can – to almost zero between banks and to 4.25% for 30 year loans as of today. That should be resulting in a vast wave of refinancing – people bringing their 6%, 7% or 8% loans down to 4.25% -- unleashing a large effective increase in consumer spending. But the banks will not refinance because they require adequate collateral – house has to be well above water – and great credit history and employment prospects – which has become increasing rate in this economy. Those requirements would make perfect sense if we were talking about new customers coming in for new loans. But the bank is already on the hook for that borrower’s negative equity and ability to pay.<br />Decreasing the interest rates actually decreases the likelihood of default because the homeowner has a lower monthly “nut” to come up with.<br /><br />At this point through the various existing loan guarantees and the government bail outs of Fannie Mae and Fredie Mac, the Treasury is already backstopping a vast number of these loans already. I wonder if part a driver of the foreclosure is that the banks need to foreclose to collect on the Federal guarantees. The Federal Reserve is practically giving the banks money by providing it at zero percent interest, so requiring some of those savings to trickle down to the consumers is perfectly fair.<br /><br />Extending this lower interest rate to all homeowners overcomes the gut level moral objections to the helping those in trouble – “why should the deadbeats who can’t pay their mortgages and the people who bought houses beyond their means be bailed out?” But with this program, the evil “They” are only be helped to the exact same extent as the hardworking homeowners who have struggled to make every mortgage payment on time.<br /><br />Doing this automatic mortgage interest rate reset would actually be a great help to the Federal Budget. The Mortgage Home Interest Deduction is by far the largest itemized deduction on personal income taxes. The Urban Institute calculates it as $131 billion in forgone revenue a year. So if home interest was suddenly 40% less overall, the Treasury would take in additional $40 billion per year.<br /><br />The foreclosure document crisis could be used as the carrot and stick to get the banks to reduce these interest charges. Refinancing everyone would produce a set of good clean documents, that hopefully the financial institutions could keep track of going forward. The President could also use his Pardon Power to free those who agree to these terms from the threat of civil or criminal prosecution. Finally for those who don’t agree, in addition to the threat of criminal prosecution, they could be cut off from future sale of their mortgages to Fannie and Freddie, which puts them effectively out of the mortgage business. And if that isn’t enough, the Fed can shut their access to the zero percent money window.<br /><br />All of this can be done without Congressional action. It simply requires the act of will on the part of the Administration and to a lesser extent the Bernanke and the Federal Reserve (which is looking for new ways to help the economy now that interest rates can’t decline any further.)<br /><br />Although, of course, the jolt it would give the economy and the help on the deficit are the most important things. But consider the political impact – after a day of high level meetings with Bernanke and various agency heads and perhaps bank heads – Obama announces this program from the Oval Office in a prime time address. And with those words, every homeowner would know that this President had significantly reduced their mortgage payments. (Someone owing $400K with a 7.25% mortgage would save a thousand dollars a month). Let the Republicans rail against it and call it an Election stunt. This would be the change that we could believe in.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-79207326717145565432010-10-21T15:01:00.000-07:002010-10-21T15:08:44.853-07:00What Obama Could Have Learned From the Godfather(Published in Politico)
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<br />Barack Obama said during the 2008 campaign that his favorite movie was “The Godfather.” But the president apparently views “The Godfather” as a crime or family drama — not as the most important work on the use of power by an Italian since Machiavelli’s “The Prince.”
<br />Lessons from Don Corleone would have helped Obama avoid many of the mistakes in his first year and a half in office.
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<br /><strong>Remember that the don has done you this favor. </strong>
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<br /></strong>As a powerful man, the don does many people many favors. But they know that something will be expected of them in return. When that moment comes, they had better be willing to return the favor. This favor bank is a great source of the don’s power.
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<br /></strong>Obama has been all quid, with no pro quo. With Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) down on his luck — no job in the McCain administration and the Democratic Caucus skeptical of his liberal credentials — Obama intervened. Because of that, Lieberman got the committee chairmanship he so desperately wanted. But, somehow, attached to that favor were no strings — for example, no condition that he could vote as he wanted on bills but would support the caucus on breaking filibusters.
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<br /><strong>Sometimes you need to leave a horse head in the bed. </strong>
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<br /></strong>The don knows that when the situation has reached an impasse, it’s time for the unexpected move that shows you can hurt your opponents in personal ways that they cannot expect, let alone imagine: a calculated overreaction that shows your opponents their actions have consequences.
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<br /></strong>Take, for example, the blocking of hundreds of administration appointments by Republicans. At one point, Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby announced he was blocking all pending appointments to secure a few million dollars in Defense Department pork for his state.
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<br />That would have been the moment to strike: Call up Majority Leader Harry Reid and ask to recess for a day. Then recess-appoint all pending appointments. And give a Rose Garden address saying that our problems are too important for this kind of malarkey.
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<br />Of course, for good measure during recess, Obama could have appointed all those who would never have been confirmed by the Senate — and given Shelby a “Sicilian message” by appointing someone from the Southern Poverty Law Center as U.S. attorney for Alabama.
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<br /><strong>Go to the mattresses.
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<br />When a gangland war gets serious, the don has to “go to the mattresses.” That means he assembles all his forces, which stay ready 24 hours a day by sleeping in secret apartments.
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<br />Clearly, when the Republicans began filibustering everything, it was time to go to the mattresses — that is, keep the Senate in session continuously and make the Republicans filibuster “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” style. That would have shown the country where the obstruction really lay.
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<br />Whenever the possibility of real physical discomfort or even inconvenience has arisen, the Republicans have backed down.
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<br /><strong>Never tell anyone outside the family what you are thinking.
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<br />Note to Rahm Emanuel: This includes “on background” and “high administration official” leaks.
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<br /><strong>When Michael says that he will save the family by killing Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo and police Capt. McCluskey, Sonny laughs and says it’s not easy like the Army — “You blow their brains out all over your Ivy League suit.”</strong>
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<br />In the don’s world, Ivy Leaguers are a rarity, to say the least. Only a few of the men he depends on have been to college. But they do have knowledge useful to the don.
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<br />The administration should realize that true diversity of viewpoints does not come from hiring a rainbow coalition of appointees who all attended Harvard. A few people who attended a state college, or who had struggled a bit post-graduation, might have provided valuable insights.
<br />At first glance, the Obama administration appears to be the least educationally diverse administration ever. At least the Bush administration hired people who attended both Harvard and Yale.
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<br /><strong>The Don knows how to return a favor. </strong>
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<br /></strong>When consigliere Tom Hagen asks the movie producer to put Johnny Fontane in the movie, he assures him that the don knows how to return a favor.
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<br /></strong>After the unions spent $100 million to elect him, the least Obama could have done was push through the Employee Free Choice Act. And since making unions larger adds strength to the Democratic Party, it would have been doing a favor that made the granter even more powerful. The don would appreciate that.
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<br /><strong>It’s business, not personal. </strong>
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<br /></strong>It doesn’t matter how much fun you and McCain had together at the debates or on the campaign trail or how many times you invite Rep. John Boehner (R-Ohio) over to watch the Super Bowl.
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<br />They will fight you tooth and nail on everything — no matter what.
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<br /><strong>You can regain all that is lost by wiping out your enemies in one massive, lethal attack. </strong>
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<br /></strong>In one day, Michael Corleone is able to completely restore his family’s fortunes by wiping out all their enemies. Everything the family had done that made them look weak and inept had lulled their enemies into complacency, so the family’s surprise and triumph were complete.
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<br /></strong>Well, Barack, we’re waiting ...<em></em>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-62434450959514062422008-12-21T10:38:00.000-08:002008-12-21T10:59:32.706-08:00Mike ConnellI am still at an age when where hearing of the death of a contemporary still seems shocking. Mike Connell has been around the political internet about as long as I have -- we've been to enough of the same conferences that we would certainly recognize each other at the cocktail parties at the Conferences we attended. He died this morning in the crash of the private plane he was piloting.<br /><br />What I had no idea of, was that his death puts him at the center of conspiracy theory on the blogs. He had been forced to testify on the Monday before the election in a suit alleging he was a key player in fixing the 2004 Ohio vote. His "non-political" company was running the vote count website for the Ohio Sec. of State. As the returns were coming in and starting to show a Kerry lead, the site was switched from OH servers to ones in TN. According the allegations, after that was when the totals were changed as they came in in real time.<br /><br />The lawyers pushing the case forward also alleged that Rove was putting pressure on Connell to take the fall or stonewall. They were even asking for court protection for Connell -- although it doesn't appear that Connell was asking for that protection. Another blog noted that Rove was predicting an upset until the day Connell testified -- the implication being that having to testify put the scare into Connell so he pulled the plug on fixing 2008 as he had in 2004.<br /><br />So the speculation is that Connell was killed to keep him from testifying. Although if I accepted all that blogs alleged, I prefer the supposition that he was killed for refusing to the fix 2008 -- it's more Godfather.<br /><br />Let me say that I have no first hand knowledge that would lead me to believe or disbelieve any of this. It just feels very weird to have this circulating around someone you shock hands with and would chat with until some more likely to give him business came into view.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-30109597585899792092008-12-18T18:07:00.000-08:002008-12-18T18:08:04.730-08:00Kids and Prop. 8<div id="dsq-comment-message-4514136" class="dsq-comment-message">This has radicalized my 8 year old daughter Edith -- whose uncle is gay and in a relationship that predates her birth. She says: "No 8 No Proposition 8" and made a poster. She wants to know what kids can do to have no Proposition 8s.</div> <span id="dsq-edit-wrap-4514136" style="display: none;"> <a href="http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/markos-on-obama-and-warren.html?disqus_reply=4514136#" id="dsq-edit-4514136" style="display: none;">edit</a> </span><a id="dsq-post-video-4514136" href="http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/markos-on-obama-and-warren.html?disqus_reply=4514136#" style="display: none;"><img src="http://media.disqus.com/images/seesmic/record.png" class="dsq-record-img" alt="" /> record video comment</a><span id="dsq-reblog-wrap-4514136" style="display: none;"> <a href="http://www.americablog.com/2008/12/markos-on-obama-and-warren.html?disqus_reply=4514136#" id="dsq-reblog-4514136" class="dsq-reblog">reb</a></span><span id="dsq-post-report-4514136" style="display: inline;"> </span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-78290748282338348772008-11-16T17:53:00.000-08:002008-11-16T18:02:52.377-08:00Children's ProgramingAs a father to an eleven year old and an eight year old, I have watched a lot of children's programing over the last decade. And it does bring up some questions and thoughts:<br /><br />Blues Clues: I imagine a final<span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"></span><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">episode</span> where Steve is finally given the right anti-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">psychotic</span> drugs, the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">hallucinations</span> go away and he wakes up -- in a locked <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">phsyc</span> ward.<br /><br />Max and Ruby: Here you have what appears to be a three year old being taken care of by a ten year old or so. Where are their parents? Where is child <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">protective</span> services? <br /><br />The Good Night Show: I'm sorry, but I think the woman who hosts that program is hot. (Of course, I also think the same about the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">weird</span> woman in the Progressive Insurance commercials).<br /><br />I'm sure I'll think of some more while I'm watching Noggin, <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Nickelodeon</span>, Disney, Sprout, etc.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-65891476772234809292008-09-10T11:29:00.000-07:002008-09-10T11:41:24.731-07:00Palin Anti-SemitismI have been waiting for this shoe to start to drop (oh no, is mentioning shoes sexist?): but we have the first evidence of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Palin's</span> being an anti-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Semite</span>. Her quote about people in small towns comes from a writer so anti-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Semitic</span> that the John Birch Society fired him. He believed that Eastern European Jews were inherently <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Communist</span>. So we know that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Palin</span> was reading extensively in his works. I thought something like this would turn up -- we killed her Lord, you know.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_source.html?showall">http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0908/Palins_source.html?showall</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-40411085755677916812008-09-09T07:01:00.000-07:002008-09-09T07:16:41.454-07:00De Je Vou All over AgainHow many times have we come out of our Convention sure of victory and then watched as the Republicans in starting in their Convention and then in weeks after the steal our country from us. After watching them manipulate <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">cultural</span> symbols at their convention, white working class America seems to say to itself -- "at least they know enough to lie to us about things we care about in terms we can understand." <br /><br />Finally, I worry that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Marogolis</span> is going to be this year's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Shrum</span> -- how can he take the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Obama</span> campaign and make boring ads?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-52642340246045074602008-09-07T08:53:00.000-07:002008-09-07T09:06:00.831-07:00A Winning Coalition vs. A Governing CoalitonHinted at in the coverage of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obama</span> campaign but never made explicit is that they appear to have made the transition from trying to put together a winning coalition to putting together a governing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">coalition</span>. A winning coalition strategy, perfected by Rove, is trying to put together 50%+1 votes in states with 271 electoral votes. With that strategy you essentially are able to win with 26% of the assuming they are exactly in the right places. It also means you focus like a laser beam on a few of the swing states and ignore the rest of the country.<br /><br />The downside of the strategy is that it provides neither a mandate supported by the majority of the country nor a <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">basis</span> of power to then govern the country.<br /><br />What <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Obama</span> is doing is putting together a governing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">coalition</span>. It has not only meant expanding the number of states in play and putting states in play through party building and registering voters -- but putting <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">resources</span> into states like Texas. Although <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Obama</span> will never win Texas, taking a few state <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">legislative</span> seats will give the Democrats control of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">legislature</span> and redistricting. That means more Representatives voting on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Obama's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">legislation</span> in 2010. Also Members who's election <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Obama</span> helped will have some reason for loyalty and sticking with him on tough votes. That is building a governing <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">coalition</span>.<br /><br />But now comes the worry time for that strategy. It was implemented at a time when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Obama's</span> campaign thought it would be able to drown the McCain campaign with $. Now it is clear the Republicans have given up on the House and Senate and are putting everything into the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Presidential</span>. Although <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Obama</span> should still be able to outspend McCain it is not going to be the blow out in spending it had looked like a few months ago. So our breaths are held.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-41925772554951161022008-09-06T17:12:00.000-07:002008-09-06T17:15:45.746-07:00Does Anyone Know the Books She Wanted to BanThe Post of the books Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Palin</span> wanted to ban turns out to be a list of the most popular books to ban (or would that be the least popular?). But clearly from the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">visceral</span> reaction to seeing the books, if we could find out what she wanted to ban so much she fired the librarian, it would be helpful. I can't feel too bad about the fact it is circulating, it is a teaspoon to ocean of "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Obama</span> is a Muslim" emails.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-75792434111011197432008-09-06T14:33:00.000-07:002008-09-06T14:44:30.251-07:00The Books Sarah Palin Wanted to BanBelow is a paragraph from this week's Time magazine article on Sarah <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Palin</span>:<br /><br />"[Former <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Wasilla</span> mayor] Stein says that as mayor, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Palin</span> continued to inject religious beliefs into her policy at times. "She asked the library how she could go about banning books," he says, because some voters thought they had inappropriate language in them. "The librarian was aghast." The librarian, Mary Ellen Baker, couldn't be reached for comment, but news reports from the time show that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Palin</span> had threatened to fire her for not giving "full support" to the mayor."<br /><br />Mary Ellen Baker <a title="http://www.pnla.org/quart/su99/alaska.htm" href="http://ex7.mail2web.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=64861dffe9454a8eac0ac54f0e2d98e4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.pnla.org%2fquart%2fsu99%2falaska.htm" target="_blank">resigned</a> from her library director job in 1999.<br /><br />Here is the list of books <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Palin</span> tried to have banned. As many of you will notice it is a hit parade for book burners.<br /><br />A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess<br />A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">L'Engle</span><br />Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden<br />As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner<br />Blubber by Judy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Blume</span><br />Brave New World by Aldous Huxley<br />Bridge to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Terabithia</span> by Katherine Paterson<br />Canterbury Tales by Chaucer<br />Carrie by Stephen <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">KingCatch</span>-22 by Joseph Heller<br />Christine by Stephen King<br />Confessions by Jean-Jacques Rousseau<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Cujo</span> by Stephen King<br />Curses, Hexes, and Spells by Daniel Cohen<br />Daddy's Roommate by Michael <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Willhoite</span><br />Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Peck<br />Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Decameron</span> by Boccaccio<br />East of Eden by John Steinbeck<br />Fallen Angels by Walter Myers<br />Fanny Hill (Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure) by John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Cleland</span><br />Flowers For Algernon by Daniel <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Keyes</span><br />Forever by Judy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Blume</span><br />Grendel by John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Champlin</span> Gardner<br />Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam<br />Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling<br />Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling<br />Harry Potter and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Prizoner</span> of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Azkaban</span> by J.K. Rowling<br />Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling<br />Have to Go by Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Munsch</span><br />Heather Has Two Mommies by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Leslea</span> Newman<br />How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell<br />Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain<br />I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou<br />Impressions edited by Jack Booth<br />In the Night Kitchen by Maurice <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Sendak</span><br />It's Okay if You Don't Love Me by Norma Klein<br />James and the Giant Peach by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Roald</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Dahl</span><br />Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence<br />Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman<br />Little Red Riding Hood by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm<br />Lord of the Flies by William Golding<br />Love is One of the Choices by Norma Klein<br />Lysistrata by Aristophanes<br />More Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz<br />My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier<br />My House by Nikki Giovanni<br />My Friend <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Flicka</span> by Mary O'Hara<br />Night Chills by Dean Koontz<br />Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck<br />On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer<br />One Day in The Life of Ivan <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Denisovich</span> by Alexander Solzhenitsyn<br />One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by Ken <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Kesey</span><br />One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez<br />Ordinary People by Judith Guest<br />Our Bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women's Health Collective<br />Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy<br />Revolting Rhymes by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Roald</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">DahlScary</span><br />Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones by Alvin Schwartz<br />Scary Stories in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz<br />Separate Peace by John Knowles<br />Silas <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Marner</span> by George Eliot<br />Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.<br />Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs<br />The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain<br />The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain<br />The Bastard by John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Jakes</span><br />The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger<br />The Chocolate War by Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Cormier</span><br />The Color Purple by Alice Walker<br />The Devil's Alternative by Frederick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Forsyth</span><br />The Figure in the Shadows by John <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Bellairs</span><br />The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck<br />The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson<br />The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood<br />The Headless Cupid by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Zilpha</span> Snyder<br />The Learning Tree by Gordon Parks<br />The Living Bible by William C. Bower<br />The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare<br />The New Teenage Body Book by Kathy McCoy and Charles <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Wibbelsman</span><br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Pigman</span> by Paul <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Zindel</span><br />The Seduction of Peter S. by Lawrence Sanders<br />The Shining by Stephen King<br />The Witches by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">Roald</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Dahl</span><br />The Witches of Worm by <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">Zilpha</span> Snyder<br />Then Again, Maybe I Won't by Judy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Blume</span><br />To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee<br />Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare<br />Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary by the Merriam-Webster Editorial Staff<br />Witches, Pumpkins, and Grinning Ghosts: The Story of the Halloween Symbols by Edna Barth<br /><br /><br />Too bad it leaves out the Wizard of Oz -- wanting to ban that ended the candidacy of a Republican VA LT. Gov candidate.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-4313036781743216072008-07-21T14:03:00.001-07:002008-07-21T14:05:56.659-07:00Black McCain SupportersRecent Washington Post poll has Obama getting 94% of the African American vote and McCain getting 1%. This proves something I have suspected for a while -- ALL black McCain supporters are working as pundits.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-55964589845933320572008-04-21T19:45:00.000-07:002008-04-21T19:47:24.221-07:00Funny Passover VideosCheck them out. It all started because I figured that there had to be a Matzo Man video taking off of the Village People (although no one did the obvious and had the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">stetle</span> people.<br /><br /><a href="http://ex7.mail2web.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e43c7c692a540aabd52118e570e1ca4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3dGL6Tim80g5A%26feature%3drelated" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL6Tim80g5A&feature=related</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ex7.mail2web.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e43c7c692a540aabd52118e570e1ca4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d_3Xiy5aK3AU%26feature%3drelated" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Xiy5aK3AU&feature=related</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ex7.mail2web.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e43c7c692a540aabd52118e570e1ca4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3d8t6AD2A2WpM%26feature%3drelated" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t6AD2A2WpM&feature=related</a><br /><br /><a href="http://ex7.mail2web.com/owa/redir.aspx?C=9e43c7c692a540aabd52118e570e1ca4&URL=http%3a%2f%2fwww.youtube.com%2fwatch%3fv%3diMiXJV6HSiU%26feature%3drelated" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMiXJV6HSiU&feature=related</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-59765258264440903132008-04-14T16:55:00.000-07:002008-04-14T16:59:37.292-07:00Obama the ElititestLooking at the whole <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Obama</span> elitist controversy, as usual the people are not adjusting to the new paradigm -- for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Obama</span> it is really basketball v. bowling. And even the people who still bowl, are following basketball and had their <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">brackets</span> in the NCAA <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">tournament</span>. Meanwhile Hillary is going all "Mitt Romney" as born again bowler and gun-nut. And of course, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Obama's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">net worth</span> is less than a tenth or fiftieth of Clinton's or McCain. <br /><br />When it actually comes down to the election and the economic problems we will be facing, we should remember that FDR wasn't much of a bowler either.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-90858295717287704882008-04-14T16:54:00.001-07:002008-04-14T16:55:01.209-07:00John McCain's Rural Jobs ProgramJohn McCain's rural jobs program is called "Stop Loss".Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-89561139996880041462008-04-08T19:04:00.000-07:002008-04-08T19:05:19.480-07:00End of the Primary CampaignIt isn't over until the lady in the pantsuit sings!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-68626388618179607282008-04-08T19:02:00.000-07:002008-04-08T19:03:56.720-07:00Amazing ImageFrom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Petreus's</span> testimony- we don't see a light at the end of the tunnel and we have pushed the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">champagne</span> bottle to the back of the fridge. Amazing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-67480799107451836282008-04-08T08:51:00.000-07:002008-04-08T08:52:37.338-07:00Charlton HestonI guess we can finally get his gun away from him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-56785481924464283482008-03-27T19:45:00.000-07:002008-03-27T19:58:15.801-07:00Are we in a Pre-Colonial Situation?I did a lot of my <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">academic</span> work studying colonialism. In most colonies there was a "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">pre</span>-colonial" period, in which forces external and internal reshaped society in way that lead to becoming controlled -- both economically and <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">politically</span> -- by an external western power. And in such a way that the colonial power could exert the control with an amazingly small number of its own people.<br /><br />The key was the creation of a "mediating elite." These were folks who even while local manufacturing was being destroyed by factories in Manchester were making bundles and improving their economic and social positions by selling those products in the local markets. You could see them as <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">economic</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">traitors</span> or of as free marketers. They often <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">seamlessly</span> became the local <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">collaborators</span> with the positions in the colonial <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">administrations</span> once the economic domination was <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">supplemented</span> with political control.<br /><br />There just seems to be a parallel between this piece of history and people like Sam Walton and becoming rich with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Walmart's</span> role in replacing American manufacturing with made in China. There also is a deeper connection with many of the policies of the last eight years that I will explore in later posts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-21202890129536398282008-03-26T18:53:00.000-07:002008-03-26T18:54:08.803-07:00Of course<span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1206580911_0">The Pentagon</span> on Wednesday said an eruption of violence in southern Iraq, where US-backed government forces were battling Shiite militias, was a "by-product of the success of the surge."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-33514409008480249232008-03-12T10:24:00.000-07:002008-03-12T10:27:35.230-07:00Spitzer 24/7CNN broke into their non-stop <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Spitzer</span> resignation coverage with the BREAKING NEWS that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Spitzer</span> had resigned. This was an hour after had happened and they were covering nothing but.<br /><br />Also, at 11 their Showbiz show is covering "What can <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Spitzer</span> learn from past Hollywood Sex Scandals", in other words this an excuse to re-cover every juicy star sex scandal for the last century.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-249158500581168882008-03-12T08:51:00.000-07:002008-03-12T08:54:24.550-07:00Daily Shot To Cover the Political Consultants ConventionI'm going to the American Association of Political Consultants convention in Santa Monica and so is the Daily Show. Here is the e-mail from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">AAPC</span> about it (personally, I would love to be interviewed by John Stewart on the couch, but if any of those other guys come by with cameras -- RUN AWAY):<br /><br /><strong>The Daily Show To Cover 2008 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pollie</span> Awards and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Conference </span></strong><br /><strong><span class="blsp-spelling-error">Hello</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Pollie</span> Stars!</strong><br /><br />Well, the good news is you may get press on the Daily Show - yup the same one that's attracting young voters and the rest of us all over the world. The bad news is to remember that they tend to devise great humor at the cost of their subjects. Comedy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Central's</span> hugely popular The Daily Show hosted by Jon Stewart is planning to do a story on The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Pollies</span> and has indicated some interest in using your entry in the piece. We have provided The Daily Show a list of firms that have submitted entries. That list includes ONLY the name of the piece, the name of the firm who produced the piece, and the category that the piece was submitted in. We have instructed the producers of The Daily Show to directly contact the firms who have submitted entries in the categories in which they are interested and to ask permission to use a piece on the show. You may receive a phone call or email in the next couple of days from a producer at Comedy Central requesting your <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Pollie</span> entry. The Daily Show is one of the most popular shows on TV and there is no doubt, this is an unmatched opportunity for free publicity for your work. However, as President of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">AAPC</span> it is important that I let you know a couple of things before you turn over your entry to the producers of The Daily Show:<br />If you are not familiar with The Daily Show, it is a comedy show specializing in satire of the news. The "bread and butter" of their program is to spoof a lot of things that our profession does.<br />If you are lucky enough to be interviewed by The Daily Show, do not try to "Out-Daily Show" The Daily Show. They are experts at what they do and can edit the piece. Just be yourself and represent your profession to the best of your ability.If you turn over an entry piece to The Daily Show, you do so at your own risk. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">AAPC</span> cannot offer any guarantee of how the piece might be used on the program.The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">AAPC</span> takes a lot of pride in being an advocate for our profession and seeks to put the interests of our profession and membership first. While your entry on appearing on The Daily Show might be prestigious, there is a possibility your entry could be made fun of. That is why, rather than the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">AAPC</span> turning over all of this year's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Pollies</span> entries to The Daily <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Show's</span> producers, we thought we would give you the opportunity to choose whether to participate or opt out. Please note that the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">AAPC</span> has not turned over ANY <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Pollie</span> Awards entries to The Daily Show. Good luck and I look forward to seeing you at the 17<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">th</span> Annual <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Pollie</span> Awards and Conference!Best Regards, Tony <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">FazioPresident</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">AAPC</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-30451506197859285552008-03-06T08:43:00.000-08:002008-03-06T08:52:17.780-08:00Settle it NowHere is my plan to settle it between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Barack</span> and Hilary:<br /><br />-- They have both earned a place on the ticket, they agree that it will the two of them. Order will be decided by who has the most elected delegates when the primaries are over. That way they can still "let the voters decide" but no have the incentive not make this a mutual <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">destruction</span> situation where whoever wins gets a worthless nomination.<br /><br />-- They also agree that they will switch off -- so <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Obama</span> is President for 4 years, then Hilary, then <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Obama</span> is young enough that he can run again. Whoever is VP has enhanced responsibilities -- so Hilary might have more National Security responsibilities in the first administration.<br /><br />-- An <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Obama</span>/Hilary ticket also plays to the traditional campaign roles of the Presidential and Vice-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Presidential</span> candidates. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Obama</span> is the ideal <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">inspirational</span> leader and Hilary can certainly fill the attack dog role we will need in going after McCain and the Republicans.<br /><br />-- Florida and Michigan are re-run as caucuses. Just rerunning them favors Hilary, but having them be caucuses favors <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Obama</span>. Also with caucuses you are building organizations that will be useful in the general elections while primaries encourage running of negative TV ads which end up hurting whoever the eventual nominee.<br /><br />I think with that we have a system that will produce a strong ticket without damaging the eventual chances for victory.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-86518364912174367712008-03-04T14:41:00.000-08:002008-03-04T14:44:56.786-08:001936All of the following happened in 1936:<br /><br />Hitler invades the Rhineland<br />The <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Lindbergh</span> Kidnapper is executed<br />Max <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Shenling</span> Fights Joe Lewis<br />General Francisco Franco starts the Spanish Civil War<br />Jesse Owens stuns the Berlin Olympics<br />King Edward VIII abdicates for "the woman I love"<br />Roosevelt Beats Landon for a 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">nd</span> Term<br /><br />And<br /><br /><strong>John McCain is born.</strong>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-22458765408348846532008-03-04T14:29:00.000-08:002008-03-04T15:05:35.812-08:00The Other Roger StoneThe Washington Post Sunday Magazine has a little section where they ask readers to send in their experiences. They asked for true tales of being mistaken for someone else. Here is what I wrote in (we'll see if they take it):<br /><br /><strong>The Other Roger Stone<br /></strong><br />I happen to share my name with one of the more notorious (at least among my circle) Republican operatives. This has been particularly dicey because I am a Democratic consultant and have a listed number and he has tended not to, so I get his calls.<br /><br />I first became aware of this when my phone rang at about 4:30 a.m. one morning in 1987.<br /><br />“Roger?”<br />“Yes”<br />“This is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">mmmmm</span>, we met at the Kemp Fundraiser.”<br />“Huh?”<br />“You heard that Congressman McKinney died.”<br />“Yeah”<br />Then the caller’s words came tumbling out. “Roger, I need your help. The Democrat is a nightmare, and no one else is conservative enough. We need State Senator <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">XXXX</span> to make the run. I want to go up to him at the funeral and say we have $200,000 lined up. I can’t raise that kind of money. I need your contacts. I need 100 people you can call and will do a $1,000 from them and a $1,000 from the wife. Can you help me?”<br />“You know there is more than one Roger Stone in DC.”<br />“Huh?<br />“I work for Senator Conrad, Democrat from North Dakota.”<br />“Oh Sh-t. They are going to be laughing at me in cloakroom tomorrow. You’re not going to go to the press with this?”<br /><br /><br />We got a good story in the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Hartford</span> Courant with the unfortunate headline: “Leaving the Wrong Stone Unturned.”<br /><br /><br /><em>Roger Alan Stone is CEO of Advocacy, Inc. a pioneering political <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">internet</span> services and consulting firm.</em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7844315805940911957.post-12794795800367637282008-02-27T18:34:00.000-08:002008-02-27T18:39:12.531-08:00Buyers Remorse ReduxAn amazing 51% think McCain is a moderate. <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/rasmussen/20080225/pl_rasmussen/ideologyfeb20080225;_ylt=AhHG8N9mrp9PFuo_Bm0.0jKs0NUE">http://news.yahoo.com/s/rasmussen/20080225/pl_rasmussen/ideologyfeb20080225;_ylt=AhHG8N9mrp9PFuo_Bm0.0jKs0NUE</a> Although he has his differences -- largely on personality and a few issues -- with some of the conservative leaders, his positions and beliefs are very very conservative. I worry that just as folks were <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">surprised</span> at how conservative Bush was when he got elected (thinking he was just a rerun of his dad), we will have a lot Independents and even Democrats voting for him and then being very <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">surprised</span> with what they end up with.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0