Archive for the ‘National’ Category

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So we’ve gotten what we want – or have we?

Monday, March 29th, 2010

219-212. A big f–king deal. Socialism. Call it what you like, but the events of this past week were momentous and a watershed moment in American politics. I have to admit that I’ve been quite down on the bill for the most part – it’s not nearly what I had hoped for, which was regulation with some public option at the very least. Unfortunately, considering the lack of backbone amongst the Democrats in Congress, we should probably take whatever we can get. On the bright side, it is a landmark bill and there is a certain mental inertia that goes along with policymaking – it tends to be harder to start a new initiative than continue one. We can only hope, then, that although it looks like we’ll get hammered in the midterm elections the beginnings of reform can eventually become the robust public option that most of us want.

The aftermath of the vote, however, has been quite worrying. There have been death threats sent to Congressmen and even some attempts to frighten – if not kill – legislators. Some commentators have suggested that recent events are similar to those of the mid-1990s militia movement that culminated in the Oklahoma City bombing. Taking a brief glance back at history, though, I can only think of one period when one side so clearly decided that violence was preferable to discourse, and that was the time before the Civil War.

While that parallel may seem shocking, and I do not make it lightly, I don’t think that it is unreasonable. The rhetoric on the other side has been over the top, and worse, the Republicans refuse to own the connotations and repercussions of their statements. I’m no one for martial law or extraconstitutional action but the fact that the NRA can organize a mass meeting in northern Virginia where members are encouraged to bring their guns as a show of force show that events are accelerating out of control. Not to harp on this for too long, but there is a significant difference between the way that we showed our opposition to, say, the war in Iraq, which was through peaceful protests, and the way that the other side is showing their opposition to the health care bill by waving guns around.

There isn’t a simple way to deal with this, of course. Any attempt to pacify the teabaggers with guns (somebody needs to come up with a creative name for them) seems likely to end in a shoot out. At the same time members of Congress – and us rank and file Democrats as well – are threatened by gun-toting conservatives and they should be disarmed. I don’t know of a solution now, and I certainly would not advocate bending over backwards to them by passing some bills to placate the angry mob. Perhaps some quiet in Washington will calm everyone’s nerves. I must say, though, that I am dubious about it and I fear that things could end badly. The nation is not divided in the same way as it was in 1860, and a civil war is a logistical impossibility, but the potential for violence exists and it appears that many of our compatriots have traded their placards for firearms. This, I feel, can be the defining moment of President Obama’s administration. May he continue have the wisdom and placidity that our nation needs.

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What Is To Be Done?

Saturday, March 27th, 2010

So Capitol Hill is sort of treading water right now. And by “sort of treading water”, I mean “drowning like a camel in the Atlantic Ocean”. And yes, Democrats are in power. Yes, they have a pretty sizable majority in the House. Yes, they have a nearly filibuster-proof majority in the Senate. Yes, they have the presidency. This is the state of things in March 2010.

Also, Republicans are unified in lock-step opposition to EVERYTHING Obama does. Supreme Court Justice appointments, Secretary of Transportation appointments, DCCC appointments, dentist appointments. This is the state of things in March 2010.

Republicans make significant gains in the House and Senate. Obama now has to fight tooth and nail for even the most bipartisan of efforts. Republicans hold a tenuous majority in both the House and Senate, and he can no longer rely on the votes of conservative Democrats on any legislation. Republicans continue to filibuster again. And again. And again. Our country’s economy begins to spiral, more jobs are lost, more people die every day because of a lack of adequate health insurance. This is the state of things in November 2010.

A certain conservative candidate announces his candidacy for the office of President of the United States. MSNBC focuses exclusively on hypercritical analysis of his track record and history, Fox News focuses on extolling his virtues and merits and potential. CNN continues to cover the ongoing natural disasters in the world, while trying to appear centrist in their occasional remarks about said candidate. All MSM networks completely discard their coverage and analysis of the happenings and intricacies of what exactly is going on in Washington; the Tea Party assimilates into the Republican party in anticipation of election season. Nothing is done about the country’s dwindling state. The deficit remains unchecked. Infrastructural problems remain manifest. This is the state of things in February 2011.

The conservative candidate chooses Michael Steele as his Vice President in an effort to nullify the use of the race card in any matters pertaining to the GOP and their newly assimilated Tea Party base; even though many racist sentiments still run deep. Obama is forced to concentrate on the upcoming election cycle, and therefore happenings on Capitol Hill grind to a halt. America’s economy continues to implode, the unemployment rate is at 15% and climbing. This is the state of things in August 2012.

Barack Obama suffers a decisive loss at the hands of an outraged Republican base and a disillusioned Independent bloc wholly dissatisfied with Obama’s lack of success. Republicans center their entire campaign upon Obama’s failure to keep his campaign promises, despite their role as the impassable blockade which prevented him from passing any meaningful legislation. Preying upon the visceral reactions and short-term memories of the average American, Republicans cruise to victory and capture significant majorities in both the house and Senate. Stories circulate about the resurrection of the GOP and the imminent demise of the Democratic Party. This is the state of things in November 2012.

In the interim between Election Day and the presidential inauguration, President Obama apologizes to the American people for his failure to set our great country upon a more glorious path towards prosperity. He abstains from blaming the Republicans in Congress, and instead expands upon what he could have done better as a President. The economy is in dire straits, and a market crash appears to be on the horizon. Republicans implore Obama to sign legislation into action, but he refuses to do such; asking that they politely wait their turn to begin work on fixing our broken America. This is the state of things in January 2013.

(GOP winner) is inaugurated into office. Facing an enormous debt and an economic tailspin, (GOP winner) kicks his GOP Congressmen into gear so that a landmark piece of legislation may be enacted to save the economy. This legislation angers many on both sides – liberals decry it as being outlandishly hypocritical, and conservative pundits dismiss it as an overambitious government escapade. Meanwhile, Bank of America merges with AIG to form America, LLC; an act made possible by a 2011 Republican proposal by Joe Wilson to extend upon the financial deregulatory practices made possible by the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999. This is the state of things in February 2013.

The newly crowned 45th President of the United States then sets about passing this bill of unprecedented size through Congress. It clears easily through the House, despite vehement opposition from the left.

However, upon entering the Senate, the bill becomes deadlocked. Senators Harry Reid, Barbara Boxer, Dick Durbin and Al Franken commit to filibustering this bill indefinitely, calling it “undemocratic” and “bullying”. The Republicans have a filibuster-proof majority of 60 Senators, however, so the public expects that this will be nothing more than a minor hiccup. Meanwhile, America LLC is aggressively buying up mortgages and the like; in a manner not at all dissimilar to their 2005 irresponsible financial undertakings.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, Senator Olympia Snowe votes on the side of the Democrats, stating that “it isn’t fair to ram such a huge bill down the American people’s throats on such short notice”.

Fox News lambasts Democrats for being “obstructionist” and labels them as the “Party of No”, accusing the Democrats of putting politics before country. A movement known as the Latte Party emerges from the extreme left, clamoring about the tyranny of the GOP and “taking their country back”. This is the state of things in August 2013.

In March 2014, the financial system collapses on the heels of America, LLC filing for another government bailout; as they have once again become victims of their own treacherous greed.Our country enters a Second Great Depression. Unemployment rates are at 33%. China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea have stopped loaning us money, consequently decimating our economic structure. Democrats blame Republicans for their idiocy during the Obama administration. Republicans blame Democrats for not supporting the President (in a completely hypocritical about-face from their previous position held under the Obama administration).

Meanwhile, our country has gone to hell.

Yes, my friends, karma is a cruel mistress.

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The American Recovery & Reinvestment Act… One Year Later

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

One year ago last week, the U.S. Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Projections continue to show that the ARRA has softened the blow of the recession. Without it, the economy would be a lot worse. Don’t take my word on it. The New York Times printed analysis by three macroeconomic forecasting firms. But wait, there’s more. We’re now a year out from the stimulus bill. The data reveal that things are, in reality, getting better. Again, the New York Times published data showing that, immediately following passage, the economy began to turn around. The decreases in both GDP and employment stopped increasing.

The ARRA has had significant, positive effects on the economy. Without it, the job losses would likely be continuing to increases and GDP would still be falling.

With positive results like these – and more to come, because there are more stimulus funds yet to be spent – surely the bill must have passed through Congress with towering majorities.

Wrong. Dead Wrong. It passed the House with ZERO Republican votes. It passed the Senate with Three Republican votes- one of which is now a Democrat.

Despite the fact that House Republicans unanimously declined to help America out of the recession, there’s no shortage of House Republicans trying to take credit for its successes. Among them: Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Adam Putnam (R-FL), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Geoff Davis (R-KY), Mike Castle (R-DE), Phil Gingrey (R-GA), Judy Biggert (R-IL), Chris Lee (R-NY), Patrick Tiberi (R-OH), Bill Shuster (R-PA), Mary Bono Mack (R-CA), Dave Reichart (R-WA), Sue Myrick (R-NC), and Jean Schmidt (R-OH). For a complete inventory of their hypocrisy, see here.

Republicans are comfortable fighting tooth and nail against legislation to help put America back on track and taking the credit for the benefits that they had no hand in securing. And they continue to rail against the Recovery Act.

Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) had this to say: “The Recovery Act has already worked to save or create as many as 2.4 million jobs, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.  In one year, the Recovery Act has provided $120 billion in tax cuts for 95% of working families as well as businesses across the country; loaned nearly $20 billion to small businesses to expand and create jobs; funded more than 12,500 transportation projects nationwide; kept teachers, police officers, and firefighters on the job; and accomplished much more….”

With results like these, and more to come in the coming months, I hope to see more of these signs across the country:

Mike Schillawski ‘10 is the President of the Cornell Democrats.

Update: A video produced by Organizing For America has been making its rounds on the Internet, laying out the impact the Recovery Act had.

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House Bill? Check. Senate Bill? Check.

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

Conference? Watch out, here comes trouble.

A long, long time ago in a Congressional session long since adjourned, three Committees of the House- Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor- voted on the bill that would become H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. Subsequently, way back on November 7, the whole House approved H.R. 3962, 220-215.

Then it was the Senate’s turn. Two committees, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Finance, produced radically different bills. Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) was left with two monumental tasks: reconcile the bills to send to the Senate floor and produce 60 votes in a chamber governed by the tyranny of the minority, wielding the filibuster. On Christmas Eve, the Senate voted to approve H.R. 3590, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, breaking every possible Republican filibuster along the way, 60-39.

At long last, the faithful trip is done a long way from over.We can list the differences between the final versions. Only some are enumerated here. On the road to final passage, there are two choices: to “ping-pong” the Senate bill, passing it “as-is” in the House and bypassing the Conference Committee; or to go to conference between the House and Senate, and repeat this whole process.

This effort has come too far to be abandoned now. Progressives cannot ditch the bill because it has strayed too far from the perfect. It remains a good bill; it is unacceptable for the status quo to continue. No one denies that there is room for improvement; but we must remember that all of the landmark progressive reforms were deeply marked by compromise. Social Security did not cover African-Americans and excluded many occupations. Medicare did not embody the goals that are now associated with it. In time they did. In time, today’s health care reform will become a robust program and meet the dream of guaranteeing that every American has access to quality, affordable health care.

Even the least progressive bill, H.R. 3950 passed by the Senate, will have a tremendous impact on the status quo. Writing on Christmas, Paul Krugman said of the bill, “Imperfect as it is, the legislation that passed the Senate on Thursday and will probably, in a slightly modified version, soon become law will make America a much better country.[...] So progressives shouldn’t stop complaining, but they should congratulate themselves on what is, in the end, a big win for them — and for America.”

Mike Schillawski ‘10 is the President of the Cornell Democrats.

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Why Congress Needs To Pass The Bill

Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Better than the Status Quo

Better than the Status Quo

From: Nate Silver, “The Insidious Myth of Reconciliation,” FiveThirtyEight.com

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Today is Veterans Day

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

In the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, the Great War was proclaimed to be ended. That day was immortalized as Veterans Day in the United States, a day for the American public to pause to remember and thank the brave men and women who served and continue to serve in the Armed Forces throughout the country and far-flung places abroad.

Speaking yesterday at the memorial service for victims of the Fort Hood tragedy, President Obama poignantly summed up Veterans Day:

It is a chance to pause, and to pay tribute – for students to learn of the struggles that preceded them; for families to honor the service of parents and grandparents; for citizens to reflect upon the sacrifices that have been made in pursuit of a more perfect union.

For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us – every single American – must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations – all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

In today’s wars, there is not always a simple ceremony that signals our troops’ success – no surrender papers to be signed, or capital to be claimed. But the measure of their impact is no less great – in a world of threats that no know borders, it will be marked in the safety of our cities and towns, and the security and opportunity that is extended abroad. And it will serve as testimony to the character of those who serve, and the example that you set for America and for the world.

Here, at Fort Hood, we pay tribute to thirteen men and women who were not able to escape the horror of war, even in the comfort of home. Later today, at Fort Lewis, one community will gather to remember so many in one Stryker Brigade who have fallen in Afghanistan.

Long after they are laid to rest – when the fighting has finished, and our nation has endured; when today’s servicemen and women are veterans, and their children have grown – it will be said of this generation that they believed under the most trying of tests; that they persevered not just when it was easy, but when it was hard; and that they paid the price and bore the burden to secure this nation, and stood up for the values that live in the hearts of all free peoples.

So remember our Veterans today – and everyday.

Mike Schillawski is the President of the Cornell Democrats.

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How Health Care Reform Will Affect You

Friday, November 6th, 2009
Mike Schillawski is the President of the Cornell Democrats.

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Yet another horror story…

Friday, October 23rd, 2009

I don’t know how anyone can say that we don’t need health care reform and that private insurance companies aren’t a huge, overwhelming part of the problem. Health care is a human right.

“In 2003, William Koehler of Pittsburgh, Pa. lost his job as an electronics technician. He lost his health insurance, too, but he’d been lucky enough to have the defibrillator battery in his heart changed just the previous year. No insurer would cover him except for one company which refused to cover anything related to his arrhythmia, says his sister.
“He survived as long as his battery did, dying on March 7, 2009 at 57. His sister, Georgeanne Koehler, has become an activist, telling the story about how her brother died to anyone who will listen.”

Read more at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/22/without-insurance-mans-de_n_330635.html.

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News round-up

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

First, congratulations everyone! Thank you to the Cornell Libertarians and Cornell Republicans for debating with us!

A news round-up of things I found interesting over the last week or so…

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There’s A Rep For That.

Sunday, October 18th, 2009

It would be funny if it weren’t true.

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