Thought Docket

Coming home from work this evening, I was speaking with a colleague, neighbor, and friend and mentioned Thought Docket. I tried to describe some of the themes and mentioned this post about what I considered to be an unusually rapid re-writing of history by an esteemed academician (i.e. The Nutty Professor).

I mentioned that the Nutty Professor had stated this

A close look at Obama’s development since 2004 suggests centrism should have been expected. There is little evidence beyond his history as a community organizer to indicate Obama is left of center.

And I mentioned that I thought there was much evidence to the contrary, including this

Didn’t Obama have the most liberal voting record of anyone in the Senate? And wasn’t his running mate up there on the podium with the Bronze Medal?

My friend and neighbor dismissed this characterization, stating that he felt that such ratings should be considered unreliable and meaningless since they were produced by “conservative” groups. He suggested that even groups self-described as “independent” were secretly “conservative”.

So just who are the groups offering up ratings of senators and congressmen? Here are a few:

• American Civil Liberties Union
• American Conservative Union
• Americans for Democratic Action
• Children’s Defense Fund
• League of Conservation Voters
• National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
• National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League
• National Parent-Teacher Association
• Service Employees International Union

Obviously, the American Conservative Union is conservative. According to their site, ACU rate senators based on voting for

• economic and budget matters
• social and cultural issues
• defense and foreign policy

Here are the votes used by the ACU for their 2007 ratings.

The remaining groups are liberal. Of these groups, the one that I closely associate with ratings is Americans for Democratic Action. According to their site

Since ADA’s founding in 1947, the Annual Voting Records have served as the standard measure of political liberalism. Combining 20 key votes on a wide range of social and economic issues, both domestic and international, the Liberal Quotient (LQ) provides a basic overall picture of an elected official’s political position.

Wow, that’s mighty macrocephalic of them, isn’t it. I bet they have trouble shopping for hats and ear muffs. ADA refers to politicians with high LQ as “heroes” and politicians with low LQ as “zeroes”. You can find the 2007 ratings in this pdf file. The file lists the house and senate votes on which the ADA bases their ratings.

Here are the ratings of the liberal groups listed above for 2005 and 2007. It is interesting to note that taking the composite rating of the liberal groups, Obama showed as most liberal in 2005 but was nowhere near the most liberal in 2007. Barack must have done something to really tick off the Children’s Defense Fund in 2007, for example.

So, returning to the assertion about Obama as “Most Liberal Senator”, this was put forward by the National Journal. The National Journal is purported to be independent. It is certainly no National Review, American Spectator, Human Events, or Weekly Standard. Here are the votes used by the National Journal to determine their ratings.

So, there you have it. I will allow that the ratings are not completely aligned among the various groups, even among groups on the same side of the political spectrum. That much is for sure. And, taken as a whole, I have to admit that the “Most Liberal Senator” label must be qualified and limited to the National Journal. Even the ACU rating does not have Obama as most liberal. There is some evidence that Obama moderated some during 2007, possibly in preparation for the campaign and election. I have read that of the 267 measures on which Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton both cast votes, they voted the same on all but 10. No wonder Obama has entrusted Hillary with the coveted Secretary of State position. Like two peas in a pod.

Two Peas

Through a stroke of what can only be called incredible, dumb, luck, I have come into possession of Barack and Michelle Obama’s Christmas Card List. Apparently, there have been some recent changes made to the list, and notes made by Obama himself.

• David Axelrod
• William Ayers…at least he waited until after the election to open is mouth
• Joe Biden
• Rod Blagojevich…that @&$#*^ can go %*#$ himself
• Big Boi
• Cassandra Butts
• Bill and Hillary Clinton
• Candidate #1…I’d like to rip that *%&$#@ Blago a new one
• Katie Couric…enclose special note of thanks
• Michael Froman
• Julias Genachowski
• Jesse Jackson…tell the Secret Service to take that nut cutter down if he ever gets near me
• Rachel Klayman
• Ludacris
• Nancy McCullough
• Jonathan Molot
• Martin Nesbitt
• George Obama
• Thomas Perrelli
• Michael Pfleger…this guy has more street cred than I do
• Brad Pitt
• Samantha Power
• Antoin Rezko…maybe Tony and that %&$# head Blago can bunk together at the USP in Terre Haute and catch up with Ryan
• Pete Rouse
• Jean Rudd
• Maya Soetoro-Ng
• Laurence Tribe
• Laura D’Andrea Tyson
• Eric Whitaker
• Joe Wurzelbacher…maybe for Christmas Santa will bring him a real plumber’s license
• Jeremiah Wright

Generally speaking, I have not been a big consumer of the stories about liberals and progressives that are disappointed with President-elect Barack Obama’s appointments to date. Don’t get me wrong…I enjoy watching liberals squirm as much as the next guy. Which may explain why, for some reason, I clicked onto this story on CNN.com. The story is from the ‘Cafferty File’, which is a segment on the CNN News Channel’s The Situation Room. Jack Cafferty put this question to viewers

Are Liberals right to be upset with President-elect Obama’s cabinet appointments and tax cut plans?

The responses of some viewers were shared on air. A few of the viewers provided thoughtful responses.

Ray from Nashville TN says

In almost every recent election, the winner has moved away from his base and to the center of the electorate to win. Obama did the same. The liberals saw it then and now they want to act disappointed? When will the fringe elements of both parties realize that this country is a centrist country and is no longer dominated by conservatives and will not be dominated by liberals?

Robert from NY NY says

I am a liberal Democrat and am absolutely thrilled at Obama’s pragmatism and desire to bring this country together. When you elect an adult to the Presidency don’t be surprised that he acts like an adult. May I remind my fellow liberals who are complaining that I am really tired of losing elections and that we elected Barack Obama, not Dennis Kucinich.

Michael from Baltimore MD says

If liberals were looking at Barack Obama through the rose colored glasses of his rhetoric, then it’s understandable that they would be disappointed. Obama is a master of the art of ambiguity and many people read into his statements what they wished to hear. Now that he’s named a cabinet largely full of Clintonites, it’s harder to project the sorts of policies that progressives hold dear onto his presidency.

I agree with what Michael says about projecting “sorts of policies that progressives hold dear onto his presidency”. But Michael first suggests that a review of Obama’s rhetoric would explain liberal’s disappointment with his more-or-less pragmatic and centrist appointments to date. Strange. I would have said that his appointments have been perfectly aligned with his rhetoric. They are, however, out of line with his voting record and they are also out of line with his associations of the past.

Dan from Bluefield WV says

If Obama turns out to be a closet Republican like Clinton was, we Democratic voters will vote out so many Democrats in the 2010 election that Obama will feel like he’s been neutered. He can become the first eunuch President if he forgets his base.

Let’s see. Clinton was a closet Republican? I think that Dan has been tapping the bag and is clearly floating.

Tapping the Bag

And what is with the “neutered” and “eunuch” talk? I think maybe Dan is a eunuch himself and might be having a hot flash. Osteoporosis is a medical condition faced by eunuchs. Keep taking the Boniva, Dan.

A Maplewood NJ company, Constitution Arms, is taking pre-orders on a new Palm Pistol.

Palm Pistol

According to the site

The Palm Pistol is an ergonomically innovative single shot double action only defensive firearm chambered in 9mm that may be fired using either hand without regard to orientation of the stock. Suited for home defense, concealed carry or as a backup gun. It is also ideal for seniors, disabled or others who may have limited strength or manual dexterity. Using the thumb instead of the index finger for firing, it significantly reduces muzzle drift, one of the principal causes of inaccurate targeting. Point and shoot couldn’t be easier.

Because it is “ideal for seniors, disabled or others who may have limited strength or manual dexterity”, Constitution Arms has apparently submitted an application to the Food and Drug Administration asking that the Palm Pistol be classified as a medical device, thereby qualifying purchasers for reimbursement from Medicare. Over the past several days, there have been numerous pieces on news channels and on-line claiming that the Palm Pistol had been approved by the FDA. However, the news of today is that FDA has rejected the application after all. Constitution Arms claims that this is a reversal due to political pressure.

If the FDA had given approval, and if Medicare provided coverage, the Palm Pistol would have required a doctor’s prescription. It would give a whole new meaning to “2 caps q4h”.

Maybe the rejection isn’t such a bad thing. I mean, we already have The Scooter Store. If the FDA had granted approval, could The Shooter Store be far behind?

Today, December 7th, 2008, marks the 67th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, coincidentally a Sunday also. According to the article on Wikipedia here, the casualties (human and equipment) were as follows:

• 5 battleships sunk
• 2 destroyers sunk, 1 damaged
• 3 battleships damaged
• 3 cruisers damaged
• 1 other ship sunk, 3 damaged
• 188 aircraft destroyed, 155 aircraft damaged
• 2,345 military and 57 civilians killed
• 1,247 military and 35 civilians wounded

In today’s issue of the Washington Post, the ‘Inside’ guide on the first page referred to ‘Remembering Pearl Harbor’ and directed the reader to the Metro section. Turning to this section, one sees that the coverage is limited to the listing of two local wreath laying events. Total space, including picture of a wreath, is 1.75″ x 6″. That’s it, for a “…date which will live in infamy…”.

Yesterday, I read an article in the Washington Post about punitive damages and due process. At issue was a decision by the Oregon Supreme Court to leave a jury award as is even though the U.S. Supreme Court “strongly implied” that the award was too large. The Oregon case, Philip Morris USA v. Williams, ended with an award of $80 million in punitive damages to the wife of a three-pack-a-day smoker that had died of lung cancer. The article states that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled, 5-4, that the Oregon court had applied the wrong constitutional standard when reviewing the award. According to the article

[The U.S. Supreme Court] strongly suggested the figure was too high and told the state court to make sure the jury had not awarded such heavy damages - which are aimed at discouraging companies from reprehensible behavior - because of harm the cigarette maker may have done to others, rather than to Jesse Williams [the deceased].

And, according to Justice Breyer

The Due Process Clause prohibits a State’s inflicting punishment for harm caused strangers to the litigation.

Not being of a legal mind, I found this fascinating. While punitive damages may be awarded to a plaintiff in order to deter reprehensible actions in the future, the punitive damages cannot be so great, apparently, as to be construed as redress for damages in the present for those not party to the litigation.

The interesting legal news of today was the sentencing of O.J. Simpson to prison. CNN indicates that his sentence is a minimum of 15 years and a maximum of 33 and that he would be eligible for parole in 9 years, when he would be 70 years old.

The article quotes District Judge Jackie Glass as saying

Earlier in this case, at a bail hearing, I said to Mr. Simpson, I didn’t know if he was arrogant, ignorant or both. During the trial and through this proceeding, I got the answer, and it was both.

Though the article states that it could have been worse for Simpson and his co-defendant (they could have received life in prison), Judge Glass is quoted as saying that the sentence was not “payback for anything else”, referring apparently to Simpson’s acquittal in a criminal trial for the deaths of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman.

But I wonder if maybe there is some parallel between OJ and the Oregon decision; specifically, I wonder if maybe there was a little “payback” that snuck into the sentence, as there may have been a little “punishment” in the Oregon award for harm caused strangers to the litigation.

Personally, I think Judge Glass can make a lot of money just by releasing a book in a few years with this title:

Judge Glass: If There Was Payback, Here’s How It Happened.

Not Not Kill Nobody

The news these days is frequently not good. But today there was a genuinely “feel good” piece on A1 of the Washington Post. The story is about 60 year-old Earl Stafford who, after a 20 year military career, founded Unitech, a high tech company, in Centreville, VA.

Stafford and his family subsequently founded the faith-based Stafford Foundation in 2002. The foundation purchased JW Marriott’s $1 million dollar “build-your-own-ball” package just hours after Obama’s election. The package provides 300 rooms, four suites, and $200,000 in food for the inauguration over a 3 day period, and provides attendees with great seats, overlooking the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route.

According to the Post article, the Stafford’s and their foundation intend to host the socially and economically disadvantaged, the terminally ill, and wounded soldiers among others at “The People’s Ball”. Beauticians, gowns, and tuxedoes, will be provided, if necessary.

This is the kind of action to which we should all aspire. For their kindness and good deeds, I recognize the Stafford’s with the Thought Docket Seal of Approval.

Earl Stafford and Family

My daughter, who is four years old, has a Dr. Seuss book called Wacky Wednesday.

Wacky Wednesday

Well, thanks to Howard Meyerson, agent provocateur of the Washington Post, Wacky Wednesday has a totally new meaning. I’ve taken Howard to task here before. Meyerson is a hack that writes every Wednesday for the Post. To call Meyerson’s columns dyspeptic is an insult to GERD sufferers everywhere.

Today’s column, called Bush’s Final Fiasco, has Meyerson taking Bush to task

The Bush administration’s approach to today’s meltdown is to direct all its energies and largess to lending institutions. There is, as yet, no program to help floundering homeowners renegotiate the terms of their mortgages. The president is opposed to further stimulus programs, even though private-sector investment in the United States has all but ceased.

Meyerson cites the 1930’s as an obvious source for lessons on how to deal with today’s meltdown. And because Bush does not seem to be in a rush to implement policy based on those lessons, Meyerson animadverts

So where’s the outrage? Why aren’t demonstrators besieging the White House? Where are the “Welcome to Bushville” signs in those neighborhoods where abandoned homes outnumber the occupied ones?

I suppose it never occurred to Meyerson that Bush is letting his economic team of experts do their thing. According to reports, this team effectively includes incoming Treasury Secretary Geithner. I suppose it never occurred to Meyerson that Congress - a co-equal branch of government, Howard - could take action. After all, it is quite clear that Congress shares in the culpability of the mess. But when one is firmly in the grips of Bush Derangement Syndrome - like Howard is - lucid thought is not your strong suit.

Meyerson speaks of a “mega-strike” and states

Bush … has had three. He misled us into a nearly endless war of choice to disarm a threat that never really existed. He let a great American city drown. And now he stands by while the economic security of tens of millions of Americans is vanishing.

It’s all Bush’s fault, you see? My favorite mega-strike is #2: He let a great American city drown. Listen to what Meyerson is saying. Never mind that the National Hurricane Center had expressed grave concern regarding the levees days before Katrina hit. Never mind that local news, the Weather Channel, and national news like CNN and Fox were full of doom and gloom days before Katrina hit. Never mind that Bush declared a state of emergency for selected regions of Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi two days before Katrina hit. Never mind that school buses that could have been used to evacuate residents remained parked in their watery graves days afterward and that Ray Naggin and Kathleen Blanco - two poster children for the incompetent - could have ordered their use. Never mind that the National Weather Service issued this bulletin for New Orleans and surrounding areas

000
WWUS74 KLIX 281550
NPWLIX

URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW ORLEANS LA
1011 AM CDT SUN AUG 28 2005

…DEVASTATING DAMAGE EXPECTED…

HURRICANE KATRINA…A MOST POWERFUL HURRICANE WITH UNPRECEDENTED STRENGTH …RIVALING THE INTENSITY OF HURRICANE CAMILLE OF 1969.

MOST OF THE AREA WILL BE UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS…PERHAPS LONGER. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WILL HAVE ROOF AND WALL FAILURE. ALL GABLED ROOFS WILL FAIL…LEAVING THOSE HOMES SEVERELY DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.

THE MAJORITY OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WILL BECOME NON FUNCTIONAL. PARTIAL TO COMPLETE WALL AND ROOF FAILURE IS EXPECTED. ALL WOOD FRAMED LOW RISING APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL BE DESTROYED. CONCRETE BLOCK LOW RISE APARTMENTS WILL SUSTAIN MAJOR DAMAGE…INCLUDING SOME WALL AND ROOF FAILURE.

HIGH RISE OFFICE AND APARTMENT BUILDINGS WILL SWAY DANGEROUSLY…A FEW TO THE POINT OF TOTAL COLLAPSE. ALL WINDOWS WILL BLOW OUT.

AIRBORNE DEBRIS WILL BE WIDESPREAD…AND MAY INCLUDE HEAVY ITEMS SUCH AS HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES AND EVEN LIGHT VEHICLES. SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES AND LIGHT TRUCKS WILL BE MOVED. THE BLOWN DEBRIS WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL DESTRUCTION. PERSONS…PETS…AND LIVESTOCK EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH IF STRUCK.

POWER OUTAGES WILL LAST FOR WEEKS…AS MOST POWER POLES WILL BE DOWN AND TRANSFORMERS DESTROYED. WATER SHORTAGES WILL MAKE HUMAN SUFFERING INCREDIBLE BY MODERN STANDARDS.

THE VAST MAJORITY OF NATIVE TREES WILL BE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED. ONLY THE HEARTIEST WILL REMAIN STANDING…BUT BE TOTALLY DEFOLIATED. FEW CROPS WILL REMAIN. LIVESTOCK LEFT EXPOSED TO THE WINDS WILL BE KILLED.

AN INLAND HURRICANE WIND WARNING IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE…OR FREQUENT GUSTS AT OR ABOVE HURRICANE FORCE…ARE CERTAIN WITHIN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

ONCE TROPICAL STORM AND HURRICANE FORCE WINDS ONSET…DO NOT VENTURE OUTSIDE!

You really have to read between the lines to figure out what the NWS is trying to say, don’t you, Howard? Yes indeed, Bush sure drowned that city.

Howard Meyerson is a disgrace, but thanks to his dyspepsia, I can now look forward to a Wacky Wednesday every week. Hey Howard, put down the Gaviscon and stick with the GERD; you’re wackier that way.

Have a Wacky Wednesday, Howard

I have enjoyed watching Obama making choices for his cabinet and advisers. So far, I find his picks to be reasonably centrist and quite competent. So far so good. I never said Obama wasn’t smart.

So I was feeding my “cabinet choice addiction” when I clicked onto this on CNN yesterday, by Julian Zelizer, Professor of History and Public Affairs at Princeton University. As I read the article, I ran into this

A close look at Obama’s development since 2004 suggests centrism should have been expected. There is little evidence beyond his history as a community organizer to indicate Obama is left of center.

Wow! Before you say it, I know that Obama won the election. And I hope he is successful as president.

But, Obama hasn’t even taken office (officially, that is), and historians like Zelizer are already re-writing history. Let me see if I get this straight. Of all we know about Obama, the only thing to suggest that he is not a DLC Democrat is that he was a community organizer? There is “little evidence”, huh?

• Didn’t Obama have the most liberal voting record of anyone in the Senate? And wasn’t his running mate up there on the podium with the Bronze Medal?
• Wasn’t it Obama that spoke of “spreading the wealth”?
• Wasn’t it Obama that spent quality time in United Trinity Church of Christ where minister Jeremiah Wright, how shall we say this and still keep a PG rating, suggested that God “smite” America. It was Obama who said that he had been absent during Rev. Wright’s most egregious recitations. Recall also that United Trinity Church espouses Black Theology and that James Cone, in his 1969 book Black Theology and Black Power, stated

I believe that all aspiring black intellectuals share the task that LeRoi Jones has described for the black artist in America: ‘To aid in the destruction of America as he knows it.’

• Wasn’t it Obama’s wife who stated that she had never been proud of her country until now?
• Wasn’t it Obama that was a little bit less than honest about his relationships with that pantheon to higher eduction, and erstwhile terrorist, Professor William Ayers?

And, doesn’t Zelizer’s statement paint “community organizer” with a broad brush? Are all community organizers lefty’s?

I could go on and on, but the point is not to bash Obama. No, the point is that the election has been held and Obama won. Can we please now put away the intellectual dishonesty that seems to have been the hallmark of so many of those in the tank? Sheesh. Sometimes I feel like I am up against this

Resistance is Futile