Dear Commons Community,

Maureen Dowd in her Sunday New York Times column, used the metaphor of an extinct civilization such as the Inca and Mayan to refer to the Republican Party in 2012.

“The Mayans were right, as it turns out, when they predicted the world would end in 2012. It was just a select world: the G.O.P. universe of arrogant, uptight, entitled, bossy, retrogressive white guys. Just another vanishing tribe that fought the cultural and demographic tides of history…

As the historian Will Durant observed, “A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within…”

The G.O.P. put up a candidate that no one liked or understood and ran a campaign that no one liked or understood — a campaign animated by the idea that indolent, grasping serfs must be kept down, even if it meant creating barriers to letting them vote.

Who would ever have thought blacks would get out and support the first black president? Who would ever have thought women would shy away from the party of transvaginal probes? Who would ever have thought gays would work against a party that treated them as immoral and subhuman? Who would have ever thought young people would desert a party that ignored science and hectored on social issues? Who would ever have thought Latinos would scorn a party that expected them to finish up their chores and self-deport?”

As Eva Longoria supersedes Karl Rove as a power player, Republicans act as shellshocked as the Southern gentry overrun by Yankee carpetbaggers in “Gone with the Wind.” As the movie eulogized: “Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave. Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered, a Civilization gone with the wind.”

Congratulations to Ms. Dowd for the great imagery.  However, I am not sure the GOP will not resurrect itself somehow.  The Democratic Party is capable of shooting itself in the foot.  I remember Al Gore while leading in the polls in September 2012, shunting Bill Clinton aside in his presidential campaign and opening the gates for George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleeza Rice  and the other Huns, to take over and rule for eight years.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

On Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear two cases challenging gay marriage.  The two cases resulted from legislation passed in California and New York.  The case in California is particularly interesting because the two attorneys defending gay marriage will be Ted Olsen and David Boies, who were pitted against each other in 2000 during the contested presidential election.  The New York Times reported yesterday:

“The California case, Hollingsworth v. Perry, No. 12-144, was filed in 2009 by Theodore B. Olson and David Boies, two lawyers who were on opposite sides in the Supreme Court’s decision in Bush v. Gore, which settled the 2000 presidential election. The suit argued that California voters had violated the federal Constitution the previous year when they overrode a decision of the state’s Supreme Court allowing same-sex marriages.

A federal judge in San Francisco agreed, issuing a broad decision that said the Constitution required the state to allow same-sex couples to marry. The decision has been stayed.

A divided three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, also in San Francisco, affirmed the decision. “

Ted Olsen is a well-known Washington Republican insider.  The fact that he will be defending gay marriage is incredible and will have many social conservatives accusing him of being a traitor to their cause.  This will add much drama to what will surely be carefully followed deliberations.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

The United States has dozens of Earth-observing environmental satellites for scientific research and applied, operational purposes. NASA has compiled seventy five images taken from these satellites into a free e-book available at its website.  This book, entitled Earth as Art,  features images from the Terra, Landsat 5, Landsat 7, Earth Observing-1 (EO-1), and Aqua satellites. The satellites’ sensors can measure light outside of the visible range, so the images in the book are not necessarily ones visible to the naked eye. This book celebrates Earth’s aesthetic beauty in the patterns, shapes, colors, and textures of the land, oceans, ice, and atmosphere.  The beauty of Earth is clear, and the artistry ranges from the surreal to the sublime.

Earth as Art—enjoy!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

David Brooks takes a serious look at shifts in the Republican Party that have been occurring since the presidential election in November.  He sees a number of new stars such as Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as trying to change the direction of the GOP to be more moderate and tolerant.  He points to the fact that Rubio won the Jack Kemp Foundation’s Leadership Award earlier this week as indicative that many in the party are listening to him.

He also sees good signs that “extremists from the Tea Party have a tendency to migrate from mainstream politics, which is inevitably messy and impure, to ever more marginal oases of purity”  He uses Senator Jim DeMint who is is leaving the Senate to head the Heritage Foundation as an example.  “DeMint is leaving the center of the action[Senate], where immigration, tax and other reforms will be crafted, for a political advocacy organization known more for ideological purity and fund-raising prowess than for creativity, curiosity or intellectual innovation.”

Brooks surely has the description of the Heritage Foundation right but I am not sure that enough of the Tea Party devotees actually are leaving elected government positions.   In any case, Brooks provides an interesting and insider’s perspective on the GOP and worth a read.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Amid the gridlock of the federal government and its inability to resolve economic issues namely the fiscal cliff of revenue increases and budget reductions, Apple announced yesterday that it will be bringing back some manufacturing jobs to the United States.  The New York Times reported:

“Apple’s chief executive, Timothy D. Cook, who built its efficient Asian manufacturing network, said the company would invest $100 million in producing some of its Mac computers in the United States, beyond the assembly work it already does in the United States. He provided little detail about how the money would be spent or what kinds of workers might benefit.

Apple, which long manufactured parts in the United States but stopped about a decade ago, has been under pressure to create more jobs here given its market power. It sold 237 million iPods, iPads, Macs and other devices in the year ended in September.

“I don’t think we have a responsibility to create a certain kind of job,” Mr. Cook told Bloomberg Businessweek. “But I think we do have a responsibility to create jobs.”

Some analysts are hopeful that the move by a big, innovative company like Apple could inspire a broader renaissance in American manufacturing”

Apple will be joining several other large corporations that have made similar announcements in recent months.

“Lenovo, the computer giant based in China, said it would begin making its Think-branded computers, including notebooks, desktops and some tablets, at a facility in Whitsett, N.C. The move will create 115 manufacturing jobs at the plant, the company said.

Mark Stanton, director of global supply chain communications for Lenovo, said that moving the jobs to the United States would allow Lenovo to offer faster turnaround times for its customers in North America than if the machines were coming from overseas, and that the company was not specifically creating the American jobs because of any political pressure.

“We’re certainly not unaware of the economic situation and political environment,” he said. “It’s an added benefit, but we didn’t go in with that premise. We went in with a business case.”

The globalized model of the electronics industry was shaken last year by supply chain disruptions after floods in Thailand. The auto industry faced similar challenges after the tsunami in Japan. Not coincidentally, Ford recently announced that it was adding 1,200 jobs in Michigan, and foreign-owned auto manufacturers like Honda and Volkswagen have also invested in more hiring and training in Indiana and Tennessee.”

It is encouraging to see that these large companies are willing to invest or re-invest in America.  More jobs for people will surely alleviate our other economic issues.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Following an investigative report on tax policies that provide businesses with incentives to locate or expand in states, the New York Times editorial today asks why are we giving out $80 billion a year to attract companies when these funds could go a long way to improving education, transportation and other public services that would have a far better shot at promoting real economic growth.

“…with these giveaways, politicians and officials are trying to pick winners and losers, almost exclusively to the benefit of big corporations (aided by highly paid lobbyists) at the expense of small businesses. Though they promise that the subsidies are smart investments, far too often the jobs either don’t materialize or are short-lived, leaving the communities no better off.

The three-part series by Louise Story described how in places like Texas and Ohio, state and local governments have lavished millions of dollars in tax breaks on corporate giants like Samsung and the Big Three automakers — even as they faced budget deficits and were forced to cut spending on critical services. The tax revenues forgone in this giveaway frenzy should concern Congress deeply. After all, federal funds account for one-fifth of state and local budgets.”

The Times analysis examined more than 150,000 awards and created a searchable database of incentive spending. The survey was supplemented by interviews with more than 100 officials in government and business organizations as well as corporate executives and consultants.

A portrait arises of mayors and governors who are desperate to create jobs, outmatched by multinational corporations and short on tools to fact-check what companies tell them. Many of the officials said they feared that companies would move jobs overseas if they did not get subsidies in the United States.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

While it is still much too early to be thinking about the 2016 presidential election, the media are moving forward with the speculation that Hillary Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee.    A Siena College poll of New Yorkers out today has Hillary Clinton favored over Andrew Cuomo.  A large majority of New York voters say they are prepared to re-elect him for Governor, according to a new poll released Wednesday by Siena College but are far less enthusiastic about the idea of Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, seeking national office.

“Only 39 percent said they would like to see him run for president in 2016, compared with 54 percent who said Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton should mount another White House bid, the poll found.

Among Democratic voters, the gap between Mr. Cuomo and Mrs. Clinton, who formerly represented New York in the United States Senate, was even wider. Sixty-nine percent said they wanted Mrs. Clinton to seek the presidency in four years, while 43 percent supported a bid by Mr. Cuomo.

“New York Democrats overwhelmingly want to see Hillary Clinton run,” said Steven A. Greenberg, a Siena pollster. “If Hillary were to announce that she was not running for president, my guess is that would impact the answer to the question of whether Cuomo should run or not.”

Maureen Dowd in her New York Times column also speculates that Hillary is already planning and measuring what she says and does in preparation for a White House run.

“Far from being depleted and ready for a spa, she’s energetically rounding up the usual suspects. She “took steps to solidify her relationships with some Democrats by sending hand-signed notes to candidates who got bested in close Congressional races,” offering them encouragement and succor, The New York Observer’s politics blog reports. That provided a marked contrast to Obama, who did not bother to rally Democrats in his acceptance speech.

Secretary Clinton also reached out for the first time to reunite her Irish-American fund-raisers and top supporters. IrishCentral.com reports that Kris Balderston, a Hillary aide at State, sent invitations to several prominent Irish Democrats who raised millions for her Senate and presidential runs to accompany the top diplomat to events in Dublin and Belfast this week. Though other possible 2016 contenders, like Joe Biden, Andrew Cuomo and Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland, have Irish connections, Hillary is the cushla, or darling.”

Cushla or not, I think Hillary will run and I don’t see a Democrat on the horizon who is going to best her for the nomination but there is still a lot of time left between now and 2016.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

David Welch, former research director for the Republican National Committee, has an op-ed piece in today’s New York Times calling on the Republican Party leadership to rein in the extremism of the Tea Party.  He compares the Tea Party with the John Birch Society of the 1960s:

“In the 1960s, William F. Buckley, Jr.,  largely through his position at the helm of National Review, displayed political courage and sanity by taking on the John Birch Society, an influential anti-Communist group whose members saw conspiracies everywhere they looked.

Fast forward half a century. The modern-day Birchers are the Tea Party. By loudly espousing extreme rhetoric, yet holding untenable beliefs, they have run virtually unchallenged by the Republican leadership, aided by irresponsible radio talk-show hosts and right-wing pundits. While the Tea Party grew, respected moderate voices in the party were further pushed toward extinction. Republicans need a Buckley to bring us back.

He recommends:

“Republicans must now identify those who can bring adult supervision back to the party. Replacing Buckley — an erudite and prolific force of nature — with one individual is next to impossible. But we don’t need to. We can face the extremists with credible, respected leaders who have offered conservative policies that led to Republican victories.

Dare I say it, or should I just whisper the word? We need “the Establishment.” We need officials like former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida and Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, operatives like Karl Rove and Republican Party institutions.   Mr. Christie and Mr. Bush are ideally suited to drive extremists from the party.”

I agree fully with Welsh’s position but I am not sure that Jeb Bush and Chris Christie are the ones to do it. Jeb Bush’s problem is that he has the Bush name and Christie’s embrace of President Obama during the election leaves him suspect among Republicans.  I would suggest someone like a George Will who put the likes of Donald Trump (bloviated ignoramus) in his place.

We will see!

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Mike Bloomberg telephoned Hillary Clinton and encouraged her to run for mayor of New York City when his term ends in December 2013.  The New York Times reported:

“In a phone call confirmed by three people, Mr. Bloomberg encouraged Mrs. Clinton to consider entering the 2013 mayor’s race, trading international diplomacy for municipal management on the grandest scale. She would, he suggested, be a perfect fit…

Mr. Bloomberg’s overture to the former first lady highlights the level of his anxiety about the current crop of candidates, his eagerness to recruit a replacement who can rival his stature and his determination to become a kingmaker in the political arena he will soon exit.

In Mrs. Clinton, it seems, a mayor known for his sometimes unsparing critiques of those in public life sees a globe-trotting problem solver like himself.

During their conversation, Mrs. Clinton left little room for doubt: she was not interested in seeking the mayoralty, people briefed on the call said..

Mrs. Clinton is not a resident of New York City, a requirement for incoming mayors. But she has overcome such hurdles in the past. To establish New York state residency for her 2000 run for Senate, she and her husband bought a home in Chappaqua, N.Y.”

I would add that a reason Mayor Bloomberg would want Hillary to run for mayor is that it would possibly hinder her ability to run for president in 2016 and possibly open the door for his own candidacy.

Tony

Dear Commons Community,

Now that the presidential election is over,  the media is awash with the latest news on the so-called “fiscal cliff” that the American economy is heading for if a deal on taxes and spending is not reached by the end of this year when the Bush tax reductions expire.  Every newspaper and news television program has been reporting on the dire consequences if Congress and the President don’t act.    Some quick analysis:

First, it is not clear  how severe the fiscal cliff is and when it would affect the economy is pure conjecture.  James K. Galbraith, an economist, who teaches at the LBJ School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin. and the son of renowned economist, the late John Kenneth Galbraith, posits that the cliff is at least partially contrived and that any consequences will be gradual and not immediate.

Second, the bluster and posturing on the part of the Democrats and Republicans is mostly political theater designed to sway public opinion.  It is my opinion that President Obama and the Democrats are winning this battle.  Most Americans see the Republicans as protecting the rich and maintaining their obstinacy to compromise on the various issues.

Third, the Republicans have their backs to the wall and will do anything necessary to avoid having the Bush tax reductions expire because if they do, the income tax rates for everybody and especially for those in the highest tax brackets, will increase.  Furthermore, they do not want to be the party that has recommended specific program reductions.  As Paul Krugman has stated, they have boxed themselves in with no way out except to compromise with the Democrats:

“Now Republicans find themselves boxed in. With taxes scheduled to rise on Jan. 1 in the absence of an agreement, they can’t play their usual game of just saying no to tax increases and pretending that they have a deficit reduction plan. And the president, by refusing to help them out by proposing G.O.P.-friendly spending cuts, has deprived them of political cover. If Republicans really want to slash popular programs, they will have to propose those cuts themselves.”

Stay tuned!

Tony