All the News That's Fit to be Tied

I have an axe to grind, but unlike the New York Times, I freely admit it.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Tea Party Bizarro World

The Democrats are employing several strategies to maintain their majority in the House. In a new twist to the plain old stealing the vote techniques of the past, this year Dems are creating pseudo-Tea Party candidates to siphon votes from Republican primary chosen candidates. Some examples include Congressional races in Michigan, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida. The basic idea is put up a candidate identifying him or herself as part of the Tea Party. They redirect votes for Republican primary winners to the pseudo Tea Party candidate resulting in a victory for the Democrat. This technique has been revealed and confirmed in the four states listed above. Unfortunately it is not illegal. But knowing that the voting process is being whittled down to who cheats the best is enough of a reason to vote out the practitioners of these techniques. Namely the Democratic candidates in the races mentioned above. This little bulletin has resulted in pushing the upcoming Obama trip to India below the fold, but you should read it. “The Obama’s Trip the Light Fantasitic.”

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

The Obamas Trip the Light Fantastic

A few days after the election the President and his entourage will be taking a deluxe trip to Mumbai, India to recover from Democratic elections losses and the victory of his Republican enemies. When they arrive they will be taken to the five-star seaside Taj Mahal Hotel, where they have booked all 570 rooms of the resort, as well as all banquet rooms and restaurants at the hotel. In addition, they have booked 125 rooms at Taj President and an additional 80 to 90 rooms each in the Grand Hyatt and The Oberoi hotels. The president's convoy for the trip includes 45 cars including the President's Lincoln, all of which are being transported by Jet. The President will be seeing the 26/11 Memorial to India's devastating massacre and fire by terrorists and visit the National Centre for Performing Arts. The First Lady is planning to meet with a group of "commercial" sex workers during the two-day visit. Americans taxpayers are footing the bill for what some have called the President’s narcissistic and self-aggrandizing behavior. The White House will not provide a cost estimate for the trip.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Jobs, Jobs and More Jobs

It’s no secret that jobs are the major issue for this election. Unemployment is high and not going down for a while unless some policy changes are put in place. It is fashionable for the Obama administration to blame the “previous” administration, but a close look at the statistics demonstrates that Democratic control of Congress and the election of Barack Obama are the real culprits for the jobs collapse. In 2008, the last year of the Bush Presidency, the unemployment rate was 5.8-percent. In the eight years he was President the highest rate ever was 6-percent and the average over eight years was 5.2-percent. In the year Obama took office the rate rose to 9.5 percent. The mainstream media tried to talk down the Bush economy for his entire Presidency. They kept predicting that the economy would falter. They put negative spin on every job statistic and hinted it was only a matter of time before the Bush economy collapsed. But any fair analysis demonstrates George W. Bush kept unemployment low and it has skyrocketed under Barack Obama. The Bush economy collapsed when the 2006 Democratic-run Congress under Speaker Nancy Pelosi forced the Mark-to-Market rule on the investment industry, which included banks and insurance companies. The effect of the rule led directly to the collapse of the banking system and the mortgage market. Americans have had to stand by and watch the U.S. Treasury looted and our National Debt increased by $3.7 Trillion. These are things to remember on Election Day.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Will NPR Finally Get Theirs?

Until yesterday I felt almost alone in my personal campaign to get NPR off the taxpayer dime. NPR always says they do not get very much money, but everybody on the government dime says they don't get very much; so what else is new? Over the years NPR has discussed the wonder of Fidel's Castro's Cuba and the forward looking leadership of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua and the righteousness of the progressive movement in America. They have portrayed America as a nation mislead by an irrational conservative leadership and have almost always taken positions that put the nation in a precarious position. They support radical anti-American movements around the world and believe that America is the cause of all the world's problems. Fortunately their influence has been limited to the small audience of public radio, but their pernicious goals can be felt throughout the country. They want Americans to feel they live in a terrible country when it goes against what they think is righteous foreign and domestic policy. It's obvious that Vivian Schiller and Ellen Weiss got in over their heads when they fired Juan Williams. It will be interesting to see how they feel when their turn to be fired arrives. Goodbye Vivian. Goodbye Ellen. Say hello to the $2 million dollar man; Juan Williams on Fox News

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Out of Sight, but Not Unnoticed

Far from the glitz and glitter of $200 million dollar election campaigns like Fiorina versus Boxer or Whitman versus Brown, is the mostly unnoticed contest in New York’s Second Congressional district. Democratic incumbent Steven Israel and entrepreneur John Gomez are locked in a heated battle for a Congressional district that has both conservative and liberals voters. It gets little play from the local and regional media, almost as though it was being avoided by a liberal press that hopes lack of exposure will kill Gomez’s candidacy. However, Gomez supporters are mobilized and doing all the right things to pull him over the top to a win on Election Day. You can attend a John Gomez fundraiser on October 26, at Madison’s Steak House in Hauppague, NY. It’s $75 a person and you can RSVP to Kathy Brand, (631-695-5151.)

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Politics Ain't Standup

Yesterday I twittered that Carl Paladino should not let Andrew Cuomo drag him into the gutter and focus on his failure, as part of the current administration, to do anything to help the state in the current fiscal dilemma. And further to tie him to the sub-prime mortgage debacle and the related financial crisis, which was in part a direct result of policies he supported as Director of HUD. Instead the New York Governor's debate turned into an audition for a comedy club. If offered a variety of tasteless and morbid jokes unfit for people who are serious about running for office. It reminds us that governing is serious business and while most of us appreciate a smart sense of humor it is not a replacement for a solid election strategy or coherent government policy. This was as aptly demonstrated a few weeks ago when Rep. Zoe Lofregn (D-Calif.) invited comedian Stephen Colbert to speak on immigration reform. It demonstrated clearly that picking vegetables for day doesn't make you an expert on immigration. It also demonstrated that too many politicians don't take our problems seriously enough. It's time to forget the one-liners and clever aphorisms and get to work. Politics ain't beanbag either.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

The Real Problem with Foreclosures

Despite all the harang over foreclosures, the efforts to stop them and the efforts of the various banks and government authorities to determine whether the foreclosures are fair and just, the real problem is being hidden from the public because it hides something much more critical than the foreclosure process. At the bottom of the process is the simple fact that it is difficult to determine who the real owners of a property are. For example, when the Bank of America forecloses on a homeowner it doesn't really know who owns that house because the original mortgage has been bundled into a CMO (Collateralized Mortgage Obligations) or other financial instrument. Chances are a bank sold that mortgage (and others) to a broker who combined it with a thousand other mortgages and sold it to an investor as a package that included a variety of properties as part of its contents. The millions of foreclosures now in the pipeline have a negative effect on that investment bundle, as well as the banks and the housing market. So the result is a triple-whammy that is likely to reverberate and result in yet another downturn in the housing market, a further deterioration of bank stocks and yet another false bottom bolstered by a terrified President and the incompetent management of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and HUD. Most experts will tell you that the problem with the housing market is the inability to find the bottom. As long as it is propped up by scared banks and terrified politicians the market will not settle. Until it does the average homeowner and homebuyer has no idea what the true value of any home is. The market is likely to remain unstable until we know. The mortgage and housing market must be allowed to find the bottom so we can get on the path to economic recovery.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Who Wins Matters

There is both excitement and fear as we approach Election Day 2010. This column started as a pitch for gridlock, but unfortunately if we do not get the Congress to agree on a few fundamental issues our country will be at great risk in the coming decade. We must repair the housing market, stabilize tax policy and establish a security and energy policy that is good for the nation. Each of these is a monumental task in and of itself. It took several years of mismanagement to create the collapse of the housing market. Bad policy and greed in both public and private institutions lead to a collapse, which may persist for years if policy corrections and reform do not take place. It doesn't matter whether you call the required tax cuts the Bush cuts or the Obama cuts. You must stabilize tax policy so people, both individuals and businesses know what to expect. It is clear that the security and energy policies currently being tried will not lead to a more secure military situation or energy independence. These policy decisions are the most crucial for the country in the short term, although the problems will take some time to resolve. The voters will have to decide the direction they favor because each of the parties offers a different path. Over the next week or so The New Narrative will explore each of these issues. There are plenty of professional opinion makers to help the voters. What is needed is a referee. Keep watching for the discussions. It can help you figure out how to vote to satisfy your own vision and help the country at the same time.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Just Another Plouffe Piece

I have asked in previous writings whether or not David Plouffe is on drugs or does he just think that way naturally? Today he said in the Washington Post that anything short of a full sweep of the Congress and all the Governor's races would be a "colossal failure" for the Republicans. To be precise he said this: "By their definition, success is winning back the House, winning back the Senate and winning every major governor's race. When you've got winds this strong in your favor, that's the kind of election you need to have - or it should be considered a colossal failure." Not so fast Mr. Plouffe. The Republicans just need to take control of one chamber to be in a position to temper some of the policies being proposed by the President and Democratic special interest groups. The Democrats do not get to decide what is required to declare victory. You do not get to decide whether or not it is a disgrace. The American voters get to decide. Many of them would be happy to just have some adults in the room.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

I Like Latinos More Than You

Now that the Meg Whitman/Jerry Brown Hispanic debate is over California’s Spanish-speaking citizens must put their money where their mouth is. They must choose a governor who will reform state government and use the political system for the good of all the state’s residents. Jerry Brown would have you believe that even though he has been Governor, Mayor of Oakland and State Attorney-General he has had no part in developing the policies that have created the current state of affairs. He would have you believe he doesn’t know Gloria Allred, whose lawsuit, announced just five weeks before Election Day, is nothing more than a dirty trick to portray Whitman as anti-Latino. He does know Allred and they have an extensive history. As far as Jerry Brown is concerned Nicky Diaz is just like the other illegal aliens that cannot vote and he would like legal-residents who can to vote for him. Meg Whitman is right. Jerry Brown is just more of the same. His promise to clean up the mess he helped create is just a platitude. Today’s Spanish-speaking American is no fool. Those who have chosen to become legal citizens and have successfully assimilated have earned the fruits of this great country. Those who have chosen to act illegally, as they old saying goes, get what they pay for. Voters must choose wisely; our country depends on it.

Friday, October 1, 2010

When Will Andrew Cuomo Come Out of Hiding?

Carl Paladino, the Republican hopeful in the New York Governor's race, is having a hard time getting Andrew Cuomo to come out and play in the state's political sandbox. You have to empathize with the Democratic would-be Governor, whose fingerprints are all over the Housing collapse and the financial collapse that followed in its wake. As the former Director of HUD he made many decisions that, in hindsight, have proven to be mistakes. Except for his revenge-motivated campaigns against David Patterson and Elliot Spitzer, he has done very little for those he is sworn to protect. Paladino deserves a fair up and down debate with Cuomo. The Attorney-General and the Republican nominee must not be allowed to replace serious discussion of the issues with vicious personal attacks and clever one-liners. Politics ain't beanbag.