Reader Elmer sends today’s Corning Leader Opinion Page [pdf], which contains an op-ed from Randy Kuhl and a letter from Eric Massa.

Kuhl’s op-ed is a protest of the Democrats’ plan to bring the Iraq Supplemental up for a vote without committee action or much meaningful debate. At one point in the op-ed, Kuhl compares Nancy Pelosi’s conduct with that of “oppressive regimes”.

Congressional procedure issues are of little or no interest to most voters, so it is rather strange that Kuhl would devote so much space to it, but the underlying debate here is quite interesting Good government types (like me) were appalled by the manner in which Republicans ran the House when they were in charge. Thus, I tend to sympathize with complaints about heavy-handed majority rule, though it’s tough to have too much sympathy when House Republican leaders ask Democrats to “treat us as they would liked to have been treated.”

In any case, the Iraq debate is not like other debates. Bush and McCain want the United States to stay in Iraq for the foreseeable future — for as many as a million years, according to McCain — and Congressional Republicans have pulled out every trick in the book to help make sure this happens. Congressional Democrats have erred on the side of compromise — some might call it “caving in” — on this issue. I support any efforts to get tough with Republicans about redeployment from Iraq. And I think most Americans feel the same way.

RT has discussed this survey before. I believe it’s just a heavy-handed attempt to make people to buy into a sales tax increase, by making it the most appealing option. The lengths Maggie’s going through to publicize the survey are surprising as well — sending unsolicited SPAM. (Side comment: I ALWAYS check the “don’t SPAM me” check-box when registering on a site, so either there wasn’t one or it was ignored in this case).

Maggie Brooks looks to be going down the same path of self-destruction as Joel Giambra, Erie County Executive from 1999 to 2007. Giambra pulled similar stunts that seriously damaged Erie County and ended his political career.

Giambra, like Maggie, pledged to never increase property taxes. After years of budget one-shots and misuse of tobacco settlement money to artificially keep property taxes low, Giambra ran out of gimmicks (just like the FAIR plan was Maggie’s last, best gimmick). Similarly, he tried to play the “I need to raise the sales tax a penny” card and also failed, so he implemented most or all of the items in Maggie’s Survey List #1 in his infamous “Red Budget” in early 2005.

I lived in the Buffalo area during this time and can tell you first hand that this level of mismanagement made him exceptionally unpopular, put the county into a crisis mode, caused a number of county leg members to get tossed in the next election, and eventually put Erie County under the management of a State Control Board — all because Giambra refused to raise property tax. I see Maggie going in these same failed directions — the parallels are remarkable. I hope Monroe County doesn’t eventually end up in a situation with a Control Board as well. That’s something that literally takes decades to recover from (in bond markets, financial ratings and such).

So Maggie, please don’t be another Joel. Monroe Country can’t afford it.

Photo courtesy Michael Parks.

area, getting out and talking to voters face-to-face for several hours. Powers, a down to earth, affable kind of guy, wore his combat boots to remind him of why he’s doing this. An Army veteran who served in Iraq, Powers returned to Iraq once his tour was completed to begin War Kids Relief, an organization that seeks to help Iraqi children in need before they become the next generation of terrorists. It’s this type of direct, people-oriented problem-solving for which Powers is becoming known.

Powers’ campaign has also taken a direct, grassroots approach, going door-to-door in the district, holding conference calls with supporters, and holding house parties, among other people-centered activities. In essence, Jon Powers’ philosophy seems to be “Boots on the ground.”

Image courtesy Michael Parks.

Anyway, there’s a lot of good stuff, so much that I don’t have time to summarize it. So just go over to Daily Politics if you’re as into this story as I am.

Looks like co-sleeping is back in the news again with a blog post by Rachel Barnhart at 13wham.com, now with a Public Campaign against it and PSAs on Youtube. I did a piece on this awhile back, but it’s time to revisit and get the facts straight, Mam.

Here’s the PSA:

watch?v=MPF_IA8Qbk4

What, exactly were the circumstances surrounding these “43″ deaths? Were the parents smokers?, intoxicated?, obese?, under the influence of medications? Was the baby even in the bed with a parent, or was it a sibling, or was the baby in the adult bed alone?

Now, how many babies died in cribs last year, away from their parents? Why is that statistic not provided?

It’s probably not provided, because it is not known. Take a look at this article:

Susan Honaker of Sterling Heights, Mich., lost her 3-week-old son, Evan, in May 2005.”He was totally healthy, two weeks early. He had been lying beside me. I woke up and found him gone at about 9 in the morning,” she said.

“I called for six weeks straight trying to find out why he died, and they put me off that they were waiting for such and such to come back. Finally they put on the death certificate: ‘Accidental suffocation due to hazardous sleeping environment.’ “

“The coroner told me flat-out: ‘If you’d found him in a crib, I would have called it SIDS, but since he was laying with you, I put this.’ But there was no evidence from the autopsy or the bedding that he suffocated. I’ve done a lot of research since then, and they don’t know,” Honaker said.

Here’s a news flash in response to the PSA: “Babies don’t do anything better alone. Babies are meant to be with their mothers. They don’t have the mechanisms in their brains to soothe themselves, so alone is not such a good idea.”

Update: Rachel has reported on the new findings, without saying “yay”, or “nay” on the issue itself. I’m just trying to get to the extenuating circumstances surrounding the deaths. Until they are uncovered, the PSAs will continue to instill fear into new parents, possibly unfounded.

Gee, they grow up awfully fast don’t they. I’m talking about candidates. I got a letter yesterday from the Obama campaign.

Prepaid envelope, A letter from Obama, a support letter from Ted Kennedy, a form looking for an email address and a donation and time to volunteer.

Obama Mailer

I must say I was impressed as this was unexpected. I haven’t signed up for any Obama lists. Haven’t attended any meetings, haven’t donated. Nope, nothing. Ultimately, I will but up to now I haven’t.

Sounds like someone is learning to finish off Clinton in her own backyard of New York State.

What I got from Obama was a professional, targeted fund raising piece that was looking for money and volunteers. It was sent to New York State - Hillary’s back yard. it is the first piece of lit I received from either candidate since New Yorks super Tuesday.

It might be time to reread this piece I wrote about Jeffrey Feldman’s observations last February.

Sounds like someone is growing up awlfully fast.

Anyone else get these? I’m guessing they went out to prime Dems but who knows.

I will say this, though: Vito could probably stick it out and make it til November (where he’d lose, of course) were it not for the increasingly dire straights House Republicans are facing. But the House Republican leadership is under the gun and can’t afford to give away the seat. The Washington Post has an article about how NRCC head Tom Cole may get sacked if Democrats win Tuesday’s special election in Mississippi.

The stakes in the 1st District special election couldn’t be higher, strategically or symbolically. The loss of a traditionally GOP seat to a Democrat would be the third in a special election this spring and the second in the Deep South after the May 3 victory of Rep. Don Cazayoux (D-La.).

Rank-and-file Republicans say that would force a day of reckoning for their leadership.

“When you connect three dots in anything, that’s a bad thing. This connects the dots. At that point, everybody’s got to come together and have a come-to-Jesus meeting,” said Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), a retiring centrist who will help form a new advisory panel at the National Republican Congressional Committee.

Surveying the local landscape, I’ve wondered for weeks why Kuhl raises so little money and why the Republicans can’t get better candidates in NY-25 and NY-29. I don’t wonder about that anymore. Democrats hold every advantage in House races going into the fall. If you’re a local progressive who’s interested in changing the make-up of the House, there’s never been a better time to get involved in the process.

I’d also like to add some funny commentary from some House Republicans about all of this:

“When Bush tries to articulate a vision,” Davis said, pausing to choose his words carefully, “he will butcher the Gettysburg Address. Obama, he will make an A&P grocery list sing.”

[…]

I don’t want to tap dance ‘The Good Ship Lollipop,’ ” he (Rep. Jeb Hensarling) said. “But I don’t want to crawl into a fetal position.”

Next time you are talking to presidential fence sitters - remind them about the Supreme Court.

Address: 1941 Elmwood Avenue
Location: Brighton Highway Department
Hours: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Contact: (585) 458-2460
Cost: Free ($5 for TVs)

Remember it is at the Brighton Highway department NOT the Town Hall.

If you have stuff to drop off that is great, but even better is for you to ask your friends and make arrangements with them to get their surplus/obsolete ewaste to the event on Saturday. It is not that hard - just ask.

I’ll be reminding you during the week.

The D&C had a write-up about gold star mothers. A club that, ideallly, should have no members.

You can also read about our local electeds commenting on Motherhood. Clinton, Frankel, Dixon, Brooks, Saintiago, Slaughter, Heyman.

What are you doing today?

http://ktracy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/dean.JPG

National Democratic Chair, Dr Howard Dean will be coming to Rochester for a reception to support our favorite Democratic candidate for the 29th congressional district, Eric Massa!

Here’s the scoop:

When: Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Where: The Inn on Broadway

26 Broadway, Rochester, NY

How Much: VIP Reception: 5:00-5:30 PM $1000.00

Reception: 5:30-7:00 AM $250.00

RSVP: Maryanne Hamilton email:

mhamilton@massaforcongress.com

The bottom line is that there isn’t that much difference between Hillary and Obama in terms of political potential. And it’s a mistake to focus on the personal attributes of candidates at a time when there are larger forces — much larger — working in favor of progressives. John Harris and Jim VandeHei of the Politico have a good piece about this fact in the Politico today:

Things are so bad that many people don’t even want to call themselves Republicans. The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press has found the lowest percentage of self-described Republicans in 16 years of polling.

[…]

For now, Republicans are heartened by how well McCain sometimes does in head-to-head polling with Barack Obama, the likely Democratic nominee. But it’s silly to watch those numbers: They fluctuate and reflect nothing more than momentary feelings about the candidates, and they come at a time when public attention is fixed on the final rounds of the Democratic slugfest.

[…]

It’s so toxic, some Republicans are pointing to 1976 as a favorable historical comparison. That was the year Gerald Ford ran in the dark shadows of Watergate and lost to Jimmy Carter. Says Dick Wadhams, the chairman of the Colorado Republican Party: “When voters really homed in on the choice between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and what each stood for, Gerald Ford almost won the election despite this horrible environment.”

Almost.

There is a natural tendency to focus on the personal in politics. And it’s often tempting to look at a local race and to think it’s smart to make the race about the fact that one candidate is, say, I don’t know, a recovering alcoholic with a history of spousal abuse, while the other is a squeaky clean family man. But it’s better to make all races about the issues, about spending another several trillion in Iraq versus getting out now, about letting our health care system languish versus finding a solution that saves money and brings quality health care to millions of Americans, about running up another several trillion in deficits versus restoring fiscal sanity to Washington.

Races built on personality are simply castles made of sand, and, as we all know, castles made of sand fall into the sea, eventually.

Local Congressional candidates seem to grasp this issue — Eric Massa’s substantive plans for health care and redeployment from Iraq are great examples. Let’s hope this kind of thinking takes hold nationally as well.

In today’s D&C, this article caught my eye, pun intended:

Mayor Robert Duffy wants to spend $1 million over the next five years on police surveillance cameras — enough to buy more than 40 additional units, adding to the 25 that should start going up on troubled city streets in June.

I admire a leader who wants to take bold steps and fight crime but I’m concerned about the actual effectiveness of surveillance cameras, and their impact on privacy rights. According to the ACLU, surveillance cameras are not effective in deterring crime but they are implicit in creating a false sense of security where they are installed and they do diminish privacy rights.

Other studies have found that improved lighting on city streets reduces crime by 20 percent. That’s a measurable, verifiable crime reduction that does not infringe upon privacy.

From an NBC report in San Francisco in 2007:

The 64 cameras already in use have a price tag of $500,000, Ballard said. The city will be installing 25 new cameras in 2008.

Data collected from surveillance cameras has been used in at least six investigations, Ballard said. One arrest has been made definitively because of the cameras.

“We believe the program is working,” Ballard said.

Wow, one arrest for $500,000 spent on cameras. That’s a fairly expensive arrest.

Cameras are reactive versus proactive. Wear a hoodie and what good will these cameras do, other than record some hooded figure, languishing in the shadows (where are those lights again?) stepping out for a second to be recorded in the act but not stopped from committing the crime? I feel safer already.

So, what was it that I spied with my little eye, something beginning with “S”? Spin. The false sense of security created by cameras, the lack of verifiable effectiveness, the expense-to-crime reduction ratio, all these factors are out there, being ignored. That is spin. We can all spy that.

On Wednesday, the House took up the seemingly uncontroversial H. Res. 1113, “Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother’s Day.” The resolution initially passed 412 to 0, until Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) rose in protest:

Mr. Speaker, I ask for a recorded vote because I’m sure every member wants their mother to know that they have supported the goals of Mother’s Day.

Tiahrt’s mother, however, may be disappointed to know that her son did not support Mother’s Day. He and 177 other Republicans decided to cast their vote against mothers.

From the Washington Post:

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: “Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother’s Day.”

And then there is Veto Vito Fossella:

There’s the case of one member of his caucus, Rep. Vito Fossella (N.Y.); the father of three from Staten Island yesterday announced that he has a fourth, a 3-year-old love child with a woman from Virginia. That admission was prompted by his drunken-driving arrest in Virginia last week, when he told police he was on his way to see his daughter. “I think Mr. Fossella is going to have some decisions to make over the weekend,” Boehner said at his news conference yesterday, cutting Fossella loose. Fossella was spotted on the House floor, in tears, speaking to the chaplain.

For the record, Fossella did not participate in the Mother’s Day vote.

You can head over to Think Progress and watch the video too.

I Wonder how Mr Kuhl voted.

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(Dana Milbank seems to think puppies and kittens may be the next target)

(I wrote this right before RT crashed, so I’m putting it up now…)

Yesterday was National Teacher Day and Jon Powers, candidate for Congress in NY-26, a teacher himself, had this to say about the state of education and teachers:

My mother spent 35 years teaching in public schools and, inspired by her work, I chose to follow in her footsteps by pursuing my degree in education at John Carroll University. America has long been committed to public school education, but our current U.S. policy is failing our teachers and, more importantly, failing our children. No Child Left Behind is an unfunded federal mandate that evaluates teachers and schools based on test scores, not the quality of education they provide. It takes the teacher out of the classroom.

As I speak with teachers across Western New York, they believe that critical reform is needed. They understand the need for accountability, but stress that a good education is more than a test score. It is about creating life long learners by taking skills acquired through family and the educational process and applying them to the challenges we face in life. It is holding us, as teachers, responsible for what goes on in our classrooms and turning off the television at home to focus on homework. It is shared responsibility and teamwork.

Powers has vast experience in shared responsibility and teamwork that stems from his service in the Army.  Combined with his classroom experience, Powers’ military service has contributed to a life filled with public service.  When he speaks about understanding the issues everyday Americans face, Powers is speaking from experience, not just a passing interest.  It is this type of deep understanding that has been largely missing from politics in America. 

Powers gets that children are our future because he’s been in the classroom, he’s seen a country ravaged by war and how the erosion of stability hurts the next generation, the future of a country being dependent upon the state of its children.  Powers put his concerns to action instead of simply lamenting them when he began War Kids Relief.  Simply put, Powers puts his ideas in action.  Maybe that stems from his military service, maybe it stems from his classroom teaching skills.  Wherever it comes from, Powers is the kind of leader who gets things done. We could really use that kind of leader.