Nov 012013
 

I voted early today for Minneapolis mayor. None of the candidates possess R.T. Rybak’s charm or vision, but Betsy Hodges strikes me as the most progressive of the bunch. She has a passion for addressing inequality, which may translate into more concerted efforts to narrow the city’s glaring racial disparities. Hodges may also be able to push for further modernization of our transit system and bring more decent-paying jobs to the city.

As for City Council, I wrote in myself because I couldn’t bring myself to vote for Lisa Goodman’s bland leadership again. Her votes against several urban density projects have left me frustrated and I don’t know that she has any real notion of how to run a 21st century city. Somebody really needs to replace her in 2017.

Hmm…

Oct 172013
 

It’s difficult to understate the pointlessness and utter folly  of the Republican-led shutdown and fiscal crisis that has now concluded. For all their bluster and bravado, Republicans achieved none of their stated policy goals. The ACA will continue to be implemented (assuming the Administration can fix the deeply flawed federal insurance exchange) and people will receive coverage beginning next year. They did manage to inflict billions of dollars in collateral economic damage and deprive the country of a functional government, successfully completing the GOP’s year-long rebranding effort. The party’s new motto: “Burn! Burn!”

The only thing that may prevent a repeat of this sad chapter is the dawning realization among more reasonable Republicans that things are different now. Obama and Democrats will not bargain away major policy achievements under threat of economic ruin; not now, not next year, or the year after that. There is a deal to be had on tax and entitlement reform if Republicans can budge on revenue, but it will require abandoning the Tea Party ideologues. I’m skeptical this will happen anytime soon. Perhaps the best we can hope for is to muddle through the next few years until the political dynamic shifts in a fundamental way.

Oct 102013
 

It took Republicans about ten days to figure out that shuttering the government and threatening global economic ruin might not be the best way to earn voter approval. I’m quite happy that Democrats remained united and didn’t blink when the Tea Party took control of the asylum, but we should never have come to this point. Some liberal bloggers are making breathless predictions about retaking the House, which should be regarded with a healthy dose of skepticism. This entire mess might be a faint memory by the time next November arrives and we may be stuck with the status quo for a few more years.

One interesting sidenote: Republicans may have inadvertently made the Affordable Care Act more popular because of their shenanigans. Given the incredibly rocky launch of the insurance exchanges, that’s no small feat. Good work, guys!

 

Oct 032013
 

We Americans like to think that our form of constitutional democracy is the best form of government ever invented. But what if the Constitution is actually contributing to the current government shutdown and political standoff? That’s the thesis of a fascinating Wonkbklog essay by Dylan Matthews. Matthews points out that our separate executive and legislative branches were designed to serve as checks on one another, but this strategy doesn’t work as well when the branches are controlled by opposing hyper-polarized political parties. As polarization increases, so do the odds of an irreconcilable standoff like what we’re seeing today. And the Constitution doesn’t provide a tie-breaker.

Voters also have a difficult time determining whom to hold responsible when things go wrong. Is the shutdown the fault of the House? The Senate? The President? In most other democracies, the majority party controls both the executive and legislative branches, so it’s easy for people to register their approval or disapproval of the government. Here, we punish or reward whoever happens to be up for election in that cycle.

I’m not arguing for a wholesale reinvention of American government. But it’s difficult to ignore the increasing dysfunction in Washington and perhaps it’s time to consider some tweaks to our system. Despite claims to the contrary, the Constitution is not a holy text and treating it as such may lead to our downfall.

Oct 012013
 

Most people don’t have the time or patience to understand the political dynamics that led to today’s government shutdown. But let’s be clear about the root cause: the federal government is closed because Republicans do not want people to have access to affordable health insurance. It’s that simple. Republicans love to frame their zealotry as a defense of freedom; namely, the freedom to be bankrupted by a heart attack or car accident. It is this distorted, nihilistic, utterly fucked-up notion of “freedom” that has transformed the GOP into a party that is incapable of governing responsibly.

Republicans promised to unveil an alternative to the Affordable Care Act back in 2011. Two years later, they have still offered nothing because Republicans are fundamentally uninterested in health care reform. For them, the old, dysfunctional, highly uncompetitive insurance regime worked just fine. And if you were excluded from that system, well, you just weren’t deserving in the first place.

This shutdown will eventually end (hopefully, without a cataclysmic debt default) and the exchanges will continue to enroll people in coverage. Unfortunately, we’ll have to endure an extended conservative tantrum and the pointless idling of a million workers first.

 

Jul 312013
 

Constituent service is one of the more mundane responsibilities of Congressional members, but it’s a vital service for the people they represent. When people have trouble with their Social Security or veteran benefits, they can call their representative or senator and expect to receive assistance. However, some GOP members have decided that they will not assist people who have issues with obtaining health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Here’s a couple choice quotes from Republican representatives:

“Given that we come from Kansas, it’s much easier to say, ‘Call your former governor,'” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R), referring to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

“You say, ‘She’s the one. She’s responsible. She was your governor, elected twice, and now you reelected the president, but he picked her.'” Huelskamp said.

“We know how to forward a phone call,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).

 

Conservatives’ pathological opposition to the ACA is one thing, but refusing to help constituents access a legitimate government program is breathtaking in its nihilism. It’s yet another example of the sabotage mentality that has consumed the Tea Party faction. It’s also another reason for the Obama administration to ensure that it runs an effective outreach campaign that bypasses the intransigence of elected officials.

“Given that we come from Kansas, it’s much easier to say, ‘Call your former governor,'” said Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R), referring to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

“You say, ‘She’s the one. She’s responsible. She was your governor, elected twice, and now you reelected the president, but he picked her.'” Huelskamp said.

“We know how to forward a phone call,” said Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah).



Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/305777-gop-to-constituents-questions-on-obamacare-call-obama?wpisrc=nl_wonk_b#ixzz2aeSGonOn 
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Jul 092013
 

I’m running short on time tonight, but this Greg Sargent piece on “sabotage governing” is worth reading. It describes how the modern GOP is willing to inflict harm on the nation and its citizens, as demonstrated by the party’s thuggish efforts to undermine the implementation of Obamacare. I know that not all Republicans are this nihilistic, but the right wing of the party has replaced policy with threats. I’m not sure how such impulses can help the party remain viable in the long run.

Jul 012013
 

Congressional Republicans are warning professional sports leagues to stay away from any involvement in promoting Obamacare. Jonathan Cohn rightly accuses the GOP of trying to keep people in the dark about public benefits that will be available to them; benefits that were passed into law and affirmed by the Supreme Court. It’s clear that the GOP still can’t accept the legitimacy of Obamacare to the point where they are openly interfering with its implementation.

There are plenty of other ways to get the word out. Advocates and grassroots organizations will make sure of that. But this is just further evidence that Republicans are no longer a party of opposition. They are a syndicate whose only tools of persuasion are fear and intimidation.

May 292013
 

While I’m certainly glad to see Michele Bachmann leave elected office, I doubt her star will dim anytime soon. She probably has 3-4 years to cash in on the big money to be made from the conservative media machine before she has to worry fading into obscurity. Perhaps she and Sarah Palin can develop some kind of buddy act and take it on the college circuit. Meanwhile, I’m sure someone equally wrong-headed will succeed her in the 6th District.

May 012013
 

Ezra Klein rightly castigates Democrats for completely surrendering to Republicans on the sequestration. Klein points out that by voting last week vote to exempt the FAA from across-the-board budgets cuts, Democrats threw away their one bargaining chip that might have enabled them to replace the sequestration with something more sensible. But because Dems couldn’t stomach the thought of taking a little flak for flight delays, other people who don’t have frequent flyer cards will continue to suffer. Other people who may have never stepped foot in an airport will continue to have their housing vouchers revoked. Other people who don’t have the money for a plane ticket will continue to have their unemployment benefits cut.

But our elected officials will move heaven and earth for lobbyists and corporate executives who bitch about being stuck on the tarmac for an hour.

Perhaps Obama and Democrats are playing some long game that I don’t have the political acumen to understand. Perhaps they really aren’t the cowards they seem to be.