Upgrading the Vote in Massachusetts

UPDATE: Bad news--this great reform package died in the last days of the session. Let's not let that happen next session. keep on those legislators.

ACTION NEEDED ON GOOD ELECTION REFORM / TIME SENSITIVE!
shortlink to this page: http://hmny.me/elexnreform2012
If we want to change our country's politics, we need to have a plan for long-term change, and that means growing the voting base for elections in the future. Conservatives would have you believe that "liberals" want to do this by sneaking "illegals" into the polls, have dead people vote, and otherwise committing mass voter fraud. That both illogical and ridiculous.

Remember hanging chads?

What we need to do is engage the people who will be future voters (young people), bring back to the process those who need to update their voting status (people who have changed addresses, students, new residents), engage those who have dropped out of the process (the cynical/apathetic), and be guaranteed that our elections are sound--that every vote is counted (no hanging chads).

There is a good election reform bill on Beacon Hill that has passed the House--but is currently waiting on the Senate. With only 5 odd weeks left in the session, if the Senate doesn't act quickly, this good Election Reform bill will die--and we won't have a chance to implement these NEEDED reforms before November elections. That's why you need to call your State Senator TODAY.

Economic Amnesia (More Trickle Down)

The conventional wisdom is that the fate of the presidential elections will rely a lot on how the economy is doing in the fall. For this reason, many have said--even top Republican advisors, out loud!--that Republicans are purposefully hampering the economy in order to kneecap the president and his chances for re-election in 2012.
Meanwhile, recessions have cycles, and while we're not out of it by any stretch, there are signs of improvement. Even Republican governors are contradicting Romney's narrative of economic doom and gloom.

There is no question that our economy is sputtering along and people are hurting. Pres. Obama and his leadership/policies SHOULD be up for debate and review. And so should Romney's alternatives.

While Romney criticizes the weakness of our recovery and Obama's "failures" to bring us out of it faster/stronger, listen for whatever it is he is saying a "President Romney" would have done differently.

What, exactly, substantially, are his policies? And... Would they work?

• We know that he wouldn't have bailed out Detroit and the auto manufacturers ("Let Detroit go bankrupt").
• We know he wants to cut spending and criticizes the Obama stimulus package of 2009.
• We know he wants significant tax cuts, as well as extension of the Bush tax cuts, which go primarily to the wealthiest. 
• We know that he has accused (falsely) Obama of massively expanding government regulations, and said he'd cut the red tape that's supposedly choking economic growth.
• (Update: Tax Policy Center put together Romney's tax plans based on his statements (given that he hasn't released any specifics) and ran analysis of the numbers. Read the breakdown here: "Why Romney's Tax Plan Is Mathematically Impossible" [Aug 6, 2012, "Next New Deal]) 

So... in response to economic failures of  key industries, he would have done nothing. His response to recession would be cutting taxes for the wealthy and slashing regulations.

Who does this sound like?

There is no meaningful difference between the trickle-down economics of George W. Bush, rejected by the country in 2008, and the plans supported by Mr. Romney and his Republican allies in Congress. All the elements are there, from the slavish devotion to tax cuts for the rich, to a contempt for government regulation, to savage cutbacks in programs for those at the bottom. (The Political Contrast - NYTimes.com (6/14/2012))

And we have a record of how things worked out under these policies:

• Killer Facts on Failure of Bush Economic Policies | Americans for Responsible Taxes - http://goo.gl/3mm6F
• The Economic Consequences of Mr. Bush | Politics | Vanity Fair (2007) http://goo.gl/A8gT
• Bush Tax Cuts Have Provided Extremely Large Benefits to Wealthiest Americans Over Last Nine Years — Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (7/2012) http://goo.gl/xYxrc
• Presidential Job Records - NYTimes.com - Krugman (May 2012) http://goo.gl/Np9v6
• Mitt Romney and Taxing the Rich -   Lowered taxes on the rich have not correlated with faster GDP growth  - http://goo.gl/UJTR8
• Idea of the Day: Great Recession Could Have Been Prevented by Bush Administration - http://goo.gl/czDgD
• Krugman - Why doesn't Bush get economic credit? - NYTimes.com - 1/28/2008 - http://goo.gl/BU4zv
• Mitt Romney Promises to Create Eleventeen Million Jobs - NYTimes.com (5/12/2012) http://goo.gl/CVmxc -- 
• Romney said that we should be creating 500,000 jobs a month — which almost never happens — and that we should have 4 percent unemployment, which is way below almost anyone’s estimate of the lowest rate we can have without accelerating inflation.
  But he understands the economy, right?
• Since Romney is proposing a complete return to Bush economic policies, it might be interesting to note the average rate of job creation during Bush’s first 7 years in the White House — that is, his record even if you ignore the catastrophe at the end. And that average monthly rate, from the BLS, was … drum roll … 66,000.
• Economists: Romney’s ideas wouldn’t fix short-term crisis, and could make things worse - The Plum Line - The Washington Post (6/7/2012) http://goo.gl/gNKXT

Let's not forget.

_____
Trickle Down, Supply Side

• Tax Cuts For The Rich Do Not Spur Economic Growth: Study | TPMDC (9/17/2012) http://bit.ly/UcApTd

More on economic revisionism:

• Must read: Bruce Bartlett (REAGAN's guy), The Clinton Tax Challenge for Republicans (8/2012)
• Economists to Romney campaign: That’s not what our research says (8/8/2012) http://wapo.st/MjCHN3
• The Whole Story: Chairman Conrad's Response to Republican 'No Budget' Claims:  Senate Budget Committee (4/30/2012) http://goo.gl/svlZ0 

More on economy:

• Those Idiots In Washington Don't Know Jack About The Economy (7/27/2012) Business Insider - http://goo.gl/QwgCC
• Includes 10 economic untruths debunked
• The most important issue in this year's election is the economy. But as a survey of economists by the Chicago Booth School makes clear, the last people you should be listening to about how to fix the economy are the people in Washington. Why? Because they don't know jack about the economy. (Or, more likely, they know something about the economy but they care a lot more about getting elected than fixing the economy, so they'll say whatever they think will get them elected.)
• Ed.: Paul Ryan’s Cramped Vision - NYTimes.com (8/11/2012)  http://nyti.ms/Nhkelx
• A candidate of no details — I’ll cut the budget but no need to explain just how — has named a vice-presidential running mate, Paul Ryan, whose vision is filled with endless columns of minus signs. Voters will now be able to see with painful clarity just what the Republican Party has in store for them.
• Alternet: 8/2012: Obama v. Romney: Two Radically Different Visions Of America's Future   http://bit.ly/PAgGFc:
• We've got a stark choice: do we improve the systems that have made us rich and powerful in the past? Or do we tear them down in the name of "freedom," and hope for the best?
• 8/2012: RT @ThePlumLineGS: In an election all about economy, you'd think there'd be more scrutiny on which candidate's plan would fix it http://wapo.st/OHpEov
• Analyzing Mitt Romney's Plan To Fix The Economy... - Business Insider (July 11, 2012) http://goo.gl/dkImW
• Romney Campaign Said to Ask Rep. Gov Scott to Downplay Job Gains http://t.co/IY648OS5
• Katrina vanden Heuvel: Romney’s incredible extremes - The Washington Post (8/2012)  http://goo.gl/VYlX1 -- "Mitt Romney’s tax and spending plans are so irresponsible, so cruel, so extreme that they are literally incredible. Voters may find it hard to believe anyone would support such things, so they are likely to discount even factual descriptions as partisan distortion."
• Romney's tax plan crunches middle class - Tampa Bay Times 8/6/2012 http://bit.ly/PFAJSS
• Scot Lehigh - Romney's Fanciful Tax Plan- Opinion - The Boston Globe (8/8/2012) http://b.globe.com/PFAW8x
• Wonkbog: The Romney campaign says stimulus doesn’t work. Here are the studies they left out. (8/8/2012) http://wapo.st/O5YqWZ

Blame Bush.

Pretty much.

Go right ahead. Using figures by Reaganomics architect Bruce Bartlett, Andrew Sullivan writes:

When you check reality, rather than the alternate universe constantly created by Fox News and an amnesiac press, you find that Bush had a chance to pay off all our national debt before we hit the financial crisis - giving the US enormous flexibility in intervening to ameliorate the recession. Instead, we had to find money for a stimulus in a cupboard stripped bare - its contents largely given away, by an act of choice. 

I'm tired of being told we cannot blame Bush for our current predicament. 

We can and should blame him for most of it - and remind people that Romney's policies -- more tax cuts, more defense spending-- are identical. 

With one difference: Bush pledged never "to balance the budget on the backs of the poor." Mitt Romney has no qualms about doing that very thing. And he will, if he is given the chance.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Blame
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

Reaganite Bruce Bartlett (also referenced above) lays it out in black and white: 

Republicans would have us believe that somehow we could have avoided the recession and balanced the budget since 2009 if only they had been in charge. This would be a neat trick considering that the recession began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.They would also have us believe that all of the increase in debt resulted solely from higher spending, nothing from lower revenues caused by tax cuts.  

And they continually imply that one of the least popular spending increases of recent years, the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), was an Obama administration program, when in fact it was a Bush administration initiative proposed by the Treasury Department that was signed into law by Mr. Bush on Oct. 3, 2008. 

Lastly, Republicans continue to insist that tax cuts are highly stimulative, often saying that they add nothing to the debt, when this is obviously ridiculous. 

Conversely, they are adamant that tax increases must not be part of any deficit-reduction package because they never reduce deficits and instead are spent. This is also ridiculous, as the experience of the Clinton administration clearly shows. The new C.B.O. data confirm these facts.

PS:
"According to a new Gallup survey, over two-thirds of the country say Bush deserves either "a great deal" or "a moderate amount" of blame for the economy, compared to just over half who say the same about Obama" (MMFA, Poll Shows Americans Still "Blaming Bush" For Economy | Media Matters for America - http://goo.gl/1p8c4 June 14, 2012 )

Needham Teens Getting Organized for 2012

This past weekend, I met with a small group of Needham teenagers who wanted to learn about how to get involved in President Obama's 2012 reelection. We talked about what a grassroots campaign means--and how important organizing your community is to not just electoral victories, but longterm legislative/policy changes we want to see in the world (the reason why we support one candidate over another, right?). They also understood that Barack Obama's success has been in large part determined by the disposition of US Congress/Senate--and that it's as important to pay attention to races further down the ticket.

Perhaps most importantly, these kids (meant in the best way!) really seemed to GET IT that elections are about long-term changes... And that the day an election ENDS is the day that the real work begins: holding our electeds--for whom we worked to bring into office--accountable to the vision and values that led us to support him/her in the first place.

These five Needham teens closed the day fired up and ready to organize. I left hearing them talk about how to get other teens engaged, ways to get their peers involved, and what they'd need from the community to get going. I can vacillate between varying degrees of hope and despair. But it's scenes like this--where young people are engaging in the process of citizenship--that ultimately keep me the pragmatic realist idealist that I am.

They are planning their inaugural CANVASS on JUNE 23, SATURDAY--the opening plan is to go to New Hampshire to knock on doors for Obama.

They need some drivers to carpool, and Obama needs more volunteers. Can you join them? Let me know.

These 5 teens, 4 of whom can't drive, are the first in Needham to get organized and take action for Obama 2012. Give them a HUGE cheer, and let's let them lead the way!

___
Work on political campaigns and community organizing can count toward Needham High volunteer/community service requirements:

• See the "Politics" section of the guidelines, and see this application for CSL hours!
• Needham H.S. student Ali C. is coordinating the effort for Progressive Mass (includes Obama, Warren, Kennedy and other prog. organizing) for Needham Teens--
• Contact her: acbell5495@gmail.com
• Join the "Grassroots Teens" facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/479985782016675/

For more, from me, on Organizing and 2012 elections, click here.

Stimulus - Response - Stimulus - Response

The flip side of Austerity.  Stimulus = injecting $$ into the economy, to get money flowing again, so people can buy, businesses can expand and hire.  Stimulus is about spending and creating jobs. 

GOP/CONSERVATIVE HYPOCRISY/DOUBLESPEAK ON STIMULUS (they know it works, but campaign against it!)

• Wonkbog: The Romney campaign says stimulus doesn’t work. Here are the studies they left out. (8/8/2012) http://wapo.st/O5YqWZ
• National Memo » LOL Of The Week: Romney Accidentally Speaks The Truth (5/28/2012) http://goo.gl/8CdHY
• In a single sentence, Mitt admitted that everything the GOP has been saying about the economy since 2009 is a lie. Asked why he wouldn’t cut spending immediately, the presumptive nominee said: “Well, because if you take a trillion dollars, for instance, out of the first year of the federal budget, that would shrink GDP over 5%.”
• Chamber Of Commerce Government Spending, Pro-GOP | ThinkProgress (2/2012) 
• the Chamber has a selective memory. It was a leading proponent of Obama’s 2009 stimulus legislation promising that the tax cuts and even many of law’s spending provisions would “provide stimulus and get Americans back to work.” Allen has called the law a “jobless stimulus.” 
• Though the measure passed almost entirely along party lines, the Chamber spent millions in 2010 to defeat the Democrats who backed the bill — and some of that money may have come from foreign businesses. The $789 billion law has been the largest increase in spending in the Obama presidency.
• Romney Bashes Stimulus, Then Fundraises In Home Of Stimulus Recipient | ThinkProgress (May 2012) http://goo.gl/qv4Jy
• Darrell Issa: "I called for these policies (SHH) but everyone knows they don't work" /economists' view, 2/2011
• Allen West: praises work funded by stimulus (tho he is against it) 2/8/2011
• Republicans call for DEFUNDING half-finished projects that they called for (2/8/2011, ThinkProgress)

So much red tape!

Messaging ("Framing") for 2012

Democrats and progressives are terrible about framing our own issues in our way; too often our leaders/spokespeople appear on the defensive, accepting a negative framing of some vote or issue as they try to defend against it. We need to get better at this.

The blog post that I've copied below, from Winning Words Project, is excellent in breaking down what "frames" (or messages) we should be getting out there, to affirmatively own our messages, rather than reactively. (More on framing, from me, here: Messaging, Framing)

Bad framing: David Axelrod on the President's economic message, and then, how he shoulda done it:

The below is from Crooks and Liars:

One of our objectives at The Winning Words Project is to help our elected officials, including (and especially!) the president, articulate the Progressive story so that it:

• Resonates with a wide audience, including Independents and those who fall in the middle of the political spectrum.
• Cuts the Republican smears off at the knees.
• Gives our policies the moral argument that's needed for their acceptance.
• Establishes our own frames without repeating Right Wing frames (which only reinforces them, even when used in debunking them).