January 22-23, 2009
Jan 22 07:12 Caroline Kennedy Opts For Private Life Jan 22 08:15 Reid Will Try Seating Franken Jan 22 15:54 The Less-Than-Stimulating Stimulus Package Jan 22 16:04 Utterly Devastating Video Jan 23 02:46 Norm Makes His Case Jan 23 03:48 Court Hands Franken a Setback Jan 23 08:54 Bachmann Communications Team Changes Jan 23 14:49 Hyperventillating Media: Gov. Pawlenty Is Herbert Hoover Jan 23 17:53 Coleman Conference Call
Caroline Kennedy Opts For Private Life
According to this NY Post article , Caroline Kennedy has withdrawn her name from consideration for Hillary's Senate seat:
Caroline Kennedy last night withdrew from consideration to replace Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, just two months after she rocked the New York political landscape by throwing her hat in the ring, The Post has learned.It's back to the drawing board for Gov. Paterson. He'll now likely pick from a group of established legislators, though State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo remains a strong possibility:
"I informed Governor Paterson today that for personal reasons I am withdrawing my name from consideration for the United States Senate," Kennedy said in a statement released hours after the Post first broke the story.
Paterson has said he is not yet sure who New York's new senator will be, but he plans to announce his decision by this weekend. The press conference at which he'll name his pick is expected Saturday in Albany. On Tuesday, shortly after Obama was inaugurated, Paterson acknowledged for the first time he is considering Cuomo for the slot.Early speculation was that JFK's daughter would be the pick because of her name recognition and her fundraising ability. That disappeared when Ms. Kennedy did an interview in which she frequently used the term you know :
"I'm really coming into this as somebody who isn't, you know, part of the system, who obviously, you know, stands for the values of, you know, the Democratic Party," Kennedy told the Daily News Saturday during a wide-ranging interview. "I know how important it is to, you know, to be my own person. And, you know, and that would be obviously true with my relationship with the mayor."After that performance, people started questioning her ability. Reporters started asking whether she was being considered for Hillary's seat because she's a Kennedy. Fairly or not, first impressions matter. Still, most reporters and Democratic operatives thought she'd still be picked.
Thus far, people have been thinking about this strictly from Caroline Kennedy's side of the equation. Apparently, Gov. Paterson had his doubts:
Several sources said the governor, who has sole power to replace Clinton, was unimpressed with the daughter of John F. Kennedy in media interviews and in private sessions with various officials.Gov. Paterson obviously considered his re-election chances with Ms. Kennedy on ticket in 2010 and determined that his chances were better with someone else running.
Two sources said Paterson had conveyed to Kennedy on Tuesday that she wasn't likely to get picked. Kennedy also was at Obama's inauguration, but kept a low profile and was barely seen.
Techorati: Hillary , David Paterson , Andrew Cuomo , Senate , Caroline Kennedy , Appointment , JFK , Election 2010
Cross-posted at California Conservative
Posted Thursday, January 22, 2009 7:13 AM
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Reid Will Try Seating Franken
Harry Reid will attempt to seat Al Franken as the junior senator from Minnesota. His logic, if it can be called that, is disturbing:
"We're going to try to seat Al Franken," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., told reporters on Wednesday, a few hours before he posed with Franken for photos just off the Senate floor. " There's not a question in anyone's mind, an assertion by anyone, that there's been any fraud or wrongdoing in this election ."Sen. Reid is trying to overlook the fact that Sen. Coleman has said that there's been wrongdoing "in this election." It's apparent that Sen. Reid didn't read King's post on all the different 'oddities' that have occured during the process.
Rest assured of this: If Reid is successful in seating Franken before the election contest is finished, that will fire up the Republican base across the country. That will be the GOP's rallying cry in 2010. It's one thing to lose an election. It's another for the Senate Majority Leader to say that he'll ignore the will of Minnesota's voters.
John Cornyn, who's chairing the NRSC, says not so fast :
After the Reid-Franken meeting, Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican and chairman of the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee, said: "With every press conference and photo-op, it becomes more apparent why Harry Reid and Al Franken want to circumvent Minnesota law and avoid a fair and legal review of the ballots - they're worried about what the outcome might be.I've said before that Sen. Coleman faces an uphill fight in this election contest, though I'm certain that, at minimum, Franken's lead will be narrowed and eliminated at worst. I noted here that the process used to determine which ballots from the infamous "fifth pile" of absentee ballots was flawed because it gave both campaigns veto power over which fifth pile ballots would get counted. That's contradictory to clearly-written Minnesota election law. Minnesota election law clearly gives that responsibility to local election officials. Here's the criteria laid out in Minnesota election law for determining whether absentee ballots are accepted or rejected:
"The fact is that if Al Franken truly believes he won this election, he should respect the laws of his state and allow this legal review to be completed," Mr. Cornyn said.
The election judges shall mark the return envelope "Accepted" and initial or sign the return envelope below the word "Accepted" if the election judges or a majority of them are satisfied that:The law doesn't provide for partisans to have a veto over which ballots are accepted or rejected. That ruling shouldn't be allowed to stand because the court, in essence, has written new election law. Writing Minnesota's election laws is the responsibility of Minnesota's legislature. PERIOD.
(1) the voter's name and address on the return envelope are the same as the information provided on the absentee ballot application;
(2) the voter's signature on the return envelope is the genuine signature of the individual who made the application for ballots and the certificate has been completed as prescribed in the directions for casting an absentee ballot, except that if a person other than the voter applied for the absentee ballot under applicable Minnesota Rules, the signature is not required to match;
(3) the voter is registered and eligible to vote in the precinct or has included a properly completed voter registration application in the return envelope; and
(4) the voter has not already voted at that election, either in person or by absentee ballot.
There is no other reason for rejecting an absentee ballot. In particular, failure to place the envelope within the security envelope before placing it in the outer white envelope is not a reason to reject an absentee ballot.
Tom West, the GM/editor of the Morrison County Record, highlights another oddity in the process:
And then there is the infamous Minneapolis Ward 3 Precinct 1, where 133 ballots allegedly turned up missing. The original count is still being used, which increases Franken's margin of victory by 46 votes. How can a recount include numbers with no paper trail? Most likely, those ballots never existed, but 133 others were double counted.Here's the portion of Minnesota's election law that deals with recounts:
Recounts are typically administrative proceedings with the scope limited to the manual recount of the ballots validly cast for the office or ballot question and the declaration of the results. A recount is performed by a canvassing board or by its staff.In other words, Minnesota election law limits recounts to the recounting of physical ballots .
The bottom line is simple: Harry Reid and Al Franken don't know what the outcome of the election challenge will be. That's why they want him seated ASAP. The last thing they want is for their bloviating to be exposed as utter nonsense.
Recent history indicates that Reid's predictions aren't particularly worthwhile. in fact, his predictions have been worthless. (See "The Surge has failed" for proof of that.)
Republicans will stick together on filibustering Reid's attempt to seat Mr. Franken. That's why Reid's attempt should be seen for what it is: a predictable move that isn't based on the will of Minnesota voters. That's why his attempt should be scuttled.
Posted Thursday, January 22, 2009 8:23 AM
Comment 1 by J. Ewing at 22-Jan-09 12:28 PM
Republicans will stick together? All 40 of them, leaving Reid with only 59 Democrats to stop the filibuster? I sure hope you are right on that. It would be a good thing.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 22-Jan-09 01:29 PM
On this issue, they'll vote in lock-step.
Comment 3 by Mr. D at 22-Jan-09 01:58 PM
Gary is right. Even Snowe and Collins will get in line on this one.
The Less-Than-Stimulating Stimulus Package
The CBO has issued a report stating that the legislation charitably known as the stimulus package won't produce much stimulus this year . This isn't shocking. People need to stop looking at this as something to stimulate the economy. People need to see this as the Obama administration's best opportunity to dramatically alter the federal government's relationship with the private sector. Here's what you need to know about the stimulus package:
Less than half the money dedicated to highways, school construction and other infrastructure projects in a massive economic stimulus package unveiled by House Democrats is likely to be spent within the next two years, according to congressional budget analysts, meaning most of the spending would come too late to lift the nation out of recession.Here in Minnesota, the DFL is banking heavily on the stimulus package to wipe out Minesota's deficit and create jobs. They're especially banking on public works projects to create or maintain jobs. Considering the fact that "less than half the money dedicated to highways, school construction and other infrastructure projects" are "likely to be spent" this biennium, it's apparent that the DFL's plan is best characterized as being built on shifting sand.
A report by the Congressional Budget Office found that only about $136 billion of the $355 billion that House leaders want to allocate to infrastructure and other so-called discretionary programs would be spent by Oct. 1, 2010. The rest would come in future years, long after the CBO and other economists predict the recession will have ended.
Few argue that we need economic growth to balance Minnesota's budget. That's why it's important that we do everything possible to spur economic growth immediately, not the next biennium. Here's some of the breakdowns:
Still, the report from the CBO, the nonpartisan arbiter of congressional spending measures, offers a stark assessment of some of the Democrats' top priorities. For example, of $30 billion in highway spending, less than $4 billion would occur over the next two years. Of $18.5 billion proposed for renewable energy, less than $3 billion would be spent by 2011. And of $14 billion for school construction, less than $7 billion would be spent in the first two years.This bill is more trojan horse than short term economic shot in the arm. That's alot of spending for so little stimulus. It's also highly inflationary.
When an economic plan adds trillions in debt, increases inflation and doesn't increase private sector productivity, isn't that the worst of all possible worlds?
Posted Thursday, January 22, 2009 3:54 PM
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Utterly Devastating Video
This video says everything that needs to be said about the Democrats' Spendapalooza stimulus package. It's possibly the most devastating video I've seen.
Posted Thursday, January 22, 2009 6:44 PM
Comment 1 by Steve at 22-Jan-09 09:51 PM
Great post!
Would you like a Link Exchange with our new blog COMMON CENTS where we blog about the issues of the day??
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
Norm Makes His Case
Norm Coleman made his case to Minnesotans yesterday, laying out some specifics on why he expects to win the recount. Here are three things that Mr. Franken would rather you didn't know about:
First, there were a number of ballots that were counted twice. These double-counted votes accrued overwhelmingly in Al Franken's favor. When corrected, I will gain upwards of 100 votes.Mr. Franken currently holds a 225 vote lead. If you subtract the 100+ double-counted ballots from Franken's totals, which I think will happen, Franken's lead suddenly is dramatically narrowed.
Secondly, the inconsistent treatment of thousands of rejected absentee ballots has dramatically skewed the results. Simply put, certain types of ballots were counted in one area but were not counted in other areas. These ballots were counted overwhelmingly in pro-Franken areas. When a consistent standard is applied statewide, the vote totals will change drastically.
Third, a number of alleged "missing ballots" were counted during the recount even though no one could actually prove that these ballots ever existed. These votes again accrued in Franken's favor. When corrected we will gain over 40 votes.
When you eliminate the missing ballots that got counted, which will happen if they follow Minnesota's election laws, Mr. Franken's lead shrinks to approximately 75 votes. I pointed out here the portion of the law governing recounts:
Recounts are typically administrative proceedings with the scope limited to the manual recount of the ballots validly cast for the office or ballot question and the declaration of the results. A recount is performed by a canvassing board or by its staff.Sen. Coleman rightly points out that you can't count votes if there isn't physical proof that the votes exist. It's like the old lawyer's saying that "I only know what I can prove." Speculation isn't proof. PERIOD.
Finally, it's worth noting that a ruling on the infamous 'fifth pile' ballots gave both campaigns veto power over fifth pile ballots. Minnesota law clearly states that rejecting and accepting absentee ballots is an administrative process done by local election official and that absentee ballots are accepted or rejected for 4 specific reasons.
Minnesota election law certainly didn't anticipate giving partisans veto authority over absentee ballots. When all fifth pile absentee ballots are counted, Mr. Franken's lead will either be miniscule or nonexistent.
That's why Norm's right in fighting.
Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 2:46 AM
Comment 1 by Chris W at 24-Jan-09 08:12 PM
The Coleman suit lists 17 precincts where double voting occurred. In 8 of those precincts Franken's recount totals were higher than election day totals by 2 or fewer votes,a and there were actually 2 precincts where his recount total went down by one. How can double voting have occurred in those precincts?
Court Hands Franken a Setback
Ben Ginsberg, the legal counsel to the Coleman for Senate campaign, issued this statement after a 3-judge panel rejected Mr. Franken's motion:
"Tonight's decision from the court is a stinging defeat for Al Franken. It underscores that the Coleman contest will proceed, that there will be a trial, and that every valid vote will be counted and counted only once. This victory for the voters of Minnesota should serve as another strong reminder to Harry Reid and Al Franken that they can't just dismiss for their convenience the legal process in Minnesota. This will allow Minnesota voters whose votes have not yet been counted, to be counted. The Franken suggestion- repeated four times in court today- that this be done in DC by the US Senate was soundly rejected by Minnesota judges invoking Minnesota law. Al Franken now needs to once and for all step aside and let the process run its course so Minnesota determines who rightfully won this election."Here's what the AP's Pat Condon is reporting :
A three-judge panel in Minnesota's contested Senate election has denied Democrat Al Franken's motion to dismiss his opponent's recount lawsuit, clearing the path for the trial to start next week. The judges rejected Franken's argument on Thursday that their review should be confined to determining if the recount was mathematically correct, saying the court has jurisdiction to determine whether votes were legally cast.This isn't good news for Franken because some rulings ignored Minnesota law. Those rulings gave Franken the lead he has now. With this ruling, Franken must now watch the rules applied uniformly. That's the last thing he wanted.
Whether this is enough to put Sen. Coleman in the lead is still to be determined. Nonetheless, it allows the court to look at the law and the evidence. At minimum, it will shrink Franken's lead dramatically.
Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 3:48 AM
Comment 1 by eric z at 24-Jan-09 02:46 PM
Hyperbole sucks. "A stinging defeat" for Franken? Losing a pro forma motion made to protect the record? Come on, Gary. It was a non-event. That's not the same Ginsberg who wrote "Howl" is it?
Bachmann Communications Team Changes
I've had the good fortune over the last 2 years of talking with several people in Rep. Bachmann's communications team. Now, Rep. Bachmann's team is undergoing a bit of a change. Here's their official statement on those changes:
Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-MN) announced today that her Communications Director, Mary Vought, and Press Secretary, Stephen Miller, will join Republican leadership offices to help other members replicate her effective communications strategies.Having worked with Mr. Dziok, I can say without hesitation that he's an innovator in the communications department. He's a man that listens first and acts second.
"Both Mary and Stephen have been incredible assets," said Bachmann. "I am so proud that they will take on important roles where they can continue to spread the conservative message of lower taxes, smaller government, and greater personal freedoms."
Mary Vought will lead the House Republican Conference's effort to enhance the communications strategy for all House Republicans by supporting their press secretaries in spreading the Party's message.
Stephen Miller joins veteran conservative leader, Congressman John Shadegg (R-AZ), as press secretary. Shadegg, a founder of the Republican Study Committee, the leading conservative caucus of House members, is a prominent national spokesman for conservative positions.
In her first term in Congress, Bachmann earned unprecedented media coverage. Her three-person communications team executed a strong strategy that earned her exceptional coverage in local papers in Minnesota, on nationally-broadcast news shows in both popular and financial news sectors, and in important conservative outlets on radio and the internet.
"Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is a rising star in our party who has groomed an excellent staff," said Congressman Mike Pence (R-IN), Chairman of the House Republican Conference. "Mary Vought brings a wealth of communications experience to our team at Conference, where she will continue to serve Congresswoman Bachmann as well as the entire House GOP Conference in her new role as press secretary. In addition, we look forward to continuing to work with Congresswoman Bachmann as we communicate our conservative ideals of limited government, a strong national defense and traditional moral values to the American people."
"Dave Dziok, who has blazed new trails as the Congresswoman's Director of New Media, will continue to anchor our communications shop," said Michelle Marston, Bachmann's Chief of Staff. "Communications will continue to be an important part of our office work and we will hire new staff to build on our effective communications strategy."
About a month ago, I thought that having a tool in place to track the House's votes and the GOP's amendments to the Democrats' bills would be a good thing. I told Mr. Dziok the type of information that bloggers like myself would find useful in holding Congress's accountable. It wasn't long after that that he created this new blog . This blog gives bloggers like me the ammunition needed to ask Democrats why they voted against common sense proposals.
If Democrats are going to vote against thoughtful amendments, their actions should be scrutinized.
Thanks to Dave Dziok's work, bloggers now have a tool to help hold Democrats accountable. The thing I like most about this blog is that it's got everything I want in one place. That's an invaluable tool for bloggers.
While some of Rep. Bachmann's communications staff is moving into different positions, I'm confident that she'll still have a strong communications team, thanks in large part to Dave Dziok.
Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 8:57 AM
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Hyperventillating Media: Gov. Pawlenty Is Herbert Hoover
Dave Mindeman has been known for writing some strange articles. None is more strange than this article , though. It didn't take Mr. Mindeman long to start using incendiary rhetoric:
And how true it will be for Minnesota. The Federal government is about to embark on a massive, monumental, gigantic stimulus program....and yet each state governor will probably do the things that will counteract the effect.First off, the "massive, monumental, gigantic stimulus program" is nothing more than the federal government pissing money away. As I pointed out here , much of the money won't be spent until after the next midterm election. Calling this legislation stimulus isn't just a stretch. It's outright propaganda .
Oh, to be sure, governors have budget balancing constraints because of state regulations. Understandable. Explainable. But Governors who balance budgets by only slashing government spending are doing their own best Hoover imitation. And with Pawlenty, it is even worse.
If that isn't enough incendiary rhetoric, Mr. Mindeman's saying that governors are "slashing spending" just adds fuel to the fire. Thus far, Gov. Pawlenty has offered several proposals that save state taxpayers money without cutting services. Why Mr. Mindeman thinks that's "slashing spending" is beyond me. I suspect that anything even remotely approaching sane spending levels is considered slashing budget cuts with him.
Big cuts to education will stifle our economic recovery. An educated workforce is critical to meeting global competition. When the job market unfreezes....when businesses look to expand or rehire...only education can fill those needs adequately.Mr. Mindeman hasn't seen Gov. Pawlenty's budget but he's automatically assumed that education will undergo massive cuts. That's hyperventillation at its most extreme. It's also an indicator that Mr. Mindeman, formerly the campaign manager for Cowleen Rowley, thinks that every penny approrpriated for education is justified and doesn't require oversight or review. That's an intellectually indefensible position.
Mr. Mindeman suggests that Gov. Pawlenty take Paul Krugman's advice. Here's a little taste of Dr. Krugman's advice:
But even as Washington tries to rescue the economy, the nation will be reeling from the actions of 50 Herbert Hoovers, state governors who are slashing spending in a time of recession, often at the expense both of their most vulnerable constituents and of the nation's economic future.First, the notion that Washington can "rescue the economy" is foolishness. Secondly, even if that were possible in any circumstance, it's totally absurd to think that this legislation could rewcue this economy.
Dr. Krugman's belief that there are 50 "state governors who are slashing spending" is absurd. Is California slashing spending? Is Michigan "slashing spending"? Are Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey "slashing spending"?
California's in the trouble it's in because recent constitutional amendments passed through the initiative & referendum process require exorbitant spending on embryonic stem cell research. They've refused to set sensible priorities. As a reult, their budget deficit is bigger than Minnesota's budget for this biennium.
If Mindeman chooses to use Dr. Krugman, I'd suggest that he uses something of Dr. Krugman's that isn't so ill-informed. (Admittedly, that's a difficult task these days but it's still my suggestion.)
Finally, there's this:
Pawlenty will soon submit his budget and if the MPR report is correct, he will again continue this failed policy of "no new taxes". He does this in the face of our jobs report that moves unemployment to 6.9%.This is wrong-headed thinking on a number of things.
1) We don't have a revenue problem. The DFL still hasn't figured out how to set sustainable budget targets. That's because they've refused to set intelligent priorities. The DFL has set priorities. Unfortunately for Minnesotans, that priority is to constantly spend more than we have and increse taxes to cover the shortfall.
2)It assumes that increasing taxes is what's needed for prosperity. That isn't just wrong-headed. It's idiotic.
3) Raising taxes sucks money from the private sector and into the government's coffers, thereby sucking the private sector's ability to invest their money in their businesses and in job growth.
4) The DFL's idea of setting budget targets is funding every item of the various special interest groups' wish lists. That isn't setting priorities. That's just pledging to use my taxes to pay off the DFL's special interest allies.
There's a couple questions that I have for Mr. Mindeman:
1) Why won't the DFL try thinking of ways to spend money more efficiently instead of constantly thinking of increasing taxes?
2) Why doesn't the DFL ever think of innovative ways to save the taxpayers' money?
When Mr. Mindeman can answer those questions, I'll listen to his 'advice'. Until then, he can kiss my ass.
Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 2:57 PM
Comment 1 by Dave Mindeman at 23-Jan-09 03:34 PM
Let me answer your questions.
First of all, when Pawlenty attempts to balance the budget without any new revenue, he will do the following: (1) He will increase unemployment by cutting government jobs. (2) He will take away money from the private sector because, yes, government spending counts toward economic activity. (3)He will have to carve huge cuts out of Human Services and Education because that is over 60% of the state budget.
Now, how you believe that Pawlenty's proposals are going to save money WITHOUT cutting services is beyond me. Maybe you can enlighten me on that one.
Also, let me correct a couple of things: 1) On a per capita basis, the MN budget deficit is larger than California's. 2) I was never, ever a part of Coleen Rowley's campaign. She happens to live near me and we know each other well....but I never participated in any capacity for her campaign, other than encouraging her to run and was a vocal supporter.
And to answer your DFL questions: 1) The DFL legislature has done many things that have efficiently utilized taxpayer money. They have proposed consolidating many House and Senate expenses. They have proposed combining Health Care programs. They are always looking for such ideas...a lot of them got vetoed by the Governor last session because they were part of bills he didn't like.
2) There are a number of programs that have led to cost savings. ECFE is the biggest. As you are probably aware, early intervention for at risk families, saves the state countless dollars. The Minnesota Family Home Visiting program (Statute 145A.17) has also saved dollars in Health and Human Services by identifying problem areas in at risk homes and intervening before they become a drain on state dollars.
And I would hope that you would join me in lobbying the legislature for passage of a Single Payer Health Program. The data is clear, this would save the State millions of dollars -- as well as reductions in business costs across the board.
I realize that using name calling and insults is part of your method of belittling those you don't agree with. I won't join you in that methodology, but I would hope that you would consider my points. I can appreciate that you will disagree with me. Debate is part of the process.
Comment 2 by kb at 23-Jan-09 04:32 PM
I love how Krugman just ignores the constitutional constraint in the process of calling governors Hoovers. And it's utterly ignorant: Hoover raised taxes in 1932. But it's not Mindeman's fault that his Nobel Laureate of choice happens to get history and law wrong.
When the DFL Legislature attempts to balance the budget with new revenue, it will do the following: 1) It will increase unemployment by cutting private sector jobs, as small business owners pay more; 2) It will take away money from the private sector because, yes, taxes take money away from the private sector; and 3) by leaving Human Services and Big Teacher (the public union counterpart to Big Oil and Big Pharma) in their current state, they inhibit innovation and employment in the health and education areas.
Would Mr. Mindeman like a chance to refute this chart, regarding the efficient utilization of taxpayer money?
http://www.mnhousegop.com/novcommitteeschart.pdf
There are things which might have a long run benefit to the state, like ECFE. But they are very long-run benefits. They are not going to have any impact on the recession NOW, except to enrich Big Teacher.
Gary, you get the single payer nonsense.
Comment 3 by Gary Gross at 23-Jan-09 04:36 PM
All of your positions are based on the assumption that there isn't a penny of waste in the education & HHS budgets, a position that isn't intellectually defensible.
BTW, finding cost savings isn't the same as slashing budgets. A reasonable definition for slashing budgets is cutting spending to the point where important services must be cut. Likewise, a reasonable definition for cost savings is finding ways to save money while not interrupting essential services.
A good definition of finding cost savings is Gov. Pawlenty's plan on using the state's buying power for IT purchases & other items that schools currently buy school district by school district. By buying in bigger amounts, schools spend less money on those items, leaving more money available for paying for teachers.
When was the last time the legislature looked at each exoenditure to determine where money is being wasted or spent foolishly? Try never. That wasn't even done in 2003, when we had the last oversized deficit.
This is what's wrong with using baseline budgeting. It assumes that an expenditure is always justified after it's been justified the first time.
The "50 Herbert Hoovers" line is interesting, too, from the standpoint that Tommy Thompson, William Weld, John Engler & George Voinovich were innovators in welfare reform & education funding. They made life significantly better during their time in office. States have always been the laboratories for the federal government. That's why governors frequently get waivers from the federal government to pursue their experiments. Many of the things Gov. Thompson and Gov. Weld first thought of became the cornerstones that welfare reform was built on.
It's convenient, too, that Dr. Krugman ignored the damage inflicted by FDR's signing the Smoot-Hawley tariffs into law on June 17,1930.
As for the myth that singlepayer is the most efficient health insurance system, I'll simply direct you to AMSA's study on single-payer:
Increased access to preventive care and the ability of government to purchase prescription medications in bulk would also help drive down health care costs. However, the corresponding drop in revenue for pharmaceutical companies could lead to a reduction in overall research and development, slowing down technological advancement.The notion that drops in revenue might lead to a drop in R & D budgets is silly. Other than making a specific entrepreneurial activity illegal, the next best way to stop a specific entrepreneurial activity is to eliminate most of the profits.
Remember that this is from a single-payer advocate.
Comment 4 by J. Ewing at 24-Jan-09 10:23 AM
The first and highest error here is assuming that every dollar that government spends goes for "essential" services. Defined as those things which individuals or groups cannot provide for themselves or each other, that list gets pretty small. The vast majority of Education and HHS services are, in fact, in the "non-essential" category, if looked at rationally and calmly.
The second insult to intelligence is assuming that every dollar government spends is spent efficiently, for maximum "benefit." Any number of proofs to the contrary, both anecdotal and analytical, are readily available, almost to the casual observer. For example, it is proven fact that the more money a school receives, the more likely it is to produce poor results. It seems obvious from this fact that we could save a couple billion dollars in the budget, just by cutting the dollars we give to 80% of the least effective schools back to the amount spent by the average of the 20% most effective ones.
Comment 5 by eric z at 24-Jan-09 02:41 PM
I see Pawlenty more as Nero.
Comment 6 by J. Ewing at 24-Jan-09 03:09 PM
I see Pawlenty more as the little Dutch boy. Or the Spartans. Too bad he can't be the Enola Gay.
Coleman Conference Call
This afternoon, I had the privilege of participating in a blogger conference call with Sen. Norm Coleman. (Ryan Flynn, who's doing a great job at MDE , also participated in the call.)
The first thing I noticed was that Sen. Coleman sounded confident that he'd be the winner if uniform standards were applied, double-counted votes were eliminated and that the only thing that got counted as a vote was the information found on a physical ballot.
Another thing that stood out for me was that Sen. Coleman's emphasis on this being decided in Minnesota in accordance with Minnesota's election law, not by Harry Reid and Al Franken.
I asked Sen. Coleman if he knew, to the best of his knowledge, of a time when a candidate got votes counted that couldn't be verified with physical ballots. He talked about a precedent in southern Minnesota in which only physical ballots were counted. Sen. Coleman then mentioned that there wasn't much in the way of precedent on this issue.
As I said here , Franken's lead shrinks dramatically when you eliminate the 100+ vote Franken gained from double-counting. It shrinks even more when the 46 votes Franken gained in the recount by going by the scanning machine tapes rather than by going strictly by physical ballots.
Obviously, as a partisan Republican, I'd prefer seeing Sen. Coleman get re-elected. first and foremost, though, is I want all the ballots counted that were properly cast, I want all relevant election laws followed to the T and I want the fifth pile absentee ballots to be accepted or rejected according to Minnesota law, not because a Franken political hack had veto power over which ballots should be accepted and which should be rejected.
I thank Sen. Coleman for taking the time to talk with bloggers on the recount. ?I found it informative.
Finally, this is typical Norm. One of the things I've appreciated about him is his staying in touch with Minnesotans through his blogger conference calls. We need more legislators in Washington, DC and in St. Paul that actually make time to listen. My biggest complaint with Washington, DC politicians is that they don't listen but they do think they know better than the rest of us. That description has never fit Norm Coleman.
That's why I hope he wins this recount.
UPDATE: Janet of SCSUScholars also participated in the Coleman conference call. Follow this link to read Janet's post.
Posted Friday, January 23, 2009 6:12 PM
Comment 1 by RINOHunter at 24-Jan-09 12:43 AM
Coleman is emblematic of everything that is wrong with Republican Party: A compromising, spineless RINO who really can't decide which party he agrees with more.
Comment 2 by Gary Gross at 24-Jan-09 01:06 AM
That's the right thinking. Let's be the purist party until we're mathematically irrelevant in DC & St. Paul.
Sen. Coleman voted for 2 great Supreme Court justices & the Bush tax cuts. He also voted to win the war when the Defeatocrats wanted to surrender. Oh & he's fought tirelessly to prevent socialized medicine.
But you're right. We can't trust him. Let's get Al Franken elected so we have someone who disagrees with us 100% of the time for the next 6 years.
Comment 3 by eric z at 24-Jan-09 02:39 PM
Did you ask him about Nassergate?
Comment 4 by walter hanson at 24-Jan-09 05:16 PM
Is Nassergate phony Democrat scandal to try to defeat Norm Coleman?
Walter Hanson
Minneapolis, MN
