Daily Clips: November 5th, 2015

November 5, 2015 Nick Cassella

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DEA chief: medical marijuana is a “a joke.” Science: No, it’s not: By now, you should know that the US government classifies marijuana as a Schedule 1 drug, right up there with heroin. Our government is f***** up like that. The current DEA chief believes pot has no medical value, yet as Ezra Klein highlights, positions “like his increasingly fly in the face of science – and may actually put people’s lives at risk when adopted as the government policy.” Red states get redder, blue states get bluer: EJ Dionne takes a big picture look at the 2015 elections, noting the good and bad takeaways for Democrats. He reminds progressives that, “Democrats swept to victory in three open seats on Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court” while also winning mayoral contests in Indiana and North Carolina. According to Dionne, the “one large lesson from Tuesday is that the red parts of the country are getting even redder while the blue and some of the purple parts get bluer. We are still two Americas.” US jobless claims rise; third-quarter productivity posts surprise gain: The US Labor Department said that productivity increased only at 1.6 percent this last quarter, while manufacturing productivity grew at its quickest pace in over four years. Reuters claims that “economists blame softer productivity on a lack of investment, which they say has led to an unprecedented fall in capital intensity .” Swing states are swinging left: Bloomberg provides a nice set of graphics which show that six battleground states are trending liberal and Democratic. The future appears bright(er) for progressives.

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Daily Clips: November 4th, 2015

November 4, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Voters say yes to Seattle’s big ask for transportation: At this point in time, 56.5 percent of Seattle voters approved of Proposition 1, which would spend $930 million over nine years “on streets, safety, transit and pedestrian and bicycling routes.” Mayor Ed Murray campaigned hard for this plan and told campaign supporters that because of Prop 1’s passage “Seattle will get moving again.” Seattle’s campaign finance reform wins; first in country: It appears the voters of Seattle read our endorsement of Initiative I-122 ! According to the Seattle Times, I-122 “took a 20 percentage-point lead in first-day returns, which makes Seattle the nation’s first jurisdiction to try taxpayer-funded “democracy vouchers.” Woman called 911 on man carrying rifle. Dispatch told her open carry allowed it. He then killed 3 people: Infuriating. A top comment on Reddit reads: “If she wanted the police to respond then she should have said “a black man carrying a rifle.” The cops would be there in 2 secs.” Which leads me to the next headline… Half of black millennials know victim of police violence: And these results were brought together over the past decade, well before the “Black Lives Matter” movement started. In a 2009 survey, 54.4 percent of black millennials answered yes to “Have you or anyone you know experience harassment or violence at the hands of police?” In comparison, only one-third of white millennials said yes.

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Daily Clips: November 3rd, 2015

November 3, 2015 Nick Cassella

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TODAY IS ELECTION DAY. IF YOU HAVEN’T VOTED YET, DO SO NOW! Obama rips into 2016 GOP field: Here’s the antagonistic President Obama we know and love! Ever since he won in 2012, it’s been fantastic to see Obama take the gloves off. For those of us who remember the timidness of his first four years, rhetoric like this shows he isn’t afraid to point out the lunacy of his rival party. At a fundraising event in New York, the president did just that: Have you noticed that everyone of these candidates say, ‘Obama’s weak. Putin’s kicking sand in his face. When I talk to Putin, he’s going to straighten out.’ Then it turns out they can’t handle a bunch of CNBC moderators at the debate. Let me tell you, if you can’t handle those guys, then I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about you. Republicans trust Trump on economy and nukes. No, we’re not joking: This is a really, really scary headline. Consider these findings for a second: Donald Trump is the Republican candidate most trusted to manage the economy, deal with foreign leaders and serve as commander in chief…On the question of whether voters trust the candidates to manage the economy, 59 percent said “yes” to Trump. How can these voters be so stupid? The Tax Foundation found that Trump’s tax plan “would end up reducing tax revenues by $10.14 trillion over the next decade” and would help out the super-rich more than middle-class Americans. David Brooks writes a sanctimonious article, again: I fear that David Brooks is no longer a political columnist. Every column of his seems to be a self-help lecture on the failings of modern society and how David Brooks can get you out of this decay. Just read this: People who do that may instinctively be seeking higher forms of pruning: being impeccable with your words, parsimonious but strong with your commitments, disciplined about your time, selective about
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Daily Clips: November 3rd, 2015

November 3, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips: November 2nd, 2015

November 2, 2015 Nick Cassella

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DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE! IT IS YOUR CIVIC OBLIGATION. US manufacturing slows; construction-spending at 7 year high: Reuters reports that US manufacturing activity slowed for the fourth straight month. Manufacturing accounts for 12 percent of the economy and has “been slammed by business efforts to reduce an inventory overhang and slowing demand overseas.” Paul Krugman looks at how the economy fares under Democratic leadership: Krugman points out that Hillary Clinton is “completely right about the record: historically, the economy has indeed done better under Democrats.” But he wonders why this doesn’t stop Republican candidates from “claiming that his [or her] tax plan would produce a huge growth surge – a claim that has no basis in historical experience.” Krugman concludes that this is because “modern conservatives generally live in a bubble into which inconvenient facts can’t penetrate.” He’s not wrong. Middle-class tax increases? Robert Samuelson believes both Republicans and Democrats are duping the American people into believing their tax policies. Samuelson argues that “both parties have constructed rationales for avoiding middle-class tax increases” because they would be “highly unpopular.” He decries the fact that both parties’ tax plans will ultimately be insufficient in supporting the US government. He notes that Republican tax plans will “lose gobs of tax revenues…The loss over a decade is $10 trillion for Trump’s package, $2.4 trillion for Rubio’s and $1.6 trillion for Bush’s.” He then says that Democratic plans won’t raise enough money by “soaking the rich.” In this way, both plans are inadequate. While that is certainly true, it sure does sound like the Democratic plan would be a lot better. One party has a tax plan that won’t raise enough money and the other party has a plan that will lose a lot of money…and Samuelson equally has a problem with both? Huh? Republicans shoot themselves in foot with Latinos, again: Republicans hate to be confronted with individuals who disagree with what they believe, so they have decided to pull “out of their only scheduled debate”
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Daily Clips: October 30th, 2015

October 30, 2015 Nick Cassella

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This Republican field has achieved full “Palinization”: So says Charles Pierce, who argues that the “Palinization of conservative rhetoric is now complete.” By this, he means that candidates can avoid any serious policy questions by simply saying “Liberal media!” While the 2012 field was “a completely undisciplined wing nut buffet,” Pierce argues that 2016’s current crop “is spinning even further out of control.” Why is Hillary so eager to leave big issues in state hands? Marijuana, the death penalty, immigration, same-sex marriage…you name it and Clinton “has adopted a stance of convenient federalism, deferring to the states rather than choosing to nudge them in the right direction.” Too true. I pointed towards her pragmatic progressivism yesterday with regard to capital punishment , saying that, in general, it’s a good strategy for getting the presidential nomination. However, Beutler warns her that “if she isn’t willing to get out in front of contentious state-based concerns, I imagine many of those efforts will falter or stagnate on her watch.” Bernie Sanders’ not-so-radical marijuana idea: This week, Bernie called for the US federal government to lift its prohibition on the devil’s lettuce. Unlike Hillary (as we mentioned in the above article), the Vermont Senator must be applauded for his unfaltering leadership on messy issues. But these “radical ideas” are actually quite mainstream. As this article notes, “when Americans are polled on specific issues, majorities tend to agree with him on matters from taxation to family leave.” 1 in 2 working Americans make less than $30,000 a year: Nothing to say here. We must do all we can to change this pathetic reality.

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Why did Hillary Clinton come out against abolishing the death penaliy?

October 29, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Policy

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton irritated progressives again, this time with regard to capital punishment (aka the government legally killing criminals). When asked about this topic, Clinton firmly stated, “I do not favor abolishing [capital punishment]…because I do think there are certain egregious cases that still deserve the consideration of the death penalty, but I’d like to see those be very limited and rare, as opposed to what we’ve seen in most states.” Bernie Sanders and Martin O’Malley took this opportunity to attack Clinton’s centrist answer by highlighting their support of abolishing capital punishment. O’Malley, in particular, had some strong words for Hillary Clinton : Secretary Clinton is often a bit behind the times in terms of actually what works when it comes to policy. I respect her. I have a great deal of respect for her, but she’s often late to many of these issues because she’s of a different generation than I am. While I agree with Governor O’Malley’s points and overall tactic, he must also know that 61 percent of Americans favor the death penalty for a person convicted of murder. Only 37 percent are opposed. It’s easy to see why Hillary, ever the pragmatic progressive, has come out in favor of capital punishment for “certain egregious cases.” She’s doing so because she doesn’t want this type of a moment presented to her: Clinton’s conciliatory language on capital punishment is similar to how she has responded to calls for marijuana legalization (“There should be availability [of medical marijuana] under appropriate circumstances. But I do think we need more research…”). Her answers are thoughtful, yet pandering; progressive, yet centrist. Simply put, Clinton is trying to win the presidency, not just the Democratic nomination. To do so, she must hold centrist positions on certain issues. That’s politics. While Sanders and O’Malley are on the right side of history when it comes to capital punishment, the American people still lag behind them. Let’s face it: our nation has an insatiable appetite for
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Daily Clips: October 29th, 2015

October 29, 2015 Nick Cassella

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The 3rd GOP Debate was an exercise in economic fantasy: All the candidates last night peddled trickle-down fantasies for their rich overlords, leaving middle-class Americans to pick up the scraps. …What stood out was the candidates’ refusal to own up to the details of the one policy they have embraced as an economic panacea for all Americans: Huge, deficit-busting tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthy over ordinary Americans—the same supply-side logic that informed George W. Bush’s economic policy. The third Republican debate explained: Here’s a great overview of the night by Matthew Yglesias. He notes how “Jeb Bush appeared to vanish,” Ted Cruz avoided any substance, and Rubio got away with not answering hard questions on his trickle-down tax policy. US economy doesn’t grow much – only up 1.5 percent in the third quarter: The American economy grew at half the pace of the previous quarter, however American households “have remained resilient.” Consumer spending increased by 3.2 percent from July to September and “business investment in equipment was also strong.” Paul Ryan elected 54th House speaker: Kiss your career goodbye, Paul “D.” Ryan.

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Daily Clips: October 28th, 2015

October 28, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Top 100 CEO Retirement Savings Equals 41% of All U.S. Families Retirement Savings : Before I woke up this morning, I had no clue that 100 CEOs retirement savings were equal to the total savings of over 116 million Americans. Where’s the outrage on that issue? Why isn’t our media relentlessly talking about this injustice? Why do middle-class Americans accept this reality? Why aren’t we more angry about this? Look, inequality must exist and in many ways it is a powerful force for innovation – a vital ingredient in a capitalist economy. But these levels of inequality are not beneficial to anyone but the 100 CEOs and their families (for generations to come). Nick Hanauer made this case in his viral TED Talk : Another reason this idea is so wrong-headed is that there can never be enough super-rich Americans to power a great economy. The annual earnings of people like me are hundreds, if not thousands, of times greater than those of the median American, but we don’t buy hundreds or thousands of times more stuff. My family owns three cars, not 3,000. I buy a few pairs of pants and a few shirts a year, just like most American men. Like everyone else, we go out to eat with friends and family only occasionally. Inequality at these levels isn’t just morally wrong, it’s also absolutely terrible for our economy. Is there a silver lining to Citizens United? The New York Times’ Thomas “Don’t Forget the B” Edsall asked this provocative question in his latest column. He goes onto enumerate the many instances where “reformers have been forced to look toward innovative legislation at the city and state level.” This immediately reminded me of I-122 in Seattle, which is on the ballot right now. If you haven’t already read Civic Skunk Works’ endorsement of I-122, you can do so here ! The column was admittedly quite dry, but one line in particular stood out for me: “The thing about money
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Nick Hanauer: “For as long as human beings have challenges and problems, we will have jobs”

October 27, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Economics

Yesterday, Nick Hanauer spoke at a Brookings Institution forum which “explored the impact of robots, AI, and machine learning on the workforce.” Hanauer was joined by Scott Santens , a leading advocate for universal basic income (UBI). (If you don’t know what UBI entails, here’s an explanatory article ). The conversation which followed between Hanauer and Santens provided an interesting and philosophical examination on the future of the US economy. In his opening statement, Nick Hanauer attacked the prevailing narrative of a dystopian future caused by robots and automation: We have a choice about the kind of arrangements we can have [in our economy]. Technological innovation is always disruptive…The better the innovation the more disruption there will be. And that implies this very simple principle of civic, social, and political life which is: the point of it all is for civic innovation to match the pass of technological and commercial innovation. And if we do that collectively, we’ve got a fantastic future ahead of us. And if we fail to do that, we’re going to have all sorts of problems. You can see his full answer here: This is not a new idea. Earlier this year, Nick Hanauer and David Rolf wrote a lengthy article in Democracy Journal called, “ Shared Security, Shared Growth .” Here, Hanauer and Rolf proposed their own civic solutions in response to the disruptive nature of the “gig economy.” Within this piece, they put forward big ideas which could fundamentally improve the economy . As Paul Waldman at the Washington Post wrote: The Shared Security Account is a fairly radical idea, re-imagining the relationship between employment and the benefits that are now associated with it. And there are lots of practical questions that would have to be answered before something like it could be implemented. But just as the fact that we get health benefits through our jobs is nothing more than an accident of history , there’s no
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