Daily Clips: October 15th, 2015

October 15, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Obama says 5,500 troops will remain in Afghanistan: The president called his decision to keep troops on the ground as the “best possibility for lasting progress.” As Politico states, “According to the plan, 9,800 troops will remain in the country through most of 2016, with that number dropping to 5,500 by early 2017.” Washington Post editorial board warns Hillary to resist the lure of the left: While I don’t fully agree with their arguments, the editorial board does a nice job of outlining policy areas where Hillary should avoid becoming too progressive. They applauded her for arguing “only for making college debt-free for requiring students to work 10 hours a week” and insisting “that only banks that pose a systemic risk should be broken up.” These two positions, in particular, are in stark contrast to her main rival, Bernie Sanders. They correctly pointed out that “Ms. Clinton took a political risk by sticking to her more ambitious instincts in foreign policy” and didn’t move to the left on foreign policy. I couldn’t agree more – she shone in this section of the debate. Can you imagine Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush (effectively) lecturing Hillary about Russia? I certainly cannot. She’s got the resume and the disposition to be very effective in arguing for a robust neoliberal foreign policy . Boxer: Time for Biden to back Clinton! “I just don’t think there’s a rationale for his campaign,” Senator Barbara Boxer said. “I think he should endorse Hillary … and go out that way.” How long until Biden decides? Three of us in the office believe that he will drop out in the next two weeks. Time will tell. An excellent breakdown of Sanders & Clinton’s college plans: Here is a great side-by-side comparison of Hillary and Bernie’s positions on college affordability. After highlighting the different nature of both plans, the article concludes: Clinton, in other words, wants to go back to an earlier time, when college tuition was set much more affordably. Sanders wants to rethink the relationship between government and higher education much more thoroughly.

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Daily Clips: October 14th, 2015

October 14, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

GOP tweets from last night’s debate: #DemDebate was really boring but had a lot of fun live tweeting and picked up by far the most followers. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 14, 2015 Racism exists because we have a sin problem in America, not a skin problem. #DemDebate — Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) October 14, 2015 Sec. Clinton might be the only person who thinks the Obama/Clinton foreign policy has been a success. "Smart power at its best" Seriously? — Jeb Bush (@JebBush) October 14, 2015 Clinton towers over her debate rivals: Dana Milbank came away deeply impressed with Hillary’s debate performance last night, but his praise was incredibly sexist. He complimented her by saying: She was, in short, a man among boys. What? Is that supposed to be a joke? If so, it’s not funny and it’s certainly degrading towards her gender. Can you not be a woman among boys? Sanders: Climate change is the nation’s biggest national security threat! Good on Senator Sanders for highlighting the importance of addressing climate change in this debate. The environment certainly did not gather much attention at either of the two GOP debates. In his typical yelling fashion, he warned America that inaction will be costly: The scientific community is telling us if we do not address the global crisis of climate change, transform our energy system away from fossil fuel to sustainable energy, the planet that we’re going to be leaving our kids and our grandchildren may well not be habitable. That is a major crisis.

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Daily Clips: October 13th, 2015

October 13, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

CNN WILL BROADCAST THE FIRST DEMOCRATIC DEBATE LIVE TODAY, ONLINE, FOR FREE, NO PASSWORD REQUIRED. (Also, follow us on Twitter for our live coverage of the debate!) Liberal is now cool: Vox highlights that liberal may not be a dirty word anymore and in my opinion, that has much to do with the rise of Bernie Sanders and his repackaging of far-left ideals. As you can see from Pew Center’s chart below, Democrats are embracing this identification more and more. Don’t expect a slugfest tonight, expect a policy debate: The fireworks you’ll see tonight will not be over someone’s appearance or whether they smoked pot in high school (gasp!), but rather attacks will most likely be related to policy. What a concept. As Phillip Rucker notes: Democrats expect the debate to be substantive and to set the course for an unexpectedly contentious nominating contest. Americans are either going to find a pleasing contrast to the rip-roaring show Republicans have put on — or they’re going to be bored senseless. David Brooks waxes poetic about what conservatism used to stand for: In his latest New York Times column, Brooks laments how the Republican Party’s “capacity for effective self-governance degraded slowly, over the course of a long chain of rhetorical excesses, mental corruptions and philosophical betrayals.” He longs for the days when “conservatism stands for intellectual humility, a belief in steady, incremental change, a preference for reform rather than revolution, a respect for hierarchy, precedence, balance and order, and a tone of voice that is prudent, measured and responsible.” Kumbaya. He’s not describing a political ideology, he’s outlining a disposition.

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Daily Clips: October 12th, 2015

October 12, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

Americans are feeling pretty glum about the economy: We all know that the American economy isn’t living up to its potential. But how do American citizens feel about their own economic situations? In a new poll, “42 percent of respondents described their current personal financial situation as excellent or good, while 56 percent called it only fair or poor.” These numbers are virtually unchanged from 2013. Interestingly, 36 percent of white Americans “expected their financial situation to improve over the next year,” while a whopping “59 percent of minority respondents said they expected better times ahead.” What Americans think should be done on illegal immigration: The Washington Post’s editorial board continues to rip apart Republican nominees and their policy prescriptions. This time, their column underscores the delusional nature of the far-right’s approach to immigration; namely, deporting over 10 million illegal immigrants: Aside from the devastating cost — to individual lives, families, communities, major sectors of the economy such as agriculture and hospitality, and America’s image — Mr. Trump’s plan would be overwhelmingly opposed by the American public. In a just-released poll from the Pew Research Center, 74 percent of Americans said undocumented immigrants should be allowed to remain in the country, with slightly less than half of respondents supporting full citizenship. Just 24 percent say they should not be allowed to stay in the country legally. Getting ready for the Democratic debate tomorrow: Vox has put together a nice, little cheat-sheet on all the Democratic candidates who will be up on stage tomorrow night. You know Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, but what about the other candidates? Did you know that Jim Webb is also running for the nomination? In wake of school shootings, Gov. Jerry Brown bans concealed guns on California campuses: Would you look at that, a common sense approach to resolving gun violence! What’s that you say? There are people that oppose said legislation? Well, what are their thoughtful protestations? “This bill will put thousands of innocent lives at risk,” said Brandon Combs, president of the Firearms Policy Coalition. “Criminals will know that their intended victims
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Daily Clips: October 9th, 2015

October 9, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Economics

Bernie Sanders, the populist prophet: The New Yorker has a beautifully written feature on the man, the myth, the legend: Bernie Sanders. Margot Tablot has done her research, going to events and interviewing with his avid supporters. This makes for incredible journalism. Take this passage, for instance: At a recent San Francisco gathering for Sanders, I met Derek Zender, a twenty-three-year-old marketing student. He told me that his parents, who live in Orange County, dismissed Sanders as “a decrepit old socialist who means well but doesn’t understand how the world works.” Zender thought they were overlooking the fact that “many American institutions—Social Security, unions, Medicare, the postal service—have elements of socialism.” Tablot also describes Sanders’ unique character in refreshing ways: He tends to sound both doleful and optimistic, like a doctor who has a grave diagnosis to deliver—and no time for small talk—but is convinced that he can help his patient heal. The Washington Post Editorial Board is PISSED at the House of Representatives: Kevin McCarthy’s retreat from the Speaker of the House election has left the House of Representatives in more chaos. Yes, I did not know that was possible, either. Read what the editorial board had to say about the situation: Now dysfunction could produce outcomes that would seriously harm the nation and the world, starting with default and shutdown. This isn’t a question of right wing vs. left but of nihilism vs. a willingness to govern. Perfectly put. PEW RESEARCH CENTER: About two-thirds of Republicans (66%) say people in the U.S. illegally should be allowed to stay if they meet certain requirements, while 32% say they should not be allowed to stay legally. America, you’re watching the beginning of the end of the Republican party: The GOP has become so incestuous it continues to hemorrhage and will die. It cannot adapt because the key consultants it has shaping its future are wedded to the capital that comes from not changing.

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Daily Clips: October 8th, 2015

October 8, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

It’s getting harder to move beyond a minimum-wage job: “Minimum-wage jobs are meant to be the first rung on a career ladder, a chance for entry-level workers to prove themselves before earning a promotion or moving on to other, better-paying jobs. But a growing number of Americans are getting stuck on that first rung for years, if they ever move up at all.” According to Five Thirty Eight’s Ben Casselman, the minimum wage is no longer a useful stepping stone to better paying jobs. In the past twenty years, the job ladder in America has developed an increasing gap between the bottom and middle rung. Gallup says it’s done with horse race politics: Gallup has been the “elder statesman” of presidential primary polling, performing research on races since the 1940s. But all good things must come to an end. Gallup’s editor, Christopher Newport, admitted that the changing interest of Americans and the cost of developing such polling were big factors. (Though I believe it may also have something to do with their awful 2012 polling accuracy .) “We believe to put our time and money and brainpower into understanding the issues and priorities is where we can most have an impact,” Newport told Politico. Hold the gunmakers accountable: EJ Dionne talks about the need to “hold those who make billions of dollars from the sale of firearms accountable for what their products do to individuals and communities.” That is an interesting approach to gun violence and one that differs from more inter-personal solutions like background checks. Instead, Dionne is calling for corporate responsibility, noting: Responsible business people care about the well-being of their communities and live with all sorts of health and safety regulations. They above all should see how profoundly misguided it is that one of the least accountable industries in the United States involves enterprises selling products that kill people. Seattle tries to keep its soul in the midst of a tech boom: Prosperity often leads to rising costs of living and Seattle is currently experiencing this negative aspect of
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35% of Americans think mass shootings are “just a fact of life”

October 7, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Guns

Earlier this week, I pointed out that the American people are complicit in the gun violence epidemic which cripples this nation every single day. Unfortunately, our citizens aren’t losing any sleep over this. In fact, they are utterly abdicating responsibility on the matter. A recent YouGov poll shows that over a third of our nation believes that mass shootings are “just a fact of life in America today.” What’s worse, fewer than half of Americans believe that mass shootings can be stopped. As Americans, we should be ashamed of ourselves and our inability to confront this issue at all. We upturned the Middle East and shredded habeas corpus because 2,977 innocent Americans were killed in the horrific 9/11 attacks. And yet every single year we sit back and accept 30,000 gun deaths? Gun violence has now killed 428 times more Americans over the last decade than terrorism. And we’re supposed to believe that this a “just a part of life” in the so-called greatest country on earth? Here at Civic Skunk Works, we lambasted Jeb Bush last week for shrugging his shoulders in response to the UCC shooting and grumbling, “Stuff happens.” Yet, this YouGov poll indicates his callous reaction actually represents many Americans. If that doesn’t get your blood boiling, I don’t know what will. “Every nation gets the government it deserves,” said the political philosopher, Joseph de Maistre . Ultimately, this country will continue to be ravaged by gun violence if we continue to elect leaders who do nothing to address this epidemic. If you vote for individuals who are gun responsibility skeptics, you need to consider the implications of your vote. As President Obama advised the nation , “Our thoughts and prayers are not enough.”

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Daily Clips: October 7th, 2015

October 7, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

Bernie Sanders nets his first congressional endorsement: While Bernie can pack stadiums full of supporters, he has had a very difficult time of securing support from his colleagues on Capitol Hill. In fact, up until today Sanders was behind Martin O’Malley on the “ endorsement count ” – yes, that same O’Malley who basically has zero national support at this time. Bernie’s first congressional endorsement will come from Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva, who is a “member Congressional Hispanic Caucus and is expected to help Sanders’ outreach to Latino voters.” What if the House can’t elect a new speaker? An interesting article from The Atlantic on the internal politics of electing a new Speaker of the House. Front-runner, Kevin McCarthy, needs 218 votes to earn the new position, however it looks like the Tea Party members will do everything they can to not make that happen. As per usual, chaos rules the day in this pathetic branch of government. Stuff happens to the environment…like climate change: Thomas Friedman has written a rousing piece on climate change and the danger of completely ignoring the science on this issue. He warns, “The next eight years will be critical for the world’s climate and ecosystems, and if you vote for a climate skeptic for president, you’d better talk to your kids first, because you will have to answer to them later.” Powerful stuff. Clinton starting to distance herself from Obama: It was inevitable that we would see Clinton distance herself from Obama on certain policies and so far, she has done so admirably. However, she needs to be careful to not completely disavow the president. As the author notes: Putting distance between herself and the president she used to serve as the nation’s top diplomat has risks, particularly among voters who helped elect Obama and still support him. But Clinton is seeking to chart her own policy agenda — more liberal on many fronts and more hawkish on others — and reassert control of the primary
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Daily Clips: October 6th, 2015

October 6, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Daily Clips

Lindsey Graham is a hypocrite when it comes to federal aid: For those of you who do not know, Senator Graham voted against extending federal aid to those states effected by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. And wouldn’t you know it, just three years later he has called for an unlimited amount of federal resources to aid his state due to the flooding. In fact, when talking to Wolf Blitzer he completely feigned ignorance on his previous vote, saying, “Anyway, I don’t really recall [voting against Hurricane Sandy aid], but I’d be glad to look and tell you why I did vote no, if I did.” How pathetic. This hack is a supposed to be a Christian and yet he can’t even follow the Golden Rule. 90 percent of Americans want universal background checks on all gun purchases: PolitiFact looked at this statement and rated it “True.” Their analysis is, per usual, excellent and offers this tidbit about Texas’ views on background checks: And in Texas? A February 2013 University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll of 1,200 Texas voters found 78 percent of respondents somewhat or strongly supporting criminal and mental health background checks for all U.S. gun purchases, including at gun shows and for private sales. Hillary Clinton just made a Benghazi ad: Kevin McCarthy’s truthful gaffe last week has opened up a new opportunity for Hillary to strike back against the Benghazi committee. Before the Democratic debate on October 13th (and her appearance in front of the House committee on October 22nd), she has released an ad which attacks Republicans for wasting $4.5 million of tax payer money on a partisan adventure. You can watch it here: America’s fragile Constitution: If you can read one piece on American politics today, I’d recommend this article by Yoni Appelbaum. I warn you: it’s long. But it takes a deep dive into the history of our democracy and the nature of leadership. Like all good written works, it makes you feel uncomfortable and challenges you with new perspectives. A must
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Our gun violence paradox: How the US government undermines the protection of Americans

October 5, 2015 Nick Cassella

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Guns, Policy

While listening to President Obama’s moving press conference after the UCC shooting, my interest was piqued by a phrase he used to describe the tragic situation. In exasperated tones, he asserted , “[Gun violence] is something we should politicize. It is relevant to our common life together. To the body politic.” It’s been awhile since I’ve heard the term “body politic” referenced by a politician and its appearance in Obama’s remarks gave me pause. Here was a leader pleading for his nation to examine the motivations behind joining in “common life together.” In essence, he was asking us to consider: What is the primary duty of government? At first, it sounds like a daunting question, but it is a question that has been answered many times by our nation’s presidents – and unvaryingly so. Thomas Jefferson wrote about the deontological priorites of our government, claiming, “[It is the obligation] of every government to yield protection to their citizens as the consideration for their obedience.” Ronald Reagan admitted, “Government’s first duty is to protect the people…” So, too, did George W. Bush : “I believe the most solemn duty of the American president is to protect the American people.” And so has our current president : “If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists – to protect them and to promote their common welfare – all else is lost.” So, if the safeguarding of Americans is our government’s first duty, we are confronted with a paradox: What happens when the American people elect representatives who support policies which actively undermine the protection of Americans? Lest you think that question is hypothetical, it is not; it represents what is happening in America today with gun violence. Since 9/11, more than 150,000 Americans have been killed in gun homicides alone. As Fareed Zakaria highlights , that’s equivalent to nearly three Vietnams…in a 14 year span. Pull back the curtain even further and the image
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