Prediction: Schwarzenegger Runs for Senate as Democrat in 2012
Filed under: Energy Policy, State Governments, U.S. Economy
I really found it hard to believe that the Governator came to Columbus, Ohio in the waning days of the presidential campaign to stump for John McCain. After all, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-CA, is often at odds with his own party and their wedge issues platform.
Democrats will be in trouble again if more Republicans talk - and act - like Schwarzenegger. During a week where the dominant political story seemed to be all about how Republicans will climb back to relevance, Schwarzenegger spoke some truth to his party’s powerbrokers on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopolous:
SCHWARZENEGGER: (…) Remember that so many times there’s dialogue about, you know, we have to go back to our core values.
What is that? What is core? How far does core go back in history in America, the word core? Does it go back 30 years? Does it go back 50 years? Because we know that Teddy Roosevelt talked about universal health care. So they’re off the core for a long time ago already. He has talked about protecting our environment. So they’ve been off for a long time on that.
I mean, let’s be honest. Ronald Reagan — let’s go to Eisenhower, for instance. Eisenhower has built the highway system in America and he’s poured billions of dollars into infrastructure. Where Republicans today say, well, that’s spending. We shouldn’t spend. That’s not spending. That’s investing in the future of America.
So there’s a lot of things that they have been off on, if they want to go and talk about the core values. But maybe their definition of core values is maybe different.
But I mean, so I think it’s all nonsense talk. I think if they just talk about one thing, what do we need now?
Now, America needs to be rebuilt, because we haven’t really rebuilt America for decades. So we need to rebuild America, fix the bridges, fix the highways, fix the buildings, tunnels and all of those kind of things we need to do. And then we have to go and create great relationships with our partners overseas, with the world, and to build those relationships again. And we have to take care of health care. We have to take care of our environment. And we have to build an energy future. Those are the things that people want right now.
Schwarzenegger also discussed his proposal for a 1 1/2 percent state sales tax in California to deal with the state’s projected $11 billion budget shortfall. California, like Ohio, is dealing with the ill effects of the soon to be official U.S. recession – shortfalls in state revenue. Rather than take the stance of the idealogue, Schwarzenegger is pragmatic about taxes:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You don’t want to do it.
SCHWARZENEGGER: I don’t want to do it. I hate taxes. I hate the word “taxes” and all of those things. But there’s certain times when you have to forget about the ideology, and, you know, all of this, and fix problems…
STEPHANOPOULOS: That is…
SCHWARZENEGGER: Because people want their fixed problems.
A look at just a few of the issues Schwarzenegger has taken the lead on in California over the past year shows a fairly progressive agenda: tearing down dams on the Klamath River, numerous alternative energy projects, school-based health centers, reform of the emergency medical care system and state infrastructure improvements. Although far from being an endorsement, in the quote above, Schwarzenegger is the first Republican I’ve heard to evoke the memory of Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Rider’s ruminations on universal healthcare for Americans. Usually when contemporary Republicans speak of TR it’s bombastic and centered on their one-dimensional understanding of history and Roosevelt - “Bully” and “Gunboat Diplomacy” come to mind. Schwarzenegger seems to understand that TR was a reformer and a progressive.
So, I am predicting today that the GOP has created a monster that will drive some of its stars to become Independents or Democrats. Their party’s base has been given over to the social conservatives, culture warriors and theocrats. Finally, most of the country seems to be rejecting this brand of conservatism and beginning to understand that every breath wasted on wedge issues while we’re mired in two wars and in a state of economic decline is foolishness. The country which has set the standard and created the future is now getting left behind.
I’ll further refine the prediction by saying that in 2012 the Governator will be running for the U.S. Senate from California as an Independent or a Democrat.
I think that Arnold’s water carrying for whichever Republican is running for president will be coming to an end. He’s eventually got to realize that the dinosaur party needs him and his star power much more than he needs them.
Why I’m Voting for Obama – Reason 1 of 3 – The Economy (and Energy)
Filed under: Barack Obama, Energy Policy, Environment, Ohio Economy, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008, U.S. Economy
Since the first presidential election in which I could vote, I’ve been hearing politicians promise tax relief for the middle class. They called it “tax relief” because very often there was nothing in it for the middle. President Clinton, to his credit, took care of the lower end of the scale with the Earned Income Tax Credit. Both Bushes gave us more of the Laffer Curve and Trickle Down Economics. The biggest breaks under every president I’ve had the privilege to vote for or against has benefited large corporations, usually of the multi-national type. Read more
State of Ohio Managing to a Bottom Line Under Strickland
Filed under: Energy Policy, Gov Strickland, State Governments, State of Ohio Govt
Lost in the forest of Democratic National Convention coverage here in Ohio was a report last week from the Columbus Dispatch which shows Governor Ted Strickland’s efforts to better handle the business of state government are working.
The story, which ran on August 28, was headlined State Employees Save $2 million in Mileage Costs. Check out the first three grafs:
For once, there’s good news about fuel costs.
State employees who use their personal vehicles for business drove about 5.2 million fewer miles in the past fiscal year than in the previous one, resulting in a $2 million reduction in mileage reimbursements, according to the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, the business arm of state government.
This year, employees who drive state-owned vehicles are shifting more to alternative fuels - ethanol and bio-diesel - and away from regular unleaded gasoline. The state bought 80,000 fewer gallons of unleaded gas in the most recent quarter, a state report showed.
The story behind the story is that state government didn’t do well at these ‘enterprise’ management initiatives under 16 years of Republican rule. To give credit where it is due, Governor Bob Taft’s administration did begin the cutbacks in the size of the state fleet and did pass legislation mandating state agencies to meet goals for the use of biodiesel and other alternative fuels. Republicans went so far as to replace most of the existing passenger sedan fleet – those state cars you see tooling around Ohio – with models which are flex fuel capable. The problem is, there was no leadership at the top dictating to those with easy access to E85 to put it in the cars. Republicans’ already weak alternative fuel goals were not met because state agencies ignored Bob Taft.
State agencies in this government do not ignore Ted Strickland. Read more
Text: Ed Rendell Speech to DNC - Energy Policy
Filed under: Democratic National Convention, Energy Policy, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008, State Governments
DENVER (AP) _ Remarks as prepared for delivery to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday by Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell:
It was eight years ago that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney came to Philadelphia to accept their party’s nomination. Onstage at that convention, we heard lots of talk about energy. The Republican platform itself called for expanding the renewable energy tax credit. But once elected, they broke their energy promises to the American people and let big oil determine our national energy policy. Read more
Thursday A.M. Read – Sick Days, Dimora, Uninsured, Brunner, Marc Dann!, Russia v. Georgia, Rice, McCain, Energy Policy
Filed under: Bush Foreign Policy, Cuyahoga Corruption, Energy Policy, John McCain, Marc Dann, Ohio AG's Race 2008, Presidential Campaign 2008, Russian/Georgian Conflict, State of Ohio Govt, U.S. Congress
Ohio News
- Editorial: Sick Leave Fight May Require a Power Play by Strickland – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Number of uninsured in Ohio may be higher than report shows – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Political party leaders spar over election rule – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Prominent Dems want Dimora out – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- By 2042, minorities to be majority – Columbus Dispatch
- Anniversary: Largest blackout in US history – Columbus Dispatch
- Dann had rejected favorite for Academy – Columbus Dispatch
- GOP Fear: Voting too soon – Columbus Dispatch
- GOP pushes Cordray to return money – Columbus Dispatch
- Editorial: Full Accounting on Factory Farms – Columbus Dispatch
National/International News
- Russian forces begin pullout from Gori – VOA
- Rice says Russia faces isolation – BBC
- Bush squares up to Putin – Times of London
- Russia rejects West’s call to recognize Georgian sovereignty – The Guardian
- Op-Ed, John McCain: We are all Georgian – Wall Street Journal
- Now is the key time for energy in presidential race – NY Magazine
- Insurgency’s scars mar Afghan main road – New York Times
- GOP in House at risk in NE – New York Times
Tuesday a.m. Clips – Ohio Rs: No to Romney; Ohio Highway Patrol sexiness; Dimora & Russo; Ohio AG race; War of Russian Aggression; Dimora & Russo; Payday lending; Debunking offshore drilling
Filed under: Bush Foreign Policy, Cuyahoga Corruption, Energy Policy, Environment, Gov Strickland, Ohio AG's Race 2008, Ohio Economy, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008, Russian/Georgian Conflict, State of Ohio Govt
Ohio News
- Ohio activists reject Romney – Columbus Dispatch
- Troopers in trouble over romances – Columbus Dispatch
It’s time for Ohio Highway Patrol to resubmit to civilian authority – racism and sexiness too much – if the Army can take orders from W, OHP can bend to Strickland, Guzman
- McClendon wrongly held by state for 18 years – Columbus Dispatch
Original prosecutors and anyone else who stood in the way of justice in these cases should be disbarred.
- Dimora – Russo probe began long ago – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Ohio AG race overview – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Opposing sides in payday lending fight over ballot language – Dayton Daily News
- Wind may hold energy and Ohio jobs – Mansfield News Journal
- Strickland: Ohio education system stuck in past – Newark Advocate
- Diebold to close Hebron plants – Newark Advocate
National/International News
- Russia orders halt to war in Georgia – Reuters
- What does Georgia want from Russia – NPR
- Russia says it has halted aggression – New York Times
- Healing wounds, Putin calls shots – New York Times
- Bayh offers risks and rewards – New York Times
- Global trail of online crime ring – New York Times
- Editorial: Russia’s War of Ambition – New York Times
- Endangered Species Act eyed – Washington Post
- Bush questions Moscow’s motives – Washington Post
- Editorial: ‘Snake Oil’ – Washington Post
Oil Shock: Drilling for Answers on High Prices Part IV of V
As posted here (and why), I continue to post the Washington Post articles from the Oil Shock series.
from The Washington Post
Gas Prices Apply Brakes To Suburban Migration
By Eric M. Weiss
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, August 5, 2008; A01
That 1958 brick rambler inside the Beltway is suddenly looking a lot better to Dawn and Jeff Schaefer, who are buying their first house in Northern Virginia.
Not too long ago, they were looking farther out — for a newer house, a bigger yard and all the amenities. But no more. “You get less house and property for the same price, but we’re willing to make that sacrifice to save on gas prices and commuting costs,” Dawn Schaefer said.
Cheap oil, which helped push the American Dream away from the city center, isn’t so cheap anymore. As more and more families reconsider their dreams, land-use experts are beginning to ask whether $4-a-gallon gas is enough to change the way Americans have thought for half a century about where they live.
“We’ve passed that tipping point,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. Read more
Full Text: Obama Energy Townhall in Youngstown, Opening Remarks
Filed under: Barack Obama, Energy Policy, Environment, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008
August 05, 2008
Obama Energy Townhall in Youngstown
Barack Obama, as prepared for delivery
Youngstown, Ohio
We meet at a moment when this country is facing a set of challenges unlike any we’ve ever known. Right now, our brave men and women in uniform are fighting two different wars while terrorists plot their next attack. Our changing climate is putting our planet in peril and our security at risk. And our economy is in turmoil, with more and more of our families struggling with rising costs, falling incomes and lost jobs. Read more
Full Text: Obama Speech on Energy Plan – Lansing, Michigan
Filed under: Barack Obama, Energy Policy, Environment, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008
August 04, 2008
New Energy for America
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama — as prepared for delivery
Lansing, Michigan
We meet at a moment when this country is facing a set of challenges greater than any we’ve seen in generations. Right now, our brave men and women in uniform are fighting two different wars while terrorists plot their next attack. Our changing climate is placing our planet in peril. Our economy is in turmoil and our families are struggling with rising costs and falling incomes; with lost jobs and lost homes and lost faith in the American Dream. And for too long, our leaders in Washington have been unwilling or unable to do anything about it.
That is why this election could be the most important of our lifetime. When it comes to our economy, our security, and the very future of our planet, the choices we make in November and over the next few years will shape the next decade, if not the century. And central to all of these major challenges is the question of what we will do about our addiction to foreign oil.
Bloomberg headline on oil says it all …
Oil Falls Below $125 as U.S. Fuel Supplies Gain, Demand Drops - Bloomberg
While the apologists for Big Oil and the investor class railed about speculators driving up oil prices over the past several weeks, an opportunity was lost for the American public to begin to understand the true nature of a non-renewable resource — and the power of conservation.
If you take a moment and read the Bloomberg story linked above, you’ll see that domestic oil supplies are up and that U.S. demand for oil is down. According to the article, the U.S. Energy Department reports that U.S. fuel consumption is down 2.1% over the last three weeks. Last week’s U.S. fuel demand averaged 19.9 million barrels per day, the lowest demand in eighteen months.
The world is running out of oil. We are nowhere near ready to make the leap from a carbon-based economy to whatever will be our next energy source or set of sources. Conservation is key. We simply need to consume what’s left at a drastically reduced rate or face harsh economic circumstances which will make $4 per gallon gas look like the good old days.
Transcript: Al Gore on Meet the Press
Al Gore is the only prominent politician in the U.S. with a bold change proposal for our energy future. Thanks to MSNBC for the following transcript of Tom Brokaw’s interview with him today.
Gore sending message on energy future
More coverage on the only real change message out there this week from the NYT
Sunday Read – Foreclosures, Obama, McCain, Iraqi Oil, Gas Prices
Filed under: Ohio Economy, Olympics, Peak Oil, Presidential Campaign 2008
- Cities’ cost to maintain abandoned properties, enforce codes up due to foreclosures – Columbus Dispatch
If banks are responsible for these properties, then the banks and other financial institutions – which are part of the problem – should be keeping these properties up. Local taxpayers, already overburdened in many places shouldn’t be footing this bill. For more on this issue, check out ReBuild Ohio’s website.
- Joe Hallett: McCain, Obama both are laying groundwork to sway Ohioans – Columbus Dispatch
Obama campaign is quietly laying the groundwork to do their own “Turnaround” in Ohio. Several Strickland administration high-level staffers have left their jobs on Capitol Square to join the effort. Notably, this week, Greg Schultz, the hard-charging Ohio Department of Administrative Services legislative liaison became Obama’s deputy political director in Ohio. Schultz is a relentless campaigner and has ties and respect all over the state. Obama’s search for talent didn’t end with Aaron Pickrell. Despite the naysayers who focus on Obama’s challenge in Appalachian Ohio, the state is not going to be worked around in any November electoral strategy.
- Foreclosure Crisis from a Cleveland Perspective – Cleveland Plain Dealer
- Iraq Should Get Things Right Internally With Oil Policy Before Shopping No-Bid Contracts – Cleveland Plain Dealer
Did Bush Administration pressure add to the mess that is Iraqi oil policy? The world should be vigilant that Bush/Cheney don’t push Western companies into Iraq before the Iraqis are prepared to administer those business relationships. The Iraqi central government is currently not there when the Kurds in the north are pursuing their own deals with the Hunts of Texas. The unintended consequence of pushing Western companies into Iraq early will be their complete ouster and diplomatic stress later.
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Thomas Suddes: Ohio Often Fools Visiting Observers – Cleveland Plain Dealer
“Bottom line: As detected from out of state, Ohio “types” and “trends” seldom are, except for those measurements and moods that matter. Gas prices. Food prices. Unemployment.” – Thomas Suddes
- New Milestone: The $100 Fill Up – New York Times
You’ve got to play. Oil and gasoline are commodities – no whining.
- As Web Traffic Grows, Crashes Take Bigger Toll – New York Times
- McCain’s New Nemesis: The Teleprompter – New York Times
If the campaign were merely about style, McCain would be buried already. How many primary election nights did we watch McCain read from paper with nothing behind him but campaign signs and a crowd that sounded like an afternoon talk show studio audience? Cut to Obama – or even Hillary Clinton – in a huge venue, surrounded by genuinely enthusiastic people actually orating. Starker contrasts have not been evident thus far.
- Presidential Campaigns Prime the Pump (for a few so far) – The New York Times
- American Energy Policy, Asleep at the Spigot – The New York Times
To do list:
- Increase CAFE Standards ASAP
- Iraq War type investment in rail
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Consider Federal Investment in Getting Detroit Caught Up with Japan
- Strings tied to this investment must equate to U.S. jobs
- Trying Everything Against Geese – New York Times
- Peter Beinart: The Fear Democrats Can Jettison – Washington Post
Or … the fear Democrats could help Americans jettison. Rove/Cheney/Bush legacy is the false sense of insecurity and the reality of a more isolated U.S. of A.
- Beijing Smog - Sunday Times - London, U.K
How in the hell did China get the Olympics anyway? The Olympics in Beijing is simply rewarding bad behavior.
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