Democratic Party - 49th Ward

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll

Today we go a little off the direct health care and onto something that is essential to health care reform.  How strong is President Obama in the eyes of the American public?  We should by now have all come to the conclusion that health care reform will not come out of the Congress in any form we find appropriate or even marginally acceptable without a strong and direct push from the President himself.  Congress is going to see the choices wrought with negative consequences and they are going to steadily work to diminish the public option and perhaps even remove it.  The President needs to grab the bully pulpit and put as much preasure as he can muster on both the Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate.

Here are a few excerpts:

"The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Monday shows that 33% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-two percent (32%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of +1 (see trends). "

"Overall, 55% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance so far. Forty-four percent (44%) disapprove."

The President is in pretty good shape, but he needs the pressure that we as a collective group of citizens can put on him if we commit to trying.  I would urge you to make that pressure felt of the President and our Senators and your Representative in Congress.

President Obama

Dick Durbin

Roland Burris

Its Time to Stand Up for What Is Right Springfield

The budget cuts that the people of Illinois are facing are incredible in that they will leave people in desperate need helpless.  For anyone who thinks that most of this aid isn’t necessary because it goes to able bodied men who could work, GET REAL!  The following is from an entery on Daily Kos.  It talks in a very real way about what many are facing here in our own community if the current budget is not amended to increase revenue.

Here is a short excerpt:

“Imagine being told that you will lose your means to get to work, your home, your means to grocery shop, and all the people that make up your daily life.  Imagine being told this and being unable to read, unable to do your own banking, unable to take care of yourself in the ways most of us take for granted.  You can't just move home with mom and dad - you are 40, 50, or 60 years old and your parents, if they are alive, are in no position to take care of you.  You have questions, you have terrible fears, and none of the people you have relied on and trusted to help you have any answers.” . . . . (Click here to read the whole piece)

Most of us are fortunate that we don’t have problems like these to face, either in our own lives or in the lives of our family members.  But there are countless numbers of people who face these challenges.  What will happen to them?  Here will they go?  The idea that it is more important to save a few dollars each week by making helpless people suffer is a concept I simply cannot believe that most people in Illinois support. 

It is time for the games in Springfield to stop.  Let the good of the state prevail over the benefit of political careers that will take care of themselves just fine anyway.  I would hope that those Representatives and Senators who represent constituents in my ward are will to step up and make some waves.  Voting the right way is not enough when we face challenges of this proportion.

Springfield Update

There seems to be more of the same going on in Springfield.  New Governor, same story.  The General Assembly seems to find reasons why they cannot get along with a Democratic Governor.  In the end it seems to me that this style of politics is going to make it more difficult for the Democrats to hold the House, the Senate and the Governor's seat.

Here is on excerpt from the Reader explaining why they cannot get along this time.

"Quite a bit hangs in the balance—politicians around the state are waiting to see what she does. The possibility that she might run for governor—and that her father, House speaker Mike Madigan, is already trying to help her do it by undermining Pat Quinn—is undoubtedly one of the reasons ethics reform has sputtered and budget talks are bogged down in Springfield."

Mick Dumke  (Clout City, Chicago Reader)

This reason is as plausible as any other, but the point is we need to fix the problem and implement the campaign reforms that the public, and more importantly Democratic voters, want.

What do you say guys?  Any chance these meetings of the Gov and the Four Tops are going to address these concerns?  Its time.

United Steel Workers of America Stand Up for Obama

This is a powerful message for those who may have doubts.

Hypocrite

Main Entry:

hyp·o·crite

Pronunciation:

\ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthai

Date:

13th century

1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion

2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings

 

Examples:

Continues to grossly distort pictures of people who may or may not be public figures but has a huge problem with his own photo being taken.

Believes that everyone he doesn't like is a public figure, but as a journalist in both print and blog doesn't think he is (Unless it is convenient.)

Appears to have no real employment other than a part-time by the piece gig but constantly derides other people of limited income.

Complains about the leadership of nearly every leader in the world, but has not done anything to show any desire to be a leader.

Insists that every word about him be true, but will completely make things up that are not based in even the slightest grain of truth.

Thinks balance is ripping based on his version of the truth as opposed to the completely made up truth, but expects others to be perfect.

It seems to be a jacket that fits very well. And upon further thought, it would seem there are a couple of other guys who fall into this category.

A New Era of Race Relations Is Here Win or Lose In November

At the same time America is slowly moving towards its date with destiny on November 4, America is also moving towards a new era in race relations.  The era of Jesse Jackson being the voice of African-Americans will have been replaced by the idea, if not the actions, of Barack Obama.  Many Americans, (read white Americans), are now claiming to be ready to have a black president, (albeit dependent on it being the right kind of black president).  When factoring in the bad economy, the intense dislike of George Bush and his war in Iraq and can I say it enough, the ECONOMY, Obama may actually win the election.  What I know will be the case is that there will be enough change in the minds of enough of white Americans that the dynamic of how America thinks about race will change.  America has moved into a new era of race relations and the way America deals with the issue will be different than anytime pre-Obama.

For most people born after World War II Brown v. Board of Education was the beginning of the civil rights movement.  In this early era of modern race relations the movement was powered by court room victories in the Supreme Court.  A few brave souls, supported by a few more brave activists and lawyers in conjunction with nine justices wrestled control of American society out of the dying hand of old America and demanded that there be a new American way. 

Dr. King ushered in his era of race relations by relying on the court victories and using our common Christian values and morals to appeal to the better side of people.  He empowered many from all races, creeds and colors to stand up for themselves.  Through the sheer force of his personality and convictions Dr. King convinced many to walk with him in the great marches, join him in the boycotts, struggle with him through the strikes and to lobby and work tirelessly for legislation.  The legislation that passed didn’t change the hearts of many Americans, but it did force America to understand that what had happened in the past was wrong and the right thing to do was to make change.

Since the death of Dr. King we have lived in the Jesse Jackson era of race relations.  For 40 years now time has gradually moved each generation progressively forward.  Rev. Jackson has lead many battles with companies big and small to insure that African-Americans and other minorities are getting a piece of the American dream.  The moral high ground established by Dr. King has given generations of people the ability to utilize the government to leverage a fairer piece of the dream.  It has sometimes led to in-fighting and as a result has sometimes led to individual winners and losers.  It has also often left both black and white Americans feeling like some get special treatment while others don’t. 

Much good has happened in this era.  The simple placing of time between the greatest atrocities combined with the vision of a better America as described by Dr. King has help form our younger generations in ways that were impossible 40 years ago.  Standing up and fughting for these folks at X company and those folks at Y company have shown all companies that fairness is an increasingly important issue.  Through the works of Rev. Jackson, Operation PUSH and by other organizations much has been done. 

What I think has changed in this election cycle is that many now believe that the dreams Dr. King had have been realized and embodied in the success of one man, Barack Obama.  In some ways Barack exemplifies the hopes and dreams many have for a color blind society.  He is a gift to all Americans in so many ways.  On the other hand, the entire Obama campaign has cautiously made its way down the road to the White House asking to be judged on the content of his character rather than the color of his skin. 

What I know is that Barack is not typical in nearly any way.  His tremendous natural talents, his multicultural background, his wide experience in living around the world all make him nothing like your basic American of any color.  His message of “responsibility” is not an unimportant message for parents or children, but is it achievable for most kids and families facing tough and challenging issues?

There are still many things that need to be addressed in America.  Many inequalities.  Many unequal opportunities.  Many different needs that need to be met.  It is not going to be enough to point to Obama and say, "He did it."  "What about you?"  The upside of Obama’s success is the hope factor.  Barack has opened the eyes of many to a new way of thinking.

Maybe most of America is really ready to see the quality of the individual rather than the color of the individual.  I can only hope it is true because I think many of the traditional paths we have seen to achieve equality are disappearing and the job isn’t done yet.

Energy: A Bigger Problem than the Economy

Yesterday Nobel Prize winner and former Vice-President Al Gore gave a very compelling speech in Washington, D.C. in which he tied together many of the biggest concerns the American public has in this election cycle in one sentence.  "We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet," Gore said in his speech. "Every bit of that's got to change."

As we move further and further into this new era of high energy prices and we see an increasingly negative impact on everyday life because of global warming the idea that we can simply stand by and wish the problem away or hope somehow it will go away on its own is increasingly irresponsible.  I think it is time to acknowledge and accept the fact that the days of cheap gas and low cost energy are not only gone, but are never coming back.  We are at the beginning of a cycle in which the prices for all types of energy will continue to trend upward not only here in America, but around the world.  It is very clear that increasing energy prices and the resulting fallout of related problems are going to take center stage in the struggle between the world’s leading nations over the next few years. 

We have had a golden opportunity to begin reforming the ways in which we use energy over the last 30 years and have done very little to actually find ways to reduce the amount of energy we use or to find different renewable sources.  We are going to have to begin to make significant efforts and a strong commitment to developing long-term solutions both on establishing renewable sources of energy and by finding way to significantly increase energy efficiency.  This not only makes an energy policy that is sensible, but it would place the United States in a position in which our economy can benefit from technology inventions that others around the world would be compelled to make use off.  As we move forward, the cost of existing sources of energy are going to make an impact so profound on the economy of the planet that new sources are going to have to be found in order to maintain peace and prosperity.

Al Gore puts on the table proposals that make sound political and policy decisions.  It provides the voter with the knowledge that something besides off-shore drilling is required to meet the growing problems the world faces.  We may not like the idea that cheap gas is gone forever, but if we don’t get more committed to the idea of alternative, renewable energy we are going to find ourselves in a very difficult and unfriendly world.  We have entered an era in which we need to invest in America’s energy future with the same degree of commitment and enthusiasm that we put into developing the space program and the Manhattan project. This is going to be one of the most important items on the next President’s agenda whether he realizes it or not.

I hope that Al Gore would consider taking on a role in an Obama administration in which he would be the leader and coordinator of our nations energy development and policy initatives.  I hope that Obama realizes the importance of moving quickly and decisively forward on energy policy and I hope that Republicans finally reach the conclusion that the energy problems facing the world are very real, very significant and very dangerous to avoid.

Mile High and the Heartland: Something We Have Seen Before

For those who missed the news, Obama has decided to take the convention on the road for the final night.  That is the night he will make his acceptance speech.  Rather than staying inside the arena they will be using all week with a capacity of 21,000 they have decided to move the convention to the new Mile High Stadium, home of the Denver Broncos football team.  The opportunity to invite more than 50,000 additional people to be a part of history is an amazingly good idea.  The Party will be able to include tens of thousands who would otherwise have been home watching on TV on this historic night.  And an historic night this will be because on this night not only will be the first time a person of color will be nominated for President of the United States by  one of the major parties, but it will also be the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.  It has all of the ingredients required to send Obama into the Fall campaign with a big convention bump in the polls.

What will also happen is something we all had an opportunity to see in right here in Rogers Park in 2004.  For those who only follow Obama they probably don’t know this, but those who follow politics know that David Axelrod (the current Obama media genius) was also the media genius who was with Obama in his 2004 United States Senate campaign.  Some of you will remember that on a Saturday long before anyone thought Obama had a chance to win the Senate race Barack came to the Heartland Café.  On a much smaller scale the place was packed.  People had to be turned away because of safety and fire concerns.  Others braved the cold and stood out in the street only half way able to hear after a speaker was set outside the door so that everyone who wanted to be a part of this event could be.

Many people don’t know that part of the reason for that event was to get footage for Barack’s commercials.  The footage captured was a large part of the original video the campaign put out when Barack announced he was running for President.  I believe we can expect that what will come from the Mile High stadium event is some of the most amazing commercials we will ever see.  They will be full of enthusiasm and hope, a rainbow of people from all walks of life, energy that even long after the event you can still feel watching the video.  It will be electric when 75,000 people are chanting O-BA-MA! O-BA-MA!  This is a great way to showcase Obama with his youthful energy versus McCain’s tired old words and tired old ways when he stands in a Minnesota convention hall dragging on in his monotone voice talking about how he isn’t running for Bush’s third term.

This will be a once in a lifetime event.  Denver anyone?

You Can Make A Tough Job a Little Easier

Some know this and some don’t so I will say this up front.  My wife is a police officer and it undoubtedly influences how I feel about the police.

Officer Richard Francis is, as many have said, an unsung hero.  Everyday there are hundreds of thousands of men and women who put on a badge, leave their home and head to a roll call somewhere not knowing for sure that everything will be okay in eight or nine hours.  They go out into places that most people would be reluctant to go.  They deal with people many cross the street to avoid.  They are called upon to play so many roles in a day it makes you wonder what is wrong with society.  If only a legislator could live the problem rather than hear about it.

The first line of care many poor mentally ill folks encounter is the beat cop simply responding to a disturbance call.  They get there, if they are lucky enough to be with a partner, and have to immediately become a psychologist working the person down from some inappropriate heightened state of behavior to a place where they can hopefully get them home, wherever home may be.  They respond to the calls of parents who have called the police because they just can’t handle their kids anymore.  All they want the police to do is take them, as if they were giving away the keys to an old beat up Chevy that needs some work to run right.  There are the husbands and wives, parents and children and so many others who just can’t seem to get along tonight so one of them has to go, to jail if it has gotten out of control.  This is the life of a patrolman.  Simple situations that seem like nothing, that will not turn into anything, and then someone is hurt.  Or worse.

That’s what it sounds like happened to Officer Francis.  It was a woman he knew.  She was someone he reportedly had dealt with before.  Someone he didn’t believe to be a threat and now he is dead.  His family and friends have lost someone they loved.  The families of police officers all across Chicago, and I suspect the world, know the feeling of hearing the tease on the news flash about an officer being killed while you know your officer is at work.  It is impossible for it not to cross your mind about where your loved one is.  Different people get past it in different ways, but I know that it always makes me stop for a moment and hope she is okay.

People get upset when the police follow procedure.  They assume that somehow it is just obvious to police officers who is dangerous and who isn’t.  Police Officers should know who is a good person and who isn’t.  But it isn’t that easy.  It is at best a dangerous guess.  Does it seem like forcing an employee to make a life determining gamble on a guess several times a shift is a reasonable expectation of an employee?  One can only assume that Officer Francis made the assumption that he was safe.  And as we all know now he wasn’t.

It is easy to be upset when you are getting that ticket.  It is easy to be excited when the traffic safety check catches you on a cell phone without an ear piece.  Most cops are decent human beings out there doing a job and trying to protect us.  A little understanding would make their day a whole lot better and it just might help with the ticket as well. 

A Question of Size

I know this isn't a new news item but I was hoping it wasn't true somehow.  Ralph Nader is running for President and the first state he is trying to get on the ballot is Illinois.  I understand rights to run and choices on the ballot, but I really only have one simple question.  What do you think is bigger, infinity or Ralph Nader's ego?  I know . . . trick question.  Nader's ego cannot be quantified.