Divided America - It's Our Fault

CNN has been asking its contributors to answer the question: "Why is our government so broken?"  Yesterday, I posted an op-ed by LZ Granderson who places a great deal of the blame on us - the voters.  Today, David Gergen presents a similar, though slightly more circumspect, argument that the American People do deserve some of the blame for the current dysfunction, and have the power to fix it.

The Dysfunction in Washington can be blamed on the Voters

LZ Granderson has written an Op-Ed piece that tries to answer the question: "Why is our government so broken?"  His answer: It's broken because of "stupid voters."  His scathing attack on an uninterested, uneducated, lazy, easily manipulated electorate I found both humorous and necessary in order to convey his point.  Now, I don't assign as much blame to the voters as Mr. Granderson, but I do agree his argument has a lot of merit.


Stupid Voters Enable Broken Government

Palin is still out there - and rising in the polls

A new McClatchy Poll out shows that Sarah Palin is down by only 4 points in a match up against President Obama in 2012.  The gap has closed significantly since June, when she was down 26 points.  She also managed to snag a majority of Independent voters in the poll.  Despite the fact that Republicans and Independents - at a 3-1 margin - do not want her to run, Palin hasn't ruled out jumping into the race though no official decision has been made.  However, she will probably be forced to make a decision soon - several states have a November deadline for candidates to get their names on primary ballots.

Republican Strategy for 2012 - Change the Rules

The 2012 Election is going to be close, regardless who ends up being the Republican nominee and regardless how bad the economy is. Americans are upset about the economy, but they are also not impressed with the field of Republican candidates. I believe the GOP has known this for a while, and has been quietly organizing to help ensure a Republican victory next year.

Poll Romanticizes Clinton Administration

Bloomberg released a poll today that says Hillary Clinton is the most popular national political figure in America. Two-thirds of Americans hold a favorable view of Secretary Clinton, that's the highest approval rating of any national figure. Add to that, 1/3 of Americans think the country would be better off had Hillary won in 2008. The poll suggests that there's quite a bit of buyer's remorse on the part of liberals and independents.

Weinergate = Republican Seat

Disgraced former Democratic Congressman Anthony Weiner resigned over a personal scandal involving lewd photos he sent of himself to several young women over Twitter. A special election was held in the New York 9th Congressional district to replace him and despite the huge Democratic majority of voters in the district, Republican Bob Turner won with 54% of the vote. Political analysts believe that Turner's surprise win could foreshadow a referendum on Democrats and President Obama in 2012.

Pass the Jobs, Please

President Obama's "American Jobs Act" is essentially Stimulus 2.0. He's asking for roughly $450 Billion to be used for infrastructure projects (plus the Infrastructure 'Bank'), tax cuts, extensions of unemployment benefits, and local government aid. The emphasis hasn't changed much - like the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act before it (Stimulus 1.0), over half of the proposal is dedicated to tax cuts.

Romney vs. Perry: Debate Recap

The only thing to take from last nights Republican debate is this: Watching Mitt Romney and Rick Perry insult each other was A LOT of fun!!! Mitt challenged Rick's record in Texas, his comments about the Social Security "Ponzi Scheme" and a host of other things. Rick attacked Mitt on 'RomneyCare", the quality of his business experience, and the lack of substance during his time as Massachusetts Governor. A funny moment: When Rick was touting that he had created 1 million jobs in Texas as Governor, Mitt reminded him that he had advantages like a state with no income tax and large oil and natural gas reserves. Mitt said crediting Rick with all of that would be similar to saying Al Gore 'invented' the internet.

Want Civil Politics? Reform the Primaries

Marcus Siegel, a partner in Locke Lord Strategies,and former executive director of the Democratic National Committee from 1974 to 1977, wrote a fantastic Op-Ed for the Washington Post about improving the political discourse in this country by changing our 2-Party Primary system. It is a fascinating read, and does not come across as partisan at all!

How closed primaries further polarize our politics

Does Density = Jobs?

The New York Times posted an adapted essay by Ryan Avent, an economics correspondent for The Economist and author of the Kindle Single “The Gated City.” He offers a suggestion on how to create more & better jobs - make cities denser. Before you say "What does this have to do with politics," think about all of the political hay that's been made from "Urban Sprawl." Think about all of the politicians who have fought for or against certain types of developments. Look at where you live and what types of jobs are available, then look at your area's government representative - weather a Mayor, State Legislator, or Congressperson. Urban Development, Sprawl, Jobs - they're all Political. Read this article!

One Path to Better Jobs: More Density in Cities