Fos, Jeff and Yours Truly throw a few shapes.....

One of my favourite gigs on the German circuit is the Grugahalle in Essen, and I’ve been lucky enough to perform there many times over the last 20 years. It is a venue famous for many legendary concerts. The German Rockpalast shows that made the names of ZZ Top and Mother’s Finest were staged there, and it has hosted concerts from Prince, Toto…in fact just about everyone you can think of.

8,000 crazy Germans

Deep in Germany’s industrial heartland, the Ruhr, Essen itself is a sprawling mass of concrete and steel, but they still manage to add some Germanic old-world charm with the Christmas markets that insinuate themselves into every pedestrian thoroughfare in the centre, even shoe-horning a giant ferris wheel in between the buildings!

That's wheely big.....

We shared the stage with a number of our old mates including Showaddywaddy and Dozy, Beaky Mick and Tich, and we all played to a capacity crowd of 8,000.  The following morning, I shared breakfast with that 60’s legend Spencer Davis, who was kind enough to give me a copy of his most recent album “So Far”, which is a beautiful autobiographical account of his life, both personal and musical,  from Swansea in Wales to Catalina Island off the California coast, where he lives today.  It really is such a privilege to meet and work with these people.

The previous night we’d played in Oldenburg, about 3 hours away, and the second gig always benefits from having ‘played the songs in’.  We had a great night and met up with a group of our fans, including Tonie Griebl, whom I must thank for the stage shot.

The calm before the storm...the Grugahalle awaits

A ghostly looking stage pre-soundcheck

In the early hours of the coming morning, I will head to Alicante once again, on the way to Antwerp via Madrid and Brussels to appear at the Golden Years festival, where we first appeared 20 years ago. Full report will follow!

PS: Don’t forget – you can now download my new solo album for free by clicking on the image in the sidebar

Kev Moore

This is the second in a series of special “Future Facts” on key policy issues facing Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie as he prepares to take office in January.

• New Jersey faces myriad transportation challenges, in both the near and long term. Replenishing the Transportation Trust Fund, which will run out of money to pay for anything other than debt service by 2011, will be the most immediate challenge confronting the incoming Christie administration.
• Longer-term issues include improving and expanding transit service; reducing traffic congestion by linking road improvements to good land-use plans; making it safer for everyone — walkers, bikers and motorists — to travel; supporting economic growth by locating more jobs and homes close to transit; and reducing vehicle miles traveled, a critical component in meeting the state’s greenhouse gas reduction goals.
• As a candidate, Governor-elect Christie responded to specific transportation-related questions posed by the media, nonprofits and advocacy groups, but did not offer a comprehensive platform on transportation issues. His positions generally focused on cost-containment and efficiency, rather than specific policy initiatives.

Christie’s Favored ‘Pay-As-You-Go’ Financing for Transportation Trust Fund Presents Challenge

The looming insolvency of the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF), which finances the state’s $1.6 billion annual capital program, should already be at the top of the list of issues under discussion by Governor-elect Christie’s transition team on transportation, headed by former state DOT Commissioner James Weinstein. After years of borrowing against revenues dedicated to the TTF (including New Jersey’s fourth-lowest-in-the-nation gasoline tax), the new governor and Legislature will have to find new revenue to meet the state’s most fundamental transportation needs.

During the campaign, Christie disagreed with both Governor Corzine and Chris Daggett on how best to meet this challenge. The Bergen Record summarized his position as follows: “[Christie] opposes borrowing money to extend the fund; favors a ‘pay-as-you’ go system that would force the state to spend money it has, then ‘reassess’ its funding resources later.” Christie proposed that this could be done without raising new revenues, including an increased gas tax. While we applaud his fresh approach to this issue, we hope the magnitude of the problem will keep all responsible funding options on the table.

On the link between transportation and climate change, Christie acknowledged the importance of addressing vehicle miles traveled (VMT). In response to New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Questionnaire, he suggested reducing VMT by expanding mass transit. “New Jersey will decrease its dependence on automobiles only if we provide a meaningful alternative,” he noted. “I have outlined in my urban policy a series of improvements to our infrastructure that will reduce the number of new lane miles that we are building in favor of expanded mass transit systems.” This commitment to transit, and presumably keeping transit affordable to riders, sets an important policy direction for the state.

Christie’s commitment to improving infrastructure and reducing the number of new lane miles could open the door to other land-use strategies for reducing VMT — increasing density (putting destinations closer together), encouraging mixed-use development (putting different types of destinations closer together) and encouraging greater connectivity in the road network, so as to create shorter and more numerous routes between any given pair of destinations. All three of these strategies would create a development pattern that not only allows some trips to be taken by non-motorized means, but also makes trips much shorter for all the trips that will still be taken by car.

Christie’s primary emphasis on transportation issues in the campaign focused on cutting spending through improved efficiency. On his campaign website, ChristieforNJ, under the heading “Get New Jersey Working Again,” Christie pledges that his administration “will utilize innovative procurement methodologies like Design/Build/Operate/Maintain (DBOM).” According to the statement, “This will save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in the cost of transportation and construction projects, making more projects possible without increasing spending.”

The more immediate $1.6 billion question, however, is what to do about the TTF. New Jersey Future is working with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign and others to advocate for a responsible and sustainable TTF reauthorization plan. A reliable, safe and efficient transportation system is critical to the state’s economic health, and the TTF is the fiscal engine that keeps this system moving. However Governor-elect Christie chooses to fund the TTF, it is imperative that a revenue source be dedicated to that purpose, and that the state stop piling up debt to meet its ongoing transportation needs. Finally, our transportation funding must be transparent and accountable to the public, and our transportation policies must complement other important state goals, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting sustainable land use.

Clore Automotive introduces the Christie L1240T, a 40 Amp parallel battery charger for 12 Volt batteries.  This multiple charging system can recharge up to ten batteries (4 amps each) in parallel with easy operation for  battery stock maintenance and overnight battery charging. The L1240T also features a 24-hour timer for safe, convenient extended charging.

To download a PDF of the L1240T press release and a high resolution image, please go to http://www.cloreautomotive.com/site_pr.asp.

As a performer, I am lucky enough to have featured on a number of CD’s by established names throughout my career, and even a couple of CD’s from bands of my own. But the journey I have taken as a songwriter and solo artist is a tougher one. It is very difficult to try and market yourself to record companies as an individual, and as the music business changes with ever more alarming rapidity, I took the decision to release my first all-original solo album via the creative commons route with the web label Jamendo. This means that I can offer it to the general public free of charge, while Jamendo work on my behalf to place my music commercially to the corporate sector (films, videos, shops and restaurants, etc)

The album has its beginnings in 2007, and the bulk of it was written in 2008.  I wanted to ’set it free’ so to speak, so I can move on and continue writing new material. I believe I will only continue to have the energy to create as long as I know it will have a chance to be heard, so it was with this in mind that I decided to give people the opportunity to download this album free of charge. By clicking on the link in the sidebar, you can access the download page for the album, and also view tracklistings and lyrics. It is an eclectic mix of styles, and I make no apology for that. Freeing yourself of traditional music business restraints means finding your creative freedom!

Kev Moore

Album cover artwork by Miki

This is the first in a series of special “Future Facts” New Jersey Future will present through the end of the year on key policy issues facing Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie as he prepares to take office in January.

• The neglect suffered by the State Planning Commission and Office of Smart Growth over the past several years is well-documented: The commission continues to function with half its public and local government seats unfilled, and the office has been left with a skeleton staff. Meanwhile, the required update of the State Development and Redevelopment Plan is five years overdue.
• In the absence of effective state planning, agencies at all levels of government continue to make policy decisions that are conflicting rather than complementary, and development continues to take place in inappropriate locations while it stagnates in areas where it is desirable.
• Governor-elect Christie is on record in support of a strengthened state planning process, pledging to improve interagency coordination, discourage suburban sprawl and provide incentives for redevelopment and urban revitalization.

Christie’s Transition Team Faces Decisions on State Planning Structure, Process

As he builds his cabinet, Governor-elect Christie has an opportunity to follow through on his campaign pledge to strengthen state planning. He can create a cabinet-level seat for State Plan leadership, and appoint commissioners to key agencies who not only understand smart-growth issues, but are also directed to work together to achieve the State Plan vision for strong communities and a healthy environment.

In issues briefs posted on his campaign website, and in response to New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Questionnaire, candidate Christie emphasized the importance of a strengthened state planning process. His platform for “Protecting and Preserving New Jersey’s Environment” includes a plank titled “Revitalizing the State Development and Redevelopment Plan,” which states: “The Christie Administration will drive an improved consistent State Plan that will better coordinate the State’s growth, economic, environmental, energy, housing, and transportation agendas. We will ensure consistency of State regulations and local ordinances. … We need to develop in the right places and just say no in the wrong ones and my Administration will do just that.”

Christie’s response to the Smart Growth Questionnaire amplified this position. “The Office of State Planning needs to be restored to a leadership role so it is able to support the county planning agencies and enhance the efforts of municipal leaders,” he declared. “The cross-acceptance process needs to be restored so that all levels of our government are working together rather than working at odds with each other. The loss of meaningful planning support from the state has resulted in ill-conceived plans at all levels of government. Under my leadership, the Office of State Planning will be an advocate for meaningful planning in all offices across the state.”

Beyond calling for improvement in the state planning process, Christie embraced several of the far-reaching goals of the State Plan itself. Consider the following examples in his responses to the Smart Growth Questionnaire:

• On managing growth statewide: “We have to promote efficient development patterns if we are going to minimize the impact of development in environmentally sensitive areas …”
• On encouraging growth in centers: “It is absolutely critical that we recognize the value of the existing and historic infrastructure that already exists within our urban centers and focus our efforts on restoring these communities.”
• On promoting redevelopment: “As part of my plan to bring back New Jersey’s cities, we will provide incentives for developers to restore existing buildings while at the same time providing immediate incentives for families to move back to our urban centers. We need to focus on improving the existing infrastructure of our cities with the intent of making them an attractive place for people to live.”
• On reining in sprawl and preserving open space: “All of these efforts are possible if we refocus our efforts away from suburban sprawl that continues to erode our open space and farmlands, while costing billions for new roads and transportation systems. We will focus all of the existing incentive programs back to our cities; remove the regulatory constraints that have blocked previous efforts to rebuild while we improve on the old infrastructure and economic base. These efforts will enable us to preserve our rural legacy while restoring our economy and putting our residents back to work.”

Structurally, the state planning process can be updated using existing resources to give the State Planning Commission and the Office of Smart Growth (encouragingly referred to by the governor-elect as the Office of State Planning, its former name) the authority necessary to operate effectively. One approach was outlined at New Jersey Future’s October 16, 2009 symposium on state planning.  Functionally, the State Development and Redevelopment Plan demands more than lip service; commitment to its goals must be backed up by leadership that inspires and expects measurable progress toward their achievement. Governor-elect Christie’s challenge will be to turn his conceptual support for a robust state planning process into a meaningful accomplishment of his administration.

NEXT in our series: Transportation

Washington, D.C. (November 17, 2009) — Republican Jewish Coalition Executive Director Matthew Brooks commented today on a post-election poll done by McLaughlin & Associates in New Jersey on November 3 and 4, 2009:

“Recently released post-election poll results from New Jersey show that Republican Chris Christie won 38% of the Jewish vote this year in his run for governor. We are pleased by Christie’s strong showing in the Jewish community in a very close race. [Click here to download a memo of the poll results.]

“The Jewish community was a key battleground in this election, with both Republicans and the Democrats actively campaigning for Jewish support. In past elections, when a New Jersey gubernatorial race was close, the Jewish community made an important difference. This year, as in 1993 and 1997, it is clear that the strong Jewish turnout for Chris Christie helped put the Republican candidate over the top.

“We believe that the 2009 election in New Jersey was not just a referendum on the job Jon Corzine has done as governor, but also on the larger national question of whether voters approve of the policies of President Obama and the Democratic Congress. There is a definite sense of ‘buyers’ remorse,’ especially among independents, about the higher taxes, higher deficits, and higher spending that Obama and Corzine represent.

“New Jersey is a state in serious economic crisis. Given the choice for four more years of Corzine/Obama policies, a large segment of the Jewish community voted for Republican Chris Christie and real change.”
###

Christmas is over commercialized, but parade still worthwhile
The Santa Clause Parade a Toronto tradition since 1905
By Kris Scheuer

As a kid, I used to go to the Santa Clause parade almost yearly. In the past few years, I always seem to miss it.
The annual parade takes place tomorrow, Nov. 15, starting at 12:30 pm, but many line up an hour early to get a seat or position to be able to see the floats, Santa, clowns and marching bands. It’s run by a non-profit corporation and 1,500 volunteers who participate.
The parade routes starts from Christie and Bloor and travels east to University, south to Dundas, over to Yonge and then down to Front ending at Church and Front.
For a map of the route and other details, click on the parade’s website.

Agatha Christie – Dead Mans Folly (43 MB download)
You’re invited to a Murder Hunt! Join famed detective Hercule Poirot and guests as you discover that this charade could be the perfect disguise for a despicable scheme. Find hidden clues, decode messages, and solve puzzles to unravel a story of deception, secrets and a fatal end. Is this Murder Hunt innocent fun or a Dead Man’s Folly?

I’ve been sick with a head cold which a massive dose of “Emergen-C” has probably prevented from turning worse. To tell the truth, I’m still tired, stressed, and more than a little cranky. I’m also behind the curve in terms of current events commentary, so I’d thought I’d play catch-up by offering my unsolicited opinion on a range of news topics, albeit at a deeply discounted price, given the economy, my general mood, and the fact that the stuff is unsolicited (which makes me just like the other 80 million bloggers across the globe). Anyway:

Army doctor at Fort Hood kills twelve:  The shooter was commissioned, a loner, a psychiatrist (!) and a Muslim, in no particular order — or maybe the order matters. The location was a military base in Texas. The hero  was a local policewoman. So many stories, so much analysis, so few new angles. Once again, mainstream media is obsessing.

Health care legislation may not solve problem of rising costs: I admit that while championing a solution that would provide health care for the uninsured, I foolishly believed Congress and the White House might also be able to craft legislation that addressed the runaway cost of health care. Was I wrong? Tell me I was wrong. Otherwise, what the hell are we doing?

Republican candidates win gubernatorial races in Virginia, New Jersey: First of all, these victories do not represent an indictment of Obama; rather, the Democratic candidates represented an indictment of incompetancy. Second, New Jersey is exceptional; that is, exceptionally corrupt. If the virus is spreading, however, I have to rethink this whole third party thing.

Joe Jackson petitions son Michael’s estate for an allowance:  I have no idea what kind of a fatherJackson was, except probably a typically show-biz type — all swagger and gaga over the cash cow he produced. Still, he’s now eighty and he’s asking for approximately $180,000 a year, which is probably less than some of the Goldman-Sachs bonuses this year. Give it to him.

Andrea Agassi has “written” a book:  This autobiography apparently contains  shocking revelations about drug use (gasp), fake hairpieces (no) his antipathy for his first wife, Brookes Shields (oh dear) and his apparent dislike of tennis (oh please). Mostly, it’s noticeable for pull quotes, serialization potential, and the overtly earthly presence of its “ghost” writer. It’s sure to be a best-seller.

Now hand me the Kleenex and turn off the light on your way out.

Scotland’s hotel sector has checked in a better performance than most of the UK, despite the economic downturn.

According to the latest survey by accountants and business advisers PKF, Scotland had the UK’s highest occupancy levels and rooms revenue outside of London during September. During September, Scottish hotels recorded a 79.8 per cent occupancy rate (down 0.6 from 80.3 in 2008) while rooms yield fell 5.3 to £63.21 from £66.78.

For a full report on the PKF statistics, plus a detailed survey by specialist hotel agents Christie & Co into the Edinburgh hotel sector, see my colleague Jim Dow’s blog at:

jimdow.wordpress.com/

Why District 23 Might Spell Doom for the GOP

Last Tuesday, conservatives across the nation rejoiced as Republicans Bob McDonnell of Virginia and Chris Christie of New Jersey won their respective state’s gubernatorial elections.  Despite these significant victories for the GOP, it was a Democrat Cinderella who captured the media’s attention and dominated the headlines.

In a special election, Bill Owens became the first Democrat elected to New York’s 23^rd congressional district House seat in 140 years.  Owens, a once significant underdog, garnered momentum after the conservative-right opted to back third party candidate Doug Hoffman over the Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava.  Among those who threw their support to Hoffman were Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh–all heavy hitters from the far-right.

What prompted these political heavyweights to pick a dog in this amateur bout?  The congressional election in New York’s 23^rd was a microcosm of a larger war that could, if promulgated across the country, threaten the GOP’s prospects in next year’s mid-term elections.

Toto, I don’t think we’re in Boston anymore

Described as “the insurgent tea party candidate,” by New York Times columnist Frank Rich, Hoffman became the rallying point of despondent conservatives unhappy with the GOP’s recent centrist tone.  This group represents a rapidly growing minority within the Republican Party that intends to bring its agenda back to traditional conservatism.  The rift is growing as this group continues to appeal to more and more conservatives who love their God and hate big government.

Tea Party Demonstrators(AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Conservatives have registered the Tea Party as an official third-party in Florida

Most pundits have argued that the gubernatorial losses spell trouble for the Democrats in the upcoming 2010 elections, suggesting the public now favors conservative candidates.  While it may be true that more people are becoming frustrated within the Democratic ranks, even more are aggravated within the Republican Party.

McDonnell and Christie both won elections in states that voted for Obama in 2008.  While Virginia has a long history of voting against the party in power in the White House, McDonnell and Christie both won because they forsook conservative ideological stances and adopted fiscally conservative platforms.  They knew that conservative social stances against abortion, gay rights, and affirmative action are still largely unpopular with most of the electorate.

Palin, Beck and the other prominent tea partiers don’t seem to understand this concept, and threaten to drive us into a three party system.  This could set up 2010 and 2012 elections that eerily resemble this year’s New York contest.  Republicans may find themselves struggling to choose between the moderate majority or the trendy extremists, splitting the votes and leaving the Democrats with a sizable advantage.

Palin, Romney and Huckabee

Bad news gets worse for the Republicans.  GOP pollster Bill McInturff has identified the three leading candidates for the 2012 presidential race: Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, and Mitt Romney, all of whom have strong conservative social agendas.  The GOP has a great opportunity to take advantage of the economic crisis and advocate for conservative fiscal reforms.  These ideas are popular right now, and the public could well support a conservative economic agenda.  However, this is not the time to preach for social reform as the “tea party” does.

Christian Science monitor breaks down every U.S county into one of 12 distinctions.  Needless to say, it’s tough to key in on any specific group

Drinking and politics: Enjoy both in moderation

Conservatives need to realize that their social reform agenda is outdated and unpopular.  McDonnell and Christie understood this concept, and as a result, won the governorships of their states.  The Republican Party was most powerful when it unified in its fight against the Democrats (as I indicated in my first blog post), endorsing a unified message.  This is consistent with one of public relations most fundamental rules: always have a consistent message. Infighting threatens to tear the GOP apart, and as long as the Democrats can figure out a way to band together, they could be sitting pretty in 2010.

Well, it all ended last Tuesday night for New Jersey’s Governor John Corzine.  In spite of heavily relying on the same old districts to vote in his favor, the bulk of the New Jersey electorate voted for Christopher Christie, former U.S. Attorney appointed by George Bush, one of several who wasn’t fired in the U.S. Attorney scandal. You know, where allegedly Bush et. al politicized the posting by asking U.S. Attorneys to target Democrats in their state for mass criminal charges.

Unfortunately for the corrupt in New Jersey, the charges were easy to prove. And so by the time Mr. Christie left the office to Acting U.S. Attorney Ralph Marra, his number 2 guy, the cake was just about ready to come out of the oven. Hence, some 44 people, mostly Democratic politicians, were arrested this past July.

Now.. the mood at my employer on Wednesday after the election. Let’s recap. Over a year ago I and another person discovered that “new work” we were assigned was actually a second job that could have gone to an unemployed taxpayer. But instead was being mandated as our job in addition to the job we were performing. The contract to provide said work specifically indicated my job was forbidden from giving it to anyone who was performing my current job.

What followed was a year of harassment and “SHUT THE H*** UP” treatment. But we did hear from others, namely, in attempts to threaten and silence us. Of course, after every attempt we documented the conversations or actions via fax or email. Mama didn’t raise a fool, after all.

By the way, I can’t confirm it yet, but a little birdie told me that the Union President who screamed at us “I’ll never help you! Don’t call me for anything!” last year when we asked for help is being moved to another position here in New Jersey, right in our job. People are saying he’s been offered the title of Personnel Director as our current one is retiring.

That’s right. The dude who refused to help us with Personnel fraud for over a year may be rewarded by being promoted to “Personnel Director”. Coincidence? Maybe.  *insert eye roll*

Please understand that the Union which was supposed to represent me actually hired a major law firm to fight my right to simply have a grievance processed. And put in writing that they were depending upon a supposedly neutral government agency to prove why they didn’t have to support people who were simply “the loudest.”

Because, you know, all black women are loud and unruly and dramatic and such. I’m not saying it’s racist.

Yeah, I am.  I’m a poised professional with a graduate degree who has maintained dignity and calm in the midst of being screamed at, largely by men in this process. So…  what’s the “Loud” thing about? Perhaps I should start posting their letters one by one so we can determine the loud and dramatic parties in this matter.

So.. back to my office. The mood was one of TERROR on Wednesday.  I think I actually saw tears. And then it hits me, all of the stealing, the double-dealing, they kept at it right up until the election. How could they be so confident about it? 

Did their actions depend on the man they thought would be the Governor? I’m just saying. Because the day after Christie won, every supervisor in my job was called into a closed-door meeting with the Big Bosses which took up most of the morning.  People who were abusive towards me with confidence slunk away in corners as I walked through the work areas, putting heads down, straining their necks so no eye contact was made.

I don’t know what Mr. Christie is going to be about in the long run. I have no desire to be anyone’s poster child, but I do want what’s best for my family and what’s right for taxpayers. So when I see people I know were abusive almost at the verge of tears on the day after an election, I put my faith in God that there’s another wave of change coming through New Jersey. I pray it’s positive. And I hope to be surfing towards justice upon it. If Mr. Christie is about what he says he stands for, then stopping the abuse of people who tell the truth should be tantamount to his Administration. We shouldn’t be living in terror of our own honesty.

We shall see…..

Governor-elect Chris Christie gives a thumbs up sign as he sits with Lt. governor elect Kim Guadagno at the Robert Treat Academy charter school Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, in Newark, N.J., the day after he won over incumbent Jon S. Corzine. Christie said with the visit to the highly successful school, he wanted to highlight his plans to improve education. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Anthony M. Quattrone

L’analisi del risultato complessivo del turno elettorale americano del 3 novembre 2009 permette alcune riflessioni sulla natura della democrazia americana, e le possibili traiettorie che si stanno delineando rispetto alla competizione del mid-term che si svolgerà fra un anno.  Dai risultati si evince che la democrazia americana è particolarmente vibrante, non legata a preconcetti ideologici, e fortemente concentrata sull’operato dei candidati in carica, specialmente nel caso delle elezioni locali.

La democrazia americana è vibrante perchè, a solo un anno dalla travolgente vittoria democratica per la presidenza, gli elettori non hanno esitato a mandare a casa chi ha dimostrato di non essere all’altezza del compito affidato, e di premiare chi lo è, specialmente nelle elezioni locali.

Nel New Jersey, la sconfitta del governatore in carica, il democratico John Corzine, da parte del candidato repubblicano, l’ex procuratore Chris Christie, è particolarmente indicativa perchè il presidente Barack Obama era sceso in campo appoggiando, senza alcun’esitazione, il compagno di partito, visitando il New Jersey per tre volte durante la campagna elettorale.  Christie ha battuto Corzine, un ex banchiere della Goldman Sachs, per 51 a 41 percento, con il 6 che è andato ad un candidato indipendente.  Corzine, che ha speso due volte quanto Christie per finanziare la campagna elettorale, contava anche sulla popolarità di Obama nel New Jersey, per sconfiggere l’avversario.  La popolarità del presidente, che nel New Jersey continua ad essere forte, non è stata sufficiente per superare l’impopolarità di Corzine.

In Virginia, dove lo scorso anno Obama è stato il primo candidato presidenziale democratico a vincere le elezioni dal 1964, la vittoria repubblicana è stata schiacciante. L’ex ministro della giustizia della Virginia, Robert F. McDonnell, ha avuto una maggioranza del 59 contro il 41 percento del democratico Creigh Deeds, un attempato senatore dello stato.  McDonnell andrà a rimpiazzare il democratico Timothy Kaine, che fu eletto governatore della Virginia nel 2005, e che oggi copre l’incarico di presidente del partito di Obama.

Secondo il commentatore politico della Cnn, Mark Preston, il voto nei due stati non è necessariamente un referendum sull’operato del presidente Obama, perché gli exit poll rilevano che per il 56 percento degli elettori in Virginia, e il 60 percento di quelli nel New Jersey “il presidente Obama non era un fattore nella scelta del voto”.  Secondo Preston, Obama continua ad ottenere un gradimento abbastanza alto in entrambi gli stati, con il 48 percento in Virginia, ed il 57 nel New Jersey.

I repubblicani sono riusciti a difendersi bene nella competizione per la carica di sindaco di New York, dove il miliardario Michael R. Bloomberg sarà per la terza volta il primo cittadino della Grande Mela.  Bloomberg, considerato un indipendente moderato di centro destra, ha speso circa 90 milioni di dollari dei suoi fondi personali, circa14 volte in più del suo avversario, William C. Thompson, Jr., ma ha vinto le elezioni ottenendo solo il 51 percento contro il 46 per il democratico.  Lo staff di Bloomberg si aspettava una vittoria più netta, con i sondaggi che riflettevano un vantaggio di circa 18 punti percentuali.  Bloomberg, riconosciuto da molti newyorchesi per la sua intelligenza e competenza, è stato forse tradito dall’insistenza con cui si è battuto per rimuovere il limite di due consecutivi mandati per la carica di sindaco, e, pertanto, non ha ottenuto il plebiscito sperato e previsto.

Se i repubblicani possono gioire per le vittorie per le cariche di governatore in Virginia e nel New Jersey, oltre alla riconferma di Bloomberg come sindaco di New York, devono riflettere sulla sconfitta subita nel 23esimo distretto congressuale nello stato di New York.  In questo distretto, lungo il confine canadese, che ha sempre votato per i candidati repubblicani, il democratico Bill Owens ha vinto con il 49 percento contro il 45 di Douglas Hoffman, che correva per il partito conservatore.  Una guerra interna allo schieramento di centro destra ha obbligato il candidato ufficiale dei repubblicani, Dede Scozzafava, a ritirarsi sabato scorso, dopo aver subito attacchi costanti da parte di esponenti nazionali del partito repubblicano, come l’ex candidata alla vice presidenza Sarah Palin, il governatore del Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty, i commentatori politici di destra come Rush Limbaugh e Glenn Beck, i quali invitavano l’elettorato repubblicano ad appoggiare il candidato del partito conservatore.  Alla fine, quando Scozzafava si è ritirata dalla corsa, ha invitato i suoi elettori a votare per il candidato democratico, piuttosto che per il conservatore, asserendo che quest’ultimo non conosceva per nulla i problemi del distretto.  La frattura fra moderati e conservatori nel partito repubblicano ha sicuramente avvantaggiato il candidato democratico in un distretto che da sempre vota a destra.

Sono tre le traiettorie che emergono dalle elezioni del 3 novembre 2009.  La prima traiettoria indica che i democratici non riescono ad attivare la forza del movimento popolare che ha sostenuto l’elezione di Barack Obama, quando nelle elezioni locali devono sostenere candidati impopolari come il governatore del New Jersey, Corzine, o controbattere candidati repubblicani in carica che hanno dimostrato competenza, come il sindaco di New York, Bloomberg.

La seconda traiettoria indica che quando i repubblicani sono intenti a fare una guerra fratricida fra moderati e conservatori, non riescono a vincere nemmeno in una roccaforte repubblicana, come nel caso del 23esimo distretto congressuale nello stato di New York.

La terza traiettoria indica che, ancora una volta, il voto degli indipendenti, cioè di coloro che non si identificano nei due maggiori partiti americani, è determinante per la scelta di chi deve guidare il Paese, lo stato, o la città.  Gli indipendenti non sono mossi dalla tradizione o dall’attaccamento ideologico, ma valutano i candidati in base alla competenza e ai programmi proposti.  Nei prossimi dodici mesi, quando democratici e repubblicani cercheranno di attivare la base dei rispettivi partiti, dovranno anche corteggiare il voto degli indipendenti.  Senza il voto degli indipendenti, le elezioni negli Usa non si possono vincere.

pubblicato sull’Avanti! del 6 novembre 2009

This stunningly beautiful machine had made the journey down the coast from Malaga for the gig.

As a professional musician, lucky enough to be able to perform at large venues with the likes of BC Sweet and Christie,  I’m always aware of a natural downside, and that is the infrequency of these large shows. While it gives me a great quality of life, allowing me to spend nearly all of my time with Miki, instead of leaving her a “road widow”, the musician within me yearns for the stage on occasion. So when Mario, a friend who runs a great local band called Los Mezcaleros asked if I wanted to play at the motorbike-crazy Harley D’s bar just down the coast last Sunday, I was happy to oblige.

I offered up three songs I wanted to do with them, “Fire down Below” a Bob Seger song covered by one of my favourite vocalists, Jess Roden, and 2 songs from Graham Oliver of Saxon, whom I toured with a few years back – “Strong Arm of the Law” and “Wheels of Steel” -both biker favourites!

Nothing beats an outdoor gig on a nice sunny Spanish afternoon....

We had a large contingent of Harley riders from Germany in attendance, who’d made the trek to Spain. In addition to running the three songs mentioned above, it was great to play ‘on the edge’ – jamming a whole load of songs I barely knew, but liked, in front of an appreciative audience.

Kev Moore

Italia
Pinocchio di Carlo Collodi (1881)
Piccolo mondo antico di Antonio Fogazzaro (1896)

Inghilterra
Ragione e sentimento di Jane Austen (1811)
Da leggersi all’imbrunire di Charles Dickens (antologia di racconti scritti tra il 1836 e il 1866)
Jane Eyre di Charlotte Bronte (1847)

Francia
Il visconte di Bragelonne di Alexandre Dumas padre (1850)
La Sanfelice di Alexandre Dumas padre (1864-1865)

Russia
Le notti bianche di Fedor Dostoevskij (1848)
Resurrezione di Lev Tolstoj (1889-1899)

Stati Uniti
Il giro di vite di Henry James (1898)

Well, the 2009 election is over.  Many in the national media are proclaiming this a great day for Conservatism.  The logic seems to be that Republicans winning gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey somehow represents a national swing back to the right.  The country may indeed be trending back towards conservative ideals.  As a member of the Conservative Party in New York State I certainly hope so.  But I am not so quick to jump onto the “Take that Obama, the Conservatives have spoken” train that is steaming across much of the airwaves.  I think that there other factors in play that can easily explain what we witnessed.  Let me explain.

The Republican Chris Christie won the race for Governor in New Jersey.  The fact that a Republican won in New Jersey is newsworthy.  But it has happened before and it will happen again.  And I hesitate to call Christie a Conservative.  In fact, I can’t.   This is also not surprising.  The only Republicans in recent memory to win office in this part of the country were moderate or even left leaning.  Cuomo, Pataki, Bloomberg, Guliani, and Whitman are all examples of this type of political animal.  There actually was a Conservative in the New Jersey Governor’s race.  His name is Steve Lonagan.  Unfortunately he lost the Republican primary to Christie.  So while I am happy that the New Jersey governor-elect has an R after his name, it doesn’t change the fact that Christie is a moderate to liberal Republican.  Even if the residents of New Jersey can handle having a Republican in the mansion, an actual Conservative was farther than they were willing to go.

Next let us take a look at the now infamous NY 23rd race.  Up until about 2 weeks ago I had no idea where in the Empire State the 23rd was, and I’ve lived here for 20 years.  In this case the conservative party candidate LOST the race.  His showing was indeed impressive.  A virtual unknown gets into a race very late against a hand picked Republican candidate and a Democrat with the full backing of both the Governor’s office and Vice-President of the United States.  He then gets somewhere between 42% and 46% of the vote, depending on your source.  Even when you take into account the literal tons of maney that flowed into Hoffman’s account in the closing days, these are very encouraging signs.  At the end of the day though, the voters in a traditionally conservative part of the state chose the Democrat.  Why?  I don’t know.  Maybe because most voters are instinctively wary of voting for any 3rd party candidate.  Perhaps they feel that they are throwing their vote away because their candidate can’t win.  I’ll save the philosophy of 3rd parties for another day.  For now, we’ll just put it in the loss column.

But what about Virginia, you ask?  Surely this must be good, right?  I don’t know the candidates or much about the Virginia race.  Suffice to say that with such a large margin of victory I think the proverbial “ham sandwich” could have won against   Creigh Deeds.  When this is combined with the long standing trend for Virginia to buck the White House with its Governor’s race then this Republican win doesn’t seem like such a big deal.

The Democrats are always very quick to use any victory, real or perceived, to claim that the people have spoken and that they now have a mandate to follow a progressive legislative path.  Those of us on the right correctly decry these obvious attempts to give the country a false perception that happens to support their ideals.  Now we seem poised to do the same thing.  Let us follow our own counsel and display restraint.  The majority of the people in this country poll as center-right when asked.  This means that time and our American ideals are on our side.  but if we push too hard, or scream too loudly, the voters’ instinctive reaction will be to swing back the other way.  The American voter likes the middle of the road.  Over time s/he can be pushed pretty far but the return swing can be vicious.  Now is not the time to be giving the pendulum a giant shove.

I’ve been in the same room with Governor Corzine twice in the past year, both times at an Autism New Jersey event.  Most recently, at the annual conference in Atlantic City, Corzine announced the creation of a state-wide office of service to adults with autism.  (See video here.)

The executive director and staff of Autism New Jersey have done  great job cultivating a relationship with Corzine as well as many key state legislators.   Their focus on issues affecting adults with autism including housing, employment and services is very well placed. 

Chris Christie now comes to office with the support of “vaccine choice” advocates and made a campaign promise as recently as a couple of weeks ago to support their agenda.  I don’t how actively Governor-elect Christie will work with autism advocacy groups.  I don’t know who, specifically, will get the most face-time to discuss our concerns.  A shift in focus would be most unwelcome.

La resaca de las primeras elecciones post-efecto Obama ya han pasado y podemos comenzar a realizar un primer análisis.

Lo que es evidente es que, tan solo un año después de la locura mundial de Obama, muchos de estos votantes que rindieron su voto incondicionalmente al Presidente, le han dado la espalda, votando al partido Republicano y expulsando del gobierno a los gobernadores Demócratas de los estados de Virginia y Nueva Jersey.

Primera observación: Ambos estados los ganó Obama con facilidad hace 12 meses, y ahora han sucumbido a los Republicanos. Estamos hablando de estados que son key players dentro del panorama federal americano.

Virginia es el estado lindante con Washington DC, y es donde muchos de los políticos de Capitol Hill residen. Su cercanía a la capital de EE.UU. le hace ser un estado que está constantemente en el epicentro de la política nacional.  El candidato Republicano Bob McDonnell se proclamó vencedor en las urnas frente al Demócrata Deeds, con una diferencia del 18% de los votos.  McDonnell 59% frente a Deeds con el 41%.  Estos resultados son abismales.

Ver resultados detallados:

http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/Election_Information/Election_Results/2009/November_General_Election.html

Por otro lado tenemos el estado de Nueva Jersey.  Nueva Jersey es considerado uno de los estados económicamente potentes, tanto por su cercanía geográfica con la ciudad de Nueva York y Manhattan, como por que tiene como sede muchas de las Fortune 500 corporaciones norteamericanas.

El gobernador John Corzine (D) (ex-CEO de Goldman Sachs) se ha dejado más de $25 millones de su propio bolsillo en su campaña. Y está claro, el dinero puede comprar mucho, pero en este país hace falta algo más que ser rico para ser reelegido.  El Republicano Chris Christie le ha ganado, y ha teñido el color de Nueva Jersey de rojo.   Los resultados lo dicen todo: Chris Christie: 49%. John Corzine: 45%.

Ver resultados detallados: http://elections.nj.com/dynamic/files/elections/2009/by_state/NJ_Governor_1103.html?SITE=NJNEWELN&SECTION=POLITICS

Segunda observación: lo que se ha producido es un clarísimo cambio de tendencia.  Las tendencias, y sobre todo, los cambios de tendencia, son indicadores muy importantes dentro de la política.  A veces los resultados importan menos y los que somos analistas miramos más hacia el futuro, y las tendencias suelen medir futuras pautas de comportamiento.

Tercera observación: En estas elecciones, el votante leal Demócrata ha votado al candidato  Demócrata.  Por otro lado, el votante leal Republicano ha votado al candidato Republicano.  La clave, y donde se ha producido el cambio ha sido con los votantes independientes.  David Gergen, un prestigioso analista político de la CNN, lo explicó muy bien en una entrevista anoche. Hace 12 meses el voto independiente se lo llevó Obama. La campaña de Obama conectó con los “drivers” de estos votantes.  Ahora bien,  ha pasado un año y no han visto materializarse ninguno de los cambios que Obama defendía durante su campaña. Estos “drivers” ya no estaban en los candidatos Demócratas en estas elecciones.  La decepción, ligada con el incumplimiento de objetivos y promesas, hacen que este perfil de votante independiente cambie su voto sin ningún tipo de remordimiento.

Cuarta observación: Aunque la Casa Blanca no le de mucha importancia a estas dos derrotas, en el fondo, si que lanzan un claro mensaje a la administración Obama.  Obama necesita empezar a materializar resultados. Dentro de 1 año hay elecciones para 18 asientos en el Senado y los Republicanos gozan ahora de cierto momentum y sobre todo, una pequeña tendencia alcista. 

Estos resultados personalmente me gustan, ya que harán sacar las garras a Obama y ver si durante su segundo año de mandato puede empezar a ver la luz alguna de sus reformas. Ahora le toca pasar de la retórica y las palabras bonitas a la acción. Y lleva ya 12 meses de retraso.