BUYING A GOOD USED PLATFORM

A PLATFORM is something a candidate stands for and the voters fall for.

Too many candidates neglect their platforms, and what happens? Why, just about the time Kate Smith stands up to sing, the whole thing collapses.

But on the other hand, you don’t want to spend too much time on it. I’m having my platform run up by a movie set designer, so it will be very impressive from the front, but not too premanent. After all, there’s no sense putting a lot of time and thought into something you’ll have no use for after you’re elected.

And now without further ado I will give you a confidential peek at the Surprise Party platform, a document fo such insignificance that furture historians may well call it the Magna Carta of the Misdeal. The ideas came to me in a dream.

BE IT DISSOLVED:

That we, the undersigned, being duly registered members of the Surprise Party and relatives of Gracie Allen, do hereby, hereunto and here and there being of sound mind, severally and collectively swear to serve our country on the best terms possible, and solemnly subscribe to the following principles, to wit:

CONGRESS MUST GO:

The Senate is the only show in the world where the cash customers have to sit in the balcony. This is entrenched privilege, but if it can’t be changed, let’s at least have a better floor show and get a few more Senators who looke like Jimmy Stewart.

Congressmen are well paid. Why should they be allowed to make those playing cards on the side? We favor putting Congress on a commission basis. Pay them for results. If they do a good job and the country prospers, they get 10% of the extra take.

END SECRECY IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS,

DEMANDS GRACIE:

If Charles Boyer is going around with Greta Garbo, the people are entitled to know about it. But I’m not really worried about this. Our Foreign Relations will be all right so long as they bring their own bedding and don’t stay too long.

This country needs room to grow and expand. In all my own newspapers I read frightful tales of the shameful atrocities being perpetrated on our Democratic minorities in Maine and Vermont. My patience is almost at an end, and if provoked much further I will place both countries under American protection, even if I have to send in my tourists to start trouble so I’ll have to send in a force to restore order.

THINK UP THINGS TO REORGANIZE:

I propose to extend the Civil Service to all branches of the government, because I think a little politeness goes a long ways, don’t you? For instance, Army officers will have to leave off those medals at dances. Hundreds of women now can’t wear their new formals without getting “For Valor” printed all over their collarbones.

The G-Men will be given useful work. The kidnapers are perfectly well able to take care of themselves, and we women want to know where our husbands go after the poolrooms are closed. And I’ll also see that the G-Men get an extra supply of policemen’s hats for lost children to be photographed in.

I furthermore demand free calendars for Cabinet Members. They have as much right as anybody else to know what day it is. About the WPA, SERA, CIO, AFL and SEC–I’m going to change all those letters to numbers, so we can play Bingo and the taxpayers can have more fun. And to set a better example to our youth, I will hereafter have it spelled Boulder D–m.

TAKE THE FIZZ OUR OF FISCAL:

The Federal Reserve System is all right as far as it goes, but personally I like Culbertson. And Free Silver to go with the Free China, Mr. Zanuck, or I’ll think up something that will make the Neely bill look like a Valentine!

My opponents worry about the national debt being almost up to $45,000,000,000. (This morning’s paper.) What’s the matter with that? We should be proud of it; after all, it’s the biggest in the world! But that’s a lot of money, so my plan is to put it in a safe bank. Even at 2% it’s a good investment, and putting it in three banks would make 6%. But learning to balance the budget would be a waste of time, on account of where would a juggling act get booking today, after what George Burns did to vaudeville?

For that matter, I think people are making altogether too much fuss about money and the budget. Why don’t we just buy what we need on the installment plan? A few dollars down, a few dollars a month, and before you know it the battleship is ours. And anyway, I’ll save a lot of money just by tightening up on government lending restrictions–I’m going to insist that all borrowers under five years of age be accompanied by parents.

UNEMPLOYMENT FOR EVERYBODY:

To take care of Emergency Relief, I plan to build thousands of new gas stations. But that’s a temporary expedient. What this country need is a permanent program, one that doesn’t yank a good picture in the middle of the week. The Wagner Act is all right as far as it goes, but it will never replace Olsen and Johnson.

My administration will nationalize the Gracie Allen Self-Delusion Institute, and give free correspondence courses. This will open up hundreds of new fields of endeavor, so that people who can’t find jobs in their own line will soon be without jobs in three or four different kinds of work. One of my first official acts will be to change the present 8-hour day and 5-day week to a 5-hour day and an 8-day week. This is supplemented by my “Incomes for Idleness” plan, which will soon be on sale at all toilet goods counters.

But Social Progress, no. Social Progress is not one of my goals. This country is not a social climber, and besides, the Treasury knows too many people already, if you know what I mean.

So vote early and often. Don’t wait until Election Day. I may have found other work by then. Do it now! Pop out of bed. Mom out of bed, too! Everybody up–and call me when breakfast is ready.

BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS

So I’ve been earnestly struggling with this question and I’d appreciate any feedback.

In politics, particularly conservative politics there is a large gap between what the older generation and the younger one. A number of older politicians, on both sides, often carry a certain disdain for voters in their twenties. Their reasoning is, we (Gen Y) don’t vote, don’t give money and therefore don’t deserve their attention.

I won’t go into how I think this attitude only makes the problem worse, that’s a talk for another day. The point is, this view does have some relevance. On the whole, younger people vote less. Not just Republican youth, Democrats as well. But even with the bump in numbers for the 2008 election, the under thirty crowd consistently claims the lowest turn-out rate.

So I’ve started asking my friends from across the political spectrum why they vote (or not). For those who do not vote, the answer is almost unanimously, “My vote doesn’t count.” The words change,

“I’m just one person.”

“Texas is already Republican.”

“It doesn’t matter that much in the long run.”

But a massive group of voters don’t exercise their right simply because they see no purpose in doing so.

I’m actually stumped on how to counter this argument. I’ve tried: But it does! And that doesn’t seem to cover it. I’ve encouraged them with talks about American rights and civic duty, but that doesn’t actually make their vote matter any more or less. I’ve talked about how if all the people in the world who don’t vote came out on election day it could change everything! Which is invariably followed by, “Probably. If that ever happened.”

I thought about why I vote: sense of duty, faith in my county, realizing that it is possible my vote could be a turning point in a election… But its next to impossible to instill this mindset into someone else. I know, I’ve been trying.

So my question to you is why does one vote count? Can we help a whole generation realize the importance of voting? How? And in the end, does it actually matter, or do they have a point?

In a campaign e-mail sent to supporters on November 7, 2009, famously known as “The Cuccinelli Compass” to all those who have been following it throughout the course of this campaign, four days after his landslide victory over Steve Shannon, our winner Ken is taking the time to thank you and me.

As Ken quotes, “Daniel Webster once said, “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.”

Ken says that we all belong in this category. “Your dedication was inspiring. Your support of our cause was humbling. The momentum you created was overwhelming.”

We helped deliver a victory that was truly incredible. The statewide ticket of Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli was victorious.

My favorite note in this e-mail is a look back at what went right in this campaign. For starters, Ken’s victory was achieved without giving an inch on our conservative principles. Don’t you wish more leaders could say this? This victory proves that you don’t have to sacrifice core principles to win; you must only be able to articulate how those core principles apply to governance in the real world.

On behalf of the bloggers at Don’t Tread on VA, we would like to wish a well deserved congratulation to Attorney General-Elect Ken Cuccinelli of Virginia!

Sorry for the delay, but we’ve now had a week to look back and consider the 2009 elections that took Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling and Ken Cuccinelli to Richmond to change it for the better. I have included the Washington Post’s County by County election map, which shows how large the election was for the GOP this year.

Washington Post Election Map

Ken Cuccinelli was able to get 1,123,859 votes to Steve Shannon’s 828,237. Cuccinelli’s 16 point victory was considered a large surprise on election day, as the Attorney General race was considered to be the most vulnerable, by both Republican and Democratic strategists. Being a staunch conservative, many thought that Cuccinelli might isolate some voters, who tend to be wary of extreme viewpoints of both sides. However, Ken ran a campaign that outlined a new vision for the office of Attorney General, one that will benefit the people of Virginia. And the people of Virginia agreed with this plan, as Cuccinelli’s 16 point victory was only beaten by Bob McDonnell’s 18 point victory over Creigh Deeds. For a great breakdown of those results, check out Mike Stubel’s post at Painting Richmond Red.

While the GOP sweep in Virginia and the Governor pickup in New Jersey were expected to slow down Democrats plans for Health Care, they have not, with the House passing Pelosi’s plan 220-215. It will be interesting to see how it fares in the Senate, but also how the 220 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill fare in the 2010 midterm elections. With less than a year to go, only time will tell.

The Election Day episode of Gossip Girl had all the makings of classic American political tale…scandal…old money…family betrayal…and prostitutes.

Before I get things started, why does Chuck look SO GOOD this season?  I think the only physical change is the hairstyle, but monogamy seems to have worked its wonders on Mister Chuck.  He is not only the most attractive thing on the menu (proving the theory that one is more attractive to others when already involved with someone else), but the real “moral compass” of Gossip Girl this season.  Although it can be weird at times and so un-Chuck Bass like, he has frequently reminded his cohorts just how childish their repeated throw downs and backstabbing are.  Also, since he’s not in school, he seems to have aged ten plus years or so (not physically of course), but again, it’s working for him so no complaints here!

“It’s certainly a step up from the Columbia dorms” – Nate.   Oh wait? You live there? Since when, because WE NEVER SEE YOU ON CAMPUS OR DOING ANYTHING REMOTELY EDUCATIONAL!

Does anyone think it’s kind of creepy how Van der bilt (who knew it was spelled this way?) grand kids call the patriarch of the family “grandfather” and only “grandfather”?  Not “poppy” or even “grandpa”?  It’s so formal, so fake, so cold…  … it’s as if they were raised to know he has no soul.

Seeing Blair finally act like a regular human being was refreshing, and this side of her is very endearing.  Finally we see her vulnerability, like a real confused, emotional, insecure college freshman.  Lines like  “I need a friend. STAT.” allow her to mock her own social outcast status with charm, followed by “Please, I’m not friends with staff” which reminds us that this is Blair Waldorf we’re dealing with.

Just when I think that Nate is nothing but a pretty face with a pretty weak delivery of non-convincing lines, he impresses me! I was genuinely surprised by the poker game photo swap, yes it was dirty, but points should be awarded to Nate for how he quickly followed suit in his family’s political ways.  Nate was also surprisingly perceptive during Vanessa’s speech about wanting to get the truth out there (I guess he has probably heard her self-righteous rants more than a few times).

Vanessa is just as much of an opportunist as the rest of them.  Yes V you’re doing the “right” thing by coming forward with the truth, but don’t for one minute let us think that you’re not also a little bit enticed by the idea of being credited with uncovering said truth, especially if that means flashing your name on-screen for all of the five boroughs to see.  We saw your face light up at the sound of “NY 1” (and we know you totally wouldn’t have sold your friends out for PIX News at 10).

But Blair is right S, you need to forget about trying to take your friend down over petty tension that has and will always be there, do your job.  If you’re going to make a big stink about not being ready for college, but feel you’re ready for a high profile PR job, DO IT even if it means running after a wasted idiot.

Chuck is the one with the moral compass!!!  And oh Blair, he loves her so!  He doesn’t even have to be speaking to her to show it, “you should be careful because one day you’re going to be telling people about Blair Waldorf, the girl who used to be your best friend.”

Dan and Olivia’s storyline was a tad dull.  What she told on Jimmy Fallon wasn’t that embarrassing, and didn’t really seem like that big of a deal.  I guess we should strap in for some good ole Serena VDW home wrecking in the next few episodes…at least that’s what her night-cap with Tripp seemed to insinuate.  She’s back to her old ways. Again.

The Texas Progressive Alliance hopes everyone had a happy Election Day last week, and is already looking forward to the next one. Here are this week’s highlights.

TXsharon continues to report from a backyard in the Barnett Shale. Despite all the local and national press on drilling related toxins, carcinogens and neurotoxins in our air, Aruba Petroleum Refuses a Simple Step to Improve Barnett Shale Air and thereby recklessly and willfully endangers public health and safety. Read it on Bluedaze: DRILLING REFORM FOR TEXAS.

refinish69 announces his endorsement for the Democratic nominee for Texas governor at Doing My Part For The Left. The progressive choice has to be Hank Gilbert with his policy issues and especially his strong stance on GLBT issues. Hank Gilbert for Texas Governor was the only choice refinish69 could make.

Justin at Asian American Action Fund Blog has a thorough take on the results of election day in Houston.

The Texas Cloverleaf provides an election night roundup of some of DFW’s races you never heard of, and some national ones you have.

If you dislike Rep. Dennis Kucinich as much as Mayor McSleaze, there’s probably something right with you.

quizas of South Texas Chisme notes that Galveston medical facilities are among those not notifying about rules for the poor, while CouldBeTrue notes South Texas Democrats join Republicans in shafting poor women. Shame on them.

BossKitty at TruthHugger Let me ‘dis’ the local Austin TV news media who gets around to breaking the Health Care Reform Bill news TWO and a half hours later. Hooray for the House Austin just lives in a bubble.

Over at BlueBloggin, nytexan takes a long look at another disgusting practice of our medical insurance industry. We Have One Twisted Health System, Living Organ Donors Beware. The organ donor’s family is never charged for donating. The family is charged for the cost of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. Surprise for organ donors: unexpected medical bills. Austin man who gave kidney to co-worker is one of many who have faced health complications, billing problems.

Bay Area Houston says Hispanics, the largest voting block in Texas, are not voting.

WhosPlayin learned of an illegal meeting of Lewisville ISD trustees this past Thursday and Friday, and has video of trustees mentioning this blogger when discussing whether to implement video recording of trustee meetings.

Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at an interesting story about Judge Sharon Keller of Court of Criminal Appeals that was eclipsed by the tragedy at Fort Hood.

Off the Kuff has six questions for the runoffs in Houston.

Harris County Clerk Beverly Kaufman toes the ethical line with her active promotion of an assistant for her job, and the local media thinks that’s just fine. Get the details in PDiddie’s Brains and Eggs.

At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw has news for Cornyn and Sessions about the Republican Resurgence. As she notes:

I wouldn’t gloat too much, boys. Your job in Washington just got a lot harder. Meanwhile, back here at home, in case you boys forgot that Houston is the largest city in Texas, three progressive Democrats and one Republican ran for mayor. The Republican dude and the old white guy with boatloads of bucks lost. The run-off race is between a gay woman and an African American male.

See the rest here: I have news for John Cornyn and Pete Sessions

WCNews at Eye On Williamson reports on the local toll authority’s latest shenanigans, CTRMA to jack up tolls on 183-A, add automatic annual increases.

Neil at Texas Liberal bought Thanksgiving cards drawn by a young person with cancer who is being treated at Houston’s M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The design Neil bought is both bleak and hopeful.

I had an interesting discussion with one of my housemates today regarding appropriate property maintenance in the fall. Both of us are from the Northeast: me from the Mid-Atlantic region and the housemate in question from the New England territories. Therefore, both of us have basically the same reference points for most seasonal shifts. Summer becomes ungodly and the days are occassionally broken up by a late day fantastical thunderstorm. Winter is best experienced while drinking instant hot chocolate and staring out at the aftermath of a blizzard. Spring is a necessary transitional season between winter and summer: generally soggy and the only reason people care about it at all is that they are conditioned to like the thought of germanation and new growth (although it would be logical rather that this happens throughout the late fall and winter and only in spring does one see the final stage of such processes… lies taught to you in elementary school… lies).  Which brings me to autumn.

The season of Columbus Day, Halloween, Election Day, and Thanksgiving. The season in which pumpkins, turkeys, apples and assorted cider-based potent potables are consumed (most ridiculous Jeopardy category ever). The season in which students go back to school, tire of school, and cut school altogether. And the season when the natural world decides to take a psychedelic trip. Greenery is replaced by an explosion of oranges, reds, yellows, and browns. And while in mid-October, this is a breathtaking panoramic sight, in mid-Novemeber it becomes thr source of back-breaking labor, and a contast cycle of it at that.

Here was the discussion: should we pay the sub-par gardener that we did not hire and have no say in terminating his employment (hooray not reading rental agreements before signing them… fml) to do the fall cleanup, or should we simply rake ourselves. My position: I don’t rake. I don’t care who does it, but I will not be doing it. This does not (only) emerge from a sense of entitlement. Rather, it springs from the fact that I work for a living so to afford certain luxuries. Owning overpriced remastered Criterion Collection DVDs is one of them. Not having to buy non-gym clothes at Target is another one. And not having to deal with my own lawncare is certainly another one after that. So I am more than willing to pay someone (trained professional or otherwise) to rake, mow, seed, reseed, and whatever else is required for making sure that the life cycle of the lawn and plantlife that surrounds it continues to thrive. My housemate/s has/have different thoughts on the matter.

Their shared position is to declare shenanigans on the arrangement and decide to rake the lawn themselves. Fine. Have fun. Go to. I’m not going to stop them. Why? Because I don’t care. My only position is (to repeat): I don’t rake. But I don’t particularly care who does. As long as I can arrive at the house and not feel that I’m Colin Farrell stomping through the New World in search of whatever, I’m happy.

So the agreement with the landlord was as follows: we (understood as some occupant of the house that is not me) would rake and clear brush in a George W. Bush-esque manner, and the gardener would come to mow when called upon and needed. A simple plan. A fair plan. And yet there is one small conditional that needs to happen for this plan to be enacted: someone has to actually rake the damn leaves! It’s not enough to declare that you refuse to pay someone. That’s fine. But then you best be out there with your ergonomically correct lawn care implement heaving and hoing and getting that ish done. What is completel unacceptable is to simly come up with a series of excuses for why you have not raked yet in an effort to get out raking at all.

Unacceptable excuses:

1) It’s too cold (It’s Novemeber. And…?)

2) More leaves will fall tomorrow. I’ll rake then  (Right, and you’ll also be hungry again tomorrow. Are you fasting now?)

3) I don’t see why we should have to rake at all (Because you do. You unfortunately chose to live in a house surrounded by deciduous trees and grass. It’s a lethal combination. So deal)

4) I’ll find someone else to do (Ok. And you’re going to do that… when exactly? Because that equally requires some element of effort)

5) I don’t want to (See explanation #3)

6) Well, I’m busy (Wrong card to play)

All have been uttered at different pionts throughout the past four weeks. All have been met with my statement of “It’s not my problem. I don’t rake. I’ll pay the guy. You don’t want to pay the guy? You deal with it.” Which is then met with glaring, pouting, stomping of feet, and general ridiculousness.

So I am left waiting to see how all of this will ultimately play out. Who will win? Who will lose? Who will rake? Who will get paid? Will the lessons of the great shovel debate of winter 08/09 or the not so great recycling standoff of October 09 be learned, or will the dog need to have its face rubbed in its own urine again? Tune in next time for… oh never mind. I don’t care. And why don’t I care? Because as far as I’m concerned, I know what I’m doing about this. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And why is that, you may ask. It’s simple: I don’t rake.

3 giorni fa si sono svolte negli Stati Uniti alcune elezioni locali, additate dalla maggioranza degli amish del Partito Repubblicano come un vero e proprio test sul fallimento dell’amministrazione Obama. Ebbene, in Italia abbiamo tutti letto che in effetti i democratici hanno perso la Virginia e il New Jersey, e questo ci è bastato per bollare il nuovo Premier a stelle e strisce come l’ennesimo samurai governativo che ha iniziato il suo harakiri. Come al solito, siamo fuori strada. Primo perchè negli U.S.A. la condotta politica conta davvero, quindi se un governatore, metti anche il più popolare di tutti, sbaglia vuoi nel pubblico vuoi nel privato, alle elezioni successive ha ben poche speranze di essere rieletto (per fare un esempio appunto Jon Corzine del New Jersey, “uomo di Wall Street” per i tanti che gli hanno voltato le spalle).
Secondo perchè i test non sono sulla popolarità del Presidente, che se anche ci piazza la sua facciona non frega niente a nessuno, ma sull’effettivo prestigio dei candidati.
Terzo perchè in Italia come sempre si scrivono le notizie a metà, e vi assicuro che basta spulciare sui siti americani per avere una vaga idea di come gli stessi redneck della destra non se la passino certo bene. Nessuno che canti vittoria, insomma.
1 – Per incominciare, si votava per un seggio al Congresso (il 23esimo -New York-). Doug Hoffman, il candidato del GOP, ha preso una batosta devastante in uno Stato che è Repubblicano fin da prima che Edison inventasse la lampadina, che ha il 93% di elettori bianchi e nonostante la campagna condotta in prima persona da Sarah Palin (o forse proprio per questo); come nella miglior tradizione Fox, a urne chiuse e fino all’ultimo si propagandava un plebiscito in suo favore. 
2 – I due nuovi governatori degli Stati sopracitati hanno vinto proprio perchè si sono smarcati dal partito, rifiutando il sostegno della stessa Palin e di tutte le organizzazioni oltranziste pro-life che dipingono Obama come il diavolo. Della serie, lasciate Limbaugh, Rove e la Fox paragonare il Presidente a Hitler e la riforma della sanità al lager di Dachau, noi intanto facciamo vera politica.
3 – Infine, il sindaco di New York, Bloomberg, è stato riconfermato con una percentuale misera (50,6% dei consensi) dopo due mandati conquistati a mani basse: cosa gli è capitato? Apparte che tecnicamente l’ottavo uomo più ricco d’America non è nemmeno Repubblicano, perchè nel 2007 ha lasciato il partito e corre come indipendente (oltre ad avere pulsioni spiccatamente democratiche), ma nell’ultimo anno ha addirittura rischiato il linciaggio, dopo la riforma della legge sul limite di due legislature per le cariche pubbliche newyorkesi: sul NY Times si leggeva “Bloomberg si compra il terzo mandato“.
La lezione qual è? Se c’è una cosa che agli elettori a stelle e strisce non piace nei politici, non è l’essere ricchi, ma l’agire come se la legge per un ricco non esistesse. Qualcuno ha detto Italia?

D.Piselli

Now that the dust has pretty well settled (and I’ve gotten a bit of sleep), here are my thoughts concerning Election Day.  Overall, it was a sweeping victory for Republicans as the Grand Old Party claimed all three statewide races, a feat last achieved in 1997.  Bob McDonnell will be our new Governor.  Bill Bolling will remain our Lt. Governor for another four years, and Ken Cuccinelli soon will be our Attorney General.  In addition, Republicans made further inroads in the House of Delegates picking up seats in districts 3, 21 (depending on the recount), 23, 32, 34, 51, 67, and 83.  Although I would have liked to see a few more pickups, especially in 64 and 100, Republicans as a whole did quite well.  Even the party-shunned Catherine Crabill picked up 47.98% of the vote.  Now the day was not a complete blowout in favor of the GOP.  With all the successes, Republicans did suffer two net losses: in 52 failing to retain retiring Delegate and former RPV chair Jeff Frederick’ seat and in 93 with the loss of the twenty-one year incumbent Phil Hamilton.  According to my math, that means a gain of six seats in the hundred-member chamber.

The reason for the Democrats failure was that none of the statewide Democratic candidates succeeded in motivating their base or attracting independents.  Creigh Deeds lost by 17 ponts!  Moving down the ticket, a 13-point win for Bolling and 15-percentage point win for Cuccinelli further illustrates this point.  Although I don’t believe these results are as far reaching as to be used to determine the next presidential race three years from now, they do show a growing dissatisfaction with our current President and Congress, as well as the Democrats failure to market their brand.

Elsewhere, somewhat surprisingly, Chris Christie knocked off veteran Jon Corzine for New Jersey Governor.  Then we have Bill Owens victory in New York 23, which was one ray of sunshine for the Democrats in an otherwise poor showing in both Virginia and New Jersey.  Personally, I’m very disappointed with that result, but New York politics is a fairly alien concept to us here in Virginia.

Congratulations to Bob McDonnell, Bill Bolling, and Ken Cuccinelli.  May the three of you, along with the General Assembly, and our other officials govern the affairs of our state wisely.

Time to celebrate or a return to business as usual?

Click to read the article

November 6, 2009 2:00 a.m. Eastern

Does anyone else think that maybe – just maybe – the Progressive Party Health Care Deform Bill is a cover-up for something else far more sinister?

Could this health-scare bill be another distraction to slip more Anti-American Progressive Party plans into our society?

Washington should be focused on soldiers, the economy and jobs – yet instead they PUSH, PUSH, PUSH to “transform” our nation using Chicago-gangsta-style politics and puppeteering Nancy Pelosi to levels of national embarrassment.

Some would say that their desire is to turn the United States of America into a socialist neo-Nazi society – a green utopia dependant on government with mandatory approval in all aspects of life.

Real American’s reject this view — as evidenced November 3, 2009, when seven-million people voted across two states flipping back “progressive” time to a more conservative mind-set.

Real American’s rejected this view November 5, 2009 when in Washington DC, an estimated 45,000 people spent their lunch hour protesting forced government take-over of health care.

More tax-payers would have come if they could – yet the protest was unplanned and spontaneous, an eruption of a nation that will not be forced into government tyranny.

November 3, liberal New Jersey – even dyed-in-the-blue New Jersey – kicked-out the Democrat Governor candidate whom Obama heavily endorsed with my tax dollars.

Any party would have won against a Democrat on November 3, even a birthday party – as long as President Obama did not endorse them.

America, we shook-off government tyranny in the 1700’s and we can do it again today.  No modern-day Red-coats can hold back the Spirit of America.

Why wait to 2010 or 2012?  I say throw the bums out now.

Let’s send Obama and his progressive anti-American friends back to Chicago, or to whatever ACORN-supported community organizations from which they came.

Washington DC, Thursday November 5, 2009 - Contact your representative today to vote NO on Saturday!

Just say no to Universal Government Run Health Care and just say NO-BAMA.

That is my view – and I am going to speak it while I still can – while the Internet is not yet taken-over by the Obama Progressive Party, and while America is still a democracy run by the people, for the people.

Long-live the correct interpretation of our Constitution and our Bill of Rights.

What do you think?  This is an open forum, so please, no cussin’.

Steven Joseph, Editor
promotionsforLIFE.com Blog

Copy/paste shortlink http://wp.me/pGkSs-bD to share on twitter and status updates

Director: Katy Chevigny

*** This is a special extended DVD review written for killerfilm.com.

The Film:

It’s an odd thing, election day. For the years between each presidential election, the media is ruthless in their attack of the opposition. Once that fateful November evening rolls around, however, the public’s wildly divergent opinions take a backseat to a universal embrace of the democratic system. “Election Day”, a cinéma vérité documentary by director Katy Chevigny, tells the story of the 2004 presidential election: not by examining the candidates, but rather by portraying the average American voter – no matter what class, race, or gender – as the stars.

The project was one of great ambition. Chevigny assembled a dozen camera crews and sent them to different parts of the nation in an effort to film the various polling establishments during the 2004 presidential election. We get a thorough sampling of the populous in an effort to contrast how the voting process differs between members of each race and class. Many of the African American voters, for example, are subjected to two hour waits, meanwhile predominately white suburban areas get right in and out. One of the white women in the film argues that “voting is a privilege, not a right”, whereas a noble black woman shouts to the poll-workers that it is, in fact, her right, and every American should have to wait an equal amount of time to cast their ballot.

Although Chevigny is clever in not assigning a political agenda to her material, her subjects are mostly anti-Bush. One of the most memorable characters in the film, an extremist Republican with bumper stickers reading “the road to hell is paved with liberals”, is among the few documented Bush supporters.

Taking a viewpoint on the politics is not necessarily a bad thing, but it is another contributing factor to the film’s undetermined identity. The film is an amalgam of topics – it argues for a reformed method of voting, meanwhile examining racial discrimination in America and the rights of ex-convicts, among other things. The filmmaker is pleasantly unobtrusive – only on one or two occasions do the characters speak directly to camera – but by assembling such a vague film, it’s hard to discover what the director is trying to say.

“Election Day” is charming company. It gives us a cross-country glimpse of our citizens – a few of it’s subjects, like the ex-convict or the Native American activist, are people with voices hardly examined on film. While it’s efforts are commendable, however, I would’ve liked to see the film pose a clearer argument.

The DVD:

Audio/Video: The film is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio, window-boxed on widescreen television sets. Unfortunately, the transfer is not up to the standards that we have come to expect today – the film looks rather dull, and there are some issues with pixelation throughout. The audio track is acceptable considering the limitations of the project.

Supplements:

About the Director: Katy Chevigny: A text biography about director Katy Chevigny.

Director’s Interview: In this short interview, Katy Chevigny discusses the idea behind the documentary and how her production team gathered the cast and assigned the crew. I would have liked to see a more thorough examination of how she gathered such a wildly diverse group of people, but this is an informative cliff notes version. Chevigny notes that the combined raw footage added up to over one hundred hours, which sounds like a whole documentary in itself (9 min).

Blaze Foley Tribute Concert at SXSW Premiere: This concert was filmed at the premiere of “Election Day” at 2007’s South by Southwest Film Festival. The song, titled “Election Day”, is performed by a few friends of Blaze Foley, the singer/songwriter who passed away in 1989 (6 min).

Additional Scenes: Rounding out the special features is five additional scenes, each running somewhere between one and five minutes. One of the scenes, following Jim Fuchs as he informs pollers of Republican after-parties, is perhaps the highlight -  it’s edited to be enormously dry comedy (15 min).

Conclusion: “Election Day” is an entertaining documentary with some memorable subjects. Although it’s message is vague, the film is successful in giving voices to a few of the significant American minority groups rarely represented on film. The DVD could’ve used a commentary track or a longer behind-the-scenes featurette, but Docurama should most certainly be praised for letting small pictures like this one find an audience.

Well, folks, election day has come and passed us by, and while NY-23 ended up being a mess for the Republicans (due to infighting), and Mi- well, what does it matter anyway, the New York City race isn’t of much importance to the state of American Politics in the end (it certainly isn’t to the Republicans, since not-so-conservative Mike Bloomberg won the Mayor’s seat for the third time), last Tuesday nonetheless ended up being a great day for the Republican party as clearly conservative candidates Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie won the gubernatorial races in Purple Virginia and apparently now formerly Democratic New Jersey, respectively.

In the aftermath of these elections, one question has been looming over the heads of many; were these elections, especially the ones in Virginia and New Jersey, a voter referendum on President Barack Obama?

Well, let’s consult the exit polling from these elections, why don’t we:  According to exit polling from Virginia and New Jersey, most voters from these states said that Mr. Obama was not a factor in their choice in their decisions.  In other words, these elections, especially in Virginia in New Jersey, were not necessarily a referendum on the President.

However, what the exit polling also showed isn’t going to bode well for the Democrats.

Many voters in Virginia and New Jersey expressed anxieties over the direction the economy has taken as of late:  89% of voters in New Jersey, and 85% of voters in Virginia said that they were worried about the direction of the American economy over the next year, and 56 % and 53% of voters in these state, respectively, said that they were ”very” worried over the economy’s direction.

The interesting thing about this (and the sign that, as I said, isn’t going to bode well for the Democrats, at least for the foreseeable future), is that these voters that expressed their anxieties over the economy have heavily supported the Republican candidates in the elections.

Interesting, I say, that these voters worrying about the state of the economy would heavily support the Republicans in the races, especially when you consider what Democrats, in Congress especially, have done ever since President Obama has taken office in January this year:

- They’ve passed a huge spending bill, the stimulus package, supposedly targeted at “rescuing” the economy from the brink of demise, which has only served to waste taxpayer money on pork-barrel spending and projects and, instead of actually creating and saving a lot of permanent jobs that the American people needed, created or save much fewer jobs that were temporary, which isn’t going to serve people well in the long run.

- They’ve pushed continuously for an expensive and ultimately wasteful overhaul of the health care system.  In their crusade for health care “reform”, as they have called it, they’ve called constantly for a “public option”, government insurance meant to “compete” with private insurers.  They’ve failed to see, however, that having taxpayers financially support a small percentage of the American population (as the last CBO report said that only 2% of Americans will go for this option) is a very flawed idea, especially in light of the fact that the American public option for seniors, Medicare, is threatening the financial future of America and is in need of reform.  They don’t understand that having taxpayers financially support a small percentage of the American population isn’t going to create competition.

- And, let’s not forget Congressional Democrat’s misguided plans to deal with climate change (which, if they get their way, will heap higher energy costs on American consumers and will eventually lead to a stagnant economy), and other big government plans they might have in the future.

I’m pretty sure it’s not exactly by accident that voters who worried over the economy would go supporting Republican candidates at this point in time in American history, especially when the thought of an ever-growing government and  over $11 trillion in debt looms over their heads.

The folks over at DailyKos seem to see things differently however, implying that Democratic losses on Tuesday were a result of  their moving away from progressive stance, making an example out of gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds in Virginia to make their case (I will post a link to this post at the end of this column).  Apparently, they clearly haven’t at least seen the exit polling from these elections, as one can clearly infer that they’ve lost because the voters didn’t feel that “progressivism” was ultimately a great deal when it comes to dealing with a troubled economy and other domestic issues where the economy is concerned.

In the end, if there’s one thing to be taken from all of this, it’s that if they want to have any hope of winning in 2010 and 2012, the Democrats might want to think about piping down on their crusade to expand government in order to “solve” problems, because, as the people are beginning to find out, wasting tons of money at a time they can least afford it hardly translates to economic prosperity.

Link to DailyKos post:  http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/11/4/800481/-More-On-Last-Nights-Big-Lesson

-D.R.L.

*If you like what you read, don’t forget to subscribe to the Feedburner feed and check out the columns and articles throughout the day on the Midweek and Sunday Memos.  Cheers!

by TJ Tunnington

Okay, I know it has been something of a cliché, but I consider myself a Conservative first and Republican second. You hear most conservatives saying this today, from Sean Hannity to Andrew Wilkow to Mark Levin. What a lot of democrats don’t understand is the fact that Conservatives didn’t have a (to quote Dick Morris) “slobbering love affair” with the Bush Administration over the exponential increase in the size and scope of federal government. The Bush administration did more to separate the Grand Old Party than bring everyone together.

As a conservative I believe in some simple things, things that have, at times, seemed to escape the grasp of the Democratic Party, like… ummmm… let’s see… the US Constitution. I believe in a strong national defense and the need to secure our borders. I believe in state’s rights. I believe in our second amendment right. I personally define marriage as between one man and one woman. And I do not believe the right to end life should ever be given to anyone without due process under the law. (That means I am Pro-Life and Pro-Death Penalty for those of you that are slow.)

This brings me to my major disappointment with the party to which I once belonged. I know, I know, you would think I would be ecstatic after the results of this past election day, and deep down I am, but I am also deeply saddened by the way that New York Congressional District 23 played out. Not because the conservative lost, that is democracy at work, but how the conservative was treated by the “leaders” of the party prior to election.

The race was initially between Dede Scozzafava, a “Republican”, and Bill Owens, the Democrat. Unhappy with the choices, a mild mannered CPA who never wanted to get into politics, Doug Hoffman, decided to run under the Conservative party. It was through him that the Republican party could have stood behind the conservative values that we love to espouse to others, and the principles that we are supposed to stand on as the party of ideals. Instead they decided to back the letter next to Scozzafava’s name.

Dede Scozzafava was anything but the republican she claimed to be. Just because she supports guns and the second amendment doesn’t automatically make her a conservative. Her unwavering support of gay marriage and unbelievable want of tax-payer funded abortions should have screamed at Michael Steele and the rest of the Republican National Committee to look into her background more, but instead they were blinded by the R. A little further background check would have revealed her support of the $787 billion stimulus package, and maybe the fact that she is married to a union boss would have made it easy for the RNC to see her love of card-check (which would do away with secret-ballot union elections), but my party was enamored by the fact of what she called herself.

So in swept Michael Steele and the RNC and, most disappointing to me, Newt Gingrich to show their complete backing of a candidate simply because she was running under the party that they loved. Nevermind the fact that Scozzafava’s husband was in talks with the Democratic Leaders to have her run as a democrat or that she refuses to answer how she would vote on a comprehensive health care bill.

In most years, this would have been an unfortunate but easy decision for the party leaders. We must support the candidate that opposes the democrat in the race. But this was different. Standing right in front of them was a third choice, a person who stood for conservative values and all the things that the Republican Party said recently was important to them. But instead of choosing the person of substance and ideals, they picked the big R next to the name. In fact they chose the same person that Markos Moulitsas, a blogger for the leftist website The Daily Kos, supported, stating that Scozzafava is “actually the most liberal candidate in the race.”

The last thing the Republican party needed was another Arlen Specter, Olympia Snowe, or Susan Collins. These are republicans that more often than not agree with the democrats on issues. People that the Obama administration can use to call a bill “bi-partisan” simply for the fact that one republican agrees.

So here I sit, questioning the party that I used to love. I once enjoyed labeling myself a Republican because that once meant something. Now it means nothing more than blind support for those that oppose the D. As a party we need to bring back our ideals and our values. We need not be afraid of our values or what we believe in, even if that is the unpopular thing to do. As a party we need to look at all the issues that are being discussed and support the candidate that most echoes conservative principles. So today I stand here and wish to erase that R next to my name, and stand proudly born simply a Conservative.

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“The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America — I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you — we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years – block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.”

Barack Obama,
November 4, 2008

November 4, 2009. It’s been exactly one year since Barack Obama was elected, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that the president hasn’t fixed the whole world yet. Then again, he never promised such a thing. But despite some “setbacks and false starts,” we’re in considerably better shape than we were when the president delivered the above words on election night in Chicago.

One of his central goals, going all the way back to his 2004 convention speech, of building common ground between Americans of different ideologies and backgrounds is going to be more difficult than was previously anticipated. However, what’s beginning to take shape is common ground between the far-right and the far-left insofar as they’re both angrily lining up in opposition to this White House.

Of course the wingnut right — the Beck-Limbaugh-Palin Industrial Complex — has a significant head start. Plus, they’re immovable. Nothing this president does, short of resignation, will ever be greeted positively and everything will be pegged as a Nazi-Communist-Nixon-Carter-Terrorist usurping of American exceptionalism. However, on the left, there’s a growing discontentment that’s rapidly metastasizing into a similarly virulent and unchangeable anger. It not only threatens to fracture the president’s progressive base, but it could also force the president to retreat to the middle.

Everything for this president hinges on the promise of change. And, in many ways, he’s delivered on that pledge, if you consider “change” to be a presidency both legislatively and stylistically different from Bush.

I’m not going to do the whole list, but the tent pole items include setting a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, opening up federal funds for embryonic stem cell research, equal pay for women, ending torture, passing a major economic stimulus bill, which has helped to boost economic growth and yank the Dow back from the cliffs of insanity, and it looks like we’re going to have a fairly solid health care reform bill with a public insurance option sometime this year (unless Harry Reid fumbles it). Last week alone, the president signed historic new hate crimes legislation protecting the LGBT community, killed the useless F-22 program, ended funding for ineffectual abstinence-only education, and was able to ballyhoo the first quarter of economic growth since 2007. Plus, per the president’s orders, the Senate finally voted to allow the Guantanamo inmates to be moved onto U.S. soil for imprisonment and trial.

Not too shabby on the change front compared with where we were on November 4, 2008. It’s also important to underscore that these aren’t merely good for the Obama administration, these successes are good for America. They should be celebrated as such without embarrassment or apology.

Even the most rabid wingnut in the throes of another schizoid embolism has to admit that these successes represent, at the very least, change.

But it’s a perceived lack of change that’s angering many activists on the left. For my part, I’m not in love with the old school DLC influence of Rahm Emanuel. There are growing indications that the moderation coming from the White House on the public option is mainly from Emanuel’s office. The pledge for bipartisanship is also growing really old, really fast, though I understand the political calculus in at least saying that it’s important. In reality, the only operational legislative bipartisanship we ought to be seeing is between the liberals and the conservadems — together representing a de facto two-party apparatus while the Republicans tend to their conniptions.

Meanwhile, administration officials have made some frustrating moves in terms of state secrets, indefinite detention and civil rights issues like the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell (DADT). Changes on those fronts can’t come soon enough, but at least we’re being told they’re on the way.

So we have some troubling sameness, but looking at the raw list of accomplishments, the “change” side of the ledger appears to be more robust at this point, especially given that it’s only been a year.

But expectations have been unnaturally high, mainly because it’s so damn easy to project both our highest hopes and greatest fears onto this president.

In terms of the wingnut right, they’ve shoehorned literally every boogie man into Obama’s loafers. He’s both Carter and Nixon. He’s both a Marxist and a fascist Nazi. He’s both Hitler and Chamberlain. Teabaggers have gone so far as to paint a Hitler mustache on a man who the real-life Hitler would probably have killed with his bare hands — a mixed-race liberal with a Muslim name.

In terms of the left, we’ve set marble-man expectations, and then we’re shocked and outraged when these expectations aren’t met. Put another way, we want this president to be FDR meets Kennedy meets MLK meets LBJ meets Bobby Kennedy meets Rachel Maddow meets Superman.

We expect him to “get tough” and, I don’t know, flip his shit. Snap some Republican necks on live television. We want the very pragmatic and even-tempered Barack Obama to transform into a roid-raging berzerker. But I don’t think that’s entirely necessary.

While I’d love to see the president go all elbows-and-fists on Glenn Beck’s punch-me face, it’s just not going to happen. The attacks and antagonism from the White House against the far-right are more nuanced and subtle. It’s a gradual tweaking rather than a daily burst of rage. Over a four or eight year term, this could be much more effective than brute force. After all, it was this fighting style that defeated both the Clinton machine and a well-respected war hero.

My worry, though, regarding the left is that we’re nearing a zero barrier of sorts. Unless the president is able to cajole some of the more pissed off activists on the left, they’ll entrench and will become equally as immovable as the wingnut right. In other words, if the president is unable to win back a level of liberal support rivaling last November, nothing he achieves will be good enough to generate the same grassroots support he enjoyed during the 2008 campaign. The silence surrounding last week’s list of successes was deafening. And that could congeal into a serious electoral silence in 2010 and 2012, not unlike what we saw in 2000 with the left retreating to support Ralph Nader.

So what’s next?

On Tuesday, Arianna wrote about the president’s timidity. While I don’t necessarily agree considering how, for example, no other president — including one whose giant mustache is carved into Mt. Rushmore — has ever gotten this far in terms of reforming health care, she’s absolutely right in terms of style.

Perhaps the White House would be better served by simply bragging more. Take these achievements and really amplify them. The administration has a respectable syllabus of accomplishments, so why not get loud? Let fly. This isn’t difficult to do, especially given the president’s oratory skills. Ultimately, this could serve to further antagonize the right, driving them deeper into political irrelevance; it could also mobilize the left, possibly disarming some of the “not good enough” criticisms; and it could remind independents why they voted in record numbers for Barack Obama one year ago today.

As promised in Grant Park, the road is much longer and steeper than can be traveled in a single year. But I’m both encouraged and excited by the fact that we’re moving in the right direction — “calloused hand by calloused hand.”

Bob Cesca’s Awesome Blog! Go!

When the dust settled from a busy Election Day, change had come to Queens – three Republicans won the opportunity to represent the borough in City Hall.

A young man from Ozone Park who won a special election earlier this year kept his post; a Chinese immigrant businessman from Flushing won victory in a Democratic district; and a Pagan ex-cop and attorney from Whitestone who endured probing questions about his faith stood tall as the new Republican triumvirate of Queens.

Eric Ulrich, Peter Koo and Dan Halloran will be three out of the five representatives of the GOP in the City Council; the other two are from Staten Island. During his victory speech at his Bell Boulevard headquarters, Halloran asked rhetorically, “And who do you think the next Council Minority Leader will be?” leading to chants of “Dan’s our man!”

Prior to the 2001 election, Queens was home to three GOP Council members, but that changed with term limits, dropping to just two for the last eight years. The three seats held this Tuesday by the GOP were all created by vacancies. When Councilman Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) won a Senate seat last year he vacated his post and Ulrich won a special election in what has historically been a split district.

The other seats were given up by Council members who opposed the extension of term limits and ran for higher office. In Flushing, John Liu (D-Flushing), who will be the next City Comptroller, had been the latest in a long line of Democrats for the district – where registered Democrats outweigh Republicans by a margin of 6 to 1.

Tony Avella (D-Bayside) challenged Mayor Mike Bloomberg in a primary in September, suffering a massive loss. His seat, which was held by Republican Mike Abel for a decade earlier, now sits in Halloran’s hands.

Halloran said Tuesday night that his faith – he is the first known Pagan to be elected to public office in New York – played too strong a role in the discussion of the campaign.

“I ran for an office because I had ideas, and I feel like those ideas got hijacked by my religion,” he said. “Instead of being able to talk about the overcrowding in our schools, the problems that we had with overdevelopment, the public safety issues that were being created, we spent so much time talking about faith that the message had been lost.”

Throughout the borough, many districts fell as expected. Assemblyman Mark Weprin (D-Little Neck) easily won the seat vacated by his brother David, who failed in his own bid for Comptroller. Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria) saw 23 percent of the vote go to Green Party candidate Lynn Serpe and fellow incumbents Tom White (D-Jamaica) , Liz Crowley (D-Middle Village) and James Sanders (D-Laurelton) all went on to victory.

Danny Dromm, who had defeated incumbent Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights) in the September primary, and Jimmy Van Bramer, who landed the Dem spot in the seat vacated by Eric Gioia (D-Sunnyside), were both elected as the first gay representatives from Queens. Karen Koslowitz, who was term limited out of office in 2001, won back the seat vacated by Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills), who had a failed campaign for Comptroller.

Three seats had no opposition, leaving Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) and Julissa Ferreras (D-Corona) able to walk back into City Hall.

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Election Day brought out the masses as people came to vote on who they wanted in state and local office.

In what could be a rather surprising turn of events, Chris Christie wrestled the governor position away from John Corzine, beating him by four percent.  Voter Tracy Williamson wasn’t surprised at all that Corzine was outed from the spot with his past performance.

“He killed the budget.  He put New Jersey in a bind.  It was time for him to go.”

This is newsworthy, of course, because New Jersey is overwhelmingly considered a Democratic state.  This election speaks to how tired of Corzine the state actually is.  They’re looking to a new direction with Christie and hopefully he can turn the problems around.

In the local Cherry Hill Elections, Democrats Dave Fleisher, Susan Shin Angulo, James Bannar, and Jacquelene Silver won council positions over their Republican counterparts.  All four are deeply rooted in the Cherry Hill community.

Scott Williamson has been a long time neighbor with the Bannar’s and can speak to his character.

[Jim's] a great guy.  He’s been in the fire department for a long time and was high up there.  He loves this town and if anybody deserves the job, he does.

Bannar has lived in Erlton for 43 years and has been part of the fire department for more than 20 of those.  He also was active in coaching youth sports in the area.

When I talked with his son, who is also named Jim, he was all smiles for his Dad.

Thanks everyone of the support for my Pops.  He is now a councilman of Cherry Hill.

Jacqueline Silver is a member of a Erlton Civic Association and is a board of trustees member at Temple Beth El.  Her husband is a retired Air Force pilot that now flies commercial planes around the country.

I am humbled to be selected by my fellow Democrats to run for Town Council. I’m looking forward to talking with residents about preserving our core services and working to enhance our town for future generations to come

Susan Shin Angulo has lived in Cherry Hill for more than 10 years  and already serves on two Township boards and the board of trustees at the South Jersey Food Bank.  She’s determined to help make a difference.

Over the next eight months I will focus my energy on talking to the community about reducing spending, providing recreation and keeping our children safe.

Last, but not least, Dave Fleisher was the current councilman filling out the remaining time of Shelly Adler’s unexpired seat.

Long time Cherry Hill resident Nicholas Naum followed this year’s election closer than the others.  Naum, in his 70’s, has been active in the behind scenes work of Cherry Hill politics for a number of years.  Along with his work in this field he also volunteers his time at churches and food banks.

This was a good election.  Cherry Hill got it right electing this group.  Hopefully they take some steps to making the town a little bit better.  If not, there’s always the next election.

Yesterday was Election Day, and all over the US people headed to the polls to cast their votes on several issues and candidates.  In Texas, there were 11 propositions up for approval, all of which passed, and one directly affects students at UNT. Proposition 4 was one of the approved amendments to the state constitution, which established a new National Research University Fund.  This allows for the transfer of about $500 million from the Higher Education Fund to provide a dedicated source of funding for UNT as well as other emerging research universities in Texas.

Check out President Bataille’s response to the news.

Rachel DePompa – bio | email

There’s no denying who the residents in the 7th district wanted to represent them. Cynthia Newbille won with 52% of the vote. Despite six candidate, she had a decisive victory and she takes the reigns of her new job on Monday. The City Council meeting will begin with her swearing-in ceremony.

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Newbille was swamped in controversy earlier this year, when she was seeking the temporary appointment for the seat. But much of that was drummed up by her competitors. Newbille may have only recently moved back to the district, but it’s clear she’s been a staple there for several years. Not only did she grow up in the 7th district, but she came back. She’s served her community in numerous roles and now she’ll help on the council. It’s clear she has the backing of key city leaders, so it will be interesting to  see how that plays out over the next year. She was supported by Mayor Dwight Jones, former council member and Delegate Delores McQuinn, current council Vice President Ellen Robertson and State Senator Henry Marsh. She told me last night she’s excited for the opportunity and plans to leave her current posts to focus full-time on the council. Her first big test will be Echo Harbour.  She said last night….. “Anything that destroys the character of one of the most incredible natural resources we enjoy in this city or precludes public access to that is not the project for us.”