Wednesday, January 25, 2012

All The President's Men:Saul Alinsky, in Focus!

It's time to Break It Down!

In 2008, the campaign to cripple, undermine, and by whatever means necessary, defeat Barack Obama, ran out of real villains, starting with then Senator Barack Obama who declined to cooperate.  He simply did not provide a target at which to shoot.  Try as they might, Mr. Obama’s opponents could not find the ammunition necessary to cripple what would become his triumphant March on Washington.

It is very early, so please be clear, I am not suggesting or predicting that POTUS will re-capture the big chair this November.  I do know that in 2008, the opposition assailed Mr. Obama for his alleged association with Bill Ayers, co-founder of the Weather
Underground, and a self-described communist revolutionary group.  Detractors excoriated Senator Obam for his long relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright, then Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago.

At least Mr. Obama knew, or had the opportunity to know the 2008 purveyors of the influence many Republicans claimed so negatively affected his judgment and policies.  In 2012, it appears, Saul Alinsky, a Chicagoan, whom many credit with being the founder of modern community organizing, is the new sinister culprit. 

William F. Buckley, Jr., noted conservative author said of Alinsky, he was “very close to being an organizational genius.”  Dick Armey, one of the founders of The “Contract With America,” along with Newt Gingrich, has said he has employs some of Alinksky’s tactics when working with citizens groups.

Alinsky has become, at least in part, a key focal point of the Republican campaign for the Party’s nomination for President.  Newt Gingrich reiterated his oft opined claim in an interview with CNN political correspondent Candy Crowley, this past Sunday that, “Saul Alinsky radicalism is at the heart of Obama.”

Mr. Obama has never cited Alinsky as an influence for his vision, and when Alinsky died in 1972, young Barack was only 10 years old.  I suppose like those folks made famous for their exploits because they spent the previous night at a Holiday Inn Express, the fact that Alinsky was born in Chicago, and became a community organizer was enough of a nexus for Newt.

President Obama gave his 3rd State of the Union address last night.  It is customary, for the Loyal Opposition to present a dissenting opinion after the President makes a major speech, such as the State of the Union.  Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels had that assignment last night.  However in the toxic environment that currently exists in and around Washington, some of the GOP Presidential candidates could not wait until the 9:00 p.m. speech before weighing-in..  Both Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney gave pre-speech reactions, and not surprisingly, both were at their cynically, condescending best.

Governor Romney, scrambling to save his own apparently on-the-ropes, Presidential bid, and to deflect attention from his unrelenting tax questions, asserted that the President has “amassed an actual record of debt, decline, and disappointment.

Former Speaker Gingrich, never one to shy away from verbal excesses, and himself dodging queries about his ties to & contracts with Freddie Mac, not only revived his class warfare argument, but, speaking of Team Obama argued “They are going to go all out to rig the election in any way they can.”  If I were able to ask Mr. Gingrich one question, I would inquire if he had been having dreams about the Bush-Gore 2000 Race, which is the most recent instance in my recollection where such a concept might have been in play.  If nothing else, credit him with an active imagination, and a flair for overly dramatic presentation.

Meanwhile, the preliminaries for the Race to the White House continue.  In your spare time, I recommend for your reading pleasure, “Rules for Radicals,” a tome by Saul Alinsky.  Because you are sure to hear more about, might as well check him out more closely.  I have a feeling Mr. Gingrich will continue to make the point, “All the President’s Men: Saul Alinsky, in Focus!”

I'm done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:










Wednesday, January 18, 2012

The Newtonian Code: An Evening of Satire on MLK Day!"

It's time to Break It Down!

(Note: The English Wikipedia will be blacked out globally beginning midnight Wednesday January 18, 2012.  This 24-hour long action is being enacted to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Protect Intellectual Property Act ) PIPA) in the U.S. Senate.)

On several occasions in the past I have examined Newt Gingrich, a phenomenon that we have come to know, simply as Newt.  Of course, he made his initial mark as a Congressman from Georgia and Speaker of the House during the Clinton era.  But in the more recent iteration, his prominence is built upon his re-invented candidacy for President of the United States.

Back during the first Act of his political career, he made his mark as the perennial antithetic to Bill Clinton.  In the contemporary revival, he began early, reprising his contrarian role vis-à-vis President Obama, accusing the President of harboring a Kenyan, Anti-Colonial Worldview.  In latter months, he graduated to calling POTUS the Food Stamp President.

In the past several weeks as his candidacy first appeared to conduct a “Phoenix-like rise from the ashes,” only to subsequently wilt again, after Mr. Gingrich was pilloried by Super PAC ads, the former speaker has further raised the rhetorical ante.  He challenged African American students to procure jobs as school janitors, urged African American adults to eschew Food Stamps in favor of paychecks (a prompting that totally ignores the fact most Food Stamp recipients are white), and insisted that President Obama has “Put more people on Food Stamps than any other President."

Monday was the annual observance of the Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. Holiday.  I spent a portion of the evening watching a televised Special on the life and times of Dr. King.  On another channel, Fox News sponsored a Republican Presidential Candidates’ Debate at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  For those who just can’t get enough of the wildly popular, GOP Debates, there will be another one tomorrow, hosted by CNN, in Charleston, SC.  But lest I digress, back to Myrtle Beach.

In a sort of throwback to yesteryear irony, the centerpiece of Monday evening’s debate seemed to be a series of exchanges between Fox analyst Juan Williams and Mr. Gingrich.  When Williams posed a question about whether some of Mr. Gingrich’s remarks were insulting to blacks, the former Speaker haughtily dismissed him, engendering wild applause from an audience, apparently in perfect synchronicity with Newt.

Williams doubled-down and tried to forge ahead, referencing a black woman who had questioned Gingrich about referring to President Obama as a Food Stamp President. By this time, the audience not only cheered the candidate, they booed the questioner (Williams).

In times gone by, Republicans formulated an orthodoxy known as the Southern Strategy.  It was a pattern of behaviors and practices designed to appeal to Southern white voters by exploiting racism and whites’ fears of lawlessness by blacks.  It’s not my gift to extract and convey what is in Mr. Gingrich’s heart.  So I will not deign to humor you in that way.  I can say confidence and clarity that the results of such acrimonious assertions by the former Speaker, regardless of intent, will serve to inflame a significant portion of the African American community.

I understand that black voters, Herman Cain, notwithstanding, are written off by the GOP.  Mr. Cain even suggested that blacks are brain washed.  The Hermanator is not here to defend himself, but, I submit that black voters are not brain washed, but neither are they brain dead.  When a steady stream of abusive rhetoric and minimizing strategies are embraced by leading candidates in the GOP, that African Americans do not find themselves drawn to their former Party-of-choice in larger numbers cannot be deemed surprising; nor should it be. 

Alas, if I did not have substantial reasons to think otherwise, based on a decades-long pattern of statement, positions, and behaviors, I would be convinced that Monday evening’s demonstration was a prescribed segment of “The Newtonian Code: An Evening of Satire on MLK Day!”  As it is, it reeks of the Southern Strategy redux.

I’m done; holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/English_Wikipedia_anti-SOPA_blackout
















Wednesday, January 11, 2012

The Race Card: A Political Staple

It's time to Break It Down!

It is fair to say from time to time the pages of “Break It Down” have focused on race and its placement and use in a variety of political and public policy debates.  That may lead some would be detractors to suggest “There you go again, playing the Race Card.  The fact of the matter is I am convinced that when applied in proper context, it is perfectly reasonable; perhaps even necessary, to address how this sometimes volatile, always controversial issue is used to influence the discourse that shapes all aspects of our democracy, including elections.  It should come as no surprise, this year is no exception.

So while the lead news stories on the political scene today will tout Mitt Romney’s convincing win over a scattered field of GOP candidates who have taken their best shot at dislodging him as a prohibitive favorite to secure the 2012 GOP Presidential Nomination, I will spend a few minutes on “The Road Less Traveled.  Congratulations to Governor Romney.  He finally broke out of the 25% range, attracting 39% last night in the New Hampshire.  The fact that he won in the first place was historic, in that he became the first non-incumbent to win consecutive contests in Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire GOP Primary.

Two points of note, before moving on.  First, for many months, I have noted that Mr. Romney was the presumptive favorite, and that I was all but assured he would wrest the nomination from an otherwise largely Not Ready for Prime Time field of candidates.  Second, in last weeks post, I discussed “The Next New Guy.”  Just in case you missed it, Romney’s first place finish in New Hampshire, was followed by Ron Paul, who finished second, and Jon Huntsman, who finished third, after totally abandoning Iowa to concentrate his efforts in bucolic New England. 

In other words, that means, Rick Santorum, “The Next New Guy,” failed to win, place, or show in New Hampshire.  So long Rick; hello Mitt!  While it may not be quite that simple, it is clear the ebullience Mr. Santorum experienced after narrowly losing to Mitt Romney by just 8 votes a week ago, was in short supply last night in the Granite State.  In fact a number of pundits are reckoning that if Mr. Romney can manage to secure a third straight victory when the party and the Party (GOP) move on to South Carolina, Saturday, January 21st.

Here are the results of last night’s race in "New Hampshire:

                       

Results for New Hampshire Republican Primary (U.S. Presidential Primary)
Jan 10, 2012 (95% of precincts reporting)
Mitt Romney
95,666
39.4%
Ron Paul
55,451
22.8%
Jon Huntsman
40,903
16.8%
Newt Gingrich
22,920
9.4%
Rick Santorum
22,685
9.3%
Rick Perry
1,709
0.7%
Michele Bachmann
343
0.1%
Other
3,240
1.3%

So where do race matters enter this discussion, you may ask?  Well in the interest of economy, I will mention just a few recent examples of candidates and their statements, writings, and in some instances, denials.

Sunday before last, while campaigning in Iowa, Rick Santorum induced a firestorm when he had racially-tinged comments attributed to him:

The comments, which fortunately, at least for the purposes of this discussion, were caught on tape, appear to have been at best, a Freudian slip, by the candidate who got caught up; at worst, a flat-out denial of the obvious by desperate, if not pathetic politician fighting to hold on to his moment (After all, is “was” the Next New Guy”).  Santorum initially suggested the comments had been taken out of context, and then, perhaps when realizing there was no acceptable contest, endeavored to distance himself altogether from the embarrassing remarks.

 In a much more shameless allusion to race, Newt Gingrich has repeatedly referred to President Barack Obama as the best food stamp President, ever.  Still in an effort to hone his Mojo, Gingrich recently volunteered that he would take his show on the road:


Naturally, in the Official Gingrich Revisionist explanation of his screed, he insisted he was advocating for blacks…not disparaging them.  No denials from the resident GOP intellectual.

Finally, Dr. Ron Paul, the GOP/Libertarian, iconoclast is reputed to have authored a series of controversial newsletters.  The organs contained racially divisive comments, including:

The good Dr. has unequivocally denied having written, or even read the newsletters.  This claim is made even though they appeared over his signature, and he was allegedly paid for generating them.  

There are all sorts of data available documenting that while the percentage of African Americans subscribing to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (erstwhile, Food Stamps) is higher than that for whites, the actual number of whites receiving benefits is greater.  I suppose Newt should not be confused with someone who needs to be constrained by the facts.

These three examples are not meant to suggest that the contest to secure the Presidency; even the GOP nomination, is completely dominated by race.  Rather the post is intended to prod readers to avoid sleeping on any of these candidates, because, make no mistake about it, “The Race Card: A Political Staple,” is a fact of life.

I’m done, holla back!

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:












Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Rick Santorum: The Next New Guy

It's time to Break It Down!

Welcome to 2012; year of the next Presidential Election.  Of course, in the ten months and two days that separate us from the eventual polling day, there is the not so small matter of the Republican primaries and the End Game battle between the GOP nominee, whom I still believe will be Mitt Romney, and President Obama.


Last night, this intricate fan dance advanced to its logical next step; the Iowa Caucuses.  Iowa, not particularly known as bellwether for national political preferences, saw that colossal political force known as Mike Huckabee win the largest percentage of Caucus votes in 2008, followed by the inimitable Massachusetts Mitt, who beat out that Republican staple, character actor (though apparently no Ronald Reagan), Fred Thompson.  All these gentlemen finished ahead of the decorated military veteran, and U.S. Senator, who despite his Hawkeye State setback, went on to become the Party’s nominee.  That was John McCain…in case you have forgotten.


With 97% of the votes tallied last night, Rick Santorum led Mitt Romney by slightly more than 100 votes.  More later on the final outcome.  Mr. Santorum is a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate, from Pennsylvania.  While he will be the winner in Iowa when the dust settles, it is clear he is the next guy to catapult to the top or at least near the pinnacle of the GOP candidates’ Everest, 2012.


Let’s review, quickly.  Out of the gate, Michele Bachmann won the IowaStraw Poll this summer, and became one of the early leaders, if not favorite.  Almost before Ms. Bachmann could say “Rumpelstiltskin,” the thrill was gone, and her unlikely challenge to Mitt Romney was extinguished.  Bachmann, a Tea Party fav, who virtually cast herself as the unofficial voice of the Tea Party, saw her run for the proverbial Brass Ring cut short when Texas Governor Rick Perry announced his candidacy on the same day of the Straw Poll.  He was almost immediately deemed the front runner, and this would be confirmed shortly by polling results.  Good-bye Michele; we hardly knew you.  The next Sarah Palin barely made it out of the gate.


It is one thing to be “deemed” the leader, even by pollsters, but quite another to live up to the title.  Alas, after the onset of the GOP Debates, it was clear one thing that was simply not debatable was, to put it in SAT parlance, debates are to Rick Perry, as Kryptonite is to Superman.  Anathema is not too strong a word.  The Governor from Texas found more incredibly bizarre ways to diminish his standing, and potential voters’ confidence in him and his ability, each time out.  He misstated facts, he lost what on the surface appeared to be winning arguments, and when it seemed he had no place to go but up, he bungled attempting to enumerate the three agencies of the Federal Government he would eliminate, when he could remember only two. Good-bye Rick, hello Herman. 


I will not insult Herman Cain by suggesting his placement in the GOP mix was the GOP/Tea Party’s nod to Affirmative Action.  After all, the contemporary GOP/Tea Party coalition is stridently opposed to the concept, even though, it was the Nixon Administration that adopted and applied the policy to private companies with federal contracts.  But I digress.  The real point here is Herman Cain seemed to come out of nowhere to take a stab at leading GOP Polling.  Without question, a series of self-inflicted personal issues surfaced and prematurely ended not only Mr. Cain’s reign atop the polls, but his candidacy as well.  What had been viewed as an initiative with historical implications morphed into Cain's odyssey becoming a mere footnote in Campaign 2012.  So long Hermanator; hello Newt!


All things considered, Newt Gingrich’s rise to the top of the GOP Leader Board may have been one of the most unlikely events of the entire campaign season.  The former House Speaker was plagued by a TripleCrown of faux pas; serial lapses in judgment or errors, including reports that he owed up to $500,000.00 to Tiffany’s in 2005 and 2006, his taking a vacation in Greece during the middle of the Campaign, and having his Campaign Manager and six senior advisers resign, allegedly, due to his decision-making.  But candidate Gingrich did not falter, and when Herman Cain suspended his Campaign due to his personal travails, Newt was there to step in and be next to play the role of the Anti-Romney.  But all good things come to an end, or at least so it appears when it comes to Republican front-runners.  So it was with Newt Gingrich, as he failed to withstand the barrage of attack ads hurled at him by his erstwhile GOP colleagues.  Adieu Newt; hello Dr. Paul.


In an almost shadowy manner, Ron Paul began to show up at the top of the charts in what has become nearly daily polling.  Hark; just as quickly as he rolled in, his tide rolled out.  He led in a few polls, but before he could be deemed the leader, he stalled just significantly enough to be overtaken.  Bye-bye Ron; hello RickSantorum, that is.      


We are just about up-to-date.  Meet “Rick Santorum: The Next New Guy!”  The Pennsylvania Senator may have the benefit of coming into his august position nearer the End Game than his predecessors.  The tea leaves (not the Tea Party leaves) suggest Rick Perry is probably done.  He is going back home to Texas to reflect on his next steps.  Smart money suggests that translates into “I’m out!  Michele Bachmann gave what was tantamount to a concession speech…without quitting.  Her poll numbers and Caucus finish leave every reason to think, if not now, soon!


The recalibrating of the playing field will certainly have an affect on the remaining candidates’ strategy moving forward.  Up to this point, the GOP field has employed the old “Crabs in a barrel” approach to campaigning.  Basically, this means, they have surveyed the landscape to see who leads, and then individually and collectively launched attacks, ad recently attack ads against the leader.


With that tableau in mind, there is a really good chance, win or lose in Iowa, Rick Santorum is about to feel the ire of at least Ron Paul and Mitt Romney.  Interestingly, Gingrich has positioned himself to play nice with Mr. Santorum.  Presumably, that is because he is storing up his venom and vitriol to make sure his “phasers” are fully charged so he can open up a can of "whup-ass" on Mitt Romney, whom he feels treated him unfairly by targeting him with attack ads. 


Jon Huntsman, former Utah Governor, who effectively opted out of the Iowa field, is pointing to New Hampshire as the piece de resistance of this political theater.  The irony here is Mitt Romney; former Massachusetts Governor (located next to New Hampshire) is expected to win comfortably in the Granite State.  But hey, it’s his race to run. 


Mr. Santorum gave what many (Republicans) consider a great speech to his supporters last night.  The Hate Romney crew is especially averse to the idea of the Governor from Massachusetts advancing to be the Party’s nominee, and therefore excited about Bachmann, Perry, Cain, Gingrich, Paul, and now Santorum…in other words, anybody but Romney.  Every one of the Great 8 substantive GOP candidates except Jon Huntsman has had a Warhol-like15 minutes of Fame.  Of course the one thing that separates Huntsman from all the others is his Obama connection.  In what he must surely view in retrospect as a bad idea, he served as President Obama’s Ambassador to China.  Oh well, he will have lots of time to work on his Mandarin, which I have heard is already excellent.


In the final analysis, my gut says Romney will survive, and go on to face President Obama in the General Election.  We will see soon enough whether “Rick Santorum: The Next New Guy” can take out Mitt Romney, the man most people, including me, expect to be the eventual GOP Club Leader.  As of now, is official; after trailing virtually all night, Mitt Romney (30,015 votes) beat Rick Santorum (30,007 votes) by a total of 8 votes.  On to New Hampshire. 


As interesting factoids go, it is worth noting, the 8-vote difference is the narrowest margin ever for Republican Presidential Primary politics.  Only one race in the history of American Presidential politics was closer; the 2008 Guam Primary, in which Senator Barack Obama defeated Senaror Hilary Clinton by 7 votes.     


The official breakout of the last night’s Iowa Caucus vote is as follows:



Results for Iowa Republican Caucus (U.S. Presidential Primary)
Jan 03, 2012 (100% of precincts reporting)
Mitt Romney
30,015
24.6%
Rick Santorum
30,007
24.5%
Ron Paul
26,219
21.4%
Newt Gingrich
16,251
13.3%
Rick Perry
12,604
10.3%
Michele Bachmann
6,073
5%
Jon Huntsman
745
0.6%
Herman Cain
58
0%
Buddy Roemer
31
0%
No Preference
135
0.1%
Other
117
0.1%


I’m done; holla back!


Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com. A new post is published each Wednesday. For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Santorum