The Scalia Vacancy February 29, 2016 Jeffrey Toobin on the late Antonin Scalia: charming and brilliant — but a force for progress? Mmmm . . . no. And yes of course the President should appoint a replacement, as the Constitution requires. Here is his exceptionally thoughtful statement on how he’ll go about it. (And here: conservative commentators blasting the Republican vow to reject anyone he picks.) Yes, yes . . . “Barack Obama has been a disaster for this country.” Republicans have been saying that from Day One — a “stupid, stupid” leader who has made the worst deals the Republican front-runner has seen in his entire life. A child could make better deals. Things are horrible in America! But does that relieve the President of the responsibility to appoint a ninth Justice? Just because we’ve all lost dozens of friends and relatives to Ebola and terrorism home prices continue to fall and no one can even afford a full tank of gas — does that mean the President no longer has the authority and obligation to fill Court vacancies? But — and this is the point Republicans want to stress — things are horrible. Have you seen Marco Rubio’s ad? Its stock footage actually depicts Canada (oops). But forget that little gotcha — what about its substantive assertions? It begins: “More men and women are out of work than ever before in our nation’s history.” Huh??? With nearly triple the population we had during the Depression — and an aging population at that — if you count all the out-of-work 80- and 90-year-olds maybe there’s some crazy way to turn this chart upside down. But I doubt it. A more accurate statement would be that “thanks to 71 consecutive months of private employment growth, the 10% unemployment rate at the peak of the Great Bush Recession Bush has been cut to 4.9%.” And would be more robust still if the Republicans hadn’t blocked three measures a majority of Americans wanted and economists agreed would add juice to the economy: the American Jobs Act, to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure; a higher minimum wage; and the comprehensive immigration reform that Rubio himself voted for but now decries. Next: “People pay more taxes than they will for food, clothing, and housing combined.” Huh??? Some people do — billionaires, most dramatically. But come on. Here‘s one stab at the average household budget: 29% on housing, food, and clothing versus 12% on taxes. On what planet is 12% more than 29%? And by the way? Those taxes go mainly for things people really want: schools and roads and the world’s strongest military. And the Medicare they want the government to keep its hands off. And Social Security! And disaster relief! And interest on the trillions in debt that the Reagan/Bush tax-cuts-for-the-rich have racked up. Speaking of which, the ad concludes: “Nearly $20 trillion in debt for the next generation. Double what it was just 8 years ago.” Huh??? Reagan/Bush inherited a National Debt under $1 trillion and quadrupled it, handing Clinton a $4 trillion debt. Clinton tamed the deficit and handed Bush 43 “surpluses as far as the eye could see.” Bush 43 slashed taxes on wealthy investors, needlessly invaded Iraq, and handed Obama a near-depression, $10 trillion in National Debt, and a $1.5 trillion deficit (so, basically, a $11.5 trillion Debt.) Obama averted the depression, cut the deficit by two-thirds, and got the Debt once again growing more slowly than the economy as a whole. So all three assertions in Rubio’s ad are misleading at best. Things are not horrible. There are supposed to be nine Justices on the Court. How about Judge Sri Srinivasan to replace Scalia? He spent five years working for George W. Bush’s Solicitor General. In private practice, he represented Enron’s king-pin. The Senate confirmed him 97-0 to the D.C. Circuit Court. The Republicans might be wise to advise and consent to a moderate candidate like that because their refusal might not sit well with voters and the next President, if a Democrat, might nominate someone they’d like less. (And Senate just might change hands by then, to boot. On Duckworth! on Feingold! on Kander and Strickland! on Hassan and Bassan* and Grayson or Murphy!) Anyway: read the Toobin piece if you’d like perspective on the late Justice Scalia. And the President’s statement if you’d like to be reminded what a remarkable man we elected and reelected and would almost surely if it were legal elect a third time. *A made-up candidate, for the rhyme.
Living The Egyptian-American Dream February 26, 2016February 23, 2016 Dalia Mogahed was not one of the thousands of Jersey City Muslims Donald Trump claims to believe were seen cheering as the World Trade Center fell. Watch her TED talk?
High-Diving Giraffes February 25, 2016February 24, 2016 Who knew they could dive? These giraffes are just too graceful for words. Enjoy. Hey! Is it possible that, after Monday’s notice, you still haven’t seen Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next“? Hmmm.
An Electric Motor That Saves 80% February 24, 2016February 23, 2016 Here’s an electric motor that apparently could replace 16 million less efficient ones and cut carbon emissions by 4 million tons annually. The future is so bright if we just act logically and for the common good! Which is why (speaking of electric motors but switching gears) I hope a few years from now passengers will no longer have to wait while their aircraft boards only from the front. Boarding and deplaning from both front and rear doors should cut that time in half — and be possible with WheelTug-enabled aircraft. Also good: not having to wait for a tug to come back you out from the gate. Also good: the added capacity airlines and airports will get for “free” if planes spend less time loading, unloading, and backing out. (Note this extreme example: a single take-off-and-landing slot at Heathrow changing hands for $75 million.) Joe Keller: “Don’t know if you saw this.” I had not. For those of us holding Borealis shares, it’s encouraging. Inch by inch, as best I can tell, we’re making progress. Carl S.: “Re Al Gore Then And Now . . . Wow! How informative / interesting / scary / positive / encouraging / scary / uplifting / supportive / realistic can one guy get?! May I humbly suggest that you encourage all of your subscribers to submit proof of having viewed this amazing TED talk, or otherwise face a quadrupling of the price of their subscription to your blog?” ☞ Good idea. Although here we work on the honor system; no proof required. Same with “Where To Invade Next.”
Al Gore – Then And Now February 23, 2016February 22, 2016 Here he was in 2006, sounding the alarm. And here he was last week, reporting hopeful progress. As the habitability of our planet is at stake — and his talk is pretty fascinating in any case — try to find time to watch? I had planned to present a giraffe aqua-ballet today, but have reluctantly bumped it to later in the week. This stuff is just that important.
Too Much Spam? Better Call Saul February 22, 2016February 21, 2016 Check out unrollme.com or the unrollme app on your smart phone. In minutes, it finds most of the junk email you get and provides a super-easy way to swipe left (unsubscribe), right (keep), or up (batch for review once a day). That’s it. It’s been around for years. Why am I only learning about it now? Any of you have a good or bad experience with it you care to share? Better Call Saul is back! If you missed the first season, you will definitely want to binge, then jump aboard. So. Much. Fun. Hey! I just checked and according to available public data (available, that is, if your cousin runs a giant chain of movie theaters), you have not yet seen Michael Moore’s “Where to Invade Next.” Seriously? This is a big mistake, first because it could put me in a funk (and I am, in every sense of the word, the least funky person you know); second, because you have so far missed a film you’ll find yourself wanting everyone else to see. Of which I’m so certain I hereby commit to refund your entire year’s subscription if I’m wrong — no questions asked. Just say the word and I’ll Paypal you.
TED 2016 February 19, 2016 What a week. Can’t wait to post some of the videos in the days and weeks ahead. Ranging from Al Gore’s hugely compelling, hopeful progress report on climate change (not yet linkable), to these drones flying around the theater. Pizza really will be flying in through our open windows, I guess; and what an interesting way to inspect bridges, build bridges, and rescue people. But just as we’re about to be able to eradicate mosquitoes, should we decide to — should we decide to? — as one speaker explained a method to quickly make all baby mosquitoes males and thus wipe out the species . . . probably not a good idea? . . . now we have to imagine pesky mosquito-sized drones spying on us or squirting chemicals into our carrot juice. We heard from the reclusive founder of Linux, the co-founder of Uber, and the co-founder of Airbnb. I can’t wait for you to see those talks. So great. And amazing music . . . not least John Legend . . . who introduced Adam Foss, an amazing young prosecutor whose story will totally change your child’s career path. (I assume you have a kid in law school?) And a 10-year-old girl from India, and the prime minister of Bhutan (their nation is not just carbon neutral but carbon negative), and the world’s long-time reigning female chess champion (who showed us how she beat Gary Kasparov), and a gentleman who made a clarinet out of a carrot — right there in front of us — and then rocked the house with it. And perhaps the most powerful talk you’ll ever see on gun violence, with suggestions for reducing ours. And another on a memorial to the 4,000 lynching victims that moved TEDsters afterward to toss an additional $1.6 million into the pot toward its realization. And virtual reality! And holograms! And Craig Venter‘s personal genome — all 3 billion characters of it, printed out in a tiny font on hundreds of thousands of enormous pages bound into dozens of enormous volumes wheeled out by half a dozen stagehands pushing half a dozen large carts. (The speaker went to one and zeroed in on the page and the specific few characters that determined the color of Mr. Venter’s eyes.) And an interactive cybersecurity workshop conducted by an IBM scientist that included, in the audience, TED attendee Peter Norton (as in: Norton Anti-Virus, and no, he no longer owns it, so don’t hate him for whatever annoyances the current management may have caused you). And the head of the US Digital Service — brilliant young people on loan from Google and Twitter and Amazon, etc., working to do for the rest of the federal government what six of them called in to rescue healthcare.gov so successfully did. (Six!) Oh! And there’s Cher! And my hero Norman Lear! And Paul Allen! And Paul Tudor Jones, whose “Just” corporate index debuts this fall and may well induce corporations to compete to be recognized as treating their employees and their environment better than their peers. And it just went on and on and on and will all be yours, free, at ted.com in the months to come. What a time to be alive. What a responsibility we have to elect serious people with the vision and skills and temperament to not to screw it all up. Everything is at stake in the next decade or two. It could all go magnificently right . . . or horribly, cataclysmically wrong. But for now, watch those drones.
Redistricting Matters February 17, 2016February 15, 2016 It’s almost as though 2016 is becoming a national civics lesson. Does the President have the Constitutional obligation to fill Supreme Court vacancies? He would seem to. Should the Senate block anyone he nominates (even if that nominee was previously confirmed 97-0 to the Court of Appeals)? The Senate Majority Leader and Republicans running for president believe it should. “Discuss.” And this article from the Palm Beach Post offers a look at the impact of legislative redistricting on things like whether your child can carry a sidearm into class. (The Republicans were for that, but now, with redistricting, they’re not so sure.) “Discuss.” Politics matters.
Everything You Need To Know About Superdelegates February 16, 2016February 14, 2016 If you like, jump straight to the videotape of Tad Devine, Bernie’s campaign manager, explaining the rationale for superdelegates . . . a system, in his youth, he helped create. And here are the Actual Facts about Super Delegates, courtesy of Patrice Taylor: Selecting a party’s nominee for president is a complicated process — believe me, I know. It’s my job to manage the delegate selection process for the Democratic National Convention. I work with state Democratic parties across the country to explain exactly how the process works and to ensure it is conducted openly and fairly so every Democrat can make their voice heard. Important numbers 4,763 = Total number of delegate votes to the Democratic National Convention (including pledged and unpledged) 712 = Number of unpledged delegates (you may know them as “super delegates”)* 15 percent= Unpledged delegate votes as a proportion of total delegate votes This means that a candidate needs 2,382 votes to secure the Democratic nomination. The vast majority of those will be from pledged delegates, meaning that the votes at stake during primaries and caucuses will determine who our nominee is. Why we have unpledged delegates The overwhelming majority of delegates — 85 percent of the people who will determine our nominee at the convention — are “pledged” and awarded based on primary or caucus votes. Every state is different, but each has a system to select convention delegates pledged to support the candidates based on what you, the voters, say in your state’s primary or caucus. Any Democrat has the opportunity to be elected as a pledged convention delegate — you don’t necessarily have to be a politician, you just need to be active and excited about having a voice in this process. Over 30 years ago, the Democratic Party created the category of unpledged “super” delegates. These are Democratic leaders like governors, members of Congress, and party officials. We ensure these leaders have a voice in our convention outside of the primary and caucus process: Unpledged delegates mean interested voters don’t have to run against elected officials to attend the Democratic National Convention. Ultimately, each state’s delegation is comprised of a diverse group of citizens like you and the Democratic leaders you have elected. This is why when you look at our Democratic National Conventions, they look like America and reflect its great diversity. Because our delegate selection process is open and inclusive, it provides an opportunity for anyone to run and participate in our presidential nominating convention. What’s happening right now Now, there are a lot of rumors out there about this process, so I want to clear up a few of the big ones. New Hampshire has not awarded Hillary Clinton more delegates than Bernie Sanders, even though he won the popular vote. The fact is that there were 24 pledged delegate votes at stake in New Hampshire’s First in the Nation primary on the Democratic side. Those 24 delegate votes were distributed according to the results of those elections, with Bernie Sanders winning 15 and Hillary Clinton winning 9. Super delegates do not have more power and more votes than regular delegates. Every delegate’s vote is equal, and unpledged “super” delegates represent only a fraction (712) of the 4,763 total delegate votes currently being contested. The election is not rigged for one candidate or another. The rules that I just described were first established in the 1970s, long before any current candidate declared for office. All candidates run under the same rules. The Iowa caucuses were not decided by coin tosses, and Hillary Clinton did not win all of them. Seven coin flips were reported through the Iowa Democratic Party’s reporting app out of more than 1,700 simultaneous caucus events, with Bernie Sanders winning six and Hillary Clinton winning one. The Iowa Democratic Party did not change the delegate vote in some precincts. The Iowa Democratic Party ran more than 1,700 simultaneous caucus events. Because volunteers run each event, there were a handful of issues, as could be expected. However, because of the State Party’s months-long process of training volunteers, deploying new technology for reporting, and integration of campaign staff and volunteers, all of the results were triple checked. When the party found inadvertent reporting mistakes in a small number of precincts out of more than 1,700 caucuses, they corrected those mistakes. Bottom line: Vote in your primaries and participate in your caucuses. Your voice will determine who Democrats will nominate for president this July. I hope to see you in Philadelphia. Patrice Taylor is the Director of Party Affairs & Delegate Selection at the Democratic National Committee *The number of unpledged delegates may vary slightly due to cases of retirement, special election, or death. ☞ Full disclosure: I’m a superdelegate . . . enthusiastically neutral between both our fine candidates and thus one of the 350 or so of 712 who remain uncommitted. (The others can change their minds at will.) Watch Tad Devine and see if he makes any sense to you. He does, to me. Now go see Michael Moore’s “Where To Invade Next.”