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Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Say No To Politics

Barak ObamaImage by cliff1066™ via FlickrMy completely non political African American Harvard Law School graduate roomie, can't even discuss politics with him.
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Finally A Debate? Is A Non Debate A Debate?

YouTubeImage via WikipediaThere are all sorts of news stories saying Carolyn Maloney has finally agreed to a debate with Reshma Saujani. I will believe it once I see it. Until then I have my fingers crossed. Maloney has danced this dance before. She will say yes to a debate, and then a few days later she will say she did not say it, never.

A radio debate in the middle of a work day? I say even TV is not good enough. What we need is a YouTube debate. People will have the option to watch whenever they want, and they will have the option to comment. I say a YouTube debate sponsored by a few TV stations. So it's on TV at night, and it's on YouTube as well.

FDR was a while ago. Granted Maloney is from a different era, but trust me, YouTube is just like being on TV. It is not like you have to put on extra makeup or anything.

NY Daily News: Reshma Saujani Vs. Carolyn Maloney On Debating... Again: As you can see here in this clip by Melissa Russo of NBC, when (twice) asked if she'd debate her NY-14 Democratic primary challenger, Reshma Saujani, Rep. Carolyn Maloney first dodged, and then said their staffs were talking and she would "consider it." .... Of course, we've blogged about this issue about a million times -- Saujani trying to invite, push, cajole, whatever you want to call it -- Maloney into debating.... The same arguments stand now as stood then -- Saujani would want to get Maloney into a forum where she could a) show her stuff against the congresswoman, b) get more public attention, and c) expose Maloney to a possible gaffe... which, from a strategic standpoint are all the reasons why the incumbent might not want to do it.
Reshma Saujani On Radio Debate: Apparently, That's Not Good Enough: Remember yesterday, when I wondered if maybe my days (weeks, months?) of blogging about the debate-scheduling squabbles between Reshma Saujani and incumbent Rep. Carolyn Maloney were over? ..... WWRL debate is scheduled to occur in the middle of a weekday on a radio station with no television cameras, at a time when most New Yorkers are at work
Capital Tonight: Maloney Agrees To Debate Saujani: woman-to-woman face-off on Sept. 7
OurTownNY: Maloney Agrees To Debate: The debate will also be on a Tuesday on a radio show most Upper East Side voters probably don’t tune in to regularly. (Perhaps WNYC’s Brian Lehrer would have been more suitable for this race.) .... Previously, Baruch College on the East Side sent out a letter asking the two to debate on its campus Aug. 26, but Maloney would not agree..... The decision to debate came after an interview with NBCNewYork, in which Maloney told a reporter, “My campaign staff is talking to her campaign staff and I’m sure that the issues and the records will be put forward.” .... Saujani’s campaign manager, Kevin Lawler, released a statement saying, “We must have missed those calls and emails—because that’s news to us,” adding, “There has been no effort from her staff to even contact our campaign to discuss the issue.” .... James Allen, Saujani’s spokesperson, said that the campaign has not accepted the Errol Louis debate and wants to hash out mutually agreeable terms
The Lo-Down NY: Maloney/Saujani Schedule Debate, Bike Lane Wars, Pies ‘n’ Thighs for Breakfast
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Carolyn Maloney's Work On The Second Avenue Subway Line

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney: "Ten years ago, when we first started talking about the possibility of building a Second Avenue Subway, people scoffed. I have been championing the project in Congress...."
Maloney has been taking credit for a non existent Second Avenue subway line on the campaign trail. Maloney lacks integrity at a fundamental level.

  1. In 1920 Maloney first came up with the idea. 
  2. The Great Depression disrupted her work. Shame on the Great Depression.
  3. World War II disrupted her work. Shame on World War II.
  4. She got back to work after World War II was finally over. 
  5. Every time Maloney tried to get down to work, the estimated cost went up, and so Maloney was perturbed. But she kept looking for fresh starts every few years for decades. 
  6. 1972. Maloney was part of a groundbreaking, one of many it seems. 
  7. In the 1990s Maloney got down to it again. Her enthusiasm was still at a high level after decades of false starts. 
  8. Many steps, small and big, were taken all through the 1990s and the 2000s. Maloney would like to take credit for them all. 
And now you know how the Second Avenue subway line came to be. Go take a ride. Enjoy. And sign the online petition that wants the Second Avenue subway line renamed in Carolyn Maloney's name.

2nd Ave. Subway History
Wikipedia: Second Avenue Subway
NYMag: The Long, Tortured History of the Second Avenue Subway
New York Times: Further Delays Possible for Second Avenue Subway
Reshma Saujani Goes on the Attack Against Carolyn Maloney in Upper East Side Congressional Race
May 21, 2010 ..... Maloney ripped off her ideas on immigration and entrepreneurial innovation. ...... Maloney introduced the bill, which calls for granting two-year visas to immigrants who begin start-ups with qualified investors, on the House floor on April 29, eight days after a Saujani Op-Ed piece proposing a similar idea
Carolyn Maloney Recycles Hillary Clinton "Endorsement" On Campaign Website
The Upper East Side congresswoman's website shows an apparent endorsement from the former senator..... Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney has proposed a spate of immigration and economic development bills that challenger Reshma Saujani said borrow from her own ideas. ........ AsSecretary of StateHillary Clinton can't endorse political candidates. But that hasn't stopped Carolyn Maloney from recycling an old quote and using an image of Clinton to make it look like the former senator is backing the Upper East Side congresswoman's reelection bid.
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Debating Is Not About Media Attention To Reshma Saujani

U.S. map with counties labeled by FIPS code ac...Image via WikipediaReshma Saujani does not want to debate Carolyn Maloney because she thinks that will get her some media attention. Reshma Saujani has been getting a ton of media attention as is. Reshma Saujani has been attracting national media attention for months now. She has been attracting international media attention.

For Reshma Saujani it is not about media attention. For he debating is about debating itself. For her it is about debates being so very fundamental to the democratic process.

For her debates are about democracy.

For her debates are about respect. Respect for the voters of District 14 who deserve to hear from both the candidates who are running. A debate format will best allow the voters to look at both of them and then go make their own decisions.

For Reshma debates are about the issues that she cares about so deeply and that she has been working on her entire life. Those well thought out positions, you don't cook them up for one election. They are the work of a lifetime. When you debate you are appealing to the intelligence of the voters. 30 second TV ads at some level insult the intelligence of the voters. Debates respect their intelligence.

For Reshma debating is about the crisis that is the 10% unemployment rate in the country. It is about the 50% unemployment rates in some parts of her district.

Debates are the lifeblood of democracy. A Carolyn Maloney scared of debating is a Carolyn Maloney scared of her voters, a Carolyn Maloney scared of democracy, a Carolyn Maloney scared of the big issues of the day, a Carolyn Maloney not having the slightest clue as to how the unemployment rate will be brought down.

I find Maloney's staying away from the weekly debates absolutely disgusting.

When Carolyn Maloney finally shows up for the debates, she is the one that will get media attention. Reshma's media attention will get shared with her. And Reshma is okay with that, because she believes in debating so much. She is even willing to give Maloney some media attention.

Carolyn Maloney: Chicken
Maloney Refuses Debate Yet Again
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Charlie Rangel: The Bear Stearns Of US Congress

DENVER - AUGUST 25: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThere are many people including several members of the New York congressional delegation (standing ovations to old man Charlie, come on) who seem to suggest Charlie is a good guy because other members of Congress have also been involved in the kind of behavior that Charlie has been involved in.

That is like saying because many banks were involved in the nefarious finance schemes, so the first bank you catch should be let go.

Charlie Rangel in the news is a US Congress that passed Wall Street reform but is itself fundamentally unreformed. Standing by Charlie is exactly the wrong thing to do. The right thing to do is to pass Congress reform. And there is enough time before the November election to do that.

The US Congress that made bad Wall Street behavior possible stays unreformed. That is the news here. The blame goes to both parties. And the work for Congress reform has to start NOW!

This is not a one party versus the other party issue. This is about the American people losing further faith in the US Congress, in the political system. This is about fighting impending cynicism.

This is not a one party versus the other party issue but is going to be if foolish Dems keep standing by Rangel. Rangel is indefensible. Instead stand on the side of Congress reform.
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Maloney Refuses Debate Yet Again

WASHINGTON - APRIL 03:  Committee Chair Rep. C...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIt is not true Carolyn Maloney is refusing to debate because she thinks she is too far ahead in the polls. That is not the reason. This race has been competitive for weeks now. (Standing At 40-60 Now, Reshma's Momentum: 70% Vs. 7%, 24,000 Vs. 8,000 Signatures, $2 Vs. $1.2 Million, Reshma's Momentum: Line Graph Or Curve Graph) BusinessWeek called it the top primary to watch in all of America and that was back in May. (Reshma's Is Top Primary Race To Watch In America: BusinessWeek In May) That list included the Senatorial primary in Arizona that John McCain himself is contesting in. If BusinessWeek called it the hottest primary in the country back in May, Carolyn Maloney was not the reason why. She has been an "ordinary" member of Congress. (The Washington Post) She has not exactly had star power. (Sep 15 - Oct 31: Obama-Reshma Should Crisscross The Country, Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14)

And it is not because Maloney fears she might end up giving Reshma media attention she otherwise does not have. Reshma has been commanding more media attention than Maloney on her own. She needs no help from Maloney to get media attention. Reshma is the candidate with star power in this race. It is not Maloney. Reshma has been commanding national attention like she should. Reshma is not bothered she might share media attention with Maloney because she knows debating is the right thing to do.

So what is the reason? (Carolyn Maloney: Chicken)

One reason is Maloney is plain scared. It is like getting scared of a scary final exam. Reshma is super duper smart. She is sharp. She is prepared. And so Maloney is scared. I notice Reshma's smarts too. But I am not scared. I get impressed. I am like wow. And I am male.

A big reason Maloney is refusing to show up for the debates is because she is refusing to do the right thing by the cause of women. She needs to plan a graceful exit away from the stage to make way for Reshma. That would be the right thing to do. (Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14)

Show up for the debates, give a good concession speech the evening of September 14, endorse Reshma for the November election, wish the party all the best, and gracefully exit and enjoy your retirement. And watch Reshma do wonderful things for women. (September 14 Will Birth The New Woman)

History will remember but one thing about Maloney, and that is that she was in the seat that Reshma ended up taking. She should play nice therefore.

If Carolyn Maloney cares about the progressive cause, if she cares about furthering the cause of women, she should plan for a graceful exit, and that involves showing up for the weekly debates.

This has gone too far. It will take Maloney less time to actually show up for a debate than to keep dancing around the question if she will debate.

Is she saying she is too good for democracy? Is she saying she is too good for the good people of District 14? Is she saying she is too good for the people of New York City? What exactly is she saying?
The New York Observer: Reshma To Maloney: You've Been Talking To Whom, Exactly?!?: an interview Maloney did with WNBC's Melissa Russo yesterday in which the long-time Upper East Side Congresswoman said that, "my staff is talking to her campaign staff" about setting up a debate...... Saujani has been especially active as the campaign enters its final weeks, knocking Maloney for "silence" on the Ground Zero Mosque
NBC New York: Maloney Won't Commit to Debate with Democratic Challenger: Maloney danced around the direct question "do you intend to debate?" Maloney said her campaign staff was talking to Saujani's campaign staff and "the facts will come out and we're working forward." .... After repeated follow up questions about whether she'll debate, Maloney would only say "we're considering it. Stay tuned." .... Saujani's campaign disputes Maloney's claim that her staff is engaging in any debate related discussions. .... Saujani says Maloney is "running scared." .... Saujani's campaign fired back and said Maloney had been ducking them entirely. .... "Last night, when WNBC asked Carolyn Maloney whether she would be debating Reshma, the Congresswoman said that 'my campaign staff is talking to her campaign staff.' We must have missed those calls and emails -- because that’s news to us," said Saujani's manager Keving Lawlor. ""For more than three months, Maloney has consistently ignored requests to debate from both our campaign and third-party groups...On May 10th, the Maloney campaign signed for a letter inviting her to a series of debates with Reshma. Yet there has been no effort from her staff to even contact our campaign to discuss the issue."

View more news videos at: http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video.





WNYC: South Asian LGBT Community Marches In India Day Parade: Additional pressure on the parade organizers came from Reshma Saujani, a young Indian-American congressional candidate who's waged a high-level campaign against Rep. Carolyn Maloney. According to Jain, SALGA hasn't had that sort of political support before.
Capital Tonight: Saujani Decries Dem ‘Silence’ On Mosque: Most of the state’s 29 House members have so far shied away from taking a definitive position on the mosque .... Saujani goes on to note that she has repeatedly tried to get Maloney to debate her, including on Aug. 24 at Baruch College, but has so far failed to get the incumbent congresswoman to commit to going toe-to-toe. .... “It’s time for Carolyn Maloney to tell New Yorkers what she thinks about the issues that affect their lives. She has been silent on the construction of the Cordoba House, silent on Charlie Rangel’s ethics investigation, silent on passing the DREAM Act, and silent on new ideas to get New Yorkers back to work.”
Politi Fi: Saujani Slams Maloney for Declining Debate Invite
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Sep 15 - Oct 31: Obama-Reshma Should Crisscross The Country

Oval Office ceiling medallion.Image via WikipediaKeeping The House And The Senate

I want Barack to be able to keep the House, because I want him to do the good work he wants to do on comprehensive immigration reform next year. (The Dumbfuck Immigration Laws, Immigration Now?, Save Immigration For 2011, In South Africa They Had Apartheid, In America They Got Immigration)

I also want him to defy history one more time. He defied history in November 2008. His father would not have been served lunch in many parts of this country, and this dude is munching on snacks in the Oval Office. Unbelievable. But critics have started saying anyone can defy history one time. If he were to defy history two times, those critics would be silenced. And I want them silenced. History tells us a sitting president is supposed to lose this November election. Got to defy that, dude. (Obama's Got Momentum: He Could Defy History In November)

Barack's best bet at defying history would be to crisscross the country with his namesake Reshma. There are many reasons why. (Reshma: Obama's Number One Weapon For November 2010)
  1. Reshma has not been in Congress. (September 14 Will Birth The New Woman) If Obama was the face of change in 2008, that face of change this year is Reshma. She has never held political office before although she has been an activist her entire life. She was a top person with Kerry 2004, and she was a top person with Hillary 2008. Since Hillary herself is in the cabinet, I am thinking we Obama people have forgiven "them." She is excellent in the three departments money, message, and organization. Reshma captures the mood for insurgency across the country. She can rightfully say, if you want to add new fuel to the message of change, vote Democratic. Barack has the slight disadvantage of having been in the White House two years, thereabouts. 
  2. All those women who cracked up that glass ceiling in 2008. (Firefighters Booing Hillary: Sexist, Al Hagan: Capable Of A Hate Crime, Al Hagan, Carolyn Maloney: Did They Apologize Yet?) Guess what, they are still there. Reshma crisscrossing the country is going to get them riled up. They will become more likely to show up at the polls. (Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14)
  3. Reshma is literally the second stimulus bill this country needs. (Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs) The president should let her do some of the talking on as to how this country is going to move from a 10% unemployment rate to a more healthy 5%. I mean 10% could lead to social unrest. Some say it is already happening. It is called the tea party. Reshma's message is that you need to mend the frayed relationship between Wall Street and Main Street to get people back to work, and now, after Wall Street reform, is the time for it. 
  4. Just like in 2008, the choice is still between the past and the future. There is no turning back the clock. This country has to choose the future one more time. And Reshma is the face of that future. Reshma could credibly make that case. (Reshma's Is Top Primary Race To Watch In America: BusinessWeek In May) Barack beat McCain in a presidential race. Reshma has beat McCain in this BusinessWeek race. (Positivity, Excellence, Dark Matter)
  5. The 18-38 crowd put Obama into power. That crowd now wants some power for itself. And it starts with Reshma. We run the danger of our 2008 surge crowd not showing up in full force in November. Reshma's crisscrossing the country will give them a big reason to show up. Change now looks like us. (Uptown Upstart, Extrapolations To Reshma 2016, Reshma On CNBC
  6. Charlie Rangel is the Bear Stearns of the US Congress. (Perfect Time For Congress Reform, Rangel Has Gone Radioactive, Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney And Their Ethics Violations, Charlie Rangel: Motherfucker, Rangel And Maloney Need To Vacate The Premises And For The Same Reasons, The Rangel Drama) I am in disbelief how the New York congressional delegation is giving standing ovations to the crook. That guy is now a political suicide bomber, and he could single handedly cost the Dems the House. He has to be isolated, contained, and quarantined. Bear Stearns' collapse needed to be localized. Do not repeat the mistake. Reshma Saujani has been singing exactly the right tunes on Rangel. She will help the president make the case that Obama might also be black, but he is no Charlie Rangel, and Reshma is a New Yorker, but she feels the same.
  7. Reshma has a presence.  (Reshma Saujani: Top 10 Women To Watch In America)
Carolyn Maloney's Six Sins

And then on October 31, they should together celebrate Gandhi's birthday, (Gandhi, Reshma And Tornadoes, Reshma Is Gujarati Like Gandhi, I Am Bihari Like Laloo, Vogue India Features Reshma) and then Obama should give Reshma a few days to crisscross her own district. (The First Time I Heard The Obama Name)
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Monday, August 16, 2010

September 14 Will Birth The New Woman

Barack Obama - CONFIDENCEImage by springhill2008 via FlickrReshma Saujani is a remarkable, remarkable candidate. District 14 is lucky to have her contest. New York City is lucky she did not move back to Chicago like that other ma - Obama - after she got done with law school.

She started with a few different national constituencies.

The Indian Americans are the most successful ethnic group in America measured by per capita family income. An average Indian American family makes twice as much as an average white family, for example. Indians tend to have a strong sense of heritage and family values. There seems to be major onus on education, hard work and thrift. Reshma Saujani has been the number one fundraiser in that community for the Democratic Party for a few election cycles now. She has been minting money for the party like crazy. That is even more remarkable for me to watch personally because fundraising has never been one of my strengths.

When she first launched her campaign, her first 50,000 dollars came from what she calls the "auntie network," these South Asian women spread across the country who see in her the fulfillment of all that they perhaps were not able to do. They nurtured loving families, but they perhaps did not have maxed out, fulfilling careers, and they want to relive that fulfillment through Reshma's personal success.

And when I talk tech, I am not just referring to dot coms and dot bombs. By tech I also mean clean tech, bio tech and nano tech. I am talking about the jobs, companies and industries of tomorrow. Many techies I have heard talk about Reshma start out by expressing disbelief. But she speaks our language! She understands our subculture! She is on with our issues! Her appeal is bi-coastal. Actually, sad to note, but the big tech honchos on the West Coast are more excited about her than the big tech honchos on the East Coast. That is yet another sign the West Coast is ahead of the East Coast when it comes to tech.

And there are young professionals of all stripes who are taken by her sheer excellence. She is so good at what she does, you don't have to be in politics to admire her moves. Money, message and organization are the three fundamentals in politics. And she is excellent at all three.

But the constituency that is the most latent, that is the most waiting to erupt in association with the Reshma Saujani name is a symbol that I have taken to calling The New Woman.

If Barack Obama is The New Black Man, Reshma Saujani is The New Woman. The New Woman wants to, is able to, and takes equality for granted. If you think about it, equality is not really that complicated. The woman wants her education. The woman wants her career. The woman wants her health. The woman wants her life.

Equality was always meant to be something unremarkable like the landscape. It is there. You should be able to take for granted. You should not have to put together the beautiful landscape. But it has been the sorry trajectory of history that equality has been a big deal.

The New Black Man gave me culture shocks when he was someone who hardly ever talked about race. He was not being shy, he was not being diffident, what was he doing? Ends up his style is to instead pump billions into inner city schools. Grandstanding was Jesse Jackson.

You necessarily have to go past Al Sharpton to get to Barack Obama. You necessarily have to get past Carolyn Maloney to get to Reshma Saujani. That is the nature of the beast.

The biggest thing that is happening on September 14 is that this country is birthing The New Woman. Barack Obama was still around and he was still a wonderful, wonderful dude before the Democratic Convention in 2004. But the world had to wait until that convention.

There are two kinds of people, people who will have known Reshma Saujani in person or name before September 14, and those that will hear her name only after that. Which kind are you? (The First Time I Heard The Obama Name)

She is a South Asian, fine. And she breathes tech, sure she does. But the big deal about Reshma Saujani is that she is The New Woman.
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MyFoxNY: Reshma Saujani



MyFoxNY: Reshma Saujani: Saujani is hoping to pull a stunning upset as anti-incumbent sentiment continues to grow....249,000 registered Democrats live in the 14th.
Wild Citizen: Race by Race US House Analysis – Part 5 of 8 The real race will be to see which Democrat can out left the other. Is DSA member Maloney to conservative? For Saujani, perhaps she is.

Reshma On CNBC
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Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14

United States political activist and former di...Image via WikipediaIn 2004 the Republicans got scared of a new guy called Barack Obama. He looked too good. So they decided they were going to end his journey before it began. They threw Alan Keyes at him. Alan Keyes had run for president a few different times. It was quite another matter that he did not seem to have had a taste for field organizations. The dude would simply show up for the debates all dressed up and ready to go. Barack Obama was black. So was Alan Keyes. Barack Obama had gone to Harvard. So had Alan Keyes. But Barack Obama had never run for president. He looked green to the Republicans.

Alan Keyes was not from Illinois. God knows where he was/is from. Carolyn Maloney did not grow up in a big city either like Reshma Saujani did. Maloney is from redneck country North Carolina. She cast redneck votes for the Iraq War and the Patriot Act. The Patriot Act turned the entire country into one big Arizona. (Ed Koch And Carolyn Maloney: Bush Democrats)

Both Reshma Saujani and Carolyn Maloney are women. But Maloney did not go to the University Of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Harvard or Yale. But then nobody went to all three of those fancy schools, not Barack Obama, not Bill Clinton. I am not going to use that against Maloney too much. Her mansion though is another matter.

Alan Keyes, on the other hand, loved debates. Because that is the only thing he did. He otherwise made no campaign appearances. He had no organization. (Carolyn Maloney: Chicken)

2010 is Reshma's year like 2004 was Obama's year. And Carolyn Maloney is the Alan Keyes this time around. She is a nuisance that has to be suffered for a few more weeks. (Carolyn Maloney: The Al Sharpton Of Gender Relations)



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Carolyn Maloney: Chicken

Charlie Rangel: Motherfucker
Charlie Rangel, Carolyn Maloney And Their Ethics Violations
Rangel And Maloney Need To Vacate The Premises And For The Same Reasons


Slavery was ended because Lincoln kept showing up for his debates. The Great Depression was fathomed because FDR kept showing up for his debates. Man went to the moon because JFK showed up for his debates. The Cold War was ended because Reagan showed up for his debates. Obama became the first black president because he showed up for his debates.

But Maloney is missing in action.

Carolyn Maloney is scared of Reshma Saujani's intellect. (Reshma's Is Top Primary Race To Watch In America: BusinessWeek In May, Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs, Reshma Saujani: Top 10 Women To Watch In America) That is totally understandable. But that still does not give her the option to stay away from the weekly debates.

First Debate August 26, Thank You Baruch College
We Will Debate An Empty Podium If We Have To
Maloney: Stifling Debate, Stifling Innovation, Stifling Job Creation

A 10% unemployment rate in the country is a crisis situation. It is not at all in the same league as slavery but it is half way on its way to a Great Depression. This crisis situation is the number one reason Maloney needs to show up for her weekly debates. Otherwise she is saying go to hell to all the unemployed people. (Reshma Saujani Is The Second Stimulus Bill This Country Needs)
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