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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

December 3, Kettle Full Of Fish, December 4, Rudy's, December 10, Holiday?




December LinkUp, West Village - 7:00pm, Kettle of Fish, 59 Christopher St. (near 7th Ave.) with host Josh Silverstein.


December 4, Drinking Liberally, Rudy's
The Original Drinking Liberally
Thursday, December 4th, 2008: 7:30pm
Rudy's Bar & Grill
627 9th Ave between 44th and 45th
New York, NY, 10036

Host:
New York State Democratic Party
Type:
Party - Holiday Party

Date:
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Time:
9:00pm - 11:00pm
Location:
Westin New York at Times Square, Broadway Ballroom - 3rd Floor
Street:
270 West 43rd Street at 7th Avenue
City/Town:
New York, NY




DL21C's Sixteenth Annual Holiday Bash!
Start Time:
Thursday, December 11, 2008 at 8:00pm
End Time:
Friday, December 12, 2008 at 2:00am
Location:
Strata Nightclub
Street:
915 Broadway (@21st Street)
City/Town:
New York, NY



In The News

Clinton for a Clinton? Senate guessing game begins Reuters
 Canada coalition members talk of C$30 bln stimulus Reuters
Is Obama's honeymoon really over already? BBC News
More on Jindal Atlantic Online
Bobby Jindal, the Republican Strategists and the Last Battle Huffington Post
Obama's puppy promise wreaking havoc on Jindal KATC
Bill Clinton: Sounding board only if Hillary is secretary of state Boston Globe
Clinton is a brilliant choice for US Secretary of State Telegraph.co.uk
Gyanendra still sees a role for monarchy in Nepal Press Trust of India
Bihar legislator’s brother shot dead SINDH TODAY
Journalist shot dead in Bihar Hindu
ANALYSIS-India to answer Mumbai attacks with talk not troops Reuters
Europe should not appease China: Dalai Lama Reuters
GA-Senate Runoff: Winners and Losers Washington Post
Franken gets bump from 171 found ballots The Associated Press
US, China headed for possible currency clash The Associated Press
Latin America to Account for More Than 10 Percent of Global WiMAX ... MarketWatch
Amitabh, Aamir blog for good Oneindia
Amitabh Bachchan turns down Bill Clinton’s invitation Zee News
Dell racks up Microsoft as data center customer CNET News

Bachchan says media misrepresented his gun comment Hindustan Times

Maoist Rule in Nepal Wall Street Journal

Fix Pick: Being Bobby Jindal Washington Post any conversation about the future faces of the Republican Party has to begin with Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal..... Jindal is, above all else, a political meteor, sharing Obama's precocious skills for reaching the firmament in a hurry. ..... only this year that he became Louisiana's governor, the first nonwhite to hold the office since Reconstruction. And now, 10 months into his first term, the talk of a presidential bid is getting louder among his boosters ..... "I think the American people are tired of campaigns and politics," Jindal said. "We need to get behind our new president and our new Congress, support them, and stop being Democrats and Republicans."
GOP sees Bobby Jindal as its own Obama, Washington Post saysThe Times-Picayune - NOLA.com it's only a matter of when, not if Jindal will occupy the White House
GOP needs to look south for its salvation Kansas City Star the new Republican Party messiah. I speak, of course, of Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana.... the smart money is on Jindal, who lately seems to be familiarizing himself with Iowa for some strange reason.... Jindal showed how you herd cats in a hurricane. During Gustav, he did what Dubya, Brownie and ex-Gov. Blanco did not do with Katrina: thought, led, organized, unified, saved lives. ....... Republicans should have looked south, not north, for their hero. Instead, the national GOP maintained the old script of keeping the national leadership right, white, mediocre and slightly wacko. ....... Despite the pity party Palin held for the press in Miami, Jindal was the darling at the Republican governors meeting. ..... It’s tragic how the Republican Party let Bush-Cheney kill it and McCain-Palin nail the coffin shut. ........ dust off those “Abe Lincoln for President” buttons, fellow Americans. Owing much to Democrat Obama’s Lincoln fascination, Republicans across the country are repositioning themselves as belonging to the party of Lincoln.
Bobby Jindal's Saturday in Iowa MSNBC 'It all starts with family and builds outward from there,' said the first-term Jindal
Jindal's Medicine Wall Street Journal Jindal, Louisiana's prodigy Governor, has been arguing lately that only policy innovators will break a path out of the GOP's political wilderness ....... Jindal recently announced a major renovation of the way his state provides health coverage to the poor and uninsured, thus taking up a topic for which most Republicans require a shot of epinephrine just to pay attention. ....... Jindal wants to use Medicaid dollars to fund something like private insurance. That way, physicians and hospitals will be compensated for outcomes -- rather than volume of visits and procedures -- and get incentive payments for good performance. ....... Such a "defined contribution" plan is one way to wrestle run-amok health costs back under control and spend more responsibly. It isn't a new idea, but it is a good one. Congressional Republicans passed a similar reform in 1995 for Medicare, which Bill Clinton vetoed -- only to have his own bipartisan commission endorse it in 1999.
In Iowa stop, Jindal says GOP must offer solutions Chicago Tribune

Gates offers Obama stability but not perfect match Reuters

Ahead for Obama: How to Define Terror New York Times, United States
Obama Picks May Leave Big Holes Washington Post, United States

India's Jews stunned by Mumbai attack AFP








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Sunday, November 30, 2008

Contents 2008

Independent For Bloomberg
Plenty Of Fish: Chemistry Test Results
Switching Mode
Advice For Caroline
Chants
Katie Halper's Big Night: Ha Ha Hanukkah Aachhoo
Caroline Kennedy Is No Sarah Palin, She Is No Airhead
Drinking Liberally Holiday Party
1200 Page Hits On November 9
Bringing The Criminal Charge Drama To An End: A Potential Lawsuit
Possible Pitfalls In Barack's Way
December 18 Court Date
Hello Barack, I Was In Chicago
Kosi Flood
I Like The Caroline Kennedy Name
Blac For Obama
Mumbai Tribute
Amitabh
At The Bill Thompson Penthouse: Elvis Sighting
Request For Change Of Venue
December 10, 11, 16, 18
Insurance Companies Need To Cut Paper, Americans Need To Cut Fat
Lingering Detail: December 18
Laloo
Universal Broadband, Universal Health Care
To Go Or Not To Go
December 10: Holiday
Pitcher
Kettle, Pitcher
December 3, Kettle Full Of Fish, December 4, Rudy's, December 10, Holiday?
Onto Grassroots Governing
The Bigness Of The Financial Crisis: Making Sense
The Four White Manhattan Organizations
Video Archives
After A Week Of Freedom, Rudy's? SAFO?
The Madonna Of Global Politics

A MLK Style Death Awaits Me In Nepal
Lipstick On A Pig
Jail Time
Letter To The Department Of Homeland Security
Freedom, Finally

Hillary's Tuesday Night Speech
June 4, 2008 Court Appearance: Prepared Statement: Final Draft
June 4, 2008 Court Appearance: Prepared Statement: Rough Draft
Druk Libra, High Five
Reverend Michael Pfleger Is Out Of Line On Hillary
Hillary's Bobby Kennedy Comment: Bitter Heart, Bad Taste
Bobby For McCain's VP?
Bobby Jindal For President Of The United States 2016
Hillary Is Right About Sexism, Gender Bias
Elizabeth Caputo: Trying To Make Sense
I Have A Blog
Tracey Denton, Al Benninghoff
Hillary Is All The Rage
Haiku
The Jewish Angst
Drinking Liberally, 2nd Annual Fundraiser, Chinatown
Apology
We Can Put Hillary On The Ticket, But What Are We Going To Do With Bill Clinton?
Liberal Guy Justin Krebs Is A Poet
I Give John McCain Five States
Looking At White Women: The Search For Vocabulary
Louisiana Senator Event: Crime Scene
Da WhaD Is Da Pasta
Caputo: Closure?
Black Anger Does Not Surprise, Bother Me, Absence Of Black Anger Would
Brooklyn Is Africa, Queens Asia, Bronx Latin America, Manhattan Is Europe
Race, Class, Gender, Globalization And 2008
April 29: Arianna
The Working Class Are Hurt By Special Interests And Lobbyists' Money
Hillary Is Seeking The Green Party Nomination
Taking Race Head On: A Speech
Lessons From PA: Race And Globalization Must Be Addressed
Gender Talk: Coming At It From The Future
Skyward Bound
Philly Debate: Quick Impressions During
Nobel Peace Prize 2008: Making A Case For Nepal (2)
Sexism Bothers Me Directly
Outsourcing Anxieties: The Internet Metaphor
How to Tame a Free Spirit
Nobel Peace Prize 2008: Making A Case For Nepal
Two New Chapters
Nepal Votes
Some Reflections: Three Years In NYC
Montana
In Anticipation
Darfur Solution: End The Dictatorship In Sudan
We Got The Mo, We Will Win
Michelle Is Back, I Missed Michelle
Political Sci-Fi
I Am Different
Another Speech On Race Will Bring Victory In PA
John McCain Has Carly Fiorina On His Mind
I Am A Buddhist Like Richard Gere
What Tibet Needs Is A Political Party
I Dedicate This City To You
Love Is The Reason
But, Hillary, Quit
Superdelegates Should Not Wait Until The Convention
CSC
New York City's Progressive Galaxy
Blueprint For DL21C: Party Inside A Party
Don't Forget Burma, Pay Attention To China
Tera Saath Hai To Mujhe Kya Kami Hai
Geraldine Ferraro, Geremiah Wrong: A Dialogue
Yellow Rose
Yellow Rose To Reclaim
A Model Primary Season
Imagining A Federal, Multi-Party China Of State Funded Parties
Bill Richardson: A Genuine American Hero
James Watson, Now, Was He Your Pastor?
Barack: On Iraq
Confronting My Own Demons
Talking About Race, Finally
Satyagraha, Day 1
Barack In Town With South Asians For Obama: March 27
Declaring Satyagraha On The DL21C White Establishment
Geraldine Ferraro, Geremiah Wrong
Eliot Spitzer Needs To Go Into Business With Me
Hillary For VP: Going To A Hillary Event
CCC
The Pennsylvania Primary Will Be Won With A Blitz Of TV Ads
Pained Spitzer Inflicts Pain On His Family
Women's Unity Day: Event
Pledge Of Allegiance
Hillary Had A Net Gain Of Four Delegates On March 4
Who Is This Hillary Person? And Why Does She Keep Coming At Us?
March 4 Returns Parties
Madhesi Movement Victory In Nepal
Processing The Holocaust Pain
Yellow Roses To Keep
Hillary Should Concede March 4
Yellow Roses
Rabbits Birthing Rabbits
Going To Ohio
Texas Debate
Texas Debate Watch: Two Stops
Texas Debate Watch: Another Story In Indigntiy?
My Third World People Don't Get To Vote In This City
Clinton 08 Is Getting Desperate
Wrong Circles
Looks Awfully Close
The Jewish Identity In New York City
Hillary's Rudy Strategy: She Will Lose March
Three Very Different Worlds: Nepal, Obama, Startup
Mark Penn At Strand
Potomac Primary Watch At Irish Rogue Tuesday
OH, TX, PA: Treat Them Well
Looking For 10 Ninja Women
Planned Parenthood: First Impressions
Message To Elizabeth Caputo: SOS Call
Planned Parenthood: A Different Kind Of Event
Tonic: What A Party
Bill Perkins: Next Mayor Of New York City
Party Tonight
The Final Countdown
My Guy Barack Won The LA Debate
Running Mate
Events, So Many Events, Many More At MyBO
Don't Abandon California
Caroline Kennedy: A President Like My Father
Barack Obama Is No Jesse Jackson
Polls Don't Mean S__t: February 5 Can Be Had
Landslide In South Carolina Means Victory On Fabulous 5
How To Win On February 5
The Need For A Race Gender Coalition
Don't Do The Bill Richardson Thing
A Vote For Barack Is Not A Vote Against Hillary
February 5: Big Prizes
Building Social Muscles
Barack Is Deaniac From 2004: His Anti-War Image Is No Fairytale
Progressive Political Religion: No Place For Superpowers
Tackling Race As An Issue The Average Person Way
Why Bill Clinton Is Misbehaving
An Ode To White Women: I Think I Am Going Hispanic
5.0 With Manhattan Organizations
Let's Finish This Thing On February 5
Howard Dean Was Grassroots 1.0, Barack Is Grassroots 2.0
White Media Says The Clintons Won Nevada
Which Clinton Is Running For President?
Global Trafficking Of Women
Become Aggressive, Or Become Adlai Stevenson
Nobody Quite Like Benazir
How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head
Mother
What Are We Looking At
It Is A RSVP: Here I Come DL21C
The Al Qaeda And Political Organizations In Manhattan
Barack's Fairytale Position On Iraq War, Fairytale Candidacy, Fairytale Lifestory, Fairytale Hairstyle
2.0 Penetrates DL21C
And The British Left India On Their Own
Martha Outed Kenton And Women With Issues
The Swift Boat Aspect Of Hillary's New Hampshire Victory
Spitzer Is Right, Albany Is Wrong
How To Play The Race Card In South Carolina
An Open Letter To Elizabeth Caputo
Hillary Cried, Women Responded, She Won
Iowa: One And A Half Victory Parties

Contents 2007
Contents 2006
Contents 2004, 2005
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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Onto Grassroots Governing


Dean 2004 was Grassroots 1.0, Obama 2008 has been Grassroots 2.0. The method of it has been Grassroots 2.0, the substance of it has been what Barack calls the new kind of politics, the politics of hope, the politics of respect for those who differ with you, the politics of no longer tearing each other down. The method made the substance possible. The grassroots mechanics of Obama 2008 were made possible by the advances in internet technology. Dean 2004 did not have YouTube, Blogger, Facebook, none of that. Internet fundraising has gone through the roof. The people have claimed the power. 

But like Barack said in his victory speech, a speech that I heard on the radio, that had me sobbing. He said "I know you did not do this for me, and I know you did not do this to win an election." The grassroots won this election to transform the country, the world, to bring forth fundamental policy changes like universal health care, ending a war, changing the way Washington does business. 

The mood can't be, okay, now that we won, let's pack up and go home, let's hope Barack is a good guy, let's hope he is who we thought he was. The mood has to be, let's govern the way we won. What would be some of the elements?

Transparency In Decision Making 

Share the data, the facts, the details of the policy discussions, the money projections, the debate with the grassroots. All bills in Congress must be put online in the entirety for a week or two before they get voted on by Congress. Let the grassroots chew on the bills. Feed the monster. 

Feedback Loop

If internet technology makes possible that transparency, it also makes possible for the grassroots to meet and discuss and debate and speak back to the powers that be in Washington. The Barack team in the White House has to make the grassroots feel like they are constantly listening. The listening process itself has to be public. 

MyBO

That website can not be dismantled. It has to be enhanced.  That is where Obama 2012 has already been launched. Millions of volunteers across the country are so invested in that site. That can't be put to waste. That website is the tool people have used to create and host events. That fundamental function will continue to be relevant. Google just launched a browser that is faster. MyBO has to become faster. My profile page takes forever to load. The basic functions have to be made more robust, and perhaps elements have to be added. 

Do Events, Blog Events

Obama 2008 produced numerous leaders at the grassroots levels. I would not be surprised if many of those end up running for local, state and federal offices. For now, the local leaders have to keep putting together local events where people can gather and mingle, discuss and reconnect. The best aspect of Obama 2008's use of internet technology was that it was able to bring people to gather and meet in person, press the flesh. It was face time, it was not screen time. 

Major Events For The Major Votes

There will be a few times over the next eight years when Barack is going to need Congress to pass a big bill, like the bill for universal health care for example. The grassroots has to be involved in the crafting of the bill itself, people who will vote on it also. But once Barack has decided a bill is ready, and it is time for the vote, the grassroots army has to swing into action like it were election time all over again. 

Quality Face Time

MyBO should make that possible. Of course quality time is getting to have dinner with Barack, like Rivera from the Bronx did early in the campaign. But since Barack will be busy, we will have to create quality time for each other. 

Intelligent, Informed Debate, Decent Government

It is a wonderful thing that a government of the people is actually going to be a government of the people. And Barack's positive mantra is going to lead to a decent government. This hope guy has a tendency to elevate the status of you and me and all. Decency has its value. Respect has its value. Did I tell you? I am a declared student of Barack's new kind of politics. 


 










In The News

Indian forces tighten grip on Mumbai International Herald Tribune
Mumbai terror tears here too Times of India, India
Day After Attacks, a Standoff in India New York Times, United States
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Monday, November 24, 2008

The Bigness Of The Financial Crisis: Making Sense


This thing is so big, it is not making sense to me. It is just so huge. I can try and draw historic parallels, but there is no denying we are breaking new ground. Noone really saw it coming, although many warned of the malpractices in the mortgage industry.

Great Depression?

That was the last big crisis of this proportion, although the times were much more painful back then. A wrong lesson to draw would be to think now is the time to usher in a new bag of entitlement programs. There is no free lunch, the cliche goes. Someone somewhere has to pay. That someone could be unborn children, but they are still paying.

This Is America Paying For The Iraq War

The direct cost was the trillion Bush poured into the Iraqi sands. The indirect cost is this global financial meltdown, although it no longer feels all that indirect.

Bin Laden, Right?

Bin Laden talked of "the myth of the superpower" before he drove the Soviets out of Afghanistan. 9/11 triggered the Iraq War that triggered this financial crisis. Wall Street saw the White House act wildly fiscally irresponsible, and it mirrored the behavior.

Synthesis

The communist Russia of 1917 scared the capitalist west. The welfare state of the FDR types was a synthesis to save capitalism and democracy. The challenge of the War On Terror is for America to morph into becoming a non racist democracy. The election of a Barack Obama is a good start.

700 Billion Bailout, 500 Billion Stimulus?

The answer to America's economic challenges are not in the past. If the American taxpayer does not get all those 700 billion dollars back, the Paulson gang did not dole out the money right. They will have thrown good money after bad. The bad behavior that brought forth this bad mess has to be part of the rectification. Loans and mortgages have to be renegotiated so most people can keep their homes. Losses will be suffered. Inflated assets will not stand.

To say the rich got the 700 billion bailout, so let the poor get the 500 billion stimulus, that thinking alarms me a little for a few different reasons. One, 500 billion is a lot of money. Two, this 500 billion is not coming back. You could argue a big chunk of the 700 billion might not come back either. Three, this looks like too much of an effort to rescue the old industries. It is for America to invent new industries. The biggest effort ought be to invest massively in human capital. Universal health care and universal broadband are what tomorrow asks for. Broadband is the interstate highway for tomorrow.

Balanced Budgets: Still Sexy As Ever

You can't do it in one year, or even four. But if you can't deliver a balanced budget in five, six years, the pendulum is going to swing the other way. The Democrats can't hurry up and snatch the fiscal indiscipline mantle from the Republicans and still hope to rule for any length of time. Someone somewhere is paying.

Ending the misadventure in Iraq is going to be a big part of bringing down the deficit. Hopefully the US federal government will get a good return on its 700 billion investment in the financial sector. Maybe 700 billion will have become a trillion in five years. It is possible, if the right decisions are being made now. That could help usher a new era of balanced budgets. Health care reform, if done right, is to be a money saver for the country. Universal wireless broadband is to bring the educational costs down too.

Global Financial Architecture

Global warming, global terrorism, global WMD proliferation, global financial meltdown, global US President. Barack did his elementary school in the Third World, the guy has family on three continents.

I think the number one lesson of this crisis is that the big heads need to come together and put in place a new, robust global financial structure in place. No country is an island. No one country can do it alone.

In The News

Obama Unveils Team to Tackle ‘Historic’ Crisis New York Times
Team Obama promises huge jolt to economy guardian.co.uk
Obama says economic worst still to come International Herald Tribune
Wall Street's nervous about more bank rescues The Associated Press
Zimbabwe on brink of collapse as outbreak of cholera spreads guardian.co.uk
Jimmy Carter says Zimbabwe crisis is 'much worse' than imagined Los Angeles Times
Venezuela's Chavez faces new challenges The Associated Press
Key gains for Venezuela opposition BBC News
Chavez Loses Biggest States on Defections by Venezuela’s Poor Bloomberg
New Orleans Ranks as Most Violent US City, Study Finds FOXNews
Obama costly stimulus needed to jolt US economy Reuters
Obama: Did Jackson County cost him Missouri? Kansas City Star
Hillary Clinton swayed by Barack Obama’s vow to listen to her input Boston Herald
Return of the Clinton gang AsiaOne
Clinton's potential pitfalls seen in FDR's secretary of State Los Angeles Times
My government’s innovative steps transformed Bihar: Nitish Kumar SINDH TODAY
Citigroup Bailout Charts New US Course for Rescuing Banks Bloomberg
Opera Mini 4.2 beta now surfing Google Android CNET News
Android G1 gains Visual Voicemail via PhoneFusion Phones Review
Dell Offers 'Black Friday' $349 Notebook InformationWeek
Bobby Jindal's Saturday in Iowa MSNBC
Make way for Bobby Jindal? Canada.com









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