Barackface

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Old White Men Need To Chew Gum

If Bobby runs in 2012, he could not win in 2016, because that will show he does not have good political sense. But I think his wife Supriya has made it absolutely clear he is not running in 2012. If he does not run in 2012, all bets are off for 2016.

Who will run in 2012? Sarah Palin? Newt Gingrich? Jeb Bush? Mitt Romney? Mike Huckabee? There's no telling who. There are plenty of eager names.

Bobby Jindal has to sit it out.

If Newt Gingrich runs, he will make it official. The Republican Party is the party of old white men.

Old White Men Need To Chew Gum

Image via Wikipedia

The party elected Michael Steele in a knee jerk way, but I don't get the impression they are accepting his leadership. The guy is too black for many old fashioned Republicans.

Bobby has to do now what Bill Clinton did when Reagan was president. His effort was called the Democratic Leadership Council. He did not try too hard to become a big shot inside the party. He focused on being a good Governor, and he worked hard to come up with a new set of ideas to reinvent his own party, take on his own special interests that had taken the party into the ditch. And when it was his time, he ran and won.

What could some of those ideas be to claim the center?

This economy will turn around. Once it does, Obama will work hard to cut deficits, but he might not manage to get it all done. So Bobby's message today of balancing budgets will suddenly become sexy in 2016. About the current financial mess, Bobby had this to say: "Let's face it, we are addicted to debt!" That is one sharp-eyed conservative. He is not putting all blame on the bankers. He is saying we the people have to take responsibility.

Emphasize family, emphasize faith. But emphasize family without sounding sexist, and emphasize faith without sounding racist, or you lose independents like me.

Independent For Bloomberg

Balanced Budgets
Family
Faith
Sound Governance
Economic Growth
Imagining The Jobs, Companies And Industries Of Tomorrow
Global Stewardship

Monday, May 18, 2009

Laloo Should Be Brought Back As Railway Minister

Image via Wikipedia

Lalu Prasad Yadav - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Laloo is never going to be Prime Minister. Now we know that. It is Manmohan, and then it will be Rahul's turn after Manmohan is done with it. And granted Laloo has only four MPs under his belt now from the 24 he used to have. But he was the best railway minister in the world. And he should be brought back as railway minister. And the UPA does not garner a majority on its own. And if ever the Congress might need to reach out to the Left down the line, Laloo would be the best middle man they could find. It was Laloo Yadav who saved the Manmohan Singh government when the Left threatened to pull away on the nuclear deal issue.

Laloo should be brought back as railway minister primarily for his stellar performance over the past five years as railway minister. That is the number one reason. But it also makes parliamentary arithmetic sense.

If Manmohan Singh was among the top five heads of state in the world over the last five years, Laloo was the very best railway minister in the world. That is reason enough to bring him back.

The BJP is still the Congress Party's number one rival, and there is no bigger opponent than Laloo that the BJP has. Noone else plays the game better.

Manmohan Gave China Like Growth To India

Coalition	Total	Party	Seats
United Progressive Alliance	262	Indian National Congress	206
		Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	18
		Nationalist Congress Party	9
		Jharkhand Mukti Morcha	2
		All India Trinamool Congress	19
		Republican Party of India (Athvale)	0
		Jammu and Kashmir National Conference	3
		Assam United Democratic Front	1
		Kerala Congress (M)	1
		Muslim League Kerala State Committee	2
		All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen	1
National Democratic Alliance	158	Bharatiya Janata Party	116
		Janata Dal (United)	20
		Shiv Sena	11
		Shiromani Akali Dal	4
		Indian National Lok Dal	0
		Asam Gana Parishad	1
		Rashtriya Lok Dal	5
		Nagaland People's Front	1
Third Front	76	Communist Party of India	4
		Communist Party of India (Marxist)	16
		Revolutionary Socialist Party	2
		All India Forward Bloc	2
		Bahujan Samaj Party	21
		AIADMK	9
		Biju Janata Dal	14
		Telugu Desam Party	6
		Telangana Rashtra Samithi	2
Fourth Front	27	Samajwadi Party	23
		Rashtriya Janata Dal	4
		Lok Jan Shakti Party	0
		Praja Rajyam Party	0
Main Other Parties	5	Pattali Makkal Katchi	0
		Janata Dal (Secular)	3
		Haryana Janahit Party	1
		Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam	1
		Janhit Congress Party	0

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Sri Lanka: Is The End Game Near?

Sri Lanka: 'What's happening there is another genocide like Rwanda'

Image via Wikipedia

The government in Sri Lanka is all set to announce its total military victory over the LTTE. There are those who will marvel at the military operation. And it perhaps will be a military victory. But at what price and to what end?

There can not be a military solution to a political problem. Sri Lanka can not continue to be a unitary state. Sri Lanka can not continue to be a country that treats its Tamil minority like second class citizens. That basic political problem if anything has only worsened.

I have never approved of LTTE violence. But for me that has not been an excuse to ignore the very real political issues of Sri Lanka's Tamil minority.

There is a very real danger that the ruling class in Sri Lanka will think of themselves as victors and find the military victory to be an excuse to further mistreat the Tamils. We already have the ugly stories from the internment camps.

Sinhala chauvinism goes along these lines:

The Tamils are not discriminated against.
Sri Lanka is too small for federalism.
But don't you know the Tamils are terrorists?

Bloodbath In Sri Lanka: Where Is The Outrage?
Genocide/Ethnic Cleansing Of Sri Lanka Tamils

In The News

Why Google and IBM Are Ahead of the Competition Time
Why Wal-Mart's First India Store Isn't A Wal-Mart
In India, a Dynastic Heir Strategizes the Election
Spectre of Mass Suicide as Tamil Tigers Face Final Battle the embattled separatist fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are not expected to allow themselves to be taken alive...... LTTE terrorists are preparing for a mass suicide ...... Prabhakaran and other commanders may be ringed by at least 100 Black Tigers ........ Soosai revealed that her husband remained inside the combat zone along with Prabhakaran and Pottu Amman, the LTTE intelligence chief and effective second in command ....... bombers mingling with escaping civilians before detonating their explosive belts ........ the stench of death permeates the area. ...... Fierce fighting has prevented Red Cross ships from reaching the area to evacuate the wounded and ferry in food since May 9. Pro-Tiger websites are also reported that the make-shift hospital operating in the combat zone is no longer able to function. ......... the military now within hours of destroying the long running insurgency ....... Before leaving Jordan, Rajapaksa announced, "I will return to Sri Lanka as a leader of a nation that vanquished terrorism."
The Tamil Tigers
Thousands of Civilians Escape as Sri Lanka Corners the Tamil Tigers
Sri Lanka: More Civilians Caught in Crossfire in Hospital
Ready for a Fight: Russia's New Security Policy

Manmohan Gave China Like Growth To India

Image by London Summit via Flickr

And got rightly rewarded. This soft-spoken, unassuming man has done wonders as Prime Minister of India. Good governance delivers. Good governance is good politics. That is what he has proven.

Manmohan Singh is a Sikh. An American equivalent would be if an Asian, and Indian, someone like Bobby Jindal became President of the United States. (Independent For Bloomberg)

But Rahul Gandhi has emerged the biggest story out of this election. Suddenly he comes across as the person who will succeed Manmohan Singh as the Prime Minsiter of India.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, and now Rahul Gandhi. That is one for the world history books. Which family has ruled a country as large as India for four generations? And that too in a rumbunctious democracy?

In The News

India's Congress Sweeps to Biggest Poll Win Since '91 Bloomberg
Rahul Gandhi Urged to Join India's Cabinet After Forging Election Victory “Rahul Gandhi has a shot at running this country for the next 15 years with the decimation of the BJP” ....... He addressed 120 rallies, compared with 68 for his mother and 21 for Singh..... Gandhi outdistanced all Indian politicians in campaign travel, flying 87,000 kilometers (54,000 miles) around the country to attend rallies...... Sonia Gandhi turned down the position of prime minister in 2004 ..... “We have won the elections under the visionary leadership of Sonia Gandhi and the youthful leadership of Rahul Gandhi,” Singh said, flanked by 62-year-old Sonia. ...... Uttar Pradesh, which elects 80 of the 543 members of parliament, Congress was on course to win 22 seats, up from nine...... Gandhi’s push over the past year to rebuild the party’s state and local organizations, and to urge greater internal democracy, helped win voters
India's Left Loses in Strongholds Wall Street Journal
White House says India's voting bolsters democracy The Associated Press
For India's Rupee, a New Identity Washington Post, United States
India's National Election Spreads Billions Around New York Times, United States
India's Bharti sees users doubling to 200 mln in 3 yrs Reuters
US senators ask India to reduce troops on Pak border Daily Times, Pakistan
Congress coalition wins overwhelming majority in Indian elections Daily Mail, UK
BJP routed in Rajasthan, Cong bags 19 seats Hindu, India
A Global Election, a Global Victory for India Wall Street Journal
Congress central body to meet on Sunday Economic Times, India
UPA won most seats from states of Third Front partners Economic Times, India
Rahul's magic floors UP for Congress Hindustan Times, India
Congress to stick to allies for government formation Economic Times, India
President skips legal consultations as UPA emerges on top Economic Times, India
UPA beats anti-incumbency factor, bounces back to power Hindustan Times, India
Singh, India's cerebral PM, glides to victory again AFP
Congress Win Sparks Reforms Hope Wall Street Journal
Cong, SP together would have wiped out BSP in UP: Amar Livemint, India
Congress comeback in Uttar Pradesh that no one predicted Economic Times, India

Barackface

Pages

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Contents 2007

Contents 2006

Contents 2004, 2005

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Bobby 2016, Until Then Adios

Monday, May 18, 2009

Laloo Should Be Brought Back As Railway Minister

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Sri Lanka: Is The End Game Near?

Manmohan Gave China Like Growth To India