4 More Years

Today America votes for a President or a "Decider and Chief".  Let's hope we have a President for the  next four years.  God only knows what we will have if Romney were elected.  I have been decidedly quite during this campaign cycle.  I'm speechless when it comes to understanding Republican voters.  I'm saddened by the stupidity of people and the process that has created disgust for a great President.  I am disgusted by a man running for President that stands for nothing; no, I mean everything; no, I mean flip a coin.  How the hell can any intelligent being vote for such a dolt as Willard Romney? The etch-a-sketch candidate was very well phrased.

Romney; the schoolyard bully that will send our troops to fight his battles.  His kids won't be fighting, you can be sure of that.  Romney's character can be simply determined by understanding the nature of a man that would hold another human being to the ground and cut off his hair because he saw him as potentially gay.  Romney; the candidate that organized counter protests that favored the war in Vietnam but had no intention of entering the military.  Romney; the candidate that did not once stand up to the hatred exhibited towards his opponent.  On the contrary, Romney endorsed the hatred.  Romney encouraged the hatred.

Barack Obama said it best when he told the American people that Romney's foreign policy was from the 80's, his social policies were from the 50's and his economic policies were from the 30's.  I could not say it better.

Last night I watched Obama's last campaign speech from Iowa. What a class act - enough said!  We will be hearing from Barack Obama for many years following the end of his presidential service in 2016.  The world wants a winner and America has been lifted to great heights because of Obama's leadership.

What has also saddened me this election cycle was the passing of a great man that made the election of Barack Obama more likely.  That man was George McGovern.  George McGovern was a true World War II hero.  McGovern was a pilot of a B24 bomber and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his bravery during war time.  McGovern had to crash land his flying fortress aircraft on 3 occasions and each time brought his crew to safety.  On one occasion he had to pick out a small island in the middle of the Adriatic sea.  He always offered his men the opportunity to bail out but they always trusted him to bring them to safety.  McGovern was a man that saw the necessity of war yet hated war.  He was a man that was to be trusted while "Tricky Dick" was not.

McGovern once said that it was better to be right than to be elected.  I suppose this will provide solace to anyone from the losing side.  One thing for sure; McGovern was no loser and he helped establish the politics of the left and gave us the opportunity to elect a person as great as Barack Obama.  I am proud to have known George McGovern and I'm proud that I stood by him in 1972 and in 1984 as his Rhode Island campaign manager.  You will always be within my thoughts.

In the picture, McGovern and wife Eleanor are standing at the podium in Syracuse New York on October 31, 1972 (not my picture and I apologize for losing the credit).  I am standing in the 3rd row waiting to hear his speech.  As he begins to talk, the church bells begin to ring and drown out his voice for many minutes (probably a Donald Segretti trick).  A little old lady stands behind me and is struggling to see him.  I say to her, "please, stand in front of me so you can see better".  She accepts and moves to the front for 30 seconds then turns to leave.  I say to her, "where are you going?"  She says to me, "I just wanted to see him, I didn't want to hear what he has to say."  Unfortunately, a lot of America is like this.

tomtoak

Wisconsin Recall Election of Scott Walker

Wisconsin voters - Please do the right thing!

tomtoak

Linc Chafee for Governor

Lincoln Chafee announced his intention to run for Governor of Rhode Island yesterday. I'm sorry I missed the official kick-off, but I had a long time friend spending a few days with me. Linc chose a most unusual way to announce his candidacy. He spoke directly to the people of Rhode Island. You won't find others in the race that will speak honestly.

Linc started his campaign by outlining a sales-tax plan that will result in more goods being covered by a two-tiered sales tax program. He was right when he suggests that people can make personal decisions to buy things, but increasing the property tax in this state leaves people without choices. Practical, honest and sincere are words that come to mind when reading the news of his announcement. Linc will be far more able to achieve this structural change than the right wing plans designed to end government as we know it. I think Linc Chafee will be able to get some things done.

What Rhode Islanders constantly hear from the Republicans in this state is that Rhode Island has the 2nd highest sales tax rate in the country. What Republicans fail to tell you is that most states have sales tax on a much wider variety of goods than does Rhode Island. Maybe Linc can actually get some sales tax out of the state's richest citizens that line Narragansett Bay with their yachts.

The Republicans will continue to tell us that government needs to be smaller. They have an uncanny ability to never look at the big picture - the bottom line so to speak. While the Carcieri crowd has attacked state employees and now municipal employees as being the problem, they continue to grow the budget in unprecedented ways (9% increase this year). Republican spending is all about putting our money in the hands of their few connected friends. Once again, I will reflect on the bottom line of the state's budget. Carcieri's budget called for $7.8 billion, an increase of almost $1 billion from the previous year. The entire cost of paying state employee salaries, benefits, pensions, etc. is approximately $1.3 billion annually, a mere 17% of the entire state budget.

So to you Carcieri lovers out there that think that he knows what's wrong with government, think again! There's plenty of cost savings to be found, but don't expect the Republicans to find it because they are not going to take it away from their well connected friends that spend half the year in Florida. Lincoln Chafee appreciates the work of state and municipal employees and understands the need to balance government's needs with the needs of those that pay the bills.

Lincoln Chafee for Governor!

tomtoak

Lincoln Chafee for Governor of Rhode Island

I want to be among the first to endorse former Senator Lincoln Chafee for governor in 2010. I know; this is awfully early and Chafee has not formally announced his intentions. Today, Chafee did say that he will spend the next months laying the groundwork for a potential Independent campaign for governor. I want to give a few reasons why I think he can be successful.

First and foremost; Lincoln Chafee has always followed his own heart and mind. Nobody controls Lincoln Chafee. To me he has been a true "profile in courage". I must admit though, I did not always vote for him. Lincoln always had my vote until his last senatorial election, when through no fault of his own, circumstances got in the way. I owe Lincoln Chafee; big time! The election of 2006 was the hardest decision I ever had to make in a voting booth. At stake was control of the U.S. Senate following the many years of Republican leadership that tarnished the Nation. I felt ill voting against Linc. This is something I'll always remember; control of the Senate rested upon the shoulders of Rhode Island voters. I made a promise that day to myself; if given a chance to make it right, I would offer my support.

Lincoln Chafee always seemed to take reasoned pathways through politics. He never stuck to ideology when reason took him in an opposite direction. He stood tall when the country was facing the blunder that would become Iraq. He not only stood tall, he stood alone at times and faced the snickering response of his fellow Republicans. Lincoln Chafee was right, the snickering hoards were wrong!

I remember Linc being interviewed on national TV following the vote on Iraq in the Senate. He was standing on the Capitol steps and he simply stated; what if we're wrong? What if there are no weapons of mass destruction? He argued that the evidence presented was thin (more on this in tomorrow's post). He argued that we would lose stature throughout the world. He was right. Thank you Lincoln Chafee for not following the crowd.

Another important point that is seldom discussed but needs to be part of the debate on our Iraq decision; the Constitution only gives the U.S. Congress the power to declare war. Legislators that voted to give away their constitutional authority to one man, President Bush, did not live by their oath of office. The Congress simply authorized Bush to make the decision. Every legislator that voted to empower Bush in this way should have been impeached for breaking their oath. I'm including John Kerry, Hillary Clinton and every other congressperson charged with protecting our freedoms. Some of these folks took away our freedom with their vote on that painful day. Linc Chafee voted to protect our freedom.

Following Linc's defeat, he wrote an incredibly powerful book that all progressives should read. The book; "Against the Tide - How a Compliant Congress Empowered a Reckless President" is one book that you just can't put down. I must admit though; my 87 year old mother was so upset when I gave it to her to read, she stopped half way through and returned it. She said she was losing sleep over it. There's no meanness in the book; there is only statement of fact and discussion of experiences that make you seriously question the leadership of the entire Bush administration.

Good luck Linc while you make your decision. You have my vote.

tomtoak