To Bow or Not to Bow, That is the Question

The president had this to say about "the bow" to Japanese Emperor Akihito:

"I’m representing the United States of America. And we’re talking about a friend, and we’re talking about an ally. We’re talking about a nation with whom we have constructive relationships."

That wasn't President Barack Obama saying that about his recent bow to the Japanese Emperor. That was President George H.W. Bush saying that in 1989 in response to a reporter's query about his bow to the new Japanese Emperor.

Presidents bow. President Richard Nixon did so when he visited China and bowed to Mao Tse-Tung. President Obama did so when greeting the Saudi King and the same Japanese Emperor. Presidents even hold hands with other leaders, as President George W. Bush did with Saudi King Abdullah (I didn't hear the Veep complaining about that).

Despite what former Vice President Richard Cheney said, it's really not a big deal. Presidents of both parties bow. It's a sign of respect in many cultures. Just because we don't do it in America doesn't mean it signals weakness when an American president bows to a foreign leader, especially an ally. Now, if they had curtsied, that might be another story...

Obama and Psalm 109: How Very Unchristian

There is a slogan that is appearing on bumper stickers and t-shirts all across the land:

"Pray for Obama: Psalm 109:8"

Very biblical. Sounds pretty innocent right? Not quite:

"Let his days be few; and let another take his office."

It gets worse:

"Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow."

I'm a big believer in free speech and civil liberties. Freedom and liberty let the sun shine on the vermin. Vermin look more sinister and ugly in the daylight as they scurry into the sewer or under a rock.

However, this slogan represents a direct threat to President Obama. It is not funny and the message is clear. It is no different than someone advocating for the assassination of the president on a street corner or in a train station. You simply can't do it and if you do, expect a visit from the U.S. Secret Service.

I pray that the government is up to the task of protecting this and every president that serves our country. Based on the level of crazies on the right that hate this president, the Secret Service have and will continue to have their hands full.

Ohio's U.S. Senate Race, Governor's Race, Dead Heats

In a Quinnipiac University political poll of registered voters in Ohio, Republican Rob Portman has overtaken his Democratic rivals, Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher and Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Democratic Governor Ted Strickland is in a dead heat with Republican Challenger John Kasich at 40% support for each. Given the recent decline in President Barack Obama's numbers in Ohio and the relative surge in the Republican brand, this is not terribly surprising. However, because of the large number of undecideds in the race, anything could happen between now and May and November.

What is shocking, however, is the fact that Fisher has yet to pull away from Brunner despite the backing of many heavyweights in Ohio's political establishment and despite Brunner's anemic fundraising. Democrats do not seem overly excited about Fisher's candidacy and may be ripe for the picking if Brunner can turn around her listless campaign and demonstrate that she is viable.

Expect the primaries to start getting nasty on both sides of the aisle as the May primary is beginning to loom large on the campaign calendar. Tom Ganley, the conservative car dealer, has indicated he is in it to the end and will dip into his wallet. Likewise, Brunner appears to be in it to win it as well. The next few months should make for some good political theater during the winter doldrums.

Bob Ney: Out of Bush's Federal Housing Program and into the College Classroom

From time to time I invite elected officials, policy makers, news media, etc. to speak to my political science classes at The University of Akron. From sitting members of Congress to members of the Ohio executive branch, to law enforcement officials, I have already had a number of people visit with my students this semester. Today I had former Congressman Bob Ney visit three of my classes.

When I told colleagues I invited Bob Ney to come to campus to speak to my students, most of them looked at me with blank stares or raised eye brows. Afterall, this is the same Bob Ney that got mixed up in the Jack Abramoff scandal and ended up doing time in a Federal prison in Morgantown, West Virginia. However, since getting out of "Bush's federal housing program" (as Ney often quips) in 2008, he has been trying to resurrect his life and has begun a career as a political analyst for Talk Radio News Service and has his own self-titled talk news show on WVLY AM 1370 which airs out of Wheeling, West Virginia, every weekday from 1-3 p.m.

I had a feeling that he would be a great speaker and that students would benefit from hearing from a person who was at the pinnacle, lost it all, and is trying and put his life back together. Some of the best American stories are those of redemption and Bob Ney's may be one of those. My instincts were right: the students were enthralled by his very American story and were taken with his candidness. Ney talked openly about his fall from grace and took responsibility for his actions. And, his political instincts are as sharp as ever. Ney spoke about current events and challenges facing the president and Congress and did so with a balanced eye. I now understand why Ellen Ratner and Talk Radio News Service took a significant chance on Ney by giving him a job when he left prison. If you want rabid partisanship and red meat, Ney is not your guy. If you want thoughtful analysis and blatant candor absent the filter of oppressive ideology, Ney is your guy.

I am glad my students got the opportunity to hear the former Congressman today and many of my students were as well. In fact, one student raised her hand and asked him to come back. That has never happened with any guest speaker I've had before...

Newt the RINO

It's amazing how things change in politics. Newt Gingrich (R-GA), the architect of the 1994 Republican Revolution and the first Republican Speaker of the House to serve since Joseph Martin (R-MA) in 1955, is now a moderate, unworthy of being called a true conservative. He is too liberal to run for president. This is according to red meat eating firebrands such as Michelle Malkin.

Are we living in an alternative universe? Newt Gingrich is not a conservative? No wonder real moderate Republicans have fled the ship or should I say been chased out of the increasingly small tent. In the search for ideological purity, the Republican base is shrinking and the tent is near collapse. Just witness the carnage of the special election for New York's 23rd Congressional District where the Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, is being gored from the right by the Conservative Party candidate, Doug Hoffman.

Writes Dan Balz of WaPo:

"The Republican nominee, backed by local party leaders, is Dede Scozzafava, a state assemblywoman. Like some other northeastern Republicans, she is generally conservative on many fiscal issues but favors both abortion rights and gay rights. She is, say her supporters, the kind of Republican who can win a race in a district like New York's 23rd.

But Scozzafava hardly represents what the base of the Republican Party believes. She is out of step on core issues and, as a result, has drawn opposition from the right. Doug Hoffman, running on the Conservative Party ballot, is challenging the GOP nominee and his growing strength makes it possible that Democrat Bill Owens could grab the seat away from the Republicans.

The race has badly divided the national Republican hierarchy. The contest has become an early example of the fights likely to play out in the future as Republicans argue among themselves about how best to rebuild their party after two devastating defeats in 2006 and 2008.

Scozzafava enjoys the support of former House speaker Newt Gingrich, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the National Rifle Association. Hoffman has won the backing of two prospective 2012 presidential candidates -- former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and a host of other prominent conservative Republicans."

To me it's self-defeating behavior. Upstate New York is not Mississippi. If moderate Republicans are not allowed to compete for offices by forces in their own party, it will be a long time until the GOP sniffs majority status. A deep southern party does not a majority party make.

Democrats have their own issues with tears in the tent. Just witness the infighting between liberals and Blue Dogs over health care reform. But none of these minor skirmishes approach the Civil War brewing on the Right. Newt Gingrich not conservative enough? It truly is a new era we live in.

Hat Tip: Political Wire

Akron Press Club Fall 2009 Senate Candidate Installment 2: Rob Portman

From the press release:

The Akron Press Club Presents Rob Portman, Republican U.S. Senate Candidate, Former Director of the Office of Management and Budget, U.S. Trade Representative, and Member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The event is co-sponsored with The University of Akron's Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics.

When & Where: Thursday, October 29, 2009 at the Martin Center, 105 Fir Hill, on The University of Akron campus. Buffet luncheon at 11:45 a.m. Program follows. $10 Press Club Members - $15 Non-Members
Contact Michelle Henry at 330-564-4211 or e-mail to smhenry@cmoresearch.com to make a reservation.

Akron Press Club Fall 2009 Senate Candidate Kickoff: Tom Ganley

The Akron Press Club is bringing in all of the major candidates for Ohio's open U.S. Senate seat this fall. First up is president and CEO of the Ganley Automotive Group, Tom Ganley, on October 1.

From the press release:

"An Ohio native, Tom Ganley is president and CEO of the Ganley Automotive Group, headquartered in Cleveland. Ganley, who began his career with one Rambler dealership in Euclid, now runs the largest automotive group in Ohio, composed of 32 dealerships employing more than 1,000 people.

Ganley has stated that the issues that are important to him include education, foreign policy, gun rights, health care, immigration, jobs, national debt, national security and taxes. Ganley has been the spokesperson for Buckle-Up Cleveland, an automotive safety initiative sponsored by the Cleveland Police Department and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

In May 2001, he was named president and CEO of Crime Stoppers of Northern Ohio. In 2006, Ganley was named Man of the Year by the Cuyahoga County Police Chiefs Association for his leadership and support of law enforcement in the Cleveland area. Other special recognition awards have come from the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate for outstanding accomplishment, the Gold and Silver Award from the Northern Ohio Law Enforcement Community, and the Cleveland Police Historical Society’s Man of the Year.

The cost for the event’s buffet luncheon is $10 for Press Club members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are requested; to make reservations, call 330-564-4211 or e-mail to smhenry@cmoresearch.com ."

Keeping Things in the Presidential Thought Bubble

I know there have been many times, when in the middle of a lecture or answering a question during class, I say something I probably shouldn't have. My students do it all the time too. When they do, I tell them to keep that comment in the thought bubble (you know, the cartoon bubble which shows what a character is thinking) and not say it out loud. Once it's out there you can't take it back.

I'm sure President Obama wishes he would have kept the comment that Kanye West was a "jackass" in the thought bubble. But he's the president and just about everything he says or does in public will be caught on camera. The good news for the President is that most people agree with him--Kanye West acted like a total jackass at the 2009 VMA awards. The bad news is that he'll probably have to call West and apologize for speaking the truth.

The Fallacy of the Post-Racial Society

It is quite ironic that in our supposedly "post-racial" age that the ugly face of racism is rearing it's head openly and often in public. Jimmy Carter is right. Maureen Dowd is right. I've said it here before: many Americans cannot accept the fact that we have a black president. Never have, never will.

How do I know?

We have polls which tell us so.

I have people who have personally told me so.

This all began long before the election (see video above)--the "post racial America" has always been a fantasy.

Is everyone who opposes President Obama a racist? Of course not. The great majority of those who oppose him are not.

However, there is a loud, fringe element, baited by the open hostility and racism of merchants of hate such as Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh who have gained the courage to openly flout their extremist leanings. Just check out You Tube--it's all over the place. And it's both discouraging and frightening.

"Our Nation's President Deserves to be Treated with Respect"

The headline is not my quote, that's Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a fellow partisan of Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), the man who heckled President Barack Obama during his health care speech to Congress and the nation. It was a deplorable act.

No American president should be subject to that kind of disrespect. For a sitting member of the House of Representatives to shout "You lie!" in the middle of a presidential address is beyond disrespectful. It further poisons the toxic atmosphere surrounding the nation's politics.

But perhaps it won't. Perhaps fellow Republicans will be so embarrassed by this breach of protocol and civility that they will reign in the most radical elements of their party. Thankfully, many Republicans lawmakers denounced Wilson's outburst.

Wilson, himself, in immediate damage-control mode, issued the following statement:

"This evening I let my emotions get the best of me when listening to the president's remarks regarding the coverage of illegal immigrants in the health care bill. While I disagree with the president's statement, my comments were inappropriate and regrettable. I extend sincere apologies to the president for this lack of civility."

Oh, and by the way, Wilson was the liar, or at least wildly incorrect. The President's bill would not extend benefits to illegal aliens.

Ted Kennedy's Letter to President Obama

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) wrote a letter to President Barack Obama shortly before he died, most of which was on the topic of health care. It is powerful.

Here is a taste:

"There will be struggles - there always have been - and they are already underway again. But as we moved forward in these months, I learned that you will not yield to calls to retreat - that you will stay with the cause until it is won. I saw your conviction that the time is now and witnessed your unwavering commitment and understanding that health care is a decisive issue for our future prosperity. But you have also reminded all of us that it concerns more than material things; that what we face is above all a moral issue; that at stake are not just the details of policy, but fundamental principles of social justice and the character of our country. And so because of your vision and resolve, I came to believe that soon, very soon, affordable health coverage will be available to all, in an America where the state of a family's health will never again depend on the amount of a family's wealth. And while I will not see the victory, I was able to look forward and know that we will - yes, we will - fulfill the promise of health care in America as a right and not a privilege."

See the full letter here.

Akron Press Club Event: Professor Kevin Jacques to Speak on "The Financial Crisis, Past To Present: A Former Regulator’s View"

WHAT: The Akron Press Club will present a talk by Dr. Kevin T. Jacques, the Boynton D. Murch Chair in Finance at Baldwin-Wallace College, titled "The Financial Crisis, Past To Present: A Former Regulator’s View."

WHEN: 11:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

WHERE: Martin University Center, 105 Fir Hill on The University of Akron campus.

THE SPEAKER: Prior to joining the faculty at B-W, Jacques spent 14 years as an economist with the U.S. Department of Treasury in Washington, D.C., where he was responsible for advising treasury and Bush administration officials on economic and financial policy issues. While at the treasury, Jacques also advised representatives of foreign governments on matters of international banking and financial policy. In 1994, he served on the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, examining systemic risk in financial markets. Jacques’ research has been published in numerous journals and books and has been presented at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, and to the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

HOW: The cost for the event’s buffet luncheon is $10 for Press Club members and $15 for non-members. Reservations are requested; to make reservations, contact Michelle Henry at the Center for Marketing and Opinion Research at 330-564-4211 or her an e-mail. Click here for more information on the Akron Press Club.