So, remember just last week when derivatives-trader-turned-working-man-populist Rick Santelli delivered his infamous rant about Obama’s housing and other economic plans? Remember when Andie Collier at Politico announced that Obama was in trouble because America was “a nation of Santellis“?

Remember all those “Chicago Tea Parties” Americans were supposed to participate in, taking out their righteous anger against Obama’s anti-American economic plans? It was supposed to the be first wave of Americans taking to the streets against socialism, the birth of the New Minutemen. Michelle Malkin insists there’s a growing tax revolt that “the MSM won’t cover.” It seems there was an army of angry citizens waiting to storm the barricades, holding “Obamination” signs and taking back the Republican Republic for sweet laissez-faire liberty.

Well, those were on for today. The protests received the assistance of numerous conservative organizations and their email lists, from The Heartland Institute to Americans for Tax Reform to the American Spectator, and were all scheduled to happen today, the 27th of February.

The results? Not so impressive.

Let’s see…The Pittsburgh party was canceled due to rain. A whopping 79 people showed up today in Jacksonville, FL. Looks like maybe over a dozen showed up in Asheville, NC. Almost 10 people made it to the Buffalo, NY, protest. About 100 people throughout all of Los Angeles came out to Santa Monica Pier. All of about 300 people made it out throughout the entirety of Atlanta. 250 made it out to Dallas for the tea party there. 150 in Lansing. Looks like about 100 went to watch the Joe the Plumber and Michelle Malkin teabag fest in D.C. (if you had to retch, it’s not my fault, just your dirty, dirty mind…)

The very best numbers these jokers managed to pull was 1,500 people in St. Louis, and somewhere between 500-1,000 in Chicago–if reports from the organizers are to be believed.

Perhaps most hilarious is the 250-person turnout in Houston which was said to be

pretty good turn-out considering the livestock show barbeque cook-off in Reliant Park was a competitor.

Because an all-or-nothing, bare-fisted fight against a Commie takeover of the United States just can’t compete with the lure of livestock barbeque, not even for a few hours. That’s patriotism for ya! The new Republican motto might be: “Give me liberty, or give me short ribs! Aw, hell, just gimme the ribs already.”

The saddest part is that conservatives like Instapundit think that managing a couple hundred people in major cities to protest the biggest spending bill in American history is somehow a success.

Poor conservatives. Challenged with attempting to draw the sort of popular support enjoyed by Barack Obama and progressives in general, and using the media establishment’s favorite tools like Santelli as their crutch, they can only manage a pittance of loonies to show up for their protests. Forced to match the support of enthusiasm so evident at Obama’s inauguration, they can’t even manage to compete with a local barbeque in one of their own red redoubts.

Compare that with the hundreds of thousands who marched in big cities all across America in opposition to the Iraq War, though no such opposition was to be found on any major television or radio station across America, with little media coverage or fanfare to attend the collective anger of nearly half of Americans at that time.

Pitiful. Given the overwhelming support enjoyed by Obama and his economic agenda and the obvious paucity of popular grassroots opposition, the only thing that remains unclear is why the media establishment gives the likes of Santelli and his few fringe extremist supporters any air time at all.

So, remember just last week when derivatives-trader-turned-working-man-populist Rick Santelli delivered his infamous rant about Obama’s housing and other economic plans? Remember when Andie Collier at Politico announced that Obama was in trouble because America was “a nation of Santellis“?

Remember all those “Chicago Tea Parties” Americans were supposed to participate in, taking out their righteous anger against Obama’s anti-American economic plans? It was supposed to the be first wave of Americans taking to the streets against socialism, the birth of the New Minutemen. Michelle Malkin insists there’s a growing tax revolt that “the MSM won’t cover.” It seems there was an army of angry citizens waiting to storm the barricades, holding “Obamination” signs and taking back the Republican Republic for sweet laissez-faire liberty.

Well, those were on for today. The protests received the assistance of numerous conservative organizations and their email lists, from The Heartland Institute to Americans for Tax Reform to the American Spectator, and were all scheduled to happen today, the 27th of February.

The results? Not so impressive.

Let’s see…The Pittsburgh party was canceled due to rain. A whopping 79 people showed up today in Jacksonville, FL. Looks like maybe over a dozen showed up in Asheville, NC. Almost 10 people made it to the Buffalo, NY, protest. About 100 people throughout all of Los Angeles came out to Santa Monica Pier. All of about 300 people made it out throughout the entirety of Atlanta. 250 made it out to Dallas for the tea party there. 150 in Lansing. Looks like about 100 went to watch the Joe the Plumber and Michelle Malkin teabag fest in D.C. (if you had to retch, it’s not my fault, just your dirty, dirty mind…)

The very best numbers these jokers managed to pull was 1,500 people in St. Louis, and somewhere between 500-1,000 in Chicago–if reports from the organizers are to be believed.

Perhaps most hilarious is the 250-person turnout in Houston which was said to be

pretty good turn-out considering the livestock show barbeque cook-off in Reliant Park was a competitor.

Because an all-or-nothing, bare-fisted fight against a Commie takeover of the United States just can’t compete with the lure of livestock barbeque, not even for a few hours. That’s patriotism for ya! The new Republican motto might be: “Give me liberty, or give me short ribs! Aw, hell, just gimme the ribs already.”

The saddest part is that conservatives like Instapundit think that managing a couple hundred people in major cities to protest the biggest spending bill in American history is somehow a success.

Poor conservatives. Challenged with attempting to draw the sort of popular support enjoyed by Barack Obama and progressives in general, and using the media establishment’s favorite tools like Santelli as their crutch, they can only manage a pittance of loonies to show up for their protests. Forced to match the support of enthusiasm so evident at Obama’s inauguration, they can’t even manage to compete with a local barbeque in one of their own red redoubts.

Compare that with the hundreds of thousands who marched in big cities all across America in opposition to the Iraq War, though no such opposition was to be found on any major television or radio station across America, with little media coverage or fanfare to attend the collective anger of nearly half of Americans at that time.

Pitiful. Given the overwhelming support enjoyed by Obama and his economic agenda and the obvious paucity of popular grassroots opposition, the only thing that remains unclear is why the media establishment gives the likes of Santelli and his few fringe extremist supporters any air time at all.

Throw another one on the “no one could have predicted” pile: Tony the Jolly Green Independent Strickland has proven himself a reliable enough GOP shill to become the Assistant Senate Republican Leader in just three months’ time. That’s an enormous level of trust for the Yacht Party to place in a guy who refused to even campaign using the word “Republican”, right?

From KHTS:

California State Senator Tony Strickland proudly announced that, in just his third month in the state senate, his caucus has showed confidence in his leadership abilities to elevate him to Assistant Senate Republican Leader. Senator Strickland will serve the Senate Republican Caucus under newly elected Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth.

Says Strickland:

“I am honored to have the confidence and trust of my Republican colleagues to serve as Assistant Senate Republican Leader. I look forward to representing the views of my caucus as well as the constituents in my district as we continue to address Californians dire economy.” Senator Strickland added, “As the Assistant Senate Republican Leader, I will continue to focus on transitioning to a renewable, more energy efficient economy to jumpstart the economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improve the environment, and lower energy prices.”

Wow. All of a sudden, Tony Strickland manages to find the word “Republican” in his vocabulary. Amazing. Who could have predicted?

The only question at this point is whether the voters of SD-19 will allow themselves to be conned again by Phony Republican Tony Strickland four years from now.

Throw another one on the “no one could have predicted” pile: Tony the Jolly Green Independent Strickland has proven himself a reliable enough GOP shill to become the Assistant Senate Republican Leader in just three months’ time. That’s an enormous level of trust for the Yacht Party to place in a guy who refused to even campaign using the word “Republican”, right?

From KHTS:

California State Senator Tony Strickland proudly announced that, in just his third month in the state senate, his caucus has showed confidence in his leadership abilities to elevate him to Assistant Senate Republican Leader. Senator Strickland will serve the Senate Republican Caucus under newly elected Republican Leader Dennis Hollingsworth.

Says Strickland:

“I am honored to have the confidence and trust of my Republican colleagues to serve as Assistant Senate Republican Leader. I look forward to representing the views of my caucus as well as the constituents in my district as we continue to address Californians dire economy.” Senator Strickland added, “As the Assistant Senate Republican Leader, I will continue to focus on transitioning to a renewable, more energy efficient economy to jumpstart the economy, reduce our dependence on foreign oil, improve the environment, and lower energy prices.”

Wow. All of a sudden, Tony Strickland manages to find the word “Republican” in his vocabulary. Amazing. Who could have predicted?

The only question at this point is whether the voters of SD-19 will allow themselves to be conned again by Phony Republican Tony Strickland four years from now.

The confirmation of Rep. Hilda Solis is a huge victory: finally Americans will have a Secretary of Labor who represents working people, not wealthy CEO’s.  It is also a historic moment as Rep. Solis becomes the first Hispanic Secretary of Labor.

The delay of Rep. Solis’s nomination for partisan and ideological reasons was overcome by the grassroots support of millions of Americans who are struggling and desperately need a secretary of labor who will be their voice.

Rep. Solis is uniquely qualified to help struggling families through these difficult economic times because she knows firsthand what they are going through.  She grew up in a working class family and understands what programs our nation’s workers need the most.  She will fight to improve skills development and job creation programs, including development of “green collar” jobs.  She will work to assure that workers get the pay they have earned and that they work in safe, healthy, and fair workplaces.  She’s ready to address the retirement security crisis and will work hard to protect every worker from job discrimination, regardless of race, sex, veteran status, or disability.
She understands that the Employee Free Choice Act is critical to rebuilding our economy because working men and women deserve the freedom to choose whether to form a union without employer harassment and intimidation.
We look forward to working with Rep. Solis to rebuild our economy so it works for everyone.

By Jerry Roberts

In the frantic, closing days of Tony Strickland’s bitter battle against Hannah-Beth Jackson for the 19th District state senate seat, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered a big endorsement to the Republican candidate. “Tony’s strength as a leader is admirable,” the governator said, in one of the rare legislative endorsements he made last fall. “We need independent thinkers like Tony Strickland in Sacramento.” Indeed.

As California teetered on the brink of bankruptcy and the Capitol descended into Hieronymus Bosch nightmare scenes of full-blown, running-with-scissors madness, Santa Barbara’s rookie state senator emerged as a high-profile player who was, to be sure, both a leader and an independent thinker. Just not quite in the way Arnold would have wished.

To read the entire article please visit the Santa Barbara Indenpendent’s website at: http://www.independent.com/news/2009/feb/19/running-scissors/

They say political people are divided into two camps: the hacks and the wonks. It is even said that in Washington, this divide is stronger than that of left and right: that hacks of opposing parties often get along better than with the wonks of their own party, and vice versa.

Me, I’m a hack. I conduct focus groups for a living, and I relish the dramatic battles of persuasion that are American elections. Unfortunately for my kind (but fortunately for the country!), policy battles and analysis of them tend to be dominated by wonks. Which is as it should be, especially as we stare into the abyss of possible economic disaster and try to pull ourselves out with a major stimulus package.

But the hack in me cannot resist stressing what has gone almost unnoticed in all the stimulus talk: Elton Gallegly and the GOP just voted against the biggest middle class tax cuts in history. To a hack like me already relishing the 2010 elections, today was like Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. Multiplied times ten.

From Steve Benen at the Political Animal:

The compromise plan announced last night includes $282 billion in tax cuts over two years. With that in mind, Steven Waldman argues, persuasively, that when the vast majority of congressional Republicans oppose the package, they’ll be voting against the biggest tax cut “in history.”

Get that? Every single member of the House GOP, and all but three members of the Senate GOP, voted not only against Obama’s jobs creation program, but against the biggest tax cut in history. That means you, too, Mr. Gallegly. You’re going to regret that.

We already knew that 2010 would be a battle royale: Democrats would stress all the wonderful programs Republicans voted against, while Republicans would find the most objectionable pieces of spending promoted by Democrats and stoke as much outrage as possible over them. This kabuki theater is guaranteed to provide fodder for over-the-top political advertising; it’s also guaranteed to make any efforts at bipartisan good feeling in Washington deteriorate even faster than we’ve already seen it do given GOP intransigence to date.

But this? The GOP voting against the biggest tax relief package in American history? Are you kidding me? This is manna from heaven. It’s like taking fire out from under the eyes of a watchful Zeus. It completely changes the electoral equation for House and Senate races in 2010, including in CA-24.

But it’s not just that: Gallegly and his Republican buddies voted against the biggest MIDDLE-CLASS tax cut in American history, after voting FOR Bush’s gigantic tax cuts for the rich. The ads just write themselves:

Under George Bush, Elton Gallegly voted to give huge tax breaks to the super rich and to corporations that cut jobs. But In 2009, Gallegly voted against Obama’s Jobs Creation program, and against the biggest MIDDLE-CLASS tax cuts in history–the same tax cuts for 95% of Americans Obama promised the American People. You need a representative in Congress who is on YOUR side for a change.

Hell, a blithering idiot could write the ads and still come up with better material than anything the GOP camp could put out. Benen’s whole post really nails it, and the final few grafs take the cake:

What’s more, let’s also not forget that Obama’s tax-cut plan in the recovery package is not only arguably bigger than previous cuts, but also better targeted. George W. Bush’s tax cuts were long-term income-tax rate cuts, which amounted to a generous break for those at the top, since the wealthy pay most income taxes. Obama’s tax cuts, meanwhile, are short-term refunds paid directly to working and middle class families (some of which Republicans have denounced as “welfare”).

As such, GOP lawmakers are going to reject one of the largest, if not the largest, tax cut ever proposed by a president — which just so happens to be targeted at the working and middle class families Obama vowed to look out for.

When the economy recovers, I suspect many on the right will argue, “Obama’s policy only worked because he passed a quarter-trillion dollars in tax breaks.” That will surely make them feel better. But how will those same conservatives respond when it’s noted that Republicans stood up to oppose one of the biggest tax-cut plans in American history?

No kidding. And we haven’t even had a vote on healthcare yet.

Elton Gallegly and his obstructionist friends have no idea what’s in store for them come November 2010. But I do. Frankly, the hack in me can’t wait to get started.

Hilary Crosby, candidate for Controller of the California Democratic Party of California, met with regional Democrats for lunch on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at My Florist Winecafe and Bakery in Ventura. Sue Broidy, who is running for the position of Region 10 Director for the the tri-county region, arranged this opportunity for us to meet the candidate and get a better understanding of what’s at stake in the election of a Controller.

Crosby has over 30 years experience as a finance professional. She has been a Certified Public Accountant who has worked with non-profits, unions, and social justice groups. Also definitely to the point are her plans for a new statewide fundraising strategy and for encouraging a network of county and club Treasurers. All this is to support local and statewide Democratic Party fund-raising efforts and to support all Treasurers with their efforts to comply with the finance laws. Crosby emphasized the need for implementing a 58 County Plan, observing that Republicans are running unopposed in counties where no one is available or qualified to make the financial arrangements for Democratic campaigns.

The discussion emphasized the complexities of campaign finance and the necessity of having a qualified expert to master the legal intricacies. Money donated to State Democratic organizations by corporations or unions, for example, cannot be used to fund federal elections in any way, not even for voter registration or for slate mailers on which a federal candidate is listed.

Sandra Kinsler, Treasurer of the Ventura County Democratic Party, spoke with the candidate about the need for clear procedures and accurate record keeping so that subsequent Treasurers and e-board members receive a legacy from current office holders. The legacy that must be passed on needs to be an efficient and practical system of record keeping and procedures—not a shoe box full of tattered receipts and figures scrawled on the backs of used envelopes. Kinsler determined that because of Crosby’s thorough financial background, experience with the finance laws, focus on consistent record keeping and reporting, statewide focus on cohesiveness, participation with the Progressive side of the Democratic Party, and willingness to speak face-to-face with central committees and clubs, that she would endorse her. Brian Leshon, Sue Broidy and Helen Conly have also endorsed Hilary Crosby

Crosby emphasized the need for transparency at all levels of the Democratic Party in California, state, counties, and chartered clubs. “We have to know where the money is coming from and where it is going. And we need a strong individual donor program,” stated Crosby. Currently the county gets 80% of its funding from institutional donors—and of course large donors have undue influence on important legislation. If we want to change the game, we have to pay to play like unions and corporations do. We cannot, of course, contribute thousands of dollars, but if enough of us contribute small amounts monthly—a couple of our notorious liberal latte’s worth—we can and will make the changes we must make.

Hilary Crosby is running against CDP Controller incumbent Eric Bradley from Long Beach, California.

Hilary Crosby has good ideas, and the practical know how and financial experience to implement them. She would make an excellent Controller for the California Democratic Party. We will get change when we elect the people who can make change happen.

By Richard D. Erlich

The medical problems of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remind us that the lull we’re experiencing in the culture wars will soon be over. Before the figurative wars, and very literal tempers, flare up again, I’d like to discuss (calmly) the two most-opposed positions.

My over-riding points are the unoriginal ones that both sides have their logic and morality, that because of these different “logics” and moralities the most-opposed positions are irreconcilable — but that the majority of Americans can, very messily, compromise.

For a “Pro-Choice” position in one pure form, note that whatever human beings are includes our bodies, and that control of one’s body is central to freedom.

“Your soul belongs to Jesus,” the movie drill instructor yells, “but your ass belongs to me!” So military draftees know a thing or two about bodily freedom and the lack thereof, as do prisoners, slaves, gays, and other oppressed guys. Women know more: control of women by men has rested on control of women’s bodies, primarily control of sex and reproduction. Therefore women’s liberation requires that women assert control over their bodies, most especially over sex and reproduction.

If women are to be free, they must be able to avoid pregnancy through contraception and free to terminate unwanted pregnancies, especially those caused by rape or by being denied contraception.

For one coherent “Pro-Life” position, human beings are essentially souls, in traditional Christianity souls to be saved or damned. In Catholic teaching, such humanity begins at conception: when sperm and egg combine to form a unique human zygote, a new human individual, with a soul.

As a fact, not a position, “There’s always a death in an abortion”; the serious question is “What dies?” In the theory of souls, a human being dies, an unborn human baby, and, for many, an unbaptized human being, releasing a soul laden with Original Sin.

With both of these clear and coherent positions, abortion is not open to compromise.

Continued subordination of women will not be allowed by those who want women free of male domination.

The damnation of a single soul is an infinite loss, and even lowering the stakes to bodily life and death, it is immoral to bargain with the lives of babies.

So most people who are logically consistent and rigorous on abortion have trouble accepting the trimester compromise of Roe versus Wade: “The Court ruled that the state cannot restrict a woman’s right to an abortion during the first trimester, the state can regulate the abortion procedure during the second trimester ‘in ways that are reasonably related to maternal health‘, and the state can choose to restrict or proscribe <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proscription> abortion as it sees fit during the third trimester when the fetus is viable (‘except where it is necessary, in appropriate medical judgment, for the preservation of the life or health of the mother’)” <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade>.

Most of us, though, are fuzzy in our logic, unphilosophical, and conflicted on abortion. And that is where there is hope for a political resolution.

For most of us, a human being is, among other things, a complex animal with a backbone and brain. And one translation of Ecclesiastes 11.5 in the Bible suggests that how a soul gets into the growing “limbs within the womb of the pregnant woman” — and I assume when — is a formula for something people cannot know. For most Americans, a single-celled zygote with human genetics, or a sphere of human cells (a “blastula”) isn’t a human being with human rights.

And so for most Americans, even those who believe in souls, the deaths of zygotes and very early embryos are not a major problem. We can accept stem cell research and contraception that involves the death of very early embryos.

But also, for most of us, abortion becomes increasingly a problem as embryos become fetuses and develop toward viable and visible humanity.

The logically consistent will be left out of the compromise, but most of us can live with something like Roe v. Wade along with the long-standing goal of abortion as legal, safe, available, and rare.

With luck and vigorous programs encouraging contraception, unwanted pregnancies can become so rare that the issue can be resolved, logically messily and only eventually, with a technological fix that allows terminating pregnancies without killing embryos or fetuses: removing and preserving embryos and fetuses for implantation into the wombs of women who want them.

Meanwhile, for the foreseeable future, vigorous programs encouraging contraception, prenatal health, and adoption are important public health and population policies, and having abortion legal, safe, available, and rare is a worthy goal most Americans can support.

Richard D. Erlich lives in Port Hueneme.