RealPolitix.com – The Non-Partisan Blog about Politics and Technology Archive for February 2009

After eight years of non-support from the federal government and being told that states are ”On their own,” a handful of GOP governors are flabbergasted over a sudden influx of federal funds. The bewildering reaction from these governors, some of whom have experienced the country’s worst natural disasters, could be the effects of Post-traumatic Stress – not surprising considering that they only received hugs and good cheer from former President Bush, and then needed to aid FEMA in its feeble attempts to rescue their states.

But now that real aid in the form of funding is being given to these long-suffering states, the gesture is messing up the minds of these governors. Expect the usual aid in the form of government red tape, some governors are appalled at being offered real money.

The Obama administration is perplexed by the reaction of the republican governors, particularly Jindal, Barbour, and Sanford, but is trying to coax them back into trusting the federal government once again, with a Stimulus Package to aid their states’ economies. Unfortunately, the states – Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Alaska and Idaho – are so shell-shocked by the sudden generosity of the federal government, they hastily ferreted out only the biggest and best chunks of the package, and then announced that they would refuse the rest.

Other state governors however, have no problem with the Stimulus money. Many believe the unwanted money is still good money. One such governor is California’s Republican Governor Schwarzenneger, who, upon hearing of the displeasure of those governors, quickly announced that he would gladly take any unwanted Stimulus money from any state. The Arnold, never a victim, knows how to bulk up his fiscal muscle.

So why waste good funds on states whose governors believe the Stimulus Package is a buffet for them to pick and choose what they want? Spare them the grief – give their share of the Stimulus to their fellow republican, Governor Schwarzenneger. Surely he would make good use of it and appreciate it as well.

Last night in his speech Pres. Obama said that, “No one messes with Joe.” That’s probably a good thing since Joe Biden messes with himself enough as it is.

“Taking Chance” debuts tomorrow night on HBO. In Marine Corps circles this is one of the most talked about films that I can ever remember. I thought it would be worth reposting a column I wrote about it a little while back. Be sure to check out the videos, too. It looks to be a great film.

From January 9, 2009 column

In 2004 Lieutenant Colonel Mike Strobl was a 17-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps when he volunteered to escort home the body of a young Marine, Private First Class Chance Phelps, who had been killed in Iraq. His experience on that journey so moved him that he wrote an essay about it. It is a touching story about valor, patriotism, honor, and respect. He wrote of flight attendants, pilots, and tarmac workers that all honored PFC Phelps on his long final journey home. He details the emotions he felt while making the many legs of the trip from the Dover Air Force Base mortuary in Delaware to PFC Phelps’ boyhood home in western Wyoming. He worried over what he would say when he finally met the grieving parents. How would he present Chance’s personal effects to the family? Instead he found the family thanking him for his service and for bringing their son home with honor. He recounts how the high school gym in that small town was packed for the funeral and how the roads were lined with people holding American flags as the funeral procession moved to the cemetery. Please take the time to read his entire piece (click here) It fully captures something that very few of us will ever experience, but we can read it and understand to some small degree.

LtCol Strobl’s story has now been made into a film by HBO entitled “Taking Chance.” By all accounts it is a very well done film. Kevin Bacon portrays LtCol Strobl and he has spoken about how this movie is far beyond simple entertainment. The Department of Defense has been extremely respectful of those that have died in Iraq and Afghanistan and thus has refused all efforts by an exploitative media to allow photos of the handling of remains at Dover AFB. In this case however, the military worked closely with the filmmakers to ensure that the details were accurate and that the film is as true as possible. LtCol Strobl has even stated that while watching many of the scenes being filmed that he experienced the feeling of déjà vu.

As someone that has served as a flag bearer at a fallen Marine’s funeral and has lost comrades in combat, this movie has captured my interests. I’m convinced that in life there are some memories and moments that you will carry with you forever. My memories of those men and their sacrifice humble me and I believe this film will humble those that view it. This movie thankfully steers away as well from any sort of crass political statement. It is not trying to score cheap points or further open divisive wounds in our society like many have done before. If anything, it seems to simply tell the story as it was.

We need more films of this sort. At its core it tells a tale that transcends much of our superficial and meaningless society. PFC Phelps, like all that have volunteered to serve our nation and have lost their lives, is a hero. He is not a Hollywood hero or a sports hero, but rather a true timeless hero. LtCol Strobl honored PFC Phelps in a noble manner as one Marine to another. Can we ever do enough to remember and honor our true heroes? Perhaps not, but this film is one small tribute to all of them.

With Abraham Lincoln ranked as the number one president in the history of the U.S. by historians, the Democratic Party wasted no time in seizing the revered president as one of its own. Politically savvy Obama began crafting Lincoln’s sleight-of-party switch months prior to winning the election and taking the oval office. The president frequently declared his profound admiration for republican president Abraham Lincoln, and shrewdly tied his standards of excellence onto the coattails of the 16th president.

Incredibly, the GOP has yet to learn of Lincoln’s Republican Party membership. Surely if the GOP knew, republican backlash would erupt over the democrat’s political grab of its most venerated president, followed by a public flogging of the Democratic Party while simultaneously touting President Lincoln as a true republican. Karl Rove, where are you?

Meanwhile, America celebrates Abraham Lincoln’s 200th Birthday (Born February 12, 1809) with a Bicentennial Exhibition at the Library of Congress. The exhibit, With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition runs until May 9, after which it becomes a traveling exhibition opening in various states.

Exhibition Program: With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition; Bottom right, Library of Congress booklet

Front entrance of the Library of Congress. The Poseidon fountain fronting the entrance turned off during the winter.

Ground floor archway with view of second floor ceiling.

View from the ground floor looking up at the second floor Lincoln Exhibition.

Entry way to Abraham Lincoln's Exhibition gallery.

The exhibit is a trove of mesmerizing information chronicling his life through artifacts of personal and formal writings, newspaper articles, historical documents including the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation,as well as a collection of photos and personal effects, all of which reveal the man, and the deep conviction to his mission.

Lincoln’s various personal effects include items on his person at the time of his assassination, and the bible used in President Obama’s inauguration. (Surprisingly small) Also on display is his wife, Mary Todd’s Tiffany jewelry.

Unfortunately, no photos were allowed in the exhibition.

One would think that having a Democratic President as Barack Obama following in the footsteps of such a mythic Republican President as Abraham Lincoln, would dissolve party lines and unite them all for the good of the country. Sounds too much like democratic liberal pabulum, does it? Why then did it take a liberal-minded Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, to set the standard for President Obama to follow in our time of crisis? How peculiar that the GOP is not readily embracing the genius of Abraham Lincoln and his words right now.

The Honeymoon is over. The halcyon days with  Democratic daydreams of perpetual harmony and realignment have ended. Let no one claim that the last month has been a success for Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. The media and members of the liberal echo chamber will continue to sing hosannas and praise every action that is undertaken for liberal change, but the facts can not be denied.  The calamities are pilling up all too quickly at this point and the canaries in the coal mine, Democratic congressmen from marginal districts, are already beginning to succumb to the noxious fumes and move to higher ground as evidenced by the seven who voted against the final “stimulus” bill.

How can anyone believe that at this rate 2010 will not be a strong year for the Republicans? The off year elections for the party out of power have historically been a bonanza. We have already seen Republican gains in elections held in December and now the latest polls show the Republicans likely to win a seat next month in New York that has been vacated by Hillary Clinton’s replacement in the senate, Kirsten Gillibrand. There are also new polls that show the Republican candidates ahead in the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia this November. Each would be a Republican gain. So, with historical winds already against them it seems strange that the Democrats in D.C. are pushing hard to make things even worse for themselves.

President Obama has in less than a month already been dealt a laundry list of embarrassments that will over time weaken his ability to govern if he doesn’t correct his course. Let us run down the quick list because its doubtful that NPR will bring this to anyone’s attention. If the Democrats get their way with reinstating the censorship doctrine (yet another over reach that they call “fairness”) you won’t hear this on talk radio either. This column is only roughly 800 words, so herewith a quick look at the top ten events in the last month;

1. Bill Richardson withdraws as the Sec. of Commerce nominee because of a brewing scandal back home in New Mexico involving quid pro quo for political donations.

2. Rod Blagojevich tries to sell Obama’s senate seat. A bizarre kabuki dance ensues over how often Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has spoken to Blagojevich. The governor ends up being impeached, the first in over twenty years.

3. Tim Geithner is confirmed as Sec. of the Treasury despite not having paid all of his taxes.

4. Tom Daschle, the HHS Sec. appointee withdraws after it is revealed he didn’t pay over $200,000 worth of income taxes.

5. Judd Gregg withdraws as the Sec. of Commerce nominee because he objects to Obama’s decision to politicize the 2010 Census and remove it from the Commerce Department and place it under Rahm Emmanuel in The White House.

6. The Democrats tout their new era of “post-partisanship” but can’t get a single Republican in the House to support their nearly $1 trillion dollar spending bill with billions for STD prevention, disc golf courses, and other boondoggle earmarks. There are still quite a few moderate Republicans in the House, so this is a true showing of Democratic ineptitude.

7. Obama grits his teeth and hits the campaign trail. Since he has never governed before it makes perfect sense that he would resort to the one thing his does well – campaigning. It doesn’t work. Support for the “stimulus” bill continues to fall. Interestingly, the more citizens know about the details of the bill the less likely they are to support it.

8. Speaker Pelosi caves in to pressure and promises to post the text of the entire bill for at least 48 hours before a vote is held on the final passage. It’s a novel concept of actually giving members of congress time to READ what they are about to vote on. As the support for the bill continues to sink Pelosi breaks her promise and decides to vote in less than 48 hours.

9. The final vote is held to pass the “stimulus” after the senate trims the bill down to a svelte and streamlined $787 billion piece of steaming excrement. The average citizen will be glad to know however that they will get $13 less a week taken out of their paychecks. It’s almost enough to buy a medium sized pizza in celebration.  In a true show of “post-partisanship” seven Democrats break ranks in the House to join with all of the Republicans in voting against the bill. One Democrat from Chicago, in perhaps a tribute to Obama’s voting record in Illinois, votes present.

10. Sen. Roland Burris, the man Blagojevich finally appoints to Obama’s senate seat, admits that he had more conversations with the disgraced governor and his staff before getting appointed than he had admitted to the impeachment committee in Illinois. Surprise!

At this rate the only surprise when November 2010 rolls around is how many seats the Republicans will win in the house. Will it be enough to retake the majority as in 1946 and 1994 or perhaps one that brings them within striking distance as in 1966 or the more modest gains they made in 1978? Either way, there are likely to be even more Democratic members in the House over the next two years that will join the seven that voted against the stimulus. They will begin to resemble rats jumping from a sinking ship as they seek a safe distance back home in their districts from the toxic Democratic congress. Now that’s post-post-partisanship.

VD will soon be upon us, and one can only wonder what a romantic evening would be like with certain elected officials on Valentine’s Day. So just for fun, imagine if you will, the following key members in Washington as a long-time sweetheart bearing a Valentine’s Day gift in hand. Keep in mind I did say “long-time sweetheart,” so much of the luster of the relationship has worn off.

Now picture a lovely restaurant where the two of you are having a romantic dinner at a private table. During the course, the “elected” sweetheart surprises you with a Valentine’s gift. As we well know politicians never skip a beat when an opportunity arises to make a speech or a sound bite, so here is what their little spiel might sound like:

Vice President Joe Biden – “You know, once in a while, there is something so different from anything I’ve ever given you before, that, well, I just know it’s perfect. I’m absolutely certain it’s something you would really fall madly in love with, because it’s just so, just so right, you know? And even if I think I made a really good decision, and made the purchase with absolute certainty that you would love what I got you, there’s still a 30 percent chance I might have gotten it wrong.”

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell – “Now, I did have a couple of gift ideas of what to get you, and one of them, which I felt enthusiastically in favor of, would allow me to keep some money squarely in my pocket, uh, and keep some squarely in yours too. The other gift idea that was suggested, left a great deal of questions in my mind as to whether the value of the item would appreciate in the long run; in which case, why spend the money when we could save? Therefore, I know you will come to agree that my choice for what I selected for you is the right one.”

House Republican Leader John Boehner – “All I can say about the gift is, OH-MY-GAWD!”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi – “Here’s a gift for you sweetheart, and don’t worry, I have your backside!”

Republican Senator John McCain – “Happy Valentine’s Day, dear. I hope you enjoy the gift. The price tag on that thing is so astronomical, it’s generational theft!”

Secretary-of-State Hillary Clinton – “Here, Happy Valentine’s Day. Now, after opening the gift, I want you, to tell me what you think. I will listen. If you feel there’s anything wrong, or if you have a suggestion, go ahead and feel free to tell me. Go right ahead and tell me. Submit it in my E-Suggestion Box. I want you to feel absolutely free to express your feelings; I want to hear from you.”

President Obama – “First of all, I gotta say, I am one lucky guy to have such a good-looking lady by my side. And now listen, listen, I hope you like the gift, ‘cause, I did everything I could, to make sure it’s something that you’ll like. And, now, don’t you worry about the cost, ‘cause, it’s okay, I’m gonna take care of you.”

Out of all the elected officials, perhaps no one could pull off Valentine’s Day better than President Obama. He may not always be able to deliver everything he promised, but he certainly knows how to make people feel hopeful. And these days, a stimulus like that goes farther than any money in the bank, for sure!

Just a Bill on Capital Hill

Whew! What a rollercoaster ride the House and Senate versions of the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 have been in recent weeks. “There’s too much pork and not enough tax cuts!” we hear from GOP members. And from the left come reprisals of “You’re hardly in a position to point fingers when it comes to overspending” and “Haven’t the last eight years demonstrated well enough that tax cuts don’t work?” Both sides claim to be pushing for jobs creation and yet have different opinions on what constitutes “jobs.”

Proponents of Education have watched the sparring with wringing hands and petitions flying as spending on Education got whacked, and then replaced, then whacked again and now half remains on the cutting room floor waiting for the two houses of government to meld their tentatively approved plans together into something the President can sign.

So where did the Education chunk wind up, you ask? Well that depends entirely on whether you’re a Programs person or a dollars person and whether you favor the House or Senate version. The House version provides $141.6 billion for Education while the Senate version cut that figure by more than $60 billion, specifically in Head Start/Early Start and completely eliminates the amount for school construction and renovation. Senate cuts are as follows:

• $98 million for school nutrition
• $3.5 billion for school construction
• “At least half the funds to subsidize state education spending were eliminated”
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Funding for computerize health records “is all but gone”
• Funds for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• Make Work Pay payroll-tax holiday is dramatically reduced
• The child tax credit for the working poor was “also trimmed”.

Those in Ed Tech watched the Senate deliberations over what to cut with trepidation because the House version would have provided funds through a variety of avenues to improve student achievement with technology. Specifically, they could have used Title II D of NCLB, the School Facilities, Modernization, Renovation & Repair, the Broadband provisions, and portions of the funds allocated for K-12 to advance technology and technology infrastructure in schools. Included in the Senate version for Broadband provisions was $9 billion for the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Broadband Technology Opportunities Program which would have been a benefit to school districts in rural areas by providing access to broadband and wireless services. The allowable use language in the House version provided for “upgrading or installing educational technology infrastructure to ensure that students have access to up-to-date educational technology, technology activities that are carried out in connection with school repair and renovation, including wiring, acquiring hardware and software, acquiring connectivity linkages and resources, and acquiring microwave, fiber optics, cable, and satellite transmission equipment.” The House version also included $250 million for statewide data systems that would have pertained to Education that is not included in the Senate version.

So now we wait to see just what emerges from the pow-wow between the House and Senate to try to produce a final package to be sent to President Obama for signature. Will it be enough?

From the Big Hollywood Blog. This is too funny (and too close to true) not to pass along.

Congratulation:

FROM: MOST HONORABLE SPEAKOR PELOSI + ALL CONGRESS

MINSTERS FINANCIAL – WASHINGTON DC

CAPITOL BUILDING

WASHINTON DC

AMERICA

TO: ALL HONARABLE NOBLE CITIZANS OF AMERICA

RE: YOUR UNCLAIMED STIMULUS

CONGRATUALTION! On this honorable day for us, we beeseech you for the favor of your reply in kind. The time is now for your urgent action to be taken for the securing your stimulus wealth. I am mandated to make this acknowledgement officially to you by the powers and CHANGE imposed on me.

For years we make the genorous payments for anyone in our country and so many of the peoples of the world. At this great time of joy for our America, we want to be sure you get yours.

IT IS WITH HAPPYNES make this offering for the greatness of our Hope/changed future. During the last financial records/audits conducted with bad last President. All went into pool of darkness. Now with new Hope Change President in the year 2009 and by the HONARABLE CONGRESS PEOPLE, we find you need some STIMULUS Happyness.

ON OR BEFORE APRIL 15 2009, please to file your correct information needed to secure your STIMULATION. KINDLY FORWARD THE FOLLOWING FOR TAX RECOMFIRMATION:

1) Your full name and ID #……….

2) All you childrens 529 plans # (however diminished)

3) Your 401K account # (However destroyed)

4) Phone, fax and mobile #……………

5) Former Company name, position and address…………..

6) Former Profession, age and marital status………………

7) Unemployment check amount………………..

7a) Foreclosed Mortgage account info

9) (Califorina only) I.O.U. TAX REBATE number.

10) Cobra Heathcare acct #

As soon as the above information are received, your payment will be Made available to you via an international (UPhishS) courier delivery in voucher for promises which will Be delivered to your doorstep for your confirmation or via CSPAN. Your urgent response to this mail will help facilitate the onward conclussion of this transaction without and further delays.

In case, I sincerely apologies for the delay of your payment and all the inconveniences that we might have indulge you through the next 4 years. HOWEVER – MANY GREEN jobs to come for you and you children. Condoms for all. No more Christmas lights for bad enviorment. And dont forget to change your TV antennas and enjoy the HIGH DEF..

WISHING YOU STIMULATED,

ALL THE CONGRESS OF AMERICA

We are big fans here of the Sunlight Foundation and the work they do. “Redesigning the Government” is a new series from Sunlight Labs, and the latest redesign is FEC.gov (also make sure to check out USA.gov redesign as well). See below for their rationale, along with their proposed redesign.

Redesigning the Government: FEC

We got a lot of great comments and discussions happening from our redesign of USA.gov, so we thought we’d continue the series and call it “Redesigning the Government.” At Sunlight, we deal a lot with FEC information, both internally and through one of our grantees, OpenSecrets.org so we thought we’d take a look at prototyping some ways that the FEC could better disclose campaign finance information through the Web.

The Old

So lets visit fec.gov as a starting point to see what needs to be improved on the site. The first thing users will notice is that there is a very large headline that states: “Administering and Enforcing Federal Campaign Finance Laws”, which is fine for lawyers who come to visit the site but I think it scares away a lot of the regular public. In fact, the FEC’s primary goal according to its charter is disclosure, not administration or enforcement. We think the design and functionality of the FEC website should reflect that primary mandate. Looking at this current site I don’t see a lot that would suggest that right away.

The second thing most users will notice, if they happen to come to the the site on a day when there is an alert, is that there is scrolling text on the bottom of the webpage. It certainly does grab your attention, but because it’s scrolling across the screen, it’s more difficult to read and very distracting when you’re trying to read something else on the page.

Next, we move on to the navigation. There are too many menus! There are menus on 3 sides of the site and when you rollover buttons on 2 of the sides, drop down menus appear. This creates too much confusion for the user when they are trying to find information and navigate the site. Then there is a skip navigation button that appears above the top menu that shouldn’t even be visible to the regular user. This is simply used for screen readers so that when a person with a disability is using the site the screen reader won’t list off every single button in menus (thanks to Jeremy for this explanation). Finally, when you resize the browser window, the layout breaks and the search box disappears behind the menu. Considering that search is a primary means of navigation for people these days, this deserves fixing.

The New

So I started attacking the site by pay attention to the needs of the normal user. I surfaced and focused on what they would generally be interested in: campaign funds and candidate profiles. I placed some of this information on the home page but most importantly I placed radio buttons with these options below the search box to provide a faceted search allowing users to more quickly access the content they’re seeking. The rest of the home page feels more accessible and open to the public by adding the seminar schedule (if a user wanted more information and wanted to attend a conference), and the commission calendar.

Another important part of the home page is the feature section. By adding this, there is now a place for the FEC to place current information without distracting from all other content on the page and a great space to feature new and interesting visuals.

As for the navigation, I did a quick inventory of the information that is currently on fec.gov. In doing this I found that there were a lot of things that could be paired down. For example, instead of having a search for each individual database why not just have one search but give the user more options up front so that they can narrow their search. I also placed the search box in a more prominent place so that users would use this as the main way to navigate the site.

On the interior pages I just organized and structured the data by adding striping to the charts and adding graphics for more interest where they made sense.

Finally, we also spent some time considering the backend. I’m no developer, but I’m told that the current system doesn’t allow for data to be exported particularly well. We’re recommending that the data be provided in open and exportable formats like XML, JSON, and CSV, which you would be able to get from any page with data on it. The developer-types have more details about this, so they might chime in with comments.

The Reveal

Click on the images below to see the full comps.

Conclusion

The FEC obviously has a lot of data to think through on their site to see what is relevant and what isn’t before getting to this point. But when they do, I think some of these elements could work for them or hopefully at the very least get them thinking about structure and design.