Politirazzi

(AP)

By Lynne Serpe

“It’s not easy being green.” I used to say that if I had a nickel for every time a journalist opened an article or used that expression in a headline, I’d be rich.

Of course, I would also be exaggerating: the Green Party hasn’t been covered in the mainstream media nearly enough to make me even financially solvent at five cents a reference. Especially this year, when it seemed like other third party or independent presidential candidates were getting covered more often than Cynthia McKinney, former six-term congresswoman (although still nothing like the free media the two-major party candidates receive every day).

I just voted McKinney/Clemente on the Green Party line here in New York state. Greens and other activists had to gather 15,000 valid signatures from registered voters in the six (hot and humid) weeks between July 8 and Aug. 19 in order to give the voters in our state that choice.

But I don’t know if my vote will be counted — because I had to cast a provisional ballot since I wasn’t listed on the voter roll.

Uh-oh.

By Lynne Serpe

My prediction is that Barack Obama will win the White House.

Not because of his fundraising prowess, his charisma or his excellent oratory skills — although they are considerable. He will win because people from across the political spectrum are tired of the Bush administration and they want change.

Obama will win because he recognized that desire early on, and when the economy became the number one issue, he was able to capitalize on the idea that it was the policies of the Bush administration that created this crisis. Because it was true (also true is that the Democratic Party rolled over so often they must have gotten dizzy, but the McCain camp couldn’t really play that card. And Obama could distance himself from a lot of that criticism because, hey, he is the new guy).

Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney

By Lynne Serpe

The question of the day seems to be: Is race a factor in the presidential race?

Yes, of course it is. It would be naive to think otherwise. The candidates themselves are making their mad dash through so-called swing states in a bid for the Electoral College votes in those states. The Electoral College itself is a vestige of slavery, based on the idea that slaves were to be counted as three-fifths of a person despite not being allowed to vote.

Meanwhile, as reporters voyage to rural Virginia, here in New York City I spoke with a longtime Green Party activist who is planning to vote for Barack Obama. Not because he agrees with Obama on most issues, but because he wants to be able to tell his “children and grandchildren” that he voted for the first black president of the United States.

And I understand that pull; I occasionally feel it myself. The election of Barack Obama truly would be historic. But, for me, that is not reason enough to vote for someone. Instead I will vote for Cynthia McKinney. A former six-term congresswoman with years more experience than Barack Obama, McKinney is running on the Green Party ticket with vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente.

By Lynne Serpe

“Those with the most money are going to have the most influence.”

Obama spoke those words back in 2006 in apparent recognition that money has a major and corruptive role in American politics. And when he clocked in at $25 million raised in the first quarter of 2007, compared to Clinton’s $26 million, he automatically became a presidential contender.

Because, gee, what I want in a president is the ability to raise money.

Then later that year, he pledged — in writing — to forgo private funding and participate in the presidential public financing system when replying to a Midwest Democracy Network questionnaire. Of course, as we all know, he changed his mind (kind of like he has done with off-shore drilling) and with his $150 million fundraising in September, he has also pretty much destroyed national public financing. His total to date: $600 million and counting. If he does as well in October, he’ll be closing in on a BILLION dollars.

Obama has had his chance to speak to voters on the debate platform; other presidential candidates should as well. (AP)

By Lynne

Recent commentary on CNN claimed that Obama and McCain are not so far apart. The entire piece is worth a read, but here is an excerpt:

Capital punishment: Like Bush, Obama supports capital punishment. He spoke out in opposition to the recent Supreme Court decision that denied the death penalty for child rapists. And in his 2006 memoir, Obama said, "I believe there are some crimes — mass murder, the rape and murder of a child — so heinous that the community is justified in expressing the full measure of its outrage by meting out the ultimate punishment."

Energy: In signing the $12.3 billion Energy Policy Act of 2005, Bush said it "promotes dependable, affordable, and environmentally sound production and distribution of energy for America's future." Obama voted for the energy plan and called it a "first step toward decreasing America's dependence on foreign oil."

Faith-based initiatives/fatherhood: Bush is well known for his commitment to the faith-based community — with initiatives for the poor and on fatherhood — and he expanded the ability to allow faith-based providers a seat at the funding table. Obama, who has railed against Bush's efforts, has still found a way to embrace them, saying he would "expand" faith-based initiatives. He used his Father's Day speech to echo the president's Fatherhood Initiative.

Offshore drilling: Bush has consistently pushed for drilling offshore, while Obama, who until recently opposed it, now says he's for it. In Nashville, Tennessee, he told an audience: "We're going to have to explore new ways to get more oil, and that includes offshore drilling."

FISA: Of the Senate bill passage that rewrote intelligence laws to grant immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the Bush administration's wiretapping program, Bush said: "This vital intelligence bill will allow our national security professionals to quickly and effectively monitor the plans of terrorists outside the United States, while respecting the liberties of the American people."

Obama, who supported it, after opposing FISA last year, said: "Given the grave threats that we face, our national security agencies must have the capability to gather intelligence and track down terrorists before they strike, while respecting the rule of law and the privacy and civil liberties of the American people."

Almost identical, huh?

And yet many of my friends wonder why I am not excited about an Obama presidency, and why the Green Party will get my vote this election. It’s very simple: I believe in multi-party democracy where diverse viewpoints can be heard (open the debates!) and represented at the legislative table.

By Lynne

Let’s face it: One of the main reasons everyone is stressing about Sarah Palin is the fear that she would become president if something happened to McCain. By “something,” we mainly mean death by natural causes.

And we’re more worried about McCain dying than Obama because he’s 72, and the average life expectancy of an American male is just over 75 years. In fact, McCain would be the oldest man ever inaugurated as a first-term president.

But is old age the most significant factor? Of the eight presidents who died in office, four of them were assassinated (and Nixon resigned). The last presidential assassination was John F. Kennedy on Friday, Nov. 22, 1963. Malcolm X was killed two years later, Martin Luther King Jr. three years after that.

I don’t mean to suggest that Obama is more at risk (although American history is riddled with violence against black men) it just means that there are several reasons why presidential succession might be called into play.

Which is why the vice presidential debate is so important. Not just to see how Palin does, but also because of Biden.

Remember him? Joe Biden has been missing in action the last few weeks, enough so that amNY has been printing rumors that he might drop out to allow Hillary Clinton to replace him on the ticket.

By Lynne

Back in 2002, Mayor Bloomberg vetoed a bill that would extend term limits. He said then that elected officials “shouldn’t be changing rules to benefit themselves politically.”

Since then, he’s repeatedly stated that no one is indispensable and once called an effort to extend term limits “disgusting.”

And yet the rumors are strong that he will announce plans to run for a third term, something currently against the law.

Oh, but he’s not in it for personal gain, at least that seems to be the argument being put forward by his supporters. Since he doesn’t need the paycheck, the only reason he would run for a third term is because his financial acumen is desperately needed at this time.

According to The Associated Press, an “individual close to the mayor said his plan is to go through the City Council to extend the law to allow a third term because it is too late to get the issue on this year's ballot.”

Well that’s just bull.

By Lynne

Just a few months ago, John McCain challenged Barack Obama to an entire series of town-hall-style debates.

Now, he wants to delay the first debate at the University of Mississippi.

Fine. There are several qualified candidates -- Cynthia McKinney and Bob Barr have more experience in Congress than Obama -- who are ready to take the national stage and provide tens of millions of Americans with different solutions and different visions for our country.

The Green party’s Cynthia McKinney, Libertarian Bob Barr, Chuck Baldwin of the Constitution party and independent candidate Ralph Nader are more than willing to debate.

A recent Zogby poll showed the majority of Americans want to hear from third party candidates, such as Bob Barr, with the percentage jumping to 69 percent among independent voters.

(continued)

By Lynne

Is Congress crazy?

Albert Einstein once said that the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."

Our current economic model is unsustainable. John McCain may have (initially) scoffed at the idea of pumping tires to save on gasoline costs, but there are so many common sense measures we need to implement -- in our homes and at the White House.

Companies need to look at their triple bottom line (social, environmental and financial). And consumers need to buy local. This is more than just trendy green speak. Spending money locally keeps money in your community and saves on transportation costs (and reduces air emissions, lowering the rates of respiratory ailments and health care costs).

But that’s the subject of another blog. Today, I want to look at the numbers:

(continued)

By Lynne

In anticipation of another boring evening watching the Democratic National Convention, I went to see “Death Race” (hard to go wrong with Jason Statham and adrenaline-filled race scenes, especially at $5 Tuesdays at the Sunnyside Theater in Queens).

I thought perhaps Hillary Clinton’s speech might be a metaphorical car crash; but instead she was able to successfully navigate her to way through support for Barack Obama, attacks on John McCain and a call for unity.

In fact, she might even have steered a path to the White House in 2012, if Obama isn’t able to pull it off this November.

Not bad for a 20 minute speech.

John McCain should pick Condoleezza Rice as his running mate, Lynne writes. But he won't, so good thing there's another strong choice in Cynthia McKinney.

By Lynne

The Democratic National Convention Committee understands the need to appeal to female voters, with keynote speeches by Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton.

But McCain can take a giant whack at their efforts by selecting a female vice president. And if she happens to be African-American and a member of the Bush administration, he might just hit the trifecta.

Who could create that winning ticket?

Condoleezza Rice, of course.

Will it happen? Odds aren’t looking good.

Fortunately for those who want to vote for a woman this November, there is Green party candidate Cynthia McKinney.

(continued)

By Lynne

Michelle Obama may have worn green, but her carefully crafted convention speech left out even a single mention of the environment.

It was her opportunity to introduce her husband as a caring father, concerned about the future for his children and the children of America.

But no mention of clear air to breathe or clean water to drink.

It was her opportunity to persuade women voters that Barack cares about issues that concern them — health care, equal pay for equal work.

What about safe, healthy food to eat?

Their daughters were highlighted several times, but she did not discuss Malia’s asthma and the link between the growing rate of respiratory ailments and air pollution.

(continued)

By Lynne

The Associated Press has Obama with a slim national lead over McCain. Who cares?

Now, I don’t mean the kind of who-cares-yawn-o-rama-Obama fatigue that is affecting 48 percent of voters (and 51 percent of Independents); I mean, who cares because — duh — did we not learn a single thing about the Electoral College after the 2000 election?

It’s not completely clear which state polls their data comes from, but at least the folks over at democraticSPACE seem to get the fact that the outcome of the presidential election is based on the actual result in each state, since that is what determines how many Electoral College votes that presidential candidates receive.

So they look to state polls, not national polls. Makes sense, right?

In their match up, Obama is kicking the wrinkly, white-haired guy’s butt with 332 Electoral College votes to 216 (the magic threshold is 270). They have Ohio, Michigan and Virginia going to Obama with North Carolina, Florida and Missouri going to McCain.

But a recent Quinnipiac University poll says that Florida and Ohio are “too close to call” even though, just last month, Obama was ahead in Florida and Ohio (and Pennsylvania).

(continued)

By Lynne

The NY Daily News began referring to Queens Blvd as the “Boulevard of Death” several years ago. It is still an apt description — approximately 100 pedestrians and cyclists are hit by cars or trucks on that main artery each year.

Just last month, a 76-year-old woman was killed along a stretch in Sunnyside.

Back in February, 22-year-old Queens resident Asif Rahman was struck and killed in Elmhurst while cycling home. A ghost bike marks the spot, a reminder of the tragedy.

At a press conference on Sunday, his mother Lizi Rahman spoke eloquently about the need for a dedicated bike lane on Queens Boulevard to make sure no family loses another loved one, and so that her son’s death would not be in vain.

For those who claim wearing a bike helmet is sufficient protection, and that bike lanes aren’t necessary, Asif’s mother graphically explained that Asif’s head and face were untouched; it was his chest area that was crushed when he was struck by a truck.

But his sister, Moumita, was there to hold the city accountable. The NY Daily News quoted her:

“I believe that the city has committed and continues to commit an act of negligence by promoting...bicycle riding without providing the necessary and adequate safeguards."

Queens Boulevard is not yet included in the Mayor’s plan to build 200 miles of bike lanes across the city in the next three years. Why not?

I mean, really – it’s the Boulevard of Death.

As far as the title of this post, it’s a blatant rip-off: Bikes Not Bombs is the name of organization in Boston that has promoted bicycle technology as a concrete alternative to war and environmental destruction for 23 years.

Twenty-three years.

That’s longer than Asif Rahman was allowed to live.

By Lynne

Barack Obama bores me.

Perhaps because I am planning on ‘making history’ by voting for a different Black candidate: Cynthia McKinney, the six-term congresswoman from Georgia who is running on the Green Party ticket. Or perhaps because it sometimes feels like Obama is starring in a political version of Grease the Musical, with the media singing his praises:

We Go Together

We go together like Obama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong
Elected for ever like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom
Change change change-it-ty change shoo-bop
That's the way a president should be
Wha oooh yeah!

Hopelessly Devoted To You

I know I'm just a fool who's willing to sit around and vote for you
But Barack can't you see, there's nothin' else for me to do…
I'm hopelessly devoted to you

You're The One I Want

I got chills, they're multiplyin',
and I'm losin' control cause the power you're supplyin', it's electrifyin'
you better win big, cause I need a man, and my heart is set on you

(continued)

(AP)

By Lynne

On Monday, John McCain described "the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border" while doing an interview with ABC, somehow forgetting that Iraq and Pakistan don’t share a border.

Pakistan shares a border with Afghanistan.

This wasn’t his first screw-up. According to Politico:

“Just in the past three weeks, McCain has also mistaken 'Somalia' for 'Sudan,' and even football’s Green Bay Packers for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

My parents are both older than McCain and their minds are as sharp as ever, meanwhile there are (unfortunately) many people under age 65 with early-onset Alzheimer's disease. So all the ageist speculation and commentary is just a new ‘ism’ to add to the rampant sexism and racism that have marred this election cycle.

The truth: McCain is just bad at geography and — apparently — football.

Will it matter come Election Day? Maybe he should ask Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (rumor has it McCain will announce his VP pick this week and Jindal seems to be on the short list).

(continued)

By Lynne

In a rite of passage more typical of college students on summer break, presidential hopeful Barack Obama embarked on a multi-day, multi-country journey of Europe and the Middle East.

To what end?

He’s not setting policy, nor is he involved in any specific negotiations. Instead, he’s trying to boost his foreign policy credentials. And he has the audacity to claim he’s doing it as a Senator from Illinois, not as a presidential candidate.

According to CNN, “So far, his trip has produced several high-profile photo ops ...”

How nice. So rather than spending time in, say, Illinois, he’s burning up fossil fuels (at least an actual Eurail Pass would have relied on trains) to prove his pop-star popularity overseas.

Meanwhile, back in his home state, the Green Party chose former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney as their presidential nominee last week. Unlike Obama’s tightly scripted overseas trip, the Green Party’s national convention in Chicago received minimal mainstream media coverage.

However, most people get their news online — 48 percent according to a Zogby poll in February 2008. And with hip-hop activist Rosa Clemente as McKinney’s running mate, the Web is beginning to buzz about the all-female ticket.

By Lynne

Last week, the Green Party made history by nominating the first all-women-of-color presidential ticket. Former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney (who served six terms in Congress) chose Rosa Clemente as her running mate.

Rosa Clemente, 36, is a Puerto Rican of African descent. Cynthia McKinney is African-American.

Rosa was born in the South Bronx and is a graduate of the University at Albany-SUNY and Cornell University. A community organizer, hip-hop activist and independent journalist, Rosa was a lead organizer for the first National Hip-Hop Political Convention in 2004. She stated:

“I don't see the Green Party as an alternative. I see it as an imperative.”

(continued)

By Lynne

McCain may not have been in the news as much as Obama this week, but I’m not so sure that the media Obama’s been getting is translating into any new votes.

McCain needs to focus on choosing his vice presidential running mate. That choice will have significant impact on his ability to peel Democrats away, keep Independents from voting for Obama or solidify conservative support.

As far as Obama — I’m hoping he takes another vacation, maybe does a little writing. Hey, he could do some more fundraising for his campaign now that he has broken his promise to accept public financing in the general.

Seriously, people are tired. We need a break. I’m in Chicago — Obamaland — helping get ready for the upcoming Green Party National Convention in July, and people are a lot more concerned about gas prices, and overcrowding on the Metra.

(continued)

Everyone remembers the story of Pandora's Box, right? Obama started out talking about the politics of hope but the cynic in me kept wondering when all the nasty stuff would start to flying around?

Gee, I guess the answer would be: Pennsylvania in April.

While Clinton's been taking a shot of whiskey, pandering to the crowd, Obama's been busy taking a few shots at Clinton.

My prediction: Clinton wins Pennsylvania by 4-6 percentage points.

The reason: Candidates who live in glass houses shouldn't go bowling.
— Lynne

How green is Sen. Hillary Clinton? (Bloomberg)

By Lynne

With the Pennsylvania primary falling on Earth Day, running as a “green” candidate makes a lot of sense. But every mainstream article pretty much says the same: Clinton and Obama are practically indistinguishable on the environment. According to Newsweek, both Democrats

“aim for a reduction of 80 percent (of carbon emissions) from 1990 levels by the year 2050, which most scientists think is the minimum necessary to head off the worst effects of climate change.”

Gee, policies to meet the bare minimum necessary. Change is really in the air ...

McCain even lays claim to some serious eco-cred (although it’s still not enough to make up for that ZERO score from the League of Conservation Voters). The Lieberman-McCain Climate Stewardship Act of 2003 was the first climate change bill introduced to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it lost 55-43. A later version received even less support due to the addition of billions in taxpayer subsidies for the nuclear energy industry.

Speaking of which, want to hear a dirty secret? Nuclear industry executives and employees have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Obama and Clinton. Clinton is apparently agnostic on the issue, but with Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant just 24 miles north of NYC and millions of New Yorkers in the peak injury zone, I get nervous when McCain and Obama make supportive noises about nuclear power. And don’t get me started on the exploitation of indigenous lands for uranium mining, nuclear testing and radioactive waste dumping.

Enough of the doom and gloom (that’s so Al Gore 2000), it’s time for a green makeover.

(continued)

By Lynne

McCain is raising a fraction of the money that the Democratic Duo is pulling – maybe because his opponents are doing his job for him.

According to a recent Gallup Poll, 28% percent of Clinton supporters say they will vote for McCain if Obama wins the nomination, and 19% of Obama supporters will vote for McCain if Clinton gets the nod. And a whopping 16% will stay home and sulk if their preferred candidate isn’t on the general ballot.

But nothing in politics operates in a vacuum. If Al Gore is tapped as VP, maybe a chunk of those Democratic Deserters will return to the fold. If McCain chooses Mitt Romney as his VP, that might give pause to some party disloyalists. Or as much as they say it’s off the table, both Obama and Clinton are consummate politicians – if a joint ticket is needed to keep party members in the fold, then that’s what will happen.

Of course, crossover voting by Democrats is nothing new.

The reality is that the entire flap about the long primary season is nothing more than a ready-made excuse if the Democrats lose the White House for the third time in a row. Political infighting is already being floated as a scapegoat if McCain wins. Democratic Party spin-masters need to earn their big fat salaries, after all.

Remember 2000? They did an amazing job convincing their membership that Ralph Nader’s Green Party candidacy was to blame rather than the 12% of Florida Democrats who crossover voted for Republican George W. Bush. Hundreds of thousands in crossover votes - you do the math.

If Nader was truly the problem, the Democratic Party has been long aware of the solution: instant runoff voting (IRV). IRV allows voters to rank the candidates in order of preference: 1-2-3. If your first choice doesn’t have enough support to win, your vote is transferred to your second choice, and so on. No more “spoilers” or vote splitting. DNC chair Howard Dean is a supporter (as is McCain) and Obama introduced IRV legislation when he was in the Illinois Senate.

But the Democrats haven’t done anything in the last eight years to put IRV in place. They’ve been too busy rolling over for the Bush-Cheny administration, voting for a war in Iraq and Afghanistan, accepting donations from the very same corporations that are polluting our environment, and doing absolutely nothing to protect the 47 million Americans without health care.

Do I think the extended primary season will hurt the eventual Democratic nominee? Sure, but no more than the Democratic Party’s own record and lack of real leadership.

Be honest: Do you really care that Jimmy Carter kinda-sorta-almost endorsed Obama?

Even Carter couldn’t be bothered to make it official. Maybe he didn’t want to be yet another former Democratic president trying to inject his has-been self into the primary season (blog to Bill: go home and bake some cookies).

Or perhaps it was recognition that his endorsement wouldn’t make a peanut-sized bit of difference to Obama’s crucial youth vote. Didn’t Carter lose the presidency almost a decade before most of the 700,000 college students in Pennsylvania were even born?

As for the rest of those pesky superdelegates, they’re going to vote for whoever they think will win (hey, everyone likes to back a winner) or whoever they think will help them get re-elected or whoever they think will deliver the most pork to their district.

While she may not be a Skinny Bitch, Clinton was recently outed in Slate Magazine as an avid snacker of the soy-based meatless Boca Burgers. If Clinton is smart, she’ll ditch the pork and go after the millions of veggie voters in the US.

“Soy Hillary” may very well be her next campaign slogan.
— Lynne

By Lynne

Last year, former Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney left the Democratic party and decided to seek the Green party presidential nomination. Last month, Ralph Nader announced his fourth presidential run, his second as an Independent. Last week, former Senator Mike Gravel announced that he was leaving the Democratic party and seeking the Libertarian party nomination.

But the two-party system still has three main presidential candidates remaining, whose combined fundraising will make this the most expensive election campaign in history.

Frankly, I don't want any of them in charge.

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