Sometimes the market works, kind of–liberal talk radio on Clear Channel
February 18th, 2005
Here
is a fascinating story, for good and for bad. The bottom line (so to
speak) is the Clear Channel is now introducing liberal talk radio as a
station format in blue cities like Detroit and Portland, Oregon.
The bad news is that the liberal format is only running on a handful of
stations right now. Of the 1200 Clear Channel-owned stations, 20
are planned to go liberal by the end of 2005.
Hmmmm.
Origami, science, love
February 16th, 2005
The coolest article, in the Times, about origami and science and (subtly) the love of a son and a dad..
and visit this, Erik Demaine’s origami site at MIT..
and here for an introduction to paper folding and cutting as a deep tradition..
Howard Dean and confidence
February 6th, 2005
You have gotta love it. Howard Dean is closing in on the party
chairmanship–his victory will be accomplished next week.
Whatever one says about Howard, he is a winner.
And by the way, I really more and more feel that most Americans pick
Presidents and parties like most people pick when to support football
teams–people like winners, and they want winners to run the
country. I’m not saying this is the best way for folks to do it,
but as I talk to my friends and relatives who are Republicans, this
theme comes through.
One of my favorite new business books is Rosabeth Moss Kantor’s Confidence.
Howard is a winner, and confident.
Yes, our New England Patriots are in the Superbowl today–and expected to win–so I’m sure this affects my thinking.
The collapse of UN legitimacy
February 3rd, 2005
Come on bloggers, especially those on the left, it is time to challenge
the exclusive role of the UN as the sole world body.
Let’s start to examine the UN monopoly on global “good.” Today we have the results of the investigation of the UN oil-for-food scandal.
Earlier this week we finally saw the shameless UN report on the genocide in
Darfur, saying that terrrible crimes against humanity had been
committed by the Sudanese government, but then implausibly concludng
that these crimes–documented in the report–did not constitute
genocide because government intent could not be proved–despite the
fact that the UN treaty against genocide does not require intent to be
demonstrated.
The UN report argues that the perpertrators in Sudan should be tried in the International Criminal Court--while
effectively blocking intervention to stop continuing crimes from being
committed. The International Criminal Court cannot do anything for the
victims.
The UN more and more seems part of the problem rather than part of the
solution. This is something those on the right have been saying
for some time. Now we need help on the left. Case in point:
when Kofi Annan was under fire from congressional Republicans recently,
Senator Leahy of Vermont stepped to Annan’s defense. A bad move
by an otherwise good senator–in my view. Kofi Annan is a
disaster as the head of the UN, and it is time that we all looked at
his failure honestly, and began to try to learn from it and plan an
intellegent next set of initiatives.
The beginning of the Howard Dean era, and the resurgence of the Democratic National Committee as the driver of the party.
February 2nd, 2005
Well, finally we will have someone at the national level who is willing to stand for something,
and who will be able to articulate the issues, raise important
questions, and expand and make more inclusive the discussions and
actions that follow.
Bravo to the Democratic National Committee members for seeing that a
change is needed, and that Howard Dean is the only nationally-known
Democrat who sparks excitement with ordinary Americans like you and me.
metaphorically–having a big tent with no tent-poles is not worth very
much.
Bravo to the DNC members for realizing that teaching Nancy Pelosi to “speak Evangelical” is a losing proposition.
Bravo to the DNC members for realizing–belatedly–that the DLC should
not be allowed to continue to dominate party discussions.
are responsible for an unbroken string of larger and larger
congressional and presidential losses over the past decade.
The DLC is a loser. The
2004 campaign needs to be seen clearly for what it was: the faithful
execution of a DLC-inspired strategy of pretending to be Republicans in
order to win elections. And the 2004 campaign’s result was a resounding, humiliating defeat.
The disastrous 2004 DLC/Kerry campaign consumed millions of hours of volunteer time, the political
careers of John Kerry, probably John Edwards, and a host of other
candidates who signed onto a DLC strategy that was both cynical and doomed.
The DLC/Kerry strategy directly caused the waste
of almost a billion dollars of hard-wrought contributions by people
like you and me–jading many and setting the stage for difficult
fundraising days ahead.
The 2004 DLC strategy was flawlessly executed in the Kerry
campaign. The strategy failed. The strategy sacrificed
integrity and authenticy and creativity in the service of winning
at all costs. People rallied around the cry, “anyone who can beat
Bush” suppressing their best political instincts in the service of
unity.
The result of the strategy of seeking to win at all costs? The strategy
failed. We lost. This is a fact. This is the
undisputable result. The DLC strategy was touted by its backers
as justified because it would win. It lost. The validation of the strategy
was to be in its victory. The strategy was put to a fair
test. It lost. We lost.
Bravo to the DNC for reasserting its leadership over the party.
The Democratic National Committee directs the party, not executives of
the small self-interested think tank that is the DLC. The
Democratic National Committee is the most representative leadership
group that the party has. It is not perfect, but it is broad and
it is pragmatic and with the choice of Howard Dean it is proving to be
bold and creative as well..
So now we have a chance to begin again together.
strong staff. Seasoned Democratic leaders will be called to
help him, and they will respond. This will set up a very
different dynamic than in the presidential campaign, when most seasoned
leaders conspired to weaken and defeat him. Howard at the edge of
the party was remarkably effective, and he alone has emerged from this
season of folly as a leader whose integrity and judgment has been
validated. Howard at the center may be able to be even more
effective. Let us join him and make it happen!
Photo by Jim Moore