This Wednesday, Governor 1% Will Finally Face the Music

The only debate in which Governor Andrew Cuomo (Republican -- Oops, I mean Democrat) will participate as he seeks re-election will be aired live on October 22.

Cuomo, being the most corrupt chief executive of New York in history, rarely makes himself publicly available for adversarial questions.

The event will include Green nominee Howie Hawkins, who is on track to break the record for percentage drawn by a candidate of any left-wing third party in a general gubernatorial election in the Empire State.  I dedicated the pictured pumpkin to the contender in that race who has my support.

Who's Ready?

Reportedly, former secretary of State Hillary Clinton might begin another candidacy for president sooner than expected were her party to hit a new level of lameness by losing the Senate to the Republicans next month.  To help clarify who is likely among those eager for the former first lady to again seek the highest office in this land, I enhanced an image from the "Ready for Hillary" super-PAC.

Prepared for Jill

The super-PAC known as "Ready for Hillary" tries to own the idea of support for a female candidate for this nation's highest office.  But the two latest presidential (and vice presidential) nominees of the Green Party are women, most recently Jill Stein MD, who drew a higher percentage of the popular vote than any other woman had in a general election for president of the United States.

With hope for her to again run for the White House, I revised an offending ad by said committee, which learned the hard way it is in no position to sue over this.

Why Continue This Country's Longest War?

This graph I made puts into some perspective the start of the 14th year of the United States' long-pointless occupation of Afghanistan -- an operation very much overshadowed by President Obama's latest misadventure.

Preview of CITIZENFOUR

October 24 will bring the opening of a documentary about massive abuse by the National Security Agency being disclosed by then-contractor Edward Snowden to director Laura Poitras and to journalist Glenn Greenwald, both of whom would, for their coverage of this issue, win the Pulitzer Prize and the Polk Award.

 

UPDATE:

For Best Documentary Feature, this production won awards from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the International Documentary Association, the Houston Film Critics Society, the Saint Louis Film Critics Assoc., and the Utah Film Critics Assoc., and won the award at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival.  For Best Non-Fiction Film, this production won awards from the National Society of Film Critics, the Los Angeles Film Critics Assoc., and the New York Film Critics Circle.

For Best Documentary, this production won awards from the Int'l Press Academy, the British Academy of Film & Television Arts, the Austin Film Critics Assoc., the Boston Society of Film Critics, the Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Assoc., the Detroit Film Critic Society, the Iowa Film Critics, the Kansas City Film Critics Cir., the Las Vegas Film Critics Society, the London Critics Cir., the San Diego Film Critics Society, and the San Francisco Film Critics Cir., and won the Gotham Award and the Independent Spirit Award.

For this work, Poitras won the Directors Guild of America's award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, the Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival's award for Filmmakers Who Make a Difference, and the Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival's award for Outstanding Director.

Welcome!

As positive myths about Christopher Columbus are disproved and momentum therefore builds behind the idea to turn this holiday -- Columbus Day -- into one that honors the indigenous peoples of the Western hemisphere, I launch this blog.  It is devoted to the effort to move US politics beyond the status-quo as more evidence mounts that proves the necessity of such an effort in order to spare the human race from environmental doom, allow opportunity for all citizens of this land, and uphold the principles that made the constitution of this country the best in the world.

Please always feel free to comment on and to share this blog.  I look forward to fact-based and constructive exchanges of information and of ideas with you.  For now, several of my previous works are posted and backdated here so some substance is offered immediately.  Thank you for visiting!

Picture courtesy of ushistory.org

At the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention, Benjamin Franklin said of this
feature of the presidential chair, "I have often and often in the course of the session,
and the vicisitudes of my hopes and fears as to its issue, looked at that, behind the
president, without being able to tell whether it was rising or setting.  But now at
length, I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun."

Why the 11th-Hour Tactics of Governor 1% May Backfire

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) is up to his old tricks as the Democratic primary challenge to him from Professor Zephyr Teachout continues to gain momentum as we close in on Tuesday's vote.

Teachout ("Democracy Now!"),
Cuomo (Elissa Jun / FEMA)

Just like the Cuomo campaign's 1) deployment of interns to hound Teachout, 2) unsuccessful objection to signatures on her petitions for nomination, and 3) expenditure of $2.5 million on failed attempts to remove her name from the ballot generated more publicity for her candidacy than it may ever have otherwise received, there are reasons to suspect the last-minute maneuvers by the incumbent will damage his prospects.

Cuomo's campaign stepped up its efforts as word spread about the stances of his running mate for lieutenant governor, namely Kathleen "Kathy" Hochul, who has described her record in Congress as "very conservative."  Hochul, who became a lobbyist for M&T Bank after she lost her congressional seat after one term, faces competition from Teachout's running mate: Prof. Timothy Wu.  But the effort to market Hochul as "progressive" is an obvious ruse, especially when her poor record on environmental protection and on regulation of guns is considered.

Although Cuomo, who has declined to be interviewed on television at any time in the last eight years*, and Hochul refuse to face their opponents in any debate, publicly mention them by name or now even accept a handshake from either of them, dishonest and illogical attacks were directly launched against Teachout on Friday by prominent allies of Cuomo in a conveniently-timed burst that was apparently one in a series orchestrated by him.

Those surrogates curiously include ex-gov. David Paterson, state senator Jeffrey Klein, state senator Diane Savino and Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver, all of whom might actually hurt Cuomo and Hochul among Democrats statewide.  After all, Paterson left office with a job approval rating of 32%, Klein and Savino conspired with Cuomo to preserve Republican control of the State Senate, and a poll from last year found 51% of voters in the Empire State -- including a plurality of its Democrats -- believe Silver should resign as speaker.

Although WNYC has hosted current gubernatorial nominee Robert Astorino (R) on the air many times, Paterson, Klein and Savino alleged Teachout's decision to debate Astorino on that outlet somehow enabled an "extreme" right-wing agenda.  He was twice elected by a double-digit percentage to be executive of Westchester County, which has twice as many Democrats as Republicans.  He is not extreme.  Furthermore, given who has helped ensure a Republican majority in the upper chamber in the State Capitol, the three aforementioned surrogates are flagrantly hypocritical when they decry supposed elevation of conservative viewpoints.

Silver melodramatically trotted out the tired insinuation that implies anyone who does not embrace the military policy of Israel is anti-Semitic.  He cast that slander upon Teachout and Wu, who are vulnerable to it because they, unlike Cuomo, prefer to discuss issues relevant to the offices they seek rather than foreign policy.

Meanwhile, Cuomo/Hochul's online advertisement, pictured below, falsely implies to people who vaguely know of Teachout/Wu that the latter duo is anti-choice, in favor of arbitrary discrimination, and against universal pre-kindergarten.  Also included is language that, for those who do not know of Teachout/Wu, falsely implies the general election will be held this Tuesday rather than November 4.



The objective of the Cuomo/Hochul strategy is clearly to hinder a substantive contrast of the paths from which Democratic New Yorkers can choose.  Anyone who pays attention can smell the desperation of Cuomo and Hochul, who evidently do not even deem themselves the best team in the race.

UPDATE: Cuomo and Mayor Warren Wilhelm Jr. Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) bullied prominent figures out of endorsements of Teachout/Wu.

*Reported on Inside City Hall on NY1, 2 Sept. 2014

This piece originally appeared on punkpatriot.com.

The 'Totally Weak,' 'Totally Pathetic' Tactics of Governor 1%

Cuomo (Jocelyn Augustino / FEMA),
Teachout (Cmte. on House Administration)

Gov. Andrew Coward-- I mean Cuomo (Tammany Hall Democrat-NY) has been long known for dirty tricks.  Now, his re-election operation confesses its interns, at appearances by Democratic gubernatorial primary candidate Zephyr Teachout, pretended to be average New Yorkers who were so angry about her former residency in Vermont as to protest independently. 

The planted demonstrators held signs that implied Teachout, who is a law professor at Fordham University, was dishonest to affirm she meets the residency requirement to be chief executive of the Empire State.  Such an argument was set forth in a lawsuit whose official plaintiffs were two interns of Cuomo's campaign.  The suit was dismissed in a decision that is under appeal although the Board of Elections of NY submitted the design of the primary ballot to print with Teachout's name on it.  The board had rejected a challenge, whose official complainants were two interns of Cuomo's campaign, to Teachout's petitions for nomination.

In reference to the Cuomo campaign's use of interns for the aforementioned tactics, Teachout campaign manager Mike Boland told Business Insider, "It's totally weak.  It's totally pathetic."

When credentialed reporters questioned one of the not-so-concerned citizens about why he protested against Teachout, he responded, "You're going to take out your phone and you're going to take my picture, I should break your f**king phone right here!  ...F**k you!  You are the worst member of society...  I don't need to speak to you...  Have a nice f**king life."

Cuomo's operation is awash in funds from the monied interests it serves.  Yet, it is incompetent enough to 1) employ sloppy tactics that make Cuomo look more like the bully he is, 2) generate publicity for an opponent who needs it, and 3) neglect to instruct its interns to refrain from comment -- or at least profane threats and insults -- to the media.  Thus, the Cuomo team should adopt a franker slogan.  Here is my proposal.

This piece originally appeared on punkpatriot.com.

Socialist Wins Recount, Greens Prove Viable

Last Friday, Kshama Sawant PhD of the Socialist Alternative Party was declared the winner of a nonpartisan race for the Council of Seattle, Washington.  The professor of economics, who rose to prominence as an activist in the Occupy Movement, defeated a 16-year incumbent Democrat.  Sawant is the first socialist elected to public office in that city since over a century ago.  Her candidacy was endorsed by the Green Party, which is building momentum as demonstrated by other results from November 5...

Some members/endorsees of the Green Party in nonpartisan elections

Cameron Gordon re-elected to Council of Minneapolis, MN

Brian Cummins re-elected to Council of Cleveland, OH

John Reed re-elected to Council of Fairfax, CA

Renée Goddard re-elected to Council of Fairfax
Joshua Plourde elected to Council of Bangor, ME
Anna Trevorrow elected to Board of Education of Portland, ME

Ty Moore: 42% for Council of Minneapolis

Sawant (City of Seattle)

Joseph Carvalho: 31% for mayor of Fall River, MA
Audrey Clement: 31% for Bd. of Arlington County, VA

Christopher Shorr: 25% for Council of Portland

Johnny Howard: 15% for Council of Saint Paul, MN
Gladwyn D'Souza: 14% for Council of Belmont, CA §

Chris Lautenschlager: 11% for Council of Minneapolis
Joseph DeMare: 11% for Council of Bowling Green, OH ‡
Brian Rencher: 7% for Council of Ventura, CA #

Kale Severson: 6% for Council of Minneapolis

Kristina Gronquist: 6% for Council of Minneapolis

Some Green nominees

Neil Haagen elected to Council of Snow Shoe Borough, PA

Mirna Martinez* elected to Bd. of Ed. of New London, CT

Howie Hawkins: 40% for Council of Syracuse, NY

Laurie Rogers: 24% for Bd. of Selectmen of Columbia, CT †

Darin Robbins: 22% for mayor of Corning, NY

Susie Beiersdorfer: 18% for pres. of the Council of Youngstown, OH

Kevin Bott: 15% for mayor of Syracuse

Lynne Serpe: 15% for Council of New York City

Peter LaVenia Jr.: 12% for Council of Albany, NY

Emily Good: 12% for sheriff of Monroe County, NY

Beth Riso: 11% for mayor of Nyack, NY

William Stevenson: 9% for Legislature of Suffolk County, NY

Christina Gonzalez: 8% for Council of NYC

Miles Budde: 7% for Council of NYC

Alexander White: 5% for mayor of Rochester, NY

*Member of Green Party, nominated by Republican and Green parties
†Three-way race for two seats | ‡Four-way, two seats
§Six-way, three seats | #Nine-way, four seats

This piece originally appeared on punkpatriot.com.

Obama Whitewashes Bush Again

The following are excerpts from remarks President Obama delivered today at the dedication of the lie-brary of a "president" whose negligence allowed this country to be attacked, who allowed Osama bin Laden to escape, whose policy on education was disastrous, who sent troops into battle unnecessarily and without adequate provisions or proper training, who cut benefits for troops and for veterans, and who sought to cut those benefits by even more.

Obama, Bush (Eric Draper / White House)

This is a Texas-sized party.  And that's worthy of what we're here to do today...  We're reminded of the incredible strength and resolve that came through that bullhorn as [George W. Bush] stood amid the rubble and the ruins of Ground Zero, promising to deliver justice to those who had sought to destroy our way of life...

He believed we had to reform our schools in ways that help every child learn...  We share a profound respect and reverence for the men and women of our military and their families.  And we are united in our determination to comfort the families of the fallen and to care for those who wear the uniform...

America needs leaders who are willing to face the storm head-on...  That's what Pres. George W. Bush chose to do.  That's why I'm honored to be part of today's celebration.  Mr. President, for your service, for your courage... for your love of country, thank you very much.  From all the citizens of the United States of America, God bless you.


This piece originally appeared on Facebook.