Congestion Pricing- Aftermath

Congestion Pricing (the plan to charge drivers from outside of Manhattan's business district $8 for driving south of 60th Street) died in the both the State Assembly and State Senate. Mayor Bloomberg's delusion that if it were brought to the floor for a vote from the full Assembly and State Senate and would pass, is on the cusp of insanity.

If in reality there was such groundswell of a desire to throw a regressive tax on themselves the constituents of the Assembly Majority and the Senate Majority wouldn't those sitting in the majority want to record the vote even if the congestion pricing plan eventually lost? How much confidence does Bloomberg have in the MTA? These are the same people that contiually announce that they have operating budget surpluses, but cannot seem to make ends meet to get get service improvements, projects done, or avoid a union strike (come on! Peter Kalikow must have an IQ of a cocker spaniel to brag about supluses while trying to give away the West Side Rail Yards to the Jets for a song and all a couple months before TWU's contract was due to be renegotiated in 2005.) The only thing that Bloomberg had a right to complain about is that the State Legislature should have figure out how to keep $330 million of the $340 million from the Federal DOT that were supposed to go towards transit improvements without the congestion pricing (or get by implementing drastically waterdown version of the congestion like charging only livery cabs at 2 in the morning.)

Assemblyman Michael Benjamin

Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (D-Brooklyn Bronx) on the floor of the assembly just made the point that his apartment was robbed. For $80,000 a year, can't he get a apartment in a better neighborhood?

The Tanya Harding Option

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/03/dnc-official-cl.html

There is impending sense of desperation both within the Clinton campaign and amongst Clinton supporters. Though the ‘Tonya Harding option’ is the term from an anonymous DNC staffer, it is apt description of Hillary’s situation. Like a insanely jealous ex-lover she would rather no one can have the nomination if she can’t. Her willingness to commit political murder-suicide with Obama, is apparent when Bill Clinton is let off the leash and implies that Obama doesn’t love America. As it becomes more and more likely that she will not become the Democratic Nominee for 2008, she will throw everything in the works even it insures a McCain’s victory.

Super Tuesday Aftermath

To the defenders of GOP's policy of splitting Michigan and Florida delegates, we won't see the benefits of either DNC or GOP reaction to states breaking party rules until 2012. If in 2011 every republican primary is moved a full year forward to catch a jump on the other states knowing the worst the RNC will do is halve their delegates, so be it, Chris Mathews and Brian Williams and Tim Russert and Faux News will still fawn over any state that flouts RNC directions. On the other hand if Dean shows his back bone and really will not seat the delegates from states that broke party rules then certainly no state would be willing cross the DNC 4 years later.
As far as the super delegates, there are over 800 of them! Seriously if you think that Hillary can win the nomination with the 160 she has today, sorry it just won't happen. Obama's 50 super delegates aren't going to win him the nomination either. The 600 super delegates that are waiting to see how the primaries result in a clear winner and/or looking to see who will poll better against McCain in the general election they will be the king makers. John Edwards and his 26 pledged delegates are looking pretty influential now that delegate results (sans super delegates) are nearly tied.

Finally, if Hillary can not raise any money from the grassroots simply because she is uninspiring then she certainly is the one that Howard Dean will have to coax out of running. I;m from NY and almost a tautology of elected officials here are for Hillary mostly because of fear that Obama isn't tough enough, too much of a peacenik to make a strong argument that he will be able to keep the country safe. President Bush certainly isn't lacking machismoism and bravado; He will never be considered a dovish politician and yet the country has certainly lost security through his bellicose foreign policy. On September 12th, 2001 there were 6 Billion inhabitants that could easily recognize who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. On September 12th, 2001 there were millions of muslim, arabic, and or middle eastern Americans that had already rejected religous fundamentalists of their old home countries and chose America over the culture of fake-martydom that Sayyid Qutb, and Osama Bin Laden promotes. On September 12th, 2001 we could say that the World Trade Center was the largest in muslim deaths of any single terrorist attack or single western Military attack. Alqueda began with the bombing of Kobar towers attacking fellow muslims and yet the U.S. continues to frame the problem with ourselves against all muslims and that the problem can be solved militarily. Sen. John McCain, President George W. Bush, and Sen. Hillary Clinton all suffer the same perspective in that the tool they have in the tool box is hammer (military), therefore every problem looks like a nail (a war).

Barack Obama was willing to stick his head out to be cut back in 2002, when he openly opposed the invasion and occupation of Iraq despite it being massively popular. He supports the war in Afghanistan, therefore is far from a pacifist. He is the only plausible next-president that actually can and wants to make peace in the world.