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Recent Posts by Michelle Kraus

Is New Jersey Governor Chris Christie the One Being Groomed for 2016?

It’s easy to see why Governor Christie may be on a test drive for 2016, and not just the warm up act for icy GOP 2012 presidential frontrunner, Mitt Romney. In fact, Christie may have that rare mixture of smarts and down home charm — all wrapped up in an ethnic blue collar kind of package. Bet the GOP intelligentsia is pondering if there could be something compelling about him in his role as the Pied Piper of the working class. Stretching a bit, consider whether Christie could be that desperately needed Republican version of Bill Clinton- yeah, yeah well keep stretching that analogy a little more please because the Party elders maybe trying to figure it out after the debacle of the 2012 primaries.

So it is no surprise that the good Governor came to the Hoover Institute at Stanford University delivering some of his plain-speak, and coming out with a newer calm and thoughtful demeanor. Not sure that all of his turnaround analogies worked comparing New Jersey to California — even to this woman born and bred there – but he’s making big, bold statements backed by mountains of data. Still not buying that entitlements are the root of the downfall of modern life as we know it – yet we all know that this is GOP speak for cutting Social Security, Medicare and their ilk.

Yet the big question remains unanswered as to whether this street smart persona will speak to the middle of America in the way bad boy former President Bill Clinton did.

And further, does Christie have enough religiosity to keep the burgeoning religious base happy? After all, he is merely a choir boy – aka code for a good Italian Catholic male. Because we all know that having a Catholic president was good enough for the Democrat – - but remember those folks believe in birth control. Moreover, is it okay that Christie is so smart (because he clearly is) to the anti-intellectual masses? Given that he is much more adroit at downplaying it than even former President George W. Bush but will it be enough? Alas, it’s a big bonus that he openly hates the unions, and has a particular hard-on for the teachers’ unions; appears to keep his zipper up; and is happily married.

Hmm, if the GOP intelligentsia keeps ruminating on Christie we may see more of this new, improved, thoughtful Chris Christie making the rounds before 2016.

American Culture & Misogyny Wars

Is our American culture so immersed in the sickness of misogyny that it can’t see the forest from the trees with the GOP? Men, or anyone else without female apparatus, do not get to make decisions about women’s bodies. Reproductive rights are an issue of health care plain and simple. We, women that are children of the sixties, seventies and eighties, thought we had fought this battle a long time ago, and are sort of content to keep kicking the glass ceiling. We realize that’s not good enough, but are wise enough to realize that it is what it is in the work force. But elected officials like Senator Mitch McConnell or Speaker John Boehner that want to repeal basic rights to birth control are a blight on our democracy. Women have had the right to vote for decades, and must not reelect folks that treat them like chattel for breeding, and little else.

Thank you very much, GOP gentlemen, for kicking open the door to the battle for women’s reproductive rights yet again. Alas, it appears to be front and center in the 2012 Presidential election with the Republican contenders seizing the moment for all their bad behavior. In fact earlier this week, Arianna characterized it as Birth Contracalypse on page one of The Huffington Post because of the mainstream media’s fixation on the so-called culture wars being espoused in the GOP rhetoric. Heaven help us as the world is beset with unrest and economic turmoil as this gang and our media replay the saga of the Catholic Bishops — aka men that wear dresses to work, not party. Certainly, it is fascinating to watch former Senator Rick Santorum push the frontrunner former moderate Governor Mitt Romney to the right as he auditions for Vice President. Talking Points Memo goes so far as to call it “Rick Santorum’s Trouble with Women” as their writers chew on the big issues of women in the work force in Michigan. Thank goodness the bloggers continue to push the hard questions about wage equality and even misogyny. Gosh almighty, it’s sad to watch as the mainstream media side steps the big stuff and fans the flames. Don’t really know how anyone can take these folks seriously. Rick Santorum’s notion of women is way beyond parochial. Newt’s womanizing is embarrassing and Mitt is a human pretzel giving new meaning to flip flopping.

President Obama may be the answer to our prayers. His very existence debunks all the GOP gyrations having been raised by a single mother and loving matriarch. In fact, for all purposes he actually seems to like women and trust them. Come on folks — he is married to Michelle, better known as the Warrior Princess, and relies on Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to keep us straight with the world. So girls, gals or whatever, when you ponder about the 2012 race let there not be even a moment’s hesitation. Barack Obama, with all his faults, is our guy. He won’t cave to the GOP craziness about women, or poor people, or military action; and he certainly won’t throw women under the proverbial bus.

Republicans: War Is Not the Answer

After all we spent on the war in Iraq, in money and lost lives, haven’t the Republicans figured out – that war is not the answer? They simply cannot jumpstart the economy on the back of a new war. No, no, no. There is no money left, the military is broken and there is civil disobedience in the streets. People are downtrodden. That was then, it is different now.

Woe is me after Saturday evening’s Republican candidate debate. These clowns want to start a freaking war with Iran, and use torture, or what is called waterboarding. They want to place economic sanctions on Iran; sanctions that might even violate international law and isolate the United States.

These nudniks, collectively sans Huntsman, see NO reason not to publicly rattle the sabre at Iran; while agreeing with brain surgeon Perry to zero budget all aid monies to Israel – the United States’ chief ally in the region.

Since Romney is now cavorting with Newt, he thinks that economic sanctions and hawkish tactics are a good thing. Yes sir, Cain, Bachmann and Perry advocate the use of torture for interrogation. Oops, hasn’t anyone tried to talk sense to any of them, other than Jon Huntsman and Ron Paul? Say it isn’t so, that everyone on that stage was a self-purported expert on China, other than the former US Ambassador Jon Huntsman to that country. Perry is Perry. Romney is starry eyed. Herman still thinks it is okay to diddle white girls, but fry brown men at the border. The words of his wife remind us all how delusional folks are about sex, particularly their mates.

Oh woe is me; this is a motley crew standing on the world stage to the giggles of our friends and foes around the globe. Representative Michele Bachmann thinks the war in Iraq was a gift bestowed on President Obama, sort of like a gold watch or trophy. At least, that’s what she said on Meet the Press the next morning to David Gregory.

Further, this role model for women thinks the Iraqis should pay reparations – only she forgot they have no money, and they get their money from us. And if that is not bad enough, the press corps can’t seem to see the forest from the trees. Those traveling with the President to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit seemed to only want to talk trash to POTUS at the Sunday evening press conference blasted out on CNN. Few of their questions were about the pending trade negotiations or (remember) jobs — with the majority about Iran, torture, and the Republican debate. POTUS is out there doing his shtick to reboot the economy, and they can’t seem to focus. Next time maybe the White House should invite a handful of new media types from the blogosphere or Twitter.

 

It’s a Really Bad Time to Be Middle Class in America

It’s a really bad time to even be middle class in this country, and forget about being poor. The only way to be protected is to be very wealthy: then you are guaranteed that your house is safe, your medical care is covered, and your children will have a future. It’s that bad, and not one bit of this is subtle.

There is a class war underway in this country. The rich, or those that represent their interests, and corporations want control. Dave Johnson, blogger for the Campaign for America’s Future, nailed it when he wrote that: “This budget fight is about a stark choice: jobs and growth for We, the People, or going down the road of plutocracy — rule by the super-rich and big corporations — with little or nothing left over for the rest of us.”

This is the power grab of our generation playing out in Obama’s budget. It reflects true entitlement for the super wealthy. The government revitalization of the “too big to fail” banks was only the tipping point. Of course, the bankers deserved their bonuses. Remember that you heard it here. The battleground is not about the so-called entitlement programs espoused by the Democrats. Social Security, and other such programs are not the culprits; they are the scapegoat for the real agenda.

Obama is being forced to rip open the social fabric of this country to reduce the Bush generated debts. In the president’s proposed budget, most social programs will be ravaged left and right (no pun intended). Yes admittedly, this budget is a massive jobs creation machine. But watch out — don’t get sick folks or have an on-the-job accident because there will little if any safety net. Certainly, we all know about health care reform, yet if Speaker Boehner and his boys have their way — that too will be reduced to a hill of beans and severely compromised. The fight for survival of the middle class and the poor has been ratcheted up a notch. Strap in folks, this is class warfare.

Shutting Off the Internet Was the Wrong Thing to Do

Egypt may have made their single biggest strategic blunder by attempting to shut down the Internet and cell networks. Indeed, by doing so they may have sealed their destiny. Yeah, yeah, yeah of course Facebook and Twitter are organizing tools for crowd sourcing. But so what! Let them come out in the streets, but do not incite violence or attack the protesters.

Violence begets violence plain and simple. Wasn’t it Senator John Kerry this morning who echoed the words of Gandhi and Martin Luther King? Egypt, the Internet is the safety valve. Yep, and by shutting it down you may have quashed all opportunity for a peaceful resolution of the unrest in Cairo. The challenge for Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak is whether he and his regime will step up by turning the Internet back on; or revert back to silence and terror. This government, and others like it, fails to grasp the new and all-powerful role of the Internet, and specifically social media in bringing people together, promoting discourse and potentially halting violence.

Alas, if all of the world would only fight in cyberspace. Nation would not lift up the sword against other nations, or their own people. And, we might never again have to live through the wholesale slaughter of a Tiananmen Square. But sadly, only a handful of even our political leaders appear to have embraced the full ramifications of the future which beckons.

Remarkably, again Senator John Kerry, chair of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, got it as echoed in his further remarks this morning calling for Egypt to “immediately restore communications and access to social networking sites” in the hope of a viable resolution. Ironically, our own Vice President Joe Biden (another strong veteran of the Senate Foreign Relation Committee) appears to have some inner or external conflict about Egypt, and further the social media train seems to have forgotten to stop at his station.

So will this nation and others like North Korea or Yemen to name a few, continue to reign in silence by the sword? Or will Egypt come along kicking and screaming with a little encouragement (and money) from President Obama and Madam Secretary of State Clinton? Moreover, what roles can micro-blogging platforms like Facebook, Twitter or their ilk play?

In fact, will their role evolve beyond broadcasting, and early warning systems to the media? Consider that that there could be a new kind of revolutionary or agent of change; one that is armed with keyboards and smart phones – rather than stones, knives or guns. If WikiLeaks, and their supercilious leader, Julian Assange taught us nothing else, it is that the skillful use of cyberspace is a worthy weapon in the war for change. It seems that there is more here than meets the eye with this Facebook and Twitter. Otherwise why would foreign affairs honchos sorts sit at the helm of at least Facebook? Assuredly, there must be more, and not just for those drinking Kool-Aid from the Internet water fountain.

A Whole New Generation of Revolutionaries: WikiLeaks and Julian Assange

WikiLeaks raises some of the most poignant questions of our time about the power of cyber warfare, the role of hackers, and the future of the Internet. It is not a coincidence that Madame Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has created a whole new effort to explore and fight cyber terrorism. In fact, WikiLeaks and Assange may represent the first of the wholesale anarchists using today’s information highway to do battle. Consider that instead of taking to the streets in protest, this generation may take to the Internet to wage their battles and carry their message. We are living a time represented by the power of Facebook that links over 500 million people together. And if this is true, we may have unleashed a whole new generation of cyber warlords on the world’s information centers.

Many of our brethren are writing about democracy, liberty and the freedom of information pivoting off what they believe WikiLeaks stands for. Julian Assange has been elevated to the “Man of the People” as filmmaker Michael Moore contributes to his bail fund, and the Huffington Post sets up a whole section devoted to whistleblower Fantasy Land. You know, we all need something valiant to believe in during the difficult days of Obama. The obnoxious wealthy are dancing on the heads of US lawmakers. The banks are still doing the Texas two-step, and the Middle Class continues to suffer in silence with simmering rage. There are two deeply divisive wars. China is rising and scaring the heck out of us. The liberals of the Democratic Party continue to act like toddlers, and Sarah Palin is making hay laughing all the way to her off-shore accounts. So Julian Assange, or whoever is backing him, could not have picked a better moment of discontent. They are evoking new archetypes of good and bad in a world that is increasing grey.

Assange is the anti-hero. He has been personified as a man with no country who is a metrosexual kind of guy willing to risk it all to uncover the truth. Yet, we don’t really know much about this man, or what makes him tick. Is he really the wizard behind or the curtain, or there really someone or something else pulling the strings. Is he a hacker extraordinaire, or just a man that is a brilliant online community organizer? In fact and most importantly, what does it mean to be a hacker? Are hackers by definition anarchists, or is it just Julian that wants to topple the establishment at any cost. Or are there droves of these cyber-sleuths trolling the black lands of the Internet looking for back doors into silos of information? Remember Assange was a cryptologist of sorts which is the super duper folks that develop the ways to tunnel into software code. And it may be fair to assume that these same hackers were probably responsible for the DOS (Denial of Service) attacks on Visa, Master Card and others. And if this is true then who is really pulling the strings since these were very, targeted attacks on specific corporations that shut out the money flow for WikiLeaks? The bottom line is that we still don’t know how the WikiLeaks information is gathered and/or obtained. Does it come from this new breed of whistleblowers, such as Private Manning that had a rare blend of tech talents and access? If so; does this new breed even resemble our beloved archetypical whistleblowers circa Daniel Ellsberg, or even Erin Brockovich? And I ask again, have we grappled with the ramifications of an Internet that is locked down in response to WikiLeaks? Are we ready to usher in a new age of restrictions? This sadly will make the debate around net neutrality seem like child’s play if cyber war erupts.

Please note that a selection of the reference material used for this article and others in the past on WikiLeaks is included in the complex pearltree below.

What’s Next, Impeachment?

So much for making nice Mr. President, the gloves are off as the Republican leadership comes out swinging. These folks don’t want to work with you, or your minions or any of us. Just tune into FOX News at any random moment, and the disdain is visceral. And to be blunt, what’s to keep them from starting impeachment proceedings as — a tactic to erode your precious time and focus? Not much, if you listen closely to the Senate Republican leadership, the soon to be Speaker of the House, and all the other hooligans over the last few days, and even on the Sunday morning talk shows. Senator Mitch McConnell’s words sure don’t sound like a lullaby to me. Do not be fooled, it may be more than making sure that Obama is a one-term President. These are fighting words: “The only way to do all these things is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto…”

And if that’s not bad enough, there’s dissent and discontent (as usual) among our fellow Democrats. The so-called Blue Dog Democrats are acting out by attempting to distance themselves from the prevailing incumbent-rage by attacking now Speaker Pelosi. Have they no shame? This is self-serving hypocrisy at its worst. Not now kids. Go back to your corner and sing “Kumbaya” to keep from shooting off your big mouths at this fragile time. Enough of your ranks have been lost in this recent election. Stop with the posturing, and the “Anti-Pelosi Caucus.” These types of shenanigans only fuel the fires, and distract us from our goals. Realize that we are under an unprecedented assault from the rabid Republican leadership. They will attempt to sink the Obama ship at any cost.

Democrats (Blue Dogs, Moderates, and Progressives) hunker down. Put a stop to the malarkey from the newly anointed Republicans. This “lame duck” session is vital. We have barely two months to protect Social Security for the elders, unwind Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and fund many, many programs. Consider that the Congress may be deadlocked for two years with very little emerging from gridlock, and Pelosi’s steam rolling machine has taken heavy artillery hits. If you feel compelled to beat up on someone or something, go after the bad guys. And pray that all attempts to bring impeachment proceedings against Obama are quashed. This would be a travesty filled with hate and racism from which this country might never recover. Do not let them steal our President away.

Bristol Goes Dancing and Has a Tea Party!

The Bristol Palin story is like that of a modern day Cinderella as she debuts before millions of viewers on prime time television. Her mother, former Governor Sarah Palin and her advisors are completely brilliant. Thank you very much Frank and Company. This is a media doctor’s wet dream. Using Bristol as Cinderella, they have successfully reached into the hearts and minds of everyday folks across the country.

Think about it. Is there a better way to seep into the mainstream than reality television? This move is one of the most brilliant tactics of twentieth century political messaging. Sarah Palin becomes the archetype of everyone’s mom, and paradoxically her daughter is the modern day rags to riches and success story. Here was a chubby, single mom lifted out of the obscurity of her receptionist job in a strip mall in godforsaken Alaska. It does not get better!

Consider that after the debacle of former Republican leader Tom Delay on the same show, these spin masters were smart. They knew it probably would not have worked out to use Sarah herself. But who could resist her kid? She’s likeable, and works very hard for herself and her adorable child. Bristol is the single mom personified. They even show the footage of the storefront from which she was plucked.

Oh my, this is every girl’s cherished dream sans the out-of-wedlock pregnancy. And momma Palin can just stand back, and watch it unfold. Who could accuse her of manipulation? She was just the proud momma. What better image could there be? Not much and it is working. No wonder her daughter has been voted back each and every week by viewer support – not the judges until one of the final evenings when she showed real talent.

There is something going on here, and we didn’t even see it coming. Oh woe is me; I think we have been duped yet again. Somehow, the American public perceives that the Democrats are unfeeling, out of touch with Middle America, and arrogant. How did this happen? We are Middle America! Yet somehow, Sister Palin has her thumb on the pulse. We need to look carefully at the subliminal messaging that is going on, and wonder how and why we could have missed it.

Call it what you may, but Sarah Palin and her movement – the Tea Party and their advisors are running circles around us. We are losing the game of public opinion. So it is not proposed that we put the Vice President’s son, Beau Biden on Survivor; but rather that we look hard and long at the messaging and how it is being delivered. Further, we need to embrace what it will take for us to reach back out and connect. This is the teachable moment. May we reach out and own it.

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