Jaded Sage:

The free world community made a big mistake when they agreed without reservation to allow Beijing to hold the 2008 summer games. If China wishes to be an equal economic partner they must play fair. China’s currency is artificially deflated to the tune of 40%. The reality is China’s fiscal policy is not only hurting the United States, the European Community is also deeply affected by it. In 2006, the EU imported 191 billion Euros from China and exported 63 billion Euros and the deficit is trending upward. Not only is China undervaluing its currency but they are also pursuing protectionist policies to prevent foreign nations from selling certain products within China. The current dilemma, however, is how to go about punishing China for practicing unfair trade. The logical solution would be to simply place a tariff on imported Chinese goods, say 40%, which would decline in kind with the revaluation of the Yuan. The problem is many Western companies have moved their factories overseas to take advantage of kinder profit margins. To impose a tariff would hurt these companies. So what, you say. They are traitors anyway, right? Well,  many Americans own these companies’ stocks and such punitive measures would cause a ripple through the market. Even if we were prepared to aggressively go after the unequal trade situation, lobby groups would push back hard against such laws. The one area where the West could start to show how serious we are about the situation would have been to stop the Olympics from going to China until fair trade was a reality. Too late now. As we continue to hoard goods on our walls, in our kitchen cabinets, on our feet and in our clothes closet it should not be lost that most carry the label “made in China”. There is no doubt the movement of manufacturing jobs began with adjustment by Walmart to go from their famous slogan of the early 1980s “Made in America” to one in which nearly every product sold there today is made in China. Some say the natural byproduct of globalization is the transfer of manufacturing jobs. I’m fine with that as long as everyone is playing by the same rules.

For a good analysis of Walmart’s role in the loss of manufacturing jobs watch PBS’ Frontline special online: Is Walmart Good For America?

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With the Democratic race winding down we are seeing the nature of nouveau racism permeate the election season. Bill Clinton highlighted Barack Obama’s color when he discussed the fact that Jesse Jackson won South Carolina in 1992. In the last few days, if you believe Matt Drudge, a photo was released by a member of Hillary’s campaign that contained Barack Obama sporting a traditional Somali nomadic garb. Can you believe a son of a Kenyan doing such a thing? This, however, is laying the foundation for a virulent strain of off handed racism that is to come. In fact, if you search in the right places you will find it in the far-right discourse currently. Today, it came in the form of a right winger who introduced John McCain at a political rally.

Highlighting his birth middle name is a subtle form of racism. As if Barack Obama’s name is not alien enough, this mouth breather must insert Hussein to assert his “Arab-ness”, or better yet his “Muslim-ness”. It is the same sort of tactic the Bush administration used to connect 9/11 and the need to go to war in Iraq. John McCain had the decency to denounce the speaker but guess what resulted? The right wingers on the air waves attacked McCain for his apology, including the very guy who spoke above. This tells you a lot about the likes of Limbaugh and the ilk that listen to him. But these attacks on Obama are mild compared to what is out there and these foretell the nasty nature of the hearts of the far right. Connections to Palestine. Connections to Marxists leaders in Kenya who support Al-Qaeda. All I can say is get your bucket of dirt and add a gallon of water. The mud is just getting stirred in preparation to be flung. Can you liberals out there feel what I’m feeling? Can you wait for a President Obama in the White House to show the right wing haters that not only do their fear tactics not work but we put a man named Barack Obama in the White House so sit down, shut up and turn your terror warning off.

Ralph Nader is running again and it seems many of the Dems are nervous. They remember all too well the impact he had on the 2000 election. The press loves the story as well. Even conservatives embrace the idea of Nader torpedoing the liberals once again. But 2008 is much different than 2000 or even 2004 for that matter. The past two presidential elections had two weak candidates squaring off. Bush twice and Gore and Kerry subsequently did not arouse passion on either side. Be honest. Whomever you voted for you merely did so because in your mind your choice was better than the other side. You did so out of either party preference or ideology, but you did not vote for them out of passion. 2008 is different. One of my good friends told me recently he hoped Obama wins the Democratic nomination because for the first time in his voting life he would be voting out of desire and not just duty. Obama’s knowledge of history is keen. Read his latest book to comprehend the breadth of knowledge he possesses about the political history of this nation. When the topic of Ralph Nader’s entrance into the race arose, Obama was as savy and direct as an arrow. Nader contended in 2000 there was no difference between the Democratic and Republican parties. Obama said today, “He (Nader) thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush and, eight years later, I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about.” In previous elections Democrats treated Nader with kid gloves so as not to harm the liberal base. Obama, speaking from strength, is not playing that game. Nader, in my opinion, will not play even a small role in the 2008 election. Some have criticized Barack Obama for not ever running a competitive election against a Republican opponent but if today’s perfectly spoken comments about Nader are any indication, Obama is already speaking like a winner.

There are some crazy stories coming out on Youtube these days. The following video is traced back to some Ron Paul supporters and mirrors a similar tactic that was actually used earlier on their candidate. The New York Times and their McCain story had nothing on these guys. I want to warn you the videos have some graphic sexual descriptions but no graphic images, so if this sort of thing offends you please move on. The first video you just need to watch for a minute to get the idea as it sets up the second one. It is the second video that is so outrageous that I could not stop laughing. I must have laughed for ten minutes in the low light of my basement. Just the mental imagery of these people all together got me chuckling uncontrollably and the infusion of the non-human elements got me all out hysterical. Just be ready. Be sure to play it a second time because it only gets funnier each time you replay it.

For the past several years there was always the looming question, “How can people afford all these large houses that are going up everywhere?” The answer always were in the form of a shrug of the shoulders. Now we are finding out the real answer. They couldn’t afford these houses.

When I moved into my current home, the house to my south was owned by a napoleonic fireman and his wife who were very good homeowners. He didn’t care much for living here but was required by his job to live in the city limits. So he found a lot on the fringe of the city and staked his claim. About five years ago he retired and moved away. The next owner was a thirty-something with a wild streak and a girl friend in tow. She apparently didn’t care all that much for his wild streak and left him. It wasn’t long after that he foreclosed on his home and the home lay dormant. Last summer a house speculator, obviously inspired by all those flipping houses shows, bought up the property and put it on the market hoping to make a quick buck. But unfortunately the housing collapse emerged in the middle of his gambit. The house never sold. He brought in contractors to try to inspire buyers but the buyers weren’t inspired. The for-sale-by-owner sign was replaced by a realtor sign which was replaced by a renter sign. A couple weeks ago three twenty-somethings moved in. We know when they are returning from jobs by the boom booms emitting from vehicles. The housing crisis has come home to roost on the edge of my lawn.

Economists say so much can be discerned by the number of new housing starts. These indicators are linked to such things as employment, to retail sales, to the success of large box home improvement chains. The current mortgage disaster is a foreteller of bad things on all counts. The job of government is to protect homeowners from such practices as predatory lending and they have failed dismally. The impact this will have on the future of the US economy may stretch beyond just an ordinary cyclical recession. The unintended consequences of the government not intervening in bad economic policy will be just one more legacy of the Bush Administration. Now I’m forced to live with idiots next door and idiots in the White House.

The Next Slum

So how do all you Democrats feel about Barack Obama as your candidate? There is little chance for a Clinton recovery at this point. The indicators in Wisconsin, which should have been prime real estate for the Hillary campaign, were all in favor of Obama. Even women voted for him at a 50% clip. Are there any of you that are a little weary of a shopper’s hangover? Is there a little doubt in any of your heads? Don’t get me wrong. Obama seems extremely bright and he is an exceptional orator (that goes without saying). He is one of the most liberal Senators in Congress, that is good, but how will he lead? We have no track record in that category. We know what we will get with Hillary and we really didn’t want to go down the road to division and gridlock, which was the path of that ticket. We pushed aside Edwards and that was unfortunate and we didn’t even give Biden a shot. That was the biggest shame. As the Democratic nominees were whittled down to two, I have no doubt that Obama was the correct choice. Now it will be Obama versus McCain and come on, there really is no choice between those two. As McCain gives speeches as if he is addressing a group of thirteen year olds and uses the phrase “my friends” half a billion times, his exit can’t come fast enough, never mind having to endure that for four years. So how does President Obama sound? You remember looking through those old encyclopedias or history text books and they have all those pictures of the Presidents and when they served? Imagine as you scan the portraits of what he Native peoples called the “Great White Fathers”. Adams…..Monroe……Buchanan…..Garfield….Teddy Roosevelt….Truman…..Nixon….and then bam…..Obama!

Obama is change like this country has never had before. There has to be more people besides me that has a glimmer of uncertainty about the choice. It is not based on race or age but instead on how effective he can be. It is not the same feeling I got as Bush was given the White House in 2000. I knew that would be a disaster. I just didn’t think people would be stupid enough to vote for him twice.  If Obama’s ability matches his charisma, the sky is the limit. Obama has more potential in his first syllable than Bush has in eight years of his presidency. I’m on board, I’m invested. And as Obama would say himself, I’m hopeful.

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Jeff Flake (R) Representative has been running an anti-pork campaign in the House. Because he criticizes both Democrats and Republicans he is being punished by his party for not following the party line. With the national debt over $9 trillion we need more Representatives like Flake. His situation is detailed in a current article in the Christian Science Monitor:

Capitol Hill ‘pork’ reformer faces uphill battle

The clock seems to have struck 11:00 PM as the Democratic race enters into a stretch run. With Ohio and Texas looming large in two weeks, we should be able to see much clearer into the crystal ball after those primaries. Hillary has gone negative in ads leading into Tuesday’s primary in Wisconsin.

If Hillary loses in either Ohio or Texas this race is over. If she holds serve and then wins in Pennsylvania then there will be no carriage turning into a pumpkin and this one will drag all the way to the convention in Denver. Lately, even with primaries in Wisconsin and Hawaii this week, there seems to be a pause in the race. It is as if everyone is holding their breath for the big state primaries ahead. Even the goofy add above has this strange “happy” music attached as it attacks Obama. It’s kind of like getting in a fist fight with cartoon music in the background or worse yet, kicking some ass with “Kung Fu Fighting” as your motivational tunage.

Last night, as I’m sure you are fully aware, Obama pulled the trifecta in the Potomac Primaries. John McCain hushed those who claimed the preacher should not be counted out. And then in the minutes following the results Barack Obama came out to a huge crowd in Wisconsin and spoke. He spoke about how McCain was the old guard and pointed at his connection with President Bush. He was eloquent as usual and he spoke as the Democratic nominee (click here for a snippet of the speech). When he was done most cable networks switched over to John McCain. The contrast was stunning. It was as if someone let all the air out of the room. (Click here to see his speech) Notice the people surrounding the two candidates and also the nature of the events. McCain even had old Macaca handy. Does anyone besides me sense the days of the old politics are about to become history? Like a dirge for old despots I give you two videos that remind us all why the 2008 election is significant and detail why Democrats and even some Republicans are so thirsty for change.

Heard about the day
that two skyscrapers came down
Firemen, policemen
And people came from all around
The smoke covered the city
And the body count arise
The president spoke words of comfort
With tears in his eyes
Then he led us as a nation
Into a war all based on lies, oh

…and this one. Thank you Bill Schultz

You may have seen a recent “elect featuring several hip young artists. Not to be outdone, someone who obviously doesn’t care much for the Republican nominee-to-be has entered the fray:

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10:50 PM

In recent articles it seems the Clinton candidacy is holding on by a thread. On the eve of Tuesday’s Potomac Primary there are so-called super delegates that are waffling in their support of Hillary Clinton. Like a modern day Custer (or Bastogne, if you don’t want to be so grim) the New York Senator must have good showings in Ohio and Texas. It appears that a close win there will not do. In Maryland and Virginia, latest polling shows Barack Obama leading significantly. But the stunning data resides in the fact he is leading among women in those states.

Barack Obama has found much success this weekend. After winning Nebraska, Washington, Louisiana, Virgin Islands on Saturday and Maine today the senator from Illinois heads into Tuesday’s Chesapeake Primary with momentum. He is expected to do well in Virginia, Maryland and DC as well. The Clinton campaign is in crisis mode. Her camp manager has stepped down after not wrapping up the nomination on Super Tuesday. It appears the strategy was to have a hold of the Democratic race after last Tuesday’s big primaries. Now the Clinton strategy must be rearranged at a time when the news for them is not good. This weekends primaries and caucuses along with this coming Tuesday’s have all favored Obama. The talk now is the Clinton campaign is eyeing the big state primaries in Ohio, Texas and Pennsylvania where her 50/50 supporters are more numerous. The 50/50 are those over 50 years old and those who make under $50,000 a year. Along with female voters, these are the core of Hillary’s support. I wonder if waiting for the big states to roll around might be a strategy of “Giuliani light”, referring to the former Mayor’s plan to not compete in the early primary states and prepare for the later primaries in Florida and then Super Tuesday. As other’s won these early primaries, Giuliani was simply forgotten. As Obama rolls through smaller states throughout the nation this weekend and the following days and weeks, will voters not see Hillary as viable? This is the burning question.

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On the Republican side the returns this weekend show the complete dissatisfaction of core conservatives with their candidate. With Romney dropping out of the race so that “we won’t surrender to terror”, Republicans in Kansas and Louisiana chose Huckabee over the candidate that is certain, short of a massive coronary, to win the nomination. Perhaps that is the “miracle” in which Huckabee is referring. In Washington McCain received 26%, Huckabee 24% and Ron Paul (yes, that kooky son-of-a-bitch) received 21% (most of those must have come from the eastern part of the state, next to Idaho). So McCain is competing with an ex-minister who wants to amend the Constitution to outlaw both gay marriage and abortion and also a crazy fringe Representative from Texas. There was a time when Republicans would get behind the anointed candidate. Bush’s disastrous presidency along with McCain’s go-it-alone Congressional history have turned the Vietnam hero into a pariah in his own party.

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Iraq, on the ground, is going well. The momentum the surge has instilled is really breathtaking. But the Iraqi government is as worthless as any government in the region. There is no conciliation going on. In fact as the US is creating peaceful sectors in the Sunni region of Al-Anbar, the Iraqi government won’t fill the economic void because the Shia dominated politicians don’t want to legitimize the Sunni militias that are holding the line.

Read more details from an excellent article written by an ex-marine, Bing West.

In the meantime the Kurds are more and more acting like an autonomous country. Most Kurds don’t even refer to themselves as Iraqi any longer. Their policies have been so independent minded lately that many believe they have overplayed their hand. The Kurds have begun to make their own oil deals and the Shia and the Sunni Iraqis have protested this move, perhaps the only time when the two contentious factions have seen an issue eye to eye.