A Blog Called Hope

Tonight is the MSNBC debate in Ohio and both Dem campaigns are hosting watch parties in Providence beginning at 8:30.

Hillary Clinton

Party will be at the Clinton Campaign HQ on 175 Broad St.

Barack Obama

As Matt has been promoting, the Obama Campaign will be doing it up at Local 121 on 121 Washington St.

From the Oscars last night:

Here’s some video from Mike Huckabee’s visit to RI earlier today. In this clip, he talks about the mathematical challenge of winning the Republican nomination.

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed may be on the potential shortlist of VP candidates for at least one of the two remaining Democratic candidates for president, Newsweek’s Jonathan Alter speculated in his Tuesday column.

To compensate for the huge gap in national-security experience, Obama might pick retired general Anthony Zinni, Sen. Jack Reed (a decorated Vietnam veteran) or former senator Sam Nunn as his running mate. He would stress homeland security, crushing Al Qaeda and how McCain’s support for the Iraq War has harmed the military and cost trillions that could be better spent at home. The last argument would be used to blunt any GOP attack on the high cost of Obama’s liberal social programs. (The $233 million Alaska “bridge to nowhere” that McCain complains about incessantly is equal to less than 18 hours in Iraq.)

Reed, who made his 11th trip to Iraq last month and has so far remained neutral in the Democratic race for the presidency, has also been mentioned as a possible secretary of defense in a Democratic administration.

The real issue is not about one lobbyist, it’s about saying one thing and doing another when it comes to ethics. John McCain has shown a pattern of doing favors for friends and skirting laws that calls his judgment into question.

But what other steps did John McCain take on behalf lobbyist Vicki Iseman? Which clients of this firm had business before McCain’s committee? Why did McCain say he had never done anything when the FCC rebuked him for “interference” into a regulatory review? Did McCain exercise poor judgment in not at least considering the appearance of impropriety?

- This is not the first time Senator McCain’s activities have been called into question– it’s been a pattern of doing favors for friends and donors throughout his political career. It goes back to the Keating 5 scandal where John McCain received over $100k in donations, rode on corporate jets, took fancy vacations in the Bahamas and intervened on a friend’s behalf.
- On the campaign trail McCain likes to call himself a “maverick,” but the facts show he’s got deep ties to the lobbyists and big money he tries to denounce:

o McCain opted out of the public financing system he once championed.
o He covered for Members of Congress and Karl Rove in the Abramoff investigation.

o He cozyied up to scandal-plagued adviser Karl Rove– refusing to criticize President Bush’s crony despite the fact that Rove has been linked to just about every Republican scandal in the last seven years.
o Pandered to social conservatives by voting against the grassroots lobbying reforms he sponsored
- Even during his appearance before the press today, McCain couldn’t deliver “straight talk.”

o When asked about flying on corporate jets, McCain said it had been an “accepted practice,” even though that practice had gotten him into trouble earlier in his career for violating Congressional ethics rules.

o McCain said he has never “done anything that would betray the public trust” or “make a decision which in any way would not be in the public interest,” but failed to mention his involvement in the pay-to-play “Keating 5″ scandal that cost the American people $3.4 billion in a public bailout.
- By blaming the media, the McCain campaign is trying to distract from the real issues raised about McCain’s ties to lobbyists. A campaign spokeswoman said “It is a shame that The New York Times has lowered its standards to engage in a hit and run smear campaign.” [Associated Press, 2/21/08]

o Yet McCain still touts the endorsement he received from The New York Times less than a month ago on his campaign website.

- Is this an unsourced liberal hit job? No.

o FACT: Named Former McCain Staffers And Iseman Both Acknowledge Key Meeting. Ms. Iseman acknowledged meeting with Mr. Weaver, but disputed his account. I never discussed with him alleged things I had told people, that had made their way back to him, she wrote in an e-mail message. She said she never received special treatment from Mr. McCains office.

o FACT: Romney Campaign Spread Rumors Alleging Relationship; Wish They’d Have Come Out Earlier. For months they [Romney staff] were whispering about a New York Times investigation into John McCain’s ties to a certain lobbyist. They would poke and prod reporters to see if they had heard anything new about when and if the New York Times would publish the story.

On Thursday, while no one would allow their name to be published, several former advisers lamented the timing of the story, one suggesting, “If this piece had run before New Hampshire, McCain would have lost. If it had run before Florida, he would have lost.”
- Given that Senator McCain has a record number of lobbyists on his staff and this seeming repeated pattern, Americans will have to ask themselves: Can McCain be trusted to reduce influence of lobbyists in Washington?

FACTS ABOUT THE NEW YORK TIMES STORY:
John McCain is under scrutiny for his judgment in public matters, not his personal or private conduct. The record clearly shows McCain has had ethical miscues such as those he scolds others for.

- From the NY Times story we learned:

FACT: McCain Has Taken Flights on Private Jets From Individuals and Companies With Business Before the Commerce Committee

FACT: McCain’s Non-Profit Collected Unregulated Funds from Companies With Business Before His Committee

FACT: Lobbyists Form The Core of McCain’s Campaign, Including Those Who Respond To This Story

FACT: McCain Has A History of Pressuring Regulators On Behalf of Friends

Here’s some video of Chairman Lynch appearing on Channel 12’s Newsmakers from last Sunday…

We successfully infiltrated McCain’s double-talk express stop in Warwick just a few hours ago and are just beginning to go though the video. We’ll be posting the lowlights shortly, but here’s a little tid-bit we thought you’d find interesting.

Former Chafee campaign aide characterizes Obama endorsement as “mistake”

It’s got to be depressing for Lang to see his old boss get behind one of our two great candidates for president. But it’s not just happening here, all across the country Republicans and independents are pouring into Democratic primaries and caucuses in record numbers to support Sen. Obama or Sen. Clinton because they’re tired of the failed Bush policies and recognize that John McCain represents more of the same. Speaking of that, Chairman Lynch sent out this release earlier today calling on Carcieri and the GOP members of the Assembly to justify their support of John McCain – a candidate who is on the wrong side of almost every issue important to their constituents.

More video coming.

Happy Valentines Day!

Lt. Governor Elizabeth Roberts announced legislation on Tuesday which seeks to cover all Rhode Islanders with a minimum level of health insurance. This is no small feat and I applaud her for her efforts to get the ball rolling and to start the discussion here in the Ocean State. And to be quite honest with you, I feel sorry for her because I know she will now become the target of many of the same types of attacks that ensue when anyone tries to accomplish anything that actually tries to help people.

The details of the proposal are many. In essence Roberts’ plan is a transformation of the health care system in Rhode Island through the implementation of eight separate pieces of legislation which will each address a certain aspect of the health care system. Understanding the complexities of health care reform (one only needs to revisit the failed 1993-1994 attempt at national health care policy), Roberts’ approach is incremental and well structured. As savings are accrued in one area, reforms will extend to another area. The goal of the plan is to increase the value, access, and affordability of health care, expanding coverage while controlling costs. Additionally, the legislation is based on the knowledgeable advice of various elements of the community, including small business owners, health care providers, community and nonprofit groups, and consumers.

Among the most attractive pieces of the plan are the following:

• An emphasis on preventative care – instead of treating sick patients, any new system should compensate doctors for keeping people healthy through prevention and the monitoring of chronic conditions.
• The “Health Care Quality and Value Database” allows consumers and policy makers to monitor the costs of different treatments.
• The systematic state-wide electronic medical record-keeping that will protect the privacy of patients but allow for the transmission of accurate information to the appropriate medical staff.
• Reducing the number of uninsured actually lowers the total cost of health care. Because the uninsured typically delay treatment until later stages of illness and get medical care at emergency rooms, the costs of their care is much more expensive than it has to be.
• HealthHub RI is a partnership of private insurance companies and the health insurance commissioner which will “facilitate the availability, choice, and adoption of private health insurance plans.” The hub will create the transparent atmosphere which will enable consumers to freely choose from plans made available by competing insurance companies.

As everyone knows, health care costs are continually rising. In the 1950s health care spending was only 4.5% of GDP. As of 2006, health care spending increased to $2.1 trillion (yes, trillion) and accounts for 16% of GDP. We really can’t wait any longer, and it’s not like “waiting” has made the situation better. Rhode Island cannot afford to do nothing.

As with any piece of legislation, not everyone will be pleased with every aspect. A perfect example is the phone call that I received yesterday from an individual who was furious with the Democrats who want to expand the health care system to be universal. And while he was referring to national policy, specifically the health care plans of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the argument can be applied to the state level health care plans as well.

While I can appreciate his frustration, I feel that it’s misplaced. It is recognized that there are limitations to the current health care system and that there will be additional burdens placed upon it when additional citizens are covered under a universal program. The point is well taken, but as a society, we should all be asking ourselves different questions. Who deserves to have health care coverage? Should health care coverage only be provided to a certain group of citizens? Do only certain people have the right to be healthy? What do we want our society to look like?

I know the predictable Republican / Conservative / Libertarian response would be to deny anyone any benefits which they cannot afford on their own, but that type of mentality is self-defeating and dangerous to public health. We cannot afford to have millions of people walking around the country, or thousands walking around the state, sick. Rather, we should be thinking about health care as a merit good, a service which everyone should have access to as a matter of right and not as a matter of economic resources. Rather than getting all pissed off that some people are getting something for “free” (as if that’s ever really true), we should figure out how can we ensure that everyone has access health care. Good health should be available to everyone regardless of their ability to pay for the simple fact that having a bunch of sick people working and living around us is detrimental to our own good health.

The Roberts plan is a wonderful step in the right direction!