 Todd DormanTodd Dorman is a columnist for The Gazette. His blog has been bringing smiles to readers' faces since November 2007. |
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Candidates with ideas. Gasp.
Wonkblog has a fascinating post on 13 congressional candidates with actual ideas. Yeah. I know.
Here’s a intriguing one from Bob Kerrey, who is trying to win his old U.S. Senate seat in Nebraskey:
Bob Kerrey represented Nebraska in the U.S. Senate from 1989 to 2001 after a term as governor. After a tumultuous tenure as head of the New School in New York, he’s back running for his old seat. His hallmark proposal is the “Norris amendment,” named after George Norris, a progressive Republican senator from Nebraska who successfully pushed for the direct election of senators. The Constitutional amendment would (a) make Congress nonpartisan by banning partisan caucuses and the party-based determination of the House speaker, Senate majority leader, committee chairs, etc. (b) establish term limits (c) reverse both Citizens United and Buckley v. Valeo, a 1976 ruling that banned spending caps and other campaign finance reform measures and (d) limit the filibuster. This proposal package is much more ambitious than any congressional reforms other campaigns are proposing.
An additional proposal is a bit odd, given that Kerrey, who has already served 12 years in the Senate, proposes a 12-year limit on Congressional service (though he can “see the case for 18″).
As big ideas go, that’s pretty big. The parties would never let it happen. The California candidate’s idea for making members of Congress stay in their districts and conduct business using IT is also interesting.
As broken as things are now, I’m a lot more willing to try very big changes than I used to be.
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I cannot envision this proposed amendment getting very far. There are many high dollar special interest groups that would oppose it. Yet, I see it as a very good idea.
These big ideas seem pretty insignificant at a time when our economy is so weak, unemployment so high, unrest in the Middle East and the many more problems we face. Saying congress and it’s leaders are bipartisan with no labels doesn’t make it so. If Kerry, the eternal candidate, wants to run again he needs real solutions to the bigger problems we face. I might suggest he start with the Keystone pipeline and working with his governor and the current president on that one. Another suggestion would be, that he retire, along with his old ideas.
The economy is improving, despite GOP efforts. Unemployment is trending downward, although the Veterans Jobs bill that the GOP killed a couple of days ago would have gone a long way to helping our heroes at a time when their unemployment numbers are much higher than the general population. Unrest in the Middle East has been around a while, and is sure to be around for a long time to come. Yep, we’ll always have problems to face.
So Kerry came up with an idea, and Dorman told us about it. Other than a vague reference to a pipeline that won’t do anything in the near term to improve America’s energy independence and comes loaded with other concerns, I’m only hearing complaints and snark coming from you, Sue.
So, how do you propose we fix Washington and the State House, lobbyist influence, corporate ownership of our governments, the massive upward redistribution of wealth, unfunded wars (and the corresponding inequitable service/sacrifice & not paying for the damage done as a result of those wars), an insurance industry-driven health care system, declining STEM education leadership, crumbling infrastructure…..
“Unemployment is trending downward,” Drink a little more Kool Aid there Komrade. Total employment is far below what is was Jan, 2009. Now you can believe the BLS numbers and for that you have to believe that millions of people have disappeared out of the workforce. Oh, it supports your leader, go right ahead and don’t question anything.
Ah, John, you make a classic mistake that many mathematically-deficient folks make. “Total employment” in “Jan, 2009″ is a single point of data. I was discussing “Trends”, which look at many points of data over a given *period* of time. Here’s a link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trend_estimation
As for the rest of your reply, I just consider the source, and know that your mother didn’t raise you right, bless your little heart..
Joe, your comment concerning trends would be more beneficial if you would include some concrete evidence to back them up. Giving the difinition of “trends” for dummies was useless but some statistical data to prove upward trends would have been more beneficial. In fact, very beneficial, because everything I’m reading from businesses is not the picture you paint. I think Rockwell Collins is still up on these pages with projected earnings lower which means more pink slips to follow.
To another comment you made, lobbyists, let’s take a look at ACA and the actual lobbyist that wrote the coming tax increases.
http://www.commonwealthfoundation.org/policyblog/detail/aca-a-boon-to-special-interests
I probably could have found a more detailed example of the special interest groups involved like the many union groups, big pharma, AARP, etc. Maybe Kerry could chime in on the “cornhusker kickback.” Those are the real reforms I was referring to/we need and in my opinion are much better “ideas” than listed in Mr. Dormans article.
Since the idea Kerrey proposes is, clearly, a new idea, please explain why you call it an old idea.
Rich, I also said “insignificant.” Maybe I should have said, the old eternal candidate with a new idea.
If Kerry would like a good new idea concerning congressional reform, he could propose an independant (no party labels) panel that writes the rules for congress such as pay, benefits, working days, perks, pensions for life vs. taxpayer funded retirement accounts, congressional budgets, etc. Basically any perks they vote on for themselves would now be handled like the ACA healthcare panels. Rich, Have you ever seen those gas guzzeling limosine driven escalades the congress gets out of to go to work 3 days a week?
On more thing before I am accused of posting too often….The article did not state who the Calif. candidate was proposing staying in their districts and conducting business using IT? That might be worthwhile as long as those above mentioned reforms would happen because I didn’t mention those transportation costs. Remember the plane Bush provided Princess Pelosi at her request?
I don’t see this as a particularly feasible plan. If party-based congressional leadership selection is banned, and seniority is basically eliminated, how are the leaders going to be chosen? My guess would be by popular vote of each chamber- which would put us back to where we are right now, unless we miractulously see the rise of additional parties beyond the two we presently have.
Its hard to decide whether the media or politicans produce more bad ideas and mis-information.
The pot calling the kettle black!!!!!!!
What we need is more coverage of people who have actually produced results over people making projections and forecasts. You can promise anything but the proof is in the results.
Why not just return to state appointed Senators? This keeps the senate beholden to state legislatures, not special interests.
That would just make the Senators beholden to the state legislatures and governors who are, in turn, beholden to special interests.
Rich the difference is evident. corralling a dozen Senators to bend to your will is easy compared to corralling a dozen state legislatures.
Prior to writing my comment I should have provided the warning, “Satire ahead”.
One would have to surmise if Liberals are now Communists, Then conservatives must be fascists. Either way neither side is very likely to change on there own. The system has been eternally flawed every since the system rejected the idea any other party beyond the top two was viable and could be ignored. A simple move to another party to show disdane for the status quo and force the two parties in control to consider changes becomes impossible. So, What you got is what you get and the wars will grind on until we are all broke and China, where there are some Communists to fear, will own us lock, stock and barrel.
Any Idea looks big compared the zero-sum idea game of the Republicans.
After two years of trying to put the good work of the nation on hold for no other purpose than to destroy the presidency of the United States of America, haven’t members of a dwindling Republican Party stumbled across any capacity to grasp the futility and folly of their obstreperousness?
Given the interview comments made on last night’s 9/23/12 60 Minutes by the banner bearer of their defeatism, Mitt Romney, it appears that what is left of them at the bottom of the barrel are just waiting to be hauled off to the trash heap of history and discarded among a forgotten past’s bad ideas and worthless contraptions.
WE THE PEOPLE of this nation have rewarding work to do and in moments of reflection of what has and will be done there will also be a few occasions to look back in tribute and remembrance of the road traveled together with this president and others who also served in troubled times of great achievement—maybe as far back as a previous one of the nation’s greatest, Abe Lincoln. This equally beleaguered servant of all the people ran for a second term in the White House referencing himself as candidate of the Union Party—well reflecting how our nation has and ever will move on. Ours is and will be a nation of hope and not hostage.
WE THE PEOPLE prefer to keep more money in our own pocket and not give it to the government in which to mismanage and give to people who live off the system. I don’t know you, I really don’t care about your problems, you don’t have the skills and/or discipline to manage your own life like I can my own, tough nuts.
I work 60+ hours a week as a small business owner and I’m getting hammered by ridiculous taxes, they’re nearly crippling my business. If Obamacare gets on track for the future, I’m done, out for good. Reducing taxes is what we need and Obama will do nothing but raise taxes across the board.
I love how we keep saying Obama needs more time, the dude has had 4 years.. 4 years. The economy is by no means better than it was 4 years ago, period. The amount of underemployment and unemployment is still horrendous.The unions are killing big companies. Anyone ever heard of GM? A once great company that’s now in financial shambles.
My friend in Milwaukee said the average school teacher there makes $100,000 w/ benes. Why? They cried because they have to pay for their own retirement now? Too bad, everyone else does. Why should I pay for YOUR retirement, why don’t you pay for your own. I don’t know you. No one owes you anything, pensions/retirements are not and should not be guaranteed. Manage your own money and be responsible for your own financial future.
I’m not saying Liberals are lazy or unmotivated and I know the conservative stance saying they are is old and ridiculous. But it’s all about market. Why should a teacher with an undergraduate degree in elementary education make the same or more money than a CPA with a Master’s Degree in Public Accounting? The teacher might work just as hard but simply your skills and degree aren’t as valuable, they just aren’t.
Just as a CPA doesn’t make as much money as a Medical Doctor and for good reason. So why should some cashier at Hy-Vee be just as well off as Manager at Rockwell Collins? It’s market baby! You get what you earned?
But hey man, some people have the desire or passion to teach, or paint, work at a YMCA. Well guess what, I’m happy your doing what you love, but your job simply doesn’t have the market value as someone in medicine or engineering, fact.