I'm Roberta Morris. Maybe you've met me, but don't recognize me. No one does these days, because I keep making rather dramatic changes to my hair.
I've recently given up blonde and reverted to my natural brunette in what I'm calling my Back to business
I've suspended blogging for a whole year, while I fought a pitched battle with cancer. I'm in remission now, and ready to start recording random thoughts again. Still, mostly about politics.
That said, I'd like to share with you the text (well, most of the text) of a note to a NC super-delegate whom I know fairly well.
"As smart and as determined as Hillary Clinton is, it pains me to say that she is, in my considered opinion, dishonest. The Bosnia incident is only one example; she knew she was lying for political advantage (one doesn't forget whether or not one is under sniper fire). She "fessed up" only after video showing her and Chelsea strolling along, in perfect safety, surfaced.
More distressing to me is her position on this ostensible gas tax holiday. Saving families somewhere between $18 and $30 over the course of the summer is a lovely idea. But it's not lovely to contemplate the interruption of critical work on our disintegrating roads and bridges and the dire effect this will have on construction workers. Mrs. Clinton has tried to justify her position, contradicted by every expert in the field, by pretending that the tax losses can be covered by windfall profits taxes on US oil companies. She knows perfectly well that the passage of such a tax law through Congress will be a long and contentious process and that the chances she can deliver on this promise are slim indeed. There is also wide speculation that oil companies will simply raise their prices in response to the tax holiday and that lower gas prices will motivate people to drive more, thus driving up demand and prices.
Barack Obama, to his credit, has not signed on to this fantasy, pointing out the serious economic consequences of a gas tax "holiday" and has proposed a $1000 tax credit to help people through hard times. More important, he stresses sensible, long term, innovative solutions to our energy problems. His is a complex message that addresses a complex situation. It is a message that many people do not want to hear. But it is the only honest and thoughtful response.
The Washington Post | May 01, 2008
Ms. Clinton proposes a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil companies to recapture the revenue forfeited by her proposal. Similar ideas have failed in the Senate because of oil-state objections; this one undoubtedly would, too. We have to agree with Sen. Barack Obama, the only candidate who has refused to play this game. "It's not an idea to get you through the summer," he said. "It's an idea to get them through an election." His opponents no doubt hope that Mr. Obama's stand will prove to be political suicide. We think it qualifies as political courage.
Mrs. Clinton's exploitation of the rising price of oil is nothing more than political pandering of the worst sort. We deserve better from the flag bearer of the Democratic party.
I have another concern about the prospect of Hillary Clinton as President, and it is one which is not "politically correct" and - in part - offends my principles as a feminist. I'm sure you are aware of her widely publicized statement that we can "obliterate" Iran.
The International Herald Tribune
TEHRAN: Iran has lodged a formal protest at the United Nations about comments by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that the United States would "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel with nuclear weapons, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday.
However much Mrs. Clinton wants to emphasize her commitment to Israel, this remark is intemperate, inflammatory, and unwise.. The delicacy of our relationship with Iran and its obviously insane, yet dangerous, leader presents a situation that will require the utmost in diplomacy. The hard reality of our world ia that the Middle East will continue to ba a tinderbox, and engaging in dialog in this part of the world will require a calm disposition, wisdom and patience. This is not the time for a Presidential candidate to be perceived as a "fighter." And Hillary is not Golda Meir, who knew when to be tough and when to be sensibly restrained.
Added to Mrs. Clinton's personality is the simple fact that she is female. In the parts of the world that are of greatest concern to the security of the US, women are - sad to say - not taken seriously. This is true, not only in Iraq, but also in the oil emirates and other MidEast countries. Leaving the delicate balance of our international relations to Mrs. Clinton, who will be widely perceived as shrill, combative, and - in the end - inconsequential, is sheer folly.
What we need now is a thoughtful and courageous peacemaker, with a calm and dignified disposition, and Senator Obama has these qualities in abundance. Obama thinks before he speaks, and when he speaks, it's with a broad personal and intellectual perspective. I agree with the Washington Post, which says:
In campaign appearances, Obama regularly mentions his time living and attending school in Indonesia, and the fact that his paternal grandfather, a Kenyan farmer, was a Muslim. Obama invokes these facts as part of his case that he is prepared to handle foreign policy, despite having been in the Senate for only three years, and that he would literally bring a new face to parts of the world where the United States is not popular.
The Democratic party could do no better than to nominate Barack Obama as its candidate for president."
That said, I'd like to share with you the text (well, most of the text) of a note to a NC super-delegate whom I know fairly well.
"As smart and as determined as Hillary Clinton is, it pains me to say that she is, in my considered opinion, dishonest. The Bosnia incident is only one example; she knew she was lying for political advantage (one doesn't forget whether or not one is under sniper fire). She "fessed up" only after video showing her and Chelsea strolling along, in perfect safety, surfaced.
More distressing to me is her position on this ostensible gas tax holiday. Saving families somewhere between $18 and $30 over the course of the summer is a lovely idea. But it's not lovely to contemplate the interruption of critical work on our disintegrating roads and bridges and the dire effect this will have on construction workers. Mrs. Clinton has tried to justify her position, contradicted by every expert in the field, by pretending that the tax losses can be covered by windfall profits taxes on US oil companies. She knows perfectly well that the passage of such a tax law through Congress will be a long and contentious process and that the chances she can deliver on this promise are slim indeed. There is also wide speculation that oil companies will simply raise their prices in response to the tax holiday and that lower gas prices will motivate people to drive more, thus driving up demand and prices.
Barack Obama, to his credit, has not signed on to this fantasy, pointing out the serious economic consequences of a gas tax "holiday" and has proposed a $1000 tax credit to help people through hard times. More important, he stresses sensible, long term, innovative solutions to our energy problems. His is a complex message that addresses a complex situation. It is a message that many people do not want to hear. But it is the only honest and thoughtful response.
The Washington Post | May 01, 2008
Ms. Clinton proposes a windfall profits tax on U.S. oil companies to recapture the revenue forfeited by her proposal. Similar ideas have failed in the Senate because of oil-state objections; this one undoubtedly would, too. We have to agree with Sen. Barack Obama, the only candidate who has refused to play this game. "It's not an idea to get you through the summer," he said. "It's an idea to get them through an election." His opponents no doubt hope that Mr. Obama's stand will prove to be political suicide. We think it qualifies as political courage.
Mrs. Clinton's exploitation of the rising price of oil is nothing more than political pandering of the worst sort. We deserve better from the flag bearer of the Democratic party.
I have another concern about the prospect of Hillary Clinton as President, and it is one which is not "politically correct" and - in part - offends my principles as a feminist. I'm sure you are aware of her widely publicized statement that we can "obliterate" Iran.
The International Herald Tribune
TEHRAN: Iran has lodged a formal protest at the United Nations about comments by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton that the United States would "totally obliterate" Iran if it attacked Israel with nuclear weapons, the state-run IRNA news agency reported Thursday.
However much Mrs. Clinton wants to emphasize her commitment to Israel, this remark is intemperate, inflammatory, and unwise.. The delicacy of our relationship with Iran and its obviously insane, yet dangerous, leader presents a situation that will require the utmost in diplomacy. The hard reality of our world ia that the Middle East will continue to ba a tinderbox, and engaging in dialog in this part of the world will require a calm disposition, wisdom and patience. This is not the time for a Presidential candidate to be perceived as a "fighter." And Hillary is not Golda Meir, who knew when to be tough and when to be sensibly restrained.
Added to Mrs. Clinton's personality is the simple fact that she is female. In the parts of the world that are of greatest concern to the security of the US, women are - sad to say - not taken seriously. This is true, not only in Iraq, but also in the oil emirates and other MidEast countries. Leaving the delicate balance of our international relations to Mrs. Clinton, who will be widely perceived as shrill, combative, and - in the end - inconsequential, is sheer folly.
What we need now is a thoughtful and courageous peacemaker, with a calm and dignified disposition, and Senator Obama has these qualities in abundance. Obama thinks before he speaks, and when he speaks, it's with a broad personal and intellectual perspective. I agree with the Washington Post, which says:
In campaign appearances, Obama regularly mentions his time living and attending school in Indonesia, and the fact that his paternal grandfather, a Kenyan farmer, was a Muslim. Obama invokes these facts as part of his case that he is prepared to handle foreign policy, despite having been in the Senate for only three years, and that he would literally bring a new face to parts of the world where the United States is not popular.
The Democratic party could do no better than to nominate Barack Obama as its candidate for president."
posted by Roberta at 1:32 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home