High Quality Traffic

Posted on December 8, 2011 by Lou

Fantasytime in Obamaland

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Lou

It seemed so grim not long ago Republicans ascending But now I sense a changing trend Together with an ending Of conservative maneuvering and other bully tactics Used so well and skillfully with all their great theatrics To undermine reform and change to make a better nation And other small and big ideas to tame [...]

Gingrich and the White Working Class

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Lou

Newt Gingrich talks tough.  If nominated, he says he will challenge Barack Obama to seven free-form “Lincoln / Douglas” debates.  Republican crowds go wild when he offers “to be fair” and allow the president the use of a teleprompter.  Newt’s smug and belligerent approach plays well with the base but will it appeal to the [...]

Hillary’s Next Mission?

Posted on December 2, 2011 by Lou

If you want to see someone with extraordinary political skills, divert your attention for a minute from Newt Gingrich’s takeover of the republican presidential nomination.  Look instead halfway around the world to Myanmar, where Secretary of  State Hillary Clinton is displaying remarkable diplomatic talent in her meetings with that nation’s leaders and, in particular, its [...]

Ten Rules of Blogging

Posted on December 1, 2011 by Lou

1) Know when to stop             Make your point and shut up   2) Avoid self-indulgence             We don’t need to know everything about you   3) Welcome criticism             It means somebody’s paying attention   4) Admit when you’re wrong             Nobody likes a know-it-all   5) Be honest             And don’t try too [...]

L.A. Rising

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Lou

This post was written before police cleared the city hall protest site early Wednesday morning. The image of Los Angeles as a city of airheads, movie stars and assorted narcissists has evolved considerably over the past several decades; these days, most Americans recognize this region for its extraordinary racial, ethnic and international diversity and even [...]

Which Way OLA?

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Lou

Even after the tents are gone, Occupy L.A protesters should understand their remarkable contribution to our region’s labor and community movements.  And recognize how much they’re appreciated.  * Creating a communal learning space on the city hall lawn and gaining enormous experience in the process  * Connecting us to the nation-wide and world-wide campaigns for [...]

Labor Board Shutdown?

Posted on November 25, 2011 by Lou

Republicans are about to shut down the National Labor Relations Board.  Congressional conservatives are furious that the NLRB wants to speed up union certification elections and require companies to display information on representation rights.  So they’ve hatched a plan to deprive the board of a quorum and prevent any additional presidential appointments.  Their hysterical rhetoric [...]

Negotiate This

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Lou

Occupy L.A. protesters have more bargaining leverage than any other OWS group in the nation.  We have a progressive mayor, a patient and communicative police chief and a supportive and instructive labor movement.  And despite some howling from radio jocks about cracking down on the riff raff on the city hall lawn, L.A. residents remain [...]

Kinder and Gentler Policing at Occupy L.A.

Posted on November 18, 2011 by Lou

LAPD brass and officers have shown enormous respect and restraint in handling city hall occupiers and downtown protest marches.  Sure there have been some minor street battles and arrests.  But Occupy L.A. has none of the rancor and brutality that has marked OWS in New York and Oakland.  Occupiers seem more comfortable and trusting of [...]

Gingrich is No Laughing Matter

Posted on November 17, 2011 by Lou

Rachel Maddow had it wrong a few day’s ago in her snarky segment on the rise of Newt Gingrich.  Though the former house speaker is loaded with personal contradictions and character flaws, he is an intellectually serious conservative thinker and has been on the front lines of many intense political battles. Unlike Perry and Cain, [...]

Young Radicals For Obama

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Lou

I was 17 when Richard Nixon was elected in 1968.  Though many on the “new left” were insisting at the time that it didn’t matter who became president, I pinned a Hubert Humphrey button on my coat. Even as a young radical I rejected the idea that there was no difference between the two. Nixon, [...]

Ten Reasons for Obama’s Comeback

Posted on November 12, 2011 by Lou

1) Growing public doubt that republicans offer a serious alternative             The Perry / Cain spectacle is a turnoff   2) The economy has bottomed out             Hiring may inch up   3) Occupy Wall Street has changed the national conversation             Economic inequality is on the table   4) Progressives are less obsessed with [...]

Liberate Main Street?

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Lou

Remember the Coffee Party?  That was the feeble attempt by a few progressives more than a year ago to answer the growing prominence and power of the tea party.  It didn’t get much traction.  Now opponents of  Occupy Wall Street, eager to find an antidote to what they fear may become a mass movement, have [...]

High Speed Rail and Hydrofracking

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Lou

If you favor high speed rail you’re probably against hydrofracking.  And vice-versa.  The price of California’s LA to SF bullet train – funded by voter-approved rail bonds and the federal government – keeps going up.  Continuous planning delays and opposition by central valley communities – among other factors – have pushed the cost to $100 [...]

Sherman vs. Berman

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Lou

Southern California’s progressive jewish democrats have a problem.  Two popular U.S. house members have been forced by redistricting to run against each other in the west valley.  Brad Sherman has been in congress since 1997 which means that the former member of the state board of equalization has spent only four of those years (2006 [...]