Monday Musings: November 15 2010

Yikes, I just got back from the first Progressive Potluck, held in Washoe Valley and organized by MoveOn.org. Driving home, Mr. Maven, myself and friend, Shelly, we tried to make some sense out of it all.

One question that never exactly got answered, is what was/would be MoveOn.org’s role beyond initiator? We were supposed to have participated in a conference call with the national organization, but technology being what it is, the call never materialized, despite the best efforts of our host and several others. At the end of the evening - about 3.5 hours - we decided we could keep whatever grows out of this noble experience for ourselves. Gawd knows that northern Nevada and particularly Washoe County could use a whole lot more in the way of a Progressive/Democrat/Liberal leaning presence.

About thirty people attended the potluck, and I can say that their cooking skills were of a high order. We all ate and drank very well indeed.

Like so many hastily thrown together groups, all parts of the Progressive/Dem/Liberal spectrum were represented. Mr. Maven dryly noted at one point that a couple of people might have been better accommodated at a TeaParty gathering. He tends to be more suspicious than I am. I had to agree with him when a few of the attendees seemed unduly ready to argue about the ‘huge deficit’, ‘government spending’ and ‘immigration’ (“one of four births in Nevada is to an illegal mother, you know”). But then I also allow that getting Democrats to agree on an agenda is like herding cats.

To say that we of the Progressive world view can’t come up with clearly stated, carved in stone talking points - which we communicate to the electorate - is understating the problem. Ask any TeaNut what’s got their knickers in a twist and you’ll always get the same answer: Taxes. Illegals. Obama-care. Ask a Democrat and your eyes will glaze over after about an hour as they parse each and every bud of an idea.

The evening began a bit haphazardly, but we were finally able to break into three groups, which became brainstorming sessions. I think I’ll offer my iPhone as a timer next time, since some of the ideas got lost in tangents. As it was, we were able to assemble a pretty good raw list, which we then paired down to five main areas of concern/action, with about ten others deferred to a ‘parking lot’.

It was interesting to see how the same few ideas percolated up through the three groups:

1- The failure of the Democratic leadership - both on a national and state level - to communicate their platform, not to mention their successes, which have been many and some profound. We need to do a much better job of controlling the message.

2- Ending the Bush Tax Cuts for those earning over $250k.

3- Fighting to keep the hard won Health Care Reform.

4- The necessity of robust and substantive campaign finance reform.

5- The need to budget for an improved infrastructure in America - and I’m going to take the liberty of including education, research and development in this. It was suggested on multiple occasions.

I was astounded to learn that so few of the assembled knew what the hell I was talking about regarding Astro-turf front groups or the DISCLOSE Act. Sigh. That was discouraging. Who did they think was funding all those ads for Sharron Angle? Rank and file TeaNuts? Sheesh. Heard of Karl Rove? Crossroads GPS? Until we can get the money from the likes of Koch brothers out of our electoral process and campaigns, all the warm progressive meet and greets in the world won’t be able to staunch the bleeding of our democratic process.

Money in politics isn’t new. But the amounts of money spent in our elections now, the sophisticated stealth methods, and the extreme ideology espoused is what’s new here. It’s utterly unprecedented, and there are Democrats who still don’t get it. Are you surprised that there TeaNuts who also don’t get it? Sheesh.

Somebody asked who started the TeaParty, and wasn’t it just a regular grassroots citizens group. WTF? 

But that provides me with a wonderful segue to the latest bone-head suggestion by a Nevadan: to have another stupid special issue Nevada license plate, featuring the Gadsden flag of the TeaNuts - Don’t Tread on Me.

According to the Las Vegas Sun, Assemblyman Ed Goedhart, R-Amargosa Valley (it figures), “says the political movement represents a revitalization of the spirit of limited government that founded the United States. He says Nevadans should be able to express their support of those principles.” Yup. The man is actually serious. If this goes through, I’m gonna push - with Blue Lyon’s support, I would hope - for an Atheist ‘A’ out campaign license plate. Maybe an ‘I’m Queer and Loving it’ plate could be next. We could really sit back and watch as the fights break out in parking lots across Nevada.

I think too many people say way too many stupid things on the back of their cars as it is. Today on a reddish SUV I saw: Road Rage Princess and Cruel Heartless Bitch. Wow. Makes you want to sit down and have coffee with that one.

Oh, and talking about Blue Lyon - Carissa, I absolutely love the new look. It rocks. Edgy. Straight forward. Hmmm. ‘Sunday Morning Reading: Smorgasbord’. I like that idea.

On the theme of more stupid ideas from Nevada: Las Vegas - Medical Mecca? File this under WTF? Wouldn’t that sorta, kinda be like Houston’s Texas Medical Center (14 world class hospitals, three medical schools, six nursing schools and more comprising the world’s largest medical center) now deciding to become a gambling mecca? Simply because the Cleveland Clinic might decide to put an outpost facility there won’t make Vegas a ‘medical mecca’. Let’s all take a deep breath.

I admit that I’m biased. I’m a patient at the University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center - an integral part of the Texas Medical Center, and the largest cancer center in the world.

Talking about my cancer, I was really nervous as my annual medical insurance re-enrollment date was coming up. One of our mutal airline friends - and Angle campaign staffer - came to dinner the other night and scared me witless saying that our premiums were going to rise nearly $400 a month! I was on the phone the next morning. This is stock and trade among the TeaNuts - Obamacare is going to bankrupt the country and raise our health insurance rates. I didn’t believe it, yet I was worried.

Yup. She was partly right. My premiums were going up for 2011. They are going up $10.00 a month. From $141 to $151. Whoa. And I can’t get dropped because of my cancer. They also can’t impose arbitrary lifetime limits - since a recurrence of my cancer could eat through that in nothing flat. That damned Obamacare. I love it.

Oh, heard from friend Bill, in Salt Lake City today: “I skied today — a good first outing! Hiked up on my AT gear at Alta and skied around. The resort opens on Friday.” I’m soooo jealous. Mt Rose is supposed to open on the 19th and Shelly and I talked about making at least one run, then repairing to the bar to toast to a great season.

Dear friend Charlie blew through - staying a couple of nights - on his lonely annual migration from Anchorage, Alaska to southern Arizona where the crowd from Bethel, Alaska now spends the winters. Charlie (shown left) went to Western Airlines Captain school with Ron. They’ve been close buddies since way back in the day. It was great to catch up. He’ll be back in the spring. Just like clock work. We may join him again, up in Bethel, this year. It’s sorta time to do it again. Charlie is a story all in and of himself, raised in Old Akiak, Alaska - upriver from Bethel, retiring as a B-777 Captain for Delta Airlines. Not a bad success story.  He lived in Reno at one time, with his late wife, Annie.

 I’ve got a busy week ahead - mostly not so fun items related to my 93-year-old mom. We didn’t have fun today. She’s taken another fall and hit her head this time. I’m going to be looking into having somebody come in daily, so as to keep her in the Sky Peaks independent community as long as possible. Moving would be hard and possibly take a huge toll on her. There’s also some talks I need to have with her doctors. The end of driving is here. Also the end of trying to take her ‘out’ for meals. Even with the walker, getting her out of the restaurant this morning was touch and go.

This is just such a hard damn thing to deal with.

At least Friday will be neat, I’m going to my Nothing To It cooking class: Sauces.

Take care, stay employed. See you around the water cooler during the week.

-maven