2004-2016 : The Difference: Bush - Obama - Romney - Trump > Ryan - Walker

2016/12/12 - Changed Title put in 2016 for 2013

I can't believe how optimistic I was:  Trump is in group all by himself.  Every cabinet nominee is so obviously selif-interested, conflicted.
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To me these two examples epitomize the essence of what we had for eight years and what we have had for the last four years and will have for the next four years.  I wish we had all avoided Governor Walker but at least Romney and Ryan were avoided.

It appears that a heavily influenced GOP/TeaParty/conservative Congress is also doing all it can to eliminate government investment in research where private or corporate interests will just not go ... such as avoiding pandemics, plague and pestilence, understanding global climate change, etc.  Anyone remember the Space Race and the capability corporations did not have but through national need would be supported to develop them!


2004: Bush Administration

NASA scientist rips Bush on global warming. Renowned expert says data 'screened and controlled'_[by Bush Administration]

AP :updated 10/27/2004 8:10:35 AM ET

IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Bush administration is trying to stifle scientific evidence of the dangers of global warming in an effort to keep the public uninformed, a NASA scientist said Tuesday night.

“In my more than three decades in government, I have never seen anything approaching the degree to which information flow from scientists to the public has been screened and controlled as it is now,” James Hansen told a University of Iowa audience.
Hansen is director of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York and has twice briefed a task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney on global warming. He was also one of the first government scientists tasked with briefing congressional committees on the dangers of global warming, testifying as far back as the 1980s.

Fast Forward: 1/4/2013 : Obama Administration

NYT: F.D.A. Offers Broad New Rules to Fight Food Contamination By STEPHANIE STROM 

The Food and Drug Administration on Friday proposed two sweeping rules aimed at preventing the contamination of produce and processed foods, which has sickened tens of thousands of Americans annually in recent years.

What do you bet these rule proposals have been around since 2004 but only now can they be brought forward ... anyone like unsafe pharmaceuticals  and/or food.  Only if you can make a buck on it!

pic.twitter.com/wSf0OeTY

TED - Mariana Mazzucato : Government -- investor, risk-taker, innovator - The BEST

2004-2016 :The Difference: #Bush - #Obama - #Romney -  #Trump - #Ryan ( #Janesville ) - #Walker #ClimateChange #47% 

#Elites Ex-Rep #Ryan Ex-Gov #Walker #1% WI 1848 Forward: 2004-2016 :The Difference: #Bush - #Obama - #Romney #Trump vs #47% #99% #ClimateChange 

#Malkin : False progressive narratives ... defeat by crushing them

http://rightonline.com/beta/

Americans for Prosperity Foundation

Malkin via cspan RightOnline Conf 2009

Be patient ... she shows up

At about 8 minutes she starts with the # hashtags 

#obamaeatsdogs ... her sign 12:10

" the other side is united by their treacherous agenda to tear down everything "

"an army of Davids"

"George Soros funded monkeys"

"This is war ... tweet truth to power"

Michelle Malkin - RightOnline - (Day 2) Twitter #Hashtag Speech - CSPAN - 6-16-12

#MSNBC #CSPAN #TED #PBS - #Moyers -How do #Liberals & #Conservatives View World - #Haidt

2012.02.21  ...I have been reflecting on these programs and especially a couple of charts depicting social traits of liberals vs conservatives.  Liberals were ranked very high on NOT liking to see harm done to others, animals, etc.  Conservative's traits were pretty much at the same level across the board (Fair and Balanced?).  Haidt makes the general point that we (whichever we are) need to understand these differences or we may slip into demonizing the other people/tribe and thus develop an "ends justify the means" treatment.

Malkin is over the line!

ALEC Spring Meeting (4/29) Cincinnati Ohio - Rally Against

ALEC meeting in Cincinnati April 29th - anybody got a camera?

Well at least we know nothing bad will happen in Wisconsin about that time (we can hope)?

William Cronon Homepage

From the Source -seems to be a really focused website?

Protest ALEC – APRIL 29th, 2011 

On March 15th, University of Wisconsin Professor Bill Cronon posted a study guide on his blog on the history and actions of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC).  ...

On April 29th, ALEC will hold their spring task force meeting in downtown Cincinnati. This is when and where they will cook up the next offensive on the American public. At noon, we will hold a mass protest action in a public space (Fountain Square) one block from ALEC’s meeting place. We are also organizing housing for visitors traveling to Cincinnati, and we are securing spaces for organizations to hold their own teach-ins and actions.

WI - Reprise from 3/17/11 - #NPR an Ideological Target! Why? - #ALEC #NRA - #Cronon

On March 17th when this note (my blog) was originally posted Professor Cronon (UW - Madison) had just posted his note (3/15) about how we should all be "educating" ourselves about how our democracy works.  I had visited his blog on 3/16 and was reminded of ALEC (American Legislative Exchange Council) but not much more.  ALEC had not yet in and of it self become a "hot topic" even with Professor Cronon's blog.  This seems to have changed with the FOIA request by the Wisconsin Republican Party of Professor Cronon's UW-Madison emails.

Going back to 3/17:  Sometime later, again in following the news, the issue of public funding for NPR / PBS and "gotcha videos" became a hot topic.   I recalled that there had been some "news" about ALEC from NPR or PBS or both -  it seemed to me it was "video" but in my searching I stopped searching when I found the NPR (quite politely labeled) audio story below.

When I posted (3/17) the suggestion of why NPR might be an "ideological" target I knew that ALEC was the subject of the audio.  To me it was just an example how Republican's / conservatives have seemed to be able to organize and identify long-term objectives and strategies to work toward them.  I left another, personal example, on Professor Cronon's blog about David Keene and the American Conservative Union and how this classmate of mine (at the UW) knew he most wanted to be a "Republican" at the age of 18 or 19 - this is roughly 48 years ago.   

12/21/2012 - Just noticed that David Keene was/is President of the NRA

First, perhaps the rest of us think too short term or tactically and when we organize to support "collective bargaining" or some other cause we need to be more like a conservative.  

Second, we  need "journalists" to be vigilant and thoughtful and perhaps a little more strident about asking tough questions and not just "neutral" reporting of sound bites and platitudes.

Here is a good example of deeper thinking and reporting -

Vital Signs: State GOP health bills mirror model ALEC legislation by Shawn Doherty - CapTimes

from the article ... 

Republicans (WI) have proposed a pair of bills  that would allow insurance policies in Wisconsin to ingore state mandates requiring coverage for a broad variety of medical treatments and conditions, including autism, cochlear implants and mental health problems. One of these bills would allow out-of-state health insurers to offer plans in Wisconsin that do not conform to the state's mandates.

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From 3/17 Blog:

NPR an Ideological Target! Why?

Click the title for NY Times link (3/14).       Because their audience is growing!

3/17/2011 ...and another kind of reason
Shaping State Laws With Little Scrutiny by Laura Sullivan

... as I recall some state legislators were "given" scholarships to attend ... it would be interesting to trace legislation back to Wisconsin and our Legislative Reference Bureau where it would be redrafted for introduction ... any students need a project?

WI 1848 Forward:Reprise 3/17/11 - #NPR an Ideological Target! Why? - #ALEC #NRA - #Cronon : David #Keene Pres #NRA