Fundraising in 2012 Presidential politics

Why is President Obama losing the "money" race in this year's election?  In this story in The New Yorker magazine, Jane Mayer writes that the President's campaign hasn't taken the time to cultivate the big donors who give hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) to get men and women elected.  Here is an excerpt:

"… By the time that Obama ran for President, in 2008, his relations with the financial industry had grown warmer, and he attracted more donations from Wall Street leaders than John McCain, his Republican opponent, did. Yet this good feeling did not last, despite the government’s bailout of the banking sector. Many financial titans felt that the President’s attitude toward the “one per cent” was insufficiently admiring, even hostile. … [Instead of getting to talk to the President about their issues at events, the Wall Street crowd got] about seven minutes per table, each of which accommodated eight donors. This was fundraising as speed-dating. …"

Read the entire article, "Schmooze or lose: Obama doesn’t like cozying up to billionaires. Could it cost him the election?" by Jane Mayer here.

Three New Articles

Kathleen Parker's piece in Newsweek is called: "What the *#@% is wrong with Republican men? It's not just Akin. By pushing some of the most invasive state policies in modern history, the men of the GOP are driving their party off a cliff. "  Read her entire column here.

In a blog called "Right Turn" in the Washington Post site, Jennifer Rubin writes an artible called "Ten myths about conservatives." 

"… Much of what the observers know is wrong, so simply dispelling 10 misconceptions that they have about Republicans should be useful. …"

Read all ten of Ms. Rubin's myth-busters by clicking here.

Finally, here is a fine tribute to the kind of hero Americans' are drawn to and the kind of hero former astronaut Neil Armstrong was.  The article by Megan Garber in The Atlantic is titled, "What died with Neil Armstrong," and an excerpt is here:

American mythology loves nothing more than the reluctant hero: the man -- it is usually a man -- whose natural talents have destined him for more than obliging obscurity. George Washington, we are told, was a leader who would have preferred to have been a farmer. Thomas Jefferson, a writer. Martin Luther King, Jr., a preacher. These men were roused from lives of perfunctory achievement, our legends have it, not because they chose their own exceptionalism, but because we, the people, chose it for them. … Neil Armstrong was a hero of this stripe: constitutionally humble, circumstantially noble.

Read the entire tribute here.

Three Articles

Here's an exerpt from "Arbitrage and why we love being conned" by Megan McArdle in Newsweek.  To read the entire article, click here.

"… fraudsters and Ponzi schemers do not succeed at their scams merely because we let them. Recent financial frauds have big dollar signs attached, but at their heart, they’re often not much different from Nigerian email scams or a three-card monte game. They work best when they let the mark believe he’s getting away with something—often something illegal, or at least dishonest. It’s an old saw that “you can’t cheat an honest man,” but it’s mostly true. We are most vulnerable to Ponzi schemes and other confidence tricks when we start to believe that we can cheat the universe—that we can get something for nothing. The best con men succeed mostly because we are so desperate to believe them. ..."

Next is a post from Wonkblog titled "How often do Presidents get what they want?" by Dylan Matthews.  Read it here.

Finally is an excerpt from an article called "All the spammers in the world may only make $200 million a year" by Alexis Madrigal in The Atlantic.  Click here for the entire article.

"… It is just so cheap to send spam and even if you only ensnare a tiny number of people, that's enough to make it worthwhile. Rao and Reiley estimate that only 1 in 25,000 people need somehow buy something through spam advertising to make it worthwhile. …"

Big Mistake - David Brooks (NY Times)

Here is an exerpt of Brook's piece today:

"Ryan’s fantasy happens to be the No.1 political fantasy in America today, which has inebriated both parties. It is the fantasy that the other party will not exist. It is the fantasy that you are about to win a 1932-style victory that will render your opponents powerless.

"Every single speech in this election campaign is based on this fantasy. There hasn’t been a speech this year that grapples with the real world – that we live in a highly polarized, evenly divided nation and the next president is going to have to try to pass laws in that context. …

"The real world … [is] where you get a diverse group of people who try to make progress in the areas where that is possible and try to sidestep the areas where it is not."

Read the entire column here.

Debates don't lead to deals - Ezra Klein (Wonkblog)

This is an exerpt from today's Klein offering -

When I talk to legislators from both parties, I tend to hear some variation of the following: “This is a choice election. The American people are getting two very different visions and they’re going to pick one of them.” ... Which is why my standard follow-up question is, “If you think this is a choice election, will you let the other side govern if they win?” No one has ever said yes.

Read the entire post here.

Dullest campaign ever - David Brooks (NY Times)

This is an excerpt of today's Brooks column about how this Presidential campaign is just a retread of every campaign we've seen for more than a generation:

"Since then, I’ve come up with a number of reasons for why [the campaign] is so dull. First, intellectual stagnation. This race is the latest iteration of the same debate we’ve been having since 1964. Mitt Romney is calling President Obama a big-government liberal who wants to crush business. Obama is calling Romney a corporate tool who wants to take away grandma’s health care.

"American politics went through tremendous changes between 1900 and 1936, and then again between 1940 and 1976. But our big government/small government debate is back where it was a generation ago. Candidates don’t even have to rehearse the arguments anymore; they just find the gaffes that will help them pin their opponent to the standard bogymen clichés."

Read the entire column here.

The tiny fraction of Americans who will decide the 2012 election

This was part of an interesting post by Ezra Klein on July 18, 2012 ...

[Paul Begala says] We can almost guarantee that 48 percent of each state’s voters will go for Obama, and another 48 percent will decide for Romney. And so the whole shootin’ match comes down to around 4 percent of the voters in six states.

I did the math so you won’t have to. Four percent of the presidential vote in Virginia, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, New Mexico and Colorado is 916,643 people. That’s it. The American president will be selected by fewer than half the number of people who paid to get into a Houston Astros home game last year — and my beloved Astros sucked last year; they were the worst team in baseball.

Read the entire post here.

In nothing we trust - Fournier & Quinton (National Journal)

Below is an excerpt from "In nothing we trust."

Whitmire is a story of Muncie, and Muncie is the story of America. In this place—dubbed “Middletown” by early 20th-century sociologists—people have lost faith in their institutions. Government, politics, corporations, the media, organized religion, organized labor, banks, businesses, and other mainstays of a healthy society are failing. It’s not just that the institutions are corrupt or broken; those clichés oversimplify an existential problem: With few notable exceptions, the nation’s onetime social pillars are ill-equipped for the 21st century. Most critically, they are failing to adapt quickly enough for a population buffeted by wrenching economic, technological, and demographic change.

Knock around Muncie for proof: City Hall, like Washington, is petty and polarized, driving down voter engagement. Stodgy mainline churches are losing worshipers in droves. Low-tech and unruly public schools are prompting parents to pull their children out. The city’s once-beloved business class shuttered its factories, leaving a legacy of double-digit unemployment and helplessness. Labor unions once credited with creating the middle class are now often blamed for the demise of industry. Even The Star Press, Muncie’s daily newspaper once venerated for holding locals to account, was gutted after a job-killing merger in 1996 and the sale, a few years later, to media giant Gannett.

Muncie is a microcosm of a nation who’s motto could be, “In Nothing We Trust.”

Read the entire article here.

One for the Country - Thomas Friedman (NY Times)

Below is a piece of Mr. Friedman's column today ...

... But with Europe in peril, China and America wobbling, the Arab world in turmoil, energy prices spiraling and the climate changing, we are facing some real storms ahead. We need to weatherproof our American house — and fast — in order to ensure that America remains a rock of stability for the world. To do that, we’ll have to make some big, hard decisions soon — and to do that successfully will require presidential leadership in the next four years of the highest caliber.

This election has to be about those hard choices, smart investments and shared sacrifices — how we set our economy on a clear-cut path of near-term, job-growing improvements in infrastructure and education and on a long-term pathway to serious fiscal, tax and entitlement reform. The next president has to have a mandate to do all of this.

But, today, neither party is generating that mandate — talking seriously enough about the taxes that will have to be raised or the entitlement spending that will have to be cut to put us on sustainable footing, let alone offering an inspired vision of American renewal that might motivate such sacrifice. That’s why I still believe that the national debate would benefit from the entrance of a substantial independent candidate — like the straight-talking, socially moderate and fiscally conservative Bloomberg — who could challenge, and maybe even improve, both major-party presidential candidates by speaking honestly about what is needed to restore the foundations of America’s global leadership before we implode.

Read the full article here

Thanks for the prayers

Last Thursday night I heard the baby at midnight - and he never wakes overnight. When I checked on him he couldn't breathe and we went to the emergency room where we learned we would be guests for two nights. As you can see baby boogie had a great time at Palmetto Richland Hospital. He received great care and boogie was, and still is, in a great mood. He's still undergoing treatments, and is getting past it.

Thanks to everyone at Palmetto Richland, Shandon Methodist Church, and all of our friends and family and co-workers for their help, support and prayers!

Repost: On Taxes, George W. Bush has won

From Ezra Klein at Wonkbook, Washington Post today:

"I wish they weren’t called the Bush tax cuts," the 43rd president said in remarks on Tuesday. "If they were called some other body's tax cuts, they're probably less likely to be raised."

Perhaps. But George W. Bush is selling himself short here. Most of his tax cuts are, at this point, an almost foregone conclusion. No one is talking about taking the 10% bracket and raising it back to 15%. No one is talking about raising the 25% bracket back to 28%, or the 28% bracket back to 31%, or the 33% bracket back to 36%. And not only do both parties support the expanded child tax credit, but Democrats have expanded it further. The bulk of the Bush tax cuts are now a bipartisan affair.

To put it differently, Democrats have, for the most part, admitted that Bush was right, and the Clinton-era tax rates were too high on most Americans. For all that Democrats talk about returning to the Clinton-era tax rates, they only ever mean for the top two percent of taxpayers -- the folks who are now in the 35% bracket, but whom they would like to see in a 39.6% bracket.

The reality is that, on tax policy, Democrats are now closer to Bush than to Clinton. But neither side much likes to admit that. For Democrats, it means confessing to how far right they've moved on taxes. And for Republicans, it means admitting how far right Democrats have moved on taxes.

Access the entire article here.

15 February 2012

I was pleased to learn that the State Senate rejected an idea to remove the State Treasurer from the South Carolina Investment Commission. I believe that there needs to be more public accountability in the Commission, not less. So, I think it was a good day for our taxpayers.

After spending most of the day yesterday out sick, today was back to the office. We had our county-wide elected officials’ luncheon which mostly revolved around personnel and budget issues that we commonly face.

Tonight I attended a dinner at the renovated Tapps Building on Main Street where the Richland County Legislative Delegation broke bread with Columbia City Council, Richland County Council, and our county-wide elected officials. There was some discussion about the state’s funding of local government and some of the issues they were tackling at the request of local governments, but it was mostly a chance to sit with a group of leaders who all represent many of the same citizens.

Somewhere during the evening I was mistaken for my Citadel ’93 classmate, Dan Johnson, our Solicitor. I was okay with that because (even though I have much better hair) he is much skinnier than I am.

We all represent different pieces of the puzzle in South Carolina government, and we need to work together to meet the needs and aspirations of Richland County. So even when there isn’t always a lot of business to report on (like tonight) it is important we spend time together so that when we must address common issues there are familiar faces we can work with.

The last few days

Last Thursday night, I attended Councilman Norman Jackson’s State of the County address to his constituents at Lower Richland High School. It was a well put-together event with people who truly care about our community.

Then, Friday happened. …

Whenever my wife gets a well-deserved chance to go out of town, we are all very excited for her. But, with her trips there always seems to be an accompanying catastrophe at home. I call it karma because she does so much for our family 360 days a year, that when she leaves, I get a curve-ball of some sort.

So Pamela, in her role in the leadership of the Junior League of Columbia, was sent to Dallas-Ft. Worth for a three day training weekend that started last Friday. Within twenty hours of her flight out of town, our HVAC went kaput. Luckily, the heat in the kids’ rooms upstairs was working but waking up to 59 degrees downstairs was unfriendly – to put it mildly.

Still it was a good weekend with our son’s basketball game (they tied 24-24) and he and I went to see Star Wars: Episode I in 3-D. Our daughter went to see Pinkalicious with her grandmother and her friends. And, needless to say, our kids got to spend a lot of time with the grandparents.


On Sunday, we all went to the worksite at the new “Whole Foods” store where the kids climbed to the top of huge piles of mulch (it was 15 feet high) they call Mount Jaji in honor of their grandfather before they came home to play “Winter Wipeout” in the backyard on a makeshift obstacle course.

Today, while the heat folks fixed our system, I was able to work on some pending legislation by computer and phone. Tomorrow, it is back to the statehouse for a Senate Finance Committee hearing on two pieces of legislation I’ve been working on. Tonight, I went to the Haskell Heights Neighborhood meeting at the request of their president, Ellen Anderson, to talk about county business and all of the programs we offer through the Richland County Treasurer’s Office – it was a great meeting. (This is a photo of Haskell Heights First Baptist where they meet)


And, now that the heat is on, my wife is back, and the kids are tucked in their warm home, I can say that we are ready for the week ahead.

Annual Conference

The state’s auditors, treasurers and tax collectors (SCATT) are in the middle of our annual mandatory training this week here in Columbia, so I’ve been in meetings the last two days. Tomorrow we will load up on buses to head to the Statehouse to meet with our local legislators and discuss state legislation that impacts how property tax laws are administered around South Carolina.

The annual conference is a great opportunity for us to get together to discuss how our offices can better serve the people we represent, and work for, everyday. And, almost to a person, it is the most dedicated and caring group I’ve ever had the privilege of working with.

Tonight a lifetime achievement award, the Sonny Siau award, was given to Treasurer Matt Evans of Clarendon County. Matt has been working in that office since graduating from college 27 years ago and has been a rock in our organization that I, and many others, have leaned on for advice and assistance. Matt has made everyone better in knowing him, and through his work in SCATT he’s improved the lives of citizens around South Carolina without them ever knowing of his vast contributions. He and his wife, Lynn, are two of the neatest people (and best dancers) that you could ever meet.

Off to the Statehouse

Every so often I have the opportunity to go to the Statehouse which, no matter what happens inside it, is a beautiful monument to the people of South Carolina. The buildings and grounds are immaculate, befitting the kind of state that we aspire to become.

Today, as the Legislative Co-Chair of SCATT, I appeared before a Senate Finance subcommittee to discuss two pieces of legislation. Really, the bills are only technical changes that will allow the law to mirror the 21st century operations of county governments.

The topics were necessary business, but not really deep or interesting enough to detail here. Still, every time I go there it reminds me that more people should go to the statehouse to enjoy the people’s building that’s available to us all – to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come, and how far we still need to go.

The week gone by

Tuesday was the end of the month (which is always hectic with last minute car tax bill payers) and Wednesday was the second deadline to pay property taxes without a larger penalty, so the office stayed pretty busy.

On Wednesday night after church my wife went with her book club to hear author Ron Rash who wrote “Saints at the River,” the book being read this month as a part of the One Book, One Columbia program. She loved the book and came away impressed by the event.

On Thursday SCATT (SC Auditors, Treasurers and Tax Collectors) got our biggest piece of legislation of the year introduced in the State Senate by Senators Courson and Land. As the Co-Chair of the Legislative Committee, it was the culmination of more than a year of hard work we’d done as a group. The legislation will modernize the property taxation procedures for the counties and will clarify current law.

Also, that evening our daughter lost our first family tooth! She didn’t even cry when mommy extracted it while screaming, “Eeeeew!” It was told to me that way because mommy was brave enough to do it before I got home. She has another tooth right beside it that might fall out before I finish writing this.

That night, Pamela and I went to the NBSC Oyster Roast at the University House next to Williams-Brice stadium. Then we crossed the road to the Cantey Building on the State Fairgrounds to take part in the event for the Columbia Junior League’s Clean Sweep sale. Both events had great crowds of good people – a nice time to catch up with friends.

This morning, our son had his Upward basketball league game which was a lot of fun because it was the most scoring we’d had this year though they lost a close one, 28-24. And, this afternoon, my neighbors were probably whispering a collective ‘amen’ because the weather was so nice that the kids and I did about two hours of yard work that was long overdue. Tomorrow church and a day of rest as we wait for the Super Bowl!

How to fight the man - Brooks (NY Times)

Here's an excerpt of David Brooks column, today:

"This seems to be a moment when many people — in religion, economics and politics — are disgusted by current institutions, but then they are vague about what sorts of institutions should replace them.

"This seems to be a moment of fervent protest movements that are ultimately vague and ineffectual. …

"If you go out there armed only with your own observations and sentiments, you will surely find yourself on very weak ground. You’ll lack the arguments, convictions and the coherent view of reality that you’ll need when challenged by a self-confident opposition."

Read the entire column here.