Crazy few weeks coming up -- links appreciated to www.PrimaryPoll.com

This is getting to be a busy time for me.

My day job with the Center for Voting and Democracy is centered around this project with primary elections and second choices. I'd appreciate any links to our new website: www.PrimaryPoll.com.

Check it out.

Ralph Nader's running. I'm not a supporter this time.

Today on Meet the Press, Ralph Nader announced that he is running for president as an independent.

I've joined the ABB Brigade (Anybody-But-Bush), so I'll be voting for the Democratic nominee. I'll take John Kerry or John Edwards over Bush in a heartbeat.

I've seen how good public policy can raise our living standards, and how there is a big difference between Democratic policy and Republican policy. I'm not longer a member of the Green Party, because I've decided to join the majority coalition in Illinois: the Democratic Party.

I am a big fan of a multi-party system, and I do think people should have lots of choices on the ballot, so I think another candidate is a good thing. But with our plurality voting system, where the majority of voters can split between two similar candidates, and let someone else win, an insurgent campaign can hurt more than it helps.

That's why we should be using instant runoff voting and ensure the winner has a majority of the vote.

I was happy to see Nader mention my employer, the Center for Voting and Democracy, at the end of his Meet The Press interview (although he sort of criticized us, but hey, I'll take the exposure). He didn't say the magic words "instant runoff voting," but this is real progress. I think that third party candidates and independent candidates have the burden of explaining -- at every possible opportunity -- that the reason why the third candidate causes problems for the better major-party candidate is that we don't have a runoff election (instant or otherwise) to ensure the majority of voters don't split. Lots and lots of people don't get that yet.

I worked on the Ralph Nader 2000 presidential campaign, as the Illinois manager and as one of the policy people for electoral reform. I think Mr. Nader is getting better at explaining that we have an outdated electoral system, and that it's relatively easy to fix it (just use instant runoff voting), and I hope that progressives will take this opportunity to push for instant runoff voting in city councils and state legislatures.

Berkeley, as a matter of fact, will vote on an instant runoff voting amendment to the city charter the first Tuesday in March. The campaign website is here.

This is one of my day jobs, so if you're interested in trying to make instant runoff voting actually happen (instead of just complaining about Nader's decision), get in touch with me or join our national listserv here.

Because there is a real value for progressives in a progressive presidential campaign besides the Democratic nominee -- that third candidate can inspire and bring out voters that the Democratic nominee just can't. It might be 1% or 5% of 10%. But those are a lot of votes, and those voters can vote for the Democratic candidate down-ticket. In close races for state representative or Congress, those extra votes really help. So if we can figure out how to harness the power of a progressive third candidate without splitting the vote (yeah, that's instant runoff voting), campaigns like Mr. Nader's can be an unambiguously good thing. Now, it's a real threat to the Democratic campaign for the presidency, and a potential small help for Democrats in swing districts.

And all that said, I think that the Nader campaign is likely to get about 1% of the vote. The ABB Brigade has a strong pull this year.

Questions the Family Steering Committee for the 9/11 Commission wants Bush to answer

President Bush should answer all these questions under oath and in public, according to the Family Steering Committee looking for an independent commission about the September 11th attacks.

They are www.911independentcommission.org.

1. As Commander-in-Chief on the morning of 9/11, why didn't you return
immediately to Washington, D.C. or the National Military Command Center once
you became aware that America was under attack? At specifically what time
did you become aware that America was under attack? Who informed you of this
fact?

2. On the morning of 9/11, who was in charge of our country while you were
away from the National Military Command Center? Were you informed or
consulted about all decisions made in your absence?

3. What defensive action did you personally order to protect our nation
during the crisis on September 11th? What time were these orders given, and
to whom? What orders were carried out? What was the result of such orders?
Were any such orders not carried out?

4. In your opinion, why was our nation so utterly unprepared for an attack
on our own soil?

5. U.S. Navy Captain Deborah Loewer, the Director of the White House
Situation Room, informed you of the first airliner hitting Tower One of the
World Trade Center before you entered the Emma E. Booker Elementary School
in Sarasota, Florida. Please explain the reason why you decided to continue
with the scheduled classroom visit, fifteen minutes after learning the first
hijacked airliner had hit the World Trade Center.

6. Is it normal procedure for the Director of the White House Situation Room
to travel with you? If so, please cite any prior examples of when this
occurred. If not normal procedure, please explain the circumstances that led
to the Director of the White House Situation Room being asked to accompany
you to Florida during the week of September 11th.

7. What plan of action caused you to remain seated after Andrew Card
informed you that a second airliner had hit the second tower of the World
Trade Center and America was clearly under attack? Approximately how long
did you remain in the classroom after Card's message?

8. At what time were you made aware that other planes were hijacked in
addition to Flight 11 and Flight 175? Who notified you? What was your course
of action as Commander-in-Chief of the United States?

9. Beginning with the transition period between the Clinton administration
and your own, and ending on 9/11/01, specifically what information (either
verbal or written) about terrorists, possible attacks and targets, did you
receive from any source?

10. As Commander-in-Chief, from May 1, 2001 until September 11, 2001, did
you receive any information from any intelligence agency official or agent
that UBL was planning to attack this nation on its own soil using airplanes
as weapons, targeting New York City landmarks during the week of September
11, 2001 or on the actual day of September 11, 2001?

11. What defensive measures did you take in response to pre-9/11 warnings
from eleven nations about a terrorist attack, many of which cited an attack
in the continental United States? Did you prepare any directives in response
to these actions? If so, with what results?

12. As Commander-in-Chief from May 1, 2001 until September 11, 2001, did you
or any agent of the United States government carry out any negotiations or
talks with UBL, an agent of UBL, or al-Qaeda? During that same period, did
you or any agent of the United States government carry out any negotiations
or talks with any foreign government, its agents, or officials regarding
UBL? If so, what resulted?

13. What was the purpose of the several stops of Air Force One on September
11th? Was Air Force One at any time during the day of September 11th a
target of the terrorists? Was Air Force One's code ever breached on
September 11th?

14. Was there a reason for Air Force One lifting off without a military
escort, even after ample time had elapsed to allow military jets to arrive?

15. Who approved the flight of the bin Laden family out of the United States
when all commercial flights were grounded, when there was time for only
minimal questioning by the FBI, and especially, when two of those same
individuals had links to WAMY, a charity suspected of funding terrorism? Why
were bin Laden family members granted that special privilege - a privilege
not available to American families whose loved ones were killed on 9/11?

16. Please explain why no one in any level of our government has yet been
held accountable for the countless failures leading up to and on 9/11?

I'll be on Beyond The Beltway this Sunday at 6pm CST

Good news -- Bruce DuMont invited me onto his nationally syndicated radio show this Sunday, Beyond The Beltway.

Tune in, from around the country.

Cal Skinner's take on the Blagojevich budget

Former state legislator (and Libertarian candidate for governor) Cal Skinner writes for IllinoisLeader.com and he has an insightful take here on Governor Blagojevich's call to close some corporate tax loopholes.

Most interesting points: there's currently a $300-$400 million corporate welfare loophole for Archer Daniels Midland through a state ethanol tax break which is untouched by Blagojevich, there's no state sales tax imposed on farm and manufacturing machinery and -- most intriguingly -- business used to pay more than 20 percent of the state's income tax, and now they only pay 12 percent. So pony up! I'm sick of paying for you, Illinois business.

Daley has "no problem" with San Francisco-style gay marriage licenses. Wow.

Look at how quickly the debate on gays has moved in this country.

10 years ago it was controversial to try to require homeowners to rent to a gay couple. (And we still haven't passed that law in the Illinois legislature).

Today, Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago -- the capital of the American heartland -- says that he has "no problem" with marriage licenses issued to gay couples. It's in today's Sun-Times.

Cultural tolerance of homosexuals has increased dramatically in the nineties and in the oughts (the 2000s). It's stunning, really. What a shift.

(But this hasn't hit the south, and the southern half of Illinois is not nearly as tolerant as the northern half. So passing any legislation in the state is a slow, long road.)

Zorn's column on Hull might have identified a new problem for the Hull campaign

Eric Zorn's got a new issue on Blair Hull that no one else has touched in his column -- the order of protection his ex-wife (and current good friend) filed against him years ago. This could be a problem for younger female Hull supporters (who, I think, would tend to be most concerned with a candidate's order of protection as a demographic), depending on how much people hear about it. And my guess is, since none of the other candidates are going to go negative on Hull (another prediction that could be totally wrong), not many people will hear about it. (Man, I'm the King of parentheses today).

Steve Neal died.

This is so sad.

Steve Neal, a fantastic columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, died. He was only 54.

He was a great writer. Insightful. He covered the nitty-gritty of campaigns and the infrastructure of the parties. He was a scholar and a daily reporter.

I feel like a friend of mine died.

I would always use Steve Neal's columns as a curriculum for people new to getting engaged as citizens. I'd tell people to read Steve Neal's columns -- every week -- to learn about what's going on.

I only met him once. We were on a panel together talking about cumulative voting for the House (he favored a return too). Very nice guy.

I was struck by his voice -- sort of gravelly. Soft and low. His writing is so sharp and peppy, and I expected his voice to be the same.

I'm very sad. My heart goes out to his family and friends. He taught me a lot about politics.

I will really, really miss reading his columns.

Greg Maddux is coming home to the Cubs. How sweet it is.

With Greg Maddux in the rotation, we're going to have the best five-man rotation in major league baseball. Kerry Wood. Mark Prior. Matt Clement. Carlos Zambrano. And Greg "Cy Young" Maddux.

Oh, I can't wait to beat the Braves.

Tickets go on sale 2/27.

This is going to be a fantastic year.

Blagojevich looking to close business loopholes. Good!

This report in the Sun-Times has Governor Blagojevich looking to close some business loopholes in the state tax code. That's great. Let's get those corporations off the dole! Have them pay up!

Mars movies -- a great NASA website

These are some great movies that NASA has made explaining how they managed to send two golf-cart sized machines on to the surface of Mars. What an awesome thing to do.

(One question: how can we get a NASA lab in Illinois? We should have one in Champaign-Urbana, or near Fermilab).

Chicago schools losing students. . . .that's not good.

This article in the Chicago Tribune details the $200 million deficit the Chicago Public Schools face, attributed largely to losing lots of students.

16,000 elementary students gone since 2002.

That's not good.

With the city population essentially flat (or slightly rising) since 2002, that means that people are choosing to send their kids to private school or they are moving into the burbs when their kids turn 4 or 5.

And that's not something that is sustainable for the City of Chicago, long term, I think.

I don't think there are easy answers on how to make elementary schools better, but if anyone has any ideas, let me know.

Maybe I should join the local school council in my neighborhood. Heck, maybe you should too. We've all got to invest in our public schools, right? Here's the info:

Pro-environment state legislators: the 2003 eco-champions

Courtesy of the Illinois Environmental Council and their scorecard of all legislators' votes on environmental issues, here are the legislators that earned a 100% voting record:

Senator Jacqueline Collins
Senator Susan Garrett
Senator Terry Link
Senator Barack Obama
Senator Carol Ronen
Senator Jeffrey Schoenberg
Representative Linda Chapa LaVia
Representative Elizabeth Coulson
Representative Barbara Flynn Currie
Representative Sara Feigenholtz
Representative Julie Hamos
Representative Naomi Jakobsson
Representative Rosemary Kurtz
Representative Eileen Lyons
Representative Joseph Lyons
Representative Karen May
Representative Elaine Nekritz
Representative Harry Osterman
Representative Sandra Pihos
Representative Kathleen Ryg
Representative Ricca Slone

Good group of legislators.

States getting to universal health coverage -- great policy paper

I found this fantastic policy paper on how states can move forward on getting to universal health coverage.

Some great ideas in this paper (sponsored by the National Academy for State Health Policy), including one of my favorites: setting up a universal single-payer in a rural area based on the local provider system, not on the local jurisdiction. The local provider (like a hospital in a rural area) would get all the funds that are currently put into health care, would be governed by a board that represents all payers and would be responsible for providing care to every single resident in the area.

We sort of do this on college campuses. That might be a good place to expand -- rural college towns.

Another idea is to set up a narrow set of benefits that are universally available (everyone gets one physical exam), instead of trying to get a full or comprehensive set of benefits for everyone. This one-step-at-a-time approach appeals to me, as a big impediment to universal health coverage is the sense among lots of people that government programs are for poor people, not for the middle-class. The more we can change that about health care (no one thinks that government programs about street lights, sewers or airports are for poor people), the better off we are.

Evidence-based medicine is also a big deal, and there are thoughts that states should share their data more. For example, some states have a preferred drug list. Why shouldn't all states share that data?

It seems to me that spending public money on health coverage should be an economic development tool. Come here, company, to our state, and you won't have to pay for health insurance for your employers. It's already covered! Or, come here, small entreprenuer and set up your creative enterprise. Your health insurance is covered. Why are we only chasing after big corporations with tax breaks for economic development? Why don't we put that money into universal health insurance to attract people and businesses?

Another little nugget: Canada got universal health coverage by starting in one province: Saskatchewan. And that province only started by covering hospital services. Over time, the benefit broadened, and it went nationwide.

A final nugget: we might start with a different model of health coverage with public employees. They are not federally funded at all, so restrictive federal laws do not apply. An innovative state could set up a universal program for all state (and local?) employees and build out from there. Because employer-centered health coverage is probably on the way out.

Just where is Saddam Hussein?

Here's a question: where the heck is that former ally of the Reagan White House Saddam Hussein?

He was captured on December 13th. This AP story says that he has been giving up some information to US government forces in interrogation. But where is he?

And why hasn't the Bush government put him on television -- or any public view at all -- in the last two months? It seems like the Bush government is manipulating the images of a captured Saddam and saving them up for closer to the election. I don't trust those guys at the top.

(There's this conservative impulse to find anything less than blind faith in the actions of the president and the rest of the government unwise and somehow dangerous. 'We have to trust the president to do the right thing' they say. And that's an absurdly undemocratic attitude. We do not trust the leaders of the government to do the right thing. That's why we have elections and a free press to watch over them. We don't have a king and we're not subjects. We have a civilian president and we're citizens who can yank that person out of power in November. The culture of some conservatives who just refuse to question the judgement of the president is really undemocratic, and we need to call it out.)

Time for the rest of the Midwest to raise the state minimum wage

Illinois has a higher state minimum wage than the rest of the Midwest. Check out this chart from the Department of Labor. (And thanks to Sam Smith of the Progressive Review for the pointer).

Now that the Illinois minimum wage will be $6.50 as of January 1, 2005 (and it is around $6 as of 1/1/04), while the federal minimum wage is stuck at $5.15 an hour, the other Midwest states have every opportunity to raise their state wages. One policy argument against a state raising the minimum wage is that the low-paid jobs will then move to other states (at least, those that can be moved). A gas station on the border might close up shop in Illinois and open up in Indiana. Or a fast food place.

But the race-to-the-bottom can't happen if the border states follow the lead of the high-wage leader. So now Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kentucky -- these states can follow the lead of Illinois and raise their minimum wage to match Illinois without fear of losing jobs on to Illinois. They might have to watch the other side of the state (Indiana needs to worry about Ohio's lower minimum wage; Wisconsin needs to worry about Michigan), but then of course the same argument applies. Ohio and Michigan can then raise their wages. And then everyone's better off.

Plus, with more puchasing power, the economy is better off, since low-wage people have more money to spend. I hope Illinois can continue to lead and that other Midwestern states begin to follow.

The 10 worst corporations of 2003

Want to know the 10 worst corporations of 2003? Here's a list, from the authors of Corporate Predators, Russell Mokhiber and Robert Weissman.

Progress on saving Cook County Hospital

The building is still alive!

Another vote on issuing a demolition permit was postponed and developers were allowed to give their pitches to the Cook County Board this week, as this Chicago Tribune article details.

The most uplifting part of the story was about my Commissioner, Bobbie Steele:

Commissioner Bobbie Steele, whose West Side district includes the hospital, said after the meeting that she had once believed it should go but is no longer sure.

Steele said she was "really impressed" with one of the presentations, adding that she would seek her constituents' input. Steele said she "took a beating" a few years ago for supporting a proposal to build a new traffic court on the West Side, which was unpopular in her district. The court project ultimately was canceled.

"I don't want to take a beating for tearing a building down," Steele said.

----

so those phone calls absolutely do matter. I'm going to continue to call (I even sent her a letter), so I hope you Cook County residents will call your commissioner as well. And why is Forrest Claypool supporting demolition? Northwest Siders: Get on the phone!

Coverage of Moveon.org's ad; mea culpas from Big Business Media on Dean

From Juan Rivero, two great links:

This one is some MSNBC coverage of CBS's censorship of Moveon.org's ad critical of Bush's cut-taxes-and-spend budget that creates a massive deficit.

This one is a list of apologies from the Big Business media on trying make Dean unelectable with the ridiculous repeat play of 'the scream' after the Iowa caucus (which was, as it turns out, what any normal political candidate would be trying to be heard over a wild crowd of enthusiastic supporters).

Another lens on the Big Business Media -- how they make candidates 'unelectable'

The Black Commentator has an insightful article on how the Big Business Media makes some candidates (like Howard Dean) unelectable. I think it is less of a conscious decision by Big Business owners of the big papers and the television networks than part of their corporate culture, but the article is worth a read (and ever more reason to support and develop alternative media -- meaning get more people to read them).

Here is the article.

A nice, concise funny list of conservative hypocricy

This is a funny list. (I didn't write it).

Things you have to believe to be a Republican today.

1. Being a drug addict is a moral failing and a crime, unless you're a
conservative radio host. Then it's an illness and you need our prayers
for your recovery.

2. The United States should get out of the United Nations, and our
highest national priority is enforcing U. N. resolutions against Iraq.

3. Government should relax regulation of Big Business and Big Money
but crack down on individuals who use marijuana to relieve the pain of
illness.

4. "Standing Tall" for America means firing your workers and moving
their jobs to India.

5. A woman can't be trusted with decisions about her own body, but
multi-national corporations can make decisions affecting all humankind
without regulation.

6. Jesus loves you, and shares your hatred of homosexuals and Hillary
Clinton.

7. The best way to improve military morale is to praise the troops in
speeches while slashing veterans' benefits and combat pay.

8. Group sex and drug use are degenerate sins unless you someday run
for governor of California as a Republican.

9. If condoms are kept out of schools, adolescents won't have sex.

10. A good way to fight terrorism is to belittle our long-time allies,
then demand their cooperation and money.

11. HMOs and insurance companies have the interest of the public at
heart.

12. Providing health care to all Iraqis is sound policy. Providing
health care to all Americans is socialism.

13. Global warming and tobacco's link to cancer are junk science, but
creationism should be taught in schools.

14. Saddam was a good guy when Reagan armed him, a bad guy when Bush's
daddy made war on him, a good guy when Cheney did business with him
and a bad guy when Bush needed a "we can't find Bin Laden" diversion.

15. A president lying about an extramarital affair is an impeachable
offense. A president lying to enlist support for a war in which
thousands die is solid defense policy.

16. Government should limit itself to the powers named in the
Constitution, which include banning gay marriages and censoring the
Internet.

17. The public has a right to know about Hillary's cattle trades, but
George Bush's driving record is none of our business.

18. You support states' rights, which means Attorney General John
Ashcroft can tell states what local voter initiatives they have a
right to adopt.

19. What Bill Clinton did in the 1960s is of vital national interest,
but what Bush did in the 1980s is irrelevant.

20. Trade with Cuba is wrong because the country is communist, but
trade with China and Vietnam is vital to a spirit of international harmony.

Dick Durbin has a great speech on CBS' censorship of MoveOn.org's TV ad

Senator Dick Durbin gave a great speech on the Senate floor on the spineless move by CBS to refuse to air a commercial paid for by the small donors (like me) of MoveOn.org. It's here.

I think we ought to retaliate against the Conservative Broadcasting Service (I lifted that joke from Durbin's speech). We should pull all state television advertising (about $12 million annually) from CBS. And companies that respect free speech should do the same.

Academy Award nominees use ranked voting (just like the Irish)

How did the Academy manage to pick a group of nominees that are so diverse that even Roger Ebert says it is a great selection (in his column here?)

One reason is the proportional voting system that members of the Academy use to pick the nominees. Voters get a first choice, a second choice, a third choice and so on. Roughly speaking, if any candidate gets 20% of the first-choice votes (and that's not a lot), that candidate gets one of the five nominations. So a quirky movie that's beloved by 1 out of every 5 members of the Academy can get nominated.

Here's a briefing I did a couple of years ago on the Oscar voting system for the entertainment press (when I lived in Los Angeles).

And here is a story in www.slate.com on the same (I'm quoted! Thanks, Timothy Noah!).

(The only post script -- my sister's short animated film The Toll Collector was up for a nomination, but didn't get one of the three slots. Perhaps if there were five slots, she would have been nominated. Academy, how could you!!)