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2:22pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_906"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/906" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_906">Auto Bailout</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_850"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/850" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_850">Big Three</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_847"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/847" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_847">Chrysler</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_849"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/849" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_849">Detroit</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_24"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/24" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_24">Economy</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_16"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/16" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_16">Globalization</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_845"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/845" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_845">GM</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_907"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/907" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_907">President George W. Bush</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> NDN today applauded President George W. Bush’s decision to provide emergency loans to General Motors and Chrysler. Allowing two of America’s big three domestic automakers to slip into bankruptcy while the financial system remains in crisis and the economy continues to decline would have been reckless and damaging. </p> <p> As NDN Globalization Chair Dr. Robert Shapiro wrote one month ago, the Bush Administration’s role in the country’s current, unprecedented financial and economic crises makes it responsible for taking serious steps to keep the U.S. industry alive, as it did today. The auto industry will likely require additional assistance early next year. When the Obama Administration takes office, it should review the terms set forth in today’s package and propose revisions and additions consistent with conditions at that time. </p> <p> Read Dr. Robert Shapiro’s original essay from November 19 <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3271">here</a>. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/557" title="Read Melissa Merz's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Melissa Merz's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3365#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3365&title=NDN+Applauds+Administration%27s+Decision+To+Provide+Emergency+Loans+to+GM+and+Chrysler+" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3365&title=NDN+Applauds+Administration%27s+Decision+To+Provide+Emergency+Loans+to+GM+and+Chrysler+" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3365&t=NDN+Applauds+Administration%27s+Decision+To+Provide+Emergency+Loans+to+GM+and+Chrysler+" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3365&t=NDN+Applauds+Administration%27s+Decision+To+Provide+Emergency+Loans+to+GM+and+Chrysler+" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3365" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/780" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-780.jpg" alt="Sam duPont's picture" title="Sam duPont's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3366">Long Road for the GOP in this Center-Left Nation</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/780" title="View user profile.">Sam duPont</a> on Fri, 12/19/2008 - 1:09pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_19"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/19" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_19">End of the Conservative Ascendency</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_9"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/9" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_9">NDN</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_22"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/22" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_22">Repudiating the Bush Era</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/u780/longroad.jpg" alt="Long Road" hspace="10" vspace="5" width="196" height="200" align="left"/>NDN got some <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://townhall.com/columnists/DonaldLambro/2008/12/19/history_points_to_gop_gains_in_2010">fun attention</a> over at Townhall today, where Don Lambro gnawed on Simon's argument (posted on <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://blog.thehill.com/2008/12/16/the-big-question-monday-dec-16/">The Hill</a> yesterday) that the GOP is looking at a long road back to anything resembling power. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://townhall.com/">Townhall</a>, for the uninitiated, is one of the leading right-wing news sites-- something like a conservative answer to the Huffington Post. <p>Lambro accused Simon of "irrational exuberance," brushing off geographic, demographic, and hard electoral realities, and falls back on the old saw that "we still live in a center-right nation." To Lambro, I say, quit falling back on your saw, and fall on your sword, instead!</p> <p>The simple fact is that, compared to Republicans, Democrats are playing on a field that is much larger-- and growing.</p> <p>The GOP is seriously limited by geography-- they are increasingly competitive only in the South and upper Rockies. In the next Congress, three-fifths of Senate Republicans will come from those two areas. Obama proved that Democrats can win without winning the Deep South, while picking up three states in the new progressive south-- Florida, Virginia, and North Carolina. The GOP will need to find a new part of the country to win, and it's not looking good for them anywhere.</p> <p>Even more ominously, Democrats represent a large, diverse, and growing demographic coalition, while the Republican coalition is homogenous and shrinking. In particular, Hispanics and Millenials both voted for Obama by a 2:1 margin this year. Neither of these demographic groups carried any electoral significance 25 years ago (we Millenials weren't even born!), and are positioned to become serious political forces in the 21st century.</p> <p>Lambro also marshals historical references to shore up his argument, but his analogies are bogus. While some have compared 2008 to 1964, it seems far more appropriate, given the current state of the economy, to compare this election to 1932. And if I may, I'll call Lambro's attention to the congressional election of 1934, when the Democrats picked up nine seats in the House and ten in the Senate. In 1936, Dems sealed the deal as they maintained their majorities in congress, and Roosevelt won all but two states. En garde!</p> <p>And as for Lambro's favorite old saw, I'll pass that question to Hoover Institution fellow <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/13/AR2008111303550.html">Tod Lindberg</a>. Says Lindberg, the idea that we live in a center-right nation is dead. Welcome to a center-left America. </p> <p>Of course, events could change these patterns and shift these trends, but the way things are going, Simon's "coroner's report" was anything but irrational exuberance.</p> <p><em>Thanks to <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.millennialmakeover.com/">Mike Hais and Morley Winograd</a> for their help in putting this together!</em></p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/780" title="Read Sam duPont's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Sam duPont's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3366#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3366&title=Long+Road+for+the+GOP+in+this+Center-Left+Nation" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3366&title=Long+Road+for+the+GOP+in+this+Center-Left+Nation" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3366&t=Long+Road+for+the+GOP+in+this+Center-Left+Nation" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3366&t=Long+Road+for+the+GOP+in+this+Center-Left+Nation" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3366" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-675.jpg" alt="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture" title="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3363">Violence in Mexico Unprecedented, No One Outside of Mexico Seems to Care</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile.">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro</a> on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 6:43pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_905"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/905" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_905">Drug wars</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_147"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/147" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_147">Latin America</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_210"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/210" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_210">Mexico</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_177"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/177" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_177">security</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_904"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/904" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_904">Violence</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> A controversial Blago and a shoe being thrown at President Bush are stories that have made it around virtually every website and every newspaper in the world. The story of an American security expert being kidnapped doesn't even make <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://crimeblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/12/american-kidnapping-negotiator.html"><strong>front page news</strong></a> in his own country. The difference between the first two and the third is that the last is a reflection of a much broader crisis in America's own vicinity, which has much, MUCH more severe consequences for the U.S. and Latin American region. Felix Batista, 55, was taken by a group of armed men last week in the state of Coahuila, where he was giving seminars for business owners. Batista is a security expert, as well as an expert negotiator - he successfully led negotiations in high-profile kidnappings and criminal cases in Mexico. This kidnapping occurs just days after the Mexican National Commission for Human Rights issued a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.cndh.org.mx/lacndh/informes/espec/2infSegPublica08/2informeSeguridad08.htm"><strong>report</strong></a> on the "Fundamental Right to Security in Our Country," the Commission found that there have been approximately 20,000 kidnappings and 10,500 drug-related killings in a period of just two years (2006-2008). To put the number in perspective, this is more than <em>twice </em>the number of soldiers killed in Iraq over a longer period (2004-2008). </p> <p> The Human Rights Commission concluded that an average 43,835 crimes are reported daily, there are no estimates as to how many go unreported. This fact is made more dramatic by the levels of impunity found by the Commission - according to its study, 9 out of every 10 crimes that occur in Mexico go unpunished, <strong>which translates to a 90% rate of impunity</strong>. And yet the international community has still not declared this a humanitarian crisis - Mexicans are not granted asylum or refugee status just because of a little drug war. And then they are criticized for trying to leave these dangerous conditions, particularly in Northern Mexico. Nor is the international community demonstrating much support to President Calderon as he tries to fight drug cartels that enjoy bottomless resources, while he also deals with the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.univision.com/content/channel.jhtml?chid=19641&schid=19705&secid=23272"><strong>corruption within government ranks</strong></a> that is under investigation. </p> <p> Almost one week later, the story of Batista made it into <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1867138,00.html?xid=newsletter-daily"><strong>Time</strong></a> and the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/16/world/americas/16mexico.html?ref=americas"><strong>Times</strong></a>. Just in case no one had noticed, this is front page news. It is front page news to the communities who suffer the constant fear and threat of these drug wars, and it is front page news for the entire region. Just this week, a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.univision.com/content/content.jhtml?cid=1778064"><strong>3-ton shipment of cocaine was discovered in Peru</strong></a>, just before it was shipped off to Spain. Hypothetically, let's say Mexico succeeds in cracking down on organized crime, as Colombia did - then what? Then some other poor Central American or South American country's shores will be used to receive and to ship the same drugs that are currently purchased, and then <em>that </em>will be the next drug war. It seems that the international community still doesn't get that this is not one country's problem, that this is an issue of shared responsibility, and that we will all be increasingly affected as it continues to spiral out of control. And the root of this crisis is not drugs - it is a lack of opportunity, corrpution, lack of education, lack of economic upward mobility. </p> <p> What will it take for the international community to take notice? It would probably require a tragic turn affecting a non-Mexican, but then we'd probably have in international crisis on our hands. Let's hope it doesn't take an international tragedy - there have been enough Mexican tragedies in this war. I propose that the crisis is here. The question is, what is everyone going to do to solve it. As NDN has long said, we need to start a policy of engagement, as opposed to one of observation in Latin America. Ever heard of the frog in hot water..... </p> <p>   </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/675" title="Read Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3363#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3363&title=Violence+in+Mexico+Unprecedented%2C+No+One+Outside+of+Mexico+Seems+to+Care" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3363&title=Violence+in+Mexico+Unprecedented%2C+No+One+Outside+of+Mexico+Seems+to+Care" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3363&t=Violence+in+Mexico+Unprecedented%2C+No+One+Outside+of+Mexico+Seems+to+Care" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3363&t=Violence+in+Mexico+Unprecedented%2C+No+One+Outside+of+Mexico+Seems+to+Care" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3363" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/390" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-390.jpg" alt="Dan Boscov-Ellen's picture" title="Dan Boscov-Ellen's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3362">Thursday New Tools Feature: The Multi Media</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/390" title="View user profile.">Dan Boscov-Ellen</a> on Thu, 12/18/2008 - 4:12pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_9"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/9" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_9">NDN</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_10"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/10" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_10">New Progressive Politics</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_20"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/20" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_20">New Tools</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_11"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/11" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_11">Political Technology</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> According to a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.nytimes.com/external/venturebeat/2008/12/18/18venturebeat-deloitte-survey-shows-were-living-in-a-medi-101647.html?pagewanted=print">new Deloitte survey</a> on the state of the media, we are now living in a diverse media ecosystem where no one type of media is dominant. Unsurprisingly, </p> <blockquote><p> The millennial generation — ages 14 to 25 — is leading this charge now as it accesses content on all sorts of new devices and distribution platforms using a variety of pricing schemes and advertising models. The millennials consume the most media and are more likely to get entertainment from multiple media sources and applications. That’s in contrast to a few decades ago, when media was more expensive and so was consumed most often by older generations with more disposable income... </p></blockquote> <p> Millennials are less likely to watch TV or use conventional news sources, and "their preferred way of absorbing content is watching video on the web and handheld devices or listening to music on mobile phones and MP3 music players." The survey also found that "the iPhone has had a big impact on how users communicate, get their news, and entertain themselves. Many young people are using it as a replacement for a laptop." Within the next few years, many more affordable phones will have functionality comparable with the high-end iPhone. </p> <p> Along with the Deloitte survey, another <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2008/12/17/technology/tech-us-wireless-polls.html?_r=1&ref=technology">just-released study</a> from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that 18% of households are now cell-phone only, with migration being accelerated by the recession. </p> <p> These two studies reinforce NDN's message that understanding and adapting to this new media environment is essential for survival in this political day and age. President-elect Obama's media team understood this, and its "any and all" approach to media, advertising and outreach was in tune with Americans' media consumption. To learn more about how to use these tools effectively, check out our New Politics Institute <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign_2">New Tools</a> campaign, featuring great papers like <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign/go_mobile">Go Mobile Now</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign/buy_cable">Buy Cable</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign/advertise_online">Advertise Online</a>, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign/social_networking">Leverage Social Networks</a>, and <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newpolitics.net/content_areas/new_tools_campaign/reimagine_video">Reimagine Video</a>. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/390" title="Read Dan Boscov-Ellen's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Dan Boscov-Ellen's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3362#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3362&title=Thursday+New+Tools+Feature%3A+The+Multi+Media" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3362&title=Thursday+New+Tools+Feature%3A+The+Multi+Media" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3362&t=Thursday+New+Tools+Feature%3A+The+Multi+Media" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3362&t=Thursday+New+Tools+Feature%3A+The+Multi+Media" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3362" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/557" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-557.jpg" alt="Melissa Merz's picture" title="Melissa Merz's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3352">Will President-elect Obama Appoint U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar as Secretary of the Interior?</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/557" title="View user profile.">Melissa Merz</a> on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 5:35pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_571"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/571" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_571">Clean Infrastructure </a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_262"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/262" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_262">Climate Change</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_92"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/92" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_92">Colorado</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_903"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/903" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_903">Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Denver Post</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_261"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/261" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_261">Energy Independence</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_286"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/286" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_286">Energy Prices</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_253"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/253" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_253">Green Project</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_6"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/6" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_6">Hispanic / Latino</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_902"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/902" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_902">Secretary of the Interior</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_901"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/901" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_901">U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> UPDATE -- 10:10 P.M. ET: It's official. Obama has selected Senator Salazar to be the next Secretary of the Interior. From the <em><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-interior16-2008dec16,0,1401718.story">Los Angeles Times</a></em>: </p> <blockquote> <p> Salazar's family helped settle what is now New Mexico in the 1500s. He was raised on a ranch in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado and became an attorney with expertise in water law. He led Colorado's Department of Natural Resources and was state attorney general before winning a vacant Senate seat in 2004 and entering Congress in the same freshman class as Obama.</p> <p> The Colorado senator campaigned vigorously for Obama in the swing state this fall, with Salazar barnstorming rural areas in a recreational vehicle, preaching alternative energy development and its potential to revitalize rural economies. </p> </p></blockquote> <p> Cabinet appointments are a quadrennial parlor game in Washington. Facing unprecedented economic and other crises, President-elect Barack Obama seems to be moving along at a brisk speed. This afternoon, Obama named his environmental team, and now speculation has turned to some of the other federal agencies. </p> <p> Today, the <em>Denver Post</em> is <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.denverpost.com/breakingnews/ci_11234643">reporting</a> that NDN's good friend, U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar (D-CO), is in serious contention to be appointed as Secretary of the Interior. As a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Salazar has been a staunch advocate of renewable fuels. Equally important, he has been a longtime champion of comprehensive immigration reform, a subject also near and dear to our hearts. </p> <p> You can watch Salazar addressing the NDN community on March 7, 2007, in the video below: </p> <p><center><object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852oe_/http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,29,0" width="425" height="344"></p> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tyr0LyecLzs&hl=en&fs=1"/> <param name="quality" value="high"/> <param name="menu" value="false"/> <param name="wmode" value=""/> <embed src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852oe_/http://www.youtube.com/v/tyr0LyecLzs&hl=en&fs=1" wmode="" quality="high" menu="false" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed><br/> </object></center></p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/557" title="Read Melissa Merz's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Melissa Merz's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3352#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3352&title=Will+President-elect+Obama+Appoint+U.S.+Sen.+Ken+Salazar+as+Secretary+of+the+Interior%3F" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3352&title=Will+President-elect+Obama+Appoint+U.S.+Sen.+Ken+Salazar+as+Secretary+of+the+Interior%3F" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3352&t=Will+President-elect+Obama+Appoint+U.S.+Sen.+Ken+Salazar+as+Secretary+of+the+Interior%3F" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3352&t=Will+President-elect+Obama+Appoint+U.S.+Sen.+Ken+Salazar+as+Secretary+of+the+Interior%3F" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3352" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-675.jpg" alt="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture" title="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3346">Weekly Update on Immigration: DHS Has a Really Rough Week, Oops! Bush Did it Again, New Tools in Immigration</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile.">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro</a> on Mon, 12/15/2008 - 1:15am.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_23"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/23" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_23">21st Century Agenda for America</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_5"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/5" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_5">Bush / GOP</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_445"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/445" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_445">DHS</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_433"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/433" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_433">Hate Crimes</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_6"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/6" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_6">Hispanic / Latino</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_7"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/7" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_7">Immigration</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_334"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/334" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_334">immigration reform</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_14"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/14" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_14">Latin America</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_9"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/9" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_9">NDN</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_866"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/866" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_866">Weekly Immigration Update</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> <strong>The Minnesota race continues, but don't hold your breath</strong> - Democratic candidate Al Franken got a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=cqmidday-000002997388"><strong>boost</strong></a> on <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=cqmidday-000002997388"><strong>Friday</strong></a> in his bid to unseat Sen. Norm Coleman. On Friday, the state's election oversight board recommended that each of the state's 87 counties review absentee ballots initially rejected as invalid, and submit amended vote tallies that include any ballots found to be wrongly rejected. The thing is, the board does not have the authority to require counties to conduct such a review, so it would be up to the candidates to issue legal challenges to force the issue should any county decline to re-examine the legitimacy of the disputed ballots. The Secretary of State projects that more than 1,500 absentee ballots could be found to have been improperly turned away, and if this turns out to be the case, Al Franken would have to win a relatively small plurality of those ballots to overcome the razor-thin lead held by Coleman following a hand recount of votes cast in the Senate race. </p> <p> <strong>Judiciary Loses Its Lion</strong> - In case you missed it, Sen. Ted Kennedy stepped down from his post on the Committee on the Judiciary. It will be interesting to see who will start to throw their hat in the ring to succeed Sen. Kennedy, and whether that person can - and will - follow Sen. Kennedy's example in the area of immigration reform. </p> <p> <strong>Tough Week for DHS: 1) DHS Programs <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.washingtontechnology.com/online/1_1/34024-1.html">caught</a> midstream in the transition</strong> - Among them, the controversial <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/sbinet/index.html"><strong>SBInet</strong></a> border security system, construction of it is scheduled to begin in March 2009 in Arizona. After being known in Congress for cost overruns, malfunctions, gaps in management, and miscommunication with Congress, <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.fcw.com/online/news/154580-1.html">Alice Lipowicz reports</a> </strong>on the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.washingtontechnology.com/print/23_17/34041-1.html"><strong>challenges</strong></a> ahead for SBInet advocates. <strong><br/> 2) A perfect example of the broken immigration system:</strong> the cleaning service used by DHS Secretary Chertoff to clean his house<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/10/AR2008121003524.html?hpid=topnews"><strong> had undocumented immigrants</strong></a> working there. What better example of how broken our immigration system really is, and the urgent need to fix it. At least the Secretary didn't "knowingly" hire "illegals," as did <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/2008_12_06_Feds:_Boston_border_official_Lorraine_Henderson_hired_illegals/srvc=news&position=also"><strong>Lorraine Henderson</strong>,</a> an employee of Customs and<u> <strong>Border Protection</strong></u> (emphasis added) - Ms. Henderson<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/2008_12_06_Feds:_Boston_border_official_Lorraine_Henderson_hired_illegals/srvc=news&position=also"> </a><strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/2008_12_06_Feds:_Boston_border_official_Lorraine_Henderson_hired_illegals/srvc=news&position=also">reportedly</a> </strong>was recorded warning her cleaning lady to be "careful" to not get caught. Who said DHS didn't care? A former FEMA employee who was sentenced earlier this year for <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://chuckgallagher.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/former-fema-employee-robert-g-davis-guilty-of-identity-theft/"><strong>identity theft</strong></a>, with which he funded shopping sprees, has been handed five plus years in federal prison. <strong> <br/> 3) Detention center in Rhode Island will get no more </strong>detainees, <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/06/nyregion/06detain.html?ref=nyregion"><strong>pending an inquiry</strong></a> into the treatment, and subsequent death, of a Chinese engineer in that detention center. <br/> <strong>4) A judge's <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ceridian.com/human_resources_article/1,6266,15760-69714,00.html">denial </a></strong>of DHS's request for a mid-January decision in the case involving <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1224771455239.shtm">DHS's rule</a> </strong>pertaining to no-match letters means that President-elect Obama <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/06/MNKO14IR11.DTL">inherits</a> </strong>the prolongued legal dispute over the current administration's push to pressure employers to fire undocumented workers. It is highly unlikely that an Obama administration would pursue the current flawed DHS rule. In his platform, Pres-elect Obama has proposed an effective verification system as a <em>part </em>of comprehensive reform.<strong><br/> 5) TWIC Delays Upset Workers - </strong>U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and their contractor, Lockheed Martin, had a great many truckers and port workers upset at them as the workers' new biometric Transportation Worker Identification Cards - which they must possess by Dec. 30 in order to be able to work - were delayed. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-md.port02dec02,0,7842448.story"><strong>Some workers in Baltimore</strong></a> reported to TSA on several occasions to pick up their TWIC cards and were turned away due to the volume of people ahead of them. <strong><br/> 6) A <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d0996.pdf">GAO report</a> released this week</strong> on the planning and execution improvements needed for the US-VISIT program. </p> <p> <strong>What Immigration Reform does NOT look like</strong> - This week President Bush announced <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.5af9bb95919f35e66f614176543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=8f6434a57822e110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=68439c7755cb9010VgnVCM10000045f3d6a1RCRD">regulatory changes</a> </strong>to the H-2A agricultural guestworker program that remove important protections for workers and make it easier for employers to bring in foreign workers. Once again, this is amnesty for unscrupulous employers, not <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1208/16315.html"><strong>reform</strong></a>. </p> <p> <strong>Utah Guest worker program to be implemented </strong>- The state legislation, SB81 has received <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.sltrib.com/ci_11220857?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com">ample criticism</a>,</strong> and could very well face challenges in the coming weeks and months, prior to its implementation. </p> <p> <strong>Henryk Kowalczyk's Huffington Post must-read <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/henryk-a-kowalczyk/the-immigration-debate-is_b_148289.html">post</a></strong> on why the Immigration debate is about so much more than just immigration. </p> <p> <strong>Census Updated American Community Survey -</strong> The U.S. Census released its <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DatasetMainPageServlet?_program=ACS&_submenuId=&_lang=en&_ts="><strong>2008 </strong></a>community survey this week, and reiterates the trend mentioned before: immigrants and minorities are <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2008/12/09/immigrants-minorities-leave-cities/">moving away</a> </strong>from cities and becoming a larger part of the population in suburbs, etc. </p> <p> <strong>New Tools in Immigration, too</strong> - the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) and the New York University School of Law (NYU) launched a project called "<a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/statelaws_home.cfm"><strong>State Responses to Immigration</strong></a>" as a joint effort to provide a free, searchable data tool designed to generate information on all immigration-related bills at the state and local level across the nation. </p> <p> <strong>Hate Crimes - </strong>Sadly, another Ecuadorian man was killed in New York by a group of men who viciously attacked him. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation/AP/story/805110.html"><strong> Jose Sucuzhanay's homicide</strong></a> is under investigation, and it is helping gather <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.alternet.org/immigration/111093/civil_rights_leaders_address_hate_crime_spike/"><strong>civil rights leaders</strong></a> from accross the country to address the spike in hate crimes against Latinos. <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.imagenzac.com.mx/2008/12/08/migrantes1.htm">Mexicans at the U.S.-Mexico border</a> </strong>also report an increase in hate crimes and agression based on nationality and ethnicity. We see an important social turning point, immigrants - Hispanic ones in particular - fight back against discrimination. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.tennessean.com/article/20081207/NEWS03/812070400/1017/news01"><strong>In Tennessee</strong></a>, legal immigrants who had their documents unlawfully taken from them are filing suit. </p> <p> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.azstarnet.com/opinion/270352.php"><strong>Interesting article</strong></a> in the Arizona Daily Star on the border fence. </p> <p> <strong>New IPC Report</strong> - The Immigration Policy Center has compiled a <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/index.php?content=sr081204"><strong>major report</strong></a> on minority and New American voter data, as well as motivating issues in the 2008 election cycle. The report also explores the outlook for immigration reform. </p> <p> <strong>Employers need education on the effects of immigration, too</strong> - According to the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.informador.com.mx/economia/2008/60821/6/mexico-lider-mundial-en-exportacion-de-trabajadores.htm"><strong>latest survey </strong></a>released by Manpower, a private Human Resurces firm, 62% of the 4,804 employers in Mexico who were surveyed described themselves as not particularly concerned with the impact of emigration on the Mexican labor market, the remaining 38% does believe that emigration can have a harmful effect on the Mexican economy and cause a potential "brain drain," as well. An estimated 8 million 5 hundred thousand Mexicans work outside of Mexico. </p> <p> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.exonline.com.mx/diario/noticia/primera/pulsonacional/inicia_retorno_de_migrantes_a_michoacan/438541"><strong>About 150,000 immigrants from Michoacan are estimated to return</strong></a> to this Mexican state for the Holidays, although there are no estimates as to how many might remain in Mexico. It is estimated that immigrants going to Mexico for the Holidays will inject about <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.exonline.com.mx/diario/noticia/primera/pulsonacional/paisanos_regalaran_5_mmdd/438355"><strong>$5 billion</strong></a> into the Mexican economy. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/675" title="Read Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3346#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3346&title=Weekly+Update+on+Immigration%3A+DHS+Has+a+Really+Rough+Week%2C+Oops%21+Bush+Did+it+Again%2C+New+Tools+in+Immigration" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3346&title=Weekly+Update+on+Immigration%3A+DHS+Has+a+Really+Rough+Week%2C+Oops%21+Bush+Did+it+Again%2C+New+Tools+in+Immigration" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3346&t=Weekly+Update+on+Immigration%3A+DHS+Has+a+Really+Rough+Week%2C+Oops%21+Bush+Did+it+Again%2C+New+Tools+in+Immigration" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3346&t=Weekly+Update+on+Immigration%3A+DHS+Has+a+Really+Rough+Week%2C+Oops%21+Bush+Did+it+Again%2C+New+Tools+in+Immigration" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3346" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-675.jpg" alt="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture" title="Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3342">What World Does the Republican Party Live In? Part II - The David Frum Folly</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/675" title="View user profile.">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro</a> on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 5:28pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_899"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/899" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_899">David Frum</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_6"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/6" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_6">Hispanic / Latino</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_347"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/347" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_347">Hispanic Vote</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_572"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/572" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_572">Key 2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_530"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/530" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_530">Latinos</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_9"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/9" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_9">NDN</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> David Frum, former George W. Bush Speechwriter, was <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=98174969">on NPR</a></strong> this morning discussing how the GOP lost its way in 2008 because it misread its challenge as a "moderate-conservative" one, missing the fact that it is actually a <strong><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3266">"backward-forward"</a></strong> one. On that, we are agreed - the GOP agenda completely collapsed in 2004/2005 and the GOP has refused to develop a new agenda that embraces the 21st century reality of the U.S.</p> <p>But Mr. Frum contradicted himself during the interview: he alleged that minorities are an important part of the advantage held by Democrats, but that Republicans can essentially give up on the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/misc-files/andres12-12-08.pdf"><strong>Hispanic vote</strong></a> and still win - his contention is that the group the GOP needs to win back in order to win are college graduates and that, basically, the GOP can do just fine without Latinos because we're all poor and populist: <strong><em>"As populist economically as we need to be to win over this poor group of voters...you'll blow the whole coalition to pieces...because are you going to be the universal state free at the point of consumption health care?" </em></strong> In fact, winning Hispanics is an integral part of moving "forward" and embracing the facts of a 21st century America. Mr. Frum also demonstrates his ignorance of the Hispanic community by continuing the erroneous stereotype promoted by hate groups and Lou Dobbs types that Latinos are all uneducated, poor, a burden to our society, and dependent on big government. In <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3230"><strong>reality</strong></a> Hispanics are the demographic that uses the least amount of government programs (even though many are in fact in the middle or lowest income brackets), with the highest rate of employment, and <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.drjeffcornwall.com/2008/12/changes-in-immigration-policy.html">in many areas</a></strong> they account for economic and labor growth as they are often small business owners. Also, historically Hispanics split pretty evenly between parties and they have never constituted a loyal "base" for either party. Not to mention, "Hispanic" concerns are the same as those of the general population, with some <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3238"><strong>nuances</strong></a>.</p> <p>Frum's contention is yet another example of the GOP's stubborn denial of the racial reality of the country. Only a few GOP strategists like <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newsweek.com/id/169173/page/2">Rove</a> </strong>and <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3233"><strong>Sen. Martinez</strong></a> have <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newsweek.com/id/169173/page/2">attempted</a> </strong>to make their party realize that the United States will be a<strong> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/washington/14census.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin">majority "minority" country by 2042</a>, </strong>and that support among Hispanics is <strong><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/immigration/entries/2008/11/17/rove_says_immigration_reform_k.html">key</a> </strong>to its survival. If the GOP intends to exist for the next generation, they had better accept - and <em><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3233"><strong>embrace</strong></a> </em>the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/events/121208.html"><strong>new electoral map</strong></a>. Hispanics have consistently demonstrated their increasing political clout, particularly in this election, when they turned out in record numbers and affected elections in battleground states like Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, etc. Additionally, Hispanics displayed the power in their numbers in non-traditionally "Latino" states because this demographic helped realign this election - i.e., Hispanics helped flip GOP "safe" or deep red states to blue, as was the case in Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana.</p> <p>Frum's theory is a tough sell - exit polls show that the election was the closest among high school graduates and college drop-outs, while the higher the degree obtained, the more supportive voters were of Obama (53% of college graduates supported Obama, and the number goes up to 58% among those with postgraduate degrees). Frum fails to recognize that race relations and the way Obama reflects and embraces the current U.S. demography was just as important in winning over the intellectual "elite." Millenials and the more educated are increasingly intolerant of Additionally, Hispanics are a part of all income and education groups. It should also be noted that voters with higher degrees comprise a smaller percentage of the electorate (only 17% of the electorate has PhDs). Within a few generations (max) the share of Hispanic voters easily match the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#USP00p1"><strong>28% of people</strong></a> with a college education who voted in this election.</p> <p>Another flaw in Frum's argument is that the importance of college grads implies the importance of young adults: 2/3 (or 67%) of all <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/misc-files/andres12-12-08.pdf"><strong>Hispanics who voted </strong></a><em><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/misc-files/andres12-12-08.pdf"><strong>in this election</strong></a> </em>are under the age of 45 - he should think about what that means for the future. Every month, 50,000 Latinos turn 18. Twenty percent of millenials have at least one immigrant parent. The irrefutable fact is that Hispanics - the fastest growing demographic in the United States - will only play an increasingly pivotal role in national politics in the 21st century. </p> <p>The fact is that the GOP built an entire domestic agenda based on the exploitation of fear, racial and otherwise: whether it was Willie Horton, "welfare queens," "tax and spend liberals," and most recently the issue of illegal- immigration. And GOP leaders are still refusing to accept this fact - as recently as two days ago Mike Huckabee spent a half hour <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=213344"><strong>trying to explain</strong></a> his intolerance of certain gay rights to<strong> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=213344">Jon Stewart</a></strong>; mind you, the<strong> <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/09/28/comedy.politics/">Daily Show audience</a></strong> is precisely Mr. Krum's "target": college educated, about 18-35 years old. Republicans like Mr. Frum have to first recognize what has been their tactic in the past and second, think about what they want their future to look like. If it wants to stay in business, the GOP has to build a Party and coalition <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3301"><strong>suited to the demographic realities of 21st century America</strong></a>. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/675" title="Read Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Zuraya Tapia-Alfaro's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3342#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3342&title=What+World+Does+the+Republican+Party+Live+In%3F+Part+II+-+The+David+Frum+Folly" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3342&title=What+World+Does+the+Republican+Party+Live+In%3F+Part+II+-+The+David+Frum+Folly" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3342&t=What+World+Does+the+Republican+Party+Live+In%3F+Part+II+-+The+David+Frum+Folly" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3342&t=What+World+Does+the+Republican+Party+Live+In%3F+Part+II+-+The+David+Frum+Folly" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3342" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/390" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-390.jpg" alt="Dan Boscov-Ellen's picture" title="Dan Boscov-Ellen's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3341">A New Coalition and a New Map</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/390" title="View user profile.">Dan Boscov-Ellen</a> on Fri, 12/12/2008 - 3:33pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_6"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/6" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_6">Hispanic / Latino</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_7"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/7" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_7">Immigration</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_9"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/9" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_9">NDN</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_10"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/10" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_10">New Progressive Politics</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> Today, NDN held an event with NDN President Simon Rosenberg, Vice President of NDN Hispanic Programs Andres Ramirez, and new NDN Fellow Morley Winograd to discuss the new 21st century coalition and Electoral College map that President-elect Obama used to win, and the implications for the future of American politics. In particular, the presentations focused on the rise of Millennials and Hispanics and the impact of these ascendant demographic groups. </p> <p> In his presentation (PowerPoint available in PDF format <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/misc-files/morley12-12-08.pdf">here</a>), Morley explained why he believes we are at the start of a new cycle of American politics, with a new "civic" generation entering public life for the first time since the 1930s. He argued that young voters' overwhelming support for President-elect Obama was not a flash in the pan, but rather an indication of the generation's political and social attitudes and beliefs -- attidutes and beliefs that, among other things, make them much more likely to self-identify as Democrats than Republicans. </p> <p> Andres then gave an excellent presentation (PDF available <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/misc-files/andres12-12-08.pdf">here</a>) on the growing clout of Latino voters. Like Millennials, Hispanics significantly increased their turnout this election cycle, and voted in huge margins for President-elect Obama. Andres showed how the Latino vote was the decisive factor in four key swing states, and argued that Latinos are also poised to make other states (even Texas!) competetive in future elections. </p> <p> Finally, Simon put this all in a larger context, explaining how these developments, culminating in this truly historic election, mark the <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.ndn.org/advocacy/immigration/obama-race-and-end-of.html">end of the Southern Strategy</a> as a way to win Presidential elections. </p> <p><center><object width="400" height="300"><br/> <param name="flashvars" value="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fndnphotos%2Fsets%2F72157611219662241%2Fshow%2Fwith%2F3111329702%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fndnphotos%2Fsets%2F72157611219662241%2Fwith%2F3111329702%2F&set_id=72157611219662241&jump_to=3111329702"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852oe_/http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=63961" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="&offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Fndnphotos%2Fsets%2F72157611219662241%2Fshow%2Fwith%2F3111329702%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Fndnphotos%2Fsets%2F72157611219662241%2Fwith%2F3111329702%2F&set_id=72157611219662241&jump_to=3111329702" width="400" height="300"></embed></object></center></p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/390" title="Read Dan Boscov-Ellen's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Dan Boscov-Ellen's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3341#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3341&title=A+New+Coalition+and+a+New+Map" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3341&title=A+New+Coalition+and+a+New+Map" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3341&t=A+New+Coalition+and+a+New+Map" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3341&t=A+New+Coalition+and+a+New+Map" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3341" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/557" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-557.jpg" alt="Melissa Merz's picture" title="Melissa Merz's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3338">Sarah Palin May Have Lost Political War, But She Was a Big Winner in the Google Battle</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/557" title="View user profile.">Melissa Merz</a> on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 2:33pm.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_76"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/76" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_76">google</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_20"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/20" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_20">New Tools</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_801"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/801" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_801">President-elect Obama</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_506"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/506" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_506">Sarah Palin</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_898"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/898" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_898">Search Terms</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> In political time, September 3 seems centuries ago. That's when I <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/2747">wrote</a> a post about Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's wild popularity among Internet searchers. It seems no one could get enough of the newly minted GOP vice presidential candidate. As TIME Magazine's Bill Tancer <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1838041,00.html">reported</a> then: </p> <blockquote> <p> In the week ending Aug. 30, 2008, searches for Governor Palin were almost four times as popular as Obama searches, eight times as popular as McCain searches and over 10 times more popular than searches for Biden. </p> </p></blockquote> <p> Palin may have lost this election, but according to a new Newsweek <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.newsweek.com/id/173460">article</a>, when Google unveiled its massive year-end Zeitgist <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/zeitgeist2008/index.html">report</a> (which is a must-read) yesterday, Sarah Palin was the world's fastest rising search term in 2008. And according to reporter Barrett Sheridan, the Alaska governor's popularity went beyond her own name: </p> <blockquote> <p> She (Palin) coined or was somehow related to four of the election season's top 10 most popular buzzwords: "maverick," "bridge to nowhere," "lipstick [on a] pig," and "hockey mom." The most sought-after catchphrase, however, was "Joe the Plumber." Perhaps Joe should capitalize on his popularity and heed the calls for him to run for the House of Representatives in 2010. </p> </p></blockquote> <p> And Palin affected Google searches in other ways. Take a look at this <em>Fey Accompli</em>: </p> <blockquote> <p> For the most part, the list of most popular political news sources is predictable. Fox, CNN and ABC lead the way, with Web-only sites like The Drudge Report and The Huffington Post also making an appearance on the top 10 list. But the ninth most popular news site is a surprise: "Saturday Night Live." Tina Fey's spot-on Palin impression certainly deserves credit for giving the 33-year-old franchise renewed relevance. (Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, strangely, are nowhere to be found.) </p> </p></blockquote> <p> In the end, though, Google searches reflected political reality: "Obama" was the most popular search term on Google this year in absolute terms. </p> <p> Check out the whole report -- it's an amazing glimpse into what people around the world are searching for. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/557" title="Read Melissa Merz's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Melissa Merz's blog</a></li> <li class="comment_add"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/comment/reply/3338#comment-form" title="Add a new comment to this page." class="comment_add">Add new comment</a></li> <li class="service_links_delicious"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://del.icio.us/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3338&title=Sarah+Palin+May+Have+Lost+Political+War%2C+But+She+Was+a+Big+Winner+in+the+Google+Battle" title="Bookmark this post on del.icio.us." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_delicious"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/delicious.png" alt="Delicious"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_digg"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3338&title=Sarah+Palin+May+Have+Lost+Political+War%2C+But+She+Was+a+Big+Winner+in+the+Google+Battle" title="Digg this post on digg.com." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_digg"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/digg.png" alt="Digg"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_furl"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.furl.net/storeIt.jsp?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3338&t=Sarah+Palin+May+Have+Lost+Political+War%2C+But+She+Was+a+Big+Winner+in+the+Google+Battle" title="Submit this post on furl.net." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_furl"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/furl.png" alt="Furl"/></a></li> <li class="service_links_facebook"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3338&t=Sarah+Palin+May+Have+Lost+Political+War%2C+But+She+Was+a+Big+Winner+in+the+Google+Battle" title="Share on Facebook." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_facebook"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/facebook.png" alt="Facebook"/></a></li> <li class="last service_links_technorati"><a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852/http://technorati.com/cosmos/search.html?url=http%3A%2F%2Fndnblog.org%2Fnode%2F3338" title="Search Technorati for links to this post." rel="nofollow" class="service_links_technorati"><img src="/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/modules/contrib-5/service_links/technorati.png" alt="Technorati"/></a></li> </ul></div> </div> <div class="node"> <div class="picture"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/109" title="View user profile."><img src="http://web.archive.org/web/20081220221852im_/http://ndnblog.org/sites/default/files/pictures/picture-109.jpg" alt="Robert J. Shapiro's picture" title="Robert J. Shapiro's picture"/></a></div> <h2 class="title"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/node/3337">The Politics of Trading Recession for Inflation</a></h2> <span class="submitted">Submitted by <a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/user/109" title="View user profile.">Robert J. Shapiro</a> on Thu, 12/11/2008 - 10:42am.</span> <span class="taxonomy"><ul class="links inline"><li class="first taxonomy_term_21"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/21" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_21 active">2008</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_23"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/23" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_23">21st Century Agenda for America</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_601"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/601" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_601">bailout</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_24"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/24" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_24">Economy</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_528"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/528" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_528">Fannie Mae</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_181"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/181" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_181">Federal Reserve</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_527"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/527" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_527">Freddie Mac</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_16"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/16" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_16">Globalization</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_896"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/896" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_896">Inflation</a></li> <li class="taxonomy_term_897"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/897" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_897">Recession</a></li> <li class="last taxonomy_term_58"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/taxonomy/term/58" rel="tag" title="" class="taxonomy_term_58">Stimulus</a></li> </ul></span> <div class="content"><p> On virtually everything economic, the Bush Administration and much of Congress have become the gang that can't shoot straight -- and their stray bullets could take down a good piece of the nation's economic prospects. They have directed hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to financial institutions (and soon, auto companies), and they're getting ready to direct several hundred billion more at the overall economy. In all of these instances, a political drive to display the will and capacity for large actions has overwhelmed deliberate thinking about the specific consequences of those actions. The Obama presidency and the country may pay a big price for this scattershot approach. </p> <p> The latest example of this dangerous development is the ever-expanding size of the long-awaited next stimulus. We're in a deep and serious recession and a major stimulus was certainly needed -- mainly six months ago, when the Bush Administration and Congress provided tax rebates which were largely saved and had little stimulative effect. Now we know how bad the downturn is turning out to be, and Congress and the Administration-in-waiting is preparing another stimulus of a size commensurate with what's already unfolding, once again, as if this were six or eight months ago. A stimulus providing another $200 billion to $300 billion in new federal spending makes sense, mainly as insurance for another shock to the economy. But a $500 billion to $750 billion package like the one now under discussion will miss its target by many months and mainly indicates that the new rule is that anything goes when you win and damn the consequences. </p> <p> Congress seems intent on responding to this recession as if everything known about how the business cycle works can be ignored, and the consequences could be serious. The Obama team is focused on long-term investments in 21<sup>st</sup> century energy and transportation infrastructure, modernizing health care records, expanding training and education, and extending broadband and IT access for poor children. That's all good news for the long-term health of the economy and for the incomes of many households. The catch is, long-term investments entail not a one-time boost in spending, but continued funding. So when we raise the ante on those investments from $100 billion or so to $300 billion, $400 billion or $500 billion, we're implicitly choosing either to foreswear any other commitments, such as health care, or to embrace another round of dangerously large, structural deficits. </p> <p> Since the new politics seems to involve never saying no, the likely result of the current course, on top of the extraordinary infusions of credit by the Federal Reserve, is serious inflation once the downturn begins to resolve itself. This pattern is disturbingly similar to the short-sighted and cavalier approach to long-term risks that got the nation into this mess. And it continues to develop alongside the Treasury and Congress' continuing inability to address the rising foreclosures still driving the financial crisis and the credit freeze accelerating the downturn. Yet real responses are within reach: place a moratorium on foreclosures while Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac renegotiate the terms of millions of troubled mortgages and link financial bailout funds to a commitment to use them to extend credit to businesses. If we do that, the economy won't need so much fiscal or monetary stimulus. </p> <p> The current approach presents other serious risks. This pattern of fast-rising spending, on top of the bailouts already done and those to come, as well as more tax cuts, could push the U.S. deficit to levels that even the United States will have trouble financing. The Asian and Middle Eastern governments that provide much of our public financing could stop -- either because they'll see inflation coming, too, or because the global downturn and falling oil prices sharply reduce their savings and thus, their ability to lend them to us. The U.S. Treasury will always find the funds it needs, but it may have to pay a lot more to borrow them, which means higher interest rates. So the current approach risks an interest rate spike on top of everything else, which at best would lead to a substandard recovery. With all of its talent and broad public support, the Obama presidency should be able to do a lot better than that. </p> </div> <div class="links">» <ul class="links inline"><li class="first blog_usernames_blog"><a href="/web/20081220221852/http://ndnblog.org/blog/109" title="Read Robert J. Shapiro's latest blog entries." class="blog_usernames_blog">Robert J. 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