Thoughts From the Radically Moderate

2010-04-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

2007-01-29T18:00:00.000-08:00

The Iraq Situation: Speak Out

THis is a list I've come up with on reasons to stay or go in Iraq. Please give me your input, and feel free to give suggestions to add. Thanks.

Reasons to Stay

--Democratic Iraq

--Pulling out would lessen US image

--Pulling out would make a Breeding Ground for Terrorists

--Dishonor Memory of Troops

--Prevent Iraqi Civil War

--Cost of Leaving is just too high

Cons

--American Casualties

--Iraqi Casualties

--Caught in Civil War

--American Public against War

--Iraqi public against war

--Not letting Iraqi forces take over

--Making US image in world lessen

--Forces stretched too thin

--Cost of staying is just too high

See a pattern? Like my history teacher said, you could substitute the word communist for terrorist and have Vietnam all over again.

2006-12-26T21:32:00.000-08:00

PRESIDENT FORD DEAD AT 93

--Oldest living President

--Only President not to be elected

--Four Children, Married to Mrs. Betty Ford

--Rest in Peace Mr. President

2006-12-16T10:40:00.000-08:00

BAYH CHOOSES NOT TO SEEK PRESIDENTIAL BID --EDWARDS WILL ENTER RACE LATER THIS MONTH.

While I knew Bayh's chances for winning the nomination were slim, I never thought he would choose not to run. He seemed geared toward running since 2004. However, I think it was fairly evident he would not win the nomination. I too abandoned Bayh a few weeks ago after I looked more closely at where he stood on issues. Then the Obama wave pulled me from neutral to a Barrack Obama supporter.

What I think mostly did it for Bayh was when he went to New Hampshire and Obama had sold out crowds and Bayh could barely fill a room. While it was dissapointing to see him not run, I think it was the right thing to do. I would have liked to see Bayh in the debates, but I understand he had no chance. Anyways, if you want to read more click here.

Meanwhile, John Edwards, third in the polls for the Presidential bid is going to run. He will not make the announcement until later this month, but sources say his bid is evident.

2006-11-12T18:03:00.000-08:00

AMERICA HAS SPOKEN...
NOW WHAT?

This has been a great week for America, folks! The Democratic Party took control of both chambers of congress. This will have a few affects. First off, the Democrats say they will allow the Republicans to have more power and access than they did as a minority. However, Republicans promised the same thing 12 years ago. I really dont' know how true the Democrats will be to that, but if they can put their politics and partisanship aside and truly allow the Republicans some access than Democracy may prevail, even if it may hurt the Democratic Agenda.

Secondly, Bush has promised to be bipartisan, but already you can see signs of problems. First off, he has already got a bunch of Conservative legislation he's trying to pass through this lame duck congress. Secondly, the Democrats have said they want to have a phased withdrawal of Iraq, but Bush seems adamantly against that. This comes four days after election day, and the new congress hasn't even taken control yet. I can see quite a few veto's down the line.

However, I also think Bush will sign a lot of bills and claim them as his own political vitocies. This will cause the President's approval rating to rocket. I think his numbers will go up in the next two years without the Republican controlled congress. However, I am scared the Democrats won't be able to follow through with a lot of the legislation they want to fullfill. They only have a very slight majority in the Senate, which will complicate things. However, this could be used as a campaign against the Republicans. I'm not sure how it will all play out, I just can't wait for the next two years to occur when it comes to politics. :)

2006-11-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

GET OUT THE VOTE!

I will be gone all day tomorrow working at polling places. I urge all of you reading to get out and VOTE! tomorrow. Republican, Democrat, doesn't matter. Vote. And if you're not old enough to vote, at least go out and volunteer. Anyways, that's all I have. And oh yea, my birthday was on Saturday. I'm 16--whoo hoo.

2006-10-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

MCCAIN INSANE! Threatens to Committ Suicide if Democrats Win In November!

Republicans are so desperate they're resorting to killing themselves. Just kidding of course, this is a joke, but funny enough to post on the blog.

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Arizona Sen. John McCain, a likely Republican presidential contender in 2008, joked on Wednesday he would "commit suicide" if Democrats win the Senate in November.

McCain, on a visit to Iowa to campaign for Republican congressional candidates, was asked his reaction to a potential Democratic takeover of the Senate in the November 7 elections.

"I think I'd just commit suicide," McCain told reporters, to accompanying laughter from Republicans standing with him. "I don't want to face that eventuality because I don't think it's going to happen."

Democrats must pick up six seats in the Senate and 15 seats in the House of Representatives to win control of both chambers.

Polls show Democrats within striking distance of reclaiming the Senate, and in a strong position to claim a majority in the House.

"I think it's going to be tough, but I think we'll do OK," McCain said of Republican prospects.

2006-09-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

IRAQ SUPPORT FOR UNITED STATES DIMINISHES EVEN MORE

In a new poll released, over 70 percent of Iraqis want the United States to withdraw within a year. So goes the classic right-wing argument of "we're here to help the Iraqis". They don't want our help anymore, folks. I think the sensible thing would be to withdraw and allow them to take over. We support democracy so much how about this statistic: 53 percent of Iraqis believe that United States withdrawal will strengthen the Iraqi government. It's time to respect the wishes of a populous and leave. We can't do anymore good. We are only stirring up problems--more terrorists are springing up, Iraqis don't want us in the country, and the public in America seems to be against this as well. It's time to get out--it's not called cut-and-run, it's called respecting true Democracy.

2006-08-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Resolution 1701

So I come to you with some good and bad news. The good news: the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1701--a type of cease-fire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel. What!? Yea, that's right..they acutally did something ...and it was good for a change. I know I was certainly skeptical when I heard of the UN trying to enforce/create a way to handle the Mid-East crisis, but I think it will turn out alright.....

despite the bad news. Israeli forces raided deep inside Lebanon yesterday attacking a Hezbollah stronghold. Israel defends itself believing they disrupted a trading of weapons and arms dealing between Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah. Israel won't accept "a cease-fire in which Hezbollah can use that cease-fire just as a timeout to regroup and rearm and prepare for the next round," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. However, this is still a violation of the cease-fire agreement and Kofi Annan is NOT happy. How much this will disrupt things is still unfolding, but I hope it doesn't do much...perhaps for once there will be peace resolved through agreement for more than two days! (perhaps) Anways, that's all I have to report...just some headliners, and I'd like to encourage you to leave a thought/comment about this situation...or anything. Thanks.

2006-08-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

Poll: Public Split on handling of the Middle East Crisis

Respondents to a CNN poll released Friday were nearly evenly split on President Bush's handling of the current conflict in the Middle East.

Forty-six percent of 1,047 Americans participating in the telephone poll, conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for CNN, said they disapproved of Bush's handling of the crisis, while 43 percent said they approved. Ten percent had no opinion.

Overall, Bush's job approval rating continues a slow climb, but the majority of Americans -- 59 percent -- said they disapprove of how Bush is handling his job as president. Forty percent said they approved.

I think it's interesting to note that Bush's approval rating is climbing. What has he done that is so great? The public's views on the economy are overwhelming against him, and the Iraq war has almost two thirds of the public against his handling. I wonder what he has done that is making his numbers climb so high?

2006-07-29T23:05:00.000-07:00

Mess still unfolding.....

So a Jihad leader was killed recently, and Israel has rejected the UN's proposal to cease-fire. It's time for the international community to take some action. I think we should get thousands of NATO/UN troops on the ground and kick the asses of all terrorists groups who threaten freedom.

Secondly, we need to give lots of aid to the Lebanese government to stabilize the country and keep the fragile democracy in place, and lastly we need to do some serious discipline with Iran and Syria for funding and supplying these radical terrorists at the heart of this war.

If we can serverly cripple Iran economically with sanctions and what not, as well as Syria, I think they will think twice about supporting terrorist organizations.

Those are steps I believe we need to take and not just sit on the sidelines and watch Israel and the entire radical Islamic wing from four countries duke it out. We need stability with international cooperation.

2006-07-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

RICE PROPOSES AWESOME IDEA

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is proposing an ambitious plan with up to two international military forces that would help the Lebanese government stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon, Lebanese political sources said.

The plan initially would involve putting an international force of up to 10,000 Turkish and Egyptian troops under a NATO or U.N. commander into southern Lebanon following a cease-fire.

That force ultimately would be replaced by another international force of up to 30,000 troops that would help the Lebanese government regain control over the southern part of the country, where the Shiite militia Hezbollah now dominates. Read more here.

I agree 100%! We need to send a force of international troops into Lebanon and help stabalize. Rice, in my opinion, prososed a great idea to help the country of Lebanon keep a stable democracy, and not be dominated by Hizbollah.

2006-07-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

Evan Bayh--Presidential Hopeful

So I'm back from my trip in Florida. I was able to finish over half of Beinart's book, and instead of writing about the chapters, I've decided to just give a summary of the whole book when I finish. I'll probably be finished in a week or so. Anyways, the Middle East conflict continues, and the US has yet to get involved militarily, and barely diplomatically. You can read about the conflict still unfolding here.

Anyways, my post...while he doesn't have much sway in the polls, and his popularity isn't very high, he is certainly getting stronger as the year goes on. Evan Bayh, the Senator from my home state, Indiana, has been touring around Iowa recently has had much approval with the people there. Mike Glover, a chief political correspondent, and a man who holds much sway in the state has approved and supported Evan Bayh's bid for President. Bayh has had more trips to Iowa than any other Democratic candidate, and raised the most money. If Bayh can get some more press, he'll certainly be a formidable candidate. I think once he's able to speak his mind in the primary debates he'll do fine. Anyways, I'll be voting for him! :)

2006-07-14T22:25:00.000-07:00

Vacation All I ever wanted

That's right, I'm leaving. It's not actually vacation though...I'm going to Tampa Bay, Florida for a missions trip with my church. Please pray for me and my group and we go down to one of the hottest places in Florida. I'm worried about people dehydrating and what not, but I hope it all works out. We're going to be doing various work around the city. I'll be gone for about a week, so don't expect any posts any time soon. Thanks, and wish me luck.

2006-07-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

AP POLL: REPUBLICANS IN DANGER OF LOSING CONGRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Republicans are in jeopardy of losing their grip on Congress in November.

With less than four months to the midterm elections, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule.

Further complicating the GOP outlook to turn things around is a solid percentage of liberals, moderates and even conservatives who say they'll vote Democratic. The party out of power also holds the edge among persuadable voters, a prospect that doesn't bode well for the Republicans.

Read the full story here.

This doesn't look good for the Republicans that's for sure. I'd love to finally see the Democrats in power. While I haven't been too impressed with their performance as a minority, I'd sure like to see what they can do with a majority in at least one chamber of congress. Than again, this IS just a poll. Look at the polls that showed Howard Dean winning the primary. Any thoughts?

2006-07-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

MAJOR ESCALATION

My worst fears are slowly coming true. What started out as a seemingly simple mission to rescue one caputured soldier has turned into an "act of war" stated by all sides. Israel is using its warplanes, and guerilla warfare is erupting from the Palestian and Lebanon.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli warplanes early Friday bombed southern Beirut, home to the offices of Hezbollah and the group's leader, as the Israeli-Lebanese violence that has killed dozens of Lebanese civilians and 10 Israelis entered its third day.

Lebanese police said the planes hit the airport road, which crosses through the southern district considered a Hezbollah stronghold.

A Lebanese army official said bombs also hit two bridges in the southern suburbs of the capital and a stadium.

Earlier, Israel had dropped leaflets warning residents to stay away from the Hezbollah offices in southern Beirut, where Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah is thought to live. Read the full story here.

I'd like to know your opinions on the "war". Not just updates in the news, but also if you think it was justified for the Israeli military to go into Palestine. Any thoughts? What will the United States do? Do you forsee more countries get involved?

(I was not able to finish reading Chatper Two, so I'll give an update on The Good Fight Tommorrow.

2006-07-12T13:39:00.000-07:00

Chapter of the Day:A New Liberalism

I plan on giving a brief summary of every chapter that I read in Peter Beinart's The Good Fight. In the first chapter, Beinart takes us back in time to the split of the Democratic party--the liberal civil war. The war between communists and communist sympathizers against anti-communist liberals. The first chapter basically takes us through time and describes the developments and changes in the Democratic Party. The first chapter is really about fighting totalitarianism at home as well as abroad. The Liberal belief at the time was this: The more freedom and liberty we have at home provides more stability in international affairs advocating for liberty against communism. It pointed out specific examples like Civil Rights and allowing communist to live in the United States. This is certainly proving to be a good book. Unlike a lot of political books where I feel like the author is speaking to me, in this book, I feel like I am a part of the story and that I'm not listening to Beinart, but I'm in the midst of the history. Anyways, enough out of me. That's what I've read so far, and I'll be giving updates on the second chapter tommorrow.

2006-07-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

ISRAEL ENTERS LEBANON

The violence is escalating people. What started as a simple mission to save a captured soldier and to cease attacks from Southern Gaza has turned into nothing less than war.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Hezbollah guerrillas killed seven Israeli soldiers and captured two more Wednesday, triggering Israeli airstrikes and military raids inside southern Lebanon, Israeli officials said.

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told reporters that "direct negotiations" would be the only way to return the soldiers and that their capture was "our natural, only and logical right."

He demanded the soldiers be swapped for "our prisoners" held by Israel. A demand for Israel to release Palestinians from its jails has been made by Palestinian militants who captured another Israeli soldier, Cpl. Gilad Shalit, last month....full story here.

2006-07-11T15:10:00.000-07:00

THE GOOD FIGHT--WHY LIBERALS AND ONLY LIBERALS CAN WIN THE WAR ON TERROR AND MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN

Today is a great day! I had ordered Peter Beinart's new book The Good Fight on Saturday and it came in today. I plan on doing a lot of reading in the next few days from Beinarts book.

Beinarts new book is about a liberal approach to winning the War on Terror and gives the Democratic party ideas and a spring board for a plan in Iraq and for the War on Terror. Here is the summary on the book cover:

Once upon a time, liberals knew what they believed. They believed America must lead the world by persuasion, not command. And they believed that by championing freedom overseas, America itself could become more free. That liberal spirit won America's trust at the dawn of the cold war. Then it collapsed in the wake of Vietnam. Now, after 9/11, and the failed presidency of George W. Bush, America needs it back.

In this powerful and provocative book, Peter Beinart offers a new liberal vision, based on principles liberals too often forget: That America's greatness cannot simply be asserted; it must be proved. That to be good, America does not have to be pure. That American leadership is not American empire. And that liberalism cannot merely define itself against the right, but must fervently oppose the totalitarianism that blighted Europe a half century ago, and which stalks the Islamic world today.

With liberals severed from their own history, conservatives have drawn on theirs — the principles of national chauvinism and moral complacency that America once rejected. The country will reject them again, and embrace the creed that brought it greatness before. But only if liberals remember what that means. It means an unyielding hostility to totalitarianism — and a recognition that defeating it requires bringing hope to the bleakest corners of the globe. And it means understanding that democracy begins at home, in a nation that does not merely preach about justice, but becomes more just itself.

Peter Beinart's The Good Fight is a passionate rejoinder to the conservatives who have ruled Washington since 9/11. It is an intellectual lifeline for a Democratic Party lying flaton its back. And it is a call for liberals to revive the spirit that swept America, and inspired the world.

You can watch Beinart defend and describe his new book on Book TV

Or, you can read a debate he had with David Horowitz sponsored by Front Page Magazine.

I'll give you guys updates on the book as I read it.

2006-07-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is my first time ever having a blog, so bare with me. I suppose the best way to start out is by telling a little about myself. I am Sam Blatt, a 15 year old Sophmore at Western High School in Indiana. I probably take politics more seriously than anything besides God, and even then my political passion rivals Christ. (I don't think that's a good thing by the way) As politics is one of my biggest passions, I will be writing about political events, and what not on this blog. Please feel free to post comments and your own opinions since you are entitled to them.

I have always been on the "left" side of things in politics. My dad would talk about politics before I was old enough to quite understand what he was saying, and of course he was a liberal Democrat so I grew up thinking he was right. About the time I was 12 or 13 I stumbled across a political message board and decided to stick around and post a little bit. I learned a lot about politics from that AOL political message board, and I stayed on that until I was 14, and still talk to all the friends I made there. About the time I joined that AOL board, the Iraq war broke out and I was thrown into the political mess. I used to sit by a kid namd Ryan Nees on the bus going home from School, and he would talk about politics and the war, and how it was ridiculous. I became even more liberal listening to Ryan and absorbing what he said. By the way, Ryan has now filmed a documentary about our Mayor, sued the Mayor...and won, and is now a political figure in local politics. (and he's only 16)

However, as I grew older and began developing my own opinions, I realized that the Democrats weren't perfect, and that they were wrong on issues as well. I became a more moderate Democrat, a DLC Democrat. An Evan Bayh, Barrack Obama Democrat. So I began taking viewpoints from both sides of the isle and forming my own, unique opinion of the political world. I am no longer a liberal, but I'm not a conservative. I am radically moderate, and this is my blog.