Stories by Kevin Holtsberry

Posted at 4:22pm on Jun. 27, 2008 Obama's Real Record: Public Housing

Obama helps rich friends but hurts communities

By Kevin Holtsberry

Need proof that Obama's Hope and Change rhetoric is all symbolism and no substance? Look no farther than this devastating Boston Globe investigation:

As a state senator, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee coauthored an Illinois law creating a new pool of tax credits for developers. As a US senator, he pressed for increased federal subsidies. And as a presidential candidate, he has campaigned on a promise to create an Affordable Housing Trust Fund that could give developers an estimated $500 million a year.

But a Globe review found that thousands of apartments across Chicago that had been built with local, state, and federal subsidies - including several hundred in Obama's former district - deteriorated so completely that they were no longer habitable.

Grove Parc and several other prominent failures were developed and managed by Obama's close friends and political supporters. Those people profited from the subsidies even as many of Obama's constituents suffered. Tenants lost their homes; surrounding neighborhoods were blighted.

Shockingly it all comes back to friends and money. Read on.

Posted in | | | — Comments (17)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:12am on Jun. 20, 2008 Hope and Change More Like Same Old, Same Old

Cuban Americans in Florida see through Obama's Rhetoric

By Kevin Holtsberry

It will not come as news to RS readers, but Barack Obama, the supposed candidate of Hope and Change, has an awful lot of connections to the same old failed personalities and policies of the past. Jim Johnson went under the bus because his history clashed with Obama's self-righteous denunciations on the mortgage crisis. But there are a number of suspect characters still left advising the presumptive Democratic nominee. Eric Holder and Greg Craig for example.

And it seems the Cuban American community in Florida doesn't appreciate it:

Summoning a time of political upheaval in Miami, a great-uncle of Elián González plans Friday to publicly denounce two Barack Obama campaign advisors who helped send the boy back to his father in Cuba eight years ago.

One day before the expected Democratic nominee addresses a conference of mayors in Miami, Delfín González will hold a 1 p.m. news conference outside the Little Havana home where Elián lived with relatives for several months in 2000.

[. . .]

At issue are foreign-policy advisor Greg Craig, who represented Elián's father in the custody battle with the Miami relatives, and legal advisor Eric Holder, a member of Obama's vice-presidential search committee who was deputy attorney general when the 6-year-old boy was seized by federal agents and returned to Cuba.

''We're going to express opposition to Barack Obama's visit to Miami, and explain how we're opposed to him having individuals on his campaign who were associated with Elián's seizure in 2000,'' González said. ``Some wounds are so deep that they do not heal over time, such as taking a child and sealing his fate to a communist dictatorship.''

Craig isn't afraid of taking on controversial cases:

He defended John Hinkley, Jr. after the latter’s attempt to assassinate President Ronald Reagan. He defended former Bolivian Defense Minister Carlos Sanchez-Berzain, a human rights violator accused of 67 deaths. He was a “personal attorney” for Kofi Annan in the UN Oil for Food scandal and he provided “special counsel” to Bill Clinton during his impeachment trial. Currently, high powered attorney Greg Craig of the DC-based Williams and Connolly law firm, is defending Pedro Miguel Gonzales, President of the Panamanian legislature, accused of murdering U.S. Army Sgt. Zak Hernandez.

And of course, Holder played a key role in the pardon of Marc Rich, among others, in addition to his work in sending Elian back to Cuba

For more read on.

Posted in — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 4:24pm on Jun. 19, 2008 Culture of Corruption Alert

Is the media interested in Democrats pay-to-play schemes?

By Kevin Holtsberry

ImageIs it just me, or is the Democratic Party developing a "culture of corruption" based on nefarious "pay-to-play" schemes?

As evidence I would like to offer the developing scandal surrounding Countrywide Financial and the sweetheart loans for politicians. If you haven't been following the issue, Tim Carney adds some detail and connects the dots:

"We call it the 'Bank of America bill on steroids.'" A House staffer told me that, demanding anonymity, but speaking on behalf of aides to GOP members of the House Financial Services Committee.

He was talking about the bill whose Senate version has been brought to the floor this week by Sen. Chris Dodd, D-CN, and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL. Dodd-Shelby would let mortgage lenders off the hook for bad loans, shifting the burden ultimately to taxpayers. Dodd has received approximately $70,000 in campaign contributions from Bank of America in the last year-and-a-half.

Dodd-Shelby hit the Senate floor this week amid controversy over sweetheart loan deals Dodd and other powerful politicians received from Countrywide Financial, the lender with the most exposure to subprime mortgages at risk of default.

So let me understand this: Dodd got a sweetheart deal that saved him $75k, Bank of America has given him $70k in campaign contributions in the last 18 months, all while Countrywide and Bank of American stand to benefit from a bailout and he is not only the Chairman of the relevant committee but the sponsor of a bill that is up for a vote?

For more read on.

Posted in | | | | — Comments (10)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:23am on Jun. 17, 2008 Obama promises that this time it will work

The magical power of Hope and Change

By Kevin Holtsberry

Obama continues to insist that his plans to use government to solve our energy challenges will work despite a long history of failure. Bill Clinton tried and failed but Obama won't because things are different:

The overall Obama economic approach echoes the 1992 presidential platform of Bill Clinton, who also launched his bid for the White House seeking a big expansion in infrastructure spending. But those plans were quickly shelved once he reached the White House. Congress rejected a proposal to steeply increase energy taxes, which could have been used to pay for the spending.

Clinton deficit hawks, especially then-White House economic adviser Robert Rubin, successfully argued that slashing the deficit would have a bigger impact on growth than boosting spending because markets would react favorably to a shrinking deficit. "Rubinomics" became the reigning Clinton economic strategy, and many labor leaders backing Sen. Obama worry that the 46-year-old senator ultimately will turn to Mr. Rubin, as Mr. Clinton did.

Sen. Obama waved off that concern. "I've got Bob Rubin on one hand [as an adviser] and [former Labor Secretary] Bob Reich on the other....I tend to be eclectic." Mr. Reich, has long championed infrastructure spending to boost jobs and the economy, and is a favorite of labor. He frequently and famously feuded with Mr. Rubin early in Mr. Clinton's term over the administration's ideological direction.

The chances of pushing through an infrastructure spending program are greater now than they were in 1992, Sen. Obama said, because of new concern about energy prices. Many alternative-energy projects -- clean-coal technology, wind-power generators and the like -- could be packaged as infrastructure. "The difference I would suggest is that there is a strong recognition in the public mind that we can't continue on our current energy path," he said. That means "there's a bigger opening to bring about change."

Its the magic of Change, you see. Obama is for it and so is the public. Presto! Outdated industrial policy magically works!

What's that you say? Haven't we tried this before? Yes, in fact we have. For more on that read on.

Posted in | | | | | | — Comments (1)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:38pm on Jun. 9, 2008 Policy on the margins matters

Not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good

By Kevin Holtsberry

Everyday seems to bring another article on how McCain has not unified the base; how conservatives haven't warmed to his campaign. Conservative leaders and disgruntled activists alike seem intent on feeding this media story line. And I have heard many conservatives speak as if this election offers no real choice; that both candidates are liberals so a pox on them both.

Now, I don't have a problem with intelligent criticism or defending conservative ideas and policies in the public square. But much of this animus against McCain is shortsighted and counter productive. I want to stress that much of it is well intentioned. That there are a lot of honorable and intelligent people who have major issues with McCain and often for good reason.

But in a cycle where the game is tilted so far to the left, and where the GOP has been beat to a pulp in the media, now is not the time to forget that policy is often made on the margins and that center-right is better than far left.

A Wall Street Journal article on energy policy highlights this point. To see how read below.

Posted in | | | — Comments (24)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:32am on Jun. 6, 2008 Obama, Bill Clinton, and the Race Card

Was Bill Clinton right?

By Kevin Holtsberry

Now that the Democratic Primary is finally over and Hillary has admitted defeat - or at least agreed to a phased withdrawal or whatever - allow me to throw something out there that I have been thinking about lately.

Was Bill Clinton right when he claimed that the Obama campaign played the race card on him? The conventional wisdom has always been that the former president used race to try and diminish Obama in South Carolina and it backfired. Then when asked about it he ridiculously claimed that the infamous race card had been played against him. But I am coming around to Bill's side of things.

This new perspective comes from having read A Bound Man: Why We Are Excited About Obama and Why He Can't Win by Shelby Steele. Steele's book is well worth your time for its insights into the issue of race in America and into the unique position of Barack Obama as a presidential candidate.

For an explanation of why Obama had to play the race card, read on.

Posted in | | | | — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:29pm on Jun. 2, 2008 Obama's Faith Far From Conventional

Obama sees religion as political tool

By Kevin Holtsberry

Please read this transcript of an interview with Barack Obama on his faith/spirituality with Chicago-Sun Time religion columnist Cathleen Falsani. It is full of interesting tidbits like this:

GG:
Do you still attend Trinity?

OBAMA:
Yep. Every week. 11 oclock service.

Ever been there? Good service.

I actually wrote a book called Dreams from My Father, it’s kind of a meditation on race. There’s a whole chapter on the church in that, and my first visits to Trinity.

And this:

GG:
Do you have people in your life that you look to for guidance?

OBAMA:
Well, my pastor is certainly someone who I have an enormous amount of respect for.
I have a number of friends who are ministers. Reverend Meeks is a close friend and colleague of mine in the state Senate. Father Michael Pfleger is a dear friend, and somebody I interact with closely.

GG:
Those two will keep you on your toes.

OBAMA:
And theyr’e good friends. Because both of them are in the public eye, there are ways we can all reflect on what’s happening to each of us in ways that are useful.

I think they can help me, they can appreciate certain specific challenges that I go through as a public figure.

His tune is a little different now.

More below.

Posted in | | | — Comments (12)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:44pm on May 14, 2008 Ohio AG Marc Dann resigns

Pressured out by his own party

By Kevin Holtsberry

It seems that Marc Dann finally realized that the gig was up and he couldn't hang on:

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann resigned this afternoon, just hours after the inspector general’s office launched a raid on his office.

The embattled Democrat made the announcement in a joint appearance with Gov. Ted Strickland in the governor’s cabinet room, next to his Statehouse office. The governor called it a “sad day” for Ohio but said he is “pleased” Dann quit.

It's up to Strickland to appoint a successor until Ohioans vote in November on someone to fill out the final two years of Dann’s term. Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher has been among those mentioned as a possible successor.

Dann’s decision comes after a week and-a-half of increasing pressure to get Dann out of office, and a little more than five weeks after The Dispatch revealed sexual harassment complaints by two women employees against their supervisor in the attorney general's office, a longtime Dann friend.

Investigators descended on Dann’s offices in the Rhodes Tower shortly after 11 this morning, defying Dann’s legal arguments that they had no right to investigate his office.

The situation is thick with irony. Dann was one of the loudest critics of former Governor Bob Taft and hammered Ohio Republicans on the so called "culture of corruption" theme over and over. Surprised when his tactics worked, he found himself elected to a critical statewide office lacking the competence and leadership skills to do the job.

Now he finds himself forced to resign after articles of impeachment were filled against him by his own party and his office was searched by the inspector general in the aftermath of revelations that his office was rife with sexual harassment and improper relationships; including an affair between Dann and his scheduler. All Taft did was play golf with friends and fill out some paperwork wrong!

That old adage that you need to be loved or feared is applicable here. Dann's bombastic style and lack of judgment alienated even fellow Democrats. Lacking power or friends he soon found himself without a political card to play.

Ohio Democrats appreciate the fact that they have gained the power they have - they control four out of five statewide offices but the GOP controls the General Assembly - thanks to some screw ups by Republicans and an appearance of moderation and stability. There was no way they were going to let someone like Marc Dann put that at risk.

The netroots might take note that angry attack style politics is not how Democrats have found success in critical swing states. And if the party doesn't find you useful they will kick you to the curb without blinking an eye.

Posted in | | | — Comments (11)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:31am on May 2, 2008 George Washington and the Church State Question

A conversation with Tara Ross and Joseph C. Smith

By Kevin Holtsberry

Welcome to another edition of Red State radio. Today’s guests are Tara Ross and Joe Smith authors of Under God: George Washington and the Question of Church and State.

In our conversation we discuss George Washington’s unique perspective on questions of church and state; why his views have not been more widely discussed or understood; how one phrase from one letter from Thomas Jefferson came to dominate American views on the subject; and how we might go about changing this dominance.

You can download it here.

or listen here:

Posted in | | | | — Comments (0)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:54pm on Apr. 16, 2008 Democratic Debate: Who won?

Was John McCain the biggest winner tonight?

By Kevin Holtsberry

I had to watch the Democratic debate in Philly tonight for work. Did you watch or did you find something better to occupy your time?

For those who watched, who do you think won? Did Hillary actually help her campaign? Will all these gaffes and scandals start to hurt Obama? Was John McCain the winner as the Ds went after each other?

I guess this is a modified open thread.

Posted in | | | — Comments (39)/ Email this page » / Read More »

 
Redstate Network Login:
(lost password?)


©2008 Eagle Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. Legal, Copyright, and Terms of Service