OBAMA, REAGAN, CLINTON, NETANYAHU IN THE WEEK THAT WAS

Last week saw several adjustments by political players that will redefine the political landscape for the next 4 years. All the activities were really footnotes to Obama’s bold unambiguous second inaugural speech. The Republicans are slowly moving away from their ongoing denial of reality and facing up to the world as articulated by Obama. Much of the contents of this blog will be expanded in the future but now is as good a time as any to look at the big picture.

OBAMA’S INAUGURAL AND HIS REAGANESQUE CHALLENGE – COMETH THE HOUR COMETH THE MAN

An emboldened Obama laid out his second term agenda, either implicitly or explicitly, in his address. This was followed up with his usual campaign like approach to get the electorate on his side and thereby pressure the legislature. This is his preferred modus operandi, as he has neither the stomach nor the contacts to use the traditional arm-twisting method to get legislators to translate his priorities into law.

The Republican response was that this inaugural was the most radical ever heard. Obama had heralded the end of Reaganism. Obama, profound as his oratorical powers are, intelligent and charismatic, as he is, no more created Obamaism than, Reagan, “The Great Communicator”, changed the direction of the country to conservatism. Both Obama and Reagan helped the electorate define and verbalize where the country was at a certain phase in its history. Obama, in fact, sees himself more in the Reagan mold than any other President in America’s history. Obama may admire Lincoln more than any other but his style and approach coincides with that of Reagan. Obama also hopes to emulate Regan and turn public sentiment into legislative reality.

Obama can take credit for his lead in his seminal achievement – the Reform of Health Care. There he led from the front although, true to style, he left the politics to Pelosi and Reid. He is also truly a man with a mission and is only to happy to dish the credit around and use anyone he can to help him. (BLOG: “Obama – The Enigma”).

So the issues of regulating the free market, care for the less fortunate, tax reform, climate change, gun control, equality for all including gays, support of woman’s rights, getting out of wars and giving peace a chance, immigration reform, education and recreating the American middle class have the support of the majority of every opinion poll on these subjects. Reaganism has run its course and caused an imbalance in society that needs to be corrected. Also the demographics of the country have changed dramatically and Obama’s agenda and support reflect that fact. Nobody could have articulated, marshaled the support, and utilized modern communication techniques better than Obama in heralding a new era in American history.

Obama’s problem is that the Legislature and the Judiciary are not keeping up with these trends and the challenge will be to translate what the majority of society wants against very powerful forces that wish to maintain the status quo.

REPUBLICAN POLITICAL COUNTERS

The Republicans may no longer be in total denial but their responses were all over the map at their North Carolina Winter Meeting. (BLOG: The Republicans” Ongoing Denial of Reality”).

* Rationalization

There was rationalization, “We must stop being the stupid party. We should behave like adults” – Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana Governor maintained. Haley Barbour, a former Republican RNC chairman and Governor, agreed with Jindal. “Our Principles were not rejected”, maintained Ryan. (It is really difficult to understand where Ryan is at these days). Organization was the problem as well as a failure to use the modern communication methods, said RNC Chairman Priebus. 

The key consensus point was that there was nothing wrong with the Principles of the Republican Party. Rather the communication of them was the problem. (One cannot believe these people have read their Party Platform and they would want to communicate that!)

Gingrich seems to think the problem was that they were not a “happy party”.

* Change in legislature tactics.

Boehner realized that it was insanity to keep doing the same thing and expect a different result. Twice he has now allowed an open vote in the House of Representatives even though a majority of the Republican caucus was not in favor of the issues. Boehner did not force his threatened showdown on the Debt Ceiling and did not throw the country into crises. He also raised taxes on the rich thereby weakening one of the chief Republican unelected megalomaniac policymakers Grover Norquist. So somehow Boehner seemed to have heard the penny drop. (BLOG: “Obama Must Not Cave Again”)

McConnell and Reid came to some sort of agreement about changing the rules on filibustering in the Senate. McConnell realizing that nearly 400 filibusters did not prevent Obama from getting a second term. (Incidentally the Democratic base feeling is that Reid and the Democratic Senators caved into McConnell).

* Change the rules of the game.

Some Republicans are far more pragmatic and believe the rules of the Electoral College should be changed to allow them to win the Presidency even though they have far fewer votes. They would do this by changing the way States apportion their electoral votes. This mechanism would heavily favor a rural vote in the states and if their suggestions had been in place in this election Romney would have been President!

The reason the Republicans control the House of Representatives with a million and half votes less than the Democrats is because they gerrymandered the constituencies. So maybe the Republicans will give it a go. They were also responsible for voter suppression of minorities in the last election – a fact mentioned in Obama’s inaugural speech.

Re –elected RNC Chairman Priebus is “intrigued” by the proposal to change the rules.

The Virginia Governor, where this was first conceptualized was first moved,“is now not interested”. The Republican State Chairman of Florida has commented that that the party should be more interested in connecting with the electorate than changing the game.

 If the Republicans do attempt this they will alienate the middle further. The bad publicity that this will evoke, the court challenges that would follow will result in a backlash, second to none, orchestrated by the well-organized Democrats. There will be binding State Referenda, to mantain the present system, that are sure to be won by the Democrats with even bigger majorities than Obama received in the election.

* Consensus to reach out to all demographic groups.

There was a consensus that the Republicans must reach out to the new important demographic groups. These include the Latinos and the Gays not to mention the women. To do this they have to unconditionally accept them and not treat them as some type of second-class citizens. You can hardly connect with the Latinos when you want their “illegals” to self deport, you cannot reach out to the Gays if you are proposing constitutional amendments to exclude their marriages, you cannot reach out to women if you are perceived to be dictating how they manage their bodies and health care, you cannot reach out to he poor and elderly if you regard them as “takers”, for example.

 THE BIG REPUBLICAN PROBLEM

The Republican problem is that their base believes they already have the answer. They formed the Tea Party in response initially to Bush’s drunken spending and the belief that Obama was continuing in the same pattern with Obamacare. The Tea Party’s policies however been rejected already. Their policies were seen as antiquated, to put it kindly, and they are further burdened with their social and immigration agendas that are totally out of whack with the electorate and even the Republican establishment. So before the GOP can get to first base they are going to have to fight it out in their own Primaries as to who controls the agenda. (BLOG:  “The GOP – A Mad Hatters Tea Party”).

HILLARY’S CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS

Hillary Clinton’s much awaited hearings in Congress on Benghazi capped a week of examination into the future. (BLOG: Stopping Clinton in 2016 Starts in Benghazi”). It is fair to say that Hillary’s acceptability rating of 67%, the highest in the country, did not drop a percent as a result of the battering she received. By and large none of the Republican heavy weights joined in, with the exception of John McCain. John McCain, a sad shadow of his former self, has thrown dignity to the winds and has something to say on every issue that will ingratiate him with the Tea Party.

It was left to the nonentities, like rookie Senator Johnson of Wisconsin, to lead the attack in the Senate. He was abusive and ignorant. The next day Senator Kerry exposed Johnson. Kerry revealed that Johnson had not attended the classified briefing, with videotapes, on the Benghazi tragedy. Many of his questions to Hillary Clinton would have been answered had he been there. One cannot imagine that Johnson will be reelected in Wisconsin.

Senator Rand Paul, who really fancies himself as a Presidential Candidate, told Clinton that had he been President he would have fired her. The only rise he got out of Clinton was when he asked her whether Libya was shipping arms to Turkey. “Turkey?” responded Clinton incredously, “Turkey?” she repeated to the question that was a total non-sequitor to the proceedings. Mark Rubio, a more serious Republican Presidential candidate was far more polite and respectful in his cross-examination of the icon.

The 5-hour grilling on the Hill included the allegation from South Carolina Representative Jeff Duncan that she let the consulate become a death trap.

She handled it all with Presidential dignity, aplomb and appropriately, - contrite and apologetic when accepting responsibility, tearful when reflecting on the loss of her colleagues, in full command of the facts where required and angry when the Republicans focused more on the initial faulty explanation than they did at trying to prevent this from happening again. Clinton exhibited a polished performance that served more as an opportunity for others to praise her for her monumental term as Secretary of State than the ersatz indignation of her detractors to blemish her presidential credentials.

HILLARY FOR PRESIDENT. – COMETH THE TIME COMETH THE WOMAN

The Republican hacks like Jindall and neophytes like Rubio are chanceless against Hillary. Needless to say Christie was nowhere in sight during the Republican post mortem nor was Jeb Bush in evidence. Maybe they are all looking to 2020.

The only realistic opposition to Hillary would be within the Democratic Party itself. Joe Bidden has indicated interest but his rating is 20% below Hillary’s. It is also obvious that there is no way he or anyone would challenge Hillary in a Primary. Bidden has a special relationship with Obama. But Obama is focused enough to realize that the vision needs continuity to complete a transformation. He said as much as in his Inaugural Speech. Obama has taken the most extraordinary step to initiate an interview with Clinton on Sixty Minutes. If he were looking to his immediate future agenda he would have chosen Bidden. However, he has history and his legacy in mind.

Obama all but anointed Hillary in the interview, praising her stellar performance as Secretary of State, referencing her influence on policy and the esteem he, Obama, and her colleagues held her in. Another purpose of this tête à tête was to let the world know that there was no residual animosity between the two and they regarded each other as personal friends.

Hillary has everything in her favor including the Obama machine that will be working for her and not against her. Also she has own infrastructure, Bill, the most popular ex President in a long while, the base of the Party and the establishment on her side. Not to mention the fact that it will be politically correct to elect the first woman President!

She is certainly in sync with the electorate’s agenda. She and Bill were part of the team that provided the platform for Obama’s transformational Presidency. (BLOG; Obama – The Enigma”).

At the moment she would say she is not running. However, it is in her DNA and when the time comes she will be there.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Obama must have taken some satisfaction at the trouncing of Netanyahu in the Israeli election. His Likud Party received 20 out of 160 seats loosing out to a new Centrist Party. (BLOGS: “Netanyahu Has Lost it” and "Israel's Netanyahu, Iran's Ahmadinejad and America's Obama"). By Jon Stewart’s math this means that 85% of Israelis are anti – Semites. Netanyahu will have his work cut out to cobble together a governing coalition. Ironically, Netanyahu’s credibility will largely depend on Obama’s attitude towards him. A far cry from the eloquent but arrogant and swaggering Netanyahu who tried to force Obama’s hand on Iran against his, (Netanyahu’s) own military and security brass’s advice.

(In spite of the underhand smears that Obama is anti Israeli he was credited, in Israel, with financing the dome that largely nullified the Hamas missile attack last year. In that attack he also vigorously defended Israel at the United Nations).

It seems that, contrary to the Administration’s wishful thinking Al Quaeda is alive and well and regrouping in North Africa. Also problems abound arising out of the Arab Spring. Iran still looms large and North Korea chose last week to threaten the US and South Korea.

AT THE END OF THE DAY.

So Obama is where Reagan was in 1985. He has his work cut out to get the country’s legislative direction changed. He has more going for him than Reagan who was far less involved than he is in day-to-day politics. Reagan was said to work a three-hour day. Obama is tireless, has created a massive grassroots support system and will be on the hustings till kingdom come. The Reagan legacy had daddy Bush elected to give him his third term. Obama will back whomever he can to keep the flame burning.

So the week that was, saw the Republicans beginning to emerge from their denial albeit in a dysfunctional fashion. They are facing a traumatic internal struggle for the soul of the Party. The Karl Roves, the Koch brothers, the Adelsohns, the Lunzs, the Norquists, the DeMints, the Pauls and the rest will have to battle it out in the Republican Primaries. (BLOG:  (“The GOP – A Mad Hatters Tea Party”).

Obama has his agenda aligned with the electorate’s wishes. The hard part will be getting the legislature to see it that way too. The Democrats have several viable contenders, with Hillary a frontrunner by a distance, to continue the legacy. The Republicans have one viable candidate, Christie, and the way the stars are aligned at the moment he would not get the Republican nomination. 

OBAMA v NRA = POLITICAL WIN FOR OBAMA

      
      Since the NEWTOWN massacre there have been a 1120
      gun deaths including at least 15 children......... The US 
     averages 87 gun deaths a day and 183 injured - University
    of Chicago Crime Laboratory and Centers of Disease Control

A new steely, tough, no nonsense Obama has emerged. One of his top priorities is Gun Control. It is not gun control in a vacuum. It follows the Newtown disaster - the latter was mentioned in his inauguration speech.  (BLOG: GUNS Obama, the NRA, GOP = Stalemate?) 

The mantra is the emotive, “We must protect our children”. The Gifford – Kelley, gun control initiative also kicked off with a TV ad with a message from the mother of her 9 year old child who was slaughtered in the Tucson massacre. (BLOG: THE TUSCON MASSACRE and AMERICAN CULTURE – CAN THERE BE A SOLUTION?). Also the citizens of Newtown Connecticut are forming groups to see to it that the children did not die in vain. The Obama Organizing for Action Committees, that are the continuation of the scores of activist groups that got him elected, has gun control as one of their top priorities.

At the Press Conference announcing his recommendations and executive orders Obama was accompanied by four children who had written to him on gun control following the Newtown slaughter. He quoted from their letters to him that echoed his message of sorrow at the tragedy and the need to do something about not letting it occur again, Also in evidence at the Press Conference were the parents of the Newtown atrocity.

TASK FORCE.

Obama put Biden in charge of a task force to come up with broad ranging and comprehensive recommendations. This Biden has done within one month. He interviewed all and sundry – law enforcement,  the video game entertainment industry, mental health organizations, victims' families, gun owner associations, gun dealers, activist citizen groups and of course the NRA.  The outcome is that Obama announced the broadest and most wide ranging gun initiative ever.

Biden came up with a comprehensive list of proposals some of which require executive action, which the President himself could put into effect, and others that required Congressional Action. The latter related to assault weapon bans, bans on magazines containing more than 10 rounds and far stricter gun registration and background checks. It is the purchase restrictions that had already created a raucous and will in the forthcoming weeks be the basis of what will become a landmark battle between a chief Republican paymaster, the NRA and the GPO itself, on the one hand, and Democrats and Obama on the other.

The very fact that the battle has even reached this stage represents progress. The NRA is so intimidatory and is perceived to hold so much power that no one would suggest legislation let alone try and bring it to the floor. Even when an assault weapon gunned one of the House of Representative’s own, Representative Gabby Giffords, there was no hint of legislation. 

The NRA has been a consistent donor to Congress races over the years. The lion share of the money going to Republican legislators. Each legislator is graded according to his or support on guns. The average grade for Republicans is an A and for Democrats a D. These donations are consistent. According to a Washington Post article a one hundred and twenty eight members of Congress have received a total of $4,3 million dollars since 1990.

In some ways it is yet another fight with the unelected lobby groups that have had held so much sway over Congress. In of itself that makes the outcome very significant.

BATTLE LINES DRAWN - NRA

In a short month the fight has already been defined.  The NRA has featured this as the biggest fight of the century. They have framed the debate in terms of the President’s decision to remove second amendment rights. This in spite of the fact that Obama again and again that he supports these rights.

Thus the NRA is sticking to its guns, (pun intended) and offered a solution that, predictably, involves more guns. While having armed security or teacher sharp shooters might be the favored choice in a few situations it is obviously not going to be a serious solution to this problem. Obama in fact in his executive actions did not exclude schools from making this choice.

The broad basis of the NRA’s argument is their literal interpretation of the Second Amendment. Simplistically, they believe it protects the democratic right for citizens to be in a position to shoot whomever they like, whenever they like, as often as they like and with any weapon they like. They then say that in order to counter abuses of these rights, all the other citizens have the democratic right to shoot back at them, whenever they like, as often as they like and so forth and so on.

The NRA agrees to background checks for those citizens who choose to have them. At the same time they also support the right of those citizens who don’t want background checks. The latter have the right to buy an AK 47 on the Internet, privately or at a gun show without a background check.

The NRA has said that as assault weapons ban will not pass the House of Representatives. Some people see the NRA statement as a threat rather than a prediction. Whatever it is it definitely represents the situation at the moment. While a few Republican Senators have indicated their support for Feinstein’s Bill on the banning on assault weapons and magazines there is even doubt of the Senate outcome as some Democrats are elected from NRA dominated constituencies.

The NRA has stated that since this controversy started they have garnered another 250,000 members. Also the gun dealers have claimed more sales of all types of weapons. Obama has argued that the latter has occurred as a result of the hysteria that the NRA has evoked by stating Obama is going to ban them from purchasing of guns.

The NRA has started its ad campaign already. The ad claims that Obama is an “elitist hypocrite” because he is skeptical about armed guards being the answer to school violence when his girls, featured in the ad, are protected by the Secret Service!  The White House has expressed repugnance at the ad.  Chris Christie has called the ad reprehensible and Susan Eisenhower has reminded all that even Eisenhower’s grandchildren had secret service protection. She called the ad an indecent attack that hurts the President, his family and democracy.

Support for the NRA from credible sources is scant. Rand Paul  says Obama is unconstitutional but cannot point where and how.  While GOP National Chairman Priebus labels Obama's gun initiative as a power grab with arguing to much about the merits.

It is obvious that the NRA are not remotely interested in swaying public opinion. They have decided just to fire up their base and terrify Congress into submission.

BATTLE LINES DRAWN – OBAMA

 The President has said he would throw the full weight behind of his Presidency behind this initiative. Obama may have changed his resolve but he has not changed his modus operandi.  He has stated that the only way we can have change is if the American people demand it. The fight among the Public is already won. Obama’s objective now is to turn public opinion into a tidal wave that Congress cannot ignore.

Obama has the microphone, he developed the Internet as a political tool and as his opponents correctly charge, he is permanently in campaign mode. He also has press conferences, visits to constituencies, State of the Union addresses, inaugural addresses, photo ops, weekly radio talks and the like to keep him constantly in the news. The Republicans have no persona that can begin to command an audience. The only figure that can gain any sort of attention is Christie and he has already registered his disgust at the NRA.

The Brady Center for Gun Violence recently mandated a poll among Gun Owners conducted by Fred Lutz the Republican pollster. The Center issued the following statement:

“Republican pollster Frank Lutz documents that gun owners support common sense gun legislation and believe that personal freedom and public safety can co-exist. Lutz found that 87% of non-NRA gun owners, and 74% of NRA gun owners support requiring a criminal background check of anyone purchasing a gun”.

The Pew Foundation found that 85% of those surveyed favored comprehensive background checks of the sort proposed by Obama. Impressive majorities were found in the banning of semi automatic and assault weapons, certain types of multiple ammunition magazines as well as a comprehensive Federal database but here the divide between Republicans and Democrats was more marked.

The public support seems to be increasing with a recent poll the percentage supporting the whole package of gun control at nearly 60%.

LEGISLATURES

States are rethinking gun laws in this climate. The more populous States are more likely to tighten gun control. New York State is the first since Newtown to change its gun legislation to the toughest on the books ever. The Republican controlled States are very wary about what may be imposed on them and the odd official or legislator threatens defiance but this is early days.

Diane Feinstein has introduced comprehensive legislation to outlaw all the types of automatic guns and their ammunition and is confident of Senate support. The question is how the Republicans in the House will respond. Is this the issue they can defy Obama on?  This they can do and the country will not be plunged into financial chaos. They will be on the wrong side of history but as Jay H. Ell has blogged again and again they are in total denial of reality anyway.

New York Mayor Bloomberg, with all his financial resources, is motivating his 800 strong Mayors’ group to caucus their respective Congressmen. Cities and towns, too, have limited rights to effect gun legislation. Several have already done so.

NO GUNS FOR THE MENTALLY ILL OR VIOLENT

It is universally accepted that mentally unstable patients should not be able to obtain guns. In order to provide care for these patients, Obama issued an executive order on what medical conditions Medicaid should cover, another on Insurance Exchanges under Obamacare and yet another to finalize mental health parity regulations. He also promised to get Kathleen Sibelius to launch a national dialogue on Mental Health.

(The issue of the management of the mentally ill is crucial to any proposal. (See Blog:  THE TUSCON MASSACRE and AMERICAN CULTURE – CAN THERE BE A SOLUTION?) However, no one wants to pay for the diagnosis and the management of mental health problems. Those who think the way the NRA think have been responsible for systematically closing mental health facilities. Where there are fiscal cuts these services and facilities are the first to go. It would really impress Jay H. Ell if the NRA poured some of its millions into resolving the comprehensive diagnosis and management, of what they have insisted is the only cause of this mayhem). 

(Ask any Emergency Physician what a regular feature boarding psychiatric patients, for days on end, is. These patients have not subtle signs they have been certified as either violent or suicidal requiring immediate hospitilization for their own and or society's safety. And they just linger in emergency rooms because there are simply no mental health facilities beds. The NRA again would increase its credibility if they supported Obama's Mental Health Care improvements and the money needed to implement them.)

Another Obama executive order is that a Doctor also will have the responsibility to report threats of violence to authorities and could also question patients about gun safety at home as part of preventive care. The American Academy of Family Physicians have already recommended it. Obama also lifted a 15-year-old ban on the Center for Disease Control doing research on Gun Violence. The latter ban was as a result of NRA pressure.

Obama’s other actions include a general tightening up on existing gun control, registration, and  mechanisms to provide information between States so that all loopholes in the existing laws are closed.

THE GAUNTLET HAS BEEN THROWN DOWN

Obama really has nothing to lose politically. If Congress agrees it is a victory. If they don’t, it lends further credence that the Republicans have been taken over by a bunch of crazies controlled by their unelected paymasters and are out of tune with the electorate. The NRA is giving Obama his best shot at breaking the power of the lobbies – albeit a long shot. In case the NRA has forgotten what precipitated this, -it was the slaughter of children whom Obama is now trying to protect.

The NRA on the other hand believes that it will achieve a major victory if they stop this legislation. They are mistaken. The middle 10 or 15% of the electorate, that really dictate the future of the country, will be more and more repulsed by their extremism. This is another miscalculation by the right.  One wonders how they envisage their end game.

Obama has made it quite clear that he supports the second amendment, but with rights come responsibilities and the public, even the NRA gun owners and Ronald Reagan agree with him.

STOPPPING CLINTON IN 2016 STARTS AT BENGHAZI

As Blogged last week, (BLOG: GOP – A MAD HATTERS’TEA PARTY), a key uniting vision of the Republicans is to stop Hillary Clinton from becoming President in 2016. A 16 year tenure of a Democrat in the White House will hand the country over to the "Takers” and turn us into a European style Socialist Country. (So please don’t take away our guns!)  Also, heavens knows what will happen to the Supreme Court that will be filled with gays with PH. D. law degrees from the Karl Marx University in Moscow! This fear is firmly planted into the minds of the faithful and the smear campaign is well on its way. The path to Hillary’s destruction begins in Benghazi and the unseemly process has already started. 

So next week the focus will be taken away from guns and debts and immigration and the like onto more comfortable ground as the GOP wrestle with what Colin Powell calls their "identity" crises. (BLOGS: GOP's ONGOING DENIAL OF REALITY and OBAMA'S SECOND TERM AND THE GOP).

HILLARY’S RESUME  - ABRIDGED

Hillary Clinton is one of the most remarkable personalities of the twentieth century. She has a 50-year involvement in American and world politics that stamps her as one of the key figures in change in both these arenas. Also her marriage and political relationship to Bill Clinton has catapulted her into the international limelight for decades.

It all started way back when she was a relatively junior prosecutor in the Nixon impeachment proceedings to right now to her tenure as probably the most successful Secretary of State since Kissinger. She has the highest approval ratings of any active political figure in the USA and has been the most admired women in America for the past 11 years. 

In between there has been so much. She has been the very active wife of an Arkansas Governor and President of the United States of America. In these positions she spearheaded all manner of reform and social change. The most famous venture being her attempt to reform health care in the early 90’s. She also “stood by her man”, in the words of Tammy Wynette, and did not seem to lose the Feminist vote as a result. David Gergen, a counselor to four Presidents, wrote that the relationship of the Clinton’s was very tight and the political approval Bill sought most, was his wife’s.

She was a highly respected Senator of New York for a term and a half until she ran for the Democratic nomination for President. Every political pundit believed she was a shoo in for the job and would become the first American woman President. What everyone had overlooked was that Barack Obama, who became the first African American President, would outmaneuver her in this endeavor. While Hillary was clearly the favorite among most of the Democratic constituencies that normally mattered she was defeated. In addition to Obama racking up delegates in non Democratic States that are normally ignored in a Primary, she was handicapped by the fact that the Florida and Michigan Primaries were, as a result of “technical problems”, not given their normal weight.

She then embarked on a spectacular career as, the highest-ranking member in Obama's cabinet as Secretary of State,

SECRETARY OF STATE.

Kissinger was credited, as a result of his international workshops at Harvard, as the Secretary of State with a largest number of international connections. He had nothing on Hillary. All she did was dust off her Rolodex and call everyone, literally, to let them know that the Clintons were back in business.

Clinton was a workhorse. She revamped the State Department and, like her President, skillfully used the Internet to advance American Foreign Relations objectives. Clinton logged up more travel days then anyone before her, four hundred, visited a hundred and twelve countries and logged nearly 900,000 miles.

She also was influential within the cabinet weighing in on for more troops for Afghanistan and favoring military intervention in Libya. She worked behind the scenes tirelessly when America's foreign relations were extremely tricky. Unlike her predecessors her area of action was not Europe but Asia and the Middle East thereby heralding a new era in American foreign policy. This would be where the action of the twenty first century would be centered.  

She maintained the delicate balance needed to let crucial allies of America such as Pakistan and China know where she stood while not offending them. Turkey became a key ally under her aegis. She oversaw the Arab spring and was in the forefront of keeping America ahead of the curve so that it would not be seen as clinging to the old despots that faithfully carried out their policy but at the same time not abandoning them to early. 

In addition she organized her daughter's wedding. She maintained her interest in Women Rights and unveiled the Global Hunger and Food Security Initiative at an annual meeting of her husband's Global Initiative. She also was a key supporter of Gay rights at the United Nations. 

Nothing but nothing seemed too much for her to undertake. Bill Clinton quipped, when asked where did he find the time to put together such a telling keynote address at the Democratic Convention, that he was home alone quite a lot these days. She seemed indestructible. Even the embarrassing Wikileaks disclosures, that the exposure of confidential behind the scenes discussions inevitably evoke, and there were several of hers, were brushed aside without missing a beat. 

Clinton made it quite clear, way back, that she would not have a second term as Secretary of State and immediately speculation started as to a Presidential run in 2016. This was obviously the last thing on her mind. But her husband Bill was only too happy to talk about it - saying Hillary had not made up her mind yet but she would make an excellent President.

BENGHAZI

On September 11, 2012 the US Embassy in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. The attack came in the wake of riots in Muslim Countries against the Tube video, "The Innocence of Muslims". All Embassies fall under the purview of the Secretary of State. However, the first victim of the first Republican onslaught was Susan Rice, America's Ambassador to UNO, who also reports to Hillary Clinton. Rice was mercilessly hammered for her first explanation as to what had happened at Benghazi. Rice has nothing to do with Benghazi. All she was doing was issuing a communique, preumably in her capacity as the Ambassador to UNO - but she does report to Hillary Clinton. 

Essentially, Rice stated that she was making a preliminary statement. The initial intelligence believed that the deaths were as a result of protests to "that hateful video". She added  "But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent."

She further stated that this statement was subject to change as more facts are gathered and analyzed by intelligence committees. It must be pointed out that she was just the spokesperson and had no responsibility for its content.

Initially, Senator McCain agreed with her assessment, but as more intelligence information was released Rice was attacked mercilessly for "misleading" the electorate. Protestations amd support from Obama and Clinton were rejected. Rice was the prospective Secretary of State. The Republicans made it quite clear that they would block her nomination. Any but any "evidence" was dragged up, such as in 1998 she was the Assistant Secretary of State for Africa when the Kenya bombings took place, to denigrate her. She visited Republicans and they made it quite clear that each and every one would block her nomination.

A major issue had been made out of nothing and the messenger, who reports to Clinton, had been sacrificed and next in line to take the flack would be Hillary Clinton herself.

HYPOCRITICAL SENATORS.

It was hard to believe that this was the same crowd took all that baloney from Bush, Cheney and Weinberger et al as to the phony intelligence reports they spewed out to justify the Iraq war. They even did nothing to Colin Powell and those who produced the drivel that he spouted to the world, at the UNO, to justify America's was against Iraq. There was high-class ongoing deception with no ifs, buts or maybes. The messengers including the President and the crowd that delivered it were never even held to account in that devastating war. Not one Weapon of Mass Destruction has been found to this day.

Yet all of these Senators lynched Rice, also ruining her career, for presenting a preliminary report, that she had no control over in an area that was not remotely connected to her job definition that did not result in trillions spent and conservatively a 100,000 deaths including 4886 American soldiers.

If Rice was perceived as buffer to Clinton and or that she could be linked to Clinton she had now been exposed and smeared out of existence.

All this took a tremendous of the Republicans time and occupied their medias attentions as well. It is thus understandable that not much energy could be given to resolving fiscal crises, debt ceilings, gun control and immigration. 

CLINTON - TEXTBOOK RESPONSE

Clinton from as early as September took responsibility for what happened at Benghazi.

As more and more information became public, it became obvious that there had been security lapses and this had been an Al Quada attack on the Embassy not a riot.  An exhaustive official investigation was immediately ordered.

 In December Clinton accepted the official report and its recommendations. Four staffers were identified, one resigning and the other three being placed on Administrative leave. Two of the officials had refused a request for extra security at Benghazi. The report maintained that there had been, "Systemic failures and leadership and management issues".

     

 Clinton resolved that all the Official Report recommendations would be in place by the time she spoke to the Foreign Relations Committees in Congress but then illness intervened.

CLINTON ILLNESSES AND REPUBLICAN REACTION.

Clinton was first hospitalized for concussion. The latter sustained when she had syncope from dehydration from a viral stomach complaint. She then informed the Congress that on her Doctor's advice she could not attend the hearings,

That was the signal for all hell to break loose. The attacks on Clinton were unbridled and vicious. Led by John Burton, Bush's Ambassador to the UN, he called her illness a diplomatic illness and she was protecting her 2016 run. He wanted to see her medical records, as he believed that she was faking her concussion. Benghazi flu was another name given to her situation by Charles Krauthammer. Fox and its crew went to town. The New York Post called it the Head Fake. The blogosphere talked of a cover up greater than Watergate and the cover up of the "murder: that the Clintons perpetrated when a colleague, Vince Foster supposedly committed suicide.

Clinton who obviously was not getting better was reevaluated and found to have an intracranial brain clot - Pretty serious stuff by any standard. .

Clinton returned to work in early January and is scheduled to give evidence and be questioned on Benghazi on January 23, 2012

 RESPONSE TO IT ALL

This was followed by silence by most of the rabble of detractors other than Bolton who blamed Clinton for not giving enough information on her illness. Krauthammer the Conservative Pulitzer prizewinner refused to apologize to Clinton.  It is interesting to note that no Republican politician of note condemned this sequence of events.

Kathleen Parker, the Conservative columnist, stated that character assassination of Clinton was disgusting, disheartening and vicious.  She and Rice had been attacked unfairly and disproportionately. John Huntsman, a Republican presidential contender and former Ambassador to China, commented that the attacks were political - " It is nearly impossible to obtain accurate intelligence in the fog of war". Ambassador Steven's family pleaded that his death be not turned into a political football.

UPSHOT

Benghazi has not much traction with the electorate. The Republicans pushed on it in the last election to no avail. Clinton has largely been seen as a bit player. In a poll in December close on 60% said Obama did not deliberately mislead the public. The poll was conducted at the time of the releasing of the Official Benghazi Report.

There is no doubt that Clinton has some tough questions to answer but there is also no doubt that it is highly unlikely to affect her Presidential chances if she chooses to run.

What is absolutely certain is that the Republicans are terrified of Hillary Clinton.

They do not seem to have learned that it is not a winning policy just to smear an individual. It would be in their interests and the Country's if they actually started a meaningful discussion on fiscal policy with tax reform and spending cuts, looked at climate and guns in a dispassionate fashion and considered the possibility of improving infrastructure thereby decreasing unemployment, just for starters. 

  

THE GOP - A MAD HATTERS' TEA PARTY

One of the more enduring attributes of the Republican policy makers, within and without Congress, is their ability to put on blinkers and carry on as if nothing has happened, (See BLOG, The Republicans Ongoing Denial of Reality, December 2012). The fact that they have had to abandon all their cardinal principles and avoid the fiscal cliff and increase taxes on the rich is ignored. Also the fact that there have been crucial differences between factions of the party, for all to see, appears to be irrelevant and part of the denial that allows the phony debate on the American future to continue.

The bare facts show that nearly every Republican in the Senate voted for the tax increase on the rich. (Senate vote was 89 to 9 in favor). The fact that a third of the Republicans in the House of Representatives voted for this is further parsed over like it never happened. The reality is that the leaders of the GOP were split on which way they voted, (Mc Connell, Ryan and Boehner for and Cantor and McCarthy against), is not acknowledged.

Violation of Republican Commandments.

Also two cardinal rules of the Republicans, of how they operate, were broken. This was done in order not to create a situation where they were not seen to increase taxes on everyone in order to protect the rich. The first cardinal rule relates to never increase taxes at all especially the rich, who are the “Job Creators” This they ending up doing for those earning more than $400,000. The other cardinal rule is never to allow a vote on an issue that the majority of their caucus did not agree upon.

The rationale of the desecration of these two commandments was as follows: Never again will the Republican majority allow a Bill to go to the floor unless a Majority of them agree on it, (so ergo it never happened!).

With regard to the tax increase on the rich – it never occurred.  None other than Grover Norquist keeper of the Republican chastity belt, in the form of no tax increase pledges maintained that Congress had lowered taxes on the 99% and not raised taxes on the rich! What Norquist ignored was if this was so then two thirds of Republicans voted against lowering the taxes for the 99%.

GOP REALITY

Central to all that is happening are three facts that the Republicans will not face up to:

• They are in fact two parties. One the Tea Party and the other, mainly made up of the Establishment
• All the Republicans fiscal positions are at odds with the majority of the electorate.
• While the Tea Party has an agenda, the Establishment have not. They are caught between spending control and no taxation and the realization that there is a chasm between the rich and the poor that government has a responsibility to resolve. To use Ryan’s terminology “The Makers” have got to see to it that all the rest do not become “Takers” otherwise whom will the “Makers” get to buy their products and their services – financial and otherwise?  The Establishment thus has no coherent policy other than to oppose Obama and follow the Tea Party’s lead from time to time. The man doing the balancing act in this three ringed circus is Speaker Boehner but more about him later.
• The good news for the Establishment is that although the Tea Party has thus far controlled the base and therefore the Primaries, their standing has decreased dramatically in the country with only 7% approving as opposed to 23% previously. If, and it is a big if, this trend were to be translated across the spectrum the new Center of the road Republican poster child, Chris Christie, would stand a chance of winning the Republican Presidential Primaries.

HURRICANE SANDY FORGOTTEN

More political insanity occurred from the Republicans in the dying day of the 112^th Congress. They refused to put to vote the Senate endorsed Bill to pay out the $61 billion relief moneys for the hurricane Sandy disaster. Besides the political insanity there were the humanitarian implications of this decision. Quick to attack Boehner and the caucus was Republican Representative, King of New York. He maintained that he would switch to the Democrats and no one in New York should give money for Republican candidates.

Even more devastating was the Republican New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie’s attack on Boehner and the Republican caucus for this egregious omission. (See BLOG: Jon Stewart, Chris Christie and Republican Philosophy, December 2012). Christie said that this decision was the reason why the public was disillusioned with the Republican Congress. Christie, who has a 72% approval rating in this strongly Democratic State and has the highest approval rating of any Republican politician, maintained that the Republicans did not care about non Republican States. He also charged that he, Christie, unlike Boehner and the Republican House caucus had actual responsibilities. Christie showed where there were big Republican Constituencies, for example Louisiana and Florida relief money came through far quicker from the Republican Congress.

This was not just a callous omission by an irritated Boehner. Rather he was responding to two powerful Conservative Groups, Americans for Prosperity and the Heritage Action who had called upon the Republicans not to pass this bill. Heritage Action is now lead by former Senator Joe DeMint who is regarded as the Tea Party Godfather. So this was just another insane balancing lurch by Boehner to keep Republican constituencies happy. The next day he compromised by putting to the vote $9.1 billion of the money and 67 of his caucus voted against even that!

The GOP main fundraiser Ms. Georgette Mosbacher has said she is “mad as hell with the Republican Party”. She listed a host of events and concluded with the, "… epic failure of the fiscal-cliff negotiations, and, most recently, the House’s dithering over disaster aid for the victims of superstorm Sandy”. She concluded that there was just no leadership.

REPUBLICAN LEGISLATIVE VISION

The Republicans have stated that they have not lost the debate on the tax and money issues. They are going to fight this in February on the issues of the Debt ceiling and sequestration, which relates to spending cuts. However, they are not focusing on these issues at all but rather on smearing Obama’s cabinet nominees and Hillary Clinton.

The reason that they are not concentrating and educating on their two big issues is they are totally against the grain of the way the country is leaning.

The Debt Ceiling.

The definition of insanity is repeating the same action again and again and hoping for a different result. The Republicans have vowed once again not to pass the Debt Ceiling increase. The latter is the amount of borrowing the Government has to effect to pay its debts. These are debts not of the Government’s own making rather they have resulted from carrying out legislation passed by the Legislature.  This is the selfsame legislature that the Republicans control!

The Republicans filibustered on the issue the last time making all sorts of demands and in the process succeeded in having the USA’s credit rating lowered, reducing consumer confidence and generally causing havoc. The Republicans have said they will do it again even if it results in shutting down the Federal Government.

Prior to the Republicans grandstanding in this fashion the vote on raising the Debt Ceiling was a mere formality. They and everybody else cheerfully voted for it 19 times between 2001 and 2006 when the Bush led administration spent like drunken sailors.

The last time the Republicans forced a Government closure was in 1995, with House Speaker Gingrich at the helm. This resulted in a vicious public backlash. Gingrich has warned the Republicans not to do it again. A new retreaded Obama has said he is not even prepared to discuss the issue with them. If they want to close down the Government then it is on their head. If they don’t want to pay the country’s debts that they raked up then so be it.  Gingrich has confirmed Obama’s resolve by telling his colleagues that they will have to cave in the end so better now.

The consequences of a failure to raise the debt ceiling would be massive. Credit ratings will plummet as will the dollar and it could push the country back into recession. So once again they will be playing chicken with an electorally emboldened Obama. Also the Republicans in the Senate will not go along with it. Most significantly their natural allies big business want this like a hole in the head. The public, by a two to one margin, have said again and again that they blame the Republicans for the financial impasse. So there is no way they can go through with this. However, the anger at being so outmaneuvered by Obama on the tax issue has led to this rhetoric and that the Tea party wants it’s revenge.

Sequestration.

Sequestration really means where there are going to be spending cuts by the Government. Obama says he agrees and there should be bipartisan discussions on this, However, the Republicans feel they need to make an issue out of this too. They are on the same agenda that got soundly trounced in the election. Obama is even prepared to go right of his base on a compromise here but it is all falling on deaf ears. 

Further than that there is no articulated vision - nothing on education, gun control, immigration reform, job creation, infrastructure improvement, energy, and climate – zilch. Just clichés about small government cutting everything from Social Security to Medicare and no taxes.

All this seems a replay of the do nothing Republicans in the 112^th Congress where the Republican controlled House passed the least legislation in 80 years and those in the Senate instituted the filibuster a record 400 times.

LEADERSHIP

As Jay H. Ell has blogged again and again that the Republican Party is now run by unelected megalomaniacs and unelected Conservative Groups.

There is a leadership vacuum in the Republican Party. The defeated Romney has been forgotten. Mitch McConnell leader of the Senate has serious problems about being the Republican nominee for the Senate seat in Kentucky and McCain previously defeated candidate of the Republican Party for President is regarded as a bit of a joke.

The De Facto leader has to be John Boehner Speaker of the House of Representatives, the one arm of legislature that the Republicans still control. His position is tenuous to say the least having narrowly been voted in for the 113^th Congress. His standing and credibility is at an all time low generally. He says he will not negotiate with Obama ever again – this regardless of how negatively this will play in the public arena. He told Harry Reid, Democratic Leader of the Senate, to “fuck off” and repeated the story to anyone who would listen. His natural support would be the Republican establishment but even they must be despairing – come back Romney all is forgiven.

So the Republicans are leaderless. The unelected megalomaniacs and the institutions on both sides of the Republican divide are preparing for tense nomination fights in the Republican Primaries for 2014 to see whether the Tea Party or Establishment will control the Grand Old Party. Also could Chris Christie win the Republican nomination with his current image – you can already see the attack ads with his arm around Obama while singing the latter’s praises.

Meanwhile all they can do is run against Hillary Clinton for President in 2016, oppose all Obama’s cabinet nominations and hope that that “vision” will hold the Party together. 

SPIELBERG’S LINCOLN

Spielberg’s Lincoln could not come at a more poignant time in American history. It is a story about, undisputedly, one of America’s greatest President’s resolve to abolish slavery and reunite America, told by, probably one of the greatest cinematographic directors of all time. The Lincoln movie epic is being screened when America is at yet another crossroads, between dissolution of its greatness and reinventing itself yet again.

Ironically, at this time, the President of America is an African American who himself acknowledges that he would not be there had it not been as a result of those who paved the way for equality in this country. The President’s hero is the selfsame Abraham Lincoln,

Superlatives there will be many about this production, (that unlike other productions has not been challenged as to historical accuracy, thanks in no small part to Dorothy Kearns Goodwin and Toby Kushner and Spielberg not deviating from their narratives).  But this cinematic experience is about so many realities that it is difficult to cover them all in one sitting. The major objective of this blog is to examine the political genius, leadership and bravery of Lincoln.

Spielberg has said this is only the second time that he has directed a film with a message. The other movie was Schindler’s list. The message of Schindler’s list was far more clear-cut than the messages of Lincoln. Although neither epic romanticized its heroes, rather seeing them as complex human beings, the issues in Lincoln are far more and have profound prospective consequences rather than Schindler’s list that lay bare the greatest atrocity in history.

IN THE BEGINNING........

 Lincoln is fraternizing with two former slaves that have been emancipated to help fight the Union’s war against the Confederate South. One of them a Corporal Ira Clark says:

“Now that white people have accustomed themselves to seeing Negro men with guns fighting on their behalf, and now that they can tolerate Negro soldiers getting the same pay - in a few years perhaps they can abide the idea of Negro lieutenants and captains. In fifty years, maybe a Negro colonel. In a hundred years - the vote”.

Even this highly articulate and activist Colonel would not have dreamed, “In 150 years time – maybe a Negro President.”

THE PROPOSED 13^Th AMENDMENT – THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY

The Republican President Lincoln has just achieved a major victory at the polls. Sixty- four Democrats loosing their seats in the House of Representatives accompanied his re-election. In addition the Civil War is going extremely well and it is just a matter of time that the South must sue for peace.

Lincoln, in the” lame duck” period prior to the new Congress, wants to introduce a constitutional amendment to abolish slavery. He believes that if this is not achieved before peace has been negotiated no -one will have the political will in the reconstruction period to go – ahead. He literally has no support in this endeavor and is thought to be unhinged in his judgment. However, his rationale to most of the naysayers in his party and the opposition is that if slavery is abolished then the South must surrender. His real motivation is that once the war is won there will be no support for his amendment. His opposition is more intent in bringing about peace and stopping the wholesale slaughter that has killed 600,000 men.

Mary Lincoln pleads with her brooding husband:

“No one’s loved as much as you, no one’s ever been loved so much, by the people, you might do anything now. Don’t, don’t waste that power on an amendment bill that’s sure of defeat.”

His Secretary of State, Seward, is the first in Government to point out to Lincoln the perceived folly of his rationale:

“You’ll begin your second term with semi-divine stature. Imagine the possibilities peace will bring. Why tarnish your invaluable luster with a battle in the House? It’s a rats’ nest in there, the same gang of talentless hicks and hacks that rejected the amendment ten months back. We’ll lose.”

Lincoln demonstrates to Seward, through the attitudes of citizen petitioners that flow through the President’s Office, that if peace is achieved then the need for the abolition of slavery falls away. Seward is persuaded.

FURTHER LINCOLN OBSTACLES.

The Conservative branch of Lincoln’s Republican Party is more interested in peace and a cessation of the carnage than they are in slavery abolition. However Lincoln has a relationship, based on trust with Blair the patriarch of the Conservative Republicans. Blair will deliver the Conservative votes if Lincoln will agree to listen to Southern peace initiatives. Lincoln agrees and Blair sets out to reassure Southern leaders of this pledge.

Lincoln faces near revolt from his cabinet and convinces them that this has to be done on Constitutional grounds, The Cabinet listen spellbound by his oratory and command of the constitutional issues. He convincingly argues that in effect, in his wartime proclamation, he was confiscating rebel property, slaves, under the power he has at wartime. States have power over property so if they make peace, their property, slaves, need to be returned.

He concludes not by asking for their support but rather by demanding it:

“That’s why I’d like to get the Thirteenth Amendment through the House, and on its way to ratification by the states, wrap the whole slavery thing up, forever and aye. As soon as I’m able. Now. End of this month. And I’d like you to stand behind me. Like my cabinet’s most always done.”

Lincoln’s next problem is James Ashley the leader of the Republicans in the House on Amendments to the Constitution. He had unsuccessfully introduced the selfsame amendment 8 months earlier.

It’s impossible. No, I am sorry, no, we can’t organize anything immediately in the House. I have been canvassing the Democrats since the election, in case any of them softened after they got walloped. But they have stiffened if anything, There aren’t nearly enough votes

Lincoln does not take no for an answer and Ashley is sent off to get the votes.

Lincoln has one more obstacle within the party – Thaddeus Stevens. The latter is the leader of the radical faction of the Republican Party who wants full equality for the Negroes including the vote. He might not settle just for emancipation. Stevens, further, has little respect for Lincoln regarding him as a prevaricator and a capitulating compromiser. Stevens’s caucus wants him to reject Lincoln’s amendment, as it does not go far enough.

Lincoln spars with Stevens and summates:

“A compass, I learnt when I was surveying, it’ll - it’ll point you True North from where you’re standing, but it’s got no advice about the swamps and deserts and chasms that you’ll encounter along the way. If in pursuit of your destination you plunge ahead, heedless of obstacles, and achieve nothing more than to sink in a swamp, what’s the use of knowing True North?”                                         

PERSUADING DEMOCRATS TO DEFECT.

In addition to having to secure every Republican vote Lincoln needs 20 democratic votes to obtain the two-thirds majority needed to pass an amendment.

Seward recruits two “Lobbyists” to “persuade” defeated Democrats to switch. The bait will be jobs in the new Lincoln administration. It is slow going to say the least and is hampered by the fact that the lure of the job offers are not enough and the fact that there are persistent rumors that the Southerners are coming to Washington to sue for peace.

In the end, when there appears to be a stalemate, Lincoln wades in and sees potential defectors one at a time. He listens to them, cajoles them, and generally does what needs to be done on a one on one basis to taking abuse but accepting the potentially “persuadable” as challengeable equals.

In a particular poignant sequence Lincoln, in attempting to connect with a wavering Democratic Congressman explains his first encounter with the horror of slavery.

“I saw a barge once, Mr. Yeaman, filled with colored men in chains, heading down the Mississippi to the New Orleans slave markets. It sickened me, ‘n more than that, it brought a shadow down, a pall around my eyes. Slavery troubled me, as long as I

can remember, in a way it never troubled my father, though he hated it.”

In addition Lincoln is not above offering a Congressional seat to another potential Democratic defector – he will do whatever it takes.

PEACE OR THE ABOLITION OF SLAVERY,

As a background to all of this it becomes more and more self evident that if peace is reached before the amendment is debated all interest will be lost in the latter.

Blair returns from his sojourn to the Southerners who are ready to make peace:

“Think of all the boys who’ll die if you don’t make peace. You must talk with these men!”

Lincoln stays focused and asks in return that Blair delivers his votes for the amendment and Blair responds:

“I will procure your votes for you, as I promised. You’ve always kept your word to me. Those Southern men are coming. I beg you, in the name of Gentle Christ -Talk peace with these men”.

Seward is taken aback by this encounter and despairs – “It’s either peace or the amendment you cannot have both”.

The rumors of the Southern peacekeeping mission impact on the “Lobbyists” who say they have lost ground as a result.  They inelegantly tell Seward:

“Among the few remaining representatives who seem remotely plausible there is a perceptible increase in resistance……”

“If Jeff Davis wants to cease hostilities, who do you think will give a genuine solid shit to free slaves?”

More significantly the one man, Lincoln trusts more than anyone else, General Grant counsels peace:

“I am convinced, upon conversation with these Commissioners, that their intentions are good and their desire sincere to restore peace and union…. I will be sorry should it prove impossible for you to have an interview with them. I am awaiting your instructions”.

.

Lincoln in the face of all this after long personal angst, once again, risks all and telegraphs Grant:

“Have Captain Saunders convey the gentlemen aboard the River Queen as far as Hampton Roads, Virginia, and there wait until.....further advice from me. Do not

proceed to Washington.”

The pressure mounts on Lincoln to sue for peace. Blair, who had “delivered” the Conservative Republicans, demands:

‘…..you’ve had no defections from the Republican right…… - Where the hell are the commissioners’ (Blair unaware that Lincoln has them holed up in Virginia).

Present at this meeting with Blair is James Ashley the Republican Manager of the Amendment. He is floored by this exchange and explodes uncontrollably:

“Oh God...It’s true! You, you...lied to me, Mr. Lincoln! You evaded my requests for a denial that, that there is a Confederate peace offer because, because there is one! We are absolutely guaranteed to lose the whole thing.”

Lincoln so close to achieving his vision angrily retorts explaining the significance for humanity of abolition. He reiterates, what has become obvious, this has to be done now!

“I can’t listen to this anymore! I can’t accomplish a goddamned thing of any human meaning or worth until we cure ourselves of slavery and end this pestilential war, and whether any of you or anyone else knows it, I know I need this! This amendment is that cure! We’re stepped out upon the world’s stage now, now, with the fate of human dignity in our hands! Blood’s been spilt to afford us this….. Abolishing slavery by constitutional provision settles the fate, for all coming time, not only of the millions now in bondage but of unborn millions to come.

And for once Lincoln threatens:

“I am the President of the United States of America, clothed in immense power! You will procure me these votes.”

There is to be a final threat to the passing of the amendment, as the Republican leader of the House demands a postponement on the basis of affidavits he has just received:

“ They testify that Commissioners have indeed come north and ought to have arrived by now in Washington City! Bearing an offer of immediate cessation of our civil war! “

The Conservative faction of the Republicans, under Blair’s direction, joins in the vote for postponement till the President responds:

“The conservative faction of border and western Republicans cannot approve this amendment, about which we harbor grave doubts, if a peace offer is being held hostage to its success.”

Lincoln is left with what is thought to be an impossible situation. If he lies to Congress impeachment hangs over his head. Nonplussed he replies that as far as he knows there are no peace commissioners in Washington and that nor are there likely to be. With this response the House erupts the Democrats not buying the response for a minute and the Republicans screaming to continue. The fate of whether to proceed or not hangs in the balance and the Conservative Republican Patriarch, Blair. The latter hesitatingly gives the Republican faction the go ahead to continue and so they do:

“The conservative Republican faction’s satisfied, and we thank Mr. Lincoln. I move to table Mr. Wood’s motion.”

The 13^th Amendment to abolish slavery narrowly obtains the two thirds majority needed.

LINCOLN AND LEADERSHIP.

The charismatic Lincoln had every tribute needed to lead – vision, political and personal skills, integrity, and statesmanship.

There is a vast difference between political leadership and activism although both require vision – a view of the future. The activist requires articulating his or her vision but the political leader has to translate the vision into change. The activist need not compromise but the leader must.

Lincoln had the vision and also pocessed the attribute of not getting to far ahead of his following. (Negro voting rights, for example, would have to wait for another day). A leader who has the discipline to accept that his vision can only come in increments is more likely to succeed

In order to effect change the leader has to persuade, compromise and do what ever it takes to obtain votes from those who have other agendas, other constituencies and other self needs. ( It helps if there is a sense of humor which Lincoln certainly had). Either the leader has to do this or get someone else to do it for him or her. Lincoln was personally involved with leadership of all sides of the spectrum of his party and when it finally came down to it he personally canvassed the democratic “persuadables’.

He has to have the insight as to timing and the determination to get the job done. Lincoln knew, however counterintuitive it might have seemed, that he had to risk all in the lame duck session or the constitutional amendment would never get passed.

Also the President of the United States has to make weighty decisions of life and death. Lincoln knew that his decision would involve the immediate deaths of many and had counter balance that it with the issues at stake.

No one can lead alone and he must have the support and trust of his team. Lincoln’s job was always going to be difficult as his cabinet was a “Team of Rivals”. As it turns out he could always count on his biggest rival Seward whom he had appointed Secretary of State and his cabinet supported him in the end.

The leader must engender trust in players that matter. The powerful Blair of the Conservative wing takes his word and under the severest pressure delivers the Republican Conservatives again and again. Grant, who has a very special relationship with Lincoln, clearly disagrees with his decision not to meet the Southern leaders but accepts his judgment.

He exhibited empathy and regarded everyone’s opinions with respect. His discussion with the telegraph boys prior to deciding whether to follow Grant’s advice and let the Southern delegation into Washington or have them delay till he pushed his important legislation through was an object lesson on this attribute.

He was heavily invested in the gravitas of his position. Grant told him he had aged 10 years in one year under the pressure.

Lincoln showed statesmanship as well as leadership. He told Grant this must not end in hangings. He said send the Confederate soldiers back to their homes and farms. Let the rebel leaders escape. There were enough corpses already.

Most of all he showed guts in pursuing his vision.

There is no doubt that America and the world would have been a different place without him.

A MOVIE NOT TO BE MISSED.

All this is exhibited in Spielberg’s Lincoln. Historically sound thanks to Dorothy Kearns Goodwin, translated into a screenplay by Toby Kushner whose tight prose allowed for all this and more to be exhibited. The acting is sure to be rewarded by an Academy award or two. All this resulting in a spellbinding cinematographic narrative by Spielberg. This is entertainment at it’s best as Spielberg keeps one riveted throughout, even though the plot is as well known any Shakespearean play.

Spielberg would be doing the world a favor if he made more movies with a message as his skills guarantee entertainment whatever he creates. Messages are needed in a world that is becoming more and more amoral.