Grade This! - May 13, 2005
The weekly wrap-up: Reid pulls double duty, Voinovich double-times, Miranda sets a double standard, and more.
Voinovich Wants it Both Ways on Bolton
The continued saga over the John Bolton nomination to be U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations took a new turn Thursday. During Senate Foreign Relations Committee deliberations, Ohio Republican Senator George Voinovich made an eloquent case against Bolton. “I believe that John Bolton would have been fired if he’d worked for a major corporation. This is not the behavior of a true leader who upholds the kind of democracy that President Bush is seeking to promote globally. This is not the behavior that should be endorsed as the face of the United States to the world community and the United Nations. Rather, Mr. Chairman, it is my opinion that John Bolton is the poster child of what someone in the diplomatic corps should not be.” The Ohio Republican had the ability, essentially, to kill the Bolton nomination before it ever left committee. But it turns out, faced with White House pressure, Sen. Voinovich might not have a conscience after all.While Voinovich stated the "United States can do better than John Bolton," he voted to send the nomination to the Senate floor, where he will then vote against the nominee. But his vote won’t matter if opponents can’t hold all Democrats and muster up four other votes against Bolton among the Republican ranks. In the ultimate flip-flop, Voinovich effectively voted for Bolton before he voted against him.
Hoping Voinovich Might Have the Guts to Stand Up for What he Says: A
Realizing he Doesn’t: D
John Bolton: Flatlining at F--
Marcus Mrowka, Campus Progress
That’ll teach you to be poor
Some people say that budgets are moral documents because they have an uncanny way of revealing your priorities and values. When President Bush inherited a projected surplus he chose to give most of that money (and then some) to the super rich rather than, say, fix Social Security or health care. Since then, more Americans are in poverty. Many people in poverty rely on Medicaid to provide critical medical care. If you happen to have no source of income and live in New Hampshire, you may soon be expected to start paying for Medicaid: “Supporters of the proposal say tough fiscal times demand tough solutions. They argue that making the poor pay would make them thriftier health care consumers.”
When the governor of Maine, John Baldacci, had some extra cash, he chose to expand the number of people covered by Medicaid. Who says progressives lack moral values?
Bush fiscal record: F
New Hampshire Medicaid proposal: F
John Baldacci’s proposal: A
Budgets revealing politician’s priorities: A+
Saying progressives lack moral values: No credit
Gilbert Martinez, Stanford University
Less taxation for false representation
It turns out Washington D.C. does have Congressional representation after all- in fact, according to the IRS it has 22 Senators. That’s the number of U.S. Senators- half of the 44 who own homes in the District- who claimed the D.C. Homestead Deduction on their taxes, saving in some cases thousands by declaring D.C. as their permanent residence. The only problem? Usually, being a member of Congress requires you to be a legal resident of, you know, the state you’re representing. Several Senators have already claimed “bureaucratic mistakes” for their tax refunds, which is clearly understandable- it’s not like they make the laws, you know?
Economics for a certain 22 Senators: D-
Tax loopholes in general: D
Chutzpah of any politician who thinks it’s safe to call Washington their “permanent place of residence:” B+
August J. Pollak, Campus Progress
Smooth move, Harry
It looks like the Senate’s hurtling out of control toward the “nuclear option” to break the impasse over judicial filibusters. In the midst of the deadlock this week, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Utah) made a very public offer to the Republican leadership to take a “step back from the precipice.” He said – quite magnanimously it seemed – that Senate Democrats were prepared to offer unanimous consent to move forward on one of Bush’s controversial nominees. All he asked for in return was ten hours of debate – that’s all. The nominee he wanted to vote on: one Thomas Griffin. If you’re not familiar with Griffin, he’s the one who’s been practicing law without a license for the past four years. Harry thought: “let’s debate his suitability for ten hours while the nation’s attention is on the issue.” Smooth move.
Harry Reid, for a creative approach in bringing the outrageousness of one of Bush’s re-nominees to the public’s attention: A
Joshua Holland, USC
Religious Slander by Conservative Criminals
Manuel Miranda, the conservative who saw fit to rip off Democratic memos and resigned in disgrace, is in the news again. Today he is calling for the censure of Senator Harry Reid, after Reid had the audacity to point out that one of Bush’s judicial nominees raised a couple red flags in his FBI background check, a fact already well-reported by the mainstream media. It’s bad enough that Miranda is calling for censure for repeating an allegation made in the news (it’s called the First Amendment, Manuel), but the man had the audacity to attack Reid’s religion, saying, "Harry Reid is a disgrace to the Senate and to [his] Church of Latter-Day Saints." Wrong, Manuel. Harry Reid is a good American. You’re the disgrace.
Hacking the opposition’s files: D-.
Attacking your opponents to distract the American people: D-.
Trying to Draw their Religion into it: F.
Matt Singer, University of Montana
Miller Lights Out
In a move that makes the collective television-viewing audience check their calendars to make sure it’s not really June 2004, when many expected it to happen, CNBC finally realized that good investments include television shows people actually watch and cancelled Dennis Miller’s ratings black-hole this week. The final episode was taped Friday, according to E! Online news. E! Online, by the way, averages around 200,000 visitors a day, meaning it’s statistically likely that more people viewed the announcement of Miller’s cancellation than an actual episode of his show. As for Miller, he can still rely on the revenue from his numerous television commercial deals, including the poignantly-named internet service provider, Net Zero.
Dennis Miller’s Show: F
Dennis Miller’s Ratings: F
Dennis Miller’s Product Endorsement Agent: B + 10%
August J. Pollak, Campus Progress
 Lassie goes global
Has the stepped up insurgency in Iraq got you down? Is the thought of the Senate GOP preparing to nuke the rights of the minority party getting you frustrated? Are you wondering when something is going to be done about Darfur? When the course of human affairs gets you down, sometimes it’s best to look to some of earth’s other creatures for inspiration. When an unnamed dog in Kenya rescues an abandoned infant, nicknamed "Angel", it’s enough to bring a tear of joy and a smile to this political activist: "She cried a lot during admission, because her umbilical cord was infected. She is now very quiet. She just feeds and sleeps. I was there this morning and she looked at me and yawned, looked at me again and yawned." Tell me that’s not heartwarming.
Infant abandonment in Kenya (and elsewhere): F
Poverty: F
Man’s best friend saving a baby girl: A+ (and extra credit) (if it’s true)
Reading something good in the news: A
Trying to impress people with my sensitive side: C-
Gilbert Martinez, Stanford University
Illustration: August J. Pollak
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