Clooney for Senate? Makes Sense

With the ongoing speculation as to whom is going to run, and potentially win, the junior U.S. Senate seat from California in 2016, there is one name that is overlooked. In fact, this individual might give Kamala Harris a run for her money (pun intended).  This individual is well known throughout the state of California and the country. He has already proven that he can play the part of a political candidate, and play it very convincingly. The person who should run for the U.S. Senate seat, which is being vacated by Barbara Boxer in 2016, is George Clooney.

            Now I’m sure it is just wishful thinking on my part, but the case for him to run makes sense. There are many factors that have influenced the reasoning as to why I think George Clooney should run for the Senate…and potentially win the seat. Consider the following observations:

1.     As People Magazine – and many other media outlets – has made a big deal about the event, the fact of the matter is that George Clooney is no longer the most eligible bachelor in the United States.  With his marriage last year, he would be suitable to run for office as it sets the “electable family values” stage if he were to run as a Republican and a “for all families” if he were a Democratic candidate. It is important for political candidates to be in some kind of relationship to demonstrate standing values of relationships and likeability.  The only candidate to ever be single while being a candidate is President Woodrow Wilson; but, even he courted a woman during his term and eventually got married. It gives the sense of a “traditional American value” of being committed to someone and starting a family. Notice I said starting a family, not having kids. There are many Americans that are only married and choose not to have kids. In addition, the word “family” is not just defined to hetero-normative ones, but all kinds of family normatives.  That is one of the American ideals that have changed over time for the better of all citizens.  Mr. Clooney supports all families in the country and would represent that value that has encompassed so many people living in the great state of California;

2.     George Clooney, like many other famous actors, has always been politically active. This is true when it comes to issues relating to the continent of Africa, with an emphasis on Sudan.  He also is involved with foreign relation matters in the Middle East and Europe. Due to his involvement in the United Nations as a goodwill ambassador and being involved on Capitol Hill with certain committees on events going on in both Africa and the Middle East. Furthermore, he is very philanthropic and a great humanitarian;

3.     The “geographic challenge” for George Clooney will be trying to get out of the “southern California/Hollywood” bubble. Since Kamala Harris is running for the Senate seat, she will gain a lot of support from Northern California. As the state’s attorney’s general, she will have contacts all over the state; however, Mr. Clooney has been in the California limelight for over twenty years. Given this information, it will allow him to reach a broad majority of Californians, not just those in Southern California and Hollywood.  George Clooney would not be the first person to enter politics from Hollywood (and I don’t think he would run for President or Governor of California as he is more of a utilitarian mindset on a national level of politics); and

4.     Whether you live in Kansas, Florida, Ohio, or North Carolina, you know the names of the following people: Bush, Clinton, Romney, Kennedy, and Clooney.  George Clooney transcends all generations and is known in all fifty states and throughout the world. This is mainly due to his career in the movie industry and of a successful Hollywood lifestyle. Based on that fact alone, his ability to potentially raise an enormous amount of money from any American family (and even donations from other nations). It will usher in many individuals who want to help out a “changing of the guard” campaign. While it will not be a “glass ceiling” campaign for George Clooney, it would be for Kamala Harris.  By him not announcing whether he will run for office anytime soon would play into his favor as he would be generating support “behind the scenes” and laying the foundation of a potentially successful 2016 campaign.

The overall point of George Clooney running for Senate would not only to prove that he is capable to do the job, but also potentially mix up California politics for the 2016 cycle. Even if George Clooney decides not to run in 2016, he would set the groundwork for him to run in 2018 – provided that Diane Feinstein will retire (which I believe she will). Regardless, if George Clooney decided to run in either 2016 or 2018, I believe he would get elected and would be an outstanding United States Senator representing the great state of California.

2015 is here! Yay!

   Well, I can't believe it has been two months shy of a year since I've written a blog piece. I guess that is what happens when life catches up with you. Anyway, since April [of last year] I have worked in a hotel and I also was a part of the best political campaign team in the United States for a midterm election cycle. While the midterms are not the best of times for Democrats, this election cycle seemed to drive that point home. If Democrats would show up at the voting booth each year and not just on Presidential years, we would still have control of the Senate and we would have at least picked up at least seven seats in the House of Representatives.  The other thing is that Democrats need to actually not back down from a fight. If it is one thing Republicans have been able to use as their "go-to" mode of winning elections, it is the rhetoric of fear and rally-around the flag. There will be many that will claim that the Citizens United Ruling also heavily weighed on the midterm elections. Of course money always helps an election, but it certainly doesn't buy them. The main argument I will use is this: If money does indeed buy elections, then Mitt Romney should be President right now as he outspent President Obama nearly three-to-one.
   Speaking of former GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney, I called it weeks ago  that he was not going to run for office next year. Romney has the same problem that Senator Marco Rubio and former Texas Governor Rick Perry has: Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Let's just look at the facts really quick: President George H.W. Bush is from Massachusetts (knocking out Mitt Romney), the rest of the Texas Clan lives in Texas so all of their donors will support Jeb…and also, Jeb Bush was the former governor of Florida so that knocks out Marco Rubio. In fact, it also knocks out Senator Ted Cruz, provided anyone takes him seriously - not that he could run legally as he was born in Canada and I am certain many would want to see his birth certificate since karma has a funny way of making itself known at times such as that. The only possible way I can see Rubio getting serious is so he can position himself to be the Vice Presidential nominee so the GOP 2016 ticket will be Bush/Rubio (to cater to the hispanic voters in a lame attempt to assume that all latinos think alike, all latinos are Cuban, and that all latinos will magically forget the horrible proposals presented by the Republican Party with regards to immigration.

Either way, the race for 2016 started as soon as Election Day 2014 ended. ANNNNNND, they're off!

“Then Shut It Down” – Unintended Consequences

This shutdown also has unintended consequences for every American. Due to a budget not passed by Congress, the government has had to close down some important parts of its government. I’ve already discussed the national parks; now, I’d like to touch a more personal area of the government shutdown: Education.

            I know many teachers, professors, and people who love education (whether it is teaching or just learning). I am still considering the teaching profession within the next five or ten years. Teachers are always getting the short end of the stick. Since the shutdown has taken place, the Department of Education (and the Departments of Public Instructions & Auxiliary)  has had to cease funding of grants and other funds. Why you may ask…because the two departments within the Department of Education are subsidies.  All subsidies within the Federal Government have ceased (which is why many are concerned that the Women, Infants, and Children – or W.I.C. program will hurt many Americans because it isn’t being funded at the moment).  This shutdown is severally hurting those educators that are trying to better the education of their students through grant funding. Not only are teachers in North Carolina getting….shafted...but now they are getting it from their own government!

            One of the “solutions” proposed by Congress is to back legislation called a “continuing resolution” (to clarify, I think I covered in the last post but if not then I’ll explain again), which essentially continues funding the government until a certain time period. The problem with this is that is postpones the political debate over funding by the same time period. In layman’s term, it “kicks the can down the road” which doesn’t benefit anyone. Now, if the House of Representatives could pass a continuing resolution with no riders attached (again, a “rider” is an amendment – so to speak – put into the legislation) because once a rider is attached, it will immediately create controversy resulting back to square one. If the House passes it, then the Senate should pass it as well so the President can sign it and the shutdown will be over.   This may sound very easy and should be easy to do, but when you have 435 voting members of one body (The House of Representatives) and fifty members of another body (The Senate) all trying to agree on one issue AND THEN having to have the President sign off on it as well, it becomes extremely challenging to accomplish.  This is why Political Science is in the “Arts & Sciences” category. It is an art and there is definitely science involved to alleviate the problems of government. Well, so go the theory.

“Then Shut It Down” – The Rippling Effect

This shutdown isn’t just about which budget to pass…it is so much more. It affects every American in some way or another. Let’s start with the obvious things: let’s start with the national parks service, for example.

Due to a Government shutdown, all national parks and monuments will be closed because the staff that maintains these places are federal workers.  They will not work as it would be in violation of a law (and I can’t remember the law but I’ll double check). Now since there are national parks, and monuments, are in every state, it will affect every citizen in the states. It’s really sad because for all the members of Congress, it seems like they don’t want to stand by their constituents.  Here me out on this: National parks and monuments generate a lot of revenue for surrounding areas and businesses with souvenirs, restaurants, and even hiking trails provide camping opportunities and money-raising goals for upkeep of such trails.  When these places close, none of these places get tourists, which hurts local economies.  As much as each party says, “we can manage without them”, in the end, the local communities that depend on tourism revenue can’t survive without business.  It is simple, and a very practical basic rule to remember: all politics is local.

Yes, the shutdown is about not passing a budget by the Legislative Branch. A budget, as many know, has the main topic of money and funding allocations. There are certain things that will still continue during the government shutdown time. The first thing to note is that if an American is on social security, Medicare, and disability, then they will continue to be sent out (like those people will still get their checks).   Even the Affordable Care Act Law will still be funding because its funding is not tied to appropriations budgeting (its funding comes from another source).  Now one of the things about the shutdown does is that is ceases all forms of new applications and stalls all current stuff. So as stated, people will still receive their social security checks, but if people apply to get a check, then they will be postponed since there is nobody to process the requests.  The same thing goes for hunting licenses, driver’s licenses, passports, etc.

            Staying on the topic of money, it is important to realize that funding cuts don’t just stop with national parks and monuments.  How long do you think it will take for Congressional leaders to cut funding, or just not fund, other areas of government without thinking about the bigger picture (while still remembering the smaller pieces that make up the bigger picture).  What’s next to not fund…education? Transportation? Science? It’s already starting to happen with education in other states. In a really sad way, maybe this is “the trickle-down effect” that the Republican Party loves to remind us about; or, maybe it’s the Democratic Party’s version of “spreading the wealth” even though the wealth is drying up because the United States government has shutdown. Okay, time for a quick break so sit tight and the next blog piece will up soon enough. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to e-mail me – timoteohines@gmail.com

“Then Shut It Down”

It seems like I’m living in season five of The West Wing, only I’m not.  The United States Government has been shut down for over twenty-four hours now.  I know plenty of people who work within the federal government and they are not working or getting a furlough if they do work.  I honestly figured a deal would be struck in the eleventh hour – just like all the other times the United States has encountered “close calls” of a government shutdown.

            Now that the government has shut down and it doesn’t look like it will re-open any time soon, it is important to understand how Congress has failed to represent the people that elected them to govern.  Some would say it is a partisan gridlock but when one looks further into the situation, they will see that the gridlock and overall failure of this Congress falls on bipartisan lines.  While it is true the House of Representatives is controlled by the Republicans, the Senate is controlled by the Democrats, it is not true that they can’t get along and pass legislation.

            The Republican-led House of Representatives tried to pass legislation dubbed as “continuing resolutions” which would fund the government for a certain amount of time. The thing that is often overlooked by the general public is that they also attached riders to the legislation. A “rider” is simply an attachment to a piece of legislation that has a specific goal to either undermine a standing law.  Now I’m not going to get into the specifics of what the national news networks are reporting. The bottom line is both parties failed to come to an agreement to fund the government; which ironically, is one of their sole purposes of the legislative branch of government. The Legislature makes the budget and the Executive Branch either signs it or vetoes it (hence the system of checks & balances).

            Now there are a lot of things going through my head. So to alleviate this, I’m going to go ahead and post this piece and start on the next one. If anything, it will keep you coming back to see what I’m thinking and to see my point of view on this historic time during the first half of the twenty-first century. Personally, I think the government shutdown of the United States Government will last at least four week…then again, I’ll address that soon enough.

From Sea to Shining Sea...One State at a Time

     Well, this week was certainly a wonderful one for Colorado. The state signed a law granting civil-unions to same-sex couples.  Within the past two years, the subject of LGBT rights has really been at the front of American politics. Just to remember some of these events, let's name some:

1) "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" got repealed;

2) Four states put measures on their state ballots and won (Minnesota, Maine, Washington, Maryland);

3) The United States Supreme Court will hear the arguments to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act AND Proposition Eight;

4) President Obama (finally) comes out in support of Same-sex marriage;

5) Colorado has passed civil unions;

6) Tammy Baldwin becomes the first Openly Gay Senator in US History (representing Wisconsin);

7) Nebraska is considering granting Same-sex couples the right of marriage; and

8) Rhode Island will be the next state to allow Same-sex marriage once it gets past in the state senate.

     Notice I end the list with Rhode Island.  This is because I have some news; for the next three months, I'll be in the state of Rhode Island advocating for the state to pass Same-sex marriage!  This is really exciting as I haven't lived in Rhode Island since 1994. I will be helping a state extend the basic right of happiness to all its citizens.  I truly believe within the next 15-20 years, this issue will no longer be an issue.  This same "Separate but equal" mindset regarding the LGBT community is just silly and will be yet another period in American history where we will not be proud of the way we handle change.  in fact, there is at least one other state considering Same-sex marriage in their own boundaries [and that state being Illinois].

    Disclaimer:  As I continue writing, the song "No llores por mí Argentina" :-D 

     Another major thing that has happened this week is the election of a new Pope.  Now, it is wonderful that he is the first Pope from Latin America; I wish him well.  However, even this is a setback for the church.  I suppose I could also argue that this strengthens the "Separation of Church & State" argument, but I won't. :)  

      Now, Pope Francis I (former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio) comes from  Argentina.  This is the same country that gave us Evita Perón and that WONDERFUL play that was on

Broadway that I did NOT get to see even though Ricky Martin was Che (no hard feelings of course…but I will see it soon enough).  Anyway, I digress. Now Argentina has allowed same-sex Marriage since July 2010.  The newly-elected Pope was a strong critic and the most vocal opponent against Argentina's position regarding the extension of marriage to same-sex couples.  I respect the establishment of religion, I truly do, but in the United States we have a separation of the two.  I think that when a rather high number of your congregation interprets the holy texts in a different manner that disagree with the official interpretation, it might be time to review the official stance on the matter.  I think the Catholic Church has done a remarkable thing while at the same time standing resolute.  I salute them for recognizing other minorities such as Hispanics being able to lead; but, I also think they are proving that just because a high number of their congregation don't follow their official word on the issue, they will not give into temptation to change their ways (and by the way, that pun was not exactly in my head at the time I wrote that).  There should be some sort of adoration for the Church, but since they don't dictate my life, then I really don't concern myself with what their position is regarding the matter. As I've stated before, within the next 15-20 years, this will be a moot point.

     Until then, I will be fighting to bring Marriage Equality to Same-sex couples in the state of Rhode Island & the Providence Plantations!

     By the way, I'm officially a UNC Tarheel fan. After living in North Carolina for the past 15 years, I've made my decision regarding the whole Duke/UNC rivalry thing.  For me, it's Public Vs. Private and I went with public. :)