My New Podcast
I can’t believe that I haven’t mentioned this yet, but I’ve created a podcast. It’s over at democratelectionhq.com, and you can subscribe either over there or right here. The show is listed in iTunes, too.
Episode 3 just came out earlier today. They’re going to be released roughly once a week, and will mostly be me rambling about my opinions and sharing the news. I’m also planning to do an Iowa Caucuses Election Day Live-Blog over there, and I’ll be posting deets about that soon.
The Link Between Sports and Politics
I’ve been thinking recently about the clear link in my head between sports and politics. There are certainly the athletes-turned-politicians, yes, and even some political issues around doping. But the connection is much deeper then that.
When I was a kid, I loved baseball. Especially being from Boston, it was a good time to be into baseball and sports. My love for sports wasn’t really my dream that I would be a great pitcher someday, but two other things central to baseball: statistics and adrenaline.
Statistics come in handy for sports. I collected baseball cards and tried to learn about players from them. Baseball Prospectus writer Nate Silver applied his work to politics over at one of my favorite blogs, 538. Looking at polls in politics is like keeping track of a player or team.
Adrenaline. The runners jostle into position in a 5k. The candidates go through the regular season, the primaries, the trials. Then the finals. The playoffs. There’s only one World Series, but there’s also only one General Election. Both have the same chaos about them.
The sense of joy that you feel when your team/candidate wins. The sense of depression that you feel when your team/candidate looses. These are not separate emotions: they’re linked closely.
I don’t know of any neuroscientist who has studied the link, but I’d be willing to bet that the emotions are in the same part of the brain.
There is one key difference between sports and politics, however: You have no control over what happens in sports. In politics, you can feel like you have a say, even if that say is infinitesimally small. But you can make a difference. You can do more then cheer; you can go door-to-door or make calls. Obviously, you can vote. Perhaps politics is a sport, but it is certainly not a spectator spot. Get involved. It’s fun.
College Admissions/Coming Attractions
Sorry for the lack of content on this blog in recent weeks: I’ve been engaged in the college application process, and I just haven’t had much time to devote to my random ramblings on politics.
However, since I’m citing this blog on some of those applications, I thought that I should give you a taste of what I’ve done, and what I plan to do, with this website.
First of all, I have about five posts in various stages of completion. I’m working on improving the quality of my posts, so I hope that you’ll forgive some delays. Again, I’m applying to colleges and taking 3 AP classes, so don’t be surprised if it takes me some time. But there’s lots of interesting stuff going on right now, with regards to 2012.
I’m hoping to line up an internship this summer, either with a campaign or with someone at the State House.
I want to focus more on Massachusetts and local politics, because I think that that’s my area of expertise (if you can call it that). However, I’ll still keep my national opinions on here loud and clear if they’re relevant and current.
I’m going to try to post once a week. We’ll see how that works out, but I think that it’s a reasonable goal
Herman Cain and the 9-9-9 Plan
Herman Cain has been quite a candidate. He went from unheard of to a total joke to somewhat serious and now he appears to be back on the road to being the butt of everyone’s jokes.
Cain advocates for a taxation plan that he calls the “9-9-9 Plan.” It calls for a 9% “flat” federal income tax, a 9% “flat” business tax, and a new 9% “federal excise tax,” basically a federal sales tax. While it’s somewhat humorous to hear Cain talk about his “Ni’-Ni’-Ni’” Plan, it’s also remarkably disturbing and hypocritical.
You see, Cain claims to be the candidate of the Tea Party. The Tea Party, we must remember, was founded on the very idea of tax elimination. Yet Cain would create A BRAND NEW tax. Currently, the Federal sales tax only applies to a few items, and they are paid for directly by the producers. While all taxes are paid for by both the producers and the consumers, this tax irresponsibly shifts the tax burden to Americans who are struggling.
Instead of taxing Americans based on what they make, a Federal sales tax, unless directed at a specific category of product, is a slam against the American middle class.
In conclusion, the 9-9-9 Plan represents the biggest shift in taxation from the rich to the middle class in world history.
A more thorough analysis can be found here: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2011/10/13/343181/cain-999-plan-analysis/
Playing with Redistricting
We’re about to hit redistricting time. It’s the first time since I was eight years old, but I thought that I’d try my hand at it.
My plan looks a bit odd. But for context, you need to look at the current districts. See the PDF here at the Secretary of State’s website.
It really does have many districts that are salamanders.
Massachusetts lost a seat this year, and the way to manage this has been hotly debated. The top two ideas are eliminating the 10th district (Cape Cod to Boston on the coast) or the 5th district (Lowell and western Boston suburbs). People also have discussed the 9th (South Boston and southern suburbs) or the 2nd (south-central Mass, centered on Springfield). I decided to drop the 10th.
But my plan did a lot more then that, as you’ll see.
Here is the south-western portion of the state under my plan. Richard Neal, of the 2nd, still has his Springfield base, but only now has a thin strip on the southern boarder in Western Mass. He now controls more area in Southeastern Mass, as we will see. I gave much of it to the 3rd, Jim McGovern, who is often called the most liberal Congressman. He still has his Worcester base, and I think that he will still be fine in this district because I gave him parts of Amherst and Northampton, a very liberal area.
My plan for Southeastern Massachusetts is very interesting, but I think that it’s a good one. You can see that the 2nd continues all the way down the coast, including half of Martha’s Vineyard. But the bulk of Cape Cod and central parts of Southeastern Mass are now the territory of Barney Frank of Newton. Frank’s district starts in Newton (and now Needham) and continues in a thin strip out to Cape Cod. It may seem odd to have a Congressman of Newton also responsible for the Cape and Islands.
The other part of Southeastern Mass is a combination of the current 9th and 10th. It includes parts of Boston and the South Shore.
Next, here’s the Boston area. Mike Capuano and the 8th Congressional District remains a majority-minority district. It consumed parts of the former 9th and areas around it that are majority-minority. Ed Markey and the 7th and Niki Tsongas and the 5th are still strong in the liberal suburbs. Tsongas moved further south, Markey added area further north and west.
The 6th district (John Tierney) is a difficult one, but he shouldn’t have much trouble here. It’s a very similar district that includes most of the North Shore, all the way to the NH border (and a fair bit of it). It’s a bit conservative, but I think he’s still close enough to Boston to be okay.
Iowa and New Hampshire: First-in-the-Nation Paradox
Iowa: The “first in the nation” contest.
New Hampshire: The “first in the nation” primary.
In Presidential politics, first seems to matter. From more then a year before the first votes are cast in each of these states, candidates from across the map will make the pilgrimage: the fairgrounds of Iowa and the small town diners of New Hampshire become ground zero for anyone who wants to be considered for the nomination.
The perennial question is, of course, why these states? The answer is, invariably, tradition. Let’s look at the stereotypes of these states.
Iowa Republicans are typically white, evangelical corn farmers. People care more about corn and soybean subsidies (we’ll call it farm welfare) then taxes. Also key are social issues, including abortion and gay marriage (social conservatism). Candidates eat lots of fried food on sticks to win votes.
New Hampshire Republicans are historically white factory workers and owners or dairy farmers. Known for it’s motto, “Live Free Or Die,” New Hampshire Republicans are really libertarians. They are staunchly against taxes of any kind (and their schools and services suffer for it). They are less concerned about social issues. Candidates must shovel snow in front of coffee shops to win votes, and travel to rural areas.
Similarities: Both are white and rural, especially for GOP voters. Both states like retail politics.
Differences: New Hampshire is fiscally conservative and Iowa is fiscally moderate. Iowa is socially conservative and New Hampshire is socially moderate.
Conclusions: It would be very difficult for a candidate to win in both because they are so different.
Scenarios (and predictions): Mitt Romney is the social moderate in the race who will claim that he opposes all taxation (regardless of his record). Being from neighboring Massachusetts, he can win in New Hampshire. He’s also a mormon, which doesn’t bode well for his chances in Iowa. Michelle Bachmann, on the other hand, is from Minnesota (allegedly born in Iowa).
Back from Hiatus
Dear Reader,
What a summer I’ve had! I have been traveling abroad, and in the process neglected this blog! I promise to now return and redouble my efforts to post as often as possible. Sometimes, I might not get around to it. I do have a few posts exciting posts in the works, so please stay tuned!
The War On Drugs: Why It Can’t Be Won
The other day in my Law class, we were discussing the War on Drugs.
The War on Drugs has failed, costs too much, and is racist.
- It costs $500 per SECOND. That means that in the time it takes you to read this post, the government has spent thousands of dollars on the War on Drugs.
- See the counter above for more statistics on how much we have spent in the War on Drugs THIS YEAR ALONE. That’s increasing at a rate of about $500 per second.
- About 89% of those arrested for cannabis are arrested for possession alone.
- Of those in prison for drug crimes, about 44% are black and about 20% are hispanic.
These are disturbing statistics, and they prove that we must end the War on Drugs NOW.
How to Behave at a Public Meeting
I’m the Student Representative to my town’s School Committee. Tonight there was a long public comment period about the Superintendent. Things got heated, and I want to share some reactions and reflections for the future:
1. I’ve found that civility works at public meetings, and yelling just doesn’t. DON’T go on and on screaming your head off. When you come out yelling, committees gets defensive and are more likely to block you out. When you come out wanting to work with a concern, the Superintendent is much more responsive. When you scream they don’t listen. When you talk they respond and help. SO TALK, DON’T YELL!
2. It’s much better when people show up. If you care, you should come. If you don’t, don’t expect someone to come for you. Alternatively, write; but coming out is better.
3. Emotional stories are important, too. I was MUCH more receptive to real concerns or experiences.
4. Don’t repeat what someone just said. It gets OLD. FAST.
5. Make sure that you know what you’re talking about. If you’re wrong, it’s embarrassing.
6. Prepare something. Notes are GOOD. Winging it is BAD. I tried and failed, tonight.
That’s all for now.
An Open Letter to Sarah Palin on America’s History
For background:
Dear Governor Palin,
My name is Noah Coolidge and I live in Lexington, Massachusetts. Yes, that’s the same Lexington that Paul Revere rode through, and the same Lexington where Captain John Parker mustered his town militia. I’m writing to tell you about this vital episode of American history.
You see, Governor, we weren’t Americans yet. We all were British. Well, at least everything on this side of the Proclamation Line (of 1763. Basically the Ohio River Valley.) They other side of the country was Spanish.
As I tell tourists, Paul Revere didn’t say “the British are coming!” He said, “the Regulars are coming out!”
Yes, he was yelling something about liberty and freedom. But he defiantly was NOT yelling about taxes. He was yelling, at the top of his lungs, about the simple rights to vote, trade, gather, and protest.
First, Revere didn’t know what the soldiers were doing. He wanted to make sure to alarm Concord, but he also wanted to go to Lexington and alert John Hancock and Sam Adams (yes, the brewer. But he was also a radical political leader.) These men would have been taken back to England and hung, without a trial, for treason.
Revere was an express rider, a news carrier if you will. He had an agenda of alerting the country that the “Regulars were coming out” and were going to take the munitions in Concord. He was like the media, or even Twitter, of the day.
He wanted to ensure that the men of Lexington and Concord didn’t stand alone. Sort of like President Obama has made sure that the people of Libya don’t stand alone.
