The Man, Part 2

The Man

A Joint Meeting of the House and Senate shall occur...

Here is your historical nugget for the day: The first formally recorded Joint Meeting of Congress occurred in December 18, 1874 during the 43rd Congress in Washington, DC, as a reception of King Kalakaua of Hawai'i. Because of a severe cold and hoarseness, the King could not deliver his speech, which was read by former Representative Elisha Hunt Allen, then serving as Chancellor and Chief Justice of the Hawaiian Islands.

The latest joint meeting occurred this very day. At 11 a.m., Ehud Olmert, Prime Minister of Israel addressed the House and Senate for an hour, detailing his positions on towards Hamas and Palestine as well as towards Iran. A very moving speech by all accounts, he personally recognized the family of Daniel Wultz, a 16-year old Floridian celebrating the Passover holiday who died earlier this month after being wounded by a suicide bomber in Tel Aviv in April.

Olmert highlighted his stance that it remains Israel's "deepest wish is to build a better future for our region, hand in hand with a Palestinian partner, but if not, we will move forward, but not alone," alluding to promised U.S. support.

I had the good fortune to witness this speech, not to just be in the gallery as I was when former Iraqi Interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi spoke before a joint meeting on September 23, 2004, but this time from the House Floor. I was seated three rows behind John Kerry and one row (and ten seats) away from Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer, of the House Democratic leadership. It was quite a thrill. Usually reserved for Members of Congress, the Diplomatic Corps and the President's Cabinet, the floor is opened to staff with standing room tickets once it is clear that not all of the seats will fill. I was awe struck when the Floor staffer motioned me forward to sit closer to Olmert than most Members were sitting.

A truly awesome opportunity that perhaps for me will never come again.


Daniel Wultz, 16, of Plantation, Florida, killed by a suicide bomber in May 2006.

What's next?

Many people perhaps were disappointed at the general slow pace at which the Bartlet Administration came to an end. I tend to disagree. It came to an end like those in a parallel universe, where a simple oath and some packing boxes are all it takes for one president to succeed another. It was as smooth and seamless as the real transitions that take place every four or eight years in this country. I will certainly miss my hour of dramatic debate every week but kudos to The West Wing for making life and politics just a bit more real.

Bring back the scantrons!

While problems abound with voting in the state of Ohio, I found this in today's Toledo Blade and had to chuckle: Some technophobic voters, we concede, will never get used to the newfangled machines. In Youngstown, one exasperated man was reported to have scrawled a write-in vote directly onto the device's screen with a pen.

I saw firsthand the problems we faced two years ago as a voter protection staffer during the 2004 General Election. I saw ballot machines which were incorrectly registering votes, long lines, poor staffing by elections board personnel, and countless other gaffes which caused me alarm and a special investigation by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI). I believe that we would all be better served if two things occurred. First, we need to standardize the ballot across the state. WE have counties using electronic ballots, scantrons, punch card ballots, and probably a few more types that I am not familiar with. A standard ballot statewide would eliminate a lot of the questions of irregularities that arise county by county. Second, we need to go back to paper scantron ballots. They weren't perfect, but they were easy to use. Most people have used them since they were in first grade. You fill in the oval next to the name. DONE. If only...

Plagiarism? Probably not..

But I thought my readers might enjoy it. John Ettore originally posted this quote on his blog, Working with Words. I thought that it fit the tone of The Daily Traficant.

'Often it is difficult to know when a president has entered the state of political purgatory known as 'lame duck' status. For this president, the questions is no longer whether, but how lame. Political science has given us regretably few tools for answering this question with precision. But our own qualititative analysis suggests that not since James Buchanan has a president been lamer. Second-term presidents often see their agendas stalled by gridlock. But haggling over substance at least has the excitement value of conflict and opposition. Bush, on the other hand, has seen his agenda die from within, of its own accord. The last years of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Reagan were like watching an angry traffic snarl. The last years of George W. Bush's presidency are like watching a car resting on cement blocks in the front yard.'
--from an editorial in the May 8th issue of The New Republic

Commissioner wins decisively over ex-mayor

Well, I can't say I am sad to see George get smoked in the County Commissioner race. Ludt is right about one thing: George always tried to take credit for projects that he had little or no influence in. Now he join the hundreds of people who were in the unemployment line while he was mayor. I think his joblessness will be his real gift to the people of Youngstown, unless of course that big Bush Administration job opens up! Check out the Vindy article below:

Wednesday, May 3, 2006
Ludt isn't taking his challenger in the November election lightly.

By DEBORA SHAULIS
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — If Mahoning County Commissioner David N. Ludt had to speculate on the results of Tuesday night's primary, he would have guessed that he'd beat challenger George McKelvey with 60 percent of the vote.

Even Ludt was surprised to learn that, with about 90 percent of the county's precincts reporting around midnight, he was leading with 70 percent of the vote.

That tells him "people read through the commercials," Ludt said, referring to McKelvey's media blitz in recent weeks. Ludt believed McKelvey wrongly took credit for projects that occurred during his term as mayor of Youngstown but actually were the responsibility of county commissioners.

Ludt turned to former state Sen. Harry Meshel to set the record straight in his own commercials.

"We didn't say anything in the ads that wasn't true," Meshel told Ludt's well-wishers, who gathered in his campaign headquarters in Boardman Plaza.

McKelvey didn't return telephone calls Tuesday night.

Attending events

Ludt said he attended 68 events while he campaigned for the primary and didn't see McKelvey at any of them.

"You have to get in and mix with people. I'm a people person," said Ludt, 66, of Poland, who is seeking his third term.

Ludt also said he doesn't mind being the quiet commissioner and generally leaves the public speaking to his fellow commissioners, Anthony Traficanti and John McNally IV. Asked what his priorities will be as commissioner between now and the general election in November, Ludt said he would confer with the other commissioners before announcing details. Water projects remain among his priorities because they improve the community's value, he said.

Challenger

So far, Ludt has one challenger in November. Jamael Tito Brown of Youngstown filed nominating petitions Monday to run as an independent candidate. His petitions must be certified before he is officially declared a candidate.

Ludt said he doesn't know Brown and doesn't begrudge his candidacy. "It's America, and everybody can run," he said.

Ludt also wasn't taking Brown for granted, telling his supporters that he'll need them again in the coming months.

"Nobody goes anywhere in politics unless they have people working with them," he said over their cheers.

shaulis@vindy.com

Can the write-in win?

I'm surprised that I have not yet talked about Charlie Wilson, running as the write-in candidate to replace Ted Strickland for the 6th Congressional District. I found this quote by Jason Burke, Wilson's campaign manager, in today's issue of Roll Call, a newspaper focusing on Congress, reading, "We have done everything we could possible do to be successful."

Well, to be fair, that isn't entirely true, Jason. Your campaign did fail to get the man ON THE BALLOT! A minor oversight, perhaps. History has shown that write-in campaigns are rarely successful. I was a write in candidate myself once. My dad wrote me in for Mahoning County Auditor back in 1988. I lost by about 68,000 votes. It could have been closer, though. My mom voted for my sister!

Randy Walter prepares to be "Independent"-ly mauled

Word on the street is that Randy Walter, the third-place finisher in the 2000 race for the 17th Congressional District, has filed to challenge Congressman Tim Ryan (D) in the November General Election as an idependent. Walter, who lives in Canfield, is the founder of Citizens for Honest and Responsible Government.

I don't expect him to make many waves. Although he was well financed in 2000, his independent campaign will be hard pressed to make a dent in the strong backing that Ryan has enjoyed for the last four years.

Lastly, much to the irritation of Randy Walter, a guy named Don Manning has filed as a Republican write-in. If he gets 50 signatures today, he will be on the ballot as the Republican nominee. Most people believe he will in fact get those signatures. For Tim Ryan to lose the election, approximately 38% of the people who voted for him the last time will have to vote for someone else this time - not gonna happen.

From The New Yorker

If Grover Norquist’s vision of drowning the federal government in the bathtub ever succeeds, he will be left with the gated community that is the logical extension of his aspirations. Private schools, private roads, privatized Social Security, private enclaves—all guarded by heavily armed vigilantes to keep out those who can’t afford them. America will cease to be a great nation, because to be truly great a modern nation must grapple with the greater good—a messy concept that too many conservatives seem willing to entertain only in a Biblical context. Quality education, meaningful health care, a cleaner environment, constructive world engagement, and cultural advancement require an active, responsible federal government and a committed civil service. All that costs money, which means that we have to pay taxes. Our focus should be on improving government, not eliminating it. - Michael Lahr, Arlington, VA.

Source: New Yorker, September 2005.

"We are just three Defense Secretaries away from winning the war in Iraq--the Father, Son and Holy Ghost." James Carville, From CNN's The Situation Room.