While watching the WAGA-TV Sunday morning public affairs program, "The Georgia Gang," the following ad appeared on my t.v. screen:

"Why Do Liberals Want to Tell You How to Vote?"

On the front page of the Republican group's website, the Executive Director of the National Republican Trust writes, "If the Democrats defeat Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss, they will be very close to getting the 60 votes they need in the Senate to pass Obama's radical legislation."

"Obama and the Congressional Democrats must be denied the 60 votes," the letter reads [Source:  GOPTrust.com, "Stop Obama in Georgia!", November 23, 2008].

In addition to this new television spot, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported back on November 18th that the National Republican Trust has "been spending heavily on online banner ads, e-mail and direct mail"  [Source:  Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, "Groups spend to sway Ga. Senate runoff", November 18, 2008].

The Republican economy has driven states, counties and cities to the brink of bankruptcy.  In Washington the state budget is predicted to be up to $5.1 billion in the red.  To get the budget in balance the Governor has directed the state Office of Financial Management to find ways to slash the state budget without cutting services.  In October Washington State University (WSU)was asked to cut $6 million from its $254 million budget by June 30.  In response to the WSU President Elson S. Floyd asked the regents to cut his pay as part of the university's efforts to slash its budget.  Floyd requested a $100,000 cut in pay.

The Republican economy has driven states, counties and cities to the brink of bankruptcy. In Washington the state budget is predicted to be up to $5.1 billion in the red. To get the budget in balance the Governor has directed the state Office of Financial Management to find ways to slash the state budget without cutting services. In October Washington State University (WSU)was asked to cut $6 million from its $254 million budget by June 30. In response to the WSU President Elson S. Floyd asked the regents to cut his pay as part of the university's efforts to slash its budget. Floyd requested a $100,000 cut in pay.

Floyd's 14% pay reduction was made because: "These are exceedingly tough times for my students, faculty and staff. We will be asking them to think more creatively and work harder with less as we deal with budgetary restraints. It is incumbent upon me to lead by example."

Imagine that...leading by example.  It should be done by more of our "leaders".  Leaders in finance, industry, and government need to lead by example.  They are rewarded when they "lead" in good times with higher wages, stock options, deferred compensation and other perks.  They should be equally willing to lead by example when the companies, agencies and other sectors of our economy are suffering.  They should share the pain.

I met Elson Floyd briefly last year shortly after he assumed leadership of Washington State University.  I was at a football game and he was working the crowd.  He went row by row, introducing himself to the fans and thanking them for supporting the football program and the university.  I was impressed by his outreach then and now I am even more impressed with his understanding of the role of a leader in times of stress.  

For more on Floyd's unique example of leadership you can read the article in an area newspaper at: http://www.tri-cityherald.com/...

http://www.change.gov/page/s/economy

We need to phase out the mortgage interest deduction.  It doesn't increase homeownership (Canada's rate is about the same as ours without one), it's regressive, it's the biggest deduction in the tax code, costing more than twice the annual HUD budget, it encourages borrowing (like ill-advised interest-only loans) when we should be encouraging saving, and it skews housing production toward high-end homes (often second homes, vacation homes, investment properties, etc.) when we have a national affordable housing crisis.  Grandfather people who've already used or started using the mortgage interest deduction, then give others the option of choosing either the mortgage interest deduction, OR a one time, universal, fully refundable $5000 tax credit to buy their first home.  They'd still have to have adequate incomes and credit histories, reducing the risk of the kind of mortgage crisis we've just seen.  And such down payment and closing cost grants have been shown to help 1 in 9 renters become homeowners, which would also help prop up the real estate market.

Green jobs--yes.  Any auto bailout must include stricter requirements on auto manufacturers to make more fuel efficient cars.  Why don't they make buses, trains, and bicycles?  Those are the future and should be a condition of getting $25-50B.  They should also have to stop exporting jobs, and if we taxpayers are going to give them tens of billions of dollars, we deserve a fair amount of preferred stock and/or other say in the management of these companies.  Failed management shouldn't be rewarded with massive strings-free bailouts.

We now see the auto industry about to go under, and all the government, from the President down to Congress wring their hands. The auto industry in the US has been suffering since the '80's, and it has only gotten worse. A bailout is the most common talk, as has been with near every other big industry in the US this year, like AIG, Lehman Brothers, and near the rest of Wall Street. We cannot let thousands of workers out to dry, and let our biggest industry merely go under. But we cannot continue to accept the US industry to go about on their merry ways thinking they'll just be bailed out when no one buys their gas guzzling, poorly handling, homely designed cars.

I say we do what will make the GOP cry "SOCIALISM," and that is nationalize the industry. Bailouts over and over again will merely increase the moral hazard risk, but government will help direct the industry to finally get things right, and provide the support and capital necessary to keep the industry going. These guys need oversight, as too many jobs and lives are at stake, and so is the market. If the auto industry goes under, we will see a crash like one we haven't seen in a long time, and we've seen quite a bit of crashes this year. This is the only solution, and I hope President Obama, when he comes to office, will muster the courage to bring this to the table. Congress too must help, and not continue to wring their hands, waiting until it is too late.

The Progressive Democrat, as well as Culture Kitchen and Daily Gotham, the other blogs I write for, were featured in the left-wing Finnish magazine Kulttuurivihkot. For any Finnish readers out there, hyvä päivä.

This week I discuss the Georgia Senate race, alternative energy (particularly biodiesel), Mormon desecration of the victims of the Holocaust, marriage equality, and my usual state-by-state coverage (which is pared down to about 16 states rather than the 20 states I used to cover...I'd pare it down more but I know I have readers in those 16 states!) More below.

Federal judge Richard Leon recently ordered the release of five detainees in our torture camp on Guantanamo Bay. They arrived there January 20, 2002, and it is exceedingly unlikely that federal prosecutors will exhaust their options to appeal Judge Leon's ruling before the last day of the Presidency of George W. Bush, January 20, 2009.

A lawyer for one of the defendants has published a brief description of her client's confinement.

For a few minutes each day, he sees the camp guards who bring his meals. He has had no other human contact. The glaring lights in his cell are on 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When we left the cell, we could hear Saber shouting -- brief, truncated cries. We could not understand what he was saying.

Gail Collins in The New York Times:

"Thanksgiving is next week, and President Bush could make it a really special holiday by resigning. . . . Dick Cheney, obviously, would have to quit as well as Bush. In fact, just to be on the safe side, the vice president ought to turn in his resignation first. . . Then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would become president until Jan. 20. Obviously, she'd defer to her party's incoming chief executive, and Barack Obama could begin governing. . . Can I see a show of hands? How many people want George W. out and Barack in?"

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/22/opinio n/22collins.html?_r=1

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Robert M. "Mike" Duncan and Co-Chair Jo Ann Davidson will make several campaign stops in Georgia on Monday, November 24 and Tuesday, November 25 to benefit Senator Saxby Chambliss as he battles Democrat Jim Martin in advance of the December 2nd run-off election.

The announcement that the RNC Chair will hit the trail for Chambliss comes a day after former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney paid a visit to Atlanta to urge voters to keep the two-party system alive in the nation's capital [Source:  Atlanta Journal Constitution, "Romney visits Atlanta to stump for Chambliss", November 21, 2008].

Also, next week, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is scheduled to make a campaign appearance in the Peach State on behalf of Saxby Chambliss [Source:  WSB Radio, "Chambliss Win 'Essential'", November 21, 2008].

Meanwhile, on the Democratic side, former Vice President Al Gore will hold an Atlanta fundraiser for Jim Martin Sunday evening.

Read more for an editorial note...