Saturday, June 22, 2013

Kamala Harris


I do think Kamala Harris is the best looking Attorney General in America - and I am putting all the men Attorneys General on that list, the president need not apologize - what was the brouhaha all about? If anyone disputes that fact, please step forward. And show me a picture or two.

Kamala Harris
In 2009, Harris wrote Smart on Crime: A Career Prosecutor's Plan to Make Us Safer. Harris looks at criminal justice from an economic perspective, attempting to reduce temptation and access for criminals. The book goes through a series of "myths" surrounding the criminal justice system, and presents proposals to reduce and prevent crime. ...... Harris has been mentioned as a possible nominee for a seat on the United States Supreme Court, should a seat on that court become vacant during the second Obama administration. ..... On January 3, 2011, Harris became the first female African-American and Indian American attorney general in California. She won the razor thin election by less than one percentage point....... When Harris took office, California was still reeling from the effects of the subprime mortgage crisis. Harris participated in the National Mortgage Settlement against five banks, Ally, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citi Bank, and Chase. She originally walked off the talks because she believed the deal was too lenient. She later rejoined the talks, securing $12 billion of debt reduction for the state's homeowners and $26 billion overall. Other parts of the funding would go to funding state housing counseling services and legal help for struggling homeowners and forgiving the debt of over 23,000 homeowners who agree to sell their homes for less than the mortgage loan. ........ The Sacramento Bee reported on one of the first cases of a homeowner using the bill to stop Bank of America from foreclosing on his home. ..... Harris has expressed the belief that life without possibility of parole is a better, and more cost-effective, punishment. ..... the death penalty conservatively costs $137 million per year. If the system were changed to life without possibility of parole, the annual costs would be approximately $12 million per year. Harris noted that the resulting surplus could put 1,000 more police officers into service in San Francisco alone ...... Harris created a special Hate Crimes Unit as San Francisco District Attorney. She focused on hate crimes against LGBT children and teens in schools. She convened a national conference to confront the "gay-transgender panic defense", which has been used to justify violent hate crimes. ...... Harris argues that it is important that immigrants be able to talk with law enforcement without fear. ..... Harris argued for treating "habitual and chronic truancy" among children in elementary school as a crime committed by the parents of truant children. She argues that there is a direct connection between habitual truancy in elementary school and crime later in life ....... has prosecuted several industries and individuals for pollution, most notably U-Haul, Alameda Publishing Corporation, and the Cosco Busan oil spill. She has also advocated for strong enforcement of environmental protection laws ..... Harris has prosecuted numerous financial crimes throughout her career, particularly those affecting elders, those involving use of high-technology, and identity theft. She has indicated that as attorney general she would crack down on predatory lending and other financial crimes
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris
On January 3, 2011, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the 32nd Attorney General of the State of California. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to hold the office in the history of California. .... has focused on combating transnational gangs that are trafficking guns, drugs, and human beings throughout California. She has worked to increase the adoption of technology and data-driven policing to assist law enforcement in the efficient investigation and prosecution of crime, and has traveled to every region of California to expand partnerships with local law enforcement. ...... she wrote the nation’s most comprehensive package of foreclosure reforms—the California Homeowner Bill of Rights—and fought successfully for its passage through the California Legislature and saw it signed into law
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Announces Suit Against JPMorgan Chase for Fraudulent and Unlawful Debt-Collection Practices
alleging that the bank engaged in fraudulent and unlawful debt-collection practices against tens of thousands of Californians. ..... “This enforcement action seeks to hold Chase accountable for systematically using illegal tactics to flood California’s courts with specious lawsuits against consumers. My office will demand a permanent halt to these practices and redress for borrowers who have been harmed.”
Time 100 2013: Kamala Harris
As a child, Kamala accompanied her parents to civil rights marches in Oakland. ..... She has expanded the smart-on-crime approach she pioneered as DA, taking dangerous guns off the street and targeting human trafficking..... The child who witnessed the civil rights movement from a stroller has taken a lead role in the fight for marriage equality by challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 8..... As a new generation of women picks up the mantle of progress, she will always be among the first to stand up and step forward.
Kamala Harris: Gun Control Meeting With Other DAs At LAPD Aims To 'Eliminate Violence In California'
Bringing together district attorneys and law enforcement officials from throughout the state, Attorney General Kamala Harris convened a working group Friday to develop a strategy on how to better enforce gun laws, particularly for those prohibited from owning a firearm. .... The APPS program, enacted in 2007, is unique to California, Harris said, adding she hopes it becomes a model for other states and the nation as they look to reduce and prevent gun violence. ..... "This is not about ideology or politics," Harris said. "It is a false choice to suggest you are either in support of the Second Amendment or in favor of reasonable gun safety rules. We can do both." ..... "I called them in and told them we need to focus more on the mentally ill," Beck said. "This is not about making arrests, it is about making sure they don't hurt themselves, their families or others. We are trying to get them help."
Kamala Harris Accepts Obama Apology Over 'Best-Looking' Remark
"She’s brilliant and she’s dedicated, she’s tough," Obama said of the California attorney general. "She also happens to be, by far, the best-looking attorney general ... It’s true! C’mon."
Kamala Harris' Star Power Buoyed By Obama "Best-Looking Attorney General" Comment
If California Attorney General Kamala Harris is the nation's "best-looking attorney general," as President Barack Obama said last week (before apologizing, but not retracting), she's also the most up-and-coming attorney general in the country. .... when you're known to Time magazine as "the female Barack Obama," and the New York Times names you as among the women most likely to become president. ..... "only a matter of time" before the upwardly-mobile Harris -- daughter of Stanford professors who catapulted from an assistant district attorney job in Alameda County to elected district attorney to attorney general in 20 years -- moves onto a new job, "perhaps to succeed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, some have speculated, or even to the U.S. Supreme Court" ..... it is better to be Kamala Harris than it is to "be Janet Reno" in Hollywood. ..... While she angered law enforcement in San Francisco for famously not seeking the death penalty againt a cop-killer, she has made big moves against big banks, mortgage companies and other populist targets while in Sacramento. .... her friend the president, for whom she campaigned heavily in 2007 and 2008: she filed briefs in support of Obamacare and Obama's repudiation of same-sex marriage ban Proposition 8 is in line with her stance to not defend the law.
She could be Governor, no sweat.

 
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Sunday, June 16, 2013

Mistakes Hillary Could Make

, Senator from Massachusetts.
, Senator from Massachusetts. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(1) Running 

Yes, running could be a mistake. Ted Kennedy was an excellent Senator, and he knew the pressure on him came from the Kennedy brand name. Finally he caved in and ran and took a beating.

(2) Not Running

She did pretty well in 2008. And her stand on gay marriage makes her cutting edge socially. She will have to get better versed on the industries of tomorrow, but then Hillary always has been an excellent student.
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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

What Is Nitish Thinking?



There is no doubt in my mind Nitish is the best candidate for PM in India right now. But he has to want it. A non-Congress, non-BJP coalition of parties with outside support from the Congress could see Nitish in the chair. I can see such a configuration emerging.

BJP's rebuff of Nitish Kumar may cost it 20 Lok Sabha seats in 2014
Gujarat development under Narendra Modi is glass full of gas and no water: Cong
Gujarat government to seek death for former Narendra Modi aide Maya Kodnani
Nitish Kumar's latest swipe at Narendra Modi involves Gujarat riots
Shiv Sena appears to warn BJP against Narendra Modi for PM
No Rahul Gandhi and Narendra Modi clash for now
CPM demands Narendra Modi's resignation
JD(U) tears into Narendra Modi for 2002 Gujarat riots
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar chose to be more calibrated, emphasizing the compulsion why he could not accept Modi as PM, but without fixing a tough deadline for the BJP to sort out the issue. He conveyed his strong reservations on Modi to BJP leaders, party chief Rajnath Singh and leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley....... He also expressed apprehensions about the growing indication that Modi for all practical purposes may have already been anointed the BJP's choice for PM.
Shiv Sena warns of 'Mahabharata' if BJP ignores NDA allies
BJP won’t dump Modi for Nitish, NDA headed for split
"A diverse, pluralistic, multi-faith and multi-ethnic country can be led by only such person who has secular credentials and an inclusive outlook, and who can carry all sections of society," Kumar told his colleagues.
Nitish Kumar takes on Narendra Modi; hints at anti-Congress, non-BJP alliance in 2014
BJP plans to quit Nitish govt after Karnataka polls
Future with BJP tenuous, JD-U does the math
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar joins Facebook
Nitish Kumar denies getting closer to Congress
JD(U) dares BJP to withdraw support in Bihar
"Despite claims by the Congress and the BJP that they are national parties, there is nothing like that. We are ruling in one state while they are in power in four states... This is the only difference now," Tiwari, considered close to Kumar, said.
Nitish Kumar hits back at BJP over Gujarat riots
Modi doesn't need Nitish Kumar's certificate on secularism: BJP
Nitish Kumar's 10 jabs at Narendra Modi
"Rotten actor" Amitabh Bachchan identifies Black error
Amitabh Bachchan's Tuesday memoir: first day of shooting Coolie after accident
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Monday, April 08, 2013

Hillary 2016, Gay Marriage, And Technology

Hillary Clinton 1
Hillary Clinton 1 (Photo credit: Angela Radulescu)
I really like the idea of a woman president. That would be my number one reason to support Hillary. But my condition would be her running mate must be a woman, her Secretary of State must be a woman.

And you do want something cutting edge. Gay marriage as a federal proposition would be that cutting edge thing. This issue is more cutting edge than the idea of a woman president. But the two are kind of related. Both gays and women are sexual minorities in terms of how long they have been sidelined. They are but natural allies.

Hillary's weak point is technology. She famously said over a decade ago that she "can not think in front of a computer." Hillary is no Narendra Modi. Modi is tech savvy. But then Bill Clinton is not known for sending out emails, and the dude still presided over the dot com boom. It is because he balanced the budget. That basic arithmetic is still cutting edge politics. It should not be, but it is.

Like Nixon went to China, Hillary went to Burma. I think that is pretty cutting edge.

It is for tech entrepreneurs not the President Of The United States to hog the cutting edge in technology. So Hillary's weak point is not a weak point at all. All she has to do is assemble the right social media team and give them ample power. Old style fundraising and old style connecting and old style canvassing are passe. Obama 2008 is still cutting edge politics. She could simply rehire many of Obama's operatives, like Obama hired many Clintonistas once in power.

One person says Hillary Clinton’s no shoo-in
Chelsea Clinton opens door to run
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi at FICCI meet
Nitish Kumar takes a dig at Rahul Gandhi's 'beehive' remark
Rumor Mill: Google’s next big acquisition could be mobile messenger WhatsApp
Liquid Robotics launches new generation of wave glider ocean robots
Imran Khan's 'tsunami' may turn into 'whimper' due to internal rifts in party

Controversy in Wharton over inviting Narendra Modi as speaker
Why this Muslim-majority town in Gujarat voted for Modi's BJP
Rahul's visit: Traffic chaos in Mumbai
Narendra Modi steals the show at BJP's conclave
There's a growing interest in Narendra Modi as BJP's PM candidate, says Arun Jaitley
Amitabh Bachchan recollects old days on Facebook
All eyes on Narendra Modi as BJP National Executive mulls election strategy
Narendra Modi to address meet in US, on video
No visa, no worries: Narendra Modi finds alternative route to US
Finance minister misleading nation: Narendra Modi
Will neither reject nor endorse Narendra Modi: Maulana Mehmood Madani
Paras opens eyes momentarily
Deal on CJ-led govt almost finalized: Parties
Using judges for election does not violate separation of powers
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Monday, March 25, 2013

Modi And Nitish Might Take Turns At The Helm

English: Nitish Kumar
English: Nitish Kumar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Right now Modi has the momentum. And Nitish has gone on record to say he is not even in the running for the top job. All signs show the NDA led by the BJP will stay intact. The media needs a fight. And a lot of the Nitish versus Modi talk might be a media fantassy. But the fight might not come.

The extreme right in the BJP organizations are housed in the RSS, and the RSS is not warm to Modi. Apparently Modi irks the right wingers inside his own party. And the presence of Nitish' party in the NDA makes it less possible for the BJP to flare its extreme right ways and thinking. Nitish' presence means moderation in the NDA.

The Biju Janada Dal just rallied behind Modi and is showing signs of coming back into the NDA. Mulayam recently sang praises of LK Advani. His party has given outside support to the Congress. It might also opt to give outside support to the BJP.

It just might end up that Modi ends up leading not only the BJP but also an expanded NDA, one where the BJP is the largest party but not the majority party, and that expansion makes room for Nitish to take over at the helm after Modi has served two terms and opts for a voluntary retirement.

And so you might be looking at two terms of Modi and another two terms of Nitish at the helm. That would be good news if it brings about double digit growth rates for India for two decades in a row. But two decades are an extremely long time for a large democracy like India. You always have to watch out for events that fundamentally change the equation, or for personalities that emerge almost out of the blue.

But for now the NDA has momentum, and Modi is striding along. The era of the Congress being the default party for power might be over.

Nitish, Modi Or Rahul?
Nitish In Ramlila Maidan
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Nitish, Modi Or Rahul?

English: Image of Narendra Modi at the World E...
English: Image of Narendra Modi at the World Economic Forum in India (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Nitish is quite possibly the best Chief Minister India has right now: Bihar is growing the fastest of all Indian states. Narendra Modi of BJP has had an impressive economic record in Gujrat for over a decade now. Rahul Gandhi is a scion of India’s Kennedy family, and his party is the largest. Nitish and Modi are part of the same alliance, but there is a sound possibility of a non-BJP, non-Congress front emerging in 2014. Nitish might be the most qualified to be India’s next Prime Minister, and that judgment might be a little tinted because I am half Bihari, and I take obvious pride in him, as I did in Laloo Yadav’s amazing work as India’s Railways Minister. But then Nitish’ party is rather small, and there are many prime ministerial aspirants among the non-BJP, non-Congress parties. Right now it is not even clear if Nitish is even a prime ministerial candidate. If it is simply Modi versus Rahul, Modi might have a huge anti-incumbency advantage. The ugly 2002 Gujrat riots have been a taint on the Modi name but the Indian Supreme Court has given him a clean chit on it. He likens it to the anti Sikh riots of 1984. It was tragic, but it is hard to pin the blame on any one person. I must admit I do feel uncomfortable about the fact he did not contest a single Muslim candidate in the recent state elections in Gujrat.

I root for Nitish because he is India’s best Chief Minister, because he is a Bihari, and because Nitish as India’s Prime Minister and Imran Khan as Pakistan’s Prime Minister might bring about regional peace and normal relations between the two countries, and also because there is a clear possibility he might make it. India will now on have coalition governments for a long long time. If both the Congress and the BJP fail to go past 150 seats in 2014 that will give a lot of leg room for someone like Nitish.

Both Nitish and Modi talk in terms of surpassing China in terms of economic growth. That is a breath of fresh air coming from the messiest – or most interesting – democracy on the planet. It is hard to predict which way the wind will blow in 2014. Modi’s advantage is that he can, as he has, make it clear he is the BJP’s candidate for Prime Minister. Nitish might not have that option. He might have to count on a friendly configuration emerging after the polls are over. But if Nitish is not in the race and Modi at the top gets the BJP to perform surprisingly well at the polls then it might be Bihar’s good luck that Nitish gets to continue as Chief Minister of Bihar to keep giving that state double digit growth rates. We all know Bihar needs it.

English: Nitish Kumar
English: Nitish Kumar (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Rahul likely is headed to be Leader of the Opposition. He is clean, he is smart, he has a famous last name. He is obviously popular inside his party. But long gone are days when the Congress used to be able to get a majority on its own. And his lack of experience in government – he has not been Cabinet Minister or Chief Minister – might work against him.

It just might be that both Modi and Nitish get to make their way to the top, Modi now and Nitish perhaps two terms later. But such predictions are extremely hard to make for a country like India. The political landscape can alter so fundamentally so fast. Anna Hazare came out of the blue, did he not?

With either Nitish or Modi at the helm India is poised to do well economically, as it deserves to. And 2014 is going to be an election campaign for the history books. My favorite democracy to watch in the world is going to be like a peacock in full dance. India deserves nothing less. Both Gujrat and Bihar have roads that are better than in some states in America. This has been called the Asian century. India is a country to watch, year in year out, decade in, decade out.
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