DebateGate

He just wants the American Dream ? and politicians that secure our freedom to achieve it.

He?s going to be a country music superstar. He?s starring on the next season of ABC?s reality series, The Bachelor. He signed with Ben Affleck?s agent. He was seen canoodling with comedienne Kirsten Wiig after John McCain?s recent appearance on Saturday Night Live.

Those are just some of the (sadly untrue) rumors that have been floated about Joe the Plumber in the weeks since his unlikely rise to national notoriety. But with the election over, and Joe?s preferred candidate having lost, what?s the most famous plumber since Mario going to do now?

National Review Online?s Mark Hemingway caught up with Joe Wurzelbacher a few days after the election to ask him about U.S. politics, Obama, his new-found fame, and more.

NRO:  So what happened in your home state of Ohio? Why did it go for Obama?

JOE THE PLUMBER:  It was pretty close. Quite frankly, Obama ran an incredible campaign. It was very organized and he communicates very well. It?s usually split anyway, you have more Democrats up north and it?s very conservative down south. Which way it goes depends a lot on the rhetoric of each side. Obama?s rhetoric was very good.

NRO:  Is there anything that you?re looking forward to about an Obama presidency?

JTP:  No. There?s not anything I agree with in what Obama has put forth. That being said, there?s a lot that I don?t agree with that John McCain has said either. Unfortunately, there wasn?t one candidate I agreed with 100 percent, so like the rest of America, you voting for whoever is closest to what you like.

NRO:  Are there any politicians in America right now that you do look up to for guidance?

JTP:  Alan Keyes is absolutely an incredible man. I like a lot of what he says. Maybe part of his problem is that he?s too smart and comes off very condescendingly. The answer seems so obvious to him he doesn?t see why the public doesn?t see it. But personally, I?d much rather have someone who?s a little condescending but has the right answer.

NRO:  What?s the most pressing political issue you think Americans need to confront?

JTP:  The health insurance issue. Having a government provide that type of assistance is just going to tie up millions and millions of dollars of taxpayer money ? that?s something that shouldn?t happen in a democracy. If the government starts taking on these things ? like they have with the bailout ? owning banks, owning properties, taking care of everyone?s health, you?re leading us away from a democracy and turning it into a socialist society. It?s a very serious business.

NRO:  What?s the biggest threat you think Americans are facing?

JTP:  What scares me is it that Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are congratulating Obama. If our enemies are congratulating Obama ? that scares the hell out of me.

NRO:  So what?s next for Joe the Plumber? Will you run for Congress?

JTP:  Well, I won?t be the next guy on The Bachelor. I don?t plan on being a country music star, and I have no interest in Congress for at least ten years. I?m hoping this watchdog group comes to fruition and that will be what I spend most of my time on for the next few years to come.

I?m starting two websites, which are still getting up and running, but we?re getting incredible feedback. The first website, secureourdream.com, is going to be a watchdog group to make sure that we hold not only the Democrats but also the Republicans accountable and make sure that they remember that they?re working for us. Too many times they get on the Hill and they forget that ? they get a sense of entitlement. We want to take that sense of entitlement away and make sure they?re working for us and not the other way around. If that interest was there prior to the bailout, maybe we could have headed that off.

The second website, secureourdream.org, is going to be a charity. Americans give more money to charity than any other nation in the world and that?s where I think spreading the wealth should start.

NRO:  What are you doing about the allegations that state authorities in Ohio accessed your personal information in order to use it against you?

JTP:  A point needs to be made that actions like that cannot take place against private citizens. I asked a question and there were no grounds whatsoever even by their own guidelines to look up my records and leak them to the press. That?s asinine and completely wrong. I plan on taking every step I can to make sure that doesn?t happen again. I?m not the type to sue and I?ve always spoken against it, but this is an intrusion and other Americans might be scared to ask elected officials questions again in the future. We can?t have that.

NRO:  Have the ACLU or any other civil rights groups contacted you about what happened?

JTP:  Funny you mention that, but no [laughs]. It kind of makes me wonder what those groups are for ? or who they are for. It?s kind of wild that none of those groups have contacted me, given that my civil rights have been violated.

NRO:  Now that you?re famous, have you given up on plumbing?

JTP:  About an hour ago, I had a buddy of mine call me up and ask if I could come and fix a stool for him. I?ll still do that kind of thing and I enjoy working with my hands. I?ll always do that.

NRO:  Has your unexpected rise to fame been a blessing or a curse?

JTP:  To be honest with you I was very happy being a plumber coming home hanging out with my son and doing it all over again the next day. So I thought I had the American dream. I had my house, I had my boy, and we had a lot of fun. I was pretty content.

So as far as this goes, I don?t really have an answer for you yet. My life got turned upside down.

The Corner

On another occasion, an Austrian who heard my teenage daughter chatting with a friend pursued her, screaming, "Go Home!"

Hm.  I'll have to check with Anna when she gets home, but as far as I know, she didn't encounter any animosity during her trip to Europe - and Austria was one of the places they toured.  The group spent time shopping, etc. in the cities, so it's not like they were confined only to the touristy-type places where they'd be less likely to cross paths with the residents.

We spend plenty on football equipment for about 40 students a year though. Most HS's have no decent language lab, but they sure pay a ton for football uniforms and insurance. No one ever gets killed learning a FL, but every year football kills several dozen HS kids and wounds many more for the rest of their lives.

Math, well, there is just no excuse. True, learning math is boring, maybe even more so than FL's, but jeez, everyone needs math. About 80% of the faculty at my college seems to need someone else to do their income taxes. With the programs that are available, that is just pathetic.

The issue of music programs getting cut because there isn't enough funding is a sore subject with me.  In our district, the music program begins in 4th grade with a mandatory song flute unit.  Kids who want to continue in band begin classes in 5th grade.  We've got two high schools in town, and the one my kids attended offered the best music program.  Our school's orchestra has been one of the highest rated in the state for many years and was at one time the only full symphony orchestra at the high school level; every spring the kids travel to a major competition (Hawaii one year, NYC another).

The only reason that the program was able to keep running was because of the Booster Club's participation.  We have an arrangement with the local Bingo Hall, where we provide all the volunteers to run Bingo one night a week and in return we receive a percentage of the proceeds.  At one point, we had such a hard time getting volunteers to work that the Bingo Hall was going to take our night away - less workers meant we had trouble getting around to the players to sell games, etc. which meant the players were impatient and grumbling about the lines - which led to fewer people showing up to play on our night...your basic vicious cycle, but one which drastically affected the music program.

Instead, music programs are suffering because of budget cuts and are forced to seek creative methods to raise enough money to keep the programs afloat...even when it's been established that there's a connection between music instruction (especially piano) and the ability to learn math.  You'd think that the schools would use this to help facilitate teaching math. There was a study done that measured the effects of music lessons on three year olds. The results showed that children who received voice and keyboard lessons scored between eight and ten points higher on IQ tests that measured spatial-temporal skills ? important components of mathematical reasoning.

But the athletic programs continue to be fully funded. 

Now, I realize the importance of athletic programs in high schools.  All of my kids played soccer.  But the reality is that out of all the kids who play high school sports, very few of them are good enough to continue playing in college; even fewer will play professionally.  That means that a lot on money is going to support activities that the majority of the participating students won't continue after they graduate.

However, the ability to understand and use math is something that every student needs.  Schools have a tool available to them that can help students succeed in math, and they're ignoring it.  That makes absolutely no sense to me...but then again, I've never quite understood the need for our high school to have JV and Varsity badminton teams, either.  I can understand football, baseball, basketball, wrestling, soccer, swimming, and track and field...but badminton? Please. Golf as a high school sport is another waste, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm not saying to shut down the athletic departments and get rid of all of the sports programs...just put the music programs on an equal footing.  And start the music programs earlier.  I'd wager that we'd see a significant increase in not only math test scores, but in English and science as well.

Henny!! It's so nice to see you...it's been far too long. 

My baby is 18 now...sigh.  She's going to the local junior college and working at 6 Flags/Marine World, and is exploring the idea of finding some sort of work/study program in Europe. The summer before her senior year, she toured Italy, Austria, Switzerland, and France as part of the People to People Student Ambassador program.  She absolutely loved it, and would really like to go back to Italy.

How fantastic that your son is learning so many languages!  You're so right about kids and their ability to pick up languages when they're young.  That's one aspect of American education that I've always found lacking; we should be exposing our kids to foreign languages from the moment they start school.  It's never ceased to amaze me how so many people from other countries speak English fluently, while Americans can't be bothered to learn another language...and what's worse is that so many high school seniors are barely proficient in English (both reading and grammar skills) when they graduate. 

I'm sure you're enjoying every second of being a mom...however, I'm warning you - the older you get, the faster time flies by.  It's unbelievable that when I first started chatting back in the old Yahoo days, Anna had just turned 8.  She gets a kick out of the fact that I sometimes have trouble remembering certain events or dates from the past and delights in reminding me that old age does that to people, but it's not old age; it's just that all those years sped by in a blur. How could I be expected to remember stuff that hit my brain at the speed of light?

That's my story, anyway.  And I'm sticking to it.

Yep.  No more bills to worry about, no more gas shortages...we're finally being delivered from evil incarnate.  And to think, all it took was blind faith.

For those who don't know, that's from A Mighty Wind, one of Christopher Guest's excellent mockumentaries...it follows the televised reunion of three 'beloved' folk singing groups.  The songs were all written by cast members, who also sang and played the instruments.  As with Guest's other movies (This Is Spinal Tap, Return of Spinal Tap, Best In Show, Waiting For Guffman, and For Your Consideration), the movies are unscripted; Guest and Eugene Levy write a basic plot along with character outlines which are given to the actors, but beyond that, all of the dialogue is improvised.  In Waiting For Guffman, Guest's character is casting parts for Blaine, Missouri's 150th celebration.  When he filmed the audition sequence, he had purposely waited until the actual filming to see the performances of the various hopefuls, and his reactions to them are hilarious.  I definitely recommend all of these movies - and make sure to listen to the comment tracks by Guest and Levy, too.

Police prepare for unrest

Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest.

Public safety officials said in interviews with The Hill that the election, which will end with either the nation?s first black president or its first female vice president, demanded a stronger police presence.

Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors.

Democratic strategists and advocates for black voters say they understand officers wanting to keep the peace, but caution that excessive police presence could intimidate voters.

Sen. Obama (Ill.), the Democratic nominee for president, has seen his lead over rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) grow in recent weeks, prompting speculation that there could be a violent backlash if he loses unexpectedly.

Cities that have suffered unrest before, such as Detroit, Chicago, Oakland and Philadelphia, will have extra police deployed.

In Oakland, the police will deploy extra units trained in riot control, as well as extra traffic police, and even put SWAT teams on standby.

?Are we anticipating it will be a riot situation? No. But will we be prepared if it goes awry? Yes,? said Jeff Thomason, spokesman for the Oakland Police Department.

?I think it is a big deal ? you got an African-American running and [a] woman running,? he added, in reference to Obama and GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. ?Whoever wins it, it will be a national event. We will have more officers on the street in anticipation that things may go south.?

The Oakland police last faced big riots in 2003 when the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Officials are bracing themselves in case residents of Oakland take Obama?s loss badly.

Political observers such as Hilary Shelton and James Carville fear that record voter turnout could overload polling places on Election Day and could raise tension levels.

Shelton, the director of the NAACP?s Washington bureau, said inadequate voting facilities is a bigger problem in poor communities with large numbers of minorities.

?What are local election officials doing to prepare for what people think will be record turnout at the polls?? said Shelton, who added that during the 2004 election in Ohio voters in predominantly black communities had to wait in line six to eight hours to vote.

?On Election Day, if this continues, you may have some tempers flare; we should be prepared to deal with that but do it without intimidation,? said Shelton, who added that police have to be able to maintain order at polling stations without scaring voters, especially immigrants from ?police states.?

Carville, who served as a senior political adviser to former President Bill Clinton, said that many Democrats would be very angry if Obama loses. He noted that many Democrats were upset by Sen. John Kerry?s (D-Mass.) loss to President Bush in the 2004 election, when some Democrats made allegations of vote manipulation in Ohio, the state that ultimately decided the race.

Experts estimated that thousands of voters did not vote in Ohio because of poor preparation and long lines.
Carville said Democratic anger in 2004 ?would be very small to what would happen in 2008? if the same problems arose.

Carville said earlier this month that ?it would be very, very, very dramatic out there? if Obama lost, a statement some commentators interpreted as predicting riots. In an interview Tuesday, however, Carville said he did not explicitly predict rioting.

?A lot of Democrats would have a great deal of angst and anger,? said Carville, who predicted that on Election Day ?the voting system all around the country is going to be very stressed because there?s going to be enormous turnout.?

Other commentators have made such bold predictions.

?If [Obama] is elected, like with sports championships, people may go out and riot,? said Bob Parks, an online columnist and black Republican candidate for state representative in Massachusetts. ?If Barack Obama loses there will be another large group of people who will assume the election was stolen from him?.. This will be an opportunity for people who want to commit mischief.?

Speculation about Election-Day violence has spread on the Internet, especially on right-wing websites.

This has caught the attention of police departments in cities such as Cincinnati, which saw race riots in 2001 after police shot a young black man.

?We?ve seen it on the Internet and we?ve heard that there could be civil unrest depending on the outcome of [the election,]? said Lt. Mark Briede of the Cincinnati Police Department. ?We are prepared to respond in the case of some sort of unrest or some sort of incident.?

Briede, like other police officials interviewed, declined to elaborate on plans for Election Day. Many police departments have policies prohibiting public discussion of security plans.

James Tate, second deputy chief of Detroit?s police department, said extra manpower would be assigned to duty on Election Night. He said problems could flare whichever candidate wins.

?Either party will make history and we want to prepare for celebrations that will be on a larger scale than for our sports teams,? Tate said.

He noted that police had to control rioters who overturned cars after the Tigers won the 1984 World Series.

?We?re prepared for the best-case scenario, we?re prepared for the worst-case scenario,? he said. ?The worst-case scenario could be a situation that requires law enforcement.?

But Tate declined to describe what the worst-case scenario might look like, speaking gingerly like other police officials who are wary of implying that black voters are more likely than other voting groups to cause trouble.

Shelton, of the NAACP, said he understands the need for police to maintain order. But he is also concerned that some political partisans may point their finger at black voters as potential troublemakers because the Democratic nominee is black.

Shelton said any racial or ethnic group would get angry if they felt disenfranchised because of voting irregularities.

Police officials in Chicago, where Obama will hold a Nov. 4 rally, and Philadelphia are also preparing for Election Day.

?The Chicago Police Department has been meeting regularly to coordinate our safety and security plans and will deploy our resources accordingly,? said Monique Bond, of the Chicago Police Department.

Frank Vanore, of the Philadelphia Police Department, said officials were planning to mobilize to control exuberant or perhaps angry demonstrations after the World Series, which pits the Phillies against the Tampa Bay Rays.

He said the boosted police activity would ?spill right over to the election.?

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/police-prepare-for-unrest-2008-10-21.html