Category: Daily Dose

With the Democratic party convention underway in Denver, the pundits are out in full swing. Many on the Democratic team believe that its time to attack,  — Kerry didn’t attack enough, Democrats need to respond with attacks etc. Several of these “attack dogs” seemed to be pretty disappointed with day 1 of the convention and are dreading that the remaining days will remain attack free.

There is a very interesting piece in the NY Times which addresses this dilemma and recommends a strategy.

At the core, Obama’s best message has always been this: He is unconnected with the tired old fights that constrict our politics. He is in tune with a new era. He has very little experience but a lot of potential. He does not have big achievements, but he is authentically the sort of person who emerges in a multicultural, globalized age. He is therefore naturally in step with the problems that will confront us in the years to come.

Its a very nicely written article. When you read this article you get the feeling that the author David Brooks (despite being a conservative) actually likes Obama and wouldn’t mind seeing him getting elected!

Given that the Democrats have been repeatedly beaten by the Republicans in the game of attack, it can be very tempting for the Democrats to go on the offensive. But David Brooks does raise some interesting points when he argues that differentiating is more important than simply attacking.

India has three medals so far at the Beijing Olympics This is an all time record for India.

First it was Abhniav Bindra. The two new additions to the list are Sushil Kumar (bronze medal) and boxer Vijender Kumar (at least a bronze medal).

The medal count might be small, but it is a huge step for India. The Indian media should soon be going “gaga” over a resurgent India!

A study by the Center for Responsive politics says that the troops contributed most to Barack Obama’s campaign. This is an interesting data point. Can’t really blame the troops because if their “hope” is to get out of Iraq for good, Obama is certainly the better bet.

According to an analysis of campaign contributions by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Democrat Barack Obama has received nearly six times as much money from troops deployed overseas at the time of their contributions than has Republican John McCain, and the fiercely anti-war Ron Paul, though he suspended his campaign for the Republican nomination months ago, has received more than four times McCain’s haul.

Read an interesting view about this here.

Hillary Clinton’s Memo-gate

Now that the Hillary Clinton campaign is long over, the post mortem has started to happen in public thanks to an investigative report in the Atlantic monthly. Gory details (with leaked emails included) about infighting among campaign staff, indecisiveness starting at the top, poor cash management etc. are available as part of this article.

Clinton ran on the basis of managerial competence—on her capacity, as she liked to put it, to “do the job from Day One.” In fact, she never behaved like a chief executive, and her own staff proved to be her Achilles’ heel. What is clear from the internal documents is that Clinton’s loss derived not from any specific decision she made but rather from the preponderance of the many she did not make. Her hesitancy and habit of avoiding hard choices exacted a price that eventually sank her chances at the presidency.

Considering that the so-called Clinton machinery failed so badly to get its act together and the recent revelations about John Edwards, the Democratic party must consider itself lucky to have picked Barack Obama even without considering any of his strengths and/or weaknesses.

Indo-US Nuclear Deal in Jeopardy?

Check out this article in Tehran Times.

But the Nuclear Suppliers Group is unlikely to accept the deal without imposing some conditions (like no more nuclear tests) that the Indian parliament will not accept, and the U.S. Congress may adjourn next month without voting on the legislation. Bush is gone in January, and Manmohan Singh’s government, which must call an election next year, is probably gone by next July.

Interesting article and accurate depiction of the current scenario with regard to the deal.  But one can’t help but notice more than a tinge of fervent hope that the deal would not come through! It is hard to imagine that the Congress government and Bush administration will not do “whatever” it takes to finalize the deal given that both parties are hugely motivated to push this through. If this article is a data point for Iranian public /media opinion, Iran badly wants this to deal to stumble.

Paris Hilton Responds to McCain Ad

This is hilarious! Check it out. The McCain campaign had put out an ad earlier referring to Obama’s celebrity status featuring Paris Hilton and other celebrities.

Doubts about Obama

David Brooks casts further doubts about Obama by putting it all together in one article. . I suspect the landslide for Obama is not seen in the polls for a few reasons: firstly, Obama is still not well known to many unlike McCain. Secondly, I don’t think the electorate is engaged enough to have actually compared the two and come to a final decision on their vote.

The Decline of Global Powers

Interesting article by in the NYTimes.

Today power is dispersed. There is no permanent bipartisan governing class in Washington. Globally, power has gone multipolar, with the rise of China, India, Brazil and the rest.

I loved the article but its arguable whether the solution lies in consolidation of countries with similar values and governments. It perpetuates the “us vs. them” mindset promoted by President George W.

The BJP Goofed on the Trust vote

Convincing article in the Indian Express about Advani’s failure of leadership in picking the wrong battle and failure to prevent defections among his MPs.

His political managers completely failed to keep his numbers together, or to even explain his nuanced opposition on the nuclear deal. You talk to the BJP workers, sympathisers as you travel along the country, and they all want to know why their party is opposing the nuclear deal. In any case, what is it doing in cahoots with the Left? Why is it in such a hurry for an election…

In the long run this defeat might actually help/force the BJP to clean up shop and get its act together in time for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Should America be worried about China?

JOHN POMFRET former Beijing bureau chief for the Washington Post and the author of “Chinese Lessons: Five Classmates and the Story of the New China.” argues convincingly that China is being overestimated by the US.

So often, our perceptions of the place have more to do with how we look at ourselves than with what’s actually happening over there…..

Too many constraints are built into the country’s social, economic and political systems. For four big reasons – dire demographics, an overrated economy, an environment under siege and an ideology that doesn’t travel well – China is more likely to remain the muscle-bound adolescent of the international system than to become the master of the world.

Kansas Techie leverages the Internet to raise money for Kansas State Legislature campaign

This is an interesting story that I first read in the WSJ . Sean Tevis, 39-year old, decided to use the internet to raise money for his campaign. Impressive story. Check out his site .

Running to represent a mostly lower-middle-class district with just 11,000 registered voters, Mr. Tevis has raised more than $95,000. The astounding sum hasn’t come from his neighbors, but from kindred spirits nationwide. Systems analysts, programmers and Web designers have showered him with donations in appreciation of his offbeat online fund-raising plea, which consists of a stick-figure comic strip “Running for Office:

Professor Randy Pausch

If you haven’t heard of him, a good place to start is here.

He died on July 25, 2008 of cancer.