From Volume 7, Issue 30 of EIR Online, Published July 22, 2008

United States News Digest

Gore Energy Plan Sure To Lose Election for Democrats

July 18 (EIRNS)—British hedge-fund tycoon Al Gore proposed yesterday that the United States stop using all carbon-based fuels for electricity generation within ten years. In a speech misnamed, "A Generational Challenge To Repower America," the former Vice President said all electricity should come from solar, wind, and geothermal sources. He did not mention nuclear energy, which Republicans are increasingly backing. Thus, he points the way for the Democrats to repeat the 1970s fiasco when the Party's anti-working class, anti-industrial nonsense produced millions of "Reagan Democrats."

In the face of increasing public demand to crack down on oil speculators such as George Soros, and Congressional debate on the speculative system, Gore claimed, "If you want to know the truth about gasoline prices, here it is: The exploding demand for oil, especially in places like China, is overwhelming the rate of new discoveries by so much that oil prices are almost certain to continue upward over time no matter what the oil companies promise. And politicians cannot bring gasoline prices down in the short term." Then he blustered, "Renewable sources ... can give us the equivalent of $1 per gallon gasoline."

Even with recent technical advances that have somewhat reduced the costs of solar cells, the proposal to power the country on mostly solar energy is a bad joke. Whole states would have to be covered over in glass arrays, an economic and land-use catastrophe, without even the means of transferring generated power to other areas.

Gore called for a sharp increase in taxes on the use of carbon-based fuels, to "speed up this transition."

With his non-energy plan, Gore thus reaffirmed his commitment to Prince Philip's genocidal scheme to reduce world population by 4 or 5 billion people.

He tells workers whose jobs he would destroy, "We should guarantee good jobs in the fresh air and sunshine for any coal miner displaced by impacts on the coal industry." He likely has in mind for them that good ol' Tennessee institution, the prisoners' chain gang.

Dean Confronted by Clinton Supporter in Crawford, Texas

July 18 (EIRNS)—Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean made the journey to George Bush's hometown to dramatize his so-called "50 states" strategy—a formula for ignoring the formerly industrialized cities and towns of the United States inhabited by the lower 80%. Just as Dean descended from his bus into an RV parking lot and began to declare "Texas is really turning blue," i.e., Democratic, he was confronted by a member of the pro-Hillary PUMA (Party Unity My Ass) group, who told Dean and the 70 people gathered to greet him, "We want a leader who is elected, not selected."

It appears Dean was at a loss for screams, since no reply is reported.

American Journal of Medicine: It's Time for 'Medicare for All'

July 17 (EIRNS)—The July issue of the American Journal of Medicine (amjmed.com) publishes a commentary, co-authored by its editor-in-chief, calling for a single-payer, non-profit "Medicare for All" health-insurance system for the country. The commentary in the 120,000 circulation journal of the Association of Professors of Medicine says upfront, "The U.S. health care system, which depends on private, for profit health insurance, is not working. It is time for national health insurance!" The article notes that the World Health Organization, as of 2000, ranked the U.S. health-care system 37th among 191 countries, and last among 17 industrialized nations. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not ensure access of health care for all its citizens. The piece also notes that U.S. health-care costs rose 78% from 2002 to 2007, while the official inflation rate was 17%. Americans pay twice as much for health care as the citizens of any other industrialized country. Only about two-thirds of health insurance premiums are spent on actual health care. The rest goes to administrative costs and profits for the insurance companies. Only 2% of the government's non-profit Medicare program's costs go to administrative costs.

The Medicare for All bill, H.R. 676, introduced by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) and backed by Lyndon LaRouche, now has 91 co-sponsors. The latest to sign on, July 10, was freshman Congressman Andre Carson (D-Ind.), who won a special election in March. Last month, the National Conference of Mayors unanimously endorsed Medicare for All.

Obama's 'New Ideas' in Foreign Policy

July 15 (EIRNS)—Repeatedly invoking the image of George Marshall as an example of a shift in U.S. foreign policy, Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama spoke today at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center. Maintaining, as he did during the campaign, that the Iraq War was a misdirection of the Global War on Terror, the Senator said he would begin a phased pullout from Iraq, designed to last 16 months. In that time, he would shift the focus to Afghanistan, adding two divisions (10,000 troops), and offering $2 billion in humanitarian assistance, something he would extend to Pakistan.

Other goals announced, included securing nuclear weapons and material worldwide, and breaking the "tyranny" of dependence on foreign oil. Raising climate change to the level of a national security issue, Obama would put $150 billion behind a ten year effort to "green" the future. His fifth "goal" was stated as "rebuilding our alliances," but included the creation of something he called the Shared Security Partnership Program, something smelling much like the Wellsian coalition of democracies.

Is Governor Rendell Returning to His Senses?

July 14 (EIRNS)—Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) used his inaugural speech as chair of the National Governors Association today to call for a federal capital budget to fund the estimated $1.6 trillion in infrastructure repairs the nation needs. The work must be done to prevent the country from becoming a "third rate" economic power, he said.

This is not the first time that Rendell has called for a capital budget for infrastructure. He did so as a member of a commission appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1992, while he was Mayor of Philadelphia. But in recent years he has lent his support to the Mussolini model of public private partnerships, and has been trying, unsuccessfully, to lease out the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Earlier this year, he joined Michael Bloomberg's corporativist pusher, Building America's Future.

According to Reuters, in his speech to the governors, Rendell also mentioned PPPs, and imposing tolls on roads that are currently free, as means of raising funds for infrastructure repair (e.g., Interstate 80 across the state). But, Rendell, a backer of Hillary Clinton during the primaries, said the establishment of a federal capital budget was the best way of ensuring the work gets done, and argued the repairs should not be paid for out of current expenditures. "It's the best way to get our economy juiced, and in my opinion far better than giving people a $600 rebate check," he said.

Rendell said U.S. spending on infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and passenger rail is only 0.6% of Gross Domestic Product, compared with 9% in China, and 3.5% in the European Union.

Obama Losing Support Despite McCain's Weakness

July 13 (EIRNS)—A Newsweek poll of voter preferences in the Presidential contest, taken July 11, shows Democrat Barack Obama with 44% and Republican John McCain with 41%, compared to a poll three weeks ago, showing Obama at 51%, and McCain at 36%. Another poll, Rasmussen Reports, which is published daily, shows the candidates dead even for two days this week. Polls are put out to make opinion, not measure it, but these numbers cohere with political reports received by EIR.

McCain shook up his campaign at the end of June, after a memo from advisor Steve Schmidt, who ran Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election campaign in California. Schmidt was promoted, and the memo addressed at least two serious concerns: McCain better say something on the economy or he will badly lose; and the GOP better step up its attacks on Obama. So far, the McCain campaign has done nothing on either front, except promote Schmidt. Rather, it's Obama who is sinking himself.

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