If we had a functioning press corps, I would not have to write this note this morning.
Senator Barbara Buono
In an important speech last night in Atlantic City, Senator Buono harshly criticized Governor Christie’s conservative ideology and personal ambition.
I strongly share those views and think that they should be a major focus of the campaign.
But I know that the newspapers will not frame the issues that way or even cover the content, so, although I am no political reporter or partisan advocate or pundit, here we are.
I’ll try to fill the gap in the crap that passes for journalism. Stuff like this, which not only is superficial, but curiously managed to fill half a story about Senator Buono’s speech with Gov. Christie’s quotes. I guess the “professionals” call that “balance”).
Last night in Atlantic City, Senator Barbara Buono took charge of the Democratic Party and presented a speech that outlined her vision of the campaign challenge against Governor Christie.
Buono began with allusions to FDR’s New Deal, JFK’s New Frontier, and the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts. Buono struck these historical chords to summon what some refer to as the “democratic wing of the democratic party” (the lazy and cynical reporters call this “appealing to the base”).
But, more significantly, Buono framed the campaign as a clash of ideology – which is something that news reporters and editors seems to not understand and virtually never report.
So here is the key excerpt of the speech –
Let’s hope that Buono continues to hammer away at exactly this set of issues (Christie’s achilles heel) and can manage to provide real life concrete illustrations of how political ideology impacts the daily lives of real people.
Buono recognized this communication and political challenge by saying “I know we can’t do this on platitudes alone.”
This remark shows realism and maturity and provides a sharp contrast with Gov. Christie’s reliance on slogans and YouTube moment demagoguery, that mask his right wing policy agenda.
I say – keep on bringing it Barbara!
(Full speech text courtesy of BlueJersey)
Today in New Jersey a radical agenda – ruled by conservative ideology and funded by corporate interests – has those values – our values – under assault. And Governor Christie and Republicans in the Legislature are on the front lines.
While he should be thinking about what’s best in our interest here in New Jersey, behind each and every decision Chris Christie makes is the goal of pandering to right-wing conservatives or fulfilling his own national ambitions.
How else can you explain that in New Jersey – a blue state, a progressive state, a state that hasn’t sent a Republican to the U.S. Senate in four decades – teachers, police officers, and fire fighters – our heroes – are vilified?
There’s no other way to explain how working folks fighting for fair representation are portrayed as a drain on our system, how seniors are pitted against public workers and millionaires are put before the middle class.
Our working people, our children, and our seniors – my parents always taught me to stand up and fight for them.
They’re the reason I got involved in politics in the first place.
They’re the reason I embraced the Democratic Party years ago.
But for Chris Christie, they are a mere stepping stone on the road to Washington.
u.U.S. taxpayers are footing the bill for overseas lobbying that promotes controversial biotech crops developed by U.S.-based Monsanto Co and other seed makers, a report issued on Tuesday said.
A review of 926 diplomatic cables of correspondence to and from the U.S. State Department and embassies in more than 100 countries found that State Department officials actively promoted the commercialization of specific biotech seeds, according to the report issued by Food & Water Watch, a nonprofit consumer protection group.
The officials tried to quash public criticism of particular companies and facilitated negotiations between foreign governments and seed companies such as Monsanto over issues like patents and intellectual property, the report said.
The cables show U.S. diplomats supporting Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, in foreign countries even after it paid $1.5 million in fines after being charged with bribing an Indonesian official and violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in 2005.
One 2009 cable shows the embassy in Spain seeking “high-level U.S. government intervention” at the “urgent request” of Monsanto to combat biotech crop opponents there, according to the Food & Water Watch report.
The report covered cables from 2005-2009 that were released by Wikileaks in 2010 as part of a much larger release by Wikileaks of a range of diplomatic cables it obtained.
Monsanto spokesman Tom Helscher said Monsanto believes it is critical to maintain an open dialogue with government authorities and trade groups in other countries.
“We remain committed to sharing information so that individuals can better understand our business and our commitments to support farmers throughout the world as they work to meet the agriculture demands of our world’s growing population,” he said.
State Department officials had no immediate comment when contacted about the report.
Food & Water Watch said the cables it examined provide a detailed account of how far the State Department goes to support and promote the interests of the agricultural biotech industry, which has had a hard time gaining acceptance in many foreign markets.
“It really goes beyond promoting the U.S.’s biotech industry and agriculture,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch. “It really gets down to twisting the arms of countries and working to undermine local democratic movements that may be opposed to biotech crops, and pressuring foreign governments to also reduce the oversight of biotech crops.”
But U.S. officials, Monsanto and many other companies and industry experts routinely say that biotech crops are needed around the world to increase global food production as population expands. They maintain that the crops are safe and make farming easier and more environmentally sustainable.
PROMOTION THROUGH PAMPHLETS, DVDs?
The cables show that State Department officials directed embassies to “troubleshoot problematic legislation” that might hinder biotech crop development and to “encourage the development and commercialization of ag-biotech products”.
The State Department also produced pamphlets in Slovenia promoting biotech crops, sent pro-biotech DVDs to high schools in Hong Kong and helped bring foreign officials and media from 17 countries to the United States to promote biotech agriculture, Food & Water Watch said.
Genetically altered crops are widely used in the United States. Crops spliced with DNA from other species are designed to resist pests and tolerate chemical applications, and since their introduction in the mid 1990s have come to dominate millions of acres of U.S. farmland.
The biotech crops are controversial with some groups and in many countries because some studies have shown harmful health impacts for humans and animals, and the crops have been associated with some environmental problems.
They also generally are more expensive than conventional crops, and the biotech seed developers patent the high-tech seeds so farmers using them have to buy new seed every season, a factor that makes them unappealing in some developing nations.
Many countries ban planting of biotech crops or have strict labeling requirements.
“It’s appalling that the State Department is complicit in supporting their (the biotech seed industry’s) goals despite public and government opposition in several countries,” said Ronnie Cummins, executive director of nonprofit organization Organic Consumers Association.
“American taxpayer’s money should not be spent advancing the goals of a few giant biotech companies.”
Also on HuffPost:
s. taxpayers footing the bill to make europe take ge seeds –
what is your take on the preserve nj bill? heard this am in nj senate
I oppose the sales tax bill, if that’s thew one you are referring to.
I’m disappointed that I was not in NJ to testify against it.
Bad public policy to finance capital investments (land acquisition) out of operating revenues. It is simply obscene in a time of structural deficits and huge diversions of environmental funds to close Chrisite’s budget gaps and pay for corporate tax breaks and the failure of wealthy people to pay their fair share.
I find it disgraceful that some environmental groups on the KIG coalition are so selfish – taking money away from schools, health care, food, and desperately needed social programs to transfer taxpayer dollars to real estate speculators and rich landowners is an obscenity. ANd when you consider that that are being PAID taxpayer dollars for not destroying the landscape and water quality of their neighbors, well, that’s beyond obscene and verging toward absurd and evil.
@Bill Wolfe
Amen, brother Wolfe! 🙂
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