By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Aug 3, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Even famous American diplomat Madeline Albright makes mistakes. In her own words, read about the pin that angered Vladimir Putin and made her think twice about what she wears. [Newsweek]
Americans, take a vacation! This infographic captures how truly overworked the American workforce is. [Good Magazine]
In an ugly budget battle, Representative Gabby Giffords’ appearance in Congress puts the debate in perspective. [Time]
Marvel takes a step in the right direction with its newest Spiderman. Meet Miles Morales, a half-black, half-Latino teenager. [Washington Post]
After many self-inflicted wounds, Rod Jetton’s life is healing, he says.
Approaching two years after accusations surfaced of an assault on a Sikeston, Mo., woman during a sexual encounter with her, the former Missouri House speaker wrote a blog about his personal and political free fall at therecoveringpolitician.com. It appeared July 22 and was the first time Jetton had addressed the issue publicly.
Jetton pleaded guilty May 27 to a reduced charge of misdemeanor assault with the admission he struck a woman in the face and choked her during sex at her Sikeston home in November 2009. The victim had previously testified in court that after finishing one glass of wine she started to drift in and out of consciousness.
Attorneys for the victim and for Jetton said they were ready to move on once the guilty plea was reached. That appears to be the case for Jetton, in some respects. While he still carries a tattered reputation, he says his life has become much more content recently.
Jetton, divorced about a month before the assault, has married again. He now works at a growing civil engineering company in Poplar Bluff, Mo., where he helps with sales, marketing and public relations plans.
A tumultuous era began, according to his blog, once he was elected as a state representative. Over time, his political pursuits and self-indulgence ruled, and ruined, his life.
Rod Jetton says he is turning his life around after what he called self-inflicted wounds.
Jetton was a rising Republican star, ascending to speaker of the Missouri House. But in May, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor assault, admitting he struck a woman in the face and choked her during sex at her home in Sikeston.
The Southeast Missourian reports that Jetton used a blog at therecoveringpolitician.com to make his first public comments about the issue. He says he has married again and now works at a growing civil engineering firm in Poplar Bluff.
For as long as I can remember, complaints about “dysfunctional” government have permeated the public dialogue about Washington.
I was swept into congress in 2006 on a tide of “change” and swept out in 2011 as the pendulum swung the other way. During my time as a candidate and as a member I was enmeshed in a system that prized raising money above all as the key to credibility, power and effectiveness.
I was good at raising money. I set fundraising records in my small home state both as a candidate for the House and during my Senate run. I loved my work and my colleagues. I worked with high-minded people who wanted to do the best they could for the American people.
I also saw that or campaign financing system had developed into a system which was often at odds with the best interests of the people who we served. “Money talks, nobody walks” was an advertisement from my youth. In our system, money talks and those with it ride comfortably while those without walk behind. The power of money gives disproportionate power to those who have it and threatens the fabric of our democracy.
I felt first hand the deleterious effects of the abhorrent Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United case as unnamed corporate interests barraged my state’s airwaves with millions of dollars in ads tearing me down. The money and the pursuit of it subtly corrode even the most principaled representative. The first time a member thinks to him or herself “If I vote this way, I’ll lose X”, that subtle corrosion is at work.
I was privileged the other day to sit on a panel with former Republican Senator Larry Pressler at the screening of a film titled “Priceless”. Go see the film. Think about how much easier it would be to get things done with a change in our campaign finance system.
Visit the website of Americans for Campaign Reform. I believe changing the way we finance elections is at the core of ensuring the future of our representative democracy.
By Stephanie Doctrow, RP Staff, on Wed Jul 27, 2011 at 1:30 PM ET
Rest in peace, Amy Winehouse. This piece from Time magazine discusses her struggle with drug addiction, and how her story can shine a light on helping others with similar problems. [Time]
A young girl’s dream of providing clean water to families in developing nations lives on, even after her tragic death. [CNN]
Nafissatou Diallo was a hotel maid who went in to clean Dominique Strauss-Kahn’s room and left as the center of a scandal. Now, she tells her story. [Newsweek]
For a little levity, check out Esquire’s list of other “Gangs of Six” that weren’t as successful as the group in the Senate today. [Esquire]
By Loranne Ausley, on Wed Jul 27, 2011 at 8:30 AM ET
I have just re-read my inaugural post from April 27, 2010 and it is hard to believe that only 3 months have passed. Way back in April I was trying to figure out what to do with all of the extra time on my hands, struggling with being on the “other side of the fence” and in a general state of malaise as I watched the Florida legislature dismantle everything that I care about.
In the past 3 months, I have joined my husband’s law firm, and started a new statewide progressive research and messaging effort. Our son has graduated from 2nd grade, I have completed 6 triathlons, and we have driven across the country.
There really is nothing like a cross country road trip. I set off with a dear friend from law school and our two sons (ages 8 and 9) from Atlanta in late June. Our final destination was Driggs, ID, but we took THE LONG WAY. I mean what fun is a cross country trip without crashing on a friend’s couch (at age 47 with my 8 year old) and doing a half ironman (in Lubbock, TX during a heat wave/drought)? Nine days and over 3,000 miles later we made it to our final destination with a van load full of laughs and memories.
While my last post was written from a remote barrier island in Florida, today I am writing from the western side of the Grand Teton range – looking at what I believe is the most beautiful view of The Grand Teton — from the back side. I could stare at that mountain all day long – and sometimes I do. Something about the wide open plains that reveal themselves to the dramatic, majestic Tetons has always been magical to this flatlander. It doesn’t hurt that the average high temperature out here is about 85 while the rest of the country is suffering through a major heat wave.
One of the highlights of this trip has been the opportunity for our 8 year old to attend a Rock & Roll Music Camp out here. While the camp is for entering 6th graders and up, they made an exception and let Will participate (thanks to pushy mom who insisted he could handle it…before I told them he was legally blind).
Bipartisan meetings continue to fail to produce results on the debt crisis
If you watched the TV show Lost, you probably sat through some episodes (or seasons) and found yourself, well, lost. That’s the same way I feel trying to wade through the muck coming out of Washington lately. Some days, the debt crisis seems like a grade-AAA fiasco. Other days, I wonder if this is all just a bunch of pre-primary fear-mongering.
Last night, President Barack Obama started his first prime-time address on the debt crisis with guns ablaze against George W. Bush’s tenure. Speaker John Boehner did not mention the words “revenue” or “loopholes” or “tax code” once. Really? Compromise? President Obama, don’t you remember your campaign line about this being the United States of America, not the Blue States or Red States of America? Speaker Boehner, don’t you remember when, only days ago, you put your support behind a plan that sought to raise nearly $800 million in revenue? IS ANYBODY LISTENING?!?
It’s hard to keep track of all the plans the Beltway crowd has sent our way. Grand Bargain? Give me a break, Mr. President. Henry Clay would be disappointed. Constitutional amendment? Uh, remember the 18th Amendment? That’s what happens when people make lofty decisions without considering all of the potential consequences. The Gang of Six? They say a group starts losing productivity when the membership exceeds seven people – maybe that’s why the plan makes some sense. But, until the Six make like Ross Perot and explain the plan to the public, our skepticism will remain.
As America approaches her debt ceiling, we are nearing our Regret Ceiling. Most people think that Congress will raise the debt ceiling by August 2nd. If our representatives and president fail us, here are a few of the regrets to expect:
By Jonathan Miller, on Tue Jul 26, 2011 at 12:00 PM ET
If you’ve read former Missouri House Speaker Rod Jetton’s stunningly candid pieces on his rise, scandal and renewal, you probably have a lot of questions that his post raised.
So did the RP. Here, he interviews Rod Jetton for the RPTV feature, “Fifteen Minutes of Fame.” Rod elaborates on many of the themes in his column, and talks from the heart about the nature of public services in today’s era. Enjoy:
Then, the Washington Post, via its popular political columnist, Chris Cillizza (aka, “the Fix”) name-dropped the RP when discussing the rapid rise of No Labels, the new grassroots movement uniting Democrats, Republicans, and Independents who believe that on occasion we need to put aside our labels to do what’s right for the country:
Given all of the above, advocates of a third party — or at the very least another viable option in the 2012 presidential race — seem to be sprouting up all over.
The two most prominent are Americans Elect, a group aimed at winning ballot access for an eventual third-party candidate, and No Labels, an organization filled with high-profile names — including former George W. Bush media consultant Mark McKinnon and former Kentucky state treasurer Jonathan Miller — designed as an online home for the politically disaffected. “If you build it (ballot access), they (candidates and voters) will come,” McKinnon said in an e-mail.
No Labels says it advocates for bipartisan solutions to problems and not a third-party presidential candidate.
Please note that the RP — like the No Labels movement in general — is not an advocate of a third party or a third-party presidential candidate. He was an early supporter of Barack Obama in 2008 and remains a strong supporter of his reelection. Other No Labels members support one or another of the GOP presidential candidates. They all agree, however, that particularly in light of today’s extraordinary debt ceiling crisis, it is important that we come together in times of national import to arrive at bipartisan compromise in the country’s interest.
This concluding post will complete the story of how I finally got my life back on track.
I don’t know if you believe in God or not, but I DO! In December of 2009, God finally had enough of my wayward ways and allowed my choices to get me into a situation that only he could help me through.
After spending the night with a lady I had reconnected with on Facebook, I was charged with felony assault. The press, along with my enemies, had a heyday, and I immediately shut my consulting business down.
Soon after that, I was notified that I was a target of a federal grand jury investigation surrounding my handling of a bill in the 2005 legislative session.
Needless to say I started 2010 broke, with no job, very few friends and lots of time on my hands. As bad as my troubles were at the time, looking back now, I’m thankful for them. Life passes by so quickly, and very few of us get the chance to sit down and contemplate what is important. My troubles gave me a chance to analyze my bad choices and personal weaknesses.
With my pride stripped away, I was able to honestly evaluate my past actions. I saw how foolish I had been to put my family on the back burner. I learned how bitterness toward my enemies had made me a bitter person to everyone around me. The hardest thing for me to admit was that I wasn’t the same friendly and caring guy who had gone to Jefferson City in 2000.
Read the rest of… Rod Jetton: Success, Scandal & Change, Part 3-Downfall and Renewal
