Motley Moose – Archive

I sat down at my keyboard this morning ready to write about the 2016 presidential election, this time to weigh in on the Democratic Party’s nominating contest. I had read a troubling interview, from the Sunday morning talk shows, given by one of the not-quite-announced Democratic candidates and it reminded me of how important it is to keep our eye on the big picture.

After scanning my news feed, I found that I didn’t have to start from scratch because Michael Tomasky, in an article in the 150th Anniversary Edition of The Nation, had already made many of my points for me. His piece, snarkily titled “Lesser-Evilism We Can Believe In” included a sub-heading that asks this important question: “Should we put government in the hands of a party determined to subvert it, or a party – however flawed – that believes it still has a role to play in securing the common good?”

(p.s. I chose the latter)

Mr. Tomasky begins with a story from his time working for a Democratic legislator during the Reagan Administration, specifically trying to find someone in the Labor Department who was willing to enforce government regulations. Then he pivoted to 2016:

When we on the broad liberal-left have one of our quadrennial debates about whether to support the sellout Democratic presidential nominee or cast a “strategic” vote of protest for a Green or other third-party candidate, the debate is almost entirely about the personal and political merits and demerits of the two individuals. And the two usual tentpoles of the conversation are that the putative nominee is a timorous corporate hack who won’t come anywhere near bringing about the needed fundamental change, and that, yes, the nominee may well be that, but he or she is in numerous ways far better than the Republican alternative and thus the “lesser of two evils,” in the argot. […]

But the right way to think about one’s vote for president is to think about the presidency not as a person, but as a thing-a huge, sprawling, complex, cumbrous, many-tentacled thing. The executive branch is … thousands of people doing thousands of things: big things, like setting Middle East policy, and small things, like making sure a few painters in central West Virginia are getting a fair wage for federal contract work.

(Bolding mine)

Why is this so important to keep front and center? Because one party does not believe in the value of government and one party does. And because we can’t afford to waste a vote in protest, or really, waste our time bemoaning a lack of perfect alignment with our nominee:

When you think of the presidency in these terms (thousands of people making many thousands of decisions, across all federal agencies and departments), Hillary Clinton’s various and real ideological impurities become less central, and the idea that the executive branch will be staffed either by people who think they ought to carry out the mission of the agency they work for, or by people who are scheming to subvert that mission, becomes pivotal. And this is why I say that no matter who the candidate is-no matter how deeply in hock to Wall Street, no matter how tepid her (ahem) inequality platform-the responsible person of the left must vote for the Democrat. Not strategically, but on principle. And not sometimes, or only in the states where it might truly matter. Everywhere, and every time.

That bears repeating:

… the responsible person of the left must vote for the Democrat … Everywhere, and every time.

One theme often heard from the purity-at-all-costs wing of the Democratic Party  is the scenario where the party nominates the purest candidate, that candidate goes down in flames in the general election, the Republicans take over and destroy all that we hold dear, and then the masses clamor for the left to save them. What actually happens when the Republicans are put in charge (see Bush, George W.) is that they drag us into foreign wars of choice, the economy is destroyed for all but the .01%, people die and/or lose their homes and life savings … and the next Democratic president has to spend all of his political capitol keeping the country from falling into a deep depression and extricating our country from the foreign wars.

Back to the present. Tomasky doesn’t think we should give up on nudging our party to the left. Strong liberal ideas and intelligent men and women developing good government programs to make people’s lives better are the bedrock of our party. He simply thinks that we should use other methods to get our point across:

Build a labor movement. Elect more Sherrod Browns, where possible. Apply whatever pressure you possibly can to Democrats to make them tackle issues like inequality more directly. There are ways. But casting a protest vote is probably the single least effective way to nudge Democrats to the left. […] There are many ways to protest in this country. People should pursue them all with zeal – except in the presidential voting booth.

(I recommend reading the entire piece for more backstory and some additional excellent advice)

What is at stake? Those thousands of bureaucratic jobs, the agencies that people desperately need to survive, and the Supreme Court where good laws passed by Democratic Congresses are being hacked up by ideologues (a Democratic president elected in 2016 will likely have 3 or 4 Supreme Court choices and hundreds of district and appellate court selections). Without Congress, we won’t have much forward momentum on our agenda. But without the executive branch and the judicial branch, good government programs will simply get dismantled, something we cannot afford.

The author leaves us with this:

No Democratic president is ever going to be everything one wants. But too many millions of Americans need the many-tentacled presidency to be working for them rather than against them.

We need to nominate the candidate with the best chance of winning. Period.

Elections matter. And in 2016, losing the presidency is not an option.  

   

A look at two men named Jim Marshall (from different sides of the Atlantic) who influenced the world of rock musicians – one made its equipment, the other photographed it – after the jump …

Jim Marshall was a good photographer … who became a legendary one because of what he captured for people. On album covers of the 1960’s and 70’s, I saw numerous excellent musicians pictured with Photo by Jim Marshall as the caption. There were both obviously posed photos, as well as numerous “down-time” photos that showed their non-stage persona. Like his English namesake, this Jim Marshall was in the right place at the right time: allowed unlimited access in those more freewheeling days, yet Jim Marshall also engendered a sense of trust with his subjects.

He was born in Chicago in 1936, with his family eventually relocating to the Bay Area. He became an avid photographer in high school before serving in Air Force. Known to have at least one Leica camera with him at all times, he relocated to New York after military service and was hired as a staff photographer by both Columbia and Atlantic Records in the early 1960’s. This was the career break to-end-all, and over time his photos graced more than 500 album covers.

   

Besides rock and roll, he often photographed other artists that performed in the San Francisco Bay Area (when he relocated back there later in the 1960’s). These included the comic Lenny Bruce, to country music star Johnny Cash … yes, it was Jim Marshall who took this legendary image backstage at San Quentin, when Jim Marshall said, “John, let’s do a shot for the warden”.

   

In addition to his live concert shots and posed portraits … as noted, he engendered such trust that his photos also included downtime photos such as these.

   

And for many years, he captured images of the jazz stars who passed through the city’s clubs (such as the Black Hawk and Keystone Korner) from John Coltrane to Miles Davis (L-to-R).

   

In the introduction to his 1997 retrospective book Not Fade Away, Jim wrote:

When I’m photographing people, I don’t like to give any direction. There are no hair people fussing around, no makeup artists. I’m like a reporter, only with a camera; I react to my subject in their environment, and if it’s going well, I get so immersed in it that I become one-with-the-camera.

Another break occurred when Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 – and their use of his photographs enabled him to cultivate bonds with rock musicians (as the magazine was considered quite a counter-cultural publication back then). In addition, he was the only photographer allowed backstage at the last Beatles concert in San Francisco in 1966, and being based in that city with the musical acts passing through Bill Graham’s Fillmore venues (plus the Monterey Pop Festival) meant that he saw everyone.

He was designated the chief photographer at the 1969 Woodstock Festival, and I recall visiting a New York art gallery in 1981 that showed just a few of his concert photos: one could almost hear the sound coming out of them. He was, if you will, the Annie Leibovitz of his day: having the sort of backstage access that only someone like Annie could command in today’s “Have your people talk to my people” days. Indeed, Annie herself called him “the rock ‘n’ roll photographer.”

Jim Marshall died five years ago this month – as mentioned, he was featured (in miniature) in my first Top Comments diary five years ago yesterday – in New York City at the age of 74.

His rock photos are captured in Not Fade Away as previously noted, but also in several other books of photography. And just last year, Marshall’s photography appeared in the new book The Haight: Love, Rock, and Revolution written by Joel Selvin.

Also just last year, the Grammy foundation awarded him the first Trustees Award ever given to a photographer. Tributes were made by his peer (Henry Diltz) and this by Graham Nash:

The world is a better place because of the talent and vision of my friend Jim Marshall. He, of course, took countless iconic photographs over the years and always brought a deeper insight into the world of photography and music. His images can be likened to haiku poetry: everything in its proper place … no “extra” information … only the very essences necessary to convey what he wants us to see. Never one to be dissuaded from a good shot, he opened our eyes to the wonders of his portraits. Jim’s images always have a sense of completeness and his ability to compose instantly is renowned. It’s possible that I took the last portrait of Jim shortly before his untimely passing. Jim may be gone but his images will absolutely stand the test of time and be around for us to see and enjoy for years to come.

   

The other focus of this essay is also named Jim Marshall – a man who began life a sickly young boy, became a jazz drummer, found work as an electrical engineer for a day job, then became a drum teacher, next opening a drum shop, later selling guitars … and finally branching into guitar amplifiers, which made his last name famous around the world. Famous enough, in fact, to be recognized by Queen Elizabeth.

Known as the Father of Loud, he is considered by rock guitarists to be among the Four Forefathers of the modern electric guitar sound. The other three? Leo Fender (of electric guitar, bass and amplifier fame), Les Paul (with his signature guitars for Gibson) and the least well-known of the group, Seth Lover – who created the hum-cancelling electric guitar pick-ups – the rectangular devices on the body of an electric guitar (under the strings) that convert sound to electrical impulses (which the amplifier later converts back to sound) – known as humbucking pick-ups, when he worked for Gibson Guitars. Together, those four individuals (and others) shaped rock and roll.  

James Charles Marshall was born in West London in July, 1923 and as a child was diagnosed with tubercular bones – spending years in the hospital cocooned in a plaster cast. Mercifully he outgrew the disease by his teens, but this condition exempted him (as a seventeen year-old) from World War II and during the war years he began as a band singer.

As an electrical engineer, he built a portable PA system (so his vocals could be heard) and then – when the drummer was drafted into the war effort in 1942 – Jim became a drummer, as well. He hitched a trailer to his bicycle, carrying his drums and PA system behind him (due to war-time rationing of automobile fuel).

After the war, he took drum lessons (hoping to emulate his idol Gene Krupa) and in the 50’s became a touring drummer.

Then, he became a drum teacher himself later that decade, with a few students who later made their mark on British rock music. These included Mick Underwood (with Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan and Peter Frampton), Micky Waller (with Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck) and especially Mitch Mitchell (from the Jimi Hendrix Experience).

All of these earnings helped him open a drum shop in the west of London in 1960. As the folk music (and later rock music) boom came – plus, the fact that drummers brought their bandmates with them – he added guitars and amplifiers to his inventory and soon he began to have customers who would later leave their own mark on the music world: Ritchie Blackmore (later of Deep Purple) and Pete Townshend (later of The Who).

In time, they convinced Marshall there was a market for amplifiers that were (a) less expensive than the imported American models, (b) having a more raw (and less ‘clean’) rocking sound, and (c) were more powerful and louder, as well. With his electrical engineering background, Jim Marshall set-out to fulfill his customer’s needs: hiring an 18 year-old EMI music electronics apprentice named Dudley Craven at the suggestion of Jim Marshall’s shop repairman … and then founding Marshall Electronics in 1962.

It took five tries before Craven (and the rest of the team) created a model that gave the type of sound that Britain’s young guitarists wanted ….. but when they did, it created a sound that – while Marshall amps are not exactly known for their wide range of sounds – have been popular for over fifty years.

Today on concert stages around the world, you will see a Marshall head (the smaller, electronics/tube component) sitting on top of a (Celestion) speaker cabinet … and often two stacked-together, with the top cabinet angled (with a young Eric Clapton shown above). Originally, Jim Marshall did the top cabinet angle only for stylistic reasons – but discovered later that the top two speakers face upwards slightly, thus allowing higher frequencies to cut through over a distance.

Musicians have been known to have placed multiple stacks on-stage …. for which some are empty (to create an effect). And in the 1984 cult film This is Spinal Tap – a Marshall amp is shown to have a volume control which (like most manufacturers) goes from 0 – 10 … but in this film, it goes … to “11”.

Jim Marshall went on to receive much recognition for his creation: winning a 1984 Queen’s Award for Export, asked to contribute his handprints in 1985 to the Rock & Roll Walk of Fame and in 2003 received a knighthood from Queen Elizabeth, for his services to the music industry … and charity.

And the charity portion was due to the fact that Jim Marshall never forgot the treatment he had received for TB in his youth, donating a great deal of money to his old hospital in particular and medical charities as well.

Jim Marshall died in April, 2012 at the age of 88. Tributes came in from around the world of rock, there is a 2003 biography entitled Jim Marshall: The Father of Loud and a theater is named after him in his adopted hometown of Milton Keynes, England.

   

For a music choice: there is no better person than yet-another Jim Marshall. Well, to be precise: one James Marshall Hendrix. Jimi Hendrix came to England in mid-1966, and was looking for a set-up that worked with his enormous sound. Unsurprisingly, he fell in love with the sound of Jim Marshall’s amplifiers and asked his drummer Mitch Mitchell to introduce him.

Knowing that Mitch knew me, Jimi said to him, “I’ve just got to have this Marshall stuff because it sounds so good. I also wouldn’t mind meeting up with this character who has got my name-James Marshall.”

I must admit, when Mitch introduced me to Jimi, I immediately thought, “Christ, here we go again-another American wanting something for nothing.” Thankfully, I was dead wrong. The very first thing Jimi said to me was, “I’ve got to use your stuff, but I don’t want anything given to me. I want to pay the full asking price.” That impressed me greatly, but then he added, “I am going to need service wherever I am in the world, though.” My initial reaction was, “Blimey, he’s going to expect me to put an engineer on a plane every time a valve (tube) needs replacing. It’s going to cost me a bloody fortune!”

Instead, I suggested our staff teach Hendrix’s tech, Gerry Stickells, basic amp-servicing skills, such as changing and biaising the valves. He must have been a very good learner, because we were never called on to sort out any problems.

And for the rest of his (short) career, one always saw Jimi photographed in front of a Marshall stack. That’s because the photographer Jim Marshall often photographed him – and especially at Jimi’s triumphant return to the US at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 (as well as at Woodstock, two years later).

   

One of the songs Jimi played at Monterey was from his landmark debut album Are You Experienced – a more subdued tune called The Wind Cries Mary where I first heard how versatile his sound was; not limited to high-decibels. And below you can hear it.

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

…

The President’s Weekly Address post is also an Open News Thread. Feel free to share other news stories in the comments.

From the White House – Weekly Address

In this week’s address, the President highlighted the progress made protecting American consumers since he signed Wall Street reform into law five years ago, including an important new step taken by the independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau earlier this week toward preventing abuses in payday lending.

The President emphasized his commitment to fighting to advance middle-class economics and ensure everybody who works hard can get ahead, while opposing attempts by Republicans both to weaken the CFPB and give large tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the middle class.

Transcript: Weekly Address: Protecting Working Americans’ Paychecks

Hi, everybody.  Five years ago, after the worst financial crisis in decades, we passed historic Wall Street reform to end the era of bailouts and too big to fail.

As part that reform, we created an independent Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with one mission: to protect American consumers from some of the worst practices of the financial industry.

They’ve already put $5 billion back in the pockets of more than 15 million families.  And this week, they took an important first step towards cracking down on some of the most abusive practices involving payday loans.

Millions of Americans take out these loans every year.  In Alabama, where I visited this week, there are four times as many payday lending stores as there are McDonald’s.  But while payday loans might seem like easy money, folks often end up trapped in a cycle of debt.  If you take out a $500 loan, it’s easy to wind up paying more than $1,000 in interest and fees.

The step the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced this week is designed to change that.  The idea is pretty common sense: if you’re a payday lender preparing to give a loan, you should make sure that the borrower can afford to pay it back first.

As Americans, we believe there’s nothing wrong with making a profit.  But there is something wrong with making that profit by trapping hard-working men and women in a vicious cycle of debt.  

Protecting working Americans’ paychecks shouldn’t be a partisan issue.  But the budget Republicans unveiled last week would make it harder, not easier, to crack down on financial fraud and abuse.  And this week, when Republicans rolled out their next economic idea, it had nothing to do with the middle class.  It was a new, more-than-$250 billion tax cut for the top one-tenth of the top one percent of Americans.  That would mean handing out an average tax cut of $4 million a year to just 4,000 Americans per year, and leaving the rest of the country to pay for it.

I don’t think our top economic priority should be helping a tiny number of Americans who are already doing extraordinarily well, and asking everybody else to foot the bill.  I think our top priority should be helping everybody who works hard get ahead.  This country does best when everyone gets their fair shot, everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules.

That’s what middle-class economics is all about, and as long as I’m your President, that’s what I’ll keep on fighting to do.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

Bolding added.

~

President Obama spoke yesterday in Birmingham Alabama at Lawson State Community College. He mentioned that Congress passed a bill (insert shock emoticon here) but that they also released their budget. That budget gifts the richest Americans at the expense of middle and low income workers.

The emphasis of the speech was new rules to be issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) which will protect consumers from abusive payday lending practices.

We were hearing a story from some of the advocates who were working here in Alabama, a story about a family — the grandmother died, matriarch of the family.  She passed away.  They don’t have quite enough to pay for the funeral.  They go to a payday loan, borrow for the funeral; can’t pay back the loan in time; the family’s car gets taken away.  And the two folks who are the breadwinners in that family lose their jobs because they can’t get to work.  Right?  So what started off as a short-term emergency suddenly becomes a catastrophic financial situation for that family.

And you don’t need to be a math genius to know that it’s a pretty bad deal if you’re borrowing $500 and you have to pay back $1,000 in interest.  […]

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the CFPB, announced today that it’s going to take important steps towards protecting consumers from getting stuck into these cycles of debt.  (Applause.)  

And the idea is pretty common sense:  If you lend out money, you have to first make sure that the borrower can afford to pay it back.  Don’t lend somebody money if you know they can’t pay it back.  

As Americans, we don’t mind seeing folks make a profit.  And if somebody lends you money, then we expect you to charge interest on that loan.  But if you’re making that profit by trapping hardworking Americans into a vicious cycle of debt, you got to find a new business model.  You got to find a new way of doing business.  (Applause.)  

He expressed his hope that Congress would support his initiatives and he left his audience with this:

We’re also a country that was built on the idea that everybody gets a fair shot and that we put laws in place to make sure that folks aren’t taken advantage of. When this country does not live up to its promise of fairness and opportunity for all people, we’re all hurt.  (Applause.)  When we do live up to those promises, all of us are better off.    

Back in 2008, I came to Birmingham as a candidate for this office, and I said, “There is nothing we cannot do if the American people decide it’s time.”  Seven years later, I still believe there is nothing we cannot do if we decide it is time. (Applause.)  We’re all in this thing together, Alabama.  We’ve been through some tough times together, but we’re coming back together.  If we decide this is our time, then together we’re going to write the next great chapter in this country’s history.

Congress did pass a bill and we can all applaud that. But the American people need to stand up and say “it’s time — time to cast aside the party of the have-mores and embrace living wages for everyone who wants to work hard”.

Transcript: Remarks by the President on Middle Class Economics

3:27 P.M. CDT

THE PRESIDENT:  Hello, Alabama!  (Applause.)  Hello, Lawson State Community College!  (Applause.)  Well, it’s good to be here.  Thank you so much.  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  We love you!

THE PRESIDENT:  I love you back!  I do!  Thank you.  (Applause.)  Everybody, have a seat.  Have a seat.  I’m going to talk for a second.  Everybody please give Ollie a big round of applause, please.  (Applause.)  I felt a little bad because Ollie said “a man who needs no introduction,” so I started walking out. (Laughter.)  Then it turned out she had a little introduction.  (Laughter.)  But it is wonderful to be here.

Let me just say, first of all, thank you to Dr. Ward — (applause) — who is not only your president; we named him a White House “Champion of Change” for the very work he’s done here at Lawson State.  (Applause.)  We’ve got two outstanding public servants here as well — Congresswoman Terri Sewell is here.  (Applause.)  Where’s Terri?  I don’t even see her.  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  Over here!

THE PRESIDENT:  There she is — she’s way over there.  And your Mayor, William Bell, is in the house.  (Applause.)      

So I’m here, Birmingham, to just acknowledge that I didn’t have UAB making it out of the first round.  (Laughter.)  

AUDIENCE:  Ooooh —

THE PRESIDENT:  My bracket is so busted.  (Laughter.)  But, UAB, that’s a great accomplishment.  I want to congratulate them. (Applause.)  It’s also great to be with students like those here at Lawson State, at community colleges.  (Applause.)  I’m proud of all of you.  I’m proud of you making this investment in yourselves.  What you’re doing takes effort and persistence.  And it takes faith in the idea that no matter how you started, no matter where you come from, no matter what zip code you were born in, in America if you work hard you can get ahead.  (Applause.)  

I think it was yesterday I saw a story where someone said that a visit from the President is a “potential game-changer” for the neighborhood.  I don’t know if just one visit is a game-changer, but it’s nice to be with you.  The real game-changers for any neighborhood, for any community, are the people there, the folks who, day in, day out, are doing the work, and raising families and participating in the community, and through their churches and faith institutions are trying to provide that optimism and that lift.  

And the young people who are here, you’re the game-changers — (applause) — because what you’re studying and your ability to then apply that learning, that’s going to make a difference.  The love we put into our families and our communities every day, and embracing the joys of citizenship and participation — that’s what is a game-changer.  That’s what makes a difference.  

Now, I won’t deny I can help a little bit.  (Applause.)  I can maybe make a little bit of difference.  And today, I want to talk about what we can do as a country to reward hard work, and keep the economy growing, and make sure that new jobs and opportunities exist.

The good news is, right now, we’re on a 60-month streak of private sector job creation — (applause.)  Sixty months, that’s five years, that’s a long time.  We’ve created 12 million new jobs.  Nationwide, the unemployment rate has fallen — when I came into office, that first year it was 10 percent; now it’s 5.5 percent.  (Applause.)  There are more job openings than at any time since 2001.  

Meanwhile, our high school graduation rate is up, at an all-time high.  (Applause.)  More than 16 million Americans have gained the security of health insurance.  (Applause.)  We’re producing more energy than ever before — oil and gas, but also wind power and solar power.  Meanwhile, lower gas prices should save the typical family this year about $700 at the pump.  (Applause.)  And the good news is wages are even on the rise again, and that’s going to help a lot of families.  (Applause.)  

So it’s been a long, hard road.  But thanks to the hard work of the American people, America is coming back.  So the question now is, where do we go from here?  Do we accept an economy where just a few people do really, really well?  Or are we going to keep building an economy that generates opportunity for everybody who’s willing to work?  (Applause.)    

And what I believe is, is that America does best when the middle class does better, and when ordinary folks who maybe were born into poverty are able to climb their way into the middle class, that’s good for everybody.  The economy grows best not from the top down, but from the bottom up and from the middle out.  (Applause.)  

So what we’ve been pushing is what I call middle-class economics — the idea that the country does best when everybody has got a fair shot, everybody is doing their fair share, everybody is playing by the same rules.  And we want not only everybody to share in America’s success but contribute to it, because we know that if you field the team and only half the folks get to play, that team will be less successful.  If everybody is playing a part, that team is going to be more successful.  

So what does middle-class economics mean in this new economy? It means that every American has to have the tools to get ahead in a fast-paced, constantly changing global economy.  That means that we’ve got to make sure that working families feel more secure, that their paychecks can go a little farther, that they’re getting things like paid leave and child care not as luxuries but because they help support families, that we treat those things as priorities for working moms and working dads.  

It’s time to follow the example of states and cities and companies that are raising America’s minimum wage.  That will make a difference.  (Applause.)  It means preparing Americans to earn good jobs and higher wages, which means every child getting a great education at the earliest age.  (Applause.)  Making college more affordable so young people can afford to go to college without getting burdened with debt.  (Applause.)

It means working with businesses to provide apprenticeships and on-the-job training and other paths into the middle class.  And I want to bring down the cost of community college to zero.  (Applause.)  Two years of community college should be as free and universal as high school is today.  If we’ve got the best-trained workforce in the world, then businesses will come to Alabama. They’ll come to Birmingham.  They’ll come to America.  And we will succeed.  (Applause.)  

Middle-class economics means building the most competitive economy anywhere, so we can keep churning out high-wage jobs for the workers to fill.  I want to put more people back to work rebuilding our roads and our bridges, modern ports — (applause) — faster trains, faster Internet.  We should invest in those things.  They pay off many times over.

I want to invest in basic research so that jobs and industries of the future take root here because we’ve invented new products and new services, and innovated.  And we can pay for these investments without blowing up our deficits.  We just need to reform our tax code so it helps middle-class families get ahead instead of letting folks who already got a lot get ahead.  (Applause.)  

And I have to say, these ideas are not about ideology.  The reason I’ve proposed these ideas is because we know they work.

Now, let me talk about Washington for a second.  (Laughter.) Let me just talk about Washington for a second.  The good news is that today the House of Representatives passed a bill.  (Laughter.)  No, no.  You think I’m joking.  I’m not.  (Laughter.)  It was a bipartisan bill designed to make sure that doctors in our Medicare system get paid on time; that the Children’s Health Insurance Program continues to work.  

I called the Speaker, John Boehner, and the Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi, and I said, congratulations, this is how Congress is supposed to work.  They came together; they compromised.  (Applause.)  They had a good idea.  They didn’t get everything they wanted.   They passed a bill.  Now the Senate hopefully will pass the bill, and I’ll get to sign it, and the American people will be better off for it.  And I thought, this is great.  Let’s do more of this.  (Applause.)  Let’s make it happen.  

So I want to give John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi credit.  They did good work today.  And they deserve credit, and the House of Representatives deserves credit for that.  (Applause.)

So that was the good news.  (Laughter.)  The bad news is the Republicans in Congress unveiled their budget, and it represents the opposite of middle-class economics, because it would hand out new tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, let taxes go up for students and working families because it would eliminate their tax credits on a variety of things.  It would cut investments in education to the lowest level since the year 2000.

It would double the number of Americans without health insurance.

And so you look at it and you say, what are you trying to solve with this budget?  They say the reason they wanted this budget is because we’ve got to do this to eliminate deficits and debt.

Now, keep in mind, the deficit has come down by two-thirds since I’ve been President.  (Applause.)  It’s come down by two-thirds.  And the budget I put forward would continue to keep deficits low.  

But let’s take them at their word.  They said they wanted to reduce the deficit.  Before the ink was even dry on the budget that they put forward that was already full of tax cuts for folks at the top, they rolled out their next big economic plan, which was another huge tax cut for folks at the top.  This one would cost $250 billion.  It would apply only to the top one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans.  

In Alabama, this new tax cut they’re proposing — I’ve got to laugh because it would average $2 million per person in tax cuts, and it would apply to less than 50 people per year here in Alabama.

AUDIENCE:  Oooooh —

THE PRESIDENT:  So 50 people would get an average tax break of $2 million.  Not 50,000 people — 50.  

AUDIENCE MEMBER:  “Fiddy.”

THE PRESIDENT:  “Fiddy.”  (Laughter and applause.)  

Now, what would lead you — when you’re saying you’re concerned about the deficit, what would lead you to put in your budget and then propose right after your budget something like that?  I mean, did they look at the budget — they already got tax cuts for the wealthy, for millionaires and billionaires, and then they say, you know what we forgot to put in here?  Another deficit-busting tax cut for the top one-tenth of 1 percent of Americans.  That’s what’s really going to move the country forward.  Is that what they were thinking?  I guess.  (Laughter.)  

I don’t think our top economic priority should be helping a tiny number of Americans who are already doing really, really well, and then asking everybody else to foot the bill.  (Applause.)  And keep in mind, one of the things about being President, you meet people from all walks of life.  You meet folks with very modest incomes.  You meet the wealthiest people in the world.  And let me just say, some of these folks at the very top, the top one-tenth of 1 percent, are wonderful people.  Warren Buffet is a great friend of mine.  They’ve done amazing things.  They’ve invested.  They’ve created businesses.  They deserve great success.  But they really don’t need a tax cut.  (Laughter.)  

And if you talk to them, they’ll tell you, “I already got a couple planes, I already got a boat — (laughter) — I already got five or six houses — I’m okay.”  (Laughter.)  And the idea that you would do it at the same time as you’re eliminating tax credits for students or working families — that doesn’t make sense.  

Our top priority should be helping everybody who works hard get ahead.  (Applause.)  It doesn’t mean everybody is going to be equal.  It doesn’t mean that we’re going to punish people who started businesses and taking risks.  They should be rewarded.  But we want to make sure everybody has a chance to do okay if they’re working hard.

And that brings me to one of the main reasons that I’m here in Birmingham today.  One of the main ways to make sure paychecks to go farther is to make sure working families don’t get ripped off.  (Applause.)  Right?  And that’s why we’ve taken action to protect Americans from financial advisors who don’t necessarily have the interests of their clients at heart.  That’s why we’ve taken steps to protect student borrowers from unaffordable debt. We want them to know before they owe.  

It’s why, five years ago, we passed historic Wall Street reform to end this era of “too big to fail,” where banks on Wall Street, some of them would make reckless bets, and then everybody else would have to clean up after them.  And why we’ve been working to protect people so that they understand mortgages, and they don’t buy homes they can’t afford and end up in a situation not only hurting themselves, but hurting the financial system.

And that’s why, as part of this reform, we created an independent consumer watchdog with just one mission, and that is to look out for all of you.  And it’s called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — or CFPB.  (Applause.)  Now, these folks — the CFPB, it hasn’t been around a long time, but because of the work they’ve done — it’s not a big agency, but they’ve already put over $5 billion back into the pockets of more than 15 million families.  (Applause.)  Because they’ve taken on unfair lending practices and unscrupulous mortgage brokers.  And they’ve gotten refunds for folks, and are working with state and local officials to make sure that people are protected when it comes to their finances.  Because if you work hard, you shouldn’t be taken advantage of.  (Applause.)  

And today, they’re taking new steps towards cracking down on some of the most abusive practices involving payday loans and title loans. (Applause.)

Now, Ollie was talking about this in a very personal way.  I want to just break this down for folks.  Every year, millions of Americans take out these payday loans — here in Alabama, there are four times as many payday lending stores as there are McDonald’s.  Think about that.  Because there are a lot of McDonald’s.  (Laughter.)  There are four times as many payday loan operations here in Alabama as there are McDonald’s.  

Now, what they’ll say, the folks who run these things — in theory, what they’ll say is these loans help you deal with a one-time expense.  So your car breaks down, you got to get to work; you go there, cash a check real quick, or get a quick loan, and then that’s the end of it.  In reality, most payday loans aren’t taken out for one-time expenses.  They’re taken out to pay for previous loans.  You borrow money to pay for the money you already borrowed.  

As Ollie will tell you, before you know it, you find yourselves trapped in a cycle of debt.  At first it seems like easy money.  But the average borrower ends up spending about 200 days out of the year in debt.  You take out a $500 loan at the rates that they’re charging in these payday loans — some cases 450 percent interest — you wind up paying more than $1,000 in interest and fees on the $500 that you borrowed.

We were hearing a story from some of the advocates who were working here in Alabama, a story about a family — the grandmother died, matriarch of the family.  She passed away.  They don’t have quite enough to pay for the funeral.  They go to a payday loan, borrow for the funeral; can’t pay back the loan in time; the family’s car gets taken away.  And the two folks who are the breadwinners in that family lose their jobs because they can’t get to work.  Right?  So what started off as a short-term emergency suddenly becomes a catastrophic financial situation for that family.

And you don’t need to be a math genius to know that it’s a pretty bad deal if you’re borrowing $500 and you have to pay back $1,000 in interest.  

So I just met with faith leaders and consumer advocates and civil rights leaders here in Alabama who are coming together to change that.  And I want to say that this is a bipartisan effort. You’ve got some very conservative folks here in Alabama who recognize — they’re reading their Bible, they’re saying, well, that ain’t right.  (Laughter and applause.)  Right?  I mean, they’re saying the Bible is not wild about somebody charging $1,000 worth of interest on a $500 loan.  Because it feels like you’re taking advantage of somebody.  If you’re lending to somebody, knowing they can’t pay you back, and you’re going to put them on the hook and just squeeze them harder and harder and harder and take more and more money out of them, you’re taking advantage of them.

And so I’m very proud of the bipartisan effort here in Alabama to try to change this.  But I want everybody to know they’re not going to have to fight alone.  Because at the federal level, the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, the CFPB, announced today that it’s going to take important steps towards protecting consumers from getting stuck into these cycles of debt.  (Applause.)  

And the idea is pretty common sense:  If you lend out money, you have to first make sure that the borrower can afford to pay it back.  Don’t lend somebody money if you know they can’t pay it back.  

As Americans, we don’t mind seeing folks make a profit.  And if somebody lends you money, then we expect you to charge interest on that loan.  But if you’re making that profit by trapping hardworking Americans into a vicious cycle of debt, you got to find a new business model.  You got to find a new way of doing business.  (Applause.)  

So this is just one more way that America’s new consumer watchdog is making sure more of your paycheck stays in your pocket.  And in the meantime, we’re also going to be working to educate folks on how to think about their money.  

We were talking to Dr. Ward, and through the community college process, through consumer advocates at the local level, in the high schools, we need to be teaching young people the dangers of taking out too much consumer debt.  (Applause.)  

And this is one more way that Wall Street reform — what we passed five years ago — is protecting working families and taxpayers.  And that strengthens the economy.  

And that’s one more reason why it makes no sense that the Republican budget would make it harder for the CFPB to do its job, and would allow Wall Street to go back to the kind of recklessness that led to the crisis in the first place, and would allow these kinds of lenders who are not doing the right thing to keep at it.  

I have to be clear:  If Republicans in Congress send me a bill that unravels the reforms we’ve put in place, if they send me a bill that unravels Wall Street reform, I will veto it.  (Applause.)  

And this is not about politics.  It’s about basic values of honesty and fair play.  It’s about the basic bargain that says, here in America, hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded.  

One of the people who I met with was Reverend Shannon Webster of Birmingham’s First Presbyterian Church.  Where’s the pastor?  He’s here somewhere.  There he is, in the back.  Stand up so everybody can see you.  (Applause.)  So Pastor Webster is one of the pastors leading the effort to protect consumers here in Alabama.  And at a public hearing a few years ago, he explained why he decided to work on this issue:  “When our people are trapped in debt,” he said, “they cannot escape, and we’re all hurt.”  We’re all hurt.  And that’s a simple statement, but it captures so much of what it means to be an American.  

We are a nation of rugged individuals.  We don’t expect folks to give us a handout.  We expect people to work hard.  We expect that hard work to be rewarded.  If you’re out there and you’re working hard and starting a business, and doing the right thing and looking after your family, and not spending beyond yours means, folks like that shouldn’t be punished or expected to pay for everybody else.  We expect everybody to be responsible.  

But we’re also our brother’s keeper.  We’re also our sister’s keeper.  (Applause.)  We’re also a country that was built on the idea that everybody gets a fair shot and that we put laws in place to make sure that folks aren’t taken advantage of. When this country does not live up to its promise of fairness and opportunity for all people, we’re all hurt.  (Applause.)  When we do live up to those promises, all of us are better off.    

Back in 2008, I came to Birmingham as a candidate for this office, and I said, “There is nothing we cannot do if the American people decide it’s time.”  Seven years later, I still believe there is nothing we cannot do if we decide it is time.  (Applause.)  We’re all in this thing together, Alabama.  We’ve been through some tough times together, but we’re coming back together.  If we decide this is our time, then together we’re going to write the next great chapter in this country’s history. We’re going to do it not just because I came to town, but because of the wonderful people in this town who are already making it happen.

Thank you, Alabama.  (Applause.)  God bless you.  God bless the United States of America.  

END                3:44 P.M. EDT

The March from Selma to Montgomery:

On 25 March 1965, Martin Luther King led thousands of nonviolent demonstrators to the steps of the capitol in Montgomery, Alabama, after a 5-day, 54-mile march from Selma, Alabama, where local African Americans, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) had been campaigning for voting rights.

Dr. King:

I know you are asking today, “How long will it take?” (Speak, sir) Somebody’s asking, “How long will prejudice blind the visions of men, darken their understanding, and drive bright-eyed wisdom from her sacred throne?” Somebody’s asking, “When will wounded justice, lying prostrate on the streets of Selma and Birmingham and communities all over the South, be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men?” Somebody’s asking, “When will the radiant star of hope be plunged against the nocturnal bosom of this lonely night, (Speak, speak, speak) plucked from weary souls with chains of fear and the manacles of death? How long will justice be crucified, (Speak) and truth bear it?” (Yes, sir)

I come to say to you this afternoon, however difficult the moment, (Yes, sir) however frustrating the hour, it will not be long, (No sir) because “truth crushed to earth will rise again.” (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, (Yes, sir) because “no lie can live forever.” (Yes, sir)

How long? Not long, because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

Transcript. Selected quotes.

Let us march:

Yes, we are on the move and no wave of racism can stop us. (Yes, sir) We are on the move now. The burning of our churches will not deter us. (Yes, sir) The bombing of our homes will not dissuade us. (Yes, sir) We are on the move now. (Yes, sir) The beating and killing of our clergymen and young people will not divert us. We are on the move now. (Yes, sir) The wanton release of their known murderers would not discourage us. We are on the move now. (Yes, sir) Like an idea whose time has come, (Yes, sir) not even the marching of mighty armies can halt us. (Yes, sir) We are moving to the land of freedom. (Yes, sir)

Let us therefore continue our triumphant march (Uh huh) to the realization of the American dream. (Yes, sir) Let us march on segregated housing (Yes, sir) until every ghetto or social and economic depression dissolves, and Negroes and whites live side by side in decent, safe, and sanitary housing. (Yes, sir) Let us march on segregated schools (Let us march, Tell it) until every vestige of segregated and inferior education becomes a thing of the past, and Negroes and whites study side-by-side in the socially-healing context of the classroom.

Let us march on poverty (Let us march) until no American parent has to skip a meal so that their children may eat. (Yes, sir) March on poverty (Let us march) until no starved man walks the streets of our cities and towns (Yes, sir) in search of jobs that do not exist. (Yes, sir) Let us march on poverty (Let us march) until wrinkled stomachs in Mississippi are filled, (That’s right) and the idle industries of Appalachia are realized and revitalized, and broken lives in sweltering ghettos are mended and remolded.

Let us march on ballot boxes, (Let’s march) march on ballot boxes until race-baiters disappear from the political arena.

Let us march on ballot boxes until the salient misdeeds of bloodthirsty mobs (Yes, sir) will be transformed into the calculated good deeds of orderly citizens. (Speak, Doctor)

Let us march on ballot boxes (Let us march) until the Wallaces of our nation tremble away in silence.

Let us march on ballot boxes (Let us march) until we send to our city councils (Yes, sir), state legislatures, (Yes, sir) and the United States Congress, (Yes, sir) men who will not fear to do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with thy God.

Let us march on ballot boxes (Let us march. March) until brotherhood becomes more than a meaningless word in an opening prayer, but the order of the day on every legislative agenda.

Let us march on ballot boxes (Yes) until all over Alabama God’s children will be able to walk the earth in decency and honor.

“Normalcy”:

My people, my people, listen. (Yes, sir) The battle is in our hands. (Yes, sir) The battle is in our hands in Mississippi and Alabama and all over the United States. (Yes, sir) I know there is a cry today in Alabama, (Uh huh) we see it in numerous editorials: “When will Martin Luther King, SCLC, SNCC, and all of these civil rights agitators and all of the white clergymen and labor leaders and students and others get out of our community and let Alabama return to normalcy?”

But I have a message that I would like to leave with Alabama this evening. (Tell it) That is exactly what we don’t want, and we will not allow it to happen, (Yes, sir) for we know that it was normalcy in Marion (Yes, sir) that led to the brutal murder of Jimmy Lee Jackson. (Speak) It was normalcy in Birmingham (Yes) that led to the murder on Sunday morning of four beautiful, unoffending, innocent girls. It was normalcy on Highway 80 (Yes, sir) that led state troopers to use tear gas and horses and billy clubs against unarmed human beings who were simply marching for justice. (Speak, sir) It was normalcy by a cafe in Selma, Alabama, that led to the brutal beating of Reverend James Reeb.

It is normalcy all over our country (Yes, sir) which leaves the Negro perishing on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of vast ocean of material prosperity. It is normalcy all over Alabama (Yeah) that prevents the Negro from becoming a registered voter. (Yes) No, we will not allow Alabama (Go ahead) to return to normalcy. [Applause]

The only normalcy that we will settle for (Yes, sir) is the normalcy that recognizes the dignity and worth of all of God’s children. The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy that allows judgment to run down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream. (Yes, sir) The only normalcy that we will settle for is the normalcy of brotherhood, the normalcy of true peace, the normalcy of justice.



And so as we go away this afternoon, let us go away more than ever before committed to this struggle and committed to nonviolence. I must admit to you that there are still some difficult days ahead. We are still in for a season of suffering in many of the black belt counties of Alabama, many areas of Mississippi, many areas of Louisiana. I must admit to you that there are still jail cells waiting for us, and dark and difficult moments. But if we will go on with the faith that nonviolence and its power can transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows, we will be able to change all of these conditions.

And so I plead with you this afternoon as we go ahead: remain committed to nonviolence. Our aim must never be to defeat or humiliate the white man, but to win his friendship and understanding. We must come to see that the end we seek is a society at peace with itself, a society that can live with its conscience. And that will be a day not of the white man, not of the black man. That will be the day of man as man. (Yes)

From the White House:

Better with Obamacare:

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed a historic law that has transformed the lives of millions of Americans.

On Monday, the Affordable Care Act will celebrate five years of significant progress. That’s a fact that people across the country can see in more affordable coverage, higher quality care, and better health, thanks to Obamacare.

Email blast:

After five years of the ACA:

More than 16 million

Americans have gained health coverage

9.4 million

People with Medicare saved a total of more than $15 billion on prescription medications

76 million

People are benefiting from preventive care coverage

105 million

People no longer have a lifetime limit on their health coverage

Up to 129 million

People with pre-existing conditions are no longer at risk of being denied coverage

ZERO

Death panels were created

I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in “Cheers & Jeers”.

OK, you’ve been warned – here is this week’s tomfoolery material that I posted.

ART NOTES – a sixty-year retrospective of American Impressionists will be at the Dayton, Ohio Art Institute through May 31st.

HAIL and FAREWELL to the English bassist Andy Fraser – who joined John Mayall’s band at only age 15, then wrote the hit single All Right Now for his next band Free in 1970, and later wrote Every Kinda People for Robert Palmer – who has died at the age of 62 …… and to the songwriter/keyboardist for the “baroque rock” band named The Left Banke, Michael Brown – a co-writer of its 1966 hit song reaching #5, Walk Away Renee – who has died at the age of 65 …. and finally to the attorney for John Dean during the Watergate scandal, Charles N. Shaffer – who asked John Dean, “Now, are you ready to go down there and lay out the facts? You have to, unless you want to keep lying and covering up” – who has died at the age of 82.

YUK for today – Duncan Black, a/k/a Atrios (or the Baby Blue Cherub) is skeptical of a new casino to be built just outside of Washington, D.C. … that is focusing on parking spaces and not allowing any public (and few tour) buses on their premises, saying:

“The people who go to casinos … aren’t the people the casinos want to go to casinos. Why they don’t realize, this I have no idea. James Bond in a tuxedo … is not to be found”.

THURSDAY’s CHILD is Marbles the Cat – an English kitteh whose family believed to be female … until Marbles fancied another female cat, at which time the vet determined Marbles was a hermaphrodite (with both male and female genitalia) … with further testing needed to determine what the next step is.

MUSIC NOTES – Dan Aykroyd and the widow of John Belushi have announced the creation of Blues Brothers Records – a new label dedicated to the development of blues artists (“a true mission from God“) that will be distributed by Blue Note Records.

FASHION NOTES – the Italian hat-maker Borsalino – in business since 1857 and noted for their felt hats (worn by Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at the end of Casblanca) – are close to filing bankruptcy, seeking a final arrangement with creditors.

FRIDAY’s CHILD is Perche Pearl Camina the Cat – who became a hero kitteh by saving a sixty-seven year old Welshman’s life … after detecting a gas leak and leading him to the source.

SCIENCE NOTES – forensic scientists believe they have found the tomb of Spain’s much-loved giant of literature, Miguel de Cervantes – nearly 400 years after his death – in Madrid’s Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians. Side note: Cervantes and William Shakespeare died on the same date, but not the same day – as Britain was still on the Julian calendar until 1752.

BRAIN TEASER – try this Quiz of the Week’s News from the BBC.

TRAVEL NOTES – the city of Boston will be the latest to coordinate the renting of hotel rooms during the day only – not for romantic trysts, but to allow travelers to use rooms to shower/nap after a red-eye flight or freshen-up during a day trip (at 30-70% off overnight stays).

FATHER-DAUGHTER? – TV/film star William Shatner and TV star Mindy Cohn (“The Facts of Life”, the voice of Velma in “Scooby-Doo”).

   

…… and finally, for a song of the week ………………………… while I was not a fan of the early records by The Eagles – nor could I say they were a favorite at the time of their (1982) official disbanding … I definitely grew to like them more when two new members joined in the mid-to-late 1970’s, as they helped change the band’s sound.

Lead guitarist Joe Walsh – who joined the Eagles in December, 1975 – is someone I have profiled in this space before: several years ago as a solo artist and for his work that I loved so much with the James Gang two years ago. All I will add is a note about his most recent solo album, 2012’s Analog Man – being an “analog man in a digital world” – produced by former Electric Light Orchestra leader Jeff Lynne.

During a 2012 appearance on Daryl Hall’s program Daryl’s House – at the time of that album release – he elaborated on this, expressing sympathy for young musicians trying to make a living in a world of downloads (plus the overabundance of technology) in this 90-second commentary.

Instead, I will focus more on the other musician whose career I had already avidly followed (and who joined the Eagles in September, 1977) – bassist Timothy B. Schmit – with TBS for short – who has a singular distinction in the world of country-rock, as will be noted. (By-the-bye, he says there is no particular reason why he always adds his middle initial).

Born in Oakland (and whose family later settled in Sacramento), he is the only member of the Eagles (past or present) who is a California native, despite the band’s many allusions to the Golden State. The son of a musician/salesman, TBS joined a band in 1962 (at age 15) with two friends that – unlike many youth bands – stayed together for several years, although several times it changed (a) its music and (b) its name in order to stay current.

At first they were Tim, Tom & Ron – playing the folk music of the early 60’s. After adding a drummer in 1963, they switched their music (to that of the surf boom of Dick Dale, etc.) and their name (to The Contenders). The following year of 1964 (following the British Invasion) they grew their hair, adopted a Merseybeat sound and called themselves The New Breed who released a single. TBS went to Sacramento State for a time, before dropping out to focus full-time on music. The New Breed (by 1967) had now become a folk-rock act (in the style of The Byrds) and had changed its name to Glad. Signed to a record deal, they eventually released a debut album Feelin’ Glad – but were unhappy with its sound.

During their touring performances, TBS met-up with the former Buffalo Springfield guitarist Richie Furay, who was in the process of putting together a band along with Jim Messina (later to form Loggins & Messina). In early 1968, Furay contacted TBS to have him audition on bass, which he did but lost-out to Randy Meisner – who had a similar high-harmony vocal style. But after Meisner had a falling-out during the recording of the first album for this new band, he was fired (going on to a career with Rick Nelson at first) and TBS was recruited: first as a fill-in and later a full member.

And this was for the band Poco …. which was the first country-rock band I ever liked: in no small part due to my favorite radio DJ, Pete Fornatale who became their East Coast champion. Today in listening to them, I hear them more as a country band than rock – but at the time, they sounded like a rock band with country influences (and thus were much more relevant to me). And TBS contributed several songs to its repertoire, such as “Hear That Music”, “Keep On Believing” and “From the Inside”.

This is a group that (with numerous personnel changes) never broke-up: allowing for various hiatuses, it continues to this day. In its first decade it received much critical praise, and its concert tickets sold reasonably well. But for one reason or another, their records never sold the way the big record labels were expecting them to (especially with Furay’s stamp on the band). In fact, let a Timothy B. Schmit fan-site tell you:

In the span of seven years, Timothy and the other members of Poco released 11 albums. Poco was always the band that never made it, the band that should have been more. They watched many of their contemporaries, who formed bands after them, surpass them on the road to success. They were a fantastic band and put on a good concert, but never seemed to have that breakthrough of a record that made people take notice.

Meanwhile, Randy Meisner in time joined forces with musicians such as Glenn Frey, Don Henley and others, who eventually formed The Eagles in 1971. They succeeded (where Poco had failed) in attracting large audiences and became superstars, as is well-known.

By 1977, though, the band had numerous titanic personnel clashes – as previously noted, Joe Walsh arrived in late 1975 due in part to those clashes – and Randy Meisner began to have both substance abuse and marital problems. Plus, he had health problems affecting his singing of Take It to the Limit – all of which led him to leave the band in late 1977.

Then in an amazing twist of fate, TBS was recruited  – with the full blessing of his bandmates in Poco – and so, for the second time he had replaced Randy Meisner on bass in a prominent band.

But those personnel problems continued ….. TBS has said that he was used to band squabbling, and did not recognize how destructive it had become during his (relatively short) time in the Eagles. Or, perhaps, he had simply averted his eyes … all of which led to the break-up of the Eagles (as a continuous, going-concern band) in 1982.

Over the 30+ years since, TBS has been an active musician (if not necessarily on the front pages). He also has a signature electric bass made by Carvin guitars, of which I have one.

Just after the Eagles break-up, he sang So Much in Love for the Fast Times at Ridgemont High film soundtrack.

He has participated in several Poco reunions, the most recent of which took place when they were inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame this past January. He has been a member of various incarnations of Ringo Starr’s eclectic All-Starrs and has also been a prolific studio session player (most notably with Steely Dan).

In 1993, he contributed background vocals to the album Common Thread – where a number of the biggest stars in contemporary country music came together to pay tribute to the influence the Eagles had on country music.

At the Eagles induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, TBS paid tribute to his predecessor in saying, “I was not in the trenches with this particular band, so thank you to my predecessor Randy Meisner for being there and paving the way for me to be here tonight with him here beside me.”

He has released five solo albums over the years, with one on a 1990 release containing the song “For the Children” – featuring a children’s choir including Timothy’s two daughters (Jeddrah and Owen Faye) and Joe Walsh’s daughter Lucy. TBS’s most recent solo album was 2009’s Expando – with guest performers that included Graham Nash, Garth Hudson, Dwight Yoakam, jazz vibist Gary Burton and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

In 2012, he underwent surgery for throat and neck cancer which seems to be in remission. In recent years, he has toured as a solo artist, with various musicians in his back-up band. And now at age 67, he will (with his old band mates) commence a new Eagles tour beginning in May, as he has done in the past. Sounds like a full plate to me.

Of all of his songs with Poco and the Eagles: my favorite is one that he brought (incomplete) with him upon joining the Eagles, the melancholy I Can’t Tell You Why – which Glenn Frey and Don Henley helped him complete in 1978, and later reached #8 in the charts. The jazz singer Diana Krall covers it on her most recent album.

And when TBS originally sang it on the recording of the Eagles’ album The Long Run he recalled that Don Henley turned to him and said, “There’s your first hit.”

Below you can hear Timothy B. Schmit perform it on one of his solo dates that he performed last year.

Heck, why not? A Moose Straw Poll is probably at least as good a predictor as the Iowa Straw Poll which has not successfully picked the eventual nominee since 2000.

According to The Hill, there are 20 candidates who have thrown their hats near the ring … ready to nudge them in given even the slightest encouragement.

Get ready for the largest GOP presidential field in recent history.

As many as 20 Republicans are taking a serious look at running for the White House in 2016. A handful of candidates have moved aggressively into the field, and others are expected to ramp up in the coming weeks, with several announcements expected in April.

According to the article, the field of declared candidates for the last election cycle never exceeded 10 and the largest group at a debate was 9 (in 2011).

The list is below the fold …

The Hill 20

Jeb Bush

Scott Walker

Rand Paul

Marco Rubio

Chris Christie

Ben Carson

Mike Huckabee

Ted Cruz

Rick Perry

Lindsey Graham

John Kasich

Bobby Jindal

Rick Santorum

Carly Fiorina

John Bolton

Peter King

George Pataki

Jim Gilmore

Bob Ehrlich

Mark Everson

I think that Donald Trump, Rudy Giuliani, and Sarah Palin should be added to the list to lend gravitas. And who can forget the freshmen Senate phenoms, Tom Cotton and Joni Ernst? Plus Mitt … if the establishment candidate falters, can he be enticed back into the fray?

Let the polling begin.

Note: To simulate the chaos of the current GOP 2016 presidential field, you can vote for as many candidates as you want!  

[poll id=”

186

“]

Welcome to The Moose Pond! The Welcomings diaries give the Moose, old and new, a place to visit and share words about the weather, life, the world at large and the small parts of Moosylvania that we each inhabit.

In lieu of daily check-ins, which have gone on hiatus, Welcomings diaries will be posted at the start of each week (every Sunday morning) and then, if necessary due to a large number of comments, again on Wednesday or Thursday to close out the week. To find the diaries, just bookmark this link and Voila! (which is Moose for “I found everyone!!”).

The format is simple: each day, the first moose to arrive on-line will post a comment welcoming the new day and complaining (or bragging!) about their weather. Or mentioning an interesting or thought provoking news item. Or simply checking in.

So … what’s going on in your part of Moosylvania?

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