Blogger Candidate Forum: Day Three Wrap Up

Hello Everyone:

Just a quick note on Day three of the Republican National Committee Convention. Today's session was less dramatic but no less fascinating. The highlights of the day included Governor Mike Pence excepting the nomination for Vice President. His speech was a nice self-introduction. He hit on all the usual themes of how Republican policies work every time and how Donald Trump will be the leader that will make America great. The delivery was good, folksy, a nice counterpoint to the bombast of some of the previous speakers. That is the one thing about these conventions, they are full of bluster and bombast. The awkward moment of the evening came when Senator Ted Cruz was booed off the stage. Senator Cruz finished second to Mr. Trump but has refused to endorse him. When began his speech this evening, it was to cheers but his non-endorsement illicit e's boos and jeers. It did not help matters when Mr. Trump enter the convention site, amid cheers.  It has been a very odd convention so far.  The oddness stems from an unconventional candidate, running an unconventional campaign. The real test will come during the debates and on Election Day. Tomorrow is the grand finale, Donald Trump speaks. This should be a good show.

Blogger Candidate Forum: Day Three Wrap Up

Hello Everyone:

Just a quick note on Day three of the Republican National Committee Convention. Today's session was less dramatic but no less fascinating. The highlights of the day included Governor Mike Pence excepting the nomination for Vice President. His speech was a nice self-introduction. He hit on all the usual themes of how Republican policies work every time and how Donald Trump will be the leader that will make America great. The delivery was good, folksy, a nice counterpoint to the bombast of some of the previous speakers. That is the one thing about these conventions, they are full of bluster and bombast. The awkward moment of the evening came when Senator Ted Cruz was booed off the stage. Senator Cruz finished second to Mr. Trump but has refused to endorse him. When began his speech this evening, it was to cheers but his non-endorsement illicit e's boos and jeers. It did not help matters when Mr. Trump enter the convention site, amid cheers.  It has been a very odd convention so far.  The oddness stems from an unconventional candidate, running an unconventional campaign. The real test will come during the debates and on Election Day. Tomorrow is the grand finale, Donald Trump speaks. This should be a good show.

Blogger Candidate Forum: Day Three Wrap Up

Hello Everyone:

Just a quick note on Day three of the Republican National Committee Convention. Today's session was less dramatic but no less fascinating. The highlights of the day included Governor Mike Pence excepting the nomination for Vice President. His speech was a nice self-introduction. He hit on all the usual themes of how Republican policies work every time and how Donald Trump will be the leader that will make America great. The delivery was good, folksy, a nice counterpoint to the bombast of some of the previous speakers. That is the one thing about these conventions, they are full of bluster and bombast. The awkward moment of the evening came when Senator Ted Cruz was booed off the stage. Senator Cruz finished second to Mr. Trump but has refused to endorse him. When began his speech this evening, it was to cheers but his non-endorsement illicit e's boos and jeers. It did not help matters when Mr. Trump enter the convention site, amid cheers.  It has been a very odd convention so far.  The oddness stems from an unconventional candidate, running an unconventional campaign. The real test will come during the debates and on Election Day. Tomorrow is the grand finale, Donald Trump speaks. This should be a good show.

Blogger Candidate Forum: The Republican National Convention

The Republican National Committee Convention 2016
en.wikipedia.org

Hello Everyone:

It is Day Three of the Republican National Committee Convention in Cleveland, Ohio and it has been anything but dull.  So far we have had a quashed rebellion, charges of plagiarism, the norovirus, and Lucifer.  Oh and by the way, Donald J. Trump was formally nominated as the Republican standard bearer in the fall Presidential Campaign.  Today, the featured speaker is Vice President nominee, Governor Mike Pence (R-IN).  Let us take a closer look at the last two days of the Convention, meet Gov. Pence, and look at what is ahead.

Monday July 18, 2016, Day One.  In a word, disaster.  The Convention barely got started when Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort  telling multiple television interviews, "...that Ohio John Kasich was 'embarrassing' his state for ducking the convention." ( http://www.theatlantic.com; access Jul 20, 2016).  Not a great way start off the Convention, calling the popular governor of a key state "embarrassing."  Memo to Mr. Manafort, the path to the White House goes through the Buckeye state.  Monday afternoon, a mini-rebellion by the Never Trump faction was quashed by pro-Trump forces and the docile RNC staff.  The anti-Trump forces tried to force a full roll call vote on the party platform.  What was that about a rigged system.  Then came disaster.

What do you think?
cnbc.com

The keynote speaker on Monday evening was Melania Trump, Mr. Trump's wife.  The intention was to introduce Ms. Trump to the national stage and humanize her husband.  Overall, it was a typical fawning spouse-of-the-candidate speech.  Normally this kind of speech would be met with kudos.  This was not the case.  During the course of Ms. Trump's presentation, the twittering and posting masses began to notice similarities between her "...her beautiful speech..." (Ibid) and the speech giving by then-prospective First Lady Michelle Obama in 2008.  Take a look at the image on the left and decide for yourself.  The outcry was fast and mighty from coast-to-coast.  Mr. Manafort quickly denied any cribbing and in a fit of total arrogance, blamed Secretary Hillary Clinton, claiming that Madame Secretary felt threatened by Ms. Trump and went after her.  Really?  Ms. Trump feebly told NBC that she was the primary author, read it only once, and wrote it with as little help as possible.  By early Tuesday morning, the Trump campaign issued a statement blaming an unnamed speechwriter.  We now the name of said speechwriter, Meredith McIver who offered her resignation but it was rejected.

Why does this matter?  A charge of plagiarism blunts the message.  In this case, an attempt to humanize a polarizing candidate.  Monday night's speech was suppose to be Melania Trump's formal introduction to the American audience.  Instead of basking in the glory of the moment, the Trump campaign was in damage control mode.  Mr. Manafort feebly tried to downplay the episode, blaming Madame Secretary.  Republican Party Chairperson Reince Preibus said Mr. Trump's speechwriter should be fired.  That has not happened.  That was Day One.  Was Day Two better?

State signs on the convention floor
usnews.com

Day two was a little better.  At least no one carted off to jail on national television.  Some of the California state officials did get sick from norovirus.  Nothing like getting sick, out of town, to ruin a convention.  Feel better.

What did happen on Day two.  First, Donald Trump is the official Republican nominee for the office of the President, whether or not the RNC likes it.  It was simply matter political necessity and the rules.  However, should Mr. Trump come up short in November, it is absolutely imperative that the RNC

The Trump adult children
buzzfeed.com

establishment make it seem like a convincing defeat, not an act of sabotage.  House of Representatives Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis) made it clear that Mr. Trump was a really different candidate.  In a speech that tried to cover up all the primary nastiness by providing a more positive narrative of governance.  It was not a stirring speech but it did provide a counterpoint to the Trump bombast.  Day Two was "meet the family" night.  Donald, Jr. and Tiffany Trump took to the stage to offer more testimony of the human side of dear old dad.  Cribbing aside, the kids are alright.  Finally, Governor Chris Christie (R-NJ) set out make a case against Sec. Clinton and why Mr. Trump should have chosen him as his running mate.  While his case against Madame Secretary was weak, the intention of the speech was not unnoticed.  This may be Gov. Christie's last stand but he is not going out quietly.  Let us now meet the man chosen to be Donald Trump's running mate.

Governor Mike Pence (R-IN)
in.gov

Indiana Governor Mike Pence is the lucky one chosen to be Donald Trump's running mate.  Gov. Pence was born and raise in the Hoosier state.  He was elected the 50th governor of Indiana in 2012 and formally inaugurated January 14, 2013.  Prior to becoming governor, Gov. Pence represented Indiana's Sixth Congressional District in Washington D.C.  Since taking office in 2013, he achieved the largest tax cuts in Indiana while reducing the business personal property tax and corporate income tax.  He expanded school choice, enhanced educational opportunities by signing into law the first state funding for pre-K education in Indiana.  The governor has worked with the General Assembly to craft a balanced budget that maintains a reserves.  Gov. Pence is also a strong supporter of the military and has made it a priority to reduce veteran unemployment.  Governor Mike Pence is married to former school teacher Karen Pence and have three grown children. (http://www.in.gov; accessed Jul 20, 2016)

Governor Pence was introduced to the American public in a rather strange manner.  Like nervous reality competition show finalists, Gov. Christie, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, and Gov. Pence all waited on pins and needles for the proverbial tap on the shoulder.  Both Gov. Christie and former Speaker Gingrich thought the VP winds were blowing their way.  Meanwhile, Gov. Pence was left in suspense in an anonymous New York hotel room, last Thursday evening, long after Trump became convinced that the Indiana governor was the one and long after the news starting leaking out.  In typical fashion, Mr. Trump milked it up until the last moment before tweeting out the news.  The selection process was marked by haphazardness, missed communication and opportunities.  Even his campaign did not have a new web page ready.  What does this all mean for the campaign? (http://www.time.com; access Jul 20, 2016)

Governor Pence and Donald Trump
cnn.com

By choosing Governor Pence, Mr. Trump demonstrates a more mature attitude.  Gov. Pence has deep legislative career and close ties to the conservative movement.  This gives Mr. Trump the kind of credibility he needs with conservative groups.  Gov. Pence is a safe choice.  A safe choice over star power.  (Ibid)  Governor Pence is a good counterpoint to the Trumpian showmanship.  He is a little-known social conservative, who back Senator Ted Cruz in the primaries.  Both gentlemen had no relationship prior to the vetting process.  Unlike Gov. Christie or former Speaker Gingrich, he did not actively campaign for the job, unless you count a Fourth of July golf weekend.  Mr. Trump was not swayed by the promise of a substantial contribution by casino magnate Shel Adelson in exchange for choosing Speaker Gingrich.  By last Wednesday, M
r. Trump seemed to zero in on Gov. Pence despite last minute appeals by Gov. Christie and Speaker Gingrich.  By Friday, the decision was made and tweeted.  Now it remains to be seen how they will work together on the campaign trail.T

We Need To Make Immigration An Urban Issue

http://www.citylab.com/politics/2016/06/immigration-is-absolutely-an-urban-issue/486386/?utm_source=nl_link1_061316

Side-by-side comparison of speeches
naijaeforum.com

Hello Everyone:

Well Day One of the Republican National Convention got off to a tumultuous start.  A mini-rebellion was quashed and charges of plagiarism.  Melania Trump, the wife of presumptive nominee Donald Trump, made her convention debut.  Her speech was your typical fawning spouse-of-the-candidate speech.  However, when it comes to all things Trump, there is always drama.  In this case, the twittering masses noticed similarities between the loving speech given by Ms. Trump and the one given by Michelle Obama in 2008.  If you look at the graphic on the left, you can see the highlighted similarities.  Whether it was purposefully lifted or not remains to be seen.  The "Poor Melania" narrative does not hold because as a public person, she is responsible for her words.    Frankly, yours truly thought it was a typical canned speech.  Other highlights included scathing critique of Secretary Hillary Clinton's handling of Benghazi, despite a finding of no wrong doing.  There were harsh words on undocumented immigrants.  A couple of celebrity speakers.  Today, the norovirus made an appearance, felling California state officials.  Now, onto one of the campaign's hot button issues, immigration.

U.S. immigration protests
Washington D.C,
rt.com

Immigration is one of the white hot topics in the 2016 Presidential elections.  The aggressive words by the speakers reflect the logic employed by the Republicans.  Immigrants, with proper documentation, are welcome but undocumented immigrants, stay out.  This thinking highlights the need for sane immigration reform that welcomes immigrants and creates a path to citizenship for those who live in the shadows.  Another factor in the ongoing immigration debate is the recent United States Supreme Court Decision on the the legality and scope of President Barack Obama's executive order on immigration in the matter of United States v. Texas.

Immigration stamp
sayanythingblog.com

Specifically, the justices were asked to rule in favor of the government, the  Deferred Action for Parents of America (DAPA) and extend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programs. Since there are (still) eight justices, the ruling affirmed the lower court decision, upholding an injunction blocking both programs.  In her CityLab article "Immigration Is Absolutely an Urban Issue," Tanvi Misra explains why immigration is absolutely an urban issue that deserves coverage in the journal.  CityLab's mission is simple, "CityLab informs and inspires the people who are creating the cities of the future-and those who want to live there."  This applies to immigrants-documented and undocumented-who live in and around the cities and keep them humming along.  Ms. Misra observes, "And yet, we don't quite seem to recognize their value for cities-or why we need to plan with them in mind."

"Where did they live?"
slideplayer.com

    Where immigrants have always lived

Typically, American metropolitans have the first and last destinations for most new arrivals. That, in of itself, makes immigration an urban issue.

Throughout most of the 20th century, when immigrants landed in the United States, they would enter one of major "gateway cities" such as Ellis Island in New York.  Once processed, they would make their way to one of the ethnic enclaves.  Ms. Misra writes, "While that still happens to some extent, the settlement pattern has become much broader."  In 1965, immigration policy changed to allow amore inclusive flow of legal and illegal immigration. This new wave of arrivals made their way across the metropolitan areas in the South and Southwest: Charlotte, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia, lured by the hope of work ad affordable living.

Interactive immigration map
Migration Policy Center
citylab.com

Brookings Institute researcher Audrey Singer has spent a good deal of time following the shift in immigrant destination.  Ms. Singer's research reveals "...that more than half of all immigrants in the U.S. resided in just five big immigration hubs in the U.S. between 1930 and 1990."  Two years ago, she revisited the typologies of immigrant hubs and discovered "...that 80 percent of U.S. immigrants lived in 57 metros that had distinctive patterns of historical immigrant settlement.

The map on the left, by the Migration Policy Center, is of the metropolitans with the largest immigrant populations between 2010 and 2014.

During the four year study period, another geographical change occurred: suburbanization.  To compare, in 1990, about equal shares of foreign-born people in the United States lived in cities, as opposed to the suburbs.  By 2010, "...51 percent of all immigrants in the U.S. lived in suburbs of U.S. metros."  Be that as it may, in 78 out of 100 of the largest American metropolitans immigrants were less likely to live in the suburbs than the overall population, based on Ms. singer's research.

Charlotte, North Carolina
en.wikipedia.org

Builders, maintainers, and innovators

Richard Florida recently explained how immigrants are enhancing the metropolitans they reside in.

First and foremost, many of them have literally build some of the U.S. cities that are thriving today.  Take Charlotte, North Carolina, for example-a city with a skyline that's less than 25 years old.  This was the same period over which its Latino immigrant population saw an incredible growth: from 0.098 percent in 1980 to 13.1 percent in 2014.  "Economic growth in Charlotte has been robust, with high demand for position in industries like construction work., 

based on a 2007 University of North Carolina Charlotte report.  The demand was, by-and-large, fulfilled by Latino immigrants.

Downtown New Orleans, Louisiana
commons.wikimedia.org

The same is true in New Orleans: in the years following Hurricane Katrina, Latino workers came to the city for reconstruction jobs.  They rebuilt the city and put down roots.

These are just two examples of immigrants building, repairing, and maintaining American cities.  Charlotte and New Orleans are not anomalies or exceptions.  Historically, immigrants have always worked, out of sight out of mind, in integral jobs-typically doing the work that their native-born counterparts will not do.  Generally, foreign born workers with limited educations tend to work in the service and construction sectors.  They are the ones maintaining our cities, minding our children, and preparing our food.

Highland Park, California
laweekly.com

Tanvi Misra's colleague Laura Bliss wrote about a new initiative to re-evaluate this work. Ms. Bliss spoke with Lee Vinset and Andy Russell at the Stevens Institute of Technology, who see maintenance as absolutely crucial in the face of crumbling infrastructure.  They said,

The vast majority of technologies that surround us and underpin our lives are not innovations...And the vast majority of labor in our culture is not focused on introducing or adopting new things, but on keeping things going.

However, immigrants are building futures cities through innovation.  This year, "...more than half of the 87 billion-dollar start-ups in the U.S. were started by immigrants, and these created 760 per jobs company."  The Wall Street Journal wrote, 

...non-partisan study on entrepreneurship give some credence to the tech industry's stance that American innovation benefits from robust immigration.

Austin, Texas skyline
sparefoot.com

And yet, we're not building cities for immigrants

Tanvi Misra writes, "For all of these reason, we believe it's immensely important to write about policies that affect immigrants.  Because they are among those who we're hoping to 'inspire and inform.'"

In truth, the future of immigration is something that should concern all of us who love, live, and care about cities.  Regardless of where you stand on the immigration debate.  Whether or not you support undocumented immigrants, the fact of the matter is that they are here and many are assimilating and becoming productive members of American society.  It is their future generations that will become the majority of U.S. population by 2043.  They will be the future urban dwellers.

Despite these pronouncements, the realization by municipalities of the contribution of this segment of the populations, are trying to be more hospitable.  However for the most part, we have not been design our cities with immigrant communities in mind.  Most of the low-income immigrant communities in the United States still largely live in separate neighborhoods with sub-standard schools, foul air, and insufficient potable water.  Further, like many ethnic communities, they are affected the most by environmental disasters and lack of available transit.  These are also the communities that more likely to have police-involve incidents, be subject to discriminatory hoping policies, wage theft, and predatory lending practices.  In short, we really need to do a better job at building cities for the people who actually live their.

One more thing:  It is now official, Donald J. Trump is officially the Republican nominee for the 2016 Presidential elections.

WWJJD?

http://www.citylab.com/design.com/2016/05/why-we-ask-ourselves-what-would-jane-jacobs-do/481422/?utm_source=nl_link1_050516


                                 

Republican National Convention 2016
Cleveland, Ohio
en.wikipedia.org

Hello Everyone:
It is Day One of the Republican National Convention and we already had a "few incidents."  Ex-Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich call out the Bush family for being "childish" and Trump campaign manager Paul Manefort derided Ohio Governor John Kasich for acting "petulant" for not coming to the Convention.  (http://www.bbc.uk.co)  There was at least one attempt to "unbind" Donald Trump's delegates and allow them to vote their conscious.  If that was not enough, there was a near-rebellion over a vote on Convention rules.  The call for a full vote on rules was refused.  (Ibid)  Throughout the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, yours truly will bring you a daily summary of events.  Hold on to your hats, it is going to be a wild ride.  Alright on to today's subject, WWJJD.

Lower Eastside Historic District
New York City, New York
cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com

WWJJD.  What would Jane Jacobs do about the issues facing contemporary cities?  It is a question that seems apropos to ask this question on the first day, of the first week of nominating conventions.  Over the course of the campaign, thus far, we have heard calls for border walls, stalled Supreme Court nominees, fears of terrorism but nothing about cities.  Alright, there was Senator Ted Cruz's snarky comment about "New York values."  Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow rightly point out in their CityLab article, "What Would Jane Jacobs Do," "...a national agenda in this century must be an urban one.  Two-thirds of the population now lives in the nation's largest 100 metropolitan areas, and nearly 100 million more people are projected to live in American cities  by 2050..."  The rising property values in urban areas are testament to the desirability of cities and the lack of affordable housing as demand outstrips supply.  WWJJD? Indeed.

Jane Jacobs
nypl.org

This year we celebrated the centennial of one of the great urban writers, Jane Jacobs.  Her iconic book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), laid out her empirical observations of cities.  Ten years after her death, these observations not only are still acutely relevant but also highlight the need for a national dialogue about our cities.  The book is still in print and should be required reading for would-be presidents, elected officials, urban planners, and everyone.

Jane Jacobs's views of what a city should be were inspired by the scenes she witnessed outside her West Village home in New York City.  The authors describe the views outside her window as, "...humanely designed with short and walkable blocks.  Successful neighborhoods are dense with a mix of housing, retail shops, schools, offices and cultural institutions.  Networks of people bring 'eyes on the street,' keeping each other safe and their communities connected and driving he economies of cities."  However, in Jane Jacobs's day, cities were anything but the kind of urban idyl and many have become progressively less so.

Jane Jacobs vs. Robert Moses
big think.com

Jane Jacobs is also best-known for defeating her arch nemesis, New York City's master builder Robert Moses.  Robert Moses promoted an expressway that would have slashed across Lower Manhattan.  Her victory over Mr. Moses inspired similar backlash over new road construction proposals that cut through American downtowns in the sixties and seventies.  The authors writes, "Yet aside from these halted urban highways, there has been little sustained effort in Jacobs's mane to reclaim and revive the ordinary city street itself from cars until relatively recently."  Instead of a hoped for urban renaissance, Death and Life, was accompanied by decades of rapid suburbanization, an emptying out of the cities, congestion, and economic decay from which American cities are still in recovery.  At the street level, the stage for the Jane Jacobs's "sidewalk ballet" are still as congested and dangerous now as they were in her era.  The effects of wonton neglect are visible from coast-to-coast.  Thus, what would Jane Jacobs tell Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump?

Bedford Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
nypost.com

The main thing she would tell Madame Secretary and Mr. Trump, that our cities must be redesigned.  A redesign is not just "...a matter of livability or quality of life, but a long-term strategy for a denser urban future, one that is environmentally rational and economically vital."  Urban dwellers have a smaller carbon footprint than the average American, the result of walkable neighborhoods, readily available public transit, and not needing a car for most errands.  The authors report, "A new generation of mayors, city leaders and community organizations have started to revitalize city centers and promote residential construction in downtowns where housing stock has been reduced to parking lots."  This new generation of leaders are taking advantage of the fact that fewer millennials have drivers licenses.  Also, technology is transforming everyday urban life with apps like Uber and Lyft that offer alternatives to owning a car and new possibilities for urban residents.

New York City Chinatown
The Bowery New York City, New York
nychinatown.org

 

However Madame Secretary and Mr. Trump, fulfilling Ms. Jacobs's vision may require "...revolutionary action instead of ma merely evolutionary course."  As civic officials struggle to adapt their cities for the future, they face fierce resistance from residents who perversely cite Jane Jacobs, invoking environmentalism, local economics, safety, and communal autonomy not just in opposition to out-of-scale mega-developments, but also in opposition to proposals that Jane Jacobs may have supported herself, all in the name of NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard).  This is evident in the local residents, at official meetings, who regularly oppose dense new housing projects, new public space, bicycle lanes, or redesigned streets that would mitigate dangerous driving.  By mis-appropriate Jacobian language in the name of neighborhood preservation as a cover for opposing Jacobian-like projects, essentially maintaining Robert Moses's urban vision.  Madame Secretary and Mr. Trump, do you see the problem?

Rector Street
New York City, New York
ottomandetective.wordpress.com

Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomon saw this problem up close during Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration in New York.  With the help of the mayor's long-term PlaNYC strategies, designed to accommodate a million more residents by 2030, the authors created almost 400 miles of bicycles lanes, seven rapid bus lines, and initiated over 60 plaza projects, including closing Broadway to automobiles in Times Square.  In addition to more affordable housing, reclaiming 180 acres of previous road space from cars, improving safety, local economies, and opened up more options for transit, but generated bitter neighborhood disputes and, yes, lawsuits over what and who city streets should be for.'

Similar efforts to alter street grids typically make headlines in cities across the United States.  To wit, in San Francisco, a city with a severe housing shortage, an environmental lawsuit stopped the construction of bicycle lanes for five years, "...claiming that they would slow car traffic and increase air pollution."  Referring to the building of the additional lanes.  A church in Washington D.C. made the improbable claim "..that the traffic and parking impact of proposed bike lanes would infringe on the congregation's religious liberties."  In fit of NIMBY-induced tantrum throwing, local residents deride attempts to redesign streets because "...they  claims upset neighborhoods' historical character, make streets less or prevent people from reaching their stores or homes" whether they are accurate or not.

Atlantic Yards B2 Tower
Brooklyn, New York
therealdeal.com

The impact of NIMBYism does not stop with the random defeated apartment project or bicycle lane.  When you have vehement opposition to dense accessible communities pushes residential developments out into the growing suburbs and shrink green spaces around the cities.  Madame Secretary and Mr. Trump, allow yours truly to ask you this question, would want this for yourselves, your children, or your grandchildren?  By leaving the streets exactly the way they are, condemns our country to a future of sprawl, longer and more congested communities, and growing infrastructure costs "...that combine for a $1 trillion drake on the national economy."  is that a way to "Make America Great?"  

Mars Bar before and after
New York City, New York
huffingtonpost.com

 If you want an urban revolution to make us "Stronger Together," you need to make American cities "...walk-able, bike-able and bus-able centers of population and economic growth this century" a priority.  Both presumptive candidates must implement policy that increases affordable housing in cities and realistic, competitive alternatives to driving available to increasing city populations.  Leaders and similar minded advocates must articulate these goals as of a "Change You Believe In" vision that people can agree to and not allow these changes to flounder simply because a noisy few oppose them or consider them controversial.

Ultimately and ironically what is needed to achieve Jane Jacobs's vision is a Robert Moses-like strategy: "...redesigning our streets quickly and decisively for an increasingly urban age, this time committed to accommodating population growth and offering residents more options for getting around without a car."  The good news is we inherited ample road space that can be repurposed for new uses.  However, Janette Sadik-Khan and Seth Solomonow added this caveat, "...this process of adaptation will require a Jacobs-like approach with a focus on the person on the street, and with the process designed to implement projects and not to halt them."

Therefore, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump you can start changing our streets by asking yourselves, WWJJD?   

Blogger Candidate Forum: Democratic Veepstakes

Awk-ward
usatoday.com

Hello Everyone:

It is Wednesday and time for the Candidate Forum.  We are back to the Veepstakes.  Before we get going on who Secretary Hillary Clinton will pick, let us acknowledge yesterday's awkward hug between Madame Secretary and Senator Bernie Sanders.  That hug was a product of a lot of negotiating over including the Gentleman from Vermont's more progressive agenda.  Domestically, they are both close on the issues: health care, criminal justice reform, immigration, affordable university eduction, and so forth.  However, where they differ is on foreign policy.  Also, Sen. Sanders's surprisingly successful campaign, despite not winning  the nomination, has given him a national platform for a more progressive agenda that serves as more common sense alternative to the emerging retrograde Republican party agenda.  As tantalizing as visions of a unity ticket, the Gentleman from Vermont has not be vetted for the number two spot on the ticket.  Who are some of Madame Secretary's potential running mates?  Shall we have look.

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA)
en.wikipedia.org

Tim Kaine

First name on our list is Virginia Senator Tim Kaine.  The Gentleman from Virginia is the state's former governor and chairperson of the Democratic National Committee.  Virginia is a crucial battleground state for both candidates.  The Gentleman from Virginia is the top contender for the number spot.  As a contender, he checks off all the necessary boxes for the vice presidency: someone who can realistically step into the role of presidency should the need arise.  Another positive is his fluency in the Spanish.  A benefit for reaching out to Latino voters and going after Donald Trump in the Spanish language media.  The Gentleman from Virginia was vetted once before, in 2008 by the Obama campaign.  No red flags in his background.  As a fundraiser, the Gentleman from Virginia has been very successful in getting donors to open their checkbooks.

On the negative side, Senator Kaine is a very mainstream candidate.  This does not help Madame Secretary strengthen the liberal base of the party,  However, her advisers seem to think that this less important.  However, now that the Gentleman from Vermont has formally endorsed Madame Secretary, the strengthen the liberal base may now be more important than finding a running mate who can tick off the boxes and not steel the spotlight from the top of the ticket.

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)

Elizabeth Warren

The exciting possibility of an all female ticket, featuring Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, has Democrats salivating in their soy lattes.  Once a upon time, the Gentlewoman from Massachusetts was considered an unlikely choice.  However, the rise of populist sentiment within the American electorate and Mr. Trump's harsh commentary on Madame Secretary's position on trade, have brought the Gentlewoman from Massachusetts into the spotlight.  At a recent joint appearance with Madame Secretary raised her profile more.  Madame Secretary's aides noticed the electricity within and without the room. The audience response had them giggling over the infusion of excitement she could provide the campaign.  The Sanders supporters are getting a bit giddy as well.

The only downside is Senator Warren has never been in the public eye, thus vetting her is more complicated.  The main issue is can Madame Secretary and the Gentlewoman from Massachusetts work together without stealing any of the attention?

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio, 2007)
en.wikipedia

Sherrod Brown

Another safe choice for Madame Secretary.  However, if he is indeed chosen as her running mate and they win, it could upset the balance in the Senate.  The Senate Democrats are anxious to regain the majority and the selection of the Gentleman from Ohio could put that thought in peril.  If he were chosen and the ticket win, Republican Governor John Kasich would select his replacement, who would stay in office until 2019.  Chances are better than good, the appointee would be a Republican.  The thought of losing the Senate is to great a risk.  Madame Secretary is not that much of a risk taker.

Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez
cnn.com

Tom Vilsack and Thomas Perez

Both gentleman are current members of President Barack Obama's cabinet.  Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is a former two-term governor of Iowa and Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez has never held elected office; state or federal.  While the choice of Secretary Vilsack would not upset the balance of the Senate, the Clinton campaign is rather fond of Secretary Perez for his readiness to go after Mr. Trump's and his inability to relate to Latino voters.

Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsick
washingtonpost.com

Group photograph with Secretary of Housing Joaquin Castro (center)
and Representative Xavier Beccera (far right with glasses)

Joaquin Castro and Xavier Beccera

Both Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Joaquin Castro and California Representative Xavier Beccera (CD-34) were on the long lists for running mates but no longer in contention.  While chemistry is crucial, Madame Secretary's focus is on how the political landscape has changed since the start of her campaign.  The Brexit vote and Mr. Trump's continued criticism of her trade stance are two things under serious consideration.  The process is past the point of dark horses and wild card.  Fortunately, Secretary Hillary Clinton has the luxury of waiting to see if Donald Trump choose either: former Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, or  Indiana Governor Mike Pence.  For now, Blogger is hoping that Secretary Clinton chooses Senator Elizabeth Warren.