MONEY MATTERS
It’s STILL the economy, stupid
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024670.php
[Steve Benen] The New York Times reported last weekend that there's a divide within the White House when it comes to the economy. Political advisors, including David Axelrod and Rahm Emanuel, see the polling data and are inclined to respond to public concerns about government spending and deficits. The economic team, including Christina Romer, Jared Bernstein, and Tim Geithner, see the economic data and are inclined to actually try to create more jobs and generate more growth.
We were reminded again of this divide today. ABC's Jake Tapper spoke to Axelrod about the economy, and the senior White House advisor took the expected line. . . [read on]
More: http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/10/it-s-always-the-economy-stupid.html
Are businesses purposely keeping unemployment numbers high?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/04/AR2010070403856.html
[Fareed Zakaria] The Federal Reserve recently reported that America's 500 largest nonfinancial companies have accumulated an astonishing $1.8 trillion of cash on their balance sheets. By any calculation (for example, as a percentage of assets), this is higher than it has been in almost half a century. Yet most corporations are not spending this money on new plants, equipment or workers. Were they to loosen their purse strings, hundreds of billions of dollars would start pouring through the economy. These investments would probably have greater effect and staying power than a government stimulus. . . .
More: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/who-we-are/201007/1800000000000-could-create-lot-jobs
One of the most interesting shifts since the Iraq war started is that progressives now want to position themselves as MORE pro-troops (not the same as pro-military) than the Repubs. And they have evidence for this
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/11/882752/-Supporting-the-troops
Sarah Palin thinks the teabaggers want more military spending. Not necessarily
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/mama-grizzly-building-bridges-back-to.html
The Dems are facing big losses in Congress this fall. What should they do about it?
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/start-clapping-waiting-for-magical.html
Darrell Issa (R-CA) is chomping on the bit to take over the chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform so he can start a litany of investigative hearings on the Obama admin. Until, that is, people start investigating Issa!
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/why-congressman-issa-what-big-profits
“Likely voters”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/shocking-poll-55-percent-of-voters-think-obamas-a-socialist.php
Poll: 55% Of Likely Voters Think Obama's A Socialist
In case you missed the Sunday shows
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/11/tv-soundoff-sunday-talkin_n_642137.html
Bonus item: I heard her say this, and could hardly believe it – Trish Regan thinks the progressive income tax is “un-American”
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38304
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Sunday, July 11, 2010
POLITICAL POTPOURRI
Reforming Social Security – or killing it?
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/democrats-keep-floating-trial-balloon
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/10/882664/-Zombie-Social-Security-lies:-Retirement-age-must-be-raised-because-people-are-living-longer
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/how-would-you-fix-social-security
“The Financial Con of the Decade” (thanks to Ben R. for the link)
http://www.zerohedge.com/print/163854
More: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/james-galbraith-fix-economy-feds-need
James Galbraith: To Fix The Economy, Feds Need to Clean House in The Banking Industry
The right loves to talk about changing the Constitution. It’s almost impossible to do, so you can milk an issue forever without actually ACTING on it
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024664.php
I guess ANYONE can get space on the Wa Po editorial page these days. Anyone from the right, that is
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024662.php
Good
http://mydd.com/2010/7/10/lugar-rips-romney-over-nuclear-weapons
Mitt Romney wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post this week about the New START treaty rivaling only Sarah Palin for sheer incompetence. Fred Kaplan, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the US-Soviet arms race, called it “shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant.” I highly recommend Kaplan’s article at Slate, which points out the factual flaws in nearly every single line of the piece. . . .
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote an equally devastating critique not as an op-ed or blog post but as an unsolicited 782-word statement from his own office. "Governor Mitt Romney's hyperbolic attack on the New START Treaty in the July 6 edition of The Washington Post repeats discredited objections and appears unaware of arms control history and context." . . . [read on]
Is David Vitter (R-LA) in trouble?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024661.php
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/10/vitter_gets_unexpected_challenger.html
Jan Brewer’s (R-AZ) hateful lies
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/jan-brewers-made-up-immigration-stories/
[Matt Yglesias] One thing that’s frustrating to me about the immigration debate is the extent to which it’s driven by sincerely believed, but quite clearly false, factual ideas about immigration and immigrants. . . . [read on]
More: http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/crime-rate-flat-arizona-gov-brewer-turn
David Broder thinks the Tea Party would be a really neat idea – if it wasn’t full of tea partiers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070903717.html
Conservative populism had an unsuccessful trial run in 1964 under Barry Goldwater but did not flourish until Ronald Reagan took on the Washington establishment in 1980. The differences between them were significant. Goldwater lost his presidential bid because "the tone and ideas of some of his extreme backers were viewed as odd and frightening by most voters, and the candidate's inability (or unwillingness) to disavow their words allowed [Lyndon] Johnson to paint Goldwater himself as odd and frightening," . . .
The need for Republicans, then, is to do what Reagan did -- "to propose alternatives that offer a real change of direction without seeming too radical." He had an advantage that is too often overlooked. As the two-term governor of our most populous state, Reagan could answer those who viewed him as dangerous by pointing to the success he had achieved in managing California. . . .
Building a majority coalition will require a strong, sensible platform. And a clear separation from the kooks and cranks who sank both Bryan and Goldwater. . . .
Sunday talk show line-ups
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/the-sunday-show-line-ups-57.php
• ABC, This Week: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA).
• CBS, Face The Nation: Attorney General Eric Holder.
• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), BP Victim Compensation Fund administrator Ken Feinberg.
• NBC, Meet The Press: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
Bonus item: The immigration issue is complex and multi-sided. Just the sort of issue for Sarah Palin’s deep thoughts
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38286
Poor Sarah: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/poor-poor-sarah-struggling-by-mere-10m.html
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Reforming Social Security – or killing it?
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/democrats-keep-floating-trial-balloon
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/10/882664/-Zombie-Social-Security-lies:-Retirement-age-must-be-raised-because-people-are-living-longer
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/how-would-you-fix-social-security
“The Financial Con of the Decade” (thanks to Ben R. for the link)
http://www.zerohedge.com/print/163854
More: http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/james-galbraith-fix-economy-feds-need
James Galbraith: To Fix The Economy, Feds Need to Clean House in The Banking Industry
The right loves to talk about changing the Constitution. It’s almost impossible to do, so you can milk an issue forever without actually ACTING on it
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024664.php
I guess ANYONE can get space on the Wa Po editorial page these days. Anyone from the right, that is
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024662.php
Good
http://mydd.com/2010/7/10/lugar-rips-romney-over-nuclear-weapons
Mitt Romney wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post this week about the New START treaty rivaling only Sarah Palin for sheer incompetence. Fred Kaplan, who won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the US-Soviet arms race, called it “shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant.” I highly recommend Kaplan’s article at Slate, which points out the factual flaws in nearly every single line of the piece. . . .
Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN), Ranking Member of the Foreign Relations Committee, wrote an equally devastating critique not as an op-ed or blog post but as an unsolicited 782-word statement from his own office. "Governor Mitt Romney's hyperbolic attack on the New START Treaty in the July 6 edition of The Washington Post repeats discredited objections and appears unaware of arms control history and context." . . . [read on]
Is David Vitter (R-LA) in trouble?
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024661.php
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/10/vitter_gets_unexpected_challenger.html
Jan Brewer’s (R-AZ) hateful lies
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/jan-brewers-made-up-immigration-stories/
[Matt Yglesias] One thing that’s frustrating to me about the immigration debate is the extent to which it’s driven by sincerely believed, but quite clearly false, factual ideas about immigration and immigrants. . . . [read on]
More: http://crooksandliars.com/john-amato/crime-rate-flat-arizona-gov-brewer-turn
David Broder thinks the Tea Party would be a really neat idea – if it wasn’t full of tea partiers
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/09/AR2010070903717.html
Conservative populism had an unsuccessful trial run in 1964 under Barry Goldwater but did not flourish until Ronald Reagan took on the Washington establishment in 1980. The differences between them were significant. Goldwater lost his presidential bid because "the tone and ideas of some of his extreme backers were viewed as odd and frightening by most voters, and the candidate's inability (or unwillingness) to disavow their words allowed [Lyndon] Johnson to paint Goldwater himself as odd and frightening," . . .
The need for Republicans, then, is to do what Reagan did -- "to propose alternatives that offer a real change of direction without seeming too radical." He had an advantage that is too often overlooked. As the two-term governor of our most populous state, Reagan could answer those who viewed him as dangerous by pointing to the success he had achieved in managing California. . . .
Building a majority coalition will require a strong, sensible platform. And a clear separation from the kooks and cranks who sank both Bryan and Goldwater. . . .
Sunday talk show line-ups
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/the-sunday-show-line-ups-57.php
• ABC, This Week: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Rep. Brian Bilbray (R-CA).
• CBS, Face The Nation: Attorney General Eric Holder.
• CNN, State Of The Union: Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM), White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), BP Victim Compensation Fund administrator Ken Feinberg.
• NBC, Meet The Press: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.
Bonus item: The immigration issue is complex and multi-sided. Just the sort of issue for Sarah Palin’s deep thoughtshttp://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38286
Poor Sarah: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/poor-poor-sarah-struggling-by-mere-10m.html
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Saturday, July 10, 2010
REWARDING BAD BEHAVIOR
The GOP becomes more extremist . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/bennett_predicts_reid_victory.html
[Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)] "The Utah senator said he fears tea party extremism could end up costing the GOP seats that they otherwise would have been able to win. He said he also worries that the GOP has no clear plan to govern if they take control of the Senate this election year."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/inglis_says_gop_leaders_let_demagogues_set_tone.html
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC), who lost his primary last month, said too many Republican leaders are acquiescing to a poisonous "demagoguery" that threatens the party's long-term credibility . . .
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/9/882917/-GOP-congressman-condemns-Republican-demagoguery,-racism
. . . and thrives
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/insiders_see_gop_takeover_increasingly_likely.html
Insiders See GOP Takeover Increasingly Likely
The Do-Nothing Party finds a new reason to block legislation in Congress
http://www.americablog.com/2010/07/no-bills-during-lame-duck-session.html
The party of nullification
http://mydd.com/2010/7/10/the-racism-inherent-in-the-nullificati
In his recently published book, Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, historian Tom Woods, a fellow at the right wing economic think tank Ludwig van Mises Institute, maintains that the states have the power to nullify laws that in their estimation exceed the powers of Congress granted by the Constitution to enact. . . . [read on]
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/9/882585/-Health-care-reform:-Jindal-signs-faux-nullification-bill
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/best_served_cold.php
The dumbing down of US politics
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/top-five-republican-stumbles-on-the-road-back-to-relevance.php
Top Five Dumbest Ideas Republicans Had On The Road Back To Relevance
More: http://mydd.com/2010/7/9/a-nation-of-morons
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024651.php
Lifting the lid on right-wing violence
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/nbc-news-reports-sovereign-citizens
Payback time?
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/rnc_never_reimbursed_for_nightclub_expense.html
Although the RNC insisted it would be reimbursed for expenses at a Hollywood bondage-themed nightclub, the Daily Caller notes that "months later, there's no evidence in Federal Election Commission filings that that has happened." . . . [read on]
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/rnc-still-hasnt-gotten-th_n_640837.html
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/rnc_says_it_recouped_nightclub_expenses.php
But RNC spokesman Doug Heye says the party did get its money back, in a different way.
"As it promised it would, the RNC recouped the money that was paid as reimbursement for the Voyeur [nightclub] expense. Any reports to the contrary are irresponsible and flat out wrong," he said in a statement. "We decided that the appropriate way to recoup the money was to reduce payment that otherwise would have been made to one or more individuals who were responsible for the mistake." . . . [read on]
Bonus item: Yesterday we had a piece on the political implications of tanning beds. Today, the political implications of “bad hair”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38146394/ns/politics-decision_2010/
Boxer's new strategy: Go after the 'bad hair' vote
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/colbert-mocks-republicans-hairstyles-especially-mcconnells-the-rachel.php
Colbert Mocks Republicans' Hairstyles
More: http://www.slate.com/id/2259939
Iran's forbidden haircut
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
The GOP becomes more extremist . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/bennett_predicts_reid_victory.html
[Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT)] "The Utah senator said he fears tea party extremism could end up costing the GOP seats that they otherwise would have been able to win. He said he also worries that the GOP has no clear plan to govern if they take control of the Senate this election year."
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/inglis_says_gop_leaders_let_demagogues_set_tone.html
Rep. Bob Inglis (R-SC), who lost his primary last month, said too many Republican leaders are acquiescing to a poisonous "demagoguery" that threatens the party's long-term credibility . . .
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/9/882917/-GOP-congressman-condemns-Republican-demagoguery,-racism
. . . and thrives
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/insiders_see_gop_takeover_increasingly_likely.html
Insiders See GOP Takeover Increasingly Likely
The Do-Nothing Party finds a new reason to block legislation in Congress
http://www.americablog.com/2010/07/no-bills-during-lame-duck-session.html
The party of nullification
http://mydd.com/2010/7/10/the-racism-inherent-in-the-nullificati
In his recently published book, Nullification: How to Resist Federal Tyranny in the 21st Century, historian Tom Woods, a fellow at the right wing economic think tank Ludwig van Mises Institute, maintains that the states have the power to nullify laws that in their estimation exceed the powers of Congress granted by the Constitution to enact. . . . [read on]
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/9/882585/-Health-care-reform:-Jindal-signs-faux-nullification-bill
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/best_served_cold.php
The dumbing down of US politics
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/top-five-republican-stumbles-on-the-road-back-to-relevance.php
Top Five Dumbest Ideas Republicans Had On The Road Back To Relevance
More: http://mydd.com/2010/7/9/a-nation-of-morons
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024651.php
Lifting the lid on right-wing violence
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/nbc-news-reports-sovereign-citizens
Payback time?
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/09/rnc_never_reimbursed_for_nightclub_expense.html
Although the RNC insisted it would be reimbursed for expenses at a Hollywood bondage-themed nightclub, the Daily Caller notes that "months later, there's no evidence in Federal Election Commission filings that that has happened." . . . [read on]
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/09/rnc-still-hasnt-gotten-th_n_640837.html
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/rnc_says_it_recouped_nightclub_expenses.php
But RNC spokesman Doug Heye says the party did get its money back, in a different way.
"As it promised it would, the RNC recouped the money that was paid as reimbursement for the Voyeur [nightclub] expense. Any reports to the contrary are irresponsible and flat out wrong," he said in a statement. "We decided that the appropriate way to recoup the money was to reduce payment that otherwise would have been made to one or more individuals who were responsible for the mistake." . . . [read on]
Bonus item: Yesterday we had a piece on the political implications of tanning beds. Today, the political implications of “bad hair”
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38146394/ns/politics-decision_2010/
Boxer's new strategy: Go after the 'bad hair' vote
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/colbert-mocks-republicans-hairstyles-especially-mcconnells-the-rachel.php
Colbert Mocks Republicans' Hairstyles
More: http://www.slate.com/id/2259939
Iran's forbidden haircut
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Friday, July 09, 2010
A TALE OF TWO PARTIES
The Party of BP
http://mydd.com/2010/7/8/angle-joins-long-list-of-bp-defending-republicans
The Party of Disaster
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/disaster-messaging_b_639040.html
[George Lakoff] Democrats are constantly resorting to disaster messaging. Here's a description the typical situation.
The Republicans outmessage the Democrats. The Democrats, having no effective response, face disaster: They lose politically, either in electoral support or failure on crucial legislation.
The Democrats then take polls and do focus groups. The pollsters discover that extremist Republicans control the most common ("mainstream") way of thinking and talking about the given issue.
The pollsters recommend that Democrats move to the right: adopt conservative Republican language and a less extreme version of conservative policy, along with weakened versions of some Democratic ideas.
The Democrats believe that, if they follow this advice, they can gain enough independent and Republican support to pass legislation that, at least, will be some improvement on the extreme Republican position.
Otherwise, the pollsters warn, Democrats will lose popular support -- and elections -- to the Republicans, because "mainstream" thought and language resides with the Republicans.
Believing the pollsters, the Democrats change their policy and their messaging, and move to the right.
The Republicans demand even more and refuse to support the Democrats.
We have seen this on issues like health care, immigration, global warming, finance reform, and so on. We are seeing it again on the Death Gusher in the Gulf. It happens even with a Democratic president and a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.
Why? Is there anything the Democrats can do about it? First, it has to be understood. It doesn't just happen. . . . [read on]
http://www.thenation.com/print/article/37165/kabuki-democracy
[Eric Alterman] Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Presidency Is Impossible, for Now
Key parts of “Defense of Marriage Act” ruled unconstitutional
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/federal-judge-rules-part-of-doma-unconstitutional.php
http://mydd.com/2010/7/9/gay-marriage-ban
Sharron Angle (R-NV) thinks that when a young girl is raped by her father, she should “use the lemons to make lemonade”
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/sharron-angle-lemon-zinger-teabagger.html
“I think that two wrongs don't make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade. Well one girl in particular moved in with the adoptive parents of her child, and they both were adopted. Both of them grew up, one graduated from high school, the other had parents that loved her and she also graduated from high school. And I'll tell you the little girl who was born from that very poor situation came to me when she was 13 and said 'I know what you did thank you for saving my life.' So it is meaningful to me to err on the side of life.” [read on]
She “explains”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/sharron-angles-advice-for_n_639294.html
More dumb things Angle has said: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/08/sharron_angle_busy_week
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/angle_i_shouldnt_have_used_ter.html
Let’s see: Harry Reid reposts Angle’s old web site to show how she has shifted her positions. In revenge, the NRSC posts a FAKE Harry Reid web site. Seems fair to me
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/nrsc-posts-parody-real-harry-reid-website-after-reid-posts-real-angle-site.php
Jim DeMint (R-SC) thinks congressmen are breaking their “oath” to uphold limited government. What oath?
http://firedoglake.com/2010/07/08/jim-demint-rewrites-the-oath-of-office/
Oh-oh
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/democrats-fear-they-cant_n_639202.html
$200 Million GOP Campaign Avalanche Planned, Democrats Stunned
Back to the Future: the GOP agenda sounds awfully familiar
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024631.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/why_gop_obstruction_helps_repu.html
More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/zombie-k-street-project-the-gop-turns-to-lobbyists-to-draft-policy-agenda.php
The GOP Turns To Lobbyists To Draft Policy Agenda
The return of “death panels”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/berwick-appointment-allows-gop-to-resurrect-death-panels-video.php
Republican economics
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/income-gap-between-rich-a_n_639984.html
Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Highest in Decades
Glenn Beck and a lot of other hateful morons still have regular tv and radio shows and news columns. So what does it actually take to get fired from today’s media? Read on
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/political-incorrectness-media
TPM reporter takes her first course at “Beck University” – and it’s a doozy
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/another-beck-in-the-wall-tpm-enrolls-in-glenn-beck-university.php
Beck adds more nonsense to the growing “Black Panther” pseudo-controversy, trying to tie it to Obama
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/beck-thinks-hes-connected-obama-raci
The Washington Post helps mainstream Rush Limbaugh’s ridiculous screeds
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/up_against_the_tanning_bed_whitey.php
I just happened upon this article in the Post about the 'tanning tax' in the Health Care Reform law and whether it is unconstitutional because it violates the equal protection rights of white people. In other words, in the era of Obama, who presumably isn't in great need of an insta-tan, the tax on tanning salons is a grand effort to stick it to whitey. . . .
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/rush-limbaugh-obama-creat_n_637716.html
Rush Limbaugh said on his July 2 radio show that he believes Obama tanked the economy on purpose, both as "payback" for 230 years of racial oppression and because Obama simply doesn't like America. . . .
Everyone is all worked up about this new Sarah Palin video, “Mama Grizzlies.” I think it’s completely contentless, directed only at free-floating affect – just like its subject. Is this the stuff Presidential campaigns are made from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-OsHTLfxM
Is she running? http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/palin-pushes-mama-grizzly-meme/59349/
[Marc Ambinder] Palin's preoration is about November, 2010, but it is hard to read this video as anything but a test of a much larger potential operation. Incidentally, for those who wonder about whether Palin is actually laying the groundwork for a 2012 run, like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty, the answer is: it's hard to tell. She's not recruiting fundraisers, so far as we know ... she's not signing up field activists in Iowa ... she's definitely building a list, and she's definitely making strategic endorsement choices in some key states, and she's showing up with regularity in South Carolina and Nevada . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/08/palin_sees_a_mom_awakening.html
[The Swamp] Unlike other such videos circulated by political campaigns, there is no overt money pitch or call to action. Nor does it highlight the women candidates Palin and her PAC have endorsed this year, like Nikki Haley in South Carolina or Susana Martinez in New Mexico. The tag simply encourages viewers to visit the SarahPAC site and 'join the movement.'
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/the_message_of_sarah_palins_ma.html
[Greg Sargent] Palin is a political force to be reckoned with. She's got a growing power base that Republicans covet and that she has a unique ability to reach. And you shouldn't dismiss the possibility that she really may run for president. . . . [read on]
Bonus item: Pink elephants, huh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFWBh6GMcmU
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
The Party of BP
http://mydd.com/2010/7/8/angle-joins-long-list-of-bp-defending-republicans
The Party of Disaster
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/george-lakoff/disaster-messaging_b_639040.html
[George Lakoff] Democrats are constantly resorting to disaster messaging. Here's a description the typical situation.
The Republicans outmessage the Democrats. The Democrats, having no effective response, face disaster: They lose politically, either in electoral support or failure on crucial legislation.
The Democrats then take polls and do focus groups. The pollsters discover that extremist Republicans control the most common ("mainstream") way of thinking and talking about the given issue.
The pollsters recommend that Democrats move to the right: adopt conservative Republican language and a less extreme version of conservative policy, along with weakened versions of some Democratic ideas.
The Democrats believe that, if they follow this advice, they can gain enough independent and Republican support to pass legislation that, at least, will be some improvement on the extreme Republican position.
Otherwise, the pollsters warn, Democrats will lose popular support -- and elections -- to the Republicans, because "mainstream" thought and language resides with the Republicans.
Believing the pollsters, the Democrats change their policy and their messaging, and move to the right.
The Republicans demand even more and refuse to support the Democrats.
We have seen this on issues like health care, immigration, global warming, finance reform, and so on. We are seeing it again on the Death Gusher in the Gulf. It happens even with a Democratic president and a Democratic majority in both houses of Congress.
Why? Is there anything the Democrats can do about it? First, it has to be understood. It doesn't just happen. . . . [read on]
http://www.thenation.com/print/article/37165/kabuki-democracy
[Eric Alterman] Kabuki Democracy: Why a Progressive Presidency Is Impossible, for Now
Key parts of “Defense of Marriage Act” ruled unconstitutional
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/federal-judge-rules-part-of-doma-unconstitutional.php
http://mydd.com/2010/7/9/gay-marriage-ban
Sharron Angle (R-NV) thinks that when a young girl is raped by her father, she should “use the lemons to make lemonade”
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/sharron-angle-lemon-zinger-teabagger.html
“I think that two wrongs don't make a right. And I have been in the situation of counseling young girls, not 13 but 15, who have had very at risk, difficult pregnancies. And my counsel was to look for some alternatives, which they did. And they found that they had made what was really a lemon situation into lemonade. Well one girl in particular moved in with the adoptive parents of her child, and they both were adopted. Both of them grew up, one graduated from high school, the other had parents that loved her and she also graduated from high school. And I'll tell you the little girl who was born from that very poor situation came to me when she was 13 and said 'I know what you did thank you for saving my life.' So it is meaningful to me to err on the side of life.” [read on]
She “explains”: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/sharron-angles-advice-for_n_639294.html
More dumb things Angle has said: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/08/sharron_angle_busy_week
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/angle_i_shouldnt_have_used_ter.html
Let’s see: Harry Reid reposts Angle’s old web site to show how she has shifted her positions. In revenge, the NRSC posts a FAKE Harry Reid web site. Seems fair to me
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/nrsc-posts-parody-real-harry-reid-website-after-reid-posts-real-angle-site.php
Jim DeMint (R-SC) thinks congressmen are breaking their “oath” to uphold limited government. What oath?
http://firedoglake.com/2010/07/08/jim-demint-rewrites-the-oath-of-office/
Oh-oh
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/democrats-fear-they-cant_n_639202.html
$200 Million GOP Campaign Avalanche Planned, Democrats Stunned
Back to the Future: the GOP agenda sounds awfully familiar
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024631.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/why_gop_obstruction_helps_repu.html
More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/zombie-k-street-project-the-gop-turns-to-lobbyists-to-draft-policy-agenda.php
The GOP Turns To Lobbyists To Draft Policy Agenda
The return of “death panels”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/berwick-appointment-allows-gop-to-resurrect-death-panels-video.php
Republican economics
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/08/income-gap-between-rich-a_n_639984.html
Income Gap Between Rich and Poor Is Highest in Decades
Glenn Beck and a lot of other hateful morons still have regular tv and radio shows and news columns. So what does it actually take to get fired from today’s media? Read on
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/political-incorrectness-media
TPM reporter takes her first course at “Beck University” – and it’s a doozy
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/another-beck-in-the-wall-tpm-enrolls-in-glenn-beck-university.php
Beck adds more nonsense to the growing “Black Panther” pseudo-controversy, trying to tie it to Obama
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/beck-thinks-hes-connected-obama-raci
The Washington Post helps mainstream Rush Limbaugh’s ridiculous screeds
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/up_against_the_tanning_bed_whitey.php
I just happened upon this article in the Post about the 'tanning tax' in the Health Care Reform law and whether it is unconstitutional because it violates the equal protection rights of white people. In other words, in the era of Obama, who presumably isn't in great need of an insta-tan, the tax on tanning salons is a grand effort to stick it to whitey. . . .
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/rush-limbaugh-obama-creat_n_637716.html
Rush Limbaugh said on his July 2 radio show that he believes Obama tanked the economy on purpose, both as "payback" for 230 years of racial oppression and because Obama simply doesn't like America. . . .
Everyone is all worked up about this new Sarah Palin video, “Mama Grizzlies.” I think it’s completely contentless, directed only at free-floating affect – just like its subject. Is this the stuff Presidential campaigns are made from?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF-OsHTLfxM
Is she running? http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/palin-pushes-mama-grizzly-meme/59349/
[Marc Ambinder] Palin's preoration is about November, 2010, but it is hard to read this video as anything but a test of a much larger potential operation. Incidentally, for those who wonder about whether Palin is actually laying the groundwork for a 2012 run, like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty, the answer is: it's hard to tell. She's not recruiting fundraisers, so far as we know ... she's not signing up field activists in Iowa ... she's definitely building a list, and she's definitely making strategic endorsement choices in some key states, and she's showing up with regularity in South Carolina and Nevada . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/08/palin_sees_a_mom_awakening.html
[The Swamp] Unlike other such videos circulated by political campaigns, there is no overt money pitch or call to action. Nor does it highlight the women candidates Palin and her PAC have endorsed this year, like Nikki Haley in South Carolina or Susana Martinez in New Mexico. The tag simply encourages viewers to visit the SarahPAC site and 'join the movement.'
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/the_message_of_sarah_palins_ma.html
[Greg Sargent] Palin is a political force to be reckoned with. She's got a growing power base that Republicans covet and that she has a unique ability to reach. And you shouldn't dismiss the possibility that she really may run for president. . . . [read on]
Bonus item: Pink elephants, huh?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFWBh6GMcmU
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Thursday, July 08, 2010
THE STEALTH PARTY
Sharron Angle (R-NV) seems to think it’s smart to make a federal case out of Harry Reid revealing her old web site positions
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/angle-again-threatens-legal-action-against-reid-after-he-reposts-her-old-website.php
More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38204
Morning Joe declares Sharron Angle campaign "over"
Mitt Romney (R-MA) better stay away from foreign policy issues if this is the best he can do
http://www.slate.com/id/2259779/
[Fred Kaplan] In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney's attack on the New START treaty in the July 6 Washington Post. . . . [read on]
More: http://crooksandliars.com/jason-sigger/mitt-romney-doesnt-know-nukes
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/romneys-unorthodox-foreign-policy-foray/59241/
How David Vitter (R-LA) has survived this long is beyond me: will this be the thing that brings him down?
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/vitter_busted.php
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/run-vitter-dodges-reporters-questions-on-aide-who-resigned-over-assault-case.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024618.php
The GOP doesn’t want you to know their plans if they win in the fall
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/privatize-social-security-gop-voters-tell-house-leadership-to-go-for-it.php
Shhhhh!
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/gop_on_the_down_low.php
[VS] With the Vitter and Angle stories running side-by-side today, they bring up a question that has to be answered. Paul and Kirk went into hiding--in fact, it seems, all Republican candidates outside South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama seem to be hiding. Rubio has been quiet. Perry wants no debates, if he can get away with it. The theme seems to be that most Republican candidates want to win incognito. It's not a party of NO--it's a party of nothing. . . . [read on]
The politicians’ fear of “new media”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39410.html
Can’t go over him, can’t go under him, gotta go around him
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jVClvQ53Y6nGSJwJdzlagW9ET_HgD9GPPADG2
The fight over immigration is a winner for the Dems
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/07/4630142-first-thoughts-immigration-politics-heats-up
Onward Christian soldiers!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/bobby-jindal-signs-guns-i_n_638047.html
Bobby Jindal Signs 'Guns-In-Church' Bill Into Law
More crazy
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/ask_not_for_whom_the_crazy_tm_tolls.php
Georgia Gov. candidate and former Gov. Roy Barnes laments the stiff toll the Crazy (tm) has taken on his state. "It's hard for industry to take us seriously when the Legislature ... passes bills about microchips in the brain, and talks about seceding from the Union."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/georgia-gop-gov-candidate-im-gonna-deport-illegal-immigrants----so-sue-me-feds-video.php
Georgia GOP Gov Candidate: I'm Gonna Deport Illegal Immigrants -- So Sue Me, Feds
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/quote-day-arizonas-legislature
[Ken Silverstein] The general unsightliness of the capitol makes it a fitting home for today's Arizona legislature, which is composed almost entirely of dimwits, racists, and cranks.
Here it comes: Fox and Rush want to make the 2010 campaign about the Black Panthers
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/fox-news-runs-incendiary-video-new-b
CNN too! http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/seriously_1.php
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Sharron Angle (R-NV) seems to think it’s smart to make a federal case out of Harry Reid revealing her old web site positions
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/angle-again-threatens-legal-action-against-reid-after-he-reposts-her-old-website.php
More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38204
Morning Joe declares Sharron Angle campaign "over"
Mitt Romney (R-MA) better stay away from foreign policy issues if this is the best he can do
http://www.slate.com/id/2259779/
[Fred Kaplan] In 35 years of following debates over nuclear arms control, I have never seen anything quite as shabby, misleading and—let's not mince words—thoroughly ignorant as Mitt Romney's attack on the New START treaty in the July 6 Washington Post. . . . [read on]
More: http://crooksandliars.com/jason-sigger/mitt-romney-doesnt-know-nukes
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2010/07/romneys-unorthodox-foreign-policy-foray/59241/
How David Vitter (R-LA) has survived this long is beyond me: will this be the thing that brings him down?
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/vitter_busted.php
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/run-vitter-dodges-reporters-questions-on-aide-who-resigned-over-assault-case.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024618.php
The GOP doesn’t want you to know their plans if they win in the fall
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/privatize-social-security-gop-voters-tell-house-leadership-to-go-for-it.php
Shhhhh!
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/gop_on_the_down_low.php
[VS] With the Vitter and Angle stories running side-by-side today, they bring up a question that has to be answered. Paul and Kirk went into hiding--in fact, it seems, all Republican candidates outside South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama seem to be hiding. Rubio has been quiet. Perry wants no debates, if he can get away with it. The theme seems to be that most Republican candidates want to win incognito. It's not a party of NO--it's a party of nothing. . . . [read on]
The politicians’ fear of “new media”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0710/39410.html
Can’t go over him, can’t go under him, gotta go around him
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jVClvQ53Y6nGSJwJdzlagW9ET_HgD9GPPADG2
The fight over immigration is a winner for the Dems
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/07/4630142-first-thoughts-immigration-politics-heats-up
Onward Christian soldiers!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/07/bobby-jindal-signs-guns-i_n_638047.html
Bobby Jindal Signs 'Guns-In-Church' Bill Into Law
More crazy
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/ask_not_for_whom_the_crazy_tm_tolls.php
Georgia Gov. candidate and former Gov. Roy Barnes laments the stiff toll the Crazy (tm) has taken on his state. "It's hard for industry to take us seriously when the Legislature ... passes bills about microchips in the brain, and talks about seceding from the Union."
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/georgia-gop-gov-candidate-im-gonna-deport-illegal-immigrants----so-sue-me-feds-video.php
Georgia GOP Gov Candidate: I'm Gonna Deport Illegal Immigrants -- So Sue Me, Feds
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/quote-day-arizonas-legislature
[Ken Silverstein] The general unsightliness of the capitol makes it a fitting home for today's Arizona legislature, which is composed almost entirely of dimwits, racists, and cranks.
Here it comes: Fox and Rush want to make the 2010 campaign about the Black Panthers
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/fox-news-runs-incendiary-video-new-b
CNN too! http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/seriously_1.php
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
Good, finally
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/breaking-justice-department-will-sue
Justice Department will sue Arizona over SB1070
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/06/doj-sues-arizona-to-avoid_n_636924.html
http://washingtonindependent.com/90949/justice-department-sues-arizona-over-immigration-law
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/obama_will_sue_to_overturn_imm.html
They had to do a study to find out?
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/civilian-casualties-create-new-enemies-study-confirms/
Civilian Casualties Create New Enemies, Study Confirms
Contingency “plans”
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/is_there_an_app_for_this.php
[David Kurtz] This smart piece from Reuters makes what should be an obvious observation: The contingency plans all the offshore drillers have for skimming up a major spill rely on materiel and equipment that's already deployed for the BP blowout. In other words, the industry doesn't have the skimming capacity to deal with multiple major spills at the same time. (Let's set aside the issue of how effective our current skimming capacity actually is on a deep sea blowout.)
So it adds up to this: The government won't let oil companies drill without contingency plans for a spill. The contingency plans all rely on a skimming capacity that is at present unavailable and which in any event can only handle one spill at a time. . . . [read on]
More “plans”
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/6/882069/-BP-promised-capture-rate-forty-times-higher-than-actual-results
The Washington Post reports that one month before BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout, the company claimed in a filing with federal regulators that it could capture 491,721 barrels of oil per day in the event of a spill. 77 days after BP's leak began, it has managed to collect 12,177 barrels of oil per day . . .
GOP: Give us the majority, then we’ll figure out what to do with it
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/boehner-no-idea-if-gop-will-resurrect-social-security-privatization-in-2010.php
Boehner: 'No Idea' If GOP Will Resurrect Social Security Privatization In 2010
More: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/107189-senate-bill-to-repeal-health-reform-lacks-gop-leaders
Although they’ve called repeatedly for repeal of the Democrats’ new health reform law, some senior Senate Republicans have not endorsed a bill that would actually do it. . . .
John McCain: once a reasonable voice on immigration, now just another right-wing hatemonger
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/mccain-keeps-veering-right-no-amnesty----and-send-illegal-immigrants-home.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024595.php
Well, duh
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/huckleberry-graham-is-finally-outed-as.html
A Bipartisan Mirage --- The slippery style of Lindsey Graham
Michael Steele lives to gaffe another day (until after the election)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/saving-steele-the-sequel-rnc-chairman-keeps-squeaking-through-scandal.php
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/06/michael_steel_job_security
More: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-the-west-virginia.html
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's most recent gaffe -- this one about the war in Afghanistan -- has effectively eliminated any chance he might have had to return to his post after the 2010 election, according to a number of individuals close to the committee.
However, those same sources insisted that Steele is likely to survive until the election. "If you believe in death by 1,000 cuts, he is around 896," said one Republican operative who keeps a close eye on the RNC's inner workings.
Another high-level Republican strategist said there had been a series of calls over the weekend about possibly naming a placeholder chairman through the election. But the strategist acknowledged that scenario is very unlikely for three reasons. . . .
Love it: Sharron Angle (R-NV) says to Harry Reid, You can’t post my old web site to show how I’ve changed my positions. Reid replies, Just watch me!
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/reid-campaign-re-reposts-angles-old-website-even-after-threat-of-lawsuit.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/06/reid-republishes-angles-o_n_637018.html
How the game is played
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/07/quote_of_the_day.html
"Getting oxygen is hard when you're in the minority. You have to create conflict. The press likes that."
-- Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA)
Bonus item: Blue Steele
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/06/jon_stewart_on_michael_steele
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Good, finally
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/breaking-justice-department-will-sue
Justice Department will sue Arizona over SB1070
More: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/06/doj-sues-arizona-to-avoid_n_636924.html
http://washingtonindependent.com/90949/justice-department-sues-arizona-over-immigration-law
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/obama_will_sue_to_overturn_imm.html
They had to do a study to find out?
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/civilian-casualties-create-new-enemies-study-confirms/
Civilian Casualties Create New Enemies, Study Confirms
Contingency “plans”
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/is_there_an_app_for_this.php
[David Kurtz] This smart piece from Reuters makes what should be an obvious observation: The contingency plans all the offshore drillers have for skimming up a major spill rely on materiel and equipment that's already deployed for the BP blowout. In other words, the industry doesn't have the skimming capacity to deal with multiple major spills at the same time. (Let's set aside the issue of how effective our current skimming capacity actually is on a deep sea blowout.)
So it adds up to this: The government won't let oil companies drill without contingency plans for a spill. The contingency plans all rely on a skimming capacity that is at present unavailable and which in any event can only handle one spill at a time. . . . [read on]
More “plans”
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/6/882069/-BP-promised-capture-rate-forty-times-higher-than-actual-results
The Washington Post reports that one month before BP's Deepwater Horizon blowout, the company claimed in a filing with federal regulators that it could capture 491,721 barrels of oil per day in the event of a spill. 77 days after BP's leak began, it has managed to collect 12,177 barrels of oil per day . . .
GOP: Give us the majority, then we’ll figure out what to do with it
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/boehner-no-idea-if-gop-will-resurrect-social-security-privatization-in-2010.php
Boehner: 'No Idea' If GOP Will Resurrect Social Security Privatization In 2010
More: http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/107189-senate-bill-to-repeal-health-reform-lacks-gop-leaders
Although they’ve called repeatedly for repeal of the Democrats’ new health reform law, some senior Senate Republicans have not endorsed a bill that would actually do it. . . .
John McCain: once a reasonable voice on immigration, now just another right-wing hatemonger
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/mccain-keeps-veering-right-no-amnesty----and-send-illegal-immigrants-home.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024595.php
Well, duh
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/huckleberry-graham-is-finally-outed-as.html
A Bipartisan Mirage --- The slippery style of Lindsey Graham
Michael Steele lives to gaffe another day (until after the election)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/saving-steele-the-sequel-rnc-chairman-keeps-squeaking-through-scandal.php
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/06/michael_steel_job_security
More: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/morning-fix/1-2-the-west-virginia.html
Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele's most recent gaffe -- this one about the war in Afghanistan -- has effectively eliminated any chance he might have had to return to his post after the 2010 election, according to a number of individuals close to the committee.
However, those same sources insisted that Steele is likely to survive until the election. "If you believe in death by 1,000 cuts, he is around 896," said one Republican operative who keeps a close eye on the RNC's inner workings.
Another high-level Republican strategist said there had been a series of calls over the weekend about possibly naming a placeholder chairman through the election. But the strategist acknowledged that scenario is very unlikely for three reasons. . . .
Love it: Sharron Angle (R-NV) says to Harry Reid, You can’t post my old web site to show how I’ve changed my positions. Reid replies, Just watch me!
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/reid-campaign-re-reposts-angles-old-website-even-after-threat-of-lawsuit.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/06/reid-republishes-angles-o_n_637018.html
How the game is played
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/07/quote_of_the_day.html
"Getting oxygen is hard when you're in the minority. You have to create conflict. The press likes that."
-- Former Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA)
Bonus item: Blue Steele
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/07/06/jon_stewart_on_michael_steele
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
SADDER BUT WISER
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/opinion/02krugman.html
[Paul Krugman] When I was young and naïve, I believed that important people took positions based on careful consideration of the options. Now I know better. Much of what Serious People believe rests on prejudices, not analysis. And these prejudices are subject to fads and fashions. . . . [read on]
Politics today, in a tweet-sized summary
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/perpetual_motion_machine.php
[Josh Marshall] Republicans block any measures to buoy or resuscitate economy, call sputtering economy evidence of superiority of Republican policies, reap political benefit.
When the Dems adopt GOP rhetoric and strategies
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/02/cycle
Would people react more strongly if he simply shrieked, “Kill! Kill!” ?
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38157
Lieberman: Rules of engagement protecting civilians 'hurt morale'
More: http://mydd.com/2010/7/5/senato
Police help BP block reporters from covering oil spill
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/05/bp/index.html
More: http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/04/4611161-photographer-detained-by-police-bp-employee-near-refinery
Sharron Angle (R-NV) threatens to sue Harry Reid’s campaign for publicizing her own (previous) positions
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/dont_screw_with_my_memory_hole.php
John Boehner (R-OH) has made a series of gaffes these past few days. Not to worry, it’s all part of the plan (aka, everything is always good for the Republicans)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/speaker-boehner-gop-leader-steps-it-up-in-hopes-of-winning-house.php
Uh-huh: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/dnc-ad-meet-barton-and-boehner----fighting-for-wall-street-and-big-oil.php
Another Republican now shilling in a tv ad for how to get money out of government programs
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/5/881790/-Fred-Thompson-pitches-government-backed-reverse-mortgages
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/5/881437/-GOP-hypocrisy-watch-#1298:-Its-not-just-J.D.-Hayworth
The “best” of Michael Steele
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/gaffes-galore-the-best-of-michael-steele.php
Ouch! http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38161
Cynthia Tucker: Steele Would Have Been Fired a Long Time Ago Were He Not Black
The New York Times doesn’t think it’s such a big deal that they stopped calling waterboarding “torture” at just the time when we learned our govt was doing it. They think it’s just a matter of word choice – and they know better
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/03/keller
[Bill Keller, NYT] "I think this Kennedy School study -- by focusing on whether we have embraced the politically correct term of art in our news stories -- is somewhat misleading and tendentious."
Well-said
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/confusion-at-the-washington-post/
[Matt Yglesias, on the Washington Post] The issue is that objectivity is a business strategy not an epistemology. . . . [read on]
More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/conscious-servility-two-most.html
A Fox News/Rush Limbaugh kind of story
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/07/05/is-fox-news-setting-up-the-next-acorn/
The Department of Justice isn’t prosecuting for “voter intimidation” two “Black Panthers” for standing outside a polling place during the 2008 election, and this is evidence that the Obama administration won’t protect white people from the terrible things that black people do. The election is a few months away, and this story drives a narrative of “voter fraud” by minorities, and that the Obama administration helps “them” and is against “real Americans” and their values. . . . [read on]
Outrageous lies
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38158
Bill Kristol: One Thing Republicans Can Be Proud of 'Is That We Don't Politicize Foreign Wars'
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/how-fox-news-distorts-truth-missiles-biden
Fox News wants you to know that they think we should still be moving full steam ahead in Iraq. . . .
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/02/krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer's propaganda
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/photoshopping-news
Photoshopping the News
Bonus item: Go back to smashing watermelons with a mallet, ya loony
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/woodstock-nation-2010-aging-wingnuts.html
High comedy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K13pFaihIsg
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/02/opinion/02krugman.html
[Paul Krugman] When I was young and naïve, I believed that important people took positions based on careful consideration of the options. Now I know better. Much of what Serious People believe rests on prejudices, not analysis. And these prejudices are subject to fads and fashions. . . . [read on]
Politics today, in a tweet-sized summary
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/perpetual_motion_machine.php
[Josh Marshall] Republicans block any measures to buoy or resuscitate economy, call sputtering economy evidence of superiority of Republican policies, reap political benefit.
When the Dems adopt GOP rhetoric and strategies
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/02/cycle
Would people react more strongly if he simply shrieked, “Kill! Kill!” ?
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38157
Lieberman: Rules of engagement protecting civilians 'hurt morale'
More: http://mydd.com/2010/7/5/senato
Police help BP block reporters from covering oil spill
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/05/bp/index.html
More: http://fieldnotes.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2010/07/04/4611161-photographer-detained-by-police-bp-employee-near-refinery
Sharron Angle (R-NV) threatens to sue Harry Reid’s campaign for publicizing her own (previous) positions
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/dont_screw_with_my_memory_hole.php
John Boehner (R-OH) has made a series of gaffes these past few days. Not to worry, it’s all part of the plan (aka, everything is always good for the Republicans)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/speaker-boehner-gop-leader-steps-it-up-in-hopes-of-winning-house.php
Uh-huh: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/dnc-ad-meet-barton-and-boehner----fighting-for-wall-street-and-big-oil.php
Another Republican now shilling in a tv ad for how to get money out of government programs
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/5/881790/-Fred-Thompson-pitches-government-backed-reverse-mortgages
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/5/881437/-GOP-hypocrisy-watch-#1298:-Its-not-just-J.D.-Hayworth
The “best” of Michael Steele
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/gaffes-galore-the-best-of-michael-steele.php
Ouch! http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38161
Cynthia Tucker: Steele Would Have Been Fired a Long Time Ago Were He Not Black
The New York Times doesn’t think it’s such a big deal that they stopped calling waterboarding “torture” at just the time when we learned our govt was doing it. They think it’s just a matter of word choice – and they know better
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/03/keller
[Bill Keller, NYT] "I think this Kennedy School study -- by focusing on whether we have embraced the politically correct term of art in our news stories -- is somewhat misleading and tendentious."
Well-said
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/confusion-at-the-washington-post/
[Matt Yglesias, on the Washington Post] The issue is that objectivity is a business strategy not an epistemology. . . . [read on]
More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/conscious-servility-two-most.html
A Fox News/Rush Limbaugh kind of story
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/07/05/is-fox-news-setting-up-the-next-acorn/
The Department of Justice isn’t prosecuting for “voter intimidation” two “Black Panthers” for standing outside a polling place during the 2008 election, and this is evidence that the Obama administration won’t protect white people from the terrible things that black people do. The election is a few months away, and this story drives a narrative of “voter fraud” by minorities, and that the Obama administration helps “them” and is against “real Americans” and their values. . . . [read on]
Outrageous lies
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38158
Bill Kristol: One Thing Republicans Can Be Proud of 'Is That We Don't Politicize Foreign Wars'
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/how-fox-news-distorts-truth-missiles-biden
Fox News wants you to know that they think we should still be moving full steam ahead in Iraq. . . .
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/07/02/krauthammer
Charles Krauthammer's propaganda
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/photoshopping-news
Photoshopping the News
Bonus item: Go back to smashing watermelons with a mallet, ya loony
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/woodstock-nation-2010-aging-wingnuts.html
High comedy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K13pFaihIsg
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Monday, July 05, 2010
TRUST ME, I’M A PROFESSIONAL
The phony scandal of “climate-gate” – and how the media helped it happen
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/4/881323/-The-real-scandal-about-the-scandal-that-never-was
More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/15-yrs-ago-village-pundits-were-baffled.html
Meanwhile, let’s bash the blogs
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880507/-Overrated
[NB: The Chris Matthews show this weekend was a half hour of bashing the bloggers for not being professional journalists. Gee, and I thought that was their big advantage. (Video not up yet: http://www.thechrismatthewsshow.com/index.php)]
Those Repubs: love to hate the gummint – until they need it
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/07/just-like-toothpaste.html
The GOP still hasn’t quite figured out their case to the people for taking back the House – “Contract With America” this ain’t
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/john-boehners-rich-fantasy-life
Boehner wants to restore fiscal discipline — even though he's never done it before and has no idea how to do it this time around. He wants to have an "adult" conversation with the American people about entitlements — even though the GOP has never done this before and he refuses to give even a hint about what this difficult conversation might entail. And most hilariously, Boehner insists that what he really wants to do if he becomes Speaker is restore a sense of civility and bipartisanship on Capitol Hill — even though he's been the GOP's point man for crude obstructionism from the day Barack Obama was sworn in. "Skeptics will doubt Boehner's sincerity or capability," Balz said dryly, and indeed they might. [read on]
More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024573.php
Please
http://www.samefacts.com/2010/07/2010-democratic-agenda/bring-it-on-dept-2/
[Mark Kleiman] Republicans want to fight a tax on oil drillers? This summer? Be my guest.
More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/04bptax.html
What is “too far”?
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/michael-steele-finally-goes-too-far
[Kevin Drum] It turns out that a Republican party chairman can survive calling Rush Limbaugh "ugly"; can survive calling abortion an individual choice; can survive an admission that the GOP has followed a racist strategy for the past 40 years; can survive accepting money for political speeches; and can survive a scandal over RNC spending at a lesbian bondage club. Sure, Steele had to apologize each time, but he survived.
But speaking out against a war? That, it turns out, is finally something that every faction of the Republican Party can agree on. For that, they're unanimously demanding Steele's head on a platter. Pretty interesting party, isn't it?
The fact is, there’s no reason for the head of the Republican Party to be mouthing off about foreign affairs anyway
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/us/politics/05steele.html
Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who serve on the Armed Services Committee, became the latest Republicans to denounce the comments made by Mr. Steele last week at a fund-raising event, where he also said the United States was on the wrong side of history in Afghanistan.
“I think those statements are wildly inaccurate, and there’s no excuse for them,” Mr. McCain said from Kabul on the ABC News program “This Week.” “I believe we have to win here. I believe in freedom. But the fact is that I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party.” . . .
Several party officials said Mr. Steele had spent the weekend calling Republican leaders, including Mr. McCain, to explain his remarks and try to blunt the fallout. . . .
Mr. Graham said that he was “dismayed, angry and upset” over Mr. Steele’s remarks. He added, “It was an uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely comment.” He stopped short of calling for the resignation of Mr. Steele, but said: “It’s up to him to see if he can lead the Republican Party. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024572.php
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), an influential far-right senator, told "Fox News Sunday" that Steele needs to "apologize to our military" for his "unacceptable" and "careless" comments. As for whether the RNC chief should be removed, DeMint added, "[W]hether he resigns is up to people other than me, but I need to see him focused on this November's election."
More: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/05/quote_of_the_day.html
"This is not President Obama's war. This is America's war... Michael Steele is backtracking so fast, he's going to be in Kabul fighting here pretty soon."
-- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Bonus item: “An optimist’s perspective”
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/july-4th-optimists-perspective
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
The phony scandal of “climate-gate” – and how the media helped it happen
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/4/881323/-The-real-scandal-about-the-scandal-that-never-was
More: http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/15-yrs-ago-village-pundits-were-baffled.html
Meanwhile, let’s bash the blogs
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880507/-Overrated
[NB: The Chris Matthews show this weekend was a half hour of bashing the bloggers for not being professional journalists. Gee, and I thought that was their big advantage. (Video not up yet: http://www.thechrismatthewsshow.com/index.php)]
Those Repubs: love to hate the gummint – until they need it
http://www.eschatonblog.com/2010/07/just-like-toothpaste.html
The GOP still hasn’t quite figured out their case to the people for taking back the House – “Contract With America” this ain’t
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/john-boehners-rich-fantasy-life
Boehner wants to restore fiscal discipline — even though he's never done it before and has no idea how to do it this time around. He wants to have an "adult" conversation with the American people about entitlements — even though the GOP has never done this before and he refuses to give even a hint about what this difficult conversation might entail. And most hilariously, Boehner insists that what he really wants to do if he becomes Speaker is restore a sense of civility and bipartisanship on Capitol Hill — even though he's been the GOP's point man for crude obstructionism from the day Barack Obama was sworn in. "Skeptics will doubt Boehner's sincerity or capability," Balz said dryly, and indeed they might. [read on]
More: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024573.php
Please
http://www.samefacts.com/2010/07/2010-democratic-agenda/bring-it-on-dept-2/
[Mark Kleiman] Republicans want to fight a tax on oil drillers? This summer? Be my guest.
More: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/04/business/04bptax.html
What is “too far”?
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/michael-steele-finally-goes-too-far
[Kevin Drum] It turns out that a Republican party chairman can survive calling Rush Limbaugh "ugly"; can survive calling abortion an individual choice; can survive an admission that the GOP has followed a racist strategy for the past 40 years; can survive accepting money for political speeches; and can survive a scandal over RNC spending at a lesbian bondage club. Sure, Steele had to apologize each time, but he survived.
But speaking out against a war? That, it turns out, is finally something that every faction of the Republican Party can agree on. For that, they're unanimously demanding Steele's head on a platter. Pretty interesting party, isn't it?
The fact is, there’s no reason for the head of the Republican Party to be mouthing off about foreign affairs anyway
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/us/politics/05steele.html
Senators John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, who serve on the Armed Services Committee, became the latest Republicans to denounce the comments made by Mr. Steele last week at a fund-raising event, where he also said the United States was on the wrong side of history in Afghanistan.
“I think those statements are wildly inaccurate, and there’s no excuse for them,” Mr. McCain said from Kabul on the ABC News program “This Week.” “I believe we have to win here. I believe in freedom. But the fact is that I think that Mr. Steele is going to have to assess as to whether he can still lead the Republican Party.” . . .
Several party officials said Mr. Steele had spent the weekend calling Republican leaders, including Mr. McCain, to explain his remarks and try to blunt the fallout. . . .
Mr. Graham said that he was “dismayed, angry and upset” over Mr. Steele’s remarks. He added, “It was an uninformed, unnecessary, unwise, untimely comment.” He stopped short of calling for the resignation of Mr. Steele, but said: “It’s up to him to see if he can lead the Republican Party. It couldn’t have come at a worse time.”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024572.php
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), an influential far-right senator, told "Fox News Sunday" that Steele needs to "apologize to our military" for his "unacceptable" and "careless" comments. As for whether the RNC chief should be removed, DeMint added, "[W]hether he resigns is up to people other than me, but I need to see him focused on this November's election."
More: http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/05/quote_of_the_day.html
"This is not President Obama's war. This is America's war... Michael Steele is backtracking so fast, he's going to be in Kabul fighting here pretty soon."
-- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Bonus item: “An optimist’s perspective”
http://crooksandliars.com/karoli/july-4th-optimists-perspective
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Sunday, July 04, 2010
THE MYTH OF BIPARTISANSHIPThe Orange Man promises to make the House more bipartisan if the Republicans win (uh-huh)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/03/AR2010070301666.html
Oh, I see, the failure to pass unemployment benefits is the Democrats’ fault – it’s always their fault when they refuse to accept Republican positions
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/congress/Dems-refuse-compromise-to-extend-unemployment-benefits-97625324.html
David Broder, who really has turned himself into a one-trick pony, eulogizes Robert Byrd, whose passing marks one more step in the decline of Broder’s beloved bipartisanship
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/30/AR2010063004201.html
The myth of bipartisanship
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/04/AR2010020404361.html
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27110.html
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_myth_of_bipartisanship
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-ridley/the-republican-bipartisan_b_166902.html
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/02/is_bipartisanship_a_desirable.html
http://www.smirkingchimp.com/thread/jayne-lyn-stahl/28908/the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-myth-of-bipartisanship
Watch: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908//vp/35321917#35321917
[NB: What we know is that it is always politically useful to proclaim your party’s desire for bipartisanship, and to attack your opponents for blocking it. There is bipartisan agreement on that! And we know that the DC press corps, especially the clannish Villagers, hope for bipartisanship because it makes their dinner parties more amicable. But we also know that parties have only pursued bipartisanship when they perceived it in their interests to do so, or when they could settle a “bipartisan” outcome on their own terms. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, partisanship while appearing to be bipartisan is what gets rewarded politically (cough – Lindsey Graham – cough, cough): real bipartisanship is punished by talk radio and the hard core. If anything, it is getting worse, and that seems to be just the way the parties like it.]
Sunday talk show line-ups
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/the-sunday-show-line-ups-56.php
• ABC, This Week: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
• CBS, Face The Nation: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
• CNN, State Of The Union: Afghan Ambassador to the United States Said Tayeb Jawab, Rep. John Boccieri (D-OH), Rep. Duncan D. Hunter (R-CA), Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO).
• NBC, Meet The Press: Will not air, due to coverage of Wimbledon.
Bonus item: Fourth of July edition
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/jeffersons_first_draft.php
The Library of Congress has just released the results of a study of the first draft of the Declaration of Independence which shows that Jefferson first used the monarchical "subjects" to refer to the American people before erasing it and replacing it with the republican "citizens", which he used throughout. . . .
http://www.slate.com/id/2258811/
The winners of Slate's contest to rewrite the Declaration of Independence in a single tweet. . .
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Saturday, July 03, 2010
LATHER, RINSE, REPEAT
Michael Steele really, really steps in it this time
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-afgahnistan-a-war-of-obamas-choosing-that-us-didnt-want-video.php
Steele Says We Shouldn't Be In Afghanistan; Calls It Obama's War Of Choice
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881122/-Michael-Steele:-Afghanistan-was-a-war-of-Obamas-choosing
http://firedoglake.com/2010/07/02/through-the-looking-steele/
http://www.slate.com/id/2259435
Friend of the left? http://crooksandliars.com/jason-sigger/steele-says-get-out-afghanistan
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/maybe_he_should_switch_parties.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/michael_steele_speaks_truth_to.html
The right wing freaks out, demands that Steele resign
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/top-republicans-pile-on-steele-call-for-his-ouster.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/liz-cheney-michael-steele-resignation_n_634480.html
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/red-states-erickson-steele-has-lost-all-moral-authority-must-resign.php
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/former-rnc-rival-katon-dawson-fire-michael-steele.php
Double talk . . .
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-tries-to-explain-i-support-afganistan-war----but-this-is-obamas-strategy.php
Steele Tries To Explain: I Support Afghanistan War -- But This Is Obama's Strategy
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-spokesman-he-wants-to-hear-obamas-strategy-for-winning-in-afghanistan.php
RNC Tries To Explain Steele's Afghanistan Comments
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881190/-Michael-Steele-scrambles
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024555.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/steele_clarifies_again_yes_we.html
. . . . And he survives to gaffe another day
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-weathers-afghanistan-rowfor-now.php
Steele Weathers Afghanistan Row... For Now
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/same_old_same_old.php
[Josh Marshall] I mean, the guy's like a barnacle. I can't even begin to remember all the career-ending goofs and scandals this guy has laughed off. . . .
Remember? http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/2009/12/best-boss-ever-michael-steele-the-rnc-interns.php
Smart guy
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/al-franken-demolishes-gop-s-anti-thurgood
Al Franken laid waste to the GOP's anti-Thurgood Marshall Campaign and as they called it, their minority outreach program. Franken gives his "good friend" Lindsey Graham and the Republicans a little history lesson on what an "activist judge" is and why Justice Thurgood Marshall wasn't one of them. . . . [read on]
Good news, bad news
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/unemployment_rate_drops_to_95.html
Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.5%
http://washingtonindependent.com/90849/unemployment-rate-falls-to-9-5-percent-as-the-labor-force-shrinks
It only fell that much because so many people left the labor force, possibly out of discouragement. . .
More bad news: http://washingtonindependent.com/90874/as-congress-slams-the-jobs-report-the-white-house-stays-positive
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881101/-All-in-all:-another-bad-job-report
Meet the teabaggers
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/who_are_the_tea_partiers.html
A USA Today/Gallup poll finds that three of 10 Americans describe themselves as Tea Party supporters -- equal to the number who call themselves Republicans -- "though many of them acknowledge they aren't exactly sure what that allegiance means." . . .[T]he Tea Party "is less a classic political movement than a frustrated state of mind."
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/karl-rove-says-lots-tea-partiers-tel
[Karl Rove] I've just come through a 111-city book tour and I ran into a lot of Tea Party people. I didn't get that animus toward President Bush that you got. In fact, I got a lot of people who said 'We miss him terribly, we wish he were back in office.' [watch]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/lindsey-graham-on-tea-par_n_632480.html
[Lindsey Graham, R-SC] On Tea Party: 'Just Unsustainable,' No 'Coherent Vision,' Will 'Die Out'
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/stop-presses-gallup-reveals-tea.html
[Gallup] There is significant overlap between Americans who identify as supporters of the Tea Party movement and those who identify as conservative Republicans. Their similar ideological makeup and views suggest that the Tea Party movement is more a rebranding of core Republicanism than a new or distinct entity on the American political scene.
[Digby] No kidding. . . . [read on!]
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881096/-Department-of-redundancy-department:-Teabaggers-are-conservative-Republicans
Rand Paul (R-KY) can always be counted on . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/paul_likens_us_to_roman_empire_before_the_fall.html
Paul Likens U.S. to Roman Empire Before the Fall
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/rand-pauls-campaign-calls_n_633883.html
Rand Paul's Campaign Calls Underground Fence Idea A Website Mistake, Directly Contradicting Video Evidence
Here it comes: the Sharron Angle (R-NV) makeover
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/sharron-angle-tea-party-a_n_632958.html
Jan Brewer (R-AZ) accuses illegal immigrants of “beheading” Americans
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/brewer_claims_illegals_are_beheading_people_in_the.php
More lies: http://mediamatters.org/research/201007020014
Sarah Palin 2012?
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/sarah_palin_reality_check.html
[First Read] "But here's the political reality: Outside of Republicans, she's not popular at all. According to our NBC/WSJ poll, just 29% view her favorably, compared with 43% who view her unfavorably (not far from George W. Bush's 29%-50% score). In addition, the poll shows that 52% have problems with a candidate who has been endorsed by Palin, versus only 25% who are comfortable with that attribute. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Palin is more of a political celebrity than a political figure."
Bonus item: Sanctimony, family values – and always on the lookout for a financial scam
http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/glenn-beck-uses-military-charity-fun
Glenn Beck Uses Military Charity To Fund His Book Launch - Tax Free
Beck University???!!??? http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/how-many-people-are-dumb-enough-pay-g
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Michael Steele really, really steps in it this time
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-afgahnistan-a-war-of-obamas-choosing-that-us-didnt-want-video.php
Steele Says We Shouldn't Be In Afghanistan; Calls It Obama's War Of Choice
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881122/-Michael-Steele:-Afghanistan-was-a-war-of-Obamas-choosing
http://firedoglake.com/2010/07/02/through-the-looking-steele/
http://www.slate.com/id/2259435
Friend of the left? http://crooksandliars.com/jason-sigger/steele-says-get-out-afghanistan
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/maybe_he_should_switch_parties.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/michael_steele_speaks_truth_to.html
The right wing freaks out, demands that Steele resign
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/top-republicans-pile-on-steele-call-for-his-ouster.php
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/liz-cheney-michael-steele-resignation_n_634480.html
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/red-states-erickson-steele-has-lost-all-moral-authority-must-resign.php
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/former-rnc-rival-katon-dawson-fire-michael-steele.php
Double talk . . .
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-tries-to-explain-i-support-afganistan-war----but-this-is-obamas-strategy.php
Steele Tries To Explain: I Support Afghanistan War -- But This Is Obama's Strategy
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-spokesman-he-wants-to-hear-obamas-strategy-for-winning-in-afghanistan.php
RNC Tries To Explain Steele's Afghanistan Comments
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881190/-Michael-Steele-scrambles
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024555.php
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/steele_clarifies_again_yes_we.html
. . . . And he survives to gaffe another day
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/steele-weathers-afghanistan-rowfor-now.php
Steele Weathers Afghanistan Row... For Now
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/same_old_same_old.php
[Josh Marshall] I mean, the guy's like a barnacle. I can't even begin to remember all the career-ending goofs and scandals this guy has laughed off. . . .
Remember? http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/gallery/2009/12/best-boss-ever-michael-steele-the-rnc-interns.php
Smart guy
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/al-franken-demolishes-gop-s-anti-thurgood
Al Franken laid waste to the GOP's anti-Thurgood Marshall Campaign and as they called it, their minority outreach program. Franken gives his "good friend" Lindsey Graham and the Republicans a little history lesson on what an "activist judge" is and why Justice Thurgood Marshall wasn't one of them. . . . [read on]
Good news, bad news
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/unemployment_rate_drops_to_95.html
Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.5%
http://washingtonindependent.com/90849/unemployment-rate-falls-to-9-5-percent-as-the-labor-force-shrinks
It only fell that much because so many people left the labor force, possibly out of discouragement. . .
More bad news: http://washingtonindependent.com/90874/as-congress-slams-the-jobs-report-the-white-house-stays-positive
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881101/-All-in-all:-another-bad-job-report
Meet the teabaggers
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/who_are_the_tea_partiers.html
A USA Today/Gallup poll finds that three of 10 Americans describe themselves as Tea Party supporters -- equal to the number who call themselves Republicans -- "though many of them acknowledge they aren't exactly sure what that allegiance means." . . .[T]he Tea Party "is less a classic political movement than a frustrated state of mind."
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/karl-rove-says-lots-tea-partiers-tel
[Karl Rove] I've just come through a 111-city book tour and I ran into a lot of Tea Party people. I didn't get that animus toward President Bush that you got. In fact, I got a lot of people who said 'We miss him terribly, we wish he were back in office.' [watch]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/lindsey-graham-on-tea-par_n_632480.html
[Lindsey Graham, R-SC] On Tea Party: 'Just Unsustainable,' No 'Coherent Vision,' Will 'Die Out'
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/07/stop-presses-gallup-reveals-tea.html
[Gallup] There is significant overlap between Americans who identify as supporters of the Tea Party movement and those who identify as conservative Republicans. Their similar ideological makeup and views suggest that the Tea Party movement is more a rebranding of core Republicanism than a new or distinct entity on the American political scene.
[Digby] No kidding. . . . [read on!]
More: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/7/2/881096/-Department-of-redundancy-department:-Teabaggers-are-conservative-Republicans
Rand Paul (R-KY) can always be counted on . . .
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/paul_likens_us_to_roman_empire_before_the_fall.html
Paul Likens U.S. to Roman Empire Before the Fall
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/02/rand-pauls-campaign-calls_n_633883.html
Rand Paul's Campaign Calls Underground Fence Idea A Website Mistake, Directly Contradicting Video Evidence
Here it comes: the Sharron Angle (R-NV) makeover
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/07/01/sharron-angle-tea-party-a_n_632958.html
Jan Brewer (R-AZ) accuses illegal immigrants of “beheading” Americans
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/brewer_claims_illegals_are_beheading_people_in_the.php
More lies: http://mediamatters.org/research/201007020014
Sarah Palin 2012?
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/02/sarah_palin_reality_check.html
[First Read] "But here's the political reality: Outside of Republicans, she's not popular at all. According to our NBC/WSJ poll, just 29% view her favorably, compared with 43% who view her unfavorably (not far from George W. Bush's 29%-50% score). In addition, the poll shows that 52% have problems with a candidate who has been endorsed by Palin, versus only 25% who are comfortable with that attribute. We've said it before and we'll say it again: Palin is more of a political celebrity than a political figure."
Bonus item: Sanctimony, family values – and always on the lookout for a financial scam
http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/glenn-beck-uses-military-charity-fun
Glenn Beck Uses Military Charity To Fund His Book Launch - Tax Free
Beck University???!!??? http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/how-many-people-are-dumb-enough-pay-g
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Friday, July 02, 2010
DOLLARS AND SENSE
BP: trust us (uh-huh)
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/bp-plans-get-rid-safety-watchdog
As bad as you think the gulf oil spill is, the news just keeps getting worse (thanks to DR for the link)
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6593#comment-648967
The spies who couldn’t
http://drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/29/lamest_espionage_conspiracy_ever
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/russian_tradecraft_aint_what_it_used_to_be.php
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/stalin-mightve-liked-these-new-russian-spies/
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/whos-who-in-the-russian-spy-ring/
When “waterboarding” and “torture” stopped appearing in the same sentence
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880619/-When-is-torture-not-torture-When-the-NYT-says-so.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/times_excuse_for_not_calling_w.html
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024542.php
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/30/media/index.html
More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/07/01/torture-and-truth/
Crisis of the states
http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/thanks-to-gop-doomsday-arrives-state-budgets
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/06/federal-stimulus-state
The effect on workers
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/chart-day-recessions-effect
http://washingtonindependent.com/90745/recession-leaves-more-than-half-of-american-workers-jobless-or-underemployed
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/economics-is-hard/
The Republicans are blocking unemployment benefits – but they couldn’t do it without Democratic help
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/byrd-death-nelsons-intransigence-doom-ui-extension/
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/with-millions-losing-benefits-ben-nelson-blocks-extension-of-unemployment-insurance.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024534.php
Global austerity
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/austerity-going-global/
Rand Paul’s (R-KY) latest bright idea
http://mydd.com/2010/7/1/does-rand-paul-want-to-abandon-nato
More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/is-rand-pauls-fundraising-slowing-down.php
Can Mark Kirk (R-IL) survive this?
http://www.americablog.com/2010/07/kick-ass-ad-about-gop-serial-liar-mark.html
The GOP goes for total repeal on health care (great idea - thanks)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/republican-leadership-gets-serious-about-health-care-repeal.php
Still refighting the Civil War
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/end_the_liberal_bias_against_slavery.php
“Civil War buffs, Southern partisans, and everyone who is tired of liberals vilifying America's greatest heroes -- must have this book on their bookshelf. It shatters the stereotypes and exposes the truth about the South, slavery, and states' rights. . . .” [read on]
Guidelines for AZ cops to avoid racial profiling actually seem to be actually about avoiding ACCUSATIONS of racial profiling
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/media_bias_training.php
More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/new_az_racial_sensitivity_training_video_dont_prov.php
Theocracy watch
http://www.chris-floyd.com/articles/1-latest-news/1983-extreme-measures-arming-the-zealotocracy-serving-the-elite.html
[Chris Floyd] One of the most significant developments in the modern world -- history may find it to be a decisive one -- has been the deliberate cultivation of religious extremism by ruling elites trying to sustain and expand their power. . . .
Bonus item: The worst Presidents in history
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/01/the_greatest_and_worst_presidents_in_history.html
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
BP: trust us (uh-huh)
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/heather/bp-plans-get-rid-safety-watchdog
As bad as you think the gulf oil spill is, the news just keeps getting worse (thanks to DR for the link)
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6593#comment-648967
The spies who couldn’t
http://drezner.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/06/29/lamest_espionage_conspiracy_ever
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/russian_tradecraft_aint_what_it_used_to_be.php
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/06/stalin-mightve-liked-these-new-russian-spies/
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2010/07/whos-who-in-the-russian-spy-ring/
When “waterboarding” and “torture” stopped appearing in the same sentence
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880619/-When-is-torture-not-torture-When-the-NYT-says-so.
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/07/times_excuse_for_not_calling_w.html
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024542.php
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/30/media/index.html
More: http://emptywheel.firedoglake.com/2010/07/01/torture-and-truth/
Crisis of the states
http://crooksandliars.com/jon-perr/thanks-to-gop-doomsday-arrives-state-budgets
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/06/federal-stimulus-state
The effect on workers
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/07/chart-day-recessions-effect
http://washingtonindependent.com/90745/recession-leaves-more-than-half-of-american-workers-jobless-or-underemployed
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/economics-is-hard/
The Republicans are blocking unemployment benefits – but they couldn’t do it without Democratic help
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/07/byrd-death-nelsons-intransigence-doom-ui-extension/
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/with-millions-losing-benefits-ben-nelson-blocks-extension-of-unemployment-insurance.php
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024534.php
Global austerity
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/austerity-going-global/
Rand Paul’s (R-KY) latest bright idea
http://mydd.com/2010/7/1/does-rand-paul-want-to-abandon-nato
More: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/is-rand-pauls-fundraising-slowing-down.php
Can Mark Kirk (R-IL) survive this?
http://www.americablog.com/2010/07/kick-ass-ad-about-gop-serial-liar-mark.html
The GOP goes for total repeal on health care (great idea - thanks)
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/republican-leadership-gets-serious-about-health-care-repeal.php
Still refighting the Civil War
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/end_the_liberal_bias_against_slavery.php
“Civil War buffs, Southern partisans, and everyone who is tired of liberals vilifying America's greatest heroes -- must have this book on their bookshelf. It shatters the stereotypes and exposes the truth about the South, slavery, and states' rights. . . .” [read on]
Guidelines for AZ cops to avoid racial profiling actually seem to be actually about avoiding ACCUSATIONS of racial profiling
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/07/media_bias_training.php
More: http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/07/new_az_racial_sensitivity_training_video_dont_prov.php
Theocracy watch
http://www.chris-floyd.com/articles/1-latest-news/1983-extreme-measures-arming-the-zealotocracy-serving-the-elite.html
[Chris Floyd] One of the most significant developments in the modern world -- history may find it to be a decisive one -- has been the deliberate cultivation of religious extremism by ruling elites trying to sustain and expand their power. . . .
Bonus item: The worst Presidents in history
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/07/01/the_greatest_and_worst_presidents_in_history.html
***If you enjoy PBD and support what we are doing, you can help by forwarding a copy of this issue to your friends (using the envelope link below) or by sending them a copy of its URL (http://pbd.blogspot.com).
I don't get anything personally out of this project, except the satisfaction of doing it (I don't run ads, etc). The credit really all goes to the people whose material I copy and redistribute. But if I do have a "mission," it is to get this information into the hands of as many people as I can.***
Thursday, July 01, 2010
OUR NEXT SUPREME COURT JUSTICEElena Kagan: they never laid a glove on her
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2010/06/kagan_finishes_in_style.php
She’s funny too! http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/last-comic-standing-kagans-funniest-moments-yesterday.php
http://www.americablog.com/2010/06/grueling-day-for-kagan.html
The big phony issue of the day: Kagan wants the govt to force you to eat fruits and vegetables!
http://motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2010/06/elena-kagan-and-vegetables
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/plum-line/2010/06/gop_big_sis_elena_kagan_is_wat.html
Can financial reform be saved? Should it?
http://mydd.com/2010/6/30/reasons-to-vote-no-on-wall-street-reform-dont-hold-up
http://mydd.com/2010/6/30/wall-streets-financing
http://news.firedoglake.com/2010/06/30/feingolds-explanation-for-opposing-finreg/
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/fin-reg-end-game.html
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880552/-Financial-reform:-Brown-still-playing-coy
Congress still fails to extend unemployment benefits
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/30/unemployment-jobless-fails-senate_n_631710.html
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_07/024526.php
http://washingtonindependent.com/90750/for-senate-advocates-of-unemployment-insurance-extension-a-battle-to-nowhere
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/defining-values-if-democrat-votes.html
The DNC starts to fight smart
http://www.samefacts.com/2010/06/campaigns/campaign-2010/maybe-somebody-here-can-play-this-game/
RNC party discipline: there’s a reason they call them “whips”
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2010_06/024517.php
http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/2010/06/biden-claims-republican-party-is-being-sensible/
Extending the Hyde Amendment?
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2010/06/common-ground-thanking-dem-strategists.html
Well, he should know
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/bennett-the-gop-is-short-on-ideas-video.php
Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT) has some tough words for his party. Bennett became the first incumbent senator to lose his re-election bid in 2010 after his defeat at Utah's Republican convention in May…
"As I look out at the political landscape now, I find plenty of slogans on the Republican side, but not very many ideas," Bennett said. . . .
I think the stupid interview he gave, noted here yesterday, along with some other recent comments, have some of his colleagues out to get the Orange Man
http://politicalwire.com/archives/2010/06/30/boehner_not_a_hard_worker.html
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough said House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) "is not a hard worker" and cuts out of the Capitol early for bar-hopping evenings in Washington . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/01/opinion/01collins.html
[Gail Collins] Our Independence Day weekend winner of the title of Most Unhappy Person in Washington is: John Boehner, the House minority leader. . . .
More: http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/38074
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/obama-on-boehner-ant-remark-im-stunned-hes-that-out-of-touch.php
http://washingtonindependent.com/90729/boehner-tones-down-his-expectations-for-november
Sharron Angle (R-NV) finally meets the press. Now we know why she didn’t want to do it!
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2010/6/30/880503/-NV-Sen:-Sharron-Angle-hits-a-grand-slam-for-right-wing-extremism
1. Angle called for the privatization of Social Security and Medicare. (I didn't include this in the highlight reel as the section was too long to condense. Watch it here.)
2. Angle said she opposed extending jobless benefits because they've "spoiled our citizenry" and kept people out of the workforce.
3. Angle mistakenly endorsed Harry Reid's job's bill, having clearly never heard of it before.
4. Angle said "people are afraid of their government" and that "of course" they "need to" arm themselves to protect liberties from government tyranny.
5. Angle said the constitution does not create a separation of church and state.
6. Angle said she opposes abortion in all cases, including rape and incest. Inexplicably, she said the only reason she wants to make it illegal is that Roe v. Wade made it legal. (I guess she meant that if it was already illegal she wouldn't want to make it illegal again, because it would already be illegal?)
7. Angle endorsed making Nevada's Yucca Mountain the nation's dumping ground for spent nuclear waste because she says it has been safe. She said Nevada should stop fighting the plan to dump the nation's nuclear materials there.
More: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/06/30/angle_tv_interview
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/30/sharron-angles-unemployme_n_631350.html
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/sharron-angle-emerges-media-shell-te
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/sharron-angle-meets-the-nevada-press-in-raucous-interview.php
The Tea Bag Supreme Court
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/06/30/sam_alito_tea_party_justice
Now Kos’s (former) pollster threatens to go after HIM
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/06/research_2000_business_fatal_hit.php
Surprised?
http://www.salon.com/news/opinion/glenn_greenwald/2010/06/30/media
A newly released study from students at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government provides the latest evidence of how thoroughly devoted the American establishment media is to amplifying and serving (rather than checking) government officials. . . .
Glenn Beck: Marxists everywhere
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/glenn-becks-marxsim-alarm-goes-again
Bonus item: Sean Hannity won’t be inviting HER back
http://crooksandliars.com/david-neiwert/politics-dailys-patricia-murphy-pwns
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