The Commentariat -- Jan. 15, 2015
Internal links removed.
Circumstances force me to remind commenters that this is a site about politics & at least loosely-related topics. Kindly keep your comments somewhere in that realm. Thanks. -- Constant Weader
Julie Davis of the New York Times: "President Obama will announce Thursday that he is directing federal agencies to give their employees up to six weeks of paid leave after the birth or adoption of a child, a benefit he wants to extend to all American workers. He will also call on Congress to pass a bill that would allow workers across the United States to earn up to seven paid sick days a year and would create a $2 billion incentive fund to help states pay for family leave programs, officials said late Wednesday."
Helene Cooper of the New York Times: "The United States transferred five more detainees -- all of them Yemenis -- from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday, the Defense Department announced. Their release intensified the dispute between the Obama administration and several Republican senators over President Obama's recent flurry of transfers as he seeks to empty the American-run prison. The latest transfers came one day after several Republican senators, including John McCain of Arizona, proposed legislation that would place a moratorium on the release of most of the prisoners held at Guantánamo. The move was widely interpreted as an attempt to halt the recent surge in releases."
AP: "The Obama administration says new rules to significantly loosen the U.S. trade embargo against Cuba and open up the communist island to greater American travel will go into effect Friday. They are the next step in President Barack Obama's plan to re-establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. They come three days after U.S. officials confirmed the release of 53 political prisoners Cuba had promised to free. Only Congress can end the five-decade U.S. trade embargo of Cuba." ...
... The New York Times story, by Peter Baker, is here.
Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "The House on Wednesday voted to undo major provisions of President Obama's immigration policy, approving legislation that would revoke legal protections for millions of undocumented immigrants. The vote drew outrage from Democrats and led more than two dozen Republicans, many worried about the perception that their party is hostile to immigrants, to break away.The most contentious measures in the bill will most likely die in the Senate.... The White House has said President Obama will not sign any bill that blocks his executive actions on immigration.... In the House, 26 Republicans voted against an amendment that would effectively end Mr. Obama's 2012 order that allowed immigrants who entered the country illegally as children ... to stay. The amendment passed by the thinnest of majorities, 218 to 209, with no Democratic Party votes. The overarching funding bill for Homeland Security passed 236 to 191, with 10 Republican defections." ...
... ** Cruel & Usual Punishment. Dara Lind of Vox: The amendments to the bill the House approved today..., would return to a world where unauthorized immigrants lived in constant fear of deportation -- but they don't do much to ratchet up deportation itself." ...
... Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg View: "Today House Republicans voted for what might be called 'comprehensive anti-immigration reform.'... Democrats and their immigration allies are eager to emphasize what, in an e-mail to me, immigration analyst Marshall Fitz of the liberal Campaign for American Progress called the 'whites-only' electoral path that House Republicans have endorsed with today's amendments. (The Tea Party has met the 21st century and decided to pass.)" ...
... "Whites-Only" Party, Ctd. Jennifer Bendery of the Huffington Post: "House Republicans have concluded that it's not 'necessary' to restore the portion of the Voting Rights Act that was struck down by the Supreme Court, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) said Wednesday." ...
If you look at what Mr. Scalise said, in the context of no voting rights bill and no immigration bill, you start to see an attitude. That really is bothersome. -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
... White Supremacists' Party. Steve Benen: "it's important to realize that voting rights weren't a partisan issue up until very recently. Remember, when Congress last considered the VRA -- the law was reauthorized in 2006 -- support for the law was nearly unanimous. In the Senate, it was literally unanimous. President George W. Bush held a nice signing ceremony to celebrate it. In the House, a young congressman by the name of Bob Goodlatte even voted for it." Benen notes that the Urban League challenged Steve Scalise -- the House whip -- to push VRA legislation. Not gonna happen.
David Jackson of USA Today: "Governments should help expand access to high-speed broadband Internet, President Obama said Wednesday, calling it more of a necessity than a luxury in today's wired world. 'This is about helping local businesses grow and prosper,' Obama said during a visit to Cedar Falls, Iowa. Obama said he will ask the Federal Communications Commission to 'push back' on laws in 19 states that prevent local governments from creating municipal Internet services":
... Alex Byers & Brooks Boliek of Politico: "Obama's speech Wednesday -- backing efforts to spur city-run broadband networks as an alternative to private-sector providers like Comcast and Verizon -- incensed Republicans who see it as just another attempt to over-regulate the industry with a Washington power-grab."
** Upward Redistribution. E. J. Dionne: "the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) has issued a report showing that, at the state and local level..., the poorest fifth of Americans will pay, on average, 10.9 percent of their incomes in state and local taxes and the middle fifth will pay 9.4 percent. But the top 1 percent will pay states and localities only 5.4 percent of their incomes in taxes.... In well-to-do countries...., the good old USA soars to first in inequality.... The five states with the most regressive systems are Washington, Florida, Texas, South Dakota and Illinois." Read & send to your right-wing brothers.
** David Leonhardt of the New York Times: "On Thursday, an all-star commission of economists and policy experts from several countries is publishing a detailed analysis of the great wage slowdown. It is a defining challenge of our time, the report argues, before offering a meaty list of possible solutions.... The report is meant to shape the political debate -- both in this year's British general election and the 2016 presidential campaign in the United States.... it's hard not to see the report partly as the first draft of an agenda for a presumptive campaign by Mrs. Clinton. The commission was created by the Center for American Progress, a Washington research group founded by Clinton allies.... Politics aside, it is a deeply serious document -- one of the best overviews of income stagnation and inequality that I've read. Its central message is that the great wage slowdown is not inevitable."
Dana Milbank takes on the top dogs at the Chamber of Commerce, in person & on the page. A classic smackdown.
Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post: "The Secret Service has decided to remove four of its most senior officials while a fifth has decided to retire, the biggest management shake-up at the troubled agency since its director resigned in October after a string of security lapses, according to people familiar with internal discussions. The departures would gut much of the Secret Service's upper management, which has been criticized by lawmakers and administration officials in recent months for fostering a culture of distrust between agency leaders and its rank-and-file, and for making poor decisions that helped erode quality."
Elaine Ganley & Jamey Keaten of the AP: "Parisians lined up Wednesday to empty the newsstands of the first issue of Charlie Hebdo, a week after Islamic extremists attacked the satirical newspaper's office, and French justice officials began cracking down by arresting dozens of people who glorified terrorism or made racist or anti-Semitic remarks." ...
... Glenn Greenwald: "Forty-eight hours after hosting a massive march under the banner of free expression, France opened a criminal investigation of a controversial French comedian for a Facebook post he wrote about the Charlie Hebdo attack, and then this morning, arrested him for that post on charges of 'defending terrorism.' The comedian, Dieudonné..., previously sought elective office in France on what he called an 'anti-Zionist' platform.... Since that glorious 'free speech' march, France has reportedly opened 54 criminal cases for 'condoning terrorism' ... [which] underscores the utter scam that was this week's celebration of free speech in the west.... That's because last week's celebration of the Hebdo cartoonists ... was at least as much about approval for their anti-Muslim messages as it was about the free speech rights...."
The Bickersons. Scott Wong of the Hill: "One of [Jason Chaffetz's (R-Utah)] first acts since taking over the [House] Oversight [Committee chairmanship]: Removing portraits of [Darrell] Issa [R-Calif.] and other past chairmen from the walls of the Oversight hearing room, committee sources told The Hill.... Issa allies see the move as a slap in the face to the last chairman.... Issa's likeness, they note, had only been hanging in Rayburn 2154 for two months.... Chaffetz has been taking shots at Issa in the press since he was selected chairman by Speaker John Boehner's (R-Ohio) Steering Committee....." ...
... Back Detail. Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post (December 9, 2014): "Before the Americans are 'stupid' [Jonathan] Gruber hearing really got under way Tuesday morning, ranking member Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) mentioned that Issa's official portrait had been hung up in the committee room. 'Thank you for saying I was hung,' Issa said, without missing a beat. He then laughed.... Well, after today, Issa will become just another member."
Peter Hermann & Aaron Davis of the Washington Post: "A timeline of the emergency response to Monday's Metro tragedy that left one woman dead and scores of passengers injured corroborates riders' accounts that they waited at least 35 minutes trapped in a dark, smoky tunnel before firefighters began to rescue them."
Climate Science 2, Deniers 1. Ryan Quinn of the Charlotte (West Virginia) Gazette: "After widespread criticism from teachers, professors and others, the West Virginia Board of Education voted Wednesday to withdraw a set of science education standards containing controversial modifications to the teaching of climate change. The new version, which will be open for a 30-day public comment period, doesn't contain the alterations to the three standards on climate change the board earlier approved."
Michael Schwirtz & Michael Winerip of the New York Times: "In a review of 153 applications of people the [New York City] Correction Department recently hired, city investigators found that more than one-third had problems that either should have disqualified them or needed further scrutiny. Ten had been arrested more than once, and 12 had previously been rejected by the New York Police Department, six of them for 'psychological reasons', among other issues. Additionally, 79 had relatives or friends who were current or former inmates.... The investigation found hiring practices to be in disarray: There was no screening for gang affiliation; most of the application process was not computerized; and employment screeners did not monitor phone calls between inmates and applicants.... The findings underscore the profound dysfunction at Rikers Island and help explain how a culture of violence and corruption has come to flourish in the city jails.'" ...
... CW: Almost half of the applicants had "relatives or friends who were current or former inmates"??? Don't know what their recruitment program looks like, but "Obtain recommendations from inmates" must be a substantial part of it.
God News, Thursday Edition. De Blasio, rabbis near accord on penis-sucking; should help control potentially-fatal herpes in neonates. Thanks so very much, James S., for the link. CW: Why doesn't the city require that the blood-suckers be regularly tested for herpes? Wouldn't that greatly reduce the risk of the babies' contracting herpes, while still allowing adherents their Constitutional right to submit their innocent babes to this cringe-inducing practice?
On this day in history, the Constant Weader linked two unrelated penis stories. Pretty good evidence it isn't just some of the commenters who have veered off-topic lately.
Presidential Race
Jonathan Bernstein: Hillary Clinton may have just locked up the Democratic nomination.
Katie Glueck of Politico: "A Republican backlash against Mitt Romney that had been simmering for days boiled over on Wednesday as conservatives across the GOP spectrum panned the prospect of another presidential bid by the former Massachusetts governor and two-time loser on the national stage. Leading the anti-Romney charge was the voice of the GOP establishment wing, the Wall Street Journal editorial page. 'The question the former Massachusetts Governor will have to answer,' the newspaper wrote, 'is why he would be a better candidate than he was in 2012.... The answer is not obvious.'" ...
... CW: Because Bush III will be ever so much better.
Scott Conroy of Real Clear Politics: "Rand Paul is not a fan of the United Nations, and on a campaign-style swing through New Hampshire on Wednesday, the likely Republican presidential hopeful said that he would support dissolving the international governing body entirely. Speaking to a room full of gun rights advocates at the Londonderry Fish & Game Club, Paul said that while the concept of having a multinational body to 'discuss diplomacy' isn't necessarily a bad one, he objects to the current structure, in which the United States has to foot "a huge chunk" of the U.N.'s bill." ...
... Paul Waldman: "I think we're going to see a lot of this kind of thing -- a candidate not considered one of the extremists in the race looking for issues, even barely relevant ones, that can be used to signal the GOP base that he can be as nutty as anybody."
Gail Collins on the presidential aspirations of Chris Christie, Scott Walker & Mike Pence (who?).
The Short-Lived Career of President Dr. Ben Carson
** CW: This news occurred when I was travelling last week, & I'm disconsolate that I missed it. Andrew Kaczynski, et al., of BuzzFeed: "Several sections of potential Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson's 2012 book America the Beautiful [subtitle: Rediscovering What Made This Nation Great] were plagiarized from various sources, BuzzFeed News has found.... In one instance, Carson cites wholesale from an old website that has been online since at least 2002, Socialismsucks.net.... Carson recently said a decision on a 2016 presidential run is coming before May, and has previously said 'the chances are reasonably good' that he will run for president." Here's an especially delicious detail: right there in America the Beautiful, he cites an incident in which his college professor caught him extensively plagiarizing a paper:
Even though I did not know the implications of plagiarism, I certainly should have known inherently that what I was doing was wrong. I had done it before without consequences and probably would have continued doing it if I had not been caught. Fortunately for me, the professor was very compassionate, realized that I was naïve, and gave me a chance to rewrite the paper. This raises another question: Is ignorance an acceptable excuse for unethical behavior?
CW: You cannot match the chutzpah of writing in a book you plagiarized that you had learned the hard way that plagiarism was "unethical" and "wrong." ...
... Well, you could try. It appears Carson attempted to shift blame for the plagiarism to his wife Candy Carson -- credited as the co-author -- and to his editors. Eliana Johnson of the National Review: "Candy Carson, the source says, 'relied heavily on the editor' to ensure all of the sources were attributed correctly." Being a winger means it's always somebody else's fault.
... Martin Longman of the Washington Monthly: "I think Dr. Carson needs to set aside his quest for the things that made this country great and focus on the things that made him a great surgeon. For some, plagiarism is the result of carelessness, but with people like Carson it is the act of a simple scoundrel."
News Ledes
New York Times: "Belgium stepped up its efforts against suspected terrorists on Thursday with police raids, arrests and a heightened alert level across the country. Two suspects were killed in a gun battle near the German border, and the authorities said that a man suspected of links to last week's deadly terror attacks in Paris had been arrested in southern Belgium.The gun battle happened in Verviers, a town about 75 miles east of Brussels."
New York Times: "With a renovated death chamber, new training and a higher dose of drugs, corrections officials in Oklahoma were ready Thursday to carry out the first execution there since April, when the slipshod, prolonged killing of Clayton D. Lockett forced the state to suspend lethal injections and make changes to its procedure."