The Commentariat -- August 31, 2014

Danny Westneat of the Seattle Times: "Just when it seemed the right wing couldn't get any more divorced from reality around here, a local conservative group has launched a protest against what it sees as a pernicious cultural touchstone. Labor Day.... To the Freedom Foundation, a business-backed Olympia think tank, the day is evidence of the power of unions, which to members equals the decline of America. Rather than stoop to taking a union-backed day off, they plan to fight the power by ... working all day Monday instead!"

... Peter Baker of the New York Times: "If the world seems troubled by all manner of calamities these days, President Obama does not want Americans to worry too much. After all, he said Friday, 'The world has always been messy'; it is just more apparent because of social media. And, he added, today's geopolitical threats are far less perilous than those of the Cold War." ...

... Yeah, well, stories like this kinda grab the reader, Mr. President ...

... Mitchell Protero of McClatchy News: "Nearly half of Syria's population has been displaced either internally or externally as refugees in the worst humanitarian crisis to strike the Middle East in at least a century, according to new data released by the International Rescue Committee." (Emphasis added.) ...

... Secretary of State John Kerry, in a New York Times op-ed: "In a polarized region and a complicated world, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria presents a unifying threat to a broad array of countries, including the United States. What's needed to confront its nihilistic vision and genocidal agenda is a global coalition using political, humanitarian, economic, law enforcement and intelligence tools to support military force."

Pam Belluck of the New York Times: "Five years after it exploded into a political conflagration over 'death panels,' the issue of paying doctors to talk to patients about end-of-life care is making a comeback, and such sessions may be covered for the 50 million Americans on Medicare as early as next year.Bypassing the political process, private insurers have begun reimbursing doctors for these 'advance care planning' conversations as interest in them rises along with the number of aging Americans." ...

... CW: My experience is that Medicare is already covering end-of-life consultations. I had several long meetings with hospital staff, including doctors, plus extensive assistance from hospice providers during my husband's final days. Medicare covered his entire bill except for a small co-pay.

Nicholas Kristof: "... those of us in white America [should] wipe away any self-satisfaction about racial progress. Yes, the progress is real, but so are the challenges. The gaps demand a wrenching, soul-searching excavation of our national soul, and the first step is to acknowledge that the central race challenge in America today is not the suffering of whites."

Pinch Gets Hitched. Flash Presides. New York Times: "Gabrielle Elise Greene, a partner in an investment firm, and Arthur Ochs Sulzberger Jr., the chairman and publisher of The New York Times, were married Saturday on Martha's Vineyard. The ceremony, at the Outermost Inn in Aquinnah, Mass., was led by Flash Wiley, a friend of the couple...."

Senate Races

Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "In black churches and on black talk radio, African-American civic leaders have begun invoking the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, along with conservative calls to impeach Mr. Obama, as they urge black voters to channel their anger by voting Democratic in the midterm elections, in which minority turnout is typically lower.... [Rep. John] Lewis is headlining efforts to mobilize black voters in several states with competitive Senate races, including Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina. The drive is being organized by the Congressional Black Caucus, in coordination with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Other steps, such as recruiting N.B.A. players to help register more African-Americans, are also underway."

Thursday, before Mitch McConnell's campaign chair Jesse Benton resigned his post (in a classic late-Friday-night-before-a-holiday-weekend announcement), Rachel Maddow aired this segment on the developing scandal:

... CW: This will be entertaining. I'm so sorry Benton didn't stick with Mitch a while longer. McConnell isn't talking, & apparently neither are Ron & Randy Paul. ...

... Joseph Gerth of the Louisville Courier-Journal: "... there has been no allegation of improprieties in the McConnell campaign. That and the fact that Benton quit quickly ought to help insulate McConnell from too much fallout.... The impact on Rand Paul, however, could be greater than any trouble McConnell might see." ...

... Martin Longman of the Washington Monthly reminds us: "Benton's motivation for joining up with McConnell was pretty transparently to help Rand Paul's career, and particularly his presidential ambitions. This became clear when a former aide to Ron Paul named Dennis Fusaro released a recorded phone conversation in which Benton said he was 'sort of holding my nose for two years' while he worked for McConnell 'because what we're doing here is going to be a big benefit for Rand in 2016.' ... McConnell's effort to cozy up to the Paul family has backfired. Benton's effort to 'hold his nose for two years' has failed."

... BUT. Joseph Gerth: "Republican U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell has put a little more distance between him and his Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, but the race remains within the margin of error, according to the atest Bluegrass Poll. The poll, conducted by SurveyUSA for The Courier-Journal and three other news outlets, found that McConnell holds a 46 percent to 42 percent lead among likely voters over Grimes. Libertarian David Patterson gets 5 percent of the vote, and 8 percent remain undecided. It's the third consecutive Bluegrass Poll that has found McConnell improving his chances for re-election in November." ...

Beyond the Beltway

Florida's Alternative to ObamaCare: Pet Insurance. Tom Boggioni of the Raw Story: "Six months after the launch of a $900,000 alternative to the Affordable Care Act, Florida's Health Choices program has only signed up 30 subscribers and administrators say they are considering offering pet insurance if it will help draw more customers.... During that same period, nearly 984,000 Floridians have enrolled in private coverage under Obamacare, leaving nearly 764,000 Floridians who are too poor to afford subsidized plans and unable to qualify for Medicaid...." The state legislature has refused to adopt the ACA's Medicaid expansion. ...

... The Tampa Bay Times story, by Tia Mitchell, is here.

God News

Frank Bruni: "Mightn't religion be piggybacking on the pre-existing condition of spirituality, a lexicon grafted onto it, a narrative constructed to explain states of consciousness that have nothing to do with any covenant or creed?"

Valerie Tarico of AlterNet: "Did the historical Jesus exist? A growing number of scholars don't think so."

Kim Archer of the Tulsa World: "Oklahoma County District Court Judge Bernard Jones has ruled unconstitutional a portion of a law that allows the use of public funds to send special-needs students to private religious schools. State Attorney General Scott Pruitt said he would appeal the ruling.... The judge's order has been stayed pending appeal.... Jones is the second district court judge to strike down the law as unconstitutional." Oklahoma's constitution prohibits "the use of public funds for private religious institutions." Via Hemant Mehta of the Friendly Atheist.

Coming This November. Charles Pierce: Former child teevee star & current "godbothering nuisance" Kirk Cameron has made a movie about the War on Christmas "aimed at Bible-banging shut-ins and fringe Christianists loop-de-loops...." According to the Blaze (Glenn Beck's journoblog),

'Saving Christmas' [is] ... a comedic narrative that weaves together educational elements that, through a character-driven storyline, address these common complaints and critiques.

... CW: Oh, I'll bet it's "comedic." Here's the trailer:

News Ledes

New York Times: "Israel laid claim on Sunday to nearly 1,000 acres of West Bank land in a Jewish settlement bloc near Bethlehem -- a step that could herald significant Israeli construction in the area -- defying Palestinian demands for a halt in settlement expansion."

New York Times: "President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia called on Ukraine on Sunday to begin talks on 'the statehood' of that country's rebellious southeast, a vague and provocative turn of phrase he used while demanding that the Ukrainian government negotiate directly with pro-Russian separatists."

Tan and the Man

Because of the international impact of this controversy, it deserves its very own blogpost.

Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "A Republican Congressman Is Actually Upset About Obama’s Tan Suit. Republican Rep. Peter King of New York ... blasted President Obama for wearing 'a light suit, light tan suit' to talk about the threat of ISIS on Thursday.

There’s no way any of us can excuse what the president did yesterday. When you have the world watching… a week, two weeks of anticipation of what the United States is gonna do. For him to walk out — I’m not trying to be trivial here — in a light suit, light tan suit, saying that first he wants to talk about what most Americans care about the revision of second quarter numbers on the economy....'" -- Peter King, on right-wing NewsMaxTV

... Later, Rep. King clarified his angry remarks about Obama's suit by appearing on CNN to say he was still angry about Obama's suit. With the whole world watching Pete on the international network, Pete chose not to wear a tie. Hey, it's summer. AND casual Friday. But he surely looks angry.

The suit was a metaphor for his lack of seriousness. -- Peter King, on President Obama's tan suit, on CNN

... CW: You're right, Peter King. That's why when I saw this snap of you wearing a tan summer suit in a season that appears to be summer, I was flabbergasted. Maybe the world isn't watching you at this particular moment, but -- my lord -- is this how you dress to represent a city that has a whole week! -- twice a year! -- dedicated to fashion???? Have you no shame, Sir?

... AND here you are, discussing the Troubles no less, in a tan sports jacket. And sweater. It must be winter. Are you even wearing a tie? As Scott Shane of the New York Times reported a few years ago, "Long before he became an outspoken voice in Congress about the threat from terrorism, he was a fervent supporter of a terrorist group, the Irish Republican Army." And here you are with Gerry Adams, the leader of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, dressed like a bum or a college professor. Look at Gerry there, all decked out for a wake in a proper dark suit & tie. The look of dispproval on his face tells you just what he thinks of your outfit. All of Ireland is watching. There's no excuse....

... Both photos via Joe Coscarelli of New York, who has a point: "Peter King has never discussed much of substance, so his point may still stand."

President Obama, Thursday. President Reagan, way back when, with Pope John-Paul II. John-Paul would go on to become a saint. Reagan would go on to rot in hell for insulting God, the Pope & the whole of Christiandom by wearing a tan suit to meet with God's representative on earth.

Oh, P.S. Those effete artistes of the fashion industry loved the suit.

UPDATE: Many thanks to Akhilleus for inserting the appropriate musical accompaniment:

... AND thanks to MAG for suggesting the appropriate comedic accompaniment:

The Commentariat -- August 30, 2014

Internal links, photo & related text removed.

Erik Eckholm & Manny Fernandez of the New York Times: "A federal judge in Austin, Tex., blocked a stringent new rule on Friday that would have forced more than half of the state's remaining abortion clinics to close, the latest in a string of court decisions that have at least temporarily kept abortion clinics across the South from being shuttered. The Texas rule, requiring all abortion clinics to meet the building, equipment and staffing standards of hospital-style surgery centers, had been set to take effect on Monday. But in his opinion, Judge Lee Yeakel of the United States District Court in Austin said that the mandate placed unjustified obstacles on women's access to abortion without providing significant medical benefits.... Texas officials immediately vowed to appeal the decision, while abortion-rights advocates were elated." The AG is Greg Abbott, the GOP gubernatorial nominee. Yeakel is a George W. Bush appointee.

Carol Anderson, in a Washington Post op-ed, argues that unrest is Ferguson was really the result of "white rage," not "black rage." ...

... CW: I'd quibble with Anderson's terminology, except as it applies to police overreaction, but her overall point is well-taken. As she demonstrates, most of what she calls white rage is contained, redirected at blacks in socially-acceptable formats. Once in awhile, of course, politicians slip up, as with Rick Santorum's blah-people half-gaffe, but usually they manage to contain their repressive agendas within race-neutral frames. And I do think for many conservatives, these policies are race-neutral. But not class-neutral. Their goal is to maintain the status-quo, to perpetuate an aristocracy in which they & their progeny, of course, remain on top. That certain ethnic groups will be forever overrepresented in the underclass is a by-product of their class-perpetuating objective, not a principal purpose.

Dana Milbank proves his Very-Serious-People creds by going full-on deficit hawk. Apparently, it is unpossible for Milbank to imagine that a future Congress would raise taxes & Social Security contributions & close corporate tax loopholes. He is right, of course, to suppose that any Congress controlled by Republicans would not act to responsibly pass legislation to improve the economy & thus reduce the deficit (& need for government borrowing) during good times. The long-term projections do look grim under current law, which is of course the basis for the CBO projections.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.

Alice Ollstein of Think Progress: "Just a few hours after Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) went public with accounts of sexual harassment from her fellow lawmakers, a cadre of mostly male reporters took to the airwaves and Internet to question her credibility. Politico's senior congressional reporter, John Bresnahan, posted 'I challenge this story. I don't believe it' on Twitter in response to Gillibrand's interview. Bresnehan later deleted the tweet and called it 'moronic.'" ...

... CW: Really, Bresnahan? I'd like to see your reporting on that. See, when an actual journalist calls a public official a liar, he does so when he has produced some, um, evidence for his charge. Who's your source? Harry Reid? David Vitter? Oh well, Bresnahan, you're as good a reporter as that person who trolled Reality Chex the other day. Congratulations. You moron. ...

... Caitlin MacNeal of TPM: GOP operatives Frank Luntz & Rick Wilson tweet that Gillibrand has not named her accusers because ... obviously they're Democrats. ...

... Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "... to anyone who has spent more than a few minutes on Capitol Hill, none of [Gillibrand's encounters] should seem surprising." CW: I guess that means Bresnahan, Politico's senior congressional reporter, just phones in his work. Probably does all of his reporting off of C-SPAN. I'd suggest the Politico editors pop for a Metro card for Bresnahan, so he can get over to the Capitol from time to time & actually see the ole boys in action.

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Less than three years after she embarked on a new and lucrative career as an NBC News special correspondent, Chelsea Clinton said on Friday that she would leave that position. In a letter posted on her Facebook page, Ms. Clinton said she had decided to depart NBC News to focus on philanthropic work at the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. She and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky, are also expecting their first child this fall."

Beyond the Beltway

Rosalind Helderman, et al., of the Washington Post: "Lawyers on both sides [in the Bob & Maureen McDonnell corruption trial] Friday made their closing arguments in a case that has generated soap-opera buzz since the former first couple of Virginia pinned their defense largely on a brutal self-dissection of their own failed relationship."

Tom Wilemon of the Tennessean: "In a move that could mean health coverage for thousands of Tennesseans, Gov. Bill Haslam [R] said Thursday that the state may soon submit a proposal to Washington to expand Tennessee's Medicaid program but did not release any new details on how it might work. This would be the first time for the governor to actually submit a plan. If approved by federal officials and the state legislature, the plan would help Tennesseans caught in the coverage gap of the Affordable Care Act, which has left 162,000 Tennesseans without health insurance, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation."

Stephanie Nebehay of Reuters: "The U.N. racism watchdog urged the United States on Friday to halt the excessive use of force by police after the fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white policeman touched off riots in Ferguson, Missouri. Minorities, particularly African Americans, are victims of disparities, the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said after examining the U.S. record." CW: Another fine example of why the right considers the U.N. an enemy.

Joel Currier of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: "Two police officers are no longer working at their departments due to their actions during the protests in Ferguson. A Glendale police officer suspended last Friday after commenting on Facebook that he thought Ferguson protesters should be 'put down like rabid dogs,' has been fired, officials say. Meanwhile, a St. Ann police lieutenant resigned Thursday after he pointed an assault rifle at protesters and cursed at them, officials said. Lt. Ray Albers had worked for the department for 20 years. Glendale Officer Matthew Pappert, suspended with pay last week, was fired Thursday after an internal investigation wrapped up Wednesday...."

Joaquin Palomino of the AP: "The California State Senate gave final legislative approval on Thursday to a bill that would require certain replica guns to be painted bright colors or made transparent to prevent police from confusing toy guns for real weapons. The bill, which passed the Democratic-led chamber by 22-12, was introduced by Democratic state Senator Kevin De Leon after Sonoma County Sheriff's deputies fatally shot 13-year-old Andy Lopez Cruz in October after mistaking an imitation pellet rifle for the real thing.... The bill narrowly passed the Democratic-controlled State Assembly earlier this week. A bloc of Republicans and Democrats opposed it, saying toy guns were already painted bright colors, and that the law would make it easier for criminals to conceal weapons by painting them." ...

... CW: The bill covers "toy, imitation or 'copycat' guns & "all BB, pellet and airsoft guns."

Senate Races

Hmmm. Elizabeth Titus of Politico: "Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's campaign manager, Jesse Benton, announced his resignation late Friday, citing potential distractions over renewed attention to a scandal from the Iowa 2012 caucuses. A longtime associate of Ron Paul and his son, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, Benton was the surprise choice to run the McConnell campaign in Sept. 2012 -- even before the current election cycle began. Benton's departure comes days after a former Iowa GOP state lawmaker pleaded guilty to charges of accepting money to change his endorsement in 2012 from Michele Bachmann to Ron Paul. Benton was the chairman of Paul's 2012 campaign and has been mentioned in documents surrounding the case. He has not been accused of wrongdoing in the case.... A source familiar with the situation said the Paul case has been all over the local press and McConnell officials were concerned it could become a serious distraction during the final months of the campaign." ...

... Sam Youngman of the Lexington Herald-Leader: "Benton's name has surfaced in connection to a bribery scandal dating to his time as former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's political director during the 2012 presidential election. On Wednesday, former Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson pleaded guilty to accepting $73,000 from Paul's campaign in exchange for his endorsement and to obstruction of justice for lying about his involvement. Sorenson's guilty plea included two sealed documents, which could threaten to involve Benton." ...

... Matea Gold of the Washington Post: "A top [Ron] Paul campaign official, Dimitri Kesari, was involved in efforts to pay Sorenson for his support, according a state independent counsel investigation. Benton, who is married to Paul's granddaughter, served as chairman of the campaign. It is unclear if he knew about payments made to Sorenson, but emails published last year indicate he was involved in efforts to get him to defect from the Bachmann campaign."

Katie Glueck of Politico: "A Mississippi judge on Friday dismissed state Sen. Chris McDaniel's challenge of longtime Sen. Thad Cochran's June Republican primary runoff victory." ...

... Goeff Pender of the Jackson, Mississippi, Clarion-Ledger: "Judge Hollis McGehee ... agreed with Cochran's lawyers that a 1959 state Supreme Court ruling imposed a 20-day deadline for McDaniel to file a challenge, first with the state Republican Party. McDaniel didn't file his challenge of the June 24 GOP runoff until 41 days after the election."

Presidential Race

"This Is Mighty White of You." Charles Pierce: "Hillary Clinton finally about recent events in Ferguson, Missouri. What she said appears to have been written by nine consultants, eight people from marketing, seven lawyers, six ESL valedictorians, and Mark Penn. She feels very bad about the stuff that happened, as stuff sometimes will happen, because it is stuff, and it happens. Or something." After this fair summary, Pierce reproduces the full text (or what I hope is the full text), with commentary. CW: To those who complain President Obama is "too deliberative," wait for President Hillary. And wait. And wait.

News Ledes

Washington Post: "Since Monday, more than 200 Ukrainian volunteer soldiers have been trapped in the southeastern town of Ilyovaisk, surrounded by separatists they say have been freshly supplied with troops and high-tech weapons from Russia. Food and ammunition have dwindled, and the death toll is mounting.... Russian President Vladimir Putin focused international attention on the trapped soldiers Friday by calling in a statement for a protected route to allow them to retreat, even as evidence mounted of a broad incursion into Ukraine by Russian troops and military vehicles." ...

... Guardian: "... Vladimir Putin, has hit back at accusations that he has effectively invaded Ukraine, accusing Kiev's forces of behaving like Nazis in the conflict in the east and ominously threatening to take his standoff with the west into the disputed Arctic."

Guardian: "America's newest war in Iraq has cost over half a billion dollars so far, according to Pentagon estimates, all before President Barack Obama decides upon a strategy against Islamic State (Isis) militants. Rear Adm John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, told reporters on Friday that daily military operations in Iraq since 16 June, when the White House informed Congress it had ordered up to 275 US troops to bolster embassy security in Baghdad, have cost on average $7.5m."

New York Times: "An experimental drug has shown a striking efficacy in prolonging the lives of people with heart failure and could replace what has been the bedrock treatment for more than 20 years, researchers said Saturday. The drug, which is being developed by the Swiss company Novartis, reduced both the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes and the risk of being hospitalized for worsening heart failure by about 20 percent in a large clinical trial."