The Commentariat -- Dec. 19, 2012

Cliff Notes

CW: we just heard President Obama totally deflect a reporter's questioning why he would agree to cut Social Security benefits; he is simply not going to answer that question. His "we all have to give a little" excuse is just malarkey. I hope Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid, both of whom have been fierce defendants of Social Security, will just say no. But unless that was a "trick answer," the President, as contributor Raul wrote yesterday, is a disgraceful sell-out. ...

     ... Update. Looks as if Pelosi is good with the President's plan. This really is disgusting.

Lori Montgomery & Zachary Goldfarb of the Washington Post report on the President's remarks about the fiscal cliff negotiations. Not a word about the Social Security cuts or rise in taxes for the lower middle class. "President Obama urged congressional Republicans Wednesday to return to the bargaining table over the year-end 'fiscal cliff,' saying the two sides are far too close to the big budget deal they've been seeking for the past two years to give up now.... Earlier in the day, the White House said Obama would veto Boehner's Plan B bill."

Ezra Klein has a good summary of the last 24 hours of President Obama's steady march to the precipice. Monday, the White House "delivered an offer to House Speaker John Boehner that included genuine concessions. They brought their revenue request down from $1.6 trillion to $1.3 trillion. They dropped their demand that the Bush tax rates expire for all income over $250,000 a year, offering a new threshold of $400,000 a year. They brought their debt-ceiling demand down from no more debt ceiling crises ever to no debt ceiling crises for two years. They agreed to some form of chained CPI as a way to cut Social Security benefits. On Monday night, Boehner rejected their offer, and on Tuesday, Boehner unveiled 'Plan B' -- a proposal to walk away from the talks, vote on a plan to make the Bush tax rates permanent for all households with income under $1 million, and then go home for the holidays.... Boehner -- and, more to the point, Boehner's House members -- increasingly see weakness in the White House's negotiating position." CW: yeah, so do I. ...

     ... Update: here it all is in chart form. Thanks to contributor Dave S. for the heads-up:

Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post does a good job of explaining, in plain English, what Obama is up to here: "President Barack Obama, with his latest fiscal cliff offer, proposes extending the Bush tax cuts for everyone earning less than $400,000 a year, and paying for it by increasing taxes on the middle class and cutting Social Security and Medicare.... Obama's concession to Republicans is opposed by a majority of Americans...."

Almost every elected official just spent an entire election season saying they wouldn't cut the benefits of those 55 and older. The truth is the chained CPI hits everyone's benefits on day one. It hits the oldest of the old and disabled veterans the hardest. If it wasn't being bandied about as being 'on the table,' I would guess that it was created as an office joke to see who could create the most noxious and offensive policy possible. -- Alex Lawson of Social Security Words, an advocacy group

CW: we owe thanks to reporters & news organizations who are highlighting this scam -- and so far, that ain't the New York Times. I did see one short blogpost (not indexed) by Annie Lowrey on it in yesterday's online Times, but the only other Times writer who has mentioned it, & again that's only in his online blog, is Paul Krugman. You might think the paper was trying to provide cover for Obama & Boehner. The AARP, which has spoken out forcefully against the chained CPI when it has been proposed in the past, is silent now.

Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "... a protracted meeting of the House Republican Conference on Tuesday night made it clear that passage of Mr. Boehner's ['Plan B'] proposal would be difficult.... [Minority Leader Nancy] Pelosi was leaning hard on House Democrats to stay united in their opposition.... The White House came out strongly against the speaker's plan. The White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said that it could not pass the Senate...."

** New York Times Editors: "There is no doubt that if Mr. Obama were a more combative negotiator, he would not have gone for the chained index. It reinforces the incorrect notion that the big budget problem is overly generous benefits. But Social Security is not to blame for the deficit and health care spending, mainly for Medicare, is driven more by lavish payments to drug companies and other providers than by payments to beneficiaries."

To urge President Obama not to cut Social Security, you can sign a Daily Kos petition here. and Bold Progressives has a petition here.

Eric Schmitt & Michael Gordon of the New York Times: "An independent inquiry into the attack on the United States diplomatic mission in Libya that killed four Americans on Sept. 11 sharply criticized the State Department for a lack of seasoned security personnel and for relying on untested local militias to safeguard the compound, according to the panel's report made public on Tuesday night.... In response to the panel's findings, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said in a letter to Congress that she was accepting all 29 of the panel's recommendations, five of which are classified. Mrs. Clinton is already taking specific steps to correct the problems...." ...

... AND in a related, predictable development out of Right Wing World, -- Concussiongate! Alexander Abad-Santos of the Atlantic: "... conservative pundits ... are now churning out a theory that Hillary Clinton is lying about her concussion to avoid having to testify about Benghazi." They want a note from her doctor. I foresaw Concussiongate; now I predict that should Hillary's doctor send a note, we will learn that s/he is just another of the Hillary conspirators.

The Washington Post's hawkish Editorial Board doesn't like former Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.) for Secretary of Defense because "Mr. Hagel's stated positions on critical issues, ranging from defense spending to Iran, fall well to the left of those pursued by Mr. Obama during his first term -- and place him near the fringe of the Senate that would be asked to confirm him." CW: Good to know.

Frank Rich, on Our Great American Gun Culture. ...

... Garry Wills in the New York Review of Books: "The fact that the gun is a reverenced god can be seen in its manifold and apparently resistless powers. How do we worship it? Let us count the ways." And he does. Thanks to contributor Denis N. for the link.

CW: Reader Kay S. likes this opening segment from Rachel Maddow's Monday show. (The Dick Cheney part is enough, on its own, to recommend the segment. I'm not much for labeling people "evil," but Cheney....) Kay S. also suggests we may need a "Million Mom March" on Washington to get Congress off the dime:

     ... Here's the main page of Demand a Plan to End Gun Violence, sponsored by the Mayors against Illegal Guns. The page includes a petition, plus links or leads to other action you can take. ...

     ... Here's the Jewelry for a Cause Website which Mayor Booker mentioned. ...

     ... NOT to be confused with this Georgia jeweler: "Customers who purchase diamonds worth $2,499 or more from the Cobb County stores will get free hunting rifles." Diamonds are forever, but....

... Peter Baker of the New York Times: "To his core supporters, this is a moment that will define what a second-term Obama presidency will look like -- whether it will be closer to the soaring aspirations that set liberal hearts aflutter in 2008 or more like the back-room deal making that characterized the four years that followed. Advocates on the left have long lamented that Mr. Obama was too quick to compromise [and now for the "she-said" side of the "he-said/she-said" perfectly balanced equation], even as those on the right see him as a champion of a radical agenda." ...

... Peter Baker: "President Obama has ordered Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. to lead an interagency group to develop a multifaceted response to last week's mass shooting at a Connecticut school, a White House official said. Mr. Obama will appear in the White House briefing room alongside Mr. Biden on Wednesday morning to announce the assignment but an aide said they will not announce any major policy decisions."

Pat Bagley, Salt Lake City Tribune. Thanks to a reader.... Michael Shear & Adam Nagourney of the New York Times: "The reaction to the Newtown shootings spread to corporate America and to California on Tuesday, as a private equity firm said it would immediately sell the company that made the assault-style rifle used in shootings, while California lawmakers announced an effort to regulate the sale of ammunition more tightly. CW: this article is a good roundup of today's developments in reaction to the Newtown school shootings. One little-known fact, briefly mentioned in the article, is that the California State Teachers' Retirement System, a huge pension fund, is invested in Cerberus, the company that owns the .223 Bushmaster used in the massacre. Cerberus announced earlier it was divesting itself of the Bushmaster manufacturer. ...

... Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "Despite the sweeping language of a 2008 Supreme Court decision that struck down parts of the District of Columbia's strict gun-control law, the decision appears perfectly consistent with many of the policy options being discussed after the shootings in Newtown, Conn." Read the whole article; it ain't as simple as the lede might suggest.

... "The Money behind the Massacre." Dan Primack of Fortune has more on the California teachers' significant investment in weaponry. ...

... CW: My husband, who once taught at Berkeley, gets a small pension from the teachers' retirement system, so you might say I, too, own a Bushmaster. We're all guilty.

Steve Benen: "In the wake of the massacre in Newtown, Conn., Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) believes local school districts should be allowed to arm teachers and administrators. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) is thinking along the same lines." CW: I find myself wondering, "What would Mitt do?" Sandy Hook is one more reason we should thank the fates and all those freeloading, gift-seeking moochers who stood in line for hours to make sure Mitt will not be standing at the schoolhouse door issuing carry permits.

Todd Purdum of Vanity Fair: "I can't help wondering if the bullets of Sandy Hook Elementary will be for [President] Obama what the snarling dogs and high-pressure fire hoses of Birmingham, Alabama, were for John F. Kennedy in 1963: the human tragedy that will force him to take a political risk, simply because it is right."

USA Today: "The National Rifle Association has put out a statement saying it is 'prepared to offer meaningful contributions' to prevent more violence like that which occurred in Newtown, Conn., last week. The organization said it will hold a news conference in the Washington, D.C., area on Friday. Additionally, the organization broke its silence on social media, and put its Facebook page back up Tuesday afternoon, timed to the statement's release."

Lawrence Downes on "how thoroughly [Sen. Daniel Inouye] blended the virtues of political courage, dedication and modesty." ...

... Here's the piece from Badass Digest, by Devin Feraci, titled "The Time Daniel Inouye Pried A Grenade From His Severed Arm." The text of Inouye's Medal of Honor citation is here.

Time magazine names President Obama Person of the Year. Here's the cover story, by Michael Scherer. Time staff interviewed President Obama on December 12. Here's the text. Time also has a terrific slideshow of 125 photos by White House photographer Pete Souza.

John Burns & Stephen Castle of the New York Times: "A report into the sexual abuse crisis that has shaken the British Broadcasting Corporation was strongly critical on Wednesday of the editorial and management decisions that led to the cancellation of a broadcast last year that would have exposed decades of sexual abuse, some of it on BBC premises, by Jimmy Savile, who had been one of Britain's best-known television personalities.... The report was strongly critical of several news executives.... But it adopted a largely sparing tone in its review of the role played by the broadcaster's former director general, Mark Thompson, who ... became president and chief executive officer of The New York Times Company last month."

Local News

Chad Livengood of the Detroit News: "Gov. Rick Snyder vetoed legislation Tuesday that would have allowed gun owners with extra training to carry concealed weapons in public schools.... Snyder based his veto on the fact the bill wouldn't allow schools and other public locations to opt out of its provisions." CW: as I predicted a few days ago. I also predicted that if, down the road, the state legislature fixes the glitch which gave Snyder the out, he will sign the revised bill. We'll see ...

... Nonetheless, Snyder looks downright enlightened compared to other Republican governors like wingers Perry & McDonnell. We should not forget former Fox "News" star John Kasich of Ohio. Jessica Wehrman & Joe Vardon of the Columbus Dispatch: "Members of Ohio's Republican congressional delegation resisted stiffer gun laws yesterday in response to questions from The Dispatch, and Gov. John Kasich indicated he would not veto a recent bill that would allow guns in the Statehouse and [capitol] parking garages.... 'I'm a Second Amendment supporter, and that's not going to change, Kasich said.... Kasich supported the original federal assault-weapons ban while serving in Congress in 1994, but he has since said that support was a mistake and he was wrong.... Three were killed in a school shooting at Chardon High School, near Cleveland, in February." ...

... Meanwhile, it's reassuring to know how sensitive America's Worst Governor, Rick Scott (RTP) of Florida is. Aaron Deslatte of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel: "Gov. Rick Scott and [Republican] state legislative leaders say it's too soon for politics -- that families should be allowed to grieve and Florida schools should reassess their safety precautions in the wake of last week's Newtown, Conn., school massacre."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Republicans in the Senate, seeking to substantially trim a Hurricane Sandy aid package being sought by Democrats, are planning to unveil a $23.8 billion emergency spending plan to finance the recovery efforts of states devastated by the storm. The move by Republicans comes as the Senate has opened debate on a $60.4 billion aid bill brought by Democratic leaders. Democrats largely based their proposal on one that President Obama sent to Congress nearly two weeks ago."

New York Times: "Senator Barbara A. Mikulski of Maryland will become the first woman to head the Senate Appropriations Committee, after Senator Patrick D. Leahy of Vermont decided to pass up the chairman's job, their offices announced on Wednesday."

New York Times: "The United Nations Security Council was expected to vote Thursday on a resolution that would approve the deployment of a multinational African force in Mali, along with Western training and equipment for the Malian Army, to help retake the northern part of the country from Islamist militias. The resolution, drafted and offered for a formal vote by France, has widespread support among Mali's neighbors and other African states and was expected to gain unanimous approval by the 15-member Security Council."

New York Times: "The United States Patent and Trademark Office has dealt a blow to Apple in its legal battle with Samsung Electronics over smartphone patents, declaring that a patent that helped Apple win $1.05 billion in damages against Samsung in a jury trial should not have been granted."

New York Times: "Three State Department officials resigned on Wednesday after an independent panel severely criticized the 'grossly inadequate' security arrangements at an American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, where Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in an attack. The officials who resigned were Eric Boswell, the assistant secretary of state for diplomatic security; Charlene Lamb, the deputy assistant secretary responsible for embassy security; and Raymond Maxwell, a deputy assistant secretary who had responsibility for the North Africa region...." ...

     ... Story has been updated. New lede: "Four State Department officials were removed from their posts on Wednesday after an independent panel criticized the 'grossly inadequate' security at a diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, that was attacked on Sept. 11, leading to the deaths of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans." Washington Post story here.

AP: "The Treasury Department said Wednesday that it will sell its remaining stake in General Motors by early 2014, writing the final chapter of a $50 billion bailout that saved the auto giant but stoked a heated national debate about the government's role in private industry."

Reuters: "A bill to ban Americans from adopting Russian children won preliminary parliamentary approval on Wednesday in a retaliatory gesture for a U.S. law punishing alleged Russian human rights violators. Despite criticism of the measure by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, pro-Kremlin lawmakers voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill, and another that would bar Russian non-profit groups which receive funds from the United States."

New York Times: "President Obama declared Wednesday that he would make gun control a 'central issue' as he opens a second term, submitting broad new gun control proposals to Congress no later than January and committing the power of his office to overcoming political opposition in the wake of last week's school massacre."

Bloomberg News: "Robert Bork, the U.S. judge and legal scholar whose nomination to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan set off a battle for the judiciary that lived on long after the U.S. Senate rejected him, has died. He was 85." ...

     ... Update. The New York Times obituary is here.

Guardian: "Swiss bank UBS made corrupt payments to brokers in an 'extensive and widespread' attempt to manipulate key benchmark interest rates which has cost the bank Sfr1.4bn (£944m) [$1.5BB] in fines from global regulators. The £160m portion of the fine levied by the Financial Services Authority is the largest ever imposed by the City regulator and surpasses the previous record -- the £59.5m imposed on Barclays in June for attempted manipulation of the Libor and Euribor rates."

Guardian: "The four European members of the United Nations security council are drawing up a strong joint condemnation of recent Israeli moves to expand Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem amid growing international censure. The unusual statement, expected this week from the UK, France, Germany and Portugal, follows blunt criticism from the US of Israel's announcement on Monday of plans to build an extra 1,500 homes in the settlement of Ramat Shlomo." ...

     Reuters Update: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday his government would press ahead with expanding Jewish settlements around Jerusalem despite Western criticism of its plan to build 6,000 more homes in territory Palestinians seek for a state."

The Commentariat -- Dec. 18, 2012

Cliff Notes

Ezra Klein: "All at once, a 'fiscal cliff' deal seems to be coming together. Speaker John Boehner’s latest offer doesn’t go quite far enough for the White House to agree, but it goes far enough that many think they can see the agreement taking shape." Klein outlines the tentative details. ...

... Carrie Brown of Politico has an update in which she outlines the broad strokes of President Obama's supposed counteroffer to Speaker Boehner. And, yup, I'll be paying for this deal in lower benefits. Thanks a bunch, Mr. President.

** Dylan Matthews of the Washington Post explains "chained CPI": "... taken all together, it’s basically a big (5 percent over 12 years; more, if you take a longer view) across-the-board cut in Social Security benefits paired with a 0.19 percent income surtax. You don’t hear a lot of politicians calling for the drastic slashing of Social Security benefits and an across-the-board tax increase that disproportionately hits low earners. But that’s what they’re sneakily doing when they talk about chained CPI."

"Unacceptable." How popular is Obama's agreement to reduce Social Security benefits & raise taxes on the lower middle class? Not very. Jon Cohen & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "Most Americans want President Obama and congressional Republicans to compromise on a budget agreement, though they, too, are unhappy about the options that would avert the 'fiscal cliff,' according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The strong support for compromise belies widespread public opposition to big spending cuts that are likely to be part of any deal. Most Americans oppose slashing spending on Medicaid and the military, as well as raising the age for Medicare eligibility and slowing the increase of Social Security benefits, all of which appear to be on the table in negotiations. Majorities call each of these items 'unacceptable.'”

Brad DeLong explains chained CPI: "'Chained-CPI' is code for 'let's really impoverish some women in their 90s!' It's a bad policy. It should be off the table. Failing to extend the payroll tax cut is bad policy. It should be off the table. Failing to boost infrastructure spending is bad policy. It should be off the table. This deal would still be on the table in January. And odds are Obama could get a much better deal than this come January."

Paul Krugman: "Those cuts are a very bad thing, although there will supposedly be some protection for low-income seniors.... We shouldn’t be doing benefit cuts at all; but if benefit cuts are the price of a deal that is better than no deal, much better that they involve the CPI adjustment than the retirement age. But is this rumored deal better than no deal? I’m on the edge."

CW: Who doesn't like the idea of 90-year-old widows paying for corporate tax breaks? Let's hope the AARP has something to say about that.

** Reid Wilson of the National Journal: "Republicans alarmed at the apparent challenges they face in winning the White House are preparing an all-out assault on the Electoral College system in critical states, an initiative that would significantly ease the party's path to the Oval Office. Senior Republicans say they will try to leverage their party's majorities in Democratic-leaning states in an effort to end the winner-take-all system of awarding electoral votes. Instead, bills that will be introduced in several Democratic states would award electoral votes on a proportional basis.... Senior Republicans in Washington are overseeing legislation in [Michigan, Pennslyvania & Wisconsin] to end the winner-take-all system." ...

... Charles Pierce: Republicans "have largely given up on persuading a majority of American voters that their ideas matter, or that they are the best choice to lead the entire country.... They are not planning on adapting to a changing country. What they're planning is to change the system of presidential elections so that they never have to do so."

CW: when I saw the artwork to the left in a Google search, I assumed it was meant to be ironical. Not at all. This is the logo of a company called Modern Musket. Its stated "philosophy" begins, "So-called 'assault weapons' bans pose the greatest threat to Second Amendment freedoms. These bans place prohibitions on many common, semi-automatic firearms solely because of their appearance and their ergonomic and cosmetic features." It is people like whoever is behind Modern Musket who are determining gun policy in this country. Basta.

** This Bloomberg News Editorial advocating for gun-control legislation is the most powerful I've read.

Debbie Wilgoren, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Obama on Monday began the first serious push of his administration to attempt to reduce gun violence, directing Cabinet members to begin formulating a set of proposals that could include an effort to reinstate a ban on assault rifles. The effort will be led by Vice President Biden...." Congressional Democrats, including those with strong pro-gun records like Sens. Harry Reid (Nevada) & Mark Warner (Virginia), are urging action. "Republicans remained largely silent...." ...

The fact is that Democrats have been paralyzed on this issue for fear of losing voters they have already lost; and after an election in which Obama won only one-third of white men, the constituency most resistant to gun control, and still won a solid victory, the party's paralysis doesn't make much sense electorally. -- Ron Brownstein of the National Journal ...

... Fucile Non Grata, 1. Mark Scott of the New York Times: "The private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management said on Tuesday that it would sell its investment in the gunmaker Freedom Group in response to the school shootings last week in Connecticut. Cerberus acquired Bushmaster — the manufacturer of the rifle used by the gunman in the Newtown attacks that killed 27 people, including 20 schoolchildren — in 2006." Via Greg Sargent. ...

... Fucile Non Grata, 2. Susan Candiotti of CNN: "Dick's Sporting Goods, one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the world, says it has removed all guns from its store nearest to Newtown, Connecticut, and is suspending the sale of certain kinds of semi-automatic rifles from its chains nationwide." Via Greg Sargent. ...

... Nate Silver: "... Republicans are more likely to own guns than Democrats. But the differences have become much starker in recent years, with gun ownership having become a powerful predictor of political behavior.... America is an outlier relative to other industrialized nations in its gun ownership rates. Whatever makes this country so different from the rest of the world must surely be reflected in the differences in how Democrats and Republicans see the nation."

... Jon Cohen & Peyton Craighill of the Washington Post: "In a major reversal, a slim majority of Americans see the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary as a sign of broader problems in society, not merely an isolated act of a troubled individual, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.... However, beyond broad opinion change in assessments of the cause, few underlying opinions about gun control have shifted significantly in the immediate aftermath of the latest shooting." ...

... For those of you who, like me, know very little about guns, Brad Plumer of the Washington Post takes "a look at what the 1994 [assault weapons ban] actually did, where it failed, and whether it could be reworked to significantly reduce gun violence." (The ban expired in 2004 & the Republican Congress did not renew it.) ...

... Nicholas Confessore, et al., of the New York Times on the power, policies & tactics of the NRA. CW: This is a largely impressionistic piece, long on anecdotes & short on evidence, but it gives you a good idea of the hopes & dreams of the NRA leadership.

... I must owe my proposal to control ammo sales to Chris Rock:

... Whither the NRA? Chris Boyette of CNN: since the Newtown killings, "... the National Rifle Association has remained conspicuously silent. As of Monday evening the largest and most powerful gun-rights lobbying group in the U.S. had not posted anything to its website since Friday morning.... The NRA's Facebook page has been deactivated, and visitors are redirected to a bare-bones page where comments are disabled.... Its Twitter account, which typically posts several times a day, also has been quiet." ...

... Gabriel Sherman of New York: Rupert Murdoch is a gun-control advocate, but his Fox "News" network is not: "... David Clark, the executive producer in charge of Fox’s weekend coverage, gave producers instructions not to talk about gun-control policy on air. 'This network is not going there,' Clark wrote one producer on Saturday night.... The directive created a rift inside the network."

Local News

Here's Charles Pierce on Rep. Tim Scott, Gov. Nikki Haley's pick to replace Sen. Jim DeMint: Scott is "wingnuttier than DeMint ever thought of being, and DeMint thought of being pretty damned wingnutty." CW: I would suspect a GOP conspiracy to find an African-American who makes African-Americans look nutty if not for the fact that South Carolina Dim-o-crats ran African-American Alvin Greene, who had recently been indicted on an obscenity charge, against DeMint in 2010. Greene's economic development plan was to manufacture & sell Alvin Greene action figures.

Paul Egan of the Detriot Free Press: "An apparent loophole in a gun bill passed during the Legislature's lame duck session means public schools would not be able to stop licensed gun holders with advanced training from carrying guns on school property in Michigan. Senate Bill 59 was passed late Thursday by the Republican-controlled Legislature and is on the desk of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, who is mulling whether to sign or veto it."

Kentucky Republicans Prefer Candidate Who Is Worse than America's Least Popular Senator. Henry Decker of the National Memo: "According to Public Policy Polling’s latest Kentucky survey, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is now the least popular senator in America. The poll finds that only 37 percent of Kentucky voters approve of McConnell, while 55 percent disapprove.... Despite McConnell’s deep unpopularity, PPP finds that he is a good bet to be re-elected.... McConnell’s greatest threat may come from within his own party...; only 50 percent of Republican primary voters want McConnell to be their nominee, while 35 percent would prefer a 'more conservative' alternative.... He remains quite vulnerable to a Tea Party challenge."

The Commentariat -- Dec. 17, 2012

Brought forward from yesterday afternoon's Commentariat: "My column in the New York Times eXaminer is titled "Praise the Lord & Pass the Ammunition," & is a critique of Ross Douthat's & David Brooks' responses to the Newtown massacre.

In the coming weeks, I'll use whatever power this office holds to engage my fellow citizens -- from law enforcement to mental health professionals to parents and educators -- in an effort aimed at preventing more tragedies like this. Because what choice do we have? We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we're powerless in the face of such carnage? That the politics are too hard? -- President Barack Obama, in Newtown, Connecticut Sunday evening. Full transcript here.

** Joseph Califano, in a Washington Post op-ed, urges President Obama to draw "from the experience of Lyndon B. Johnson -- the last president to aggressively fight for comprehensive gun control -- ... Demand action on comprehensive gun control immediately from this Congress or lose the opportunity during your presidency."

** Michael Moss & Ray Rivera of the New York Times: "... recent efforts by the [Newtown, Connecticut] police chief and other town leaders to gain some control over the shooting [in woodsy areas] and the weaponry turned into a tumultuous civic fight, with traditional hunters and discreet gun owners opposed by assault weapon enthusiasts, and a modest tolerance for bearing arms competing with the staunch views of a gun industry trade association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, which has made Newtown its home."

Ann Flaherty of the AP: "Democrats say meaningful action in the wake of the school shootings in Connecticut must include a ban on military-style assault weapons and a look at how the nation deals with individuals suffering from serious mental illness. Several Democratic lawmakers and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman said it was time to take a deeper look into the recent spate of mass shootings and what can be done to prevent them." ...

... AND How about This? Kevin Robillard of Politico: "West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin -- who has an 'A' rating from the NRA and is a lifetime member of the pro-gun rights group -- said Monday that it was time to 'move beyond rhetoric' on gun control. 'I just came with my family from deer hunting,' Manchin said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe.' 'I've never had more than three shells in a clip. Sometimes you don't get more than one shot anyway at a deer. It's common sense. It's time to move beyond rhetoric. We need to sit down and have a common-sense discussion and move in a reasonable way.' ... All 31 senators with an 'A' rating from the NRA declined to appear on Sunday's 'Meet the Press' to discuss gun control, according to host David Gregory." CW: apparently the nation's leading tough-guy he-men are not brave enough to stand up to D. Wussy Greggers without their firearms. Here's a Manchin 2010 campaign ad:

... Thomas Kaplan of the New York Times: (Dec. 16, at 9:54 pm ET) "New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, joining Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other elected officials, called on Sunday for Congress to pass tougher gun laws in the wake of the Newtown shootings."

E. J. Dionne: "If Congress does not act this time, we can deem it as totally bought and paid for by the representatives of gun manufacturers, gun dealers and their very well-compensated apologists.... What, minimally, might 'meaningful action' look like? We should begin with: bans on high-capacity magazines and assault weapons; requiring background checks for all gun purchases; stricter laws to make sure that gun owners follow safety procedures; new steps to make it easier to trace guns used in crimes; and vastly ramped-up data collection and research on what works to prevent gun violence, both of which are regularly blocked by the gun lobby.... We must act now to curb gun violence, or we never will."

Michael Grunwald of Time doesn't think gun control legislation will pass with Republicans controlling the House & effectively controlling the Senate with their filibuster: "... politics is more than gaffes and memes. It's life and death. And if this massacre really is different, if Americans decide they really do want to do something about guns, they'll need to elect different politicians to Congress."

Let's Play "Ask a Philosopher." Firmin Debrabander in the New York Times: "... an armed society ... is the opposite of a civil society."

... Ben Armbruster of Think Progress: Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) "suggested that had the teachers at Sandy Hook Elementary been armed with assault rifles, they could have prevented Friday's massacre and saved lives.... Pressed by ["Fox 'News' Sunday"] host Chris Wallace on why ordinary citizens need semi automatic weapons that shoot 5 bullets per second, Gohmert said that any restrictions on fire arms could lead to the slippery slope of full prohibition and said that American amass weapons to protect themselves from the government." With video. ...

... Robert Parry on why "Republicans -- and particularly Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush -- hold primary responsibility for the kinds of horrors that have claimed innocent lives in places like Newtown, Aurora, Tucson, Columbine, Virginia Tech and so many other locations whose names will long be associated with butchery."

This story, compiled by Josh Marshall of TPM, on Nancy Lanza's motives for stockpiling guns & ammo -- if the elements are true -- is pretty illuminating. What I found most revealing with the interview of the sister-in-law, which is in the embedded video. She appears to be comfortable with the survivalist thing & parrots the NRA talking points. It appears to me these people were reinforcing each other's fears, likely with a little assist from the National Geographic Channel. (No, I'm not kidding.)

According to NextGov.com, "A petition asking the White House to immediately press Congress for tighter restrictions on gun ownership became the most popular ever posted to the White House's We the People website after less than 48 hours online Sunday." CW: at 9 am ET today, the petition has 140,287 signatures. There should be more. If you haven't signed, please do so here.

Lori Montgomery & Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "House Speaker John A. Boehner has offered to push any fight over the federal debt limit off for a year, a concession that would deprive Republicans of leverage in the budget battle but is breathing new life into stalled talks over the year-end 'fiscal cliff.' The offer came Friday, according to people in both parties familiar with the talks.... Boehner's offer signals that he expects a big deal with sufficient savings to meet his demand that any debt limit increase be paired dollar-for-dollar with spending cuts." ...

... Jonathan Weisman & Jackie Calmes of the New York Times (Dec. 16 at 3:52 pm ET): "Speaker John A. Boehner's latest offer to President Obama to allow tax rates to rise on incomes over $1 million has already changed the terms of negotiations to avert a fiscal crisis in January, and both sides on Sunday expressed new optimism that a deal could be reached this week." ...

A ONE TRILLION DOLLAR Deficit! Paul Krugman: "Federal debt was higher at the end of the Clinton years than at the beginning -- that is, the deficits of the Clinton administration's early years outweighed the surpluses at the end. Yet because gross domestic product rose over those eight years, the best measure of our debt position, the ratio of debt to G.D.P., fell dramatically, from 49 to 33 percent.... You should recognize all the hyped-up talk about the deficit for what it is: yet another disingenuous attempt to scare and bully the body politic into abandoning programs that shield both poor and middle-class Americans from harm."

Nicholas Confessore & Monica Davey of the New York Times: "Where the big-spending conservative groups active in this year's presidential race had little to show for their millions of dollars, the state efforts were strikingly successful. While Mr. Obama was winning onetime red states like Virginia and swing states like Michigan and Ohio, Republicans made large gains in state offices in many of the same battlegrounds. Starting next year, Republicans will have one-party control in almost half of the state capitals in the country."

CW: I'm pretty sure John Kerry would be great at posing with his hand on his nipple.A New Cabinet Just Like the Oldest Cabinet. David Sanger of the New York Times: "President Obama is leaning strongly toward naming John Kerry ... as secretary of state, according to administration officials and friends of Mr. Kerry. But the announcement will be delayed, at least until later this week and maybe beyond, because of the Connecticut school shooting and what one official called 'some discomfort' with the idea of Mr. Obama's announcing a national security team in which the top posts are almost exclusively held by white men."

News Ledes

New York Times: "Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii, who went to Washington at the birth of his state in 1959, dominated public life in the Hawaiian islands for more than 50 years and became a quiet voice of national conscience during the Watergate scandal and the Iran-contra affair, died on Monday in Bethesda, Md. He was 88. A statement by his Washington office said he died of respiratory complications at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His last words were 'Aloha,' the statement said." The Washington Post obituary is here. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser obit is here. President Obama's statement is here.

AP: "South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is announcing a replacement for U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint ... at noon Monday...." ...

     ... Update: "South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley picked U.S. Rep. Tim Scott to be the state's next U.S. senator Monday, making him the only black Republican in Congress and the South's first black Republican senator since Reconstruction."

Guardian: "A bomb dropped by a Syrian air force jet killed and wounded scores of Palestinians on Sunday in the largest refugee camp in Damascus, sending thousands of residents fleeing for other areas of the capital now besieged by civil war."

Guardian: "Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has claimed victory in the first round of the country's bitterly divisive constitutional referendum, with opposition forces complaining of large-scale rigging and violations."