;)
The Commentariat -- April 29, 2015
Internal links removed.
CW: Another day I won't be able to keep up.
Washington Post reporters describe a calmer night in Baltimore Tuesday, as a 10 pm curfew went into effect & National Guard "dressed as if for combat and police in full riot gear patrolled the streets." ...
... Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Senate Minority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) delivered a sharply worded speech Tuesday calling for criminal justice reform and a robust jobs agenda in the wake of riots in Baltimore that followed the funeral of a resident who died while in police custody.... Reid decried the violence that has wracked Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray, 25 after suffering a severe spinal injury. But Reid was deeply critical of the police department's handling of its relations with poor inner city residents. 'Let's not pretend the system is fair, let's not pretend everything is OK,' the leader said." ...
... Michael Fletcher of the Washington Post: "It was only a matter of time before Baltimore exploded. In the more than three decades I have called this city home, Baltimore has been a combustible mix of poverty, crime, and hopelessness, uncomfortably juxtaposed against rich history, friendly people, venerable institutions and pockets of old-money affluence. The two Baltimores have mostly gone unreconciled. The violence that followed Freddie Gray's funeral Monday, with roaming gangs looting stores and igniting fires, demands that something be done." ...
... Bryce Covert of Think Progress on "the economic devastation fueling the anger in Baltimore."
... David Graham of the Atlantic: "This is the paradox at the heart of rioting in Baltimore. Protestors have been in the streets of Charm City for a week to demonstrate against violence by police officers. But when matters started to spin out of control Monday afternoon, the group dispatched to solve the problem was the police." Read the whole post. ...
... Ed Kilgore wonders aloud if Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is the new Spiro Agnew. ...
... CW: If you missed President Obama's statement on Baltimore, embedded yesterday, & Ta-Nehisi Coates' post, linked yesterday, both are definitely worth your time.
Amy Howe of ScotusBlog analyzes the Supremes' Q&A in the hearing yesterday on the marriage equality case Obergefell v. Hodges. ...
... Lyle Denniston of ScotusBlog: "From worrying about casting aside a 'millennia' of cultural norm and habit about who can marry, to wondering about whether America has had enough time to debate the issue, to a somewhat testy defense of the dignity that gay and lesbian couples would have in marriage, [Justice] Kennedy appeared to have moved from hesitancy toward acceptance as the Court heard nearly two-and-a-half hours of argument in the cases that are known as Obergefell v. Hodges." ...
... Jeff Toobin of the New Yorker on "Justice Scalia's shameful joke," etc. "In questioning Bonauto, Scalia further established his reputation as the Fox News Justice, who appears to use conservative talking points to prepare for oral arguments." CW: It seems an anti-gay spectator -- who was removed from the courtroom for his outbursts -- acted as Scalia's very own Anger Translator. Hey, if Obama can have one, so can Nino. ...
... Andy Borowitz (satire): "As Justice Antonin Scalia weighed in on same-sex marriage at the United States Supreme Court on Tuesday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg interrupted the proceedings by announcing, 'Someone wake me up when he stops talking.'"
... Joseph Landau in a New York Times op-ed: "... there are a number of institutional reasons Chief Justice Roberts might, and should, cast a vote for the freedom to marry." ...
... Adam Liptak writes quite a good analysis of why Roberts might join in a 6-3 decision in favor of marriage equality. And kudos to Eric Segall, who foresaw Roberts' line of reasoning.
... The AP provides some "quotables" from the hearing, including the crucial one Liptak cites.
** Robert Reich in the American Prospect: "The key to understanding the rise in inequality isn't technology or globalization. It's the power of the moneyed interests to shape the underlying rules of the market."
Marie's Sports News. Richard Rubin of Bloomberg: "The National Football League's central office will become a taxable entity, ending its tax-exempt status in a move with minimal financial effect and significant symbolic value. Commissioner Roger Goodell informed team owners and members of the U.S. Congress of the decision in letters dated Tuesday, saying he was eliminating a 'distraction.'... The league's decision pre-empts a move to revoke the tax break that had been led by former Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma. That effort has gained some momentum in recent years, but not enough to pass either the House or the Senate. The NFL's action removes a point of leverage for Congress in its continuing inquiries into the league's handling of concussions and domestic violence."
Presidential Race
Dan Balz & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will announce a White House bid Thursday, two people with knowledge of the rollout confirmed Tuesday, setting up a vocal challenge to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton from the left."
Jonathan Allen of Vox: "The size and scope of the symbiotic relationship between the Clintons and their donors is striking. At least 181 companies, individuals, and foreign governments that have given to the Clinton Foundation also lobbied the State Department when Hillary Clinton ran the place, according to a Vox analysis of foundation records and federal lobbying disclosures.... That's not illegal, but it is scandalous." ...
... Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed remembers back when Bill Clinton took what the Senate -- then under GOP control -- determined were unlawful campaign contributions from foreign entities. "The DNC eventually also was fined $115,000 [by the FED] and the Clinton-Gore campaign $2,000. The Senate also report notes 'the Democratic National Committee was ultimately forced to return $2,825,600 in illegal or improper donations.'" ...
... Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "Hillary Rodham Clinton took to Twitter on Tuesday to make her first direct comments on the same-sex marriage issues now before the Supreme Court -- just as the justices were about to begin hearing the case.... Her tweet made clear that the newly announced Democratic presidential candidate is highlighting same-sex marriage as a defining issue. She is also drawing a clear distinction with Republican candidates who have said they oppose gay marriage:
CW Note: not a real tweet; for some reason the embed code didn't work, so I hadda take a picture.
Nate Silver & Harry Enten of 538: "Jeb Bush is expected to declare a fundraising total in the 'high tens of millions of dollars,' The New York Times reported on Monday.... But money is unlikely to be Bush's problem in this campaign, and cash may be a less valuable resource than ... the support of influential Republicans, like current senators and governors.... Historically, these endorsements have been the best proxy for support in the 'invisible primary' and a leading indicator for which candidates may emerge victorious through the rough-and-tumble nomination race. So far, Bush has won very few endorsements."
Brendan James of TPM: "Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) weighed in on the turmoil in Baltimore on Tuesday, standing with police and blaming the violence on a lack of morals in America.'"I came through the train on Baltimore (sic) last night, I'm glad the train didn't stop,' he said, laughing, during an interview with conservative radio host Laura Ingraham. Railing against what he repeatedly called 'thuggery and thievery' in the streets of Baltimore, Paul told Ingraham that talking about 'root causes' was not appropriate in the middle of a riot. 'The police have to do what they have to do, and I am very sympathetic to the plight of the police in this,' he said." ...
... CW: Very thoughtful, Randy. But wouldn't your cogent analysis that the riots were the result of "the breakdown of the family structure, the lack of fathers, the lack of a moral code in our society" constitute your lame idea of "root causes"? P.S. Readers may want to allow themselves the indulgence of comparing the current President's extemporaneous remarks (linked yesterday) with this presidential hopeful's. ...
... Hunter of Daily Kos: "As an aside, we weren't able to find any scheduled trains between New York and Washington that do not have a stop in Baltimore. But perhaps we missed one." CW: Yeah, you did, Hunter: the Rand Paul Express. It never stops at Reality. ...
... Vanessa Williams of the Washington Post documents how Sen. Randy said different things about criminal justice than does Presidential Candidate Randy. After all, GOP voters are old white people who think there is no racial bias in our criminal justice system. Ergo, the New Rand Paul Express.
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"It's Baltimore, gentlemen. The gods will not save you."
—Commissioner Ervin Burrell
In "The Wire" David Simon gave us a pretty vivid portrait of Baltimore's modus operandi in many different areas. He featured the young, upcoming congressman who became mayor after Martin O'Malley. Anyone who watched this series, I would think, would not be surprised at what is taking place now. I applaud Obama's speech on this and also Ta-Nehisi Coates' piece.
Last night Stewart showed a segment from CNN where Wolf Blitzer is saying never before had he seen such rioting and to think this is happening in the Untied States–-unbelievable! Then we see another shot during the Ferguson riots and there is Wolf saying the exact same thing. Jon says–––"I'm worried about you, man."
And as far as Rand Paul's make-believe train experience and him putting his arms around the police instead of all those thieves and thugs, Randy always looks to the future: Police vote, thieves and thugs, not so much.
P.S. Was just thinking: Was Wolf asleep during the turbulent civil rights' riots, Vietnam riots (how about Kent State?) etc. Maybe we can just erase our history just as easily as Wolf erases his Big board.
Confederate responses to the events in Baltimore offer further proof of their inability to see past handy, longstanding ideological shibboleths:
Cops and rightwingers: forces of civilization
Blacks: animals, opportunistic criminals (per Ian Tuttle of the National Review), thuggery and thievery (per Li'l Randy)
Liberals: pansy ass, pot smoking hippies (everyone on the right)
President Obama: General in the War on Law Enforcement (per Lou Dobbs and Keith Ablow on Fox)
Reading through some of the Confederate tweets about Baltimore, one finds Bill (Always Wrong) Kristol in full on Despicable Me Mode. Yesterday he went to the dog eared pages in the Winger Playbook to make observations that don't even rank as dog whistles anymore, they're so blatantly racist. Looking at all the black faces in the videos, he wonders "where are the fathers?" and wants to know who will speak for "civilization" obviously in the face of all these uncivilized savages. At least he didn't ask anyone to take a bone out of their nose. His answer for the "anarchy and chaos" is to put together a GOP ticket of Cheney and Giuliani and whip those uncivilized savages who don't even know who their fathers are into shape.
Because when in doubt, the Confederate go-to is more violence.
Li'l Randy was sweating bullets that his train might stop at Baltimore. Thank Reagan, it didn't. He might have had to see something besides what Fox authorizes. And besides, it's the fault of fathers not being there when sons and daughters need them (oh, you mean like that Kentucky senator whose son has repeatedly been caught demonstrating his thuggery and "lack of moral code"?).
The reason it makes no sense to listen to anything commenters on the right have to say anymore is that it's the same shit they've been saying since Barry Goldwater. It never changes, no matter the circumstances. They're like stock characters in bad plays in which you can tell exactly what everyone will say next. And don't forget the braggadocio. Comb Over Trump throws out his chest and sniffs that if only he were in charge, he'd straighten it all out. Oh please, just shut up.
Little Randy declares that "now is not the time to talk about root causes" but what he really means is that NEVER is the time to talk about root causes. Not in any situation. Root causes in the Middle East? Nope. Root causes for racial discrimination and violence? Nope. Root causes for income inequality? Absolutely not, never, ever.
There is no attempt to learn, to sift through the evidence, the small grain details that elude the large print headlines.
Yesterday I mentioned the difference between shoot from the lip shallower than a puddle types like Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and someone like Elizabeth Warren.
Warren, when she set out to research the problems of bankruptcy in this country, had a set idea in place, that many bankruptcies were the result of lazy people looking for an easy way to dump their debt. After years of intense study and interviews with thousands of bankrupt Americans, she came to an entirely different conclusion. She was able to do an about face on her position because the facts told a different story and she was willing to listen.
Republicans are not only unwilling, but constitutionally unable to do this.
Who thinks it's the sole goal of kids in Baltimore to burn the city down? Who thinks kids wake up and say to themselves, "Hey man, I really hope something horrible happens today so we can burn some cars."?
Republicans, that's who.
My old pal Wittgenstein has a suggestion for Kristol, Paul, Tuttle, Trump, Dobbs, and the rest of the playbook peons:
"Whereof one cannot speak, thereof must one be silent."
In other words, if you don't have anything useful to say, shut the fuck up.
On a happier note, Go Bernie!
If you haven't seen this speech Bernie Sanders made on the senate floor a few years ago, check it out. It will be interesting to see what his entrance into the race does to Hillary. He won't be a Ralph Nader but he could offer a rallying point for many disaffected progressives pining for Warren.
Bernie lets the one percenters, the guys now financing all of the Confederates (and Hilary), have it: "How can I get by on one house? I need five houses, 10 houses! I need three jet planes to take me all over the world!"
Interestingly, the speech on YouTube is accompanied by the comment that this is a "must see" video of Bernie Sanders on income inequality. Interesting because it has logged barely 9,000 views. Videos of drunk monkeys have over 8 million views.
Yeah, I know those RNC videos can be funny, but 8 million views' worth?
Anyway, here's Bernie.
@PDPepe — Wolf Blitzer. Wow! Isn't the name great!
And from there we go downhill. He once seemed like a decent enough reporter who along with two other CNN colleagues were 'caught' in the first Iraq war. His prominence grew out of that experience. Yet, his gravitas mien has always seemed forced. It was amusing at Saturday night's Correspondents Dinner to watch him rarely crack a smile. There he was sitting next to an animated Jane Fonda and he looked like a lump. Qu'elle horreur, the look on his face when CNN was called out on its programming and overkill on stories. The plane! the plane! and oh, yes, 'ebola.'
His expression implied "I-am-the-senior-very-serious-important-anchorperson-in-the-room. I'm above this insulting nonsense."
Do you remember years ago when he first got his afternoon series on CNN? He stumbled, mumbled through introductions and questions—rather embarrassingly for a 'pro.' The show was frequently saved by the wry, sardonic wit of Jack Cafferty, an early co-host of sorts. Blitzer's performances were often cringeworthy—yet I thought with time he'll adapt, he'll learn, and become more proficient in this role.
Nah. The last time I bothered to watch Wolf, he hadn't!
You called out him correctly on his remembrances!
Just saw that The Decider, the bringer of death and destruction to vast swaths of the Middle East, has come out of his coffin and is saying things like:
“You think the Middle East is chaotic now? Imagine what it looks like for our grandchildren."
Chaotic? The Middle East? No! When did that happen? And how in the wide, wide world of Halliburton did it ever get that way?
Chutzpah doesn't even begin to describe it.
Another asshole who should just go back in his hole and shut his mouth. You've done enough damage, douchebag. Now go have another book ghostwritten or paint some more kitty cats or whatever the fuck it is you do.
Fool.
I have seen very little attention given to the need to reform and retrain the Baltimore Police Dept. The thugs and sociopaths that have caused one hundred police brutality claims costing almost six million dollars in three years are still there. When things calm down the residents of the area will again be abused by their rulers in this de facto police state.
We should all be very afraid that we will be next to be controlled by the military style police departments that have been created across the country. Any enemy of the establishment can expect pepper spray and tear gas and lots of control when peacefully protesting anything. It is later than you think. Big city police departments are feared by politicians and protected by strong unions that will protect their members from punishment for the most terrible behavior.
Just finished reading Robert Reich's excellent article in the American Prospect, which CW linked above and included this defining quote: "The key to understanding the rise in inequality isn’t technology or globalization. It’s the power of the moneyed interests to shape the underlying rules of the market."
And in the further discussion of inequality, as AK pointed out in Bernie Sanders statement about those NEEDING five houses, ten house, not just one plane but three—it furthers the disconnect of the 1-percenters from the rest of us—in a disgusting, greedy way.
Sometimes I follow real estate stories and view the accompanying slide shows of those properties on the market at stratospheric prices. Once I might have owed up to an admiring envy of being impressed, now I find I squirm at the obscenity of these overbuilt, excessive extravagances. One recent story was about an incredible property near LA, something like 8 years under construction that has never occupied by its owner before he put it on the market. Similarly, high eight figure apartments in NYC are rarely lived in, but might be visited by the drop-in owners for a week or two each year (likely between drop-in visits to their other four of more properties around the world). Articles mention the canyons of darkness in these luxurious, little-occupied high-rises on major city streets.
And those monied-interests have the gall to complain about being overtaxed. They'd better start to think about Baltimore and Les Miserables.
PD mentioned David Simon's "The Wire", the single greatest show in television history, Dickensian in scope with a level of detail you find in Cormac McCarthy's best stuff, and an abrasive authenticity that comes from Simon's years covering the police department for the Baltimore Sun and the experience of Ed Burns who spent 20 years as a homicide detective in Baltimore (then a stint as a public school teacher). The background of the show's creators is important because so much of what shows up on air is based in life on the streets and Simon and Burns don't pull any punches.
Carlyle's comment about the need for retraining overly aggresive police reminded me of a scene from the first season of "The Wire" in which three cops get drunk and decide to visit a project high rise to show the residents who's boss. A relatively peaceful night descends into mayhem as they spin out of control, at one point pistol whipping a young boy who loses an eye because of the beating. This triggers the residents who begin to throw things at the cops, finally burning their squad car. Of course, the residents are "to blame" for the entire event even though it was started by three drunken idiots who were off the chain. The scene concludes with the shift commander coming in to help spin the story to protect the department.
And that was just one night. I realize this is a fictional show, but I bet Simon and Burns could recall dozens of similar situations. I'm not suggesting that Baltimore is the only place this happens, but if we're considering the police culture of a specific city, this scene has a ring of authenticity to it and even though it probably harkens back to some event that took place 20 years ago, it's entirely possible that similar antagonistic events have added up over the years. Add to that the increased militarism of American police forces, as Carlyle mentions, and you have aggression on steroids.
I don't think I'd be too happy with years and years of unprovoked bullshit. I might want to lash out too.
It's too easy, and predictable, to blame the people, for whom harsh conditions are a way of life, for acting out when pushed too far, and stupid and sad of those who live in luxury to judge them without having any interest in or idea of underlying causes and history.
Here's the scene. Episode 2, season 1 of "The Wire". How not to do effective police work.
Re:Jeb raising lots of money. I recall Phil Gramm out raised his oppnents, but all that cash did him little good because voters just didn't like him.
Barbarossa,
You just named Public Enemy Number One. Phil Gramm. A lot of people today don't remember Phil Gramm, or if they do, they know the name and his connection to the GOP senate of the 90's and 00's.
But his name is conveniently left off the list of evil scumbags and arrogant economic incompetents when discussion turns to the meltdown back in '08. Phil Gramm almost singlehandedly was responsible for that meltdown.
He's the guy who gutted Glass-Steagall and opened the door to unregulated default swaps. And he did it up right, didn't he? His aggressive legislation and arm twisting that killed financial oversight was immensely effective, thrusting not just the US, but world markets into a free fall flat spin from which many Americans have not yet recovered. It's almost like he had practice at that kind of incompetence and criminal negligence.
Oh, wait. He DID have practice.
In fact, the fileting of Glass-Steagall was done by Gramm at the behest of a little energy company called Enron. Enron's CEO, Kenny Boy Lay--you may also recall him as a BFF of another incompetent, The Decider--helped turn Enron into a piggy bank for Gramm and his wife. There's a lot of talk around now and outrage about the chumminess of the Clintons with various donors to their foundation. To my recollection, however, I don't remember any of that particular chumminess causing a world wide panic the way Gramm's did with Enron.
A Times article outlines how much Enron was relying on Gramm to carry the ball for them--at the expense of the public. A slew of e-mails were recovered during the Enron trials that show the hard work Gramm was doing to help Enron to screw their customers and investors. They needed him to get them out from under inconvenient regulation, which he did. Right after that, his wife, Wendy, left her position on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and took a big salaried job with.....surprise! ENRON! Enron continued to be Gramm's biggest contributor (just imagine how much he could get from them now!).
So the work he did for Enron, which had its own economic calamity, set the table for world wide economic disaster. Gramm rode off into the sunset and counted his millions. He would have been John McCain's treasury secretary had McCain won. And as McCain's economic advisor during the '08 race, he was probably the source for McCain's stupid, stupid, stupid statement about the economy being stronger than ever just as the collapse was beginning.
If you take the time to wade through some of those Enron e-mails, you'll see several other cheerleaders who were working hard on behalf of deregulating credit default swaps: Dick Armey (another prick), Larry Summers (ditto), and the Wizard of Oz himself (pay no attention to that irrationally exuberant Ayn Rand idiot behind the curtain), Alan Greenspan.
Today Gramm is working for.....an investment bank(!) doing what he always did, feathering his nest at someone else's expense.
Good thing John Roberts could never see any quid pro quo between Enron and the Gramms. That economic collapse was just a side benefit.
One of the all time worst douchebags, Phil Gramm.
Just heard on NPR..
There is a new poll out on Millennials. Turns out they are in favor of ground troops to fight ISIS! 57% in favor. Seems like a good argument for bringing back the draft.
http://college.usatoday.com/2015/04/29/harvard-poll-finds-millennials-have-little-faith-in-government-media/
Akhilleus,
My husband worked for Enron for 39 & 1/2 years. InterNorth merged with Houston Natural Gas & became Enron. He started with the original company Northern Natural Gas, Omaha, NE in June 1964. We lived this nightmare. My own understanding mirrors yours. The number of lives these people destroyed and the damage to our country is pure evil. It continues today. Thank you for the astute analysis. It is still very painful for us and the many innocent people we know who lost much more than us. Your last sentence would have pleased my dad who hated Phil Gramm with a passion!
Kay,
You and your husband represent so many long term employees who are caught in the vise of illicit corporate gangsterism once the pirates board the ship. Especially having worked for a company that was at one time a responsible, reasonably ethical enterprise, it can take a while before the wiles of corporate brigands with criminal leanings become too much too ignore, and, as you say, spotlight the pain brought on investors and the public by unethical and predatory marauders.
Sounds like your dad and I would get along, at least re: Phil Gramm.
Akhilleus,
My dad would have enjoyed your comments and Marie's. He was a WWII P-47 Thunderbolt fighter pilot from Texas. My mother joined the WAAC which became the WAC. She was from New York State. They met in San Angelo & were married in England. Long story but typical of many who came from that era. Good people who tried to make the world better and raise their family to do even better. He was a lifelong union member and Democrat. I am almost grateful he is not here to see what he fought so hard to preserve. Absolutely criminal what money and religion has done to the country he loved.
Thank you, Marie and all the commenters on Reality Chex. It's my go to every day for sanity!