The Commentariat -- April 6, 2013
"Depression, Not Ended." Paul Krugman: "Lousy jobs report....Yet for what, the third time since 2009, all discussion in Washington has turned away from job creation to deficits (even though the debt problem has largely faded away) and the need for an early Fed exit from stimulus (even though unemployment remains high and inflation low). Clearly, the answer is to cut Social Security!" ...
... Michael O'Brien of the Atlantic: "STOP CUTTING THE DEFICIT." ...
The President lays out his plan in his weekly address:
... Here's the transcript. Funny, not a word about why it's such a good idea to cut Social Security benefits -- which have nothing to do with the deficit, but he's proposing anyway. AP story here. ...
... ** Here's the lede in Stephen Ohlemacher's AP story, one that voters across the nation will be reading in their local papers this morning: "President Barack Obama's proposal to change the way the government measures inflation could lead to fewer people qualifying for college grants and anti-poverty programs, reduced benefits for seniors and veterans, and higher taxes for low-income families. If adopted across the government, the new inflation measure would have far-reaching effects because so many programs are adjusted each year based on year-to-year changes in consumer prices." ...
... Jonathan Cohn of The New Republic relates Obama's budget strategy (see if you're convinced). BUT: "We have pressing problems on our hands -- people struggling to pay for basic necessities, kids trapped in poverty, infrastructure that desperately needs repairing. Instead of talking about how to fix those problems, we'll be debating how much spending to cut and how quickly. That should be the real news of the day." ...
... Jon Chait of New York: "Mainly this appears to be a message strategy aimed at advocates of BipartisanThink, who have been blaming Obama for failing to offer the plan he has in fact been offering. The strategy is that, by converting their offer to Boehner from an 'offer' to a 'budget,' it will prove that Obama is Serious. On the one hand, this strikes me as completely ridiculous. On the other hand, it might actually work! BipartisanThinkers like Ron Fournier ('a gutsy change in strategy') and Joe Scarborough ('Now THIS is a real budget … exciting') are gushing with praise." See also Krugman's comment linked in yesterday's Commentariat." ...
... Jason Linkins of the Huffington Post: Obama "seems to have been consistently pushing for a plan that breaks with the liberal establishment in significant ways, and after a certain point, you have to perhaps entertain the notion that it's something that he authentically desires." ...
... Sahil Kapur of TPM: "Liberals are mounting strong criticisms of President Obama amid news that his budget will include a Social Security benefit cut -- an official endorsement of a policy compromise he's offered Republicans for years -- and warning Democrats not to dare vote to cut the cherished retirement program."
... Steve Benen: "... if you're a progressive who strongly opposes changes to Social Security and Medicare, I have good news for you: House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) hasn't seen Obama's new budget, but he's already rejecting it out of hand."
** Ezra Klein: "In a report for the New American Foundation..., [the authors] conclude that the ongoing debate over how to cut Social Security is all wrong: We need to make Social Security much more generous." Again, see Krugman's comment linked yesterday.
Tom Hamburger of the Washington Post: "The NRA's recent successes on Capitol Hill -- as well as a string of victories in state legislatures across the country -- demonstrate the effectiveness of the group's strategy to overcome a post-Newtown tilt toward gun control. The organization has drafted and circulated legislation, mobilized its members and continued to put pressure on politically vulnerable lawmakers. At the same time, groups attempting to promote stricter gun control measures have faltered."
New York Times Editors: Close Guantánamo.
New York Times Editors: "A federal district judge in New York has overturned the Obama administration's ban preventing girls younger than 17 from purchasing emergency contraceptive pills over the counter. It was a well-deserved rebuke to a politically motivated decision that overrode sound science and the health needs of young girls in order to placate political opponents of emergency contraception." ...
... Irin Carmon of Slate: "Today, a federal judge appointed by Ronald Reagan did for women’s health what the Obama administration was too politically cowardly to do: Make safe, time-sensitive emergency contraception available to everyone, regardless of age. The shameful thing is that it had to come to this. The administration, said 2nd Circuit District Judge Edward Korman, acted in 'bad faith' -- a phrase that arises again and again in the stinging decision. And Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius acted in a fashion that 'was politically motivated, scientifically unjustified, and contrary to agency precedent.'" ...
... Josh Lederman & Lauran Neergaard of the AP: "The Justice Department said it is evaluating whether to appeal.... A Justice spokeswoman said there would be a prompt decision. And the White House said Obama's view on the issue hasn't changed since 2011.... Absent an appeal or a government request for more time to prepare one, the ruling will take effect in 30 days, meaning that over-the-counter sales could start then."
CW: Obama's public remark about Harris is consistent with his public remark about controlling his daughters' access to birth control, a rationale he used to "justify" imposing accidental motherhood on thousands of American girls & women.
Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama late Thursday night called Kamala Harris, the California attorney general, and apologized to her for telling a group of wealthy donors that she is the 'best-looking attorney general in the country.'" CW: He also said he was sorry he had asked her to go out and get coffee. In a statement, the White House noted that the President has withdrawn as an honorary judge of the annual Attorneys General Beauty Pageant even after organizers dropped the bathing suit competition.
Trenton Daniel of the AP: "A new report on American aid to Haiti in the wake of that country's devastating earthquake finds much of the money went to U.S.-based companies and organizations. The Center for Economic and Policy Research analyzed the $1.15 billion pledged after the January 2010 quake and found that the "vast majority" of the money it could follow went straight to U.S. companies or organizations, more than half in the Washington area alone. Just 1 percent went directly to Haitian companies." CW: OR, why I don't get all choked up & pull out my checkbook when Bill Clinton -- "the most influential man in Haiti" -- asks me to help people in need.
Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "Dr. Paul Rothman, the dean of medical faculty at Johns Hopkins University..., issued a statement Friday labeling Ben Carson's comments about gay marriage 'offensive' and said the school will meet with students who want him removed as commencement speaker. Carson, meanwhile, offered a fuller apology for the comments, which compared gay marriage to bestiality and pedophilia." AND here's a question for Blake: how come Rothman is "Dr. Paul Rothman" & Carson is "Ben Carson." They are both medical doctors. Why doesn't Carson get the honorific, too, even if he is a jerk?
Tom Canavan of the AP: Rutgers University "Athletic Director Tim Pernetti resign[ed] over his failure to immediately fire coach Mike Rice, who was caught on video hitting, kicking and taunting players with anti-gay slurs at practice.... Also resigning was John B. Wolf, Rutgers' interim senior vice president and general counsel, who is believed to have recommended against firing Rice in December over the video." ...
... Kate Zernike & Steve Eder of the New York Times: "On Friday, the university also released a 50-page report that John P. Lacey, an outside lawyer, prepared last year in response to the abuse allegations. It made clear that Rutgers officials were aware that Mr. Rice's outbursts 'were not isolated' and that he had a fierce temper, used homophobic and misogynistic slurs, kicked his players and threw basketballs at them. But it described Mr. Rice as 'passionate, energetic and demanding' and concluded that his behavior constituted 'permissible training.' It found that he aimed to 'cause them to play better during the team's basketball games.'" ...
... Ted Sherman & Kelly Heyboer of the Star-Ledger: "Pernetti -- under a settlement agreement obtained by The Star-Ledger -- will be paid more than $1.2 million in return for his resignation. Under the terms of his contract, Rice is entitled to receive more than $1 million." ...
... Kelly Heyboer: "Under Rice's contract, the coach could be fired for bringing 'shame or disgrace to the university.' If he was fired 'for cause' in December, the university would not have to pay him for the remainder of his $650,000 contract or give him his $100,000 bonus for completing the season, his contract said. The report stopped short of recommending whether Rice should be fired, suspended or punished in any other way."
** Roger Ebert's New Yorker cartoon caption contest entries. (He won once.)
Local News
War on Women, Ctd. John Hanna of the AP: " Kansas legislators gave final passage to a sweeping anti-abortion measure Friday night, sending Gov. Sam Brownback a bill that declares life begins 'at fertilization' while blocking tax breaks for abortion providers< and banning abortions performed solely because of the baby's sex. The House voted 90-30 for a compromise version of the bill reconciling differences between the two chambers, only hours after the Senate approved it, 28-10. The Republican governor is a strong abortion opponent, and supporters of the measure expect him to sign it into law so that the new restrictions take effect July 1."
News Ledes
AP: "Militants killed six Americans, including a young female diplomat, and an Afghan doctor Saturday in a pair of attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday. It was the deadliest day for the United States in the war in eight months."
New York Times: "J. David Kuo, an evangelical Christian who served as a leader in President George W. Bush's faith initiative but later became a critic, died on Friday. He was 44."
AP: "The Southern California church headed by popular evangelical Pastor Rick Warren announced Saturday that Warren's 27-year-old son has committed suicide. Warren's Saddleback Valley Community Church said in a statement that Matthew Warren had struggled with mental illness and deep depression throughout his life."
New York Times: "Nelson Mandela ... was discharged from a hospital on Saturday after a nine-day stay to receive treatment for pneumonia, the South African government said."
Reuters: "World powers and Iran failed again to end the deadlock in a decade-old dispute over Tehran's nuclear program in talks that ended in Kazakhstan on Saturday, prolonging a standoff that could yet spiral into a new Middle East war. No new talks were scheduled but big power negotiators, who earlier this year were insisting that time was running out, were at pains to say the diplomatic process would continue."
Reuters: "Three people were shot to death in a rural Idaho house where a man and his son were breeding pit bulls, police said on Saturday, adding that they found two small children and up to 70 dogs on the property."
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Reader Comments (1)
OH DEAH! My (former) ward, Kenny Cuccinelli, is currently obsessed with oral sex--banning it, I mean--even between heteros. I always knew that Lil' Kenny would not have a very satisfactory sex life, what with bein' a bigtime Catholic, who definitely practices the "rhythm" method, and wonders why he has so many kiddies. Maybe if he had forced hisself to read the "Joy of Sex," he would not be so mean--be more sexually satisfied--and not have all those little Republican mouths to feed.
P.S. I have HAD IT with Kathleen Sibelius--a terrible Secy. of HHS. She is probly into "rhythm" too. I think she and Kenny should loosen up, get out of D.C. and smoke a little dope--"medical" MaryJane,
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2013/04/cuccinelli-wants-rehearing-virginias-anti-sodomy-law