;)
The Commentariat -- Jan. 30, 2013
Sequestration Express Expected to Arrive on Schedule. Lori Montgomery of the Washington Post: Congress is too stubborn to stop the trainwreck they engineered for the purpose of stopping the trainwreck. CW: I cannot understand why the public has a low opinion of Congress.
Michael Gordon of the New York Times: "The Senate confirmed Senator John Kerry as secretary of state on Tuesday, filling a key position on President Obama's retooled national security team. The nomination was approved by a vote of 94 to 3. Only three senators, all Republicans, opposed the nomination: Ted Cruz and John Cornyn of Texas, and James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma. Mr. Kerry voted present.... Hillary Rodham Clinton, whose last day as secretary of state is Friday, said at a global forum at the Newseum on Tuesday that she expected Mr. Kerry to undertake a new effort to narrow differences between Israel and the Palestinians.... No date has been set for Mr. Kerry's resignation from the Senate. The governor of Massachusetts, Deval Patrick, a Democrat, will make an interim appointment to succeed Mr. Kerry...."
Damon Wilson, a "centrist foreign policy wonk" who has worked closely with Chuck Hagel, writes in a Washington Post op-ed that Hagel "has demonstrated acceptance and support for all employees, including LGBT employees." Wilson, who is gay, supports Hagel's nomination as Secretary of Defense.
Mark Landler of the New York Times: "Seizing on a groundswell of support for rewriting the nation's immigration laws, President Obama challenged Congress on Tuesday to act swiftly to put 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States on a clear path to citizenship. He also praised a bipartisan group of senators, who proposed their own sweeping immigration overhaul a day earlier, saying their plan was very much in line with his own proposals, and suggested there was a 'genuine desire to get this done soon'":
... The White House lays out the main principles of the President's proposal. ...
... Adam Serwer of Mother Jones was kind enough to read both sets of proposals & has a handy guide to four differences between Obama's plan & the one by the Senate Machismo (No-Girls-Allowed) Immigration Amigos Association. ...
... New York Times Editors: "Mr. Obama released his own list of immigration-reform principles separately on Tuesday, and it is far better than the plan put forward by the senators. Besides the forceful language on citizenship, it offers ways to end backlogs in family-sponsored immigration, urges more staffing and improvements in immigration courts and added protections for immigrants who assert their labor rights. It also declares that members of same-sex couples should have the same opportunities to sponsor their partners for visas that others do."
"President Obama announces an additional $155 million in humanitarian aid for those affected by the violence of the Assad regime. This aid from the American people is providing food, clean water, medicine, medical treatment, immunizations for children, clothing, and winter supplies for millions of people in need inside Syria and in neighboring countries":
Jillian Rayfield of Salon: "Wayne LaPierre, the NRA’s Executive Vice President, plans to rail against universal background checks during his testimony Wednesday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. "When it comes to the issue of background checks, let's be honest -- background checks will never be 'universal' -- because criminals will never submit to them," he plans to say. LaPierre is one of several speakers set to testify before the Senate in a gun violence hearing on Wednesday, which will also include Mark Kelly, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' husband, Baltimore's Chief of Police, and other expert witnesses." ...
... Andy Borowitz: "In testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, National Rifle Association C.E.O. Wayne LaPierre warned that the N.R.A. would vigorously oppose any legislation that 'limits the sale, purchase, or ownership of politicians.'"
... Monica Davey of the New York Times on how Chicago, with its strict gun laws & high gun violence rate, exemplifies the problems created by weak national gun safety laws & weak prosecution of violators of the laws which do exist. CW: don't let gun advocates tell you that Chicago is "proof" that strict gun laws don't work: "Chicago is not an island,' said David Spielfogel, senior adviser to [Chicago Mayor Rahm] Emanuel. 'We're only as strong as the weakest gun law in surrounding states.'" ...
... Alexander Bolton of The Hill: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Tuesday declined to voice support for Democratic legislation that would ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips." ...
... Jackie Kucinich of USA Today: "A bipartisan coalition of senators is working on a proposal to strengthen and expand background checks for potential gun purchasers in an attempt to break the partisan gridlock holding up regulations on gun ownership. Members of the group, which includes Republicans Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Mark Kirk of Illinois and Democrats Charles Schumer of New York and Joe Manchin of West Virginia, have declined to discuss specifics of the talks or of a potential bill." ...
... CW: is this yet another No-Girls-Allowed Club? If so, it's the 3rd in recent years: the 2011 Gang of Six, the Machismo Amigos Club (see above), & now the Pistol Packers. I'm getting fairly annoyed here.
Paul Krugman on the towering stupidity of Members in Good Standing of the Deficit Closed Feedback Loop: "... at this point, of course, all the Very Serious People have committed their reputations so thoroughly to the official doctrine that they almost literally can't hear any contrary evidence." CW: I don't think I've ever seen a "public intellectual" embarrass himself more than Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations did in his ignorant effort to refute Krugman. ...
... A good summary of the standoff from David Wagner of The Atlantic. ...
... Update: don't miss Krugman's follow-up post. It's 140 characters or fewer.
CW: a novel -- to me -- idea from Matt Yglesias of Salon: while interest rates remain at rock bottom, the federal government should issue perpetual bonds (i.e., they have no redemption date). "The government could borrow money without adding to the national debt. Instead of obsessing over the debt-to-GDP ratio, we could tackle the present-day problem of unemployment and the medium-term barriers to growth." Another advantage Yglesias doesn't mention: they might shut up the deficit scolds -- or at least force them to find a new excuse for cutting the social safety net. ...
... ALSO from Yglesias: "... the payroll tax holiday seems to have done more to goose consumption than workers themselves expected." CW: here's what we learned in school today: lowering taxes on the poor helps the economy. (Lowering taxes on the rich? i.e., trickle-down economics. Not so much.
Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that she is 'not inclined' to run for president in 2016 but left the door open for what is widely considered her likely return to politics after she steps down as secretary of state."
Hillary Clinton got away with murder. -- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), on the assassinations in Benghazi
A perfect bookend, Lindsey. As Clinton began her career on the national stage, Republicans accused her of murdering her friend Vince Foster, who committed suicide. Now as she exits, you accuse her of murdering another friend, Chris Stevens. -- Constant Weader
Right Wing World
My, my, it appears young Rubio did indeed stand his ground against the Rolling Pile of Suppository Jelly who prefers to be called Rushbo. Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "Rubio got some coveted praise from the influential host, who declined to label him a RINO squish for negotiating with Democrats over a new blueprint for a sweeping overhaul of immigration laws that would provide a new path to citizenship for illegal immigrants." CW: could it be that when a handsome young man with presidential plans phones in, the Jelly Roll loses the thrust it has when attacking a female student? And -- in regard to Sandra Fluke -- isn't Rush guilty of verbal rape? Once again, Radio Jelly Man proves bullies are cowards. ...
... Update: if you think you might find the Rubio-Rushbo conversation fascinating, here's the transcript according to Rush.
Andy Rosenthal of the New York Times: "... in Kentucky, a group styling itself the United Kentucky Tea Party announced that it would to try to unseat Senator Mitch McConnell — the Republican minority leader and architect of the just-say-no approach to President Obama -- in the primary in 2014." ...
... AND, no Sen. McConnell, President Obama is not going to confiscate your guns. Which is a shame.
Rob Boston of AlterNet, in Salon: creative creationists in state legislatures, school distrists & classrooms keep sneaking literal Bible teachings into "science" classes on evolution.
News Ledes
New York Times: "A Roman Catholic priest and a former Catholic school teacher were convicted on Wednesday on nine charges relating to the sexual abuse of a 10-year-old boy at different times more than a decade ago. A jury in Common Pleas Court here found the teacher, Bernard Shero, guilty of five charges, including rape and involuntary deviant sexual intercourse.... The jury also convicted the Rev. Charles Engelhardt on four counts, including indecent assault and endangering the welfare of a child."
New York Times: "Patty Andrews, the last of the Andrews Sisters, the jaunty vocal trio whose immensely popular music became part of the patriotic fabric of World War II America, died on Wednesday at her home in Los Angeles. She was 94."
Washington Post: "Israeli aircraft struck inside Syria on Wednesday for the first time since 2007, U.S. and Syrian officials said, raising concerns that the Syrian civil war could escalate into a regional conflict. There were conflicting reports about the early-morning attack, and Israeli officials refused to comment on it." ...
... Al Jazeera: "The Syrian army has said that Israeli jets crossed into Syria below the radar level at dawn and hit a military research centre in Jamraya, near Damascus. 'Israeli fighter jets violated our airspace at dawn today and carried out a direct strike on a scientific research centre in charge of raising our level of resistance and self-defence,' the army's general command said in a statement carried by state news agency SANA on Wednesday evening.... The strike came 'after terrorist groups made several failed attempts in the past months to take control of the site,' the statement added...."
New York Times: "Speaking slowly but with discernible passion, former Representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically injured in a mass shooting in Arizona in 2011, addressed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday in its first hearing since the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., last month." ...
... The New York Times is liveblogging the hearings here. Includes NBC News livefeed.
Business Insider: "The economy contracted 0.1 percent in [the 4th quarter 2012] versus economists' consensus expectations of a 1.1 percent expansion. Personal consumption growth came in at 2.2 percent -- slightly higher than consensus estimates of 2.1 percent -- but was driven largely by a 13.9 percent advance in the consumption of durable goods.Government spending was the largest driver of the economic contraction in the fourth quarter, subtracting 1.33 percentage points from Q4 GDP growth and falling 6.6 percent. Federal spending fell 15.0 percent, led by a 22.2 percent drop in defense spending. Federal spending on nondefense items was actually up 1.4 percent. State and local spending fell 0.7 percent." CW: I'm looking forward to seeing what deficit scolds make of this.
AP: "Egypt's liberal opposition leader on Wednesday called for a broad national dialogue with the Islamist government, all political factions and the powerful military, aimed at stopping the country's eruption of political violence that has left 60 dead the past week. Nobel Peace Prize winner Mohamed ElBaradei's appeal appeared to be aimed at responding to a sharp warning by the head of the armed forces a day earlier that Egypt could collapse unless the country's feuding political factions reconcile."
New York Times: "French troops took control overnight of the airport at the last major northern Mali town still in rebel hands, officials said on Wednesday, after Islamist militants abandoned two other principal settlements in the vast, desert region where residents' relief and elation has given way to some measure of reprisal and frustration."
New York Times: South Korea on Wednesday succeeded in thrusting a satellite into orbit for the first time, achieving its ambition of joining an elite club of space technology leaders, seven weeks after the successful launching of a satellite by rival North Korea."
New York Times: "Even before two battery failures led to the grounding of all Boeing 787 jets this month, the lithium-ion batteries used on the aircraft had experienced multiple problems that raised questions about their reliability."
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Reader Comments (16)
...amidst the Joe-Scarborough-thinks-he's-the-smartest-guy-in-the-room—even if one of the other guys in the room is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, this a bonus Paul Krugman bon mot launched at a significant bit of errata in the Scarborough's Politico article.
"Scarborough seems upset, and under the delusion that my more or less standard Keynesian views are way off on the fringe. Also, that the Swedish thingie is given by Norwegian royalty." (See Krugman's blog for the 'ahem, Joe').
(...plus the Twitter post that CW linked as an Update is another OMG.) I love Krugman's droll humor!
Guess that wraps up my P.Q. for the day.
However, thanks to Tom Friedman's encouraging words,
I will work on developing my "passion quotient"
to become more fulfilled and successful.
@MAG: the Swedish thingie is meaningless anyway since the queen of Norway abdicated this week. The whole idea of a noble prize is so European elitist and -- although I am not a constitutional scholar -- am pretty sure is unconstitutional & unamerican & just the sort of thing the liberal East Coast elite like to throw in the face of real Americans with common sense who know something about belt-tightening.
Marie
@CW Well, as for that 'Swedish thingie' - the Nobel Peace Prize - I don't see it as elitist, unconstitutional, et al. I would take it as quite an honor.
...and thought it was Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands who abdicated this week.
@MAG: taking seriously my ridiculous comments on ridiculous topics is usually a serious mistake. As Joe Scarborough made abundantly clear, Norway, Sweden, the Netherlands, are pretty much the same -- places in Europe unpleasant to visit in winter.
Marie
Re: There's nothing noble about it; When informed that I had won an international award for uncovering sarcasm I was quoted as saying, "That's dynamite!"
I was stripped of my award and cast into the cold Nordic night with only a can of sardines in oil for my endless efforts to uncover wiseguys and gals who use humor in attempt to educate.
Thank god for this writing gig I got goin' on for this tonto.
He's a prize alright. Ricardo Cabeza
Its pretty clear, whatever else the elder Rubios did, they raised a narcissistic prick. Although there are many many non-Mexican immigrants, Mexicans are the focus of immigration. Rubio does not appeal to Mexican Americans based on his Cuban heritage. He tends to be seen as more white than anything else. He can roll those R's until the cows come home.
But, he has become the Republican Great Hispanic Hope. Rubio is not that interested in either Republicans or Hispanics. His primary focus is Marco all day and in every way. The Republican brand sets him apart from the majority of people with Hispanic surnames and reinforces that he is special. When he backs off immigration reform, as he will, he still remains on the national stage. More importantly, I believe he is trying to position himself as THE spokesperson in opposition to Obama. Placing him, on what he sees, as equal footing with the President. After all, he feels that his expertise and appeal is built in based on his heritage. He's a grandiose little prick with ambitions beyond his capabilities.
When a good friend of mine, a bio/chemist, was sitting on the town council and tried her damnest to change some of their archaic policies plus offer some innovative policies of her own she was promptly and consistently put in her place by the town's good old boys. She fought hard and accomplished some of her goals, but finally left in disgust at what she had to go through in terms of the insults that were flung her way. Hillary never quit. Through all the shrill, strident, angry, ranting that she has endured seems to have only toughed her up for the next blow. There were/are always those that will denigrate any vaguely liberal mildly feminist woman who shows a bit of spirit and independence, who puts herself out in the public realm, who doesn't fumble and look up coyly from underneath her hair and give her declarative sentences the cadence of a question. But the fact that Lindsey Graham, that old southern pissant, now accuses her of murder is beyond the pale. Marie is right: A perfect bookend.
@Diane. I'm not sure, but I think it's a race thing. When I was growing up in Miami, I knew Cubanos who very particularly pointed out they were not Indios. The majority of Cubans are of European -- mostly Spanish -- not American, heritage. Obviously there are Central Americans of primarily European heritage, too, but they are not the majority.
So I'm not sure Marco identifies with Mexicans just because they share a common first language any more than Haley Barbour identifies with black Mississippians just because they share a common language & region.
Marie
Re: I'm a Mexican tambien; tienes rrrrrazon, Diane; As my amigo Sergio says (con sarcasm); Rubio is just another Cuban from Mexico.
In fact anyone south of El Paso is Mexican. Ricardo Cabeza
Joe Scarborough’s dance with reality (more like a St. Vitus dance) mirrors the tangled, twisty tangos danced by so many other conservatives who strive to keep facts, rationality, and the material world at bay, exposure to which might trigger catastrophic gran mal seizures in whatever parts of their brains are controlled by the ideology of stupid.
Ol’ Joe isn’t the only one however. The bubble that provides perfect, hermetically sealed epistemic closure, as Krugman suggested recently, protects them from any inconvenient facts and allows them to reinforce each other’s worst fears and beliefs.
Thus, the earth is 6,000 years old. How do the tides work? Who the fuck knows? Hillary Clinton bumps off random friends, just because. The president is sending federal agents to your house to confiscate your guns. The shootings in Newtown were either a hoax or allowed to happen by the president so he can confiscate your guns. Cutting taxes reduces deficits. Allowing Muslims to walk about unmolested is a sure sign that Sharia Law will soon be forced on all Americans. The poor are lucky duckies. Corporations are people. Most Americans are takers and moochers. Death panels will euthanize your granny. Authentic rape. “Urban” voters stole the election. ACORN stole the election. There WAS no election because the president is not an American. Gays are secretly recruiting your kids. The United States is a Christian country. Only the right understands the intent of the founders. There IS no separation clause. Trees cause acid rain. Global warming: a worldwide conspiracy involving tens of thousands of scientists. If evolution was true, people could evolve from bacteria. The answer to gun violence is more guns (I realize it’s not fair to introduce logic into the right-wing funhouse of cluster fuck epistemology, but this last one kills me. If you accept that guns are inextricably linked with violence, how does adding more guns reduce the violence? I know, I know….never mind).
And like that.
But this is all of a piece with the right’s suspicion--to the point of hatred--of smart people. This is why they suggest that Joe the Plumber would make an excellent legislator. Why? Because he doesn’t know shit! Hey. We can all play that game. How about your brother in law who hangs dry wall as the next Surgeon General? Why not have your kid who plays Call of Duty on his xbox serve as the next Secretary of Defense? This is why Joe (no economic degree, no experience in economics, no knowledge of economics) believes he can go toe to toe with Paul Krugman and win.
What the Fuck.
So in place of experience, knowledge, wisdom, and mental acuity, we have Scarborough’s “gut instinct”. Hey, Bush governed on his gut. Look how well that turned out.
The real problem for the rest of us is that we all have to live with the wages of ignorance. We provide the wages, they provide the ignorance.
And boy oh boy is it getting expensive.
And how many people, as Mae West said, foreign and domestic, has Lindsey Graham, that neocon lickspittle, murdered in pursuit of his ignorant, idiotic Mideast regime change goals? Guess those hundreds of thousands don't count, either because he, like Pontius Pilate, had nothing to do with them or because it was all someone else's noble sacrifice in pursuit of his wet dream of power.
Is the GOP hypocrisy not obvious to everyone? Or maybe WHY is it not?
CW my point exactly. Rubio doesn't identify with Mexicans and visa versa. However, lots of people who aren't Mexican don't get past the surname and he is using that to his advantage. I listen to the disdain voiced by husband (2nd generation Mexican American) and his friends, although not conclusive, its persuasive.
Yesterday as gun rights loonies in Hartford, CT screamed at the father of a six year old massacred in Newtown, another NRA success story was playing out on the streets of Chicago. Hadiya Pendleton, a 15 year old sophomore who just a week before had performed at President Obama's inauguration, was shot to death.
Wayne LaPierre, the fucking devil incarnate, has no sympathy for Ms. Pendleton. No doubt he believes she should have been packing. How that would have stopped a stray bullet no one can say, but the NRA and their corporate sponsors can put another notch on a giant gravestone marking the death of Americans from gun violence.
Today Gabrielle Giffords testifies before congress. No doubt she'll be screamed at as well.
These fucking people are amoral slugs. They, along with their equally morally corrupt congressional enablers and ball lickers deserve whatever evil karma the universe is preparing for them.
I'd just like to be around to watch.
Another NRA success story!
@Diane: Your point is well taken. Many years ago, when I was stationed in Germany, I made the mistake of conflating my clerk, a Mexican-American from Brownsville, TX, with Puerto Ricans, He was highly offended, and told me so in no uncertain terms, without being insubordinate. Puerto Ricans take great pride in the fact they are American citizens by birth. This may explain why my clerk said "Puerto Ricans are stuck up."
When I worked for a large company after I retired from the Army, one man had posted outside his cubicle: "I am CUBAN. I am NOT Mexican." To lump all Latinos together is a big mistake.
If Harry Reid reneges on his responsibility to pass meaningful gun control legislation, namely banning assault rifles and high capacity magazines, then he gives political cover to all the other limp dick Dems who don't back the legislation. Obviously he's cowering from a real victory to ensure political cover from a possible NRA ambush next time he's up for election.
With his highly disappointing stance on this issue as a Dem leader right after laying a big turd on the filibuster reform, I can't help but imagine him and McConnell when the cameras are off and their freakish friendship sprouts anew: giggling like schoolchildren, high-fiving while playing swords in the urinal.
Ha ha! @CW Yep! you sure got me! I shall try to pay more heed to milady's jests.