;)
Monday
Mar162015
The Commentariat -- March 17, 2015
Internal links & defunct video removed.
HAPPY SCIENCE DAY!
** Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "House Republicans on Tuesday will unveil a proposed budget for 2016 that partly privatizes Medicare, turns Medicaid into block grants to the states, repeals the Affordable Care Act and reaches balance in 10 years, challenging Republicans in Congress to make good on their promises to deeply cut federal spending. The House proposal leans heavily on the policy prescriptions that Representative Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin outlined when he was budget chairman.... The plan envisions a remaking of the federal government.... The budget 'repeals all of Obamacare,' Representative Diane Black, Republican of Tennessee, said the same day the Obama administration announced that the law had provided coverage to 16.4 million previously uninsured people." Read it & gasp. ...
... Julie Pace of the AP: "More than 16 million Americans have gained insurance coverage as a result of President Barack Obama's health care law, the administration said Monday as the White House prepares to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the law's signing. In releasing the latest estimates, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell called it 'the largest reduction in the uninsured in four decades.'" ...
Peter Sullivan of the Hill: "Wyoming Gov. Matt Mead, a Republican, says that there will be 'turmoil' if the Supreme Court strikes down subsidies under ObamaCare.... 'If on June 30, if that's when the case comes down, and they say no more subsidies for federal exchanges ... it is going to cause a lot of turmoil,' Mead said at a press conference, according to the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 'Not just for the state, and for those people, but for the private sector as well.'" ...
... Joan McCarter of Daily Kos: "Mead would be challenged to get his Republican legislature to agree to a plan to set up their own exchange, if past experience is a guide. The governor spent months and months working with the federal government to find a Medicaid expansion compromise, eventually devising a plan that the Koch-backed Republican senate killed."
Seung Min Kim & Burgess Everett of Politico: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz's strategy of blocking a vote on President Barack Obama's attorney general nominee until the White House relents on immigration executive actions ran into a brick wall Wednesday: his own GOP colleagues. Republican senators dismissed Cruz's proposal for denying Loretta Lynch a confirmation vote in the Judiciary Committee and on the Senate floor as part of the Texas firebrand's strategy to use 'every procedural tool' at the Senate's disposal to override Obama's actions, which could affect nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants." ...
... Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "It is 'unconscionable' that attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch has not yet received a confirmation vote in the Senate, the White House said Monday.... [Senate Majority Leader Mitch] McConnell on Sunday said he would delay action on Lynch's nomination until Democrats agree to cooperate on legislation intended to combat human trafficking.... Democrats blocked the bill last week over a provision that would prohibit the use of federal funding for abortions." ...
... Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "After several years of troubles with spending bills that were once routinely bipartisan, the Senate has now found a way to disagree on a bill that would protect victims of sex trafficking. And in the process, that dispute has ensnared President Obama's largely uncontroversial nominee for attorney general, Loretta E. Lynch..... A provision in the Senate bill would prevent the fees from being used for abortions for the victims. Democrats say Republicans sneaked it into the bill. Republicans firmly deny the charge. And Democrats now say they will not vote for it unless the language is removed, something that Republicans decline to do.... Although Mr. McConnell suggested that the Senate could not approve nominations before the trafficking bill was addressed, the Senate did take up two lower-profile executive branch appointments on Monday."
Juan Williams of the Hill: "The TV drama 'House of Cards,' with all of its fictional backstabbing, looks lame compared to the current, real-life political drama on Capitol Hill starring Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)."
Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Iranian negotiators meeting with U.S. officials Monday expressed concern over a letter from Senate Republicans warning that a nuclear deal with President Obama might not outlast his time in office." ...
... Tommie One-Note. CW: I've noticed over the past week or so is that Tom Cotton's only response to some straightforward questions is this nonanswer: "Right now I and most every other senator is focused on stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon," or some slight variation thereof. Here he was Sunday, talking to Bob Scheiffer:
... When Jon Karl of ABC News said to Cotton last week, "But you've been quite clear that your goal in all of this is to kill this deal because you do not think that President Obama's negotiating a good deal," Cotton replied, "My only goal, for years now, has been to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon." (ABC News has taken down the video, but my recollection is that he repeated this answer when Karl asked him another question.) Cotton is not a serious person. ...
... To show how little he knows about Iran, Cotton added this: "... the ballistic missile program that Iran has ... is designed solely to strike the United States right here at home." Excellent news! On the eve of the Israeli elections, Cotton tells Netanyahu that it turns out Israel has nothing to worry about. All of Iran's missiles will whiz right over Israel on their way to Kansas.
Paul Waldman: "Now that deficits have declined so dramatically, the time is ripe for Republicans to start advocating for a dramatic increase in the military. New GOP celebrity Sen. Tom Cotton (Ark.) is trying to lead the charge, invoking Hitler (of course) and saying that 'Our enemies, sensing weakness and hence opportunity have become steadily more aggressive.'" ...
... Steve M.: As Cotton & Cohort gear up the nation for another disastrous war, "These guys aren't overlooking the fact that their plans would explode the debt -- they know. What they also know is that when the debt skyrockets, they can blame 'tax-and-spend liberals,' and liberal social programs such as Medicare and Social Security, which, they'll say, have to be drastically curtailed because 'we' have been too greedy. Centrist pundits will nod sagely in agreement. Ordinary Americans, they hope, will fall for the bait-and-switch -- and certainly will never understand how they've been duped. And the rich will just get richer."
The Most Transparent Administration Evah! Gregory Korte of USA Today: "The White House is removing a federal regulation that subjects its Office of Administration to the Freedom of Information Act, making official a policy under Presidents Bush and Obama to reject requests for records to that office. The White House said the cleanup of FOIA regulations is consistent with court rulings that hold that the office is not subject to the transparency law. The office handles, among other things, White House record-keeping duties like the archiving of e-mails."
New York Times Editors: "While [Paula] Broadwell's book ... contains no classified information, [David Petraeus's] sharing the notebooks displayed a shocking level of hubris and recklessness. In sharp contrast, the government has been unsparing in its prosecution of lower-ranking officials who have shared sensitive information for more defensible reasons."
When Loyalty Is a Sometime Thing. Paul Waldman wonders, "If Israel is led by a Labor Party prime minister and begins to change some of its policies, will Republicans decide that 'support' is more complicated than they used to think? It may be hard to remember now, but Israel became a Republican fetish object relatively recently." ...
... Steve M.: "But we know how Republicans' loyalty works in reference to the other country they say they love without qualification, America. Republicans say that America is the greatest country in the history of the human race and that it's totally unacceptable to criticize America ... except when the 'wrong' government comes to power.... Republicans will still say they love Israel without qualification, while ignoring the fact that that love comes with the huge qualification of hating whoever isn't in sympathy with Likud. Sure, it's cognitive dissonance. But Republicans are very comfortable at that." ...
... CW: I'm pretty sure Netanyahu will win big now because Chuck Norris, somewhat belatedly, has just cut a YouTube campaign video for him: "I watched Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech before Congress, and I saw a man who loves his country with all his heart and soul," Norris says. Also, Norris is an expert on Israel: "I have done three movies in Israel, Delta Force being my favorite, and I formed many friendships while there." ...
... Paul Waldman: "Unfortunately, Norris did not record his ad in Hebrew, which would have been awesome."
Michael Memoli of the Los Angeles Times: Joseph Clancy, "the new director of the U.S. Secret Service, faces lawmakers Tuesday for the first time since recent allegations of misconduct among agency personnel raised doubts about whether a longtime insider was the right man for the job."
Playing President. Evan McMorris-Santoro of BuzzFeed: "Rep. Aaron Schock owns what appears to be a fairly accurate replica of 'The Falcon' -- the internal White House nickname for one of President Obama's official podiums -- and based on photos, uses it at times when speaking in his Peoria, Illinois, district." And it cost $5,123. CW: Sadly, you can't get your own presidential "Falcon," because the manufacturer has quit making them -- they "weren't making any money on them."
Des Beiler of the Washington Post: San Francisco 49ers linebacker "Chris Borland made a stunning announcement Monday, telling ESPN that he will be retiring from the NFL after an outstanding rookie season. The 49ers linebacker told 'Outside the Lines' that he was concerned about the possible effects that head injuries could have on his quality of life.... His retirement for essentially precautionary reasons is another indication of the growing concern among NFL players over the effects of repeated head trauma, as numerous studies have suggested a link between the violence of football and debilitating brain injuries such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE)." ...
... CW: Good for Borland. As more young men who can envision life outside of football opt out of playing pro ball, the game is destined to become more & more of a gladiator sport, with only those young men who have few other viable options being willing to play the game for cash. So in one more aspect of this American life, we shall become a caste-based society, with the poor serving or entertaining the rich, often at a high cost for the poor.
Presidential Race
Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "The subjects of Ireland and tea made for an unpleasant brew in Hillary Rodham Clinton's 2008 campaign for president. Her primary opponent, Barack Obama, once belittled her as having merely 'had tea with' world leaders as first lady.... Then she was accused of overstating her own contribution to the Northern Ireland peace process. On Monday, Mrs. Clinton nodded to that back story as she was honored by an Irish-American group on the eve of St. Patrick's Day.... She did not portray herself as instrumental to the Good Friday Agreement that President Clinton brokered in 1998, but said her outreach to women in Belfast on multiple visits during that period had played a critical role.... Mrs. Clinton, who was inducted into the Irish America Hall of Fame, did not miss the chance to curry favor with a devoted ethnic constituency...." ...
... Michael Tomasky of the Daily Beast: "The rapidly deflating Clinton email 'scandal' looks like it has more to do with a sclerotic government bureaucracy than any personal wrongdoing on the part of Hillary." Tomasky takes another whack at the New York Times reporting, while he's at it. ...
... Jonathan Ladd: "With the media feeding frenzy the past two weeks over Hillary Clinton maintaining a private e-mail account while she was secretary of state, the 1990s dysfunctional marriage between the Clintons and the DC press has come roaring back -- no lessons learned or maturity built up on either side since Bill was president. On the Clinton side, there is a hostility and lack of openness to the press that is self-defeating. It provokes the negative coverage it intends to avoid. On the press side, the DC establishment media always seems to believe that the current scandal will be the one to bring down the Clintons, all evidence to the contrary." Via Paul Waldman.
Al Gore for President! Ezra Klein: "The most ambitious vision for the Democratic Party right now rests with a politician most have forgotten, and whom no one is mentioning for 2016: Al Gore. Gore offers a genuinely different view of what the Democratic Party -- and, by extension, American politics -- should be about.... The rest of his positions are closer in line with Democratic Party activists than, say, Clinton's. He opposed the Iraq War and endorsed single-payer health care, for instance." ...
... John Schwartz of the New York Times profiles Al Gore.
"Your World Is on Fire." Ed Kilgore: "... this is an extremely common millenialist fantasy among conservative evangelicals.... And it would be a completely natural concept for those who suspect the 44th president of the United States is, if not the Antichrist, then one of his tribunes. So next time you hear a Republican pol announce 'the world's on fire,' you're probably hearing a conscious or unconscious dog whistle." ...
... Sandra Westfall of People: Mom says three-year-old daughter is "beyond over-the-moon excited" about Ted Cruz," thinks he's "a hero," & is calling him "Uncle Cruz." CW: Somebody call Social Services.
Beyond the Beltway
Motor Voter. Shelby Sebens of Reuters: "Sweeping first-in-the nation legislation making voter registration automatic in Oregon was signed into law on Monday by Governor Kate Brown, potentially adding 300,000 new voters to state rolls. The so-called Motor Voter legislation will use state Department of Motor Vehicles data to automatically register eligible voters whose information is contained in the DMV system, with a 21-day opt-out period for those who wish to be taken off the registry."
Manny Fernandez of the New York Times: "A lawyer for Jeffrey L. Williams, the 20-year-old suspect charged with shooting two officers during a demonstration outside the police station [in Ferguson, Mo.,], said Monday that he did not believe that his client had fired the shots. The lawyer, Jerryl Christmas, who spoke to Mr. Williams on Monday in jail, said Mr. Williams was unclear on how the officers were shot early Thursday. 'I don't think they have the right person in custody,' said Mr. Christmas, adding that he could not discuss the details of what his client had told him. 'I don't think he shot anybody.'"
Jonathan Watts of the Guardian: "The bad news just keeps coming for Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff. On Monday, the treasurer of the ruling Workers' Party was formerly charged with corruption. The day before, enormous anti-government demonstrations filled the streets of more than 160 cities. The economy is faltering, inflation is rising and poverty reduction is at risk of stalling. Her cabinet are in crisis mode, but they are hamstrung by a fractious legislature and a debilitating scandal at the state-run oil firm Petrobras, which has led to investigations of 34 sitting politicians, including the speakers of both houses of Congress." ...
... CW: Yeah, I was wondering when I saw the news of those demonstrations Sunday, which spilled onto a beach, if Bill O'Reilly was down there performing heroics in the "war zone." Or maybe looking at pictures of the war zone.
News Ledes
New York Times: "An Air Force veteran from New Jersey, recently fired from his job as an airplane mechanic, has been charged with trying to support the Islamic State by seeking to join the group. The veteran, Tairod Nathan Webster Pugh, a 47-year-old American citizen, tried to travel into Syria in January after being fired from his job in the Middle East, prosecutors said. But when he tried to go from Egypt to Turkey to Syria, Turkish authorities sent him back to Egypt. From there, he was deported to the United States."
Haaretz is liveblogging the Israeli elections without the usual online impediments he has been throwing up of late. "The Central Elections Committee has issued an injunction against live broadcasting a statement by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later this evening."
... Update 1: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said 'no one will shut us up,' after the Central Elections Committee barred the media from airing his address, deeming it 'illegal election propaganda.'"
Washington Post: "A top Iranian envoy suggested Tuesday that 'main issues' have been cleared in nuclear talks and a framework on a possible deal could be reached before an end-of-month deadline."
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Reader Comments (13)
Oregon passed sweeping new voter registration legislation, potentially adding hundreds of thousands to its rolls according to the story linked above. Now there's a great state!
To my mind, passing Motor Voter laws in more states would be a better use of Larry Lessig's time and money.
In my opinion, Bibi is a shoe-in. Herzog might as well throw in the towel. After endorsements from wooden actor and wingnut action figure (complete with articulated leg for delivering roundhouse kicks in the head to libtards!--but without a brain capable of articulating anything but TP talking points, all the better for more violence and less thinking) Chuck Norris, delivered on the website of another expert on Israel, Mike ( cinnamon rolls cure diabetes) Huckster, both of whom have actually visited Israel. More than one time! AND the additional support of perennial wingnut screamer Jon Voigt, who promises that he knows what's best for Israelis, how could anyone not vote for Mr. Permanent War/No Palestinian State Ever?
I think if I were an Israeli voting today, I'd be a little irked that these three stooges, none of whom matter a whit, ie are not the US president, were trying to tell me what's best for my county's future.
The righties are desperate. You can smell it.
When we talk about the love affair between Bibi and the boys/gals of the Right in our Congress let us not forget one of the biggest elephants in the room––APAC. One could say, without exaggeration, that its influence on many members of our Congress is monumental. According to Connie Bruck who wrote a long piece on this topic in the New Yorker (Sept.1,2014) the difficult reality is this: in order to get elected to Congress, if you're not independently wealthy, you have to raise a lot of money–––everyone knows this. But what many are not aware of is that those that want to get elected learn pretty quickly if APAC is on your side, you can do that. APAC people come to you and say, "We'd be happy to host ten-thousand-dollar fund raisers for you, and let us help write your annual letter and please come to this multi-thousand -person dinner." And this works in opposition: if you're not with them, they spend significant amounts of money against you. The politician who is bold enough to say, "occupied territories" or even hint at a positive Palestinian message, is toast.
In 2007 John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt, leading political scientists, published a book called "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy," which presented a scathing portrait of APAC, arguing that the lobby had a nearly singular distorting influence on American foreign policy. Critics argued that the authors neglected to point out any failures of the Palestinian leadership and painted AIPAC in conspiratorial, omnipotent tones. A broader political challenge to AIPAC is the founding of J Street, a "pro-peace-pro Israel" advocacy group that strongly supports a two-state solution and sees the occupation as a threat to democracy and to Jewish values. This body does not have the money AIPAC does but is trying to gain some influence.
So we wait for the outcome of Israel's election today. If Likud is out and Labor is in there may be some changes made for the better. Netanyahu has stretched himself thin, has pretty much drawn his negative messages in the sand, as they say, but winds are strong in the Middle East and messages in the sand don't last.
Re: Paddy's pig finds pot of gold
Follow the money. You want a sure a shit example of how the "do nothing but fuck Obama" congress is actually the "do nothing but fuck the country's future" congress?http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/17/us-europe-asia-bank-idUSKBN0MD0B320150317?
feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=408
Exceptional nations are waking up to our exceptional international leadership in banking at least in part because of the dysfunction congress. I hope Mr. Krugman offers a insight. Personally I foresee a day when the rest of the world doesn't want to play with dollar chips at the USA Casino and Trust.
The "casino" part I get, internationally I am wondering about the "Trust".
All the evangelist right wing nut jobs in congress can pull a quarter they got from the Kock brothers out of their pocket and point to "In God We Trust" on the coin of the realm, their tiny minds refusing to believe that there could be more than one God and more than one realm.
Meanwhile I am spending the day studying the science of alcohol as practiced in Ireland on the occasion of honoring St. Patrick who drove the snakes from the ol' sod. Where's the fucker now? We could use him in Washington, like, yesterday.
Got an email today from Barnes & Noble announcing that Bill O'Reilly's new book is available to pre-order. It's titled "Legends and Lies: The Real West" that is supposed to be "a fascinating, eye-opening look at the truth behind the western legends we all think we know."
Sounds like it's a memoir about his experience covering the Battle of the Alamo.
@Unwashed. Hilarious! I'll be he wished he or his editor had picked a title after the Mother Jones story broke.
Marie
JJG,
Those of us of the Mick persuasion are well versed in the St Paddy's legends and their countering arguments, such as the suggestion that there were likely no snakes in Ireland to begin with. Such is demonstrably not the case in the US Congress which is overrun with slithering vipers, so many that the floors on the republican side of both chambers look alive with all the writhing serpents.
And like those snakes who can spray their venom a great distance, Confederate vipers are hard at work making life miserable for Americans. Interestingly, a new study has come out (another one) showing the unparalleled success of the ACA.
States like Arkansas and Kentucky lead the nation in drastically reducing the number of uninsured residents, wonderful news by any measure, improving long term health and medical outcomes, reducing medical expenses, saving millions on emergency medical care for individuals whose conditions remained untreated--because of no insurance--for years, until care becomes exorbitant and must be footed largely by taxpayers ( the George W Bush Healthcare Plan), and generally improving longevity and productivity, all amazing results.
Funnily enough, the congressional "leaders" of both of those states are making it their business to take that healthcare away and let those millions of newly uninsured return to the Republican Plan: praying to Jesus that they not get sick, but if they do, to let them die quickly.
These assholes are the worst snakes in the shithole.
Luckily we have another Irishman, Barack O'Bama, to help drive these vipers into the sea. But just imagine if we had a Confederate president. This is why, if HRC gets the nod, I'll vote for her in a heartbeat.
(Sorry for no link to that ACA study. I'm on an iPhone today.)
@PD Pepe Thank you for mentioning the Mearsheimer/Walt book. The London Review of Books review link is: http://www.lrb.co.uk/v28/n06/john-mearsheimer/the-israel-lobby
This 7 minute read will bring you up to speed on the "elephant in the room" which is bringing us the coming war with Iran. The US-Israel relationship is truly "exceptional". It makes a Kardashian marriage look normal.
David Feldman: Was that "7 minute read" in dog years? I looked at the print preview and it was 31 pages! My hat is off to you.
Seriously, I do plan to finish the article as it appears very well written and informative. Already I have learned that the significance of the U.S. aid to Israel is not just in the enormous dollar amount but in its form and scope, which is sweeping and unparalleled according to the authors. Thank you for the link.
*Schocking News Flash* Aaron is resigning as Rep. of IL according to all the news outlets. No need for his Falcon any more, I guess.
@Victoria D. Well, I'm the guy who penned, "They'll welcome us with open arms" and "Iraqi oil will pay for the operation".
Didn't you take the Evelyn Woodhead Spid Ridden' course?
Don't know if it's true or not, but sources say that immediately after Schock resigned, he turned to his photographer and said, "We can finally get out of Peoria."