Mali, who asks: "Are the primaries over, finally?"
And NTodd's critters who are bff:
Friday, February 29, 2008
Bad Guys
Yglesias:
The frustrating thing is that the media plays along, designating "bad guys" as whoever the US government is designating a bad guy that week, while perpetuating the notion that the "bad guy" designation is linked to some sort of human rights badness when in fact it's just because they're bastards, but not our bastards.
Ezra's certainly right to say that it's bizarre for George W. Bush to criticize Barack Obama on the grounds that "it'll send the wrong message" for Obama to hold a meeting with "a tyrant who puts his people in prison because of their political beliefs" considering that Bush does exactly that on a regular basis. Is it a good thing that the people of China and Russia and Saudi Arabia are, like the people of Cuba and Syria and Iran, ruled by dictators? Of course not. And if the lessons of history indicated that some kind of "no meetings ever" policy caused those regimes to melt and transform into wholesome democracies, then we wouldn't be having this debate.
But things don't work like that, and in the world as it is it's hardly practical to eschew all meetings with everyone whose political system you don't approve on. The question is, thus, whether or not this posture of creating a mostly arbitrary class of "bad guy" that we're going to take down with our awesome powers of snubbing accomplishes anything meaningful. Obama's contention is "no." Bush's contention is "yes" but he has absolutely nothing to show for it.
The frustrating thing is that the media plays along, designating "bad guys" as whoever the US government is designating a bad guy that week, while perpetuating the notion that the "bad guy" designation is linked to some sort of human rights badness when in fact it's just because they're bastards, but not our bastards.
Barely Begun
I fear this is true.
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) - The economic impact of the mortgage crisis and credit crunch will be huge, and it has barely begun, a new study prepared by several prominent economists and released Friday has concluded.
"Feedback from the financial market turmoil to the real economy could be substantial," it said. Unless they can quickly recapitalize, banks are likely to cut back their lending to consumers and businesses by more than $1 trillion, cutting economic growth by more than a percentage point over the next 12 months.
BORED NOW
While the notion of this thing continuing until Pennsylvania so that I can actually vote has some appeal, I'm really not sure I can stand another 7 weeks of this.
Having said that, this election season doesn't exist for my amusement so campaigns are of course perfectly entitled to stay in the thing as long as they want.
Having said that, this election season doesn't exist for my amusement so campaigns are of course perfectly entitled to stay in the thing as long as they want.
Sticking a Finger Into My Brain
I have a pretty broad tolerance for messaging that comes out of campaigns. I appreciate that political speech includes hyperbole, spin, exaggeration, theater, etc. Just don't talk to the world as if it's as stupid as George Bush.
More Homages
As I wrote in comments, I didn't have a chance to check but people rarely plagiarize just once.
Drudged Out
I don't have any strong feelings either way about whether Drudge was good or evil for reporting that Prince Harry was in Afghanistan. Obviously there are times when news outlets should consider not reporting things, but on the other hand one gets a little uncomfortable when there's a conspiracy of silence so large that it suggests that the media is simply an adjunct of the government or state.
Still, as others have suggested, if, say, the New York Times had broken this story it they would have been accused of painting a bulls eye on his head so The Terrorists could kill him faster.
Still, as others have suggested, if, say, the New York Times had broken this story it they would have been accused of painting a bulls eye on his head so The Terrorists could kill him faster.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Email Subjects That Make Me Sad
From the DNC:
Oh... Mike Duncan. Never mind.
Dean: Duncan's Statement Rings Hollow While RNC Pays to Test How Far They Can Take Race and Gender Attacks
Oh... Mike Duncan. Never mind.
But Will He Get The Russert Treatment?
Or even a brief mention from the beard? Probably not, because he's Saint John McCain.
HOUSTON -- The president of the Catholic League today blasted Sen. John McCain for accepting the endorsement of Texas evangelicalist John Hagee, calling the controversial pastor a bigot who has "waged an unrelenting war against the Catholic Church."
Hagee, who is known for his crusading support of Israel, backed McCain's presidential bid Wednesday, standing next to the senator at a hotel in San Antonio and calling McCain "a man of principle."
But Catholic League President Bill Donohue said in a statement today that Hagee has written extensively in negative ways about the Catholic Church, "calling it 'The Great Whore,' an 'apostate church,' the 'anti-Christ,' and a 'false cult system.'"
"Senator Obama has repudiated the endorsement of Louis Farrakhan, another bigot. McCain should follow suit and retract his embrace of Hagee," Donohue said.
Hating Lincoln
I'm sure plenty of people did, but he did manage to win the 1864 election by 10 points.
Huffington and the Nazis
I've met Arianna, and it's hard to imagine her presiding over a holocaust, but that's why I've got Fox News's Bill O'Reilly to set me straight on this stuff.
Big Money
Clinton campaign has raised a lot of money.
It's nice that neither campaign will be hampered by money problems in the late stages of this thing.
It's nice that neither campaign will be hampered by money problems in the late stages of this thing.
Timmeh
Charles Pierce:
And all of this was coming from an alleged tough-guy who admitted to Bill Moyers that he got suckered on Iraq because NOBODY CALLED HIM. A guy who anyway said under oath that, if a government official calls him, he presumes the conversation is off the record. A guy of whom the vice-president's aide said under oath that his show was the administration's best platform for launching bullsh*t into the media stratosphere. That he will be praised for it anywhere may well be the most perfect museum specimen we have of a feckless and corrupted national press corps.
Transit
Public transit ridership is up substantially here.
The headline is "SEPTA ridership up, despite fare increases," though a better headling would probably be "SEPTA ridership up, despite fact that system isn't all that good." Need to expand light rail/subways in the cities, drastically improve customer service and information for riders, and of course get rid of the stupid token system.
When SEPTA hiked fares 12 percent last summer, transit-agency officials said they expected ridership to decline, as it had after prior fare increases.
But when gasoline prices jumped sky-high and stayed there, SEPTA ridership escalated by 30,000 daily trips (4 percent) from July 1 to Jan. 1 over the same period in 2006.
Regional Rail ridership rose 12 percent, or 13,000 daily trips, while city transit (trains and buses) increased by 17,000 daily trips or 2.6 percent.
The ridership renaissance continued last month, up 51,000 daily trips or 6 percent over the previous January - up 32,000 daily trips on city transit; up 19,000 daily trips on Regional Rail.
The headline is "SEPTA ridership up, despite fare increases," though a better headling would probably be "SEPTA ridership up, despite fact that system isn't all that good." Need to expand light rail/subways in the cities, drastically improve customer service and information for riders, and of course get rid of the stupid token system.
Metaphors
Kyra Phillips, in April 2003.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: A little boy who lost both of his arms and much of his family in a coalition bombing is getting medical treatment in Kuwait. Twelve-year-old Ali Hamza was flown from Baghdad to Kuwait City overnight. His story has touched hearts around the world.
...
PHILLIPS: Doctor -- what has he been saying to you, Doctor? Is he asking anything of you? Is he thanking you? Is he wanting to know about family? Tell us what this little boy has been saying to you.
AL-NAJADA: Actually, today he was in good condition after the operation and started speaking with a journalist and answering all their questions. The thing which he was -- they asking about -- the journalists, especially the broadcasting, what the message he wants to reflect from the war. He said, first of all, thank you for the attention they're giving to him, but he hopes nobody from the children in the war they will suffer like what he suffer.
PHILLIPS: Does he understand why...
AL-NAJADA: Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Doctor, does he understand why this war took place? Has he talked about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the meaning? Does he understand it?
So Much For That
General Casey, about 3 Friedmans ago, in August 2006.
BAGHDAD (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Iraq expressed optimism Wednesday that Iraqi forces are making enough progress to provide their own security within 18 months. But violence showed no sign of abating, with 66 people killed nationwide, including 24 in a Baghdad market bombing.
The U.S. military also reported Wednesday that a Marine was killed in action the day before in the volatile western Anbar province.
Gen. George Casey said Iraqi troops were on course to take over security control from U.S.-led coalition forces, a move that would bring the foreign forces a step closer to withdrawal from the country.
"I don't have a date, but I can see over the next 12 to 18 months, the Iraqi security forces progressing to a point where they can take on the security responsibilities for the country, with very little coalition support," he said.
Poor Exxon
One does wonder how people like this actually get created. The real question is "how can coastal Alaska protect itself from being covered in oil by companies like Exxon." Apparently they shouldn't be able to.
I imagine if, say, a tractor-trailer careens into Justice Roberts' home, his first thought won't be about how to protect the company from punitive damages.
I imagine if, say, a tractor-trailer careens into Justice Roberts' home, his first thought won't be about how to protect the company from punitive damages.
Vallejo's Frist
Who will be second?
Feb. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Vallejo, a city of 135,000 outside of San Francisco, moved closer to bankruptcy after negotiations with its labor unions collapsed.
Bondholders will likely be asked to sacrifice some of their investment if the city seeks bankruptcy protection, an attorney for the municipality said last night. Vallejo faces ballooning labor costs and declining housing-related sales-tax revenue, leaving budget officials projecting that money will run out within weeks.
...
Municipalities throughout California are grappling with billions of dollars in labor and pension cost increases incurred during the late 1990s. The crisis comes as the worst housing slump in the U.S. in 26 years saps tax revenue. The state's own $16 billion deficit led Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last month to declare a fiscal emergency.
Bondholders are ``creditors who would have to come to the table and it may be possible to adjust how much you are paying them and on what time period, which would, in effect, free up money that could be used as part of the plan to resolve the city's problems on a longer-term basis.'' John Knox, a public finance attorney with the law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, told the city council last night.
Uppity
While I'm not one to minimize the role of race in such things, I'd say that the more likely explanation is that Obama has been insufficiently deferential to people like Cohen and Collins.
They rule this country and they don't want anyone to forget it.
They rule this country and they don't want anyone to forget it.
Thursday Is New Jobless Day
Okay, now we're definitely at higher numbers.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- First-time claims for state unemployment benefits rose 19,000 last week, reaching the highest level since late January, the government reported Thursday.
The number of initial claims in the week ended Feb. 23 gained 19,000 to 373,000, according to the Labor Department.
The four-week average of initial claims fell 1,250 to 360,500.
Recipients of state jobless benefits rose 21,000 to 2.81 million in the week ended Feb. 16, reaching the highest level since October 2005. The four-week moving average of continuing claims rose 24,250 to 2.78 million, also reaching the highest level since October 2005, when Hurricane Katrina flooded the jobless rolls.
Thread
Yes, I'd say that 12 minutes of dead air is pretty remarkable to begin with.
(Oh, yeah, you can watch it here.)
Signed,
Not Atrios
(Oh, yeah, you can watch it here.)
Signed,
Not Atrios
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Religious Intolerance
No longer limited to people in blog comments.
An evangelical chaplain who leads Bible studies for California lawmakers says God is disgusted with a rival fellowship group that includes people of all faiths.
"Although they are pleasant men in their personal demeanor, their group is more than disgusting to our Lord and Savior," Drollinger wrote on the Capitol Ministries' Web site.
The comments drew immediate fire from others in the capital, including the Republican lawmaker who sponsors Drollinger's Bible study group.
Drollinger said "progressive religious tolerance" is an offense against God and causes harm to its practitioners.
McCain Knows What's Right
Increasingly I've come to realize that John McCain is very good at convincing people that he agrees with them. I don't just mean members of the media, but also various interest groups (even more liberalish ones). It's a great skill for a politician to have if you can pull it off well, because everyone loves being flattered about the fact that they're correct and someone like St. John McCain recognizes it. It's very sad sad, then, when Saint John McCain goes back to the Senate and doesn't follow up or show any leadership on whatever issue it is. It's even sadder still when dark forces beyond his control known as voters force Saint John McCain to steer away from the light and do or say the wrong thing. Poor Saint John McCain. It's so sad, but he's still an honorable man.
So here we have Joe Klein, very saddened by McCain's rhetoric because he just knows John McCain "knows better" despite the fact that practically every one of McCain's public utterances about Iraq over the past few years have been complete gibberish. Perhaps privately he assured Joe Klein, or someone Joe Klein knows, that he knows better.
It's all very sad. Poor John McCain. He knows what the right thing is, but he just can't manage to do it or say it. Such a tragic figure, if only Billy Shakes were around to write a play about it.
So here we have Joe Klein, very saddened by McCain's rhetoric because he just knows John McCain "knows better" despite the fact that practically every one of McCain's public utterances about Iraq over the past few years have been complete gibberish. Perhaps privately he assured Joe Klein, or someone Joe Klein knows, that he knows better.
It's all very sad. Poor John McCain. He knows what the right thing is, but he just can't manage to do it or say it. Such a tragic figure, if only Billy Shakes were around to write a play about it.
Couldn't Even Get The Imperial Palace Right
It's really hard to comprehend it all...
WASHINGTON — The State Department's new embassy construction chief has cancelled his predecessor's certification that the $740 million new U.S. embassy in Baghdad is "substantially completed" and begun a top-to-bottom review of the troubled project.
The official, Richard Shinnick, said in an interview the State Department hopes that the sprawling embassy complex — originally scheduled to be completed last September — will be ready by March 31.
...
McClatchy reported in January that the embassy's firefighting systems are defective and that Shinnick's predecessor, in a rush to declare the new embassy complex completed, had ignored the concerns of the State Department's professional fire experts.
Huggy Bear Hugs Iraq
It really is fascinating that McCain is going to run on how awesome Iraq is, and every Republican in Congress will be forced to do the same. There will be no declaring victory and going home, or promises to do so in a Friedman or so, just a promise to stay for the sake of staying. Meanwhile, as we're spending hundreds of billions of dollars on a humanitarian mission in Islamic Iraq (or a Mission To Kill The Terrorists, depending on which day it is), the party and its surrogates are going to spend all their time smearing Barrack Saddam Hussein Osama Obama as a closet Muslim (very bad) who is doubly bad because he is intolerant of other religions like Judaism.
And the nuttiest thing is that they can hold all of these thoughts in their heads simultaneously.
And the nuttiest thing is that they can hold all of these thoughts in their heads simultaneously.
Can't Stay, Can't Go
Michael Ware's reporting on Iraq is generally interesting, though he seems to be locked in a struggle with himself, simultaneously acknowledging that things can't continue like this even though they'll continue.
Can't stay, can't go. I believe there's a word for that.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Anderson, clearly, there has been progress in this war. I mean, the number of deaths of both American troops and civilians are clearly down. In Baghdad alone, comparing this month to the same month last year, 1,000 people died from terrorist attacks last year, less than 200 this last year, 800 from sectarian killings last year, only about 40 this year.
There's a number of factors to consider. One is, what is the price of this? Let's look at the surge. What is the surge? I know it's taken on a phenomenon, this phrase, in America, and in the political campaigns. But, whilst it's been successful, there's none of the triumphalism that we hear from the campaigns here on the ground, nor is anyone setting benchmarks for withdrawal. It's far too fragile for that.
The surge is much more than just 30,000 troops. It's about cutting a deal with the Sunni insurgents, about getting the Shia militias to back off and what that takes. It's about the political surge forcing the politicians to move, which is going much more slowly.
It's not just about American boots on the ground. And there's long-term consequences for all of these things that none of the candidates are talking about. And how sustainable is this? There will be costs in the future. Again, the American people need to hear this, Anderson.
So, what's happening on the ground is indeed a success in many ways. But you're not getting the full picture on the campaign trail, and perhaps that shouldn't surprise anyone -- Anderson.
...
WARE: Well, that's certainly a number that members of the Iraqi government are bandying about, 100,000 U.S. troops, down from what we will soon have of just over 130,000.
And, certainly, there's an expectation that America will hit that by the end of the year, an expectation held by some Iraqis. That's not necessarily an expectation held by American war commanders here on the ground.
Now, after the surge troops, the 30,000 extra combat forces that were sent here to flush through this war last year, once they go home in July, American force levels, American combat power will have been reduced by 25 percent already. Nonetheless, we're still going to have more Americans here after the surge, just by a few thousand, than before. So, in some ways, that's not a true indicator.
But I can tell you now, Anderson, Senator McCain mentioned 100 years American troops will be here. No one can speak to that. But I can tell you that American commanders here on the ground know that they're going to be here a lot longer than many people would otherwise expect.
Certainly, this sense of once people get into office they will start pulling the troops home is not a view shared by many here on the ground. And many believe that what's being said on the campaign will not necessarily be the action that a new president will take, no matter what party they're from. There's realities here. You just can't pull out -- Anderson.
...
WARE: Well, certainly from the State Department. They believe that what they call the political surge, which has been an unsung success of all of this, has been working.
And they're talking about the benchmarks. Absolutely, there's been significant gains on the political front. The deals that have been cut, the way Baghdad has been segregated off with massive blast barriers, so that it resembles a sectarian divided Sarajevo, where people can't cross the lines, has brought this down and bought some breathing room for political progress.
But, again, there's a cost for that. Can you pull the barriers down? No, or the bloodletting will resume. But, on the benchmarks, there has been progress on many of the fronts. But, again, remember, what are the costs? How long can it last? And don't forget, it's all completely underwritten by the presence of hundreds of -- more than 100,000 U.S. troops keeping everybody apart -- Anderson.
Can't stay, can't go. I believe there's a word for that.
Senators
I was curious about who was getting the endorsements and/or votes of sitting senators, recognizing that it seemed like Obama was getting them all because Clinton's endorsements came earlier.
And here we go.
Clinton gets:
Pryor
Lincoln
Feinstein
Nelson (FL)
Inouye
Bayh
Mikluski
Stabenow
Menendez
Schumer
Whitehouse
Cantwell
Murray
Corzine (added on edit) duh he's governor now
Obama gets:
Dodd
Durbin
Kerry
Kennedy
McCaskill
Nelson (NE)
Conrad
Johnson
Leahy
Feingold
And here we go.
Clinton gets:
Pryor
Lincoln
Feinstein
Nelson (FL)
Inouye
Bayh
Mikluski
Stabenow
Menendez
Schumer
Whitehouse
Cantwell
Murray
Obama gets:
Dodd
Durbin
Kerry
Kennedy
McCaskill
Nelson (NE)
Conrad
Johnson
Leahy
Feingold
Booga Booga
So I've seen the stupid "Defense of Democracies" ad about how we can't eavesdrop on terrorists anymore, or whatever. It's surprisingly ineffective, and not just because this FEARFEARFEAR stuff is a little played out. It doesn't even really call out Democrats, but instead calls out the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES who, unlike the wonderful and glorious Senate, went on vacation. Or something.
Because He's Profoundly Stupid
Obviously one can sense where Timmeh's tribal sympathies lie and which voices are yapping in his ear, but more than that he's a fundamentally stupid man. Because he seems to be at the top of the political press pyramid, everyone below him kisses his ass.
Our discourse is so stupid, and its king nitwit is Tim Russert.
Our discourse is so stupid, and its king nitwit is Tim Russert.
Karma Watch
While I suppose we can be oddly thankful to the guy given the ultimate ruling of Lawrence v. Texas, it's still always nice seeing assholes get what they deserve.
Our Stupid Discourse
Why is CNN running this clip of a talk show host no one cares about in an infinite loop?
Why is Ali Velshi wearing a cowboy hat?
Why won't someone make it all stop?
Why is Ali Velshi wearing a cowboy hat?
Why won't someone make it all stop?
Tech Question
Any idea why my cable modem would suddenly stop working with a wireless router? I actually had a spare router and it didn't work with that one either, though it works if I just use an ethernet cable.
...thanks Cameron in Bangalore, problem solved!
...thanks Cameron in Bangalore, problem solved!
Deep Thought
If Obama is the candidate, he'll get to denounce the actions of every black person in the country.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Quagmire
Thanks liberal hawks.
The spot doesn't come out.
There must have been a moment, at the beginning, where we could have said -- no. But, somehow we missed it.
Well, we'll know better next time.
-Tom Stoppard, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
The spot doesn't come out.
Make It Stop
Please, no more Tim Russert moderated debates.
...Never mind... social climber Chris Cillizza tells me over email "Tough Questions Courtesy of Russert."
...Never mind... social climber Chris Cillizza tells me over email "Tough Questions Courtesy of Russert."
Choice
I usually don't spend time arguing with commenters slagging me in random comments threads, but I was struck by this one by "yug."
While I don't know exactly where Mr. yug got his opinion of my views from, I certainly have never expressed anything like this. Of course there are people who have "moral qualms" about abortion but who nonetheless support legal abortion. I'm not one of those people, though as I'm unlikely to ever personally be faced with the decision of whether to continue my pregnancy that isn't especially important. So, yes, these Saletans exist and I am not a Saletan Denier.
But if you believe in the legal right to have an abortion then you are... pro-choice. That's pretty much the definition of it. You can be "pro-choice" and spend your life trying to convince women not to have them, or writing moralistic screeds in newspapers about how horrible it is to have an abortion. That is, you can be pro-choice and still determine that you are qualified to sit in judgment of people who have them. You won't be my best friend, and you might not find lots of friends in the feminist and progressive communities generally, but it isn't inconsistent. I also disagree with the general Saletanic view that being pro-choice but shaming people who have them is somehow the best political strategy for keeping abortion legal, but I suppose reasonable people can differ on that.
But yes! Saletans exist! How could I deny their existence? Editors love to publish them!
uh-oh, you acknowledged that there are people who are not opposed to legal abortion but have moral qualms. you're on the atrios shitlist now, man. prepare to have your name turned into a nasty shorthand.
While I don't know exactly where Mr. yug got his opinion of my views from, I certainly have never expressed anything like this. Of course there are people who have "moral qualms" about abortion but who nonetheless support legal abortion. I'm not one of those people, though as I'm unlikely to ever personally be faced with the decision of whether to continue my pregnancy that isn't especially important. So, yes, these Saletans exist and I am not a Saletan Denier.
But if you believe in the legal right to have an abortion then you are... pro-choice. That's pretty much the definition of it. You can be "pro-choice" and spend your life trying to convince women not to have them, or writing moralistic screeds in newspapers about how horrible it is to have an abortion. That is, you can be pro-choice and still determine that you are qualified to sit in judgment of people who have them. You won't be my best friend, and you might not find lots of friends in the feminist and progressive communities generally, but it isn't inconsistent. I also disagree with the general Saletanic view that being pro-choice but shaming people who have them is somehow the best political strategy for keeping abortion legal, but I suppose reasonable people can differ on that.
But yes! Saletans exist! How could I deny their existence? Editors love to publish them!
So Much For That European Vacation
New low for dollar.
NEW YORK: The dollar fell to a record low against the euro and hit a 26-year bottom against the British pound Tuesday before recovering slightly, as investors fretted about a possible fallout from weakness in the U.S. subprime mortgage market.
Ruh-Roh
And then...?
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government on Tuesday condemned Turkey’s incursion into northern Iraq and demanded that withdraw its troops as fighting continued for a sixth day between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels.
“The council expresses its rejection and condemnation to the Turkish military incursion which is considered a violation to the Iraqi sovereignty,” the Iraqi cabinet said in a statement. “The cabinet stresses that unilateral military action is not acceptable and threatens good relations between the two neighbors.”
Clinton and the Media
It's certainly true that the media, in a lot of ways, isn't exactly kind to the Clintons. Though I have to say that it's also the case that their bizarre obsession with the Clintons has helped her keep the campaign going. While there's a degree of cheering on of her downfall from many quarters, I also think that if the tables were turned and Obama was seen as the presumptive loser by a similar margin they'd be treating him like they treat Huckabee now, as a peripheral figure.
...adding, I don't think they *should* be treating either of them as peripheral figures, wondering aloud when they're going to drop out, but they do have a tendency to start trying to cull the herd about 5 seconds after the Iowa caucuses.
...adding, I don't think they *should* be treating either of them as peripheral figures, wondering aloud when they're going to drop out, but they do have a tendency to start trying to cull the herd about 5 seconds after the Iowa caucuses.
Our Stupid Discourse
Turned on the teevee and the news of the day is that a talk show host... said something mean about Obama... at a McCain rally!
Winning The Bet
Not one I wanted to win, but I do wish that, say, back in 2005 more people in power would have realized that we weren't leaving Iraq. It was conventional wisdom then that in a couple of Friedmans we'd start packing it in... always in a couple of Friedmans.
I don't know if Bush stays in Iraq simply because he's stubborn, doesn't like when Poppy's pals, otherwise known as the Iraq Study Group, try to tell him what to do, and equates leaving with losing, or if he really is invested in a long term military occupation of a Middle East client state. It doesn't much matter, really, the guy is a simpleton and whatever reasons he has are probably intellectually incoherent.
But at least we didn't have a "precipitous withdrawal," so Joe Klein is happy.
I don't know if Bush stays in Iraq simply because he's stubborn, doesn't like when Poppy's pals, otherwise known as the Iraq Study Group, try to tell him what to do, and equates leaving with losing, or if he really is invested in a long term military occupation of a Middle East client state. It doesn't much matter, really, the guy is a simpleton and whatever reasons he has are probably intellectually incoherent.
But at least we didn't have a "precipitous withdrawal," so Joe Klein is happy.
We'll Still Have Renzi To Kick Around
I actually don't really have a problem with that. An indictment... well, dozens of indictments... isn't a conviction. Obviously one can have a higher standard for "should be serving in Congress" than one does for "should not be in jail," but House elections are pretty frequent and voters can chuck him out if they want to, as can his colleagues in the House if they so choose.
Make It Stop
Amy, the label is "pro-choice."
But if you really feel the need for a label for people who think abortion is legal only if we talk about how awful it is all the time, how about... Saletans!
There we go, label supplied, use it and enjoy.
But if you really feel the need for a label for people who think abortion is legal only if we talk about how awful it is all the time, how about... Saletans!
There we go, label supplied, use it and enjoy.
Wankers of the Day
The "reform" community.
My memory of individuals and individual groups is hazy, but my experience with this community during the days when the FEC was considering how to regulate political speech on the internet left me with a decidedly negative view of this group.
...here's a flashback from Adam Bonin fleshing this out.
My memory of individuals and individual groups is hazy, but my experience with this community during the days when the FEC was considering how to regulate political speech on the internet left me with a decidedly negative view of this group.
...here's a flashback from Adam Bonin fleshing this out.
Violating the Laws of Nature
Home prices fall.
Lots of people underwater.
NEW YORK (AP) -- A closely watched study shows U.S. home prices falling 8.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2007. That marks the largest drop in the index's 20-year history and a full year of declining values.
Lots of people underwater.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Just In Case You Thought It Might Be Over Soon
Onward to Pennsylvania!
Campaign staff
Coming to head the Obama campaign will be political director Nicole Price and field specialist Jeremy Bird, both veterans of the Obama campaigns in South Carolina and Maryland.
Washington-based consultant Tom Lindenfeld, who managed the field efforts in former Mayor John Street's successful campaigns has relocated to Philadelphia for the duration.
The state director of the Clinton campaign is widely expected to be Tony Podesta, who has managed several statewide campaigns, including the successful 2004 effort for John Kerry in Pennsylvania (Podesta said in an interview last week he hasn't been offered a job yet).
Clinton communications will be handled by Mark Nevins, who worked on Street's 2003 campaign. Philadelphia-based operative Abe Dyk has been working for months, and will remain on board.
Trent and Dickie
Just a witness, he claims.
Former U.S. Sen. Trent Lott told the Sun Herald on Monday that federal investigators have assured him he is not a target of a judicial bribery investigation involving his brother-in-law, prominent Mississippi attorney Richard "Dickie" Scruggs.
Lott said FBI agents did interview him earlier this year, but only as a potential witness.
The Justice Department is investigating whether Scruggs tried to land a lifetime appointment to the federal bench for Hinds County Circuit Court Judge Bobby DeLaughter. Scruggs recommended to Lott that he appoint DeLaughter as a U.S. District Court judge, according to an attorney who has pleaded guilty in the case. In exchange, New Albany attorney Joey Langston said, DeLaughter was expected to rule in Scruggs' favor in a Hinds County lawsuit filed against him by another attorney over legal fees.
Our Discourse Is So Stupid
I wasn't even listening to the sound, but watching the CNN chyrons while I was at the gym subtracted 20 from my IQ.
The War is Over
But it will continue forever. But the Iraqis will handle everything. But our troops need to stay there anyway.
McCain is very serious!!!
McCain is very serious!!!
WE WANT MITTENS!!!
This would be awesome.
How this could happen: McCain actually realizes that maybe the FEC stuff is serious, he doesn't want to go to jail, and he can't go completely dark until September. Mittens steps in, starts writing more checks from Tagg's bank account, and puts McCain in for VP as part of the deal.
All terribly unlikely of course, but we're rooting for you, Mittens.
How this could happen: McCain actually realizes that maybe the FEC stuff is serious, he doesn't want to go to jail, and he can't go completely dark until September. Mittens steps in, starts writing more checks from Tagg's bank account, and puts McCain in for VP as part of the deal.
All terribly unlikely of course, but we're rooting for you, Mittens.
They Write Press Releases
Al From:
This Adam Putnam:
Spirited political debate always has been - and always should be - essential to the conduct of our nation's business. But the big ideas that have changed America - from the G.I. Bill to the Voting Rights Act, from Medicare to welfare reform - earned support from both parties and were the products of negotiation and compromise.
It is a sad truth that too frequently Washington focuses on the war of sound bites rather than engaging in constructive debate to build real-world solutions. We hope that today's debate and those that follow will change that.
Representatives Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) and Adam Putnam (R- Fla.) deserve credit for trying to move past the hyper-partisan atmosphere on Capitol Hill. At the DLC, we are delighted to work with the Congressional Institute and the leadership of both the Democratic Caucus and the Republican Conference to foster the kind of frank, substantive discussion that is so often missing in today's Washington - the kind of debate that is necessary to forge solutions to America's biggest challenges.
This Adam Putnam:
Putnam Emerges As GOP's Top Aggressor
Skip directly to the full story.
By BILLY TOWNSEND The Tampa Tribune
Published: Feb 20, 2007
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LAKELAND - It was Tony Snow, the Fox News anchor-turned-presidential spokesman, who in effect ended the recent scandalette over whether the military plane that would fly Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi back and forth to California was too luxurious.
"This is a silly story, and I think it's been unfair to the speaker," Snow said, according to published reports. He was countering voices in his own party.
One of the most prominent was U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow. Putnam, the third-ranking House Republican, had pushed the Pelosi story aggressively the day before, both in print and on television.
"This is not about having secure communications and secure aircraft available to her. It's about an arrogance of extravagance that demands a jumbo jet that costs $22,000 an hour to operate to taxi her and her buddies back and forth to California," Putnam told Fox News.
It turns out there's no evidence Pelosi requested any such thing. A day after Snow's remarks, the nonpartisan House sergeant-at-arms released a written statement explaining that for security reasons he asked for a plane that could carry Pelosi nonstop to her home in San Francisco, a much longer distance than former Speaker Dennis Hastert, of Illinois, had to cover.
We're Number 4!
Woo-hoo!
For at least a generation, scholars have noted that more Americans are moving among faiths, as denominational loyalty erodes. But the survey, based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans, offers one of the clearest views yet of that trend, scholars said. The United States Census does not track religious affiliation.
The report shows, for example, that every religion is losing and gaining members, but that the Roman Catholic Church “has experienced the greatest net losses as a result of affiliation changes.” The survey also indicates that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated. More than 16 percent of American adults say they are not part of any organized faith, which makes the unaffiliated the country’s fourth largest “religious group.”
It's About Screwing Liberals
Those of us in the know understand that the "gang of 14" thing was not a victory for Democrats, or bipartisanship, but a blessing bestowed on the Republican right to cheat by promising that Democrats wouldn't do anything to make them want to cheat.
But it pissed off conservatives because while they want conservative judges to be appointed, what they want even more is to extend a middle finger to Democrats as often as possible. In other words, they wanted the Republicans to cheat so they could laugh at the impotent Democrats.
Their politics is mostly driven by a desire to say "fuck you!!!!!!!!" to their perceived political enemies. There isn't much more there.
But it pissed off conservatives because while they want conservative judges to be appointed, what they want even more is to extend a middle finger to Democrats as often as possible. In other words, they wanted the Republicans to cheat so they could laugh at the impotent Democrats.
Their politics is mostly driven by a desire to say "fuck you!!!!!!!!" to their perceived political enemies. There isn't much more there.
Debt/GDP
And we're back to where we started. Of course the next president, if a Democrat, will have to clean up the mess. If a Republican, we're just going to be in a mess.
HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU MAKE
The obsession with wanting to know how much money Josh Marshall makes is funny.
Mr. Marshall, who has a young son he occasionally writes about on the sites, would not disclose the financial performance of the business. Asked about his salary, he said, “I make a better income than when I was freelancing,” then when pressed added, “I probably make in the neighborhood of what successful political journalists make.”
Complicated Things Ususally Don't Have Monocausal Explanations
There's a certain kind of internet dweller who you probably all have come across at some point in your virtual existences. They show up on blogs or comment threads and declare, confidently, that they know "the real reason" for something. Now these people can be annoying for the obvious reason that they tend to be a bit overconfident about the level of their genius. They often sport names like "Truth" or "Truth Teller" or something else suggesting unique access to the great universal knowledge that us mere rubes lack.
But aside from that there's always been something about these people that's bothered me which I could never quite figure out, and I finally got it this morning. The "truth" they share with us, the "real reason," is always a single cause. Other people who think the world might be a bit more complicated than that, and thus discuss other non-competing reasons, are idiots for failing to focus on The One True Reason.
Funny people.
But aside from that there's always been something about these people that's bothered me which I could never quite figure out, and I finally got it this morning. The "truth" they share with us, the "real reason," is always a single cause. Other people who think the world might be a bit more complicated than that, and thus discuss other non-competing reasons, are idiots for failing to focus on The One True Reason.
Funny people.
Teens Not Driving
This is kind of interesting.
The article suggests cost is a big factor. In any case, people like me have the crazy idea that it'd be nice if more teens lived in a world where they had some amount of mobility which didn't depend on automobile ownership. Yes, crazy I know.
DETROIT — For generations, driver’s licenses have been tickets to freedom for America’s 16-year-olds, prompting many to line up at motor vehicle offices the day they were eligible to apply.
No longer. In the last decade, the proportion of 16-year-olds nationwide who hold driver’s licenses has dropped from nearly half to less than one-third, according to statistics from the Federal Highway Administration.
The article suggests cost is a big factor. In any case, people like me have the crazy idea that it'd be nice if more teens lived in a world where they had some amount of mobility which didn't depend on automobile ownership. Yes, crazy I know.
63
Meanwhile:
It is of course good that there has been a decline in the number of mass casualty events, but it's also important to consider what it'd be like if we had even one of these types of things per year in this (a much smaller) country.
HILLA, Iraq (Reuters) - The death toll from Sunday's suicide bomb attack on Iraqi pilgrims heading to a Shi'ite festival south of Baghdad has risen to 63, a health official said on Monday.
It is of course good that there has been a decline in the number of mass casualty events, but it's also important to consider what it'd be like if we had even one of these types of things per year in this (a much smaller) country.
Good morning, or good night, as the case may be
Every now and then I like to remind people that we have a press corps that happily led us to disaster by carrying the meme that there was something unsavory about counting the ballots in an election.
Compared to that, things like this seem trivial, but should be taken as a warning.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Compared to that, things like this seem trivial, but should be taken as a warning.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Obama's Ground Game
Various people have written in about their experiences with the Obama campaign in various capacities - attending events, volunteering, being contacted at home, being a precinct captain, etc... - and it does sound like the campaign has made extraordinary use of organizing. People who attend events are contacted, internet tools allow quality organizing and phonebanking from home, etc.
I don't have similar info about the Clinton operation so I can't compare, but if this kind of thing is what ends up making the difference in the primary campaign it'll be truly interesting.
More to say on this when it's over...
I don't have similar info about the Clinton operation so I can't compare, but if this kind of thing is what ends up making the difference in the primary campaign it'll be truly interesting.
More to say on this when it's over...
And Their Story Is?
As I wrote before there's been a lot of insidery campaign stories about the Clinton camp and not so much from the Obama camp. More than that, there really hasn't been a lot of analysis (that I've seen) about how team Obama achieved what they did.
Campaign stories tend to be overly determined by who the ultimate winner is (if you win it was all genius if you lose it was all stupid), but I'd really be interested in knowing how much of what Obama achieved was due to some awesome master plan, and how much of it was just luck combined with a charismatic candidate.
Campaign stories tend to be overly determined by who the ultimate winner is (if you win it was all genius if you lose it was all stupid), but I'd really be interested in knowing how much of what Obama achieved was due to some awesome master plan, and how much of it was just luck combined with a charismatic candidate.
Mack Daddies
Colin McEnroe:
(via fdl)
Even Joe Lieberman, who is not a Republican but who often "unites" with them, and sometimes on the first date, accused the Times of "puking" up 8-year-old rumors. That may not sound senatorial to you, but it was in fact a respectful invocation of Sen. Henry Clay's famous 1850 speech about compromise, in which Clay asked: "What if, in the march of this nation to greatness and power, we should be buried beneath the puke that propels it onward?"
Lieberman had an even more important role to play in convincing us of McCain's innocence. He explained that he and McCain had traveled the world and met many lovely ladies and that he had never seen McCain do anything inappropriate.
Not that there haven't been some opportunities for those two mack daddies, right? When they hit Abu Dhabi in their Miami Vice unstructured white sports jackets and Don Johnson cheek stubble, it's like ring-a-ding-ding, hey there, you with the stars in your eyes. I'm sure that China doll down in old Hong Kong waits for their return.
(via fdl)
I Drink Your Milkshake
Oscar time. No real comment on the movies themselves, just reminded of my days in SoCal. It was weird being in a place where Hollywood and the entertainment business is covered as local news, and people have a kind of civic pride about it the way that people in other cities have pride about their sports teams or local landmarks or whatever.
George Will, Man Of The People
On This Week he notes that no one in Versailles is hurting.
GEORGE WILL: It seems to me Obama’s problem is that you can only be a novelty once, and for a while. And he needs – he’s worked one pedal on the organ quite enough now; this stuff, I’d call it banal eloquence, where he says, ‘In the face of despair, we can still hope.’ I have news for him: Americans aren’t in despair. Look around you. Who’s despairing? We have mild problems.
Meanwhile
The war is still over.
KERBALA, Iraq (Reuters) - A suicide bomber targeting pilgrims heading to one of Shi'ite Islam's holiest festivals killed 40 people, including women and children, south of Baghdad on Sunday, police said.
Sunday Bobbleheads
Document the atrocities.
•NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Guest: consumer advocate Ralph Nader.
•“Fox News Sunday,” Guests: Rick Davis, campaign manager for Republican presidential candidate John McCain; South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, a Republican; Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, a Democrat; New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, a Democrat; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican.
•ABC’s “This Week,” Guests: Sen. Joe Biden, Delaware Democrat; Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, Texas Republican.
•CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Guests: Charlie Black, strategist for John McCain’s Republican presidential campaign; Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, a Democrat; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat.
•CNN’s “Late Edition,” Guests: Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee; National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell; Robert Bennett, attorney for GOP presidential candidate John McCain; Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat; Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Democrat; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican; Sen. Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Thread
Blur sucks, Oasis 4ever.
There wouldn't be so much squabbling on the Internet if Gus Hall were still alive!
There wouldn't be so much squabbling on the Internet if Gus Hall were still alive!
The Wonder of the Internets
Note to Pundits: You know, Barack Obama does have a Web site with an extensive "issues" section. It's true. It's not even that hard to find!
Going Forward
If you travel to the comments section of basically any local newspaper article about the primary campaign, you'll find people putting forth the notion that Obama is a Manchurian Muslim candidate who hates America.
Whether they believe this stuff or consider it their patriotic duty to lie, I do not know, but that's what we'll get if he's the candidate. A fundamental question will be how this stuff is mainstreamed by the "respectable" press.
Whether they believe this stuff or consider it their patriotic duty to lie, I do not know, but that's what we'll get if he's the candidate. A fundamental question will be how this stuff is mainstreamed by the "respectable" press.
Nobody Could Have Predicted
yadda yadda
CUKURCA, Turkey (AP) -- Two Turkish soldiers and at least 35 Kurdish rebels died in new fighting in northern Iraq on Saturday, the Turkish military said.
The Lies of the Liberal Media
Yglesias says that McCain is lying. This, we know, is unpossible. "Straight Talk Express" is written right on the bus! McCain cannot lie.
Awesome Idea, James
If only we'd listened to James Carville we could have a DNC chair who campaigned for Republicans.
Breaking the Law
Well they admit it. Isn't there supposed to be a DOJ investigation or something? Bueller? Bueller?
ATM Closed
No more HELOC for you.
Several of the nation's largest lenders, along with smaller ones, are shutting off access to home equity lines in areas where home values are declining. It's an unusually aggressive move as the industry grapples with fallout from the mortgage crisis that began unfolding last year.
Now that home prices have dropped in many parts of the country, lenders are nervous that they may never collect the money that they extended to borrowers. They are responding by freezing or lowering the credit limits on home equity lines, leaving thousands of borrowers like Corazzi in the lurch.
"Nearly all the top home equity lenders I know of are doing this or considering doing this," said Joe Belew, president of the Consumer Bankers Association, which represents some of the nation's largest home equity lenders. "They are all looking at how to protect themselves as real estate values go down, and it's just not good for the borrowers to get so overextended."
Progress
Hopefully this encourages better behavior, though they'll just find other ways.
One of California's largest for-profit insurers stopped a controversial practice of canceling sick policyholders Friday after a judge ordered Health Net Inc. to pay more than $9 million to a breast cancer patient it dropped in the middle of chemotherapy.
The ruling by a private arbitration judge was the first of its kind and the most powerful rebuke to the state's major insurers whose cancellation practices are under fire from the courts, state regulators and elected officials.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Another Phony Soldier
The cowardly shrieking monkey right, in conjunction with the Bush administration, probably won't stop until they destroy another life.
What's one more to them, after all?
What's one more to them, after all?
Oh My
Must be more of that parallel universe slippage.
Broadcaster Lowell "Bud" Paxson today contradicted statements from Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign that the senator did not meet with Paxson or his lobbyist before sending two controversial letters to the Federal Communications Commission on Paxson's behalf.
Paxson said he talked with McCain in his Washington office several weeks before the Arizona Republican wrote the letters to the FCC urging a rapid decision on Paxson's quest to acquire a Pittsburgh television station.
Paxson also recalled that his lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, attended the meeting in McCain's office and that Iseman helped arrange the meeting. "Was Vicki there? Probably," Paxson said in an interview with The Washington Post today. "The woman was a professional. She was good. She could get us meetings."
The recollection of the now-retired Paxson conflicted with the account provided by McCain about two letters at the center of a controversy about the senator's ties to Iseman, a partner at the lobbying firm of Alcalde & Fay.
Free Ride
It's so rare that criticism of the press from the left in any way actually makes it into the mainstream media.
They're All Experts
One of the most amusing thing about the wingnutosphere is that they all claim to be military experts.
McCain And The Press
The ultimate question of campaign '08 is whether the press will actually do their jobs and occasionally point out that St. McCain is full of shit, or whether they'll be so worried about McCain not bringing the fun in anymore if they write mean things about him that they couldn't possibly do anything to hurt their special relationships.
Mistake
Hey, Tom Coburn finds a nut.
It is fascinating watching most other Republicans hug Iraq ever tighter.
It is fascinating watching most other Republicans hug Iraq ever tighter.
They Didn't Kill The Internets
Adam Bonin looks at what's happened since various reform groups wanted to kill politics on the internet.
It's worth remembering that one of the big concerns was that people might, one day, be able to make videos! And put them on the internet! And ... that would be bad!!! It was never quite clear why that would be bad, but it did become clear to me that some on the reform community aren't just bothered by money in politics, but by politics itself. It's as if they wanted politics to be some highly refereed competition between candidates, rather than a big messy thing in which we all get to have a say even outside of the ballot box.
It's worth remembering that one of the big concerns was that people might, one day, be able to make videos! And put them on the internet! And ... that would be bad!!! It was never quite clear why that would be bad, but it did become clear to me that some on the reform community aren't just bothered by money in politics, but by politics itself. It's as if they wanted politics to be some highly refereed competition between candidates, rather than a big messy thing in which we all get to have a say even outside of the ballot box.
Jenga Time?
Bond insurer downgrades could be coming... CNBC's Gasparino said by the end of next week at the latest.
Even More Straight Talk From The Maverick
Saint McCain cannot lie, so obviously there's some sort of rift in the space-time continuum causing some slippage between parallel universes.
On Wednesday night, the Times published a story suggesting that McCain might have done legislative favors for the clients of the lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, who worked for the firm of Alcalde & Fay. One example it cited were two letters McCain wrote in late 1999 demanding that the Federal Communications Commission act on a long-stalled bid by one of Iseman's clients, Florida-based Paxson Communications, to purchase a Pittsburgh television station.
Just hours after the Times' story was posted, the McCain campaign issued a point-by-point response that depicted the letters as routine correspondence handled by his staff--and insisted that McCain had never even spoken with anybody from Paxson or Alcalde & Fay about the matter. "No representative of Paxson or Alcalde & Fay personally asked Senator McCain to send a letter to the FCC," the campaign said in a statement emailed to reporters.
But that flat claim seems to be contradicted by an impeccable source: McCain himself. "I was contacted by Mr. Paxson on this issue," McCain said in the September 25, 2002 deposition obtained by Newsweek. "He wanted their approval very bad for purposes of his business. I believe that Mr. Paxson had a legitimate complaint."
Money
Some of these examples of Clinton campaign spending, suggested to be somehow inappropriate, are perfectly fine. Parties, hotel rooms, and snacks actually cost money and campaigns sort of need them.
Oh My
Congressman Rick Renzi (R-AZ) indicted.
"Conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, insurance fraud, criminal forfeiture." (from CNN TV)
...AP says it's about a land deal.
...there were resignation rumors 10 months ago, though it didn't happen.
Here was his statement at the time.
...more.
"Conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering, extortion, insurance fraud, criminal forfeiture." (from CNN TV)
...AP says it's about a land deal.
...there were resignation rumors 10 months ago, though it didn't happen.
U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., could soon step down in the wake of a federal investigation into his involvement in a federal land swap deal and FBI raids of an insurance agency owned by his wife.
His resignation could come as early as Friday or soon after, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Here was his statement at the time.
For several weeks, I have been the subject of leaked stories, conjecture, and false attacks about a land exchange. None of them bear any resemblance to the truth, including the rumor that I am planning on resigning.
...more.
Underwater
NYT:
This isn't necessarily a problem for all of these people. Not everyone needs to sell their house. It will be difficult for people who lose their jobs to move to a new one. If broader economic troubles continue, and unemployment rises, this will add to the difficulties.
WASHINGTON — Prodded in part by some of the nation’s biggest banks, the Bush administration and Congress are considering costly new proposals for the government to rescue hundreds of thousands of homeowners whose mortgages are higher than the value of their houses.
Not since the Depression has a larger share of Americans owed more on their homes than they are worth. With the collapse of the housing boom, nearly 8.8 million homeowners, or 10.3 percent of the total, are underwater. That is more than double the percentage just a year ago, according to a new estimate of the damage by Moody’s Economy.com.
This isn't necessarily a problem for all of these people. Not everyone needs to sell their house. It will be difficult for people who lose their jobs to move to a new one. If broader economic troubles continue, and unemployment rises, this will add to the difficulties.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Sexual Purity
It's tough being Rod Dreher, spending his days obsessing about what every woman on the planet is doing with her vagina.
Godspeed, Rod, Godspeed.
...and kudos to "BeliefNet" for putting Teh Awesome back in religion.
Godspeed, Rod, Godspeed.
...and kudos to "BeliefNet" for putting Teh Awesome back in religion.
Old
I'm so old I can remember when sloppy and casual comparisons to Nazis were rightly met with rather loud condemnation.
I suppose we can thank Jonah Goldberg for the new state of affairs. Awesome, Jonah!
I suppose we can thank Jonah Goldberg for the new state of affairs. Awesome, Jonah!
A Little Help For John King
I know journamalisting is hard and "the google" is quite the mystery, but since he accused Obama of refusing to disclose his earmarks I thought maybe he could use a pointer.
Eschaton Endorsement
I promise to endorse the candidate who, in tonight's debate, says something like the following:
Not only are we going to Texas, we're going to Ohio and Rhode Island and Mississippi and Wyoming and Pennsylvania, and we're going to Guam and Indiana and North Carolina … And we're going to West Virginia and Kentucky and Montana and South Dakota and Puerto Rico, and then we're going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House! Yeaararh!!!
McCain Cancels Presser
But why? Most of the questions would be along the lines of "How do you feel about that 'smear' from the New York Times?"
Question of the Day
[I]s it Communist Negroes having sex with our white women? Or are Communist Jewesses subverting black Americans who, patriotic though modestly ill-treated, would have been able to resist had the party not offered them the tempting fruits of miscegenation?
We'd better figure this one out.
Hulk Still Smashing
Awesome.
Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the history of the U.S. Senate, filed for re-election Thursday despite a federal investigation into his ties to an oil field services contractor.
Federal authorities are reviewing the remodeling of the 84-year-old's official residence in a resort near Anchorage; the contractor helped do the work, but Stevens hasn't been charged and has said he paid all bills presented to him.
King County Chokes On Big Shitpile
Lucky duckies.
(ht reader p)
King County officials placed $207 million in investments that were subsequently undermined by the subprime mortgage crisis and expect to see proposals soon for a bailout.
Taxpayers could lose up to $83 million, county officials say, but the state treasurer thinks the county should write off the entire $207 million.
(ht reader p)
Campaign Impressions
This an "I have a sense that" post, based on impressions and therefore not necessarily empirically true, but... I have a sense that there are a hell of a lot of internal Clinton campaign stories lately. You know, campaign insiders talking about the inner battles to reporters, sometimes reporters who I think Democrats should have the sense enough not to talk to, especially not about that kind of stuff. And not so much from the Obama side.
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
Hellish Density
A lot of discussion about density assumes false choices, such as you either live in a high rise condo or in a suburban home, and there's nothing inbetween. Much of Philadelphia looks a bit like this, only more post-apocalypse like.
These are four story places fairly close to the center city business district (where the tall office towers are), and are probably divided up into apartments. But all over there are two and 3 story single family home versions, typically with 12-2500 sq. ft, a small outdoor space or parking spot in the back, and perhaps a balcony or roofdeck. Provides enough density/foot traffic to support neighborhood-centered retail.
These are four story places fairly close to the center city business district (where the tall office towers are), and are probably divided up into apartments. But all over there are two and 3 story single family home versions, typically with 12-2500 sq. ft, a small outdoor space or parking spot in the back, and perhaps a balcony or roofdeck. Provides enough density/foot traffic to support neighborhood-centered retail.
Meanwhile
The war is still over.
BAGHDAD, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Iraqi police said on Thursday they had found the bodies of 15 men, including 10 soldiers, who had been blindfolded and shot execution-style in the head.
The bodies were found in ditches in Diyala province close to the city of Baquba, 65 km (40 miles) north of Baghdad.
Dense
What I've found on this blog is that many people can't comprehend that there are benefits of density (there are downsides, too, of course). They associate it with either urban ills, or the lower rent version of suburban development which tends to incorporate many negatives of density (smaller lots, etc.) without any of the benefits (walkable communities with retail, etc.)
In many areas, desirable dense areas just aren't an option for people. More than that, they don't have any experience with it so when they do come across it they find it aesthetically weird.
Still, as Kunstler is fond of pointing out, people do spend lots of money to go on vacations in places which have the kind of walkable communities we're talking about (resort towns). They just don't choose to live in them, or they aren't available as an affordable option.
In many areas, desirable dense areas just aren't an option for people. More than that, they don't have any experience with it so when they do come across it they find it aesthetically weird.
Still, as Kunstler is fond of pointing out, people do spend lots of money to go on vacations in places which have the kind of walkable communities we're talking about (resort towns). They just don't choose to live in them, or they aren't available as an affordable option.
That's Some Straight Talk
Interestingly, McCain isn't simply denying an affair, or denying corruption allegations, he's essentially saying the entire story was fiction from start to finish.
Refreshing
It is, of course, a freakish event when Saint John Of Maverick Straight Talk gets any negative press.
Unending use of the phrase "maverick," and unceasing praise of McCain's "straight talk," have shaped a highly favorable public image ... at a time when ratings for his fellow members of Congress are in the drink.
As an adoring Jacob Weisberg put it on Slate, sniffling over McCain's 2000 loss, "McCain challenged all that is hidebound, joyless and mind-numbing in American campaigns."
McCain is allowed to dominate any and every issue on which he chooses to cross the aisle in Congress. He is omnipresent on Sunday talk shows.
Between 1997 and 2006, McCain had 135 appearances as a guest on "Meet the Press," "This Week" and "Face the Nation," far more than runner-up Joe Biden with 91. McCain was usually able to hold forth alone rather than sharing the stage.
The favorable press coverage has airbrushed McCain's temper and remarks that would get any other politician in trouble.
It was, after all, McCain who referred to Leisure World as "Seizure World." He once joked: "The nice thing about getting Alzheimer's is you get to hide your own Easter eggs."
Less Than Perfect
I agree that for a variety of reasons the NYT story was less than perfect, though the Post version was better.
The really fascinating thing is how all 3 cable news networks have gone into full "defend McCain against the dastardly NYT" mode, something we, uh, generally don't see when a John Solomon Special attacking a Democrat appears.
The really fascinating thing is how all 3 cable news networks have gone into full "defend McCain against the dastardly NYT" mode, something we, uh, generally don't see when a John Solomon Special attacking a Democrat appears.
Economy
Philly Fed index down.
And new jobless claims, while not extremely high, are still at a higher level than they had been. And the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits is going up.
Contraction in U.S. Mid-Atlantic factory production accelerated in February as manufacturers pulled back in anticipation of an economic downturn, according to the Philadelphia Federal Reserve.
The regional central bank said Thursday its business activity index stood at minus 24.0 this month, down from an already weak minus 20.9 in January, which had been its worst reading since the 2001 recession, and well below forecasts.
Economists polled by Reuters had forecast a reading of minus 11.0. Readings below zero represent contraction in the industrial sector.
And new jobless claims, while not extremely high, are still at a higher level than they had been. And the total number of people receiving unemployment benefits is going up.
Feb. 21 (Bloomberg) -- The number of Americans receiving unemployment insurance climbed to the highest since October 2005 as faltering economic growth prompted companies to cut payrolls.
The number of people continuing to collect benefits rose to 2.784 million in the week ended Feb. 9, from 2.736 million a week earlier, the Labor Department said today in Washington. First-time jobless claims decreased by 9,000 to 349,000 in the week ended Feb. 16, from a revised 358,000 a week earlier.
Not For Everyone
One thing the Irvine Housing Blog reminds us is that the act of buying a house involves a large transaction cost. Real estate commissions are the big obvious part of this, though they aren't the only cost.
The broader point is that despite the rhetoric of many, home ownership just isn't for everyone. If you're relatively mobile, or think you might be, it isn't a smart financial transaction even if you expect decent appreciation of house prices over your expected tenure.
The broader point is that despite the rhetoric of many, home ownership just isn't for everyone. If you're relatively mobile, or think you might be, it isn't a smart financial transaction even if you expect decent appreciation of house prices over your expected tenure.
Done In By Seriousness
Golf declining in popularity. I've never played golf and so I don't really know, but hearing about it from people over the years I got the impression that it evolved to some degree from "excuse to get away from your family and drink beer for 4 hours" to a more competitive, serious, sober affair. And what's the fun in that?
Blogging Outsourcing
Because I haven't had coffee yet. Yglesias:
Obviously, I don't know whether or not McCain had sex with Iseman. I suppose by "what the meaning of the word 'is' is" standards, he didn't even deny having had sex with Iseman. Certainly it'd be a bit rich of McCain to get outraged that anyone would even suggest that he might engage in sexual improprieties. After all, it's well known that he repeatedly cheated on his first wife Carol, of a number of years, with a variety of women, before eventually dumping her for a much-younger heiress whose family fortune was able to help finance his political career. That's well known, I should say, except to the electorate, who would probably find that this sort of behavior detracts from McCain's "character" appeal.
Meanwhile, there's all this stuff Salter doesn't deny (because, again, it's true) about McCain's questionable ethics. He wrote "letters to government regulators on behalf of the [Iseman's] client," he "often flew on the corporate jets of business executives seeking his support," he resigned as head of a non-profit when "news reports disclosed that the group was tapping the same kinds of unlimited corporate contributions he opposed, including those from companies seeking his favor," his Senate office and his campaign are run by corporate lobbyists, etc.
"SCANDAL OR SMEAR?"
That's how CNN is treating this dreadful attack on St. McCain.
Because, you know, "Bill Bennett says..."
...adding, I'm pretty sure the anchor said Bill but most likely I misheard or he misspoke and the point was "Bob" or "Robert Bennett says..."
Because, you know, "Bill Bennett says..."
...adding, I'm pretty sure the anchor said Bill but most likely I misheard or he misspoke and the point was "Bob" or "Robert Bennett says..."
It's Howdy Doody Time!
I hope nobody thought the media weren't going to turn ugly on Obama once he became the presumptive nominee, because ain't no way.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Late Night Blogging
Outsourcing to the Polk award winning JMM.
...adding the point that how this unfolds will largely depend on how the Obama campaign and its surrogates choose to handle it. I'd say the same about the Clinton campaign, but like everyone else they ignore my advice.
...adding the point that how this unfolds will largely depend on how the Obama campaign and its surrogates choose to handle it. I'd say the same about the Clinton campaign, but like everyone else they ignore my advice.
Dear New York Knicks
You were beaten by 40 points. By the Sixers. Who stopped trying about 10 minutes before the end.
Ewwww
The subject of John McCain's sex life is now being discussed publicly.
(Reaches for whiskey, funnel)
(Reaches for whiskey, funnel)
Money
Obama's raising a lot of it.
I know some people find the "who's raising the most money" thing one of the more annoying things about political coverage, but I actually think it's pretty important. Getting the support of lots of donors greatly diminishes the importance of big donors and big donor networks.
Clinton, too, has raised a decent amount of money from smaller money donors, so this isn't just an Obama thing. The important thing is that as more campaigns understand that there are ways they can try to attract large numbers of small donors, they'll reorient their priorities. Those $2000/person checks aren't going away, of course, but their relative importance might decline.
I know some people find the "who's raising the most money" thing one of the more annoying things about political coverage, but I actually think it's pretty important. Getting the support of lots of donors greatly diminishes the importance of big donors and big donor networks.
Clinton, too, has raised a decent amount of money from smaller money donors, so this isn't just an Obama thing. The important thing is that as more campaigns understand that there are ways they can try to attract large numbers of small donors, they'll reorient their priorities. Those $2000/person checks aren't going away, of course, but their relative importance might decline.
The Gates of Hell
As someone (sorry, forget who) suggested in comments, it appears that McCain will chase Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, unless of course those gates are in Pakistan.
Truly weird.
And he's against torture but for waterboarding, which isn't torture except when it is.
Truly weird.
And he's against torture but for waterboarding, which isn't torture except when it is.
Two Campaigns
There does seem to be a basic narrative out there that the Obama campaign leaned more heavily on organizing and volunteers than did the Clinton campaign. This seems to be true, but is it?
Curious.
Curious.
A Taste of Things To Come
Bill O'Reilly plans a party.
I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this is how the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels -- that America is a bad country or a flawed nation, whatever -- then that's legit. We'll track it down.
Mr. 19%
Holy crap.
(ht reader g)
Overall, 19% of Americans say that they approve of the way George W. Bush is handling his job as president, 77% disapprove, and 4% are undecided.
(ht reader g)
At Least The War Is Over
Over there:
It's been over 2 years since Joe Klein tut-tutted people who wanted "precipitous withdrawal."
That was Nov 20., 2005. And what a precipitous withdrawal it's been!
MUQDADIYA - A suicide bomber detonated an explosives vest in a market in the town of Muqdadiya, 90 km (55 miles) northeast of Baghdad, killing seven people and wounding 17, a source in the town's hospital said.
* TAL AFAR - A suicide car bomber killed a woman and a 6-year-old girl and wounded eight in an attack on an identity cards office in the town of Tal Afar, 420 km (260 miles) northwest of Baghdad, police said. Tal Afar's mayor put the death toll at two killed and four wounded.
...
BAGHDAD - A roadside bomb killed three U.S. soldiers when it struck their vehicle in northwestern Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials said 15 policemen were killed and more than 45 wounded in the Ubaidi district of eastern Baghdad on Tuesday as they tried to defuse rockets that had been prepared for launch from the back of a truck.
It's been over 2 years since Joe Klein tut-tutted people who wanted "precipitous withdrawal."
There was a profound change in the debate over Iraq in Washington last week. The central issue is no longer how best to prosecute the war, but how best to leave it. This appeared true for many of President Bush's strongest supporters and even for some of the most adamant traditional hawks in Congress—as Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha's call for a hasty withdrawal of U.S. troops most vividly demonstrated. The Senate resolution calling for a "significant transition to full Iraqi sovereignty"—that is, Iraqi control of the war effort—in 2006 was less vivid than the House's ugly theatrics surrounding the Murtha proposal, but perhaps more meaningful. Senate Democrats failed to win a commitment to the gradual withdrawal of U.S. troops. But the wording of the resolution wasn't nearly so important as the subtext. Politicians of both parties felt the need to express some sort of dismay about Iraq. And no one offered an amendment calling for a more robust U.S. military effort to win the war. That now seems beyond the realm of political possibility.
...
Murtha did not talk about the consequences of a precipitous withdrawal. No one really has. The most passionate discussions in Washington last week were about the past—whether the President intentionally misled the country into war—not the future. They are a waste of time. Two questions need to be addressed: Will an American withdrawal from Iraq create more or less stability in the Middle East? Will a withdrawal increase or decrease the threat of another terrorist attack at home? It does not matter whether you believe the war was right or wrong. If the answers to those questions are less stability and an empowered al-Qaeda, we'd better think twice about slipping down this dangerous path.
That was Nov 20., 2005. And what a precipitous withdrawal it's been!
Bush Justice
America 2008:
When asked if he thought the men at Guantánamo could receive a fair trial, Davis provided the following account of an August 2005 meeting he had with Pentagon general counsel William Haynes--the man who now oversees the tribunal process for the Defense Department. "[Haynes] said these trials will be the Nuremberg of our time," recalled Davis, referring to the Nazi tribunals in 1945, considered the model of procedural rights in the prosecution of war crimes. In response, Davis said he noted that at Nuremberg there had been some acquittals, something that had lent great credibility to the proceedings.
"I said to him that if we come up short and there are some acquittals in our cases, it will at least validate the process," Davis continued. "At which point, [Haynes's] eyes got wide and he said, 'Wait a minute, we can't have acquittals. If we've been holding these guys for so long, how can we explain letting them get off? We can't have acquittals, we've got to have convictions.'"
Lessons Learned
Fox News's Special Report yesterday:
The museum was the Rwandan genocide museum.
GOLER: The president says it's better that African nations deal with African problems. White soldiers in Darfur, he believes, would be targets for all sides.
BUSH: A clear lesson I learned in the museum was that outside forces tend to divide people up inside their country and are unbelievably counterproductive.
The museum was the Rwandan genocide museum.
Alternative Business Models
Somehow this fits the era:
After Miami handyman Glenn Rudge was accused of shoplifting an $8 set of drill bits at Home Depot, he thought he'd settled the matter when he showed his receipt to prosecutors and they dropped the charge.
But a few weeks later, a law firm hired by Home Depot began sending him letters demanding first $3,000, then a total of $6,000, implying he'd be sued if he didn't pay it.
In an escalating battle against theft, retailers are going after anyone suspected of shoplifting, turning over their names to lawyers and collection firms, who pursue the suspects for stiff penalties and split the take with the retailer.
There is little oversight of a system retailers call "civil recovery," created by special laws passed in all 50 states. With no proof of theft, the retailers demand money -- often $200 but sometimes far more -- and promise to avoid suing if it is paid quickly. Laws vary by state, but in general, retailers can demand these sums even if the item at issue was worth far less and was quickly recovered and put back on the shelf.
Early thread
I'm having another extended morning coma, so go see if you find anything interesting here.
Signed,
Not Atrios
Signed,
Not Atrios
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
"A Force To Be Reckoned With"
Noron and Howard "The Duck" Fineman agree: it's Cindy McCain.
Oh lordy.
Oh lordy.
One Year Ago
Watching (Tivod) Obama's speech now. He suggested he started this campaign a year ago. I suppose he did. It was in June of 2006, over dinner in some Vegas hotel the night before Yearly Kos, when someone told me, "Obama's running." I don't think I believed it.
Wisconsin
I'm not sure what will happen tonight, but whatever it is it will certainly be good news for Rudy Giuliani and very bad news for The Terrorists and Their War On Us.
Evening Thread
As Atrios often notes, he really does have the stupidest trolls on the internets.
--Molly I.
--Molly I.
Fresh Thread
Off to drink liberally soon. There may even be a special guest there!
And did I really just see Jeri Ryan at my gym?
And did I really just see Jeri Ryan at my gym?
Save Me From The Stupid
The hot topic on MSNBC is the fact that Cindy McCain made a political jab, or whatever we're calling it these days, against Michelle Obama.
And this is the stuff that matters.
MAKE IT STOP.
And this is the stuff that matters.
MAKE IT STOP.
PA Delegates Again
Since there still seems to be some uncertainty about this, let me try to explain again.
In PA we vote for a delegate linked to a candidate. All votes for a particular candidate's delegates by district are essentially allocated to that candidate, and delegate numbers are assigned based on the total vote share each candidate receives. It's true that Clinton's failure to have a full delegate slate is unlikely to affect the actual allocation of delegates, but there still could be some impact on number of votes received. There will be fewer Clinton spaces on the ballot.
Not the biggest deal in the world, but still a campaign failure. There is a reason candidates actually bother to try to get names on the ballot.
In PA we vote for a delegate linked to a candidate. All votes for a particular candidate's delegates by district are essentially allocated to that candidate, and delegate numbers are assigned based on the total vote share each candidate receives. It's true that Clinton's failure to have a full delegate slate is unlikely to affect the actual allocation of delegates, but there still could be some impact on number of votes received. There will be fewer Clinton spaces on the ballot.
Not the biggest deal in the world, but still a campaign failure. There is a reason candidates actually bother to try to get names on the ballot.
any. day. now.
As Mark Schmitt notes, the silence from the "reform groups" about McCain's financing shenanigans is deafening.
Deep Thought
I wonder when Politico will give us the "scoop" that Clinton is planning to hire the hit man who killed Vince Foster to take out all of Obama's delegates.
Ready to Lead
Not exactly confidence building.
Missing almost 10% of them.
...adding that people who suggest this is stupid and doesn't matter are wrong, and I think the reporter got it a bit wrong too. Here's how things work in PA:
We vote for delegates, not the candidate, and not having named delegates on the ballot is a problem
Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign failed to file a full slate of convention delegate candidates for Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.
This despite the possibility the primary proves critical and despite Clinton owning the full-throated support of Gov. Rendell, state Democratic Party leadership, Mayor Nutter and, presumably, the organizational skill all that entails.
And despite a Rendell-ordered extension of the filing deadline that could be viewed as more than just coincidental.
Missing almost 10% of them.
...adding that people who suggest this is stupid and doesn't matter are wrong, and I think the reporter got it a bit wrong too. Here's how things work in PA:
Pennsylvania's primary is essentially a beauty contest. The outcome of balloting for the actual presidential candidate has absolutely no bearing on the selection of delegates who run in separate races by congressional district. True, the top candidates in the presidential balloting can create a coattail effect for their delegate candidates, but a vote for a specific candidate for president is meaningless unless the voter also casts ballots for that individual's delegate candidates.
The process is a bit simpler for Democrats, whose party rules require candidates for delegate to the national convention to run "committed" and places the name of the candidate to which they are pledged beneath the delegate's name on the ballot. This gives voters a precise guide to which delegates they should vote for on behalf of their preferred presidential candidate.
We vote for delegates, not the candidate, and not having named delegates on the ballot is a problem
Dodgy Dossier
The claim was, of course, utterly absurd on its face to sentient human beings not employed as pundits in our leading periodicals and teevee networks.
LONDON -- An early version of a British dossier of prewar intelligence on Iraq did not include a key claim about weapons of mass destruction that became vital to Tony Blair's case for war, the newly published document showed Monday.
The 2002 document insisted Saddam Hussein's regime had acquired uranium and had equipment necessary for chemical weapons, but does not contain a claim that Iraq could launch weapons of mass destruction within 45 minutes -- an allegation crucial to Blair's push to back the 2003 U.S.-led invasion -- that later was discredited.
Campaigners allege that the 45-minute claim was inserted into later drafts of the document on the orders of Blair's press advisers, who were seeking to strengthen the case for invasion -- a claim the government has strongly denied.