Happy Hour Roundup
* Gallup adds more context to Obama’s drop below 50%, noting that while only Ford, Reagan and Clinton have hit this point faster than Obama did, all presidents who’ve crossed that threshold rebounded.
* GOP leaders keep laying the groundwork to portray any Afghanistan escalation short of 40,000 new troops as a betrayal of the commanders.
* Oh, man. GOP Rep Steve King is really, really, really frightened of what could happen as a result of Khalid Sheik Mohammed’s trial. No word on what he thought of Bush’s claim that terrorists should be tried in U.S. courts.
* Chris Matthews worries that KSM will win the argument.
* It’s worth recalling that the health care bill vote really will be a tough one for some Dem Senators.
* Sam Stein: Why does GOP need six weeks to study a bill they’re all going to oppose?
* I’d wondered how yesterday’s finding that a majority of GOPers think ACORN stoll the election for Obama compared to public sentiment after the 2000 recount. Jason Zengerle digs up the answer. Caveat: The recount court fight actually, you know, happened.
* Why is John McCain claiming the Senate climate change legislation is partisan when it’s being pushed by a Democrat, a Republican and an independent?
* David Kurtz: Sarah Palin’s emerging role as kingfish, er, kingmaker in GOP primaries is very good news for Dems.
* Jonah Goldberg defers judgment on whether Palin is qualified for the presidency.
* Sign making the rounds on the right: “Free Nobel Peace Prize with an order of shrimp tacos.” No chicken or beef? Seems un-American.
Got anything else?
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ACORN stole the election for Bush????
“Sam Stein: Why does GOP need six weeks to study a bill they’re all going to oppose?”
LOL
Props to Sam
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-news/reporting/sam-stein
“Jason Zengerle digs up the answer.”
“I figured that, even with hanging chads and all, fewer Democratic voters would have considered Bush illegitimate back then than those Republicans who now feel that way about Obama”
Are you f-ing kidding me? 2000 election was down to the wire with a few hundred votes from a single state making the difference between President Gore and President Bush. Oh and it just so happened that the candidate’s BROTHER was Gov and he purged tens of thousands of votes in Dem counties…… On the other hand, Obama won 365 e.c. votes. It wasn’t even remotely close enough to “steal”. Who is this Jason idiot and WTF is wrong with him?
You guys didn’t know ACORN stole the election for Bush? The longterm game plan was to install Bush in power in the expectation that he’d make such a hash of things that the electorate would be willing to elect a black Democrat.
“David Kurtz: Sarah Palin’s emerging role as kingfish, er, kingmaker in GOP primaries is very good news for Dems.”
heh, no kidding.
Several far-right conservative Republicans I know voted for the half-white conservative centrist with the foreign name to avoid voting for erratic and unqualified Republican Vice-Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin.
Palin not only helped hand the Dems the Presidency, she’s already taken out one Republican Representative.
I’m crossing my fingers her “streak” will continue.
Greg, how did I miss that longterm game plan? And does Steve King ever actually engage his brain before opening his mouth?
“He also, it should be noted, said that he didn’t think that there had ever been a case were prisoners of war “have ever been treated as well” as those at Gitmo — which, considering some of the early allegations of abuse at the facility, seems a bit confused.”
That’s pretty amusing, Greg. Happy hour already started?
ABC — no comment.
see new links added above…
Here’s an article about approval ratings and unemployment (and the Presidential “teflon” of Reagan and Obama). While I don’t agree with some of the author’s assertions, the article does illustrate the near-perfect inverse relationship that seems to exist between unemployment rate (the economy) and approval ratings.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/horseraceblog/2009/06/reagan_obama_and_presidential_1.html
This is the sort of thing I was talking about this morning and where I think Obama’s weakness lies and the Dems as well going into 2010 and 2012. Health care will help and so will his decision on Afghanistan (I hope) but unless we can turn the corner on job creation we’re in trouble I think. I liked the way De Fazio put it “faux populist” republicanism, sounds a little like the Tea Party organizers using unhappy people to ride back into power.
“For DeFazio, however, the issue is as much one of perception as it is about policy. One of his chief concerns was that the president appeared enamored with the lords of finance. “The administration has, thus far, not threaded the needle here,” he said. “They have taken care of Wall Street but not the rest of the country.”
There is, the congressman concluded, “an anger” among the working class that could be a major factor in 2010. And without a new focus on jobs and small business from the White House, DeFazio warned, “a faux populist” Republicanism will fill the void.”
I hate to be Debbie Downer on a Friday, but I think we all need to watch this, commercial real estate is beginning to drag more banks down and next year looks worse. I’m keeping an eye on my retirement fund again.
Andy, how do you read this?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/20/zombie-buildings-are-they_n_365400.html
Quitter Palin leaves another task, before finishing it:
http://www.theindychannel.com/news/21668893/detail.html
“Before getting back on her bus just after 9 p.m., Palin thanked the crowd one more time.
“Noblesville, this was so great. You guys are hardcore patriots. Thank you so much for being here,” she said.
But not everyone went away happy. Several dozen people who had wristbands were turned away.
“They didn’t have this organized well enough,” said Sue Hendricks. “It was just not done right.”
“I’m very disappointed. I think it was very rude. She could have at least apologized, and she didn’t even do that,” said Teresa Hedrick.
Many of the unhappy people stood in the rain all day, bought the book from Borders and clutched their wristbands for their opportunity to meet Palin.
“We bought two books from Borders to have our receipt and our wristband to get it signed tonight,” said one woman. “My books are going back to Borders tomorrow.”
“We gave up our entire workday, stayed in the cold. My kids were crying,” said one man. “They went home with my wife. She was out here in the freezing cold all day. I feel like I don’t want to support Sarah.”"
” I’ve been told that yesterday there were supporters in Noblesville who stood in long lines for hours in the cold and rain, and the book signing event ended without a chance to say hello to everyone who showed up. I am so sorry. We are working on a solution for those who were left behind.
“I apologize.”
People yelled at Sarah that they had wrist bands, and she had not signed their books. She just ignored them, and walked away, and boarded the Bus. People then started booing her, as the bus moved out.
Now Sarah says she was not aware of the situation. People told her that they had wristbands, and they wanted her to stay and and sign their books, and she turned her back on them.
The Woman is a congenital liar.
Now that the press is reporting about Quitter Sarah blowing of some people who had wristbands, which assured them of getting their books signed; they are going into full spin mode.
People yelled at Sarah that they had wrist bands, and she had not signed their books. She just ignored them, and walked away, and boarded the Bus. People then started booing her, as the bus moved out.
Now Sarah says she was not aware of the situation. People told her that they had wristbands, and they wanted her to stay and and sign their books, and she turned her back on them.
The Woman is a congenital liar.
Tweety spends much too much time whizzing about inside his own head.
His appearance on The Daily Show quite some time ago was telling. He’s really into the game of politics just for the joy of playing the game. Winning and losing was everything to him. Substance? Well, some, but not very much.
lmsinca
Yeah I saw that earlier today. It’s not a new story. I don’t think it’s going to be quite the disaster that the residential real estate market has been. Most of The people involved in big commercial development know their way around the financing system. It won’t be pretty but they will get it done.
You can expect to hear more doom and gloom about more residential mortgage auto resets coming down the road later next year and in 2011. Those could be a problem if the economy doesn’t get moving faster. I hate to say it but we’re going to have to find something other then housing to get us moving out of this hole.
There’s going to be a lot of expectations put on this upcoming job summit. I hope it lives up to the billing.
OT: Check out this story Bernie linked on the last post, it’s a good read.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/19/republican-budget-hypocrisy-health-care-opinions-columnists-bruce-bartlett.html
“He’s really into the game of politics just for the joy of playing the game.”
Man, I am glad you said something, that guy is starting to wear on me. He just wants to hear himself talk. A good interviewer keeps the questions shorter then the answers.
Re ACORN comments: snap, Greg. Just snap!
Just read this at TPM and it really ticked me off. Most of what was written I think we’ve all heard but the tone and one-way nature (I hope that’s clear) angers me. Many of us outside the beltway who have argued both sides of the HCR debate understand pretty well what’s going on in D.C. So, read the post and draw your own conclusions but mine has been made up. The real problem is the leadership in the Senate. It’s Harry Reid’s job to know where he needs to go and how to get there. Liam was right he never should have taken reconciliation off the table.
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/11/all_about_the_60.php#more?ref=fpblg
Sarah Palin: “We are working on a solution for those who were left behind.” Is this a general forward-leaning proposition? Does she have plans for those who won’t make it into the Rapture, say Gitmo for everybody?
I don’t doubt that Rep. Steve King is wetting his bed. So what? Because he is a p*ssy we have to continue this charade of ignoring our Constitution?
Let’s send him some coupons for a case of Depends and get on with cleaning up after the great big steaming pile Cheney/Bush left behind.
Andy,
I read that Forbes piece, I just wish some of our conservative friends would read it, talk about short term memory loss.
What I didn’t realize until today is the precarious position of these commercial loans heading into next year. I know the lenders are keeping some of the residential loans off their books as losses by not foreclosing until after year end, but I didn’t know as much about the commercial loans. Maybe this is why Geithner doesn’t want to use TARP money for small businesses, he’s still worried about the banks.
We rely on housing and construction way too much in CA and we definitely need to do something to get people turned in a different direction. One of the worst things to me is the effect it’s having on our educational system. Did you see all the protests today at UC campuses? I’m glad my daughter is leaving the state to finish up.
Re Josh Marshall, I think he may have forgotten the only reason we have a PO in either bill is because of the pressure progressives have been keeping on Congress. I’m quite certain we’ll get tomorrow’s vote, but I’m just going to be holding my breath after that. It was good news today about Wyden’s Free Choice plan getting some attention and it will be debated. I think more and more people are coming around to the soundness of his ideas.
sbj,
Let’s see. 1000 wristbands handed out in Noblesville. 600 got in then Palin left. She finished about 60% of the job. Somehow, that sounds vaguely familiar.
Dean Baker comments: “The NYT has an excellent piece on how the increase in FHA mortgage limits have made it a subsidy program for relatively affluent families, speculators, and frauds.”
NYTimes Article:
“With F.H.A. Help, Easy Loans in Expensive Areas.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/business/20limits.html
News Ref
I read that earlier as well, sounds like FHA is over leveraging now, and they won’t be able to blame it on the Repubs. I was at our bank several years ago borrowing money to build a warehouse for our business on our own property. All of our real estate is paid off so it was an easy loan to get, my loan rep. actually said to me, you know you could borrow like a million dollars. Why the hell would I ever want to do that? That was at the height of refinancing mania out here. They were practically throwing money at people.
“Gallup adds more context to Obama’s drop below 50%, noting that while only Ford, Reagan and Clinton have hit this point faster than Obama did, all presidents who’ve crossed that threshold rebounded.”
oh, snap.
lmsinca
UGH!!!! How can someone buy a one-million dollar property in SF for 33k down in today’s environment? Have we learned nothing?
Apparently not. It’s crazy!! People will never learn. I remember when FHA was for first time buyers with small down payments but good prospects to pay the loan off and the extra insurance secured the loan. And besides, does anyone really see values going up anytime soon?
lmsinca
I have followed what’s happening on the UC campuses and I support the protesters! I am glad your daughter will get her chance to finish her education. I have a freshman in college and a junior in high school so this is near and dear to my heart.
I saw a story on the network news tonight about Nevada trying to steal businesses from California. It was pretty funny and fairly serious. I know it’s tough out there and the battle will continue.
lmsinca
I wanted to get back to your comment about Geithner and TARP. I thought he wanted to use the repaid TARP money to reduce the federal debt. But I have heard the Dems may want to use that money for something else.
If that money gets used to create jobs, ok but lets see how that was done.
The reason why the GOP claims to need 6 weeks to study the health bill is simple. The longer they stretch out the fight, the easier it becomes to attack facets of it and nip at wavering supporters of it. In other words, it’s all about defeating it.
1) Jonah Goldberg is a moron, and 2) ANOTHER NEWSFLASH
Palin Booed By Book Tour Crowd
HA! Here’s the Link !!!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/11/20/palin-booed-by-book-tour_n_365883.html
church fight.
“The Archbishop of Canterbury is meeting the Pope in Rome amid tensions over the Vatican’s offer to welcome disenchanted Anglicans into the Catholic fold.
Pope Benedict’s proposal would allow Anglicans to convert while preserving many of their traditions and practices.
The archbishop, Dr Rowan Williams, has said he does not believe the initiative will harm relations.
However, some Anglicans have accused the Pope of interfering at a sensitive time for the Church of England.
The Vatican says its invitation came in response to pleas from Anglicans unhappy about the creation of women bishops. ”
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/uk_news/8371807.stm
This proves once again how the catholic church is anit-woman and attracts more and more misogynists.
I hope the weather is fine there on whatever planet Fred Hiatt has made home… http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/20/AR2009112002416.html?hpid=opinionsbox1
A full column on the political “paralysis” of current American politics and not a single mention of the self-admitted (by many on many occasions) obstructionism arrayed against Obama initiatives/appointments which have paralysis as exactly and precisely the goal.
You are prostituting yourself, Hiatt. It is demeaning just being witness to it.
Good catch, Bernie, thanks.
Saturday roundup coming a bit later this AM.
Andrew Sullivan notes a Weekly Standard post by Kristol:
“I predict that Palin will come to Arizona next summer to campaign for McCain, will make an impassioned case for him, and will help him win. She will thereby repay McCain for his confidence in picking her last year, help keep McCain as a crucial voice in the Senate for a strong foreign policy, and get credit for being a different kind of populist conservative—a Reaganite, not a Buchananite, populist—than the immigration-obsessed, voter-alienating (he was ousted in 2006 in a Republican district) Hayworth.”
And Andrew says:
“Predict? This is obviously a way to prevent the McCain-Palin camps’ civil war from escalating so that the full details of the chaotic 2008 campaign remain under wraps.”
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/11/mccains-struggle-for-reelection.html
The quintessential back-room boy, Kristol’s public statements are always to be understood as story-telling – truth or fact or accuracy or honesty are merely insisted but as they commonly work contrary to the ’story’ and its purposes (propaganda) are always present only by chance occurrence.
Aside from Andrew’s thesis here as to what Kristol is up to, we can see another element as well – the attempt to differentiate between rightwing populism styles/content. They key phrase Kristol uses is “voter-alienating”.
Like Norquist, Kristol understands that electoral success is primary. If you are outside of power you are outside of power and your ability to shape political systems is seriously degraded. And shaping the American political machinery is the life-long goal and occupation of both men (though getting very wealthy in the process seems to have played a part).
For Palin to have any chance to win in 2012 or beyond AND for Republicans to effectively deal with demographic changes, Kristol understands two things at least: one – the notion of Palin as extremist has to be minimized (contrasting her with Beck/Buchanan rhetoric/ideas could forward this ‘moderate’ perception); and two – the anti-immigrant rhetoric by itself remains a double-edged problem for the right which must be dealt with in some effective manner such that Latino’s reverse their move to Dems.
American Conservative magazine counters Kristol and points out that Palin supporters don’t demonstrate a lot of love for McCain nor the RNC/Washington/NY establishment that McCain and Kristol actually represent…
http://www.amconmag.com/larison/2009/11/20/a-sure-path-to-self-destruction/
Cal Thomas writes a not-bad column on Palin, criticizing her (and other rightwingers’) constant complaints of victimization;
“Victimization plays well with the conservative base and that’s a problem. If conservatives don’t rise from the muck of feeling excluded, disrespected, ignored and mocked, they will continue to suffer all of these things. There is nothing like proving the worth of your ideas to put the mockers in their place. Victimization can raise money, sell books and get one face time on TV, but it doesn’t advance the ball.”
But he finishes with this:
“Palin’s optimism is refreshing. If she can sharpen her intellect, in three years she won’t be mocked; she will be feared.” http://jewishworldreview.com/cols/thomas111909.php3
Sharpen her intellect? I doubt a course in logic or epistemology is in her future. Her base wouldn’t respond well to the results even if she could manage to pursue the sort of intellectual effort she has consistently managed to avoid all her life.
What could she sharpen? She could sharpen her mouth-censoring machinery to inhibet er habit of going off on personal mental enthusiasms which reveal her inner incoherences and lack of substantive knowledge about almost everything. She could actually begin reading books so as to learn things she should know but starting from where she obviously is now in terms of knowledge, that’s going to be an enormous task and it is clearly one she has no taste nor inclination for.
All she can really ’sharpen’ which might realistically have some consequence electorally (but which won’t be so troublesome as chancing her inner life) is the PR/propaganda machinery around her, much in the manner as we see it being done now, where she is insulated from any public intellectual challenges and where others do her writing for her.
That’s the most you can realistically hope for, Cal.
For Bernie:
http://z.about.com/d/politicalhumor/1/0/Q/2/3/ghostwhiner.gif
On Palin’s deep respect for marginalized and victimized women and mothers, including Hillary Clinton…(from yesterday’s interview with Dennis Miller):
MILLER: Listen, Sarah, I have to ask you. This Newsweek cover. First off, I have two thoughts on this. To me it seems blatantly sexist and secondly I’m just glad they didn’t decide to do it with Hillary during the primaries. But your thoughts on it. You a little POed at this? I mean this was for another magazine, right?
PALIN: Yeah, yeah, it was for a health and fitness profile where I could tout the great outdoors of Alaska in Runner’s World months ago. And yeah, Newsweek. That was really snarky and cheesy and quite indicative though too, Dennis, of the state of journalism today. I think it stinks.
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/11/21/palin-dennis-miller-sexist/
We ought to note here as well the absolute centrality to Palin’s schtick of the “crappy anti-conservative state of journalism today”. Her book is full of it and so is every interview she does and almost every twitter or facebook entry written for her.
It isn’t merely that this is the main staple of rightwing media (it is their stated reason for being and it is their justification for every non-journalistic move they make). Nor is it merely a continuation of the conservative/RNC strategy of ‘working the ref’. It is, in the case of Palin, an absolute necessity because of what proper journalism has and will reveal about her as being a few light-years north of suitable for serious public duty.
@Liam – ghost-whiner indeed.
Dem Strategist now has a twitter feed @DemStrategist.
@Greg – site is acting up again as previously (posts don’t appear even after refreshing)
Ugh, sorry Bernie. I’ll check in with tech people.
Meanwhile, Saturday roundup posted:
http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/stimulus-package/saturday-roundup-2/
“Filibusters skyrocket under Republican minority in 110th Congress.”
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/03/31/republican-filibusters-skyrocket/
And that was back in March.
Republican obstructionism has only gotten worse since.
On the Obama fall below 50% being compared to Ford, Clinton and Reagan falling below that threshold as fast or faster:
– Ford was an unelected President and among his first acts was his pardon of Nixon, which went over badly.
– Clinton was a plurality President elected in a three-way race who got off to a lousy start with **** in the military.
– Reagan is a better analogy because early in his Presidency, the 1981-82 double-dip recession began to clobber everyone.
But then, Reagan actually did something to combat the recession succesfully — at least in the voters’ estimation. Similarly, the economy is dragging Obama down — not surprisingly since it was the recession that got him elected. Now, people are having second thoughts, because he seems to be focused on health care and everything except jobs and the economy. And guess what? They’re right. His rebound will only come if he changes that.
Republican Reagan gave HUGE tax cuts to the ultra wealthy and the result was unemployment skyrocketed for a full year afterwards.
The tax cuts were correlated with HIGHER UNEMPLOYMENT.
But then Republican Reagan started spending government money, and spending, and spending, and spending.
Republican Reagan effectively used one of the largest government stimulus’s in our history to improve the economy.
But Republican Reagan refused to pay for it. Reagan was simultaneously spending huge amounts of money, but after the economy stabilized he continued his government spending while simultaneously demanding more tax cuts.
In the end Republican Reagan raised the US debt by over 260%.
By Republican Reagan’s standard, Obama could raised the US debt to 28.6 trillion and he would be exactly as “fiscally conservative” as Republican Ronald Reagan.
But the First Rule of the Right Wing is Rules are for Other People.
Republicans increase the US debt and the Orwellian-corporate-media call it ‘fiscally conservative’.
Every Democratic President since World War II has LOWERED the US debt and the Orwellian-corporate-media don’t call it ‘fiscally conservative’.
This article explains the right wing’s fraud:
“Two Santa Clauses or How The Republican Party Has Conned America for Thirty Years.”
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/26-0