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White Identity Politics by Ed Kilgore, Washington Monthly | November 27, 2012
Of all the conservative raps in circulation, the one I have the most trouble with personally is the anti-anti-racism meme: the idea that white people are being persecuted for the color of their skin by a dominant coalition of minorities and honky quislings. And invariably, the proof of that proposition is that those crying “racism” are themselves race-conscious, which makes them guilty of the original sin. In his latest column, the Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto ups the ante a bit, warning “race-card” wielding Democrats that they are being so bigoted towards white people that they may soon encourage the rise of a White Power movement. Taranto is warning that “aggrieved” white folks are justifiably on the very brink of just coming right out and reclaiming their right to race-consciousness. When that happens, presumably, black and brown folks and “liberals” will be to blame. read more »Are Republicans Really Breaking with Grover Norquist? by David Weigel, slate.com | November 27, 2012
This is too easy, which means that it’s wrong. Republicans have mostly mastered the buzzwords of fiscal policy in general and the fiscal cliff specifically. Reporters, for all of the obvious reasons, crank up the headlines and “Breaking News “chyrons, when they hear those buzzwords. But the Republicans now denouncing Grover Norquist’s anti-tax pledge don’t represent a critical mass of tax-hike votes. If you were a cynic, you might think that the great GOP moderates were using the pledge to play the press. And if they were doing that, how would they pull it off? Why, they’d use the sorts of words that imply a separation from GOP tax dogma, but in a way that doesn’t actually worry Norquist. I asked Norquist to thumb through the key buzzwords and buzz-phrases and explain why they don’t spook him. read more »Fighting Fiscal Phantoms by Paul Krugman, The New York Times | November 26, 2012
The economic crisis they predicted keeps not happening. Far from fleeing U.S. debt, investors have continued to pile in, driving interest rates to historical lows. Beyond that, suddenly the clear and present danger to the American economy isn't that we’ll fail to reduce the deficit enough; it is, instead, that we’ll reduce the deficit too much. For that’s what the “fiscal cliff” — better described as the austerity bomb — is all about: the tax hikes and spending cuts scheduled to kick in at the end of this year are precisely not what we want to see happen in a still-depressed economy. read more »Put Children, Families First In ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks by Maya Wiley, thegrio.com | November 26, 2012
In his acceptance speech on Election Night, President Barack Obama said that “What makes America exceptional… [is] the belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations.” He’s right. In America, we have done so much good for each other. read more »Art of the Deal: The Continuing GOP Death Spiral by J. Christian Watts, jackandjillpolitics.com | November 26, 2012
On paper I get what the GOP is doing. The President has them in a Zugzwang, a chess term for a situation where every move you makes weakens your position. And, like a Grand Master, this President has boxed the GOP in. They are required to move. Each move they make disadvantages them. The President is in the ascendant position. For the GOP this is a terrifying moment. Their party has been defined, for almost 30 years, by lower taxes as the only demonstrable accomplishment. What are they going to do when they have to raise taxes on rich people? Further, the conservative media complex, not satisfied with costing the party credibility, the election (twice), and the votes of Blacks, Women, Hispanics, Asians, and young people, is waiting with baited breath to cannibalize any GOP person who shows rationality. read more »The Death Of Allen West-Style Politics by Perry Bacon Jr., thegrio.com | November 20, 2012
The rise of the Tea Party in 2009 and 2010 brought not only a more conservative brand of politics to Washington, but at times simply a more rude one: South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson shouting “you lie” at President Obama as he spoke to Congress, Donald Trump’s comments on Obama’s birth and grades, the numerous Republicans calling the president a socialist. But the reign of the incendiary-at-all-costs Republicans, politicians like Florida’s Allen West who made radical statements about the president that seemed much more about getting attention and TV bookings than affecting policy, seems at its end. read more »The Crisis in Punditland by Erik Lorenzsonn, The Progressive | November 20, 2012
Truth and information are all well and good, but to a media conglomerate that wants to stay competitive, good journalism is ancillary to panache. Celebrity talking heads that don’t know what they’re talking about, but act cocksure like they do—now there’s a business model. So, such is punditry as we know it. But change may be afoot, thanks to two forces currently at play. For starters, there’s the Nate Silver paradigm. Much has been made of the affable statistician and that witchdoctory he touts (it’s called math, I think). His rigorous models, based on poll data analysis, are dead-on when it comes to election predictions—a far cry from the gut-calls and cherry-picked rationales typified by Morning Joe and Megyn Kelly. And in a post-Moneyball society, people listen when the statisticians start talking. read more »Return Of The 47 Percent: The Right’S Latest Tax Lie by Michael Lind, salon.com | November 20, 2012
I am amused to report that my former colleagues at the Heritage Foundation have lost none of their willingness to sacrifice truth to propaganda. The Heritage Foundation has published an “Index of Dependence on Government” by William W. Beach and Patrick Tyrrell that seeks to bolster Mitt Romney’s theme that at least 47 percent of Americans are parasitic, government-dependent “takers” rather than “makers.” What caught my eye in this latest piece of Heritage agitprop was this sentence: The United States reached a milestone in 2012 — or the first time in history, half the population pays no federal income taxes. This is not just wrong. It is an error embarrassing enough to shame even a shameless propaganda mill like the Heritage Foundation. read more »Republicans' Choice: Fantasy Follies Or Reality-Based Relevance by Ana Marie Cox, The Guardian | November 20, 2012
Republicans' belief in the feel-good Fox News fantasies of what "real America" wanted and believed helped them lose the election. Would Romney have lost if his base didn't stubbornly insist that polls were rigged, that almost half the country was looking for a handout (and the other half was angry about it), and that government exists only to coddle or sabotage (not so much the "Nanny state" as Mommie Dearest)? The "conservative entertainment complex", as columnist David Frum put it, promulgated a view of the American electorate that wasn't just objectively false, in terms of polled support, but to which they objected. That is, they didn't just get wrong how much support Romney had; they told a story about American voters that Americans themselves didn't believe. read more »The Inconvenient Truth Facing Deficit Hawks by Suzy Khimm, The Washington Post | November 20, 2012
Add NASDAQ’s Robert Greifeld to the list of the CEOs who believe that the growing federal deficit is an existential threat to the country. At the Brookings Institute on Monday, Greifeld laid out a frightening vision for what would happen to the marketplace if the long-term deficit were left unchecked. “It is the same kind of deleveraging that we have felt since the financial crisis of 2008, but this could be on a much grander scale,” he told the audience. “As all prices adjust, market forces could even reach a point where investors refuse to buy U.S. Treasury bonds.” Scary scenarios like that one have been a common thread in many leading corporate executives’ pronouncements about the U.S. fiscal situation. But recent events and the current market seem to belie their arguments. read more »
The Latest
Security Experts Skeptical on Guantanamo Detainee Report, CNN | January 26, 2009
Security experts are questioning information released by the Pentagon last week, saying 61 former detainees from its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may have returned to terrorist activities. The report says 18 former detainees are confirmed to have participated in attacks, and 43 are suspected to have been involved in attacks. read more »
Guantanamo Case Files in Disarray, The Washington Post | January 26, 2009
President Obama's plans to expeditiously determine the fates of about 245 terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and quickly close the military prison there were set back last week when incoming legal and national security officials — barred until the inauguration from examining classified material on the detainees — discovered that there were no comprehensive case files on m read more »
FEMA Flood Maps Outdated, Associated Press | January 25, 2009
Nearly four years after the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, researchers called on the federal government to upgrade its flood maps, arguing that the effort could save lives as well as stem losses to properties and businesses. read more »
Republicans Resist Recovery Plan, iht.com | January 25, 2009
Republicans plan to test President Barack Obama's commitment to bipartisanship as his $825 billion stimulus package heads to the floor of the House of Representatives this week, with the House Republican leader saying that many in his party will vote no unless there are significant changes to the plan. read more »
GAO Targets Regulatory Agencies , Associated Press | January 23, 2009
The U.S. regulatory structure policing the financial sector is outdated, federal oversight of medical products is inadequate and the government's tracking system for toxic chemicals is in danger of becoming obsolete, the investigative arm of Congress said. read more »
More Bad Accounting in Veterans Health Care , Associated Press | January 23, 2009
Two years after a politically embarrassing $1 billion shortfall that imperiled veterans health care, the Veterans Affairs Department is still lowballing budget estimates to Congress to keep its spending down, government investigators say. read more »
GOP Wants Changes in Recovery Bill, CNN | January 22, 2009
House Republican leaders have asked for a meeting with President Obama to offer major changes to the $825 billion economic recovery package urged by the president and proposed by House Democrats last week. Republicans want a greater focus on incentives for businesses to create more jobs, instead of direct spending on infrastructure projects. The Democratic proposal was created at Obama's urging. read more »
Banks Skirt Supervision, The Washington Post | January 22, 2009
At least 30 banks since 2000 have escaped federal regulatory action by walking away from their federal regulators and moving under state supervision, taking advantage of a long-standing system that allows banks to choose between federal and state oversight, according to a review of government records. read more »
Obama Opens Public Records, mcclatchydc.com | January 22, 2009
President Barack Obama, in his first full day in office, revoked a controversial executive order signed by President Bush in 2001 that limited release of former presidents' records. read more »
Toymakers Protest Product Tests, Business Week | January 22, 2009
Few small craft shops and artisan toymakers noticed last summer when Congress passed a sweeping new product safety statute known as the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. The law, drafted after millions of lead-tainted imports were recalled in 2007, mandates strict testing for lead and other hazards in any product aimed at children, from toys to clothes to kids' books, starting Feb. 10. read more »
