The Commentariat -- Dec. 16, 2015
CW: Back on the road again, so again I leave the hard work up to readers. Thank you for all your help yesterday.
Robert Pear & David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Republican and Democratic negotiators in the House clinched a deal late Tuesday on a $1.1 trillion spending bill and a huge package of tax breaks. Legislative drafters, racing a midnight deadline, met the time limit for issuing the tax package but apparently missed it for the spending bill. That could push back a vote on the House floor by one day, until Friday.... Since the Republicans took back control of the House in 2011, a majority in the party has routinely opposed compromise budget and spending measures, forcing party leaders to rely on Democrats for votes to clear the bills. All signs indicate that the same dynamic is playing out now."
... Herszenhorn & Pear of the New York Times: (Dec. 15): "House Speaker Paul D. Ryan told the Republican Party's rank and file on Tuesday night that a deal had been reached on a $1.1 trillion spending measure, but Democrats said that negotiations on the bill had not been finished." ...
Presidential Race
Patrick Healy & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump came under sustained attack from Jeb Bush and other Republican presidential candidates on Tuesday night as they united against his plan to bar Muslims from entering the United States while tussling over who would be toughest in protecting Americans from terrorist threats. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida also faced his toughest moments of the race during the latest Republican debate as a top rival, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas, repeatedly questioned his conservative credentials and his judgment on national security and immigration." ...
... Elizabeth Williamson of the New York Times: Jeb "Bush repeatedly stood up to Mr. Trump, who sounded like the playground bully he is as he struggled to respond when Mr. Bush called him a chaos candidate,' told him 'you're not going to be able to insult your way to the presidency,' and ... saying the reality star 'gets his foreign policy experience from the shows.' At one point, a flailing Mr. Trump was left sputtering the aforementioned insults and demanding an apology.... The enduring image was of Mr. Trump, grimacing and shrugging clownishly as he declined to call Mr. Cruz a 'maniac,' as he did last week, or to go after him in any substantive way." ...
... Frank Bruni is not too bad re: the debate. He begins, "Someone needs to explain carpets to Ted Cruz." And, as shallow as Bruni is, he gets that Trump is more so: "Bush more than anyone in any of these debates effectively called Trump out for his galling recklessness, and Trump's responses were as naked a display of his adolescent narcissism as he’s engaged in yet. That's saying something." ...
... Liar, Liar, Liar, Liar. The Washington Post fact-checks someof the candidates' claims. They really will say just anything. And, of course, the so-called moderators always let them get away with lies. I don't blame the moderators for not having facts & numbers at their fingertips, but they do have earbuds & a staff-full of helpers at the ready, some of whom could at least check & allow the moderators to call out the most outrageous claims. Maybe they couldn't do it in real time, but they could come close.
Beyond the Beltway
Adam Nagourney, et al., of the New York Times: "The nation's two largest school systems confronted threats of a terrorist attack on Tuesday and reacted in sharply different ways: New York City reviewed the warning and dismissed it as a hoax, but officials here abruptly shut down all public schools, upending the lives of parents, students and teachers."
Michelle Boorstein of the Washington Post: "High school debate coaches of some of the top Virginia teams are asking authorities to consider moving the sport's annual championship off the Liberty University campus due to recent comments by Liberty President Jerry Falwell Jr. that many saw as threatening to Muslims.... Concerns stem from Falwell's comments in a talk to students this month about terrorism, in which he urged students to arm themselves against 'those Muslims' who might come on campus and do harm. His comments set off enormous cheers among the thousands in attendance."
Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "A Manassas City police detective, who was the lead investigator in a controversial teen 'sexting' case last year, shot and killed himself outside his home Tuesday morning as police tried to arrest him for allegedly molesting two boys he met while coaching youth hockey in Prince William County." And, yes, the cop "sexted" the young boys: "Police said they learned that [David] Abbott had sent inappropriate text messages and emails to a 13-year-old boy he met through the hockey program. By phone and social media, Abbott had been asking the boy for sex acts for more than two years, county police said." Oh, & the "controversial 'sexting'" case? It was a kid sending explicit videos to his girlfriend: the cops then took "a photo of the teen's erect penis, for comparison with the explicit video." Without knowing the facts -- like how receptive the girl was to receiving the videos -- it sounds as if the cops were far worse than the kid.
Way Beyond
Karen DeYoung of the Washington Post: "Saudi Arabia has announced the formation of an 'Islamic military alliance' to combat global terrorism, an effort to respond to Western assertions that it could do more in the fight against the Islamic State and to solidify its claim to leadership of the Sunni world against Shiite Iran.... The [Obama] administration said it welcomed the new alliance."
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Reader Comments (20)
@Nisky Guy wrote in yesterday's thread: "Debate. Ugh. After five hours of driving a U-Haul truck (plus the loading) I checked into my hotel and went to get a small dinner. The debate was on in the bar. It was not the winding down I was looking for. I really wonder what planet these people have been living on for the last seven years with their 'No Leadership' etc. My wife suggests Pluto, which is possible since scientists deny it's a planet."
We had similar experiences. I had been driving, also pulling a trailer, since Monday afternoon, tho I did stop for a couple of nap breaks & another short break to laugh at Donald Trump's so-called medical report. I did have the trailer mostly loaded previously, but I had a whole lot of last-minute stuff to put in my van, which took me all of Monday morning.
I stopped in a hotel last night & turned on the debate, but I couldn't stand it, so I turned it off. Worse, of course, to get stuck in a place where you can't turn it off & where maybe some rubes are cheering on the candidates.
Anyway, my thanks to the brave reporters who watched the debate & reported back. And happy trails to you, Nisky Guy. Looks like we're both on the road again today.
Marie
Frank Bruni (linked above) is correct about Cruz and carpets, but the thing that really pissed me off in that segment of Cruz's response was his saying we should be using the strategy used in the Desert Storm war in the early '90s. I believe he said over a thousand bombing runs a day in Desert Storm as opposed to our current number in the teens, followed by a couple days of ground war that finished it.
But:
Desert Storm was against a state army with uniforms and vehicles that had invaded another country. They didn't exactly blend in.
Desert Storm stopped when the Iraqi army was back inside its own borders. It was diminished but it was not completely destroyed. GHW Bush and company recognized the quagmire that awaited them if they invaded Iraq to eliminate all traces of the army, so they declared victory.
It is frightening that a basic understanding of history can poke holes in a strategy proposed by a candidate with access to military advisers.
@ Marie,
Safe travels to you. Fortunately, nobody was cheering during the debate, and the guy next to me was watching the basketball game on another screen. One couple was watching the debate and shaking their heads, but I think a couple others were nodding.
"One couple was watching the debate and shaking their heads, but I think a couple others were nodding."
~ NiskyGuy
Nodding as in agreement? Or as in nodding off?
I read the Washington Post fact checker article but I don't believe in even one case they lied. A lie requires someone who knows the truth to tell the lie. In every case mentioned in the article I am willing to bet that the candidates never bothered to find out the facts in the first place. I think for the position of POTUS that behavior is far worse than lying.
Watching the debates last night, my handy pad and pen at the ready, I very shortly gave up––not the watching, just the writing. I put my head in my hands and said, "these are children trying to sound like grownups." These are candidates who don't realize the limits of their abilities and have not learned from history––two very crucial things that someone who wants to be President of a nation like ours better damn well know. When Christi described Obama as "a feckless weakling" and said Obama and Hillary have betrayed the American people," I was shocked––shocked that this man whose purchase as governor is in the skids had the balls to say something like this. At least Rand let him have it with the reference to BridgeGate.
It occurred to me throughout these debates that this fear and loathing was right up their alley and cat-nip to all the people who clap the loudest. The fact that you'd have a better chance to get killed in a Walmart by a crazed man with a gun than you would by terrorists is not something these Republicans want to admit. No one mentioned guns––no one.
Safe traveling to our two on the road agains––Marie and Nisky––hope you have some good tunes to help you on the way. My favorite for these times–-"Nothings going to Harm you"–-by Sondheim.
Tried watching the debate(?)...in and out at least three times to see if it would get any better. It didn't! What a bunch of petulant babies...everything is Obama's and Hilliary fault...but 'we ain't got any REAL ideas." Jeb's 'Chaos candidate' a good line, but then he faded fast. No fire in his belly.
Christie: from an expression some friends use, "...he must have brown eyes, as in he's full of s*#t up to here." I can't believe how he continues to elude: Bridgegate Nobody knows nuttin'
Driftglass, once again has the BEST live blogging. http://driftglass.blogspot.com/ Check him out!
Snarky stuff from me, the Prima Donald's tiny mouth twisting truths and spewing ever more idiocy! Playground bully, as many call him, is apt. @Ophelia, didn't notice the jewelry, but hey—what closet did Carly pull the ruffled hemmed skirt from? I thought that 'cutesy' fashion detail had (thankfully) died a few years back. Perhaps, indicative of her out-of-date ideas.
Way past time to winnow the candidates. Too many on stage(s). Wake me up when it is down to three.
Safe travels to everyone on the road...at least there's likely no monsoon-like rain in your path!
Have little to add to others' characterizations of what I saw of last night's debate, adding only the word "spoiled" to PD's remark about children trying to act like adults.
More interested this AM in the unveiling of the House tax and budget plan and what it seems to mean.
See three things going on here. First, by negotiating a package the D's will vote for Ryan is trying to govern. I already know I don't like everything I've read is in the package, but it does not seem a recipe for immediate self destruction, which is where the Tea Party Brats' heads have been (one of the places anyway) for the last few sessions.
Longer term, the budget does contain some worrisome provisions.
On health care, specifically the ACA, I don't see how delaying the Cadillac and medical devices taxes will advance health care coverage for all, which admittedly is my goal, not the R's. In fact by not funding the OCA, it's a step backwards. I'm particularly annoyed by the unions' narrow minded, self-serving position on this matter.
Time for the return of the IWW, One Big Union, methinks.
And on crude oil export, I'll have to sort this one out over time. See this interesting provision reported in the Reuter's story:
"The bill, posted early on Wednesday morning, allows the U.S. president to stop oil exports for one year if he or she declares a national emergency, or an administration declares that the exports are causing a domestic oil shortage or raising U.S. oil prices."
Some leeway here for future adjustment, but right now it's a clear win for Big Oil, something it's always hard for me to get behind.
Maybe I'm my own microcosm on the oil issue. Theoretically, to discourage auto use and promote public transport would like to see gasoline cost at least five bucks a gallon here in the states, BUT filled my tank the other day for about two bucks and loved it. Apparently I don't even know my own mind.
Maybe the faster we get rid of all the oil trapped in our shale, the sooner we'll come to our senses about fossil fuel use, but right now can't predict how exporting our domestic crude will play into this.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
Ken: How we drive and use gas can be entirely in our hands as to how we can conserve. I track my spending habits very carefully, and my entire gas at the pump outlay for this entire year is UNDER (drum roll, please) $235.00. I used to put out well into the four figures annually, I would drive more in a single year...than the total mileage I now have on my 12 year old car. Every trip is now planned in a progressive fashion from point A to B to C to home again jiggety jog.
Hey, when I started driving, gas was $.33 a gallon...and yet I'd often cross the border to buy in New Jersey where it was $.29
I noticed back a few years when gas zoomed up over $4 a gallon that driving was much more pleasant with fewer cars on the road. A higher tax on gas will be necessary to maintain our roadways...but, this is meeting a lot of resistance. Problem is, higher prices seriously affect people who have to drive considerable distances for work...BECAUSE they can't afford to live in closer communities for employment. When one reads about people already paying 50% of their income on rent...Jeebus, what's left for food? utilities? gas?
The higher the price for gas, the hardest it is for people like MAG's example of people of slender means who have to travel far distances, so that a gas tax hike would probably hurt them, too. (But I favor that–-our infrastructure needs fixing badly) Mass transit would fix that problem somewhat or/and car pools. The lower the price for gas the more people drive and those that have those huge vans are celebrating. I wonder how many calculate their driving expeditions like MAG ––we live in a car crazed country where driving is like breathing.
There are always pro and cons––but Ken's, "it's a clear win for big oil" has been going on far too long. We'll need to change our ways, but I'll probably be dead before that happens.
"FBI:
San Bernardino Shooters Didn't Post Jihad Support on Social Media"
According To The Daily Beast -
http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/2015/12/16/fbi-san-bernardino-shooters-didn-t-post-jihad-support-on-fb.html
&
New York Mag -
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/12/san-bernardino-shooting-update.html
Happy Trails Marie & Nisky Guy!
From the NYT:
Wheaton College Professor Is Put on Leave After Remarks on Islam:Wheaton College, an evangelical Christian institution, has disciplined a professor who put on a head scarf in solidarity with Muslims and said they worship the “same God” as Christians.
Apparently not respecting others or telling the truth is an 'evangelical' sin.
The real monied power brokers must be getting very nervous. I suspect J Bush (The Concept) was given an ultimatum to show up last night or it will be Rubio. I suspect his test, as dictated by the funding power, is to rid the contest of Trump.
Lots has been written about Cruz's close resemblance to a reptile with greasy hair. He is much too unpleasant a person, without any mitigating factors, to secure the nomination. Now I think Reagan was a pathetic fake, but he fooled a lot of people. Not so much Cruz.
As was the case in the last cycle, Rubio can't carry the Hispanic vote on the strength of being Cuban. Much of the Cuban voting block (Florida) votes contrary to Hispanics of other Latin heritage.
I sincerely hope the GOP candidates continue to create chaos. The longer it takes to select a candidate, the more fractious the party. I had a good laugh about Ryan saying he would back the candidate, even Trump. Then came the "but". The GOP in Congress would really be running things.
As the election nears, Hilary will look more and more competent without doing too much. As I've said before, she's got to keep Bill in a tightly controlled box the rest of the way. I hope he can manage to keep his mouth and his pants zipped up.
Senator checking if Ted Cruz if Ted Cruz released classified info. during debates.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ted-cruz-debate_56719749e4b0dfd4bcc026d4
Diane and all re the Cruz Countenance,
As, I'm sure, many of you, when I was very young my mother used to tell me that if I made a silly or ugly face it would stick there and I'd have to live with it forever after.
I've often wondered; what if Ted's mom had just hauled off and slapped that simpering, smug, self righteous smirk off of his his face? I think she'd have done him a world of good. Who knows? He may have even grown up to be a fairly decent human being.
Alas, we'll never know. sigh...
Back home after many miles. All went well until All Things Considered started and the host said: "The word for last night's debate is 'substantive.' " I nearly drove off the road. Mercy.
@NiskyGuy. Manure is substantive.
"Although there were many contenders, the prize for ahistorical gobbledygook should probably go to Marco Rubio, who said, “In 2013, we had never faced a crisis like the Syrian refugee crisis now. Up until that point, a refugee meant someone fleeing oppression, fleeing Communism like it is in my community.” Are Syrians not fleeing oppression? Whatever Rubio thinks the essential distinction is, refugees fleeing wars have been arriving in America since before Marx wrote “The Communist Manifesto.” Many of them professed faiths, wore clothing, or spoke languages that at first set them apart. The story of the Syrian refugees is a very American one—the kind that, at the debate, seemed very much forgotten."
Amy Davidson–-The New Yorker
A VIEW FROM "THE NATION" -
<< There Was No Winner in the GOP Debate, but There Was One Clear Loser: The American Public . . .
A night of fear-mongering and Obama-hating didn’t do anything to dislodge Trump from his perch atop the party. >>
By Joan Walsh
Twitter / Today / 10:44 AM
http://www.thenation.com/article/there-was-no-winner-in-the-gop-debate-but-there-was-one-clear-loser-the-american-public/
Yeah, Big Oil continues to bring us so much to be grateful for....
....like a little humor (in this case more directly brought to me by a daughter-in-law). Enjoy. It might make you forget last night's
Repug's debate:
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f915f908cc/climate-change-deniers-anthem?_cc=__m___&_ccid=i4j3ke.nzh41w