The Commentariat -- December 19
My column in the New York Times eXaminer: "Ross Douthat decided early on to use his New York Times real estate to build the Church of Ross, which happens to be a Roman Catholic Church masquerading as an op-ed column.... Douthat usually does try to pretend he’s doing something other than scaring the bejeezus into his hapless readers, so in yesterday’s column he ostensibly wrote about the passing of celebrity writer Christopher Hitchens." The NYTX front page is here. ...
... Charles Pierce of Esquire was a little more put out by Douthat than was I. Here's his hilarious take: "For the sheer magnitude of its horsepucky, this column may well stand forever. Generations yet unborn will come and read it, just to stare out of the magnificent vista of presumption, self-regard, and tinpot piety the way people bring their children to look at the Grand Canyon." (And, damn, I can't believe I missed that plagiarism from The Dead, one of the finest novellas ever written. I take that back -- Douthat only borrowed one phrase, and it's a fairly generic one: "the living and the dead.")
One More Way Money Corrupts Washington: Prof. Thomas Edsall, in a New York Times op-ed: Former Democratic Members of Congress are among the top Washington lobbyists for the usual suspects. "... most incumbent members [of Congress], as they go about their daily routine of casting votes and attending committee meetings, must have in the back of their minds an awareness that they are likely to go into the influence-peddling business in the future. This knowledge inevitably influences – and arguably corrupts – their votes on legislation crucial to the interests most likely to hire them after they leave the halls of Congress."
There are only two choices for the House Republicans at this point. Pass this bipartisan compromise or else they alone will be responsible for letting taxes rise on the middle class. -- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) ...
... Annie Lowrey of the New York Times: "Economists are warning that the looming expiration of a temporary payroll tax cut — and the possibility that Congress will not extend it — would cause families to spend less and could sap strength from a fragile recovery." CW: ... which is exactly what Congressional Republicans want.
Freedom du Lac of the Washington Post: David Emanuel Hickman was the last American to die in the Iraq War. "Hickman, 23, was killed in Baghdad by a roadside bomb that ripped through his armored truck Nov. 14 — eight years, seven months and 25 days after the U.S. invasion of Iraq began."
Vaclav Havel, 1936-2011. New Yorker photo.
In his honor, may I say, as loudly as I can: Ronald Reagan Did Not Win The Cold War. RIP. -- Charles Pierce ...
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) in the New Jersey Star-Ledger: "Since my vote in favor of the Defense of Marriage Act 15 years ago, like tens of millions of Americans, I have reflected deeply and frequently about this issue.... So today, I am announcing my support for the Respect for Marriage Act, which repeals DOMA and ensures that all lawfully married couples — including same-sex couples — receive the benefits of marriage under federal law."
Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "As [Attorney General Eric] Holder’s third year as attorney general draws to a close, no member of ’s cabinet has drawn more partisan criticism. In an interview last week, Mr. Holder said he had no intention of resigning before the administration’s term was up, although he said he had made no decision about whether he would continue after 2012 should the president win re-election.
Paul Krugman: "China ... is emerging as another danger spot in a world economy that really, really doesn’t need this right now."
To get yourself in the holiday spirit, you won't want to miss the toy collection Fred Drumlevitch has assembled. He doesn't even include the usual horrible stuff. The theme here: teach your children well -- so they'll grow up to respect police brutality.
Evan Osnos of the New Yorker: "Kim Jong-il's ... failing health had been an official secret and a transparent fiction — the final act of a life lived in lies from his earliest childhood." ...
... AND Seth Abramovitch of Gawker treats us to "the ten most insane delusions of Kim Jong-il."
Right Wing World
The New Lazy, Unemployed Welfare Queens (Just Might Be the Republican Base). Mark Schmidt in The New Republic: "... in their zeal to shift the blame for joblessness to the jobless, House Republicans seem to have forgotten everything they should know about Unemployment Insurance, recasting it as if it were welfare. Strangely, many of the victims of this move are likely to be the GOP’s core constituency — UI beneficiaries are overwhelmingly white, middle-class, and older — and it’s hard to believe they’ll take kindly to the idea that they only have themselves to blame for their current hardship."
Alexander Bolton of The Hill: "Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Saturday afternoon blocked more than 50 judicial and executive branch nominees, demanding assurances that President Obama not make recess appointments during Christmas break. Republicans are wary of Obama appointing a director to the new agency tasked with implementing Wall Street reform during the congressional recess." ...
... Steve Benen: "We’re talking about Senate confirmation of qualified officials to serve in important government posts, who would be confirmed easily if given a vote.... Because the Senate Minority Leader says so, the Senate won’t be able to complete its legal responsibilities unless the president agrees not to use his legal authority."
Nicholas Confessore, et al., of the New York Times: "In what would be the final deal of his private equity career, [Mitt Romney] negotiated a retirement agreement with his former partners [at Bain Capital] that has paid him a share of Bain’s profits ever since.... The arrangement allowed Mr. Romney to pursue his career in public life while enjoying much of the financial upside of being a Bain partner as the company grew.... In the process, Bain continued to buy and restructure companies, potentially leaving Mr. Romney exposed to further criticism.... Moreover, much of his income from the arrangement has probably qualified for a lower tax rate than ordinary income under a tax provision favorable to hedge fund and private equity managers...." ...
... Paul Krugman: "... when Romney declares that Obama has been apologizing for America, or bowing to foreign leaders, or that he believes in American decline, he’s playing into right-wing fantasies. This, the right believes, is what a liberal sounds like.... But Romney ... [is] counting on the media either to cover up his lies, or pretend that both sides do it." ...
... AND from an exchange Romney had with Fox "News"' Chris Wallace, here's what Steve Benen learned: "Romney thinks $1,000 a year [via Obama's proposed tax cut] is a 'band-aid,' but $167 [via Romney's proposed tax plan] helps families make 'a brighter future.' The other problem here is simple dishonesty. Romney has spent the last several months telling voters his plan is focused on 'tax cuts for the middle class,' and he doesn’t intend to 'waste time trying to get tax cuts for wealthy people.' The reality, of course, is the exact opposite — Romney supports major tax breaks for the very wealthy, and as he conceded yesterday on Fox News, isn’t much focused on tax cuts for the middle class at all."
NEW. Jim Newell of Gawker on Newt Gingrich's precipitous drop in the polls: "When Gingrich was around 40% in the polls everywhere, his boost came largely from seniors — the ones who would be most likely to remember his catastrophic tenure as House Speaker. And yet they didn't, because now after just a few basic attack ads raising approximately .000000001% of the terrible, public information about Newt Gingrich, he's in free fall. What the hell, gramps?"
News Ledes
New York Times: "AT&T said on Monday afternoon that it had withdrawn its $39 billion takeover bid for T-Mobile USA, acknowledging that it could not overcome opposition from the Obama administration to creating the nation’s biggest cellphone service provider."
New York Times: "’s Shiite-dominated government was thrown into crisis on Monday night as authorities issued an arrest warrant for the Sunni vice president, accusing him of running a personal death squad that assassinated security officials and government bureaucrats. The sensational charges against Tariq al-Hashimi, one of the country’s most prominent Sunni leaders, threatened to inflame widening sectarian and political conflicts in Iraq...."
New York Times: "The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would devote three days in late March to hearing arguments in challenges to the 2010 health care overhaul law. A decision in the case is expected by the end of June."
Slam Dunk? Maybe Not. Wired: "A day after a government forensic expert testified that he’d found thousands of diplomatic cables on the Army computer of suspected WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning, he was forced to admit under cross-examination that none of the cables he compared to the ones WikiLeaks released matched.... The defense also established that it’s possible Manning’s computer could have been used by someone else...." ...
... Or Maybe So. Update: "A government digital forensic expert examing the computer of accused WikiLeaks source Bradley Manning retrieved communications between Manning and an online chat user identified on Manning’s computer as 'Julian Assange,' the name of the founder of the secret-spilling site that published hundreds of thousands of U.S. diplomatic cables."
Public Policy Polling: "Newt Gingrich's campaign is rapidly imploding, and Ron Paul has now taken the lead in Iowa. He's at 23% to 20% for Mitt Romney, 14% for Gingrich, 10% each for Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Perry, 4% for Jon Huntsman, and 2% for Gary Johnson."
New York Times: ", the North Korean leader who realized his family’s dream of turning his starving country into a minor nuclear-weapons power even as the isolated nation sank further into despotism, died on Saturday of a heart attack, according to the country’s state-run media." ...
... New York Times: "The death of provoked uncertainty, anxiety and calls for a peaceful succession on Monday as governments within the region and beyond awaited some signal from about its nuclear intentions and the prospects, if any, for a new relationship with the world beyond its borders."
Yesterday's News Bear Repeating. Washington Post: "The fate of a payroll tax cut extension backed by the White House and overwhelmingly passed by the Senate is uncertain after a restive House Republican conference expressed displeasure with the two-month deal. Faced with the uprising on his right flank, House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) retreated Sunday from his previous support for the package, saying the House does not expect to approve that plan on Monday night after it returns to Washington." ...
... Update: "Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid on Monday rejected a demand from House Speaker John A. Boehner to reopen negotiations on a measure to extend a payroll tax cut, setting the Democratic-majority Senate on a collision course with the Republican-controlled House as a year-end deadline approaches. With a deadlock over the measure looming, Reid (D-Nev.) warned that millions of Americans could see their taxes rise by $1,000 next year because of what he called the 'intransigence' of GOP House members." New York Times story here.
New York Times: "A tense showdown between Pakistan’s powerful army and its besieged civilian government brought President hurrying back from Dubai early on Monday, after weeks of growing concerns by his supporters that the military has been moving to strengthen its role in the country’s governance."
New York Times: "Prince Walid bin Talal of Saudi Arabia announced a $300 million stake in the social media site Twitter, as the billionaire expands his holdings in the United States.The investment by Prince Walid and his investment company, Kingdom Holding, represents roughly 3 percent of the company."
Reuters: "Thousands of Czechs streamed through Prague Castle and the historical city centre on Monday to write condolences and bid farewell to Vaclav Havel, the playwright who became president after leading a "Velvet Revolution" to topple Communist rule."
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