The Commentariat -- December 27
My column in today's New York Times eXaminer: "If it’s Tuesday, it must be time for David Brooks to tell us that government doesn’t work and Americans are immoral." The NYTX front page is here. ...
... Dean Baker in the New York Times eXaminer on Brooks' complaint that our economy is no longer nearly as "vibrant" as it was a 100 years ago: "The fact that factories can produce large amounts of output with 100 workers is in fact evidence of economic vibrancy, not the opposite. This is called 'productivity growth.' It is the main measure of the economy’s ability to raise living standards through time. The fact that 100 people in a factory can produce the same output as 1000 people did 30 years ago means that we are potentially much richer than we were 30 years ago. We can have the other 900 people doing other productive work. Alternatively, we can all work many fewer hours."
Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times: "Largely insulated from the country’s economic downturn since 2008, members of Congress — many of them among the '1 percenters' denounced by Occupy Wall Street protesters — have gotten much richer even as most of the country has become much poorer in the last six years.... Congress ... has long been populated with the rich.... But rarely has the divide appeared so wide, or the public contrast so stark, between lawmakers and those they represent.... Members of Congress are getting richer compared not only with the average American worker, but also with other very rich Americans."
Ethan Bronner of the New York Times: "An Israeli television station reported last spring on numerous trips had taken as an elected official to Paris, London and New York before becoming prime minister in 2009. Accompanied by his wife, he flew first class and stayed in baronial hotel suites.... The bills, displayed on screen, were paid for by wealthy friends.... But instead of accolades for its journalism, Channel 10 is now fighting for its life, and Mr. Netanyahu’s hostility toward it is being cast as part of a broader cultural and political war in between the left and the right involving efforts to control the judiciary, the reporting of news and public discourse."
Right Wing World
Barbara Morrill of Daily Kos: "Last week, [Ron] Paul walked out during an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger after being asked about the newsletters, saying'"I didn’t write them, I disavow them, That’s it.' Uh huh." This week, the Huff Post found 1996 newspaper items like this: "He [Paul] said he has written 'thousands of items' during the past 20 years and that releasing these materials would be impractical." As Morrill writes, "Busted." ...
... Joan McCarter of Daily Kos: according to former Ron Paul staffer Eric Dondero, Paul loves teh gays; Dr. Paul is just petrified to use "gay toilets." He's a doctor! A medical doctor! ...
... Here's Dondero's full statement, which he released to Right Wing News. ...
... John Cole of Balloon Juice comments. ...
... Former Bush II speechwriter David Frum, in a long post for CNN: "The daffy old coot side of Ron Paul's personality is genuine enough. The crank side is certainly genuine, as are at least some of the racial views. Even after Paul abandoned the crude race-baiting of his 1990s newsletters, he continued to engage in elaborate apologetics for the Confederate side of the Civil War. Also genuine, however, is the huckster aspect of the Ron Paul persona." CW: the long knives are out. ...
... CW: Andrew Sullivan, who is wrong about almost everything except gay rights, un-endorses Ron Paul, but not strongly enough, IMHO.
Speaking of Liars. Alan Cole of CNN: "Newt Gingrich claims that it was his first wife, not Gingrich himself, who wanted their divorce in 1980, but court documents obtained by CNN appear to show otherwise.... 'It was (Jackie Gingrich) that requested the divorce, not Newt,' the [Gingrich] campaign website said.... After initially being told that the divorce documents were sealed, CNN on Thursday obtained the folder containing the filings in the divorce.... Newt Gingrich filed a divorce complaint on July 14, 1980, in Carroll County, [Georgia].... 'Defendant shows that she has adequate and ample grounds for divorce, but that she does not desire one at this time,' her petition said." ...
NEW. Jonathan Karl of ABC News: Newt 
RomneyCare.
News Ledes
New York Times: "A senior Iranian official on Tuesday delivered a sharp threat in response to economic sanctions being readied by the United States, saying his country would retaliate against any crackdown by blocking all oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for transporting about one-fifth of the world’s oil supply."
Washington Post: "Sen. Ben Nelson, the Nebraska Democrat who built an image as a moderating influence on his party, announced Tuesday that he will not seek reelection in 2012, improving Republican chances of winning the seat and taking control of the Senate in 2013."
New York Times: "The Kremlin on Tuesday announced the reassignment of Vladislav Y. Surkov, the architect of the highly centralized political system that has come under waves of protest from middle-class Muscovites over the last month. Mr. Surkov, a former advertising prodigy, coined the term 'sovereign democracy' to describe his system, which preserved the electoral process but hollowed out institutions capable of challenging the Kremlin’s power."
Al Jazeera: "Israel has launched multiple airstrikes in the Gaza strip, killing a former fighter and wounding at least 10 others, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli rocket hit a car parked next to a motorcycle belonging to the man. Islamic Jihad, a Palestinian group, says he was a former member. Another airstrike hit a Hamas police vehicle and injured an officer and four others." ...
... Haaretz: "The Israel Air Force conducted a second strike of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, just hours after the Israeli army confirmed it targeted a terror operative in the coastal strip. A statement by the IDF Spokesman's Office said that the second strike targeted a global Jihad terror cell in the northern Strip that was planning to attack the western part of Israel's border with Egypt."
New York Times: " said Tuesday that he would nominate Jeremy C. Stein, a Harvard economist, and Jerome H. Powell, a former private equity executive, to fill the two vacant seats on the ’s board. The pairing of Professor Stein, a Democrat, and Mr. Powell, a Republican, is a carefully weighted gesture, a pragmatic attempt to satisfy Senate Republicans who have repeatedly refused to allow votes on nominees for regulatory positions."
New York Times: "The Syrian government pulled tanks from the streets of Homs on Tuesday as observers arrived in the besieged city to monitor pledges by the government to withdraw troops and heavy weapons from residential areas." Al Jazeera story here. ...
... Al Jazeera Update: "Syrian government forces have reportedly fired tear gas and live rounds at thousands of protesters in Homs, as Arab League monitors finished their first day of observation in the city that has been the centre of the anti-government protest movement." With video.
Reuters: "Retailer Sears Holdings Corp said it plans to close 100-120 Kmart and Sears Full-line stores and expects its adjusted fourth-quarter EBITDA to more than halve from a year ago. The company reported $933 million in adjusted fourth-quarter earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization last year." AP story (via NYT) here.
AP: "Britain's Prince Philip returned to the royal family's country estate Tuesday, after a spell in the hospital undergoing treatment for a blocked coronary artery." Guardian story here.
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