The Commentariat -- Jan. 11, 2015
Internal links, color swatch & photo removed.
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Thomas Frank is here to annoy us one last time. ...
... CW: What's the Matter with Thomas Frank? For one thing, he relies on the "great man" theory -- that American politics is all about Obama, as if Max Baucus (now exiled to Siberia China) & Ted Cruz didn't exist. For another: Frank makes up stuff: "... enforcing party discipline is a job for the punditry...," as if columnists never criticized President Obama or his factotums Tim Geithner & Larry Summers. For a third, he dismisses certain inconvenient factors as immaterial or rationalizations even as he acknowledges them: "the reactionary white working class," "the incorrigible South": this is a good rhetorical trick, but it's a trick. Fourth, he generalizes what's wrong with the punditry by, ferinstance, citing as an example Lanny Davis. Lanny Davis? Puh-leze. All of this hoo-hah undermines any valid points that Frank may make: about Obama's & the Democrats' coziness with Wall Street, about their failure to propose solutions to inequality, etc.
Darlene Superville of the AP: "Continuing the break with State of the Union tradition, President Barack Obama will spend most of the coming week previewing more of the proposals he will outline in the address, including on identity theft, electronic privacy and cybersecurity, the White House announced Saturday."
Scott Lemieux has an excellent post on the history of "Republican health-care plans." Lemieux argues, case by case, that there is no such thing. CW: I think he's right, and I had not figured this out before.
Orange Squish. Charles Babington of the AP: "Die-hard House conservatives bungled a coup against House Speaker John Boehner but now look like winners, pushing Republicans farther right. Rather than punish and isolate those who opposed him as leader, Boehner surprised many on Friday by embracing an immigration plan that's tougher than lawmakers had expected." ...
... New York Times: Speaker John Boehner returned to Washington last week "showcasing a very deep winter-recess tan burnished at his new condominium in Marco Island, Fla." The Sherwin-Williams Color Visualizer "found us the closest matches: 'Spicy Hue' and 'Husky Orange,' the latter of which fits nicely with Mr. Boehner's recent description of himself: 'I am not a squish.'"
In other Florida news, Gal Lotan of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel: "George Zimmerman faces charges of aggravated assault with a weapon after allegedly throwing a bottle of wine at his girlfriend earlier this week, according to his lawyer. Zimmerman, 31, was arrested Friday night in Lake Mary where he is currently living, but his attorney Don West said the fight involving his girlfriend happened four or five days ago.... Zimmerman stood before Judge John Galluzzo Saturday morning when a $5,000 bond was set. Zimmerman, who is currently unemployed, bonded out of jail at 12:25 p.m.... Galluzzo told Zimmerman that he had until Tuesday to surrender any firearms in his possession to a family member or a third party. The judge also ordered Zimmerman to stay out of Volusia County and to have no contact with the victim." Thanks to James S. for the lead. ...
... Hudson Hongo of Gawker reminds us of Zimmerman's recent brushes with the law. ...
... CW: It's worth remembering that Zimmerman, who has had numerous brushes for the law for violent offenses, long wanted to be a policeman. In 2009, he applied to be a police officer in Prince Williams County, Virginia. The county rejected him because of his bad credit history. Later, he attended a Seminole County, Florida, Sheriff's course on citizen's law enforcement. Pedro Oliveira of the New York Post: "George Zimmerman has placed at least 46 calls to 911 in the last eight years. In the last year, his calls focused on blacks in his gated community." Zimmerman never attained his career goal, but I suspect he is a "type" of police academy applicant. Some police forces probably recognize this type & cull them because of their attitudes. But many people with views similar to Zimmerman's probably have become police officers in forces throughout the country.
Brooks Hays of UPI: "On New Year's Eve, officers with the New York City Police Department failed to issue a single citation in Times Square -- one million partygoers, zero tickets.... Zero isn't just the total of minor offenses ticketed on New Years Eve, it's the total for the entirety of the holiday week, from December 28 through January 3." ...
... Nicholas Kristof: "WELCOME visitors to New York City! This has been the best time ever to urinate on a street, sneak onto the subway or run a red light, for the police force has been on a virtual strike."
General BetrayUs. David Atkins in the Washington Monthly: "It wasn't quite so long ago that Congress saw the need to censure MoveOn.org's childish 'Betray Us' ad in order to 'strongly condemn personal attacks on the honor and integrity of General Petraeus.' It turns out that the honor and integrity quotient wasn't that high after all, not just in his personal life but also as matter of national security.... [Its' a mistake] to put a human being on a pedestal and insist that anyone is above attacks on their honor and integrity. General Petraeus clearly wasn't, and it's more than a little ironic that he's now in danger of felony charges for actually betraying national security secrets." ...
... It's Obama's Fault. Michael Walsh of the right-wing PJ Tattler: "There has got to be a lot more to this story of David Petraeus.... How likely is it that the man who at one point posed a possibly potent challenge to President Obama's re-election changes had he chosen to return from the Middle East and run for the GOP nomination, and then was stashed in Langley by that same Obama administration in order to get him out of the way, and then was suddenly felled by a sex scandal, could be in such trouble? Somebody in the White House plays very. very rough."
David Sirota in Salon provides an excellent examples of how Republicans redistribute wealth from the middle class to the rich -- starring Govs. Sam Brownback & Chris Christie. "The tepid response to this kind of wealth transfer suggests that for all the angry rhetoric about redistribution you might hear on talk radio, cable TV and in the halls of Congress, the political and media class is perfectly fine with redistribution -- as long as the cash flows from the 99 percent to the 1 percent, and not the other way around."
God News
Fredrick Nzwili of Religion News Service: "International rights groups, churches and activists are escalating campaigns against female genital mutilation now that a new practice has emerged in which girls are checking into hospitals to have the procedure. In what being referred to as the medicalization of FGM, doctors, nurses and other health practitioners are secretly performing the procedures at the request of families." ...
... David Gibson of Religion News Service: "Cardinal Raymond Burke, a senior American churchman in Rome who has been one of the most outspoken critics of Pope Francis' push for reform, is ... arguing that the Catholic Church has become too 'feminized.' Burke, who was recently demoted from the Vatican's highest court to a ceremonial philanthropic post, also pointed to the introduction of altar girls for why fewer men are joining the priesthood. 'Young boys don't want to do things with girls. It's just natural,' Burke said in an interview published on Monday (Jan. 5). 'I think that this has contributed to a loss of priestly vocations.'" CW: It's unnatural for young men to do things with girls. That's what I thought.
Josephine McKenna of Religion News Service: "Archbishop Oscar Romero, the hero of the Catholic left who was assassinated in 1980 while celebrating Mass in El Salvador, is inching one step closer to sainthood after his case languished in bureaucratic limbo for decades.... Romero's cause was started nearly two decades ago when St. John Paul II gave him the title of Servant of God in 1997. But his case never advanced amid lingering Vatican suspicion of Liberation Theology, an economically progressive approach to Catholicism that flourished under Romero and was suppressed by both John Paul and Benedict XVI." ...
... ** Charles Pierce on Saint Oscar Romero.
Daniel Strauss of TPM: "The Grand Synagogue of Paris did not host Shabbat services and closed Friday for security reasons, the first time that's happened since World War II. The Synagogue, the largest place of worship for those of the Jewish faith in Paris, was closed Friday amid the ongoing efforts by French authorities to hunt down the suspects involved in terrorist attacks around the city. The attacks started with shootings of staff of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo." Via Steve Benen.
David Gibson: "As Florida became the latest state to legalize same-sex marriage this week, Miami [Roman Catholic] Archbishop Thomas Wenski sent a memo to all church employees reiterating that any expressions of support for gay marriage -- even if it's only a tweet or Facebook post -- could cost them their jobs." ...
... BUT. David Gibson: "A Belgian bishop [Johan Bonny of Antwerp] who has been touted as a future leader of that country's Catholic hierarchy is making waves by urging the church to find ways to recognize gay relationships in which 'exclusivity, loyalty, and care are central to each other.'"
Michelle Boorstein & Annys Shin of the Washington Post: "A top Episcopal bishop turned herself in to Baltimore police Friday after being charged in the death of a bicyclist with manslaughter, leaving the scene, driving under the influence of alcohol and texting while driving. Heather Elizabeth Cook, 58, was driving her 2001 Subaru on Roland Avenue in Baltimore on the afternoon of Dec. 27 when she veered into the bike lane where Thomas Palermo, a father of two, was riding, Baltimore City State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement Friday." Read the whole article. This was not Cook's first DUI.
Special Congressional Election
Rachel Shapiro of Staten Island Live: "District Attorney Daniel Donovan has been selected as the Republican Party candidate on Staten Island for the empty congressional seat. Party Chairman John Antoniello selected Donovan after interviewing him, as well as Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, on Saturday morning with executive committee members. Party bylaws allow the chairman to be the sole determiner of the party candidate in this case." It's not quite a done deal, as the Congressional district covers part of Brooklyn, too, & the party chair there has a say. But Donovan will almost certainly be the nominee. ...
... CW: It appears that on Staten Island there's a big payoff for letting a killer-copy walk. ...
... Tom Wrobleski of SI Live comments on Donovan's "sotto voce announcement," which I mentioned in yesterday's Commentariat.
Congressional Race 2016
** Welfare Queens, Revived! Jud Lounsbury of Uppity Wisconsin: "U.S. Senator Ron Johnson, you know -- the guy who got rich by finding someone to support him, has a pearl of wisdom for all the working single moms out there: If she wants to 'increase her take-home pay' instead of having yet 'another child out of wedlock' to increase her welfare windfall, she should instead 'find someone to support her.' Johnson is quick to admit that he stole this incredibly sexist riff comes from his uber-misogynist pal, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman. But some things are so awesome, that you just have to use them yourself!.... Johnson and Grothman's modern redux of the 'welfare queen' has been rated 'Mostly False' by Politifact and was given 'Two Pinocchios' by the Washington Post's fact checker." With video. Read the whole post. Via capper of Crooks & Liars, who has more to say on Johnson. CW: I would take Johnson's phony welfare-queen schtick as both sexist and racist.
Presidential Election
"Awk-ward!" Philip Rucker & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: The battle between Jeb & Mitt (not their real names) is on. "Bush has been trying to consolidate support among establishment donors, leaders and operatives since announcing in December that he would begin laying the groundwork for a likely campaign.... But on Friday, Romney sought to slam the brakes on Bush, telling about 30 powerful donors that he, too, was seriously considering a 2016 bid. 'I want to be president,' he said, adding that his wife, Ann, was supportive. Romney has begun methodically calling donors, staff members and endorsers from his two prior campaigns to measure how deep his reservoir of support would be if he runs for a third time, his advisers said. He also has scheduled a series of public speeches...."
Dan Balz attends a focus group (of voters from across the political spectrum) in Aurora, Colorado. Jeb? Nope. Hillary? Not so much. Rand Paul? Maybe. Elizabeth Warren? Yes!
Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "The Iowa straw poll has survived. Despite calls for the Republican Party of Iowa to abandon this quirky tradition -- which, opponents say, unfairly hurts some candidates and detracts from the state's first-in-the-nation caucuses a few months later -- the group's central committee voted 16 to 0 on Saturday to begin planning a straw poll." CW: Sure hope Michele Bachmann wins again.
News Ledes
New York Times: "More than a million people joined over 40 presidents and prime ministers on the streets of Paris on Sunday in the most striking show of solidarity in the West against the threat of Islamic extremism since the Sept. 11 attacks. Responding to terrorist strikes that killed 17 people in France and riveted worldwide attention, Jews, Muslims, Christians, atheists and people of all races, ages and political stripes swarmed central Paris beneath a bright blue sky, calling for peace and an end to violent extremism." ...
... AFP: "A German tabloid that paid tribute to those killed at Charlie Hebdo by reprinting cartoons from the French satirical paper mocking the Prophet Mohammed was firebombed Sunday, police said."
AP: "Two members of the famed Tuskegee Airmen have died in Los Angeles. Relatives say Clarence E. Huntley Jr. and Joseph Shambrey, both 91, died last Monday in their Los Angeles homes. Huntley and Shambrey were friends who enlisted together in 1942. They served as mechanics in Italy during World War II and kept the planes of the all-black squadron in the air."
New York Times: "Anita Ekberg, who became an international symbol of lush beauty and unbridled sensuality in the 1960 Federico Fellini film 'La Dolce Vita,' died on Sunday in Rocca di Papa, southeast of Rome. She was 83."
New York Times: "Robert Stone, who wrote ambitious award-winning novels about errant Americans in dangerous circumstances or on existential quests -- or both -- as a commentary on an unruly, wayward nation in the Vietnam era and beyond, died on Saturday at his winter home in Key West, Fla."
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Reader Comments (18)
I was talking with an old Wisconsin friend last night about "the good old days"--which were when "Fighting" Bob LaFollette ran the show in Wisconsin. I know we can never go back, but neither of us can figure out how present day Wisconsin is faring so badly. The fact that Rojo beat Russ Feinstein and took over his Senate seat is absolutely galling.
Back in the days even Republicans in Wisconsin were quite bright, educated and civil. I remember Governor Kohler (yeah faucets and stuff), because we used to go sledding down "Governor's Hill" which was his back yard, and he did not mind a bit. I understand from friends, who still live nearby, that Scott Walker is a most unfriendly neighbor.
Must say--I am glad I left Wisconsin when I did. It has been heartbreaking to see what has happened to the state of my childhood. There is no going back for me.
Being in France and being immersed in the "Je suis Charlie" debate/controversy, I came across this article which is an interview with the American cartoonist Robert Crumb who's been living in France for about 20 years now. He gives his take on the events and also gives a very pessimistic view on the "journalism" practiced in the US, which wouldn't surprise anyone here as Marie et al. call out the fakers on a daily basis.
What I found most interesting, trying to compare the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine to an American equivalent, Crumb essentially says there is no equivalent. He points to the underground comics in the '70s (which I must admit I haven't read) but trying to think of one on my own I couldn't think of any close equivalents. We have the comedy shows of Colbert and Stewart which are an American original and France doesn't have anything equivalent, but even their shows don't cover the breadth of issues and cut so close to the bone while criticizing.
Anyone got any ideas of some underground magazines/journals/whatever that could be compared to the American version of "Charlie Hebdo"?
http://observer.com/2015/01/legendary-cartoonist-robert-crumb-on-the-massacre-in-paris/
I'm having a weird day. I have been a fan of only one NFL team since I was a child, the NY Giants. Yet today I am seriously a Green Bay Packers fan. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I live in NJ.
Re; I think I've spotted a problem;
'Young boys don’t want to do things with girls. It’s just natural,' Burke said in an interview published on Monday (Jan. 5).
Eight billion of us beg to differ.
Recently an imam in Iraqi Kurdistan issued a fatwa against genital mutilation to great effect. Looks like the religious leaders of the world (see above re: Catholic divisions) ain't on the same page. And it looks like that's a good thing. And here's another good thing:
"Muslims are donating $100,000 to provide assistance to Detroit residents facing water shutoffs or recovering from recent flooding.
The Michigan Muslim Community Council has partnered with Islamic Relief USA, the largest Muslim charity organization in the country, to help thousands of households at risk of having their water shut off. The grant will be divided between the Detroit Water Fund, United Way of Southeastern Michigan and Wayne Metro Community Council."
"The organizations are hoping to encourage others to follow suit:
"We are hoping this is going to be contagious," Anwar Khan, CEO of Islamic Relief USA, said in a statement. "The most important thing we have is not our money, it's our energy and our enthusiasm, and it's our people. … Also, it is important to us in our faith to help our neighbors. It is a part of our faith to help our friends."
@Kate: You know my sentiments mirror yours. I was always proud of my home state––always talked it up decades after I left for good. Now I grieve for what used to be. We girls (in my gang) while in High School dated the Kohler boys and one my friends married Peter Kohler and had something like six kids. The town of Kohler is a fascinating study of elitism and are you telling me that Scott Walker lives there?
P.S. Ron Johnson has got to be one of the most ignorant, arrogant pissants sitting in Congress.
@Kate Madison & PD Pepe: Joe McCarthy.
Marie
Since it's Sunday and it's the Lord's Day I'm posting a link to a most amusing and unsettling piece in the NYRB––"To Heaven and Back." It is surprising to me that we have, according to a poll taken on this, 5 percent of Americans who have died (sort of) and returned to tell us all about those heavenly experiences. Who knew? There are a plethora of books on the market on these near death tales––even one who claims you will be able to reconnect with your dead pets who are romping around up in heaven licking the hand of John the Baptist who feeds them.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2014/oct/23/heaven-and-back/?insrc=toc
@Marie: Don't remind me.
Yes Cardinal Raymond Burke, there are a group of young men who have no interest in girls. Interesting that you think this has something to do with the priesthood. Maybe your decision to join the priesthood.
Marie, Kate, and Pepe--
Joe McCarthy was a long time ago. So was LaFollette, I guess. I don't remember either of them. I do remember when Wisconsin neighbors could talk about politics without wanting to slit each others' throats, when we had two capital city newspapers which kept politicians honest, when I was proud to say I was from Wisconsin even though most people thought it meant I was an uncultured hick. I also remember when winters were really cold--oh, wait...
I love my state and I don't want to leave it
just because some petty pol wants to destroy it so he can puff himself up. Besides,
Scott Walker is making a serious bid for the presidency. Every day the local papers have another story about it, and I'm horrified to see that some national papers (WaPo) are touting him too. I have some shame that my state is his jumping off point, but it really has more to do with funding, the media, and the general republican wave than it does with Wisconsin voters. If he gets the nomination, or God forbid, the presidency, everyone will share the blame, not just the Badgers.
Go Pack, Go! Pepe--for the first time in my life, I could accept a Packer loss just so I wouldn't have to watch you-know-who act like he is responsible for Packer glory. But thanks for your support!
@Marvin Schwalb: Everyone in my family (not to mention the whole state and much of the region) fervently supports the Seahawks and so do I, even though my interest in football is limited at best. Today, like you, I'm a Green Bay fan all the way. Aside from preventing the appalling sight of another group hug, I love the idea that the community owns the team.
@Marie: I agree with you that Scott Lemieux's piece on the "Republican health care plans" was most interesting, and long overdue. This is the story that the press has largely missed: conservatives attack the ACA on many fronts, but their solution to the problem is - nothing. That is a very important point that should be brought out when these clowns go on the Sunday shows, or when they give interviews to the print media. The fact that Republicans never had a real plan is interesting historically, and adds context. But whether they were ever serious about reform or not, the fact remains that at this point in time they would happily allow millions of people to become uninsured overnight.
Oops, I meant to address Marvin Schwalb.
Geez, guess who else hails from Wisconsin (see more God News above), why it's none other than Cardinal Raymond Burke. Is there something in the water?
@JJG & Marvin Schwalb:
Francis, Take Off the Red Beanie.
I guess I should not have been so glib about Cardinal Burke, though it's hard not to snicker at the obvious joke.
First, let me say that if Burke is gay, he's the only gay man I've ever heard express the idea that relations between men & women (or boys & girls) are "unnatural."
Furthermore, the idea that boys & girls, or young men & women, cannot work together because it's not "natural" is ridiculous. Obviously, the vast majority of young people "work" and socialize with those of the opposite sex.
But Burke's larger point -- and the reason I think he should be stripped of his bird -- is not about sex (if it was about sex at all), but about the status of women. He says girls don't have the "rigor and precision and excellence" required to take part in the liturgy or enter into the sanctuary. He says, in effect, that girls are inferior to boys & are not good enough to approach the altar or inhabit the sanctuary. In the 21st century, it's a shocking POV & further evidence of why the Catholic Church needs females priests & married priests -- people who have respect for women.
Burke's view of women is pathological. But so is his view of young men: “The activities in the parish and even the liturgy have been influenced by women and have become so feminine in many places that men do not want to get involved.” Any person whose job it is to minister to a congregation must, by definition, be willing to minister to all, not just to "worthy" men. Having more contact with women during the "natural" course of one's job is just one way to acquaint young men with the interests & needs (again, not talking about sex) of female parishioners. Men who "do not want to get involved" with the Church because there are women around should not get involved. They don't have the vocation for it.
Neither does Burke.
Marie
I find it strange that the pictures above Frank's piece that concerns what he calls "liberal apologists" include Dowd ( who castigates "Barry" every chance she gets); Guy "shocked by blowjobs"( who feeds the flame with guests that dump); Sharpton (well, maybe...) and the old "crossfire" pundit Paul Begala who has definitely criticized Obama on several programs I've seen. I'm all tuckered out reading Frank and frankly, he needs to chill out a bit and I suggest he go back and do more research on that finance debacle––much more complicated than he purports it to be.
RE: Man with Red Beanie named Burke: Did he say also, with that adorable smirk, that women should not have the vote? Wouldn't surprise me in the least.
Christie, I mean Dallas, lost! No hugs, poor Christie.
P.D. Pepe-
"Fighting Bob" LaFollette was way before my (our) time, but he set the tone for Wisconsin as a progressive state. His sons and grandsons kept the tradition; however, sadly--as you undoubtedly know--Bob LaFollette, Jr. was WI senator until defeated by Joe McCarthy in 1953. (Yes, Marie, Joe McCarthy was the beginning of the end for Wisconsin.) Bob, Jr. was accused (of course) by McCarthy of having communist leanings and cohorts. LaFollette was never the same after that loss. He committed suicide soon after. His son, Branson, is our peer and served as WI attorney general for two terms in the 60s. He still, I think, lives in Madison.
Back to Walter Kohler. He was Governor, in the early 50's. He lived in what was the Governor's mansion in Madison--in Maple Bluff--where I was brought up. It was located high on a hill above Lake Mendota, and we would go sledding there every winter. No security guards in those days, or nasty gubners. He probably moved back to Kohler, WI after he left office--don't know.
Oops - forgot to add that Scotty Walkster lives in the same Governor's mansion, but--as mentioned--he is an unfriendly neighbor to all but his cronies and donors. No kids sledding on HIS lawn.