The Commentariat -- July 27, 2013
Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "As President Obama considers potential successors to the current Fed chairman, , a debate about the merits of the chief contenders has exploded into public view.... The White House sought to lower the temperature on Friday by putting out word that the president was unlikely to announce a choice before the autumn.... [Lawrence] Summers, 58, is a provocative figure among key Democratic constituencies. He was a chief architect of financial deregulation during the Clinton administration and later resigned the presidency of Harvard University after making remarks about women that set off a storm of controversy. [Janet] Yellen, 66, would become the first woman to lead the Fed, or indeed any major central bank. Beneath those political currents, there are also indications that Mr. Summers, now a professor at Harvard, and Ms. Yellen disagree about the central issue confronting the central bank: how much longer and how much harder to push for economic growth."
Kelly Kennedy of the AP: "For the first time in history, federal health officials said Friday they will ban certain types of Medicare and Medicaid providers in three high-fraud cities from enrolling in the taxpayer-funded programs for the poor as part of an effort to prevent scams. The strict moratoriums, which start Tuesday, give federal health officials unprecedented power to choose any region and industry with high fraud activity and ban new Medicare and Medicaid providers from joining the programs for six months. They wouldn't ban existing providers. The administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the agency is targeting providers of home health care in eight counties in the Miami and Chicago areas. All ambulance providers would be banned in eight counties in the Houston area."
Michael Schmidt & Steven Myers of the New York Times: "Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a letter sent to the Russian minister of justice this week that the United States would not seek the death penalty against Edward J. Snowden, and would issue him a passport immediately so he could travel back to the United States. The letter also offered reassurances that the United States would not torture Mr. Snowden.... 'We believe these assurances eliminate these asserted grounds for Mr. Snowden's claim that he should be treated as a refugee or granted asylum, temporary or otherwise,' Mr. Holder said in the letter, which was sent to Justice Minister Aleksandr V. Konovalov." ...
... Brian Fung of the Washington Post: "The outcome of [Bradley] Manning's case will affect how leakers are treated in the future and could even affect the legal status of future journalists, though the Obama administration doesn't appear ready to cross that line just yet." His is the first case invoking the Espionage Act that has come to trial.
Sahil Kapur of TPM: "The GOP push to hold government funding hostage to gutting Obamacare appears to be losing steam in Congress as a growing chorus of Republicans and conservative writers are coming out of the woodwork to urge hardliners within their party to be realistic." ...
... Byron York of the Washington Examiner: "Tensions inside the Republican Party about a proposal to defund Obamacare reached a new level Friday when Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., a lawmaker with unsurpassed credibility in the field of cutting federal spending and limiting the size of government, called the defunding plan 'dishonest' and 'hype.'" Via Greg Sargent. ...
... Conservative Ramesh Ponnuru of the National Review in Bloomberg News: "Conservatives on Capitol Hill think they have a chance to strike a mortal blow against President Barack Obama's health-care overhaul this fall. If their plan goes forward, however, it will backfire.... If Republicans stay firm in this demand, the result will be either a government shutdown or a partial shutdown combined with a debt default. Either would be highly unpopular, and each party would blame the other. The public, however, would almost certainly blame Republicans.... First, Republicans are less popular than the Democrats and thus all else equal will lose partisan finger-pointing contests. Second, the executive has natural advantages over a group of legislators in a crisis atmosphere. Third, people will be naturally inclined to assume that the more anti-government party must be responsible. Fourth, some Republicans will say that government shutdowns or defaults are just what the country needs, and those quotes will affect the image of all Republicans. And fifth, the news media will surely side with the Democrats." ...
... Ed Kilgore: "... a sizable group of Republican lawmakers are largely impervious to the kind of prudential arguments Ponnuru is making. Trouble is, the more noise they make, and the more it is echoed by conservative activists and opinion-leaders, the more attractive the defund-Obamacare-or-else position will become to other Republicans who want media attention, small-dollar campaign contributions, or perpetual shelter from a primary challenge."
** Alec MacGillis of the New Republic: "The alacrity with which Texas, North Carolina and other states have rushed to take advantage of the ruling seriously weakened the sober conservative argument, from Chief Justice John Roberts and others, that Southern states no longer needed to be singled out for special scrutiny because they had long since left their discriminatory ways behind. And it all but invited Attorney General Eric Holder to take this new step, to announce that his department would still do everything in its power to ensure fairness at the polls." ...
... Stephen Stromberg of the Washington Post: "If you believe a handful of Texas Republicans, Attorney General Eric Holder's new effort to enforce the Voting Rights Act in their state and elsewhere brazenly defies the Supreme Court, which struck down part of the law in June.... In reality, the attorney general's move to use the Voting Rights Act provisions the Supreme Court left in place is perfectly consonant with the ruling, and not just in a technical sense. It also comports with the court's logic." ...
... Look who agrees with Stromberg. Mike Lillis of the Hill: "Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) said the Voting Rights Act authorizes the Justice Department to seek a court order requiring states to get federal approval before implementing new election procedures, as Attorney General Eric Holder said he will do Thursday in the case of Texas.... Sensenbrenner, who as head of the House Judiciary Committee in 2006 championed the last VRA reauthorization, suggested those critics [from Texas] have misread his law. 'The department's actions are consistent with the Voting Rights Act,' Sensenbrenner said Thursday in an email."
Ron Brownstein of the National Journal links general Republican intransigence to the George Zimmerman case: "In their unwavering opposition to Obama on issues from health to immigration, House Republicans are systematically blockading the priorities of the diverse (and growing) majority coalition that reelected him. Without more persuasive alternatives, Republicans risk convincing these emerging communities that their implacable opposition represents a 'stand-your-ground' white resistance to minorities' own rise."
Diane Cardwell of the New York Times: "Alarmed by what they say has become an existential threat to their business, utility companies are moving to roll back government incentives aimed at promoting solar energy and other renewable sources of power. At stake, the companies say, is nothing less than the future of the American electricity industry. According to the Energy Information Administration, rooftop solar electricity -- the economics of which often depend on government incentives and mandates -- accounts for less than a quarter of 1 percent of the nation's power generation. And yet, to hear executives tell it, such power sources could ultimately threaten traditional utilities' ability to maintain the nation's grid." CW: evidently, a major job requirement for energy company exec is "greedy bastard."
Charles Blow: "Our 50 states seem to be united in name only. In fact, we seem to be increasingly becoming two countries under one flag: Liberal Land -- coastal, urban and multicultural -- separated by Conservative Country -- Southern and Western, rural and racially homogeneous. (Other parts of the country are a bit of a mixed bag.) This has led to incredible and disturbing concentrations of power."
Steve M. of No More Mister Nice Blog: "As 2016 approaches, it appears that Chris Christie's foreign policy approach will be a noun, a verb, and 9/11. This leads him to praise government surveillance programs and President Obama, and to attack Rand Paul. In the current GOP climate, I really don't think this is going to work for him.... Right now, the folks in the GOP base are in a bizarre place: they hate Muslims, but they also hate Obama, so there's Paul-esque anger on the right about drones and surveillance, but it's mostly about surveillance of people like themselves and the potential use of drones on Regular Americans in America." CW: an amusing post, until you realize Steve is probably right. ...
... Digby: "So Chris Christie went full-Rudy at a GOP Governor's meeting in Colorado [Friday] and took a swipe at Rand Paul.... Surprised? You shouldn't be. Christie's whole schtick is about being the biggest bully on the block.... Of course he's a national security hawk. That's how Republicans always demonstrate they have a big swinging stick and are willing to use it."
David Corn of Mother Jones: "Believing they are losing the messaging war with progressives, a group of prominent conservatives in Washington -- including the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and journalists from Breitbart News and the Washington Examiner -- has been meeting privately since early this year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for 'a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation,' according to documents obtained by Mother Jones.... With her involvement in Groundswell -- which zeroes in on contentious issues that come before the high court, including voting rights, abortion, and gay marriage -- Ginni Thomas continues to be intricately associated with matters on which her husband may have to render a decision." Read the whole story. Thanks to Jeanne B. for the heads-up.
Meredith Shiner of Roll Call: "Sens. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., and Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, will travel to the district of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, to hold a forum for the DREAM Act. The event is in response to incendiary remarks made by King last week.... In floor remarks delivered Thursday, Durbin had strong words for King, whose comments he called 'mean' and 'hateful.' ... Durbin said at the time he believed King should meet a few DREAM Act students to see if interacting with them might change his mind. Now it appears that instead of waiting for King to take the proactive steps of doing so, the Illinois Democrat will bring the students to him." ...
... Solange Uwimana of Media Matters: "Fox News has repeatedly given Rep. Steve King (R-IA) a platform to discuss a number of political issues, including immigration, this year but has completely ignored his comments likening undocumented immigrants to drug smugglers -- even as the network has continued to discuss immigration issues. By contrast, both CNN and MSNBC have covered King's comments, which have drawn widespread condemnation from congressional Republicans":
... As Erik Wemple of the Washington Post points out, "The newsworthiness of those comments is not a partisan thing. House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, both Republicans, slammed the remarks, with Boehner calling them 'hateful' and 'wrong.' 'There can be honest disagreements about policy without using hateful language. Everyone needs to remember that,' Boehner said."
Local News
David Firestone of the New York Times on North Carolina's voter suppression bill, which Gov. Pat McCrory (R) has said he would sign: "The law requires a government-issued photo ID card to vote, but doesn't allow student IDs, public-employee IDs, or photo IDs issued by public assistance agencies. It shortens the early voting window, bans same-day registration during early voting and prohibits paid voter registration drives. Counties will not be able to extend voting hours in cases of long lines, or allow provisional voting if someone arrives at the wrong precinct. Poll 'observers' are encouraged to challenge people who show up to vote, and are given new powers to do so. None of this has anything to do with fraud." ...
... Election law expert Rick Hasen: "The intent here is to make it harder for people -- especially non-white people and those likely to vote Democratic -- to register or cast a vote that will be counted. It also makes money matter more in North Carolina politics and kills public financing of the North Carolina courts."
Craig Gustafson, et al., of the San Diego Union-Tribune: "Mayor Bob Filner, who has been dogged by calls for his resignation over sexual harassment allegations, called his treatment of women 'inexcusable' Friday and said he would undergo two weeks of intensive behavioral therapy but not relinquish power." CW: well, great, that takes care of everything then. ...
... TBogg of Firedoglake disagrees: "Somehow I don't think that two weeks of summer camp at Lake Titty-No-Touch is going to make this go away." TBogg's post includes details of a few of Filner's sexcapades. ...
... Contributor Nancy asks, "How is this creep allowed to say whether he keeps his job?" He's an elected official, that's how, & only the people can remove him. Generally speaking, sexual harassment is not a crime, but a civil tort. Inasmuch as Filner has admitted to some form of harassment, & inasmuch as some of the claims against him allege physical abuse, it seems to me a prosecutor at some level could bring criminal charges for sexual battery. Ian Millhiser of Think Progress has more on this. He says in California, Filner's offenses appear to amount to misdemeanor sexual battery. According to Kevin Roderick of LA Observed, "Under the San Diego city charter, the only way Filner can be removed from office is by recall election or conviction of a felony." So far, despite calls for his resignation, it looks as if Filner can tough it out. ...
... P.S. Looks as if Filner doesn't limit his harassment to women. This Union-Tribune report, dated June 20, 2013, strongly suggests that Filner improperly removed from a closed-door meeting of the city council a male attorney from the city attorney's office. The assistant city attorney Filner forcibly removed, coincidentally or not, is black.
The Enforcer? Jeane MacIntosh of the New York Post: "Jason Weiner, who owns Manhattan bistro Almond, reached out to Anthony's sexting partner, Sydney Leathers, on April 12 -- just two days after [Anthony] Weiner's strategic comeback interview ran in The New York Times Magazine -- and grilled her on intentions, Lou Colagiovanni, a Vegas-based political activist, told The Post.... Jason Weiner blasted Colagiovanni's claim as 'a complete and utter falsehood.'" It's absolutely true because you read it in the New York Post. ...
... Matt Taibbi of Rolling Stone: "I don't mean to sound like a prude, but what the hell do you have to do to be disqualified from high-level politics in this country? When someone told me a while back that Weiner was running for Mayor, I thought it was a joke. This married politician sent unsolicited pictures of his penis to female strangers on the Internet! It's not a crime, I guess because indecent exposure laws haven't been updated for the cyber age, but basically, he's a 21st-century flasher who used the U.S. Congress as a raincoat."
AP: "With the help of a few Democrats, Missouri's Republican-led Legislature appears to be positioned to override Gov. Jay Nixon's [D] veto of a high-profile bill that seeks to nullify federal gun-control laws in the state and make criminals out of federal agents who attempt to enforce them." ...
... Unrelated to the above, Charles Pierce points to this Saint Louis Post-Dispatch account of a stupid murder in Missouri. The reason for the killing, which began with a supposed trespassing offense (though it isn't clear the people were trespassing), according to the shooter: "I just shot the one closest to me,' Crocker said, according to police." Yet state legislators, in their wisdom, think nullifying already-weak federal gun laws is a capital idea. So what if it leads to capital offenses, as it inevitably will. Because what Missouri needs is more guns in the hands of people who just shoot whoever happens to be close-by.
Senate Race
Kentucky Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate Alision Lundergan Grimes, the state attorney general, kicks off her senate campaign. Via the National Memo. Thanks to Nisky Guy for the link to this effective tearjerker.
News Ledes
New York Times: "Lindy Boggs, who succeeded her husband in the House of Representatives after his plane crashed in Alaska and who went on to serve nine terms on Capitol Hill, notably as a champion of women's rights, died on Saturday at her home in Chevy Chase, Md. She was 97." The Washington Post's obituary is here. The Post has a slideshow here.
New York Times: "The police and armed civilians opened fire Saturday with live ammunition on protesters against Egypt's new military government, witnesses said, killing scores of people as hopes faded that the Egyptian military would reach any political accommodation with the Muslim Brotherhood and its ousted president, Mohamed Morsi." ...
... The story has been updated. New lede: "The Egyptian authorities unleashed a ferocious attack on Islamist protesters early Saturday, killing at least 72 people in the second mass killing of demonstrators in three weeks and the deadliest attack by the security services since Egypt's uprising in early 2011."
AP: "Army Col. Denise Lind began deliberating Friday after nearly two months of conflicting evidence and arguments about ... [Bradley Manning]. A military judge, not a jury, is hearing the case at Manning's request. Lind said she will give a day's public notice before reconvening the court-martial to announce her findings. The most serious charge is aiding the enemy, which carries a potential life sentence in prison."
NBC 6 Miami: "SWAT officers shot and killed a suspect after he killed six people in an Hialeah apartment building, ending an hours-long standoff early Saturday, Hialeah Police said."
AP: "The former police officer who pepper-sprayed students during an Occupy protest at the University of California, Davis is appealing for worker's compensation, claiming he suffered psychiatric injury from the 2011 confrontation. John Pike has a settlement conference set for Aug. 13 in Sacramento, according to the state Department of Industrial Relations' website. Pike was fired in July 2012, eight months after a task force investigation found that his action was unwarranted." ...
Former UC officer John Pike.You meanies have hurt Sgt. Pepperspray's feelings. Perhaps you would have been nicer if you'd realized what a sensitive, vulnerable guy he is.
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Reader Comments (2)
Yesterday I was amused by reading the latest chapter in the John Pike saga. I should say, amused by the responses to Pike’s application for workman’s comp. The one-time hero who put dirty hippies in their place has now become a taker... causing all sorts of contortions and convolutions among the conservative shut-ins.
James,
Pike is one in a long line of right-wing hypocrites. They love to present themselves as superheroes but their actions are those of cowering curs.
Just look at conservative heroes like Chaney, Bush, and Reagan (to mention just a few of the many, many chest thumping cowards), Chicken hawks, all.
Bush donned a flight suit to declare the end of a war he lied to start over a decade ago that is still going on. Pig fucker.
Cheney, when faced with the possibility of serving in a shooting war he demanded other support (as long as other guys were being shot at), declared that he had "other priorities"....like NOT being shot at.
Another hypocritical pig. And Reagan, who made movies during WWII while other actors put themselves in the line of fire, recalled, inaccurately, that he was among the troops that liberated Nazi death camps. Lying pig.
So it's no surprise that Pike, who cavalierly pepper sprayed peaceful protesters, now demands payment for "mental anguish" suffered at the hands of those he attacked.
Pusillanimous pig.
Wingnuttery. The Coward's Choice.