The Commentariat -- March 16, 2014
** Tim Egan: "... you can't help noticing the deep historic irony that finds [Paul Ryan,] a Tea Party favorite and descendant of famine Irish, using the same language that English Tories used to justify indifference to an epic tragedy," the great Irish famine. ...
... CW: Egan must have been reading contributor Patrick, who wrote here a few days ago,
Ryan purports to be Irish (one big fightin' family), but seems oblivious that such an attitude was pretty much that of the landlord class in Ireland, and the Tories in the UK parliament, back in the mid-19th century and especially during The Famine. Their answers were to turn the poor off the land and to the roads, and to deny welfare to any who would not turn themselves into the workhouse. A requirement of the workhouse was that you had to divest of any asset -- you had to be totally destitute to receive help. Many thousands starved, millions emigrated, and that seemed like an acceptable solution to most of the (absentee) landlords and MPs. Anyone named Ryan should be shamed for suggesting a repeat of that solution.
The American Prospect publishes three reactions to economist Thomas Piketty's monumental work Capital in the Twenty-First Century. ...
... CW: A tiny, impossible dream of mine: Paul Ryan appears on "Press the Meat," & Greggers asks him, "So what about Piketty's results?" ...
... Here's an excellent, short piece by Martin Longman in Washington Monthly on Paul Ryan's "cartoonish" view of the dynamics of the inner-city economy.
Everything Is Obama's Fault, Ctd. Jonathan Martin & Ashley Parker of the New York Times: "Democrats are becoming increasingly alarmed about their midterm election fortunes amid President Obama's sinking approval ratings, a loss in a special House election in Florida last week, and millions of dollars spent by Republican-aligned groups attacking the new health law. The combination has led to uncharacteristic criticism of Mr. Obama and bitter complaints that his vaunted political organization has done little to help the party's vulnerable congressional candidates." ...
... Maureen Dowd: Everything is Obama's fault, ctd.
Cultural historian Jackson Lears has a fascinating piece in the New Republic on Teddy Roosevelt's brand of progressivism. As Lears describes Teddy, the President was a cross between John McCain & Mitt Romney, with a dash of Sarah Palin. His progressivism seems to have been limited -- for the most part -- to campaign speeches.
More on the newly-released Clinton memos from Peter Baker & Amy Chozick of the New York Times. And from Cathleen Decker of the Los Angeles Times. (CW: I think the word she wants to use there is "chickenshit.") And a buncha stuff from Wall Street Journal reporters.
News Ledes
New York Times: "With malicious intent strongly suspected in the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, American intelligence and law enforcement agencies renewed their search over the weekend for any evidence that the plane's diversion was part of a terrorist plot. But they have found nothing so far, senior officials said, and their efforts have been limited by the Malaysian authorities' refusal to accept large-scale American assistance."
New York Times: "The Army general prosecuted in the military's most closely watched sexual assault case has agreed to plead guilty to lesser charges in exchange for the dismissal of accusations that he twice forced his longtime mistress into oral sex, threatened to kill her and her family, and performed consensual but 'open and notorious sexual acts' with her in a parked car in Germany and on a hotel balcony in Tucson. The new guilty pleas, outlined in a document obtained by The New York Times, are expected to be entered by Brig. Gen. Jeffrey A. Sinclair in military court at Fort Bragg, N.C., as soon as Monday morning."
New York Times: "A signaling system was disabled on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet before a pilot spoke to Malaysian air traffic control without hinting at any trouble, a senior Malaysian official said Sunday, shedding new light on a question important to determining why the plane turned far off its planned route and disappeared over a week ago with 239 people onboard."
Washington Post: "Crimeans started voting on their future Sunday after a hasty and one-sided campaign featuring intimidation and heavy-handed tactics that blocked most voters from hearing a vision for any alternative other than unification with Russia. The peninsula's two main cities, Simferopol and Sevastopol, look as if annexation had already been decided and accomplished, with Russian flags flying from government buildings, storefronts, trollies and public squares."
Reuters: " The U.S. government will ask Austria to extradite Ukrainian industrialist Dmytro Firtash to face charges filed in a Chicago court arising from an investigation into international corruption, U.S. prosecutors said on Friday. One of Ukraine's most influential oligarchs, Firtash, 48, was arrested in Vienna on Wednesday. On Friday, a court there ordered him held and set bail at $174 million (125 million euros).... "Firtash's arrest is not related to recent events in Ukraine," they said in a reference to the political crisis between Ukraine and Russia."
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Reader Comments (9)
..."Republicans have latched on to this to make the case around the country that Obama is a dictator and an imperial president. But governing through executive order isn’t a sign of strength. It’s a sign of weakness."
Shit. If the voting public is so stupidly forgetful and uncritical of destructive Republican antics in the past 4 years--and the 8 years before that--they deserve Scott Brown and even Paul Ryan in 2016. As for MoDo, I think she needs rehab--for terminally burned out, insipid, columnists.
I find it difficult to read the NYT these days, and may have to give it up as I did WaPo 10 years ago. I think it is healthier for me to stick to Al Jazeera, The Daily Show, Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher and Bill Moyers. And, of course, my digital news of choice--Reality Chex!
Had to share this goodie from the Ministry of Truth (Jesse LaGreca). (At first I thought was written by our own brilliant Akheillus.)
"An Open Letter to People Who Hate Obama More Than They Love America"
Here are a few lines:
..."So stop wearing your hate with pride. Stop celebrating your anti-science, anti-math ignorance. Stop using code words to mask your bigotry like "family values", especially when you hate my family and when you stand on the same stage as a guy who has had three marriages or if you share a seat in the Senate with a guy who cheated on his wife with hookers while wearing diapers. You should be ashamed. I know that you are just doing this to motivate your misinformed hate cult base because if they actually knew that your ideas will make them poorer than they are now, they would never vote for you. You are doing your best to impoverish your countrymen so rich people can get bigger tax breaks and you can keep on delivering corporate welfare to the special interests who have bribed you, and I am disgusted by the way you gleefully parade your hatred with aplomb. I don't think you do love America. At least, not as much as you hate everyone in America who isn't exactly like you.
You should think about that, and maybe get some help.
And for the record, I do not hate you. I am embarrassed by you and nauseated by your cruel and thoughtless behavior and your all consuming greed, but I do not hate you."
Here is the link:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/01/09/1053088/-An-open-letter-to-the-people-who-hate-Obama-more-than-they-love-America?detail=email
Kate - My reaction to MoDo's most recent rehash of the majority of her previous columns was similar to yours. I was so ticked that I responded to it, something I rarely do anymore because I don't want to encourage this nasty woman. Anyway, here is what I wrote:
"I'm a Democrat and I'm not scared - at least not because I believe Obama or fellow Dems have failed. I'm concerned that we have a minority party that has lost interest in governing. I'm concerned because a great paper chose to publish an article by a discredited leader of that party entitled, "Obama Has Made America Look Weak" which would seem to serve no other purpose than to make America look weak. I'm concerned that Republicans reject science and reject the idea that government, properly run, is a great source of good. I'm concerned with the vitriol spewing from the hate mongers which is spurring some of the unhinged to violence.
But I'm not worried about the judgment, wisdom, goodness and steadiness of our president. I only wonder how he can stand to preside over such a mess of a country"
I also have to say that I admire your choice of news sources but do not personally intend to give up the Times since they print a lot of worthwhile articles and general news. But columns like Dowd's do leave one wondering about the judgment of the editorial staff. It's not that she is critical of Obama, it's that much of what she writes is repetitive and conjectural, and without much thought or investigation behind it.. She chooses the bitchy bon mot over the opportunity to elucidate much of the time..
Ah, but Kate, don't shed the NYT; amidst the paltry are journalistic gems like the Egan piece linked above. It's like picking out your favorite flavors in a jar of jelly beans (always on the desk of R.R., by the way).
I had read the Lears piece the other day and thought it excellent. I got a kick out of his not so subtle digs at Doris K.G. whose work I have always found somewhat wanting. Taft always seems to get short shrift and yet he accomplished a great deal. Of course next to the bombastic Teddy he shrinks in size––which seems like a oxymoron, but isn't. And I love the fact that Lear ties the early childhood fragility and sickness of Teddy to his extreme manic behavior as an adult––the need to rush up hills regardless of the consequences. Obama, someone said, is the opposite of Roosevelt in that he "Speaks loudly and carries a twig"–––Teddy, however, did not speak softly and his stick many times was made of rubber. So much for that nonsense.
And thanks Kate for your link; if it had been written by our brilliant Achilleus it would have been the color of deep blue along with that whiter shade of pale. No one does it better.
CW: I've moved forward this comment by MAG, as it relates to today's discussion:
The comments to MoDo's column are something else this morning. The Reader Pick's favorite by Gemli has around 371 Recommends.
But, read the replies added to his and something is off. Gemli's clever comment is riff with irony, but as interpreted by the anti-Obama crowd's comments—they missed his point(s)! I would be intrigued by a breakdown of the 371 Recommends. How many 'appreciated the sarcasm' and got Gemli—versus how many of the ultra-right crowd thought he was channeling their far-right-of center criticisms?
In fact, her column brought out numerous early comments from much of the latter group, while many of the more progressive voices that one usually reads seemed to appear further along. Coincidence?
MAG
Wasn't going to read Maureen, but MAG's post intrigued me. What I found interesting is that the NYT's picks which were only ten were all slanted right albeit one that was slightly ambiguous. One could conclude that the paper or whomever picks the picks agrees with Dowd's distress and the President's weakness? Actually Gemli's posting was the first if you click on "Oldest" and what followed were plenty of progressive voices.
@PD the intriguing part to me was (1.) Gemli's post was the OLDEST (or first, yes!) in the ALL category and (2.) the top Readers' Pick. You are right, he did not make the cut for NYTimes Pick.
True, there were Progressive voices...but I found that the usual Progressive posters (names I've come to recognize) were further down chronologically under ALL. It was Readers' Picks which brought them to a higher placement. The selection process seems curiouser and curiouser as to how 'ALL' posts are approved for inclusion.
In fact, recently, my sense has been that there seemed to be more of a concerted effort to alter the posting 'order' of the usual 6-8-or-10 'verified' posters who regularly top the ALL list. Perhaps, a Times attempt to give the appearance of no favorites? Just wondering...
MAG: Gotcha––one wonders.
Came across this new Yorker article of why Hollywood thinks atheism is bad for business–––or not: Really a good piece.
http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2014/03/hollywoods-hidden-hostility-to-atheism.html?intcid=obnetwork
@Re: People who hate Obama more than they love America. Sure, they love America, an America that exists only in their fevered imaginations.
"America isn't like it used to be, in fact it never was."