The Commentariat -- March 17, 2012
The President's Weekly Address:
... The transcript is here.
Peter Behrens, in a New York Times op-ed: "... for many Irish-Americans and Irish-Canadians, including me, St. Patrick’s Day isn’t really about Ireland. It’s about our ancestors leaving that country, often in bitter circumstances, and risking everything on a hazardous journey and being met with fierce hostility and scorn. It is about immigrants struggling, and mostly succeeding, in their new life, or making success possible for their children and grandchildren. It is a story that should describe all newcomers to America. This March 17, on this side of the water, we ought to be celebrating immigration, not just Irishness." ...
... CW: I'll go along with that. I was planning not to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this year, as I've had my fill of Cardinal Timothy Dolan & his anti-sex/anti-woman crusade, not to mention the Irish Catholic Church and its venerable heritage of pedophilia. So here's to my great-grandfather, some five generations back, William Jarlath O'Beirne, who arrived here in the 1860s with his brother Dominick, when both boys were teenagers.
Aaron Restuccia of The Hill: "President Obama will embark on a four-state tour next week to highlight his energy plan amid intensifying GOP attacks on the White House over soaring gas prices.The tour comes as gas prices continue to rise, reaching a national average of $3.83 Friday, according to AAA. Obama will travel to Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Ohio on Wednesday and Thursday, and will deliver remarks in all four states." ...
... President Obama, in campaign fundraising mode:
Words Matter. Kevin Drum of Mother Jones: How the Obama administration's "deep-sixing the 'war on terror' rhetoric really did hurt al-Qaeda."
Friday Afternoon News Dump. N. C. Aizenman of the Washington Post: "The Obama administration’s controversial birth control health insurance coverage rule will not apply to a type of plan used by about 200,000 college and graduate students, officials said Friday. The administration’s authority to issue the rule stemmed from the 2010 health-care law. Officials said they have concluded that for technical legal reasons the law’s reach does not extend to 'self-insured'” student plans, meaning those for which a college or university collects premiums directly from students, then uses the pool to pay for their health care."
Right Wing World
** End Medicare Now. Dana Milbank: "Are Republicans ready to be trusted with the reins of power? If you’re thinking of answering this in the affirmative, you might want to pause long enough to learn what transpired on the third floor of the Capitol on Thursday. There, four prominent Republican lawmakers announced their proposal to abolish Medicare — 'sunset' was their pseudo-verb — even for those currently on the program or nearing retirement."
Is Rick Santorum electable? Remember his last Senate race? … By historic margins, Pennsylvania voters rejected Rick Santorum. -- Mitt Romney ad ...
... The Biggest (Okay, the Bigger) Loser. Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "Romney, like Santorum lost by 17% in a Senate election, in his 1994 race vs. Ted Kennedy. Romney, however, lost big in a historically good year for Republicans, while Santorum lost big in a historically bad year for Republicans." CW Translation: "The other guy's bad, but I'm worse."
It's hard to create a job if you've never had one. -- Mitt Romney, on President Obama ...
... James Bouie of the American Prospect. Romney's assertion is so wrong, in so many ways, including the implicit racism -- black people laze around in do-nothing government jobs (living off nice white people money). Read the whole post.
Jonathan Bernstein, in the Washington Post, on the two, mutually-exclusive Barack Obamas Republicans are running against, & which people who do not live in Right Wing World will not recognize come the general election. CW: Maybe the hand-lettered sign my friend Kate M. saw at a Wisconsin rally would help get these people centered on reality:
Anti-war socialist
You are thinking of Jesus.
GOP Congressmen invite lobbyists to party in Key Largo -- for a price:
Clueless in Missouri. Scott Keyes of Think Progress: "Three Missouri Republicans running to take on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) in November were asked during a radio debate on KMOX what the federal minimum wage is and whether they would vote to increase it. None of the three knew what the minimum wage is, but all knew that they would vote against increasing it, regardless." CW Translation: "We don't know what it is, but if it helps poor people, we're against it. P.S. We're rich."
Local News
Paul Davenport of the AP: "Women in Arizona trying to get reimbursed for birth control drugs through their employer-provided health plan could be required to prove that they are taking it for a medical reason such as acne, rather than to prevent pregnancy. A bill nearing passage in the Republican-led Legislature allows all employers, not just religious institutions, to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage when doing so would violate their religious or moral beliefs." CW Translation: "We do does not want our sweet little Arizona gals having sex, and if they can't help doing what comes naturally, well, we hope they get knocked up." When this GOP primary is over, Santorum should move to Arizona. He'd be right happy there.
Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin "State Sen. Pam Galloway [R], who faces a recall election this summer, is resigning from the Senate effective Saturday, leaving an even split between Republicans and Democrats." Galloway said her family was experiencing "multiple, sudden and serious health issues" which required her full attention. "Galloway submitted a letter Friday to the Senate saying her resignation would take effect at midnight.... Her departure comes at the end of the legislative session. But her leaving will change the makeup of committees, including ones that are active when the Legislature is out of session."
How Low Can They Go? Here's a start, but I expect worse. Eric Pfeiffer of Yahoo! News: "An image purporting to show a racist, anti-Obama bumper sticker on the back of a vehicle has been garnering lots of attention on Facebook in the past 24 hours. The bumper sticker reads, 'Don't Re-Nig in 2012.' And in smaller print below, "Stop repeat offenders. Don't' reelect Obama!" The sticker also features an image of the Obama campaign logo crossed out.... It's still unclear is the image of the vehicle has been altered in any way, but a website called 'Stumpy's Stickers' offers the bumper sticker for sale for $3."
News Ledes
President Obama stops by a Washington, D.C. Irish pub for a Guiness. Politico story here. Video here.
New York Times: "But hours [after speaking to President Obama], after meeting with the families of the 16 Afghans killed this week in a shooting rampage attributed to an American soldier, [Afghan President Hamid] Karzai lashed out again at the United States, saying he was at 'the end of the rope' over the deaths of Afghan civilians at the hands of NATO forces. He reiterated his call to confine coalition forces to major bases and to speed up the handoff to Afghan troops. He also accused American officials of not cooperating with a delegation he had sent to investigate the killings in the Panjwai district of Kandahar Province, in southern Afghanistan."
Reuters: "Twin blasts hit the heart of Damascus on Saturday, killing at least 27 people in an attack on security installations that state television blamed on 'terrorists' seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad."
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: President "Obama ... was feted at three events over about five hours in Georgia: a $10,000-per-person reception at a home near Morningside, a gala at the studios, where the minimum ticket was $250, and a party at Perry's mansion near Vinings for those willing to part with $38,500."
Chicago Sun-Times: "President Barack Obama returned home [to Chicago] for two fund-raisers Friday, taking aim at GOP rivals stumping in Illinois in advance of the Tuesday primary as contenders who hardly measured up to another president from Illinois — a Republican, Abe Lincoln."
New York Times: "A co-founder of Invisible Children, the nonprofit organization whose video 'Kony 2012' has become an Internet sensation, was detained by the San Diego police on Thursday, after they said he was found in the street in his underwear, screaming and interfering with traffic. The police found Jason Russell, the filmmaker behind the video, after responding to calls about a man who was acting irrationally, including one call that alleged he was naked and masturbating...."
Share Article
Reader Comments (6)
Help ...The New York Times is advertising on Rush's show !
I know that traditionally good newspapers support a wide range of opinions. But at the same time good Newspapers make sure that those opinions are responsible, and do not sink to hate mongering.
If you they a columnist that sank to Rush's realm...I would be demanding that they fire him. By advertising on his show, they are employing him. They are responsible for him saying what he does if They pay him to say it.
As an avid NYT reader and online subscriber I will be so sorry to have to CANCEL my subscription... Sincerely, I don't want to, but I will.
If by next week friday, They are still paying him to degrade people, I will cancel.
Until then I will be spreading the word, asking anyone I can to show their displeasure with the NYT
Help Please.
@Bill Ellis. Thanks for writing. It's not as bad as you think. There are quite a few stories out there saying the NYT advertises on Rush's show, but here's the Times' statement:
"We do not advertise on the Rush Limbaugh program. The ads that ran earlier this week were placed as a result of a broader network buy (a metro traffic buy). Meaning...ads can be placed anywhere where there is a vacancy. There are places that we (The Times) have designated that we don't want to be and one of them is the Rush Limbaugh program. An outside agency manages the buy. In this case, either they, or ABC made a mistake and we've taken steps to ensure that it doesn't happen again."
I used to be a network traffic manager, so I know how these ad buys work & how ads are scheduled. I find the Times' statement absolutely believable. As you may know, I'm not exactly an apologist for the Times.
I saw "Game Change," and I understand why the Foxbots are so alarmed. Although they would like to focus on Sarah Palin and how "unfair" the film is to her legacy, the true indictment in the film is of a party's cynical selection process that more resembles a movie cattle call than a serious assessment of who has the talent to guide a deeply divided nation that, at the time, was prosecuting two wars and that was in imminent danger of economic collapse.
Palin came off as a person who succumbed to the "42nd Street" fantasy of the understudy who walks on stage and becomes a star. Clearly, her naivete arose from her ignorance of the larger world, which in a sense made her the most appropriate representative for a population that rejects the news but embraces desert myth. "Same as it ever was," David Byrne sang, "same as it ever was." If Palin felt that her ascension to the national stage was her God's plan, why would she need to have any idea how the world worked? Wouldn't she be guided by the supernatural? As I said, I am convinced that, within the parameters of her worldview, she was perfect for the job.
That John McCain disapproves of "Game Change" is no surprise. Of everyone involved, McCain comes off as the biggest hypocrite. While intoning his empty mantra, "Country First," McCain proposed to foist on the nation a potential leader who probably couldn't pass a Civil Service exam. "Country First" suggests sacrifice by the slogan-shouter, but McCain and his cohort of Lower Taxes Forever and Eternal War true believers legislate pain downward, always downward.
I can't be less interested in whether the film hurt Steve Schmidt and Nicole Wallace, who were willing to put lipstick on a doorpost. Good use of your talents, guys.
However, considering the terror she must have felt throughout her Eliza Doolittle-like "education," Sarah Palin behaved rather creditably; when the film showed her reacting to yet another ego deflation in a mean or belligerent way, all I could think was, "In such a circumstance, I can't imagine acting any better."
@Jack Mahoney. Odd that Palin never saw it as "God's plan" to expose her as a complete know-nothing & a potential danger to the nation. Earlier this week, Palin challenged President Obama to a debate: she still doesn't understand that she survived the Biden debate because her handlers taught her her lines. She still won't accept that she lacked the qualifications to be president & barely had the capacity to be a vice president in charge of attending funerals of heads of state, tho if looking good in black is an asset there, she did have that down.
I think humility is part of "God's plan," or -- more accurately -- a Christian virtue. If the film, & the reporting on which it is based, are accurate, toward the end of the campaign -- which, remember, lasted only a few months for Palin -- Palin not only showed no humility, she began to see herself as more important than McCain. "These people are coming to see me, not John," she said, & when told she couldn't give a concession speech of her own, she tried to make it happen anyway.
I expect that if I were thrown into her situation -- i.e., selected to do a job for which I soon discovered I was not qualified -- I would (a) do my best to fake it if there were a compelling reason to do so (as there was for Palin), & (b) acknowledge my shortcomings & figure out a way to exit at a propitious time. Palin has never acknowledged that a world leader has to know more than what she can write on the palm of her hand. But then that seems to be the main lesson taught at the Ronald Reagan School of Political Competence.
No time for serious comments now, I am off to corned beef and cabbage.
"I expect that if I were thrown into her situation -- i.e., selected to do a job for which I soon discovered I was not qualified -- I would (a) do my best to fake it if there were a compelling reason to do so (as there was for Palin), & (b) acknowledge my shortcomings & figure out a way to exit at a propitious time. Palin has never acknowledged that a world leader has to know more than what she can write on the palm of her hand. But then that seems to be the main lesson taught at the Ronald Reagan School of Political Competence."
In the sense quoted above, I completely understand Sarah and Todd Palin. If someone asked me if I was willing to try a job that would not only set me up for life, but also my children, how could I say no? One thing I can say for Todd is he knows what real work is, so his perspective had to be, 'why not'?
The problem with the idea of competence is illustrated by what has been lost on the Supreme Court: only Ivy Leaguers and lawyers are competent to interpret the law. So, what happens? There is competence as defined by the few and injustice administered to the many. I'd say my grandma, rest her soul, had more sense of justice in her left sock than most of the Ivy Catholic justices have in their entire bodies.
I think competence can be defined as the conscientious application of one to the task at hand and, as necessary, hiring experts. Sarah's incompetence was always that she was incurious, not conscientious and unwilling to consider competent counsel.