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Taylor Marsh has been writing on line since 1996, with the archives provided here a representation of that work.

Archive | November, 2011

Newt Gingrich Pocketed $1.6+ Million as ‘Non-Lobbyist’ for Freddie Mac

By on 16 November 2011

Newt Gingrich made between $1.6 million and $1.8 million in consulting fees from two contracts with mortgage company Freddie Mac, according to two people familiar with the arrangement. The total amount is significantly larger than the $300,000 payment from Freddie Mac that Gingrich was asked about during a Republican presidential debate on Nov. 9 sponsored by CNBC, and more than was disclosed in the middle of congressional investigations into the housing industry collapse. – Bloomberg News

Poor right wing primary voters. Just when they find a new flavor it turns out that their selection is rancid. Of course, anyone who knows history knew Newt Gingrich would break their hearts, but wingnut Republicans this season seem to thrive on stupid.

Newt Gingrich is nothing if not a scalawag, who will take the money out of your wallet and leave you with a hangover if you believe one single word this man says.

Gingrich says that all he did for that money was tell Freddie that their business model was “insane.” Anybody find that believeable? – David Frum

“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” a fitting quotation from Santayana, considering Mr. Gingrich is supposed to be such a brilliant historian. Republicans have been hoodwinked by their own hubris.

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Just Another Day on the Job for Secy. Clinton

By on 15 November 2011

video via Ben Smith

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“You can’t evict an idea”: OWS

By on 15 November 2011

Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.

UPDATE 2

The judge’s ruling does allow a return to Zuccotti / Liberty Square, but does not allow tents, sleeping bags, etc. Police are allowing people to return, through one entrance. Very quickly filling up, along with the drums, chants. GA is suppose to happen at some point. PD announcing park is open, reading list of prohibited items: tents, backpacks, etc. You can see it happening at the OWS livestream.

UPDATE

Via OWS:

Judge REJECTS Temporary Restraining Order to Allow Liberty Square Reoccupation

from the ruling:

‘The movants have not demonstrated that they have a First Amendment right to remain in Zuccotti Park, along with their tents, structures, generators, and other installations to the exclusion of the owner’s reasonable rights and duties to maintain Zuccotti Park, or to the rights to public access of others who might wish to use the space safely. Neither have the applicants shown a right to a temporary restraining order that would restrict the City’s enforcement of law so as to promote public health and safety.

Therefore, petitioners application for a temporary restraining order is denied.’

ORIGINAL POST

From Occupy Together:

Friends,

Liberty Plaza (Zuccotti Park), home of Occupy Wall Street for the past two months and birthplace of the 99% movement that has spread across the country and around the world, was evicted by a large police force in full riot gear.

As I write, a court order allowing occupiers back in Zuccotti is being ignored by Bloomberg, and the NYPD continue to keep people out of the park. From OWS:

Come to GENERAL ASSEMBLY tonight at 7pm in Liberty Square (Zuccotti Park):

They can kick us out, but they can’t stop us from reassembling. Let’s show them that truth by showing up at Liberty Plaza with the biggest General Assembly yet!

For updates, check OWS; OccupyWallStreet; Occupy Together.

The evictions and camp closures, or threats thereof, seem to come in periodic waves. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re being coordinated, though there’s a report here that includes this:

Embattled Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, speaking in an interview with the BBC … mentioned that she was on a conference call with leaders of 18 US cities shortly before a wave of raids broke up Occupy Wall Street encampments across the country.

Bloomberg sending in the police to clear and clean Zuccotti Park is just the latest. You can read the “Statement of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on Clearing and Re-Opening Of Zuccotti Park” here. An excerpt:

‘At one o’clock this morning, the New York City Police Department and the owners of Zuccotti Park notified protestors in the park that they had to immediately remove tents, sleeping bags and other belongings, and must follow the park rules if they wished to continue to use it to protest. Many protestors peacefully complied and left. At Brookfield’s request, members of the NYPD and Sanitation Department assisted in removing any remaining tents and sleeping bags. …

According to multiple reports (this one via MediaBistro), this is what happened:

The NYPD have raided the Occupy Wall Street camp in Zuccotti Park, tossing tents, tarps, pallets, sleeping bags and 5,554 books into dump trucks.

Back to Bloomberg’s statement:

‘Protestors were asked to temporarily leave the park while this occurred, and have been told that they will be free to return to the park once Brookfield finishes cleaning it later morning. Protestors – and the general public – are welcome there to exercise their First Amendment rights, and otherwise enjoy the park, but will not be allowed to use tents, sleeping bags, or tarps and, going forward, must follow all park rules. …

‘There is no ambiguity in the law here – the First Amendment protects speech – it does not protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over a public space.

‘Protestors have had two months to occupy the park with tents and sleeping bags. Now they will have to occupy the space with the power of their arguments.’

If Bloomberg hasn’t already heard the “power of their arguments,” it’s not because they haven’t been voiced. The statement as a whole is similar to those made by various mayors and police departments. Nothing really new, but this jumps out for me: “the First Amendment protects speech – it does not protect the use of tents and sleeping bags to take over a public space.” Ultimately, the courts will decide, again, what constitutes protected speech. But let’s think back a bit: was sitting at a lunch counter protected speech? How about walking across a bridge? Or rallying on college campuses? Or going back a bit further, was tossing tea into Boston Harbor legal?

And what about the right of media to tell us what the government is doing? This has also been widely reported, with the following from Huffington:

Occupy Wall Street ‘Media Blackout’: Journalists Arrested, Roughed Up, Blocked From Covering Clearing

… In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the NYPD moved into Zucotti Park and forcibly cleared it … . Naturally, journalists flocked to Lower Manhattan to witness what was going on. …

Reporter after reporter … tweeted through the night, saying that police had either blocked them from seeing what was happening or had acted violently towards them. Some correspondents were also among the scores of people arrested by police.

At his press conference about the raid on Tuesday morning, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said journalists were barred from covering the raid ‘to protect members of the press,’ and ‘to prevent a situation from getting worse.’

Whose speech is protected? The Supreme Court’s “Citizens United v. the Federal Election Commission” decision found that corporations have First Amendment rights to spend basically however much money they want to toward influencing, if not buying, election outcomes. It could lead us to think that corporations are treated more like people than 99% of actual people.

Here’s something positive, via NYDailyNews: The NYC “city council’s Progressive caucus” issued a statement that includes this:

We condemn the violation of the First Amendment rights of the protesters. It is shameful to use the cover of darkness to trample on civil liberties without fear of media scrutiny or a public response. … We commend Council Members Ydanis Rodriguez and Jumaane Williams, who demonstrated their solidarity by standing with protesters at Zuccotti Park last night. … We know that the fight is far from over, and that last night’s events will only fuel the fire for change. We will march to hold the banks accountable and call for a fairer economy on November 17 and beyond.

November 17, Thursday, is the “Day of Action,” planned well before last night. Just guessing, but last night just might make the Day of Action even larger than it would have been.

Probably the bottom line, or at least a plank in that foundation, is what many have been saying for the last two months, and summarized with, “You can’t evict a movement.” Occupy, the movement, is so much bigger than Zuccotti Park, or Legislative Plaza in Nashville, or Civic Center Park in Denver; State House on High Street in Columbus, OH; Spencer Plaza, Wilmington, DE; Dame Street, Dublin, Ireland; Court Square, Harrisonburg, VA; Centennial Mall, Lincoln, NE; Martin Place, Sydney, Australia … . It’s bigger than the troublemakers who mingle with the Occupation. Bigger than the Electeds who keep trying to make it go away. It’s bigger than the 1%. And that’s why Bloomberg, and others, are trying so hard to shut down the 99% — because we’re bigger than they are.

(Graphic via Occupy Posters)

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Elizabeth Warren Takes on Karl Rove’s Attack Ads

By on 15 November 2011


The email sent out by Warren’s campaign (h/t DailyKos) directly mentions Rove and that they’re trying to raise $300,000 to hit back.

The ad below is from Rove’s American Crossroads, trying to make villains out of Occupy protesters. Because as we all know, Mr. Rove’s people are the 1%, not the 99% standing up to the jackals who brought our economy down and are being protected by Republicans and Democrats.

Back in the ’90s, when the campaign against the Clintons began, whenever Hillary would stand up for herself she’d get pilloried. When Sarah Palin first came on the scene she said Hillary standing up for herself was whining. Later Palin changed her tune, after she experienced what it was like. We now understand why no female candidate can allow her haters and detractors to have the first or last word. It’s another aspect of the Hillary Effect and what Hillary taught us over the last two decades. It’s what I write about in my new e-book, which is now available exclusively at Barnes and Noble as part of their new “NOOK First” Featured Authors Selection, one of only 4 e-books selected.

As an aside, the ad below is made possible through the Citizens United win in the Supreme Court. It’s important to note that this case was moored in Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign. The outcome from the SCOTUS decision one of the reasons Karl Rove can dump millions of dollars from undisclosed donors into the Massachusetts Senate race to try to defeat Elizabeth Warren.

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Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order Allowing Occupy Protesters Back Into Zuccotti Park

By on 15 November 2011

**UPDATED**

Colin Moynihan reports on the confusion at Zuccotti Park shortly after 8 a.m. as a judicial order appeared to allow protesters to return pending a hearing later in the morning… Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said in a news conference that there had been roughly 200 arrests in and around Zuccotti Park as police moved in to clear protesters and their belongings overnight. – Updates on the Clearing of Zuccotti Park

Thursday is the Occupy movement’s two-month anniversary.

[updated] Occupy New York now at 6th & Canal, via Twitter.

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Gloria Cain: ‘He would have to have a split personality…’

By on 15 November 2011

A new national survey of Republicans indicates that it’s basically all tied up between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in the race for the GOP presidential nomination, with Gingrich on the rise and businessman Herman Cain falling due to the sexual harassment allegations he’s been facing the past two weeks. – CNN Poll: Gingrich soars, Cain drops

Gloria Cain has a very sad case of denial.

Poor Mrs. Cain. If there was one woman, I could see giving Mr. Cain the benefit of the doubt.

Two women become curious.

Three women become a problem.

Four women mean Mrs. Cain doesn’t want to know the truth.

Obviously, she just can’t handle the possibility that her god-fearing man, the father of her children, grandfather, and the man who preaches and sings the gospel so earnestly can’t heed the message.

Yes, Gloria, your husband is a womanizer. No, he’s likely worse. He’s a serial sexual harasser who lies about it, then blames the women.

If I had a nickle for every woman who was shocked to learn the man she loves has a roving eye and ego, well, I’d have a lot of nickles.

There is no evidence that Howard Cain has a mistress. That’s the good news for Gloria Cain.

The bad news for Mrs. Cain was seen with Herman’s “Princess Nancy” slap, revealing his feelings toward women are very, well, let’s just say complicated. His wife is likely his Madonna. All other women are, well, not whores, but more like fair game, as long as he doesn’t get caught.

Double lives or alternative existences for men is nothing new. It’s not a split personality. It’s arrogant entitlement to whatever he wants.

Mrs. Cain wants us to believe that not one, not two, not three, but four women are all lying about the allegations they are making, which all sound similar.

While her husband thinks blanket denials will get him off the hook, because there isn’t evidence to prove anything, except through the women’s words. So, Herman and his team point to hard times of Ms. Bialek, one accuser who went public, even bankruptcy, because the 1% Mr. Cain represents think your net worth is equivalent to your human worth.

In the CNN poll, more women reveal they believe the accusers than the men.

Mrs. Cain just can’t imagine the Herman she knows is a womanizer.

It’s how a lot of wives convince themselves they’ve not been made a fool.

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When “back-ground music” is Occupied

By on 14 November 2011

Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.

City officials and law enforcement efforts to shut down Occupy camps continue, including Portland, OR, Oakland and Denver. You can check for latest updates at OWS; OccupyWallStreet; Occupy Oakland ; Occupy Denver ; Occupy Portland.

It’s important to remember that just as the often quick pace of events makes keeping up with what’s happening a bit challenging, so does the fact that a lot of what we read is reflective of the experience and perspective of those individuals. I don’t say that to call into question anything in particular, just noting that this is not a neat and tidy story that can be tied up at the end of the day. Or for that matter, the last few seconds. But here’s some of what I’m seeing today.

From Think Progress:

Man Outed As Undercover Cop At Occupy Oakland Condemns Police Brutality, Supports The Movement

… Across the country, police have used undercover and/or plainsclothed police officers to monitor occupations and protests that are a part of the 99 Percent Movement. Earlier today (Nov. 10), the Tennessean published excerpts from emails sent by the Tennessee Highway Patrol that confirmed not only that police were infiltrating Occupy Nashville but that they were hoping for the movement’s demise.

In a video released last month, Oakland Police Officer Fred Shavies was outed as one of these plainsclothed officers at Occupy Oakland. …

Now, in an interview with Justin Warren, Shavies said that he was just doing his job and that he actually supports the movement. He said that the police brutality that occurred could be our generation’s Birmingham — referring to the civil rights struggle in the South — and that he hopes the movement is a turning point for changing the country … .

Via OWS, a Sunday afternoon post about Occupy Portland included:

10,000 filled the areas around the Occupy Portland encampments last night as the deadline approached for eviction. 12:01 am came and went but the cops could do nothing: too many supporters blocked their path. It was peaceful.

Later reports put the number closer to about 5000, still an impressive number. The park was eventually cleared, though the occupation continues. This morning, more from Occupy Portland:

The following is a message not from the Occupy Portland General Assembly, but rather is what has been reported to the Occupy Portland Web Team:

Police said no officers or people arrested were injured during the park clearance. What the police didn’t publicize is that they trashed Occupy Portland’s American Sign Language interpreter, Justin, unconscious. … Justin was not arrested, so the police statement remains true.

A look from the other direction, via Occupy Oakland, this “Statement from City of Oakland on police action to clear Occupy Oakland Encampment,” released early this morning to Oakland “Business Leaders”:

This morning at approximately 4:30 a.m., the Oakland Police Department enforced the ‘Notice of Violations and Demand to Cease Violations’ issued on Friday, November 11, to persons lodging at Frank H. Ogawa Plaza related to the Occupy Oakland demonstration.

From the outset of the demonstration, which began a month ago on Monday, October 10, the City of Oakland has focused on three clear goals: 1) facilitating the protesters’ right to free speech and peaceful expression, 2) maintaining public health and safety, and 3) crowd control. …

We know that these have been trying times for your business and for Oakland’s economy in general. We are committed to working with you now and into the future to strengthen Oakland’s business climate, create jobs, and grow the economy.

Occupy Oakland hasn’t disappeared, of course. Mostly I find this official statement interesting in the assurance from the city about working with businesses to “grow the economy.” I get it, that the “business climate” and profits are an understandable thing about which to assure business owners. But to me, this also seems to be an indication of where the real priorities are, and it isn’t in “facilitating the protesters’ right to free speech and peaceful expression.”

Friday night, Occupy Denver once again experienced police moving in to Civic Center Park.

Occupy Denver Reponds To Ongoing Police Brutality & State Oppression Against The Occupy Movement

Experienced police brutality? Go to our resources page for a form to submit to the Office of the Independent Monitor of the DPD. …

It is clear that the occupation movement has the government terrified of the emerging ‘people power’ in America and is willing to suppress this movement by any means. In the past 24 hours, major Occupations across America were attacked and forcibly evicted. Word is that the newly emerging class consciousness in America is bad for business and must be stopped.

That’s “bad for business” at the top, of course. Today Occupy Chicago points to that with “The Occupation Un-Welcomes Rice and Paulson to the University of Chicago – Occupy Chicago General Assembly Moves to the South Side of Chicago.”

One OWS’ feed tweet sums things up: “tmack894 RT @Ray_Katz: @annfinster @tmack894 #occupy #ows #oo The old order is desperate, panicking.”

Another, widely retweeted, finds a bit of humor: “RedTrenchCoat RT @davidcolburn: People are camping out in tents for the next five days for tickets to the Twilight premiere. WHERE ARE THE RIOT POLICE?”

And speaking of humor, as well as some courage, I conclude today with this, via YesLab:

APEC World Leaders Dinner Gets Occupied

Honolulu – A change in the programmed entertainment at last night’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) gala left a few world leaders slack-jawed, though most seemed not to notice that anything was amiss.

During the gala dinner, renowned Hawaiian guitarist Makana, who performed at the White House in 2009, opened his suit jacket to reveal a home-made ‘Occupy with Aloha’ T-shirt. Then, instead of playing the expected instrumental background music, he spent almost 45 minutes repeatedly singing his protest ballad released earlier that day. The ballad, called ‘We Are the Many,’ … ends with the refrain: ‘We’ll occupy the streets, we’ll occupy the courts, we’ll occupy the offices of you, till you do the bidding of the many, not the few.’ …

Makana was surprised that no one objected to him playing the overtly critical song. ‘I just kept doing different versions,’ he said. ‘I must’ve repeated ‘the bidding of the many, not the few’ at least 50 times, like a mantra. It was surreal and sobering.’ …

Most likely meaning most weren’t listening to him. He was, after all, background music. And of course, that’s basically what the 99% are to the 1%, “background music.” Thing is, there is a large and growing number of people not only listening to such words, they’re singing along. I think it’s going to get louder.


(Occupy Denver police photo via Occupy Denver.
Occupy With Aloha photo via YesLab . )

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Herman Cain Goes Blank on Libya

By on 14 November 2011

Via Jonathan Martin on Twitter.

Faced with Libya q, Cain cycles thru his for policy briefings – and then sez as much: “Got all this stuff twirling around in my ahead”

The first two minutes are a campaign killer.

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BARNES & NOBLE Chooses THE HILLARY EFFECT in ‘NOOK First’ Featured Authors Campaign

By on 14 November 2011

It’s incredibly exciting to announce that The Hillary Effect has been selected as one of two non-fiction e-books in the Barnes and Noble “NOOK First” featured authors campaign, just launched.

Being selected as part of this “NOOK First” Barnes and Noble project was an incredible honor and opportunity. Now you know why we waited until this week to publish.

This is a tremendously exciting moment for the entire team that made this happen, beginning with Thomas Ellison and Hutch Morton of Premier Digital Publishing.

What a stunning send off they’ve given my e-book.

So, Barnes and Noble is the only place you can buy The Hillary Effect until December 15th.

Pop the champagne! …just don’t spill it on your NOOK.

NOTE: Aps for your pc, MAC and iPad are available for free at Barnes and Noble.

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At Least Newt Isn’t an Alleged Serial Harasser

By on 14 November 2011

Ronald Reagan is nowhere to be found, so they’ve settled on Newt for now.

From PPP:

Newt Gingrich has taken the lead in PPP’s national polling. He’s at 28% to 25% for Herman Cain and 18% for Mitt Romney. The rest of the Republican field is increasingly looking like a bunch of also rans: Rick Perry is at 6%, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul at 5%, Jon Huntsman at 3%, and Gary Johnson and Rick Santorum each at 1%. [...]

As for Romney he has not shown any ability to take advantage of the trouble his fellow candidates keep getting themselves into. In July Romney was at 20%, in August at 20%, in September at 18%, October at 22%, and now in November at 18%. He’s been at 20 +/-2% for the last five months in our polling. While the flavor of the month has gone from Trump to Bachmann to Perry to Cain to Gingrich, Romney hasn’t had a turn in that seat- he can only hope that his chance in that role will come in January, which is certainly the best time to have it.

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Supreme Court Sets Unprecedented 5 1/2-Hour Hearing for Health Care

By on 14 November 2011

Only the oral arguments on campaign finance rivals what will take place on the Affordability Care Act, but according to the Times, that was only 4 hours.

From the New York Times:

Setting the stage for a historic constitutional confrontation over federal power, the Supreme Court on Monday granted three separate cases on the constitutionality of the new federal health care law, and set aside 5 1/2 hours for oral argument, to be held in March. The Court, however, did not grant all of the issues raised and it chose issues to review only from three of the five separate appeals before it. It is unclear, at this point, whether all of the cases will be heard on a single day.

The Court will hold two hours of argument on the constitutionality of the requirement that virtually every American obtain health insurance by 2014, 90 minutes on whether some or all of the overall law must fail if the mandate is struck down, one hour on whether the Anti-Injunction Act bars some or all of the challenges to the insurance mandate, and one hour on the constitutionality of the expansion of the Medicaid program for the poor and disabled. The Court chose those issues from appeals by the federal government, by 26 states, and by a business trade group. It opted not to review the challenges to new health care coverage requirements for public and private employers. It left untouched petitions by a conservative advocacy group, the Thomas More Law Center, and three of its members, and by Liberty University and two of its employees.

Final ruling from SCOTUS will be in June 2012, at the height of the presidential election season.

Federal powers vs. state power is getting it’s day in court, at least where health care is concerned, which will lay down law that a lot of people who follow, study and analyze American politics care a lot about.

Politically speaking, this decision has the potential to fuel a lot of emotion going into the November 2012 elections. If the mandate stands, the reaction could be potent, but also what happens to the law if it doesn’t.

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Countdown to the ‘De-trigger’ Moment?

By on 14 November 2011

“It’s a pretty ugly moment,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a former director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office who now serves as president of the conservative American Action Forum. “We’ve asked politicians who understand how to get reelected by cutting taxes and raising spending to raise taxes and cut spending. And they have no idea how do that.” – On supercommittee, growing doubts about reaching a debt deal

Now, I’m not a cynic, but there’s a reason analysts are nervous as the one woman supercommittee approaches their deadline with nothing really to show for it. From the Washington Post:

Analysts, however, said the United States could risk another downgrade of its credit rating and do further damage to business and consumer confidence if the supercommittee process implodes in a chaotic display of partisan rancor — for example, if a deal is approved by the supercommittee but is killed on the House floor. And analysts are deeply concerned that lawmakers could “de-trigger” the automatic cuts, undoing even the modest steps Congress has so far taken to tame the soaring debt.

Shocked? Yeah, me neither.

This would signal complete failure and more evidence the supercommittee is just as hamstrung as Congress, so picking an elite bunch of super Congress members to do their work was dumb from the start.

But if you think the notion of a possible “de-trigger” moment is the ultimate absurdity, there is evidence that raising taxes will be left to the next Congress.

Deficit Panel Seeks to Defer Details on Raising Taxes

With a little over a week left to reach a deal, members of the Congressional deficit reduction panel are looking for an escape hatch that would let them strike an accord on revenue levels but delay until next year tough decisions about exactly how to raise taxes.

Under this approach, the panel would decide on the amount of new revenue to be raised but would leave it to the tax-writing committees of Congress to fill in details next year, well beyond the Nov. 23 deadline for the panel itself to reach an agreement. That would put off painful political decisions but ensure that the debate over deficit reduction stretched into the election year.

Is this a joke?

Don’t answer that, because we all knew from the start it was.

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Chelsea Clinton to NBC

By on 14 November 2011

This is interesting.

NBC is to announce on Monday morning that it has hired Chelsea Clinton to become a full-time special correspondent for NBC News.

The appointment is immediate. Ms. Clinton will show up at the news division offices on Monday morning, said Steve Capus, president of NBC News, and will begin work on stories that NBC expects to use as part of its “Making a Difference” series, which runs on “NBC Nightly News.”

Just to add, I think the “Making a Difference” series sounds like a good fit here.

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Stop the debates

By on 13 November 2011

A network spokeswoman, Sonya McNair, said its livestream had been overwhelmed by an unexpectedly large audience, and brushed off complaints. The final half-hour had been added, she said, for the benefit of South Carolina viewers. “We weren’t programming it for reporters in Washington D.C.,” she said, even as it emerged that — in an unusual breakdown between network and affiliates — none of the four CBS stations in the state actually carried the last half hour. – CBS panned for Republican debate performance

The bullshit Olympics we’re witnessing needs to stop.

Please, for everyone’s sake.

No, wait. The Scott Pelley and CBS debacle was not a debate or a discussion.

Anyone else have whiplash?

Last night we had politicians who think they can be commander in chief actually say we should cut off aid to Pakistan. NO, really (emphasis required).

It was Rick Santorum who rebuked that notion. Rick. Santorum. He joins Jon Huntsman on one issue.

My head is spinning.

It would also be nice if we all understood that these individuals, for whatever crazy reason, actually do think they could run this country. That’s a serious thing to say.

I respect the ode to ideology, really I do. But Italy just went down. Italy.

Love them or hate them, these sincere people on the stage auditioning for the GOP nomination, since the process has become so vaudevillian, are taking up a lot of political air space, which I’m sure thrills the Obama administration and OFA, but there are potentially big developments going on all around us, and we need a better option than what we’ve currently got.

As I pointed out just yesterday, many Democrats not only passively acquiesce to Obama’s continuation of core Bush/Cheney Terrorism policies, but enthusiastically cheer it as proof that they, too, can be Tough and Strong (manly virtues demonstrated by how many human beings their leader kills from afar). So here you have Think Progress heaping praise on Obama for seizing what is literally the most radical power a President can seize: the power to target — in total secrecy and with no checks or due process — their fellow citizens for execution: specifically, assassination-by-CIA. – Glenn Greenwald

What’s the difference between Republicans and Pres. Obama on foreign policy, waterboarding?

Mitt Romney’s foreign policy platform seems to be slam taught, in a way similar to W., so it’s coming off more ideological than something moored in intellectual understanding.

I may disagree with Ron Paul, but Herman Cain’s foreign policy vacuousness scares the crap out of me. What he’s proposing to the U.S. economy is even worse.

Machine gun Q&As are worthless. Of course the candidates need more time. So apportion a set amount of time to each person. Then keep a clock on how much time each candidate has utilized, with a maximum of 4 minutes at one time. They’ll have to learn to use their time with discretion and choose the topics on which they want to pontificate more carefully. Oh, and the candidates with the higher poll numbers get more time. You can even give points for straw poll wins the debate immediately after the polling.

Or at the very least find moderators and producers who know what the hell they are doing.

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Waterboard Sunday

By on 13 November 2011

That’s the Huffington Post‘s front page this morning.

The party of “family values” and “Christian” principles believes torture is ethical, moral and something for which the United States should be known. No wonder Jon Huntsman doesn’t have a chance in this party. It’s all just so retro.

Enjoy your Sunday. We started out with deer in our back yard. It’s a beautiful, crisp fall day, great for football, planting bulbs, movies and just hanging out.

What are you reading this morning? Link it up in the comments.

Tomorrow’s our big day, my e-book is released. There will be some wonderful news to go along with it, too. Stay tuned…


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Scott Pelley’s Awful Debate

By on 13 November 2011

Scott Pelley was a terrible moderator. He treated the men who might be the next commander in chief like schoolchildren, cutting them off in mid-sentence, lecturing them to answer his questions. He even lectured Newt Gingrich on policy, telling him that killing “terrorist suspects” is “not the rule of law.” Big mistake. Newt smacked him down, explaining that we are at war and in war we are allowed to kill the enemy without a court order. This was CBS’s first and only debate — and it showed. – The Big Loser of the Night: CBS

If Major Garrett hadn’t been sitting next to Scott Pelley and assisting him the entire debate would have been unwatchable.

Mr. Pelley was not only a huge distraction, but his time keeping duty took precedence over actually keeping time correctly. Very early, he interrupted Romney well before his time was up and had to apologize to him for it. It got worse from there, with one cringe-worthy moment from Pelley having him scold the crowd that he’d not accept any booing. The serial interruptions of the candidates, whom voters were trying to hear, bordered on the absurd.

Whoever scheduled this travesty at such a ridiculous time and day is obviously clueless to the habits of normal people. Or perhaps they knew Scott Pelley wasn’t capable of moderating a debate.

Pelley’s performance last night was an embarrassment for CBS News, but maybe CBS will get lucky and Michele Bachmann’s tantrum will take most of the oxygen out of the reviews.

In the email string, CBS News’ political analyst John Dickerson said that Bachmann was “not going to get many questions during the debate and she’s nearly off the charts,” a reference to the Minnesota congresswoman’s low standing in the polls. … After the debate Stewart said that CBS News was guilty of “a bias” against Bachmann. “I inadvertently received an email where CBS made it clear that Michele was going to receive fewer questions than the other candidates. Clearly this is a problem,” Stewart said. – GOP Candidates Blast CBS News’ for ‘Disgraceful’ Bias at South Carolina Debate

Ron Paul wasn’t happy either.

I remain struck that Jon Huntsman, who just hasn’t been a good national candidate, really would turn a lot of heads if he’d ever make it to the general electorate.

Mitt Romney continues to skate by each debate without a glove landing on him, so these debates aren’t serving conservatives at all who want him challenged.

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Republican Debate on Foreign Policy

By on 12 November 2011

There are four main reasons that Republicans have been ignoring foreign policy. First, polls show that voters hardly care about it. “Republicans realize this will be a referendum on Obama’s economy, and they’re speaking to that,” said Greg Mueller, the president of CRC Public Relations, which works with conservative candidates and advocacy groups. “It’s like in 1992, except that instead of saying, ‘It’s the economy, stupid,’ they’re saying, ‘It’s the Obama economy, stupid.’ ” Second, national security hasn’t been a weak point for Obama… – The National Journal

CBS News and the National Journal team up for tonight’s debate. Live streaming is here.

With the economy on everyone’s minds, Pres. Obama’s disapproval now at a new high, and after Bush-Cheney’s foreign policy adventurism, foreign policy isn’t the Republicans’ trump card any more. The other problem is that Pres. Obama has continued much of what George W. Bush started, while expanding in Afghanistan, with his assassination order on bin Laden and Anwar al-Awlaki proving Mr. Obama is anything but “weak on national security,” the favorite talking point of the right.

NJ has compiled terrific cheat sheets on the GOP candidates’ foreign policy dossiers.

Mitt Romney’s foreign policy ideas deserve the closest scrutiny, as he’s still likely to be the nominee.

But I’m wondering how Herman Cain will survive the night. He can’t revert to his 9-9-9 regurgitated talking points, with foreign policy his jaw dropping weakness.

This is a chance of Jon Huntsman to shine and keep his hopes of challenging Romney in New Hampshire alive, while Ron Paul, even though he rarely gets the credit he deserves on foreign policy, will certainly be challenging the Republican establishment and making them very uncomfortable.

As for Rick Perry, he’s launched a $975,000 ad buy on Fox News Channel to try to resurrect his candidacy, which I believe is actually about being able to go back to Texas short of disgraced.

Of course, on Saturday night it’s hard to imagine just how many potential primary voters will even be watching.

However, the political junkie class will have the popcorn ready, because Newt Gingrich has got to think he’s within striking distance of being the Romney alternative. Conservatives are desperate for one.

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Progressive Notes: The Food Stamp Challenge, Super Committee Fools, Norman Solomon’s Progressive Run and Other Doings

By on 12 November 2011

Art offers his perspective as a movement progressive activist.

“Join the company of lions rather than assume the lead among foxes.” – The Talmud

Progressives had a great week in the elections. Ohio voters saved their union rights, in Maine folks reversed their government’s law ending same day voter registrations, while in Arizona State Senate Leader Pierce, hated for his role in the draconian Arizona anti-immigrant law, was ousted in a recall. Oh and let us not forget Iowa, where the state senate was at risk of going to the GOP. But the open seat was won by a progressive Democrat in a surprise.

Memo to the DNC elites: doing things for the 99 percent will get you elected. Like local Dems organizing and winning back union rights in Ohio. The latest PPP poll shows this. Obama is now up 9 points over Romney in Ohio. And better, Senator Sherrod Brown, who is a advocate on blue collar issues like Fair Trade, still holds a commanding lead against all possible challengers.

In the U.S. House 12 congressmembers are taking a food stamp challenge. Going to the store on the measly amount given for food stamp recipients. As the Super Committee eyes starving out the poor with cuts on these benefits Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Ca) shows vividly how hard it is to survive on food stamps:

Another member of congress, Rep. Schakowsky (D-Il), took the challenge as well and documented it in a diary. Think about trying to live on about 30.00 dollars a week for food. It’s a nightmare for 47 million Americans. She writes:

I finally was able to go shopping at the Jewel store down the street from my home in Evanston, Illinois, at about 7:30 p.m. I spent $29.93, which means I have $.32 remaining ..I got some good buys. Big chicken breasts were on sale for $.99/lb and I bought a package of five for $4.62. Three pounds of apples were $3.49 and bananas were $.39/lb.

It took me significantly longer to shop. I added up the cost as I went. I weighed the produce before I put it in the cart. I checked out the sodium in canned veggies and soups. Yikes! I have high blood pressure, so I put them back. I forgot to calculate the tax so I had to pull some things out when the checker finished tabulating. We’ll see how well I shopped as the week goes on.

Here’s what I bought:

1 can 29 oz can of yams

1 box of rotini pasta

1 wheat bread

5 bananas

Dozen large eggs

3 yogurts

Bag of fresh whole carrots

5 plum tomatoes

1 head of lettuce

2 yellow onions

2 cans of tuna in water

1 box of spaghetti

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

.90 pounds of broccoli crowns

Very small bag of coffee (1.75 splurge)

1 frozen dinner

5 chicken breasts

3 lbs of Gala apples

Using my Jewel discount card, I saved $6.58. I relied heavily on the house brands and items that were on sale. I have basil that I grow in my yard to add to the salad.

And congress wants to cut SNAP?

The Obama Whitehouse keeps trying to get that cushy deal for the banks on foreclosures by trying to have all states sign onto a corrupt bargain. Ah but the California Attorney General Harris is blocking the deal fiercely, as Robert Scheer explains:

..forget relying on the federal government to hold the Wall Street swindlers accountable. Indeed, the Obama administration has been involved in negotiating a deal with state attorneys general to settle their complaints with the banks for a pittance of compensation for the victims. In return, the states would promise not to institute further legal proceedings against the banks.

The fix was in for what a New York Times editorial on Tuesday headlined “Letting the Banks Off Easy” described as “paltry” mortgage relief, reducing by less than $20 billion the balances of 14.5 million underwater homeowners who are “drowning in some $700 billion of negative equity.” The deal has been stalled by the refusal of California Attorney General Kamala Harris to accept this sellout. Among its other disastrous concessions would be ending further investigation by the states into financial skullduggery connected with the housing meltdown. ..As the Times summarized it: “The proposed settlement reportedly would prevent the states from pursuing claims against banks relating to fraud or abuse in the origination of the bubble. It would also prevent states from pursuing claims for foreclosure abuses, like improper denial of loan modifications.”

Traditionally the states provided the essential regulation of mortgage origination, ownership and sales as a transparent process duly recorded and subject to public examination at the county level. But in order to facilitate the gathering of those mortgages into the sort of collateralized debt obligations that the banks could then bet on and trade worldwide, homeownership became a murky matter. Many of the mortgages now in question, including the ones that Citigroup’s “synthetic” derivative was based on, are no longer owned by the banks that originated them. They are instead part of the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS) database..

The MERS system is described by the Times as “a land registry system implicated in bubble-era violations of tax, trust and property law.” The Obama-supported settlement would make it very difficult if not impossible to investigate at long last the workings of MERS …

Thankfully, we have a few state attorneys general, most prominently California’s Harris, standing up for the American people, but it is outrageous that a president who avowedly committed to defending the public interest would now be subverting that effort rather than leading it.

On the Super Committee some fools, including our favorite Sen. Ma Baucus (D-Mt), want to permanently keep the bush tax cuts. Find savings through ending some loopholes while finding more cuts on our backs. Sounds great! Not.

Oh and the cuts these fools propose would literally steal wheelchairs from the poor and grandma. Eskow lays it out.

At least we have some progressives running for office in 2012 advocating real values. Norman Solomon is running in a primary to replace Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Ca). His platform is to set up a WPA, single payer, take on the banks and more. He also is a disenchanted former Obama delegate. The DNC will try and stop him. Here is a interview just done with him. A heck of a congressman this man could make:

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Not Good News for Vets Yesterday

By on 12 November 2011

TM NOTE: Welcome to Kimberly, who will be writing exclusively on economic issues for TM.com, every Saturday afternoon. She’s fluent in business and technical writing, which is a tremendous voice to add. Please say hello to Kimberly.

Behind the flag waving, cute slogans and parades yesterday for our veterans, there was some very troubling news for the men and women who have served in the armed forces. The most alarming came from a study done by The 100000 Homes Campaign:

27% of Iraq/Afghanistan veterans reported traumatic brain injury, compared to 19% of other veterans.. 21.3% of homeless veterans reported an age over 60, compared to 9.4% of homeless non-veterans… As a group, veterans were 11 percentage points more likely to suffer from at least one condition linked to increased risk of death among the homeless population, which means the men and women who risked their lives defending America may be far more likely to die on its streets.

As the economy slips even further, young veterans are suffering from a disproportionate unemployment rate. According to Businessweek:

The youngest of veterans, aged 18 to 24, had a 30.4 percent jobless rate in October, way up from 18.4 percent a year earlier. Non-veterans of the same age improved, to 15.3 percent from 16.9 percent. For some groups, the numbers can look a good deal worse: for black veterans aged 18-24, the unemployment rate is a striking 48 percent.

We are setting our society for a whole new generation of homeless vets; men and women who signed up (oftentimes these days to get out of economic straits), fought in the name of our freedom and now come back to the same, if not worse, financial situation than the one they left.

Romney, with his perfect timing yesterday, suggested private vouchers to replace VA benefits:

“Sometimes you wonder if there would be some way to introduce private sector competition, somebody else who could come in and say each solder has ‘X’ thousand dollars attributed to them and then they can choose where they want to go in the government system or the private system with the money that follows them. Like what happens with schools in Florida where people have a voucher that goes with him.”

The VFW has come out strongly against this, and I’m sure that other groups will follow suit. The one thing veterans know they can rely on is VA medical care, so necessary in light of the above homeless statistics, and privatizing the system would only ruin it.

Some good news is that House Democrats are investigating possible fraud associated with veterans’ mortgages:

“Over the last 10 years, more than 1.2 million of the refinanced loans have been made to veterans and their families, and as many as 90 percent may have been affected by the alleged fraud, according to attorneys for the plaintiffs.”

We are the only industrialized country that treats their returning soldiers this way. If the Pentagon would shift some of that contracting money towards the troops and their well-being, they would finally get some of the support they need. We can do better than this.

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Queer Talk: Electing “openly LGBT” candidates

By on 12 November 2011

Joyce L. Arnold, Liberally Independent, Queer Talk, equality activist, writer.

It isn’t usually something that gets picked up by the media, except on a local level, but over the last decade or so, LGBT candidates for local and state, and occasionally even federal, positions have been making slow but steady gains. Even when not winning, just having “openly” LGBT people in races is a part of the equality and education process. The recent elections show the same pattern. And by the way, that “openly” language has a mixed usage – it isn’t always meant as a compliment.

On to a few specific election results.

By way of Gay Politics:

Gay, lesbian candidates win big across U.S.

Openly gay and lesbian candidates endorsed by the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund won election to municipal, judicial and state legislative offices from coast to coast Tuesday night. At least 53 of the group’s 75 endorsees were victorious … .

‘The election of gay and lesbian candidates in places where they have never won before is a major step forward, and we could not be happier about these victories,’ said Chuck Wolfe, president and CEO of the Victory Fund.

‘All of the openly LGBT candidates who stepped up to run for office this year are true leaders who deserve our profound thanks.’

Of the 75 candidates endorsed by the Victory Fund in 2011, 46 were non-incumbents, 22 were women and 15 were people of color.

It’s significant to notice that the wins were across the country. Among those endorsed by the Victory Fund:

Zach Adamson, who becomes the first openly LGBT city councilmember in Indianapolis, Indiana;

Caitlin Copple, an out lesbian who won a seat on the Missoula, Montana City Council;

Adam Ebbin, a Virginia Delegate who becomes the first openly gay State Senator;

Daniel Hernandez, Jr., the intern who helped save the life of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, who was elected to his local school board in Pima County, Ariz.;

Robin Kniech, an out lesbian who became the first openly LGBT member of the Denver, Colorado City Council;

Mike Laster, who becomes the first openly gay man elected to the Houston, Texas City Council;

LaWana Mayfield, who will be the first openly LGBT city councilmember in Charlotte, North Carolina;

Alex Morse, a 22-year-old gay man who won his race for mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts;

Annise Parker … , who was reelected as mayor of Houston, Texas;

Chris Seelbach, who made history as the first openly LGBT candidate to win a seat on the Cincinnati, Ohio City Council.

LGBT related election news, via Chris Geidner at Metro Weekly:

From New York Times reporter Thomas Kaplan, ‘Rose Belforti, the upstate N.Y. town clerk who won’t sign [marriage] licenses [for same-sex couples], has won re-election.’

The news can’t always be good. And “openly” LGBT candidates, or heterosexual candidates who support LGBT equality, aren’t always welcomed. Sometimes, candidates with “openly” LGBT or supportive opponents just won’t resist “openly” making non-heterosexuality an issue. From Washington Post:

Last-minute campaign mailer calls Forrest ‘openly homosexual’
Days before the election, voters in a Fairfax County (Virginia) Senate district received a campaign mailer that calls Republican candidate Patrick Forrest ‘openly homosexual’ and says he is endorsed by the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund. …

Forrest, who is openly gay, has accused his opponent, longtime Democratic Sen. Janet Howell, of making an issue of his sexual orientation for months. …

The mailers were sent just four days before the crucial legislative elections in which Republicans are trying to take the back the upper house.

The return address of the mailer is Our Heritage USA in Lynchburg, but the organization and street address do not appear to exist.

According to the report, Howell said she didn’t know who sent what she called the “disgusting and despicable” mailers, and indicated she would attempt to find out who did, and was reporting the whole thing to the State Board of Elections. The last I saw, there was no new information about who is behind “Our Heritage USA.”

It’s a bit interesting that the accusations are of a Democratic candidate making the “openly homosexual” charges about a Republican candidate.

This next story is about a school board election in Houston. In many ways, this is a fairly routine kind of happening, similar to the last one. Making allegations about the dangers of “open homosexuals,” especially in relation to children, is a familiar tactic. But of course, that’s also a part of it’s danger. It points to the fact that there are still significant numbers of people who think doing such things is okay. The good news is that many other people don’t think it’s okay, and more and more are speaking out. In this case, be sure and watch for a future “Progressive Notes” post by Art, for his take on this episode, as one of those who stepped in to challenge what the Houston Chronicle called “obvious gay-bashing.”

From the Chronicle, No endorsement of Rodriguez for HISD:

Earlier this campaign season, we endorsed Manuel Rodriguez Jr. for another term on the board of the Houston Independent School District. We now retract that endorsement in the race for HISD Position III trustee.

A last-minute campaign flier for Rodriguez displays appalling homophobia. The flier urges recipients … to vote against his opponent, Ramiro Fonseca, because he has been endorsed by the Houston GLBT Caucus … . The flier further states that Fonseca has ‘spent years advocating for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual, transgender rights, not kids,’ and winds up with a pair of bullet points noting that he’s 54 years old with no children and has a male partner.

That’s obvious gay-bashing, of the kind that HISD rightly prohibits on the playground. It has no place on HISD’s board.

According to GLAAD, Rodriguez won by a very narrow margin, and only then, “Apologizes to Those ‘Said They Were Offended’ By Anti-Gay Ads.”

At least he didn’t use the “if anyone was offended” non-apology language. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that, according to the Chronicle, he won by 24 votes. The attention this received, however, is a kind of win in itself.

I realize this last one is looking rather broadly, but from SheWired:

Out lesbian Member of Scottish Parliament (MSP) Ruth Davidson has just been elected as the new leader of the Scottish Conservatives, making her the first gay or lesbian party leader in the United Kingdom. …

Davidson was elected to the parliament earlier this year, and now takes the place of Annabel Goldie to lead the Scottish Conservative party, the third largest in the parliament.

“Out” or “openly,” however you describe it, the “closet” has fewer and fewer occupants, including among those running for and elected to offices, from local to national levels. Of course, there are also good numbers of those who “openly” use “be afraid of the homosexuals” accusations. Even when they win a race, they’re loosing the battle toward equality.

(Annise Parker, via Victory Fund)

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