We'd prefer that today's program didn't start as if it were an episode of 60 Minutes and we'd like to think that viewers of Meet The Press would not need the contextual primer before the actual interview, but at least Mr. Gregory didn't over do it. Throughout the program, we gleaned a few important statements from General Petraeus, but most of the program kept repeatedly reiterating one big fact: The success of the U.S. mission there is in complete doubt and no one seems to know how this, the longest war in our history, will turn out.
Politically, troops are scheduled to start rotating back home in July of next year, but the general made it clear that that would depend on the situation on the ground, in which he is seeing 'small pockets of progress.' For a war going into its tenth year, small pockets of progress mean almost nothing. General Petraeus consistently tried to keep the context within a timeframe of the last 18 months, which is interesting because though he says that his decisions have nothing to do with politics, he focuses on from when the new Administration came into office.
Conditions on the ground will dictate the timetable for a responsible drawn... well, that's at least the idea. Then again General Petraeus said that it will take a substantial, enduring commitment. The beginning of a troop withdrawal by next July seems unlikely, but the general did say that approximately 2,000 troops would be going home. 2,000? There are 100,000 in country so that 2% number is simply a token.
From where we sit, the one somewhat positive conclusion we can glean is that Al Qaeda and the Taliban elements supporting them are being disrupted in a major way in the region. Whether the Pakistani government is doing enough is anyone's guess, but the conflict has been pretty much regionalized. Al Qaeda is pretty much gone and has taken off for the mountains of Yemen - the next front and a conversation for a different time.
The other significant topic during the program today is the state of the Karzai Government in Afghanistan. We've heard tales of corruption in the press and to confirm it, Ambassador Karl Eikenberry said it's running rampant. Ironically, General Petraeus has to take the more diplomatic route saying that the U.S. and President Karzai have a strong relationship in that the two parties can have a frank discussion and don't necesssarily always agree. calling him a 'strong partner.' Despite disagreements, the dialogue remains open. We believe that President Karzai, who says that Afghanistan could be the new silk road with all it's mineral deposits, is playing the same waiting game that the Taliban are but for different reasons. Without an American presence, the Karzai Government would not be a democratic one, this much is for certain. They would leverage the mineral wealth to control the country, and would probably be content not controlling all of it, just the land masses that matter money-wise.
One thing is for sure, at the end of the hour we still simply know one thing: we don't know how long the longest campaign will be in the long war.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Sunday, August 08, 2010
8.8.10: No End Game
We just have a brief word about today's first guest, President Obama's Energy Adviser, Carol Browner, and the discussion about the Gulf oil crisis. And it continues to be a crisis even though the static kill (pouring tons of mud down the well) has seemed to have stopped most all the oil spouting from the well. That's the good news. The not so great news is that it's obvious that the administration has as much information as the rest of us, seeming to be observers as well. At this point, we're all getting the same information and our fear is that we'll never get the full story from BP. As a matter of fact, we'll never get the full story.
Where the government needs to step in big is to restore the Gulf Coast, environmentally and economically because BP sure as hell isn't going to do it. Why the big news outlets don't have teams of scientists and scientific reports down there getting the full story is irresponsible at the least. The story's that BP are blocking access should be made into huge front page story, simply for the fact that a corporation is now dictating the terms of what we're, the American people, are to know about their own country? This is a travesty on a 206 million gallon scale. Ms. Browner did make a very good point on the moratorium on drilling during the crisis, which was the moratorium on drilling during the crisis was the right thing to do because if there had been another accident while this was going on, we wouldn't have had the resources to combat both. Logical. What's not logical is that Republicans got the concessions they wanted on a clean energy bill, most notably the removal of cap-and-trade, and they still voted against it.
This brings us to today's second guest, House Minority Leader, John Boehner (R-OH), who said that the moratorium should be lifted because "a mistake was made with this well." He also said that BP has stepped up and should return the Gulf Coast to where it was before the spill. It is the right thing to say, but there is no utter way that BP has the will, the wear-with-all, or the inclination to do any such thing. And it was a 'mistake' as Mr. Boehner put it, it was negligence on the part of BP, plain and simply. They bypassed safety concerns on the rig for the sake of profit, and unfortunately it bit us all in the ass. Not them.
What kind of leader can not give a straight answer? You can quite clearly see the impatience on Mr. Gregory's face, and for good reason. Mr. Boehner could not answer the key question of the interview, which was if he agreed with Alan Greenspan (from last week's Meet The Press) that an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts would pay for themselves. All Mr. Boehner can utter is the mantra of how the Obama Administration wants more mandates, higher taxes, which lead to higher costs.
What Mr. Boehner and other Republicans don't realize is that simply cutting taxes will not levee our economic troubles. What's the end game with this play? Is it that we'll eliminate taxes all together? In some cases we actually have, with corporations like G.E. and Exxon Mobil not paying any taxes due to off-shore tax loopholes. And these companies who don't pay their fair share of taxes aren't creating more jobs for Americans. Yet, we can not raise taxes in this economy, not even selectively according to Mr. Boehner.
Something's got to give, there has to be another answer out there beside 'tax cuts.' Contrary to what Republicans would tell you, those two words are not a panacea. They're actually two words that keep our spending addiction going... keeping the withdrawal chills away.
Where the government needs to step in big is to restore the Gulf Coast, environmentally and economically because BP sure as hell isn't going to do it. Why the big news outlets don't have teams of scientists and scientific reports down there getting the full story is irresponsible at the least. The story's that BP are blocking access should be made into huge front page story, simply for the fact that a corporation is now dictating the terms of what we're, the American people, are to know about their own country? This is a travesty on a 206 million gallon scale. Ms. Browner did make a very good point on the moratorium on drilling during the crisis, which was the moratorium on drilling during the crisis was the right thing to do because if there had been another accident while this was going on, we wouldn't have had the resources to combat both. Logical. What's not logical is that Republicans got the concessions they wanted on a clean energy bill, most notably the removal of cap-and-trade, and they still voted against it.
This brings us to today's second guest, House Minority Leader, John Boehner (R-OH), who said that the moratorium should be lifted because "a mistake was made with this well." He also said that BP has stepped up and should return the Gulf Coast to where it was before the spill. It is the right thing to say, but there is no utter way that BP has the will, the wear-with-all, or the inclination to do any such thing. And it was a 'mistake' as Mr. Boehner put it, it was negligence on the part of BP, plain and simply. They bypassed safety concerns on the rig for the sake of profit, and unfortunately it bit us all in the ass. Not them.
What kind of leader can not give a straight answer? You can quite clearly see the impatience on Mr. Gregory's face, and for good reason. Mr. Boehner could not answer the key question of the interview, which was if he agreed with Alan Greenspan (from last week's Meet The Press) that an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts would pay for themselves. All Mr. Boehner can utter is the mantra of how the Obama Administration wants more mandates, higher taxes, which lead to higher costs.
What Mr. Boehner and other Republicans don't realize is that simply cutting taxes will not levee our economic troubles. What's the end game with this play? Is it that we'll eliminate taxes all together? In some cases we actually have, with corporations like G.E. and Exxon Mobil not paying any taxes due to off-shore tax loopholes. And these companies who don't pay their fair share of taxes aren't creating more jobs for Americans. Yet, we can not raise taxes in this economy, not even selectively according to Mr. Boehner.
Something's got to give, there has to be another answer out there beside 'tax cuts.' Contrary to what Republicans would tell you, those two words are not a panacea. They're actually two words that keep our spending addiction going... keeping the withdrawal chills away.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
8.1.2010: Agreeing with Greenspan
The case of Wikileaks disclosing some 92,000 pages of classified documents with regard to the Afghan War will lead to some positive developments and some negative ones, but we feel that the positives will outweigh the negatives. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen addressed the leaks on today's MTP and he did explain that the Taliban and our adversaries would know what our tactics are and the kinds of things that the Allied Forces are doing. What he failed to mention are the uglier instances reported in the paper that can only motivate the Taliban and cause even more feelings of long-term animosity toward the United States.
However, Mr. Gregory asked about the larger point being is the strategy in Afghanistan working? Is the war a lost cause, keeping in mind that the Taliban is at its strongest right now. Admiral Mullen did point out that we're sending more troops in despite July being the deadliest month in Afghanistan since the war started - 66 soldiers died. His answer indicates that he does not feel the war is a lost cause. This is where we feel the leaks can be more of a positive. First, it keeps people's collective attention on the war, which has the massive ripple effect of the government putting it in the fore with the media and then hence the people. Secondly, it's important that war atrocities are vetted out into the open. These acts are committed in the name of the American people and we do have a right to know. Again, this will lead to a change in tactics by our military.
Still, we continue to ask - What is the goal at this point in Afghanistan? To crush the Taliban? It's not going to happen. To secure the government and the people so that Taliban elements are marginalized to the point where they can not be a threat? Highly unlikely.
And then there is Pakistan, the place where our troubles most solidly reside. Admiral Mullen explained that our relationship with Pakistan is continually evolving. There's an understatement for you. The statistic from today's program that bears importance - 59% of the Pakistani people feel the U.S. is an enemy. Did Admiral Mullen say 'evolving' or 'dissolving?'
The bottom line there is that the U.S. is going to be in Afghanistan for a very long time if we plan to seriously achieve these goals.
From there, Mr. Gregory turned the conversation to Iran and their nuclear capabilities, but what he should have asked about is, in fact, Iraq. When will we see our final withdrawal from there. The Obama Administration should get on this message a little bit. It would say that we're, as a whole, trying to draw down the fighting an our troops abroad. Also, given that the public is tired of hearing about two wars, it's more appropriate for Admiral Mullen to comment on Iraq rather than Iran, which is more of a political challenge right now.
Lastly, they talked about the rate of suicide among U.S. servicemen. It's up in all the services and the Admiral admitted that they don't have the answers. Again, the two wars, the atrocities, the lack of public support in both countries (having to reason with the public after Blackwater mercenaries shoot up the place), and of course the multi-deployments. It's truly sad what were doing to these elite Americans, asking so much from them and giving back so little.
___
[New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I); the man who served as Chairman on the Federal Reserve for 19 years, Alan Greenspan; and the Governor of the state with the 6th largest economy in the U.S., Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA).]
It's completely insane what is happening right now in American business, that corporations are totally flush with cash but aren't hiring. Alan Greenspan said he has never in his life seen this level of animosity between government and business. Actually, it was Mr. Greenspan who made today's most provocative statements, starting first with letting the Bush Tax Cuts lapse. Mr. Greenspan, by saying so, is once again embracing the economics of the Clinton era, and at this point, who wouldn't... except Republicans? The other side of the coin is that Mr. Greenspan opined that he sees nothing in the near future that will effect the jobless rate in this country. And given the mindset of the corporations, maximizing profits and continuing to lower respective workforces, we can see his point. Usually we don't. Mr. Bloomberg, typically, feels that we should extend the tax cuts a couple more years, lowering this said animosity. This is ridiculous because someone has to pay to increase the government's revenue. It's key to turning around confidence by lowering the deficit and hence the debt.
"Tax cuts do not pay for themselves," Mr. Greenspan stated today. And Governor Rendell, also on this panel, stated the hard fact that there have to be some tax increases and given all the tax shelters corporations take advantage of, the Bush tax cuts have to lapse for the top 2% of the population. He also pointed out, what we all know, is that the gridlock being caused by Republicans is stifling relief for the unemployed and impeding recovery.
President Obama this week was in Detroit touting a new auto plant with re-hired workers, and that for the first time since 2004, the big three automakers are turning a profit. This is the soapbox in which he should stand.
Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin gave him the best advice possible: Use the bully pulpit! We say, yes, use it and throw it at people who stand in your way to get things done. The last administration never hesitated.
However, Mr. Gregory asked about the larger point being is the strategy in Afghanistan working? Is the war a lost cause, keeping in mind that the Taliban is at its strongest right now. Admiral Mullen did point out that we're sending more troops in despite July being the deadliest month in Afghanistan since the war started - 66 soldiers died. His answer indicates that he does not feel the war is a lost cause. This is where we feel the leaks can be more of a positive. First, it keeps people's collective attention on the war, which has the massive ripple effect of the government putting it in the fore with the media and then hence the people. Secondly, it's important that war atrocities are vetted out into the open. These acts are committed in the name of the American people and we do have a right to know. Again, this will lead to a change in tactics by our military.
Still, we continue to ask - What is the goal at this point in Afghanistan? To crush the Taliban? It's not going to happen. To secure the government and the people so that Taliban elements are marginalized to the point where they can not be a threat? Highly unlikely.
And then there is Pakistan, the place where our troubles most solidly reside. Admiral Mullen explained that our relationship with Pakistan is continually evolving. There's an understatement for you. The statistic from today's program that bears importance - 59% of the Pakistani people feel the U.S. is an enemy. Did Admiral Mullen say 'evolving' or 'dissolving?'
The bottom line there is that the U.S. is going to be in Afghanistan for a very long time if we plan to seriously achieve these goals.
From there, Mr. Gregory turned the conversation to Iran and their nuclear capabilities, but what he should have asked about is, in fact, Iraq. When will we see our final withdrawal from there. The Obama Administration should get on this message a little bit. It would say that we're, as a whole, trying to draw down the fighting an our troops abroad. Also, given that the public is tired of hearing about two wars, it's more appropriate for Admiral Mullen to comment on Iraq rather than Iran, which is more of a political challenge right now.
Lastly, they talked about the rate of suicide among U.S. servicemen. It's up in all the services and the Admiral admitted that they don't have the answers. Again, the two wars, the atrocities, the lack of public support in both countries (having to reason with the public after Blackwater mercenaries shoot up the place), and of course the multi-deployments. It's truly sad what were doing to these elite Americans, asking so much from them and giving back so little.
___
[New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I); the man who served as Chairman on the Federal Reserve for 19 years, Alan Greenspan; and the Governor of the state with the 6th largest economy in the U.S., Gov. Ed Rendell (D-PA).]
It's completely insane what is happening right now in American business, that corporations are totally flush with cash but aren't hiring. Alan Greenspan said he has never in his life seen this level of animosity between government and business. Actually, it was Mr. Greenspan who made today's most provocative statements, starting first with letting the Bush Tax Cuts lapse. Mr. Greenspan, by saying so, is once again embracing the economics of the Clinton era, and at this point, who wouldn't... except Republicans? The other side of the coin is that Mr. Greenspan opined that he sees nothing in the near future that will effect the jobless rate in this country. And given the mindset of the corporations, maximizing profits and continuing to lower respective workforces, we can see his point. Usually we don't. Mr. Bloomberg, typically, feels that we should extend the tax cuts a couple more years, lowering this said animosity. This is ridiculous because someone has to pay to increase the government's revenue. It's key to turning around confidence by lowering the deficit and hence the debt.
"Tax cuts do not pay for themselves," Mr. Greenspan stated today. And Governor Rendell, also on this panel, stated the hard fact that there have to be some tax increases and given all the tax shelters corporations take advantage of, the Bush tax cuts have to lapse for the top 2% of the population. He also pointed out, what we all know, is that the gridlock being caused by Republicans is stifling relief for the unemployed and impeding recovery.
President Obama this week was in Detroit touting a new auto plant with re-hired workers, and that for the first time since 2004, the big three automakers are turning a profit. This is the soapbox in which he should stand.
Presidential Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin gave him the best advice possible: Use the bully pulpit! We say, yes, use it and throw it at people who stand in your way to get things done. The last administration never hesitated.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
7.25.10: Shirley Sherrod is Correct (It's Actually About the Poor)
The first topic posed to today's round table, as expected, concerned this week's episode of the misrepresented video of Ms. Shirley Sherrod by Breitbart and the fall out of the media and, stupidly, the Administration's knee-jerk reactions.
But with regard to today's Meet The Press - it's first guest, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and the panel, Ms. Sherrod had it absolutely correct, if you watched the entire video of the story she told. It's not about black and white, it's about the poor, the haves and have-nots.
Sec. Geithner most important message is that the Administration feels it is good policy to let the Bush Tax Cuts expire for the top two economic percent of the population. As part of these tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, middle class Americans also enjoy some relief, but it is nothing in comparison to what the wealth reap in relief. As we've stated before in this column, the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest of this nation is at its highest level in over 80 years. If that disparity doesn't shrink, it will eventually lead to the destruction of the American capitalist society. We say this thinking about the myth of the former Soviet Union, where before its end, it appeared powerful and in tact, but in reality it was just a fresh coat of paint over a rusted out infrastructure.
We digress, but the point is that what Geithner is saying is that someone has to pay for something, it can no longer be put on the credit card. Capital needs to be self-generated and Mr. Gregory, who brought it up again today, asked what hard choices are going to be made so that for every dollar the government spends, it doesn't have to borrow forty-one cents of it (from China). Letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire is a necessary step to generate tax revenue and understandably, it difficult to get people to go backward on their income, no matter how much they make. But politically, the Administration will again fail to communicate clearly that when the tax cuts expire, the result will not affect the middle class.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A trite cliche, yes, but cliches are what they are because they are true. There's no confidence in the economic chain of this country, there are simply too many weak links and as Mr. Gregory rightfully reiterates, difficult choices need to be made.
Mr. Dionne distilled the Shirley Sherrod saga accurately, saying that it was using race for political gain. Mr. Santelli - the spark plug for the Tea Party movement - equates this usage of race to spending and it's ripple effect on entitlements. But his spending-based assessment implies that entitlements are synonymous with minorities. They are synonymous with the poor.
The meta-narrative, that Ms. Dunn referred to, is that it is in fact President Obama who is the cause of problematic race relations according to the right. But the question that posed was that shouldn't they be getting better with the election of the nation's first black president. Vindictiveness is a powerful motivation, and there is an element... of the Tea Party Movement... let's not pretend that are white and feel like they have been cheated somehow and are now going to have what they have taken away from them. It seems naive when you write it in the context of a piece, but it is spurred by fear. This, coupled with the economic uncertainty we face, and its not surprising that the side that is out of power would use the sharpest bone from our skeletal past to cut the other anew. What makes this episode of Ms. Sherrod's misfortune particularly unseemly is Mr. Breitbart's statements after the full story was reveled. He said the NAACP was racist for essentially denouncing certain elements of the Tea Party - subtly burrowing deeper into the reverse-racist argument And what he didn't offer was an apology, and no recognition of the ripple effect his actions will have down the road.
Roundtable
The New York Times' David Brooks; The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne; Former Obama White House Communications Director Anita Dunn; National Urban League President Marc Morial and a man often credited with helping to spark the tea party movement, CNBC's Rick Santelli.
But with regard to today's Meet The Press - it's first guest, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, and the panel, Ms. Sherrod had it absolutely correct, if you watched the entire video of the story she told. It's not about black and white, it's about the poor, the haves and have-nots.
Sec. Geithner most important message is that the Administration feels it is good policy to let the Bush Tax Cuts expire for the top two economic percent of the population. As part of these tax cuts, which are set to expire at the end of the year, middle class Americans also enjoy some relief, but it is nothing in comparison to what the wealth reap in relief. As we've stated before in this column, the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest of this nation is at its highest level in over 80 years. If that disparity doesn't shrink, it will eventually lead to the destruction of the American capitalist society. We say this thinking about the myth of the former Soviet Union, where before its end, it appeared powerful and in tact, but in reality it was just a fresh coat of paint over a rusted out infrastructure.
We digress, but the point is that what Geithner is saying is that someone has to pay for something, it can no longer be put on the credit card. Capital needs to be self-generated and Mr. Gregory, who brought it up again today, asked what hard choices are going to be made so that for every dollar the government spends, it doesn't have to borrow forty-one cents of it (from China). Letting the Bush Tax Cuts expire is a necessary step to generate tax revenue and understandably, it difficult to get people to go backward on their income, no matter how much they make. But politically, the Administration will again fail to communicate clearly that when the tax cuts expire, the result will not affect the middle class.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. A trite cliche, yes, but cliches are what they are because they are true. There's no confidence in the economic chain of this country, there are simply too many weak links and as Mr. Gregory rightfully reiterates, difficult choices need to be made.
Mr. Dionne distilled the Shirley Sherrod saga accurately, saying that it was using race for political gain. Mr. Santelli - the spark plug for the Tea Party movement - equates this usage of race to spending and it's ripple effect on entitlements. But his spending-based assessment implies that entitlements are synonymous with minorities. They are synonymous with the poor.
The meta-narrative, that Ms. Dunn referred to, is that it is in fact President Obama who is the cause of problematic race relations according to the right. But the question that posed was that shouldn't they be getting better with the election of the nation's first black president. Vindictiveness is a powerful motivation, and there is an element... of the Tea Party Movement... let's not pretend that are white and feel like they have been cheated somehow and are now going to have what they have taken away from them. It seems naive when you write it in the context of a piece, but it is spurred by fear. This, coupled with the economic uncertainty we face, and its not surprising that the side that is out of power would use the sharpest bone from our skeletal past to cut the other anew. What makes this episode of Ms. Sherrod's misfortune particularly unseemly is Mr. Breitbart's statements after the full story was reveled. He said the NAACP was racist for essentially denouncing certain elements of the Tea Party - subtly burrowing deeper into the reverse-racist argument And what he didn't offer was an apology, and no recognition of the ripple effect his actions will have down the road.
Roundtable
The New York Times' David Brooks; The Washington Post's E.J. Dionne; Former Obama White House Communications Director Anita Dunn; National Urban League President Marc Morial and a man often credited with helping to spark the tea party movement, CNBC's Rick Santelli.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
7.18.2010: Pure Politics
Cut right to the round table discussion on today's Meet The Press for some pure politics with the following guests: Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), and Chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The talk was all about political control and which party has the better ideas to fix an economy suffering from financial pneumonia. Where we are right now, and what these gentlemen proved today is that we're definitely in a state of limbo. If you've just seen the movie Inception, you'll know this is not good. Democrats have passed and want to pass initiatives, namely Healthcare and financial reform, but on both points, the American people don't have a clear idea of how these two bills will benefit them. In particular with Healthcare, the benefits that Democrats talk about have not all taken affect so the spin that Americans are left with is that all the bill has done is add to an already crippling deficit and over debt. Senator John Cornyn stayed with his party's line in that we should repeal and replace the Healthcare bill, citing that the cost is outrageous (2.6 Trillion) and that the American people don't want it. The Republican worry here is that once the new healthcare benefits kick in, there will be no way to repeal it because Americans will like the benefits, and then hence we'd be stuck with these costs. However, the cost is not the main concern with Republicans. How could they be given how much was put on the Chinese credit card under the prior administration. It's the political success for Democrats that this bill may bring it that trouble Republicans the most. However, we must keep in mind that Republicans may have a point with costs. It's simply impossible with a bill of this size how much it will ultimately cost. 'Repeal and Replace' is a nice easy notion to run a campaign on, but the reality is that this is a false promise. It will take more political leverage than the Democrats had in passing it then Republicans will be able to ganer for some time. Senator Menendez pointed out the child healthcare benefit that the bill brings and, more importantly, not being denied insurance for a pre-existing condition. The latter is where the insurance companies make a ton of revenue. And that's what it is all about, not denying any revenue to corporations. So conservatives will oppose any measure in any bill that impedes the furthering of corporate profit.
With With regard Financial reform, the fight goes even though the bill has passed on with Democrats wanting to make changes to regulations and the Republicans contending that things should not be altered as they will stifle business. Along with this, are the Bush tax cuts. What to do with those?
Mr. Sessions stated that the Bush economic policies doubled the size of the economy, essentially asking - why change that? However, what Mr. Sessions failed to note is the telling statistic that the disparity between the wealthiest one percent of Americans and the rest of the population is the highest it has been in the last 80 years. Additionally, Mr. Sessions said that we should live within our means. Mr. Cornyn reiterated this notion. Translated, it means pay as you go, which is something that President Clinton had instituted, and it's also an idea that the Bush Administration blew up, enabled by a Republican controlled Congress. This is simply 20-20 hindsight. Republicans, in actuality, want to return to the Bush era of financial philosophy, this was something that Representative Chris Van Hollen made a point to illustrate.
Unlike Healthcare, the Democrats have the upper hand with financial reform. Mr. Sessions could not give one specific example of what hard choices Republicans would make to turn the economy around. Then when pressed about it again by Mr. Gregory, Mr. Sessions still couldn't come up with anything. Mr. Gregory, sensing the bullshit, cut off the Representative from Texas and tried to get it out of his Senate counterpart - Mr. Cornyn - to no avail. Mr. Sessions stated emphatically that we need to balance the budget. Mr. Gregory simply asked him how and he could even answer that question. Easy to state the problem, coming up with the solution, not so much.
This is the Republicans main problem. They want to kill all the Democratic initiatives and maintain Bush Administration fiscal policies, and the underlying truth is that they don't know how to do it. Or, at the very least, they aren't saying because they know the consequences. In the news this week was the question of how Republicans can be for maintaining the Bush tax cuts, but no for extending unemployment benefits. It's something they simply don't want to grapple with and it seems that if they just stay on message that it will all align in their favor. Could work, but it won't if the Democrats can make compelling arguments against this, which they have yet to be able to do.
All of this is prelude to the uncertainty of the November mid-term elections - which way will the House turn? Lastly, Mr. Greogory steered the conversation to the Tea Party and how this group will affect the aforementioned outcome. Republicans have downplayed the far right, out of the mainstream statements that the candidates have made and really the jury is still out on how the establishment Republicans want to embrace this movement, if at all. Especially when you have a candidate like Sharon Angle in Nevada. She is just simply unhinged, a wack-o, who really doesn't understand the gravity of the statements she makes. One in particular is quite disturbing, which is to use Second Amendment remedies against her opponents. Second Amendment remedies? This is the biggest load of crap euphemism. What it means is to take up a gun and shoot the people who oppose you. And this is an insightful contribution to the national discourse? Republicans want Harry Reid to lose for sure, but how do they get on board with that?
The talk was all about political control and which party has the better ideas to fix an economy suffering from financial pneumonia. Where we are right now, and what these gentlemen proved today is that we're definitely in a state of limbo. If you've just seen the movie Inception, you'll know this is not good. Democrats have passed and want to pass initiatives, namely Healthcare and financial reform, but on both points, the American people don't have a clear idea of how these two bills will benefit them. In particular with Healthcare, the benefits that Democrats talk about have not all taken affect so the spin that Americans are left with is that all the bill has done is add to an already crippling deficit and over debt. Senator John Cornyn stayed with his party's line in that we should repeal and replace the Healthcare bill, citing that the cost is outrageous (2.6 Trillion) and that the American people don't want it. The Republican worry here is that once the new healthcare benefits kick in, there will be no way to repeal it because Americans will like the benefits, and then hence we'd be stuck with these costs. However, the cost is not the main concern with Republicans. How could they be given how much was put on the Chinese credit card under the prior administration. It's the political success for Democrats that this bill may bring it that trouble Republicans the most. However, we must keep in mind that Republicans may have a point with costs. It's simply impossible with a bill of this size how much it will ultimately cost. 'Repeal and Replace' is a nice easy notion to run a campaign on, but the reality is that this is a false promise. It will take more political leverage than the Democrats had in passing it then Republicans will be able to ganer for some time. Senator Menendez pointed out the child healthcare benefit that the bill brings and, more importantly, not being denied insurance for a pre-existing condition. The latter is where the insurance companies make a ton of revenue. And that's what it is all about, not denying any revenue to corporations. So conservatives will oppose any measure in any bill that impedes the furthering of corporate profit.
With With regard Financial reform, the fight goes even though the bill has passed on with Democrats wanting to make changes to regulations and the Republicans contending that things should not be altered as they will stifle business. Along with this, are the Bush tax cuts. What to do with those?
Mr. Sessions stated that the Bush economic policies doubled the size of the economy, essentially asking - why change that? However, what Mr. Sessions failed to note is the telling statistic that the disparity between the wealthiest one percent of Americans and the rest of the population is the highest it has been in the last 80 years. Additionally, Mr. Sessions said that we should live within our means. Mr. Cornyn reiterated this notion. Translated, it means pay as you go, which is something that President Clinton had instituted, and it's also an idea that the Bush Administration blew up, enabled by a Republican controlled Congress. This is simply 20-20 hindsight. Republicans, in actuality, want to return to the Bush era of financial philosophy, this was something that Representative Chris Van Hollen made a point to illustrate.
Unlike Healthcare, the Democrats have the upper hand with financial reform. Mr. Sessions could not give one specific example of what hard choices Republicans would make to turn the economy around. Then when pressed about it again by Mr. Gregory, Mr. Sessions still couldn't come up with anything. Mr. Gregory, sensing the bullshit, cut off the Representative from Texas and tried to get it out of his Senate counterpart - Mr. Cornyn - to no avail. Mr. Sessions stated emphatically that we need to balance the budget. Mr. Gregory simply asked him how and he could even answer that question. Easy to state the problem, coming up with the solution, not so much.
This is the Republicans main problem. They want to kill all the Democratic initiatives and maintain Bush Administration fiscal policies, and the underlying truth is that they don't know how to do it. Or, at the very least, they aren't saying because they know the consequences. In the news this week was the question of how Republicans can be for maintaining the Bush tax cuts, but no for extending unemployment benefits. It's something they simply don't want to grapple with and it seems that if they just stay on message that it will all align in their favor. Could work, but it won't if the Democrats can make compelling arguments against this, which they have yet to be able to do.
All of this is prelude to the uncertainty of the November mid-term elections - which way will the House turn? Lastly, Mr. Greogory steered the conversation to the Tea Party and how this group will affect the aforementioned outcome. Republicans have downplayed the far right, out of the mainstream statements that the candidates have made and really the jury is still out on how the establishment Republicans want to embrace this movement, if at all. Especially when you have a candidate like Sharon Angle in Nevada. She is just simply unhinged, a wack-o, who really doesn't understand the gravity of the statements she makes. One in particular is quite disturbing, which is to use Second Amendment remedies against her opponents. Second Amendment remedies? This is the biggest load of crap euphemism. What it means is to take up a gun and shoot the people who oppose you. And this is an insightful contribution to the national discourse? Republicans want Harry Reid to lose for sure, but how do they get on board with that?
Sunday, July 11, 2010
7.11.2010: Expectations
Guests: White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs; Roundtable - New York Times columnist David Brooks; Fmr. Rep. Harold Ford Jr. (D-TN); Republican Strategist and Fmr. Counselor to President George W. Bush, Ed Gillespie; and msnbc's Rachel Maddow.
David Gregory's topics and questions all circled back around to the politics of the situation. Unarticulated political stance continues to plague this administration. Every answer White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gave was further testament to this fact.
Our notion of the Administration becomes further solidified with each passing day. It consists of very talented and smart individuals, all of whom do not know how to communicate their ideas effectively to the American people to show them that the measures being taken to correct the various disasters that we're facing. Frankly, in most interviews, Administration officials sound defensive... like wimps. This was capped off, pardon the pun, of Mr. Gibbs acknowledging that the Republicans could potentially take the House this fall. There's confidence for you.
First, and foremost, the oil spew is a bullet wound for this country and we just can not stop the bleeding. For most people, this catastrophe is not in the collective daily consciousness but the ripple [read: wave] effect of this will be felt for decades. Mr. Gibbs stated that we're containing 25,000 barrels a day at this point, but this is in light of the fact that BP took the cap off the well and at this moment the oil is flowing freely into the Gulf. His reassurance is that Thad Allen is approving all of BP's methods for stopping the spew. What is he not going to approve? We're at the mercy of this oil company to stop this. However, what the Administration could and should do is stop BP from manipulating the entire situation with regard to press access, claim money distribution, and the scientific community assessing. BP does not have the right to essential quarantine areas of the United States coast. This is where the government should force a strong hand and we're just not seeing it.
What we hope doesn't fall into collective deafness is the program Mr. Gibbs outlined for the new battery plant opening in Michigan. By opening this plant, it will make fuel batteries for the Chevy Volt and has the potential to create 40% of the world's fuel batteries. We're one of the few nations to be able to facilitate innovation like this, which needs to be stepped up ten-fold.
The other overarching problem is that what everyone has to realize is that the problems that the Obama Administration inherited are going to take longer than two years to fix, longer than four years to fix. That's the reality that every politician knows and each party is trying to manage that unsaid truth. Obviously, this is harder on the Democrats since they're holding power. The result of course is very poor poll numbers.
Before moving on to Afghanistan, Mr. Gregory asked Mr. Gibbs if expectations for the Administration were too high going in. Rightfully, he asked it twice and Mr. Gibbs never answered it. So we'll have to...
(By the way, we hope that viewers are settling in with Mr. Gregory as time goes by, as we are. We're glad to see that his style has evolved. At first, he was going at interview guests like he was still part of the White House Press Corps where you get two questions, maybe and you'd better make them good. But now, he's using tone and time much more effectively.)
And the answer is YES. Expectations on both sides, the people's and the Administration's, were very high. Going in, The Obama Administration had 67% of the people on board, but what the Administration underestimated was the fact they didn't have 67% of the Senate onboard. Factor in the shenanigans played by Democratic Senators Nelson of Nebraska, Landreau of Louisiana, and Lincoln of Arkansas and the potential, on which the expectations are build, is plundered.
Speaking of expectations, we'll be coming up on ten years in Afghanistan, matching the Soviets escapade there in its futility. No one expected that, but here we are. And we need to get out as soon as possible. Instead of nation building, which is a large part of what we're doing, we should be focusing on the elements - the Taliban - that needs to be defeated. The reality is that the nation building is a smoke screen for us using Afghanistan as a launching pad for attacks in Pakistan against Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists. We can not openly claim this as one of our objectives, but if we're going to be hawkish in this respect, go all the way with it, up the intensity and shorten the duration and then get out. We can all conclude that we're not going to determine the ultimate future of Afghanistan, and simply trying to shape it for a certain trajectory if an iffy proposition at best. The Administration is stuck in a morass here and hasn't articulated a clear purpose.
We haven't even gotten to the panel, which honestly, is barely worth mentioning because of the following: Harold Ford made the good point that it's all about jobs, but it's easy to be right when you're not on the hook for creating them. David Brooks today was more or less a Republican apologist, and rightly so. Ed Gillespie is still trying in futility to defend the Bush record. And lastly, Rachel Maddow just wants to make sure her opinion in this forum sounds like the right one.
David Gregory's topics and questions all circled back around to the politics of the situation. Unarticulated political stance continues to plague this administration. Every answer White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs gave was further testament to this fact.
Our notion of the Administration becomes further solidified with each passing day. It consists of very talented and smart individuals, all of whom do not know how to communicate their ideas effectively to the American people to show them that the measures being taken to correct the various disasters that we're facing. Frankly, in most interviews, Administration officials sound defensive... like wimps. This was capped off, pardon the pun, of Mr. Gibbs acknowledging that the Republicans could potentially take the House this fall. There's confidence for you.
First, and foremost, the oil spew is a bullet wound for this country and we just can not stop the bleeding. For most people, this catastrophe is not in the collective daily consciousness but the ripple [read: wave] effect of this will be felt for decades. Mr. Gibbs stated that we're containing 25,000 barrels a day at this point, but this is in light of the fact that BP took the cap off the well and at this moment the oil is flowing freely into the Gulf. His reassurance is that Thad Allen is approving all of BP's methods for stopping the spew. What is he not going to approve? We're at the mercy of this oil company to stop this. However, what the Administration could and should do is stop BP from manipulating the entire situation with regard to press access, claim money distribution, and the scientific community assessing. BP does not have the right to essential quarantine areas of the United States coast. This is where the government should force a strong hand and we're just not seeing it.
What we hope doesn't fall into collective deafness is the program Mr. Gibbs outlined for the new battery plant opening in Michigan. By opening this plant, it will make fuel batteries for the Chevy Volt and has the potential to create 40% of the world's fuel batteries. We're one of the few nations to be able to facilitate innovation like this, which needs to be stepped up ten-fold.
The other overarching problem is that what everyone has to realize is that the problems that the Obama Administration inherited are going to take longer than two years to fix, longer than four years to fix. That's the reality that every politician knows and each party is trying to manage that unsaid truth. Obviously, this is harder on the Democrats since they're holding power. The result of course is very poor poll numbers.
Before moving on to Afghanistan, Mr. Gregory asked Mr. Gibbs if expectations for the Administration were too high going in. Rightfully, he asked it twice and Mr. Gibbs never answered it. So we'll have to...
(By the way, we hope that viewers are settling in with Mr. Gregory as time goes by, as we are. We're glad to see that his style has evolved. At first, he was going at interview guests like he was still part of the White House Press Corps where you get two questions, maybe and you'd better make them good. But now, he's using tone and time much more effectively.)
And the answer is YES. Expectations on both sides, the people's and the Administration's, were very high. Going in, The Obama Administration had 67% of the people on board, but what the Administration underestimated was the fact they didn't have 67% of the Senate onboard. Factor in the shenanigans played by Democratic Senators Nelson of Nebraska, Landreau of Louisiana, and Lincoln of Arkansas and the potential, on which the expectations are build, is plundered.
Speaking of expectations, we'll be coming up on ten years in Afghanistan, matching the Soviets escapade there in its futility. No one expected that, but here we are. And we need to get out as soon as possible. Instead of nation building, which is a large part of what we're doing, we should be focusing on the elements - the Taliban - that needs to be defeated. The reality is that the nation building is a smoke screen for us using Afghanistan as a launching pad for attacks in Pakistan against Taliban and Al Qaeda extremists. We can not openly claim this as one of our objectives, but if we're going to be hawkish in this respect, go all the way with it, up the intensity and shorten the duration and then get out. We can all conclude that we're not going to determine the ultimate future of Afghanistan, and simply trying to shape it for a certain trajectory if an iffy proposition at best. The Administration is stuck in a morass here and hasn't articulated a clear purpose.
We haven't even gotten to the panel, which honestly, is barely worth mentioning because of the following: Harold Ford made the good point that it's all about jobs, but it's easy to be right when you're not on the hook for creating them. David Brooks today was more or less a Republican apologist, and rightly so. Ed Gillespie is still trying in futility to defend the Bush record. And lastly, Rachel Maddow just wants to make sure her opinion in this forum sounds like the right one.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
5.30.10: The Numbers We Don't Know
An un-fucking-believable disaster.. Underwater spewing oil, as David Brooks pointed out, is the imagine of the year. Carol Browner, Energy and Climate Change Advisor to the President, confirmed on today's program that this is in fact the worst environmental disaster in the nation's history. And to top it off, or not, the top kill method of stopping the spewing didn't work.
But what is really disconcerting is that the majority of the American people are still in favor of offshore drilling, despite this catastrophe, which makes an interview like we saw today with Robert Dudley, the managing director of BP, a joke, another opportunity to tell half-truths, another chance to claim plausible deniability. Mr. Dudley called this an unusual failure, and couldn't/didn't give a straight answer on whether the industry misled the government with regard to safety. Even from this microcosmic blogachair in the sea of internet opinion, this column knows that proper safety procedures were not followed on the rig. There's too much information out there to verify this. And yet, Mr. Dudley can sit there and defend the aloof Tony Hayward, the Head of BP, for the good job he's doing since the outset of the crisis.
E.J. Dionne, on today's panel, said he kept reflecting on a question that David Gregory continued to return to, which was why hadn't everyone involved with the operation of the rig prepare for a worst case scenario type of situation in the event that an 'unusual failure' would happen. Then, of course, come the questions about to what degree the oil industry is cozy with the government, did they mislead the government, etc. But this is all show; we already know the answers and hence, there was no initiative, interest, or incentive to consider safety over profit, ever.
Now, they are going for containment, they can't stop it, and relief wells won't be done until August. There are two 'mystery' numbers that this column keeps dwelling. One of those numbers is about the amount oil that is spewing out of the well each day. Mr. Dudley didn't seem to know or didn't want to answer. The number of 5,000 barrels per day. Well, there are 42 gallons in a barrel so that's 210,000 galloons a day, and given the facts of history, when things like this occur, you know that is a low-ball estimate. The President said it is both enraging and heartbreaking. That first number was the enraging. For the heartbreaking, the second 'mystery' number is how many people... and living things for that matter... are permanently affected? Untold millions. We'll never know these true numbers.
So when? When do we open our eyes to the fact that this country has a heroin type addiction to oil and needs to seriously start a transition? Oil causes two wars; oil kills our environment; oil dictates our and the world's economy.
________
Immigration, with respect to Mexican border, is like our own little Israel-Palestinian conflict. Suspiciousness exists on all sides; money, guns, and drugs cross back and forth; a high body count keeps growing in the wake of a drug war; compassion is an obtuse echo in soundboard; and troops are mobile and on the ready. Talk of a solution goes on and on, around and around, and nothing really happens to fix the situation until a law passes that favors a far-right ideology. And what we really need is a solid two state solution.
We've never been in the habit of lavishing praise on Mr. Gregory, but this was a great interview for him. The Players involved, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) vs. former Congressman, currently running for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate from Arizona, J.D. Hayworth, are two central voices in this national debate. Mr. Gregory addressed the complexities of the issue, talked about the practicality of the law vs. the theory, and pushed for deeper explanations.
Above we said that Mr. Hayworth is a central voice on this issue, and that does not bode well for Senator McCain who is defending against Mr. Hayworth's challenge. This is a central issue in Arizona and the incumbent doesn't own it. Mr. McCain once supported comprehensive immigration reform, which Mr. Hayworth on today's program called that a euphemism for amnesty. He continued that it is a matter of national security and the 1,200 National Guardsmen headed to the border was not enough. Mr. Gutierrez, on the other hand, called that deployment sound bite driven politics. Senator McCain wants 6,000 troops. Mr. McCain, like Senators Joe Lieberman and Arlen Spector, never puts anything above protecting his own job, power, and influence in the worst pandering sort of way, compromising all principal. But troops aren't the answer, they can be part of a solution, but definitely not the answer.
We agree with Mr. Gutierrez's central point that you have to cut off the magnet of jobs that motivate people to come here illegally. However, his answer wasn't comprehensive enough in that he didn't address the issue of drugs and guns, images which do not provoke sympathy for the more compassionate side of the issue. Not to mention that Mr. Gutierrez's cause right now is a losing battle right now. Sixty-one percent of the country are in favor of the steps that the state of Arizona has taken. Mr. Gutierrez said it's a national problem and can not be looked just through the lens of Arizona. Nice statement but that's what everyone's doing.
But what is really disconcerting is that the majority of the American people are still in favor of offshore drilling, despite this catastrophe, which makes an interview like we saw today with Robert Dudley, the managing director of BP, a joke, another opportunity to tell half-truths, another chance to claim plausible deniability. Mr. Dudley called this an unusual failure, and couldn't/didn't give a straight answer on whether the industry misled the government with regard to safety. Even from this microcosmic blogachair in the sea of internet opinion, this column knows that proper safety procedures were not followed on the rig. There's too much information out there to verify this. And yet, Mr. Dudley can sit there and defend the aloof Tony Hayward, the Head of BP, for the good job he's doing since the outset of the crisis.
E.J. Dionne, on today's panel, said he kept reflecting on a question that David Gregory continued to return to, which was why hadn't everyone involved with the operation of the rig prepare for a worst case scenario type of situation in the event that an 'unusual failure' would happen. Then, of course, come the questions about to what degree the oil industry is cozy with the government, did they mislead the government, etc. But this is all show; we already know the answers and hence, there was no initiative, interest, or incentive to consider safety over profit, ever.
Now, they are going for containment, they can't stop it, and relief wells won't be done until August. There are two 'mystery' numbers that this column keeps dwelling. One of those numbers is about the amount oil that is spewing out of the well each day. Mr. Dudley didn't seem to know or didn't want to answer. The number of 5,000 barrels per day. Well, there are 42 gallons in a barrel so that's 210,000 galloons a day, and given the facts of history, when things like this occur, you know that is a low-ball estimate. The President said it is both enraging and heartbreaking. That first number was the enraging. For the heartbreaking, the second 'mystery' number is how many people... and living things for that matter... are permanently affected? Untold millions. We'll never know these true numbers.
So when? When do we open our eyes to the fact that this country has a heroin type addiction to oil and needs to seriously start a transition? Oil causes two wars; oil kills our environment; oil dictates our and the world's economy.
________
Immigration, with respect to Mexican border, is like our own little Israel-Palestinian conflict. Suspiciousness exists on all sides; money, guns, and drugs cross back and forth; a high body count keeps growing in the wake of a drug war; compassion is an obtuse echo in soundboard; and troops are mobile and on the ready. Talk of a solution goes on and on, around and around, and nothing really happens to fix the situation until a law passes that favors a far-right ideology. And what we really need is a solid two state solution.
We've never been in the habit of lavishing praise on Mr. Gregory, but this was a great interview for him. The Players involved, Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) vs. former Congressman, currently running for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate from Arizona, J.D. Hayworth, are two central voices in this national debate. Mr. Gregory addressed the complexities of the issue, talked about the practicality of the law vs. the theory, and pushed for deeper explanations.
Above we said that Mr. Hayworth is a central voice on this issue, and that does not bode well for Senator McCain who is defending against Mr. Hayworth's challenge. This is a central issue in Arizona and the incumbent doesn't own it. Mr. McCain once supported comprehensive immigration reform, which Mr. Hayworth on today's program called that a euphemism for amnesty. He continued that it is a matter of national security and the 1,200 National Guardsmen headed to the border was not enough. Mr. Gutierrez, on the other hand, called that deployment sound bite driven politics. Senator McCain wants 6,000 troops. Mr. McCain, like Senators Joe Lieberman and Arlen Spector, never puts anything above protecting his own job, power, and influence in the worst pandering sort of way, compromising all principal. But troops aren't the answer, they can be part of a solution, but definitely not the answer.
We agree with Mr. Gutierrez's central point that you have to cut off the magnet of jobs that motivate people to come here illegally. However, his answer wasn't comprehensive enough in that he didn't address the issue of drugs and guns, images which do not provoke sympathy for the more compassionate side of the issue. Not to mention that Mr. Gutierrez's cause right now is a losing battle right now. Sixty-one percent of the country are in favor of the steps that the state of Arizona has taken. Mr. Gutierrez said it's a national problem and can not be looked just through the lens of Arizona. Nice statement but that's what everyone's doing.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
5.16.10: Results of the Smell Test... It's Smelly.
The two main topics of discussion posed to the respective Senators, Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on today's Meet The Press were of course the British Petroleum oil catastrophe and the nomination of Ms. Elena Kagen to the Supreme Court. And just when you think these subjects have been beaten to death by the commentators and everyone under the sun has been asked his or her opinion of it, you still get the ridiculous in the form of Senator McConnell's answer to removing the $75 million cap for BP on damages.
Not surprisingly, Senator Schumer, who consistently and effectively plans the 'common sense' political card, said that the cap should be removed and went on to emphasize BP's responsibility for the disaster. However, what Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said was not only ridiculous but incredulous as well. When asked about the responsibility levels with regard to all parties involved (BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and the Government), he glanced over BP and said he was interested in what the Administration did beside the companies involved. He didn't say the agencies involved, the presiding cabinet member, not FEMA or over all government response, but the Administration specifically. This is completely counter-productive because what he is really saying is that he wants to see what the Administration's response time was to use it for politically purpose.
With regard to responsibility, let's face it: The cozy relationship between government and big oil allows for these catastrophic possibilities because regulations are relaxed because of contributions and empty insurances topped off by the said company cutting safety corners to maximize profit. So are there multiple parties involved, yes, but this one is one BP. By saying what he did, Senator McConnell is focusing on the wrong issue here.
If that weren't enough, his response to whether the cap for damages should be raised, he replied, 'not too much because it will stifle competition.' He went on to explain that the damages could wreck BP and then the bigger oil companies will come in and take over. This is as if to say that we shouldn't beat up on the little guy, British Petroleum. Here's the clip.
We guess it all a matter of perspectives... and dollar amounts.
The other topic, lest we forget, is the nomination of Elena Kagin to the Supreme Court. Both Senators' answers were just frustrating. Senator Schumer said 'she tends to be a moderate' but the number one criteria, he explained, was that if she could make the court a majority of 5 instead of a minority of 4. Whatever... And frankly, Senator McConnell is simply unable to explain away the hypocrisy of supporting Harriet Meyers for her lack of direct court experience and then decrying it when asked about Ms. Kagen.
Here's the problem with Mr. Schumer's logic and, by extension, President Obama's. When Ms. Kagen is confirmed she will make a fine judge and hopefully she will feel empowered at some point to move further left. It is what the court actually needs. However, she is moderate, as a simplified description. It speaks to the pragmatism of the choice and that's why Senator Schumer agrees with the pick.
However, for Mr. Obama the choice is flawed. He's called a pragmatist, but pragmatism is a tactic and employed in the right manner at the correct time can be a quite effective one. However, as an overall philosophy, it is an empty vessel. Politically, it will always be viewed a lack of conviction and this column believes that it is. If President Obama's philosophy is to be a pragmatist, then his choice makes sense in his logic, but again, it is flawed. Like it or not, this is a litmus test of a President's conviction and suffice to say it doesn't pass the smell test.
Not surprisingly, Senator Schumer, who consistently and effectively plans the 'common sense' political card, said that the cap should be removed and went on to emphasize BP's responsibility for the disaster. However, what Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said was not only ridiculous but incredulous as well. When asked about the responsibility levels with regard to all parties involved (BP, Transocean, Halliburton, and the Government), he glanced over BP and said he was interested in what the Administration did beside the companies involved. He didn't say the agencies involved, the presiding cabinet member, not FEMA or over all government response, but the Administration specifically. This is completely counter-productive because what he is really saying is that he wants to see what the Administration's response time was to use it for politically purpose.
With regard to responsibility, let's face it: The cozy relationship between government and big oil allows for these catastrophic possibilities because regulations are relaxed because of contributions and empty insurances topped off by the said company cutting safety corners to maximize profit. So are there multiple parties involved, yes, but this one is one BP. By saying what he did, Senator McConnell is focusing on the wrong issue here.
If that weren't enough, his response to whether the cap for damages should be raised, he replied, 'not too much because it will stifle competition.' He went on to explain that the damages could wreck BP and then the bigger oil companies will come in and take over. This is as if to say that we shouldn't beat up on the little guy, British Petroleum. Here's the clip.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
We guess it all a matter of perspectives... and dollar amounts.
The other topic, lest we forget, is the nomination of Elena Kagin to the Supreme Court. Both Senators' answers were just frustrating. Senator Schumer said 'she tends to be a moderate' but the number one criteria, he explained, was that if she could make the court a majority of 5 instead of a minority of 4. Whatever... And frankly, Senator McConnell is simply unable to explain away the hypocrisy of supporting Harriet Meyers for her lack of direct court experience and then decrying it when asked about Ms. Kagen.
Here's the problem with Mr. Schumer's logic and, by extension, President Obama's. When Ms. Kagen is confirmed she will make a fine judge and hopefully she will feel empowered at some point to move further left. It is what the court actually needs. However, she is moderate, as a simplified description. It speaks to the pragmatism of the choice and that's why Senator Schumer agrees with the pick.
However, for Mr. Obama the choice is flawed. He's called a pragmatist, but pragmatism is a tactic and employed in the right manner at the correct time can be a quite effective one. However, as an overall philosophy, it is an empty vessel. Politically, it will always be viewed a lack of conviction and this column believes that it is. If President Obama's philosophy is to be a pragmatist, then his choice makes sense in his logic, but again, it is flawed. Like it or not, this is a litmus test of a President's conviction and suffice to say it doesn't pass the smell test.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
5.9.10: Rule of Law
Talk about a difficult job... Attorney General Eric Holder can not do anything that is satisfactory to anyone, and he compounds this difficulty with statements that are not necessarily incorrect or wrong in judgement, but that he makes statements and then has to retreat backward because of political pressure such as the prospective Khalid Sheik Mohammad trial, which was addressed during today's program.
First, in the aftermath of this week's arrest of Faisal Shahzad, for the attempted Times Square car bombing, and the Arizona immigration law, racial profiling has come to the forefront. This column feels that racial profiliing, as the Attorney General explained today, is not good for law enforcement as it would pit the citizenry against law enforcement and this cooperation is key in the actual protection of the people. What if, out of fear of being detained himself, the Muslim-American man who alerted police, didn't? Tighter coordination amongst the various law enforcement agencies is what is required. Where racial profiling leads to is profiling people for other things - religion, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation. Now some people would say that that is hyperbole, but it isn't if you open the door to going down that road. Also, the introduction of this Liebermann-Brown that proposes to revoke citizenship of an individual if they've participated in an act of terrorism, or something to that effect. Well, what if you were detained accidentally and had no way to prove your innocence? You're citizenship is in jeopardy and due process under the law is thrown out because your Miranda rights are read to you. If it were you in that situation, you would say it's wrong.
So with regard to Mr. Shahzad, he is an American citizen and should be read his Miranda rights - all citizens have equal protections under the law. Ultimately, the Liebermann-Brown bill raises some eyebrows, but won't amount to much, frankly because one of the sponsors hasn't earned his credentials in the Senate yet and the other has been discredited.
Mr. Holder invoked the ticking time-bomb scenario when dealing with terror suspects and their Miranda rights, which means that if the threat is still grave and information is needed, then the reading is delayed. It's a middle ground that wins no fans for Mr. Holder on either side of the isle. And it is this middle ground position that the Attorney General continually takes such as in the trial location of Khalid Sheik Mohammad. First, he said that the trial would be in New York, and now it isn't? Or it's being reviewed... where are we?
Also, we stated in this column before our disappointment in many of our politicians that they don't have confidence in our Justice system, confidence in our law enforcement and investigators to bring a rock-solid case and present it in no uncertain terms or the courage to defend the process. "Home of the brave," don't we remember this. Mr. Holder emphatically (we mean this in complete facetiousness with regard to Mr. Holder's perpetual monotone) stated that failure is not an option and he would not be released. To which, you ask, "But how can that be guaranteed?" It doesn't have to be guaranteed. Mr. Wes Moore, author and former captain of the army who served in Afghanistan, said that it is more dangerous abroad if we abandon our rule of law. Katy Kay, Washington correspondent for the BBC also on today's panel, pointed out the double standard of the Bush Administration trying terrorists in civilian court versus the Obama Administration doing it. Lastly, E.J. Dionne, who was actually emphatic about the term 'lawyered up,' stated that we have faced it situation many times in our history and we have been able to maintain citizens' rights.
[It's worth noting here that Mr. Greogory, the moderator, was injecting his opinion way too much during the panel with regard to the Miranda discussion. Mr. Gregory needs to go back, look at the tape, and check himself for next time as the Moderator of Meet The Press.]
With all that, what are conservative politicians afraid of? Are they afraid that Khalid Sheik Mohammad might go free... be acquitted? Fine, he's acquitted and he goes free. If that high improbability actually happens, let's drop him off in the middle of the Michigan woods, make it public knowledge, and see if ever makes out.
Postscript: One other note with regard to something that was touched on at the end of the panel discussion is what happened in Utah with Senator Bob Bennett. In the state convention, he was ousted by conservatives for not being conservative enough. David Brookes pointed out that Mr. Bennett voted for the T.A.R.P. and tried to work across the aisle with Democrats, and voiced his contempt for this close-minded, uncompromising approach being taken by the local Republican caucuses. Divided Republicans will fall if they continue on this trajectory as they will marginalize themselves with ideological litmus tests.
First, in the aftermath of this week's arrest of Faisal Shahzad, for the attempted Times Square car bombing, and the Arizona immigration law, racial profiling has come to the forefront. This column feels that racial profiliing, as the Attorney General explained today, is not good for law enforcement as it would pit the citizenry against law enforcement and this cooperation is key in the actual protection of the people. What if, out of fear of being detained himself, the Muslim-American man who alerted police, didn't? Tighter coordination amongst the various law enforcement agencies is what is required. Where racial profiling leads to is profiling people for other things - religion, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation. Now some people would say that that is hyperbole, but it isn't if you open the door to going down that road. Also, the introduction of this Liebermann-Brown that proposes to revoke citizenship of an individual if they've participated in an act of terrorism, or something to that effect. Well, what if you were detained accidentally and had no way to prove your innocence? You're citizenship is in jeopardy and due process under the law is thrown out because your Miranda rights are read to you. If it were you in that situation, you would say it's wrong.
So with regard to Mr. Shahzad, he is an American citizen and should be read his Miranda rights - all citizens have equal protections under the law. Ultimately, the Liebermann-Brown bill raises some eyebrows, but won't amount to much, frankly because one of the sponsors hasn't earned his credentials in the Senate yet and the other has been discredited.
Mr. Holder invoked the ticking time-bomb scenario when dealing with terror suspects and their Miranda rights, which means that if the threat is still grave and information is needed, then the reading is delayed. It's a middle ground that wins no fans for Mr. Holder on either side of the isle. And it is this middle ground position that the Attorney General continually takes such as in the trial location of Khalid Sheik Mohammad. First, he said that the trial would be in New York, and now it isn't? Or it's being reviewed... where are we?
Also, we stated in this column before our disappointment in many of our politicians that they don't have confidence in our Justice system, confidence in our law enforcement and investigators to bring a rock-solid case and present it in no uncertain terms or the courage to defend the process. "Home of the brave," don't we remember this. Mr. Holder emphatically (we mean this in complete facetiousness with regard to Mr. Holder's perpetual monotone) stated that failure is not an option and he would not be released. To which, you ask, "But how can that be guaranteed?" It doesn't have to be guaranteed. Mr. Wes Moore, author and former captain of the army who served in Afghanistan, said that it is more dangerous abroad if we abandon our rule of law. Katy Kay, Washington correspondent for the BBC also on today's panel, pointed out the double standard of the Bush Administration trying terrorists in civilian court versus the Obama Administration doing it. Lastly, E.J. Dionne, who was actually emphatic about the term 'lawyered up,' stated that we have faced it situation many times in our history and we have been able to maintain citizens' rights.
[It's worth noting here that Mr. Greogory, the moderator, was injecting his opinion way too much during the panel with regard to the Miranda discussion. Mr. Gregory needs to go back, look at the tape, and check himself for next time as the Moderator of Meet The Press.]
With all that, what are conservative politicians afraid of? Are they afraid that Khalid Sheik Mohammad might go free... be acquitted? Fine, he's acquitted and he goes free. If that high improbability actually happens, let's drop him off in the middle of the Michigan woods, make it public knowledge, and see if ever makes out.
Postscript: One other note with regard to something that was touched on at the end of the panel discussion is what happened in Utah with Senator Bob Bennett. In the state convention, he was ousted by conservatives for not being conservative enough. David Brookes pointed out that Mr. Bennett voted for the T.A.R.P. and tried to work across the aisle with Democrats, and voiced his contempt for this close-minded, uncompromising approach being taken by the local Republican caucuses. Divided Republicans will fall if they continue on this trajectory as they will marginalize themselves with ideological litmus tests.
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