Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

I like you, you’re my kind of trouble.

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

“But what about the lurkers?”

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

This blog will pay for itself.

This really is a full service blog.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

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Reader Interactions

146Comments

  2. 2.

    ThatLeftTurnInABQ

    I see helicopter Ben got another term. Thoughts?

    the…helicopters…are…laughing

    all the way to the bank!

  4. 4.

    General Winfield Stuck

    We have winter here, snow, more of it, sometimes rain. Charlie is looking at me with those forlorn brown eyes that say, let’s go for a walk. He’ll start the gentle wimpering shortly if I don’t comply. that get’s me good. soze. Here we go.

  7. 7.

    Susan S

    Give the man a break. He inherited the Greenspan mess, and the press idolized Greenspan. I am an old lady, with 40 plus years in the investment business. How fascinating that people think there was some “perfect” solution that he could have crammed in place that would have made all the prior years disappear. Look at his eyes; I was shocked when he was first appointed, because he was capable and caring. Not perfect guys, but we did not have a total economic collapse and yes we came close,because of the policies of the Republicans and the Ayn Rand worshipping Greenspan.

  9. 9.

    marcopolo

    Just glad I don’t have any friends or family trying to get by on interest earned from savings…

    Don’t suppose there is any chance that in his second term he might worry a little bit more about working to lower the unemployment rate?

    I realize he wants to keep the financial industry overlords happy but just maybe a teeny little bit he might be thinking about his historical rep?

  12. 12.

    beltane

    This is probably a progressive heresy to say this, but Bernanke doesn’t bother me nearly as much as Geithner and Summers.

  14. 14.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Elie: Yea, I hear ya there, but I will look at it from the glass half full side. Charlie is just an augment to my weight loss program, the adorable little rascal.

  16. 16.

    Brian J

    The White House pushing to get Bernanke confirmed for another term was the latest shot in the Never-Ending War on the Free Market. Erick Erickson was definitely right, can’t you see?

  18. 18.

    Elie

    Not to be mundane, but what happened to the edit function?
    I used to could get it work real well. Now, not so much.

  20. 20.

    joe from Lowell

    My thought is that calling him “Helicopter Ben” in light of his recent pronouncements is some sick irony.

  21. 21.

    Keith

    Does this mean that this week’s Meet The Press will consist of an interview with whomever was the runner-up, so that person can tell us how he’d do things differently?

  22. 22.

    schrodinger's cat

    John Cole @ top
    How is your shoulder? Hope Lily and Tunch are taking good care of of you

  23. 23.

    beltane

    Uh-oh, Andrew Sullivan is favorably comparing Nancy Pelosi to Margaret Thatcher. I think the end times are approaching.

  25. 25.

    Ann B. Nonymous

    @beltane:

    Andrew Sullivan is favorably comparing Nancy Pelosi to Margaret Thatcher. I think the end times are approaching.

    I’m flabbergasted.

    If he disavows The Bell Curve, I fully expect to be Raptured.

  26. 26.

    Cat Lady

    I’m a committed O-bot, but I don’t like Bernanke being reappointed at all. For all of the fail that has happened in in the last 10 years, when was the last time a high profile government official was actually shit-canned, as opposed to having their name withdrawn or some such thing? I think it was Rumsfeld. I want to see accountability, and Bernanke keeping his job ain’t it.

  27. 27.

    Eric S.

    @D-Chance.: My brother was a pretty good track & field runner in H.S. He claimed up and down that red tracks were faster than black tracks and there were numbers to prove it. If true I wonder if there are 40 yd dash time differences on different colored football fields.

  28. 28.

    Tiparillo

    Uh-oh, Andrew Sullivan is favorably comparing Nancy Pelosi to Margaret Thatcher. I think the end times are approaching.

    Good lord, I have to go see that myself as its just too hard to believe. About the most unlikely thing I could imagine from Sully.

  29. 29.

    daryljfontaine

    @Chyron HR: Goddamnit, now I am in pain from laughing. I have a cold and stuffed up sinuses, and I am in pain from laughing at that comic strip. And the 3 or 4 before it. It’s my own fault, really.

    D

  35. 35.

    R-Jud

    I am kind of depressed. I looked up my all-time favorite teacher today. He was my AP US History/ Poli Sci/ swim coach. He taught us how to read critically, how to write and argue lucidly, helped us separate myth from fact when it came to US history. And he helped me become a damn good 100 Fly/500 free swimmer.

    He is now a religious nutcase.

    Ugh.

  36. 36.

    arguingwithsignposts

    If you really listen this Sunday, you will forget for a couple of hours that all the Sunday morning wankfest hosts are white. And male. /tweety

    (I’m going to pound this one into the ground)

  37. 37.

    dr. bloor

    @Dreggas:

    gods help us all, Orly wants to run for CA Atty General

    She says she’d need about $100K for the campaign, which means she’s as tethered to reality about as much as usual.

  38. 38.

    Violet

    @John Cole:

    It hurts something fierce. It felt really good this morning but is getting worse and worse.

    Sorry to hear that. It’ll probably be like that for a few days until it starts getting better for good. Sucks. I hope this is as bad as it gets.

    How are Tunch and Lily taking your injury? Are they okay?

  39. 39.

    rootless_e

    I’m thinking of writing a book about “the base” called “We’re just not that into you”.

  41. 41.

    eemom

    @John Cole:

    ya gotta stay on top of it with the pain meds, even if you don’t like taking them. And if they’re not working, ask for something else. Morphine, dilaudid….. you shouldn’t have to suffer with all the fine drugs there are out there.

  46. 46.

    max

    I see helicopter Ben got another term. Thoughts?

    Well, we shouldn’t call him ‘Helicopter’ because he isn’t using them. Calling him ‘Dow 36,000’ Ben would be more accurate.

    Otherwise my reaction is: 1) the fix was in, as I expected, 2) Wow, the D’s really screwed themselves on this one, 3) I would hope the Fed will not now reenact the Mellon strategy, but I am pretty sure they will.

    So: we’re screwed. I can manage to come up only with the bright spot that at least the President didn’t sound like Joe Lieberman last night. If we could get him to stop sounding like Tim Geithner we’d be in way better shape. Etc. Etc.

    max
    [‘It was good speech, BTW, don’t get me wrong, I liked it a lot.’]

  47. 47.

    HIram Taine

    @R-Jud:

    He is now a religious nutcase.

    Ouch.. My brother isn’t all the way there yet but seems to be moving in that direction, it’s really disturbing to watch.

  49. 49.

    Steeplejack

    Night shift checking in (early).

    I have been filling in on the day shift at the part-time job, and my circadian rhythms are shot to hell. Worked until 10:00 last night, had to go back at 8:30 this morning. A nap sounds good right now, but I’m afraid that would cause night-owl syndrome later, and I’ve got to go back again at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow.

    No other point. Just glad to be jostling around here in the early evening for a change.

  50. 50.

    Mike E

    @R-Jud:
    That’s my cool physics teacher in high school–he used to talk about The Beatles and when Sgt Pepper came out, the record would run out, and you could still hear the tunes because everybody else on the block bought the album too.
    Total thumper.

  52. 52.

    Molly

    @Dreggas:

    gods help us all, Orly wants to run for CA Atty General

    Orly is the gift that keeps on giving. I adore this woman. She is so batshit insane that she’s charming, in the way your 89 year-old grandmother who still dyes her hair bright red is charming.

  53. 53.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @max: I watched Bernie Sanders excoriate Bernanke early this morning on the senate floor. Thing of beauty and made me think why would any liberal on the planet want to “primary” this guy, though they couldn’t really his being independent.

  54. 54.

    cfaller96

    I never got so OMG UNACCEPTABLE about Bernanke in the wake of the meltdown (and I think appointing him was the only thing that Mr. Worst President Ever did right). He was handed a Randian legacy, he didn’t create it. And his job had at that point become managing inflation/liquidity. Top targets should be found elsewhere.

    HOWEVA, I’m pretty annoyed with his arrogant hostility towards transparency in the wake of the bailouts. Ben…buddie…If Congress and taxpayers want to know how the Fed is spending the money and which banks are benefiting, you had better tell them. I would have liked to have seen Congress extract some renewed promise of transparency in exchange for a new term. But that would be sensible, and that’s not how DC works.

  55. 55.

    Violet

    Does anyone have an opinion on upscale Rice Krispy treats? I was at a fancy supermarket yesterday and they’re selling these. I bought one to try. It’s good, but extremely sweet. Not sure I get the hype.

    I heard somewhere that they’re the Next Big Thing, a la cupcakes a few years ago.

  57. 57.

    R-Jud

    @HIram Taine: It’s just so sad. He was the first adult not related to me that I really trusted. I had transferred into a huge public school from a tiny Catholic school, was younger than everyone else because I’d skipped two grades, and he totally took me under his wing. My parents taught me it was important to work hard; he taught me how to work hard.

    And now he’s preaching at a megachurch about intelligent design. Argh.

  58. 58.

    CaseyL

    I’m not sure how I feel about Bernanke getting re-upped. I have listened to enough people on enough sides of the issue to know that expertise is vital, that the task of navigating through the ruins of our economy is totally thankless (that is, whoever has the job will get flamed by at least one and probably all sides), and that the list of candidates knowledgeable, confident, and thick-skinned enough to take on the job is a) vanishingly small; and b) probably inevitably compromised one way or another.

    IOW, we take what we can get, and Bernanke might be the best choice.

    @John Cole: “It hurts something fierce. It felt really good this morning but is getting worse and worse.”

    Take your pain meds. Seriously. Do not be a stoic about this. As long as the drugs are doing a legitimate job, it’s unlikely you’ll get hooked on them.

    I’m so sorry recuperating is going to take a while, and rehab longer still. We’re all pulling for you, though.

    ETA: Quote marks added ’cause I forgot to use the block-quote thingie.

  59. 59.

    MagicPanda

    @Cat Lady: In terms of policy, I don’t know enough about economics to know whether someone like Volker would be better than Bernanke. However, in terms of politics, my sense is that shit-canning Bernanke might be a loser for the Dems.

    Yes, it’s true that the public hates Wall Street. And yes, 10% unemployment is bad. But the fact is that a year ago, we were on the brink of a global depression that was much much worse than anything we’ve seen since the 20s.

    It’s hard to tell people that “we saved the economy from the brink of disaster” while at the same time, saying, “uh.. Bernanke f’d up so bad we had to fire him.”

  60. 60.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @R-Jud: If it makes you feel better, he may come back around. I made a trip through the wingnut/fundamentalist wurlitzer (have part of an MDiv degree to show for it) and came out the other side as a DFH. Of course, I worked in the offices at a seminary, akin to seeing the congressional sausage-making process, which burned me out on the whole “holier than thou” vibe eventually.

    My ex is still a fundie, though. Makes for interesting parenting issues.

  61. 61.

    Ana Gama

    From the Really Weird News Desk:

    Dems reach out to Lou Dobbs to build backing for immigration reform

    Senate Democrats have reached out to former CNN anchor and prominent illegal-immigration opponent Lou Dobbs in an effort to build broad bipartisan support for immigration reform.

    Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration and proposals to grant amnesty to illegal workers, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts.

    http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/78565-democrats-reach-out-to-lou-dobbs-on-immigration-reform

  62. 62.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Ana Gama:

    Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration and proposals to grant amnesty to illegal workers, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts.

    Wha? The drugs they’re using on Capitol Hill must be in season or something.

    BTW, WTF is Dobbs doing now?

  64. 64.

    Jules

    I need a bit of advice.

    I want something that Is small (but not like a phone, that’s way to small for me) that allows me to download and read books, check email, mess around on the web using the wifi we already have in our home and maybe do a bit of writing text files and uploading them to my website….no movie watching or music downloading needed.
    Is the IPad (such a stupid name) pretty much what will do that or can I buy and download books to a notepad? Any recommendations?
    This is a purchase that I won’t make for months and I really can’t spend over $500, refurbished things do not scare me.

    I don’t want a laptop too big and more then I need…I like having my desk top and prefer to use it for my main work computer.

    Thanks for the help.

  65. 65.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Jules:
    The iPad would do that, but you also might consider a netbook (like the Acer), which does all that and is a real computer, for approx. $300.

    ETA: The iPad won’t multitask, and it’s pretty proprietary. If you want stuff that’s not bought through apple, I’d recommend a netbook (speaking as a Mac fanboi).

  66. 66.

    Midnight Marauder

    @Ana Gama:

    Winning the support of Dobbs, who became a prominent critic of illegal immigration and proposals to grant amnesty to illegal workers, could provide a significant boost to reform efforts.

    I need to see if Alexander Bolton (author of this article tripe) can hook me up with a postcard from Bizarro World. I hear those things are selling like hotcakes on the collectibles market these days.

  68. 68.

    Violet

    @CaseyL:

    Take your pain meds. Seriously. Do not be a stoic about this. As long as the drugs are doing a legitimate job, it’s unlikely you’ll get hooked on them.

    This is true. It’s been shown that you get well faster if you take pain meds. Suffering through the pain actually SLOWS DOWN your recovery. Don’t try to tough it out. Just take the drugs. You’ll get better faster.

    Also, when a family member had a car wreck and was on pain meds, we were worried about possible addiction. His doctor said that so long as you are taking pain meds for actual pain, you won’t get addicted (barring pre-existing addiction issues, of course). So don’t worry about that either.

    Take the pain meds. You’ll get better faster. Really. Trying to tough it out is stupid.

  69. 69.

    inkadu

    Ha. NPR just had an interview with the MadTV writers of the iPad sketch.

    Worst. Product. Release. Ever.

  71. 71.

    Ana Gama

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Wha? The drugs they’re using on Capitol Hill must be in season or something.

    Ummm…looks like they are sharing the drugs with Lou…

    “Dobbs, a long-time CNN anchor who recently left the network, tells Moran that he has at times been “enamored” with the idea of running for office and also admits that he’s tried to improve his standing with Hispanic-Americans: “I don’t know that I’m ‘popular,’ but I’m trying. I hope I will be, by the way, because I intend to be part of the solution.” When asked if he’s changing his tune on immigration, Dobbs said, “Hell yes I’m changing my tune. Absolutely.”

    http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/abc/lou_dobbs_hell_yes_im_changing_my_tune_150208.asp?c=rss

  72. 72.

    R-Jud

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    I made a trip through the wingnut/fundamentalist wurlitzer (have part of an MDiv degree to show for it) and came out the other side as a DFH.

    Yes, he’s got the MDiv now too. I hope he does come back around someday. I’m fine with people having faith (I do a bit myself), but the pseudo-science and the rest that comes with it– this man should know better. He used to rail against Pat Robertson and those types in class. I’d write him a sternly-worded letter but I doubt that he would a) remember me; b) care.

    And ultimately, it’s none of my business. But this seemed like the right place to rant about it. Thanks.

    Cole: take your medicine. Sit still.

  73. 73.

    Jules

    @inkadu:

    I was just listening to it.
    I think they are right that there must have been no women in the room when they came up with the name.

  75. 75.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @Ana Gama:

    “Dobbs, a long-time CNN anchor who recently left the network, tells Moran.

    I think we can stop right there. Dobbs’ ego obviously can’t fit in a TV studio. We’ve got enough of those on the Hill already.

  76. 76.

    Mike E

    @Violet:
    I could loan out my 14yo daughter, she can bake the heck outa those things. Her Red Velvet Cupcakes, from scratch–to die for.

  77. 77.

    cfaller96

    I’m only worried about Bernanke in the same way that I strongly desire seeing Geithner fired- specifically, their behavior towards Goldman and AIG. There are rumors/allegations that Bernanke (and of course Geithner) ramrodded the sweetheart deal for Goldman AIG bailout despite the advice of pretty much everyone.

    The AIG buyout was a choice, it was incompetently executed, and it may have been deliberately so. While we already kindasorta knew that Geithner played a significant role in it (which is reason #693 why he should be fired), we didn’t necessarily know how strongly Bernanke was part of that inappropriate yet altogether convenient fuckup.

    I’m concerned that this will blow up in a month or so. After watching President Obama whip Democrats and work his ass off to keep a guy who perhaps purposefully wasted taxpayer dollars for Wall Street’s benefit…all while watching that same President shrug his shoulders and have John Cole insist that “there was nothing he could do to whip Dems” on HCR…uh, the optics on that will be horrible. (Paul Krugman already mentioned this).

  78. 78.

    Cat Lady

    @MagicPanda:

    He was inherited, and getting rid of him would shore up the left flank. I just think someone else should have gotten a shot. I understand the politics, but now and again I want to see someone seeing things with new eyes, especially the Fed. Oh well.

    /O-bot, over and out.

  81. 81.

    arguingwithsignposts

    @R-Jud:
    First off, I’d seriously consider the letter. He will either a) remember you, or b) be prodded to do some reflection. There’s always the possibility that he’ll be an ass about it and just reject you as a worthless heathen, but if there’s any conscience or soul in there, he’ll be touched.

    If he’s like most fundies, he’s living in a reality-denial zone, where everyone he deals with is either a) a fundie like him, or b) out to get him (in his eyes). Can’t hurt.

    ETA: There is no second-off. Who knows why he decided to switch teams. Could be a life-altering event or something. Usually, when people are hurting is when they fall for that stuff. Fundamentalism is a giant cult.

  82. 82.

    demo woman

    @Violet: That’s a good point and most people do not realize how important pain control is to healing.

    It’s been shown that you get well faster if you take pain meds. Suffering through the pain actually SLOWS DOWN your recovery. Don’t try to tough it out. Just take the drugs. You’ll get better faster.

    John, Be careful navigating the snow and ice in your area. Both Tammy and your brother are close by and I’m sure would be willing to help with Lily. Don’t be shy about asking for help now because they want you to get better.

  84. 84.

    Ash Can

    @Tom Hilton:

    Jeebus, how many not-actually-the-Onion stories can we stand in a single day?

    Given the kind of yahoos on the loose nowadays, littering the political landscape, if I were the editor of The Onion, I’d say “fuck everything,” and get shitfaced, roaring drunk. Every day. For breakfast.

  85. 85.

    R-Jud

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Usually, when people are hurting is when they fall for that stuff.

    That had occurred to me, and I really hope that’s not the case. From what I can remember, his was a pretty rough life to begin with. I’ll sleep on the letter.

    Thanks, AWS.

  87. 87.

    Josie

    John – Pain is always more manageable in the morning because you are more rested and relaxed. The good news is you will feel better tomorrow morning. The trick is to learn relaxation techniques (along with taking your meds) to help you at the end of the day. When you are tired, you tense up against the pain, thus making it worse, and so on, ad nauseum. Use breathing techniques, meditation or whatever works to relax you. I’m sorry you are hurting and hope you get a little better every day.

  88. 88.

    Violet

    @inkadu:

    Ha. NPR just had an interview with the MadTV writers of the iPad sketch.

    Lolz. I’ll have to go find that one when they put it up. The sketch is hilarious, especially given that Apple was stupid enough not to do a simple google search for it.

    Honestly, were NO women involved in this release whatsoever? It’s hard to believe they’re that dense. I’d expect that out of Microsoft – Windows MicroPad! – but not Apple.

  89. 89.

    Nellcote

    gods help us all, Orly wants to run for CA Atty General

    Birthers should immediatley send her all their money.

  90. 90.

    inkadu

    @Josie: Full Catastrophe Living is a good book if you like to mix buddhist meditation into your pain management. Actually, its a good book all around.

  91. 91.

    t jasper parnell

    FDR’s 1937 SOTU according to Jack Balkin:

    About a fourth of Roosevelt’s 1937 State of the Union Address was devoted to criticism of the Supreme Court for striking down New Deal legislation and asserting that the Court should adopt a different method of constitutional interpretation. As Randy puts it, what a “shocking breach of decorum”! The nerve! The nerve! We should take this man off the dime immediately!:

    [Edit: FDR directly]The statute of N.R.A. [the National Recovery Act] has been outlawed [by the U.S. Supreme Court]. The problems have not. They are still with us. [edit: more at link]

  93. 93.

    Chad N Freude

    @Dreggas: Orly Taitz in the administration of Governor Jerry Brown. That would be more entertaining than anything Schwarzenegger ever did.

  94. 94.

    danimal

    @arguingwithsignposts:

    Fundamentalism is a giant cult.

    How true. But…be careful with the fundamentalist taboos about cults. Basically, every other belief system is a cult in one way or the other, except for the one espoused by the good folks inside the Christian coccoon.

  95. 95.

    jenniebee

    @JohnCole: really missed you, so happy you’re on the mend

    @Violet: that’s almost sad. Rice Krispy treats should be eaten communally, while they’re still warm, and pulled apart in clumps, never cut. When eaten that way they are almost buttery, and the richness of the toasted rice is enhanced by the heat so that it isn’t overwhelmed by the sweetness of the marshmallows.

    Cold, it’s a portable bowl of cereal, and little more. So sad to see them fadded out these days. It’s a shame, really.

  96. 96.

    Ana Gama

    Orly thinks she needs $3-$4k to get her campaign going, and $100k to do the whole thing. :o)

  97. 97.

    Nellcote

    @freelancer:

    Maybe she could speak at the Tea Party Convention.

    Well, since both Palin and Bachmann dropped out they really do need a headliner…

  98. 98.

    Mike E

    @trollhattan:
    Yay! A stalker w/personality disorders. Fun! Very smart to proceed w/legal action, or they don’t get the message. The borderline terroristic threats, nice touch–I’m sure the police would love to hear any taped conversations. These too must be entered into any proceedings. Also.

  99. 99.

    R-Jud

    @Ana Gama:

    Orly thinks she needs $3-$4k to get her campaign going, and $100k to do the whole thing. :o)

    Aww, that’s so cute. My mother ran for county office in rural PA and I am pretty sure it cost about $75K. Fortunately, Orly is a dental-lawyer-relator-renaissance lady!

  100. 100.

    Violet

    @jenniebee:
    Agreed. It’s kind of weird to see them tarted up like this. Plus they’re way too sweet. Not impressed. I’ll take a cupcake any day.

  103. 103.

    Ailuridae

    @cfaller96:

    I should just mention, in the interest of fairness to those in Congress at the time, that the initial decision to bail out AIG was made without the need for Congressional approval or Executive Branch sign-off. Again, if progressives really wanted to have been doing something the last six months about the economy it would have been very, very easy to make a nearly air-tight case against Bernanke.

    Dennis Kucinich was just on The Ed Show. God, he is a mother fucking ass hole. Won’t somebody please primary him?

  104. 104.

    demo woman

    Can the Presidents statement about foreign governments and campaign donations be barely true? Either Citgo can donate or they can’t. How is that barely true?

  106. 106.

    Josie

    Inkadu – Thanks for the book title. I checked it out on Amazon and it looks interesting. I’ve never been against medicine, but I think medicine plus the power of the mind is a potent combination.

  108. 108.

    demkat620

    Glad to see you back John.

    I am a little happier today. I would just like to see some of the rhetorical neck punching that went on last night continue today.

  109. 109.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @demo woman: Wouldn’t it being precious if Chavez could donate to dem candidates here in the states due to an activist wingnut SCOTUS decision. The irony would melt Malkin’s icy little heart.

  110. 110.

    Ana Gama

    @Nellcote:

    Well, since both Palin and Bachmann dropped out they really do need a headliner…

    Palin is still in, I think. Marcia Blackburn dropped out along with Bachmann. Bachmann said she was concerned about “ethics.”

  113. 113.

    danimal

    @Martin: She can get her mug on camera a whole lot for that amount, though.

    OT, have any Democrats agreed to co-sponsor the house resolution thanking the ACORN film crew for their outstanding work. I know it had 31 co-sponsors. I think it’s about time the entire House got a chance to vote on that very important resolution. I think every Republican would like to go on record with their support about now.

  118. 118.

    AhabTRuler

    @Ana Gama: Politifact has a rundown of regulations pertaining the subject, and, to sum up, existing regulations bar both direct spending by foreign owned entities and spending by domestic companies who are controlled by foreign entities. However, their contention of “barely true” seems to rest on the underlying belief that bad actors will be less effective at exploiting loopholes than the government will be at enforcing regulations. This seems willfully naïve at best.

  119. 119.

    darryl

    @Susan S: Bernanke and Greenspan are nearly ideologically identical. Bernanke continued Greenspan’s policies and was even once reported to mock an economist who suggested there was a housing bubble brewing.

  120. 120.

    Ana Gama

    @AhabTRuler:

    However, their contention of “barely true” seems to rest on the underlying belief that bad actors will be less effective at exploiting loopholes than the government will be at enforcing regulations. This seems willfully naïve at best.

    This sounds like fox guarding hen house.

  121. 121.

    Martin

    @freelancer: Haliburton isn’t *state controlled*. It’s not just being foreign, it’s being an actual branch of a foreign government.

    But I don’t think there is anything preventing Citgo from dumping money in our elections. If the US government has granted them a corporate charter, they’re a US corporation no matter whose thumb is pushing the buttons back home.

  124. 124.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @AhabTRuler: How odd. I was just watching Cspan 2 with a panel of Attorney’s discussing the SCOTUS decision on now no limit spending outside of by candidates themselves, and the former ABA president said that what the decision did was make it impossible to track where this soft money originated, and therefore impossible to determine if that money violated other statutes, which I presume would mean bans on foreign or domestic sources. Not being a lawyer I didn’t understand his description of why, just that it would make such money difficult if not impossible to regulate.

    Insane

  125. 125.

    lamh31

    I fully admit to being an O-bot, I truly like Obama, but damni it if I actually “in love” with FLOTUS Michelle Obama, and I’m a chick.

    First lady’s fight
    FLOTUS aims to trim obesity

    First lady Michelle Obama joined with top administration health officials Thursday to unveil the findings of a new study that sounds the alarm on childhood obesity, laying the groundwork for what will be her signature issue

    This woman is all kinds of win in my book.

  127. 127.

    Chat Noir

    @lamh31: Agreed. Michelle oozes class and style. Did you see the streaming video (about 46 minutes worth) of her and Bo greeting visitors at the White House last week? She’s simply fabulous. And Bo was so calm, well-behaved, and friendly to everyone.

  129. 129.

    darryl

    Palin is still in, I think. Marcia Blackburn dropped out along with Bachmann. Bachmann said she was concerned about “ethics.”

    While Palin was concerned with “Holdin’ out my Bank Hand.”

  131. 131.

    vheidi

    I may be late to the party, but when I hear Pat Buchanan agreeing with Jane Hamsher on On Point I just want to a) hurt one of the above b) bang my head against the wall c) join an ashram?

  132. 132.

    Chad N Freude

    @Chat Noir: As much as I admire Michelle Obama and think that Bo is cute, this looks a lot like Michelle-worship and Bo-doration. Have you considered rehab?

  133. 133.

    Brachiator

    So let’s see, the Republicans have been all over Obama for being an elitist aristocrat who hangs out in Hawaii (which is next door to Kenya and is right outside Sarah Palin’s window).

    So where do the Republicans plan to have their double-secret strategy winter get-together? Roll the tape:

    Republicans delight in depicting President Barack Obama as hopelessly out of touch with average Americans, but the decision by the Republican National Committee to hold its winter meeting at a tropical resort is turning the accusation on its head.
    …
    Yet at a moment when millions are out of work and millions more struggling to get by, the party’s governing board will plot its comeback on the island of Oahu, sipping drinks poolside, catching rays on the beach that abuts the villa and raising questions about whether they’re as politically tone-deaf as they accuse the president of being.

    Where’s a tea bagger when you need one?

  136. 136.

    darryl

    Can someone please tell me what limits are there on corporations w/r/t political spending? In the wake of the supreme court decision, which seems to allow direct corporate support of particular candidates, I’m trying to find out how much they were already allowed to spend on lobbyists and issue ads and advocacy groups etc.

  138. 138.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @darryl: No, the hard and soft money restrictions on candidates is still in effect for now, but that will almost certainly change soon now that the SCOTUS has made precedent that money equates to free speech, so there can be no restrictions on outside groups spending as much as they want for candidates of their choice, and dissolves all the IRS categories for non profit issue based entities and their restrictions, I think, though could be wrong on that. And no time limits to when they can spend relative to election day.

    And there is still restrictions of candidates being involved directly or indirectly in what outside groups do. At least for now, but another case is coming on the heels of this one that will almost certainly abolish all restrictions for candidate and make it a true free for all money bash campaigning.

    That is how I understand it, anyway.

  139. 139.

    darryl

    @Gwangung:

    Not sure that’s true. Probably need some fairly strong support for that.

    No, you don’t. Bernanke’s a conservative Republican economist. Greenspan is a conservative Republican economist. You’d need to support your argument if you were claiming that their outlook was significantly different.

    In fact, they did have some differences, Bernanke was less of a hawk about inflation than Greenspan, but on key issues like whether the Fed should try to manage bubbles or just clean up afterward with monetary adjustments, they both took the disastrous second view. Although, Bernanke, even if he’d taken the first view, wasn’t in office long enough to stop it. The housing bubble peaked within about a year of him taking office.

  140. 140.

    Ailuridae

    On the Fed. Obama missed a huge opportunity to appoint Janet Yellen who would have more aggressively pursued full employement. Bernanke, like Greenspan before him was primarily concerned with the “price controls”side of the Fed mission (which in recent years has developed into little more than being an inflation hawk whereas Yellen is less concerned with inflation and, as a result, more concerned with full employment.

    She would be the first female Fed Chair and she’s married to George Akerlof who is basically the goods.

  141. 141.

    D-Chance.

    This is why I detest about 95-99% of the blogs on both sides of the aisle.

    No discussion or new details about the incident or the arrest… it’s now all about two jackasses arguing on air, with all the internet fanboys on both sides screaming, “We won! We won! Neener-neener-neener!”

    And it’s the frickin’ lead memeo at the moment. Shoot me now.

  142. 142.

    General Winfield Stuck

    @Ailuridae: I learned something new today from Bernie Sanders raking Bernanke over the coals this morn on the senate floor. He said that the fed chair had to power to stop credit card companies from jacking their interest rates to 25 or 30 percent, if they wanted to, and a couple of other things I can’t remember that would bring relief to ordinary people being shook down by banks.

  143. 143.

    Elie

    @John Cole:

    Get up and walk around a little. Used to help me a bit

    Get that ol blood level up before you go to bed — do not, do NOT count on ice alone. Put your pills on the nightstand and when you first start to get twinges during the night (about 4 hours per dose), take a pill and get up for a little walk around the room or sit on the edge of the bed for a little bit (I found it helped rearrange things a little bit for the better)…

    And do not, Do NOT forget about the aloe vera thing that sounds so disgusting for me to keep harping on. The pain will start to decrease in the next couple of days but then you will have a twenty pound boulder of poop in your lower colon, screaming to get out. Avoid that whole scene NOW. Drink lots of water — keep the water jug by you all day, stool softner at bedtime and aloe vera juice in the am. Eat fruit and veggies much as you can, though your appetite may wane due to the narcotics.

    This IS the worst of it — get through the next few days and you may have a few hiccups, but it wont be as consistenly awful

  144. 144.

    Brachiator

    @General Winfield Stuck:

    I learned something new today from Bernie Sanders raking Bernanke over the coals this morn on the senate floor. He said that the fed chair had to power to stop credit card companies from jacking their interest rates to 25 or 30 percent, if they wanted to, and a couple of other things I can’t remember that would bring relief to ordinary people being shook down by banks.

    I’m not sure that the Fed has this power. I know that the Congress does. Funny that none of them brings this up with respect to regulating financial markets.

    By the way, UK banks and credit companies have also flirted with jacking up interest rates and fees. These rapacious mofos have a limited set of ideas, and keep trying them wherever they think that they can get away with it.

    Banks hiked credit card interest rates over Christmas to highest level in four years
    …
    The resulting gap of 15.78 per cent between the official bank rate and the average amount charged on credit cards is now the highest ever recorded.
    …
    The increase will be a heavy blow to the estimated nine million Britons who relied on their credit card to fund Christmas. It will also hurt the one million people who have used a card to cover a mortgage or rent payment in the past year.

    It’s a global financial racket. Obama and others in power who care not only have to fix things here, but also encourage global changes as well.

  145. 145.

    Anne Laurie

    @Brachiator:

    “Yet at a moment when millions are out of work and millions more struggling to get by, the party’s governing board will plot its comeback on the island of Oahu, sipping drinks poolside, catching rays on the beach that abuts the villa and raising questions about whether they’re as politically tone-deaf as they accuse the president of being.”

    The RNC will tell the marks ‘baggers that they’re looking for “Obama’s long form birth certificate”. Heck, some of the RNC members are dumb enough they’ll probably insist on Michael Steele shooting a video at the maternity hospital. (Probably the wrong hospital at that.)

  146. 146.

    Brachiator

    @Anne Laurie:

    The RNC will tell the marks ‘baggers that they’re looking for “Obama’s long form birth certificate”. Heck, some of the RNC members are dumb enough they’ll probably insist on Michael Steele shooting a video at the maternity hospital. (Probably the wrong hospital at that.)

    The sad thing is that the GOP have found the sweet spot of their constituents’ fears and fantasies. On the one hand they have uber-stooge Sarah Palin going Galt cutsie over the myth of common sense “real Americans” while the ever-despicable Rush Limbaugh and his legion of imitators beat the drum of Obama as scary black man un-American Muslim sozial ist. Also, too. You betcha.

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