February, 2009 archive
“. . . they have failed” 0
The Republican motto seems to be “go wit’ what brung ya.” But look where it brung ya, for heaven’s sakes.
Failed war, homelessness, hopelessness, torture, unparalled greed, unmatched incompetence, and venality (I could go on).
No nitpicking. Cut to the chase.
Do you honestly want more of what we’ve had for the past eight years?
We’re not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that in eight short years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin. We can’t embrace the losing formula that offers more tax cuts as the only answer to every problem we face, while ignoring critical challenges like our addiction to foreign oil, the soaring cost of health care, failing schools and crumbling bridges, roads and levees. I don’t care whether you’re driving a hybrid or an SUV – if you’re headed for a cliff, you have to change direction.
No one with any sense can expect anyone to be perfect.
But, Dear God, I would just settle for normal.
We haven’t seen that in national governance since the Republican Party put its contract on America (and, boy, did they ever!)
Addendum:
The Booman’s terminology is somewhat more temperate than mine.
Stray Thought 0
Politics is classically defined as the art of the practical. Republicanism is the art of the intractable.
Stray Thought: Talent Flight Dept. 2
If Mr. Obama tried to appoint me to something, I’d never survive the headlines.
I’ve been filing income tax returns for 40 years. I’ve made three or four mistakes. All have been resolved with no hard feelings (I won some, I lost some), but my public career would already be toast.
Why the hell any person of honor is willing to subject him- or herself to the pie-throwing contest that passes for public discourse is beyond me.
Bushonomics: Bushies Can’t Count Dept. 0
Since Republicans know that wealth equals virtue, giving the wealthy more than they deserved simply makes them more virtuous. Doesn’t it?
Warren said that Treasury spent $254 billion to purchase assets whose actual value was only $176 billion, “a shortfall of about $78 billion,” she said.
Warren said Treasury failed to “price for risk,” and used a metaphor to explain: It’s as if Treasury was looking at 10 paintings and promised to pay $1 million for each, even though “one is a Picasso, one is a Rembrandt” and the other eight are not.
H/T Karen for the link.
Bushonomics: The Hangover 0
Up! Up! and Away!
In addition, the number of people staying on the jobless benefit rolls hit a record high late last month.
Duncan on how we got here:
C. B. 0
Not CBRS. Chthulu Baccalaureum.
The local NPR station is running its winter begathon. One of the gimmicks in every begathon is the “Campus Challenge.” Persons are challenged to make pledges in honor of their alma maters; the winners are announced at the end of the morning news broadcast.
Miskatonic University has one two pledges (and, yes, the announcer knew of it–he loves his craft).
Sounds More like “Taking the Fifth” to Me 0
’nuff said:
In response to Mr. Vollmer’s refusal to answer questions, Mr. Ackerman asks three times whether the Bush holdover was hiding behind executive branch immunity.
“Yes, in part,” he finally answered.
Stray Thought 0
To hear the Republican Party prattle on about “fiscal responsibility” as if it were something that the party actually understood is sick-making.
Delaware Liberal has another take.
As Often Happens . . . 1
. . . John Cole said it so I didn’t have to figure out how to say it.
Unintended Truths 0
My mp3 player classifies its contents by all this fancy meta stuff, such as “Genre,” “Artist,” “Album,” and several others. Since I use it for podcasts and radio shows and those classifications are for music, they are pretty much irrelevant, except for “Artist.”
None So Blind . . . 0
Reuters (and everyone else) is reporting the President Obama wants to cap executive compensation at businesses receiving bail out money.
This is a direct consequence of those same businesses’ showing a level of irresponsibility, arrogance, and greed that would make the Emperor Nero jealous.
What caught my attention in the Reuters story were comments from Wall Streeters, particularly this one (emphasis added):
LAUREN SMITH, ANALYST AT KEEFE, BRUYETTE & WOODS
“There is certainly a possibility” of talent flight from the big firms to the smaller investment banks if there are compensation limits. . . .”
Go here.
Then riddle me this:
All Those Nannygates 0
After the fuss over Zoe Baird some years ago, there really is no excuse for persons in public life not to be certain that their dealings with anyone who has done work for them in their homes are squeaky clean. (The Baird case involved undocumented workers.)
At the same time, I wonder . . .