In Rare Glimmer of Sanity, MSNBC Shelves Ed Schultz’s Aptly Named ‘Psycho Talk’
January 28, 2011 No CommentNot to worry, Ed Schultz told his radio listeners on Jan. 11 — the bellicose “Psycho Talk” segment of his MSNBC program would remain on the show. Here's a clip of Schultz claiming that in the wake of the Tucson shooting, with liberals blaming an amorphous “climate of hate” for triggering the bloodshed, “Psycho Talk” would endure ( audio ) — Let me just start it right out today, I am not toning it down. Because according to the conservatives, what Sarah Palin did and what Michele Bachmann says, that didn't have anything to do with what happened on Saturday, right? You know, this may be the biggest lie that Fox News has ever told. Roger Ailes says the network will tone down fiery rhetoric. And they defend Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin's now the victim, did you know that? Well, isn't her silence deafening? Why is Sarah Palin so silent? Is she feeling guilty these days? Why is it that she kept those crosshairs up there for months on end until the shooting? No guilt there at all, is there? Folks, let me tell you something, I'm making this announcement right away. We are not changing “The Ed Show” on MSNBC. As long as they open their mouths over there on the right, we will continue to have the segment called “Psycho Talk,” because that's exactly what it is. And as soon as they say that they're not going to vote to repeal health care, then I'll make some changes.
Continue reading …
The main headlines on Al Jazeera English, featuring the latest news and reports from around the world.
Continue reading …Snatching Defeat From Jaws Of Victory, Reid/McConnell Agree To Squelch Filibuster Reform
January 28, 2011 No CommentLucy swiped that #$@#ing ball away from us again : So Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell have reached a deal under which both have vowed never to pass any rules reforms via the “Constitutional option,” which only requires a simple majority vote. The idea is that if one side rams through reforms this way, the other will retaliate when it gains the majority. Take this option off the table, and future reforms will only pass with bipartisan support. Reportedly, Reid could not keep his caucus together, with several vulnerable senators worried that this would be used against them in ads by Republican challengers and fearful of retribution if they lost the majority in 2012, although Tom Udall (D-NM) did his damndest to keep filibuster reform on the table: Udall’s argument: If Democrats hadn’t threatened to pass filibuster reforms via a simple majority, the issue would have been a non-starter from the very beginning. If the reforms being championed by Udall, Tom Harkin and Jeff Merkley could only pass with 67 votes, everyone could have safely ignored them and the issue would have received no attention. As Udall put it, the current discussion wouldn’t have happened at all “if we hadn’t utilized our rights under the Constitution, if we hadn’t pushed this very hard and said we are trying to round up 51 senators that will stand up with us and say we want change in this institution.” By agreeing to take this option off the table, of course, Reid and McConnell have effectively ensured that this leverage won’t be available in the future. As Ezra Klein explains, this ensures that “the minority is not on notice that further abuse of the filibuster (and associated stalling tactics) could lead to more significant reforms.” But hey, “secret holds” are no longer okay…sort of. Which means with no leverage and no teeth, the Senate will be exactly the same dysfunctional legislative body it was last year.
Continue reading …
enlarge In today’s climate there’s a tendency to view things through the lens of the people versus corporations, where all the corporations are allied and aligned against people. But there’s another layer, far more interesting, surrounding Jeffrey Immelt and his cordial relationship with the White House. It reveals a corporation vs. corporation rivalry fought via the current political culture wars. Via AlterNet : FreedomWorks and the NCPPR , another free-market think tank, have launched a campaign to “dethrone” Immelt from GE , calling him the “king of crony capitalism”, and are running ads attacking Immelt’s conflicts of interest as a blatant sign of corruption. “It’s time to break up the unethical romance between government and big business,” said FreedomWorks President Matt Kibbe in a statement. “For too long, corporate elites have lobbied to profit from the size and growth of government at the expense of hard-working Americans.” Oh, this is rich, coming from the organization funded by corporate elites who not only lobbied to profit from government but also hoodwinked ordinary people in order to profit from them. And of course, it’s simply a smokescreen for a corporate proxy war between Koch-allied corporations and GE-allied corporations. Before anything else, GE and Koch Industries are direct competitors in the energy arena. I’m sure the bailout of GE Capital contributed to the rage the Kochs felt about bailouts in general (ideology aside), since a weakened GE would have meant a stronger Koch Industries, but alas. It didn’t quite work out that way. In addition to being in direct competition, GE has positioned itself as a “green energy” company, integrating climate change into their business model. This runs exactly counter to Koch, who continues to not only deny climate change, but fight for the right to keep the country enslaved to oil for generations to come. I’m still not happy about Immelt’s prominence and access to the president, but I do admit to a small “har-har” moment over FreedomWorks and the Koch family going to such lengths to “dethrone” Jeffrey Immelt. Plus, it distracts them for now.
Continue reading …
David Kato, a 43-year-old gay rights activist in Uganda, was murdered in his home near Kampala on Wednesday, less than four months after his picture was published in a Ugandan tabloid under the words “Hang Them” for a story about gays “recruiting” local schoolchildren.
Continue reading …
As White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs prepares to assume the vaguely defined role of outside consultant to President Obama’s next campaign, the president has picked Gibbs’ replacement in Jay Carney, who has already run in Obama’s close circles. Related Entries January 25, 2011 Life Sentence for Embassy Bomber January 16, 2011 With Friends Like These, Who Needs Democracy?
Continue reading …
In Arizona, everyone is freaked out about the violence by Mexican drug cartels south of their border, which was one of the reasons we repeatedly heard from leading state officials as one of their excuses for passing SB1070. But then it turns out that the ease with which you can buy a gun in Arizona is fueling that violence directly : The seizure of more than 700 guns and the indictments of 34 people announced on Tuesday are further confirmation that Arizona has become an iron highway for weapons into Mexico, according to federal authorities. Many legal purchases by straw buyers at Arizona gun stores are being financed and orchestrated by Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel, federal officials said. The cases announced Tuesday involved the purchases of many AK-47s, .50-caliber rifles and other semiautomatic weapons in single-day transactions at gun stores by straw buyers paid by the cartel, U.S. Attorney for Arizona Dennis Burke said. “This is a huge problem in this state. It is a strange phenomenon,” Burke said at a news conference at the Phoenix office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives. “Drug cartels go shopping for their war weapons here in Arizona.” At least 17 people were arrested Tuesday in five cases involving a joint crackdown by the ATF, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service and the Phoenix Police Department. Gee, I can remember when, a couple of years ago, Obama administration officials pointed out that many of the guns being used by the Mexican drug cartels were being originating in the USA — and the NRA and Glenn Beck exploded in angry denial, implying that such imprecations upon the fine name of American arms sellers was an attack on the Constitution itself! Click here to view this media [H/t Jamie]
Continue reading …
With “The King’s Speech” sitting comfortably atop this year’s heap of Oscar-nominated films, it’s not surprising that there might be some grumbles from critical corners about the movie’s actual merits. But in this case, a couple prominent voices … Related Entries January 25, 2011 ‘King’s Speech’ Rules in Oscar Race October 25, 2010 Not Appearing at the Oscars: Jean-Luc Godard
Continue reading …Govt’s Loan Mod Program Crippled by Lax Oversight and Deference to Banks
January 27, 2011 No CommentBy Paul Kiel and Olga Pierce, ProPublica With millions of homeowners still struggling to stay in their homes, the Obama administration’s $75 billion foreclosure prevention program has been weakened, perhaps fatally, by lax oversight and a posture of cooperation—rather than enforcement—with the nation’s biggest banks. Related Entries January 25, 2011 ‘King’s Speech’ Rules in Oscar Race October 25, 2010 Not Appearing at the Oscars: Jean-Luc Godard
Continue reading …By Andrew Bacevich, TomDispatch In defense circles, “cutting” the Pentagon budget has once again become a topic of conversation. Americans should not confuse that talk with reality. Related Entries January 25, 2011 Life Sentence for Embassy Bomber January 16, 2011 With Friends Like These, Who Needs Democracy?
Continue reading …