Revolving Door Keeps Spinning: WaPo Dem Booster Shailagh Murray Leaves for Biden Post
March 18, 2011 No Comment
After a litany of stories toeing the Democratic line on a variety of issues, Washington Post reporter Shailagh Murray decided to make it official: the Post announced Friday that she has taken a job in the office of Vice President Joe Biden. Murray marks the 18th journalist to move from a reporting position to a post in Democratic politics or vice versa since President Obama took office. The revolving door between journalism and the Democratic Party underscores the extent to which the ideologies of each overlap. The bias dossier on Murray is thinner than, say, Katie Couric's, but contains a number of telling items. Let's review a few of the highlights. Just last month Murray labeled GOP budget cuts “drastic” and “painful” – while giving Republicans a single paragraph to defend them, next to six paragraphs of Democrats' attacks – even as WaPo hailed the Obama budget's “cautious trades.” Murray has also been quick to write of the unpopularity of Obama's economic policies to failures in “messaging” – a popular tactic among White House officials and congressional Democrats who simply cannot comprehend that Americans are not fans of their schemes. Murray shares that confusion, apparently. “How can nearly $1 trillion flush through the U.S. economy, with tangible results, and still leave voters dubious?” she wrote of the stimulus . Vice President Biden has been the administration's point man on touting the supposed successes of various economic policies, so it seems Murray will fit right in. Murray has done more than simply wonder how various White House policies could be so unpopular; on one occasion she even proactively lauded the president's unpopular stance on school choice, calling his move to kill the popular Washington DC school voucher program a “middle way on a contentious issue.” “Love all these objective journalists signing up to sell Dem agenda,” quipped Jonah Goldberg on Twitter after the news of Murray's move broke. But hey, at least now it's official.
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Anti-devolutionist Lord Forsyth claims the measures in the Scotland bill are a ‘time bomb at the heart of the union’ Senior Tories are openly rebelling against David Cameron’s plans to give the Scottish parliament greater tax-raising powers, days before the party goes into the Scottish election campaign. Lord Forsyth, the party’s former Scotland secretary, claimed new measures to give Holyrood control over income tax rates could lead to the break-up of the UK, a view backed privately by senior party figures in Scotland. Forsyth, a noted anti-devolutionist, said the tax powers in the Scotland bill, which is going through the UK parliament with the support of the Tories, Labour and Lib Dems, were “a timebomb at the heart of the union”. At a packed fringe meeting at the Scottish Tory conference in Perth, he urged the party to hold a referendum on the new powers. He said the bill, which is set to become law later this year, “may yet be the midwife which delivers independence”. The rebellious mood poses a challenge to the Scottish party’s leader, Annabel Goldie, who is about to begin a Holyrood election campaign with the Tories faring very poorly in recent opinion polls. Scottish voters are stubbornly refusing to increase their support for the Tories, despite their recent surge in popularity elsewhere in the UK under Cameron’s leadership. The psephologist John Curtice said the party’s support was “flatlining” in Scotland. The latest ICM opinion poll, commissioned by the Scottish National party, puts the Conservatives at 13% only six weeks before the Scottish parliamentary election on 5 May, down from the 16.7% it received at the UK general election last year, when only one Tory MP was returned in Scotland. Scottish politics Conservatives David Cameron Scotland Severin Carrell guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Number of UK military personnel to have died since beginning of operations in Afghanistan reaches 360 A British soldier from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment has died after he was fatally wounded in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said. The serviceman was injured in a blast while on patrol in the Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand province on Wednesday. He was evacuated by helicopter to a military hospital in Camp Bastion and then flown back to Britain where he died with his family by his side. In total, 360 UK military personnel have died since operations in Afghanistan began in 2001. Military Afghanistan guardian.co.uk
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Click here to view this media A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the publication of Wisconsin’s anti-union law rammed through last week by Republicans in the State Senate. Madison — Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order Friday, halting Gov. Scott Walker’s law that would sharply curtail collective bargaining for public employees. Sumi’s order will prevent Secretary of State Doug La Follette from publishing the law – and allowing it to take effect – until she can rule on the merits of the case. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat, is seeking to block the law because he says a legislative committee violated the state’s open meetings law in passing the measure, which Walker signed on Friday. Sumi, who was appointed to the bench by former GOP Gov. Tommy G. Thompson, said Ozanne was likely to succeed on the merits. ” It seems to me the public policy behind effective enforcement of the open meeting law is so strong that it does outweigh the interest, at least at this time, which may exist in favor of sustaining the validity of the (law),” she said. In related news… The entire debate has sparked an intense recall effort in Wisconsin. What you may not know is that when Scott Walker was campaigning for Governor, he actually campaigned on supporting recalls of elected officials and “taking back the government”. Here’s his campaign ad: Click here to view this media And for your viewing pleasure, here is the updated version, after Walker’s cramdown:
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This year’s ‘achievement in dance’ award managed to pass without a single dancer being honoured. Why does dance put up with playing the Cinderella among art forms? Do prizes matter? After the past two months, it’s easy to think that the bloated system of Oscars, Globes, Baftas and so on is more about frocks, marketing and gossip than rewarding genuine talent and creativity. But the most hardened cynic may spare a moment’s sympathy for the slight that was delivered to the dance profession at this year’s Olivier awards , which were awarded last Sunday. Dance has always been a postscript to this event: like opera, it gets just two dedicated prizes. And usually the profession is happy to tag along to what’s essentially a party for theatrical types. But feathers were ruffled this year when, in contrast to the three singers who made it onto the shortlist for outstanding achievement in opera, the shortlist for outstanding achievement in dance contained not a single dancer. Instead there were two designers and a drummer: artist Antony Gormley for his design for Babel at Sadler’s Wells, John MacFarlane for his design for Asphodel Meadows at the Royal Ballet and Yoshie Sunahata for her drumming in Gnosis (Sunahata did move with incredible power, to be sure, but she was cited, specifically, for her drumming). In defence of this odd – albeit very tactless – decision, the awards’ criteria for eligibility does excludes much of the dance that appears in London, and according to one of the judges an unusual number of productions that were up for consideration this year were collaborative creations, for which music and design deserved unusual credit. But anyone who spent any time at Sadler’s Wells, the Opera House and the Coliseum last year, along with the other participating venues, would feel there was no shortage of fine dancing that came within the rules. And you could surely argue that Tamara Rojo made just as outstanding a contribution to Asphodel Meadows as MacFarlane did, and that Akram Khan ‘s dancing was even more key to Gnosis than Sunahata’s drumming. Another good reason for prioritising those contributions is that dancers in general are hardly snowed under by honours and prizes from other sources. In Britain there is little for them beyond the Critic’s Circle awards (hugs and certificates given to the year’s best dancers, choreographers and companies), and the Place prize (which offers money and a platform to new choreography). Within the world of performing arts dancers have, on average, the worst pay, the most arduous hours and the most cruelly short careers. You’d think the Oliviers could have offered just one of them a prize to take home. Would that have been too much to ask? Dance Awards and prizes Akram Khan Antony Gormley Judith Mackrell guardian.co.uk
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As food and petrol reach disaster zone, Naoto Kan tells people to look towards reconstruction after quake and tsunami The Japanese prime minister, Naoto Kan, has vowed to rebuild his nation from scratch after the country’s deadliest disaster since the second world war. A week after an earthquake and tsunami caused a multiple nuclear meltdown, Kan attempted to use a rare day of positive news to shift attention from devastation to reconstruction. Several petrol stations and train lines reopened, more food was delivered into the disaster zone and an emergency mission to stabilise the melting reactors at the Fukushima No 1 power plant appeared – at least temporarily – to have slowed the leak of radiation. These glimmers of hope were set against grim new casualty figures – 6,900 people are confirmed dead and thousands more are reported missing – that have made the disaster the worst in more than 60 years. Though the scale of the calamity would have tested any prime minister, Kan has been widely criticised for striking a low public profile at a time when many were looking for leadership. In a televised address, he took a more assertive stance and pressed home the need for a change of mood. “With the tsunami and earthquake, we do not have room to be pessimistic or discouraged. We are going to create Japan once again from scratch,” he urged his listeners. “Each and every one of the Japanese people must have strong resolution to move forward and overcome these difficulties.” Survivors paused to observe a minute’s silence at 2.46pm, the time the 8.9-magnitude quake struck last week. It was a moment of reflection also for the government. The government’s chief spokesman admitted that it had been overwhelmed. “The unprecedented scale of the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan, frankly speaking, were among many things that happened that had not been anticipated under our disaster management contingency plans,” Yukio Edano said. “In hindsight we could have moved a little quicker in assessing the situation and coordinating all that information and provided it faster.” In the disaster zone, earth-moving equipment and mechanical diggers cleared blocked roads, while military and aid groups distributed larger quantities of essential provisions to the 430,000 people who have lost their homes. The government has promised to build temporary residences as an alternative to the schools, gymnasiums and other public buildings where refugees are currently staying. But this will take time. Miyagi’s governor, Yoshihiro Murai, urged people to move away, saying it would be difficult to provide housing in the near future. Shortages of petrol and obstructed routes have left many in the 2,200 emergency shelters across the disaster zone short of food, fuel, water and medicine. Officials have warned that the nuclear incident is also hampering efforts to deliver aid, making drivers reluctant to travel to areas even outside the exclusion zone. Kan acknowledged the problems faced by evacuees in shelters and promised the government would overcome difficulties to provide food and blankets. “I know it is very cold and there is not enough food and water … I extend my sympathy to all those suffering hardship,” he said. The prime minister is thought likely to visit the disaster zone next week. The past week has severely tested the patience of evacuees forced to live in cold shelters without adequate food, heating or sanitation, but local leaders said the government was doing all it could in the circumstances. “It can’t be helped. There was such an enormous amount of damage,” said Hozo Hirano, the deputy chief of the disaster relief operation in Otsuchi, Iwate Prefecture, which was devastated by the tsunami. “I’m sure the central and provincial governments will provide us support in time, but rather than rely on others, we need to think what we can do to help ourselves.” Japan disaster Japan Natural disasters and extreme weather Nuclear power Energy Justin McCurry Tania Branigan Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Krugman Completely Misrepresents Herbert Hoover as Well as British Economy
March 18, 2011 No Comment
It really is amazing that anybody takes New York Times columnist Paul Krugman seriously. Consider the following factual misrepresentations in what he wrote Friday: On the other side, we’ve been assured that spending cuts would do wonders for business confidence. But that hasn’t happened in any of the countries currently pursuing harsh austerity programs. Notably, when the Cameron government in Britain announced austerity measures last May, it received fawning praise from U.S. deficit hawks. But British business confidence plunged, and it has not recovered. Really? Not according to KPMG: Preview figures from the Global Business Outlook survey, compiled by Markit Economics on behalf of KPMG, show that 68% of manufacturing industry respondents expect activity to improve during the next 12 months, compared with just 8% anticipating a decrease. The resulting balance is the highest since the survey began in June 2002. In the service sector, meanwhile, 57% of firms think activity will increase over the coming year, with only 12% expecting it to fall. This balance is the strongest since April 2007. So, in the manufacturing sector, confidence is the highest it's been since June 2002, and in the service sector, it's the highest since April 2007 before the recession began. As such, Krugman wasn't just wrong – he was dead wrong. On a related note, unemployment in Great Britain never got higher than 8 percent during this recession. Readers are reminded that this was the level the Obama administration said unemployment wouldn't exceed if their stimulus plan was enacted. But that wasn't the only falsehead in this article: In early 2009, John Boehner, now the speaker of the House, was widely and rightly mocked for declaring that since families were suffering, the government should tighten its own belt. That’s Herbert Hoover economics, and it’s as wrong now as it was in the 1930s. Actually, spending under Hoover increased by six percent in 1930, eight percent in 1931, and 30 percent in 1932. During Hoover's four years, spending increased 47 percent. That's actually more than spending has risen since the Democrats took over Congress in 2007. So exactly how does Krugman get away with publishing such falsehoods on a regular basis.
Continue reading …War On The Poor: Minnesota Republicans Want To Bust Poor People Who Carry Cash
March 18, 2011 No Comment
enlarge They’re not just crazy, they’re evil — and un-Christian, should they have the audacity to claim otherwise. If only we could force them to live like this, they wouldn’t last a week: St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Republicans are pushing legislation that would make it a crime for people on public assistance to have more $20 in cash in their pockets any given month. This represents a change from their initial proposal, which banned them from having any money at all. On March 15, Angel Buechner of the Welfare Rights Committee testified in front of the House Health and Human Services Reform Committee on House File 171. Buechner told committee members, “We would like to address the provision that makes it illegal for MFIP [one of Minnesota’s welfare programs] families to withdraw cash from the cash portion of the MFIP grant – and in fact, appears to make it illegal for MFIP families to have any type of money at all in their pockets. How do you expect people to take care of business like paying bills such as lights, gas, water, trash and phone?” House File 171 would make it so that families on MFIP – and disabled single adults on General Assistance and Minnesota Supplemental Aid – could not have their cash grants in cash or put into a checking account. Rather, they could only use a state-issued debit card at special terminals in certain businesses that are set up to accept the card. The bill also calls for unconstitutional residency requirements, not allowing the debit card to be used across state lines and other provisions that the Welfare Rights Committee and others consider unacceptable. Buechner testified, “We’ll leave you with this. It is not right to punish a whole group because of the supposed actions of a few. You in this room could have a pretty rough time if that was the case. It is not right to stigmatize and dehumanize women living the hard life of trying to raise children while living 60% below the poverty level. It is not right to use racist, bumper-sticker hate to inflict human misery for political gain.” It may not be right, Angel. But it sure as hell is effective, and that’s why politicians without shame continue to use the poor as their own political punching bags. Personally, if I lived in Minnesota, I’d be out looking for skeletons in the Republican closets. It seems to be the most effective way of purging these immoral creeps. From Freakout Nation: GOPers in Minnesota seem to be suffering from memory loss; an unemployed person has to utilize public transit to go out in the world and be proactive in seeking work. Instead, they present the poor with isolation, not letting them use their debit card, sit home and not seek employment. The poor can stay poor because they don’t give a damn. Let’s mix that in with the embattled Planned Parenthood, ACORN, Health Care Reform, undoing child labor laws and the dubious promise to get work for America as a whole. Where are the jobs, John? There is an obvious target on the poverty stricken in this country. Let’s not forget, just as many poor people are Republicans. This won’t fare well and they’re signing their own Get Out of the House certificate. As the classes divide even more with their assistance, this is further proof that their campaign against government spending was simply to gain power and now, they’ve gone power mad .
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At least 35 killed and hundreds wounded in capital of Sana’a after government troops and loyalists open fire on marchers At least 35 people have been shot dead and hundreds wounded in Sana’a after soldiers and plain-clothed government loyalists opened fired on protesters trying to march through the Yemeni capital. The death toll, which is expected to rise, is the highest seen in more than a month of violence in Yemen, with protesters demanding that President Ali Abdullah Saleh step down. The protest on Friday had started peacefully. Tens of thousands filled a mile-long stretch of road by Sana’a University for a prayer ceremony mourning the loss of seven protesters killed in similar violence last weekend. As the prayers came to an end, however, the sight of black smoke from a burning car caught the attention of protesters, who began surging towards it. Witnesses say the first shots were fired by security forces trying to disperse the protesters and they were joined by plain-clothed men who fired on the demonstrators with Kalashnikovs from the roofs of nearby houses. A nearby mosque was transformed into a chaotic makeshift hospital for injured protesters. The wounded, most of them men in their early 20s, were suffering from the effects of teargas and bullet wounds, many having been shot in the chest. The dead were carried into the mosque’s main prayer room and laid out in a line with miniature Qur’ans on their chests. “They shot people in the back of the head as they were running away,” said Mohammed al-Jamil, an Indian doctor treating the wounded. “Whoever did this wanted these people to die.” Children were also caught up in the violence. “My brother is twelve years old, they shot him twice, once in the arm and once in the leg,” shouted a young man through a crackling microphone to a roaring crowd of thousands outside the mosque. “Saleh would rather shoot us all before stepping down.” Until now government forces have largely used water cannons, rubber bullets and teargas to disperse anti-regime rallies, but live rounds were fired on Friday in what appears be the beginning of an increasingly violent crackdown on protesters. Anti-government demonstrations were held in other cities, including Taiz, Ibb, Hodeidah, Aden and Amran, following Friday prayers at midday. Yemen, the youngest and poorest country in the Arab world, has been hit by weeks of protests set in motion by uprisings in north Africa that toppled long-serving leaders in Tunisia and Egypt and spread to the Gulf states of Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia. Saleh has maintained a firm grip on power for more than three decades and has rejected calls for him to step down, saying he will only do so when his current term of office expires in 2013. Yemen Arab and Middle East protests Middle East guardian.co.uk
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Education secretary Michael Gove considers fast-track plan Michael Gove is considering plans to allow the brightest pupils to skip GCSEs and start studying for A-levels at 14. The education secretary wants to encourage schools to fast-track their cleverest students on to the most taxing courses as soon as they are ready. At the moment a school would fall down the league tables if some of its brightest pupils did not take GCSEs. Gove is in discussions about introducing a new qualification – an advanced baccalaureate – for pupils who are bright enough to bypass GCSEs and start their A-level courses early. League tables would measure the number of pupils taking this qualification, which would require the equivalent of at least a grade C in English literature, biology, chemistry and physics. A Department for Education source is reported in the Times Educational Supplement as stating that England should look to copy Singapore, where about a fifth of pupils take A-levels without having sat GCSEs or their equivalents. “We are considering much greater freedom for schools to accelerate bright kids past GCSEs to do either A-levels or pre-Us [an alternative to A-levels] and introducing league table measures that capture that and reward schools for it, not penalise them,” the source said. “We want a league table system that doesn’t disincentivise schools from doing what they think is in the best interests of the kid. If, for example, you said a group of pupils in the top set in maths were going to skip GCSE and go straight to AS-level [the first year of A-levels], then we want to make it clear that they have done a great job. At the moment, they would all score zero.” The Department for Education confirmed that ministers were considering the idea. Schools could be measured on the advanced baccalaureate as early as next year. Stephen Gorard, professor of education at Birmingham University, said ministers should be careful not to create friendship problems for the cleverest pupils. “There is nothing more tedious than being held back when you can easily do the work you are set, but we have to think about the effect this might have on pupils. How many children are going to be bypassing GCSEs in any one school and are they going to be able to mix with their age group or with older children?” Chris Howard, headteacher of Lewis School, Pengam, south Wales, and immediate past president of the National Association of Head Teachers, said GCSEs were an “unnecessary staging post” and that students should just be tested at 18. “Teaching unions have argued for many years that GCSEs have become an ineffective benchmark and a barrier to progress. The general gist of these plans are correct.” He said there may be problems implementing them in schools. “Some schools will wonder how they can get around the fact that some courses are going to be regarded with higher esteem than others, but I think that many will say they can get over that.” Teachers have criticised Gove for assessing pupils’ performance according to the proportion who obtain GCSEs in English, maths, a science, a foreign language and a humanity, such as history or geography, at grade C or above. Gove retrospectively introduced what is now known as the English baccalaureate into this year’s league tables. Education policy GCSEs Schools A-levels Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
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