Category: Politics

Why I’m not a Conservative…TNC Style

Some Off The Cuff Analysis – Ta-Nehisi Coates:

“I keep thinking about the big things that have always kept me from being a conservative–the knee-jerk worship of a past that branded me half a man, the elevation of the loud imbeciles who think science teachers should be using the Bible, the toleration and baiting of bigots who cloaked themselves in the garb of ‘States Rights,’ and now run under the garb of ‘protecting marriage.’ The common demonator here is an unreflective veneration of what was, a belief that tradition, no matter how backwards, can heal all.”

(Via Ta-Nehisi Coates.)

Exactly.

Steele trap?

Steele trap? GOP fears grow – Mike Allen and Andy Barr – POLITICO.com:

“Steadily becoming a dependable punch line, Steele has brushed back Rush Limbaugh, threatened moderate Republican senators, offered the ‘friggin’ awesome’ Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal some ‘slum love,’ called civil unions ‘crazy’ and promised more outreach to ‘urban-suburban hip-hop settings’ via an ‘off the hook’ public relations campaign.
He even threw a shout-out to ‘one-armed midgets.’
That’s in just 30 days on the job — and that’s just the PR part.
“

(Via Politico.)

I’ve met the brother. I’m embarrassed for him. I’m not laughing as many of my friend are.

Signify Brother

Blacks, whites hear Obama differently – Nia-Malika Henderson – POLITICO.com:

On his pre-inaugural visit to Ben’s Chili Bowl, a landmark for Washington’s African-American community, President Barack Obama was asked by a cashier if he wanted his change back.
“Nah, we straight,” Obama replied.
The phrase was so subtle some listeners missed it. The reporter on pool duty quoted Obama as saying, “No, we’re straight.”
But many other listeners did not miss it. A video of the exchange became an Internet hit, and there was a clear moment of recognition among many blacks, who got a kick out of their Harvard-educated president sounding, as one commenter wrote on a hip-hop site, “mad cool.”

(Via Politico.)

For real. For real.

You are not Him

Republicans, Democrats criticize Jindal’s speech:

“‘To come up in this moment in history with a stale, ‘Government is the problem, you can’t trust the federal government’ is just a disaster for the Republican Party,’ Brooks said on PBS’ ‘The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer.’ ‘It’s not where the country is, it’s not where the future of the country is.'”

(Via Yahoo! News.)

Exactly.

Then Don’t Take the Money

Commentary: If you oppose stimulus, don’t take the money – CNN.com:

“If Republican politicians are so deeply opposed to President Obama’s economic recovery plan, they should refuse to take the money. After all, if you think all that federal spending is damaging, there are easy ways to reduce it: Don’t take federal money.”

(Via CNN.)

Throwing in Their 2¢

Obama Campaigns Outside Washington to Win Insiders on Stimulus – Yahoo! News:

“While the president’s approval ratings are close to 70 percent, much of the public has been persuaded by arguments from congressional Republicans that the stimulus package is loaded with projects that won’t spur economic growth, according to Charles Jones, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.”

(Via Yahoo! News.)

Why I have not no respect for the GOP. Party comes before country. Fully 2% of this package is what they’ve been harping about. That’s 2¢ out of every dollar. The rest everyone agrees will stimulate the economy. Typical.

U.S. commanders favor slower Iraq pullout – Yahoo! News

U.S. commanders favor slower Iraq pullout – Yahoo! News:

“The timelines under discussion are 16 months, proposed by Obama as a centerpiece of his presidential campaign, 19 months and 23 months, the officials said.
‘The focus of the effort is on those three options,’ said a U.S. official familiar with the process.
A U.S. defense official said U.S. Army generals Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and David Petraeus, the head of U.S. Central Command, favored the 23-month option.”

(Via Yahoo! News.)

Not to be glib, but after 6 years 8 more months seems trivial either way.

You Don’t Know Dick

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Official Website | Current Events & Pop Culture News, Comedy & Fake News | Comedy Central:

(Via The Daily Show.)

Seriously, this guy is truly bad news. So glad he’s out of government. He’s like a bad TV villain impersonator.

The Destruction of Truth

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Official Website | Current Events & Pop Culture News, Comedy & Fake News | Comedy Central:

(Via The Daily Show.)

This is why I think politicians destroy honest and open public discourse. The stupidty, hypocrisy and disingenuousness is palpable.

Krugman Goes Medieval

A Dark Age of macroeconomics (wonkish) – Paul Krugman Blog – NYTimes.com:

“There’s no ambiguity in either case: both Fama and Cochrane are asserting that desired savings are automatically converted into investment spending, and that any government borrowing must come at the expense of investment – period.

What’s so mind-boggling about this is that it commits one of the most basic fallacies in economics: interpreting an accounting identity as a behavioral relationship…

S + T = I + G

After a change in desired savings or investment something happens to make the accounting identity hold. And if interest rates are fixed, what happens is that GDP changes to make S and I equal.

That’s actually the point of one of the ways multiplier analysis is often presented to freshmen.”

(Via NY Times Blogs.)

Ouch. Fama and Cochrane made a freshman mistake. That’s why political ideology is soft-think.