Last Call

David Brooks basically writes one of the more important pieces this year in Village Idiocy.

He starts out saying he was a "sap" for believing Obama was different, you standard firebagger refrain...

I liked Obama’s payroll tax cut ideas and urged Republicans to play along. But of course I’m a sap. When the president unveiled the second half of his stimulus it became clear that this package has nothing to do with helping people right away or averting a double dip. This is a campaign marker, not a jobs bill. 

...spends the next several paragraphs laying into Obama for being awful by using GOP talking points on how the rich pay too much in taxes, then admits this at the end:

The president believes the press corps imposes a false equivalency on American politics. We assign equal blame to both parties for the dysfunctional politics when in reality the Republicans are more rigid and extreme. There’s a lot of truth to that...

 What's this?  Actual honesty?  Oh wait.

...but at least Republicans respect Americans enough to tell us what they really think. The White House gives moderates little morsels of hope, and then rips them from our mouths. To be an Obama admirer is to toggle from being uplifted to feeling used. 

Yes, Republicans respect Americans and evil extremist Obama hates them.  And by "Americans" Brooks means "moderates."  And by "moderates" Brooks means people who make $600 grand a year.  You know, regular, salt of the earth types.  Brooks admits to the constant unfair media false equivalency of Obama being "just as bad or worse" as the fringe GOP, and then proceeds to make that false equivalency in the second half of the same goddamn sentence.   To Brooks, the notion that the rich should pay even Clinton era tax rates is as bad as Rick Perry saying evolution is "a theory that's out there."  He's just as bad and Brooks is saying he's so stupid for believing otherwise, because they're the same.

If only Obama wasn't such a liberal extremist...

The White House has decided to wage the campaign as fighting liberals. I guess I understand the choice, but I still believe in the governing style Obama talked about in 2008. I may be the last one. I’m a sap. 

Yes, you, David Brooks, are the last person who believes in President Obama, you know.   Mewling idiot.

Exciting New Horizons In Obama Derangement Syndrome

How do you know President Obama is scoring hits on the Republicans?  The birthers are suddenly "back in the news".  Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Orly Taitz, Pat Boone all making news this week with the idiocy we all know and love...like herpes these fools will never die.

You ever notice the birthers get the loudest just when President Obama is making positive news?

The Dark Moose Candidate

The Rumpies flag down Joe "OBAMATRONS IN MY WATER" Farah's suggestion that Sarah Palin should primary Obama.  (Please wipe off your screen now from the spit take.) YAFB:

Farah’s logic is unassailable. Palin’s “career” is going nowhere. The Repub establishment mistrusts if not hates her, and the Tea Party, now considerably off the boil, has no shortage of batshit insane candidates willing to say any old crap to pander to the basest of the base.

Chortling at his own ingenuity, Farah's goes on to cite Limbaugh’s “Operation Chaos.” Because that was so successful. And because Hillary Clinton is obviously still totally indistinguishable in terms of accomplishments, intellect, and electability from quitty ex-governor and soundly defeated hasbeen veep candidate Sarah Palin in the minds of the wingnutariat.

The masterplan is already being greeted with some enthusiasm over at FreeRepublic. I have yet to check whether it’s found its way to Conservatives4Palin yet, but it can only be a matter of time.

But see, nobody can appreciate the brilliance of his idea because Sarah Palin's 15% for to 75% against approval numbers among Democrats is really just an outlier and doesn't represent how happy Democrats would be to have her, right?

So mega-stupid it's tautology.  God, the cult around Sarah Palin is creepy.

A Sour Note

Normally, I don't get my knickers in a twist over celebrity behavior. It's our fault that they are outrageous, we demand it.  To remain relevant, they must top the headlines or be forgotten.

However, I am disappointed in the coverage for Journey guitarist Neal Schon and "celebrity" Michaele Salahi.  She is a wannabe, and both have left their spouses without answer, apology or acknowledgement.  Schon's wife learned from TMZ what happened.  Foreigner made headlines when he said he was "impressed" with the publicity Schon brought thanks to this media hype. 

Is it real?  Is it crap?  Either way, it's disgusting.  So where is the Republican flood on this?  Don't they want to do something to protect the meaning of marriage?  Where the hell are the bible thumpers and the holier-than-thous?  Is it worse for two gay people who honor each other to marry than a bimbo and a has-been wrecking lives?  If you want to talk about setting examples and doing the right thing, start here.  There's a lot of mess to clean up.

Also, on a sad note, Salahi's dog passed away.  Rumor has it he was so depressed he wouldn't leave the bed after her disappearance, and already had heart problems.  Just had to throw that in because one good bitch deserves another.

Netflix Conundrum: A Conundrum By Any Other Name

... is still a conundrum.  I know Z hit this briefly this morning, but I wanted to expand a little.

Netflix is renaming its DVD-by-mail program.  The red envelopes will continue, but the name Qwikster will be stamped on them.  Personally, I am still not impressed.  A name change means nothing, and after their 60% price hike they lost a lot of customers and even more trust from remaining customers.  This is a whole lot of  media for a very small change.  The addition of games will be nice, but it may be an example of too little too late for customers who feel burned and misled.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings manage to irritate people more than comfort them in the wake of the price hike.  Netflix customers lashed out not only at the price hike, but how it was handled.  Customers were sent a very dry and borderline rude notice of the price change, without explanation or apology for the circumstances.  In fact, there was no mention of the circumstances at all.  Customers were left without any reason to explain the increase.  When that explanation finally came, it was again delivered terribly and with a "sorry about your luck" approach that was as off-putting as it was informative.  The article I read first said it perfectly, it's like someone saying "I'm sorry what I said offended you," instead of a simple "I'm sorry."

Netflix has become a monster in technology, but it goes to show that even the most successful business has to treat its customers well or face the consequences.  In this case, Netflix has shown where they need to improve.  Instead of fighting the technology, a little customer relations work could go a long way towards preserving their future.

Orly? Ya Rly! In 2012?!?

Oh please please please let this happen.

So-called "birther queen" Orly Taitz is considering running for Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat in 2012.

"I think I do have a chance specifically because I do speak Spanish and I speak Hebrew," Taitz told the Sacramento Bee following a town hall event on Latino issues at the California Republican Party convention.

A Senate run, Taitz said would "give me a platform to talk about the issues that corrupt establishment... are refusing to talk about."

Like KENYANS IN THE WHITE HOUSE.  Oh please, the comedy factor alone is worth her running for DiFi's seat.  Can't wait for this, bring it on.

The Three Million Pound Elephant In The Room

The News Corp phone hacking scandal?  Why yes, it's still an issue.  Maybe that's why the Murdochs are so eager to bury it.

News International is expected to pay about three million pounds($4.7 million) to settle hacking claims by the family of murder victim Milly Dowler against the now defunct News of the World newspaper, sources close to the case told Reuters on Monday.


The settlement is likely to involve close to a two million pound payment to the murdered schoolgirl's family and a donation of at least one million pounds to charity.

News International and Mark Lewis, lawyer for the family, declined to comment.

If we're down to the "throw money to make it go away" stage this early, then the real meat of this story can't be too far off.  Keep an eye on this one.

Winning At Planning By Planning To Win

Deaniac83's piece at The People's View on President Obama's actions this month is nothing short of outstanding.  Go read it.

None of these things should be a surprise. When I called Paul Krugman a political rookie compared to President Obama, he wasn't alone in underestimating President Obama's political acumen. Just as the Professional Left screamed and moaned, John Boehner claimed that he got 98% of what he wanted, a claim so stupid it was buoyed by Daily Kos' Markos Moulitsas later.The truth is that the Republicans lost the battle to "drown the government in a bathtub" back on August 1. The president took all their cards, and left them holding a whole bunch of teabags. And now that Congress' approval is at 12% and members are deathly afraid of being themselves thrown out of office if they are not seen as productive, the President brings the hammer down in the form of a veto threat.

Republicans were screaming for a specific plan from the president on jobs, and he gave them one. They were clamoring for a specific plan from him on deficit reduction, and he gave them that today. He threw a challenge: that he will always protect and defend the American middle class, students, poor and the elderly, and it would be the choice of the Republicans if they want to protect the same people or the tax welfare system for the superwealthy.

Do read the whole thing and arm yourself with those arguments.  We're going to need them. President Obama really did lay the foundation for pantsing the GOP in the last six weeks, and he's continuing to build on it daily.

StupidiNews!

• The US military's Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy is officially gone as of today.
• Israel says it is ending a bilateral police cooperation program with Turkey as relations between the two countries continues to sour.
• President Obama's proposal to save the Postal Service includes ending Saturday delivery and raising the price of stamps.
• US officials say they are probing eight offshore banks for possible tax evasion, with grand jury investigations underway.
• Researchers are finding ways to detect single molecules out of trillions with new optical technology based on hyrdophobic substances.