Austerity Hysteria

Here's what you can look forward to with a GOP Congress again, folks.

Q: Senator Gregg, is there a point, you think, when the government has to sort of end these ever-continuing claims?

Gregg: Yeah, right now. This week, however, we’re going to extend it again. And this has become counterproductive. We’re basically undermining the cyclical event. Because you’re out of the recession, you’re starting to see growth and you’re clearly going to dampen the capacity of that growth if you basically keep an economy that encourages people to, rather than go out and look for work, to stay on unemployment. Yes, it’s important to do that up to a certain level, but at some point you’ve got to acknowledge that we’re not Europe.

This is what I mean by "austerity measures are coming to the United States."  They will be a certainty if the GOP regains control of Congress.  And the Teabaggers are leading the way in cutting the net out from under everyone.  This makes sense after all, as they tend to be rabidly conservative older, wealthier white Americans.  They got theirs.  They're coming for yours.

So You Had A Bad Day

The week in Randmentum:



All of a sudden things aren't looking too good for RandCat.  The Village Victim card doesn't work when the rest of the GOP is too busy throwing you under the bus too.

The Firebagging Begins Again

The firebagger attacks on Obama's response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster are in full swing now, and it's former Clinton campaign operative Peter Daou leading the charge over at HuffPo.

The administration seems miffed and mystified that it is being criticized. After all, it can reel off dozens of swift actions taken in the aftermath of the spill. The White House's defenders want the spotlight aimed exclusively at BP. But this is a situation where body language and words are just as important as actions. Scheduling an 'angry' presidential news conference weeks after oil started gushing into the Gulf waters is exactly the wrong thing to do. Authentic anger isn't something you turn on for the cameras and leak to the press the previous day. Indignation and defensiveness are precisely the wrong message...

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs faced a barrage of questions at his daily briefing about why the federal government is not intervening to take over responsibility for the cleanup from BP. "Again, we are overseeing the response, OK?" Gibbs said just hours before the news about the commission broke. "I don't know what you think - we're - we're working each and every day. That's why Secretary (Steven) Chu - the Department of Energy - it sounds technical. The Department of Energy doesn't have purview over oil, oil drilling. That's not in their governmental sphere."

That this lame response from various quarters of the administration, Congress, the media and the public comes on the heels of a banner year of climate denialism is no coincidence. We are at an inflection point, one that will likely determine the fate of our species. Green-haters have been winning the message war, the all-important battle of public opinion. If those of us who want to salvage and protect our earth don't rise in righteous anger and use this moment to cement our case, then we have failed ourselves and future generations. 

Here's the problem.  On one hand, I've said before that without a strong response from the Obama administration, these attacks were going to be inevitable, and that response has in fact not been good enough yet...not even close.

On the other hand, Daou's righteous indignation, while justified, doesn't serve much of a useful purpose here. Blaming Obama for this catastrophe only helps the Republicans get back in power in November, and the response from the GOP on this will absolutely be far worse.  Crap like this is uncalled for.

This isn't Katrina II, it's worse. As the oil keeps gushing and the damage keeps growing, we are squandering a rare chance to turn the tide against those whose laziness and greed and ignorance is imperiling every living thing on our wonderful and beautiful - and wounded - planet.

This will fix the oil geyser, how exactly?  This will keep the Republicans from continuing to rape the environment how exactly?  To their credit, the Firedoglake crew actually has a list of things the Obama administration should be doing.  But hanging the "Obama's Katrina" albatross on Obama isn't going to do a goddamn thing to fix this mess, and Peter Daou knows that.

The wingers are gleefully screaming "Even the liberal Huffington Post..." this morning.  Good work, Pete.

The good news is we're finally seeing the Obama Administration threaten the big stick on BP:  The DoJ.

BP, whose shares have dropped from £6.50 to £5.17 since the disaster began, is now blocking the EPA from publishing the reasons it has given for refusing to stop using Corexit, citing commercial confidentiality. The agency is therefore "evaluating all legal options". 

Company executives may soon have to worry about the prospect of criminal charges. The White House says Justice Department officials are also in the region following President Obama's announcement on Saturday of a formal inquiry, which he said could lead to possible prosecutions. 

It's a start.

Moose Lady Thinks You're A Moron

Because she believes you'll never remember her campaign slogan in 2008 was "Drill baby drill".

With the PR disaster surrounding British Petroleum reaching near cataclysmic proportions, Palin must have sensed it politically opportune to attack that which has so bolstered her own career, which is exactly what she did during a Sunday television appearance.

Speaking during a Fox News segment, Palin suggested campaign contributions may explain why Obama was "taking so doggone long to get in there, to dive in there and grasp the complexity and the potential tragedy that we are seeing here in the Gulf of Mexico."

"I don't know why the question isn't asked by the mainstream media and by others if there's any connection with the contributions made to president Obama and his administration and the support by the oil companies to the administration," she added.

"We were there immediately," White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs clarified, speaking to reporters the same day.

To recap, Sarah Palin, the former half-term Governor of Alaska, is attacking Obama on his ties to oil companies.  This is a woman who ran the most pork-laden state in the country, a state that literally gives out paychecks to Alaska residents based on oil revenues for the state every year, a woman who demanded we drill in the national wildlife refuge in her own state, a woman who bragged about a deal for a huge gas pipeline being built in her state, is attacking Obama on his ties to an energy company.

This is pretty much like Darth Vader complaining that Luke Skywalker has anger issues.

And yes, Sarah Palin thinks you're a complete and utter idiot.  She believes you will ignore all this and say "Obama's in BP's pocket!"  She is literally the least qualified person in national politics to make that claim.

This Week On The Roller Coaster

News over the weekend that the Spanish government nationalized savings bank Cajasur has completely spooked the markets, and today looks like another brutal day on the Wall Street roller coaster.  That's dropping the euro like a rock again and who knows how this week will turn out as we finish out May.  Even better news:

The move highlighted the weakness of the banking sectors of some euro zone members, which are already suffering from fiscal problems and struggling to bring down their budget deficits.

Spain's largest workers union said on Monday the country was heading for a general strike in protest at the government's austerity measures, although it preferred not to call one.

"Essentially the Bank of Spain news was an excuse for more selling, and the longer-term picture in euro/dollar is lower," said CMC Markets analyst Michael Hewson.

"There are wider concerns that a debt problem can't be solved with more debt and about the effects of austerity measures on growth," he added.

You mean austerity measures might not fix this problem either?  Somebody better tell Mike here that he needs to get on the approved script, that austerity measures are the way to go...because they're coming here at some point.

StupidiNews Focus: Israeli Nukes Edition

Today's Guardian report is the second "this proves the existence of Israeli nukes" story I've seen now in less than three weeks.  The first one was all about the IAEA's meeting on June 7th and how Israel's nukes would be on the agenda.  It was a tacit admission, but not a direct one.  Today's story is absolutely an admission from Israeli defense minister Shimon Peres that Israel had nukes as early as in '75...and 35 years later, Peres is now Israel's President.

You'd better believe there are some frantic phone calls being made in Tehran, Tripoli, Riyadh, Dubai, and all around the Middle East this morning.

But the fact that Israel was trying to sell nukes to apartheid South Africa should really make Israel hang its head.  Who was South Africa going to use those nukes on?  Juan Cole has an idea:

The White South African government appears to have wanted to buy Israeli nuclear-tipped missiles for potential use against Black African neighbors such as Angola, Botswana, Zambia and (at certain points) Mozambique– countries against which the rogue regime often launched cross-border raids.

It is worth remembering what kind of pariah, racist and repressive regime Apartheid South Africa really was. Non-binding UN Security Council resolutions starting in the 1960s discouraged conventional arms sales to the regime, much less nuclear weapons! (The UN-imposed arms sale ban became mandatory on member states in 1977, shortly after the Israeli offer had been made).

The similarities in aparteid South Africa and "two-state" Gaza/West Bank are startling, are they not?  LG&M's Robert Farley sums it up:

“Correct payload” could conceivably mean something other than a nuclear warhead, but it’s fair to say that the inference is likely correct. It should also be emphasized that the sale would have required Prime Minister Rabin’s approval, although there’s little reason to think that Peres would have made the offer without Rabin’s knowledge. Let’s put it this way; if this sort of evidence emerged about a potential deal between North Korea, Syria, and Iran, the Israeli response could hardly be characterized as tepid.

How much play this will get inside the US is anyone's guess.  I expect Hillary Clinton to be asked about this report should she give any sort of presser today from China.

StupidiNews!

• On the eve of a visit today by Sec. Clinton, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak has suspended trade with North Korea over the North's sinking of a South Korean frigate.
• New documents apparently reveal that South Africa's apartheid regime tried to buy Israeli nukes in 1975, meaning Israel has had nuclear weapons for at least 35 years.
• Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen says only BP has the expertise to stop the oil geyser that has been raging for over a month now.
• The corporate bond market is shaping up for the worst month since 9/11 as credit dries up due to European worries.
• Pointillism, meet the newest "old school" art school:  Pixelism.

Last Call

Joe Sestak says the White House offered him a job.  This would have precluded him from running against Arlen Specter in the primary if he had accepted the position.  If Sestak had accepted the job...umm...wouldn't have everyone known that Joe Sestak was working for the White House instead of running against Arlen Specter?  Kind of hard to hide the fact you're working for the White House.

Point is if Joe Sestak had accepted said job, it would have been public knowledge.  So if it really was a big secret of some sort, it would have been the worst secret in Washington.  The wingers are going completely apeshit on this one, calling for everything from a special prosecutor to articles of impeachment against Obama over this.

If this really somehow is an impeachable offense (because while it's absolutely scuzztastic and terrible, I'm not sure what laws were broken here) then Obama would be the dumbest President ever for doing this, because if Sestak had accepted the job, everyone would have known he got a job at the White House to not run against Arlen Specter.  The Politico story acknowledges an "unnamed White House official" offered the job, and that doing so is a potential felony.

If this really is illegal, well...you know I guess Obama really does deserve to get impeached.  Which is why I don't think it's illegal.  I wouldn't think Obama's political guys were this stupid if this was illegal, because it would have been instant lose-lose for even offering Sestak a position if it was impeachable, ya dig?

I dunno about this one.  90% sure this is Obama Derangement Syndrome at its finest.  On the other hand, Sestak needs to point out who offered him the job, and the White House should immediately dismiss the person.  If Sestak is telling the truth, somebody's head needs to roll (it's a Bushian paradox here, like so many of the last White House's staff, either the person(s) in question are committing a felony or an incompetent moron, either way they need to be fired.)

If Sestak's lying (no point in this either unless he lost, so since he won the primary why "confirm" it now?) then he's in real trouble.

None of this makes sense.  It's a stupid, amateur thing to do.

Moose Lady Versus The PaulCat

Looks like somebody's jealous of all the attention PaulCat is getting.  Sam Stein at HuffPo:

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin accused MSNBC's Rachel Maddow on Sunday of conducting a "prejudiced" interview with Rand Paul, in which the Tea Party candidate infamously aired skepticism about the reach of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Speaking to "Fox News Sunday," the 2008 Republican vice-presidential nominee said that Paul was being subjected to the same biased media coverage that marked her run for office, before offering her Tea Party-backed candidate a bit of advice.

"One thing we can learn in this lesson that I have learned and Rand Paul is learning now is don't assume that you can engage in a hypothetical discussion about constitutional impacts with a reporter or a media personality who has an agenda, who may be prejudiced before they even get into the interview in regards to what your answer may be," Palin said. "You know, they are looking for the gotcha moment. And that evidently appears to be what they did with Rand Paul, and I'm thankful he clarified his answer about his support for the Civil Rights Act."

I called this back on Friday night:

Who do they fear more?  My guess is the Teabaggers, so look for the usual wingers to throw NBC under the bus for picking on mean ol' Rand, just like they did with Katie Couric and Sarah Palin.

Winner and still champeen, folks.  The wingers are as predictable as the (oil-soaked) tides, these days.  I guess Sarah Palin couldn't stand being out of the news cycles for more than a week or so, and nobody plays the political victim card like Moose Lady.

The Steves (Messieurs The M and Benen) have more.

Sunday Funnies: Inflatable Emergency Guest Edition

Culture of Truth's Bobblespeak Translations always rock, but today he completely wins the internet with David Gregory's emergency Rand Paul replacement guest:  PaulCat.

Gregory: Hi and welcome to another episode of
Meet the Press - our special guest today was going to be Rand Paul but is very sleepy from pretending he is not a racist and needs a nap so he graciously sent his pet PaulCat - thanks so much for coming

PaulCat: oh hai - u iz welcome

Gregory: People think that Rand Paul is a racist

PaulCat: noes fluffi he no cares if deh kittehs iz striped or calico or if dey iz all whites or blacks
- but he no lak deh maine coon

Gregory: PaulCat does Rand Paul really want to repeal the Civil Rights Act?

PaulCat: he no wants govmint takin yur bukkits
and yur toys and yur homez and yur odder
privat properti

Gregory: so laws prohibiting racial discrimination
are the same as declaring a hotel or restaurant
to be public property?

PaulCat: if teh governmints be doin dat dey also
kan mak u brings guns to teh movie theter

Gregory: so what’s the solution?

PaulCat: teh frei markets will mak all teh
kittehs plai nice

I salute you, sir.  Well played indeed.

Nobody Noticed, Nobody Cared

It's only a terror attack if the perpetrators are minorities, and the victims aren't.

Should the people shooting cops in Arkansas be white, and the targeted building in a pipe bomb attack be a mosque in Jacksonville, Florida, well nobody gives a damn on the Right, and barely gives a damn in the Village.

If that pipe bomb had been at a church or synagogue, or the man who is suspected of shooting the cops not a right-wing nutjob white guy, you would still be hearing about the manhunt.

Zandar's Thought Of The Day

I often wonder why Ezra Klein and Dave Weigel don't just say "screw it" to the Washington Post and go postal on the editors' meetings whenever the paper decides that Important Journalism In Action includes WaPo fashion maven Robin Givhan penning 1500 words on "Elena Kagan's a man, baby!  She's a man!"

Another Milepost On The Road To Oblivion

The Louisiana wetlands may already be ruined for generations.

The gooey oil washing into the maze of marshes along the Gulf Coast could prove impossible to remove, leaving a toxic stew lethal to fish and wildlife, government officials and independent scientists said.

Officials are considering some drastic and risky solutions: They could set the wetlands on fire or flood areas in hopes of floating out the oil.

They warn an aggressive cleanup could ruin the marshes and do more harm than good. The only viable option for many impacted areas is to do nothing and let nature break down the spill.

More than 50 miles of Louisiana's delicate shoreline already have been soiled by the massive slick unleashed after the Deepwater Horizon rig burned and sank last month. Officials fear oil eventually could invade wetlands and beaches from Texas to Florida. Louisiana is expected to be hit hardest.

On Saturday, a major pelican rookery was awash in oil off Louisiana's coast. Hundreds of birds nest on the island, and an Associated Press photographer saw some birds and their eggs stained with the ooze. Nests were perched in mangroves directly above patches of crude.

Plaquemines Parish workers put booms around the island, but puddles of oil were inside the barrier.

"Oil in the marshes is the worst-case scenario," said Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen, the head of the federal effort to contain and clean up the spill.

And there's still no stopping the geyser underwater that continues to spew this crap into the marshes.  There really may not be any other solution other than drill another well, which may not be done until August.  Another three months of millions of gallons of oil per day in the Gulf.

This is beyond disaster now.  This is a generational catastrophe.  Our grandchildren will ask us why we allowed this to happen, and we still won't have an answer.

At this point nationalization of offshore operations should be a national security priority.  This catastrophe will cost America hundreds of billions or more.

The Weekend In Le' Freakin'

Your Weekend Wingnut Freakout this week is "How DARE Barack Hussein Obama have a state dinner for the President of Mexico when there's illegal immigration and unemployment in this country!"  Oh the horror!  Take it away, Byron York!

At a time when the unemployment rate stands at 9.9 percent, when jobs are still being lost, when worries about the global economy are causing breathtaking volatility on Wall Street, when millions of Americans who still have jobs are worrying more than ever about the safety of their retirement savings — at a time when all that is going on, the Obama White House has turned itself into a showcase of glitzy extravagance.

Wednesday night’s White House state dinner for Mexican President Felipe Calderon was, as far as the dinner itself was concerned, a fairly routine, if sumptuous, affair.  The East Room was a grand setting, and First Lady Michelle Obama brought in a favored Chicago chef to put together a complex and expensive menu.  “The main course of Oregon wagyu beef came with a Oaxacan black mole sauce with more than 20 ingredients that takes days to come together,” reported the Associated Press.

Yes, the White House should show America's class and taste by serving the Mexican President and his delegation some Taco Bell and a six pack of Jumex, then tell our partner from across the border to get the hell out until he can control his own country, right?  Let's pass a Constitutional amendment banning state dinners when the unemployment rate is above 8 percent!

Idiotic criticism like this was just as stupid when it was leveled at Bush.  The problem is a lot of that criticism came from the Wingers.  They don't want diplomacy with any country.  They want everyone else to shut the hell up or face Predator drones blowing up their families and they want to turn the Mexican border into the Korean DMZ.

At this point, the Teapublicans see a darkie Islamosociofascist entertaining his El Raza Mexican Invasion Partner to come for their nubile white women in the night.

Warning Signs

Rand Paul may be a laughing stock across the country right now, but here in Kentucky he's the top thoroughbred.

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul pitched his campaign message of smaller government and tighter spending to more than 200 of the state's top GOP leaders Saturday during a unity rally intended to knit together the party.

Speaking before U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Trey Grayson, whom he beat for the Senate nomination, Paul stayed on message in an address that lasted less than four minutes and steered clear of his recent controversial media comments about civil rights, the Gulf oil spill and a fatal Kentucky coal mine accident.

"Let's limit government," said Paul, who defeated Grayson, the candidate McConnell backed, by a blistering 23 points in Tuesday's primary. "Let's keep government out of our lives and let's allow America's greatness to thrive and be the great beacon in the world once again."

He declined to speak to reporters after the event.

Smart idea.  The person I'm most interested in talking about Rand Paul right now is the man running against him, Jack Conway, and Conway's MIA.  If Conway doesn't get his stuff together and damn soon to take on Paul, it's the GOP who are going to define the narrative with the "Mean Ol' Lie-brul Media" attacking pure snow Rand and that will rally Kentucky voters around "One of our boys".

Having this nutjob AND Mitch McConnell represent me as Senators is something I really would rather not inflict on the rest of the country, but here's the deal...the rest of the country doesn't matter one goddamn bit in this election.  It's a Kentucky affair, so if the Dems want this open seat pickup, it's time for the DSCC to go into action.

Luckily, they are starting to get it into gear with commercials like this:



More of this please.  Rand's got big money to play with down here.  Give Conway a fighting chance, guys.