Archive for February, 2009
Because Once Is Not Enough
(1) Just in case we didn’t get the message the first time, Obama has graciously consented to do it again. I think we can look forward to many more slow-motion replays in the weeks ahead. For the second time this week, the Obama administration has gone to court in San Francisco to argue for secrecy [...]
Sacramento is the New San Francisco
(Dimitri Champion, 2008 Stage 7, Pasadena, CA / © Matt Cohen 2008) I’ll be gone for a week covering the psychopaths who comprise the pro cycling tour around the state in the Amgen Tour of California. This will be the third ToC for me, and the first that starts outside the Bay Area. I’m really [...]
Trifecta Of Resounding Victories Over Truth
These days the Republican party — adrift without any real leadership, bereft of any real ideas — will take its victories wherever it can find them. And increasingly, the only victories it’s finding are imaginary ones. That’s why Republicans are so delighted with their stimulus bill performance. Over the last week or so, the bill [...]
Cao Grows A Conscience; Will GOP Have A Cow?
When Republican Anh “Joseph” Cao won a surprise victory last December in his House race against disgraced Democrat William “Freezer” Jefferson, no less a luminary than House Minority Leader John Boehner sent a giddy memo to Republicans entitled “The Future is Cao”. Cao didn’t sound too impressed at the time: “I’m a little bit mad [...]
Where Do Editors Find These Morons?
Andrew Sullivan edition: I have to say even I am a little taken aback by the force of the Republican assault. Even in a downturn as swift and alarming as this one, even after an election that clearly favored one approach over another, even after the most conciliatory efforts by an incoming president in memory, [...]
You Don’t Say
Bipartisanship!: Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire abruptly withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary Thursday, citing “irresolvable conflicts” with President Obama’s handling of the economic stimulus and 2010 census. “We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy,” Gregg said in a statement released by his Senate office. [...]
What’s the Opposite of Journalism?
Stimulus fight gives Obama lessons early – USA Today (2/11/09): When the first big priority of his presidency was at risk of unraveling last week, Barack Obama went back to the fundamentals that enabled him to win a historic victory in the presidential election. Under fire in Washington, he scheduled campaign-style town-hall meetings to make [...]
Bailed-Out Banks: Case Study Of An Amateur Executive Search
In the wake of the proposal to cap the compensation of executives of bailed out banks at $500,000, one of the favorite Republican talking points has been that you’ll never find anyone halfway competent to run a bank at those paltry wages. There are enough people in the media who dutifully pick up these talking [...]
Morgan Stanley And Citigroup’s Smith Barney Renounce Fat Bonuses
There you go. All the constant criticism of huge bonuses paid by bailed-out and twice-bailed-out banks was bound to start having an impact. So Morgan Stanley and Citigroup’s Smith Barney, having seen the writing on the wall, have stepped up to the plate. They have unambiguously renounced fat bonuses. Not the concept, mind you, just [...]
Stimulus Bill Job Creation Factoids (And A Fictionoid)
The House version of the stimulus bill will cost $820 billion and is estimated to create or save 3.7 million jobs over two years. Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ben Nelson, Susan Collins et al to improve this legislation, the Senate version of the stimulus bill will cost $827 billion and is estimated to [...]