Posts filed under “Podium Spin”
Rand Paul, Man Of Principles
(1) The gloss on Rand Paul has been that he is one of those lunatic libertarians who allow themselves to be hypnotized by their least-government-is-always-best principles into embracing some truly ridiculous and even some clearly reprehensible positions. The most glaring example of this is his view that America would be better off if businesses were [...]
More Mortgage Industry Shenanigans
The Washington Post brings us news of the mortgage industry’s latest shenanigans: J.P. Morgan Chase, one of the nation’s leading banks, announced Wednesday that it will freeze foreclosures in about half the country because of flawed paperwork, a move that Wall Street analysts said will pressure the rest of the industry to follow suit. I’m [...]
If Size Matters, How Big Is Small?
For months and months (and months), everyone in the Republican Party claimed that if the Bush tax cuts — expiring by Republican design (that is to say, as a result of legislative games played by Bush, et al) — were not extended for the top tax brackets, economic recovery would be jeopardized because small businesses [...]
Boehner’s Inexplicably Sane Statement on Tax Cuts
Yesterday morning, John Boehner unexpectedly declared on “Face the Nation” that if push came to shove, he would be willing to drop the demand that Republicans have been holding firm on: that they would allow the expiring Bush tax cuts to be extended for middle class Americans only if they were also extended for the [...]
A Disingenuous And Dishonest Collaboration Between Mark Zandi And The Washington Post
(1) The Washington Post has a report alleging that: …some senior Democrats are having second thoughts about raising taxes on the nation’s wealthiest families and are pressing party leaders to consider extending the full array of Bush administration tax cuts, at least through next year. Here’s the rationale put forward (by the WP, I should [...]
The Height Of Political Assholery
Did you know that some of the central tenets of Islam are economic beliefs? For example, Muslims believe that the government can generate jobs. (Whereas the asshole contingent of the Republican Party, the largest contingent by far these days, believes that the government has never created one single job. Yes, whether you realized it or [...]
The Continuing Saga Of The NOAA’s Clumsy Spin
On August 4, the NOAA — which has not exactly covered itself in glory as the Deepwater Horizon oil spill debacle has unfolded — put out an unexpectedly upbeat report that was widely interpreted as celebrating the end of the clean-up phase of the oil spill. According to the report: …almost three-fourths of the crude [...]
Did Someone Accuse Ensign Of Telling The Truth?
Las Vegas Sun columnist Jon Ralston gives Nevada Senator John Ensign the treatment he so richly deserves: he jumps all over him with hobnailed boots. In a column that appeared late Saturday night, Jon skewered John over the letter John sent out last week soliciting contributions to his legal defense fund. (In a move that [...]
Robert Gibbs Throws Quite A Tantrum
The Hill posted an item at 6 a.m. EDT today, reporting on an interview with Robert Gibbs. Gibbs threw quite a tantrum, at the “professional left”. (I very much fear that includes liberal bloggers.) During an interview with The Hill in his West Wing office, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs blasted liberal naysayers, whom [...]
Where Has All The Oil Gone, Long Time Passing
Once BP managed to cap the well that had gushed millions and millions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, we started to see media reports that most of the oil had magically vanished. This is the AFP, on July 27: With BP’s broken well in the Gulf of Mexico finally capped, the [...]