Archive for April, 2009
Moral Hazard Is For The Little People
The US Senate, a wholly owned subsidiary of the banking industry: On the same day that the White House announced that overextended Chrysler would go into a “quick” bankruptcy—its loans rewritten by a judge to emerge for life another day—Senators defeated a proposal to allow bankruptcy judges to rewrite home loans. The vote on a [...]
April 30, 2009
· 
John Cole · 
107 Comments
Posted in: Domestic Affairs
Snowball the Dancing Cockatoo
Went out to dinner with my parents, who are in town on their way to Baltimore (pronounced Ballmer, tyvm) for my mother’s 50th High School Reunion, and on the way home heard about this story on NPR about scientists discovering that there are animals besides humans who can dance to a musical beat: Two famous [...]
April 30, 2009
· John Cole · 102 Comments
Posted in: Media, Popular Culture
Hats ass backwards
Pretty good stuff from Michael Steele toay: “You wear your hat one way. You like to wear it, you know, kind of cocked to the left, you know, because that’s cool out West,” Steele said. “In the Midwest, you guys like to wear it a little bit to the right. In the South, you guys [...]
April 30, 2009
· Angry DougJ · 106 Comments
Posted in: Burkean bells
Keep looking forward
More rule-breaking that shouldn’t be punished: A former Justice Department grant-making administrator violated federal ethics and procurement rules in awarding hundreds of thousands of dollars in sole source contracts to ideologically favored companies and individuals, the department’s inspector general concluded today. The administrator, J. Robert Flores, was a political appointee during former president George Bush’s [...]
April 30, 2009
· Angry DougJ · 34 Comments
Posted in: Assholes
Please Stop Being So Damned Stupid
If you want to point to a gaffe, look at this: A spokesman for Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., said Wednesday night that Franks believes the border should be closed right now except in critical cases or situations involving emergency personnel. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said all options should be considered to end the crisis involving [...]
April 30, 2009
· John Cole · 119 Comments
Posted in: Republican Stupidity
Nobody Tell Joe Biden How Twitter Works
I really don’t see how this is terrible advice: Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that he would not recommend taking any commercial flight or riding in a subway car “at this point” because swine flu virus can spread “in confined places.” A little more than one hour later, Biden rushed out a statement backing [...]
April 30, 2009
· John Cole · 71 Comments
Posted in: Democratic Stupidity
Excellent Gentlemen
From the artists in our midst open thread, this band: Long time readers will know that this is right in my wheelhouse as far as music goes. As I said in the comments, I haven’t been this excited about a band since Dag. By the way, I’m not feeling the politics thing today, so bear [...]
April 30, 2009
· John Cole · 21 Comments
Posted in: Music
Open Thread
Have at it.
April 30, 2009
· John Cole · 205 Comments
Posted in: Open Thread
Exit stage right
Predictably enough, the Spector defection has given rise to a lot of speculating about the future of the Republican party. Getting down to brass tacks, Steve Benen finds yet another poll indicating that the percentage of Americans who call themselves Republicans is at a historic low. Also predictably, Adam Nagourney lets the Meet the Press [...]
April 30, 2009
· Angry DougJ · 88 Comments
Posted in: Burkean bells, Politics
Cliff May Declares That America Tortured The Crap Out Of People
Paraphrasing Cliff May on Jon Stewart, sincerely and not in the satirical ‘shorter’ style: The so-called “torture memos” are actually anti-torture documents. They accomplish this because they establish a bright, shining line that we must not, under any circumstances, cross. Emptywheel captured this key point from Stephen Bradbury’s 2005 memo. ...where authorized, it may be [...]
April 29, 2009
· Tim F. · 100 Comments
Posted in: General Stupidity, Torture
Artists In Our Midst
It occurred to me that besides Laura W. (whose ads are prominently on display) and August J. Pollak, there are a number of artists who frequent this website. Let’s have a roll call, and put your links to your wares in the comments. The best way to support the arts is not more funding for [...]
April 29, 2009
· John Cole · 182 Comments
Posted in: Open Thread
Presser Open Thread
Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em.
April 29, 2009
· John Cole · 242 Comments
Posted in: Open Thread
Hoot Smalley and Other Such Things
This album artwork was emailed to me to commemorate Michelle Bachmann’s latest round of nonsense: If you don’t understand, read this.
April 29, 2009
· John Cole · 108 Comments
Posted in: Clown Shoes, Republican Stupidity
Once We Take Out the Judean People’s Front
Bradley Smith might be on to something here: Now that Specter’s gone, we can turn to the real enemy – Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe! Then the only thing between us and victory will be Graham, Lugar, McCain, Murkowski, Grassley, Hatch, and some of the RINOs in the House. And the Governors, like Crist and [...]
April 29, 2009
· John Cole · 86 Comments
Posted in: Clap Louder!, Republican Stupidity
Shorter Byron York
Sure, polls say Obama and his agenda are wildly popular and enthusiastically supported by the public, but if you don’t count black people, you could say Obama and his agenda are merely really popular. They just can’t help themselves. (via email) *** Update *** I officially retire from “shorter” posts and will leave it to [...]
April 29, 2009
· John Cole · 57 Comments
Posted in: Clap Louder!, Republican Stupidity
