I’ll have some posts up later about my new obsession — think tanks — but in the meantime this from Wonkette just made me laugh out loud:
“Asked what reason the Paul camp gave for canceling, [Meet The Press executive producer Betsy] Fischer says the Meet crew was told ‘that he’s had a long week, he’s tired, and he’s very sorry and he needs to cancel’ … ‘We tried to impress upon them that this is a big deal,’ Fischer continues. ‘The only other two people to cancel have been Louis Farrakhan and Prince Bandar of Saudi Arabia.’” Yeah, but the only two people to ever not cancel have been John McCain and Joe Lieberman. Still, why does Rand Paul support Muslims?
Feeling some blog ennui this weekend. I’m already tired of both PaulGate and BeinartGate.
Corner Stone
No more…I’m begging you…green balloons…please.
Hunter Gathers
I’m also tired of hearing about how Greece and the Euro will bring about a double dip recession. If conservatives were really worried about it, they’d be pushing for invasion of the entire european continent, so they can spread capitalism to the dirty sociamalists.
cleek
@Corner Stone:
this
licensed to kill time
I’m in the globos verdes zone as well, all Randed out.
burnspbesq
@Hunter Gathers:
Actually, IMO the Euro is part of the problem. If Greece weren’t on the Euro, there would have been at least one big devaluation of the drachma already. Greeks would still be rioting because their standard of living would be going into the toilet, but we wouldn’t be nearly as worried about Spain, Portugal, or Ireland coming down with Parthenon Fever.
ruemara
I’m guessing this is an open thread, so does anyone have a source for information on what the gov is doing about the Gulf oil volcano? beyond forming a commission, I mean. I’d like some real facts and plans, as opposed to outrage with a heavy dose of opinion.
monkeyboy
Here is a picture of Brave Sir Rand (he ran away) that probably deserves wider circulation.
[complete with a chicken on the shield]
cleek
i’m sure they would, too. that’s what the commission is for.
Corner Stone
@ruemara:
It may be irresponsible chatter but so far it looks like they are refusing to release oil flow data and arresting anyone who shows up on scene to report about it.
IOW, they are acting as agents for BP if reports are to be believed.
licensed to kill time
Sometimes cakewrecks just makes me laugh.
Check out the Thanks,BP! cake and following adwreck.
PeakVT
and BeinartGate.
Did his article spark a flame war somewhere? That’s so sad.
fucen tarmal
though i’m all for rand paul bashing, i am amused at how twisted the panties of meet the press get over someone cancelling…
i guess they aren’t nearly as important as they used to be, and think they still are.
Hunter Gathers
@burnspbesq: Worring about Europe and the Euro collapsing and bringing us down is like worring about comets destroying the Earth. Sure, there’s a possibility it could happen, but it’s not bloody likely. The Treasury pulls in too much damn revenue for a Greece-like situation to occur. When the same people who told us that Saddam had nukes are the same ones saying we should adopt draconian austerity measures to make sure we don’t end up like Greece should tell you something.
DougJ
@PeakVT:
Yes, it did. The trouble is this…one of the smarter Peretzistas pointed out that Beinart is, in fact, almost always wrong about everything. For example, Beinart predicted that Democrats would lose all their political power for the next generation if they didn’t start clapping more loudly for the Iraq war (he made this prediction in 2004).
It’s such a good point, that it makes it hard to argue that Beinart is right now.
Michael
What I really like about the economic doom that Greece is midwifing, I’ll just point out that it was brought about by “concerns” by analysts who work for the economic rating companies. Despite the fact that Greek ports, industries, infrastructure and tourism are all completely intact and despite the fact that Greece hadn’t been blowing off its obligations or missing payments, suddenly they found themselves with new costs of borrowing that would be unsustainable.
All at the stroke of an “analyst” pen.
This is the same group of analysts that have designated securities that had at least 85% compliance as “worthless”.
QuaintIrene
Campaign strategy ’til November. Only appear on Fox!
Loneoak
I’m waiting for Colegate. Or at least Tunchgate. BJgate is too obvious.
BombIranForChrist
Rand is a dangerous fruitcake … a fruitcake that has those little orange jellies but also alligators and razors in it … but in regard to MTP, good for him. Fuck MTP.
Citizen_X
@burnspbesq: K-Thug had a good column out the other day about how the deficit hawks are screaming about becoming Greece. In reality, bond rates are not really rising, and our core problem is unemployment, not inflation. Although he knows it’s unlikely, we really need another stimulus so we don’t become stagnant like Japan.
frankdawg
@Loneoak:
I thought we had bjgate when Clinton was in office.
Mnemosyne
I rode my bike down to Panera and am sitting in a booth having a Cuban Chicken Panini and a cup of black bean soup. After this, I’m going to go shop for yarn.
Rand who, again?
Uloborus
I’d like to know what the government is doing, too. I’m not sure where to look. I just don’t assume that not hearing much means Obama’s not doing anything. Hell, standing back and watching BP do it is ‘doing something’ if you’re ready to step in if BP drops the ball. There’s really nothing Obama can do they can’t, and a great deal he can’t do that they can.
Arresting people trying to photograph the spill is weird, but I’ll wait for the actual justification before deciding if it’s garbage or not.
MikeJ
Decisions. Copper river salmon available again this week. Yum. I have a cold. Said fish is $50/lb.
Trying to decide it I’ll be able to taste it. Maybe I should just go buy a can of pink.
Laura W.
That just made me laugh out loud!
(Granted, it could be what I’m sitting here writing/doing/thinking/obsessing about, but still. I needed that.)
Rosalita
where is our host today? gone Galt or did Tunch kill him in his sleep?
JGabriel
DougJ:
PaulGate isn’t really a Gate; it’s more of a Show – the ongoing Paul Comedy Show, worrisome to the extent that it’s playing out in reality instead of in a writer’s room and a soundstage.
I don’t think Paul is going to win the Senate race. Yes, Kentuckians like their Senators wingnutty, but, ultimately, they also like their Senators responsive to them.
Paul shows no interest in constituent services or representing local concerns. He’s all about federal libertarianism. Clearly, that’s enough to get you the nomination of the wingnut base that votes in KY primary elections. But is it enough to get him elected by the general populace?
I can’t see Paul’s stances, on, say, Social Security or Medicare, playing well with KY independents. Once could say the same of McConnell, of course, but he’s more discreet about it and also very proactive in bringing back the bucks for KY businesses. It’s hard to imagine Paul being very proactive in that role either.
Instead, Paul is running for the role of glibertarian gadfly. That can work in a small House district with a libertarian/right wing concentration, like his father’s district. But I suspect it’s not enough to win over the majority of the electorate in an entire state, even one as winger-trending as KY. Maybe Paul could win a 3-way race if there was a marginally competitive independent, but, as far as I know, there’s no such dynamic brewing in the KY race. I’d be a lot more worried if there were.
.
jeffreyw
Strawberry Tallcake
Maude
@Uloborus:
Oh, but Obama hasn’t stopped the oil gushing. He hasn’t thrown the BP execs in jail. He hasn’t…
This is the meme on some “progressive” blogs.
It is never enough.
Obama has done all the right things. But, of course, that’s not what he should be doing, they say, he should have done it a year ago. Also. Too.
It never ends.
DougJ
@Laura W.:
I realize that sounded a little silly.
JGabriel
@Rosalita:
Still baby-sitting two rambunctious pups, in addition to his own, isn’t he?
.
Elisabeth
@Uloborus:
The perception that the government isn’t doing anything/enough is a problem. I read an overview of the government’s response on the White House website. It wasn’t in really any detail and I think we need some detail. People are frustrated and scared ~ I’d like to think that’s Carville’s state of mind. It’s time for Obama to come out and address what the government has done, is doing, plans to do and who is going to pay for all of it. And, perhaps, offer ways we can help.
The whole commission thing may be great in the long-run but we need more than commissions; sounds too much like a cop-out.
Laura W.
@DougJ: Sometimes silly satisfies.
SectarianSofa
@DougJ — Man, up! Ennui may mean you’re doing it correctly. The only way out is through. You’ll be a Zen master in no time. Or rinpoche, whatever.
JGabriel
Maude:
Frankly, I’m worried about that too. It’s not that he hasn’t stopped the spill, but that there’s been so little apparent progesss. It’s been over a month now, and the spill seems to be getting worse, not better.
Letting BP essentially take charge of the repairs and clean-up efforts, for this long, has been a massive mistake.
And, yes, I still prefer and support Obama as president. I’m criticizing his response, so far, to this disaster – not his overall presidency.
.
SectarianSofa
@monkeyboy:
Sweet. I used to have (not sure where it came from — did I buy it? Was it a gift? A bribe?) a large vinyl disc (er, a ‘record’) with audio from Holy Grail. A nice tune, that is, and I didn’t realize it could be repurposed so well. Of course, I was still pre-parodescent (not yet having reached parody?) then.
PeakVT
@DougJ: It’s such a good point, that it makes it hard to argue that Beinart is right now.
True, dat. But I don’t think the implications of his NYRB article are what Beinart wants to believe, whereas predicting doom for the Dems is. (Or his 2004 pronouncement was a cynical tactic to scare the Dems into taking the same stupid position he wanted to believe was right. Either way, he was backing something he wanted, not concluded.)
Mnemosyne
WTF? I had no idea that someone had recorded a light jazz version of “Walk On the Wild Side” until I heard it just now.
That was truly bizarre.
Rosalita
@JGabriel:
oh yeah, the Jack Russell Terrorists…
Professor
Well I was reading the comments at Wonkette, and who did I see? Our old friend Brick Oven Bill. BTW has he been banned from commenting on BJ?
licensed to kill time
@Mnemosyne: Do all the colored girls go “bop le bop le bop” instead of “doo dodoo do doo” ?
cleek
the world would be a better place if everybody canceled on MTP.
licensed to kill time
@Professor:
Yes, BOB was banned. It happened in this thread after he made some comment about slavery that was essentially arbeit macht frei and he got the boot. I don’t know if it’s permanent, I’ve seen him pop up once or twice and make a single comment and then vanish.
ruemara
@cleek:
I’m local gov, FEMA-trained personnel. I know what the commission is for, I’m asking if any clear information or at least relevant helpful criticism has happened yet.
@Corner Stone:
In a disaster area, the press is controlled because the only ones authorized to be in the zone are often the people working the area-FEMA manual says so. Should there be an information officer? Hell yes. Should it go on this long?-no/IDK. Do I like it? No. I wish people would stop speculating or conspiratory theorizing.
@JGabriel:
Here’s the problem. Your gov does not manage utilities. We’ve outsourced them. The last time PG&E did faceplant due to suicidal squirrel tendencies, we all sat in a room with back up generators and got yelled at by citizens. I posted slides of information for the public and drank coffee until PG&E told us what they were doing. Then I updated the damn slide. We did nothing but funnel information and be the bulwark for that ocean of distemper. Even the engineers. Often, the best people to repair the failures are the ones who did it because they often work with better equipment, more people & more money.
This spill is a millionth exponential worse. We have the expertise up to, I believe, 2kft depth. This is 5k (or more). Add to that the morons who did this had no plan for a failure and this is even more of a case example of clusterfuck resolution on the fly. I think the only panacea of looking like your doing something is to levy fines and charges at the respective heads of all companies involved. Which I’m quite fine with, actually.
Corner Stone
@ruemara:
Where’s the conspiracy theory?
BP fucked the chicken and now the govt is going to make sure BP doesn’t get fucked.
It’s naive to think otherwise.
DougJ
@PeakVT:
That’s a good point. But honestly, the prima facie case for Beinart being wrong-headed is so strong, I just don’t think I want to take the other side.
PeakVT
@DougJ: I can’t blame you. Still, it’s not too hard to come to the same conclusions as Beinart (there’s something rotten in the state of Israel, there’s something rotten in the American Jewish establishment, and neither bodes well for Israel) independently. Watch this video and read Mondoweiss for a while and you’ll see what I mean.