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Category: Politics Page 21 of 73

Sen. Feinstein Wants To See Your Packets

By

On February 10, 2009

In Distribution, Policy, Politics, Tech

Just got this from Public Knowledge:

Hollywood’s lobbyists are running all over the Hill to sneak in a copyright filtering provision into the stimulus package. The amendment [presented by Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) will] allow ISPs to “deter” child pornography and copyright infringement through network management techniques. The amendment is very, very controversial for a couple of reasons:

  1. First, infringement can’t be found through “network management” techniques. There are legal uses for copyrighted works even without permission of the owner.
  2. Second, it would require Internet companies to examine every bit of information everyone puts on the Web in order to find those allegedly infringing works, without a hint of probable cause. That would be a massive invasion of privacy, done at the request of one industry, violating the rights of everyone who is online.

Right now, we need you to contact a few key Senators: Majority Leader Harry Reid, Chairman of the Appropriations Committee Daniel Inouye, and Chairman of the Commerce Committee Jay Rockefeller, Chairman of the Finance Committee Max Baucus, and senior member of the Appropriations Committee Senator Barbara Mikulski, and tell them to leave out this controversial provision.

Click here for Public Knowledge’s suggested letter/fax.  Also, California, can you please do us a favor and make Feinstein your governor so the rest of us don’t have to suffer her any more?  And don’t give me any noise about what a bad governor she’d be.  We already know you have no standards.

Must See Reality TV

By

On February 9, 2009

In Policy, Politics, Society

You have to see this MSNBC clip in the context of this remark from a reader of TPM:

Here’s what JC wrote: “In this clip, Nouriel Roubini and Nassim Taleb are still being treated as a circus sideshow by CNBC… They’re predicting the end of finance, and offering the only clear path out of this mess that I’ve seen offered (with the knowledge to back it up), and CNBC keeps asking them for stock tips. It’s ludicrous. Wall Street media — CNBC at least — doesn’t realize how bad this is yet. They’re stuck in a bubble where they think everything will go back to normal in a few months….”

He hits it spot on. These two guys are talking about a deep structural crisis in the world economy. And these CNBC yahoos can’t stop asking for stock tips. Really surreal.

Yeah, this post was a wholesale ripoff of TPM, but they were too on-point to do it any other way.

The Press Learns How to Ask Questions at the White House Again

By

On February 6, 2009

In Distribution, Politics

Eric Boehlert has a fantastic column over at Media Matters examine the stark difference between the press corps’ approach to Bush on one hand, and Obama/Clinton on the other.   The White House press corps – which figuratively (and sometimes literally) didn’t bother showing up during the Bush years – all of a sudden decides that they’re going to demand answers to questions.   And it sure feels a lot like the beginning of the Clinton years.  Boehlert notes:

Can’t say I’m surprised about the sudden change in behavior, though. Taking the long view, I recently went back and contrasted how the press covered the first days and weeks of Clinton’s first term in 1993 with its coverage of Bush’s arrival in 2001. The difference in tone and substance was startling. (Think bare-knuckled vs. cottony soft.)

One explanation at the time of the Bush lovefest was that reporters and pundits were just so burnt out by the Clinton scandal years that they needed some downtime. They needed to relax; it was human nature. Conversely, the opposite now seems to be true: Because the press dozed for so long — because it sleepwalked through the Bush years — it just had to spring back to life with the new administration. It’s human nature.

When contrasting the early Clinton and Bush coverage, I noted it would be deeply suspicious if, in 2009, the press managed to turn up the emotional temperature just in time to cover another Democratic administration. But wouldn’t you know it, the press corps’ alarm went off right on time for Obama’s arrival last week, with the Beltway media taking down off the shelf the dusty set of contentious, in-your-face rules of engagement they practiced during the Clinton years and putting into safe storage the docile, somnambulant guidelines from the Bush era. In other words, one set of rules for Clinton and Obama, another for Bush. One standard for the Democrats; a separate, safer one, for the Republican.

Let’s be clear – I absolutely want an aggressive press corps that will illustrate the gaps between Obama’s rhetoric and action, between Congress pushing their own political interest over our public interest.  But that’s not what we’re going to be getting here, I think we’ll soon see.  Instead, we’re going to see a political press obsessed with petty slights and side issues.  And while they’re flailing away at the White House, there will be nearly no substantive examination of the breathtakingly ignorant talking points pushed by Republicans in Congress.   This isn’t a matter of bias perception on my part – there’s a substantive record to back it up.   What’s the solution?  I really don’t know.  It’s much like the financial industry, I think.  Everyone needs the lie to be true, lest they lose their place.  Perhaps it all needs to come crashing down.

But if it did, how would the country know?

Friday Notes: This Edition

By

On February 6, 2009

In Cycling, Personal, Policy, Politics, Virginia

One of my favorite pro cyclists – Magnus Backstedt – is retiring.   At 6’4″ and 210lbs, he was proof that you don’t have to be a tiny little stick man to do well in cycling (tho’ it helps).  Good luck, Maggy.  We’ll miss you.

~

End to high times in Dubai?

[F]aced with crippling debts as a result of their high living and Dubai’s fading fortunes, many expatriates are abandoning their cars at the airport and fleeing home rather than risk jail for defaulting on loans.

Police have found more than 3,000 cars outside Dubai’s international airport in recent months. Most of the cars – four-wheel drives, saloons and “a few” Mercedes – had keys left in the ignition.

I’m sure that no one could have imagined it.

~

Did you know that the US is getting new pennies next week?  I did not.

~

Fred Kaplan takes a good look at Federal archiving policy.  That might sound a bit dull, but it’s terribly important if we want to be able to ever assess the gap between what our politicians tell us and what the government actually does.

“Electronic records,” the study found, “are generally not disposed of in accordance” with federal regulations. In particular, many e-mails are “being destroyed prematurely,” for several reasons. [ . . . ]

Finally—and this is simply stunning—the National Archives’ technology branch is so antiquated that it cannot process some of the most common software programs. Specifically, the study states, the archives “is still unable to accept Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint slides.”

This is a huge lapse. Nearly all internal briefings in the Pentagon these days are presented as PowerPoint slides. Officials told me three years ago that if an officer wanted to make a case for a war plan or a weapons program or just about anything, he or she had better make the case in PowerPoint—or forget about getting it approved.

And now, it turns out, all those presentations may be lost to the ether.

~

Supposedly, Virginia will have smoking ban legislation soon.  I’ll believe it when I see it.

~

Trying to figure out what to do for your kid’s 15th birthday?  Hire the Abstinence Clown!  Can’t be that expensive, since it’s federally subsidized, and truly, the possible entertainment value is almost inconceivable.

~

I’ve been looking for a new motorcycle helmet, and I think I might have found it.

Bipartisanship Is *Not* What’s Important

By

On February 4, 2009

In Policy, Politics

Markos takes an asute observation by Theda Skocpol:

Obama is, sadly, much to blame for giving the Republicans so much leverage. He defined the challenge as bipartisanship not saving the U.S. economy.

And runs with it:

What have we seen the last few weeks? Democrats caving to GOP demands and inserting useless tax cut provisions to appease them. Then they vote en masse against the stimulus in the House. Meanwhile, Obama hands yet another cabinet post to yet another Republican, this one a right-wing small-government ideologue who voted to eliminate the Commerce Department he will now head just a few short years ago. Then he gives a schizophrenic acceptance speech where he thanks New Hampshire’s governor for caving to his demands for a GOP replacement for his seat, while at the same time arguing that it’s time to get past “partisanship”. Oh, then he punches Obama in the face by denying him a critical cloture vote on the Senate version of the stimulus bill.

[ . . . ]

During the Bush years, the best interests of our country took a back seat to the GOP’s failed ideology. Right now, it looks like the best interests of our country are taking a back seat to the failed ideology of “bipartisanship”.

It would be nice if, for once, people actually looked at what was best for our country.

Quite.   I recommend hitting the first link for the rest of Skocpol’s comments.  The bipartisan schtick that Obama has is one of the reasons I was skeptical of him in the primaries – I worried that he’d let it get in the way of good public policy.  As the election moved on, and right after it, I thought that maybe I was mistaken about that.   I’m not too far away from moving firmly back to my skepticism.

Robert Reich on Daschle’s Withdrawal:

By

On February 3, 2009

In Politics, Society

I hope he’s right:

My guess is that official Washington underestimated the public’s pique at what appeared to be the old ways of Washington. Hill staffers tell me that many offices have been inundated with telephone calls, emails, letters and faxes expressing concern (to put it mildly) about Daschle — not only his failure to pay back taxes but his relationships with major players in the health care industry and rich consulting contracts with the private sector since leaving the Senate, and even the fact that he was given a car and driver by one of them.

I have a hard time fathoming that people care that much.  But I hope so.

You Call That a Battle Rap?

By

On January 31, 2009

In Politics

Oh, I’m looking forward to more of this from Michael Steele:

In response to a question from Human Events about how then-Sen. Barack Obama campaigned against him and called him an “amiable fellow” without much of a resume, Steele pondered what he’d say to the president.

“I’d say congratulations, and I look forward to sparring with him. And then I’d say: How you like me now?”

Mr. Steele, you’re no Kool Moe Dee.  Don’t even step.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzndS93f15M[/youtube]

Congratulations to New RNC Chair Michael Steele

By

On January 30, 2009

In Politics

I was really pulling for Katon “Can you believe they integrated my school?” Dawson, myself, but I’m sure that Steele will provide no shortage of amusement.  Will he serve Oreo cookies at his welcome party, for real this time?

Friday Notes: Please No More Snow Edition

By

On January 30, 2009

In EU, Music, Politics, Society

Surprise, surprise, people are still dumping money into Obama’s coffers.  It appears that the inaugural committee raised about $8 million more than it had budgeted.  Aim your dollars at more important things, folks.

~

Iceland on the fast track to the EU?  Probably a good idea overall, but its a pretty sad circumstance that brought us to that:

The conservative government in Reykjavik, in power for 18 years, collapsed this week, the first government to fall as a result of the financial meltdown which has wrecked the Icelandic currency, the krona, wiped out savings and pensions, required a massive IMF bailout, sparked unprecedented riots in Reykjavik, and forced the formation of a caretaker centre-left government until new elections can be held, probably on 9 May.

~

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is gone, but let’s not forget that he wasn’t the only one behaving badly.  As I’ve written, the Senate refusal to seat Roland Burris was a bad idea – you don’t get to refuse someone just because you don’t like them.  And that bad judgment seems to have extended to the House, where Adam Bonin found – buried in the stimulus bill – the following:

SEC. 1112. ADDITIONAL ASSURANCE OF APPROPRIATE USE OF FUNDS.

None of the funds provided by this Act may be made available to the State of Illinois, or any agency of the State, unless (1) the use of such funds by the State is approved in legislation enacted by the State after the date of the enactment of this Act, or (2) Rod R. Blagojevich no longer holds the office of Governor of the State of Illinois.

Yes, that says what you think it says.  Adam explains:

Got that, Illinois Senate?  If you want the money, remove Blagojevich from power or otherwise pass a bill making clear that you trust him with the money.  This provision was inserted by Reps. Bill Foster (D-IL) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), and could cost the state $50 billion in federal aid.

Beyond the general yuck factor, does anyone else remember the Bill of Attainder clause in the Constitution?  It basically says that Congress can’t pass a law punishing an individual without judicial trial; that’s the courts’ job.  Similar concerns rest here: it’s not for Congress to decide who’s fit to be Governor of Illinois; that’s something to be handled in Springfield.

A circus, it seems, and everyone wants in on the action.

~

Rep. Peter King of the GOP – party of limited government, remember – wants to save you from camera phones.

~

Ugly:

[A] CNN investigation has uncovered evidence that for hundreds of Rohingya refugees — members of a Muslim minority group — abuse and abandonment at sea were what awaited them in Thailand, at the hands of Thai authorities.

Extraordinary photos obtained by CNN from someone directly involved in the Thai operation show refugees on their rickety boats being towed out to sea, cut loose and abandoned.

One photo shows the Thai army towing a boatload of some 190 refugees far out to sea.

And who will speak for these refugees?  No one, I’m guessing.

~

Once a Nazi, always a Nazi.

~

13 year old girls can rock:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uEKsYHrYlk[/youtube]

Hope for Family Planning Program?

By

On January 29, 2009

In Policy, Politics

I’d very much like to be shown up as too cynical:

A source present at today’s White House signing ceremony for the Lilly Ledbetter bill tells me that President Obama gave assurances that the family planning aid would be done soon — perhaps as soon as next week, when the House is set to take up a spending bill that would keep the government funded until October.

Obama emphasized that the family-planning aid “makes the budget look better, it’s a money saver,” the source said. In fact, removing the need for Medicaid waivers for family planning saves states an estimated $700 million over 10 years.

I was wrong – in a big way – about Obama in the election.  I’d very much like to be wrong – in a similarly big way – about my view of his approach to the politics of governing.

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