We're doomed - Obama said the name of the Scottish play

We're doomed, I say. Doomed.

Macbeth.

On a trip to Ford’s Theater, site of President Lincoln’s assassination, Obama paid tribute to the 16th president’s ability to recall passages of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth. And with that reference, he unwittingly ventured into what many theater hands believe to be dangerous territory: any mention of the name of the doomed Scottish king in a theater outside of a performance is considered verboten by many actors, who believe it will result in a cursed production — including a greater possibility of injury, bankruptcy, even death.

So does Obama have anything to fear from uttering the unluckiest word in what may be the unluckiest theater in American history? Theater-goers can relax: Many stage afficianados believe that the prohibition only applies to performers or theater hands, and non-actors have nothing to worry about.

Obama needs fast action but fortunately there are ways to move past this terrible event.


What they're saying is "Hot potato, orchestra stalls, but Puck will make amends."

NOTE FROM JOHN: This is clear evidence of Obama's lack of bipartisan spirit.

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71% favor probe of Bush Justice Dept

Interesting Gallup survey today. At first blush, the numbers are just okay. But when you look deeper, they're actually quite strong in favor of some kind of investigation of Bush administration practices in firing US attorneys, domestic spying and torture.

PERCENT FAVORING SOME KIND OF INVESTIGATION
Firing US Attorneys: 71%
Domestic spying: 63%
Torture: 62% Read More......

Commended lesbian war vet kicked out of National Guard

This really has to stop.

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Gibbs issues a statement on Gregg -- and the White House is not amused

In the language of White House press secretaries, this is actually a pretty tough statement from Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs. The White House sent it out via email after Gregg quit:

“Senator Gregg reached out to the President and offered his name for Secretary of Commerce. He was very clear throughout the interviewing process that despite past disagreements about policies, he would support, embrace, and move forward with the President’s agenda. Once it became clear after his nomination that Senator Gregg was not going to be supporting some of President Obama’s key economic priorities, it became necessary for Senator Gregg and the Obama administration to part ways. We regret that he has had a change of heart”.

We regret that Obama named Gregg in the first place. But, it's pretty clear the Obama team was backstabbed by the NH Senator. Those Republicans are a nasty lot. Read More......

Now Obama only has two Republican cabinet members serving in a Democratic administration - pretty tragic blow to bipartisanship

I told Joe half an hour ago that some knucklehead in the media would claim that this was another sign of how not-bipartisan Obama really is. And here you go, from Politico:

New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg has abruptly withdrawn as President Barack Obama’s nominee to run the Commerce Department, another blow to an administration trying to build a bipartisan cabinet.

Trying?

Yes, after Gregg pulls out, Obama "only" has two remaining Republican members of his Cabinet. I believe that would be a historic high for opposition members serving in a presidential cabinet (the usual number is "one"). Does Obama get credit for trying to add a THIRD Republican, putting him at 300% of the usual members of the Cabinet one chooses from the other side? Hardly. And when Gregg decides to pull out, apparently because Obama wouldn't just hand the entire stimulus bill over to President Gregg, he grabs his marbles and goes home. And somehow, this is a "blow" to Obama's efforts to be bipartisan - that Judd Gregg is a spoiled brat, and as a result, President Obama is stuck with "only" 200% of the normal number of opposition members in his Cabinet. Uh huh. Read More......

GOP Senator Gregg withdraws as nominee for Commerce Secretary

Bad choice from the beginning:

Republican Sen. Judd Gregg of New Hampshire has withdrawn his nomination to become President Barack Obama's commerce secretary.

In a statement released by his office, the New Hampshire senator cites "irresolvable conflicts" on issues including the economic stimulus package.

What did he think? What kind of game was he playing? He'd rather be an obstructionist -- and this just further proves none of the Republicans really want to be bipartisan.

I guess this means we won't be having a coming out party for that new Senator from New Hampshire. Read More......

Summary of final stimulus package

UPDATE: The COBRA information was apparently incorrect in the earlier release, so this has been updated.

This is the final package reached by negotiators from the House and the Senate. Now both bodies have to vote one more time on the final combined package. Summary from the House and Senate majority Appropriations staff:

United States Congress

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009
Creating Jobs, Supporting the States and Investing in Our Country’s Future

The United States is facing its deepest economic crisis since the Great Depression, one that calls for swift, bold action. The goals of this legislation are the same as they have been from day one: to strengthen the economy now and invest in our country’s future.

This legislation will create and save jobs; help state and local governments with their budget shortfalls to prevent deep cuts in basic services such as health, education, and law enforcement; cut taxes for working families and invest in the long-term health of our economy. We do all of this with unprecedented accountability, oversight and transparency so the American people know their money is being invested responsibly.

To accomplish these goals, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides $311 billion in appropriations, including the following critical investments:

Investments in Infrastructure and Science - $120 billion
Investments in Health - $14.2 billion
Investments in Education and Training - $105.9 billion
Investments in Energy, including over $30 billion in infrastructure - $37.5 billion
Helping Americans Hit Hardest by the Economic Crisis - $24.3 billion
Law Enforcement, Oversight, Other Programs - $7.8 billion

Investments in Infrastructure and Science include:

Infrastructure Improvements
- $7.2 billion for Broadband to increase broadband access and usage in unserved and underserved areas of the Nation, which will better position the U.S. for economic growth, innovation, and job creation.
- $2.75 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to secure the homeland and promote economic activity, including $1 billion for airport baggage and checkpoint security, $430 million for construction of border points of entry, $210 million for construction of fire stations, $300 million for port, transit, and rail security, $280 million for border security technology and communication, and $240 million for the Coast Guard.
- $4.6 billion in funding for the Corps of Engineers.
- $1.2 billion for VA hospital and medical facility construction and improvements, long-term care facilities for veterans, and improvements at VA national cemeteries.
- $3.1 billion for repair, restoration and improvement of public facilities at on public and tribal lands.
- $4.2 billion for Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization to be used to invest in energy efficiency projects and to improve the repair and modernization of Department of Defense facilities to include Defense Health facilities.
- $2.33 billion for Department of Defense Facilities including quality of life and family-friendly military improvement projects such as family housing, hospitals, and child care centers.
- $2.25 billion through HOME and the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program to fill financing gaps caused by the credit freeze and get stalled housing development projects moving.
- $1 billion for the Community Development Block Grant program for community and economic development projects including housing and services for those hit hard by tough economic times.
- $1 billion for the Bureau of Reclamation to provide clean, reliable drinking water to rural areas and to ensure adequate water supply to western localities impacted by drought.

Transportation
- $27.5 billion is included for highway investments
- $8.4 billion for investments in public transportation.
- $1.5 billion for competitive grants to state and local governments for transportation investments.
- $1.3 billion for investments in our air transportation system.
- $9.3 billion for investments in rail transportation, including Amtrak, High Speed and Intercity Rail.

Public Housing
- $4 billion to the public housing capital fund to enable local public housing agencies to address a $32 billion backlog in capital needs -- especially those improving energy efficiency in aging buildings.
- $2 billion for full-year payments to owners receiving Section 8 project-based rental assistance.
- $2 billion for the redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes.
- $1.5 billion for homeless prevention activities, which will be sent out to states, cities and local governments through the emergency shelter grant formula.
- $250 million is included for energy retrofitting and green investments in HUD-assisted housing projects.

Environmental Clean-Up/Clean Water
- $6 billion is directed towards environmental cleanup of former weapon production and energy research sites.
- $6 billion for local clean and drinking water infrastructure improvements.
- $1.2 billion for EPA’s nationwide environmental cleanup programs, including Superfund.
- $1.38 billion to support $3.8 billion in loans and grants for needed water and waste disposal facilities in rural areas.

Science
- $1 billion total for NASA.
- $3 billion total for National Science Foundation (NSF).
- $2 billion total for Science at the Department of Energy including $400 million for the Advanced Research Projects Agency—Energy (ARPA-E).
- $830 million total for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA).

Investments in Health include:

- $19 billion, including $2 billion in discretionary funds and $17 billion for investments and incentives through Medicare and Medicaid to ensure widespread adoption and use of interoperable health information technology (IT). This provision will grow jobs in the information technology sector, and will jumpstart efforts to increase the use of health IT in doctors’ offices, hospitals and other medical facilities. This will reduce health care costs and improve the quality of health care for all Americans.
- $1 billion for prevention and wellness programs to fight preventable diseases and conditions with evidence-based strategies.
- $10 billion to conduct biomedical research in areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, heart disease and stem cells, and to improve NIH facilities.
- $1.1 billion to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NIH and the HHS Office of the Secretary to evaluate the relative effectiveness of different health care services and treatment options.

Investments in Education and Training include:
- $53.6 billion for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund, including $39.5 billion to local school districts using existing funding formulas, which can be used for preventing cutbacks, preventing layoffs, school modernization, or other purposes; $5 billion to states as bonus grants for meeting key performance measures in education; and $8.8 billion to states for high priority needs such as public safety and other critical services, which may include education and for modernization, renovation and repairs of public school facilities and institutions of higher education facilities.
- $13 billion for Title 1 to help close the achievement gap and enable disadvantaged students to reach their potential.
- $12.2 billion for Special Education/IDEA to improve educational outcomes for disabled children. This level of funding will increase the Federal share of special education services to its highest level ever.
- $15.6 billion to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $500. This aid will help 7 million students pursue postsecondary education.
- $3.95 billion for job training including State formula grants for adult, dislocated worker, and youth programs (including $1.2 billion to create up to one million summer jobs for youth).

Investments in Energy include:

- $4.5 billion for repair of federal buildings to increase energy efficiency using green technology.
- $3.4 billion for Fossil Energy research and development.
- $11 billion for smart-grid related activities, including work to modernize the electric grid.
- $6.3 billion for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Grants.
- $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program.
- $2.5 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy research.
- $2 billion in grant funding for the manufacturing of advanced batteries systems and components and vehicle batteries that are produced in the United States.
- $6 billion for new loan guarantees aimed at standard renewable projects such as wind or solar projects and for electricity transmission projects.
- $1 billion for other energy efficiency programs including alternative fuel trucks and buses, transportation charging infrastructure, and smart and energy efficient appliances.

Help for Workers and Families Hardest Hit by the Economic Crisis includes:

- $19.9 billion for additional Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly Food Stamps, to increase the benefit by 13.6 percent.
- Child Care Development Block Grant: $2 billion to provide quality child care services for an additional 300,000 children in low-income families who increasingly are unable to afford the high cost of day care.
- Head Start & Early Head Start: $2.1 billion to allow an additional 124,000 children to participate in this program, which provides development, educational, health, nutritional, social and other activities that prepare children to succeed in school.
- State and Local Law Enforcement: $4 billion total to support law enforcement efforts.
- $555 million to expand the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) during the national mortgage crisis.

Unprecedented Oversight, Accountability and Transparency

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan provides unprecedented oversight, accountability, and transparency to ensure that taxpayer dollars are invested effectively, efficiently, and as quickly as possible.

- Funds are distributed whenever possible through existing formulas and programs that have proven track records and accountability measures already in place.
- Numerous provisions in the bill provide for expedited but effective obligation of funds so that dollars are invested in the economy as quickly as possible.
- The Government Accountability Office and the Inspectors General are provided additional funding for auditing and investigating recovery spending.
- A new Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board will coordinate and conduct oversight of recovery spending and provide early warning of problems.
- A special website will provide transparency by posting information about recovery spending, including grants, contracts, and all oversight activities.
- State and local whistleblowers who report fraud and abuse are protected.
- There are no earmarks in this bill.

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Concerns that Feinstein is secretly trying to add non-stimulus related pork to Obama's stimulus package

She never quits:

But they're worried Hollywood is still trying to insert a content filtering provision via Sen. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., at the last minute. Feinstein has been trying to add language specifying that Internet service provider (ISPs) may engage in "reasonable network management" ... "such as" efforts to combat illegal activity like "child pornography and copyright infringement." In essence, some argue, ISPs would be able to monitor any content coming to and from your computer, just in case there was some copyrighted material violating fair use, or kiddie porn in there.

Regardless of your views on whether we should be giving Internet providers the power - and the requirement - to spy on every single thing you do on your computer, how this is relevant in the stimulus package is beyond me. Feinstein should pass her Motion Picture Association pork the old fashioned way. Not to mention, haven't we had enough domestic spying for this decade? Maybe the ISPs should check the computer usage history of DiFi and her family, and release it publicly - hey, if they're doing nothing wrong, they have nothing to hide, right? - then see how supportive she is of giving ISPs unfettered access to everything you say and do on your computer. Read More......

Retail sales rose in January

Finally some good news.

U.S. retail sales jumped 1 percent in January, reversing a six-month declining trend and defying economists' expectations by posting the biggest increase in 14 months.

The Commerce Department says January retail sales rose a percent from December after having fallen for six straight months. Wall Street economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected January sales to show a drop of 0.8 percent....

The January report shows strong increases in sales of automobiles and in general merchandise stores — the "big box" outlets — though sales by department stores, carrying fewer varieties of items, posted a decline.

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Mormongate continues

Seems our bigoted friends the Mormons - you remember them, they're the folks who are trying to steal Anne Frank's soul - may be in a heap of trouble:

The money war over Proposition 8 shows no signs of letting up.

Opponents of the measure, which banned gay marriage in California, said today that they plan to file a second complaint with the state alleging the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints deliberately did not disclose its financial contributions to the Yes on 8 campaign.

Californians Against Hate already filed one complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Commission, sparking an ongoing investigation of whether the church violated campaign finance laws. The church has repeatedly said it did not violate any rules and was not trying to hide how much the church gave.

Records released last month show the church donated about $198,000 to the Yes on 8 case.

“I’m calling this Mormongate,” Fred Karger, founder of Californians Against Hate, told the Associated Press. “I think there’s been a massive coverup.”

Gosh, and they seemed like such nice people. Read More......

Is asking for bonuses paid back on bad business "draconian"?

Give me a break. This is pretty standard in the real world. Book bad or bogus business and you lose the commission or bonus. As much as it might pain the Wall Street apologists that's the way it works for everyone else outside of Wall Street. Senator Ron Wyden has every right to do this and it's annoying that this was not done before. Besides the completely incorrect acceptance of Wall Street paying a dime in bonuses while on life support, failing to ask for past bonuses to be returned is unthinkable, especially in light of the daily shocking news from the banks. Anyone in Congress that doesn't think the American public would support this is kidding themselves.

The Senate version of the economic stimulus legislation working its way through Congress contains a strict limit on employee bonuses paid by financial institutions that receive taxpayer funds.

Under an amendment sponsored by Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and accepted by voice vote last Friday, recipients of funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program would have to redeem preferred shares they issue to the government to equal any bonus paid to employees in excess of $100,000, or pay 35% in tax on those amounts. The provision applies to any bonuses promised after January 1 of last year.

The Obama administration has indicated that it would attach tighter strings to federal assistance to financial institutions than the Bush administration did. The original terms of the TARP when created last October included limits on bonuses for top executives, but critics say the limits contain extensive loopholes.

But the Senate provision is “draconian” in that it is retroactive and applies to all employees, not just senior executives, Robert Willens, a tax and accounting expert in New York City, said in an interview with Financial Week.

Of course. So is this person saying it's OK to make money from bad business? Remind me again how the hell capitalism is supposed to work because right now, I think there's a severe disconnect and one of us are very, very wrong. The day we pay failures - enormous failures - for failing, we might as well throw in the towel and call it a day.

When average Americans are stuck footing the bill and wondering if they have a job tomorrow and living in poverty compared to Wall Street, they have every right to ask for that money back. Congress also has the full authority to demand that money which is keeping the overpaid gamblers in cozy offices. Read More......

For the media, telling the truth about the economy is a "scare tactic"

A new meme from the traditional media, abetted, of course by the right wing talking heads, is that Obama is trying to scare Americans. Reuters does it today. Note that the two experts the reporter, Tabassum Zakaria, uses to trash Obama are from the CATO Institute and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), two right wing think tanks who have been working against the stimulus package (AEI actually relies on some of Bush's economic advisers, like Mankiw, which is rich, considering they got us into this mess):

President Barack Obama may think words like "catastrophe," "crisis" and "disaster" help sell his economic rescue plans, but U.S. history has shown that scare tactics can backfire.

Having campaigned on a promise of hope and run against what he called President George W. Bush's "politics of fear," Obama may be taking a big political risk -- for himself and his policies -- by resorting to the same tactic.

In pressing Congress and the public to back expensive proposals, Obama has used the well-worn political rhetoric of fear to paint dire scenarios, hoping to persuade skeptics of the need for quick action. It may work, and it may not.

"That end-of-the-world type of rhetoric is not good for business confidence," said Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies at the Cato Institute.

Obama isn't stoking fear. He doesn't have to. For most Americans, the economic fear is real and palpable. The American people are scared. Do the people who write and say these things live in some kind of secure economic bubble? Do they not have 401-ks? Do they not have family or friends who've lost jobs or are worried about losing their jobs? Do they not see their own contributions to health care rising? Everyone I know is worried on some level. But, not the pundits. Nope. Life is good in the bubble.

John always says that the Republicans accuse Democrats of doing the very things that the Republicans always do. This is just another example. When Senator Jim DeMint stands on the Senate floor and says the stimulus will actually "cripple our economy," he's not trying to scare people? Read More......

Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Are you feeling stimulated? Actually, I guess we won't start feeling stimulated until the bill is signed and the money starts to flow. Then, you'll feel it. We better all feel it.

It was in the 70s yesterday here in DC. We had a thunderstorm last night. A thunderstorm on February 11th. Weird.

Finally, Happy 200th Birthday, Abraham Lincoln. Thanks again for saving our nation.

Let's get it started...

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Spain officially in recession - first since 1993

Spain experienced impressive growth in recent years though they also significantly expanded the use of credit. Real estate was booming and was one of the hottest markets in Europe as many bought vacation homes or condos. Compounding the local credit problem was the large number of foreign buyers, British in particular. The British pound was much stronger than the euro but in the last 6 months that has changed, bringing it on par with the euro. In addition, the credit loving Brits also began struggling with their own credit problems at home and the first thing to go was the second home.

Globalization can offer plenty of benefits but it does not come without risks. This current recession is a tangled mess. Reuters:

Spain's economy shrank 1.0 percent during the fourth quarter and entered its first recession since 1993, setting the tone for an expected slew of bleak European growth data.

Spain was the first large euro zone economy to publish gross domestic product for the last three months of 2008 and its quarter-on-quarter contraction was slightly less than a Reuters forecast of 1.1 percent, according to the flash estimate released on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute.

It was the steepest decline since the first quarter of 1993 and followed a 0.3 percent contraction in the third quarter, putting Spain into recession alongside Germany, Italy and Britain.

Spanish year-on-year growth shrank 0.7 percent, compared with a forecast 0.8 percent decrease, marking the worst result since the second quarter of 1993.

Spain's economy grew just 1.2 percent in 2008, the weakest annual growth since its last annual recession in 1993, and bang in line with the government's 1.2 percent forecast.

Analysts are expecting even steeper quarterly contractions from Germany, Italy and France when they report GDP on Friday, ahead of wider euro zone data.

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Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai sworn in as PM

It would be great to see this power sharing arrangement work out, but this falls into the "trust but verify" category. Mugabe will never give up power and will never allow anyone to question his domination of the military and police. If the UN or AU wants to remain relevant, they need to inject themselves into this situation immediately to prevent additional violence. To be continued... (hat tip Cat)

The former opposition leader addressed thousands of cheering supporters after being sworn-in under a power-sharing deal with President Robert Mugabe.

Mr Mugabe, who administered the oath to his long-standing rival, has promised to co-operate in the unity government.

Zimbabwe faces rampant inflation, a cholera epidemic and 90% unemployment.

The international community has promised additional aid to the country only if real changes take place.

Addressing a rally at a stadium in Harare, Mr Tsvangirai said the government had to "get the country working again".

"The first priority is to stabilise the economy," he said. "The economic collapse has forced millions of our most able to flee the country. This must end today."

Calling for an end to political violence, he said Zimbabwe could "no longer afford brother against brother, because one happened to have a different political opinion".

He said the government would make food "available and affordable", and promised to focus on the cholera crisis that has killed more than 3,400 people.

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Slate en français

Slate has launched a French-language edition. I have to admit, I'm a bit confused as to why. I love France, I studied in France, I speak French. I'm just trying to understand why this, why now? These kind of things are done for a reason, usually a financial one (i.e., let's make money off of the advertising). I mean, I'm intrigued. I've always thought of including foreign language content on our blog, but worried about turning people off (I'm not sure how well America would handle a polyglot blog). Anyway, I'll be interested in hearing more about this venture. Read More......