Wicked thunderstorm photo of Nashville

Not mine, just cool.

Originally uploaded by wjb13

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Momentum building for filibuster reform in the Senate

From Ryan Grim and Sam Stein at Huff Post:

Momentum is building to reform Senate rules that allow silent filibusters and force a 60-vote requirement for virtually any action, interviews with Democratic candidates and sitting senators indicate. Democratic candidates said that they hear regularly from voters about abuse of the parliamentary tactic, which is likely to come up as the first vote new senators face in 2011. The supermajority requirement in the Senate has become such an obstacle to reform that it infiltrates policy discussions at every step. Last week at the Netroots Nation political conference, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) gathered environmental writers to discuss energy legislation; the first few questions were related to energy, the rest of the conversation was dominated by the filibuster.

"The use of the filibuster and the way it's led to backroom deals has created the impression in the heartland that the Senate is dysfunctional," said Jack Conway, a Democratic candidate facing Republican Rand Paul in Kentucky. "They don't understand why Washington can't address the issues people care about. People in Kentucky wanted people focused on jobs -- 14 months [of the health care debate] laid bare how broken the system was."

Conway was joined in his backing of filibuster reform by the three other Senate candidates who HuffPost interviewed for this story: Paul Hodes of New Hampshire, Elaine Marshall of North Carolina and Roxanne Conlin of Iowa. Sitting Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) also said they supported reform. ...

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Krugman on slow-moving deflation

Several weeks ago I wrote a background piece about deflation, what it is and what it does. In it I noted:

And just as bull markets tend to be long and slow (while bears are fast and brutal), inflationary times tend to be long, often multi-generational arcs, with deflationary times the opposite.

I'm proud of that article, but I want to offer a small addendum, based on this, from Paul Krugman recently:

Jon Hilsenrath has a nice piece on the puzzles of gradual deflation, Japan-style. But I’m not sure whether readers will understand quite what the puzzle is — and they certainly wouldn’t gather from the article that there’s actually a literature about this puzzle.

[wonky middle part, with equations]

Prices fell sharply at the beginning of the Great Depression, when the real economy was collapsing; but they began rising again when the economy began to recover, even though there was still a huge negative output gap. Japan [however] has been depressed since before incoming freshmen were born, but its chronic deflation has never turned into a rapid downward spiral.

[wonky "hmm, here's why"]

[I]t’s important to take account of downward rigidity so as not to get fooled into accepting a persistently depressed economy as normal. . . . After all, all indications are that we’re going to be dealing with a depressed economy for a long time to come. [my emphasis]

Bottom line — deflationary episodes are frequently sharp and ugly, a real jerk on the chain, but not necessarily. This may be a one of those "not necessarily" times.

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Joe the Plumber running ads in support of Teabagger in MO Senate race; says Newt and Rove too 'moderate'

Some people seriously don't know when their time is up. Having said that, this can't bode well for Roy Blunt.



Yes, his opponent, teabagging state Sen. Chuck Purgason, is way behind Blunt in the polls, but so was GOP nutjob Sharron Angle in Nevada. Things change. And if Joe the Plumber is endorsing the even farther right candidate, then Blunt may start to see his numbers change. All of which is a plus for the Democratic nominee, Robin Carnahan. The more the Republicans tear each other apart, and try to out-teabag each other, the better.

Just to give you a sense of how much of a nut Purgason is (as is Joe the Plumber), check out this screen capture of his ad, in which he mocks GOP Rep. Roy Blunt, who is himself a far-right nut, for having friends who are "moderate" Republicans. Who are the moderate Republicans? Take a look:



Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, and Mike Huckabee. Read More......

The news arrives at the Washington Post — the unspoken word in the Sherrod affair

Sometimes, even the Post prints the news, at least in the Personal Finance column. Via Ken Silverstein, we get this from "Color of Money" columnist Michelle Singletary:

Sherrod said that while working with the white farmer, she realized that the social war we’ve been having isn’t about race but economic inequity.

“Y’all, it’s about poor versus those who have,” Sherrod said in her speech. “It’s really about those who have versus those who don’t, you know. And they could be black; and they could be white; they could be Hispanic. And it made me realize then that I needed to work to help poor people — those who don’t have access the way others have.”

The title of Ken's column on this is "Class: The unspoken word of the Shirley Sherrod affair." America's secret war.

John wrote a stunning article about the shrinking middle class, and included some frightening details. One example:

For the first time in U.S. history, banks own a greater share of residential housing net worth in the United States than all individual Americans put together.

If reporters were paid like secretaries, that news would be on the front page, for a change.

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GOP Tennessee Lt. Gov calls Islam a 'cult,' says religious freedom may not count for Muslims

Who needs Osama bin Laden to stoke the hate of the world's Muslims when we have Republicans.

Tennessee Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, currently running third in the state's Republican gubernatorial primary race, says he's not sure if Constitutional guarantees of freedom of religion apply to the followers of the world's second-largest faith, Islam.

At a recent event in Hamilton County, Ramsey was asked by a man in the audience about the "threat that's invading our country from the Muslims." Ramsey proclaimed his support for the Constitution and the whole "Congress shall make no law" thing when it comes to religion. But he also said that Islam, arguably, is less a faith than it is a "cult."

"Now, you could even argue whether being a Muslim is actually a religion, or is it a nationality, way of life, cult whatever you want to call it," Ramsey said. "Now certainly we do protect our religions, but at the same time this is something we are going to have to face."

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Jeb Bush's Rand Paul Fundraiser Awkwardly Takes Place On Anniversary Of Disability Act

Aw-kward.

When former Florida Governor Jeb Bush hosts a fundraiser on behalf of Senate candidate Rand Paul on Monday it will symbolize, in more ways than one, the uncomfortable union of opposite poles of Republican ideology. Bush's brand of pragmatic conservatism stands in contrast to Paul's Tea Party temperament. The Kentucky Republican, likewise, often touts his independence from the GOP, citing the antiquated Republicanism of the Bush clan as an example.

And so it seems almost appropriate that the two would team up, of all days, on the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Then there is Paul. The Tea Party candidate caused a stir the day after winning the Republican primary when he wavered on saying whether he would have supported landmark civil rights legislation had he been in office at the time. Tucked away in that same interview was a similar question about ADA. Did the legislation go too far, asked NPR's Robert Siegel.

"I think a lot of things could be handled locally," Paul said. "For example, I think that we should try to do everything we can to allow for people with disabilities and handicaps... I think if you have a two-story office and you hire someone who's handicapped, it might be reasonable to let him have an office on the first floor rather than the government saying you have to have a $100,000 elevator. And I think when you get to solutions like that, the more local the better, and the more common sense the decisions are, rather than having a federal government make those decisions."

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'Afghan War Diary' — Wikileaks massive disclosure of secret documents

First the story. As Joe reported this morning, the organization Wikileaks has acquired nearly 100,000 secret documents related to the Afghan war, and is in the process of releasing them. The archive is called "Afghan War Diary" and the description is here:

WikiLeaks today released over 75,000 secret US military reports covering the war in Afghanistan.

The Afghan War Diary [is] an extraordinary secret compendium of over 91,000 reports covering the war in Afghanistan from 2004 to 2010. The reports describe the majority of lethal military actions involving the United States military. . . .

The Diary is available on the web and can be viewed in chronological order and by by over 100 categories assigned by the US Forces . . .

We have delayed the release of some 15,000 reports from total archive as part of a harm minimization process demanded by our source. After further review, these reports will be released, with occasional redactions, and eventually, in full, as the security situation in Afghanistan permits.

The Wikileaks War Diary document collection page is rich, a valuable resource and entry point to the documents themselves. Citizen reporters, or just casual readers, dig in.

It appears that three news orgs — The Guardian, Der Spiegel, and The New York Times — got early releases of the archive so they could prepare articles simultaneous with the release. Click the link for any of the papers above to see the landing page for their coverage. All three are calling the documents "The War Logs" and it appears their work on them will be on-going.

For a place to start, I'd choose The Guardian. They're covering multiple angles immediately, including interviews with Wikileaks head Julian Assange.

Now the meta-story, the part I want to focus on here. People are going to have to make sense of the multiple angles I alluded to — not just the thousands of "collateral" children and adults, but the double-dealing that Joe's story pointed to, and the three-sided drug trade the leak stories haven't touched on yet. (Yes, we're one of the sides.)

If it weren't already obvious, our situation in Afghanistan is like a three-cornered hat (ignoring India for a moment). Each corner — including the U.S. — is dealing both as friends and as enemies with the other two, simultaneously. It's a six-way transaction. This means that each side is financing and supporting its enemies, thinking it will have the upper hand when the whole is summed. The Great Game.

So watch carefully the reaction to the story. I expect the White House reaction: "Bad, wiki, bad!"

But watch the press. Note which news-blond(e)s trash Wikileaks. (I'm looking at you, Chuck Todd; prove me wrong.) Those that do — list them as unreliable. They're part of the War Sales Team. Operatives.

I'll have more. This exposes a whole layer of analysis about why we're there. It's like that moment when one side in a marriage accidentally tells the truth, and everything falls into place.

So with the Afghan War. (Hint: We never needed to topple the government to capture Bin Laden.)

Operationally yours,

Gaius

Update: I've adjusted some of the links above. Read More......

When Politico says the Netroots matters...

Politico's Charles Mahtesian gets it right. It was a rather amazing vibe at this year's conference. It had the same energy I felt at our first conference five years ago. No, people aren't terribly excited about Congress or the administration, but rather, just a general excitement about the Netroots overall. This article accurately reflect that, I think.

In five years, the annual convention of progressive bloggers known as Netroots Nation has grown to become one of the premier events on the Democratic calendar.

It’s also turned into a leading event on the Democratic candidate circuit, a showcase of political talent and a prerequisite for aspiring politicians who are looking to catch the attention of some of the most important and influential voices on the left — and hopefully tap into the vein of Internet fundraising.

The halls of the Rio Hotel here in Sin City aren’t exactly choked with pols running for office. But it’s not uncommon to find candidates from some of the top races in the nation quietly huddling with bloggers and activists over coffee, holding small fundraisers or showing up at after-hours events where they can get acquainted with online activists who stand to have a powerful effect on their races by virtue of their blogging platforms and broad, politically-inclined readerships.

Dozens of candidates have made the rounds of this progressive meet market over the past two days, ranging from House and Senate candidates to those running for state legislature and even for the Texas state board of education.

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John Ensign's 'self-immolation' abetted by Tom Coburn

Jon Ralston is THE political pundit for Nevada. He's become a must-read for developments in the Reid-Angle race. But, he's also got the Ensign scandal in his sights. The first line of yesterday's column kinda gives it away:

John Ensign is dead, one in an occasional series:

Just in case anyone thought the most stunning public crime occurring in Nevada these days was GOP Senate nominee Sharron Angle’s slow-motion suicide since June 8, Politico reminded us last week that Nevada’s junior senator’s self-immolation is even longer and more painful to watch. (http://tinyurl.com/23u2oba)

The Washington publication reported Friday that Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn has turned over e-mails to the Justice Department and has agreed to be interviewed by the feds or the Senate ethics panel probing Ensign’s conduct that sprung from an affair he had with a former staffer, Cynthia Hampton, who was married to the senator’s best friend (who also worked for him).

Coburn was involved in some kind of intervention at the infamous “C Street” House of Ill Repute in February 2008 with Ensign and Doug Hampton, who subsequently asserted on “Face to Face” in July 2009 that Coburn tried to negotiate a deal for “restitution” from Nevada’s junior senator.

That John Ensign is still a United States Senator is just wrong. And, it's just great to know that Tom Coburn's involvement, via the C Street House, is now helping with Ensign's destruction. Read More......

GOP worried that Angle isn't doing so well against Harry Reid

Well, she is a bit nutty. From CQ Politics:

Republicans are growing increasingly frustrated with Sharron Angle and her lackluster campaign to unseat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), fearing she is jeopardizing what they had long viewed as a sure pickup and costing them a chance to reclaim the majority.

Senate Republicans quietly acknowledge that Angle’s controversial views on some issues remain a political liability. But the former Nevada Assemblywoman’s larger problems are a progression of unforced errors stemming from a lack of campaign experience and an amateurish staff incapable of offering her the necessary guidance. However, Angle has proved to be adept at fundraising, corralling $2.6 million in the second quarter.

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Secret war documents point to Pakistan's collaboration with Taliban

With over 90,000 documents, the Wikileaks trove of documents from Afghanistan will provide fodder for much discussion about that war. It's not pretty. And, the release of this information is creating a firestorm. It does make one wonder what the hell the Bush administration was doing for all those years. We'll have several posts on these documents, but the double-dealing role of Pakistan seems like one of the most egregious developments:

Americans fighting the war in Afghanistan have long harbored strong suspicions that Pakistan’s military spy service has guided the Afghan insurgency with a hidden hand, even as Pakistan receives more than $1 billion a year from Washington for its help combating the militants, according to a trove of secret military field reports made public Sunday.

The documents, made available by an organization called WikiLeaks, suggest that Pakistan, an ostensible ally of the United States, allows representatives of its spy service to meet directly with the Taliban in secret strategy sessions to organize networks of militant groups that fight against American soldiers in Afghanistan, and even hatch plots to assassinate Afghan leaders.

Taken together, the reports indicate that American soldiers on the ground are inundated with accounts of a network of Pakistani assets and collaborators that runs from the Pakistani tribal belt along the Afghan border, through southern Afghanistan, and all the way to the capital, Kabul.

These documents may start to focus the attention of the American people on a war that has been ignored for too long. Maybe that can help bring it to an end. Read More......

Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Back from Netroots Nation. This was the fifth one and I've been to all of them. I thought it was a productive conference. I got to spend some time scheming with fellow bloggers and meeting some people I'd never met.

Today, the President will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). President George H.W. Bush signed the bill. Can you imagine the current crop of GOPers wanting anything to do with that bill. There would be a filibuster for sure.

Also on this day in history, there was another major civil rights breakthrough. Back in 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9981 to desegregate the military. He was facing a tough election battle in just over three months. Public opinion was strongly against the move. But, Truman was undaunted.

Congress has two more weeks of legislative week before the August recess. The Senate has to do the Kagan confirmation. As everyone knows, there won't be a real climate change bill. And, it looks like Defense Authorization won't hit the floor now until September. And, it better get to the floor in September. We need DADT repealed ASAP.

What's on the agenda? Read More......

Kathy Griffin's confusing comments on Dan Choi

I don't have any idea what to make of this Kathy Griffin comment — either in the context of her beliefs about gays, or the context of her career. Here’s the clip; she's talking with Joy Behar on The Joy Behar Show (h/t Lisa Derrick):



The first part of her remarks just don't match the second, which are admittedly very positive. But given this opening:

He was honorably discharged? I don’t know what that means, because to me if he was discharged for being gay, then I don’t know how honorable that is.

— what can she then say that spins this into a positive? The second half of her answer seems to just ignore what she said in the first part.

As to the implications for her career, I don't know much about Kathy Griffin. She came into my life one New Years' Eve alongside Anderson Cooper — the Night of the Snappy Comeback — and left it when they cut to commercial.

So I only suspect I understand who her audience is. But if what I suspect is true, didn't she just diss a good chunk of them who pays her bills?

Again, not judging; just confused.

To add to the Griffin–Choi madness, there's this from the Wash Post — a profile of Griffin that includes a scene of her filming outside the White House just as Dan Choi and Co. started chaining themselves to the fence:

At the rally, Griffin is approached by Dan Choi, a gay Army officer and radical opponent to DADT, who asks her if he can come up onstage with her. Once there, he takes the microphone and implores the crowd to walk with him a few blocks to the White House.

"I am in uniform, I am still fighting, I am still speaking out, I am still serving, and I am still gay," Choi declares. "Will you all here join me? Kathy will you go with me?" he asks Griffin, whose face freezes in PR horror.

Griffin answers yes, but she means no. She chooses to stay behind and deliver the crowd a text message she says has just been sent from Cher, which she dangles before everyone like it's gay catnip. Choi marches over to the White House, where he and another soldier handcuff themselves to the Pennsylvania Avenue fence and are promptly arrested.

It looks like the Post has it in for her in the article, so who knows what's going on?

But definitely a puzzle, all this. Is Griffin's material really just a shtick, and not much more? I guess I'm not the one to say.

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