Huckabee: GOP must not alienate social conservatives

Yes, because that whole "conservative" thing has been working so well for the Republicans. The religious right won't give up without a fight, and so far they're taking the GOP down with them. God speed.

In an interview with the California newspaper The Visalia Times-Delta, Huckabee said the GOP would only further decline in influence should it alienate social conservatives — largely considered the most energetic and loyal faction of the party.

"Throw the social conservatives the pro-life, pro-family people overboard and the Republican party will be as irrelevant as the Whigs," he said in reference to the American political party that largely disbanded in the mid 1800s. "They'll basically be a party of gray-haired old men sitting around the country club puffing cigars, sipping brandy and wondering whatever happened to the country. That will be the end of the party," he said in the interview published Thursday.

Read More......

Courtesy of the NYT

MoDo on newspapers, and Vulcans. Here's the photo that goes along with the story. Read More......

Former Bear Stearns exec sues for bonus

Banksters being banksters. These people think they are owed the world and looking at how they've been treated by both Bush/Paulson and now Obama/Geithner, it's no wonder they think they are deserving.

A former executive of Bear Stearns has sued for a $2 million bonus he says he is owed.

Gary M. Reback was fired from Bear Stearns in May 2008 as JPMorgan Chase bought the nearly collapsed investment bank.

Read More......

Miss California dethroned. Kind of. Miss CA Pageant heads blast religious right.

For all intents and purposes, she's been uncrowned. Apparently only Donald Trump can officially take the crown away from the current Miss CA, so the pageant folks are now doing everything short of that, we learn in today's announcement.

The pageant heads in CA also had some harsh words for Miss CA and her religious right handlers. Apparently, Miss CA was in 2nd place in one category and 3rd in another when she went into the final round. She wasn't in first, which her enablers keep claiming. Second, the pageants heads blasted the religious right for using Miss CA for their own vile purposes.

Video from MSNBC. Read More......

BBC whitewashes coverage of Pope in Israel

It's nice to see that even the vaunted BBC can be as pathetic as the American press from time to time.

Seriously, though, how does the BBC do a story about the Pope condemning Holocaust deniers and not mention that the reason the Pope is even saying this at all is because he welcomed a Holocaust denying Bishop back into the church a few months ago, causing a massive scandal?

How does that little fact get dropped from the story?

Oh, and the BBC also conveniently forgot to mention the little fact that the Vatican has historically been accused of turning a blind eye to the plight of Europe's Jews during WWII. Perhaps the BBC should be reading Reuters. They at least got the story right. Read More......

Graham, like Pelosi, says document is wrong - he was never briefed about waterboarding

An important story from Greg Sargent.

Former Senator Bob Graham, who received a classified briefing on terror detainees during the same month in the fall of 2002 as Nancy Pelosi, was not briefed about the use of either waterboarding or enhanced interrogation techniques during the meeting, he claimed in an interview with me.

Graham’s assertion — his first public comments since the release of the intelligence document detailing torture briefings given to members of Congress — directly contradicts the document’s claim that he had been briefed on enhanced interrogation techniques, or EITs. Graham is now the second Dem official to deny on the record the document’s contents and raises questions about its claim that Pelosi had been told, which she has denied.

With Graham and Pelosi both saying they did not in fact receive such a briefing, it's looking like the document lied and Pelosi was telling the truth. Read More......

It's now a GOP talking point. Rush says Obama's "objective is unemployment" (and "more food stamp benefits" too)

Earlier today, John posted the outlandish remarks from Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) that Obama wants to destroy capitalism and create more unemployment.

Now we know it's officially a GOP talking point. Why? Rush thinks so, too. Via Think Progress:

As the economy performs worse than expected, the deficit for the 2010 budget year beginning in October will worsen by $87 billion to $1.3 trillion. The deterioration reflects lower tax revenues and higher costs for bank failures, unemployment benefits and food stamps. But in the Oval Office of the White House none of this is a problem. This is the objective. The objective is unemployment. The objective is more food stamp benefits. The objective is more unemployment benefits. The objective is an expanding welfare state. And the objective is to take the nation’s wealth and return to it to the nation’s quote, “rightful owners.” Think reparations. Think forced reparations here if you want to understand what actually is going on.

Hmmm. No coded language there, huh?

Now, if my memory serves me, it was George Bush who led us into this economic crisis. It was George Bush, with the help of a GOP-led Congress, who went mismanaged the surplus he inherited and left his successor with huge deficits. It was George Bush who led us into the Iraq war, which has also helped balloon the deficits. But, Rush apparently doesn't have any short-term memory. And, he's obessed -- just disturbingly obsessed -- with hating Obama. Read More......

Were bank stress tests too low for credit card losses?

Have "worst case" scenarios with banks been accurate so far during this crisis? Rose colored glasses seem to be widely used whether it's Geithner/Obama or going back to Paulson/Bush. Wishful thinking continues to benefit the banks but it also avoids the tough problems that continue to linger. As much as Obama is afraid to take strong action against the banks, it's going to have to happen one of these days because the problems will not just go away because of wishful thinking. NY Times:

But if unemployment breaches 10 percent, as many economists predict, the rate of uncollectible balances at some banks could far exceed that level. At American Express and Capital One Financial, around 20 percent of the credit card balances are expected to go bad over this year and next, according to stress test results. At Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, about 23 percent of card loans are expected to sour.

Even the government’s grim projections may vastly understate the size of the banks’ credit card troubles. According to estimates by Oliver Wyman, a management consulting firm, card losses at the nation’s biggest banks could reach $141.5 billion by 2010 if the regulators’ loss rate was applied to their entire credit card business. It could top $186 billion for the entire credit card industry.

In the official stress test results, regulators published losses only on credit cards held on bank balance sheets. The $82.4 billion figure did not reflect another element in their analysis: tens of billions of dollars in losses tied to credit card loans that the banks packaged into bonds and held off their balance sheets. A portion of those losses, however, will be absorbed by outside investors.

Read More......

Senior House Republican: Obama wants to wipe out capitalism

Those black people are so subversive.

This is part of the ongoing "Obama is a socialist" theme that the GOP came up with a few months ago. It's not clear in what possible world, other than the 20% of Americans who now make up all of Republicans, such a bizarre, extreme argument would carry any weight. If anything, it simply makes the Republicans look more out of touch, and more extreme. From Ryan Grim at Huff Post:

Rep. Pete Sessions, head of the House Republican committee tasked with electing more GOP members, has a unique theory as to why unemployment continues to rise: Obama wants to wipe out capitalism.

Deep into a New York Times item Monday about rising jobless numbers comes a theory that the Times gently refers to as an "argument" that "may indeed face an uphill fight."

Sessions told the Times that Obama's plan is to "diminish employment and diminish stock prices." By doing so, Obama "intended to inflict damage and hardship on the free enterprise system, if not to kill it" as part of a "divide and conquer" strategy to consolidate power.

The Times then follows with another understated gem: "Polls offer little evidence that Americans are prepared to accept those arguments."

You may recall that Ryan Grim was the University of Maryland student arrested for asking Lynne Cheney whether she'd attend her lesbian daughter Mary's wedding were she to marry a woman. Read More......

Krugman praises Obama health care initiative

Oh what a difference a dinner makes.

Sometime in the past two weeks, Paul Krugman and Joe Stiglitz joined Barack Obama for dinner. Many on the left saw this as a good thing, since in the past, Obama and his people seemed disdainful of the kind of economic tough love Krugman and Stiglitz were preaching. Since that time, Krugman's latest article reveals, the administration is actually reaching out to him about their policy proposals, and Krugman is actually praising them.

It's about health care this time. Chris wrote about the news earlier - an effort to shave $2 trillion off of health care costs in the next decade. Obama's budget director is reportedly "giddy" over the proposal, and Krugman seems to be as well.

Speaking of health care, there was an article last week about how Democrats on the Hill were meeting to discuss various health care proposals, and one proposal talked about letting "middle-class Americans" have access to some sort of government-sponsored health care. If the article is correct, then we have a huge problem. The problem isn't just that middle-class Americans can't get adequate health insurance. The problem is that none of us can.

I'm hardly blue collar (though with this year's economy, I may soon be). I work for myself, and therefore have to get my own health insurance. I picked the best self-employed health care plan I could get at CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield (or, as I call them, CareLast). The plan is exorbitant at $410 (or so) a month, but at least I can afford it. My problem? Not the cost, per se, yet. My premiums are going up from around 13% to 25% a year, so they will soon be totally out of control. Still, my biggest problem is that CareLast refuses to offer any serious prescription benefits. I ran out of my benefits at the beginning of last November, CareLast cut me off, because I'd already spent my "whopping" $1500 in annual prescriptions (that'll buy you a five month's supply of Advair). There is no better plan I can buy from Blue Cross.

If you have any kind of chronic condition, $1500 a year is a joke. You in essence have no prescription drug coverage. And it's going to get much worse as you age, since the crooks at CareLast never up your coverage. Meaning, I started with $1500 in prescription coverage in 1997, and even though they've tripled my premiums since that time, I get the same $1500 in coverage today, and I'll have the same $1500 in coverage in 15 years - that should be just enough to buy me a frapuccino at that point.

Our health care system is being run by thieves. These people don't care if you stay healthy or get better, they're the nasty chairman of the board on House a few seasons back who was simply interested in making money, nothing more.

Democrats need to keep reminding themselves that the problem isn't just costs. The problem isn't just the uninsured. The problem is that all of us are bought into a system that doesn't work. And even those of us who make a good salary for a living (well, in other years) will be in serious trouble if we ever come down with any serious illness that requires $2000 a month in prescriptions (such as MS or HIV).

We need a fix that doesn't just add more people into a bad system. We need more people in a better system. And the better system needs to benefit everyone, not just the poor, not just the middle class. Read More......

Swift boaters for health care ripoffs

You knew it was coming. The infamous Swift Boat crowd is ready to point out health care problems in Canada and the UK, obviously because we know how well the US systems works. Ahhh yes, the memories of the US health care system. I still tingle with joy reflecting on the two times my own father was stopped at the front door of hospitals while they checked his health insurance papers. So what if they were 911 calls and he was dying? This was of course after he opted for treatment at the VA because he was afraid of losing all of the retirement money he saved but thankfully the Republican economic model took care of that after he died.

I also think fondly of the time in Philadelphia when another doctor made sure to keep me coming back for multiple treatments until it was too late to get proper treatment to fix a shattered bone. I guess he had to pay for that summer home and really needed the costly offices visits. See how easy it is to play the "in _______ system everything is terrible" game? The difference in my case is that I have actually used the US system as well as the WHO #1 system so I can compare with real life experiences as opposed to the boogie man talk of the ultra-rich wingnuts.

The Swift Boaters for health care ripoffs are obviously proud that the system is fantastic for the ultra rich - such as the former CEO millionaire who is running this group - but for everyone else, it's neatly tucked in between Costa Rica and Slovenia at number 37 in the world. What a proud, star-spangled ranking that is. Great! God bless America!

The television ads that began airing last week feature horror stories from Canada and the United Kingdom: Patients who allegedly suffered long waits for surgeries, couldn't get the drugs they needed, or had to come to the United States for treatment.

"Before government rushes to overhaul health care, listen to those who already have government-run health care," intones Rick Scott, founder of a group called Conservatives for Patients' Rights. "Tell Congress to listen, too."

Scott, a multimillionaire investor and controversial former hospital chief executive, has become an unlikely and prominent leader of the opposition to health-care reform plans that Congress is expected to take up later this year. While disorganized Republicans and major health-care companies wait for President Obama and Democratic leaders to reveal the details of their plan before criticizing it, Scott is using $5 million of his own money and up to $15 million more from supporters to try to build resistance to any government-run program.

The deep pockets who have profited while everyone else has been left behind intend to spend their money to avoid any change that might bring improvements for the broad population. Read More......

Pundit ponders whether Rush will go ballistic over Wanda Sykes

At the White House Correspondents Dinner on Saturday night, comedian Wanda Sykes took swipes at everyone, including Barack Obama. But, her best barbs were aimed at the titular head of the GOP, Rush Limbaugh. She took a swipe at Hannity, too. For those who didn't see it:

When I posted the video on Saturday night, I wrote:

You know that both of these guys are going to be in a frenzy about this over the next couple days...the hard core right-wingers are very thin-skinned and have no sense of humor

Well, no less of an authority than Chris "The Fix" Cillizza, also a self-described Drudgeologist, wonders the same thing. First, Cillizza talked to some Republicans who, of course, didn't think it was funny at all. No one is ever allowed to make jokes at the expense of Rush.

Several Republicans the Fix spoke with, however, were far less sanguine about Sykes.

"Sykes was funny, toeing the line with her comedy the entire time until she brought up Rush," said Matt Mackowiak, a GOP consultant who attended the dinner. "It's one thing to say he is guilty of treason, another to say that he sounds like Osama Bin Laden, was the 20th hijacker on 9/11, and that you hope his kidneys fail. I thought it was over the line and marred her otherwise good performance."

Another GOP strategist who spoke only on the condition of anonymity said that Sykes's remarks about Limbaugh were "way beyond the pale" adding: "In essence she was saying, 'He's an anti-American terrorist and I hope he dies.' It's hard to see how that's in good fun."

Limbaugh himself did not return an email from the Fix seeking comment but it's hard to imagine that he won't address the issue in some way, shape or form on his radio show today. (Limbaugh may also want to take note of the fact that former vice president Dick Cheney said Sunday he'd rather have El Rushbo in the GOP than former Secretary of State Colin Powell. OUCH.)

Is this all much ado about nothing? Maybe. But, remember back to 2006 when Stephen Colbert used his speech at the Correspondents Dinner to deliver a smackdown of President George W. Bush and the press that covered him -- a moment cast by many liberals as an early clarion call for the sort of change Obama ran on and won with two years later.

Given that, there is clearly potential for Sykes' speech to echo well beyond the walls of the Washington Hilton. The question is whether anyone -- Limbaugh, GOP politicians etc -- will fan the flames over the next 24 to 48 hours. And, if so, does Sykes (or do any prominent Democrats) hit back?

Wanda should know we've got her back.

The traditional media types never got the Colbert thing. There is no equivalency here. Colbert mocked everyone sitting in that room.

Sykes was joking about a fellow entertainer, albeit one who runs the Republican party. But, watch to see if the inside-the-beltway pundits start saying Wanda was too tough on Rush. GOP leaders cower before Rush, but Wanda Sykes, a comedian, doesn't. And, many, many in the traditional media cower before Rush, too. Poor Rush. The butt of jokes. Because, you know, Rush is such a class act. He would never ever pick on or mock anyone -- especially anyone with debilitating disease:
Read More......

Iran will free journalist Roxana Saberi

Interesting development today out of Iran. A decision has been made to free the Iranian-American journalist who had been charged -- and convicted -- with spying:

An Iranian appeals court has reduced the eight-year jail sentence for Iranian-American journalist Roxana Saberi to a suspended two-year term and she will soon be freed, her defence lawyer told Reuters on Monday.

Lawyer Abdolsamad Khorramshahi was speaking a day after the court heard the case of Saberi, who was jailed by a lower court on April 18 on charges of spying for the United States.

"The appeals court ... has reduced her jail sentence from eight years to two years of suspended sentence ... and she will soon be free," Khorramshahi told Reuters.

He said Saberi will be banned from doing any reporting work in Iran for five years.

I suspect this decision was made at pretty high levels in Iran, not just by the court of appeals. Read More......

Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Today, President Obama is meeting with a group of health care industry officials and SEIU, among others. They're all committed to reducing the growth rate of health care spending by 1.5% per year over the next ten year, which will result in savings of $2 trillion. That is apparently an indicator that health care reform will happen this year. On a conference call yesterday, a "senior administration official" said the Obama administration views this development as a "game-changer." We'll have more on this later. John and I are trying to figure out what it really means. Although, we were told on the call that Obama is still committed to a public plan in the health care reform package.

So, health care will be on the front burner this week. The Senate, which has taken the side of the banks over consumers, is taking up credit card reform. And, both the House and Senate are doing energy.

Maybe, one day soon, we'll actually get an answer from the Obama administration about whether they're sticking with Obama's promise to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" or if they're abandoning that commitment. They've been really weird about it. Although they're usually pretty adept, I don't think the White House understands the way the dynamics of LGBT-related issues have changed -- and continue to change rapidly. Someone over there should look at the polls, especially the breakdown by age. And, someone should do that soon. Because the Obama administration is looking out of touch on this. It's not good.

Okay, let's get this week started... Read More......

Health care industry locates $2 trillion in savings

Isn't that amazing? How convenient that the industry who scalps the American public, charging more in America for the same products compared to elsewhere in the world, could magically whip up a few trillion in savings when pushed on cleaning up their act. Yeah, the same thing probably would have happened with a continuation of the GOP approach, such as when Bush refused to negotiation pharmaceutical prices with the industry because well, that's what capitalists do when they have buying power. It was a given that the industry was on the verge of radically changing everything. The timing of this amazing savings could never, ever, never be credited to Obama or the Democrats because we all know it's not possible.

President Barack Obama's plan to provide medical insurance for all Americans took a big step toward becoming reality Sunday after leaders of the health care industry offered $2 trillion in spending reductions over 10 years to help pay for the program.

Hospitals, insurance companies, drug makers and doctors planned to tell Obama on Monday they'll voluntarily slow their rate increases in coming years in a move that government economists say would create breathing room to help provide health insurance to an estimated 50 million Americans who now go without it.

With this move, Obama picks up key private-sector allies that fought former President Bill Clinton's effort to overhaul health care. Although the offer from the industry groups doesn't resolve thorny details of a new health care system, it does offer the prospect of freeing a large chunk of money to help pay for coverage. And it puts the private-sector groups in a good position to influence the bill Congress is writing.

Start your clock to see how long before the Republicans make fun of this savings as well. Read More......

BBC Panorama: Allen Standord was a DEA informant

This is beginning to sound like a soap opera story. We'll see if this plays out but it could explain why Stanford avoided SEC problems during previous investigations. I'm guessing that most would probably prefer to have drug kingpins running around over financial crooks any day of the week. It's the financial crooks who are impacting the lives of everyone much more than drugs. The Independent:

An investigation into the financier has found that just $500m (£331m) of the claimed $7.2bn of deposits held by his Stanford International Bank, based in Antigua, has been traced by a UK-based receiver who was called in by authorities when fraud allegations were laid against Stanford in February.

The resulting $6.7bn hole in the bank's balance sheet, which leaves 28,000 depositors – including 200 Britons – with near-worthless investment certificates, raises serious concerns about the extent to which officials in America and Britain were aware of Stanford's personal finance issues and the activities of his banks long before the current economic crisis. A BBC Panorama programme, to be screened tonight, alleges that the 6ft 4in-tall businessman may have been allowed to run his banking business unfettered for up to a decade because he was passing information on to America's Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) about the money-laundering activities of drug baron clients from Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.

Read More......

Why do socialists love happiness?

Bah! It's probably overrated anyway.

According to a new report released by the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development, a Paris-based group of 30 countries with democratic governments that provides economic and social statistics and data, happiness levels are highest in northern European countries.

Denmark, Finland and the Netherlands rated at the top of the list, ranking first, second and third, respectively. Outside Europe, New Zealand and Canada landed at Nos. 8 and 6, respectively. The United States did not crack the top 10. Switzerland placed seventh and Belgium placed tenth.

The report looked at subjective well-being, defined as life satisfaction. Did people feel like their lives were dominated by positive experiences and feelings, or negative ones?

Read More......