Friday Night Open Thread

Okay, tonight's video is political. It's inspiring. It's 13 minutes long but worth a watch.

It's a video of students at the Bronx High School of Performance and Stagecraft reacting to Obama's historic speech on race. The best part is when several of the students give their own versions of the "Yes We Can" speech. I mean it, you'll be inspired. And, after the past couple weeks, inspiration is a good thing.

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Rove's "fingerprints are smeared all over the case" says former Alabama Governor Siegelman

Don Siegelman got out of jail today. He had a conversation with the New York Times and he immediately and appropriately blamed Karl Rove for his legal troubles. Rove is going to have to answer a lot of questions about this case. And, that pompous little bastard better not claim executive privilege. If Rove can spend hours pontificating on Fox News, he can find the time to answer some questions -- under oath:

In a telephone interview shortly after he walked out of a federal prison in Oakdale, La., Mr. Siegelman said there had been “abuse of power” in his case, and repeatedly cited the influence of Karl Rove, the former White House political director.

“His fingerprints are smeared all over the case,” Mr. Siegelman said, a day after a federal appeals court ordered him released on bond and said there were legitimate questions about his case.

Mr. Rove has strenuously denied any involvement in the conviction of the former governor, who was sentenced to serve seven years last June after being convicted in 2006. He could not immediately be reached for comment today.

Mr. Siegelman served nine months while his lawyers appealed a federal judge’s refusal to release him on bond, pending the ex-governor’s appeal of his conviction. That refusal was overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Thursday.

The former governor, a Democrat, said he would “press” to have Mr. Rove answer questions about his possible involvement in the case before Congress, which has already held a hearing on Mr. Siegelman. On Thursday, the House Judiciary Committee signaled its intention to have Mr. Siegelman testify about the nature of his prosecution.

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Big Time Lobbyist Charlie Black is quitting Mark Penn for John McCain

Charlie Black currently works for Mark Penn. But that's about to change. Black is choosing McCain over Penn:

Top Washington lobbyist Charlie Black is leaving his firm to join Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) presidential campaign.

Black, chairman of BKSH & Associates, told The Hill his resignation would be effective Monday, March 31. He will join McCain's campaign on a full-time basis starting Tuesday.

Now if we could only get Penn to choose Obama over McCain. Read the rest of this post...

Big movement towards Obama in the Gallup daily tracking poll

It's been another raucous week on the campaign trail. We'll have to wean ourselves from the national polls and start focusing on the key state polls, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Indiana. Clinton is way up in PA and should win that state by 15-20 points. That means North Carolina and Indiana are going to be pivotal.

In the meantime, the Gallup daily tracking poll does tell the story of the past couple weeks:


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New Bush admin. scandal: Top aide quits over misuse of US AID money

It's always something with those crooks, liars and cheaters at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW:

The White House says an aide to President Bush has resigned because of the alleged misuse of grant money from U.S. Agency for International Development.

Presidential spokesman Scott Stanzel says the former aide, Felipe Sixto, had been a special assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs. Stanzel said Sixto was promoted to that position on March 1 and that he came forward on March 20 to tell his superiors about the alleged wrongdoing.

Stanzel said it involved improprieties involving the use of grant money and Sixto's former employer, the Center for a Free Cuba. Stanzel says the matter has been turned over to the Justice Department.

More on the Center for a Free Cuba here. Read the rest of this post...

Wall Street borrowing $32.9 billion per day from Fed

But remember, they love the free market. That's what Wall Street and the GOP tell us anyway. Just make sure the "free" is free money from taxpayers. What a sad bunch of freeloaders. The only thing that's worse is that nobody is getting serious yet about the strings that ought to be attached. If we're going to subsidize these bums then what are we getting in return? Another CEO making millions in stock sale profits? Sorry, not interesting.

What is so difficult about talking money now, as in today? Give me specifics about the new regulations that will safeguard our investments. Tell me how we're going offer plans to help investors from getting ripped off by Wall Street charges on their retirement plans. Maybe even put a hold on executives from selling any of their shares until we have a clear picture of what is happening. These are extraordinary times so let's not miss the window. Let's talk about this now. Today. Not tomorrow. Today. Read the rest of this post...

See the trailer for "Hillary in Ireland: 'Peace at Last'"

Jed strikes again.

Last week, he brought you the trailer for the Mark J. Penn production of "Hillary in Tuzla: The Tale of Bosnian Sniper Fire."

This week, it's the trailer for Penn's latest work, "Hillary in Ireland: 'Peace at Last'":
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O'Hanlon Iraq follies, part 359,802

Michael O'Hanlon, expert on everything and embarrassment to foreign policy professionals everywhere, regularly pumps out vacuous op-eds on the pages of, well, every major paper you can think of. His latest Washington Times gem, though, is particularly special, and includes this treasure:

The Iraqi Security Forces are surely better than before. But with memories of Iraq's intense civil war of 2006 and early 2007 still very fresh, it is doubtful they have gone far enough towards establishing national rather than sectarian loyalties.

That's a relief! I was worried that the past few days demonstrated the continuation and complication of an internal civil war, but apparently it's just a few little aftershocks of that ugly civil war that ended a year ago.

He also says we should send "at least modest numbers of American troops southward" into Basra. Not sure which side he wants us to take in that civil war . . . I mean, post-conflict zone.

Yikes. Read the rest of this post...

Watching "The View" so you don't have to

Senator Obama's on "The View" right now.

Obama: Women always surprise me...I survive by taking constructive criticism, but you have to know that not everything you say is going to be liked by everyone.

Ok, it took :30 for the "You're related to Brad Pitt?" to come up. At :35 in... Barbara tells Obama he's sexy.

I'm trying not to throw up. Moving on...

Obama: Reverend Wright has retired. I joined this church 20 years ago. This is one of the few African American congregations in the denomination and one of the most active churches in the community. On and off in the course of 20 years, I joined the Church and embraced my Christian faith at that church. I never heard him say some of the things that have upset people. He's preaching three times every Sunday over the course of 20 years. I'm not vetting my pastor. The statements that were made were rightly offensive. What they spoke to was a brilliant man caught in a time warp where he grew up and didn't have a good enough sense of how America's changed. That doesn't excuse, but does help explain, what he said. It helps to put it in context.

Had the Reverend not retired and not acknowledged that what he'd said had offended people, then I wouldn't have felt comfortable staying at the church.

Elizabeth Hasselbeck: You transcended party lines in your 2004 Democratic convention speech. You speak of One America, but the man you chose as your spiritual advisor made awful comments, and yet you still affiliated with him.

Obama: Imagine someone compiled the 5 stupidest things you ever said, and then played them over and over again for weeks. (That is an excellent idea. I'm guessing Hasselbeck wouldn't stand up to that kind of scrutiny herself.) People are mixes of good and bad. I saw mostly the good.

I have all kinds of friends across the political spectrum. Part of my role in politics is trying to get people who don't agree to help understand each other.

I spoke to Rev Wright after this episode, and I told him I felt badly he's been characterized in this one way. But he was my pastor. I think people overstate his role as my mentor or spiritual advisor.

I realize I am running for President and the threshold is higher. I expect a high level of scrutiny. Hopefully people will see this in context.

First question post commercial. What are the first three things you will do as President?
Obama:
1. Responsibly and honorably figure out how to get out of Iraq
2. Put forward legislation that gives everyone healthcare. Keep it if you've got it, but we'll help bring down deductibles and premiums. If you don't have it, we'll set up a plan you can buy into with help.
3. Deal with the energy crisis.

Are you going to be able to stand up to the attack machine on the Republican side? How tough are you?
Obama: I'm skinny but I'm tough. Truth is a powerful weapon. When you say what you really believe, it can be disarming.

Will you wife sit in on your cabinet meetings?
Obama: No. Parenting and other projects are her priority.

Back from break again. Sherri Shepherd's switching her vote from Clinton to Obama after hearing his speech on race last week.
Obama: Our supporters are passionate. The press loves when someone says crazy stuff. That contributes to a sense of bitterness. Clinton was my friend before. She will be my friend after this contest ends. The Democrats will come together. They will have a nominee they will be proud of.

We have so much more in common than what drives us apart. People basically want the same things when you talk to them across the country. That doesn't mean we won't have real arguments on how to get there, but we all have similar goals.

I don't want higher taxes. I have to pay them. It's no fun. I would prefer to keep taxes as low as possible. I'll roll back Bush tax cuts. Increase taxes there. I'll help people making less than $75,000 year. Those of us that can pay more will pay a little more.

Ok, they just rushed him off because they ran out of time. I am not a fan of the show. I never watch. But it was a good venue for Obama. He was relaxed and addressed the questions clearly and appropriately for the audience at hand.

I hope this was helpful. Now y'all owe me one. I think sitting through "The View" officially qualifies as taking one for the team. Read the rest of this post...

Making a little headway in understanding healthcare reform

If ever you've tried to untangle a knotted necklace, you've got a good sense of how I feel trying to make sense of the specifics of the healthcare reform debate. It's infinitely frustrating, and you start to rely on small victories to keep you going.

The New York Times interviewed Senator Clinton on camera about her plans for universal healthcare and then summarized the 45 minute conversation in print here. From what I can gather, the salient details are as follows:

1. You're going to be required to buy health insurance.
2. You'll spend somewhere between 5-10% of your income on health insurance premiums but no more than 10%.
3. It "might be appropriate" to make insurance companies spend your premium money on - gasp - healthcare versus, say, overhead and profit.
4. Raising tobacco taxes again may be a good way to help finance universal coverage.
5. Insurance companies won't be able to deny you coverage based on age or health status.
6. Tax credits and rolling back Bush's tax cuts would both help cover the estimated $110 billion cost of switching over to Clinton's proposed plan.

On first read, all of this seems relatively reasonable. Smokers and tobacco farmers are going to hate #4, but being a former social smoker who now detests the smell of smoke on her clothes after a night out with friends who still partake, I'm okay with encouraging people to stop. Where Clinton and I part ways is in this arena:

[Senator Obama] has suggested that affordability is the sole reason people do not buy health insurance.

Mrs. Clinton called that argument “just specious.” She maintains, and many health economists agree, that a share of the uninsured are “free riders,” typically young and healthy workers who can afford coverage but choose to spend on other priorities.

Yes, priorities like food and rent. I've been there. When you lose your job - and your benefits - and you have to make choices as to where the money goes, unaffordable health insurance premiums are not topping the list. I'm no health economist, but I'm backing Obama on this one. I don't think people avoid health insurance because they want a free ride. I think they avoid health insurance because it's too expensive and they've got other immediate pressing needs like keeping themselves and their families fed and clothed and with a roof over their heads.

The other missing link in this write is what happens to freelance or contract workers, the self-employed, or the suddenly unemployed. Capping premiums at 5-10% of your income is alright if you have a steady, predictable income, but when that's not the case, every penny counts. If you mandate people purchase health insurance, you've got to take into consideration how to accommodate those who don't fall into tidy little employment categories. The nature of our workforce is constantly changing. I've yet to see specifics on how that'll be addressed effectively.

This will be an easier topic to discuss come the general election because there are such distinctions between the Democratic and Republican plans for healthcare reform. But today's NYT article was a nice little knot to work through for the time being. Read the rest of this post...

Pennsylvania Senator Casey endorses Obama

Hillary has always been expected to win Pennsylvania by 20 points (I'm sure the media will call it an "upset" when she finally wins what she's always been expected to win). But still, getting a Senator's endorsement (he's a SuperDelegate), especially when the Senator in question said he was going to stay neutral, is not small news.

"The endorsement comes as something of a surprise," Dan Pfeiffer, Obama deputy communications director, said in a statement. "Casey ... had been adamant about remaining neutral until after the April 22 primary. He said he wanted to help unify the party."

Very interesting that Casey felt the need to come forwards and "unify the party" - i.e., put an end to the ongoing nomination fight. Read the rest of this post...

Please help Scott Kleeb's Senate race in Nebraska

You all remember Scott Kleeb, America’s favorite cowboy. Scott is running for the open Senate seat in Nebraska. Scott ran for the US House in 2006, and while he didn’t win, he did so well that he forced George Bush to come to the state to help his opponent – Nebraska shouldn’t even have been competitive, but Scott made it so! Scott is a good Democrat, and about as good of one as we’ll ever have in a red state like Nebraska. So please give him your support (if the donation link isn't working, you can give via securely and safely via our ActBlue page here).

My contribution: $

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American tourists with dollars turned away from currency exchanges in Amsterdam

I'd seen this article while I was Greece two weeks ago, and forgot to post it then. It's still relevant. The Republicans are destroying our international reputation. This is the dollar we're talking, not the peso. This kind of thing happens with developing country currencies experiencing hyperinflation, it doesn't happen with the US dollar. Until now. I really think this is an issue that Hillary, Obama and the Dems overall have dropped the ball on. It's frightfully embarrassing. And it so encapsulates what the Republicans have done to our country over the past 8 years. The almighty dollar is now no better than a third world currency you've never even heard of. From Reuters:

The U.S. dollar's value is dropping so fast against the euro that small currency outlets in Amsterdam are turning away tourists seeking to sell their dollars for local money while on vacation in the Netherlands....

That's because the smaller currency exchanges -- despite buy/sell spreads that make it easier for them to make money by exchanging small amounts of currency -- don't want to be caught holding dollars that could be worth less by the time they can sell them.

Imagine if Bill Clinton had done this. Imagine the Republican talking points. Come on, Democrats - think strategically. This is the kind of insult that regular Americans can appreciate. Read the rest of this post...

Friday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

McCain and Romney together again. Quite the pair. Is it true love this time?

Matt Lauer was decidedly not hysterical today for the first time all week. What's the buzz this morning? Read the rest of this post...

Bear Stearns Chairman sells everything - pockets $61 million

Poor fella only pocketed $61 million instead of billions. It will be interesting to see how the Senate - in particular Senator Baucus and Senator Grassley - views this profit taking. Selling everything in one shot is generally not done so I'm curious to see where the Senate goes with this. Only days before the stock was valued at $2 and was eventually sold for $10.84 per share.

Does an executive who led Bear Stearns into this trouble really deserve to even make $61 million? Are we telling America (and the world) that despite dragging down the retirement investments of millions, plus the panic their fall added to the US economy (requiring a bailout) plus the loss of thousands of jobs, it's OK for one of the leaders to pocket money that most Americans can't even imagine? Is that what we are saying here? The fact that Bear Stearns had to be bailed out throws traditional rules out the window. That $61 million ought to immediately go into an escrow account controlled by the US government until this mess has been sorted. Allowing any profit taking in the middle of a collapse is simply un-American and unethical. Read the rest of this post...

Only Bush can't go to China

Odd how we no longer hear "all options are on the table" from Bush these days, isn't it? Once again we see Bush exposed for the ridiculous fraud that we've known him to be for years. Even Reagan would have told China to pound salt, though somehow I doubt he would have agreed to go in the first place. Read the rest of this post...

GOP wife-swapping consultant may have outed Spitzer to FBI

Which still begs the question of why the FBI cared. Read the rest of this post...

Open Thread

Little late night music to accompany the open thread. "They're On To Me" is one of my favorite running songs. I listen to it over and over and probably sing it out loud without realizing it.
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