Duvalier hires former GOP Rep. Bob Barr to plead frozen bank account case

And he thinks this helps?

In the past, Duvalier has attempted to personally claim the $5.7 million in a bank account belonging to a family foundation. But attorney Ed Marger said the highly controversial and polarizing former leader now wants to use the money to help Haiti, devastated a year ago by a massive earthquake.

"He doesn't want the funds for himself," Marger told CNN. "He wants a transparent entity to release the funds."

Marger is working with two other Georgia attorneys -- former Republican congressman Bob Barr and Mike Puglise -- to find a company that could transfer those funds. Marger named business consultants Ernst & Young and Deloitte as two possibilities.

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Countdown on Obama's Social Security cuts (Bonus: Is Jonathan Alter a covert administration spokesman?)

We know that Obama, in his wisdom, is considering driving a second nail into the heart of Social Security during the State of the Union address. (The first nail was the so-called payroll tax holiday, whereby the government's general fund would pick up part of the tab for the program, thus making Social Security part of the federal budget for the first time in history — another Obama special, I might add; Alice Rivlin fronted the deal.)

The public hates the idea of reducing Social Security, but the crack political team that's steering the Democratic bus has a problem — Do they go with the public on this, or go with the only people who can fund the $1 billion needed to put Obama on his hind legs in 2012, the very very rich?

If money is speech, $1 billion puts a lot of little voices in your head.

But how do you sell the sell-out of Social Security to the program-loving public? Hmm; it is a puzzlement.

Enter Jonathan Alter on the final episode of Keith Olbermann's Countdown, talking about this issue and Obama coming speech. Watch as Keith starts with the poll numbers supporting Social Security, then interviews the administration's fierce defender:



Olbermann: "[R]espondents would rather cut military spending, and by a huge number, than either social program, and by a margin of almost two to one. Americans are also strictly opposed to the retirement age." Note that at 1:15, candidate Obama is also clearly opposed to what the current president is contemplating; good for you, former candidate.

Alter: "He is going to speak out strongly for Social Security" BUT "you can't get from here to there in terms of our fiscal future without dealing with entitlements."

Really, Jon? (I call him "Jon" because Keith called him "Jon" and I stand with Keith.)

Social security is not part of the budget. None of these arguments make any sense at all, as this discussion by James Galbraith easily shows. Keith at 4:40 kills off the retirement-age red herring, and Alter, acting just like an Obama-court courtier would act, still presses Obama's case.

(Note the coming ad campaign's bottom line, and out of Alter's mouth: Obama; at least he's won't privatize like Bush.)

Careful, Jon; if you don't step lightly, you could lose your "fearless reporter" cred and end up on a list with Matt Bai.

And careful, progressives; if you don't treat Obama exactly like Bush on this subject, you're going to lose. Time to put (Dem) partisanship aside and be your own fierce advocate. Time to win one.

The state of the union, part of the ongoing daytime drama: Can this administration be saved, from itself? Stay tuned.

GP Read the rest of this post...

Texas GOP Governor Perry used stimulus money to cover 97% of state deficit

Typical Republican hypocrite. As you might have guessed, Perry had complained about the stimulus being a waste of money.

Perry also likes to trumpet that his state balanced its budget in 2009, while keeping billions in its rainy day fund.

But he couldn't have done that without a lot of help from ... guess where? Washington.

Turns out Texas was the state that depended the most on those very stimulus funds to plug nearly 97% of its shortfall for fiscal 2010, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

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Obama won't propose cuts to Social Security in State of the Union

This is what counts as a progressive victory these days. The Democratic President won't say he's cutting Social Security in the State of the Union. Yay (for now)! It's sad that it's come to this so quickly -- and it may be temporary. But, we'll have to take our victories where we get them:

President Obama has decided not to endorse his deficit commission's recommendation to raise the retirement age, and otherwise reduce Social Security benefits, in Tuesday's State of the Union address, cheering liberals and drawing a stark line between the White House and key Republicans in Congress.

Over the weekend, the White House informed Democratic lawmakers and advocates for seniors that Obama will emphasize the need to reduce record deficits in the speech, but that he will not call for reducing spending on Social Security - the single largest federal program - as part of that effort.

Phew.

Now, this counts as a loss for groups like Third Way. Over the weekend, Joan McCarter eviscerated that group's effort to undermine Social Security:

This is just GOP-lite, turning Social Security into a welfare program for the very old and very poor and privatization for the rest, because we know how well stock and real estate investments worked out.

Third Way won't stop trying to destroy the Democratic brand. And, they've got fellow corporate apologists like Bill Daley and Bruce Reed in key positions in the White House now.

So, consider this a temporary victory as there was this blurb in the Post article:

Administration officials said Obama is unlikely to specifically endorse any of the deficit commission's recommendations in the speech, but cautioned that he is unlikely to rule them off the table, either. On Social Security, for example, he is likely to urge lawmakers to work together to make the program solvent, without going into details, according to congressional sources.

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Gibbs refuses to explain why Obama was for gay marriage in 1996, but not now

Another day, another tortured answer from White House spokesman Robert Gibbs about our civil rights. Read the rest of this post...

Should Scalia and Thomas have recused themselves from Citizens United case?

Common Cause says yes:

“The public is entitled to more detail about the nature and extent of the justices’ involvement with Koch Industries’ closed-door political strategy sessions,” said Edgar, “And there has been no response to the equally serious concern raised about Justice Thomas’s financial conflict of interest due to his wife’s role as CEO of Liberty Central and its political activities in 2010.”

Charles Koch’s invitation to their 2011 secretive retreat, to be held in Palm Springs on January 30-31, states that the “action-oriented program brings together top experts and leaders to discuss – and offer solutions to counter – the most critical threats to our free society.” It added that past “meetings have featured such notable leaders as Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas,” along with a host conservative leaders and elected officials, like Glenn Beck, Haley Barbour and Jim DeMint.

“That doesn’t exactly square with Thursday’s assertions by a Court spokeswoman,” Edgar said. As reported today by the Los Angeles Times, the spokeswoman stated that the justices attended nearby Federalist Society dinners, but that Scalia did not attend the January 2007 Koch seminar, and that Justice Thomas merely did a “brief drop-by” at the separate Koch meeting sessions.”

In addition, Justice Thomas’s 2008 disclosure form states that he was reimbursed by the Federalist Society for “transportation/meals and accommodations” for a trip to Palm Springs January 26-29. Those dates appear to coincide with the schedule for Koch Industries multi-day retreats, and raise some obvious questions: Did Justice Thomas stay at the same posh resort where the Kochs were holding their event or have more extensive involvement with the event or event participants?

Justice Scalia’s 2007 disclosure form only shows reimbursement by the Federalist Society for “transportation, food and lodging” for Indian Wells, California for a single day, January 29, 2007. His form also shows reimbursement by the Federalist Society for a trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado on September 10-11 of 2007 as well, but we do not know at this time if that was in conjunction with another Koch Industries retreat. The last semi-annual Koch retreat was held in Aspen, Colorado on June 27-28, 2010.

Common Cause has sent a letter to DOJ, and launched a petition to garner more attention to this issue. Read the rest of this post...

Introducing AMERICAblog Elections: The Right's Field

Today, Joe, Chris and I want to announce our newest addition to the AMERICAblog family, AMERICAblog Elections: The Right's Field - a blog about the 2012 GOP presidential candidates. I'll let Kombiz tell you more about the site and who is behind it.

Welcome to The Right's Field, AMERICAblog Elections. We'll be keeping an eye on the 2012 Republican presidential candidates and the race for the GOP nomination.

Kombiz, Matt and Matt started this project in late 2006 when it became clear that there was a need for liberal bloggers to keep a close eye on who Republicans were going to nominate to try to succeed George W. Bush. At the time, no other liberal blog was focused exclusively on the Republican presidential primary and we sought to fill a need. As the 2008 campaign evolved, new writers came to The Right's Field, including David Dayen, Todd Beeton, Michael Roston and others.

Matt Browner-Hamlin went on to work for the Dodd for President campaign while Kombiz Lavasany and Matt Ortega went on to work at the Democratic National Committee. MBH currently works for SEIU while Kombiz and Ortega work with progressive organizations at New Partners. It goes without saying that this is a labor of love for us and the views expressed here are our own.

While there will undoubtedly be more attention paid on liberal blogs to the field of Republican presidential candidates in 2012 without a competitive Democratic primary, it is our hope that The Right's Field can be the primary stop for news, research, and analysis of the Republican field as it evolves.

Thanks to John and Joe for creating a home for us. We're really looking forward to engaging the AMERICAblog audience over the next two years.

A NOTE TO GOP RESEARCH STAFF: We are happy to run whatever information you have on your opponents. No fingerprints, we promise!

We'll accept your tips and opposition research here.

The Right's Field:RSS
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Mitt Romney's $106m porn favor

From our new blog, AMERICAblog Elections: The Right's Field - a blog covering the 2012 GOP presidential candidates - here is Kombiz Lavasany writing about Mitt Romney's lucrative porn favor he got from Marriott. Marriott is a Mormon-run company, and some are asking whether this wasn't a favor done for the Mormon presidential candidate.

More on AMERICAblog Elections, and who's behind it, in a bit. Read the rest of this post...

The Founders were in favor of socialized Frenchie-style government run health care

Well isn't that inconvenient.

Forbes writer Rick Ungar is getting some attention for a piece arguing that history shows that John Adams supported a strong Federal role in health care. Ungar argues that Adams even championed an early measure utilizing the concept behind the individual mandate, which Tea Partyers say is unconsittutional.

I just ran this theory past a professor of history who specializes in the early republic, and he said there's actually something to it. Short version: There's no proof from the historical record that Adams would have backed the idea behind the individual mandate in particular. But it is fair to conclude, the professor says, that the founding generation supported the basic idea of government run health care, and the use of mandatory taxation to pay for it.

Maybe Sarah Palin will put a target on John Adams now too. Read the rest of this post...

Illinois appellate Court rules Rahm not eligible for Mayoral ballot

Might not be a Mayor Rahm after all. The story is just breaking, but here's what the Chicago Tribune has:

The Illinois appellate court has issued a ruling saying the Chicago election board's decision that Rahm Emanuel is eligible to be on the ballot should be “reversed.”

No doubt we'll see an appeal to the Illinois Supreme Court.

Sometimes, the rules do apply to everyone, even Rahm Emanuel. Read the rest of this post...

Suspected suicide bomber kills dozens at Moscow's busiest airport

At least 31 dead, 140 wounded. Read the rest of this post...

GOP House takes credit for jobs gains, only 19 days on the job

Yes, House passage of the health care reform repeal bill, which didn't even pass the Senate yet (and won't), somehow has already created jobs. (Maybe it was the reading of the Constitution on the House floor, I'm sure that created at least half a job.)

Ben Smith has the ridiculous brag (Senate members are claiming it too). And Dave Weigel has an economist ripping the claim.

The problem is, Republicans lie. The danger is that this mantra of "we've created jobs" may eventually stick (death panels anyone?), regardless of whether they've created a single one. Read the rest of this post...

TSA loses lawsuit over ID and video in public place

This is the video of the event that caused the lawsuit. The court decided that the traveler did not have to show his ID to the TSA. The decision also confirmed the right of travelers to video in any public place at airports. Will the TSA respect the court decision? Read the rest of this post...

For Obama, State of the Union 'will mark the culmination of a transformation'

Apparently, these past few years have caused the President to evolve. Tomorrow night, we'll see the "new" Obama. It's certainly not the President we thought we elected back in 2008:

When President Obama delivers his State of the Union address to Congress, it will mark the culmination of a transformation the White House hopes will lead to a second term in 2012.

Obama and his aides began positioning the president as more business-friendly and centrist months ago, and the White House intends to build on that effort when he addresses the country and a divided Congress on Tuesday.

Obama is expected to say that the economy has survived near-collapse and that Washington should now focus on growing jobs and increasing America's competitiveness in the global market. The president will call on the Republican House and a Senate still held by his own party to help him in that effort.

Tomorrow night will be interesting. Apparently, his aides want us to know that entering the 2012 reelection, we'll see a "more business-friendly and centrist" Obama. Can't wait to see what that really means. Read the rest of this post...

Krugman: The Competition Myth

If only it was possible to believe Obama thinks it's a myth. From the outside, it looks like he actually believes this nonsense. Obama continues to repeat the tired old Republican lies and gives them a new lease on life.

Furthermore, while America is running a trade deficit, this deficit is smaller than it was before the Great Recession began. It would help if we could make it smaller still. But ultimately, we’re in a mess because we had a financial crisis, not because American companies have lost their ability to compete with foreign rivals.

But isn’t it at least somewhat useful to think of our nation as if it were America Inc., competing in the global marketplace? No.

Consider: A corporate leader who increases profits by slashing his work force is thought to be successful. Well, that’s more or less what has happened in America recently: employment is way down, but profits are hitting new records. Who, exactly, considers this economic success?

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Middle East peace process exposes desperate Palestinian Authority

It's hard to see the process concluding in any reasonable way when you read through the latest document leak. The Palestinian Authority is increasingly desperate to agree to anything, while the Israeli government has little interest in agreeing to anything and the US has even less interest in making the process work. At this rate, it doesn't sound unreasonable to suggest that without some agreement, Hamas and Iran are likely to gain strength. The Guardian:

In an emotional – and apparently humiliating – outburst to Barack Obama's Middle East envoy, George Mitchell, in Washington in October 2009, the senior Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat complained that the Ramallah-based Palestinian leadership wasn't even being offered a "figleaf".

He said: "Nineteen years of promises and you haven't made up your minds what you want to do with us ... We delivered on our road map obligations. Even Yuval Diskin [director of Israel's internal security service, Shabak] raises his hat on security. But no, they can't even give a six-month freeze to give me a figleaf."

All the US government was interested in, Erekat went on, was "PR, quick news, and we're cost free", ending up with the appeal: "What good am I if I'm the joke of my wife, if I'm so weak?"

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Berlusconi's political party gains support during 'scandal'

Although the gain is inside the margin of error, it's still amazing to see Berlusconi moving through what would probably be a scandal in most any other country. Somehow each time a scandal arrives, he moves past with barely a problem.

Yet the poll found that, if an election was held immediately, more than 30% of voters would support his party, compared with less than 28% in December. Berlusconi's Freedom People movement, together with its main ally, the Northern League, could garner almost 41%.

Renato Mannheimer, the head of the company that conducted the poll, said "even the Catholic electorate ... does not appear to have significantly altered its preferences". For the first time, the number of Italians favouring Berlusconi's resignation exceeded the number who opposed it, but they represented only 49% of the electorate.

Many of the prime minister's critics will see the results as a reflection of his power to influence voters through the media. On the day the investigation's findings were released, one of his TV channels relegated the story to third place on the evening news.

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