The pro-Republican nugget in the Democratic response to McConnell?

I've been puzzled by all the crowing about how Obama won and McConnell capitulated. This doesn't sound like our Democratic party, does it, all victorious and un-surrendery. Am I late to the celebrating mood? Or did I miss something?

So I've been telling myself, along with many others, "Nothing is agreed to until everything is agreed to." Right, Mr. O'Donnell? Wasn't that part of your recent victory-lecture? So let's see the deal before I munch that crow, I told myself, and I settled in to wait.

Then I spotted this, in Tuesday's Wash Post article on the McConnell offer (my emphasis):

Publicly, Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.) left the door open to the idea. “I’m willing to look at this,” he told reporters. Privately, Reid has consulted with McConnell about making the proposal more palatable to reluctant Republicans by creating a joint committee to draft an enforceable debt-reduction plan, according to senior sources in both parties. Details are still being worked out, but the new committee would be stocked with Democratic and Republican lawmakers, and their budget-cutting plan could be fast-tracked to a vote in each chamber.

OK, I'm not crazy. This has real flaw-in-the-ointment possibilities.

So I'm with you, Mr. O'Donnell. Show me the deal, as done. Then I'll crow along with you, or eat some.

Miles to go, folks; miles to go.

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It got "tough" and "testy" between Obama and Cantor at debt ceiling meeting today

Sam Stein has a report on the White House meeting. Sounds like Obama has had enough of Eric Cantor:

"Eric don't call my bluff. I'm going to the American people on this," the president said, according to both Cantor and another attendee. "This process is confirming what the American people think is the worst about Washington: that everyone is more interested in posturing, political positioning, and protecting their base, than in resolving real problems."

Cantor, speaking to reporters after the meeting, said that the president "abruptly" walked off after offering his scolding.

“I know why he lost his temper. He’s frustrated. We’re all frustrated," the Virginia Republican said.

Democratic officials had a different interpretation. "The meeting ended with Cantor being dressed down while sitting in silence," one official said in an email. "[The president] said Cantor could not have it both ways of insisting on dollar-for-dollar and still not being open to revenues."

Now, that would be worth the price of admission. Cantor clearly deserved a dressing dow -- and needs more of them.

Could the White House please provide a livestream of the next debt ceiling meeting? Read the rest of this post...

Mother arrested for blocking TSA from groping her daughter

Security theater at its finest. How are we safer as a country when kids can be groped by people in uniforms?

A 41-year-old Clarksville woman was arrested after Nashville airport authorities say she was belligerent and verbally abusive to security officers, refusing for her daughter to be patted down at a security checkpoint.

Andrea Fornella Abbott yelled and swore at Transportation Security Administration agents Saturday afternoon at Nashville International Airport, saying she did not want her daughter to be “touched inappropriately or have her “crotch grabbed,” a police report states.

After the woman refused to calm down, airport police said, she was charged with disorderly conduct and taken to jail. She has been released on bond.

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The $650 million telco swindle

There is no reason why phone and internet bills are so high in the US. Calling out the industry on cramming charges is a good start but it's really barely scratching the surface. Why is "capitalist" America paying so much more for phone, internet and cable TV charges compared to "socialist" Europe and other parts of the world? It's criminal and until Congress decides to support the consumers (not likely) they will continue to be screwed in the name of corporate profits. MSNBC.com:

Mysterious fees and services crammed onto phone bills are a “nationwide epidemic” for U.S. consumers, but a reliable source of revenue for some of America's biggest telecommunications companies, a year-long congressional investigation has found.

A report issued Wednesday by Sen. John Rockefeller, D-W.Va., says that three firms -- Verizon, AT&T; and CenturyLink/Quest -- earned $650 million as their cut of cramming charges levied by third-parties since 2006.

Cramming charges -- such as unwanted $10-per-month voicemail or Web design services -- have been frustrating phone customers for more than 15 years, thanks in part to ill-considered rules designed to enhance competition in local phone markets. Consumers often don't spot the small monthly fees, but even when they do getting refunds can be a nightmare: The telephone provider that sends the bills often refuses to issue refunds, instead referring consumers to the third-party firms, which are often unresponsive. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that 15 million to 20 million consumers are crammed every year. Rockefeller’s report says cramming could cost U.S. consumers $2 billion annually.

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Eliot Spitzer: Holder’s Justice Dept should investigate Murdoch media for "corrupt practices and revoke its TV licenses if found guilty"

Eliot Spitzer, a former prosecutor, writing in Slate about Rupert Murdoch's media empire, has a few suggestions (h/t Digby, my emphasis:

[I]t is hard to believe that the misbehavior in Murdoch's media empire stopped at the water's edge. Given the frequency with which he shuttled his senior executives and editors across the various oceans—Pacific as well as Atlantic—it is unlikely that the shoddy ethics were limited to Great Britain.

Much more importantly, the facts already pretty well established in Britain indicate violations of American law, in particular a law called the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Justice Department has been going out of its way to undertake FCPA prosecutions and investigations in recent years, and the News Corp. case presents a pretty simple test for Attorney General Eric Holder: If the department fails to open an immediate investigation into News Corp.'s violations of the FCPA, there will have been a major breach of enforcement at Justice. Having failed to pursue Wall Street with any apparent vigor, this is an opportunity for the Justice Department to show it can flex its muscles at the right moment. While one must always be cautious in seeking government investigation of the media for the obvious First Amendment concerns, this is not actually an investigation of the media, but an investigation of criminal acts undertaken by those masquerading as members of the media.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was written in the 1970s to prevent American corporations from "bribing overseas officials in order to secure business deals, ... to bring some baseline of ethics to international business." Thus, as Spitzer writes:

[A]cts in Britain by British citizens working on behalf of News Corp. create liability for News Corp., an American business incorporated in Delaware[.] ... The rampant violations of British law alleged—payments to cops to influence ongoing investigations and the hacking of phones—are sufficient predicates for the Justice Department to investigate. Indeed, the facts as they are emerging are a case study for why the FCPA was enacted.

That "payments to cops" part is troubling, since as Spitzer writes in the start of this column, the "pseudo-investigations conducted by Scotland Yard are likewise proving to be corrupt and unreliable." That's the Scotland Yard. Murdoch tars everything he touches.

Interesting test for Holder, don't you think? Let's just see what he does. (Think Murdoch will charge "political investigation"? Think that will throw Obama/Holder off the scent? What's an un-reelected administration to do?)

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Bernanke planning QE3 program to throw more cash at Wall Street

For goodness sake it's not working so stop it. The quantitative easing programs have thrown wads of cash to Wall Street but nothing has trickled down from their pockets. Not even bread crumbs. The Federal Reserve really needs to be corralled because it's beyond cray to keep printing money just to help Wall Street. Let Wall Street go make their own money without government handouts and quit this nonsense. Aren't we supposed to be a capitalist country?

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told Congress Wednesday that a new stimulus program is in the works that will entail additional asset purchases, the clearest indication yet that the central bank is contemplating another round of monetary easing.

Bernanke said in prepared remarks that the economy is growing more slowly than expected, and should that continue the central bank stands at the ready with more accommodative measures.

"Once the temporary shocks that have been holding down economic activity pass, we expect to again see the effects of policy accommodation reflected in stronger economic activity and job creation," he said.

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New reports finds Vatican abetted cover-up of child rape scandal in Ireland

Brutal new report from the Irish government documents the role of the Vatican in hindering investigations into the child rape scandal. From the Irish Times:

The Vatican was “entirely unhelpful” to any bishop who wanted to implement procedures for dealing with allegations of child sexual abuse in the Irish Catholic Church, a report has found.

We've got more at AMERICAblog Gay.

Leaders of the Catholic Church, as we know all too well, are very quick to lash out at any and every effort to move forward on issues relating to LGBT equality. Well, we're seeing further evidence that the rot goes right to the top. So, from now on, whenever a Catholic Church leader has the audacity to attack or criticize the LGBT community, there's a simple response: STFU. Seriously, just STFU and clean up your own corrupt, rotten, child-rape enabling institution. Read the rest of this post...

Romney conspicuously absent from debt ceiling discussion

Isn't it curious that the GOP front runner is afraid to play an active and constructive role on this critical issue? Is he a leader or isn't he?

Romney’s cautious approach stands in contrast to the sharper lines of his competitors. In her first campaign ad, released last week, Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota pledged never to vote for a debt-ceiling increase. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas holds the same position. In an oped Tuesday in the Des Moines Register, former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty accused Obama and congressional Democrats of “using the debt ceiling debate to threaten default if their thirst for more taxes and spending isn’t satisfied.”

Romney’s competitors have also chided him for laying low, suggesting it shows a lack of resolve. But in fact, Romney’s decision to play it low-key is smart, says Ford O’Connell, co-founder of the conservative Civic Forum PAC.

“Governor Romney has done the bare minimum to appease fiscal conservatives and tea paryters by signing the Cut, Cap, and Balance pledge,” says Mr. O’Connell. “And given the number of twists and turns this debate is going to take before we come to a solution, it’s better to keep your options open.”

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Wisconsin: All "real" Dems breeze through recall primaries against Republican "fake Dems"

My headline isn't snarky; here's the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

6 fake Democrats fall, setting stage for GOP recalls

Six fake Democratic candidates put up by the Republican Party to buy time for Republican state senators subject to recalls accomplished that job Tuesday, but none of them did the unexpected and knocked off a real Democrat.

Candidates backed by the Democratic Party won all six Senate primary elections, all but one of them by substantial amounts. They'll all go on to face the Republican incumbents on Aug. 9, in an attempt by Democrats to regain control of the state Senate and put the brakes on Gov. Scott Walker's agenda. ...

The Republican Party forced the primaries to give its six senators facing recall another four weeks before facing a Democratic challenger, in order to allow them to take their case to the voters and argue that their work on the budget was good for the state.

Click here to see the vote totals. The closest race was Shelly Moore vs. Isaac Weix. Moore won 55%–45%.

To help you keep this straight, these are now the Democratic challengers to sitting Republican state senators. That election, the actual Republican recalls, is set for August 9. Six Republican senators are being recalled:

Robert Cowles
Alberta Darling
Sheila Harsdorf
Luther Olsen
Randy Hopper
Dan Kapanke

Republican senators Glen Grothman and Mary Lazich escaped recall challenges.

Democratic recalls (recall elections against sitting Dem senators) will be held on July 19 and August 16. The July election features Dem. Dave Hansen vs. David VanderLeest (click here to remind yourself who that is). Dems Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch face Republican challengers on the August date.

As I understand it, a net of three Democratic wins will flip the Wisconsin senate.

Our "Help Wisconsin" link is below. Huge thanks to all of those who helped put us over the top.



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Democratic leaders: We don’t know who’s running GOP debt talks

The Hill:

House Democratic leaders say they’re no longer certain who’s negotiating a debt deal on behalf of the GOP, a message they’re pushing to posit a growing rift between Republican leaders.

The Democrats on Tuesday repeatedly blamed the debt-ceiling impasse on a split between House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). They say it would be tough to strike a bipartisan deal if Republicans can’t reach some kind of internal agreement.

“I have to assume that isn’t really about Democrats versus Republicans or the House versus the Senate; this is about John Boehner versus Eric Cantor,” Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, told radio host Bill Press on Tuesday. “This is about an internal war in the Republican Caucus.”

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Keith Olberman on allegedly being blackmailed by Fox

If people don't speak up now about the abuses at News Corp, they might as well forget about it. A time like this won't come around again for a while, if ever. Read the rest of this post...

McConnell’s debt limit deal has risks for both parties, but Teabaggers really hate it

Today's debt limit meeting between the President and Congressional leaders takes place at 4 PM ET. Perhaps by then, we'll know if the McConnell scheme is a go.

The Hill looked at some costs and benefits for both parties from McConnell's proposal:

McConnell’s plan would benefit Republicans politically by placing the responsibility for raising the debt limit almost entirely with Obama. It would allow Republicans in both chambers to vote en masse against it without causing a national economic catastrophe.

It could also hurt Senate Democrats by forcing them to support several hikes to the debt ceiling ahead of an election in which they must defend 23 seats, though Republicans expect centrist Democrats would be able to vote against the requests, given the high threshold for overriding a veto.

The problem with McConnell’s plan for Republicans is the prospect of a conservative backlash because it would allow Obama to raise the debt ceiling without having to agree to deep spending cuts.

In a possible sign of trouble to come, members of the Senate Tea Party Caucus left a GOP lunch early on Tuesday where McConnell presented his proposal, and declined to comment on the plan.

Yeah, the teabaggers aren't taking it well. They're not happy with McConnell:

Tea Party message boards were abuzz with the news of what one poster in the Tea Party Nation forum called the "Pontius Pilate Pass the Buck Act of 2011".

"If Mitch McConnell thinks caving to President Obama and allowing him to raise the debt ceiling without cuts is the way to become Senate Majority Leader he is sorely mistaken," said Brent Bozell, a conservative activist and chairman of For America, a conservative leaning nonprofit, in a statement. "The American people elected him to serve as a check on Obama's appetite for out-of-control spending, not to write him a blank check to continue the binge. It's these sorts of shenanigans that got Republicans thrown out of power in 2006."

Judson Phillips, Tea Party Nation's founder, said he didn't know all the details of McConnell's plan. But based on what he does know, he said, "I'd call it the Great Sellout of 2011."

"McConnell is one of those moderate Republicans who wants to surrender early and surrender often," Phillips said. "When I start to hear about a McConnell plan or a Boehner plan, I shriek in horror."

Oh, well. You reap what you sow.

And, today's NY Times editorial sums up the GOP debt limit strategy -- cynical, then convoluted and cynical:

Political gain, not economic sense or sound policy, has always been at the core of Republican strategy on the debt-ceiling talks — a cynical ploy to appear serious about cutting spending while actually holding hostage the nation’s strong credit rating. Now that the real risks to their strategy are becoming apparent, including the possibility of cutting off Social Security checks, the more experienced members of the party are beginning to rethink their plans.

On Tuesday, Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader, proposed a convoluted fallback solution that would at least defuse the crisis his party created a few weeks ago by threatening to force the country into default on its national debts. The plan is no less cynical than the original threat, but if the House goes along, it may allow Washington, the credit markets and the American people to breathe a little easier.

Okay, we can breathe easier. Now, maybe someone in Washington can focus on creating jobs. That would be truly Read the rest of this post...

British PM to announce inquiry into News Corp

When a friend is calling for an inquiry, you know that it's bad. In the US, Senator Rockefeller has now called for an investigation. Who honestly believes that this behavior did not cross the pond? The Guardian:

In a statement to MPs, shortly before all parties unite behind a Labour motion calling on Rupert Murdoch to abandon his bid to take full control of BSkyB, the prime minister will announce that he reached broad agreement on Tuesdaynight with Miliband and Nick Clegg over the scope of the judge's work.

The judge, who will be named on Wednesday, will lead the main inquiry into the background to phone hacking, which is expected to be modelled on the Hutton inquiry into the death of Dr David Kelly in 2003. It will be established under the 2005 Inquiries Act, which means that witnesses may be compelled to appear and will give evidence under oath.

This inquiry will not sit in public until the criminal investigation has been completed. It is understood that the inquiry will go further than looking into allegations of phone hacking at the News of the World, as it is also expected to examine relationships between police and press and politicians and press. This raises the prospect that Tony Blair and Gordon Brown could be called to give evidence about their relationship with media barons.

In the US, Bush's SEC chair has said that there should be an investigation in the US related to shareholders. It's a start. Read the rest of this post...

Debt in Ireland cut to junk

This summer may not be as quiet as usual. It may be as bad as the summer of 2007 when Northern Rock tanked at the beginning of the crisis. Ireland's status is pointing towards a second bailout which is likely to be as bad as the first bailout. All eyes are now looking at Portugal, with Spain and Italy also out there in the distance. How is it possible to get the bailouts so seriously wrong? If they are failing this soon, this suggests a fundamental problem. Reuters:

Moody's move comes a week after it slashed Portugal to junk status with a similar warning about the need for a second round of rescue funds.

It reflects the credit rating agency's view that any further financial assistance from Brussels will require private investors to share part of the pain, possibly through a debt rollover or swap.

European finance ministers have acknowledged for the first time that some form of Greek default may be needed to cut Athens' debts, and if that materializes, Ireland's rating, never before in junk territory, could be set for a further round of cuts.

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Violence returns to Northern Ireland

The Orangemen really need to get over their cretinous old ways and move on. There's a lot more in common with the other side than not so focus on that. Provoking violence is beyond stupid.

There was a new, serious outbreak of violence in north Belfast last night with police firing dozens of baton rounds and using water cannon in clashes with nationalist youths.

The trouble erupted within minutes of an Orange Order parade passing by shops in the Ardoyne district shortly after 7pm. Disorder spread across the city. Although the police were able to pin back rioters and keep them away from loyalists in the contentious parade, trouble broke out shortly afterwards on the Crumlin Road.

Last night, two different sets of protesters attacked riot police at two entry points into the republican Ardoyne area. Police officers were pelted with bricks, rocks, bottles and petrol bombs as well as fireworks. One group of rioters set fire to a hijacked car at the junction of Crumlin Road and Woodvale Road, not far from where a smaller group of loyalists were standing, in Twaddell Avenue.

They're as ridiculous as the cross burning hood wearers from the deep south in the US. Read the rest of this post...