Castro backs off his 'system doesn't work' remark

Earlier this week, Jeffrey Goldberg in The Atlantic reported that Castro made a passing comment over lunch that "The Cuban model doesn't even work for us anymore." Obviously it received a lot of attention. He's taken notice of that story and has updated his position, though his response was hardly detailed or convincing.

Fidel Castro said today that his comment to a US journalist about Cuba's system not working had been misinterpreted.

The former president told a meeting at the University of Havana that the remark, which caused a sensation when reported earlier this week, did not reflect his view. He meant "the exact opposite", he said.

Read the rest of this post...

US poverty rates on track to match 1960s poverty levels

In other words, Republican trickle down economics were a complete failure that have set the country back decades. Oh those memories of the nice guy Reagan labeling ketchup as a vegetable so that the rich could become super rich. There has been a cost to the economics of appealing to greed yet Democrats hardly appear to be much more in tune with this problem than Democrats. A few might talk but the lack of action is obvious.

While Obama has not made any changes to help address the problem (other than continuing the bankers bonuses, which reinforced Reaganomics) can you really call this "another blow to Obama" as the AP article suggests? If anything, this is a blow to the economic policies of the last three decades.

The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record increase on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty.

Census figures for 2009 — the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency — are to be released in the coming week, and demographers expect grim findings.

It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake. The anticipated poverty rate increase — from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent — would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power.

Read the rest of this post...

Dylan Ratigan on marijuana legalization in California

Commenter Touré with Dylan Ratigan on marijuana legalization:



"Might be time to bake down some non-pot smokers." Well, he talks the talk.

Action opportunity: If you care, FDL has a way to join in — Just Say Now.

GP Read the rest of this post...

Rupert Murdoch building plans to sponsor school in UK

Instead of the Fox News watching drones, now they want to educate the youth. Even worse the plan is being spearheaded by Rebekah Brooks who Murdoch promoted even though she is at the center of the more recent phone hacking scandal. What a horrible idea.

Rupert Murdoch's News International (NI) is drawing up plans to sponsor an academy school in a move that is likely to trigger anxiety about the media mogul's influence.

The Observer understands that executives at NI, which owns the Times, the Sun, the Sunday Times and the News of the World (NoW), are actively discussing sponsoring a school in east London, close to the company's headquarters in Wapping.

The idea, which is being spearheaded by Rebekah Brooks, the former editor of the Sun, who is now chief executive of NI, has been under discussion for several months but is still at an early stage, according to sources.

Read the rest of this post...

White House says 'no' to solar panels

Being progressive is much, much too dangerous. My gosh, someone might run with the Carter comparisons on this issue. Forget about the huge disappointment among the left or the failure to embrace real change because that would have nothing to do with any talk about a one term president. It's all about the solar panels because they have a clear "left of the left" tilt.

A quest to get Barack Obama to shout his commitment to solar power from the roof tops - by re-installing vintage solar panels at the White House - ended in disappointment for environmental campaigners today.

Bill McKibben, the founder of 350.org, had led a group of environmental activists to Washington in a bio-diesel van hoping to persuade Obama to re-install a set of solar panels originally put up by Jimmy Carter.

The actual Carter-era solar panels - which weigh in at 55 kilograms and are nearly 2 metres long - are out-dated now. But campaigners had hoped that the White House would embrace at least the symbolism of going solar - much like Michelle Obama kicked off her healthy food movement by planting a vegetable garden.

But the White House declined - twitchy perhaps about inviting any comparison to one-term Democratic president Carter in the run-up to the very difficult mid-term elections in November.

Read the rest of this post...

Boehner willing to vote for Obama's tax plan, which would raise taxes on wealthiest

The GOP's House leader will vote to increase taxes on the wealthiest Americans. I didn't expect to hear Boehner ever say that:

"But aren't you kind of holding the tax cuts for the lower income people, the people making less than $250,000, hostage, so you can give those tax cuts to the upper brackets?" Schieffer asked. "There are a lot more people below those top brackets than are in . . . those upper brackets. Why wouldn't you want to do something for those folks?"

"I want to do something for all Americans who pay taxes," Boehner said.

"If the only option I have is to vote for some of those tax reductions, I'll vote for it. But I've been making the point now for months that we need to extend all the current rates for all Americans if we want to get our economy going again, and we want to get jobs in America."

"So you are saying you would vote for the middle class tax cuts, if that's all you can get done?" Schieffer asked.

"Bob, we don't know what the bill's going to say, alright? If the only option I have is to vote for those at $250,000 and below, of course I'm going to do that. But I'm going to do everything I can to fight to make sure that we extend the current tax rates for all Americans."

The NY Times headline reads: House G.O.P. Leader Signals He’s Open to Obama Tax Cut

Boehner is going to be doing backflips to get out of this one. I don't think the House GOPers are going to like it. This could mean "the Tan" won't be Speaker. Seriously. This puts Boehner to the left of many Democrats. Read the rest of this post...

Microsoft helping Russians stifle progressive dissent

Absolutely disgusting story. And Microsoft didn't lift a finger until the NYT caught them red-handed. For months progressive groups begged Microsoft to stop helping Putin attack progressive advocacy groups, and Microsoft refused. Now suddenly they're concerned. Of course, read what the Microsoft spokesman says in the story - it's still a bunch of corporate-speak BS that doesn't indicate at all that Microsoft understands that it needs to stop helping dictators break into the offices of progressive groups and shut them down. Filthy filthy story. Read the rest of this post...

Gingrich plays the race card against Obama, again

Another leading voice from the GOP. More from MediaMatters:

Since the beginning of the Obama presidency, right-wing media -- especially those who work at Fox News -- have been carrying out a campaign of not-so-subtle race-baiting.

Today, Fox News contributor Newt Gingrich took this campaign to new levels, reportedly telling the National Review that Obama has pretended to be "normal" but that Obama actually seems to be engaged in "Kenyan, anti-colonial behavior."

Read the rest of this post...

Sunday Talk Shows Open Thread

The economy, politics and 9/11 are the main topics today.

The new chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Austen Goolsbee, is doing the rounds. He's on ABC and FOX.

David Axelrod is making an appearance on NBC.

The tan who would be speaker is on CBS. (Icky question of the day: Does Boehner have a full body tan or a tan line? Maybe Scheiffer can ask.)

To talk 9/11, Rudy "Noun, Verb 9/11" Giuliani is on NBC (some get, huh? I'm sure the networks fought to get Rudy.) You can see the current and former Secretaries of Homeland Security, Napolitano and Chertoff, on CNN.

And, Newt is on FOX. Of course, Newt is on FOX. Newt is always on FOX.

The full lineup is here. Read the rest of this post...

Beach Boys - Don't Worry Baby

As I mentioned yesterday, this was Brian Wilson's response to Be My Baby from the Ronettes.

Our perfect weather from yesterday isn't looking very perfect today. After a late night I was woken by the noise of some group protesting on the street. There are so many street protests, who pays attention any more? And who protests on a Sunday morning? Waking the locals on a weekend may not win over the hearts and minds. Read the rest of this post...

British budget cuts may chop 40,000 police from force

And remember, the British Conservatives are mild compared to the GOP of today. Compared to the Teabaggers, they'd probably be considered liberal Republicans in the US. Not that there are any of those around these days. The 25% cuts across the board in the UK will go much too far and there's strong reason to believe the extreme actions will trigger a double dip. Well that and increased crime.

The head of the Police Federation today said "a touch of ideology" and bad advice to government from thinktanks had left the police service facing cuts that could leave up to 40,000 officers out of a job.

Paul McKeever, the federation's chairman, warned that some forces would be "devastated" and said the proposed cuts would leave the public less safe.

He said the most vulnerable in society would be worst hit, adding: "It is likely that crime levels will go up."

Read the rest of this post...

The Ground Zero mosque that used to exist

Business Insider:

It turns out there was a Muslim prayer room on the 17th floor of the south tower of the World Trade Center, where Americans and other traveling Muslims prayed every day.

On September 11th, 2001, when a handful of terrorists flew planes into the towers, some of the folks who used the room evacuated in time. Others probably didn't.

In other words, there already was a "ground zero mosque"--used by Muslim Americans who were murdered just like everyone else.

Read the rest of this post...