December 14, 2007
E. J. Dionne: Time for Plan B For Pelosi And Reid
E. J. Dionne Jr., The New York Times, December 14, 2007
Congressional Democrats need a Plan B.
Republicans chortle as they block Democratic initiatives — and accuse the majority of being unable to govern. Rank-and-filers are furious that their leaders can’t end the Iraq war. President Bush sits back and vetoes at will.
Worse, Democrats are starting to blame each other, with those in the House wondering why their Senate colleagues don’t force Republicans to engage in grueling, old-fashioned filibusters. Instead, the GOP kills bills by coming up with just 41 votes. Senators defend themselves by saying that their House colleagues don’t understand how the august “upper” chamber works these days.
If Bush’s strategy is to drag Congress down to his low level of public esteem, he is succeeding brilliantly. A Post-ABC News poll released this week found that only 33 percent of Americans approved of Bush’s handling of his job — and just 32 percent felt positively about Congress’s performance. The only comfort for Democrats: The public dislikes Republicans in Congress (32 percent approval) even more than it dislikes congressional Democrats (40 percent approval).
The Democrats’ core problem is that they have been unable to place blame for gridlock where it largely belongs, on the Republican minority and the president.
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Paul Krugman: After the Money’s Gone
Paul Krugman, The New York Times, December 14, 2007
On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve announced plans to lend $40 billion to banks. By my count, it’s the fourth high-profile attempt to rescue the financial system since things started falling apart about five months ago. Maybe this one will do the trick, but I wouldn’t count on it.
In past financial crises — the stock market crash of 1987, the aftermath of Russia’s default in 1998 — the Fed has been able to wave its magic wand and make market turmoil disappear. But this time the magic isn’t working.
Why not? Because the problem with the markets isn’t just a lack of liquidity — there’s also a fundamental problem of solvency.
Let me explain the difference with a hypothetical example.
Suppose that there’s a nasty rumor about the First Bank of Pottersville: people say that the bank made a huge loan to the president’s brother-in-law, who squandered the money on a failed business venture.
December 13, 2007
Bush Final Year Calendars are Hot Holiday Sellers
Jenn Abelson, The Boston Globe, December 12, 2007
The titles are grim: ‘‘His Days Are Numbered,’’ ‘‘The End is Near,’’ and ‘‘The Official Countdown.’’
But these are not your ordinary apocalyptic tales lining the shelves at area bookstores. Instead, they are calendars, many, many calendars, counting down the days until the end of the Bush administration.
As President George W. Bush enters his final year with some of the lowest approval ratings in his two terms in office, publishers are seizing on a disgruntled America and hoping to cash in this holiday season with a bounty of Bush-bashing calendars and handbooks. The countdown products feature celebratory exclamations like ‘‘Yes, the End is Near!’’ or ‘‘Hang in there! It’s almost over!’’ along with unflattering pictures of Bush and quotes from the president.
In Downtown Crossing, the items are so popular that Borders bookstore has dedicated coveted aisle space to them, with a ‘‘Countdown to Victory’’ sign hanging over products including ‘‘Bye Bye Bush’’ and ‘‘The Bad President,’’ along with four exclusive ‘‘Countdown to Victory’’calendars for presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Barack Obama.
Sales of the Bush calendars are up 30 percent over last year, according to Ann Binkley, a Borders Group spokeswoman.
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Former Senator Mitchell Drops His MLB Drug Report, Big Deal
Former Senator George Mitchell has dropped his report on Major League Baseball’s performance enhancing drug problem down upon us today and frankly, big deal. Sure we now know for sure that certain players were using the drugs, but we already were pretty sure they were before the report. The most important element to come out of the Mitchell report may be the report itself. Many people closely involved with the report admit that the document could be a whole lot stronger if the owners and players union hadn’t consistently throw Mitchell, and his committee, curve ball after curve ball.
In watching the Mitchell press conference today Senator Mitchell looked exasperated. As he delivered the information we were all certain existed, Mitchell almost looked disappointed by what he was saying. When Mitchell was asked to intervene in MLB’s drug problem, there were questions about his relationship with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Ironically it may be Selig, in cahoots with his player’s union counterpart that did the Mitchell report in, not Mitchell’s friendship with Selig. Without unfettered access, which Mitchell did not get from either side, the report was doomed to be highly flawed.
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The Tattlesnake — The Luntz Frame Game and Other Dead Ends Edition
– How the Big Media Does It, Language Lesson Part 984 in a Long Series: Listen closely to the BM newscasts — Bush is always “turning up the heat” or “strongly challenging Congress” on Iraq War spending bills; the Dem majority is always trying to “bring the president to the negotiating table” or “find a way out without looking weak on terrorism,” even though a majority of Americans are against Junior and his war. “Keeping the heat on,” “strength” and “challenge” versus “negotiating” and “weak on terrorism” — loaded language, and it’s straight out of Frank Luntz’s propaganda playbook. Of course, the softly-recumbent, non-combative styles of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid don’t help either.
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