We may or may not be close to a debt ceiling deal. But the damage has already been done. This crisis was utterly and completely unnecessary. The national debt has been built up over many decades and both parties contributed to it. I won't get involved in the pointless argument over which party is more at fault - Republicans and their constant tax cuts, Medicare Part D and … [Read more...] about What Is So Infuriating About This Debt Ceiling Crisis
iUSA
Well, if we see President Obama sporting a black turtleneck over the weekend, perhaps that will signal the Apple has purchased the U.S. Government. U.S. balance now less than Apple cash Steve Jobs is now more liquid than Uncle Sam [snip] As Republicans and Democrats continue to work towards a compromise to the country’s debt ceiling crisis, the U.S. Treasury … [Read more...] about iUSA
Nervous
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Nervous
ABC News: Democrats and Republicans Reach Tentative Debt Ceiling Limit Deal (UPDATED)
ABC News is reporting that Congressional sources tell them Democrats and Republicans have now reached a tentative deal on raising the debt ceiling limit -- which is no assurance that it will pass but increases the chances that there will be enough votes to avert what most experts predict would be a catatastrophic debt default that could decimate the American and world … [Read more...] about ABC News: Democrats and Republicans Reach Tentative Debt Ceiling Limit Deal (UPDATED)
Gibberish and Manure
Gibberish and Manure by Will Durst The situation on Capitol Hill has become so confusing we're going to need a nuclear physicist with a googleplex of serially connected molecular microscopes to precisely explain what is happening. Instead, you got me. This whole debt-ceiling debate has made rush-hour gridlock on the 405 look like a romantic excursion in Central Park on a … [Read more...] about Gibberish and Manure
Nostalgia for the Silly Season
This time of year when people are away on vacation has always been known as the silly season for journalists. News is scarce, but time and space still have to be filled between commercials and ads, so they usually give us the odd, the trivial and outlandish. But no two-headed snakes or lions cuddling with lambs are needed this year. The Tea Party is serving up what John … [Read more...] about Nostalgia for the Silly Season
When House Republicans Supported Raising the Debt Ceiling
When House Republicans supported raising the debt ceiling limit: when George W. Bush was President: … [Read more...] about When House Republicans Supported Raising the Debt Ceiling
A swallow tail butterfly beats a DC kabuki dance any day of the week
The 14th Amendment – the option that won’t go away
Obama has said no to the nuclear/14th Amendment option - just ignore the debt ceiling. But what if he doesn't have any choice? It really doesn't matter if it's right or wrong but how the SCOTUS would react. Jeffery Rosen takes a look at just that. The most likely reaction might be to refuse to hear the case deciding that no one had standing. Obama and the country win. … [Read more...] about The 14th Amendment – the option that won’t go away
Mission: Cassandra
I'm not going to warn you or say "I told you so." I'm going to tell you the Cassandra was a seer in Troy who was cursed to see the truth but that no one would believe her. 29 OCTOBER 2010 · 5:49 AM Enter Title Here (conclusion) Like I told you at the beginning, the Koch machine is going for a hostile takeover of the Republican party, and by their mantra ye shall know … [Read more...] about Mission: Cassandra
“No Labels” Runs First TV Ad Aimed at Lawmakers: “Enough.”
No Labels, the group that decries hyperpartisanship, has produced its first ad which is being run in the Washington D.C. area and on CNN. It's target: lawmakers. It's worth watching on TV -- or here on TMV. And its message most assuredly reflects the viewpoints of many Americans -- thoughtful Republicans, Democrats and independent voters. … [Read more...] about “No Labels” Runs First TV Ad Aimed at Lawmakers: “Enough.”
Quote of the Day II: the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis and the Failure of the Establishment
As I have noted here, future historians will not look back on 2011 and say it was the golden age of American leadership -- in Congress or in the White House. Our second political Quote of the Day comes from The New Republic's Jonathan Chait who gives this take on our inept and self-absorbed political establishment: The political assumptions here turned out to be badly … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day II: the Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis and the Failure of the Establishment
Justice (at last) for Cory Maye
After spending nearly ten years in prison, Cory Maye is finally free. The story, which was first brought to the attention of the internet community by Radley Balko in December 2005, involved Maye, a black man who was convicted or murder and subsequently sentenced to death row after shooting and killing Prentiss, Mississippi police officer Ron Jones, Jr. during a botched drug … [Read more...] about Justice (at last) for Cory Maye
Barf
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Barf
This Weekend, Get Away from the Washington Theatrics
We have been so focused on, almost mesmerized by the goings-on in our nation’s capital that it might not be a bad idea to---for a moment---move our eyes and attention way southward, past the Gulf of Mexico, past the Caribbean, across the Cordillera de los Andes, towards a little country straddling the Andes and right smack on the Equator. You got it, that little country is … [Read more...] about This Weekend, Get Away from the Washington Theatrics
It Hurts to See a President Beg
George W. Bush’s Imperial Presidency is long gone, as Barack Obama pleads with the nation. “There are a lot of crises in the world that we can’t always predict or avoid,” he tells Americans after being missing in action all week. “This isn’t one of those crises... “If you want to see a bipartisan compromise, make a phone call, send an e-mail, tweet. Keep the pressure on … [Read more...] about It Hurts to See a President Beg
When the Super-Rich Cry, “Class Warfare!” (Guest Voice)
When the Super-Rich Cry, "Class Warfare!" by Michael Winship I ran into my friend Jeff Madrick a few weeks ago. Like a rabbit out of a hat, or so it seemed, he whipped from his coat a copy of his new book, Age of Greed. He gave the book to me and I'm grateful. It's a compelling and worthy read. Jeff's an able journalist; an excellent and cogent storyteller in a field … [Read more...] about When the Super-Rich Cry, “Class Warfare!” (Guest Voice)
How Much Egg On Whose Face
This hasn't been a easy time for President Obama, nor one that makes reelection look like a snap. But the past several weeks have given Congressional Republicans equal ownership of the economy and that can't be bad. One New York Times analysis looks like this: If anything positive for Mr. Obama has emerged from this week’s debt and deficit turbulence, it may be that … [Read more...] about How Much Egg On Whose Face
Quote of the Day: the Debt Ceiling Limit and the Demise of Political Courage
our political Quote of the Day comes from Walter Shapiro who in a CNN commentary asks whatever happened to political courage that once could be seen in Congress and at the White House. The key quote is at the end: When it comes to policy, both Democrats and Republicans remain as stubbornly dug in as opposing armies in the trenches of World War I. Any glimmer of a … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: the Debt Ceiling Limit and the Demise of Political Courage
Illegal Aliens from Mexico Seek Better Life In….Mexico: Sign of Bad California Economy
How bad is the American economy, and California's economy in particular? This bad: There are fewer undocumented immigrants in California – and the Sacramento region – because many are now finding the American dream south of the border. "It's now easier to buy homes on credit, find a job and access higher education in Mexico," Sacramento's Mexican consul general, Carlos … [Read more...] about Illegal Aliens from Mexico Seek Better Life In….Mexico: Sign of Bad California Economy