The Land Mines Obama Won't Touch by Bill Moyers and Michael Winship Many people are troubled that Barack Obama flew to Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize so soon after escalating the war in Afghanistan. He is now more than doubling the number of troops there when George W. Bush left office. The irony was not lost on the President, and he tried to address it in his … [Read more...] about The Land Mines Obama Won’t Touch (Guest Voice)
I Saw Timmy Dissing Goldman Sachs
Children are both confused and amused when they see their mommy kissing Santa Claus. Some of us in recent days have felt the same watching Tim Geithner, long-time defender of Goldman Sachs and Wall Street generally, publicly taking a very different tack... I Saw Timmy Dissing Goldman Sachs I saw Timmy dissing Goldman Sachs On some prime time talking heads TV He really did … [Read more...] about I Saw Timmy Dissing Goldman Sachs
President Obama Accepts The Peace Prize
Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about President Obama Accepts The Peace Prize
Just When You’ve Thought You’ve Heard Of Everything…
Out comes accusations that banks looked the other way while laundering $350 billion of drug money during the height of the financial panic. … [Read more...] about Just When You’ve Thought You’ve Heard Of Everything…
Martha’s Big Adventure: Keep Your Chin Up (Guest Voice)
Martha’s Big Adventure – Keep Your Chin Up by Martha Randolph Carr There’s one last operation for me to get through before the end of 2009 and while you’re reading this one, I’ll be recovering one more time. Ironically, before October of this year I had managed to go 50 years without ever being put under. Lately, I’ve been caught in a surgical loop. As you all know, … [Read more...] about Martha’s Big Adventure: Keep Your Chin Up (Guest Voice)
Duggar Baby Born 3 Months Early
In the past when discussing the Duggar family I've expressed my doubts about the wisdom of having double digit numbers of children and how well the parents can support them. However word that the newest child was born 3 months early is sad to me and I think all of us join together in hoping and praying all will be well. It sounds like a tough road for them … [Read more...] about Duggar Baby Born 3 Months Early
House Passes Sweeping Financial Reform Bill
Naturally, 100 percent of House Republicans voted against the bill: … [Read more...] about House Passes Sweeping Financial Reform Bill
Parker Wins Houston Mayorality
Annise Parker will be the next Mayor of Houston. She will be the first lesbian to serve as mayor of a major American city. She previously served on the City Council and is currently City Controller. … [Read more...] about Parker Wins Houston Mayorality
This Little Light of Mine
Glenn Reynolds has some typical simple-minded snark on why it's so hard to "get things done" in Washington: … [Read more...] about This Little Light of Mine
White House Officially Condemns Ugandan Anti-Gay Law
I want to say here and now that in my opinion Rachel Maddow's tireless and consistent coverage of this legislation helped produce this outcome. As far as I know, she is the only on-air news reporter to have covered this story and one of the few from any major media outlet, print or broadcast. I really think that she is largely responsible for making this as much of a public … [Read more...] about White House Officially Condemns Ugandan Anti-Gay Law
GOP Atwitter Over Obama
Ten months and trillions of dollars after taking office, Barack Obama has finally found a way to make Republicans happy: Go to Europe, do a Bush impersonation, order Freedom Fries and tell those pusillanimous peace-mongers they would be toast if Americans weren’t always ready to come over there and kill bad people. Dick Cheney hasn’t weighed in yet, but Sarah Palin and Newt … [Read more...] about GOP Atwitter Over Obama
Tiger Woods “Indefinite” Golf Hiatus Good For Him, His Sponsors — but Not Golf
When the news emerged yesterday that Tiger Woods announced he was taking an indefinite break from golf while he tries to mend his nearly decimated fences with his wife in the face of an increasingly growing sex scandal (would the number of women who come forward or are said to have had affairs with him eventually match those filing last month for unemployment?) there were … [Read more...] about Tiger Woods “Indefinite” Golf Hiatus Good For Him, His Sponsors — but Not Golf
Saturday Radio and the Big Congressional Credit Card
Mid Stream Radio will rear its ugly head again today for our last show of the year, reviewing a couple of the top stories currently absorbing the 24 hour news beast. Hot off the griddle will be the effort by Congress to pass a $1.1 trillion spending bill and raise the federal debt ceiling by $1.8 trillion, along with Cindy's latest story about how, with little media attention, … [Read more...] about Saturday Radio and the Big Congressional Credit Card
The Conservatism of Barack Obama
In my unsolicited and potentially wrong opinion, Andrew Sullivan is at his worst when he fixates on Sarah Palin. He's at his best when he writes about the conservative motifs in Obama's words and governing style. In the latter category, consider one if his posts yesterday, "The Tragedy of Hope." An excerpt: When I have been asked why I, as a conservative, support [Obama] … [Read more...] about The Conservatism of Barack Obama
Sticky Slopes Draft Posted
You can download the full text of the draft at my SSRN page. Below is the abstract: Legal literature is replete with references to the infamous “slippery slope”, basically, where a shift in policy lubricates the path towards further (perhaps more controversial) reforms or measures. Less discussed is the idea of a “sticky slope”. Sticky slopes manifest when a social movement … [Read more...] about Sticky Slopes Draft Posted
Matt Taibbi on Obama’s Economic Policies
UPDATE: Taibbi responds to critics; details below. I just got done reading Matt Taibbi's rant in Rolling Stone in which Taibbi tries to support a reasonable, basically unarguable premise -- that Wall Street has gotten a free ride from the Obama administration, that the same corporate interests that created the economic crisis are being rewarded instead of held accountable, … [Read more...] about Matt Taibbi on Obama’s Economic Policies
And Now A Zippy Hanukkah Song
Hanukkah In Santa Monica by the great satirist Tom Lehrer: This song comes from this CD: … [Read more...] about And Now A Zippy Hanukkah Song
The Rich Show Their Hand at Copenhagen: Estadao of Brazil
Continuing with our translated foreign press coverage of how the United States is being portrayed at the Climate Summit in Copenhagen, this editorial from Estadao of Brazil illustrates the rupture that a leaked document, which originated in Denmark and seems to favor wealthy nations, has created between the developed and developing worlds. The Estadao editorial says in … [Read more...] about The Rich Show Their Hand at Copenhagen: Estadao of Brazil
Fed Spending Falls On Deaf Ear(marks)
Sen. John McCain, who should know, once complained that Congress spends money on earmarks like a drunken sailor. This spending spree seen by penny-pinching Republican taxpayers was one of the central causes why the GOP lost both houses of Congress by the 2008 elections. Now that the Democrats are in control, earmarks continue to pad appropriation bills but at a slightly … [Read more...] about Fed Spending Falls On Deaf Ear(marks)
The Joke That Bombed
What kind of paranoid world are we living in? A University of California, Davis, police declaration supporting the arrest of James Marchbanks [a graduate student drama instructor in the theater and dance department] describes the fear three students reportedly felt when he presented an envelope holding end-of-course evaluations by saying, "I have a bomb." "There was no … [Read more...] about The Joke That Bombed