The line that I deal with that you do not...

I'm still processing my feelings about the arrest of Dr. Henry Louis Gates. Needless to say, they start at anger, and grow from there.

Still, it is a momentary anger, a fleeting feeling. Why? Because, as a black man in America, I'm used to the kind of treatment African-American men get at the hands of Police. I'm used to hearing about it. I'm used to seeing it. I'm used to receiving it.

What I'm not used to, at least what's at this point, is the nature of the coverage surrounding the incident, and the views of some white Americans...and white people I have some respect for, is shocking me.

I have been treated to a barrage of advice from these very same white people about how black men and women should behave when confronted by Police.

Wow.

Okay, lemme take a deep breath here...

Ummm, how should I put this politely?

Okay, I can't.

White Americans may be shocked to learn that a majority of African-Americans, really don't give a shit what you think about the Gates' case.

Yeah, I know its harsh. And clearly, some white folks don't like being told they don't know what the hell they're talking about...or God forbid that they're flat out wrong.

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Just about every time a white person is told this by an African-American, the white person in question almost always bristles.

The simple truth is, you don't know what you're talking about because you don't have to live with this. We do.

What? You haven't noticed the remarkably unified front we've all presented in regards to this case?

To this day, ten-twelve years after the fact, the names of Amadou Diallo and Abner Louima have not left our consciousness. Now, who are Amadou Diallo and Abner Liouma?? You may not remember the names, but I bet you remember their cases.

In 1999, Amadou Diallo was shot reaching for his wallet by New York City Police.

He was shot 41 times.

The first time I heard the term contagious shooting came from this incident.

Bruce Springsteen even wrote a song memorializing the incident, called "American Skin."

For the record, the officers involved in Diallou shooting were acquitted in (let's be honest, mostly white) upstate New York.

Abner Liouma was a Haitian Immigrant who was sodomized by a broom stick (also by New York City Police Officers) in 1997.

Is there anyone out there, who cares to justify this rather disgusting bit of Police work? Apparently, someone did, because three of the Officers involved were initally convicted of the crime, but that conviction was subsequently reversed.

And, I cannot believe I almost forgot about Sean Bell, who was killed (November 2006) the day before his wedding, shot 50 times...oh, once again New York City Police. And once again, the Cops were cleared of all charges. Mind you, I've just highlighted three pretty famous cases all originating with the New York City Police. Bear in mind I was raised in Prince George's County Maryland. Coincidentally, the richest Black County in America, and reporting the second highest incidents of Police Brutality outside of Los Angeles County where I live now. What fun.

Now, as I have stated before, I'm a black man. I come from the P.G. suburbs. Raised in a two parent home. I have two (count 'em) two college degrees. I have never seen the inside of a jail outside of an MSNBC Special...

...and I don't trust the Cops.

How can I? Every contact with the Police could be the last thing I do on this earth.

Now, I don't give the Cops any grief. I cooperate at all times, hands always visible. I sure as hell want 'em at my house if there's a problem, and you'll never catch me mouthing off at them (except maybe in the blogosphere).

But let's be clear, I meet the wrong Cop on the wrong day, and I'm dead. Period.

Were I to be murdered by a Cop (and yes, I'm choosing that word specifically), the Cop is more than likely going to get away with it. He or she won't even be fired.

Either you get that, or you don't. Either than insults your basic sense of fairness or it doesn't. But like I said, I don't much care what you think. I live with this reality. Dr. Gates lives with this reality. My Father lives with this reality.

Speaking of the old man, my Father is also a distinguished Professor. Certainly, he's not famous like Dr. Gates. (Probably should have chosen a sexier field than Mathematics. I mean, let's be honest, what was the last Mathematics book you picked up at Borders?) He used to be at Maryland. Last month, he moved to Houston to start his new life.

Right now, he has his Maryland I.D., with the address of my childhood home on it, not his new one. Right now, he lives a house that doesn't have his name on the deed.

Let's say he gets locked out of the house, like Dr. Gates. Let's say his overwhelmingly white neighbors see him trying to get in, and call the cops. Let's say he's caught in the same situation as Dr. Gates? What, exactly, do you think is going to happen to him?

Remember, this is crazy-ass Houston, not Cambridge. Not that Boston's reputation as a Liberal Town isn't one of the most overhyped ideas in imagination.

Friday morning (July 24, 2009) on the Stephanie Miller Show, Executive Producer Chris "Boy Toy" LaVoie said, flat out, that if confronted by the Cops in a similar fashion, one should just obey them.

Wonderful advice, Chris. Too bad there is every chance it won't work.

I can do what the Cops say and still wind up dead.

Again, its a fact of life. I know it. My Father knows it. Dr. Gates knows it.

The only people who seem surprised by this fact are, frankly...people like Chris LaVoie.

Oh sure, there's outrage when it happens. But expect the shock last about a week or and, but before you can say "Freeze, negro" things have gone back to the way they've always been.

The sight of Armed Police at his door (looking for him, mind you), I'm sure sent Dr. Gates into a frenzy. Yes, I'm sure part of it was pride, having his dignity assaulted like this. But in the end, we all know where his mind went. My mind would have gone to the same place. And, to be frank, I'm not sure Dr. Gates owes anyone an apology.

(Actually, that's not true. I'm sure Dr. Gates doesn't owe an apology to anyone, and I hope he launches a lawsuit that bankrupts the Cambridge Police Department. How else are Police Departments going to learn?)

Now, the President, Officer Crowley (and I say that with apologies, since I'm not sure of his actual rank), and Dr. Gates are all going to have a beer at the White House at some point, and eventually hug it out.

Let's not kid ourselves though, while a couple of beers will go a long way to solving the problem of Gates and Crowley. It's not going to fix the larger issue.

I'm actually pretty much convinced Officer Crowley is decent man. The way he was able to banter with the President at the end of their conversation makes it sound like he's a guy you could (to coin a phrase) have a beer with. I'm even sure he earned his job teaching other Cops how not to racially profile.

But that's just it, isn't it? Crowley isn't the exception. He's the rule.

Even the best of you, the most high-minded, the most liberal of you can have moments where you reveal...I hate to say...how you really feel about things. (If you want a benign example of this principal, ask Whoopi Goldberg about former-boyfriend Ted Danson donning blackface for a roast during their relationship -- which ended soon afterward.)

Now, is Ted Danson a racist? No. Is Chris LaVoie? I doubt it. But both men have shown moments of stuptifying ignorance about race in their own country.

But let's be honest, it's not something they have to think about, do they? I do. Hell, I have to.

The problem with Officer Crowley, and other Officers like him, is that a similar bad moment from him can get someone killed. Someone like me. Someone like Dr. Gates. Someone like my Dad.

Yes, Police work is a highly dangerous job.

The only thing more dangerous, is being a black man anywhere nearby.

The Fireside chat for July 25, 2009

CNN apparently has Lou Dobbs' back after all...

Heavy sigh.

In an interview with Greg Sargent this afternoon, Klein backtracked and brushed off the criticism. "Look, Lou's his own show, and CNN in general has repeatedly and thoroughly reported on the facts behind this situation."

TPM: CNN to Lou Dobbs. Drop the Birther Story

Praise Jesus.

CNN President Jon Klein wrote an email last night to "Lou Dobbs Tonight" staffers telling them the Obama birth certificate story is "dead," TVNewser reports.

"It seems this story is dead," Klein wrote, "because anyone who still is not convinced doesn't really have a legitimate beef."

He sent the email just before Lou Dobbs went on the air. He included information CNN's political researchers had gotten from the Hawaii Health Department -- information which "seems to definitively answer the question."

So sayeth the Nate...

Anybody want to tell me why a former (and I do believe current) Baseball Stats geek is running one of the sanest, most even keeled, most politically relevant blogs in the 'sphere??

Memo to Liberal Blogosphere, re: Health Care Reform. Chill!

Oh, and favorite quote:

I don't think the media has a liberal bias or a conservative bias so much as it has a bias toward overreacting to short-term trends and a tendency toward groupthink.

Memo to Nancy Pelosi...

In short, the Congressional Black Caucus writes Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) a letter.

In short in negotiating with your new bestest buddies the Blue Dog (or Blue Cross) Democrats, don't take us for granted.

This is a warning from 30,000 of your constituents (VIDEO)

The President's Press Conference of July 22, 2009 (VIDEO)

From what I understand, the complete Presser.

TPM: Yes, someone went there...

From TPM.

On Sunday night, Dr. David McKalip forwarded to fellow members of a Google listserv affiliated with the Tea Party movement the image below.

Above it, he wrote: "Funny stuff."

Jesus...H...Christ.

NPR: Predator Drone kills a son of Usama Bin Laden

According to NPR:

U.S. officials believe Saad bin Laden — a son of Osama bin Laden — has been killed by an American missile in Pakistan.

Saad bin Laden reportedly spent years under house arrest in Iran before traveling last year to Pakistan, according to former National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell.

It's believed he was killed by Hellfire missiles fired from a U.S. Predator drone sometime this year.

A senior U.S. counterterrorism official tells NPR that without a body to conduct DNA tests on, it's hard to be completely sure. But he characterized U.S. spy agencies as being "80 to 85 percent" certain that Saad bin Laden is dead.

The U.S. counterterrorism official says Saad bin Laden wasn't important enough to target personally — that he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time."

He was active in al-Qaida, but was not a major player, the official said. He was believed to be in his late 20s.

"We make a big deal out of him because of his last name," the official added.

It's not known whether Saad bin Laden was anywhere near his father when he died.

Boy, all kinds of amazing questions come up because of this story.

What was Iran's involvement in this, exactly? Holding him until last year, and letting go into Pakistan?

Why exactly was he being held for all those years in Iran? My understanding is there isn't a lot of love lost been the Iranian Shiites and Al Qaeda.

Was this guy meant to make a beeline for his Father? If that was the plan (and that's wild, wild speculation at this point), who's idea was that??

Does this mean we're inching closer to UBL, or not? Going by what the Officials told NPR, the answer is a clear no. Then again, would you want to admit we're getting closer to one of the world's most dangerous fugitives?

BTW, Saad's bio on Wikipedia (and judge Wikipedia for what it's worth) disagrees somewhat with the "Saad bin Laden wasn't important enough to target personally" line, in that he "occupies a position of preeminence in Al Qaeda," and:

Saad was believed to have been heavily responsible for the bombing of a Tunisian synagogue on April 11, 2002, which killed 19.^[1]

The following year, there were disputed claims of his capture by Pakistan in March,^[2] though these proved false, and he was implicated in the May 12th suicide bombing in Riyadh, and the Morocco bombing four days later.

Saad accompanied his father on his exile to Sudan from 1991-96, and followed him to Afghanistan after that. He is believed to be married to a woman from Yemen. Iran has stated that a number of al-Qaeda leaders and members are in their custody, possibly including the son of Osama bin Laden, Saad bin Laden.^[3][4]

All rampant speculation at this point. This could be something. This could be nothing at all.

"Mmmm, Journalism..." (VIDEO)

...as CNN's Lou Dobbs officially goes off the deep end.

But aside all that, this is a summary of the history of the Birther story, and how ridiculous it all is.

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Rachel Maddow v. Pat Buchanan (VIDEO)

Heavy racism pushback day today. Reasonably proud of the MSM.

This is Rachel Maddow smacking back against Pat Buchanan about his rather overt racism in an appearance from last week.

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Here's Pat's original (and highly racist) interview-slash-rant.

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Chris Matthews (MSNBC) vs. the Birthers (VIDEO)

UPDATE: 5:19pm Pacific. I'm going with the crisper, clearer MSNBC Video.

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Rick Sanchez of CNN vs. the Birther Movement (VIDEO)

This is racism, pure and simple.

The Obama Interviews for July 20-21, 2009 (VIDEO)

First, Obama's slightly contentious interview with Meredith Vieira from the Today Show.



Honestly? This was a second rate interview, by a backbencher looking to make a name for herself by "grilling" the President. I lost count how many times Vieira interrupted him, jumping in on answers. (Of course that could have been sh---y editing). She even brings up a Brazilian Custody Battle in the middle of the Health Care Interview?

...and what he wore at the All-Star Game?!?!?

Excuse me??

And then his sit down with Jim Lehrer from PBS:

Uhhh...no, Secretary Geithner...

I've been able to give Geithner a pass on the stuff he's been doing so far, but not this:

Now that bailed-out banks are reporting record-breaking profits, the U.S. taxpayer, who bought into these institutions at bottom-barrel prices, could wind up on the winning end of a nice profit. That's what happens, after all, when you buy low and sell high.

When Congress bailed out Wall Street, it required banks to give warrants to the treasury. That way, if the market turned around and a bank's stock rose, the taxpayer could profit. Indeed, the notion that the taxpayer might profit from the bailout was floated by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle.

The Congressional Oversight Panel, however, looked into the early sales of warrants and found earlier this month that Treasury would only get about 66 percent of the market value for the warrants. And it was doing so in private negotiations with the banks.

A group of Democrats in Congress want to end that practice. A bill introduced by Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy (D-Ohio) would require the Treasury to sell warrants in a public auction and do so in a transparent way. On Wednesday, the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations holds a hearing on the sale of warrants, focusing on protecting profits for the taxpayer.

I'm all for dealing us out. The quicker the Banks get on their feet, and give us back the money, the better. But we sure as hell shouldn't be taking a loss on this crap. If they lose money or go kaput, then find. We tried. We took the risk, it didn't work out. But if they make money, we make money. End of discussion.

Lay it on me, Chuck (VIDEO)

Say what you will, but what Chuck Todd says in this piece is the truth of what's going on, and what's about to happen...

...good or ill.

The B.S. Art of Headline Writing...

Chris Lavoie from the Stephanie Miller show is highlighting a Poll on the front page of the Post that says support for the President's Health Care Plan has slipped below 50 percent:

Heading into a critical period in the debate over health-care reform, public approval of President Obama's stewardship on the issue has dropped below the 50 percent threshold for the first time, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Obama's approval ratings on other front-burner issues, such as the economy and the federal budget deficit, have also slipped over the summer, as rising concern about spending and continuing worries about the economy combine to challenge his administration. Barely more than half approve of the way he is handling unemployment, which now tops 10 percent in 15 states and the District.

Yet, in the very same article:

On health care, the poll, conducted by telephone Wednesday through Saturday, found that a majority of Americans (54 percent) approve of the outlines of the legislation now heading toward floor action. The measure would institute new individual and employer insurance mandates and create a government-run plan to compete with private insurers. Its costs would be paid in part through new taxes on high-income earners.

And:

The president's overall approval rating remains higher than his marks on particular domestic issues, with 59 percent giving him positive reviews and 37 percent disapproving. But this is the first time in his presidency that Obama has fallen under 60 percent in Post-ABC polling, and the rating is six percentage points lower than it was a month ago.

What's really going here, is more overzealous Headline Writers looking to a) make a name for themselves, or b) scuttle Health Care reform, because:

Since April, approval of Obama's handling of health care has dropped from 57 percent to 49 percent, with disapproval rising from 29 percent to 44 percent. Obama still maintains a large advantage over congressional Republicans in terms of public trust on the issue, even as the GOP has closed the gap.

So, the American people (generally) like the President, though Independents are getting weak knees, and they like what's in the Legislation pushing its way though Congress, but they don't like the way the President is handling the issue.

Right.

The Fireside chat for July 11, 2009

Found it.

The Fireside chat for July 18, 2009

Not sure there was a posting last week. Certainly can't find it...

"No Excuses..." (VIDEO)

The President's speech before the NAACP...

...and it was a barnburner.

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Who saw this coming?? (VIDEO)

The GOP's Anxiety about a changing America...

It's been said many times, many ways over the last week, but I liked Slate.com's Dahlia Lithwick's own take on it:

This could have been different, I kept thinking all day. These hearings didn't have to go this way. The instant Sen. Jeff Sessions used his second round of questioning to go back to the well of the "Wise Latina" issue, probing yet again at Sonia Sotomayor's alleged bias and wise Latina prejudice, it was perfectly clear that Senate Republicans wanted this hearing to be all about race and that her single, mangled half-sentence was the linchpin of their strategy. There were lines of people waiting patiently to get into these hearings, even if just for a few moments, and what was striking about it is that so many of them were very young, so many were women, and so many were of different races and colors. America's future was waiting in line to get a glimpse of a hearing at which the woman who will become this country's first Hispanic justice was repeatedly called out as someone with a race problem.

I don't think this is all posturing. Listening to Jeff Sessions and Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn speak, it's clear that their anxieties about a changing America are real. Still, by making the whole case against her with a long, loopy line between her "wise Latina" speech and her panel decision in the Ricci case, they chose to turn this historic hearing into a crabbed and bitter conversation about the impact of race on America.

She also took on the Democrats, cracking on them for not making more of the Roberts Court's tendency for Judicial Activism.

The President and the Say Hey Kid (VIDEO)

Obama's form was awwwwkwaard (VIDEO)

I am the Obama homer to beat all Obama homers. This site is dedicated, in its own way...to Obama homerism.

But man, that was one an uugggggllllly pitch. His form was terrible. It almost looked like he was going to dislocate his own shoulder. I don't know if it was the White Sox jacket or what, but it was not pretty.



Then again, any pitch that makes it to home plate can't be a completely bad one.

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=50a75722-7ea2-43ad-8976-f87c730e65dc&amp;from=IV2_en-us_foxsports_HP&amp;fg=gtlv2" target="_new" title="Addressing the baseball nation">Video: Addressing the baseball nation</a>

But you know what? Who cares? He got to fly to the game with Willie freakin' Mays. He got to shake hands with Stan Musial and I do believe that was Bob Gibson glad-handing him as he came off the mound.

He's got his own jet, and the greatest home office in the world. He gets us Health Care, I dare say I'll not mention this pitch ever again...

...but I better see a Public Option, otherwise...

Jeff Sessions needs to do his homework (VIDEO)

Thus quoth the Josh:

Remember that scene in Annie Hall where the Alvy and Annie are waiting in line at the movie and Alvy is going nuts listening to the pontificating blowhard going on about Marshall McLuhan and then Alvy pulls McLuhan himself out from behind the movie poster to tell the guy he's an idiot. Not quite identical and Sotomayor could have driven the point a bit harder but Judge Sotomayor managed to pull off something like that.

But, wait. It got worse (for Racist Jeff Sessions).

Cedarbaum went outside, and gave an interview to the Washington Wire, where she apparently said (quoted here from the Murdoch Street Journal):

I don’t believe for a minute that there are any differences in our approach to judging, and her personal predilections have no effect on her approach to judging. We’d both like to see more women on the courts.

Ooops.

Which led my least favorite Senator (from California) to say:

Oggle-gate (VIDEO)

Stop negotiating...

According to Roll Call, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) (miracula, miraculum) has told Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) to stop chasing Republican votes on the upcoming Health Care Reform Legislation:

According to Democratic sources, Reid told Baucus that taxing health benefits and failing to include a strong government-run insurance option of some sort in his bill would cost 10 to 15 Democratic votes; Reid told Baucus it wasn’t worth securing the support of Grassley and at best a few additional Republicans.

This Magic Moment... (VIDEO)

President Obama's and President Medvedev's Press C onference in Moscow (VIDEO)

Admittedly, of a lower priority than any other video item I've posted. The real news was made before Medvedev and Obama took the stage. But since it's been made available...

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The Fireside chat for July 4, 2009

Obama's Opening Remarks before the Health Care Town Hall in Annandale, Virginia (VIDEO)

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"Thank you, to the people of Minnesota..." (VIDEO)

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The cream rising to the top...

This is from a longer piece on Talking Points Memo. One of the things that I liked about the Public Option was that it was a method by which the Insurance Companies would die a slow death, and we'd transition over time to full on Single Payer.

But there's another side of this, a danger where the Insurance Companies prolong their hold over us, and keep prices high, wherein they "cream" their pools.

Simply put, they insure only healthy people, and dump the unhealthy onto the Public Option, keeping prices high as a result. Josh and Zack have more on their in their highly wonky article, but the key part (and the good news) was this from the Later Update section:

The current health care reforms drafts, at least in the Senate, would create regional risk pools that drive out the incentive to "cream." In short, if Insurance Company A insured only the lowest-risk half of a given pool, it would have to pay a subsidy that goes to the company (or public plan) insuring the highest-risk members of the pool. In other words, we would drive out the incentive to cream, while also making it illegal to deny coverage on the basis of a pre-existing condition. CMS would manage that risk-balancing process, and has apparently become quite good at it. The Netherlands does something similar, so successfully that insurers actually seek out diabetics to insure.

The Fireside chat for June 27, 2009

For once, ahead of the curve...

Reza Aslan's Appearance on the Daily Show (VIDEO)

The author of "No Got But God", and "How To Win A Cosmic War" gives some interesting (and long-view) perspective on the new Iranian Revolution:

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Reza Aslan
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

The President's Press Conference of June 23, 2009 (VIDEO)

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The Fireside chat for June 20, 2009

The Fireside chat for June 13, 2009

Thanks to Dad's move, I'm only a week late...

Obama Addresses the RTCA Dinner (VIDEO)

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Dr. Nancy Synderman being realistic on Health Care (VIDEO)

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Think Progress pushes back on the Polling Story...

Think Progress really nailed it...even better than I did.

(But, I did beat them to it.)

Maybe it's a good thing...

Maybe it's a good thing that Tom Daschle didn't get the damn HHS job.

UPDATE (11:32am): This from Huffington Post. It's on the bottom of the very story I linked to above. Daschle felt the heat.

A spokesman for the former majority leader called the Huffington Post to insist that Daschle is "still committed to the public plan" and was not urging Obama to drop it from his proposal.

"He was saying that we shouldn't let any issue derail what would be health care reform," said Eileen McMenamin, Director of Communications at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "He definitely did not say there should be no public plan."

Daschle, said McMenamin, did believe that a public plan could be administered by the states. And his chief concern with Obama'a approach was not the policy basis but the politics of getting it through Congress.

Hmmm....

It seems that the New York Times has changed its headline on the Obama poll...

Obama Poll Sees Doubt on Budget and Health Care

Not much better, especially after you...you know...read the numbers in the poll. But certainly more accurate.

I really, really, really, really doubt complaints from this blog had anything to do with the change.

Headline honesty...

At least CBS is honest in its reporting of the same NYT/CBS Poll...

Poll: No Dent In Obama's Popularity

CBS/NY Times Survey Finds Approval Stays At 63%; High Marks On Economy, Foreign Policy, Though Not Auto Industry Or Deficit

(CBS) Republican criticism of Barack Obama's handling of the economy and other issues does not appear to be having much effect on the president's popularity, a new CBS News/New York Times poll finds. Mr. Obama's overall approval rating now stands at 63 percent, unchanged from last month. Just one in four Americans says they disapprove of the president.

Y'see? It notes the high marks for the Economy and overall popularity, but notes the areas where he's weak. This is all I ask.

WTF?!?!?

Please, someone explain what the hell's up with Headline Writers nowadays?

Here is the story on the President's recent poll numbers from the New York Times: In Poll, Obama Is Seen as Ineffective on the Economy

Okay.

But looking at Question Five of the poll, you know...where the question is put to people directly, it says: Do you approve or disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling the economy? The answers were as follows:

57 percent approve
35 percent disapprove
7 percent don't know.

I can go ahead and ask my Father, the Mathematics Professor for confirmation, but...those numbers seem to...well...how does one put this??...show that the public approves of the way the President is handling the economy.

In fact, they represent a one point uptick (for a poll that's been hovering around 55-61 points since the beginning of February). Even Keith Olbermann, whom I normally trust without fail, pissed all over the numbers.

Of course, the lead paragraph of said story is as follows:

A substantial majority of Americans say President Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, which also found that support for his plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, falls well below his job approval ratings.

Riiiiight.

Let's take down the score, then move the goalposts.

Sure, if you want to ask how's the President doing on the Economy, you're going to get the same basic answer we've gotten for the last four months. There's no story there. So let's make one up. Let's telescope on the specifics of what people don't like, and we'll make headlines.

Liberal media my black #$!$$...

Too funny...

I saw this on Andrew Sullivan's site...the mouse that roared...

Courtesy of the Southern Poverty Law Center...

Best...headline...ever.

5 Things You Need To Know about the President's Financial Reform Plan

I can't claim credit for this. This originally appeared as part of a slideshow on the Huffington Post, but since the text was so much more valuable (and well written) than the pictures were interesting, I thought I'd provide them here:


1. The Financial Services Oversight Council: President Obama wants to install a single agency that’s charged with overseeing the entire financial system -- and which would make sure that government regulatory bodies actually work together. Call it a National Department of Risk.

Bottom line: Presumably, someone will be watching out for those now-ubiquitous “systemic risks.”


2. A Bigger, Beefier Fed: Under Obama’s plan, chairman Ben Bernanke and the Fed will keep their newly expanded powers. The Fed will oversee, well, almost any financial institution. If companies don’t behave, the Fed can now “compel corrective actions” and has “emergency authority.”

Bottom line: Don’t mess with the Fed. Wall Street will continue to have to placate the central bank.


3. Leverage, So Outdated: Obama’s reforms will require companies like the failed Lehman Brothers to have certain levels of cash on hand for emergencies, and to cover consumer deposits. Safety nets, in other words.

Bottom line: The days of cheap loans are likely gone, both for corporations and consumers. Capital requirements could also dampen Wall Street earnings.


4. Safer Financial Innovation: The Obama plan will rein in those combustible and exotic financial products like over-the-counter derivatives and credit default swaps. The plan also aims to remedy loan securitization.

Bottom line: The company that gives you a loan will now have a stake in making sure you’ll pay it, which should help prevent another mortgage crisis.


5. The Consumer's New Best Friend: Say hello to the Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which will try to protect Main St. from complex mortgages, credit cards and predatory lenders. Think of it as the FDA for finance.

Bottom line: Curbing abusive practices from lenders and financial companies will certainly help. But no word on whether or not this new agency will make your credit card statements any easier to read.

The President's Interview on Bloomberg (Link)

The Bloomberg Interview with the President is here.

If I can find actual video, I'll post it. But these yahoos look as uncooperative as ABC News.

The President's Interview on CNBC (VIDEO)

I don't think CNBC has gotten this "embedding" thing figured out yet.

The spaces you see between this sentence, and the video are not mine. Nor is the permanently floating CNBC logo in the middle of your viewer.

Obama's Speech to the A.M.A. on Health Care (VIDEO)

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President Obama's Speech in Green Bay, Wis. on Healthcare (VIDEO)

The President's on the road, and so am I...

...obviously in different places.

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Elie Weisel's Remarks at Buchenwald (VIDEO)

While Mr. Weisel has high hopes for the President, he fears that the world has learned nothing from the tragedy that took his Father's life, and nearly took his.

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The Batik Collection of Stanley Ann Dunham (VIDEO)

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Obama's Remarks at Buchenwald (VIDEO)

In case you missed it...

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Obama's D-Day Remarks (VIDEO)

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The Fireside chat for June 6, 2009

Hey! On schedule for once. D-Day Commemoration Speech to follow.



UPDATE: Very nervous that he didn't mention the Public Plan as part of the reform in this Fireside.

The Speech... (VIDEO)

President Obama's Speech in Cairo, Egypt to the Muslim world.

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Obama's Interview on the BBC (VIDEO)

Boy this bleeds off the page.

Obama's Announcment about the future of G.M. (VIDEO)

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The Fireside chat for May 30, 2009

Late again, which is my fault. But I gotta say, the buzz on these things in the blogosphere is lessenings week by week...

Obama's Speech on the Stimulus in Nevada (VIDEO)

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The Fireside chat for May 23, 2009

Way late. My apologies.

The President's Interview on C-SPAN (Link only)

The President sat down for a 30 Minute Interview with...well, some guy from C-SPAN.

Nothing particularly earth-shattering in the interview (though I had a dickens of a time trying to find it on my DVR). Did mention that he has spoken to former President Bush since inauguraton. Did mention the thing about the White House being good for their family life. And he mentioned that Michelle is probably selling a lot more magazines than he is.

I did read a headline somewhere that the President was "pushing" back against his "empathy" line about his Supreme Court nominee, only to see the President reinforce that very notion in this interview.

One of these days, I hope that C-SPAN, PBS (and ABC News for that matter) make little things like embeddable video possible. It'd make my job easier.

Obama's Speech at the Naval Academy (VIDEO)

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Obama's Complete National Security Speech (VIDEO)

This was as serious a smack-down as I have seen the President deliver...ever.

He never named Cheney, not once.  But he left no doubt as to who he was talking about.

They may have both worked for the same Government, but only one of these men has been serving the Country.

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One more reason to hate Hockey...

At some point, punishment ends. So, before we get all outraged about Michael Vick getting out of jail, please take a moment to remember the story of Altanta Thrashers Dany Heatley:

On September 29, 2003, Heatley was seriously injured after he lost control of the Ferrari 360 Modena he was driving. The car struck a wall, splitting the car in half and ejecting him and his passenger, teammate Dan Snyder. Heatley suffered a broken jaw, a minor concussion, a bruised lung, bruised kidney, and tore three ligaments in his right knee; Snyder was critically injured with a skull fracture and died six days later on October 5 of sepsis. Heatley was charged with vehicular homicide; he pleaded guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide, driving too fast for conditions, failure to maintain a lane, and speeding. He admitted to drinking some prior to the incident, but his blood-alcohol content was below the legal limit. He was sentenced to three years probation, and the judge required the court to approve Heatley's vehicle, which could not have more than six cylinders and would not surpass 70mph (112km/h). Heatley avoided having to go to trial as part of a plea deal that dropped the first-degree charge of vehicular homicide.

Because of injuries he suffered from the car accident, Heatley's next season started in January 2004 and he appeared in only 31 games. A disappointing season ended with an early elimination in the race for a playoff spot and 25 points. During the last part of the season, the Thrashers and the Atlanta community, including Snyder's family, were largely supportive of him.

Same town. Different crimes.

Dany Heatley...the white man who actually got another human being killed...is forgiven.

Michael Vick...the black man who killed dogs...is not.

Obama's complete Speech at Notre Dame (VIDEO)

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The Fireside chat for May 16, 2009

"By the Time I get to Arizona..." (VIDEO)

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	M - Th 11p / 10c
Arizona State Snubs Obama
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor

Obama's Speech at ASU (VIDEO)

Flash! President delivers speech at racist Arizona Community College.

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The Third Hand...

There’s a concept I’ve been discussing with my Father recently; a concept I’ve given to calling, the “Third Hand”.

When a Political Figure acts against his nature, for whatever reason, there’s usually some other force at work, something we don’t see.

Put a simpler way, you got one hand on Obama pulling him one way, you got another hand pulling him in reverse, and then comes another hand (hint-hint: a Third Hand), which pushes him the way he actually goes.

Think of it like this, if there’s a situation where Obama does something to deliberately anger his base, logic suggests that the alternative, whatever it may be, is far worse.

Thus, we come to the release, or non-release, of those Abu Ghraib Photos, and the President’s reversal on that decision. My fellow Progressives/Liberals are justifiably upset by the decision…or maybe not so justifiably.

Looked at on its own, by itself the decision to withhold those photos is indefensible. Lord knows people I read, admire and respect have been dumping all over it. (Though I will say, David Kurtz in TPM comes very close to the explanation I'm about to give you, and...after all...he's a professional, and got there first, so...kudos.)

But…and I hate to bring the West Wing into anything…but it’s like President Bartlet said in the episode Hartsfield’s Landing (Episode 58, Season 3): “See the whole board…”

What do I mean by that?

Ask yourself, what happened? What made President Obama change his mind, or more to the point, has something changed that would make President Obama change his mind??

I’d say, yes.

Mind you this is just a theory, but at the same time...

Since the last week of April, beginning of May, there has been a considerable uptick in the violence in Pakistan, as the Taliban has moved ever closer to Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan (within 60 miles, so it seems). Now, the United States has been using Aerial drones to ice people across the Pakistani Border. The Pakistani Government has been upset about that, but since Pakistani’s Prime Minister is Asif Ali Zardari (aka Benazir Bhutto’s widower) and Islamist Militants were the ones who killed her, I don’t think he’s that upset…you know what I mean?

(In fact, should I mention that the Pakistani Government wants "ownership" over U.S. Drones? God, I hope we told them "hell, no.")

The situation was so bad that General Petraeus said that Pakistan was two weeks from falling, and the President was asked about the security of Pakistan’s Nuclear Arsenal at his last press conference.

But something has happened into the interim. Pakistan’s population has decided that they don’t much like the Taliban, or Taliban rule. In fact now that the Taliban has closed within 40 miles of the Capital, suddenly, we don’t have to bribe the Generals into defending their own country anymore. They’re actually (finally) pulling troops off the Indian border to get into the fight with the extremists. In fact, it’s creating something of a humanitarian crisis as refugees flee the fighting.

So, we are left with a situation where the Pakistani Military has finally gotten off its collective, and ineffective ass to start dealing some payback to the Taliban. There's popular support for the offensive in mainstream Pakistan, and all this is coming off recent American pressure to do so.

...and into this hyper-mega-combustile mix, some folks want to release some 2000 more photographs of Americans torturing Muslims?!?

Can you say…Danish Cartoons?? Times ten??

The President said that these Photographs were "not particularly sensational, particularly when compared to the painful images we remember from Abu Ghraib." Maybe, maybe not. We only have his word on this. I've heard in some quarters, these photos were pretty bad. They were bad enough to have Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman write the President a letter begging him to not to release the photos. (It's too bad they couldn't have gotten a Democrat to sign that letter. I would have been helpful if it was bipartisan.)

With the Pakistani populace finally seeing things our way, why do we want to go and insert into the discussion something that makes the Pakistanis start thinking that the Taliban has a point?!?

Listen, some of the stories I’m seeing are using a specific word: stall and/or delay. I think the Administration is eventually going to release these photos, on their own accord. Either that, or I wonder how far they'll fight the case in court. Either way, they’re not going to release those photos yet, not until Pakistan stabilizes.

Personally, I want the photos released, too, but I'm personally okay with this decision as long as it's only a stall, or a delay...and not an outright cancellation.

At the end of Hartsfield's Landing, Sam Seaborn (in case you don’t remember, played by Rob Lowe), asks President Bartlet (Martin Sheen), a question. The answer is one that is both simple and complicated all at the same time, and is one of the reasons (I trust) we all voted for the President in the first place:

SAM

I don’t know how you... I don’t know the word. I...don’t know how you do it.

BARTLET

You have a lot of help. You listen to everybody and then you call the play.

I think the President might owe us a better explanation than the “safety of American Troops”, which is both true and hollow all at once. But this advice is coming from his Generals (something we all thought Bush didn't do enough of), and its coming from his OLC (who may actually have read a Law Book or two in their careers).

Still, I think the real reasons play across a far wider board...one we all should try to see, but that the President is ultimately responsible for.

Please remember, there was a reason we decided we wanted this man to call the plays.

UPDATE (5:26pm Pacific): For the record, I beat Joe Klein to the punch.

Obama at the White House Correspondent's Dinner (VIDEO)

Still looking for Wanda Sykes' introduction.  She killed, too.

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