Lind had a good item on why the South wants to undermine the North's auto industry.

More interesting to me, the Lind article deals with how to bring the South as a region more into line with the rest of the US, economically, socially, and politically. He also explains why it's in everyone's interest to do so.

Here's another good link on the Palin relative drug problem: http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2008/12/bristol_palins_future_mom-in-l.php.
It fits right in with that odd irony, of the red staters bloviating about morality but having so many problems exercising it responsibly.

Ross Perot's criticism of GM in the 1980, should have been heeded. "If you can't build the best tail light, find something that you can build the best."

The transcript of Scarborough sounds like drunks in a crowded bar. But the Morning Joe set is never crowded, is it?

* If a politician's daughter's fiance's mother has a run in with the law, it probably shouldn't be national news. -- Steve Benen

Whyever not? It's human interest. Besides, Palin herself made such an issue of family values in general and her hockey-ly motherliness in particular, that she -- and "hers" -- is legitimate news material. I still want to know, BTW, when that supposed pregnancy of Bristol's is gonna end; I know that elephants tend to be gravid longer than humans, but, still...

"If a politician's daughter's fiance's mother has a run in with the law, it probably shouldn't be national news. Just sayin'."

Unless,,,,, the person busted was busted "for Manufacturing" and possession. It's the Manufacturing charge that separates the the women from the girls, and manufacturing drugs ain't no small crime.

Going with my opinion of Palin, one of my favorite sayings is: Birds of a feather, flock together. And remember, Wasallia is a town of only 9000 people,and is nicknamed the Meth Capital of Alaska.

Kinda like Palin around with Druggies, isn't it? And, I ask the same question of Bristol's delivery date. If she was 7 months in September, what is she now? Overdue? When is the Big Wedding? Inquiring Minds want to know!

And what about the son of the AG defending one of Madoff's insiders? When did he know and what did he know? If the AG can recuse himself from the issue, why can't the President-Elect recuse himself from any appearance of consorting with...whomever? Guilt by association seems to only work one way. Live in Chicago/Blue State...guilty. Live in Red State...prove it!

peace,
st john

Why inquiring minds want to know...

If McCain-Palin had won, would Levi and Bristol be married by now? The answer is almost certainly yes.

In other words, the Palins will do what they have to do to maintain the appearances of Christian decorum. Even if it should involve twisting the fates of two young people. Such fraud should be exposed and ridiculed without mercy. That's why I want someone to dig into the facts of Palin's fifth pregnancy. If she is covering something up there I want to know about it.

Suppose she did fake it. The true believers will say she did it to protect her daughter. Those of us who can tell a snake by the way it slithers will say she did it to protect her career. Either way this fact remains: She did it to maintain appearances for the Christian base. Rational cultural values wouldn't force Palin to fake a pregnancy. Other darker forces did. That's why it is important for me to know where the lipstick ends and the bullshit begins.

If she was 7 months in September, what is she now?

According to Sarah Palin's father, she's due tomorrow, so the bundle of joy could arrive any time. It remains to be seen if the wedding is still going to happen, now that the spotlight has dimmed.

Lind had a good item on why the South wants to undermine the North's auto industry. (Thanks to J.P. for the tip)…

Very interesting and very telling about how our southern minds think. Besides being anti-north, it is actually, socially unstable as an economical, cultural approach to a healthy government system. Or worse as the Governor of Michigan said “It’s unpatriotic�. For me this connection gets closer to Bush and Company, Banks, the Treasury, the Federal Reserve, the electorate taxes and our Wahabbi Arab Bush pal’s.

Here, America is being attacked with a dynamics of economic instability which is the core diversion away from smoking ash, exploding bombs, or such disasters that Bush continually boost’s about keeping America from being attacked. Attacked by what? What the Arabs are doing is very different in the manipulation of money and power, the carrot and stick is money and more money. Bush and Company is lead by the nose.

Let’s throw in the millions of undocumented aliens that are prolific in this same economic auto manufacturing collection. For me some what of an epiphany to realize this whole section of the economy is a wonderful formula made up by the Southern aristocrats that side step good leadership in good government, more likely the best of the best in fraud and profiteering. Making a cool profit using American tax dollars and drive down wages at the same time while America’s economy slides into an Abyss. A wonderful Wahabbi formula of screwing America with out one explosive bomb.

It is suggested that for years maybe even decades that Americans tax dollars was used to help build foreign automobile manufacturing plant across the South. If one can capitalize this investment over that time it is highly and likely the profits and the investments are creating the best squeeze in America’s economy for the rich and big money that benefit from it. It certainly is not the automobile laborer in Detroit. The whole economic development appears to be nothing more than a scheme by the South to break the Unions and the North American manufacturing system. This is the legacy of not just George Bush and his family it is the whole Neo-Con renegades’ The Limbaugh Newts, the Hannity Mathews, The Andrea Mitchells, hate radio, now hate cable.

I love Rachel Maddow, but her suggestion yesterday that Obama should actually rescind his offer to Warren was just silly beyond belief. And rather out of character for her--she usually can see beyond her on bias (or so I thought).

Doing so would create even more drama and divisiveness for everyone involved.

I think Obama will show us in his policy where his thinking lies--he is a strong advocate of equal opportunity, women's rights, and civil liberties in general.

Yes, this was a mis-step perhaps. Perhaps not?
Perhaps as Goldilocks indicated earlier today in another post about the Warren issue this gesture will prove fruitful. Maybe it will open up a dialogue, as Gavin Newsom suggested. Maybe this gesture will just diffuse the whole issue ultimately--and create a bridge, an opening there that wasn't there before. Maybe that's what Obama is hoping for. He is an idealist, after all.

And Warren is not the devil incarnate. He's done good work for AIDS and other humanitarian groups.

Yes, the offer was weird and off-putting initially. But maybe in a year or two from now, we'll see it mattered not, or maybe even helped forward things...who knows?

If that's too far of stretch for you, if you are too angry to envision any bright spot in this--that's fine. I respect that.

But to seriously recommend on Prime Time T.V. that Obama actually rescind the offer? Come on, now Maddow--get real.

When that daughter's mother is a politician in the "values" party, I think it becomes newsworthy. Just sayin'.

Looks like Palin didn't pray hard enough for her daughter's new Mother-in-Law.

Isn't Wasilla infamous for being something like the drug (or crystal meth) center of Alaska? Watch how Palin will spin this one: "We are all praying for her, and know she will find her way.."

(It really isn't news, but there are other things that are even less newsworthy--let's face it--it's holiday season and we're all in limbo land awaiting January 20, and yet there is the thing called 500 T.V. stations and 24/7 news shows. So these next four weeks are going to be even more lacking in substantive news than typically is so).

Well, typically, as goes California goes the rest of the country...I'd say the next few years will bring us close to a Depression, if not flat dab into one.

But of course, it won't be called such till 12 months later...

The GOP was the party wanting to push the issues with GUILT BY ASSOCIATION -

1. Sarah Palin's daughter BABY DADDY

2. Jeb Bush's daughter - arrested for trying to fill a fake prescription for pain killers in Florida

It's time to call the people out for their morals & values. This is news because they want to run for senators & president

California's economy scares me. They are the biggest trading partner for the companies I work for. Yeah, we sell to Japan, and Japan's about the same size population and of similar affluence, but they don't buy much of my products. The Japanese aren't fat enough for my products. Californians are. But when Californians lose their health insurance, they aren't buying my products. You really can't get away from the effects of this market. Only the military contractors can avoid this situation. Those guys have long term, cost-plus contracts. We are obligated to pay them. On contracts like that, we can only affect what happens ten years from now. California has a lot of those, and if their economy sucks, something's really wrong.

Schwarzenegger (R), ran his politican campaign on the platform that he was going to cut waste, cut taxes and balance the budget.

At the same time we are a sanctuary state for illegal immigrants - they have more jobs than Californians (American citizens)

I stopped eating at fastfood restaurants because of the language barriers, they screw up my food everytime. Simple things, like no hot sauce, I get hot sauce. No mayonnaise, I get mayonnaise - most of the time, they have interpreters standing by and my order is still screwed up.

Is that why Sarah Palin refused to turn over medical records as promised?

Is there Meth or any other illegal drug in her system?

Well, Obama, here's another reason why Warrent sux: http://www.sacbee.com/114/story/1487648.html

The Yes on 8 people [including "pastor" Warren, check out the Saddleback site on unrepentant gays] filed a brief with Ken Starr [yes, that one] in the lead to invalidate the 18,000 wedding performed while marriage was not restricted in CA.

There are two things involved here:
1. The Yes on 8 crowd continually downplayed this aspect of their plans, saying it wasn't about the ones who were married. [and enough suckers bought it, never mind about that "false witness Commandment", it's OK when you get your new soul because you're "forgiven"]

2. IF the law is followed in its entirety, including the US Constitution, this is an ex-post-facto law specifically denied under Article I, Section 9, Clause 3, which says:

No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/12/5/13129/6447/508/669713 for a fuller update, they've been running a Friday Constitutional primer for the last couple of months.

Krugman: How different, really, is Mr. Madoff’s tale from the story of the investment industry as a whole?

Indeed.

And how different is Krugman's plan for an economic stimulus different from Madoff's strategy? This whole business, bipartisan though it be, of accumulating federal debt ever since Hoover, does not seem to have had any net public benefit.

Sargent's post at TPM re: Obama's new thinking and this being a different context is compelling and very convincing. Thanks Steve for the heads up!

Palin relative drug problem

Tut, tut. There are plenty of Kennedys with drug problems among their Kennedy relatives. Didn't the U.S. current president-elect once have a drug problem? It's hard to find a family in which no family members have any drug problems.

Aside from the fact that Scarborough is a hopeless jerk he, like so many others, confuses the term "theory" with "hypothesis". As far as science is concerned, a hypothesis is an educated guess at a possible explanation for some observed phenomenon. It must be tested. A theory synthesizes a great deal of verifiable evidence, which is the result of a great deal of testing, into a coherent explanation.

Scarborough's rants have nothing to do with science. They aren't even intelligent.

It really is a S-T-R-E-T-C-H to turn that Palin/ Levi Johnson thing into news. It's just more blatant irony, like her spending so much money on hair and make-up and clothes when she was supposed to be the down-home Wallmart gal. Palin has so marketed herself as pure as the driven snow.

It's also a good example of more guilt by association B.S.

But I'm surprised Steve that you don't out more of this--because we are knee deep in so many non-news stories.

I'm watching Maddow and it she just made a hilarious joke about Blago and the poem he quoted today--namely, the line he stopped at and left out, the line that says everything about him, about talking too large and too wise.

Apparently she has more dirt on Warren to follow...uh oh...

"Is that why Sarah Palin refused to turn over medical records as promised? Is there Meth or any other illegal drug in her system?"

It would account for the annoying perkiness.

Wow--that Maddow really IS pissed about the Warren choice.

Yeah, I hear ya. It was stupid. And rude to gays.

I don't like Warren either, and I'll bet he's a closet gay himself. I don't pretend to know what Obama was thinking. But I do know this:

Maddow: Keep raising hell and see if it helps. Or don't.

Not that you likely give a damn, but if you keep it up on air as your new mission from here onto the inauguration, I'll be tuning out.

I'm too old to hear a young lesbian selfishly exploit her show as an opportunity to rant for five weeks about one mis-step from an otherwise brilliant visionary black man who is putting together a stellar team --a man in my lifetime who I have the honor to witness as our next Commander in Chief.

Ain't gonna let nobody rain on this awesome parade.

On the drug issue - meth is a really a scourge for a lot of rural teens in America. If Levi's mother was either making or selling meth, then she's a bad woman - using contacts with her son's friends to get them hooked on a really bad drug and then using them to line her pockets. If this is true, I hope they lock her up for a long time. Still, it it's true, we could say that Sarah Palin pals around with drug dealers, couldn't we? Pretty please?

I wonder if Sarah Palin used her gubernatorial powers to let Levi's mother make bail.

If she's facing 6 felony counts - I could almost bet her home isn't worth the 6 felony count.

It appears to me that California is testing the Ethnic Cleansing rituals.

First, if you look at the black population, it's almost dwindling.

Now they want to try and upset the LGBT communities.

Perhaps the GOP and trying to turn this Blue State Red!!!!

IIRC When Paulson wanted TARP there was a secret phone call to Congressional leaders. Afterward there was support for TARP.
I always sort of wondered what was said and why the Democratic leadership never would release what he said.. Now I thought this very odd and reminded me of the TOP TOP SUPER SECRET briefings that the chairs of the intel. committees got. Which they could not share with their committees,wives or lovers.
Well now on the Calculated Risk Haloscan there was some banter about Paulson mentioning Martial Law. I kind of guess it was at that time.
Any info about what was said on that phone call?
Or rumors he suggested that there would be huge riots etc?
I must say that Karl Rove if he were a Mel Brooks fan rolling in laughter and thinking of the Darth Helmet line "I can't believe they fell for that old trick"

Want to see a good fight.

The Religious Right was sponsor of Prop 8 in Cali, and similar propositions in other states.

The LGBT need to fight back hard - here's how:
These churches value their tax-exempt status, the LGBT needs to gather their supporters, which, are many and for each state the Rightwingers sponsor such type bill, the LGBT need to sponsor a bill to have their church tax-exempt status revoked for interfering with politics.

Yes, we can argue about their tax-exempt status, but, I should think a proposition for voters will pretty much give them a fight of their own, just like the fight they had with school prayers!!!

This would be a good idea, especially in light of the budget shortfall in Cali.

Congress gets another pay raise of $4700.00 year!

For whatever reason, I just spent some time watching nuclear explosions on YouTube. Everybody knows Israel has the bomb, but do they have Fusion bombs? If they do, they have MAD at least.
Are we spending fortunes to preclude them from using the ultimate weapon? I'm not sure what that means in terms of what we should do,but it has to mean something.

brilliant visionary black man who is putting together a stellar team --a man in my lifetime who I have the honor to witness as our next Commander in Chief.

The president is not "our" commander-in-chief. He is the commander-in-chief only of the armed forces of the United States, not of its citizenry.

The constant misuse of this term has contributed to the militarization of American society, and to the perception that the president is some kind of supreme warlord.

Stefan: You sure have a good knack for changing the subject. It appears you may have missed the entire gist of my post.

(apologies for the misuse of the word--I would never want to be found guilty for contributing to the militarization of our society--god forbid!)

Not that I'm a Palin defender or anything (god forbid), but I gotta agree with Steve on the Palin's-daughter's-boyfriend's-mother story.

How many degrees of separation are there between YOU and a drug user?

...I'd say the next few years will bring us close to a Depression, if not flat dab into one. But of course, it won't be called such till 12 months later...

except if there is an election in some far flung part of the nation, then delayed 3 months. And of course, the president elect is retroactively responsible for the entire mess we are sliding into.