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   Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gnter Grass still thinks reunification was a bad idea.
 Forty years of writing from Taylor Branch, James Fallows, Katherine Boo, Marjorie Williams, Joshua Micah Marshall, and more.
 With help from Washington, the for-profit college industry is loading up millions of low-income students with debt they'll never pay off.
 The best recent memoir from republican Washington is a hoax. That should tell you something.
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October 22, 2009
THURSDAY'S MINI-REPORT.... Today's edition of quick hits: * Good to see: "Washington launched its biggest offensive yet against runaway Wall Street pay practices Thursday, taking aim at everyone from senior executives to high-flying traders of complex securities. Leading the charge was the White House, which outline a series of drastic pay cuts for top executives at the nation's biggest bailed-out companies, including AIG, Citigroup and Bank of America." * In related news: "A day after the Obama administration clamped down on executive pay at companies that received federal bailouts, the Federal Reserve acted more broadly Thursday to curb pay packages that encouraged bankers and other executives to take the kinds of reckless risks that contributed to the housing bubble." * With a unanimous vote at the FCC, net neutrality takes another encouraging step. * I hope the insurance industry wasn't too attached to that anti-trust exemption. * The public supports taking it away, too. * So true: "The battle to pass financial regulatory reform is going to be like trench warfare: a grinding, bloody struggle that's won a single subparagraph at a time against a relentless barrage of money, lawyers, and lunches at Tosca. And that's the optimistic view." * Hmm: "Three dozen moderate Democrats are warning Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) that they must show that their health care bill will cut long-term costs or they will vote it down." * The politics surrounding the failure of the "doc fix" aren't what they appear at first blush. * There's a very good reason the pharmaceutical industry has been smiling for months. * White House economist Christina Romer thinks unemployment will be a problem for a very long time. * I caught some flack on my post the other day about President Obama's support for the public option, but Speaker Pelosi's office seems to think I'm right. * The Senate can be infuriating: "Nine former U.S. assistant secretaries of state have written to Senate leaders warning that U.S. relations with the Western hemisphere 'are being damaged' because of a dispute that has blocked the confirmation of two key diplomatic appointees to the region." * Fox News = professional wrestling. * NPR's Ken Rudin apologizes for Obama-Nixon comparison. Good for him. * Ruth Marcus responded to related criticism, but didn't walk back her odd comments. * You'll always remember your first furlough fest. * Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) disagrees with Dick Cheney's "dithering" criticism. * The NYT's Ross Douthat opposes gay marriage, but he's having trouble explaining why. * Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) thinks Bob Dole's position on health care will "increase a non-pro-freedom agenda." First, that's dumb. Second, isn't the phrase she's looking for there "anti-freedom"? * The NYT's Andrew Revkin thinks Rush Limbaugh owes him an apology. I think he's right. * It's awful to get fired. It's really awful to learn you've been fired through a Google Alert issued by Fox News. Anything to add? Consider this an open thread. —Steve Benen 5:30 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (33)Comments
NPR's Ken Rudin apologizes for Obama-Nixon comparison ...while continuing to internalize Republican talking points about Obama's so-called "war on Fox." Some apology. It's very, very simple. Repulbican's since at least Nixon's time have worked the refs with complaints about so-called "liberal media bias," even when the media is demonstrably not liberal at all. Obama's administration is simply pointing out the equally obvious fact that Fox News is conservatively biased. That's hardly a "war," even though it makes so-called "professional journalists" head for the fainting couch. Obama is making it uncomfortable for journalists, because Obama's framing either forces them to acknowledge Fox News' blatant bias or sacrifice their own credibility in denial. It's a shame, but hardly a surprise, that the so-called "liberal media" are doing the latter. "Washington launched its biggest offensive yet against runaway Wall Street pay practices Thursday, taking aim at everyone from senior executives to high-flying traders of complex securities. Leading the charge was the White House, which outline a series of drastic pay cuts for top executives at the nation's biggest bailed-out companies, including AIG, Citigroup and Bank of America." Nice theatre. Wake me up when Obama actually does something to rein in Wall St's corrupt practices. Posted by: Disputo on October 22, 2009 at 6:09 PM | PERMALINKTalk is cheap and beer smells unsweet, just like half-assed progs. Wake me up when I can actually play well with another human being. Posted by: Disdaino on October 22, 2009 at 6:15 PM | PERMALINKLMAO. Thx for reminding me why I usually never bother checking a thread here twice. Actual policy accomplishments don't matter squat to you folks as long as your fragile egos are stroked. Playing nice is for losers; I prefer to get things done. "Washington launched its biggest offensive yet against runaway Wall Street pay practices Thursday, taking aim at everyone from senior executives to high-flying traders of complex securities. Leading the charge was the White House, ...." "the pharmaceutical industry has been smiling for months" ... because, my dr just give me a script for a new medication for my heartburn (the old ones have stopped working) and it is $130 for 30 pills and not covered by my insurance company. Posted by: Kurt on October 22, 2009 at 6:28 PM | PERMALINKAlong those lines, anyone in the Chicago area you better get your ass down to the bankers convention this weekend. Or continue wanking off in the Benen circle-jerk. Your choice. another reason the drug makers are smiling...via npr: Many patient and consumer groups are particularly unhappy about provisions now included in both House and Senate health bills that would give brand-name makers of expensive biotech drugs 12 additional years on the market before cheaper generic copies could be made and sold. Posted by: dj spellchecka on October 22, 2009 at 6:37 PM | PERMALINKwhoops. just repeating the punch line of the time story steve linked to, too. sorry Posted by: dj spellchecka on October 22, 2009 at 6:41 PM | PERMALINKOn Bachmann's nonsense phrase: reminds me of that great old Scottish term that deals with the concept of being opposed to the people who wanted to stop the Church of Scotland being a National Church, ie 'established': "Antidisestablishmentarianism". Not sure if Bachmann would understand the concept though.... Posted by: macleodcartoons on October 22, 2009 at 6:43 PM | PERMALINK"Washington launched its biggest offensive yet against runaway Wall Street pay practices Thursday, taking aim at everyone from senior executives to high-flying traders of complex securities. Leading the charge was the White House, which outline a series of drastic pay cuts for top executives at the nation's biggest bailed-out companies, including AIG, Citigroup and Bank of America." But... but... but... they claim there will be a brain drain. A BRAIN DRAIN ! There will be a drain of the brains that pushed these corporations over a cliff ? Where's the bad part ? Fuck off, Benen sycophants in your comfy centrist chairs. I'm a man of action. The kind of action that the participation of other human beings can only weaken and dilute. Bold action that I take all alone in my rage. Getting. Things. Done. No one else. Just me. Hey, does this sneer make me look fat? Posted by: Derogatorio on October 22, 2009 at 6:52 PM | PERMALINK"NPR's Ken Rudin apologizes for Obama-Nixon comparison. Good for him. Rudin apologizes while criticizing Obama on his "childish" behavior while complimenting Fox New's Major Garrett and some of their other "journalists". At the end of the day, I'm still not listening to NPR anymore. This "apology" is just par for the course among the so-called liberal media. Posted by: Chris on October 22, 2009 at 6:54 PM | PERMALINKDisputo @ 6:27 PM: "Playing nice is for losers..;" Fix NPR. The first step to solving a problem is to identify the problem. Posted by: anomaly on October 22, 2009 at 7:15 PM | PERMALINKI don't check a thread twice; I just lay my egg and leave it to take care of itself. If it rots, so be it. I'm an Action Man, aka Lone Wolf. And keeping metaphors straight is for wimpy-limpy libtards with falsies. I'm gonna jerk off for the night, live with it, suckers. Posted by: Derisio on October 22, 2009 at 7:15 PM | PERMALINKThat link on why big pharma is smiling makes me want to hurl feces in their faces. When will someone find a way to prosecute congress-critters who sell their votes? Posted by: Chopin on October 22, 2009 at 7:25 PM | PERMALINK"Along those lines, anyone in the Chicago area you better get your ass down to the bankers convention this weekend. Or continue wanking off in the Benen circle-jerk. Your choice." There's a banker's circle jerk in Chicago this weekend? Why doesn't anyone tell me these things sooner? I'm already committed to the one here. Damn! Seriously though, I'm guessing this is some protest you're telling us to go to or something. Does that really count as action? While I don't think all protests are meaningless, this sort of protest of bankers or the G20 is a TOTAL circle jerk meant for people who imagine themselves to be men of action, but don't really know how to do anything. Or are we to imagine that anyone will change their mind based upon your presence at this convention? Be sure to let us know when YOU actually do something to rein in Wall Street, Mr. Get Things Done. Until then, I'll keep my money on Obama. Posted by: Doctor Biobrain on October 22, 2009 at 7:44 PM | PERMALINKThe Senate passed Hate Crimes during the cloture vote this afternoon. About damn time. Eleven years after Matthew Shepard was tortured to death and left to die tied to a fence in Wyoming for being gay, and eleven years after James Byrd, Jr was beaten and dragged behind a truck until he was decapitated for being black, federal hate crimes legislation has finally passed. Posted by: Keori on October 22, 2009 at 7:47 PM | PERMALINKA measure to strip the industry of protection from federal investigations into price-fixing and other business practices won bipartisan approval in a House committee on Wednesday. This morning, Pelosi told reporters that she would include that measure in the health care package Democrats hope to bring before the full House early next month. They should pass that in both Houses and postpone everything else for a few years in order to gauge the effects. Posted by: marketeer on October 22, 2009 at 7:55 PM | PERMALINKRudin apologizes while criticizing Obama on his "childish" behavior while complimenting Fox New's Major Garrett and some of their other "journalists". Exactly. I used to be a generous supporter of a couple of local NPR stations, but haven't been for several years. The stations are OK, but NPR no longer provides a useful service, except for "Car Talk". Posted by: qwerty on October 22, 2009 at 8:09 PM | PERMALINKPlenty of circle jerks going on in the GOP. After all, what else is there to do when your circling the wagons in an echo chamber? Give it up D whatever O, you people had your chance and failed miserably. Posted by: citizen_pain on October 22, 2009 at 8:11 PM | PERMALINKWell, what do you know? Landrieu's "line in the sand" is getting a wee bit blurred, it looks like: Ignore Disputo. This loser is still whining over how wrong he was with his stupid predictions in the primaries and the general election. It kinda sucks to be always wrong but he just keeps coming back here to spout his nonsense. Funny how someone who claims to know more than those of us in the Benen-circle jerk are more often proven right than our holier-than-thou resident loser. Posted by: Disputo_dada on October 22, 2009 at 8:27 PM | PERMALINKNot quite tensor calculus, but plenty inspirational Good lord. This 16-year old is like one of those bright teens that appear in a Heinlein novel. Posted by: Disputo_dada on October 22, 2009 at 8:27 PM Disputo_DADA What have you to say D-Dumb Fuck? Posted by: citizen_pain on October 22, 2009 at 9:08 PM | PERMALINKWhat have you to say D-Dumb Fuck? Oh, the precious little yes men to the far right Big O have learned how to swear. I have nothing to say, because I'm not reading this, because I'm a True Prog Action Figure out singlehandedly kicking ass right now, not reading some fake liberal blog. Losers! Posted by: Disdaino on October 22, 2009 at 9:24 PM | PERMALINKThat Rudin apology is a step in the right direction, but disturbing all by itself. Seriously, the first thing he thought of when the administration criticized Fox's bias was Nixon's enemies list? Is he kidding me? Really? He apologizes for actually making the comparison on the air, and acknowledges that the comparison is foolish and facile, but that's not enough. What does it mean that, when NPR's political editor hears about something in the news, his first thought is "foolish, facile, ridiculous and, ultimately, embarrassing"?? Shouldn't NPR aspire to having a political editor who has wise and insightful first reactions, not FRICKIN'STUPID ONES? Rudin apologized for saying something stupid, but seems totally OK with actually being stupid. Posted by: biggerbox on October 22, 2009 at 9:34 PM | PERMALINKWhat is the difference of circus to politics? What do they have in common? http://www.craigspr.org Watching the Lamar Alexander clip with Andrea Mitchell, which shows a clip from dastardly, dithering Cheney, well, first, my mirror neurons begin getting jangled, jumpy, mimicking something very unseemly being emitted from that bad man (he seems not to be able to breathe right, looks like his head is going to blow off any second). Seeing clips of him and all that wrath and venom is so obviously bad for one's health. Messes up nerves and steady breathing. But the real point is: it honestly seems like the man is losing it. His shadow self knocked him down and made him ride in a wheelchair to the Inauguration, after all. But it's not at all outlandish to wonder if he's developing Alzheimer's. This is NOT a slam--some very precious people get stricken with that impossible illness, and it's horrible. I just mean that people suspected that Reagan was not working at or near full capacity, and not so much longer he was diagnosed, and looking back it seemed like that had set in already while he was president. I would put money on it that Cheney's quite ill. Posted by: Giselle on October 22, 2009 at 10:29 PM | PERMALINK"The Senate can be infuriating:" Obama is also not getting his judges confirmed. Posted by: bob h on October 23, 2009 at 5:58 AM | PERMALINKThe Senate can be infuriating It's well known on K St that the Senate's the best bang for your buck. If you need to screw the American people - this is where the dicks are for sale. Posted by: Glen on October 23, 2009 at 3:20 PM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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