quiet Bill's blog

Obama and the Perfect Political Storm

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 07:35:27 -0700

Karl Rove | September 3

WSJ - August was the worst month of Barack Obama's presidency. And he seems to know it—he is now planning to deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress 232 days into his administration in a desperate attempt to save his biggest domestic priority, overhauling health care.

He has already had the budget-busting $787 billion stimulus package, a budget that doubles the national debt in five years, an earmark-laden appropriations bill that boosted domestic spending nearly 8%, and a cap-and-trade energy tax that limped through the House with dozens of Democratic defections (and which has stalled in the Senate). These achievements are unpopular, so they are boomeranging on him.

Mr. Obama's problems are legion. To start with, the president is focusing on health care when the economy and jobs are nearly everyone's top issue. Voters increasingly believe Mr. Obama took his eye off the ball.

[...]

Each of these concerns is energizing opposition among many previously uninvolved voters and political independents. Members of Congress, especially those in closely contested districts, saw this firsthand when they returned home in August.

[...]

Sen. Jim DeMint (R., S.C.) was inartful but basically correct when he said if Mr. Obama loses on health care, "it will be his Waterloo." It would destroy confidence in the ability of Democrats to govern.

[...]

On the other hand, if Mr. Obama jettisons the public option, he may spark a revolt within his party. The Democratic base is already grumbling and could block a bill if it doesn't include a public option.

Presidents always encounter rough patches. What is unusual is how soon Mr. Obama has hit his. He has used up almost all his goodwill in less than nine months, with the hardest work still ahead. At the year's start, Democrats were cocky. At summer's end, concern is giving way to despair. A perfect political storm is amassing, and heading straight for Democrats.

Oh Lordy: Hitler finds out Michael Jackson has died

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 13:13:15 -0700

ROFL (film clip on YouTube)

Hitler finds out Michael Jackson has died.

The evolving Swine Flu story: possible pandemic?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 05:45:04 -0700

with April 24 updates in comments

Revere | April 23

Effect Measure - [On April 23] the CDC held a "media availability" on the evolving swine flu cases. Evolving is an understatement. There are now more recognized cases, although not all cases are "new," with some cases retrospectively recognized now that more intense investigation is occurring. The total is now seven [US] cases. Two occurred in San Antonio, Texas, two sixteen year old boys in the same school. Three more were found in California (in addition to the initial two cases), including a father - daughter pair.

FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:44:13 -0700

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jd4tugPM83c

Invisible Tibet: keep on blogging to the free world

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 10:08:00 -0800

When Lhasa rioted a year ago, Tibetans in exile logged on to the only site they trust.

Jane Macartney | February 11

Times Online - Catching up with Tibet's most popular blogger isn't simple. Tsering Woeser is under constant surveillance, so we agree to meet on a street corner in Beijing. The subterfuge seems pointless: Woeser is easy to spot. Her slightly hippy style sets her apart - for our meeting she has chosen dangling earrings and a glass pendant in Buddhist colours, bought on her last visit to the Tibetan plateau. Its blues, reds and yellows remind her of the colours of the banned Tibetan Snow Lion flag. “I mentioned it to the shopkeeper as a joke,” she says. “He was shocked. Of course, I bought it.”

Is Obama creating economic "team of rivals"?

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 10:38:02 -0800

By Caren Bohan - Analysis
February 7
Washington (Reuters) - President Barack Obama won praise on Wall Street for enlisting the towering figure of Paul Volcker to help shape economic policy, but analysts wonder if he might clash with other high-profile Obama advisers. [...]

Obama, who says he wants to avoid insular thinking, has put Volcker at the helm of a 15-member panel of outside experts from labor, business and academia who will advise his effort to fix the worst economic crisis in decades.

Joined by Volcker at the White House on Friday, Obama announced the bipartisan panel would include Robert Wolf, chairman and chief executive of UBS Group Americas, and other corporate executives.

The board also includes labor leaders and policymakers like former SEC Chairman William Donaldson.

But some analysts think frictions may develop with high-profile aides in the administration, including Lawrence Summers, a White House adviser and former Treasury secretary, and current Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, a former head of the New York Fed.

Another important Obama aide is Christina Romer, who chairs the White House Council of Economic Advisers and is an expert on the Great Depression. [...]

Roger Kubarych, economist with UniCredit Markets in New York, said Volcker was known as a "great cross-examiner.

"He's good at drawing in different points of view and pondering them. That can delay decision-making but it means he is less likely to hopscotch from one idea to the next." ...

Can Bush Still Grant Permanent Immunity to Rove, Others, from Testifying?

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:21:53 -0800

A Long-Lived Privilege?

Bush lawyer directs Rove not to talk to Congress—once again
Michael Isikoff | January 29

Newsweek Web Exclusive

Fielding Letter to Rove

Commentary from MyDD

And is this why he didn't bother issuing pardons to Libby, etc?

Limbaugh: Friend or Foe (or new leader) of GOP?

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 11:47:09 -0800

Rush Limbaugh Was Once Named the Leader of the Republican Party

Emily Friedman | January 29

ABC News - As members of the Republican National Committee try to regroup from the disastrous election cycle and prepare to choose the party's next chairman, some Republicans are left wondering whether conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has emerged as a leader – albeit an unofficial one – of the GOP.

Take any word from the dictionary ...

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 01:23:46 -0800

alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition.

Washington Post's Mensa Invitational -- Winners

For example:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

DNC Absorbs Obama Machine: "Organizing for America"

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 03:50:15 -0800

Obama for America is becoming Organizing for America. That’s what the president-elect announced today during his weekly YouTube address. The move means his huge electronic apparatus will become part of the Democratic National Committee, resolving a long-standing debate about how best to leverage Obama’s stunning campaign organization.

The new group will work within the Democratic National Committee -- led by Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine -- to advance the Obama agenda. "President-elect Obama has laid the foundation to meet the great challenges facing our nation, but we can succeed only if we build grassroots support for the administration's agenda," said Kaine in a release announcing the formation of Organizing for America.

Agonist Site Upgrade Planned for 12/25

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 10:46:11 -0800

The Agonist is planning to upgrade its software from Drupal version 4 to Drupal version 5, on Christmas Day.

The upgrade is to improve site stability and security, and version 5 has a few new features as well.

Our team has been beta testing the new version, and it performs well.

The site may be down for a short while during the upgrade; we will keep you updated on its progress.

New Agonist Forum: Strategies for Coping With Recession -- Getting Through the Tough Times

Sun, 07 Dec 2008 05:14:51 -0800

As suggested in this thread, the new forum on "getting through the tough times" is now here: Strategies for Coping With Recession, and we can tweak it depending on how it develops and what new forum tools there may be after the site upgrade.

Here is the list of Agonist Forums (you can also get to this list using the "latest: forums" link on your left sidebar menu.

Is this the new political party you’ve been looking for?

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:22:09 -0800

Make sure to read the discussion in the comments!

How turtles got their shells... and other evolutionary mysteries solved

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 17:47:12 -0800

Independent - The discovery of the earliest known ancestor of turtles has finally explained the riddle of how it developed its armour.

Also:
How the frog got its legs
How the elephant got his trunk
How birds got feathers

Sarah Palin jumps into Georgia Senate runoff to help Chambliss

Wed, 26 Nov 2008 07:33:08 -0800

LAT blogs - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is traveling back down to Georgia next Monday to do four last-minute campaign rallies in one day to help incumbent GOP Sen. Saxby Chambliss.

Chambliss is in an apparently close-fought runoff race there with Democrat Jim Martin and the balloting is the next day, Dec. 2. Big-name Democrats have jumped in to help the party reach for its 60-Senate-seat, filibuster-proof majority by knocking off yet another Republican incumbent.