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08 Mar 2010 11:09

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Politics: Is Timothy Geithner getting the credit he deserves?

  • Barring something unexpected, the bailout will end up costing taxpayers less than the savings-and-loan implosion of the early nineteen-nineties. The government could conceivably end up making money.
  • New Yorker writer John Cassidy • Regarding Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s much-maligned financial plan, which appears to be much less of a nightmare than it seemed a year ago. While many things are imperfect – the high unemployment rates and the bank’s seeming lack of desire to loan money to small business – it is looking like the government’s plan will likely put them in cash flow positive while helping to get the weakened economy out of its doldrums. Will Geithner get credit, though? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Mar 2010 10:42

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Politics: The Tea Party movement getting in the way of actual tea parties

  • When I look at search engine results for ‘Chicago tea,’ I find a whole bunch of Chicago tea party movement sites. There are a few tea places and then all this political stuff. It’s pretty annoying.
  • Chicago tea shop owner Tony Gebely • Regarding a huge marketing problem he has as a result of the Tea Party – what if people actually want tea instead of fiscally conservative politics? It’s really hard to find it on Google. Gebely’s problem isn’t anywhere near as bad as a guy who’s starting a business called “Memphis Tea Party” – pretty much every result that comes up is for the Memphis Tea Party, the organization. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2010 23:52

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Politics: Max Headroom: John Avlon’s a crackpot, according to crackpots

  • Pot, meet kettle While Harold Ford, Jr. is guilty of nothing but idiocy, it’s certainly a symptom of what is leading to the insane controversy around New York Gov. David Paterson. Ford says Paterson should resign. Because, clearly, Harold Ford Jr. is the right guy to offer this advice.
  • Not very expert-like On “Fox News Sunday,” Chris Wallace deservedly calls neocon icon Bill Kristol an expert at Iraqi foreign policy when asking who he thinks the U.S. would prefer as prime minister. Kristol’s answer? He doesn’t know. Way to prove your theory wrong, Chris.
  • “Hatriot” Games One of Anderson Cooper’s guests in the wake of the Pentagon shooting, John Avlon, came up with the term “Hatriot” to describe the crazy cropping up. Irony: Avlon is being called a crazy by the 9/11 Truther movement, despite making sense in this clip.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Mar 2010 02:37

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Politics: Hear that? It’s the sound of Democrats fighting in Arkansas

  • $1
    million     the amount donated to Lt. Gov. Bill Halter, who just announced his Senate run, in just 48 hours
  • angry liberals the reason why Halter, who’s taking on incumbent Blanche Lincoln, is gaining financial traction source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2010 13:48

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Politics: The RNC pays a lot of money for awful Powerpoint presentations

  • $370,000 the amount RNC consultant Rob Bickhart has been paid since June – “more than the president,” as one critic of Bickhart’s notes
  • “fear” what the RNC got from Bickhart, who made a much-ridiculed fundraising slideshow which oddly compares Harry Reid to Scooby-Doo source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Mar 2010 12:54

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Politics: Yet another New York politician chewed up, spit out by scandal

  • In the incredibly toxic atmosphere that is Washington D.C., with the destruction of our elected leaders having become a blood sport, especially in talk radio and on the Internet, there is also no doubt that an ethics investigation would tear my family and my staff apart.
  • New York Rep. Eric Massa • On his decision to leave office early, as of Monday at 5 p.m. He was facing an ethics scandal regarding misconduct towards a male staff member. Rather than face that political sucker-punch, he chose to resign instead. He had already said he wouldn’t seek re-election due to health reasons. What is in the water in New York that creates so many political scandals? Jesus. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2010 12:01

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Politics: Is the Tea Party movement a conservative hippie movement?

  • The Tea Partiers are closer to the New Left. They don’t seek to form a counter-establishment because they don’t believe in establishments or in authority structures. They believe in the spontaneous uprising of participatory democracy. They believe in mass action and the politics of barricades, not in structure and organization.
  • New York Times columnist David Brooks (who really needs to update his stodgy column mug) • Regarding the similarities between the Tea Party movement and the New Left (i.e. the hippies). Both are populist uprisings (though one can argue that Dick Armey’s FreedomWorks is responsible for astroturfing the Tea Party movement). Both don’t align neatly with the political party in power. Both have been known to get together on the National Mall en masse. Neither have leadership in the traditional sense. And both are important movements. However, Brooks notes that the things that failed the New Left – “imprudence, self-righteousness and naïve radicalism” – will fail the Tea Party movement. Interesting take. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Mar 2010 11:47

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Politics: N.Y. Gov. David Paterson not exactly doing well in the polls

  • 46% of those polled say David Paterson should finish his term
  • 42% want to throw the scandal-ridden bum out of office early
  • 12% want to know why you’re bothering them source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Mar 2010 11:37

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Politics: A couple quick thoughts on John Patrick Bedell and extremism

  • Let’s face it. Extremism isn’t right-wing or left-wing. A Christian Science Monitor article from today referred to John Patrick Bedell (along with anti-tax plane crasher Joe Stack) as a right-wing extremist. We’re not comfortable trying to tie these guys to any political leaning or political party. It creates a sucking sound that ties their opinions up in politics rather than focusing on the big issue, which is that there’s enough dischord in our country that random dudes are willing to attack parts of the government singlehandedly. Let’s get away from the politics and worry about the root problem we keep seeing. Extremism. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Mar 2010 10:06

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Politics: Sarah Palin decided “Going Rogue” not enough, writing another book

  • It’ll be “celebration of American virtues and strengths.” In Palin-ese. Months after the release of her 2.2-million-copies-and-counting first book “Going Rogue,” HarperCollins (which is owned by News Corp., which owns Fox News) will release a second book by the former VP candidate. No word on how much they’re paying her, but we hope her “American virtues and strengths” include letting her husband do the heavy lifting. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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