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05 Apr 2011 14:53

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Politics: Mr. Glass goes to Washington … to defend NPR’s honor

  • frustration Following conservative activist (or hatchet man, if you prefer) James O’Keefe’s video embarrassing an NPR fundraiser, radio host Ira Glass was upset that NPR seemed to cede to claims of a liberal bias, which he thinks is nonsense.
  • pushback Glass took to Washington DC, giving a speech at George Washington University. He said that he’d asked Brooke Gladstone, one of the hosts of “On The Media” to dig up any statistics on these accusations against NPR. source
  • » Numbers and thoughts on bias: Glass cited a study on NPR by FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) which found their guests, from a partisan standpoint, were 60% Republican and 40% Democratic. He also defended NPR’s hosts, saying that Michele Norris asking a CEO if we can afford to eliminate taxes for certain companies isn’t bias, because she’d ask the same question of someone in favor of spending increases. But as the first example infers a pro-tax bent, a conservative might decry it as bias when it really isn’t. It’s an interesting take from an interesting man, and we urge you to give the full article a look.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 23:12

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Politics: Chuck Schumer okay with Tea Party-pandering as long as budget passes

  • We take it for granted that because of the intense political pressure being applied by the Tea Party, [John Boehner] needs to play an outside game as well as an inside game. As long as he continues to negotiate, it’s OK by us if he needs to strike a different pose publicly. Since last week, the two sides have made steady progress on a package of $33 billion in cuts.
  • Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer • Calling out John Boehner, who’s insisting that no deal has been reached with the Democrats, and that $33 billion in cuts just isn’t enough. Who’s fibbing? We’ll find out by Friday, when either a budget will pass, or the government will shut down. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 22:51

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Politics: Scott Walker: Wisconsin is broke, but if your dad supports my campaign, you won’t be!

  • who Meet Brian Deschane, a 27 year-old from Wisconsin with no college degree, little political experience, and two drunk-driving convictions.
  • what Deschane earns $81,000 a year working a plum job for controversial Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, overseeing various regulatory and environmental matters.
  • why Deschane’s father is a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Builder’s Association, which gave over $120,000 to Walker’s election campaign. source
  • » After just two months on the job, Deschane received a raise of 25%, or $16,500 a year. This wasn’t too long ago; it was around the time Walker said that Wisconsin was “broke,” and has “been broke for years.” If that’s what it’s like to be broke, we don’t wanna be rich!
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 16:12

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Politics: Democrats pledge to filibuster anti-Planned Parenthood amendment

  • 41 Senators want to retain public funds for Planned Parenthood source
  • » Why this number matters: Forty-one is the magic number of senators needed to mount a filibuster and, in doing so, block a bill’s passage. Harry Reid has already stated that the anti-Planned Parenthood amendment passed by the House of Representatives won’t be included in the final legislation; however, with this group this size backing him up, Reid’s words now carry much more weight. Interestingly, while the Gang of 41, as someone will undoubtedly refer to them sooner or later, is composed entirely of Democratic-aligned senators, three Republicans have also voiced opposition to stripping Planned Parenthood of federal funds. This will undoubtedly complicated budget negotiations going forward, but we’re nonetheless heartened to see this many senators stepping up to defend such a vital national service. Here’s to hoping they remain intact.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 15:52

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Politics: 2012: Are Pawlenty’s over-the-top campaign ads working?

  • The same day President Obama announced his reelection campaign, GOP hopeful Tim Pawlenty put out another Bruckheimer-esque ad for his own 2012 run at the White House. This has all the charming affectations we’ve come to expect from Pawlenty’s ad shop, which is attempting (transparently, though not unwisely) to paint T-Paw as a more exciting candidate than he’s generally thought to be. We actually think Pawlenty is running a pretty smart campaign, despite the superficially goofy feel of these ads. Whereas nobody took his campaign seriously at its outset, some beltway types are now coalescing around the notion of Pawlenty as the wisest, or at least most plausible, choice for the GOP in 2012. Of course, winning over voters in New Hampshire is a different story entirely. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Apr 2011 15:25

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Politics, U.S.: Jon Huntsman prefers the Foo Fighters to smoking weed

  • Very few [Mormons] straddled in between, but Jon was very good at being in between– he was faithful to his faith from everything I can see– but he also would go out and hang with guys, and maybe not partake in things… I never saw him inhale.
  • Eric Malmquist, former bass player for “Wizard” • Talking about his memories of then bandmate Jon Huntsman. Huntsman was the keyboard player for the band, of which there are sadly no known recordings. Supposedly, long after they had broken up and each gone their separate ways, former drummer Howard Sharp got a page on his medical beeper, as he’d turned to a career in medicine years before. When he hurriedly returned the call, it was Huntsman on the line: “It’s not a medical emergency but it’s a rock and roll emergency. The Foo Fighters are coming to town and we have got to get tickets.” We admit, we like Huntsman a bit more after hearing this, his glaring misuse of an emergency medical pager notwithstanding.  source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Apr 2011 13:45

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Politics: National Transportation Safety Board weighs in on Flight 812

  • Was the aircraft well maintained and should it have been maintained better? That is exactly why we are here, to look at why this problem occurred… We did find evidence of widespread cracking across this entire fracture surface.
  • NTSB member Robert Sumwalt • Speaking at a press conference regarding the nearly calamitous defect on Southwest Airlines Flight 812 last Friday, which tore open a piece of the overhead fuselage. Some 300 flights have been canceled to free up the Southwest 737s now subject to inspection, “aircraft skin fatigue” being what inspectors consider the most likely culprit (thanks to producermatthew for his great work on this). source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

02 Apr 2011 21:52

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Politics: Americans woefully misinformed, part two

  • 19% of Americans think Nancy Pelosi is Speaker of the House source
  • » Even more discouraging: That number was at 13% after Republicans won the House in November. That means the percentage of people who incorrectly believe that Pelosi is still Speaker has increased since she handed to gavel over to John Boehner (who, by the way, is only correctly identified as Speaker of the House by 43% of Americans). Sigh.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2011 21:26

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Politics: Senate Republicans endorse balanced-budget amendment; policy wonks’ heads explode

  • Every single Senate Republican has endorsed a constitutional amendment that would’ve made Ronald Reagan’s fiscal policy unconstitutional. That’s how far to the right the modern GOP has swung.
  • Ezra Klein • Analyzing (demolishing is more like it) the merits of the Balanced Budget Amendment, which all 47 Senate Republicans have endorsed. The amendment would require 2/3 majorities in both chambers of Congress in order to enact any tax increases, and wouldn’t allow total spending per year to exceed 18% of GDP. Bruce Bartlett, former domestic policy advisor to Reagan, has said that the proposed amendment is “quite possibly the stupidest constitutional amendment I think I have ever seen,” and that it “looks like it was drafted by a couple of interns on the back of a napkin.” Ouch. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Apr 2011 21:08

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Politics: Pander to the Birthers, and Fox News will give you gig

  • rhetoric Donald Trump has been stoking the Birther fires lately, repeatedly questioning President Obama’s place of birth (and, by extension, the legitimacy of his presidency).
  • result Fox News has given Trump his own weekly segment, “Monday Mornings With Trump.” We mean “given” in the literal sense; Fox says that Trump isn’t being paid. source
  • » Fun fact: In announcing Trump’s new gig, Fox amusingly referred to the billionaire TV star as “The Donald.” Admittedly, this nickname format rolls off the tongue much better with Trump than with other 2012 contenders (The Mike, The Mitt, The Newt, etc).
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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