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[ToxicAdam]

Since we have been talking about news sources and blogs lately, I have stumbled across a site called polurls. Which is a pretty great way to get a snapshot look at what the news of the day is and what the polarized people are excited about.

 

[Nert]

So I have a question if anyone would be so kind as to guide me in a direction that would be helpful. Currently I am attempting to dip my toes into the deep waters of politics so that I may have a better understanding of all of the major happenings going on both on a domestic, and global scale. Much of my youth i've never really payed much attention to politics for numberous reasons but mostly because with all of the back stabbing, double talking, and flat out lying that many politicians do for obvious reasons it can be quite a bit confusing as to where to even start looking for some real answers to anything.

As crazy as I suppose it may sound i'm not even entirely sure where I stand on the Demo/Rep sides issue, mainly because I see issues on both sides where I agree with one over the other, but on a seperate issues I lean the other direction.

Really I just want to get informed and am hoping someone might be able to point me to some places where I can help myself do so. Thanks in advance for any suggestion advice given.

The Economist provides a great general overview of current events, and although I don't find them to be too strident or anything, you can easily skip over the handful of editorials that they include in each issue if you wish. Things become trickier when you want to start going more in depth on specific issues. As an example, you could probably spend many months just reading about different proposals for health care reform.

Are there any issue areas in particular that you would like to focus on? I could probably be more helpful if I had a better idea what you were looking for.

 

[RustyNails]

Since we have been talking about news sources and blogs lately, I have stumbled across a site called polurls. Which is a pretty great way to get a snapshot look at what the news of the day is and what the polarized people are excited about.

Wow thanks for the link TA. Never knew about this.

 

[jamesinclair]

Ive been visiting a library lately and reading the NYT. The contrast between it and my local paper is staggering.

There's so much stuff going on in the world, if you rely on the local paper + CNN + poligaf you wont even hear about it.

The NYT is still a decent paper when it comes to covering real news.

 

[PantherLotus]

 

[RustyNails]

Rick Scott is at 29%? Holy moly. I knew he was bad, but had no idea he is Bush levels of awful.

 

[Synth_floyd]

Obama was at a gay rights rally today saying he wants gay couples of have all the same rights as heterosexual couples but apparently he's still against gay marriage. LOL I bet as soon as the 2012 election is over (regardless of the outcome) he'll suddenly come out in favor of it.

 

[Skiptastic]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/images/Gop-Approval-Ratings-Chart-Embed.jpg

My Man Mitch FTW

Spoiler

(by default_

!

 

[Averon]

This may be what gets Obama re-elected.

 

[Gilby]

This may be what gets Obama re-elected.

Plus, it's got a vaginal symbol in the corner!

 

[Clevinger]

amazes me that Walker isn't lower

 

[GhaleonEB]

North Carolina Dem Governor Vetoes GOP Voter-ID Bill

Good stuff. There have been a lot of those sorts of bills since the GOP swept in during last election, but I've been pleasantly surprised that several have been shot down.

 

[Jackson50]

I think you're letting yourself give in to your worst fears instead of looking at the reality of the situation. Romney is not liked within the party and is only leading based on "electability." He is the John Kerry of 2012. The left thought they could just run against Bush and it didn't matter who they put up, clearly that didn't work (they got close because the hatred of Bush was strong). It feels to me like the GOP is trying to do the same. They want to nominate a guy who looks/feels/acts/talks Presidential so that the general public doesn't question him too much and focuses on the shitty job Obama has done.

Romney is leading because of a combination of electability and name recognition. The only other prospective nominees with similar name recognition are Palin and Gingrich. And both of them are polarizing with low favorability ratings. Conversely, Mitt is well known, and he is less polarizing. That affords him an early advantage. Otherwise, I concur that he is viewed unfavorably by the establishment and interest groups. For whatever reason, support is not coalescing behind him. Pawlenty should take advantage of Romney's vulnerability. He possesses the fundamentals of a viable candidate, and he should satisfy the establishment. But he has heretofore proven incapable. Of course, it is early, so he could improve his position.

Furthermore, that is why Perry's potential candidacy would be momentous. He possesses the fundamentals of a viable candidate. Likewise, he would enjoy the structural advantages of being an incumbent. Additionally, I think the establishment and interest groups would support him. It would be a close race between him and Romney.

 

[TacticalFox88]

This may be what gets Obama re-elected.

Let's hope. Last thing we need now is a Republican President reversing all what little progress we've made

 

[SirButterstick]

Let's hope. Last thing we need now is a Republican President reversing all what little progress we've made

Not to be hyperbolic, but you verbalized what I've been thinking lately. Namely, that republicans and libertarians are the forces of regression and well, selfishness. You can throw evil in there as well if you'd like.

 

[sc0la]

Since we have been talking about news sources and blogs lately, I have stumbled across a site called polurls. Which is a pretty great way to get a snapshot look at what the news of the day is and what the polarized people are excited about.

They should make a Communist version of that site called politburls

/bad jokes

 

[jamesinclair]

The scott walker one is wrong right?

It's negative 43%?

 

[quaere]

Ive been visiting a library lately and reading the NYT. The contrast between it and my local paper is staggering.

There's so much stuff going on in the world, if you rely on the local paper + CNN + poligaf you wont even hear about it.

The NYT is still a decent paper when it comes to covering real news.

Yeah, I've started reading the NYT almost exclusively for the past half year or so. It's amazing how far ahead it is in not just covering the popular news, but really letting you know what's going on in the world. Even much more so than something like the Economist, which I would argue is mostly lots of unsupported opinion wrapped up in a sophisticated presentation to appear complex and authoritative.

One thing I've realized reading it though is the NYT really is a liberal paper. I don't even think they put forth much of an effort at a pretense of balance as does, say, the Washington Post. But I think I prefer it this way.

 

[Nert]

Even much more so than something like the Economist, which I would argue is mostly lots of unsupported opinion wrapped up in a sophisticated presentation to appear complex and authoritative.

I'd be interested to see that argument, actually. Any recent examples of non-editorial pieces that seem that way to you?

 

[jamesinclair]

Yeah, I've started reading the NYT almost exclusively for the past half year or so. It's amazing how far ahead it is in not just covering the popular news, but really letting you know what's going on in the world. Even much more so than something like the Economist, which I would argue is mostly lots of unsupported opinion wrapped up in a sophisticated presentation to appear complex and authoritative.

One thing I've realized reading it though is the NYT really is a liberal paper. I don't even think they put forth much of an effort at a pretense of balance as does, say, the Washington Post. But I think I prefer it this way.

Ive got no problem with the economist, although it does clearly lean right on financial issues.

Same with the times mind you. You'll never hear the times cheer-lead for nationalization of an industry.

 

[Oblivion]

Kevin Drum spits out some (depressing) truf:

Matt Yglesias points out that last December, when Democrats cut a deficit-busting deal with Republicans to cut taxes and increase stimulus spending, would have been a perfect time to raise the debt ceiling. But:

It didn’t happen. Obama said he trusted John Boehner. Harry Reid said he didn’t want the debt limit to be raised by the 111th Congress because he wanted to force the incoming 112th Congress to take ownership over it. The results of these decisions have been a disaster.

What’s more, not only was the disaster predictable but even once it was visibly on the horizon the White House bungled it. There was a brief opportunity for the President to dig in his heels and simply refuse to compromise. Then the debate rapidly would have become “can John Boehner round up the votes in his caucus necessary to avoid a default.” Instead, the White House conceded the unprecedented point that even though Boehner and Obama agreed about the desirability of raising the debt ceiling that the White House should make concessions to the Speaker in order to obtain it. Consequently, you get what we have here this week.

For what it's worth, I continue to think that this probably wasn't a bungle. More likely, during his first two years in office Obama had gotten enough deficit religion from the likes of Peter Orszag and Tim Geithner that he actually welcomed the opportunity to put in place some long-term spending cuts. He couldn't very well admit that publicly, of course, since his base would go bananas, so instead he punted on the debt ceiling, knowing that Republicans would then use it to "force" spending concessions out of him. Mission accomplished: long-term spending is reduced, and Republicans get all the blame. Democrats mostly forgive him because everyone knows Republicans are crazy, and as a bonus, Republicans don't even get much of a boost from their own base out of this since any real-world spending cut won't come close to the demands of the tea party crowd.

How sure am I of this? Not very. Maybe 60%. But think of it this way: the kind of negotiating position Matt is talking about isn't rocket science. It's not even Negotiation 101. It's more like the fifth grade version. There's just no way that Obama and Reid and the rest of the Democratic brain trust were literally so stupid that they didn't understand this. A far more parsimonious explanation is that this is roughly what Obama wanted. He wanted spending cuts, but he wanted Republicans to be the ones to take the lead. And that's what happened.

Bottom line: I don't think we should try to figure out what Obama "really" thinks about stimulus spending vs. deficit reduction. His actions suggest that he wants long-term spending cuts. Like it or not, that's the real Obama.

UPDATE: Jon Chait has the same reaction as Matt, saying this about the failure last December to tie a debt ceiling increase to the tax and spending package: "It was clear that the time that Republicans were committed to pushing the boundaries of their formal powers as far as they would go, and Obama utterly failed to anticipate this."

Seriously? Does anyone really believe that Barack Obama and his team, all with high IQs and decades of Washington experience, utterly failed to anticipate this? I don't. A third grader might fail to anticipate this, but not Obama.

Okay, so we agree that Obama can't possibly be stupid enough to be consistently outsmarted by Republican shrewdness. My next question is, what then, is Obama's end game? Focusing on this debt reduction stuff (which, by the way, is itself a joke since Obama INCREASED the deficit thanks to caving in on the stupid Bush tax cuts), and not on job creation makes things much more difficult for him to be re-elected. Wouldn't focusing on such things make a little bit more sense in his second term instead of trying to jeopardize it?

Major war hawk may not be accurate, but he is amenable to military action. He advocated the increase in drone strikes. He supported the "surge" in Afghanistan. Moreover, he has been quite deferential to the military on national security issues. Additionally, I have read that he fostered better relations with Congress regarding intelligence oversight. This should not be surprising as he is the consummate beltway insider. He is a former congressman. He served as Director of the OMB. And, most importantly, he served as Clinton's Chief of Staff. Thus, he already had good working relations with many Senators, and he was quintessentially conventional. A conventional beltway insider with an amiable relationship with Senators? The dude was a shoo-in.Well, Clinton implemented a strategy of containment towards Iraq. Economic and political sanctions were used to stunt Iraqi machinations and compel compliance with UNSC Resolution 687. As his term progressed, the policy became decidedly active as intermittent military strikes were used to compel compliance. Furthermore, Clinton did examine the issue of regime change. And he considered military action. However, a myriad of reasons militated against it. Therefore, they favored other means to foster regime change. This culminated in the Iraq Liberation Act. Aside from that, it is difficult to predict how Clinton would have handled an invasion. I would guess that he would have favored robust multilateralism and international legitimation. Still, it is conjecture.

Thank you very much, boss!

 

[Diablos]

So much fail all around. Corbett is a piece of shit Governor and it pains me to know my state's legislature is dominated by the GOP.

Onorato was such a weak candidate for the Dems here. I wish there were no term limits and Rendell could have run again. He's shady, but he wins elections and was a good Governor all-around.

Corbett is a fucking shell.

 

[Loudninja]

Its time for the New Newt News of the day!

Newt Gingrich: Obama Is So Bad, Black People Will Vote Republican

BALTIMORE, MD -- Newt Gingrich fired up the crowd in this blue state with the promise that President Obama is so bad that he's made it possible for the Republicans to win over the African American vote in 2012.

Gingrich stopped off at an airport Marriott near Baltimore Thursday to keynote the Maryland GOP's annual Red, White & Blue banquet. Before the speech, he assured reporters that his campaign was still going strong. When he took the podium, he offered Republican donors a long, dense speech full of red meat and warnings about the state of the world around us.

He also said it was time for Republicans to tell African Americans how terrible Obama has been for them.

He broke out the "Obama is the food stamp president" line that got him in racial trouble earlier in the campaign.

But this time, he spun the line into a suggestion that the African American vote is ripe for the plucking.

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/...black-people-will-vote-republican.php?ref=fpa

 

[Oblivion]

Since we have been talking about news sources and blogs lately, I have stumbled across a site called polurls. Which is a pretty great way to get a snapshot look at what the news of the day is and what the polarized people are excited about.

Pffffft. Sure, that site seems decent, but I (and I imagine most people) would prefer mine . What it lacks in quantity and well roundedness, it makes up for in excessive partisanship and patriotism!

 

[Zabka]

Seriously? Does anyone really believe that Barack Obama and his team, all with high IQs and decades of Washington experience, utterly failed to anticipate this? I don't. A third grader might fail to anticipate this, but not Obama.

I can believe the Democrats are this stupid. They spent a year trying to get Olympia fucking Snowe on board with Health Care Reform and she laughed in their faces.

 

[Plinko]

LOL at Snyder at 33%. What a joke Michigan has become. His "emergency takeover cities and schools by my business buddies" plan has people in an uproar.

Also, My Man Mitch would probably be that high with a public opinion poll. People love him here.

 

[eznark]

amazes me that Walker isn't lower

This is why I laugh at the recall Walker nonsense. In 6 months that ship will have fully sailed.

Also, My Man Mitch would probably be that high with a public opinion poll. People love him here.

Last I saw he is at 69-72% approval. (It was being bandied about when he was thinking of running as "America's Most Popular Governor"

 

[Loudninja]

Report: Bin Laden courier's phone provides leads

WASHINGTON (AP) — A cellphone of Osama bin Laden's trusted courier recovered in the U.S. raid last month that killed both men in Pakistan contained contacts to a militant group that is a longtime asset of Pakistan's intelligence agency, The New York Times reported late Thursday.

In tracing the calls on the cellphone, U.S. analysts have determined that Harakat commanders had called Pakistani intelligence officials, the senior American officials said. One said they had met. The officials added that the contacts were not necessarily about bin Laden and that there was no "smoking gun" showing that Pakistan's spy agency had protected bin Laden.

http://beta.news.yahoo.com/report-bin-laden-couriers-phone-provides-leads-032007828.html

 

[TacticalFox88]

Report: Bin Laden courier's phone provides leads


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/report-bin-laden-couriers-phone-provides-leads-032007828.html

Damn, we're just fucking shit up for them ever since we killed Osama, haha.

 

[Manmademan]

So much fail all around. Corbett is a piece of shit Governor and it pains me to know my state's legislature is dominated by the GOP.

Onorato was such a weak candidate for the Dems here. I wish there were no term limits and Rendell could have run again. He's shady, but he wins elections and was a good Governor all-around.

Corbett is a fucking shell.

Did you hear that corbett hates the disabled? Expect lots of these ads next time election time comes around.

http://blogs.mcall.com/capitol_ideas/2011/06/disabled-protesters-clash-with-capitol-police.html

 

[Jackson50]

This is why I laugh at the recall Walker nonsense. In 6 months that ship will have fully sailed.

It was mostly a few delusional liberals that expected that to actualize; rather, so it seemed. There is a reason successful recalls are exceedingly rare.

Ive got no problem with the economist, although it does clearly lean right on financial issues.

Same with the times mind you. You'll never hear the times cheer-lead for nationalization of an industry.

Conversely, it leans left on certain issues. I think they support gay marriage and a carbon tax. Otherwise, they are primarily neo-liberals. At least that is what I detect. Moreover, their blogs are informative.

So I have a question if anyone would be so kind as to guide me in a direction that would be helpful. Currently I am attempting to dip my toes into the deep waters of politics so that I may have a better understanding of all of the major happenings going on both on a domestic, and global scale. Much of my youth i've never really payed much attention to politics for numberous reasons but mostly because with all of the back stabbing, double talking, and flat out lying that many politicians do for obvious reasons it can be quite a bit confusing as to where to even start looking for some real answers to anything.

As crazy as I suppose it may sound i'm not even entirely sure where I stand on the Demo/Rep sides issue, mainly because I see issues on both sides where I agree with one over the other, but on a seperate issues I lean the other direction.

Really I just want to get informed and am hoping someone might be able to point me to some places where I can help myself do so. Thanks in advance for any suggestion advice given.

Thus, The Economist's blog profile. That link will also provide their articles and channels.

Democracy Now and NPR are quality resources for general news. Additionally, you will want to follow a newspaper such as the NYT for more comprehensive reporting.

For specifically foreign policy and international affairs, I suggest watching Fareed Zakaria GPS. Also, read his articles. Additionally, Passport on FP.com is excellent; honestly, everything on FP.com is excellent. Their blogs are especially good as they feature a plethora of international politics academics.

 

[gcubed]

This may be what gets Obama re-elected.

this is exactly what is getting obama re-elected. The govs in swing states have failed miserably

 

[Kosmo]

LOL at Snyder at 33%. What a joke Michigan has become. His "emergency takeover cities and schools by my business buddies" plan has people in an uproar.

Also, My Man Mitch would probably be that high with a public opinion poll. People love him here.

Snyder is doing the right things - he's just getting flack because he's making public retirees pay taxes on their pensions the same way every person retiring from private industry does and whiners like Mitch Albom complaining about reductions in the movie credits.

I'm not saying he's perfect, but he's more in line with sensible government (e.g. see what we have, then figure out what we want to spend that money on) than Jenny "Here's everything we want to do, now how do we pay for it?"

Much like Wisconsin, you're confusing relative vocal minorities and probably reading papers like the Free Press who do everything they can to put Snyder in a bad light.

this is exactly what is getting obama re-elected. The govs in swing states have failed miserably

So, governors in swing States responsible for their bad state economies 6 months after taking office, Obama not responsible for the national economy 3 years after taking office...? We are so far away from November 2012 it's not even funny. Nothing that takes place in the next 6 months even matter as far as that is concerned.

 

[shadowsdarknes]

Is this an equal chart for Democratic governors?

 

[Manmademan]

So, governors in swing States responsible for their bad state economies 6 months after taking office, Obama not responsible for the national economy 3 years after taking office...? We are so far away from November 2012 it's not even funny. Nothing that takes place in the next 6 months even matter as far as that is concerned.

It's not the economy that has people hating corbett in PA, or upset with Walker and Scott.

In Corbett's case, he's coming off as a shill to the natural gas companies- slashing state budgets while refusing to tax the natural gas industry in any way whatsoever, and attempting to install gas executives within his oversight committees.

Walker has pissed people off by dismantling unions under the guise of the budget, fooling no one.

Scott is just flat out corrupt.

These are people who rode in on anti-democratic sentiment in general, but whose policies and experience would never have gotten them elected otherwise.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Report: Bin Laden courier's phone provides leads


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/report-bin-laden-couriers-phone-provides-leads-032007828.html

Good. Let's stop supporting Pakistan if they want to play games like this.

 

[timetokill]

Good. Let's stop supporting Pakistan if they want to play games like this.

There are so many reasons to stop, this is just icing on the cake

 

[Invisible_Insane]

The ISI: Neither Complicit Nor Incompetent Since 2011!

 

[Loudninja]

Big, Big, Big Trouble

Newly elected Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has some serious splainin' to do. After spending nearly $9 million of his own money to get elected in November, Johnson received $10 million in "deferred compensation" from his company.

Unlike most deferred comp arrangements, there was apparently no agreed-upon figure or formula for calculating the amount of compensation. Johnson reached agreement with himself on how much he should get paid. The amount he arrived at just happened to cover what he had recently dropped on the election.

Johnson's explanation for all this? "It's a private business. I've complied with all the disclosure laws, and I don't have to explain it any further to someone like you," Johnson told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Daniel Bice.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2011/06/big_big_big_trouble.php?ref=fpblg

 

[Plinko]

Snyder is doing the right things - he's just getting flack because he's making public retirees pay taxes on their pensions the same way every person retiring from private industry does and whiners like Mitch Albom complaining about reductions in the movie credits.

I'm not saying he's perfect, but he's more in line with sensible government (e.g. see what we have, then figure out what we want to spend that money on) than Jenny "Here's everything we want to do, now how do we pay for it?"

Much like Wisconsin, you're confusing relative vocal minorities and probably reading papers like the Free Press who do everything they can to put Snyder in a bad light.

I disagree that he's doing "the right things" in all cases. I think the concept of having one person (Snyder's personal friends and colleagues) do a government takeover of entire cities and kicking out elected officials is absolutely ridiculous. This is what people are really upset about.

As a teacher, I support the idea for the failing schools, however--especially in Detroit, which has wasted hundreds of millions over the past few decades. If the school district has gotten themselves into a situation they can't get out of then I fully support the state coming in and taking over.

You're right about the retirees tax/pension issue--people are not happy about that, but that's not the only thing they dislike about him.

As for "reading papers like the Free Press," my entire family still lives in Michigan. I do read some Free Press/Det News online occasionally, but the majority of my idea of how the citizens feel about him comes from my family and if what they say is true, people are NOT happy with Snyder right now.

Also, I absolutely despise Mitch Albom. I've heard stories about the guy and he sounds like a huge douche.

 

[Kosmo]

I disagree that he's doing "the right things" in all cases. I think the concept of having one person (Snyder's personal friends and colleagues) do a government takeover of entire cities and kicking out elected officials is absolutely ridiculous. This is what people are really upset about.

As a teacher, I support the idea for the failing schools, however--especially in Detroit, which has wasted hundreds of millions over the past few decades. If the school district has gotten themselves into a situation they can't get out of then I fully support the state coming in and taking over.

You're right about the retirees tax/pension issue--people are not happy about that, but that's not the only thing they dislike about him.

As for "reading papers like the Free Press," my entire family still lives in Michigan. I do read some Free Press/Det News online occasionally, but the majority of my idea of how the citizens feel about him comes from my family and if what they say is true, people are NOT happy with Snyder right now.

Also, I absolutely despise Mitch Albom. I've heard stories about the guy and he sounds like a huge douche.

I live in Michigan and can tell you that you are getting a skewed look at things. I am sure Snyder and his colleagues would rather not be in the financial manager position. To date, the only city subject to a financial manager is Benton Harbor - what do you think their motives are that you are so opposed to?

 

[Plinko]

I live in Michigan and can tell you that you are getting a skewed look at things. I am sure Snyder and his colleagues would rather not be in the financial manager position. To date, the only city subject to a financial manager is Benton Harbor - what do you think their motives are that you are so opposed to?

It's not their motives, it's the idea that the guy talked about smaller government and then does the exact opposite. One of the complaints I've been hearing the most is, "He never even mentioned the governmental takeover idea when he was running."

Look, I'm not saying I love or hate the guy. In my opinion, Michigan does NOT do a good job of picking governors. Engler left the state in a financial mess and Granholm did almost nothing to fix it. All I know is that to have a 33% approval rating in a state that easily voted you in less than 2 years ago means you've done something wrong.

 

[mckmas8808]

Kevin Drum spits out some (depressing) truf:



Okay, so we agree that Obama can't possibly be stupid enough to be consistently outsmarted by Republican shrewdness. My next question is, what then, is Obama's end game? Focusing on this debt reduction stuff (which, by the way, is itself a joke since Obama INCREASED the deficit thanks to caving in on the stupid Bush tax cuts), and not on job creation makes things much more difficult for him to be re-elected. Wouldn't focusing on such things make a little bit more sense in his second term instead of trying to jeopardize it?
!

It's a joke that the writer makes it seem as if a guy has to be pro spending cuts or pro stimulus spending only.

Can't you be both? They aren't mutually exclusive in my opinion. I agree that the 2 year extension on the tax cuts made the deficit worse, but long term it didn't harm the deficit that much.

And any DEM that doesn't understand that we need to fix our long term deficit problem is either kidding themselves or not willing to look at reality.

 

[Kosmo]

It's not their motives, it's the idea that the guy talked about smaller government and then does the exact opposite. One of the complaints I've been hearing the most is, "He never even mentioned the governmental takeover idea when he was running."

Look, I'm not saying I love or hate the guy. In my opinion, Michigan does NOT do a good job of picking governors. Engler left the state in a financial mess and Granholm did almost nothing to fix it. All I know is that to have a 33% approval rating in a state that easily voted you in less than 2 years ago means you've done something wrong.

Everyone talked about shared sacrifice - then when they were asked to share they were like "OH, I meant make HIM sacrifice, I'm good where I'm at."

 

[PantherLotus]

If Congress does nothing, "debt crisis" disappears.


Heh, maybe it's the democrats that are stalling? (as if they're that sneaky)

 

[aronnov reborn]

Report: Bin Laden courier's phone provides leads


http://beta.news.yahoo.com/report-bin-laden-couriers-phone-provides-leads-032007828.html

so how much money could we save if we just got out of Afghanistan and stopped sending aid to Pakistan? I'm assuming would make budget debt/cut talks alot easier.

 

[Invisible_Insane]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/assets_c/2011/05/obama-boehner-reid-pelosi-fullwell-cropped-proto-custom_24.jpg

If Congress does nothing, "debt crisis" disappears.


Heh, maybe it's the democrats that are stalling? (as if they're that sneaky)

Obama proved pretty clearly that he doesn't have the wherewithal to allow EGTRRA/JGTRRA to expire for everyone at the end of last year; I think his negotiating position has only become weaker given the anemic pace of the recovery. The tax cuts are here to stay.

 

[speculawyer]

Democracy Now and NPR are quality resources for general news.

It is interesting to compare Democracy Now (solidly left news) and the solid right news (WorldNetDaily, NewsMax, Glenn Beck). Both of them are too out there for my tastes. But their quirks are interesting. When Democracy Now goes off into the weeds it is something silly like 'They used Geronimo as a code name and that offended native Americans'! But when the solid-right goes into the weeds it is just insanity conspiracy theories . . . Kenyan Obama, secret world government plan, the Amero, etc.

 

[speculawyer]

nm

 

[speculawyer]

Good. Let's stop supporting Pakistan if they want to play games like this.

The conventional wisdom has been we have been in bed with Pakistan to help in our war in Afghanistan. Some people have recently flipped that logic. They feel part of the reason why we continue to stay in Afghanistan is so we can continue our secret war within Pakistan with drone strikes and various secret-ops that don't get talked about publicly. Afghanistan largely acts as a local base for us to run our covert Pakistan war.