Author: HL

The Impossible Cheney Dream?

Poll Gives Thompson Big Lead Over Feingold
A new St. Norbert College poll in Wisconsin shows Tommy Thompson (R) with a double digit lead over Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) in a possible U.S. Senate match up, 45% to 33%.

Branstad Way Ahead in Iowa
A new Magellan Strategies survey in Iowa shows former Gov. Terry Branstad (R) crushing Gov. Chet Culver (D) in this year’s race for governor, 50% to 34%

Democrats Scramble for Special Elections Next Month
Politico notes the prospect of losing two House special elections next month “has sparked a vigorous, behind-the-scenes Democratic effort, designed to avoid an outcome that could lead to panic among the rank-and-file and stall the momentum generated by the recent passage of landmark health care legislation.”

“The trajectories of the two elections, which will take place in Pennsylvania and Hawaii over a span of four days next month, have raised alarm bells among top party officials who fear that a pair of defeats in the Democratic-held seats could amount to a Massachusetts Senate sequel, overshadowing President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan and reinforcing a narrative that the Democratic Party is on track for severe losses in November.”

6 Bad Things That Have Happened to the Republican National Committee This Week
The week is still young, but already the RNC is flailing.

The week is still young, but already the RNC is flailing.

U.S. and Allied Forces: We Killed Those Pregnant Afghan Women After All

Brave New Foundation’s Rethink Afghanistan project has been following the story about a night raid in Gardez by U.S. and Afghan forces (see the video above), and today those forces made a major admission about their responsibility for civilian deaths. In a press release issued on Easter (gee, I wonder if […]

Guilty of Sedition? How the Right Is Undermining Our Government’s Authority and Capability to Run the Country
It’s time to openly confront the fact that conservatives have spent the past 40 years systematically delegitimizing the very idea of US government.

It's time to openly confront the fact that conservatives have spent the past 40 years systematically delegitimizing the very idea of US government.

Despite Some PR Spin, the Top U.S. Bank Cop Is Still Pushing the Same Anti-Consumer Agenda
Instead of strengthening the framework that lead the economy to the brink of collapse, the top U.S. bank regulator wants to sabotage it further.

Instead of strengthening the framework that lead the economy to the brink of collapse, the top U.S. bank regulator wants to sabotage it further.

Michigan Militia plans ?open carry? gun tea party to ?take the stigma out of the word militia.?
This Saturday, on April 10, the Michigan Militia plans to host a tea party “open carry” gun rally. The Militia, which is a successor to the violent anti-government Michigan Militias of the mid-’90s, has come under criticism since the FBI raids of the Hutaree, a Michigan-based Christian militia that had planned to murder police officers. […]

This Saturday, on April 10, the Michigan Militia plans to host a tea party “open carry” gun rally. The Militia, which is a successor to the violent anti-government Michigan Militias of the mid-’90s, has come under criticism since the FBI raids of the Hutaree, a Michigan-based Christian militia that had planned to murder police officers. The Michigan Militia cooperated with the FBI to arrest the Hutaree and claimed that although they “had occasional contacts with the Hutaree militia,” they “had never trained with them.” Mike Lackomar, a spokesman for the militia, defended the planned “open carry” rally and again tried to distance himself from the Hutaree:

“This event primarily tries to take the stigma out of the word ‘militia,’ and provide information on what we are and who we are,” Lackomar said. “It lets people meet us and see what we’re all about.” […] “I want it to be perfectly clear,” Lackomar said. “(The Hutaree) are not us, and we are not them, and we did not agree with their philosophy.”

However, according to their own website, the Michigan Militia boasts of being joined by their “friends” in the Hutaree shortly before leaving their training session to eat fajitas back in 2007. In a photo gallery published by the Michigan Militia in 2008 (now deleted), they posted pictures of the Hutaree with the caption: “Like ghosts through the woods, The Hutaree close on their objective.” The tea parties, anti-government militia groups, and far right elements of the Republican Party are slowly merging. Gun right advocates are planning rallies on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing around the country, with even Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R) slated to speak at one of the events.

Did Jindal Bribe Louisiana?s Attorney General To Force Him To Join Frivolous Health Care Lawsuit?
Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is the only Democrat in the lawsuit challenging the federal government over the constitutionality of health care reform. On March 26, he explained why he joined the suit, which is being led by Florida: As Attorney General, I am duty bound by my oath of office to pursue a request […]

Louisiana Attorney General Buddy Caldwell is the only Democrat in the lawsuit challenging the federal government over the constitutionality of health care reform. On March 26, he explained why he joined the suit, which is being led by Florida:

As Attorney General, I am duty bound by my oath of office to pursue a request by the Governor of the state of Louisiana for legal assistance, so long as it has substantial legal merit.

To save Louisiana the potential expense of filing a separate suit regarding the health-care legislation, it was my decision to sign-on to Florida’s well-drafted action at minimal cost to Louisiana and accomplish the same legal purpose.

It’s questionable whether the suit actually has “substantial legal merit.” At least eight other attorneys general have refused to go along, saying that doing so would be a frivolous waste of taxpayer resources to make a partisan point. The Wonk Room’s Igor Volsky has also pointed out the political motivations driving the attorneys general who suing the federal government, noting that they are overwhelmingly running for running for higher office or up for re-election.

The Eunice News in Louisiana, however, is reporting that Jindal may have essentially bribed Caldwell to join the suit, promising no more cuts to his budget if he did so:

In a subsequent address to employees of his office, the Attorney General said the decision was made more out of the necessity of saving jobs in his agency than any real hope—or desire—of overturning the health care law.

One employee said Caldwell, in a candid admission, claimed that a deal was made with Jindal. Under terms of that agreement, the governor would not make additional cuts in the attorney general’s budget if Caldwell joined in the litigation. Caldwell agreed to be the “token Democrat,” he said, so that he might save additional job cuts by an administration whose state goal is to reduce the number of state employees by as much as 5,000 per year over three years.

Caldwell has been facing significant blowback for his decision to pursue Jindal’s right-wing case. Louisiana’s Black Caucus recently rallied against Caldwell, with state Rep. Regina Barrow (D) saying the services provided by the Affordable Care Act “could approximately save us $500 million. These savings could be used to cover a majority of the state budget crisis that we currently face, inclusive of higher ed.”

RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay resigns
The Republican National Committee’s chief of staff resigned under pressure Monday, which Chairman Michael S. Steele described as an effort to reassure wavering donors in the wake of a controversy over its most recent expense accounting.

Obama to take middle course in new nuclear policy
A year after his groundbreaking pledge to move toward a “world without nuclear weapons,” President Obama on Tuesday will unveil a policy that constrains the weapons’ role but appears more cautious than what many supporters had hoped, with the president opting for a middle course in many key areas.

RNC Chief of Staff Ken McKay resigns
The Republican National Committee’s chief of staff resigned under pressure Monday, which Chairman Michael S. Steele described as an effort to reassure wavering donors in the wake of a controversy over its most recent expense accounting.

Is Feingold Done? He Just Might Be
Patrick McIlheran, RealClearPolitics
Russ Feingold, seeking a fourth U.S. Senate term out of Wisconsin, is by now a habit. His state wears him almost unconsciously, the way a rattling old Tercel in front of me at a traffic light still bore its “Feingold in '04″ bumper sticker.Next to the Feingold sticker was one promoting a food co-op, then another reading, “War is not the answer.”That's why Sen. Fixture just may now be in trouble: This year, war isn't even the question. 

Bust Up the Banks
Jeffrey Garten, The Daily Beast
A week or so from now, after the congressional recess, efforts to enact financial reform will go into high gear. The House of Representatives has passed a bill, the Senate is about to debate one, and President Obama is determined to sign a new law by early summer. In 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown, Simon Johnson and James Kwak predict, correctly in my view, that the ultimate legislation will be fairly modest in its impact. There will be nothing to compare, for example, to the 1930s’ passage of the Glass-Steagall Act that separated staid…

Obama Needs to Take On Labor Allies in Trade Fight
Al Hunt, Bloomberg
The Obama administration last month targeted villains impeding international commerce, especially China.The Chinese, in the United States Trade Representative's report, were criticized for import and procurement restrictionsthat discriminate against foreign competitors. The Chinese currency valuation wasn't specifically mentioned, though that's the context of the overall complaint. The U.S. also chastised the Europeans, Japan and South Korea. 

Congress, Be Semper Fi

Democrats’ Uphill Battles Continue
E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Toward the end of the health care battle, a beleaguered Obama staff member sent me an e-mail that ended with the words: “Sisyphus was a sissy compared to what we've been through!”Yes, the fight for health care seemed very much like the Greek myth: Every time the White House found itself on the verge of rolling the health care stone up the hill, some event — say, Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts — would force it to start over with a new strategy.

Harnden: Petraeus for President
Toby Harnden: Americans have never been so disgusted with their politicians. … Many voters yearn for an outsider, someone with authenticity, integrity and proven accomplishment. Someone who has not spent their life plotting how to ascend the greasy pole, adjusting every utterance for maximum political advantage. … [N]o one stands out like General David Petraeus, head of United States Central Command, leader of 230,000 troops and commander of United States forces in two wars.

Campaign Donors Prefer Democrats
It costs about $1.36 million to win a seat in the House of Representatives and about twice that in the Senate. Democrats are finding that when it comes to raising that kind of cash, it’s good to be in the majority. Republicans are having a harder time selling their agenda to donors, plus they’ve got something of a Tea Party insurgency to deal with. For the Democrats, it also helps to be able to deliver for corporate America. Guess which party has gotten more money from pharmaceutical companies? Hint: The one that just passed a comprehensive health care bill that largely ignores spiraling drug costs. The Democrats would do well not to boast. Republicans enjoyed similar fundraising advantages when the Democrats retook the House in 2006.  —PZS Washington Post: Democrats in both chambers are enjoying the traditional advantages of majority-party status—and then some. They lead in donations by political action committees, by committees affiliated with the national political parties or with House and Senate leaders, and in individual contributions to incumbent lawmakers. In some instances, their lead exceeds what the Republicans had when that party controlled both chambers in the 2005-06 midterm election cycle. To no surprise, analysts differ by party on the causes and significance of the disparity. Some Republicans say a donation surge may still come, particularly as the party courts new, small donors outside Washington. They also complain that donations to party stalwarts have been affected by internal squabbles with rebellious “tea partiers,” which they hope will end soon. Read more

It costs about $1.36 million to win a seat in the House of Representatives and about twice that in the Senate. Democrats are finding that when it comes to raising that kind of cash, it’s good to be in the majority.

Republicans are having a harder time selling their agenda to donors, plus they’ve got something of a Tea Party insurgency to deal with.

For the Democrats, it also helps to be able to deliver for corporate America. Guess which party has gotten more money from pharmaceutical companies? Hint: The one that just passed a comprehensive health care bill that largely ignores spiraling drug costs.

The Democrats would do well not to boast. Republicans enjoyed similar fundraising advantages when the Democrats retook the House in 2006.? —PZS

Washington Post:

Democrats in both chambers are enjoying the traditional advantages of majority-party status—and then some. They lead in donations by political action committees, by committees affiliated with the national political parties or with House and Senate leaders, and in individual contributions to incumbent lawmakers. In some instances, their lead exceeds what the Republicans had when that party controlled both chambers in the 2005-06 midterm election cycle.

To no surprise, analysts differ by party on the causes and significance of the disparity. Some Republicans say a donation surge may still come, particularly as the party courts new, small donors outside Washington. They also complain that donations to party stalwarts have been affected by internal squabbles with rebellious “tea partiers,” which they hope will end soon.

Read more

Related Entries

• April 4, 2010 Obama’s Obscure Pronunciation of ‘Nuclear’ Breaks With Tradition
• April 4, 2010 Obama’s Base Problem

Robert Reich: The Obama Administration’s Approach To Financial Reform Will Do ‘Nothing’ To Change Wall Street (VIDEO)
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich blasted the Obama administration’s approach to financial reform on Sunday. After Obama’s top economic adviser, Larry Summers, said on…

Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup
Happy Easter, HuffPosters! This week delivered a courageous ruling on the illegality of Bush’s domestic wiretapping program; a cowardly example of attacking the messenger by those defending the Pope; and the bizarre revelations of bondage club expenditures by the RNC. The environmental scorecard showed both a victory and a head-scratching setback. The victory: the biggest-ever jump in fuel economy standards (fleets must average 35.5 mpg by 2016, up 30 percent from current standards). This is a smart and long overdue way of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. The setback: the Obama administration’s decision to allow offshore drilling for oil and gas in selected areas. This is a risky and shortsighted way of reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil. Better to send fossil fuels the way of the dinosaurs that created them and focus on the alternative energy future. Innovate, baby, innovate!

Tina Wells: America’s Youth Divided on Healthcare Reform
My research firm, Buzz Marketing Group, sent out a survey to gauge the reactions to healthcare reform from America’s teens and young adults. This “Healthcare…

Terrorist Trials: Lieberman Criticizes Obama Admin For Prosecuting Terrorists In Civilian Courts
Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn) argued on Sunday that the Obama administration had erred in its decision to place several terrorist suspects into the criminal court…

Byron Williams: King’s Final 365-Day Odyssey
King’s final year, though controversial to some and irrelevant to others, was an unwavering commitment to those on the underside of life.

Hume accuses White House of “economic illiteracy” by pushing economic myths

Fox News contributor Brit Hume relied on dubious claims to accuse the White House of “economic illiteracy,” pushing the myth that March employment gains were primarily driven by “government jobs” and the discredited claim that the stimulus has failed. But March job growth at private employers was the largest in nearly three years, and economic analyses have concluded that unemployment would be higher and GDP lower without the stimulus.

Hume accuses Obama administration of “economic illiteracy”

Hume: “This is an administration that seems beset by kind of an economic illiteracy.” During the April 4 edition of Fox Broadcasting Co.’s Fox News Sunday, Hume stated:

HUME: This is an administration that seems beset by kind of an economic illiteracy. I don’t think the president nor those immediately around him really have a grasp — surprisingly — have very little grasp of what the private — how the private sector works, how incentives work, and how disincentives work.

Hume’s accusation based on discredited and dubious economic analysis

Hume: “[S]o many of the jobs were these government jobs.” Discussing March’s unemployment numbers recently released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Hume commented: “Just as in the past, so many of the jobs were these government jobs which have either been saved, as they like to say, or created.” He continued, “This is, in jobs terms, an exceedingly feeble recovery.”

BLS: Private employers added 123,000 jobs in March. In the most recent monthly employment survey, BLS reported that total nonfarm payroll increased by 162,000 employees in March; private employers added 123,000 employees in March, the largest one-month gain since May 2007.

From a BLS news release on the March jobs report:

Hume: “I think the stimulus has been remarkably ineffective.” During the discussion, Hume also stated: “They talk about the effect of the stimulus. I think the stimulus has been remarkably ineffective.”

Independent analysts agree with White House: Unemployment would be higher, GDP lower without stimulus. In a quarterly report issued January 13, the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) estimated: “As of the fourth quarter of 2009, the CEA estimates that the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] has raised employment relative to the baseline by between 1½ and 2 million. The CEA estimates for both the effects on GDP and employment are similar to those of respected private forecasters and government agencies.” From CEA’s quarterly report:

In the same report, CEA stated: “The CEA estimates suggest that the Act contributed between 2 and 3 percentage points to real GDP growth in the second quarter; between 3 and 4 percentage points in the third quarter; and between 1½ and 3 percentage points in the fourth quarter. The estimates imply that as a result, it has raised the level of GDP at the end of 2009 by about 2 percent, relative to what otherwise would have been.” CEA noted that “private sector estimates” of the stimulus effects on GDP were “generally similar”:

Hume: White House ignores “the effect of what the Federal Reserve has been doing.” Hume further stated: “I think the stimulus has been remarkably ineffective when you — you know their analyses never seem to include the effect of what the Federal Reserve has been doing — unprecedented efforts to inject cash into the economy. A lot of it has gotten into the economy. That, I think, has provided whatever buoyancy we have.”

White House: “[T]he Federal Reserve’s program … surely contributed to the difference” in the economy. In its January 13 quarterly report, CEA wrote:

This projection methodology provides one way of estimating the impact of the ARRA on employment and the economy. It shows that using the past history of GDP and employment and actual data through the first quarter of 2009, one would have predicted that employment as of the middle of the fourth quarter would be about 2 million lower than it actually was. To ascribe much of this difference to the ARRA, the key policy action taken in the first quarter, is certainly plausible. However, other policy actions, such as the Financial Stability Plan, monetary policy, and the Federal Reserve’s program of buying agency debt and long-term U.S. government bonds, surely contributed to the difference. Also, any other factors not captured by the past history of GDP and employment, such as unusual moves in foreign demand or asset prices, would also be captured in the difference.

Kristol criticizes White House for not extending Bush tax cuts — which CBO says is less cost effective than the stimulus

Fox News contributor Bill Kristol: “Why doesn’t he extend the Bush tax cuts again next year?” During the same Fox News Sunday panel discussion, Kristol stated:

KRISTOL: Taxes are going up next year, [Fox News contributor] Juan [Williams] — that’s a fact. He extended the Bush tax cuts this year. Think of the logic. Why did he do that? Because he knew that raising taxes is deflationary and recessionary. Why doesn’t he extend the Bush tax cuts again next year?

CBO: Extending tax cuts less efficient than Recovery Act’s tax credits. In February, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) director Douglas Elmendorf discussed the estimated effects that extending the Bush tax cuts would have on the economy and the federal budget and testified that “the effects of this policy per dollar of budgetary cost are smaller than the effects of extending [the stimulus] tax credits.”

CBO: Extending tax cuts “does not create much incentive … to hire more workers.” Elmendorf also stated in his written testimony that “[d]eferring the scheduled increases in tax rates in 2011 would help some businesses” but that “increasing the after-tax income of businesses typically does not create much incentive for them to hire more workers in order to produce more, because production depends principally on their ability to sell their products.”

Extremist Group Presses Govs To Step Down — Seeking ‘Final Remedy To Enslavement’
In the latest flareup of extremist anti-government activity, the FBI is investigating a fringe group that says it wants to “restore America” by peacefully dismantling the government.

New Ensign Details: ‘If You Want John Ensign To Work With You, You Have Got To Hire Doug Hampton’
More details have emerged about the actions of Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) in the aftermath of his 2008 affair with a top aide’s wife — already the subject of a heated federal probe.

Gearing Up For Midterms, GOP Heavyweights Raise $30M For New 527 Group
Some of the biggest names in the GOP are organizing an outside group to help Republicans win in the 2010 midterms — and donors have already pledged a whopping $30 million for the new project, according to National Journal.

The Tattlesnake — The Teabaggers Should Thank Liberals Edition
Aging Tea Partiers a Jaw-Dropping Example of Stupidity and Ingratitude “It’s the same with narrow-minded people as it is with narrow-necked bottles: the less they have in them, the more noise they make in pouring it out.” – Anonymous, from Planet Proctor 2010-7. Most of the gray-haired Teabaggers are snapping, snarling and filled with rage but, […]

Whitman Leads Brown in California
A new Los Angeles Times/USC poll in California finds Meg Whitman (R) — who leads Republican primary rival Steve Poizner (R) by 40 points — also leads Jerry Brown (D) in a general election match up for governor, 44% to 41%.

Close GOP Race to Challenge Boxer
A new Los Angeles Times/USC poll in California Tom Campbell (R) holds a slim lead over Carly Fiorina (R) in the Republican Senate race, 29% to 25%, followed by Chuck DeVore (R) at just 9%.

In the general election, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) “has a comfortable cushion over a generic Republican, 48% to 34%, as she seeks her fourth term. Although somewhat diminished in popularity, Boxer maintains a positive impression among California voters, the poll found.”

Dr. George Tiller Was a Hero
The walls of his office were covered with thank you notes from the women grateful to him for treating them with dignity at one of the most difficult times in their lives.

The walls of his office were covered with thank you notes from the women grateful to him for treating them with dignity at one of the most difficult times in their lives.

What You’re Eating Could Make or Break Our Planet — 7 Principles of a Climate-Friendly Diet
Anna Lappe talks about her new book "Diet for a Hot Planet" and explains how to change our diet so it becomes part of the solution, not the problem.

Anna Lappe talks about her new book "Diet for a Hot Planet" and explains how to change our diet so it becomes part of the solution, not the problem.

It’s Hard to Mock Obama — So a Humorist Pines for the Hilarity of the Bush Years
For political comics, George W. Bush was the equivalent of the political comedy Full Employment Act — for eight wonderful years.

For political comics, George W. Bush was the equivalent of the political comedy Full Employment Act — for eight wonderful years.

10 Things You Didn’t Know Were in the Health Care Bill
Calorie counts? A disclosure of swag Big Pharma reps give doctors? Abstinence education? Here are some surprising items in the health care bill.

Calorie counts? A disclosure of swag Big Pharma reps give doctors? Abstinence education? Here are some surprising items in the health care bill.

REVISED: Marty Peretz: Outraged that Obama’s Seder Was At White House, Not Bibi’s House
This cafe post originally started with Ed Koch but Marty Peretz, the New Republic publisher, has moved ahead in the Jackie Mason sweepstakes. Peretz is upset that the President convened a seder at at the White House rather than attending…



Israel – American Israel Public Affairs Committee – Ed Koch – Barack Obama – Jerusalem

One Progressive’s Two Red Lines on National Security
Two policy decisions where I see particularly high stakes are on the White House docket to be decided any day, so I thought I’d offer one more plea. (Consider it a closing argument.) President Obama should really stand firm on…


Barack Obama – United States – President of the United States – National security – Nuclear weapon

WellPoint CEO receives a 51 percent increase in compensation.
Angela Braly, CEO of health insurance giant WellPoint, saw her compensation jump 51 percent to $13.1 million in 2009. The LA Times adds, “At least three other WellPoint executives got compensation increases of as much as 75%.” Braly’s boost comes as “WellPoint’s California subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross in Woodland Hills, seeks double-digit rate increases […]

Angela Braly, CEO of health insurance giant WellPoint, saw her compensation jump 51 percent to $13.1 million in 2009. The LA Times adds, “At least three other WellPoint executives got compensation increases of as much as 75%.” Braly’s boost comes as “WellPoint’s California subsidiary, Anthem Blue Cross in Woodland Hills, seeks double-digit rate increases for many of its 800,000 members who buy individual policies.” During the health care debate, WellPoint became the poster child for the abuses of the health insurance industry, pressuring lawmakers to support drastic reform and pushing Obama to add stronger cost control provisions into his health care blueprint. A Center for American Progress analysis from February found that “double-digit hikes have been implemented or are pending in at least 11 other states among the 14 where WellPoint’s Blue Cross Blue Shield companies are active.” WellPoint spokesman Jon Mills justified Braly’s compensation by saying that the company “wants to attract and retain top talent.”

Palin?s talk show debut garners weak reviews, lower-than-expected ratings.
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) lack of policy knowledge and gaffes on the 2008 campaign led many to conclude that she may be better cut out to host a talk show than stay in politics. But her first foray into the genre, “Real American Stories,” which debuted on Fox News Thursday night, […]

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R) lack of policy knowledge and gaffes on the 2008 campaign led many to conclude that she may be better cut out to host a talk show than stay in politics. But her first foray into the genre, “Real American Stories,” which debuted on Fox News Thursday night, was beset with controversy before it even aired. Rapper LL Cool J and country music star Toby Keith both expressed disapproval that Fox was using canned interviews they had recorded with different people for Palin’s show, leading the network to pull LL Cool J’s interview. Following the show’s airing, critics gave middling reviews, calling it “canned,” “innocuous, flat,” and a “letdown.” It appears viewers weren’t thrilled either, as Mediaite notes that the show’s ratings didn’t even beat those of the program it replaced:

Sarah Palin’s much-hyped LL Cool J-less Fox News special last night didn’t bring in the huge ratings some (ok, we) predicted. Greta Van Susteren’s On The Record which normally airs at 10pmET beat the program the previous three nights in the A25-54 demographic and two out of three nights in total viewers.

Moreover, the show “shed viewers from start to finish,” losing 18 percent of viewers over the course of the program.

In Colorado, health-care debate reverberates in congressional race
FORT COLLINS, COLO. — Rep. Betsy Markey, a first-term Democrat in a Republican district, was one of just eight House members who switched their votes from “no” to “yes” when President Obama’s health-care bill finally passed Congress. Her vote left the endangered incumbent in an even more precarious position.

In closely watched races, the money’s about to talk
This is a make-or-break week for many campaigns around the country, as fundraising numbers from the first three months of the year begin to come out.

White House starts $21 million program to aid small businesses
In March 2009, President Obama vowed to address the drought of bank lending to small companies and announced an initiative to use $15 billion from the federal bailout to unfreeze the markets that finance Small Business Administration loans.

Halter challenges Arkansas’ Lincoln from left in Senate race
LITTLE ROCK — Sharp words and millions of dollars in television advertising are turning a Democratic primary challenge to two-term Sen. Blanche Lincoln into an outsize duel over the party’s direction in the heartland.

High Court: Justices increasingly speaking outside the courtroom
One of the first things to remember when discussing rules for Supreme Court justices is that, well, there are very few of them. It is hard to think of a more independent and self-policing group in government than the nine members of the high court.

Personal Bankruptcies Jump in March
More Americans filed for bankruptcy protection in March than during any month since the federal personal bankruptcy law was tightened in October 2005, a new report says, a result of high unemployment and the housing crash. Federal courts reported over 158,000 bankruptcy filings in March, or 6,900 a day, a rise of 35 percent from February, according to a report to be released on Friday by Automated Access to Court Electronic Records, a data collection company known as Aacer. Filings were up 19 percent over March 2009. The previous record over the last five years was 133,000 in October.

Late Late Night FDL: Badyear Blimp Race
Tom Slick in The Badyear Blimp Race. This 1967 Jay Ward Productions cartoon aired as a segment on the George of The Jungle Show.

Tom Slick in The Badyear Blimp Race.  This 1967 Jay Ward Productions cartoon aired as a segment on the George of The Jungle Show.

Directed by Bill Hurtz.  Produced by Betty Brenon, Jan Gusdavison, and Doris Nelson.  Executive Producers:  Ponsonby Britt, O.B.E., Jay Ward, and Bill Scott.  Created by Allan Burns.  Animation by Bob Bachman, Howard Baldwin, Herman Cohen, Phil Duncan, Bob Goe, Fred Madison, Bob Maxfield, Gary Mooney, Barrie Nelson, Jack Schnerk, Rod Scribner, Rudy Zamora, and Alan Zaslove.  Backgrounds by Sam Clayberger, Bob McIntosh, and Gloria Wood.  Written by Chris Jenkyns, Jim MacGeorge, John Marshall, Jack Mendelsohn, and Lloyd Turner.  Edited by Skip Craig and Roger Donley.  Supervising Production by Helen Hansen.  Design by Sam Cornell, Don Ferguson, Don Jurwich, Bob Kurtz, Roy Morita, Rosemary O’Connor, and Shirley Silvey.  Vocal Talent by Bill Scott (Tom Slick, Gertie Growler, Danny Druff, Man with No Guests, Man), June Foray (Marigold), Paul Frees (Race Caller, Baron Otto Matic), and Daws Butler (Stretch Snapback, Clutcher, Fledge Sparrow).  Music by Stan Worth and Sheldon Allman.

What’s on your mind?

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Sunday Talking Heads: April 4, 2010
Season’s Greetings!  I hope the Easter Bunny was as good to you as he was to me, one can never have too much chocolate imo. Washington Journal: 7:45am – Alexander Heffner, ScoopDaily, Editor in Chief & Jonathan Strong, Daily Caller, Reporter.  8:30am – StudentCam Winner Interview.  8:30am – Stuart Pratt, Consumer Data Industry […]

Season’s Greetings!  I hope the Easter Bunny was as good to you as he was to me, one can never have too much chocolate imo.

Washington Journal: 7:45am – Alexander Heffner, ScoopDaily, Editor in Chief & Jonathan Strong, Daily Caller, Reporter.  8:30am – StudentCam Winner Interview.  8:30am – Stuart Pratt, Consumer Data Industry Association, President & CEO.  9:15am – Stephen Wayne, Georgetown University, Government Professor.

ABC’s This Week: Jake Tapper hosts.  Larry Summers, Director of the National Economic Council, then Alan Greenspan. Roundtable: George Will, Matthew Dowd, Karen Finney, Robert Reich.

Amanpour.

CBS’ Face The Nation: Nancy Cordes, CBS News Congressional Correspondent; Jan Crawford, CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent; Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown University; Bob Orr, CBS News Justice Correspondent; David Sanger, New York Times Chief Washington Correspondent.

Chris Matthews: Chuck Todd, Norah O’Donnell, Helene Cooper, David Ignatius.  Topics: Will Obama’s Centrist Moves Blunt 2012 GOP Attacks That He’s Too Liberal?  Why Hasn’t Obama Held a Primetime Press Conference Since Last July?

NBC’s Meet The Press: Dr. Christina Romer.  Then, Michael Chertoff; a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA); and Chairman of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT).  Roundtable: Rick Stengel and David Remnick.

Newsmakers: Gov. Mitch Daniels (R-IN) explains how changes in health care will impact his state. He also responds to questions regarding a potential run for the White House in 2012.

Q & A: Michael Lewis, whose new book “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine” is number one on the New York Times non-fiction bestseller list. In it, he tells the story of several key players in the subprime mortgage crisis who understood what was happening to the market and were able to make huge amounts of money in the transactions.

Religion & Ethics: Easter Hope in Haiti.   Easter East and West.  Embryonic Stem Cell Controversy.  Trimming the Nuclear Arsenals.

60 Minutes: Patented Genes – Should companies be able to own human genes? Morley Safer examines the idea of biotech firms patenting genes for profit, a controversy now being played out in courts of law.  America’s Gift – Many Ugandans have been saved by an American program that provides affordable anti-retroviral medicines to fight HIV and AIDS. But as a result, people are now becoming less fearful of the virus and continue to spread it by practicing unsafe sex.   Going Smokeless – As cigarette sales plunge, tobacco companies are marketing new, smokeless products to skirt smoking bans and keep customers.

To The Contrary: Topics:  1- The Pope, Holy Week & the priest pedophilia scandal; 2- Finding cures for rare pediatric diseases: Third part in three-part series.  Panelists: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC); Former EEOC Chair Cari Dominguez; The Progressive Magazine’s Ruth Conniff; PoliticsDaily.com Editor-in-Chief Melinda Henneberger; and Children’s National Hospital’s Dr. Chiatogu Onyewu.

Univision’s Al Punto: Juan Manuel Santos, Former Colombian Defense Minister and Presidential Candidate; Maritza Michaud, Spokesperson, Internal Revenue Service; Gaby Pacheco and Juan Rodriguez, Trail of Dreams Students; Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz, first Hispanic Astronaut.

Virtually Speaking: Culture of Truth and Marcy Wheeler.  “We discuss the atrocities documented earlier in the day by the Sabbath Gasbags. See CoT’s Bobblespeak Translations beforehand. And read emptywheel every day. She’s the hardest working woman in journalism.”

C-SPAN’s Book TV.

FDL Book Salon: 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown “As the authors insist, the choice that America faces is stark: whether Washington will accede to the vested interests of an unbridled financial sector that runs up profits in good years and dumps its losses on taxpayers in lean years, or reform through stringent regulation the banking system as first and foremost an engine of economic growth.”  Come chat with Simon Johnson and host William Black, 5pm ET.

FDL Movie Night Monday: Thurston Clarke – Special Salon To Discuss – The Kennedys (film).  Chat with Thurston Clarke about his views on the upcoming film, The Kennedys, by the History Channel. Hosted by Teddy Partridge.

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Colbert to Frum: ‘When Has the Head Helped the Conservative Movement?’
Although he denies it in this clip from Thursday’s “Colbert Report,” David Frum is indeed a “conservative apostate.” What else can being fired from the American Enterprise Institute possibly mean? And what does all of this have to do with Scientology?

Although he denies it in this clip from Thursday’s “Colbert Report,” David Frum is indeed a “conservative apostate.” What else can being fired from the American Enterprise Institute possibly mean? And what does all of this have to do with Scientology?

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