As the week ends, the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in DC is going on - or as Jonathan Chait called it this year, "the Republican 'Hunger Games'."
We did think for half a second about covering that insane event today, but we realized we'd already discussed clowns and cowards yesterday. We also don't think anyone needs more hate in their lives. We'll let you read the news accounts of media folks who had to be there in our expanded edition later today, if that's something you feel you absolutely must do.
What might actually help you today is a bit more clarity, especially on the fast moving story surrounding Ukraine, the Crimean region of Ukraine, and Russia.
On Thursday, President Obama and Russian President Putin spent another hour on the phone, continuing to discuss diplomatic solutions. Both the United States and the European Union have begun leveling sanctions on Russia for their invasion. For what it's worth, those sanctions seem to be primarily leveled at some of the wealthier, more powerful members of the Russian oligarchy. If anyone can have influence over Vladimir Putin, they may be able to.
The fact is, however, any sanctions the West makes towards Russia can't really be all that effective. Anyone who says otherwise - as the right-wing media has been doing for much of this week - is ill-informed and doesn't really know what they're talking about.
As professional oil trader Dan Dicker noted Thursday, the idea being bandied about by the right-wing, of drilling for oil and natural gas and shipping it to Europe from America is absurd. Not only is the cost astronomical, but the sheer amount of Russian-generated natural gas that Europe uses, that currently goes through the pipeline system in Ukraine, can't possibly be replaced long-term by anyone who doesn't have a direct pipeline system to Europe.
As we noted on Monday, the cold truth about this entire conflict is what the people of Ukraine - including the people in the Crimea - really want to do.
For their part, the legislators in the Crimea did pass a call for a referendum next week, on whether they should stay as citizens of Ukraine or become citizens of Russia. As President Obama reminded Putin and the rest of the world, however, that referendum vote by just the Crimean populace would not be legal, either under Ukrainian law or international law.
That said, President Obama and Western leaders may want to pay close attention to a recent survey, reported in the Washington Post yesterday by political scientists Grigore Pop-Eleches and Graeme Robertson.
In short, when asked what the people of Ukraine and Crimea considered their homeland, the answers were stark and revealing. Most Ukrainians are proud of their young nation, regardless of where they're from. The glaring exception was the people of Crimea, who thought of themselves as Crimeans first. They didn't really even consider themselves Russians.
We still think sanctions from the U.S. and EU are the right thing to do, at this point, as is the continued push for diplomatic efforts by Sec. of State Kerry and President Obama. That said, anyone looking at the facts can clearly see - those sanctions are like swatting the nose of a bear with a newspaper.
Meanwhile, what we said on Monday remains true: Regardless of what any other nation does, the people of Ukraine, including those in Crimea, will be the ones who ultimately must make the final decisions about their own futures.
Friday, March 7, 2014
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Clowns & Cowards
As we've done for many years now, we give credit & kudos when they're due, and condemn ridiculous and spineless actions when we see them as well.
Wednesday afternoon held perfect examples worthy of condemnation for both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, and reminded us clearly why so many voters are so disgusted with politics in America.
There have already been more than a few examples this week of influential Republicans acting like clowns. From the idiotic tweet of Sen. Lindsey Graham blaming the Ukraine conflict on Benghazi, to the hypocritical whining about how to handle conflict from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to the asinine ravings of the half-term quitter Sarah Palin, to the completely disrespectful conduct by Rep. Darrell Issa toward Democratic House Congressman Elijah Cummings - all buffoonish, crass, and clownish behavior worthy of scorn.
Not surprisingly, while they've been acting like clowns, Republicans have also been bawling to their favorite right-wing media outlets all week that Democrats and President Obama don't listen to or respect them, and don't take them seriously.
Meanwhile, as Jonathan Chait pointed out in Tuesday at New York Magazine online, it doesn't seem to matter that President Obama once again gave Republicans many of the things they've been whining about for years in his 2015 budget, like an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit.
In short, no matter what Democrats do, it appears modern Republicans aren't going to be happy with them, unless the Democrats - or anyone else who disagrees with today's Republicans - remove themselves from planet Earth. Since that's unrealistic, we ask very directly: Why the hell should anyone care what Republican politicians want? When they insist on acting like ungrateful, unhappy clowns or screaming babies with a full diaper, and there's no satisfying those Republicans, then there is also no point in even giving those Republicans or anyone who sides with them the time of day.
Unfortunately, much as there have been plenty of examples of strong, ethical action, some specific Democrats on Capitol Hill once again displayed on Wednesday how gutless and worthless certain individuals can be.
Of course, we're talking about the seven Senate Democrats who voted against President Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. As Ari Berman of The Nation noted, the "Willie Horton Politics" used by Republicans to scare those seven Democrats into voting against the highly talented Debo Adegbile are an embarrassment to Democratic legislators. As many of those Democrats who voted out of fear are also up for election this year, we fervently hope the Democratic voters in those Senators' states do the right thing, and give those legislators a solid reason to be scared. Maybe even vote them out in the primary elections - and vote in better, stronger, more progressive candidates who can win in the fall.
Even with all the clowns and cowards on Capitol Hill, there are those who stand up for the right things. We want to commend Rep. Elijah Cummings for facing down Rep. Issa and demanding that Issa show his fellow Congressperson the respect due to anyone who serves as a member of that body.
We also have to give partial credit today to now-former RT Anchor Liz Wahl. Wahl went to work for Russia Today knowing that it's a propaganda media outlet funded by the Russian government. She worked there for some time, yet - in the midst of the actions going on in Ukraine, and a fellow RT staffer standing up to the corporate censorship being foisted upon RT's staff, Wahl found her ethical core, and did some standing up of her own. Live, on-air Wednesday, she called out the yellow journalism of her own network - and she quit.
Not everyone involved in politics or media in DC is a clown or a coward. For those who work hard to do the right thing and have integrity, they deserve every accolade, benefit, and opportunity that comes their way.
Wednesday afternoon held perfect examples worthy of condemnation for both Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill, and reminded us clearly why so many voters are so disgusted with politics in America.
There have already been more than a few examples this week of influential Republicans acting like clowns. From the idiotic tweet of Sen. Lindsey Graham blaming the Ukraine conflict on Benghazi, to the hypocritical whining about how to handle conflict from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, to the asinine ravings of the half-term quitter Sarah Palin, to the completely disrespectful conduct by Rep. Darrell Issa toward Democratic House Congressman Elijah Cummings - all buffoonish, crass, and clownish behavior worthy of scorn.
Not surprisingly, while they've been acting like clowns, Republicans have also been bawling to their favorite right-wing media outlets all week that Democrats and President Obama don't listen to or respect them, and don't take them seriously.
Meanwhile, as Jonathan Chait pointed out in Tuesday at New York Magazine online, it doesn't seem to matter that President Obama once again gave Republicans many of the things they've been whining about for years in his 2015 budget, like an increase in the Earned Income Tax Credit.
In short, no matter what Democrats do, it appears modern Republicans aren't going to be happy with them, unless the Democrats - or anyone else who disagrees with today's Republicans - remove themselves from planet Earth. Since that's unrealistic, we ask very directly: Why the hell should anyone care what Republican politicians want? When they insist on acting like ungrateful, unhappy clowns or screaming babies with a full diaper, and there's no satisfying those Republicans, then there is also no point in even giving those Republicans or anyone who sides with them the time of day.
Unfortunately, much as there have been plenty of examples of strong, ethical action, some specific Democrats on Capitol Hill once again displayed on Wednesday how gutless and worthless certain individuals can be.
Of course, we're talking about the seven Senate Democrats who voted against President Obama's nominee to head the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. As Ari Berman of The Nation noted, the "Willie Horton Politics" used by Republicans to scare those seven Democrats into voting against the highly talented Debo Adegbile are an embarrassment to Democratic legislators. As many of those Democrats who voted out of fear are also up for election this year, we fervently hope the Democratic voters in those Senators' states do the right thing, and give those legislators a solid reason to be scared. Maybe even vote them out in the primary elections - and vote in better, stronger, more progressive candidates who can win in the fall.
Even with all the clowns and cowards on Capitol Hill, there are those who stand up for the right things. We want to commend Rep. Elijah Cummings for facing down Rep. Issa and demanding that Issa show his fellow Congressperson the respect due to anyone who serves as a member of that body.
We also have to give partial credit today to now-former RT Anchor Liz Wahl. Wahl went to work for Russia Today knowing that it's a propaganda media outlet funded by the Russian government. She worked there for some time, yet - in the midst of the actions going on in Ukraine, and a fellow RT staffer standing up to the corporate censorship being foisted upon RT's staff, Wahl found her ethical core, and did some standing up of her own. Live, on-air Wednesday, she called out the yellow journalism of her own network - and she quit.
Not everyone involved in politics or media in DC is a clown or a coward. For those who work hard to do the right thing and have integrity, they deserve every accolade, benefit, and opportunity that comes their way.
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Hot Air And Hard Questions
Yesterday might not have meant much to you personally, however, in places from Massachusetts to Texas, yesterday was primary election day - the first regular primary of the 2014 elections.
In other words, for anyone involved in politics, it's 'Go Time.'
For those "on the field" - the politicians, political organizations, and volunteers - now is often the time when candidates seeking to separate themselves from all the other political hopefuls in their own party begin to make promises about all the things they'll do if elected. The problem, of course, is that some of these claims are simply hot air, bluster and promises that one person elected to office could never realistically achieve by themselves.
Not surprisingly, the more desperate a candidate is - even if they're running for reelection - the more likely they'll say or do something stupid. Senator Lindsey Graham was a perfect example of this yesterday, when he made a fool of himself on Twitter, blaming the often debunked right-wing ideological chew-toy of Bengahzi for Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.
When a candidate is forced to explain exactly where they're getting their crazy ideas, or how - exactly - they expect to put into action the claims they float during election season, many candidates simply have no clue of how they'll answer. Most candidates today are thankful then, since many of today's media members are either starry-eyed or incompetent and won't ever ask them the questions that might burst their election balloons.
Thankfully, some of our more talented colleagues in the media like Greg Sargent at The Plum Line have been watching the electoral baseline for 2014 for some time now, in preparation of this year's elections. Frankly, we don't think the election looks as good for Republicans as many other pundits are claiming.
As Sargent pointed out Tuesday morning, and as Alan Abramowitz pointed out last Thursday, Republicans enter the 2014 midterm elections with a significant structural advantage. Six years ago, President Obama and a wave of Democratic candidates swept into office - and many of the elections they won were in seats that only marginally leaned towards those Democratic candidates. Now, many of those same Democratic politicians have to defend the seats they won six years ago - and it's likely they'll lose more than a few of them.
That said, as Sargent also noted, Democrats hold a significant advantage on both key issues and overall image. In other words, as the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll confirmed, Americans agree more with Democrats than Republicans on a host of key issues.
One of those issues for Republicans - in fact, the single biggest issue they've built their 2014 campaigns on - has been Obamacare. Unfortunately, as Sargent has also been noting lately, Republicans are now in a serious bind on that very issue.
In short, with every day Obamacare is in effect, Americans continue to like and accept Obamacare more. In addition, after five years of floating their hot air about "repeal and replace", Republicans still don't have a realistic replacement for Obamacare - and most Americans are no longer in favor of repealing the law.
As Sahil Kapur of TPM points out, that may mean Republicans' biggest single political weapon may be effectively worthless in the 2014 races - a prospect that could significantly change a large number of final outcomes by the time this fall's General Election rolls around, as the hot air and trial balloons holding up Republicans bursts.
We might suggest that Republicans - and the media pundits blowing hot air up their shorts - start planning on a different strategy for the fall. Somehow, we just don't think candidates constantly asking members of the media "What kind of question is that?" is going to end up with them winning big in November.
In other words, for anyone involved in politics, it's 'Go Time.'
For those "on the field" - the politicians, political organizations, and volunteers - now is often the time when candidates seeking to separate themselves from all the other political hopefuls in their own party begin to make promises about all the things they'll do if elected. The problem, of course, is that some of these claims are simply hot air, bluster and promises that one person elected to office could never realistically achieve by themselves.
Not surprisingly, the more desperate a candidate is - even if they're running for reelection - the more likely they'll say or do something stupid. Senator Lindsey Graham was a perfect example of this yesterday, when he made a fool of himself on Twitter, blaming the often debunked right-wing ideological chew-toy of Bengahzi for Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.
When a candidate is forced to explain exactly where they're getting their crazy ideas, or how - exactly - they expect to put into action the claims they float during election season, many candidates simply have no clue of how they'll answer. Most candidates today are thankful then, since many of today's media members are either starry-eyed or incompetent and won't ever ask them the questions that might burst their election balloons.
Thankfully, some of our more talented colleagues in the media like Greg Sargent at The Plum Line have been watching the electoral baseline for 2014 for some time now, in preparation of this year's elections. Frankly, we don't think the election looks as good for Republicans as many other pundits are claiming.
As Sargent pointed out Tuesday morning, and as Alan Abramowitz pointed out last Thursday, Republicans enter the 2014 midterm elections with a significant structural advantage. Six years ago, President Obama and a wave of Democratic candidates swept into office - and many of the elections they won were in seats that only marginally leaned towards those Democratic candidates. Now, many of those same Democratic politicians have to defend the seats they won six years ago - and it's likely they'll lose more than a few of them.
That said, as Sargent also noted, Democrats hold a significant advantage on both key issues and overall image. In other words, as the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll confirmed, Americans agree more with Democrats than Republicans on a host of key issues.
One of those issues for Republicans - in fact, the single biggest issue they've built their 2014 campaigns on - has been Obamacare. Unfortunately, as Sargent has also been noting lately, Republicans are now in a serious bind on that very issue.
In short, with every day Obamacare is in effect, Americans continue to like and accept Obamacare more. In addition, after five years of floating their hot air about "repeal and replace", Republicans still don't have a realistic replacement for Obamacare - and most Americans are no longer in favor of repealing the law.
As Sahil Kapur of TPM points out, that may mean Republicans' biggest single political weapon may be effectively worthless in the 2014 races - a prospect that could significantly change a large number of final outcomes by the time this fall's General Election rolls around, as the hot air and trial balloons holding up Republicans bursts.
We might suggest that Republicans - and the media pundits blowing hot air up their shorts - start planning on a different strategy for the fall. Somehow, we just don't think candidates constantly asking members of the media "What kind of question is that?" is going to end up with them winning big in November.
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