Gregarius » Crooks and Liars » November 19, 2008

Crooks and Liars (16 unread)

Open Thread

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 11:30pm EST by bluegal

Enclosure: [download]

Open thread below...

And don't forget to call Congress and tell them to vote for Henry Waxman for E&C. He's someone we need at this point in time.

1 (800) 828 - 0498
1 (866) 338 - 1015
1 (877) 851 - 6437
1 (800) 459 - 1887
C&L's Late Night Music Club with Patrick Dwyer

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 11:00pm EST by Howie Klein

Because I used to work at a record company I still get tons of demos from aspiring artists. It makes no sense because "used to" means "now I'm a blogger and I don't do music biz anymore." Most of the demos aren't very good and I rarely pass them along to John or Blue Gal, let alone put them on LNMC. Today, however, a guy in Montana, Patrick Dwyer, sent me this simple performance YouTube he made of himself singing a Patty Griffin classic, Heavenly Day. What do you think? Should I send this guy to meet some A&R guys?
D.L. Hughley asks: If it's a center-right country, what about the election?

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 10:00pm EST by David Neiwert

Enclosure: [download]

Bay Buchanan tried spouting the right-wing meme that "this is still a center-right country" when she was on D.L. Hughley's CNN show this weekend, and he had a simple question:

Hughley: Bay, do you think all the evidence -- even the election? That's the biggest evidence we would have. It's kind of shifted, don't you think?

Buchanan tried to filibuster the point (sure, it was a good campaign, blah blah blah) and then emits this howler:

Buchanan: This was a rejection of Bush, it was not a rejection of that which is conservative. George Bush did not govern as a conservative.

Sure. Because all that deregulation of the financial sector, all that gutting of government services like FEMA, all that warhawking in Iraq, all the tax cuts for the wealthy ... all of the things that Bush oversaw and which got us into this mess -- why, those things aren't conservative at all! And they had zero support from conservatives while Bush was carrying these policies out!

Right.

The rest is equally amusing. Hughley shoots down her arguments expertly, and all Buchanan can do is grasp at straws.

[H/t to Heather for the video.]
Al Qaeda Chimes In With a Slur

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 9:00pm EST by scarce

Enclosure: [download]

Al-Qaida has released a new and sophisticated piece of propaganda, this time introducing race into their attack on America. Stylistically, this is advanced but whether or not they've miscalculated how the American public will react remains to be seen. Malcolm X's words remain potent, of course, but in my view the over-riding reality of a black man and his family in the White House trumps all else. My feeling is that al-Qaida have badly misfired here and this will only cause Americans to rally around the new president in ways they may have otherwise not.

The complete nearly 11 minute video may be seen here. Above is a 3 minute, edited version.

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) — Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader used a racial epithet to insult Barack Obama in a message posted Wednesday, using a demeaning racial term implying that the president-elect is a black American who does the bidding of whites.

The message appeared chiefly aimed at persuading Muslims and Arabs that Obama does not represent a change in U.S. policies. Ayman al-Zawahri said in the message, which appeared on militant Web sites, that Obama is "the direct opposite of honorable black Americans" like Malcolm X, the 1960s African-American rights leader.

In al-Qaida's first response to Obama's victory, al-Zawahri also called the president-elect — along with secretaries of state Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice — "house negroes."

Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But al-Qaida supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."

The message also includes old footage of speeches by Malcolm X in which he explains the term, saying black slaves who worked in their white masters' house were more servile than those who worked in the fields. Malcolm X used the term to criticize black leaders he accused of not standing up to whites.
When Conservatives are down, all they have to say is "Card Check"

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 8:00pm EST by John Amato
As the country begins to turn away from Conservatism and Bush and depression runs deep in their veins, there does seem to be a phrase that lifts up their spirits. Everybody stand up and say "Card Check."

It's also known as the Employee Free Choice Act. And its progress in Congress has every corporate Fat Cat in America leaping into frenzied action. One of them, Home Depot founder Bernie Marcus, is saying that any corporate type who isn't on board in their fight against Card Check should be shot.

It's an obvious attack on unions and we need to be aware of this. Orrin Hatch loves to go on MSNBC, CNN or the National Review and proclaim that there will be no more secret ballots for workers so civilization in America will be destroyed:

In a time when unions are outraged with Democrats for their pro-immigration policies, big labor has launched an unprecedented lobbying campaign to force workers into unions. Labor unions are supposed to protect workers’ rights, yet union bosses want Congress to pass a law that actually robs workers of their democratic right to a private ballot.

That's all you get out of them. I doubt most Conservatives even know what a "Card Check" is, but it really riles them up.

The unions are just trying to make it easier for people to organize.
The Employee Free Choice Act (H.R. 800, S. 1041), supported by a bipartisan coalition in Congress, would enable working people to bargain for better wages, benefits and working conditions by restoring workers’ freedom to choose for themselves whether to join a union. It would:
- Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first-contract negotiations.
- Provide mediation and arbitration for first-contract disputes (PDF).
- Allow employees to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.
Frank Luntz and his friends are trying to say that unionizing will be all about busting heads like Sylvester Stallone did in his movie called F.I.S.T.. I was talking to Digby about it the other day and we both laughed at this new meme being passed around. But it's a serious one that we should not dismiss out of hand. They are laying the groundwork for average Americans who don't understand what the unions are doing, and will be offended by the "card check" plan for no reason at all other than what they've heard repeatedly on wingnut radio. Digby calls it "Pavlovian talk radio conditioning."

Ted Stevens loses his seat in Alaska? No problem, just yell "Card Check!"

Thomas Frank spells it out for us:

It's Time to Give Voters the Liberalism They Want

During the campaign, you will recall, the debate over card check was supposed to be about principle, about democracy, about the sacredness of the secret ballot. However, as I pointed out a few months ago, union-certification elections often don't meet the most basic democratic requirements. Supervisors routinely hold captive-audience meetings with workers in preparation for elections; management commonly threatens to close up shop if the union wins; antiunion employees are frequently rewarded and pro-union employees are sometimes fired.

So it may not surprise you to learn that democracy isn't really the main concern of card-check's opponents. It's unions themselves. Changing the rules will make it easier to organize them.

Digby writes:

The economic crisis, particularly the Big 3 meltdown, is offering the right what they see as a new opportunity to break unions and destroy any advances workers might have expected under a progressive government. They may be temporarily in disarray politically, but the right never forgets their primary mission --- protecting the wealthy. And they are very good at advancing that agenda whether in the majority or the minority. Under the Shock Doctrine, they have a perfect opportunity to end the union movement in America and they'll certainly do their best to take advantage of the moment.
The Colbert Report: The Vetting Process

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 7:00pm EST by Nicole Belle

With Hillary Clinton's nomination to Secretary of State pending the vetting process looking at Bill's international dealings, Stephen sits down with Cliff Sloan, former Clinton administration official, to get vetted for his inevitable appointment to the Obama Cabinet.

The thing you have to realize in this process is that any secret you have may come out at any time.

You can watch more Colbert videos at Colbert Nation.
Specter says telecom immunity is 'festering wound'

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 5:30pm EST by David

Enclosure: [download]

Download | Play Download | Play

MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell asked Sen. Arlen Specter about Barack Obama's choice of Eric Holder as Attorney General. Specter said that he wouldn't hold up Holder's nomination due to his involvement in the pardon of Marc Rich.

"I would be prepared to move ahead very promptly with hearings, move into the substance of the matter, ask the important questions, look for any documents that might be relevant and as fast as we can move through, I am prepared to decided it one way or the other," said Specter.

Specter believes that the Department of Justice needs to be "reprofessionalized" after the tenure of Alberto Gonzales.

Specter said, "This business of wiretapping is not in order in accordance with Constitutional rights and where you have the immunity granted to the telephone companies, that is still a festering wound and some speculation as to whether that will be asserted by a new administration."
Rush Limbaugh attacks pensions and the American Dream: You should work till you die

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 4:30pm EST by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

The anti-union movement is on, and it all is centered around the automotive industry's quest for a rescue package/loan from the government. Limbaugh leads the charge in his Monday, Nov. 17 broadcast.

As the clip unfolds it appears that his own boss was trying to get him to change the topic. A caller who self-identifies as a Republican tries to shoot down some of the myths of the UAW that Limbaugh pushes on his flock on a daily basis. When asked about working past 67, he spins it by saying you shouldn't retire at 55.

It's a long clip, but this is what's being said. His boss even freaks out on him at the end:

Limbaugh: You're a nice guy and I'm sure that you are a salt of the earth guy but since you asked, What I am supposed to do, go back to work at 67? No, you're not supposed to retire when you're 55. You sound to me like you are totally capable of still working. Unless you work for a place that forces you out and says 55 you can no longer do the job, you got no business retiring at 55 IF you can't afford to retire. What's wrong....My boss is having a conniption there. What's wrong? Is that the unpolitick thing to say? I have not ... the American Dream. I have not redefined the American Dream. The American Dream is retire at 65. People are retiring now at 50 and 55 and so forth when they are still capable of working. According to the tables at 55, you've got 22 years left...

I have not redefined the American Dream. I have not redefined it. ... I don't understand what I said that's wrong here.

What planet is this man living in? He keeps digging deeper and deeper. Does he even know what the American Dream is?

h/t to C&Ler Dan for sending in the audio and says:

Rush basically tells auto workers that if their pension plans go bankrupt, they should go back to work.

Limbaugh obviously has no idea what concessions the UAW has already made. "GM, Union Agree on Contract to End Strike"

And this:

For General Motors (GM), a new labor contract represents a step forward. For the United Auto Workers, a big step back.

The two sides came to a tentative agreement on a new, four-year labor pact at 3:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 26, ending a two-day strike. If UAW President Ronald Gettelfinger can get the deal ratified by his 74,000 GM workers in the coming days, the contract will pull the automaker much closer to Toyota's (TM) cost structure. But for the UAW, it will roll back contract benefits and wages won over years of collective bargaining.

Many in the progressive movement did not like these concessions, but they happened. We can debate that later, but to gasbags like Limbaugh, if you work for a company for 30 years, you shouldn't get a pension and should work till you die. Does he hate policemen and firemen as well? Should they not be able to retire with a pension after trying to keeping us safe for thirty years on the job?
Ned Lamont gives his take on the Lieberman saga

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 3:30pm EST by scarce

Enclosure: [download]

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A voice of reason explains what went down yesterday and why regarding the continuing saga of Joe Lieberman.

A bit of background first for those who don't remember: Ned Lamont is the Greenwich businessman who had the temerity to challenge Lieberman for the U.S. Senate in 2006 as a Democrat and defeated him in the August primary before losing to the then de facto Republican candidate Lieberman in the November General Election. The win in the primary by Lamont is regarded by many as the greatest political upset of recent U.S. political history. Lamont had next to no political experience prior to the race, which consumed much of the political landscape in the summer of 2006, and was the catalyst for a resurgent Democratic party which swept into power in both the House and the Senate.

As one of the group of bloggers Lieberman and his campaign despised -- a distinction we carried proudly -- hearing Lamont give his impressions carries much more weight than any of the chattering class. And he did not disappoint.

The very first line was direct and to the point, that this wasn't about retribution but about approving bad behavior, and that this was "probably the wrong move". Lamont's points about Lieberman being "All war, all the time" nailed him, as did Lieberman's constant attacks on Obama during the presidential campaign, that he was and has been "in the Republican column" for a while now, Lieberman's "recalcitrant behavior", the victimization. Ned rattled off his transgressions with a deftness and an aplomb he really didn't possess in 2006. But for all that he could still see Obama's likely view that Lieberman is a distraction he doesn't need right now with so many other things going on. Lamont didn't sound convinced but could see the logic. In the end, when Alison Stewart asked Ned Lamont if he'll run again he replied "Never say never." A very good sign indeed, considering Lieberman is now only slightly more popular in Connecticut than George Bush.
Waxman edges Dingell on committee vote to be Oversight and Government Reform Chairman

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 2:45pm EST by John Amato

I wrote earlier that I was supporting Waxman for the Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee. This is good news.

Congress Daily:

By a three-vote margin, the House Democratic Steering and Policy Committee today recommended that Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman be given the chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

UPDATE: Matt adds...

If it's true that the freshmen are breaking heavily for Waxman, and older baron committee chairs are going for Dingell, this adds a lot of firepower to Waxman's case. Dingell is a vindictive guy, so his case rests on the notion that if you don't vote for him you're going to have problems with the person who will naturally be the Chair of Energy and Commerce. Cracking the image of inevitability is key to letting members know it's safe to go against Dingell.
Tom Daschle will head up Obama's HHS, and serves as point on health care

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 2:04pm EST by David Neiwert

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So Tom Daschle is going to be Health and Human Services Secretary. Even the Republicans agree that it's a brilliant choice, since it will take someone with real knowledge of how to get things done in Congress to be an effective secretary here.

It's a key position because it means Daschle is going to be the point man on Obama's plans for health-care reform. Daschle already has laid out where he's going, and it's a decidedly progressive direction -- though, notably, it still falls short of a single-payer system.
I'm Backing Waxman for the Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 1:00pm EST by John Amato

Here's a very important story. How great has Waxman been since '06? I think he needs our backing in this fight for the Chairmanship. I'm here for you Henry.

Matt Stoller explains: Automakers and Dingell vs. Waxman

I'm surprised, given the amount of attention foisted on the US auto industry at the moment, how few people are actually watching the Dingell versus Waxman dogfight over the Chairmanship of the Energy and Commerce Committee. E&C is the policy-making committee that will probably have jurisdiction over a good amount of the rule-making around whatever bailout happens, since it handles CAFE standards, industrial regulation, etc. So whether it goes to the super-green but sensible Henry Waxman or the more traditional John Dingell matters quite a bit.

It's very hard to tell what's going on with the conflict. Since it's secret ballot, certain members are probably promising their vote to both, and others are lying about who they will vote for. What makes it even more difficult to suss out is that Dingell is waging his campaign through the media, and Waxman is not.

..read on

OK, I didn't want Holy Joe in either, but Obama made his decision and the Senate obeyed his wishes. This is a big one we should get involved in. Especially where we are today.

Digby has more.

Waxman is an effective, green progressive and he knows how to get things done. Dingel is an elder who is discredited by his relationship with the auto industry and the NRA. If pragmatic change rather than milquetoast status quo bipartisanship is what people voted for, this is where the action is.

{snip}

Waxman is the right guy to be in charge of these things as we deal with this economic/energy crisis. Whatever threats there may or may not be to the seniority system by putting Waxman in charge pale in comparison to the necessity to have the House working properly on these issues.

I couldn't agree with Matt and Digby more. Let's go Waxman.
Mike's Blog Roundup

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 12:17pm EST by Mike Finnigan

AfterDowningStreet: The Bush administration is embedding their foot soldiers inside the government in order to sabotage any Obama initiatives while at the same time terminating federal employees who they assume would be supportive of the new administration.

Obsidian Wings: Rumors of Appointments

Nieman Watchdog: AARP, which purports to be the seniors' friend, has a lot of explaining to do to Iowa's Senator Charles Grassley

The Pump Handle: What hospitals are up against

Strange Maps: From pickin' cotton to pickin' presidents

Some folks at the University of Tennessee would be grateful if C&L readers would weigh in on this

ANNALS OF JOURNALISM: We saw this coming when Murdoch took over...Ordinary lazy hack journalist...Idiot elite media...Talkers revealed...Dumbudsman...Rather good effort...The difference between Show Business and Business...Rupert Murdoch rips media!...The Obamas gave 60 Minutes a record night...The Party is over at fanzine National Review...More 'Obama=Hitler' on Rightwing Radio...After Kristol...Immigrants, female politicians (and women in general), the LGBT community, the poor and homeless, minorities, progressives, unions, college students, and even autistic children are targets of Hate Radio...Missing White Girl Syndrome...Ranking Newspaper blogs..At NPR, some civilians are more equal than others...War News for Nov.18...Panel debates war coverage, blogs, and fairness
Michelle Bachmann denies saying she wanted the media to investigate members of Congress who might be anti-American

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 11:00am EST by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

Download | Play Download | Play (h/t Heather)

Michelle Bachmann is a pretty wild person as we've seen, but after spewing venom at Barack Obama for a few minutes with Hannidate, she then lied to Alan Colmes and denied saying this on Hardball:

Bachmann: I would say, what I would say is that the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look -- I wish they would. I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think the people would love to see an expose like that.

She's come up with a new one folks. She said that she never made those statements and they have now become an "urban legend." Is she living in a B type Horror/Slasher film world or what? Here's what she told Alan Colmes Tuesday night.

Colmes: You said you were concerned during the campaign that Obama had anti American views and you said the news media should do a penetrating expose and take a look at the people and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America

Bachmann: Actually that's not what I said. It's an urban legend that was created and that's not what I said.

Colmes: I have the tape at my website Alan.com

Bachmann: What I called on Alan was for the main stream media to do their job. They failed to vet Barack Obama the way they had John McCain. That's what I was called for.

Colmes: I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America. Do you really want...

Bachmann: What I said was that I'm not qualified to say whether members views are pro or anti American. That's not my job to do.

She really is out there. Obama was subjected to a level of scrutiny McCain never faced since he was in a heated primary battle that went on for months after McCain won his nomination. She really should apologize to Obama, but what the heck.

Here's the video of what she actually said.

Joe McCarthy would be proud. I think I can safely say that Michelle Bachmann has become an actual political "Urban Legend." There really aren't too many like her.
Phony wingnut poll promoter gets testy when called out

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 9:45am EST by David Neiwert

[Image courtesy Tom Tomorrow.]

Nate Silver interviewed John Ziegler, the wingnut who commissioned that falsehood-based poll purporting to demonstrate that Obama voters were stooopid.

Silver's questions, as you can see, are perfectly normal and reasonable, but Ziegler completely loses it. By the end, he's doing a Cheney.

It starts to go downhill when Silver, who know a wee bit about polling, asks a perfectly reasonable question:

NS: Why would you commission a survey question with no correct response?
JZ: The purpose of the question, you pinhead, was we wanted to determine the Tina Fey Effect.

In short order, Ziegler starts attacking Silver over the phone:

NS: Where the interviews conducted by telephone or online?
JZ: How can you ask a question like that and pretend that you have any clue what you're writing about! That's unbelievable that someone could write what you did! That is unbelievable that you wouldn't know that it's a telephone or an online poll and that you went on my summaries of the questions before the questions were even released!

NS: We’ve heard reports from our readers that very similar questions had been asked in an online format. There was no online component at all?
JZ: That is correct, which you would have known if you had looked at the information. Before you called this a push poll -- you don't seem to know the definition of a push poll. How do you have this website?

NS: What did Zogby charge you -- what did you pay for this survey?
JZ: I'm not going to tell you that, I'm not a fucking idiot.

By the end, Ziegler is simply hostile -- not to mention thoroughly convinced that his bullshit don't stink:

NS: Who paid for it?
JZ: You think I'm going to tell you that? When you've already shown yourself to be the enemy?

NS: Was it paid for by the RNC?
JZ: [Laughs]. In your world, the question that I would ask you is what question [in the survey] is there any ambiguity as to what the answer is?

NS: Well, that Obama 'launched his career' at the home of two former members of the Weather Underground --
JZ: That happens to be one of the questions that Obama supporters did the best on! They did better on that question than on any other Obama-related answers! And here you’re telling me that it’s not true?

NS: What do you mean by "launched his career"?
JZ: The first campaign as told by the person whose position he took in the State Senate, as told by her admission, his first campaign event was in the home of Bill Ayers and his wife. [Laughs] Unless you live in the Obama kool-aid world! That is astonishing to me that you would not accept that! And by the way, when you're given four responses to that question, what else was the response going to be? Sarah Palin?

NS: Well, her husband was a member of a secessionist party.
JZ: You are such a hack! That's a very good analogy.

... NS: Would you consider yourself well-informed?
JZ: I’d consider myself extremely well-informed.

NS: Who are the two senators from South Dakota?
JZ: Thune and, uh, Johnson.

NS: Very good. South Carolina?
JZ: Go fuck yourself. I'm done with this interview if you're going to ask me stupid questions like that. Obviously I know who Lindsay Graham is.

NS: Well, since you’re running a website calling people misinformed, I’d like to see if -- there are certain things you’ve said that I would consider misinformed.
JZ: Misinformed? You're a piece of work! You are never going to have the guts to post a representative transcript on your website! I thought you actually ran a legitimate website!

NS: Thank you, have a good day.
JZ: Go fuck yourself.

Can anyone tell me why anyone should take John Ziegler seriously?
Dick Cheney indicted for organized crime by Texas grand jury

Posted: November 19th, 2008, 8:30am EST by John Amato

Enclosure: [download]

More news coming out of TX...

Cheney is accused of investing some $85 million in the Vanguard Group that houses federal inmates. The grand jury accuses Cheney and Alberto Gonzalez of engaging in organized criminal activity.

Too bad he didn't have to do a perp walk for us.

Michael Froomkin has more:

CNN, Cheney, Gonzales indicted for alleged prisoner abuse: Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on separate charges related to alleged prisoner abuse in federal detention centers, Willacy County, Texas, District Attorney Juan Angel Guerra told CNN Tuesday.

The indictment stems from Cheney’s investment in the Vanguard Group — an investment management company that reportedly has interests in the prison companies in charge of the detention centers, according to The Associated Press. It also charges Gonzales halted an investigation into abuse at the detention centers while he was attorney general.

You might think there are some federalism issues here. And there are. You might think there are some qualified/absolute immunity issues here, and there are. (Cf. In re Neagle, 135 U.S. 1 (1890) (creating federal officer immunity defense.)) But what you might not know is that there’s a federal removal statute that deals with state criminal prosecutions, 28 U.S.C. § 1442(a)(1):

§ 1442. Federal officers or agencies sued or prosecuted

(a) A civil action or criminal prosecution commenced in a State court against any of the following may be removed by them to the district court of the United States for the district and division embracing the place wherein it is pending:

(1) The United States or any agency thereof or any officer (or any person acting under that officer) of the United States or of any agency thereof, sued in an official or individual capacity for any act under color of such office or on account of any right, title or authority claimed under any Act of Congress for the apprehension or punishment of criminals or the collection of the revenue.

So step one will be a removal to the federal District Court...read on