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APRIL 28,  2011

MORE ECONOMIC TRUTH – AT 10:59 P.M. ET:  More economic truth, from people on the front lines.  Via CNN:

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Wal-Mart's core shoppers are running out of money much faster than a year ago due to rising gasoline prices, and the retail giant is worried, CEO Mike Duke said Wednesday.

"We're seeing core consumers under a lot of pressure," Duke said at an event in New York. "There's no doubt that rising fuel prices are having an impact."

Wal-Mart shoppers, many of whom live paycheck to paycheck, typically shop in bulk at the beginning of the month when their paychecks come in.

Lately, they're "running out of money" at a faster clip, he said.

"Purchases are really dropping off by the end of the month even more than last year," Duke said. "This end-of-month [purchases] cycle is growing to be a concern.

COMMENT:  It's probably ho-hum at the White House.  After all, aren't these the people who cling to their guns and their religion?  Why should more advanced specimens of humanity be interested in their plight?  They probably want station wagons, too.

If only they'd gone to Ivy League schools.

April 28, 2011       Permalink

 

MAJOR CULTURAL NEWS – AT 10:47 P.M. ET:  If you want to get a hint about where America is culturally, just read this, from Comics Alliance:

After recently undertaking a journey to walk -- not fly -- across the United States in the "Grounded" storyline and reconnect with the country and everyday Americans, Superman appears to be taking another step that could have major implications for his national identity: in Action Comics #900...

...Superman announces that he is going to give up his U.S. citizenship. Despite very literally being an alien immigrant, Superman has long been seen as a patriotic symbol of "truth, justice, and the American way," from his embrace of traditional American ideals to the iconic red and blue of his costume. What it means to stand for the "American way" is an increasingly complicated thing, however, both in the real world and in superhero comics, whose storylines have increasingly seemed to mirror current events and deal with moral and political complexities rather than simple black and white morality.

The key scene takes place in "The Incident," a short story in Action Comics #900 written by David S. Goyer with art by Miguel Sepulveda. In it, Superman consults with the President's national security advisor, who is incensed that Superman appeared in Tehran to non-violently support the protesters demonstrating against the Iranian regime, no doubt an analogue for the recent real-life protests in the Middle East. However, since Superman is viewed as an American icon in the DC Universe as well as our own, the Iranian government has construed his actions as the will of the American President, and indeed, an act of war.

Superman replies that it was foolish to think that his actions would not reflect politically on the American government, and that he therefore plans to renounce his American citizenship at the United Nations the next day -- and to continue working as a superhero from a more global than national perspective. From a "realistic" standpoint it makes sense; it would indeed be impossible for a nigh-omnipotent being ideologically aligned with America to intercede against injustice beyond American borders without creating enormous political fallout for the U.S. government.

COMMENT:  I personally prefer truth, justice, and the American way.  And, somehow, I think most of us can define those things.

April 28, 2011      Permalink

 

 

HANDS DOWN, HEADLINE OF THE DAY, FROM NBC NEWS:

Man Dressed as Cow Steals 26 Gallons of Milk

At least someone in this society knows how to dress appropriately.

April 28,  2011     Permalink

 

THE UN SWINGS INTO INACTION – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:  One of the saddest aspects of the Obama foreign policy is the emphasis it places on the UN, a hobbled, corrupt, dishonest and ineffective institution whose greatest feature is the nice views from its building overlooking the East River in New York. 

The Syrian government is shooting its own citizens in the streets, and what is the UN's response?  You can probably guess, but here it is:

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The deeply divided U.N. Security Council failed to agree on a European and U.S.-backed statement condemning Syrian violence against peaceful protesters on Wednesday, with Russia saying security forces were also killed and the actions don't threaten international peace.

"A real threat to regional security in our view could arise from outside interference in Syria's domestic situation including attempts to push ready-made solutions or taking of sides," Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Alexander Pankin warned the U.N.'s most powerful body during a public session that followed, saying this could lead to civil war.

"It is extremely important to focus all attempts on avoiding such a dangerous turn of events, especially as Syria is a cornerstone of the Middle East security architecture," he said. "Destabilizing this significant link in the chain will lead to complications throughout the region."

China and India called for political dialogue and peaceful resolution of the crisis, with no mention of condemnation.

China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said the turbulence in the Mideast and North Africa has also "dealt a big blow to the stability in this region."

If the underlying issues aren't addressed, he warned, "they will jeopardize peace and stability in other regions. They would also have a major negative impact on the recovery of the world economy."

This is disgraceful.  A draft condemning the violence against Syrian protesters was circulated by France, Britain, Germany and Portugal – note the absence of the United States – and failed.

The erosion of American strength is evident by the fact that we have so little influence left at the UN.  Condemning the Syrian crackdown should be an easy call, but at the UN nothing is easy. 

I'm surprised that India, which had been moving in our direction during the Bush administration, sided with the Syrian government on this.  Maybe the Indians see which way the political winds are blowing.  

A senior military officer with extensive experience in south Asia wrote to us yesterday pointing out the substantial uptick in violence in Afghanistan, and attributing it partly to the perception of American weakness.

At one time Americans had learned that lesson, based on our painful unpreparedness for World War II.  Now we're forgetting again.

April 28, 2011       Permalink

 

WASN'T UNEMPLOYMENT SUPPOSED TO DROP? – AT 9:15 A.M. ET:  Added to the grim economic growth figures cited in the post just below is the new jobs report.  Americans aren't exactly flocking back to work:

WASHINGTON (AP) — More people sought unemployment benefits last week, the second rise in three weeks, and a sign that the recovery in the job market has been slow and uneven.

The Labor Department said Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits jumped 25,000 to a seasonally adjusted 429,000 for the week ending April 23. That was the highest total since late January.

The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, rose to 408,500, its third straight rise and the first time it has topped 400,000 in two months.

Applications near 375,000 are consistent with sustained job creation. Applications peaked during the recession at 659,000.

April 28, 2011      Permalink

 

PATHETIC – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  A report just out on the American economy gives no reason for cheers.  Where is this recovery we hear about?  From Bloomberg:

April 28 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. economy grew at a slower pace than forecast in the first quarter as consumer purchases cooled, home construction fell and government spending declined.

Gross domestic product rose at a 1.8 percent annual rate from January through March after a 3.1 percent pace in the last three months of 2010, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Economists projected 2 percent growth, according to the median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey. Higher gas prices prompted Americans to limit spending after they ramped up purchases in the prior three months.

It's those gas prices.  They'll get worse.  The president will urge us to run our cars on discarded Happy Meals.

Some economists are predicting that the figures will improve during the year, but it's hard to see how that can happen if fuel prices keep rising, especially as we get into home-heating season. 

Inflation is still reported low, but most Americans are unaware that fuel and food prices aren't included in the inflation index, an absurd way of reporting.  We see higher food prices every day.

Obama is going into the election season with a weak economy and promises unmet.  He's going in with a confused, losing foreign policy. 

But he is still favored to win by most political observers because the GOP just doesn't have, at least for now, a candidate who can out-campaign Obama, and the press will put its very large finger on the scale, as it did in 2008.

April 28, 2011       Permalink

 

IS THE BLOOM OFF THE GOP ROSE? – AT 8:33 A.M. ET:  One of the problems of being elected is that you have to do stuff, and some of the people don't like some of the stuff...inevitably.  Speaker Boehner, who has done a credible job since taking over in January, is suffering the effects of incumbency.  From The Politico:

House Speaker John Boehner has become less popular with Americans across the political spectrum since taking the gavel in January.

A USA Today/Gallup Poll released Wednesday showed that 56 percent of Republicans view him favorably, down from 65 percent in January.

Among independents, his net favorable ratings are down a whopping 27 percentage points. About 29 percent of independents said they hold a favorable view of the speaker.

And 46 percent of Democrats find him unfavorable, up from 34 percent.

“The Speaker is focused on the big challenges facing our country — and, thus far, the Democrats who still run Washington seem more focused on partisan attacks that real solutions,” Boehner’s spokesman Michael Steel said in response to the numbers.

In the first four months of his term as speaker of the House, the Ohio Republican has been through several epic battles, including a number of short-term government funding measures, extending the Patriot Act and shepherding through a controversial 2012 spending blueprint.

Overall, the poll said that Boehner’s favorable/unfavorable ratings are identical: 34 percent of Americans see him favorably, and 34 see him unfavorably. In January — the last time Gallup polled — 42 percent of people saw him favorably, nearly double the 22 who had the opposite view.

COMMENT:  Some of this goes with the territory.  However, and this must be said, Republicans who take delight in Obama's falling numbers should understand that the GOP isn't exactly basking in public love.  The Republicans are allowing the Democrats to define them as the party of wealth, coldness, kookiness, and indifference to seniors, minorities, kittens and everything good. 

The drop in Boehner's standing among independents is instructive.  Obama has suffered the same kind of drop.  Remember that "independents" have no party loyalty, and are often the most cantankerous and disgruntled of voters.  When they turn against Obama we cheer, and hope that it will tip a future election.  But they turn against our side just as often.

April 28, 2011        Permalink

 

MR. EFFECTIVE – AT 8:19 A.M. ET:  We see things every day to show us why Barack Obama can be compared to Jimmy Carter.  Carter himself is the gift that keeps giving – showing us how truly pathetic he really is.  The former president, who prides himself on his purity and wonderfulness, has taken a trip to North Korea with Mary Robinson, the Carteresque former president of Ireland, who presided over the infamous Durban conference of 2001, which turned into a hatefest:

SEOUL - North Korean leader Kim Jong-il is ready to hold direct talks with South Korea but the isolated state will not apologize for two deadly attacks on the divided peninsula last year, former US president Jimmy Carter said on Thursday.

Sure.  We're for peace, but we reserve the right to kill you.

Carter returned from a three-day trip to Pyongyang having failed to meet Kim, but he and three other former state leaders -- known as the Elders -- received a last-minute message from the leader saying he was willing to talk with anyone at anytime without preconditions.

The little North Korean pipsqueak won't even meet with Jimmy Carter, which probably tells us how important Carter really is.

"He specifically told us he is prepared to meet directly with (South Korean) President Lee Myung-bak any time," Carter told a press conference in Seoul.

If Kim was willing to discuss nuclear and other military issues with South Korea, it would mark a change in policy -- the North has previously said it would only discuss them with the United States.

"Chairman and General Secretary Kim Jong-il said he is willing and the people of North Korea are willing to negotiate with South Korea or with the United States or with the six powers on any subject any time and without any preconditions."

Earlier however, Carter on his group's website (www.theelders.org) appeared to suggest that there were preconditions for six-party talks aimed at disarmament.

"The sticking point -- and it's a big one -- is that they won't give up their nuclear program without some kind of security guarantee from the US." he said.

The North has repeatedly stated it wants an assurance the United States will not attack it, as well as a peace treaty.

Carter cannot emotionally accept what North Korea really is.  He is the Neville Chamberlain of our time, but Chamberlain dressed better.

Mr. Totally Ineffective.

April 28, 2011     Permalink

 

 

 

APRIL 27,  2011

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT – AT 11:50 P.M. ET:  First, let me apologize for the gap in posting.  We had a technical problem tonight, rare, but it happened.  We're back operating right now. 

Of course, the joyous news today – I've heard church bells ringing – was the announcement that the president of the United States had actually been born.  Not only that.  The White House now assures us that he was born in the United States, and produced a certificate to prove it.

Our great national nightmare is over.  True, many of us understood that our president was born in a manger, but we just weren't sure what country the manger was in.  It was in the U.S., in Hawaii, not far from Pearl Harbor, where a lot of other questions were asked.

So, what are the pundits saying?  Just about all of them, including most conservatives, believe that the whole birther thing has been put to rest.  But a number of the best pundits – those who agree with me – are uneasy about Mr. Obama's behavior throughout the birth controversy.  He could have released this birth certificate years ago, but chose not to.   He spent over a million dollars to prevent its release, even though it doesn't say anything horrible.

Why?

Some suggest that the president got some joy out of this.  According to this theory, he believed that, by keeping the matter alive, he could paint his opponents as kooks and conspiracy theorists.  He may have been right, but that certainly doesn't say much about Mr. Obama's respect for the presidency, his countrymen, or his colleagues.  Anyone else would have just released the thing. 

And then there are the number of false statements, some by White House spokesmen – that the certificate couldn't be released under Hawaii law, or, more recently, that the president thought the whole thing silly, even though it's now clear the White House had petitioned for the release of the certificate several weeks ago.

There are still some who maintain that the certificate released today may be a forgery.  Given all the machinations by the president, I can't honestly blame this crowd.  Let them work.  Maybe they'll tell us something.

Bottom line, I think we have a very strange man in the White House, someone who allows a controversy to go on when he could have ended it, then presents himself as above the fray, someone too important to deal with paperwork.  We have seen that Mr. Obama is not much of a leader.  Now, I wonder about his ability to reason through his own policies.

April 27, 2011     Permalink

 

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 9:56 A.M. ET: 

From WaPo:  Hubert J. “Hub” Schlafly Jr., a television engineer who aided countless politicians and performers when he helped invent the scrolling public-speaking crutch known as a teleprompter, died April 20 of undisclosed causes at a hospital in Stamford, Conn. He was 91.

President Obama sent a wreath with a note saying, "You made me possible, Hub."  He tried to read the note to a press conference, but the teleprompter jammed.  (No, no, no.) 

April 27, 2011       Permalink

 

BULLETIN:  AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  The White House has just released President Obama's "long-form" birth certificate.  The release came as a total surprise, after years of stonewalling.  You can see the certificate here:

I am not a legal expert on these things, so I will leave it to others to examine the document, and determine its authenticity, and whether it passes muster.

In reading the document, one wonders why Obama spent more than a million dollars to prevent its release.  It doesn't tell us anything that we didn't already know.  True, the middle name "Hussein" is prominent, right in the middle of the form, and maybe Obama worried that it would emphasize his heritage.  And his mother's age is listed as 18.  Maybe he was sensitive over that, for some reason.  The whole thing is baffling.

The certificate was certified as legitimate on April 25th, just two days ago, which means the White House has been aware that it was requested.

By the way, didn't the Democratic governor of Hawaii recently say that he couldn't find the certificate?  It has apparently been found.

Fox News is being cautious in its report of the release, its bulletin saying the White House has released "what it says" is the president's certificate.

Mr. Obama is expected to discuss the release later today.

Obviously, we'll stay with this.  You may be certain that Donald Trump will be asked for his reaction.  This certificate will be gone over line by line, for any indication of deception.  And, of course, we want to know whether this is the entire document, or if there's anything more to the "long form" that we should know about.

Stand by.

April 27, 2011       Permalink

 

RYAN GETS HEAT – AT 8:53 A.M. ET:  Paul Ryan, as noted below, is one of the bright young stars of the Republican Party, and the author of the comprehensive Republican budget plan, recently passed (symbolically) by the House.  It's being widely reported that Ryan is also a major target for Democrats, hoping to cut him down early.  From The Hill:

Attendees at Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wis.) town hall meeting on Tuesday heaped more scorn on the powerful congressman for backing an extension for the Bush-era tax cuts for the wealthy.

Protesters chanted "Ryan stop lying!" at the House Budget Committee chairman outside his event in Kenosha, Wis. and several members of the capacity crowd interrupted Ryan as he defended his budget plan, according to WTMJ-TV.

Here's more from their report:

“If you're yelling, I just want to ask you to leave,” Ryan requested. “If you're going to scream out like that, it's just not polite to everyone. We've got media here. Let's prove to them that Wisconsinites can be cordial with one another.”

TODAY’S TMJ4 set up an interview with Ryan following the meeting, but it was scrapped by staffers and police over a security concern. The congressman changed the door where he planned to exit and left in a different vehicle than the one than he arrived in.

“There were just definitely some loud hecklers who came that gave the police a little concern,” Ryan told TODAY’S TMJ4 reporter by phone. “I left in another car with the police. My car, some people did surround. But, they didn’t cause any problems and I had a staffer who drove my car and we had really no problems.”

Ryan insists the hurried exit should not be “blown out of proportion.”

The incident comes as Democrats are looking to highlight angry town hall moments against Republicans, hoping they will define the debate over entitlement reform and the 2012 budget. Republicans during the summer of 2009 used similar incidents at Democrats' town halls to pin them down during healthcare debate.

COMMENT:  It's a very smart move by the Democrats, who retain some excellent political strategists.  Scare seniors, and almost-seniors, about Social Security and Medicare, and you pick up millions of votes in a presidential election.

In truth, Ryan's courageous budget was a little rough around the edges, and this morning brings news that Speaker John Boehner is starting to back away from it a bit.  The Medicare section is a disaster.  It looks as if someone decided how much money was to be saved, then designed the reforms around that.  When dealing with something as sacred to Americans as medical care, the proper way is to decide what kind of health care we want each citizen to have, then figure out the most economical way to provide it and pay for it.  By suggesting that Medicare become a voucher system with which seniors would buy private insurance, the third rail of American politics has been touched.  Americans like Medicare and hate insurance companies.  They like simplicity and hate complication.  The Ryan budget, which has so many excellent components, flopped on Medicare by waving too many red flags at one time.

April 27, 2011       Permalink

 

AND NOW FOR A GROWN-UP VIEW – AT 8:34 A.M. ET:  Michael Barone, one of the nation's leading political reporters, gives us a sober, grown-up view of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, now that Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour has pulled out:

I read someone earlier this week confidently stating that Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee were the only Republicans who can beat Barack Obama because they're doing better than other possible nominees in polls.

Please. All those polls show is that these two who ran in 2008 have higher name recognition than others who didn't. Voters will know far more about the Republican nominee in fall 2012 than they know now about any contender.

You can also find lots of articles naming Romney as the frontrunner. Again, please. Most national polls show no one getting as much as 20 percent of the primary vote. That means no one is the frontrunner.

I'm glad someone finally said it.  The lack of enthusiasm for the Republican field is palpable, and worrisome.

Romney seems sure to run and, despite the burden of his Massachusetts Romneycare program, may do better this time. Huckabee, enjoying his Fox News show, seems unlikely to run.

So does Sarah Palin. Polls show that all Republicans know her, most like her a lot and relatively few name her as their first choice. The electoral fates of Sharron Angle and Christine O'Donnell have been instructive. It's one thing to lose a Senate seat by nominating a candidate you love who can't win. It's another thing to lose the presidency that way.

Finally...

The presidential nomination process remains the weakest part of our political system. It's too lengthy, its rules are too capricious and giving eternal first dibs to Iowa and New Hampshire is intellectually indefensible.

But some Republican will be nominated and will face a president whose positions on issues are currently unpopular. Those who want change must hope for the best.

COMMENT:  Barone is right, in my view, on all counts.  Obama's policies are unpopular, but he retains a solid base.  I will say again that the GOP should consider skipping a generation and going to its young bench.

We forget that this is what the Dems did in 1960 in nominating Jack Kennedy.  The Democratic race for the nomination that year was filled with more experienced hands – Lyndon Johnson and Missouri Senator Stuart Symington to name but two.  And, indeed, no less a figure than former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt publicly questioned whether Kennedy was ready for the presidency.  (The incumbent, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had been a five-star general.  Kennedy had been a Navy lieutenant.)

But Kennedy won the nomination, unfair and square, with fatherly money easing the way.  And, of course, he was elected president.  At least we think he was.

I have a gut feeling the GOP will eventually erupt in dissatisfaction and move to that young bench, where Marco Rubio and Paul Ryan sit.  Of course, the Republican Party erupting in anything would be big news, so we might have some enjoyment ahead.

April 27, 2011       Permalink  

 

CHANGES COMING – AT 7:53 A.M. ET:  A number of news organizations are reporting this:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Administration sources say President Barack Obama plans this week to name CIA Director Leon Panetta to replace Defense Secretary Robert Gates, and Gen. David Petraeus, now running the war in Afghanistan, would take the CIA chief's job.

The officials all spoke on condition of anonymity because the changes are not final.

The changes would probably take effect this summer. Gates has already said he will leave this year.

The officials say Obama is expected to also announce that Lt. Gen. John Allen would replace Petraeus as Afghanistan commander, and that diplomat Ryan Crocker will be the next U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan.

The changes are expected to be announced Thursday at the White House.

COMMENT:  Rumors about these changes have been circulating for weeks.  My first thought about Panetta taking over Defense is that, bottom line, Obama didn't appoint a screwball like former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel.  My fear, though, is that Panetta isn't being appointed to keep America strong, but to cut the defense budget still further.  He has a credible history as a budgetary expert, and we have a right to be worried that Obama, should he get a second term, will take the ax to the left wing's favorite target.

I also have mixed feelings about Petraeus taking over the CIA, which means taking him out of uniform.  As the nation's most renowned currently serving soldier, CIA would seem to be a steppingstone to nowhere.   But getting Petraeus out of the spotlight and into the inner circles of the administration probably removes him as a dark horse candidate for president in 2012.  Petraeus has denied any such ambition, of course, but Republicans did indeed dream.  The good news is that CIA will be in the hands of a patriot, and, once again, not some Hagelesque theoretician.

Of course, policy is made at the top.  If Obama stays, he could have George Washington at Defense and Lincoln at CIA, and it might not make that much of a difference.

April 27, 2011     Permalink