Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-05-27/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
The fight over medicare contributed to an election victory on Tuesday for Democrats in one of New York’s most conservative congressional districts. On Wednesday, the Senate rejected a House GOP plan to reshape medicare. Republicans unveiled a plan to spur job growth by lowering the top tax rate. The administration said it would aid businesses by revamping regulations. And the Justice Department prepared possible criminal charges against former presidential candidate John Edwards.
Guests
Susan Page
Washington bureau chief for USA Today.
Juan Williams
political analyst, FOX News.
Laura Meckler
White House correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Friday News Roundup Video
The panelists discuss the future work of Elizabeth Warren, Special Adviser to the Secretary of Treasury on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Elizabeth Warren has become such a lightening rod...somehow, she's come to represent the idea of overly-intrusive government, overly-regulated government - the Obama administration trying to hamstring big business, and that's what it has come down to," said Fox News political analyst Juan Williams:
Comments
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Democrats and republicans getting together to solve the debt crisis? yea right! I see the democrats angling to take advantage of perceived weakness of the very small proposals from the republicans to do just that for personal political gain by smearing them as inhuman. The republicans only come up with some thoughtful solutions when out of power. You democrats point to the military industrial complex often, and rightly so. But when your guy gets in he does the same thing any republican would have done. Obama has not done a damn thing different than Bush would have done, and even the "patriot act" has been renewed in it's entirety. I had a few hopes for B.O. but he has been proven inadequate and phony on ALL fronts. As a voting group we just get kicked back and fourth, why don't you people want to give someone a chance that wants to really shake things up? my only answer COWARDICE.
RON PAUL 2012
The heart of this world is corrupt. Not completely corrupt but corrupted.
We need a change of heart not a change of leader. Without a change of
heart we will just have a new version of corruption. The mideast show
like Blood and Crips fighting over turf. We are spoiled in the USA we could
donated enough money today to pay any debt but we do not trust each
other.
I'm quite sure that at some point in the conversation, one of these commentators is going to bring up the fact that former President Bill Clinton was caught on video consoling Congressman Ryan on how much the American public hates the congressman's "KILL MEDICARE" plan.
They may even try to claim that this is evidence that Congressman Ryan is on the right track.
If I remember my history correctly President Bill Clinton also thought that NAFTA was the greatest thing since sliced bread.
HOW DID THAT WORK OUT FOR US.
I also thought that it was interesting that this little encounter took place at one of those "CAT FOOD FOR SENIOR CITIZENS" conferences that billionaire Pete Peterson sponsors.
Remember my fellow peons
"SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE"
Please ask the panel about how much change we're really getting when it concerns the Patriot Act, extraordinary rendition, illegal wars, Guantanimo, peace in the Middle East, deportation of illegals, budget deficits, tax policy...
Good to hear Juan Williams back on NPR!
Matters not to support the re-pub-lickins or de-mock-rats there is a huge party goin on in DC and We-The-People are payin for it but NOT invited!
More than ten years later I have not seen how cutting taxes for wealthy people/corporations creates jobs.
Must be like the house rep who uses twisted info and then justifies it by saying "the statement was not intended to be factual"
WHen none are responsible does that mean all are irresponsible?
Why has every conversation about the budget I've heard never mentions defense spending? Wouldn't anyone agree there's surely 8, 6, or 5 percent of waste in defense spending that could be saved?
Sorry that Juan is on the show. Whatever he says today, he will refute on FOX. That's what he does. He plays both sides of the game. What a joke he is, completely undependable as an analyst.
Why not discuss the recent New Yorker article that describes Fox News' Roger Ailes as the de facto head of the Republican party, and actively pushing a republican into the White House? Why does Rehm avoid this topic, and have Williams there with her?
When are commentators going to understand we (taxpayers) financed the bailout with OUR money to the tune of $700 billion and we are done?
It is time for the politicians to appeal to corporate America and the rich to "share the sacrifice" for a change and balance the budget with their money because we already gave.
They also need to understand we will not tolerate any meddling with Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits...its the least they can do.
I heard Juan say that Elizabeth Warren was seen to be hamstringing big business. We, as consumers, want big business to be hamstrung when they are exploiting the poor and middle class. Without federal regulation, we couldn't breathe the air, we couldn't drink the water, we'd be at the mercy of capitalists that care about nothing but money. Predatory practices are the currency of big business.
It's been said that Ron Paul is ignored in these presidential discussions, because the media has been instructed not to give him too much attention....
This is really a very poor edition of this show. The panel seems especially ill-informed and forces every topic through a conventional DC cocktail party wisdom filter that is just silly. I listen to this show for insight into the week's news and not predictable dribble.
I had to turn it off. I'll check back in for the second hour in the hopes that some level of quality will return.
Wow, Fox News, Juan Williams, Wall Street Journal, USA Today... How about having some progressive, or at least neutral, commentators on for a change?
Was there a comment about Ron Paul? I rest my point. Note the lame points regarding the Patriot Act and being soft on terrorism when the war on terrorism is obviously a shadow to the war on drugs. Wonder what agreementl NPR made with Congressional Republicans to get them off their back?
Kathy -- Michigan
Why should we make sacrifices to our healthcare while the US continues to have the money for the war and support of Pakistan? That is an elephant in the room that no one addresses.
Just had to quit listening to this hour's commentary after Diane's comment about no one being willing to come out in the middle between the left and the right with compromises. The current administration starts in the middle, there is no left. Compromise by the administration to some point between where there are and where the current republicans are puts you somewhere to the right of where the 90's republicans would have been.
And how is Juan Williams back on NPR? If I want his analysis of anything (and after years of listening to it, I know I don't), I'd watch Fox.
Jack582 wrote:
"Wow, Fox News, Juan Williams, Wall Street Journal, USA Today... How about having some progressive, or at least neutral, commentators on for a change?"
Diane Rehm and Susan Paige are not "progressive", i.e. liberal enough for you? Perhaps Nina Totenberg is your idea of an NPR neutral commentator? NPR must believe so since she was not fired for doing the same thing Juan Williams was fired for.
robnh wrote:
"And how is Juan Williams back on NPR? If I want his analysis of anything (and after years of listening to it, I know I don't), I'd watch Fox."
Sure. Because NPR is no place for a liberal commentator who is employed by FOX News, if no longer by NPR. How much David Corn can you listen to before reaching for air sick bag?
TedPax wrote:
"Sorry that Juan is on the show. Whatever he says today, he will refute on FOX. That's what he does. He plays both sides of the game. What a joke he is, completely undependable as an analyst."
You obviously do not watch FOX News. Do you have any problem with Nina Totenberg? She still works for NPR even though she is a much more flagrant violator of their own rules.
Yes, please, how dare NPR! I come here to have my own views of the world repeated back to me so I can start the day secure in my concrete belief system.
Now I must respond by criticizing the messenger with blatant racism as opposed to the message.
Democracy Now here I come~!
My husband and I were in Israel and Palestine for three weeks recently and met with both Palestinians and Israelis. The misinformation about Palestinians here in the U.S.A. is astounding and our discussion about the situation is really so one-sided whereas in Israel there are people who are speaking out about the injustices. We witnessed those injustices at checkpoints, in refugee camps, and throughout the West Bank in the form of settlements. Daily people in settlements find ways to torment their Palestinian neighbors. Tommie, an 84 year old whose home in Bi'rim was destroyed by the Israelis in 1952, took us to the rubble of his home. The caller who said the Palestinians were not there in the 1900's is totally wrong. Tommie's family has been there for at least 400 years. ICHAD, an organization in Jerusalem, is working with those people whose homes have been demolished so that Israelis can take that land for their own. The majority of the Palestinians are seeking non-violent means to solve their problems but their efforts are met with violence. My heart breaks for the children and their psyches as they have to pass through checkpoints where soldiers with large guns go through their bookbags each morning. I can recommend many books but one that is must reading is Mark Braverman's Fatal Embrace. Mark is an American Jew whose many trips to Israel never took him to the Palestinian experience until in recent years and he has many thoughtful things to say.
The crux of the Middle East conflict is the Palestinian's refusal to recognize and live peacefully with Israel. The Palestinians were offered a state in 1948 and REJECTED it. On May 15 of this year, the Palestinians observed Nabka Day, which means "disaster." They see Israel's formation in 1948 as a disaster. This means that they do not respect the legitimacy of the Jewish people living in their ancestoral, religious, historical homeland. Shouldn't the Palestinians view it as a disaster that they did not accept a state for themselves when offered it by the UN 63 years ago?
Notice how the PA will mouth words that they accpet Israel and then build athletic stadiums and name streets after Palestinian terrorists who kill men, women and children in Israel and fill their children's school textbooks with lies and incitement against Israel.
Israel has taken real and difficult steps to further peace by giving the Sinai to Egypt and Gaza to the Palestinians. What have the Palestinians done to show they are serious about living peacefully with Israel?
when will the show be video podcast?
It's a long way to Election Day.
How remarkable that at least one member of the punditocracy and the commentariat has discovered that basic fact. Yes, in 1991 Bush the First looked unbeatable, 18 months later he was a "one-term wonder". Anything can happen between now and November of 2012, and probably will!
Stop trying to "handicap" the elections. This isn't a horse race!
Sarah Palin for president? A vote for her would be a vote for whoever her running mate is - that is who would be president when she quits!
"The way to lower the deficit is to cut spending."
With those words the person who spoke them summed up the Republican's mantra, and one of the problems. We hear a lot of right-wing politicians comparing the government's budget to that of a household. Well, if the price of gas increased, the price of food increased, and the price of health care increased, how many households would respond by just cutting their budgets ("we'll only eat one meal a day, and walk everywhere") and never consider asking for a raise? Worse, how many of them would tell their bosses: "I see times are tough for you too, I'll take a pay cut and let my kids starve?"
If your costs are greater than your revenue the answer is to both cut costs and increase revenue, and that means increasing taxes. That's simple math, something Republicans must have flunked!
Without shared sacrifice there will be no sacrifice, and things will only get worse. That's simple politics. For every dollar cut from the budget there should be a dollar increase in taxes. For every sacrifice by those who need government help, there should be an equal sacrifice from those who don't. Any other proposal simply won't work!
And thank you caller Helen. You inspired one commentator (Mr. Williams) to note that our seniors are far wiser than Mr. Ryan and the Republicans. Seniors truly cared "about the children", and not just themselves (which is the real Republican philosophy - "I'm all right Jack, screw you"). Republicans hoped seniors would be short-sighted, ideological, and selfish. The GOP was wrong.
And as for "Mediscare", I'm glad Williams was forced to admit Republicans did it first (although it took another guests to make that point). One big difference: the Patient Protection Act wouldn't destroy Medicare, there was no "death panels", but the Ryan Plan would indeed end Medicare. The difference? TRUTH!
monte on May 26, 2011 @ 10:11 pm wrote: “The republicans only come up with some thoughtful solutions when out of power.”
PART ONE
Hogwash, sir! In the last election, the Republicans carefully provided no specifics of what they would do. They were simply “the party of No” campaigning on lies (“death panels”, etc.) and empty slogans and rhetoric, and the false claim that they would ignore social issues, and concentrate on creating jobs.
Americans bought that “pig in a poke”, and look what happened. The GOP spent the past 5 months obsessed with social issues (abortion, gays, destroying unions), and have done nothing about jobs. And now they’ve finally released their great “jobs plan” and what is it? Less than 9 pages (once the half-page graphics are removed) of “voodoo economics”.
“I see the democrats angling to take advantage of perceived weakness of the very small proposals from the republicans to do just that for personal political gain by smearing them as inhuman.”
- The Democrats don’t have to “smear” the Republicans, GOP proposals do it just fine. And where were your complaints about “smears” when the Republicans were busy screaming about (fictional) “death panels”, cheering the “birthers”, and claiming Obama was a “secret Muslim”? Oh that’s right: you were busy doing it too! Don’t complain just because you can dish it out, but can’t take it.
Republicans, as Adlai Stevenson warned: if you don’t stop telling lies about Democrats, they’ll start telling the truth about you!
TO BE CONTINUED
PART TWO
Regarding the Patriot Act: I share your disappointment about that one. But consider this: Obama tried to close Guantanamo, and do “a damn thing different than Bush would have done”, and got slapped down courtesy (in part) of Republican attacks, filibusters, and secret senatorial holds. The only way he could have prevailed would be to act exactly the way Bush did, and declare he can ignore any law Congress passed, and then do it. But, unlike Bush, Obama really does believe in our Constitution, in “separation of power” and “checks and balances”. So he didn’t try to run this country like a dictator (despite more Republican lies about that). Bush did, and they cheered him for it. Did you?
TO BE CONTINUED