Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-08-19/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories: President Obama announced he would outline a new plan for job creation in September; The Justice Department is investigating whether S&P improperly rated mortgage securities in the years before the financial crisis; Gov. Tim Pawlenty withdrew from the Republican presidential race; and Warren Buffet called on the new deficit "supercommittee" to raise taxes on rich people.
Guests
Nia-Malika Henderson
national politics reporter, The Washington Post.
John King
anchor of CNN's John King, USA, and chief national correspondent.
Laura Meckler
White House correspondent, The Wall Street Journal.
Friday News Roundup Video
A caller who says she campaigned for President Obama expresses her disappointment that he hasn't been more forceful, or "audacious," in pushing his agenda since taking office in 2009:
Comments
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Gallup poll shows that nobody is buying Obama's pre-Martha's Vineyard campaign of deception tour. Obviously, investors aren't.
I think the poll also reflects general unrest about the economy and maybe Obama's seeming willingness to negotiate with terrorists - i.e., the Congressional radicals who defied the public by not only refusing to generate revenue for the first time, but refusing to even make sure taxes are properly collected, and refusing legitimate economic stimulus while further burdening working people.
All this, with basement federal interest rates and - as we have had for decades - some of the most lightly levied corporations and individuals in the industrialized world. They're sitting on their money (notable exceptions - lobbying and crisis manufacturing are apparently pretty "productive").
Aside:To speak of an "african American" "potion of dependency" shows a view not only narrow but ugly. Maybe straight to the heart of the good old Heritage Foundation boys... to hold tongue and say the least.
To believe productivity has a real correlation with wealth (even remotely considering the disparity) is a fantasy at best, hand in hand with a misappreciation of wealth and standards of living. Middle-class animosity toward the lower class should seem pretty ironic considering what's sending the middle class there.
Monte-It's difficult to ignore your comments. Please tell me/us about your personal biography. You could be a bleeding heart liberal as I am, or a Monte. How are you formed? I probably owe my life to being a recipient of government welfare. (food, healthcare and clothing), a drafted combat soldier, 50 year+ work life, and a former catholic. Lay it out man.
"The bigger concern is that the estimate doesn't include potential costs to the private sector. The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act requires the CBO to estimate whether proposed legislation will cost the private sector more than $142 million. The CBO says it can't do that in this case because of "uncertainty about how often and against whom the Department of Justice or copyright holders would use the authority" provided by the legislation.
We've never had the kind of large-scale Internet censorship infrastructure mandated by the PROTECT IP Act, so it's hard to predict how much it would cost private ISPs, search engines, and credit card networks to comply. But maintaining, updating, and enforcing blacklists could be expensive, and these costs would be multiplied across hundreds, if not thousands, of private firms."
We would like to express and disdain our previous comments. We were told to say that our Congress is exceptional(not effected) and OPUS super exceptional.
We object AND strongly disagree with ALL previous postings.
May we go now?
And thank you we DO feel safer being watched all the time.
Thank you for accelerating our position at Soylent Green facility(making a better tomorrow from today's problems).
We will miss US.
J
O
B
S
Running out of places to feed- er- hide.
We are gone. Now they come for the children.
Exciting being on edge of precipice.
Hope no one injured by abruptly stopping our fall.
Worlds do burn purtty.
S
B
O
J
"nobody is buying Obama's pre-Martha's Vineyard campaign of deception tour"
Oh yes, they are, hainc. If by "buying it" you mean "paying for it". That would be we the taxpayers paying for his 2012 campaign tour.
I suppose many of us wonder about Monte. But I do believe his comments today cross the line of taste and bigotry. Does the DR show have no policy of removing such commentators after a proven record of inciting anger and violence?
What has me worried about Rick Perry is that he has taken on Douglas Feith and William Luti as heads of his foreign policy team. Former Bush administration officilal and former CIA middle east analyst Flynt Leverett stated this at his informative website "Race for Iran"
Both of these guys were heavily involved with creating, cherry picking and dessiminating false WMD intelligence before the invasion of Iraq. They operated out of the Pentagons Office of Special Plans. If Perry were to get elected as President. Next stop for the US would be Iran
Can your guest comment on Rick Perry's foreign Policy team. And Diane can you please have Flynt Leverett on your program again to discuss Iran
So many economist both Republican and Democrats keep repeating that the only way for the US to get out of this economical hole is to borrow and feed money into the economy. They keep repeating that the US can borrow money at no interest because so many our concerned that if the US goes down the snowball effect will bring the world economy down.
Do you think the Committee of 12 will listen to these economist?
Will the Committee of 12's process be open?
Will the American public have access to knowing which lobbyist they will be meeting with?
I have observed Monte's comments for quite a while. He often chimes in even before the discussion is underway. Very opinionated, I suppose. I have sometimes agreed with his point of view and found him to make sense some of the time, although he does come across as a very angry man. Through all this, I wasn't quite sure of his identity. But today's comment has shown him to a bigoted white man, angry at having to endure a black presidency. (presidential hearse?? ) I see no such disparaging about the Republican candidates travelling around Iowa, in their vehicles(hearses?)
Hopefully he will find a radio station better suited to his political ideology. Then again, maybe, NPR and it's affiliated stations give him a venue to vent his anger.
So it's perfectly OK for Congress to take a vacation but the minute the Prez takes some time off there's a big to-do about it. He takes his work with him, as I'm sure the congress people do. It's somehow fitting that those who cry loudest are the ones who least mind those working people who still have a job having to put up with minimal or no benefits, nor do they mind sweatshops.
And the to-do about choosing Martha's Vineyard? The President didn't inherit or have the wherewithal to buy some spread like Kennebunkport, Hyannis, or Crawford - the last one being purchased as a prop for photo-ops showing Bush Jr. doing manly stuff like cutting not-very-substantial brush.
This week Rick Perry said that he doesn't believe in climate change as a man-made condition. Mrs. Bachmann doesn't believe in evolution. I could say I don't believe in gravity, but that doesn't mean I'm correct, or that gravity will just go away.
They refuse to accept scientific evidence, but are willing to believe in a literal translation of a manuscript written thousands of years ago. I think long before Super Tuesday, one of them will be gone. (perhaps both?)
b23erlin, if truth "incites anger and violence" in your mind, the problem is in you!
@ mancuroc: Completely agree - he has to rent a vacation home AND it has to be a place that Secret Service can secure. It's not as if he could rent a 4th floor condo
why does everyone refer to Bachman's win as so significant and totally dismiss the fact that while she got 28% of the vote Ron Paul received 27%?
Just a few minutes ago, one of your guests questioned the investigation into S&P.
he comment was it was too obvious that govt. was sending message to S&P.
The fact is the investigation has been going on for 8 months or more, and it went to headline for the obvious reason they are in the news now.
My question is why YOU did not add the facts to the comment? It is your responsibility for what you allow to be said on your show, via what is true, not what is a caddy comment w/o the context .
this is no first time, and I wonder why you are not more assertive? but this got me angry, at this time we need forceful and accurate comment, not smart quips from the uninformed
thanks
michael
I thought that passing health care reform was extremely important because so many people die every year because of the lack of health care or inadequate health care.
Health Care Reform was an accomplishment, of sorts. It was supposed to be a cornerstone of his administration but he handed it over to others, like Max Baucus, who takes millions of dollars from the insurance industry and the health care industry. The end result was a bill that took far too long to pass, was far too complicated and should have been much better for the majority of Americans.
John King said this morning that the American people have lost confidence in the financial sector and Washington politicians. I'd like to add THE PRESS to that list as well.
All of the hysteria around the ups and downs of the stock market last week were aided and abetted by the 24 hour news/business channels. In addition, the silly made up controversies that the press uses to fill all that time contribute to the dumbing down of the American electorate.
Why is is that Diane Rehm never holds the press responsible for their role in the current corrosive climate that exists in the U.S.
Diane: Your guest made the statement that the idea that millionaires and billionaires don't pay their fair share of taxes hasn't gained traction in Congress. That of course is because Congress is largely populated with millionaires and billionaires.
I just heard the commentator say "the American people elected a left-of-center president, then two years later elected a batch of right-of-center representatives". President Obama has been squarely in the "center" by a generous estimation and, based on his policies is more accurately RIGHT-of-center compared to the American people. The crop of Tea Party republicans is right-of-the-right. The center has been consistently pulled to the right. It is time to stop repeating the demonstrable falsehood that Pres Obama is "left of center".
Thank you for your discussion. Please comment on the comment of the CEO of Starbucks, Mr. Schulz, calling for CEOs to withhold campaign contributions until Washington solves some problems. The whole issue of the influence of corporate campaign contributions seems to be overlooked by the press. Thomas Frank documented how they have strangled good government in his book, The Wrecking Crew, showing money's control of both parties. Why doesn't the press regularly and conspicuously compare the votes of Congress and the actions of the Administration with their funding?
Why is the proposal to allow the tax credit to expire cut-off at $250,000?
I am frustrated that the panel of journalists are falling for/using the Republican concept of "increasing taxes". The proposed plans that discuss taxes were not creating new taxes, or raising the general income tax rates, they discussed revoking taxes breaks/cuts for a small segment of the population, that are making more than $250,000/yr that our country can no longer afford. These tax breaks were orginally past due when the nation had a budget surplus, this surplus has not existed for nearly ten years (since we started two wars).
A couple of comments:
1. Wisconsin is reportedly already seeing benefits of their rules changes for Public Unions in the form of opening up to competitive bids for health insureance which has had $25M savings to City of Milwaukee--with more benefits to come. These changes are a breath of fresh air and hopefully will be replicated in other states.
2. You stated that BHO was only making modest changes in the size of government. Note that for many years our Federal Government consumed about 18% of our GDP---BHO has pushed that to the 24% level----- a 33% increase. This is paradigm of big government will not stand. As such we do not have a revenue problem , we have a spending problem-----we need to find ourselves back to 18% level ASAP.
We have all heard the quote "it's the economy stupid"
Chris Matthews, Robert Reish and many many others have been pounding on the idea of a federal jobs program for years now. Why do you think Obama has waited so long?
Do you think it will be too little too late?
I'm concerned by the comment that the American people chose the Tea Party zealots. The Tea Party was created by Ruppert Murdock and Fox News that screamed their support with the equivalent of billions in advertising and no accountability.
Bob Dylan said of mankind: "He's headed for destruction, he's afraid and confused, and his brain has been mismanaged with great skill. And all he believes are his eyes and his eyes they just tell him lies..."
We Americans are being lead around like sheep by unscrupulous media and the control of money over public opinion.
As a real estate appraiser I'm appalled that Standard & Poors hasn't been investigated sooner for thier complicity in the over valuing of the mortgage backed securities. I face criminal penalties for a single bogus appraisal over valuing a property by 30% yet they were falsifying the finding from thousands of mortgages by way more than 30% yet there's no penalties. What is going on?
Your panelists seem to defend, or at least, sympathetic to the Tea Partiers for holding firm. Well, you can't defend them on the one hand and complain about gridlock. You can't eat your cake and have it at the same time.
I am in Rep Boehners district in Ohio taking care of elderly parents. The roads are in disrepair, a Delphi plant that had employed 3000 was just leveled leaving an empty lot. If I were Obama I would bring that new bus to Boehner's district park right in front of that empty lot and ask Boehner and the other Republicans to get on the Jobs bus...NOW
John King knows better than this. To hear his framing, there are two sides equally at fault in the Washington breakdown. Since President Obama has taken office he has been the only one willing to compromise. You can not point to ANY legislation passed and signed into law since the current Congress came to town that is ANY help to our economy. To pretend that the actions of the President are just as crazy as the actions of the Republican Party is simply a lie hiding behind the ever shirnking fig leaf of false objectivity.
News should be about facts. Mr. King seems to be afraid to call out the Republicans about anything. It is cowardly and yet all too predictable. It is also why our news media is failing.