Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-09-16/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
A panel of journalists joins Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories. President Obama traveled to battleground states this week to promote his new $450 billion jobs plan; eight GOP presidential candidates faced off in the Tea Party-CNN debate on Monday; and Republican Bob Turner scored an upset victory in New York in a special election to replace Congressman Anthony Weiner.
Guests
Jerry Seib
Washington bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal.
Lisa Lerer
politics reporter, Bloomberg News.
John Dickerson
chief political correspondent for Slate.com and CBS political analyst and contributor. Author of "On Her Trail: My Mother, Nancy Dickerson, TV News' First Woman Star."
Friday News Roundup Video
The panelists discuss the controversy surrounding the GOP presidential candidates' debate over administering the HPV vaccine to young girls:
Comments
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After listening to the Republican debate last night I would like to be among the first to suggest to the panel on Friday that Americans who either have no job or no insurance should simply volunteer to be euthanized.
They (the Republican/ Tea Party) have made their message quite simple, "sorry we cannot afford you....go away and die".
Sorry Teece, the campaign of lies and hate offered by the democratic party aren't working out for you. The Tea Party has only concerned itself with the preservation of the American way of life most of us want through fiscal responsibility and a keen eye on the future. It's unfortunate that you support the opposite.
Sorry Monte, I do not throw my lot in the democrats. Which simply shows what most people in this country who lack compasion....know or even understand. It's time to get rid of both political parties and if you think that the Tea Party is a viable alternative then you are simply a knee-jerk conservative.
With the emphasis on JERK! Wake up and begin to think for yourself!
Teece Bowman wrote:
After listening to the Republican debate last night I would like to be among the first to suggest to the panel on Friday that Americans who either have no job or no insurance should simply volunteer to be euthanized.
They (the Republican/ Tea Party) have made their message quite simple, "sorry we cannot afford you....go away and die"
What a stupid comment Teece.
Call it what you may. I think that a comment made on the Daily Show concerning the Tea Party, summed it up best night before last.... "the group that feared death panels has now become one."
Free Market Capitalism is a cruel master.
OK Teece, you say you do not align yourself with republicans or democrats and obviously not libertarians. Please enlighten us with your superior thought processes about the compassionate political movement you refer too and how they address the unsustainable cost of government run health care programs?. Can you explain anything in a non violent and honest way?
The political movement that I refer too does not exist yet, in an ideal world it ought to! Anyone who throws in with either Democrat or Republican values is simply wasting their time. Libertarians are interesting but are dishonest on a number of fronts. And the Tea Party is not a grass roots political movement, it is a movement that has been co-opted by the wealthy to make Americans feel that they count for something. If you are a Tea Partier, sorry but you are being used (again).
Both parties are the property of the rich monied classes and as long as money talks.... your vote won't count. The entire political process needs to be dismantled and rebuilt from the ground up, outside of monied influences. Our country was not founded on the principles that now control it (Corporatism and Greed) and the vast majority of people wouldn't recognize the writings of the founding fathers if it hit them in the face.
Am I talking about a unattainable dream? Perhaps, it would be very hard work, but consider what has become the alternative then....
I can't.
Teece Bowman wrote:
"The political movement that I refer too does not exist yet, in an ideal world it ought to! Anyone who throws in with either Democrat or Republican values is simply wasting their time."
So you offer nothing accept fantacies and pet conspiracy theories! We live in the real world not our personal ideal world. Choices must be made from the candidates that rise up from the political system we have, staying home and waiting for the "ideal world" is not an option for those that are concerned. Elections do make difference and the end result is a direct reflection of the majority of voters desires, we do indeed have the government we deserve. There are always some good candidates out there but if they upset the status quot and or not look good on T.V. they are rejected. The election of the empty and totally unqualified candidate known as Barrack Obama could not be a better example of a really screwed up and ignorant electorate.
So, you're going to continue to waste your time with the candidates that Dempublicans and the Republicrats trot out?
I'm not talking about (fanticies) fantasies here, I would be talking about taking the system down and starting over. There are "no good candidates" out there right now....none, zero. Money has corrupted everything, capitalism reigns supreme and elections mean nothing.
Example....this past election. The Democrats were given the greatest opportunity since Watergate. A Republican administration that ran the country completely into the ditch, destroyed the financial system and took a budget that eight years previously had had a surplus and turned it into a whopping deficit! Obama was still a inept senator then.
They squandered everything on letting Wall Street run amok, passing an unfunded perscription drug plan addition to Medicare and ran two wars off the books.
The American people were angry and wanted revenge and what did the Democrats do....they caved in to Wall Street and did its bidding. They continued the bailing out of Wall Street begun under Bush.
Nothing has changed....only the cast of criminals.
Now do you expect the Tea Party and the wealthy influences that direct it to bring Wall Street into line? If so then you're a fool.
Anything you say Teece, I will conclude by pointing out that your first post is not based in reality and perhaps coincidentally appears to be pretty much the same lies and fear tactics being pushed by the democrat party. If I had to guess I would say your a disappointed Obama supporter and despite your words you are a reliable vote for him and the democrat party in general.
Chris Rock said it best: "Crime? I'm conservative. Prostitution? I'm liberal."
The issue I take with the two reigning parties is that they create the illusion to the passive majority that there is only two political points of view: Democrat or Republican. Any candidate who flees from the base values of his "core" is treated as a heretic by his own party, and butchered for his inconsistency by the other. What has happened to rationality?
A leader cannot lead in a democracy unless he is willing to give a sense of power to his people, and that means compromising. Obama has been very open to compomise, which demonstrates that he has his eyes and ears open, and the humility to meet half way, regardless what his "base" might think. This is not a fault, it is a virtue.
The Republicans, on the other hand, have shown an unwillingness to compromise, displaying a lack of leadership. They have their eyes on the goal, which is good, but they lack the willingness and the backbone necessary to cooperate and take steps in that direction. This is a fault, for no race can be won in a single stride.
As the shifting racial demographics of our country would illustrate, we are not black or white. We are brown. It's time Washington caught up to reality. The future is in the hands of the Independents.
I agree with the comments posted so far about the two party system. It worked for 175 years and it appears to be broken. IMHO, what broke it was the primary system. Previously in this country the party leaders would put forth candidates that they thought would best serve the country. Now it is the extremists in the country that put forth their best candidates. The result, polarized politics that gets nothing done.
I am constantly reminded of what Tommy Lee Jones said in Men In Black
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
With the 9/11 10th anniversary just past and the deficits, tax, gov. spending cuts issues upon us let's remember the following:
After 9/11 the government distributed $1 billion to the survivors of the some 3,000 victims. The distribution was not in 3,000 equal shares but in proportion to each victim's estimated income over their lifetimes.
If the government distributes funds this way perhaps it should also levy taxes the same way.
Next: Fair taxation should not be argued on the basis of social justice. This is (and will be) a losing argument. How to argue for progressive taxation otherwise.
In the Republican debate this week Rick Perry emphatically stated that the stimulus package created zero jobs. While that may be technically correct, I wonder how many jobs were saved by the $6.4 billion in stimulus funds that Texas received.
Michele Bachmann's statement that the HPV vaccine may cause mental retardation is the dumbest, most irresponsible statement of the 2012 Prez campaign so far.
If someone told Bachmann that Obama had surgery to remove horns growing out of his head, Bachmann would be all over the cable networks repeating this nonsense. It's an outrage and a travesty that someone as clueless and incompetent as Michele Bachmann is serving in Congress. Bachmann isn't fit to run a lemonade stand, let alone write laws that govern the lives of 300 million Americans. Bachmann is a disgrace to the Congress , to Minnesota, and to America's education system.
So hope President Obama visits Rep Boehner's district during his next trip to Ohio. He could stand in front of the once active site where a very large Delphi plant stood just a few years ago. Several thousand workers many from his district worked there. That lot is now empty. They recently bulldozed the evidence of the loss of those jobs. The site is on Needmore Rd just off of I 75. Where are the jobs Rep Boehner?
Also down the road from the former Delphi plant is Wright Patterson Airforce Base. Republican Governor Kasich voted down former Democratic Governor Stricklands acceptance of federal funds to build a high speed mass transit system in Ohio. Governor Kasich said no to those federal transportation funds.
Where are the jobs in Ohio Governor Kasich?
That is what Pres Obama should be asking these two Republicans? And the rest of the Republicans....Continue to challenge them about shutting down improvements and jobs
Unfair tax increases to support the non-stop enlargement of the federal government is anti-American.
Taking $1 from the federal government on the condition that a state spend an additional $5 is nonsensical. Don't let rational economics get in the way of your short-term decision-making though!
Stimulus saved jobs until the stimulus stopped. Short-term stimulus spending is a waste but Democrats only are looking as far down the road as the next election.
I believe I heard that Solyndra perhaps got special treatment because a company executive was related to an Obama administration official. At a minimum, the administration should have favored more established companies with the ability to produce products at a lower cost/watt. Polysilicon-based solar is a commodity. The market has already picked the winners, the government's motivations are dubious at best.
Turner campaigned against Obama principally and Washington in general.
In case you haven't noticed Kathleen the country is still under the economic death shroud of Obamenomics, including Ohio.
Ok, I'm not accusing Bachmann of anything in particular, but I'm really ticked off at the media over coverage of the "girl with mental retardation" claim. Didn't anyone take Journalism 101? Who is the mother, who is the child, when did the mother tell this tale to Bachmann, was the girl possibly mentally retarded before she was vaccinated? Even FactCheck.org takes a pass on this one, despite spilling a fair amount of pixels on other claims made during the debate. Who, what, where, when, why: guys, it's not that hard.
monte wrote:
"In case you haven't noticed Kathleen the country is still under the economic death shroud of Obamenomics"
monte,
Just to save everyone the trouble:
It's because of greedy Republicans who stole money via Wall Street to fund two undeclared wars based on lies, passed the bills on to Obama who inherited an economy that was much worse than everyone thought and who created a "stimulus" package that was too small and a health care package that will deliver great financial savings down the road, all while being blocked at every turn by racist Republicans and fake Tea Partiers.
I understood that the NY Congressional seat went to the Rs, in part, because the D candidate has supported same-sex marriage in the NY Assembly.
Why not report it to a wider/NPR audience?
Can your panel discuss Paul Krugman's article, Free to Die, in today's the NYT's
"CNN’s Wolf Blitzer asked Representative Ron Paul what we should do if a 30-year-old man who chose not to purchase health insurance suddenly found himself in need of six months of intensive care. Mr. Paul replied, “That’s what freedom is all about — taking your own risks.” Mr. Blitzer pressed him again, asking whether “society should just let him die.” And the crowd erupted with cheers and shouts of “Yeah!”
I want to know how the cutting of federal budget will create jobs. The current person doing the job in the federal government is employed and spending their money, participating in the economy. If we cut, say the EPA, that person loses their job and ceases participating in the economy. The private sector is expected to fill in the 'vacuum' that the loss of the EPA creates. I cannot see how a private sector company will be able to create and enforce regulations. How does this work? What if Missouri has 2 companies doing this work, one in the north and one in the south, and they have differing philosophies on what needs to be done. I would put forth that nothing would get done. What happens when there is further division between municipalities or differences between states. Now I am a small business person that wants to expand, the environmental compliance work would be a nightmare.
This thought pattern can be applied to any federal agency and if the Tea Party people get their way, life will get very, very confusing.
As a Physician I have a comment about the HPV and Perry debate that I have not heard. There is a campaign against doctors not to get free pens and meals from insurance. There is a web site available that you can access, put in a doctors name and find out what the doctor was paid by a drug company or device maker for consulting work, research, giving talks for companies, etc .
Candidate Perry thinks he cannot be infuenced by a $5,000 dollar donation from Merck. Why no WEB site where we can find out where our Politicians are getting donations over say $250? Why do journalist not tell us the top donations that Politicians have received from Lobbyists when they discuss a Politicians' advocacy of a particular position. The Perry and HPV is the very tiny tip of the iceberg. We all have our heads in the sand. There is no transparency in our Political Process.
Wow, crazy lady at 10:45!
The Obama administration was objective when it came to Solyndra; I guess the campaign contributions and White House visits were just coincidential. It defies logic on your part.
The Republicans control the economy! Wow, so when they win the 2012 election, they'll just wave their magic wand and everything will be great. Seriously, does your brain hurt with the mental gymnastics you have to go through to maintain your illogical belief system?
Agree.
And at the end of the day, the private investors got ahead of the US for money should the company fail.
No "outrage" from NPR/liberal press.
When times are good, Republicans want to cut regulations and lower taxes, when times are bad, Republicans want to cut regulations and lower taxes. When the Republicans ruin the economy by cutting regulations and lowering taxes, they want to solve the problem by cutting regulations and lower taxes.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
--Albert Einstein
sacchinft wrote:
"When times are good ...."
When times are good, Democrats want to increase regulations and raise taxes, when times are bad, Democrats want to increase regulations and raise taxes,. When the Democrats take the economy from "the ditch" over the cliff with increased regulations and raising taxes, they want to solve the problem with increased regulations and raising taxes.
"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
--Albert Einstein
This might be a little off-topic but...
Granted, this may be a simplistic view, but how about this simple idea for jump-starting the economy:
Pass a law limiting the MAXIMUM amount of interest one can pay on a mortgage's monthly payment. E.g. say today you pay $1000/mth, $900 to interest and remainder ($100) towards principal. New schedule: you pay $600/mth; $500 interest and $100 towards principal.
This will result in much lower monthly payments for consumers. If this is adopted, monthly mortgages will drop considerably, many more people can (qualify to) get into homes - or afford their current homes!! The only ones hurt short-term are the lending companies BUT they will benefit in other ways because most people will spend the rest of their disposable income in other avenues - cars, boats, restaurants, household needs, (i.e. credit cards) etc. etc.
Upside: mortgage industry turns around as quickly as the new loans/refis can be processed; many other areas of the economy have money pumped into them. No stimulus or government "bailout" monies needed!
What is wrong with this idea? I'd love to have some expert opinions on this.
Thanks for listening!
I was very disappointed in the 9/16/11; 10:00 show. The panel as well as Diane spent the entire program making excuses for an ineffective one term president that was clearly NOT elected because of his qualified experience nor his proven effectiveness. The democrats of America got exactly what the put in office. The Democratic Party wasted four years to change America’s view of the party. Instead Obama and the Democratic Party showed their true ability. Obama wanted the job; he needs to stop blaming everyone else for his poor ability to be a effected leader. America has given him enough chances. Time to go Obama