Friday News Roundup - Hour 1
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2011-10-21/friday-news-roundup-hour-1
The Senate blocked another component of the President’s jobs package yesterday: funds for teachers and other public sector workers. GOP candidates took off the gloves in Las Vegas to attack each other in their latest debate. With a Thanksgiving deadline looming, members of the Congressional deficit reduction “supercommittee" met with the “gang of six” behind closed doors. Monthly reports showed the housing market stuck in a rut. And some Fed officials are making a case for another round of mortgage-backed securities purchasing. A panel of journalists joins Diane for the domestic hour of the Friday News Roundup
Guests
Jerry Seib
Washington bureau chief, The Wall Street Journal.
Karen Tumulty
national political reporter, The Washington Post.
John Harwood
chief Washington correspondent for CNBC; reporter, "The New York Times."
Related Video
Diane and the panelists discuss the impact of the "Occupy Wall Street" and similar protest movements across the country, and respond to a listener's email criticizing the panelists for being "out of touch" with what is going on with the life and intent of the movement:
Comments
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Dr. Lamont Hill says the reason why blacks do not swell the ranks of either the Tea Party or Occupy Zuccotti Park protests is because they only come out for protests involving civil rights issues. Good to hear it isn't for racial reasons.
Marcus, I wonder how these race baiting defuses manage to get phd's. There must be a clown school out there handing them out.
Please address the firing of Lisa Simeone, the host of "Soundprint", this week. NPR is being accused of doing the deed, though it was actually the independent production company that provides "Soundprint" to NPR affiliates. However, it doesn't help that NPR hasn't handled this story on the air, only on the web.
Clearly the Republicans are willing to sacrifice the American publics welfare for their agenda which is to sink Obama's reelection chances.
Senate Republicans found time to filibuster a jobs plan for teachers, cops, and firefighters just before they leave town for the weekend. Are the American people blind or do you think they are starting to get it?
I am from Kentucky and have just retired from teaching for 37 years. I can't explain how offensive it was to me for Mr. McConnell to accuse the president of just trying to give jobs to the government!! How do you think Mr. McConnell got to be a senator? I will tell you - on the backs of teachers!! Barbara Merrick
Diane,
Your panelist has it wrong. The protesters were not there lat night because the participants were at a fancy dress fundraiser. They were protesting the fact that huge corporate sponsors (Walmart etc) buy off the environmental agenda with big contributions to congress, the white house & by sponsoring fundraisers for non profit organizations. It is such a complicated mess, it is no wonder "occupy Wallstreet" has a fuzzy agenda. The people who committed crimes in the financial sector should go to jail, not have the government buy more bad assets created by sheer greed.
Meg
The Obama Administration DIDN'T get to do all they wanted in the first two years because the Blue Dog Democrats were too busy acting like the GOP and blocking lots of things they wanted to do. If the Blue Dogs are not mentioned, you're doing Obama a disservice. They were Democrats in name only.
Maggie in Fort Worth
No, the commenter above, and the other emailers are right. Your panel is out of touch with OWS. Who is surprised; they are part of the "system" that thumbs it's nose at the American people and OWS essence. OWS disdains both parties; disdains the system that continually marginalizes and screws them. Short term fixes, like Obama's jobs bill, even if passed, will not ameliorate the political trends, and the anger of the dispossessed at those trends. If the guests were remotely willing to catch the drift of OWS and reflect it's anger, not just intellectually, they might be more relevant to the kind of change that is needed. Being with the system does not equate with journalistic objectivity; it is a position of journalistic cowardice and playing it safe.
You've got that exactly right. Obama gave away the store long before it was obvious that he couldn't actualize the mandate he was elected with. The panelist who said the administration was a real democratic one in the first two years is deluded and simply repeating village mantras.
Diane's guests are portrayed as "journalists", but when the question was posed, "where is the Republican's jobs plan", Jerry replied "we have proposed...."
Excuse me? "We"? A "journalist" is speaking on behalf of the Republican party?
Clearly the Wall Street Journal, like it's parent, Fox, is a Republican propaganda publication.
Oh, and his brilliant jobs plan was to collect withholding from payments to government contractors. Huh?
How did POTUS Obama conclude that Governor "It's Pat" Napolitano inactions and comments regarding boarder security would make her the ideal choice for DHS Secretary?
Boarder and air travel security take a back seat to Napolitano's chief goal as DHS Secretary, which is to harass Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
Pearls of wisdom from Napolitano:
“Show me a 50-foot fence, and I’ll show you a 51-foot ladder." J.N.
On CNN's, State of the Union, Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, said: “One thing I'd like to point out is that the system worked.”J.N.
“Nonetheless, to the extent that terrorists have come into our country or suspected or known terrorists have entered our country across a border, it’s been across the Canadian border. There are real issues there.” J.N.
When asked if she was referring to the 9-11 terrorists, Napolitano added:
“Not just those but others as well.” J.N.
"disgruntled military veterans as being possible security threats, either by acting as lone wolves or as being targeted for recruitment into right wing extremist groups who are hate-oriented (religious, racial or ethnic), or driven by domestic issues ranging from the economy and gun control to illegal immigration and abortion, among others.'' J.N.
“And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not a crime per se. It is civil. But anyway, going after those as well.” J.N.
The fact is, crossing the border without authorization is a crime. The statute reads:
“Any alien who enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers . . . shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both.”
Rick W wrote:
"Diane's guests are portrayed as "journalists", but when the question was posed, "where is the Republican's jobs plan", Jerry replied "we have proposed...."
Excuse me? "We"? A "journalist" is speaking on behalf of the Republican party?"
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I see. You require editors, reporters, and anchors of The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, CNN, MSNBC, PBS, NPR, to self identify themselves as Democrats because their own words do not betray their left leaning ideology? OK.
BTW: The "we" Jerry mentioned was not used in the way you erroneously imagine. He was not including, or referring to himself. Rather, he used "we" in the third person to illustrate what he figured is the Republican position.
Even though I've been the most politically aware person in my circle of friends and acquaintances for my entire adult life, I'm so disgusted with the current state of politics and leadership in my country that I'm not sure I'll even vote nationally next year (which would be a 35-year first for me).
Which is why the OWS movement is so interesting to me. I particularly resonate with a comment I read recently, attributed to an anonymous OWS-NY protester, in which he said, essentially, 'Why don't we have demands? Presenting leadership with a list of demands implies that we think they can satisfy those demands. We don't.'
I think Americans are realizing a truth: what benefits Wall Street does NOT necessarily benefit the average American, and may actually be working AGAINST his or her interests. A wealthy US corporation which pays little or no US taxes, creates all or many of it's jobs overseas , and which sits on a large pile of cash instead of employing US citizens is no friend of mine. Corporations legally have all the rights of a person but few or none of the responsibilities, and that looks more and more like a bad idea every day.
Diane agrees with caller Andy from Austin, Texas, who said the reason why Republicans "resist Obam's actions" is because of "who he is." Really? Amazing how Herman Cain is incredibly popular with Republicans because of "who he is."
Note to Andy: The resistance is to ideology, not race. At leat that is the way of it for conservatives. Liberals, on the other hand, have no problem denigrating Cain. See Janeane Garofalo for evidence.
You know, Marcus, I could agree with you up to a point. But this obsession with painting Obama as some leftist ideologue is such a phony construct that it's hard to imagine intelligent people not seeing through it. Not that I don't wish it were true; maybe I might. And not that, like most politicians, Obama would love to have it both/all ways.
I have to agree it is a pervasive meme among the far right, and maybe even influential to some extent with the MSM. It must float your boat though, and recompense some of the anger on the right. Beside being deluded, the only way you could remotely believe what you are saying is if you are one of those who have mainlined the Ayn Rand kool-aid, to mix a metaphor. But remember, she took social security after all, so all may not be exactly as it appears, or you imagine.
Cheers!
Weren't the Bush tax cuts meant to be a job cteating stimulus?
And didn't our economy start to bleed jobs under those tax cuts?
Just when will the Republican party acknowledge that these measures fail every time they are tried?
Weren't the Bush tax cuts meant to be a job cteating stimulus?
And didn't our economy start to bleed jobs under those tax cuts?
Just when will the Republican party acknowledge that these measures fail every time they are tried?
Don S wrote:
"You know, Marcus, I could agree with you up to a point. But this obsession with painting Obama as some leftist ideologue is such a phony construct that it's hard to imagine intelligent people not seeing through it."
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POTUS Obama's domestic policies are indeed "leftist." Exhibit 1: Obamacare.
But my objection with caller Andy championing the ole liberal canard that conservatives "resist" Obama's race instead of his ideology is undermined by conservatives support of Herman Cain. Bush 43 had a black secretary of state, twice. Liberals may not consider conservative blacks as real life blacks, but that's their problem.
Ann Winters,
Every GOP action has had one obvious unifying priority.
It is all about "feed the rich" at expense of everyone else.
And they have such a good corporate propaganda organizations such as Rupert's Fox "news" and Wall Street Journal, that a large number of folks actually think that GOP are somehow noble and actually care about Americans???
Hard to believe, but true.
Wedding is a very special occasion and every bride wants to be and look her best, even so for people who have to buy grape wedding dresses in the bridal shop. The fact that she is zero size or plus size is a matter of short prom dresses. The smaller sizes have plenty designs and shops to choose from, on the other hand there are people with weighty white prom dresses who have genuine problems of finding a store that sells or rents wedding clothes. Finding a mother of groom dresses maybe difficult but not impossible.The plus size Wedding Gowns can range from 0-32 and some stores even offer customizable sizes after 32.
I don’t mind, so much, hearing uncontested and unanimously conservative commentary from panelists on mainstream media talk shows like this, Washington Week, CNN, the McGlaughlin Group, etc. I expect it. But I don’t like hearing deliberately misleading statements intended to bias public opinion with half-truths. Karen Temulty’s reference to Obama’s “Keynesian” economic strategy in the first two years of his presidency was about as Keynesian as Ronald Reagan’s deficit spending in the 80’s, necessary to pull us out of the recession (’81-’82) he caused with his extremist monetarist ideology, implemented as an answer to the inflationary 70’s—and spent on defense and his Star Wars baby. WHERE the money went, WHO ultimately paid for it, and WHY it was necessary is much more important (in both cases) than the fact that it was spent. What gall, to pretend that a Keynesian stimulus strategy, per se, is the root cause of our failed economic system. Deregulation, privatization, tax incentives to stimulate “investment” (read control and consolidate your wealth and power); rejection of Keynesianism, and non-monetization of government deficits (keep the Fed out of the bond-buying business)—these are the main tenets of supply-side economics; the same ones that Republicans (and conservative Democrats) either lobbied heavily for (and still do) or reneged on, depending upon how it favored or threatened—as Bush candidly admitted—their “base.” It isn’t Keynesian vs. Monetarist, government vs. finance, or even Democrat vs. Republican; it’s Wall Street access to and control of government. So, what are Republicans saying? Reject government entirely so that the financial industries and Corporate America can rule with impunity? That, by default of government, would be the result.
Other noteworthy misnomers that seem to fly out of the sides of commentator’s mouths without notice: Reference to “Homeowners who borrowed more than they could afford to pay back.” Someone should point out that for every such homeowner there were as many as seventy Wall Street investors who “bought a piece of the action” in the form of a securitized mortgage (CDO), and that this is the inflated debt taxpayers have been left to absorb—more commonly known as “toxic assets.” If that market hadn’t existed, those homes would never have been marketed and sold in the first place. Also: this reference to “consumer confidence”; it suggests that all we have to do is pull the rug over people’s eyes again and everything will get back to “normal.” The jig is up. Instead of concentrating on restoring consumer confidence, we should be focusing on dealing with the reality of a completely fraudulent financial system that continues to exist owing to pro-business, anti-labor, -consumer, -taxpayer policies. As a last note, I just want to reassure the caller who was concerned about a potential racist element present in the opposition to Obama and his proposals. It isn’t racism, I don’t believe. Consider how Bill Clinton was raked over the coals by conservatives. And they’re proud of their Cain candidate (Lord help us). No, conservatives hate ALL liberals; particularly those who support “socialist” institutions like public education, Social Security, Single-payer health care, and all New Deal and Great Society programs. Apparently, they prefer fascism by default, though they don’t even seem to know where it lies on the political spectrum.
gbloper wrote:
"I just want to reassure the caller who was concerned about a potential racist element present in the opposition to Obama and his proposals. It isn’t racism, I don’t believe. Consider how Bill Clinton was raked over the coals by conservatives. And they’re proud of their Cain candidate (Lord help us). No, conservatives hate ALL liberals; particularly those who support “socialist” institutions like public education, Social Security, Single-payer health care, and all New Deal and Great Society programs. Apparently, they prefer fascism by default, though they don’t even seem to know where it lies on the political spectrum."
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You did manage to root up a kernel of truth. Conservatives do despise the failed public school system that is at the mercy of the teacher unions, LBJ's Great Society that failed miserably, and they do champion Cain, who is one of the painful reminders to liberals of a minority who achieved without affirmative action.
gbloper wrote:
"I don’t mind, so much, hearing uncontested and unanimously conservative commentary from panelists on mainstream media talk shows like this, Washington Week, CNN, the McGlaughlin Group, etc"
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Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post and John Harwood of "The New York Times" are conservatives? Since when? Clarence Page and Eleanor Clift of The McLaughlin Group are conservatives? Clift is one of the chief media harpies who unabashedly carries POTUS Obama's water. Next you will be saying Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, Chris Matthews, Ed Shultz, Al Sharpton, George Stephanopoulos, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, etc are conservatives in disguise.
What is your idea of a liberal? Sam Webb?
REHM @ 10:36:50 -
“And the fact that people may not make up their minds until much later?”
TUMULTY @ 10:36:57-
“That's -- and, certainly, that is the case that we saw in Iowa last time. On the Republican side, you know, Mitt Romney was doing really, really well until just about this point in the year when suddenly Mike Huckabee comes in from almost nowhere. So there is, even in the short time frame, the -- you know, the ball can take a lot of unexpected bounces.”
Most importantly of all, let’s not forget who actually won the Republican nomination in 2008: not Romney or Huckabee!
Don’t get caught up in the tendency of the punditocracy and the commentariat to fixate on “handicapping” this “horse race”. Despite all the polling, debating, and straw polls (is there anything more useless?), not a single vote has been cast that will produce a single delegate to next Summer’s conventions.
It’s a long way to Election Day!
To gbloper and MarcusTullius (say hello to Cicero for me):
Of course to someone on the extreme left (gbloper), everyone on this show is a conservative. And to someone on the extreme right (Marcus), everyone's a liberal.
That's one of the hallmarks of extremists. They demand absolute "purity", slavish devotion to their ideology, and insist everyone march in lockstep with their "party line" (whatever party that happens to be). For them there is no middle ground, any deviation (however slight) is proof you are not one of the favored "us", but one of the despised "them".
Some other hallmarks? They rarely employ either fact or reason in their arguments (often substituting empty rhetoric, "bumper sticker slogans", and "ad hominem" attacks instead). They are masters of sophistry, preferring to create "straw man" arguments they can easily knock down, rather than address what someone actually says. And they often exaggerate the importance of the few "facts" they may indulge in, or else harp on irrelevant details.
Oh, and frequently they are dead wrong!
Oh, and Marcus, I see you're following monte's trick: posting Comments hours before the show even airs (in fact, on the day before no less)! You do realize that tends to undercut any credibility in what you have to say, don't you?
Say hello to Cicero for me.
MarcusTullius on October 21, 2011 @ 2:11 pm wrote: “The resistance [by Republicans to Obama] is to ideology, not race."
Really? I suggest you rethink your belief that the “resistance” is as “pure as the driven snow”. Remember all those signs at Tea Party rallies depicting the President as a half-naked witch doctor? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t because they liked his “bod”!
As for Cain, I “denigrate” him for a simple reason (one that applies as well to the other Republican “wannabe’s”). He loudly proclaims we should support him because he will “follow the Constitution”, then in the next breath reveals he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
He’s stated that the Federal government has no role in Bankruptcy, and that it is entirely a matter of State law. Sorry, but the opposite is true: the Federal government has exclusive authority over that subject, and the States have none. (Compare Article 1, Section 8, Paragraph 4 with Article 1, Section 10, Paragraph 1.)
He’s declared that he won’t hire Muslims for his Administration, or will make them take a special “loyalty oath” first. He’s also declared that Mosques shouldn’t be built here. Sorry, but I think the No Religious Test Clause (Article 6, Paragraph 3), the First Amendment, and the Equal Protection Clause (14th Amendment) have a few things to say about that!
(Oh, and apparently he’s unaware that all Federal employees sign an oath to ‘preserve, protect, and defend’ the Constitution.)
Cain couldn’t “follow the Constitution” if he had a seeing-eye dog, a bloodhound, a GPS device, and had put an electronic beacon on the thing!
This isn’t a matter of race. It’s a matter of the man’s ignorance and arrogance!
I was very glad to hear Diane state so clearly the number one goal of the GOP--limiting this president to one term. Seldom does anyone bring that goal so squarely into the discussion, and it was refreshing to see.
Difficult to watch how very much gets sacrificed to serve that goal. Shocking actually.
Etaoin Shrdlu wrote:
"Oh, and Marcus, I see you're following monte's trick: posting Comments hours before the show even airs (in fact, on the day before no less)! You do realize that tends to undercut any credibility in what you have to say, don't you."
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You think posting before the show airs is a trick? One day I will teach you how to make fire. You do realize that some of the callers and emailers have written their questions and comments out before the show is in progress, yes? What credibility could they possibly have?