Friday News Roundup - Domestic
http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2012-07-27/friday-news-roundup-domestic
President Barack Obama spoke out forcefully against gun violence for the first time following the Colorado movie theater shooting. Presumptive Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney outlined his plans for a more aggressive foreign policy just before he began a weeklong trip to Britain, Israel and Poland. The Senate narrowly passed an extension of Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class, which House Republicans have said they will not accept. Ari Shapiro of NPR, Karen Tumulty of The Washington Post and syndicated columnist Steve Roberts join Diane for analysis of the week's top national news stories.
Guests
Ari Shapiro
White House correspondent for NPR.
Karen Tumulty
national political reporter for The Washington Post.
Steve Roberts
syndicated columnist and journalism professor at George Washington University.
Friday News Roundup Video
The panel discussed the legacy and career of astronaut Sally Ride, who died Monday at age 61. Ride's family disclosed that she was gay in an obituary. "I don't often put on the designated homosexual hat, but as a kid who grew up without a lot of gay role models on the national stage, I think it's incredible that teenagers wondering what it means to be gay could now know that it could mean you're the first American woman in space," Ari Shapiro, White House correspondent for NPR, said. Steve Roberts, syndicated columnist and professor at George Washington University, said it's important to respect Ride's decision to come out in her own private way. Karen Tumulty, national political reporter for The Washington Post, said she met Ride and was struck by how she wanted to make her extraordinary accomplishments seem ordinary.
Ride appeared on The Diane Rehm Show in 2010 to talk about science education. Listen to that conversation here.
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It's sounds to me "President Obama spoke out forcefully against gun violence" is just more of the same, a reliance on public ignorance about guns, gun laws and in particular the second amendment. One point of particular interest to me is the notion that the government gave us the right to own guns, this is false, the second amendment explicitly implies that it is preserving a natural right or if you prefer a god given right as does all of the "Bill of Rights". This is a common mistake and probably a deliberate misinterpretation often used when the Constitution is brought up by those who really are only interested in taking rights away. Bringing up hunting or target shooting is a deception, the second amendment is not about either of those and the President as a "constitutional lawyer" knows it, he is lying. The "arms" referred to in the second amendment are about arms that can kill people period. That might be unsettling to some but that is the intention of this natural right, to kill or threaten to kill if needed to protect your property your person or your freedom.
As a side note, the president mentioned AK47's as being a soldiers guns. The AK47's for sale here to the general public in this country are title 1 firearms meaning they are not what you would find in the hands of "soldiers", those are fully automatic firearms commonly referred to as machine guns, what is for sale here are "semi automatic" variants, one round fired for each pull of the trigger. These are known as self loading firearms. This operating principle applies to most handguns and rifles that are sold today not just "assault rifles". Choosing a particular style of rifle with a scary name like "AK47" or "assault rifle" to demonize is a political con. Anyone with any knowledge of firearms knows what this kind of talk means, an eventual ban on all self loading firearms, the rest, bolt action rifles and revolvers would soon follow with the next political opportunity to ban them.
Why is it widely accepted that the "Bush tax cuts" were for the rich?
Why are we to believe Obama's stimulus spending kept the country from going into a depression and not the Bush middle class tax cuts?
Why is not made clear by the media that the Bush tax cut extension for everyone but the "rich" as offered by the democrat senate is a nothing more than a political ploy, the revenue raised by this bill covers federal government spending for only eight days?
Bush tax cuts: $544.3 billion…The bulk of that cost — $463 billion — is for the extension of cuts for families making less than $250,000, including two years of relief for 2010 and 2011 for the middle class from the Alternative Minimum Tax.
The rest — $81.5 billion — is attributable to the extension of cuts that apply to the highest income families.
In other words, 85% of the tax cuts went to the middle class.
But, Obama didn’t care. He needed a talking point.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/07/another-obama-lie-exposed-85-of-...
Why is it so hard to understand ? These Bush tax cuts are have been going right onto the Nation`s Credit Card since August 2001. Your kids and grandkids will be stuck with paying the debt. Make up your mind. Do you want the extra cash now,and will you accept the consequences? Stop blaming everybody else for your selfishness.
Patsy Nomore wrote: "These Bush tax cuts are have been going right onto the Nation`s Credit Card"
Odd comment coming from you. This is what is so perplexing about the left. Bush was for all intent and purposes a big government liberal democrat. The unfunded medicare expansion, big irresponsible middle class tax breaks without spending cuts labeled as the "Bush tax cuts" and he and the republican congress that voted for his initiatives are somehow accused of being in the pockets of rich corporations when all they did for the most part benefited in typical democrat party unsustainable government expansionism, the middle class. The "unfunded wars", considering every major war of the twentieth century had democrats in full control of government at the start of all of them and proceeded to invest blood and treasure exceeding anything Bush had done and somehow he's different than a democrat defies logic. We lost over a hundred thousand Americans in Vietnam and Korea. Personally I do not have much faith in republicans, but democrats have been a total disaster by any measure. They seem to stand for absolutely nothing but failed ideas, unsustainable programs, extreme hypocrisy and the destruction of the Constitution .
Don't you remember the old epithet "tax and spend liberal"? Think about what it means: liberals try to pay for their spending with taxes. Democrats have not jacked up the nation's credit card exorbitantly (most of the time), because they've funded their efforts -- including Vietnam and Korea (unlike Iraq and Afghanistan) -- by raising taxes. Maybe you don't like tax increases, but you can't deny that they're an attempt at fiscal responsibility. Take a look at the deficit numbers during the Clinton administration.
It's REPUBLICANS who have been fiscally irresponsible, time and again. Reagan ran up the credit card; Clinton paid it down; then Bush Jr. ran it up again. That's because Republicans pander to the middle class just as much as Democrats, but they make no effort to pay for the goodies, relying on Dick Cheney's magical thinking -- deficits don't matter, because tax cuts and free markets will take care of everything. Judging from your own comments, I think we both agree that philosophy has been a dismal failure. As you say: Medicare expansion, middle class tax breaks, throw in a couple wars -- none of it paid for. But that is NOT "typical democrat party unsustainable government expansionism." Rather, it is the essence of Republican Party behavior, 1980-2008.
Today the 2012 Olympics open. Many of the uniforms the athletes must wear will have a corporate logo in place of a U.S. flag. Kinda like our NASCAR and T-Party friends,clearly reflecting their true loyalties. Are these Chinese made ? I already miss the Patriotism.
tomwistar wrote: "Don't you remember the old epithet "tax and spend liberal"? Think about what it means: liberals try to pay for their spending with taxes. Democrats have not jacked up the nation's credit card exorbitantly (most of the time), because they've funded their efforts"
The epithet should read democrats "tax, borrow and spend", republicans " borrow,cut, tax and spend" The democrats can never tax enough to pay for what they want so they borrow, the republicans can never cut enough to make up for their spending so they borrow. Major democrat party social programs from FDR and LBJ are why this country is going over the cliff financially, there is no denying that. As far as Clinton, you give no credit to the republican controlled congress at that time for the spending cuts? Obviously it would have never happened without them. Ross Perot in my opinion gets most of the credit, if it was not for his singular focus and popular appeal for fiscal responsibility at that time none of it would have happened. Both parties were bending over backwards to incorporate his message of spending cuts in their political agendas.
Some interesting reading on LBJ, Vietnam and taxes.
http://www.taxhistory.org/thp/readings.nsf/cf7c9c870b600b9585256df80075b...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/charles-krauthammer-why-hes-going...
Read Krauthammer's comments on Romney's trip to Europe/Israil vs. Obama's. Comment on this!
I cannot believe you let Carol get away with furthering the Republican mis-quote machine. Obama was not referring to his plan when he said "our plan worked" he was referring to the democrats under Clinton that knew raising taxes on the rich resulted in a surplus while Bush's plan resulted in a deficit. Please correct this mis-quote and point out Romney's campaign has made this tactic his only path to election.
Ms Rehm, please ask Ari to clarify his comment about how Mr Romney's comment yesterday that he met with MI6 somehow compromises his criticism of leaks from the Obama administration. He tried to make the same connection in a story on Morning Edition today. I just don't get it. What's the connection between the two?
You refer to the "Democrat Party". Their name is the "Democratic Party".
I do understand that the "Republic" Party calls the Democratic Party the "Democrat Party". The Republics do this because it is insulting and offensive to use the wrong name and because Frank Luntz of "death-panels" fame told the Republics it sounds abrasive.
Karen quoted Obama as saying "we tried our plan and it worked" as used in Republican ads without noting that was a comment taken out of context, as her own paper, The Washington Post, noted just yesterday.
I'm curious as to why your panel of journalists is always made up of the mainstream media now on Friday. You used to have journalists from left leaning media like the Nation or Mother Jones. This makes for an extremely boring show as we hear the same comments that we've heard a million times before. I can practically recite the answers to your questions. The only interesting part is when you have caller-comments. It would be great to discuss at some point how you pick this panel - in the interest of transparency.
Ms Rehm, Ari just mentioned on your show that Mr Romney was jeered by 60,000 folks when the London mayor mentioned his name. Please play Ari's story from this morning's Morning Edition show. There is no jeering at the mention of Romney's name. There is a loud enthusiastic response when the mayor asks 'are we ready?' Why does NPR allow Ari to make up facts and report them as news? Why does the DR Show condone this unprofessional behavior?
nohoplophobe,
You mentioned that it is false that the government gave us the right to own guns and immediately follow it up by citing the 2nd Amendment.
You do realize don't you that the Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) IS the framework for our GOVERNMENT? No Constitution, no government etc. If you want to have weapons, look to your fellow citizens.......it is We The People who decide our own rights.
The citing of a God given right to guns is specious at best........unless you ascribe to some notion that Cain had some "right" to use a rock on his brother.
Personally I was trained and qualified as an Expert Marksman using the AR15 and M1 carbine.......had to requalify annually during my service. But that hardly means I should be carrying either weapon around as a civilian. The issue and the debate is ongoing and hardly settled yet.
Patsy,
Check out the old James Caan movie Rollerball for a possible future world.......where corporations take over the current role of nations.
It is blatantly obvious from the righty comments that they "owe their souls to the company store". They show their allegiance to the wealthy one percenters with every anti middle earner blog entry. Modern feudalism.
The voter ID law is perhaps the most unconservative legislation ever introduced. I thought the essence of the conservative philosophy was to not enact legislation unless there is a clearly demonstrated need for it. A number of studies show there is about as much evidence of voter fraud as there is of an impending invasion by space aliens. Will the conservative right support my bill for a militia to combat space aliens?
LibVet wrote: "The issue and the debate is ongoing and hardly settled yet'
What is settled is that the Bill of Rights were and are viewed as "natural rights" not government granted rights. This is something you need research on your own, it's just not worth the effort to try to convince you of something so basic in the founding of this country here. "God given rights" and "natural rights" are interchangeable depending on your religious beliefs.
Janice Bailey wrote:
"I'm curious as to why your panel of journalists is always made up of the mainstream media now on Friday. You used to have journalists from left leaning media like the Nation or Mother Jones. This makes for an extremely boring show..."
I certainly agree. Additionally, the whole concept of "balance" is a false equivalency. The Republicans have made a career of obstructing President Obama at every turn, but the claim that the Democrats are equally to blame for obstruction is bull.
As someone said on "The Newsroom", if the Republicans announced that the Earth is flat and the Democrats objected, the "balanced" headline would be, "Republicans and Democrats argue over shape of Earth."
The accurate headline would be, "Bat Crap Crazy Republicans Claim Earth is Flat in Contradiction to Scientific Evidence & Photos Taken From Space"
dosinda,
Mr. Krauthammer took an amazing turn to historic amnesia in his rant comparison of Romney's purpose compared to Obama's. Charles pumped up the role of the Brits in being US allies during recent times while omitting the many times Britain was literally at war with US over our entire history. The US would NOT even exist without the direct and indirect help of France and Prussia. Mr. K. Is hardly an unbiased source anyway. Might as well have cited Rush Limbaugh or Glen Beck or Michael Savage or Laura Ingram or Anne Coulter.
The truth is that a great deal of repair was needed four years ago for our reputation abroad after the Bush administration bully tactics toward allies and friends and foes alike. ANYone who says Obama apologized for US is way off base.
On the "you didn't build that" comment.
Negative ads are not the only ones repeating this out of context. The morning show Fox&Friends actually left out the "roads and bridges" part even though they played some of Obama's previous commments.
I take great offense at Ari Shapiro's comment quoting an unidentified psychologist who maintains that voters want their candidate to lie to win the election and that this is more true of democrats. I don't want my candidate to lie and I don't want his or her oppponent to lie/
Diane, your job is to catch this kind of non-journalism. It's why I have decided NOT to listen to your show. I don't know why I tumed in today.
Fromm the Krauthammer article:
"Israel, appealing to most American Jews but also to an infinitely greater number of passionately sympathetic evangelical Christians."
Particularly the evangelicals who are looking for Israel to start a war so that the End Times will begin.
While it is probably true that the majority of Jews are supportive of Israel, Krauthammer implies that the majority of Jews in America support Israel's current government and its policies; this is is a bald assertion that may well be false.
Here's the whole thing, it's very damming anyway you read it. no spin required.
"If you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.
"If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business, you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet."
So when there is an open question about Mitt Romney's tax returns, the NPR reporter calls Mitt's press secretary and then he takes whatever she says as Gospel--as the final word.
This is stunningly bad journalism. I thought if your mother said she loved you were supposed to check it out with a couple of sources. Ari Shapiro has admitted that he is a lazy reporter. Why is he working anywhere, let alone at NPR?
What a spineless response to the caller's comment about the accuracy of Romney's comment about stories he's seen regarding security issues at the London Olympics. Yes, we understand it was not well received in the London press. Well, duh. If he spoke the truth and was only responding to what he had read and heard in the media, he exhibited integrity. I'm just not so sure that's a true gaffe, regardless of how the London press responded. But the broader point is that you all are simply unwilling to validate that what he said may have real merit.
partisan politics wrote:
Why is it widely accepted that the "Bush tax cuts" were for the rich?
As PP notes, 85% went to those making less than $250K/yr -- which is 98% of the population. 15% went to the top 2%.
http://www.truthfulpolitics.com/http:/truthfulpolitics.com/comments/perc...
Suppose two doctors graduate as one of the 10 at the top of their class in Medical school, and one goes on to work at Cook County Hospital in the Emergency Room and the other goes into private practice as a Plastic Surgeon. At the end of 20 years the doctor who did plastic surgery will undoubtedly be a whole lot more wealthy than the one specializing in emergency medicine, but I don't think that you can say, because one is wealthier, that he worked harder and was smarter and more capable than the emergency room doctor.
This attempt to equate money as a measure of someone's work and skills probably has Teddy Roosevelt spinning in his grave, because as a wealthy person himself, he knew exactly how many of his peers had earned their wealth and he also knew that hard work and smarts didn't always result in personal wealth.
It's really hard to find what was so "offensive" about Romney's comments about the London Olympics. Looks like a simple case of ultra thin skinned over reaction. No matter, it means nothing here. The man knows what he's talking about regarding the Olympics that's for sure. Personally I think the Olympics have become a financial boondoggle for host countries and have outlived their importance or more accurately their significance. Time will tell if Romney is right in his assessment.
Janice Bailey...I couldn't agree with you more. I'd "like" your comment but there's no button. Morning Roundup has really gone downhill. I feel like its trying too hard to emulate CNN, or Fox lite nowadays. Its really sad who they pick to mediate the issues of the week now. All of them are and have been the same beltway insiders that richly benefit from living in the same bubble they report on. You will only find journalists that either chose to emphasize the Republican talking points, offer false equivalencies, or have the perennial opinion that America is a slightly right of center country...We know that hasn't been the case for the last 3 years based on how Americans are polled on hot button issues when they questions are specific (i.e. the ACA specific benefits, taxing the rich, protecting Medicare and Soc.Sec, Contraception and support of PP, VoterID laws, Stand Your Ground laws, environmental regulations, Regulating the banksters, Corp. control of media, Citizen's United leading to the corrupting influence of the voting process, etc.), but they perpetuate the myth nonetheless. I used to tune in faithfully every Friday. Now...not so much. I can hear the exact same stuff on the cable channels.