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Friday Evening Open Thread

By Big Tent Democrat, Section Blog Related
Posted on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 06:00:39 PM EST
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Loose ends:

Letterman and Palin - What Digby Said. Letterman's behavior has been repulsive.

On Obama and DOMA -Aravosis and Sullivan seemd to be engaging in "victimology." (Explanation - I am criticizing Sullivan here. He and Aravosis are right on this issue.) Obama is proving yet again to have feet of clay. For example, where is his proposal to overturn DOMA? Or DADT? Pols are pols my friends. Those who choose to put them on a pedestal will always be disappointed.

Fight for your issues, not for pols.

Speaking for me only and this is an Open Thread.

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    Friday Evening Open Thread | 56 comments (56 topical)

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    Tonight! (5.00 / 2) (#1)
    by Steve M on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 06:07:43 PM EST
    Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals - possibly the biggest sporting event ever.  Go Red Wings!

    Go Wings! (none / 0) (#7)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:17:21 PM EST
    Been a Wings fan since they brought in the Russians in the 90s. Seriously.

    Parent
    I am a betting man (none / 0) (#18)
    by lobary on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:48:52 PM EST
    but I am broke and jobless, so I haven't made a sports wager in many months. Good thing, too, because I would've bet a large pile of pesetas on the Wings tonight.

    It's not over, but it's not looking good for Detroit.

    Parent

    Last night! That Lakers-Magic game. Wow. Kobe was (none / 0) (#12)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:51:32 PM EST
    superb as a play and point maker.

    Parent
    He made his point with an elbow to Nelson's face (none / 0) (#19)
    by lobary on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:50:28 PM EST
    Should've been an offensive foul and no basket.

    Parent
    Penguins win 3rd Stanley Cup (none / 0) (#24)
    by ding7777 on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:41:19 PM EST


    Parent
    Or maybe (none / 0) (#29)
    by CoralGables on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 10:04:46 PM EST
    just the third biggest event of the night behind Yankees/Mets and Phillies/Red Sox.

    Parent
    I don't know what has me more upset (5.00 / 0) (#2)
    by andgarden on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 06:13:39 PM EST
    about the DOMA thing, that the DoJ did what it did, or that the President has so many robotic defenders.

    Change we can believe in. . .

    I was upset about the Obama defenders. (5.00 / 2) (#5)
    by Fabian on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:12:02 PM EST
    But I don't bother anymore.  I can probably write the official Obama Is My Man! narrative for the next four years.  Aikido, judo, 11 dimensional chess, smarter than any of us, secret plans, it's only been five months, a year, two years, three years, pragmatic, perfect the enemy of public good, keeping his powder dry, working on his second term, and so on and so forth.

    If I really paid attention, I might be disappointed at the people who will say such things.  Then again, I might not - the primary revealed much.

    OTOH - I am paying attention to who is playing Shiny Object by focusing on what the opposition party is doing instead of their own party.  I saw a lot of this during the Bush second term - it took six or seven years before various right leaning media personalities dared to actually criticize Bush directly.  Even then it was the Noonanesque "Bush's policies are mistakes - but the Dems are even worse!".

    There are still bloggers fighting the good fight.  I just wonder if 2008 gave newcomers to political blogs a taste for the tabloid style posts.

    Parent

    Man, about 95% of the responses to (5.00 / 2) (#6)
    by tigercourse on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:15:15 PM EST
    Digby's post are "she deserves it". And about 50% are "but she is slutty!".

    Good luck future female candidates.

    Crikey...why should there be (5.00 / 2) (#9)
    by oldpro on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:41:53 PM EST
    any response to Digby's post but "Ditto?"  She said it all, as BTD observed.

    Yes...pols are pols because people are people.  Put NONE on pedestals...we all disappoint one another somethow, sometime, someway.  There are no perfect people.

    Parent

    And the part (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by cal1942 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 04:14:31 AM EST
    that we should all get straight is that pols are us.  They are not from another planet.  They are a reflection of us.

    We get about what we deserve.

    Parent

    It's interesting (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:21:52 PM EST
    that Digby ends her article with a dig at Palin.

    I found that many times when someone would surprisingly defend Hillary in the media, the "defense" would end with a dig at Hillary.

    Parent

    On days like this, it seems to me that (5.00 / 2) (#8)
    by KeysDan on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:18:05 PM EST
    President Obama has a new vision for the Democratic Party--DLC-types (e.g. Ben Nelson, Evan Bayh), less looney Republicans who split off from their party, borderline religious zealots, and center/right Independents.  Straight lefties are banked on  to stay with the assumption of their having no where else to go.  God, guns and gays have long been nettlesome to Democrats and Mr. Obama is about the task of doing something about that.  God is attended to with frequent references to Jesus, faith-based choices for women's health, and preacher-inspired addresses.  Guns are so 1990's; Mr. Obama has even allowed visitors to national parks to pack heat. Gay women and men are a public relations issue of some small concern and will receive fierce advocacy in certain speeches without subsequent action that would jeopardize these electoral goals or offend wingnuts.

    Republican Lite. New Dems, like Blair's New Labour (5.00 / 4) (#14)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:01:51 PM EST
    --which hasn't worked out very well for Labour. Selling out principles and long term parts of the party is not usually conducive to long term success.

    Obama never used the term "Democratic Party" or identified himself as the Democratic candidate if he could help it. That said a lot to me back then.

    He trotted out Democratic principles at the Dem Convention, but that was about it. We was warned.

    Parent

    Yes, it's true that pols will be pols, (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by Anne on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:42:00 PM EST
    but I think if one had taken a reasonably good look at this particular pol, and understood that there pretty much was no connection between what he said and what he did, it would be no surprise that he is breaking almost every promise he made, and no surprise that he seems incapable of taking and holding a position and fighting - hard - for it, or that he fears criticism to the point where he is willing to sell out his supporters in the name of bipartisanship.

    It was always right there and painfully obvious to many of us who must have been immune to the hopey-changey fairy dust.

    I don't know what you do about someone like Obama who can talk out of both sides of his mouth and still believes he is being completely consistent.  His real feelings about gay marriage and abortion, his attitude toward women, his authoritarian tendencies - they were all there.

    Yeah, he's a pol all right - the question is whether he can be a pol who can actually accomplish something, and whether what he accomplishes is what the people who voted for him wanted him to accomplish.  I can't imagine there are many in the gay community who thought they were voting for him so he could support DOMA, or who thought they elected him so he could wibble and wobble on DADT.  I don't think there are many feminists and pro-choice advocates who voted for him because they wanted someone to find common ground on abortion for them.  I wonder how many who heard him talk about universal health care voted for him so that he could work to make sure the insurance companies were protected.

    And do we even need to talk about how many people, fed up and disgusted and scared about the encroachment on our rights, about the war, about illegal spying and Gitmo, thought they were voting for him to end all of that?  To reverse the acts of the Bush administration and set us on a better course?  

    I'm not surprised by all of this, but he's only got another 18 months before the run-up to 2012 starts - and at this rate, the disillusionment is going to be crushing.  He may be the pol to end all pols, but even he won't be able to overcome that.

    Obama is a media contrived and created myth (none / 0) (#40)
    by samsguy18 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 09:34:40 AM EST
    Two songs come to mind especially now when I see Obama
    "Yes I'm the great pretender"
    and for all the adoring masses
    "It's only just begun"


    Parent
    Now tonight: Program interviewing abortion doctors (5.00 / 2) (#13)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:57:16 PM EST
    also under threat. A CO doctor, Hern, has to have 4 bullet proof doors in the entryway to his clinic, plus more locked doors inside.  He cannot ride anywhere in the same car as his family; he has 24 hour US Marshall protection.

    Roeder, who killed Dr. Tiller, had put glue in the locks of Tiller's clinic the day before the shooting. This was a violation of Federal law; he was reported, the clinic maanager called the FBI; his license number was given.

    Nothing.

    If he had done this to something associated with "homeland security," would something actually have been done in a timely manner? Might Dr. Tiller still be alive?

    Check for local listings for repeat or watch on line.  In NYC metro area, repeated Sunday, usually 11:30PM.

    What's so shocking about the letterman (5.00 / 3) (#35)
    by Slado on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:04:06 AM EST
    controversy is that people want to ignore what he said because of who he said it about.

    The jokes where terrible and mean spirited.  He basically called Palin a slut and then made remarks about her child (doesn't matter which one).

    Palin has every right to be upset and to use the public stage to go after him.   I'd prefer she kill him with kindness but she's well within her rights to respond when prompted.

    It's sad that some would disregard what was so obviously slam at women because that women is Sarah Palin.

    I was just as offended when MSNBC (Shuster) went after Hillary's daughter and when the media beat up Hillary because she had the nerve to compete for the nomination with Obama.

    What if he had said Michelle Obama looked like a slutty flight attendent when she was in NYC?   Can you even imagine the outrage?

    My question is... (none / 0) (#45)
    by kdog on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 11:34:04 AM EST
    should A-Rod be offended too?

    Parent
    Probably but it depends on the joke (none / 0) (#53)
    by Slado on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:20:36 PM EST
    Joking about steroids would be different then joking about his daughter getting "knocked up" or calling his wife slutty no?

    Parent
    Is an avowedly "tepid" (none / 0) (#3)
    by oculus on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 06:20:29 PM EST
    supporter of Obama in both the primaries and the GE now permitted to remind us all a pol is a pol?

    He chanted it all primary long. (none / 0) (#4)
    by Fabian on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 06:54:21 PM EST
    I see no reason for BTD to stop now!

    BTD can stop the instant that pols do indeed cease to be pols.  I think the odds of that are as good as Limbaugh hosting a hard science show.

    Parent

    Is Obama our first Black Republican president? (none / 0) (#11)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 07:46:49 PM EST
    Some of his actions really make me wonder. Make that"many." Adopting all those BushCo policies, such consideration for banksters and Big Corporatists....

    Has a sitting president ever changed parties?

    The language used and the comparisons made make me also wonder if Obama had ideological reasons for keeping all those Repubs on in US Attorney positions....

    Super Stealth Candiidate?

    He actually (5.00 / 2) (#20)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:50:55 PM EST
    suprises even me, and I could see it coming.

    When a candidate doesn't actually run as a Democrat, doesn't "embrace" Democratic ideals, people have no idea what he's going to be.  And Obama didn't do either of those things..

    Parent

    It's that audacity thing, I think; (5.00 / 3) (#27)
    by Anne on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:53:17 PM EST
    even when I expect to be disappointed, and even when I think I am prepared to be disappointed, I am usually stunned by how audacious his betrayals are.


    Parent
    And the fact (5.00 / 3) (#30)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 10:17:05 PM EST
    that he chuckles at the notion that people believed him....talk about audacity.

    Parent
    But, but, but (2.00 / 0) (#25)
    by Inspector Gadget on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:44:54 PM EST
    Democrats weren't the ones who voted him into office. His followers were brand new voters and motivated only by the hype and the concerts that preceded his campaign speeches.


    Parent
    Nope, that was Warren Harding (none / 0) (#17)
    by Cream City on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:34:51 PM EST
    or perhaps you're not aware of the considerable discussion on Harding's great-grandmother (see the New York Times quick summary here) and interesting evidence that Obama is not our first black president.  But yes, at this rate, Obama is becoming our second black Republican president.

    Parent
    Fascinating link! Thnx. n/t (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:14:00 PM EST


    Parent
    By the way (5.00 / 1) (#32)
    by cal1942 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 04:40:42 AM EST
    a really great read is Francis Russell's "The Shadow of Blooming Grove, Warren G. Harding in his times."

    Very well written.  I read it the year it was published and couldn't put it down. A genuine page turner.

    Readily available used.

    Parent

    Thanks, I need some summer reading (5.00 / 1) (#42)
    by Cream City on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 10:29:26 AM EST
    that isn't stuff that I have to read while on summer "furlough," as it were.  (Since my state is putting me on furloughs for the next two years, I have decided to relabel my working for no pay for three months of every year as a contribution, too.:-)  Anyway, I'm heading to Amazon with this new addition to my to-do list, too -- as I always love reading history but especially when it is history that is recommended as well-written.  Sadly, there is not enough of that around. . . .

    Btw, for another beautifully written book of history -- in military history, another field which, like "great man" history, rarely reaches out to me -- I rarely have read anything with such impact as Catton's A Stillness at Appommattox.


    Parent

    Yes (none / 0) (#47)
    by cal1942 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 12:51:12 PM EST
    I read A Stillness at Appomatox. Also read Mr. Lincoln's Army and Glory Road.  Catton is from Benzonia, MI, shouting distance from Lake Michigan, our part of the country.

    I'm sure you won't be disappointed in The Shadow of Blooming Grove.

    About a year ago by some wierd quirk in a discussion about current politics Francis Russell somehow came up.  An older (yeah older) member of the group casually mentioned that in the 60s he had read a Russell book.  I said it wouldn't happen to be ...

    He lit up and then went on about how much he enjoyed the book, couldn't put it down, etc.

    So that's at least two people who recommend.

    Parent

    I looked up some reviews (none / 0) (#49)
    by Cream City on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 01:00:48 PM EST
    of the Russell book and found adjectives like "lyrical" -- so it's a lot more than two recommendations.  And one was a eulogy by William Buckley, because Russell was quite an old-line conservative, too, it seems.  But there were few better writers than Buckley, either; I enjoyed anything he wrote that wasn't about politics (and had to admire, anyway, how he wrote about politics while wishing that the left had such lyricists:-).

    Glad we agree on Catton, too, and thanks for the tip to another of his works that ought to be on my bookshelf -- specifically the shelf where I put books to take down and reread when I have had to work through some really turgid works and need to remind myself that history is supposed to be storytelling, too.

    Parent

    Bill Moyers' Journal opening with Robert Reich -- (none / 0) (#15)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 08:02:54 PM EST
    Should be good.

    Reich: Healthcare will be determining fight of (5.00 / 2) (#21)
    by jawbone on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:11:01 PM EST
    Obama's presidency. It will show whether he has the strength and desire to take on vested interests, to stand for the people against the powerful.

    He said the next 2-4 weeks will determine the healthcare battle, that the trade associations of BHIP* will be getting out their big guns and Obama must get involved to achieve what he wants.

    Moyers then asked if Obama's desire was for a strong plan for the people, which would mean fighting instead of finessing, or did he want to have a bipartisan plan with Repubs on board. Reich said Obama must go to Congress and individual members, state clearly what he wants accomplished. He'll have to go to Baucus and tell him to do what Obama wants done--or Baucus will find that in the future he won't get Obama's buy in on much that Baucus wants.

    [Problem: Does Obama want what the people want? Or does he want what BHIP wants? Does he know what he wants? Digital medical records and repeating "fraud, waste, and abuse" are not going to cut it.]

    Obama's second big battle will be to take on Wall Street and get good regulations and new laws passed. So far, Obama has followed Bush's lead with bailouts, plenty of lemon socialism (aka corporate welfare), but has done next to nothing for the people, nothing to help with mortgage problems.  

    So, the two big tests will be 1) a good public option and 2) regulation of Wall Street.

    Capitalism, left to its own devices reverts to law of the jungle, and that brought us to the top 1% owning 21% of the national wealth. The middle class has not participated in the growth of the economy from 2000 to now; this was hidden by  home equity loans, etc., living on credit, which is no longer viable. Obama must balance the might of money with laws and regulations to protect the people, which also protects the nation's economy.

    Obama must fight to establish fairness in the economy, not give lip service to it. Reich thinks Obama and the WH understand this.

    Reich said single payer is the best solution  for healthcare, but it is politically impossible. Asked by Moyers if a public option would lead to single payer, Reich said if the public option has no subsidies, must pay for itself, then it will not be that much competition for the for-profit Big Insurers, but might force the Big Insurers to take somewhat less in profits.

    A workable public plan would be like Medicare [Medicare for All in my words], with low administrative costs, economy of scale, critical mass permitting bargaining leverage. That takes substantial numbers in the plan.

    Obama's stand on healthcare and willingness to fight for a good public option will be a clear indications of his toughness and willingness to put the public interest foremost. Is he able to do this? Will he? To be determined, but Reich has...hope.

    Wish us all luck.

    Check local listings for rebroadcast or watch online.

    *BHIP--Big Health Industry Players

     

    Parent

    Thanks for that synopsis, jawbone (5.00 / 1) (#23)
    by Anne on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:34:29 PM EST
    My local PBS station is running those annoying pledge week (or is it now pledge "month?") shows, so I will try to catch it online.

    I think Reich has it exactly right, and I don't think Obama is going to rise to the challenge in the way we need him to in order to end up with actual reform that works for the people.

    Parent

    Interesting (none / 0) (#33)
    by cal1942 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 04:56:59 AM EST
    you should say that.

    pledge week (or is it now pledge "month?") shows

    Same here. In the past, at least the pledge week programming was good.  Now, not so much.

    Inadequate CPB/PBS funding really shows.

    Parent

    That's part of the problem.... (none / 0) (#39)
    by EL seattle on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 09:31:59 AM EST
    ...but I think that PBS stations have depended on viewer support for a long time.  As the economic situation has sealed up pocketbooks, viewer support/donations might be down as much as newspaper or magazine advertising, or radio advertising, or a lot of other charitable giving.  I don't think that it's just an issue of national funding.

    Parent
    I think (none / 0) (#48)
    by cal1942 on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 12:54:08 PM EST
    it's a lot of both.

    Parent
    Adam Lambert (none / 0) (#26)
    by nycstray on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:49:25 PM EST
    I thought he gave a nice open interview, and then I thought, wtf? Obviously he wanted to do it/wasn't opposed to it, but really now, does it really matter if AI contestants or anyone else is gay or straight. I'd like to see them get the winner out there in an interview that pretty much solely focuses on sexuality of a deeply religious person . . . is he bi-curious?

    Anyway, I think Adam will do well in this next chapter of his life. Seems pretty grounded and has a strong family behind him. He has an "album" (?!) coming out in the fall. Already working on it.

    Oh to be Castillo (none / 0) (#28)
    by nycstray on Fri Jun 12, 2009 at 09:58:35 PM EST
    wouldn't want to be tonight, lol!~

    And the Yankees WIN!

    Ugh....we are going with a new (none / 0) (#34)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:01:50 AM EST
    television provider today.  My husband never does anything halfway though.  The new system is getting two ethernet connections that allow on demand service, and I don't pretend to understand any of this stuff.  I just know I'll probably enjoy using it as soon as I figure out the new remote.  Anyhow, my husband has decided that it is time to wire the whole house for the new cable that will be used and also ethernet.  So the cable guys will be showing up soon to connect their parts up but I must get my coveralls on and get up in the attic and get to work on my husband's home "customizing" and dropping these wires down the walls of various rooms.  Somedays I do wish though that I had married someone slightly less intelligent.  It seems fewer coveralls would have been involved.

    I want to be freinds with your husband (none / 0) (#36)
    by Slado on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:07:07 AM EST
    I was in Best Buy yesterday looking at a new A/V receiver so I can seemlessly switch my HDMI and Optical audio signals between the XBox360, Apple TV and DirecTV devices connected to my HD Projector in my media room.

    This will require a 50ft HDMI cable and all new speakers!

    If you Husband is looking for the ultimate A/V experience say these words..... HD Projector!

    Parent

    OMG, I'm in for lunch (none / 0) (#43)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 10:49:54 AM EST
    in a puddle of sweat.  Seeking distraction from heat, humidity, ladders, and a drill that bores inch round holes. I think you two know each other.  I don't know what this cable going in is exactly, it isn't what the direct TV guy is bringing with him, but his will be used somewhere outside and the cable my husband ordered and is using inside has something to do with DirectTV and the Xbox360.  You guys are dangerous.

    Parent
    I asked my husband if he is using HDMI (none / 0) (#44)
    by Militarytracy on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 10:57:42 AM EST
    and his response was that he isn't rich :)  He is running blah blah blah something quad four with blah blah Cat something with a blah blah Cat different something and HDMI from recievers to XBox and television and HDMI costs 6 Bucks a foot.  Alrighty then, back to the sweat shop for the more ignorant here and that would be me.

    Parent
    You dont' have to be "rich" just savy (5.00 / 1) (#54)
    by Slado on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:22:16 PM EST
    I buy my HDMI cables from internet vendors because as my buddy said who works at Best Buy...."Don't ever buy cables from us becasue we rip people off".

    Parent
    The installer from DirectTV (none / 0) (#56)
    by Militarytracy on Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 08:52:13 AM EST
    threw in some extra HDMI.  Very nice person, though our house became an all day job for him and he didn't leave until about 7 pm.  I'm not sure that he wouldn't have had just as long a day though without my husband's added stuff he was doing, but they worked side by side together all day yesterday.  Now I have to figure out a totally new system.  Josh will probably have to teach me.

    Parent
    Why are so few talking about health care? (none / 0) (#37)
    by BernieO on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:27:01 AM EST
    As Robert Reich pointed out on Bill Moyer's show, now is the time to contact our representatives and also the White House to put pressure on Obama to not back off a public option for all and a universal mandate (less likely since the insurance companies want this to increase their customer base). The well-oiled right-wing propaganda machine is cranked up and spewing out lies while liberals are twiddling their thumbs.

    Neither Democrats nor the media explain that bargaining for volume discounts is a mainstay of the free market - think Walmart. Other countries can negotiate low ball prices for American drugs because they buy for their entire population. Conservatives and big pharma managed to keep Medicare from doing the same, hence the exorbitant cost of its new drug benefit. The same people keep us from legally buying our drugs from Canada.

    Since drug companies get much less profit from selling to foreign countries they jack up the prices to Americans to compensate and pay for their research - even though we taxpayers already pay for a lot of it through government subsidies. If Americans had a clue that we are subsidizing the cost of drugs and research for the rest of the world through high prices as well as taxes they would be outraged. Too bad the "liberal media" as well as Dems can't be bothered to explain this to the public.

    To get a look at what will happen if we don't start acting NOW, check out James Fallows' January 1995 article in the Atlantic Monthly, "A Triumph of Misinformation".

    I do not know a thing about the issue (none / 0) (#38)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 08:51:26 AM EST
    I have consistently said so.

    Parent
    Maybe you could consider putting up (none / 0) (#41)
    by Anne on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 09:47:21 AM EST
    a Health Care-dedicated Open Thread every couple of days - there's a lot to talk about, a lot of misinformation to dispel, and time is running out for people to make a difference in what kind of reform is legislated.  

    The struggle right now seems to be between those who want a system that actually improves access to and delivery of health CARE - serving THE PEOPLE (and would save hundreds of billions of dollars annually over the current system and would not require some sort of special tax) - and those - most of whom seem to be in the Congress - who are trying to pass off an insurance industry protection racket as "reform."

    The second group - the one that will likely have the final say in what kind of system we end up with - is getting, as usual, plenty of help from the media.

    Anyway, just a suggestion.

    Parent

    A good suggestion (none / 0) (#46)
    by Big Tent Democrat on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 11:34:47 AM EST


    Parent
    Hmmmm... (none / 0) (#50)
    by jbindc on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 04:05:28 PM EST
    The AmeriCorps IG is being removed by Obama, a week after the IG questioned the "eligibility of the largest and most expensive AmeriCorps program, and while the IG was contesting the "propriety" of a settlement made with a mayor for alleged misuse of AmeriCorps funds." While the IG serves at the pleasure of the president, he/she also reports to Congress, and the whole point of IG's is to investigate fraud and abuse relatively free of interference.

    The mayor in question is Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, an Obama supporter. Now the IG in question was a Bush supporter, so Obama is certainly free to want to replace him, but the timing seems suspect.

    It also appears that Michelle Obama may have some role in this as well.

    Interesting--hope you can keep us posted on this (none / 0) (#51)
    by jawbone on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 04:30:15 PM EST
    as you learn more.  I'd read about Michelle's staffing change, didn'g really think about it. You think it's important?

    Parent
    I don't know (none / 0) (#52)
    by jbindc on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 05:14:52 PM EST
    But the thing that's interesting is that we HAVEN'T heard about this.  Any time Clinton or Bush had a staffing change (for whatever reason, but especially if it seemed to be a conflict of interest as this does), it was news.  But I did think it was interesting that Michelle changed her CoS 6 months into the administration.  

    Parent
    I read about the Americorps guy yesterday (none / 0) (#55)
    by nycstray on Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 11:12:31 PM EST
    I think we might have heard if it was a slower news day, but things are a bit busy lately so perhaps that's why?

    Parent
    Friday Evening Open Thread | 56 comments (56 topical)

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