Liveblog of House Financial Services committee meeting on executive compensation, which is turning into a showdown on Fannie and Freddie.

It appears Earl Blumenauer thinks he can make a pledge about something people really care about (a public option), break it, and then scold people into showing up for him because the alternative is worse. But he’s probably not unique.

Call members of Congress and ask them if they intend to stand by their pledge to vote against the Senate bill. Let them know that you don’t think they’re “monsters” for keeping their promises. Let’s see how deep this “Bluemnauer problem” is. Because if they don’t keep that promise, the Senate bill could pass (and despite reports to the contrary, don’t think they’re not thinking about it).

[Note: FDL has complete team coverage of Perry v. Schwarzenegger--including more legal analysis, court documents, videos, and liveblogging direct from the federal court in San Francisco. You can find it all on our dedicated Prop 8 page.]

It may be because of the NY Fed/AIG email disclosure. It may be because Democrats need a scapegoat for the economy. It may be a whole bunch of things. But if Bernanke’s confirmation were on InTrade, it should be dropping like a stone.

Judicial activism! With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing [...]

The Supreme Court goes all 20th Century in jurisprudence…early 20th century.

ZZ Top — Tush.

What’s that definition of ‘insanity’ again? Doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results?

I’m gonna repeat my sad joke: we are approaching the time when there will be “corporate creationists” so convinced of the divine status of the corporate life-form that they will deny vehemently that corporations evolved from human beings. Americans, we are the new monkeys.

It appears there is a potentially huge problem for Democrats going into the 2010 election cycle: young people simply are not voting.