Morning, BT.

From the first link:

The “only virtue [of the McConnell plan] is that it recognizes that the United States has to pay its bills to avoid an economic catastrophe,” Van Hollen added. “But it is not an adult moment.”

Yes, “adult moments” require cutting spending in a recession.

•House Dems meh on Sen. Turtle’s backup plan.

If I’m not mistaken, the Senate successfully killed a lot of legislation that was produced by House Dems when Pelosi was Speaker. And Obama himself stepped up to make sure that House Dems swallowed the Senate’s version of health care “reform,” successfully killing even the weakest version of the public option.

Why should anyone in DC give two shits about what the House Dems are meh on?

And in Wisconsin’s first actual recall election yesterday, Senator Dave Hansen, (D-WI 30th) retained his seat in a landslide against his Repub challenger. Local “newspaper,” here.

Re: Deficit Reduction

While everyone is watching the debt ceiling cliff-hanger play out, I think the most important facet of the GOP’s extortion (and Obama’s preemptive surrender) is that none of the proposed policies (cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security) will have been subjected to hearings or public comment. These back room deals will establish U.S. domestic policies for a decade or more, yet there is no formal debate. Does that bother anyone else?

the GOP’s extortion (and Obama’s preemptive surrender)

In this case, Obama insisted that they demand his surrender. I don’t think we can credit the GOP with extortion.

When it comes to politics in DC, we have to stop giving so much importance to the kabuki shows. The leaders of both the Republican and Democratic Parties work for the same puppetmasters. Both have to be opposed as the enemies of the people of this country that they are.

No need for debate in a banana republic and whether people want to admit it the U.S. is now a banana republic ruled and owned by an economic plutocracy.

Morning BT & Firepups:

I’m not finding any video of Bachmann’s goons pushing around the 62-year-old Brian Ross. Is it out there in TV land?

As for the Murdochs and Brooks not knowing, I’m sure that’s right. Oh, and I almost forgot. I have some prime swampland for sale – cheap. Act fast, the parcels won’t last forever. Wire transfer into an offshore account is preferable, of course.

Mornin’, BT, pups

More on Modern Monetary Theory:

Full Employment AND Price Stability

With all the primaries over in WI we can now just wait until the general election next month. Methinks the Regressives are in for an old fashioned ass whuppin’.

Interesting (and unacceptable) that the UK Parliament chose not to ask their questions to “Becky & the Murdochs” under oath.

Methinks the Regressives are in for an old fashioned ass whuppin’.

That would be a beautiful thing…

In case anyone missed it, here’s A New Tax Pledge (Involving Grover Norquist’s Balls):

Prolly because of the police and other investigations going on. I’d expect her to dance around any substantial questions anyhow. Love her red hair though.

Cute.

Every 10 years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recalculates what it calls climate “normals,” 30-year averages of temperature and precipitation for about 7,500 locations across the United States. The latest numbers, released earlier this month, show that the climate of the last 10 years was about 1.5 degrees warmer than the climate of the 1970s, and the warmest since the first decade of the last century. Temperatures were, on average, 0.5 degrees warmer from 1981 to 2010 than they were from 1971 to 2000, and the average annual temperatures for all of the lower 48 states have gone up.

Yup. It was interesting watching the looks of concern and/or horror coming from Wendy Deng-Murdoch. She was working that gold-digge­r trophy wife image to the hilt, especially when she leaped to the defense of her meal-ticket’s honor during the pie-in-the-face incident.

Gotta bail. Later…

great link SD, thanks!

btw, i’m off to my representative’s office this morning — a day late (laptop died), but that gives me the chance to ask for suggestions & corrections to my letter.

i’m also bringing a copy of warren mosler’s book, The 7 Deadly Innocent Frauds of Economic Policy.

Congresscritter prolly wouldn’t understand the Forward but his staffers may get an education. And that’s a good thing.

I’m not so sure. In a country where ignorance is seen as virtue the Regressives always have a shot.

Off to swim in the great capitalist cesspool

US KIA Afghanistan: 1,672

US KIA Irak: 4,474

Iraki, Afghan and Pakistani casualties: estimates vary to over 1.5M

US MBS 2011: 24,800 and counting

Samba Pa Ti

No war but class war

Never. Give. Up.

Be good to yourselves, and all other living things

Namaste

Think there will be two more before the general. Sen. Bob Wirch will face business attorney Jonathan Steitz on Aug. 16, the same day that Sen. Jim Holperin will be opposed by tea party organizer Kim Simac.

Letter is excellent. I wonder if he’ll read it or whether some staffer will file it somewhere?

“My ability to function effectively will not affect my ability to serve as commander in chief.”

Oh my, did Bachmannia just call Mr.Obama dysfunctional?

That’s almost a Palinesque word salad. Does Bachmann have anything between her speech centers and her mouth that checks for coherent meaning?

BT, great last link there. It should be a front page post here.

That is an amazing piece on the GOP voting to raise the debt ceiling under Bush.

You’re represented by Zogby.

Rupert, Jimmy and Lady Macbeth skate away. The Empress chops the shaving cream assassin and lends Murdoch sympathy from the gallery.