It’s Tim Geithner Day, plus a lot of time’s set aside for the “War on Women.” Surprisingly, there are even women scheduled to discuss it, although most bookings are designed for your basic partisan debate.

The new status symbol for vapid talking heads who parrot the conventional Beltway political wisdom, or conservative talking points in the case of Faux News, is the in-home television studio. Equipped with a Cisco Telepresence camera or HD monster, as well as potent totems and signifiers to appear on-screen behind the personality, the in-home studio has replaced the Town Car that used to carry talking heads to the news network’s nearest uplink.

Now, the Important Opiners who’ve rushed to the corner of his/her own study from a child’s flute-o-phone concert or soccer match, donned suitable apparel, and gotten a powder-dusting from a minor child in violation of television union rules and child labor laws can share their Important Opinion with viewers who can’t get through their news day without knowing what their Favorite thinks!

Hope you find all the jelly beans E.B. hid.

Many pundits have been telling us that the reason that workers are not getting jobs is that employers cannot find workers with the skills needed for the positions available. I have regularly ridiculed this position, since if it were true we would see sharply rising wages in some sectors as employers competed for the limited group of workers who have the necessary skills. Of course we don’t see any major sector of the labor market with rapidly rising wages.

However, I must now reconsider this view. David Brooks presented compelling evidence that employers cannot find workers with the necessary skills.

Good morning, has the toast popped?

Spocko’s hosting FDL’s Book Salon, Movie Night is Heist, and McJoan and Culture of Truth are Virtually Speaking. Recommended.

As for the talking heads, there is a ratio of 6 women for every two men, five Democrats for every three Republicans and only half the guests are white. While there is a lot scheduled on the Supreme Court case about the mandate, there are no Presidential candidates today.

Rabbit, rabbit.

Less than a year after he returned to television with an equity stake in the broadcaster, Keith Olbermann has flamed out again. He has been terminated by Current TV, effective immediately. His 8pm flagship show will be replaced starting tonight by former CNN host and New York Governor Eliot Spitzer.

Masaccio hosts FDL’s Book Salon this afternoon, Broke. Stuart Zechman and Avedon Carol are Virtually Speaking this evening. And Holy Rollers is our Movie Night Monday.

Topics on the shows today are the shooting of hoodiest Trayvon Martin, Afghanistan, the upcoming Supreme Court case on Obamacare, and of course, the Horse Race – among other topics.

Buongiorno amici, può anche essere primavera.

I don’t see many guests with lady parts assembled today. Sez Scarecrow: “Another successful week of keeping women out of sight and out of mind. Guess there’s nothing going on that affects them. I was at least hoping we’d get Sebelius explaining how letting Catholic institutions self insure without covering contraception was a principled stand. Or perhaps Peggy Noonan could explain why Texas should be allowed to defund Planned Parenthood. Or someone could discuss the proliferation of state forced vaginal ultrasound bills.”

And massacio was thinking: “Maybe someone could ask Priebus just what the function of the RNC is? it doesn’t raise money, it doesn’t take policy positions, and it has no say in selecting any candidates, including the candidate for President. – Maybe someone could ask Axelrod why it isn’t trendy to work to re-elect Obama, and whether that has something to do with Presidential policies.”

Just don’t miss Ground Wars at FDL’s Book Salon today, and Marcy’s Virtually Speaking with that Suburban Guerrilla Susie Madrak this evening. Monday, come get Stitched at FDL’s Movie Night.

No surprise there aren’t (m)any women on the majors today – again. As Scarecrow notes: “So, the biggest story of the last two weeks has been the huge backlash against misogynists and anti women legislation, and the corresponding dip in approval for GOP and those waging war on women rights, and so they invite some the nations dumbest men to all their shows. again. All those shows, btw, are sponsored by oil and gas companies, who wouldn’t notice or care about this disconnect.”

Now about those listings: Book Salon today special for you econ geeks, Keynes v Hayek. Virtually Speaking this evening is digby and McJoan. Oh, and this week’s Q&A guest (C-SPAN) will be our guest for FDL’s Book Salon at the end of the month, so tune in for a preview.

Why is it that ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN thought that the politician America needed to hear from this week was Newt Gingrich, a candidate who’s been thoroughly rejected by all by the most delusional and extreme Republican voters and has no chance of becoming President? Even if it hadn’t been a ghastly week, with Republican icons insulting women and degrading the national discourse while the GOP leadership and Presidential candidates hid, the idea of giving the man who has spent 20 years contributing to our declining politics yet another national platform would be inexcusable for any supposedly news entity.

Every viewer knows that any interview of Newt Gingrich usually results in an uninterrupted commercial for himself, his lies, and his fantasies. With a weak interviewer like ABC’s George Stephanopoulus, that means we get 10 minutes of misrepresentations, misdirection and evasions with little or no pushback, leaving the audience either frustrated or more misinformed than they were before.