I imagine we'll pour our stimulus package into retiring debt. Not what Congress and the Decider had in mind...and it's not entirely likely that what they have in mind will pan out anyway:
Let's get real. Even if a stimulus package could get through Congress and signed into law soon, even if directed at lower-income Americans who are far more likely than higher-income to spend any extra money, even if a cash supplement doled out within sixty days rather than a tax rebate or refund that won’t be out until next summer, even if in the range of five hundred dollars a household, which is the most anyone is talking about – even if all these conditions were met, the stimulus would still be too little and too late.
Well. How about you? What are your plans?
Note: The post and its title have been edited for perfectly sound reasons pointed out by various commenters. An apology is posted upstream.
Tim Russert: Governor Romney, you are a big fan of Ronald Reagan.
Willard Romney: Mm-hmm.
Russert: Will you do for Social Security what Ronald Reagan did in 1983?
[whisper] raise taxes
Romney: I'm not going to raise taxes. What I'm going to do…
Russert: Ronald Reagan raised payroll tax and he also raised the retirement age and he saved Social Security…
Video via NewsRadio 1290 WJNO, where it's noted that what "makes this whisper even more bizarre is the fact the MSNBC's political blog had a post about it immediately afterward. You can see a screen grab of that post here. They have since removed this particular entry. Odd."
My guess is that it was one of the other candidates whispering on a hot mic. Either that, or it was the angel Moroni, who hasn't had much else to do since the 1820s.
Darryl at Brandflakes for Breakfast on this excellent Pepsi advert to debut during the Superbowl: "The production was created and performed by EnAble, a network in PepsiCo which supports diversity and the inclusion of persons with different abilities. See behind the scenes on the making of the spot here. Nice."
Last night during the latest in the never-ending series of GOP primary debates, which was truly the most unfathomably, yawn-inducingly dull affair yet (transcript: "I've done this and this and that and my record blah blah," repeat ad infinitum), Tim Russert asked John McCain to address having said he needs to be educated about the economy, which Russert quoted as: "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
McCain replied: "Actually, I don't know where you got that quote from. I'm very well versed in economics."
TPM Reader KK checks in with the exact quote, from Stephen Moore in the Wall Street Journal: "I'm going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
Huh. And I know you'll be positively flabbergasted to hear that's not the only time McCain has talked about his lack of expertise on the economy.
What aphorism drives you crazy every time you hear someone say it?
"Life isn't fair." Getting it as a flippant, unsympathetic response to a minor complaint for which I only expected not to be made to feel crap is bad enough, but when it's said in a way meant to be genuinely commisserative, like when you've just lost a good friend at age 47 or something and someone sighs, "Life isn't fair," I feel the welling of murderous rampage. No shit, really?! Life isn't fair?! Thanks for the HOT TIP! That makes me feel all better about my friend being dead!
Extra bonus murdery feelings elicited by the even more excruciating "Nobody ever said life was fair."
Of course, I know there are times people generally say that just because they don't know what else to say in bad situations, and not because they are deliberately trying to educe me to drive a dull butter knife into my own temple, so I keep my irrational simmering rage at this detested aphorism to myself.
(If you need some help coming up with an answer for this one, try Aphorisms Galore! You're sure to find something there that will evoke an "Ugh! I hate that saying!")
Osama might not be caught before I leave office, sayz Preznit Stoopud in "George W. Bush: Fighting to the Finish," a documentary scheduled to air Jan. 27 on Fox:
Capturing Usama bin Laden has been one of President Bush's top priorities during his time in office, but the president now seems to doubt the Al Qaeda mastermind will be found before his term ends next January.
One of his top priorities? What kind of crack do the bitchez over at Fox News smoke? Because I seem to recall the Dipwad-in-Chief saying about Osama "Mastermind of 9/11" bin Laden: "I wouldn't necessarily say he's at the center of any command structure. And, again, I don't know where he is. I—I'll repeat what I said. I truly am not that concerned about him."
Anyway...
"If we could find the cave he is in, I promise you—he would be brought to justice or wherever he's hiding. ... For the country, it's a matter of closure in many ways for those who suffered under the attacks. He's hiding. He's isolated. He's not out there leading any parades. ... He'll be gotten by a president."
Is there even a coherent statement in there anywhere? At least he's not leading parades! Thank you, Mr. President. Nothing terrifies America more than the thought of Osama bin Laden twirling a baton down Main Street with a high school band in tow!
"Did I mock him? …It was a little Brokeback Mountain joke. I feel bad about his death, but there's no point in passing up a good joke."—Fox News Host John Gibson, also yesterday's Quoted of the Day for having mocked Heath Ledger's death and used it to promulgate bigotry against gays.
Shaker Sarah in Chicago emailed me to let me know that GLAAD has opened a petition noting that it is "sickening that Gibson would exploit Heath Ledger's tragic death to promote such hurtful intolerance" and asking "Fox News and ask its representatives why they continue to provide a platform for John Gibson's cruel and tasteless comments."
From Yeesh, January 04, 2006, a post about an airline passenger who was arrested when his plane landed because he had the words "suicide bomber" written in his journal, in which I questioned the likelihood of an actual suicide bomber advertising the fact.
A bitch has been annoyed as hell over the use of language lately. When I hear certain words I just want to projectile vomit straight into the speaker’s mouth.
For example, change.
Saying change doesn’t equal making change and, even if it did, that wouldn’t guarantee that the change you intend to do will be positive. Every time I hear a politician say change I sit there waiting for someone in the audience to shout “Hey asshole, are you allergic to specifics or is your complete lack of them due to a moral objection to keeping it real?”
Shit, Scooter B. brought about change and this bitch will require years of therapy to recover from that shit.
Cough.
Now, the economic shit storm has resulted in the resurrection of the word stimulus. A bitch is pretty sure stimulus is listed on the Top Ten Words That Make Talking Heads Sound Like They May Have a Clue list.
Mercy!
None of the talking heads seem to agree on how to stimulate the economy so instead they sit around debating whether the economy needs stimulation or not and putting a bitch to sleep.
From stimulus comes economic stimulus and then the oh so needed economic stimulus package. The stimulus package requires only one thing…a huge block of voters just waiting to be seduced by it.
Cue the middle class!
This bitch is pretty sure that there isn’t a more misunderstood group in America than the middle class. The middle class has been cast as the foundation, the salvation, the assholes that need to spend more money, the bedrock, the soul of the nation and the best client a capitalist drug pusher ever had all at the same time. The one thing I know the middle class isn’t is heavy in the pockets. Everyone I think is middle class is up to their eyelids in debt just like my working class peers.
Combine an election year, economic drama and a complete misunderstanding of the middle class….mix it all together…and you’ll end up with some politician saying something along the lines of “I will be an agent of change who will create an economic stimulus package that will revitalize the middle class.”
Note - traditional bullshit should be served steaming hot over a thick slab of ice.
Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is abandoning his second bid for the White House.
In an interview with the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the congressman said he was quitting the race and would made a formal announcement Friday.
"I want to continue to serve in Congress," he told the newspaper.
Kucinich said he will not endorse another Democrat in the primary.
Great. I stopped caring when he said he'd share a ticket with Ron Paul. Probably the only people who do care at this point are Chris Matthews and the rest of the morons in the Boys' Club, who will no longer be able to leer over his wife like the disrespectful, perv-brained douchehounds they are.
UPDATE: Sully quotes the last paragraph above, then sarcastically deems it "lovely." Is my language offending his delicate sensibilities, or does he think there's something wrong with pointing out that the punditry routinely objectified the wife of a presidential candidate...?
Lost's two-hour season premiere is one week from today. I kicked off the countdown with a dream last night in which I was hanging out with Jack, talking about all sorts of stuff. He also fixed Matilda, who, in the dream, had been bitted by a mean shar-pei just because Tilsy tried to lick his ear. I guess Jack is a spinal surgeon and a vet—quite a talented dude.
Tentative Deal Is Reached on Stimulus Plan January 24, 20 By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 10:53 a.m. ET
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic and Republican congressional leaders reached a tentative deal Thursday on tax rebates of $300 to $1,200 per household and business tax cuts to jolt the slumping economy.
Congressional officials close to the negotiations said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Republican Leader John Boehner of Ohio reached agreement in principle in a telephone call Thursday morning.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the two wanted key members of their parties to sign off on the accord before any announcement.
The development came as the Bush administration, which also has been pushing for a deal, said agreement seemed imminent. "Our understanding is there is no final deal yet but they are making progress," presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said early Thursday.
Pelosi, D-Calif., agreed to drop increases in food stamp and unemployment benefits during a Wednesday meeting in exchange for gaining rebates of at least $300 for almost everyone earning a paycheck, including low-income earners who make too little to pay income taxes.
As I indicated in a post yesterday on food stamps and food prices, FS benefits have not kept pace with recent upsurges in food prices, so that $1.50 per meal benefit buys even less. And just who are the people Pelosi has agreed to shaft?
From USDA's website:
Based on a study of data gathered in Fiscal Year 2005:
• 50 percent of all participants are children (18 or younger), and 65 percent of them live in single-parent households.
• 54 percent of food stamp households include children.
• 8 percent of all participants are elderly (age 60 or over).
• 77 percent of all benefits go to households with children, 16 percent go to households with disabled persons, and 9 percent go to households with elderly persons.
• 34 percent of households with children were headed by a single parent, the overwhelming majority of whom were women.
• The average household size is 2.3 persons.
• The average gross monthly income per food stamp household is $648.
• 46 percent of participants are white; 31 percent are African-American, non-Hispanic; 13 percent are Hispanic; 2 percent are Asian, 1 percent are Native American, and 7 percent are of unknown race or ethnicity.
I've been doing some research and here is the USDA's latest report on Food Stamp Participation in the US. According to the report, 37.7 million Americans (approx. 13%) are eligible to received food stamp benefits, though participation rates in the program hover around 65% (varies by state.)
Unemployment number are also readily available from the BLS. The current number of unemployed is officially 7,655,000, but that does not include 4,697,000 individuals who are listed as "currently not in the labor force" but "who currently want a job." Of those 4.7 million, 1,338,000 have been unemployed for 26 weeks or more, meaning their unemployment insurance has already run out. Another 1,182,000 have been unemployed for more than 15 weeks (but less than 26). Over the past year, the average length of unemployment has increased from 15.9 to 17.2 weeks, so over a million more former workers are counting the days until their benefits run out.
This is a campaign video of Chelsea Clinton and America "Ugly Betty" Ferrera on the campaign trail for Hillary, rallying women and young voters. Via Yikes! Transcript is below. (Btw, Michelle Malkin posted this video with a note that Clinton and Ferrera "give women a bad name." Um, no, Michelle. Women are unique and varied creatures, and no one—or two—of us represents all of womankind. They don't "give women a bad name" any more than you do, or I do. And to say they do is the worst kind of woman-hating crap. We're not a monolith, and your "bad name" bullshit is predicated on a presumption that we are. So STFU.)
Woman #1: This will be my first year voting, so I'm very excited.
America Ferrera: My name is America Ferrara, and I am here today with a very enormous amount of pride and honor and inspiration to be here supporting Ms. Hillary Clinton. I've had one of the most remarkable days traveling through this city with Chelsea Clinton, knocking on doors, talking to women and men from all walks of life.
Woman #2: Chelsea in particular was really helpful in answering the questions; it was really nice, because I've been asking my parents, "How do I do this? How do I do that?" and they're like, "Well, I don't know. We've never had a Nevada caucus!" and I come to find out it's really, really easy.
Ferrera: When she was winning in New Hampshire, I was in my living room, like, dancing. I was so happy and excited and, like, I just felt so much pride for her, and I thought, "My god, this is a woman running for president."
Chelsea Clinton: I know, you're so inspired it makes me so proud of my mom; I keep thinking I can't, like, be more proud of my mom, but I get more proud of my mom. [edit] I just wanted to come and see if we could answer any questions that you might have about my mom's campaign or the upcoming caucus on Saturday; I just want to make sure that everyone has kind of whatever information you would need.
Woman #3: Hillary just seems like she's bringing the important things to the table, that she's like, "Look, here go the facts, let's lay them out: We're gonna get this done. This is gonna happen."
Woman #4: I think she's really gonna be a good president for everyone.
Woman #5: The whole school believing in what she's gonna do, and she's a lady, so there's the first opportunity she have over there, and we can prove, you know, that we can do it.
Man #1: They're saying that a national healthcare plan's not gonna be able to cover enough of, give people enough coverage.
Clinton: My mom's gonna open up the Congressional health plan, and there are more than 250 options in the Congressional health plan, that are at different costs and cover different things, because what I need at 27 as a single woman is different than what your family needs for you. No one would be allowed to be denied coverage because of a preexisting condition, and every plan would cover mental health. She would cap the monthly premiums at a percentage of your income. She is really committed to everyone getting insured. [edit] I actually lead a pretty private life, but really believe in my mom. I believe that she would be the best president. I couldn't really imagine not trying to do whatever I could to help make her more accessible or make her message more accessible.
Man #2: Everything she has to say is phenomenal. She won my vote.
Man #3: I'm voting for her. Yes I am.
Woman #1: I'm voting for Hillary Clinton.
Woman #3: Now we have something to look forward to, you know? So I'm excited.
Ferrera: So I say to every young woman out there, every young man, who is ready to make our generation have a voice and be heard in this country, vote for Hillary in 2008.
A liberal advocacy group plans to spend $8.5 million in a drive to make sure President Bush's public approval doesn't improve as his days in the White House come to an end.
Americans United for Change plans to undertake a yearlong campaign, spending the bulk of the money on advertising, to keep public attention on what the group says are the failures of the Bush administration, including the war in Iraq, the response to Hurricane Katrina, and the current mortgage crisis.
Nothing against AUFC, but I can't imagine that $8.5 million needs to be spent on reminding people about what a fuckup Bush is when he does that himself everyday for free.
Tell you what: Send in those donations to Shakesville and we'll keep that approval rating capped for a fraction of that campaign cost.
All of the attention over the last couple of weeks has been focused on the battle between the Clinton and the Obama campaigns, but what's also interesting is that some of the Republican candidates aren't doing a very good job of concealing their dislike for Mitt Romney.
“Never get into a wrestling match with a pig,” Senator John McCain said in New Hampshire this month after reporters asked him about Mr. Romney. “You both get dirty, and the pig likes it.”
Mike Huckabee’s pugilistic campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, appeared to stop just short of threatening Mr. Romney with physical violence at one point.
“What I have to do is make sure that my anger with a guy like Romney, whose teeth I want to knock out, doesn’t get in the way of my thought process,” Mr. Rollins said.
The Romney collective is dismissing this as just campaign envy; Romney has a lot of money to spend while the rest of them are running on fumes. But mostly it seems that they resent his flip-flopping on the issues like abortion and gay rights, which is seen as hard-core pandering, his attack ads on TV which he can buy with his outrageous fortune, and his maddening sense of entitlement which boils down to, "Hey, I'm the poster boy for looking presidential with the Gleem smile and the perfect family; I should be president."
Rudy Giuliani has hit the skids in a Florida freefall that could shatter his presidential campaign and leave a two-man Republican contest in the state between John McCain and Mitt Romney, a Miami Herald poll shows.
Despite hovering over Florida voters for weeks, Giuliani is tied for third place with the scarcely visible Mike Huckabee in a statewide poll of 800 likely voters.
..."Giuliani for all intents and purposes has virtually no chance to win in Florida," [pollster Rob Schroth] said.
Way to go, genius.
(Yes, by the way, Giuliani is wearing a "George 'Macaca' Allen for US Senate" campaign badge in that picture.)
The opening of Can't Live Without You at the Manhattan Repertory Theatre was well-attended, and the production, done on a shoestring budget in a small space with limited resources, had the heart and drive of a full-tilt Broadway production. (By the way, a lot of great theatre companies, including the legendary Circle Rep, got started in spaces just like Manhattan Rep.) And when Will Poston strode out on stage as Bobby to open the play, I said to myself (and to my father sitting next to me), "That's him. That's Bobby."
When the lights came up at the end of the play and I met with the cast and Adam Natale, the director, I told them that they got it; it was what I meant. Even with the occasional opening night jitters and expected bumps, the play came through and so did the characters. Yes, I was taking little notes in my head about how I can tighten things up here and there -- plays are always being re-written -- but now that I have actually seen and heard it, I know now what the characters are like in their full dimensions, and with their guidance, I can make it better.
As I noted in the earlier post, I was numb to all the excitement and the anticipation that this event was generating. That is, until about 5:30 tonight as I was walking to dinner with my parents and we walked through Times Square with all the lights, the signs, the theatre marquees for Mary Poppins and Young Frankenstein and all the other theatres up and down Broadway and 42nd Street and beyond. It suddenly hit me: they are doing a play of mine here. In New York. Right over there in that building off 42nd Street and 8th Avenue, in the center of the theatre world that has been the goal and the dream of playwrights for generations. My play. Absolute strangers are going to see and hear something I wrote, meet the characters, hear their voices, hear my thoughts. I know the word "awesome" gets overused to the point of meaninglessness, but right now, it's about the only word that I can think of that describes what I felt when it hit me. And I hope the feeling never goes away.
Welcome to Shakesville, a progressive feminist blog about politics, culture, social justice, cute things, and all that is in between. Please note that the commenting policy and the Feminism 101 section, conveniently linked at the top of the page, are required reading before commenting.
Last night during the latest in the never-ending series of GOP primary debates, which was truly the most unfathomably, yawn-inducingly dull affair yet (transcript: "I've done this and this and that and my record blah blah," repeat ad infinitum), Tim Russert asked John McCain to address having said he needs to be educated about the economy, which Russert quoted as: "I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues. I still need to be educated."
