This Week In Tyranny
Sunday, December 6, 2009 at 07:23AM No Associated Press content was harmed in the writing of this post
It looks like the January 2010 Vanity Fair has two, count ‘em, blockbuster reports: One on Goldman Sachs and one on Blackwater. Marcy has some analysis the latter. I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about both in the coming months as folks (including me) go through them and let the contents percolate a bit.
A major “donations for earmarks” scandal may be brewing and Justin Elliott wonders why it hasn’t gotten more play. There’s any number of possible explanations and Elliott provides a few; I can’t help but think the involvement of both Democrats and Republicans is helping to keep it quiet. That makes it hard for either side or the Wurlitzer to get really cranked up.
Under the circumstances it’s hard to cry foul over this. Of course, the only people who would complain about it are outside the Beltway. I’m sure the political and media establishment there is just fine with everybody being above the rules.
Elizabeth Warren has been on the periphery of the financial meltdown, but every time I hear from her I hope she moves a little closer to center stage:
Pundits talk about “populist rage” as a way to trivialize the anger and fear coursing through the middle class. But they have it wrong. Families understand with crystalline clarity that the rules they have played by are not the same rules that govern Wall Street. They understand that no American family is “too big to fail.” They recognize that business models have shifted and that big banks are pulling out all the stops to squeeze families and boost revenues. They understand that their economic security is under assault and that leaving consumer debt effectively unregulated does not work.
Horrifically depressing echo of the past for the week:
“I am painfully clear that this is politically unpopular,” Obama told a small group of columnists. “Not only is this not popular, but it’s least popular in my own party. But that’s not how I make decisions.”Because focusing on unpopularity is something Washington gets caught up in. You can be sure Barack Obama doesn’t make decisions based upon polls (via). No - you cannot make decisions based upon, you know, popularity polls. At this rate it’s only a matter of time before he drops a “heckuva job” on us. If you can get to You Tube see Cenk explain, slowly enough for even a politician to understand, that low popularity may not be a sign of your being a misunderstood genius as much as a sign that you are making a terrible decision.
We’re still waiting, Mr. Holder.
Human rights groups continue pushing back on the Obama administration. Here’s the thing: the revelations will continue with or without you. The only question is whether you participate in the stonewalling.
Obama asks the Ninth Circuit for a mulligan. In the same way that contracts are bargaining chips when it comes to busting unions but sacred oaths when it comes to paying Wall Street executives, the law provides the very text of the social contract when it applies to petty criminals but is something to be endlessly gamed when it comes to high ranking officials. Welcome to reality, I know.
Any proposal for getting the country’s finances in order that does not include a minimum 90% reduction in the defense budget is simply not serious. If the marauding hordes sweep down from Canada we’ll institute a draft.
Ah, the wimpy, flaccid, pop gun impotence of tax cuts.
Glad someone said it. Wish more folks there would.
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