Buck Naked Politics

Happy 4th: Floridians, Please Support the Fair Redistricting State Constitutional Amendment

by Deb Cupples |   Happy Fourth of July.  On this day, I cannot help but think about patriotic duties: one of which is preserving our nation's bedrock principle of one person one vote.

If you're a Floridian, you may have noticed that our congressional and legislative districts were badly gerrymandered.  One result: for the past 10 years, our politicians' essentially have been choosing voters, instead of the other way around.

Please visit Fair Districts for Florida -- and consider downloading, signing, and submitting a petition for a state constitutional amendment that would require fair standards for redistricting. 

It's a NON-PARTISAN group, whose efforts will benefit voters from both parties.  Whichever political party may have control now, that control could be reversed in the future -- thus, denying millions of Florida voters a voice -- unless fair standards are applied to the process now.

Health Care Reform not as Costly as Previously Thought; Dodd Explains Public Insurance Option

by Deb Cupples |   Say what you will about Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn) and his questionable ties to the financial industry.  At this point, Sen. Dodd seems to be on the right side of the health care reform issue -- as he was on the Telecom Amnesty issue.

Two days ago, Sen. Dodd and Sen. Ted Kennedy sent a letter to the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, which 1) states that a recent health-care reform bill would not cost as much as previously thought, and 2) outlines a public-insurance option.

Apparently, the Congressional Budget Office has found that the cost of implementing the new bill would be $611 billion over 10 years.  I'm not sure what the original estimate was, but it reportedly was significantly higher.

That $611 billion is about 18% less than the $750 billion that our politicians (at the urging of George Bush and Henry Paulson) hurriedly funneled to Wall Street execs who had driven their companies -- and our nation's economy -- into a ditch year.

Krugman Comments on the Nearly Half-Million Jobs lost in June

by Deb Cupples |  The Bureau of Labor Statistics tells us that our nation lost 467,000 jobs last month -- the unemployment rate is at 9.5%.  The number of unemployed persons has increased by 7.2 million since our recession started in December 2007.

In a piece entitled "That 30s Show," Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman expresses  (understandable) concern:

"Since the recession began, the U.S. economy has lost 6 ½ million jobs — and as that grim employment report confirmed, it’s continuing to lose jobs at a rapid pace. Once you take into account the 100,000-plus new jobs that we need each month just to keep up with a growing population, we’re about 8 ½ million jobs in the hole."

52 Banks Fail so Far This Year

by Deb Cupples |  CNN tells us:

"Seven banks were shut down by authorities Thursday, pushing the tally of failed banks for 2009 to 52, more than doubling the failures in 2008.

"Six regional banks in Illinois and one in Texas closed their doors, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

"The rash of Illinois failures are interlinked: All six banks were controlled by one family and followed a similar business model that "created concentrated exposure in each institution," according to the FDIC.

"The agency said that the six failures stemmed from the banks' investments in collateralized debt obligations and other loan losses.

Of course: isn't the reckless investment in CDOs at the root of most financial institutions' need for a bailout -- that and executives' routinely looting the various shareholders' money pots?   Memeroandum has commentary

John Bolton's Call for Israel to "Help" Moderate Iranians -- by Bombing Iran

by Damozel | Here's some neocon "logic" for you:

Iran's nuclear threat was never in doubt during its presidential campaign, but the post-election resistance raised the possibility of some sort of regime change. That prospect seems lost for the near future or for at least as long as it will take Iran to finalize a deliverable nuclear weapons capability.

Accordingly, with no other timely option, the already compelling logic for an Israeli strike is nearly inexorable. Israel is undoubtedly ratcheting forward its decision-making process....With regime change off the table for the coming critical period in Iran's nuclear program, Israel's decision on using force is both easier and more urgent. Since there is no likelihood that diplomacy will start or finish in time, or even progress far enough to make any real difference, there is no point waiting for negotiations to play out.  (John R. Bolton in WaPo)

Here's the best bit:

Lady in Red: Why Media Shouldn't Leave Palin Alone

by Damozel | With all due respect to Deb, I'm all for continuing scrutiny of any potential candidate in the next election cycle.  Here's why:

Since Election Day, Palin has made only infrequent jaunts to the Lower 48 and has no public plans to cross the political Rubicon into Iowa or New Hampshire. But her oftentimes dysfunctional campaign experience does not seem to have swayed her from seeking national office.

In a recent interview with "Runner's World" magazine, the avid long distance runner was asked if there was a part of her that would have been reluctant to leave behind the Alaskan landscape and move to Washington, D.C., had the outcome in November been different. Notably, Palin did not use the past tense in her response. She was instead rather blunt in acknowledging that a future move to the nation's capital is something she can envision.

"Alaska would be hard to give up because it is such a part of who I am. So much of my life revolves around the great outdoors that that would be kind of tough," Palin said. "But on the other hand, I think of being in D.C. and in a position to promote physical fitness and the benefits of making good decisions health-wise and being an example to others, and I know that could do some good for our country."  (much more at cbs news)

Anyway, Palin's too richly entertaining to leave to her own devices.  On with the show!

SC Republicans Think It's Time for "Love Gov" to Go; What Sanford Didn't Do for Love

by Damozel | I have said it before: a hypocrite is always a farcical figure and the Sanford tragicomedy is a particularly ludicrous instance of a man in power brought low by love.  Let's face it:  if he really wanted to remain governor, he wouldn't have given those traumatically embarrassing interviews.  Forget the pathos; Sanford's doing everything he can to bring the bathos. 

My mom, regrettably a South Carolina Republican, always thought Sanford was a bit, shall we say, erratic. ("He's crazy!")  She was furious at the time that he was planning to reject that stimulus money on "principle" -- unemployment is at 12% in my little SC town -- but her usual prescience about people was coming into play as well.  Anyway, the tragicomedy continues, with hand-wringing over the "nonchalance" of Sanford's chief "strategist": his wife, Jenny and some mildly interesting stuff about the governor's poor relationship with his staff.(The Hill)   The NY Daily is, as expected, quite a lot nastier:  "Blubbering Love Gov. Mark Sanford tears up again over 'soul mate' Maria Belen Chapur.

Shareholding Senator Helped Bank Get TARP Funds

by Deb Cupples |  Reportedly, numerous members of the U.S. Congress tried to help banks in their states get funds from the TARP (i.e., the Wall Street Bailout).  The Washington Post tells us that Sen. Dan Inouye's intervention on a bank's behalf is a little different:

"Sen. Daniel K. Inouye's staff contacted federal regulators last fall to ask about the bailout application of an ailing Hawaii bank that he had helped to establish and where he has invested the bulk of his personal wealth."

Media Should Leave Sarah Palin Alone

by Deb Cupples |  Today, The Politico ran a story entitled "Palin Story Sparks Family Feud," which is about a recent Vanity Fair story that reportedly "has touched off a blistering exchange of insults among high-profile Republicans over last year’s GOP ticket – tearing open fresh wounds about leaks surrounding Palin and revealing for the first time some of the internal wars that paralyzed the campaign in its final days."

What dramatic, attention-grabbing words: "blistering," "insults," "wars."  But is there really a fresh story here? 

A year ago, numerous big Republicans were downright distraught over Candidate McCain's bizarre choice of a running mate.  Whenever Ms. Palin did a televised debate, you could hear the thunderous sound of Republican operatives, nationwide, simultaneously slapping their own foreheads silly when Ms. Palin attempted to address issues of national importance.

Senator Franken

In the wake of Al Franken’s long-awaited Senate victory in Minnesota, Steve Young has an interesting insight in the Huffington Post that should shed some light on how Franken made the transformation from comedian with a conscience to US Senator.  After all, Franken wasn’t looking to become a politician a few years ago, but after he was moved to write a scathing parody ripping Right Wing talk TV and radio, something happened.

Young has this take:

 

The straw that broke the far right wing's back came in the form of a 2003 law suit where the right-wing elevated the comic/author Franken from comic and author to Michael Moore danger level.
 
Penguin Books published Franken's book "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right," which included a cover photo of O'Reilly and a chapter accusing O'Reilly of lying. The book had sold fairly well, but would have run its course until Fox News, pushed by O'Reilly taking the bait, sued claiming infringement of its registered trademark phrase "Fair and Balanced." A federal judge found the lawsuit to be "wholly without merit" and Fox then filed to dismiss it. With the media attention drawn by the legal folly, Franken's sales and his public image went bonkers. He not only beat O'Reilly and made him appear thin-skinned and toothless, but his books and satirical approach taught the Democrats to fight back creatively. More importantly, he gave open-minded Republicans a bit of the truth behind far-right talk show zealots claims. Claims that had pretty much gone without scrutiny even by the so-called liberal mainstream media who were happy to book people like Limbaugh, O'Reilly and Ann Coulter to get their take on politics.  

Minnesota Supreme Court Says in 5-0 Decision: FRANKEN WON

by Teh Nutroots | The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered that Franken be certified as having won the seemingly endless election dispute with Norm Coleman.  (WaPo)

"We affirm the decision of the trial court that Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under (Minnesota law) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota," the court wrote in its 5-0 ruling.

With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.(WaPo)

The ruling was unanimous.(Minn. Star Tribune) So it's over, right, and the baddies have to accept that they lost?  Right?  Not necessarily:

The Honduran Coup and the U.S.

by Bill Kavanagh:  The question that comes to mind here regarding the recent coup in Honduras is, “What role will the US government play in either restoring democracy or in allowing the Honduran military to rule?”  As most readers know, the history of US support for coups in Latin America is a long and shameful one.  Now that one has taken place during the Obama Administration, we wonder what will distinguish his reaction to it from that of past US presidents.

Needful Diversions: French Bulldog Fosters Baby Tiger

C'est adorable!  It's not every day that you get to see a French bouledogue playing with un petit tigre.  After the jump....

Memphis Cop Pleads Guilty to Stealing Money from Latino Motorists

by Deb Cupples |  The police department in Memphis, Tennessee sure does seem to have troubles.  In February, I blogged about seven Memphis cops who'd (or more than two years) robbed alleged drug dealers of marijuana, cocaine, and cash.  Yes, evidence at trial suggests that the perpetrator-cops sold the purloined drugs (thereby putting the drugs back on the streets) and pocketed the profits.

Last week, a Memphis policeman named Carlton Moore pleaded guilty to three counts of violating civil rights by stealing money from motorists. The Justice Department reports:

"Carlton Moore, formerly an officer with the Memphis Police Department, pleaded guilty on Thursday in federal court in Memphis, Tenn., to three counts of violating civil rights for stealing money from motorists while acting under color of law. Moore faces up to three years in prison.

"Moore admitted that on March 1 and March 14, 2008, and again on May 4, 2009, he surreptitiously stole cash from three Latino drivers he pulled over while on duty as a Memphis police officer. During these stops, Moore ordered the victims out of their vehicles, patted them down and removed personal items from them during the search. He then stole money from the victims before returning their personal items and releasing them."

Another Example of Contractor Fraud Driving up Health Care Costs

by Deb Cupples |  Every dollar that winds up in a private contractor's pocket via waste, fraud or abuse is one less dollar to pay for actual health-care goods and services.  Period.

In March, I blogged about two Miami-Dade doctors at an HIV clinic who pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare (i.e., us taxpayers) out of $10+ million via private contracting.

Last week, eight Miami-Dade residents were indicted over an alleged $22 million Medicare fraud scheme involving home health care.  The Justice Department reports:.

Honduran President Ousted by Coup

Via Memeorandum, the New York Times reports:

"President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras was ousted by the army on Sunday, capping months of tensions over his efforts to lift presidential term limits.

"In the first military coup in Central America since the end of the cold war, soldiers stormed the presidential palace in the capital, Tegucigalpa, early in the morning, disarming the presidential guard, waking Mr. Zelaya and putting him on a plane to Costa Rica.

"Mr. Zelaya, a leftist aligned with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, angrily denounced the coup as illegal."

See the rest of the story here.  One is left wondering which nations and which industrial interests played a part in the recent coup.

Iran's Future

by Bill Kavanagh:  The continuing uprising in Iran is a hopeful sign for that beleaguered nation, but hardly a sure bet that the regime will fall anytime soon.  It’s inspiring that the activism of ordinary Iranians has kept even an old pol like Moussavi from abandoning claims to legitimacy in the face of the overwhelming power of the state.  However, the Revolutionary Guard has the force to make the streets of Tehran unsafe for protest and it is clearly willing to use violence on Moussavi’s supporters— and possibly on him as well.  

The nightly shouts from the rooftops of “God is Great” and “Death to the Dictator” remind the Iranian people that they are not alone but simultaneously that they cannot protest in the bright light of day without severe consequences.  The resistance to the Supreme Leader and to the militarization of Iranian life is now entering a precarious phase, during which reform leaders must decide how to sustain themselves and their movement in the face of increased repression and further violence.

The Daily Show: "Transparency" and "Accountability" Under Obama

by Damozel | After eight years of redactions, Obama gives the public only the information the public needs to know and protects Dick Cheney against the likes of Jon Stewart.  Let the sun shine in!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Cheney Predacted
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

Obama Considers Executive Order to Allow Detention of Detainees Without Charges?

 by Damozel |  Those who have been following the Obama administration's policies regarding Gitmo can't possibly feel surprised by this article in WaPo, though certain progressives who didn't listen closely enough to Obama during the primaries may be feeling severely disappointed.  Those of us who realized all along that the key word in many of Obama's most resounding statements is, and always has been, "but..." (sometimes unspoken) are perhaps less disillusioned through having had no illusions in the first place.

Glenn Greenwald, always a credit to progressives who put principle before the cult of personality, says:

Sanford: "King David Didn't Resign," So Neither Will Sanford

Good stuff as well about humility. What an example to the many, many other disgraced Republicans who once called for Clinton's impeachment and then just sank out of sight!  I must say that quite a few SC Republicans I've spoken to are in a much less tolerant frame of mind toward Sanford than he is toward himself.