Attytood: Cheney gives Philly economy a shot in the face

Newshoggers: Nice, if true, but it doesn’t make a damn bit of difference either way.

Average Bro: Cotton Hill & John McCain - Separated at birth?

Jewschool: Israel’s Arabs

Dani Rodrik: If the Danes can do it, why can’t others?

Crooked Timber: Phyllis Schlafly’s honorary degree: a travesty of a mockery of a sham.

While others in the media have played snippets of Rev. Wright’s sermons over and over to call into question Barack Obama for his association with his pastor, they’ve remained conspicuously silent on the statements of conservative Christian leaders John Hagee, Jerry Falwell and Rod Parsley.  As I’ve blogged many times before, the snippets of Wright’s words have been taken out of context to twist and make malevolent his intent.  But Keith Olbermann allows the full statements of Hagee, Falwell and Parsley to air, revealing their hatred, ignorance and intolerance. 

 Download | Play    Download | Play  (h/t Bill W) 

John Hagee: I believe that New Orleans had a level of sin that was offensive to God, and they are, were recipients of the judgment of God for that.  The newspaper carried the story, in our local area, that was not carried nationally, that there was to be a homosexual parade there on the Monday that the…Katrina came, and the promise of that parade was that it was going to reach a level of sexuality never demonstrated before in any of the other Gay Pride parades.  So I believe that the judgment of God is a very real thing.

I’m not sure how I feel about exhorting believers to follow a God so willing to callously end the lives of more than 4,000 Gulf Coast residents, most of whom, I think it’s safe to say, were not planning on attending the Gay Pride parade in New Orleans.   

From the WSJ:

Almost half of the economists in the latest Wall Street Journal forecasting survey decided against answering a question on which presidential candidate offers the most responsible fiscal policies. However, Sen. John McCain was the clear favorite of those who answered the question.

From Paul Krugman:

McCain offers the most responsible fiscal policies? Notice that this wasn’t about who you think will be most economically sound in general, or who you think would be better at fiscal management in practice — although even there, nothing in the Republican party’s past 30 years offers any reason to believe that it would be responsible in any way shape or form. But this question was about what the candidate is offering — and McCain’s proposals are, demonstrably, wildly irresponsible.

It’s hard to imagine what those economists are thinking.

Schoolhouse Rock defines a generation:   this morning my third grade son had a school program, during which the students recited the Preamble to the US Constitution.  Practically the entire audience of forty-something suburban parents suppressed both giggles and the urge to sing the version above, some more successfully than others. 

Open thread below…

Eddy Arnold passed away this morning, age 89. If you’re a fan of the commercial, over-produced Nashville sound, you probably revere Arnold’s musical style and gigantic influence. The man had 28 number one hits! His first #1 was “Cattle Call” in 1955. Listen to it along with his 1959 hit “Tennessee Stud,” which only reached #5 on the country charts but had more cross-over success in the pop world.

Last night while in NYC for his appearance on The Daily Show, John McCain also made time to attend a controversial fundraiser hosted by New York Jets owner Robert Wood Johnson IV on his behalf that may not have violated the letter of the campaign finance laws that McCain championed just a few years ago, but certainly the spirit of them. The event was said to have raised over $7 million, including a pledged $100,000 each from the 19 co-hosts and another $25,000 from each of the 39 co-chairs. Donors were apparently not limited by the $2,300 cap on individuals and could give tens of thousands of their own cash thanks to McCain’s Victory Committee created specifically to get around donation limits.

This isn’t the first McCain fundraiser to raise eyebrows. Just a few days ago Judicial Watch “filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) alleging that Senator McCain’s (R-Arizona) campaign may have accepted an in-kind contribution from foreign nationals in contravention of federal election laws” for a fundraiser that “took place in London, England, on March 20, 2008 — and Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton says the event involved two British nationals.“

You may also recall that the McCain campaign has already “officially broken the limits imposed by the presidential public financing system” and is facing lawsuits. On Tuesday, the White House moved to “rig any FEC enforcement decision concerning campaign finance questions” related to it. Also, McCain has been breaking the campaign finance law he backed just last year that requires presidential candidates to pay the actual cost of flying on corporate jets through his campaign’s privileged use of his mega-millionaire wife’s “Sugar Momma Express” at heavily discounted rates, which is especially troubling that he’s able to tap into such marital perks since McCain keeps all of his assets in his wife’s name, save for one checking account, and, as Steve reported earlier, Cindy McCain’s now openly swearing that she will “never” release her tax info.

The lengths to which McCain is going to get around the very rules he used to support until they applied to him and the secrecy surrounding his wife’s assets is very troubling. He’s becoming more and more McSame as Bush every day.

Jon Stewart proved again last night that he is one of the best, if not the best, interviewer on television. Although the first part of the interview (not included here) was very cordial and weak, the second part heated up quickly. Stewart quizzed McCain on the Hagee endorsement, his seemingly detrimental connection to George Bush, his campaign’s disgusting implication that Hamas endorses Obama, and a few other things.

 Download | Play  Download | Play

Stewart: “Will you take the opportunity to repudiate and denounce President Bush?”

The media double-standard when it comes to McCain is sickening. Barack Obama had to jump through hoops in order to distance himself from Rev. Wright. Yet John McCain is allowed to stutter and stammer through his excuses for holding onto the endorsement. I’m sure this is just a taste of things to come.

Sweet Jesus, I hate Tucker Carlson. And Joe Scarborough isn’t exactly far down that list either. However, this exchange between the two of them was so far outside anything that that we in the reality-based community could recognize that I actually have to ponder out loud what color the sky is in their world. In discussing the gas tax proposal made by John McCain, Carlson and Scarborough conflate liberals with the media once again (because we all know the media is liberal, right? <snark>) and claim that the media is so in love with Barack Obama that they can’t criticize his stance against the gas tax.

 Download | Play  Download | Play (h/t David)

The reality that the media has acknowledged giving McCain a pass and the huge scrutiny of Obama and everyone he might have been in contact with aside–since I’ve already acknowledged that Carlson and Scarborough do not live in reality–how much more patronizing and ridiculous could their characterizing could be?

TC: It’s gonna be…It’s gonna be such a great election.

JS: It’s gonna be awesome. Especially when you have the media loving one candidate as much as they love Barack Obama.

TC: It’s more than love. It’s the kind of love that…anybody who’s been a ninth grade boy understands, this species of love. Do you know what I mean?

MB: Wow.

JS: No, it’s true. It’s all-consuming.

TC: It’s red-in-the-face, think-about-you-when-I-go-to-bed, too-embarassed-to-stand-up, sealed-with-a-kiss love. It’s puppy love.

MB: Wow.

JS: It really is.

MB: What are you guys talking about?

JS: No, seriously. The media’s love affair with Barack Obama is all-consuming. It is..it is…no, it really is. It is a ninth grade love affair, where if you say anything about their love interest, they get very red-faced, angry, and emotional. They can’t really think logically about it.

Now I’ll give Carlson the acknowledgment that there are some Obama supporters who are pretty out there with their support of their candidate (and before someone starts attacking me for saying so, Clinton has some equally rabid supporters as well), but he’s talking about the media, not passionate members of the electorate. To conflate the two just shows once again how shallow and un-informed Carlson and Scarborough are and how little truth they add to the public discourse.

The Obamas released tax returns for both Barack and Michelle. The Clintons released returns for both Bill and Hillary. But when John McCain released his tax returns a few weeks ago, Cindy McCain’s tax documents will remain private.

It’s not too hard to understand why. The McCains are extraordinarily wealthy — one might even be tempted to call them “elites” — and Cindy McCain’s assets are estimated to be about $100 million, including a private jet, which her husband has been borrowing at a reduced rate.

Given the other candidates’ disclosures, and McCain’s own alleged commitment to transparency, will we ever see Cindy McCain’s returns? She was asked on the “Today” show this morning, and said, politely, “Never.”

I’ll tell you a little secret: at first blush, I’m not inclined to care. The McCains have more money than some countries, they haven’t been accused of any financial improprieties, and while it’s interesting when a guy like McCain opposes minimum-wage increases while flying around on his wife’s private jet, I’m not exactly itching to go through Cindy McCain’s tax returns. In fact, I’m not surprised that someone of her wealth would want to keep her returns free of scrutiny.

But this is absolutely relevant in this presidential campaign for a few reasons.

(Read the rest of this story…)

 Download | Play  Download | Play (h/t BillW)

Stephen Colbert skewers the Terror Watchlist by speaking to Hasan Elahi, who remains on the Watchlist despite being cleared of all charges and who has resorted to an innovative way to respond to those federal watchdogs.

My favorite terrorist is Hasan Elahi. Just saying his name makes my heart go up one Terror Alert level. Why Elahi? Well, to begin with, he’s innocent. A quality so rare in someone so guilty. You see, in 2002, Elahi was detained by the FBI on suspicion of hoarding explosives in a Florida storage unit. Turns out, he didn’t have any explosives. In fact, he was the only person in Florida without gunpowder. But the FBI refused to give Elahi a written letter clearing him of suspicion because he refused to change his name, religion and skin color. Instead, they just asked him to “check in” with them periodically. And here’s where I really like this guy: for the last six years, Elahi has taken the burden off government surveillance by surveilling himself. Everyday, Elahi takes hundreds of photos of his whereabouts and sends them to the FBI. Pictures of the airports he travels through, the bathrooms he visits, even the meals he eats. With these pictures, he’s ensuring that he’ll never be arrested on suspicion of terror, though by judging by some of the meals he’s eating, Gitmo might be an improvement.

Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks offers a little advice on the campaign.  

No, it’s not the latest ranting of Grampa McSame, but a news item my local San Francisco news affiliate carried.  The context was a new way to combat the problem of loitering in high crime areas.   The answer is a technology that struck me: “The Mosquito.” an ultrasonic device that emits a high-pitched noise that only teenagers can hear.

Marketed under the banner “Kids Be Gone,” the device emits a high-frequency modulated tone that has been likened to fingernails on a blackboard or a mosquito buzzing in the ear. Because the ability to hear higher frequencies fades with age, the Mosquito affects only people younger than about age 25. Also, according to the makers and various media reports, the sound does not annoy young children or dogs, only people in the 13 to 25 age bracket.[..]

A website focused on the Mosquito — www.kidsbegone.com — says studies have shown the device is safe and does not damage teenagers’ hearing. The effective range is about 50 feet, according to the website.

In a sneaky twist, the same technology is available as a cellphone ring tone, alerting teens to calls that teachers, parents and other adults can’t hear. The Kids Be Gone website has a link to the high frequency ring tone. In a test at The Courant, a 22-year-old said he could clearly hear the tone, while several staffers over age 25 heard nothing.

The technology rests with little tiny hair perceptors in our ears that usually die off by the age of 25.  Although the manufacturers say that no permanent damage is done from  The Mosquito, I’m a little wary of such assurances.  The technology has been used in the UK and is now the subject of a protest for its indiscriminate use. (YouTube)

full disclosure: I work for the Courage Campaign

We may have a situation in San Diego where two Republicans running for mayor are fighting to win the “I hate Blackwater more” competition. Seriously. It is bizarre, but great to see.

Blackwater managed to use two shell companies to get permits for a “vocational training facility” three blocks from the Mexican border (border security contracts, anyone?). The Courage Campaign teamed up with the San Diego County Democratic Party and Francine Busby to pressure San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders to start an investigation into the duplicitous means they used to obtain the permits. 2,660 people, including nearly 1,800 San Diego area residents, signed our letter to the Mayor in just a few days, after we targeted an email to San Diego County.

It worked. Monday afternoon he announced that he ordered the city’s COO to launch an investigation.

Today, we just asked all of our members to sign this letter to the mayor, to ensure that no matter the outcome of the investigation, the Mayor needs to show real leadership in opposing Blackwater. Please join the Courage Campaign in signing the letter and keep the pressure on the mayor.

Surprisingly, we were joined in our opposition to Blackwater today by Mayor Sander’s main rival for his office — wealthy conservative businessman Steve Francis — who went right after Sanders on Blackwater. This is from his press release (via email):

Right now, the Blackwater permit issue raises more questions than it answers. In light of the Blackwater West controversy last year, the fact that permits were sought using the names of Blackwater affiliates and not the Blackwater name itself raises serious questions. Was this a deliberate deception? How was a permit for a “vocational training school” given to a paramilitary training facility? Why was this matter not handled in an open and transparent way with public hearings and public comment period?

Those are some damn good questions. Sanders can answer a lot of them by taking a firm stand against Blackwater, blocking them from building a base of operations just three blocks from the Mexican border. Simply initiating an investigation is not enough. He needs to make it his mission to keep them out of San Diego.

Media Matters:  

Following the publication of the April 20 New York Times front-page article on the hidden ties between media military analysts and the Pentagon, the Department of Defense has released to the public numerous documents regarding the analyst program. One of the documents released is an audio recording of an April 18, 2006, meeting that several military analysts attended with then-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Gen. Peter Pace, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During the meeting, one of the attendees tells Rumsfeld, “[W]e get beat up on television sometimes when we go on and we are debating” and says that he would “personally love” for Rumsfeld “to take the offensive, to just go out there and just crush these people so that when we go on, we’re — forgive me — we’re parroting, but it’s what has to be said. It’s what we believe in, or we would not be saying it.” The individual adds: “And we’d love to be following our leader, as indeed you are. You are the leader. You are our guy.” The transcript released by the Pentagon does not identify the person who made this comment; the Pentagon has provided this list of “confirmed” “[p]articipants.” Media Matters for America has documented the consistent unwillingness of most of the outlets mentioned in the Times article to discuss the military analyst story.

Will media outlets try to determine if they have hosted the person who asserted that Rumsfeld was “our guy” and suggested that he would “parrot[]” Rumsfeld’s statements?

Media Matters provides a list of all those attending the meeting that day.   The Times article quotes one ABC analyst, Gen. William Nash, as being “repulsed” by the meeting and most of its attendees, but clearly there are others only too happy to play this psyops game on the American people. 

George Stephanopoulos said uncommitted superdelegates supporting Barack Obama “will come three, four, five at a time, and this nomination will be locked up.” We’re still a ways from a “locked up” nomination, but there was some movement on the superdelegate front today, and Obama appears to have a net gain of four for the afternoon.

Today, in the wake of the North Carolina and Indiana primaries, the Obama campaign is announcing three new superdelegates: Jerry Meek, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, Jeanette Council, a member of the D.N.C. from North Carolina and Inola Henry, a member of the D.N.C. from California. […]

These endorsements brings the total number of superdelegates to endorse Mr. Obama to 261, according to the campaign’s tally. He is 170 delegates away from securing the Democratic nomination.

The news wasn’t all bad for Clinton, though. Rep. Heath Shuler had promised to support whichever candidate won his North Carolina district yesterday. Clinton carried the district easily (a 13-point victory), prompting Shuler to back the New York senator.

While that would give Obama a net gain of two for the day, Jennifer McClellan, a state rep in Virginia and a DNC member, switched today from Clinton to Obama.

Former Sen. George McGovern’s switch was a fairly big deal, but it did not affect the totals because McGovern isn’t a superdelegate.

So, where does that leave us, as of now? NBC has Clinton’s superdelegate lead down to 12.5 (272.5 to 260); the Politico also shows Clinton ahead by 12.5 (269.5 to 257); CNN puts the number at 13 (267 to 254); and