August 2012 Archives

ProPublica, a great independent website that helps cut through all the political spin, has a Bailout Tracker, which follows the flows of funds from the bailout.  Here's their latest summary: The Bailout ScorecardLast update: Aug. 29, 2012Altogether, accounting for both the TARP and the Fannie and Freddie bailout, $604 billion has gone out the door--invested, loaned, or paid out--while $319 billion has been returned.The Treasury has been earning a return on most of the money...

Miss me?Some good quotes to ponder as we prepare for the November election. Sentient beings, take note. Repubs, you should pay attention too. :-) 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Times; mso-hansi-font-family:Times;} "Those who are willing to trade freedom for security deserve neither freedom nor security." - Benjamin...

Is it me, or has the cast of characters really changed in the GOP at the convention this year?  Also, what about the subjects that have been the keystones of Republican focus for over a decade?  Listening to the speeches last night, I was more struck by what is not being said and who is not present rather than who is there and what is being said. Who's missing?  Only former president George W. Bush,...

Matt Yglesias: Last night in the comfort of my living room watching PBS, I got a better sense of exactly how tedious it is to watch person after person saying basically the same thing. But it also reminds you of the fundamental value of conventions--they cut through the veil of "news" and remind non-junkies of the enduring disagreements between the parties that, at root, all elections are about. Only once you see it in that...

The Romney campaign has decided they aren't moving the needle far enough and fast enough with economic issues, plus they can't overcome the fact that people just don't like Mitt Romney, so it's time to pull out the old Republican tried and true--the president is near."Having survived a summer of attacks but still trailing the president narrowly in most national polls, Mr. Romney's campaign remains focused intently on the economy as the issue that can...

Mitt Romney thinks he made a funny with his "no one's ever asked to see my birth certificate" line in Michigan yesterday:"In an interview with CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley on Friday, Mitt Romney played down the remarks he made about President Obama's origins, arguing that they amounted to a joke and not a "swipe" at the president."No, no, not a swipe," Romney said. "I've said throughout the campaign and before, there's no question...

Today, one of my heroes, Neil Armstrong, died at age 82.  He was the first man to walk on the moon, stepping out of his lunar lander at  2:56 UTC on July 21, 1969.  As a 16 year-old, and son of an Air Force pilot, I was infatuated with everything that flew - airplanes, rockets, helicopters, gliders.  Having grown up watching the space race, and like most kids my age, I wanted to be an...

After refusing to withdraw from the Senate race in Missouri yesterday, Rep. Todd Akin went on Mike Huckabee's radio show in an attempt to clarify his remarks about "legitimate rape." As could be expected, Akin pulled out his trusty shovel and kept digging:"You know, Dr. Willke has just released a statement and part of his letter, I think he just stated it very clearly. He said, of course Akin never used the word legitimate to...

President Obama yesterday in New Hampshire:<br />"They have been trying to sell this trickle-down snake oil before. It did not work then. It will not work now. It's not a plan to create jobs. It will not reduce the deficit. It will not move the economy forward. It's the wrong direction for America." Yes, more of this please. ...

The headline at The Hill reads "Ryan saves boldest plan for Medicaid." I think the word they're looking for is cruelest, not boldest.:"Medicare is not the only entitlement Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has big plans to reform. Its sister program, Medicaid, would lose about three-quarters of its federal funding by 2050 under proposals from the Republican vice presidential candidate, according to federal budget auditors. Medicaid provides healthcare for the poor and the disabled. Over 10...