The meetings between new British Prime Minister Gordon Brown
and President George W. Bush find the “special relationship”
between America and its chief ally still quite special.
** OBAMA CATCHES HILLARY IN NEW HAMPSHIRE POLL. I still need to write up an after-action analysis of last week’s dust-up between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama over the circumstances in which one meets with leaders of rogue nations — I had a lengthy item last week after I questioned former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, naturally a Clinton backer, and yesterday’s Bill Clinton item — but here is an interesting item. For the first time, in the aftermath of last week’s CNN YouTube debate and foreign policy dust-up, Barack Obama has caught Hillary Clinton in a New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary poll.
It comes in a poll by American Research Group, which in my experience generally shows Hillary running better than other polls. Here are the numbers: Obama 31%, Clinton 31%, John Edwards 14%, Bill Richardson 7%. Rudy Giuliani has a very slight lead on the Republican side over Mitt Romney.
** CALIFORNIA BUDGET UPDATE: STATE HAS STIFFED PROGRAMS AND VENDORS OVER A BILLION BUCKS SO FAR. THAT WILL TRIPLE IN AUGUST. California state Controller John Chiang said today that the absence of the budget made it impossible for him to legally pay some $1.1 billion in July to nursing homes, special education programs, community colleges, cancer detection programs and the businesses that provide various services to state government. He projects that he will have to withhold another $2.1 billion in August should the budget stall continue.
** MICHELANGELO ANTONIONI. Italian director Michelangelo Antonio has passed away in Rome at age 94. Antonioni was a pioneer of modernist film, specializing in long takes and cinematic meditations on existential themes of perception and alienation in films such as Blowup, The Passenger, and Red Desert. In my favorite, Blowup, a photographer in swinging ’60s London thinks he may have inadvertently found evidence of a murder. So he keeps blowing up his images to see how clearly he can discern the reality of it. Not well at all. In The Passenger, Jack Nicholson is a TV journalist in Africa, trying to run down a story he doesn’t understand about a war he doesn’t understand, an observer in his own life. Frustrated, he switches identities with a dead man. These are not films for the jumpcut generation.
** CRUDE OIL: RECORD HIGH CLOSING PRICE. Trading in crude oil just closed for the day on a record high of $78.21 per barrel, more than a dollar higher than the previous record close of $77.03 per barrel, set last July 14th during the Israel-Hezbollah War. The intraday trading record of $78.40 was challenged before the close.
Why is oil so high? That’s a good question. I’ve heard a variety of explanations, not at all consistent, and they don’t quite add up. This is not something that lends itself to instant analysis.
** CRUDE OIL 17 CENTS BELOW RECORD HIGH. Crude oil is trading up to $78.23 per barrel, just 17 cents below the record high hit last July during the Israel-Hezbollah War.
** PARTY LEADER REBUKES ARNOLD-CARPING RIGHT-WING BLOG. A fellow member of the California Republican Party’s executive board has sent a letter rebuking Flash Report proprietor and Southern California party vice chairman Jon Fleischman for several of his statements about Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Jon-
You are quoted in the July 30, 2007 Contra Costa Times:” With the party base, I think there’s a bit of chagrin that we elected a fiscal conservative who got into office and completely changed”. But former Senate Republican leader Jim Bruilte, in a July 26, 2007 article in the Riverside Press-Enterprise entitled “Arnold a big spender? Hardly?” came to the opposite conclusion. He reported that the annual rate of state spending increases under Governor Schwarzenegger is “almost identical to former Gov, Pete Wilson’s frugal track record and much better than Govs. Davis, Deukmejian and Brown-or even Reagan-were able to achieve!”
And as far as “chagrin” in the party base, the article that quoted you stated quite the contrary. “He… (The Governor)…remains hugely popular among registered Republicans-a recent poll by the Public Policy Institute of California pegged his approval rating within the party at 75 percent…” In crafting the headline, the editor must have read only your quote rather the rest of the article when he made its head the totally inaccurate and misleading: “Governor’s GOP popularity in free fall.”
The “chagrin” may be yours, but the overwhelming majority of California Republicans must agree with conservative columnist Robert Novak that the Governor is the California Republican Party’s “greatest asset.”
We need to hear more cheering than sniping from our own benches.
Doug Metz
CRP Executive Board Member
Contrary to some expectations, British troops will not be withdrawn from Iraq until Iraqi authorities are deemed capable of handling their own security. But a British pull-back from combat patrols, started by former Prime Minister Tony Blair, will continue. This may become the position of a critical mass of Republicans, as well, this fall.
It was probably a stretch for some to assume that a politician who vacations at Cape Cod and is a friend of Alan Greenspan — that would be Brown — would share the anti-Americanism of so many of Blair’s critics.
Meanwhile, Gordon Brown is pushing hard for action on Darfur from the US and the UN, and he may get it.
** ARNOLD’S EVEN BIGGER HIT! The Simpsons Movie, featuring a character named “President Arnold Schwarzenegger,” is an even bigger hit than I thought. It didn’t gross the estimated $71.9 million in its opening weekend at the domestic box office. It grossed $74 million. Fantastic.
In its sixth weekend of release, the vaunted Michael Moore film on US health care woes, Sicko, grossed $1.2 million. Its total domestic box office to date is $21.5 million.
** CALIFORNIA BUDGET UPDATE: MOVING GOALPOSTS. I’m told that state Senate Republicans — who have held up California’s budget following its bipartisan passage in the Assembly — have provided yet another new wrinkle after a day of negotiations with Democrats and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. They now want tax cuts. Again. The objections have been vague — secret cuts was the line for quite awhile — and changeable for weeks.
This is all very exciting.
** WESTLY ON PORT POLLUTION. Decrying the increased risk of asthma and cancer and growing traffic gridlock around California’s ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach, and the San Francisco Bay Area, former state Controller and eBay honcho-turned-cleantech venture capitalist Steve Westly argues in a Sacramento Bee column for a bill by state Senator Alan Lowenthal. The bill would create a $30 per cargo container fee to mitigate pollution and promote transit around the ports. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has been cool to the idea in the past.
** AN ESSENTIALLY UNOPPOSED GAVIN NEWSOM. As reported yesterday, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom now looks to end up running this year for re-election essentially unopposed. This, despite a much ballyhooed personal scandal earlier this year and the great enmity of many on the left. (Yes, I know Newsom is on the left. We’re talking more left; it’s San Francisco.) Despite his woes, Newsom maintained a 70%-plus job approval rating, which led former Supervisor Matt Gonzalez, who ran a close race against Newsom in November 2005, to conclude that the charismatic young mayor is unbeatable.
** AL QAEDA’S AMERICAN PRISONERS STILL NOT LOCATED. American troops are now in the midst of a 79th day of searching for the remaining two US soldiers captured by Al Qaeda in an ambush south of Baghdad. They have had no luck so far. A video put out by Al Qaeda forces in Iraq claims that all three men were executed after being captured. But, with the exception of the Californian found floating in the Euphrates River, that claim can’t be confirmed. The US high command in Baghdad has revealed that ID cards for the other two American prisoners were found in an Al Qaeda safehouse on June 9th.
** Track global and national energy prices in near real time via Bloomberg. Crude oil prices have hit a one-year high at $77.50 per barrel.
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The Spider Pig is as big a star of the Simpsons movie as Schwarzenegger.
That’s a matter of opinion …
The Republicans keep changing around on the budget. That’s a surprise. lol
Yes, what a surprise.. I believe that waiting on Arnold to pay his respects and take up at least one of their causes, like the olden days, is what this is mostly about.
Nice write by Mr. Westly.
If my fading old memory serves me, it’s one of the policy issues he was quite interested in as Controller and he pushed the issue quite hard as a member of the State Lands’ Commission.
Good for Gavin Newsom. He took his lumps, told the truth, and got on with it.
It’s interesting to compare the recent behavior of the two candidates for the Democratic primary for governor.
Both have used the internet to communicate to supporters. Aside from a oddly written email (It’s purpose was unclear, and the timing seemed odd), Westly has been far better at reaching out to people. Angelides is in Howard Kaloogian territory.
I’ve only remained on Phil’s list for training purposes (e.g. here’s how to burn a list and here’s what NOT to write). In an earlier post I joked that maybe Phil’s next email will contain his budget. Mister Bradley replied that he thought it unlikely that Angelides would send anything out soon. Surprise! Phil send another email out yesterday.
I know it’s cliche nowadays to say “I don’t listen to my handlers,” but with Phil we have a case where it must be true, or he has the worse handlers in the history of politics.
The deep politics of US and UK surpass most forms of partisanship.
It’s been that way for a long time. Although this administration tends to push the boundaries.
Gospodin Bierko,I think I know what Phil Angelides is attempting to accomplish. Which is not the same as what he is accomplishing.
>I know it’s cliche nowadays to say “I don’t listen to my handlers,” but with Phil we have a case where it must be true, or he has the worse handlers in the history of politics.
Jul 31, 2007 09:35 AM
It’s working out brilliantly for him, at least in San Francisco.
>Capitol Boy :
Good for Gavin Newsom. He took his lumps, told the truth, and got on with it.
Jul 31, 2007 08:57 AM
It’s working out brilliantly for him, at least in San Francisco.
>Capitol Boy :
Good for Gavin Newsom. He took his lumps, told the truth, and got on with it.
Jul 31, 2007 08:57 AM
Like what, do you suppose?
>Hap Hazard :
Yes, what a surprise.. I believe that waiting on Arnold to pay his respects and take up at least one of their causes, like the olden days, is what this is mostly about.
Jul 31, 2007 08:40 AM
It seems to me that the republican legislators expect Arnold to support anything they have proposed, a tax cut, elimination of the augmentation that the democrats inserted for payments to chronically not working welfare recipients — just about anything, the main issue for them seeming to be that they expect him as a republican to side with them. I am sure that even the phrase ‘post-partisan’ rankles with most of them, since they think that means post-republican.
Flush the Flash Report. lol
When did getting embarrassed and being wrong ever stop Fleischman? He is a problem for the Republican Party. He’s a face easily exposed as a buffoon.
Let’s keep the rhetoric cool.
Hap, “post-partisan” doesn’t mean post-Republican and post-Democrat, it means post-hyperpartisan Republican and post-hyperpartisan Democrat.
Oil price at the record, I didn’t see a war start. New war. Are they worried about Pakistan?
My God, there’s a sane person on the CRP Exec Board! Who knew?
I blame the high price of crude on this guy:
http://www.actorbuddyebsen.info/images/jedcl1f.jpg
Not fair. He’s just a poor mountaineer tryin’ to keep his family fed.
Kind of like Dick Cheney.
“Well, let me tell the story ’bout a man named Jed, a poor mountaineer barely kept his fam’ly fed. Then one day he was shootin’ at some food. And up from the ground come a bubblin’ crude. Oil, that is. Black Gold. Texas Tea.”
Wilbur, the vote on the CRP board to keep independents out of the presidential primary was only 11 to 9.
we need to hear a LOT more from those nine. The credibility of the party as a balancer against Dem excesses depends upon it. How does a ruling bloc so out of step with the broader Reep electorate manage to stay in power? Why aren’t center-right Reeps organizing to take the party back? They badly need a DLC-type movement over there…
They are buffaloed by a fake.
The right wingnuts are overstepping. Jonny Flashman says he’s “we.” lol
I’d rather think about Antonioni at the moment …
Zabriskie Point blew my mind.
Had its moments, but the leads are so bad they make me look like a quality actor.
Harrison Ford has a cameo — well, nobody knew who he was so it’s not a cameo — as demonstrator.
Can Newsom run for Governor of California?
The movie’s a mess in many ways, but the mood and the mixing of flower power and violence as if they were somehow compatible, coming at the time it did as the 60s fantasy was imploding, was powerfully disturbing.
PM Maliki is having a very BAD day! and I mean Bad…
Maybe, though I don’t know that he wants to yet. And it might depend on the field. He’s been close to the Brown family since he was a child.
>Len :
Can Newsom run for Governor of California?
Jul 31, 2007 03:32 PM
Maybe, though I don’t know that he wants to yet. And it might depend on the field. He’s been close to the Brown family since he was a child.
>Len :
Can Newsom run for Governor of California?
Jul 31, 2007 03:32 PM
On Oil…jitters over access and production problems in Kazakhstan Iraq…Nigeria…take a look at who has oil and the quality of our relatinship with them…then there is increase global demand …like I said last week oil at a $100 a barrel early next year would not surprise many financial eexperts
Zabriskie Point is an interesting movie to look up, though I think it really pales to Blowup as a ’60s picture.
Do you think there’s even been a really successful protest picture? Besides Easy Rider.
>Wilbur :
The movie’s a mess in many ways, but the mood and the mixing of flower power and violence as if they were somehow compatible, coming at the time it did as the 60s fantasy was imploding, was powerfully disturbing.
Jul 31, 2007 04:22 PM
How so?
>Barbara :
PM Maliki is having a very BAD day! and I mean Bad…
Jul 31, 2007 04:39 PM
Musharraf did not have a good day either…Al Qaeda leader al Libi called for his over throw because he is an Oapostate and a “corrupt tyrant”
Incidentally, I feel a bit badly about marking the deaths of Bill Walsh and Antonioni and not saying anything about the death of Ingmar Bergman. But frankly, his work had no impact on me.
I was acquainted with Walsh, who is a California icon, met Antonioni, but had no contact whatsoever with Bergman.
Port pollution is an issue that is very quickly become of keen interest among electeds and others. Our regional body in So. Cal. is having a workshop Thursday partly on the topic that Westly’s op-ed raises: http://scag.ca.gov/downloads/home/GMCM080207Workshop.pdf
where to begin…his army chief tendered his resignation..he refused it …his predessor al Jaafari is trying to build an alliance with two Kurdish parties and two Sunni parties and Muqtada’ shite base for the purpose of ousting him…Kurdistan’s Prez warned of a “real civil war” ON Kirkuk is held …kirkuk is oil rich…and 43 tribal leaders in southern cities…Basra being one have established a new autonomy government….now are we going to continue to pump him up?
Yes, Our Man In Baghdad.
What’s the alternative?
Allawi is a good guy, but he is a British citizen.
woops shoud read ….real civil war unles referendum on kirkuk is held …think about iraq now an imagine for a moment A REAL CIVil WAR!!!!
$3 billion in non-payments. Yes, boys, keep listening to little Jonny Flashman and his “no comment” Flush Report. lol
there are alternatives …he has to go …the Iranians just don’t want a Baathist …the Saudis who hate maliki for dragging his feet on more sunni representation want exactly that more sunni reepresentation….there are alternatives ..
Bill: Do you think there’s even been a really successful protest picture? Besides Easy Rider
Maybe Birth of A Nation fits that bill.
But I think in modern filmmaking if one sits down to write a “protest movie” script, the project is doomed at inception to become pedantic and boring. Successful movies can incidentally make powerful motivational statements if wrapped inside a good movie with a compelling plot: from that era, Apocalypse Now on the madness of war and the deceit of the shot-callers, Rambo and Deer Hunter on the abandonment and alienation of war vets, China Syndrome and Silkwood on the dangers of profit-over-safety in the nuke industry, Rollerball on the emergence of corporatism superseding government as the authoritarian threat of our times. Rather than going straight at the lesson in a preachy way a la Fahrenheit 911, such topical dramas speak inferentially (some more ham-handedly than others) and influence the audience’s attitudes more viscerally than intellectually, bus effectively nonetheless.
Of the bunch I think Apocalypse Now is the consummate blending of message and movie, without the former upstaging the latter.
Wilbur, since I think most of the movies you’re talking about are terrific movies, I should have been clearer. I really meant more of a student/dropout type protest movie.
Maybe The Graduate in a way. But I seem to vaguely remember some fairly awful pictures about campus protest.
There’d better be alternatives.
Too bad it wasn’t so simple as to ahve Ahmed Chalabi like the promoters said would go so well …
>Barbara :
there are alternatives …he has to go …the Iranians just don’t want a Baathist …the Saudis who hate maliki for dragging his feet on more sunni representation want exactly that more sunni reepresentation….there are alternatives ..
Jul 31, 2007 05:20 PM