President Barack Obama, after touring a new solar photovoltaic array at Nellis Air Force Base today outside Las Vegas, discussed his economic recovery program.
** QUICK HITS. There are signs that North Korea is looking for a naval incident with South Korea. It’s pursued two such deadly encounters in recent years. The US has two aircraft carrier strike groups, USS George Washington and USS John Stennis, in the Western Pacific, but only one, the Washington group, that is reportedly currently in the vicinity of the Korean Peninsula. … President Barack Obama is expected to raise over $3 million tonight for the Democratic National Committee at the Beverly Hilton. It’s his first fundraiser in California since winning the presidency. … Ex-eBay CEO and Republican campaign official Meg Whitman will have her campaign for governor of California endorsed by John McCain on Friday. McCain, for whom Whitman served as national campaign co-chair, lost California by 24 points to Obama. … Former California Senate leader Don Perata was cleared today after a five-year investigation by the US Justice Department. No charges were ever filed against Perata, who spent a fortune defending himself against an amorphous cloud of allegations. Perata must now be rated the favorite to replace incumbent Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums in next year’s election.
** GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. At the big DNC fundraiser tonight in LA, President Barack Obama will be joined by America’s newest Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter. The former Pennsylvania Republican makes his debut at a Democratic function. Obama is working on short-circuiting a 2010 primary challenge to Specter, who has actually pretty much a Democratic party line after some early comments suggesting otherwise following his dramatic party switch. Co-chairs of the event include Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, John Emerson (who was my best man), Nicole Avant, and Ari Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel’s hyper agent brother).
** FROM THE TWITTER CULTURE: NEWT TWEETS THAT SOTOMAYOR IS RACIST. Here’s what former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, somewhat inexplicably back on the national stage in a big way, just said about Judge Sonia Sotomayor, President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee.
White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw.
Who says you can’t do important things, such as self-immolation, in 140 characters or less?
** GALLUP POLL: MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE. A Gallup Poll taken in early May shows same-sex marriage still widely opposed by most Americans. It’s 40% in favor, and 57% opposed.
This is why opportunities on this issue can’t be squandered by narcissism and bone-headed moves, as occurred last year in California around the Proposition 8 campaign.
Gay marriage is favored by 55% of Democrats, 45% of independents, and 20% of Republicans.
A separate question in the poll found close to half of Americans, 48%, saying that allowing legal same-sex marriages would change society for the worse. That is more than three times the 13% who believe legal gay marriage would change society for the better. The remaining 38% say it would have no effect on society or do not have an opinion on the matter.
Same-sex marriage is now legal in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, and Iowa, and will be legal in Vermont this fall.
But a move to legalize it in liberal New York has stalled in the state Senate after passing in the Assembly. A recent poll there found opinion evenly split, 46% for and 46% against.
However, views on gays in the military have undergone a major shift since 1993, when 43% were in favor.
Today, the latest USA Today/Gallup poll finds 69% of Americans in favor of military service by openly gay men and lesbians. While the Clinton-era policy remains in place, President Obama promised during the campaign to change it.
North Korea, which set off an underwhelming underground nuclear test blast on Memorial Day, has reportedly re-started its weapons-grade nuclear plant and launched yet another short-range missile, threatening military action against South Korea.
** OBAMA TODAY. President Barack Obama is in the West today.
He spends most of the day in Nevada, which he took out of the Republican presidential column last November. In addition to boosting his own agenda, he’s helping Senator Harry Reid.
Then Obama comes to California, where he has the first LA fundraiser of his presidency.
Meanwhile, Vice President Joe Biden delivers the commencement address at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Obama receives his daily intelligence and economic briefings this morning in Las Vegas.
It is not believed that he will be visiting Area 51.
At 11 AM Pacific, he and Senator Harry Reid tour the solar photovoltaic array at Nellis Air Force Base.
At 11:40 AM, Obama delivers remarks on Nevada projects included in his economic recovery program at the Thunderbird Hangar at Nellis Air Force Base.
At 12:30 PM Pacific, Obama departs Las Vegas on Air Force One en route to Los Angeles.
At 1:35 PM Pacific, Obama arrives in Los Angeles.
At 7:05 PM Pacific, Obama attends the Democratic National Committee fundraiser at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.
Senate Majority Leader Reid is down in the Nevada polls in the run-up to his re-election campaign next year. Obama was on hand last night at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to add to his warchest and further dissuade any serious Republican opposition.
Nevada Republicans are in disarray, with Governor Jim Gibbons in the midst of various scandals, and have yet to produce a significant challenger to Reid.
Obama is also monitoring a few geopolitical crises.
The Pakistani Army offensive against the Taliban, urged by Obama, is continuing, with more signs that Taliban forces are being disrupted and driven back in various places. There is house-to-house fighting underway in at least one city.
In retaliation, Taliban operatives killed scores of people in a major terrorist bombing in Lahore.
North Korea set off what appears to have been an underwhelming nuclear device on Monday, prompting international condemnation. Obama put out a statement in the middle of the night on the move. And the UN Security Council, meeting in emergency session, thoroughly denounced it.
The Hermit State has launched several short-range missiles since then, further inflaming the situation. The missiles reportedly had a range of about 80 miles. North Korea has placed its forces along the border with South Korea on full alert, and threatens that any attempt to interdict any of its vessels to check for weapons of mass destruction will be considered an act of war.
Aside from, once again, getting more attention, it’s not clear what the North Korean leadership is trying to do.
Protests up and down the Golden State have greeted the California Supreme Court’s decision upholding Proposition 8, the anti-gay marriage initiative.
** THE AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY OF CALIFORNIA’S PROP 8. The California Supreme Court’s decision to uphold Proposition 8, last November’s successful initiative against same-sex marriage is all the more tragic in that the initiative never should have passed in the first place. …
The right to same-sex marriage will, in the end, win out. It’s the getting there that is messy. And it need not have been as messy as the passage of Prop 8, and its expected upholding by the California Supreme Court, has made it. …
Gay marriage opponents got a huge gift immediately from San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom’s comments. Newsom had enraged top national Democrats, including Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator John Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee, by unilaterally declaring same-sex marriage lawful in San Francisco in the midst of the 2004 presidential race. Though it was a move that was predictably easily overturned, national Republican strategists credited the furor it caused with playing a propulsive role in turning out huge numbers of fundamentalist voters in Ohio, the lynchpin of George W. Bush’s 2004 re-election. …
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger discussed the same-sex marriage situation last night on The Tonight Show.
UPDATE: SCHWARZENEGGER’S MORNING “HYDROGEN HIGHWAY” EVENT WILL NOT BE WEBCAST.
** FROM THE ARNOLD FILE. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger tours a hydrogen fuel facility at a Shell service station in West Los Angeles near the 405 freeway this morning and holds a press conference. He will then briefly join Hydrogen Road Tour 2009, an annual road rally up the West Coast that highlights advances in fuel cell technology. The road rally began on Monday in San Diego and ends on June 3rd in Vancouver, British Columbia. Schwarzenegger has created a network of 26 hydrogen fueling stations to form a nascent “Hydrogen Highway.”
The event will be webcast live at 9 AM on www.gov.ca.gov.
At 2 PM, Schwarzenegger will take part in a text-based online chat called the Digg Dialogg. The interview session with Nicole Lapin of CNN will consist of Schwarzenegger answering the most popular questions submitted by the Digg online community.
The event will be webcast live at www.cnn.com.
Last night, Schwarzenegger was one of host Jay Leno’s final guests on The Tonight Show. Leno’s long tenure there ends this week, and he’s having his favorite guests on as part of the farewell. In a “surprise” move, Schwarzenegger declared his candidacy for governor on The Tonight Show in August 2003, and was elected in a 17-point landslide two months later.
While on the show, Schwarzenegger declared that the ban on same-sex marriage upheld yesterday by the California Supreme Court should and will be overturned in the next few years.
** OBAMA’S NEW CALIFORNIA-BASED CLIMATE POLICY: SIX KEY THINGS TO KNOW. When President Barack Obama announced on Tuesday that he is making California’s standard for vehicle fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas emissions the new national standard, he accomplished a number of things. … From my May 20th column.
** 24 AND THE TORTUOUS POLITICS OF TORTURE. The longtime hit TV series 24 has just wrapped a tumultuous seventh season in the midst of national debate about the past national policy of interrogation by torture of terror suspects. And, while 24 returned to past form as a crackling thriller, it’s done it in the midst of presenting a running debate about torture, mostly coming down on the side of torture.
Which, in its way, is appalling. There’s one thing, though. Torture may be more popular than many of us would like to think. … From my May 18th column.
** ANGELS AND DEMONS AND RELIGIOUS POLITICS. The sequel to one of the most controversial movies in recent memory is opening this weekend. And the collective response is a mild “hmm.” … From my May 15th column.
** WHAT DOES OBAMA’S AFGHAN COMMAND CHANGE MEAN? For the first such change in wartime since Harry Truman replaced General Douglas MacArthur during the Korean War in 1951, Barack Obama is replacing General David McKiernan in Afghanistan. Obama is moving both to change a stalemated war in Afghanistan and to scale back expectations there. … From my May 13th column.
** THE HYPE FLU’S BIG FADE. Remember that big, dangerous swine flu threat that the cable culture was going on about round the clock, still scaring the sweat out of people a week ago? Why, it’s going to … er, never mind.
It was all very breathless and alarming. … From my May 11th column.
** STAR TREK‘S NEW COMING-OF-AGE SAGA FOR GENERATION O. Let’s get the straight-up politics out of the way up front. Barack Obama, as he says himself, grew up on Star Trek. And both the new Spock, young Heroes TV star Zachary Quinto, and the classic Spock, Leonard Nimoy, each of whom star in the new movie, backed him for president, with Quinto campaigning around the country. … From my May 8th column.
** OBAMA’S TROUBLED AFPAK SUMMIT. … From my May 6th column.
** OBAMA’S CRISIS MANAGEMENT: OF FLU AND AFPAK. … From my May 4th column.
** THIS X DOESN’T MARK THE SPOT. WOLVERINE MISSES THE SERIES’ DEEPER THEMES. … From my May 2nd column.
** OBAMA’S DEEPENING AFPAK CRISIS. … From my April 30th column.
** OBAMA’S CALIFORNIA: ANGST AND IRONY FOR WINNING DEMOCRATS. … From my April 28th column.
** OBAMA’S EARTH DAY ENERGY DECLARATION: CALIFORNIA MAY BE THE NATIONAL MODEL HE SAYS, BUT IT’S NOT ENOUGH. … From my April 23rd column.
** OBAMA: RIDING WITH HISTORY. (NOTE: As Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, this column was the featured column on the top of the front page of the Huffington Post.) … From my January 19th Huffington Post column.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM RUSSIA TODAY. Russia has re-emerged as one of the world’s great powers. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer, bringing you English-language, jargon-free, fast-paced coverage of global and Russian news from the new Russia Today channel. You probably already know about CNN International, BBC World, and Al Jazeera. Russia Today, which also features culture, entertainment, and sports, is based in Moscow and is owned and operated by the TV Novosti division of Russia’s state news agency, RIA Novosti. While it’s quite foolish to expect to see, say, criticism of Vladimir Putin on Russia Today, which I know as a former DemRussia advisor, the channel is very interesting nonetheless. With U.S. cable news chattering away as it does, this sort of respite can be informative. The NWN live link to RT does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** 24/7 LIVE TV NEWS FEED FROM AL JAZEERA. With the US entangled in two wars in the region, it’s valuable to keep up with news and perspectives from the leading Middle Eastern-based TV news network. Based in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, Al Jazeera is very influential and more than a bit controversial. Click here for a live TV news feed on your computer. The NWN live link to AJ does not constitute an endorsement of the channel’s views. It’s presented as an otherwise unavailable new media window.
** SCHWARZENEGGER’S CALIFORNIA. Here is my series of five columns on the governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Los Angeles Times in debate last fall, prior to the global economic meltdown, with Pulitzer Prize-winning former Times reporter/editor Bill Boyarsky, whose columns are also included. Among them is what I’m sure is the first piece examining Schwarzenegger’s legacy as governor of California. Since he will actually be governor of California until 2011. No technology known to be disruptive to the space/time continuum was used in its preparation.
You can listen to my recent video webchat with Schwarzenegger here.
** TRACK GLOBAL AND NATIONAL ENERGY PRICES IN NEAR REAL TIME VIA BLOOMBERG ENERGY MARKET WATCH. Having crashed over $147 for yet another record on July 11th, crude oil is trading in the $62 to $63 per barrel range.
This is up about $29 from the low of $34 per barrel prior to enactment of the Obama economic recovery program, due in part to some positive economic signs and in part to geopolitical jitters over Pakistan and North Korea.
Your posts are welcome in the Forum.
Read 
| Comments (72) |
North Korea seems pretty crazy.
People sure are upset about Proposition 8, and grown-up Debbie Gibson sure is cute.
I agree on both.
I don’t understand what they’re doing at all.
Jonas Blane says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:06 am
North Korea seems pretty crazy.
I love the “Tonight Show” clip with Arnold and Jay.
Arnold did very good on The Tonight Show.
I just wish he’d done more last year to stop Prop 8. I know he had his reasons, to get Republican votes to pass Prop 11. Still…
Where’s Schwarzeneger?
Oh, I saw your update. Why isn’t Schwarzeneger’s morning event webcast if the “Hydrogen Highway” is a big pet project of his?
Good for Arnold on “Tonight.”
Ann, maybe because of the webscast problems Bill mentioned yesterday? Another casualty of the budget mess! Also hydrogren for various reasons looks to likely NOT be the new powersource for the next generation of autos…
I think that’s right. They had major problems with yesterday’s webcast.
I’m not sure which will be the main new power source for new vehicles.
He’s on the road rally …
> Ann says:
May 27, 2009 at 9:01 am (Edit)
Where’s Schwarzeneger?
He felt that if he campaigned hard against Prop 8, he would turn off enough Republican voters to ensure the defeat of his redistricting reform initiative.
And he was probably right about that.
> Capitol Boy says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:25 am (Edit)
Arnold did very good on The Tonight Show.
I just wish he’d done more last year to stop Prop 8. I know he had his reasons, to get Republican votes to pass Prop 11. Still…
It does have the virture of brevity …
> Jonas Blane says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:21 am (Edit)
I love the “Tonight Show” clip with Arnold and Jay.
I didn’t recognize her at first, and now she’s Deborah, not Debbie.
> Jonas Blane says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:09 am (Edit)
People sure are upset about Proposition 8, and grown-up Debbie Gibson sure is cute.
I don’t yet understand what they’re trying to do. The country’s leader evidently suffered a stroke in the last year or so.
> Jonas Blane says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:06 am (Edit)
North Korea seems pretty crazy.
Bill Bradley says:
May 27, 2009 at 9:50 am
Yes, an unexpected one, part of the software platform upgrade.
What do you think?
—-
Nice try, Bill. Asking be a question on yesterday’s thread trying to get me to commit the mortal sin of back posting. Thought you would catch the old guy napping, didn’t ya? No chance, my friend…no chance.
To answer the question…need to get use to it. Makes it a little more difficult to go back and read what someone posted earlier in the day. But, the bottom line is whether it improves the site and makes your task as tad me easier.
Almost gotcha!
Yeah, I’m not sure I like the change.
Thanks, Gavin Newsom, you douchebag.
** GALLUP POLL: MOST AMERICANS OPPOSE GAY MARRIAGE. A Gallup Poll taken in early May shows same-sex marriage still widely opposed by most Americans. It’s 40% in favor, and 57% opposed.
This is why opportunities on this issue can’t be squandered by narcissism and bone-headed moves, as occurred last year in California around the Proposition 8 campaign.
Gay marriage is favored by 55% of Democrats, 45% of independents, and 20% of Republicans.
A separate question in the poll found close to half of Americans, 48%, saying that allowing legal same-sex marriages would change society for the worse. That is more than three times the 13% who believe legal gay marriage would change society for the better. The remaining 38% say it would have no effect on society or do not have an opinion on the matter.
“(North Korea’s) leader evidently suffered a stroke in the last year or so.”
So does that make him like 5% MORE crazy?
A really good piece on Prop 8. I would say that Gavin’s missteps where exasperated by the No campaign’s insistence on running a “yes on gay marriage” campaign, rather than a “no on discrimination” campaign. Had they done the latter, Gavin would have been MUCH less of an issue.
Now there are factions within the NO side that say they lost because the campaign ads didn’t show gay couples. Jesus.
Oh, it gets better than that. There are actually some who think that kids should be put in TV ads to show that gay and lesbian couples are good parents.
Maybe 10% …
> Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 11:24 am (Edit)
“(North Korea’s) leader evidently suffered a stroke in the last year or so.”
So does that make him like 5% MORE crazy?
I’m afraid that gay marriage is a huge distraction from the deeper issues.
It’s ready made for a game show host-looking dude like Gavin Newsom who doesn’t seem to have a thought in his head. It’s ready made for wingnuts to “win” on. It’s ready made for avoidance as the economy slides and wars erupt.
I love it.
Right, North Korea, nuclear weapons, war, who cares?
Jonas Blane says:
May 27, 2009 at 8:06 am
North Korea seems pretty crazy.
“Right, North Korea, nuclear weapons, war, who cares?”
Exactly — what’s the latest with Brangelina?
And Obama picks-up another point in the Rust Belt:
“Obama to Face Gay Protest at DNC Beverly Hills Fundraiser Tonight”
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/05/obama-to-face-gay-protest-at-dnc-beverly-hills-fundraiser-tonight.html
“FROM THE TWITTER CULTURE: NEWT TWEETS THAT SOTOMAYOR IS RACIST”
The right wing is doing their best in providing easy news coverage for an anemic political news corps.
An INTERN can call any five Republican politicians and write an 800 word story simply by asking “Do you agree with what (insert one: Gingrich, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc) said today?”
Nominating Sotomayor is like handing out dry cleaning bags to the mouthy hardliners on the right, who somehow can’t seem to resist sticking their head in the bag. Self-immolation indeed.
lol
Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 11:24 am
“(North Korea’s) leader evidently suffered a stroke in the last year or so.”
So does that make him like 5% MORE crazy?
Bill,
My point yesterday revolved around the consequences of having the judiciary make controversial public policy decisions.
The benefits of the historic Warren Court decisions regarding civil rights, workers’ rights, consumers’ rights, defendants’ rights, women’s right, etc were enormous. The issues were quite fundamental, public opinion be damned. The court, rightfully, went where legislatures dared not tread.
However, those actions precipitated a right-wing backlash that resulted in Republican rule in the White House for 28 out of 40 years between 1969-2009.
But your point is also quite appropriate. Advocates for change need to be competent if such causes are to be advanced via the legislative process. The “inevitability” of gay marriage may be borne out in five years– or fifty. Equality supporters threw away a golden opportunity in 2008.
THE BILDERBER GROUP
(THE BILDERBER GROUP)
Now, for the most part the idea of the Masons, Opus Dey, Bilderberg Group, and Skull and Bones, are all dangerous organizations to the common good the World Community, any organizations with secret agendas, oaths and hand shakes, or whatever dangerous groups are, but not being a deist to any great extent and (IF) there was a deity the first question would have to be (What were you thinking?), so that allows a lot of latitude on other matters. This here Bilderberg Group, according to this fella, Alex Jones, of (www.InfoWars.Com.), is made up (120) One-Hundred and Twenty members who either have all the money in the world or have control of all the money in the world, some of its members seem to be, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Ron Burkle, The Bush Family, Bill Clinton, Thomas Graham, Heinz Kissinger, and David Rockefeller (The Rockefeller Family), and if not the (120) One-Hundred-Twenty, inner circle associate members.
PLAIN SIMPLE REALITY
Now, this group seems to meet on an annual basis, in different locations, too discussion just how things are to work around the globe for the next year. Considering just how large the globe is and its global community that has got to be a job and half, for these One World Government Nuts, Hierarchical Structure type of New World Order Group. The deities would refer back to the Torah or Old Testament for the others, and the Tower Of Babel, which is one way of looking at things, and then there is just plain simple reality, it is simply impossible to control the entire Global Community, its nuts, you can not watch everyone (24/7) Twenty-Four-Seven, and those who find a ways of getting around, or under the grid, simply dropping off the face of the earth of modern day technology. And, a community they are terrified of, they have security from every agency around the world, you name the group they got them, they created there very own bubble of silence and security, the boys can not take a leak without one. That has got to be a trip, one wonders who has it worse the guy watching them take a dump and the guy being watched taking a dump, food tasters, and relatives looking to take their slot.
THE WORMS CRAWL IN THE WORMS CRAWL OUT
Now, this Bilderberg Group, can not possibly believe that there is any type of life after death, or they must believe that the person who owned Board Walk, Park Place and Marvins Gardens, is entitled to top billing in the after life, or they are just the most greedy individual type A, personalities you could ever hope to find. Are they a group that is doing more harm than good to the Global Community, that is a given, these individuals if evil exist have to also be at the top of that community. Now, its up to the individual how concerned and involved one wants to become involved in shedding light on these nut jobs or not, Alex Jones, seems a pretty involved sort, and that is good, as the worlds media is pretty much a controlled one. But, looking long tern the last laugh is on the Bilderberg Group, and others like them, if there is a Joe Black, The Grim Reaper, Death, The River Styx, or whatever, they still have to be weighed in the balance, according to deities, and if not, well they eat and live better than the rest of us, so when the worms crawl in and the worms crawl out, they even play pinochle in your snout, why go after the fast food group when you can have prime grade A, or cryogenics, just a bunch of cold fish on ice.
It looks like this is working out for Barack!
** GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. At the big DNC fundraiser tonight in LA, President Barack Obama will be joined by America’s newest Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter. The former Pennsylvania Republican makes his debut at a Democratic function. Obama is working on short-circuiting a 2010 primary challenge to Specter, who has actually pretty much a Democratic party line after some early comments suggesting otherwise following his dramatic party switch. Co-chairs of the event include Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, John Emerson (who was my best man), Nicole Avant, and Ari Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel’s hyper agent brother).
Fred Kaplan makes a good case to mostly wait and see in re North Korea, while whatever is going on internally in re the leadership works itself out:
http://www.slate.com/id/2219064/
Obama in his first visit to Southern California was all business and didn’t do schmoozing with bigshots, etc. And even I heard some were griping they felt neglected. Looks like this fundraiser is his first move to keep the entertainment elite out here feeling loved and thought of.
“Barack Obama … Senator Arlen Specter…Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, John Emerson, Nicole Avant, and Ari Emanuel…”
Not since the days of the buccaneer has such a motley crew been assembled…surreal political event off the starboard side me hardies!
It looks like Newt senses a vacuum in the party and is working his connection to create an appearance that he is the new BMOC type. The guy’s ego won’t allow him to see while the party faithful love him the rest of us don’t much care ofr him, and as I like to say style counts. Newt should stick to strategy, but he can’t help wanting to bask in the glow of the spotlight. We saw what a disaster that was when he became Speaker.
TRIATHLON: “…the Masons, Opus Dey, Bilderberg Group, and Skull and Bones, are all dangerous organizations to the common good…”
Lyndon LaRouche, where have you been?
He’s like a flower seeking the sun.
> Dana says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:42 pm (Edit)
It looks like Newt senses a vacuum in the party and is working his connection to create an appearance that he is the new BMOC type. The guy’s ego won’t allow him to see while the party faithful love him the rest of us don’t much care ofr him, and as I like to say style counts. Newt should stick to strategy, but he can’t help wanting to bask in the glow of the spotlight. We saw what a disaster that was when he became Speaker.
I believe you meant to describe it as a distinguished cast of characters …
> Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:37 pm (Edit)
“Barack Obama … Senator Arlen Specter…Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, John Emerson, Nicole Avant, and Ari Emanuel…”
Not since the days of the buccaneer has such a motley crew been assembled…surreal political event off the starboard side me hardies!
That’s right. Of course, now he’s here for money.
> Dana says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:36 pm (Edit)
Obama in his first visit to Southern California was all business and didn’t do schmoozing with bigshots, etc. And even I heard some were griping they felt neglected. Looks like this fundraiser is his first move to keep the entertainment elite out here feeling loved and thought of.
I don’t know that anybody really knows what those folks are up to, including them.
One thing is for sure. Their bark is worse than their bite.
> Dana says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:31 pm (Edit)
Fred Kaplan makes a good case to mostly wait and see in re North Korea, while whatever is going on internally in re the leadership works itself out:
http://www.slate.com/id/2219064/
Perhaps.
> Capitol Boy says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:16 pm (Edit)
It looks like this is working out for Barack!
** GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER. At the big DNC fundraiser tonight in LA, President Barack Obama will be joined by America’s newest Democratic Senator, Arlen Specter. The former Pennsylvania Republican makes his debut at a Democratic function. Obama is working on short-circuiting a 2010 primary challenge to Specter, who has actually pretty much a Democratic party line after some early comments suggesting otherwise following his dramatic party switch. Co-chairs of the event include Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, David Geffen, Ron Burkle, Casey Wasserman, John Emerson (who was my best man), Nicole Avant, and Ari Emanuel (Rahm Emanuel’s hyper agent brother).
Thanks. You know, it’s a bad idea for the courts to do an entire agenda like that. But one or two things can fly. I don’t think gay marriage flying in California would have flipped things, especially with the right at relatively low ebb in terms of an across-the-board agenda.
> Clutch J says:
May 27, 2009 at 2:21 pm (Edit)
Bill,
My point yesterday revolved around the consequences of having the judiciary make controversial public policy decisions.
The benefits of the historic Warren Court decisions regarding civil rights, workers’ rights, consumers’ rights, defendants’ rights, women’s right, etc were enormous. The issues were quite fundamental, public opinion be damned. The court, rightfully, went where legislatures dared not tread.
However, those actions precipitated a right-wing backlash that resulted in Republican rule in the White House for 28 out of 40 years between 1969-2009.
But your point is also quite appropriate. Advocates for change need to be competent if such causes are to be advanced via the legislative process. The “inevitability” of gay marriage may be borne out in five years– or fifty. Equality supporters threw away a golden opportunity in 2008.
Yep. Oh, a brown woman on the Supreme Court, who makes a couple of obvious observations (a Latina can understand a lot of things better than a white guy, appellate courts make policy by clarifying law). Can’t have that.
> Wilbur says:
May 27, 2009 at 1:51 pm (Edit)
Nominating Sotomayor is like handing out dry cleaning bags to the mouthy hardliners on the right, who somehow can’t seem to resist sticking their head in the bag. Self-immolation indeed.
True. I provided it also as further demonstration of how fundamentally illiterate and shallow the “medium” is.
> Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 1:48 pm (Edit)
“FROM THE TWITTER CULTURE: NEWT TWEETS THAT SOTOMAYOR IS RACIST”
The right wing is doing their best in providing easy news coverage for an anemic political news corps.
An INTERN can call any five Republican politicians and write an 800 word story simply by asking “Do you agree with what (insert one: Gingrich, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc) said today?”
Unfortunately, true.
> Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 1:03 pm (Edit)
And Obama picks-up another point in the Rust Belt:
“Obama to Face Gay Protest at DNC Beverly Hills Fundraiser Tonight”
http://www.towleroad.com/2009/05/obama-to-face-gay-protest-at-dnc-beverly-hills-fundraiser-tonight.html
They were in Cannes for the premiere of Tarantino’s World War II picture starring Brad. Angelina wore a long, form-fitting gown showing off one leg up to mid-hip.
> Brasky says:
May 27, 2009 at 12:57 pm (Edit)
“Right, North Korea, nuclear weapons, war, who cares?”
Exactly — what’s the latest with Brangelina?
“I believe you meant to describe it as a distinguished cast of characters …”
OK, how about the cast of a 1970s disaster epic?
Although Obama’s going to have to put on a few pounds to play Jim Brown’s part.
That seems apt. Hopefully they stay at the mischief making stage.
>Bill Bradley says:
May 27, 2009 at 3:52 pm
I don’t know that anybody really knows what those folks are up to, including them.
One thing is for sure. Their bark is worse than their bite.