Archives for May 2011

Obama’s approval has hit a 16 month high at 53% approval to 41% disapproval.

Another poll finds Gov. John Kasich (R-OH) ” the least popular Governor in the country”, tied with Gov. Rick Scott (R-FL):

The furor over Senate Bill 5 [an anti-collective bargaining bill] was one of the main events precipitating Kasich’s decline and voters in the state continue to strongly favor repealing it.

Another poll finds Florida’s Scott in dire straights:

Florida voters disapprove 57 – 29 percent of the job Gov. Rick Scott is doing, the worst score of any governor in the states surveyed by Quinnipiac University and down from a 48 – 35 percent disapproval in an April 6 survey, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Man…voters going sour on Republicans in Florida, Ohio, and Wisconsin?!? The next thing you know, pundits and media alike will take up the debate of whether 2012 is going to witness Obama win or an Obama landslide.

The Senate has voted down the house budget blueprint (a.k.a. the Ryan budget, a.k.a. the bill to kill Medicare as we know it) today:

A handful of Republicans — Sens. Susan Collins (Maine), Olympia Snowe (Maine), Scott Brown (Mass.), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — joined Democrats to reject the House budget, 40-57. Paul voted against it because Ryan’s plan still adds $8 trillion to the debt over the next decade.

I wonder why the others voted against it? Perhaps because they want to be reelected….

(H/T Slog.)

Well…at least one bold Republican is doubling down on Ryan’s plan…after a major display of flip-floppery. That would be Newt Gingrich:

Less than two weeks after he condemned Paul Ryan’s Medicare plan as “right wing social engineering” Newt Gingrich is rallying support for the budget chair’s proposal in Congress.

Does anyone else get the feeling that Newt is perpetually lagging by about three news cycles?

How can it be that nearly two and half years into President Barack Obama’s (D) administration, people like me still blame former President George W. Bush (R) for the outrageous debt this country has accumulated since the good ol’ days when former President Bill Clinton (D) began paying off the debt?

Because it’s true:

(CBPP via TPM.)

A couple of months ago some prescient political analyst filthy liberal blogger suggested a way to provoke a constitutional test of the I-1053 two-thirds majority:

Here’s how it works. Declare that the projected revenue shortfall, following a biennium where spending has already been cut to the bone, makes it impossible for the legislature to pass a budget that lives up to the spirit of Article IX, Section 1 of the State Constitution:

It is the paramount duty of the state to make ample provision for the education of all children residing within its borders, without distinction or preference on account of race, color, caste, or sex.

The constitutional requirement of “ample provision for education…” simply isn’t happening.

Article IX, Section 3 gives lawmakers broad authority to do what is needed to fund education. If we cannot provide “ample” funding for education via existing taxes, lawmakers should provide short-term revenue for education through the repeal of tax preferences, using a simple majority to pass the legislation.

The mandate and the authority to accomplish it as spelled out in the Constitution trumps a law enacted through the initiative process. If Republicans believe the law trumps…they can sue.

And look at what just happened (via Publicola):

Late last night, the state house Democrats forced a floor vote on Rep. Laurie Jinkins (D-27, Tacoma) bill to repeal an $83 million bank loophole and shift the money to K-3 class size reductions. While the Democrats needed a two-thirds majority and only got 52 votes (it was 52-42 in a straight party line vote), the losing vote wasn’t just a symbolic effort to embarrass Republicans for voting against kids and for banks.

PubliCola has confirmed that the Democrats took the vote to set up a formal court challenge to I-1053, the rule that requires a two-thirds vote to raise taxes.

As Publicola explains, the Democrats followed some procedures required by the state Supreme court in their dismissal of I-960. In other words, the Dems removed one important way for the Supreme court to weasel out of making a decision on the constitutionality of such initiatives.

I-1053 may well get its day in court. Who knew the House Dems had it in ’em?

With 462 of 627 precincts reporting, the AP has called it: Kathy Hochul (D) beats Jane Corwin (R).

Current tally is 48% Hochul (D) and 42% Corwin (R).

Update: President congratulates Hochul:

“I want to extend my congratulations to Congresswoman-elect Kathy Hochul for her victory in New York’s 26th Congressional District. Kathy and I both believe that we need to create jobs, grow our economy, and reduce the deficit in order to outcompete other nations and win the future. Kathy has shown, through her victory and throughout her career, that she will fight for the families and businesses in western New York, and I look forward to working with her when she gets to Washington.”

The Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally meets tonight, and there are a few topics likely to be raised over a pint:

• Washington lawmakers have have reached a budget agreement. Some of the details came out today.
• Returns will be in from the NY-2326 special election. This close election (in solid red territory) is a first referendum on the Ryan plan to transform Medicare into a voucher program.
• Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s visit has fueled more speculation about a possible run in Washington state.
• Costco has filed a new liquor privatization initiative.

So please join us tonight for drinks, conversation, and even dinner at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00 pm, some folks show up by 7:00 pm for dinner.

Can’t make it? The Burien chapter of Drinking Liberally will meet on Wednesday. And if that doesn’t work, there is an excellent chance you live close to one of the 227 other chapters of Drinking Liberally.

– What ABL Said.

– 100 mbps on the low end.

– The family planning bill I’ve been mentioning passed the state house.

– The Tea Party doesn’t seem as popular this year.

– After this May, are the Mariners legit? This is the most excited I’ve been for a sub .500 team in as long as I can remember.

Ryan Blethen has a column defending the fact that the ed board talks about the mayor of the city in its masthead and the speaker of the state house. As a frequent critic of the ed board, let me say: that isn’t the problem. The problem is that you’re wrong about them.

Even casual readers of The Seattle Times’ Opinion section have probably noticed two names: Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn and state House Speaker Frank Chopp.

Yes. They are high profile elected officials. I expect the ed board of the largest daily paper in the state to mention them.

They are difficult to miss because we have been writing a lot about them. As the editorial page editor I believe it is important to be persistent on issues we feel strongly about or that demand a spotlight.

Does anyone say not to cover the legislature or city government?

We have been all over Chopp, a Seattle Democrat, for sitting on a bill to revamp workers’ compensation. Chopp’s resistance to the reform proposal became a serious threat to completing the state’s budget.

The bill is unnecessary to move a budget forward, so it’s anyone insisting that it be part of budget negotiations is holding up the budget. Also, we don’t need to revamp, workers’ comp. And if we did we should probably not do it in a corporate friendly way. But seriously, nobody says don’t try to hold Frank Chopp accountable. We’re just saying what you want him to do is dumb and there are better targets if you actually care about passing the budget.

But as always it’s McGinn who really gets under the Seattle Times’ skin. Ryan, start off with something I’m not sure if it’s a mixed metaphor or horrible pun:

McGinn has become a regular thanks to his tunnel vision on the replacement of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and numerous other issues. Last week’s McGinn editorial du jour was his hiring of the former advocacy director of the Cascade Bicycle Club. In an editorial we argued that David Hiller is not a great hire for a transportation and external communications gig. More important, though, was the way the announcement of the hiring was handled.

I literally can’t tell if “tunnel vision” is a joke or if he’s just trying to say McGinn is obsessed with one issue. In any event, you can’t have tunnel vision on “numerous other issues.” Tunnel vision means one issue, numerous issues means more than one issue.

Anyway, David Hiller is fucking rad. He helped turn the region more bike friendly. Right now, to take one example out of many, there’s construction on the Burke-Gillman trail in Lake Forest Park that Cascade helped bring about. Yes, he’s said some controversial things. Yes, he can be a lightning rod. Those are things that make an interesting story. The announcement aspect is so boring (not to mention piss poorly handled by the local media) that just thinking about it now, I’ve fallen asleep and am typing in my sleep zzzzzzz.

When the city is facing budget shortfalls, a mayor should know he needs to justify the hiring of a political ally in a well-paying job — even if that $87,500 job fills an existing opening. A clear explanation of Hiller’s hiring is not what the public heard. His job description was vague and the media were provided with a salary higher than the actual number.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz

*Wakes Up*

*Re-reads this paragraph and decides to keep making fun of it*

Why should he get credit for significant cuts his office’s budget? Don’t you know that one specific hire is more important than the overall picture? (And I’m not even arguing that the amount he cut is right; the city probably should have kept the head tax, and it some of that money stayed in the mayor’s office, that’s fine by me.) Again, you’re allowed to look at the mayor’s office, but when you make dumb arguments, expect to get called on them.

Reporters rightly had questions because of the salary given and the lack of a job description. KOMO-TV was frustrated enough to send a reporter to McGinn’s house the evening Hiller’s hiring was announced. This angered the mayor and his staff. So much so that Aaron Pickus, the mayor’s spokesman, sent an email to the television stations telling them how far away they should stand from the mayor.

Because they have no idea how to contact him during business hours or at any of the multiple public events he does around town, KOMO were forced to go to his house after 9:00. And don’t give me that he’s a public official bullshit. We’re talking about a fairly routine hire.

Any politician with a taxpayer-supported salary should understand that reporters might show up in places they would rather be left alone. There is no Fortress of Solitude in politics.

If this was a major event, I’d agree. If, say, one of McGinn’s deputy mayors had got arrested and McGinn refused to talk about it, I’d be with you. Go to his house and demand answers. For David Hiller being hired, wait until the morning.

Anyway, how about going into super defensive mode and attacking a straw man?

One of the criticisms I often hear is that it is unfair for us to beat up on public figures. It would be if they didn’t have multiple outlets to voice their displeasure with us or support their cause. We are quick to offer up oped and letter space to the people we take to task. If a politician is frustrated with our stance they are free to complain about it to reporters, to us, or to unions or to business chambers.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say that nobody has ever said it’s unfair for any newspaper to beat up on public figures. They may say your take is unfair. That you’re focusing on some public officials over others. Maybe someone has compared it to the embarrassingly fawning coverage Boeing and Microsoft get. Anyway, Ryan Blethen thinks he’s very brave for doing his fucking job. Poorly.

Neal Peirce’s excellent Seattle Times editorial on the violence in Mexico is currently the top link at the Reddit World News aggregator. Sadly, despite the importance of what’s going on in Mexico right now, it still barely gets mentioned on traditional media outlets. And even when it does, the connection that Peirce makes between American drug policy and the violence in Mexico is never discussed in a way that helps the viewer understand what’s really going on.

The week Newt Gingrich announced his presidential candidacy, everything went wrong.

Tim Pawlenty isn’t starting off on a very good note, either. This is the announcement in his home town newspaper:

New Pawlenty campaign slogan: “I’m not dead yet!”

(Via Political Wire.)

Last week’s contest was won by 2cents. It was the TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge.

This week’s is related to something in the news from May. Good luck!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Those of you who have been left behind, discuss.

At a recent Drinking Liberally, Goldy and I were discussing what the comment threads have become. I think regular open threads have kept most of the things that would otherwise be off topic out of the other threads (although not completely). And while the threads have always been pretty loose, since the 3 regulars are all part time, the enforcement of the comment policy has gone somewhat downhill.

So the question is: do we need a new comment policy now that Goldy isn’t posting, do we need better technology, or is it working fine now? Goldy said he would be willing to work on something with registration, but I’m not sure that he has the time, and I don’t know exactly what it would look like. I can step up enforcement somewhat, but between 8:30 and 4:30 (give or take depending on the day) on weekdays, that’s not going to happen, and I can’t really force the other posters to do anything.

A Very Special Saturday:

• Rapture to begin
• Rapture advice (via OneGoodMove).
• Thom: Is the end nigh?

ONN: Cashstrapped PBS releases Nova special “Physics Behind Rhythmically Bouncing Breasts” (and other news).

Thom: Indiana guts the 4th Amendment.

Newt Self-Nukes:

• Newsy: Campaign over before it began?
• Young Turks: Newt lies to Rush.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The disaster called “Gingrich”
• The new litmus test:
• Young Turks: Conservative media attacks Newt.
• Maddow: The death of a Newt.
• Cenk: Newt’s bad week.
• Sam Seder: Newt, “I demand you don’t quote me!”
• Young Turks: The Gingrich apology tour.

Liberal Viewer: Killing Bin Laden UnChristian, Illegal?

Thom: No, Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), we DID NOT cut our way out of our last deficit!

Pap: Debunking Republican “common sense”.

The Huckster Defers:

• Sam Seder: God told Huckabee to go for the dough.
• Ann Telnaes: Huckabee will not run.

Thom: The latest on the Republican war on Democracy.

Young Turks: Conservative talk radio is dead.

Ann Telnaes: Speaker Boehner’s no tax increase for the rich.

“I’m Fired!”

• Ed and Pap: Weasel with a hair piece drops out.
• The Trump Candidacy in 2 minutes (via TalkingPointsMemo).
• Newsy: Trump to Trump, “You’re fired!”

Mark Fiore: Oil companies make America more American.

Thom v. Joe Hicks: Do liberals hate America?

The Sperminator:

• Young Turks: Love child.
• Newsy: Arnold fesses up.
• AC: Allegations of sexual misconduct.
• Young Turks: FOX News guest blames Maria for Arnold’s love child.
• Sam Seder: Arnold vetoed gay marriage cuz it’s between a man & a woman & a maid.
• Newsy: Meet the housekeeper.

Greenman: The “Temperature leads carbon” crock updated.

Obama thanks the intelligence community.

Obama on the Middle East:

• Young Turks: Republican nutcases slam Obama over Mideast speach.
• Obama’s Middle East speech:

Thom: The latest on the Republican war on Democracy.

Lawrence O’Donnell: Nutcase Bachmann’s presidential prospects.

Sam Seder: Supremes okay warrant-less searches.

Ann Telnaes: Romney’s market-driven health care system.

Koch Kontracts Konsidered:

• Thom: Koch machine…coming to a school near you.
• Pap: Koch Bros. are driving up oil prices.

Newsy: Rep. Giffords makes more progress.

Maddow: Santorum suggests McCain doesn’t understand torture!?!

Crazytown: Sarah Palin endorses Ryan budget.

Thom: C-Street gang ensnared in Ensign scandal.

George Takei takes on Tennessee’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill:

Young Turks: Sarah Palin for 2010?

Maddow: “Kill Medicare” not working for G.O.P..

Pap: The BP oil spill, one year later.

Common Defense:

• Bill-O does Jon on Common (Part I)
• Bill-O does Jon on Common (Part II)
• Young Turks: Common at the White House.
• Lawrence O’Donnell: The Common debate
• Young Turks: Stewart v. Bill-O
• Young Turks: Jon pulverizes Bill-O.

Ed: WI passes voter ID bill.

Maddow: Cheney’s book cover.

White House: West Wing Week.

Maddow: It’s okay to be Takei in Tennessee.

Thom: The Republican War on Art.

Young Turks: Santorum is the dumbest presidential candidate EVAR!

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

I couldn’t find it on the legislature’s web page, but Planned Parenthood Votes says the family planning bill that I wrote about yesterday passed the House Ways and Means Committee. I’m not sure what the prospects are for it passing, but Planned Parenthood has a handy tool to contact your legislator.

I know it’s not on the tunnel itself, but on the process. Still, Seattle will get to have at least a proxy vote on the tunnel.

Acknowledging that the issue before the voters is limited to whether the city council has the right to accept the agreements by notice, and that it “does not resolve the issue of whether or not there is going to be a bored tunnel,” Middaugh said that nonetheless, “The overriding goal is to make sure that the voices of the people are heard when a policy decision is made.”

“The people of the city of Seattle have the right to be involved in that process.”

However, Middaugh said, “No matter what happens today, this decision is not a referendum on whether we’re going to have a tunnel or not. … It is a decision about how you make that decision about whether we’re going to have a tunnel or not.”

The section of the ordinance Middaugh said can go on the ballot, known as Section 6, delegates authority to the city council to issue a notice to proceed on the tunnel after the final environmental impact statement is adopted.

It should be a good campaign. And, of course as good a reason as any to lift the cost overrun provision. Also, hint hint.