I’m filling in for Dave Ross this morning for the final two hours of his show, from 10AM to Noon on News/Talk 710-KIRO. Here’s the show as it’s shaping up right now:
10AM: How do you fix a failed state?
And is it possible? Ashraf Ghani and Clare Lockhart join me in studio to talk about their new book, “Fixing Failed States: A Framework for Rebuilding a Fractured World.” What can be done to save the 2 billion people living in collapsing or collapsed states, and is it the United State’s responsibility to solve their problems?
10:45 AM: Will the Democrats seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan?
David McDonald is a Democratic National Committee member from Washington state, an uncommitted superdelegate, and a member of the all important Rules Committee that will make the decision whether to seat the delegates from Florida and Michigan. We’ll ask him what he expects to happen on May 31st, what the options are, and why he first proposed stripping Michigan of their delegates.
11 AM: Can (should?) government do anything about rising gas prices?
Senate Democrats have introduced their plan to combat higher energy costs: roll back tax breaks for big oil, invest in renewable energy, and temporarily halt government purchases of crude for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve… but Republicans say this plan won’t work, arguing instead for drilling in ANWR and (surprise) more tax cuts! Here’s my proposal: increase the gas tax, dramatically, and invest the revenues in a massive transit infrastructure program nationwide.
Tune in to 710-KIRO, or stream online at MyNorthwest.com.
Clinton could still win the nomination by creative politics on the Michigan delegation. 128 pledged delegates from the primary, and 28 superdelegates. Obama did not get a single vote out of Michigan, and the primary delegates would be split based on Clinton getting 55% and uncommitted getting 40%.
Clinton supporters have substantial control of the Democratic Party convention in Michigan. If Clinton takes advantage of this, she can get her supporters elected to the “uncommitted” delegate positions as well, thereby getting all 128 primary delegates. And Clinton has a substantial majority of the 28 Michigan superdelegates — who are also scheduled not to be seated.
If Florida is seated, Clinton gains a couple dozen more net delegates over Obama.
Then Clinton should beat Obama by up to 2-to-1 in the West Virginia primary on Tuesday, and the Kentucky primary a week later. She is also supposed to be strong in Puerto Rico, which I think has over 60 delegates (more than many states have).
Split the remaining superdelegates evenly between Clinton and Obama, and you have Clinton pulling a Rabbit out of her hat and narrowly sneaking into the nomination.
Michigan and Florida are not getting seated in advance of a candidate being selected. It just ain’t gonna happen.
And I have a hard time seeing Hllary getting 67% in two more contests. 60-40 maybe.
And positing an even split of superdelegates in the light of how many have gravitated to each candidate since Super Tuesday is just not credible.
Goldy, could you get KIRO to not air adds with Dori Monson (Flappy Gumson) while I’m listening?
Gasoline prices reflect gasoline supplies. Refinery output/capacity is at it’s peak right now. Crude oil prices do not have as much influence on the price as refinery output. Literally maintenance shutdowns at refineries are seen at the pump within days.
How about allowing more refineries to be built to lower prices? Yeah – I thought so. Stop bitching about prices of a product that you won’t allow to be made.
@3: I hear you – just the sound of Monson’s irritating voice annoys me. He is probalby the most bombastic and most biased talker on KIRO. His idea of depth on an issue is to echo republican talking points or say that something is “not american” – while ignoring all the unamerican things the Bush adminsitration does that he supports.
Just remember – Monson ridiculed people who said Iraq was no threat because “who were they to challenge the intelligence community” and bush. Now that we know that there were no wmds – and Monson has never admitted how wrong he was – were is the apology for how wrong he was. People like Monson can NEVER be wrong because he only gets at the surface of any issues…what a tool and idiot.
@4: Wrong Delbert – prices mainly reflect speculation in the market. Supplies are not down and demand has eased – so explain the rise in prices now….and the oil companies have had record profits for any company ever. The BS excuse that it is a “small” profit on volume is just that – their margin is way too high – time to tax the crap out of their windfall profits and use it for mass transit and infrastructure.
What are they doing with the money? Adding capacity or investing in alternative fuels….nope. Not in any significant way.
“Duh, Dori doesn’t think like me. He makes me mad. He shouldn’t be on the air.”
You fucking idiots have no idea what talk radio is all about, do you? It’s not supposed to be an objective news program. It’s entertainment, you god-damned clueless morons! It’s all about ratings. My God, sometimes I think the people in this comment section are about the dumbest people on earth.
incorrectnottobrighthardlyeverright@6: I told you where the high oil prices are coming from. Your liberal friends at the NYMEX are driving up the price. They live in blue NY, NJ & CONN. Yet you love to blame the oil companies for their profits.
As stated in PuddyFact #271: Oil companies make 9.5 cents/dollar. So incorrectnottobrighthardlyeverright, who gets over 50% of the oil price as profit?
Also, If the NYMEX dives up the price of oil to stratospheric levels how do the oil companies set the price…
You are such a moron on this topic… you prove it each time you invoke class warfare. Also you prove how you want to hurt the pension funds of poor people, the stock owners, and the oil companies themselves by “Stealing” their profits. Blame your NYMEX liberal friends for a change.
Study to show thyself approved rightly dividing truths. Maybe if you researched you would be more correct and right…
Wait a minute… then you’d have one less argument to bring here. Never mind incorrectnottobrighthardlyeverright, you need something else to do besides sucking your thumb…
Check out “A short course in Brain Surgery” on Youtube. About a canadian guy who had a brain tumor and couldn’t get timely care in Canada. He had to go to the states to get his MRI and surgery because the wait just to get an MRI was three months and that’s just for the MRI. His canadian doctor said if he’d waited what could have been up to 8 months to get the necessary care, he would have died. He had to pay $28,000 to get the necessary care, even though he has Canadian health insurance. Private pay in Canada is forbidden—whatever happened to freedom??
People, there is no way this could be better than what we have now—unlike Canadians, whose insurance system is rationed and fails them repeatedly, those with insurance here get the care they need. Why trade good insurance for bad insurance that will delay your treatment so long you will be dead????
..THE KEY ITEM, which should not be missed is that this man had to go to the United States to get the necessary care! What if WE had single-payer care? Where would this man go? He’d die and WE’D die waiting for care. The canadian government will not reimburse him, either. He pays the taxes for this supposed health care, but is not served by it unless he doesn’t mind needlessly dying. THINK, PEOPLE!
@7, Oh my disgust for that shit wad, egomaniac, clown hat fukhole is completely subjective.
And BTW, about 40% of the rise in fuel prices is directly attributable to the sinking dollar, cast on its downward, inevitible course by the deadend lack of economic fundamentalism in the US. Most oil is sold for US dollars. If you sell 42 gallons of oil for $100, and the hundred dollars quickly becomes $58 while the oil drum remains at 42 gallons, you’ve got a problem. Fix the dollar.
2. Daddy Love spews:
Michigan and Florida are not getting seated in advance of a candidate being selected. It just ain’t gonna happen.
Daddy Love–
Never say never…especially when you are up against the Clinton political machine and a clear problem for O-blah-blah in getting White Working Middle-Class votes.
Hillary supporters are MUCH more likely to vote for McCain than O-blah-blah supporters.
Do the math.
Richard Pope may be on to something…for once!
Puddy@7–
Excellent point about where the money goes. Unfortunately, you are trying to educate LEFTIST PINHEADED KLOWNS who spend most of their waking hours spewing conspiracy theories and Marxist Dogma…not listening, learning & asking obvious questions.
And these KLOWNS were stupid enough (except for the Rabbit) to actually see high prices & dynamics changing AND NOT INVEST IN OIL STOCKS several years ago.
These lame-brained visionaries cannot connect the dots….and profit from their visions.
I made 200 times or more on my Oil related investments than the prices will impact me for the rest of my life.
They spend too much time analyzing & bitching and fail to capitalize.
Hopeless lot!!
Mr. Clynical explains it all to us once again. Let’s have a big round of applause for Mr. Clynical! C’mon everybody, put your hands together! (He makes me so gushy)
To me the most important issue here is investing in mass transit. This is the only issue where we know funds will reduce petrol use.
@6 – The price of CRUDE OIL reflects speculation in the market. True. The price of GASOLINE reflects the SUPPLY of gasoline as well as the raw material cost.
Econ 101 refers to this as inelastic supply when an increase in price cannot yield an eventual increase in supply. Likely because all you dipwads won’t allow an oil refinery to be built in this country.
@16: Or alternative fuels unless, of course, they are “blessed by Al Gorebasm.
Poor Puddy – record profits for any corporation don’t lie – the oil companies take the profit off the top – after the price goes down per barrel it stays high at the pump. They have a monopoly and they don’t undercut one another – grow up and learn how profits are made.
Poor poor pooo incorrectnotbright: I provide the facts, tell him where the information is, even explain it to him and he still believes in class warfare. While I agree the profits are high, he can’t swallow the fact his own peeps are helping drive up the price. So instead of $2.00 per gallon it’s now $4.00 per gallon and this do to his friends the lefties of NYMEX. Too bad you are too stupid to see the facts before your eyes…