The Liberal Doomsayer: 2013-05-12

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Saturday Stuff

(I also posted here.)

I thought this was a pretty good wrapup of the recent Washington insanity from Reverend Al, Joe Crowley, and Melissa Harris-Perry…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and there’s more here in a similar vein from Rachel Maddow with David Axelrod…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and all of this gets what I think is the appropriate treatment from Stephen Colbert here (I once said that Louie Gohmert was the stupidest person in the galaxy, but that may not have been accurate…possibly the stupidest person in the universe might be closer to the truth)…

Update 5/24/13: Yes, I know this is a starkly serious topic, but would it be too cheeky on my part to say that Gohmert is a subject matter expert in this area (re., brain-dead life forms)?

…and I’m tempted to use this great commentary as a spring board into my personal tale of misery with Chase Bank, but don’t worry – I won’t burden anyone with that; only a little worse and a lot better than the stuff Dave Ramsey describes here…

…and I’ll let Bill Maher get the last word (here)…

…and this isn’t how I really feel – just a good tune (video’s OK too).

Friday, May 17, 2013

Friday Stuff

Consider this graphic as something informational for the benefit of our lap dog Beltway corporate media, since, by their actions this week, they apparently don’t know the meaning of the word…

…and I’m not going to tell you that I buy every single word of this report (particularly the debt stuff considering the bar graph in the third clip here), but I thought this from RT provided some context on the damned sequester that I don’t see anyone else reporting…

…and even though this commentary is a bit wonky, and I think he’s a little too hard on Nancy Pelosi (oh, right - "balance"), Lawrence O’Donnell provides the best reporting that I’ve yet heard on the stuff about the IRS and those zany Teahadists (and that struck me as a polite rebuke of Rachel Maddow for saying that “Man Tan” Boehner isn’t very good at his job, even though I think she’s right)…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and speaking of TRMS, OMIGOD, IT’S ANOTHER OBAMA SCANDAL!!! HE ACTUALLY DID A BETTER JOB THAN WE THOUGHT ON SOMETHING!!! QUICK, CALL JONATHAN KARL AT ABC NEWS!!!...

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

...and happy belated 60th birthday to Mike Oldfield – better pack a lunch for this one (still have that image after all these years of Max von Sydow in silhouette holding that black medicine bag).

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Thursday Stuff

All right, I’ll admit that the Obama/AP thing needs to be investigated. And a shield law needs to not be obstructed by Republican jokers in Congress and signed into law by Number 44.

But before we get all “OBAMA IS AS BAD AS NIXON!,” let’s remember what his predecessor did when it came to a free press, as noted here, OK? And let's not forget this too…

…and let’s also not forget how PA’s own Tom “Space Cadet” Corbett brings his own brand of gubernatorial patronage, a la Dubya in Texas, to our beloved commonwealth…

…and with all the harrumphing and umbrage festivals going on against the Obama Administration from all quarters, it looks like Christmas has come way early for those zany Teahadists…

Update 5/17/13: Nail. Hammer. Head.

…turning to music, today would have been the 100th birthday of jazz and popular music legend Woody Herman…

…and I’m way overdue to wish a happy 70th birthday to Michael Palin…

…and from the “And now for something completely different” file also, I give you this.

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Wednesday Stuff

Oh, so we have to put up with all of this faux, pearl-clutching outrage over the IRS Tea Party “scandal”?

As Jeffrey Toobin pointed out in The New Yorker here (and as I noted last night), the Citizens United ruling unleashed a flood of primarily conservative “social welfare” groups applying to the IRS for 501(c)(4) status. What the IRS did was admittedly ham-handed, but the agency was trying to screen these groups to find out what they were really up to.

In the meantime, let’s recall that I heard not a word of Republican complaint when the Bushco IRS targeted the NAACP and Julian Bond for their opposition to Dubya’s Not-So-Excellent Adventure in Iraq, as Martin Bashir and his guests remind us in the clip.

Welcome to our world, wingnuts (Update 5/16/13: And all I can say in response to this is, well, duuuh!)…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Update 5/16/13: Oh, and here are more folks targeted by the IRS who the Repugs, Fix Noise and the "axis of stoo-pid" don't care about.

Update 5/21/13: Oh, and did you know that Dems were also targeted in the IRS sweep that caught up the Teahadists? Didn't think so (here).

…and I know I’m a little late with this (and welcome, Steve Kornacki, taking over for Chris Hayes on “Up”), but this tells us, among other things, how the Repugs (in addition to totally alienating “undocumented” workers) have also thoroughly put off an entire demographic of young women voters; they have no one but themselves to blame (sorry it's a little late and I don’t know what that story is that Kornacki refers to at the end – “child care costs more than college in most states” is pretty mind-blowing)…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and yeah, I think “Deadeye Dick” Cheney criticizing ANYONE on foreign policy means that we are now officially “down the rabbit hole”…

…and these guys just keep cranking out great stuff like this.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday Stuff

Oh my, the scandals real and/or alleged are just piling up like crazy these days, aren’t they?

Well then, here’s what you need to know:

Yes, it was probably wrong to subject the Tea Party to greater scrutiny as a 501(c)(4) outfit, but really now, are we supposed to think they’re “social welfare” groups and not political operations? If you believe that, then I’ve got a bridge to one of the five NY boroughs to sell you, as noted here (and besides, where was all the umbrage when the IRS under Dubya pulled this little stunt?).

Update 5/15/13: Good points here by Mark Sumner...

Also, it’s not a good thing for the Justice Department to pull this maneuver with the AP, even though, in our “security state” government, “Big Brother” thought he had a reason, but as noted here, the Obama Administration supported legislation that probably would have circumvented this whole mess (which, of course, was defeated by congressional Republicans).

And as always, BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI BENGHAZI!!!!! (here).

Update 5/17/13: God, this is pathetic, even for them.

You want to hear about a scandal for real? Chris Hayes tells us about it…

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

…and here is some good news – does this mean now that, FINALLY, we can do away with this austerity crap? And yes, I know the answer, but I’m keen to ask anyway – sigh (and if Bloomberg is so damn worried about the retiring baby boomers, just start screeching about getting rid of the ceiling on earnings subject to Social Security withholding)…

…turning to music, happy 70th birthday to Jack Bruce of Cream…

…and Mr. S. left us 15 years ago today.