If stripping various Amendments out of the Constitution is up for consideration, how about we start with the Second?
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Archive for the 'Political theater' Category
The NYC Board of Ed — which of course really means Mayor Bloomberg nowadays — has effectively banned bake sales. In the name of — say it with me — fighting obesity.
The problem I have with this is that the bake sales became necessary because of funding cuts; vending machines and bake sales and whatnot didn’t become common until the Reagan-era tax cuts and resulting slashing of school financing. So if you aren’t going to restore funding for sports programs and uniforms and clubs and activities, AND you take away their ability to make money to cover the costs that the city’s not providing, then you’ve just hamstrung your sports programs. Which might not be the most effective way to “fight obesity,” given that physical activity is generally considered an important part of that, if you’re actually serious about “fighting obesity” and not just putting on a show of being tough.
It’s also yet another way to shift the focus from the structural and systemic issues to the individual, putting the sole responsibility on the individual to fix the problem rather than on the system to fix the things that make it more difficult for individuals to fix things for themselves.
Now, Bloomberg actually has some ideas which *do* address systemic problems, such as the grocery gap, and I would even argue that his ban of trans fats and his requirement that chain restaurants post calorie counts of items also address a systemic issue, which is lack of information about what’s in the food or how many calories are actually in a “serving,” without which you can’t really make informed choices about your food. But all this ban is going to do is exacerbate the original problem, which is the underfunding of schools. Until you’re ready to fix that by raising taxes on your rich friends, don’t take away the workaround.
Obama’s signaling that he’s going to drop the public option and go with the Blue Dog/Republican insurance co-ops idea.
Just what we need, to be forced to line the pockets of insurance companies and only insurance companies. Will there be any regulation of these co-ops so that insurers must insure everyone, can’t charge exorbitant rates, and can’t use recission to deny claims and get rid of undesirables?
Somehow, I don’t think so.
Boy, am I ever glad I didn’t vote for this tool. Guy doesn’t know the first thing about negotiation. Unless the co-ops are exactly what he wanted to end up with, so he started with the public option.
My mind goes to some odd places sometimes. And today, the sight of a hipster with ironic facial hair on the subway (and of course he got off in Williamsburg) led to some thoughts about public health. The sight of ironic facial hair led to thoughts about such facial hair worn non-ironically, which led to thoughts about men who wore such non-ironic facial hair, which led to thoughts of C. Everett Koop and his Gorton’s Fisherman beard and naval-looking uniform, which led to thoughts of the whole debacle of Obama nominating Sanjay Gupta as Surgeon General, which led to the realization that it’s been over two months since Gupta withdrew his name, we’re in the middle of a public-health crisis, and . . . we have no Surgeon General.
And Obama hasn’t even floated any names to replace Gupta, as far as I can tell. This isn’t like not having anyone helming HHS at the start of the swine flu; the problem there was that Kathleen Sebelius’s nomination wasn’t being acted upon because the shit-for-brains forced-birth contingent decided to demagogue. At least there was a nominee.
But as important as it is to have a Secretary of HHS in place, it’s the Surgeon General who leads the Public Health Service, and pandemics and epidemics are under the aegis of the Public Health Service. We’re in the middle of the beginning of a possible pandemic, and Obama doesn’t even have a backup after his completely ill-suited first nominee withdrew?
“Obama May Seek Out Centrist To Replace Souter on Supreme Court.”
I’m still waiting for Obama to rip off the mask and reveal that Sooper-Seekrit Progressive Identity his fan club was promising all throughout the primaries. Or for the fan club to finally cotton on to the fact that there *is* no Sooper-Seekrit Progressive Identity; Obama is what he is and what he is has always been a conservative Democrat who’s in love with fake bipartisanship and who’s willing to sell out core Democratic principles, like women’s rights to control their bodies, for political expediency.
A girl could grow old waiting for that, though.
Let’s ignore for the moment all the other dreck in this typically specious MoDo column. Let’s focus on the glimpse she gives us into the psyche of David Brooks:
Let’s face it: The only bracing symbol of American strength right now is the image of Michelle Obama’s sculpted biceps. Her husband urges bold action, but it is Michelle who looks as though she could easily wind up and punch out Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Madoff and all the corporate creeps who ripped off America.
In the taxi, when I asked David Brooks about her amazing arms, he indicated it was time for her to cover up. “She’s made her point,” he said. “Now she should put away Thunder and Lightning.”
I’d seen the plaint echoed elsewhere. “Someone should tell Michelle to mix up her wardrobe and cover up from time to time,” Sandra McElwaine wrote last week on The Daily Beast.
Washington is a place where people have always been suspect of style and overt sexuality. Too much preening signals that you’re not up late studying cap-and-trade agreements.
David was not smitten by the V-neck, sleeveless eggplant dress Michelle wore at her husband’s address to Congress — the one that caused one Republican congressman to whisper to another, “Babe.”
He said the policy crowd here would consider the dress ostentatious. “Washington is sensually avoidant. The wonks here like brains. She should not be known for her physical presence, for one body part.” David brought up the Obamas’ obsession with their workouts. “Sometimes I think half the reason Obama ran for president is so Michelle would have a platform to show off her biceps.”
Oh. My. Continue reading ‘David Brooks soils himself in fear over Michelle Obama’s biceps’
I just heard on WNYC that Mike Bloomberg — who, you may remember, was a Democrat, then became a Republican to run for mayor because he had a better chance of winning a primary what with the lack of a deep bench (and benchwarmers) on the Republican side, hosted the Republican National Convention, then became an independent when he was term-limited and couldn’t run for mayor again, then decided he wanted to be mayor again after all because he was, in his own mind, irreplaceable, and got the City Council to do an end-run around the twice-approved-by-voters term limits by fiat, and now is talking with the Republicans about rejoining the party and running on their ticket.
Got all that?
Now, billionaire Bloomberg self-finances his campaigns. He’s the mayor, and has been for years. He’s got name recognition up the wazoo. He could easily run as an independent. So why the footsie with the Republicans again?
UPDATE: Or maybe not.
UPDATE II: Nope, she’s confirmed she’s out. Carry on.
And another political story that doesn’t really wash: Caroline Kennedy is reportedly withdrawing her bid to be named to Hillary Clinton’s recently-vacated Senate seat. Check out the reason given:
The New York Times reported that Kennedy’s decision to withdraw was prompted by concerns about the health of her uncle, Sen. Edwad Kennedy, who was hospitalized after a seizure during an inaugural lunch for Obama on Tuesday.
Hasn’t he been released, though? And since Caroline, from what I’ve read, didn’t actually go to the hospital, how is his hospitalization/health a reason for her to withdraw her bid? You’d think that it would be a reason for her to stick it out, since it’s, like, a law that we have to have a Kennedy in the Senate.
But just like the Dick Cheney “moving boxes” story, this sounds a little fishy. Especially when you consider that earlier in the day, just after Clinton was confirmed as SoS and resigned her Senate seat, I’d read in the Times that Gov. Paterson had pretty much made up his mind on Monday afternoon:
Mr. Paterson, speaking to reporters here shortly after President Obama was sworn in, said he had all but decided on his choice Monday afternoon but planned to mull it over for a few more days.
“I have a good idea now which direction I want to go,” Mr. Paterson said.
Then, explaining why he would wait to reveal his choice, he added: “I thought that with something this serious — that when I came to a point of view — that I wouldn’t react to it immediately. So since I’m going to be here for another couple of days, I thought I would see if it feels the same way when I come back on Wednesday as it did, I guess toward the end of yesterday afternoon, when I think I started to come to a point of view.”
An unnamed “friend” of Paterson’s speculated that he would be swayed by Teddy’s seizure, which seems a really stupid thing to be saying to the press about your friend, lest you make your friend look as idiotic as Blago, if less venal.
But that story appeared in the NY/Region section. The story about Caroline Kennedy’s withdrawal ran in the Politics section, by different reporters. Who put in some interesting stuff about the expectations that Caroline and her backers have, not to mention the spinning they’re doing to the reporters:
Ms. Kennedy believed that the job was hers if she would accept it, the person said, but aides to Mr. Paterson would not comment on whether that was true….
Ms. Kennedy’s decision comes nearly two months after she, along with several members of Congress and leading political officials, began auditioning to replace Mrs. Clinton in the coveted position. She attracted relentless attention and was viewed by many as the most likely choice for Mr. Paterson, given her national stature and ties to the incoming Obama administration….
Ms. Kennedy had gained the support of some powerful backers in the state, including several labor officials and a top aide to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Kevin Sheekey.
But her pursuit of the seat also set off resistance, with some local Democratic officials suggesting it smacked of entitlement, and polls showing voters preferring Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo for the position….
Some have speculated that with the state facing a $15 billion budget deficit, Mr. Paterson was risking a lot to not select Ms. Kennedy, given her connections to the Obama administration and top Senate Democrats such as Majority Leader Harry Reid. Mr. Paterson appeared to like Ms. Kennedy and saw in her a potential star, but was frustrated and angry by what he saw as efforts by her supporters, especially within Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, to create a sense of inevitability about her candidacy….
A friend of the governor’s [he’s got some chatty friends, doesn’t he?] said on Wednesday afternoon that “I would be totally shocked” if Mr. Paterson did not pick Ms. Kennedy.
“If he doesn’t go with her, how angry is the Democratic leadership going to be with him?” the friend said….
Wow. This clearly shows that the Kennedy machine was spinning, hard, right up until she dropped out, trying to create that inevitability. I mean, she believed the job would be hers if she wanted it! She had powerful backers! “Some people” believed she was the leading candidate! She’s best buds with Obama! The Senate Dems would be really, really angry if he didn’t pick her! Obama will have his revenge on New York if Paterson picks someone from New York who backed his rival, the junior senator from New York! O woe! The New York Democrats will never, ever be able to raise enough money for an incumbent Democrat to hang onto the Senate seat in the bluest of blue states against the terrifying New York Republican Machine, led by… um… who, again?
It’s all such bullshit. Clearly, Paterson made up his mind Monday that he wasn’t going to pick her, sat on it for a bit, let her know and gave her the opportunity to bow out gracefully. She took the “spend time with my family now that my uncle is ill” route and withdrew rather than be passed over publicly when Paterson made his announcement this weekend. Which doesn’t mean that her spinners aren’t out there spinning this as her walking away from the opportunity that was hers for the asking rather than Paterson giving her the boot.
But now the press gets to move onto its next-favorite candidate, Andrew Cuomo, conveniently forgetting that he isn’t the only one under consideration.
Does anyone else think that this whole “pulled a back muscle moving boxes” story stinks?
I mean, in what universe does the VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES schlep boxes around during a move? Especially when he’s had, like, five heart attacks?
Here’s the other thing: the wheelchair. Just doesn’t seem consistent with a lower-back injury, which is the kind that’s going to put you off your feet (and the most likely to happen while moving). I myself slipped a disc while hauling boxes during a move, and let me tell you, the very LAST thing I wanted was to *sit* for any length of time. My options were to stand and pace or to lie flat. Sitting just makes a lower-back injury worse.
So, a couple of theories:
1) He really did hurt himself moving boxes, which he was doing because there was something in those boxes he didn’t want anyone to see. Like maybe those records that historians are worried he’s going to destroy; or
2) As a friend posited, he really is vindictive enough to make up an excuse not to have to stand while Obama and Biden were being sworn in. Which isn’t really a stretch, considering that this is the guy who just gleefully admitted to torture, told Pat Leahy to “go fuck [him]self” on the floor of the Senate, and showed up in a parka, ski hat and snow boots to a gathering of world leaders to celebrate the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Oh, and shot his friend in the face.
Really, really not a good time to be pushing Jeb! for the White House.
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