Many progressive stars and activists alike are attending this week's Take Back America Conference. One of them, radio host and recent MSNBC addition Ed Schultz sat down with "the Real News network" to talk all things Obama:
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Ed Schultz Talks Obama At Take Back America Conference
Cheney Admits No Iraq-Al Qaeda Link, Sorta
Dick Cheney has been a busy talker these past few weeks, and to continue the trend, he had no short supply of comments yesterday. Apart from the pro-gay marriage statement, there was also a mention of the supposed link between Iraq and al-Qaeda. Back before the war the Bush Administration and Cheney specifically made heavy use of a purported connection between Hussein and the terrorists that attacked us as a rationale to go to war with Iraq. Several years later, he has finally begun to acquiesce on that point, just a little bit.
From Bloomberg:
June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Former Vice President Dick Cheney disavowed intelligence he once cited to suggest that then-Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein collaborated with al-Qaeda to stage the Sept. 11 attacks.
Cheney said today that information by the Central Intelligence Agency of collaboration between Iraq and al-Qaeda on Sept. 11 “turned out not to be true.” Still, Cheney said a longstanding relationship existed between Hussein and terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda, that justified the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
“I thought it was strong at the time and I still feel so today,” Cheney said at a National Press Club lunch in Washington. “There was a relationship between al-Qaeda and Iraq that stretched back 10 years. That’s not something I made up.” Citing 2002 Senate testimony by George Tenet, then the CIA director, he said, “We know for a fact that Saddam Hussein was a state sponsor of terrorism."
We also know for a fact, that Dick was using false intelligence to make claims that were simply not true. We knew it then, he knew it then, but only now is he beginning to admit that there was no smoking gun, even if he still tries to push that there was a valid reason to invade and occupy Iraq.
Santa Has Nothing On The NY City Council
Once a year, depending on whether you were naughty or nice, Santa comes to bestow presents on millions of children. His red suit is always clean and the reindeer are strong enough for the long haul, but he's never given us a campaign finance statement to show how he pays for it all. Down here in New York however, a paper trail exists for many City Council members that show that their "gifting" to special interest groups is rewarded with campaign contributions.
From The NY Daily News:
And those are just a few examples of this, as the Daily News calls it, being Santa with tips. Of course, none of the legislators mentioned would ever admit to engaging in quid pro quo, but every one of their advisers can quickly claim it is all legal. The fact that it is legal is the problem and especially that this activity is encouraged. Currently led by Christine Quinn, the ability to hand out and push other Council members for lulus is a tremendous exercise of power (not to mention the whole slush fund thing). She is supposed to be the example for the other fifty members and her actions dictate a less than reputable manner of behavior. So it shouldn't be too surprising that so many Council members think it is acceptable to play Santa while accepting handouts from the same people they give funding to.- City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) earmarked $150,000 for the Emerald Isle Immigration Center, whose board chairman raised at least $10,900 for her abortive mayoral campaign.
- City Councilmen Bill de Blasio and David Yassky, both Brooklyn Democrats, were co-sponsors of $145,000 for the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy for the past two fiscal years. Board members and the nonprofit's director raised $16,150 for de Blasio and $22,700 for Yassky in the same period.
- City Councilwoman Jessica Lappin (D-Manhattan) sponsored $15,000 for the private Gillen Brewer School on the upper East Side. Members of the school’s board contributed or raised $11,875 for her campaign.
- Councilman Vincent Gentile (D-Brooklyn) collected 758 contributions for his $157,392 campaign fund - 23 came from employees of 12 organizations that raked in $113,000 in tax dollars he sponsored.
- Councilman John Liu (D-Queens) sponsored or co-sponsored $37,500 in Council funds for the Chinese-American Planning Council. He picked up $9,713 in checks from employees, board members and their spouses (up to $20,213 with matching funds).
It all adds up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from groups that got millions in taxpayer cash - more than $200,000 in contributions, or up to $467,000 with public matching dollars.
Olbermann Calls Out O'Reilly And Fox News For Inciting Domestic Terrorism
Keith Olbermann was on point last night with his commentary about the death of George Tiller and Bill O'Reilly's culpability in the affair. O'Reilly crusaded against the doctor for several years, with highly inflammatory rhetoric. It at the very least had a partial influence on the alleged assassain, Scott Roeder. Yet O'Reilly failed to take any responsibility or show remorse, so Olbermann has an idea (towards the end of the clip) on what to do about Bill O and the entire Fox News network.
Newsflash: Congressman Sees Money's Role In Politics
Yes, it is shocking, unbelievable and horrific all rolled into one. Congress is controlled by the onslaught of money, especially from those that have so much of it, the banks. O.K. so it has been going on for decades (and a couple of centuries) and it really isn't news. The only difference as of late is how much more influence banks have and the lengths they go to satisfy their greed. With more than eighteen years in Congress, Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN) knows what is going on, and has vowed to do something about it.
From RawStory:
“The banks run the place,” Peterson told the New York Times in Monday’s editions. “I will tell you what the problem is — they give three times more money than the next biggest group. It’s huge the amount of money they put into politics.”
Peterson has introduced a bill to regulate derivatives trading — the pesky financial instruments that nearly brought down the US financial system. Derivatives involve writing insurance on various complex financial transactions, such as providing insurance to investors in the event of massive defaults on home mortgages.
But he says that Republicans have watered down his bill. He wants derivatives trading to take place on public exchanges — much like the New York Stock Exchange — rather than through private clearinghouses, which are managed by banks.
So in the end, nothing much is going to come from this. It was a good idea, but there were simply too many competing interests and the Republicans (and probably some conservative Dems) that tinkered with the bill so it does next to nothing.
Monday, June 01, 2009
He Is Who He Is
Michael Bloomberg is who he is. The quote, "I am who I am." was in the context of him being Mayor for some time now, and that he believes the people of the city generally know him and that losing his temper is just something he does. Yet the Mayor, for all his talk, is trying to hide who he is and will do just about anything to present an image that may differ when tens of millions of dollars isn't trying to distort it.
His ads blanket the airwaves of the city. His mailers clutter millions of mailboxes on a weekly basis. The Internet ads are everywhere an NYC net surfer goes. And of course he's the Mayor, so he gets tons of free publicity that only an incumbent can enjoy. And it all leads to one thing, that Bloomberg makes sure every single voter knows that he's running for re-election and no one else. Let's face it, there is no way that Thompson can spend the cash to get a Bloomberg-style "message" out to everyone that casts a ballot in November.
So how do we as citizens get to cut through the crap and get real access? Well in a perfect world it would be by each person having a one on one chat, but we have to settle for the press. Yet Popeye Mr. I am who I am is continuing to show his arrogance to the press and believes that inundating New Yorkers with campaign literature will be enough and that those 'pesky questions' can simply be brushed aside.
But don't take my word for it, just read the transcript of today's press conference, or last week's to make your own opinion on it.
Cheney Goes Left...On Same-Sex Marriage
When one utters the name "Dick Cheney," progressive values is not something that enters the mind. Secrecy, ignoring the rule of law, torturing people, are all connected to the former V.P. Yet on the issue of same-sex marriage he is very much in favor of allowing gays and lesbians to get married, as long as it is approved on a state-by-state basis.
General Motors Can Redeem Itself
Today the United States and the world witnessed one of the biggest bankruptcies of our time by a company that was supposed to be impermeable. General Motors has been around a hundred and one years, but today it could no longer sustain itself without going the route of Chapter 11. Rest assured, this is not the end of GM, it isn't like the Oldsmobile brand that has completely disappeared. The company has already spent money on a great PR extravaganza that promises a reinvention.
They say as much to the press:
"The General Motors board of directors authorized the filing of a Chapter 11 case with regret that this path proved necessary despite the best efforts of so many," GM Chairman Kent Kresa said in a written statement. "Today marks a new beginning for General Motors. ... The board is confident that this New GM can operate successfully in the intensely competitive U.S. market and around the world."
As it reorganizes, the fallen icon of American industry will rely on $30 billion of additional financial assistance from the Treasury Department and $9.5 billion from Canada. That's on top of about $20 billion in taxpayer money GM already has received in the form of low-interest loans.
"Our agreement with the U.S. Treasury and the governments of Canada and Ontario will create a leaner, quicker more customer and completely product-focused company, one that's more cost competitive and has a competitive balance sheet," CEO Fritz Henderson said at a news conference in New York. "This new GM will be built from the strongest parts of our business, including our best brands and products."
Of course, it didn't have to come to this. GM could have shed their arrogance decades ago to keep up with other car companies around the world. Yet they only cared about the bottom line and quick short term profits that ultimately led them to the the Chapter 11 filing that they so deserved. Now they'll have to lay off more than 21,000 workers on top of the thousands already gone and in the deal with the government, shrink the size of the company. Obama said that'll he'll let the day to day stuff be handled by GM but that might not be the best way to go. Instead, listen to someone that has filmed, covered and lived the life that GM bestowed upon Michigan. Make the company do the things that our country and world need, not just to let the executives claim to make changes on a spiffy commercial and through press releases. That change can happen now, and at this monumental (and bankrupt) time it should come quicker than ever.
Boycotting Stella D'Oro
This isn't a boycott about the taste, or some new ingredient that's going into the products at Stella D'Oro. No, the reason why I, and many activists in the New York (and possibly further out) area are not buying from them anymore is because of how the workers are being treated. A long time ago it was a great family-owned company to work for, but now that corporate America has gotten its tentacles into the Bronx bakery something has got to give before I pick up another one of their packages.
From The Huffington Post:
Reducing the wages of these workers for the next five years is nothing short of corporate greed at its worst. Thankfully, the long-time employees aren't taking this lying down and neither is the area where the factory operates. Just this weekend another huge outpouring of community support was shown for the workers' plight. For far too long corporate America has taken advantage of workers across the country and it is time to stand up against them, whether it be at a bakery or not.Stella D'oro, which was once an iconic, national, premium Italian-style biscuit brand, was also once a successful family-owned firm acquired by RJR Nabisco, then taken over by Kraft when RJR Nabisco broke up (in the wake of the disastrous KKR LBO). Stella was run into the ground by its corporate overseers, then dumped to private equity earlier this decade when Kraft began to dispose of "non-core" assets under pressure from Wall Street. Workers there have been represented by the Bakers' union since 1964.
Apparently the PE guys see the modest union contract of the older, experienced work force as a good target for their next round of pillaging. In the first round, the company disposed of its unionized route sales drivers by outsourcing distribution to a non-union company.
This time, Stella's new owners have gone directly at the workforce, ignoring the National Labor Relations Act and demanding steep wage and benefit cuts with no opportunity for the workers and their union to bargain. The National Labor Relations Board, after the usual delay and indecision issued a "refusal to bargain" complaint charging the company with violating the law. The case only went before a federal judge last week; American labor law is so broken that it may take years for justice to prevail.
Corporate mismanagement, predatory private equity, the destruction of an iconic brand and now an attempt to destroy the livelihoods of modest working families, the story at Stella D'oro pretty well sums up all that's been happening over the past two decades with the financialization of the food and manufacturing sectors generally. The workers and their union, an affiliate of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, AFL-CIO have decided they have had enough.
What's The Matter With Kansas? The Assassination Of George Tiller For One
Here we have a clip from an upcoming movie, "What's the Matter with Kansas" based on the book with the same title by Thomas Frank. Kansas used to be a center for populist activity, but has been turned into a land with religious intolerance that helps foment the brutal violence like what we saw yesterday when Dr. George Tiller was assassinated inside his church.
Atlantic Yards Continues To Be A Debacle
This past Friday state lawmakers tried to have a discussion about the controversial Atlantic Yards development. Ratner's supporters however, decided that they'd rather create a ruckus than anything that resembled a civil discourse. However, there were a few important things to note and Atlantic Yards Report gleams the information.
From AY Report:
- the Independent Budget Office (IBO), recalculating its 2005 cost-benefit analysis, concluded the arena would be a money-loser
- the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is willing to compromise with Forest City Ratner on the timetable (and perhaps the total) for the $100 million owed, as well as the quality of the new Vanderbilt Yard
- neither the state nor the city have updated their analysis of new revenue--already deeply flawed, because it excludes costs--to acknowledge current conditions
- that the New York City Housing Development Corporation is waiting for Forest City Ratner and ACORN (which is in hock to the developer) renegotiate the configuration of the affordable housing
- the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) likely will produce a revision of the Modified General Project Plan (GPP) in the next month or two, which will trigger a new public hearing
- how long the project might take
- when construction might begin
- when affordable housing might begin
- whether there are enough bonds for affordable housing
- how the per-unit cost of affordable housing compares to other projects
- whether architect Frank Gehry is on the project
- whether officials realized FCR decided to seek more subsidies well before the economic downturn
- why the ESDC lets private companies benefit from naming rights to public buildings
Daily News Finds The City Council Colored With Money
As if we needed yet another reason for Clean Money, Clean Elections, the NY Daily News has highlighted the problem of money in politics at the level of the New York City Hall. The article won't surprise you, might not even shock you, but it is disappointing to anyone and everyone that believes those we elect to public office should make decisions based on what is best for their constituents and not just their campaign donors. Unfortunately, that is just not the case for many City Council members.
From The NY Daily News:
Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo got $33,500 from employees of a developer building a 600-unit apartment complex and shopping center in the Bronx.
Thirty-eight of the 51 Council members got some campaign cash from nonprofits to which they steered millions of dollars in taxpayer funding. The News found contributions of at least $200,000 from nonprofit employees and some board members in the last four years.
Nearly all the donations are legal, but special-interest donors often skirt the law by bundling checks from a company or corporation to raise more money. It is illegal for the bundler to repay the “donors” because that would mask the source of the funds.
Veteran lobbyist George Arzt and his colleagues at George Arzt Communications have given more than $23,000 to 17 Council members since 2005. He concedes that as long as people believe they need to contribute to have influence, the money will flow — and some pols will take advantage.
“There are elected officials who, believe it or not, will hand you [an invitation to] a fund-raiser when you leave their office [after a lobbying visit],” Arzt said. “I’m genuinely embarrassed when that happens."
And Maria Carmen del Arroyo is just one of many names listed within the piece. Bill de Blasio, Melinda Katz, Diaz, Baez, (current Public Advocate candidate) Gioia and even Garodnick. Though Garodnick was an odd twist in the story, because it highlights people raising money to stop the bullying developers that largely dictate policy in this city. I get that it is about money in politics, but that one is a stretch. Overall the Daily News does a good job. I'd mention that Chris Quinn is a big elephant in the room that they missed, but the article promised to highlight the slush fund scandal in their next investigative piece.
After an extended blogging break, I'm back at keyboard ready to type. Though I'll probably post less in the coming months, I've felt less connected to the news I've read over the last three weeks so it is something I'll keep at.
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