AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Brand USA takes the top spot

2009-11-07T22:27:00.000-05:00

Bush leaving and Obama arriving certainly makes a difference. Reuters:

The United States was seen as the ideal place for business, one of the top places for families, shopping and quality products, as well as one of the countries people wanted to visit whether for the first time or again.

The FutureBrand survey echoes a similar poll which showed that the United States was the most admired country globally, largely thanks to Obama's global popularity.

And even more bank closings

2009-11-07T20:19:00.000-05:00

Silly bankers. They should have sold out to one of the big players on Wall Street. They would still be in action and flush with cash.

Regulators on Friday shut banks in Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, and California, bringing the number of bank failures this year to 120 amid the struggling economy and a cascade of defaults on loans.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. took over United Commercial Bank in San Francisco, with $11.2 billion in assets and $7.5 billion in deposits. East West Bancorp Inc., parent company of East West Bank based in Pasadena, Calif., is buying all of the deposits and most of the failed bank's assets.

Unemployed and underemployed hits 17.5%

2009-11-07T18:20:00.000-05:00

It's probably the worst jobs market since the Great Depression. The Obama administration continues to buy into the Geithner/Summers/Wall Street view of the world which puts Wall Street above everyone else at the expense of everyone else. Americans are generous people who grudgingly accepted the bailout to prevent an even worse economic failure but enough is enough. The greed and the acceptance of that greed - regardless of words - by the White House is wearing thin as Americans wait for the upside to the bailout. All pain and no gain can only be tolerated for so long. Meanwhile the 17.5% and their friends and family look at the outrageous bonuses that are being lined up and wonder how it can be possible.

In all, more than one out of every six workers — 17.5 percent — were unemployed or underemployed in October. The previous recorded high was 17.1 percent, in December 1982.

This includes the officially unemployed, who have looked for work in the last four weeks. It also includes discouraged workers, who have looked in the past year, as well as millions of part-time workers who want to be working full time.

The official jobless rate — 10.2 percent in October, up from 9.8 percent in September — remains lower than the early 1980s peak of 10.8 percent.

House health care vote probably at 9pm, final vote

2009-11-07T16:20:00.001-05:00

A friend in the House tells us that the final vote is expected around 9pm Eastern tonight. You can follow more updates on the health care twitter feed at http://twitter.com/healthreformnow. And if anyone in the comments want to tell folks what Twitter is, that might be a nice thing :-) Thanks.

Are the teabaggers getting ready to disrupt the House health care debate?

2009-11-07T14:15:00.002-05:00

From a friend, watching the Teabaggers on a live stream:

I'm watching Steve King's "house call" tea party rally streaming online. King & Hoekstra are giving them directions on how to get visitors passes & sit in the gallery during the vote... this could get interesting.

Krugman: Obama faces his own Anzio

2009-11-07T13:30:00.000-05:00

Another great read by Paul Krugman. Obama's cautious approach to the economic crisis may lead the way for Democratic losses in 2010. Clearly the situation is better than it was a year ago though as we saw on Friday, employment is still lagging with limited chances of recovery before the mid term elections.

Administration officials would presumably argue that they were constrained by political realities, that a bolder policy couldn’t have passed Congress. But they never tested that assumption, and they also never gave any public indication that they were doing less than they wanted. The official line was that policy was just right, making it hard to explain now why more is needed.

And more is needed. Yes, the economy grew fairly fast in the third quarter — but not fast enough to make significant progress on jobs. And there’s little reason to expect things to look better going forward. The stimulus has already had its maximum effect on growth. Even Timothy Geithner, the Treasury secretary, admits that banks remain reluctant to lend. Many economists predict that the economy’s growth, such as it is, will fade out over the course of next year.

Male GOP House members try to block women from speaking

2009-11-07T11:25:00.004-05:00

A group of male GOP House members, just tried to repeatedly block a group of female Democratic House members from speaking on the House floor. The Democrats wanted to speak about how Health Care Reform was important for women. The men would have nothing of it. Typical. Oh, did I just hear the "socialist" word?

Even as Dioceses file bankruptcy over sex abuse cases, Catholic Bishops threaten to undermine health insurance reform

2009-11-07T09:26:00.002-05:00

Not happy with just ruining the lives of same-sex couples in Maine this week, the Catholic Bishops are trying to bring down health insurance reform in the House over the abortion issue. What really sucks is that members of the House are willing to let the Catholic Bishops, who enabled rampant sex abuse of children, to impose their theocratic view on this issue:

Under the agreement, anti-abortion Democrats will be permitted to offer an amendment on the House floor to the health-care overhaul bill. The amendment would prohibit a new government-run insurance plan created by the health-care bill from offering to cover abortion services, congressional sources said. It would also block people who received federal subsidies for the purchase of health insurance from buying policies that offered coverage for abortions.

The deal clears the way for the dozens of Democratic lawmakers who oppose abortion to lend their support to the health care package, the most dramatic expansion of health coverage in more than 40 years. It also satisfies the demands of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which had threatened to oppose the House bill.

If the amendment from Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) passes, said Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the bishops conference, "we become enthusiastic advocates for moving forward with health care reform."

Who cares if the Bishops support health insurance reform? It's dangerous that the House is letting the Bishops dictate any kind of policy.

Does anyone on the Hill know the history of the Catholic Bishops Conference and the horrors they allowed to be inflicted on children? How can those Bishops speak with any moral authority? The Catholic Bishops protected and enabled pedophiles and child abusers. And, it's costing them. Last month, the Diocese of Wilmington became the seventh Diocese to file bankruptcy:

It joins a list of six other dioceses in the United States that have filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy laws in what lawyers said is an attempt to manage an avalanche of clergy sexual-abuse litigation.

But, in the warped world of DC, a group that is going bankrupt because it protected pedophiles and sexual abusers speaks with moral authority.

If I was on the Hill, I'd make this a debate about the Catholic Bishops and what they've done to children. Those hypocrites can't talk about the "sanctity of life" when they've destroyed so many. Check out the website of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP) and ask if you want the Catholic Bishops setting policy for America.

If you don't want the Bishops dictating policy, call the House and urge your member to oppose the Stupak Amendment. The main number is 202-224-3121.

Saturday Morning Open Thread

2009-11-07T07:55:00.002-05:00

Good morning. It's been a rough week. I prefer winning elections -- particularly when my rights are on the ballot. And, I really, really resent the fact that people get to vote on people's rights in the first place. But, I do have to give a shout-out to my family for their help on the campaign in Maine. My parents, Rita and Chuck, did everything they could to help, as did my sisters. They were all beyond amazing and I am extremely grateful.

Watching Tom Tancredo storm off the set during a debate with Markos was a great way to end the week. Those right-wing, immigrant-bashing, homophobic tough guys, like Tancredo, are so thin-skinned.

And, I can always find comfort and laughs in the haikus for the Obama administration from KarenMrsLloydRichards. Here are a couple, which appeared in the comments, this week:

Sarah-approved pols
Crash and burn in her havoc--
She'll kill, baby, kill!

And:

ObamaCare kills!
Worse'n "homicide bombers"!
We'd ruther die sick!!

The House votes today on its health insurance reform bill. Obama is heading to Capitol Hill today to speak to the House Democratic Caucus. I believe he's actually going to ask them to vote for the reform bill. We'll be monitoring events on Capitol Hill as they unfold. It should be a wild day.

Start threading the news....

Moldy Peaches

2009-11-07T05:44:00.000-05:00

So much great music from the Juno soundtrack and I love Kimya Dawson. It's the perfect tune for getting started on a lazy Saturday morning. The sun is out though so it's time to get on the bike before the rain comes back. Again.

Iranian student criticizes Ayatollah Khamenei in person

2009-11-07T03:50:00.000-05:00

The exchange was recorded and was first published on Khamenei's website. Lots of talk about this story but for now, it's more a mystery that will be answered later. The Guardian:

He may be the bravest student in Iran or an unwitting stooge of the Islamic regime – or both. Either way, Mahmoud Vahidnia has gained instant fame after breaking a taboo by criticising the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to his face.

The 25-year-old maths student has been lauded by opposition websites after reportedly telling Khamenei that he had been turned into a "grand idol" who was above criticism. But in a twist demonstrating the inscrutable nature of Iranian politics, the incident has been used by Khamenei's supporters to show how he embraces criticism. Vahidnia has remained unmolested since his 10-minute critique, which condemned the recent brutal post-election crackdown and denounced the state broadcaster, IRIB, for biased coverage. But his most remarkable comments were reserved for Khamenei himself.

Underwater kites for energy

2009-11-07T00:23:00.000-05:00

Another very interesting new possibility for generating energy. What's also interesting is the brief mention inside the article about UK energy consumption being a third of US households. That is quite a difference and it's going to have to change in the future. Also inside is a link to a computer generated video of what it would look like underwater.

A completely new concept of underwater wave energy using a simple 7 ton kite turbine design has been developed by Minesto; which is a spinoff from the Swedish military and aircraft design firm Saab. The Deep Green underwater turbine captures the power of the ocean just like a kite in wind.

The system could generate 18 terawatthours of energy annually, enough to provide nearly 4 million British households with reliably green electricity every year. UK households now use about a third of what average US households use in energy.

Cows are eating chicken what?

2009-11-06T23:01:00.000-05:00

The new FDA is getting back in the business of protecting consumers after an eight year drought. This sounds like a reasonable request. I don't eat at McDonald's but well done for joining the call for change. A large buyer like that carries a lot of weight which in this case, is good news.

A coalition of food and consumer groups that includes Consumers Union and the Center for Science in the Public Interest has asked the Food and Drug Administration to ban the practice of feeding chicken feces and other poultry farm waste to cattle. McDonald's Corp., the nation's largest restaurant user of beef, also wants the FDA to prohibit the feeding of so-called poultry litter to cattle.

Members of the coalition are threatening to file a lawsuit or to push for federal legislation establishing such a ban if the FDA doesn't act to do so in the coming months.

NBA and NHL teams also in front of others for H1N1 vaccine

2009-11-06T21:25:00.003-05:00

First Wall Street and now the millionaire athletes. Most in need or most in greed?

Ontario health minister Deb Matthews vowed Thursday to investigate whether Toronto’s NBA and NHL players jumped the line for the swine flu shot while other groups are being forced to wait as the province’s supply dwindles.

Matthews said she shares the outrage sparked by reports that Maple Leafs and Raptors players got the shot even though the province doesn’t have enough yet to vaccinate school-age children.

Fortunately in the case of Canada, someone was fired for giving special privileges. Maybe it's too much "change" to do the same in the US.

UBS traders dumped losses on clients

2009-11-06T19:58:00.000-05:00

Obama really needs to find better people to golf with besides CEOs from companies like this. What is also interesting to note here is that yet again, here is a big player who has been caught yet we're not seeing a perp walk. No, apparently that's only for smaller players who aren't white, nor part of the traditional who's who of the finance industry.

The losses involved here are considerably higher than the alleged $25 million ripoff from Galleon Group. Now the status quo media is comparing Galleon to the mob. Maybe, but there certainly appeared to be a lot of that going around in recent years. If you look at the billions that went down the drain during the credit crisis, either of these amounts are laughable. And to think these are the companies that Obama is giving preferential treatment to for the H1N1 vaccine.

Four former dealers at UBS plundered customer accounts to trade and dumped the resulting losses on them, Britain's financial regulator said, further denting the battered Swiss bank's reputation.

The scandal has cost UBS more than $55 million as the Financial Services Authority slapped on an 8 million pound ($13.2 million) penalty — its third largest ever — and the bank compensated clients by more than $42 million.

Tancredo storms off set after Markos takes him down

2009-11-06T18:40:00.001-05:00

Oh my God. This is priceless video. Just happened a short while ago.

Sorry Cliff Clavin, but democracy did not originate in America

2009-11-06T18:31:00.002-05:00

As if we haven't had enough stupidity from the Teabaggers, the actor who played Cliff Clavin reminded us again what a bunch of fools they are. Maybe the ancient Greeks might have something to say where democracy started. (Hint: it wasn't in Alabama.)

Actor John Ratzenberger, known partly for his role as Cliff Clavin in the 1980s sitcom "Cheers," slammed the Democratic bill as a form of socialism.

"These are Woodstock Democrats," he said at the rally. "We have to remember where their philosophy comes from. It doesn't come from America. It comes from overseas. It comes from socialism. And socialism is a philosophy of failure."

As for socialism being a failure, maybe Cliff hasn't been to Europe where it's doing just fine. Somehow people don't seem upset with having world leading health care and work stability.

US guaranteed $4.3 trillion during financial crisis

2009-11-06T16:49:00.000-05:00

It saved the overall economy from something much worse and for Wall Street, it saved them from complete ruin. The problem now is that because no strings were attached (even now, it's weak) Wall Street sleeps comfortably, knowing that no matter how crazy they behave, the US government will be there to back them up, again. The risky bets are back as are the fat bonuses courtesy of the expensive guarantee. Without risk, how cautious will Wall Street really be? A Congressional Oversight Panel is reviewing this issue though whether Congress will act is another question.

"This apparently positive outcome, however, was achieved at the price of a significant amount of risk," the panel said in the report. "A significant element of moral hazard has been injected into the financial system and a very large amount of money remains at risk."

Elizabeth Warren, the Harvard Law School professor who heads the Congressional Oversight panel, said the guarantees also produced significant distortions in private markets, drawing funds to assets that had backstops.

"The fact that there is no upfront cost is both the beauty and danger of guarantees," she told a conference call on the report. "They are perhaps too tempting."

Hey Rep. Kissell, can we have our $485,795 back?

2009-11-06T15:42:00.000-05:00

Chris Bowers at OpenLeft informs us of another Democrat who sought our money during the election, and now is turning his back on us and real health care reform.

With a vote looming on Saturday night, the whip in the House for the health care bill remains very close. According to the whip count at The Hill, 43 Democrats are no, leaning no, or undecided. With 258 House Democrats, if every Republican votes "no" then 41 Democratic defections will defeat the bill.

One new "no" vote that just appeared, and is not on the list at The Hill, is freshmen Democrat Larry Kissell. This is noteworthy, given that in 2006 and 2008, Larry Kissell raised $485,795 on Act Blue. Some of that was raised directly by the campaign, but most of it came in through blog-organized fundraising pages.

Obama administration officially (finally) supports House health insurance reform bill

2009-11-06T14:36:00.001-05:00

The official Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) on H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, has been released. It's official: The Obama administration supports the bill. However, someone at the White House wanted to make it clear there is a "but" to this support. As John noted, with this crowd, "There's alway a but..." At least the SAP clears the way for Obama to actually push members of the House Democratic Caucus to support the legislation.

Jon Walker at FDL Action is liveblogging the House Rules Committee meeting, which is currently in progress. The Rules Committee will set the parameters for what will happen on the House floor during the debate this weekend.

The full SAP is after the break.

Via email from the White House:

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY
H.R. 3962 — Affordable Health Care for America Act
(Rep. Dingell, D-Michigan, and 6 cosponsors)
The Administration strongly supports House passage of H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, a bill that represents a critical milestone in the effort to reform our health care system. H.R. 3962 will provide needed insurance reforms for Americans with insurance, expand coverage for those who do not have insurance, lower costs for families and businesses, and begin to reduce the Nation’s deficit. It meets the President’s criteria for health insurance reform: it assures that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care that is there when they need it and does so without adding a dime to the deficit.

This legislation is the product of unprecedented cooperation and countless hours of hard work by Members of the House of Representatives who share the President’s conviction that the Nation cannot wait another year for health insurance reform. They have forged a strong consensus that represents an historic step forward.

The House legislation includes critical reforms to the insurance industry, so that Americans will no longer have to worry that they will be denied coverage, or that their coverage will be dropped or watered down when they need it most. It covers virtually all Americans and ensures that all Americans with health insurance are protected against high out-of-pocket spending. The Administration is pleased that the bill includes a public health insurance option offered in an exchange. As the President has said throughout this process, a public option that competes with private insurers is one of the best ways to ensure the choice and competition that are so badly needed in today’s market.

The House bill also includes important health care delivery system reforms, and would extend the solvency of Medicare’s hospital insurance trust fund. Its Medicare and Medicaid policies promote integrated care, quality care, and primary care. It invests in research on the most effective treatments, prevention, and the health care workforce. It also makes critical improvements for Medicare beneficiaries including closing the coverage gap in the Medicare drug benefit known as the donut hole. In addition, it provides new options for long-term care. Moreover, the House bill is fully paid for and will help to reduce the deficit in the long-term.

This bill provides the necessary health reforms that the Administration seeks affordable, quality care within reach for the tens of millions of Americans who do not have it today, and stability and security for the hundreds of millions who do. The Administration appreciates the hard work of the House on this bill, which contributes to transforming the health care system. The Administration looks forward to continuing to work with the Congress on this legislation and urges quick action on this landmark bill.

UPDATED: Another mass shooting leaves 1 dead, 5 wounded

2009-11-06T13:49:00.004-05:00

UPDATE: CNN reports the alleged gunman has been apprehended. And, The Orlando Sentinel has updated its earlier report:

One person is dead and 5 are confirmed shot in the incident, which took place about 11:50 a.m. at Legions Place, an office building near Interstate 4 and Ivanhoe Boulevard. A handgun was used in the attack, police said.

This one is in Orlando and is also a workplace shooting:

A former employee of a business located in a downtown Orlando building where a deadly mass shooting took place today is suspected in the attack.

Two people are dead and at least 17 were shot in the incident, which took place about noon today.

The suspect, Jason Rodriguez, 40, is believed to be driving a silver, 2002 Nissan SUV with tag number D11UXR, Orlando Police spokeswoman Sgt. Barbara Jones.

Police think he is armed and still in the area.

Rodriguez was an employee of Reynolds, Smith & Hill, a transportation consulting firm.

WND falsely claimed alleged Fort Hood shooter "advised Obama transition"

2009-11-06T12:49:00.000-05:00

It's funny, but they still surprise me.

WorldNetDaily falsely claimed that alleged Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan "advised Obama transition" in the headline of an article by Jerome Corsi highlighting his listing as a "participant" in a report for the Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) at George Washington University's Presidential Transition Task Force. However, Corsi himself acknowledges that there is no evidence that "the group played any formal role in the official Obama transition" -- indeed, the Task Force was initiated in April 2008. Moreover, while Hasan was listed as one of approximately 300 "Task Force Event Participants" in the report's appendix, HSPI has reportedly said he was not a "member" of the Task Force, and was listed because he RSVP'd for several of the group's open events.

There's a reason we call it WIngNutDaily.

Obama to endorse House health care reform bill, but....

2009-11-06T11:50:00.000-05:00

There's always a "but."

In fact, Politico reports, the Obama administration will endorse the House bill, but the White House won't say that the House bill any better than the Senate bill, which they also endorse. Get it?

This way the White House can be everyone's friend, rather than actually taking a stand for the strongest health care reform possible.

When has the White House, any White House, ever had a problem saying that it preferred one bill over another? Of course, most worrisome is the fact that, in the end, it's not at all clear that the White House would support the stronger bill if they did speak out. As that's the bill that Olympia Snowe, and the insurance and pharmaceutical industries, would dislike more. And the ultimate goal far too often seems to be passing something with as many GOP votes as possible, and as little conflict as possible, rather than passing the strongest health care reform possible.

DNC Treasurer blames Aravosis for gay community anger at DNC/Obama

2009-11-06T10:28:00.003-05:00

DNC Treasurer Andy Tobias joined in the comments section last night of John's latest post about the DNC's, and White House's, growing gay problem. And he wasn't very happy. He actually blamed John for the increasingly strained relationship between the gay community and the Democratic party, and then suggested that John was helping the Republicans by asking President Obama and the Democratic party to keep their promises to the gay community. I'm not sure a senior Democratic party official has ever started a bar brawl in the comments section of a blog before. Well, they have now. I've written a lengthy post about this over at AMERICAblog Gay.

Unemployment hits 10.2%

2009-11-06T09:28:00.003-05:00

AP:

The jobless rate rose to 10.2 percent from 9.8 percent in September. The jump reflects a sharp increase in the tally of unemployed Americans, which rose to 15.7 million from 15.1 million. That was much larger than the net loss of jobs, which is based on a survey of businesses.

Economists say it could climb as high as 10.5 percent next year because employers remain reluctant to hire.

Robert Reich says we have no choice to enact a larger stimulus bill, and he makes a compelling political argument for why:

That should be Obama's selling point to the Blue Dogs. He should tell them the economy needs a bigger stimulus in order to show improved job numbers by the mid-term elections. And he should make sure they understand that they're more politically endangered next November if the the job numbers aren't moving in the right direction by then than if they vote for a larger stimulus now.