The Hollywood Liberal

In the Village, the Idiots are turning on each other
At the Washington Post a trumped up civil war becomes Brother against Broder.

Oh dear, for a couple weeks Dana Milbank and company have been writing pieces of how poor, sweet, innocent Rahm Emanuel cannot get the President to follow Rahm’s brilliant post-hoc advice. The Village shook.

And now it shakes back as Matlock himself unleashes Broderian outrage, to impose social order like Sally Quinn defending her crab puffs from Roger Aisles.

Emanuel, who left a leadership post in the House to serve his fellow Chicagoan, Obama, has worked loyally for the president and is not suspected personally by his colleagues of inspiring these Post pieces.

But, as one White House staffer said to me, “Rahm likes to win,” and when the losses began to pile up, he probably vented his frustrations to some of his old pals in Congress. It’s clear that some of them are talking to the press.

Oh, I’m sure no one would ever “suspect” Rahm of leaking stuff to the press, to make Rahm Emanuel look better, that would be f***ing retarded. It’s nice to see passive aggressiveness remains entrenched within the 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — for 8 years I missed the passivity.

I will not take sides in a Broder vs. Milbank battle, other than to cheer on the war. But there is a point in Broder’s column when you cannot help but utter the statement, “WELL THAT’S RICH”:

From too many years of covering politics, I have come to believe as Axiom One that the absolute worst advice politicians ever receive comes from journalists who fancy themselves great campaign strategists.

That Broder, he’s the comeback kid.

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Late Late Night FDL: Tweet Me When The Revolution Begins
It’s been nearly two years since I posted what may be my favorite Late Late Night youtube of all time. I’ve been listening to it quite a bit as of late and had to share it once again.

It’s been nearly two years since I posted what may be my favorite Late Late Night youtube of all time. I’ve been listening to it quite a bit as of late and had to share it once again.
Patti Smith recites the Declaration of Independence with German subtitles in an inspired forceful manner as an indictment of George W. Bush. Anklage von George W. Bush!

So tweet me when the revolution begins, twitter.com/eurekasprings. Patti has our script.

Update: Firedog Edward Teller has completed and posted his first draft of the final movement to his orchestral work, Hindu Kush. Listen to it here.
What’s on your mind tonight?

Bonus video: If Dogs Run Free – Bob Dylan

Tags: Bob Dylan, Declaration of Independence, Free running dogs, George W. Bush, lies, Patti Smith, revolution

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Going Nuclear, Again
Get ready for the new nuclear option. You may remember the old version, legislatively speaking, which came up during the George W. Bush-era controversy over filibustering judicial nominees. By Ruth Marcus

Get ready for the new nuclear option. You may remember the old version, legislatively speaking, which came up during the George W. Bush-era controversy over filibustering judicial nominees.

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Weir and Behar Rise Above ‘Nasty’ Talk at the Olympics
Joy Behar was all kinds of brassy sympathy on her show Tuesday night as she chatted with U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir about how “two Canadian commentatehs” clearly couldn’t get ready for Weir’s unique brand of fierceness on ice during a regrettable moment of Olympic reportage.

Joy Behar was all kinds of brassy sympathy on her show Tuesday night as she chatted with U.S. figure skater Johnny Weir about how “two Canadian commentatehs” clearly couldn’t get ready for Weir’s unique brand of fierceness on ice during a regrettable moment of Olympic reportage.

Related Entries

• March 2, 2010 Competition in Ignominy
• March 2, 2010 Domestic Violence: A Pre-Existing Condition?

Jobs Bill: House Expected To Pass New Hire Tax Credit, Highway Funds
WASHINGTON — A measure blending highway funding eagerly sought by the states with tax breaks for companies that hire unemployed workers appeared headed for House…

Janine R. Wedel: Shadow Elite: Why Did Military Top Brass Flout Its Own Chain of Command?
This post was co-authored by Linda Keenan and Janine R. Wedel. In December, Major General Michael T. Flynn told a reporter, “I’ve always operated so…

Sarah Palin Reality Show? Palin Shopping Alaska TV Docudrama
Sarah Palin is making the most of her time in LA. Fresh off her appearance on the “Tonight Show,” Palin is meeting with network executives…

Leo W. Gerard: Bunning Put a Face on Obstructionist, Mean-Spirited Republican Party
Sen. Jim Bunning, the Kentucky Republican who single-handedly delayed unemployment benefits for 400,000 desperate Americans and forced an unnecessary furlough of another 2,000, should…

Pete Stark Runs Into Resistance As Rangel’s Interim Ways And Means Replacement
Rep. Pete Stark (Calif.) may have the shortest chairmanship in the young history of the House Democratic majority….

Malkin and Hannity falsely claimed Rep. Stark has an “ethics scandal”

On Fox News’ Hannity, Michelle Malkin falsely claimed that Rep. Pete Stark has “his own ethics scandal … regarding a house that he claimed deductions for apparently in Maryland.” In fact, the House ethics committee flatly rejected these allegations and concluded that Stark did not seek a Maryland property tax credit and did not violate Maryland law or House rules.

From the March 3 edition of Fox News’ Hannity:

HANNITY: The story gets more interesting now, because you’ve got [Rep. Charles] Rangel’s [D-NY] successor [as chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee], a guy by the name of Congressman Pete Stark [D-CA], who himself has been investigated for ethics violations.

[…]

MALKIN: And then, of course, his own ethics scandal, as you mentioned, regarding a house that he claimed deductions for apparently in Maryland, and then he went and cussed the people who were investigating that as well.

Ethics committee flatly rejected allegations against Stark

Ethics committee: Stark did not violate Maryland law or House rules. In a January 29 report, the House ethics committee flatly rejected allegations that Stark “violated Maryland criminal tax law and ethics rules of the House of Representatives by intentionally filing a false application for a Maryland property tax credit.” The ethics committee found that Stark “did not violate House ethics rules. Nor did he run afoul of Maryland’s criminal or tax laws.”

Ethics committee: Stark did not “seek” tax credit and did not “file a false application.” The ethics committee found:

The evidence clearly establishes that Representative Stark did not receive a tax credit as a result of filing an application for the credit. The evidence also establishes that he did not file a false application for the Maryland property tax credit.

Representative Stark did not seek out the Maryland property tax credit. The State of Maryland required every homeowner in Maryland to fill out a form to determine their eligibility for the tax credit.

Therefore, Representative Stark did not violate House ethics rules. Nor did he run afoul of Maryland’s criminal or tax laws.

Will Liz Cheney Attack Rudy Giuliani’s Firm For Representing ‘Terrorist Detainees’?
In Liz Cheney’s worldview, Rudy Giuliani is a disloyal al Qaeda sympathizer.

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The Modern Moron

Rove Lifts Veil on Bush Presidency
The New York Times previews next week’s release of Karl Rove’s memoir, Courage and Confidence.

“The book is the latest in a stream by top figures from the Bush administration. Mr. Rove’s may carry special interest given his outsized reputation as the political maestro who vaulted a Texas governor to the presidency and guided him through a tumultuous tenure that saw war, terrorism, natural disaster and recession. A hero to conservatives and villain to liberals, Mr. Rove may be the most high-profile White House aide in modern times.”

The Washington Post notes Rove claims in the book not to know why President Bush gave him the nickname “Turd Blossom.”

Democratic Retirements in Tough Districts to Defend
Rep. Eric Massa’s (D-NY) surprise retirement announcement yesterday was overshadowed by the controversy why he was leaving but it’s important to note that he’s the seventh House Democrat leaving a seat that Sen. John McCain won in the 2008 presidential election.

While it’s true that more House Republicans have decided not to seek re-election, the vast majority of them are from solidly Republican districts that shouldn’t be too hard for the GOP to defend.

The Fix: “Remember, too, that filing deadlines have passed in only eight states. The next month, which includes filing deadlines in places like California (March 12), Iowa (March 19) and Missouri (March 30), will be critical in determining just how bad it is going to get for Democrats this fall.”

CQ Politics has the complete list of members in transition this cycle.

Glenn Beck Is Still Smearing Van Jones, Even After Jones Takes High Road Preaching ‘Love’ for Fox Host
Six months after Gateway Pundit forced Jones’ White House resignation over a 9/11 petition, Beck revives ridiculous red-baiting act.

Six months after Gateway Pundit forced Jones' White House resignation over a 9/11 petition, Beck revives ridiculous red-baiting act.

Anti-Pot Propaganda As Stupid As Ever — Yet Our Alarmist Media Continues to Hype It
Once again mainstream media are running wild with the absurd notion that marijuana use causes psychological problems, despite much evidence to the contrary.

Once again mainstream media are running wild with the absurd notion that marijuana use causes psychological problems, despite much evidence to the contrary.

Obama Adopts Bush Plan to Hide Outsourced Job Data
The U.S. is hemorrhaging jobs thanks to terrible trade policies. Instead of fixing the problem, Obama wants to hide the data.

The U.S. is hemorrhaging jobs thanks to terrible trade policies. Instead of fixing the problem, Obama wants to hide the data.

How the Monsters at Goldman Sachs Caused a Greek Tragedy
Greece’s crushing debt has exploded into a full-blown crisis, with the country on the precipice of the unthinkable: the default of a sovereign nation. Thanks Goldman Sachs.

Greece's crushing debt has exploded into a full-blown crisis, with the country on the precipice of the unthinkable: the default of a sovereign nation. Thanks Goldman Sachs.

The Narrative
[In which I vent about the ‘public mood’ by voicing the argument as it sounds to me.] “Why do we have all this bickering over health care? Obviously the real priority is the economy and jobs, which don’t have anything…


United States – Politics – Health – Health care – Health Policy

The Enthusiasm Gap
I had dinner the other night with a Democratic pollster who told me Dems are heading toward next fall’s mid-term elections with a serious enthusiasm gap: The Republican base is fired up. The Dem base is packing up. The Dem…


Democratic – United States midterm election – Politics – Nancy Pelosi – United States

In Just Over 12 Hours, Romney Goes From Praising To Attacking Obama On Afghanistan
Yesterday, former Gov. Mitt Romney made the rounds on various television shows as part of a promotional tour for his new book, “No Apology: The Case For American Greatness.” During an interview on NBC’s Today show, host Matt Lauer noted that Romney has “been having a good time taking some shots at President Obama over […]

Yesterday, former Gov. Mitt Romney made the rounds on various television shows as part of a promotional tour for his new book, “No Apology: The Case For American Greatness.” During an interview on NBC’s Today show, host Matt Lauer noted that Romney has “been having a good time taking some shots at President Obama over the last several months.” When Lauer asked if Obama has “done anything right,” Romney cited the President’s Afghanistan policy:

LAUER: Has President Obama done anything right, anything good in the past 12 months?

ROMNEY: Yeah. No question about it, he’s done several things well. … He boosted our effort in Afghanistan, which is the right course to take.

Yet nearly 12 hours later on Fox News, Romney attacked the President’s handling of Afghanistan, claiming that Obama had diverted attention away from Afghanistan to focus on health care, which he dubbed a “classic error”:

HANNITY: Do you think Barack Obama is tone deaf? What do you think of him?

ROMNEY: Look, I think he’s a lot worse than tone deaf. I think he has such a low level of experience in dealing with tough situations like this that he’s made some classic errors. One of which is not to focus on job one from the first day he was in office. And that, of course, was getting jobs back to the American people. And then the second issue should have been making sure that we’re successful in our fight against terrorism around the world particularly in Afghanistan. But instead he diverted onto health care.

Watch a compilation:

Romney’s quick shift should probably come as no surprise. During his run for president in 2008, his penchant for changing positions on a number of key issues — including abortion, gay rights, and immigration — in order to placate to the right-wing base became widely known.

Most recently, Romney has now flipped back to supporting comprehensive immigration reform (something he supported as late as 2005 before he derided it during the campaign) and just last September, Romney attacked the bank bailouts he had once supported.

The Washington Independent’s Spencer Ackerman notes that in his new book, Romney “has absolutely nothing to say” about the 8-year-old Afghanistan conflict. “He proposes expanding the counterinsurgency capabilities of the military,” Ackerman writes, “but manages to say absolutely nothing about what they ought to do in Afghanistan, except for the content-free platitude that ‘we must draw upon the resources of our entire military.’”