The Hollywood Liberal

Sunday Talking Heads: August 8, 2010
Here we are again, Sunday morning. With the world all askew, I thought I’d post a video of hope springing eternal. We could all use a smile. As for the talking heads : The Prop 8 Trial with David Bois on CBS and Ted Olson on Fox, BP Oil Disaster, Iraq, Afghanistan, Economy, Elections, and watertiger.

Here we are again, Sunday morning.  With the world all askew, I thought I’d post a video of hope springing eternal.  We could all use a smile.

As for the talking heads: The Prop 8 Trial with David Bois on CBS and Ted Olson on Fox, BP Oil Disaster, Iraq, Afghanistan, Economy, Elections, and watertiger.

Washington Journal: 7:45am – Philip Klein, American Spectator & Adam Serwer, American Prospect. 8:30am – Michael Hudson, Center for Public Integrity. 9:15am – John Morton, Immigration & Customs Enforcement.

ABC’s This Week: Iraq with Gen. Ray Odierno.  Then, the general in charge of the U.S. Army’s efforts to reduce the epidemic of suicide among U.S. soldiers, General Peter Chiarelli.  Roundtable: George Packer of the New Yorker, Gillian Tett of the Financial Times, Politico’s John Harris, Washington Post columnist and former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson.

CBS’ This Week: Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), National Incident Commander, BP Oil Disaster. David Boies, American Foundation for Legal Rights. Tony Perkins, Family Research Council. Dan Balz, The Washington Post. CBS News Chief Legal Correspondent Jan Crawford.

Chris Matthews: Howard Fineman, Erin Burnett, Kelly O’Donnell, John Heilemann.  Topics: Will Dems Have Votes To Kill Tax Cuts? Will GOP Run Against Gay Marriage? Will Hillary Clinton Bump Joe Biden From The 2012 Obama Ticket?

CNN’s State of the Union: Gov. Bob McDonnell (R-VA) and Goc. Jennifer Granholm (D-MI), immigration, same-sex marriage, and health care.  Then, Adm. Thad Allen (Ret.), National Incident Commander, BP Oil Disaster.

Fareed Zakaria – GPS: Robert Rubin and Paul O’Neill. Then, a one-on-one interview with the man some people call “the father of the Taliban.”  Former Pakistani spy chief Hamid Gul answers allegations from the WikiLeaks documents that he conspired with terrorists to kill Allied soldiers and “set Kabul aflame.”  Then, the Foreign Minister of Serbia on whether war in the Balkans is possible again. “And finally a look at how Iran has America pinned to the mat.”

Fox News Sunday: Prop 8 with Ted Olson, who successfully argued the case for gay marriage proponents.  Gov. Mitch Daniels, (R-IN).  Fox News AllStars: Bill Kristol, AP’s Jennifer Loven, Liz Cheney, Juan Williams.  Power Player of the Week: Michael Landrum, Restaurateur, “Ray’s: The Steaks”

NBC’s Meet The Press: President Obama’s Energy Adviser, Carol Browner.  House Republican Leader Rep. John Boehner (R-OH).  Roundtable: Harold Ford Jr.; Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN); Andrea Mitchell; and Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum.

Newsmakers: AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka will discuss the state of the economy and American jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that 131,000 U.S. jobs were lost in July, while the national unemployment rate held at 9.5 percent for a second month. The AFL-CIO is the country’s largest federation of labor unions.

Q & A: Documentary filmmaker Greg Barker. He has made films for HBO and for PBS Frontline. They include: “The Survival of Saddam” (2000), “The Commanding Heights” (2001), “Campaign Against Terror” (2002), “Ghosts of Rwanda” (2004), “The Age of AIDS” (2006), “Showdown with Iran” (2007), “Sergio” (2009).

Religion & Ethics: Muslims in Germany.  Reiki and the Church.  Ramadan is Here.  Abraham Verghese.

60 Minutes: The Cost of Dying – Many Americans spend their last days in an intensive care unit, subjected to uncomfortable machines or surgeries to prolong their lives at enormous cost.  The Patriarch – Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the leader of the 300 million-member Orthodox Christian Church, feels “crucified” living in Turkey under a government he says would like to see his nearly 2,000-year-old Patriarchate die out.  Chef Jose Andres – Pioneering Chef Jose Andres takes your taste buds on a savory tour of his culinary laboratory, featuring his avant-garde cooking technique, molecular gastronomy.

To The Contrary: Topics: Children and families battling rare diseases are finding hope in DNA sequencing technology.

Univison’s Al Punto: Gloria Guevara Manzo, Secretary of Tourism for Mexico; JJ Rendón, Political Strategist; Dolores Huerta, Community Activist and Co-Founder of United Farm Workers; and Jenni Rivera, Regional Mexican Music Superstar.

Virtually Speaking: Avedon Carol and watertiger.  “Avedon Carol’s Sideshow has been snarking, and providing ripping good political analysis for as long as there has been a blogosphere. Mockery and thoughtful analysis will be featured. Watertiger’s blog, Dependable Renegade, features political sarcasm AND kittehs.”

C-SPAN’s Book TV.

FDL’s Book Salon: “In order to find out the impact of same-sex marriage, M. V. Lee Badgett traveled to a land where it has been legal for same-sex couples to marry since 2001: the Netherlands.”  When Gay People Get Married: What Happens When Societies Legalize Same-Sex Marriage.  Chat with Lee Badgett, 5pm ET.

FDL Movie Night Monday: Bad Day.  The movie can be downloaded here, watch and then come chat with the legendary Exene Cervenka and Modi Frank. “Photographed on black and white film by Exene Cervenka, directed by Modi Frank, and written by Modi and Exene in 1986, Bad Day is a wayward tribute to the early silent film days of one-reel Westerns. It’s a short film that throws a saddle over the back of mid-80s punk, yanks the reins of shoot ‘em up satire, and smacks this horse’s ass with the anything-goes spirit of its two gifted creators. Not bad for a film only rumored to exist until now.”  Monday, 8pm ET.  (Was that Kevin Costner?)

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Schwarzenegger Urges Resumption of Gay Marriages
As the gay marriage train prepares to leave the station, it’s odd but telling to see Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging the resumption of same-sex marriages in California while Democratic President Barack Obama remains opposed. While some argue that Schwarzenegger can come out in support of gay marriage because he isn’t running for re-election while Team Obama is … is that really an excuse? —JCL Los Angeles Times: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday urged that same-sex marriages be allowed to resume in California, his strongest support yet of gay marriage. But President Obama has remained silent on the question—and remains opposed to gay marriage. “The president does oppose same-sex marriage, but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples, and benefits and other issues, and that has been effectuated in federal agencies under his control,” David Axelrod, a top Obama advisor, told NBC News on Friday. Read more

As the gay marriage train prepares to leave the station, it’s odd but telling to see Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger urging the resumption of same-sex marriages in California while Democratic President Barack Obama remains opposed.

While some argue that Schwarzenegger can come out in support of gay marriage because he isn’t running for re-election while Team Obama is … is that really an excuse? —JCL

Los Angeles Times:

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Friday urged that same-sex marriages be allowed to resume in California, his strongest support yet of gay marriage.

But President Obama has remained silent on the question—and remains opposed to gay marriage.

“The president does oppose same-sex marriage, but he supports equality for gay and lesbian couples, and benefits and other issues, and that has been effectuated in federal agencies under his control,” David Axelrod, a top Obama advisor, told NBC News on Friday.

Read more

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This week’s news spotlight was captured by the judiciary, with the Senate’s confirmation of Elena Kagan as the Supreme Court’s 112th justice (and fourth woman), and federal judge Vaughn Walker’s decision overturning California’s ban on same-sex marriage. His 136-page ruling landed with the force of history being made. It felt less like a legal finding than another milestone on the road to a more perfect union — another step in the long journey that has included the Emancipation Proclamation, the 19th amendment, Brown v. Board of Education, and the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Those who continue to oppose same-sex marriage are not just standing against the right of gays and lesbians to marry — they are standing against the inevitable. When the case makes its way to the Supreme Court, will John Roberts’ court want to position itself as a roadblock in the way of historic inevitability?

Taylor Marsh: Mort Zuckerman’s Hit Piece on First Lady Michelle Obama
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Church Carnival Sets Up Shooter Game With Obama As Target
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NYT: Lawmakers, Besides Rangel, Had Endowments Funded By Corporations
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Prof. Sharron Angle on the First Amendment and Her Nutbars

The Rich and the Rest of Us
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Why We Fight — Countering the Conservative Foreign Policy Critique
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Fareed Zakaria returns Anti-Defamation League award.

CNN host and Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria has returned a prestigious award given to him by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), saying he is “stunned” at their decision to oppose the construction of an Islamic community center near Ground Zero. From his column:

The ADL’s mission statement says it seeks “to put an end forever to unjust and unfair discrimination against and ridicule of any sect or body of citizens.” But Abraham Foxman, the head of the ADL, explained that we must all respect the feelings of the 9/11 families, even if they are prejudiced feelings. “Their anguish entitles them to positions that others would categorize as irrational or bigoted,” he said. First, the 9/11 families have mixed views on this mosque. There were, after all, dozens of Muslims killed at the World Trade Center. Do their feelings count? But more important, does Foxman believe that bigotry is OK if people think they’re victims? Does the anguish of Palestinians, then, entitle them to be anti-Semitic?

Five years ago, the ADL honored me with its Hubert H. Humphrey First Amendment Freedoms Prize. I was thrilled to get the award from an organization that I had long admired. But I cannot in good conscience keep it anymore. I have returned both the handsome plaque and the $10,000 honorarium that came with it. I urge the ADL to reverse its decision. Admitting an error is a small price to pay to regain a reputation.

On his CNN show this Sunday (which was pre-taped), Zakaria further says that he was “personally and deeply saddened” by the ADL’s stance. In a response letter to Zakaria, Foxman writes, “I am not only saddened but stunned and somewhat speechless by your decision.”

In Va.’s 5th, incumbent Democrat Tom Perriello sees voter frustration firsthand
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Obama takes credit for healthier Medicare
President Obama on Saturday took credit for placing Medicare on a more certain fiscal path and pledged to American seniors that they would see more help soon paying for drug costs in a direct appeal to an important segment of the midterm electorate.


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In difficult midterm election, Democrats back to bashing George W. Bush
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Dems Get Little Boost From Stimulus
Shailagh Murray, Washington Post
ELYRIA, OHIO — Republican House candidate Tom Ganley sold more than 800 cars last summer through the “Cash for Clunkers” government rebate program. But does Uncle Sam get a thank you?”Let's talk about Cash for Clunkers,” the voluble millionaire, who owns the largest auto dealership group in Ohio, told a group of voters here recently. “It created a 30-day surge in auto sales. After it ended, there was no business. It was like the faucet was shut off.”