The Hollywood Liberal

Late Late Night FDL: I’m Only Sleeping
I’m Only Sleeping from the television cartoon show, The Beatles, broadcast from 1965 to 1969 on ABC.

I’m Only Sleeping from the television cartoon show, The Beatles, broadcast from 1965 to 1969 on ABC.

Grab your popcorn, put your feet up on the seatback in front of ya, and aim your spitballs at the ushers please. This is Late Late Night FireDogLake, where off topic is the topic … so dive in. What’s on your mind?

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Sunday Talking Heads: 10/10/10
Today we have the CT Senate race (ABC) and the IL Senate race (NBC). Michael Hayden creeps up crops up on CNN, where we also have midterm pollsters. I wonder if there’s a fund for the treatment of Tweety’s Hillary obsession. 60 Minutes features “Speed Traders,” look for masaccio’s take on that in a bit. Expect a lively discussion during Book Salon today, Joe Trippi will be here for Ari Berman’s “Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics.” And it is 10/10/10, find an event near you.

Hallo.  Today we have the CT Senate race (ABC) and the IL Senate race (NBC).  Michael Hayden creeps up crops up on CNN, where we also have midterm pollsters.  (Lordy, I wonder if there’s a fund for the treatment of Tweety’s Hillary obsession.)  60 Minutes features “Speed Traders,” look for masaccio’s take on that in a bit.  Expect a lively discussion during Book Salon today, Joe Trippi will be here for Ari Berman’s “Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics.” And it is 10/10/10, find an event near you.

Washington Journal: 7:45am – Democratic Strategist Maria Cardona & Republican Strategist Cheri Jacobus. 8:45am – Paul Barton, Capitol News Connection, Political Reporter.  9:15am – Bill Adair, PolitiFact, Editor.

ABC’s This Week: Connecticut Senate race with Linda McMahon v Richard Blumenthal. Then, U.S.-Pakistan relations with Pakistan’s former President Pervez Musharraf.  Followed by the global economy with France’s finance minister Christine Lagarde. Roundtable: George Will, Paul Krugman, Amy Walter, Tavis Smiley.

CBS’ Face The Nation: White House Senior Adviser David Axelrod, Chair of the Republican State Leadership Committee Ed Gillespie.

Chris Mathews: Andrea Mitchell, Bob Woodward, David Brooks, Helene Cooper.  Topics: Is Obama’s National Security Team at War? What’s the Evidence Hillary Clinton Might Bump Joe Biden? Are Voters Set to Elect Some Extremists to the Senate?

CNN’s State of the Union: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Chris Van Hollen, followed by Republican Chief Deputy Whip Kevin McCarthy. Then pollsters Celinda Lake and Whit Ayres. Finally, Retired General Michael Hayden.

Fareed Zakaria – GPS: Fareed on the Taliban.  The midterms with a roundatable of “great historians and thinkers.”  Unemployment in South Africa.  Steven Rattner “with a behind the scenes look at the bailout of the automotive industry and the goings-on inside the White House.”

Fox News Sunday: Election 2010. Minority Whip Rep. Eric Cantor v Chief Deputy Whip Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz.  Then Karl Rove v Joe Trippi. Roundtable: Bill Kristol, Nina Easton, Dana Perino, Juan Williams.

NBC’s Meet The Press: Illinois Senate race: State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias (D) v Rep. Mark Kirk (R). Roundtable: Joe Klein and Peggy Noonan.

Newsmakers: Emily’s List President Stephanie Schriock. The group’s priority is to “ensure pro-choice Democratic women win reelection and to increase their overall numbers.” To meet that end, she explained how the group plans to show the “clear choice” between Republican and Democratic candidates.

Q & A: Ron Chernow in the second of a two part series. The Penguin Press is releasing his latest book, “Washington: A Life.” The book is billed as “the first large-scale, single volume, cradle-to-grave narrative of George Washington.”

Religion & Ethics: The Ethics of Sanctions.  The Tea Party and Religious Conservatives.  Jordan River Baptisms.  Snyder vs Phelps and the First Amendment.

60 Minutes: The Speed Traders –  A rare look inside the secretive world of “high-frequency trading,” a controversial technique the SEC is scrutinizing in which computers can make thousands of stock trades in less than a second.  Mandela – A collection of his memoirs, mostly from the 27 years he spent in prison, reveal the innermost thoughts of the international civil rights giant Nelson Mandela, whose movement brought down the apartheid regime of South Africa.  Eminem – The chart-topping rapper from Detroit who overcame addiction to reclaim the winning style that made him the biggest selling artist of the past decade.

To The Contrary: Topics:  1- Will there be fewer women in Congress after the midterm elections? 2- The skinny on workplace weight politics; 3- First Ladies Club:  The similarities and differences between Mrs. Obama and Mrs. Bush.  Panelists: Irene Natividad, Karen Czarnecki, Nicole Kurokawa, Patricia Murphy.  Online exclusive: Sex List Goes Viral A recent college graduate’s thesis about her sexual exploits goes viral.

Univision’s Al Punto: Elizabeth Segovia, Sister of Trapped Chilean Miner; Lou Dobbs, Former Television Anchor; Arnoldo Torres, Political Analyst; Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House of Representatives; and Callista Gingrich, Executive Producer of “Nine Days That Changed The World.”

Virtually Speaking: Cliff Schecter and Tom Schaller. Developments of the week will be discussed. The Gasbag atrocities will be documented. Prospects for the midterm elections in the midwest will be a central topic.

C-SPAN’s Book TV.

FDL’s Book Salon: Chat with host Joe Trippi and author Ari Berman about Berman’s new book, Herding Donkeys: The Fight to Rebuild the Democratic Party and Reshape American Politics.  “Herding Donkeys tells the improbable tale of the grassroots resurgence that transformed the Democratic Party from a lonely minority to a sizable majority.”  5pm ET.

FDL’s Movie Night Monday: A History Lesson, Part One. “In 1984, a teenage Dave Travis decided to capture punk rock in Los Angeles on video tape, a fascination and hobby that he would continue until 1997, logging in hundreds of hours of Los Angeles area shows and interviews.”  Come join host Lisa Derrick and her guests Dave Travis, Lee Joseph, Kira Roessler, Mike Watt, and Dave Jones, 8pm ET Monday.

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Ex-Editor of Playboy Indonesia Jailed
The former editor of Playboy Indonesia has begun a two-year prison stint for publishing images of scantily clad women. Playboy Indonesia began circulation in 2006, but Islamic hard-liners found issue with the magazine’s ethos and started legal proceedings against its editor. —JCL AP via The Guardian: The former editor-in-chief of Playboy Indonesia began a two-year prison sentence Saturday for publishing pictures of scantily clothed women, riling free speech activists in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. Erwin Arnada, 47, did not speak as he was escorted from the prosecutor’s detainee car under tight security at the Cipinang prison in the capital, Jakarta. When the now-defunct Playboy Indonesia hit newsstands in 2006, Islamic hard-liners smashed its editorial offices and started legal proceedings against its top editor. Read more

The former editor of Playboy Indonesia has begun a two-year prison stint for publishing images of scantily clad women. Playboy Indonesia began circulation in 2006, but Islamic hard-liners found issue with the magazine’s ethos and started legal proceedings against its editor. —JCL

AP via The Guardian:

The former editor-in-chief of Playboy Indonesia began a two-year prison sentence Saturday for publishing pictures of scantily clothed women, riling free speech activists in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.

Erwin Arnada, 47, did not speak as he was escorted from the prosecutor’s detainee car under tight security at the Cipinang prison in the capital, Jakarta.

When the now-defunct Playboy Indonesia hit newsstands in 2006, Islamic hard-liners smashed its editorial offices and started legal proceedings against its top editor.

Read more

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Note to Vince and the Screenwriter: Electric Cars Are Not ‘Gay’
“Electric cars are gay,” says Vince Vaughn in an unfortunate attempt at humor in this trailer for Ron Howard’s new film, “The Dilemma.” It gets worse—Vaughn’s character continues, “not homosexual gay but, you know, ‘my-parents-are-chaperoning-the-dance’ gay.”

“Electric cars are gay,” says Vince Vaughn in an unfortunate attempt at humor in this trailer for Ron Howard’s new film, “The Dilemma.” It gets worse—Vaughn’s character continues, “not homosexual gay but, you know, ‘my-parents-are-chaperoning-the-dance’ gay.”

Related Entries

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• October 7, 2010 Afghanistan: A Costly and Brutal Anniversary

How The White House And Senate Blew A Deal For Climate Change: New Yorker
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NY-Gov: 57% Cuomo (D), 34% Paladino (R) (SurveyUSA 10/5-7)
SurveyUSA / WABC / WHEC / WNYT 10/5-7/10; 627 likely voters, 4% margin of error Mode: Automated phone (SurveyUSA release) New York 2010 Governor 57%…

Mike Lux: Dinesh D’Souza: Funniest Political Writer Ever
While Dinesh D’Souza’s arguments are too absurd to spend much time on, I do have to stop for a moment to write a little bit about his basic theme, because the entertainment value is just too good.

Jessica Levinson: California’s Newly “Balanced” Budget Is a Farce
California just “closed its budget gap” by employing rosy predictions and accounting gimmicks which actually demonstrate that the state is in the red to the tune of $10 billion.

Steve Clemons: Tom Donilon: The Last Best Hope to Help Obama Make Vital Strategic Leaps
(Outgoing National Security Advisor General Jim Jones, President Barack Obama, and newly named National Security Advisor Thomas Donilon; photo credit: Talk Radio News) Recently…

Conservatives’ Draft Letter: DOJ Hostile To ‘Race-Neutral’ Civil Rights Enforcement (VIDEO)
The conservative block of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights has prepared two letters to Attorney General Eric Holder, one of which charges that the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is hostile to the “race-neutral enforcement of the civil rights laws.”

Lawyer Jailed For Refusing To Say The Pledge of Allegiance
A lawyer in Tupelo, Miss., was thrown in jail Wednesday for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance in court.

Dem: Civil Rights Commission Went ‘Completely Overboard’ With Holder Letter
The conservative majority of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights today approved two letters addressed the Attorney General Eric Holder, alleging that the Justice Department is not enforcing civil rights laws in a race-neutral manner.

The Tattlesnake – New Entries for the (Politically) Askewed Dictionary
Almightyosis: The bizarre egomaniacal conviction that the creator of hundreds of billions of galaxies in a universe of vast unknown dimensions personally wants you to run for office and takes time out to tell you so. (See ‘O’Donnell, Christine.’) Anglephile: A strange, pathetic creature, usually elderly, who, although dependent on Social Security and Medicare for their […]

O’Donnell Spoof
Saturday Night Live mocked Delaware U.S. Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell’s (R) “I am not a witch” ad last night. Very funny.

Burr Looks Safe for Re-Election
A new High Point University poll in North Carolina finds Sen. Richard Burr (R) with a comfortable lead over challenger Elaine Marshall (D), 45% to 31%.

Said pollster Martin Kifer: “Attitudes in North Carolina reflect what pollsters and political analysts are seeing across the country.”

As Washington Stands Idle, The Private Sector Steps Up For Vets
Veterans don’t need lip service. They need jobs. And so far, we haven’t seen any meaningful action coming from Washington. But a powerful ally is stepping up to fill the void: The Private Sector. None of us need reminding that…

Presented By:

The Secret Big-Money Takeover Of America
Not only is income and wealth in America more concentrated in fewer hands than it’s been in 80 years, but those hands are buying our democracy as never before – and they’re doing it behind closed doors. Hundreds of millions…

GOP Congressional Candidate Dan Webster?s Really Bad Math: The Entire World?s GDP Couldn?t Sustain U.S. Debt

Despite their history of running up the national debt when they are actually in power, leading conservatives have made complaining about the national debt a central theme of their political campaigns.

It was this theme that GOP candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives Dan Webster was touting at a meeting with voters late last month. While fearmongering about the amount of public debt the United States now holds, the congressional candidate went as far as to say that “you could combine all the economies of the world and you could not sustain the borrowing that we’re doing”:

WEBSTER: We’re borrowing 4 billion dollars a day, that’s impossible. We are in trouble. We’re in big trouble. Even Hillary Clinton said two weeks ago that if the borrowing continues it will be a threat to national security. That’s not us. That’s them saying that. Even the congressional budget office has said that is unsustainable. You could combine all the economies of the world and you could not sustain the borrowing that we’re doing. So we have to turn off the faucet.

Watch it:

When Webster refers to the “the borrowing that we’re doing,” he’s talking about the $1.3 trillion dollar budget deficit. It is simply incorrect that the rest of the world’s economies combined would not be able to sustain those levels of debt. The CIA World Factbook estimates that the Global World Product — the sum of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the world’s nations — was approximately $58.15 trillion for 2009. Meaning that the global economy produced 44 times as much in 2009 as it would take to completely pay down the U.S. budget deficit.

Bolton: Democracy Is Not ?Always The Answer?

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that “[m]embers of Pakistan’s spy agency [ISI] are pressing Taliban field commanders to fight the U.S. and its allies in Afghanistan.” Referring to the story Thursday night on Fox News, war hawk John Bolton — potential GOP presidential candidate in 2012 — made an astonishing claim regarding the type of government that should be in control of Pakistan: that the country was better off under military authoritarian rule, which (allegedly) would have been easier to “lean” on to prevent the ISI from helping the Taliban:

BOLTON: [D]emocracy and civilian governments in Pakistan have been so discredited because of incompetence and corruption. I thought the Musharraf government, military, authoritarian rule that it was, was the most likely kind of government to be able to make the changes we made. […] I would have kept Musharraf in power. I think the Bush administration made a mistake in pushing him out. In Pakistan they call the military the “steel skeleton” because it really is the only thing that holds the country together. That offends some people who think democracy is always the answer. Personally, I would put American interests above that. I wouldn’t have gotten rid of Musharraf.

Watch it:

So it seems that Bolton has officially taken himself out of the democracy promotion crowd. But his prescription for stability in Pakistan appears to be at odds with what he himself said in 2007, that the military regime that governed the country at the time was untrustworthy and “filled with fundamentalists“:

Pakistan’s nuclear stockpile may be technically secure, Bolton said but the issue isn’t whether the weapons are locked away. “It’s a political issue,” the former U.S. ambassador said. “If the military comes unstuck, if it divides, then the technical fixes won’t protect those weapons.”

Musharraf is in a difficult spot, Bolton said. “Even the military is filled with Islamic fundamentalists that he’s tried to keep in lower positions.”

“But they’re pervasive,” he said. “And he doesn’t have the flexibility of a real military dictator.”

Bolton has even reportedly said that he “did not think one democracy should tell another democracy not to act like a democracy.” Maybe now he feels that this is permissible or perhaps he is just looking back to his non-democratic roots. “I’m with the Bush-Cheney team, and I’m here to stop the count,” Bolton told election workers recounting ballots cast in Florida’s disputed presidential race between George Bush and Al Gore in December 2000.

Tea party fuels GOP midterm enthusiasm, action
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Obama and Boehner debate GOP’s “Pledge to America”
Boehner said Friday that the pledge was “a new way forward that hasn’t been tried in Washington.” Obama says “it’s the same stuff they’ve been peddling for years.”

Democrats criticize GOP over House nominee who dressed as Nazi during battle reenactments
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Liberalism to Suffer Big Blow if Boxer Loses
Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
Saturday,October 9, 2010 America at War, 2010 The USS Cole ten years later BY Thomas Donnelly October 18, 2010, Vol. 16, No. 05 Before there was 9/11, there was 10/12. A decade ago this week, al Qaeda operatives staged a spectacular suicide attack on the USS Cole while it was refueling in Aden, Yemen. The terrorists puttered up to the destroyer's port side, waving at the U.S. sailors working on deck. Once aside the Cole, the two assailants shaped a 1,000-pound charge to the ship's hull. On the other side of the hull was the…

What Obama Must Do After the Midterms
Eleanor Clift, Newsweek
The morning after the '94 election, White House staffers gathered in the Roosevelt Room to assess the damage. Republicans had taken back control of the Senate and gained the majority in the House for the first time in 40 years. An aide read the names of the Democrats who had lost. “It was like the tolling of the bells,”� says William Galston, a former domestic policy adviser to Bill Clinton. Gasps followed the names of some of the fallen, lawmakers they couldn't believe were defeated, including the Democratic speaker, Tom Foley, and a 21-term House member from Texas,…

Why I’m a Black Tea Partier Opposed to Obama
Lloyd Marcus, Guardian
Turn autoplay offTurn autoplay onPlease activate cookies in order to turn autoplay offI've seen lives ruined by the welfare dependency backed by this Democratic president. We need the dignity of self-relianceObama was marketed as a “new” kind of politician. Hogwash! Black America has suffered the devastating consequences of numerous Obamas, mostly whites ones, for many years. Here is my personal story.A urine smell permeated the stairwell. In the darkness due to smashed light bulbs, the sound of broken wine bottles underfoot echoed off the concrete walls. I was nine years old….