Sunday Talking Heads: June 26, 2011
Posted in Main Blog (All Posts) on June 26th, 2011 4:42 am by HL
Sunday Talking Heads: June 26, 2011
No specific guests on the NY vote for equal marriage. I guess it’ll come up in a roundtable somewhere. Sure seemed momentous to me. And now a word from our Scarecrow…
No specific guests on the NY vote for equal marriage. I guess it’ll come up in a roundtable somewhere. Sure seemed momentous to me.
And now a word from our Scarecrow:
Sigh. I have long hoped there is merciful, sentient, and wise Goddess of Networks who, patience exhausted, will finally pull the plug on the pathetic CBS interview program, Face the Nation. But alas, in a week in which Greece is being forced to set the precedent for surrendering its sovereignty in order to bailout reckless creditors, thus setting the pattern for further depressing the economies of perhaps a half dozen other Euro countries with implications for our own; when mindless budget talks are said to “break down” because an ideological fool leaves the room; when New York became the sixth state to treat lots of people with dignity but other states continue to strip people of their dignity and rights; when the US Supreme Court continued its uninterrupted assault on every legal mechanism to hold corporations accountable for mistreatment of their employees, shareholders and investors; while Arizona is suffering its worst fire in history, Texas its worst drought and fires, other states suffering their worst floods and no one is making the connections as Congress continues to dismantle all environmental safeguards; when the US President announces he doesn’t have to follow the Constitution and will continue making war on anyone, anytime, anywhere . . . with all that going on, CBS chooses to interview an extreme political ideologue who has shown herself incapable of an honest, intellectually coherent thought on any of these subjects. Pull the plug, people.
And there’s there NBC, who thinks it’s okay to reward the Governor of New Jersey, who just conned Democratic leaders into stripping away the rights of employees to collectively bargain for fair treatment and who will sign legislation effectively raising taxes (by forcing higher benefits contributions) on state employees, while shielding everyone else, including the wealthy. We will probably not see any footage of the thousands of disgusted citizens who protested in front of the state capitol, nor will the interviewer think to link this to Wisconsin, or Greece, or Ireland, or Spain, nevermind Iceland and Argentina. [cont’d.]
Unfortunately, ABC, our last hope, is not much better. They expect us to listen to Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who is willing to destroy the economy just to regain power and just told us his vote on whether we should send soldiers into war to kill or be killed depends primarily on whether a Democrat or Republican sends them — and yet he’s still there and allowed to dodge questions again??? . . . and Jim Clyburn, representing Democratic “leadership,” who is so hopelessly confused about what fiscal policy should be when you have 14-25 million people un- underemployed that he told reporters this week that we shouldn’t balance the budget on the backs of the middle class unless we also partly balance the budget by repealing a handful of minor tax exemptions for corporations. Yeah, that would be fair, Jim. The one question I hope the interviewer asks is: since neither party is representing the interests of the American people and neither has the sense the goddess gave a mule, do you think voters would be justified in storming the US Capitol with rotten tomatoes?
Once again, there are no progressive voices, no competent economists or policy analysts who can critique the insanity of what these people are doing to the country, no spokespersons for the unemployed or disadvantaged — in short, not a single person worth listening to. Go for a long walk.
Peter hastens to add:
“Go for a long walk.”
Or go to church. God(dess) knows there’s a need for prayer . . .
Or go to brunch at your local neighborhood brunch-place. Help out the local economy — servers, cooks, and local vendors.
Or stay in bed with your significant other. (Always a good idea.)
Or clean the garage. (Almost always necessary.)
Or fire up the smoker for that turkey that requires a good 8 hours of smoke. Yum.
Or . . .?
If you hear any talk about the NY Marriage Equality vote, please put it in comments. And enjoy the celebration video 🙂
ABC’s This Week: Debt and deficit – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and House Assistant Minority Leader James Clyburn (D-SC). Roundtable: George Will, Anita Dunn, Chrystia Freeland, Jonathan Karl. War Roundtable: George Will, Martha Raddatz and professor of international politics at Tufts University Vali Nasr.
CBS’ Face the Nation: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN).
CNN’s State of the Union: Afghanistan – Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chair of the House Intelligence Committee. Debt and deficit – House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), then Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC). Presidential politics – Bill Burton, former deputy press secretary for President Obama, and Michael Gerson, former speechwriter for President George W. Bush.
Chris Matthews: Is the president lagging the country on getting out of Afghanistan? Will the Tea Party get behind the winner, if it is Mitt Romney or Jon Huntsman?
Fareed Zakaria – GPS: Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Greece – PIMCO’s CEO Mohamed El-Erian. Then, Jeffrey Toobin on changing the Constitution.
Fox News Sunday: Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN). Roundtable: Brit Hume, Kirsten Powers, Bill Kristol, Juan Williams.
NBC’s Meet the Press: Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ). Afghanistan – Armed Services Committee members Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sen. Jim Webb (D-VA). Roundtable: Katty Kay, Matt Bai, David Brooks.
Newsmakers: The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA), said he is “optimistic” about Afghanistan but the partnership with Pakistan “is not going well.” …
Q & A: Russ Roberts, Economics Professor at George Mason University and host of the weekly podcast series “EconTalk,” and John Papola, a filmmaker and entertainment marketing executive. They have collaborated on the creation of two rap videos about economics. …
60 Minutes: Hard Times Generation – For some children, socializing and learning in school are being cruelly complicated by homelessness. Wynton Marsalis – Jazz missionary Wynton Marsalis shares his love of America’s most distinctive art form by taking his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra around the world.
To The Contrary: Topics: How the Supreme Court decision to dismiss the gender discrimination case against Wal-Mart will affect future lawsuits; how the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan will affect the war-torn country’s women; and a new book that examines the state of marriage. Panelists: Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Genevieve Wood, Debra Carnahan, Tara Setmayer. Guest Host: Karen DeWitt.
Univision’s Al Punto: Mike Hammer, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs, U.S. State Department; Jorge Castañeda, Former Foreign Minister of Mexico and Author of “Mañana Forever. Mexico and the Mexicans”; Alejandro Garcia Padilla, Puerto Rican Senator and Gubernatorial Candidate (PPD); Juan Zapata, Chair, NALEO Educational Fund.
Virtually Speaking: Cliff Schecter and digby “Our Media Not Theirs.” 9pm ET.
FDL’s Book Salon: Troublemaker: A Memoir From the Front Lines of the Sixties. “The political memoir as rousing adventure story—a sizzling account of a life lived in the thick of the battles that defined America’s revolutionary epoch.” Come chat with Bill Zimmerman and host Richard Flacks, 5pm ET.
FDL’s Movie Night Monday: The Last Mountain. “In the valleys of Appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain. It is a battle with severe consequences that affect every American, regardless of their social status, economic background or where they live.” Join producer/writer/director Bill Haney, producer Clara Bingham, and guest host Jeff Biggers for the discussion, 8pm ET.
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Late Late Night FDL: Electronica
Electronica. This Harveytoon Modern Madcap cartoon was released in August, 1960.
Electronica. This Harveytoon Modern Madcap cartoon was released in August, 1960.
Directed and Produced (uncredited) by Seymour Kneitel. Story by Irving Dressler. Animation by Morey Reden and Nick Tafuri. Scenic Art by Robert Owen. Voices by (in alphabetical order) Gilbert Mack (Robot Salesman – uncredited) and Jack Mercer (Henry – uncredited). Original Music by Winston Sharples.
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?
