Krugman Responds to Obama's Attacks

Krugman responds via his blog.

I was prepared to leave it at that — Obama’s plan was weaker than his rivals’ because it wasn’t universal, but I hoped that he would fix that in practice.

But then Obama started attacking his rivals from the right, denouncing their proposals using exactly the same false claims that conservatives will use to try to derail reform in the future.

And now, having been caught out on the facts, the Obama people respond with a personal attack, lifting quotes out of context to pretend that I never had problems with the plan. Something is very wrong here.

Obama Disappoints

Jerome Armstrong at MyDD is not what you'd call an Obama booster, but he's got 2 pieces on MyDD right now which I endorse whole-heartedly.

Piece #1 on Oprah's politics:

Back during the end of September 2000, when Gore had Bush on the mat following the bounce from the LA convention and the RATS ad, it was Oprah that picked Bush up off the ground. "My pleasure," he purred when she thanked him for the kiss. The establishment media went gaga after Oprah embraced Bush.

That's what I know about Oprah and her politics.

But the more substantive piece is the one that resonates with me most. Obama is bashing Krugman. Paul Krugman, one of the only honest and courageous voices in the traditional media.

Let's review: Krugman took Obama to task for his healthcare plan. Obama's Healthcare plan does not provide universal coverage, and is deeply flawed in that it doesn't require enrollment, but neither can it deny anyone enrollment, thereby basically encouraging people to opt out when they're healthy, and then opt in when they're sick thus defeating the entire premise of a plan that bases cost savings on economies of scale. When everyone pays in, it's cheaper for everyone. Under Obama's plan, the chronically sick opt in immediately, and then because the pool is smaller, they pay more. Then a some healthy people get sick and opt in, and because they enlarge the pool, it all gets cheaper. Then, some people get better, and opt out again, without penalty, and the cost goes up again because the pool is smaller. Basically, you'd have the sickest people, those most in need of affordable health care subsidizing the healthy Johnny-Come-Latelys. Like I said. Deeply Flawed.

Krugman's also taken Obama to task (rightly so) for embracing the Norquist dog-whistle "Social Security Crisis" meme.

Well, now it seems that Obama is going after Krugman's credibility. Bad move. Krugman's one of the most credible columnists we've got. It's worth going to the NYT's archive of his columns to check out exactly how prescient he's been. Here's a piece published just 3 months after the Iraq invasion, at a time when most of the rest of the media were celebrating "Mission Accomplished."

So now, because Krugman spoke a little truth about Obama's shortcomings, Obama is attacking Krugman. Mr. Obama, maybe you should hire him as a policy advisor instead.

Armstrong notes what's troubling about Obama's statements and raises some worthy questions:

Is Obama is just plain ignorant of the fight we've faced this decade in going after Krugman? Why is he going after the Clinton and Edwards plans to push forward the idea of universal coverage? Does he really have no clue that using the term 'crisis' to describe Social Security is Rovian?

It's mistakes like these that make me think that if Obama gets the nomination, it's going to be disgusting to watch as he turns against progressives in his bid for the middle, and as he says, that's the way he'd govern too.

Amen to that.

Obama has great potential, but it sure looks like he's mistaking 'compromise' for leadership, and capitulation for 'bipartisanship.'

Young Pakistanis: Bin Laden Is A CIA Creation

Good Morning America gets more than it bargained for in a feature on young people in Pakistan

Steve Watson
Infowars.net
Tuesday, Dec 4, 2007

An ABC news piece that ran yesterday morning attracted attention after four Pakistanis who were being interviewed about the attitudes and life of young people in Pakistan declared Osama Bin Laden to be a creation of western intelligence and stressed that Islamic extremist attitudes towards the west were virtually non existent in their country before 9/11.

ABC have since pulled the video footage from their website, but an industrious prisonplanet forum member grabbed the footage and uploaded it to youtube.

"Who is Osama Bin Laden?" One girl asked Chris Cuomo, "He's just a character created by America" she concluded.

Another of the young people, all in their twenties picked up the conversation stating "I would say that 98% of Pakistanis would follow along the same lines, they believe that Osama is basically a CIA agent who is working under cover to put over a bad image of Islam."

Here is the footage interspersed with other evidence to back up the claims of the four young Pakistanis:

Latest Intelligence Estimate Says Iran Halted Nuclear Weapons Program in 2003

The latest National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) report suggests that Iran has halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 due to international pressure. You can view the pdf of the report here. This is in stark contrast to Bush, Cheney, other administration officials, and most of the GOP presidential candidates, all of which have been banging their fists screaming about stopping Iran from getting nuclear weapons.
Raw Story has a great article about Joseph Cirincione, the director of nuclear policy at the Center for American Progress, and his recent appearance on BBC World News. Cirincione basically says that military and intelligence agencies are finally standing up to the president and his propagandizing of the Iranian threat.

"And they of course are now dealing with a lame-duck president...and you're seeing first the military reassert the integrity of its institutions, and now the intelligence agencies," he continued. "So both are now saying 'go slow on Iran, there is no good military option here.' And now, there isn't really an imminent threat. We have time to let diplomacy work."

"It definitely undercuts the case for military action," said Cirincione. "It strengthens the case for direct diplomatic engagement."

Sex on the City!

I'm loving the Rudy Giuliani "Sex on the City" scandal. It's got all kinds of juicy bits, like the possibility that the reason he wanted his Emergency Command Center within walking distance of the Mayor's office (instead of out in Brooklyn where all the security experts suggested it be placed) was that he wanted to use it as a convenient love nest! Fucking hilarious. The Emergency response on 9-11 was a disaster in and of itself because the Emergency Command Center was useless. How many people died so Rudy could get some tail? What's most hilarious about the deaths of all those fire-fighters and police officers is that after his prostate cancer, I don't even think he can get it up anymore. Hah hah. Rudy's impotent. No SuperTube action for him anymore.



Oh, and look! Here's Rudy's Holiday dance with his former prostate.

Super-Tuber pt. 2

The Headline from the Idaho Statesman? "More Gay Men Describe Sexual Encounters with U.S. Sen. Larry Craig."

Here's a quote:

"First he washed and dried my cock. Then he rubbed it with shortening or butter. Finally, he dipped it in his favorite cock condiment (mustard is his favorite)."

Evel Knievel: 1938-2007

Its a sad day for America today. Evel Knievel, our country's most famous daredevil, has passed away at age 69. Evel, dude, you will be missed. We'll never forget that you gave us this:

Krugman Calls out Obama

Paul Krugman is one of the few level leads in the traditional media. He called bullshit on countless Bush policies from invading Iraq to cutting taxes, all at a time when other 'journalists' were cowering in fear. He called bullshit on the subprime lending practices before the mortgage meltdown. He's been right a huge percentage of the time. Recently he called Bullshit on Obama's right wing talking points about the so-called 'Social Security Crisis.' And now he's calling bullshit on Obama's healthcare plan (and more specifically, Obama's claims that it's superior to Edwards's or Clinton's (whic is based on Edwards's anyway).

Olbermann on The New York Post and 9/11 Foreknowledge

youtube

Olberman announces his worst person/s in the world and the New York Post is number 1 due to that fact they are now calling people who believe Bush had foreknowledge of 9/11 as "idiots" even though they had a "BUSH KNEW" headline in 02.

Doug Stanhope on Freedom

doug stanhope

Unfortunately, Doug is not running for president anymore, but his wisdom is always useful.....and fucking hilarious.

John McCain Gets Owned by Ron Paul at the CNN/YouTube Debate

Big John McCain, who's campaign is spiraling into the abyss of nothingness, has decided to go ahead and attempt to attack the man who has taken over as the new "maverick", Ron Paul.
Unfortunately for McCain, he looked like an idiot in his attempt to challenge Congressman Paul.
I believe the initial question asked to McCain was about the IRS or the income tax. However this didn't stop McCain from launching into a diatribe about how Paul's policies are "isolationist" and inferred that "That kind of isolationism caused World War II". I love how McCain used that line about how he had Thanksgiving dinner with the troops and according to him they said that they wanted our leaders to "let them win". Give me a fucking break McCain, how long were you waiting to use your totally canned "thanksgiving with the troops" line. I bet he's confused. It was probably one of his Blackwater guards that told him that. Anyway, one of the best parts of this exchange was the mannerism of Congressman Paul while McCain was experiencing his diarrhea of the mouth. While McCain kept lying and distorting, Paul just looked and him with a smile and shook his head as if to say, "Jesus John, even you don't believe what you're saying". Classic. Gotta love those boos from the insane. Here's the clip:

John Edwards Wins the Republican YouTube Debate

Hah!

Henry Hyde

Henry Hyde, the Illinois Congressman who, as Chair of the House Judiciary Committee during the Clinton Impeachment, sat in Judgment over Clinton's Oval Office BJ, has died.

A spokesman said, "Representative Hyde's death was nothing more than an aged indiscretion and should not be seen as an endorsement of death or dying. As we know from the Hyde Amendment, Rep. Hyde valued life greatly, and were he alive today he would be vigorously opposed to death and would surely work tirelessly to legislate against it."

Trent Lott again

So Trent Lott retired ostensibly so he could get in to the lucrative lobbying angle of Washington. Or was it to spend more time with his family? You know, family like Richard F. Scruggs, his brother-in-law, who was just indicted for trying to bribe a judge.

Seems Bro-in-law Scruggs has negotiated over $100 Million in Katrina insurance settlements this year, and represented Lott in his suit against State Farm. Do you think any bribes went into Lott's settlement? If THAT shit was about to hit the fan, I'd probably retire, too...and maybe go live in an alternate universe and thank God for President Thurmond.

Jesse Jackson's Op-Ed--Dems ignoring Blacks...except for John Edwards

Can Democrats get the votes they need simply because they're not Republicans? You might think so in this presidential campaign. African-American and urban votes are critical to any Democratic victory. Bill Clinton won two terms without winning the most white votes. His margin was the overwhelming support of black voters. George Bush learned that lesson; that's why his campaigns spent so much effort suppressing the black vote in key states like Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. His victory margin was the tally of votes suppressed or uncounted.

Yet the Democratic candidates -- with the exception of John Edwards, who opened his campaign in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has made addressing poverty central to his campaign -- have virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country.