[Clevinger]

Rolling Stones article with Obeezy, didn't see it posted, faux apology if posted already. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...0120425?page=1

Pretty decent interview outside of the gay marriage and weed answers. And the whole Homeland/drone strike question felt like a well deserved "fuck you" to him.

[Loudninja]

Chrysler posts best quarterly profit in 13 years

DETROIT (AP) -- Chrysler followed its strong first-quarter sales with a big profit, sending its 2009 brush with financial death farther into the rearview mirror. The Auburn Hills, Mich., company made a net profit of $473 million, its best quarter in 13 years, mainly on the back of strong U.S. sales. From January through March, Chrysler's sales were up 39 percent as customers bought more Ram pickups, Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs and Chrysler 200 midsize sedans. Not bad for a company that almost died three years ago. A government auto task force deadlocked on whether to save the company in 2009, with the tie broken by President Barack Obama. Chrysler's first-quarter profit was more than four times the $116 million that the company made in the first quarter of last year. It was Chrysler's best performance since the third quarter of 1998 when it made $682 million during the pickup truck and SUV boom. Chrysler made more in the first quarter than it did during all of 2011, mainly because of a huge accounting charge last year for refinancing and the government loans that saved it from the auction house.

http://news.yahoo.com/chrysler-posts...062519432.html

[RDreamer]

Rolling Stones article with Obeezy, didn't see it posted, faux apology if posted already. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...0120425?page=1

It's really a breath of fresh air to read an interview like that after all the campaign rhetoric. Obama is clearly a very thoughtful, pragmatic man who's willing to look at different solutions, no matter who's proposing them. He seems understanding and not quick to judgement of people based on their opinions no matter how contrary they may be. To me it seems downright insane that a guy with those answers is painted as some crazy guy with a radical agenda.

[Wolfgunblood Garopa]

To me it seems downright insane that a guy with those answers is painted as some crazy guy with a radical agenda.

Conservatism is publicly acceptable insanity.

[empty vessel]

One would have to demonstrate the justices came to a conclusion contrary to their judicial beliefs. The Georgetown SCOTUS project (or whichever school it was) guessed the case exactly right. It was a computer program that would input the type of case into its database to spit out who would vote what based on their previous cases and was over 90% accurate, IIRC.

Are you a lawyer? One who practices before the Supreme Court? One who practices civil rights or constitutional law? I ask because nobody who does any of these things believes this. I could see believing it if, perhaps, you have been reading right-wing apologetics. But nobody who has expertise believes that Scalia, Rehnquist, or Thomas would have voted to greatly expand equal protection rights in a voting case unless it was to achieve a particular outcome. The court's actions were transparently outcome driven, and this is uncontroversially accepted by anybody who knows anything about the Supreme Court.

Except many legal scholars agree it was correct while many don't and others say the outcome was right for the wrong reasons.

This is empirically incorrect. Very few scholars defend the outcome of Bush v. Gore (and those that do are not credible).

And Toobin's book was sensationalist to sell copies. It was also denied by others close to Souter. Yeah, I'm sure the dude literally spent nights weeping. :rolleyes:

That's not what the book said. The point isn't whether Souter wept. It is that the decision was so transparently outrageous that he considered resigning over it.

I've never seen any evidence to the contrary. I've seen legal scholars demonstrate that ruling right in line with each justice's legal beliefs.

You either saw wrong or what you saw was base apologetics. Nobody with any credibility or expertise believes that Bush v. Gore was in line with each Justice's legal beliefs. It is the very distance--and we're talking a grand canyon-sized chasm--between the ruling and the majority's prior individual voting patterns and rulings on these constitutional issues which is the give-away as to its partisan motivation. Justice Scalia, for example, believes that the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment does not even prohibit discrimination based on sex. Justice Thomas believes that States are not bound by the First Amendment through the Fourteenth Amendment. These are radical state's-rights judges who relied on a novel and extremely broad interpretation of federal power and the Fourteenth Amendment to stop a recount of votes in order to install a particular person as president of the country.

[Sirpopopop]

It seems like Black Mamba & empty vessel are both talking in absolutes. Both of you are going to have to pony up evidence. Not just assertions without links.

[cartoon_soldier]

Jobless Claims still more than expected

I think next week's employment report won't be pretty for Obama

[Odothehero]

Rolling Stones article with Obeezy, didn't see it posted, faux apology if posted already. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics...0120425?page=1

Wow, some of those comments....

The man is a weasel

He is also a socialist whose policies are an abysmal failure

what a narcissistic sob and traitor caring nothing for the constitution except how to get around it

You've got your work cut out for you if you're trying to reason with those guys...

[GhaleonEB]

Jobless Claims still more than expected I think next week's employment report won't be pretty for Obama

Yeah, the sustained increase is hugely discouraging. All the underlying data was very strong, and in just a few weeks the floor has dropped out of claims, manufacturing data, and more. It really does feel like the start of last year all over again.

[empty vessel]

It seems like Black Mamba & empty vessel are both talking in absolutes. Both of you are going to have to pony up evidence. Not just assertions without links.

This isn't something I feel the need to prove (and it would require a law review article or book to explain it to a layperson in such a way that they could understand how transparently political the court's actions were). I don't think it's the least bit controversial that Bush v. Gore was an indelible black mark on the Court. I'm only responding to Black Mamba so that the nonsense he is writing isn't left hanging out there.

That so many Justices were willing to act so deeply against type, and that each ended up supporting the result that they would have preferred as a political matter, prompted many to question the legitimacy of the institution. Reaction was swift and remarkably negative. Given that the nation was almost evenly divided on the outcome of the election, one might suppose that reaction to the Court’s decision would be similarly divided—with the half of the nation that supported Bush praising the decision as a brilliant and necessary intervention, and the half that supported Gore condemning it as a partisan power grab by the Republican Justices. Yet the reaction was in fact overwhelmingly critical of the Court. A review of unsigned editorials and op-eds published in the country’s top twenty newspapers by circulation in the week following the decision, for example, finds eighteen unsigned editorials critical of the decision and only six praising it. Signed op-eds in the same newspapers were also overwhelmingly critical, with twenty-six critical op-eds and only eight defending the decision. Law review commentary, a rough guide for the academy’s assessment of the decision, was also predominantly critical. Of seventy-eight articles that have discussed Bush v. Gore between 2001 and 2004, thirty-five criticized the decision, and only eleven defended it. Some 625 professors signed a letter shortly after the decision expressing their dismay at the Court’s failure to abide by the rule of law. Public polls also reflected serious questions about the Court’s legitimacy among a large segment of the population. Polls taken around the time of the decision found between 37% and 65% of respondents thought that the Justices’ personal politics influenced their decision. One poll reported that 46% of respondents said that the decision made them more likely to suspect that Supreme Court Justices have a partisan bias. Another found that 53% of respondents felt the Court’s decision to stop the recount was based mostly on politics. In short, Bush v. Gore led the press, the academy, and the public to question the Court’s legitimacy as an institution guided by principle rather than politics.

David Cole, The Liberal Legacy of Bush v. Gore, 94 Georgetown Law Journal 1427 (2006).

[leroidys]

Chrysler posts best quarterly profit in 13 years http://news.yahoo.com/chrysler-posts...062519432.html

Propaganda. You know their profits would be even higher if they were allowed to fail. Or something.

[Angry Fork]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

[gcubed]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

i think that Obama would push more to the left, and then return back to the right as he gets nothing accomplished through the senate... again

[thefro]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

Too many centrists still. Republicans would say "we lost because Romney wasn't conservative enough!" and dig in even further.

[DasRaven]

Health Insurers Plan Over $1 Billion in Rebates


Obamacare, It's working.

[Fox318]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

The party will only go so far as its middle is willing to swing for.

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Ed Schultz took a jab at Fox & Friends‘ Gretchen Carlson for criticizing President Obama’s appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but praising George W. Bush’s appearance on Deal or No Deal. Carlson said that she didn’t think it was appropriate for someone of Obama’s position to go on a comedy show. However, some years ago, she said that George W. Bush’s appearance on Deal or No Deal was a pleasant breaking down of barriers between the President and the people.

Video at the link: http://24wired.tv/38586/fox-friends-...al-or-no-deal/

[Dax01]

An update on the popularity of PPACA.

[gcubed]

Video at the link: http://24wired.tv/38586/fox-friends-...al-or-no-deal/

Is Fox and Friends anything more then just a running joke at this point?

[cartoon_soldier]

An update on the popularity of PPACA.

Unfortunately, as per the first line, SC will strike down HCR and it will be bad for Obama :(

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Is Fox and Friends anything more then just a running joke at this point?

I still remember when Gretchen Carlson didn't know what an ignorant lawyer meant, and she looked it, saying it meant, "ignorant lawyer." The look on Brian Kilmeade's face was classic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGKpMHBSoQ

Seriously, I don't get how they literally employ some of the dumbest people in the world.

[gcubed]

I still remember when Gretchen Carlson didn't know what an ignorant lawyer meant, and she looked it, saying it meant, "ignorant lawyer." The look on Brian Kilmeade's face was classic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESGKpMHBSoQ Seriously, I don't get how they literally employ some of the dumbest people in the world.

it helps the audience relate

[Copernicus]

Pretty decent interview outside of the gay marriage and weed answers. And the whole Homeland/drone strike question felt like a well deserved "fuck you" to him.

Why do you think those weren't adequate answers to the questions? It's pretty obvious by now that Obama and his administration are taking a very smart approach to changing policy. Rather than get on a soapbox they are systematically planting the necessary stepping stones in place first.

[markatisu]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

If Obama was re-elected there would be no way he would compromise, there is not another election he needs to win.

That said, the Democratic Congress would still bitch out and play nice because they constantly fear re-elections to keep their jobs.

[Clevinger]

Why do you think those weren't adequate answers to the questions? It's pretty obvious by now that Obama and his administration are taking a very smart approach to changing policy. Rather than get on a soapbox they are systematically planting the necessary stepping stones in place first.

His supporting and then not supporting gay marriage (and very likely supporting it again sometime after the election) is 100% cowardice or political expediency. Total Romney move.

As for the weed, he acts like his hands are tied in having to raid the medical marijuana places because the DoJ can't just ignore laws it doesn't like, and yet that's what they're doing with DOMA. He's doing precisely what he said he wouldn't: "I'm not going to use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws about medical marijuana."

[Mike M]

Yeah, the sustained increase is hugely discouraging. All the underlying data was very strong, and in just a few weeks the floor has dropped out of claims, manufacturing data, and more. It really does feel like the start of last year all over again.

I'm not as much of a wonk about this stuff as other PoliGAFers, but was there ever a reason not to expect this?

[PhoenixPause]

Yeah, the sustained increase is hugely discouraging. All the underlying data was very strong, and in just a few weeks the floor has dropped out of claims, manufacturing data, and more. It really does feel like the start of last year all over again.

I've been saying for weeks that this was looking like 2011 redux. The massive gas prices certainly played a part in crippling some production

[SouthernDragon]

Seriously, I don't get how they literally employ some of the dumbest people in the world.

They don't. She's actually quite intelligent and accomplished. The very fact that she does that shtick at all and plays it seriously must be extremely degrading for her at some level.

[TacticalFox88]

What do you think would happen if democrats got back majority in house/senate this year and Obama won? Would they fuck it all up again by compromising and being nice or will they have learned their lesson and push full left legislation all the way? (Whichever congressman aren't bought obviously)

The more progressive Dems in the Senate the better. Eventually, all the blue dogs will be thrown out.

[AlteredBeast]

I've been saying for weeks that this was looking like 2011 redux. The massive gas prices certainly played a part in crippling some production

People were getting pretty damn optomistic, myself included. Even with everyone saying how it was going to come back down, I am still pretty surprised. If UE crawls back towards 9%, I think Obama might be toast.

[Drakeon]

They don't. She's actually quite intelligent and accomplished. The very fact that she does that shtick at all and plays it seriously must be extremely degrading for her at some level.

Yep, I was shocked when the Daily Show did that segment on her and how educated she was.

[Copernicus]

His supporting and then not supporting gay marriage (and very likely supporting it again sometime after the election) is 100% cowardice or political expediency. Total Romney move. As for the weed, he acts like his hands are tied in having to raid the medical marijuana places because the DoJ can't just ignore laws it doesn't like, and yet that's what they're doing with DOMA. He's doing precisely what he said he wouldn't: "I'm not going to use Justice Department resources to try and circumvent state laws about medical marijuana."

Call it cowardice if you want, but he's getting shit done. The alternative is to be boisterous about it and not have a single ounce of result to show for it.

About the dispensary raids, you have to be naive if you think 100% of those places are purely serving medicinal clientele. I'm all for legalization of marijuana even though I'm not a user, but that shit isn't happening anytime soon mainly because of all the hurdles already in place not to mention the obfuscation and hyperbole from the pro-legalization crowd.

Politics are politics and they won't be changed overnight, but they can be swayed over time. This administration has managed to shame nearly a decade of democrats in office for their inadequacies.

[empty vessel]

Yeah, the sustained increase is hugely discouraging. All the underlying data was very strong, and in just a few weeks the floor has dropped out of claims, manufacturing data, and more. It really does feel like the start of last year all over again.

Mini-austerity, possibly. Or as S&P likes to put it, "fiscal conslidation." This graph only goes until the end of 2011, but I suspect that, and will be curious to see if, the lines between federal spending and federal receipts continue to converge (or at least that spending continues to decline), which means the government is cooling the economy down, i.e., removing financial assets from the private sector (lord knows why). It could represent a turn towards UK austerity policy, which the US government appears to be preparing to emulate. At least, I don't hear much talk of more stimulus. And by much I mean any.

[TacticalFox88]

People were getting pretty damn optomistic, myself included. Even with everyone saying how it was going to come back down, I am still pretty surprised. If UE crawls back towards 9%, I think Obama might be toast.

Like it's been stated. The GOP has no chance in hell at beating Obama. Only events will beat Obama.

[Aaron Strife]

The recovery's slowing down but I don't think we're going to see major increases in the unemployment rate or whatever.

Richard Lugar looks like he's toast. There's a new poll out that has him trailing his primary opponent by 5 points (44-39). This is the second poll that had Mourdock leading. In races like this, the momentum comes at the end - Christine O'Donnell never actually lead in a Delaware Senate poll but sweeped with undecideds on election day.

Indiana's probably out of reach for Obama but Democrats could still pick up the Senate seat.

[AlteredBeast]

Like it's been stated. The GOP has no chance in hell at beating Obama. Only events will beat Obama.

I think it is more apt to say, "the opposition cannot beat the incumbent. Only events can beat the incumbent"

Obama isn't bulletproof and is no more popular than incumbents that have come before him. In essence, thanks to a large incompetence of the voting populace, they might believe that there is a legitimate contender in Mitt Romney. Mitt is as bad or good as many other challengers were before him who have lost or won. If the circumstances tilt, he could win, if they don't, he could promise to give a thousands to every household in America and he still wouldn't win.

[speculawyer]

Chrysler posts best quarterly profit in 13 years http://news.yahoo.com/chrysler-posts...062519432.html

Of course next time there is an oil crunch they are gonna get hammered.

The Auburn Hills, Mich., company made a net profit of $473 million, its best quarter in 13 years, mainly on the back of strong U.S. sales. From January through March, Chrysler's sales were up 39 percent as customers bought more Ram pickups, Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs and Chrysler 200 midsize sedans.

At least GM has the Cruze, Sonic, Volt, and Spark. Ford has the Focus, C-Max, C-Max Energi, Fusion hybrid, etc.

[PhoenixPause]

Like it's been stated. The GOP has no chance in hell at beating Obama. Only events will beat Obama.

And it looks like events are about to beat Obama. A third false recovery will only turn voters off permanently

[vcassano1]

It could represent a turn towards UK austerity policy, which the US government appears to be preparing to emulate. At least, I don't hear much talk of more stimulus. And by much I mean any.

Hopefully your government has been paying attention to our economy then! Whispers talk of a shift away from austerity. Though it seems unlikely.

[Invisible_Insane]

And it looks like events are about to beat Obama. A third false recovery will only turn voters off permanently

What does that even mean? An anemic recovery is not a second or third recession, no matter how badly you seem to want it to be. The trend, while disappointing, has consistently been an upward one.

[empty vessel]

Hopefully your government has been paying attention to our economy then! Whispers talk of a shift away from austerity. Though it seems unlikely.

Yep, what's happening over there is hard to watch. Because it issues its own currency, the UK is not constrained in its fiscal response to the financial crisis as Eurozone countries are. Yet the UK has pretty much done exactly the opposite of what responsible economic policy dictates. It's embarrassing for the government, and terrible for the people who have to suffer because of it. Unfortunately, I fear the US government is on the precipice of embarrassing itself and inflicting more suffering on the American people.

Ironically, it is quite possible that only Romney's election can spare us, because, while Republicans are perfectly happy to spend money (indeed, their principal budget calls for massive increases in net spending), they will refuse to spend it in worthwhile ways or on ways that make it into the pockets of working class people. So they will oppose any Democratic plan to spend money if it is not spent on the top 1% or will in any way increase worker bargaining power. That means the government will be more likely to increase net spending under a Romney administration than under an Obama administration.

In short, Democrats do not oppose spending money on the wealthy as much as Republicans oppose spending money on average Americans, so Republicans will be able to pass spending legislation with Democratic support whereas Democrats will be unable to pass anything.

[GhaleonEB]

And it looks like events are about to beat Obama. A third false recovery will only turn voters off permanently

If things follow last year, hiring will pick up as the fall gets underway, buoying Obama to victory. No one pays attention to the campaign through the summer anyways.

[PhoenixPause]

If things follow last year, hiring will pick up as the fall gets underway, buoying Obama to victory. No one pays attention to the campaign through the summer anyways.

I'm not sure that's true. But you're right about things picking up in the late summer/fall. But if things get really bad during the summer - like, negative jobs reports - an uptick in September and October might not matter.

[RustyNails]

I'm not sure that's true. But you're right about things picking up in the late summer/fall. But if things get really bad during the summer - like, negative jobs reports - an uptick in September and October might not matter.

Exactly. And when HCR mandate is thrown out and when gas prices hit $8/gal, Obumbo will be impeached.

[eBay Huckster]

Exactly. And when HCR mandate is thrown out and when gas prices hit $8/gal, Obumbo will be impeached.

Don't forget Iran nuking Israel and Europe collapsing into a black hole.

[GhaleonEB]

I'm not sure that's true. But you're right about things picking up in the late summer/fall. But if things get really bad during the summer - like, negative jobs reports - an uptick in September and October might not matter.

I was exaggeration in the interest of simplificaiton. People do pay attention to a lesser degree during summer, but things tend not to get cemented until around the debates. If we have a similar lull as last year - growth, but slower - and it picks up in late summer/fall, the summer lull will not have had a material effect on the election.

[ToxicAdam]

"I promise you, the president has a big stick. I promise you," - Joe Biden.


Joe has a monthly quota he needs to meet.

[RustyNails]

Don't forget Iran nuking Israel and Europe collapsing into a black hole.

You forgot Canada waging war against Australia by sending an army of wild bonobos

[PhoenixPause]

I was exaggeration in the interest of simplificaiton. People do pay attention to a lesser degree during summer, but things tend not to get cemented until around the debates. If we have a similar lull as last year - growth, but slower - and it picks up in late summer/fall, the summer lull will not have had a material effect on the election.

So a summer of stagnant growth and high gas prices won't effect the election? It will set the table for the debates, and ultimately the election.

[TacticalFox88]

My favorite parts of that interview with Bams:

You end up having a very thick skin. I entered here with a thick skin, and now my skin is even thicker. Part of what you understand is that you are a person, but you're also a symbol. If things are going wrong, then people are looking to you to fix them. And sometimes, if you're just frustrated in your efforts, you're going to be the object of their frustration. You don't take it personally – you just recognize that it goes with the office and the desk and Marine One and all the other aspects of being president.

My respect for this man has amplified. To simply shrug off all of the sheer amount of bullshit he's had to deal with?