Are the Blue Dogs shamelessly self-interested and venal, or are just plain stupid? Economists are predicting these high unemployment numbers through the end of 2011, and these clowns want to cut government spending even further. As long as they get to keep their jobs, they don't give a crap about putting even more Americans out of work. Lovely!
Blue Dog Democrats want Congress to go further than President Barack Obamas proposal to freeze spending in next years budget.
The group of House centrists will soon introduce a bill capping discretionary spending at specific levels. The move would challenge their leadership and the president, who are balancing concerns with the nearly $1.6 trillion deficit in 2010 with those who say government spending on job creation is the way out of the recession.
The spending levels sought by the Blue Dogs may result in spending cuts, which would go beyond Obamas proposal to save $250 billion over the next decade by freezing non-security discretionary spending for three years, said Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), a senior Blue Dog.
Two hundred and fifty billion is a lot of savings with a freeze on discretionary spending, but I think we can do better, Hill said in a brief interview.
The group has yet to hash out the details on the spending caps bill, but it has near-unanimous support among its members, a Blue Dog aide said.
On Morning Joe, Andrea Mitchell mocks Sarah Palin's crib notes during the National Tea Party Convention by holding up her own hand with notes written on it. When you've finally got Andrea Mitchell and Chuck Todd throwing you under the bus, you've got problems with ever being taken seriously as a future presidential candidate. They make some comparisons to how Ronald Reagan was treated and not taken seriously and Todd points out that unlike Sarah the quitter, Ronald Reagan didn't quit being the Governor of California just because he thought the job was too hard and if she would run, the other presidential candidates are going to beat her up for this.
Why it's taking this long for some of the media to finally start admitting what's been obvious for a very long time is another story. I guess the crib notes and her partisan, know-nothing attack speech were too much even for them to continue to ignore since they know full well if they don't finally admit how bad she is, the late night comedians, the blogs and the other candidates will tear her up even if they weren't ever going to be willing to do it.
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Multi Medium: Great moments in rationalization
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They gave us a republic: Nightowl Newswrap
OFF THE BEATEN PATH: Elemental Praxis, BITTER LAWYER, First of the Month
Talk to the hand. (Just FYI, the annual Blog Against Theocracy blogswarm is April 2-4.)
Open thread below...
If you miss the delectable power pop sounds of the Sixties and the complex melodic structure of the Beatles, you'll want to check out the Philadelphia music scene's beloved adopted son, Jim Boggia.
Like Alex Chilton, he's one of those cult figures, the kind we can't figure out why he's not a major star. If Paul McCartney married Brian Wilson, they might have given birth to Boggia. He writes gorgeous, hook-y songs that stay with you and his musical chops are impeccable, strong enough to get him guest spots with Will Lee's Fab Faux, the celebrity-studded Beatles tribute band.
I guess they can't figure out a marketing niche for him. (Psst, record executives: a funny, hipper Michael Buble with a guitar -- and better songs.)
Here's a Prefix mag review of his most recent CD, "Misadventures in Stereo":
To call Jim Boggia's Misadventures in Stereo a smashing power-pop success almost seems like damning it with faint praise; that is, if you think the term power pop only encompasses a stylistic breadth that starts with the Raspberries and ends with the Romantics. However, if your definition extends instead to the somewhat more singer-songwriterly realms of Aimee Mann, Michael Penn, Matthew Sweet, et al, it may start to make more sense. Especially when you discover that Boggia's last album featured contributions from L.A. pop cult-hero Emitt Rhodes and Mann herself.
The Philadelphia-based artist's third album makes no bones about its influences; Listening to NRBQ not only lives up to its title but even goes so far as to feature the Q's erstwhile leader, Big Al Anderson, on guitar. Elsewhere, echoes of the Beach Boys and Beatles abound. That said, Boggia is much more than simply the sum of his inspirations. His unerring melodic sensibilities canter in intriguing, unexpected directions through settings that match a musical sophisticate's knowledge of harmony with a pure popster's knack for gut-targeted hooks.
His voice doesn't do the material any harm, either; Boggia's possessed of a smooth, airy tenor that's shot through with soulfulness, enabling him to glide gracefully atop an elegantly arcing melody or deliver a visceral punch on one of the album's more rocking tracks. Misadventures in Stereo proves that its possible to pack a sharp pop bite and go deep into troubadour territory with surprising simultaneity.
There's no such thing as a bad Boggia album. They're collections of marvelous songs instead of two hits sandwiched into a bunch of filler. And he's a great live act, too.
Democracy Now! Audio
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Joe Dukes may be contacted at:
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Reuters - President Barack Obama, reaching out to lawmakers in both U.S. political parties, said on Tuesday he hoped Congress would soon deliver a package of measures to boost U.S. employment and economic growth.
AP - The nation's largest auto insurer said Tuesday it alerted federal safety regulators in late 2007 about a rise in reports of unexpected acceleration in Toyota vehicles, the latest warning sign to emerge about the massive recall.
AFP - A US Senator has mostly eased an unusual threat to block a vast number of President Barack Obama's nominees amid a dispute over a lucrative US Air Force tanker deal, his office said Monday.
USATODAY.com Offbeat - Top Stories
Christian Science Monitor | Innovation
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A Credit Suisse analyst says Apple's brass remains open to reducing the tablet's already-cheap price.
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Want the ease of a point-and-shot camera with the power of a digital SLR? The Canon EOS Rebel T2i may be just right.
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