The Jed Report is currently on extended hiatus. You can find my current posts at Daily Kos TV and at Daily Kos. Now that DKTV is up and running, I hope to resume posting here in 2010.    — Jed

Posted at Daily Kos on Fri May 21, 2010 at 4:30 PM Pacific

KY-Sen: Jack Conway’s devastating response to Rand Paul

Jack Conway, the Kentucky’s Attorney General and the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, not only delivers a devastating critique of Rand Paul, but makes the case for his own candidacy, saying that unlike Paul, he’s not interested in being “the darling of the tea party” — he’s “interested in standing up for the people of Kentucky.”

The interview, which aired Friday afternoon on CNN, is worth every minute:

Conway took issue with Rand Paul’s position on whether racial discrimination should be legal in businesses like public restaurants, calling Paul’s interview on The Rachel Maddow Show twenty of the most painful minutes he’d ever seen on television. He also rejected Paul’s opposition to the Americans with Disabilities Act, calling it “callous” and questioning why Paul would support discrimination against disabled veterans.

Conway repeatedly hammered Paul for consistently siding with big business against the interests of ordinary people. Conway singled out Paul’s defense of BP, saying he disagreed with Paul’s assertion that it was “un-American” for President Obama to criticize BP and saying that it was crucial to hold companies like BP accountable when they cause great damage.

If you have any doubt that we can win this campaign, you’ve got to watch this video. Conway was outstanding. He kicked ass and took no prisoners — and he did it while inspiring confidence.

After you’re done watching it, please step up and help him out. If Jack Conway can make his case to the people of Kentucky, he’s gonna’ win this thing. And we’re not just going to have a Democrat representing Kentucky in the U.S. Senate, we’re going to have a good one.

Posted at Daily Kos on Fri May 21, 2010 at 3:02 PM Pacific

KY-Sen: Rand Paul squirms out of Meet the Press interview

Meet the Press executive producer Betsy Fischer tweets:

Sounds like Rand is trying to go rogue, just like Sarah Palin in 2008.

It actually might make sense for him to go into hiding. Ever since his crazy victory speech Tuesday night, every time he opens his mouth he seems to step in it.

Whether he’s supporting the right for public businesses to discriminate based on race, calling President Obama “un-American” for criticizing BP, attributing his opposition to the American with Disabilities Act to a government mandate that does not exist, or refusing to declare whether or not he supports having a minimum wage, Rand Paul has become the best argument against his own candidacy.

So maybe it’s smart for him to head for the mattresses and avoid public scrutiny and stop answering questions altogether. After all, the next policy he might get asked about is whether or not he supports guaranteed overtime pay — and we all know if he answers that one honestly, his aspirations for the U.S. Senate will be toast, if they aren’t already.

Update (2:04PM): And it’s official. He’s canceled, citing “exhaustion.” He’s only the third major guest in the show’s 62-year history to do so. (Note: I’ve changed the headline to reflect this, from “tries to squirm out of” to “squirms out of.”)

Update (2:09PM): I wonder when he’s going to blame Rachel Maddow. You gotta’ figure that excuse will be coming soon, that he just can’t stand the “heat” at MSNBC or NBC. You know, tough questions like: “Do you support the civil rights act?” or “Do you support guaranteed overtime pay?”

Update (2:26PM): As several commenters have suggested, NBC should put on Jack Conway instead.

Update (2:30PM): Paul spokesman: “Rand did Good Morning America today, set the record straight, and now we are done talking about it…no more national interviews on the topic.” Okay, fine, but aren’t there other questions? Like where he stands on the Fair Labor Standards Act which guarantees overtime pay? Why hide from them?

# # #

Please support Rand Paul’s Democratic opponent, Jack Conway: he’s a good guy, he needs our help, and he can win.

Posted at Daily Kos on Fri May 21, 2010 at 2:30 PM Pacific

Republicans LOVE softball

Given what they think about lesbians and softball, does anybody really think that this is a surprise?

The RNC spent more than $2K on softball equipment in April, according to reports filed with the FEC, the latest in a string of questionable expenditures that have some major donors frustrated. … The expenses come after months of scrutiny the RNC has undergone over pricey national committee meetings and a flap over a reimbursement for an evening at a risque L.A. nightclub. That expense ultimately cost at least 4 staffers — including chief of staff Ken McKay and finance director Rob Bickhart — their jobs.

Maybe it’s Republican outreach?

Posted at Daily Kos on Fri May 21, 2010 at 12:20 PM Pacific

AR-Sen: SEIU ties Lincoln to Bush-Cheney and big oil

Blanche Lincoln likes to tout her opposition to climate change legislation, but what she doesn’t talk about as much is her support for the Bush-Cheney approach to energy policy: doubling down on big oil. It’s a point the SEIU hammers home in this new ad blasting her for giving tax breaks to big oil at the same time that they made record profits, and doing it while accepting hundreds of thousands in political contributions:

This ad isn’t quite the game-changer as Sestak’s ad against Specter, but it packs quite a wallop.

Please help fund Bill Halter’s campaign to replace Blanche Lincoln in next month’s primary election run-off.

Posted at Daily Kos on Fri May 21, 2010 at 11:36 AM Pacific

As it makes live feed available, BP admits oil flow worse than claimed

AP:

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — BP conceded Thursday that more oil than it estimated is gushing into the Gulf of Mexico as heavy crude washed into Louisiana’s wetlands for the first time, feeding worries and uncertainty about the massive monthlong spill.

Mark Proegler, a spokesman for oil giant BP PLC, said a mile-long tube inserted into a leaking pipe over the weekend is capturing 210,000 gallons a day - the total amount the company and the Coast Guard have estimated is gushing into the sea - but some is still escaping. He would not say how much.

So what might be motivating BP to concede their claim of 5,000 barrels per day was wrong? Perhaps the fact that they have finally posted a live feed of the oil gushing from the main leak.

In my experience watching the feed, it’s had some technical hiccups, but I was able to watch about five minutes before the video screen went black. It’s incredibly disturbing — clouds of oil billowing from the site of the leak, at times appearing far, far worse than the initial video BP released.

The fact that BP now claims to be siphoning off 5,000 barrels per day but the flow of oil appears to be as bad as ever tells you just how massive this leak is. CBS was the first news organization to get its hands on the live feed and showed it to Purdue Professor of Mechanical Engineering Steven Werely. He estimates that nearly 100,000 barrels — 4 million gallons or an Exxon Valdez every three days — is still spewing from the leak.

Here’s the CBS report, including some footage from the leak:

As disturbing as it is to see the live video of oil flooding the gulf, it’s very important that BP has been forced to make this feed available. Kudos to Rep. Markey and Senators Boxer and Nelson (of Florida) for making it happen. They’re also going to need to keep pressure on BP to iron out the technical problems with the feed — after getting it to play for about five minutes, I’ve been unable to watch the feed since.

Posted at Daily Kos on Thu May 20, 2010 at 4:45 PM Pacific

KY-Sen: Rand Paul is a freaking idiot, continued

Rand Paul, explaining to Wolf Blitzer why he objects to the Americans with Disabilities Act:

Let’s say you have a local office and you have a two story office and one of your workers is handicapped. Should you not be allowed maybe to offer them an office on the first floor, or should you be forced to put in a hundred thousand dollar elevator?

Sounds reasonable, right? In fact, it’s so reasonable that the ADA contains an exception for that very situation.

Elevators are not required in:

(a) private facilities that are less than three stories or that have less than 3000 square feet per story unless the building is a shopping center, a shopping mall, or the professional office of a health care provider, or another type of facility as determined by the Attorney General; or

(b) public facilities that are less than three stories and that are not open to the general public if the story above or below the accessible ground floor houses no more than five persons and is less than 500 square feet. Examples may include, but are not limited to, drawbridge towers and boat traffic towers, lock and dam control stations, and train dispatching towers.

So Rand Paul opposes a law because he believes it imposes a mandate that it does not in fact impose. What an idiot.

At least now we know why he is so fucking scared of the Federal government: he has no idea what it does. He’s like a toddler freaking out about monsters under the bed. Except he’s the Kentucky Republican Party’s nominee for U.S. Senate.

# # #

Please support Rand Paul’s Democratic opponent, Jack Conway: he’s a good guy, he needs our help, and he can win.

Posted at Daily Kos on Thu May 20, 2010 at 3:15 PM Pacific

KY-Sen: Rand Paul closes the case on himself

I think it’s time we let Rand Paul speak for himself, in his own words (emphasis mine):

A recent Daily News editorial supported the Federal Fair Housing Act. At first glance, who could object to preventing discrimination in housing? Most citizens would agree that it is wrong to deny taxpayer-financed, “public” housing to anyone based on the color of their skin or the number of children in the household.

But the Daily News ignores, as does the Fair Housing Act, the distinction between private and public property. Should it be prohibited for public, taxpayer-financed institutions such as schools to reject someone based on an individual’s beliefs or attributes? Most certainly. Should it be prohibited for private entities such as a church, bed and breakfast or retirement neighborhood that doesn’t want noisy children? Absolutely not.

Decisions concerning private property and associations should in a free society be unhindered. As a consequence, some associations will discriminate.

…

A free society will abide unofficial, private discrimination – even when that means allowing hate-filled groups to exclude people based on the color of their skin.

Paul wrote those words in a 2002 letter to the Bowling Green Daily News in protest of an editorial the paper had written in favor of the Fair Housing Act.

Via Dave Weigel.

# # #

Please support Rand Paul’s Democratic opponent, Jack Conway: he’s a good guy, he needs our help, and he can win.

Posted at Daily Kos on Thu May 20, 2010 at 11:36 AM Pacific

BP skipped test of cement linings 11 hours before explosion

They were just trying to save a buck:

Costly, time-consuming test of cement linings in Deepwater Horizon rig was omitted, spokesman says

BP hired a top oilfield service company to test the strength of cement  linings on the Deepwater Horizon’s well, but sent the firm’s workers  home 11 hours before the rig exploded April 20 without performing a  final check that a top cementing company executive called “the only test  that can really determine the actual effectiveness” of the well’s seal.

Meanwhile in other news and developments:

• The EPA has ordered BP to begin using less-toxic dispersants within the next 72 hours.
• NYT reports scientists say the Federal government is not doing enough to study the extent of damage caused so far by BP’s spill. Says one: “It seems baffling that we don’t know how much oil is being spilled…that we don’t know where the oil is in the water  column.”
• The NYT report reflects many of the concerns raised Tuesday by Dan Froomkin.
• The more we learn, the greater the magnitude of the disaster.
• Oil has hit the Louisiana wetlands, covering 35 miles of coast — and growing. Fishing has now been banned in nearly one-fifth of the Gulf of Mexico.
• The oil hasn’t reached Florida’s beaches — but a portion of the slick has now entered the loop current, putting Florida’s coastal communities at risk.
• The livestream of BP’s oil leak, which they promised yesterday to make available at globalwarming.house.gov, still is not publicly available.
• Pictures: Times-Picayune (New Orleans); Huffington Post.
• BP will attempt to seal the well on Sunday or Monday using the “top kill” procedure.
• A key WH ally is running an ad urging the passage of energy reform, accusing Republicans of doing big oil’s bidding.

Posted at Daily Kos on Thu May 20, 2010 at 11:00 AM Pacific

KY-Sen: Does Rand Paul oppose overtime pay?

Obviously, Rand Paul’s opposition to Federal laws that ban racial discrimination in businesses like public restaurants is important on its own merits, but it’s also important because it highlights his hard-line libertarian political philosophy.

Paul might not be a white supremacist (even though his views overlap with theirs on some issues), but it’s clear that he is totally, absolutely opposed to any Federal legislation or regulation that protects average Americans from acts of exploitation, persecution, or discrimination carried out by private companies.

Enumerating the list of protections Paul opposes would go on forever, so let’s take a look at one specific example of Federal legislation that Rand Paul almost certainly opposes: guaranteed overtime pay (also suggested by Jonathan Singer).

An employer who requires or permits an employee to work overtime is generally required to pay the employee premium pay for such overtime work. Employees covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) must receive overtime pay for hours worked in excess of 40 in a workweek of at least one and one-half times their regular rates of pay. The FLSA does not require overtime pay for work on Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular days of rest, unless overtime hours are worked on such days.

The FLSA, with some exceptions, requires bonus payments to be included as part of an employee’s regular rate of pay in computing overtime.

I haven’t seen Rand Paul specifically say he opposes legislation requiring overtime pay, but I cannot see how he could possibly square the Fair Labor Standards Act with his libertarian political philosophy.

Reporters should definitely continue following up with Paul on his statements regarding Federal civil rights legislation, but they shouldn’t limit their exploration of his ideological framework to matters of race. Pressing him on whether he supports the Federal law guaranteeing overtime pay would be a perfect place to start.

Posted at Daily Kos on Thu May 20, 2010 at 8:50 AM Pacific

KY-Sen: Rand Paul is also stupid (or thinks we are)

Rand Paul, in his now infamous interview with Rachel Maddow, defending his opposition to Federal laws banning racial discrimination in businesses like public restaurants:

MADDOW: Hold on just one second. Until the year 2000, Bob Jones University, a private institution, had a ban on interracial dating at their school, their private institution. If Bob Jones University wanted to bring that back now, would you support their right to do so?

PAUL: Well, I think it’s interesting because the debate involves more than just that, because the debate also involves a lot of court cases with regard to the commerce clause. For example, right now, many states and many gun organizations are saying they have a right to carry a gun in a public restaurant because a public restaurant is not a private restaurant. Therefore, they have a right to carry their gun in there and that the restaurant has no right to have rules to their restaurant.

So, you see how this could be turned on many liberal observers who want to excoriate me on this. Then to be consistent, they’d have to say, oh, well, yes, absolutely, you’ve got your right to carry your gun anywhere because it`s a public place.

If Rand Paul can’t tell the difference between someone who happens to have been born black or white or brown or yellow and someone who voluntarily decided to carry a gun (or walk into a restaurant without a shirt), then he’s as dim as Sarah Palin.

More likely, his pseudo-intellectual nonsense is a rhetorical flourish intended to distract the public from his archaic views on Federal anti-discrimination laws.

Either way, he’s not fit to be a United States Senator in the twenty-first century.

Posted at Daily Kos on Wed May 19, 2010 at 6:40 PM Pacific

Engineering professor: It’s 95,000 barrels per day

McClatchey:

WASHINGTON — The latest video footage of the leaking Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico show that oil is escaping at the rate of 95,000 barrels — 4 million gallons — a day, nearly 20 times greater than the 5,000 barrel a day estimate BP and government scientists have been citing for nearly three weeks, an engineering professor told a congressional hearing Wednesday.

…

Steve Wereley, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, earlier this month made simple calculations from a video BP released on May 12 and came up with a flow of 70,000 barrels a day, NPR reported last week. Werely on Wednesday told a House Commerce and Energy Committee subcommittee that his calculations of two leaks that show up on videos BP released on Tuesday showed 70,000 barrels from one leak and 25,000 from the other.

To put that in perspective, 95,000 barrels per day is roughly equivalent to an Exxon Valdez size spill every three days. If the oil has been gushing at that rate since the leak began, we’re looking at a spill that’s already nearly ten times larger than the Exxon Valdez — and it’s still growing.

Wereley says his estimate could be off by as much as 20% in either direction. He told the committee that to establish a more precise calculation of the flow rate from the leaking wells he would need access to ongoing footage from the leaking wells, something which BP has repeatedly refused to provide.

Today, however, under extreme pressure from Congress, BP finally relented.

Hours after hearing a demand from a congressional chairman, BP announced the oil company would provide a live broadcast of the oil spill from a government website.

“This may be BP’s footage, but it’s America’s ocean,” Massachusetts Democrat Rep. Edward Markey, the chairman who made the demand, said in a statement. “Now anyone will be able to see the real-time effects the BP spill is having on our ocean.”

The chairman of a congressional subcommittee called on BP to release live video feeds of the oil gushing from a blown-out well in the Gulf of Mexico.

Earlier Wednesday, Markey demanded the broadcast so independent scientists could more accurately calculate the flow rate. He questioned why such data wasn’t readily being made public.

Markey says the livestream will be available on his committee website as early as tonight.

Posted at Daily Kos on Wed May 19, 2010 at 5:36 PM Pacific

Chickens for Checkups: Lowden denies ever saying it

Greg Sargent notes the latest chapter in Sue Lowden’s hilarious campaign for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate in Nevada: in a GOP debate yesterday, Lowden flatly denied ever having said that she wasn’t backing down “from that system.”

Of course, Lowden did say it, and it’s on video. I put together a little mashup of Lowden’s denial, and her original comments, made in mid-April.

Transcript:

From a May 18 GOP debate moderated by Jon Ralston:

   RALSTON: You said the ‘the olden days…took a chicken to the doctor…I’m not backing down from that system.”

   LOWDEN: No, I never said “from that system.”

   RALSTON: Yes you did.

   LOWDEN: I never said “from that system.”

   RALSTON: Of course you did. The same…

   LOWDEN: I said…

   RALSTON: [Inaudible] not backing down from that system…

   LOWDEN: …that is not a policy.

And from mid-April:

   LOWDEN: Let’s change the system and talk about what the possibilities are. I’m telling you that this works. You know, in the olden days, before we all stated having health care [insurance], our grandparents, they would bring a chicken to the doctor. … Doctors are very sympathetic people. I’m not backing down from that system.

The primary is on June 8 and recent polling indicates that Lowden, once the prohibitive GOP favorite, is tanking. Meanwhile, Joe the Plumber’s candidate — teapartier Sharon Angle — is surging. Today, Angle won the endorsement of Club for Growth. Based on momentum, Angle has to be considered the favorite to win the nomination. Personally, however, I’m rooting for Lowden. Not only is she one of the worst campaigners ever, she does it in spectacularly hilarious fashion.