Daily Kos

Paul Krugman:

As Jonathan Chait points out, Bobby Jindal — who is supposed to be one of the intellectual leaders of his party — has just published an op-ed on the cliff that sure looks as if he has no idea whatsoever what the cliff is about. There’s nothing in that piece even hinting that the looming problem is spending cuts and tax increases that will shrink the deficit too soon; and his big policy ideas would actually make the lurch to austerity worse. It’s not just the idea of a balanced budget amendment, which would force harsh austerity every time the economy goes into recession; putting a cap on spending as share of GDP would do the same, because you’d have to cut spending whenever GDP went down.

You really have to wonder how someone who’s a major political figure could be this uninformed — but you have to wonder even more about the state of mind that induces you to write an op-ed about a subject you don’t comprehend at all.

Oh, I don't know about that. Writing op-eds about things you know nothing about (climate change; economic policy; health policy; how your preferred candidate is going to win the next election by eleventy billion percent) is practically a necessity among the pundit class, and if we really were to expect our major political figures to know about things that they are having very bold public opinions on, well, that sounds like communism. Or something.

No, our political discourse is firmly rooted in the premise that knowing things is for academic types and other denizens of nerd-land; the true masters of our fate, people like George Will and whatever poor sap has to write the latest house op-ed for the Washington Post, on any given day, pride themselves on being generalists. They know precious little—preferably, next to nothing—about a great many things, which makes them far superior, pundit-wise, to anyone who might know a great deal about any one particular subject. We could ask what a much-respected medical researcher thinks about some certain thing that will profoundly affect medical care in the country, or we can ask, say, Orrin Hatch to hork something up based on their personal ideological theory of how the human body might work—something involving humors, I believe. We can base our decisions on whether or not to, for example, monitor potentially dangerous volcanos near population centers as a means of perhaps warning the population when something Very Very Bad is going to happen in accordance with scientific suggestions on whether or not that might be a good idea, or we can launch a national movement to not do that based on the fact that Bobby Jindal thinks it sounds silly.

Six of one, half dozen of the other. Whatever works, America. Now if you'll excuse me, George Will seems to be muttering something again about how average global temperatures are not what scientists say they are because free enterprise, you damn science bastards.

---

Blast from the Past. At Daily Kos on this date in 2008—Obama: Biggest public works investment since Eisenhower planned:

In this morning's weekly address, President-Elect Obama promised to roll out the biggest investment in public infrastructure since the federal highway system of the 1950's was undertaken. In addition to roads and bridges, the new administration will upgrade public schools, build out broadband, make public buildings energy efficient and modernize medical record-keeping. Today, I am announcing a few key parts of my plan. First, we will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won’t just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work. Second, we will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we’ll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn’t act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they’ll lose the money. Third, my economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen.  We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools.

---

Tweet of the Day:

---

High Impact Posts. Top Comments.

Thursday, a company called Golden Spike confirmed swirling rumors that it intends to land humans on the surface of the moon by the year 2020. It may sound like pie-in-the-sky, but this is no fly-by-night outfit. They are staffed with some of the most accomplished engineers and mission planners to ever turn dreams into reality, including Dr. Alan Stern (interviewed here), former Apollo launch director Gerry Griffin and, well, some others:

The board includes former NASA engineers, astronauts and managers – including the highly respected former Space Shuttle Program (SSP) manager Wayne Hale, along with commercial space notables, such as former SpaceX program manager for the Dragon spacecraft, Max Vozoff. The company’s board of advisors also includes Newt Gingrich, former US Speaker of the House of Representatives, who cited his interest in a lunar base during his campaign as a US presidential candidate.

OK, that's one name that may not be too popular around these parts. But there is no shortage of smart progressives onboard with this, like former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was quoted today, "Golden Spike’s plan to implement human lunar expeditions for nations and individuals across the world is an exciting new development that I am proud to be a part of. President Kennedy said at the outset of Project Apollo, “Now it is time to take longer strides—time for a great new American enterprise.” With Golden Spike, those words ring true half a century later in a whole new way.”

Golden Spike, named after the symbolic railroad spike that nailed together the east and west coasts of America over a century ago, joins a growing number of privately held concerns hoping to kickstart the U.S. space exploration effort like SpaceX, XCOR and Planetary Resources. The nascent industry, referred to collectively as NewSpace, hopes to greatly expand access to low earth orbit and beyond in this decade, in large part by dramatically lowering the cost of ground to orbit rockets, spacecraft and related systems.

While Republicans keep trying to shove major cuts to Medicare benefits, including increasing the eligibility age, onto the fiscal cliff curb table, the American public keeps saying "don't do it." Here's the lateset poll from National Journal.

The health care program for the elderly is at the center of discussions, and prominent panels that have studied the deficit and issued recommendations have often targeted it. But a full 79 percent of those surveyed want the fiscal-cliff negotiators not to cut the program at all. Only 17 percent would be willing to see it cut some, and a minuscule 3 percent would be OK with it being cut a lot.

The public wasn't riven over Medicare in the election, which the folks at Democracy Corps remind us from their election day polling.

We gave voters a choice between two statements—one acknowledging the federal deficit as a big problem, but arguing against major spending cuts in Social Security and Medicare and the other arguing that deficits are such a national crisis that broad spending cuts must include “possible future cuts” to Social Security and Medicare.  Even with this cautious statement, the “no cuts” position won by almost a two-to-one margin (60 percent to 33 percent) and with great intensity; almost half of all voters (47 percent) strongly believe that cuts to Social Security and Medicare should be off the table.

As the Democracy Corp memo says, this is critical stuff for the American public: "The polling shows the mandate is to protect Medicare and Social Security, not cut them. And Washington will face a TARP-like reaction if they read the election wrong." The election results give Democrats all the mandate they need to fight for keeping these programs safe. The next election should give them the impetus to do it.

Reposted from Daily Kos Labor by Laura Clawson In an April 2011, meeting about safety in garment factories in Bangladesh, executives for Walmart and the Gap discussed the possibility of paying suppliers enough more to enable upgrades on things like fire safety. To give one completely random example of something that killed more than 100 workers recently. But Walmart and the Gap said no, safety for Bangladeshi garment workers was too expensive:

Sridevi Kalavakolanu, a Wal-Mart director of ethical sourcing, told attendees the company wouldn’t share the cost, according to Ineke Zeldenrust, international coordinator for the Clean Clothes Campaign, who attended the gathering. Kalavakolanu and her counterpart at Gap reiterated their position in a report folded into the meeting minutes, obtained by Bloomberg News.

“Specifically to the issue of any corrections on electrical and fire safety, we are talking about 4,500 factories, and in most cases very extensive and costly modifications would need to be undertaken to some factories,” they said in the document. “It is not financially feasible for the brands to make such investments.”

So what "director of ethical sourcing" means in this context is apparently "director of insisting that Walmart has ethics while rejecting any actual having of ethics." And while Walmart and the Gap said "it is not financially feasible" to have clothes manufactured in factories that are not death traps, the parent company of Tommy Hilfiger disagreed, and signed the agreement. That kind of pressure is what's needed—as long as Walmart is willing to buy clothes manufactured under terrible conditions, conditions will stay terrible:

Fifty percent of the Bangladesh’s garment factories don’t meet legally required work safety standards and those that have improved working conditions have done so under pressure from Western apparel makers, said Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, a non- governmental organization founded by two former garment child workers to promote safer factories. Bangladesh’s labor law requires safety measures such as fire extinguishers and easily accessible exits at factories.

This is Walmart's (and the Gap's, and many other familiar retailers') commitment to giving you the lowest damn price while keeping executive pay and profits high: They'll kill for it. They will knowingly endanger the lives of thousands of workers because paying enough for those workers' direct employers to install fire extinguishers and exits is just not consistent with their real corporate values. And while things are better for their workers in America, it's not because they value American lives more. It's just because, as few rights and little power as workers have in the United States, it's more than they have in Bangladesh.

The reactions on this one are almost unanimous: Nearly everyone is damn glad to see Republican Jim DeMint (head bitter crank among bitter old cranks, kingmaker of his own asylum, biggest cracked pot in the tea party) leave the Senate for his turn in the lands of sweet, sweet wingnut welfare. The tea partiers love it because they figure DeMint will help Heritage break away from any past remnants of thinky-in-their-tanky and race headlong toward peak wingnut:

“I was shocked, and at first I said, ‘Oh no,’ but then I said, ‘Wait a minute, let’s think about this,” said Joe Dugan, chairman of the Myrtle Beach Tea Party in South Carolina. “The Heritage Foundation is a tremendous organization, and as president of it he will have a broad, broad platform to educate people across the country about
conservative ideas and ideals. And that’s what the country needs.”

Non-conservatives love it for, well, the exact same reason. From the People For the American Way:

Today’s announcement blows the cover on the longstanding myth that the Heritage Foundation is a serious think tank, as well as the common misconception that Heritage is focused on fiscal, not social, issues. In fact, like DeMint himself, Heritage has played an active role in pushing rigidly anti-gay, anti-choice dogma while attacking laws that protect the separation between church and state.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is not exactly devastated, given DeMint's crazyass involvement in Republicans blocking a U.N. treaty on treating disabled people better, for Christ's sake:

"I think what we saw the night before last in the U.S. senate was one of the saddest…of all occasions," Pelosi told reporters. […]

"Anyone who's a party to that, I wish them well wherever they are going," Pelosi said.

Jim DeMint is happy about it because he finally gets to translate his usual, gratis craziness into bucketfuls of money, and oh yes, because he wants to help the GOP and/or screw the GOP, depending on who's asking:

“I think it’s safe to say that Boehner is not forcing either of you guys out, right?” Limbaugh asked DeMint and now-former Heritage Foundation president Ed Feulner, according to audio by The Right Scoop.

Quipped DeMint: “It might work a little bit the other way, Rush.”

DeMint also told Limbaugh he hopes to use his new role to help the GOP appeal to more Americans.

You heard that right, Sen. Jim DeMint is going to go out and help the GOP appeal to more Americans. You are going to want to clear space on the ol' Tivo for that one, because that, my friends, is going to be a kind of crazy not seen since J. Edgar Hoover brought audiences to their feet with his world-famous thirteen dog and two pony musical review.

Democrats are happy because Jim DeMint's conservative-promoting track record is whole bucketloads of crazy, but at least he sucks at it:

Out of the 20 candidates [DeMint's PAC] organization gave money to, 15 won their primaries -- but just seven won the general election.

The winners included Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Ted Cruz.

The losers included Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell, Ken Buck, and Richard Mourdock.

Even the Official Mostly-Creepy Stalker and Head of the Mitt Romney Fan Club, the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, was happy—albeit only because having one-man wrecking ball DeMint finally get the heck out of the Senate that he has done his level-best to turn dysfunctional is good news whoever is maybe thinking about becoming the next Mitt Romney:

DeMint has been a destructive force, threatening to primary colleagues, resisting all deals and offering very little in the way of attainable legislation. He has contributed more than any current senator to the dysfunction of that body. He has worsened relations between the House and Senate, as he did in the budget fights in recent years, by meddling and pressuring his home state representative. His departure leaves other senators who seemed impressed with his brand of politics free to find their way to a more constructive position in the body.

All in all, almost nobody involved in politics sees a downside here. In leaving to head Heritage, DeMint both gets to make a happy boatload of money (at conservative expense, of course) and gets to lead a prominent organization into becoming just as nutty as he can possibly convince them to be. The Senate is happier, because nobody outside of DeMint's small band of merry crackpots liked dealing with him or his constant efforts at making sure the Senate got nothing done, ever, on any subject. The tea partiers are happy, the non-tea-party-Republicans are happy, the Democrats are happy—what's not to love? Gaming out who gets DeMint's current seat, and what that means doesn't point to anything that would be worse than Jim DeMint staying in the Senate. There's even hints that disgraced ex-governor Mark Sanford might take the long walk back from the ol' Appalachian Trail in order to run for the seat, which may be the single most glorious thing 2014 could possibly have in store for us.

And that, mind you, doesn't even take into account the possibility of an appointed "Sen. Sticky Fingers", as Sticky Fingers restaurant chain owner Chad Walldorf (and former Sanford deputy chief of staff) is apparently one of those being considered by Gov. Nikki Haley as she looks to appoint a short-term replacement for DeMint. Oh, South Carolina, is there anything you can't make hilarious?

More reactions:

Heartwarming stuff, all of it.

In any case, we may have found the single most widely lauded decision of Sen. Jim DeMint's storied career, and by a wide margin. No matter what you think about Jim DeMint, everyone involved agrees: the best single thing he's ever done is leave.

Reposted from Daily Kos Labor by Laura Clawson Last week, a federal judge gave Hostess the go-ahead to hand out $1.8 million in bonuses to executives involved in liquidating the company. That seems gross enough, until you realize that it's common practice for companies in or about to enter bankruptcy to hand out big bonuses:

More than 1,600 insiders—executives and others controlling a company—received bonuses, salaries, fees and other compensation totaling more than $1.3 billion in the months before their companies filed for Chapter 11, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of more than 80 bankruptcy cases over the past five years.

Because there are rules limiting bonuses for executives during bankruptcy, companies often hand out the bonuses shortly before filing:

Blockbuster Inc. paid collective bonuses totaling roughly $775,000 to a dozen top executives and managers one week before its September 2010 bankruptcy filing, according to a banker and a consultant familiar with the plan. The timing was an effort to avoid scrutiny under the bankruptcy law limiting retention plans, they said.

But don't worry—Blockbuster's general counsel, who received $100,000, described the bonuses as "relatively small."

Other companies ties bonuses to performance measures, as Hostess did to gain the judge's approval. But that's performance during the bankruptcy—you couldn't make the company a success, but nice bankruptcy, so here's a relatively small giant pile of cash. One rationale for such bonuses is to keep executives around through the bankruptcy, when it would be difficult to hire replacements if they left. Being offered a bonus to stick around because you're likely to have so many great job offers despite having had a leading role in a failing company is quite a different experience from that of rank-and-file workers who face unemployment when their companies go bankrupt, isn't it?

If there was any doubt Democrats are willing to let Jan. 1 come and go without a deal with Republicans over the mix of tax hikes and spending cuts triggered at the end of the year, this week should have put it to rest. For one thing, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said so in an interview on CNBC, saying that President Obama is "absolutely" ready to let it happen if Republicans don't agree to letting the tax cuts for the wealthy expire.

But there's also a determined lack of urgency among congressional Democrats over trying to force negotiations.

Their aim is to string out the negotiations to give Republicans space to wrap their heads around the idea of raising tax rates on the rich. So far, each passing day seems to add another GOP voice to the chorus coming around on tax hikes. [...]

“Our basic strategy is to let them sweat it out,” said a top Senate Democratic leadership aide. “We don’t necessarily have to do anything.” [...]

“It’s to their advantage to slow-walk it. And they’re playing rope-a-dope,” said a House Republican leadership aide. “The quicker we can force the administration into a negotiation, the better off we’re going to be.”

Obama and his Democratic allies on Capitol Hill are united and refuse to back off their insistence that top tax rates rise for the rich. And congressional Democrats on Wednesday indicated that they have no plans to talk entitlements until Republicans pass the Senate bill.

The House, for its part, had a two-day work week, adjourning yesterday for a very long pre-holiday weekend, suggesting that maybe they're not so hell-bent on forcing the administration's hand quickly. Not if it means, you know, being at work.

Reposted from Daily Kos Labor by Laura Clawson The Michigan House passed a so-called "right to work" bill applying to private sector workers Thursday afternoon by a 58 to 52 margin. Republicans hold a 64 to 46 advantage in the House.

The law would prevent unions and employers from requiring workers to pay the costs of their union representation, such as handling grievances or bargaining contracts. Rather, union members would bear those costs on behalf of their non-union coworkers, something that's been described as a tax on union membership. A separate bill will apply to public sector workers.

"You're doing this in lame duck because you know next session, you won't have the votes," said state Rep. Brandon Dillon, D-Grand Rapids. "This is an outrage."

White House spokesperson Matt Lehrich said:

President Obama has long opposed so-called ‘right to work’ laws and he continues to oppose them now.  The President believes our economy is stronger when workers get good wages and good benefits, and he opposes attempts to roll back their rights. Michigan—and its workers' role in the revival of the US automobile industry—is a prime example of how unions have helped build a strong middle class and a strong American economy.

The Michigan Senate is working on its own version of a similar bill.

(Click for larger image)

From Politico's email newsletter:

SEN. MARCO RUBIO (R-Fla.), headlining Playbook Breakfast yesterday: “The next two years, I'm really hopeful that we can deal with the issue of immigration holistically. … I think it needs to be dealt with comprehensively but not in a comprehensive bill -- in a comprehensive package of bills. … [E]ach of these issues have their own constituencies and deserve to be dealt with squarely for what they are, and I think there is consensus on almost all of them. … [I]t's going to be a lot easier -- not easy, but a lot easier, both politically and from a policy perspective -- to deal with those folks that are here undocumented if you've dealt with these other issues.”

Let's try to unpack this nonsense: Rubio thinks immigration should be dealt with comprehensively, but not in a comprehensive way. Instead, it should be done in piecemeal bills, that combined offer some sort of comprehensive solution, but isn't one, because, you know, it's piecemeal.

Republicans are terrified of two things: 1) a browner America that votes heavily Democratic, and 2) their white bigot base. So it figures that their response to the looming immigration battle would be so incoherent. It's a lose-lose for them.

That's why they've trotted out Rubio to try and stymie this new push for reform. Each one of Rubio's piecemeal bills would be blocked and obstructed by a recalcitrant GOP desperate to avoid anything that might reward those lazy brown people who are so lazy that they're stealing all the good jobs. Like picking watermelons in 110 degree temperature during 14-hour days. Lazy shit like that.

As a benefit, each one of those piecemeal bills would earn a fraction of the media attention of a broader truly comprehensive effort, meaning that Republicans could better hide their obstructionist efforts, stemming their losses among the crazy-fast-growing Latino and Asian communities.

President Barack Obama has made clear that immigration reform is a top 2013 priority and congressional Democrats are (mostly) aboard. A bill will be introduced. It'll be up to Republicans to step up and either 1) listen to the obstructionist crazies in their party and piss off the fastest group of voters, or 2) do the right thing, the humane thing, the family values thing, and grant our nation's undocumented immigrants with a path to citizenship.

That Rubio—the GOP's leader on immigration—is afraid to do either of the two options above is telling. He and his party remain paralyzed by fear—fear of their own base, and fear of what will happen to them electorally if they don't start reversing their fortunes with Latinos and Asians.

The relentless anti-gay propaganda machine was dealt another crushing blow today as same-sex couples flooded the city halls of Washington state in an effort to destroy society as we know it obtain a civil marriage license to legally protect their families. Via Equal Rights Washington:

In Clark County, Camas residents Paul Harris and James Griener have been together for nearly 40 years.  Paul, age 64, has been processing marriage licenses for the Clark County Auditor for over 27 years.  “After decades of giving other people marriage licenses, I’m overjoyed to be able to get one myself and finally marry my partner of nearly 40 years,” Paul says.

More on Paul and James here.

In celebrity wedding news, activist, agitator, advice guru and Seattle impresario Dan Savage tweeted this photo of he and his husband "with a piece of paper."

There's a serious policy side to this story and Savage wisely points it out:

Years ago Terry and I paid lawyers thousands of $$$ to secure some of those rights: living wills, powers of attorney.

Now they're available to all - you don't need thousands of $$$. Just $64. That's why marriage equality is a social justice issue.

Yes, gays can go to great lengths and great expense and great difficulty to imitate marriage, if they have the means to do so. Of course, there's still no guarantee a homophobic judge won't toss all that out if a homophobic family member protests.

Last month, Savage declared Nov. 14 "Thank a Breeder Day" in acknowledgment of the tremendous support the LGBT community got from heterosexuals this cycle. I was there in Washington for part of the time and he was correct. Breeders rock! Of course, there's a companion Tumblr blog, Straight Up, Thanks.

Other celebrity weddings include those of pioneer "Don't ask, Don't tell" challengers Grethe Cammermeyer and Margaret Witt, who will both wed their long-term companions (not each other, though that would be awesome).

In Island County and Spokane County, Colonel Grethe Cammermeyer and Major Margaret Witt, both decorated military veterans who fought for years to help topple the nation’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy so that lesbian and gay service members could serve their country in the military, will each be first in line to get married to their partners of many years.

Mazel Tov to all!

Soon, may we do away with the so-called Defense of Marriage act so these couples can have full federal marriage equality and our servicemembers and veterans, like Cammermeyer and Witt, can rest easy knowing the government they served is committed to caring for their families.

The state opened offices at 12:01 am this morning to issue licenses. In Washington there is a non-waivable three-day wait period for all couples, gay and straight, meaning the marriages will not be consummated, er, weddings can't be performed until Sunday.

Seattle PI reports, "King County issued 1,889 marriage licenses to heterosexual couples during July. It expects to equal that number in the first three days of licensing." Many couples waited in long lines for many hours, which really isn't a big deal compared to waiting decades. West Seattle blog has been live updating and you can follow the news on Twitter with the hashtag #MEdayWA.

Unconfirmed rumors report National Organization for Marriage's Brian Brown and Maggie Gallagher are safely ensconced in an undisclosed location with a bucket of Chick-fil-A.

There are now 178 signatures on the Democrats' discharge petition to force a House vote on extending the middle class tax cuts. Rep. Tim Walz filed the petition on Tuesday and the signatories started piling on.

Signers are so far all Democrats, but the petition is intended to put pressure on those Republicans who say they want to vote on middle class tax cuts and get that bit of fiscal cliff curb negotiating off the table. Here's a chance for them to make that happen.

We're doing our part to help. Use this tool to email your representative, asking them to sign the petition, or, if they've already signed, to send your thanks.