tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post8914252113346438175..comments2024-03-29T03:18:25.501-04:00Comments on the daily howler: Guest host watch: Your discourse is stunningly dumb!<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-86615246419062205522012-07-26T02:20:49.173-04:002012-07-26T02:20:49.173-04:00Cute story. Makes me want to be better. Thanks for...Cute story. Makes me want to be better. Thanks for sharing. You are wonderful.diablo 3 power levelinghttp://www.vipdiablo3.com/level/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-67489973901661875022012-02-15T09:02:41.005-05:002012-02-15T09:02:41.005-05:00I gotta disagree with you Anon. I think both Bush ...I gotta disagree with you Anon. I think both Bush (slightly more a traditionalist)and Romney (21st century version of a traditionalist) have rock solid core beliefs that center around a 'Ruling Class'. And a perpetuation of that 'Ruling Class'. They are both, how shall we say, rather flexible in the policy implementations designed to perpetuate the "Ruling Class'. They are willing to lead any parade, so long as it is not a parade to the guillotine. It's most important to them however,that THEY lead the Parade. Wherever it goes. Doing so perpetuates the 'same ole thing'. Bush came from oil and military intel. 20th cent man. Romney? From Finance and Marketing. 21st cent man.jonstnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-22609202559898858432012-02-15T08:47:58.438-05:002012-02-15T08:47:58.438-05:00Ditto to Fido.
But also:
Always, always, always ...Ditto to Fido.<br /><br />But also:<br /><br />Always, always, always with the Social Security, huh David?<br /><br />Remember, you are trying to impress us with how concerned you are about future US government finances! <br /><br />So: What percentage of US GDP is collected in taxes, including SS receipts?<br /><br />And: What by percentage of US GDP do the SS trustees expect future SS payments to outstrip receipts? (i.e. How much additional GDP would have to be captured to make it up?)<br /><br />How big is the SS "problem?" It is tiny. You are a charlatan. <br /><br />The real problem in future government solvency (yes, there is a real problem!) is our free-market healthcare system -- it's going to bankrupt the country, send us all individually to the poorhouse (that is the ones who aren't already there), and leave ever-increasing millions without any health care worthy of the name.<br /><br />You're concerned about the future? Help get the free-market profiteers out of the medical arena. Help civilize the USA.Swannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-38531378830181124202012-02-14T20:58:51.064-05:002012-02-14T20:58:51.064-05:00"Tax increases big enough to pay off the defi..."Tax increases big enough to pay off the deficits would devastate the economy."<br /><br />No, they would not.<br /><br />We heard the same thing in 1993 with Bill Clinton's tax increases. The dumb Republicants ranted and raved, and seized back the House, under Newt Gingrich, under the manic cry that Clinton's tax increases would destroy the economy.<br /><br />They were wrong.<br /><br />THEY WERE WRONG.<br /><br /><b>THEY WERE WRONG.</b><br /><br />On economics issues, the GOP HAS BEEN WRONG 99% of the time over the last 30 years. I've lived through their incompetence over and over. We all have.<br /><br />You're wrong, just like they are.<br /><br />Return to the Clinton-era rates, cut military expenditures as Obama's proposing, bring the troops home from Afghanistan, and implement the Affordable Care Act. The deficit will be gone and we'll be back to surpluses soon enough, though your conservative friends will again try to figure out ways to cut taxes and blow everything up.<br /><br />Just remember, David: On economics in the US, over the last 40 years: The GOP. Has. Always. Been. Wrong.Fidonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-72982909446456440772012-02-14T18:53:38.578-05:002012-02-14T18:53:38.578-05:00Like promising to end the practice of indefinite d...Like promising to end the practice of indefinite detention of suspected terrorists without charges? Like promising not to use super pacs because they threaten our very democracy? Like promising not to extend the Bush tax cuts?<br /><br />That kind of "no core beliefs"?<br /><br />Oh wait. That was Obama.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-13512878688557970352012-02-14T18:46:50.412-05:002012-02-14T18:46:50.412-05:00there is a way to satisfy the need for style on tv...there is a way to satisfy the need for style on tv (unlike print and radio) journalism without having to significantly degrade substance by resorting to the antics the howler decries: employ very attractive people like wagner and kelly for example. people will stay tuned in no matter how boring they get with policy issues.<br /><br />as for madow my advice to msnbc would be to have some good hair, makeup and fashion people work on her. longer hair seems obvious to me for one thing.u s americannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-11252589712766013362012-02-14T18:38:40.708-05:002012-02-14T18:38:40.708-05:00Yeah, whenever these guest hosts get on there it&#...Yeah, whenever these guest hosts get on there it's always excruciating to watch, because they're just reading the same script. And it's not a good one to begin with. Comedy's hard, and she can't do it either. Yuuck.<br /><br />Worse about Klein last night (I think) was his trafficking in this idea that the GOP wants to "trick" the Dems by severing the whole tax cut issue from both Medicare and UI. <br /><br />As if those two are not defensible programs on their own, and that they need to be cynically linked to tax cuts in order to get through? <br /><br />If anything, the trick could be on the GOP here. It's an election year, and so they're going to have to defend their cuts then, right? <br /><br />Klein just proved last night that all these guys care about is just politics as an elaborate game-- it's never the core issues that are of concern to them. I think the Dems might welcome a clean debate on Medicare and Unemployment benefits.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-84392867054903975102012-02-14T18:23:35.831-05:002012-02-14T18:23:35.831-05:00I respectfully disagree. People distinguish betwe...I respectfully disagree. People distinguish between sense and nonsense all the time--when they have a frame of reference. (You can't be a functioning adult if you can't tell sense from nonsense.) <br /><br />Sadly, opinion columnists are ill-equipped to provide that frame of reference. On the other hand, the news media is well-equipped (and some might even say designed) to provide that frame of reference. <br /><br />(And, for what it's worth, I think it's a good idea to avoid arguments that depend on your perception of your opponents' density. That sort of thing leads to accusations of liberal elitism...)Nicknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-12947609917872848262012-02-14T17:20:44.517-05:002012-02-14T17:20:44.517-05:00In case you haven't noticed, this site concern...In case you haven't noticed, this site concerns itself principally with media criticism, not policy analysis. When a policy debate does commence, it's invariably in response to one of your thoroughly predictable right-wing sermons. The jury is still out of global warming! Social security is in dire jeopardy, let's do like they do Chile! Deficits are bad bad bad, so what if we're in the middle of a depression!<br /><br />Assuming you understand government debt as poorly as you do global warming and the operation of social insurance, why should anyone waste time debating you in this question? And if you're really so very humble ("IMHO", as you remind us constantly?) why not keep the right-wing talking points to yourself -- it's not as if we can't hear them elsewhere -- and seek wisdom instead?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-67390180487445547612012-02-14T16:31:38.343-05:002012-02-14T16:31:38.343-05:00In the Roadrunner cartoons, there's a sometime...In the Roadrunner cartoons, there's a sometimes a point where Wile E. Coyote has run off a cliff. He's hanging in mid-air and doesn't start to fall until he looks down and recognizes his plight. What policy should he follow? Obviously all policies are doomed to failure. He's going to fall and crash.<br /><br />IMHO that's an apt analogy for our governmental deficit. Realistically, we're on track to run deficits of well over $1 trillion forever. At some point, our lenders will decide that the US is bad security and they'll dramatically raise the interest rates they charge, or reduce the amount they lend. At some point, inflation will start to spiral upward.<br /><br />Although the President is recommending some tax increases, he (and the Republicans) are actully in the process of reducing the SS assessment. Furthermore, his proposed increases aren't going to pass. If they did, they wouldn't be enough to end the huge deficits. Tax increases big enough to pay off the deficits would devastate the economy. <br /><br />Meanwhile, decreases in federal spending on the order of $1.5 trillion per year are unthinkable. In fact, spending less than last year seems to be unthinkable. Dems continue to push for new and increased spending and so do most Reps.<br /><br />The bottom line IMHO is that <i>everyone's</i> proposals are doomed to failure. In Bob Somerby's terminology, they're all bat shit insane.David in Calnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-47075061858907030052012-02-14T16:22:11.921-05:002012-02-14T16:22:11.921-05:00A lot of people consider Klein to be an Obama apol...A lot of people consider Klein to be an Obama apologist and sycophant. Anyone with any "access" has to conform. The A-List blogger-boyz have all sold their souls and Maddow is just a pathetic shadow of her former self.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-53410128480853116222012-02-14T16:02:17.423-05:002012-02-14T16:02:17.423-05:00Yikes, the comments on this post are dumb. I was ...Yikes, the comments on this post are dumb. I was going to post that Romney is genuine - genuinely phony. Unlike Gore who, thanks to the media, was phonily genuine (or something). I agree that the personality-based stuff is useless, except that in Romney's case (like Bush the elder) he really is someone who clearly has no core beliefs. He will say anything to get elected (as he proves every day). Like Poppy Bush, he seems to believe all's fair in polygamy and politics (ok, I couldn't resist a cheap shot). I know, all pols shade their positions, but Mittens and Poppy strike me as the epitome of not really meaning anything. (I also agree that he should be evaluated on the "merits" of his proposals).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-54038184623098393612012-02-14T15:28:19.357-05:002012-02-14T15:28:19.357-05:00"But Maddow’s staff had prepared monologues f..."But Maddow’s staff had prepared monologues filled with the same sorts of jokes, jibes and jests which make this putative “news” program a tribute to entertainment values—to the dumb often swamping the smart."<br /><br />Maddow's writing staff is, of course, doing what's demanded of it by MSNBC. While mugging may come more naturally to Maddow, it's worth noting that she has no choice in the matter either. A "serious person" interested in policy analysis is not employable at MSNBC or any other cable network.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-73972307390571737672012-02-14T14:34:07.681-05:002012-02-14T14:34:07.681-05:00Um, I remember noticing how skillful Klein was as ...Um, I remember noticing how skillful Klein was as a TV personality. My wife agreed. He seemed to us to be quite comfortable, in a way Christopher Hayes had a lot of trouble picking up at first, and which you could see Brian Beutler struggling with in his segment. So, on the merits of the intelligence of the show, maybe you're right. But on Klein looking uncomfortable, doesn't ring true.FlipYrWhighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12738420816947638407noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-88726010421068072212012-02-14T13:19:53.851-05:002012-02-14T13:19:53.851-05:00Romney's proposals cannot be used against him ...Romney's proposals cannot be used against him if people have not been taught how to recognize sense and nonsense when they see it. I believe there is insufficient trust that competent thought will lead to votes on the part of today's voters. Columnists will need to educate people to think, not just inform them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com