Today's edition of quick hits:
* Three U.S. service members were killed today in Afghanistan. We'll have more on this on tonight's show.
* Oak Creek: "Hundreds of people streamed into a Wisconsin high school Friday to pay their final respects to six worshippers gunned down by a white supremacist at a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee."
* The consequences of drought: "With the worst drought in a half century decimating crops in the United States, the government on Friday slashed its estimate of the annual corn yield in the last month by 15.5 percent to the lowest level since 1995."
* Crime in Syria is spiraling out of control, with kidnapping and theft now common after police officers have fled violent skirmishes.
* The cloud of scandal over Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) isn't going away: "Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) failed to report a privately financed trip he took to Cyprus last August and also didn't list it as a gift on the first two iterations of his annual financial disclosure form, disclosing it only after the president of the sponsoring group was arrested on federal corruption charges."
* Zakaria's very bad day: "Time magazine suspended Fareed Zakaria, the CNN host and Time editor at large, on Friday afternoon after he apologized for plagiarizing sections of his Aug. 20 column on gun control."
* I don't know why the New York Times hasn't brought Ta-Nehisi Coates on as a full-time columnist yet, but it should.
* On the other side of the spectrum, Jennifer Rubin seems to be having an off year.
* Rush Limbaugh thinks President Obama is "trying to suppress the white vote." Wow.
* Newt Gingrich is exploring doing a daily television show with his wife, Callista, along the lines of "Regis and Kathie Lee." No, seriously.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Gee Wally will the world return to normal after the GOP falls? Or are we doomed to spiral down into the abyss of hopeless stupidity?
See you at the polls---if the right lets you in.
I have no love of Zakaria's condescending stands- I regard him as a Clinton new right version of David Brooks. If he cannot be rehabilitated, then I hope CNN is able to find someone as interesting. He is about the only reason I ever look at CNN.
I have seen other guys like Zakaria burn out from taking on too many commitments.
I've even tried to warn them, but they get into a Superman identity.
There are a few other truth-tellers on TV, but Zakaria has the best guests on his Sunday show.
Take a vacation, Fareed, and keep on truckin!
Where is the commensurate outrage from religious conservatives and organized religion and factions over the literal attack on religion of the Sikh temple?
Sikhs are not Judeo-Christian. Therefore to religious conservatives and some of organized religion they are not a real religion. Ever since this happened I've been thinking of an old friend of mine who I haven't seen in years who converted to the Sikh religion. I hope she is OK. I hope you're OK wherever you are Gudduu Darshan!
Steve,
The other night you showed (I forget which show you were on) the Bikini graph (jobs added) that extended the graph to include the G.W. Bush terms.
Did you post that somewhere? If not could you please?
I think it is really important to compare job growth now with what it was before the Great Recession.
Thanks
Try this chart of actual employment instead of something derivative.
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com/2011/02/labor-force-and-unemployment.html
Gee Rush, POB is 'suppressing' the white vote by inferring that Mitt is elitist and out of touch with working white people. That is low. Actually Mitt's presentation does for white voter confidence, what pictures of venereal disease does for erections.
Just suppose...let's just suppose that Mitt Romney isn't sharing his taxes and isn't discussing his Mormon religion because he hasn't been honest with his church and isn't tithing the full amount promised to them based on a percentage of his income???
If he loses the election and has been dishonest with the LDS church, he stands to lose everything. Coming from the Walker family that helped settle Salt Lake City then was excommunicated by Brigham Young himself for failure to tithe what was "due" the church, it is totally possible that he could face the same penalty.
Just a thought. Perhaps someone could pursue it????
Way too late for Best New thing, but....
Brig. Gen. Tammy Smith became our first openly gay general (foreign policy.com)
You can read about the Walkers in "Merchants and Miners in Utah: The Walker Brothers and Their Bank". The Bank became First Interstate.
They were accused of not paying their 10%...which they weren't. They would not open their books and were given the excommunication penalty.
So if excommunicated Mitt gains 20million a year minus the taxes he cannot avoid. It must appeal to the business Mitt. He can continue to be unemployed and wealthy and surround himself with people who think he is great.
Someone needs to talk with Chris Matthews' booker for the show since Michael Smerconish is currently interviewing Jenifer Rubin and giving her a ton of air time...she is typically spouting her right wing drivel, interrupting Jonathan Alter, and taking more than her share of the interview time...but Smerconish wanted her input. Arggghhh!!
anybody noticed what Bobby Jindal (we call him Bobby Voucher locally) is doing to education in LA . . . take a look Rachael if you haven't
Gingrigh running his mouth about stuff other than politics? Actually, it might not be all bad. I'm on record as thinking he'd make an absolutely perfect tabltop Dungeons and Dragons DM. And I say that as a person who likes D&D.
And I have a certain respect for people who can speak in complete paragraphs at the drop of a hat.
Just keep him away from politics.
And I imagine Callista serving as a sidekick ala Mr. Universe's wife in Serenity.
If the Dems would use Romney's ad tactics they could make explosive ads taking Rash Slimeball's words out of context. "Romney is a rich plutocrat", "He doesnt care about you", etc.
It seems that it should be mentioned as often as possible by Democrats [Rachel are you there?] that only twice in the last century have Americans elected Republican businessmen to be president...Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush. Both destroyed the economy. Businessmen use people to make money. Government uses money to help people. Totally opposite goals. Either one can be done well, or done badly, but they are not interchangeable, or even compatible.
Elegantly and eloquently spoken.
Thank you to Rachel and the staff for mentioning that a Foreign Service Officer was among those killed in Afghanistan. Foreign Service serves in more than 200 countries around the world, including everywhere our military serves and shares many of the same risks absent a weapon. They seldom are mentioned when "Thank you for your service" comes up, but they are serving us nevertheless.
For the Open Thread:
Rachel needs a new segment Candidate Romney: Just Not Good At His Job
He is announcing his VP selection -- one of his few remaining narrative changers -- on a Saturday morning while the Olympics are still going on.
http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2012/08/10/romney-will-reveal-his-choice-for-vp-saturday-morning/
Two hints: announcement is in Norfolk, VA on the USS Wisconsin. Suggesting either Ultrasound Bob McDonnell or Paul "The Medicare Killer" Ryan.