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Thank you to everyone who has been contributing links to articles & other content in the Comments section of each day's "Conversation." If you're missing the comments, you're missing some vital links.

Marie: Sorry, my countdown clock was unreliable; then it became completely unreliable. I can't keep up with it. Maybe I'll try another one later.

 

Public Service Announcement

Zoë Schlanger in the Atlantic: "Throw out your black plastic spatula. In a world of plastic consumer goods, avoiding the material entirely requires the fervor of a religious conversion. But getting rid of black plastic kitchen utensils is a low-stakes move, and worth it. Cooking with any plastic is a dubious enterprise, because heat encourages potentially harmful plastic compounds to migrate out of the polymers and potentially into the food. But, as Andrew Turner, a biochemist at the University of Plymouth recently told me, black plastic is particularly crucial to avoid." This is a gift link from laura h.

Mashable: "Following the 2024 presidential election results and [Elon] Musk's support for ... Donald Trump, users have been deactivating en masse. And this time, it appears most everyone has settled on one particular X alternative: Bluesky.... Bluesky has gained more than 100,000 new sign ups per day since the U.S. election on Nov. 5. It now has over 15 million users. It's enjoyed a prolonged stay on the very top of Apple's App Store charts as well. Ready to join? Here's how to get started on Bluesky[.]"

Washington Post: "Americans can again order free rapid coronavirus tests by mail, the Biden administration announced Thursday. People can request four free at-home tests per household through covidtests.gov. They will begin shipping Monday. The move comes ahead of an expected winter wave of coronavirus cases. The September revival of the free testing program is in line with the Biden administration’s strategy to respond to the coronavirus as part of a broader public health campaign to protect Americans from respiratory viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), that surge every fall and winter. But free tests were not mailed during the summer wave, which wastewater surveillance data shows is now receding."

Democrats' Weekly Address

Marie (Feb 23): As far as I can tell, there isn't any. I hope I'm wrong, but it looks like Democrats are so screwed up, they can't even put together a couple of minutes of video to tell us how screwed we are.

Out with the Black. In with the White. New York Times: “Lester Holt, the veteran NBC newscaster and anchor of the 'NBC Nightly News' over the last decade, announced on Monday that he will step down from the flagship evening newscast in the coming months. Mr. Holt told colleagues that he would remain at NBC, expanding his duties at 'Dateline,' where he serves as the show’s anchor.... He said that he would continue anchoring the evening news until 'the start of summer.' The network did not immediately name a successor.” ~~~

~~~ New York Times: “MSNBC said on Monday that Jen Psaki, the former White House press secretary who has become one of the most prominent hosts at the network, would anchor a nightly weekday show in prime time. Ms. Psaki, 46, will host a show at 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, replacing Alex Wagner, a longtime political journalist who has anchored that hour since 2022, according to a memo to staff from Rebecca Kutler, MSNBC’s president. Ms. Wagner will remain at MSNBC as an on-air correspondent. Rachel Maddow, MSNBC’s biggest star, has been anchoring the 9 p.m. hour on weeknights for the early days of ... [Donald] Trump’s administration but will return to hosting one night a week at the end of April.”

New York Times: “Joy Reid’s evening news show on MSNBC is being canceled, part of a far-reaching programming overhaul orchestrated by Rebecca Kutler, the network’s new president, two people familiar with the changes said. The final episode of Ms. Reid’s 7 p.m. show, 'The ReidOut,' is planned for sometime this week, according to the people, who were not authorized to speak publicly. The show, which features in-depth interviews with politicians and other newsmakers, has been a fixture of MSNBC’s lineup for the past five years. MSNBC is planning to replace Ms. Reid’s program with a show led by a trio of anchors: Symone Sanders Townsend, a political commentator and former Democratic strategist; Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee; and Alicia Menendez, the TV journalist, the people said. They currently co-host 'The Weekend,' which airs Saturday and Sunday mornings.” MB: In case you've never seen “The Weekend,” let me assure you it's pretty awful. ~~~

     ~~~ AP Update: "Joy Reid is leaving MSNBC, the network’s new president announced in a memo to staff on Monday, marking an end to the political analyst and anchor’s prime time news show."

Y! Entertainment: "Meanwhile, [Alex] Wagner will also be removed from her 9 pm weeknight slot. Wagner has already been working as a correspondent after Rachel Maddow took over hosting duties during ... Trump’s first 100 days in office. It’s now expected that Wagner will not return as host, but is expected to stay on as a contributor. Jen Psaki, President Biden’s former White House press secretary, is a likely replacement for Wagner, though a decision has not been finalized." MB: In fairness to Psaki, she is really too boring to watch. On the other hand, she is White. ~~~

     ~~~ RAS: "So MSNBC is getting rid of both of their minority evening hosts. Both women of color who are not afraid to call out the truth. Outspoken minorities don't have a long shelf life in the world of our corporate news media."

As we watch in horror the rapid destruction of our democratic form of government, it is comforting to remember there is life outside politics. I took a break a while ago to enjoy a brief lesson in the history of the moonwalk: ~~~

But it may go back even further:

And this chronological account is helpful:

New York Times: “Chuck Todd, the former 'Meet the Press' moderator and a longtime fixture of NBC’s political coverage, told colleagues on Friday that he was leaving the network. A nearly two-decade veteran of NBC, Mr. Todd said that Friday would be his last day at NBC.... Mr. Todd, 52, is the latest TV news star to step aside at a moment when salaries are being scrutinized — and slashed — by major media companies. Hoda Kotb exited NBC’s 'Today' show this month, and Neil Cavuto of Fox News and CNN’s Chris Wallace departed their cable news homes late last year.”

CNBC: “ CNN plans to lay off hundreds of employees Thursday [Jan. 23] as it refocuses the business around a global digital audience.... The layoffs come as CNN is rearranging its linear TV lineup and building out digital subscription products. The cuts will help CNN lower production costs and consolidate teams, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. Certain shows that are produced in New York or Washington may move to Atlanta, where production can be done more cheaply, said the people. For the most part, the job cuts won’t affect CNN’s most recognizable names, who are under contract, said the people. CNN has about 3,500 employees worldwide.... NBC News is also planning cuts later this week, according to people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss nonpublic changes. While the exact number couldn’t be determined, the job losses will be well under 50....”

 

Contact Marie

Email Marie at constantweader@gmail.com

Page Links
Tuesday
Jan252011

State of the Union -- Analysis

Swimming Upstream in a Word Cloud.* What the American people got out of the SOTU:

Survey & art by NPR.* "NPR asked its listeners to describe Obama's address in three words. They then tallied up all 4,000 or so responses and made that into a word cloud — a snapshot of what people took away from the speech." -- Dana Amira of New York magazine. See Amira's post for what the word cloud of the President's actual address looks like.

Lie: Depending on bureaucracy to foster innovation, competitiveness and wise consumer choices has never worked — and it won't work now. -- Paul Ryan, SOTU rebuttal

Facts: Throughout our history, our government has provided cutting-edge scientists and inventors with the support that they need. That's what planted the seeds for the Internet. That's what helped make possible things like computer chips and GPS. Just think of all the good jobs -- from manufacturing to retail -- that have come from these breakthroughs. Half a century ago ... we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.
-- Barack Obama, SOTU address

** Here is the prepared text for President Obama's second State of the Union address. Update: text has been revised to reflect the speech as delivered.

New York Times reporters fact-check the speech....

... Calvin Woodward of the AP fact-checks the President's speech: "The ledger did not appear to be adding up Tuesday night when President Barack Obama urged more spending on one hand and a spending freeze on the other."

Believe in Miracles. Matt Negrin of Politico: "[Tom Donohue,] president of the Chamber of Commerce, one of President Obama’s fiercest critics, and [Richard Trumka,] the president of the AFL-CIO, one of his key labor allies, have written a joint statement praising the State of the Union address."

"Hogwash!" Robert Sheer of TruthDig really hated the speech.

"Meh." Krugman didn't think much of it. My more positive comment is #18 on the same page.

Like Krugman, Kevin Drum of Mother Jones was underwhelmed: "... there was almost literally nothing in there that couldn't have been in a George W. Bush speech. It was intensely technocratic and bipartisan.... And even if you grant that 'invest' is just another word for 'spend,' he was mostly talking about the kind of spending the Republicans could, in theory, go along with.... And a note to John Boehner: dude, we know you're a Republican.... Your preposterously ostentatious boredom during the entire speech really needs to go. You should at least pretend you're not in junior high school anymore."

Michael Grunwald of Time has a useful analysis that looks at the history (brief as it is) of President Obama's policy objectives. Grunwald concludes: President Obama "keeps signaling to the public that he's reaching out to Republicans, even though he's still pushing policies they've been denouncing for two years. It wasn't his choice to swim upstream — the midterm voters made that call — but evidently he's got something in common with those salmon. He gets even more complicated when he's been smoked."

Ezra Klein: "... though there were a lot of policy proposals in the speech, there weren't enough specifics to really know where the president is going. For all the talk of investment, it was presented more as a philosophy than a proposal."

New York Times Editors: "Mr. Obama’s speech offered a welcome contrast to all of the posturing that passes for business in the new Republican-controlled House."

Gene Robinson: "The State of the Union speech ... seemed to chart ways to get over, under, around and through some of the roadblocks that stand in the way of Obama's policy proposals."

Dan Balz of the Washington Post: What was "... striking was [the President's] effort to frame the coming debates over spending and the role of government in ways that are designed to put Republicans on the defense as the fights begin. It was his latest effort to appeal to the center of the electorate. The speech was a defense of the active use of government to prepare the country for the long-term challenge of global competitiveness, through spending on education, infrastructure, alternative energy and other projects."

CBS Poll.Lucy Madison of CBS News: "An overwhelming majority of Americans approved of the overall message in President Obama's State of the Union speech..., according to a CBS News Poll of speech watchers.... Specifically, 82 percent ... said they approve of the president's plans for the economy, up from 53 percent who approved before the speech. Eighty percent said they approved of Mr. Obama's plans for the deficit -- in contrast to 45 percent before the speech -- and 83 percent approved of Obama's proposals regarding Afghanistan, which received only a 57 percent approval rating beforehand."

CNN Poll: "A majority of Americans who watched President Obama's State of the Union address said they had a very positive reaction to his speech, according to a poll of people who viewed Tuesday night's address."

Sheryl Gay Stolberg of the New York Times: "President Obama called Tuesday night for Americans to unleash their creative spirits, set aside their partisan differences and come together around a common goal of out-competing other nations in a rapidly shifting global economy."

** Tobin Harshaw of the New York Times is running a livethread of invited commentators' opinions on the SOTU address. Keep the auto-refresh on.

** Michael Shear, et al., of the New York Times are liveblogging the State of Union Address. The Times has just obtained (at 7:58 pm ET) a copy of the prepared SOTU address.

Shira Toeplitz of Politico: "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted President Barack Obama on earmarks in advance of his State of the Union address Tuesday, when he’s expected to call for a ban. 'I think this is an issue that any president would like to have, that takes power away from the legislative branch of government,' said Reid. '... It only gives the president more power. He’s got enough power already.'”

Republican Responses

Here is the prepared text for Rep. Paul Ryan's Republican response. You can watch Ryan's rebuttal here.

Jason Linkins gathers rebuttals to the "facts" Ryan presented. Uh, they're not factual.

Political Correction does an in-depth analysis of a few of Ryan's "facts." He should invest in/spend on a fire extinguisher.

Joan Walsh of Salon: "Rep. Paul Ryan railed against the deficit without proposing even one specific cut. He didn't talk about his own infamous 'Roadmap,' maybe because most analysts have called it a budget buster, even though it essentially replaces Social Security and Medicare with vouchers.... Citizens for Tax Justice said Ryan's Roadmap raises taxes on 9 out of 10 taxpayers ... while slashing them for the wealthiest.... Ryan ... promised to ... replace ['Obamacare'] with 'fiscally responsible ... reform,' but didn't say word one about what it would entail. Most dishonestly, Ryan said Democrats had overspent 'to the point where the president is now urging Congress to increase the debt limit,' ignoring the fact that Congress raised it seven times under President Bush." Then Walsh hits Bachmann.

Paul Krugman said "the Ryan response … was as bad as you might expect." ...

     ... NEW. AND furthermore. Ryan really doesn't know WTF he's talking about.

Here's the prepared text of Rep. Michele Bachmann's rebuttal rebuttal. Bachmann's rebuttal rebuttal is here.

Dana Milbank on Michele Bachmann's alternate -- and vituperative -- universe.

CNN Political Unit: "Minnesota Republican Rep. Michele Bachmann, chair of the Tea Party Caucus in Congress, delivered a Tea Party-style, red-meat conservative rebuttal sharply criticizing President Barack Obama's State of the Union Tuesday."

Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times: "The crosscurrents inside the Republican Party were on fresh display Tuesday evening with the unusual sight of two lawmakers delivering responses to the State of the Union address.

Jay Newton-Small of Time on the GOP's two-headed monster rebuttal.

Steve Benen on the Bachmann pitfall: "I can only hope that Paul Ryan isn't positioned as the 'middle' -- literally and figuratively -- between the president and Bachman. The Ayn Rand acolyte [i.e., Ryan] is, after all, a hard-core radical, intent on destroying Medicare and Social Security. Bachmann's wild-eyed craziness shouldn't make Ryan appear reasonable by comparison, but it might." Benen also notes that CNN will be carrying Bachmann's rebuttal rebuttal. ...

... Adam Serwer in the Washington Post: "I'm not sure how much real ideological daylight there is between Bachmann and Ryan, and the two appearances are as likely to muddle the conservative message as reinforce it."

Dave Weigel of Slate on why CNN aired the Bachmann rebuttal rebuttal: "CNN has a longstanding romance with the Tea Party Express.... Later this year, the network and the [TPE] PAC (and potentially other Tea Party groups) are co-sponsoring a presidential debate between Republican candidates. So, not shocking at all for the network to promote this and then claim a higher purpose."

The Seating Chart

CLICK ON PHOTO TO GO TO THE NEW YORK TIMES' INTERACTIVE SEATING CHART.

If you had actually followed the rules and not claimed a seat and got there at eight or quarter to eight there were no seats. House members almost wrestled the staff of the Senate sergeant at arms to the ground to claim some of the seats that were claimed for the Senate.
-- Brad Miller (D-NC)

Jennifer Steinhauer & Carl Hulse of the New York Times: "The idea of having Democrats and Republicans sit together ... gathered frantic steam in the hours leading up to the speech. As evening approached..., members madly tweeted about who they would sit with, looked for a last minute date, and, in at least one case, blew off a suitor." Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va) invited Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Cal.). She tweeted back, “I thank @GOPLeader for his #SOTU offer, but I invited my friend Rep. Bartlett from MD yesterday & am pleased he accepted.”

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