Taking care of Bezos

By now you've heard that the gazillionaire owner of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, bought the WaPo. (Moment of silence for the untimely end of Kaplan test prep daily jokes.) This of course will be a topic of endless fascination among the insider media types for the duration of the summer.

Henry Blodget at Business Insider has already been living life under a Bezos investment at his publication and tells us it's not a bad thing. He offers up his own speculation on why Bezos decided to make the purchase.

Over at The Week, Peter Weber surveys the internets and collects the five best reasons why Bezos bought the WaPo.

For myself, damned if I know why he did it or what's going to happen to it now. The vindicative bitch in me would love to see some of the smug pundits have to deal with the reality of unemployment they so blithely dismiss when it happens to other people. Rather doubt that's going to happen, at least to those who deserve a pink slip the most.

As for Jeff's reasons, I suspect he did it a) because he could and b) because he who controls the information delivery to the masses can control public opinion. He's a uber-rich guy with an agenda and so far, I'm told, had only a small footprint inside the Beltway bubble. This buy enlarged that with a speed and weight that couldn't be achieved so expeditiously any other way.

What he intends to do with it remains to be seen but I don't have high hopes that he's going to change anything for the better. Would be thrilled to be wrong though. The optimist in me lives in hope.

He knows if you've been naughty

Being allergic to strict schedules, not committing to a daily seasonal post. But in an effort to get into the spirit of the season, I'll share the best of graphics that cross my screen in any given day. This one seems appropriate for the current news cycle.

Next stop Lansing, Michigan. [Stuart Carlson cartoon]

Very serious news analysts

No idea why Vanity Fair dragged out this 2 year old interview other than they wanted to use the photo they had hanging around. Actually, the bizarre photo is only reason I'm posting this.

I don't doubt that JoeScar has been entertaining the idea of possibly running for president someday, but I suspect he's making too much money pretending to be a pundit to give it up for the horror show that is our electoral process today.

The post is clearly an excuse to publish a little Mika cheesecake. Gotta admit it's pretty decent hit bait but how bloody embarrassing. If you didn't know it was for their show, you would think it was either a poster for some lounge act at the local Holiday Inn or maybe even an ad for some cheezy soft porn film. Which pretty much describes out teevee punditry these days, come to think of it.

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Won't win if you don't fight

John Cole has some timely advice for liberals about what to do post SCOTUS decision on Obamacare:

For once in your god damned lives, put aside your fucking stupid beliefs about purity and how the public option was the bestest thing since sliced bread, accept the massive, game-changing victory you got today, and use it as a god damned bludgeon against the troglodytes whose health care plans are modeled after Ebeneezer Scrooge. For once, focus your bloodlust on Republicans instead of the DLC/Firebaggers/ANYONE WITHOUT AN (R) AFTER THEIR NAME. I’m begging you.

As the saying goes, read the whole damn thing for yourself. Mr. Cole is at his very best at +6 or more.

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Historical reference

This was my favorite find making the rounds on the Facebook this week. Sad because it's true.

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Truth of the Year

In fact, I should say "Truth of the Decades." Kevin Drum says it out loud. It's now profitable to lie, especially if you're a politician.

It also doesn't matter. Politicians have increasingly discovered over the past couple of decades that even on a national stage you can lie pretty blatantly and pay no price, since the mainstream media, trapped in its culture of objectivity, won't really call you on it, limiting themselves to fact checking pieces like Kessler's buried on an inside page. And because virtually nobody except political junkies ever see this stuff, it doesn't hurt their campaigns at all.

There used to a be a common expression in the world, long ago when I was young. "A man's word is his bond." Time was when honorable men advanced in life by dint of their reputation for honesty. To be caught in a calculated campaign of lies would surely lead to being cast out of civil society. Today honest and honorable men are viewed as losers.

There's no profit in honesty. We're all poorer now that dishonesty is no longer condemned as vice, but rather celebrated as clever tactic to achieve success.

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Tidbit journalism

Was in a bit of funk yesterday, it being my Dad's birthday. He would have been 84 years old had he lived. So I didn't get around to bitching about Chuck Todd's lament on the state of journalism. He's all kinds of sad because we're talking about Etch A Sketch instead of serious stuff. You know like the deep meaning of stupid daily polls.

This from a guy whose First Read space at MSNBC is 99% horse race trivia and check out his twitter feed some time. (No I'm not going to link to it.) Believe me when I tell you you won't learn anything about substantive issues there either. Not important, but just so irritiating to hear this guy whine about the media problem, when he's one of prime exemplars of it.

Meanwhile, Jake Tapper tweets: "What America needs is a campaign that resembles LITE-BRITE."

Sadly what we have is a campaign process that resembles nothing so much as Trivial Pursuit.

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Gotta start all over again

I've been saying for the last ten years that it feels like we're fighting the culture wars of the 60s all over again. The last two have made it all so tragically true. But we won the first time and we can do it again.

this >> #WOW twitter.com/liberalease/st…

— liberalease (@liberalease) March 21, 2012

Never underestimate the power of a bunch of pissed off women...

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The girls on the bus

Something odd about this campaign bus. Can't quite put my finger on it.

Oh wait. It's missing a hubcap. [original photo]


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Don't know what you got till it's gone

If they outlawed polls, what would the media talk about? Instead of doing the actual work on explaining the real world effects of policy, everybody commissions a poll and reports on the results. Easy work if you can get it. Which brings us to today's "important" news. An alleged majority of voters can't see the benefit of a payroll tax holiday.

Shocking, I know. At the top end of the break, you're looking at 20-30 bucks a week. Imagine the people who don't notice the difference probably get less. So sure, they don't "see" it. But if it disappears they'll most likely notice their paycheck decreased a few bucks.

Of course, that has nothing to do with whether it helps drive the economic recovery. And it no doubt does, by virtue of the fact it's a small amount of money spread among millions of workers. Nobody is going to bank it. They spend it. It helps over time. Not that you'll read that in this important report. But it probably generated a lot of traffic. And that's what really counts in the profit model media.

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Just the facts. man

I'm late to the game, so by now you know that NYT's Public Editor, Arthur Brisbane asked a question yesterday that generated a virtual shitstorm of criticism and mockery. I'm not going to add to that. Think I'll just answer the question.

The answer is yes, it's the newpaper's job to challenge lies. One thing I haven't seen mentioned, by definition a fact is a proveable statement. Based on demonstrable reality. Sure, in feeding the insatiable maw of the 24/7 news cycle deadline pressure makes it difficult to immediately fact check every utterance made and editors have become a timid lot in standing up to their critics, but for the love of Perry White, if a prominent person is repeatedly making the same untrue statement, it's not out of bounds to ask for proof.

I mean, using Brisbane's own example of Romney's accusation that Obama has widely apologized for America. Print that he says it. It's news. But at least ask him to provide some concrete examples of said apologies. And if he can't, print that too. In the same article. Around here, we call that context. It's an important part of the story.

Fact checking has become as skewed and partisan as those they purport to check. Truth would be better served if journalists didn't accept every statement on face value and ask for proof of the claims at the time they're made.

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Inner Santorum

If I knew how to use photoshop I would spend my time thinking up stuff like this brilliant mashup. It's amazing how perfectly Rick Santorum quotes match up with classic New Yorker cartoons. This was one of my favorites.

Lots more here. Read them all.

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A good day for liberals

Yesterday got away from me. I was so enjoying living the rare moment of lefty comity that I didn't get around to writing anything about it. Nothing like a feisty recess appointment or two by our POTUS to cheer liberals up, at least for a day. At the moment, still feeling pretty foggy with this cursed cold so while I work at clearing my head, TPM's The Day in 100 Seconds illustrates up why I stopped watching cable news and sums up the more fun moments of yesterday.



I understand TPM is going to be resurrecting this as a regular feature. Glad to see it back.

Don't care anymore

Maybe it's just because I'm still so sick, but I'm burned out on the Iowa caucuses. I mean, does it really matter who wins there? Not feeling it. And while I'm bitching about politics, I'm tired of the endless internet spats on the left. Sick of the perpetual outrage and mean spirited sniping. I'll probably get over it once I feel better, but today:

Congressional wealth rises as Americans founder

In case anyone was still wondering why our political class can't seem to grasp the debilitating effects of poverty, it's no great mystery. It's wealth disparity, of course. But it is a bit surprising to see how wide the wealth gap between the pols and their constituents has grown.

Between 1984 and 2009, the median net worth of a member of the House more than doubled, according to the analysis of financial disclosures, from $280,000 to $725,000 in inflation-adjusted 2009 dollars, excluding home ­equity.

Over the same period, the wealth of an American family has declined slightly, with the comparable median figure sliding from $20,600 to $20,500, according to the Panel Study of Income Dynamics from the University of Michigan.

The comparisons exclude home equity because it is not included in congressional reporting, and 1984 was chosen because it is the earliest year for which consistent wealth statistics are available.

If they did include home equity, no doubt the gap would be much greater. But it's not just the wealth, it's the disparity between the life experience. Few of our current political overlords, who talk about making hard choices on austerity cuts, have faced the real tough choices of the poor. Whether to get their kid a badly needed new pair of shoes, or pay a utility bill. Between heat and a doctor's visit. Between food and medications. Wondering how long they can ignore that odd noise the car is making before the engine breaks down.

This is why I find it so infuriating to hear the privileged class rail about "entitlements" for the poor and near poor. They have no idea how hard it is to live within the uncertainty of poverty. Like everything in life, if you haven't experienced it yourself, you just can't really imagine what it's like. And for those few who may have actually grown up poor, once you leave poverty behind, it's not easy to retain experiential empathy. A fat wad of money in the pocket now has a way of dimming memories of past deprivations. [Photo credit: People wait in line to receive free milk in New York City.]

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Clock runs out: Boehner caves on payroll tax bill

Didn't blog till now because I've been following this drama all day. The episode is now officially over. As rumored, Boehner caved and the Senate's compromise payroll tax bill will be passed, albeit with a few cosmetic changes to make it slightly less embarrassing for the Speaker.

Let me stipulate at the outset, I find it depressingly pathetic we're cheering this "victory." Dems already gave away the highly popular mini-tax hike on the super-rich, awarded the GOPers their Pipeline talking point and only received a two month extension in return. This is a victory of optics, not of policy. Without Boehner's bumbling on the vote, they would have nothing. The Dems got lucky this time. Still, an optical victory is something. The Democrats finally held a line. That's more than we usually get and perhaps the thrill of this victory will make them less risk averse in the next battle that ever looms just over the near horizon.

Still, it wasn't just a victory over the recalcitrance of the crackpot caucus. The legacy media lost this battle too. Despite their best efforts to spin this as an just another DC gridlock, both sides do it, impasse, the majority of voters didn't buy it. The gatekeepers were reminded their hold on the narrative is slipping. That is worth celebrating.

Think the turning point came when the Arkansas GOPer defected. He issued this public statement early this afternoon:

These past few days I have met with my constituents in Arkansas’s First District, they are angry and they don’t understand why Congress cannot sit down, hammer out our differences, and have a solution we can all support. My constituents are honest, hard-working people who deserve a Congress that will put partisan politics aside in favor of the greater good. Congress must come together and act to ensure that my constituents, and millions of Americans all across the country, are not hit with higher taxes on January 1st...

We are now in a position that requires all options to be on the table, that requires Republicans to not only demand a willingness to compromise, but to offer it as well.

I've been to Arkansas. I'm pretty sure the First District is not a hotbed of liberalism. When his constituents compel him to make a statement like that, it tells me the tide is turning.

All that being said, I also think Steve Benen is onto something here. This payroll tax revolt was never about the bill. Cantor, who's been lusting after that gavel forever, played Boehner for a fool. He knew full well what Boehner was doing. Probably encouraged him to take the Senate deal. And then turned around and led the crackpot revolt.

End result? As Ed Henry tweeted: Longtime Boehner friend says Speaker did right thing but adds:"He did the deal w/Reid then told his caucus. I fear he may be ousted in '12."

I'd guess that was Cantor's plan all along. However it does appear Boehner is wising up to Cantor's perfidy. Johnny is finally finding his mojo, now that he understands his gavel is under threat. He's giving the crackpots a take it or leave it deal. Either pass the bill with unanimous consent tomorrow, or he'll make them take an on the record, roll call vote next week.

Not sure yet whether it's a blessing or a curse, but, interesting times. [photo credit]

NBC wants to hear from you

I've been fooling around with trying to resize graphics, without success, at my new Wordpress account at the Detroit News all morning, so late start to posting here. A quick byte to get going, NBC News wants to know what matters to you. You can tweet, facebook, Google Plus, YouTube or Foursquare your answers, along with a host of other minor platforms, including email.

Instructions at the link, but it seems if you hashtag anything on the internet today with #mattersmost, they'll find it. It appears you also have to give a location or they probably won't use it on air. Still, it's likely someone at NBC will read what you have to say either way, so there's that...

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I quit, I give up...

I can no longer tell the difference between real headlines and The Onion. I only got two right on this short quiz.

And since I'm doing quick links, here's a few more I've been saving up for too long.

A sadly true campaign finance flow chart.

Tom Tomorrow illustrates class conflict. One of his best strips ever.

The most powerful photos of 2011.

And to end on jollier note, for real, the most awesome card trick I've ever seen. I'm told it's faked. I don't care. Don't want to know how they did it. Just want to suspend my disbelief and enjoy the magic, if only for a moment.

[Godzilla tree via pzmyers]

It's complicated

I'm so old I remember when TV news couldn't do live on the scene reporting and it could take three days to get video footage from China. Punditry was more reflective then. Now, it takes about 3 seconds for any breaking news to travel around the world on the social nets and everybody is an instant pundit and/or a trend spotter. It's changed the way we process information, and not, I think, for the better.

At Balloon Juice, Kay voices my frustration with the current state of our political discourse.

...I get so impatient with broad national theories or studies on politics. I find them reductive and ultimately, narrowing. ...

When I look at “politics”, now or at any other time, I’m looking at what seems to me to a very complex, layered, shifting picture. Maybe I’m wrong about that, and it all can be reduced to a formula, but that isn’t how I see it or approach it. Honestly, if I did see it like that I don’t know that I would bother with it, because if I did see it like that I would eventually decide I probably can’t have any effect on it.

... So if I read or hear something reductive and final and national…I find myself yelling “it’s more complicated than that!”

Amen to that. I've been watching politics long enough to think it's so fluid, you can't get boxed into statistical probabilities and fixed narratives. The tiniest unforeseen event can, and has, changed everything at the last minute.

And adding, I get impatient with the incessant clamoring for instant results. When did we forget change is incremental and you can't necessarily see it happen? It's like watching your kids grow. You see them every day so you don't really notice the differences. Someone who only sees them once a year marvels at how much they've changed.

In the explosion of information that bombards us every minute of every day, it's seems all too easy to get hysterical about the instant developments and lose sight of the big picture. Don't think that serves us well over the long haul.

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Centrism by any name would still smell

Just remembered that I'm so old, I once guest posted at Unity08.

Don't judge. They personally invited me to blog. They pitched it to me as a populist movement and I briefly believed them. Only put up one post before I figured what it was really about.

Not much has changed since then, except the names.