Author Topic: "A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics (Read 1866156 times)

brawndolicious · « **Reply #2220 on:** March 05, 2009, 02:48:05 PM »

Quote from: siamesedreamer on March 05, 2009, 10:19:29 AM

That about wraps it up for nuclear power in the United States:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008814298_yucca05.html?syndication=rss

I didn't think Obama was actually stupid enough to think we would have any option but nuclear power ing the future.

Beardo · « **Reply #2221 on:** March 05, 2009, 02:49:58 PM »

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090304/us_time/08599188291300

Obama's Middle-Class Task Force Has No Middle Class

Quote

Last Friday, Vice President Joe Biden and seven White House cabinet members traveled to Philadelphia to kick off the inaugural gathering of President Obama's Middle Class Task Force. The task force will convene monthly in cities across the country to confront the problems faced by average Americans. It's an admirable goal; with rising costs, stagnant wages and job cuts, a Pew Research study found that 78% of self-described middle class Americans have trouble maintaining their current standard of living.

Still, the middle class may have a better shot at making ends meet than at influencing the Middle Class Task Force. That's because no member of the Middle Class Task Force is actually middle class. While defining America's most beloved demographic group has never been an exact science, most academics agree that the term refers to anyone earning between $30,000 and $100,000 a year. (Median household income in the U.S. hovers around $50,000.) Every member of the President's task force - from Biden ($227,000) to Council of Economic Advisors chair Christina Romer ($172,000) to energy secretary Steven Chu ($191,000) - makes well over $150,000, putting them in the top 5% of wage earners. (See pictures of crime in Middle America.)

While middle class Americans are invited to submit questions and ideas through the task force's website, AStrongMiddleClass.gov and tickets for the Philadelphia meeting were distributed to labor and environmental groups, the task force did not accept questions from the audience. "If Biden and his team want to go into this [middle class issue]," said Daniel Morris, communications director of the Drum Major Institute, a think tank that analyzes middle class policy issues, "They're going to need to talk to real members of the middle class. There's no substitute for immediate intimate interaction."

Instead, the task force talked to Pennsylvania governor Edward Rendell ($175,000), Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter ($167,000) and United Steelworkers of America president Leo Gerard, (who reportedly earns over $170,000). "[The Vice President] is doing the right thing," said Karen Nussbaum executive director of Working America, "but hearing directly from working people who are struggling and finding their way is an essential part of this."

In Philadelphia, the task force members and panelists spent a long time congratulating one another one on their good intentions before turning to the meeting's single topic: green jobs. The stimulus package bestows $500 million for green job training programs, $6 billion in loan guarantees for green industries, and $5 billion for a weatherization assistance program that could save homeowners up to $350 per year on utilities. Van Jones, president of Green For All, made an impassioned plea to "give young people the chance to put down that handgun and pick up a caulking gun." Greg Nelson, official Middle Class Task Force liveblogger, commented on an argument between representatives from Portland, Los Angeles, and Philly, who tried to out-green each other for the title of most environmentally friendly city. (See the top 10 green ideas of 2008.)

The task force didn't specify the number of jobs it hoped to create in the green sector, or how much of an impact the programs are expected to have on the middle class as a whole. Annie Tomasini, Biden's deputy press secretary, says the Philadelphia meeting was just "a listening session" and that the task force will not actually make any decisions regarding green job creation. They'll have to go back to Washington to do that.

Thank god for task forces.

Cheebs · « **Reply #2222 on:** March 05, 2009, 02:54:44 PM »

Obama gave PM Brown a dvd copy of his top 25 favorite movies. Interesting picks.

1. Citizen Kane

2. The Godfather

3. Casablanca

4. Raging Bull

5. Singing In The Rain

6. Gone With The Wind

7. Lawrence Of Arabia

8. Schindler's List

9. Vertigo

10. The Wizard Of Oz

11. City Lights

12. The Searchers

13. Star Wars: Episode IV

14. Psycho

15. 2001: A Space Odyssey

16. Sunset Boulevard

17. The Graduate

18. The General

19. On The waterfront

20. It's A Wonderful Life

21. China Town

22. Some Like It Hot

23. The Grapes Of Wrath

24. ET: The Extra Terrestrial

25. To Kill A Mocking Bird.

Eric P · « **Reply #2223 on:** March 05, 2009, 02:59:53 PM »

26. Soul Plane

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #2224 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:02:50 PM »

27. Pootie Tang

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2225 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:10:59 PM »

Some staffer probably made the list going off of AFI's list. A black man in his 40's and one movie from the 80's or 90's in his top 25? Whaaatevvaah

"It's a Wonderful Life" over any Bruce Lee movie? No comedies outside of "Some like it Hot"?

FlameOfCallandor · « **Reply #2226 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:14:40 PM »

That's not a list of anyone's favorite movies. In fact I think that's a list of movie we watched in film history. Pretty safe list.

Eric P · « **Reply #2227 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:17:17 PM »

27. Dolemite

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #2228 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:20:07 PM »

28. Undercover Brother
29. House Party
30. Booty Call

edit: that's a very safe, critics-approved list of movies. You'd think he'd have a few guilty pleasures or a few obscure picks.

Cheebs · « **Reply #2229 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:20:42 PM »

Quote from: ToxicAdam on March 05, 2009, 03:10:59 PM

Some staffer probably made the list going off of AFI's list. A black man in his 40's and one movie from the 80's or 90's in his top 25? Whaaatevvaah

"It's a Wonderful Life" over any Bruce Lee movie? No comedies outside of "Some like it Hot"?

Yeah probably, I mean this is a President who loves Star Trek of all things, I doubt this would be his real list.

Eric P · « **Reply #2230 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:34:47 PM »

collects conan comics and spider-man but doesn't include Blacks on Blonds 12?

Tauntaun · « **Reply #2231 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:36:39 PM »

Quote from: The Card Cheat on March 05, 2009, 03:02:50 PM

27. Pootie Tang

He signed dat pitty!

FlameOfCallandor · « **Reply #2232 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:44:06 PM »

I found the new Obama Tax forms.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I know it says 2002

[close]

HyperZoneWasAwesome · « **Reply #2233 on:** March 05, 2009, 03:48:20 PM »

Quote from: FlameOfCallandor on March 05, 2009, 03:44:06 PM

I found the new Obama Tax forms.

I don't agree with the message, but its kinda funny.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #2234 on:** March 05, 2009, 05:08:22 PM »

Quote

25. To Kill A Mocking Bird.

my #1

Fragamemnon · « **Reply #2235 on:** March 05, 2009, 05:15:27 PM »

Quote from: Cheebs on March 05, 2009, 03:20:42 PM

Yeah probably, I mean this is a President who loves Star Trek of all things, I doubt this would be his real list.

You know that his real list is full of nerdmonger guilty pleasures. list is obviously done by a staffer, only the most boring of film school fegs would actually make that list.

Mandark · « **Reply #2236 on:** March 05, 2009, 05:43:11 PM »

I don't know which has me psyched more now, Obama's presidency or the self-immolation of the American conservative movement.

On one hand, Obama's aggressively pursuing healthcare reform, implementing a carbon auction (with a progressive tax credit offset!), drawing down troops from Iraq, going after bad spending (Medicare Advantage, Sallie Mae, military procurement), and doing who knows what else. The only mark against him, and it's a big one, is the Summers-Geithner axis of finance.

On the other hand, the GOP has Rush Limbaugh playing whack-a-mole in his own party, Maryland's own Michael Steele putting on a minstrel show, and Newt Gingrich's self-parody and delusions of grandeur.

Also, does the widespread use of "socialist" as an accusation mean that "liberal" isn't a pejorative anymore? Cause I'm really gonna miss all that lefty navel-gazing about whether to use "progressive" instead.

brawndolicious · « **Reply #2237 on:** March 05, 2009, 05:45:52 PM »

Schindler's List, Godfather, and Star Wars are all guilty pleasures at best. I kinda expect the pundits to attention-whore about this.

Anyways, what exactly has been Obama's promises in his campaign wrt nuclear energy? If he thinks he can put solar and wind in his pipe and smoke it for a country with the energy needs of the US, then we can be suffering the consequences for decades.

Eric P · « **Reply #2238 on:** March 05, 2009, 05:57:30 PM »

Might the RNC’s first black chairman not make it even two months in office? From the swarm of recent whisperings that the Republican Party is unhappy with Steele emerges the first actual call for his resignation: According to The Hill, “In an e-mail to fellow RNC members obtained by The Hill, Dr. Ada Fisher, North Carolina's national committeewoman, said Steele is ‘eroding confidence’ in the GOP and that members of his transition team should encourage him to step aside.” Fisher, one of the three black members of the RNC, sent it to Steele’s personal email and wrote, “"I don't want to hear anymore [sic] language trying to be cool about the bling in the stimulus package or appealing to D.L. Hughley and blacks in a way that isn't going to win us any votes and makes us frankly appear to many blacks as quite foolish.”

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #2239 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:00:45 PM »

Quote from: am nintenho on March 05, 2009, 05:45:52 PM

Schindler's List, Godfather, and Star Wars are all guilty pleasures at best.

Quote from: am nintenho on March 05, 2009, 05:45:52 PM

If he thinks he can put solar and wind in his pipe and smoke it for a country with the energy needs of the US, then we can be suffering the consequences for decades.

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2240 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:05:01 PM »

Cramer has absolutely lost it. He's stabbing stuffed animals with a mini sword while ripping Obama. Fucking hilarious.

brawndolicious · « **Reply #2241 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:06:07 PM »

Well none of those movies seemed to really have any benefit to the industry. It seemed to me that people always watched them for some vague, emotional reason.

As for energy, the ONLY way to get enough power is with nuclear. Not to mention that those technologies are time/weather dependent.

I thought that Obama was a progressive but he's really not doing anything that amazing at this point. Nuclear is one of my personal little litmus tests that he totally bombed.

Unless he's actually planning to use like a red state or whatever for the nuclear waste.

Flannel Boy · « **Reply #2242 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:11:58 PM »

Quote from: am nintenho on March 05, 2009, 06:06:07 PM

Well none of those movies seemed to really have any benefit to the industry. It seemed to me that people always watched them for some vague, emotional reason.

As for energy, the ONLY way to get enough power is with nuclear. Not to mention that those technologies are time/weather dependent.

I thought that Obama was a progressive but he's really not doing anything that amazing at this point. Nuclear is one of my personal little litmus tests that he totally bombed.

Unless he's actually planning to use like a red state or whatever for the nuclear waste.

Star Wars is possibly a guilty pleasure. But I don't see how Schindler's List and the Godfather are guilty pleasure. Especially The Godfather, which is one of the most critically acclaimed movies of all time. That's relevant because there's no reason to feel bad for liking it. It's not Pootie Tang!

I'm very pro-nuclear energy; I was confused by your metaphor.

Olivia Wilde Homo · « **Reply #2243 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:16:18 PM »

Nuclear energy is the future, fegs. People that think the power grid can sustain itself on wind and solar needs to stop hitting the pipe. It is great for supplemental sources of power but as primary? LOL.

That said, nuclear power plants are expensive as fuck to build. That and the amount of qualified people in the US to work on it is extremely low. So it will be a while, unless the government offers generous subsidies and/or scholarships for nuclear type fields (nuclear engineering, etc.)

brawndolicious · « **Reply #2244 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:19:48 PM »

Schindler's List could have been a good documentary but it felt very, very manipulative and kitschy to me to have it be a movie (with music, cinematography, and acting). Godfather has amazing production wrapped around a trashy story. The book was universally loathed by critics and the movie was universally praised. I can watch it but I don't love it.

Back on topic, I never got the pollution complaints with nuclear power. With the size of the hundreds coal sludge dams in the US, it's amazing that people care about a mountain in the middle of a desert.

Fragamemnon · « **Reply #2245 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:20:31 PM »

Nuclear plants also have huge NIMBY issues and take forever to come online. If you're looking to use energy as a pivot for the next great leap for the American economy and job creation, nuclear is a total dead end.

huckleberry · « **Reply #2246 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:21:31 PM »

Schindler's List is a good movie until the overly sappy and contrived ending.....I wanted the story behind Schindler.....the real guy and story are way more interesting than that film will ever be.

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2247 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:35:36 PM »

Quote from: Cheebs on March 05, 2009, 02:54:44 PM

Obama gave PM Brown a dvd copy of his top 25 favorite movies. Interesting picks.

1. Citizen Kane

2. The Godfather

3. Casablanca

4. Raging Bull

5. Singing In The Rain

6. Gone With The Wind

7. Lawrence Of Arabia

8. Schindler's List

9. Vertigo

10. The Wizard Of Oz

11. City Lights

12. The Searchers

13. Star Wars: Episode IV

14. Psycho

15. 2001: A Space Odyssey

16. Sunset Boulevard

17. The Graduate

18. The General

19. On The waterfront

20. It's A Wonderful Life

21. China Town

22. Some Like It Hot

23. The Grapes Of Wrath

24. ET: The Extra Terrestrial

25. To Kill A Mocking Bird.

Are England's DVD players region locked?

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2248 on:** March 05, 2009, 06:56:22 PM »

Looks like Sanjay Gupta hasn't been paying his taxes.

Cheebs · « **Reply #2249 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:00:20 PM »

Quote from: siamesedreamer on March 05, 2009, 06:56:22 PM

Looks like Sanjay Gupta hasn't been paying his taxes.

So has he withdrawn from being surgeon general?

huckleberry · « **Reply #2250 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:02:51 PM »

Quote from: siamesedreamer on March 05, 2009, 06:56:22 PM

Looks like Sanjay Gupta hasn't been paying his taxes.

That is hilarious. Getting beyond the point of ridiculousness with these people.

I would get a glass rod shoved down my dick if I didn't pay mine.

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2251 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:05:23 PM »

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/05/gupta.surgeon.general/index.html

Draw your own conclusions.

Cheebs · « **Reply #2252 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:14:58 PM »

I am kinda glad, Gupta is kind of annoying

huckleberry · « **Reply #2253 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:15:33 PM »

Where is hell does it say anything about taxes in that article? Do my liberal goggles not allow me to see that part?

Van Cruncheon · « **Reply #2254 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:19:02 PM »

the number of nominees who don't pay their taxes is actually pretty distressing, speculations of fiscal misbehavior on gupta's behalf notwithstanding.

huckleberry · « **Reply #2255 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:21:39 PM »

this is like the 21st century version of hiring illegal aliens to clean your house or tend your garden.

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2256 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:35:28 PM »

Isn't limited to Washington:

http://www.macon.com/198/story/640079.html

Crushed · « **Reply #2257 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:44:10 PM »

you know, in the midst of all this economic crisis, there's something we need to remember

republicans wanted social security privatized holy shit

Brehvolution · « **Reply #2258 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:52:38 PM »

Quote from: Crushed on March 05, 2009, 07:44:10 PM

you know, in the midst of all this economic crisis, there's something we need to remember

republicans wanted social security privatized holy shit

The short term profit windfalls almost outweighed the concern for a possibility of disaster.

Dickie Dee · « **Reply #2259 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:53:08 PM »

If this is what it takes to bring Gupta down, so be it.

Eric P · « **Reply #2260 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:53:34 PM »

Quote from: Mamacint on March 05, 2009, 07:53:08 PM

If this is what it takes to bring Gupta down, so be it.

AGREED

Dickie Dee · « **Reply #2261 on:** March 05, 2009, 07:55:33 PM »

Quote from: Zero Hero on March 05, 2009, 07:52:38 PM

Quote from: Crushed on March 05, 2009, 07:44:10 PM
you know, in the midst of all this economic crisis, there's something we need to remember

republicans wanted social security privatized holy shit

The short term profit windfalls almost outweighed the concern for a possibility of disaster.

Not counting the ~$1-2 Trillion transition costs that were somehow never factored into whatever gains a "personal account" SS might see.

Phoenix Dark · « **Reply #2262 on:** March 05, 2009, 11:13:48 PM »

Quote from: am nintenho on March 05, 2009, 05:45:52 PM

Schindler's List, Godfather, and Star Wars are all guilty pleasures at best. I kinda expect the pundits to attention-whore about this.

jesus christ

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2263 on:** March 06, 2009, 12:27:02 AM »

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123630125365247061.html

Remember when $1B was a lot of money? Like 6 months ago. Yeah, good times.

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2264 on:** March 06, 2009, 12:30:26 AM »

I remember going apeshit when the Army let 8 billion dollars go unaccounted for in Iraq. Then there was the time we freaked out about all the people who scammed the government for those Katrina debit cards. Hahah .. small change.

We're fucked.

Rman · « **Reply #2265 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:18:29 AM »

Goddamn. Half a trillion dollars?!

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2266 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:23:30 AM »

More minor fearmongering from the left to pass their agenda...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2009/03/medical-bankrup.html

Mandark · « **Reply #2267 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:28:42 AM »

Quote from: ToxicAdam on March 06, 2009, 01:23:30 AM

More minor fearmongering from the left to pass their agenda...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2009/03/medical-bankrup.html

Quote from: ToxicAdam on February 10, 2009, 02:54:24 PM

I saw this up on reddit. It's a PBS interview with a Harvard Law professor about credit and America. Interesting stuff.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/interviews/warren.html

Just saying is all.

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #2268 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:43:50 AM »

jesus christ where do they get those commentators?

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2269 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:48:18 AM »

Quote from: Mandark on March 06, 2009, 01:28:42 AM

Quote from: ToxicAdam on March 06, 2009, 01:23:30 AM
More minor fearmongering from the left to pass their agenda...

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenumbers/2009/03/medical-bankrup.html

Quote from: ToxicAdam on February 10, 2009, 02:54:24 PM
I saw this up on reddit. It's a PBS interview with a Harvard Law professor about credit and America. Interesting stuff.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/credit/interviews/warren.html

Just saying is all.

What are you saying?

recursivelyenumerable · « **Reply #2270 on:** March 06, 2009, 01:53:41 AM »

anyway I have to say that "the cost of health care now causes a bankruptcy in America every thirty seconds" is definitely a very inaccurate/exaggerated characterization of those 2005 research findings and ABC is right to call them on it.

Mandark · « **Reply #2271 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:00:53 AM »

TA: That you're whipsawing on Warren without acknowledging (realizing?) it.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

I mean, do you actually want to discuss the substance at that link? I figured from your post you were in for some quick zingers.

[close]

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2272 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:17:25 AM »

I don't see how the two topics are related. The interview I linked was to illustrate how the changes in bankruptcy laws have exacerbated our problems (and eye-opening revelation to me ... which you snarked at me about) and also an interesting, simplified explanation on how credit works in our country. The second link was showing how Obama will use faulty data to push his agenda.

Mandark · « **Reply #2273 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:19:06 AM »

The "faulty data" is from a study published by the Harvard prof you linked to, is the point.

ToxicAdam · « **Reply #2274 on:** March 06, 2009, 02:37:00 AM »

So that invalidates any other opinions or ideas she may have for the rest of her life?

Mandark · « **Reply #2275 on:** March 06, 2009, 03:06:37 AM »

Like I asked before, you want zingers or Real Talk?

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2276 on:** March 06, 2009, 08:32:53 AM »

Jobs Report:

FEB -651K
JAN revised down to -655k from -577k
DEC revised down to -681k from -598k

Unemployment rate 8.1% from 7.6%...

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #2277 on:** March 06, 2009, 08:50:32 AM »

Quote from: siamesedreamer on March 06, 2009, 08:32:53 AM

Jobs Report:

FEB -651K
JAN revised down to -655k from -577k
DEC revised down to -681k from -598k

Unemployment rate 8.1% from 7.6%...

Surely the solution to this is some tax cuts.

siamesedreamer · « **Reply #2278 on:** March 06, 2009, 08:54:00 AM »

Heh...the only job sector to grow was government +9k.

I don't know which is more laughable - the +9k or the fact that the Obama administration used a peak unemployment rate of 8.1% when projecting their 2009 budget deficit.

Mark Zandi is finally on the +10% train though.

Human Snorenado · « **Reply #2279 on:** March 06, 2009, 08:56:30 AM »

Quote from: siamesedreamer on March 06, 2009, 08:54:00 AM

Heh...the only job sector to grow was government +9k.

OBAMA IS TRYING TO CREATE A LEGION OF PEOPLE DEPENDENT ON THE STATE WHO WILL CONTINUALLY VOTE FOR THE DEMOCRAT PARTY FOREVER! ...am I doing it right?

News:

Author Topic: "A black sheriff?!": The Official Topic of Obama and New Era American Politics (Read 1866156 times)