Recessions are measured by economic growth, not unemployment. I doubt even by that measure the recession is already over and the economy growing again.
In any case, the unemployment numbers were artificially brought down by the hiring of temporary census workers.
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GoslingLooking Up Soccer In Mongolia Right Now, ProbablyWatertown, WIRegistered Userregular
He's done the typical, classy thing of not talking about current issues that has been the standard for former Presidents (and somewhat VP's) for quite some time.
No, it hasn't, really. By and large they shut up, but occasionally somebody makes some noise, like Carter did.
Carter was president 30 years ago. It's a little different for him, especially since he kind of has a concentration of effort.
Typically they pick ab isolated issue that isn't terribly controversial. Carter has Habitat for Humanity, Bush 1 and Clinton worked hard at Tsunami relief.
Carter's recent speaking out against Bush's policies was so commented upon because it is something that is so rarely done. I think most of us would consider the circumstances under which that happened exceptional.
Cheney, as we all know, considers Sunday an exceptional circumstance.
Wait, in reading that, if Reagan already declared 1983 as "The National Year of the Bible", why would Obama need to do the same in 2010?
Perhaps 2010 can be "The National Year of the Bible 2: Scripture Harder".
2010 is already the year of the Tiger - which would you rather have, an entire year about a wimpy book in ancient Greek, or a year about a gigantic carnivorous monster-cat?
I say we let them have a 'year of the bible' right after all the Christian members of the house and senate prove they have actually read and understand it. Maybe we could have some respected theological types write up a test or something, the Jesuits maybe...
Cheney says he sides with Limbaugh over Powell, and thought Powell was already a Democrat. That's right, please keep alienating the non-crazy Republicans. We've got a big tent over here in the Demcratic party; if we can fit Arlen Specter, we sure as hell can fit Colin Powell.
EDIT: It also looks like Charlie Crist is going to run for Mel Martinez's Senate seat next year. His only credible opposition would be the speaker of the Florida House in the primary, because I can't think of on Democrat here in Florida that could overcome his high approval ratings. So basically Crist will be the next senator from Florida.
Cheney says he sides with Limbaugh over Powell, and thought Powell was already a Democrat. That's right, please keep alienating the non-crazy Republicans. We've got a big tent over here in the Demcratic party; if we can fit Arlen Specter, we sure as hell can fit Colin Powell.
EDIT: It also looks like Charlie Crist is going to run for Mel Martinez's Senate seat next year. His only credible opposition would be the speaker of the Florida House in the primary, because I can't think of on Democrat here in Florida that could overcome his high approval ratings. So basically Crist will be the next senator from Florida.
Great, now he can do nothing on a federal level as well as state level. Yay.
Y'know what's fucking hilarious? A lot of people here in East Texas despise ketchup and like mustard alone on sandwiches.
I did a headstand when that clip played.
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FencingsaxIt is difficult to get a man to understand, when his salary depends upon his not understandingGNU Terry PratchettRegistered Userregular
edited May 2009
Ray's Hellburger is perhaps the best hamburger joint in the metro area. I don't really care what anyone says.
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HenroidMexican kicked from Immigration ThreadCentrism is Racism :3Registered Userregular
edited May 2009
Apparently there were fancier burgers he could've gotten aside from a plain ol' cheeseburger too.
As long as the right-wing and its media supporters are reaching out for this kind of shit to use as detractions for Obama, they are not on the road to making a comeback.
Cheney says he sides with Limbaugh over Powell, and thought Powell was already a Democrat. That's right, please keep alienating the non-crazy Republicans. We've got a big tent over here in the Demcratic party; if we can fit Arlen Specter, we sure as hell can fit Colin Powell.
EDIT: It also looks like Charlie Crist is going to run for Mel Martinez's Senate seat next year. His only credible opposition would be the speaker of the Florida House in the primary, because I can't think of on Democrat here in Florida that could overcome his high approval ratings. So basically Crist will be the next senator from Florida.
Great, now he can do nothing on a federal level as well as state level. Yay.
I'm a bit more optimistic about it. First, it's exchanging a Republican for a Republican, so the numbers game isn't changed. Second, Crist isn't a huge idealogue and hasn't done much grandstanding as governor, so I doubt we'll be subject to the theatrics of a Boehner. Third, he's closer to the center than Martinez and actually has some common ground with Democrats on some issues (stimulus, environment). He's really popular here in Florida, so I don't see intimidation from the Senate Republican leadership working too well against him. All told, I doubt he'll be more than a nuisance as opposition, but he could potentially be that extra vote needed for climate change and economic legislation. Hell, his desire to be popular can be used against him pretty easily if needed, because if things keep going as they are now, hewing to the Republican dogma will kill his popularity.
I got a laugh out of the teleprompter gag. And I thought the Limbaugh as a troubled asset bit was amusing. Otherwise, meh. Could at least have made a "cheney was supposed to be here tonight but nobody can find his new house on google maps to invite him" gag or some shit. Lower unemployment by hiring good comic writers damnit!
Also, that bill is atrocious. Like, a monumental waste of everyone's time, and a reason we need harassment laws for the house and senate. Introducing bullshit means if the supreme court decides it was bullshit, you pay for the time the government spent dealing with your crap :P
Cheney says he sides with Limbaugh over Powell, and thought Powell was already a Democrat. That's right, please keep alienating the non-crazy Republicans. We've got a big tent over here in the Demcratic party; if we can fit Arlen Specter, we sure as hell can fit Colin Powell.
EDIT: It also looks like Charlie Crist is going to run for Mel Martinez's Senate seat next year. His only credible opposition would be the speaker of the Florida House in the primary, because I can't think of on Democrat here in Florida that could overcome his high approval ratings. So basically Crist will be the next senator from Florida.
Great, now he can do nothing on a federal level as well as state level. Yay.
I'm a bit more optimistic about it. First, it's exchanging a Republican for a Republican, so the numbers game isn't changed. Second, Crist isn't a huge idealogue and hasn't done much grandstanding as governor, so I doubt we'll be subject to the theatrics of a Boehner. Third, he's closer to the center than Martinez and actually has some common ground with Democrats on some issues (stimulus, environment). He's really popular here in Florida, so I don't see intimidation from the Senate Republican leadership working too well against him. All told, I doubt he'll be more than a nuisance as opposition, but he could potentially be that extra vote needed for climate change and economic legislation. Hell, his desire to be popular can be used against him pretty easily if needed, because if things keep going as they are now, hewing to the Republican dogma will kill his popularity.
His moderation will probably cause him to be outcast in the federal republican party. I'm just talking about the fact that he has done nothing for my state. At all. Aside from getting fake married.
This graph is misleading without the corresponding rise in independents shown. I mean sure, it's inferred, but I know plenty of Republicans who would say "Look! Democratic ID is and has been tanking for years!"
He hasn't been terrible. I liked the restoration of ex-felons' rights. He's been pretty good on environmental issues. The Seminole Compact is about as good a deal as we'll get, I reckon. He hasn't been leading the charge to gut education and welfare and healthcare like you'd expect from a Republican during a budget balancing. He's been on the right side of voters' rights issues. On balance, I'd say he's leagues ahead of Jeb Bush. Yes, that's a low hurdle to clear, but he's definitely done some things of note.
Recessions are measured by economic growth, not unemployment. I doubt even by that measure the recession is already over and the economy growing again.
In any case, the unemployment numbers were artificially brought down by the hiring of temporary census workers.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that unless it's in a Michael Steele 'Government jobs aren't real jobs' sense. In which case, buh?
Maybe he means temporary jobs aren't real jobs, because once the census is done with the unemployment rate will rise by the exact amount it dropped by hiring the census workers?
Maybe he means temporary jobs aren't real jobs, because once the census is done with the unemployment rate will rise by the exact amount it dropped by hiring the census workers?
The same is true for all the contractors who have been hired for ARRA work. Once they're done paving that road or whatever they're back to looking for work. The whole point is to provide people some employment until the economy turns around, which them getting a paycheck helps promote, and allows private businesses to absorb them and new graduates entering the workforce.
Government officials familiar with the CIA's early interrogations say the most powerful evidence of apparent excesses is contained in the "top secret" May 7, 2004, inspector general report, based on more than 100 interviews, a review of the videotapes and 38,000 pages of documents. The full report remains closely held, although White House officials have told political allies that they intend to declassify it for public release when the debate quiets over last month's release of the Justice Department's interrogation memos.
According to excerpts included in those memos, the inspector general's report concluded that interrogators initially used harsh techniques against some detainees who were not withholding information. Officials familiar with its contents said it also concluded that some of the techniques appeared to violate the U.N. Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, ratified by the United States in 1994.
Although some useful information was produced, the report concluded that "it is difficult to determine conclusively whether interrogations have provided information critical to interdicting specific imminent attacks," according to the Justice Department's declassified summary of it. The threat of such an imminent attack was cited by the department as an element in its 2002 and later written authorization for using harsh techniques.
Specifically: The White House has decided to declassify and release a classified 2004 CIA report about the torture program that is reported to have found no proof that torture foiled any terror plots on American soil -- directly contradicting Cheney's claims. The paper cites "allies" of the White House as a source.
Dem Congressional staffers tell me this report is the "holy grail," because it is expected to detail torture in unprecedented detail and to cast doubt on the claim that torture works -- and its release will almost certainly trigger howls of protest from conservatives. Tellingly, neither the CIA nor the White House knocked down the story in response to my questions, with spokespeople for both declining comment.
That new doc is supposed to be completely damning, yeah. Essentially going over exact details, exact information learned, and exactly how useless it was.
Holding it until the fires simmer down though I don't get. Either you're praying that it's quietly released and we're all adults about it, or you're going to use it as a bombshell to reignite them. But it's a crapshoot how it goes over. Is this leak just to try and get an FOIA request for an exact document and take it out of his hands again?
Holding off on releasing it seems a little silly, unless they are reviewing it to ensure that its release does not jeopardize national security. If that's not the case, get it out now. In for a penny, in for a pound.
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KalTorakOne way or another, they all end up inthe Undercity.Registered Userregular
edited May 2009
I can sort of see the logic behind holding it back for a time. If people expend all their outrage and arguments on what they already released, when this hits they'll be either all out of arguments or forced to repeat themselves, and maybe the public will be tired of hearing the same thing over and over.
Maybe he means temporary jobs aren't real jobs, because once the census is done with the unemployment rate will rise by the exact amount it dropped by hiring the census workers?
The same is true for all the contractors who have been hired for ARRA work. Once they're done paving that road or whatever they're back to looking for work. The whole point is to provide people some employment until the economy turns around, which them getting a paycheck helps promote, and allows private businesses to absorb them and new graduates entering the workforce.
Perhaps the words "artificially brought down" were a misleading choice on Speaker's part. I think what he was trying to say was that the April job numbers shouldn't be taken as any sort of sign that the overall economy is improving, since if it had not been for the fact that Census hiring happened in April, the change in unemployment rate would have been positive rather than negative. And surely that can be true without claiming that "government jobs aren't real jobs" or "temporary jobs aren't real jobs."
Maybe the Obama government would actually welcome investigations into Bushco's actions, and by releasing one piece of damning evidence at a time they continue to build public support into investigations.
Y'know what's fucking hilarious? A lot of people here in East Texas despise ketchup and like mustard alone on sandwiches.
I did a headstand when that clip played.
Isn't dijon mustard one of those thing that's kinda...uh...incredibly common?
In fact, it's been around for 150 years.
Yeah, I think somebody missed the memo that those commercials back in the 80's were meant as a joke, and that their intended demographic wasn't actually British billionaires riding around in limos and Bentleys and shit.
I keep some dijon up in the house, and I'm a broke-ass college student (well, graduate now!) in Montucky.
Y'know what's fucking hilarious? A lot of people here in East Texas despise ketchup and like mustard alone on sandwiches.
I did a headstand when that clip played.
Isn't dijon mustard one of those thing that's kinda...uh...incredibly common?
In fact, it's been around for 150 years.
From Newt Gingrich's twitter
Callista and I had a great dinner with greta van susteren and her husband john at one of my favorites l'auberge chez francois in great falls
I'm pretty sure "l'auberge chez francois" is a little bit more "elitist" than gray poupon or whatever the fuck. And neither one is "elitist". When the fuck did being elite become a bad thing, exactly? Was it just when a black guy started doing it?
Y'know what's fucking hilarious? A lot of people here in East Texas despise ketchup and like mustard alone on sandwiches.
I did a headstand when that clip played.
Isn't dijon mustard one of those thing that's kinda...uh...incredibly common?
In fact, it's been around for 150 years.
From Newt Gingrich's twitter
Callista and I had a great dinner with greta van susteren and her husband john at one of my favorites l'auberge chez francois in great falls
I'm pretty sure "l'auberge chez francois" is a little bit more "elitist" than gray poupon or whatever the fuck. And neither one is "elitist". When the fuck did being elite become a bad thing, exactly? Was it just when a black guy started doing it?
When the middle class cried out against the Bush Tax cuts.
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In any case, the unemployment numbers were artificially brought down by the hiring of temporary census workers.
Wait, in reading that, if Reagan already declared 1983 as "The National Year of the Bible", why would Obama need to do the same in 2010?
Perhaps 2010 can be "The National Year of the Bible 2: Scripture Harder".
~ Buckaroo Banzai
Typically they pick ab isolated issue that isn't terribly controversial. Carter has Habitat for Humanity, Bush 1 and Clinton worked hard at Tsunami relief.
Carter's recent speaking out against Bush's policies was so commented upon because it is something that is so rarely done. I think most of us would consider the circumstances under which that happened exceptional.
Cheney, as we all know, considers Sunday an exceptional circumstance.
2010 is already the year of the Tiger - which would you rather have, an entire year about a wimpy book in ancient Greek, or a year about a gigantic carnivorous monster-cat?
https://twitter.com/Hooraydiation
EDIT: It also looks like Charlie Crist is going to run for Mel Martinez's Senate seat next year. His only credible opposition would be the speaker of the Florida House in the primary, because I can't think of on Democrat here in Florida that could overcome his high approval ratings. So basically Crist will be the next senator from Florida.
Great, now he can do nothing on a federal level as well as state level. Yay.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/07/hannity-attacks-obama-for_n_198851.html
Y'know what's fucking hilarious? A lot of people here in East Texas despise ketchup and like mustard alone on sandwiches.
I did a headstand when that clip played.
As long as the right-wing and its media supporters are reaching out for this kind of shit to use as detractions for Obama, they are not on the road to making a comeback.
Particularly when the country is in crisis mode.
I'm a bit more optimistic about it. First, it's exchanging a Republican for a Republican, so the numbers game isn't changed. Second, Crist isn't a huge idealogue and hasn't done much grandstanding as governor, so I doubt we'll be subject to the theatrics of a Boehner. Third, he's closer to the center than Martinez and actually has some common ground with Democrats on some issues (stimulus, environment). He's really popular here in Florida, so I don't see intimidation from the Senate Republican leadership working too well against him. All told, I doubt he'll be more than a nuisance as opposition, but he could potentially be that extra vote needed for climate change and economic legislation. Hell, his desire to be popular can be used against him pretty easily if needed, because if things keep going as they are now, hewing to the Republican dogma will kill his popularity.
Also, that bill is atrocious. Like, a monumental waste of everyone's time, and a reason we need harassment laws for the house and senate. Introducing bullshit means if the supreme court decides it was bullshit, you pay for the time the government spent dealing with your crap :P
His moderation will probably cause him to be outcast in the federal republican party. I'm just talking about the fact that he has done nothing for my state. At all. Aside from getting fake married.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
This graph is misleading without the corresponding rise in independents shown. I mean sure, it's inferred, but I know plenty of Republicans who would say "Look! Democratic ID is and has been tanking for years!"
And didn't Florida just defund all public libraries from the state level, or was that overblown when it made the rounds?
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that unless it's in a Michael Steele 'Government jobs aren't real jobs' sense. In which case, buh?
The same is true for all the contractors who have been hired for ARRA work. Once they're done paving that road or whatever they're back to looking for work. The whole point is to provide people some employment until the economy turns around, which them getting a paycheck helps promote, and allows private businesses to absorb them and new graduates entering the workforce.
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
Holding it until the fires simmer down though I don't get. Either you're praying that it's quietly released and we're all adults about it, or you're going to use it as a bombshell to reignite them. But it's a crapshoot how it goes over. Is this leak just to try and get an FOIA request for an exact document and take it out of his hands again?
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Perhaps the words "artificially brought down" were a misleading choice on Speaker's part. I think what he was trying to say was that the April job numbers shouldn't be taken as any sort of sign that the overall economy is improving, since if it had not been for the fact that Census hiring happened in April, the change in unemployment rate would have been positive rather than negative. And surely that can be true without claiming that "government jobs aren't real jobs" or "temporary jobs aren't real jobs."
In fact, it's been around for 150 years.
Yeah, I think somebody missed the memo that those commercials back in the 80's were meant as a joke, and that their intended demographic wasn't actually British billionaires riding around in limos and Bentleys and shit.
I keep some dijon up in the house, and I'm a broke-ass college student (well, graduate now!) in Montucky.
From Newt Gingrich's twitter
I'm pretty sure "l'auberge chez francois" is a little bit more "elitist" than gray poupon or whatever the fuck. And neither one is "elitist". When the fuck did being elite become a bad thing, exactly? Was it just when a black guy started doing it?
PSN/Steam/NNID: SyphonBlue | BNet: SyphonBlue#1126
When the middle class cried out against the Bush Tax cuts.