Saturday: Pandas and Politics
Posted: January 28, 2012 Filed under: morning reads 42 Comments
Good morning, news junkies!
The first few links I have for you this Saturday are all about: PANDAS! Well, sorta…
- Baby pandas–celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year; “act like monkeys in trees.” (Video at the link.)
- Kung Fu Panda 2 gets an Oscar Nod. Yay. The GG snub was a travesty! 😉
- Did you know that “only five percent of the top 250 grossing films last year were directed by women,” one of which was KFP2?
Political notes:
- Guv. Goodhair’s approval ratings plunge to lowest in a decade. Perry proved what many of us already knew here in Texas–he’s not ready for primetime. Hopefully his un-presidential run this year was his first and last foray into the national rodeo.
- Sunday morning talk shows are stacked with Republicans. Show of hands on who here is surprised? (Beuller? Anyone?)
- The only grown-up that ran for the GOP nomination is out of politics, at least for now.
- The Wasilla Mooseburger’s facebook is back in the headlines. It appears she’s thrown her lot in with Newt Gingrich. So much for the moxie she showed when she blessed Karl Rove’s heart and told him to “buck up” back in 2010. Throwing her lot in with the ultimate “neanderthal’s” sinking ship now shows just how desperate she is to get back in the limelight, if you ask me. Or as Taylor Marsh puts it, “Sarah and Newt, bookends of Ego’s library.”
- Vastleft’s latest might be his best yet: Pragmatic. (h/t Joyce)
Teamwork: if only the 99% could work together...
- If only Glen Ford’s “response” to the State of the Union address was the one televised on Thursday night instead of
Demented’sDeMint’s. Ford exposes the backstory/devil-in-the-details when it comes to Obama’s “mortgage fraud unit.” - Also, I must add here that I would love to see Ford and his co-contributors at the Black Agenda Report regularly included on the Sunday morning panels, providing a counterpoint to all the oligarchy-approved talking points from *both* the Republican *and* the Democratic hack-pundits. (A wonk can dream…)
- Cooter vs. Newter.
- President Tyler’s grandson doesn’t like any of the GOP contenders; calls Newt a “big jerk.”
- Grover “drown government in a tub” Norquist speculates about impeaching Obama? Suddenly I’ve found my inner Obama cheerleader…
- Biden says the Dems will take back the House and Nancy’s going to take the gavel back from Boehner. So on second-thought, I won’t bring out those pom-poms just yet…
This Weekend in Women’s History
- Violette Neatly Anderson: Trailblazer for Women…
On January 29, 1926, after five years of practice before the high court of Illinois, Anderson was admitted to practice for the Supreme Court of the United States, becoming the first black woman to attain that stature.
- please give the link a click and a look-over when you get the chance! It’s a brief but fascinating profile. Anderson accomplished so many “firsts.”
Alrighty, I’m keeping it light for a change… this should give us enough to get things brewing this morning… as always, please share what’s on your reading list in the comments and have a great Saturday!
And, though it isn’t a panda, I just can’t resist sharing the following warm fuzzy:
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
Mama Lopez
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
I love this post Wonk…do you remember the photo of the panda hugging the care takers leg after the Japan Earthquake last year?
20 More Real Pictures Spread Via the Internet
BTW, That link goes to an interesting set of photos…the lurking dolphin is amazing.
Awwwww… poor thing.
Such a sweet gesture from such a sweet panda… 🙂
thanks for the link, will check it out soon.
Rachel Maddow had Schneiderman on her show last night: I can’t figure out how to add the link to the video, but you can see it on the show’s site here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#46171257 The video also includes Democrat Marcy Kaptur telling her constituents to stay in their foreclosed homes because the banks can’t produce the bank note. Her speech is actually old news, from 2009, but it’s the first time I heard about it. She & Dennis Kucinich are running for the same seat due to the Ohio redistricting.
That Schneiderman is involved would be a good indication that this is not a white wash for a change. I’ve read where he negotiated some tough terms for taking it and, if he leaves the task force, it will be in as loud a fashion as possible.
He certainly impressed me last night. Let’s just hope he doesn’t have any “skeletons” in his closet so that the Wall Street mobsters don’t take him down before he and the task force can throw some major crooks in jail.
As AG of NY the banksters have been after him for close to a year now and he’s still going strong. He must be pretty clean to have survived this far. I wish great success in seeing some justice done.
I’m just thinking of the “ghost of Eliot Spitzer.” He made it all the way to Governor before he crashed & burned. Fingers crossed.
have y’all read the Glen Ford link on the mortgage fraud unit (it’s in my morning reads up top) yet? Eye-opening, to say the least.
I read it. It was a good background on how the negotiations went. Didn’t someone here post previously that Obama was trying to get a settlement before the SOTU? That post juxtaposed with Schneiderman’s appearance on Maddow last night caused me concern initially that Schneiderman was painting a rosier picture than the reality. He seemed quite sincere last night and I hope he was. I’m hoping it was Obama that was pretending the result was what he wanted all the time & that Schneiderman and a few other attorneys general scored a coup.
Yep, I read Glen Ford and the question is no different without him. The important person in that announcement was Eric Schneiderman and he hasn’t changed his mind on anything.
I probably read the same internet sources as Ford but I’ll listen to Schneiderman instead since he’s directly involved.
“That Schneiderman is involved would be a good indication that this is not a white wash for a change.”
No, not really. David Dayen wrote a piece dissecting the gambit. It’s B0’s usual “I’ll make a big deal out of doing something while I make sure the banks don’t lose any money.”
Financial stocks were up next day on the news. ‘Nuff said.
Well, he certainly makes a good case. And all those other panels over the years: 9/11, Simpson/Boles (sp?), the Warren Commission. History keeps repeating itself. Hope it doesn’t happen this time, but…………………..
Read more DDay. He’s taken a closer look and is not so sure about that white wash.
Schneiderman now has the IRS involved in the task force which is a powerful thing.
http://news.firedoglake.com/2012/01/28/schneidermans-rmbs-working-group-resources-jurisdiction-and-will/
Adding DDay’s stuff on this to my weekend reading list… thanks y’all
Two wildlife stories on NPR this AM, about the mass dolphin strandings in Cape Cod & 8 sea lions found shot in Puget Sound. Here http://www.ifaw.org/us/news/video-cape-cod-dolphin-stranding-storify-round and here http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/27/10254177-8-sea-lions-found-shot-to-death-near-seattle Sea lions and orcas “dare” to eat salmon, which exist, of course, for human consumption only.
We’re still having high baby dolphin deaths down by Grand Isle. The Audubon society has been doing autopsies. Really makes me think I’m not going swimming in the Gulf any time soon. The crabs and shrimp are still showing up with a lot of damage too. No eyes, lesions, etc. And, of course, no one hears anything outside of around here.
Think about it: baby dolphins nurse from their mothers underwater. Not only is there oil residue in the water, but Corexit (poison -poison -poison). And mom eats fish who either eat other fish or plankton, algae, shrimp that are covered or have ingested the toxic soup. But, hey, the “seafood” from the Gulf is safe to eat. Go veggie! And, BTW, I’ve been following the dolphin calf deaths. Hands Across the Sand is a great group.
Just found this blog from a member of Surfrider Foundation: http://whatsupwiththegulf.blogspot.com/ If you scroll down a bit you’ll find a relatively recent entry about dolphin deaths.
Geez Dak, I have to go and get some local New Orleans news feeds in my reader…any suggestions?
Either the Picayune or the Gambit. There’s WDSU for TV stations.
Kat what was that one link you gave me once for scientific, reliable info on what’s going on in the NOLA/Gulf… I have it somewhere, but can’t access it right now
LEAN
http://leanweb.org/
thx for the links, Connie… very sad, manmade atrocities
For reasons that I have yet to understand, Fox finds it necessary to drag Palin and he bad fitting wig into the debate with some of the dumbest commentary to ever inflict the national airwaves.
This two faced hypocrite is supporting a man who gives “crony capitalism” a fit description while screeching about “famiy values” when this man has never honored them. Ever.
She seems to have no issue with the fact that this man was charged with numerous ethic violations and fined a huge sum of money from his days as Speaker of the House. Incredible!
As she “pretends” offense at the idea of government bailouts and the attendant corruption, this man has been the recipient of the Freddie/Fannie Fund that somehow allowed over a million dollars into his personal coffers. All at the expense of the taxpayers.
Someone who “resigned” midway through an elected term under the pretense of “love for Alaska”, this pathetic woman is sought out for commentary as if she were relevant.
Surpising that her “fans” are unable to see that she is nothing but an empty shell whose core principals extend no further than those of the man she is backing in this race, with the exception that he can be credited with having some measure of intelligence whereas she does not.
Her greatest contribution is that she declined to run, thus saving her from making a bigger fool of herself and putting her ignorance on further display than it already is.
Newt Gingrich/Sarah Palin? Blech!
Palin wears a wig?
Gotta hold her head on somehow 🙂
maybe it’s just a hairpiece, especially when she’s done those weird bun things… I don’t think it’s a full-out wig though
Hi Wonk. I followed you here 🙂
Guv. Goodhair — I’ve heard a few Perry people insisting he’ll be back on the national stage in an election of the future. It won’t surprise me if he does try again, but I doubt he’ll be any more successful.
Vastleft — I love his cartoons and writing.
Black Agenda Report — we’ve talked about this before, our shared appreciation for the writing of Ford and others at BAR. Thoughtful, sharp writing.
Hiya Joyce, the good thing is Perry’s poisoned himself…so even if he and his camp are delusional enough to want to run again, hopefully there aren’t enough people who would look at his numbers and open their checkbooks for him.
In case anyone’s interested, here’s info on the upcoming episode of Bill Moyers & Company: http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-how-big-banks-are-rewriting-the-rules-of-our-economy/ Apparently Byron Dorgan regrets helping remove Glass-Stegall.
I’m interested!
Me too. Thx for another great link, Connie.
So nice to wake up to a Wonk Post!!!
Tru Dat!
🙂
Love the Pandas, wonk. And minx, I hadn’t seen that photo before. What a knockout, particularly considering all the destruction and trauma after the earthquake. And we pretend our fellow critters don’t have feelings! Heartbreaking.
I absolutely agree about Ford and the Black Agenda people. One of the most stirring essays I read was on the site, a blistering review of Barack Obama’s tenure and his betrayal. It was the most honest piece of text I’d read in a long time. And no, we don’t get to hear these voices in the mainstream. It’s either cheering-leading squads or off-the-chart stupid.
I vote for the Pandas!
I vote for the Pandas, too!
I bet they;d bring a more even gender distribution than the usual Sunday morning panels.
Just in case anyone was wondering where the Hillary links are (waves at The Rock!), I’m going to try to do a special Hillary post later this weekend or sometime during the week. The pandas took over this one 😉
Hands Across the Sand is a great group.and do a lot of good work too. 🙂
thx, will look into it