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October 12, 2010 03:43 PM UTC

Tuesday Open Thread

  • 119 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“So there are five ways of knowing who will win. Those who know when to fight and when not to fight are victorious. Those who discern when to use many or few troops are victorious. Those whose upper and lower ranks have the same desire are victorious. Those who face the unprepared with preparation are victorious. Those whose generals are able and not constrained by their governments are victorious. These five are the ways to know who will win.”

–Sun Tzu, from The Art of War

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119 thoughts on “Tuesday Open Thread”

      1. Sun Tzu’s early points come off as way too simplistic, but you gotta dig deep into the book to truly appreciate it

        The best part – I believe its around Rule 10 where Sun Tzu says, in order to win, after invasion and defeating the enemy, you basically have to help them rebuild their civilization, celebrate it, and help in rebirthing their identity, but under a more peaceful banner – very relevant elements for today

        1. during the Vietnam unpleasantness.

          Sun Tzu is still studied, because he is still on point.  So is Clausewitz.  The best work on the Vietnam War, by Col. Harry Summers, “On Strategy” analyzed our failure there in terms of ignoring Clausewitz’s dictum that war is an extention of policy.  First, you must rally the nation, then act.  LBJ was too afraid to sacrifice support for his great society, tried to make a war on the cheap–and we lost.\

            I guess that makes Vietnam one of “America’s failed wars” that bjwilson refuses to support.  

  2. Decent debate coverage elsewhere – though I’m sure their comments will get jacked too.

    Buck: Repeal Obamacare!

    Except for all the good parts, so really just repeal the mythical parts like 16,500 new IRS agents and, of course, death panels.

    1. Care to rebut the new Obamacare taxes?

      Washington residents will begin paying ObamaCare taxes this year, while most benefits don’t start until 2014. The law includes some 19 new taxes. Here’s a rundown of what Washingtonians can expect in the coming years.

      Penalties on individuals. Individuals will pay a yearly penalty of $695, or up to 2.5 percent of their annual income, if they cannot show they have purchased a government-approved health policy.

      Penalties on families. Families will pay a yearly penalty of $347 per child, up to $2,250 per family, if parents cannot show they have purchased a government- approved policy.

      Penalties on employers. Business owners with more than 50 employees must buy government- acceptable health coverage or pay a yearly penalty of $2,000 per employee if at least one employee receives a tax credit.

      Tax on investment income. ObamaCare imposes a 3.8 percent annual tax on investment income of individuals making $200,000 or more and on families making $250,000 or more. The new tax is not indexed to inflation, so more people will fall under it each year. Seniors on fixed incomes and people with IRAs and 401(k) plans will be hit particularly hard.

      Tax on “Cadillac” health plans. Starting in 2018, imposes a 40 percent annual tax on health care plans valued at $10,200 for individuals and $27,500 for families.

      Medicare tax increase. Requires single people earning $200,000 or more and couples earning $250,000 or more to pay an additional 0.9 percent in Medicare taxes.

      Tax on Home Sales. Imposes a 3.8 percent tax on home sales and other real estate transactions. Middle-income people must pay the full tax even if they are “rich” for only one day – the day they sell their house and buy a new one.

      Tax on medical aid devices. Creates a new 2.9 percent tax on medical aid devices. Certain items intended for personal use are exempt.

      Tax on tanning. Imposes a 10 percent tax on services at tanning salons. Business owners will collect the tax from customers and send it to the federal government. This appears to be the first federal sales tax in the United States.

      ObamaCare will be enforced by the Internal Revenue Service. The tax agency plans to hire 16,500 new auditors, agents and investigators, and to increase enforcement audits. The IRS can confiscate tax refunds, place liens on property and seek jail time if health-related penalties and taxes are not paid.

      http://www.spokesman.com/stori…

        1. taxes, fees, penalties … they’re all freaking government mandates that divert private sector investment.

          Do you not realize what you have done to the American economy?

            1. But the righties have already staked out the turf that any judge who overturns a law passed by the majority is an “activist judge.”

              It’s hell being consistent when you belong to the lunatic fringe.

      2. Most of the numbers cited here are for those earning over $250,000 per year.  Have a problem with that?

        The penalty to businesses and individuals for not buying health insurance at all, on the other hand, is based on the the Law of Large Numbers, pushed by the private insurance industry.

        Without a large enough pool of insureds, premiums for everybody else will skyrocket due to claims from those without insurance.

  3. Here’s the quote from the endorsement:


    So where is appointed Sen. Michael Bennet? The Gazette cannot begin to answer that. Of all campaigns invited to board meetings, none was contacted more frequently and consistently than Bennet’s. Most calls and e-mails were unreturned. At one point, a major Bennet supporter took over in trying to arrange a meeting and convinced us to hold off on a decision until all efforts were exhausted. As we became more assertive in our efforts to meet with Bennet, it became clear that he had no interest in speaking with the board of the second-largest newspaper in Colorado. Michael Bennet thinks Colorado means Denver. He would be bad for Colorado Springs.

    Vote for Ken Buck, a reasonable, moderate candidate who plans to succeed for all of Colorado.

    Read more: http://www.gazette.com/opinion…

    If Bennet was to have any chance he needs to be perceived as interested in things outside of Denver and Boulder.  This sure does not help him.

      2. But why would Bennet blow them off?

        You don’t blow off media types.  They buy ink by the barrel.  Bennet was not going to win in Colorado Springs any more than Buck is going to win in Boulder, but don’t make it easy for the other side.

        1. The Gazette editors are well known to be conservative, and a high portion of their readership is known to be conservative too. Perhaps Bennet could have gone through the motions and appeared a time or two – certainly it’s not a losing strategy to do so – but keep in mind that Bennet was busy in the Senate (100% voting record) and it’s not like the Gazette is telling us the details about the invitations they sent him (the where and when and how – maybe he sensed an ambush in the making.)

            1. … but there was an important distinction there, something about those specific R’s and Maddow that’s not occurring with Bennet and the Gazette. I’ll give you a minute to remember what that is.

            1. My point was that I heard that Bennet blows people off, and that spreading that rumor was my intention? Thanks for clarifying that for me, JO. What would I do without you?

              1. Not for me to say, of course, but if you feel desperate, you could explore…

                –trying to educate the ineducable, getting a certain thrill as they advance from TA to RA to Unemployed due to funding cutbacks.

                –trading roboposts with roboposters.

                –designing the 2010 “I’m Never Wrong, Never Have Been” lifetime achievement award and reward it to yourself at lunch. (Campbell’s Tomato Soup is both kosher and halal, even it remains tasteless–try it with Cheez-ItsВ®. That’s what Netanyahu and Abbas do, or so I hear..)

        2. Personally, I never blew off the Gazette; I believe all papers, editors and reporters deserve my full consideration for which I expect an honest article considerate of that which we talked about.

          And, nothing can make me say anything else.

          Of note is that most of my favorite reporters are no longer working in the business.

    2. http://online.wsj.com/article/…

      “Taxi drivers have been recruited to serve as a second set of eyes for stretched police patrols. Residents can pay $100 a year to adopt a street light. Volunteers are organizing to empty the garbage cans in 128 neighborhood parks. The city is asking private swimming programs to operate its pools, and one of the city’s four community centers soon will be run by a church.”

      Colorado Springs cuts into services considered basic by many

      The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/news…

      Thinking the Gazette would endorse any Candidate other than a republican is delusional.

      Fact is if it weren’t for the Defense department welfare in Colo Spgs, it would dry up and blow away.

      Peterson AFB

      AFA

      Ft Carson

      Additionally H-man you discount the Democratic bastion that is Pueblo and south to the state line. (just as many Democrats there than in the springs)

      1. It’s a wave year.

        All a candidate needs to win CO this year is an R after his name.  

        Unless he’s running for governor. Otherwise, even CD1 & 2 are in play.

        Keep up . man.

    4. “Vote for Ken Buck, a reasonable, moderate candidate who plans to succeed for all of Colorado.”

      They need a new drug.

      Reasonable?  Moderate?  Only in the Somalian Free Zone of America.  

      1. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about Michael being unresponsive, a no-show, etc. There is definitely something missing in his staff performance, which is a reflection of the senator. Nothing to do with his stated positions on issues. Maybe the Gazette’s endorsement was a foregone conclusion, but why not at least try for “they’re both good guys but…”?

        Amateurism, maybe. Attitude problem? Quite possibly. Or both.

          1. Bennet should not have blown off a major colorado city newspaper. Yes, the result, an endorsement of Buck as a moderate (in their universe, he is) was a foregone conclusion but that’s no excuse for not  showing up. This does him no good with indies and I’m sorry he made this choice.

              1. are pissed. Bennet needs every persuadable vote. Shouldn’t have given righties this op. Not that I think it’s a huge deal (Buck blowing off rape victim although accused admits to circumstances that clearly make it a very prosecutable case is a huge deal) but smaller things matter in close races.  

        2. you’re a hack on the issue of Michael Bennet. So I’m going to dismiss your claim that “This isn’t the first time I’ve heard about Michael being unresponsive, a no-show, etc.” as a likely lie.

            1. and what you reported was a rumor. I’ve considered the source and judged accordingly. If you have any proof that your innuendo is factual, I’d like to read it, but it’s got to be more than “I heard…”

          2. Progressive am760 listeners know that Bennet avoided numerous chances to get on air to discuss primary issues or to defend himself when questionable facts came to light.  He passed.

            The annointed prince just doesn’t think he needs to answer to anyone in CO, as long as Wall St. cuts his checks.  

            2. could it be that Bennet had, like, a job…in the Senate?  While Romanoff was a full-time candidate?

              Boy, you Romanoff shills never know when to quit, do you?  

              1. initials are letters @ the beginning of a name but guess your age digression accounts for the grade school mindset.  

                Romanoff lost the primary so it’s accepted that Bennet is the Dem/Progressive candidate.  Nevertheless there are numerous instances of Bennet being asked by media to address listeners, constituents, and CO voters but failing to take those opportunities.

                yeah he hasn’t missed a vote yet (great) so wouldn’t radio interviews make more sense since he’s working so hard in DC?  

                Bitterness came about from the admin telling CO voters to stand down and give Michael a pass, ’cause they know better than we do about what we need.  Bitterness came about from an untried, unelected, never-before-politico getting the Sen seat thru some backroom confab.      

                 

                1. A bit late for that, isn’t it.  

                  It’s actually you and the two remaining Pumanoffs, Strykerk2 and a Puma to be named later, who need to get on board.  I was teamed Tuesday calling with a young man who was active in the Romanoff campaign.  Now, he wants a D victory in November.  I know, I know, you prefer a moral victory, like the Florida left won in 2000 by voting for Nader.  How’d that work out, anyway?

    6. What next?  The Tea Party will turn its back on Bennet?

      I’m shocked, I tell you, shocked that a far right wing paper backs a far right wing candidate.

      In other news, a racoon shat in the woods today.  No bears were available for comment.

      1. Join the October edition of “In Other Words.” Just one basic rule: entries MUST include one or more of the following “other words” (+ variations) or they will be disregarded and disqualified:

        idiot

        moron

        shit/shat/shut

        fuck

        stupid

        ass

        asshole (separate variation)

        Good luck! (Unless you’re a stupid fuckin’ asshole motherfuckeur who’s such a moronic idiot that he/she can’t get off his/her ass to wipe his asshole!)

      1. http://www.spokesman.com/stori…

        Like Bennet, Markey, Salazar, Perlmutter, DeGette I too did not read the Obamacare bill.

        Therefore, I was left to seek public sources, shockingly The Spokesman had this article. Should you dispute the Obamacare taxes presented above, please outline the ‘real taxes’.

            1. Most of the so-called “heavy impact was changed in subsequent legislation, including the so-called tax on veterans.

              Second, this is NOT an article but an op-ed from the Vice President of a Conservative Think Tank, not a real reporter or expert in the field. (well, maybe to you..)

              Third, are you still getting hot and bothered thinking about my retort to H-Man? Does the idea of (Elected Official)’s manly member in your longing mouth turn you on so much it’s your sig line?

              I’m beginning to think you’re a fan of homoerotic literature. If so, I can send you some links….

    2. You agree that Obama hasn’t helped the economy and that Obamacare is bad for America. And yet you doggedly support Democrats. Are you just that much of a party hack? Why else wouldn’t you vote Republican this year? Do you believe there are other issues that are more important?

      1. David was making a joke.

        He’s very critical of Dems for the ways they failed to turn the economy around – and you can make the case that he’s not entirely fair when he does. But look at my sig line if you really don’t get it.

          1. and none of the leaders like Boehner, McConnell, Blunt, et al are going to keep their leadership positions, correct? The vast Tea Party wave will wash the guys who were part and parcel the GOP leadership in good times and bad are also out of their ass, replaced by grassroots, non-politician new representatives.

            You see, beej, this is why I’m so certain that nothing much will change should the GOP sweep to power. I’ve seen this before, in 1994. I’ve seen the “new blood” quickly become the old blood, where many term limits pledgers decided that Congress needed them for a lot longer once they had served three of them (Tancredo was not the only guy who broke that promise), where attempts to do anything too radical (and believe me, the teabagger’s agenda is too radical) blew up in their faces.

            If you get your wish, all this will happen again, accept that the GOP follies of the 90s and 2000s are a fresh memory for most voters and they aren’t going to give them another chance if they get bogged down in nonsense like trying to impeach Obama. Same if they just try rolling back health care reform without some new plan to take its place – and we know that they have no such plan, since “Obamacare” is primarily the Dem-GOP compromises of 1993-94 – the ‘pubs already have SEEN the sum total of their HCR ideas enacted into law.

            I almost want the GOP to win, just to watch your illusions shatter. Of course there’s a lot more they’ll break if they win (I figure that they’ll clog Congress by having the House, which they may win, pass tons of unacceptable bills that the Senate, which they won’t, will filibuster – say goodbye to functional government if you haven’t already), so I’m opposing it every way I can, but if you and some of your fellow teabaggers get a lesson in political reality it will be a silver lining.

            1. of the 1994 congress. The irony of you talking about tea partiers getting a lesson in political reality right now is just hilarious. Good bye Dem congress, good bye disastrous Obama agenda.

                1. Clinton would have been a complete failure without the 1994 congress. People were already mad at him for trying to push through health care. Bush was a great president for 7 years before he passed TARP. No matter how many times you try to blame Bush for the failure of liberals to regulate Fannie and Freddie in their quest for free homes and unicorns for all, you won’t be able to obscure the historical record.

                    2. I have read them, beej. Circular arguments with no support don’t back up anything. That’s what makes them untrue.

            2. I seem to recall back on 10 August I put 45:55 odds on the GOP taking the Senate – and took a lot of crap on this site for doing so……(Some nutjob even insisted the Dems would keep 59 seats.)

              And yet, and yet…..I’d still give those very same odds today.

              By my count the GOP will end up with btwn 47 and 52 seats in the new Senate.

              To get to that latter # they’ll need Colorado, Washington, Illinois, Nevada and West Virginia – on top of the ones that are virtual lock GOP pick-ups at this stage.

              Allllll of which are eminently GOP-winnable over the final 3 weeks depending how the national conversation develops/degenerates btwn now and E-Day.

              I do hope you’re right Ari, but……

              ….and of course who knows what Lieberman or Ben Nelson might decide to do if a party switch by either would tip the balance to the GOP….

              1. from what I’ve seen, the only way the GOP wins a majority is if they pick up every single tossup out there. No matter how successful the GOP has been in persuading people that this is all Obama’s fault, no matter how much Obama’s poor leadership and communication has punted this cycle to the other side, no matter how energized their base is – I just don’t see them grabbing every single one of those tossups.

                I well may be proven wrong come Election Day, especially if the Dems keep laying low. But I don’t think I will be.

                1. shows the R candidate either ahead or statistically tied….

                  Let’s hope you are correctomundo! 🙂

                  …..and don’t discount the Nelson/Lieberman factor. Either (or both) of them switching & giving the Rs a Senate majority is a distinct possibility.

                  Rgds,

                  SL

          2. It wasn’t progressive policies – it was raw political corruption and the lion’s share is on you Republicans.

            Removing financial regulation was a bipartisan affair with members of both parties whoring themselves out to Wall St.

            Lack of any effective regulation occurred under Bush – the 8 years of unfettered free markets is what led directly to the recession. It was over-leveraging by incredible multiples that turned what would have been a correction into recession.

            The Republican proposal to cut spending and reduce regulation is exactly the wrong answer. If implemented it would push us into a severe depression. Your tea party answer is brain dead and every reputable economist will tell you so – even Greenspan.

            You’re a moron that regurgitates dumb-ass Republican talking points without having any fucking idea what you’re talking about.

            And with this I go back to my policy of not arguing with a mule… (apologies to all mules for the comparison)

            1. Our country is in a world of hurt. Most of our elected Democrats are doing a piss-poor job of addressing it. And instead of stepping up with better alternatives, the Republicans give us brain-dead talking points.

                1. The Republican and Democratic congresspeople are all doing a world class job of addressing the serious issues we face. Why in another 3 months I wouldn’t be surprised to see us back to full employment.

                  But that does leave me with the quandary of who to vote for as the candidates from both parties, in every single contested seat, are both so wonderful.

                  Is that better 🙂

  6. from the N.Y. Times

    The swelling outcry over fast-and-loose foreclosures has thrust the Obama administration back into the uncomfortable position of sheltering the banking industry from the demands of an angry public.

    Bank of America leapfrogged that position last week, announcing that it would stop pursuing foreclosures in all 50 states while reviewing its procedures.

    The White House shares those concerns, and it has tried to defuse the issue by arguing that problems can be addressed without imposing a moratorium.

    So to sum up, Bank of America is more solicitous of the American people than the Obama Administration…

  7. Robopost: Regulations hurt business.

    Fact: Food trucks in Los Angeles, a burgeoning segment of the prepared food industry, welcome inspections and grades, just like restaurants. Reason: it gives consumers some confidence that rolling food is safe.

    Immune to facts? Stop here. Otherwise, learn more at http:://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/us/12trucks.html?_r=1&hpct  

  10. …and use that as a way to publish their “Culture War” Propaganda. The first article could be by John Andrews, and title it “Secret Plans Against America.”

    Republicans’ ‘scary’ immigrant photo depicts Mexicans in Mexico, photographer reveals

    A photograph that has appeared in two high-profile Republican campaign commercials, used in both cases to depict what some have called “scary” illegal immigrants, is actually a photo taken in Mexico, depicting three Mexican farmers whose crops were destroyed, a British photojournalist has revealed.

    And he isn’t exactly happy to see his work reproduced in such a manner.

    The photo, which was available through Getty Images, carries a caption describing the men as “Mexican citizens photographed in their own country,” explained photographer Chris Floyd, in an update to his blog.

    In spite of this, Republicans Sharon Angle, a Senate candidate from Nevada, and Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) have both featured the image in advertisements castigating alleged support of illegal immigrants by their political opponents.

    http://www.rawstory.com/rs/201…

    I suppose it’s only a matter of time before Tancredo copies Angle’s ads and uses them for his campaign….

    3. It wouldn’t surprise me at all that said plagarizers didn’t even pay Getty for the shot.  Probably just cut and pasted the thumbnail; good enough for low quality needs.

      Campaigns tend not to be up speed or in too much of a hurry for such legal niceties. I hope they get sued if they didn’t purchase it.  And that requires divulging how it will be used in how many and what types of media.

  11. Judge orders ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ injunction

    SAN DIEGO – A federal judge issued a worldwide injunction Tuesday stopping enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, ending the U.S. military’s 17-year-old ban on openly gay troops.

    U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips’ landmark ruling was widely cheered by gay rights organizations that credited her with getting accomplished what President Obama and Washington politics could not.

    U.S. Department of Justice attorneys have 60 days to appeal. Legal experts say they are under no legal obligation to do so and could let Phillips’ ruling stand.

    The federal government is reviewing the ruling and has no immediate comment, said Tracy Schmaler, spokesman for the Department of Justice.

    Phillips declared the law unconstitutional after a two-week nonjury trial in federal court in Riverside and said she would issue a nationwide injunction. But she asked first for input from Department of Justice attorneys and the Log Cabin Republicans, the gay rights group that filed the lawsuit in 2004 to stop the ban’s enforcement.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/201…

    1. U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Phillips’ landmark ruling was widely cheered by gay rights organizations that credited her with getting accomplished what President Obama and Washington politics could not.

      I’ve seen arguments that Obama could have suspended DADT if he wanted to; meaning that he was actually quite gutless on this issue. Can anyone tell me if that’s fair?

      Aside from that, YAY!

      2. …deemed too toxic by the elected branches. Civil rights comes to mind. Abortion, obviously. Interesting example, as well, of the limits of democracy to “do the right thing,” especially in the era of purchased office-holders.

  13. Howard Fineman (now of HuffPo)

    As a campaigner and as president, Clinton’s gift was his ability to untangle the knots of even the most complex policy issue and explain it in plain language to people suspicious of the powerful — but eager not to be screwed by them or to be seen as dupes. Republicans and their corporate allies were out to shut down the few good things that government does for you, he said, in the name of balancing a budget that they themselves destroyed. “I gave you budget surpluses!” Clinton said, as if this had been an act of personal beneficence.

  14. from HuffPo

    The reason for all this is that the financial incentives are all wrong. Just as companies are afraid to expand for fear the recovery will stall out, the banks aren’t motivated to lend because the possible downsides seem greater than the upsides.

    So what if the government provided those banks with some big-time motivation — by taxing those grotesquely swollen excess cash reserves? Wouldn’t that shake things up?

    That’s what Robert Pollin is advocating.

  16. The first miner is out of the ground in Chile.

    Only if you have been underground, as I have many times, can you understand what they have been through–what it’s like down there.  It’s hard to do for an eight-hour shift.  I can’t imagine two months.

    God please smile on the other 32 who are left to rescue, and on the brave paramedics who went underground to help them.

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