Specter Becoming a Pariah?

Date: May 6, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Democrats, Reid

You have to wonder who looks more foolish in this saga – Sen. Arlen “I Never Said I Was a Loyal Democrat” Specter or Sen. Harry “I Never Promised You Anything” Reid.

After the Democratic caucus rebelled, the Senate striped Specter of his seniority.  He’ll sit at the ends of committee daises.  Maybe there is a method in the madness that is Reid.  Maybe he planned it just this way.

In the end, aides, it was a no-brainer to strip Specter of his seniority: Specter is now a Democrat and has no choice but to try to ingratiate himself with the Democratic Caucus if he wants to retain his seniority after this Congress.

Nah.  I don’t think Reid has the capability to be that creative.  But as for Specter…

Specter tried to make some amends with members of his new party Tuesday. After word leaked out that he’d told The New York Times that the courts in Minnesota should “do justice” and name Republican Norm Coleman the winner over Democrat Al Franken, Specter backpedaled, telling CQ that he had “conclusively misspoke” in “the swirl of moving from one caucus to another.” (emphasis added)

What appears to be swirling in Specter’s head are misfiring synapses.  Did he forget to take his Cholinesterase or Memantine?  By the time the 2010 Democratic primary rolls around, he’s likely to forget to campaign – or even vote.

Cell Phone Use

Date: May 6, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Message Delivery

This is a paradigm shift, as they say, with significant implications for politics and pollsters.

For the first time, the number of U.S. households opting for only cell phones outnumber those that just have traditional landlines in a high-tech shift accelerated by the recession.

In the freshest evidence of the growing appeal of cell phones, 20 percent of households had only cells during the last half of 2008, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey released Wednesday.

…Further underscoring the public’s shrinking reliance on landline phones, 15 percent of households have both landlines and cells but take few or no calls on their landlines, often because they are wired into computers. Combined with wireless only homes, that means that 35 percent of households — more than one in three — are basically reachable only on cells.

The changes are important for pollsters, who for years relied on reaching people on their landline telephones. Growing numbers of surveys now include calls to people on their cells, which is more expensive partly because federal laws forbid pollsters from using computers to place calls to wireless phones.

Specter Implodes

Date: May 5, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Uncategorized

Rumor has it Sen. Arlen Specter is calling for impeachment hearings against President Obama.  He also wants the GOP caucus to have a veto over any Democratic legislation and wants the Pennsylvania Democratic senate primary cancelled and himself declared the winner of the 2010 general election.

Well, far fetch, maybe.  But possible.

"There’s still time for the Minnesota courts to do justice and declare Norm Coleman the winner."

–Specter, according to NYT

Is Obama Good for the Economy?

Date: May 4, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Economic Policy

Remember in early March when all the Obama critics were saying that the stock market was rendering its judgment on Obama’s economic policies when it was down?  it was all Obama’s fault.  Once he was elected inaugurated, the market tanked, they said, blaming his policies.

Well, as of today, the S&P stock index is up almost 13% since Obama was elected inaugurated, and the NASDAQ, the tech-heavy index, is up 22% since Obama was elected January 20.

So I guess the market is rendering its judgment that his policies are working!

Specter vs. Sestak Revisited

Date: May 3, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Democrats

After seeing Congressman Joe Sestak on “Hardball” Friday, I don’t think he’s going to play “bad cop” to keep Arlen Specter in line as a Democrat.

And then today on Meet The Press, Specter says he’s “not a loyal Democrat.”  What the hell do we need this guy for?

What are the GOPers Smoking?

Date: May 1, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: GOP message, Supreme Court

As the GOP tries to find its voice, may we suggest they first reverse the Bush administration’s rejection of reality.

In this story about the coming decision to replace Justice David Souter on the Supreme Court, we have Wendy Long of the Judicial Confirmation Network and a former clerk to Justice Clarence Thomas saying,

The current Supreme Court is a liberal, judicial activist court. … If Obama holds to his campaign promise to appoint a Justice who rules based on her own ‘deepest values’ and what’s in her own ‘heart’ – instead of what is in the Constitution and laws — he will be the first American President who has made lawlessness an explicit standard for Supreme Court Justices.”  (emphasis added)

Let’s forget that liberals have been losing most SCOTUS decisions to a 5-4 conservative majority.  But then to suggest that because Obama might consider life experiences, he therefore is looking for lawlessness as a standard for selecting a justice?

Well, reality seems out of reach for GOPers.

The GOP obviously does not have much power in D.C. these days, but just like we helped ourselves by opposing the deficit-busting stimulus, opposing left-wing nominees like her is our path back to the majority,” one Republican source said. (emphasis added)

I’m almost starting to feel sorry for the party of Coolidge, Hoover and Nixon.  It’s not that they’re smoking something; they’re eating their own shit.  That’ll make you sick.

Specter vs. Sestak?

Date: May 1, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Democrats

If President Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid raise money for Arlen Specter’s 2010 Senate campaign, I can’t really imagine second termer Rep. Joe Sestak running successfully for the nomination.  But I’d be curious about the back story here. 

The House Democrat said he would look closely at Specter’s policy statements and how he votes over the next few months before deciding whether to take him on.

“What’s he running for?” said Sestak. “There are critical issues facing our nation, from healthcare to how do we take care of education.

“Now, if he’s for the right things we might end up with the right candidate but for me it’s a wait-and-see.”

Let’s play politics.  Sestak is the voice of the Democratic base over the next year keeping Specter’s feet to the fire.  If the Dems were smart, they’d let Sestak keep a high profile and play the maverick.  He likes the role. 

Sestak is beginning to position himself as an outsider, a candidate not in lockstep with the wishes of party leaders in Washington.

The lawmaker recalled that when he first ran for Congress, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had already settled on another candidate and tried to stop him from running.

Sestak said he told political strategists in Washington at the time that he did not think he needed their permission to run.

“I think this just comes down to what’s best for Pennsylvanians, and boy are we independent.”

If in a year from now Specter has been more of a problem than a help, Obama and Reid can back off on their pledge to help Specter at all costs.

But I suspect, all they want is Specter’s vote on key issues, like this one.

CNBC: Call of the Wild

Date: May 1, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: CNBC

I watch CNBC regularly, and I’m not sure why they have a segment called “Call of the Wild.”  But my guess is it’s got something to do with the lack of calm, reasoned debate and discussion.  This segment today demonstrates two core principles about CNBC:  one, most reporters there have no journalistic principles; and two, they are incapable of reasoned debate and discussion.

Larry Kudlow wants nothing except than to press his politicians on viewers.  The infamous Rick Santelli is cut from the same cloth.  But today’s shoutfest is a disgrace.  Listen especially to the last minute.  There is nothing but three right-wing nuts ganging up on the economist Steve Liesman.

Obama’s Popularity

Date: April 23, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: Obama

Now is the time to force major, progressive changes.  It is not a time for timidity.

For the first time in years, more Americans than not say the country is headed in the right direction, a sign that Barack Obama has used the first 100 days of his presidency to lift the public’s mood and inspire hopes for a brighter future.

Intensely worried about their personal finances and medical expenses, Americans nonetheless appear realistic about the time Obama might need to turn things around, according to an Associated Press-GfK poll. It shows most Americans consider their new president to be a strong, ethical and empathetic leader who is working to change Washington.

Now how to we get people like Sens. Harry Reid and Mark Warner out of the way?

Liberal CNBC!?

Date: April 22, 2009
Author: Bob Griendling
Categories: CNBC, Media Criticism, Taxes

I’m not sure what CNBC’s Mary Thompson was trying to say in this piece.  At first, she suggests CNBC was among General Electric’s media properties criticized by shareholders for being too liberal!  CNBC?  Liberal?  But then she is asked about this by Maria Bartiromo and Thompson’s answer is muddled.  I think what she’s suggesting is that Jeff Immelt, GE’s CEO, was criticized by shareholders for telling his media outlets that they were too hard on Obama.  Well, we know he couldn’t haven’t been talking about MSNBC.  Maybe you can figure out what she’s saying.

And it is impossible to think that, if he was criticized for telling his media outlets they were too hard on Obama, he was talking about CNBC.  Listen to the report below which followed the one above.  It’s about corporate tax rates of U.S. companies operating abroad.  The conservative argument is invariably that to tax them as they would be taxed in the U.S. would mean the loss of U.S. jobs because these companies would move their HQ abroad.  Listen carefully for Maria Bartiromo’s editorial comments during the interview.

After Greg Valliere, who is opposed to corporate taxes, makes his comments, Bartiromo says, “You make a good point.”  And then she says in a accusatory manner to the hapless woman on the progressive side of this argument, “You said [Obama] should go ahead and do this!”

When Valliere criticizes tax equality, his ridiculous argument that people move from state to state to avoid taxes goes unchallenged by Bartiromo (or the hapless progressive — Nicole Tichon, of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group — for that matter; I think CNBC tries to find the most feckless progressives to represent the side CNBC hates.) 

When Valliere makes the other well-worn canard that our corporate tax rates are the highest in the world, Bartiromo laughs.  Then when Tichon (now regaining her legs) says that’s debatable.  Bartiromo says “Whoa, Whoa, why is that debatable?” 

Tichon gives a halting but accurate answer, and then Valliere changes the subject, saying that companies won’t be able to create jobs,  Bartiromo says, “Right, Yep, Yep.”

Bartiromo wouldn’t know a journalistic ethic if hit her on her collagen inflated lips.