Must Read Of The Day

From self-described "centrist liberal" Mark Lilla,

Unlike the crybabies at MSNBC and Harper’s Magazine, we never bought into the campaign’s hollow “hope and change” rhetoric, so aren’t crushed that, well, life got in the way. At most we hoped for a sensible health care program to end the scandal of America’s uninsured, and were relieved that Obama proposed no other grand schemes of Nixonian scale. We liked him for his political liberalism and instinctual conservatism. And we still like him.

It's yet another riff on the fever dreams of the current "conservatives". Don't let the references to Hegel and Maimonides throw you off. The piece is as humorous as it is cutting and incisive.

The Maker Revolution

A blogger, a professor and a labor statistician walk into a bar - no, this is not the opening to the worst joke in the world - and ponder what is going on in the economy.

When the fever sweat of politics is wiped away and the rheumy eyes are cleared, serious people have known for some time that something serious is going on with our economy. And the scary thing is  very smart people aren't sure why.

That chart up there is all the recessions since 1948. There is an undeniable trend of slower and slower recovery. 

The two big economic booms of the past 150 years, manufacturing and the internet, seem to be petering out and we face the frightening question of, what's next?


These large questions occasionally filters down to the street where those three guys in that terrible joke opener sit on a Saturday, drinking a beer, wondering exactly what's going to fix this.

Chris Anderson of The Guardian may have the answer to how we avoid the possibility of becoming a "nation of bankers, burger flippers and tour guides".

And then there is the first generation of 3D printers. These take "geometries" on screen (3D objects that are created with the same sorts of tools that Hollywood uses to make computer generated movies and turn them into objects that you can pick up and use.

Anderson's column is much broader than the wonderment of things that act like the replicators on Star Trek. His thesis is innovations which powered the internet revolution (and in many ways fueled the service economy explosion) have reached the stage where they can be applied to manufacturing. And the possibility of putting manufacturing directly in the hands of entrepreneurs allowing them to not only dream, but actually create, is truly exciting and it is not too strong to say, could ultimately save the entire economy.

We've had an Industrial Revolution and an Internet Revolution. Get ready for the Maker Revolution.

Oh Lord. Someone's About To Make It Much Worse

Since the infamous video of candidate Mitt Romney was broadcast across the internet, only the softheads failed to realize it was probably recorded by someone hired to work the party. Based on some pretty obvious clues, it may have been the bartender. And the deputy dogs are tracking him or her down.

Leder of course isn't pleased, and Goldman reports, "He is in the process of narrowing down the suspects and is contemplating contacting law enforcement."

Leder is the high powered donor who hosted the party.

Bad enough people immediately began blaming "the help".

Think what you will about the act possibly being illegal, does a campaign who's candidate recently said nearly half the population "believe that they are victims" want to deal with the image of a $10 an hour food service industry work being frog marched off to jail?

Quote For The Day

From Conor Friedersdorf at the Atlantic,

In fact, this "47 percent" incident reflects a larger pattern in Campaign 2012. The base of the conservative movement develops a message that plays well internally, and inexplicably thinks it'll be persuasive to the general electorate if only it is trumpeted widely; Mitt Romney slavishly conducts himself as the base wishes; and then the talking points turn out to be as unpopular with swing voters as you'd expect.

I watched my twitter feed with bemusement yesterday as once again the "experts" were shocked a Republican would say these things. I always think, do they not read the same blogs I do? Do they never listen to talk radio? Because if they did, they would realize in the right wing base, the 47% meme is more than a casual throwaway statement; it is mantra.

And as Conor correctly points out, not only are these beliefs more than talking points, to the segment who are currently steering the Republican party, they are gospel (I hear it daily, have made monetary wagers on it and spent a couple of hours last Saturday having someone question my sanity when I posited his fervently desired outcome might not happen).

And like any true believers, the folks who absorb these sermons believe they will work! And that may be the craziest thing of all.

More Red And Black Background

Atlanta's Jim Walls (former employee of a 100 year old newspaper) has more details in the Red and Black controversy; including the background of the apparent center of controversy, board member Ed Stamper.

Stamper’s background might explain why he had to “guess” what journalism is. He was general manager of the Red & Black in 1979-80, then spent the better part of four years in advertising positions at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

I didn't mention the memo in my first post because it's origin and purpose is unclear; although the publisher has admitted it was a mistake to let students see it.

My favorite part of the memo?

BAD

– Content that catches people or organizations doing bad things

Let's start a list of "bad things" that shouldn't have been reported:  Watergate, Iran Contra, Abscam, Atlanta School Cheating scandal, Bill Campbell, etc., etc.

Arrogance Versus Idealism

Athens venerable Red and Black, the student led independent newspaper, is having quite a week.

On Wednesday, several key staff members walked out. The students allege the board and advisers are fundamentally changing the mission of the paper. Since only one side is talking, it's unclear if the charges hold true or if they are an overreaction to inevitable change.

My first inclination was to doubt the students. It's easy to say, I was young once, but there is a period of everyone's life where naive idealism can overwhelm reason and prudence. When you are first learning the ways of the world, the urge to punch first, talk later, is strong.

But then I read the following quote from the head of UGA's Journalism department, Kent Middleton.

"We want a strong and thriving Red and Black and I hope the students will go in and make it that way. ... They can't be as effective journalists outside The Red and Black.

What an interesting world view from one of the "adult" leaders in Athens little journalism world. I peer at my twitter stream this morning and see quite a bit of journalism going on. Some of it being generated by 100 year old newspapers. A lot of it not.

Perhaps, Kent can stroll across town and have a cup of coffee with Athens Banner Herald Editor Jim Thompson, who four years ago said,

In the end, then, whatever the media platform, what it means to be a journalist today is what it always has meant...It's not a matter of training...It's a matter of trust.

The Red and Black will hold an open house this afternoon. My suggestion is throw wide every door, answer all questions truthfully, with painful honesty and let go of the gatekeeper mentality. The "kids" may be naive and they may stumble into corners, but at least they recognize the world is changing and the openings of the ivory towers now transit in both directions.

Follow the self-exiled student staff of the Red and Black on twitter at @redanddead815 or visit their website at http://redanddead.com/

Fever In Florida

Another incumbent got primaried down Florida way.

Oh, James, you say, it's all the rage! Just look at Lugar and that Texas fella! Probably just another tea party insurgent giving the well deserved swift kick to another establishment, country club attendin', pearl clutchin' Rockefeller Republican.

Well not exactly.

In this case, the incumbent was Cliff Stearns. Sure, he's been there 24 years. I guess you could call him establishment. But he's more famous for something else; holding the hearings that led to the Susan G. Komen / Planned Parenthood ugliness. He's also stirred the pot on Solyndra. Stearns congressional record reads like a segment script of the Sean Hannity show with a little Mark Levin spittle smeared around for good measure.

Didn't matter. In the pockets of deep conservatism, like you will find in the fields around Gainesville and Ocala, bonafides don't really matter any more.

There's a stark lesson there. I continue to wonder - will we ever reach the point where people will realize, it don't matter how crazy fervent you are, someone will always act crazier plunge deeper into the fever.

The Politics Of Welfare

Why It Is Crap.

Politifact has a brutal take down. But if Politifact isn't your cup of tea, let someone who actually worked on Welfare Reform explain.

At the request of several Governors, notably certain Republican Governors, the Department of Health and Human Services is allowing flexibility in how states implement the work requirement in Welfare Reform. But the requirement is still there.

What you have is a 15 year old program where reporting and implementation requirements are rather arcane and the Feds are allowing states, under certain circumstances, to experiment with making it less about number crunching and more about getting people jobs.

It's about less federal control. It's about letting the states act as laboratories to guide policy. It is in fact......Reaganesque.

Why This Won't Matter.

To some welfare will always be a hand out. In some political circles, you would think the calendar just skipped right over 1996 (the year welfare reform went into effect).

It will work because despite every poll showing a majority favoring a safety net, there is a deep seeded resentment against the perception of people getting something for nothing. And Romney's simple narrative wrenches that raw nerve straight into the toxic air of politics.

And in politics, it's not the lie that counts; it's the effects.

Paging The Sierra Club!

Hi there, my environmentally focused friends. Remember how you joined the "Plan B" coalition to defeat the T-SPLOST because it didn't have enough rail? And how your new BFFs, the Atlanta Tea Party (conveniently located in Dacula) promised to support your bid to get rail?

Governor "Let's Not Make A" Deal has some news from you. From the AJC Politics twitter feed:

@GovernorDeal says Tuesday's vote "slams the door on further expansion of our rail network anytime soon".

My, oh my! It sure is swell you guys have a "list", er, I mean a "plan". Actually having political power to put in it place would be even better! Dontcha think?

Good Morning, Welcome To Plan B!

TSPLOST lost. As we all knew it would. So time to move on to Plan B!

Well.....here it is!

The Plan B that staggered out of the governor’s office will be its polar opposite: Dramatically smaller, paid for with shrinking funds, and highly centralized. Projects will be hand-picked by a governor who intends to squeeze every penny available.

Projects selected by the Governor, executed by the DOT.

Welcome to the revolution. Same as it ever was.

Quote For The Day

Via The Atlantic's Matthew Cooper:

"When John Roberts was nominated to be chief justice in 2005, a very prominent liberal lawyer told me that he was reassured. Roberts, he noted, was a practicing attorney with years of trials under his belt -- unlike the academic Antonin Scalia or Clarence Thomas with his slew of government jobs and no real private practice experience. The real world experience of Roberts, this liberal lion thought, would make the Chief -- and the court -- less rigid ideologically."

More Media Nonsense

 Pyrrhus

Charlie Harper and I rarely, completely disagree. Generally we're on the same page and the devil lives where the devil lives.

His Herald Courier article on "Media Bias" is no exception.

I cannot disagree with the following,

The problem with selective edits and biased reporting of only selected facts is that it undermines not only the integrity of journalism, but on our political process as a whole.  Conservatives have every right to be suspect of what appears on MSNBC.  Liberals have every right to be suspect of FoxNews.

But down where the devil lives things become much more complicated and Charlie suffers from the very contagion he decries.

Is there bias in the media? Yes. Is it pervasive and steered in one particular direction? Outside the clearly uniformed polemicists, not really. And most importantly, does it bleed into reporting? Hardly and usually the evidence given of this grave sin is flimsier than a piece of scotch tape in a hurricane (Charlie's example of Andrea Mitchell's idiocy is a notable exception).

The context that Charlie leaves out in his "pox on both their houses" column is one side has spent over forty years, birthed with the utterance of "nattering nabobs of negativism", constructing a massive mythology that is then used as a narrative cudgel  in any political discussion.

A clearer picture of bias and its level of infection is given by conservative Conor Friedersdorf,

There is some liberal bias. It's fine to call it out -- but absurd to treat it as the very core of your worldview, the explanation for every ideological setback you suffer, or the main factor preventing a better society.

The very core of your world view may sound like hyperbole, but not when practically every conversation about the good Reverend Jeremiah Wright starts with the press didn't cover him, when it was ABC News that first broadcast the outrageous videotape.

Not when Joe Scarborough blasts the NY Times for covering Mitt Romney's Scrooge McDuck like exploits while ignoring John Kerry's fabulous elitism - only to be told the old grey lady in 2004 ran a series about the Boston brahmin's excesses.

Not when you consider a conversation I had with a conservative about the gas shortages of 2008. He claimed the "librul AJC" blamed Governor Sonny Perdue. I recalled most of the coverage focused on the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico. He insisted. I researched. And then show him two articles from the AJC that squarely lay blame for the shortage on the storms. Nary a mention of Governor Perdue. He was still not satisfied and insisted the eggheads blamed the Republican Governor.

Of course the left has sinned too and MSNBC is as leprous  as Naaman. But it is not an obsession with the left. It is not carved into their DNA. It is not the subject of every last beloved conversation.


And the greater sin which is covered by this cacophony of constant caterwauling about the unfair liberal media conspiracy is that, as Jon Stewart noted, the true bias is "lazy".

Not in the trenches of the dailies where good people like Aaron Gould Sheinen and Jim Galloway (raging liberals both, I'm sure) toil, but the most fervent wallowing is in the slop houses of the national political press. Where the hogs are fed not on turnips and roots, but by the endless swill that spews forth from the twitter gullet of every person who has traded all vestiges of shame for the title "operative".

Jamelle Bouie of The American Spectator lances straight to the center of the boil,

The monstrous truth of this dynamic is that it’s driven by political journalists. They are the ones who breathlessly cover campaign tweets in a desperate bid for web traffic, they are the ones who act as glorified opposition researchers, evaluating claims on the basis of whether they’ll be used in an ad, and not whether they’re accurate or truthful. The obsessive focus on trivia, the constant search for gaffes—these are things generated by the political press.

 Today's story is about a mythical place called WaWa. Tomorrow's story will likely dance on the head of some new semantic pin. Or whatever is the latest "controversy", "miscue" or blessed shiny object that matters so much to all those who do matter; meaning the press itself and not 99% of the voters who will actually participate in the electing of our next leader.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are myth building, the Democrats are self-destructing, the Libertarians are keeping a straight face while pretending a Romney presidency would somehow blossom with more love of freedom than the current, the Tea Partiers have reached the U.N. conspiracy stage of transportation discussions, we face a terrifying fiscal reckoning and Syria seems intent on solving all its problems by not having any people left alive to cause problems.

And about a million other things that would matter unless your primary bias is your own self importance; which is the only real sin the press has exhibited for years.

Quote For The Day

George Chidi is a familiar name to anyone who followed the Occupy Atlanta fun. In a "break-up letter", published by Creative Loafing, he lets loose. While he exposes the many problems many of us suspected existed within Occupy Atlanta, the following stuck out for me.

The tent protest against AT&T's decision to shift roughly three percent of its workers from union wireline jobs to non-union jobs in the U-Verse division was so little respected that the union itself did not meaningfully participate.

People who say the left doesn't police its own have not been around the left leaning activists I've encountered. When Occupy Atlanta first got off the ground, I looked to the movement trench warfare veterans, of which there are many in this town, to gauge the seriousness of what was going down in Woodruff Park.

The reactions ranged from curiosity to utter disdain. Essentially the attitude was "they don't know what the eff they are doing and they will probably eff a lot of things up".

Good rule of thumb when dealing with new movements; always look to see how they are received by the established movement community and you'll have a good idea of their true impact.

About That New Welfare Drug Testing Law.....

Recently, Governor Deal signed a law requiring all applicants for welfare in Georgia to first pee in a cup.

As many, including yours truly, pointed out during the legislative debate, Florida already has a similar law which not only did its own study committee recommend against but is currently tied up in appellate court due to that pesky thing called the 4th Amendment (and based on previous rulings, including a seminal one from....where else....Georgia)

Well, it gets better.

Not only is Florida's law probably unconstitutional, as predicted by experts, it not only doesn't work, it actually costs the state money.

Ushered in amid promises that it would save taxpayers money and deter drug users, a Florida law requiring drug tests for people who seek welfare benefits resulted in no direct savings, snared few drug users and had no effect on the number of applications, according to recently released state data.

Since an overwhelming number of applicants have passed the test and the law requires the state to reimburse the costs of the test to anyone who passes, after four months, the program has actually cost taxpayers over $45,000.


Doesn't work. Costs money. Violates the Constitution.

Governor Deal and the rascals managed to hit the bad governance trifecta.

Quote Of The Day

Ta-Nehisi Coates on lazy pundits not taking the time to research before spewing memes,

And then there are pundits who write more than they read, and talk more than they listen, and prefer an easy creationism to a google search.

The context here is comments by Juan Williams about the lack of marches protesting black on black violence on Fox  Sunday Morning. Coates lists half a dozen such marches and rallies from the past year.

Selah

Many years ago, a fortunate connection provided me the opportunity to work the short-lived Sarazen Open at Chateau Elan. We worked the caddy shack, where I met the gracious, Payne Stewart, to the gruff, Bones McKay.

We also on occasion rotated up to the first tee to help with what ever needed helping. As I stood just inside the ropes on one late fall day, watching professional after professional, including the Golden Bear himself, strike balls down the first fairway, I felt a presence next to me.

I looked around and standing by my side was a small seasoned man whose face was as familiar as opening the paper. Although those who knew him swore of his gentle heart, my only knowledge was his sometimes acerbic writing style laced without what could only be called crankiness.

Screwing up my courage, I turned and said, "It's a great day for golf, Mr. Bisher".

He looked up at me from under his floppy, white hat, stretched a broad smile and replied, "Oh, it's a fine day for golf".

Selah.

Quote Of The Day

In a sweeping analysis of Andrew Breitbart's methods and impact on the media, Conor Friedersdorf absolutely nails the neurotic obsessiveness the loudest voices on the right display when talking about the media.

There is some liberal bias. It's fine to call it out -- but absurd to treat it as the very core of your worldview, the explanation for every ideological setback you suffer, or the main factor preventing a better society.

If you are interested in the way the media landscape has changed and the impact of operators like Breitbart, the entire essay is a must read. It's as honest it gets, rightly crediting  the man for creating platforms that allow greater consumption of the news, rightly blaming him for using that platform to damage, not further journalism and ultimately, acts as a warning on the temptation to sate on satisfying short term tactical victories while ignoring the larger game being played.

The Deficit Is Shrinking

You read that headline right. And the source of this surprising reality? Drudge Peach Pundit Morning Reads.

If you click through and read the article, you'll see the CBO projects the 2012 deficit at $1.08 trillion. Originally the estimate had it dropping below the tantalizing trillion mark, but later revisions nudged it slightly back over that psychological marker.

Can that be right? Can the deficit actually be dropping despite the best efforts of our free wheelin' Socialist-In Chief?

Yes. And it has for some time.

Here's the deficits since 2009 (and remember 2009 was actually mostly President Bush since the fiscal year ran through Oct 1st):

2009: $1.41 trillion
2010: $1.23 trillion
2011: $1.29 trillion
2012: $1.10 trillion

Source: http://www.usgovernmentdebt.us/federal_deficit_chart.html

And that chart at the top? That's the rate of increase in Federal spending. That nose dive at the end is not an illusion.

Just a few things to roll around your head in case you have the misfortune of your radio landing on the WSB MEDIA CONVEYOR BELT OF DOOM with some snake oil salesman screaming "HE'S GOING TO SPEND US INTO OBLIVION!"

Reality bites.

Somebody Misses His Wooten

Valentine's must be in the air, for Republican Randy Evans has penned quite the love letter to former AJC scribe Jim Wooten.

But he did not stop there. When writing columns, he researched and verified every word to make sure that every column was thorough, accurate, and complete. He understood that just one mistake, one error, and thousands of readers would call him on it.

Really.

I've read Jim Wooten for over twenty years and deigned to be his informal, snarky ombudsman for the last four years of his tenure. What Mr. Evans writes was once true, as documented in my own conflicted thoughts about Jim's gradual transformation from thoughtful conservative in the Durwood McAllister vein to just another link in the WSB media conveyor belt churning out endless half truth panderisms, but it was laid waste in the final years as he gradually viewed his quest as not one for the truth but one that  matched his narrowing world view.

My own biased viewpoint? Absolutely. But feel free to graze on the years where I played Deacon Lunchbox to Wooten's Lewis Grizzard. It's all there for anyone to see.

Quote Of The Day

From Conor Friedersdorf on Newt Gingrich's 1996 bill proposing to execute non-violent pot smugglers.

This insufficient regard for the sanctity of human life and willingness to pander with the death penalty is problematic enough when exhibited by a powerful legislator. Electing a president with that mindset is terrifying

Exactly right.