Public Pressure on NY Times works - After ACORN folds

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Tuesday March 23, 2010 · 12:41 PM PDT

2010/03/23 · 12:41

Well the New York times has finally corrected the record on ACORN.

This is both a testament to the power of public pressure on the side of rightiousness, to force a large newspaper to "correct" smears published as fact; evidence that a once-fine paper had been coopted by a flagrantly false RW smear campaign against ACORN.

And it is a commentary on the depth of journalistic lack of integrity that this paper took so long.

Earlier today, ProgressiveVA published a beautiful diary - "R.I.P." - in memorium to the sad demise of the once-great and powerful community organization, ACORN - a group that worked to help homeowners stuck with predatory mortgages and worked tirelessly to register voters. I was proud to be a small part of that group's work to help mortgage owners. But the NY Times sadly waited until this great organization failed before 'correcting' the smears it once published as fact.

And during all that time, while the truth languished, ACORN's reputation was allowed to remain besmirched by the NY Times until after this fine group declared bankruptcy.

puffmeister

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Monday March 15, 2010 · 8:25 PM PDT

2010/03/15 · 20:25

Writing this not as a fan of Crist but as a good laugh at an incredibly conservative and arrogant young Republican whom I believe has his eye on the White House.

News reports have been listing some pretty interesting credit card charges - apparently totaling $100,000 - on an Amex card [whose statements were possibly leaked by the Crist campaign] that was provided to Rubio by the Republican Party of Florida which according to IRS rules for tax-exempt organizations, are meant to cover only expenses directly related to influencing the outcome of elections.

Poll

8 votes Show Results

I am a Conservative Republican Candidate for Governor. Valid IRS Electioneering Expenses Include:

8 votes Vote Now!

I am a Conservative Republican Candidate for Governor. Valid IRS Electioneering Expenses Include:

a salon wax of my back hair

3 votes

earwax and hair removal

2 votes

Pamphlet, "Adverntures in Argentina"; the Hon. Governor Mark Sanford

0 votes

Pamphlet, "Tanning, Hair Removal and Family Values" [anonymous]

3 votes

Pair of Tickets "Hair [the musical]"

0 votes

anyone who knows how to get that DOT out of item number one, vote for this line!!

0 votes

Pie

0 votes

Obama and Judicial Appointments: US wants a President who can do More than One Thing At A Time

puffmeister

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Friday February 19, 2010 · 7:27 AM PST

2010/02/19 · 07:27

I remember clearly the day that candidate Obama made the brilliant statement that I paraphrase in my title:

America wants a President who can Do More than One Thing At A Time.

He made that statement at the point of the September financial meltdown, in response to Senator McCain’s claim that the Presidential debate should be canceled so the candidates might focus on economics. As we all recall, McCain himself publicly rushed out of New York City for his emergency trip to Washington DC = and dissed David Letterman [but managed a McCain fundraiser and a Couric Interview before heading south]

Yes! I said to myself. America does want a President who can Do More than One Thing At A Time!

So why - weeks after his public humiliation by Republican minority on his existing nominations, are we still facing well over 100 unfilled judicial seats- including 31 "judicial emergencies"? - why are these vacancies still languishing without nominations from you, Mr President?

puffmeister

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Sunday November 01, 2009 · 4:15 AM PST

2009/11/01 · 04:15

I was particularly cheered to hear our President elect speak of the new openness in government that would arise under his stewardship.

This is not a diary about the newest claim of State Secrets in the surveillance cases, or any other of the "usual" items under discussions.

But this is about what seems to be a continuing predilection in this administration for secrecy over sunshine - a predilection to continue Bush-era secrecy that is increasingly disturbing. What is even more disturbing - if possible - is that the topics about which this administration's agencies and departments are being secretive seem to broaden every day. Today's topic: Getting the redacted half of a 25 page IG report demanded from the Labor Department months ago on [failures in] prosecution of a toxic spill in Kentucky - nine years ago

puffmeister

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Sunday October 25, 2009 · 6:34 PM PDT

2009/10/25 · 18:34

When Chris Christie was appointed by Bush II, the legal community was disgusted that someone with this utter lack of law enforcement experience would be appointed. It was an insult to the requirements of the job.

Christie's main claim to fame was that he had pulled together $100 thousand dollars to donate to the Prez - he was a Bush "pioneer" and it was payback time. Everyone in the legal community on both sides of the aisle knew he had simply purchased his position. But this was an administration that took a revered agency such as FEMA [I'm from Florida - we loved FEMA] and appointed as its head someone whose resume was presiding over an Arabian Horse Association.

Democrats were powerless, and Republicans didn't seem to care that our President was abusing his office with pay-to-play - even in jobs that affected the rights and safety of our people.

That was then, this is now. And pay to play has a stench about it that NJ simply will no longer tolerate.
Today's Star Ledger reveals that Christie was blatantly willing to do the same kind of b**sh*t pay to play as his Boss

He's gonna go down.

puffmeister

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Wednesday October 14, 2009 · 12:10 PM PDT

2009/10/14 · 12:10

Three stories - one new story with bad news at Wash Post and two others at TNR, are the topic of this diary.

the new story is what Snowe got for her vote.

Ezra Klein over at WaPo illuminates us about the news - that those Senators at the table in the Senate conference on merging the HELP bill with the Finance Bill will be Reid, Dodd, Baucus - and Snowe by invitation.

The numbers that represents are a problem.

But there is a bigger problem, having to do with those private Health Insurance Exchanges - combined with the special invite to a Republican that is not extended to - for example - another Democrat.

puffmeister

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Tuesday October 13, 2009 · 3:00 PM PDT

2009/10/13 · 15:00

Missed in all the hoopla today was an interesting Blog entry over at the Hill.

Co-authoried by Representatives Loretta Sanchez and Jane Harman - big time Members of the House Blue Dog caucus, these two California representatives discuss their reasons for why they have

broken with our Blue Dog sisters and brothers over their lukewarm support for the public insurance option [-] a concept we think must be part of a successful health care reform package.

puffmeister

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Friday October 09, 2009 · 6:10 AM PDT

2009/10/09 · 06:10

This will be short, folks.

The same MSM that would not leave our President alone since LAST September - pushing Obama to make appointments early, to comment on every conceivable issue - in a world - and a media - that essentially forced our President to assume the mantle of leadership five months early

has taken no less then mere hours to post a POLL on whether President Obama "deserves" the Nobel peace prize.
As with any self-selecting poll, this one invites potential embarrassment - which our president does not deserve at this auspicious moment.

Please find link below the fold

puffmeister

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Tuesday August 25, 2009 · 4:17 PM PDT

2009/08/25 · 16:17

Congressman Jerrold Nadler was just interviewed on the Ed Show, and gave an outstanding and concise explanation of the broad parameters the the Special Prosecutor should have in investigating torture.

He used important legal terminology and evicerates the Holder limitations as ridiculously narrow.

I've tried to get as much down as possible, as Nadler's outstanding critique made clear the two real problems with the Holder authorization.

Q & A with Congressman Gerald Nadler, interviewed on the Ed Show 6:05 pm August 25, 2009 is below the fold

puffmeister

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Monday July 13, 2009 · 7:13 AM PDT

2009/07/13 · 07:13

Last week, diarist Eugene wrote a great diary on "arnoldbucks"; I wish I could say that arnold and the state legislature were as kind to California citizens as eugene thought would occur, if IOUs were to issue.

Sadly, in the competition between who got cash and who got IOUs, what California decided to do was even more regressive and immoral than even eugene could imagine.

puffmeister

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Monday June 22, 2009 · 1:49 AM PDT

2009/06/22 · 01:49

Well, finally even the Wall Street Journal has noticed it - Obama has caved to one of Wall Street lobbyists' most ardent wet dreams.

Headlined
A Triple-A Punt - Treasury's reform plan gives the credit raters a pass,

The Wall Street Journalcomes out and says what folks on the left have been complaining about for months: Our President's substantive reforms are weak swill.

We on the left should be most galled about the shallowness of Obama's reform, because we do - or we should - remember his rhetoric.

In case any here might have forgotten, this diary affords a fresh look at two highly-touted speeches that then candidate Obama gave on Wall Street excess and our economy

puffmeister

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Sunday June 14, 2009 · 6:36 AM PDT

2009/06/14 · 06:36

ON June 8 and again on June 9, I diaried here regarding what was clearly [to me, based on my research] turning into an internal war within the Obama administration on regulatory governance. These to me seemed to be huge policy differences that may have an enormous effect on our economic future - and they also seemed exacerbated by ongoing power plays by both Tim Giethner [with Citibank and dissing Warren's panel recommendations] and with Summers [trying to exclude Somers/Goolsbees ideas from being heard by Pres Obama].

Some among my readership wrote off the substance of my diary - despite ,y providing sourcing about those signs of significant policy discord. Now, today's NY Times front page online includes this:

Regulators Feud as Banking System Overhauled
By STEPHEN LABATON and EDMUND L. ANDREWS
The personal feud between two bank regulators is shaping the president’s attempt to revamp financial regulation.

MORE over the fold - and if my diary appears redundant I ask dkos readers' indulgence - since you read it here first way back on June 8-9

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Please vote in WashPost "poll" on Obama Nobel

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Who's Who in CA: a primer on CASH vs IOUs

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