Monday punditry (and a little NN, too.)
Paul Krugman:
Never say that the gods lack a sense of humor. I bet they’re still chuckling on Olympus over the decision to make the first half of 2010 — the year in which all hope of action to limit climate change died — the hottest such stretch on record.
PS People understand the difference between climate and weather. They are using weather to make a point about climate.
Ross Douthat:
But most of all, they’ve blamed conservatives — for pressuring Republican lawmakers to abandon legislation they once supported, and for closing ranks against any attempt to tax and regulate our way to a lower-carbon economy.
Cap-and-trade’s backers are correct to point the finger rightward. If their bill is dead, it was the American conservative movement that ultimately killed it. Climate legislation wasn’t like health care, with Democrats voting "yes" in lockstep. There was no way to get a bill through without some support from conservative lawmakers. And in the global warming debate, there’s a seemingly unbridgeable gulf between the conservative movement and the environmentalist cause.
To understand why, it’s worth going back to the 1970s, the crucible in which modern right-wing politics was forged.
NY Times on Wikileaks story:
The articles published today are based on thousands of United States military incident and intelligence reports — records of engagements, mishaps, intelligence on enemy activity and other events from the war in Afghanistan — that were made public on Sunday on the Internet. The New York Times, The Guardian newspaper in London, and the German magazine Der Spiegel were given access to the material several weeks ago. These reports are used by desk officers in the Pentagon and troops in the field when they make operational plans and prepare briefings on the situation in the war zone. Most of the reports are routine, even mundane, but many add insights, texture and context to a war that has been waged for nearly nine years.
Over all these documents amount to a real-time history of the war reported from one important vantage point — that of the soldiers and officers actually doing the fighting and reconstruction.
Politico:
In five years, the annual convention of progressive bloggers known as Netroots Nation has grown to become one of the premier events on the Democratic calendar.
It’s also turned into a leading event on the Democratic candidate circuit, a showcase of political talent and a prerequisite for aspiring politicians who are looking to catch the attention of some of the most important and influential voices on the left — and hopefully tap into the vein of Internet fundraising.
Kaiser Health News:
President Barack Obama made a surprise video appearance at Netroots Nation, a convention of about 2,000 liberal bloggers and activists in Las Vegas, trying to calm their frustrations that the Democratic administration and Congress have not achieved all the changes that progressives were hoping for, Miami Herald/McClatchy News Service report. The activists "think their Internet networks helped elect him in 2008 -- and Obama Saturday acknowledged their influence, referring to them as 'we' -- but they want to see a greater push in several areas, including health care, financial regulation, gay rights and other issues. ... 'He's done a lot, but we have to hold him to the standard he's held himself,' said Raven Brooks, the executive director of Netroots Nation. He and others cited a number of areas where they think more progress is possible, notably health care, where many liberals prefer the kind of government-run option that Pelosi and most House Democrats supported, but that stalled in the Senate."
NY Times:
That Mr. Obama had to defer to a voice that would be more credible with the crowd of wired, liberal activists at the fifth annual Netroots Nation conference in Las Vegas illustrates the growing frustration within the base of a Democratic Party that controls the White House and both houses of Congress. But we don’t even need to look for such subtle clues when we can watch Twitter messages from #nn10.
"Underneath the mutual praise and enthusiasm between Dem leaders and Netroots Nation attendees is significant tension & mistrust," wrote Peter Daou, a prominent Web strategist who is attending the conference.
Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, acknowledged almost as much: "I’m told there are times I get on your nerves," he said. "And there’s also times when you get on my nerves."
NN Mark Sumner interview:
Sum of Change Interviews Mark Sumner (Devilstower) at Netroots Nation 2010 from Will Urquhart.