Beautiful Horizons

Is Clarence Thomas the biggest beneficiary of "Weinergate" ?

Anthony Wiener has - to my knowledge and despite the insinuations by FOX News about "contact" with  underage girls - broken no laws but he's proven himself to have next to zero judgement for a high-profile politician, in emulating the behavior of an adolescent obsessed with his own privates on Twitter. 

The narcissism and hubris he displayed is as disturbing as the parallel public obsession with his pathetic and embarrassing activities in some absurdly assumed "private" domain. I think, given that he's opened up a Pandora's Box of publicity about his personal habits, he needs to resign and let the rest of us get on with our lives, as should he. 

But my distaste for Wiener's behavior is out-distanced by my disgust at his letting his private demons destroy some valuable political contributions he has made.  And I wonder whether the timing of Weinergate has anything to do with the fact that Memorial Day weekend he was using the same social media he abused as a...uh...horny jerk to push for an investigation of Clarence Thomas' ethics violations - violations that actually impact the integrity of the nation's highest court:  

What is already in the public record is shocking, to say the least, in that it involves potentially  20 years of violations of disclosure rules by Thomas, whose wife was bringing nearly $800,000 of income into their family home, unbeknownst to the public, while conducting very public advocacy on issues that are sure to come before the court, namely, healthcare reform.

So Weiner goes down for being an asshole while Thomas skates over the thin ice of overt corruption and coverup?  More HERE.  

Never thought I would do this...

But I'm linking to a Politico Op-Ed by "Morning" Joe Scarborough on the fealty of the GOP to Hard-Right Krazee-Tawk, even in the wake of the Gifford's shooting.  Not a fan of either Politico nor the Starbucks swilling morning mouth, but this is a thoughtful and welcome comment from a conservative who makes a living droning for hours a day on the TeeVee, which is about as rare as finding a pearl in a Big Mac. Worth the read.

The Super Rich

Business journalist Chrystia Freeland has a very good piece in the latest Atlantic on the unreality of the world inhabited by the Super-Rich, who are sucking up the lion's share of increases in wealth at the expense of the much-vaunted and lately lamented "middle class."  Worth a read as part of ongoing conversations about wealth distribution, taxation, the unraveling of rational social constraints on plutocrats, deficit hysterics/hypocrisy and increasing economic  destabilization.

Senator Sanders' Rebuttal to the Tax Deal

Worth hearing every single word.

 

"The Deal"

Ezra Klein's take on the deal cut between Obama, the Dems and the GOPers, below the fold (with a Krugman update):

Out of sadness, more than anger

This is just...how can I say it?  F...ing NUTS! 

The President hasn't reached out enough in a spirit of bi-partisanship?  Earth to Oval Office: Grow a pair!

 

None dare call it "sabotage"

Except...uh...GOP elder statesman Brent Scowcroft. 

President Obama

...and the political moment. Andrew Sullivan "gets it", here.  Read it, in full - including Obama's recent speech on "the stump."

WANTED: Big Ideas and Inspired Policy

 Steve Benen of Washington Monthly (taking off from today's NYT's editorial on Obama's team and the economy) has some excellent -  and urgent -  suggestions to jump-start the White House's self-defeating timidity on the increasingly alarming economic front.  Read Benen's smart piece HERE.  This isn't just about what's needed for the economy, but about creating a viable political platform for Democrats to counter the demagogic nihilism and fear-mongering that hard times make so much easier for the GOP, FOX, etc. etc. "Something" - no matter how crazy, dangerous or far-fetched - always beats Nothing.  And at the level of pure noise in the political arena, nihilistic rants and bigotry are drowning out Presidential  "Hey guys, we'e doing a pretty good job over here!" timidity at a time of 10%-15%  un-and-under-employment.

The mosque near 9/11 "ground zero"

Robert Wright has an excellent piece on the shameful opposition - here. 

(Note: Wright reaffirms what I've long felt to be the case - The Weekly Standard isn't just a magazine I disagree with politically .  They're bad people.)