Gov. Palin Resigning
Posted on | July 3, 2009
Alaska’s Gov. Sarah Palin has suddenly announced that she will step down at the end of the month, offering no explanation.
In the wake of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin’s surprise resignation on Friday, rumors are beginning to circulate that she might have acted in anticipation of a previously unsuspected scandal being revealed.
Alaskan blogger Shannyn Moore suggested at Huffington Post that “rumors of an ‘iceberg scandal’ have been circulating” even before today’s announcement.
“Resignation is certainly out of character for Sarah Palin,” Moore noted. “Senator Mark Begich had a meeting with Sarah Palin two days ago with no mention of her leaving office. Palin’s press secretary, David Murrow had posted on his Facebook page Wednesday, ‘David Murrow is considering life’s ironies.’ He was hired less than a month ago. Yesterday he wrote, ‘There’s gonna be some fireworks this weekend!’”
Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo similarly suggested, “Remember that based on the public record, Palin is a wildly unethical public official, guilty at a minimum of numerous instances of abusing her authority as governor. And a lot of very damaging information has come out about her in the last few days — though mainly embarrassing information about her character rather than new evidence of bad acts. I would not be surprised if this latest round of revelations shook something else loose that we haven’t heard about yet.”
Moore later spoke by phone with BradBlog’s Brad Friedman and told him that “Palin is ‘resigning as part of damage control’ due to a scandal that is ‘not of a family nature.’”
I suppose that there’s no guarantee of a forthcoming scandal, but if there were an innocent reason to resign, surely she could have offered us the usual more-time-with-my-family excuse?
Pay For Play
Posted on | July 3, 2009
The Washington Post, like most newspapers today, seems to be strapped for cash. Journalistic standards having long ago fallen by the wayside, it must have seemed like a fine idea to sell its political influence to lobbyists:
Reporting from Washington — The Washington Post’s publisher abruptly canceled a series of policy dinners Thursday that were to have been underwritten by lobbyists or corporations willing to pay thousands of dollars to be in the same room as journalists and lawmakers, saying the marketing department had misrepresented the newspaper’s intent.
Lawmakers who had been invited said they were not told the events would make money for the newspaper. But the Post had separately sent fliers seeking sponsors who would pay $25,000 for a single “salon” or $250,000 for 11 events….
Rep. Jim Cooper’s office said the Tennessee Democrat received an invitation this week to attend a dinner on July 21 at the house of Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth. Sen. Olympia J. Snowe, a Maine Republican, was also among those asked to attend.
In both cases, the invitations came as personal e-mails from Weymouth’s office.
Cooper accepted, believing the dinner would be a low-key chance to exchange ideas about healthcare and other public policy matters, according to his staff. Snowe turned down the invitation.
Both Cooper’s and Snowe’s staff said there was no mention that the dinner might be a money-making opportunity for the Post.
But the fliers to potential sponsors spelled it out:
“Bring your organization’s CEO or executive director literally to the table,” the flier read. “Interact with key Obama administration and congressional leaders.”
The fliers described an “intimate and exclusive Washington Post salon, an off-the-record dinner and discussion at the home of CEO and Publisher Katharine Weymouth.”
News of the fliers was first reported by Politico, which said it obtained a copy from a healthcare lobbyist.
The Post canceled the dinners after the disclosure.
The LA Times story makes it clear that when newspapers empires grow enormous, only another enormous empire can effectively check that power.
Gratuitous Video Feed
Posted on | June 26, 2009
Andy McKee: “She”
The World’s Greatest Health Care
Posted on | June 26, 2009
For anyone confused by the right-wingers now leaping to the defense of corporate-run health insurance, well, this is what they’re defending:
A retired health insurance executive — in a shocking but not terribly surprising admission — confessed Wednesday that insurance companies deliberately confuse policyholders and attempt to dump sick patients to plump their profit margins.
“[T]hey confuse their customers and dump the sick, all so they can satisfy their Wall Street investors,” former Cigna senior executive Wendell Potter told senators at a hearing on health insurance Wednesday before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
“Potter, who has more than 20 years of experience working in public relations for insurance companies Cigna and Humana, said companies routinely drop seriously ill policyholders so they can meet “Wall Street’s relentless profit expectations,’” Potter told the hearing, according to ABC News.
“They look carefully to see if a sick policyholder may have omitted a minor illness, a pre-existing condition, when applying for coverage, and then they use that as justification to cancel the policy, even if the enrollee has never missed a premium payment,” Potter added. “(D)umping a small number of enrollees can have a big effect on the bottom line.”
The bandits were always skimming off the top.
Gratuitous Video Feed
Posted on | June 19, 2009
Nick Drake: “Pink Moon”
Senator Franken?
Posted on | June 18, 2009
Today’s the day, according to sources:
PIM has now heard from two sources on different sides of the Minnesota U.S. Senate race recount scene that the final Minnesota Supreme Court ruling is expected to arrive tomorrow, Thursday, June 18th. The ruling could arrive between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., a shift from the earlier deadline of 5 p.m. (The PioPress‘ Rachel Stassen-Berger said it was because the clerks head out at 4:30.) The official Senate race judicial information page is here, and this is the RSS feed which would likely carry the notification.
PIM was the first to note this as a “rumor/scoop” late yesterday via Twitter. At this point we now believe it is “highly likely” to happen; in fact, based on our sources we’d be surprised if it doesn’t. While earlier estimates of 30 days of deliberation got floated, we also heard from someone close to the justices that they would like to move things along quickly, so it’s more plausible that things are getting tied up today.
Update: false alarm.
Gratuitous Video Feed
Posted on | June 12, 2009
George Clinton: “Atomic Dog”
Friday Awwwwwww
Posted on | June 12, 2009
My blog tends toward the overwhelmingly negative, so it’s high time I spotlighted some presidential cuteness.
GREEN BAY, Wisconsin (AFP) – A visit to see the president of the United States is probably the best excuse in the world to skip school, especially if he then personally writes your teacher a note.
President Barack Obama, who has two girls, swiftly sought to help a fellow dad out of a dilemma when he discovered John Corpus had brought his daughter to see him at a public meeting in Wisconsin, instead of taking her to school….
Corpus then tried to pose his question at the town hall meeting in Green Bay, when Obama interrupted him, saying “No, no, I’m serious. What’s your daughter’s name?”
“Her name is Kennedy,” the bemused Corpus said. “Kennedy. All right. That’s a cool name,” replied Obama.
A few minutes later Kennedy made her way through the crowd to receive her note from Obama written as the president was listening to her father’s question about healthcare reform.
I would totally skip school to see such a president in person.
Gratuitous Video Feed
Posted on | June 10, 2009
Mojo Nixon: “Elvis Is Everywhere”
…Then the Terrorists Win
Posted on | June 10, 2009
The accused murderer of Wichita doctor George Tiller gets his wish, after all, as Tiller’s clinic confirms that it is closing for good.
George Tiller’s clinic will close in the wake of the Wichita abortion provider’s shooting death, lawyers for the Tiller family said today.
Lee Thompson and Dan Monnat, the family’s lawyers, said in a statement that the clinic, Women’s Health Care Services, will be permanently closed, effective immediately.
Tiller family members will not be involved in any other similar clinic, the statement said.
“We are proud of the service and courage shown by our husband and father and know that women’s health care needs have been met because of his dedication and service,” the family said, adding that they plan to honor Tiller’s memory through private charitable activities.
Tiller was shot to death on May 31 while serving as an usher at his church.
Score one for domestic terrorism.
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