American Spectacle

++Watching the political scene at this time resembles Walter Mosley's scifi series "Crosstown to Oblivion". Magical visions of hope and change are crushed by a repressive system that lacks understanding and tolerance. 

++President Obama has an approval rating now some 5 points higher than the average of his whole first term. But somehow the Senate protests his cabinet choices as if a President doesn't get his choices. This is highly unusual historically. The last cabinet choices that was rejected,according to my memory, was John Tower,who was a natural choice for Defense but his drinking problems came to light. For this president, we have had the Senate chase off Susan Rice and now are gunning for Chuck Hagel.

++For someone who has taken office or don't anything remotely controversial for years, the flap over Hagel is supposed to be either a refutation of the neocons and an assertion of independence of judgment or the approval of an anti-Israel white man soft on defense. The magnification of this nomination as a bone of contention and a decision on the entire fate of the planet seems absurd. But maybe that is the point. Maybe we need manufactured crises on a daily basis because our political system has become so dysfunctional. 

++Paul Krugman on the Bill Moyers show said that President Obama chose a good, tough negotiator as Secretary of Treasury in Jack Lew. Progressives have qualms about Jack Lew because he was instrumental in the de-regulation of the economy under Clinton. Republicans now pledge to block the nomination. Their reason is because Jack Lew played an instrumental role in creating President Obama's first budget. They have not mentioned his role at Citibank and his advocacy of de-regulation which you would think would be a plus. 

++Paul Krugman told Moyers that the recession at this point is unnecessary. If Congress had passed Obama's job bill, we would be down to 6.7% unemployment. As Krugman reminded everyone, full employment is 5% by all models. But he said that President Obama will not be able to pass anything and will have to spend the next few years protecting the social welfare net. 

++Alas, the Treasury Department nixed the idea of printing the $1 trillion Platinum coin--an idea supported by Paul Krugman. The White House continues to say they will not negotiate over raising the debt ceiling. In an unusual coordinated effort by congressional Democrats,they presented the White House with a letter supporting President Obama taking any legal measures to avoid negotiating with Republicans on this issue, including invoking the 14th Amendment, which the White House has previously rejected. 

++The White House is studiously ignoring the political noise and confusion of the GOP as it prepares for this year's legal initiatives. Joe Biden will be presenting "gun safety" initiatives this coming week after his meetings with various groups, including the NRA. The White House is going full-tilt on immigration reform, presenting a comprehensive program, which would include a path to citizenship for undocumented workers. The President has also announced plans to speed up the withdrawal of combat troops from Afghanistan.

++One of the daffy criticisms of President Obama's recent Cabinet picks is the lack of diversity. John Kerry,Chuck Hagel,John Brennen,and now Jack Law. So they are all white males, replacing all white males, minus a woman. Somehow the fact that Eric Holder, Kathleen Sebelius,Secretary of Energy Chu,Janet Napolitano remain doesn't count. President Obama is considering nominating Kay Bailey Hutchinson, a Republican, as Transportation Secretary. 

++If you only followed the White House actions recently, you would think we are in normal political times. But the most noise is still coming from the Right and more radical noises are becoming mainstream. Right-wing talk show host Michael Savage called for the creation of a nationalist party led by a charismatic leader. He thought the tea party has failed because they lack charisma. Glenn Beck is trying to merge libertarianism with survivalism with a new building project to house "patriots" compete with a research center on our founding principles. The NRA has revved up its lobbying efforts to stop anything on gun control pretending that the Second Amendment is absolute. Paul Ryan introduced into the House a Fetus Personhood Bill,like those rejected over the past year in the states. The House again is trying to defund Planned Parenthood as Texas and Oklahoma are doing. And the beat goes on.

++In the states will have more wing nut laws. Governor Scott in Florida fibbed about the cost of Medicare to the state in order to reject federal funds. Bobby Jindal has moved to eliminate income and corporate taxes in Louisiana and raise taxes on the poor. Governor Snyder in Michigan has signed two restrictive abortion bills and a Right to work Bill. He also has a new Right To Work ad campaign and aims to create a bureaucracy to administer the law. Virginia is introducing anti-reproductive rights legislation and the soon to be candidate for governor Ken the Cooch urges Christians to go to jail to protest the contraception mandate in the Affordable Health Care Act. Several states have adopted laws to allow teachers to be armed in classrooms and to provide training in firearms for school administrators.

++Meanwhile Jerry Brown has announced California has finally conquered the state's deficit.

++The Obama White House finally responded to the petitions of those wanting to secede from the union by suggesting we are one nation. They destroyed the hopes of scifi fans by arguing rather eloquently against building the Death Star.

++If you like old news clips, check out Oliver Stone's The Untold History of the United States. Stone has some funky political biases. He likes FDR, Henry Wallace, Joe Stalin, JFK, Gorbachev, so far. Basically every other President was a corporate stooge and a willing instrument of the military-industrial complex. But the footage of the early nuclear age is riveting.I haven't seen the segment on W and Obama.

++If people want a serious issue to complain about, Obama has been disappointing on civil liberties and the laws on wiretapping and detention.

++If you want to get depressed, Chris Hedges' "The Death of the Liberal Class" is out in paperback.