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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (259456)	8/30/2014 12:04:01 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541747

Krugman. -------------------------- Scylla, Charybdis, and the Euro August 30, 2014 11:34 am I’ve been talking to some people I respect about the fate of the euro, and specifically yesterday’s column, and it seems to me that the key issue here involves the balance of risks. Think of it as Scylla and Charybdis. On one side, there is the risk of seeing European economies dashed against the rocks of debt crisis; on the other, the danger of seeing Europe pulled down into a vortex of deflation. For the past four years European policy has been dominated by a completely one-sided assessment of these risks: imminent debt disaster (90 percent omg), and nothing to worry about from austerity — the Confidence Fairy will take care of it. But there is a more sober, serious position which considers the shoals of debt a serious risk, and the vortex of deflation not yet too threatening. As you might guess, I have a different view. Now that the ECB is willing to do its job as lender of last resort, the debt threat is much less pressing than previously portrayed — and I have been arguing all along that for non-euro countries it’s not a threat at all. Meanwhile, I’m terrified about that vortex; Europe may still be circling the drain fairly slowly, but inflation expectations have become unmoored, actual inflation is falling, the recovery, such as it was, has stalled. And by the time the downward spiral becomes undeniable it may well be irreversible. Could I be wrong? Of course. But economic policy always involves balancing risks, and I think we should be much more afraid of a European depression than we are of fiscal crisis.

To: JohnM who wrote (259456)	8/30/2014 12:17:39 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 541747

"I'm something beyond puzzled as to how a police killing of an unarmed young black male could move into a discussion of 'thugism'" Thug’ Just a Dog Whistle for N-Word Says NFL Star Richard Sherman Posted by: Laurin Suiter in Human Interest, Racism in America January 24, 2014 aattp.org

To: JohnM who wrote (259456)	8/30/2014 12:24:27 PM
From: bentway	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541747

Not all of us blame the victim, John. I think the people out of control in Ferguson are the police, and they have been for a long time. It's looking now like the cop there fired 11-12 times, hit the unarmed victim 6 times. Something HAS to be wrong with that, even if the kid WAS a thug. Some here cut the police slack since they "protect" them, I don't. To me, cops are generally useless, and sometimes dangerous, and need to be kept on a short leash. The only thing that will fix Ferguson is the majority of black people that live there getting out and voting for the community they want.

To: JohnM who wrote (259456)	8/30/2014 12:28:33 PM
From: JohnM	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 541747

Mike Allen on McConnell's campaign manager's resignation. A non event. ---------------------------------------- TOP TALKER - Lexington Herald-Leader, 5-col. lead, "McConnell campaign chief quits: Resignation comes two days after ex-Iowa state senator's guilty plea," by Sam Youngman: "Jesse Benton, the campaign manager for U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, will resign his post as a bribery scandal from the 2012 presidential campaign threatens to envelop Benton and become a major distraction for McConnell's campaign. ... He maintained his innocence, faulting 'inaccurate press accounts and unsubstantiated media rumors.' ... "Benton's name has surfaced in connection to a bribery scandal dating to his time as former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's political director during the 2012 presidential election. On Wednesday, former Iowa state Sen. Kent Sorenson pleaded guilty to accepting $73,000 from Paul's campaign in exchange for his endorsement and to obstruction of justice for lying about his involvement. Sorenson's guilty plea included two sealed documents, which could threaten to involve Benton. ... Grimes spokeswoman Charly Norton said, 'Senator McConnell owes the people of Kentucky a full account of what he knew and when he knew it.' ... "In addition to running Paul's presidential campaign, Benton also ran U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's 2010 Senate campaign in Kentucky, and he is married to the older Paul's granddaughter. When Benton joined the McConnell camp, observers viewed it as a ploy by McConnell to quiet a restless Tea Party and win favor with Rand Paul." bit.ly --PLAYBOOK FACTS OF LIFE: The campaign will be run by Josh Holmes, a senior adviser to the campaign and former McConnell chief of staff. Holmes will retain his dual hat with the NRSC, where he has responsibilities for the national map. So this may be the very rare case where the highest profile race of the cycle lacks anyone with the title "campaign manager." An official close to the McConnell campaign tells Playbook: "The truth is that Josh Holmes has been doing the top job on McConnell's campaign since April. The staff had been restructured pre-primary; the lines of authority were clear. And everyone close to McConnell says he doesn't make any political decisions without Holmes. The headlines about Benton's potential involvement in an Iowa scandal ?threatened to be a major distraction for a campaign that is largely pulling away from his challenger for the first time. "Benton understood he was a potential liability and elected to eliminate himself from the equation rather than take the risk of garnering more headlines for McConnell. His departure, while a short term distraction, changes basically nothing inside Team Mitch. Since Holmes already has command and control, the campaign structure will stay exactly as is. But don't be surprised to see Holmes mine one of the talented McConnell communicators like John Ashbrook out of McConnell's leadership office to add firepower down the stretch.Since Holmes already has command and control, the campaign structure will stay exactly as is. But don't be surprised to see Holmes mine one of the talented McConnell communicators like John Ashbrook out of McConnell's leadership office to add firepower down the stretch." --HOW IT'S PLAYING: Courier-Journal lead story, "McConnell campaign manager resigns: Benton denies link to scandal," by James R. Carroll and Joseph Gerth cjky.it ... Kentucky Enquirer (an edition of Cincinnati Enquirer), cover (used C-J's story), "McConnell campaign manager resigns: Benton denies any link to Iowa caucus scandal."

To: JohnM who wrote (259456)	8/30/2014 12:30:50 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 541747

I'm not sure you have the same experience with certain types of blacks that some of us have had. Black "teens" of a certain size, and class, can be extremely threatening. Maybe you don't know this. It's the same way that certain types of white folks, of a certain class, like bikers, or meth heads, can also be pretty scary- just by being who they are. Pretending that isn't true isn't really going to improve race relations or stop these things from happening. The sad thing about the black thug culture, is that it confuses people- because sometimes perfectly harmless teens look dangerous, by presenting themselves as thugs when they are not thugs (and some people, on the right, have difficulty seeing any blacks as non-thugs). Trying to desperately paint Brown (6'4" and 270) and hanging with a 22 year old, as a "teen"- also seems a bizarre frame to me. I get it- it's all propaganda all the time, from the left AND the right. Innocent teen versus murdering desperado. The truth might be in the middle. This was a big guy who was threatening just because of his size. It's even possible he wasn't very nice. He was unarmed- but we know that in retrospect- something which people on the left never appear to comprehend. On the other hand, cops are people, and they sometimes freak out and over react- something the right tends to overlook. You don't like the :"frame"? How do you feel about Sharpton bringing up black culture at the funeral? You think Sharpton changed the "frame? I'm just curious. You think Sharpton was wrong?