As a Minnesotan, I am fairly confident that Jezebels do not need to be reminded not to tar all people with one brush, whether it be Minnesotans or Alaskans or Virginians or Texans.
On one hand, I admire Elizabeth Edward's brutal honesty in saying things are "complicated" in regards to if she still loves her husband.
On the other man, it's brutal. And I hope she isn't saying anything on Oprah that her kids don't already know. Kids are usually pretty smart though, and are probably picking up on the "things aren't great" vibe between John and Elizabeth.
You know, I totally feel Elizabeth Edwards on the "not using the name of the other woman thing." There are a few people who I really revile, and I somehow feel like refusing to acknowledge them strips them of any power they might have had over my mental state (this may or may not actually be true, but it makes me feel better). Of course, one could argue that she should be even more pissed with her husband, and perhaps she is but can't cut him out of her life the same way she can pretend that the other woman is dead to her.
Multiple choice quiz time: What is most damaging to your children? a) Public schools run by pinko liberals b) The TVs and the Interwebs and the Superbowl Half Time shows full of SMUT c) OMG TEH GAYZ d) Having a father who seems to care more about his own bigoted spouting and 15 min. of fame than, really, anything else*
*I'm taking it that the custody thing was facetious, but I believed it for a second...
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that frankly serves as the best possible rejoinder to anything that Joe the Plumber (or, as Rachel Maddow would put it: Not Joe Not The Plumber) could ever say:
I've been a believer in Geithner up until this point, but I can no longer ignore how nonsensical some of his actions have been. Maybe he's trying to suck on purpose so that he's forced out and the administration appoints Paul Krugman (he would be the grumpiest Papa Smurf treasury chief EVER, and I would love it), or maybe he's just trying to delay actually dealing with the problem until the Treasury is adequately staffed (there are many vacancies in that department and poor Tim Geithner is, I suspect, painfully overworked).
Either way, I'm going to go on the record saying that this bear market rally has no legs because none of the problems in the economy have actually been fixed yet. The market is going to tank again soon, and companies are going to fire more people, and the job market will be even more flooded, and people are going to be VERY angry.
@morninggloria: Why is the Treasury so understaffed?? Surely that's a great way to spend government money and create jobs, classic stimulus! I know State and some of the sneaky services just got craploads of money to go on a big hiring drive this year.
@morninggloria: I don't work in this field, or even really in the field next door, but from my NPR-listening gut, I fear that you're right. It strikes as being like this:
1) The economy tanked.
2) We all heard about it as it was happening, in sooped-up, hi-tech, insta-speed, and freaked the fuck out.
3) The freak out made it way worse, very quickly.
4) A bunch of us (individuals and businesses big and small) finally went "Huh! It hasn't actually hit me yet!", and so started spending again, started moving things around again. Things started to look a bit better.
5) But the economy actually remains, as you noted, decidedly unfixed and eventually, it will hit us. And when it does, it'll be worse -- and yes, people will be fucking mad.
And, 6) The grand plans of our Dear Leader, who I really truly do love (yes, I said "love," damn it!) and want very badly to see succeed, will not come to fruition, because fruition requires A FUNCTIONING ECONOMY. And he will be in very large part to blame for his own failure.
@rah29: It's understaffed because of some of the administration's VERY invasive hiring policies/background checks. It's nearly impossible to qualify to work there, and if you do, you'll get paid less than you'd get paid working at say Morgan Stanley doing the same thing.
@morninggloria: I wonder why there hasn't been more of push to fill these positions. I have tons of friends who are trying to work there. They're extremely qualified but the slow ass HR machine isn't making things happen. Sigh.
@ellaesther: I'm not that down on the President yet. I believe that he can accomplish certain objectives without the financial system getting fixed immediately, and I believe that he HAS accomplished some admirable things. I also am confident that Republicans have done nothing to demonstrate that they have any better ideas (since Republican principles of non-regulation sailed us into the delightful coral reef of financial collapse) and thus don't yet present a viable challenge to Obama in 2012.
That being said, we really need to listen to Paul Krugman more. The government should seize control of Citigroup and Bank of America (at the least) and restructure them, doing the best they can to preserve the jobs of the little people working within and redistributing the big guns to positions that don't present such opportunities for making millions of dollars and fucking zillions of people over.
@Trulymadlyme: aren't there big probs bc of Obama's no lobbyist rule? That's coming around to bite him in the ass. Almost everyone in Washington qualifies as a lobbyist by the book.
@J.D.Regent: Most of my friends who are trying to work at Treasury were bankers who did no lobbying. The government is seriously too slow in hiring people. They claim it's vetting but some of the crap I've seen get by vetters make me think it's mostly apathetic HR people/managers/senior people who will not move more quickly. And also, the slow, inefficient process of setting up and executing an agency's budget.
@Trulymadlyme: Hoo-yah. More gubmint jobs fer the masses. That must be the answer. Geithner is in thrall to Goldman Sachs and will not rest until GS is paid in full. Years of neglect towards real regulation in the industry and the facilitation of financial shenanigans brought us here. Repeal of Glass-Steagall was the huge mistake as was allowing Barney Frank to gasbag-strongarm banks into making more loans available to everybody in the U.S. while he was taking money from FannieMae.
@ellaesther: the economy tanked because there are two economies. The "real" economy which is tied to the sale of goods and services and the "fake" economy which is tied to things like currency speculation... but I'm a hippie armchair economist who promotes things like the Steady State Economy and worships at the altar of herman daly.
@Trulymadlyme: I don't work in government but I DO work for a government contractor. It's a large company that has the same kind of qualifications and bureaucrazy as the Govt does. And let me tell you, the process is as slow as molasses, and part of it is because of the 2930482308 hoops you need to pass through, but I agree with the apathetic staff aspect. Never have I seen people work more slowly and less efficiently than here, and it's all because right now we believe this won't hit us, and frankly, much of the staff here is just trying to cruise to retirement (once their 401Ks recover a bit). People in govt and govt related industries are slow to change, paranoid about people stealing their jobs, and are hopelessly deluded about the security of our industry. The upside -- there will be a rash of retirements once the economy picks up just a little bit, and the job market in govt related industries may get a bit better. I work at a company where more than half of the workforce is up for retirement w/in 10 years. Then again...that just leads to different problems...
@Goethewritesdrivel: I'm not saying that at all. I'm just pointing out that there are people with the necessary expertise trying to get work in the government, which in turn, the government desperately needs. This isn't some liberal bullshit. It's people who are willing to step up in a time of fucking need.
Interestingly, we don't say the same shit of the military contractors (most of whom are unwilling to take government pay) who are doing the same exact thing. And since they aren't actually being hired, they contracts don't have the same bureaucratic bullshit as bringing on a GS employee.
@LibidinousSlut: Ok, I'll be honest: I'm going to have to look that stuff up! But look it up I will. Getting a better handle on what's happening, why it's happening, and how it could happen differently strikes me as a fairly important task for Americans at this point!
@morninggloria: Well, let me clarify: I'm not down on him, really. He has done a lot of really terrific things, in a really short amount of time. I just think that ultimately, if Geithner fails, it's an Obama failure, and that will have repercussions across a whole lot of other plans. And I think that Geithner may very well fail. And this saddens me, really and truly.
@Rare Affinity: Yano, THAT really pisses me off. People want to "protect" their kids from the gheys but have no qualms about letting straight men around them. I guess sexual abuse of girls is less objectionable b/c it's "natural" or something.
@SarahMC: ball-cutting cybersuccubus: This is why if I ever have a child I cannot support, I will immediately turn it over to some gays. The child will be raised to be the anti-Joe-the-Plumber's kids.
The interesting thing about the bailout is that the government might actually end up coming out ahead in the end. Most of the money are lines of credit. We did the same thing for Mexico in the '90's and made money on the loan. Fun fact to counter the doom and gloom.
@Trulymadlyme: Downside is that what we're doing also reeks of what was done in Japan in the mid 1990's, and we all know what happened there.
And I really think that the consumer is going to get screwed here, and I really think that owning a home is going to be permanently out of reach of a LOT of people who could own homes before.
@morninggloria: Really? Interest rates are pretty low and home prices for a lot of areas (like the DC burbs where I grew up) are basically back to where they were in 1996 or 1997. The Japan point is a good one though. This could go both ways.
@morninggloria: I do too. It seems like the wave of job losses has slowed, which is one of the last things to turn around in a recession. Hopefully that bodes well.
My impression is that the problem with the GOP is that people perceive them as being a party who won't stay out of the bedrooms and uteruses of others, the party who resents them smart lib'ruls and their book-larnin', the party of war and deception and evil Robot Overlord Cheney, the party of hypocrisy and anti gay and Larry Craig, the party of damnation and being "saved" and ignoring science, the party of hubris laden ill thought out initiatives that do not work.
I don't understand how Sarah Palin, who embodies almost all of those things, can be a part of the party's rebranding, unless the Republicans think that they can win over the American people by doing all of those things whilst wearing interesting hats.
@morninggloria: "unless the Republicans think that they can win over the American people by doing all of those things whilst wearing interesting hats."
That pretty much is their plan. I read an essay a little while back from a conservative writer that said that the GOP's problem was that they didn't have their own version of Jon Stewart. If the Republicans think that having their own satirist is going to make all of their problems go away, no wonder they are slowly imploding. And don't they already have Dennis Miller? FAIL
@morninggloria: But she sure is purty. Sure, her intellect and policies somewhat akin to a rotten, fetid corpse, but she's cute, dammit. The GOP is hedging their bets that we, as U.S. Americans, will bow at the alter of cute.
@morninggloria: The GOP's problems can all be traced to social conservatism/"the religious right". I'd vote republican if they'd drop this bull shit. I also think they need to stop trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator.
The religious right wants to think they matter, but I think (HOPE) eventually ALL parties realize how useless those people are and totally abandons them. The religious right is oddly expensive to keep around, but they give nothing to society. Why anyone panders to them is beyond me.
@morninggloria: It's because Sarah Palin, Bobby Jindal, and their ilk are not white men, which to the GOP is somehow the equivalent of representing all Americans, but it is really the equivalent of those who preach over and over again that gay marriage is evil, unnatural, and wrong, but don't worry, they're not homophobic because their hairdresser is gay and he seems like a "wonderful person".
@morninggloria: Well exactly. For a minute when they had McCain as the candidate I was like, holy crap, it's Alan Alda from the West Wing, this is going to be fascinating and really full of integrity. And then it was like, oh noes, not so much with the integrity or the whatnot, ps here comes the crazy lady.
@morninggloria: What's interesting is that I could see myself voting for a moderate republican like Olympia Snowe, for instance. I find it nuts that the GOP continues to ignore the vast group of people who would support a moderate.
@Trulymadlyme: I adore Olympia Snowe. I'm as liberal as they come, but I think she is an amazing senator who really has the best interests of her constituents at heart. Doesn't she fly up to Maine on the weekends and tour different cities and towns to see what the people care about?
@greengrey: Indeed. I did vote Republican until this bullshit really kicked up under GWB. I would consider going back if they would just stick to fiscal conservatism and stay the hell out of people's private lives. But I don't see that happening under any of the jokers running the part right now.
@morninggloria: @pandorasmittens: Palin, Jindal and, for as long as he still has a job, Steele, are the GOP's version of interesting hats. They aren't older white men so the GOP stalwarts must think people are dumb enough to believe the party's really different because the same old crap is coming out of brand-new mouths.
@Trulymadlyme: But their calculation is that it's better to appeal to a hardcore fringe who will get out and work the polls and vote as opposed to trying to hit independents, who I think are (incorrectly) viewed as apathetic.
(I used to be a moderate Republican, so I've been on the receiving end of RINO crap.)
@Sputnik_Sweetheart: She does. And she's actually be incredibly active in working with Maine's immigrant communities (mostly Somali) by setting up programs to help small businesses. She's awesome. And completely ignored/maligned by her party.
@hacienda51: Yeah, I think it basically comes down to this. The social conservatives are the loudest and most visible part of their contingent and they have the party by the short hairs because they can get scary and batshit when they suspect defection.
The top Republican political operators, I suspect, are hoping that the American public will tire of one party in charge without paying close attention to the details of what actually gets done and fear that if they make an earnest effort at moderate appeal then the social conservatives will secede and start the Teabagging Party or something.
Just when I thought I couldn't hate JTP any more, he has to go and prove me wrong. Good luck trying to keep gay people away from your kids. Your kids probably know a lot of gay people and don't even know it.
@J.D.Regent: Because he's being investigated for misuse of campaign funds and Elizabeth has a book coming out. They're just trying to control some of the P.R.
@linnyt is a walking cliché: It makes me so sad that THIS is what the book is about (or seems to be about). She has been reduced to a woman who was cheated on. She has allowed it. Arrgh.
@J.D.Regent: I agree. It seems rather tasteless to me.
And also, requesting that the mistress' name not be used honestly strikes me as very middle-school. It'd be one thing if she refused to answer any questions about her husband's affair because she wanted to focus on her own ideas. That's fine (and honestly, probably preferable). But to refuse to say/hear the mistress' name seems really lame to me.
@blueberrypancake: yeah. It is hard to know what I would do in a similar situation but I feel like she should just be cut and dried, almost clinical about it in public, however she feels in private. Disallowing the name seems a touch dramatic. But maybe it's a libel worry?
@blueberrypancake: I can kind of understand the name thing. I once forgave a cheat (not a good idea). But anytime I heard him or anyone else mention the name of the girl he cheated with my skin would crawl. But I also didn't go on Oprah and talk about it.
@blueberrypancake: I thought that was generally the way it was done. Plus, if Rielle is as fame seeking as she has sorta sounded in the past, then Elizabeth doesn't want to feed into that. Plus it's not about her, it's about the Edwards' relationship. And also, it's not the other woman that is important as much as the fact that John Edwards is the one that did that to his wife.
I think there's alot of reasons to not use her name, and they're all actually pretty mature. If the Edwards want to try and work through all this, it's about the two of them and their relationship, and dragging around the name of a specific person and everything that they've done only hurts things. (Can you tell I've had to work through a bf having told me way too much about past gfs and the details of their relationships?)
@AlmostZooey: I guess I feel like if they want to try to work through this and focus on their relationship, she should just refuse to talk to other people about it. The whole "OMG don't say her name around me!" just seems super dramatic. But hey, whatever helps her deal with her asshole husband's infidelity.
@blueberrypancake: Well I don't think it's coming from a "Don't say her name around me!" place. It's more, let's not give this other force any power or meaning. It's that this woman doesn't matter, it could've been anyone, what matters is what John Edwards did. HIS act. Rielle doesn't matter in their relationship, and so why make her a participant in everything they do from now on? Their interviews aren't about the other woman, it's about what John did, and what Elizabeth has had to struggle through consequently.
@AlmostZooey: I'm trying hard to see it that way, and you make some good points but I can't help but think that requesting that the name of the mistress not be named in her presence is not particularly realistic or politically savvy. If they're going to do the press tour, wouldn't it be better to discuss the matter in full as it pertains to the public sphere?
Unfortunately for both Edwards that is going to include the appearance of financial shady-ness and Rielle's name is directly tied to that.
Far be it from me to condemn a woman in a terrible situation, but it seems like it would only stir up more gossip and speculation of this kind. I just find it jarring coming from a woman of Elizabeth Edwards' obvious strength and intelligence.
Michelle Bachmann is the mayor, self-appointed Queen, and Grand Poo-bah of Crazytown.
The thing is, I thought she was, initially, just spewing the nonsense that GOP hardliners wanted to hear. Now it is quite obvious that she actually believes it. AHH!
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On the other man, it's brutal. And I hope she isn't saying anything on Oprah that her kids don't already know. Kids are usually pretty smart though, and are probably picking up on the "things aren't great" vibe between John and Elizabeth.
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What is most damaging to your children?
a) Public schools run by pinko liberals
b) The TVs and the Interwebs and the Superbowl Half Time shows full of SMUT
c) OMG TEH GAYZ
d) Having a father who seems to care more about his own bigoted spouting and 15 min. of fame than, really, anything else*
*I'm taking it that the custody thing was facetious, but I believed it for a second...
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e) ALL OF THE ABOVE
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Hmmm...that would explain why the MN 6th district is the capitol of Political Fan Fiction......
I know your secret, Bachmann!
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Ahem.
"Joe the Plumber? Meet Barack the President."
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Either way, I'm going to go on the record saying that this bear market rally has no legs because none of the problems in the economy have actually been fixed yet. The market is going to tank again soon, and companies are going to fire more people, and the job market will be even more flooded, and people are going to be VERY angry.
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1) The economy tanked.
2) We all heard about it as it was happening, in sooped-up, hi-tech, insta-speed, and freaked the fuck out.
3) The freak out made it way worse, very quickly.
4) A bunch of us (individuals and businesses big and small) finally went "Huh! It hasn't actually hit me yet!", and so started spending again, started moving things around again. Things started to look a bit better.
5) But the economy actually remains, as you noted, decidedly unfixed and eventually, it will hit us. And when it does, it'll be worse -- and yes, people will be fucking mad.
And, 6) The grand plans of our Dear Leader, who I really truly do love (yes, I said "love," damn it!) and want very badly to see succeed, will not come to fruition, because fruition requires A FUNCTIONING ECONOMY. And he will be in very large part to blame for his own failure.
Oy li. Not happy today.
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That being said, we really need to listen to Paul Krugman more. The government should seize control of Citigroup and Bank of America (at the least) and restructure them, doing the best they can to preserve the jobs of the little people working within and redistributing the big guns to positions that don't present such opportunities for making millions of dollars and fucking zillions of people over.
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Interestingly, we don't say the same shit of the military contractors (most of whom are unwilling to take government pay) who are doing the same exact thing. And since they aren't actually being hired, they contracts don't have the same bureaucratic bullshit as bringing on a GS employee.
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And I really think that the consumer is going to get screwed here, and I really think that owning a home is going to be permanently out of reach of a LOT of people who could own homes before.
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I don't understand how Sarah Palin, who embodies almost all of those things, can be a part of the party's rebranding, unless the Republicans think that they can win over the American people by doing all of those things whilst wearing interesting hats.
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That pretty much is their plan. I read an essay a little while back from a conservative writer that said that the GOP's problem was that they didn't have their own version of Jon Stewart. If the Republicans think that having their own satirist is going to make all of their problems go away, no wonder they are slowly imploding. And don't they already have Dennis Miller? FAIL
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The religious right wants to think they matter, but I think (HOPE) eventually ALL parties realize how useless those people are and totally abandons them. The religious right is oddly expensive to keep around, but they give nothing to society. Why anyone panders to them is beyond me.
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(I used to be a moderate Republican, so I've been on the receiving end of RINO crap.)
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The top Republican political operators, I suspect, are hoping that the American public will tire of one party in charge without paying close attention to the details of what actually gets done and fear that if they make an earnest effort at moderate appeal then the social conservatives will secede and start the Teabagging Party or something.
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And also, requesting that the mistress' name not be used honestly strikes me as very middle-school. It'd be one thing if she refused to answer any questions about her husband's affair because she wanted to focus on her own ideas. That's fine (and honestly, probably preferable). But to refuse to say/hear the mistress' name seems really lame to me.
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I think there's alot of reasons to not use her name, and they're all actually pretty mature. If the Edwards want to try and work through all this, it's about the two of them and their relationship, and dragging around the name of a specific person and everything that they've done only hurts things. (Can you tell I've had to work through a bf having told me way too much about past gfs and the details of their relationships?)
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Unfortunately for both Edwards that is going to include the appearance of financial shady-ness and Rielle's name is directly tied to that.
Far be it from me to condemn a woman in a terrible situation, but it seems like it would only stir up more gossip and speculation of this kind. I just find it jarring coming from a woman of Elizabeth Edwards' obvious strength and intelligence.
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The thing is, I thought she was, initially, just spewing the nonsense that GOP hardliners wanted to hear. Now it is quite obvious that she actually believes it. AHH!