Via FDL, Krugman and Reich as the anti-Ezra Kleins:

And Schumer on MTP:

Some folks are willing to fight for the public option. Too bad none of them are in the White House.

One of the interesting (and insane, imo) developments of the primary madness last year was how people like Paul Krugman became "bad progressives" due to their skepticism about Barack Obama's political style while others, like Andrew Sullivan and Joe Klein (and many others like them) became newly treasured voices of the "Progressive" blogosphere. It amused me but also angered me. The Sully love in particular, given his history of racism, sexism and McCarthyism. While Obama himself has made the disdain visited upon Krugman and those like him as ridiculous as it always should have been, via Digby, animai provides a classic debunking of the lionization of the Sullys and Kleins of the world:

This is the summer of Joe Klein, resurgent. He's been washed in the blood of the lamb and, like Andrew "fifth column" Sullivan wishes to be welcomed back into the liberal punditin' fold. Every time he says something mildly rational about the irrationality of our current Republican opposition--"nihilists" was good--he gets an approving link from someone in the blogosphere [MORE . . .]

Marijuana is Safer: So Why Are We Driving People to Drink? is now available for immediate delivery. It's already #11 on the Amazon Bestseller list for new releases. It may be the best-selling marijuana book to date on Amazon.

Written by Mason Tvert, Paul Armentano and Steve Fox, with a foreward by former Seattle police chief Norm Stamper, the book argues marijuana is a safer recreational alternative to other substances like alcohol.

If you're in the neighborhood, there will be a launch event for the book Sunday at 2 p.m. at 8 Rivers Cafe, 1550 Blake St. in Denver. The book's Facebook page, with 4,700 members right now, is here.

Who's giving up on the public option? Not us.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Congratulations Ezra! You too are now part of the Beltway Media! Steve Pearlstein makes it official:

It's Time to Give Up On the Public Option

. . . [T]here was Howard Dean, the former Democratic Party chairman, over the weekend declaring that health reform without a public option simply isn't worth doing. My colleague Ezra Klein pointed out on his must-read blog that Dr. Dean's fascination with a public option is rather recent since it was nowhere to be found in the reform plan he proposed when running for president in 2004.

Or how about MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, who opined that the failure to deliver on a public option would represent nothing less than the "collapse of political ambition" for American liberalism? The public option has become for the left what "death panels" have become for the right -- an easily understood metaphor that can be used to wage an ideological war over the issue of Big Government, and mostly a sideshow.

(Emphasis supplied.) You've made it Ezra. Enjoy the cocktails.

UPDATE: Ezra is "shocked" to find himself used as a cudgel against the public option. Bah.

Speaking for me only

Too funny. The cast for the upcoming season of Dancing With the Stars was announced today. Making the cut: Former Congressman Tom DeLay.

DWTS will feature its first politician — former Congressman Tom DeLay— on the season's Sept. 21 (8 ET/PT) premiere. DeLay, 62, served as House Majority leader until he was forced to step down following a 2005 Texas grand jury indictment on money laundering charges. Known as "the Hammer" for his dealing with political opponents, the polarizing Republican's legal woes remain unresolved.

"I really am a big fan of the show," says DeLay, an open supporter of Sara Evans when the country singer competed in Season 3. "I couldn't believe they asked me to do this. It didn't take me five minutes to agree. I've been working out like crazy."

I wonder if Rod Blagojevich applied. [More...]

Ezra Klein:

The question has never been whether the White House supports the public option. It's whether Congress -- and, in particular, the Senate -- has the votes to pass it. Sebelius's statement this week does not change the administration's position. But it is being widely reported because it comes in context of the sagging popularity of health-care reform, and the changing conventional wisdom on the legislative politics. Namely, many think it increasingly likely that the White House will have to compromise on the public option because it will not be able to find sufficient votes in the Senate and is growing more desperate for a deal. That may or may not be true, but that's the actual story here. Blowing up Sebelius's comments is just a backdoor way of getting at it.

(Emphasis supplied.) My gawd. The timing here, like most everything in life, is of course the issue. We are nearing endgame in the bargaining on health care reform and having Sebelius say what she did on the Sunday morning shows NOW is of course the issue. Is Ezra pretending he does not know that? But let's face it, Ezra has been acting as a tool for the Obama Administration on this issue all year. It's one thing to not care about the public option and Ezra really never has. That's fine. But stop pretending that this is nothing. You just look foolish.

Speaking for me only

Yesterday at the anniversary concert: [More...]

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone - Jesus Christ

Via Steve Benen, Bruce Bartlett writes:

I believe that political parties should do penance for their mistakes and just losing power is not enough. . . . One reason this isn't happening is because the media don't treat Republicans as if they are discredited. . . . Just look at the silly issue of death panels. The media should have laughed it out the window, ridiculed it or at least ignored it once it was determined that there was no basis to the charge. Instead, those making the most outlandish charges are treated with deference and respect . . .

(Emphasis supplied.) There is a reason the Media does that. The Media needs to do penance for its mistakes too. As do many Democrats. Start with Max Baucus. Then follow with Ben Nelson. Bush acolytes both in the early part of the decade. And the new progressive lion Lawrence O'Donnell, who worked for Moynihan when he was playing Max Baucus in 1993-4. But it goes further back than that. Bob Somerby catches Lehrer, Shields and Brooks in the act again . . .

Count me out for the Whole Foods Boycott.

The CEO John Mackey wrote an op-ed opposing health care reform in the Wall St. Journal.

Whole Foods is a grocery store that apparently provides decent health insurance to its employees. The boycott, if successful, could lead to employee layoffs. What best interest does that serve?

Who cares what this guy thinks? If he was advocating a change in the law so Whole Foods could terminate their employees' coverage and institute a policy that Whole Foods workers would have to pay their own premiums or go without insurance, I could see the battle-cry.

As it is, he's just one more capitalist that doesn't think health care is a right guaranteed to all. Others can and should feel free to disagree.

I want to protect the workers, so I'm not boycotting Whole Foods over the stupid remarks of its CEO.

How does it feel
To be on your own
With no direction home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?

Bob Dylan found out today when stopped by a 24 year old police officer and asked for identification. He had no ID on him, but said he was Bob Dylan and that he was just taking a stroll before his show. The police officer still didn't recognize him. She and another officer took him back to the hotel where he was vouched for by tour staff. The officer said he was very polite.

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.

Green Day is in town, playing at the Pepsi Center tomorrow night. If anyone wants to see them beforehand, they are staying at the Westin. (I was at the gym which is across the street and saw their huge tour bus parked outside.)

This is an open thread, all topics welcome.