►Wingnut Alert: A number of lawsuits have been filed, challenging the citizenship of the president-elect. This is, of course, ridiculous, and has been proven to be untrue. Does anything stop the wingnuts? Tomorrow, one of these lawsuits will be discussed by the Supreme Court, who will turn it down.
“The justices of the U.S. Supreme Court will tomorrow
discuss whether or not it should take up the case of Leo C. Donofrio, Applicant, v. Nina Mitchell Wells, New Jersey Secretary of State, a case that challenges the citizenship of President-elect Obama.
After the Justices meet -- and assuredly decline to hear the matter -- the anti-Obama activists supporting the case will hold a vigil near the steps of the highest Court in the land.”Jake Tapper - ABC News
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►Doom and gloom economic predictions from Krugman and O'Neill. Former Treasury secretary, Paul O'Neill, on the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
“If the United States doesn't get its finances in order, the coming years will make the current recession "look like a child's birthday party," said former Treasury secretary and Alcoa chairman Paul O'Neill.
"We're headed for the wall at lightning speed. And every day that we don't deal with that set of problems is another day closer to absolutely vaporizing our economy," he said.
"Not to overstate the problem."”
And noted economist, Paul Krugman, today on his NYT blog:
“I’ve been ruminating over economic prospects for next year, and I’m getting scared.
Two points:
1. The economy is falling fast. We’ll see what tomorrow’s employment report says, but we could well be losing jobs at a rate of 450,000 or 500,000 a month.
2. Infrastructure spending will take time to get going -- a new Goldman Sachs report suggests that projects that are "shovel-ready" are probably only a few tens of billions worth, and that a larger effort would take much of a year to get going. Meanwhile, it's very questionable how much effect tax rebates will have on consumer demand. So it may be hard for stimulus to get much traction until late 2009 -- and that's even if Congress goes along, which may be a problem given all the bad analysis and disinformation out there.
So here's what I'm wondering: will it, in fact, even be possible to pull the economy out of its nosedive before unemployment goes into double digits? I'm starting to wonder.”
Scary.
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►Automakers in tough hearing in the Senate today. I really believe that they are doing what the American public wants, and unfortunately, I don't believe that the A. public in general, understands the ramifications of letting them go under. Why does the financial services industry always get what they ask for, including the ability to abuse taxpayer money ------>AIG comes to mind----yet other industries are forced to beg
An AP report on the hearings:.
“WASHINGTON — Desperate U.S. automakers ran into fresh obstacles from skeptical lawmakers Thursday as they appealed with rising urgency _ and a new dose of humility _ for a $34 billion bailout. Without help, said one senator, "we're looking at a death sentence."
With lawmakers in both parties pressing the automakers to consider a pre-negotiated bankruptcy _ something they have consistently shunned _ the Big Three were contemplating a government-run restructuring that could yield results similar to bankruptcy, including massive downsizing, in return for the bailout billions. But there was no assurance they could get even that.”
Scroll down a bit in this post for more on the hearings today.
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►Gop Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is looking at a run for governor of Texas in 2010.
“AUSTIN – Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison filed papers today establishing an exploratory committee to run for Texas governor in 2010. The filing clears the way for Ms. Hutchison to open a campaign office and begin raising money to challenge Gov. Rick Perry for the Republican nomination.”
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►US automakers back in Washington. They have made massive changes in their plans, they are selling jets, and they are dead serious. Why do Wall St. and the banking industry get a pass, and the automakers get busted? Congress is playing to the people, imo. And if they make the wrong move, it will be a very serious mistake.
“WASHINGTON — Humbled U.S. automakers are pleading with Congress to approve an expanded $34 billion rescue package to save their troubled industry. But Detroit's Big Three auto executives face continued skepticism from lawmakers in an encore appearance on Capitol Hill.”
Image: General Motors CEO Richard Wagoner, left, arrived on Capitol Hill for a hearing before the Senate Banking Committee on Thursday in Washington. Image courtesy of Doug Mills/NYT
:: Big Three Automaker Bailout: Hearing, Statements, Video - HUFFPO
:: Live Blog: The Automakers Plead » NYT
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►In the past, deputies in an administration have wielded tremendous influence over policy. We need to pay as much attention to the individuals chosen for "second tier jobs" as we do to those chosen for cabinet appointments. I know that this is true because I have had personal experience with it, and it requires some scrutiny at any level of government.
“WASHINGTON — We all know who the new secretary of state will be in president-elect Barack Obama’s administration.
But we don’t yet know most of the second-tier appointees — people who may appear to have obscure jobs but who could end up being immensely powerful.”
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►A couple of interesting opinion pieces on the Huffington Post today -- one by Queen Noor, on Hillary Clinton, and another by John Kerry on Obama's national security team.
“Hillary Clinton will be a strong, effective Secretary of State in the new Obama administration.
I observed first hand her commitment to peace and justice during the presidency of Bill Clinton, when Jordan's King Hussein, my late husband, and I worked closely with the Clintons in an attempt to achieve a Middle East peace.”
“An old British Prime Minister was once asked what were the greatest challenges that a statesman faces. His response was simple: "Events, dear boy, events."
This week we got a tragic and searing reminder from Mumbai, India, of the scope and scale of the challenges that President-elect Obama, his team, and all of us will face in the months and years ahead.”
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►Obama legal advisors met with anti-torture generals Wednesday, in order to begin a dialogue re righting the unethical policies of the Bush administration related to torture used during interrogations.
“The generals would like to see authority rescinded for the CIA to use harsh interrogation methods that go beyond those approved for use by the military; an end to the secret transfer of prisoners to other governments that have a history of torture; and the closing of the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base..”
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►Sen. Harry Reid's top Republican opposition candidate indicted.
“Nevada Republicans suffered a serious blow Wednesday when their first announced challenger to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was indicted on four counts of misappropriation and falsification of public records.
The charges, handed down by a Clark County grand jury, accuse Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki of committing the crimes when he he was state treasurer. Krolicki's then-chief of staff, Kathryn Besser, was also indicted in the case.”
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