Chart of the day.

Via Scott Nance at On The Hill...

A random ten is like a box of chocolates.

Chow down...

David Bowie - All The Young Dudes
Jimmy LaFave - One Too Many Mornings
The Kinks - You Really Got Me
Lucy Kaplansky - The Angels Rejoiced Last Night
Freddy Fender - The Wild Side Of Life
Chuck Berry - Roll Over Beethoven
Steve Earle - No Place To Fall
The Heptones - Our Day Will Come
Delaney & Bonnie - Comin' Home
Emmylou Harris - If I Could Only Win Your Love

Stuff I know…

…regardless of - or despite - the internet...

You might be - I am - but the country is not broke.

There is no "the" Tea Party.

President Obama was born in Hawaii, U.S.A.

There has always been class war. My side has been losing for quite awhile.

If they say it isn't about race, it's about race.

And, of course...

Yep.

Atrios...

The people in charge have the knowledge, power, and ability to fix things. They have chosen not to.

True enough, and yet we, or so we're told, have chosen them.

Go figure.

Chart of the day.

From Jessica Hagy at Indexed…

Good question…

…or two from David Weigel…

In the seven years and four months of George W. Bush’s presidency after 9/11, how many times did reporters ask “9/11 Truth” questions in White House briefings? How many times did they ask it of the president himself?

Cartoon of the day.

Jeff Danziger via Anne Laurie...



Bring 'em home!

Quote of the day.

President Obama...

We do not have time for this kind of silliness.

He's talking about the birther nonsense, but the broader application is obvious.

From the "Me neither" file.

Me neither.

Actually, it's probably too late for me (no savings, no pension and, well, not much time...), but we oughta do what we can for the kid.

Hat tip to AFL-CIO NOW.

What Nate Silver said…

…here, about…

…the largely irrelevant news about Haley Barbour not running for president.

It means no more than the apparently impending announcement from Ron Paul.

Neither of these men will ever be President of the United States.

That's just one reason I'm proud to be an American.

Insert random headline here.

Insert random ten below:

Slaid Cleaves - White Rose
Leyla Fences - This Close
Dar Williams - As Cool As I Am
Johnny Cash - Engine 143
XTC - Grass
Big Bill Broonzy - Trouble In Mind
Commander Cody - I Took Three Bennies And My Semi Truck Won't Start
Betty Everett - You're No Good
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Loose
Bobby Byrd - I Know You Got Soul

Map of the day.

Via The Daily Dish...

Good question..

...from Heather at Crooks And Liars...

Why Can't MSNBC Have a Debate on Race or Immigration Without Including Their Favorite Racist, Uncle Pat Buchanan?

I don't know why anybody talks to the bigoted bully about anything at all. His feelings are well known, widely published and generally ignored.

MSNBC, we're tired of your racist friend.

Quote of the day.

Robert Reich...

The Republican plan shouldn't be considered one side of a great debate. It shouldn't be considered at all.

He's talking about the budget plan, but the idea is worthy of more general, indeed universal, application.

What digby said…

…here.

It's not a math problem it's a politics problem.

Well, that and a politicians who can't do math problem.

Shut up, she explained.

Michele trumps Donald...

Michele Bachmann says questions about President Obama's birth certificate have been settled.

I mean, that's it then, isn't it?

Oh, this could get fun...

Be afraid. Be very afraid…

…because...

Whatever her many drawbacks -- quitting governor, spectacularly failed vice-presidential candidate, reality TV buffoon, etc -- as long as Trump is out there bellowing, Palin is not the most ludicrous Republican candidate extant.

Well, maybe not that afraid, but pretty nervous, anyway.

From the "Stuff I learned on the internet" file.

Until Alan Abramowitz said it on the internet, I didn't know that...

...straight-ticket voting is much more prevalent now than it was 30 or 40 years ago.

…but I'm happy to hear it. It's been my policy for, well, for about 40 years. Glad folks are catching on and catching up.

Good advice…

…from Mike Appleton...

[T]he best way to stop someone from playing the race card is to quit dealing it.

Some good advice from me, too - if you're ever going to follow a link from this place, the one to Appleton's full post is one to follow.

Hat tip to Ted McLaughlin.

Wonder where the money went?

The AFL-CIO has a notion...

While 25 million unemployed and underemployed U.S. workers are drowning, CEO pay skyrocketed by 23 percent, for an average salary of $11.4 million in 2010, according to the AFL-CIO Executive PayWatch. Released today, data compiled at PayWatch also show CEOs have done little to create badly-needed jobs, instead sitting on a record $1.93 trillion in cash on their balance sheets.

I think they're on to something.

Good question…

…from John Arivosis…

Why do we poll Americans on issues about which they haven't a clue?

Maybe because there'd be so little to ask so many of them about otherwise.

There oughta be a law…

…but at least we've got Weiner's Rule...

One, don't make dumb proposals.

Simple enough, and sufficient to put the Republicans out of business.

You push the first valve down...

...the music goes round and round and comes out random...

Little Feat - Rock And Roll Doctor
Arthur Alexander - Anna (Go To Him)
Doc Watson - Steel Guitar Rag
Carl Perkins - Matchbox
Round Robin - Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann
Emmylou Harris & Steve Earle - If I Needed You
Curtis Mayfield - Make Me Believe In You
Elvis Costello - Waiting For The End Of The World
Kate Wolf - These Days
The Capitols - Cool Jerk

Spoiler alert.

Roy Edroso has the bottom line on Atlas Shrugged...

The secret ingredient in Rand's Objectivist tale is magic beans.

Stay tuned for Part 2: Atlas Farts.

From the "Wild about Harry" file.

The Senate Majority Leader...

The Republican plan to end Medicare and immediately raise prescription drug costs for seniors in order to pay for millionaire tax breaks will never pass the Senate.

Sic 'em, Harry!

Wonder where the money went?

Streak offers a clue...

From the "Love is a many splendored thing" file.

RJ Eskow shares the object of his affection

...I love the way these conservatives say they'd lay down their lives for their country, but if you ask them to pay four pennies on the dollar on six-figure income,that's dictatorship!

Heh™.

The pondering continues apace…

…as I contemplate Big Answers to the Big Questions. Meanwhile, President Obama logs an entry in the "Just the facts" file...

The fact is, their vision is less about reducing the deficit than it is about changing the basic social compact in America.

That's a fact. My opinion? They're about destroying the basic social compact in America and the Constitution that sustains it. That's why I keep telling you that...

Fear not...

...I'm around and about. Scooping up all the work hours I can get and pondering some long form posts about wars and primaries and budgets and other matters in the news.

I've got some time tagged for just that purpose over the next couple days, maybe even some overnight action in a bit. Hang in there with me...

Signs of the times.

Thousands of 'em in Olympia…




My peeps!

More photos at the P.I.

Hat tip to Carl.

Nor this...

Tom Levenson...

I’m not going to scream at the Democrats for perceived weakness, nor for a propensity to bargain badly. We do not as a rule view damaging America in the pursuit of political advantage to be acceptable. That leaves us vulnerable every time the GOP cozies up to barrel of dynamite, smoldering cigar in hand.

Me neither.

I'm fully afffirmative about this, though...

There’s nothing left to save in the party of Lincoln. Whatever we can do to help them go the way of the Whigs, we must…

Like I always say sometimes...

Got random if you want it...

Bonnie Raitt - Angel From Montgomery
Chuck Berry - Rock And Roll Music
Madeleine Peyroux - I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter
Townes Van Zandt - My Proud Mountains
Jefferson Airplane - Wooden Ships
Taj Mahal - Ain't Gwine Whistle Dixie (Any Mo')
Waylon Jennings - Ladies Love Outlaws
Bob Dylan - Hard Times (Come Again No More)
Pete Seeger - The Power And The Glory
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walkin'

From the "Me neither" file.

President Obama...

"I'm not yet prepared to express wild optimism."

Me neither.

A public service announcement...

…from the General...

Lose something? Call Waukesha County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus at 262-548-7010 and ask her to check her computer.

It's not about abortion.

Hat tip to AmericaBlog.

If it doesn't work…

…fix it. That's the plan from my own personal State Senator...

Sen. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, introduced Senate Bills 5922 and 5923 which will provide oversight of tax expenditures through audits. If it is learned that the tax subsidy no longer serves its purpose or the entity hasn’t live up to its end of the bargain, the state will be able to recoup money through a so called “clawback” provision.

I hope my neighbors in the 32nd are as grateful for Maralyn's efforts on our behalf as I'm sure folks all across Washington are grateful for the choice we made last year. Kudos, too, to State Rep. Bob Hasegawa, who's carrying the bill on the House side.

You can fool some of the people some of the time…

…and, apparently, about 25% of the people all of the time.

Good question…

…from the Rude Pundit, who has a good, if, well, rude answer to go with it…

If a Democrat had proposed a budget that radically cut the military, raised the top tax rate by nearly a third, ended all the wars, created a national health care system through a new payroll tax (thus relieving businesses of a huge financial burden), expanded EPA and food safety enforcement, and jacked up discretionary spending on education, scientific research, and more, and still yielded trillions of dollars in long-term savings, and then explained the document by saying, "This isn't a budget. This is a cause," do you think that that Democrat would have been hailed as "courageous" by any Republicans?

For the record, however anyone else, Republican or otherwise, might hail such a proposal, around here it'd get a resounding amen.

Template of the day.

This would have been handy back in my days as an ink stained maven of the mimeographed manifesto...



Heck, could come in handy tomorrow if I'm in the right mood...

From the "Me too" file.

Joan Walsh at Salon...

As the great Michael Harrington used to say, when it comes to electoral politics, I stand on "the left wing of the possible," and that's about where I believe Obama is.

Me too. Hat tip to Howie.

From the "Cunning Plan" file.

Brad Reed figures out where the jobs are. They're hidden behind...

...the real magic of the Ryan proposal: That it will act as a massive stimulus program for the corpse-removal industry.

Teapublican America. You're either on the cart or you're off the cart.

I know not what course others may choose to take...

...but as for me...

You want the truth?

OK, then, via Robert Reich...

Here’s the truth: The only way America can reduce the long-term budget deficit, maintain vital services, protect Social Security and Medicare, invest more in education and infrastructure, and not raise taxes on the working middle class is by raising taxes on the super rich.

Anybody who talks about deficits without talking about revenue doesn't really care about deficits. Or you.

Signs of the times.

Hat tip to John Moyers.

What John Cole said.

Here…

Anyone dumb enough to pay money to Charlie Sheen deserves what they get. End of story.

Pop quiz!

From Mr. Natural…

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is:

(A) A trade group representing small businesses, like your favorite restaurant or a local car dealership.
(B) Related to the United States Department of Commerce, a federal government agency.
(C) The official voice of the entire business community.
(D) Ruthless lobbyists who push unsustainable policies that benefit multinational corporations at the expense of people and businesses on Main Streets across America.

You don't really need an answer key, do you?

Random doesn't have to mean eclectic...

...but it can. In this case, I think it does. The random ten...

Ray LaMontagne & The Pariah Dogs - Devil's In The Jukebox
Johnny Cash - I Heard That Lonesome Whistle Blow
Mavis Staples - Creep Along Moses
The Proclaimers - Long Black Veil
Jefferson Airplane - It's No Secret
Elizabeth Cotton - Shake Sugaree
Billy Bragg & Wilco - California Stars
Eddi Reader - Ae Fond Kiss
Jerry Garcia & David Grisman - She Belongs To Me
Kasey Chambers - Changed The Locks

Wonder where the money went?

Another clue from USA Today…

At a time most employees can barely remember their last substantial raise, median CEO pay jumped 27% in 2010 as the executives’ compensation started working its way back to prerecession levels, a USA TODAY analysis of data from GovernanceMetrics International found. Workers in private industry, meanwhile, saw their compensation grow just 2.1% in the 12 months ended December 2010, says the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

They're taking their class war nuclear.