Sunday, December 14, 2008

PREFACE:

On ABC’s This Week, John McCain said that he was the “loyal opposition,” stressing “loyal.” He insisted that now was the time when everyone should “work together” to solve our nation’s problems. No, there was nothing about “stand up and fight.” That was yesterday’s cry.

On FOX News Sunday, Senator Bob Corker still insists that they can deal with the auto industry bailout legislatively, but he said that the President could include the necessary conditions on the TARP money if he so chose. Senator Deb Stabenow blamed the “Republican leadership” and insisted that “only the workers have sacrificed.” Corker said that the UAW wouldn’t deal because, they said, they knew they’d get the money from the White House regardless of what Corker wanted.

Next on FNS, Illinois State House Republican Leader Tom Cross stated the need for a special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by Obama’s sudden but expected resignation. Abner Mikva was amenable to this if it is what the legislature chose, but he pointed out that it would take time and cost money.

On NBC’s Meet the Press, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan of Chicago said that she was not politically conflicted in this matter because she is the “lawyer for the people of Illinois.” Their Lieutenant Governor, Pat Quinn, said that we should ignore his earlier statement that Blago is both “honest” and “of integrity,” because Blago once threw him out of his administration. Also, he thinks that either he or Blago should appoint a temporary Senator until the real one can be selected by special election, giving an advantage to the appointed Dem.

On CBS’s Face the Nation, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, told host Bob Schieffer that the term “disability” she’s using in her suit to have Blago (D) removed is not defined only as a physical or mental disability. In his next segment, Senator Bob Corker said his failed Senate compromise bill was to imitate the Chapter 11 process without the stigma of having to declare bankruptcy. Senator Carl Levin intoned that the Chinese auto industry was asking the PRC government for loans. Senator Sherrod Brown emitted a low-pitched buzz and a shrill squeak. Communication, yes, but not as we know it.

On CNN’s Late Edition, I saw host Wolf Blitzer talk to journalists about the Blagojevich (D) situation then turned to Stephen Moore and Gene Sperling. Moore favors the bankruptcy route as it would help the auto industry by forcing real restructuring, while Sperling said that he’s tired of everybody picking on the UAW.

MCCAIN ON TW. George Stephanopoulos’s guest on ABC’s This Week was Senator John McCain (R-Arizona). He was the cuddly consensus guy again, and more power to ‘im, etc.

“I would hope [Blago] would resign.” (Rather than be thrown out or declared mentally ill.) McCain is confident that Obama’s peeps will give all the information they have relating to their role in this matter, but he said that despite how the RNC feels, “we should not be working together constructively.” On the economy and that. McCain sees his job as part of the “loyal opposition,” and he said he stressed the word “loyal.” This is “where we can work together.”

McCain talked of CHANGE as “systemic change, no a short term attack on our economic difficulties.” Steph was quick to interject that President-elect Obama has talked about our long term difficulties, and I suppose he has.

McCain talked of the dangers in India, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan – and he added that Israel was “unsettled.” He called on everyone to “work together.”

Steph pointed out that McCain had signed a harsh report which blamed former Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld for the torture at Guantanamo Bay. Steph asked how Rumsfeld should be punished for this, and McCain mumbled that “history will render harsh judgment” and the committee has done its job, etc.

He has reversed his “stand up and fight” cry of the late campaign.

CORKER AND STABENOW ON FNS. On FOX News Sunday, host Chris Wallace’s first guests were Senators Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) and Deb Stabenow (D-Michigan). Wallace talked about the bailout bill which failed in the Senate last week and President Bush’s threat to bypass the legislature and take the money out of the TARP funds. Senator Corker said that he thought this could be dealt with legislatively, but the President could also put the necessary conditions on the TARP funds. Stabenow countered that every other country is bailing out their auto industries; only the United States is being stubborn and backwards.

Wallace played a clip from the UAW’s Ron Gettelfinger screeching that Republicans wants only to crush the unions. Corker said that he has been a “card-carrying union member.” He pointed out that an agreement to save the auto industry was ready to be passed when the UAW stepped in and stopped it. Corker said that he talked to Gettelfinger himself, and the UAW president insisted that Bush was going to give them TARP whether Corker did anything or not.

Deb Stabenow declared that the “Republican leadership did not want an agreement!” She insisted: “We have an economy on the edge, and people should not play games with this!”

Corker said, “This is time for shared sacrifice.” Stabenow retorted, “Only the workers have sacrificed.”

CROSS AND MIKVA ON FNS. Next up for Wallace on FOX News Sunday were Illinois State Representative Tom Cross, their House Republican leader, and Obama crony Abner Mikva. Cross insisted that the State needs a “special election” to fill Obama’s seat. Mikva said that he was fine with this, but elections take time and money. The State legislature, he said, should make the decision on what to do.

Wallace wondered If Illinois” Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich (D) would sign the special elections bill if it passed the legislature, and Cross answered that he had no idea what Blagojevich (D) would do. He also insisted that the State would be represented by Dick Durbin, and would have Obama as an Illinoisan, so they could survive until the special election.

MADIGAN AND QUINN ON MTP. David Gregory is the new moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press, and his first two guests were two Chicago Democrat politicians: Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan (Democrat) and Illinois Lieutenant Governor Pat Quinn (Democrat).

Madigan said that they’ve heard that it is possible that tomorrow, Governor Rod Blagojevich (Democrat) could possibly announce that he might step aside, maybe. This might mean that he could resign or that he could declare himself temporarily unable to fulfill his duties. She said that the second option could allow him to keep him salary. Quinn thinks it is best that Blago quit now.

Gregory asked Madigan why she’s charging that Blago is “incapable of serving.” She answered that besides the stuff on the tapes, there is the feeling that everything he would do from here on would be “tainted” and “illegitimate.” Gregory asked her if she knows of any evidence against Blago, and Madigan said that her office has provided assistance to the U.S. attorney’s office and that’s as far as she could go with that.

Gregory asked her if she were “politically conflicted” in this, and she explained that she was the “lawyer for the people of Illinois.”

Turning to Quinn, Gregory quoted him from September of 2006: “He’s always been a person who’s honest of one of integrity.” That was Quinn describing Blago. Quinn countered that Blago had subsequently told him that he was not a part of his administration. So. There.

Gregory quoted Quinn as saying that he supported a special election to fill Obama’s seat. Quinn responded that he now thinks that this would take too long and that Illinois should always have two U.S. Senators. (This is evidently the Obama line, as it was advanced also by Obama advisor Abner Mikva on FNS.) He thinks that “whoever is governor” (Blago or he) should be allowed to appoint a temporary Senator until the election takes place (which would give an advantage to the Dem who would be selected).

The guests were Cook County politicians – the Daley-Emanuel-Blago-Obama machine – but I’ll give Gregory good marks for his first week as official MTP host.

MADIGAN ON FTN. First up on CBS’s Face the Nation for host venerable Bob Schieffer Illinois’ Daley-ite Attorney General Lisa Madigan. She said that she has “hard rumors in the media that [Governor Rod Blagojevich (D)] will do something tomorrow.” She’s filed a lawsuit, though, before the Illinois Supreme Court to have Blago removed.

“All she knows” of any Obama-Blagojevich nexus is what she’s heard in the media.

Schieffer asked her for the basis of her lawsuit: Is he crazy? She argues that the term “disability” is “not limited to a physical or mental disability.” It would be anything which would keep him from fulfilling his duties.

Schieffer asked if Blago could appoint someone to fill Obama’s seat, and Madigan allowed a slight smile. She agreed that no one would “take it seriously” if he did.

CORKER, LEVIN, AND BROWN ON FTN. Next on FTN, host Schieffer talked to Senators Bob Corker, Carl Levin, and Sherrod Brown.

Senator Corker of Tennessee told Schieffer that he “did not insist on steep [pay] cuts” for union workers; all he asks is that their pay be “competitive” with other auto makers. He wanted to recreate Chapter 11 without the stigmatism of “bankruptcy.”

Senator Levin of Michigan said that the White House would step in and save the auto industry. Even the Chinese auto industry, Levin intoned, was asking the government of the PRC for loans. He said that the deal failed because the Republican leadership insisted that workers at the Big Three have their wages tied by law to those at foreign companies in the U.S.

Senator Brown of Ohio buzzed at a low frequency, and I could hear clicking noises – and there was a strange squawk or squeak at a very high register about how Ohio is so relevant to this discussion – but it wasn’t much. It was communication, I assume, but not as we know it.

Corker predicted a $14-billion bailout and he expressed hope that the competitiveness conditions in his compromise would be included by the White House if they used TARP.

MOORE AND SPERLING ON LE. After a segment with journalists prattling about Blago (D), CNN’s Late Edition host talked bailout with Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal and Clintonista Gene Sperling. Moore advocated bankruptcy, at least for Chrysler and General Motors, which would force and allow the automakers to restructure. Sperling, a Michigander, said that they should get the money but also have conditions, as bankruptcy would harm our economy. He liked Corker’s compromise but he doesn’t like blaming the UAW for its failure. He said that we should not point fingers at or lay blame upon the “party which has made the most concessions.”
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That’s the stuff for this week. Here comes the sun.