Jobs Report Friday
It's the most important number of the election year, and this morning the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1%. The economy added 115,000 jobs, fewer than analysts expected.
The New York Times takes a look at why the economy is doing better on this side of the Atlantic than in Europe. And it credits a series of smart policy decisions made by the Obama Administration and its predecessor. But politically speaking, we'd be in a similar boat as Europe if we listened to some of the right-wingers calling for "austerity".
China Crisis: There may be a breakthrough in the delicate case of that blind Chinese dissident -- a case that's straining Washington's relationship with China: Beijing says he may apply to study abroad. And the Obama Administration's handling of the situation has -- predictably -- become fodder for Republicans.
President Obama heads to Virginia, where a new Washington Post poll shows he's leading Mitt Romney by seven points.
Politico takes a look at what has become a very public race for the #2 spot on the Republican ticket.
An Electoral Tie? It would be a nightmare scenario in the country but it's entirely possible. .. A 269-269 tie in the electoral College.
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Breakthrough! Breakthrough! Light coming in through the cracks in the wall of silence. If you have been paying attention over the last 10 years or so you would have heard Cheney on Tim Russerts Meet the Press, Bush, Condi "mushroom cloud" Rice, Weekly Standard's Bill Kristol, National Reviews Micheal Ledeen, John Bolton, President Obama, Secretary of State Clinton, Reps Ros Lehtinen, Liebermann, Gohmert, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and many more repeat inflammatory and unsubstantiated claims about Iran that have generally gone unchallenged in our MSM.
A group of activist friends and I have been persistently and politely pounding MSM outlets for almost 10 years about the Iran situation. Begging, petitioning, visiting some of their offices in D.C. and New York talking with host of these programs to dig deeper into the Iran situation, tell the truth, stop repeating the unsubstantiated claims about Iran which made a military attack on them almost a given and somehow acceptable.
We have begged them to have Former Bush administration and middle east experts Hillary and Flynt Leverett on their programs. Hillary has directly negotiated with Iran and stands against a military attack. Flynt was also in the Bush 943's) administration and is a former CIA middle east analyst. He quit the Bush administration just before the invasion of Iraq because he disagreed with the invasion based on a "pack of lies." Their website is RACE FOR IRAN. The Diane Rehm show had Flynt on years ago but not since. The Charlie Rose show, BBC, Al Jazeera, Real News have had both of them on.
The Breakthrough....
CNN's Christiane Amanpour has put together a documentary on Irans nuclear program based on what the experts know. Not the endlessly repeated unsubstantiated and debunked claims about Iran which have been repeated on MSM outlets by guest and host (MSNBC's Rachel Maddow and NPR's Fresh Air host Terri Gross have done this quite often)
While Christiane Amanpour repeats the debunked (by Professor Juan Cole at Informed Comment and other Persian experts) claim that the Iranian President said Iran wants to "wipe Israel off the map" (which Chris Hayes also repeated on his UP program a few weeks ago while talking about Iran). While Chrsitiane fuels the false idea that it has been Iran fomenting a possible war and does not mention Israel's persistent threats on Iran over the last 10 or more years (which Chris Hayes also did several weeks ago) this 3 part documentary is a real breakthrough. Now if we can still get NPR (Diane Rehm etc), MSNBC ,Fox and other outlets to have the Leveretts on. To have former weapons inspector Robert Kelly on. Who knows maybe the American public can actually access in mass factual information about the situation with Iran.
Take the time to watch all three segments:
http://amanpour.blogs.cnn.com/2012/04/14/special-presentation-nuclear-iran-the-expert-intel/?hpt=hp_c2
CHRIS PLEASE HAVE THE LEVERETTS ON YOUR PROGRAM AS WELL AS FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR ROBERT KELLY TO DISCUSS IRAN. NOT TOO LATE. ALWAYS BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
I am very suspicious of this china discident situation.I think this was capitalized by the Republicans in order to take away from our President.That fast talking republican you had on the other night,wasn't really making any sense,but was just trying to sell you on how terrible this situation was for the american people.maybe,I am just a suspicious person,but I feel the opposition party initiated this problem,in order to cause dissent.
Very good news. Unemployment rate is percipient dropping among 60000 households carefully chosen for government survey. It is stunning victory of the statistics science. It's a heck of the job, John M. Galvin!
Conservatives were crying over and over about unemployment rate and Obama for saying, or stated that unemployment would be under 8% (not that is was written in stone by Obama)!
With unemployment numbers heading lower than 8%, will it still be to high for Obama re-election?
With China, it is not absurd to think about repub club using mis-direction, but I doubt China plays that way, although I see repub club trying to make it into partisan issue? They grasp for anything to give themselves "phony outrage stiffy!"
With Europe and austerity part of program, SEDWINMAR has been blogging what was being said for awhile now, Maybe Chris has been reading his blogs?
Where's MIKA?