Morning Briefing
For May 28, 2013
1. Congress should rein in the Export-Import Bank
Another sign of the blatant cronyism involving the Export-Import Bank emerged this week.
First Solar, a solar panel manufacturer, is by most standards a failing company. It suffered a net loss of $39 million in 2011, and an even greater loss of nearly $100 million in 2012. The company threw away $215 million at one point on solar panels that ended up failing at high temperatures. (A solar panel that can’t withstand heat?)
But First Solar has political connections within the Obama Administration. And it also has a trump card: First Solar is a member of the “Business Alliance,” a secret clique of corporate donors to the Center for American Progress (CAP). CAP, in turn, lobbied Capitol Hill for First Solar, without disclosing the financial support it receives from the flailing solar energy company . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
2. Cowardly Colorado Governor Hickenlooper Commutes Death Sentence Until End of Term
In Colorado, the fate of convicted murderer Nathan Dunlap has been an issue of great debate. This past week, the governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper, made what has to be one of the most cowardly decisions ever seen in politics by putting a man’s life and the expectations of his victims on hold just long enough to take the decision out of his hands.
In 1993, Nathan Dunalap waltzed into a Chuck E. Cheese in Aurora, Colorado which he had previously worked at, and shot 4 employees to death, wounding a fifth. Some of the victims were as young as 17. Dunlap was 19 at the time. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
3. Big Ethanol’s @TheOilyBird Gets Dewormed
It’s one of the cheesiest anti-oil PR campaigns I’ve seen: a “promoted” twitter account called @TheOilyBird, a snarky oil company h8r. Enviros and greenies retweet @TheOilyBird’s oil industry bashing, without bothering to look at its source.
As it turns out, TheOilyBird has his own website.
And there we find that the site and the twitter account are sponsored by Fuels America. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
4. The social triangle
Three great forces shape a society: culture, politics, and economics. Each of them influences the other.
The late Andrew Breitbart famously observed that politics are “downstream” of culture. In other words, culture shapes political expectations. People tend to vote in favor of issues and candidates that enjoy cultural approval. Political commentators often refer to the “Overton window,” which covers the range of “acceptable” positions candidates can hold. If they advocate ideas outside this range, they jeopardize their chances for re-election, because the voters will perceive them as “extremists.” . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
5. Thank you, @GovernorPerry
Governor Perry vetoed SB 346, the legislation designed to force political groups to reveal their donors to the Texas legislature.
The measure, pushed by Republicans at the same time the IRS stories have been breaking, was concocted by a number of squishy Republicans who wanted to shut down conservative groups that had been forcing the squishes to move right. The squishes figured if they knew who the donors to those groups were, they could cut off funding through intimidation.
Governor Perry stood with conservatives and vetoed the legislation. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
6. The Office: An American Workplace
Nine seasons after Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant brought it to the U.S., the hilarious, emotional and painfully awkward comedy series has reached its end.
Even strong in its last two seasons sans Steve Carrel’s iconic, meme-inspiring boss character, the NBC Universal show has had an impressive run, with rarely a dull or sloppy episode. And from Jim’s office pranks to Ryan’s professional avalanche, there’s plenty of fond memories to look back upon. For longtime devotees, this is the end of an era and a goodbye to friends alongside whom the audience has grown and worked and been fired and given birth. . . . please click here for the rest of the post →
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