Sunday Roundup

The Academy Awards aren't until next Sunday, but this week provided some Oscar-worthy performances. There was A-Roid acting remorseful about using steroids (although, admittedly, this was nowhere near as convincing as when he denied having used them); Joaquin acting weirder than weird on Letterman; Nadya Suleman acting like there was a rational explanation for a single mom having 14 children via in vitro fertilization; eight banking CEOs unconvincingly acting contrite in front of Congress; peanut butter tycoon Stew Parnell acting like a Mafia don, repeatedly taking the 5th Amendment in front of Congress; and Sen. Judd Gregg acting schizophrenic, withdrawing as Commerce Secretary nominee over policy disagreements after previously lobbying for the post and promising that policy disagreements would not keep him from backing Obama's agenda.

Comments

[Chlowina]

11:31 PM on 02/15/2009

I see the article about McCain and wonder what life would be like if he'd won....I know, don't go there. But I do give thanks we have a man in office who cares for the American people, their personal plights, whether they be job losses, foreclosures or lack of health insurance.

We need to turn a deaf ear to the GOP because their job is to distort what is really happening with this country and we need to educate the people who hang onto every word mumbled by Boener, Limbaugh and McCain.

I am optimistic and hope the rest of this country can get on the band wagon and work to support our new administration.

[lovbug]

10:50 PM on 02/15/2009

our govt, specifically congress, is a joke. may god bless the people of america and deliver them from these greedy evil doers

[longislandlol]

10:41 PM on 02/15/2009

Great Post-- this was the week that was and should never be again--- a real topsy-turvey view of an America that knows she's in trouble---not only economically---but socially-- and knows that God forbid Obama had not won- the trouble would not be temporary---

[CarmanK]

09:10 PM on 02/15/2009

The bankers asked for a bail out with interest free loans from taxpayers and yet try sabotage the stimulus by raising fees and interest rates on credit cards. Bank of america, City, Discover Card and Chase all in cahoots to raise finance charges upward to 30%. The banks are determined to get that extra $250 in workers pay checks by charging higher fees. The Senate Banking committee has to do a better job at oversight. There won't be extra money to spend on new items, if it is absorbed by higher monthly payments to banks. I am glad Gregg changed his mind before wasting tax payers money on a salary that would be earned undermining Obama's policies. Never considered it an Obama failure, This has been a week that was, but then again the s--- is rising to the surface, now that the Bushies are out of office and the deceptive, secretive, self-serving practices went with them. Let the sunshine in!!!!

[Gunga-Din]

07:56 PM on 02/15/2009

Burris is my favorite

[opines]

07:18 PM on 02/15/2009

Not on your list, Arianna, is the item that future students looking to gauge the degree that the U.S. body politiic had become corrupted by money at this time will choose as this week's topper.

And now, the envelope.

The winner is:

Pennsylvania child court judge indicted for kickbacks he received from a privately=owned childrens' prison in Pa. for each child he convicted and sent to their facility. Most distressing is the high number of first offense youngsters that were put behind bars for minor infractions.

Does it suggest dangers inherent in letting incarceration be run for private profit? Too bad it is one of our 'growth' industries.

[curiousbluedog]

07:01 PM on 02/15/2009

What's really surreal is reading the front page of the Anchorage Daily News where they discuss how quickly Alaska needs to move in order to spend as much of the stimulus package as possible.

[OldKnute]

06:07 PM on 02/15/2009

Oh Yes, Arianna,

A fun week indeed.

Congress is split,,, NO we can’t-s on one side,,, YES we can-s on the other.

NO,,, FDA,, and we kill with peanut butter.
NO,,, SEC,, and the Banks go Nuts.
NO,,, Oversight on WAR,, and Contractors and Generals go crazy.
NO,,, FAA,, and Planes start falling out of the air.
NO,,, NTSB,, and Bridges collapse.
NO,,, National Healthcare,, and our Companies go bankrupt.
NO,,, FHA,, and Nobody can buy a home.
NO,,, VA,,, and our returning solders are killing themselves.
NO,,, Bipartisanship,, and Judd can act the fool.
NO,,, Credit Reform,,, and the economy goes into the toilet.
NO,,, FCC,,, and HATE fills our Televisions and Radios.
NO,,, HEW,,, and our kids drop out of school.
NO,,, GAO,,, and nobody can find the money.
NO,,, EPA,,, and our skies turn brown, our lands sold to the highest bidder.


Looks like,, THE NEW DEAL,,,, has been replaced by the,,,, NO DEAL. Red, White and the BLUES,,,, Umm? Isn’t it the BLUE where the STARS are?

WAIT,,,, Ok,,, but let me be fair,,,, We still have the CIA, DEA, FBI, ATF, DOD, HAS and the IRS.

Yeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

WE ROCK!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-n4wOmH0hs

All the best

Knute

[paixa3]

08:33 PM on 02/15/2009

Kudos for a great poste.

[OldKnute]

09:42 PM on 02/15/2009

Well My Gosh!

I think I told you all of a Lady that started sewing Wedding Dresses and Bridesmaids Dresses. The Whole Wedding outfitted,,, Bride, and three Bridesmaids,,, for $1,200. An OLD Lady,, My age.

She buys up end-runs of drapery materials, and you supply the patterns out of a catalog.

Well,,, Her husband is working their now,,, lost his job but they just moved into an old building. Now her friend is doing the flowers too. Another friend of hers is doing the Wedding Cakes, 5 tiers high! Her grqandson films and puts together a Video of the whole Wedding event. She bought 3 new Sewing Machines and hired three other ladies our age. Ever her granddaughter helps,, she sings at the Weddings.

All for $5,000 on a Package Deal.

Now get this!

They are booked out for the whole summer,,,, already! They are forced to turn business away! 5 and 6 Weddings a week.

Now don’t tell me Americans don’t know how to do things!

We just need to get creative! All she had in the beginning was one sewing machine, desire and the WILL to succeed.

We just need to use our imaginations.

All the best

Knute

[trudem2]

06:03 PM on 02/15/2009

I would like to ask the Octumom a few questions: how does one person prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for 14 kids every day? Change diapers, feed, bathe them? Attend teacher-parent conferences for 14 kids? Help them with homework? Ensure they have healthy extra-curricular activities? To those of us who have conceived and raised children and are thereby in the know about such things --- I would just like to know that? I am a little disturbed by her cavalier attitude, as though...."oh, this is nothing....we'll manage." It is very, very irritating that one person could be so disconnected and self-absorbed. It is an affront to the children, to society, and to the planet. Only someone who is pathological could be so out of touch with reality......and on those grounds alone the children should be removed from her care.

[paixa3]

08:35 PM on 02/15/2009

And, she wants to be a counselor...only in the USA.

[ChooseLaugh]

10:17 PM on 02/15/2009

Do you like old movies? Yours, Mine, and Ours, .....Theirs, Hers, His, the Neighbors up the street, and whatever else some quack can stick in you.

[Paul Peete]

05:56 PM on 02/15/2009

Add to that RNC chair Michael Steele admitting that there is no reason for the people to believe a word the Republicans say, John McCain saying the President isn't reaching out to the Republicans, and Roland Burris submitting an affidavit stating that the Blago impeachment Commission didn't ask him clearly enough who he spoke to in Blago's camp about the Senate Seat. Sounds like this was a perverted episode of That Was The Week That Was.

[salmo]

05:27 PM on 02/15/2009

Here's the really amazing part, the cable news talking heads blamed Judd's contortions on Obama. Not Senator Gregg being remarkably dishonest with himself and the Obama staff, not Republicans bullying, not reaching for the charge that it was a set-up, no - the Obama team should have been able to see into Gregg's soul. Obviously, the thing to do is torture as part of the vetting process.

[IOracle]

05:19 PM on 02/15/2009

Two things:
First, why are the Pro Lifers not rallying to the defense of the mother of the octuplets? Since she's otherwise taking a beating in the court of public opinion, couldn't she use their support?
Or, as I suspect, do they only start talking pro life when they want to galvanize a political base around election time?
Second, if so many "candidates" who aspire to political power turn up as not having paid their taxes, shouldn't those who already represent us in Congress and on the Supreme Court be "vetted" in that regard? And furthermore, why not check out the leadership of the corporations who are getting bailed out? The results might be veddy interesting.

[dianhow]

05:36 PM on 02/15/2009

Re The mom with 14 small kids. I feel bad and worry for those small children. Their mother seems not to think logically....since it is irresponsible to have all those kids, with no job, no husband, no money. One, even 2 people can not handle 14 small kids at once. Kids deserve so much better.

[kurtlockwood]

05:47 PM on 02/15/2009

The Octomom is rumored to have been paid one million dollars for her first interview. Let's see famous? check. Multiple kids? Check. Millionaire? Check. If her goal really is to be like Angelina Jolie she's crazy all right, crazy like a fox.

[AGarcia]

05:19 PM on 02/15/2009

An interesting thread runs through your post, that of sincerity - especially in contrition. I remember watching Alberto Gonzales saying over and over "I take full responsibility" and thinking this is like some kind of perverse pantomime. I remembered this when I saw all the bankers in front of Congress (We can also can now add Chris Brown's remorseful attitude as well). We are slowly seeing a new shift in politics and life in general, that of belief or faith in the future and faith in a more effective government. Faith, like love is scary. When trust is broken we are often feel faced with two choices: vengeance or remorse. Sometimes they are appropriate, sometimes not. I suppose only time will tell us the truth of our convictions. Until then... hold on to your .....! Happy (belated) Valentines Day, Arianna. PS - Joaquin's just sick of all the Johnny Cash fans... who can blame him?

[barnybilt]

05:18 PM on 02/15/2009

It has been a week. The Republicans are actully trying to say they had better ideas and Obama should have done what they wanted. They say spending money is not a stimulus but the trillions they spent proped things up for years including all that war spending. They say they can create more jobs but their ideas are what has caused the problems and lost the ones we had. When Bush came into office we were told they had to create 165,000 jobs a month to just keep up. When they weren't doing that they bragged much smaller numbers and no one called them on it. McCain is the biggest joke saying that Obama should have done what the Republicans wanted to be bi partizan and that He would have done things different. He forgets the people didn't want his ideas.

[dianhow]

05:45 PM on 02/15/2009

The McCain campaign and ideas fell flat. Then after Palen- folks got worried. If McCain got in and became ill... then Palen would run the country ! The part that really terrified me was that
Republican voters would actually give her that chance. Obama or Palen No contest.
Obama has already shown he has what it takes to be a leader.. I'm willing to give him at least 18-24 months to see what more he is capible of.

[paixa3]

08:39 PM on 02/15/2009

I will only give him 6 months. If he jettisons Geithner and Summers, I will become a believer, NOT until then.

[surfcitysteven]

04:43 PM on 02/15/2009

Congress: ROAR ROAR ROAR
CEOs: whimper, whimper, whine whine
Congress: ROAR ROAR
CEOs: whimper, whine

The curtain closes. AUTHOR! AUTHOR! BRAVO. EXCELLENT ACTING! Lets all go get drunk!