I posted this when the truth was nominated as a lie. Now, Politifact has elevated the truth to the Lie of the Year. The Democrats lie: Republicans Voted to End Medicare. I took them to task previously. They ought to be ashamed of themselves, but as Pulitzer Prize-winning members of the media, they are immune to shame. –Mb In case you hadn’t noticed, Politifact’s bullshit detector isn’t 100% effective. Their work isn’t all bad, but some of it is seriously flawed by a simplistic view of truth and their mainstream media treatment of political rhetoric. Using a simple scale that ranges from true to untrue, Politico ignores levels of abstraction that complicate political discourse, which is more of an ongoing conversation that takes into account unstated definitions and assumptions. It’s not uncommon for politicians to equivocate, and true statements, therefore, that can be very misleading and apparently false statements can actually be true. Context is all-important, and Politico, in spite of some mainstream media efforts, ignores it. These methodological weaknesses Politifact’s 2011 Lie of the Year, There are 10 nominees, 6 from Republicans, 4 from Democrats. A balanced, but not too balanced slate. The alleged lie by Democrats, that Republicans voted [...]
Judge McIntyre vacates TRO that protected Occupy Boston 12/7/11 at approx 3:00 PM
What will happen next? It is anyone’s guess. Here is the notice I received: Hi, I just got a call from Ben, one of the OB lawyers, and the Judge ruling the case has ruled against our case and has lifted the Temporary Restraining Order. Ben asked me to disseminate this info widely. I haven’t seen the ruling and don’t know the reasoning of it. Please pass the word on. Solidarity, Eric
Yet Another Report Finding Profitable Corporations Paying Few State Taxes
A comprehensive new study from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy finds that of profitable Fortune 500 corporations 68 companies paid no state corporate income tax in at least one of the last three years and 20 of them averaged a tax rate of zero or less during the 2008-2010 period. More info here.
Kraft and Winn and Jonathan and Menino and Deleo and Deval and Diane and Murphy and Rushing and Sal and Mariano and Michiewitz and Lucchino and Valentine and Creem and Pacheco and Hey, how about a destination casino that’s like a Branson for Stand-Up Comedy?
Okay, where to begin? Howie Carr made me laugh when he said, “Who would you put your money on? Steve Winn and Bob Kraft or Tom Menino and Bob Deleo?” That’s funny. I just can’t understand how Bobby and his crew got played like this. Maybe it was the best deal they could get. Maybe the knew all along that Kraft would make a play but the governor wasn’t backing down from lumping Foxboro with Boston? Why would Deval do that? Now if his wife Diane were governor I could see some possible motivation. After all she is a partner at the very large and very old and very prestigious law firm Ropes and Gray. If you are in the gaming industry you’d know them. They rightfully market themselves as experts in the field and boast that among their clients is the American Gaming Association, of which they are a member. Ya think Steve Winn has any pull with that outfit? The firm also represents a number of casinos. Is Winn’s enterprises any of them? But who cares? Really. This is great stuff. Now we see Menino this past Monday shining a light on East Boston by talking about infrastructure [...]
Progressive Change Campaign Committee anounces $535,000 raised for Warren
This weekend, the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) made a big announcement on MSNBC’s Politics Nation: We’ve passed the half million fundraising benchmark for Elizabeth Warren. Specifically, PCCC has raised over $535,000 from over 27,000 donations averaging less then $20 each. Over Thanksgiving weekend alone, PCCC members chipped in $100,000 to help Warren continue her response to Karl Rove’s ad attacking her for standing with Occupy Wall Street. Click here to help Warren keep her response to Rove on the air! (You can also sign up here to be part of PCCC’s grassroots mobilizing to elect Warren.) “The best way to fight corporate power is with people power,” said Adam Green, PCCC co-founder. “There is a hunger out there for some leader to step up and say ‘It’s time for Wall Street to be held accountable…It’s time for Wall Street and the rich to pay their fair share.’” Chip in $3 here to help Warren and the PCCC continue to fight back against Rove’s attacks! (Or join the Elizabeth Warren momentum here.) Check out the video of the exciting announcement here:
