1.) Kentucky’s 4th estate is a shameful and unbecoming enterprise — Last night’s Kentucky Senate debate was not very interesting. This is because the Kentucky media has failed, yet again, to put its hot torch of truth to AG Jack Conway’s soft feet. For example: At no point during last night’s debate between Conway and Dr. Rand Paul did the moderator ask Conway about that time he (allegedly) violated the law by (allegedly) telling his brother about an ongoing and secret criminal investigation of which his brother was the subject. In some states–for instance, states where people do not floss with shoelaces–crapping all over the office of attorney general might be considered grounds for some questions about the rule of law and the (alleged) sanctity of higher office. But according to The Daily Caller’s Alex Pappas, the moderator of last night’s final Kentucky Senate debate had more pressing concerns, such as: “Who’s your favorite teacher? What’s your favorite state park? What’s your favorite work of fiction? Which Kentucky politician inspired you?”
2.) Vanity Fair gives John Boehner the relic treatment — Graydon Carter’s dead-person picture book has a story out today about House Minority Leader John Boehner, who shouldn’t need an introduction at this point in his Washington tenure, but apparently does, as Pres. Obama cannot get people to remember Boehner’s name. Well, they will certainly know it after reading this Vanity Fair piece, which actually does include a few good anecdotes, but is mostly about how Boehner is too much of a statesman for politics today. “Boehner’s brain trust includes people whose experience dates to the Gingrich era,” writes Vanity Fair’s Todd Purdum. “They remember what happened when the Republicans overreached by twice shutting down the government in disputes with Bill Clinton, and they also remember the way Gingrich and Clinton managed to work together on issues such as overhauling the welfare system. In Washington, people with this kind of perspective are antiques, like something out of Herodotus.” There is actually something sort of Grecian about Boehner, isn’t there?
3.) Dealing with deficit will most likely require duel to the death — “For all the pre-election talk that a divided government could force the parties to work together, especially on cutting annual deficits, the opposite could just as well be true,” reports the New York Times, which spent an entire day coming up with that sentence. Despite all the hard work done by Obama’s fiscal commission (HAHAHA!), Democrats aren’t thinking any differently about how to fix the economy. “Many Democrats,” writes the NYT, “backed by a wide range of economists, say that with unemployment stuck at nearly 10 percent, more stimulus spending is needed — for the unemployed, struggling states and cities and job-creating public works projects — before focusing on deficits.” And where did they get this crazy idea, that what we need is to throw more stimubucks into the money pit? FROM THE FISCAL COMMISSION, APPARENTLY. “The fiscal commission is considering delaying any deficit-reduction proposals until perhaps 2012.”
4.) Federal officials have been absolutely useless during foreclosuregate, says federal official — If there was any doubt in your mind that the folks in Washington suck at regulating, consider this: On Monday Sheila C. Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., “said both the federal government and the financial industry should have questioned how it was possible that banks were cutting their costs in foreclosing on homes without running afoul of standards,” reports the Washington Post. This after the largest financial crisis since the creation of sliced bread! Meanwhile, the Obama White House is focused on talking about keeping poor people and overextended middle class denizens in their McMansions, because there is an election coming up! Even this is a failure, however. “Treasury makes the remarkable argument that every single one of these modifications is a success, including the nearly 700,000 that have failed and more than 173,000 that remain in limbo,” wrote the special inspector general for the financial rescue program. In short: Everything is a horrible lie.
5.) The neighbors are killing each other again — In case you have not been reading the news out of Mexico, here is a brief update from PBS: “More families were left mourning in Mexico today after a weekend of new drug violence. At least 10 people were killed at a drug rehab center in Tijuana last night. Gunmen burst into the center and made the victims lie on the floor, then shot them. And, in Ciudad Juarez, 14 people were killed Friday night when a gunman stormed a birthday party and opened fire.” In other Mexico news: Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo location in Fresno has been shut down and the former Van Halen singer is facing a gnarly lawsuit.
6.) Rhode Island Democrat tells Obama to ‘shove it’ — President Obama is “withholding his support” for Rhode Island Democratic gubernatorial candidate Frank Caprio “as a favor to independent candidate Lincoln Chafee, a former GOP senator who endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton and John McCain in the 2008 presidential election,” reports the New York Daily News. Caprio’s response? Obama can “take his endorsement and shove it”; the move is “Washington insider politics at its worst.”
VIDEO: Lisa Murkaputnik has her finger on the pulse of America
