DISQUS

That sax filled visit to Arsenio was a very important one to Clinton. It was used to energize the youth vote, and by any measure was successful. I have a t-shirt depicting it with the slogan, "Clinton, the cure for the blues".

Just because something happened 16 years ago doesn't mean it should be ridiculed like this. Every generation has their various things, but the central aspect of the politics is important. In this case, the message was "I can relate to the new generation". By not taking himself so damned seriously, Clinton appeared to be a new generation of leader. He appealed to Gen-Xers at the core of their cynical selves.

Don't pay attention to the generation-bound substance - that's very shallow. Pay attention to why this was good politics at the time, which it was. Whatever Obama does now will also look silly in 16 years, which happens all the time in politics. It's 90% corn no matter what you do. But masters like Clinton at the top of his game know how to do it up. The message was delivered.

My question is: If the icecaps melt, should we build an ark?

Or does having "dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth," et cetera, mean never having to say you're sorry?

Yay! Krugman found a new strawman to whack at! I'll bet that makes him happy. I mean, if Obama manages to blow this, Krugman gets to spend another 4 years sneering at how stupid the electorate is. What joy!

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When are they having anal arguments?

C'mon, ev'rbody was thinkin' it ...

I just want you to know that I'd disrupt one of Sarvi's events for $50k. Nothing against Steve, he's a really good guy, but that's a lot of moolah. Heck, I'd do it for $20k. Maybe $10k. OK, $5k is my last offer, seeing as there's some principle involved here. But no lower than $5k.

Go Bob Fletcher! Go Bob Fletcher!

(I can't believe I'm saying this ....)

You tell 'em!

(Yeesh ...)

Great story, and I'm glad you're staying on it. Fletcher is right, this isn't something you can wing. It may be counter-intuitive, but an under-staffed police is more likely to find themselves cornered and scared, thus more likely to do something stupid and violent. A strong presence is good for everyone in that sense, and if we won't have it we are only more likely to have trouble.

Didn't this same clown cite Minnesota's status as a "battleground" as a reason for putting Pawlenty high on the Veepstakes?

Typical big media - has it both ways and assumes we're too stupid to call him. Let's not pay attention to him in the first place since he thinks we are morons.

I'm not sure what an "unequivocal assurance that they have no intention" means, but what Harte said is this:

"We recently hired the Blackstone Group to help us evaluate alternatives to our current capital structure, but that hardly merits a conclusion that we are near bankruptcy. In fact, Blackstone has substantial expertise in balance sheet restructurings through means other than statutory proceedings like bankruptcy."

There wasn't much of an assurance in this statement at all, only a denial that BK is inevitable. BK is clearly still on the table unless there are other statements that he's made that were more adamant.

This vote makes a filing more likely, since that is about the only way the Strib can force a change in contract without Teamster agreement.

Saint Paul has a new policy in light of the number of foreclosures. They are making an initial inspection of registered vacant houses and allowing those that are in compliance to continue on the market as is, which accounts for about half. There is a second category that requires any buyer to be able to get them into compliance, and the city has low cost loan programs to help with that. Only the very worst are subject to the old rules, namely that they have to be fully in compliance before they are even listed.

The old policy, while a bit draconian, was done to prevent flipping of trashed houses by unscrupulous people. This was far more of a problem than you might think. Since so much good housing stock was temporarily winding up on the vacant building registry, they decided to separate them.

Economic "stimulation" seems pretty stupid once you realize we've already been fucked.

Sen. Susan Collins (pictured) is a far, far better choice to be Veep than Pawlenty. Sad that she seems to be distancing herself from McCain. I'd like her to get some spotlight.

While I still don't understand why anyone would think Pawlenty is a good Veep choice (there are much better) I think you have a good rundown of the damage caused by this wolf in boy scout's clothing.

He has been a disaster in a state that used to be pretty well run. The troubles we have all date from Pawlenty's reign, and he needs to take the blame. Hatch should have run against him as not being competent rather than ... whatever he mumbled.

If this "cracker" is no big deal, what the fuck is he making a big deal out of it for?

This clown really needs to grow up.

Ha! I hadn't noticed that in my Fargoesque head shaking at the whole setting. Yes, "juicy" can only be good, except perhaps if you're a total Midwestern goober. Right?

Now, if they'd said "crunchy", it'd be different - unless you're a fan of the fine art of ... well, nevermind.

I'm glad I gave up commercial teevee if this is what shows up on it. Yeesh!

Thanks for staying on this, you're really scooping everyone. It's a great story.

I do think they'll pull it out at the last minute, but they are clearly winging this. I heard as much at a meeting with the younger Bostrom regarding the final preparations - things will change at the last minute, so they have to be flexible. This is a little more than just ... flexible.

I can see Fletcher is nervous, and I don't blame him. He's a legendary control freak, but frankly this sounds like a logistical job designed for a control freak, so what's to complain about? The real story could be when Fletcher loses his temper in frustration, which I would guess he's about to do.

Thanks again!

I've always like Franken. But I have to tell ya, there's enough stuff in "Why Not Me?" alone to torpedo him.

And this is what the Coleman people do with it? These have to be Washingtoon produced, because it all smells like an East-Coast parody of what Middle America is like.

Coleman probably should win this thang. But if this is what he's got, I wouldn't bet on it.

Freddie and Fannie aren't the issue. Those numbers, while ridiculous, are pretty standard in terms of lobbying expense and CEO compensation.

That's the edge of the real story.

Dig just a bit deeper, and you'll find that Morgan Stanley, Legg-Mason, and (God help us all) Citi are run just about as poorly and have just about as much liability.

Freddie and Fannie are "too big to fail". No matter what anyone says, they will be saved. The question is what that winds up meaning in terms of the resources that they throw at it, and where those resources come from.

This is only Chapter One of a story that probably will get interesting around Chapters 7, 11, and especially 13.

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Yes, Molly, that's a very important stat. It's clearly not getting better, as you say.

A good site for detailed stats:
http://www.foreclosures.com/stats/

In the last 2.5 years, starting from the collapse of the housing bubble, nearly 1 in 20 US households has had a preforeclosure filing. In Minnesota it's closer to 1 in 100, but it is indeed accelerating here as it has everywhere.

This is reaching Great Depression levels pretty quickly.

Sorry, but I never thought Pawlenty was a good choice because he just doesn't deliver any constituencies on his own. This is NOT a swing state, regardless of how many times people say it is, given history and all the recent polls - Pawlenty can'tt even deliver 10 EV from us. He doesn't make nice with evangelicals or the Libertarian/Barr wing of the party who McCain needs to reach out to.

He does have a suburban touch and is very purdy, which might be good for something in a media age. But he's at best an unconventional veep choice if you go that route, and I really don't see McCain as being that radical - especially given the lukewarm reception he's getting with key elements of the Republican coalition. He's just got more important stuff to do.

If you want a surprise candidate, Elizabeth Dole, Susan Collins, or Colin Powell would all be far more interesting than Pawlenty. None of them had a bridge fall down on their watch (except maybe Powell).

Tom, always remember this friendly rhyme:

"Seal is green, in da machine,
Seal is Blue, stays with you."

:-)

McCain disowned that comment so quickly and thoroughly that I doubt the press will give it legs. It would be great to have it stick, but I don't think a lot of people know who Phil Gramm is in the first place (Though a quick read of "Yertle the Turtle" might help).

I'm more curious where ya got the Series 1957 Silver Certificate. :-)

Thank you. I appreciate this very much.

I will use a bit over 800 word on my blog tonight to describe why this is so important to me. This isn't the place.

I'm still waiting for an apology.

You maliciously and falsely defamed me in violation of the stated comment policy. All I'm asking for is an apology in the same space. Lacking one, I'll have to take it up with management.

I still have no idea why you're so hot about this in the first place. If we're going to have changes to the regulatory structure, we should do it in a way that doesn't keep millions of people from buying homes in the future. Your incorrect statement, and incorrect attribution to an authority, only encourages such a policy. Why a supposedly liberal website would do such a thing utterly escapes me. Giving fuel to the Bush Republicans doesn't make any sense to me at all.