The reaction to GOP leaders' letter to Ben Bernanke, asking him to stop trying to help the economy, is generating decidedly unmixed reactions from people who know about monetary policy. Mark Thoma says the letter "crosses a line that shouldn't be crossed," Robert Reich says, "Whatever shred of doubt you may have harbored about the determination of congressional Republicans to keep the economy in the dumps through Election Day should now be gone," Steve Collender says, "now that the GOP has made it all but impossible for fiscal policy to be used to improve they economy, they want to make sure that the only other tool the government has at its disposal -- monetary policy -- isn't used either," and Sen. Dick Durbin says, "Republican congressional leaders are telling the Federal Reserve, we believe for the first time in history, that they should not provide in this economy a vehicle for expansion by lowering interest rates. That to me is wrong-headed."
Only far-right bloggers are praising the move, which should tell you all you need to know about just how boneheaded and wrong the whole thing is.
Federal Reserve to GOP leadership: "Fuck you."
Rightwing blogs have been making a lot of this and, for once, it's actually pretty funny; President Obama really knows how to screw up a group photo.
The United States formally opposes Palestinian statehood. This is kind of dumb, since a "two state solution" necessarily requires two states.
The New York Times calls the scheduled exection of Troy Davis a "grievous wrong," as attorney's for Davis make a last minute appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States.
On the subject of capital punishment and SCOTUS, the high court stopped a second Texas execution this week. Rick Perry's faith in his state's system of justice seems sadly misplaced. As is anyone's faith in a form of punishment where mistakes can never be corrected after the fact.
Sarah Palin continues to dicktease the media.
Finally, Mittens Romney and Rick Perry were once partners in crime.
