Sherrod Non-scandal Caused by Political Agendas, Selfish Overreactions

Written by whisperDispatch.com | 23 July 2010

By now you've certainly heard that the unfairly ousted former USDA Official Shirley Sherrod was called a racist and edited video of her decades old speech was used by elements of the right wing media for their own purposes to slam the Obama administration.  There is no other way to say it. Sherrod isn't a racist, nor did she use her current position in the Obama administration to discriminate against white farmers. 

And contrary to the after-the-fact assertions by the blogger who lit the match of the whole mess, this Sherrod incident didn't start out as a critique of a random crowd at an NAACP-sponsored speech.  Because of a selfish need by certain entities to NOT be called hypocritical by those they have previously criticized, undeserved consequences befell Sherrod before the veracity of any of the allegations against her were ever checked.  

The larger questions in this political fight, however, are why the hell were so many non-right wing-conservative entities so quick to believe the unverified allegation against Sherrod and why did people from the general media, the administration and the NAACP react so strongly without exchanging one word with the accused?  Are employees of the Obama Admin so sensitive to racial issues that they jump to cut off anything that could be remotely distracting?  Further, does this illustrate how guarded the rest of us should be against being involved in an unthinking mob instigated by one or a few people who have their own hateful or one-sided agendas?

White House apologizes to Shirley Sherrod

Written by Greg Sargent | Washington Post | 21 July 2010

This is a good start: At the press briefing just now, Robert Gibbs apeared to extend a heartfelt apology to Shirley Sherrod on behalf of the Obama administration, and promised a look at what went wrong.

Interestingly, though, he sidestepped a question about whether fear of the conservative media drove the decision to fire Sherrod before the facts were all in.

Williams Morris: Gibson no longer a moneymaker

Written by whisperDispatch.com | 13 July 2010

When William Morris Endeavor dropped Mel Gibson as a client last week, sources at the agency cited the star's misconduct as the reason.

Its revulsion may be genuine, but the decision also was based on the bottom line, a calculation that Gibson no longer has real monetary value to the agency.

"There's nothing to do for Mel Gibson at the moment," a William Morris source said. "No one will touch him with a 10-foot pole. He'll make his own movies, but you don't commission those anyway."

Fragile economic recovery at risk due to midterm election politics

Written by Ryan Witt | Examiner.com | 03 July 2010

The most recent economic reports reveal some troubling signs for the recovery effort.  Unemployment is still at over 9.7%.  Over the last month more Americans have filed for jobless benefits, the housing market is trending downward, and consumer confidence is starting to suffer.  Under the best case scenario, the economy has hit a speed bump and we are in danger of suffering from another recession.  Under the worst case scenario, we are in serious trouble on the edge of a more serious economic free-fall like a depression.

It is at this time that the country needs some kind of preventive measures from the federal government.  It is much more costly to avoid an economic disaster than to try to react to one.  Despite this reality, politicians seem perfectly content to sit back and watch as the country suffers.

Stocks slide after jobs report

Written by Alexandra Twin | CNN Money | 02 July 2010

Stocks slumped Friday, falling to new 2010 lows, as investors reacted to a weaker-than-expected June jobs report and showed some caution ahead of a long holiday weekend.

The Dow Jones industrial average (INDU) lost 90 points, or 0.9%, the Nasdaq (COMP) composite fell 17 points or 0.7% and the S&P 500 (SPX) index dipped 8 points, or 0.8%. On Thursday, the Dow and Nasdaq ended at 8-month lows and the S&P 500 at 9-month lows.

A Limited, Weak Govt Cannot Defend the Public Against Big Business

Written by whisperDispatch.com | 13 June 2010

It is absolutely appalling to hear Republicans complain about the government's response to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico when not 2 minutes before the crisis they were warning about the perils of big government and whining that the nation will turn into a communist state.  Even a government of our size is having a tough time responding to the repeated screw-ups of big business from the banking industry, to the insurance industry, to the oil industry. The conclusion drawn from such troubled times is that a limited, weaker government cannot defend its citizens against the perils of big business.

Unlike what the acidic tongue of Ronald Reagan proclaimed in the 80s, government is not the problem. A nation being choked by big businesses in every sector is what's causing our nation to flail around like brown pelicans caught in an enormous oil slick.

It's a perfect metaphor if not a giant tragedy that the Gulf of Mexico is awash in the greed of big business just as this nation and our government is awash in mediocrity.  The problem of mediocrity, we all thought, was solved by the election of Barack Obama.  But it appears the president has been dunked in a giant glob of muck where mediocre advice has caused him to do things in half-measures and to make ass-backwards decisions which are a little too cute by half; decisions like wanting to increase offshore drilling just weeks before the BP oil disaster.

This is a period of major change which requires a new way of thinking. Increasing the use of fossil fuels while at the same time proclaiming the need for renewable energy is unacceptable in this period of time. And, yes, it may require a government large enough to handle such a major shift.

Can Sarah Palin claim credit for last night?

Written by David Weigel | Washington Post | 09 June 2010

It's irresistible for many in the press to look for Sarah Palin angles on election night. Tuesday, I wrote about Palin's late-coming endorsement of Terry Branstad for the GOP's gubernatorial nomination in Iowa.

On June 1, a Public Policy Polling survey found the former governor, running for his old job, with a 15-point lead. Between June 1 and 3, the Des Moines Register conducted a poll that found Branstad leading by by 28 points. On June 3, Palin endorsed him, angering some of her supporters who backed activist Bob Vander Plaats.