Percentage of S&P junk bonds and leveraged loans considered "distressed" (click to enlarge)by Gaius Publius We know that there will be another economic "big one" like the crisis of 2008. All of the pieces are in place — Wall Street greed and literal pathology, the even greater size of too-big-to-fail institutions, a literal get-out-of-jail free card that almost blesses continued financial fraud, and the like.
Dr. Michael Mann giving us the latest news about Arctic sea ice (source)by Gaius PubliusWe've covered what's happening in the Arctic before in these pages. For example:
One of comedian Matt Filipowicz's patented rants.by Gaius PubliusOne of my favorite progressive comedian-polemicists is Matt Filipowicz. From time to time on his podcast (interestingly, it's named The Matthew Filipowicz Show) he does what he calls a Rant. And yes, the capital R is called for.These mini-editorials are well done, almost always as well researched as a news or opinion article, and to my ear, well performed as well.
Lee Fang interviews Hillary Clinton about her Wall Street speeches (source)by Gaius PubliusIt's been a day of fascinating small bits of news. Let's look at just two that have caught my eye.Did Hillary Clinton Help Rahm Emanuel Kill the Public Option? For example, did you know Hillary Clinton may have helped the Senate reject the public option during the ACA debate?
It's as though one day the whole town assembled in the square, and all the nobles and officials took the stage and threw off their masks. What a sight for the people. Masks rising high into the air, like a flock of birds rising from a tree (source; click to enlarge).by Gaius PubliusThis is not about the Nevada caucus or its outcome.
Dolores Huerta, one of the great Latina activists and a Hillary Clinton surrogateby Gaius PubliusIf Clinton wins, she'll need the Sanders supporters in November. Is the the way to woo them?I hadn't planned to write about this, the dust-up raised by actress America Ferrara and Delores Huerta, one of the great Latina activists and long-time Clinton supporter, supposedly about Sanders voters yelling "English only" during one of the Nevada caucuses.
Is Nicolo Machiavelli about to whisper into Obama's shell-like ear? (Source; click to enlarge)by Gaius PubliusWhen we talk amongst ourselves, we leftie writers and activists, I sometimes hear it said that Obama should nominate someone very liberal to replace Antonin Scalia. I also sometimes hear that if he doesn't do that, it's because he feels pressured not to.
It's coming from the feelThat this ain't exactly realOr it's real but it ain't exactly thereby Gaius PubliusAh democracy; it creeps in through the cracks, even through the cracks of the deliberately undemocratic use of superdelegates by the king- and queenmakers in the Democratic Party. (Ironic name, that.)Here's what I mean by "undemocratic" — Debbie Wasserman Schultz explains it to Jake Tapper (h/t Daily Kos diarist Th0rn; my emphasis):
These are the agents of money. We call them lobbyists today, powers behind the throne. Size is a clue to relative importance (source; click to enlarge).by Gaius PubliusHillary Clinton has rejected a Greenpeace challenge to pledge not to accept campaign contributions from the coal, oil or natural gas industries.
Author and historian Michelle Alexander (source)by Gaius PubliusThough I've written about this myself, I don't want to advocate, but present. So consider this a horse race post. Clinton's self-admitted "firewall" is South Carolina in particular and the southern states in general, states with large numbers of minority voters.
