It’s been a busy news day and we’ll delve into some of the big topics on The John Batchelor Show tonight around 9 p.m. (PST). I’ll join John to discuss the State of the Union speech, the state of California, the state of Silicon Valley (i.e.: Apple’s just-released iPad) and more.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs unveils the long-awaited iPad...
Attempting to address the nation’s intertwined economic and unemployment crises - not to mention put the brakes on his and the Democratic Party’s sliding poll numbers - the president announced earlier today that his administration would enact a series of measures to “reverse the overall erosion in middle class security.”
I’ll be joining a panel discussion on the administration's efforts tomorrow at 6:30 a.m. (Eastern Time) on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends.” The conversation will focus on a plan that includes “a package of modest initiatives intended to help families pay for child care, save for retirement, pay student loans and care for elderly parents.” The announcement is being seen by some White House watchers as a preview of what to expect when the president delivers the State of the Union speech Wednesday night.
The president - as candidate - on saving the middle class...(Toledo, Ohio, on October 13, 2008).
It's a chilly night here at the HQ of The Bliss Index™, so rather than trying to keep warm by keying-in copy at a rapid rate, we'll just give you a quick rundown of some interesting tidbits floating around out there today/tonight.
Ghost in the Machine? The photo below is a hot subject of debate right now. Why? Because if you look behind the president, there appears to be a figure of some sort looking out the window at him as he passes. The story goes that the Secret Service said there was no one in that office at the time and it's merely a "trick of the light." I dunno. I think if you look closely enough, you can see Jimmy Carter looking on from the great beyond.
So the terror alert level in the UK is now at “severe”…Still not as bad as “bloody ‘ell!”
The alert level is now at "toasty"...
Speaking of terror alerts: Looks like we might have to raise our alert level to “No Frumpy.”
O’, Canada!One more reason to love our nutty neighbors to the north. (No, not those folks up in Minnesota.)
Thank a Canadian...
How are Saudi Arabia and Venezuela alike? Well, both places are run by people who fall under the heading of “not so nice.” Oh, yeah, and they’ve both got oil. Lots and lots and lots of oil.
Hugo Chavez, oil baron...
“Charges Withdrawn in Military Commissions for Sept. 11 Suspects” is the headline from our friends at Fox. Anyone wanna place a bet on how this is gonna end?
“Do us a solid,” President Barack Obama’s brothers-in-arms ask. “Stop yakking about all that other stuff and talk about a subject that matters to voters – jobs. You know, that thing none of us will have if you don’t get things moving.”
Actually, it's making up fake jobs in fake companies in fake districts...
First, a Republican wins Teddy Kennedy’s seat in Massachusetts. The Supreme Court decides corporations, unions and every other group is equal. Then, Air America goes belly-up. Could things get any worse this week for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Blackjack)? Yep. They just did.
Thanks for coming - now go away...
Speaking of the SCOTUS campaign cash decision: Why do Democrats so vehemently oppose the high court’s decision? Might it be because it levels the field by taking away their advantages in fundraising? Of course, the GOP isn’t doing itself any favors.
Mr. Moneybags...
Now that the health care/insurance reform bill is more DOA than a week-old corpse in the waiting room, the majority party has decided to tackle (spin wheel o’ misfortune)…unemployment. This should end well.
Hmm, what other problems can I successfully handle?
Remember the 2008 election campaigns? Remember one particular party’s pledge to those “evil Bush tax cuts?” Um, yeah, about that pledge…um, not so much.
From its very beginning – yes, from its concept in some loony brainstorming session where “well-meaning” folks were discussing how they’d take down Rush Limbaugh/talk radio and the ascending Fox News – Air America was in a flat spin. A death spiral.
I’m sure it was a smashing idea...at the time (probably made all the more edible with the help of a few drinks…maybe some other “agents of enhancement”). “We’ll fight fire with fire!” no doubt was the battle cry. “If Limbaugh can steal make empty headed voters pull the lever for those guys with an “R” next to their name, I’m sure we can come up with a host or two – NO! A WHOLE RADIO NETWORK! – dedicated to presenting the other side. And once they hear our arguments, there’s no way they won’t buy it. There’s no way they can resist! I mean, look at the way we suck ‘em in with movies and TV.”
Yep. It was a great idea…just like that time we thought about putting screen doors on all our submarines!
Well, Air America finally landed...today…with a resounding thud.
"Ladies and gentlemen…the pilot has some bad news. Um, yeah. We’re going to be making an unplanned landing here. And, um, well, return your seats to their upright positions lock your trays up and kiss your backsides goodbye. We’re going in – hard. Oh, and thank you for flying Air America."
On Thursday, the all-liberal content/host radio network announced that due to “very difficult economic environment,” it was kaput.
From the start, it was only a matter of time before Air America experienced “Controlled flight into terrain.” The economic model was weak, the entertainment was all but missing and programming/content was so predictable that it was nearly possible to turn off any given show, come back several hours later and know exactly what would be airing. In short, it wasn’t worth listening to unless you were driven by an incessant need to constantly hear someone attack (pick one or more): the GOP, big business, the GOP, the Pentagon, the GOP, America’s history of (fill in your favorite reason to loathe the U.S.)…oh, and the GOP.
“It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding down of the business,” the chairman of Air America Media, Charlie Kireker, said in a memorandum. His statement was published on AirAmerica.com.
You could hear the schadenfreude as far away as Dick Cheney’s house.
“The company, which was founded in 2004, never found a substantial audience or sound financial footing. It filed for bankruptcy protection in 2006, but managed to stay on the air at that time. The network churned through several owners and several attempted reinventions, with little to show for it.” (h/t: NY Times)
The network – founded in 2004, made a point of positioning itself as a liberal alternative to conservative talk radio host Limbaugh and the multitude of others who have worked to follow in his footsteps. At one time, the network was carried nationally on approximately 100 stations, but early on it experienced money woes. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2006 and in 2007, a group of new investors bought a one-way ticket to nowheresville on Air America for $4.25 million.
United States Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) – who had previously built a career on “Saturday Night Live,” – hosted an Air America show from 2004 to 2007 before running for office. Rachel Maddow, who also hosted on Air America, has since gone on to a lucrative career with her own prime-time show on MSNBC. In addition to those two, Air America had a list of hosts that included Ron Reagan Jr., musician Steve Earle, comedian/actress JaneaneGarofalo and rapper Chuck D.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we know you have a choice when you pick your radio station…so we thank you for…wait – they’re still listening to conservative talk radio? Oh, no…we’re going in!”
I'm sorry I couldn't do anything about the Minnesota U.S. Senate race, but I like to think I did my part to bring Air America down...
More than 200 homeless people from throughout the city and their advocates (some bused in from Oregon, Sacramento and the East Bay), kicked off a protest in San Francisco's Justin Herman Plaza this morning with calls for better - and more accessible - housing for homeless throughout the nation.
Mr. Flav...
At the barricades, megaphone turned to "11"...
The protest, which was an interesting mix of Berkeley-based activists (a few wearing Tiffany signature jewelry) and some of the city's most destitute citizens, was noisy but non-violent. Speakers worked the lunch time crowd - the rally lasted approximately two hours - with chants, speeches and songs. Protestors carried placards in English as well as Spanish, and an impromptu "field kitchen" that provided free Mexican-style food attracted numerous attendees.
Capt. Amerikka and his slogan-emblazoned flag - "hate it or leave it!"...
The protest's "field kitchen" provided free food to all at the event...
Speakers called for money to be diverted from defense ("Stop Funding War!!") and other budgets to causes supporting the poor. "Housing is a human right!" was shouted at regular intervals, and one yell leader got the crowd to repeat his chants of, "Free health care! Free housing! Free everything!"
The crowd in Justin Herman Plaza...
The protest drew a significant number of marchers carrying signs demanding housing written in English and Spanish, which protesters said recognized the growing number of Latino homeless.
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