The Jed Report

President Obama Taps VP Biden To Lead Middle-Class Task Force

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:18:16 -0800

Here's video from today's announcement that of a middle-class task force to be headed by Joe Biden. The announcement came in the wake of news that the economy shrunk by 3.8% in the final three months of Bush’s presidency. Full transcript here.

If you've been following DKTV, you'll notice that this is a new player. In addition to being resizable for embedders, it also has a different layout, including a controlbar that fades during playback (unless you move the mouse over the video).

This video also uses new encoding settings that will hopefully be more reliable than other videos I've posted. If you have the time, I would very much appreciate it if you would comment (or e-mail) on whether the video played for you (ideally all the way the through). You'll notice that the video tells you which version of Flash you are using -- if you can supply that information along with your comment it would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance for any feedback you can provide on video playback. As soon as I finish debugging the playback issue for longer and higher bitrate videos, I'll be able to move DKTV out of beta and get back to my normal video blogging routine.

GOP 100% Against Economic Recovery

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:29:08 -0800

This is impressive, even for the Republican Party:

Not a single vote in favor of the economic recovery plan passed today by the House. Nobody expected overwhelming GOP support. But for every single Republican member to oppose a new economic recovery plan?

After the 2008 election, that's just stunning, especially given the fact that it's the Bush Recession that we're recovering from.

But perhaps it shouldn't be a surprise. It's the same thing that happened in 1993, when not a single Republican voted for Clinton's stimulus bill after the first George Bush's presidency.

Hopefully the economy rebounds just as strongly this time as it did back then.

(Side note about the screen capture: the final vote was actually 244-188. One Democratic switched from 'nay' to 'yea' at the last second.)

I agree with this comment

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 23:07:22 -0800

This comment just came across the transom:

you used to post more and better videos. go back to that format please.

Even though that comment is in part critical, I actually couldn't agree more with it, and the good news is that is exactly what I'm working on, behind the scenes. Although DKTV beta is now out, there's tons of work left to be done to get it ready for prime time, and if youi've noticed my posting schedule being relatively light -- that's the reason. As somebody said to me: you gotta' build the house before you paint it, and right now I'm still building. I am super enthusiastic about where DKTV is heading, however, and I'm looking forward to it being up and running, and of course cross-posting videos here and at Daily Kos itself. I find myself fighting off the impulse to dive into a new video (for example, I'd love to do one showing Boehner and McConnell three weeks ago vs. today), but I want to get DKTV right first. A few folks have written me asking "why not just post to YouTube.?" Well, the reason is simple: YouTube (thanks to Viacom) deleted both my JedReport AND Daily Kos accounts because of three short videos claimed by Jon Stewart's show (at least two of which relied on footage from other channels). Combined, these videos had maybe 10,000 views, tops (and probably less), compared to about 20,000,000 video plays that I've had over the last year or so. Since Viacom has ensured that YouTube is no longer a viable option, I'm spending the time on DKTV to be an even better alternative for posting videos.

This Sucks

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 10:05:32 -0800

William Kristol departs the NYT.

I cannot think of a better spokesman for progressives and moderates in America today than William Kristol.

Obama Won Gillibrand's District

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 15:36:43 -0800

Swing State Project crunched the numbers. Makes it a little harder to understand why she was so conservative.

A Step In The Right Direction

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 11:00:38 -0800

Senator-Designate Gillibrand has a ways to go, but the news that she now supports full marriage equality is a step in the right direction.

Live From New York...

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 08:23:10 -0800

...it's a really crummy pick for the Senate.

Gillibrand is arguably to the right of Evan Bayh. That'd be fine if she was a Democratic Senator from Oklahoma, but she's not -- she'll be from New York State.

She is 42, and if she wins election in 2010, could very well be in the Senate for 30+ years, unless she runs for Governor or President (and wins) or is appointed to the cabinet someday.

Now even though CK probably would have been better, it's not as if the choice was between CK & Gillibrand. There were plenty of other good options for Paterson, and he picked just about the worst.

Personally, I'd have liked to have seen a caretaker, so Democratic primary voters could have picked their nominee, and GOP primary voters could have done the same.

Meanwhile, on a different note, Paul Krugman -- who I have the utmost respect for as a progressive policy guy -- seems to misinterpret President Obama's inaugural address.

Krugman seems to think Obama's speech calls into question the President's commitment to a bold economic recovery plan.

In response to an unprecedented economic crisis -- or, more accurately, a crisis whose only real precedent is the Great Depression -- Mr. Obama did what people in Washington do when they want to sound serious: he spoke, more or less in the abstract, of the need to make hard choices and stand up to special interests.

That's not enough. In fact, it's not even right.

Thus, in his speech Mr. Obama attributed the economic crisis in part to "our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age" -- but I have no idea what he meant.

But the full sentence -- note the first clause -- was:

Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age.

During the speech Obama also said:

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done.

The state of our economy calls for action: bold and swift. And we will act not only to create new jobs but to lay a new foundation for growth.

We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together.

We will restore science to its rightful place and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality...

(APPLAUSE)

... and lower its costs.

We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age.

All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions, who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short, for they have forgotten what this country has already done, what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them, that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long, no longer apply.

MR. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works, whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.

Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end.

And those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account, to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day, because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched.

But this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control. The nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.

The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on the ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart -- not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

Personally, I think Krugman is incredibly compelling when he offers specific analysis of what we should do on a substantive basis. I'm not as moved by his political analysis, but he's so good on the policy, that I'm willing to overlook his occasional tendency to fret too much about Obama's style.

Still Just So Amazing

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 12:00:05 -0800

I'm sitting here, continuing work on Daily Kos TV (can't wait to get it out of beta so I can resume a normal posting schedule!), with the announcement of George Mitchell as special envoy to the Middle East on MSNBC in the background. (Edit: And also Richard Holbrooke for Afghanistan.)

Listening to the speakers -- the President, the Vice President, Secretary of State Clinton, and Mitchell -- I am just thrilled. It's so special. After eight years of spoiled children running the White House, we've got adults back. (And the funny thing is, they've got better senses of humor!)

At least for me, election night was emotional, but the inauguration a bit less so. What I wanted to see was the new President and his administration in action. And now that we're seeing it unfold, wow. I'd be lying if I said my eyes were totally dry.

Obama Signs Orders To Shut Guantanamo, Forbid Torture

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:59:25 -0800

I've posted video of the signing ceremony at Daily Kos TV.

The President At Work

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 12:20:23 -0800

Just amazing:

What A Way To Start The Day

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:12:19 -0800

WH statement:

At 8:35 AM, the President arrived in the Oval Office and spent 10 minutes alone in the office. He read the note left to him by President Bush that was in an envelope marked "To: #44, From: #43". At 8:45 AM, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel came in to discuss the schedule of today's events. The First Lady came into the Oval Office at 9:10 AM. We will release a picture shortly.

Inaugural Video Candy

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:40:58 -0800

The hard work begins today, but there's still time to relish yesterday. I've posted a range of videos from the morning's activities through the inauguration balls over at Daily Kos TV. (Search the tag "Inauguration" for the full list.)

I particularly enjoyed President Obama's speech at the Youth Ball and the video recap of the day by CBS. Whatever your pick, enjoy!

Salvaging The Unsplit Infinitive

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 23:37:38 -0800

Update (11:59): Wow, even I screwed up what the oath is supposed to be. I thought it was "I do solemnly swear to faithfully execute..." but it's actually "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute..."

"Will execute" is the bare infinitive, not the full infinitive ("to execute"). Therefore, "Will faithfully execute" isn't a split infinitive, and I got too cute by half in titling my post. But my core point has nothing to do with verb tenses and still holds.

Original post:

Somebody's probably already said this, but when Roberts botched the oath (forgetting to split the infinitive "to execute" with "faithfully"), it was obvious that both he and President Obama quickly realized his screw-up.

What really struck me about the moment is that Obama's first impulse wasn't to correct Roberts on this relatively trivial error, but rather it was to continue along with the oath, helping Roberts save face.

Now personally I don't think John Roberts needs any face-saving, but I'm glad that we have a President whose first reaction was driven by a combination of empathy and a desire to salvage the best out of an imperfect situation.

Those are two qualities we're going to need a lot of in the next few years, and we're fortunate to have them in our President.

A Goofy Moment From The Parade

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:16:47 -0800

Al Roker gets his first "interview" with a President...and that President (code name, Obama) tells him "it's warm out" -- despite 15 degree whether. Posted over at Daily Kos TV.

President Obama

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:05:06 -0800

It's official. Update: Here's video of the swearing in.

Update 2: Whoa -- check out whitehouse.gov. Awesome!

Update 3: I've posted the full video of President Obama's inaugural speech over at Daily Kos TV. Keep in mind that it's still in beta, so your mileage may vary. If you play it and have problems, I'd love it if you'd drop a comment in, or send me an e-mail. Thanks!