Jerry Brown's Budget Soap Opera

At Wall Street Journal, "As Sacramento Turns":

'All My Children" may be off the air, but the soap opera is still running in Sacramento. In the latest installment, Governor Jerry Brown divorced his fellow Democrats by vetoing their budget. Democrats and unions are furious and plotting revenge, while both sides blame the evil Republicans for refusing to sanction a referendum that would give voters a chance to endorse a tax increase.

Where's Susan Lucci when you need her?

Mr. Brown deserves credit for vetoing the Democratic budget that reverted to Sacramento form to close a $9.6 billion deficit, deferring several billion dollars of bills into the future, borrowing from special funds, and raising the state's sales tax and vehicle registration fee without the constitutionally required supermajority vote. Even the Democratic treasurer warned that the state couldn't finance its short-term debt with such a risky plan, and Mr. Brown cashiered it.

Democrats are now blasting him for suggesting that an "all cuts" budget is the only alternative if Republicans won't agree to allow a vote on a five-year extension of what was supposed to be a temporary income tax surcharge, among other tax hikes. Democrats are frustrated because they expected Republicans to cave months ago. But Republicans have shown laudable discipline, and they know that their relevance in state politics hinges on extracting concessions from employee unions that will reduce the future cost of government.

Mr. Brown needs at least two GOP votes in each chamber to put the tax increases on the ballot. And Republican lawmakers have said for months that they're willing to do so in return for modest pension and regulatory reforms and a hard spending cap.

More at the link.

Unions are basically killing any deal, even one that includes GOP concessions to Jerry Brown tax increases.

RELATED: At Instapundit, "SHOCKER: Companies Leaving California In Record Numbers."

Americans Involved in Too Many Foreign Conflicts, New Poll Finds

At The Hill, "The Hill Poll: Majority says military involved in too many places." (At Memeorandum.)

And pluralities don't think U.S. intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq has made us safer. Check the link. For the general public, it's war-weariness that explains this. But on the ideological fringes, the findings will give support to isolationist voices who deplore the forward exercise of American power.

What's interesting about about the survey is there's no mention of President Obama's deployment to Libya. Yesterday's Los Angeles Times had an outstanding piece on outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. He's been on record of late saying that the U.S. is a little tired of war, and that the military needs a break. And from the Times' piece:

Gates' concern for the troops is a key part of his legacy as he leaves office.

He has pushed the lumbering Pentagon bureaucracy to turn out new armored vehicles and other equipment to keep soldiers safer in combat and to get them treatment faster when they are wounded.

And he has become a voice of caution and even outright opposition to committing American forces to new wars. Gates publicly questioned the need to join the NATO air war in Libya, arguing that the military already was overstretched in Afghanistan and Iraq. Since then, he has sought to limit the U.S. role.

Gates emphasizes that he would not hesitate to support sending troops to another conflict if national security were threatened, and he favors only "modest" reductions in troop levels in Afghanistan in coming months. That puts him at odds with some in the Obama administration who want to bring U.S. troops out sooner.

But the longer he is in office, Gates said, the "heavier" the burden he bears when he is asked to make decisions that inevitably involve sending more American troops to their deaths.

"I've got a military that's exhausted," he said. "Let's just finish the wars we're in and keep focused on that instead of signing up for other wars of choice."

I think that's a fair statement, and it's especially noteworthy considering President Obama's amateurish and hypocritical rationale for military intervention.

Wal-Mart Wins Supreme Court Sex Discrimination Case

This is huge.

At New York Times, "Justices Rule for Wal-Mart in Bias Case."

And at Althouse, "'The Supreme Court on Monday blocked a massive sex discrimination lawsuit against Wal-Mart on behalf of women who work there'":

I hope the GOP candidates for President are smart and articulate enough to use this case in their argument against electing the Democratic President to a second term.

Word.

The Latest Evolution of the New York Times' 'Week in Review'

I'm moved to write about this, since it's Father's Day.

My dad was a New Yorker by way of St. Louis. He went to NYU for his BA and MA, taught in New York Public Schools, and married my mom in New York City in 1959. My dad took a job in Europe as a civilian officer in the U.S. Army, but we moved to California when I was 4 years-old. I remember, when I was old enough to notice, that my dad received the Sunday New York Times in the mail each week. He'd spread the newspaper out on his bed and read each section carefully, from the front page down to the style and social sections. If he didn't finish a newspaper, he'd leave it at the side of the bed to finish, before moving on to the next week's paper. That was his tradition, so the New York Times always had a special place in our house, and in my memory.

When I was in college and graduate school, the New York Times was always the most prestigious source for writing term papers. I also like the Los Angeles Times, which is why readers will note that most of my news reporting from mainstream sources cites those two papers. As much media bias as there is, and both papers are very left-wing in their editorial writing, I still rely on them for the bulk of my news. I don't expect that to stop anytime soon, and frankly I only wish the best for the newspapers as far as their financial health. We need a mainstream press. We need that press as we've always needed independent journalism in the democracy. The difference today, of course, is the Internet and the spread of citizens' journalism. But bloggers and videographers aren't going to replace the big newspapers. What's happening is that the big papers are becoming more Internet-friendly, more like bloggers, not the least from the need to simply survive.

So, well, I'm both critical of the New York Times, like today's hit piece against Clarence Thomas (discussed at Althouse), and also thankful for it. I continue to admire the newspaper's styling and its website is the best newspaper website online. I also assign it to my students so they'll learn how to read a newspaper, which in itself is a disappearing skill.

Anyway, one of the things I enjoyed in the old days, when I used to buy the Sunday Times before it was $6.00 a pop, was the "Week in Review" section. Sometimes I'd pull out "Week in Review" first off. It seemed so cool and sophisticated. I loved reading all the background analysis. Now it seeems dated. I rarely read it anymore, and I don't buy the Sunday paper anymore just to go find it, which I once did. So, things have changed. I guess Bill Keller knows this, he knows how the cachet of the "Week in Review" has collapsed in the hyper-news era of today. So he's moved to spiff it up. See, "Coming Next Sunday: The Latest Evolution of the Review." There's going to be a name-shortening, and more:

Next Sunday, the Week in Review will make another evolutionary leap. The name will be shortened yet again to Sunday Review, the last vestiges of a weekly summing up replaced by a more general timeliness, and that dividing wall breached, so that argument (which will be labeled Opinion) can appear alongside explanation (which will be labeled News Analysis.)

It is not the end of the world as we know it, or even, really, the most dramatic turn in the long history of the section. In the 1990s the Review was very nearly killed off, on the ground that it no longer did anything the rest of the paper wasn’t doing.

Check the rest of it. Interesting development.

Congratulations to William Jacobson and the New Legal Insurrection!

If you've kept up with Legal Insurrection in recent months, William has mentioned periodically that he was shifting to the Wordpress platform. There's been a rollout this week at the old blog. And the new one went live sometime earlier today. It's one of the nicest switch-overs I've seen.

William's got his regular Saturday Night Card Game up, as well as an audio clip of Rush Limbaugh reading his recent post smacking down progressive lies about how the former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher "dissed" Sarah Palin: "Rush reads LI post about Sarah Palin and Margaret Thatcher."

That's a pretty nice timing for the new blog. Congratulations:

EXTRA: And did you know Ann Althouse will also have a new blog soon? She's even got a Swedish domain: "Althou.se."

The big question: Will it be sweeter than the new Legal Insurrection? Inquiring minds want to know.

Rick Perry Energizes Conservatives in New Orleans

I just don't that much about him, so we'll see.

There's video at RealClearPolitics, and he sounds great. Love the accent.

And at CNN, "Perry wows at Republican conference amid 2012 buzz" (via Memeorandum).

As speculation mounts about his presidential ambitions, Texas Gov. Rick Perry delivered a rousing and unapologetic defense of conservative principles on Saturday at the Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans.

Perry repeatedly brought an audience of hundreds of Republican activists to their feet with a small government message reminiscent of the one that helped him win an unprecedented third term as governor last November.

Perry said there is "too much spending, too much interfering and too much apologizing" in Washington.

"Stand up!," Perry thundered. "Let's speak with pride about our morals and our values and redouble our effort to elect more conservative Republicans. Let's stop this American downward spiral!"

See also New Orleans Times-Picayune, "Rick Perry sounds every bit a candidate at Republican Leadership Conference." (More at Memeorandum.)

Michele Bachmann Glittered at Right Online

I found the clip at Instapundit, " Failed glitter attack on Michele Bachmann."

But see also, Gay Patriot, "Throwing glitter rather than debating gay marriage":

Yeah, well, throwing stuff is a lot easier than acknowledging your adversary’s points and countering them with well-thought out arguments.

But check the whole thing. Lots more links.

But the thing I notice at the video, is how easily the protester is able to get to Michele Bachmann. When I first saw Bachmann speak at Knott's Berry Farm in January 2010, she had a staff aide or body guard keeping people away, and she left quickly after making her speech. At this year's Horowitz retreat, however, she was meeting and greeting all the guests and taking pictures, etc. I imagine the ambience was like that at Right Online, being around a bunch of fellow partisans, but there are no metal detectors at these big conferences, and it's scary to think what could very well happen unless she's better protected by security.

NewsBusted: 'Bin Laden 'bounce is gone'

Via Theo Spark:

Sarah Palin to Announce Candidacy Next Week?

There's a lot of speculation, stemming from Robert Stacy McCain's entry at American Spectator, "Palin Decision Expected Next Week."

The New York Times picked that up as a news item: "Is Sarah Palin Running for President?" And there's a huge buzz at Memeorandum. And I like the headline at Wizbang, "Rumor-Mongering: Sarah Palin Makes Her Presidential Decision Next Week?"

And of course McCain's milking it: "Thanks, Rush!:

One of the difficult things about reporting on Sarah Palin is that only Sarah Palin can speak for Sarah Palin, and she only talks to Fox News. So if you’re a reporter who doesn’t work for Fox News, you have to get what you can get where you can get it. Before I filed that brief report at the Spectator this morning, I made a call to try to confirm it with Palin’s people. But I guess if you don’t work for Fox News, they don’t take your call.

So damned if you do, damned if you don’t.

'Tax, Tax, Tax the Rich, Walker You F**king Son of a Bitch'

More progressive civility.

Via Althouse:

And progressive extremism: "Photos: Protesters lock selves to Senate railing."

'Pam's House Blend' Joins Jane Hamsher's 'Firedoglake'

Well, she couldn't have joined a more reviled progressive stinkhole.

"Hammering" Jane Hamsher has the announcement, "Pam’s House Blend to Join Firedoglake Family."

Pam Spaulding's announcement is here (via Memeorandum).

Both of these women are a couple of ASFLs, especially Pam Spauling, who was whining endlessly after settling with Righthaven:

After a few rounds of negotiations with Righthaven's vampires, I settled a couple of weeks ago, effectively bankrupting PHB. The lawsuit was dropped by RH last week, and while I cannot disclose the amount, it wiped out any ad revenue -- and then some -- that would have helped offset travel expenses I saved up to send PHB baristas to conferences - no Netroots Nation, no Southern Comfort, etc., - nada is left to do jacksh*t. It's all out of our pockets (and I'm still personally twisting in the wind because I still have to pay the attorneys). Talk about in the personal hole.

I've set up an LLC for the Blend, but that's cold comfort after this. So you probably can guess why it's an attractive idea to shut PHB down and return to relative anonymity.

What a loser. Doubly so for getting bailed out by one of the netroots' biggest progressive racists.

Michele Bachmann Jumps Into 2012 White House Race

Wednesday night's interview with Sean Hannity:

Anthony Weiner Resigns

And Emperor Obama to follow?

Commentary at Legal Insurrection and The Other McCain.

Also, at New York Times, "Weiner’s Wife May Not Be Joining Him."

And New York Post, "Weiner Pulls Out."

Anthony Weiner's Financial Disclosures

At National Journal, "Weiner OK Financially but Needs to Work":

If the Internet sex scandal that has already damaged Rep. Anthony Weiner’s political career ends up costing him his $174,000-a-year job, the New York Democrat would have a bit of a financial cushion.

Congressional lawmakers' financial-disclosure forms for 2010 were released on Wednesday, and Weiner's lists investments in a range of companies--including Hewlett-Packard, Corning, 3M, Dow Chemical, and Sony--that are worth as much as $117,000.

And he would clearly be better off if the scandal doesn’t also cost him his wife, Huma Abedin, an aide to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The filings show that Weiner, 46, has an investment portfolio worth $16,017 to $117,000. His financial activity for 2010 involved buying into and unloading a number of companies, including the purchase of an interest worth $1,001 to $15,000 in Live Nation, the live-entertainment and e-commerce company.

Stripper Ginger Lee Alleges Anthony Weiner Pressured Her to Lie About Online Relationship

At Los Angeles Times, "Ex-porn actress alleges Anthony Weiner told her to cover up online activities."

Also, at New York Post, "Weiner text pal Ginger Lee set to strip again tonight."

And at The Other McCain, "Weiner’s Teen Tweeter."

Debate Boosts Bachmann

Stokin'.

At USA Today, "Debate showing elevates Bachmann to higher tier":

"This is really her first introduction to the voters of New Hampshire and I think she made a really good impression," says Kevin Smith, executive director of a conservative advocacy group, Cornerstone Action, which is affiliated with the Tea Party movement. "Most people thought maybe she was just a clone of Sarah Palin, and what I think they saw was that she was more articulate than Palin is and probably has a better grasp of the issues."

Also, at ABC News, "Coming Off Strong Debate Michele Bachmann Takes the High Road."

House Dems Won't Punish Anthony Weiner

The want to do something, yet ...

At Wall Street Journal, "Democrats Choose Not to Punish Weiner" (via Memeorandum).

Michele Bachmann Enters Presidential Race

At Bloomberg, "Tea Party Favorite Bachmann Enters Republican Presidential Race."

And New York Times, "Bachmann Announces Presidential Candidacy."

Michele Bachmann Steals the Show at New Hampshire Presidential Debate

Andrew McCarthy took the words right out of my mouth, "Re: Bachmann Smart, Media Dumb":

I second Stanley’s analysis. I also saw Michele in person for the first time at David Horowitz’s retreat, and I was amazed at her combination of command and charisma. She spoke at great length about a wide variety of topics and took questions from the very engaged audience — without notes, with clarity and depth, and with a nice mix of humor and charm. She’s got a good lawyer’s mind for getting from A to B to C without losing the big picture, and she has the rare ability to grasp wonky details without sounding like a wonk.

I didn't have "a long chat" with Bachmann, as McCarthy says he did at the post, but as I said at the time, her talk at the Horowitz retreat sounded like a stump speech. I'm really happy for her, and pleased that she's getting a huge boost. She was a real winner last night.

See also Memeorandum.

I'll have more later.

GOP Presidential Debate in New Hampshire (VIDEO)

Bachmann hit a home run, and Romney did well too. See National Journal, "EXCLUSIVE: Political Insiders Give Debate Nod to Romney, Bachmann" (via Memeorandum). Bachmann looked extremely well prepared and on point, and her announcement that she filed papers for a presidential run was a PR coup. I'll update with more information and links to additional commentary throughout the day.