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Yglesias

Republican National Committee Waging War on Christmas

By Matthew Yglesias on Dec 25, 2009 at 4:24 pm

Imagine my surprise to find this in my inbox:

Dear Matthew,
After a difficult year in our nation’s capital and an especially challenging year across the country, we come together amongst family and friends to celebrate this very special time of year. It is a time of hope and joy – a time to give thanks for the many blessings that surround us every day.

Let us keep in our thoughts and prayers the brave men and women in uniform – especially those far from home, separated from friends and family by the call of duty. Who in this moment serve to defend our hard-won freedoms. We honor their sacrifices and pray for their safe return.

Let us reflect on our hopes, our dreams, and the goodwill we can extend to others as we prepare for another great year ahead.

May the spirit of the season be with you today and throughout the New Year.

Wishing you and your loved ones safe and happy holidays,

The Republican National Committee

Someone needs to tell Michael Steele that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Economy

Health Insurance Industry Registers Its Disapproval Of Senate Health Care Bill

By Faiz Shakir on Dec 25, 2009 at 2:05 pm

karen ignagniIn the New York Times today, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman writes in defense of the Senate health care bill. “[F]or all its flaws and limitations, it’s a great achievement,” he says. “It will provide real, concrete help to tens of millions of Americans and greater security to everyone.” But the health insurance industry and business lobbyists weren’t quite as joyous in their reaction.

The Hill writes, “the health insurance industry expressed disappointed opposition…and big-business groups slammed the bill.” The Indianapolis Star adds, “The big losers, at the moment, seem to be insurers.” Here’s a sampling of their reactions:

– The health insurance lobby, America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), criticized the Senate health care bill, arguing it would “increase, rather than decrease, health care costs; reduce coverage options; and disrupt existing coverage for families, seniors and small businesses.”

– The health insurance company Aetna complained that the bill “has not done enough on addressing costs,” and is lobbying for greater subsidies that — in the absence of a public plan — would help pay for more expensive private coverage.

– Bruce Josten, the executive vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also criticized the bill, calling it “counterproductive” and argued “it is not reform.”

The Wall Street Journal reports that health-care stocks “fell after the Senate’s approval of the health bill.” Insurance giants “WellPoint, Humana and Aetna were among the health-care sector’s decliners Thursday. WellPoint dropped 1.3%, while Humana fell 1% and Aetna was also off 1%.”

Update

The Wall Street Journal’s Avery Johnson reports:

Big insurers are still hoping to influence some language in the legislation before Congress sends it to the president. But one thing is clear: The initiative is poised to change their industry more than any other sector of the U.S. health-care system, with huge potential to disrupt profitability.

Climate Progress

Right wing bullies Build-A-Bear into removing videos about manmade climate change

By Joe Romm on Dec 25, 2009 at 1:26 pm

The anti-science crowd is all for “teaching” our kids about dirty energy (see “Let’s Learn About Coal”: Industry front group distributes coloring book on the “advantages” of coal).  But when it comes to climate science, their motto seems to be “We don’t need no education,” as Think Progress reports.

Until recently, the Build-A-Bearville website (part of the Build-A-Bear Workshop) featured online videos telling children about manmade global warming and the dangers it holds for the North Pole. In the videos, little animals learn about the problem and teach Santa Claus about it. The right wing has been outraged over the antics of these bears and penguins. One conservative called for a boycott of Build-A-Bear, and another said the the videos amount to “indoctrination.” In response to this right-wing pressure, Build-A-Bear has taken down the educational videos. A statement from “Founder and Chief Executive Bear” Maxine Clark:

Read more

Security

The Birthplace of Jesus Is ‘Under Siege’ This Christmas

By Zaid Jilani on Dec 25, 2009 at 11:04 am

As millions of Americans celebrate Christmas with their loved ones today, one group of people will commemorate the holiday in a state of virtual “siege.” Palestinian Christians in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ, are living under an occupation that is squeezing the city’s only hope for economic recovery — tourism.

The Israeli “security fence” — a sometimes 8-meter tall barrier that contains guard towers and barbed-wire fortifications that the World Court has ruled is illegal — cuts deep into the Palestinian city, and severely restricts travel and supplies. The United Nations estimates that between 50 to 70 percent of the agricultural land used by the citizens of Bethlehem has been confiscated by the building of Israel’s fence and settlement expansion. As a result of the occupation, fewer than 30 percent of visitors choose to spend the night there. ”When tourists see the wall, they think they are going into a war zone,” Adnan Suboh, a souvenir shop owner told the press. ”They are afraid.”

Meanwhile, Israeli officials have let few Christians from the Gaza Strip travel to Bethlehem to make pilgrimages for Christmas. While the Strip has nearly 3,500 Christians, the Israeli government has only offered travel permits to those below the age of 16 or above the age of 35, and “only 200 Christians from Gaza” have been allowed to make the trip.

Al Jazeera English filed this report from the city, noting that it is virtually “under siege” during Christmas. Watch it:

As the Wonk Room’s Matt Duss notes, the Israeli government oftentimes disregards the human rights of its Palestinian neighbors. He suggests that threatening to suspend aid to Israel “is the only thing likely to change Israel’s behavior.”

(HT: Juan Cole)

Update

The Los Angeles Times reports that Christians in Iraq are also facing a difficult Christmas. Scores of Christians have been targeted and murdered in recent days. “After weeks of rising bloodshed, many churches closed their doors Thursday evening or hosted few guests for a late-afternoon Christmas Eve Mass.”

Yglesias

Merry Christmas

By Matthew Yglesias on Dec 25, 2009 at 9:40 am

Anticipating a slow news day and light blogging as I watch NBA games, go see Sherlock Holmes, and eat Chinese food with other Jewish bloggers.

But there’s always time to link to Joel Waldfogel’s paper on “The Deadweight Loss of Christmas.” Your precious holiday is strangling the world economy.

So with that—Merry Christmas!

Climate Progress

Australian weather bureau: “Central Pacific Ocean surface temperatures are now at their warmest level since the El Ni±o of 1997-98″

By Joe Romm on Dec 25, 2009 at 9:31 am

Key Pacific region now warmer than in 2005 and 2007, the hottest and second hottest years on record

Australia El Nino

That’s the the 7-day (12/14-12/20) sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly map from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology (ABM).  Their El Ni±o-Southern Oscillation report finds:

Pacific Ocean temperatures remain at levels typical of a mature El Ni±o….  As a result, central Pacific Ocean surface temperatures are now at their warmest level since the El Ni±o of 1997-98, exceeding temperatures observed in both the 2002-03 and 2006-07 events. During the past week, small regions which are more than 3°C above their average temperature have emerged along the equator.

Leading climate models continue to suggest tropical ocean temperatures are approaching their peak, and will remain above El Ni±o thresholds through the southern summer before starting to cool.

The longer and stronger the El Ni±o, the more likely 2010 is the hottest year on record (see “Hansen predicts better than 50% chance 2010 will set new record” and UK Met Office: Global warming plus El Ni±o means it’s “more likely than not that 2010 will be the warmest year in the instrumental record”).

The warming in the Nino 3.4 region of the Pacific is typically used to define an El Ni±o “” sustained postive sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies of greater than 0.5°C across the central tropical Pacific Ocean.  Here’s the Nino 3.4 data for the last 5 years from ABM:

Read more

Politics

Senate Fails To Confirm Some Of Obama’s Key Progressive Nominations

By Faiz Shakir on Dec 25, 2009 at 9:00 am

dawnBefore adjourning for its winter break yesterday, the Senate confirmed 30 of President Obama’s nominees for federal posts, including the head administrators for the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

But the Senate also rebuffed six other nominations, including Office of Legal Counsel nominee Dawn Johnsen and Department of Labor Solicitor Patricia Smith — both of whom tout solid progressive credentials. The Washington Post reports:

The Senate did not take a formal vote Thursday on any of the officials, but Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.), said, “They ran into opposition.”

As head of the OLC, Johnsen would lead the same office which, under Jay Bybee’s command in the Bush administration, gave sanction to the use of torture. Johnsen was a fierce outspoken critic of the so-called “torture memos,” writing, “We must regain our ability to feel outrage whenever our government acts lawlessly and devises bogus constitutional arguments for outlandishly expansive presidential power.”

Johnsen was criticized by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) for lacking the “seriousness and necessary resolve to address the national security challenges we face.” Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) expressed concern over her “outspoken pro-choice views.” And Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) registered his opposition to Johnsen without offering an explanation. As the Washington Post wrote in an editorial this week:

Perhaps the greatest nominations travesty, however, is the one involving Dawn E. Johnsen’s selection to head the Justice Department’s influential Office of Legal Counsel. … [T]he president should be given deference in choosing executive-branch officials who share his views. Ms. Johnsen is highly qualified and should be confirmed. At the very least, senators should have the decency to give her an up-or-down vote.

As for Patricia Smith, if confirmed, she would have been responsible for enforcing all of the nation’s workplace laws and representing the agency in all enforcement actions. Under the Bush administration, the solicitor’s office — once headed by Eugene Scalia (son of Justice Antonin Scalia) — sat on its hands and failed to enforce even the most flagrant labor violations. Sen. Mike Enzi (R-WY) had placed a hold on her nomination.

The nominations of Johnsen, Smith, and four others were returned to the White House yesterday. President Obama will now have to decide whether to re-nominate the individuals.

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