‘The Good Wife’ Open Thread: Booze Cruise

By Alyssa Rosenberg on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:22 pm

By Kate Linnea Welsh

The Good Wife takes on issues of diplomatic immunity as two college-age sons of diplomats – one Dutch, one Taiwanese – are accused of raping and murdering a young woman at a stoplight party on a booze cruise. (Quick term definition for those as old and out-of-touch as I am: on the booze cruise, passengers paid $50 for unlimited beer, and the “stoplight party” means that passengers choose cup colors based on their relationship status: red means “in a relationship,” yellow means “choosy,” and green means “open.”) Diplomatic immunity is often portrayed as something all-encompassing and very cut-and-dry, but Cary, in his zeal to prosecute, manages to find a variety of loopholes. He surprises everyone by taking the young men into custody, arguing that he’s allowed to investigate the crime, just not to prosecute them. Presumably the technicality here is that if they were cleared, Cary would know to look for other suspects, but he never seriously looks at anyone else. Once he’s forced to let the Dutch suspect go, he points out that he can prosecute the other suspect because Taiwan is the one country that doesn’t enjoy diplomatic immunity, because of the One-China policy. As happens so often on this show, what first appears to be a philosophical question ends up being decided based on who has more influence and connections: Eli first uses his ex-wife’s connections at the State Department to have them push for dismissal, but then one of Cary’s colleagues uses her own family connections to have this position reversed. And Cary finally discovers that the Dutch suspect is no longer a full-time student, so he doesn’t actually have immunity through his father in the first place.

The cases of the week are becoming still less central on the show, though, and this week, we don’t even see the final courtroom showdown – Cary just mentions in a throwaway line that he won. Instead, the cases are designed to illuminate things about the characters and their relationships, and one of the focuses this week was on jockeying for position, especially among the newer attorneys at both the State’s Attorney’s office and at Lockhart/Gardner. Cary thinks his supervisor is out to get him – but at the end of the episode he instead gets a promotion from Peter. Meanwhile, Alicia is dealing with Caitlin, the new associate she was forced to hire last week. Caitlin is pretty naive, and doesn’t know what she’s doing, but Alicia seems to like her more than expected. Caitlin also seems to be flirting with Will – or maybe she’s acting as a spy for her uncle? Either way, Alicia is a bit territorial, but she shouldn’t worry, because Will’s not biting. And when Caitlin blithely comments that everyone at Lockhart/Gardner is just so nice, Will deadpans: “Yeah. Lawyers. Nicest people in the world.”
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Health

Report: GOP’s Super Committee Proposal Would Devastate Lower-Income, Disabled Americans

By Igor Volsky on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:15 pm

The Republicans’ super committee proposal to reduce the deficit would make much deeper cuts to Medicare and Medicaid and achieve less deficit reduction that the plan offered by Democrats last week, the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) concludes in a new report. For instance, “four-fifths of the Republicans’ proposed Medicare cuts— $400 billion — would directly affect beneficiaries through higher premiums, higher cost sharing, and more restrictive eligibility criteria,” while Democrats include $200 billion in reductions to beneficiaries.

As a result, the GOP’s plan — when coupled with the reductions to Medicaid — would substantially impact lower-income beneficiaries:

Since half of Medicare beneficiaries had incomes below $21,100 in 2010, it would be virtually impossible to achieve this level of beneficiary cuts without imposing substantial increases in out-of-pocket costs on near-poor elderly and disabled people — those between 100 and 200 percent of the poverty line (about $11,000 to $22,000 for an individual). Yet the typical Medicare beneficiary in this income range already pays 23 percent of income for out-of-pocket costs, a percentage that would increase significantly under both plans — especially under the Republican plan. [...]

The Republican plan also would make far deeper cuts in Medicaid — $185 billion versus $75 billion over ten years under the Democratic plan. Cuts of this depth would shift substantial costs to state governments, which would lead to state actions that limit care for the low-income children, parents, seniors, and people with disabilities whom Medicaid serves.

Look:

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Special Topic

FLASHBACK: America’s Last General Strike Was In Oakland In 1946

By Zaid Jilani on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:15 pm

Oakland's 1946 General Strike

Following the harsh crackdown by police against Occupy Oakland, activists have been calling for a city-wide general strike on Wednesday to protest police and city behavior. The momentum for the strike has grown following endorsements by the SEIU Local 1021 labor union and the Oakland Educational Association.

Other than building up the activist momentum to actually carry out the strike, there are also legal and logistical issues with general strikes. Under the anti-labor Taft-Hartley Act, “a general strike in support of other workers is illegal,” making general strikes effectively barred. In addition to these possible legal hurdles, organizing a general strike would require collective action that is difficult under current organizing rules.

However, it is worthwhile to note that Oakland was the site of America’s last great general strike. Over the course of two days in December 1946, 130,000 workers in Oakland refused to work out of solidarity with a strike by 400 mostly female retail clerks in which police were intervening. Union officials called the massive strike a “worker’s holiday.” All stores but pharmacies and food markets were shut down. After two days, the general strike ended when the city government pledged police neutrality in future strikes. The retail strike continued for another five months before being resolved.

Keith Carson, a member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors, made a short video in 2009 about the Oakland General Strike (part 2 is here). Watch part one:

That year, there were six general strikes, “setting the all time record for strikes and work stoppages in the U.S.” The hundreds of thousands of workers who went on strike that year won major concessions and served as fighters for the most robust middle class America had ever seen. Despite the laws barring solidarity strikes, a general strike in Oakland may set the path for more militant labor action that, like in the past, would once again help rebuild this middle class.

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Economy

Former GOP Ohio Supreme Court Judge: Ohio’s Anti-Labor Law Is ‘Tragic For Our Communities,’ ‘Must Be Rejected’

By Tanya Somanader on Oct 31, 2011 at 5:00 pm

Retired Ohio Supreme Court Judge Andy Douglas

In eight days, Ohio voters will go to the polls to decide whether GOP Gov. John Kasich’s deeply unpopular anti-labor law, Senate Bill 5, should remain on the books. Thousands of Ohioans, including right-wing radio host Bill Cunningham, have urged Ohioans to stand behind teachers, police officers, and firefighters and repeal the law by voting no on Issue 2.

Now, former Republican Ohio Supreme Court Justice Andy Douglas is lending his voice to the repeal effort, noting that before the state passed its 1984 collective bargaining law, it led the nation in safety forces work stoppages. Since collective bargaining became the law of the land, however, there have been no work stoppages. “It would be tragic for our communities to return to those dark days,” he said. “That is what Senate Bill 5 — if it becomes law — would do”:

DOUGLAS: In the decade before the enactment of Ohio’s collective bargaining law in 1984, Ohio, for four years, led the nation in safety forces work stoppages. The reason was clear. When a city and its safety forces had a dispute concerning wages, working conditions, and adequate staffing, there was no way to resolve the dispute. That is why we passed the collective bargaining law. The law has worked. There has been no safety forces work stoppages in Ohio since the law was passed. It would be tragic for our communities to return to those dark days. That is what Senate Bill 5 — if it becomes law — would do. To fully protect our citizens and police officers and firefighters, Senate Bill 5 must be rejected.

Watch it:

Douglas added, “I’m a Republican and I’ve been working side by side with independents and Democrats to see that this bad bill does not become law.” He told Ohioans that “Senate Bill 5 must be rejected” to stop “politicians who would turn back the clock on public safety and on those who protect and serve us.”

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NEWS FLASH

Pediatrics Group: All Teens Should Be Tested For HIV | A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all teens age 16-18 be regularly tested for HIV if they live in an area where the prevalence of HIV is greater than 0.1 percent of the population. Efforts to target sexually active youth have not proven effective at reducing infection rates in that population. The recommendations also call for HIV testing for any adolescent tested for another sexually transmitted infection.

Climate Progress

Special Investigation: Who’s Behind the “Information Attacks” on Climate Scientists?

By Climate Guest Blogger on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:46 pm

by Sue Sturgis, in an Institute for Southern Studies repost

This week, in a courtroom in Prince William County, Virginia, a hearing will take place that could have implications for the privacy rights of scientists at colleges and universities across the country.

It’s part of a lawsuit brought by the American Tradition Institute, a free-market think tank that wants the public to believe human-caused global warming is a scientific fraud. Filed against the University of Virginia, the suit seeks emails and other documents related to former professor Michael Mann, an award-winning climate scientist who has become a focus of the climate-denial movement because of his research documenting the recent spike in earth’s temperature.

By suing the university, the American Tradition Institute wants to make public Mann’s correspondence in an effort to find out whether he manipulated data to receive government grants, a violation of the state’s Fraud Against Taxpayers Act.

But a Facing South investigation has found that the Colorado-based American Tradition Institute is part of a broader network of groups with close ties to energy interests that have long fought greenhouse gas regulation. Our investigation also finds that ATI has connections with the Koch brothers, Art Pope and other conservative donors seeking to expand their political influence.

‘A Hostile Environment’

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NEWS FLASH

Congressman Scott Garrett Says Foreign ‘Ethnicities’ Are Not Trustworthy | Speaking with the Express-Times of Lehigh Valley, a local newspaper in his district, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ) remarked on why he prefers to do business among people in the Midwest. Richard Spanier, a local businessman, said Midwesterners are more “straight-forward.” Garrett replied, “Other ethnicities are not that way [...] They’ll say yes to you constantly and then you’ll realize they really didn’t mean it.” Later, Garrett clarified his comments to reporters, explaining that he meant “people in other countries” when he referred to “other ethnicities.” Mother Jones noted that the “clarification doesn’t really make this comment much less bizarre or offensive.”

Climate Progress

President Obama To Create A New National Monument At Fort Monroe In Virginia

By Public Lands Team on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:25 pm

By Tom Kenworthy, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress Action Fund.

President Obama on Tuesday will for the first time exercise his broad land conservation authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act by naming a Civil War-era military fort in Virginia a national monument.

The designation of Fort Monroe will make history in several ways: honoring the location of a Civil War landmark that served as a haven for African Americans, as well as the Union general who sheltered them; creating the first national monument in Virginia; and making President Obama the latest in a long line of presidents from both parties who have embraced the Antiquities Act as a means to protect treasured American landscapes and historical places for future generations to enjoy. As Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said:

The action taken by President Obama will ensure that this important event in American history will get the recognition it deserves. Fort Monroe stands as a testament to the personal courage of thousands of Americans, including the enslaved people who bravely took control of their destinies there during the Civil War, as well as the courage of the Union general who ensured their safety. Together, their heroic actions heralded the beginning of the end of slavery in America.
The president is expected to make the formal announcement on Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the White House, capping an effort that drew broad support among Virginia officials and local residents in the Hampton Roads area at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The designation will protect several hundreds of acres which will be managed by the National Park Service.

Established in the early 19th Century, Fort Monroe was a strategic military base, serving most recently as a training center for the U.S. Army. But it earned its place in American history more broadly during the Civil War, when three African American slaves escaped the Confederate Army and fled to Fort Monroe. They were seized as “contraband of war” by the Union Army commander, which kept them from being returned to their owners. More than a half million African Americans later followed the lead of the three slaves, finding freedom in the contraband camp near Hampton Roads and becoming a self-contained African American city.

The recognition of this little known but vital piece of American history comes as House Republicans are pushing several pieces of legislation that would limit or end the presidential authority to designate national monuments. Almost every president has used the authority since Theodore Roosevelt, including President George W. Bush.

As noted by Center for American Progress president and CEO John Podesta, the ability of presidents to use the Antiquities Act is a vital authority that ensures our long tradition of protecting public lands and helps “revitalize and strengthen local communities.”

Yglesias

Cable Industry Holding Up Fine

By Matthew Yglesias on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:15 pm

Anecdotally, it seems to me that more and more people my age are going without a cable subscription and relying on over-the-air television and internet streaming for our video needs. But the New York Times says that despite the hype, there’s no real aggregate trend here. The declining economy is hurting cable companies, but it’s hurting them in the sense that some people are now too poor to pay for television or broadband Internet, they’re not using the Web instead of TV.

“Overwhelmingly, the losses are coming at the low end of the income spectrum,” said Craig Moffett, an analyst for Sanford C. Bernstein. Most such cord-cutters do not have a broadband Internet connection, he said.

“X is not a trend” is often a hard story to get placed in a periodical, but it’s important to know this stuff. I tend to suspect that a big part of the issue here is that the same people who sell broadband Internet also sell television, so there’s no strong incentive to market the cableless option. The presence or absence of information is important to functioning markets, and absent the marketing incentive the information doesn’t really exist.

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Media

Embattled News Corp. Exec James Murdoch Gets A Pay Raise

By Travis Waldron on Oct 31, 2011 at 4:15 pm

James Murdoch, the son of News Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch and the company’s deputy chief operating officer, has been at the center of News Corp.’s phone hacking scandal, which has sparked investigations into the company’s practices in both the United States and Great Britain. Murdoch, along with his father, appeared in front of the British Parliament as part of an inquiry into the News of the World scandal that rocked Britain after the paper’s reporters were accused of bribing public officials and hacking into voice mail systems to get scoops on stories. Scandal eventually spread to other News Corp. subsidiaries, including the European division of the Wall Street Journal.

Despite those scandals, BSkyB, a British broadcaster where Murdoch serves in a non-executive chairmanship position, announced this week that it was giving him a £1,300 raise. The announcement, the Telegraph reports, made no mention of the scandals that have enveloped News Corp. since early this summer:

The increase, which brings Mr Murdoch’s pay for the non-executive role to £88,000, was revealed in an annual report from BSkyB that made no mention of the News of the World phone hacking scandal that has rocked News Corp and BSkyB, and ultimately derailed the deal.

Earlier this year, News Corp. submitted a bid to take over the 61 percent of BSkyB it does not already own, but the Murdochs pulled the bid amid the growing phone hacking scandal. The cost of aborting the deal cost BSkyB £16 million.

The raise is likely to further enrage News Corp. shareholders, who made a push to remove Rupert Murdoch and his relatives from their board and chairmanship positions at its annual meetings earlier this month. The Murdochs prevailed due to their holding a majority stake in the company, allowing James Murdoch to keep his seat on the BSkyB board and take home a handsome raise despite the troubles plaguing the family empire.

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