Tuesday 21 April 2015
Photo, left:
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
Co-host: Larry Kudlow, CNBC senior advisor; & Cumulus Media radio
Hour One
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 1, Block A: Stephen Moore, chief economist, Heritage Foundation, in re: the field of GOP candidates, almost all of whom have managerial experience. Supporting some version of a flat tax. No need to attack Hillary, who’s well on the way to hanging herself. . . . The more you grow the economy, the more tax income and the [fewer mandated benefits]. LK: I don't like means-testing; I prefer savings accounts. If you've paid in to Social Security for forty yeas, and then you get zip in return? . . . Flat tax blows up K Street! (1 of 2)
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 1, Block B: Stephen Moore, chief economist, Heritage Foundation, in re: . . . Hillary: Quid pro Dough. . . . (2 of 2)
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 1, Block C: Charles Blahous, Hoover and Mercatus Center and Public Trustee, Social Security and Medicare, in re: King v Burwell: paying subsidies to ACA recipients in states where the Feds have the only exchange: is paying those subsidies Constitutional? "SCOTUS rules for the defense" – were it to rule that subsidies may be paid would be the simplest resolution; no need to change the law to let subsidies be paid in exchanges. Jim Capretta first wrote about this: If SCOTUS rules against the WH proposal, first it'll try the courts. Bridge financing, then generate a reform package? Another discussion: what GOP alternative to be established? Both Senate and House have rules anent this. eHealth and similar are growing rapidly. It's the very heavy Federal subsidization under the ACA that [rubs people the wrong way]. If plaintiffs win, is Congress ready to adapt? Congress shd not feel pressure to extend the subsidies unless the Court rules . . . cd argue in favor of a level playing field; in that case, would immed need a new score, not adding to Federal deficit. . . . Design of subsidies was very poorly done: high marginal tax rate on earnings. Anti-employment effects of these subsidies. It shouldn't be incumbent on opponents of ACA to come forward and [fix] it. GOP has finally figured out that it needs to have its own, positive plan. Need to have much greater choice.
Gaming Out the Scenarios in King v. Burwell, e21, Economic Policies for the 21st Century
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 1, Block D: Larry Kudlow, CNBC senior advisor; and Cumulus Media radio, in re: Jack Kennedy knew that to be re-elected he had to have economic growth; looked for 5%. Chose a tax cut across the board; it carried. More Democrats voted for it than did Republicans. Historically, Dems were the tax cutters through most of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. She could carve out a pro-growth policy – Reagan used JFK's tax policies. If Mrs Clinton ran on tax cutting, the left Dems would reject her. Only 20 years ago Bill Clinton cut taxes and had fabulous growth and do a corporate tax cut, bring home $2 trillion from overseas. She needs to be pro-growth and bring home $2 trillion from overseas. . . . She could change the course of the entire Democratic Party. Rubio: corporate side is good, personal is not – ¾ of the voters ' get tax breaks. Also, under Rubio's plan $75-100K PA earners will pay much higher taxes—a loser. http://www.nationalreview.com/article/417129/challenge-hillary-clinton-return-jfk-growth-agenda-larry-kudlow?target=author&tid=1839
Hour Two
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 2, Block A: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus; author: Soviet Fates and Lost Alternatives: From Stalinism to the New Cold War, & The Victims Return: Survivors of the Gulag after Stalin; in re: “Russia has adopted this approach and it is a mix of very well-known conventional warfare and new, more sophisticated propaganda and disinformation campaigns including Russian efforts to influence public opinion through financial links with political parties within Nato and engagement in NGOs.”
http://www.newsweek.com/2015/04/24/former-nato-chief-says-europe-hybrid-war-putin-322293.html?utm_content=buffere312d&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer (1 of 4)
Gen Valery Gerasimov: Nonnuclear NATO [sites] have become objects of [attention]. Yatsienuk: "Ukraine is just Moscow's first goal in Russia's war against the West." A passel of insane quotations on "global war." – Dmitri Simes and Graeme Allison. Anders Fogh Rasmussen: "Russians have launched a hybrid war against Europe" In 1913 we observed that we could be heading toward a hot war. We sounded like alarmists. A year later, suddenly very eminent people are saying this. See their article. . . . The top mil security elite of Russia: split between "pragmatists" hoping for some sort of cooperation with the West, and so-called hotheads ,who aim for war. We don't hear or see anyone saying, "Pull back." Other than Kissinger and Scowcroft, not many wise men around. It'll take a new perception in DC of what's gong on in Ukraine. Thousands of NATO troops, plus tanks and APCs, are on the move next to Russian borders – this is a provocation. 1. The growing humanitarian disaster in Eastern Ukraine – millions at risk of disease, freezing, starving. The American "right to protect"?? 2. The sudden rash of political assassinations in Kiev
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour2, Block B: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus, and author; in re: Meeting the challenge of an angry but weakened Russia today requires a subtle combination of firmness and restraint. Where vital American interests are engaged, w e have to be able and willing to fight: to kill and to die. Effective deterrence requires three C’s: clarity about red lines that cannot be crossed (for example, attacking a NATO ally); capability to respond in ways that will make the cost of aggression greatly exceed any benefits an aggressor could hope to achieve; and credibility about our determination to fulfill our commitment. At the same time, we should recognize that if American and Russian forces find themselves firing upon each other, this would violate one of the principal constraints both sides respected assiduously during four decades of the Cold War—risking escalation to a war both would lose. http://nationalinterest.org/feature/russia-america-stumbling-war-12662?page=8 (2 of 4)
Rasmussen's overarching claims. These are arguments for bigger budgets. [Typist says: recall that a moment ago NATO couldn't explain its raison d'etre; now it's jetting in to a fight and arguing for more money.] "And don't forget cyberweapons," says Rasmussen. I underestimated the number and power of those in the West who actually want a war with Russia. Why does he want to expand Article V, or cyberattack? Add another tripwire? . . The war Party n DC and Brussels says we're already at war. Note partnership accord of 1990s; but leading NATO figures say that Russia is an enemy. The European war Party is very worried about the divide in European opinion on war with Russia. Enemies of Minsk II.
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 2, Block C: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus, and author; in re: 'We're not interested in a fair fight' – US army commander urges NATO to confront Russia — RT News ; US forces in southern Afghanistan Operations Director General Frederick 'Ben' Hodges. ; US 'Crucial' to Latvia as Russian Troops Build on Border: Defense Chief ; NBC News: Hodges says inability to monitor eastern Ukraine is concerning (VIDEO) (3 of 4)
There are 250 US troops – paratroopers – on the ground in Lviv, Ukraine, "to train local troops" calling itself the National Guard., The Ukrainians being trained boast of their neo-Nazi policies. Also 200 Canadians. Right Sector (quasi-Nazi) has its own battalion; along with other overt fascists. Canadians say, "We can tell one [fascist] battalion member from another." No they can't. Why are we doing this at all? Short of nuclear war, if Russia wants to fight us in Ukraine, there's no way US and NATO can defeat Russia, and they know it. WarPartiers say, We can at least kill a lot of Russians so Putin will capitulate? What?? No one who knows anything about Russia, Russian people, Russian political system, believes this. Benjamin Hodges (inter al.) is doing this as a provocation. . . . What if a few snipers kill several Americans? A journo shot dead on Thursday; also a politician (Oleg Kalashnikov) – both had spoken of he Kremlin without condemnation. At the same time a rash of "suicides" along the main river – clearly, a death squad in Ukraine – apparently among US/NATO allies. Now people are dying of bullets. Looks like Pinochet's Chile. This is an enormous story that has not at all been reported in the US. Europe knows what a series of political assassinations means. Strange evidence of an official website publishing the home addresses the of these people subsequently murdered. Not pro-Russian but critical of the regime in Kiev: criticized it for being undemocratic, for refusing to give humanitarian aid to Donbass. Ukrainian Insurgent Army.
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 2, Block D: Stephen F. Cohen, NYU & Princeton professor Emeritus, and author; (4 of 4)
Gen Hodges makes major, provocative, threatening remarks. Vl Putin answering questions online fromall of Russia: annually does this, answers several hundred questions (submitted in advance). Transcript: Putin made it clear that Russia will not capitulate under what he regards a s an early US-led assault on Russia's sovereignty and right. However, what h really wants is a rapprochement with the West – wants to repair and improve relations. Also, he’ll personally repair every pothole in the country (garbage, potholes, school teachers) For half the Q&A, Putin sounded like the mayor of New York. Putin's popularity is at 80%. During the Cold War, we voided war by agreeing to maintain parity; Hodges is demanding superiority and "we don't want a fair fight."
Hour Three
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 3, Block A: Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review & Pirates fan, in re: Click here for link APPOMATTOX COURTHOUSE, Va.-Steve Garfein sat at the head of a long folding table, his back to a massive white tent intended to hold the thousands of visitors attending the anniversary commemoration of the South's surrender to the North on April 9, 1865. Shading his eyes from the bright sun with aviator glasses and a tan safari hat, he sampled a warm funnel cake covered in powdered sugar. “I've never had one of these before,” he said, clearly enjoying the decadent confection.
The Vietnam-era veteran and successful businessman was on a personal pilgrimage to this national park and Gettysburg before heading home to Poulsbo, Wash. Though he never was called up to serve in Vietnam, Garfein, out of Fort Lewis, Wash., led an armored reconnaissance unit and a field artillery battery. “I've always felt a connection to the men who fought in the Civil War.” His conversation turned to leadership, honoring the past, the government scandals of the last five years and the country's future: “I was taught at a young age to value your community and to serve it. We need more emphasis on that from those who want to lead our country.
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 3, Block B: Reza Kahlili, The Daily Caller, & author, A Time to Betray, in re: US warships to monitor ships traveling from Iran ; U.S. warships are being deployed to Yemen to monitor ships in the area traveling ...
US aircraft carrier sent to block Iranian arms shipments to Yemen rebels ; Pentagon tracking Iranian convoy off coast of Yemen
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 3, Block C: Robert Zimmerman, behindtheblack.com, in re: Rosetta records the appearance of a new jet on Comet 67P/C-G Cool image time! Images taken two minutes apart by Rosetta have captured the emergence of a new jet on Comet 67P/C-G.
The two images released today show the remarkable onset of such a jet for the first time. They were taken on 12 March from a distance of 75 kilometres. In the first image, obtained at 07:13 CET, several rays of dust jets frame the upper, illuminated side of the comet. The dark underside shows no such features. Two minutes later, the picture has changed: a spectacular new jet has emerged on the dark side, hurtling dust into space and displaying a clearly discernable fine structure. This was the first jet observed in a shadowed area, and the scientists think this jet might have started because it was just before dawn there.
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 3, Block D: William McGurn, WSJ editorial board & and columnist, MAIN STREET , in re: The Pope, the Poor and Climate Change: Man is the despoiler in the Church of St. Green, but Genesis says we are here to work the earth.
Hour Four
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 4, Block A: John Nicolson, Scottish National Party candidate for Parliament from East Dunbartonshire, in re: Tories should vote Labour in Scotland to keep SNP out, Lord Tebbit suggests
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 4, Block B: : John Nicolson, Scottish National Party candidate for Parliament from East Dunbartonshire, in re: http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/21/tories-and-rightwing-pre...
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 4, Block C: Paul Gregory, Hoover & Forbes, in re: EU's Antitrust Charge Against Gazprom: Another Putin Disaster
Tuesday 21 April 2015 / Hour 4, Block D: Robert Faturechi, ProPublica, in re: Rapid Rise in SuperPACs Dominated by Single Donors As super PACs rise as a force in the political process, a growing number of them are being set up as instruments of single donors, ProPublica's Robert Faturechi and Jonathan Stray report today. In fact, their analysis of federal records shows that during the 2014 election cycle, $113 million, or 16 percent of money raised by all super PACs, went to those dominated by one donor -- quadruple the 2012 rate