News Nuggets 553

A field of cotton grass in Iceland.  From National Geographic.

QUOTE-OF-THE-DAY:
"Is Wisconsin the Tunisia of collective bargaining rights?"  

- New York Times [see item below]

UP-FRONT 'OH MY GOD' PROTEST NUGGET!!
Now, I had assumed that the Libyan protests would top the blog today -- but this protest story (very modest as it is in its end results) caught my attention.  Even at this modest level, I am stunned that Chinese dissidents have gotten even this far.  Regular readers know I've been tracking the growing economic instability of China (inflation, a budding real estate bubble, etc.) -- but this story makes me wonder if the regime there isn't in store for a lot more trouble than most analysts are now predicting. 
Call for Protests Unnerves Beijing from the Wall Street Journal
"Chinese authorities detained dozens of political activists after an anonymous online call for people to start a "Jasmine Revolution" in China by protesting in 13 cities—just a day after President Hu Jintao called for tighter Internet controls to help prevent social unrest.  Only a handful of people appeared to have responded to the call to protest in Beijing, Shanghai and 11 other cities at 2 p.m. Sunday, a call first posted on the U.S.-based Chinese-language news website Boxun.com and circulated mainly on Twitter, which is blocked in China. A man was arrested by police in front of the Peace Cinema, where online social networks were calling readers to join in a 'Jasmine Revolution' protest, in downtown Shanghai on Sunday.  But Chinese authorities seemed to take it seriously…"

Libyan Protesters Rise Up in Capital (Mike Giglio) from the Daily Beast
"Protests in Libya intensified Sunday, spreading toward the nation’s capital for the first time. Hoping to tamp down the uprising, a son of leader Muammar Qaddafi spoke on national television and warned of a civil war if demonstrations against his dictator father continue. “Libya is not Tunisia or Egypt,” Saif Qaddafi said, adding that the regime would fight “until the last bullet.” Witnesses reported heavy gunfire in Tripoli following the speech Sunday night, as well as tear gas and live bullets from security forces."
Qaddafi thought he was being smart by bringing in foreign mercenaries to gun down his own citizens.  Looks now like all he did was piss off the professional Libyan army.  They've turned on him in Benghazi and the protests have moved to Tripoli.  Given what his son said on state TV, the regime's situation has DRAMATICALLY declined in the last 48 hours.  I think all they can do now is simply shoot it out until Qaddafi and his sons are no longer standing. 

This point is reinforced here:
Libya Protests Analysis: 'For Muammar Gaddafi it's Kill or be Killed' (Ian Black) from the Guardian [of the UK]
"Libya's leader faces the worst unrest since he seized power, but no-one expects him to give up peacefully."

To follow events in Libya, see the live updates and live blogging at Al Jazeera English HERE.

Watching Protesters Risk It All in Bahrain (Nicholas Kristof) from the New York Times
"As democracy protests spread across the Middle East, we as journalists struggle to convey the sights and sounds, the religion and politics. But there’s one central element that we can’t even begin to capture: the raw courage of men and women — some of them just teenagers — who risk torture, beatings and even death because they want freedoms that we take for granted."

In Sudan, Bashir 'Will Not Seek Re-election" from Al Jazeera English
"Sudan's president will not stand at next polls, reports say, as his party denies move is reaction to regional protests."
Yeah, right.  The heat must be building in Khartoum.  Such statements are now like the first bell ringing in the fire station that tells you that the big fire is now touching a new neighborhood.

The Real Losers In A Government Shutdown (Howard Fineman) from the Huffington Post
"The likelihood is that the Republicans will lose politically if there is a shutdown. First, it's clear that many of them want one, whatever their leaders say. Some of them will celebrate it on the floor of the House if it happens. They won't be able to help themselves. The 80 or so first-year Tea Party types in the House are as eager as college protesters taking over the Ad Building a generation ago."
Yup.  They can't help themselves.

In Budget Wars, Tough Talk Hasn’t Often Led to Political Victory (John Harwood) from the New York Times
"Is it really different this time? That’s what Republican political strategists are asking as party leaders and presidential prospects keep raising the bar in their quest to curb government deficits. As thrilling as that process feels for Tea Party members and conservative intellectuals, its merit as an electoral formula remains unproven at best."

Democratic Strategy In Wisconsin: Kill The Bill, Then Recall Republicans From Office (Amanda Terkel) from the Huffington Post
"According to Wisconsin law, voters can recall any elected official in the state, as long as they've been in office for at least a year. This process involves collecting signatures for a recall position and then holding an election with the incumbent against any other candidates who jump in. As ThinkProgress' Ian Millhiser has reported, there are eight Republicans who could currently be recalled."
You betcha'.  If the roles were reversed, the GOP wouldn't hesitate for a mili-second.

Moderate Wisconsin Republicans Offer Compromise from the Wall Street Journal
"The proposal, written by Sen. Dale Schultz and first floated in the Republican caucus early last week, calls for most collective bargaining rights of public employee unions to be eliminated – per Mr. Walker's bill – but then reinstated in 2013, said Mr. Schultzs's chief of staff Todd Allbaugh."
Oh RIGHT!  But all along they've been saying that eliminating bargaining rights was a strategy to control budget costs over the LONG-TERM.  What's so special about 2013?  Oh -- the so-called moderate Republicans -- could THEY be the eight facing the recall noted in the previous item?  Hard to imagine, isn't it?

Wisconsin Leads Way as Workers Fight State Cuts from the New York Times
"The unrest in Wisconsin this week over Gov. Scott Walker’s plan to cut the bargaining rights and benefits of public workers is spreading to other states. Already, protests erupted in Ohio this week, where another newly elected Republican governor, John Kasich, has been seeking to take away collective bargaining rights from unions. … Is Wisconsin the Tunisia of collective bargaining rights?"

The G.O.P.’s Post-Tucson Traumatic Stress Disorder (Frank Rich) from the New York Times
"In the aftermath of President Obama’s Tucson sermon, civility has had a mini-restoration in Washington. And some of the most combative national figures in our politics have been losing altitude ever since …"
I've been seeing signs of the same phenomenon.

For Presidential Hopefuls, a Game of Posturing and Positioning (Howard Kurtz) from the Daily Beast
"GOP 2012 presidential contenders from ex-lobbyist Haley Barbour to polarizing Sarah Palin to acid-tongued Michele Bachmann made their auditions at CPAC. But none yet has the stature to take on Obama, writes Howard Kurtz."
Howard's on the money here.  Moreover, all indications are right now that all the candidates (with the exception of Huntsman and possibly Romney) are positioning themselves as if 2012 will be a re-play of the 2010 cycle -- a CRITICAL mistake!  In light of the Tucson shooting (see the Frank Rich piece above) and what we're seeing now in Wisconsin, the landscape will be very different.  While the specific issue set is still unclear, I think moderates will be swinging away from the GOP and Democrats are going to be MUCH MORE motivated!

Reinforcing this view is the following item:
As Republicans See a Mandate on Budget Cuts, Others See Risk from the New York Times
"But in the view of officials from both major political parties, Republicans may be risking the same kind of electoral backlash Democrats suffered after they were perceived as overreaching. Public surveys suggest that most voters do not share the Republicans’ fervor for the deep cuts adopted by the House, or for drastically slashing the power of public-sector unions. And independent voters have historically been averse to displays of political partisanship that have been played out over the last week."

CPAC Immigration Panel: Readying the Fight to Save the GOP and White America from Right Wing Watch
"If there is one message to take away from CPAC’s panel on immigration, it’s that White America is in serious jeopardy and may soon succumb to immigration, multiculturalism, and socialism. … “No more of this multiculturalism garbage,” Tancredo said, adding that “the cult of multiculturalism has captured the world” and is “the dagger in the heart” of civilization."
Almost every line from this article is jaw-dropping.  What's above is only a sample.

PRESIDENT'S DAY NUGGET!!
The Best-Read Presidents from the Daily Beast
"In honor of Presidents' Day, The Daily Beast ranks the top 19 presidents who were the most avid readers and book collectors, from James Buchanan to Theodore Roosevelt. Plus, find out what books they read."

CIVIL WAR NUGGET!!
The Foot Comes Down (Ted Widmer) from the New York Times
"Lincoln quiets the raucous New Jersey Legislature with one of his most powerful speeches yet."

GOING-TO-HELL-IN-A-HANDBASKET HISTORY NUGGET!!
Americans Say Reagan Is Greatest President, Poll Finds (Christopher Weber) from Politics Daily
"Gallup said respondents are more likely to mention recent office-holders because "the average American constantly hears about and from presidents in office during their lifetime, and comparatively little about historical presidents long dead.""
Translation: respondents don't know @#$% about past US presidents or US History generally.