News Nuggets 708

The creative tree-growing efforts of a couple in south-east Queensland, Australia.  They most often used Myrobalan Plum trees for shaping what they called their Pooktre forest.  The story can be found HERE from the Daily Mail of the UK.

First Thoughts: A Game of Leverage from MSNBC

A VERY insightful look at what's happening yesterday and today.

"Tea Party and conservative House members don’t really care about important committee assignments. They don’t place a value on fundraising help. And earmarks and extra pork for their districts? Forget about it."

Harry Reid Offers Debt Ceiling Bill That Resembles Mitch McConnell's (Sam Stein) from the Huffington Post

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) unveiled a new debt-limit bill Friday night that strongly resembles a plan first suggested by his rival, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)."
WOW! What chutzpah! 

Boehner’s Grip on Fractured Party Slips (James Rowley) from Bloomberg News Service
"The same forces that brought John Boehner to power as speaker of the U.S. House are now the ones that weaken him. For all the unity within the House Republican majority that he forged this year to thwart President Barack Obama’s agenda, Boehner was unable yesterday to amass the votes to pass his plan to cut the federal deficit and raise the debt ceiling."

How Did Republicans Convince Themselves Obama Would Sign Boehner's Bill (Jonathan Chait) from the New Republic
"One of the bizarre things about John Boehner's debt ceiling bill is that all the Republican opposition has come from the right. Nobody in the party thinks the bill is too recklessly conservative. Amazingly, Republicans all seem to believe Boehner's fairy story about how passage of his bill will lead to Senate Democrats passing it and President Obama signing it."

Debt-Ceiling Drama: Obama is Not Invisible (Jonathan Capehart) from the Washington Post
"“President on Sidelines in Critical Battle Over Debt Ceiling” reflects the Beltway meme that President Obama is invisible in this epic fight over raising the debt ceiling. That he was pushed off the stage by Congress to get this done. As the chatter in the echo chamber reinforced itself, folks glossed over or forgot that the president ordered Congress to come up with a plan."

Debt-ceiling Crisis: Congress' Phones Jammed Again from the Los Angeles Times
"As he did earlier in the week, President Obama Friday urged Americans to contact members of Congress to push them to reach an bipartisan agreement to raise the nation's debt ceiling. And again, those listening appear to have heeded the call."

Washington’s Not-So-Adult Moment (Patricia Murphy) from the Daily Beast
"Despite a long day of arm-twisting, John Boehner couldn’t get the votes to pass his own debt bill. Patricia Murphy on why Boehner's frantic lobbying couldn't save his measure. Plus: The House GOP Naysayers."

The Boehner Trap (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"A significant segment of the GOP now thinks John Boehner is too liberal. As Michael Tomasky argues, that might mean the House will never agree to a debt compromise."

The GOP at War with Itself (Andrew Sullivan) from the Daily Beast
"These elephants are stampeding in different directions at once. Maybe Boehner has a few poisoned darts to shoot. But maybe he doesn't. Well: they asked for it, didn't they?"

The Tea Party's Terrorist Tactics (William Yeomans) from Politico
"As we stumble closer to Aug. 2, it has become clear that many in the tea party are willing to inflict massive harm on the American people to obtain their political objective of a severely shrunken federal government."

The Tea Fragger Party (Kathleen Parker) from the Washington Post
"The debt ceiling may have been raised and the crisis averted by the time this column appears, but that event should not erase the memory of what transpired. The Tea Party was a movement that changed the conversation in Washington, but it has steeped too long and has become toxic. It’s time to toss it out."

Insiders Become Outsiders as Lobbyists Shut Out of Debt Debate from Bloomberg News Service
"“There’s really just mass confusion everywhere, not on Congress’s part, but the rumor mill of the lobbying world,”"

How Would the Supreme Court Rule on Obama Raising the Debt Ceiling Himself? (Jeffrey Rosen) from the New Republic
"If all the justices are true to their constitutional philosophies, the Court would rule for Obama by a lopsided margin."

Why Progressives Need a Big Idea (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post
"Conservatives are on a winning streak because they have a Big Idea that serves as an animating, motivating, unifying force. It happens to be a very bad idea, but it’s better than nothing — which, sadly, is what progressives have."

Blue-Collar Jobs Can Save the Black Middle Class (John McWhorter) from The Root
"Despite the doomsayers, there are nondegree jobs that will ensure a prosperous future."
I have to confess that I am not a big fan of McWhorter's -- but anyone who is *seriously* in this conversation is worth an occasional look.

Ghost Towns on the Increase as Rural America Loses Population from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Vast swathes of the U.S. countryside are emptying and communities becoming ghost towns as rural America now only accounts for just 16 per cent of the population. The 2010 census results suggest that by 2050 many of these areas could shrink to virtually nothing as businesses collapse and schools close."


WASHINGTON SCANDAL AFTERMATH NUGGET!!

When the Boss Gets Busted: Survival Stories from the Front Lines of Political Scandal (Marisa M. Kashino ) from the Washingtonian

"For ambitious young achievers, a job on Capitol Hill can be a dream come true. But what happens when you work for an Anthony Weiner or a Bob Ney?"

WILD & CRAZY' BABY ELEPHANT NUGGET!!

First Baby Elephant for the Czech Zoo (VIDEO) from YouTube
It's pretty hilarious to see how the pool and the ball get the better of this very active critter.
"First baby elephant every born to Czech Zoo. Rashimi, ray of light, thoroughly enjoying her pink swimming pool. Cuteness overload here, what an active little girls she is!"