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8086 [lbo-talk] WSJ likes Obama's Iraq turn -- rank: 1000

[from the WSJ's daily opinion roundup] Man of Refinement By JAMES TARANTO Nineteen days ago, we speculated about Barack Obama that he would soon abandon his promise to bring about an American defeat in Iraq: Could it be that Obama is planning to pivot? That is, what if he goes to Iraq and declares upon his return that he has been persuaded that the surge has made a difference, that things are going much better, and that he is now convinced victory is both possible and crucial? Last Thursday, ...

Document Size:	6876
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 13:50:03 PDT 2008

8087 [lbo-talk] comparisons -- rank: 1000

Poking around the web, I'm still seeing comparisons of the present financial crisis to 1929. A few comparisons might be in order. The following table shows the change in industrial production, the stock market (S&P 500), and the unemployment rate from the pre-crisis peak to roughly a year later. The peaks were Sept 1929 and July 2007. The later dates are July 1930 and May 2008 for IP; Sept 1930 and July 2008 for stocks. There weren't monthly unemployment numbers in 1929-30, so I've us ...

Document Size:	5125
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 13:37:36 PDT 2008

8088 [lbo-talk] Barack-lash! -- rank: 1000

<http://jezebel.com/5022613/dear-barack-baby-come-back> LEFT BEHIND Dear Barack: Baby, Come Back Hey, well, so, like, I know we haven't spoken in a long time. Frankly, your wife is so cool and I'm more than a little scared of her kicking my ass for maybe looking at you the wrong way, so it's really been me who's been out of touch. But, baby, seriously, it's warm here on the left and many of us love you and we sort of miss the Senator the National Journal dubbed "The Most Liberal ...

Document Size:	8511
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 12:40:47 PDT 2008

8089 [lbo-talk] Pope doesn't wear Prada: Vatican newspaper -- rank: 1000

On Jul 7, 2008, at 12:33 PM, uvj at vsnl.com wrote: > ROME (Reuters) - After years of speculation that Pope Benedict > wears shoes > by Prada, the Vatican's official newspaper denied such talk as > "frivolous". > http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL2693611620080626 Well damn. There goes the only good thing I ever heard about him!

Document Size:	5257
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 09:44:32 PDT 2008

8090 [lbo-talk] Growing moderatism in academia -- rank: 1000

On Jul 7, 2008, at 12:19 PM, andie nachgeborenen wrote: > Chomsky is in principle an an anarchist, not a Gramscian, also he's > a real down-home 'Murican guy from Philly in a lot of ways, for > real, not a put on. Except for his being Jewish, and the left milieu he grew up in. He talks about his political roots at: <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#080207>. And for his extremely high-powered intellectual contributions. If someone who's made a huge name for himself ...

Document Size:	6421
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 09:43:43 PDT 2008

8091 [lbo-talk] Stern doesn't heart PE buyouts of banks -- rank: 1000

On Jul 7, 2008, at 11:51 AM, Mark Rickling wrote: > Keep Private Equity Away From Our Banks > > By ANDY STERN Guess the PE guys resisted Andy's delusional overtures about being "constructive." Doug

Document Size:	4935
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 08:59:42 PDT 2008

8092 [lbo-talk] 300 economists for McCain -- rank: 1000

<http://johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/Read.aspx? guid=c90681b9-5dfe-4de4-8057-ceedb30c228d>

Document Size:	4770
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 08:49:22 PDT 2008

8093 [lbo-talk] Hayden has second thoughts about BHO -- rank: 1000

Barack at Risk By Tom Hayden Call him slippery or nuanced, Barack Obama's core position on Iraq has always been more ambiguous than audacious. Now it is catching up with him as his latest remarks are questioned by the Republicans, the mainstream media, and the antiwar movement. He could put his candidacy at risk if his audacity continues to shrivel. I first endorsed Obama because of the nature of the movement supporting him, not his particular stands on issues. The excitement among African ...

Document Size:	12616
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 08:05:44 PDT 2008

8094 [lbo-talk] Growing moderatism in academia -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 7:41 PM, Tayssir John Gabbour wrote: > It's almost like a paradox to be a leftist and not be > "anti-intellectual." (At least for certain values of "intellectual.") > If we take the most elite of elite academics -- the most cited living > prof -- he claims that American anti-intellectualism is healthy: > > "In fact, if you compare the United States with France, or with > most of Europe, for that matter -- I think one of the ...

Document Size:	5799
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Mon Jul 7 07:59:01 PDT 2008

8095 [lbo-talk] Earl Browder -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 5:32 PM, wrobert at uci.edu wrote: > I have a question that is a bit esoteric, but what ever did happen to > Earl Browder. I know he got thrown out of leadership of the party > after the popular front period, but I'm curious what happened to him > afterwards. You mean in detail beyond Wikipedia? <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Browder> > Browder continued to campaign for his views outside the party and > criticized the CPUSA's domination by Moscow, ...

Document Size:	7597
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 14:40:25 PDT 2008

8096 [lbo-talk] new radio product -- rank: 1000

BEHIND THE NEWS with Doug Henwood podcast: <http://shout.lbo-talk.org/lbo/radio-feed.php> iTunes: <http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/ viewPodcast?id=73801817> or <http://tinyurl.com/3bsaqb> "Best Music on an Economics & Politics Radio Show" Village Voice Best of NYC 2005 -------------------------------------------------- Just posted to my radio archive <http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html>: July 3, 2008 Danielle Allen on those &quo ...

Document Size:	8877
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 14:35:08 PDT 2008

8097 [lbo-talk] Doug cited in this week's Barron's -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 4:53 PM, Seth Ackerman wrote: > I think this misses the key point. The Fed, unlike the ECB, is > unwilling to countenance a single quarter of negative GDP more > because of its ideological ramifications than because of the effect > on the balance sheet. Don't you know that the US and UK solved the > economic problem in the 80's? Flexible labor markets, competitive > product markets - voila! Nirvana! The Great Moderation! Goldilocks! > This is the story tha ...

Document Size:	5861
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 14:03:16 PDT 2008

8098 [lbo-talk] Growing moderatism in academia -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 1:51 PM, shag wrote: > well, i'm trying to understand. you say anti intellectualism is > about valorizing labor, right? why do intellectuals valorize manual > labor? you don't have to get his point to answer me. I've seen it here, I've seen it at WBAI and the Brecht Forum and places like that. It usually involves a ritual self-flagellation about how out-of-touch mental workers are, and how the truly authentic are the toilers. It's mainly a silly thing of not much ...

Document Size:	5361
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 13:41:47 PDT 2008

8099 [lbo-talk] Growing moderatism in academia -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 1:22 PM, shag wrote: > because i don't think the two analyses, yours and his, are > incompatible. i explained why in previous post. > > for you, why do some intellectuals valorize manual labor as more > important, more in touch with the real world? what makes your > analysis, in your view, incompatible with carrol's? I don't see the point his point.

Document Size:	5024
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 10:29:58 PDT 2008

8100 [lbo-talk] Growing moderatism in academia -- rank: 1000

On Jul 6, 2008, at 12:06 PM, shag wrote: > At 11:02 AM 7/6/2008, Doug Henwood wrote: > >> On Jul 6, 2008, at 10:44 AM, shag wrote: >> >>> seriously, tho, i think carrol is spot on. there is an expectation >>> that intellectuals are better than, superior to, ordinary people. >> >> Who holds such an expectations? > > > joanna: " And my own experience of academics when I was there was > that for the most part they were the most ordina ...

Document Size:	5389
Author:	Doug Henwood
Date:	Sun Jul 6 09:16:19 PDT 2008