Tag: Film

Crist Gets ‘Terminator’ Smack-Down in Miami

Buck Banks

It’s like the old Charles Atlas ads where the big, muscle-bound bully of the beach kicks sand in the weakling’s face and makes off with his girl. Only in this case, the apparent injustice was well deserved.

Yesterday, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist probably expected a repeat of last year’s cheerleading session from California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at the wrap-up of the climate-change summit in Miami. Instead he had a climate change of his own — from warm to frigid.
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Here’s how the Miami Herald reported it:

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the one-time Terminator actor, was in more of a separator mode Thursday in Miami as he joined in the battle against global warming.

He praised most of the environmental efforts of fellow Republican Charlie Crist, but firmly separated himself from Crist’s recent support of off-shore oil drilling.

”Politicians have been throwing around all kinds of ideas in response to the skyrocketing energy prices, from rethinking nuclear power to pushing biofuels and more renewables and ending the ban on off-shore drilling, and it goes on and on the list,” Schwarzenegger told a luncheon crowd of at least 500 at Crist’s second summit on climate change.

Then he added, “but anyone who tells you this will bring down our gas prices immediately and or anytime soon is blowing smoke.”

According to our local NPR station, Crist wrapped up the closing ceremony with alacrity, and took no questions from the media following his public spanking.

Looking for Lame Ideas to Fight Global Warming? Ask a Republican

Trish

Fearless reporter Buck planned to attend Florida’s “Serve to Preserve” climate summit, now taking place in Miami. His day job is getting in the way, but Buck has mixed feelings about not being there.

I don’t think this year’s summit is anything like last year’s — no big names, rather stupid-sounding sessions and “news” like this below coming out of it. Jeez. I still would have liked to have gone just to make fun of everything.

The news Buck refers to really is incredibly lame. With all the changes needed to save the planet, is this the best we can do?

Obama: “When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn’t put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win. He put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people.”

MIAMI – Governor Charlie Crist today announced the first carbon-neutral Major League Baseball game in the Southeast between the Florida Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays in Miami….

…According to the Florida Marlins, more than 440 metric tons of carbon dioxide are expected to be emitted throughout the game, generated from travel, stadium operations and lodging associated with the team and the fans expected to attend. This carbon footprint will be offset by investing in reforestation projects in the Southeast.

“We are proud to participate in this first ever Carbon Neutral (sic) game in the Southeast,” said Marlins president, David Samson. “Under the leadership of Governor Crist, and our local politicians, including Mayor Carlos Alvarez and Mayor Manny Diaz, Florida has become, and will always remain, a global leader in these important environmental issues.”

Well, not quite. The summit takes place a week after Florida’s Republican governor, and leading contender to be John McCain’s running mate, reversed his stance on offshore drilling. Like McCain, he now supports oil and gas exploration in the Gulf of Mexico, off Florida’s white sand beaches.

It could be worse, I guess. Carbon-neutral baseball games aren’t as lame as McCain’s newest initiative.

Sen. John McCain on Monday called for a $300 million prize to whoever can develop a battery that will “leapfrog” the abilities of current hybrid and electric cars…

“[The prize would amount to] $1 for every man, woman and child in the U.S. — a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency,” McCain said…

Barack Obama said the battery could be a good idea but having a contest isn’t.

“I commend him for his desire to accelerate the search for a battery that can power the cars of the future,” said Obama. “But I don’t think that a $300 million prize is the way to go.”

He added, “When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn’t put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win. He put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people.”

There he goes, treating us like we’re grown-ups again. I kind of like that.

Bush Devastates Economy and American Dreams

Trish

People haven’t felt this bad about the economy since the first Bush was president. As the current Bush might say, “Fool me once, uh, well…won’t get fooled again. Heh-heh.”

I hate to say “I told you so” (actually that’s not true, I really enjoy being right) but I warned all those young Republicans whippersnappers who got to vote for the first time in 2000, after spending their elementary and middle school years basking in the Reagan glow, that a Bush victory would be Very Bad for the economy. I tried to tell them what it was like under the first Bush, and how easy it would be to squander the Clinton budget surplus. Did they listen? Nah.

And now, here we are.

The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index, released Tuesday, fell to 50.4 this month, the lowest reading since February 1992 and half what it was a year ago. The index dropped more steeply than expected from 58.1 in May.

…The last prolonged U.S. recession was from July 1990 to March 1991. The most recent recession began in March 2001 and ended that November.

These kids had heard the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid,” but they didn’t really get it. I bet they do now.

Florida’s Governor Headed Toward a Perfect Storm Over Oil?

Buck Banks

serve2preserve.jpgMaybe it’s all part of his ongoing effort to appear more macho — you know, “Oil Rigger Charlie” — but Florida Governor Charlie Crist’s about-face on drilling for oil off Florida’s coasts took most of us by surprise this week. See, it was just a year ago that Crist called his first climate control summit here in Miami. Pensito Review blogged live from the conference, and you can review our coverage here.

The timing of his announcement this week that he’ll do anything to be vice president … oh wait, I mean his announcement that he backs John McCain’s crazy plan to open our national coastline to the oil companies is odd. See, the guv’s second climate change summit is slated for next week — Tuesday and Wednesday, June 25-26. Pensito Review will be there again, live blogging and looking for interesting stories like “Bike Guy.”

Here’s the wording of the first press release for the 2008 event:

Building on the foundation for Florida’s energy future began at last year’s summit, the 2008 summit will focus on stimulating economic development in clean technologies as well as “greening” Florida’s business community.

“Florida’s businesses continue to demonstrate that there is gold in green, and climate-friendly energy sources – like ethanol and solar energy – are bringing new prospects for our state,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “Encouraging companies to do business the green way as well as building a strong market in renewable energy technologies in the Sunshine State will strengthen our energy and economic future and protect our natural environment for generations to come.”

Whoa, how things have changed since April 29, when the governor’s office issued the release. Here’s some more insights into Crist’s former position on the environment:

Building on the policy framework of the executive orders signed at the 2007 summit, this year’s summit focuses on developing Florida’s renewable and alternative energy industries. By encouraging companies to invest in our state’s energy future, Florida will transform its energy marketplace to enhance fuel diversity, lessen dependence on foreign sources of oil and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The 2008 summit will bring together industry leaders, policy makers, academics, scientists, environmentalists and the business community to explore opportunities for expanding Florida’s renewable and alternative energy marketplace and greening our business community.

Since last year’s summit, Florida’s “green” economy has grown significantly. Progress Energy along with Biomass Gas & Electric of Atlanta recently announced a partnership to build in North Florida the largest waste-wood biomass plant in the nation, converting waste wood to electricity. FPL Group, one of the largest utilities in the country, has a number of solar and wind energy projects across Florida, including a $2.4 billion investment in a 300 megawatt solar facility. Also, during the Governor’s trade mission to Brazil last year, a $183 million agreement was signed between Renewable Fuels of Tallahassee LLC and Controlsud International Group to build a system that converts trash into energy in Tallahassee.

I suppose Crist’s new position, let’s call it Willing to Be Drilling, does fit into his old position, which we’ll call Hell No, You Can’t Drill, in that it reduces our dependence on foreign fuel sources. And I guess scrapping his old position would provide more trash fuel for that energy plant in Tallahassee.

So, when Crist sits up in front of the media attending the summit next week, what can we expect? Tough questioning, probing for the truth behind Charlie’s conversion, hostility from the Fourth Estate?

Stay tuned.

Pensito Review Editor Linked to Subprime Lending Scandal

Trish

All the Republican angst over one of the people on Barack Obama’s vice presidential selection committee, Jim Johnson, and his ties to Countrywide Financial has got me thinking. I’d like to make a confession: like Johnson, I have a “special” mortgage from Countrywide, one of the culprits in the subprime lending meltdown.

“I am not vetting my VP search committee for their mortgages. There is a game that can be played — everybody who is tangentially related to my campaign is going to have a whole host of relationships,” Obama told reporters in St. Louis.

“I would have to hire the vetter to vet the vetters. At some point, we just asked people to do their assignments,” the Illinois senator said.

True, but I for one would like to admit, right here and now, that my 30-year first mortgage was taken years ago at a rate not available in the current market. Further, the loan on my nearly 60-year-old home would probably face increased scrutiny if it were not for my dogged insistence on making my payment each month. I doubt many people would get this type of preferential treatment, including offers from Countrywide to take out a second mortgage — a cold, hard cash payout — every single time I call them about anything no matter how unrelated, and I, for one, feel better coming clean about it.

Thank you for your understanding.

Survey Shows American Workers are…Bitter

Trish

Who’d a thunk it?

In the Marlin Co.’s 14th annual “Attitudes in the American Workplace” poll, nearly 75 percent of workers said the American Dream was less attainable today than eight years ago. And 52 percent said it was unreachable for the average American.

The survey defines the American Dream as the opportunity to have a nice home, financial security and hope for the future.

Nearly half of the respondents said they are “bitter because the political system has caused a deterioration of (their) economic circumstances.”

“The Marlin workplace poll uncovered an attitude shift among U.S. workers who are more disillusioned and fed up than ever,” said Frank Kenna III, president of Marlin, which is a North Haven, Conn., workplace communications company.

Richard Dreyfuss to Play Cheney in Oliver Stone Bush Biopic

Jon Ponder

Good choice:

[Actor] Richard Dreyfuss doesn’t seem like the sort to be afraid of a little political retribution. And it’s a good thing, too — because the white-haired star of The American President is about to sign on as the notorious American vice president in Oliver Stone’s new film, simply called W. This follows on the heels of three other crack casting choices: amazing Jeffrey Wright as Colin Powell, squinty Scott Glenn as Rumsfeld, and hilariously weaselly Rob Corddry as hilariously weaselly White House press secretary Ari Fleischer.

Latest on “The War Room” Clip. ABC Says Kantor Did Diss Indiana

Trish

The scene in question appears at about 4:45.

According to the man who started it all, Jake Tapper of ABC News, the clip that circulated the interwebs today (and was ignored by the mainstream media) from the movie, “The War Room” was accurate in at least part. Mickey Kantor, who claims otherwise on the Huffington Post, did say to James Carville as they looked over election results, “Look at Indiana, wait, wait – look at Indiana. 42-40. It doesn’t matter if we win. Those people are shit. Excuse me.”

Tapper also found old press clippings from when the movie was made.

When “The War Room” came out other folks interpreted Kantor to be impugning Indiana residents.

In The Washington Post’s review of the film in 1993, critic Desson Howe referred to “a Mickey Kantor comment about the people of Indiana (when it looks as though Clinton’s ahead in Dan Quayle’s state).”

And a 1995 story in the Sydney Morning Herald said that “As for the good folk of Indiana, they are still recovering from the 1993 documentary War Room, which revealed the grim truth behind the Clinton election campaign. It showed Mr Kantor bursting in on election night to tell other campaign staffers that incredibly, Mr Clinton was doing well even in Republican Indiana. ‘And those people are s—!’ he declared breathlessly.”

As to the other part of the film that is circulating today, the words used are much cloudier. One clip had Kantor saying, “How would you like to be a worthless white n****r?” like the folks in the Hoosier state. In the original film, it’s really not clear what Kantor said but “How’d you like to be —” is pretty audible while the end of the sentence is lost. All we know is that George Stephanopoulos shakes his head.

Who supplied the “clarified” version of the video is still not known. The (possibly too) obvious choice would be someone from the Obama campaign. The next suspect would be someone from the Clinton campaign trying to make the Obama campaign look bad. After that, who knows? Someone from McCain’s campaign?

The red flag to me is that someone recalled this teeny weeny Indiana reference from a 15-year-old documentary. Who would have such top of mind recall about a film on the ’92 Clinton campaign? I’ll stop but I hope someone gets to the bottom of all this before Tuesday.

Florida Budget Cuts — More Prisons, Fewer Schools

Buck Banks

1889_legislature.jpgI say it every year, but I am soooo glad that Florida’s legislature only convenes for two months. Lord only knows what kind of mischief they could perpetrate if they were in Tallahassee any longer than that.

Already this year both the state house and senate passed separate “anti-evolution” bills that require teachers to apply “scientific critical analysis” when teaching evolution. It is, after all, just a theory. Like relativity. And gravity. That neither bill is likely to pass begs the question of why so many Florida lawmakers are so, er, unevolved.

But it’s the state’s budget mess where the bright lights of Florida government have shone their beams of brilliance most. Not to say they haven’t had a tough challenge to cut $4 billion (that’s with a B) from the state budget, but still, $160,000 for “alligator marketing and education?”

The biggest hit will be in education, with South Florida schools bearing the brunt of the reduction. Lawmakers slashed $2.3 billion (55 percent of the total budget cuts) from education, with $332 million coming out of Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Having had two kids pass through, uh — warehoused in — the Miami-Dade public school system, I don’t see where the cuts can come from, except incidentals like textbooks, new classroom construction and teachers.

But while they were busy gutting the education budget, Florida lawmakers did demonstrate some unexpected foresight. Seeing that the schools are just going to turn out a new generation of ignorant ruffians, the legislature allocated $305 million to build one private and two public prisons. By June 30, 2009, Florida is expected to have 107,000 miscreants incarcerated statewide. Oh, and that allocation is $10 million more than will be spent on school construction in the new budget.

”Our priorities are upside down and backwards,” said Rep. Joe Gibbons of Hallandale Beach. “There’s a direct correlation between failure in schools and numbers of people going to prison. We’re funding what we’re causing by not funding education. We’re not investing money on the front end. We’re just spending it on the back end.”

But not to worry, a whole bunch of Democrats like Gibbons plan to vote against the budget on principle. That’s encouraging, considering last year they voted against moving the state’s presidential primary date, and look where that got us.