Month: May 2016

Some investors have finally figured out that for-profit education is a scam: Daily Bullshit, May 10, 2016

benfell

For-profit education

In taking the parent company of the University of Phoenix (which apparently really is headquartered in Phoenix) private, management shelters itself from some public scrutiny while allegedly attempting to rebuild public confidence.[1] Here’s the money line, buried way, way down:

“Many financial investors have refused to consider investing in proprietary education and there is an extremely limited number of strategic investors with both the market capitalization to undertake an acquisition of the company [Apollo Education] and the ability or willingness to withstand the additional regulatory challenges arising from such a transaction,” the company wrote in March.[2]

Ronald J. Hansen, “University of Phoenix investors OK sale to private backers,” Arizona Republic, May 9, 2016, http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/economy/2016/05/06/university-phoenix-investors-ok-sale-private-backers/83997578/

Bitcoin

Adrian Chen, “We Need to Know Who Satoshi Nakamoto Is,” New Yorker, May 9, 2016, http://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/we-need-to-know-who-satoshi-nakamoto-is

Footnotes

  1. [1]Ronald J. Hansen, “University of Phoenix investors OK sale to private backers,” Arizona Republic, May 9, 2016, http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/economy/2016/05/06/university-phoenix-investors-ok-sale-private-backers/83997578/↩
  2. [2]Ronald J. Hansen, “University of Phoenix investors OK sale to private backers,” Arizona Republic, May 9, 2016, http://www.azcentral.com/story/money/business/economy/2016/05/06/university-phoenix-investors-ok-sale-private-backers/83997578/↩

Europe is not Asia and TTIP is not looking like it can be like TPP: Daily Bullshit, May 9, 2016 (updated)

benfell

Updated for a surprisingly frank assessment of Henry Kissinger’s record in Vox and the depths to which the Clinton campaign is stooping.

TTIP

Matt Payton, “TTIP trade deal under threat after Germany claims US not making ‘any serious concessions,'” Independent, May 8, 2016, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ttip-trade-deal-under-threat-due-after-germany-claims-us-not-making-any-serious-concessions-a7019291.html

Henry Kissinger

One of the things I ask for from a political system is the opportunity not to be governed by war criminals. It seems like the least it could do. But, it should be noted, the Kissingers and Clintons are very good friends[1] and Hillary Clinton has relied heavily on Henry Kissinger’s advice in foreign policy.[2]

Zack Beauchamp, “The Obama administration is honoring Henry Kissinger today. It shouldn’t be,” Vox, May 9, 2016, http://www.vox.com/2016/5/9/11640562/kissinger-pentagon-award

Hillary Clinton

Although he’s far from alone,[3] Stephen Zunes has been among the harsher and better-informed critics of Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy record[4] I’ve seen. In this vein, Zunes posted on Facebook yesterday:

Hillary Clinton has condemned Donald Trump for accepting the support of bigots and has made clear that she does not. However, since she has claimed that those of us who condemn Israeli war crimes and support boycotting and divesting from companies supporting the Israeli occupation are anti-Semitic, then she apparently does not want my vote. As long as she refuses to retract such accusations, I will not vote for her, and I encourage others who take similar positions to do the same.[5]

And today,

I’ve been called a lot of names for opposing the Iraq War and for opposing candidates who supported it: a “traitor,” “supporter of terrorists,” “pro-Saddam,” “Muslim sympathizer,” etc. The current accusation is “sexist” because I believe that Hillary Clinton, like others who supported the illegal and unnecessary invasion and occupation, has demonstrated such contempt for international law and recklessness in foreign policy that she should not become president. I guess those who back wars for oil and empire and/or candidates who support them, being unable to argue on the merits, have no choice but to falsify and disparage the motivations of those who disagree.[6]

He has apparently managed to attract the wrong sort of attention, as a super-PAC has coincidentally joined forces with the Clinton campaign (using a loophole that apparently enables such liaisons) to troll Clinton’s critics.[7] Of course, he won’t be able to prove any connection even if to do so would in any way be profitable.

Evan Halper, “Be nice to Hillary Clinton online — or risk a confrontation with her super PAC,” Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-clinton-digital-trolling-20160506-snap-htmlstory.html

Footnotes

  1. [1]David Corn, “Hillary Clinton and Henry Kissinger: It’s Personal. Very Personal,” Mother Jones, February 12, 2016, http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/02/hillary-clinton-kissinger-vacation-dominican-republic-de-la-renta↩
  2. [2]Greg Grandin, “Henry Kissinger, Hillary Clinton’s Tutor in War and Peace,” Nation, February 5, 2016, http://www.thenation.com/article/henry-kissinger-hillary-clintons-tutor-in-war-and-peace/↩
  3. [3]Medea Benjamin, “Hillary Clinton Hasn’t Learned a Thing From the Iraq Experience,” Truthdig, October 29, 2015, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/hillary_clinton_hasnt_learned_a_thing_from_iraq_20151029; Marjorie Cohn, “Want Endless War? Love the U.S. Empire? Well, Hillary Clinton’s Your Choice,” Truthdig, February 1, 2016, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/want_endless_war_love_the_us_empire_hillary_clintons_your_choice_20160201; Daniel Larison, “Clinton’s Reliably Bad Foreign Policy,” American Conservative, April 12, 2016, http://www.theamericanconservative.com/larison/clintons-reliably-bad-foreign-policy/; Jackson Lears, “We came, we saw, he died,” review of Hard Choices, by Hillary Clinton, and HRC: State Secrets and the Rebirth of Hillary Clinton, by Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes, London Review of Books 37, no. 3 (February 5, 2015), pp. 8-11, http://www.lrb.co.uk/v37/n03/jackson-lears/we-came-we-saw-he-died; Lauren McCauley, “Critics Aghast at ‘Disgusting Speech’ Clinton Just Gave to AIPAC,” Common Dreams, March 21, 2016, http://www.commondreams.org/news/2016/03/21/critics-aghast-disgusting-speech-clinton-just-gave-aipac; Robert Scheer, “Go Ahead, Back Hillary Clinton and Forget All About Her Record,” Truthdig, October 9, 2015, http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/go_ahead_back_hillary_clinton_and_forget_all_about_her_record_20151009↩
  4. [4]Stephen Zunes, “Hillary the Hawk,” Cairo Review of Global Affairs, Winter, 2016, http://www.thecairoreview.com/essays/hillary-the-hawk/; Stephen Zunes, “The Five Lamest Excuses for Hillary Clinton’s Vote to Invade Iraq,” Foreign Policy In Focus, January 26, 2016, http://fpif.org/five-lamest-excuses-hillary-clintons-vote-invade-iraq/↩
  5. [5]Stephen Zunes, [Facebook post], May 8, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/stephen.zunes/posts/1293866237308710↩
  6. [6]Stephen Zunes, [Facebook post], May 9, 2016, https://www.facebook.com/stephen.zunes/posts/1294754737219860↩
  7. [7]Evan Halper, “Be nice to Hillary Clinton online — or risk a confrontation with her super PAC,” Los Angeles Times, May 9, 2016, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-clinton-digital-trolling-20160506-snap-htmlstory.html↩

Hillary Clinton hasn’t walked free, just yet: Daily Bullshit, May 8, 2016 (updated)

benfell

Updated for the latest on the bought-and-paid-for Hillary Clinton’s relationship with Wall Street (ka-ching!).

I’m seeing a lot of whining about how Donald Trump’s policies might lead to yet another recession. As if I’d recovered from the last two.

Much more of this kind of hysteria, and you might just persuade me to vote for him, just to spite all the fucking “liberals” who, for all their pieties, supported the shredding of the social safety net, really think the status quo is just fine, and couldn’t give a rat’s ass about whether there are jobs.

That wouldn’t be because I think Trump would get me a job. He won’t. But I simply can’t afford neoliberalism or the so-called “liberal” embrace of neoliberalism. I have paid for it through the nose all my life and it has been a price I couldn’t afford to pay.

You want to change my attitude? Then stop with the excuses. Get me a job.

Hillary Clinton

Contrary to some reports I’ve seen out there from sources I don’t recognize, Hillary Clinton has not yet been exonerated by the FBI. That might be coming. But it hasn’t happened yet:

Multiple media outlets have reported that federal officials have yet to find any evidence that Clinton intended to violate the law.

Still, that might not necessarily get her off the hook from some misdemeanor charges, according to national security lawyer Bradley Moss.

“[T]he extent to which the person intended to remove classified documents is irrelevant,” he said in an email to The Hill. “All that matters for strict legal purposes of culpability is whether the person, by virtue of their official position, came into possession of classified information and affirmatively removed the information to an unauthorized location (i.e., the private server). “

“Whether the person knew or suspected the information was classified is irrelevant.”

Other legal experts questioned the claim, hinting at the legal minefield that could await any potential criminal case.[1]

Jonathan Turley has consistently argued that “virtually anything coming out of the office of the Secretary of State would be considered classified as a matter of course.”[2] He has, however, hedged on whether criminal charges might follow, saying “there remains the question of intent and whether she knew or should have known of any violations.”[3] To me, those two statements just don’t go together, especially when he’s pointed to a number of reports of highly classified information being found on her server.[4]

We’ve known for a while that there are two systems of justice. One for rich and powerful whites and another for everybody else.[5] If Clinton isn’t charged at least with the misdemeanor counts, this will be one more example.

And just to be clear about who is taking care of whom, “[t]he Democratic front-runner has raised $4.2 million in total from Wall Street, $344,000 of which was contributed in March alone.” Apparently so far, Wall Street has preferred Clinton to Donald Trump, as the latter “hasn’t garnered more than 1% of Wall Street contributions in any month through March” and “self-financed about three-quarters of his primary campaign.” There is, evidently, reason to doubt how much support he will be able to attract from the financial sector.[6]

“Business interests are generally not sold on the notion that Trump will be a more business-friendly candidate; there’s a lot about Trump they don’t know,” said Ed Rogers, a Republican lobbyist. “They know Hillary. And they know that she is not antibusiness.”[7]

Julian Hattem, “Decision time for FBI on Clinton,” Hill, May 8, 2016, http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/279077-decision-time-for-fbi-on-clinton

Brody Mullins and Rebecca Ballhaus, “Financial Sector Gives Hillary Clinton a Boost,” Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/financial-sector-gives-hillary-clinton-a-boost-1462750725

Footnotes

  1. [1]Julian Hattem, “Decision time for FBI on Clinton,” Hill, May 8, 2016, http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/279077-decision-time-for-fbi-on-clinton↩
  2. [2]Jonathan Turley, “State Department Classifies Dozens of Additional Clinton Emails,” August 3, 2015, http://jonathanturley.org/2015/08/03/state-department-classifies-dozens-of-additional-clinton-emails/↩
  3. [3]Jonathan Turley, “Newly Released Email Shows Clinton Instructing Aide To Strip Header and Send Information Over Unsecured Lines After Objections Over Security,” January 11, 2016, http://jonathanturley.org/2016/01/11/newly-released-email-shows-clinton-instructing-aide-to-strip-header-and-send-information-over-unsecured-lines-after-objections-over-security/; Jonathan Turley, “Clinton Declares That She Will Never Be Indicted And Insists That Her “Predecessors Did The Same Thing” On Emails,” March 10, 2016, https://jonathanturley.org/2016/03/10/clinton-declares-that-she-will-never-be-indicted-and-insists-that-her-predecessors-did-the-same-thing-on-emails/↩
  4. [4]Jonathan Turley, “Inspector General: Clinton Emails Contain Special Access Material Above The Top Secret Level,” January 20, 2016, http://jonathanturley.org/2016/01/20/inspector-general-clinton-emails-contain-special-access-material-above-the-top-secret-level/; Jonathan Turley, “Report: Clinton Emails Contained Human Intelligence Classified At Highest Levels,” January 23, 2016, http://jonathanturley.org/2016/01/23/report-clinton-emails-contained-human-intelligence-classified-at-highest-levels/; Jonathan Turley, “State Department: 22 Emails Will Not Be Released As ‘Top Secret,'” January 29, 2016, http://jonathanturley.org/2016/01/29/state-department-22-emails-will-not-be-released-as-top-secret/; Jonathan Turley, “Report: Clinton Emails Contained ‘Operational’ Information and Put Lives At Risk,” February 1, 2016, https://jonathanturley.org/2016/02/01/report-clinton-emails-contained-operational-information-and-put-lives-at-risk/↩
  5. [5]Jeffrey Reiman, The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison, 7th ed. (Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2004).↩
  6. [6]Brody Mullins and Rebecca Ballhaus, “Financial Sector Gives Hillary Clinton a Boost,” Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/financial-sector-gives-hillary-clinton-a-boost-1462750725↩
  7. [7]Brody Mullins and Rebecca Ballhaus, “Financial Sector Gives Hillary Clinton a Boost,” Wall Street Journal, May 8, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/financial-sector-gives-hillary-clinton-a-boost-1462750725↩

Roy Moore’s law may be not so lawful, even in Alabama: Daily Bullshit, May 7, 2016

benfell

Same-sex marriage

Roy Moore was quoted saying, “The Judicial Inquiry Commission has chosen to listen to people like Ambrosia Starling, a professed transvestite and other gay, lesbian and bisexual individuals, as well as organizations that support their agenda.”[1] This is the chief justice of Alabama’s Supreme Court, demonstrating his impartiality.

Arturo Garcia, “Alabama Chief Justice Moore suspended for rejecting legalization of same-sex marriage,” Raw Story, May 6, 2016, http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/alabama-chief-justice-moore-suspended-for-rejecting-legalization-of-same-sex-marriage/

Kyle Whitmire, “Roy Moore suspended from office: Alabama chief justice faces removal over gay marriage stance,” Alabama Media Group, May 7, 2016, http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2016/05/alabama_chief_justice_roy_moor_10.html

Footnotes

  1. [1]Roy Moore, quoted in Arturo Garcia, “Alabama Chief Justice Moore suspended for rejecting legalization of same-sex marriage,” Raw Story, May 6, 2016, http://www.rawstory.com/2016/05/alabama-chief-justice-moore-suspended-for-rejecting-legalization-of-same-sex-marriage/↩

One law for elites and another for the rest of us: Daily Bullshit, May 5, 2016

benfell

Hillary Clinton

If indeed “investigators haven’t found evidence to prove that Clinton willfully violated the law,”[1] then I think we have to ask—really ask—how this is so, and how it is the same law that applies to everyone else.

Evan Perez, Pamela Brown, and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI interviews Clinton aides including Huma Abedin as part of email probe,” CNN, May 5, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/politics/fbi-interviews-huma-abedin-clinton-aide/index.html

TTIP

David Dayen, “The Free-Trade Consensus Is Dead,” New Republic, May 5, 2016, https://newrepublic.com/article/133310/free-trade-consensus-dead

Footnotes

  1. [1]Evan Perez, Pamela Brown, and Shimon Prokupecz, “FBI interviews Clinton aides including Huma Abedin as part of email probe,” CNN, May 5, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/05/politics/fbi-interviews-huma-abedin-clinton-aide/index.html↩

Zombie ideas in education: Daily Bullshit, May 4, 2016

benfell

I do see all the pundits, who were all so wrong for so long about Donald Trump’s prospects of winning the Republican nomination, all now rushing to explain how he did it. They’re all fucking idiots, covering fucking idiots. Every last one of them.

For-Profit Schools

It’s as clear as day that for-profit colleges are a terrible idea. But no one will challenge the ideology that enables their existence.

Paul Fain, “Watchdog Barks — and Gets Slapped Down,” Inside Higher Ed, May 4, 2016, https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/05/04/controversial-accreditor-acics-tried-shut-down-profit-was-blocked-judge

The Horse Race

Phil Mattingly, David Mark, and Tom LoBianco, “Sources: John Kasich to drop out,” CNN, May 4, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/04/politics/john-kasich-drops-out/index.html

TTIP might not be TPP: Daily Bullshit, May 3, 2016 (update)

benfell

Updated for Ted Cruz suspending his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination following his defeat in Indiana.[1]

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership

To the extent that Europeans stand their ground, I would just about guarantee that TTIP does not stand a chance of ever being ratified in the U.S. Alexander Hagelüken and Alexander Mühlauer report that “Europeans have made highly ambitious suggestions to avoid the lowering of social and environmental matters in the TTIP agreement.” Among other things, these are apparently in line with International Labour Organization standards that the U.S. has mostly not ratified. But, “Washington has made a counter suggestion but it falls far short of approaching the European position.”[2] Of course, failing to agree would expose Barack Obama’s oft-repeated lie that his so-called “free” trade agreements would protect workers,[3] that is, if anybody in the Hillary Clinton-loving mainstream media departed from the neoliberal consensus long enough to actually hold his feet to the fire.

Alexander Hagelüken and Alexander Mühlauer, “Could The TTIP Bring European Workers’ Rights To The U.S.?” trans. Worldcrunch, Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 3, 2016, http://international.sueddeutsche.de/post/143799286475/could-the-ttip-bring-european-workers-rights-to

Ted Cruz

“With [Ted] Cruz gone, a [Donald] Trump nomination now appears inevitable.”[4]

Sean Sullivan and Katie Zezima, “Ted Cruz drops out of the Republican presidential race,” Washington Post, May 3, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ted-cruz-drops-out-of-the-republican-presidential-race/2016/05/03/8f955a06-0fe7-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html

Jonathan Swan and Jonathan Easley, “Cruz ends presidential campaign,” Hill, May 3, 2016, http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-primaries/278569-cruz-ends-presidential-campaign

Footnotes

  1. [1]Sean Sullivan and Katie Zezima, “Ted Cruz drops out of the Republican presidential race,” Washington Post, May 3, 2016, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ted-cruz-drops-out-of-the-republican-presidential-race/2016/05/03/8f955a06-0fe7-11e6-81b4-581a5c4c42df_story.html; Jonathan Swan and Jonathan Easley, “Cruz ends presidential campaign,” Hill, May 3, 2016, http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-primaries/278569-cruz-ends-presidential-campaign↩
  2. [2]Alexander Hagelüken and Alexander Mühlauer, “Could The TTIP Bring European Workers’ Rights To The U.S.?” trans. Worldcrunch, Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 3, 2016, http://international.sueddeutsche.de/post/143799286475/could-the-ttip-bring-european-workers-rights-to↩
  3. [3]Peter Baker, “Obama Accuses Democrats of Distorting Facts on Trans-Pacific Trade Pact,” New York Times, May 8, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/09/business/nike-to-create-jobs-if-trans-pacific-partnership-is-approved.html; Ali Breland, “Barack Obama slams Elizabeth Warren on trade comments,” Politico, May 9, 2015, http://www.politico.com/story/2015/05/obama-slams-elizabeth-warren-on-trade-117778.html; Zoë Carpenter, “Keeping a Massive Trade Deal Out of the Fast Lane,” Nation, August 22, 2013, http://www.thenation.com/blog/175865/keeping-massive-trade-deal-out-fast-lane; Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Jonathan Weisman, “Obama Pushes Skeptical Legislators Hard on Pacific Trade Deal,” New York Times, May 10, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/11/us/politics/obama-pushing-skeptical-legislators-hard-on-pacific-trade-deal.html; William Finnegan, “Why Does Obama Want This Trade Deal So Badly?” New Yorker, June 11, 2015, http://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/why-does-obama-want-the-trans-pacific-partnership-so-badly; Spencer Kimball, “Little headway on Trans-Pacific free trade deal,” Deutsche Welle, April 30, 2014, http://www.dw.de/little-headway-on-trans-pacific-free-trade-deal/a-17599592; Vicki Needham and Jordan Fabian, “WH takes on Reid over trade,” Hill, May 5, 2015, http://thehill.com/policy/finance/241097-white-house-takes-on-reid-over-trade; Greg Sargent, “Elizabeth Warren fires back at Obama: Here’s what they’re really fighting about,” Washington Post, May 11, 2015, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2015/05/11/elizabeth-warren-fires-back-at-obama-heres-what-theyre-really-fighting-about/↩
  4. [4]Jonathan Swan and Jonathan Easley, “Cruz ends presidential campaign,” Hill, May 3, 2016, http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-primaries/278569-cruz-ends-presidential-campaign↩

A race between the despised: Daily Bullshit, May 2, 2016

benfell

I’m very rapidly losing interest in the presidential race which, given the mass media preoccupation on the same topic, accounts for the irregularity of these postings. For me, it’s really very simple: No matter who wins in the contest between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, I am reminded of an old card, which said, “The beatings will continue until morale improves.”

The Horse Race

This situation directly implicates the two party system:

Hillary Clinton is intensely disliked by a larger share of Americans than anyone who’s ever received a major party presidential nomination in the past. But [Donald] Trump is even more widely disliked, and since elections are zero-sum, this means a huge advantage for a candidate who seems kind of weak by historical standards.[1]

The margin between the two isn’t small, either.[2] But the question here—and contrary to Gerald Seib—really is, who has more to lose? The people who hate Trump already hate him. The attacks on Clinton have barely begun.

Gerald F. Seib, “Voters Harbor Differing Concerns About Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,” Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-harbor-differing-concerns-about-hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-1462206229

Matthew Yglesias, “Hillary Clinton will be the most-disliked nominee ever — except for Donald Trump,” Vox, May 2, 2016, http://www.vox.com/2016/5/2/11565194/clinton-trump-unfavorable

Footnotes

  1. [1]Matthew Yglesias, “Hillary Clinton will be the most-disliked nominee ever — except for Donald Trump,” Vox, May 2, 2016, http://www.vox.com/2016/5/2/11565194/clinton-trump-unfavorable↩
  2. [2]Gerald F. Seib, “Voters Harbor Differing Concerns About Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump,” Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2016, http://www.wsj.com/articles/voters-harbor-differing-concerns-about-hillary-clinton-and-donald-trump-1462206229; Matthew Yglesias, “Hillary Clinton will be the most-disliked nominee ever — except for Donald Trump,” Vox, May 2, 2016, http://www.vox.com/2016/5/2/11565194/clinton-trump-unfavorable↩