The John Batchelor Show

June 25, 2012

Air Date: 
June 25, 2012

 

Monday 905P Eastern Time (605P Pacific Time):   .David Drucker. in re:  This close to an election, Washington is self-paralyzing: neither Republicans nor Democrats want to do much each for the other. WOrldwide economic doldrus: US politicos seem to think they can't do much t help the world.  The two camps naturally are worried.   Of five jobs numbers, three were awful; the Philly Fed number last week was dreadful.  High-school-ony grads: 16% have jobs. Food stamps have doubled  n a few years; slo-mo slipping of the US back into contraction, When the mall in Westchester isnt full on a Saturday afternoon, there's a problem.
 
Monday 920P Eastern Time (620P Pacific Time):   .McKay Coppins,  Buzzfeed, in re:  
 
Monday 935P Eastern Time (635P Pacific Time):   .Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Lara Brown, Villanova, in re: Pennsylvania is up for grabs in the election.    Florida, Wisconsin, Oregon and 
 
Monday 950P Eastern Time (650P Pacific Time):   .Gordon Chang, The Daily  and Forbes.com,n John Avlon, and David Drucler, in re: 
 
Neil Kashgari:  ___.    US economy certainly seems to be contracting. Divided, dysfunctional Congress.  Everybody used all their economic tools in the last few years; now, all of us will go into a downturn at the same tie and have to take our medicine. The US, having the world's largest internal economy, will be OK.
 
Historically, the growth of electricity in China was greater than the growth of the economy, the current diminution of electricity use in China means that the dodgy govt-issued numbers are [inaccurate]. China, like Europe and the US, doesn't really have tools to fix its economy is hoping the rest of the world will save it.  Chinese leaders are blaming the US for their woes - blame shifting.
 
Cambodia Will Not Extradite Frenchman Linked to Bo - Cambodia said it will not extradite a Frenchman it detained for possible involvement in a murder linked to one of China's biggest political scandals in years. 
 
Monday 1005P (705P Pacific Time):   .Taegan Goddard, Political Wire, and John Avlon,  in re:   The president, in Boston, tweeted a tweak of the Boston Red Sox, who lost one of the team to the Chicago White Sox.  John Avlon is mistakenly a Yankee fan, whereas John Batchelor and Taegan Goddard are wisely Red Sox fans.  On to political discussion - the election, the economy the Affordable Care Act - people approve the provisions but not the Act;and the Supreme Court.
 
Monday 1020P (720P Pacific Time):   .continued.   Romney raising as much money as possible, not just for the Romney campaign but for the SupPACS. Held a retreat for major donors; hit them up for major amounts. Trying to bury Obama with more money. Unprecedented amount of cash.  Can give virtually unrestricted amounts of money. "Their backs hurt from hauling so much money from their helicopters."  Republicans hope to force Team Obama to spend all its time raising money. Mr Romney doesn't make policy speeches; is just pleasant  Nixon had a secret plan to win the Vietnam War.  It's deeply cynical to run for the presidency and not detail policies; close to being a shell game.  The ground game: if you can knock on doors and speak with a voter, you lower his chance of listening to the other side.
 
Monday 1035P (735P Pacific Time):   .Arif Rafiq, Adjunct Scholar, Middle East Institute Weekly Columnist, The Express Tribune, and Bill Roggio, LongWarJournal, in re:    "Little America": Infighting on Obama team squandered chance for peace in Afghanistan.  Pushed negotiations with Taliban closer to the end of the surge; Obama administration dropped the ball. However, no opportunity was missed because the Taliban never intended to negotiate in good faith. McChrystal was fired in a shabby situation; from top to bottom, infighting; and disrespect of Holbrooke.  We failed to make a long-ternm commitment and we had no real strategy with Pakistan. Short of deploying, say, 300,000 troops, we never really had a chance. Now our [strategy] in respect of Pakistan is in total disarray; US has an adversarial approach to both civilian and military; despite the billions of dollars we've invested and huge personnel, not much accomplished. 
 
Monday 1050P (750P Pacific Time):   .Jeff Bliss, The Bliss Index, in re:   Cartoon: three routes to prosperity for Californians: one to Nevada, one to Arizona, one to Oregon.
 
One of the good things Gov Brown has done is, essentially, eliminate municipal redevelopment agencies . . . which takes billions of dollars out of city coffers and send it instead to school districts, counties and the state (the projections are that it saves the state $1-$2 billion, annually.  In a related story, the city of Santa Clara - smack dab in the Silicon Valley and the next home of the SF 49ers NFL team - decided the 49ers' coming/new stadium doesn't need  $30 million of the city's redevelopment money.  Good times. 
 
"Santa Clara County has surprised both the San Francisco 49ers and Santa Clara city leaders by pulling $30 million in tax funds from the new 49ers stadium. Santa Clara County officials told the San Jose Mercury News on Saturday that they would rather spend the money on teachers. The team and the city said voters had specifically earmarked redevelopment money to help build the $1.2 billion stadium and that the county has no right to keep it. The 49ers and Santa Clara officials will craft an official response this week. Lawsuits are likely, according to the newspaper. The revocation occurred Friday by a new board that oversees property tax from redevelopment zones."
 
Pension reform is inevitable.
 
Monday 1105P (805P Pacific Time):   .David Kirkpatrick, NYT, from Cairo, in re:  Mohammed Morsi, new president of Egypt
 
Monday 1120P (820P Pacific Time):   .Reza Kahlili, author, A Time to Betray, in re:  the Supreme Leader of Iran will close the Hormuz Strait if EU sanctions start on 1 July. 
 
Monday 1135P (835P Pacific Time):   .Tom Henrikson, Hoover, inre:  rogue states and America  
 
Monday 1150P (850P Pacific Time):   .Eric Trager, Washington Institute, from Cairo, in re:  Egypt and the elections, and the Muslim Brotherhood and the SCAF.
 
Monday/Tues 1205A (905 Pacific Time):   .The Accidental Capitalist: A People's Story of the New China by Behzad Yaghmaian, 1 of 2 
 
Monday/Tues  1220A (920 Pacific Time):   .The Accidental Capitalist: A People's Story of the New China by Behzad Yaghmaian, 2 of 2 
 
Monday/Tues  1235A (935P Pacific Time):   .Salena Zito, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Lara Brown, Villanova, in re: Pennsylvania is up for grabs in the election.    Florida, Wisconsin, Oregon and   
 
Monday/Tues  1250A  (950P Pacific Time): Exeunt.   .Jed Babbin, American Spectator, in re: Executive privilege and Eric Holder  
 
..  ..  ..   
 
Music
 
Hour 1
Cowbowys & Aliens by Harry Gregson-Williams
The Usual Suspects by John Ottman
 
Hour 2
Hatfields & McCoys by John Debney and Tony Morales
Independence Day by David Arnold
 
Hour 3
The Kingdom by Danny Elfman
Flight of the Phoenix by Marco Beltrami
 
Hour 4
Hero by Tan Dun
All the King's Men by James Horner