News Roundup for 8/14/09

Newt Gingrich during his rough years

-Headline of the day-
"Newt's advice for Palin comeback."

For reasons only she can explain, Politico's Jeanne Cummings sat down with Newt Gingrich to discuss how Sarah Palin might come back after quitting her job as governor of the North Pole. Newt spelled out a not-very-detailed six-point plan for retaking the public's heart and imagination; move out of Alaska, write a book, make a lot of money giving speeches, stuff like that.

Was it only ten years ago that Gingrich was Speaker of the House and on top of the world? Yes it was. And then it all went to hell and he resigned as a failure, under a cloud of scandal and corruption. Where does the time go?

Anyway, Newt spent some time laboring in relative obscurity, living under an overpass and scratching out a meager existence with his "WILL TALK ABOUT TERM LIMITS FOR FOOD" sign. But hard work and perseverance eventually gained him enough cred that FOX News viewers finally gave a crap what he thought. And now Politico.

Wow.

Follow Newt's advice, Sarah. Learn from his example and you might just be able to run for president in about forty or fifty years. (Politico)


-Maybe Glenn Beck should talk with Newt-
On top of Men’s Wearhouse, Sargento, Lawyers.com, Procter & Gamble, Progressive Insurance, SC Johnson, and GEICO pulling ads from Uncle Goofy's TV Funhouse, Starring Glenn Beck, comes news that ConAgra, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, RadioShack, and State Farm Insurance are following suit.

Several of the companies have put out statements regarding advertising during Beck's show and, although none of them actually say it, none deny that Glenn Beck is -- quote -- a squirrelly son of a bitch -- unquote. And that's solid enough for me to report, in my best FOX News-style fact-checking fashion, that many corporations believe that Glenn Beck is a squirrelly son of a bitch.

It's absolutely true. (Media Matters)


-Bonus HotD-
"Rove Claims 'A Lot Of Economists' Think The Stimulus Package Is 'Retarding The Day Of Growth.'"

Not the lack of qualifiers here. Not a lot of good economists think that. A month ago, Bloomberg News surveyed forecasts by economists and found that most thought the economy was improving and credited the stimulus for the gains. "We’ve averted the worst, and there are clear signs the stimulus is working," said economist Kenneth Goldstein of the Conference Board in New York.

"The fact that people for the first time in over a year are starting to look at some glimmers of hope plays to the prospect of some strength in the stimulus," agreed Susan Molinari, who Bloomberg pointed out was a "Republican strategist in Washington who advised Rudy Giuliani during his presidential nomination campaign in 2008."

There may be a lot of things that Karl Rove is good at, but none of them involve being right. (Think Progress)