Here (after the flip). Take a load off (point and click inside the game screen, then use the arrow keys and the space bar to play)…

This is a variant on what could be called the Mugabe Solution. Via cnn.com:

Sovereign governments such as the United States can print new money. However, there’s a statutory limit to the amount of paper currency that can be in circulation at any one time.

Ironically, there’s no similar limit on the amount of coinage. A little-known statute gives the secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue platinum coins in any denomination. So some commentators have suggested that the Treasury create two $1 trillion coins, deposit them in its account in the Federal Reserve and write checks on the proceeds.

Heh. A $1 Trillion dollar coin. Heh heh. Two of ’em, even. Heh heh heh.

Of course, then the dollar tanks, gas goes to $10 a gallon (but bye-bye trade deficit when our now low-cost exports hit the world!).

But still. How’d ya like to find one o’ them under the couch cushions?

I’m sorry, I’ve been failing you all. No hubbub, no gossip, no nuthin-along-those-lines from me for ages now. That GMD readers had to be surprised by the turnover of the VDP leadership? Oh, the humanity!

So I’ll try to re-engage. Lessee here, what’ve I got…

Well in Democratical land, some quick background on the latest move that is the culmination of months of groundwork laid by outgoing Chair Bevans. First, incoming Chair Perkinson was placed in charge of the VDP Finance Committee (contrary to bylaws mandate that the job be held by the Treasurer). Then, based on his work in Finance, Bevans promoted his run for Vice Chair. Before she let out word of her resignation, she urged Dottie Deans to be ready to run for Vice Chair, and thus were the wheels greased for an orderly transition bringing the Chair back to the Chittenden County power circle (where VDP insiders prefer it to reside), backed up by a Vice Chair from outside the area with connections to donors.

Sound sleazy? It’s really not. A little tacky, maybe, but you have to understand what the Democratic Party “incorporated” exists to do. It is not an advocacy organization, like the Progressive Party tends to act as – rather it’s simply the organizational infrastructure tasked with supporting the incumbent Governor (primarily), as well as other elected Democrats. To do that efficiently and effectively means as little turmoil in transition as possible – thus the motivation to slide things through quickly (and the inevitable hand of Governor Shumlin behind this transition). The last time the-powers-that-be lost control of the process, they ended up with a usurper from Orleans County slipping past them into the Chair: Judy Bevans. When Paul Millman was courted to run against Bevans, many on the State Committee rallied behind Bevans and the challenge was dropped. With an incumbent Democratic Governor, pressure is even stronger to exert a tighter control against those in the State Committee who might like to see the Democratic Party become more of an advocacy organization than a re-election machine.

So yeah – ironically, this means that Judy Bevans has made sure there won’t be another Judy Bevans slipping into the position behind her. Did they have any reason to believe there might be? Well, there was a scary left wing blogger who made some threatening noises about it (but really, how could I bear to leave all you guys?).

How about them Republicanses? Well, the rumors that have been flying for months that Brian Dubie may be looking for a rematch with Governor Shumlin keep intensifying. Insiders suggest he’s “strongly” considering a bid. Word is he took the 2010 loss pretty hard.

Dubie Mark II would be different, however. No crazy out-of-state GOP slash-and-burn hack running his campaign this time. Instead, a Dubie rematch would be staffed by Vermonters.

As far as other names being tossed around, Randy Brock is definitely out, but our pal Tom Salmon Jr. is strongly considering a Gov run (one wonders if he thinks he can run for Governor by running against Sen Sanders?). Also, Len Britton’s name is circulating through the rumor mill, but the Rs would obviously be disinclined to coalesce behind him.

Lifted from Attaturk without permission, but I’m guessing it’s OK:

John Boehner: We insist you shoot the American economy in the head.

Barack Obama: How about just in the foot? Okay, okay, both feet, but for now, that’s my final offer. But you guys have to hold the gun.

Harry Reid: Let’s compromise, let’s shoot it in the gut and see what happens.

A reminder that a straight line is actually the shortest distance between two points:

Former President Bill Clinton said if faced with default, he would single-handedly raise the debt ceiling using the 14th Amendment and he’d do it “without hesitation, and force the courts to stop me.”

When the biggest political game-player of all suggests it’s time to stop playing political games, you know you’re way off the reservation. Seriously – what’s the goal here? Protecting the economy, or having another grand “compromise” on the wall?

On the Thom Hartmann show, by way of Think Progress:

“I think there are millions of Americans who are deeply disappointed in the president; who believe that, with regard to Social Security and a number of other issues, he said one thing as a candidate and is doing something very much else as a president; who cannot believe how weak he has been, for whatever reason, in negotiating with Republicans and there’s deep disappointment. So my suggestion is, I think one of the reasons the president has been able to move so far to the right is that there is no primary opposition to him and I think it would do this country a good deal of service if people started thinking about candidates out there to begin contrasting what is a progressive agenda as opposed to what Obama is doing. […] So I would say to Ryan [sic] discouragement is not an option. I think it would be a good idea if President Obama faced some primary opposition.”

In principle, I’m totally down with this (for so many, many reasons, the mind boggles). The devil is in the details, though. Who does it (and how)? Also, many blame Jimmy Carter’s re-election defeat on the damage done during the Democratic primary against Ted Kennedy. I don’t ascribe to that theory myself (although, even given President Carter’s not-insignificant shortcomings, the 1980 primary-Kennedy was a narcissistic ass), but it’s not an irrational or indefensible theory at all, and hearing such an argument repeated will make a primary that much harder.

Thoughts? Ideas? I nominate NanuqFC.

On a side note, there goes our junior Senator’s invitation to Vermont’s next First Lady flyby.

Apparently, cameras and media access to the big FLOTUS shindig were largely restricted, so by all means, let us at GMD help out…

More below the fold…

… I just can’t get excited about Michelle Obama’s visit. It’s why I haven’t mentioned it. I swear I’m not posing, I just don’t really do/care-about the celebrity thing. I’m sure she’s a very nice person.

But here’s an open thread for anyone who wants to talk about it, and a picture snagged from Facebook of the Shuminator (& daughter Olivia) smiling with the honored guest.

UPDATE: Holy crap. Apparently there were 928 people in attendance, and the event pulled in a whopping (for Vermont) $117,350. Jeebus. That’s a lot of people, most of whom paid out just $50 or $100, with some higher contributions going as high as $5000 (none of this is counting the more exclusive ECHO event).

UPDATE 2 What’s odd – and covered over at blurt – was the lack of media access to the event, or, I should say, the inconsistent media access. It would make more sense if they just let no media in (it’d be gross, but it would make sense), but in this case, they just let a teensy bit of the media in? Why?

Strange moves from a campaign that, 3 years ago, was legendary for it’s discipline and security. Now? They keep most, but not all of the media out (just enough to keep everything in the open (AND piss off most of the reporters at the same time), while the list of participants’ names and contributions is in seemingly pretty widespread circulation. Methinks some priorities are askew.

Ah, well. Campaigns are silly things. If they weren’t, they’d be markedly less entertaining.

As you all will recall, we noted a few days back that John McLaughry (patron saint of the oblivious-to-reality wing of the Vermont GOP) had a piece posted by Geoffrey Norman on Vermont (What, us Republican?) Tiger denouncing Senator Sanders (no – really?). McLaughrey & Norman objected to Bernie taking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to task for it’s lack of transparency, and its apparent effort to bring the Department of Justice into the court battle over the state Senate’s rejection of Vermont Yankee’s license renewal (on Entergy’s behalf, naturally – yay, Obama administration!). McLaughrey’s sneering message was that Bernie’s engagement was actually great for Entergy, and their agenda of keeping VY open (presumably until it completely disintegrates). A quote from the piece:

Sanders’ inept statement does Entergy a big favor.

So, if a sitting US Senator (and member of the President’s party caucus – if not precisely his party…) weighing in against a corporate interest with business before the feds is good news for that corporate interest, what does that say for today’s report from the Governor’s office: that the Department of Justice will not be intervening in support of VY in the pending Entergy v. Shumlin case?

Hey! Bernie’s inept statement kept the DOJ out of Vermont’s business after all! Must be awesomely good news for Entergy!

Here’s Shummy’s statement:

“Bernie Sanders is an extraordinary champion of Vermonters and our state’s best interests, and I am very grateful for his efforts here. I am gratified to hear that Attorney General Holder and the Department of Justice have declined to intervene in this case. That position is consistent with the many, many statements from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission confirming that states have their own jurisdiction over matters that don’t relate to radiological safety. I believe strongly that our state has proper authority over Vermont Yankee’s continued operation, and that Entergy Louisiana is not above the law and should have kept the promises it made to Vermonters to comply with our laws.”

• Words of something-way-other-than-wisdom in the Colchester High School commencement address: “A penis is a vagina on steroids.” Leading to the follow-up question, American Flatbread Founder George Schenk is a commencement speaker on…? (Note: In my limited experience, George seems like a really good guy but… oy… how exactly are his women employees supposed to feel after hearing this? Hopefully there’s more to the story… some sort of context, although it’s hard to imagine.)
• VT Commons blogger Simha Bode has apparently made the discovery of the millennium, as he’s discovered nuclear fusion reactors (here and here). Somebody should call the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) and tell them to stop wasting their time and money.
• According to John McLaughrey and VT Tiger’s Geoffrey Norman, Senator Sanders’ blasting of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for cozying up with Entergy, enlisting the Department of Justice to intervene on the corporations behalf, and being completely opaque in its deliberations is (wait for it)… great news for Vermont Yankee! Wow. I’d have thought it could create more problems for them! Good thing we have experts to save us from the nakedly obvious.
• Did you know that someone had tried to resuurect the ol’ “Welch Watch” website from ages past? Me neither. He started it in January, and didn’t get out of January. He also threw up (heh) a facebook companion page, which made it a bit longer – there are entries as recently as March. It’s a St. Michael’s megadittoer student named Dan Bower, who also started the far-right FB group Right On Gallows, which talks up the wild-eyed right line for Chittenden County and eastern Virgina (like he’s the anti-kestrel?), and does something called the “Vermont Avenger Show” (which follows his previous “Fail and Live Long” radio show), and is also part of the Green Mountain Patriots, a local tea party “organization” (koff)… well, at that point I got bored. Some serious conservative-attention-deficit-disorder, here.

(ht FB User “Political Humor” – origin unknown)