The inside-the-beltway world of Washington, DC rarely deals with truly foundational economic issues. When they do, it is only because they are being forced to by crisis or a political movement forcing something onto center stage. The big fundamental issues make the powers that be uncomfortable simply because they may cause big changes that do damage to the wealthy economic incumbents who don’t want their privileged status upended. This is why DC seems so disconnected to people in the real world: while Congress is goofing around with stupid stuff like sequesters, the things that really matter to people go unaddressed.

Occasionally, though, the real issues are forced onto the DC scene by some combination of smart, gutsy politicians and political movements whose time has come. It’s too early to tell, but on what I believe are the two most central economic issues of the next generation, I’m hoping DC is finally going to be forced to pay attention.

The first of these issues is the steady destruction of the American middle class by the massive expansion of the low-wage worker economy. There is a movement on this issue that is coming together to take this issue on, and we are seeing the early signs of it in the New York and Chicago fast food strikes, and the huge nationwide day of action at Wal-Marts around the country last year. There will be more to write about this in the coming weeks, so that will be Part 2 of this story, but you heard it here first: this will be a big deal.

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Thank you, Attorney General Holder, for finally being so blunt and definitive about DOJ’s unwillingness to prosecute the biggest banks:

But I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if we do prosecute — if we do bring a criminal charge — it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy. I think that is a function of the fact that some of these institutions have become too large.

Again, I'm not talking about HSBC, this is more of a general comment. I think it has an inhibiting influence, impact on our ability to bring resolutions that I think would be more appropriate.

I rarely agree with Chuck Grassley, but when he calls this “stunning”, he couldn’t be more right. This is the ultimate Big F’ing Deal: the nation’s top prosecutor openly admitting that some people and institutions are so big, wealthy, and powerful that it is the policy of the United States to hesitate to prosecute them no matter how terrible their crime. And it isn’t just American banks, either: HSBC, while operating here, is a foreign based bank.

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Oh, C&Lers, you've picked a good one, and timely too. In 38th place, we have a March 4th rant about Republican family values as compared to everyone else's. Yes indeed, it's a timely reminder, given Newt's newly discovered piety and grace through the blessings of Catholic bishops and the lovely Callista.

But you see, It's OK If You're A Republican (IOKIYAR).

It's always helpful to review how hypocritical Newt Gingrich is when it comes to "family values."

Once upon a time, in a land that now seems to have been populated by tooth fairies and unicorns, there was a political party that had a set of core beliefs to which they actually adhered.

Among them was that actually balancing the budget, as opposed to just talking about it, was sacrosanct. Slow change, while necessary, had to be balanced against the traditions of the United States, ones that had mostly served us well over two centuries.

Foreign military adventures should be limited to our national security interests. And one of the single most important components of diplomacy was protecting the economic interests not only of an elite few, but of the great many Americans who toiled in our factories and fields.

This party was known as the Republican Party, and while one might have disagreed with them on their policy prescriptions to cure any particular US ill, one could at least see some logic in their beliefs and understand that they - with some obvious exceptions from time to time (ahem, Joseph McCarthy, ahem) - were doing what they thought was right for the United States of America.

Today, this once respectable organization has turned into nothing so much as a collective id the size of a David-Vitter-Pampers shopping spree. When facing changes to this nation that make them uncomfortable, they choose national hate. When facing ideological worship versus the greatness of the US, the former always wins the day. When facing a choice of what is good for the US or their campaign bank accounts, they inevitably go with the latter.

In simple terms: We, the people of the United States, are the maid. The GOP is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Any questions?

The one caveat is that it's not Republicans, so much as the forces of the anti-American, gun-toting, religious and corporate Right that have taken over the GOP who are responsible for papa's brand new bag. The Right is Darth Sidious to the GOP's Anakin Skywalker, Angelina Jolie to foreign-born children.

And yes, sadly, the Dark Lord has also sunk his hooks into quite a few in the Democratic Party, just somewhat less in number and relevance.

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*Conservatives from The Weekly Standard and The Daily Caller admit to host of The Big Picture, Thom Hartmann, that closing the gun show loophole would be a good idea.

Somehow, between breathless fanboy posts alerting his readers to the every movement of Rick Perry (he sure is dreamy!), The National Review's Kevin Williamson found time to prostrate himself (not once, but twice) before National Rifle Association (NRA) talking points, support the interests of al-Qaeda, and fit multiple lies all into one little screed.

Pretty impressive work, especially when you factor in his limited availability. I mean, those Rick Perry posters aren't going to just stare at themselves.

In these pieces, al-Qaeda Tool Williamson did what gun fetishists and NRA apologists always do when inconvenient truths about the blood already on their hands, or yet to come, are presented to them: He threw out random vituperation (even attacking one of his colleagues at NRO who happens to have more common sense than he could ever possess--he must be an absolute joy to work with!), and some misdirection that would make Houdini proud.

My problem, of course, is that I don't much like wannabe-bullies. Especially those who view the NRA like David Vitter does a lady-of-the-night with extra Huggies in hand, even more so when they lie and attack my friends at Media Matters on an issue I work on and care about, with Bachmannian reasoning to boot. So I thought I might respond, you know, for fun.

The crux of our story is that Adam Gadahn, the American-born al-Qaeda spokesman, made a statement that was 90% correct about the easy availability of firearms for terrorists in the US (because of people like Williamson and the NRA), so this al-Qaeda Tool, of course, chose to focus on the 10% that wasn't accurate. Here is our own David Neiwert's explanation of what set off this jack-in-the-box originally:

That popping sound you hear is the heads of NRA loyalists exploding from massive cognitive dissonance, all because of the release this week of a video showing a spokesman for al-Qaeda, Adam Gadahn, urging would-be jihadis to go out and stock up on as many guns as they can get their hands on -- through the gun-show loophole

So what do you do when you're a shill for the NRA and have to explain why you don't support the simple common sense of 69% of NRA members and 85% of Americans, (in a poll conducted by known liberal Frank Luntz for Mayors Against Illegal Guns) all of whom want to close the Gun Show Loophole? The one that Al Qaeda thug Gadahn spoke about. The one that has allowed everyone from Hezbollah to Pentagon shooter John Patrick Bedell to the Columbine killers to arm themselves--and provided a nice source of income for Timothy McVeigh. The one that sadly, as the thug Gadahn points out, would allow any Ayman al-Zwahiri to walk into a gun show in the 33 states that have not closed it, and buy a gun from "private sellers" without any kind of background check.

What you do is lie of course, and portray private sales of firearms as "Uncle Bubba," deciding "to swap his deer rifle to Otis for $100 and a case of Bud."

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The other day National Review ran an open letter from Dennis Prager to Hispanics in which he assured them they would always be better off voting Republican, even though it might seem like right-wingers are hellbent on deporting 12 million Latinos these days. Among his soothing assurances:

Those who tell you it is racism or xenophobia are lying about their fellow Americans for political or ideological reasons. You know from your daily interactions with Americans that the vast majority of us treat you with the dignity that every fellow human being deserves. Your daily lives are the most eloquent refutation of the charge of racism and bigotry. The charge is a terrible lie. Please don’t believe it. You know it is not true.

Um, right. Does Prager really believe this?

Because if he actually, you know, knew any Hispanics he would know that they live in America under a constant cloud: Regularly treated as subhumans -- indeed, regularly labeled "illegal aliens," a classic dehumanizing trope -- and threatened constantly with being swept up in a Kafkaesque immigration system, even if they are here legally. Depicted with demeaning racial stereotypes, and treated by the Anglo public accordingly. Demonized as "criminals" simply for their presence here. And as a result, increasingly at risk of being the victim of a Latino-bashing hate crime.

And the people who make this kind of racist dehumanization a regular part of their daily business? The American Right, of course.

Exhibit A: The vicious political ads being run by Republicans Sharron Angle in Nevada and David Vitter in Louisiana, both using phony stock footage of "illegal aliens" sneaking in over our borders. The racist stereotyping in these ads is so clear and startling that Angle and Vitter might as well have just donned their Klan hoods.

Observes Adam Serwer:

Her campaign's latest ad, attacking Reid for his support of the DREAM Act, which Greg mentioned earlier in his roundup, is as despicable as it is desperate. In its naked appeal to racial animus against Latinos, it rivals the infamous 1988 "Willie Horton" ad deployed against Michael Dukakis.

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Co-author Neil Howe discussing his book, The Fourth Turning in 1997

You know the phrase, "everything old is new again"? Well, after you read The Fourth Turning, you'll realize how true that is. It's impossible to concisely breakdown this mapping of generations, eras, and dynamics, but it makes for fascinating reading. And it's hard to argue with what they've written either. They predicted (in the early 90s, mind you) a major catastrophic event that would occur near the turn of the century and result in 20 years of upheaval and unrest. And folks, it's quite clear we're in that monstrously difficult time of the Fourth Turning. What the future outcome will be depends on how much effort we put into turning it towards positive, progressive change.

As far as our immediate future, it looks like the Villagers are still playing the same games. Why else would you invite NAACP's Ben Jealous and a tea party organizer on Face the Nation? Steny Hoyer and Mitch McConnell on State of the Union? Or David Vitter on Fox News Sunday? And don't get me started on Chris Matthews topic of whether Sarah Palin is strong 2012 candidate. Argh. In one of his last stints as anchor, Jake Tapper has VP Joe Biden on for the full hour.

ABC's "This Week" - Vice President Joe Biden.

CBS' "Face the Nation" - Gov. Bill Richardson, D-N.M.; former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz.; Benjamin Jealous, president of the NAACP; David Webb, a tea party organizer.

NBC's "Meet the Press" - Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Robert Menendez, D-N.J; Reps. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, and Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

NBC's "The Chris Matthews Show" - Panel: Joe Klein, Katty Kay, Trish Regan and Clarence Page. Topics: Is the Frozen Recovery Setting Up a GOP Tidal Wave In November? Why Sarah Palin Looks Like a Strong 2012 Candidate

CNN's "State of the Union" - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.; New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu.

CNN's "Fareezd Zakaria GPS" - It may be the most dangerous place on Earth. And now it's exporting it's terror. Al Shabab - a Somali affiliate of al Qaeda - has claimed responsibility for the bombing of World Cup viewers in Uganda. What kind of evil can we expect from this failed state next? And what can the U.S. do to stop it?

"Fox News Sunday" - Reps. James Clyburn, D-S.C., and Mike Pence, R-Ind.; Sen. David Vitter, R-La.

So, what's catching your eye this morning?

Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter has a new fetish. Three years after Americans learned of Vitter's predilection for prostitutes and diapers, Senator Vitter has announced his support for Birther lawsuits challenging President Obama's eligibility to serve.

Vitter's apparent attempt at misdirection comes after a torrent of bad news for the one-time family values merchant turned DC Madam regular. After allegations that he kept aide Brent Furer on his staff despite an outstanding warrant for his arrest on a DUI charge and, worse still, a report that he attacked his ex-girlfriend with a knife two years ago. Even more egregious, Furer was Vitter's apparent point man on women's issues. (Unsurprisingly, leading conservative women's groups have remained silent on Vitter, as have Sarah Palin and her new wave of "pro-life feminists" so highly touted on the right.) And now, Vitter has a Republican challenger in the upcoming Louisiana primary.

So, finding the truth was not setting him free, Vitter at a town hall meeting threw his weight behind right-wing lawsuits concerning "Mr. Obama's refusal to produce a valid birth certificate." Like buying extra large Huggies in bulk at Walmart, Vitter said that's a "valid" course of action:

"I know all the information I've been able to get my hands on through the media. But obviously with the mainstream media as a filter, that's not a whole lot. I personally don't have standing to bring litigation in court. But I support conservative legal organizations and others who would bring that to court. I think that is the valid and most possibly effective grounds to do it."

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Sen. David Vitter has been having to answer a lot of uncomfortable questions about Brent Furer, the legislative aide who was arrested for attacking his girlfriend with a knife after he found other men's phone numbers on her Blackberry.

So yesterday, he denied heatedly to reporters that Furer had worked on women's issues:

Reporter: Senator, why was he assigned to women's issues, even after you knew about his arrest?

Vitter: He was not.

Reporter: He was not assigned.

Vitter: Correct. And that's just one of several issues that have been completely misreported.

Yet later in the day, at another campaign stop, he answered a similar question thus:

Vitter: That's absolutely incorrect. He handled issues including abortion issues, including several other issues, but not women's affairs.

Apparently, in the land of wingnuts, abortion issues are not a "women's affair." Women are just the accidental participants.

Makes you wonder what a "women's issue" is for Vitter. Mebbe helping make sure the diaper fits?

Gov. Bobby Jindal's contradictions may confuse you at first. While shaking his fist at BP and the federal government's inability to stop the river of oil poisoning the Louisiana coastline and wetlands, he's also unbending in his support for offshore drilling to continue.

"The last thing we need is to enact public policies that will certainly destroy thousands of existing jobs while preventing the creation of thousands more," he added.

"I fully understand the need for strict oversight of deepwater drilling," Jindal wrote. "However, I would ask that the federal government move quickly to ensure that all deepwater drilling is in proper compliance with federal regulation and is conducted safely so that energy production and more importantly, thousands of jobs, are not in limbo."

The problem I have with Jindal's appeal? Current federal regulations around deepwater drilling are inadequate. Deepwater drilling is a frontier. There are many unknowns, including how to handle blowouts at a depth of 5,000 feet under the sea, how to handle the oil once it begins spilling, and how to properly preserve ecosystems which have existed for centuries.

Of course, David Vitter couldn't resist peeking over his diapers to pile on:

Louisiana has been witnessing a severe lack of urgency and understanding from the Obama Administration and BP. Our state and our way of life continue to be under attack from the devastating oil spill, and now to make matters worse, President Obama's has imposed a moratorium and shut down drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. Unless we lift Obama's moratorium, it could kill thousands of Louisiana jobs.

Rigs won't wait idly for six months, they'll move overseas to places like West Africa or Brazil and take jobs with them. I have called on President Obama to replace his recently announced shutdown of deepwater rigs for immediate rig safety inspections.

Their concern isn't without merit, though, and it's the reason you won't hear the President simply rule out offshore drilling, whether in deep or shallow waters. Louisiana receives a substantial chunk of its revenue from royalties for offshore drilling activity, and expects to receive much more. He's also right about the jobs. Shutting down the rigs in the Gulf means job losses for thousands in that area with no real prospect for re-employment as long as the rigs are shut down.

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