Category: Politics

Mr. Dodd Goes To Washington

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Dodd promised to filibuster teleco immunity, and he has kept his word.

Unfortunately, the Senate voted 76 to 10 to stop his filibuster.

As I predicted, Obama did not show up for the vote, and neither did Clinton or Biden.

Obama issued a statement to Firedog Lake:

“Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies and has cosponsored Senator Dodd’s efforts to remove that provision from the FISA bill. Granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same. It’s not clear whether he can return for the vote, but under the Senate rules, the side trying to end a filibuster must produce 60 votes to cut off debate. Whether he is present for the vote for not, Senator Obama will not be among those voting to end the filibuster.”

I understand the basic mechanics of cloture, but I would like to see him a reason to bloody show up for work.

This applies to Biden and Clinton too.

Kevin Drum Explains Social Security and the Very Serious People In Washington

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As we all know, the “Very Serious People” go on and on about how Social Security is not affordable….After all, look at this picture from the CBO looking at budget impact:

Needless to say, it’s clear that it’s medical costs, and not Social Security that are the issue, But Kevin Drum explains why the “Very Serious People” think that Social Security must be gutted today:

Of course, Russert and his pals actually use medical services, of which Medicare is merely a reflection, and are thus not quite so keen to bang on endlessly about how we should be working to control medical costs and distribute medical care more efficiently and more equitably. After all, that might actually affect them. Slashing Social Security benefits really doesn’t.

This, is more than an insight into their attitudes into Social security. This is an insight into their attitudes on EVERYTHING. Basically, it’s all about making the tough choices that hurt other people.

That is what makes one a “Very Serious Person” in Washington DC. Hurting those who have no power and who you don’t know, except perhaps as landscapers, housekeepers, and waiters. They define this as bold thinking.

I believe that Marie Antoinette said something similar, “Let them eat cake.”

Harry Reid Betrays the Constitution. Chris Dodd Calls in Markers to Try to Preserve It

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Harry Reid has announced that he will put forward the FISA bill from the intelligence committee, the one with few protections and teleco immunity.

I don’t know why he is choosing George W. Bush over the constitution of the United States, though I think it may have something to do with the fact that he’s gotten a lot of campaign donations from them.

He is also refusing to recognize Chris Dodd’s hold on the bill, which means that Dodd will have to actually filibuster.

I’m not sure why. After all he allowed Neanderthal Tom Coburn to block an investigation of the brutal racist murder of Emmett Till and other unsolved racial crimes.

In any case, Chris Dodd is reminding Senators Clinton and Obama of their promise to support his filibuster.

A Letter from Dodd Campaign:

Dear Tim, Today, that FISA fight we’ve all been waiting for begins — and it’s time to separate the leaders from the capitulators.

In a few hours, Majority Leader Harry Reid will ask for something called a “motion to proceed” on FISA, effectively disregarding Chris Dodd’s “hold” on the bill.

It’s unfortunate that he chose to go this route, to introduce a bill including retroactive immunity when another route could have been chosen just as easily.

So … that means Chris Dodd will start by introducing an amendment to strip retroactive immunity out of the bill.

But if that doesn’t work, he will do all he can to stop this bill that threatens our security, and that may include a “filibuster.”

Remember when this all started playing out? A lot of people rushed to send out strongly worded press releases about how committed they were to “supporting a filibuster.”

They’ll have a chance to show they are true to their word.

Call or email the Senators that pledged their opposition to this bill to support the Dodd Amendment and a filibuster if necessary. And ask them to be there with Dodd when it counts.

http://chrisdodd.com/filibuster

You don’t demonstrate leadership in the footnotes of a press release, or parroting responses from focus groups.

Leadership is demonstrated through action.
Tim Tagaris
Chris Dodd for President

Hillary I expect to stick to her word, Obama, I expect him to miss the vote.

Now Krauthammer is Hating on the Talibaptists

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First Peggy Noonan goes after the religious right, and now it appears to be Charles Krauthammer’s turn. (Apologies to the townhall.com link)

….

The right answer, the only answer, is that the very question is offensive. The Constitution prohibits any religious test for office. And while that proscribes only government action, the law is also meant to be a teacher.

In the same way that civil rights laws established not just the legal but also the moral norm that one simply does not discriminate on the basis of race — changing the practice of one generation and the consciousness of the next — so the constitutional injunction against religious tests is meant to make citizens understand that such tests are profoundly un-American.

….

This is pretty elementary stuff. I haven’t exactly invented hot water here. The very rehearsing of these arguments seems tiresome and redundant.

But apparently not in the campaign of 2008. It’s two centuries since the passage of the First Amendment and our presidential candidates still cannot distinguish establishment from free exercise.

It appears that the corporate green heads that have used the religious right for years cannot abide Huckabee, and this time, a few worda about abortion will not mollify his supporters.

I experience some Schadenfreude, but the thought of a Christian Dominionist as a major presidential candidate is rather more worrisome than my uncharitable amusement.

Lamo Terrorists Jurors Deadlock in 6 of 7 Defendants | World Latest | Guardian Unlimited

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And they acquitted number seven.

This case has been a ginned up clusterf%$# from the beginning. Someone found a group of nutbags, and either (the FBI or Prosecutors) thought that a terrorism bust would make their careers, or they (paid informants) thought that they were dumb enough to unknowingly play along with them so that they could stay on the Department of Justice gravy train.

These guys are too whacked out and too stupid to organize a PTA meeting, much less engage in terrorism. This is precisely the sort of manufactred bullsh&$ that seems to happen every time that Bush and His Evil Minions&trade need something to distract from the bad news coming out of the White House.

Solidarity Works. Unions Get It, But the Democrats Don’t

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SEIU Local 99 in Los Angeles, representing teachers and other school workers, has fired Chris Lehane because he took a job consulting for the producers, and against the writers, with regard to the writers’ strike.

I think that this sort of solidarity is what Democrats lack. FWIW, I will not support any primary candidate who employs Mr. Lahane. He is a strike breaker.

If we want our control of congress, and hopefully the White House in a year and a month, to mean anything, then we have to impress upon the national Democratic party that solidarity means something.

Democrats Cave on Spending

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David Obey had a suggestion, if Bush is adamant about his bogus numbers, cut out earmarks, the idea was to make lawmakers, particularly Republican ones, pay more than lip service to budget restraint.

Of course, this was shortly followed by a story titled Pelosi backs down.

Am I the only one who thinks that this headline occurs far too often?

Mr. 33% is a lame duck. If he wants to trigger a shutdown, well f#$@ him.

How about some guts, Mrs. Pelosi.

Former Gitmo Prosecutor Blasts Military Commissions, Bush and His Evil Minions™ Order Him Not to Testify Before Congress

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Interesting, Colonel Morris Davis, former prosecutor writes an OP/ED for the LA Times about why he stepped down from his position as prosecutor as the Pentagon’s Chief War Crimes Prosecutor blasts the military commissions process because he, “”elt that the system had become deeply politicized and that I could no longer do my job effectively or responsibly.”

He goes on to state that the commissions lacked the, “atmosphere of honesty and impartiality”, essential to legitimacy. He accuses the convening authority (basically the people who will act as judge and jury)), of, “Intermingling convening authority and prosecutor roles perpetuates the perception of a rigged process stacked against the accused.”

Further he believes that the trials can be conducted largely in open court, and that closed door proceedings further degraded the legitimacy of the proceedings.

The Senate Judiciary Committee called him, but did not subpoena him, to testify before them on these and related issues, but he was ordered not to appear.

Orwell is spinning so rapidly in his grave that you could power all of Bristol with him.

Those Morons in Washington Are Doing It Again

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I mean, of course, the Democrats, particularly the DSCC and DLCC.

There are two very good posts on open left (here and here) discussing the losses in the special elections in Virginia and Ohio yesterday.

The basic point is that the candidates, and the DCCC which backed them made no mention of the war.

These guys are still running away from ending the war. The Democrats took control of congress on this issue, despite these guys ducking covering on this issue in 2006, and they are doing it again.

It’s the war stupid, no matter how much these guys, largely ex-Clintonistas, want to make it the 1992 election.

No money to the DSCC or DCCC. When I give, it’s only to candidates who are clear and vocal about their opinion on the war. It does not have to be the centerpiece of their campaign, but it has to be out there and clearly visible.

‘Nuff said.

Alan “Bubbles” Greenspan, the “I Didn’t Do It” Kid

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Yep, he has an article in the Wall Street Journal claiming that it’s not his fault.

Felix Salmon of Portfolio.com pretty much eviscerates him on his lies.

That said, however, the main reason why the housing bust seems to be much worse in the US than elsewhere is surely those ARMs – which, as Greenspan concedes, were a function of low short-term interest rates. They allowed many people to buy houses they couldn’t afford, which in turn created a massive solvency crisis.

Greenspan’s reputation is trashed, as well it should be.

Nancy “Know Nothing” Grasmick Re-Appointed State School Superintendent

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Despite pleas from the Governor, Speaker of the State House, and Senate President, lamd duck members of the Maryland State Board of Education voted to trenew Nancy Grasmick’s contract for another four years.

It should be noted that Grasmick tried to seize 11 low performing Baltimore City schools during the election for Governor, and was for a long time considered a potential running mate for then incumbent governor Republican Bob “Bad Hair” Ehrlich.

She also was front and center in Ehrlich’s attempts to take over the whole Baltimore City School District and to decertify the Teachers’ Union.

This is going to get ugly, and she’s a hack, in addition to being one of the most test crazy senior executives in the nation. Her policies got schools not teaching science or social studies for two months so that they can do test prep.

Gravel, Kucinich Out of Tomorrow’s Debate

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I think that this is a good thing. They aren’t serious candidates, and they aren’t serious by the definition of Iowa PBS either:

  • an F.E.C. statement of candidacy;
  • having an Iowa campaign staffer and Iowa campaign office as of October 1;
  • registering at least at 1 percent in the October Des Moines Register poll.

Not quote sure how Keys got into the Republithug debate today. My only explanation is that it was affirmative action.

FEC to Review Matching ActBlue Funds To Edwards

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Well, it looks like the FEC will not be matching Act Blue contributions. The theory behind this is that Act Blue is a dingle entity, and hence no matching except for the first $250 from the group.

At least that is what the draft ruling says.

Of course, it is the individual donors who decide which candidate gets the cash with Act Blue. They are really more of a clearinghouse than a PAC.

Kos has more info. Comments must be in by tomorrow.

Hat Tip to David Obey, for Having Some Backbone

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Obey, the House Appropriations Committee Chairman, has been working for some time on compromise spending legislation with the Congressional Republicans and the White House, and now that Bush has threatened a veto of anything more than what he submitted (Obey was trying to split the difference), he has terminated negotiations, and told the White House and Republicans that he will balance the budget by wacking Republican priorities and earmark pork.

Good for him. If Bush and His Evil Minions™ don’t want to negotiate in good faith, hit back hard.

Jerome Armstrong Has the Definitive Word on Obama

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The “Blogfather” just put his finger on my problem with Obama, and I did not realize that I hadn’t gotten what was wrong already.

Once again, someone who writes better than I ever will.

Barack Obama is lacking in the most basic experience of a presidential candidate: He has never run a real campaign against a Republican.

His state senate races were in a safe Dem district, and for Senate, he ran against Alan F###ing Keyes.

All of his real political campaigns have been against Democrats, in the primaries.

….

This questionnaire in and of itself is just one thing, but Obama’s response to it coming out is unsettling in it’s pattern of positioning himself above the partisan fray. Obama has never faced a serious Republican challenge. Not one. Obama has no experience of the hostile and polarized political environment that he’d enter were he to win the nomination, and he has distanced himself from partisan Democrats during his campaign for the nomination. I don’t think it’s spin to question how Obama might actually do once he confronts Republicans on the campaign trail, instead of across the table in those bipartisan negotiations he longs for making happen.

My guess is that, once he’s personally experienced the confrontation of the Republican machine, it would totally transform the way Obama views campaigns. Rather than viewing partisan progressives as something to Sister Soulja while he appeases the non-partisan media machine, he would come to realize the value, in today’s partisan environment, of engaging partisan Democrats as part of his campaign. He’d prepare to battle with us, rather than trash us as tokens of the past.

….

For Democrats that think about how a campaign might position itself best to win, the question really comes down to this: Do you believe that this nation is going to transcend partisan politics in 2008?

(emphasis mine)

I disagree on only one point, the media machine is not non-partisan. It’s had it’s tongue up the right wing’s ass for way too long.

Hillary might win. She is the most vetted candidate in history, and she understands the war, and even savors it a bit.

Edwards would win. He has been blooded by the 2004 election, and his own contentious senate campaign.

Obama can’t win. The press loves him right now, because he sucks up to them, and the ‘Phants are keeping their powder dry. He is bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Well, It Looks Like Pelosi and Rockefeller Will Be Needing Cells at The Hague Too

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They were briefed on the CIA’s torture program in 2002, and they did nothing.

Harman at least submitted a letter protesting.

If the Bush administration is guilty of crimes against humanity, and I believe that it is, then Pelosi and Rockefeller, along with Republican Roberts, who did nothing, and by so doing enabled it, are guilty of crimes against humanity themselves.

Romney Spreading “Walking Around Money” In Iowa

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It appears that he’s paying for endorsements. Thomas Edsall, Ethan Hova report that Romney is making massive payments to various Republicans as “GOTV Consulting”.

The payments start at $500 a month, the base rate for student leaders, many of whom are chairs in the “Iowa Students for Romney” campaign organization. At a higher level, Joe Earle, former director of the Iowa Christian Alliance (the successor to the Iowa Christian Coalition) gets $4,000 a month, and Gary Marx, a top-level member on the Romney for President National Faith And Values Steering Committee, gets $8,000 a month.

Well, it appears that he gets votes the old fashioned way, he buys them.

It’s surprising that Giuliani is not doing the same, he’s got an even larger war chest.

So Now the Obama Campaign is Going After Krugman

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I have to agree with Ezra Klein when he says, Something’s really gone off the rails when the Obama campaign decides to release an oppo document on Paul Krugman. (Obama doc here)

Considering that Krugman is arguably the most prominent liberal pundit in America, this is surprising. What is not surprising is that, much like he does with social security, he goes out of his way to use Republican talking points to defend his ideas and attakc other’s.

Thirdestae has a good analysis, he believes that Obama is, “attempting to appease/manipulate the class of establishment pundits, and with them the press corps as a whole”.

I agree that this is part of his strategy, but it’s also a symptom of a problem, specifically that he wants to please people too much.