The Commentariat -- Sept. 9, 2015
Internal links & defunct video removed.
Afternoon Update:
House of Cards. Deb Reichmann of the AP: "House GOP leaders were forced to delay plans to open debate on a resolution of disapproval [of the Iran nuclear deal] as some Republicans threatened to withhold their support. Frustrated that the disapproval resolution looked short of support in the Senate, these Republicans were demanding an alternate approach.... The outcome was uncertain as the surprise disagreement spilled into the open just moments before the House was to come into session to begin debating a procedural measure on the resolution." ...
... Here's Politico's story, by Jake Sherman.
David Sanger & Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday embraced the Iran nuclear deal that she paved the way for as secretary of state, but said it would work only 'as part of a larger strategy toward Iran' that contained the power Tehran may gain as sanctions are lifted and billions of dollars flow back into the country. Mrs. Clinton's speech, at the Brookings Institution, amounted to a strong endorsement of the deal struck by President Obama and her successor, Secretary of State John Kerry, though one laced with skepticism about Iran's intentions":
Jason Zengerle of New York: This year, multi-billionaire Sheldon Adelson is waiting to see which GOP candidate to buy. Most are groveling at his feet. Ain't democracy grand?
Gabriel Sherman of New York: "Yesterday, [David] Gregory sat down [with me and] ...) talked about leaving the longest-running show on television, why he doesn't think he was fired, and how George W. Bush inspired him to find God and write a book titled How's Your Faith?" CW: Should be inspiring! Sadly, I didn't bother to read Gregory's profound thoughts about things.
Alan Blinder of the New York Times: "Kim Davis, the Rowan County clerk who was released from jail on Tuesday but would not say whether she would begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was not at work on Wednesday. A lawyer for Ms. Davis, Mathew D. Staver, said Ms. Davis would 'return soon,' either on Friday or Monday. After spending five nights in jail, he said, Ms. Davis 'needs some rest and time with the family.'"
Sibylla Brodzinsky of the Guardian: "Latin American countries are opening their doors to Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country, as Europe struggles with a growing refugee crisis."
*****
David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Three Democratic senators announced on Tuesday that they would back President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, bringing to 41 the total number of Senate supporters as critics in Congress prepared to open a historic debate on the accord. With the support of the three senators -- Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Gary Peters of Michigan and Ron Wyden of Oregon -- the White House gained additional assurance that a presidential veto of legislation opposing the deal would be sustained. While having 41 votes is typically sufficient to block a vote on complex legislation in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to overcome a filibuster, it was still not clear that the White House would be able to prevent passage of a resolution opposing the accord, which would spare Mr. Obama from having to exercise his veto authority. At least two Democrats have indicated that they will vote to break any filibuster, even though they support the agreement.... On Tuesday, Senator Joe Manchin III of West Virginia became the fourth Senate Democrat to publicly oppose the agreement, joining Benjamin L. Cardin of Maryland, Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Chuck Schumer of New York." ...
... Still a Dick. Tierney Sneed of TPM: "In a speech slamming President Obama's Iran deal -- which Congress is debating this week -- former Vice President Dick Cheney suggested that only the threat of military action could prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapons program. 'As soon as President Obama went on Israeli TV and effectively ruled out the option of force, the Iranians knew that they had won,' Cheney said, speaking Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute." ...
... Nick Gass of Politico: "The nuclear agreement negotiated between Iran and six world powers earlier this year is 'madness' and an 'intricately crafted capitulation' on the part of President Barack Obama's administration, former Vice President Dick Cheney said Tuesday during a speech to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington. The deal 'will give Iran the means to launch a nuclear attack on the U.S. homeland. I know of no nation in history that has agreed to guarantee that the means of its own destruction will be in the hands of another nation, particularly one that is hostile,' Cheney told attendees at the center-right think tank's event." ...
... CW: Well, Dick, there are five other nations "in history" that have agreed to invite nuclear attacks on their "homelands": China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom & Germany. BTW, the leaders of those countries think you're a madman. And so do I. ...
... Dana Milbank: "Cheney said it’s a 'false choice' to claim the alternative to the deal is war. But he went on to say that unless Iran makes much deeper concessions, 'they must understand that the United States stands ready to take military action ... Iran will not be convinced to abandon its program peacefully unless it knows it will face military action if it refuses to do so.' And this isn't war? In the immortal words of George W. Bush: 'You can't get fooled again.'... Applauding Cheney from the front row were Paul D. Wolfowitz, a principal architect of the Iraq war, and Sen. Tom Cotton, (Ark.), author of the Senate Republicans' letter to the ayatollahs attempting to kill the deal during negotiations. In the second row were former congresswoman Michele Bachmann and I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, the Cheney aide whose tenure led to a prison sentence."
The Ted Show. Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg: "The sequel to Government Shutdown -- the 2013 battle that caused the closing of national parks and museums, cost the U.S. economy $20 billion, and tanked the Republican Party's popularity -- is slated for this fall and will feature the same star: Ted Cruz. The Texas senator ... is rallying the faithful behind the same strategy as led to a two-week hiatus of government services in October 2013, when he led the party in holding up a government funding bill in a quixotic attempt to strip money for Obamacare. This time, Cruz is using the same Sept. 30 funding deadline to push for stripping Planned Parenthood's $500 million in annual federal dollars.... Cruz's co-stars in this year's drama will be the other three Republican senators running for president -- Florida's Marco Rubio, Kentucky's Rand Paul, and South Carolina's Lindsey Graham...." ...
... MEANWHILE. Kelsey Snell of the Washington Post: "House Speaker John Bohener (R-Ohio) ... is battling an insurgent conservative group within his own party threatening to block any spending bills that include funding for Planned Parenthood, including the stop-gap funding bill. Courting Democrats [to help pass a spending bill] risks losing more support within his own party by alienating deficit hawks in addition to the rebellious conservatives."
Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns sees the American Civil War as "unfinished." "All of the way the Ferguson municipality behaved to its own citizens, its majority citizens, is not dissimilar to the way Jim Crow sharecroppers experienced the pernicious substitute for slavery," Burns told Rosenberg.
Michael Birnbaum & Griff Witte of the Washington Post: "Seeking to allay Europe’s fast-worsening refugee crisis, a top European Union leader proposed on Wednesday a plan to redistribute 160,000 asylum-seekers across the continent. The plan would be one of the largest efforts to address any migration crisis. But with thousands of men, women and children fleeing conflict and poverty reaching the continent's shores each day, it fell far short of the need. Nor was it clear whether all E.U. nations would support it." ...
... Griff Witte: Hungary's top Roman Catholic bishop says Pope Francis doesn't know what he's talking about re: welcoming refugees from the Middle East. "'They're not refugees. This is an invasion,' said Bishop Laszlo Kiss-Rigo." CW: Looks as if Laszlo there is also rejecting the doctrine of papal infallibility. Also, I guess he doesn't care so much that Jesus & God will be sending him to hell:
Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. -- Matthew 25: 41-43
... But before Laszlo gets to hell, it might be a good idea for Francis to defrock him.
Beyond the Beltway
I think that's Huckleberry, Davis & her attorney Mat Staver. However, it may be Jebus & the Two Thieves. As evidence, the Jebus one delivered a Sermon at the Court. One thing Jebus said, "God knows where you're at." Don't get huffy. Jebus's first language was Aramaic. You have to expect some English grammar errors. Anyhow, seems as if God is nosier than the NSA. And that's the Word.Alan Binder & Richard Perez-Pena of the New York Times: "Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing to give marriage licenses to same-sex couples, walked free Tuesday after five days, but she and her lawyer would not say whether she would abide by a court order not to interfere with the issuance of licenses by her office." Thanks to Akhilleus for the lead....
... CW: Here's the most hilarious part of the story:
Senator Ted Cruz of Texas ... made an appearance, but it was Mr. Huckabee, a former Baptist pastor, who grabbed the political spotlight. When Senator Cruz exited the jail a throng of journalists beckoned him toward their microphones, but an aide to Mr. Huckabee blocked the path of Mr. Cruz, who appeared incredulous. Moments later, Mr. Huckabee appeared, joined by Ms. Davis. He stuck close to her side as she approached the reporters, and again when she took the stage, and cast her fight as a choice of tyranny or religious freedom. (Emphasis added.)
... Thanks to safari for finding video of the moment. Rachel Maddow begins discussing the incident at the top of her show; the actual video begins at about 1:45 min. in:
... Gabe Gutierrez & Jon Schuppe of NBC News: "... Davis has already told Bunning that she would not allow any same sex marriage licenses to be issued from her office, even if she wasn't the one signing them. That's because all licenses issued by her office are, legally, authorized by her. 'Nothing has been resolved,' [her lawyer Mat] Staver told NBC News. 'She told the court Thursday that she can't allow licenses to go out under her name and her authority that authorize a marriage that collides with her conscience and religious conviction, and Kim is not changed on that position,' Staver said." ...
... Steve M. sees Judge David Bunning's move as part of a GOP establishment-led effort "to end the martyrdom of Kim Davis." Steve notes that Bunning is not only a Dubya appointee, he is also -- and this I did not know -- the son of former Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, "One of America's Worst Senators." "... freeing her is the best hope Establishment Republicans have of putting the story to rest before the public begins to see the GOP as the party of Kim Davis in the way that it seems to be becoming the party of unabashed immigrant hate as a result of the Donald Trump campaign." ...
... Sahil Kapur & Greg Stohr of Bloomberg follow up on Steve's point: "Republican strategists are worried that the return of same-sex marriage as a presidential campaign piñata could hurt the party in the 2016 general election, putting it on the wrong side of a growing majority of Americans that believes gay couples should have the right to marry. National Republicans operatives hoped the issue was settled in June when the Supreme Court ruled to legalize same-sex marriage nationwide. But Davis upended that.... 'I think the longer this lingers, the worse it is for the Republican Party and for the conservative movement,' said John Feehery, a longtime Republican strategist and lobbyist. 'Civil disobedience never works well for conservatives. And in this case, it smacks of bigotry.'" ...
God showed up. He showed up in the form of an elected Democrat named Kim Davis. -- Mike Huckabee, at Kim Davis rally
See there? I was right about Jebus. Just ask Mikey. -- Constant Weader
Kyle Mantyla of Right Wing Watch: "Mat Staver, the Liberty Counsel attorney who is representing Kentucky clerk Kim Davis..., appeared on the 'WallBuilders Live' radio program [Tuesday], where he said that requiring Davis to issue such marriage licenses is like requiring her to provide licenses to 'sodomize children.'" CW: Don't mean to quibble, but somebody should tell Staver that marriage is legal & sodomizing children is not. And, again not meaning to quibble, but somebody should ream Staver a new one for suggesting that adult marriage is like child sodomy. Yeah, we get what you mean, you perverted ass.
... Chris Christie, who is a lawyer, a former federal prosecutor. a governor & a temporary presidential candidate. has a Great Idea: ""What I would do with this woman is to move her to another job where this is not an objection for her, because you have to follow the law, and the law is these licenses have to be issued.... If she has a religious objection we should move her to another job inside the government." ...
... CW: Really, Chris? Davis is an elected official. To remove her from office, the state legislature would have to impeach her. (According to Goldie Taylor of Blue Nation Review, "There is no legal mechanism for recalls under the Kentucky state constitution. Besides, even though Davis is a Democrat, she enjoys widespread support in Rowan County.") You can't just move an elected official to some other job. If that were possible, maybe the New Jersey legislature or the state supreme court could just move you to a job commensurate with your interests & talents. How about GWB traffic cop?
Jad Mouawad & Kate Zernicke of the New York Times: "United Airlines said on Tuesday that its chief executive, Jeff Smisek, and two other senior officials had stepped down after a federal corruption investigation. The airline is under investigation by the United States attorney in New Jersey over whether it had improperly sought to influence senior officials at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.... In February, federal prosecutors issued subpoenas focused on whether the former chairman of the Port Authority, David Samson, had pushed United to reinstate flights that he used to travel to and from his weekend home in South Carolina.... Mr. Samson was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey in 2010. He stepped down in March 2014 when records showed that several senior aides to Mr. Christie worked with Port Authority officials to close down lanes of the George Washington Bridge under false pretenses to punish a mayor." ...
... Rachel Maddow has fun with this one:
Keith Alexander of the Washington Post: "Baltimore officials have reached a $6.4 million settlement with the family of Freddie Gray, an agreement they say is the right step for a city still recovering from riots and demonstrations sparked by the 25-year-old's death from an injury suffered in police custody. The wrongful death settlement, which requires final approval by a city board, comes as criminal charges are pending against six police officers in Gray's arrest and death."
Presidential Race
Gabriel Debenedetti of Politico: "Hillary Clinton on Wednesday will lay out her proposal for reckoning with Iran beyond basic enforcement of the nuclear agreement -- making clear that she does not trust the country -- in a speech that her presidential campaign sees as a prime opportunity to remind voters of her foreign policy experience and willingness to go beyond the White House.... Clinton and her aides both see the Iran agreement as an accomplishment to which she can proudly point. The candidate has backed the deal on the campaign trail, and she often notes that as secretary of state she helped get Iran to the negotiating table via sanctions." ...
Shoulda Coulda Woulda, Redux. I wanted you to hear this directly from me: Yes, I should have used two email addresses, one for personal matters and one for my work at the State Department. Not doing so was a mistake. I'm sorry about it, and I take full responsibility. -- Hillary Clinton, Facebook, Tuesday ...
... Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "A day after again declining to apologize for her use of a private e-mail system while she was secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton told an interviewer Tuesday that the arrangement was a mistake and that she is 'sorry' for it. 'That was a mistake. I'm sorry about that. I take responsibility,' Clinton said in an interview with ABC News":
... CW: Yeah, it took Hillary waaay too long to acknowledge a mistake that was evident to everyone else. But she's face(book)ed the music. So let's move on. ...
... Elise Labott & Laura Koran of CNN: "Secretary of State John Kerry has tapped a former career diplomat as an 'email czar' to coordinate the State Department response to the myriad of document requests mostly related to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which have strained the department's resources, officials familiar with the appointment tell CNN. Janice Jacobs will serve as Kerry's State Department's Transparency Coordinator, charged with responding to Freedom of Information Act and congressional requests faster and more efficiently and improving the State Department systems for keeping records."
David Brooks Thinks You're Crazy. Dean Baker in FAIR: "New York Times columnist David Brooks discussed the rise of ... Bernie Sanders on the left in the United States, along with Donald Trump and Ben Carson on the right. He argues that none of these people could conceivably win a national election. He therefore concludes that their support must stem from a psychological problem, [link fixed] which he identifies as 'expressive individualism.'... Brooks' analysis [ignores] ... how people are supposed to respond when the party they have supported consistently pursues policies at odds with fundamental principles of their core constituencies. In the case of ... the administrations of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama..., the wealthy have received the overwhelming majority of the benefits of economic growth.... It is impressive to see Brooks argue that trying to turn the Democratic Party toward an agenda that supports workers rather than the rich is a psychological problem." Thanks to Bonita for the link.
Matt Wilstein of Mediaite: "Donald Trump made his big return to Fox News after a rare two-week absence Tuesday night with an interview at the top of The O'Reilly Factor." CW: The interview, embedded in Wilstein's post, is pretty interesting. If anybody could make Trump seem reasonable (and presidential!), it's Wild Bill.
... You can watch Colbert's full opening show here. Jeb! was a guest. Must-see teevee, for sure. ...
... Jordan Frasier of NBC News: "Jeb Bush said he would be a more fiscally conservative president than his brother as the Republican presidential candidate appeared as a guest on Stephen Colbert's inaugural episode of 'The Late Show' on Tuesday night." Here's a Jeb! bonus clip:
Katie Glueck of Politico: "Donald Trump isn't naïve about what Ted Cruz is up to. Behind the Texas senator's flattery, phone calls and his invitation to share a stage at the Capitol Wednesday, there's a middle-of-the-pack rival with designs on Trump's supporters. And the real estate mogul is well aware of it. 'I'm a very confident person,' Trump told Politico in an interview. 'I'm not worried about giving someone else exposure, especially if that someone else is a person who deserves respect.'"
Jamie Self of the (South Carolina) State: "Most S.C. Republican primary voters want a president with no prior elected political experience, according to a new poll released Tuesday to The State. A Public Policy Polling survey found Donald Trump would win 37 percent of the vote from S.C. Republicans and Ben Carson would pick up 21 percent. The rest of the crowded GOP field of 17 candidates was struggling in the single digits. When asked about the state's own 'favorite son,' U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, nearly four out of five S.C. GOP primary voters said the Seneca Republican should drop out of the presidential race."
Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "During his two-day tour [of New Hampshire] pegged to Labor Day, [Scott] Walker ... spent a good chunk of the weekend addressing his viability as a candidate.... He told a supporter...: 'We just have to stay constant, stay who you are.' Staying constant, however, has been one of his biggest challenges. On key issues of the day ... Walker has struggled more than other candidates to clearly explain where he stands."
David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "In the last election, [Rick] Santorum visited all 99 counties in Iowa and later won the state's Republican caucuses. He was transformed from a long-shot ex-senator into a conservative hero who beat eventual GOP nominee Mitt Romney in 11 states. In this election, he's a long shot again. Santorum has lost his theme song, his campaign guru, his big money and his niche in the GOP field. Even in Iowa, he was hovering around 1 percent in polls."
Carrie Dann of NBC News: "Campaign finance reform advocate Larry Lessig will officially announce a bid for the White House on Wednesday as he pushes for sweeping changes to the way presidential campaigns are funded in America."
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Reader Comments (20)
Here's the video of Cruz getting zoned out of his GOP comeback via Rachel Maddow via RawStory. The Cruz photobomb is also hilarious! He's going to be all blustery and fired up in Washington after this clear fail. Watch out y'all!
http://www.rawstory.com/2015/09/ted-cruz-incredulous-as-mike-huckabee-aide-blocks-him-from-media-at-kim-davis-rally/
I think we knew this season of vying for the big chair in the White House would be full of fun and games, but did we ever think it would be this crazy? And it's only just begun!
THE JAIL HOUSE ROCK:
The display yesterday in Kentucky featuring one god-fearing Christian fanatic, one Republican huckster, and one lawyer named Mat whose other "t" was eaten by wolves, joined hands, raised them high, and to the tune of "I Am the Tiger" (ABBA, I hear is/are not pleased) pledged their allegiance to the God of the righteous and the one who doesn't cotton to the gays. Praise Jesus, if our main man of the Senate didn't try and sneak up and join this threesome, but was curtailed by one of the Huckster's body guards––poor Ted, we see only his head sticking out in some of the pictures. The Christian female fanatic, overcome with emotion, managed to choke out, "Keep on pressing–-because HE is here." The crowd went wild, waving their crosses––and when the Huckster said he would go to jail in the fanatic's place the sky opened up and light pored down on that little pudgy figure of a man who wants to be more than he actually is. Onward Christian soldiers is the tune that should have been playing.
The whole Kim exit scene left me speechless, except: ma gawd, did y'all see the Hee Haw outfit her husband put on for the cameras? I can't wait for the sequel.
In defense of The Donald’s military experience:
First, nothing herein exculpates The Donald from being a blowhard.
But, I can relate to his feeling that military high school taught him more about the military than is learned by many people who see active service. I went to a military high school. It was not a moneyed boarding school, but at the time all male, all in the cadet regiment, with daily inspections, gray wool uniform, etc.
The Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) was created by congress during WWI, and provides high schools with equipment, training materials and trainers (Professors of Military Science) who are at the end of active careers, or retired from the military.
Those profs were responsible for teaching required military science courses. I’ll spare you the details, but in four high school years you learned a good deal of military science, in addition to things like marching and drilling. You also learned military history, customs, traditions, etc.
I learned more about “the military” in high school than I did in three years of active service in the Army. In the Army, they (very wisely) taught me only the stuff I needed to know to do the job I was signed up to do, and did not require me to learn anything about command structures, military traditions, etc.
Last summer I had charge of an intern from West Point, who was a rising senior and a cadet major. I got to know him pretty well, and learned from him a lot about what West Point now teaches cadets. I was surprised that they really no longer teach them all that old military tradition stuff. I had a good time inculcating (there’s a word from military school) a bit of it in him. He seemed to appreciate it. (Example: he knew that when walking side by side, even in civvies, the senior officer walks on the right. He didn’t know why. I advised him that the custom goes back to feudal practice, in which the senior is responsible for protecting the junior person, so the senior’s right arm needs to be free to swing a sword. I suppose there were no senior lefties back then.)
Finally, slight shift of subject – lots of people between 1964 and 1973 took all the deferments they could get, and then some, to avoid the draft. It was a logical thing to do. The unfairness was in the draft itself, particularly before the lottery, and how it targeted the poor and undereducated. The Donald did what many (most?) of his peers did for the same reason a dog licks his privates … “because he could.”
Remember, he’s still a blowhard.
@PD,
The name of the song was "Eye of the Tiger" by a group named Survivor. But, yes, they are not pleased.
It's shocking! Shocking! that some Republican candidates for POTUS
(Huckabee, Cruz) will do anything for the bigot vote. Kiss a
Democrats' ass. No problemo. Kiss a jailbirdess. No problemo.
And that must have been a Cruz stand-in 'cause he's supposed to
be in Washington working on shutting down the government (again).
I agree with previous posts about the Kim and Huckabee show, especially about the great outfit her husband was wearing. These people just reveling in their homophobia with no self-awareness is almost funny, although depriving people of their rights is actually serious.
Thanks to Marie for posting the Colbert clip. It's great to see that Colbert hasn't abandoned his Colbert Report persona, just tweaked it. This helps offset the loss of The Daily Show, at least a bit.
I am also very grateful that the Democrats have finally done the right thing and assured the Iran deal will go through. Let's hope so, anyway.
@Unwashed: Oh, m'gosh, I done got one tiger song mixed up with another––you are so right and thanks so much for catching that. Here is Survivor's response:
http://www.tmz.com/2015/09/08/kim-davis-eye-of-the-tiger-survivor-mike-huckabee-rally/
@Unwashed: Thanks very much for the fact-check re: "Eye of the Tiger." I was getting to that. Really I was.
Abba was pissed at John McCain -- and sent him a cease-&-desist letter -- for using their song "Dancing Queen."
Marie
@Patrick: Thanks for the insights re: military prep school. Still, the difference between playing soldier & putting oneself in harm's way is the difference between life and death. I should know -- I watched "The Hurt Locker"! And I closed my eyes during all the life-and-death scenes, which means I didn't actually see most of the movie.
And you're right, too, about the draft & draft deferments during the Vietnam era. I actually did participate in that. Back when there were still family deferments, I married & man & got pregnant partly to save him from having to go to war. So I'm no different from Trump on that score. But I also don't denigrate a man for enduring years of excruciating confinement as a prisoner-of-war. One can argue -- and many have -- that McCain was a hot-dogger & was shot down because he was careless, but I wasn't there, so I don't know that.
Marie
Some time ago we talked here about Bill O'Reilly's side-kick, a smiley guy named Watters, who goes hither and yon interviewing people about politics and politicians and rarely comes across anyone who knows anything much about both. This operation has been criticized by some who say Watters deliberately picks "dumb people." Now Jimmy Kimmel has taken up this game: In the clip below he finds No One who can name someone in Congress, but they all have an opinion how Congress is operating. Listen and weep.
Steve Allen used to have a bit called "the Man in the Street," but he used his show's actors, not regular citizens if I remember correctly.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jimmy-kimmel-congress_55f02555e4b002d5c0774b53
@CW,
According to the RS article you linked, the cease-and-desist letter from Abba to McCain was for his campaign's use of "Take a Chance on Me." His favorite song was "Dancing Queen", perhaps because it made him think of his best bud Lindsey Graham?
@Unwashed: Yikes! Thanks for the fact-check of my so-called fact-check!
Marie
@CW Well, per the Shirelles, Mama said....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQlImg2bm28
Of course the Dick favors the military option re:Iran. He and his family don't have to do the fighting. After all, he had five deferments when his turn came.
Candidates paying homage to Sheldon Adelson?
Hah! Just learned that in the state between Massachusetts and Maine where dwells a former U.S. Senator by the name of Scott Brown who plans to play host to all the Republican candidates who will drop by his near-the-seaside home. Kasich was there, and Christie the next day.
Is Scottie looking to become the east coast deal maker?
Or perhaps he's only creating a pilot for a Food Network series
called "Political BBQs in My Backyard"
Well I knew there must be some kind of backroom story connected to the release of St. Kim of Redneckia and now, thanks to RC, I have it.
So the nice judge, son of one of the more partisan, incompetent, Confederate dullards ever to disgrace the senate floor (and there are a shitload of them), must have gotten a talking to. Whatever can he be thinking trying to enforce the law when his party needs him?
Another example of the most important underlying principle of Republicanism. These people, Cruz, Huckabee, Bunning, all of them; none of them are concerned about the law, about justice, about the Constitution, the founders, or about the United States of America. Their loyalty is to their party, their religion, and to the Confederacy.
That's it.
Oh, and about that song: "Eye of the Tiger" is a great choice for Bible banging martyrs who see themselves as oppressed and tyrannized victims, as they all do. The lyrics describe an outsider, down on his luck, beaten bloody by the world, who refuses to give up and fights his way back to win. It was the theme song of "Rocky III". The Rocky movies also fit in perfectly with the theme of the true, morally superior underdog who beats the infidels at every turn even though he is harshly tried, oppressed, bloodied and bowed. The storylines are all pretty much the same, they all draw on the Jesus narrative. A true, good man, attacked for his goodness and bloodied by the world which doesn't understand him, but he stands up in the end and overcomes all hardships. Sylvester Stallone, a fan of Reagan and of US exceptionalism, has stated that his Rocky movies all draw off religious themes.
And what could be more appropriate for a poor downtrodden, morally superior Bible beater who has spent five days (not five whole days, exactly, but almost) in a nice comfortable cell with supporters chanting her name all day and night, the world's attention focused on her, someone who was NOT being beaten, NOT being told she can't practice her religion, NOT being hounded for loving Jesus, as Mike Huckabee maintains, and NOT being attacked for being a Christian. In fact, if she were any other religion other than Christian, she may have been undergoing all of the above trials, imposed, more than likely BY Christians. Her religion, rather than being a cross she must bear, along with her very own Simon (Huckabee) to help her carry it, was her get out of jail free card. And free it was. She didn't even have to agree to the judge's conditions.
Rachel Maddow, introducing the clip of Cruz being cockblocked by Huckabee's enforcer, states that this (the St. Kim release from harsh imprisonment) was the biggest story in the country.
Got that? The Biggest Story in the Country.
With all the problems we have in this country, a law breaking, smug, fundamentalist clown is the focus of everyone's attention.
If these people are victims, I'm a slave working in a salt mine for the Ancient Roman Empire. These people call the shots. They are in charge. Break the law? No prob. We'll talk some sense to this judge and you'll be out lickety-split. Not only that, we'll make you a martyr hero. You'll be rich!
Disgusting.
Whoa.
Don't know how I missed this.
Let me see if I've got this right.
Sarah Palin. Sarah--Fucking--Palin (that one)... wants to be Secretary of the Department of Energy if Trumpy the Trumpet can bully his way into the White House?
??????
Well, okay. I suppose I shouldn't be peremptorily mean. Let's see what she has to say about the whole thing. Maybe she has some good ideas:
"I think a lot about the Department of Energy, because energy is my baby: oil and gas and minerals, those things that God has dumped on this part of the Earth for mankind's use instead of us relying on unfriendly foreign nations."
"I think a lot about the Department of Energy..." Sounds promising, no? Reminds me of a guy who answered an ad I once published for a second guitar player for our band. This guy said he was really interested in joining the band. I said, okay, tell me about your background. He wanted to know what I meant. I said, tell me what bands you've played in, what kind of guitars you own, what styles you like to play. He said "Oh. I've never actually been in a band. And I don't actually play the guitar. But I really, really, really love rock and roll. I think about it all the time and I'd love to be in a band."
Ooooh-kaaaay.
Sound like Palin? I really think a lot about energy. Yeah, but it sounds like she's thinking about gas stations and wildcatting, which isn't exactly what the Department of Energy is all about:
"Its responsibilities include the nation's nuclear weapons program, nuclear reactor production for the United States Navy, energy conservation, energy-related research, radioactive waste disposal, and domestic energy production. It also directs research in genomics."
Ahh yes. Because Sarah (Fucking) Palin would be the ideal candidate to oversee radioactive waste disposal (Bristol could be in charge of that), energy conservation (that would be just Todd's meat), and the Nuclear Weapons Program!!!! Not to mention how much her deep and intensive research into the Human Genome Project would benefit humankind. This from someone who can't even tell you what newspaper she reads; someone who jumps out of a limo at a party her family was not invited to and starts swearing at people while her drunken daughter is punching people in the face.
We're already the laughing stock of the civilized world for even ensuring that this harpy still gets to scream at us from the TV machine. But Donald Trump might put her in charge of nuclear weapons? Honestly, kids, you couldn't make this shit up.
But here's the problem, and Marie (merci, cherie) hit it squarely on the noggin the other day with a precise scalpel incision into Politico's rotting innards.
They (Politico--and plenty of other media outlets) treat these people (Confederate savages) as if they're normal.
They're not normal. They're INSANE! Mind numbingly, brain crushingly insane.
I will bet everything I own and all the money I hope to make for the rest of my life that Sarah Palin has no idea what a genome is or even how to spell it. But she is insistently accorded the most cordial respect by the vast majority of the media as if she's a combination of Madame Curie, Molly Brown, and Annie Oakley. She's not. She makes Ma Kettle look like Hannah Arendt.
We really are in some stinking, underground Confederate warren here. Where imbeciles are consulted about topics of great moment. Let's ask Jo-Jo the Dog Face Boy what he thinks about global warming.
"Woof, woof, woof." "And there you have it" says Bill O'Reilly.
But wait... it gets better:
"I'd get rid of it (the Energy Deparment). And I'd let the states start having more control..."
Palin, if she becomes Secretary of Energy, will abolish the whole shebang and throw it all to the states. Because Gov. Brownback will be able to call on some teabagger clown with scads of experience in nuclear waste, and Bobby Jindal must have plenty of KKK Grand Dragons who can oversee the Human Genome Project.
Would you hire the guy who drives the ice cream truck through your neighborhood to head up a Mars mission?
These people would.
Just kill me now.
@Akhilleus: You missed it because I skipped the Palin "news," as I usually do. If Trump actually names Palin to any post, I'll be covering it.
It is probably worth pointing out that Palin -- who doesn't even know what newspapers she reads -- thinks she is qualified to fill a job currently held by a prominent nuclear physicist (Ernest Moniz) & immediately prior to that held by a Nobel Prize-winning atomic physicist (Steven Chu). If you're wondering what the differences between Democrats & Republicans & Democrats are, there's one of them. Democrats try to do government right, & they try to do it smart. Republicans don't even consider intelligence & expertise as qualifiers for high public office. Because that would be elitist. They just might prefer to have a Secretary of Energy who thinks saying "Drill, baby, drill" makes a person an energy policy wonk.
It is, to say the least, a stunning contrast.
Marie
Akhilleus
One of your finer efforts - even if you did forget that fuckin' Palin also too speaks fluent 'American'.