Keith Olbermann and Ezra Klein discuss the issue.
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I don’t care if the Senators get to leave on time for their recess. For Harry Reid and Chris Dodd to try to bring the bill to a vote before progressive amendments get their fair vote is a foul tactic.
Now that Rand ‘son of Tin Foil Hat’ Paul has won the Republican primary in Kentucky, his views and policies are coming under scrutiny.
The day after Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway secured the Democratic Senate nomination he took direct aim at his Republican opponent, Rand Paul, calling the tea party favorite outside the mainstream.
Conway pointed to several positions Paul has publicly taken — including support for repealing the American With Disabilities Act and abolishing the Department of Education — and suggested he’s going to run hard against the way Paul has rallied the tea partiers.
"I understand there’s frustration in the country. I understand there’s frustration in Kentucky," Conway said when I asked him about Paul’s tea party base. "But my question is, how do we use that passion? Metaphorically, do we want to heat the building or do we want to burn it down?"
Conway said Paul’s approach was "destructive rather than constructive" and would hurt him in the end. "These are not the views of mainstream Kentuckians," he said.
As for himself, Conway pushed back on Republican claims that he’s a liberal. Conway was billed as the progressive choice in the primary — earning endorsements from MoveOn and DailyKos — but he told me today he doesn’t apply the label to himself.
"I call myself moderate, always have," Conway said… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <TPM>
I don’t see Conway as an ideal candidate, because he is far more moderate than progressive, but Genghis Khan is more liberal than anything the GOP has in that state.
Son of Tinfoil submitted to an interview by Rachel Maddow.
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Rachel had to ask him the same thing ten times, and he still would not come clean. He vehemently claims that he is not a racist. Assuming that he told the truth, he is so corporatist that his policies are racist whether he is or not. His view that government has no right to tell businesses that individual bigotry may not determine who they hire and who they serve is an open invitation for racists, sexists, theocons, and homophobes to ignore the hard won civil rights of minorities.
I understand he also wants to abolish all corporate taxes.
It seem that too many politicians are scrambling to maintain the status quo.
Senate Democrats are calling for the Obama administration to improve inspections of deepwater oil rigs such as the one that exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico. The lawmakers said oil companies should pay for the emergency inspections, not taxpayers.
The blast killed 11 people and has spilled millions of gallons of oil.
In a letter Wednesday to President Barack Obama, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Democrats urged immediate and enhanced inspections of all offshore drilling rigs and platforms that could pose a significant environmental threat…
…On the payment issue, a spokesman for Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said the federal government should adopt a reimbursement system similar to oil spill cleanup. The Coast Guard and other federal agencies are working to clean up and contain the oil spill, but will be reimbursed by BP PLC, the oil giant that was operating the Deepwater Horizon rig. A similar system could be created for inspections, said Afshin Mohamadi, a spokesman for Menendez… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Bay Ledger>
This should go without saying. Frankly, I feel anger that taxpayers have been footing the bill for the bogus inspections MMS has performed on oil rigs. But how are inspectors going to inspect Deepwater Horizon? They are trying to close the proverbial barn door too late.
And given the name of Mendez’ spokesman, expect the GOP to call this a terrorist conspiracy.
The next idea is better.
The Obama administration moved on Wednesday to abolish the beleaguered agency that oversees offshore drilling and replace it with three separate entities.
The plan by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar would eliminate the Minerals Management Service and replace it with two bureaus and a revenue collection office. The name Minerals Management Service would no longer exist, a spokeswoman said.
Members of Congress and President Barack Obama have criticized what they call the cozy relationship between regulators and oil companies and have vowed to reform MMS, which both regulates the industry and collects billions in royalties from it.
The latest plan is the second proposed restructuring of the drilling agency since the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last month. Salazar last week proposed splitting the agency in two. On Wednesday he said the agency’s three main functions should be split up to avoid what he called "real or perceived" conflicts of interests.
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement would inspect oil rigs and enforce safety regulations. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management would oversee leasing and development of offshore drilling. And the Office of Natural Resources Revenue would collect billions of dollars in royalties for onshore and offshore drilling.
"These three missions — energy development, enforcement and revenue collection — are conflicting missions and must be separated," Salazar said at a news conference.
Employees of the minerals agency "deserve an organizational structure that fits the mission that they are asked to carry out," Salazar said. Under the proposed restructuring, employees would get greater clarity for their roles and responsibilities, strengthening oversight of companies that develop oil, natural gas and other resources, he said.
The enforcement and energy bureaus would report to an assistant Interior secretary for land and minerals management, while the revenue office would report to a policy, management and budget official, Salazar said.
It was not clear how much of the proposed restructuring would need congressional approval. Salazar and other officials said the administration would work with Congress to complete the reforms… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Bay Ledger>
I support this idea in principle, but it does not go far enough. What difference will it make, if the same Bush/GOP moles that undercut MMS just move to a new office. In addition, those employees whose primary qualification for the jobs they hold is passage of a GOP ideology test? Pest control is in order, here.
However, no matter how good a job everyone does, Murphy’s Law will remain in force. Sooner or later, something will go wrong. If there is anything this disaster should have taught us is that, now that something has gone wrong, nobody knows what to do about it. That what these politicians just don’t seem to get.
Until specific and effective plans to prevent accidents and to contain failures of the prevention plans before accidents become catastrophes, offshore drilling must cease. And as always…
Corporations are NOT people! Money is NOT speech!
Yesterday I was so exhausted that I reported sick to my volunteer work for the day, crawled back to bed, and for the most part, stayed there. I will reply to the missed comments and return visits today.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 3:35. To do it, click here. How did you so?
Short Take:
From Newshounds: Holiday Inn is the latest corporation to drop its advertising from Glenn Beck’s show.
I welcome them back to the civilized world.
Cartoon:
What’s happening?
All my predictions, except one, were correct.
Mark Critz (D-PA) appeared to narrowly win a special election today to fill the late Rep. John Murtha’s seat, a victory the Democrats believe means the fall midterm elections might not be so bad after all. He’ll be quickly seated by House leadership once results are finalized.
Critz was leading Republican Tim Burns with 53 percent of the vote to Burns’ 45 percent and 70 percent of precincts reporting, and Burns conceded the race around 10:30 p.m. In an unusual twist, both candidates are aiming to be on the November ballot. Critz was on track to prevail in a party primary to be the nominee in the general election, and if Burns’ lead for his primary holds steady, these two candidates will be matched up again in November.
The Dem turnout was boosted by a competitive Senate primary between Sen. Arlen Specter and Rep. Joe Sestak, one reason the majority party had been sounding quite confident about the race for several days. Critz was fueled as well by labor activists and Democratic volunteers who made calls and knocked on doors for weeks to help keep the seat. Former President Bill Clinton stumped for Critz over the weekend.
Although, RNC Chairman Michael Steele was once talking a pretty big game on the race as well, telling the Washington Post last week "We’re going to win."…
Inserted from <TPM>
Holding onto Murtha’s seat is a big plus for the Democrats. It is also the eighth straight special House election that Democrats have one.
Here’s the one where I was wrong.
Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Sestak defeated Sen. Arlen Specter in the Democratic Senate primary, a large-scale political upset that ends the career of one of the enduring figures in Pennsylvania politics.
"This election is about you," said Sestak in his victory speech. "This is what democracy looks like: a win for the people, over the establishment, over the status quo, even over Washington, D.C."
Specter, who is 80 years old and has served since 1980 in the Senate, called it a "great privilege" to have served in the Senate and added that he would "be working very, very hard for the people of the commonwealth in the coming months."
Specter had built a reputation over his decades in Congress as a quirky but effective legislator. He played a prominent role in a series of Supreme Court confirmation hearings — including those of Robert Bork and Justice Clarence Thomas — from his perch atop the Senate Judiciary Committee…
Inserted from <Washington Post>
I could not be more pleased at being wrong. I thought that the strong party machine in PA would pull it out for Specter, but I wanted Sestak to win. I even sent him a small donation. Obama was wrong to oppose him, but the good thing is that he now has no political favors to repay.
I’m also happy with the results in Arkansas.
Incumbent Arkansas Sen. Blanche Lincoln and Lt. Gov. Bill Halter will face each other again in a June 8 runoff after neither candidate received 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s Democratic primary.
Lincoln, elected to the Senate in 1998, has a powerful position as the chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee. A moderate Democrat, she faced a primary challenge from her left — Halter was backed by several large labor unions and the liberal group MoveOn.org.
With nearly two-thirds of precincts reporting, the two candidates both had around 43 percent of the votes while a third candidate had about 14 percent…
Inserted from <PBS>
As soon as voting was underway Lincoln’s Blue Dog allies started to dismantle her tough anti-derivative amendment. As I have said, the only reason she did that was to gain creds for the primary. If Halter is smart, he’ll use this to defeat her in the runoff.
Here in Oregon, Ron Wyden won with 90% of the votes. That was too boring to make the national news.
On the pig party front, Kentucky was Teabagged.
Republican Rand Paul, a Tea Party-backed political newcomer, defeated the GOP-establishment candidate in Kentucky’s Senate primary Tuesday as Democratic incumbent Sens. Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas fought primary challengers in this year’s first big test of anti-establishment anger among voters.
Paul, the son of Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, beat Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson for the Republican nomination to run in November for the Senate seat open by the retirement of Republican Sen. Jim Bunning. With 43 percent of the precincts reporting, Paul led Grayson by 60 percent to 36 percent.
Paul’s victory represented a defeat for Kentucky’s Republican hierarchy, which solidly backed Grayson. Kentucky’s powerful senior senator, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put his weight behind Grayson, as did former Vice President Dick Cheney, who called Grayson the real conservative in the race.
Paul, however, had tea party support and the backing of former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, a movement favorite, and from Bunning, who has strained relations with McConnell and other state Republicans…
Inserted from <McClatchy DC>
I expected Rand ‘Son of Tinfoil Hat’ Paul to win. There is one good thing about this. Mitch ‘On Bought Bitch’ McConnell, Dick ‘Torture Lover’ Cheney, and Rudy ‘9/11’ Giuliani all endorsed his opponent.
As the November elections approach, remember one thing:
I’m pleased to learn that the rumors that US presence in Iraq might be extended have turned out to be bogus.
Last week, rumors that the U.S. might delay the withdrawal of combat forces from Iraq led to much confusion and concern. These rumors are thankfully not true, and both the U.S. and Iraqi leaderships are going ahead with the agreed upon plan.
There are two approaching deadlines guiding the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. The first is August 31st of this year, which is a self imposed deadline not included in the bilateral security agreement. The August 31st 2010 deadline requires all combat forces to be out of Iraq, bringing down the number of all troops to less than 50K, and the number of contractors to less than 75K. In addition, all combat operations must end and that will be officially the last day of ‘Operation Iraqi Freedom.’ The second deadline is December 31 2011, which is the end game of the binding bilateral Security Agreement that was signed between the two countries in late 2008. According to this deadline, all remaining troops and contractors must leave the country bringing their number down to ZERO, and all bases and military installations must be shut down and/or handed over to the Iraqi government.
These two deadlines did not appear out of the blue; it took millions of Iraqis and Americans years of hard work to push for this plan. On the Iraqi side, the parliament — the only elected entity in the Iraqi government — managed to take out provisions about permanent military bases from the Bush agreement. Iraqis demonstrated in the streets for months and demanded that their parliament stand up to the Iraqi government and Bush Administration, and they ended up succeeding in changing these provisions. The new agreement that was ratified by the Iraqi parliament prohibits any U.S. military bases or installations beyond 2011. On the American side, millions of Americans demonstrated against the war and occupation, and voted for Obama after he adopted a plan to withdraw all combat forces in 18 months and to withdraw all other forces in accordance to the bilateral Security Agreement.
Within the U.S. peace movement, two equally damaging attitudes dominate: on the one hand, there are those who think Obama will end the war, and therefore they don’t need to do anything about it. And on the other hand, there are those who think the occupation will never end, and therefore it is a lost cause.
I personally stand in the middle. I think the withdrawal plan is good enough because it requires all U.S. armed forces and contractors to leave by the end of next year, but at the same time I don’t think we have enough guarantees that it will become reality. Therefore, I believe we need to do a lot of work to make sure Obama implements the plan as promised… [emphasis added]
Inserted from <Alternet>
GW ChickenHawk had big plans. Conquering Iraq was to put the US in charge of the world’s fourth largest known oil fields and establish permanent military basis to use as a springboard for the conquest of six more nations. The cost to this nation in killed and maimed troops and in treasure has been horrific. Yet it pales in comparison to the suffering inflicted on the Iraqi people.
As one who opposed this war from well before the first bomb was dropped, I’m willing to wait for the planned withdrawal to take place, but no longer.
Next, we need to get a set timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan.
This guy may have thought he was just being cute, but this goes to far for just showing off.
The Secret Service investigated a teacher in Jefferson County, Alabama after “he picked the wrong example” and used a hypothetical assassination of President Obama to teach angles to his geometry students, the Birmingham News reports:
The teacher was apparently teaching his geometry students about parallel lines and angles, officials said. He used the example of where to stand and aim if shooting Obama.
“He was talking about angles and said, ‘If you’re in this building, you would need to take this angle to shoot the president,’ ” said Joseph Brown, a senior in the geometry class.
The Secret Service questioned the math teacher, but decided not to arrest him or charge him with a crime after they determined he was not “a credible threat,” an agency spokesperson said. Superintendent Phil Hammonds called the incident “extremely poor judgment” and “a poor choice of words,” but said he has no plans to fire the teacher… [emphasis original]
Inserted from <Think Progress>
I can understand not arresting the guy, because what he says falls short of being a criminal act. However, was the next Eric Harris or Dylan Klebold in the classroom? We cannot know, but given the nature of GOP hate in that state, it’s a distinct possibility that he may have planted the seed for an assassination attempt. The teacher should be fired.
I’m particularly disgusted that all concerned are letting him hide behind a cloak of anonymity. We may not know his name, but we know his party affiliation.
Yesterday my COPD acted up so severely that it knocked me out four times. Nevertheless, I caught up on comments and returning visits. Today is touch and go.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today it took me 4:08. To do it, click here. How did you do?
Short Takes:
From Crooks and Liars: Indiana Republican Rep. Mark Souder announced Tuesday he would resign from Congress, effective Friday, because he had an affair with a staffer.
This violated the norm in GOP family values, because the staffer is female.
From Common Dreams: Shell yesterday pushed ahead with plans to drill in the Arctic Sea this summer, defying calls for a moratorium on offshore exploration in the pristine wilderness following the Gulf of Mexico disaster.
In one word, NO!
From me: Oil is washing up in the Florida Keys. I fear that we can kiss one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems goodbye.
Cartoon:
Happy Hump Day!
