February 2013 – Politics Plus

Republicans on Parade–2/28/2013

Posted by TomCat at 5:17 am Politics

Feb 282013

Here is the third article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. Today’s honoree is Injustice Antonin Scalia, because he prefers his own racist view, in support of the Republican War on Minorities, to the law, as set by the US Constitution.

The 1965 Voting Rights Act, which gave African Americans in the Deep South access to the ballot box, is a “racial entitlement,” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Wednesday as the court hear oral arguments in a legal challenge to the landmark law from the state of Alabama.

The outspoken, ultraconservative Scalia discounted the fact that Congress has repeatedly reenacted the law — most recently by a 99-0 Senate vote in 2006 — and argued that its renewal is “not the kind of question you can leave to Congress.”

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin "Nino" Scalia describes Voting Rights Act as a "racial entitlement"

“I don’t think there is anything to be gained by any senator to vote against continuation of this act,” Scalia said. “They are going to lose votes if they do not reenact the Voting Rights Act. Even the name of it is wonderful — the Voting Rights Act. Who is going to vote against that in the future? I am fairly confident it will be reenacted in perpetuity.

“Whenever a society adopts racial entitlements, it is very difficult to get out of them through normal political processes.”

The case of Shelby County vs. Holder is a challenge to the landmark Section 5 of the act. It requires nine states (eight in the South) as well as local governments in other states to “pre-clear” changes in voting procedures with the U.S. Department of Justice. The act has been invoked as recently as the 2012 election, in which several state legislatures made rules changes designed to impede early voting… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Seattle PI>

Photo credit: Plutocrap

Both Ed Schultz and Rachel Maddow devoted multiple segments to cover this outrage in detail.

Ed 1:

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Ed 2:

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Rachel 1:

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Rachel 2:

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I hove no doubt that Republicans will complain that all the abuses that originally occasioned the Voting Rights Act were perpetrated by Democrats. That is true. The Dixiecrats were indeed Democrats, but when the Democratic Party pushed the Voting Rights Act through Congress, those same Dixiecrats abandoned the Democratic Party and have now become the Republican base.

I agree with the experts that, if Section 5 is overturned, the Voting Rights Act will become altogether reactive, because it is Section 5 that makes it proactive in those places with a history of racial abuse of voting rights. Arizona is not covered by Section 5. The appeals court overturned their anti-Latino plan that created four new white dominated districts, when all the population growth that caused the state to gain those four seats was Latino. The court sent it back to the state with instructions to redo it, but since the election was so close, Arizona was able to hold the 2012 elections using the overturned plan. If anything, Section 5 needs to be expanded to everywhere that Republicans are attacking the right to vote of minorities, students, seniors, and anyone else that is likely to vote for Democrats.

I also agree that Herr Scalia’s view that being allowed to vote is a “racial entitlement” could not be a more racist statement.

I also agree that the Constitution guarantees the right to vote, but there is one point everyone seems to have missed. Herr Scalia said that voting rights is “not the kind of question you can leave to Congress. The experts said that Congress has renewed it several times. What does the Constitution actually have to say about that?

Amendment XV

Section 1.

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Section 2.

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

The Constitution says it’s exactly the kind of question you can leave to Congress. It could not be more clear that Scalia opposes the US Constitution, as he helps the Republican party goose-step back to the 19th century.

The GOP do not Represent Republicans

Posted by TomCat at 5:16 am Politics

Feb 282013

That certainly sounds like an outlandish claim, but without supporting evidence, I would not make it. The GOP won’t get what they want. Convert the defense cuts to cuts in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Keep most of the domestic spending cuts. Make the federal government small enough to drown in a tea pot. Increase welfare for the super rich. Failing that, the GOP plan is to let the sequester happen. However, more Republicans support the sequester plan put forward by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) than those that support the plan by Republican politicians. As many support the CPC plan as those who oppose it.

When the Business Insider polled registered voters and asked for their preferences among three Congressional plans floated to avoid the looming "sequestration" cuts in Washington, they found that when stripped of their partisan labels, the policies most favorable to the majority were those offered by the progressive wing of the Democratic caucus.

The CPC’s ‘Balancing Act’ proposes a one-year tax credit of $800 for low- and middle-income families and says it could prevent up to 280,000 teacher layoffs, modernize 35,000 public schools, and make infrastructure investments that if sustained could protect 3.5 million jobs by 2020. As it turns out, people like these ideas. Strikingly, the plan offered by the Congressional Progressive Caucus, called The Balancing Act and introduced in early February, is the plan that has received the least attention in the corporate media’s coverage of the ongoing and latest "invented" Beltway crisis.

The poll found that in addition to beating the House Republican plan and the Senate Democrat’s plan overall, "more than half of respondents supported [the Balancing Act] compared to sequestration and [only] a fifth of respondents were opposed."

Moreover and "shockingly," a full 47 percent of Republicans preferred the House Progressive plan to the across the board cuts pushed by their party leaders in Washington. According to the Insider, "This means that Republicans supported the House Progressive plan just as much as they supported their own party’s plan."… [emphasis added]

Inserted from <Common Dreams>

The article includes links both the poll and the CPC plan. Check it out. It is clearly the best plan on the table, even though there is no chance for its adoption.

Open Thread–2/28/2013

Posted by TomCat at 5:16 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 282013

I’m making an attempt at a normal day. Wish me luck. I’m current with replies, however briefly. Let’s hope this lasts into tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 3:56 (average 5:02). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: Ever Wonder Where The $50 You Fill Up Your Gas Tank With Goes?

28FillUp

With such huge revenues, not to mention outlandish profits, Big Oil does NOT need subsidies and/or loopholes. Say no to Republican terrorism.

From Public Integrity: During a heated exchange Tuesday night, Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., accused Fox News host Sean Hannity of being "a shill for the Republican Party."

Hannity’s response: denying the charge and betting Ellison $10,000 that he is not a registered Republican.

Incidentally, that’s about the same amount of money that Hannity donated to Republicans in 2010.

If Hannity were not a total liar, he would be working somewhere else.

From my email: In December 2010, a majority of Canada’s MPs voted in favour of a motion to permanently ban bulk crude oil tanker traffic through Canada’s North Pacific coast, including the waters of the Great Bear Rainforest. The motion was symbolic — Prime Minister Harper was under no obligation to act — but it sent a clear signal that Canada’s political parties were willing to co-operate to protect our coast. The NDP, Liberals and the Bloc Québécois all stood up that day to vote for the motion.

Today, we risk losing some of that hard-won ground.

The federal Liberal party is choosing a new leader, and so far only one of the eight candidates is staying true to the party’s historic commitment to protect B.C.’s coast from oil tankers and oil spills. The one candidate standing up so far is B.C. MP Joyce Murray. In fact, Murray is taking an even stronger stand, by clearly opposing Kinder Morgan’s oil tanker plans for our south coast as well.

Would you be willing to sign up to participate in the federal Liberal leadership vote to help hold this ground? It doesn’t cost anything and you can sign up in less than five minutes.

This action alert is for Canadians only. We support their efforts to protect the environment.

Cartoon:

28Cartoon

Christie Is Sooooo Lucky!

Posted by TomCat at 4:32 am Politics

Feb 272013

Governor Chris Christy, with whom I disagree on almost everything, should be counting his lucky stars. From March 14 – 16 there will be a gathering of America’s most insane and hateful political figures, CPAC, more appropriately known as CPUKE. Fortunately for Christie, he isn’t invited.

It’s considered a key speaking engagement for any Republican considering a bid for president, but one potential 2016 candidate didn’t get an invitation to this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference.

Someone close to CPAC said Monday that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t asked to attend by organizers of the event, which will take place in mid-March at a resort outside Washington. Officially, CPAC says they’re finalizing this year’s schedule…

Inserted from <CNN>

The featured speakers include: Jeb “please not another” Bush, Eric “1%” Cantor, Ted “I have a list” Cruz, Ken “Mr. Conspiracy” Cuccinelli, Newt “Newtered at the vet” Gingrich, Bobbi “BP” Jindal, Wayne “guns solve every problem” LaPierre, Mitch “bought bitch” McConnell, Sarah “bloody bullseye Barbie” Palin, Rand “idiot, son of idiot, even named after idiot” Paul, Rick “deport them all” Perry, Mitt “Etch a Sketch” Romney, Marco “fake refugee” Rubio, Paul “lyin’” Ryan, Rick “Google me” Santorum, Allen “the hero the military kicked out” West, and others.

Ed Schultz covers this and other issues with his panel.

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This bad news for Democrats, because we won’t get any insane quotes from Christie for 2016.

The Tears of LaPierre

Posted by TomCat at 4:32 am Politics

Feb 272013

Wayne LaPierre, raving propagandist for the gun industry, must want a little cheese with his whine this morning. For the Record, I am not a fan of New York City Mayor Bloomberg, not do I approve of buying elections. Nevertheless, I would by lying, if I did not admit to enjoying the NRA’s sniveling over being bested at their own game.

Robin Kelly handily won the Illinois 2nd Congressional District’s primary election Tuesday to become the Democratic nominee in the race to replace disgraced Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr., all but confirming she will be heading to Washington.

The former State Representative and Cook County administrator won the special primary with 54 percent of the vote in the crowded race, according to WGN, with 306 of the district’s 545 precincts reporting. The Associated Press has also called the race for Kelly.

Now, Kelly is expected to coast to an easy victory in the April 9 special general election, thanks to the district leaning overwhelmingly Democratic.

Kelly’s victory speech focused on gun control, which emerged as a key issue leading up to the Tuesday primary…

Inserted from <Huffington Post>

Rachel Maddow had coverage.

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With 17 candidates in the race, it’s amazing that anyone got 54%, especially since Bloomberg never even endorsed Kelly. He just opposed Halvorson, the Blue Dog DINO gun-nut. Kudos and congrats to Robyn!

Open Thread–2/27/2013

Posted by TomCat at 4:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 272013

If it isn’t one thing, it’s another. I’m running without enough sleep because of a splitting headache. I almost never get them (1-2/year), but when I do, they are huge. It may be because I feel frustrated that there are security problems at the prison, so they cancelled our volunteer work there tomorrow. So today is a hybrid day. I have a full slate of articles, and even an extra Short Take, but I’m just too pooped to distribute or publicize them, except that I will put them on Care2 without announcement. I’m briefly current with replies. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 5:29 (average 5:50). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: You Will Be Asked To Do Something After You Watch This 30 Second Video

The need is as painfully obvious as Republican misogyny. Do it!

From The New Yorker: Minutes after telling the United States Senate to “get off their ass” to avoid the deep spending cuts that will take effect this Friday, House Speaker John Boehner called an impromptu press conference to announce his intention of remaining on his ass “for the foreseeable future.”

“The United States Senate is showing contempt for the American people by refusing to get off their ass,” a defiant Mr. Boehner told reporters. “And the only fitting way for me to protest their reckless behavior is by remaining on my ass for as long as humanly possible.”

“Take a good look, ladies and gentlemen of the press,” he said, before leaving the lectern in a huff. “This is the last you’ll see of old John Boehner off his ass.”

The irony here is why this satire is so appropriate. The constitution requires that budget related legislation must begin in the House.

From MSNBC: Elvis is dead, but Batshit is back!

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Needless to say, the Republicans have a solution for the return of Batshit B, but keeping her on the House Intelligence Committee is a contradiction in terms.

From Mediaite: Faux Noise Ambushed by Democrat

Keith Ellison could not be more spot on. You have to love watching The Republican Ministry of Propaganda ambushed on their own nickel.

Cartoon:

27Cartoon

Leonard Peltier is still a political prisoner.

Open Thread–2/26/2013

Posted by TomCat at 2:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 262013

I guess I ate too much too soon yesterday, because by noon, I was urping again. I’m current with replies and am shooting for tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 2:47 (average 4:28). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From NY Times: A growing number of shooting enthusiasts are creating legal trusts to acquire machine guns, silencers or other items whose sale is restricted by federal law — a mechanism that bypasses the need to obtain law enforcement approval or even undergo criminal background checks.

The trusts, called gun trusts, are intended to allow the owners of the firearms to share them legally with family members and to pass them down responsibly. They have gained in popularity, gun owners say, in part because they may offer protection from future legislation intended to prohibit the possession or sale of the firearms.

But because of a loophole in federal regulations, buying restricted firearms through a trust also exempts the trust’s members from requirements that apply to individual buyers, including being fingerprinted, obtaining the approval of a chief local law enforcement officer and undergoing a background check.

Unless you realize that a number of these so-called "shooting enthusiasts" are NRA Republicans bent on committing TEAbuggery, see me about the ski resort I have for sale in the Central Kansas Alps.

From Houston Chronicle: Two U.S. Supreme Court justices – Sonia Sotomayor and Stephen Breyer – took the rare step of admonishing a federal prosecutor from Texas on Monday after reading a racially inflammatory statement he made while questioning a defendant in a drug case.

Sam Ponder, an assistant U.S. attorney working in San Antonio office of the Western Texas district court, invoked race and ethnicity at a 2011 trial.

"You’ve got African-Americans, you’ve got Hispanics, you’ve got a bag full of money. Does that tell you – a light bulb doesn’t go off in your head and say, ‘This is a drug deal?’ " Ponder asked during cross-examination.

I’m assuming that the Fascist Five had no problem with this, because only these two signed onto the separate concurring opinion.

From AOL: In theory it should be possible to be both a loyal employee and a responsible person at the same time. So when bartender Twyla DeVito last week noticed one of the regular customers at the American Legion Post in Shelby, Ohio, enter the bar in a heavily intoxicated state, she felt that it was her duty to alert local police when the patron hit the road. Her reward? She got fired, she says.

Is it any surprise that the Legion gives 86% of their political donations to Republicans?

Cartoon: 26Cartoon

Even misogyny is bigger in Texas! 😉

Open Thread–2/25/2013

Posted by TomCat at 2:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 252013

Yesterday evening I was finally able to keep some food down. I’m way behind on sleep, but I am clearly on the mend, so this should be my last one-article day. I’m current with replies. Keep your fingers crossed for tomorrow.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today’s took me 4:42 (average 5:48). To do it, click here. How did you do?

Short Takes:

From MoveOn: A Revealing In-Person Demonstration Of What 32 Shots In 16 Seconds Means

I have nothing to add.

From NY Times: OF the many injustices that permeate America’s byzantine tax code, few are as outrageous as the tax rate on “carried interest” — the profits made by private equity and hedge fund managers, as well as venture capitalists and partners in real estate investment trusts. This huge tax benefit enriches an already privileged sliver of financiers and violates basic standards of fairness and common sense.

President Obama recently suggested that he would ask Congress to close this loophole. Eliminating the carried-interest tax rate should be an easy sell. It should play to Republicans’ supposed hatred of government handouts and to Democrats’ commitment to social justice.

It does play to almost all Democrats, but to almost no Republicans. The reason for that should be obvious.

From CNN: Most of the 10 poorest states in the country are Republican.

Mississippi is the poorest… followed by Arkansas, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Montana, South Carolina, Kentucky, Alabama and North Carolina.

And the list doesn’t even include Texas, where Rick Perry is governor and one in five people lives in poverty.

This proves two things. First, a Republican Regime is the punishment for voting Republican. Second, every Republican in office is one Republican too many!

Cartoon:

25Cartoon

I exercise my 16th Amendment rights too. Sick smile

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