Buck Naked Politics

Krugman on Blue Dogs: Why Obama Can't Throw Them a Bone

by Bartleby the Scrivener | Deb's taken a couple of runs at the specious arguments of the "Blue Dog Democrats" in whose money-greased palms the fate of health care reform (and maybe of the Obama administration) currently rests.  Can Obama appease their concerns?  Paul Krugman thinks not.

[H]e can’t — because the Blue Dogs aren’t making sense....

So what are the objections of the Blue Dogs?

Well, they talk a lot about fiscal responsibility, which basically boils down to worrying about the cost of those subsidies. And it’s tempting to stop right there, and cry foul. After all, where were those concerns about fiscal responsibility back in 2001, when most conservative Democrats voted enthusiastically for that year’s big Bush tax cut — a tax cut that added $1.35 trillion to the deficit?

But it’s actually much worse than that — because even as they complain about the plan’s cost, the Blue Dogs are making demands that would greatly increase that cost.

Sen. Ensign's Family So Very Generously Paid $96,000 to Senator's Mistress

by bartleby the scrivener | ...and it was strictly out of concern for her and her family's welfare, it seems. (The New York Times)  Sadly -- as David Stout writes at The New York Times -- this generous gift is "sure to provide grist for political detractors," of whom I am one.

A statement by [Ensign's] lawyer, Paul Coggins, on behalf of the Mr. Ensign, a Republican from Nevada, said that in April 2008 the senator’s parents each gave $12,000 apiece to Cindy Hampton, her husband, Doug, and two of their children in the form of a single check for $96,000.

“The payments were made as gifts, accepted as gifts and complied with tax rules governing gifts,” the statement read. Under federal tax regulations, $12,000 is the most that a person can receive as a gift from any one person without having to declare or pay taxes on it.  (NYT)

Politico speculates that this revelation "seemed intended to head off growing questions about whether Ensign violated federal law by failing to report what Doug Hampton called a severance package worth more than $25,000 to his wife Cynthia, who left Ensign's campaign staff on April 30, 2008." (Politico) 

Minnesota Supreme Court Says in 5-0 Decision: FRANKEN WON

by Teh Nutroots | The Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered that Franken be certified as having won the seemingly endless election dispute with Norm Coleman.  (WaPo)

"We affirm the decision of the trial court that Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under (Minnesota law) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota," the court wrote in its 5-0 ruling.

With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.(WaPo)

The ruling was unanimous.(Minn. Star Tribune) So it's over, right, and the baddies have to accept that they lost?  Right?  Not necessarily:

TPMtv "The Day in 100 Seconds" for June 25, 2009: The Personal Tragedy of Mark Sanford

The emails...the sanctimony of the talking heads....not to mention the prurient glee....There are no words.  At least any I can think of.  As always, our useless media isn't short of things to say.  After the jump! 

It's the Hypocrisy, Stupid Part ######: The Downfall of Mark Sanford

 by Damozel | The State paper has the emails exchanged between Mark Sanford and his love connection.  They are rather touching, actually.  Or would be if Mark Sanford weren't yet another GOP member who made a career out of being what Christ -- who hated hypocrisy almost more than anything -- called a whitened sepulchre, pretty outside, but full of rotting bones.  Sanford himself was all about the marital fidelity back during the Lewinsky mess, calling Bill Clinton -- this is so South Carolina -- a "rascal." (HuffPost) NYT:  "“He lied under a different oath, and that’s the oath to his wife,” Mr. Sanford said at the time on CNN. “So it’s got to be taken very, very seriously.”"

Speaking of which -- this is according to WSJ --- Representative Bob Inglis (SC-R), "zealous" pursuer of Bill Clinton, seems to have been having a serious think about the duties of a Christian, including Mark Sanford.  I imagine he was thinking of the same Gospel references I was when he said that perhaps the GOP should lose the "stinking rot of self-righteousness," as Inglis --having reinvented himself -- has apparently decided to do. (WSJ)

Joe Klein Scores Off McCain, Gets Praise from Progressive Bloggers

by Damozel | And he deserves it.  At Swampland, he elaborates at further length on his remarks last night on Larry King Live.

[W]hen King asked me what John McCain should do right now, I said, "Be quiet."...McCain, who spent the entire 2008 election making misleading statements about the nature of the Iranian government (I wonder if he still thinks Ahmadinejad is more powerful than the Supreme Leader), has been at the forefront of this. It is very unseemly. I have yet to hear what possible good it would do for the President of the United States to encourage the protesters, except to give the Iranian regime a better excuse for killing more of them.

Bush Emerges from His Lair to Criticize Obama's Policies to "Local Business Group" (with Illustrative Video on W's Deep Thoughts)

by Teh Nutroots | Give the man this:  he kept his mouth shut for five whole months.  Between them, Bush and Cheney are setting a whole new precedent for past administrations to abuse new ones -- just as they set new precedents for current administrations to abuse their power and to create an atmosphere of fear and represession.  

But give Bush this as well....he didn't go on national TV to do his blathering.  Yet. 

"I know it's going to be the private sector that leads this country out of the current economic times we're in," the former president said to applause from members of a local business group. "You can spend your money better than the government can spend your money."

Mike Madden: The Same GOPpers Who Wanted to Bomb Iran Now Want to Love Bomb It

by Damozel | Funnily enough, the GOP are now concerned that Obama isn't giving enough love to Iran.   

"We lead," McCain told NBC's David Gregory on the "Today" show when asked about a different vote altogether -- the one in Iran on Friday. "We condemn the sham, corrupt election. We do what we have done throughout the Cold War and afterwards ... We speak out forcefully, and we make sure that the world knows that America leads."...While President Obama and his advisors try to navigate the American response to a situation that's changing faster than anyone can Twitter about it, Republicans have decided the time is right for blunter rhetoric than anything coming out of the White House. And they're not shy about saying so....

[T]he notion that Republicans are suddenly the defenders of progressive Persia is a little hard to swallow. Just two years ago, McCain was joking -- and singing -- about bombing the very cities where the protests are now erupting. The neoconservative foreign policy establishment -- the folks who brought you such successful hits as the war in Iraq -- have been urging aggressive military action against Iran for years.  (Salon; more)

It's the Hypocrisy, Stupid Part ####: Clinton Critic Ensign (R-NV) Admits to Extramarital Affair with Married Staffer

by Damozel | Let it be said at the outset that Ensign was one of those baying for Clinton's resignation over Lewinsky because, said Ensign, Clinton "had no credibility left."(Think Progress)  He also called for Larry Craig to resign.  (Think Progress).  He also is among those who would protect the sanctity of marriage from the depredations of Teh Gays. (Think Progress).  In other words, he's another right-wing hypocrite.

Consider the following:

Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) has acknowledged an extramarital affair with a campaign staffer in a statement released by his office. "I deeply regret and am very sorry for my actions," said Ensign. He is expected to announce the affair at a press conference at 6:30 pm tonight. The affair, which was with a woman who worked for both Ensign's re-election campaign and his Battle Born leadership political action committee, began in December 2007 and ended in August 2008. Ensign's wife, Darlene, said that the couple's "marriage has become stronger" and added: "I love my husband."  (Chris Cillizza & Paul Kane)

The O'Reilly Jihad Against Dr. George Tiller (KosTV)

We commented on Tiller's murder here and on the Salon article regarding O'Reilly's campaign against "Tiller the Baby Killer" here.  FYI, here's a compilation of O'Reilly's rhetoric, compiled by his friends at KosTV.  Jed Lewison writes:

Since 2005, Bill O’Reilly has waged jihad against Dr. George Tiller, dedicating 29 segments of his show to demonizing and dehumanizing Tiller, who he invariably called "Tiller the baby killer."...

See selected portions after the jump:

Murdered Doctor Target of Campaign by Bill O'Reilly; Meanwhile, Wingnuts Celebrate Success of Domestic Terrorism, While Right-Wing Hypocrites Speedily Try to Distance Themselves

by Damozel | While the trigger of the gun that murdered George Tiller in his church was pulled by one Scott Roeder, but it also seems that the so-called "abortion doctor" was the target of an ongoing campaign by Bill O'Reilly. At Salon, Gabriel Winant writes:

When his show airs tomorrow, Bill O'Reilly will most certainly decry the death of Kansas doctor George Tiller, who was killed Sunday while attending church services with his wife. Tiller, O'Reilly will say, was a man who was guilty of barbaric acts, but a civilized society does not resort to lawless murder, even against its worst members. And O'Reilly, we can assume, will genuinely mean this.  (emphasis added)

Can we assume it?  All righty then. 

GOP Strategists Who Specialize in "Latino Outreach" Upset by Sotomayor Attacks

by Damozel | At HuffPost, Sam Stein writes:

Top-ranking Republican strategists who specialize in Hispanic outreach say they are outraged, disturbed and concerned by the type of reception Barack Obama's pick for the Supreme Court has received from conservative activists.

In the days since the nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, several prominent conservative voices have leveled unusually blunt attacks at her resume. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and radio host Rush Limbaugh both insisted that the court of appeals judge was a racist for saying that her Hispanic background allowed her to come to better judicial decisions. Former Congressman Tom Tancredo, on Friday, called Sotomayor a member of the "Latino KKK."

Newt Gingrich Calls Sotomayor a Racist and other Nonsense

by Damozel | Way back in 2001, before she knew she might be nominated to the Supremes, Sonia Sotomayor gave wingnuts all the reason they needed for clutching their pearls, fainting, and screeching for their smelling salts by saying without regard for whether it could someday be taken out of context:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life," Sotomayor said in that speech, describing how life experience can inform judicial opinions.  (CNN)

Anxious for any excuse to oppose Obama's nominee, conservatives have seized on this comment.  Newt, being a twit, tweeted:

The Thickening Plot: Sen. Bob Graham Says the CIA Gave Him False Information

by Damozel | Amidst all the excitement over Pelosi's "extraordinary accusation that the Bush administration lied to Congress about the use of harsh interrogation techniques" that the CIA is misleading Congress about her knowledge of the Bush administration's interrogation procedures,  Sen. Bob Graham has given HuffPost an interview that seems to support Pelosi's argument.

In testimony that could bolster Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claim that the CIA misled her during briefings on detainee interrogations, former Senator Bob Graham insisted on Thursday that he too was kept in the dark about the use of waterboarding, and called the agency's records on these briefings "suspect."

In an interview with the Huffington Post, the former Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman said that approximately a month ago, the CIA provided him with false information about how many times and when he was briefed on enhanced interrogations.

The Daily Show on Waterboarding, USA: The Parsing of Nancy Pelosi

"Nancy Pelosi denies knowledge of harsh interrogation techniques before slowly parsing her unequivocal denial of never being told."

After the jump!

What did Pelosi Know about Torture and When Did She etc.? & Other Questions I'm Waiting to Hear Answered

by Damozel | That Pelosi had some knowledge of the interrogation techniques from the get-go isn't exactly news.  Back in 2007, WaPo published an article indicating that several top Dems were given this information at the outset and that only Jane Harman -- yes, Jane Harman -- protested.  Most progressives I follow were outraged then and are prepared to be equally outraged now once we've got the facts. [See Did Congressional Democrats Condone the CIA's Secret Interrogation Program? (12-9-2007)].

Unlike certain members of the GOP, we don't have any desire to cover up or excuse the failings of erring Dems.  We want to throw the rascals out and get better ones.  And now WaPo asserts the following:

Joe the Plumber: Gay People Totally Are Queer, Meaning "Strange & Unusual & Possibly Harmful to Kids"

photo, scary clown garbage can, by Mack Male/mastermaq, used pursuant to CC license]

Self-appointed mouthpiece of white working men Joe the Plumber (Samuel Wurzelbacher) thinks "queer" is a fact, not an insult. (Think Progress)  Gay people, he opines, are "strange and unusual," which he thinks you'll find is what "queer" means.  And he sure wouldn't let one near his children! (Think Progress)   I feel pretty sure the gay friends would feel exactly the same way about Joe the Plumber's children.  I can't wait till some reporter tracks one of them down to ask! 

Charles Lemos at My DD:  "Joe look up the word moron in that dictionary. Your picture should be right there."

New York Times: The Story Behind the Torture Administration's Use of "Harsh Interrogation" Methods

 image adapted from photo by Sasha Aikin (xander76), pursuant to CC license

by Damozel | Back in 2003, it seems, Bush made a seemingly benevolent and quite correct statement concerning the US attitude toward torture, which sent alarm bells ringing up and down the line in the CIA.  (New York Times)  ""The United States is “committed to the worldwide elimination of torture and we are leading this fight by example,” Mr. Bush proclaimed, vowing to prosecute torture and to prevent “other cruel and unusual punishment.”" 

Naturally, he didn't mention that he'd authorized CIA interrogators to use "brutal tactics" on Al Qaeda detainees.  (NYT)  The proclamation was issued in support of the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.  And, the rest, as they say, is history:

Banking Lobby Defeats Plan Intended to Help Homeowners

by Damozel | Despite the support of Obama and one bank (Citigroup), the Senate voted 45-51 against the bill that would have let bankruptcy judges rewrite -- "cram down" in the vernacular -- mortgage payments for homeowners.  (abc news; think progress) 

This bill was part and parcel of "a central element" in the Dems' plan to stabilize the economy. (Wash. Independent) Tragically, "[s]everal Democrats, including the newest Democrat, Sen. Arlen Specter of PA, opposed [the bill]."(abc news)  "Nays included all Republicans and Baucus, Bennet, Byrd, Carper, Dorgan (?), Johnson, Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson (NE), Pryor, Specter (awesome!), Tester," dday says. Ryan Grimm at HuffPost discusses the millions in contributions raked in to their campaign coffers by some of those Dems. 

And -- wow -- Sen. Dick Durbin is seriously annoyed.  Siding with those who don't have "paid lobbyists" and against bankers who "own the place," he slammed the argument being mounted by the banks:

Jon Stewart on the Jane Harman Scandal ("This Conversation Does Not Exist")

by Damozel | "The FBI investigates a possible corruption case involving two congresswomen, an Israeli lobby, and a popular kids' program."  All she had to do to become head of the committee dealing with espionage was to help out a couple of people accused of espionage...."It's like strangling a manatee to become head of the EPA."

After the jump....