50 posts tagged “republicans”
So, MN Governor Pawlenty finally signed off on the 2008 election result and Al Franken will be seated in the US Senate. It’s about time! Not only was this the longest Senate battle in our history but the most annoying. The late Paul Wellstone was a hero to most of my family and it was a supreme insult to him to have his seat filled by Norm Coleman. But Coleman was more than a conservative, he was really annoying. First he said if he trailed he would drop out but he fought on. In April he said that ‘whoever wins will have a cloud over them.’ Yeah, then why did you keep fighting? Why did it take until almost July to concede? I guess he thinks that the people in Minnesota will have forgotten this just in time for you to run for governor in 2010. Good luck with that.
It is worth noting that now that Democrats have 60 votes in their caucus that puts more pressure on them to get something done. This 60 is both theoretical and soft – there are at least a few Dems from traditionally red states who are going to feel a lot of pressure to vote against their party. Byron Dorgan I am looking at you. Then again, there are some moderate Republicans who may vote with the Democrats on some key issues.
Only time will tell how this affects the Senate and what it does but having 100 senators is a good thing. Having 60 caucus with the Democrats is even better.
Well, if this week has shown us anything it is that we live on a very dangerous planet.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, announced that not only was the election totally legitimate but that the protesters are responsible for any unrest or violence. He also vowed to prosecute them. The idea that Iran is a democracy ended the minute they stopped letting the situation be covered by the press. It comes as no surprise that the pro-Mahmoud Ahmadinejad rally crowd changed “Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to Britain!” Ahmadinejad has said these things before and Khamenei already blamed the west for stirring up trouble there. So while protests will continue and the Guardian Council will still look into the more than 600 complaints about the election, it looks like Ahmadinejad will keep the presidency and given how much he wants to get nuclear weapons, that’s a bad thing for everyone. I know, his rival, Mir Hossein Mousavi , also favors continuing their nuclear program but he is not bat shit crazy. He’s not perfect but he would be a step in the right direction. This situation remains dicey for the US, given our past with Iran but I applaud Congress for voting on a resolution supporting free elections there. The White House needs to be more careful. I suspect some people here will hammer me for this but it is in times like this that I am glad Barack Obama won the White House and even more that George W. Bush is gone. That’s not a partisan thing, if George H.W. Bush was there I would feel the same way. He knew his way around the Middle East.
As all of our attention has been on Iran, another crazy dictator has been feeling a little ignored. Kim Jung Il behaves
like a spoiled child. When another country’s bad deeds capture the world, he has a temper tantrum. Unfortunately for his neighbors and us, his version of a hissy fit is a threat to nuke somebody. This week he announced his plan to shoot a missile at Hawaii. If you missed it, South Korean president, Lee Myung-bak , met with President Obama this week. He said that South Korea would ‘not tolerate nuclear weapons in North Korea’ but I think the genie has left that bottle, too.
The rationale these countries use for obtaining nuclear weapons is simple: Other countries have them so they should, too. It’s a matter of ‘national pride’ they say. I have an idea for both countries – and this could go for any nation – how about you work on feeding, clothing and housing your people? Take that money you want to use on missiles and buy some food. The national disgrace for you is not your weak militaries, it’s your piss poor records on human rights and horrible economies.
Sarah Palin readies herself for prime time.
Anyone else think David Letterman did Governor Palin a huge favor this week? Ever since he made jokes about her daughter, Palin has been relentless in responding. If you have been on another planet, Letterman’s joke was directed at Bristol Palin and more Alex Rodriguez not Willow Palin but the governor seems intent on making this about statutory rape. It wasn’t but that’s really not the point.
I think the reason she is doing this is that she knows she needs to work on her interview skills and practice does make perfect. She has been on a rampage, talking to any press who would listen and refining her message. Truth be told, I think it is serving her well. Barack Obama once talked about how hard it is to speak to the media (it’s hard to talk in sound bites) and large crowds. As the VP candidate, Palin floundered in interviews. People loved her at rallies – that folksy way she speaks, donchaknow, can be very endearing for a lot of people – but the general public, who may not have attended any campaign events, were not impressed by her TV appearances. I think Obama’s quote was that even he wasn’t always the Obama we know now.
And if it is not clear, Sarah Palin is running for president. The 2012 campaign has not officially begun but in a lot of ways, it’s on. Palin has not only been going after Letterman, she has used this ‘feud’ to attack President Obama’s policies, saying that “he is growing the government too fast.” She also lamented the deficit. As a side note, it’s kind of ironic that Republicans are upset about Obama’s spending. I keep saying this and will continue to this out, where were these people during Dubya’s administration? And no, contrary to what she says, Mrs. Palin was all too happy to accept and cash the check for that ‘bridge to nowhere.’ Earmarks and government spending are terrible, totally against everything America stands for, that is unless they help my community.
Palin is not the only GOP candidate hitting the trail; Mike Huckabee has spent a lot of time lately in Iowa. As nice as the people are there, he’s not there for vacation.
What do you think, are you ready for another presidential campaign?
Really? Yes, really.
This has become my favorite word. I think I must say ‘Really???’ about a hundred times a day.
· Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his opponents use ‘Hitler tactics.’ Really? Mr. Abmadinejad, one of the world’s most famous and infamous Holocaust deniers, has accused his political rivals of behaving like Adolph Hitler when they insulted him: It is illegal to insult the president in Iran. He furthermore threatened to put them in jail for saying that he had lied about the economy. And they’re acting like Hitler? So the man who thinks Hitler really didn’t do anything all that bad is threatening to throw people who disagree with him in jail. Really? Yes, really. http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5592OM20090610
· The GOP ‘disses’ Sarah Palin. Palin disses David Letterman. The press wonders what this means for the Party. Really? Sarah Palin was invited to speak a fundraiser in DC but the offer was rescinded when she didn’t give a firm answer and Newt Gingrich stepped in. Her response seems to have been to call David Letterman ‘pathetic’ and the media ‘buffoons.’ Before jumping on Palin, it should be noted that the press really hyped the infighting and given the current position of the GOP in America, this is what makes them think it is in disarray? And Mrs. Palin, this is the battle you want to have? With Letterman? Really? Yes, really.
· Congressman Eric Cantor (R-VA) thinks President Obama’s ‘paygo’ idea is hypocritical. Really? Eric Cantor sure is living up to his new nickname, ‘Dr. No.’ He has opposed pretty much everything President Obama does or says. First he accused the president of being a hypocrite when he asked Congress to make the ‘PayGo” (any spending needs to be paid for) rule law – mostly because of the new spending. Apparently, he was absent during his first eight years in office when the Dubya admin spent like drunken sailors and ran up our deficit and debt. Of course, it didn’t look as bad then because the costs for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars were included in the budget (nice accounting trick there). Then he said “the stimulus package is not a success story, people are still suffering.” Note to Rep. Cantor – the bill passed about six months ago, it took us longer than that to get into this mess, it will take longer to get out. So, the Minority Whip both thinks it is ok when his party spends money on unnecessary wars (Iraq) and tax breaks for the uber-wealthy but cannot stand to see it spent on Americans and wants policy changes he doesn’t like to work immediately. Really? Yes, really.
· When all else fails, we know Joe will find a way to remind us all what a (insert your favorite expletive that means jerk here) he is. Really? Senators Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and Joe Lieberman (I-CT) have said they plan to do everything in their power to block CIA photos of ‘enhanced interrogation’ from being released. By anything, they mean stop the Senate from getting any work done until their amendment is added to a bill that would fund our troops. Hey, it’s not like the Senate has work to do, right? They only have to hold hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, work on overhauling health care, fix the economy, deal with escalating violence in Pakistan/Afghanistan/Iraq, prevent a pandemic, keep an eye on North Korea…. And did I mention the first bill they want to filibuster is for funds for our troops? Really? Yes, really.
As a final note on torture, mom you might not want to read this, this quote seemed really appropriate for the torture debate: “If you beat this motherfucker long enough, he will tell you he started the fuckin’ Chicago fire but that won’t make it true.” ‘Nice’ Eddie – Reservoir Dogs. Exactly, thanks Eddie for making my point so eloquently.
More thoughts on abortion…
FYI: Whenever I write about, or mention, abortion I get emails asking why I enjoy killing babies so much. No one enjoys killing babies. My sarcastic side, commonly referred to as ‘me,’ wants desperately to add the words more than me but there are a lot of people who cannot understand sarcasm and would probably think I was serious. Actually, there are probably people out there who a, really like abortion and b, really like killing babies but I would argue they are probably insane and hopefully there aren’t many of them.
My view is the same as the Clintons' view. Abortion should be safe, legal (available) and rare. The recent killing of Dr. George Tiller (http://remembertiller.com/) has brought the issue back front and center, though next month’s Senate confirmation hearings for Judge Sonia Sotamoyor would have done the same thing, only with less violence. What troubles me, other than the obvious pang one has when one reads about senseless violence, is that this tactic worked. Dr. Tiller’s family will not reopen their clinic.
While this may seem like a hollow victory for anti-abortion groups, they have said they are glad the clinic will close but worried about the legal ramifications this will have, really the end result may be more chilling. Abortion may be legal in the United States but legal does not equal available. As we debate Roe v. Wade, I have to wonder about its relevance today. I do not want to see it overturned but would like to see access expanded, funding restored and better sex education promoted.
Dr. Tiller’s clinic was one of three in the country that performed late term abortions on fetuses with horrific abnormalities. (http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-tiller10-2009jun10,0,6032915.story) Clinics that provide reproductive services all over the country are beefing up their security in the wake of this tragedy. This can only limit people’s access to care, not just abortions but health care. (http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j0m25jqgrTdVNnZHlJuXK3DbHG1AD98JE1A80)
It is already more difficult than most people realize for women to get abortions. For low income women it can be almost impossible. This map shows states that restrict access for poor women to abortion. There are 33 states plus the District of Columbia – seen here in red. The blue states (no, the political parallel is incidental) provide them with access, there are 17 of them.
Currently, 23 states have laws banning abortion at 12 weeks or after (red) but these laws are considered to be unconstitutional and unenforceable. Five states (blue) have enforceable laws against abortions at 12 weeks and after.
Five states require women to get written permission from their spouse before getting an abortion. (last map)
This study has data for both side; http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/4000608.pdf. One alarming number from it is that 86 percent of US counties do not have any abortion providers at all. One could argue that the decline in abortions, which began in 1991 following an all time high in 1990, accelerated under President George W. Bush. But I would point to the fact that the high point was under the first President Bush and that 2000 saw the introduction of mifeprisone (RU-486) and cases in which this was used may not be counted in the full abortion count.
All this just makes me more grateful that Barack Obama was elected president. Not only because he will pick judges who are less inclined, or not inclined, to overturn Roe but his Justice Department will take seriously the threats clinics face. That’s good for women and medical professionals in every state.
In the 1980s people talked about 'Reagan Democrats.' I think we can now talk about 'Obama Republicans.'
Saying, "I didn't leave the party, it left me," Senator Arlen Spector is switching parties today.
Wow.
The problem with torture
It feels strange to have to say this because it seems so obvious but torture is bad. Call it whatever you want – say ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ or whatever – it is still bad. Very, very, very bad. Saying this reminds me of an organization I heard about today (no joke, on NPR) called “People Opposed to Homicide.” Being in DC I have heard of all sorts of associations and whatnot, there is a “Pet Owner Association,” for example, but is there a “People Who Love Murder” group out there? I doubt it.
The idea of moral absolutes can be very tempting. With them you have lots of areas that are black and white rather than grey. My world has only a few of these. I oppose the death penalty. I won’t go into the thousand or so reasons but while making my life easier is NOT one of them (I mean intellectually, it does. Should person X get the death penalty? I don’t care if they are the Green River Killer, Pol Pot, anyone who organized the Rwandan genocide or whoever, the answer is no. I don’t have to think about it anymore.
On face value, the issue of torture is another moral absolute for me. The United States of America should not torture people. Never. Never times ten to the millionth power. We are not the United States of Jack Bauer.
Why?
1. We undermine all the good we do and represent and create nasty precedent at the same time. We are the ‘good guys’ remember? We trot ourselves out as the beacon of freedom and justice and democracy. We are a force of good and light in the world. A force like this does not torture people. We set an example for everyone else. If we can torture people when we like, so can anyone else. Robert Mugabe is doing bad things to his people? If we let this go he can hold his head up high and say “You know, I was worried about our national security and didn’t know what to do and then I heard about what President George W. Bush did to people he thought we threats and said to myself, now there’s an idea.” And, yes I think that is possible.
2. It doesn’t work. VP Cheney, who spent most his time in office in I think a cave or some other place has said that the methods they used provided useful information that protected us from more terrorist attacks like 9/11. Now I cannot prove this is not true but what he didn’t say was that this was the only way to get that same – or maybe better – information. Many, many experts in this have said that torture is not a good way to elicit information because a, some people will admit to anything they think their interrogators want to hear to make it stop (count me in that category) or b, the terrorist groups who would have this vital information prepare to be tortured. Al Qaeda tells its members to expect it if captured. PS to all the “24” fans out there, the military actually sent people to LA to ask its producers to stop showing Jack Bauer torture people to save the say. They said it was hurting morale because soldiers were asking “why can’t we do the things they do on TV?” No, I am not kidding.
3. We don’t torture others to protect ourselves. Let’s not kid ourselves here. We didn’t sign the Geneva Convention because of altruism; we did it because, as Joe Biden put in a Senate Foreign Relations hearing, we don’t want our captured soldiers to be tortured. (ok, I paraphrased)
4. If we can do it to others, we can do it to ourselves. This is not a thought I came up with, it was what Phillip Zelikow wrote in a memo to Condi Rice when he was one of her advisors. He reiterated the point this week and said that once we use national security as a reason to do this against enemy combatants we risk giving our government the right to do it to citizens. Given that the Obama administration may try to reverse a Supreme Court decision that requires police to stop questioning a suspect when they ask for or have a lawyer until that person is present, I am not sure Mr. Zelikow wasn’t on to something.
The more complicated question is what do we do now? Here is where my moral absolute fails me and my world becomes grey again. This question needs more thought but I have time.
President Obama cannot initiate any actions against the people who made this policy. Neither can Congress. To do so would just add partisan crap to an already sensitive subject. Any attempts by the Democrats to do this would just feed the never ending cycle of political retribution that began with Watergate (and if you think I am the only one that thinks this, ask around). This cannot be about political payback.
We need a truth commission modeled after the 9/11 Commission and similar to those held in Rwanda and South Africa. We need to take the politics out of it and put the justice back in. Seriously, it’s the best thing for everyone.
Democrats are considering using expedited measures in the Senate to pass health care reform. I am all for that. (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/23/us/politics/23health.html?hp) I like the idea so much that if you think we have waited too long for a better health care system already, I think you should call your Senators (202-224-3121 or 202-225-3121) and tell them you support this.
And to those who don’t and who happen to think President Reagan was a good president, remember the GOP did the same thing to push through his agenda in 1981. More recently the Republican controlled Senate did it in twice under George W. Bush, in 2001 and 2003. Ironically, I don’t think Reagan or Dubya were good presidents. I think the latter was horrible for America (and the planet) but one thing that I said (look back at my post in which I defend his position on ANWR) was that when he took a stand he didn’t back down from it. I don’t think that is always the best plan but health care is one issue we cannot afford to ignore. By afford, I do not even mean the people who don’t have insurance, I mean our country.
Republicans say this will be the equivalent of a ‘declaration of war.’ I think they already brought that when the Obama Administration made concessions to please them and then they all voted against it. That’s how they do bipartisanship? Note to the right (I know again): You lost, get over it. You had the country to run as your own personal whatever for most of the past eight years, now it’s our turn.
Oh, no he di’n’t. Oh, yes, he did. Now former Governor Rod Blagojevich said that he is ‘just like tens of thousands of other Americans who have lost their jobs.’ Right. Those other people were all laid off for corruption. I read his ‘speech’ and honestly, I would have voted against him for just being incoherent. I had no idea what he was talking about half of the time. At one point he compared his situation (and this may not be his exact wording) to what happens on a schoolyard when ‘one kid kits another kid and the kid that hit the other kid didn’t do it but the teacher won’t listen to any of the other kids who were there who could prove that he didn’t hit the other kid.’ What? What the hell are you talking about?
As we struggle through this horrible economic situation and try to deal with two wars, this situation is really a distraction. Whether or not it is good (at least for comic relief, I mean is there any press he didn’t do in NYC?) or bad (don’t we have better things to do?) is not for me to decide. I think it proves that the appearance of impropriety is worse than the impropriety itself because nothing has been actually been proven yet. Though Blago’s effectiveness was zero and it is important for people to have some faith in their government.
Note: Despite claims that they would work with President Obama, not one Republican voted for his stimulus package. Not one. And it passed anyway. I guess you can’t blame them, if the Democrats can do what they need to do without the GOP, they should and will. Good for them. Good for us.
· Bush admits he made mistakes. Ya think? It’s so good to admit that now. Now, eight days before a new president takes office, you are ready to say you made mistakes. Of course, not for anything that really matters. Was the response to Katrina slow? Not according to Dubya. How ‘bout the economy, “I inherited a recession and I am leaving a recession.” While he finally admitted the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner was not a good idea, he still thinks the war in Iraq was a good idea and considers Abu Ghraib ‘unfortunate.’ Because it happened or because we found out about it? While the White House called today’s press conference the ‘ultimate exit interview’ if you are one of the few Americans out there who will miss George (the) W (rong son got elected) Bush, fear not. He still has plenty of ‘legacy saving’ interviews/speeches on his schedule.
· You voted for Obama, bought the hat, t-shirt, etc. but do you have the commemorative Metrorail pass/smartcard? No? Well, you had better buy one right now because they are going fast. I shouldn’t joke about such seriousness, they probably will go fast. I am still waiting for my Illinois quarter – in color no less – to arrive, what a steal! A quarter only cost me $20.
· Are political pundits like sharks? By that I mean, if they stop talking, do they die? Do they need polls to survive? Was the most important thing about the meeting Obama requested last week of all living presidents, the colors of their ties and/or what they ate? Does anyone really give a shit about that?
· He really likes to work. “I'm a Type A personality…I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach, particularly since I quit drinking," Bush said. (from ABC News among other sources.) Yeah, that’s what I have heard about the President who I believe spent more time away from the White House than any other president and on vacay than anyone in 60 years.
· Say it ain’t so, Joe. Sorry, Joe-the-not-really-a-plumber, your 15 minutes ended about, well 15 minutes after they started. First you were an annoying campaign ploy, then a fraud, then a war correspondent and now are considering running for the US Senate? (http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2009/01/12/ohio-sen-voinovich-to-retire-could-joe-the-plumber-run-for-senate/) Talk about scraping the bottom of the barrel. Hey, GOP, good luck with that.
