Saturday Open Thread [9.22.12]
The first day of Fall! The local primaries are done, but there is still campaigning going on. The Democratic Coordinated Campaign is walking neighborhoods for candidates this weekend. Are you out working for any candidates this weekend?
A few long reads for you:
The League of Dangerous Mapmakers — The Atlantic takes a look at the gerrymandering business and the GOP focus on winning via the map (not via their ideas). Highly instructive.
Greg Mitchell warns that the debates may not be the game changer that the media is predicting — especially since they keep hiring focus groups that call it correctly more often than the TV talking heads do.
Via the NYT Public Editor — In New Policy, The Times Forbids After-the-Fact ‘Quote Approval’. Why they let their subject approve quotes is beyond me. From the NYT Executive Editor:
In the end, Ms. Abramson said, it is a control issue. “The journalist shouldn’t be a supplicant,” she added.
What interests you today?
Some stuff in thehill.com today caught my eye:
1. GOP fears reelected Obama would have the upper hand on taxes
No s**t, Sherlock. Keep this article in the file; it lays out a number of different scenarios for tax legislation in the lame duck. It will be fun to re-read once the legislation is on the floor.
Best quote from a GOPer congressman:
2. House panel set to clear Rep. Maxine Waters of ethics charges
Where do you go to get your reputation back?
3. Dem predicts Obama, GOP will strike deal on immigration in 2013
Do not want.
(i.e., no amnesty without strong employer sanctions, which don’t seem to be in the works from either party)
Obama holds the upper hand even if not elected, just let the Bush tax cuts expire. How will the Reps be able to restore them
@puck that’s nonsense. He can’t. Paul Ryan is going to control the purse even though they will lose. Its smokescreen. He knows he’s going to lose so “The Hill” (a publication probably owned by his wife, who works for Capitol Hill Consulting). The only way to actually guarantee tax reform is for Ryan to actually be voted out of his own district in Wisconsin AND lose the VP.
@McKenney Steny Hoyer. Obama doesn’t hold the upper hand on taxes. Steny Hoyer “negotiates” the Dem tax position (hence why it’s such a mess)and then says its what Obama agreed to. The first DEM to talk to Paul Ryan in the recent short session was Hoyer. Hoyer is basically trying to extend the Bush tax cuts since his constituency’s per capita is 80,000 median+. Its a smart political move because he represents extremely wealthy special interest investors, and as long as you tag “Dem” on a candidate, and repeat Obama’s lines about “the middle class” and “health care” etc., he’s guaranteed reelection.
See my blog independentpol.blogspot.com. Steny Hoyer is basically a GOP mole (there are more banking and telecom lobbyists that float around Hoyer than any other Dem Rep) and has been since he has Democratic Majority leader in 2008. He’s moved down the depth chart to <inority whip but its not far enough down. As much as people hate Pelosi, she is far less of a panderer than Hoyer when it comes to acquiescing to GOP tax demands. Hoyer is arguably more corrupt than Boehner.
I write this because I'm incredibly frustrated with how few people realize what a charlatan Hoyer is and how he is a very direct reason nothing gets done in the House. He plays off as "moderate, across the aisle guy" but its obvious the GOP is just taking advantage of him as a "straw guy".
You can probably guess I work on a campaign to try to vote Steny Hoyer out. It is really fucking frustrating how good of a politician he is, but the more people who are aware of what your DEM leaders in the house are actually doing, maybe people will start to realize how much of an obstacle for truly progressive, liberal Democratic voters he really is.
In more interesting developments, anyone have any thoughts about Rose Izzo backing Pires? When is he going to start advertising in NCCO?
You can probably guess I work on a campaign to try to vote Steny Hoyer out.
We feel your pain, Alex. We have Tom Carper.
Hoyer has taken his lumps here before. That said, he and Pelosi did deliver a public option and middle-class-only tax cuts to the Senate, where they died from White House political malpractice.
Hoyer (I assume) did unfortunately vote for the full extension of Bush tax cuts, but so did everybody else, so that falls into the category of cluster-f**k with a side of roast Blue Dog.
@puck or @DelawareDem…….how do you guys a) feel about Mobley and b) think he has anymore than a 5% chance of beating KWS?
Lets say I’m Mobley’s campaign guy. I get all the GOP partyline votes (like 30%)in Sussex/Smyrna. Would it be possible to get 10% of the blacks in Wilmington/Middletown/Bear to vote Mobley (40% now) and then get enough Nothern NCCO on a “car insurance/homeowner’s insurance rates will go down” message to voters to beat KWS?
I’m really not sure what to make of Mobley right now. But I really, really think it would have a huge effect on DE elitists if KWS was ousted. So I’m curious your thoughts.
where they died from White House political malpractice.
Where they died from not having 60 votes. A 60 vote rule that Harry Reid could have ditched at the beginning of 2009. Interesting that the House could deliver, but the Senate could not — apparently the White House could organize the House but not the Senate. Is that your theory? Because once again, if Harry Reid can’t muster 60 votes, that is failure in the Senate. And why the President having the upperhand on taxes is mostly a scare tactic here. The Lame Duck will have the same players as now. And if the President wins on November 7th, he’ll have the same obstructionist crew to work with. Plus, Ben Nelson, Joe Lieberman, Joe Manchin and Mary Landrieu will still be in office. Not one of whom needs this President for much of anything. So 60 votes is still the key and there is much about this that is still out of the President’s sphere of influence.