Thursday Open Thread [3.28.13]
The Week: “Most members of the Republican Party hope that the Supreme Court will not use the two gay-marriage cases it heard this week to issue a broad ruling affirming the constitutional right of gays and lesbians to marry. However, top officials in the GOP are reportedly praying for precisely that outcome, calculating that it would be the most effective way to remove gay marriage as a political liability.”
Well, if these top officials are hoping for that outcome (which I don’t think will happen), then they are foolish and not very smart politicos. For if that does happen, guess what the social conservative base of the Republican Party does? They flip out. More so than usual. They will demand from the GOP complete and total obedience to their outrage. They will want the Congressional Republicans to immediately introduce a Constitutional Amendment banning gay marriage and attach it as an amendment to everything that moves in the House and Senate. Opposition to gay marriage will become the most important issue on the GOP voter’s mind. Now, the GOP will then be faced with two choices: 1) tell these bigoted voters to go f*ck themselves because the Supreme Court has ruled and that is the end of that; or 2) say yes Master yes Master like they have done so many times before. Which do you think the oh-so-courageous GOP does?
Stu Rothenberg: “The Republican Party continues to fracture more seriously than I expected following last year’s re-election of President Obama. Instead of uniting the GOP’s various constituencies against the president’s agenda, Obama’s re-election seems to have encouraged Republicans to spend much of their time harping on their internal disagreements and fighting over how the party should be positioned for 2016 and beyond.”
A new Public Religion Research Institute survey finds overwhelming support for a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants from the most religious Americans.
From CNN:
“The strongest support for a pathway to citizenship came from Hispanic Catholics, Hispanics Protestants and black Protestants, according to the poll. More than 70 percent of people who identified with those groups supported the immigration change. Additionally, more than half of all Jewish Americans (67%), Mormons (63%), white Catholics (62%), white mainline Protestants (61%) and white evangelical Protestants (56%) supported the inclusive immigration policy.”
You are looking at a basic portrait of the internet over an average 24 hours in 2012—higher usage in yellows and reds; lower in greens and blues—created by an anonymous researcher for the “Internet Census 2012” project.
Jason330 notes – The distance between now and when I was born, is the same as distance between when I was born and when the US entered WWI.
I say they are taking the temperature of the voters….and the results will vary by district.
Those in conservative districts will rail and cry coz essentially their base in their districts gets them elected
An R from a moderate district will say, well it’s ruled on and sway to the prevailing winds
Nationally. They will be glad to get rid of the albatross.
Here is the question- if they cut the redial right loose, can they make up for that loss with moderate minded voters
Since the political scene has been dominated in the last week by Obama’s trip to Israel and Palestine and legal issues of gay marriage and (in this state) the death penalty, I thought I’d share a quote from last night’s reading. I notice a very frequent and particularly nasty theme common in nearly all these political, legal and cultural issues and I think we should do whatever we can to marginalize and possibly eradicate it. This is on the explicit omission of god from the US Constitution.
“They (the founders) knew that to put God in the Constitution was to put man out. They knew that the recognition of a deity would be seized upon by fanatics and zealots as a pretext for destroying the liberty of thought. They knew the terrible history of the church too well to place in her keeping, or in the keeping of God, the sacred rights of man. They intended that all should have the right to worship, or not to worship; that our laws should make no distinction on account of creed. They intended to found and frame a government for man, and for man alone. They wished to preserve the individuality of all; to prevent the few from governing the many, and the many from persecuting and destroying the few.”
-Robert G Ingersoll, “Individuality”, The Collected Works of Robert Ingersoll (1900 New York Press), Vol. 1, p. 201
Great Ingersoll quote. It pays to be reminded that when Republicans try to paint the founders as evangelical Christians, it is not only an affront to reality – it is unpatriotic.
Re Rothenberg: There are really two things that all the fractured GOP groups have in common; contempt for the legitimacy of any Democratic President, and blind faith in the the nonsensical and thoroughly debunked belief that tax cuts help the economy.
Since they can’t do anything about the President (beyond the jury nullification that they’ve been practicing) it is going to be tax cuts 24/7 for the next three years.
That is a great quote, DG. All too often the religious right (and some on the left to) want to outsource the business of democratic government to God. Whether you believe in God or the Flying Spaghetti Monster, you should take your civic obligation a hell of alot more seriously than outsourcing it to what your religion says.
Thanks for that, DG!
And on another note–Appoquinimink will be trying another referendum in May. This one I can fully support, and intend to do so. But tell me now jason–does that mean this one you WON’T support? I don’t like family fights 🙂 .
We’ll both be on the side of righteousness this time.
And fiscal accountability 🙂 And a clean tox screen, and……
So I’m trying to catch up on news and saw this today:
Jane Hamsher’s Common Sense media filed for bankruptcy. This is the FireDogLake crowd. So anyone know what happened? I hadn’t even heard that they might be having financial troubles.
Ok- this is for DOMA repeal and the pro-constitution Sheriff crowd
I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and Constitutions. But laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.
Jefferson, Thomas
Source: THOMAS JEFFERSON, letter to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1816.The Writings of Thomas Jefferson, ed. Paul L. Ford, vol. 10, pp. 4243 .Inscription on the southeast quadrant of the Jefferson Memorial, Washington, D.C.
If the court affirms gay marriage and does not do a legalistic dance around the subject the religious right will indeed gnash their teeth and cry out in the wilderness , Rick Santorum will don a black sweater vest in mourning. They will indeed attack any and all Republican who dare defy “god’s will”. But it’s all for naught, just like the end of DADT was a huge victory for LGBT rights so too will be the end of DOMA and all it implies. In addition even in the south, yes the south, many more gays and lesbians will come out and surprise more than a few holy rollers who find they have gay relatives, friends and even pastors. And this Atheist says Thank Ya’ Jeebus!!!!
Check this out….
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/03/26/former-sc-gop-rep-to-anti-war-iraq-war-vet-you-shouldve-come-home-in-a-body-bag/
Wow, just wow…
http://jezebel.com/5992479/if-i-admit-that-hating-men-is-a-thing-will-you-stop-turning-it-into-a-self+fulfilling-prophecy
ok i love everything about this. be careful though puck, there’s discussion towards the end of the ever-imaginary rape culture.
Thank you for that, V.
That was fabulous, V, thanks for posting it!
Ted Cruz released the following statement in regard to President Obama’s recent comments about gun control legislation
In any conversation about how to prevent future tragedies such as Sandy Hook, our focus should be on stopping criminals from obtaining guns. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration has failed to make this a priority — in 2010, out of more than 15,700 fugitives and felons who tried to illegally purchase a firearm, the Obama Justice Department prosecuted only 44. That is unacceptable.
None of the guns used in Sandy Hook was obtained by a criminal. The shooter became a criminal after his mother purchased the guns.
Care to look up the numbers for the Bush administration, or the Reagan administration? Didn’t think so.
I’m glad you liked it ladies! Part IV in particular made me want to stand up and do a dance.
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