Friday Open Thread [3.13.15]
Howard Dean endorsed progressive candidate Jesus “Chuy” Garcia over “New Democrat” Mayor Rahm Emanuel for Chicago mayor, the Chicago Sun Times reports. Dean and Emanuel have a long history.
“Important back story: When Emanuel was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, he stuck it to Dean in 2006 – when Dean was the DNC chair. Emanuel wanted Dean to funnel millions of dollars to help House candidates. Emanuel taunted Dean’s ’50 State Strategy’ and a leaked story about how little Emanuel thought of Dean found its way into print.”
Unfortunately, Mayor Emanuel has opened up a big lead after polls showed it close for a while. A new Chicago Tribune poll finds Emanuel leading Garcia 51% to 37%.
Jimmy Kimmel has regular skit where celebrities and otherwise famous people read mean tweets about them on his late night show. Last night he had President Obama reading some mean tweets about him. Well, those tweets that he read are pretty damn tame. Mr. President, your detractors say much worse things.
From the text of the Logan Act, passed in 1799:
§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments. Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.
A violation of the Logan Act is not per se Treason, but it is still a crime in and of itself. And it is exactly what the 47 Senators did. Further, in United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corporation, 299 U.S. 304 (1936), the Supreme Court of the United States held:
“[T]he President alone has the power to speak or listen as a representative of the nation. He makes treaties with the advice and consent of the Senate; but he alone negotiates. Into the field of negotiation the Senate cannot intrude; and Congress itself is powerless to invade it. As Marshall said in his great argument of March 7, 1800, in the House of Representatives, ‘The President is the sole organ of the nation in its external relations, and its sole representative with foreign nations.’
It is not likely that these 47 Senators will face charges, but their little ploy has backfired so horribly that they are all pretending it was a big “cheeky” joke. And John McCain says he signs lots of letters without thinking about them. How comforting.
In what I think is a good trend, Pope Francis said in an interview that he believes his pontificate will be short and that he would be ready to resign like his predecessor rather than ruling for life. While Pope Benedict XVI was a horrible Pope, in the end his legacy will be to make it more common for Popes to retire rather than die in job. Now, if only Queen Elizabeth II take notice of this trend. At this point, it is likely she will outlive her own son and carry out for a few more decades.
The Republican Governors of Alabama, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Maine, Kansas and Iowa are all going to raise taxes and user fees. They have no problem raising taxes in the end. They only care about who the taxes are raised upon. Their tax raises will be regressive, focused on sales tax increases and fee increases, which will hurt the middle class and the poor more. They have no problem engaging class warfare.
Only if Delaware had a Democratic Governor who likewise raised taxes and engaged in class warfare against the wealthy.
“Here’s what we don’t understand: Why do Republicans want to own scuttling the talks? Sure, you can agree or disagree on the merits. But why work to be the side that blows up the diplomatic talks? The GOP could be as effective in criticizing the deal (and have more Democrats on their side) after the negotiations.”
A new SurveyUSA poll in Kentucky finds Jack Conway (D) with small leads over all possible Republican rivals in the 2015 race for governor.
