Tuesday Open Thread [7.16.13]

5 Comments
LOLz. This is from Gallup. The only group that supports Republicans on the immigration issue is the old white people. Even young white people, like myself, support the Dems. Texas Governor Rick Perry is running for President again in 2016. Dan Balz asked him if his "lousy introduction to the national stage" during the 2012 presidential campagin would affect his chances if he were to run again.
Said Perry: "You mean in the way Bill Clinton's introduction was bad?," referring to Clinton's infamous nomination speech for Michael Dukakis at the 1988 Democratic National Convention.
So Rick Perry has just favorable compared himself to Bill Clinton. Governor, I worked with Bill Clinton. I knew Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton is a friend of mine. Governor, you're no Bill Clinton.

Limited Filibuster Reform Showdown Today

I say limited because Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's proposed rule change is extremely limited to only eliminating the silent non speaking obstructive hold that is today incorrectly called the filibuster on only presidential appointees, meaning nominanees to executive agencies like the National Labor Relations Board or the Consumer Protection Board or the Secretary of State or Defense, and on and on. It does not include "filibusters" on judicial nominees or legislation. Well, the Senators all met in the Old Senate Chamber last night, and that must have been crowded, if you have ever been to the old Senate Chamber, you know what I mean. They met for three hours to discuss some insipid and downright insane "bipartisan" solutions to this crisis that is entirely of the Republicans' own making. One solution from John McCain was so outrageous that I could not write about it last night as I might have called for bodily harm to befall him. John McCain's solution to Republican obstruction was for the twice popularly elected (by overwhelmingly margins each time, once over John McCain himself) President of the United States to delegate his appointment powers to, get this, John McCain and the Republican Party.
Zimmerman Not Guilty Open Thread

Zimmerman Not Guilty Open Thread

181 Comments
I'm as shocked and disgusted as I was last night when I heard. 2nd degree murder was likely a stretch but to acquit this guy from hunting down and killing this kid is an amazing injustice to the rest of us. Today I'm thinking about how to best prepare the kids around me to deal with this open season on them. Jay Smooth is reported to have said yesterday: "The fundamental danger of an acquittal is not riots, it's more George Zimmermans." Quite right.

Erick Erickson Reveals More of the Despicable Me Strategy of the GOP

8 Comments
Last night, the Texas legislature voted to approve a strict new abortion law, in spite of state polling that noted opposition to this bill and to special sessions to enact it. After an evening of confiscating tampons and maxipads from women entering the Capitol building, Texas Senators took their vote and decided that Texas Government needed to be big enough to interfere with women's health decisions. After the vote, one of CNN's stable of brain-dead conservative commentators posted this on Twitter:

Wednesday Open Thread [7.10.13]

2 Comments
So yesterday Speaker Boner... oh I'm sorry, Boehner, you know, the orange weeping fellow, announced that Immigration Reform was all but dead in this current Congress. Brian Beutler at TPM reports that “John Boehner stated a specific policy preference Tuesday that will alienate the entire Democratic Party if he adheres to it, and thus doom the reform effort." Here is the wonderous weeping Speaker:
“It’s clear from everything that I’ve seen and read over the last couple of weeks that the American people expect that we’ll have strong border security in place before we begin the process of legalizing and fixing our legal immigration system,” Boehner said outside the Capitol Monday afternoon.
First, I always love how Boehner uses the American People as his shield, and then lies about what the American People want. His usage of that phrase implies that all Americans, which includes, as mush as he hates it, Latinos. Yes, Latinos are Americans too. What he is talking about is what he and his conservative members and the base of his party wants. Yes, they are Americans too, but Boehner best be more specific in describing who wants what, lest he be called a liar. Brian Beutler says that this statement is an endorsement of the conservative view that any steps to legalize existing immigrants should be contingent upon implementation of draconian border policies. But the bill already contains draconian border policies. Come inside for more...
QOTD — Will Harry Reid Invoke the Nuclear Option?

QOTD — Will Harry Reid Invoke the Nuclear Option?

9 Comments
On Thursday, Harry Reid is expected to ask his caucus to weigh in about invoking the nuclear option to change the Senate rules to stop the ability of the Republicans to filibuster President Obama's executive and judicial appointments.  This is after Reid agreed to a very weak fix to the filibuster rules with McConnell back in January, a weak fix that McConnell proceeded to regularly violate:
God does not love me this much, does he?

God does not love me this much, does he?

17 Comments
Former Half Term Alaska Governor and Reality TV star Sarah Palin told Sean Hannity last night that she is considering running for Senate in 2014 against Democratic incumbent Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK). Presumably she would be in a primary with the failed Republican 2010 Senate nominee Joe Miller, who, as a tea party insurgent, beat Lisa Murkowski in the GOP Primary only to see Murkowski win as an independent candidate a la Joe Lieberman. Now, check out this statement that the Queen of Dictation and Grammar made on the Hannity Hate Hour....
Chris Christie has no future in politics

Chris Christie has no future in politics

1 Comment
Chris Christie is an idiot. His hallmark economic development achievement, the $2.4 billion "Revel Casino-Hotel Resort" has already gone bankrupt once and is on the fast track to a second bankruptcy. Christie's boondongle hopes to lose a mere $43 million this year. Believe it or not, that's a win. The annual operating losses had been running around $180 million, but a big cash infusion of $261 million from the GOP's business brainiac, courtesy of the Garden State's tax payers, has papered over some of those outsized losses. If he started a space program, or just handed out $100 bills, instead of sinking tax money into this, he (and the state) would be better off. He may win a second term in office, but there is no way he makes it any closer to DC than a box seat at a Blue Hens game.