Tuesday Open Thread [2.4.14]

Tuesday Open Thread [2.4.14]

Philip Klein is shocked at the House speaker’s decision to pursue immigration reform in the lead-up to midterm elections:
If immigration reform passes, it will boost Democrats’ prospects in 2014 by demoralizing the GOP base and elevating President Obama, who just delivered a State of the Union Address that tacitly acknowledged he could no longer achieve anything major. If it fails again due to a conservative backlash, then it will trigger another wave of Democratic attacks on Republicans for being anti-Hispanic
Excellent
Superbowl Sunday Open Thread [2.2.14]

Superbowl Sunday Open Thread [2.2.14]

So are you ready? And who are you betting will win? Who is going to have the best ad? It is Superbowl Sunday (AKA for this matchup as the 420 Bowl), so use this thread to work out your trash talking and brag about your snacks.

Saturday Open Thread [2.1.14]

The NJ editorial this AM takes on the case of the subpoena to Peaceful Rioters (from Facebook). Frankly, I wished they would have called for all of the potential parties involved in this thing to cease and desist (I mean, who doesn't see Setting's claim of investigation the hateful material delivered to that Hokessin family as anything but a useful cover?). There are far too many Delaware Way hands who have their fingers in the pie here and I really hope that a judge gets to ask point blank exactly why Setting thinks there is a connection to Peaceful Rioters. Seriously, there are plenty of things for the AG to worry about -- not the least of which is the illegal trafficking of guns to Delaware; an unfinished implementation of the Crime-Free Rental Housing Program or even the serious conflicts of interest present in Connections employees being on Wilmington City Council. Right?
Monday Open Thread [1.20.14]

Monday Open Thread [1.20.14]

Over the weekend, the Christie Bridgegate scandal took a turn into a far more serious area, which, if proven true, will result in his removal from office and possible indictment on corruption charges. Steve Kornacki released a blockbuster story involving Hoboken, NJ, a city along the Hudson in North Jersey. Hoboken's Mayor, Dawn Zimmer, says the Christie administration refused to provide Sandy Relief until the city approved a separate real estate project tied to Christie confidante, David Samson. Samson is also Chairman of the Port Authority.
Sunday Open Thread [1.19.14]

Sunday Open Thread [1.19.14]

If the Bridgegate scandal has damaged Chris Christie enough that either he 1) does not run for President or 2) is no longer the frontrunner for the GOP, apparently the GOP Establishment really has no back up plan. I say the GOP Establishment just needs to embrace the suck, for one election cycle. Go all Goldwater. Put up a Ted Cruz-Rand Paul ticket. Lose 45 states and the popular vote by 10, and the House of Representatives in the process. That way you can tell your crazy base that you know better.
Wednesday Open Thread (01-15-14)

Wednesday Open Thread (01-15-14)

Here's a story that makes me hate people.  Just go read the post.  Calling a dying woman's tweets about her, you know, dying, "deathbed selfies" is vile.  Seriously, what is wrong with these people? If you have other feelings about how people should live or die, you can keep them to yourself, Keller family and mouth-breathers at Fishbowl DC. No one asked you, and no one ever will.
Monday Open Thread [1.13.14]

Monday Open Thread [1.13.14]

Some good news from the Supreme Court: Arizona's unconstitutional abortion ban is so blatantly and obviously unconstitutional that the Court will not even consider hearing the state government's appeal of a lower court's similar finding of unconstitutionality:
The Supreme Court without comment declined to review a lower court’s decision that struck down an Arizona law that banned most abortions after 20 weeks. The ruling on Monday means Arizona’s abortion law will remain off the books. Last May, a federal appeals court struck down the Arizona law as unconstitutional, citing an “unbroken stream” of Supreme Court decisions upholding abortion rights. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled at the time that the government had no right to ban abortion before a fetus is viable — currently measured at 24 weeks. About a dozen states around the country have passed laws similar to or more restrictive than the Arizona law.
All of those laws will now be struck down too. Thank you, you conservative theofascists, for wasting all of our time since 2011 in passing all of these new abortion laws. You now have nothing to show for your work.
Sunday Open Thread [1.12.14]

Sunday Open Thread [1.12.14]

The News Journal this Sunday morning prints a long piece that purports to look at the "pay for play" culture in Delaware politics. It is interesting, since they don't really get much into real instances of pay for play, with the exception of the possibility of the Stolz project. Also interesting since one of the people who has been convicted for improper political donations was frustrated enough by the process to scream at his judge that he never got anything for his contributions (Zimmerman). Most of this looks at the charges being thrown at Veasey that he was too light on the people he looked at -- pretty much coming down on the side that there wasn't much there for Veasey to work with. This seems to be the place that any reform effort needs to point towards:
The problem Veasey faced is that the state’s election law is a “Mickey Mouse statute,” Hurley said. “It’s poorly drafted and full of holes.”
Wednesday Open Thread [1.8.14]

Wednesday Open Thread [1.8.14]

Dana Milbank wants to know where the outrage is from Democrats over the cuts to unemployment benefits. He notes that this kind of thing used to be real red meat for OG Democrats to beat up the GOP over. And I agree with him -- you can't effectively launch an effort to critique income inequality in the US without starting to wrap the problem around the GOP's neck. Even though there is plenty of Democratic policy that has been complicit in this. But the GOP has been wringing its hands over paying for these extended benefits, so where are the Dems offering to eliminate the subsidies to oil companies as a way to pay for this?
Monday Open Thread [1.6.14]

Monday Open Thread [1.6.14]

Harry Reid was on Face the Nation yesterday and he is not ruling out eliminating filibusters:
BOB SCHIEFFER: Well, let me just ask you this: I mean listening to you this morning if the Republicans continue to throw up the kind of opposition you’ve been receiving, you say you’ve been receiving, do you have plans to extend this ban on filibusters? Right now you’ve-- you’ve worked out this rule which they vehemently oppose that-- so they-- it’s very difficult for him to filibuster nominations. Would you be willing to just go to a Senate where just majority rules and that’s it? SENATOR HARRY REID: Well, Bob, I think it’s something that we have to understand. BOB SCHIEFFER: So you’re thinking about that?
Saturday Open Thread [1.4.14]

Saturday Open Thread [1.4.14]

Pope Francis has been in the business of afflicting the comfortable recently and one of the comfortable has issues -- noting that the Pope doesn't understand American rich people and that donations by rich American Catholics might now be at risk:
At issue is an effort to raise $180 million for the restoration of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York being spearheaded by billionaire Ken Langone, the investor known for founding Home Depot, among other things. Langone told CNBC that one potential seven-figure donor is concerned about statements from the pope criticizing market economies as "exclusionary," urging the rich to give more to the poor and criticizing a "culture of prosperity" that leads some to become "incapable of feeling compassion for the poor."

Thursday Open Thread [1.2.14]

This is interesting and presents a possible paradox of conservative ideology that will destroy it once and for all. From Haaretz:
"Israel will pay for abortions for women aged 20 to 33 regardless of circumstance starting next year, health officials said Monday, adding that they hope to make eligibilty for state funding universal in the future."
Conservatives, especially the theocons and neocons, place utmost importance on Israel. For the theocons, the reason is obvious, it is the Holy Land. For the neocons, it is the protection of Israel is almost the sole purpose of the existence of the United States. The conservative Likkud government of Israel is now going to provide not only free abortions, but they are going to do it through evil socialist universal healthcare.
New Years Day Open Thread [1.1.14]

New Years Day Open Thread [1.1.14]

Happy New Year to all. A new year, new hopes, new opportunities. But right now, we have the same old politics, which are hopefully changing for the better. Paul Krugman on whether our fiscal politics are changing:
The intransigence of the right wasn’t the only disease troubling America’s body politic in 2012. We were also suffering from fiscal fever: the insistence by virtually the entire political and media establishment that budget deficits were our most important and urgent economic problem, even though the federal government could borrow at incredibly low interest rates. Instead of talking about mass unemployment and soaring inequality, Washington was almost exclusively focused on the alleged need to slash spending (which would worsen the jobs crisis) and hack away at the social safety net (which would worsen inequality). So the good news is that this fever, unlike the fever of the Tea Party, has finally broken.