Friday Open Thread [6.28.13]

Friday Open Thread [6.28.13]

Pennsylvania State Rep. Brian Sims (D) of Philadelphia introduced a Marriage Equality bill in the Pennsylvania State House after the DOMA decision, and he sought to speak to the chamber supporting his bill. Sims is openly gay, the first openly gay lawmaker in Pennsylvania. And he was not allowed to address the chamber. Why? Because a fascist theocratic bigot disguised a supposed freedom loving Republican, State Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, raised the following procedural objection:
"I did not believe that as a member of that body that I should allow someone to make comments such as he was preparing to make that ultimately were just open rebellion against what the word of God has said, what God has said, and just open rebellion against God's law," Metcalfe had told WHYY of Philadelphia.
I am fracking floored. Metcalfe must be impeached. Whomever sustained the objection must be expelled from the chamber. (Yeah, today I am on a "kicking the evil GOP out of office" theme). For they both have just violated the Federal and State Constitution by endorsing a state religion and approving a religious test, both of which are explicitly forbidden by both Constitutions.
Thursday Open Thread [6.27.13]

Thursday Open Thread [6.27.13]

Conventional wisdom holds that the Republicans will hold the House in 2014. Indeed, typically, the President's party in the six year midterm suffers an average loss of 26 seats. The only time in recent memory that the President's party has actually gained seats was in 1998, when the Democrats gained in the House as the backlash against the partisan impeachment of Bill Clinton began. And even if the Dems won the national popular vote again as they did in 2012, the Republicans have been so ruthless and skilled in their gerrymandering efforts that it will take a Democratic popular vote win of at least 8 points to win the House by 1 seat. So there is reason why all the Vegas money is on the GOP keeping control of the House next year. But the first Democracy Corps Congressional Battleground survey of the competitive House races this year has some encouraging news for Democrats.
Wednesday Open Thread [6.26.13]

Wednesday Open Thread [6.26.13]

Last night was something pretty amazing to see. Texas State Senator Wendy Davis filibustered the unconstitutional and rape-approving Abortion Ban for nearly 13 hours, until the Republicans played some trickery to end it. You see, in Texas, when you filibuster a bill, your comments in filibustering have to be germane to the bill you are filibustering. So you cannot just stand up there and read the phone book. Seems like a fair rule. Well, it depends on how you apply it. The Republicans felt the term "Sonogram" was not germane to a discussion of abortion. Well, the chamber descended into chaos at that ruling, with the galley, packed with Davis' supporters and supporters for women's rights and reproductive freedom, began shouting "LET HER SPEAK" repeatedly, and would not shut up to let Lt. Governor Drew Dewhurst run the chamber. I passed out around there, but I gather that the Democrats filed motion after motion appealing the ruling, and I gather that they were successful in running out the clock to midnight. Under Texas law, the legislative session ends at midnight on the 25th of June, and no bill passed after that is considered a validly passed law. The Republicans, of course, ignored the law and passed the bill anyway. So expect court battles over that. For more info, see here.

Tuesday Open Thread [6.25.13]

yesterday, Comprenshive Immigration Reform passed its first hurdle in the U.S. Senate. The Border Surge Amendment sponsored by Republican Senators Bob Corker (TN) and John Hoeven (ND), which provides approximately $40 billion over the next 10 years to bolster border security, doubles the endorcement agents to 40,000 and the completion of 700 miles of border fencing. Cloture was filed on the amendment, which means that the Senate was voting to end debate on the Amendment and proceed to a floor vote on the Amendment. The Cloture vote was 67 to 31, with two Democrats absent. So that gives us our first indication that immigration reform may garner as many as 69 votes in support (as it is hard to imagine that the 31 Republican Senators voting to filibuster the Border Security Amendment would vote in favor of the full package with they say endorses amnesty. This caused Sarah Palin to rev up her bigotry machine, and she took to the airwaves (or Facebook pages) to rip Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and the Immrigation Bill.
Said Palin: "Just like they did with Obamacare, some in Congress intend to 'Pelosi' the amnesty bill. They'll pass it in order to find out what's in it. And just like the unpopular, unaffordable Obamacare disaster, this pandering, rewarding-the-rule-breakers, still-no-border-security, special-interests-ridden, 24-pound disaster of a bill is not supported by informed Americans."
If by "Pelosi," Sarah Palin means pass significant and comprehensive reform that improves the lives of many in an efficient manner, which Nancy Pelosi did as Speaker, then she's right.
Monday Open Thread [6.24.13]

Monday Open Thread [6.24.13]

I am starting to have some respect for Senator Lindsay Graham, Republican of South Carolina. For it seems to me that he has decided, and has said as much, that he is going to do and say what he thinks is right and damn the radical tea party base of his party that is sure to primary him. He is saying things like this more and more:
"Schumer's been incredible. He's a worthy successor to Ted Kennedy, and that's saying a lot."
Now, in the neandrathal minds of the tea party, you don't laud either Chuck Schumer or Ted Kennedy. You dance on the latter's grave while you dig one for the former. So these comments are not going to go over well.

Saturday Open Thread [6.22.13]

The NYT takes a look at What Else Could a $30 Billion ‘Border Surge’ Buy?
Regardless of where it’s going, $30 billion is a staggering figure. But Republicans want to use the money to almost double the size of an already robust Border Patrol, to 40,000 agents from 21,000. They want to add 700 miles of fencing. And for good measure, they plan to throw in some infrared ground sensors and thermal imaging cameras, along with a fleet of drones. Given that these are not exactly boom times, recent investment in other projects of major national consequence has been seriously inadequate. Infrastructure spending, for example, is now at its lowest point in 20 years. Excruciatingly expensive trains can barely make their way at anemic paces along the northeast corridor without breaking down, and we’ve all but abandoned talk of expanding to real high-speed trains. In the past month alone two bridges collapsed — in Washington State and Minnesota — and countless others desperately need repairs. The American Society of Civil Engineers gave this country’s bridges a C+ rating for 2013.
QOTW — What to Read This Summer?

QOTW — What to Read This Summer?

QOTW = Question of the Weekend. So it is officially summer and I know some folks will try to catch up on their reading while the world slows down a little. Sometimes the reading is in taking up a challenge (like the Infinite Summer group reading Infinite Jest, or last summer's OccupyGaddis group) or just moving something long intended to the top of the stack or some new summer blockbuster (there's a new Dan Brown out) or escaping to some spy or romance world. So do we have any summer readers here?

Friday Open Thread [6.21.13]

Senator Chris Coons has been appointed to the Senate Appropriations Committee. This is a big deal for Senator Coons -- the last time a Delawarean was on this committee was in 1973, when Caleb Boggs was last on the committee. We congratulate him on this appointment:
"The Appropriations Committee offers a unique opportunity to make a difference for Delawareans on an extraordinary range of issues, and to ensure that the federal government is making the wisest, most efficient investments in our future," Senator Coons said. "My priorities on Appropriations will be consistent with my work in the Senate so far — helping businesses grow and create jobs; supporting innovative research; giving law enforcement the tools to keep our communities safe; and building a circle of protection around the most vulnerable in our society. I am excited to join Chairwoman Mikulski and Vice Chairman Shelby on the committee, and grateful to Leader Reid for his confidence in my ability to make a difference here."

Thursday Open Thread [6.20.13]

Exodus International, the Christian ministry known for its "pray away the gay" therapy for homosexuals, issued an apology "for years of undue judgment by the organization and the Christian Church…

Wednesday Open Thread [6.19.13]

I have been ambivalent on the proposed construction of the Keystone Pipeline. It was one of those balancing issues where protection of the environment went up against concerns for new sources of energy and jobs. If you forced me to decide, I would have decided against it only because the US was not the recipient of the oil. It may just be me, but if we are going to build the thing, and give up our land, and take the risk that we are going to damage forever our environment in nearly half the states, then I want the freaking oil to stay in the US for our use and not export it to China. Well, what opponents of the Pipeline long feared would happen to US if the pipeline was built has happened to Canada....

Tuesday Open Thread [6.18.13]

The GOP Civil War continues apace. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) told World Net Daily radio that Speaker John Boehner should be ousted if he rams through an immigration bill without majority Republican support. LOL, well, that is the only way an immigration of any kind can get passed through the House of Representatives, and that is if Boehner allows another violation of the Hastert Rule, which provides that the only bills that will be voted on on the floor of the House of Representatives while under Republican control are bills that are supported by a majority of the Republican caucus. But Boehner has allowed several bills to be passed this year and last with minimal support from Republicans and majority support from the Democrats, including the Fiscal Cliff deal and Hurricane Sandy relief. I guess the GOP is so racist that they will not allow Boehner and the Dems to save their asses again, and instead want to go down in a hail of bigoted flames.
Said Rohrabacher: "If Speaker Boehner moves forward and permits this to come to a vote even though the majority of the Republicans in the House-and that's if they do-oppose whatever it is that's coming to a vote, he should be removed as Speaker."