U.S. Politics part X

[drawkcabi]

Not that I think this would happen, but I really wish this screw up on Reid's part came back to bite him next time he's up for re-election.

Reid isn't from my state so I don't know as much about him, but I think compared to other Senators there could be worse people in his seat. However he in no way belongs as the Senate majority leader and needs to replaced ASAP. He's not a leader in any capacity, someone stronger needs to be elected someone like Boxer or Whitehouse.

[Annelise]

But what you could see having some impact is less Obama’s decision to appoint Sotomayor than reaction to the conservative reaction to Sotomayor. I think if you look at election results over time, it’s clear that a large number of non-white or non-Anglo Americans seem to have the sense that the Republican Party and the conservative movement don’t have their best interests at heart. And when people see conservatives not just saying “well, I’m a conservative and Sotomayor isn’t, so I’m not happy about the choice†but engaging in bizarre tirades against the “unnatural†pronunciation of her name and the evils of Puerto Rican cuisine while suggesting that the kind of resume that was suitable for Samuel Alito doesn’t cut the mustard for Sonia Sotomayor, well then I think that tends to reenforce the sense that conservatives are very interested in white people’s problems and not so interested in anyone else.

That’s damaging. But that’s not really about Obama picking Sotomayor, it’s about the crazies on the right coming out to play.

http://yglesias.thinkprogress.org/archives...e-democrats.php

[Guest Ontology Interface Layer]

So John Cornyn is the latest to attempt a stand. Being a Senator from Texas is prolly extra incentive.

I think... damnit, I think Big John doesn't back down. That's my bet.

He'd be bucking the trend, but it would be refreshing. In a short term view, having the offensive and alienating Limbaugh be the de facto leader (or at least face) of the Republican party is good for the left. But it's bad for the country...we need a sane opposition.

[Lord Mord]

OIL,

He'd be bucking the trend, but it would be refreshing. In a short term view, having the offensive and alienating Limbaugh be the de facto leader (or at least face) of the Republican party is good for the left. But it's bad for the country...we need a sane opposition.

I don't understand. You're saying Limbaugh is the sane opposition? You don't think that taking down Limbaugh will pave the way for an actually sane opposition?

[Shryke]

Hey, Young Conservatives! Rap with me yo!

[DanteGabriel]

I don't understand. You're saying Limbaugh is the sane opposition? You don't think that taking down Limbaugh will pave the way for an actually sane opposition?

Limbaugh is perfectly sane. He's a simpering whore who's only out for himself, with no interest in helping anyone, least of all the party he's dragging to the bottom with his bloated ass, but he's sane. He has all the moral sense of a starving weasel on speed, but he's sane. To call him insane would be to absolve him of some of the responsibility for what a bottomless well of greed and dishonesty there is in his character.

[Ormond]

OIL,

I don't understand. You're saying Limbaugh is the sane opposition? You don't think that taking down Limbaugh will pave the way for an actually sane opposition?

I have a hard time understanding why you didn't understand. It seems clear to me from reading OIL's post that he has exactly the same opinions as you do -- Limbaugh is not "sane" opposition, and having someone else lead the Republicans would be better for the country.

I think DG is being a little overly pedantic in his comments about the language. It seems to be pretty standard in English now for people to use the word "insane" in informal contexts to mean "extreme" or "ridiculous" (or even "far out" in a good sense, though that wasn't what was meant here), with the speaker or writer not meaning to imply at all that the "insane" person or group would not be legally or morally culpable for their positions.

But I guess it is good to sometimes point out that the technical meaning of "insanity" does mean "not legally responsible because of severe mental illness" if only to help people understand arguments about the legal insanity defense more clearly. :)

[DanteGabriel]

I think DG is being a little overly pedantic in his comments about the language. It seems to be pretty standard in English now for people to use the word "insane" in informal contexts to mean "extreme" or "ridiculous" (or even "far out" in a good sense, though that wasn't what was meant here), with the speaker or writer not meaning to imply at all that the "insane" person or group would not be legally or morally culpable for their positions.

But I guess it is good to sometimes point out that the technical meaning of "insanity" does mean "not legally responsible because of severe mental illness" if only to help people understand arguments about the legal insanity defense more clearly. :)

It's true, I was mostly looking for an excuse to shit-talk that festering mound of pernicious hell-spooge, Limbaugh.

But yes, it is worthwhile to remember that all of the bad actors in charge of the right wing (Gingrich, Limbaugh, Steele, Bachmann, et al) are rational, intelligent people who act like weasels because of choices they have consciously made, not because they're crazy or incapable of acting like adults.

[Inigima]

I don't know if it's really fair to criticize Dante for sticking to the definition of the word that is still the majority usage. The word means one thing and not another, and you're moving the goalposts when the language hasn't moved on with you.

[Guest thebadlady]

words

PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pennsylvania attorney general says a legislative staffer wanted to dress up in a panda costume and have sex with a 15-year-old boy.

Attorney General Tom Corbett says 40-year-old Alan David Berlin, of Carlisle, was charged Thursday with attempted sexual exploitation of children and related crimes.

A Corbett spokesman says the boy’s parents alerted authorities after finding graphic messages on his computer. He says agents found wolf- and cat-type costumes in Berlin’s home.

wolf AND cat? c'mon - be true to your funky self.

[Guest Ontology Interface Layer]

I don't understand. You're saying Limbaugh is the sane opposition? You don't think that taking down Limbaugh will pave the way for an actually sane opposition?

Not at all; Ormond understood me correctly. Limbaugh and the current dominant faction are effectively nuts. That's good for the left at the moment, since they're in such disarray, but it's much riskier than if we had a more competitive, but also more rationale and reasonable right...I'm thinking of people along the lines of Olympia Snowe.

What worries me is the US following the path of Iran in the early 1970s, when the nation was pretty progressive overall (certainly compared to what came later), but the theocratic lunatic fringe right managed to usurp a leftist revolution. They didn't start out very strong in numbers, but somehow they took over the place. Perhaps there's a danger in infectious fervor, where crazies sticking to their guns manage to win more support than they would by curbing their rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream.

As to the definition of "sanity", my point wasn't even about Limbaugh's own mental state, but the political agenda he purports to believe in. Whether he's a cynic who's just saying what he says for the ratings (and doesn't believe a word of it personally) is immaterial; his listeners believe it, and therefore he's making the opposition crazier through his influence.

[Lord Mord]

Yes, I was definitely not referring to Limbaugh's actual state of mind -- I don't think he could have had his present career or maintained it so well if he were not a sane man. I was referring to the Limbaugh opposition as crazy.

And I see what I did wrong before -- I somehow picked up on the word "alienating" as a verb and not as an adjective. I do regret the confusion, but thanks for the gentle prods in the right direction.

[Annelise]

Productive summer, or just eventful?

This may be the most important two-month stretch of activity for congressional Democrats in years, as Congress will be swept up by summer debate over energy, climate change, health care, financial regulations and a Supreme Court nominee.

Coleman V Franken:

The Minnesota Supreme Court oral arguments begin today, and The New York Times’ John Schwartz sets the stage: “After half a year of arguments and more than 19,000 pages of legal briefs, the battle over recounting election results for Minnesota’s vacant United States Senate seat reaches the state’s Supreme Court on Monday. And that may not be the last stop.

“The outcome of the fight between the Republican, Norm Coleman and Al Franken the Democrat, comedian and author, will determine whether Senate Democrats will have available the 60 votes necessary to kill filibusters. And while Mr. Coleman, who until recently held the seat, can continue to fight, the one-hour hearing before Minnesota’s top court marks a crucial and potentially final stage.â€

Chris Wallace being a dick to Arlen Specter on Fox News Sunday, heh. I saw this, Wallace was having fun applying the needle. I wish I had a link to the clip, Specter's tie alone is worth a look.

WALLACE: And finally, as the newest and most junior Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, instead of having that position right next to the chairman, you're going to be all the way down at the end of the table and probably questioning Judge Sotomayor at 1:00 in the morning.

How do you feel about your loss of status, sir?

SPECTER: I feel that I can handle it. Listen, it wasn't next to the chairman. I was the chairman during the Roberts and Alito confirmation hearings. I was way down the line when Judge Bork was up for confirmation, and my voice was heard loudly and clearly.

[TrackerNeil]

If the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Franken's favor, Reid needs to seat him in the Senate despite any federal appeals Coleman files. If Mitch McConnell attempts to filibuster said move, Reid should do whatever he can to change Senate rules to remove the ability to filibuster that kind of thing. I'm completely OK with that.

[Annelise]

If the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Franken's favor, Reid needs to seat him in the Senate despite any federal appeals Coleman files. If Mitch McConnell attempts to filibuster said move, Reid should do whatever he can to change Senate rules to remove the ability to filibuster that kind of thing. I'm completely OK with that.

I think a problem with that is that.. IIRC, they used lack of state certification as an issue re: Burris. If Pawlenty refuses to certify the results, it seems like that would be a fairly glaring point of attack.

[Annelise]

Some details and quotes from the oral arguments, which are now done: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/06...of-evidence.php

[Guest Ontology Interface Layer]

And I see what I did wrong before -- I somehow picked up on the word "alienating" as a verb and not as an adjective. I do regret the confusion, but thanks for the gentle prods in the right direction.

Aaah....now I see how that can be read differently (I was genuinely baffled by what the source of confusion was before). Thanks, that's something for me to keep in mind when trying to write more clearly.

[Shryke]

And so it begins.

Health Care Plan begins to take shape.

[The Progressive]

And so it begins, and America would never be the same ........... some people still can't grasp it yet and are still titling at windmills, but this will alter America just as much as the introduction of public education have.

A couple of years ahead of schedule too .... yay for Democrats and Obama!

The proposals are pretty much in alignment with what I've predicted: mandate participation, a public plan, a cap of tax-free health benefits. The idea of a healthcare plans "exchange" is quite a novel introduction and should do well to unsure competitiveness.

[Joanna vander Poele]

If the Minnesota Supreme Court rules in Franken's favor, Reid needs to seat him in the Senate despite any federal appeals Coleman files. If Mitch McConnell attempts to filibuster said move, Reid should do whatever he can to change Senate rules to remove the ability to filibuster that kind of thing. I'm completely OK with that.

Ah, but hath Harry Reid such a will for that sort of thing?