April 25, 2005

4/25: Going Nucl... Er, Constitutional

A few of the stories making waves today: Senate Maj. Leader Bill Frist's telecast, Senate Maj. Whip Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) announcement that the GOP has the votes to break the filibuster, and Sen. Joe Biden's (D-DE) proposed compromise; Microsoft's decision to withdraw support from a WA gay rights bill, and a new GA law that requires picture ID to vote. Completely absent, this a.m.: House Maj. Leader Tom DeLay.

TRACKBACKS: Mitchy Mitchy Mitchy ...

Where the blog swarm is headed, who's taking part, and what they're saying:

• Getting a lot of play is this Reuters report on McConnell's "Face the Nation" comments re: breaking the filibuster: "There's no doubt in my mind, and I'm a pretty good counter of votes ... that we have the votes we need." The Washington Post's David Broder's latest also attracts some attention, as is a Los Angeles Times piece on Frist's weekend telecast for Christian conservatives. Linking to one or more: Corrente; The Moderate Voice; Brothers Judd; ConfirmThem; PoliPundit; The 13th Floor; Slightly Left of Center; GOP Bloggers; Blogenlust.

  >> Righty Ed Morrissey: "Isn't it amazing what a backbone can accomplish? Now that the Senate GOP caucus finally started acting as a majority party, the Democrats now understand that [Senate Min. Leader] Harry Reid backed them into a corner. ... Needless to say, Frist would be an idiot to bite at this. For one thing, agreeing to such an arrangement amounts to a validation of both the unprecedented use of the filibuster and the notion that the judicial nominees are 'extremists.'"

  >> Lefty "Digby" at Hullabaloo, on Frist's speech: "Every day that [James] Dobson and [Tony] Perkins are on television is a good day for Democrats. Keep them in the spotlight."

  >> Last Moderate Republican: "David Broder has a proposal to solve the impending filibuster showdown: the Democrats should lie down and give up. Not exactly an equitable solution." Conservative Power Line: "Broder's column can be viewed as further evidence that the Republicans do indeed have the 51 votes they need to break the filibusters."

• Getting some attention, primarily from liberal blogs, is a Time article on Pres. Bush's admin. apparently bumping U.S. delegates to the Inter-American Telecom Commis. because they supported John Kerry in '04. Linking: Eschaton; Skippy the Bush Kangaroo; DailyKos; Discourse.net; Political Animal.

  >> Lefty Steve Soto: "Something tells me the time would be ripe for Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, and perhaps even Howard Dean to build a bridge with the telecom industry right about now."

  >> Righty Charles Johnson: "The left-of-center blogosphere doesn't just call it 'nutty,' though. Over there in the fever swamp this is fascist repression of free speech, and cause for impeachment. Oh brother."

• And the New York Times profiles the yet-to-be-launched "celebrity collective" blog organized by liberal activist Arianna Huffington, the Huffington Post. Linking: L.A. Observed; Unfogged; Ed Cone; PressThink; Romenesko; Southern Appeal; PoliBlog.

  >> Matt Welch at the libertarian Reason's Hit and Run: "The pre-launch Huffington Post continues to be a rich source for the kind of unintentional comedy I haven't enjoyed since watching the likes of Lou Dobbs, C. Everett Koop and Sydney Schanberg go bonkers with dot-com greed back at the end of the last Internet publishing boom." Ann Althouse asks: "[H]ow do we know it's really them and not some assistant or P.R. person or joke-writer?

FILIBUSTERS: Who Went Nuclear First?

Liberal Josh Marshall notes that in the speech of his weekend telecast, Senate Maj. Leader Bill Frist said: "Now if Senator Reid continues to obstruct the process, we will consider what opponents call the 'nuclear option.'" Marshall responds that Frist "certainly knows, it is a phrase coined by Republicans," and links to a previoust post of his that identifies ex-Maj. Leader Trent Lott (R-MS) as the coiner.

Meanwhile, Duncan Black points out 2 instances of Frist using the term himself in 11/04, on NPR and "Fox News Sunday." Frist, to Chris Wallace: "What it basically -- it's called the nuclear option. It's really a constitutional option."

More Marshall, in the first-mentioned post: "I've been made privy to the internal communications of a number of national news organizations at which there are now running arguments over whether to go along with the Republican claim that 'nuclear option' is a Democratic epithet or term of abuse which should be banned except in cases where Democrats are directly quoted using it. So, as you're reading the coverage in the coming days, watch to see which news outfits have fallen in line with the RNC-directives."

Matt Yglesias adds: "It seems to me that if Josh Marshall's really interested in shaming the press about their cave-in to dishonest GOP Newspeak on the "nuclear option" semantics then the best way to go about it would be to print the internal communications on the subject to which he says he's been made privy. Whatever they say, I have a hard time believing they make the managers responsible look good."

Later, Marshall observes: "always a sad sight to behold. NPR joins the Times in talking a dive for the 'nuclear option' speech police."

Slate's Mickey Kaus rethinks a previous anti-filibuster post and offers a key reason "for treating judicial votes differently" from legis. affairs, "namely that the Senate's advise-and-consent votes are votes that don't involve the House in any way. That means one of the basic majority-obstructing mechanisms the Constitution provides for legislation -- the need to get two quite different legislatures to agree -- simply isn't there when it comes to voting on judges."

WSJ's James Taranto and RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh disagree about what the 1892 SCOTUS decision in U.S. vs. Ballin means for the filibuster.

BOLTON: Not Agressive Enough?

Conservative columnist Joel Mowbray, at ConfirmBolton.com: "While it's encouraging to see [VP] Cheney ... speaking publicly, his remarks were fairly tepid ... All Cheney could muster was saying that there's no evidence to substantiate the Dems' claims; a better way to put it would have been the most honest: the Dems are lying. What the White House must do is launch a counteroffensive every bit as aggressive -- and loud -- as the Dems' smear campaign. But in order for that to happen, the White House has to want Bolton confirmed more than the Dems want him sunk. Do they?"

Lefty Oliver Willis, about the ConfirmBolton.com blog: "When [RedState co-founder Mike] Krempasky & Co. (and by association, his boss Richard Viguerie) start astroturfing, you know something's up."

Liberal Garance Franke-Ruta, at Tapped: "If he fails to be approved by the Senate to be the ambassador to the United Nations, as now appears possible, he will still hold a critical position at the State Department from which to continue doing American foreign policy real damage. Indeed, getting him out of the State Department, so that someone less temperamental and more in tune with new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice could fill the post, seems to have been one major goal of appointing him to the UN slot in the first place. Should that fail, the question is: will State be stuck with him? Or will he be so humiliated he'll have to step down?"

TERRORISM: The Unfriendly Skies

Right-leaning Little Green Footballs points out an essay by Annie Jacobsen of Women's Wall Street, who, in July '04, wrote a widely-read essay titled "Terror in the Skies" about what seemed then to be a "dry run" for another 9/11-style hijacking. As LGF explains, the DHS "is still very interested in the possible terrorist dry run aboard Northwest flight 327; four federal agents made a special trip to L.A. to interview Jacobsen about the incident." After Jacobsen wrote her first article, the group was explained away as a Syrian musical group. Yet now DHS is interested, and Jacobsen's new article offers a number of interesting new details. Blogs for Bush and Euphoric Reality have more.

BLOGS VS THE MSM: That's Rich

Right-leaning Hugh Hewitt takes issue with the New York Times' Frank Rich's take on the Frist telecast: "Rich wrote his polemic before a word was spoken in the 'Justice Sunday' telecast he decries, but for the low sort of cultural bully that Rich prides himself on being, facts need not be introduced before the verdict is rendered. ... The deep need of the left in this country not just to oppose but to hate people of faith, exemplified by Rich's column this morning, is troubling and without precedent in the country's history."

Conservative Michelle Malkin, on Sen. George Voinovich (R-OH): "What do you call a squishy Republican?" She answers: "In the MSM thesaurus, you call him a 'maverick'" and provides links to a number of news stories. She also links to National Review's Eric Pfeiffer, who observed last week: "A Nexis search reveals the numbers favor 'maverick Republicans' by about five to one. A Google search tallies about 3,500 GOP mentions and 1,000 for Democrats, with a lot going to the late Pat Moynihan or those who are 'mavericks' by striking positions to the left of the Democratic Party. Is it that there really are that many more Republicans who have moderate viewpoints, or that the media prefers to label anyone out of step with the Republican Party's leadership a maverick?"

Tapped sums up the New York Times' right-leaning columnists: "John Tierney. Even though I stayed a right-winger despite all this evidence that it was unhealthy to be overweight, new evidence casting doubt on that conclusion proves that liberals should switch sides. David Brooks. Tierney stole my column idea -- bring back Bill Safire!"

BLOGS VS. BLOGS: A Cautionary Tale

Right-leaning pop culture blog A Small Victory's Michelle Catalano last week appeared on the conservative online radio RightTalk program, "The Citizen Journalist Report," hosted by Bill Ardolino of INDC Journal and Jeff Goldstein of Protein Wisdom. During the show, as John Hawkins notes, "Bill was asking Michele a question about atheism that was either supposed to be funny, really snide, or some combination thereof....and Michele went INSANE. I'm talking about a TOTAL MELTDOWN right there on the air. She goes on this wild rant, every third or fourth word she says is bleeped, and then says something about Bill's 'Jew partner' and hung up." It appears the appearance was staged, as Catalano follows up here, and Hawkins later posts again about how he was "taken in." Ardolino has no mention on his site, but Goldstein writes: "Evidently, our reputation is forever tarnished. And the only thing a serious CITIZEN JOURNALIST like me really has is his reputation. So the shame is palpable right now. Like some heavy odor hanging over this blog. Musky. Like the stink of wet sheep."

Vanity Fair's James Wolcott, on meeting Slate's Mickey Kaus at the L.A. Times Book Festival: "[W]e actually only stared at each other, for fear an untoward remark might make it on one of our blogs."

SOCIAL SECURITY: Cato Castigated

Left-leaning Univ. of OR econ prof Mark Thoma, author of the Economist's View blog, disputes the Cato Institute's Daily Debunker's take on the Johnson-Flake bill: "Cato stoops to making false associations in its attempt to debunk. It implies privatization solves the invented solvency crisis when it is benefit cuts that are actually at work. That Cato adopts misleading strategies sheds considerable light on the strength of its counterarguments."

Lefty Angry Bear: "Mark does a nice job of debunking every aspect of this Cato op-ed. I suspect the Cato crowd will simply ignore Mark as they ignore all real economics."

ELECTION REFORM: The ID Debate Kicks Up A Notch

RedState's Eric Erickson: "Today, Governor Sonny Perdue signed H.B. 244, a comprehensive overhaul of the state election code, which includes a provision that will cut the number of approved methods of voter identification from 17 to 6, all of which will have photographs of the voter. We see the bill as common sense. It adds a layer of protection to the integrity of our voting system. Critics point out that we have no numbers to prove people show up at polls posing as someone else and voting. They are mostly right. But, how would such comprehensive data be collected if I can show up with [fellow RedStater] Josh Trevino's power bill, say I'm Josh, and vote his ballot? Who is to prove me wrong if there is no photo identification requirement?"

Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), at DailyKos: "Today was a date of shame in Georgia and our nation, as GOP Gov. Sonny Perdue signed a bill that makes it harder to vote, by requiring a photo identification in Georgia elections. The bill would have an obvious discriminatory impact on the poor, seniors, and minorities, who are less likely to have drivers licenses and less able to have access to the new ID cards."

GAY MARRIAGE: Microsoft Goes Soft

Conservative Tom Maguire does a round-up on Microsoft's decision to withdraw support from a WA gay rights bill: "TigerHawk and Ann Althouse comment on the media slant here; the very short version is provided by Danny Carlton, whose post is headlined 'Microsoft criticized for not meddling in politics'. On the other side, let's drag in Edward of Obsidian Wings, who thinks the folks at MSFT were cowards, and Henry Abbott, who sees this as a simple human rights issue."

Noting Dem reticence to support the bill without a new amendment clarifying that the bill doesn't change marriage laws, Maguire adds, "the lawmakers were worried that passing this seemingly sensible anti-discrimination law might prompt the court to take a more expansive view of gay marriage. Put another way, fear of an activist court going beyond the bounds set by the legislature discouraged the legislature from advancing the bounds (don't give the courts an inch, or they'll take a mile)."

IN THE STATES: Toward The Jersey Giants?

Entertainment Weekly founder Jeff Jarvis: "Well, my state has agreed to spend a fortune to keep the Giants in the Meadowlands. I say that a condition of the deal must be to change the team's names to the Jersey Giants. ... Hey, Jersey bloggers, let's swarm 'em. I just sent this email to Acting Gov. Codey, the director of external affairs for the Sports & Exposition Authority, and to my state legislators": "If you're going to spend millions in taxpayers' money building a new stadium for the Giants, the least you can do is make changing their name to the Jersey Giants a condition of the deal." Jarvis includes links to help readers to follow his lead."

MO-based Radical Republican sizes up the MO SEN '06 race:

On GOP Sen. Jim Talent: "The inherent advantages of incumbency aside, Talent has been a diligent, conscientious freshman Senator, and lacks an obvious weakness for an opponent to exploit. The numbers also favor Talent, as Missouri is increasingly becoming a Republican state."

On MO GOV '04 Dem nominee/Aud. Claire McCaskill: "It is no secret that being elected governor is McCaskill's life ambition, and she has passed on Senate races in the past, when she presumably would have been a strong candidate (1992, 1998). However, McCaskill ruffled a lot of feathers in the Democratic Party when she ousted [ex-Gov. Bob] Holden in 2004 and proceeded to lose the general election, and the nomination in 2008 is not McCaskill's for the asking. ... Whether McCaskill will let party leaders railroad her into a Senate race next year is anyone's guess. Who knows, if she runs maybe even McCaskill's "hero"Howard Dean will stop by for a visit..."

MISCELLANY: Maybe Bush Is Just Mindful Of Having Good Luck

Davie, FL Mayor Tom Truex has a blog, though one without a comments feature and while one may find past posts in the archives, no actual permalinks per se. Most of his posts are concerned with local events, such as this one: "I may be prejudiced, but I think my wife and mother-in-law are great cooks. Some of their best dishes were featured (together with about a hundred others) at Davie's annual Generations of Taste. This event is hosted by the Davie Historical Society at the Old Davie School. The room was packed, as always, for this event."

Conservative Wizbang reports on a story that "isn't getting as much play. Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) is quietly pushing a bill that would gut the National Weather Service's public website, leaving the field open for the two major private suppliers of weather information, Accuweather and The Weather Channel. ... Dave Halliday's really the go-to guy on this story, though. He smells blood (well, money), and he's on it like a shark. He's putting together the pieces of a puzzle that, at the least, do NOT make Senator Santorum look very good, and show just how corrosive an influence corporate money can be on politics."

JuliusBlog posts a large number of photos of Bush patting or rubbing the heads of bald men, and comment: "Is this part of an old frat ritual, or just a display of his concept of 'humor'? It seems like every time he sees a bald man, he can't control the irresistible urge to reach with his hand. ... That is so 'presidential.' Way to go!"

"Armando" at Daily Kos, on Pope Benedict XVI's inaugural homily: "I am a lapsed Catholic, so my opinion does not matter much, and I think the Pope still has a lot of work to do to win over some of the Catholic flock and to convince that he is indeed a force for unity -- but the tone he struck provides a sharp contrast to the doings in Louisville tonight."

The Raw Story website posts Secret Service documents reporting when James "Jeff Gannon" Guckert visited the WH. Raw Story's John Byrne notes: "Guckert made more than two dozen excursions to the White House when there were no scheduled briefings. On many of these days, the Press Office held press gaggles aboard Air Force One -- which raises questions about what Guckert was doing at the White House. On other days, the president held photo opportunities. On at least fourteen occasions, Secret Service records show either the entry or exit time missing. Generally, the existing entry or exit times correlate with press conferences; on most of these days, the records show that Guckert checked in but was never processed out."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Will Bloggers Bolt MSNBC?

Joho the Blog's David Weinberger, on quitting the MSNBC what's-in-the-blogs segment: "What makes the blogosphere interesting to me is not that there are moderate left and right voices talking about mainstream topics. Mainstream major stories are about issues such as freakish celebrity pedophiles, a spit match over a fight from 30 years ago that the press is hoping to revive, and whatever unfortunate child has been reported missing and presumed (better for the story) murdered. I'm in the blogosphere to escape from this degradation of values. In the ninety seconds MSNBC gives over to blogging, they want to pair A-Listers into a he-said/she-said report on a Major Topic. Yippee for the A-Team! You do two of those and the last of the three segments should be something "fun," i.e., humorous and trivial because the news no longer knows how to operate without a closing joke. It's downright pathological." Ex-colleagues on MSNBC Jeff Jarvis (who has had it better than Weinberger) and Ed Cone (who has some of the same feelings as Weinberger) offer comment.

LEST WE FORGET: Yet Another Example Of MSM Pathology

"Matzah!", the latest musical cartoon by the JibJab team, which produced the popular "This Land" parody of the WH '04 race last year, is now up. It's Passover-themed and includes a rapping Abraham, among other goofiness.

Posted by at April 25, 2005 04:36 PM