April 06, 2006
4/6: We Don't Want No Stinkin' Compromise!
Several stories were buzzing around last night and today, including continued fallout from Rep. Cynthia McKinney's (D-GA) run-in with Capitol Police, Rep. Tom DeLay's (R-TX) resignation and subsequent threat to file an ethics report against McKinney, and more buzz about House Min. Leader Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) lack of support among Dem activists.
The posting tides appeared, by mid-morning, to be swinging back to Captiol Hill, where word of a compromise on immigration brought every kind of criticism imaginable. Sen GOPers took heat, Dems were blasted, and at least one WH'08 candidate's funeral was held. Looks like immigration will be the hot topic of the day once again, pushing other, more personal matters to the back burner. But in the blogosphere, the back burner is just one controversy away from flaring up and becoming a raging fire.
IMMIGRATION: Deal? Or No Deal?
A report in the Washington Post, among others, about an immigration compromise got many righties up in arms. Ankle Biting Pundits: "Never set your expectations too low for Republicans in the US Senate." Hugh Hewitt's post: "No fence? No President Frist." QandO, David Frum and Poliblog are among those reacting negatively. Glenn Reynolds caught up with Frist this a.m. and had a chat. Audio link included.
In the course of debate 4/5, an amendment to ban immigrants who'd been convicted of a felony failed. The Washington Times reports, and the righty blogosphere took the opportunity to jump all over Dems over the issue. Power Line demonstrates the incredulity with which the right is reacting to the news: "The Democrats are using the filibuster to protect the "right" of convicted felons who have emigrated to the U.S. illegally to become citizens. How can they possibly justify that?" "Unbelievable," says Right Wing NewsSay Anything chimes in. 
Strata-Sphere thinks Dems are tying their own noose: "How many times have I said 'if you want to beat a liberal, just let them talk'? The Democrats have (deservedly so) opened themselves up to the Willie Horton treatment."
Meanwhile, Michelle Malkin offers a roundup of American flag photos in honor of Take An American Flag To Work Day.
MCKINNEY: Defense Begins Its Case
Reacting to reports that McKinney's alleged scuffle with a Capitol Police officer is headed to a grand jury, the right continues to see the lack of comment from the left as an indictment of the left as weak in general and anti-police. Confederate Yankee: "Cynthia McKinney has no respect for the men and women of the Capitol Police force who have placed their lives on the line for her day in and day out, and the dead silence of her fellow Democrats speaks volumes about how they feel about crimes against the police as well." Macs Mind wants her out of the way now. In Search Of Utopia, though, while calling McKinney "ridiculous," wants to know: "If conservatives are so damned law and order, why arent they clammoring for Delay and others to go to jail. I am sorry, but this is nothing more than hypocrisy." Simianbrain, a resident of McKinney's district, thinks an apology would make everything better, and offers a flashback to a previous post which discusses what a Rep's job really is. Gateway Pundit offers video of McKinney's testy exchange with CNN host Soledad O'Brien.
The left begins with a few defenses of McKinney, though they're more of the "we have more important things to do" variety. American Street thinks people are wasting their time. Seeing The Forest words its arguments more strongly, saying McKinney was "pushing back against an infringement on the Constitution" (according to Article 1, Section 6). The News Blog thinks the incident was inspired by race. MyDD's Chris Bowers is ticked that Dems may have let the GOP, Tom DeLay no less, break the "ethics truce." "There are a fairly decent number of Representatives who need ethics complaints filed against them. The vast majority of them are Republicans, but a handful of them are Democrats. We need reformed Democrats who are willing to file ethics challenges against all members who deserve it." At DailyKos, a number of diarists offer their own takes. Delaware Dem is "ashamed" of McKinney. The post earns 921 comments, many supportive of the author's positon. Filmgeek83 likens the story to three-card monte: "Anyone who's not a backwater Rube knows to stay away from that game." A Blog For All offers a new solution: "Get rid of the 'courtesy' of permitting Members of Congress to avoid the security checkpoints and require everyone entering the buildings to be searched." And, to reports that Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) may file ethics charges against McKinney: "Pot meet kettle." Lefty SpeakSpeak also blames the system, not the individuals involved: "It's a lousy system to say a cop is supposed to be able to tell if someone in motion is wearing the pin, and if not then chase that someone."
At The Nation's blog, Ari Berman pleads with McKinney to put the story to rest, pronto.
DEMOCRATS: So The Speaker Pelosi Bandwagon Isn't Exactly Taking Off
House Min Leader Pelosi posts at Daily Kos, promoting her resolution "to hold the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress accountable for its abuse of power and ethical lapses." The first comment is a positive one: "Once again, I'm glad you're my representative. Keep the heat on, and turn it up!" But it's pretty much downhill from there. letsfight: "I am sorry, but the fact that you posted here, just all random and all, and have the AUDACITY to say 'the gloves are off'? Lordy ... you are really out of touch." Nestor Mekhnow: "Count me out Nancy and tell John, since you are so involved in the Senate's affairs and all, that he is as clueless as you. ... The netroots are gonna send you packing lady." beseiged by bush hopes the post wasn't just a cut-and-paste from a DCCC fundraising email. modchick65: "I want to support Nancy Pelosi, and I do appreciate the opportunity at dialogue. But she's got to get it together first."
Also at Daily Kos, Georgia10 says the netroots' push for a challenger in every district is paying off. "When we make every district competitive, we make the NRCC hemorrhage. We bleed it slowly and cripple its effectiveness by forcing it to pour millions into rock-solid Republican districts, making less money available to the truly competitive seats. Forcing the NRCC to spend its money in a diffuse rather than concentrated manner is not enough, obviously"
WHITE HOUSE '08: McCain Hating Continues
Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) appearance on the "Daily Show" 4/4 sparked some commentary on both sides (see 4/5 Hotline for the story) and no one seems very happy. Crooks and Liars has video of McCain's appearance. On the right, David Frum questions McCain going along with host Jon Stewart's assertion that the religious right is "crazy." Lefty Kevin Drum: "McCain is plenty smart to do all this stuff now, when no one is really paying attention. By the time the 2008 presidential race really starts up, this stuff will be long forgotten. He may not be the straight talker he likes to portray himself as, but he's a shrewd politician." PSoTD sums up the interview: "Most importantly, the audience was laughing at him, not with him." The Carpetbagger Report thinks McCain's on the verge of going openly full-tilt conservative: "McCain is slowly taking up residence in "crazy base world," but he may find that his new buddies haven't rolled out the welcome mat for him. They have several hoops for him to jump through, and appearing with Falwell and some cautious rhetoric about the FMA won't be enough. The religious right wants full, unswerving allegiance." The Third Path and The Reaction react similarly.
McCain also gave a speech to a group of union leaders in DC 4/4 and was booed. In fact, the jeering was so bad that at one point, McCain threatened to leave early. AP's Fournier has the story. Lefty Shakespeare's Sister think the speech bodes poorly for McCain's future: "If [McCain] can't even hack a heckling audience, how does he expect to be president?" A number of people reacted to McCain's claim that no American would take a job picking lettuce, even if the wage offered was $50/hour. Upper Left: "John McCain's outspoken contempt for American working men and women is just one more way in which he's a typical Republican. I guess he deserves a 'straight talk' point or two for telling the Building Trades folks just how little he thinks of them to their face, but he loses whatever shreds of his carefully cultivated image as a maverick might have remained." Unfogged concurs, in a post headed "Why McCain Isn't On Our Side."
Sen. Russ Feingold's (D-WI) evolving position on same-sex marriage drew commentary from a number of sources. AP reports. Left In The West likes the move and directs visitors to Feingold's PAC website and surmises: "Leadership deserves support." Atrios agrees: "It's not as if we're gonna capture the hate the gay vote anyway, so it's time we had some political leaders who, you know, lead." Righty Captain Ed thinks it's a smart move politically, though he disagrees with the sentiment: "wants to signal that the far left can absolutely count on him to carry their platform into the 2008 convention. It's not a bad idea in the primaries, and he will be able to harness the money-raising power of the MoveOn and I-ANSWER crowd early enough to be able to keep them from financing any of his more moderate rivals." Another righty, QandO, cites the emergence of Feingold as the leading lefty. California Conservative is just against Feingold's position.
Daily Kos comments on a report at Hotline's On Call about a push by conservatives to hold caucuses rather than primaries. The idea is that it will give "core activists" a "greater say in the allocation of delegates." Kos: "I see nothing wrong with a delegate selection process that prevents non-Republican participation. I think Dems should handle their contests the same way."
Mark Noonan isn't happy with MA's new universal health care coverage. "You have to be an idiot to think that this won't be a crushing burden on Massachusetts business, a regulatory nightmare, and the destruction of health care in Massachusetts as those who can seek health care in neighboring States and only the poor are stuck in the State-sponsored system." He doesn't mention Gov. Mitt Romney (R), but he's the one who signed the bill. Bull Moose: "Will the embrace of this mandate ridden plan cost Governor Romney support on the right? ... Or will the right finally acknowledge that Hillary was a prophet ahead of her time?" New Republic's The Plank: "Mitt Romney will say this law makes him a worthy candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. And he's right. Politics should reward officials who accomplish something in office. And while it will undoubtedly annoy some progressives who don't love the plan or think he's taking credit for an idea (and favorable circumstances) that fell into his lap, they should be thankful for this development."
TPM Cafe's Tool Fan reads Sen. John Kerry's (D-MA) Iraq plan and asks: "Is Kerry Actually Saying Something?"
At Red State, Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA) criticizes a plan to change the Electoral College, where states would automatically throw their electoral votes toward the winner of the national popular vote. "The left in America is nothing if not creative. ... The left wing politicos in America know that turning the national elections into populist referendums will benefit their candidates."
CONGRESS: 527s, With A Side Of Pork
Legislation on the Hill is a subject of mild interest in the blogosphere, moreso on the right perhaps. Hugh Hewitt rounds up some quotes on the 527 debate, saying himself: "If you ever wonder why Congress' approval numbers are so low, look no further than this debate ... . The flagrant switcheroo ... by both parties is just totally transparent." Club For Growth's blog followed the action, singling out GOPers who voted no.
In the battle against earmarks, Porkbusters claims some success, noting that requests are down 37% for FY'07. "Assuming the numbers are accurate, they show that the public disgust with Congressional spending is indeed making an impact. So let's keep it up!" Meanwhile, Sen. Trent Lott (R-MS) finds himself in the crosshairs after saying that he's tired of hearing from the Porkbusters. Six Meat Buffet: "Well, Trent, if you and your GOP buddies walked the walk instead of just talking the 'smaller government, fiscal restraint' talk, you wouldn't be having a fiscal colonoscopy." John Hawkins: "I keep hearing rumors that Trent Lott wants to be Senate Majority Leader again once Bill Frist leaves at the end of 2006. That would really send a great message to the voters, wouldn't it?"
DELAY: The Plan Is Set
Ankle Biting Pundits has a source that claims what others had already speculated on: that DeLay's resignation was part of a plan hatched before the GOP primary. "The reason being: so that party higher-ups could decide who the GOP nominee would be, not the Republican primary voters. ... If my source's information proves correct, my view of Rep. DeLay and the GOP establishment will be taken down a notch."
Off The Kuff reports on the confusion over whether or not TX Gov. Rick Perry (R) would have to call a special election, and what would happen to the seat in the meantime.
IRAQ: Intimidation Tactics?
Daily Kos' McJoan follows up on an issue raised previously, and highlighted in the Washington Post: cutbacks in funds toward nonprofits meant to promote democracy in Iraq. "Obviously the security concerns on the ground in Iraq require the bulk of U.S. expenditures, and one could argue that without security democracy cannot flourish. Arguing in that vein leads to the inevitable conclusion that democracy in Iraq is a casualty of the poor planning and poor execution of BushCo in conducting this war."
Meanwhile, at TPM CafeLarry Johnson thinks the MSM has been spooked into not reporting supposed setbacks in Iraq. "Fearful of being accused of undermining the war effort, the TV side of journalism apparently decided to punt and do nothing. Fortunately, the print media and wires continue to tough it out."
IN THE STATES: Pol-Pourri
Atrios adds PA 07 candidate Joe Sestak on his list of endorsed candidates after reading this Hill article. Atrios, in another post: "Could someone give Curt Weldon a call for me? In case my wife ever gets sick suddenly I'd like to know which hospital I'm supposed to take her to." MyDD: "Curt Weldon has taking Republican slime politics to an all new low."
In a new feature, Politics1 asks which Sen is most likely to be defeated for re-election in '06. At press time, Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) led by a wide margin, with Sens. Conrad Burns (R-MT) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ) rounding out the top three.
A new poll leaked from the DNC, reported by the Washington Post, could spell "a landslide GOP victory" in MD's Sen race, according to RedState's Strieff. Hedgehog Report and Random Numbers think the poll speaks to larger problems for Dems among African Americans.
And DailyKos' Freiheit is trying to recruit a Dem or Indie challenger in CA 08. The incumbent? Rep./House Min Leader Nancy Pelosi (D).
BLOGGERS VS. THE MSM: Couric Edition
CBS' own Public Eye has a great roundup of blog reaction to Katie Couric's announcement that she'll leave NBC to take over the much-maligned CBS "Evening News." Red State's Mark Kimer: "Is this story important? For historical reasons, yes. Network News has had a reputation, once the main evening source, Cronkite, Chet &David , etc. But network news is none of that, in reality, now, for many reasons. But it's something to talk about, and we'll see what happens." Marc Cooper seems to have toungue firmly planted in cheek: "Katie Couric -- and for that matter Les Moonves -- can now take their rightful place as shining icons in this glorious period of American journalism." Beyond The Punchline: "Anyone reading this can read off of a teleprompter. So why is Katie Couric getting paid $15 million dollars a year, to basically do what you're doing right now?"
Elsewhere, Huffington Post' "Eat The Press" feature draws a swarm on the left for its video showing a candid conversation between "Hardball" host Chris Matthews and DeLay. Michelle Malkin is still on the NASCAR vs. "Dateline" patrol. She interviewed a NASCAR spokesperson who isn't happy with the net's plan to send Arab-Americans to races, perhaps with the goal of capturing some racial tension. One of her readers suggests that race attendees "Wear an NBC t-shirt." And The Radio Equalizer wonders why Al Franken isn't being hit for alleged plagiarism the same way Ben Domenech was. "While not quite as serious as those by Domenech and disgraced New York Times reporter Jayson Blair (with Franken in the images shown here), plagiarism is plagiarism, isn't it?"
BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: Hayden Seek
Today the Blogometer talks to lefty Kevin Hayden, who writes The American Street.
What is your full name?
Kevin Hayden, King of the Tapiocas
What is your age?
53
Where did you grow up?
North Falmouth, on Cape Cod in Massachusetts
Where do you live now?
Eugene, Oregon
What is your occupation?
I'm a maintenance supervisor for a commercial building. Much of my job is janitorial and landscaping. I clean toilets, mow lawns, dump trash, paint, build and repair things. I do the same things many Latino immigrants do. With pride. Without resenting my immigrant peers. I only resent those who diminish us or the work we do. There are Einsteins and Schweitzers among us. What we do as a daily task does not define the value of who we are. And where we originate matters less than what we accomplish with our souls upon the way.
Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?
Yes and no. I worked on a presidential campaign and a State rep campaign, both before I was 22. I've written for a couple of alt weeklies and have done a couple of guest editorials in a mainstream daily. Oh wait, I guess I did get paid to be a summer theater reviewer in a mainstream paper, so yes and yes.
When did you start blogging and why?
I began in November of 2002.
What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?
Geeze, that's hard. I enjoy writing about real life occurences the most, though most of what has appeared on my blog of a personal nature has been too tragic to enjoy. Nothing stands out as a favorite, really. I hate them all equally.
Describe your typical blogging schedule.
It used to be from about 5 am to 10 am, 3 pm to 7 pm and a couple of late night hours. My current work has altered that. Now it's more like 9 - 11 am and 10 pm to 3 am, around my mostly swingshift job.
And what is your average output?
About 20-25 posts per week.
Who is your favorite political blogger?
There are too many great ones. Jeanne of Body and Soul for the heart she puts in it. Billmon and Digby: exceptional craftsmen. David Neiwert of Orcinus for his deep research because I love history. For humorists, Patriotboy at Jesus' General, Tom Burka of Opinions You Should Have and the Fafblog trio are great. Chris Allbritton and Kevin Sites for courageous investigative work in war zones. Jeralyn Merritt for law and crime. Mark Woods of Wood s Lot doesn't use a real blog but his output's the same and his mix of arts and letters with the political is astounding.
Favorite non-political blogger?
Ummmm. Blaugustine, Go Fug Yourself, Utter Wonder, How To Save The World, and Gapingvoid come to mind. And sometimes, Rageboy.
Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?
[Dan] Froomkin of the Washington Post or dear Molly Ivins top my list.
What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?
The Daily Show. No regular news is closer to reality, though Keith Olbermann on MSNBC is good.
What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?
Kansas City Star and Miami Herald (the two top Knight Ridder outlets), USA Today and CBS Marketwatch almost always. Less common, yet often are NY Times, Salon, WaPo, St. Petersburg Times, LA Times.
What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?
I rotate through my team's individual blogs so I see them all every other day usually. Raw Story, Cursor and Taegan Goddard almost every day. All of the political favorites listed above I read at least once every two days. The same holds true for Atrios, the Left Coaster, Corrente, Pacific Views, Suburban Guerrilla, skippy, Democratic Underground, Blue Oregon, BlondeSense, PreEmptive Karma, Alas A Blog. Other than the first three I mentioned, I visit all these 2-3 times a week. So I read about 30 a day.
How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?
Local papers, about 3 times a week.
How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?
More movement to sound and video in the blogs. MSM print media losing ad revenue to blogs and Craigslist. Increasing investigative journalism in some blogs. Continued ties between bloggers and Air America. Most TV news will continue to be crap, celebrity gazing and corporate whoring. Maybe 10% of today's bloggers will still be blogging. I suspect wirth soundcasts, many will pursue microradio formats with less printed word.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Similarities Between Cockroaches And Pols Mount
From Winds Of Change "Department of 'Damn!'", we're pointed to a Discovery Channel piece which reports perhaps the scariest news we've ever heard, considering that some of our apartments are more, shall we say "occupied," than we'd like them to be: Apparently cockroaches make group decisions. And they all decided on the garbage can in our kitchen.
LEST WE FORGET: When Names Are Lethal Weapons
A reminder: Beltway Blogroll's Danny Glover is this guy, not this guy. His email inbox appreciates everyone's recognition of the difference.
Posted by at April 6, 2006 01:11 PM
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