May 26, 2006
5/26: Get Away Day
5/25's Sen. vote set the stage for what should be a dissent-filled summer for the GOP over immigration. At least Pres. Bush was able to calm some righty blogger anger over Speaker Dennis Hastert's (R-IL) attack on the FBI raid. We'll see if the same can be said for lefty blogger anger directed at the Cong. Black Caucus.
IMMIGRATION: Bill Kristol Got Something Wrong?!?!
The Blogometer doesn't know about the GOP base, but Powerline does accurately sum up righty blogger sentiment here: "The Bush administration and Republican Senators have badly misjudged both the attitudes of most Republicans (and, of course, most Americans) toward illegal immigration, and the intensity of those views." Guest blogger Bob Cunningham goes on to elaborate: "Here's what they're missing, and it is the principal reason, in my opinion, WHY the anti-ILLEGAL forces are so upset -- and so powerful. It has to do with the bad faith, calculated deceit, Orwellian propaganda, dishonest sophistry, misdirection, arrogance, presumption, indifference to, and, indeed, contempt for the beliefs of huge numbers of ordinary Americans -- including LEGAL immigrants and Hispanic natives! - on the part of political/media elites. ...The ultimate retort of the immigration celebrationists - let us call it the "immigrants are good people" argument - is totally beside the point. It is an assertion that no one would disagree with, but it is also an argument that has NO internal LIMITING PRINCIPLE. There is, on its own terms, no non-arbitrary basis for excluding ANY ONE of the 6 billion non-Americans. Other than criminal disqualification, most of them, are, indeed "good people"....so what?"
Under the header "The Most Important Debate Of The Year" Michelle Malkin accuses Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) of playing the race card: "An extraordinary exchange just took place on the Senate floor. ...The questions are these: Who do we let into this country and how many? On one side of the debate: Democrat Sen. Jeff Bingaman of N.M. and Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama. On the other side, the blubbering open-borders duo of GOP Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Democrat Sen. Teddy Kennedy of Massachusetts. ...When Bingaman pointed out the need for prudence in opening the floodgates to unlimited numbers of low-skilled workers, both McCain and Kennedy pulled the race card. McCain's immediate response was to sputter that the "Chamber of Commerce, unions, and Hispanic groups" oppose the caps! McCain called it un-American to be selective about whom we let into this country. Yeah, he did."
Righty PoliPundit identifies "heroes who deserve your support in tough re-election battles in 2006" including: Allen (R-WA), Burns (R-MT), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Santorum (R-PA), Talent (R-MO). PoliPundit also ids "Traitors and agents of Mexico...One senator on the traitors list who would make a good example for conservatives to defeat in 2006 is Mike DeWine (R-OH). Please do not contribute to, volunteer for, vote for, or otherwise support DeWine in any way."
Ramesh Ponnuru at The Corner checks up on some Weekly Standard managing editor William Kristol predictions: "Senate Republicans voted 32-23 against the bill. I was interested in the breakdown among them as a test of William Kristol's argument that every Republican in a competitive state was with the president and McCain. Looking just at this year's tight races, the pro-bill side included DeWine and Chafee. The anti-bill side included Burns, Santorum, and Talent. (I don't consider Kyl or Allen vulnerable, but they were also anti-). This particular political argument seems to have been comprehensively disproved (which is not of course to say that Kristol's other arguments have).
Captain's Quarters doesn't see the bill surviving conference committee: "Complicated? It's ridiculous, and I doubt it will survive the conference committee. This bill reminds me of the BCRA, which not so coincidentally had one sponsor in common with this bill. Rather than just set up a streamlined normalization regime, the authors placed politics above common sense and created a bureaucracy that will cost American voters a fortune, and one that will probably go mostly unenforced as a result." Rich Lowry at The Corner agrees: "Chris Shays, Tom Davis, and Sue Kelly...are they all drooling, yahoo right-wingers? Of course not. But in the caricature of supporters of the Senate bill they must be, because they all are opposed to, or extremely skeptical, of "the path to citizenship," according to these Washington Times and Washington Post articles. All of them represent liberal to moderate congressional districts, and Shays and Davis are famously thoughtful (if often irritating to conservatives). If Bush doesn't have them, it looks really bad for him-perhaps impossible-in the House."
Expose the Left has audio of Rush Limbaugh's grilling of WH press sec. Tony Snow and summarizes: "Rush spent more than 25 of this 45 minutes with Snow grilling him on the White House's stance on the problem. Snow did not do a good job in defending what the White House would like to do, giving illegal immigrants amnesty after several benchmarks have been met. Snow also defended the so-called national ID card that would be used to track and identify illegals that have been granted temporary citizenship on their way to amnesty."
Lefty Jonathan Singer at MyDD sees opportunity in ex-Pres. Jimmy Carter's recent endorsement of Bush's plan: "I can already see the ad right now. Perhaps it was paid for by the Constitution Party, perhaps it was sponsored by the Minutemen, perhaps we never find out who put up the money for the spot. Cue stock footage of Jimmy Carter and George Bush shaking hands. (It would be better if they were hugging, but I'm assuming such footage doesn't exist). Snarky sounding announcer throws some of the tired conservative rhetoric at Jimmy Carter before slamming George W. Bush for aligning with Carter on immigration. The ad runs on Fox News and during the 700 Club -- prime viewing time for the nativist base of the GOP -- and more conservative voters end up staying at home on election day than in any other election in recent memory (even more so than in 2000 voters found out just days before the election about George W. Bush's DUIs)"
JEFFERSON: Ebony and Ivory
The Cong. Black Caucus-House Min. Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) fracas brought the CBC under lefty blogger fire. AMERICAblog: "Apparently the CBC thinks Pelosi is a racist because the criminal she wants out of her party happens to be black (no word on whether the CBC is therefore misogynist and racist since the Democrat they're picking on is a woman and white). In any case, it's rather interesting that I wrote last night about how the talk in town was that the CBC was corrupt as hell. And now this happens. Things that make you go hmmmm..." The News Blog agrees: "Look, I didn't like it when bloggers jumped all over McKinney on the word of the capitol police, who seem to have different standards for black congresswomen and drunk Irish Congressmen. But this is way different. ...If the CBC thinks people outside of the Hill gives a shit about Jefferson, they're insane. Black America has been plagued with corrupt leaders and they belong under the jail. When people lack resources and means, the last thing they need is someone sticking their hand out for payoffs. Taylor Marsh: "That said, what the CBC is doing today is revolting. The Congressional Black Caucus is gunning for Leader Nancy Pelosi, all because she called Jefferson out and asked him rightly to resign Ways and Means. Not only is Pelosi right on this one, but courageously so. That the CBC is circling the wagons around Jefferson is all about protecting political turf and has nothing to do with doing the right thing, which is ousting this man from the powerful Ways and Means committee. As for the Congressional Black Caucus, it's not a black and white issue. It's an issue of right and wrong."
The CBC was not without lefty defenders. The Carpetbagger Report: "On a certain level, the CBC is right to be concerned about a double standard. When Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.) came under fire, Pelosi did not ask him to resign. For that matter, it's hard to argue with the notion that Democratic leaders should, at a minimum, allow for a presumption of innocence when dealing with other Democrats." Democrats.com: "kos stands with Pelosi. So does Stoller. I stand with the Black Caucus. Why? ...I stand with the Black Caucus because its Members include some of the most progressive Members of Congress, period. Here is the breakdown of the House Progressive Caucus, which includes 27/43 of black members."
Kos points out that "a Dem majority would give CBC members up to five committee chairmainships including Ways and Means" and argues that "clean and honest government...transcends any racial, ethnic, religious, and yes, even partisan boundaries." Then he takes the opportunity to settle old scores: "Update: Jefferson, by the way, is a card-carrying member of the DLC. You know, the organization founded to take on the "entrenched interests" in DC." (Ed. note: 347 comments vast majority want Jefferson out, but still highly supportive of CBC...just not on this issue(not a lot of love for Pelosi either)"
DLC defender NewDonkey couldn't let that one go: "But I do have a small bone to pick with Kos...Kos' link was to an article in Human Events, of all things, that quoted Bruce Reed as favoring CAFTA, as did Jefferson. So what? As I've explained over and over, the DLC ain't got no membership cards. And what the hell does supporting CAFTA (which if I recall correctly, Kos himself said was defensible on the merits) have to do with taking bribes to peddle influence in Nigeria? The DLC has repeatedly and redundantly supported ethics rules and legislation tougher than anything that either party in Congress has seriously considered, along with public financing of congressional elections and an assault on corporate subsidies. Dislike the DLC all you want; it's a free country. But Bill Jefferson's apparent kleptomania has nothing to do with us, anymore than it has anything to do with the Democratic Party as a whole."
HASTERT: Is This Suit Over Before It Started?
Dales at RedState provides the perfect overview for the GOP side of the William Jefferson (D-LA) scandal: "It takes unbelievable creativity and motivation to turn a scandal involving bribes of a Democratic Congressman, with such sensational and media-friendly tidbits such as the money being hidden disguised as lasagna in the icebox, into a scandal about GOP leadership in the House trying to put itself above the law." Instapundit looks at Pres. Bush's sealing of the seized documents and wonders if there aren't darker forces involved: "Could Al Qaeda have slipped mind-altering drugs into the DC water supply? What's gotten into these people? Or has some sort of deal been cut? Whatever it is, I don't think I like it."Few are defending Hastert, but not everyone on the right hates Bush's foray into the issue. Captain's Quarters: "George Bush tossed a lifesaver to Denny Hastert and the rest of the imperial Congress today by temporarily sealing the evidence seized from the legislative offices of Rep. William Jefferson, the target of an FBI corruption investigation. Sealing the records gives both branches more time to work out their differences, Bush said, but made clear that prosecutors would eventually gain access to the material." Righty lawyer Orin Kerr is also cool with the move: "This has no legal effect, but is probably a pretty good idea to signal that folks should cool off for a bit."
Righty Pascoe's Blog wonders if Team Hastert hasn't already sunk their libel suit against ABC: "I'm not a lawyer. But I can't help but wonder how Hastert deputy chief of staff Mike Stokke's acknowledgement to Chicago Sun-Times reporter Lynn Sweet last night that he believed "ABC News got this from somewhere. I don't think they made this up" will play, legally? Wouldn't a public acknowledgement by a senior Hastert aide that he believes ABC News didn't make up the story undercut the legal argument offered by Hastert's lawyers?"
BUSH: No Minds Changed Here
Lefties were predictably unimpressed with Pres. Bush and PM Tony Blair's 5/25 presser. Mcjoan at DailyKos didn't see any actual contrition: "Love those non-apology apologies, as well as the refusal to admit culpability, much less responsibility for Mission Accomplished, for "bring 'em on," for torture and rendition. Hey, it's all just a big ol' misinterpretation." Steve Cobble at The Huffington Post managed to work in pretty much every other lefty take in this graph: "Tony Blair, aka "Bush's Poodle", came to Washington today to meet with his Iraq War co-conspirator. The wonderful Col. Ann Wright & Code Pink are going to be there outside the White House to greet him. Too bad, guys. You blew it with your lies, your macho rigidity, your taste for glory over morality. Your historical legacies are not going to be pleasant ones, and unlike LBJ, you won't even be seen as tormented by the traps you set for yourselves." Also with takes: The Left Coaster, The Democratic Daily, Oliver Willis, and Crooks and Liars has video.
Most righty attention was vacuumed up by immigration. Those that did comment focused on Respect PM George Galloway's assertion that an assassination of Tony Blair by a suicide bomber would be justified. Captain's Quarters, Right Wing Nut House, Done with Mirrors, Sister Toldjah, Blue Crab Boulevard, The American Thinker, and Decision'08 all picked up on the story.
Righties that did comment on the presser were impressed. Andrew Sullivan: "They were different men last night - for the first time dropping all pretense that their occupation of Iraq has gone in any way according to non-existent plan. And in a strange way, that helps them." Macsmind: "But the President hit a home run as far as I'm concerned. Should get a boost in the polls."
ELECTION'06: A Wisci Look
On the left marthature at DailyKos takes a detailed look at WI-08. A brief excerpt: "The National GOP has so much interest in this race they sent RNC chair Ken Mehlman to the District this past Friday night, where he duly praised far-right Republican state House Speaker John Gard as "a great candidate." The Democrats have 3 candidates in the race, and the primary is not til September 12. Below are some funding facts and analyses. ...Who will win? Fight to the mat, this one, lawyers, money, voting machines, accusations, smears, you name it. The longer the Democrats hold out before getting behind one candidate the worse it's going to be for them. Look for an update after June 30th for fundraising.
THOUGHT OF THE DAY: No Wonder We Don't Have A Flat Tax Yet
Intellectual property law professor Lawrence Lessig notes all too familiar developments in the Golden State: "In 2005, the state of California conducted an experiment. Hoping to make paying taxes easier, it launched a pilot program for people who were likely to file "simple returns." The state already had the payroll information some taxpayers needed to file their returns, so it filled out 50,000 of those forms for them. Praise for the program was generally over-the-top. ...Soon after ReadyReturn was launched, lobbyists from the tax-preparation industry began to pressure California lawmakers to abandon the innovation. Their opposition was not surprising: If figuring out your taxes were easy, why would anyone bother to hire H&R Block? If the government sends you a completed form, why buy TurboTax? ...But what is surprising is that their "arguments" are having an effect. ...In February, the California Republican caucus released a report highlighting its "concerns" about the program - for example, that an effort to make taxes more efficient "violates the proper role of government." Soon thereafter, a Republican state senator introduced a bill to stop the ReadyReturn program. ...Free markets aren't pro-business - they don't favor incumbent companies if upstarts do the job better. Competition is good wherever it comes from - even the government - so long as it lowers social costs and increases wealth. And efficiency is good regardless of who it might hurt; it is especially good if it hurts those who feed off inefficiency. Thus, lawyers are good, but a world that needed fewer of them would be much better. Doctors are great, but that's no argument against better health. And TurboTax is fantastic, but it shouldn't prevent the government from making paying taxes easier."
LEST WE FORGET: Al Gore Wins Another National Election!!!
The ecoEnquirer reports: " Al Gore, Jr. and Rachel Carson battled it out last night in the final American Climate Idol competition, with strong vocal performances on classic songs such as "Eve of Destruction" and "Free Bird". ... Both contestants have proven to be crowd pleasers, pouring their hearts and souls into their personal renditions of a variety of songs featuring environmental themes. ... But in the end, Al Gore emerged the victor. With over 66 million votes cast, more than any presidential candidate in an American election, Mr. Gore expressed great satisfaction with the win. "You know, most people don't realize I actually invented the hybrid car."
Posted by ereed at May 26, 2006 12:08 PM
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