September 22, 2006

9/22: The Issue No One's Talking About

Underneath the furor over detainee treatment, the House has moved swiftly on a number of pro-enforcement immigration policies wildly popular in the righty blogosphere. While there has been some lefty push back on the voter ID requirements passed 9/20, there's also a complete lack of a blogosphere presence for a pro-comprehensive immigration bill. Will the House's progress mute conservative efforts to use immigration as a voting motivator, or will eventual failure to move all of the bills through the Senate discourage conservatives from supporting Senate GOPers? Will righty bloggers/GOPers find a way to use the issue positively this fall?

The blogometer was wrong to use the word "terrorist" 9/20 when making the otherwise legitimate point that that bloggers can say things about candidates and campaigns that the candidates or campaigns can't. We're sorry for making the comparison and that folks focused on our poor choice of a word and not on the larger point we were attempting to make.

The Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum thinks it's "all well and good" that 9/21's WH/Senate deal on detainee treatment forbids "among other things like murder and rape," but notes that "the legislation also allows the president to unilaterally decide what's permissible below this threshold. And this threshold doesn't seem to prohibit, for example, stress positions, sleep deprivation, waterboarding, or hypothermia. Presumably, then, all of this stuff will continue."

Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo had this take: "The Senate, in this dance, becomes the United States 'rendering' prisoners to the executive for illicit torture much as the US renders folks to Syria and Egypt we when really want them to get the treatment." And also had unkind words for The Washington Post's David Broder: "I am simply dying to hear what Dean David Broder has to say about this torture compromise. In yesterday's paper he was positively rhapsodic about his prized Republican moderates channeling Thomas Jefferson and standing up to President Bush's lawless presidency. So where does he come out now that his 'independence party' has conceded most of the points of contention, folded abjectly and basically given up?

Righty bloggers offering opinions on the deal were mostly positive. Byron York at National Review Online "just got off the phone with a Senate source who sides with the McCain/Graham/Warner camp. "I think there is every reason for both sides to be happy," he said. The key part of the deal seems to be that Congress has defined "grave breaches" of the Geneva Conventions."

York also updated readers on a conference call with National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley where Hadley assured listeners "the program will go forward, and that the men and women who are asked to carry out that program will have clarity as to a legal standard, will have clear Congressional support, and will have legal protection."

National Review Online's Larry Kudlow offered a "Bravo Mr. Rangel" for the Dem stalwart's vociferous criticism of Venezuela Pres. Hugo Chavez. Kudlow adds: "This bipartisan show of support is a very good thing. It reminds me of that old, often forgotten American tradition of leaving politics at the water's edge." After Kathryn Jean Lopez noted Rangel's political motivations for denouncing Chavez, an NRO emailer responded: "Come on! Give him a break. If he's denouncing him for political reasons, who cares??? At least he's doing it."

Not all Dem polls shared in righty blogger admiration 9/21. Power Line's John Hinderaker linked to a Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) statement: "Let me put it this way, I can understand the frustration, ah, and the anger of certain people around the world because of George Bush's policies." Hinderaker comments: "One might have hoped that Hugo Chavez would be too visibly nuts to be embraced by even the most liberal of Democrats. Apparently not."

Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA) took to The Huffington Post to denounce GOPers for not focusing on the "whereabouts of Bin Laden and Zawahiri" and instead working on "something that isn't broken - the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)." Harman argues: "There is no evidence that FISA must be gutted to permit broad warrantless surveillance of Americans. Yet HR 5825, the White House/Heather Wilson bill that was reported out of committee yesterday, would do just that."

Chris Bowers at MyDD revisits Charlie Cook's observation that older political forecasters are generally predicting a Dem landslide this year while the younger set are more cautious. Boers looks at Pres. Bush approval numbers from 2002 and 2004 and notes there was no correlation between Bush's popularity and the success of GOP candidates. Bowers concludes: "As frustrating as it may be for our side this year, this isn't exactly the sort of evidence that makes one think macro factors play a large role in congressional elections."

Matt Lewis at Right Angle Blog looks at Bowers' post as well as the New Donkey's following thought:

This generation gap has been especially notable if you read progressive prognosticators, such as Chris Bowers or Kos. These are people who by and large are completely obsessed with the hope that Democrats will retake Congress. This is largely what they live for. Yet they are very reluctant to predict that their Ahab will indeed slay their Great White Whale.

Lewis comments: "Liberal bloggers are sort of journalists, but they are also activists. For this reason, even if they believe that the Dems will take the House, they also realize the negative political ramifications of "hyping" the Democrats chances. It is axiomatic in politics that you should "over-promise and under-achieve."

Still at MyDD, Chris Bowers looks at PoliticalMoneyLine numbers on NRCC and DCCC independent expenditures and concludes: "The DCCC dropped more than $1M yesterday, mostly on very top-tier districts where Democrats are already ahead according to available polling. The NRCC continues to focus on seemingly less top-tier districts. Is this another "fire-wall" strategy we are seeing from the NRCC, where they de-emphasize the top tier, concede several seats, aim to stop the bleeding in the second tier, and focus on preventing a national landslide?"

Under the header, "Meet the New Boss ..." TPM Muckraker looks at possible "Majority Leader in a Democratically controlled House" Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) record on pork spending and is not impressed: "Murtha ... presides over a tightly connected network of favored lobbyists, former staffers and major campaign contributors that bears a striking resemblance to those maintained by some of the tarnished Republicans he would likely replace."

Since "sending Dan Gerstein out to do spin control for your campaign is a lot like trying to change a diaper with a molotov cocktail. It doesn't do anything about the [excrement], and now everything's on fire!" TRex at firedoglake was ecstatic to learn that Gerstein had authored a press release on Kenneth Cain's article in GQ titled: "Harry Potter Reports from the Campaign Trail: FANTASY vs. REALITY" TRex then spends the rest of his post responding to Gerstein's release line by line.

Also at firedoglake, Jane Hamsher doesn't understand the strategy behind Sen. Joe Lieberman's (I-CT) new television ad touting his experience: "One of the most powerful and enduring myths of American politics is the honest, uncorruptable newcomer vs. the political hack, the Mr. Smith Goes to Washington tale. Ned Lamont's rather squeaky clean good-guy persona becomes even easier to tie to the Jimmy Stewart image as a direct result of Lieberman's efforts, and nobody screams "tired old hack" right now louder than Joe Lieberman."

Eric Kleefeld at TPM Cafe reports on new radio ads by the National Black Republican Association (NBRA) featuring: "a dialogue between two women who are apparently African American. Among other things, they tell each other that Democrats founded the Ku Klux Klan and that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Republican - a curious assertion immediately dismissed by King experts."

RedState has a podcast with Oakland Co. Sheriff Mike Bouchard (R) who "is taking on Senator Debbie Stabenow, a legislator with practically zero accomplishments under her belt. Senator Stabenow would be the Calvin Coolidge of Congress she's done so little, except she's voted consistently to expand government and protect illegal aliens.

Greg Sargent at TPM Cafe reports that at least 1 local MT TV station is refusing to air a DSCC ad featuring Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT) "now-notorious remark that firefighters did a "piss poor job" battling a Montana blaze" because the ad contains language from Burns that is "offensive" and may result in FEC fines.

Matt Stoller at MyDD has video from a NJ ABC 7 newscast from last night on Blue Jersey's accusation that state Sen. Tom Kean's (R) spokeswoman, Jill Hazelbaker, was behind "several troll comments" on their website's comment boards. In the segment, Kean denies any campaign involvement. Stoller comments: "I dislike the Kean family, because they are deeply unethical people. It's not a surprise to me that Kean Jr is a liar - his Dad was pushing the 9/11 documentary with known falsehoods."

Ex-Navy Sec. James Webb (D) Netroots Coordinator and Raising Kaine founder Lowell Feld reports from Alexandria, VA's "Torpedo Factory event with Mark Warner, Jim Webb and Don Beyer" that Webb primary opponent Harris Miller "gave an excellent, short speech" including the following joke: "I expected there would be a Jewish candidate for US Senate this year, I just didn't think it would be George Allen!"

Feld also runs down Warner's remarks including: "Warner related how, in late 2005, people were telling him, "no way you're going to have a credible candidate against George Allen." Well, now we've got one in Jim Webb. ... Jim Webb has the "energy," "ideas," and the "real sense of vision about where the country should head." That's a big part of why "people are energized about this campaign."

Over at Talking Points Memo, Justin Rood did the "dirty business but somebody's got to do" and tracked down the Council of Conservative Citizens' Gordon Baum for TPM Muckraker. Rood's interview post includes: "In general, however, Baum said the issue of Allen's Jewishness "confused" him. "Are they saying he's losing votes because he's part-Jewish?" I averred that I didn't know. He was disdainful. "All these white Southern Baptists in Virginia are going to vote for a liberal Democrat because [Allen] says he's Jewish? I don't think so."

On the right The A-Team's recent Webb attacks include:

• On Webb's Gulf War position: "On November 29, 1990 -- a mere 38 days before the start of the First Gulf War-that Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee paraded Webb before the cameras of their media allies in an effort to derail George H.W. Bush's plan to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein's brutal occupation. Webb did not disappoint his left wing handlers."
• On controversial Webb supporters: "[Webb] certainly ought not pretend that the media would ask him to comment if he were attending a conference together with people who have said offensive things. He's campaigned with one. He shared the stage with Rep. Jim 'if it weren't for the jews' Moran. The media asked Jim Webb nothing."
• On Webb's tenure as Navy sec: "It is interesting to see how many newspapers across the country used terms like "angry" and "upset" to describe Jim Webb back then. That does seem to be a persistent nature of his character."

Meanwhile, Greg Pollowitz at National Review Online linked Webb to Venezuela Pres. Hugo Chavez: "If Chavez had called the President the anti-Christ, would that have been less offensive than devil? I only ask because Jim Webb referred to his primary opponent, Harris Miller, as the anti-Christ of outsourcing."

Matt Stoller at MyDD passes along an email from atty Donna Edwards (D) that includes a transcript from a House Energy and Commerce Cmte meeting exchange between Rep. Al Wynn (D) and Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) suggesting "Texas know-how" was behind Wynn's narrow primary victory. Stoller comments: "Come on, it's time to speak up on this."

Jane Hamsher at firedoglake looks at 9/21'a New York Timesarticle reporting ex-VA Gov Mark Warner "has largely avoided Mr. Lamont, instead lending his name and fund-raising capabilities to races that are genuinely in play and have longer-term strategic value for the Democratic Party, like Representative Harold Ford Jr.'s bid for the Senate in Tennessee." Hamsher comments: "For someone who clearly wants to woo the blogosphere, it seems awfully short-sighted. In case anyone hasn't noticed, we care quite a bit about this race, pretty much across the board. All I can say is - if you don't want to show up now, that's fine. Don't come begging with your hat in your hand come 2008."

Conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt sat down with retiring Washington Post political correspondent Thomas Edsall. The audio is here and the transcript is here, which includes this Edsall quote: "And I agree that whatever you want to call it, mainstream media, presents itself as unbiased, when in fact, there are built into it, many biases, and they are overwhelmingly to the left."

Tom Bevan at RCP Blog notes that despite "the conventional wisdom that immigration was dead until at least after the November election" the Republicans have come to the conclusion that security-first immigration measures are critical to their reelection prospects this year." Bevan looks at the success of targeted non-comprehensive immigration bills and concludes: "The fact is, amnesty is a dirty word, and House Republicans have done a good job of framing "comprehensive reform" as amnesty, and also of linking illegal immigration to concerns about national security."

Kausfiles asks how "immigration soft-liners" can simultaneously claim a wall won't work while complaining about labor shortages due to current increased enforcement. Right Wing News reports on a immigration conference call with Reps. Roy Blunt (R-MO), Dan Lungren (R-CA) and Ed Royce (R-CA) in order to talk about illegal immigration.

Andrew Sullivan's surveys Iranian Pres. Mahmoud Ahamedinejad recent p.r. success and concludes: "And there is a chilling slickness to him that is as disturbing as it is obviously formidable. The way he deflected questions always back toward the U.S., the way he skillfully used every awkward moment to pivot to the themes his domestic and international audience want to hear, the very image of the informal, mild-mannered, quiet-spoken, constantly smiling serenity: all these represent a very, very capable politician. There is a complete self-assurance to him that suggests he can neither be trusted as a diplomatic partner nor under-estimated as a global foe."

Extreme Mortman noticed some similarities between Hugo Chavez's Pres. Bush as devil rhetoric and Albert Brooks line as Aaron Altman in "Broadcast News:"

I've never seen you like this about anyone, so please don't take it wrong when I tell you that I believe that Tom, while a very nice guy, is the Devil. What do you think the Devil is going to look like if he's around? Nobody is going to be taken in if he has a long, red, pointy tail. No, I'm semi-serious here. He will look attractive and he will be nice and helpful and he will get a job where he influences a great God-fearing nation and he will never do an evil thing ... he will just bit by little bit lower standards where they are important. Just coax along flash over substance ... Just a tiny bit. And he will talk about all of us really being salesmen. And he'll get all the great women.

Posted by Conn Carroll at September 22, 2006 12:35 PM