June 01, 2007

6/1: Let's Pretend ...

Let's pretend the House Judiciary Cmte. tires of Monica Goodling and Co., and returns their attention to the NSA surveillance program. Article II powers aside, has anyone really made the case Pres. Bush didn't violate FISA? Wouldn't monitoring Americans phone records contra to federal law constitute a high crime or misdemeanor? And if articles of impeachment were drawn up, after the immigration debacle, who exactly would come to Bush's defense? Laura Ingraham? National Review? Conservative stalwart Ace of Spades sums up conservative sentiment: "Message To The Left: I'm not saying you should impeach him, I'm just sayin', you know, go with your hearts."

IMMIGRATION: It's So Over

Townhall's Hugh Hewitt ably sums up the state of the immigration debate from a conservative perspective: "The president's speech on Tuesday had the effect of throwing gas on the flames, and the anger has multiplied, and it isn't nativist in the least. ... Quick: Name one person who went from undecided or opposed to supporting since the bill was unveiled. ... Proponents have produced such a bad bill and marshalled such bad arguments that they have brought no one to their cause."

While we can't find a single conservative Bush and his allies have won over, their rhetoric on the motives of immigration bill opponents definitely energized the base:

• Instapundit: "There's a difference between disagreeing with your base and disrespecting it. And they've been very disrespectful to everyone who disagrees with them on this. Heck, I'm basically pro-immigration and I find the Administration's arguments for the bill sufficiently unpersuasive and insulting that I'm leaning against it on that basis alone."
• NRO's Mark Levin: "Does the president have any conservative domestic initiatives that he's actively pursuing? If so, I'd like to know what they are. Richard Nixon tried this when his ratings were low. It didn't work.... Today you disparage us for opposing a massive amnesty program that endangers our economy and national security. ... What's a conservative to do?
• an Andrew Sullivan emailer: "I'm a Two-Time Bush voter. In Pennsylvania in 2004 I voted for Pat Toomey. I voted straight Republican last fall. Now I want an "Impeach Bush" Bumper Sticker. You're right. It's the arrogance and condescension that finally gets to you."
• Ace of Spades: "Hey, President Bush? F**k off. You are going down in history in a neck-and-neck battle with Jimmy Carter as worst president of the twentieth century. ... Message To The Left: I'm not saying you should impeach him, I'm just sayin', you know, go with your hearts.
• NRO's Jim Geraghty: "Mr. President; if Reagan couldn't get enforcement after 1986, we're not that optimistic about your chances - and his administration's not-so-funny suggestion that the enforcement-first crowd wants the death penalty for illegal immigrants, and the utter arrogance and dismissal of deal critics and thinking... boy, maybe Bush Derangement Syndrome is a little more understandable?"
• a David Frum reader: "I voted twice for this man and his abdication of the most fundamental executive responsibility, to protect our country from foreign invasion, is cause for regret. ... I wish he were already gone."

Michelle Malkin was one of many to pick up on a Washington Timesstory reporting donations to the RNC have dropped 40% "due to anger over Beltway elite open-borders policies." Malkin quips: "Brilliant, Karl Rove! Keep insulting your base and maybe donations will drop by half by the end of the weekend." Also unhappy with WH attacks, IMAO parodies WH talking points on the bill: "Q. This isn't a racial issue. Many people think this bill will only encourage more illegal immigration and leave our borders open and dangerous. What are the answer to these charges? ... A. To answer your underlying question, I'm afraid the the President is against your proposal to commit genocide against Hispanics."

Jeb Bush and Ken Mehlman's WSJ op-ed insisting "Both of us have spent much of our professional lives working to help build the Republican Party. We believe this legislation will be good for the GOP. Hispanic Americans are natural Republicans" drew conservative scorn as well. RedState's Rob Bluey responds: "Does that argument sound familiar? The White House told conservatives the same thing in 2003 when Karl Rove and President Bush strong-armed Republicans in Congress into supporting the largest entitlement program since the days of LBJ's Great Society. The Medicare prescription drug bill, we were told, would guarantee Republicans the majority for decades. Three years later, the GOP was knocked out of power in Congress."

Also fact checking Bush/Mehlman claims, NRO's Heather MacDonald points out that no GOPer has won CA since '88 ... six years before the Prop. 187 initiative that Mehlman/Bush claim sunk the CA GOP. MacDonald adds: "In fact, California's transformation from "Reagan country" to labor-union country is the far more likely consequence of the growing Hispanic population per se and the corresponding outflow of white Republicans to other states."

IMMIGRATION II: Will The WSJ Be Honorable, Or Will They Cut And Run?

National Review's challenge to the Wall Street Journal to debate the merits of the immigration bill at a forum and with a moderator of WSJ's choosing drew wide conservative attention including:

• Power Line's Scott Johnson: "In addition to the question of civic instruction involved here, I think there is a question of honor raised as well. Surely the editors of the Journal will rise to the challenge. Right?"
• RCP Blog's Blake Dvorak: "Here's hoping the Journal's editors accept the challenge, not only for the spectator value involved, but also -- and more importantly -- because this is a debate worth having, certainly from the top conservative editors in the country. It recalls a time when many of the Right's most fervent battles were waged within the movement itself, battles that were at the same time exciting, smart and good for the country."
• Townhall's Hugh Hewitt: "I offer an entire show, pretaped if necessary for the convenience of the east coasters. Next Wednesday or Thursday anyone? ... I'd also invite Michael Medved to pose questions, and he's a supporter of the bill as written."
• Michelle Malkin: "Longtime readers of this blog know that the Wall Street Journal is notorious for refusing to acknowledge its factual errors in editorials about immigration policy and for tarring its opponents as anti-immigrant racists. Will they rise to NR's challenge or continue to smear amnesty opponents from the safety of their Manhattan offices? ... I'd pay to see that smackdown."

The Corner's Jonah Goldberg praises WSJ's James Taranto for his daily efforts at Best of the Web but notes that Tartanto failed to mention NRO's challenge to the WSJ at all, even though it was widely talked about. Goldberg goes on to thank the WSJ for publishing Peter Berkowitz recent op-ed "lambasting the left for its refusal to debate first principles while cheering the right for its eagerness to do exactly that" and then asks the WSJ to join NRO in "precisely the sort of debate conservatives take pride in."

DEM FIELD: Let The Man Sell Books In Peace!

MyDD's Chris Bowers declines to do another straw poll in favor of soliciting explanations for "why you are currently supporting whatever candidate you are currently supporting for President." Al Gore led the league in support among commentators; Barack Obama garnered the most cases in support, at least among declared candidates. A sampling:

• for Obama: "I think that he is the most talented Democratic politician since JFK. He has the personality and background to 1. solidify a long lasting Democratic majority, 2. bring the political center towards progressive values, 3. stop the boomer strangle hold on politics and 4. radically improve our relations with the rest of the world. And he can win against Hillary Clinton.
• for Chris Dodd: "I'm well aware he's not got a snowball's chance in hell as it stands, but just because northeastern liberals haven't done well electorally in the past two decades, doesn't mean that they aren't necessarily the best men for the job. I like his policies and his attempts at outreach, which are a lot less halting now than they were a few months back, and if he can pick up some netroots support it might give Edwards an added impetus to tack a little further to the left."
• for Clinton: "I support Senator Clinton. She has had unparalleled experience (having been in the White House 8 years, having been a legislator, and having worked in the justice system). ... I'm thoroughly convinced that she will restore America's greatness both economically and politically. Right now we need experience, pragmatism, and reasonable governance.
• for John Edwards: "John Edwards is the only candidate who offers real Progressive change. John Edwards has come out with detailed proposals for healthcare, fighting global warming and making us energy independent, leaving Iraq sanely, restoring rural communities, restoring our military after the disastrous Bush years, cutting waste in the Pentagon, and helping all Americans achieve a college degree. Those are just off the top of my head. There are many more."

DODD: Leading Left

Firedoglake's TeddySanFran thanks Chris Dodd for his 5/31 vlogging session and comments: "You may well know that I've made another choice for President in 2008, but I think this kind of Senate leadership needs our support and our help. We're past presidential politics on this. We need to turn the ship of state, and Senator Dodd's on the right path to do that. Please ask your Senator to join him." Crooks and LiarsNicole Belle adds: "Congratulations, Sen. Dodd. THIS is the kind of leadership that the rest of the Democrats ought to be showing."

TPM Cafe's Greg Sargent posts video of Dodd's new ads and asks: "Just as with his earlier ad on Iraq, Dodd clearly is trying to stake out ground as bolder, more radical and less fearful than his more cautious Dem rivals when it comes to advocating solutions to the biggest of the big problems. Of course, John Edwards has already planted a fair amount of his own flags on this turf, on topics ranging from Iraq to global warming to Internet availability. Can Dodd make inroads?"

EDWARDS: An WiFi For All

John Edwards letter to the FCC demanding net neutrality for the upcoming 700 megahertz spectrum drew wide positive reaction:

• TPM Cafe's Art Brodsky: "Most active legislators don't care about this stuff. Presidential candidates never do -- until now. The Obama campaign has a telecom policy advisory group, but even they haven't gone this far. ... What is also worthwhile is that it was the Edwards camp that contacted public-interest experts in the field for help. That shows an unusual awareness of a very important issue. ... In his letter, Edwards had it exactly right, and we congratulate him for that.
• Caliticsdday: "This is the "chicken in every pot" for the 21st century. ... Not only is Edwards asking that the principle of net neutrality be mandated for anyone who buys this spectrum (which is a big victory in and of itself), but he wants a significant portion to be used to wire America."
• Matthew Yglesias: "This is the kind of thing where the president winds up with a ton of latitude, so it's definitely nice to see a major candidate committing himself to sound views on this issue -- the business interest pressure pushing in bad directions here is intense."

EDWARDS II: So Many Stories To Choose From

Some netrooters find themselves in rare agreement with Bob Shrum's claims that Edwards comes out looking better under his version of the lead up to Edwards vote for the Iraq war. MyDD's Chris Bowers writes: "I don't actually find this passage to be a particularly damning characterization of his political instincts or lack of leadership. Rather, I think is shows how his decision to originally support the war in Iraq probably served as a useful object lesson for a politician still trying to find his comfort zone. ... Considering the many ways that Edwards has since bucked that same establishment--not firing McEwan and Marcotte, being the first to refuse a Fox News debate, publicly apologizing for his vote on Iraq, developing a populist, anti-corporate message--my belief is that Edwards learned from his past misplacement of trust in the Democratic establishment and the DLC, and has decided instead to trust his own, far more progressive instincts."

Matthew Yglesias agrees: "Chris' story ... is of a man with longstanding progressive instincts, who ran for Senate in North Carolina and fell in with some conventional wisdom about the need to position himself as a centrist to win the White House. This young Senator then failed in his quest to become Vice President, recognized that the war was a giant fiasco, and determined to spend his next years saying what he believed and hoping for the best. ... This seems like a reasonably plausible, reasonably appealing story. Interestingly, though, it's not the story the Edwards campaign tells."

OBAMA: Mandateless

The role of mandates is dominating discussion of Barack Obama's health-care plan. TAPPED's Ezra Klein picks up on Politico reporting showing Obama supported mandates before he was against them and speculates that "someone convinced the campaign that they'd be better off politically without a mandate." Fellow TAPPEDer Mark Schmitt dissents claiming "Traditionally, as Ezra well knows, the objection to mandates has come from the left, and it has come in primaries."

Klein responds: "So whatever the Left's "traditional" take on mandates may have been, it's hard to find evidence that they remain seriously controversial. And I'm quite sure that Obama intuited all this because, merely a year ago, when he was still but a hyper-popular liberal Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama channeled this conventional wisdom and called for...a mandate. Now that he's running for president, that approach has been jettisoned ... We can speculate about why that may be ... but it's hard to believe, particularly looking at the rest of his plan, that it came as part of a shift left."

Also defending Obama's mandateless approach:

• MyDD/Daily Kos' DemocraticLuntz: "Obama's plan doesn't require people to be covered. However, it does provide people an affordable way to get health insurance."
• MyDD's lovingj: "Critics assume that healthcare will become universal simply because of a mandate, however, auto insurance is a requirement as well and there a lot of people without it because they cannot afford it. On the other hand, if healthcare becomes affordable to all then it will become universal as result of being universally affordable. Most people do not have healthcare because they cannot afford it not because they were not forced to buy it."

OBAMA II: Bush Lite

Obama's Foreign Affairsarticle only reinforced Daily Kos' Jerome a Paris' worries, which were planted by Obama 4/23's address to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. Jerome blogs: "Let's cut to the chase: Barack Obama sees the world as a dangerous, scary place which requires a bigger and badder military than now, "aggressive diplomacy" and more American 'leadership.' ... Again, I'm sorry to say this, as I know it will bring me grief from many of you, but Obama sounds just like a hawk - maybe a more competent version of Bush."

More impressed with recent Obama revelations, MyDD's Chris Bowers recommends "Obama's Come To Jesus Moment" in the New York Times. Bowers blogs: "I am about as secular and generally irreligious as someone comes, but that Obama's connection to his faith arose in the context of left-wing activism and preaching somehow still makes me feel a personal connection with him."

OBAMA III: Reno 411

Reporting from the trail, Reno and Its DiscontentsMyrna Minx reviews Obama's World's Biggest Little City stop: "Obama was pretty good-but he's no Hillary Clinton in person, and no, that's not because he is not a Caucasian woman, she just out performs him in every way except wage and support of the war in Iraq. ... Obama is more charismatic on TV, Clinton less so. Why? Well, personally, I think it has something to do with the fact that he is a young, black man rather than an older white woman, but that's me."

More Minx: "Don't misunderstand me-I like Obama. I like that he is the latest dish, the new kid on the block, that he is thoughtful and intelligent, young and handsome, not to mention politically gifted. He'd probably make a fine president-hell-Tracy Morgan would make a better president than who we have now. But, I was not inspired. I'm not saying others weren't, but I wasn't. In a way, that is what makes Obama formidable-he symbolizes positive change simply by showing up."

Back in NH, BuckeyeStateBlog interviewed Obama's NH New Media Dir. Ethan Fletcher and explains why Obama won't make the same mistakes Howard Dean did in '04: "Exposing a fundamental flaw in Dean's field strategy, the NH and Iowa primaries showed that the Dean camp had not gotten a grasp on reliable, tangible indicators of his support. Dean hadn't evaluated his voters; he couldn't tell if Mrs. Marbury down the block was going to go cast a vote for him, or if he had gotten through to Jim Smathers at the barber shop. Come election nights in Iowa and NH, Deaniacs across the nation had their hearts broken Folks have taken a lesson from the Dean blunder."

RICHARDSON: Anti-Residue

Blue Hampshire's Dean Barker sat in a Bill Richardson conference call and quotes from Richardson:

• On the recent Iraq funding bill: "I'm disappointed in the Democratic Congress. ... They've been using the wrong tactic."
• On the upcoming debate: "The format is a very good one."
• On Iraq: "I don't advocate a residual force standing back."

BROWNBACK: Paris And Sam Together At Last

The Corner's John Derbyshire was no fan of Sam Brownback's New York Times op-ed on evolution: "Here is Sam Brownback talking about evolutionary biology. That's a bit like saying: "Here's Paris Hilton talking about partial differential equations"... from which you can deduce that I don't feel much inclined to offer a detailed critique of Brownback's position."

A Jonah Goldbergreader was even harsher: "The guy is just confused. He's not trying to steal a trick for the creationists. He just doesn't understand that there's a difference between rejecting macro-evolution and believing in a divine role in evolution. And the reason he doesn't understand it is that he's dumb."

MCCAIN: Branding Torture

SC's Daily Chaser reports that John McCain "has laid off another 3 South Carolina field reps" including Blake Montgomery and Brian Hawkins. DC adds: "Fallout from these firings could be intense."

Already frustrated from immigration fallout, McCain aide Patrick Hynes vents at Ankle Biting Pundits: "The GOP has already been branded for a generation. For better or worse the Republican Party is the Iraq War party that makes a fetish of torturing suspected terrorists and has made deporting illegal immigrants (which is what "enforce the laws we already have" really means, let's be honest) its number one priority.

ROMNEY: Everyone Hates Joe Klein

Townhall's Dean Barnett manages to turn Joe Kleincriticism of Mitt Romney into a Romney/Reagan comparison: "The point of Klein's article is that Mitt Romney rubs him the wrong way. There's really nothing more substantive there, or certainly nothing more substantive that you haven't already heard 8 million times before. ... Ronald Reagan got the same kind of relentless criticism from enlightened lefties for decades. The fact that Romney has emerged as the candidate who most irritates the left is an unmistakably good sign for his campaign. Liberals by nature loathe their opponents.

F. THOMPSON: How'd That Swann Candidacy Turn Out Again?

Fred Thompson love continues to pour in, including RedState's Pejman Yousefzadeh highlighting of a Cato item questioning Thompson's small government credentials. Pejman blogs: "Again, it ought to be noted that Thompson's support of McCain-Feingold is a black mark as far as small-government types are concerned, but one hopes that Thompson will travel the road to Damascus on that issue. As for his stance on other issues, it couldn't be better from the standpoint of most small-government conservatives."

RedState's Mark Kilmer is even more effusive: "I was excited at the beginning of 2007, when I began blogging Lynn Swann's campaign for Pennsylvania governor for RedState. I compare this to that not to compare the two candidates, but really because there is so much promise, so much potential. I am convinced that Fred Thompson will live up to that potential, and if I'm captured, I'll probably back him in July. Perhaps on the 4th."

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Pro Navel-Gazing

Bush '04 eCampaign Dir. Matt Turkresponds to Urban Elephants claims that "web folks" engage in too much "navel-gazing" since no one has yet "WON an election because of the Internet." Turk responds:

If you ask George Allen or Conrad Burns whether the Internet was responsible for their loss, they would likely reply in the affirmative. The macaca incident is certainly legendary for it's role in costing Allen a 16-point lead. Burns napping certainly didn't help convince voters the septuagenarian was up for 6 more years. If those two races were lost because of the Internet, it stands to reason that two candidates won because of it.

Prior to 2004, a lot of people said that about cable ad buys. In private conversations with operatives on the D-side, they tell me their people were entirely baffled by the amount Bush spent on cable. They only figured it out later. Look for them to spend a lot less on national buys and more on spot cable this year.
The fact is the Internet is another technology that people will adapt for political needs. The difference is the Internet is not a one-way medium. Trying to adapt not only to a new medium, but to a fundamentally different one, is our challenge.

LEST WE FORGET: Wheel Of Morality, Turn Turn Turn

Cracked's Ben Joseph identifies 15 (Painfully) Unforgettable Cartoon Theme Songs including:

• Transformers: Oh, don't act so shocked, you knew it was coming. Sure, the lyrics immortalize what we imagine was the greatest product pitch of the late twentieth century ("They're like robots! But, you know, in disguise"), but the music is atonal, screeching and forgettable. Half of the time the lyrics don't even fit. Especially enjoyable is when the songwriters try to squeeze the four syllables of "Decepticons" into a space where only one is available. So sorry, robo-fans. It was a great show, and an unbeatable idea, but amazingly crap-tastic composing.
• GI Joe: Oh man. America kicks SO MUCH ASS. Anybody who could watch this intro at age eight and think otherwise should have their pulse checked. Of course, four years at a pinko Northeastern academic institution with the ivory tower elite may have clouded our heads with words like "military industrial complex" and "jingoism", but what the hell do those Cobra-loving bleeding hearts know anyway? G. I. JOOOOOOOEE!
• Aniamacs: Had Tiny Toons been smarter, funnier and not a total affront to animated comedy everywhere, it would have been Animaniacs. The shining, redemptive realization of the writers of this and most every other quality show on this list was that kids aren't stupid - they're sharp enough to catch most jokes, and, unlike some people, may even grow up to be smart enough not to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. A mix of classic cartoon shtick and post-modern irony, how could you not love a show whose theme contains a reference to "pay or play contracts?"

Posted by Conn Carroll at June 1, 2007 12:41 PM