[Posted by Karl] As usual, you are positively encouraged to engage in sockpuppetry in this thread. The usual rules apply. Please, be sure to switch back to your regular handle when commenting on other threads. I have made that mistake myself. Any discussion that is not funny where people want to get angry at each other is are strictly prohibited . Offending comments will be summarily deleted and the violators flogged. And remember: the worst sin you can commit on this thread is not being funny. — Liberals, when not spending your money, are kind of a cheap date , aren’t they? President Obama declared his personal support for same-sex marriage yesterday, but the White House chose not to push for the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act today. “Well, party platform issues are for the party to decide,” White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said when asked if Obama would call for the repeal of DOMA and endorsement of pro-gay marriage language in the party platform. Gutsy call! Not to mention incoherent, although Jonathan H. Adler notes it: The problem with the President’s position is that it cannot be reconciled with the Administration’s stance on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act. According to Attorney General Eric Holder , he and the President concluded that the constitutionality of legal distinctions based upon sexual preference cannot be defended. In their view, because DOMA precludes federal recognition of same-sex marriages, it violates the constitutional guarantee of equal protection under the Fifth Amendment. Further, according to Holder’s statement, they concluded that no “reasonable” constitutional argument could be made in DOMA’s defense. Yet if DOMA is unconstitutional under equal protection, which applies to the state and federal governments equally, then how could any state law barring recognition of same-sex marriages survive constitutional scrutiny? Now, legal types can be more nuanced about this, but you can be sure the folks swooning over Obama’s announcement of his personal opinion are not. And given that Obama’s opinion is that states should decide, I again wonder how the folks who think recognizing same sex marriage (and gay rights generally) to be the preeminent civil rights issue of the day embrace Obama’s embrace of states’ rights. After all, they would never accept that position regarding interracial marriage would they? If Obama took that position… maybe . –Karl
Read the original here:
Sockpuppet Friday (DOMA arigato, President Obama edition)
Rep. Darrell Issa released a draft resolution accusing Attorney General Eric Holder of contempt of Congress for allegedly not cooperating with the congressional probe of the Fast and Furious gun-trafficking operation. Continued here: House Resolution Accuses Holder of Contempt
More here:
House Resolution Accuses Holder of Contempt
The candidates for U.S. Senate in Nebraska had a debate the other night. When asked to name a mistake they’ve made in their adult life, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning was the only candidate who couldn’t think of one. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes. I think if you ask my wife she could tell you that,” he said. “There’s so many it’s hard to put my finger on just one.” Since Jon Bruning can’t think of one mistake, here’s a list so Nebraska Republicans know about the record he’s trying so hard to hide. Bruning Supported Universal Healthcare: “The best direction for the future includes a government sponsored basic health care plan for all Americans. … Our present system borders on socialized medicine anyway, with the government paying 42 percent of all health care costs under the guise of various programs…. If we want the best, we had better be prepared to pay for it.” Bruning Praised Obama’s Stimulus Funding: “The additional support is important to maintain the quality of life we enjoy in our state.” Bruning Funded His Office With Obama Stimulus Money: “I would have voted against the stimulus and TARP (the bailout of financial institutions),” Bruning said during a press conference announcing the Tea Party Express’s endorsement last year. However, Bruning’s office has been awarded more than a million dollars in stimulus dollars through six grants. Bruning Supported Higher Gas Taxes and Social Security Taxes: “A 50 cent increase in the gas tax, which would raise about $50 billion in revenue would probably cost each driver about $300 a year. … Increase the tax on Social Security benefits. Only 18 percent of those people who receive benefits would be affected if the tax were raised for individuals earning more that $25,000 or couples earning more than $32,000.” Bruning Supported Higher Sales Taxes and Property Taxes: “Johanns said lawmakers had voted for a “double hit” to taxpayers. Not only did senators vote to raise the sales tax, he said, they in effect raised property taxes because the bill also would permit schools to exceed state spending limits to improve teacher pay.” Bruning Lobbied the Senate to Confirm Eric Holder: Bruning signed a letter stating, “We believe that Mr. Holder has the knowledge and experience necessary to run the Department of Justice and work with us to enforce our laws.” Bruning Lobbied the Senate to Confirm Thomas Perez: Bruning supported radical attorney Thomas Perez who is now leading the Department of Justice’s lawsuit against Texas’ voter ID law. Bruning stated, “[Perez] is a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer whose breadth and depth of experience make him an ideal choice to lead the Civil Rights Division, .. [w]e are confident that Mr. Perez would be an exceptional Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division and urge you to consider his nomination.” Bruning Requested an Earmark from Senator Ben Nelson: “In the wake of a fundraising appeal by Attorney General Jon Bruning attacking Sen. Ben Nelson for his support of appropriations earmarks, Nelson promptly pointed to a $500,000 federal earmark that he said Bruning requested and accepted in fiscal 2009.” Bruning Supported Abortion: “I think a woman should have a right to choose. I’m not saying I personally believe in abortion, but I think a woman has a right to decide what to do with her own body. Personally, I think life begins in the tenth week of gestation upon the inception of brain waves in the fetus. Regardless, I don’t want the government making this decision for women.” Bruning Backed Gun Control: “I believe in gun control. … Many types of handguns and ammunition, however, need to be regulated.” Bruning Wanted to Force the Boy Scouts to Accept Homosexuals: “I believe homosexuals should have the same rights as everyone else. They ought to be able to be Boy Scout leaders, soldiers and anything else they want to be.” Bruning Opposed Reagan’s Economic Policy and Personally Attacked Him: “I would love to persuade you that trickle-down economics was a farce or that Ronald Reagan was incapable of understanding complex policy arguments.” Bruning Supported Affirmative Action: “I believe in affirmative action. If a woman or a black person takes the place of a white male in a law school entering class, we’re all better off.” Bruning Supported Massive Increases in Education Spending: Buying into the canard that public schools fail because they don’t have enough money, during his 2000 campaign for the Unicameral Bruning pledged to: “Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure). Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.” Bruning Supported Race-based Admissions at Colleges and Universities: When he was running for the Unicameral, Project Vote Smart asked “Which of the following state agencies should take race and sex into account when making employment decisions?” Bruning only replied NO for “Public Employment” and “State Contracting” leaving “College and University Admissions” blank indicating his continued support for race based admissions in Nebraska. Bruning Supported a Two Dollar Increase in Car Taxes: “Bruning is asking the Legislature for a $2 increase in vehicle title fees to replace federal grant funds for drug prosecution that are in jeopardy and help fund seven additional methamphetamine prosecutors in the Attorney General’s office.” Bruning Waived a Company’s Settlement, Accepted Their Campaign Contributions, and Then Bought a Vacation Home With the Company’s President: “According to OpenSecrets.org, Nelnet employees have contributed $12,900 to Bruning’s Senate campaign, making the company his ninth largest contributor.” … “In the summer of 2007, Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning waived a $1 million settlement reached with a student loan company accused of improper business practices. … A year after the controversy, Bruning and two top Nelnet executives purchased a $675,000 house together near the Platte River.” This list of Jon Bruning’s mistakes is just the beginning. There are many more. The May 15 primary is less than two weeks away. It’s time for conservatives to unite behind Don Stenberg.
See original here:
Jon Bruning Loves Eric Holder. Ronald Reagan and the Boy Scouts? Not Exactly.
In terms of iconography this photo is destined to rival that taken of FDR on D-Day.* With some trying to turn bin Laden’s death into a campaign talking point for Obama’s reelection, it is useful to remember that the trail to bin Laden started in a CIA black site — all of which Obama ordered closed, forever, on the second full day of his administration — and stemmed from information obtained from hardened terrorists who agreed to tell us some (but not all) of what they knew after undergoing harsh but legal interrogation methods. Obama banned those methods on Jan. 22, 2009. – Jose A. Rodriguez The Washington Post, The path to bin Laden’s death didn’t start with Obama Any doubt that Barack Obama is a small, petty, and inconsequential human was dispelled last week when his campaign released an ad claiming credit for the killing of Osama bin Laden portraying the decision to order a raid to do something to bin Laden ( we aren’t quite sure what his intent was based on the directive issued by the White House ) was a some kind of watershed moment in American history. As was noted then , the video is notable for being narrated by the guy who allowed bin Laden to rise to prominence and insinuating that Mitt Romney would not have ordered the raid. Undeterred by the criticism received, even by the likes of Arianna Huffington , Obama decided to double down in a press conference yesterday: Continued the president, “I said that I’d go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggest they’d do something else, then I’d go ahead and let them explain it.” The article then helpfully points out some context for Romney’s statement. Romney, incidentally, was hardly the only politician taking issue with then-Senator Obama’s comments about Pakistan. Then-Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, called the remarks “irresponsible and frankly naive” in an interview with Iowa’s Quad City Times, and then-Senator Joe Biden, D-Del., said “the last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan that we are about to violate their sovereignty.” So, presumably, the Secretary of State and Vice President have been called to account for their opinions as well. Unfortunately, Obama using the accomplishments of the U.S. military for personal political gain seems to be part of his make up. When Navy SEAL snipers whacked three hapless part-time Somali pirates, Obama was, according to his fluffers, there on the quarterdeck picking out the targets. The new ad could lead you to believe that he personally fast-roped into the Abbottabad compound and killed bin Laden for all the mention that is made of the men who actually did the job. ( Former Attorney General Michael Mukasey , writing in today’s Wall Street Journal, describes how other presidents have handled similar situations.) The fact is that Mitt Romney was right , even Jimmy Carter would have made this call. In fact, Jimmy Carter made a much tougher call during Operation EAGLE CLAW . Or as one former Navy SEAL told the Daily Mail : “The decision was a no brainer. I applaud him for making it but I would not overly pat myself on the back for making the right call. I think every president would have done the same.” And despite bin Laden enabler Bill Clinton’s statements, there was no political downside risk for Obama whatsoever. Jimmy Carter actually got a 4 point bump in his approval rating , though admittedly a short-lived bump, in the aftermath of the disastrous raid into Iran. Had the compound been empty, Obama would still have gained some credit for continuing the pursuit. So now we have the sorry spectacle of the President of the United States, as our economy and international prestige circle the crapper, reduced to basing his reelection hopes on the death of a strategically irrelevant fugitive in Pakistan. A man so small that he can’t be bothered to mention the skill of our troops or intelligence agencies in his orgy of self-congratulation. *Like all of my good lines, I stole this one from Dan McLaughlin.
Originally posted here:
Barack Obama: A Legend In His Own Mind
A decidely groggy, unwell-looking Matthew Owens, victim of a beating nine days ago in Mobile, AL, had finally been released from the hospital — but less than 90 minutes ago he was
