King Panders To Town Hall Bigots: Obama’s ‘A Marxist’ Who ‘Doesn’t Have An American Experience’
King Panders To Town Hall Bigots: Obama’s ‘A Marxist’ Who ‘Doesn’t Have An American Experience’
Rep. Steve King (R-IA) has long competed with Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) to be the most extreme member of Congress. At a town hall last week, King did his best to gain an edge.
Last month, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) hinted at impeaching President Obama for purportedly violating his oath of office by not completely securing the border. ThinkProgress caught up with Steve King to get his thoughts on the subject:
TP: I know you’ve been a real leader on the Republican side on the issue of immigration. Obviously a real hot-button issue right now. Do you think that if President Obama doesn’t do more to address illegal immigration and help stop it, that that would be a violation of his oath of office?
KING: Yes. He’s obligated to take care that the laws are faithfully enforced. And he’s essentially said he’s not going to do that. So you can argue that already it’s a violation of his oath of office.
King conceded that impeachment probably wouldn’t happen. However, when a nearby constituent called President Obama not just a “Marxist,” but a “Muslim Marxist,” King tacitly agreed. King went further, pandering to the town hall attendee and repeatedly saying that Obama “does not have an American experience”:
KING: I’ve just started to think about what we need to do and I have made this argument for a long time now that I am in the business of seeking to embarrass the administration into enforcing the law, particularly with regard to immigration.
BYSTANDING CONSTITUENT: He won’t do that. He’s a Marxist! He’s a Muslim Marxist.
KING: He’s at least a Marxist. And he surely understands the Muslim culture.
CONSTITUENT: He surely does. That’s where he grew up with, that’s his culture.
KING: He doesn’t have an American experience. He does not have an American experience.
CONSTITUENT: He didn’t grow up in America.
KING: Mmhmm.
Listen here:
In the past, King has compared Democrats to Pontius Pilate, accused Obama of racism, and described immigration as a “slow-motion Holocaust.” He may have outdone himself this time.
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Cato’s Pat Michaels admits 40 percent of funding comes from big oil.
In a telling exchange with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria yesterday, long-time polluter apologist Pat Michaels admitted that “40 percent” of his funding comes from the oil industry. Michaels, introduced as “a scientist who now works for the Cato Institute, the libertarian think tank that strongly opposes caps to carbon dioxide,” has promoted global warming denial for decades, funded by a network of oil and coal companies and their ideological allies. Michaels initially denied that he is funded by the petroleum industry, but backtracked under steady interrogation by Zakaria:
ZAKARIA: Let me ask you what people wonder about, advocates like you. They say —
MICHAELS: I’m advocating for efficiency.
ZAKARIA: Right. But people say that you’re advocating also for the current petroleum-based industry to stand pat, to stay as it is, and that a lot of your research is funded by these industries.
MICHAELS: Oh, no, no. First of all, what I’m saying is —
ZAKARIA: Well, is your research funded by these industries?
MICHAELS: Not largely. The fact of the matter is —
ZAKARIA: Can I ask you what percentage of your work is funded by the petroleum industry?
MICHAELS: I don’t know. 40 percent? I don’t know.
Watch it:
As the Wonk Room reports, Zakaria also calmly made a mockery of Michaels’ advocacy of doing nothing as the world burns, while fellow guest Jeffrey Sachs plainly described the “catastrophic planet” we are creating by burning billions of tons of fossil fuels every year.
Former Bush Adviser Mark McKinnon Rips GOP’s Stance On Mosque: ‘We’re Reinforcing Al Qaeda’s Message’
Former Bush Adviser Mark McKinnon Rips GOP’s Stance On Mosque: ‘We’re Reinforcing Al Qaeda’s Message’
On Morning Joe earlier today, a pair of leading Republicans — host Joe Scarborough and former Bush strategist Mark McKinnon — blasted the GOP for its xenophobic and unconstitutional stance against American Muslims’ right to build a new Islamic center in lower Manhattan.
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has claimed that the new Islamic center project “would be like putting a Nazi sign next to the Holocaust Museum.” Referencing that quote, Scarborough expressed angry disdain at Gingrich’s intolerance. “I don’t know where to begin,” Scarborough said. “To suggest that someone trying to build a tolerance center for moderate Muslims in New York is the equivalent of killing six million Jews is stunning to me.”
McKinnon then chimed in, arguing that the debate surrounding the Cordoba House project is contrary to his party’s principles. “We may get our membership [by the GOP] revoked,” McKinnon joked. “Screw ‘em,” Scarborough responded. McKinnon then said that the GOP’s stance is “reinforcing al Qaeda’s message”:
McKINNON: Usually Republicans are forthright in defending the Constitution. And here we are, reinforcing al Qaeda’s message that we’re at war with Muslims. So we’ve got this issue; then we’ve got the 14th Amendment issue, where Republicans are saying you’re not welcome here, when we were the architects of the 14th Amendment. So, I see a bad pattern where we’re headed as a Republican Party.
McKinnon said he believed President Obama has “done the right thing in stepping forward at this time on this issue.” He added, “Tolerance means tolerating things you don’t like, especially when you don’t like them. … I respect the President for making this move.” Watch it:
Writing in the Washington Post today, former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson — using Bush-era terminology — reinforced McKinnon’s view. “Those who want a president to assert that any mosque would defile the neighborhood near Ground Zero are asking him to undermine the war on terrorism. A war on Islam would make a war on terrorism impossible,” Gerson writes.
This morning, Scarborough remarked that when he first entered Congress in 1994, he was deemed to be some “crazy,” “right wing nut job” for his ideological views. He explained that, while he still holds “the same views,” he is “feeling further and further distant from the people who are running my party.”
ThinkFast: August 16, 2010
ThinkFast: August 16, 2010
The United Nations warned Monday that up to 3.5 million children in Pakistan were at risk from water-borne diseases due to the ravaging floods. The World Health Organization said it is preparing to deal with tens of thousands of potential cholera cases. UN chief Ban Ki-Moon called the disaster the worst he has ever witnessed.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) suggested yesterday that the GOP will try to make an election issue of the debate surrounding the new Islamic Center in lower Manhattan. In Florida, Democrats are criticizing the project. Alex Sink, the candidate for governor, said 9/11 families “are opposed to this project and I share their view.”
Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) said on ABC yesterday that all of the Bush tax cuts should be extended, including those for the wealthiest Americans. “Let’s leave tax policy as it is,” he said on the network. “Let’s not fiddle anymore.”
Americans for Prosperity, the lobbyist-run group that helped coordinate the Tea Parties, is launching a $4.1 million ad campaign “in 11 states and two dozen of the most competitive congressional races” today, “slamming ‘wasteful federal spending.’” The ads target 24 House seats, where all but one are held by Democrats; 17 are “incumbents seeking reelection.”
On Sunday in Arizona, hundreds of Tea Party activists converged in a desolate area near the Mexican border to demand tougher immigration restrictions. Several conservative lawmakers, talk-radio hosts, and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio spoke at the rally — and, according to the New York Times, organizers had to urge participants to leave firearms in their cars.
GOP strategist says RNC Chairman Michael Steele is a ‘disaster.’
GOP strategist says RNC Chairman Michael Steele is a ‘disaster.’
Michael Steele’s term as Republican National Committee Chairman has been riddled with controversial verbal missteps that have roused the scorn of his Republican colleagues. His most recent gaffe in mischaracterizing the Afghanistan war prompted an outcry among prominent Republicans who called for his ouster. Remarking on the appearance of “Shadow RNC” Chairman Ed Gillespie over Steele as the RNC mouthpiece, Face the Nation’s Bob Schieffer asked GOP strategist Ed Rollins today whether the GOP should “do something” about Steele. Rollins doubled-down on his dismissal of Steele’s efficacy, calling him a “disaster” who has “failed miserably” in his mission:
SCHIEFFER: But Ed Rollins, I want to ask you about this. I mean quite frankly, no offense to Ed Gillespie who I have been dealing with and know to be a good guy for years and years and years but he wouldn’t be here unless if the chairman of the Republican Party currently Michael Steele was willing to go on television. But he’s so immersed in controversy that he’s kind of in a bunker these days. Are Republicans going to have to do something about Michael Steele?
ROLLINS: Well, there’s no time. Obviously he’s been a disaster. You have three men on this show — not me, but the other three — who have all been party chairmen and very distinguished party chairmen. Michael Steele has failed miserably in the things you’re supposed to do — raise money and basically go out and articulate the message. It’s not going to matter though. In 11 weeks from now, what he says and does in the next 11 weeks is not going to matter.
Watch it:
Schieffer noted that Steele is in a “bunker these days.” While avoiding TV appearances, Steele is still making the rounds at RNC events to tout his success in “making Democrats sweat.” Despite the GOP rancor, Steele has vowed to stay put, exclaiming “I ain’t going nowhere.”
Gingrich, Bolton, Breitbart Team Up With Far-Right Muslim-Basher Geert Wilders For 9/11 Rally
Gingrich, Bolton, Breitbart Team Up With Far-Right Muslim-Basher Geert Wilders For 9/11 Rally
The right-wing group Stop Islamization of America (SIOA) has announced that it will be hosting a rally against the proposed Cordoba House Islamic community center on September 11.
The confirmed list of speakers includes former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, Andrew Breitbart, and, notably, the far-right Dutch Parliamentarian Geert Wilders. “Islam is not a religion, it’s an ideology,” Wilders told the Guardian in 2009, “the ideology of a retarded culture.”
In the past, Wilders’ extremism has been condemned by conservatives such as Bill Kristol, Charles Krauthammer, and even Glenn Beck, who called Wilders “fascist.” It’s a clear sign of how far the Republicans have shifted to the right and embraced Islamophobia as a political tool that movement figures like Gingrich, Bolton, and Breitbart now have no problem sharing a stage with Wilders.
Nadler Dismantles Right-Wing Arguments Against Mosque: ‘We Do Not Put The Bill Of Rights…Up To A Vote’
Nadler Dismantles Right-Wing Arguments Against Mosque: ‘We Do Not Put The Bill Of Rights…Up To A Vote’
This morning on CNN’s State of the Union, New York congressmen Jerrold Nadler (D) effectively dismantled the arguments of his fellow Empire State colleague Peter King (R), who has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the new Islamic center project in lower Manhattan.
King argued that, while he respects Muslims’ “right” to build a new center, “they should listen to public opinion” and “should voluntarily move the mosque away from Ground Zero.” Nadler, the chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, explained, “We do not put the Bill of Rights…to a vote. The reason we have a Bill of Rights is that you have your religious rights…whether majorities like you or not, frankly.”
Nadler then addressed the biggest fallacy of the right-wing argument: namely, that in their opposition to the Islamic center, they are ascribing collective guilt on all Muslims for the terrorist acts of 9/11:
NADLER: [W]hat they are saying essentially is how can you put a mosque there when, after all, Muslims attacked us on 9/11, and this is ripping open a wound? Well, the fallacy is that Al Qaida attacked us. Islam did not attack us. Islam, like Christianity, like Judaism, like other religions, has many different people, some of whom regard other adherents of the religion as heretics of one sort or another. It is only insensitive if you regard Islam as the culprit, as opposed to Al Qaida as the culprit. We were not attacked by all Muslims. And there were Muslims who were killed there, there were Muslims who were killed there. There were Muslims who ran in as first responders to help. And we cannot take any position like that.
Watch a compilation:
King — who has said he thinks there are “too many mosques in this country” and is an advocate of racially profiling all Muslims — claimed that he has been a defender of Islam. But, he added, the 9/11 attack “was carried out in the name of Islam,” and therefore, the new Islamic center would simply be rubbing “salt in the wounds.”
“[O]bjecting to this mosque would be as objectionable if you wouldn’t object to a church or a synagogue in the same place because that’s blaming all Islam and you can’t blame an entire religion,” Nadler explained. He then ticked through three prominent examples of GOP hypocrisy on the “Ground Zero mosque”:
1) Nadler: “One, there is a mosque in the Pentagon, which is also hallowed ground. No one objects to that.” [Link]
2) Nadler: “Second, the people who want to build this facility, which is partially a mosque and partially a community center, have a mosque a few blocks away from there, which no one has objected to.” [Link]
3) Nadler: “I would take the sincerity of many of the Republican critics of this…if they were supporting, as Peter is, but very few other Republicans are, the bill to give health care coverage to the 9/11 heroes and responders which all but 12 Republicans voted against in the House last week.” [Link]
Djou breaks with GOP on 14th Amendment: Don’t ‘start tinkering with this fundamental fabric of our union.’
Djou breaks with GOP on 14th Amendment: Don’t ‘start tinkering with this fundamental fabric of our union.’
In recent days, Republicans have been clamoring to alter the 14th Amendment, jumping onto a movement once relegated to the fringe of their party. Pushed by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), a number of leading Republicans have lent their support to the idea of revoking the right to birthright citizenship. But in an op-ed in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, Rep. Charles Djou (R-HI) called changing the amendment a “bad idea,” and warned his colleagues not to follow the path of Europe and enact xenophobic legislation:
I am the child of immigrants, a citizen by birth, and at age 39 I proudly placed my hand on the Bible and swore to protect our Constitution as a member of the U.S. Congress. My story is not unique. For more than 200 years our ancestors abandoned their homes and risked their lives to come here, work hard, and provide a better life for their families. The opportunity to do so is part of what makes our country the greatest on Earth.
I understand that our immigration system is broken and share the frustration of so many Americans with our porous borders. America needs comprehensive immigration reform; it is critical to our nation’s future. But it is simply unrealistic to believe that we can fix the problem by amending the Constitution.
Critics of birthright citizenship cite poll numbers and recent laws passed by European countries limiting citizenship. America is not Europe. Nor should we want to be. Europe has struggled for centuries with assimilating ethnic groups. By contrast, America’s unique melting pot of cultures and ethnicities has successfully assimilated new groups in far less time. This assimilation has made the whole nation stronger.
The 14th Amendment is one of the crowning achievements of the Republican Party. Following the Civil War, the 14th Amendment guaranteed due process for every person under the law and helped to reunite a fractured nation. It pains me to think that we may start tinkering with this fundamental fabric of our union.
Djou won his seat in a largely Democratic district with the help of national tea party groups, including the Tax Day Tea Party and American Liberty Alliance, but in a recent interview with ThinkProgress, Djou refused to call himself a tea party candidate.
Does Shadegg Think Social Security Is Unconstitutional?
Does Shadegg Think Social Security Is Unconstitutional?
Today in his weekly address, President Obama emphasized his commitment to strengthening the Social Security program, while warning Americans of the dangers of privatization. He said “some Republican leaders in Congress” are trying to “gamble your Social Security on Wall Street.” But looking more closely at their ideology, it appears some GOP members don’t even believe Social Security is legal.
In a video promoting one of his pet bills, Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) suggests that much of the federal budget violates the Constitution:
For too long, the federal government has acted without constitutional restraint. In doing so, it has created ineffective and costly programs and massive deficits year after year. [...]
American families across the nation are tightening their belts, and it’s time that Congress does the same. As Members of Congress, we need to make sure that we are only spending when we are authorized to do so. That’s why, every year since 1994, I’ve introduced the Enumerated Powers Act—this year its HR 405.
This measure would require that all bills introduced in the United States Congress include a statement setting forth the specific provision of the Constitution which gives the Congress the authority to enact that law.
Watch it:
Had Shadegg bothered to read the Constitution, he would know that his Enumerated Powers Act would do nothing whatsoever to affect the budget deficit. Article I of the Constitution gives Congress broad authority to “to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the United States” — a provision that leaves budgeting decisions almost entirely to the “judgment of Congress.”
Recently, however, a radical group of “tenther” conservatives have emerged who believe that the Constitution doesn’t actually mean what it says it means. Under the tenther view, Congress may only to advance goals that are specifically mentioned elsewhere in the Constitution. Thus, because the Constitution does not specifically mention “health care,” tenthers say that Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and the Affordable Care Act are all unconstitutional, and the uninsured can eat cake. Other laws that are suspect under tentherism include Social Security and possibly even the federal highway system and the G.I. Bill.
It’s possible that Shadegg is simply clueless — that he has no idea that the Constitution expressly authorizes every single big-ticket item in the federal budget. In light of tentherism’s growing popularity on the right, however, it is much more likely that Shadegg’s misguided view that constitutional lawyers can balance the budget stems not from a failure to read the Constitution, but from the fact that is he reading way too much quack constitutionalism produced by the tenther movement.
CNN Contributor Erickson Compares Building of Mosque To ‘Human Sacrifice’
CNN Contributor Erickson Compares Building of Mosque To ‘Human Sacrifice’
Reacting angrily to President Obama’s statement yesterday in support of the Cordoba House community center in lower Manhattan on the basis of religious freedom, blogger and CNN contributor Erick Erickson compared supporting the rights of Muslims to establish mosques in America to supporting “human sacrifice” by the Church of Satan. Erickson went on to suggest that the president’s interpretation of American religious freedom could also extend to support for “jihad”.
As the Guardian’s Michael Tomasky notes, the president’s support for the Cordoba House “is going to be demagogued to death in the next few days. The important part is going forward. Hang tough. Stand by the position. Don’t trim sails or add asterisks after Mitch McConnell or Dick Cheney or whomever says whatever hideous thing they’re going to say.”
By supporting the rights of an unpopular religious minority, President Obama is firmly within the bounds of America’s best traditions and values. The same can’t be said of those cultivating fear of Muslims for political gain.
Fox Hosts Agree With Obama’s Defense Of Mosque: ‘He Has To Stand Up For Our Constitution’
Fox Hosts Agree With Obama’s Defense Of Mosque: ‘He Has To Stand Up For Our Constitution’
Reacting to President Obama’s forceful defense of Muslims’ rights to build a new Islamic community center near Ground Zero, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) — who believes there are “too many mosques in this country” — said, “It is insensitive and uncaring for the Muslim community to build a mosque in the shadow of ground zero.” King’s statement underscores one of the least understood facts of the new project: there is already a mosque near Ground Zero.
Today, the New York Times reports on Masjid Manhattan (located four blocks from Ground Zero) and Masjid al-Farah (located 12 blocks from Ground Zero):
But what the two mosques have in common — besides the sense of celebration and camaraderie that comes at the beginning of Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, in which Muslims fast from sunup to sundown, give alms and focus on self-improvement — is that both have existed for decades, largely unnoticed, blocks from the World Trade Center site.
The Times goes on to note, “Both mosques — essentially one-room operations — routinely turn people away for lack of space.” And thus, the need for a new, larger location.
The unique aspect of the Cordoba House is not the mosque, but rather the fact it will “house a cultural centre, a 500-seat performing arts centre, culinary school, exhibition space, swimming pool, gym, basketball court, restaurant, library and art studios.” The vision of the project spearheaded by Imam Abdul Faisal Rauf is that it will function like the nearby Jewish-run cultural center, which had a role “in helping the Jewish community become part of mainstream America.” Rauf insists the facility “will serve as a YMCA-type community center for interfaith bridge-building.”
Obama’s defense of the mosque has found some support on the right. Former Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson said Obama’s comments were “ultimately the right thing to do,” adding, “Obama is correct that the way to marginalize radicalism is to respect the best traditions of Islam and protect the religious liberty of Muslim Americans.”
Even on Fox News this morning, the Fox & Friends weekend hosts all agreed that Obama is performing the job that’s required of him. “Obama has to stand up for religious freedom,” said co-host Alisyn Camerota. “He has to stand up for our Constitution,” co-host Dave Briggs offered, to which co-host Clayton Morris added, “That’s the job he gets…defend the Constitution.” Watch it:
American Foundation for Equal Rights urges Target to donate to anti-Prop. 8 movement.
American Foundation for Equal Rights urges Target to donate to anti-Prop. 8 movement.
Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel recently had to apologize to his employees and customers for donating $150,000 of company money to MN Forward, a political group supporting Republican Tom Emmer’s gubernatorial campaign. Part of the reason that the contribution was so controversial is that Emmer is extremely anti-LGBT rights, whereas Target has tried to present an LGBT-friendly image. Now, the American Foundation for Equal Rights, which has led the successful court case overturning Prop. 8 in California, is urging Steinhafel to donate to the effort in order to show Target’s true commitment to LGBT rights. ThinkProgress obtained the letter from AFER President Chad Griffin to Steinhafel:
Tom Emmer, as you are aware, holds positions (like opposing the freedom to marry) which conflict with Target’s long-standing history of championing gay and lesbian equality. Unfortunately, this contribution has the potential to overshadow that legacy, and alienate substantial numbers of consumers nationwide. [...]
I applaud your explicit reassurance that Target’s support of the LGBT community is unwavering, and that inclusiveness remains a core value of your company. I also appreciate your speedy apology for donating money to a group that supports an anti-equality candidate.
Direct and concrete support of our community is a clear way to underline that these words are not hollow, but deeply felt and sincere. A donation to our organization not only has the potential to help gays and lesbians in Minnesota, but across the country. Target’s support would come at a critical time for our case, as we prepare for the lengthy — and expensive — appeals process to the Circuit Court and eventually the Supreme Court.
Obama Speaks Out On Mosque Controversy: ‘Our Commitment To Religious Freedom Must Be Unshakeable’
Obama Speaks Out On Mosque Controversy: ‘Our Commitment To Religious Freedom Must Be Unshakeable’
Tonight, President Obama hosted an iftaar dinner at the White House — a feast marking the culmination of a day of fasting for practicing Muslims during the current Islamic calendar month of Ramadan. At remarks delivered at the dinner, Obama spoke out on the controversy surrounding the construction of a new Islamic center near the Ground Zero site, firmly siding in favor of the project:
OBAMA: Let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are. The writ of our Founders must endure.
Watch it:
From the moment he entered office, Obama has made a commitment to engaging in a more positive relationship with the Muslim world. During his inaugural address, Obama said, “To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect.” And later, in a speech in Cairo, Egypt, Obama added, “I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear.” But the right-wing antics against the construction of mosques, the disturbing instances of hate crimes against Muslims, and the rising tide of Islamophobia has served to frustrate the administration’s commitment to engage with the Muslim world.
So, Obama’s strenuous defense of the “Ground Zero mosque” tonight is significant not just in bolstering the credibility of his message to the Muslim world, but it also engages him directly in the political fight against far right extremists here at home who wish to erode the American values at stake in the fight over the mosque. Obama emphasized tonight that “our capacity to show not merely tolerance, but respect to those who are different from us” is an important marker of the distinction between us and the “nihilism” of terrorists. In other words, using language that perhaps Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin, and their fellow xenophobic cynics might be more comfortable with — the question is simple: Are you with us or against us?
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: ‘I’m disappointed and was blindsided’ by McCollum’s immigration bill.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen: ‘I’m disappointed and was blindsided’ by McCollum’s immigration bill.
Earlier this week, Florida Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum (R) unveiled a proposed immigration bill which many argue is “even tougher” than Arizona’s controversial immigration law, SB-1070. While McCollum likely believes his support of the bill will win him some votes, he has also sparked a backlash amongst several notable Latino members of the Florida Republican Party. Most notably, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). The Cuban-American U.S. congresswoman and co-chair of McCollum’s Statewide Hispanic Leadership Team was in disbelief and doesn’t think the anti-immigrant legislation will solve the state’s problems. The Miami Herald reports:
U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami, a co-chair of the team, said Thursday afternoon that she last spoke to the state attorney general on Tuesday — one day before he called a news conference in Orlando to unveil the bill with Republican legislators.
“I’m disappointed and was blindsided by Bill’s decision to promote this, and I encourage the candidates to focus on plans that will improve Florida’s economy, bring jobs to our state and jump-start our tourism,” Ros-Lehtinen said. “I fail to see how promotion of this issue will accomplish that, and I was taken aback.”
The Cuban-American congresswoman added: “Bill McCollum doesn’t owe me an explanation…but I would have liked to have known beforehand because I would have cautioned him to focus on other issues. Obsessing about this issue in the gubernatorial campaign means other issues are getting short shrift.”
When asked about McCollum’s latest move, a spokesperson for Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R-FL) simply stated, “He believes the best approach is for the federal government to deal with border security and immigration, and he hopes state efforts like Arizona are a wake-up call for Congress to get its act together.” Former Gov. Jeb Bush (R-FL) similarly distanced himself from McCollum’s proposal, stating that though he still supports McCollum, he “personally disagree[s] with him having to go that far.” The Wonk Room has more fallout from McCollum’s bill.
After Supporting Hearings On The 14th Amendment, McCain Backtracks: ‘I Certainly Don’t’ Support Repeal
After Supporting Hearings On The 14th Amendment, McCain Backtracks: ‘I Certainly Don’t’ Support Repeal
Last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) joined the growing movement within the GOP to reassess the 14th Amendment and its mandate that anyone born in the U.S. automatically be granted citizenship. “I support the concept of holding hearings” on the issue, McCain told reporters last Wednesday.
But just over a week later, McCain changed his tune, telling the AP, “I’m not requesting hearings,” and that he “certainly” doesn’t support changing the 14th Amendment:
“When I was asked … I said ‘Look, if senators want to have hearings then senators have hearings, that’s how the Senate works, but I’m not requesting hearings,’” McCain said in an interview Thursday. “I’m devoting all my efforts to getting the borders secure, and if you get the border secure than the difficulties and challenges with this issue of people coming across our border illegally to have children is dramatically reduced.” [...]
When asked directly if would support such an amendment, McCain said: “No. I mean, first of all we’d have to have hearings, we’d have to find out what the argument would be, but I certainly don’t at this time.”
As his record would have predicted, McCain is flipping on his position from last week, but he is actually heading back towards the more reasonable stance he used to hold. McCain used to be a leading advocate of a path to citizenship and comprehensive immigration reform, and expressed serious reservations about mass deportations.
Meanwhile, California’s GOP nominees for governor and Senate, Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina, respectively, bucked the trend within their party and both came out against changing the 14th Amendment, Politico reported today. “I don’t support changing the 14th Amendment,” Fiorina said, explaining it’s just “an emotional distraction.”
Fox News Ignores Laura Schlessinger’s Racist ‘N-Word’ Tirade
Fox News Ignores Laura Schlessinger’s Racist ‘N-Word’ Tirade
Yesterday, Media Matters posted audio and transcript of Dr. Laura Schlessinger’s racially-charged rant in which she, in her own words, “articulated the ‘n’ word all the way out — more than one time.” (11 times in five minutes, according to the Huffington Post.) Schlessinger’s tirade occurred earlier this week during a segment with an African-American caller, whom she said “had a chip on [her] shoulder.” She has since apologized for her remarks.
CNN’s Rick Sanchez was the first cable news host to pick up on the story, and the network has run four segments on it since. MSNBC reported on Schlessinger’s remarks twice already today. But how many segments has Fox News run? According to a ThinkProgress review of the network’s coverage, zero.
Why has Fox News ignored the story? Perhaps because Schlessinger is a regular guest on the network. Just last year, Sean Hannity hosted the right wing radio host to promote her new book.
The caller -- a black woman -- is in an interracial marriage with a white man, and is increasingly frustrated with the racist jokes and comments made by her husband's friends and family. [...] To recap: Dr. Laura immediately dismisses her caller's problems, uses a racist joke to prove her non-racism, insists that black people voted for Obama over nothing but racial solidarity (as if pre-Obama, African Americans never voted for Democrats), strongly resents the fact that "black guys" can use the N-word but she can't, and declares that "if you're that hypersensitive about color and don't have a sense of humor, don't marry outside of your race." Dr. Laura isn't known for her sensitivity, but this is an impressive display of raw racial resentment.
Sharron Angle Claims United Nations Is Unconstitutional
Sharron Angle Claims United Nations Is Unconstitutional
In a recent interview with a local TV station, Nevada Republican Senate candidate Sharron Angle claimed that it is unconstitutional for the United States to remain in the United Nations:
ANGLE: The United Nations resides on our soil and costs us money. We are – I don’t see any place in the Constitution — in those eight priorities — about the United Nations. So when we start talking about cutting programs, 5-percent per year, I think the United Nations fits into that category, yes.
Watch it:
Angle might want to actually read the Constitution before she starts talking about what’s in it. Article II of the Constitution provides that the president “shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur.” That is why the United States may belong to treaty organizations such as the UN. President Truman entered into the treaty which creates the UN, and the Senate ratified that treaty.
Although Angle’s assault on the constitutionality of the UN appears to be her own unique delusion, she is hardly alone among Republicans in asserting crankish theories of the Constitution. Indeed, the GOP is increasingly captured by radicals who think that Medicare, Social Security, the Affordable Care Act, the minimum wage, the federal ban on whites only lunch counters and federal laws regulating child labor are all unconstitutional, or that the Constitution’s most basic protections should be repealed.
ACORN Smear Artist James O’Keefe Unwittingly Admits He’s A Hack: What I Do Is ‘The Nadir Of Morality’
ACORN Smear Artist James O’Keefe Unwittingly Admits He’s A Hack: What I Do Is ‘The Nadir Of Morality’
After a brief hiatus due to his brush with felony charges, right-wing smear artist James O’Keefe has returned with a new campaign targeting Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA). With the backing of right-wing media mogul Andrew Breitbart, O’Keefe has made a name for himself as a capable hoaxer, creating misleadingly-edited videos of his undercover investigations into ACORN, which led to the group’s demise. ACORN was eventually vindicated on all charges, after officials discovered that O’Keefe and his compatriots edited the videos “to meet their agenda,” as the Brooklyn DA said.
Despite his dubious ethics — he pled guilty in May to entering federal property under false pretenses — O’Keefe maintains that he is a legitimate journalist. And in a recent speech at Mount St. Mary’s University, O’Keefe tried to vouch for the morality of his work, but unwittingly undermined his point:
O’KEEFE: I can’t get to the point where they finally admit to me that I’ve gone too far. And then they say that this is immoral. How is this immoral? Beloch has said that salaried — shouldn’t public servants should be perpetually watched, be kept under control, be suspicious? I think this is the nadir of morality. I think this is the most moral thing you could possibly do.
Watch it:
Nadir, of course, means “the lowest point.” What O’Keefe probably meant to say is “zenith,” which means “highest.”
O’Keefe also recently launched Project Veritas, which will provide “research, filming and production” for his smear campaigns. Apparently, O’Keefe is expecting to have his ethics challenged in court once again as, “Another important aspect of Project Veritas is the free, legal assistance for when and if Veritas journalists’ hard-hitting stories land them in court.”
White supremacist seeks election to a California school board.
White supremacist seeks election to a California school board.
Joining other neo-Nazis who are attempting to go mainstream, retired school teacher and self-professed white supremacist Dan Schruender is seeking election to the Rialto Unified School Board in San Bernardino County, California. While announcing his campaign last Tuesday on his Aryan Nations blog, Schruender claimed that he “would not let his ideology affect his policy-making if he were elected to a district” of more than 27,500 students that is 75 percent Latino and 15 percent African-American. Schruender has previously admitted to dropping “racist fliers” around the neighborhood:
In April, Schruender, who at the time identified himself as Dan Collins, said he delivers racist fliers to Rialto neighborhoods to let people know that the white race is not “going to go out with a whimper.”
Some of the fliers invited residents to honor Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Others used racial epithets to describe blacks and Latinos while saying “happy Easter to all you … from your friends at the Aryan Nations.”
Schruender insists that the Aryan Nations group is not behind his candidacy, blaming any controversy over his candidacy on the “hatchet job” of “the Jew Media.” That post along with his other recent blog posts, including ones titled “WHITE children being DEPORTED – despite being BORN on US soil” and “Smurfs: Aryan Puppets or Harmless Cartoon Toys,” suggest a continued commitment to white supremacy efforts. His opponent, John Kazalunas, bluntly reminded voters of the need to scrutinize the candidates, adding “if anybody votes for [Schruender], they’re crazy.”
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