A Method in the Madness
A Method in the Madness
Those who have heard about the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act — which just passed the House and received an endorsement from President Bush — may wonder how the bill muscled its way through with such glaring problems. Rep. Louise Slaughter (D-NY) provided a possible reason: Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and his staff apparently perverted the captions of five amendments in order to “distort their meaning and intent.” You are likely to see a pattern to his strategy…
Original Amendment: A Nadler amendment allows an adult who could be prosecuted under the bill to go to a Federal district court and seek a waiver to the state’s parental notice laws if this remedy is not available in the state court.
Sensenbrenner’s Translation: Mr. Nadler offered an amendment that would have created an additional layer of Federal court review that could be used by sexual predators to escape conviction under the bill.
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Original Amendment: A Nadler amendment to exempt a grandparent or adult sibling from the criminal and civil provisions in the bill.
Sensenbrenner’s Translation: Mr. Nadler offered an amendment that would have exempted sexual predators from prosecution under the bill if they were grandparents or adult siblings of a minor. More »
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ThinkProgress Caption Contest
ThinkProgress Caption Contest
We’re just not sure what to think…
UPDATE: Quick! Someone tell Secretary Rumsfeld that Cap’n America is a friend of the terrorists!
Bush Redefines “Better Off”
Bush Redefines “Better Off”
Last night, President Bush talked about cutting Social Security benefits for “people who are better off.” Who are these people? Bush adopted a proposal created by a guy named Richard Posen called “progressive price indexing.” That proposal would cut benefits for everyone except “the bottom 30 percent of earners, or those who make less than about $20,000 currently.”
So now people who “are better off” are defined as anyone earning over $20,000 a year. This is a dramatic change from the rhetoric Bush used to promote his tax cuts. A 3/8/01 White House fact sheet entitled “President’s Tax Relief Plan Gives Greatest Relief to Lowest Income Taxpayers,” touts that the “share of income taxes paid is reduced for all income groups below $100,000 in income.”
So to sell his tax cuts, Bush implied that anything under $100,000 was “low income.” Now, to sell his Social Security package, anything over $20,000 is “better off.”
“The Grandmother Incarceration Act”
“The Grandmother Incarceration Act”
President Bush, “who comments on only a small fraction of bills that pass either chamber [of Congress],” took the rare step of endorsing the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act and urging the Senate to take up the bill. The legislation would make it a “federal crime — complete with possible fines and jail sentences — for doctors or other adults to help patients under 18 evade parental-notification requirements by crossing state lines for an abortion.” The right’s reflexive reaction to anyone in opposition of this bill is to echo the same words that they used to champion the bill: it is a “recognition of parental authority.” But courtesy of the ACLU, here are just a few of the very justified concerns about the legislation:
No Exceptions: The bill “does not contain any exception whatsoever for when an abortion is necessary to protect a young woman’s health. It thus bars a teen from obtaining a medically necessary abortion unless she is able to comply with the bill’s tangled requirements.” [For understandable reasons, the Supreme Court established a precedent that "any parental restriction on abortion must contain an exception to protect the health of a minor." Again, this bill contains no such exception.]
No Exceptions, Part Two: The bill would make it a federal crime for any person other than a parent to “help a teen cross certain state lines for an abortion.” There is no exception for other family members — aunts and uncles, siblings, or grandparents — social workers, nor clergy members.
The Fake Exception: The bill provides “no safety net for the most vulnerable teens.” Its so-called exception for “teen victims of certain forms of abuse only applies if the young woman ‘declares in a signed written statement that she is the victim of abuse,’” even though many abuse victims are too ashamed or scared to do such a thing. Even then, the “bill requires the doctor to notify the authorities of the abuse before the abortion is performed,” which still leaves the teen in the bind of her parents discovering the abortion.
“Recognition of parental authority”…unless they’re wrong: “The bill requires a 24-hour waiting period and written notification, with no medical emergency exception, even if a parent accompanies his or her daughter to an out-of-state abortion provider and consents to the abortion services.”
LuntzWatch: Bush Press Conference Loaded with LuntzSpeak
LuntzWatch: Bush Press Conference Loaded with LuntzSpeak
Over at TomPaine.com, Frank O’Donnell notes that President Bush “has obviously been well-coached on the Luntz language, as evidenced by last night’s performance.” O’Donnell documents several instances where Bush’s remarks on energy policy mirrored the deceptive talking points found in Luntz’s latest briefing book.
But the right-wing strategist’s Orwellian fingerprints could be found on much more than Bush’s energy talk. His remarks on Social Security were also infused with spin from Luntz’s “Social Security Step Language Ladder.”
Luntz recommendation: “To achieve ‘generation fairness,’ we have a responsibility to save Social Security RIGHT NOW so that our children and generations to come receive the same benefits we have enjoyed.”
Bush: “As a matter of fairness, I propose that future generations receive benefits equal to or greater than the benefits today’s seniors get.”Luntz: “Improving our Social Security system CANNOT be a partisan issue. We must all work together and put the partisan bickering behind us.”
Bush: “Too often the temptation in Washington is to look at a major issue only in terms of whether it gives one political party an advantage over the other. Social Security is too important for politics as usual.”Luntz: “Current and near retirees must KNOW their benefits are secure. … You must reassure them their benefits will be there when they retire, and MOST IMPORTANTLY will not be reduced by this proposal.”
Bush: “As we fix Social Security, some things won’t change. Seniors and people with disabilities will get their checks. All Americans born before 1950 will receive the full benefits.”Luntz: “It would be easier to turn away and leave the tough decisions to others down the road. But we do things in life not because they are easy but because they are necessary — no matter bow hard they are. And delay just makes the solution more difficult and costly.”
Bush: “People will say, You didn’t need to bring this up, Mr. President; it may cost you politically. I don’t think so. I think the American people appreciate somebody bringing up tough issues, particularly when they understand the stakes. The system goes broke in 2041. In 2027, for those listening, we’ll be obligated to pay $200 billion more a year than we take in in order to make sure the baby boomers get the benefits they’ve been promised. In other words, this is a serious problem.”
Press Conference: Bush Rejects Frist’s Attack
Press Conference: Bush Rejects Frist’s Attack
Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has defended the claim that opponents of President Bush’s judicial nominees are “against people of faith.” Tonight President Bush was asked if he agreed, and his answer was clear:
BUSH: … I just don’t agree with it.
QUESTION: You don’t agree with it?
BUSH: No. I think people oppose my nominees because of judicial philosophy.
QUESTION: Sir, I asked you about what you think of…
BUSH: No, I know what you asked me.
QUESTION: … the way faith is being used in our political debates, not just in society generally.
BUSH: Well, I can only speak to myself. And I am mindful that people in political office should not say to somebody, You’re not equally American if you don’t happen to agree with my view of religion.
Press Conference: With Troops in Iraq, America is Less Safe
Press Conference: With Troops in Iraq, America is Less Safe
Tonight:
QUESTION: Do you feel that the number of troops that you’ve kept there is limiting your options elsewhere in the world? …
BUSH: I appreciate that question.
The person I asked that to — the person I asked that to, at least, is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, my top military adviser.
I said, Do you feel that we’ve limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in Iraq? And the answer is no, he doesn’t feel we’re limited. He feels like we’ve got plenty of capacity.
You mentioned the Korean Peninsula. We’ve got good capacity in Korea.
Perhaps Gen. Myers was being coy that day. Here’s what he said in February:
Joint Chief of Staff chairman Gen. Richard Myers told Congress that the US military “would have trouble responding as quickly and effectively as commanders would like if it had to go to war in Iran or North Korea.” Myers “said a sudden military crisis in one of those two nations…would likely force the Pentagon to remobilize reserve and Guard components that have rotated home from Iraq to rest.” [USA Today, 2/17/05]
Press Conference: Selective Learning
Press Conference: Selective Learning
The President retorted that he doesn’t know about the NCLB lawsuit filed by the nation’s largest teachers union because he’s not a lawyer. Yet not being a ballplayer didn’t stop him from knowing about the Washington Nationals’ lineup. Interesting how he knows about what he wants to know about.
Press Conference: Amazing Unpaid Taxes
Press Conference: Amazing Unpaid Taxes
President Bush said he was “amazed” that a “phenomenal” amount of taxpayer money goes unpaid every year.
What a difference a year makes.
Just last August, remember, President Bush explained why he’s refusing to close tax loopholes or roll back tax cuts for those earning over $200,000 a year because, as he said, “the really rich people figure out how to dodge taxes anyway.”
Press Conference: “As Soon as Possible” Means Not Very Soon at All
Press Conference: “As Soon as Possible” Means Not Very Soon at All
President Bush on when troops will come home from Iraq:
As soon as possible. And as soon as possible depends upon the Iraqis being able to fight and do the job. … General Petraeus, as you know, is in charge of training. [He is] upbeat about what they’re seeing with the Iraqi troops.
He may be upbeat, but our government watchdogs are not. Though more than a year and a half has passed since Gen. John Abizaid first announced plans to build Iraq’s security force, the Government Accountability Office reported last month that coalition leadership has still failed “to develop a system to assess the readiness of Iraqi military and police forces so they can identify weaknesses and provide them with effective support.” Moreover, the high number of security forces frequently touted by senior White House officials “overstates the number actually serving,” probably by “tens of thousands.” As one training supervisor, Army Staff Sgt. Craig E. Patrick, admitted recently: “It’s all about perception, to convince the American public that everything is going as planned and we’re right on schedule to be out of here. I mean, they can [mislead] the American people, but they can’t [mislead] us. These guys are not ready.”
Press Conference: The President’s Shiny Expensive Toys
Press Conference: The President’s Shiny Expensive Toys
President Bush said an important piece of American defense was the missile defense system.
Let’s hope he’s not putting all of our defense eggs in that basket. The missile defense system has cost $130 billion so far and is scheduled to tally $50 billion more over the next five years. And it still doesn’t work. Indeed, President Bush’s recently released budget includes a request for $8.8 billion in funds for missile defense, despite his pledge to cut programs that weren’t “achieving results.” (President Bush’s 2005 budget included nearly twice as much funding for the ineffective missile defense system as it alloted for the Department of Homeland Security to spend on customs and border patrol.)
In related news, Business Week quotes a defense expert who reports that “Russia has tested a ballistic missile that would render the United States Star Wars scheme useless.”
Press Conference: Putting Aside Politics Starts at Home
Press Conference: Putting Aside Politics Starts at Home
The President continues to criticize how “political” Washington is and that people need to put aside their politics for the greater good. Maybe he should give the same speech to his Secretary of State:
“Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told her senior staff she was disappointed about the stream of allegations and said she did not want any information coming out of the department that could adversely affect the [John Bolton] nomination.”
Press Conference: Go See Private Accounts in Action
Press Conference: Go See Private Accounts in Action
The President suggested that we go to some of the states where American employers are given personal accounts. Senator Barbara Boxer not only took that trip but also wrote up a report on it. Its conclusion:
“By examining the actual system in place in Texas, this study shows that Americans are worse off with privatized accounts – not in theory, but in reality.”
Press Conference: Putin’s “Belief in Democracy”
Press Conference: Putin’s “Belief in Democracy”
President Bush tonight:
President Putin believes in democracy. I take him at his word.
One week ago: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice “criticised the course Russia was taking under President Vladimir Putin, noting a lack of clear alternatives to the current, dominant Kremlin regime. ‘Trends have not been positive on the democratic side,’ Dr Rice told reporters on board her plane to Moscow, where she was due to meet Mr Putin and other top officials. ‘The centralisation of state power in the presidency at the expense of countervailing institutions like the Duma (parliament’s lower house) or an independent judiciary is clearly very worrying. ‘” [4/21/05]
Press Conference: Bolton the Silencer
Press Conference: Bolton the Silencer
The problem with John Bolton isn’t so much that he’s not afraid to speak his mind…it’s that he has shown a pattern of being against others speaking theirs.
Press Conference: The Myth of Ownership
Press Conference: The Myth of Ownership
President Bush said, “I think everyone should have ownership over their [Social Security] accounts.”
FACT: Bush’s Social Security plan is a far cry from the private ownership he’s touting, however. For example, instead of private plans that let Americans control their own investments, there are tight restrictions on which conservative stocks and bonds the public will be allowed to buy. And, as the New York Times reports, “the more restrictions there are, the harder it would be for people to achieve the outsized returns the administration has generally promoted to sell the public on private accounts.” [NYT, 2/6/05]
Press Conference: Owen, the Classic Judicial Activist
Press Conference: Owen, the Classic Judicial Activist
The President likes to believe that his judicial nominees are being opposed because the candidates are individuals who believe in the philosphy that a judge should simply interpret the law rather than make the law from the bench. However, Judge Priscilla Owen — who may be the judicial nominee that Senate conservatives use to trigger the nuclear option — is widely opposed because of her judicial activism. Upon her nomination, several Texas papers weighed in. Here are some excerpts:
Austin-American Statesman, 4/29/03: “[O]wen is so conservative that she places herself out of the broad mainstream of jurisprudence. She seems all too willing to bend the law to fit her views, rather than the reverse.”
The Houston Chronicle, 5/12/03: “Owen’s judicial record shows less interest in impartially interpreting the law than in pushing an agenda…a justice who has shown a clear preference for ruling to achieve a particular result rather than impartially interpreting the law. Anyone willing to look objectively at Owen’s record would be hard-pressed to deny that.”
San Antonio Express, 7/21/02: “Once competency is established, the most important qualification for a judge is commitment to following the law as it is written – regardless of personal philosophy. Justice Priscilla Owen is clearly competent, but her record demonstrates a results-oriented streak that belies supporters’ claims that she strictly follows the law…The Senate should not block a judicial nominee simply because he or she is more conservative or more liberal than the Senate’s majority party. It also should not engage in petty personal attacks. But concerns about Owen go to the heart of what makes a good judge…When a nominee has demonstrated a propensity to spin the law to fit philosophical beliefs, it is the Senate’s right – and duty – to reject that nominee.”
Press Conference: Social Security and Partisanship
Press Conference: Social Security and Partisanship
President Bush tonight:
Too often the temptation in Washington is to look at a major issue only in terms of whether it gives one political party an advantage over the other. Social Security is too important for politics as usual.
We agree. We only wish White House officials felt the same way:
“Bush and his aides rarely reveal the political underpinnings of their policy agenda. But their ambitions were evident last month, when a memo by a senior White House strategist concerning the emerging Social Security plan was leaked to the media. The memo, written by Peter Wehner, director of the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives, put the stakes in grand political terms, saying there would be enduring benefits for Republicans if the president’s plans succeeded and Democrats came out of the debate as the ‘party of the past.’ ‘For the first time in six decades, the Social Security battle is one we can win — and in doing so, we can help transform the political and philosophical landscape of the country,’ Wehner wrote.” [Los Angeles Times, 2/2/05]
Press Conference: Spreading Democracy
Press Conference: Spreading Democracy
President Bush said, the way to defeat terror is to spread democracy.
This week, however, former 9/11 Commission chairmen Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton said President Bush isn’t moving fast enough to improve efforts to spread American values in the Muslim world. As Kean said, the United States is still perceived in the Middle East as a military enforcer. “We cannot continue to be the man in the tank — and that’s our image in the Arab world.” But although Bush appointed adviser Karen Hughes to lead this effort to spread democracy, for some reason, she’s not starting that new job until this fall.
Press Conference: Everything We Can?
Press Conference: Everything We Can?
“My administration is doing everything we can to make gasoline more affordable. … I applaud the House for passing a good energy bill.”
– President Bush, 4/28/05
“An energy bill wouldn’t change the price at the pump today. I know that and you know that. … I wish I could simply wave a magic wand and lower gas prices tomorrow.”
– President Bush, 4/20/05
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