Huckabee attacks Steele

It's looking more and more like African-Americans aren't welcome in the big tent unless they're really really conservative. I say this, jokingly, but it's a sign of something far more serious. As former Republicans like me know all too well, the only people welcome in the GOP's big tent are people who shut up and embrace the far right. To wit, here's Huckabee piling on:

Comments attributed to Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele are very troubling and despite his clarification today the party stands to lose many of its members and a great deal of its support in the trenches of grassroots politics. Since 1980, our party has been steadfast and principled in believing in the dignity and worth of every human life. We have supported a Constitutional amendment to protect life and the party has taken the position that no one individual has the supreme right to own another person in totality including the right to take that life. For Chairman Steele to even infer that taking a life is totally left up to the individual is not only a reversal of Republican policy and principle, but it's a violation of the most basic of human rights--the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. His statement today helps, but doesn't explain why he would ever say what he did in the first place.

The GOP all to happy to embrace a black man as party chair, when they thought the black man was a raving far-right maniac. But when he suddenly starts embracing the middle of mainstream America, suddenly he's not so welcome. It's a telling lesson for African-Americans, and the rest of us. Read More......

Blackwell is so positioning himself to take Steele's job

And at first blush, it's the best solution for the GOP - kick out the first black chairman, and install the second black chairman. Only problem is that such a decision would mean there's a quota for black chairmen at the GOP, that they're giving Blackwell the job because he's black. And the GOP claims they don't do quotas. In fact, they criticize Democrats for exactly that kind of decision-making, ensuring that a particular job will go to a particular minority. It's not clear how the GOP will reconcile giving the job to Blackwell, but I think that if Steele were fired today, Blackwell would be the new chair. Read More......

There's no one as Irish as Barack O'Bama

Hard to imagine anyone singing a song about President McCain.

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Pope coming? Best throw a few thousand poor people out of work

Let's not over-react, it's not like he's sucking up to Holocaust deniers or anything.

By the way, kind of interesting how the Pope STILL hasn't done anything about the anti-Semite in his midst. I'll say it again, the first German pope, who was a member of the Hitler Youth, has a special obligation not to embrace and promote anti-Semites who would deny the Holocaust. And the longer this pope tries to ignore this problem, the more it suggests maybe he does have some personal issues with Jews and the Holocaust that he's not telling us about. Read More......

South Carolina's Republican governor turns down $700m in stimulus money, with 2nd highest unemployment in country

The people of South Carolina deserve whatever they get. They voted for McCain 54% to 45% for Obama. They voted for a Republican governor. Let the the Republican governor play politics with people's jobs, and watch the state enter into a massive depression as a result. I am simply tired of watching these idiots in red states vote against their own self-interests. They want conservative governments, they got it. Now watch their state slip into oblivion as their governor rejects the only medicine that can possibly save them.

Of course, schadenfreude aside, we need South Carolina to take the money. If South Carolina refuses to take part in the overall stimulus, then that is that much less demand stimulated - that much less of the economy that starts to get back on track. And that won't only affect South Carolina, it will effect every dollar South Carolinians, and their businesses, spend on goods and services inside AND OUTSIDE the state. They are a part of a national economy, so anything that holds them back holds us all back.

So basically, the Republican party has come up with the brilliant strategy of intentionally sabotaging the impact of the stimulus package by asking their governors to reject the money. It's akin to not taking a vaccine when a deadly plague is spreading across the nation, and the only way to beat the plague is to have everyone - everyone - take the vaccine at the same time, otherwise we're all dead. It's difficult to take this as anything other than the GOP trying to ensure that the stimulus package fails. Of course, that may well send the country into another Great Depression. But what do they care? It's all about winning their offices back. It's never been about helping our citizens. Read More......

Army fired 11 soldiers in Jan. as openly gay

Obama could, and should, and can simply institute a stop-loss order, putting an end to these discharges, until the war is over, or at least the review of the current policy is complete. This continuing witch hunt, while we are at war, is really unacceptable. Read More......

GOP chair Steele opposes constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage

Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, good bye....

And while he said he was personally opposed to gay marriage, he came out forcefully against a Constitutional amendment banning it — as the Republican Party platform recommends for both gay marriage and abortion.

"Just as a general principle, I don't like mucking around with the Constitution. I'm sorry, I just don't," he told the magazine.

Oh, it's even worse. I just read the GQ interview with Steele that this comes from. It sure sounds to me like Steele would open to letting states legalize gay marriage if they so choose. In any case, he's clearly opposed to the constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, even though it's a key plank in the party platform and one of the top two priorities for the religious right.

GQ: So you think it’s a state issue?

STEELE: Absolutely. Just as a general principle, I don’t like mucking around with the Constitution. I’m sorry, I just don’t. I think, you know, in a pluralistic, dynamic society as the one that we have, every five years you can have a constitutional convention about something, you know? I don’t think we should be, you know, dancing around and trying to amend it every time I’ve got a social issue or a political issue or a business issue that I want to get addressed. Having said that, I think that the states are the best laboratory, the best place for those decisions to be made, because they will then reflect the majority of the community in which the issue is raised. And that’s exactly what a republic is all about.

That wasn't just a statement of opposition to the amendment, it was kind of a rant against the amendment. I mean, I'm impressed as hell that he's coming out with all of these quite decent pronouncements, but he is such toast. Read More......

Hooker-loving GOP Senator David Vitter sets off alarm at airport after security was called on him

Seriously, can't the Republicans find anyone better to lead the charge against Obama than a hooker-loving Senator who shoves his way through alarmed-doors at airports because, apparently, he's more important than the little people? The incident happened at United, but I understand that Vitter mistakenly thought he was at Continental, and was hoping to get someone to move their tail for him. More from Heard on the Hill. Read More......

"No money was exchanged. Nobody was naked," said the former GOP party chair in Chicago...

Ah, Republicans.

The police say he admitted to having two hookers in his kids' playroom. He now says the police report was wrong. Uh huh.

Here's my favorite part:

“If there were hookers, I’m not sure why the police didn’t arrest me -- that’s illegal too,” Skoien said.

Well, I'm pretty sure the statute of limitations hasn't expired in only 4 days. Not so sure I'd be challenging the police to put up or shut up on this one. (Hat tip, Chicagoist.) Read More......

OMG James Carville kinda sorta said something not even close to what Limbaugh said!

OMG. The end is nigh. Yesterday, conservatives found a quote from Democratic strategist James Carville, from eight years ago, in which he said something that isn't even close to what Rush Limbaugh said about wanting Obama to fail. Well, stop the presses and get Wolf Blitzer on the phone.

A few points.

First, James Carville isn't Rush Limbaugh. Limbaugh is THE voice of the Republican party. He is the ideological leader. James Carville is neither THE voice nor the ideological leader. He's just another Democratic consultant, albeit a prominent one. Finding "a" Democrat who says something is not the same as finding the de facto head of the GOP.

Second, Rush said he wants Obama to fail substantively. He wants him to fail to reform and restructure the economy. He basically wants him to fail in his efforts to stave off a depression. And I quote:

Limbaugh: "I want everything he's doing to fail... I want the stimulus package to fail.... I do not want this to succeed."

Carville, as Greg Sargent points out, wanted Bush to fail politically. A bit of a difference, especially since all people of one party want the other party to fail politically. Duh. We don't, however, want them to fail to keep the country safe and economically viable.

Third, and perhaps most important, the conservatives are running with this notion that James Carville somehow wanted Bush to fail saving the world after 9/11. In fact, Carville's comment came BEFORE the attacks happened. An embarrassing coincidence to be sure, but hardly the same thing as Limbaugh wishing the stimulus package to failure after we're already in a crisis. It would be like Rush saying he wanted Obama to fail in a world where the US economy was soaring. Still kind of bitchy, but far different than saying you literally want the stimulus package to fail, when the stimulus package is meant to avoid another Great Depression.

And finally, Carville recanted his words as soon as the planes struck the WTC. When American entered crisis mode, Carville rallied around our president. Where is Limbaugh?

But hey, if the conservatives want to help us keep the Rush Limbaugh story alive, God bless 'em.

PS And any of us can criticize Carville and live to see the dawn. No one challenges Rush from the Republican side of the aisle, and lives to tell about it. To wit: Michael Steele. Read More......

Michael Steele meet Monster.com

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Steele backs down - again - this time on his pro-choice remarks

There he goes again. You'll recall that yesterday we found out that GOP party chair Michael Steele told an interviewer that he believed abortion was "an individual choice." Today, not so much.

This guy is turning out to be a heck of a lot of fun. And I thought we'd have fun if the Republicans picked Steele's number one competitor, the racist, as party chair. Oh no. (Though we still might get the racist if Steele is kicked out - which would be rather ironic, forcing the first black chairman to resign in favor of a racist).

Ben Smith reports that Tony Perkins, the testosterone-ladened head of the Family Research Council, is suggesting that Steele can't make up for this latest gaffe.

But I ask again, how do you fire the first black head of the party? By replacing him with the second black head of the party. Of course, then the GOP would finally be admitting that they believe in quotas. Like I said, fun. Read More......

Typical. "Some Democrats" are already fretting about Obama's agenda

Seems some people in the Democratic Party have been watching too much cable news. This week, the talking heads were abuzz about Obama hitting the 50-day mark in his presidency. Now, a couple of whiny Democrats have started to fret, according to The Hill. What a surprise:

President Obama’s honeymoon is beginning to fade.

Members of Congress and old political hands say he needs to show substantial progress reviving the economy soon.

Some Democrats have started to worry that voters don’t and won’t understand the link between economic revival and Obama’s huge agenda, which includes saving the banking industry, ending home foreclosures, reforming healthcare and developing a national energy policy, among much else.

While lawmakers debate controversial proposals contained in the new president’s debut budget — cutting farm subsidies, raising taxes on charitable contributions, etc. — there is a growing sense that time is running out faster than expected.

"Some Democrats" and "old political hands" should keep their mouths shut, especially while the Republican party is self-destructing. Seriously, "some Democrats" need to relax and let the President do his job -- and not bitch and whine to any reporter who calls. Also, Democrats on the Hill, especially the Blue Dogs and New Democrats, better not screw it up.

Change doesn't come easy and after eight years of Bush destroying the country, you'd like to think that Democrats would understand it's going to take a lot of work to fix it.

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Norm Coleman still can't win

As Norm Coleman's court case winds down, it's even more clear he can't win. He never could, really. But, this is all a game being played by Coleman and his former GOP Senate colleagues. They want to keep Al Franken out of the Senate, even though Franken has been elected by the people of his state. From today's Star-Tribune:

Republican Norm Coleman's case in the U.S. Senate trial, once built on the prospects of counting thousands of rejected absentee ballots, is now down to 1,360 ballots or fewer.

Franken's lead is 225 votes. It's been a confusing process, which has worked to Coleman's advantage. But, what's not confusing is that Coleman will never have enough new votes to beat Franken:

But the number of new ballots counted might be substantially lower than those Coleman identified.

"Their spreadsheet tells the full story as to what they have proved in their case and ... it's not much," said Franken lead lawyer Marc Elias.

He cited printouts to argue that Coleman's ballots lacked the documents needed to prove that they were wrongly rejected under rules established by the trial court.

Coleman legal spokesman Ben Ginsberg called Elias' view of the spreadsheet "balderdash." Coleman has maintained that the ballots deserve to be counted under Election Day standards that were more lenient than those laid out in orders by the panel at trial.

Even if the court accepts all of the 1,360 ballots for counting, it's not clear Coleman's gains would be large.

The court case should be over soon. Then, we'll see what new games the GOP tries to play. But, enough is enough. The Republican Senators are denying the people of Minnesota their representation in the Senate. That's pretty scandalous.

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Thursday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Oh my god. Obama has been president for 52 days now. Has he done enough? Is he doing too much? This 52 day milestone is just so critical, almost as important as the 50 day marker. I'm trying to imagine what cable news will do when he hits 55 days in office -- or 60. Seriously, the pundits and the talking heads become more bizarre -- and more useless -- by the hour.

Time for coffee... Read More......

Is there a penalty for telling a lie to Congress?

I hope Merrill Lynch finds out and I hope Congress finds the spine to settle this should this turn out to be accurate.

Merrill Lynch may have misled Congress in representing last November that it planned to pay out bonuses at year end, when in fact it decided to accelerate those payouts, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday.

The attorney general also said Merrill traders may have delayed taking hefty losses late last year until after the company decided to pay out $3.62 billion of overall bonuses.

He also again rejected the attempt by Bank of America, which bought Merrill on Jan. 1, to avoid disclosing the names of and amounts paid to bonus recipients, after the bank's Chief Executive Kenneth Lewis said he had never in 40 years of banking demanded confidentiality.

The allegations were made in filings with the New York State Supreme Court in Manhattan, two days before Justice Bernard Fried is expected to hold a hearing on whether Bank of America can keep the bonus data confidential.

Bank of America was not immediately available for comment, but has previously said it would suffer "grave harm" by revealing bonus data, citing concerns about competitors poaching staff and privacy.

Grave harm, indeed. Read More......

Paulson-lite speaks out in defense of Wall Street

Why is this guy still employed at the Treasury department? And here I thought you had to be a Citibank employee to work at Treasury these days. To be fair to Paulson-lite, it's good to see that you can also be a Goldman Sachs alum and still get a job in this team. Obviously Kashari isn't very well-versed on the nuances of a democratic government, where elected officials that bail out gamblers get to call the shots. Maybe he can dig into how lucky Goldman is to get that AIG bailout money instead of lecturing Congress about how the system ought to work.

A top Treasury official told Congress Wednesday that the federal government should not micromanage banks that receive taxpayer assistance, a caution to lawmakers itching to see results from a $700 billion rescue program for the financial sector. Neel Kashkari, interim assistant secretary for financial stability at Treasury, told a congressional oversight panel that banks should not be forced to make loans that bankers might deem risky.

"However well-intended, government officials are not positioned to make better commercial decisions than lenders in our communities," he told a subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Kashkari, who was put in the job during the Bush administration, testified amid growing impatience among members of Congress who want evidence that the taxpayer money and the Treasury strategies are actually loosening credit markets.

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