Open thread - Okay, I lied, this is another rant about Democratic groups

What a nice way to end an evening.

Oh, and I found out what the big liberal groups are doing to stop the GOP from repealing the filibuster. They're handing Congress a petition with a million signatures. Isn't that nice?

Well, no it's not.

They should be having an event about why the GOP thinks judges deserve to be murdered, not handing out worthless petitions. What would Republicans do in our stead, if several Democrats just pretty much threatened judges, and justified violence against judges, while judges were being shot at? Do you think the Republicans would respond with a petition? Just asking.

Media Advisory
April 5, 2005

Contact: Mistique Cano, LCCR
Halle Czechowski, PFAW
Julie Bernstein, AFJ Rachel Perrone, NARAL
Micheline Kennedy, CCMC

One Million Americans Voice Opposition to Partisan Power Grab: Coalition to Deliver Petitions to Senate Leadership on Supreme Court Steps

Washington – On Wednesday, April 6th at 1 p.m., the Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary, representing the country’s leading public interest and civil rights organizations, will rally on the steps of the Supreme Court to present Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid (NV) with petitions signed by one million Americans who oppose Republican leaders triggering the nuclear option.

Under pressure from ultra-conservative groups, Senate Republican leadership is trying to eliminate the Senate filibuster of judicial nominations. Known as the “nuclear option,” this radical change in Senate rules would dismantle our system of checks and balances and overturn more than 200 years of Senate tradition.

One million Americans have recognized the “nuclear option” for what it is: a partisan power grab. An overwhelming majority of Americans opposes eliminating the filibuster, and wants to see bipartisan cooperation and consultation as the Senate debates judicial nominations and assesses the qualifications of those seeking these powerful, lifetime appointments.

WHO: Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary
WHAT: Rally on the Steps of the Supreme Court
WHEN: Wednesday, April 6 at 1:00 p.m.

# # #

The Coalition for a Fair and Independent Judiciary- an Alliance of Civil Rights, Human Rights, Labor, Religious and Women’s Organizations

Read the rest of this post...

Second BIG DeLay scandal of the evening! NYT reports DeLay's wife and kid got over $500k from PAC and campaign

Oh my God. He is so OUT OF HERE. Jesus, they set the guy up. The GOP friggin set the guy up for a hit. My God. Read the rest of this post...

Please feed the AMERICAblog

I've decided to every once in a while post a donation reminder. If you like AMERICAblog, please help support AMERICAblog. On fast-breaking news days, like today, this is all I do for a living, so your donations are my income. Please help out if you can, and thanks as always. JOHN

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Stick a fork in him, he's done

DeLay is a goner. I think Drudge clearly got the word to take him down, or Drudge wouldn't be playing the story this big. Cheney's comments this past weekend were clearly the beginning of the end.



Read more at Raw Story.

And Atrios is correct, clearly the GOP turned on DeLay. The big question is who and why? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Have at it Read the rest of this post...

Freepers are freaking out over Frist's backtracking on judges

The Freepers are the far-right loon contingent of GOP activists. But they're big in number. They are not happy at all that Frist caved on the anti-judge rhetoric. Yet more proof that this was a golden issue for us, a great wedge issue and a great issue to go after the swing voters.

But our big non-profits fighting the judicial issues for us aren't mentioning it at all in their flurry of action alerts sent out this evening about the filubuster issue. I have several of the alerts, from HRC, PFLAG, NOW and more. They're all the same action alert, and none mentions the DeLay or Cornyn anti-judge hate. This numbers in the millions of alerts emailed out tonight, I'll bet you. Total missed opportunity.

And lest anyone ask how Cornyn and DeLay's hate-filled revenge comments about judges are relevant to the filibuster debate...

- The GOP has so lost its mind, has gotten so arrogant and drunk with power, that it wants every single independent judge removed from office, either through murder or impeachment, and wants to replace those judges with Pat Robertson clones. And the only thing standing in the way of those pro-Jihad clones is the Democrats in Congress and the filibuster. Take a stand for our judges. Take a stand against murder. Take a stand for the rule of law. Take a stand for our democracy. Take a stand for the filubuster.

Now that wasn't that hard, was it? Read the rest of this post...

Frist totally caves on judges

Check this out, and tell me again why the old-time liberal non-profits are NOT jumping on this issue? First is now saying the courts acted fairly in handling the Schiavo case. Ex-squeeze me?

Frist is backpedaling so fast it's not even funny. This issue is SCREAMING for someone to pick it up and run with it. Read the rest of this post...

Two points for Senator Reid and Steny Hoyer

They're bashing DeLay and Cornyn on their threats against judges, and linking this to the larger GOP agenda on "activist judges," the filibuster, and more. This is what the big mainstream liberal non-profits fighting the judicial nomination battle should be talking about. Are they? Read the rest of this post...

Did Tom DeLay pull out of judge-bashing conference after we reported on it?

Yesterday, Tom DeLay was the keynote speaker at a judge-bashing religious right conference in Washington, DC. We reported on it, and today, suddenly, DeLay's name has been scrubbed from the conference's home page - DeLay's no longer the keynote. Hmmm...

Maybe they ought to change DeLay's nickname from the Hammer to the Chicken.

Yesterday, Delay was the keynote speaker on the conference Web site (this is a link to a cached copy).



Today, DeLay's name has been scrubbed from the Web site's live home page.



And just another word about those big liberal groups fighting Bush's judicial nominations. AGAIN, the blogosphere was right in saying this issue would make Tom DeLay squirm. So where the hell are the big mainstream liberal groups that you guys pay all that money to? Sure, the new gutsy groups have been involved - CREW, CAP, Democracy for America, but the old-time mainline groups running the show, where are they? Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Oh where or where have my liberal groups gone, oh where oh where can they be? Read the rest of this post...

More religious right anti-judge diatribes

From the religious right propaganda organ AgapePress:

- state-sanctioned death of Terri Schiavo

- the serious threat to life and liberty that is operating in the very midst of the nation's system of government.

- "We have some serious problems with the fundamental structure of government in the United States, and there need to be some serious changes."

- "I think now what Terri Schiavo's death marks is the transition to a neo-barbarian culture." Barbarians, according to various encyclopedia sources, are defined by sociologists as those social parasites who prey upon civilization, sometimes enslaving others or looting and plundering, in order to survive at others' expense. And according to Sproul, America's "civilization" is beginning to look more and more like that.

"I think that's where we are," the minister says. "We've become barbarians, because what we've just witnessed is the willful starving and dehydration of a living human being." And lamentably, he adds, even many Christians believed it was right for the state to sanction the brain-damaged Florida woman's death.

- the court-ordered starvation death of the disabled woman

Read the rest of this post...

Newsmax owes Peter Jennings a big fat apology

Newsmax yesterday berated ABC's Peter Jennings for saying he was "under the weather" and thus not going to Rome for the Pope's funeral. Turns out Jennings has lung cancer and that's why he can't go. Too bad Newsmax felt it more important to go for the gotcha than the truth. Read the rest of this post...

Good liberal groups

Ok, I'm taking names.

Below are the liberal groups who effectively and wisely jumped on the "Senator Cornyn understands why crazies kill judges" issue. This issue is bigger than Cornyn - it impacts the filibuster debate, the Supreme Court nominations, and more. Any liberal group that can't see that, or can't move its ass fast enough to act on this now, deserves to be cut off at the knees and the wallet.

As an aside, remember that the Center for America Progress posted something on this LAST NIGHT, only hours after Cornyn made his now infamous comments. All it takes is half a brain, the willpower, and a staffer who's willing to work past 5pm when big things break.

So, let the praise and the blood-letting begin. If you know of a big liberal group that jumped on this issue by notifying their email lists, posting a press release or other notice on their Web sites, etc., please let me know and I'll give them credit below.

Mainstream liberal groups who get a big gold star (or Star of David, as the case may be) for jumping on the Cornyn anti-judge hate speech (note, I'm not adding groups like Howard Dean's, etc. - this is about mainstream traditional non-profits in DC who are leading the battle on judicial nominations, not blogs and other new groups, we know THEY get it):

- National Jewish Democratic Council (established group)
- (PLFAG? - I'm not so sure they get credit. They sent out an email alert today about the filibuster issue, and good for them. Of course, they failed to mention the 'kill all the judges' issue which was handed to them on a plate yesterday, and would be sure to energize the grassroots and most hurt the chances of the filibuster change succeeding. So no gold star for PFLAG.)

(I'll update this as more names, and proof, are submitted.) Read the rest of this post...

Frist backtracks on "activist judges" after GOP Senator Cornyn says he understands why people kill judges

Apparently all that talk of taking out revenge on judges and defending their murderers has started to give Senator Frist pause. After all, he doesn't want to run for president in 2008, and a pro-terrorism message probably won't win over those swing voters.

So, I ask again, have the liberal groups running the battles against the Supreme Court nominations, the filibuster repeal, and the entire activist judge thing said anything about this latest Cornyn catastrophe? Have they activated their email lists, posted this on their Web sites? I just want to know, maybe they have, and if they, please send it to me.

But any that haven't, I wouldn't give them another dime ever again. They've been handed their golden opportunity to fight back on this issue - we predicted it last night, and already we have Senator Frist squirming and talking about how the judiciary is doing really well - if our well-funded groups don't grab on to this Cornyn eruption now, don't ever give them a dime again until we can build up new organizations that get it.

Let's face it, the Center for American Progress was on this issue LAST NIGHT and got it posted to their Web site. Any liberal group who didn't keep their staffers late to get this on their Web site and/or out to the masses should be defunded.

Again, perhaps they're embracing this issue and running with it. And if so, please send me the links to their Web sites and I'll post 'em. But it's time to hold these groups accountable, or push them out of the way. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

Atchoo. Read the rest of this post...

Most unpopular president since WWII

From E&P;:

President George W. Bush's approval rating has plunged to the lowest level of any president since World War II at this point in his second term, the Gallup Organization reported today.

Here are the ratings for presidents as recorded by Gallup in the March following their re-election:

Truman, 1949: 57%.

Eisenhower, 1957: 65%.

Johnson, 1965: 69%.

Nixon, 1973: 57%.

Reagan, 1985: 56%.

Clinton, 1997: 59% .

Bush, 2005: 45% .

Now let me get this straight. 82% of the country thinks Congress and the President were wrong to intervene in the Schiavo affair, and that makes the country "divided." But Bush has the lowest approval rating of any president at this time since WWII, 45%, and he's widely popular. Nope, no media bias there.

And, as an aside, this still goes to my point of yesterday. It's one thing to watch the GOP implode on itself, it's another to paint a picture for the American public of what YOU stand for. Time to engage, Dems. Where are ya?

And one final thing. Clinton was 14% points ahead of Bush at this time in his second term. Try them apples. Read the rest of this post...

So GannonGuckert thinks the anti-gay federal constitutional amendment is necessary?

But he's not an anti-gay gay, really.

Q: What is your position on the proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage?

A: Such an amendment would not be necessary if a handful of activist judges wasn't trying to decide the issue. We live in a democracy; let the people decide what is best for our society. I will live with that.

Read the rest of this post...

ABC's Peter Jennings has lung cancer

Geez. He's always been my favorite. Read the rest of this post...

Sean Hannity says the Pope is a "wild-eyed liberal loonie"

Tsk tsk tsk. Read the rest of this post...

VIDEO: GOP Senator John Cornyn justifies violence against judges

He's a pig. Defending domestic terrorists. Watch the video here. Read the rest of this post...

John Cornyn Must Resign...and Dems. have to make it happen

Democrats need to make an example of John Cornyn. It's really that simple.

Sure Tom DeLay and Chris Smith have said equally stupid and dangerous things about judges and violence.

But John Cornyn is a Senator. He sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee. In fact, he is the Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Property Rights. He is, therefore, one of the leaders in the Republican Senate issues affecting judges.

Yet, yesterday, Cornyn became an apologist for people who kills judges for political reasons. Cornyn and his cronies stir the pot on what they call judicial activism. That's code for the right wing nuts. Now we know that Cornyn seems to think violence against judges is just what happens. That's unacceptable for anyone, but especially for someone in his position.

The Democrats can't let this one go. They cannot let Cornyn off the hook. Every single judicial debate has to revolve around John Cornyn condoning violence against judges.

Democratic Senators, this is your chance to change this debate once and for all. Progressive interest groups, it's time to play hard ball. And Democratic consultants, don't get all wishy washy and wimp out.

I imagine there is some Democratic hand-wringing going on over how to deal with this so I'll say it: imagine what the GOP would do if a Democratic Senator said something so stupid. Case closed.

Nothing short of John Cornyn's resignation will suffice. Someone has to pay the price for the GOP judge bashing and the violence it evokes. Cornyn is a good start. Read the rest of this post...

Open thread

So, any more republicans bash judges today? Read the rest of this post...

Pfizer to cut $4B over four years

Hmm, one can only guess how much of that cutting will come from employees versus the crappy executive management team that created this mess. Let's hold our breath and see how quickly the executive team trims their own comfortable pay packages or dumps dead weight. Read the rest of this post...

Barton talks about new energy bill, conservation not included

What should I expect from a Congressman from Texas, but what kind of half-assed energy policy is this when it only involves pumping more oil and gas? Why is conservation not part of any broad program? Drilling in Alaska will not solve the problem and using technology to extract more fuel will not resolve the long term problem either. Conservation and a migration to alternative energies should be critical pieces of any program that is discussed. Read the rest of this post...

Team Berlesconi crushed in regional votes

So far out of 13 regions, his center-right coalition is only sure of winning 2 regions. That's OK though because in the modern EU, no matter how badly you perform in your own country, there is always a spot for you in Brussels along with election losers from every other European country. Read the rest of this post...