Politics | Blacknell.net

Don’t You Talk About (My) God Like That

By MB

On December 12, 2007

TPM’s Election Central brings us another fine example of Mike Huckabee’s priorities:

As governor of Arkansas in 1997, Huckabee held up passage of a bill to protect storm victims from insurance companies â€” thus creating a window of time for the companies to cancel people’s coverage â€” on the grounds that the bill used the traditional legal term “acts of God”[.]

Huh? You’re kidding, right? I mean, this must be some terribly unfair characterization by an opponent. Umm, no. His own words:

Mr. Huckabee said that signing the legislation ”would be violating my own conscience” inasmuch as it described ”a destructive and deadly force as being ‘an act of God.’ ”

That’s right. You better not talk bad about God in front of him. Or in a bill passed by the legislature.

Governor Huckabee’s explained his objections in a letter to the bill’s authors, saying: ”I feel that I have indeed witnessed many ‘acts of God,’ but I see His actions in the miraculous sparing of life, the sacrifice and selfless spirit in which so many responded to the pain of others.”

He brings his crazy to work, folks. Don’t let the easy manner on television or his (seeming?) decency to the poor fool you.

Update: However, here is a fantastic pro-Huckabee video. Do check it out.

More Like This: Feingold Asks Mukasey About Waterboarding

By MB

On December 10, 2007

In Policy, Politics

I’m not sure about you, but I’m pretty tired of Democrats throwing public fits over an issue (habeas corpus, Scooter Libby’s crimes, etc.) and then completely forgetting about it after the next hot issue bubbles up. We need adults with follow-through. Well, it looks like Russ Feingold is willing to provide that.

Bring It On: The 2008 Democratic Primary

By MB

On December 10, 2007

In Politics

Matthew Yglesias, in the process of contemplating the importance of branding, reminded me of one of my favorite movies in the world – Bring It On. I love this movie for so many reasons, no the least among of which is that it gives us this perfect cheer opener:

I’m sexy, I’m cute, I’m popular to boot!

I screwed up cracking a joke about that in his comments, which led me to take another look at the lyrics (go on, pretend that I don’t know them by heart). And in doing so, I realized that this cheer may well be the perfect prism through which to view the 2008 Democratic Primary. I think we can pretty easily assign the next three lines from that cheer, no?

Take it, John:

I’m bitchin’, great hair! The boys all love to stare!

Over to you, Barack:

I’m wanted, I’m hot! I’m everything you’re not!

Go, Hillary:

I’m pretty, I’m cool! I dominate this school!

The 2008 primary, explained in three easy lines from an 8 year old movie. I’m tempted to assign lines to the second tier (Joe Biden: “I’m major! I roar! I swear I’m not a whore!”), but I’ve probably embarrassed myself enough already.

Silent Acquiesence

By MB

On December 9, 2007

In Policy, Politics

All of the usual qualifiers in place, I suspect that this Washington Post story gets the core of the facts right:

[L]ong before “waterboarding” entered the public discourse, the CIA gave key legislative overseers about 30 private briefings, some of which included descriptions of that technique and other harsh interrogation methods, according to interviews with multiple U.S. officials with firsthand knowledge.

With one known exception, no formal objections were raised by the lawmakers briefed about the harsh methods during the two years in which waterboarding was employed, from 2002 to 2003, said Democrats and Republicans with direct knowledge of the matter. The lawmakers who held oversight roles during the period included Pelosi and Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.) and Sens. Bob Graham (D-Fla.) and John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), as well as Rep. Porter J. Goss (R-Fla.) and Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan).

This Administration may not have asked permission to turn this into a country that tortures, but it did take those steps with the knowledge of both Republicans *and* Democrats who were charged with preventing such a thing. Again, the following quote rings true:

“In fairness, the environment was different then because we were closer to Sept. 11 and people were still in a panic,” said one U.S. official present during the early briefings. “But there was no objecting, no hand-wringing. The attitude was, ‘We don’t care what you do to those guys as long as you get the information you need to protect the American people.’ ”

My particular focus here is on the Democratic lawmakers. They failed in their fundamental responsibility to the Constitution and the American people. They’ve shown their judgment to be lacking when we needed it most, and I think that’s something we should consider closely when supporting them in the future. “What did you know, and when did you know it?” is not just a question for the President.

Friday Notes: I kinda want . . .

By MB

On December 7, 2007

In DC, Personal, Politics, Society

. . . the Ron Paul Blimp to attempt to enter restricted DC airspace and get shot down. I can only imagine the sound of the heads of Ron Paul supporters popping across the country.

. . . the GOP primary to turn into an all out religious war. Really, let’s have a full examination of the actual religious beliefs of the candidates. Giuliani could ask Mitt just how gullible you have to be to believe that con artist, Joseph Smith. And then Mitt could hold up a glass of wine and say “Dude, are you telling me that you really think you’re drinking BLOOD?!” And it would be a grand old time.*

. . . someone to put together a Greatest Hits of the 90’s video so Democrats can be reminded that the GOP machine isn’t just willing to lie about issues of international importance, but about pretty much every little thing. Josh Marshall, in the context of Huckabee’s efforts at rewriting the story of how he encouraged the parole of a serial rapist, reminds us:

Most of our staff at TPM are in their twenties. And we had a moment today when it occurred to me that if you weren’t politically aware in the 1990s, it’s difficult to get a sense of how much a series of seriously deranged conspiracy theories became almost mainstream.

*Except not really. I don’t think that that would be the public conversation – it would inevitably narrowly focus on Mormonism. And while I’m perfectly happy to examine some of the more ridiculous bits of the story underlying Mormonism, I don’t want it to be just Mormonism. If we do that, we’re just doing more of the evangelical right’s dirty work for them. The necessary conversation is bigger than politics, but in this case, it would only serve politics. So I kinda want it, but not really.

GOP: Stupid on Security

By MB

On December 3, 2007

In Policy, Politics

J., of the Armchair Generalist, highlights an excellent approach to knocking down the myth that the GOP has any real claim to the high ground on matters of security and defense.

What Kind of Anti-Gay Are You?

By MB

On November 30, 2007

In Politics, Society

Slate hosts this hilarious Mark Fiore cartoon, in which Right-Wing Ralphie (he’s not gay!) helps you figure out whether you’re a Bicivil Libertarian or a Questioning Demosexual.Â Brilliant.

(Link leads to a flash player, requiring sound)

Primary Wars

By MB

On November 17, 2007

In Politics

I have, for the most part, tried to stay away from the public primary process.Â There is something about this that makes otherwise reasonable people become the biggest assholes, show the smallest minds, and engage in ridiculous hypocrisies.Â Â To what end?Â I’m really not sure.Â Barring Joe Biden and Dennis Kucinich, I think any of the Democratic field would make a fine President.Â (Sorry, Dennis.Â I admire your positions more than any other candidates.Â I just have no faith in your effectiveness.Â And Joe?Â STFU.Â I’m sure I’m not the first person to tell you that.Â Enjoy yourself in the Senate.Â It’s perfect for you.)

That said, we’re now less than a year away from the general election, and the primaries (messes that they are) are mere months away.Â So ‘ll probably start talking about that now.Â To start it off on a somewhat positive note, I’ll highlight something I *like* – one candidate responding to another candidate’s whispering campaign with “put up or shut up.”Â While there’s no shortage of actual dirt amongst politicians, the tendency to traffic in wholly unsubstantiated charges is particularly galling for me.Â So it’s nice to see someone up the ante by trying to bring it out into the open.