Funny
ArchPundit
Vitter never shows up when you search Americans For Truth….hmmmm…Prostitution good–gay sex horrifying.
Petey’s on the Case
He’s got the Idaho Values Association call for Craig’s resignation:
If the senator did indeed engage in the behavior to which he pled guilty, then the appropriate thing for him to do is to resign from office. Character is an essential qualification for public service, and the essence of character is what you do when you do not think anyone is looking.
The problem here, for Petey, is that as a guy who makes a habit of going undercover to investigate homosexual practices, he might want to be careful about supporting such convictions…..
10th CD Statements on Gonzalez
Out yesterday, potty humor kept them at bay–in order of the way I received them:
Wilmette- Dan Seals released the following statement regarding the resignation of United States Attorney General Alberto Gonzales:
“For too long, Bush and his allies have held court in Washington DC where they have continually put politics before policy and the American people. We need a lawyer for the people, not the Bush Administration. This is good news for Justice.”
Dan Seals is running for Congress in the Tenth District of Illinois to expand opportunity for all Americans and to help get government working again. As the 2006 Democratic nominee, he raised nearly $2 million and earned 47% of the vote against incumbent Republican Congressman Mark Kirk. A former Director of Marketing at GE Commercial Finance, he is currently a business consultant. Dan and his wife Mia live in Wilmette with their three young daughters.
KIRK & BUSH STAND BY GONZALES TIL THE END
Statement from 10th District Democratic Candidate Jay K. Footlik:
“The resignation of Alberto Gonzales, perhaps the worst Attorney General in U.S. history, is welcome news that is long overdue. While Gonzales is finally gone, the failure of Mark Kirk and other House Republicans to demand his resignation remains an outrage. Mark Kirk’s support for Alberto Gonzales until the bitter end is further evidence that our community needs a new voice in Congress, not a rubberstamp for the failed policies of George W. Bush and the Republicans.”
“The Gonzales legacy will serve as a black cloud over the Justice Department for decades to come. On his watch, the American people saw their personal liberties encroached upon time and again. Alberto Gonzales cared more about obeying President Bush than he did the law and his departure is a victory for the American people.”
When the Editor Won’t Edit
Is it because they are afraid or because they think it’s funny?
Jennifer Hunter’s most recent column has 4 of the 14 paragraphs starting with And. And there is no apparent stylistic reason for it. Stop the madness.
How Does Roskam Feel About Rush’s Diatribe on Darfur
If you aren’t familiar with the Darfur diatribe, check out Media Matters which is the far left hate site that hates by printing the words of conservative media figures.
Democrats “want to get us out of Iraq, but they can’t wait to get us into Darfur,” Limbaugh said.
He continued: “There are two reasons. What color is the skin of the people in Darfur? It’s black. And who do the Democrats really need to keep voting for them? If they lose a significant percentage of this voting bloc, they’re in trouble.”
A caller responded, “The black population,” to which Limbaugh said, “Right.”
What does this have to do with Peter Roskam? Roskam, to his credit, was a cosponsor of SB 23, which divested the State of Illinois from Sudan. Apparently he just needed black people to vote for him.
Spinning Out of Control
SPRINGFIELD – Gov. Rod Blagojevich has sued House Speaker Michael Madigan for allegedly concocting a scheme to let lawmakers ignore the governor’s frequent calls for special legislative sessions. In the lawsuit, Blagojevich accused Madigan of acts “aimed at eradicating the governor’s constitutional and statutory powers.”
He is asking a judge to order Madigan to hold special sessions at times and dates of the governor’s choosing.
Blagojevich did not sue Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), his chief legislative ally, even though few senators have shown up for the same weekend sessions.
The Governor has pulled off something impressive; making Mike Madigan look sympathetic.
From the Illinois Constitution:
(b) The Governor may convene the General Assembly or the Senate alone in special session by a proclamation stating the purpose of the session; and only business encompassed by such purpose, together with any impeachments or confirmation of appointments shall be transacted. Special sessions of the General Assembly may also be convened by joint proclamation of the presiding officers of both houses, issued as provided by law.
So, when the Governor didn’t offer up any actual legislation to consider, the Lege Members has literally nothing to do unless they wanted to sit around and shoot the shit about the subject.
There is no indication that the Governor gets to set the session time nor any redress if they session is gaveled in/gaveled out. The Governor is a part of the Executive Branch and while he can order a session, he cannot control the session. That is the purview of the Legislative branch. There is no language to indicate he can set the time nor compel attendance.
While it’s very unclear to me, the Legislative Immunity clause may apply here:
SECTION 12. LEGISLATIVE IMMUNITY Except in cases of treason, felony or breach of peace, a member shall be privileged from arrest going to, during, and returning from sessions of the General Assembly. A member shall not be held to answer before any other tribunal for any speech or debate, written or oral, in either house. These immunities shall apply to committee and legislative commission proceedings.
Regardless, the Governor can call a session, but he cannot run the session as he sees fit.
I Officially Declare It Potty Humor Day
Next Up
Ted Nugent!
So Ted Nugent roams a concert stage while toting automatic weapons, calls Barack Obama “a piece of —–” and says he told Obama to suck on one of his machine-guns. He also calls Hillary Clinton a “worthless bitch” and Dianne Feinstein a “worthless whore.”
That Nugent, he’s a man’s man. He talks the talk and walks the walk, right?
Except when it was time to register for the draft during the Vietnam era. By his own admission, Nugent stopped all forms of personal hygiene for a month and showed up for his draft board physical in pants caked with his own urine and feces, winning a deferment. Creative!…read on
Unfortunate Moments in Eating Your Own Words
Larry Craig on naughtiness and nastiness
Meet the Press January 24, 1999, Sunday 9:00 AM
MR. RUSSERT: Larry Craig, would you want the last word from the Senate be an acquittal of the president and no censure?
SEN. CRAIG: Well, I don’t know where the Senate’s going to be on that issue of an up or down vote on impeachment, but I will tell you that the Senate certainly can bring about a censure reslution and it’s a slap on the wrist. It’s a, “Bad boy, Bill Clinton. You’re a naughty boy.”
The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy, a naughtyboy.
I’m going to speak out for the citizens of my state, who in the majority think that Bill Clinton is probably even a nasty, bad, naughty boy.
The question issue now is simply this: Did he lie under oath? Did he perjure himself and did he obstruct justice? And that’s where we’re trying to go now in this truth-seeking process. And I hope we can get there. And then I’m going to have the chance to decide and vote up or down on those articles. After we’re through with this impeachment trial, it’s collapsed, it’s gone, then the Senate will make a decision on if it’s a censure or not.
The Bush Dogs
I’ve been a supporter of Melissa Bean since 2003 at least and I certainly wouldn’t say that replacing her would end up with a better Member of Congress from IL-8. Also, most readers know I don’t go much for litmus tests for Democratic candidates, but I have to agree with Matt Stoller that we need to do something about the Democratic Congress Members who are passing things like the bankruptcy bill and more importantly, the expanded authority for wiretapping without a warrant under th FISA law.
In the case of IL-8 we aren’t likely to get a full throated progressive, but it’s a significant problem that Bean has voted for issues trying to appear moderate that do not have the support of the political center even in her district. More than that, the 38 people Matt list are mostly in Republican leaning Districts, but even these votes aren’t in the center of these Districts–they are well to the right.
With Bean this is especially relevant. It’s true that her district is more concerned with taxes and budgetary issues than many others, but neither the bankruptcy bill nor the FISA changes are popular. They do get the attention of the Tribune which Bean uses to demonstrate she is a ‘moderate’ and so she ends up seeking their approval on everything. She’s not going to change the triangulation pattern–it’s a winning strategy in that District, but I think she can be moved towards targeting different issues that aren’t nearly as destructive as these. In other cases, we just need to take people out–like Lipinski who is in a 59% Kerry District and votes horribly on just about everything.
However, in the case of Bean and presumably her consultants, we need her to be a strong voice for basic Constitutional Protections–protections gutted by the new version of FISA. We need her to not be voting for a bill that makes those in financial trouble because of sickness or the loss of a job even more vulnerable. We need her to stand up against torture. We need her to stand up against an incredibly unpopular President who not only got us into an unnecessary war, but continues to epically mismanage the war. When she does support such policies, she undermines the reason for Democratic control of Congress and the Presidency, but also, and more importantly, the country.
In a District like Illinois 8 I would never advocate a Democrat try and be Jan Schakowsky. I’ll give them slack on tax and budgetary issues. I’ll give them some slack on social issues to some degree. I’ll give them slack on trade to some degree. But I won’t give them slack on issues of fundamental fairness and Constitutional Rights. These are winning issues in all, but the very most conservative areas and even IL-8 isn’t that conservative. Warrantless wiretapping of American citizens is not a winning issue with the public.
Go out and prove you are a ‘different’ kind of Democrat on some issue like taxes or business issues, but keep the Constitution safe and the same protections for the poorest amongst us that the better off have.
If you cannot stand for these vital principles, then what’s the point?
BP Backs Down
A bunch of folks are wondering where the BP Action listserv is promised at Yearly Kos–errr…well…BP saved me since I cannot find the pad with everyone’s e-mail.
BP reversed the decision to increase the pollutant discharge level. Mega credit to those working the issue including Senator Durbin