MSNBC host Joy Reid brought on another MSNBC host, Chris Jansing on her show to discuss the U.S.-African Leaders Summit and the importance of the summit being successful under President Obama’s watch. Reid went to Jennings and asked for her input on the success of that Summit and I’m sure she was shocked by Jensing’s Teaparty/Birther answer.
“And the fact that he’s from Kenya,” Jansing said. She continued, “and the fact that when he was elected there were great expectations from Africa continent that he would do great things for them…”
So Steve King and Rand Paul were at a fundraiser in Iowa, eating burgers and meeting supporters. No problem here, politicians do that all the time. But then something strange happened, two Dreamers were ushered to the table to meet the Republicans and when they identified themselves as “Dreamers,” Rand Paul stuffed his mouth with his last bite and sprinted way out of town!
Reminded me of Usain Bolt!
Steve King was forced to explain his controversial “calves the size of cantaloupe” comment, but Paul, the man who is vowing to be Republicans’ fearsome leader and be the President of this country in 2016 was no where to be found.
It’s easy being called an activist when it’s for the right reason, and when you’re a part of an administration whose main goal is working for the people, being called an activist is a good thing.
Eric Holder recognized this fact, and he is embracing being called an activist “1000 percent.”
“If you want to call me an activist attorney general, I will proudly accept that label,” Holder told journalist Juan Williams in an interview published at The Hill.
“Any attorney general who is not an activist is not doing his or her job,” he continued, adding that “the responsibility of the attorney general is to change things [and] bring us closer to the ideals expressed in our founding documents.”
Asked later about his response to critics who claim that the Justice Department houses an activist civil rights division and an activist chief, Holder said “I agree with you 1000 percent and [I am] proud of it.”
If I was a conspiracy theorist, which I am decidedly not, I would posit that the Democrats maneuvered the Watergate scandal to end right smack in the middle of the summer doldrums so that it wouldn’t be drowned out by other political news. The truth is that Richard Nixon was enough to keep the story in the news for years after he resigned, so compelling a figure was he that he is still both loved as a foreign policy practitioner and loathed as a petty, selfish democratic tyrant.
The fortieth anniversary of his resignation on August 9 will find the country still in a state of political gridlock with both parties blaming the other for starting and perpetuating the problem. Television programs this week will look back on Nixon and his summer of discontent using newly released White House tapes and interviews with people who were there, and who now speak with more candor. There are a couple of new books about Watergate. The paradox is that as much as we think we know about the scandal, there is still more to learn. More people will talk. Papers stashed away with strict orders not to open them until the owner dies will reveal more. Perhaps the digital revolution will uncover the 18 and a half minute gap that has tantalized historians for forty years. These are tasty possibilities.
Watergate summer, though, can also be used as the first year of our present political troubles. Many Republicans have never forgiven Democrats for making the Watergate scandal more than what they thought it was; a minor political issue relating to the election of 1972 and nothing more. Democrats have blamed Republicans for using the Nixonian campaign manual for splitting the country and playing on white’s fears of minorities and social programs that take money from middle class Americans and redistribute it to the poor.
It gets deeper. Robert Bork was denied a seat on the Supreme Court in part because he played a role in the Saturday Night Massacre by firing Watergate Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox. From this point on, Supreme Court nominees have faced blistering questions about every aspect of their lives while giving stoic non-answers in reply. Democrats threatened to consider impeaching Ronald Reagan over the Iran-Contra scandal. Republicans made good on their promise by impeaching Bill Clinton. The current House of Representatives is suing the president over perceived unconstitutional actions. Gerrymandered seats protect representatives of both parties from having to make tough policy decisions.
Watergate and the political climate it engendered has not helped the United States. Congress did pass some reforms, but many of them have been overturned by the Supreme Court, especially the ones having to do with the corrosive influence of unregulated money in the political system. And in foreign policy, Nixon’s actions helped open the door for more globalization, but we have no blueprint for a world in which the United States plays a less forceful role in international affairs.
More than half of all Americans living today were born after the Watergate scandal. That’s good news because although we do need to remember and learn from the past, we also need to purge the emotion from our system. Political cultures tend to do better in the generation after a traumatic event has occurred. Ours will be no different.
Innocent women and children are being slaughtered in Gaza, some of them killed when Israeli bombs dropped on their schools, hospitals and UN sanctioned “safe zones.” But if you listened to Rick Perry, there is no problem here. War is war and innocent people die!
In an appearance on CNN, host Candy Crowley asked Perry,“When you look at 1,700-plus civilian deaths in Gaza — the large majority of which are civilians we are told — what is your thought about that, what is your reaction to that?”
Without any form of emotion, the gun tooting Republican governor from Texas responded;
“War is a horrible thing. There are individuals who lose their lives in war.”
“But when we have a fairly good understanding that Hamas is actually using their citizens as shields, at that particular point in time, it loses a lot of the the power, if you will, from my perspective. When you look back at Hamas’ statements that they will not be satisfied until Israel is wiped off the face of the Earth, then you start understanding the mentality a little bit better of a terrorist organization like Hamas.”
Here in America, crazy Republicans have gone into Churches to disrupt services, and in Dr. Tiller’s case, a crazy Republican even killed the man while he worshiped in Church because he didn’t share their ideology. They’re apparently accustomed to these safe zones being attacked, so Perry’s statement come as no surprise.
Juan Williams, a Fox News contributor went on Fox News today and explained the motivating factor behind those like his Fox network, who are calling for the impeachment of Barack Obama. That motivating factor, according to Juan Williams, is racism.
“Lot’s of people see it, especially in the minority community, as an attack on the first black president, think it’s unfair, so it’s going spur their turnout in midterms which is going to be critical in several races,” Williams said.
Fox host Chris Wallace then jumped in to ask if Williams really meant to accuse conservatives of racism.
“Well, all I can do is look at the numbers,” Williams responded. “If you look at the core constituency of people, let’s say, who are in tea party opposition support of impeachment, there’s no diversity. It’s a white, older group of people.”
Republicans are determined to somehow bring legal charges against President Obama with their proposed lawsuit. And although John Boehner has said multiple times, that it is not the intention of the Republicans to impeach the President, Boehner has said many things in the past that turned out to be false. And we’ve seen from recent incidents that Boehner has no control over the people in his party. So although he may try to convince the American people that impeachment is off the table, Boehner’s words mean absolutely nothing.
Here’s an example of someone who apparently has more pull than Boehner. Steve King went on Fox News and practically begged the president not to take executive actions on immigration reform. King warned that if such actions are taken by the president, then the I-WORD would surly come into play.
In an interview on Sunday, Fox News host Chris Wallace asked King what Republicans would do if the president decided to take executive action to stop the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants.
“None of us want to do the thing that’s left for us as an alternative,” King explained. “But if the president has decided that he’s simple not going to enforce any immigration law or at least not against anybody except the felons — which essentially he has done already, this is a broader group of people — I think Congress has to sit down and have a serious look at the rest of this Constitution, and that includes that i-word that we don’t want to say.”
The Iowa Republican added: “And I only say that now because I want to encourage the president, ‘Please don’t put America into a constitutional crisis. Please don’t do that. There’s too much at stake in this country to be decided that you can take over the Constitution and write it at will.'”
“You’re saying that if he were to do that, impeachment would be on the table?” Wallace pressed.
“I think then we have to sit down and take a look at that,” King insisted. “If that’s not enough to bring that about then I don’t know what would be. We’ve never seen anything in this country like a president who says I’m going make up all the immigration law that I choose.”
Many of you probably haven’t heard about the column written in the Times of Israel titled “When Genocide is Permissible.” That’s for two reasons. Firstly, it was pulled shortly after it ran online by the editors of the publication. Secondly, there has been little or no mention of it in the mainstream press.
The “column” written by Yochanan Gordon, a frequent contributor to the publication, concludes that “If political leaders and military experts determine that the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?” Mr. Gordon doesn’t seem to have the mental capacity to comprehend what he is saying. Wasn’t it Hitler who believed that wiping out Jews would lead to “quiet and a better society?” Therefore he had every right to commit those atrocities? Really?
But you probably haven’t heard about this anyway. I’m sure you would have heard about it if a writer in Palestine had written something titled “Why Israel must be wiped out.” No. I’m SURE you would have heard about it.
That scribbling wasn’t the worst thing that happened today. Believe it or not. Well the worst thing is that at least 100 more Palestinians were killed…mostly civilians. You have probably heard something about that but I’m certain you heard that ONE Israeli soldier was “abducted.” Yes this you have heard. That ONE soldier in an army that is in a war was taken by the opposing side. This you have heard about. This is NOT a war crime, it happens all the time in war. But this is what has led the news reports, not the column calling for genocide of Palestinians, not that 100 more people in Gaza were killed. Killing civilians and children in schools and hospitals is indeed a war crime.
You have also probably not heard that the U.S. Senate has approved more funds be sent to Israel to help in their efforts to kill more civilians and children. I hate to hang this on Obama because let’s be honest, EVERY American President has supported Israel almost without conscience or question. It’s just the way it is, has always been and probably will always be. Obama is no different. When Israel is responsible for the murders of children they get a slap on the wrist. “Please show restraint” the American President says. When ONE Israeli soldier is abducted it’s automatically a good reason to send more money their way to “protect and defend” themselves. It passed the House by a vote of 395-8!
If Obama is reading this he is nodding his head and saying something like “I know man but what else can I do?” He knows the score, he knows where the money is and who it comes from and that money is power and might makes right. Just the way it works. So the USA continues to fund terrorism. To fund this man.
When Russia and Putin step foot in the Ukraine all hell breaks loose and economic sanctions are swift and hard hitting. When Israel kills children and is in the process of genocide, they get even more money to help them along.
Anyone else disgusted at being an American right now?
Luke Russert of MSNBC is stunned. According to Russert, who has covered Congress for the entire time John Boehner has been in charge of the House of Representatives, “…the week the House GOP sued the president over his issue of executive actions, they are now encouraging on a statement to act by himself regarding the border,” Russert said. “You really can’t make that up.”
The MSNBC reporter was talking about the House Republicans canceling a vote on the border bill before heading home for yet another vacation. The bill never made it to the floor and Republicans were okay with leaving Washington and heading home, with the border crisis still unsettled. Russert reported that they now want President Obama to use his Executive Order authority, although they’re presently suing him for using his Executive Order authority.
In his reporting, Russert couldn’t believe what was happening. Like he said, “you really can’t make that up.”
In an interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, UN Official Christopher Gunness could not contain his emotions when asked about the clear massacre of innocent lives in Gaza. “The rights of Palestinians, and even their children, are wholesale denied… and its appalling,” Gunness said, right before breaking down in tears, a breathtaking image captured on video.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue bombing Gaza with or without a cease-fire agreement in place. He claims the goal of the Israeli military is to demolish all the tunnels used by Hamas.
Meanwhile, 24 days into the war, over 1400 innocent Gaza civilians have died. Some of those killed were hiding away in UN Shelters and schools, so-called “safe zones.”
On the same day Republicans were voting to sue the president for doing what all presidents do – a vote that passed the Republican controlled House of Representatives along party lines, 225 to 201 – President Obama was meeting with the American voters and pointed out that Republicans were engaging in a “political stunt.”
He said that the party needs to “stop just hating all the time,” saying that he knows they’re mad that he’s president, and that they only have to wait a few more years before they “can be mad at the next president.”
“We could do so much more if Congress would come on and help out a little bit. Stop being mad all the time. Stop. Stop just hating all the time. C’mon … I know they’re not happy that I’m president but that’s okay. I got a couple of years left. C’mon … then you can be mad at the next president.”
The president then broke the news that this frivolous lawsuit the Republicans are ginning up will unfortunately be paid for by the American people!
Republicans, once again costing Americans millions!
He’s running for president, and he’s a politician. That said, Rand Paul and others like him will twist and turn and squeeze themselves in any shape or reshape possible, if it gives them the ability to get a vote in 2016. So yes, he will pander to the Black community, to the Hispanic community, to women, to gays. These are just some of the groups Rand Paul and the Republicans have hammered over the last few years but, he is running for president and he’s a politician… and he’s a Republican!
You’ve got to give this much to Rand Paul: Kentucky’s junior senator is willing to do something almost unheard of in modern presidential politics, which is to make arguments that not everyone in his party already cares about. For this reason alone, Paul is probably the most interesting presidential hopeful out there, if not the most likely to succeed.
Paul’s latest gambit, as you may have seen, involves an appeal to black voters, who generally have about as much attachment to the Republican Party as Donald Sterling has to his wife. This unusual courtship, which included a speech to the Urban League in which Paul actually quoted Malcolm X, led to a spate of media stories in the past week about a new contest between the parties to win over black voters in closely divided states.
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