Category: Politics

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Chris Matthews Politics

I Dare You – Try To Get A Word In On Chris Matthews Hardball

hardball-chris-matthews I Dare You - Try To Get A Word In On Chris Matthews Hardball

You have asked yourself this question before. Why do people go on the Chris Matthews show, when Chris Matthews does all the talking? Congresswoman Linda Sanchez got her personal dose of Chris on Monday’s Hardball With Chris Matthews, when a question from the host about immigration blossomed into a criticism of the Republican party, a comment, a question another comment and then a question, all by Mr. Matthews… then two more comments.

And when she was finally given a chance to answer the question, the congresswoman was cut off again because Matthews had to make a statement.

Here’s how it all went down;

Matthews

“People that believe in border protection, who believe you can stop somebody from coming into this country by higher towers, or more drones, or more people working there, I think, are right-wingers or idiots.

If you want to work and you’re looking for a job, you’re going to come to America, Congresswoman. You’re going to come in here and you’re going to find a way in; whether you have to take a boat, an airplane, or swim – whatever you have to do, you’re going to get here.

My question is, are we going to have a work permit situation that’s truly enforced so there’ll be no incentive to do that, because you can’t work in the United States unless you’re here legally,” Matthews continued over Sanchez’s repeated attempts to respond.

If we ever have a system like that, we won’t be having this debate 20 or 30 years from now. Your thoughts?

Sanchez;

“Well…”

Matthews had something else to say. Cuts off the congresswoman to add this;

“Because we never stop talking about it.”

Sanchez;

“If you’d let me get a word in edgewise. I will tell you…”

Matthews had something else to say. Cuts off the congresswoman to add this;

“You have all the time in the world to answer my question.”

Exactly which question Chris?

Video

Categories
democrats immigration reform Immigration Reform Politics

Democrats And Republicans, Yes Republicans Agree On Immigration Reform Plan

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has agreed on an immigration reform plan that would provide a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants in the United States but only after borders are better secured.

The plan, unveiled a day before President Barack Obama is to give a policy speech on immigration in Nevada, tackles the most explosive issue – how to deal with the millions of foreigners living in the United States illegally.

Under the group’s proposal, undocumented immigrants would be allowed to register with the government, pay a fine, and then be given probationary legal status allowing them to work.

Ultimately, they would have to “go to the end of the line” and apply for permanent status, according to the document by eight Senators including Republicans Marco Rubio of Florida, John McCain and Jeff Flake of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Michael Bennet of Colorado and Robert Menendez of New Jersey.

The White House praised the group’s efforts but warned that Obama would not be satisfied until there was meaningful reform. The president “will continue to urge Congress to act until that is achieved,” a White House spokesman said.

r/t Reuters

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Politics

The Liberal Ascendancy

Yes, I know, it’s only been a week and already I’m full of prophecies and predictions about a liberal (say it with me: Lib-er-al) era that’s just beginning. Others have argued with me that it’s too soon or that the conservatives aren’t going away or that I live in good old liberal (say it again: Lib-er-al. Doesn’t it sound all smooth and creamy?) New Jersey and that I have no idea what’s happening in redder areas of the country.

Possibly true, and you might not lose money betting against me, but not only do I believe it to be true, there is some solid evidence to back it up. The conservative era is coming to a close and the implosion of the right wing is decidedly under way. Don’t get me wrong; the conservatives and the Republican Party can and will do a lot more damage to the country and to Barack Obama‘s second term (look what they’ve done to reproductive rights and collective bargaining), but their ability to set the agenda is pretty much over.

Consider:

The GOP gave in on taxes in the fiscal cliff negotiations, and then they postponed the debt ceiling fight for three months under the utterly mistaken belief that they will have the upper hand when it comes to negotiations over the debt. I have news for them: they’re going to lose again. The debt is actually slowing and the nation’s fiscal trajectory is towards recovery, more employment, higher housing prices and improved tax collection. Add in the fact that most Americans do not support the massive cuts that the Republicans are proposing and you have the recipe for disaster for the right’s agenda.

Opposition to all forms of gun control, an area where the GOP still has some strength, will take its toll on Republican popularity. I think we’ll get a background checks bill and perhaps a limit on ammunition, but there probably won’t be a national assault weapons ban. Still, the right is on the defensive about not wanting to do anything on guns, when it’s likely that some Republicans will vote for some limits.

We will get an immigration bill this year and the GOP will have to come along or face increasing political marginality. Even so, the Republicans might not get any political advantage from a bill that allows more children of illegals to obtain citizenship. Why? because many Hispanics are already liberals (a third time: Lib-er-als) who are in favor of the government programs that serve the nation and their communities. On this, the right wing is correct: voting like Democrats will not help the GOP. It will only help the president and the left. But they really have little political choice.

Opposition to Chuck Hagel will not block his nomination, and no evidence of Israel-bashing will be found. True, many on the left are uneasy with his anti-gay comments, but he’ll get enough votes to be confirmed.

Marriage equality will become legal in more states over the next few years, even if the Supreme Court rules against a national right, which I would say is a 50-50 proposition at this point. Remember that the Court will be ruling on economic and social rights, and not the moral correctness of whether all adults should be able to marry the person they love. The right wing is moving backwards on this issue. Even gay Republicans know that.

Storms have raised the possibility that maybe, just maybe, there’s something to this climate change thing that conservatives have been denying for years. Oil will rule the day for a while, but more severe weather will finally un-jam the logs and we can truly move towards energy independence based on fuels other than fossil.

There are many more issues, but I’ve made my point. The Democrats and President Obama have the wind of public opinion at their backs and as long as they both run a smart campaign to win support for specific legislation, we should see the first fruits of the liberal (in Texas, lib-ruhl) movement this year. We won’t get everything we want, but more progress will come in later administrations and Congresses. One more presidential election win will also result in some conservative Supreme Court justices retiring, and all it will take is one switch to get a liberal (one more time for FDR: Lib-er-al) majority.

Can you dig that? I knew that you could.

For more, go to www.facebook.com/WhereDemocracyLives and on Twitter @rigrundfest

Categories
Foreign Policies Politics

Al Qaeda In Mali: Islamist Fighters Carve Out New Country

Malian soldiers patrol the streets of Diabaly, about 250 miles north of the the capital, Bamako.

“I figured it was only a matter of time before Africa got back in the news in this manner…” 

 

MOPTI, Mali — Deep inside caves, in remote desert bases, in the escarpments and cliff faces of northern Mali, Islamic fighters are burrowing into the earth, erecting a formidable set of defenses to protect what has essentially become al-Qaida’s new country.

They have used the bulldozers, earth movers and Caterpillar machines left behind by fleeing construction crews to dig what residents and local officials describe as an elaborate network of tunnels, trenches, shafts and ramparts. In just one case, inside a cave large enough to drive trucks into, they have stored up to 100 drums of gasoline, guaranteeing their fuel supply in the face of a foreign intervention, according to experts.

Northern Mali is now the biggest territory held by al-Qaida and its allies. And as the world hesitates, delaying a military intervention, the extremists who seized control of the area earlier this year are preparing for a war they boast will be worse than the decade-old struggle in Afghanistan.

The catalyst for the Islamic fighters was a military coup nine months ago that transformed Mali from a once-stable nation to the failed state it is today. On March 21, disgruntled soldiers invaded the presidential palace. The fall of the nation’s democratically elected government at the hands of junior officers destroyed the military’s command-and-control structure, creating the vacuum which allowed a mix of rebel groups to move in.

Earlier this year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the United Nations. Earlier this month, the Security Council authorized the intervention but imposed certain conditions, including training Mali’s military, which is accused of serious human rights abuses since the coup. Diplomats say the intervention will likely not happen before September of 2013.

h/t Huffington Post

Categories
Politics Republican

The New GOP Brain Trust: Moving Forward

The Republican National Committee unveils its Growth and Opportunity Project, an initiative established to support the growth and influence of the Republican Party and its future campaigns.
The website www.GrowthOpportunityProject.com will serve as a forum for grassroots supporters to share ideas and recommendations about the way “forward” (their word, not mine) for the GOP.

If you think you may have some good suggestions for the Republican Party’s future endeavors, why not take their survey today!

Categories
Politics

Disappointed Over Filibuster Failure, Iowa Senator Resigns

Senator Tom Harkins
Sen. Tom Harkins

73-year-old Senator Tom Harkin becomes the third Senate retiree in recent weeks, joining Republican Sen. Saxby Chambliss of Georgia and Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia. He told The Associated Press in an interview, “It’s just time to step aside,” and allow a new generation of Democrats to seek higher office.

The senator is an outspoken advocate on filibuster reform, having just addressed the Senate on the topic on the very morning of Harry Reid’s filibuster fiasco. Reid’s decision came as a complete surprise and disappointment to Harkin, and may well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the successive announcement of his departure.

A strong proponent of president’s gun control proposals, Harkin’s states, “As a hunter, I know that the recreational use and collection of guns is important to many Iowans and as this debate advances, I will work to protect the legitimate rights of law-abiding American gun owners. But we cannot continue down a path of unlimited access to any arms, including those capable of shooting hundreds of bullets in a very short time.”

Harkin is a leading liberal in the Senate, having served as a key salesman of the ObamaCare bill.

No doubt that Harkin’s soon-to-be empty seat could spark an open competition from both sides of the Houses in the Senate although much of the Senate discussion on the Democratic side will be focused on fourth-term Rep. Bruce Braley, who represents the northeastern part of the state.

Categories
Politics

Unemployment Claims At Record Lows. Stock Market At Record Highs

Are things getting better in the economy? Seems that way. Here’s proof.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 330,000. That’s the fewest since January 2008.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 351,750. That’s also the lowest in nearly five years.

The decline may reflect the government’s difficulty adjusting its numbers to account for layoffs after the holiday shopping season. Layoffs spike in the second week of January and then plummet. The department seeks to adjust for those seasonal trends, but the figures can still be volatile.

If the trend holds up, fewer applications would suggest the job market is improving.

And this. Despite shares in Apple falling over 12% on Thursday, the market still closed today at record highs.

The bull market kept its momentum Friday as the Standard & Poor’s 500 index closed above 1,500 for the first time since Dec. 10, 2007, and the Dow Jones industrial average finished less than 30 points from breaking 14,000.

It was the fourth straight week that Wall Street’s three major indexes finished higher, with the S&P 500 and the Dow hitting new five-year highs again.

Yep! I’ll say that things are definitely getting better. 🙂

Categories
Barack Obama Democratic Mitt Romney Newt Gingrich Politics Rick Santorum White House

So, You Say You Wanna Be President

Word is out that VP Joe Biden is looking to throw his hat into the ring for president in 2016. Not for nothing, but if I were to go with the present mood of the country, I’d have to say that Hillary Rodham Clinton (Stop! We all know she’s running lol!) stands a better chance of becoming the Democratic nominee than the beloved Joe. And it won’t be because Mrs. Clinton is the better politician, or the more experienced legislator or even better liked than Biden. It’s what she isn’t that’s more likely than not going to give her a clearer shot as successor of the Obama Administration.

I don’t think the country has experienced this much diversity since John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the first Irish Catholic American to hold court in the Oval Office. That major feat seems like small potatoes compared to the election of a Barack Hussein Obama to the White house.

Thirteen years into the 21st century and America is slowly showing signs of embracing its diversity, the main reason why its so attractive to others born outside its perceived borders. Whichever way you may wish to see it, for better or for worse, President Obama and his Administration have successfully ushered in The New Vanguard in American politics.

THE ERA OF THE ‘NEW VANGUARD’ IN AMERICAN POLITICS

In the 2009 appointment of his Cabinet members, Obama’s choice of seven women (including Hillary as his Secretary of State), nine racial and ethnic minorities and only eight white men among its 21 members–whose overall age averaged 54 years–made his the most diverse Cabinet in history according to political analysts. It’s predicted that his new Cabinet selections, once completed, will also reflect more accurately what America looks like today.

As it should.

It doesn’t help the resistance to this change, that Americans–particularly the young voters who came of voting age within the last ten years or so–have witnessed the slow, embarrassing decay and deterioration of an antiquated Republican Party. It offers such a clear juxtaposition of how we no longer want our politics to look and act as opposed to what we do want.

Virtually unknown, seemingly untainted and un-corrupted by Big Money lobbyists, grass-rooted, youthful, innovative, broad-minded, humanist, energized and unafraid…these are the adjectives being applied to NewPolitician_5.0!

And just to be fair, Clinton and her people should not consider her a shoe-in for the candidacy in four years (remember how that worked out in ’08? Not so good.) There are quite a few politically aspirant stars out there who have cut their teeth on this new political vibe and are looking to go supernova in the American political galaxy. Gays and Lesbians, Latinos, Asians, young white and black men and women, the secular, the handicapped, Little People and even Mormons!…anyone can step up to the plate at any inning and upset her whole game, hoping for the opportunity to represent America, as seen through their eyes. Whether they’ll be the political trailblazers that these difficult times call for, well–only time will tell.

As it should.

Categories
Mitch McConnell Politics

Harry Reid Explains Why He Caved On Filibuster Reform

So yes, Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid caved on filibuster reform, despite telling various reporters that changing the filibuster has to happen. In an interview with Rachel Maddow back in October 2010, Reid said, “this has to change. It’s wrong what they’re doing, cause it’s has never happened before. The Republicans, just this time, have abused the system. And it’s gonna have to change. We’re gonna have to look at ways to change that, because there should not be a 60 vote threshold in the Senate.”

Then on Thursday, when he had a chance to change the filibuster, Reid went back on his “no-60-votes-threshold” claim and for some strange reason, he basically left the filibuster in place.

But he has a reason…

Ezra Klein summed it up best when he said, “Reid and McConnell have come to a deal on filibuster reform. The deal is this: The filibuster will not be reformed.”

Categories
Mitch McConnell Politics

Filibuster Deal Reached – Republicans Are Happy

Well, the word on the street is that a “deal” was reached on Filibuster reform. This “deal” was negotiated between Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and Republican Minority Leader, Mitch McConnell.

According to reports, this new “deal” will make some changes to how filibusters are done. These changes are:

  • Make it harder to filibuster the “motion to proceed,” which allows the Senate to start debate on a piece of legislation. Senators can still filibuster the actual legislation.
  • Eliminate some of the procedural hurdles to send legislation to a conference with the U.S. House to resolve differences between competing bills.
  • Make it easier to confirm certain judicial nominations. It does not apply to Cabinet positions, circuit court nominations or Supreme Court nominations.

Notice any changes yet? No? Well you’re not alone. Anyone looking at this “deal” is left wondering exactly what did Harry Reid get in return. He basically allowed Mitch McConnell and the Republicans to continue blocking bills just because they feel like it. And what did  Reid and the Democrats get in this “deal?”As far as I could see, nothing.

Republicans are ecstatic though! Said Republican Senator Lamar Alexander, “We all want the Senate to function. I’m optimistic about it.”

Yes Lamar, you should be. You basically have things just the way they were before this so-called “deal” was reached.

You hear this all the time… Democrats have no backbone. Well based on what happened with the filibuster, you’d have to agree that at least in this case, that saying is correct.

Categories
Benghazi Benghazi Politics

Hillary Clinton’s Voice Cracked, Republicans Say She’s Acting. Boehner Cries Constantly, That’s Okay

When I say the words, Cry Baby, who do you think of. That’s right, Republican House Speaker John Boehner is the first person that comes to mind. Boehner will cry long streaming tears at the drop of a dime and everyone is okay with that.

But yesterday as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified about the events in Benghazi, including the four Americans who died – people she knew personally – she was understandably shaken up, her voice cracking at times.

The same Republicans however, who sit and watch Boehner cry on almost a daily basis, is calling this an act by Mrs. Clinton.

This from BuzzFeed:

Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson pressed Clinton on why her office wasn’t able to immediately discover whether the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Libya were executed by terrorists or spontaneous protesters. He repeatedly asked her why she didn’t pick up the phone that day and find out the facts, to which Clinton eventually responded sharply, “With all due respect, the fact is we had four dead Americans. What difference, at this point, does it make?”

“I’m not sure she had rehearsed for that type of question,” Johnson told BuzzFeed Wednesday afternoon, after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “I think she just decided before she was going to describe emotionally the four dead Americans, the heroes, and use that as her trump card to get out of the questions. It was a good way of getting out of really having to respond to me.”

He said it was clear, at other points during the hearing, that Clinton was working off a set of talking points, but that his questions “got under her skin” because “they’re just so common sense.”

“I just don’t think she had an answer to that,” he said. “Maybe it embarrassed her. Maybe she hadn’t thought of it that way.”

Categories
Barack Obama Politics

John Boehner: Obama Wants To “Shove Us Into The Dustbin Of History”

I was watching a program on MSNBC today and saw a clip from Republican House Speaker, John Boehner. Apparently, it is the Speaker’s belief that President Obama is out to get the Republican party. Mr. Boehner thinks that the President is out to “annihilate the Republican Party.”

The Hill reports Boehner as saying

“Given what we heard yesterday about the president’s vision for his second term, it’s pretty clear to me that he knows he can’t do any of that as long as the House is controlled by Republicans,” Boehner said in a speech Tuesday to The Ripon Society. “So we’re expecting over the next 22 months to be the focus of this administration as they attempt to annihilate the Republican Party.

“And let me just tell you, I do believe that is their goal — to just shove us into the dustbin of history.”

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