Let's take some action

post from Daily Kos on 16 August 2010 10:20:04 PM. © Daily Kos

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First, let me say thank you to Markos, and the entire Daily Kos community, for welcoming me earlier today. It is more than an honor to be working with Daily Kos--it is a dream come true.

For those of you who do not know me, I spent the last three years running OpenLeft.com, which will continue on in my absence. Before then, I spent three years writing at MyDD.com. But, I do have deep roots in the Daily Kos community. I have been lurking here since August of 2002, when I found Daily Kos in a Google search for information about the midterm elections. I am proud to say that my user ID is a very low 123, and that I had the first diary promoted to the front page (although I am embarrassed by that article now). A few weeks later, I invented the tip jar, sort of, as a mean to get myself trusted user status. (click here to read ElistJohn’s comment where he figured out what I was doing).

I am not here to tell you what to do. This action email list will be informed by your creativity and insight. I hope to supplement your existing ideas and efforts, and allow them to make a much bigger impact on the national political environment. Also, now that I live in D.C., I will do my best to represent you and your interests on the ground here. Bluntly, I am here to work for you.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/nMYIlf9oAa0/-Lets-take-some-action

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The Regrets of Mitch McConnell

post from MyDD on 16 August 2010 10:19:35 PM. © MyDD

“I am amused with their comments about obstructionism,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said in an interview over the weekend with the New York Times. “I wish we had been able to obstruct more. They were able to get the health[...]

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http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/mydd/~3/YU_n03lbn6w/the-regrets-of-mitch-mcconnell
-2

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FL Sen: What Is Going on in Florida Ipsos and
Mason-Dixon Have Very Different Answers

post from Firedoglake on 16 August 2010 10:15:45 PM. © Firedoglake

Just over a week from the August 24 Florida primary, two polls show the Democratic Senate primary and the dynamics of the overall Senate race in very different shape. Mason-Dixon has Rep. Kendrick Meek with a huge lead over his billionaire opponent Jeff[...]

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http://elections.firedoglake.com/2010/08/16/fl-sen-what-is-going-on-in-florida-ip
sos-and-mason-dixon-have-very-different-answers/

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Parody of a Travesty of a Mockery

post from Talking Points Memo on 16 August 2010 10:01:33 PM. © Talking Points Memo

The conservative-stacked US Commission on Civil Rights is asking Congress for permission to sue the DOJ over the nonsense New Black Panther episode. Civil and political rights - United States Congress - United States - New Black Panther - Black Panther[...]

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vesty_of_a_mockery.php

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Scarborough: 'Screw' GOP if they kick me out for
defending mosque

post from Crooks and Liars on 16 August 2010 10:00:55 PM. © Crooks and Liars

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At least two prominent Republicans are going against the bulk of their party to say that Muslims have every right to build an Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.

Monday Morning, Conservative MSNBC host Joe Scarborough found himself agreeing with former Bush advisor Mark MicKinnon that Muslims have a right to build the controversial mosque.

"When I was in Congress in 1994, when I got elected in '94, I was considered to be one of the more conservative guys up there," Scarborough began.

"I am feeling further and further distant from the people who are running my party," he said.

Scarborough pointed to comments where Newt Gingrich accused President Barack Obama of pandering to Muslims. The president had spoken out Friday in favor of Muslims' right to build the mosque.

"Nazis don't have the right to put up a sign next to the Holocaust Museum in Washington," Gingrich said on Fox News Monday. "We would never accept the Japanese putting up a site next to Pearl Harbor. There is no reason for us to accept a mosque next to the World Trade Center," he said.

Reflecting on Gingrich's comments, Scarborough didn't know where to begin. "To suggest that someone trying to build a -- a tolerant center for moderate Muslims in New York is the equivalent of killing six million Jews is stunning to me," he said.

"It's stunning and it is so contrary to our country's principle and the Republican party," agreed McKinnon.

"I'm glad to see we're together on this and unfortunately I think we may get our membership revoked at the Pachyderm Club," said McKinnon.

"Screw 'em," interrupted Scarborough.

"I agree," said McKinnon.

A poll taken by Fox News Aug. 10 - Aug. 11 found that 64 percent of respondents thought it would be wrong to build a mosque near Ground Zero.

President Barack Obama seemed to pit himself against public opinion Friday when he said that Muslims have a right to choose where they worship.

But let me be clear: as a citizen, and as President, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country. That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances. This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.

But on Saturday, the president clarified that he wasn't saying that building the Islamic Center was necessarily a good idea.

"My intention was simply to let people know what I thought, which was that in this country, we treat everybody equally and in accordance with the law, regardless of race, regardless of religion," the President said during a visit to the Gulf Coast yesterday.
"I was not commenting and I will not comment on the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque there," Obama said. "I was commenting very specifically on the right people have that dates back to our founding. That's what our country is about."

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http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/node/39064

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Rachel follows up on Arizona & Prisons for Profit

post from AMERICAblog News on 16 August 2010 10:00:13 PM. © AMERICAblog News

Last Friday, Rachel Maddow continued her coverage of Corrections Corporation of America, the Prison-for-Profit company that's working to "help" Arizona increase its state and federal incarcerations ? because more incarcerations means more money, and that's just good business, right?

She interviewed Morgan Loew of KPHO-TV, who is doing terrific investigative work ? the kind of work that's mostly done these days by tier-1 mags, like Rolling Stone and the New Yorker, and local writers like Jon Ralston at the Las Vegas Sun.

It turns out CCA's fingerprints are all over the "Send Browns to Prison" law. Not only did unelected Gov. Jan Brewer employ two CCA lobbyists on her staff ? but the bill itself was introduced by Russell Pearce, senate Appropriations chairman and a man with huge ties to CCA (and far-right hate groups in general).

The whole segment is here. This is the Russell Pearce part:

(There's a nice little light show of video artifacts about 30 seconds into this clip ? you're welcome.)

Unelected Gov. Brewer is up to her eyeballs in this and she knows it. Go to this post, our earlier coverage of Rachel and CCA, and watch the clip at the 8:20 mark. She can't get away from the questioner fast enough.

I'll say what Rachel says ? This is only marginally about jailing browns and blacks. (Remember those heavy-handed drug laws?)

Like all things Tea Party, this is really just that old post-bellum Southern Strategy, the original one: The rich guy shouts the N-word at the poor white sharecropper, then robs the both of them blind.

It's all about the Benjamins, folks. The beast wants only money, this beast especially, and it has no conscience at all. Those Tea Bags are just stage props.

If there's a Hell, this beast is going straight to the mouth of Satan.

Wonder where the Tea Bags are going?

GP

(If you really want to follow up on this subject, the comments to our earlier coverage contains several excellent items. For example, see here on placement of private prisons; here on judges who get kickbacks, up to $3 million, from private prison operators; here for the potential for forced-labor abuse; and here for lack of job training in Prison-for-Profit operations.)

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izona-prisons.html

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Republican Texas State Rep. Joe Driver Takes
Public Money He Has No Right To Receive

post from Texas Liberal on 16 August 2010 09:49:15 PM. © Texas Liberal

Republican Texas State Representative Joe Driver of Garland has been billing the State of Texas for travel that has also been paid for by his campaign. From the Houston Chronicle— “Over the years Driver has double-billed for numerous Southwest Airlines tickets to Austin from his Dallas-area district “to attend to legislative duties,” records show. But [...]

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http://texasliberal.wordpress.com/2010/08/17/republican-texas-state-rep-joe-drive
r-takes-public-money-he-has-no-right-to-receive/

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CO-Sen: Ken Buck decides he wants to be elected
after all

The opposition of the far right to the 17th amendment (the one that says the people get to elect their Senators) has always been hard to fathom. They say it gives the states more power over the feds--having legislatures appoint Senators would somehow do that. But taking away the popular vote to do so is a little ... well, counter-productive. It's also a bit awkward for those candidates advocating repeal while at the same time running for the Senate. Witness Colorado's Ken Buck, who has tied himself in knots on the issue.

In a brief phone call to the Huffington Post, Buck said that he did not favor repealing the 17th Amendment, which allows the public, not state legislatures, to vote on who represents them in the Senate. As late as June 2009, Buck had held the opposite view, telling the Pikes Peak Economics Club, that the American public needed to be educated "about the populist nature of the 17th Amendment and how it has taken us down the wrong path."

"I don't know that we get [repeal] tomorrow, but I think we get there in the very near future when people understand just what a horrendous effect the 17th amendment has been on the federal government's spending."

Reached by phone on Friday afternoon, Buck explained that immediately after delivering those remarks, he rethought his position on the 17th Amendment debate. Since then, he stressed, he has been opposed to the notion of repeal.

"It is not a position I still hold and it wasn't a position I held a day later when I called back the guy who asked the question and talked to him about the issue and reflected more on it," Buck said. "It doesn't make sense to repeal the 17th amendment and I have said it a dozen of times."

"Elect me so I can repeal your vote" turned out to be a crappy slogan, apparently.

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http://feeds.dailykos.com/~r/dailykos/index/~3/rrRBn-3dGE4/-CO-Sen:-Ken-Buck-deci
des-he-wants-to-be-elected-after-all

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Open Letter to Obama Concerning Cupcakes and
Milkshakes

Dear Obama,Look, obviously the meme that we just can't all get along between you and the left has taken hold. I could really give a shit. I think some of your handlers were shocked that the Professional Left didn't give you the Fox News treatment. Plus,[...]

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cerning-cupcake-and-milkshakes

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Obama Cant Control His Generals Time for
Congress to Step in

If President Obama is too weak to preserve our civilian-military order, then Congress is obligated to enforce its Constitutional authority over the power of war.[...]

Read The Full Article:
http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/65460

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