Month: May 2006

Texas was Hammered by DeLay

Trish

Tom DeLay messed with Texas big time by placing party above…well everything, according to columnist Patricia Kilday Hart in the Dallas Morning News.

Redistricting Republicans into virtually every office has left the state with few ranking members, and now that DeLay himself has been forced from office under a cloud of scandal, Texans are crying in their Lone Stars.

The Texas delegation went from the most powerful to one of the weaker large state delegations, really as a result of DeLay’s efforts

…the Texas delegation underwent dramatic change after the 2004 elections, which were based on the Republican-friendly map Mr. DeLay forced through the state’s Legislature…In that election, Texas lost 85 years of seniority and three powerful ranking members of Congress.

“The Texas delegation went from the most powerful to one of the weaker large state delegations, really as a result of [Mr.] DeLay’s efforts,” says Matt Angle, director of the Lone Star Project, a Democratic research operation…

DeLay’s timing of his cut and run couldn’t be worse, Hart adds.

With Mr. DeLay’s retirement, Texas enters what one state official calls “uncharted territory,” with a delegation now claiming only one committee chairman and no leadership position — perhaps the state’s worst portfolio since the Great Depression. What’s more, this decline in stature coincides with President Bush’s lame-duck phase — and Mr. Bush’s precipitous decline in the polls.

…And then there’s also the question of what happens if the Republican Party loses its majority. “If the Democrats regain control of the Congress, the Texas delegation will be without a single chair or a single ranking member,” Mr. Angle notes.

Yes indeedy. “Democrats regain control of Congress.” Has a real ring to it, doesn’t it?

Poll: As Elections Approach, GOP Sinks Deeper into Irrelevancy in California

Jon Ponder

According to the most recent Los Angeles Times Poll, the California Republican Party is in such a sorry state that:

  • While GOP Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s approval rating has rebounded from the low 30s after his disastrous special elections last year to about 44 percent, only 32 percent of registered voters say they will probably or definitely vote for him, while 47 percent say they probably or definitely will not.
  • In the race for lieutenant governor, three strong candidates for the Democratic nomination are facing off in the June 6 primary: Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi and state senators Jackie Speier and Liz Figueroa. The primary winner will face Sen. Tom McClintock, whose brand of heartless, moralizing conservativism may be all the rage in Idaho and Wyoming but it ain’t selling here.
  • In the U.S. Senate race, Dianne Feinstein is virtually unopposed by a Republican in her quest for fourth term.
  • In the race for attorney general, an astounding 94 percent of voters could not identify state Sen. Chuck Poochigian of Fresno. On the Democratic side, former governor and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown is heavily favored over Los Angeles City Attorney Rockly Delgadillo.

UPDATE: Just saw a post at DKos saying the RNC is preparing for the loss of CA 50 in the run-off on Primary day. The seat has been in GOP hands for a while and was most recently held by Duke Cunningham, who is serving time for taking bribes. Looks like Democrat Francine Busby may have a chance.

More California Politics:

Pat Robertson Claims to Have Leg-Pressed 2,000 Pounds

Jon Ponder

Lord, Brother Pat Roberston is bragging about the miracles you have bestowed on him:

The leg press record for football players at Florida State is 1,335 pounds.

Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he’d be in a pretty tough spot if he tried.

The “700 Club” host’s feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined “How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds.”

According to the CBN Web site, Robertson worked his way up to lifting a ton with the help of his physician, who is not named. The posting does not say when the lift occurred, but a CBN spokeswoman released photos to The Associated Press that she said showed Robertson lifting 2,000 pounds in 2003, when Robertson was 73. He is now 76.

The Web posting said two men loaded the leg-press machine with 2,000 pounds “and then let it down on Mr. Robertson, who pushed it up one rep and let it go back down again.” The Web site said several people witnessed the event, and shows video of Robertson leg-pressing what appears to be 1,000 pounds.

Clay Travis of CBS SportsLine.com called the 2,000-pound assertion impossible in a column this week, writing that Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson says he has leg-pressed 2,000 pounds, but some say he’d be in a pretty tough spot if he tried.
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The “700 Club” host’s feat of strength is recounted on the Web site of his Christian Broadcasting Network, in a posting headlined “How Pat Robertson Leg Pressed 2,000 Pounds.”

According to the CBN Web site, Robertson worked his way up to lifting a ton with the help of his physician, who is not named. The posting does not say when the lift occurred, but a CBN spokeswoman released photos to The Associated Press that she said showed Robertson lifting 2,000 pounds in 2003, when Robertson was 73. He is now 76.

The Web posting said two men loaded the leg-press machine with 2,000 pounds “and then let it down on Mr. Robertson, who pushed it up one rep and let it go back down again.” The Web site said several people witnessed the event, and shows video of Robertson leg-pressing what appears to be 1,000 pounds.

Clay Travis of CBS SportsLine.com called the 2,000-pound assertion impossible in a column this week, writing that the leg-press record for football players at Florida State University is 665 pounds less..

Lord, I join with Brother Buck in praying that you will bring Brother Pat home now. He’s gone off his leash.

Think Fast: Who Are We At War With?

Trish

West Points cadets heard a quick, empty commencement address from Pres. Bush Saturday.

I finally concluded that like that third guy, I don’t know who we’re at war with. I suspect no one — including our leaders — does.

“The war began on my watch — but it’s going to end on your watch,” he said during a brief appearance…before returning to Camp David outside Washington, D.C., for the weekend.

Hold the bus to the holiday retreat, George. I’m not sure if you’re talking about kids now or the ones you let die in your stead in Vietnam.

“…Thirty-four times since your class arrived, you have observed a moment of silence in Washington Hall to honor a former cadet fallen in the war on terror…We will honor the memory of these brave souls,” [Bush said.] We will finish the task for which they gave their lives. We will complete the mission.”

“We,” of course, meaning, “you guys.”

When I hear Bush talk about “the war,” “the mission,” etc., my thoughts go to something that’s been bothering me since I was listening to the radio a couple of weeks ago. Punching buttons, I paused on the Lex and Terry Show, syndicated from nearby Jacksonville, which proudly defines its appeal as “male humor.”

Callers competed in a contest called, “The Mental Challenge,” which I gathered required one listener to identify which of several others was, in fact, mentally challenged and which were merely uninformed dolts. After a series of “duh” queries about sports and American Idol, the hosts asked an amazing question:

Who are we at war with?

One player answered “Afghanistan.” Another said “Arabs.” The third began to answer several times and finally said he didn’t know. Lex and Terry never supplied the correct answer.

Listening in the car, I was like the third contestant. I started to say, “insurgents” but they weren’t even in the picture when we launched this errand. So I switched to “terrorists,” but if that’s the case, why are we in Iraq instead of wherever it is terrorists come from? Saddem Hussein? No, we took him out but we’re still there. I finally concluded that like that third guy, I don’t know who we’re at war with.

I suspect no one — including our leaders — does. Yet they keep sending more West Point cadets, and National Guard dads and moms, and kids whose lives are just starting, to be killed or maimed. And we keep permitting them to.

Dueling Crises in November 1978 Forged the Political Careers of a Pair of San Francisco Women — Dianne Feinstein and Jackie Speier

Jon Ponder

November 1978: Jackie Speier and her boss, Rep. Leo Ryan, arrive at the airstrip at Port Kaituma near Jonestown in Guyana. Two days later, as they attempted to rescue defectors from the People’s Temple, the delegation was attacked at the airstrip by gunmen from the cult. Ryan was killed and Speier was shot five times and left to die.

In November 1978, the shocking news of back-to-back assassinations of San Francisco political leaders dominated headlines around the world.Two decades later, the tragic events reverberate in the careers of two powerful California politicians, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and state Sen. Jackie Speier, both of whom are candidates for office this year. Feinstein is running virtually unopposed for her fourth reelection, and Speier is a contender for lieutenant governor in the June 6 Democratic primary.

On November 19, 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan, whose district included parts of the San Francisco, was gunned down on an airstrip at Port Kaituma, Guyana, by members of the People’s Temple. Ryan and his delegation, which included 28-year-old Jackie Speier, were attempting to rescue a group of defectors from the bloodthirsty cult run by the Rev. Jim Jones. Speier was shot five times and left to die on the tarmac. That night, while she and a handful of survivors from Rep. Ryan’s party waited at the airstrip for help to arrive, horror descended on the cult’s jungle compound where Jones ordered his followers to commit mass suicide. Over 900 people, including about 250 children, died after drinking his poisoned Kool Aid.

Nine days later in San Francisco, Mayor George Moscone was killed in cold blood at City Hall, along with Harvey Milk, the city’s first openly gay supervisor. Their killer was Dan White, a conservative who had recently resigned from the board and who had become enraged when the mayor refused to reappoint him. Feinstein, age 45, was the city’s first female president of the board of supervisors (San Francisco’s city council) and became acting mayor upon the death of Moscone.

Americans were introduced to Dianne Feinstein that evening when video of the dramatic news conference in which she announced that Dan White had murdered Moscone and Milk led the news coverage. Feinsteni went on to be elected mayor twice. She ran for governor in 1990 and lost to Republican Pete Wilson. Two years later, she won the special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Wilson when he ran against her for governor. She was reelected in 1994 and 2000, and is running virtually unopposed this year.

Speier went on to represent San Francisco in the state Assembly and the Senate. Back in the dark days when the GOP still dominated Sacramento, she made a name for herself fighting the good fight for the liberal cause. She is currently running for lieutenant governor and has Feinstein’s endorsement. She is trailing in the June 6 primary against Insurance Commissioner John Garamendi, who has much higher name recognition statewide, 30 percent to 16 percent, but she is ahead of her colleague, Sen. Liz Figueroa, who is at 11 percent. The primary winner will face ultra-conservative (and therefore unelectable) state Sen. Tom McClintock in the fall.

Women were still rarities in politics in 1978, so the mere fact that Speier and Feinstein played roles once strictly reserved for men was news in itself. What was truly signifcant, though largely unspoken, about the events was the fact that these two women shouldered on as well as men in their situations could have done, or better. Their individual exceptional performances helped to counter charges of tokenism endured by high profile women in that era and paved the way for the women who followed them onto the political stage.

Is Bush’s Marriage in Trouble?

Jon Ponder

Last week the New York Times had an above-the-fold, front-page article that seemed to suggest that one of the Clintons is being unfaithful. Following the NYT’s lead, now the Globe has a cover story speculating about trouble in the Bush marriage.

It makes sense. George Bush is a spoiled, weak aristocrat who’s used to lying with impunity and getting his way no matter what. It must be frustrating for him now that America has tuned him out. It would be perfectly in character for him to start drinking again and losing his temper at the drop of the hat.

Of course, like the New York Times article this is nothing but rank speculation and gossip. I wonder if Chris Matthews will spend two hours on this story like he did on the Clintons.

Here is Media Matter’s overview of the Globe article:

[…]

Did Endorsement by Marilyn Manson Tip 2000 Vote to Bush?

Jon Ponder

This is as plausible as Jewish retirees in Palm Beach turning out in droves for a fascist-empathizer like Pat Buchanan:

Rocker Marilyn Manson feels partly responsible for George W Bush winning the US presidential election in 2000.

In an interview with US talk show host Tucker Carlson at the time, the controversial rocker sarcastically condemned Democrat candidate Al Gore and told his fans to vote Bush.

Manson says: “He won by such a small amount, and particularly because it was in Florida.

“Who’s to say there weren’t a couple of our fans who took my sarcasm seriously and voted for him?”

Or maybe the retirees were Manson fans.

Nixon’s Curse on America: the Bush Political Dynasty

Jon Ponder
Somewhere in hell, Nixon is laughing his ass off.

In the 1970s, George Bush I was one of the few Republican politicians of any consequence in Texas, if you can believe that. And the state was so heavily weighted to the Dems that the transplanted Connecticut Yankee couldn’t get elected to save his life. But in this anecdote, we learn how an off-the-cuff decision by President Nixon rescued George Sr. from near-certain obscurity — and saddled the nation with the Bushes for now and, probably, forever:

Ex-TX LG/Austin lobbyist/ ’04 WH campaign bit player/new author Ben Barnes (D) guested on one of the Post’s online chats:

Q: I glanced at your book in a bookstore the other day, and according to the flap, John Connally supposedly saved George Bush Sr.’s career. I never heard of that — it seems unlikely. What’s that about?

Ben Barnes: I was present when Richard Nixon called John Connally in 1970 to offer him the Secretary of the Treasury position. Bush had just lost his second campaign for US Senate, and was still the most visible Republican in Texas. Connally was a Democrat, and he told Nixon it would be a mistake to appoint him to a high position unless he appointed Bush to something first. Nixon called back and said he’d appoint Bush to be the UN ambassador. That revitalized Bush’s political career, and he went on to move up in the political world.

Somewhere in hell, Nixon is laughing his ass off.

Get Ready for Post-Hurricane Military Dictatorship

Buck Banks

When the power’s out, the power grab’s on: Tucked away in an obscure article on GovExec.com today was a disturbing little aside that bodes ill for state and local officials trying to deal with the aftermath of a hurricane. As if it weren’t bad enough that the National Secret Agency is spying on American citizens and the Federal Bureau of Invasion has commandeered the offices of the House of Representatives and the Whitewash House thinks the Constitution is something that applies to everybody but the president, we’re now looking at threats to “federalize” disaster response in the event that some local or state yahoo thinks the gubmint should butt out of hurricane recovery efforts until it’s actually needed.

Local opposition can lawfully be overcome by the White House’s “federalizing” National Guard units and, if necessary, by invoking the Insurrection Act to extend federal authority.

The article reports on a hearing held Thursday where federal officials were encouraged to issue emergency declarations faster this hurricane season to give military, homeland security and state and local response authorities more time to mobilize. The Defense and Homeland Security departments indicated they would like to have as much as a week to prepare for a hurricane. Of course, some bright light reminded the benighted bureacrats that at a week out, forecasts of possible landfall could cover hundreds or thousands of miles, leading to pointless and useless evacuations, and the staging of ice-filled semis in Quebec.

Then the discussion turned ominously creepy or creepily ominous:

One lawmaker expressed concern about federal authority to trump local and state mandates. In a discussion of how federal officials would deal with a local or state official who becomes unmanageable or recalcitrant, subcommittee member Rep. Geoff Davis, R-Mich., said federal officials may have to prove that they have the authority to override an individual.

[Paul McHale, the Defense Department’s assistant homeland defense secretary] told him “local opposition can lawfully [be] overcome” by the White House’s “federalizing” National Guard units and, if necessary, by invoking the Insurrection Act to extend federal authority.

Posse comitatus? We don’t need no stinkin’ posse comitatus! That, you will recall, is the provision that prevents the president from using the military for police activities. But, if you invoke the Insurrection Act, all bets are off and it’s up against the wall local redneck emergency managers and balky mayors and troublesome governors, and hello martial law.

At least this year the federal government has a plan — subjugate the populace using military force. Should be an interesting hurricane season ….

Quote du Jour

Buck Banks

Democracy is the worst form of government. It is the most inefficient, the most clumsy, the most impractical. It reduces wisdom to impotence and secures the triumph of folly, ignorance, clap-trap and demagogy. Yet democracy is the only form of social order admissable because it is the only one consistent with justice.

— Robert Briffault (1876-1948), British surgeon, anthropologist, novelist