Judging Sonia: Republicans Reveal Themselves

“It’s the American way that we judge people as individuals, not as groups. And by that standard we can say unequivocally that this particular wise Latina, with the richness of her experiences, would far more often than not reach a better conclusion than the individual white males she faced in that Senate hearing room. Even those viewers who watched the Sotomayor show for only a few minutes could see that her America is our future and theirs is the rapidly receding past.”

— Columnist Frank Rich, commenting on the Supreme Court confirmation hearings, and the hypocrisy and isolation of the Republican senators who questioned her.

RPOF Brags About ‘Pay to Play’ with Black Media

This is just an amazing thing. The Republican Party of Florida issued a press release Saturday that republished an Orlando Sentinel story about meetings RPOF Chairman Jim Greer had with African American media representatives recently. I understand that the RPOF is trying to reach out to blacks, but I’m just not certain how to take this story. I mean, I think everybody comes off looking pretty bad here.

This is another step in how we’re going to open a dialogue with the African-American community …
— Jim Greer

Black-owned media tell GOP that money talks
By Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel
Florida Republican leaders are trying to capture ground they’ve historically ceded to the Democratic Party — the black news media.

Friday, managers of black-owned newspapers and radio outlets told Florida GOP Chairman Jim Greer there’s a simple way to get more attention for conservative issues and candidates: money.

“At the end of the day, it’s about money. If you buy advertising, you’re more likely to get coverage,” said Johnny Hunter, president of the Florida Association of Black Owned Media and publisher of Sarasota’s Tempo News.

Greer invited black-media news executives from across the state to a downtown Orlando hotel to hash out how the party can make inroads in the black community, which traditionally votes Democratic.

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Evolution of a Rightwing Tweet

Rubio’s twitter profile pic

Love twitter, hate twitter, or just wish people understood the difference between status updates on facebook and tweets, and didn’t post the identical thing in both places. But. Whatever you feel about twitter, you have to admit that something very brief can provide huge insight.

Take Marco Rubio for example, or should I say marcorubio? The only guy not scared of running against Charlie Crist in a Republican primary in Florida for U.S. Senate is exploring his inner Iranian freedom meme on twitter. In successive posts on Father’s Day, you can watch him home in on how best to slam Obama, strike the proper note of patriotism and far rightwing zealotry, and applaud fatherhood. It’s not an easy job, but I think he’s done it.

First, there was this.

#May God bless those fathers in Iran who are speaking out in order to protect their childrens future. #iranelection #tcot #sayfie44 minutes ago from TwitterFon

A good start, but we’re missing the “terrorists have won” sentiment that Republicans so enjoy.

#An American govt afraid to speak out for freedom is exactly what the terrorists wanted to accomplish. #sayfie #tcot #iranelection #tehran36 minutes ago from TwitterFon

That’s better, but not overtly insulting to Obama and the Democrats.

#American govt may be afraid to speak out in support of Iranian freedom but the American people are not! #sayfie #iranelection #tehran #tcot32 minutes ago from TwitterFon

Almost perfect. Let’s just think about it a little more…Hey! Guns!

# I have a feeling the situation in Iran would be a little different if they had a 2nd amendment like ours. #sayfie #tcot #nra20 minutes ago from TwitterFon

Now you’re tweeting, Marco! Way to make that Charlie Crist guy look like a wuss!

Saletan: Why are Pro-Lifers Sorry?

William Saletan at Slate gets to the knife-edge of the line pro-lifers are attempting to straddle in the death of Dr. George Tiller. In a piece called, Is it Wrong to Murder an Abortionist?, Saletan says these folks don’t seem to believe their own rhetoric. If they did, they would be like Tiller’s assassin, killing every abortion doctor they could find. After all, if someone were shooting students on a college campus or old folks at a nursing home, no one would say they regret that things went too far when the gunman was killed.

Saletan: ‘If you don’t accept what Roeder did, then maybe it’s time to ask yourself what you really believe.’

Tiller’s murder is different from all previous murders of abortion providers. If you kill an ordinary abortionist, somebody else will step in. But if you kill the guy at the end of the line, some of his patients won’t be able to find an alternative. You will have directly prevented abortions.

That seems to be what Tiller’s alleged assassin, Scott Roeder, had in mind…

So is Roeder getting support from the nation’s leading pro-life groups? Not a bit. They have roundly denounced the murder. The National Right to Life Committee says it opposes “any form of violence to fight the violence of abortion,” preferring instead “to work through educational and legislative activities to ensure the right to life for unborn children, people with disabilities and older people.”

…I applaud these statements. They affirm the value of life and nonviolence, two principles that should unite us. But they don’t square with what these organizations purport to espouse…

You think you’re pro-life. You tell yourself that abortion is murder. Maybe you even say that when a pollster calls. But like most of the other people who say such things in polls, you don’t mean it literally.

…If you don’t accept what [Roeder] did, then maybe it’s time to ask yourself what you really believe. Is abortion murder? Or is it something less, a tragedy that would be better avoided? Most of us think it’s the latter.

Amen. Enough with the Hitler comparisons, the overwrought bombast, the entire “abortion is murder” meme. Murder is murder. Abortion is only a very regrettable solution when all the other options seem worse.

Whose Hands are Bloody Now?

Dr. George Tiller, right, accepts an award

Anti-abortion extremists (is there another kind?) seem confused about who the victim is in the murder of Dr. George Tiller during a Wichita church service. Despite a years-long coordinated campaign of threats, harassment and incitement of violence against the family planning physician, their main concern is that they will face a backlash from sensible people. Whoops. Should of thought of that a little sooner.

From a transcript of the Bill O’Reilly show from June, 2007 in which Dr. Tiller was ambushed and goaded while attempting to get in his car:

Bill O’Reilly in 2007: “If the state of Kansas doesn’t stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands”

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PORTER BARRY, “FACTOR” PRODUCER: Why are you one of the only doctors who does these kind of abortions?

TILLER: Nice day isn’t it?

BARRY: They call you Tiller, the baby Killer. Is that appropriate? .

TILLER: I’m think I’m going to get in my car and go to work.

BARRY: Dr. Tiller, don’t you think…

TILLER: Hi, is this 911? This is Dr. George Tiller. I am at Edgemoore and Harry at QuickTrip. I’m being accosted by the people from O’Reilly. Yes, and they are preventing me from getting in my car and leaving.

BARRY: You can get in your car and go, Dr. Tiller.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Bill O’Reilly, later in that same broadcast:

O’REILLY: Yes, I think we all know what this is. And if the state of Kansas doesn’t stop this man, then anybody who prevents that from happening has blood on their hands as the governor does right now, Governor [Kathleen] Sebelius.

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