Tag: Fox News

Jews Without News are Clueless

Buck Banks

kosher-but-clueless.jpgI’m on the mailing list of the National Jewish Democratic Council because sometimes they put out statements and position papers that are just a hoot. Today, however, they sent the following statement that caused me to do a double-take:

Ira N. Forman, Executive Director of the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), released the following statement:

The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) welcomes former Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN) to the fray as a consultant and strategic advisor to the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC). We look forward to engaging with Coleman in our ongoing dialogue over issues and ideas in the American Jewish community. By agreeing to serve in this position Coleman appears to have accepted the inevitable designation of Al Franken as the United States Senator from Minnesota.

What caught my attention was that last sentence, especially in light of all the reporting this morning about how Al Franken’s lawsuit to dismiss Norm Coleman’s lawsuit challenging the Minnesota Senate-seat recount had itself been dismissed, meaning that until Coleman’s suit is resolved, he’s still technically in the race to keep his senatorship.

Possible explanations:

A) Ira Forman knows things no one else knows, like Coleman has decided to give up the race, and just forgot to tell the media or drop the lawsuit.

B) Coleman thinks he’s going to lose the suit, and therefore the recount, and is hedging his bets by setting up some cushy consulting work for when he leaves office.

C) The NJDC is clueless because Ira Forman forgot to turn on NPR or CNN and only read the comics section in the newspaper this morning.

I really like explanation A, and I think B is conceivable, but given my track record with the Jewish Democrats, I am resigned to the fact that it’s probably C.

Green America Offers Seven ‘Green’ Fixes for Economy

Buck Banks

Green America (formerly Co-op America) offers seven solutions to our current economic crisis that simultaneously aid the environment. You can read all of them here, but my favorite is the idea of Clean Energy Victory Bonds:

How are we going to pay for this green energy revolution? Green America and our allies at Clean Edge propose Clean Energy Victory Bonds. Modeled after victory bonds in World War II, Americans would buy these bonds from the federal government to invest in large-scale deployment of green energy projects, with particular emphasis in low-income communities that are hardest hit by the broken economy. These would be long-term bonds, which would pay an annual interest rate, based in part on the energy and energy savings that the bonds generate. During WWII, Americans bought over $185 billion in bonds — that would be almost $2 trillion in today’s dollars.

I’d buy one, would you?

Pallin’ Around With Bigots: Obama and Warren

Trish


Six degrees?

Sarah Palin overplayed her hand with a guilt by association shot at Obama last fall. Because Obama served on a board with William Ayers, a former Vietnam War protester who bombed empty government buildings back in the day, Obama too must be a terrorist, she claimed. Palin’s logical leap lacked credibility because it defied the space/time continuum. When Ayers was staging antiwar rallies, Obama was 7 or 8 years old. By the time Obama met Ayers as a grown-up, the former radical was a distinguished college professor and civic leader, having been awarded Chicago’s “Citizen of the Year” honor in 1997.

Even though Palin was wrong to characterize Obama as “pallin’ around with terr-ists,” in degrees of separation at least, that relationship was the real deal.

A lot of people on our team correctly shouted Palin down when she made her ridiculous charges, and most people correctly ignored them on election day. What a difference a few short weeks, and one unpopular decision, can make.

This won’t be the last time Obama seems too inclusive of the ideologically impure to suit those who worked hardest to get him elected

Since Obama invited him to give the invocation at his inaugural, many on the left are throwing everything that “purpose-driven” Pastor Rick Warren ever did at Obama. Warren has worked in a missionary capacity with leaders of African countries (some of whom believe that a shower will wash away exposure to AIDS) who have criminalized homosexuality, locking up gays or handing out much harsher punishments.

Warren has also exhorted his followers to become as fanatical about Jesus as Hitler youth were in their convictions. That’s not a pretty picture but it’s also not uncharacteristic for born-agains, who are routinely urged to accept the Bible as inerrant and follow it literally — even the truly wacky stuff.

In spreading the word of Jebus, Warren has probably met a ton of other superstitious bigots, and slapped them on the back for their “good works” besides.

The problem isn’t that Rick Warren believes things we on the left don’t. The problem is our logic that because Obama invited Warren to offer a prayer on Inauguration Day, Obama is therefore advancing not only whatever Rick Warren does, but everything that everyone Rick Warren has ever been associated with does too.

It didn’t hold up when Sarah Palin said it, and it doesn’t hold up now.

This won’t be the last time Obama seems too inclusive of the ideologically impure to suit those who worked hardest to get him elected. I foresee many more such moves, which our side will classify as mistakes. If I ever fall in that category, remind me that I went on record, here and now, as saying that I trust Obama to have a bigger vision than my own, and that I think he’s right that we will get further by talking to everyone, and including everyone, than we will by staying inside our own little belief bubbles. I’m willing to wait and see how it all works out.

Obama’s Dinner Party from Hell

Trish

Graphic by Jake Turcotte appears at the Christian Science Monitor

If I were Barack Obama, I could think of few things worse than the dinner party he recently attended at George Will’s house.

Who was on the guest list?

The New York Times’s David Brooks, the Washington Post’s Charles Krauthammer, CNBC’s Lawrence Kudlow, National Review’s Rich Lowry, and the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol.

No Joe the Plumber? No. He’s over in Israel covering a war.

Good Lord. What must that have been like? I bet Obama staggered outside afterward and tossed back a few Rolaids, chased with a couple of stiff shots. At least that’s what I would have done.

Did Jeb Pass on Senate to Run for President?

Trish

Florida’s gain, America’s loss?

That whooshing sound the rest of the country is hearing is the collective sigh of relief from Florida, upon receiving the joyous news that Jeb Bush will not be running for the Senate in 2010.

According to self-proclaimed insiders, Jeb did a mental calculus and decided not to try to succeed one-term Sen. Mel Martinez because a) his family needs him too much, b) he enjoys being the decider, not a team player, and c) he’s making crazy money in the private sector.

A Jeb/Palin ticket in 2012 is every Republicans’ wet dream.

The mere idea that Jeb might throw his hat in the ring “froze the field” on both sides, according to former House Speaker Marco Rubio, who was and is thinking of vying for the office himself.

Such speculation also fueled a round of Jeb-Love, starting with the arrogant asshole’s father, George H.W., who thinks his son is suited to the family calling. No, I’m not talking about screwing things up, I’m talking about the Bushes’ other calling — being president.

Why everyone thinks Jeb is the smart one or the capable one is beyond me. Let’s take a look at Jeb’s illustrious life.

  • Family: Wife Columba was fined by U.S. Customs when she attempted to smuggle $19,000 in clothing and jewelry purchased in Paris; daughter Noelle was arrested for forging prescriptions for Xanax and while serving court-appointed rehab was discovered with cocaine; son George P. broke into his ex-girlfriend’s house in the wee hours and after arguing with her father (who called police), returned 20 minutes later and tore doughnuts in their front lawn with his Ford Explorer; and son Jeb Jr. and an unknown female were discovered by police in the parking lot of a Tallahassee mall having sex in the back seat of his Jeep Cherokee. Like former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Junior had removed his pants but continued to wear his socks.

    • […]

Blogger: Democrats Should Learn to Pick Battles

Trish

From the “Man, I wish I’d said that” file on the subject of Sen. Harry Reid’s opposition to Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris assuming the Illinois Senate seat:

My party’s biggest shortcoming is its epic incompetence at picking battles. It passed on the most important battle it could have waged, the legitimate and necessary impeachment of the President and the Vice-President; but it’s willing to wheel out the slingshot for this happy horseshit, to oppose the seating of one of its own to the Senate.

From Brady Bonk at Ketchup is a Vegetable

Harry Reid’s Racist Mormon Beliefs Exposed in Illinois Senate Contest

Trish

Reid’s Rejects: From left, Jackson, Davis, and Jones

I knew eventually that the Democratic party’s leadership being infiltrated by Mormons would hurt us. I have made clear I believe Mormonism to be a racist, sexist, homophobic, fraudulent, and bizarre cult so if you’re coming in late and are astounded that I make no apology for my views, well…you’re coming in late.

Reid is clearly letting his Mormon beliefs override good sense, assuming he has any

Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is making my worst fears a reality. How this man got to be Senate Majority Leader is a mystery to me but he needs to go. Reid is clearly letting his Mormon beliefs override good sense, assuming he has any. By calling on Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich not to appoint an African-American to succeed Barack Obama in the Senate, he is taking the Democratic party into the wacko zone with him.

From Mormonism’s earliest years, its leaders believed Africans were cursed descendants of Cain. As such, they were unfit for full participation.

Under the racial restrictions that lasted from the presidency of Brigham Young until 1978, persons with any black African ancestry could not hold the priesthood in the LDS Church and could not participate in some temple ordinances, such as the Endowment and celestial marriage…

The priesthood restriction was particularly limiting, because the LDS Church has a lay priesthood and all worthy male members may receive the priesthood. Young men are generally admitted to the Aaronic priesthood at age 12, and it is a significant rite of passage…Holders of the priesthood officiate at church meetings, perform blessings of healing, and manage church affairs. Excluding blacks from the priesthood meant that blacks could not hold significant church leadership roles or participate in certain spiritual events.

[…]

Expect Great Things From Colorado’s Next Senator

Trish
Colorado’s newest — and the country’s youngest — senator, Michael Bennet

Michael Bennet will be the youngest senator when he steps up to replace Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar, chosen to be Pres.-Elect Obama’s secretary of the interior. At 44, Bennet, a former lawyer and businessman, was passed over as Obama’s education secretary despite legendary success as superintendent of the Denver school system.

From 2005 to 2008, Denver students made strong improvements in reading, math, writing and science. In reading, the district posted a 6.2% increase over the three years, more than four times the growth of the state. In math, Denver saw a 6% gain, more than twice the growth of the state. In the middle grades, Denver saw gains of 10% in reading and 9% in math…

Full day kindergarten slots were also increased by 25% which means that over 90% of the children in Denver Public Schools, as five year olds, currently have access to full day kindergarten.

After five years and $83 million in budget cuts equaling almost 20% of the operating budget, Denver has balanced its budget without cuts for two consecutive years and is investing additional funds into its schools and departments.

Gosh, is there anything this guy can’t do? Wait, there’s more. Bennet looks like he has a good chance at maintaining the seat when he eventually stands for election.

Bennet was able to convincingly sell [Colorado Gov. Bill] Ritter on his experience and strengths in business, education and as a former lawyer at the U.S. Department of Justice. And his numerous contacts to high-profile and powerful people indicated he had impressive fundraising potential, according to a source close to the governor.

If he does win in 2010, it will be the whiz kid’s first election victory. Bennet has never run for office before, a detail some Colorado Democrats consider important.

Still, if pedigrees and past performance mean anything, Bennet looks pretty good.

Bennet, educated in private schools, graduated from Wesleyan University in Connecticut before attending law school at Yale. His brother James is editor of Atlantic Monthly and his father, Douglas, was president of Wesleyan University, former president of National Public Radio and assistant secretary of state for international organization affairs in the Clinton administration.

Bennet is married to environmental attorney Susan Daggett. They have three daughters and live in Denver.