- Upon hearing the news that Sen. Robert Byrd had died early this morning, I began to wonder exactly how long it would take conservatives to politicize his passing. Considering the upcoming vote on Financial Reform in the Senate, as well President Obama's desire to have a vote by the end of the week, I'm looking for conservatives and their media masters at Fox"News" to be going full throttle on this one.
- Elena Kagan is to start her Supreme Court confirmation hearings today, after opening remarks from Senators, and it's likely to be a much bumpier ride than Justice Sonya Sotomayor got. With all the falsehoods being perpetuated by conservatives - and even some normally reliable media like NPR - this confirmation process is likely to take some of the spotlight away from the Gulf oil disaster. Perhaps someone like Glenn Beck or Sean Hannity will find a way to bundle the two together.
- I heard Geraldo's initial offering of this comments regarding Rolling Stone writer Micheal Hastings when he was debating the firing of Gen. Stanley McCrystal with The Howard Stern Show's Robin Quivers - herself a military vet. You can usually tell when a person - be they conservative or not - has reached the bottom of the barrel when the comparisons to terrorists come out as the keystone to your argument.
- It usually the loudest within the conservative movement, be they hardcore Tea Bagging screamers or not, that decry the government are going to be some of the first with their hands out when they see the opportunity to gain from it. In a regarding manufacturing, 74% of self-described Tea Baggers support a nationalized manufacturing strategy. This is in stark contrast to the "message" that they are attempting to bring with them. Not only that, but such a pro-worker stance does tend to smack of hypocrisy, considering their utter disdain for an organized workforce.
- Arizona Governor Jan Brewer continues to milk her 15 minutes of political fame with a misleading ad that continues the false narrative that the Obama administration has surrendered American soil to Mexico. And while this has been completely discredited, the shear gimmick factor for conservatives is just too juicy to give up.
Showing posts with label Elena Kagan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Elena Kagan. Show all posts
Monday, June 28, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Republicans And Their Judicial Hypocrisy
It's always good fun when it can be pointed out that Republicans are such a hypocritical lot. This is more than true when it come to the Supreme Court and potential appointee Elena Kagan.
This isn't surprising in the least. At times, though, I'm curious as to whether or not people like McConnell and DeMint have aides that should be doing some research prior to them making such declarative statements. If not, they probably should have.
Nearly 40% off the 111 members of the Supreme Court to serve had no prior judicial experience before being nominated. The most famous, in my mind at least, would have to be William Rehnquist, who was nominated by a Republican - Richard Nixon.
Soon after President Obama announced that he had nominated Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court, Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell (KY) and Jim DeMint (SC) attacked his choice because Kagan has never served as a judge...Yet back in 2005, both DeMint and McConnell praised Harriet Miers’ nomination to the Supreme Court before she withdrew. Like Kagan, Miers had no previous judicial experience, yet both GOP senators expressed admiration for Miers, specifically citing her “experience”.
This isn't surprising in the least. At times, though, I'm curious as to whether or not people like McConnell and DeMint have aides that should be doing some research prior to them making such declarative statements. If not, they probably should have.
Nearly 40% off the 111 members of the Supreme Court to serve had no prior judicial experience before being nominated. The most famous, in my mind at least, would have to be William Rehnquist, who was nominated by a Republican - Richard Nixon.
Hatching A Plan
Did Senator Orin Hatch just do what I think he did?
Republicans are still bitter at the fact that Sotomayor is on the Supreme court, so getting a cheap shot against her when the time presents itself will always get you in the good graces of people like Limbaugh and Beck. Hatch knew precisely what he was doing - lying. Ironic, isn't it.
It would have been nice for Chuck Todd to press Hatch on this, but that's not what he's known for doing. And that's one thing that really irritates me about interviews like this - when the anchors are presented an opportunity to challenge anyone that makes specious claims like this, they simply don't do it as much and as often as they should. Then again, maybe they are afraid that they will be accused of "badgering" the person being interviewed. Palin pulled that same stunt and got away with it when she couldn't answer even the simplest of questions.
I don't expect Hatch or any Republican to vote for her to be confirmed, so to hear a Republican talk about what they would and wouldn't like to hear is a complete waste of airtime.
Republicans are still bitter at the fact that Sotomayor is on the Supreme court, so getting a cheap shot against her when the time presents itself will always get you in the good graces of people like Limbaugh and Beck. Hatch knew precisely what he was doing - lying. Ironic, isn't it.
It would have been nice for Chuck Todd to press Hatch on this, but that's not what he's known for doing. And that's one thing that really irritates me about interviews like this - when the anchors are presented an opportunity to challenge anyone that makes specious claims like this, they simply don't do it as much and as often as they should. Then again, maybe they are afraid that they will be accused of "badgering" the person being interviewed. Palin pulled that same stunt and got away with it when she couldn't answer even the simplest of questions.
I don't expect Hatch or any Republican to vote for her to be confirmed, so to hear a Republican talk about what they would and wouldn't like to hear is a complete waste of airtime.
Some Thoughts For Your Morning
- With all the talk about how Elena Kagan is somehow unfit to be a member of the SCOTUS, I was reminded last night while watching Rachel Maddow that Chief Justice William Renquist WAS NEVER A JUDGE before Nixon nominated him.
- Considering how conservatives are shrieking about Kagan's citation of Thurgood Marshall's comments regarding the original Constitution will likely dominated Republican cross-examination during confirmation, I have to ask why they think the original Constitution was so great. After all, it's been amended 27 times - the most recent was in 1992 - so it appears the debate over whether the original was "perfect" has been going on for over 200 years.
- I'm guessing that Ann Coulter attends an open-face Meth buffet before she appears on any Fox"News" program.
- Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks seems to take issue with not just Kagan's nomination but with Obama's presidency as well. And while I will concede that he hasn't been forceful enough on several issues, I think a lot of people are jumping the gun on this. As for me, I think Kagan is going to help overshadow the obvious conservative activism that Scalia, Roberts, and Alito bring to the bench with every case they hear.
- Considering how conservatives are shrieking about Kagan's citation of Thurgood Marshall's comments regarding the original Constitution will likely dominated Republican cross-examination during confirmation, I have to ask why they think the original Constitution was so great. After all, it's been amended 27 times - the most recent was in 1992 - so it appears the debate over whether the original was "perfect" has been going on for over 200 years.
- I'm guessing that Ann Coulter attends an open-face Meth buffet before she appears on any Fox"News" program.
- Cenk Uygur of The Young Turks seems to take issue with not just Kagan's nomination but with Obama's presidency as well. And while I will concede that he hasn't been forceful enough on several issues, I think a lot of people are jumping the gun on this. As for me, I think Kagan is going to help overshadow the obvious conservative activism that Scalia, Roberts, and Alito bring to the bench with every case they hear.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Creating The Narrative
And so it begins.
Limbaugh just can't wait to get his greasy fingers even dirtier when it comes to issues like this.
Here's something that I have to ask again - why do conservatives continually claim that those with a higher education are actually "elitist radicals"? I remember growing up in a very conservative home and being told that higher education is important. My aunt has a masters in Education and taught in public schools for nearly 40 years and she's not seen as a "elitist radical" in her community - just the opposite actually.
And Beck seems to be ready to mount his horse named "conspiracy".
I can remember writing papers in college on subject I don't actively endorse. They may have been interesting, they may have helped provide insight into other areas of my life, but when I wrote about something like Communism or the horrible tactics of Pol Pot, I wasn't advocating what they were doing.
Part of writing from an intellectually honest perspective is attempting to see the subject matter from a neutral standpoint - you have to separate yourself from your own ideals while taking on subjects of such weight. When Bret Easton Ellis wrote American Psycho, was he issuing a call to action for yuppies to become serial killers? This seems to be the point of view that Beck is taking on.
Also, considering conservatives utter disdain and contempt for context, I would really like to read Kagan's entire thesis in order to get the full picture. Simply reading two excerpts and then putting your own particular spin on it doesn't provide context.
Limbaugh just can't wait to get his greasy fingers even dirtier when it comes to issues like this.
Here's something that I have to ask again - why do conservatives continually claim that those with a higher education are actually "elitist radicals"? I remember growing up in a very conservative home and being told that higher education is important. My aunt has a masters in Education and taught in public schools for nearly 40 years and she's not seen as a "elitist radical" in her community - just the opposite actually.
And Beck seems to be ready to mount his horse named "conspiracy".
I can remember writing papers in college on subject I don't actively endorse. They may have been interesting, they may have helped provide insight into other areas of my life, but when I wrote about something like Communism or the horrible tactics of Pol Pot, I wasn't advocating what they were doing.
Part of writing from an intellectually honest perspective is attempting to see the subject matter from a neutral standpoint - you have to separate yourself from your own ideals while taking on subjects of such weight. When Bret Easton Ellis wrote American Psycho, was he issuing a call to action for yuppies to become serial killers? This seems to be the point of view that Beck is taking on.
Also, considering conservatives utter disdain and contempt for context, I would really like to read Kagan's entire thesis in order to get the full picture. Simply reading two excerpts and then putting your own particular spin on it doesn't provide context.
Elena's Long Road
Some are insisting that Elena Kagan's confirmation hearing will likely mirror Sotomayor's. I'm thinking the opposite - she's going to have a much tougher time.
First, here alleged ties to Goldman Sachs.
The advisory board position that Kagan held from 2005 to 2008 and here status and position on the board is in no way connected with practices that Goldman Sachs is being investigated for. However, the name alone is going to cause conservatives to shape a storyline that Kagan is connected in some fashion to the economic decline simply because of proximity.
If that be the case, it would certainly begin to tear away at the conservative narrative that the Obama administration is "punishing" banks and actually defending Goldman Sachs. If they are going to approach Kagan's confirmation from the point of view that what Goldman did was wrong, they are going to have to pull off some very elaborate rhetorical acrobatics. Then again, conservatives have very short memories so they will likely be focusing on what is said in order to slander Kagan rather than how context plays a very important role. When it comes to making Democrats look bad - all bets are off for what conservatives have previously said.
Second, her virtual lack of a "paper-trail" is going to translate to "lack of experience" to conservatives.
Considering conservatives have recently rediscovered the Constitution after Obama was elected, Kagan's lack of writings on the Constitution will likely play a huge role in her confirmation process. But considering her ability to actively engage in constitutional issues ( like the Citizens United case ) proves that she's got the knowledge and the ability to replace Stevens.
I'm sure, however, that we will likely hear from conservatives that due to her lack of writings on the Constitution that she is some sort of "rogue", a "radical". Hey, who else did they label a "radical"? Oh, yeah.
Also, I'm sure that Breitbart or Hannity will suddenly have some long-lost video footage about her making some comment regarding women and the decision making process. Then we are likely to hear specious claims about someone she may have been in the same room with that has a peculiar past of their own - maybe someone she worked indirectly with at Harvard. It's a pretty open playing field for conservatives right now, and I'm sure it will get interesting very quickly.
Of course, there will also be the third aspect of the confirmation process - though this will be in the public realm ( talk radio and blogs primarily ) - that will likely be echo to an extend on Capital Hill: pointless name calling.
This is generally used as a second wave of attack when conservatives see that their ideological blatherings are having no discernible effects. But considering that we are dealing with a white woman who has apparently no specific ties to any group/organization that conservatives love to use as a racial weapon, the name-calling could either be quite ineffective and muted or could be so over-the-top that it will dominate at least 4 news cycles.
That being said, and considering how Kagan has flow below the radar to a certain extent, I'm quite curious as to how Beck is going to start handling this. I'm sure the words "socialist" and "communist" will come up several times throughout his two programs.
But back to the Constitution, Kagan faces a challenge that Sotomayor didn't face - the Constitutionality of healthcare reform:
Considering how well Kagan handled herself when discussion Citizens United, I'm sure that she's more than ready to take on a hack like Senator Barrasso.
This isn't going to be an easy confirmation, as conservatives are willing to go full-tilt in trying to derail this. Granted, Kagan isn't this radicalized liberal that she will be characterized as, but the mythos already being created by the conservative movement again shows that they are more than willing to destroy an American life than ensure that their country is bettered.
First, here alleged ties to Goldman Sachs.
Solicitor General Elena Kagan was a member of the Research Advisory Council of the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Institute, according to the financial disclosures she filed when President Obama appointed her last year to her current post. Kagan served on the Goldman panel from 2005 through 2008, when she was dean of Harvard Law School, and received a $10,000 stipend for her service in 2008, her disclosure forms show.
The advisory board position that Kagan held from 2005 to 2008 and here status and position on the board is in no way connected with practices that Goldman Sachs is being investigated for. However, the name alone is going to cause conservatives to shape a storyline that Kagan is connected in some fashion to the economic decline simply because of proximity.
If that be the case, it would certainly begin to tear away at the conservative narrative that the Obama administration is "punishing" banks and actually defending Goldman Sachs. If they are going to approach Kagan's confirmation from the point of view that what Goldman did was wrong, they are going to have to pull off some very elaborate rhetorical acrobatics. Then again, conservatives have very short memories so they will likely be focusing on what is said in order to slander Kagan rather than how context plays a very important role. When it comes to making Democrats look bad - all bets are off for what conservatives have previously said.
Second, her virtual lack of a "paper-trail" is going to translate to "lack of experience" to conservatives.
One of the difficulties in assessing Kagan's judicial philosophy and view of the Constitution is that direct evidence is extremely sparse. That's not only because she's never been a judge, but also because (a) her academic career is surprisingly and disturbingly devoid of writings or speeches on most key legal and Constitutional controversies, and (b) she has spent the last year as Obama's Solicitor General, where (like any lawyer) she was obligated to defend the administration's policies regardless of whether she agreed with them.
Considering conservatives have recently rediscovered the Constitution after Obama was elected, Kagan's lack of writings on the Constitution will likely play a huge role in her confirmation process. But considering her ability to actively engage in constitutional issues ( like the Citizens United case ) proves that she's got the knowledge and the ability to replace Stevens.
I'm sure, however, that we will likely hear from conservatives that due to her lack of writings on the Constitution that she is some sort of "rogue", a "radical". Hey, who else did they label a "radical"? Oh, yeah.
Also, I'm sure that Breitbart or Hannity will suddenly have some long-lost video footage about her making some comment regarding women and the decision making process. Then we are likely to hear specious claims about someone she may have been in the same room with that has a peculiar past of their own - maybe someone she worked indirectly with at Harvard. It's a pretty open playing field for conservatives right now, and I'm sure it will get interesting very quickly.
Of course, there will also be the third aspect of the confirmation process - though this will be in the public realm ( talk radio and blogs primarily ) - that will likely be echo to an extend on Capital Hill: pointless name calling.
This is generally used as a second wave of attack when conservatives see that their ideological blatherings are having no discernible effects. But considering that we are dealing with a white woman who has apparently no specific ties to any group/organization that conservatives love to use as a racial weapon, the name-calling could either be quite ineffective and muted or could be so over-the-top that it will dominate at least 4 news cycles.
That being said, and considering how Kagan has flow below the radar to a certain extent, I'm quite curious as to how Beck is going to start handling this. I'm sure the words "socialist" and "communist" will come up several times throughout his two programs.
But back to the Constitution, Kagan faces a challenge that Sotomayor didn't face - the Constitutionality of healthcare reform:
As soon as President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law, right-wing governors, attorneys general, and state lawmakers immediately began pushing measures to nullify the new health care benefits. However, even many conservative legal scholars acknowledged that their argument for the unconstitutionality of health reform was “weak” and nothing more than a political stunt. Nullification efforts around the country have largely lost momentum and failed to pass.
Nevertheless, this morning on Fox News, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) said that he wants to make this fringe view of health care reform a centerpiece of Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing:
Considering how well Kagan handled herself when discussion Citizens United, I'm sure that she's more than ready to take on a hack like Senator Barrasso.
This isn't going to be an easy confirmation, as conservatives are willing to go full-tilt in trying to derail this. Granted, Kagan isn't this radicalized liberal that she will be characterized as, but the mythos already being created by the conservative movement again shows that they are more than willing to destroy an American life than ensure that their country is bettered.
Some Thoughts For Your Morning
- Holy Joe Lieberman did his best to try and align himself with Republicans ( as always ) in claiming that "the system" somehow failed after the botched attempt for Shahzad to set off a car bomb. In truth, the only thing that failed was the car bomb. But while some will boast that Shahzad was not caught prior to him boarding the plane, it should be noted that he was captured before the plane took off. It was a close one, but "the system" worked - period.
- Michelle Malkin is already creating a proto-typical profile of Elena Kagan as her SCOTUS nomination will be announced within the next few hours. From my perspective, Malkin's words echo what her and many other reactionary conservatives had to say about Obama once he made it known he would run for President. The caveat to this is that I would like to do a little more digging into her alleged ties to Goldman Sachs. Considering that Malkin brings this up as a keystone to her thesis, I'm guessing that Kagan was nothing more than an ancillary character and her ties will be inflated to supporting-actor status.
- It's amazing how the selective nature of conservatives often leads them to do an say incredibly stupid things. In another example of how Liz Cheney is completely devoid of intellectual honesty and rule of law in America. If Shahzad had not been read his Miranda Rights, any information that he gave over to law enforcement officials could have been thrown out on a technicality. Way to go Liz.
- One of the hotter topics on conservative blogs this morning are comments made by Obama about how entertainment and information are being blurred in America. And while it can be rather easy to take these comments out of context, I would have liked to have heard him state that with more people fact-checking ( that would be progressives/liberals doing the bulk of that ) it's much easier to parse statements and pick out the disinformation from the truth. Even though that could likely be inferred from Obama's statement, it's just vague enough for conservatives to create, guess what, disinformation.
- Michelle Malkin is already creating a proto-typical profile of Elena Kagan as her SCOTUS nomination will be announced within the next few hours. From my perspective, Malkin's words echo what her and many other reactionary conservatives had to say about Obama once he made it known he would run for President. The caveat to this is that I would like to do a little more digging into her alleged ties to Goldman Sachs. Considering that Malkin brings this up as a keystone to her thesis, I'm guessing that Kagan was nothing more than an ancillary character and her ties will be inflated to supporting-actor status.
- It's amazing how the selective nature of conservatives often leads them to do an say incredibly stupid things. In another example of how Liz Cheney is completely devoid of intellectual honesty and rule of law in America. If Shahzad had not been read his Miranda Rights, any information that he gave over to law enforcement officials could have been thrown out on a technicality. Way to go Liz.
- One of the hotter topics on conservative blogs this morning are comments made by Obama about how entertainment and information are being blurred in America. And while it can be rather easy to take these comments out of context, I would have liked to have heard him state that with more people fact-checking ( that would be progressives/liberals doing the bulk of that ) it's much easier to parse statements and pick out the disinformation from the truth. Even though that could likely be inferred from Obama's statement, it's just vague enough for conservatives to create, guess what, disinformation.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Here We Go Again
It looks like Elena Kagan just may be Obama's choice for SCOTUS. Get ready for more sexism and shouts of "activist radical" from conservatives.
It's almost a guarantee that Fox"News" producers for Beck's and Hannity's program are working overtime to try and find anything "suspicious" in Kagan's past. Back in April, he was endorsed by Bill Kristol even though he followed that up with a call for the GOP to oppose her "just because they can".
It's no secret that she thinks that confirmation process is pretty much pointless, and these comments will likely be thrown back at her.
Not to get overly speculative, but if it is Kagan, I'm fully prepared for the onslaught of conspiracy that will most certainly come from Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It seems that those two are vying for the "craziest wingnut on the planet" award.
Look for President Obama to name his Supreme Court pick Monday, and look for it to be Solicitor General Elena Kagan, a former Harvard Law dean. The pick isn’t official, but top White House aides will be shocked if it’s otherwise. Kagan’s relative youth (50) is a huge asset for the lifetime post. And President Obama considers her to be a persuasive, fearless advocate who would serve as an intellectual counterweight to Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Scalia, and could lure swing Justice Kennedy into some coalitions The West Wing may leak the pick to AP’s Ben Feller on the later side Sunday, then confirm it for others for morning editions. For now, aides say POTUS hasn’t decided, to their knowledge.
It's almost a guarantee that Fox"News" producers for Beck's and Hannity's program are working overtime to try and find anything "suspicious" in Kagan's past. Back in April, he was endorsed by Bill Kristol even though he followed that up with a call for the GOP to oppose her "just because they can".
It's no secret that she thinks that confirmation process is pretty much pointless, and these comments will likely be thrown back at her.
Not to get overly speculative, but if it is Kagan, I'm fully prepared for the onslaught of conspiracy that will most certainly come from Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh. It seems that those two are vying for the "craziest wingnut on the planet" award.
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