The Politics Thread

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

Sometimes MSNBC shows in the afternoon will reference an article here or there or a quote but overall they've disappeared like you said. Maggie Habberman is the only one from Politico I truly respect...

[DRW50]

Very interesting results in Mississippi this past Tuesday. Thad Cochran, whose position on programs and outreach for black people in his state is likely somewhere between indifference and posturing against them for votes, began openly campaigning for the black vote in his runoff election, with his campaign even taking the (very, very rare for a GOP primary) step of calling out his opponent for racist language. And boy was there a lot of racist language and kissing up to Confederate groups from McDaniel.

My favorite part was this flier, which I certainly never thought I'd see in a GOP primary.

http://freakoutnation.com/2014/06/25/nro-thinks-this-one-flier-got-thad-cochran-elected/

As a result, Cochran did the near-impossible, got a lot of Democratic voters to show up to support him, and won his runoff, which many never imagined.

I've heard some people say that black voters in MS made a mistake and they should have just supported the Democrat in November, but who can blame them for not wanting to take that risk?

It's so rare to see a Republican point out just how vile a fellow Republican is, without fear of retribution from the true believers in the party. Sadly this seems like its something unique to the MS primary system, and to Cochran (as this is clearly his last term), but it still gives me satisfaction to see a bigot who clearly expected a coronation to instead get derailed this way. I just wish this meant something was changing within the party.

McDaniel is seething and may try to contest the results. Caribou Barbie is saying she may form a third party. Good luck with that, Grifter Glenda.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2014/06/thad_cochran_wins_with_mississippi_s_black_voters_african_americans_help.html

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118383/conservatives-outraged-republican-called-racist-opponent-racist

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/06/mississippi-thad-cochran-108289.html?hp=f2#.U6r7Z5RdXOs

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/25/us/thad-cochran-wins-a-race-he-considered-not-running.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/26/us/politics/with-history-in-mind-black-voters-in-mississippi-aided-cochran.html

And meanwhile, if you need a laugh, here's Fox News personality Neil Cavuto, who apparently got the same memo Megyn Kelly did, laying into, as one commenter called her, Baby Jane Bacchmann. Ugh.

http://thinkprogress.org/media/2014/06/25/3453420/fox-host-yells-at-michele-bachmann-for-trying-to-sue-obama-youre-being-silly/

Edited June 26, 2014 by DRW50

[Max]

I thought this election result was a big blow to Democratic hopes of retaining the Senate. It was a result that few people expected to happen. Even with the fear that McDaniel might win, I am surprised that so many blacks voted for Cochran. I honestly think that Cochran wouldn't have gotten so much crossover support had he not received so much praise from Democrats and the liberal media. (Praise which I have to conclude is entirely insincere, given that nobody ever paid attention to Cochran prior to this race and given the fact that Cochran is a very close ally of the hated Trent Lott and Haley Barbour.)

I really think that McDaniel would have been absolutely toxic in a general election. His rhetoric is far more firery than even Sarah Palin's, but the Nursing Home scandal--more so than any of his policy positions--would have been his biggest liability. Worse than that, Democrats all across the country would be gleeful over the fact that they would tie each GOP senate candidate at the hip with McDaniel (which is what happened with Akin and Mourdock in 2012). While the GOP thankfully won't have that problem, there's still a chance that Cochran could lose if McDaniel decides to run as a third-party alternative. Given how angry he is, I wouldn't be surprised if he does that.

The book rollout was nothing short of a disaster. At this point, I would still say that her chances of winning the presidency are more than 50%, but that's only because there is so much more time to go. If some of Hillary's supporters don't think that she could very well be defeated (if this behavior continues), then they are too zealous in their admiration/support of her to be objective observers.

The "dead broke" comment was the gaffe of the year. It may be literally true, meaning that in 2000, on the Clinton's personal balance sheet, their liabilities exceeded their assets. (Similarly, Donald Trump could have made the same claim when he wanted to declare bankruptcy, but everyone would laugh at him if he said he was "dead broke.") Yet everyone knows that the Clintons were going to move into very nice houses (she incredibly even said "houses") and that they had unlimited earnings potential (because people would pay big money to listen to them give speeches). There was zero chance that they would be beggars on the street.

While "dead broke" gets into Mitt Romney territory, the problems are much bigger than that. Because--apart from resentment of the out-of-touch, wealthy elite--the major issue that the Democrats ran on in 2012 was attacking the GOP for being a "pro-rape" party. And so now a decades-old tape surfaces (whose authenticity no one has disputed) in which Hillary coldly brags and laughs about getting a rapist off.

Predictably, Hillary defenders have come to her defense with the following three statements:

*It was an event that happened a long time ago. - Perhaps this might be an acceptable excuse, but then we need to remember that Democrats brought up an incident (that occurred in 1965) in which Mitt Romney bullied a gay classmate in high school. The liberal media jumped on this and made it top news.

*The rape victim still is choosing to remain anonymous. - This is an odd criticism coming from the left, because normally women's rights groups forcefully argue that rape is such a painful experience that its victims are often reluctant to come forward, even after a long time.

*Rapists deserve legal representation. - From a constitutional standpoint, this is 100% true, but this defense is the stupidest one of the lot for Hillary supporters to suggest. Hillary is not running to lead the American Bar Association. Rather, she is running for the presidential nomination of supposedly the most pro-feminist political party there is. And despite the fact that rapists need lawyers, it doesn't excuse Hillary's heartless laughter about the situation.

In regards to both "dead broke" and this rape case, I think everyone knows that if these blunders were made in 2008, it wouldn't have been Republicans leading the criticism of Hillary. Instead, the liberal Democrats would have objected the most strenuously.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Max

[DRW50]

I'm not sure if Cochran and Lott were ever that close.

http://www.nytimes.com/1996/06/02/us/politics-the-rivals-senate-rivals-learned-hardball-at-ole-miss.html

I think there are limitations on how much horrible comments in one state take a toll nationally. 2010 had three toxic candidates running for office and getting national attention - Ken Buck, Sharron Angle, Christine O'Donnell. They lost their races, but the GOP still did well in picking up Senate seats overall, in places like Wisconsin that are supposed to be swing states. 2012 was a different story, somewhat, but was also a Presidential election year.

The nursing home stuff is very sordid, but I can't see that becoming nationalized either.

I agree, but I feel like there are broad attacks from the GOP against defense attorneys in general (the Dem nominee for governor in SC is getting these types of attacks). I do think the laughing is offputting. The best she can probably do is apologize.

[Max]

DRW, I want to say that don't think that the alliance that Cochran has with either Lott or Barbour is based on friendship. Lott and Barbour epitomize the worst of "Good Ole Boy" lobbyists, and they view Cochran as the best way to enrich themselves.

While McDaniel was worse, I honestly think that Cochran could be going senile. It was extremely bizarre when he mentioned "indecent things" done to farm animals. And many were shocked when he had no idea that Eric Cantor was defeated. Honestly, it is absurd that he (and Dick Lugar as well) asked for another six years in the Senate after spending 36 years there. But it's shameful that the establishment candidates are too cowardly to primary them, so instead they are only challenged by right-wing loons.

I should have clarified that the nursing home stuff wouldn't have become nationalized (but, as I mentioned earlier, may have been his biggest liability in Mississippi). McDaniel's past statements would have become nationalized, and other GOP candidates would have been forced to answer for them.

I commend you for saying this. The best thing for her and her supporters to do would be to fully apologize, and be thankful that this tape came out so early.

Perhaps I am not being objective, but I have a feeling that many Democrats will regret nominating Hillary. If she loses, they'll wish that they went with someone who wasn't perceived as being so calculating and unlikable. And if she wins, they will be spared the greater of two evils, but they will have to constantly worry if she will abandon progressive principles by sending troops to Iraq (if there is a chaotic situation such as the present), approving the Keystone XL Pipeline, making major changes to ObamaCare, etc.

[DRW50]

The Kissing Congressman is running again. For the sake of hypocrisy and hilarity, I hope he wins.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/vance-mcallister-run-re-election

Mixed SCOTUS ruling on private insurance coverage with religious beliefs. The consensus seems to be its bad but could have been much worse.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/supreme-court-hobby-lobby-ruling

SCOTUS rejects a case about bans on brainwash "therapy."

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/01/us/supreme-court-declines-case-contesting-ban-on-gay-conversion-therapy.html

[marceline]

Whether they think so or not, SCOTUS opened the door for a flood of religious exemption suits. They will have to deal with this issue again and IMO relatively soon.

[quartermainefan]

The Roberts court will go down as one of the most activist in history, which is funny considering how conservative justices all pretend they are against judicial activism. The Supreme Court is probably the biggest reason one should factor in who one votes for for president because these assholes are in for life. These five people have formed the most powerful political bloc in the country, rewriting all laws along dogmatic conservative lines. By allowing people to opt out of laws by pretending it offends them religiously they have opened the floodgates for anything and everything to offend religious sensibilities. The government is not supposed to be in the religion business. Their other catastrophic decision was the opening the floodgates so conservative billionaires could bankroll republicans in secret.

These constant 5-4 decisions on political matters damage the court. One could see how if Nixon were president now these five would have sided with him in the tapes case strictly because he was republican.

[ThePrinceOfSunspear]

This whole immigration thing at the border has me so angry right now with the Democratic Party......if not for the multitude of other issues I agree with them on I'd be a Republican in a heartbeat. In short I just it's NOT FAIR.

These people have all broken the laws of our great nation and yet these immigration "activists/reformers" want to just shove all that to the side and grant them immunity right off the bat. I think they should all be deported and I don't care if its children and their moms. It isn't right and it isn't fair. Other countries around the world follow the process and are patient (partly because they have to and the distance between us) but we just let 50,000 people sweep in and then all of sudden its wrong to want to deport them?

I just can't....I know there has to be some Democrats who feel the same way I do but won't say it because if you say anything against immigration you're labeled a "racist" or heartless animal. Sorry but I'm neither of those. I'm just a law abiding citizen who believes in following the laws and the borders as they were created.

[quartermainefan]

I always have felt there was almost reverse racism in the immigration policy. If you are from Ireland and want to come here and work and pay taxes the government doesn't want you and will throw you out. If you come from south of the border or some island somewhere and have a disease they welcome you with open arms and escort you straight to government assistance. All those people streaming in the government wants. There are probably 10,000 illegal irish bartenders in the country who are dying to get their papers and can't.

Edited July 4, 2014 by quartermainefan

[DRW50]

Other countries have actual immigration policies. They change laws to suit the times. Laws are created to be adapted and changed (as are borders - if America's borders had never changed, few of us would be here). America's government and media no longer believe in this. They instead choose to stagnate and point fingers.

The GOP refused to go along with one, and this is what we have as a result.

It's much easier to say "deport" than to actually do it, especially when these are desperate people who are going to keep trying to find ways to get here. They're trying not to get murdered. They don't care if it breaks a law.

If you want to blame someone for the borders problem, then I'd say blame the far right for making this an untouchable issue.

Edited July 4, 2014 by DRW50

[marceline]

I have no real problem with deporting adults (not kids who have been here their entire lives) but I consider the people at the border now to be refugees not "illegals." These people are here because they are trying to escape what is basically a war zone. We've seen this issue with other countries. Syrian refugees have flooded Jordan, Turkey and other countries. Somali refugees ran to Kenya. What we have here is a humanitarian crisis and we need to deal with it. But we can't deal with it in a responsible fashion because right wingers have decided that the best response to anything they don't like is to do nothing and scream about freedom.

[DRW50]

Richard Mellon Scaife, notorious to many for his role in the Clinton hunts of the 90s, has passed away. He also gave quite a bit of money to charitable organizations over the years.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/07/richard-mellon-scaife-death-108573.html?hp=f1

[Max]

Though it may have made more sense to hold it in Cincinnati, the GOP has decided to hold its 2016 convention in Cleveland. However, I honestly don't think that the host city or state of a national convention will make any material difference in the outcome of an election. (Just look at 2012, when the Dems and GOP respectively lost NC and FL despite holding their conventions in Charlotte and Tampa.) The obvious exception to this rule may be 1968, when the Dems may have lost IL in part because of their horrendous Chicago convention.

Edited July 8, 2014 by Max

[DRW50]

I don't really know that much about Cleveland. I've heard some people say it's lost a lot of its business and heard others say it's doing well.