American Politics Thread 2014

for you, wonks and wingnuts.

we can do better

I PREDICT A DEMOCRAT LANDSLIDE IN THE MIDTERMS THIS YEAR

yeah, actually, I'm having second thoughts about seeing "started by how's life" every time this gets bumped. but get to it, you guys. It's almost february

meanwhile Chris Christie is fucked.

Admitting privileges laws probably going to the Supreme Court; I'm not hopeful about a good ruling.

thanks how's life, the 2013 thread had the worst fucking thread title on ILX, this is much better

^^^^^

wait what happened to Christie?

Bridge-ghazi

“Is it wrong that I am smiling?” Mr. Wildstein texted Ms. Kelly.

“No,” she texted back.

“I feel badly about the kids,” he texted.

“They are the children of Buono voters,” she said, referring to Mr. Christie’s Democratic opponent, Barbara Buono, who was trailing consistently in the polls and lost by a wide margin.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/nyregion/christie-aide-tied-to-bridge-lane-closings.html?action=click&contentCollection=Politics®ion=Footer&module=MoreInSection&pgtype=article

traffic thing seems like small potatoes...? but I dunno anything about New Jersey really

neither does Alfred obv

so imagine you live...in or near...a city with a bridge...and somebody...say, the governor...made that bridge uncrossable by people who needed to use it to get to work...and did so as a gesture of political retribution...and there was a paper trail that said "this was revenge, he fucked over his own constituents to get revenge on his political enemies"

You don't know New Jersey.

you really don't have to know new jersey to know that this is a really, really bad look for anybody with any national aspirations

Sure it doesn't look good, but Christie just has to blame his appointees for getting carried away and the mainstream media that loves him will probably let it slide. Not sure how he's toast because of this:

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Kelly wrote in an Aug. 13 email to David Wildstein, one of Christie’s appointees to the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey.
“Got it,” Wildstein replied.

Sure, he can look aggrieved and fire the aides, as he no doubt will.

he's fucked

CONTRARIAN TAKE: this is no big deal but will be cause for his own party to abandon him.

not like he really had much of a shot anyway

Wrong, this is a big deal

But yes he didn't have much of a shot

lol #1 boss fan new jersey governor chris christie

people will look back on this as the thing that killed christies chances but really he never had a chance

Pierce sez not so fast:

Moreover, Christie only has problems in this regard if you believe that the Republican base is ready for the kind of open revolt that got turned off pretty quickly in 2012. I still see grumbling and bitching and the eventual falling in line, especially if the Democrats nominate the Hildebeast, of whom the base has been having porn-vampire nocturnal visitations since 1991.

As for the bridge thing, Steve's correct that it likely will be dismissed out in the country as the kind of kick-the-liberals-in-the-balls maneuver that the base loves. It might shake up the independents a little -- Do you want vengeful, petty Big Chicken with his hands on the IRS? -- but they're largely a phantom constituency no matter how softly they are stroked by their favorite pundits. I suspect falls will be taken at lower echelons, and that nobody will be talking about the bridge closing by December of 2015. The only reason to believe Christie's doomed at this point is if you believe that a genuine Goldwaterish uprising is still possible in the Republican party. I don't.

The 'open revolt' lasted through March 2012 iirc.

CONTRARIAN TAKE: this is no big deal but will be cause for his own party to abandon him.

not like he really had much of a shot anyway

― goole, Wednesday, January 8, 2014 12:20 PM (5 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

imo its a big deal and he had no shot, if thats possible, but yeah there were a lot of powerful people who were just tolerating him who will take this opportunity to jump ship

like if he had a shot this would complicate things bigtime

so what you're saying is he had no shot

Hildebeast

I don't like Hillary but ugh

its just way too easy too see christie as petty corrupt jersey asshole

i dont think he had a shot xp

he was just never gonna be a fit culturally w the republican party, all that pallin around w the obungler didnt help either

Hildebeast

I don't like Hillary but ugh

― Ayn Rand Akbar (Shakey Mo Collier), Wednesday, January 8, 2014 5:30 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Yeah what the fuck

wow so shocking seeing these gendered insults coming from the true blue holier than tho left who wouldve thought, next thing you know morbs will get up to it

Pierece is usually p. cool

its almost like extremely self righteous people feel like no one deserves their resepct

lol pierce is vv proud of himself 85/7

yeah he does talk about drinking a lot

"Will no one rid me of this turbulent bridge?"

I'm an ILM regular who rarely posts here. But as a resident of Livingston, NJ, I will add my two cents. Wildstein was our former mayor. He is insane, and bad bad news.

Until this morning I was sure Wildstein did this on his own.. I couldn't imagine Christie to do something that reckless and mean. Now it's clear his people were involved. Christie will get rid of that aide and say he knew nothing about it. Which makes him look weak, but that's better than looking like a psycho who shuts down bridge lanes for petty retribution over an election he won in a landslide. Can you imagine if an ambulance got stuck in traffic and someone died as a result?

If it turns out he ordered it or knew, all bets are off. Anything could happen. It's gonna be interesting, that's fer sure

yeah if theres proof christie gave the order hes DONE

could easily get rolled up in the cover up too

but i dont think there needs to be proof of his direct involvement for this to hurt him a lot, it just all fits together w his persona too well

next thing you know morbs will get up to it

you'd never know I wasn't part of the large "I love American Hustle cuz breasts" ILX caucus

next thing you know u gabbnebs will be talking about GOP PREZ 2016, huh? bcz Obama asshole

I don't see how people can think this is no big deal. Christie's entire brand is that he's a straight shooter who tells it like it is. If it turns out he's been lying about his involvement, that is destroyed forever. Then what is he?

next thing you know morbs will get up to it

you'd never know I wasn't part of the large "I love American Hustle cuz breasts" ILX caucus

next thing you know u gabbnebs will be talking about GOP PREZ 2016, huh? bcz Obama asshole

― eclectic husbandry (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, January 8, 2014 5:51 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I thought you were leaving, boy you're a big fat liar, aren't you, sweet puppy?

Also, you're not making any sense, I think it's naptime

loving cool breasts isnt sexist morbs, and youre gay so its really like not a fair comparison, also you have a history of directing gendered insults towards hillary is what i was specifically refering to

I still see grumbling and bitching and the eventual falling in line, especially if the Democrats nominate the Hildebeast, of whom the base has been having porn-vampire nocturnal visitations since 1991.

i know a lot of ppl love pierce's work and he usually seems OTM to me but god i hate this kind of writing.

you can either pull that kinda shit or write seriously it's kinda either/or ain't it? fuckin', people.

ya i hate that gonzo ott style where youre blowing everyones minds w how fucked up things are via super vivid metaphor see also matt taibbi

but let's look forward not backward

or sideward into alternate dimensions

its too late I guess no one cares about the cigars anymore

sometimes a cigar is just a middle finger to marco rubio

xp: cigars could very well turn into bacon as a result of these events.

Washington Post editorial is against the Cuba change, because creating diplomatic relations with Vietnam has not made that country a democracy or improved its human rights, and they are convinced this ochange won't help either. Plus they throw in some Venezuela comparisons.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-obama-administration-extends-the-castro-regime-in-cuba-a-bailout-it-doesnt-deserve/2014/12/17/a25a15d4-860c-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html

The Vietnam outcome is what the Castros are counting on: a flood of U.S. tourists and business investment that will allow the regime to maintain its totalitarian system indefinitely. Mr. Obama may claim that he has dismantled a 50-year-old failed policy; what he has really done is give a 50-year-old failed regime a new lease on life.

WaPo editorial page is a horrorshow

Mr. Obama may claim that he has dismantled a 50-year-old failed policy; what he has really done is give a 50-year-old failed regime a new lease on life.

we were THIS close to finally crushing the Castros! THIS CLOSE!

good news:

President Barack Obama can thank outgoing Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) for triggering the "nuclear option" in November 2013 and securing him one of the most robust judicial legacies of any modern president.

In six years, he has appointed a whopping 307 judges, who will shape the law for decades after he leaves office. The final 12 district judges were confirmed in the closing night of the Senate session on Tuesday, Reid's final move before Democrats surrender control of the chamber.

"The Obama Administration and the United States Senate have given Americans the best possible holiday present: the gift of justice," said Nan Aron, the president of the progressive law and policy group Alliance For Justice.

A total of 132 judges were confirmed in the 113th Congress — the most since the 1970s.

Perhaps most significant is his appointment of 53 judges on federal circuit courts, which have the last word on most matters of law. When Obama took office, just one of 13 appeals courts had a majority of Democratic-appointed judges on the active bench. Today, nine of 13 appeals courts have a majority of Democratic appointees.

but:

Research by political scientists Robert Carp and Kenneth Manning finds that Obama's judges are "somewhat more liberal than the Clinton judges but slightly less liberal than the Carter and Johnson jurists," based on an analysis of rulings from 1932 to 2013 by judges appointed by each of the Democratic presidents.

which dovetails with Obama's own politics.

Still. Just the fact that they aren't repub nominees...

This is because he couldn't get any judges through before, right?

so this might be Harry Reid's legacy

I have always wanted to see the empirical facts about all these marvelous Dem-appointed judges

I tend to conclude, based on evidence, that it's in the judiciary where Dems and the GOP appoint their more liberal and conservative rubber stamps.

Quick unrelated question, needed for work: is following the US Congress or Senate debates free in the US? Is that C-Span, and does that come free for every US citizen with a basic telly or cable subscription? Ie. *not* in a package deal you need to pay extra for? Thanks in advance!

nothing is free in the US

You aren't kidding, are you?

it comes for free...with the cable package that you're expected to pay for every month in order to be a true american

I'm not kidding. Cable subscriptions cost money. C-SPAN is part of basic cable though yes. Although it should be noted that C-Span is not just 24-7 congressional proceedings, and there is more than one C-Span channel. Also Congressional and Senate debates/hearings/vote proceedings are typically excruciatingly boring. You do get some instances where people do some ridiculous name calling/grandstanding/hyperbolizing, primarily committee hearings. And then there was Newtie's innovation of speaking to an empty chamber after hours while still making out like you were addressing an assembly - dunno if anyone does that anymore...

you were he was

you can also stream it online here for free...once you've authenticated your cable subscription package. you DO have a cable subscription package, don't you? if not you are very suspicious, frankly *dials department of homeland security*

And then there was Newtie's innovation of speaking to an empty chamber after hours while still making out like you were addressing an assembly - dunno if anyone does that anymore...

oh, they do

lol

it is every american citizen's right to have the opportunity to watch their elected leaders conducting business, once the citizen has purchased a cable subscription package

Gingrich made his reputation doing that shit.

nothing is free in the US

― Οὖτις,

freedom is free

Thanks guys, ZS in partic!

And Shakey

Now, getting a flag that flew atop the Capitol for 30 seconds, from your congressman, that's free.

nothing is free in the US

― Οὖτις, Thursday, December 18, 2014

goddamn right. that's the way it should be.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn5lEuiwtfQ

i remember when i was 17 hearing bill hicks talk about how he only really understood politics after getting high and watching c-span for 40 hours straight and thinking, oh, i guess i need to do that too. (i never did.)

oh, Morbs:

The nuclear option also freed Obama to appoint some more liberal judges, including Nina Pillard to the D.C. Circuit, who drew comparisons to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — and faced GOP opposition — for her work on gender equality.

x-post-- there is also C-Span radio on the FM dial in Washington D.C. and online

http://series.c-span.org/C-SPAN-Radio/

From Politico:

As Republicans take control of Congress, they are bringing in veteran influence peddlers to help them run the show. Nearly a dozen veteran K Streeters have been named as top staffers to GOP leaders or on key committees as lawmakers prepare to take the gavel in January.

For instance, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell named Hazen Marshall policy director earlier this week. Marshall, a former staff director for the Senate Budget Committee, has spent the last 10 years as a lobbyist at the Nickles Group representing dozens of clients like AT&T, Comcast and energy company Exelon….

And while former staffers-turned lobbyists often end up back in public service — the revolving door has been swinging for years — there is a notable increase in the pace of K Streeters making the move back to Congress this month.

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/12/yeah-democrats-are-pretty-pro-corporate-too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYGV8bdrHrk

Being pro-corporate is one of the few bipartisan issues left in Congress.

covers a helluva lotta ground, doesn't it?

BILL MOYERS: You talk about the vocal right. And there's a powerful movement that seems to like the way the country is going. That seems to think this is the way it ought to be and that Occupy Wall Street and Steve Fraser, and others, they just represent the malcontents of a system that is really working for them.

STEVE FRASER: Yes. It is the consummate all embracing expression of the triumph of the free market ideology as the synonym for freedom. In other words, it used to be you could talk about freedom and the free market as distinct notions. Now, and for some time, since the age of Reagan began free market capitalism and freedom are conflated. They are completely married to each other. And we have, as a culture, bought into that idea. It's part of what I mean when I say the attenuating of any alternatives.

BILL MOYERS: Is there any vision of an alternative society to the financial capitalism that's driving this?

STEVE FRASER: Very, very little. The labor movement itself offers no such alternative. It is trying to defend its own very precarious existence and defend its shrinking numbers. Making valiant efforts to convince other unorganized working people that it might be to their immediate advantage to join the labor movement. But there's no alternative vision of a different kind of society.

Let me give you a very interesting example, to me anyway. When the Cold War first broke out, and we faced the Soviet Union, we depicted ourselves as the free world, as we all know. And as that, as a slave empire, whatever you want to call it exactly. But actually we talked very little then about capitalism. We talked about freedom and the free world, but not so much about capitalism. Why? Because the country had just emerged out of the Great Depression. Capitalism didn't have a very high reputation in 1945 or 1950. People were still very skeptical about whether it could indeed serve the general welfare. Right?

BILL MOYERS: It had failed. That's what led to--

STEVE FRASER: And it failed in the most traumatic way. It's the second greatest trauma in our country's history next to the Civil War. Horrible. It ruined millions of lives. It is axiomatic in our current political culture that when we say freedom we mean capitalism. And that is an indication of how we have been, you know, there's a philosopher who said that language is the house of being. It's where we live. And if you're living in a language that's been denuded of some of its key furniture like certain concepts like that, you're homeless. You have no way, you have no way to challenge even when you're faced with wholesale larceny. I mean on the part of the major banking institutions. I mean what-- let's call a spade a spade. These were thieves. And yet the we lack the kind of linguistic wherewithal, which is much more, it's spiritual, to confront it.

from an interesting conversation with Steve Fraser on the first and second gilded ages

http://pando.com/2014/12/18/the-war-nerd-more-proof-the-us-defense-industry-has-nothing-to-do-with-defending-america/

yeah that was good, you can tell he's really pissed off there

House to be down one piece of shit

http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/29/politics/michael-grimm-to-resign-soon/

and wait for the majority whip to twist in the wind

How will they ever replace him

I take special pleasure in Grimm's downfall because his purported health-food restaurant where he was paying people off the books once screwed up my order three times in a night, after I argued with him on the phone about it

Some things never change:

Senator Mike Lee, Republican of Utah, proposes a new $2,500 tax credit for families with children. But the most popular conservative idea for boosting incomes is overhauling corporate taxation. Mr. Obama has embraced that goal if Congress closes enough loopholes while lowering the 35 percent top rate to ensure the government will not lose revenue.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/30/us/politics/for-solution-to-income-stagnation-republicans-and-democrats-revise-their-playbooks.html?_r=0

How are any play books being revised here

speaking of, the new GOP senators-elect did their party crowd by voting to eliminate the food stamps program.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/john-mccain-arizona-tea-party-113849.html

McCain reminds upstarts that he knew how to be an asshole before they did. Kinda love this story a lot

WASHINGTON — James Risen, a New York Times reporter, will not be called to testify at a leak trial, lawyers said Monday, ending a seven-year legal fight over whether he could be forced to identify his confidential sources.

The Justice Department said in court filings that it would not call Mr. Risen to testify at the trial of Jeffrey Sterling, a former C.I.A. officer charged with providing him details about a botched operatio