President Obama has an opportunity to make history by nominating the first Latino for a Supreme Court seat and putting the final nail in the GOP’s coffin simultaneously. Whether he selects the current favorite Sonia Sotomayor or another person not yet named, a Latino selection would be disastrous to the GOP.
The GOP is firing up their rhetoric machine to viciously attack Obama’s nominee. They have no choice but to throw red meat to their base by launching relentless personal attacks against the unfortunate soul who sits before them to answer questions about his or her intentions as a Supreme Court Justice. The problem they have is one of numbers at the polling booth. Several Western States have turned blue lately and in no small part due to the shift in the Latino vote from Republican to Democrat. I suspect there will be a significant negative reaction in the Hispanic community as they watch the first Latino Supreme Court nominee in history eviscerated by Southern GOP Senators on national television in confirmation hearings. If that does not incite fury, they will hear far right wing anti-immigrant Republicans such as Rush Limbaugh and Glen Beck making outright racist statements on the nightly news shows, as they are sure to do.
I have little doubt that the Republican Party will launch merciless attacks on the Supreme Court nominee and that if that nominee is a Latino, there will be serious consequences for the GOP at the polling booths in 2010 and beyond. The growing Latino Community has a right to be represented in the highest court in the Land, and what a great bonus to be able to set the GOP on a suicide course in the process.
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
The "Real Republicans" Won
It appears that a congratulations is in order for Rush limbaugh, Michael Steele, and the Religious Right. They have been calling for Arlen Spectre's political head every since he declared his allegiance to Lenin by voting for the Obama Administration's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (The Stimulus Bill). Upon learning of his treasonous betrayal, Chairman Steele quickly proposed that the Party find a more conservative challenger to oust Senator Spectre in the next Pennsylvania Primary Race. Recent statements by Senator Spectre make it quite clear that he met with the Pennsylvania Republican Party and discussed the reality that a staunchly conservative candidate would almost assuredly be defeated in the general election. Oddly, the Pennsylvania Republican Party advised him that a loss based on principle was an acceptable outcome, which explains their self destructive election strategies for the last two general election cycles.
Rush Limbaugh immediately went after Spectre and the entire moderate wing of the Party by delivering the "message" that "A lot of people say, 'Well, Specter, take McCain with you. And his daughter." Rush also said that he felt that this was ultimately good for the Party because it would weed out people who aren't really Republicans. As Rush and company celebrate another victory, I wonder how many of them recognize the cost. Could it be that this is just a sour grapes defense or are these clowns really fiddling while Rome burns around them? Whatever the case, Spectre's loss means that the Northeast is officially closed for the GOP (other than the Maine Senators, but that’s' a unique situation). Limbaugh, Hannity, and the other "Real Republicans" have great cause to celebrate Senator Spectre's move. The apostate traitor has been ousted and the Party was freed from his uncleanness. The Republican Party has become too right, too white, too Southern, and too small. Will the Last GOP Senator who leaves the Northeast please take down the Confederate flag, turn the light off, and close the door on your way out?
Rush Limbaugh immediately went after Spectre and the entire moderate wing of the Party by delivering the "message" that "A lot of people say, 'Well, Specter, take McCain with you. And his daughter." Rush also said that he felt that this was ultimately good for the Party because it would weed out people who aren't really Republicans. As Rush and company celebrate another victory, I wonder how many of them recognize the cost. Could it be that this is just a sour grapes defense or are these clowns really fiddling while Rome burns around them? Whatever the case, Spectre's loss means that the Northeast is officially closed for the GOP (other than the Maine Senators, but that’s' a unique situation). Limbaugh, Hannity, and the other "Real Republicans" have great cause to celebrate Senator Spectre's move. The apostate traitor has been ousted and the Party was freed from his uncleanness. The Republican Party has become too right, too white, too Southern, and too small. Will the Last GOP Senator who leaves the Northeast please take down the Confederate flag, turn the light off, and close the door on your way out?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Michelle Bachman, How Far is Too Far?
The right to free speech is one of the most important provisions set forth in the Constitution. As a lifelong civil libertarian I have been involved in a variety of legal cases in which the issue of free speech was at the forefront. In fact, one of the cases I advocated for involved defending, of all groups, the Ku Klux Klan. There is no denying that the KKK is a despicable organization. However, I hold no desire to give up my 1st amendment rights just to insure that they are denied theirs.
That being said, the 1st amendment does not give you the right to yell fire in a crowded theatre, neither does it protect your right to violate a United States Federal Statute. Representative Michelle Bachman, (R-Minnesota) approached, and possibly crossed, the line of legal free speech during her March 27th appearance on the Sean Hannity Radio Show. Representative Bachman said:
"At this point the American people - it's like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, an orderly revolution -- where the people of this country wake up get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won't be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don't get a grip. And we can't let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer.
The Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act makes it a criminal offense for anyone to:
"knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association."
It is fairly clear that Rep. Bachman's statement advocates and advises the necessity, desirability, and propriety of overthrowing the duly elected Government of the United States. The only question is whether she is advocating that this overthrow is done by force. Her use of the word "orderly" before the term revolution" may" be a reasonable defense. However, when this statement is coupled with her March 21st statement in which she said:
"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country.
that defense becomes considerably less plausible. Regardless of her intent, Rep. Bachman is using extremely dangerous terms in a public forum. There are mentally unbalanced citizens in our society who need little motivation to become violent. I believe that our enforcement authorities have a duty to act when anyone in our society is involved in such a reckless campaign for revolution. Rep. Bachman is advising the political minority to overthrow the Government elected by a significant majority.
As if Representative Bachman's words are not inciteful enough, observe this recent poll from Sean Hannity's Website:
The Smith Act goes on to say:
"If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction"
For the last eight years The Bush Administration routinely acted with reckless disregard for the Constitution and the laws of our Country. It is time to hold the right wing extremist accountable for their words and act to protect our elected officials.
That being said, the 1st amendment does not give you the right to yell fire in a crowded theatre, neither does it protect your right to violate a United States Federal Statute. Representative Michelle Bachman, (R-Minnesota) approached, and possibly crossed, the line of legal free speech during her March 27th appearance on the Sean Hannity Radio Show. Representative Bachman said:
"At this point the American people - it's like Thomas Jefferson said, a revolution every now and then is a good thing. We are at the point, Sean, of revolution. And by that, what I mean, an orderly revolution -- where the people of this country wake up get up and make a decision that this is not going to happen on their watch. It won't be our children and grandchildren that are in debt. It is we who are in debt, we who will be bankrupting this country, inside of ten years, if we don't get a grip. And we can't let the Democrats achieve their ends any longer.
The Alien Registration Act, also known as the Smith Act makes it a criminal offense for anyone to:
"knowingly or willfully advocate, abet, advise or teach the duty, necessity, desirability or propriety of overthrowing the Government of the United States or of any State by force or violence, or for anyone to organize any association which teaches, advises or encourages such an overthrow, or for anyone to become a member of or to affiliate with any such association."
It is fairly clear that Rep. Bachman's statement advocates and advises the necessity, desirability, and propriety of overthrowing the duly elected Government of the United States. The only question is whether she is advocating that this overthrow is done by force. Her use of the word "orderly" before the term revolution" may" be a reasonable defense. However, when this statement is coupled with her March 21st statement in which she said:
"I want people in Minnesota armed and dangerous on this issue of the energy tax because we need to fight back. Thomas Jefferson told us ‘having a revolution every now and then is a good thing,’ and the people – we the people – are going to have to fight back hard if we’re not going to lose our country.
that defense becomes considerably less plausible. Regardless of her intent, Rep. Bachman is using extremely dangerous terms in a public forum. There are mentally unbalanced citizens in our society who need little motivation to become violent. I believe that our enforcement authorities have a duty to act when anyone in our society is involved in such a reckless campaign for revolution. Rep. Bachman is advising the political minority to overthrow the Government elected by a significant majority.
As if Representative Bachman's words are not inciteful enough, observe this recent poll from Sean Hannity's Website:
The Smith Act goes on to say:
"If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction"
For the last eight years The Bush Administration routinely acted with reckless disregard for the Constitution and the laws of our Country. It is time to hold the right wing extremist accountable for their words and act to protect our elected officials.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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