Today's edition of quick hits:
* There was a beautiful exchange over the weekend in Alabama when a local police chief apologized to Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) for failing to protect the Freedom Riders during a trip to Montgomery in 1961. Expect more on this story on tonight's show.
* And so it begins: "U.S. airports, including Los Angeles International and O'Hare International in Chicago, are already experiencing delays in customs waiting lines as a result of automatic federal spending cuts, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday."
* Iraq: "Dozens of Syrian soldiers who had crossed into Iraq for refuge were ambushed Monday with bombs, gunfire and rocket-propelled grenades in an attack that killed 48 of them and heightened concerns that the country could be drawn into Syria's civil war."
* Cabinet: "President Obama on Monday made three cabinet nominations -- for budget, energy and environmental policy -- hours before his first cabinet meeting of his second term."
* What does the White House have to say about retired athlete Dennis Rodman's strange antics in North Korea? Nothing good.
* Republican state lawmakers in Florida are not yet prepared to go along with Gov. Rick Scott's (R) plan to accept Medicaid expansion.
* How best to overcome GOP filibusters remains unclear: "Reelected with strong support from women, ethnic minorities and gays, Obama is moving quickly to change the face of the federal judiciary by the end of his second term, setting the stage for another series of drawn-out confrontations with Republicans in Congress."
* The heartbreaking story of Marco McMillian: "The body of a slain Mississippi mayoral candidate was beaten and burned, a family member said Monday." McMillian was reportedly the first openly gay, viable candidate for public office in Mississippi.
* If you're wondering when Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who is 79, might retire, you should probably put the question out of your mind for a while. "It's not this year. You can never tell when you're my age," Ginsburg told Jeffrey Toobin. "But, as long as I think I have the candlepower, I will do it. And I figure next year for certain. After that, who knows?"
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
Leave a Comment:
Pretty clear to me - dump Harry Reid and punish the Democrats that supported his stupid rejection of the standing filibuster proposal championed by Warren and Merkley.
Use Senate Leader Bill Frist's idea of a nuclear option. Of course I won't hold my breath on that one.
Just think of this scenario. You've got 4 justices who are over 75. All four could easily be gone before Obama's term is over. You could have the possibility that he would have to nominate replacements for all 4. Scalia and Kennedy being two conservatives, Bader-Ginsberg liberal and Breyer who can go either way.
The Republicans would be spinning trying to keep the 4 nominations from happening if Obama nominated 4 liberals.
Dogjudge
Excellent observation.
When I say punish the Senators that hung with Harry on the stupid move I'm well aware that, among those Senators, were my two Senators Feinstein and Boxer.
I expected as much from Feinstein but Boxer?
Here is my prediction about the filibuster:
The next time the Republicans have even a slim majority in the Senate, they will do away with the filibuster completely.
maphi...
The Republicans will get rid of the filibuster, the first chance they get... They're terrified, the Democrats will do to them what they've been doing to the Democrats...
Bullies hate the idea of being bullied...
Just what we need, a basketball scholar getting political. Judging by what I've seen of him his real expertise would be how to look like a clown.
This was one for the books. Lewis getting an apology for his abuse at the hands of police for demanding his democratic right to vote. This is a good thing. Hopefully the SCOTUS will not let this be erased.
Also, the same thing recurring. Boehner unable to get his House together and pointing to Senate (and the President) So, WTP suffer more because they did get the fiscal cliff deal, but here we go again. The Senate keeps this ridiculous rule to filibuster. So f'ing ridiculous.
At least there may be some semblance of relief, the Congress did not raise their pay. They should be facing big pay cuts for not doing their jobs. Perhaps we can overcome our habits of rewarding stupidity and get the TPubs out of office.
Yes, there will be folks trying to get in front of the cuts while Congress plays around with getting reelected.
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-01-01/business/36103375_1_gop-support-fiscal-cliff-boehner
Remember Boehner removed the chair positions of the rabble rousers who are saying I vote no because it's not deep enough cuts. These people need to know, you can lose your job if you refuse to do anything because it's not exactly what you want.
I am by no means offering cover for them, I believe they need to get voted out, regardless of gerrymandered districts. They refuse to do anything because they don't get 100% their way. So very sad for the USofA.
SOtH blames Senate, knowing there are Repug obstrictionists to filibuster. He blames President for not saying here you go R's, here's your desired cuts on a silver platter, would you like fries with that?
Vote these Rs out, don't you hear the budget can be done without holding us all as hostage? They tell you b.s. about the takers wanting free stuff. That is b.s. Bringing jobs, jobs, jobs has not occured and I think that is fine with Rs.
They protect their desired loop holes for the wealthy saying there is rampant free stuff. They say tax cuts across the board will spur economy, not closing loopholes (any more). But the R's in Rep. states will now take the federal money for their state.
This current Congress has not done anything except refuse and blame. But they put up a bill to make double sure the Dept. of Homeland Security doesn't use federal money for abortions. Huh? This is just disgusting, the Rs want to hang their actions on POTUS.
It's like they hate Americans.
I repeat, the only thing better than them not getting a raise would be cutting their wages-
a lot.
Color me a skeptic, but I think the apology is conveniently timed given that the main conservative argument against the Voting Rights Act is that those sorts of things don't happen anymore in the south.
Although today's methods are sneakier and more underhanded than beatings and jailings, minorities are indeed kept from exercising their constitutional right to vote in every single election.
It seemed like he (the police chief) meant it and Lewis was appreciative. Admitting what happened was wrong.
But yeah, I know... this is just a very late apology. There is by no means an end to the sneaky stuff.
As for me, I just want to say, "Thank you, Kevin Murphy."
52 years is a long time. I am grateful someone finally said it.
Do I think it will help end the racism in this country? No, but it's a damn good start.
I would like to add my own apology to Rep. John Lewis. We all owe him that.
Few stories I've been reading today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/dam-and-other-afghan-projects-being-scaled-back-as-us-picks-up-pace-of-withdrawal/2013/03/04/565fe7d0-84f1-11e2-98a3-b3db6b9ac586_story.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/minimum-wage_n_2807440.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/welfare-drug-testing-bill-congress_n_2806450.html
Really now has anyone ever had anything nice to say about Dennis Rodnman? I mean really.
He looks more comfortable in a dress than Nixon did with his dog?
LOL!
"Anything to add?"
Reince Priebus is staking his legacy as Republican National Committee chairman on improving the party's performance with minority voters.
“I just sort of reached a boiling point on the issue,” Priebus told The Hill in an interview at RNC headquarters on Friday. “I want to fix these problems.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/other-races/285819-rnc-chairman-stakes-his-legacy-on-winning-over-minority-voters#ixzz2MV6gtn1o
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good luck with that mr. "rnc pr bs"
Well, compared to the 2012 results, the GOP share of minority votes can only go up.
So Mr. Priebus will claim victory at securing 12% of the black vote?
Nice to know, SOMEbody has been listening...
Maybe they can put Michael Steele out there again doing this stuff or moon walk?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fB7bZkebgQ
How much would it take to pay him to do that?
I know, he and Steve Schmidt are on the outs now with Rove.
Wouldn't it be easier just to fire the current RNC Chair?
Is the talent pool in the GOP so thin that Mr. Priebus is the best they can do?
If so, time to fold up the tent.
Probably, but it was pretty funny and sad to watch.
That was good:
Wadaya mean, is that 'the best they can do'? Ain't he white? Ain't he a man? What more could you possibly want!?
/sarcasm
Monk,# 6.6,
They are just never satisfied. :)
Monk, #6.6
My thesis adviser once observed that one was not an adult until they earned their Ph.D. (He did this to justify calling us all 'kids' while we legally drank beer with industry head-hunters at a conference mixer.)
Since Mr. Priebus has not attained the equivalent terminal degree in his field of study, the S.J.D., he is not an adult and therefore still a little boy.
Ran across this YouTube today:
From this site:
http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/Wealth-Inequality-in-America-viral-video-Politizane/?icid=maing-grid7%7Chp-desktop%7Cdl4%7Csec1_lnk2%26pLid%3D278339
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=QPKKQnijnsM
OMG!!
OMG! indeed.
I think I've seen variations on that before. It's pretty awful. So is the ignorance on the part of the makers of video of what socialism is, but it's such a common ignorance it amounts to common knowledge.
Some comic relief (with serious undertones).
It is a beautiful story, which is why I feel so badly thinking that it is just stories like this whose message is reconciliation between historic antagonists that will be seized on by those who say "it's a new day" in Montgomery and elsewhere in the South and so time to lift the stigma which Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act provides, along with its protections of minority voters. I have no reason for doubting the Chief's sincerity, but forgive me my cynicism from having watched as the right spins out its brutally efficient narratives when it is determined to get its way.
It just occurred to me, this Denis Rodman foreign-relations-reality-show may have opened up a path to ending the nuclear weapons programs of North Korea.
In exchange for season court-side tickets to any NBA team the dictator wishes, North Korea gives up all nuclear enrichment and weapons programs. Any cheating by North Korea causes forfeit of the tickets.
The pudgy little (explicative deleted) might just go for it.
We could even rotate NBA games through Pyongyang if that would help sweeten the pot.
Apparently cycling is bad for the environment:
http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/03/04/republican-claims-bicycling-is-bad-for-the-environment/
“Also, you claim that it is environmentally friendly to ride a bike. But if I am not mistaken, a cyclists (sic) has an increased heart rate and respiration. That means that the act of riding a bike results in greater emissions of carbon dioxide from the rider. Since CO2 is deemed to be a greenhouse gas and a pollutant, bicyclists are actually polluting when they ride.”
Typical of Republicans - they've lost their balance. Everything is black or white with them.
If CO2 is bad, then breathing is bad. Therefore CO2 is good and lots of CO2 is even better! They can't get it that it is the AMOUNT that matters.
Makes me wonder how many aspirins Republicans takes when they have a headache....if 2 are good, with their logic, wouldn't the whole bottle be better? I'm thinking they are smarter than that (they ARE still alive), but why they can't apply that common sense to the environment escapes me!
He forgot about methane. That's a greenhouse gas as well. Cyclists might be farting while they're tooling around!