Rachel Maddow's Blog, page 3366
July 23, 2013
Virginia's McDonnell repays loans, says he's 'deeply sorry'
Associated Press
The scandal surrounding Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R), which has intensified in recent weeks and threatens to push him from office, took an unexpected turn today when the governor apologized for causing "embarrassment" and announced he has repaid the loans he and his wife received from Star Scientific CEO Jonnie R. Williams Sr.
From a statement posted online (pdf) today:
"Being governor of Virginia is the highest honor of my 37 years in public service. I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment certain members of my family and I brought upon my beloved Virginia and her citizens. I want you to know that I broke no laws and that I am committed to regaining your trust and confidence. I hope today's action is another step toward that end.
"Virginia has never been stronger and I plan to focus on creating even more jobs and facilitating greater opportunity during the last five months of my term as your Governor. Our work together on education, transportation, pension reform, voting rights, and economic expansion has produced great results for Virginia."
The statement, the authenticity of which has been confirmed by The Rachel Maddow Show, goes on to say that Virginia's first family has repaid Williams' loans, including a $52,278. 17 loan to Maureen McDonnell in 2011 and two 2012 loans totaling $71,837 given to a real-estate business the governor owns.
The Washington Post noted today's move "appears to represent a shift in strategy." That's certainly true -- up until now, the governor insisted he had nothing to apologize for, and wasn't in any rush to repay the generous loans the Star Scientific CEO sent his way.
Of course, if McDonnell expects this to resolve the matter, he's going to be disappointed. After all, the scandal goes well beyond the loans, and included, among other things the extravagant shopping spree, the engraved Rolex watch, the lake house vacation, and the use of a Ferrari. There's also all the steps, of course, the governor took on Williams' behalf.
In other words, the scandal is far from over.
Troubles plague the 'KIDS Act'
Associated Press
Congressional Republicans are already taking a beating from the latest Spanish-language television network in the country. How about the largest Spanish-language newspaper?
Last week, House GOP leaders embraced something called the "KIDS Act," which is basically the renamed Republican version of the DREAM Act. The political calculation isn't subtle: Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) may kill comprehensive immigration reform, but they're hoping this lesser bill softens the political impact.
There are, of course, several problems. For one thing, Boehner and Cantor have already voted against a nearly identical measure, reinforcing doubts about their sincerity. For another, their bill would let children who were brought into the U.S. illegally stay, but still call for the deportation of those kids' parents.
La Opinion, a Los Angeles-based outlet with a larger circulation that any other Spanish-language newspaper, is unimpressed (via Benjy Sarlin).
Family values are a pillar of traditional Republican discourse. But as soon as it comes time to address immigration issues, all of their emphasis on family unity goes out the window, replaced by advocacy for division. [...]
In reality, using Cantor's own words, it is cruel and indecent to think that the young Dreamers would be satisfied with a measure that protects themselves but simultaneously deports their parents. Likewise, it is the height of hypocrisy to posture oneself as representing family integrity, while heartlessly promoting actions that divide the family home, whose human worth knows no borders.
La Opinion, not fooled by the shell game, dismissed the Republican bill as "unacceptable."
The next question is whether House members themselves will reach the same conclusion.
Boehner and Cantor see this modest measure as a face-saving tactic -- something to point to when immigration advocates condemn GOP opposition to a bipartisan reform bill. But even this half-step is depending on the House actually passing the "unacceptable" KIDS Act.
I haven't seen a firm head count, but right-wing lawmakers, including but not limited to Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), have already said the legislation is too liberal for their tastes. Democrats, who consider the DREAM Act a no-brainer, might be inclined to go along with a similar proposal, but don't see much value in giving Republican leaders a hand in passing their own scheme.
In other words, Republicans may once again find themselves in the awkward position of rejecting a sensible bill, crafting a weak alternative, and then failing to muster sufficient support for that, too.
Update: Steve King latest gem on this bill: For every valedictorian DREAMer who has been brought to this country by his or her family, "there’s another 100 out there who, they weigh 130 pounds and they've got calves the size of cantaloupes because they’re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act." I guess he's a "no," then.
Boehner's dangerous incoherence on the debt ceiling
The nation still has some time before there's any kind of debt-ceiling crisis to worry about, but House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) continues to argue that he and his party intend to create this crisis, on purpose, unless their hostage demands are met.
Boehner told reporters this morning that congressional Republicans are "not going to raise the debt ceiling without real cuts in spending. It's as simple as that." He added, "I believe the so-called Boehner Rule is the right formula for getting that done."
Given how important this is -- we're talking about a crisis that could crash the economy and destroy the full faith and credit of the United States -- it's important to appreciate the extent to which the Speaker is dangerously incoherent. The man simply has no idea what he's talking about, but when he plays with fire he doesn't understand, it's all of us who get burned.
As we discussed a while back, Boehner came up with this manufactured "rule" in 2011: for every dollar the debt limit goes up, Democrats have to give an equal, dollar-for-dollar amount of spending cuts. What was the substantive policy rationale for the rule? There wasn't one -- the Speaker, who's never been especially interested in the details of policymaking, simply thought it sounded nice, so he adopted it, called it a "rule," and demanded that literally everyone involved in the process accept it as gospel.
Two weeks ago, leading House Republicans decided they'd have to think of something else, because the "Boehner Rule" no longer makes any substantive sense. Today, Boehner decided he still likes the made-up rule after all.
This is, for lack of a better word, madness.
The Speaker of the House and his caucus did real harm to the nation in 2011, when they launched the first-ever debt-ceiling crisis in American history. It was arguably the first time since the Civil War that the entirety of a U.S. political party in Congress said it was prepared to deliberately hurt Americans unless their demands were met.
The effect on the economy was severe. Boehner now wants to do it all again.
At least, that is, he says he wants to do it all again. The Washington Post reported in May, "[M]ost GOP lawmakers agree that they probably should not block a debt-limit increase, halt Treasury borrowing and let the government default on its obligations. According to GOP aides who attended the meeting, the 'hell no' caucus appears to be radically diminished." Indeed, Boehner himself admitted in March, "I'm not going to risk the full faith and credit of the federal government."
So, let's recap. In recent months, Republicans have said they won't block a debt-ceiling increase and will block a debt ceiling increase. They won't risk the full faith and credit of the United States and they will risk the full faith and credit of the United States. They won't stick to the made-up Boehner Rule and they will stick to the made-up Boehner Rule.
Can anyone explain how it's possible to take this dangerous nonsense seriously?
Even this morning, Boehner said congressional Republicans are "not going to raise the debt ceiling without real cuts in spending." What cuts? Boehner doesn't know. To what end? Boehner doesn't know. At what cost to the economy? Boehner doesn't know. He just wants unspecified cuts because he thinks they sound nice.
It's almost as if spoiled children seized control of part of the federal government and don't appreciate just how much damage their recklessness can do.
The White House, meanwhile, continues to insist the administration will not negotiate with lawmakers threatening to harm the country on purpose. Just yesterday, Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "We've made clear we're not going to negotiate with Congress over Congress's responsibility to pay the bills that it's already racked up. We're just not." Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said something similar over the weekend, telling Fareed Zakaria, "The president has made very clear that we will not negotiate over whether or not the government should default and we will not get into a negotiation like 2011, over the debt ceiling."
The last time the White House stuck to its guns, the GOP backed down. Stay tuned.
Tuesday's campaign round-up
Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* In Georgia, the DSCC has successfully recruited the candidate it wanted all along: Michelle Nunn (D) is poised to kick off her U.S. Senate bid in the state's open 2014 contest. It is the same seat once held by her father, former Sen. Sam Nunn (D).
* In Virginia, Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ken Cuccinelli is increasingly becoming the subject of national ridicule, as evidenced by this clip from "The View." Once a politician is a laughingstock, it often spells trouble.
Watch on YouTube* On the other hand, former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer (D), running for New York City Comptroller, launched a new ad yesterday acknowledging he "failed ... big time."
* There was some speculation recently that Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) might forgo her re-election to become the next Secretary of Homeland Security, but she has ruled out that possibility and now plans to run for another term.
* To date, the Republican Governors Association has not aired any ads in Virginia, but that'll change this week.
* In New Jersey's Democratic primary in the U.S. Senate special election, Rep. Rush Holt has picked up an endorsement from journalist Glenn Greenwald. It's the latest of several endorsements from Greenwald going back several years.
* And in fundraising news, the DSCC easily outraised the NRSC in June, while the RNC easily outraised the DNC.
North Carolina sharpens new restrictions on voting
Capitolshots Photography/Flickr
North Carolina's state capitol
Earlier this year, Republican state lawmakers in North Carolina had grand ambitions on new voting restrictions, which they never expected to approve. They knew the Voting Rights Act would send their plan to the Justice Department for approval, and their proposal was certain to be rejected.
But with the U.S. Supreme Court having gutted the VRA, North Carolina Republicans are no longer holding back. We talked last week about a new voter-ID law -- which would prohibit the use of student IDs for reasons proponents cannot explain -- and The Nation's Ari Berman reports today on the latest changes to the state's "extreme voter-suppression measures."
This week, the North Carolina legislature will almost certainly pass a strict new voter ID law that could disenfranchise 318,000 registered voters who don’t have the narrow forms of accepted state-issued ID.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the bill has since been amended by Republicans to include a slew of appalling voter suppression measures. They include cutting a week of early voting, ending same-day registration during the early voting period and making it easier for vigilante poll-watchers to challenge eligible voters.
Counties will be allowed to offer voting on the Sunday before the election, but only if those votes are cast before 1 p.m. Counties will not be allowed to extend polling hours by one hour in the event of long lies.
Ari added, "The bill even eliminates Citizens Awareness Month to encourage voter registration."
And why on earth is this considered necessary?
If we listen to the rhetoric from the state legislature, Republican policymakers say they're worried about voter fraud. Let's pause, then, to note (a) since 2000, there are exactly two individual incidents involving voter impersonation in North Carolina, out of several million votes cast; and (b) many of these new voting restrictions have literally nothing to do with the possibility of fraud.
Let's make this plain: GOP officials in North Carolina believe the best way to ensure they keep power is to prevent more eligible voters from participating in their own democracy. That's an unfortunate combination of cynicism and abuse, but it's hard to draw any other conclusion.
The bill is being debated this afternoon in the state Senate Rules Committee. Voting-rights advocates are not optimistic.
Mike Lee pushes government-shutdown threat
With the end of the fiscal year approaching, Congress will need to approve a temporary spending measure -- called a "continuing resolution" -- to prevent a government shutdown. Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have recently said they'll push for a shutdown unless Democrats agree to defund the Affordable Care Act -- a demand Dems will never accept.
But they're not the only ones. As Robert Schlesinger has noted, there's a third, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), who's pushing the same line. The far-right Utahan made his case on Fox yesterday.
Watch on YouTube"Congress of course has to pass a law to continue funding government -- lately we've been doing that through a funding mechanism called a continuing resolution," Lee said. "If Republicans in both houses simply refuse to vote for any continuing resolution that contains further funding for further enforcement of Obamacare, we can stop it. We can stop the individual mandate from going into effect."
Now, other than simply sabotaging the federal health care system, it's not entirely clear what's driving the GOP's obsession with "stopping the individual mandate from going into effect." The individual mandate is, after all, a Republican idea. For that matter, if it doesn't go into effect, the result would be 13.7 million Americans without any health care coverage at all, and by Republicans' own admission, higher premiums and gaps for Americans with pre-existing conditions.
But even if we put the substance aside, note the nature of the political threat: if Democrats refuse to take health care benefits away from 13.7 million Americans, Republicans say they'll shut down the government. Indeed, according to Lee, this idea has the backing of "13 or 14" Senate Republicans and dozens of House Republicans.
This isn't going to work.
It's worth noting that Lee's plan is slightly different than Cruz's. The latter wants to shut down the government unless the entirety of "Obamacare" is scrapped, while the former says he's willing to leave the popular provisions in place while gutting the elements that make the popular parts possible.
But the right-wing lawmakers are effectively making the same pitch/threat: gut health care or the lights go out.
What's less clear is whether these folks have thought through this genuinely horrible plan.
To reiterate what we talked about on Friday, there's simply no realistic way Democrats are going to say, "To prevent a government shutdown, we give up -- it took us 100 years of work to get heath care reform done, and it's making a huge difference in the lives of countless American families, but we've decided to trash the whole thing to make the GOP happy." This just isn't going to happen. Even the most unhinged congressional loon must realize, at some level, this is too nutty to take seriously.
And yet, Rubio, Cruz, Lee, and others appear committed to this talking point anyway, and I'm sure right-wing audiences consistently applaud when these senators repeat it.
One of two things is going to happen. Either (a) these Republicans will back down, signaling weakness in advance of their likely national campaigns; or (b) Republicans will shut down the government, insisting that it's Democrats' fault for not taking health care benefits away from millions of Americans.
Either way, this is an exceedingly bad idea. Democrats would love to get a huge national boost in advance of the 2014 midterms -- a ridiculous government shutdown based on radical partisanship ought to do the trick.
House GOP has a game-plan for August
Associated Press
About seven months into the new Congress, House Republicans don't have much to show for 2013, at least not yet. They've passed no major bills; they're on track to be the least productive since historians started keeping track; and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he wants to be judged by how many laws he repeals -- a figure that currently totals zero.
Given this, it stands to reason that House GOP members will be a little concerned about a cool reception when they return to their home districts during the four-week August recess. After all, Congress hasn't been this chronically unpopular since the dawn of modern polling, and lawmakers probably shouldn't expect a hero's welcome.
But the House Republican Conference intends to help with an "exceptionally detailed" guide for its members on how best to survive the rest of the summer. It's a doozy.
The August House Republican Conference planning kit, titled "Fighting Washington for All Americans," offers a rare glimpse into the constituent outreach efforts of the GOP. Those efforts, it turns out, are highly calculated, hashtag-heavy and rife with references to the video app Vine.
The best way to stay in Washington appears to be to deride Washington, and Republican leadership isn't going to deviate from that familiar formula.
To that end, the "planning kit" focuses on, among other things, a "fierce hatred of all things Washington."
I'm no political strategist, but wouldn't this be a more effective tactic if, say, Republicans weren't the majority party in the House of Representatives? When GOP officials whine incessantly about those bums on Capitol Hill, do they realize that John Boehner is the Speaker and Eric Cantor is the Majority Leader? If they spend four weeks in August condemning the powers that be inside the Beltway, has it occurred to them they're among those with power?
A similar point came up a couple of weeks ago, when Boehner insisted Americans "don't trust a Democratic-controlled Washington." This would arguably be a less foolish talking point if Boehner, still holding the Speaker's gavel, wasn't one of the most powerful people in Washington.
But wait, the "planning kit" gets even funnier.
Among the other tidbits:
* The House Republican Conference is apparently preoccupied with Vine, a social-media tool that allows users to create and easily share six-second videos. Good luck, House GOP, on solving your problems six seconds at a time.
* Members are being encouraged to publish op-eds in local media on the IRS "scandal." That there is no IRS "scandal," and all of the allegations Republicans raised have been discredited, has apparently been deemed irrelevant.
* According to the Roll Call piece, the Conference "suggests planting questions" at local events "to get the conversation rolling in the right direction."
* And House Republicans are encouraged to go on an "Energy Production Facility Tour" during the recess. Members, of course, have been told to "wear a hard hat" and -- you guessed it -- put this and other events on Vine.
What could possibly go wrong?
July 22, 2013
Picture from Wisconsin: 'Unlearn Racism'
Wisconsin's Overpass Light Brigade in action this weekend. H/t @JosephBrusky.
Ahead on the 7/22 Maddow show
Tonight's guests include:
EJ Dionne, Washington Post columnist and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution
Tammi Kromenaker, director of the Red River Women's Clinic of Fargo, North Dakota
Neil deGrasse Tyson alert: the new 'Cosmos' trailer
The reboot of Carl Sagan's Cosmos isn't due out in 2014, but over the weekend we saw this trailer starring none other than Neil deGrasse Tyson to get your science hearts pumping.
