Rachel Maddow's Blog, page 3369
July 18, 2013
Thursday's Mini-Report
Today's edition of quick hits:
* Apparently, abandoning democracy for an "emergency manager" didn't help: "Detroit, saddled with more than $18 billion in debt, became the biggest U.S. city in history to file for bankruptcy on Thursday."
* President Obama is on the offensive in support of the Affordable Care Act:
* EPA: "The Senate has confirmed Gina McCarthy as the next leader of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vote was 59-40."
* Syria: "Not long ago, rebels on the outskirts of Damascus were peppering the city with mortar rounds, government soldiers were defecting in droves and reports circulated of new territory pried from the grip of President Bashar al-Assad. As his losses grew, Mr. Assad unleashed fighter jets and SCUD missiles, intensifying fears that mounting desperation would push him to lash out with chemical weapons. That momentum has now been reversed."
* The misery of austerity: "The Greek government approved a new round of public worker layoffs required by the country's ongoing bailout, affecting 25,000 employees. Unemployment in the country is nearly 27 percent, according to the most recent figures, with the youth unemployment rate more than double that."
* More on this tomorrow: "The latest hearing on the Internal Revenue Services' targeting of conservative groups got ugly on Thursday, with House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa accusing Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings of acting like a 'little boy.'"
* Abu Sufyan al-Azdi: "The Yemen-based branch of al-Qaida confirmed on Wednesday that the group's No. 2 figure, a former Guantanamo Bay prisoner, was killed in a U.S. drone strike."
* DOMA: "House Republican leaders announced in a court filing Thursday that they will not be defending remaining statutes similar to the Defense of Marriage Act that ban recognition of same-sex couples' marriages."
* NSA: "The Obama administration faced a growing Congressional backlash against the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance operations on Wednesday, as lawmakers from both parties called for the vast collection of private data on millions of Americans to be scaled back."
* Another breakthrough: "Stonewall UK has confirmed that Queen Elizabeth has granted royal assent to the marriage equality bill, concluding its process and officially making it law. This makes the UK the 16th country to pass marriage equality, and same-sex couples will be able to begin marrying in England and Wales by next summer."
* And the drama surrounding Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) is hard to follow, but nevertheless ongoing.
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
The historical oddity of Thomas Perez's confirmation
Associated Press
When the Senate reached an agreement this week on confirmation votes for several executive-branch nominees, it's safe to assume Republicans had to swallow hard before accepting Thomas Perez's nomination to lead the Labor Department. Perez is arguably the most liberal member of President Obama's second-term cabinet -- even those who condemn the president from the left were thrilled with this pick -- and GOP senators clearly hoped to defeat him.
They failed, of course, but not before a Senate vote that marked a historical first.
After a last-minute deal earlier this week to avert a showdown over filibuster rules, the Senate has confirmed Tom Perez as the next Secretary of Labor. The vote was 54-46.
Praising the vote, President Barack Obama said in a statement "I want to thank the Senate once again for agreeing to move forward on Tom and the other nominees who have waited far too long for the yes-or-no votes they deserve."
So, what's historically unusual about this? Take a look at the roll call for today's vote and you'll notice something interesting: literally every member of the Senate Democratic caucus voted for Perez and literally every member of the Senate Republican caucus voted against him.
When was the last time a cabinet nominee was confirmed on a strict party-line vote? According to the office of the Senate Historian, it's never happened before. Ever.
Republicans tried to downplay the racial angle to their opposition and stick to substance -- Perez was the only Latino nominee for the administration's second-term cabinet -- but on several occasions they couldn't help themselves. In March, for example, Rush Limbaugh drew a straight line between Perez and the "grand kleagle of the Ku Klux Klan" and also compared him to Hugo Chavez.
Fox News and Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) didn't go nearly that far, but both relied on racially-charged lines of attack -- Megyn Kelly focused on the New Black Panther case Perez didn't oversee and Sessions complained about Perez's work as an immigrants' right advocate. Michele Malkin echoed a related sentiment, blasting Perez as "Obama's nominee for secretary of (illegal alien) labor."
Roll Call reported in the spring Republican leaders realize that if they launch a major offensive against the Labor nominee, "they risk undercutting the Republican National Committee's brand-new diversity push." Well, when the the headline in Spanish-language media reads, "Every GOP senator voted against Thomas Perez for Labor Sec," the damage will likely be done.
As for what we can expect from Perez, I have high hopes for the former head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. As Adam Serwer recently explained, after Perez took the reins, "the division has blocked partisan voting schemes, cracked down on police brutality, protected gay and lesbian students from harassment, sued anti-immigrant Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio for racial profiling, stood up against Islamophobia, and forced the two largest fair-housing settlements in history from banks that discriminated against minority homeowners." No wonder the Senate GOP was so opposed to his nomination.
Hard times for conservative media
Gage Skidmore/Flickr
Chris Hayes made an important point this morning that's easily overlooked: "Much of movement conservatism is a con and the base is the marks."
The observation followed this disturbing story from Eric Hananoki:
If you're relying on financial advice from Fox News contributor Erick Erickson to become a millionaire overnight, you might want to hold off on buying that boat.
Erickson emailed subscribers to his RedState.com email list this week claiming he's found the "best investment advice I know of, bar none," in the financial newsletter of analyst Mark Skousen. Yet 12 paragraphs of Erickson's signed endorsement are virtually identical to language used by Ann Coulter in emails nearly four years ago.
Erickson's email -- titled, "How to Retire in Comfort Even If You DON'T Work in Government" -- attacks public-sector workers for purportedly living in luxury with President Barack Obama in office. He then endorsed Skousen's newsletter, which purports to reveal a "secret" system to becoming "instant millionaires." Erickson claimed that Skousen "knows how to make you money," and the "best investment advice I know of, bar none, can be found in Mark Skousen's Forecasts & Strategies -- and I urge you to give it a try."
Everything about this story is just unseemly, even by conservative standards. What we have here is an apparent scheme in which Erickson sends a paid letter to his supporters about someone else's investment newsletter. That the letter was plagiarized adds insult to injury, but that's hardly the most offensive part -- people who choose to rely on Erickson were sent an ad masquerading as an endorsement*, along with a link that sends readers to a page promising a "secret retirement plan" that "can make you America's Next Millionaire!"
And note how Erickson's subject line plays on conservatives' dubious ideological predispositions -- "even if" you're not one of those rascally public-sector employees, you can "retire in comfort," as if those darned bureaucrats don't have to struggle like everyone else.
The "letter" includes a disclaimer, noting the endorsement does "not necessarily" reflect Erick Erickson's positions, even though it includes Erick Erickson's hand-written signature and is written in the first person.
The package, in other words, seems pretty sketchy, especially from one of conservative media's more high-profile commentators.
But there's a larger point to this about the nature of conservative media in contemporary politics.
The Erickson story is, of course, rather ugly, but note that it comes on the heels of the Daily Caller dispatching a teenager to the White House briefing room yesterday to ask a dumb question of the press secretary for the president of the United States. The Daily Caller, it's worth noting, occasionally claims to be a credible news organization.
Also this week, Rosie Gray reported on the latest payola controversy in which several conservative bloggers "repeated talking points given to them by a proxy group for the Ukrainian government -- and at least one writer was paid by a representative of the Ukrainian group."
And these three incidents are just from this week -- and the week isn't over yet.
I'll gladly concede that I bring my own perspective to current events, and don't generally find much I can agree with in conservative media. But the problem isn't about news outlets on the right publishing unpersuasive policy arguments; rather, it's about conservative media operating without standards, judgment, or concern for propriety.
It's not new, either. As we discussed in March, the Daily Caller ran a ridiculous story about Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) that turned out to be such an incredible fiasco, it amazes me that anyone still reads it.
And as we talked about at the time, there appear to be serious institutional flaws in conservative media that encourage and perpetuate important missteps.
I'd encourage those involved in conservative media -- or just as importantly, those who rely on these outlets as reliable sources of accurate news and analysis -- to start asking some basic questions. How many of you took "Skewed Polls" seriously? How about "Friends of Hamas"? How many ran paid propaganda from the Malaysian government?
How many ran reports about Obama's non-existent library using Reagan's childhood home as a parking lot? How many said Hillary Clinton may have been faking a concussion? How many uncritically ran with strange conspiracy theories about Benghazi, the IRS "scandal," Fast & Furious, imaginary voter fraud, birth certificates, ACORN, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics?
There's something rotten in conservative media, and it's time those involved in it to start making an effort to put things right.
* Erickson added today that the message to his list was not, in fact, an ad: "I happy [sic] to support a good friend. Didn't earn a penny." That's nice, but as explanations go, it's rather incomplete.
Senate strike a deal on student loan interest rates
Associated Press
Congress already missed its deadline on student loan interest rates, but lawmakers nevertheless knew they could work something out before students started their fall semesters and could apply the changes retroactively. Alas, "working something out" hasn't been easy.
Senate Democrats thought they have a simple solution: leave interest rates at the lower 3.4% rate, which is where they've been for a while, for at least another year while Congress works on a more permanent solution. That bill died last week, despite majority support, at the hands of a Republicans filibuster. A compromise emerged soon after, but it was scuttled by a poor CBO analysis.
This morning, it appears a new solution came together.
Under pressure from the White House, senators are quickly moving forward with a plan to change how the government sets federal student loan interest rates, tying them to market rates but imposing caps on how high those rates can go. [...]
The deal was brokered by a bipartisan group of senators who have been negotiating for weeks, with the help of Department of Education staffers who have been camped out in their offices. On Tuesday, the senators ventured to the White House to meet with President Obama, who urged them to make a decision.
So, is the deal any good? The answer isn't entirely straightforward. Both the White House and congressional Republicans were comfortable with tying interest rates to the 10-year Treasury rate -- a point that many Democrats found problematic. But because the Treasury rate may fluctuate significantly, the compromise would offer a ceiling of 8.25% for undergraduates. (The cap is higher for post-grad students and parents that take out loans on students' behalf. Dylan Matthews has a handy table outlining this and the competing proposals.)
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the compromise might come to the floor for passage as early as today (thanks to my colleague Tricia McKinney for the heads-up). "The legislation as presented to me isn't everything I want, but it's the work of a number of Democratic and Republican senators working long, long hours," Reid said.
First Florida, now Pittsburgh: Sitting in against Stand Your Ground
Urban Institute chart on Stand Your Ground laws nationwide.
When Stevie Wonder told a concert crowd in Canada that he would not play in Florida until the state gets rid of the Stand Your Ground law, he didn't stop just with Florida:
I know I'm not everybody. I'm just one person. I'm a human being. But for the gift that God has given me, and for whatever I mean, I decided today that until the Stand Your Ground law is abolished in Florida, I will never perform there again.
As a matter of fact, wherever I find that law exists, I will not perform in that state or in that part of the world.
Florida was the first state to pass a Stand Your Ground law, in 2005, but another couple of dozen states have followed with their own versions. The data seem to show that race makes a difference in convictions and acquittals under that law in Florida, and the same appears true in other states (see Urban Institute chart above). The Stand Your Ground starts with Florida. but it reaches much further in Americans' lives.
Perhaps taking a cue from the Dream Defenders occupying Florida Governor Rick Scott's office (video) this week, a group blogging at Trayvon Pittsburgh marched into the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvanian, mayor's office and announced they would stay until the mayor met with them.
From Chris Mason video on Facebook
Among their demands is that the city off Pittsburgh denounce Pennsylvania's version of Stand Your Ground. The law differs from Florida's, in part because Pennsylvania lawmakers didn't want to repeat the experience of Florida. But the protesters want it gone, just the same. From the few pictures and updates online, it appears that they waited at least late into the night and perhaps all night for the mayor. Late last night, @Ettecetera tweeted the picture below, with a note that they were "writing a resolution in the hallway heat."
@ettacetera pic on Twitter
It's not clear how long they stayed or whether any of them are still there. The nice lady who answers the phone at the Pittsburgh mayor's office wouldn't say. The line at the press office just rings into nowhere. Judging from this tweet by Pittsburgh City Paper reporter Chris Potter, I'd say the protesters took their message straight to Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's house this morning.
@Ettcetera tweeted from the scene: "Knock, knock who's there, not the mayor."
@ettcetera pic on twitter
Texas' Perry signs new restrictions on reproductive rights
Omar Villafranca, from NBC 5 in Dallas
The result was not in doubt, but today's bill-signing ceremony on Austin was nevertheless disappointing for proponents of reproductive rights.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry has signed sweeping new abortion restrictions that sparked weeks of protests at the state Capitol into law.
Perry signed the legislation at a ceremony Thursday morning. The bill will require abortion clinic doctors to have hospital admitting privileges, restrict abortions to surgical centers, dictate when abortion-inducing drugs can be taken and ban abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.
During prepared remarks, Perry spoke about the bill's intent to "support life."
"In signing House Bill 2 today, we celebrate and further cement the foundation on which the culture of life in Texas is built," Perry said.
The talking point is more compelling if we overlook the women who'll be forced to put their health in jeopardy as a result of the legislation (and if we ignore the hundreds of Americans executed by Texas' government in recent years).
Note, in terms of the effects of the measure, new regulations are in place, at least for now, that will close all but five of the state's 42 clinics where reproductive services are provided.
And while state Democrats and progressive activists couldn't overcome Republican majorities at the state Capitol, they still hope to prevail. Attention will now turn to the courts, where opponents of the new state law are cautiously optimistic.
"The next battle is going to be a court challenge. Immediately. Without question," Democratic state Sen. Royce West told the Huffington Post. "As soon as it's signed by the governor, it's going to be challenged."
Jennifer Bendery's report added:
Democrats have long been arguing that the bill isn't constitutional. The legislation has four main pieces: It bans abortions at 20 weeks, it requires physicians who perform abortions to have hospital admitting privileges within 30 miles of the abortion clinic, it requires physicians to administer the abortion-inducing drug RU-486 in person (rather than allowing women to take the pill themselves at home), and it requires all abortions -- including those induced by a drug -- to be performed in ambulatory surgical centers.
The bill was written with a severability clause, meaning that if Democrats challenge one of its four core provisions in court, the other three will still take effect without their own legal challenges.
As for state Sen. Wendy Davis (D), whose high-profile filibuster temporarily derailed the Republican crusade, her remarks from the weekend continue to ring true: "The fight for the future of Texas is just beginning." Soon after the vote in the legislature, Davis used a bullhorn to tell a large crowd of activists in front of the Capitol building, "Let's make sure tonight is not an ending point. It's a beginning point as we work to take this state back."
Thursday's campaign round-up
U.S. Senate candidate David Young (R) of Iowa
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:
* At an Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition event this week, U.S. Senate candidate David Young (R) said, if elected, he "would invite New York Senator Chuck Schumer to lunch so that he could share the good news of Jesus Christ."
* In Virginia, Public Policy Polling shows E.W. Jackson, the Republicans' candidate for lieutenant governor, trailing Democrat Ralph Northam by seven points, 42% to 35%.
* In related news, Jackson has, for the second time, "failed to properly disclose donations to his campaign by the deadline set by state law, according to state election officials."
* In North Carolina, where the public is souring on Republican extremism in the state legislature, Sen. Kay Hagan (D) appears to be the beneficiary of shifting attitudes. PPP shows the Democratic incumbent leading each of her likely GOP challengers by double digits.
* In Kentucky, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is apparently "making his own personal effort to reduce the unemployment rate among political consultants." In the last three months, his campaign has made payments to 20 different consulting firms.
* DSCC recruiting efforts in West Virginia are still struggling -- state Supreme Court Justice Robin Davis announced yesterday that she isn't running, either.
* Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) is making a stop in Iowa, fueling speculation about her possible ambitions.
* And Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.) unfortunately forgot which district he represents -- on his Federal Election Commission forms, Grimm has identified himself as the congressman from New York's 13th, when he in fact represents the 11th.
July 17, 2013
Links for the 7/17 TRMS
Citations for Wednesday's show are listed after the jump.
Arrests from the Allied Veterans of the World investigation
Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll resigns amid state, federal probe of non-profit veterans group
FLA. CHARITY PROBE TO NEXT FOCUS ON CAMPAIGN MONEY
Florida lieutenant governor quits, tied to charity in probe
State GOP finds $271k in contributions linked to federal probe; giving money to veterans group
In Florida, a Political Marriage Soured Before a Top Official Stepped Down
Gov. Rick Scott's "Stand Your Ground" task force vows fair investigation
The Money Trail Behind Florida's Notorious Gun Law
Task Force on Citizens Safety and Protection
Florida's Stand Your Ground panel: Keep self-defense law intact
Anger at Zimmerman verdict is being channeled into a call to boycott Florida
Stevie Wonder boycotts Florida after Zimmerman verdict
Independent task force wants changes to 'stand your ground' law
Chris Smith decries Zimmerman verdict, wants new look at Stand Your Ground
Va. abortion clinic closes, blames new regulations
Virginia Board of Health rejects most controversial abortion clinic regulation
Virginia Board Of Health Votes Down Controversial Abortion Clinic Requirement [UPDATE]
Cuccinelli warns board of possible lawsuits over abortion vote
Ken Cuccinelli bullies a state board into surrender
Va. health commissioner resigns over abortion clinic regs
BONUS: Virginia Department of Health commissioner's resignation letter
Wyndham home owned by Gov. Bob McDonnell
McDonnell rents Henrico house to health commissioner
Former U.S. attorney Brownlee joins McDonnell's private legal team
McDonnell adds to team responding to gifts investigations
Schapiro: Even McDonnell's friends bracing for the worst
Impeach McDonnell? One lawmaker suggests it
In San Diego, Mayor Rejects Calls by Allies to Step Down
Mayor Gives First TV Interviews After Public Allegations
Donna Frye letter asking Filner to step down
Filner announces appointments intended to strengthen City management (pdf)
SAN DIEGO MAYOR BOB FILNER APOLOGIZES: READ FULL TRANSCRIPT
New Account Reinforces Mayor's Pattern of Behavior
NOW panel calls for Filner resignation
Ex-Fiancee Urges Filner To Submit Resignation
UPDATE: Unmanned drone crashes in Gulf
Unmanned Drone Detonated Off Coast of Gulf County
"Several readers have contacted us about a fireball ..."
Drone crash at Tyndall; U.S. 98 to be closed until mid-day Thursday
Town of Deer Trail considering hunting licenses for unmanned aerial vehicles, bounties for drones
Voter ID Trial Opens In Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Republicans Looking to Push Out Their Governor
Pennsylvania Voter ID Law Could Disenfranchise More than 500,000 People: Trial Expert
Ahead on the 7/17 Maddow show
Tonight's guests:
Chris Smith, Florida state senator, Democratic leader of the Florida senate
Trent Seibert, reporter, San Diego Union Tribune
Here's executive producer Bill Wolff to preview the night's stories, and here is the musical accompaniment which you can play in a separate tab or window so we don't have to worry about the copyright issues of playing the music in the actual video.
Wednesday's Mini-Report
Today's edition of quick hits:
* The lack of an apology was noticeable: "A senior Taliban commander has described the attempted assassination of activist Malala Yousafzai as 'shocking' and urged her to return home to Pakistan. In an open letter to the young education campaigner, Adnan Rashid said he wished the attack by Taliban militants had 'never happened.'"
* NSA: "Top Obama administration officials, appearing before a House committee to defend controversial government surveillance programs, ran into tough questions Wednesday from lawmakers of both parties, who expressed deep skepticism about the bulk collection of Americans' telephone records and other communications."
* We've seen false-starts before, but the search for a bipartisan solution on immigration reform in the House is reportedly nearing a resolution.
* Kerry in Jordan: "Making his sixth trip to the Middle East as secretary of state, John Kerry arrived here Tuesday to try to bolster the prospects for renewed peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians."
* Samantha Power's nomination as the next United States ambassador to the United Nations appears to be on track, and Thomas Perez's Labor Secretary nomination was cleared today for an up-or-down confirmation vote.
* Heartbreaking: "A prominent gay rights activist in Cameroon was tortured and killed just weeks after issuing a public warning about the threat posed by 'anti-gay thugs,' Human Rights Watch said."
* Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff take a deep dive into the White House plan to sell the Affordable Care Act and produce a fascinating, nuanced report.
* Lindsey Graham gets some pushback: "The U.S. Olympic Committee said Wednesday it 'strongly' opposes calls for a U.S. boycott of the Winter Games in Russia, saying it would only hurt American athletes."
* Things like this always seem to happen in Florida: "A drone crashed Wednesday at Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City, Fla., WJHG reported -- for the second time in a week. A QF 4 drone crashed by U.S. Highway 98 on the east side of the base, closing the highway to traffic for up to 24 hours, according to WJHG.... Tyndall destroyed another drone over the Gulf of Mexico last week, where vacationers on a nearby beach witnessed the crash, according to WJHG."
Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.
