Rachel Maddow's Blog, page 3391

Priebus' 'listening tour' continues

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Former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) was asked over the weekend about his party's outreach to minority communities. "I'll believe it when I see it," the African-American Republican responded. He added, "Now after we've got our heads handed to us constantly over the last two elections, now all of a sudden we're saying, 'Hey you want to go to the movies with me, you want to go to happy hour with me?'"

There's ample reason for skepticism, but the chairman of the RNC is still making an effort.

As part of the Republican Party's plan to expand its appeal following GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's loss in last year's election, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will visit Cleveland on Friday to conduct a "listening session" with roughly forty African-American community leaders from Northeast Ohio. [...]

"As part of the Republican Party's effort to grow and expand our party, it's imperative we engage with different communities and groups from across the country and there's no better place than Ohio to begin this conversation," said a statement from Priebus.

There's really nothing wrong with this sort of outreach. Priebus realizes his party faced a demographic crisis and I don't blame him at all for making an effort to launching a "listening" tour. Sure, the RNC has said and done the same thing before, without making any real changes, but maybe this time will be different. Who knows.

But I hope Priebus realizes that "listening" is only half of a conversation, and the African-American community likely wants to hear him speaking, too. Is the RNC chairman prepared to denounce his party's voter-suppression tactics? How about the ugly and racist rhetoric coming from elements of his party's base? Can he explain why the RNC remained silent during the Jason Richwine fiasco? How about relying on racial divisions to win elections for the better part of multiple generations?

I'm confident he's not the only one ready to "listen."

Confidence in Congress continues to plummet

Whenever House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) is asked about Congress' woefully low approval rating, he invariably responds by noting history: for as long as there's been a Congress, it's been unpopular with the public.

And to be sure, there's certainly something to that argument. But what Boehner and every other lawmaker needs to realize is that since the dawn of modern polling, Congress has never been this unpopular.

Gallup reported yesterday, "Americans' confidence in Congress as an institution is down to 10%, ranking the legislative body last on a list of 16 societal institutions for the fourth straight year. This is the lowest level of confidence Gallup has found, not only for Congress, but for any institution on record."

What's more, it's a bipartisan phenomenon. Traditionally, when there's a Democratic Congress, the legislative branch could at least count on some support from Democratic voters, and under a Republican Congress, the same would be true of GOP voters. But now that there's split control over the chambers, every one of every partisan and ideological stripe feels equally comfortable criticizing the institution with similar zeal.

For what it's worth, I tend to think 10% confidence is a little on the high end. Indeed, I'm wondering what those satisfied folks are thinking.

The 112th Congress was arguably the worst the nation has ever seen, and the 113th isn't shaping up to be much better. The combination of Republican obstructionism and a radicalized House majority unwilling to compromise has created a dynamic in which governing -- and even completing basic tasks -- is nearly impossible.

And if the public thinks it's bad now, wait until the fall when GOP lawmakers threaten to crash the economy on purpose as part of the next debt-ceiling crisis.

The irony, of course, is that Congress has a problem that's rather easy to fix. If lawmakers want to improve on this 10% figure, it can pass a popular immigration-reform bill, turn off the deliberately harmful sequester, pass a measure or two to reduce gun violence, maybe consider a bill or two that creates jobs, and give up on pointless "scandals."

Trent Franks laments 'spin dryer'

Associated Press

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) has received quite a bit of attention this week, first for pushing a needlessly punitive anti-abortion bill he knows can't pass, then again for claiming, "The incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low."

What will he do for an encore? A couple of things, actually, starting with a round of self-pity with a group of activists who thrive on a sense of victimization.

Rep. Trent Franks, the Arizona Republican under fire for saying the incidence of pregnancies resulting from rape is "very low," rallied with social conservatives Thursday night in the Capitol.

About 100 of the activists in town for the Faith and Freedom Coalition conference, organized by Ralph Reed, cheered the embattled congressman when he made a surprise, unannounced appearance at a reception in a Senate meeting room.

"Sometimes we get a little discouraged," Franks told them. "Believe me, I'll tell you what, I've been through a spin dryer here in the last 48 hours and I wish I hadn't assisted them so much to that end. But somehow in the long run, truth and time travel the same road. And we are very blessed that the Lord that we serve will prevail in the final analysis no matter what."

Yes, apparently we're supposed to feel sorry for Trent Franks. The poor guy was subjected to the "spin dryer" for a few days, but he's convinced the "truth" will prevail. (The truth is, Franks has no idea what he's talking about, and his claims are factually untrue.)

And when we're done feeling pity for the Arizona congressman, we're also supposed to feel compelled to give him some cash.

Yes, Franks has begun fundraising off his self-inflicted wound.

Since Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) claimed earlier this week that it's incredibly rare for women to become pregnant from rape, he has been under fire from women's rights groups, Democrats and even some members of his own party. Instead of running from his remarks, however, he's attempting to cash in and raise money out of the controversy.

"NARAL, Planned Parenthood and the taxpayer-funded abortion lobby is attacking me for one reason -- I'm 100 percent unapologetically pro-life and I won't back down," he wrote in an email to supporters on Thursday, according to the Arizona Republic. "Will you contribute $25, $50, $100, or even $500 right now to help me fight back?"

For what it's worth, Franks' detractors are undeterred. The American Bridge super PAC has re-launched the ItsNotJustAkin.com website, and even the White House weighed in on the controversy.

The White House says comments by a Republican lawmaker about rape show, quote, an "alarming disregard for women."

Spokesman Jay Carney was talking about Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks and his assertion that incidences of pregnancy resulting from rape "are very low." Franks is sponsoring a bill to ban almost all abortions after a fetus reaches the age of 20 weeks.

Carney says the White House issues takes "great issue" with the comments. And he says the remarks have shone attention on the bill in a way "Republicans wish the public would forget."

Scott Walker's enemies list

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), poised to become the new Gov. Ultrasound, recently appointed a college student to the state university system's board of regents, which ordinarily wouldn't be especially interesting.

Except, in this case, Walker withdrew the appointment soon after making it -- and that's proving to be quite interesting, indeed.

Gov. Scott Walker has withdrawn his appointment of a University of Wisconsin-Platteville student to the UW System's Board of Regents -- a student who signed a petition seeking to remove the governor from office in a recall two years ago.

"His nomination has been withdrawn," Walker's press secretary Tom Evenson confirmed Thursday morning. Evenson did not immediately respond to questions about the reason for the withdrawal.

It was just Monday when the Republican governor named Joshua Inglett to the UW System Board of Regents, saying in a statement, "I know he will serve the UW System and his fellow students well." And by all appearances, that confidence made a lot of sense -- Inglett is a good student, studying engineering physics at UW-Platteville, and has served as a resident assistant in a dormitory.

But a few days later, the governor's office discovered that the student had signed an anti-Walker recall petition two years ago. All of a sudden, the invitation was revoked.

I suppose it's possible that Walker had some other hidden reason for rescinding the invitation a few days after announcing it, but on the surface, it certainly looks like the governor is keeping an enemies list

State Sen. Fred Risser (D) told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "If signing a recall petition disqualifies a person, that means a million citizens are no longer eligible for public service in this administration. Risser added that the Republican governor has created the "most partisan government we've ever had in my experience."

The irony is, conservatives, including prominent members of Congress, are constantly complaining that President Obama maintains some sort of enemies list, but Obama's the one who keeps appointing Republicans to key positions in his administration. James Comey worked in the Bush/Cheney administration and donated to McCain '08 and Romney '12 -- and the president just nominated him to lead the FBI.

If Republicans want to talk about politicians with enemies lists, they appear to be looking at the wrong chief executive.

As for Walker, his state economy is in very rough shape, and it's getting worse. Perhaps now would be a good time to focus less on medically unnecessary ultrasounds and enemies lists, and more on the fact that Wisconsin ranks 49th out of 50 states in economic outlook.

ENDA moves to front-burner, picks up 50th Senate cosponsor

The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA), which would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, has been percolating in Congress for nearly two decades. This year, however, proponents think they have a credible shot at success.

That may be true, but they should probably count Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) out.

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Rubio, who said this week he'd oppose his own immigration bill if it protected gay rights, was asked by ThinkProgress yesterday about whether he'd consider backing ENDA. The Florida Republican didn't explicitly denounce the bill, but he left no real doubts about position: "I'm not for any special protections based on orientation."

Asked further about protections based on race or gender, Rubio said that's "established law" and then walked away. Substantively, the senator is correct -- there is "established law" that prevents employers from discriminating on the basis of race and gender, but Congress can change the law to expand those protections.

Indeed, that's the point of ENDA -- to make a new established law to prevent gay people from losing their job just because they're gay. Most Americans assume that it's illegal to fire someone simply for being gay, but those assumptions are incorrect, and it's why ENDA is needed.

Rubio, eager to make the right happy, especially after angering conservatives by endorsing immigration reform, sees equal protection as a matter of "special" protection. Fortunately, there's a growing number of folks on the other side who see this issue differently.

Earlier this week, for example, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a centrist Democrat from North Dakota, became an ENDA co-sponsor, a week after Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) added his name to the same list. Last night, the bill picked up an even more notable champion, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) became the bill's 50th co-sponsor.

To overcome a Republican filibuster, ENDA will almost certainly need 60 votes, not 50, but the list is steadily growing. In the House, the legislation had 175 co-sponsors as of yesterday, which is also nearing the 218 threshold.

What's more, President Obama has not only endorsed ENDA, he continues to talk about his support for the measure -- at an LGBT Pride Month Reception at the White House last night, the president sounded an optimistic note: "I think we can make [ENDA] happen because after all we've seen over the past four-and-a-half years, you can't tell me that can't happen."

Reid has promised a floor vote on the bill in this Congress. So far, it has three Republican co-sponsors: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

If the party's "rebranding" effort still has any life at all, and if the College Republicans' recent report made any impression on party officials whatsoever, they'll give this common-sense legislation a good, long look.

You are not alone

June 8, 2013

Saturday, 8:30 am, New York City.  This guy sat down in Father Demo Square in the West Village to quietly protest the still ongoing spying activities over at the National Security Agency.  So if you're out there feeling frustrated, creeped out, or just plain offended that the very existence of these spying programs are themselves secret, here's a reminder that there is at least one more person feeling the same thing.

Ahead on the 6/13 Maddow show

Tonight's guests include:

Chris Hayes, host of "All In with Chris Hayes" and author of "Twilight of the Elites: America After Meritocracy," now out in paperback

Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief foreign affairs correspondent and host of “Andrea Mitchell Reports”

Rep. Elizabeth Esty, (D) Connecticut

Tonight's show will be pretty sweet. Here is executive producer Bill Wolff, with a preview:

Speaking of metaphors...

Picture: Storms clouds captured moving over the Capitol Building in Washington DC via@washingtonpost twitter.com/stormchaser485…

— Johnny Kelly (@stormchaser4850) June 13, 2013

Thursday's Mini-Report

Today's edition of quick hits:

* Six months after the massacre, Sandy Hook Elementary's victims were remembered at a Capitol Hill event this afternoon.

* Syria: "American and European intelligence analysts now believe that President Bashar al-Assad's troops have used chemical weapons against rebel forces in the civil war in Syria, an assessment that will put added pressure on a deeply divided Obama administration to develop a response to a provocation that the president himself has declared a 'red line.'"

* More on Syria: "A U.S. military proposal for arming Syrian rebels also calls for a limited no-fly zone inside Syria that would be enforced from Jordanian territory to protect Syrian refugees and rebels who would train there, according to U.S. officials."

* Grassley's poison pill goes down: "The Senate voted 57-43 on Thursday to table an amendment to the immigration reform bill that would have required increased border security before providing a pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants."

* NSA leak probe: "FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III said Thursday that the FBI is conducting a criminal investigation of Edward Snowden, who declared himself the source of leaks on the National Security Agency's sweeping electronic surveillance programs."

* Economy: "U.S. retail sales rose in May at the fastest rate in three months, led by higher demand for autos, building materials and groceries. Retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% last month, or by 0.3% excluding the auto sector, the Commerce Department said Thursday."

* St. Louis shooting: "St. Louis police say an argument inside a business south of downtown escalated into gun violence, with a man shooting three other people before turning the gun on himself."

* Deborah Jones takes over for Chris Stevens as U.S. ambassador to Libya.

* Protest ruling: "The Supreme Court has come up with a new regulation banning demonstrations on its grounds, two days after a broader anti-demonstration law was declared unconstitutional."

* Diversity: "For the first time, America's racial and ethnic minorities now make up about half of the under-5 age group, the government said Thursday. It's a historic shift that shows how young people are at the forefront of sweeping changes by race and class."

* U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin is stepping down next month.

* There's a fair amount of hypocrisy to be found on NSA surveillance among partisans, but Sean Hannity reversals are simply breathtaking.

* And did you hear the one about the conservative Republican congressman who accidentally went to an LGBT event? That's what happened to Rep. Ralph Hall (R-Texas) last week.

Anything to add? Consider this an open thread.

'North Colorado' would be kind of an oil state

Digital-Topo-Maps.com

The plan to have eight counties in northeast Colorado secede and form a 51st state -- behold, North Colorado -- is still not likely to happen. But the longer the county commissioners talk about it, the clearer their reasoning becomes. From the local Post Independent:

"I know that initially you're kinda like, 'Wow, it's a little out there,' " [Weld County Commissioner] Conway said. But he said a new state would be economically viable.

With an assessed value of $7.5 billion this year and continued announcements from Noble Energy, Inc., Anadarko Petroleum Corp. and others planning to invest billions more on drilling in the region, more money could go to ignored infrastructure and to education, which commissioners said is seriously underfunded in Weld County.

It's true that conservative, rural voters are mad about gun reform and new laws about energy and farming, but what makes the idea of North Colorado possible is oil and, specifically, oil money. If you live in one of the eight counties -- Weld, Morgan, Logan, Sedgwick, Phillips, Washington, Yuma or Kit Carson -- please holler out.