Michael Tomasky's Blog, page 66

Judge blocks part of Arizona law, now what? | Michael Tomasky

So federal judge Susan Bolton in Arizona has thrown out part of the state's new immigration law, and yes, it's the controversial part: the section that required state law enforcement officials, when stopping someone for another purpose who they suspect might be an illegal alien, to detain them until a determination can be made.

This is the part of the law that in effect required - okay, let's not say required; let's say it made it the better part of wisdom and prudence - brown-skinned people ...

The DNC says GOP = tea party, and... | Michael Tomasky

The Democratic National Committee is pushing hard today on a campaign its unveiling to brand the GOP and the tea party movement as one and the same. You can watch the :50 second video, which isn't half bad I guess, here, where you can also read The Hill's report on all of this.

The question is, does saying GOP = tea party strike automatic fear in the hearts of both Democratic and independent voters? I'm not so sure. Here are some poll numbers from the WashPost back in February:

25. Do you have...

McCain v McCain | Michael Tomasky

How John McCain voted to kill a bill intended to uphold the greatest legislative legacy of John McCain

The Senate voted down a campaign-finance bill yesterday aimed to address the radical ruling made by the Supreme Court in its Citizens United decision from earlier this year that essentially will permit corporations to spend as much as they like influencing political elections.

When I say the Senate "voted down" the bill, what I of course mean - readers of this blog should understand this now ...

McCain v. McCain | Michael Tomasky

The Senate voted down a campaign-finance bill yesterday aimed to address the radical ruling made by the Supreme Court in its Citizens United decision from earlier this year that essentially will permit corporations to spend as much as they like influencing political elections.

When I say the Senate "voted down" the bill, what I of course mean - readers of this blog should understand this now without my even having to say it, but for the uninitiated - is that it had 57 yea votes and 41 nay...

The planet formerly known as Iowa | Michael Tomasky

Last month, the Iowa Republican Party adopted its new platform, a heaving 12,000-word document consisting of 367 separate planks. It's quite a spicy dish. Ed Kilgore gives us a little taste:

Right up top, before the "statement of principles," the platform features a long, ominous quote from Cicero about "traitors." It's not made clear whether said traitors are Democrats, RINOs, or Muslims, but treason sure seems to be a major preoccupation for Iowa Republicans.

Once you get to the "statement...

Church will burn Qur'an on 9/11 | Michael Tomasky

Here's one Florida church's idea of how to commemorate this year's 9/11 anniversary:

On September 11, members of the Dove World Outreach Center – a Gainesville, Florida church – plan to burn copies of the Koran to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. The protest is just the latest in a series of provocative actions from the self-described "New Testament Church," which seems as interested in getting attention as it is in sharing the Word with the world. Unfortunately, their...

The Wikileaks story | Michael Tomasky

I've been trying to absorb the details of the Wikileaks story, and I don't really have anything too profound to say yet. Kudos of course to the Guardian, the New York Times and Der Spiegel. True the source came to them with everything laid out, but even those cases, believe you me there's a lot of hard work to do, especially when dealing with something this sensitive, so cheers to the great David Leigh, and the gang.

I wonder if Wikileaks becomes the Walter Cronkite of the 21st century. For...

He used to know a guy related to a guy... | Michael Tomasky

The excellent Robert Wright, writing at the NYT web site today, demolishes a Weekly Standard story about the Manhattan Mosque. It's worth quoting at some length:

I'd have thought that opinion leaders of all ideological stripes could reach consensus by applying a basic rule of thumb: Just ask, "What would Osama bin Laden want?" and then do the opposite.

Bin Laden would love to be able to say that in America you can build a church or synagogue anywhere you want, but not a mosque. That fits...

Would the ADA pass today? | Michael Tomasky

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We don't often group it among the great historic legislation of all time, and maybe it's not quite up there with the civil rights bill. But it was certainly a civil rights bill on its own terms, without question. It was a bipartisan effort, and something of which president George H. W. Bush ought to be justifiably proud. Tom Harkin, Democratic senator of Iowa, led the fight, and his name will live in...

On Charlie Rangel | Michael Tomasky

The Democrats should hang Charlie Rangel out to dry right now. The ethics report on Rangel is coming this week, and it's not looking like he's going to be vindicated, to put it mildly. Politico:

Fellow Democrats told POLITICO that they believe he's dragging his feet in a futile effort at total vindication. Democrats worry that his stubbornness could add to their losses in November by helping Republicans, who have vowed to build a "culture of corruption" narrative using ads, mailings and...