Saturday, May 28, 2005

"The Oddness of George Will"

You wouldn't expect George Will would make such an eloquent case against the GOP's current attitude of absolute arrogance, but here it is:

"This is so because the greatest threat to civility—and ultimately to civilization—is an excess of certitude. The world is much menaced just now by people who think that the world and their duties in it are clear and simple. They are certain that they know what—who—created the universe and what this creator wants them to do to make our little speck in the universe perfect, even if extreme measures—even violence—are required.
America is currently awash in an unpleasant surplus of clanging, clashing certitudes. That is why there is a rhetorical bitterness absurdly disproportionate to our real differences. It has been well said that the spirit of liberty is the spirit of not being too sure that you are right. One way to immunize ourselves against misplaced certitude is to contemplate—even to savor—the unfathomable strangeness of everything, including ourselves."

I realize that he's talking about terrorism, and he's right about them as well but is there any person in America more sure that the world and their duties are simple then George Bush? Is their any group of people in America who think they know what this creator wants them to do more then the Republicans in Congress?

Wednesday, May 18, 2005

10 Facts about the "Nuclear Option"

Since it looks like Frist has sold his soul to the religious right in return for their support in '08, I think its important that we have our facts straight about why the Democrats have been blocking Bush's judicial nominees. These are some truly scary people who seem determined to destroy the middle class way of life, and we need to be prepared to stop them.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005

Ethics are for others

On the heels of taking the gift of a RV for his early campaigning for 2008 the Star has a story about how Daniels has formed a PAC to influence voting on his issues. Except he refuses to register it as a PAC, but instead a non-profit, and therefore can skirt all the lobbying laws.

"Julia Vaughn, policy director for Common Cause/Indiana, said the fact that Aiming Higher is not a PAC and is not registered with the state as a lobbyist seems inconsistent with Daniels' emphasis on higher ethics in state government."

Yeah that sound like Mitch to me.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Not everybody's man Mitch?

One of the first non-GOP polls (i.e. Indy Star) to be released on Daniels shows a 42% approve, 49% disapprove, with a margin of error of 4%. Not good news for Daniels considering (1. He dropped about 10% since November (2. He should be at his high point given that he got nearly everything he wanted from the General Assembly (3. The largest newspaper in the state acts as his press secretary only once even appearing to ask him a question he might not want to answer.

So expect to see Mitch in a RV near you this summer.

UPDATE: I updated the link to show the demographical breakdown. Thanks to the Indiana Young Democrats for the link.

Back to the Future: Clinton Edition

So Judicial Watch who brought us many of the bogus Clinton scandals of the '90s are back. And guess who their target is? On the heels of a poll showing Hillary a prohibitive favorite (at least in name recognition) for '08, Judicial Watch is now in federal court wanting to probe a fund raiser in Hollywood in 2000.

Their case is based upon the following "Questions about the fundraiser surfaced after Peter F. Paul, a three-time convicted felon who pleaded guilty in March to securities fraud charges, told the FBI he gave hundreds of thousands of dollars that Clinton's campaign didn't report. "

I guess even the right longs for the days of the Clinton presidency.

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Piling on

You know when Ruth Holladay is saying bad things about the GOP's voter ID bill its bad.

"Backers of Indiana's voter ID law say it will protect us against voter fraud. The argument is appealing -- but where, exactly, is this voter fraud? Nobody has proven it exists."

Tuesday, May 03, 2005

BMV closings

Apparently there will be another round of branch closing at the BMV. This isn't a surprise given the state of the Indiana economy. What was a surprise is the timing, right after the General Assembly has adjourned.

"Legislators have headed off closings before when constituents contact them with their concerns. This time, though, the closings have been planned quietly, with the information not released until after lawmakers ended their session. In fact, the BMV did not want to release the information today until pressed by The Indianapolis Star."They snuck in behind us," Rep. Phyllis Pond, (R-New Haven) said."

The big Deal?

"The closings come just after the Republican-controlled General Assembly passed a law requiring most voters to show a photo ID before they cast their ballots. The measure is aimed at preventing fraud."

Where do you get the IDs at? There's more, again from Rep. Pond:

"Warren, she said, has a retirement home. Its 450 residents make up a third of the small town. Elderly people, she said, are not going to want to drive to a larger city to conduct license-branch business, especially if they have to take an in-car motor vehicle test as many elderly are required to do."

Monday, May 02, 2005

Robin Hood he isn't

Paul Krugman does a fantastic job of explaining how the President's latest attempt at killing Social Security as we know it is really a kick to the gut of the middle class. While the middle class would face double digit percentage cuts, the average millionaire would see a one percent cut.

Why do Republicans hate the middle class so much? Is it because they think somebody who is making $57,000 a year (the acutal median income) is poor? Is it because as the Lt Governor of Maryland said over the weekend that people making $300,000 are the middle class? Or is it that they just don't care?