The Commission on Federal Election Reform, headed by former President Jimmy Carter and longtime Bush consigliere James Baker, delivers a set of proposals for fixing our tottering election system. Among the recommendations included are the adoption of a standard photo ID [which former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) has likened to a “modern-day poll tax,”] full electronic voting paper trails, free TV time for political candidates, the implementation of a regional primary system, and the non-partisan administration of future elections. Well, I’d like to see more strictly campaign-finance-related initiatives here, but, if nothing else, these sound like a good starting point for debate. After all, it should be clear to all by now that the current system has major issues, to say the least. (Just ask Ohio.)
Tag: Republicans
Better Late than Never.
“It’s a significant breakthrough. But it could easily have been accomplished two and a half years ago, had President George W. Bush been willing…Had he signed this rather innocuous joint statement back then (it wouldn’t have harmed our national interest to forgo an option — invading North Korea — that we were never going to exercise in the first place), the next steps toward an arms-control treaty would have been much easier than they will be now.” Slate‘s Fred Kaplan realistically assesses the good news — and work ahead — in North Korea.
Release the Hounds.
With the administration’s numbers in a continuing death spiral ever since their sheer incompetence, blatant cronyism, and general heartlessness was exposed by Katrina, several recent anti-Dubya speeches of note:
President Clinton: “Now, what Americans need to understand is that means every single day of the year, our Government goes into the market and borrows money from other countries to finance Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, and our tax cuts. We have never done this before. Never in the history of our republic have we ever financed a conflict, military conflict, by borrowing money from somewhere else…We depend on Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Korea primarily to basically loan us money every day of the year to cover my tax cut and these conflicts and Katrina. I don’t think it makes any sense. I think it’s wrong.“
John Kerry: “‘Brownie is to Katrina what Paul Bremer is to peace in Iraq, what George Tenet is to slam-dunk intelligence, what Paul Wolfowitz is to parades paved with flowers in Baghdad, what Dick Cheney is to visionary energy policy, what Donald Rumsfeld is to basic war planning, what Tom DeLay is to ethics and what George Bush is to ‘Mission Accomplished’ and ‘Wanted Dead or Alive.‘”
John Edwards: “I might have missed something, but I don’t think the president ever talked about putting a cap on the salaries of the CEOs of Halliburton and the other companies . . . who are getting all these contracts…This president, who never met an earmark he wouldn’t approve or a millionaire’s tax cut he wouldn’t promote, decided to slash wages for the least of us and the most vulnerable.“
Bill Maher: (I forgot where I saw this one first, but it’s a toss-up between Booknotes and Follow Me Here.) “On your watch, we’ve lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon and the City of New Orleans. Maybe you’re just not lucky. I’m not saying you don’t love this country. I’m just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side. So, yes, God does speak to you. What he is saying is: ‘Take a hint.’ “
The Wind Began to Howl.
“Grab some black people who look like they might be preachers.” By way of Breaching the Web, this site has gathered all of the staggering quotes on Katrina emanating from the mouths of the GOP. Similarly, Salon has assembled an hour-by-hour recap of the government’s response to the hurricane. Both are well worth a read.
A Presidency in the Toilet.
A study in contrasts at the UN: While Clinton tries to save the world, Dubya needs a bathroom break.
Showtime for Mr. Roberts.
The Roberts confirmation hearings are now underway. So far, they’re not making for the most scintillating television — at this very moment, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) is mangling his way through an opening statement he’s clearly never read before — but hopefully the drama will pick up once the Senators start firing away questions. (In fact, Feingold’s up now with his opener, and Roberts’ brow looks increasingly furled.) Update: Well, he’s polished…I’ll give him that. After watching three days of hearings, I learned more about hapless toads and the various senators on the Judiciary committee than I have about Roberts.
More TRMPAC trouble.
Yet another investigative front into the corruption of the DeLay ring opened up Thursday with the indictment of TRMPAC for $120,000 in illegal campaign contributions. Although DeLay himself wasn’t indicted, D.A. Ronald Earle “said at a news conference that he was hampered in bringing charges by a provision of the election law that gives him direct authority only over residents of Travis County.“
“Trent Lott’s House”…over and over again.
“We finally cleaned up public housing in New Orleans. We couldn’t do it, but God did.” Seemingly devoid of the empathy enzyme in any case, many key Republicans — not just Dennis Hastert and Barbara Bush — seem to be having trouble mustering up a way to discuss Katrina that doesn’t reflect their party’s general lack of Christian compassion. When meeting with young New Orleans evacuees at the Astrodome, Boss DeLay “likened their stay to being at camp and asked, ‘Now, tell me the truth, boys, is this kind of fun?’” Meanwhile, Rick Santorum blames Katrina on…the National Weather Service (to help out his donors at Accuweather).
Stacking the Deck.
“With the midterm congressional elections 14 months away, both parties see high stakes in where blame will eventually fall for the government’s lagging response to Katrina. Yesterday, congressional Republicans tried to get a head start, announcing the formation of an investigative commission that they can control. They rejected Democratic appeals to model the panel after the Sept. 11 commission, which was made up of non-lawmakers and was equally balanced between Republicans and Democrats.” Continuing their attempts to shield Dubya (and themselves) from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, the congressional GOP set up a dummy commission to get to the bottom of absolutely nothing, just the way they want it.
Dubya and Katrina.
By way of Breaching the Web and Medley, the Hurricane Katrina timeline. Think My Pet Goat extended over several days. Nevertheless, the GOP is rallying around Dubya: “Just 17 percent of Democrats said they approved of the way Bush was handling the Katrina crisis while 74 percent of Republicans said they approved.” Update: Out of sight, out of mind? Update 2: The Post‘s Terry Neal has more. Update 3: The government backs down on the media blackout after threat of a lawsuit by CNN.