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[Snake]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/andrewkaczy...t-war-because?utm_term=.kwZAaOZgZ2#.oveVEa0dE

But he didn't write those newsletters!

Pretty shocking that a libertarian conservative in the states' rights mold would be racist.

 

[ivysaur12]

Just as good: many within the GOP are taking the bait and reacting in truly entertaining, politically untenable ways.

Almost seems like Obama is in campaign mode already, thinking about his legacy, choosing which actions to take, calculating..

That NYT articles made it very clear that he wanted net neutrality to be part of his legacy.

 

[NeoXChaos]

Antonio Villaraigosa Won’t Run for US Senate.

Well looks like we will have a Senator Harris in 2017.

 

[speculawyer]

After the hyperinflation clearly, states need to get rid of those liabilities first.

Don't know why people get so worked up about secession. You know it's not about you personally right?

And nullification has brought great justice to this nation. It's a crime that it's a crime to inform juries of their rights.

Hey, I'd welcome the secession. The south can leave any time they want as far as I'm concerned.

And there is big difference between jury nullification (what you bring up) and state nullification of federal laws.

 

[Black Mamba]

Antonio Villaraigosa Won’t Run for US Senate.

Well looks like we will have a Senator Harris in 2017.

good. Not a fan of his.

 

[HylianTom]

I just want to see Obama go IN at the Democratic Convention in 2016.

Him and Bill taking turns roasting the GOP

I just wish it were a little bit closer to the election. To have the conventions done before August just seems to be stretching things out a bit much.

Obama did that unique infomercial right before Election Day. I wonder if the Clintons and Obama would be willing to do some sort of special televised event..

That NYT articles made it very clear that he wanted net neutrality to be part of his legacy.

I don't doubt the non-political desires he has for his legacy, but he seems to have a knack for picking issues that drive them nuts.
(or maybe it's that almost everything he does drives them bonkers?)

 

[speculawyer]

Net Neutrality is locked in ya'll!

Nigga we made it!!

Apparently it is all over right-wing radio lately. They are painting it as Obama's big take-over of the internet to stealz ya' FREEDOM!

You gotta hand it to the right . . . the are master propagandists. How do they spin doing the cable companies bidding into PROTECTING FREEDOM!

But I guess much of it is having an extremely gullible audience that never learns. Internet will get Title 2 status and nothing will really change. Any alert people would ask themselves . . . didn't our GOP leaders tell us that Obama was going to destroy the internet?

Yeah, just like Bill Clinton's 93 tax hike crashed the economy, Obamacare destroyed the economy, and Obama cause massively high gas prices.

 

[ivysaur12]

Antonio Villaraigosa Won’t Run for US Senate.

Well looks like we will have a Senator Harris in 2017.

That was already going to happen whether or not he ran.

 

[PhoenixDark]

Net Neutrality is locked in ya'll!

Nigga we made it!!

Indeed. Surprised that republicans tried that "Obamacare the internet" shit. Was Frank Luntz behind that...I wonder. And I'm disappointed that no elected republicans have come out for net neutrality (unless I'm overlooking someone).

Still...feels like something a corporate Hillary administration could shitcan.

 

[ivysaur12]

Indeed. Surprised that republicans tried that "Obamacare the internet" shit. Was Frank Luntz behind that...I wonder. And I'm disappointed that no elected republicans have come out for net neutrality (unless I'm overlooking someone).

Still...feels like something a corporate Hillary administration could shitcan.

I think Obama has effectively polarized the issue, tying Hillary's hands.

 

[Coriolanus]

Apparently it is all over right-wing radio lately. They are painting it as Obama's big take-over of the internet to stealz ya' FREEDOM!

You gotta hand it to the right . . . the are master propagandists. How do they spin doing the cable companies bidding into PROTECTING FREEDOM!

It does backfire, tho. Was quite surprised to see the Register for ObamaCare kiosks in miami malls. Same thing will happen here if all goes well, a good opportunity to coopt the brand.

One does wonder why democrats can seldom engage as effectively in rhetoric after all this time, tho.

Like, create some catchy names for keystone or whatever.

 

[benjipwns]

 

[BertramCooper]

Indeed. Surprised that republicans tried that "Obamacare the internet" shit. Was Frank Luntz behind that...I wonder. And I'm disappointed that no elected republicans have come out for net neutrality (unless I'm overlooking someone).

Still...feels like something a corporate Hillary administration could shitcan.

Seems like a stretch given the sequence of events that led to Title II reclassification.

I'd guess there's a pretty good chance during the campaign that she'll get pressured into taking a public stance on the issue, and I can't see her saying that she doesn't support it.

 

[Grexeno]

So basically they want exactly what we're doing now?

 

[Teggy]

Net Neutrality is locked in ya'll!

Nigga we made it!!

But what about that KXL veto? He killed tens of thousands of jerbs!

 

[Metaphoreus]

And there is big difference between jury nullification (what you bring up) and state nullification of federal laws.

Did you miss the entire second page?

And I'm disappointed that no elected republicans have come out for net neutrality (unless I'm overlooking someone).

The Thune bill basically enacted the old 2010 rules that were struck down last year. We could have had net neutrality without reclassification.

 

[RustyNails]

terrorists have won

 

[ivysaur12]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/25/us/word-of-threat-cuts-short-hearing-on-right-to-work-measure-in-wisconsin.html?partner=socialflow&smid=tw-nytimes

MADISON, Wis. — More than eight hours of testimony on a so-called right-to-work bill ended abruptly here Tuesday night after the Republican committee chairman cited a “credible threat” to disrupt the vote. In a hurried, chaotic roll call as protesters chanted in opposition, legislators voted to advance the bill to the full Senate.

“It’s a sad day for the state of Wisconsin,” Senator Robert W. Wirch, a Democrat, said after the Republican committee members left the hearing under police guard.

The sudden ending, roughly 30 minutes before the hearing was set to conclude, underscored a day of peaceful but forceful union protest on the bill.

Earlier in the day, workers wearing scuffed-up hard hats and heavy coats assembled in the rotunda and outside the Capitol to voice their opposition to the bill. Many in the crowd, estimated by the Capitol police at 1,800 to 2,000, denounced the Republican-backed bill as an attack on working-class families designed to weaken organized labor. The peaceful protests unfolded as the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform heard a full day of testimony on the measure, which is being debated in a hastily convened “extraordinary session.”

The bill would allow private-sector workers who choose not to join unions to avoid paying the equivalent of dues, known as “fair share” payments. The widely protested 2011 law, enacted during the infancy of Mr. Walker’s governorship, gave most public employees here that same right. Opponents say the payments should be required of all workers who benefit from contracts negotiated by unions, even if they do not belong to one.

State Senator Scott Fitzgerald, the Republican leader, told committee members Tuesday that the bill would be a boon to this industrial state’s economy and would help it become more competitive with states like Indiana and Michigan, which have enacted similar legislation in recent years. Supporters say the laws give more choice to employees and help entice businesses to expand or relocate.

“That status quo that has maybe served us well for years is no longer working, because we’re not operating in just the state of Wisconsin economy,” Mr. Fitzgerald testified. “We’re competing with Midwestern states. We’re competing with states nationwide.”

The accelerated timeline clearly rankled many of the bill’s opponents, who wondered aloud on Tuesday whether the session had been designed to limit debate and avoid the sort of protest seen four years ago.

But on Tuesday, there was tacit acknowledgment that the spirited opposition of the past had not succeeded. The bill covering public employees eventually passed, and Mr. Walker fended off a recall attempt in its aftermath.

Congrats to all the moochers of union contracts and bargaining!

 

[HylianTom]

I can't help but think that if Walker is the nominee, labor's efforts to defeat him in a few key swing states are going to be rather ballistic. Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota.. yikes.

His base might eat this up, but union families who are culturally conservative and normally swing back-and-forth between Republican & Democratic voting habits might be a bit turned-off by this pattern of anti-union behavior.

 

[NYCmetsfan]

I can't help but think that if Walker is the nominee, labor's efforts to defeat him in a few key swing states are going to be rather ballistic. Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota.. yikes.

His base might eat this up, but union families who are culturally conservative and normally swing back-and-forth between Republican & Democratic voting habits might be a bit turned-off by this pattern of anti-union behavior.

Pattern? Its a massacre of unions. Its a clear assault on the middle class. And dems should proudly overturn these laws if they get back into power (which the never do it seems.)

 

[ivysaur12]

Pattern? Its a massacre of unions. Its a clear assault on the middle class. And dems should proudly overturn these laws if they get back into power (which the never do it seems.)

What right to work states have then elected a Democratic House/Senate/Governor all at once in order to undo these laws?

 

[NYCmetsfan]

What right to work states have then elected a Democratic House/Senate/Governor all at once in order to undo these laws?

IDK. I never see any attempts in these states to roll back any of the anti union legislation. When did Ohio and Il go right to work?

 

[ivysaur12]

IDK. I never see any attempts in these states to roll back any of the anti union legislation. When did Ohio and Il go right to work?

Ohio and Illinois aren't right to work states?

 

[adg1034]

But what about that KXL veto? He killed tens of thousands of jerbs!

Clearly, he cares more about killing jobs than killing ISIS. This country needs someone stronger to lead it. This country needs Kenneth the Bobby Jindal.

 

[trs1080]

Thread lurker here, but just wanted to gloat over Rahm Emanuel being forced into a run-off election for Chicago mayor tonight. I don't expect him to lose in April, but I have my fingers crossed.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2015/02/24/rahm-emanuel-chicago-mayor/23971209/

"Missed it by that much"

 

[NYCmetsfan]

Ohio and Illinois aren't right to work states?

Shows what I know, I thought that's what the article mentioned

 

[ivysaur12]

Shows what I know, I thought that's what the article mentioned

Indiana and Michigan. Both passed once the states had Republican trifectas.

 

[Teggy]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/poll-57-percent-republicans-christianity-national-religion

The poll by the Democratic-leaning firm found that 57 percent of Republicans "support establishing Christianity as the national religion" while 30 percent are opposed. Another 13 percent said they were not sure.

>_<

 

[Poodlestrike]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/poll-57-percent-republicans-christianity-national-religion



>_<

"Hey, guys! Let's do something that runs entirely counter to the entire point of this whole 'America' thing!"

 

[Metaphoreus]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/poll-57-percent-republicans-christianity-national-religion

>_<

Ditto.

Maybe they mean as a meaningless gesture, kind of like a state flower or somesuch. Obviously that's still problematic, but at least it's not a call for a theocracy.

 

[speculawyer]

We should not send our ground troops because it just doesn't work! When we are on the ground, it is basically those infidel foreigners meddling so they'll never stop fighting back. The only way these things can be handled is with the locals. We can help but they have to do it because if we try, it just becomes an endless and never fully successful occupation.

And if the locals don't want to do the job, then we probably need to just do containment and hope that they eventually get their shit together.


The Republicans like McCain and Lindsay Graham that are so gung ho on war need to realize that they should analogize us fighting the way they think about welfare. If we help them out too much, they'll never stand up and do the jobs themselves.

 

[speculawyer]

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/polltracker/poll-57-percent-republicans-christianity-national-religion

The poll by the Democratic-leaning firm found that 57 percent of Republicans "support establishing Christianity as the national religion" while 30 percent are opposed. Another 13 percent said they were not sure.

>_<

Oh FFS. It should be legal to slap those people anytime those people whine about Obama supposedly doing something unconstitutional.

 

[ivysaur12]

Guys, Leslie Knope did the impossible:

She won the governorship in Indiana as a Democrat!

 

[Oblivion]

The drama erupted over Giuliani's dumbassery proves that Walker's a light weight after all. The guy isn't just loved in Wisconsin by his base, he's also well respected by the mainstream media. But his past few PR disasters (Giuliani, his evolution remarks, him flubbing badly on Syria) proves that once there's even remotely any tough questions asked of him, the dude flails around miserably. And if he keeps attacking the media like some are suggesting he do, his reputation as a media darling won't last long.

 

[B-Dubs]

The drama erupted over Giuliani's dumbassery proves that Walker's a light weight after all. The guy isn't just loved in Wisconsin by his base, he's also well respected by the mainstream media. But his past few PR disasters (Giuliani, his evolution remarks, him flubbing badly on Syria) proves that once there's even remotely any tough questions asked of him, the dude flails around miserably. And if he keeps attacking the media like some are suggesting he do, his reputation as a media darling won't last long.

He only has his reputation because no one's had to look too close at him until now. It's going to be Chris Christie all over again.

 

[Wilsongt]

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

http://news.yahoo.com/lawmaker-lavish-decor-billed-private-planes-concerts-083108684--politics.html

Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock has hired top lawyers and public relations experts in the wake of recent questions surrounding his travel and entertainment expenses.

Schock, a rising Republican star already facing an ethics inquiry, had spent taxpayer and campaign funds on flights aboard private planes owned by some of his key donors, an Associated Press review found. There have also been other expensive charges, including for a massage company and music concerts.

By Tuesday, Schock brought on board Washington attorneys William McGinley and Donald McGahn, a former Federal Election Commission member. Schock also retained GOP communications experts Ron Bonjean and Brian Walsh, according to a person familiar with the changes who was not authorized to speak publicly. Politico first reported the hires Tuesday.

Schock's expenses, detailed by the AP and other news organizations in recent weeks, highlight the relationships that lawmakers can have with donors who fund their political ambitions. It's an unwelcome message for Schock, a congressman billed as a fresh face of the Republican party.

The AP's review identified at least one dozen flights worth more than $40,000 on donors' planes since mid-2011, tracking Schock's reliance on the aircraft partly through the congressman's penchant for uploading pictures and videos of himself to his Instagram account. The AP extracted location data associated with each image then correlated it with flight records showing airport stopovers and expenses later billed for air travel against Schock's office and campaign records.

 

[rocketknight]

I can hear Landrieu laughing from here.

 

[ivysaur12]

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY

http://news.yahoo.com/lawmaker-lavish-decor-billed-private-planes-concerts-083108684--politics.html

It's almost poetic that he won't be brought down by a gay sex scandal, but instead by a Downton Abbey-themed office and Katy Perry tickets.

 

[BertramCooper]

IDK. I never see any attempts in these states to roll back any of the anti union legislation. When did Ohio and Il go right to work?

Ohio and Illinois aren't right to work states?

And won't be any time soon, thank Christ. Kasich learned his lesson about going after organized labor after the SB5 debacle.

 

[Poodlestrike]

And won't be any time soon, thank Christ. Kasich learned his lesson about going after organized labor after the SB5 debacle.

That reminds me; the local NPR affiliate where I am can't say Kasich's name without immediately following it up with "presumed to be running for president," but I never see you guys talk about him at all. Think he's going to run?

 

[BertramCooper]

That reminds me; the local NPR affiliate where I am can't say Kasich's name without immediately following it up with "presumed to be running for president," but I never see you guys talk about him at all. Think he's going to run?

Yes.

Though it might be more of a positioning-himself-for-2020 sort of run. Kasich is a realist, so if he does run, I doubt he expects to actually win the nomination.

 

[HylianTom]

I semi-wonder if Kasich is running for VP. He's gotta be on the short list with Rubio.

 

[zargle]

That reminds me; the local NPR affiliate where I am can't say Kasich's name without immediately following it up with "presumed to be running for president," but I never see you guys talk about him at all. Think he's going to run?

He might, but he consistently ranks at the bottom of the polls (at least the ones I see or hear about). Not really known outside of OH.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Stricklaaaaaand

Also now we know Leslie Knope will be president at some point in the future so there's that to look forward to

 

[Skiptastic]

Guys, Leslie Knope did the impossible:

She won the governorship in Indiana as a Democrat!

Until Mitch Daniels in 2004, we had Democrat governors for 16 years straight.

We voted for Obama in 2008, while overwhelmingly voting Mitch Daniels back in.

We voted in Joe Donnelly in 2012.

Mike Pence only won 49.6% to 46.4%.

We do typically vote Republican in the presidential elections, no doubt. But it's never that cut and dry in the Hoosier state. Moderate Democrats definitely have a chance, and (in my opinion) an ever growing chance, of winning election.

(I never watched Parks & Rec, so if she was super liberal, then that would be the impossible lol).

 

[Metaphoreus]

The Supreme Court opinion in Yates v. U.S. is here. In this case, the federal government was prosecuting a fisherman who threw undersized fish overboard to avoid detection. The government claimed, among other things, that this violated 18 USC s. 1519, enacted as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and making it a crime for a person to "knowingly alter[], destroy[], mutilate[], conceal[], cover[] up, falsif[y], or make[] a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States[.]" The government argued that the undersized fish were a "tangible object," but the fisherman argued that "tangible object" should not be interpreted so broadly, but should be read to refer to "tangible objects" that store information.

A majority of the Court holds that "tangible object" does not refer to fish. Justice Ginsburg writes for the Court, and is joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Breyer and Sotomayor. Justice Alito concurs in the opinion. Justice Kagan writes a dissent, in which Justices Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas join. I haven't read the whole thing, but Kagan gets off to a good start:

As the plurality must acknowledge, the ordinary meaning of &#8220;tangible object&#8221; is &#8220;a discrete thing that possesses physical form.&#8221; Ante, at 7 (punctuation and citation omitted). A fish is, of course, a discrete thing that possesses physical form. See generally Dr. Seuss, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish (1960).

 

[Poodlestrike]

The Supreme Court opinion in Yates v. U.S. is here. In this case, the federal government was prosecuting a fisherman who threw undersized fish overboard to avoid detection. The government claimed, among other things, that this violated 18 USC s. 1519, enacted as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and making it a crime for a person to "knowingly alter[], destroy[], mutilate[], conceal[], cover[] up, falsif[y], or make[] a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States[.]" The government argued that the undersized fish were a "tangible object," but the fisherman argued that "tangible object" should not be interpreted so broadly, but should be read to refer to "tangible objects" that store information.

A majority of the Court holds that "tangible object" does not refer to fish. Justice Ginsburg writes for the Court, and is joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Breyer and Sotomayor. Justice Alito concurs in the opinion. Justice Kagan writes a dissent, in which Justices Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas join. I haven't read the whole thing, but Kagan gets off to a good start:

dead.gif

Here's a thought, though. Couldn't you argue that even under the fisherman's argument, he was still in violation? The fish are tangible objects, and they do store information; not just the information inherent to them (i.e. they're fish), but also the information that the fisherman is trying to cover up (how many fish he's caught).

 

[Metaphoreus]

dead.gif

Here's a thought, though. Couldn't you argue that even under the fisherman's argument, he was still in violation? The fish are tangible objects, and they do store information; not just the information inherent to them (i.e. they're fish), but also the information that the fisherman is trying to cover up (how many fish he's caught).

I think that would be an unusual definition of "storing information," and I don't think it would suffice for the majority--certainly not for Justice Alito. But, without having read the whole thing yet, I can't give more details.

 

[PhoenixDark]

The drama erupted over Giuliani's dumbassery proves that Walker's a light weight after all. The guy isn't just loved in Wisconsin by his base, he's also well respected by the mainstream media. But his past few PR disasters (Giuliani, his evolution remarks, him flubbing badly on Syria) proves that once there's even remotely any tough questions asked of him, the dude flails around miserably. And if he keeps attacking the media like some are suggesting he do, his reputation as a media darling won't last long.

No one cares about evolution "gaffes" outside of the left. Most people don't even fully believe in evolution.

Nothing matters right now, outside of major fuck ups. And none have occurred. If anything Bobby Jindal's is the loser of this period: he has basically flailed about on a weekly basis and hasn't gained any attention or respect from national republicans.

 

[pigeon]

The Supreme Court opinion in Yates v. U.S. is here. In this case, the federal government was prosecuting a fisherman who threw undersized fish overboard to avoid detection. The government claimed, among other things, that this violated 18 USC s. 1519, enacted as part of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and making it a crime for a person to "knowingly alter[], destroy[], mutilate[], conceal[], cover[] up, falsif[y], or make[] a false entry in any record, document, or tangible object with the intent to impede, obstruct, or influence the investigation or proper administration of any matter within the jurisdiction of any department or agency of the United States[.]" The government argued that the undersized fish were a "tangible object," but the fisherman argued that "tangible object" should not be interpreted so broadly, but should be read to refer to "tangible objects" that store information.

A majority of the Court holds that "tangible object" does not refer to fish. Justice Ginsburg writes for the Court, and is joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Breyer and Sotomayor. Justice Alito concurs in the opinion. Justice Kagan writes a dissent, in which Justices Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas join. I haven't read the whole thing, but Kagan gets off to a good start:

The best part about this case is definitely the court split. Especially Alito's concurrence in the judgement, since I can't personally identify in what way his concurrence is meaningfully distinguished from the Court's opinion.

edit: Kagan's ending is going to Diablos some people up. It's a pretty good bit about the danger of legal overreach, but there's one bit that's nerve-wracking in context!

Most district judges, as Congress knows, will recognize differences between such cases and prosecutions like this one, and will try to make the punishment fit the crime. Still and all, I tend to think, for the reasons the plurality gives, that §1519 is a bad law&#8212;too broad and undifferentiated, with too-high maximum penalties, which give prosecutors too much leverage and sentencers too much discretion. And I&#8217;d go further: In those ways, §1519 is unfortunately not an outlier, but an emblem of a deeper pathology in the federal criminal code.
But whatever the wisdom or folly of §1519, this Court does not get to rewrite the law.