[Ninong]

Looks like the right-wingers are sick and tired of Republican judges on the Supreme Court who are misbehavin'. That last ruling that prevents them from sending juveniles to the chair was just too much for them to take. They are especially disappointed in Justice Kennedy. How do they propose dealing with Justice Kennedy? How about:

"Death solves all problems: no man, no problem."

What do they think needs to be done to rein in the power of the federal judiciary (which happens to be predominately Republican):

• Block judicial power by abolishing the concept of binding judicial precedents...

• ...by allowing Congress to vacate court decisions...

• ...and by impeaching judges such as Kennedy.

They also think that a better educated citizenry would agree that Medicare and Social Security have to go:

A better-educated citizenry, he said, would know that "Medicare is a bad idea" and that "Social Security is a horrible idea when run by the government."

Majority Leader DeLay was unable to attend in person as he was in Vatican City at the time (praying a novena to St. Jude) but he did send a video message to cheer on the troops and a horse head for Justice Kennedy's bed.

Meanwhile, some Republican Congressmen are going to great lengths to assure the folks back home that they do NOT support their majority leader.

OK, I admit it, Shays is not exactly a right-winger but you know you're in trouble when even Ricky Santorum thinks you have some serious problems to deal with.

"Now you may not like some of the things he's done," Santorum said. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior or not."

Santorum, however, said DeLay is "very effective in leading the House" and that "to date, has not been compromised."

With right-wing friends like that, who needs to worry about the liberal Democrats!

Abandon ship!

[Ninong]

First Tom DeLay says the Supreme Court is running amok and now James Dobson, spiritual leader of the Republican right-wing, says they are the equivalent of the Ku Klux Klan.

"I heard a minister the other day talking about the great injustice and evil of the men in white robes, the Ku Klux Klan, that roamed the country in the South and they did great wrong to civil rights and to morality and now we have black-robed men." He then referred to the coming Supreme Court nomination battle as "World War Three."

What would they be saying if we had a Supreme Court that had seven Democrats and two Republicans instead of the other way around? I can't believe these guys are getting this rabid about Republican judges. One of the guys running that little Christian gathering that DeLay was unable to attend in person was asked about impeaching certain federal judges and he said he didn't want to impeach them, he wanted to impale them. It's on tape! And, yes, he was talking about Republican federal judges.

Ninety-five percent of George Bush's nominees to the federal bench have been approved. But, like they say in the GEICO commercials, they're out to get that last 5%, so we can expect them to do away with the filibuster in the Senate. That may come back to haunt them one of these days.

P.S. -- With Pat Buchanan comparing the action of Republican judges in the Terri Schiavo case to Nazi crimes against humanity and James Dobson comparing the Supreme Court to the KKK, maybe it's time for our little Davey Duke to run for something again, once he gets released from the federal pokey. He's such a nice little Republican. I'm sure he and Buchanan would have a lot to talk about.

P.P.S. -- I didn't know George H. W. Bush and Ronald Reagan appointed Klansmen to the Supreme Court. I guess we should thank Dr. Dobson for bringing that to our attention. Wonder if Dr. Frist or the president will have anything to say about that claim made by Dr. Dobson? Just more hate speech from the religious right.

[Ninong]

Right! Trent Lott.

One senior Republican spoke sympathetically of DeLay after the closed-door meeting.

"I hope he survives, and I hope he will stay in there and do his job," said Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss.

"The power of prayer is the only thing that will sustain you" in the circumstance DeLay is in, Lott added, and he spoke disparagingly of any Republicans who fail to stand by the Texan.


Gee, they have the same hairdo, do you think they will meet the same fate?

[Ninong]

Can you say Newt Gingrich? http://cbs2chicago.com/politics/poli...103122313.html

Gee, is he getting ready to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination already?

Run, Newt, run! I hope Pat Robertson, Gary Bauer and Pat Buchanan all decide to run again, too. That would be so entertaining.

The other prominent right-wing Republican who wondered aloud about the Majority Leader's problems, Ricky Santorum, is just trying to cover his own butt in his 2006 re-election campaign for the Senate seat he holds. That's probably why Ricky flew down to Tampa on the Wal-Mart corporate jet to visit with Terri Schiavo's family the day before she died. Oh, and to rake in $250,000 from the culture of life crowd in a series of fundraisers for his own re-election campaign while he was down there amongst them so to speak. Carpe diem!

[Ninong]

DeLay's DeFense now includes comparing the "Contract with America" with the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights: http://tomdelay.house.gov/constituti...pics/other.htm

You remember Newt's "Contract with America," don't you? Among other things, it called for requiring a balanced budget and limiting the total term of any House members to six years. Funny thing about those two items: The people who were elected on that platform are still in office ten years later and the budget is definitely not balanced.

[Ninong]

WASHINGTON, April 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following statement by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi was released today:

The Republican majority promised after the 1994 elections to manage the House in a way that fostered "deliberative democracy," which they defined as the "full and free airing of conflicting opinions through hearings, debates, and amendments." They also pledged in their Contract with America to "restore accountability to Congress" and to "end its cycle of scandal and disgrace." Instead of sticking to their word, they have broken their promises, betrayed the public trust, and abused their power. Specifically, they have undermined the ethics of the House, abandoned any principle of procedural fairness or democratic accountability, and overreached into private family matters and the federal judiciary.

Republicans have created a democracy-free zone. In March, Rep. Louise Slaughter, ranking Democrat on the Rules Committee, released an in-depth report on rules abuses by Republicans during the 108th Congress. Under the current House leadership, floor debate is muzzled, votes are cast with fear of retribution and legitimate amendments never see the light of day. They ram thousands of pages of major legislation through with only a few hours for review, permit few if any floor amendments (4 percent in the Democratic amendments submitted in the 108th), and hold open floor votes until enough arms have been twisted to ensure passage. As a result, many Members do not have an opportunity to express the views and values of their constituents -- effectively disenfranchising half the country. Democrats are demanding that Congress return to a deliberative process worthy of the "People's House," where allegiance to the American people outweighs partisan ideology and the influence of special interests.

Republicans effectively shut down the ethics process. Republicans made their first order of business for the 109th Congress to attack the Ethics Committee, rewriting many of its bipartisan rules in favor of rules that will make ethics investigations more difficult to pursue. The new rules seriously weaken enforcement by automatically dismissing any ethics complaint after 45 days unless a majority of the bipartisan committee votes to begin an investigation. The GOP rules change allows one party to block the Ethics Committee from investigating the facts of the complaint. The former Republican chairman of the Ethics Committee said: "The rules package adopted by the House in January stands to undermine the committee's mission, not to mention the integrity of the House." (Congress Daily AM, 3/16/05) That the GOP's first priority for the 109th Congress has been to lower the bar of integrity should be a warning to the American people.

Not only did Republicans undermine the ethics process, but they stacked the Ethics Committee. At the beginning of the year, the Republican Leadership dismissed Republican Members of the Ethics Committee, even the Chairman, who had refused to compromise the ethics rules for the party leadership. And then, the newly appointed Chairman unilaterally fired non-partisan Committee staff who assisted in the ethics work in the last session. In a statement to the press, the departing Chairman of the Committee stated "(t)here is a bad perception out there that there was a purge in the Committee and that people were put in that would protect our side of the aisle better than I did," and a replaced Republican Member noted his belief that "the decision (regarding his dismissal) was a direct result of our work in the last session."

Republicans are protecting Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who has been admonished three times by the Ethics Committee. Last fall, the House Majority Leader was admonished three times by the Ethics Committee for: offering political support in return for a vote on the prescription drug bill; misusing federal resources for partisan political purposes; and offering special access for campaign contributor, Westar Energy. These admonishments were unanimous and bipartisan. The Ethics Committee also warned DeLay that it had identified a clear pattern of misbehavior by him and would be on the lookout for additional instances when he pushed the bounds of acceptable conduct in pursuing his legislative and political goals.

Media stories are raising new questions about the conduct of Majority Leader Tom DeLay. In recent weeks, newspaper articles have detailed trips DeLay took to Russia and Scotland that he had reported were funded by nonprofit organizations, but which were directly or indirectly paid for by lobbyists or foreign agents. House rules prohibit members from taking trips funded by such entities. In both cases, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, was involved in these trips. Tom DeLay's extensive ties with special interest lobbyists are raising serious questions about his conduct.

Even the Wall Street Journal has raised questions. In fact, even conservatives have begun to raise questions about the Majority Leader. As the Wall Street Journal editorial page commented, "The problem...is that Mr. DeLay, who rode to power in 1994 on a wave of revulsion at the everyday ways of big government, has become the living exemplar of some of its worst habits. Mr. DeLay's ties to Mr. Abramoff might be innocent, in a strictly legal sense, but it strains credulity to believe that Mr. DeLay found nothing strange with being included in Mr. Abramoff's lavish junkets." They went on to say, "Whether Mr. DeLay violated the small print of House Ethics or campaign- finance rules is thus largely beside the point. His real fault lies in betraying the broader set of principles that brought him into office, and which, if he continues as before, sooner or later will sweep him out." (Wall Street Journal, 3/28/05)

Congressional Republicans raise questions about DeLay. Republican leader, Sen. Rick Santorum stated that Majority Leader DeLay needed to "lay out what he did and why he did it" (Los Angeles Times, 4/11/05) House member Rep. Chris Shays (R-Conn.) said, "Tom (DeLay)'s conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," in an interview with the AP calling for DeLay to step down as majority leader. (USA Today, 4/11/05)

Republicans threaten an independent judiciary and assert themselves in private family matters. Republicans have said they believe in limited government, but then the majority brought the entire federal government to intervene in the personal tragedy of just one family. Likewise, their thinly-veiled threats toward federal judges are just an irresponsible attempt to undermine the independence of the federal judiciary. Speaking about the federal judges that allowed the feeding tube to be removed from Terry Schiavo, DeLay said, "The time will come for the men to answer for their behavior."

House Democrats have a better way. House Democrats urge the majority to restore accountability and democratic deliberation to the people's House. Democrats would open up the process by allowing debate and votes on more serious amendments; allow more bills to be considered under open rules; spend more time on major, substantive legislation; bring back regular order; and give Members three days to read conference reports. Further, Democrats would establish a bipartisan committee to make recommendations to restore a bipartisan and effective ethics process. Democrats introduced a resolution to put together a bipartisan task force that would make recommendations that would restore public confidence in the ethics process, but Republicans killed the resolution, without debate. Members of the House should be held to the highest ethical standard, not the lowest.

[Ninong]

Tom DeLay holding up the flintlock rifle he was presented following his keynote address at the NRA convention last night in Houston.

"When a man is in trouble or in a good fight, he wants all of his friends around him, particularly armed," the Republican from nearby Sugar Land said. "So I'm in good company tonight."

I'm not aware of anyone threatening to exterminate the little bug chaser, are you? They just want him to go away. He's the one who has been threatening the federal judges, not the other way around.

Maybe he's thinking of challenging all those "activist" Republican judges to a gunfight?


P.S. -- Even Time magazine is hammering The Hammer: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...050216,00.html

Just another example of the liberal media! And let's not forget that ultra-liberal rag, The Wall Street Journal. And people like Newt Gingrich who said that DeLay's problems were not with Democrats or liberals but with the country. And the "senior White House advisor" who said Friday that "he's handling this like an idiot!"

[Ninong]

The March 31 Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska):


One of the first things the victorious Republican leadership did this year was to replace Republican committee members who had had a hand in the rebuking of DeLay.

Then the GOP adopted a rule on a straight party-line vote preventing the committee from investigating anyone.

DeLay's buddies even proposed a rule allowing the majority leader to keep that title if indicted in the Texas investigation. That clunker of an idea was buried under criticism and, one presumes, GOP embarrassment.




Republicans may grind their teeth at the state of affairs, but they have themselves to thank for it. Newt Gingrich perfected the art of destroying political opponents with charges of impropriety. Democrats learned from the master.

The GOP now faces a choice. It can admit that past assaults on Democrats were cynical exercises in political hardball that had nothing to do with a genuine concern for propriety. Or Republicans can resolve to uphold the standards they set. The latter course is the better and wiser one.

April 13 the Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Virginia)



The Wall Street Journal wrote on March 28:

Whether Mr. DeLay violated the small print of House Ethics or campaign-finance rules is thus largely beside the point. His real fault lies in betraying the broader set of principles that brought him into office, and which, if he continues as before, sooner or later will sweep him out.



The April 2 Dallas Morning News:

House Republicans should be asking themselves whether they really want to stake their careers defending the folly of a politician who, despite all he has done for the Republican cause, has forgotten where he came from.



The April 8 San Antonio Express-News:

As disturbing as DeLay's mounting controversies are the responses of Republicans to them.

With each new allegation colleagues have remained steadfastly loyal to the man known as "The Hammer."

This support sends a disturbing message to the voters: In defending DeLay, they align themselves with his alleged behavior.




The April 12 Lincoln Journal Star (Lincoln, Nebraska):

It's been heartening the past few days to hear a few Republicans finally voicing public criticism of Rep. Tom DeLay. More should join the chorus. It's time for Republicans to renounce his leadership and choose a more principled and temperate representative as House Majority Leader.

[Ninong]

Glad you asked. How about Ted Nugent? Yep, he was there all dolled up in phony camouflage stirring up the troops.

What were some of his suggestions?

Each NRA member should try to enroll 10 new members over the next year and associate only with other members. (That would make for some very boring conversations.)

"No one is allowed at our barbecues unless they are an NRA member. Do that in your life." (Oh, no! Not that! Banned from Texas barbecues for life. Oh, the horror!)

Nugent sang and played a guitar painted with red and white stripes for the crowd at Houston's downtown convention center.

And how would Ted handle the problem of illegal aliens crossing our border from the south?

"Remember the Alamo! Shoot 'em!" he screamed to applause.

"To show you how radical I am, I want carjackers dead. I want rapists dead. I want burglars dead. I want child molesters dead. I want the bad guys dead. No court case. No parole. No early release. I want 'em dead."

What about due process? Oh, that's right, there wouldn't be any need for due process. They'd all be dead, wouldn't they? That would sure save a lot on court costs, wouldn't it.

He forgot to say 'shoot 'em all and let God sort 'em out' before he ran out of time.

I'm sure Tom DeLay felt right at home.

[zhenya]

George,

How about Ted Nugent himself? I think he should be dead than too, amount of drugs that he consumed should qualify him for that... Than again, I love his guitar playing...

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by zhenya

George,

How about Ted Nugent himself? I think he should be dead than too, amount of drugs that he consumed should qualify him for that... Than again, I love his guitar playing...

Believe it or not, Ted Nugent has always claimed to have never even smoked one joint throughout his career.
This would almost gain him acceptance with the crowd he's been sucking up to for the last 15 years, but not quite...
His notorious, and persistent open marriage is obviously overlooked.

He jumped the shark in the 70's, and now opens for Toby Keith...

But damn!
Terminus Eldorado was a *****in song!

[Ninong]

That's a good question.

Little creation scientist Tom DeLay, who believes the world is only 6500 years old and that it had never rained before the flood, also believes that it is "just incredibly outrageous" that a Supreme Court Justice should be allowed to use the pagan internet to do his own research. He is incensed that Ronald Reagan appointed someone who would use the godless internet for research. Dumb-as-dirt DeLay thinks the internet is nothing more than heathen bloggers reporting on his lavish, Abramoff funded junkets. Obviously he's completely unaware of the legal resources available online.

"And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous." -- Tom DeLay, speaking of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

[zhenya]

Originally Posted by schrocat

Believe it or not, Ted Nugent has always claimed to have never even smoked one joint throughout his career.

Bryan,

I always claim that I never had a drink in my life either.... Now, if people believe me or not is another matter altogether.

[schrocat]

Originally Posted by Ninong

That's a good question.

Little creation scientist Tom DeLay, who believes the world is only 6500 years old and that it had never rained before the flood, also believes that it is "just incredibly outrageous" that a Supreme Court Justice should be allowed to use the pagan internet to do his own research. He is incensed that Ronald Reagan appointed someone who would use the godless internet for research. Dumb-as-dirt DeLay thinks the internet is nothing more than heathen bloggers reporting on his lavish, Abramoff funded junkets. Obviously he's completely unaware of the legal resources available online.

"And not only that, but he said in session that he does his own research on the Internet? That is just incredibly outrageous." -- Tom DeLay, speaking of Justice Anthony Kennedy.

It's becoming more apparent every day that he's on par with the banjo kid in "Deliverance".

"However, DeLay has called repeatedly for the House to find a way to hold the federal judiciary accountable for its decisions. "The judiciary has become so activist and so isolated from the American people that it's our job to do that," DeLay said."

Gee Whiz Banjo Bugman!!
The judiciary was in line with 83% of the country in our last round of "Judicial Activism".

So, I guess we can add poor math skills to his resume as well.

[schrocat]

From DeLay:

One way would be for the House Judiciary Committee to investigate the clause in the Constitution that says “judges can serve as long as they serve with good behavior,” he said. “We want to define what good behavior means, and that’s where you have to start.”

So let me get this straight.
He wants to warp an ethics clause to create (possibly) some mumbo jumbo judiciary ethics commitee to change decisions to his liking...
...while gutting his chambers ethics panel to ensure he is immune from his K street shennanigans

Priceless.

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

From DeLay:





So let me get this straight.
He wants to warp an ethics clause to create (possibly) some mumbo jumbo judiciary ethics commitee to change decisions to his liking...
...while gutting his chambers ethics panel to ensure he is immune from his K street shennanigans

Priceless.

Lets not overlook the fact that Majority Leader DeLay is now ready to appear before the House [Lack of] Ethics Committee. Now that he and Denny Hastert have removed the misbehavin' Republican Chairman and two other recalcitrant Republicans and replaced them with three "friendly" Republicans, The Hammer is now very eager to present his side of the case to the Ethics Committee. In private, of course! None of this public stuff. And then, after hearing Leader DeLay's explanation, the committee would have 45 days to call for an investigation. Under the "NEW & IMPROVED" rules, that would require at least one Republican voting with the five Democrats in favor of an investigation.

None of the current five Republicans on the committee is likely to vote for any investigation of any Republican for any so-called ethics violations. You can bet money on that. That means that the charges are dismissed after 45 days thanks to the "NEW & IMPROVED" rules put in place by Speaker Hastert. Under the previous rules, inaction automatically triggered an investigation. You remember the previous rules, don't you? Of course you do. They were part of the Contract With America. Remember that? Right up there with the Magna Carta when it comes to the rights of mankind, according to DeLay's own website. (BTW, someone had better explain to him that his website is part of the heathen Internets.)

So, little bug chaser DeLay, who rode into the House on Newt's "Contract With America" that promised to reform the House's ethics, has now decided that ethics don't apply to him. Only to people like Jim Wright who was paid way too much in that book deal. Remember him?

Anyway, I can't wait for Newt to run for national office again. If we're lucky, he'll run for president again. I want to see Newty and Ricky Santorum and Pat Robertson and Gary Bauer and Pat Buchanan on stage in a debate arguing about who's the more right-wing religious conservative of the bunch. That should be entertaining.

[almostdiva]

Originally Posted by schrocat

From DeLay:





So let me get this straight.
He wants to warp an ethics clause to create (possibly) some mumbo jumbo judiciary ethics commitee to change decisions to his liking...
...while gutting his chambers ethics panel to ensure he is immune from his K street shennanigans

Priceless.

INDEED!!

Ain't life grand???!

[schrocat]

Callista Bisek?

Newt can't say "sanctity of marriage" without being hit by a bolt from the blue.


Bill Clinton cheated on his wife.
Newt cheated on his wives, ...

[Ninong]

Originally Posted by schrocat

Newt can't say "sanctity of marriage" without being hit by a bolt from the blue.


Bill Clinton cheated on his wife.
Newt cheated on his wives, ...

Don't be so narrow minded. Of course he can run for president. I'm sure he'll be endorsed by Rush "Oxycontin Boy" Limbaugh, who is about to marry wife No. 4 (who works for CNN) sometime in the near future and he won't find a hostile interviewer if he goes on CNN's Larry King Live. Larry just completed seven years with wife No. 7, something of a record for him.

Cheating doesn't count unless it takes place in the Oval Office while your talking on the phone. That sort of stuff will definitely get you an impeachment proceeding led by a congressman from Illinois (who just announced his intention to not run again next year) who had an extramarital affair with his 25-yr-old female aide when he was a mere youth of 41. He said it didn't count because it was something that happend "in my youth." And I always thought that their youth ended at the age of 40, when, according to their current leader, he "became a mature person." No wonder they all want to be born again right around that age, there's so much to forget. DeLay gave up his "ten to twelve cocktails a night" at the tender age of 38. So I guess he was born again two years younger than the prez.

No, cheating on your wife doesn't count as misbehavin' in Republican politics, unless, of course, it becomes public at an inconvenient moment in your political career, such as right after you have been named the new Speaker of the House. Poor Bob Livingston made it through four wonderful extramarital affairs over two decades without any problems whatsoever and then once he's named Speaker, all hell breaks loose.

My favorite hypocrite of all time was Gary Hart, Democratic candidate for president, who challenged the press to follow him around because he had nothing to hide. They took him up on the challenge and before long we were treated to photos of Gary going in and out of his girlfriend's townhouse and that lovely picture of her sitting on his lap on the stern of someone's "pleasure" boat appropriately named "Monkey Business." Honorable mention I guess has to go to Bill Clinton and the Kennedy brothers (all of them) but somehow the Republicans are usually better at throwing rocks at others while proclaiming their personal virginity.

[schrocat]

I stand corrected.