A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics
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A Weblog of Centrist Voices in American Politics | |
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July 03, 2007Friday open threadWhat is on your mind? Libby? British terror plots? Fourth of July fun? Inquiring minds want to know. Posted by Todd Pearson at July 3, 2007 01:41 PMComments
Here we thought that there was no relevance in the real world for the hype around Paris Hilton's jail time. But we were wrong. Already I'm hearing comments on the Libby commutation: "Even Paris Hilton had to do time in jail." This from people who I wouldn't have believed had ever had a thought about national or political events in their lives. When you've got even pop culture making caustic remarks about you and your actions, you've lost the political battle for a generation or more to come. The only question for conservatives becomes: can we effectively make the (completely jsutified) case that Bush has nothing in common with conservative politics? The likely answer: don't bet the ranch on it. Republicans, of course, have even less chance of effectively distancing themselves. Posted by: wj at July 3, 2007 02:17 PMI don't know, Clinton did some pretty significant pardoning late in his Presidency and I'm not sure that hurt the Dems that much. I don't see the GOP base wanting to distance themselves from this given the fact most of them probably don't think Libby did anything wrong. In the end, I see this as politics and most people won't care. I'm going to see Spamalot tonight, should be a good pre-Fourth night of fun. :-) Posted by: Scotch Drinker at July 3, 2007 02:33 PMOne thing that does go against Bush is his complete unwillingness in the past to commute any sentences. There have been some pretty sketchy cases, especially when he was governor of Texas where he let death sentences proceed. I have to say that commuting Libby's sentence has the smell of favoritism when compared to Bush's long term record, which I'm assuming is applicable to wj's comment. However, I still don't think even that will hurt Bush's standing amongst the conservative base. Posted by: Scotch Drinker at July 3, 2007 03:13 PMLike his lost veto pen, Bush's use of the clemency power is only remarkable in the least because of its infrequency. Had he been FDR (the all-time pardon king, with over three thousand pardons and commutations) no one would have even blinked. As SD obliquely notes, Bush is not running next year. Congressional Dems have managed to reach disapproval ratings just as bad if not a hair worse than the Congress they replaced--and that's without Mark Foley to help them. Posted by: Tully at July 3, 2007 04:09 PMI agree with Tully, I think Libby is so far down the list of the nation's concerns that Bush's actions won't make any difference. I'm sure the Dems will remind everyone of it, but with Bush out of the race, I don't see it being a problem for the GOP nominee. Speaking of a potential GOP nominee, did you see the staff cuts McCain made this week? I was a backer of his, but gotta admit, I doubt he's got a shot. Once the media starts asking if you're going to drop out, game over. Nobody will donate now, so things aren't going to get any easier. Posted by: WeekendPundit at July 3, 2007 04:20 PMWhat's on my mind is that our kid takes after both his Mommy and Daddy in not wanting to go to sleep and getting crabby. Gotta love genetics. And yet Democrats are fashioning a collective image of Republicans to harness anger rather than excitment over their record and plans. They will try to transfer the executive Bush virus into the the candidates: "Yesterday, despite overwhelming public opposition, President Bush commuted the sentence of Scooter Libby, the former White House Chief of Staff to Vice President Cheney who was convicted by a jury of lying about a matter of national security. As yet another example of the elitist attitude that defines Republicans in Washington, he shamelessly put partisan loyalties before the fundamental American value of fair and equal justice under the law. Bush doesn't care that Libby was convicted by a jury of his peers and sentenced by an experienced federal judge, and he doesn't care that Libby's sentence was well within the sentencing guidelines set by Congress. He once again ignored over 70% of the American public and disregarded the legal process -- this time to help someone who has friends in the right places. We can't stand for this, and that's why we're doing something to change it. We may not be able to change the President's decision, but we are fighting back -- we're working day and night to take back the White House in 2008 so that we can put an end to just this type of nonsense. Contribute now to help us change things in Washington: http://www.democrats.org/FelonFreed The Republican presidential candidates long ago lined up in support of Scooter Libby and institutional Washington, and restoring the Constitution and the rule of law isn't anywhere near their list of priorities. Rudy Giuliani, who brags of being tough on crime, prosecuted perjury cases as a lawyer and wanted mandatory sentences on people who commit perjury. But yesterday he went out of his way to support Scooter Libby, saying "I believe the decision was correct." In an interview with the Wall Street Journal editorial board he offered what they said "sounds an awful lot like an argument for a pardon," and said "I think the option the president really has is commutation." Mitt Romney never granted a pardon, even for the most trivial offense. But when asked if he would consider pardoning Scooter Libby, Mitt Romney said "It's worth looking at that. I will study it very closely if I'm lucky enough to be president. And I'd keep that option open." Yesterday he blamed the prosecutor and completely ignored the jury, saying that "the prosecutor knew that there had not been a crime committed." Lobbyist Fred Thompson, the ultimate Washington insider, has helped to raise millions of dollars as a chair of Scooter Libby's legal defense fund. He said he reached out to Libby and offered to help -- "I called him up and offered to help him." He also said that he would issue a pardon and claimed that Libby's conviction was "a gross injustice ... and it ought to be rectified." No more. Democrats will bring dignity back to the White House in 2008, but it's up to us to make sure that happens. Contribute today: http://www.democrats.org/FelonFreed Thank you for fighting back, Gov. Howard Dean, M.D." And so goes the latest DNC letter for money... Democrats do not have to get any issue right. They need to generate just enough public resentment over the many numerous issues to tip the scale. Ohio, Florida, New Mexico won't be on the GOP wagon. From my pearch. it seems the Republicans are in far more disorder and beholden a base than Hillary has been. They couldn't shut her up like the GOP can flatten McCain. My gut tells me a sullen GOP hurts them more than a disgruntled Left hurts a Hillary. But then a Hillary may just make the GOP rabid beyond control. How special. I guess they won't be bringing up pardons. If the Republicans go harder Right, it will scare Independents into imagining another four years of the present mess with either Law and Disorder, My five Sons or The Rudy Show. And there's always Bloomberg.... Posted by: Maxtrue at July 3, 2007 06:37 PMPolitical MAD. Deploy, watch everyone go down in flames. Including yourself. Posted by: Tully at July 3, 2007 07:11 PMYeah, seems like that is what happene when policy and "a new way forward" is abandoned and resentment takes over. There has got to be a better way than MAD. Posted by: Maxtrue at July 4, 2007 09:07 AMAnd what is so wonderful as a 4th of July pot lock with friends. Sandwiched between an afternoon pounding sand (setting up the morters for a local fireworks show) and firing off the show? Especially since this year we don't have to worry about fog rolling thru the Golden Gate and across the Bay, and blocking the sky before we shoot. Just sunburn and heat exhaustion. But you know you've been doing it a lot of years when, as happened a couple of years ago, the licensed pyro was almost too sick to stand up all day. And the crew just set things up like every year, without disturbing her rest at all until it was actually time to walk the fire marshal around. Posted by: wj at July 4, 2007 12:19 PMIt's rainy here; I went out and biked anyway because I'm weird and LIKE being rained on. The Profesora said she heard on the radio that fireworks here are off tonight. Posted by: Jon Kay at July 4, 2007 05:51 PMWe had a rush of folks blowing theirs off before the rain picked up. The barrage is still going, the diehards still at it, but they're wet diehards. Posted by: Tully at July 4, 2007 11:24 PMWhereas in Northern California it's so dry that the police and fire are being extra vigorous in trying to suppress the damn amateurs. Posted by: wj at July 5, 2007 10:13 AMMade some Chicken Piccata tonight. It's pretty good - it takes a pretty average time to cook and it looks and tastes like you've been slaving over it. |
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