Jed Lewison

What if Boehner's Lawsuit is Dismissed for Lack of Standing?

Sam Baker takes an interesting look at one of the key questions with House Speaker John Boehner's lawsuit against President Obama: Whether or not the courts will find that he has standing to bring the lawsuit in the first place:

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Take That, Obama! House Republicans Deny Funding For Previously Canceled White House Project

Last week, the General Services Administration canceled a White House bowling alley renovation project, a project that probably actually had some merit, but was nonetheless an obvious political lightning rod even though the bowling alley isn't actually located in the White House itself. So the White House stepped in and canceled the project.

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Chris Christie Clears Chris Christie of Any Wrongdoing

And now, this is "good" news:

Actually, I take that back. There's zero chance this review was ever going to put Christie in hot water. Sure, taxpayers paid for it, but even though Christie wasn't footing the $650 hourly bill:

It will be viewed with intense skepticism, not only because it was commissioned by the governor but also because the firm conducting it, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, has close ties to the Christie administration and the firm’s lawyers were unable to interview three principal players in the shutdowns, including Bridget Anne Kelly, the governor’s former deputy chief of staff.
Yet even though this "investigation" smells more like Christie graft than anything else, his team is talking it up as a clean bill of health, even trying to make a big deal over things like this:
Friendly exchanges with Christie aides turned a bit frosty as the lawyers’ requests multiplied, according to interviews. A less-than-popular move: collecting iPhones and BlackBerrys from the governor’s top aides for inspection.
Oooh! They reviewed BlackBerrys. If that's not a sign of a really thorough investigation, I don't know what is. But yet the lawyers never talked with any of the three individuals most closely implicated in the scandal: former Christie political chief Bill Stepien, former deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly, or former Port Authority executive David Wildstein.

The bottom line is that this inquiry fails to explain why the lane closures were ordered and treats this absence of information as an exoneration of Christie. But don't expect New Jersey taxpayers to be getting a refund anytime soon.

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Tea Party Ringleader Admits GOP Shut Down Government for Nothing

What if I told you that one of the leaders of the tea party strategy to stop Obamacare by shutting down the Federal government didn't actually believe it was possible to repeal Obamacare until 2017 at the earliest but pushed forward with his plan anyway?

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Pelosi, Reid Slam Boehner's Reckless Effort to Sabotage Deal to End Shutdown, Avoid Default

Moments after House Speaker John Boehner held a press conference to announce he didn't know what his next move would be, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid blasted Boehner's refusal to commit to ending the government shutdown and avoiding default.

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Worst Congress in History Still Trying to Decide Whether to End Shutdown and Avoid Default

You can come up with a million ways to to make the situation in Congress seem more subtle than this, but in every meaningful sense, we're in the exact same place today as we were last week and the week before and the week before that: Thanks to Republican hostage-taking, the most God-awful Congress in American history is still trying to figure out whether or not it wants to reopen government and whether or not it wants force a catastrophic default.

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69 Percent Polled Think GOP Acting Like "Spoiled Children" in Looming Government Shutdown

Here's what's got Republicans worried about the looming government shutdown: The possibility fact that they might would get blamed. So:

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Boehner Caves to Tea Partiers as House Pledges to Delay Obamacare

House Speaker John Boehner this morning:

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John Kerry's Extremely Unconvincing Case for Syria Attack

Whether you're worried about getting attacked by the United States military or you're worried about authorizing a military attack that could spiral out of control, Secretary of State John Kerry has a message for you (emphasis added):

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Teehee! The Joy of Watching a Cheney Bite Republicans in Their Behind

This sort of stuff is what makes Liz Cheney's decision to move from Virginia to Wyoming in order to run for U.S. Senate against Mike Enzi so much fun:

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Dumb and Dumber: Farm Bill Defeat Spin

The Republican spin following yesterday's farm bill failure was a sight to behold. Mostly, we focused on the absurd argument coming from Eric Cantor's office that Democrats should get the blame for Republican House's inability to pass a farm bill that included massive cuts to food stamps.

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Republicans Outraged Over AP Spying Scandal Killed Legislation That Would Have Prevented It

Darrell Issa is outraged that the Department of Justice secretly obtained phone records through a subpoena of the AP's telecommunications provider. He's right to condemn the action, but as nycsouthpaw points out, it's worth remembering that Issa voted against legislation that would have protected the AP:

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NBA Center Jason Collins Comes Out: "I'm a 34-Year-old NBA Center. I'm Black. And I'm Gay."'

Jason Collins, who played center for the Boston Celtics and Washington Wizards this season,comes out in a Sports Illustrated essay:

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Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect to be Tried in Civilian Court

White House spokesman Jay Carney says that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev will not be treated as an enemy combatant because he is a U.S. citizen:

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Insane Birthers Try to Seem Bipartisan

Ted Cruz poses a dilemma for birthers: If they admit he's a natural-born citizen, they have to give up their precious Obama conspiracy—or possibly invent a new one I think Eliana Johnson of National Review intended this as an effort to wash the conservative movement's hands of birthers by labeling them as bipartisan, but it actually does a pretty good job of exactly the opposite:
Birthers, it turns out, can be bipartisan. They have a new target — the rapidly rising GOP senator Ted Cruz.

Though he bears all the marks of a Texan — the swagger, the signature twang, and the ever-present cowboy boots — 42-year-old Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, to an American mother and a Cuban father. By dint of his mother’s citizenship, Cruz was an American citizen at birth. Whether he meets the Constitution’s requirement that the president of the United States be a “natural-born citizen,” a term the Framers didn’t define and for which the nation’s courts have yet to offer an interpretation, has become the subject of considerable speculation.

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GOP Wants to Defund Non-Existent ACORN

ACORN may no longer exist, but that isn't stopping Republicans from trying to defund it all over again. From the House Appropriations Committe's newly introduced legislation to fund the government through the end of fiscal year 2013:

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Right-wing Group FreedomWorks' Creepiness Extends to Simulated Panda Sex With Hillary Clinton

David Corn of Mother Jones brings us the latest in FreedomWorks creepiness (my emphasis):

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Republican Advocacy Group Coaching GOP on How Not Sound like Racist A**holes

A top Hispanic Republican advocacy group co-chaired by Jeb Bush is so worried about how the GOP will respond to immigration reform that they are distributing a set of guidelines instructing congressional Republicans on how to discuss the topic without sounding like a bunch of neanderthals. The issue, according to the group, isn't really about substance. Instead, it's about using "tonally sensitive" language:
"Tone and rhetoric will be key in the days and weeks ahead as both liberals and conservatives lay out their perspectives. Please consider these tonally sensitive messaging points as you discuss immigration, regardless of your position," Hispanic Leadership Network Executive Director Jennifer Korn writes.
Before you even read word one from the memo, the fact that the group is more concerned about how congressional Republicans talk about the issue than how they vote on it is a pretty clear indication of just how backwards Republicans are on this topic. Usually in politics, advocacy groups try to achieve actual policy priorities. Here, they are just trying to stop their party from acting like assholes—and based on some of their advice, they must really think there's a lot of assholes in their party. For example, on their list of "messaging dos and don'ts for immigration reform," they say:
Don’t use phrases like “send them all back”
And:
Don’t characterize all Hispanics as undocumented and all undocumented as Hispanics
The memo also urges congressmen to stay away from saying they want an "electric fence" and to avoid using terms like "illegals," "aliens," and "anchor babies." Altogether, that seems like pretty decent advice. But it also seems like pretty obvious advice—or at least it should be obvious advice to any congressman who doesn't hate brown people. And the fact that the pro-GOP Hispanic Leadership Network thought it was necessary to remind their party not to say offensive things like "send them all back" is a damn harsh commentary on the state of the Republican Party.

Continue below the fold for the full memo.

Here's the Hispanic Leadership Network's full guide:

Suggested Messaging Dos and Don’ts of Immigration Reform

Conservatives have always embraced the American Dream. We celebrate the fact that we are a nation of immigrants who have come to our country in search of opportunity and a chance at a better future through hard work. Those are part of the guiding principles by which we should view immigration reform, not the negative tone and harsh rhetoric that has hurt conservatives in the past. Below are some suggested tonally sensitive messaging points when discussing immigration proposals.

When engaging in conversation or doing an interview on immigration reform:

Do acknowledge that “Our current immigration system is broken and we need to fix it”

Don’t begin with “We are against amnesty”

Note: Most everyone is against amnesty and this is interpreted as being against any reform.

When talking about a solution for the millions here without documentation who could qualify to get in line first with a temporary visa, then legal residence and finally citizenship:

Do use the phrase “earned legal status”

Don’t use the phrase “pathway to citizenship”

Note: This has a different meaning and can denote getting in front of the line to get citizenship – this is not true. Most Republicans and Democrats, along with 70% of Americans, support a fair system by which those who are undocumented can come forward, register with the government, pass a background check, pay a fine, learn English and get legal status first – that is earned legal status, not automatic citizenship.

When addressing securing our borders:

Do use the wording “enforcement of our borders includes more border patrol, technology, and building a fence where it makes sense”

Don’t use phrases like “send them all back”, “electric fence”, “build a wall along the entire border”

When talking about immigrants:

Do use “undocumented immigrant” when referring to those here without documentation

Don’t use the word “illegals” or “aliens”

Don’t use the term “anchor baby”

When addressing amnesty and earned legal status:

Do acknowledge that the true meaning of amnesty is to pardon without any penalty

Don’t label earned legal status as amnesty

Don’t characterize all Hispanics as undocumented and all undocumented as Hispanics

When broadly addressing reforms:

Do acknowledge that President Obama broke his promise and failed to propose any immigration reform for five years, while using this issue as a political wedge

Do talk about the issues you support like overhauling the bureaucratic visa system, creating a viable temporary worker program, a workable e-verify system, and border security

Don’t focus on amnesty as a tenet of immigration reform

Don't use President Reagan's immigration reform as an example applicable today

Note: That legislation was true amnesty; in addition, border security, fixing our visa system, and a temporary worker program were parts of the reform which were never implemented.

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Obama to Host Bipartisan Meeting of House and Senate Leaders on 'Cliff'

With three days before taxes go up and unemployment benefits run out, President Obama will give it one last try this afternoon with Democratic and Republican leaders of the House and Senate:

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Ryan Campaign Forced its Way into Soup Kitchen for Fake Photo Op, Jeopardized Charity's Funding

You know that fake photo-op from Saturday in which Paul Ryan washed dishes at a soup kitchen even though those dishes were already clean? Well, the head of the charity responds—and he's not happy with Mr. Ryan:

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GOPer: Success of Auto Bailout 'A Kick in the Balls' for Romney

Here's one of the reasons that President Obama is leading Mitt Romney by 10 points in the latest Quinnipiac/New York Times/CBS survey of Ohio: More than twice as many Ohioans think the auto rescue plan was a success than think it was a failure.

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No Actual Poll Results in First 8 Paragraphs of AP Poll Analysis

The AP's Liz "Donuts" Sidoti really hates President Obama -- or at least that's the impression she gives, because in the first eight paragraphs of her 'article' on the most recent AP-GfK poll, she doesn't mention a single number from the poll.

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Holocaust Imagery at Protest Organized by Michele Bachmann

...via Matthew Yglesias, this image of Holocaust victims was on display at today's "House Call" protest organized by Michele Bachmann and the Republican House Leadership:

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Fox News Latest Dishonest Smear Attempts to Link Obama Official to NAMBLA

Fox News -- joined by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Karl Rove -- has a new fantasy. This time, it's a supposed link between Obama's Dept. of Education and NAMBLA, the North American Man Boy Love Association:



Leaving aside the fact that Kevin Jennings, the target of their smear, isn't a 'czar' (he's the Department of Education’s Assistant Deputy Secretary for Safe Schools), the Fox-Hannity-King smear is totally false.

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NRSC Learned of Ensign Affair One Year Ago

Even though John Ensign has clammed up about his affair with former employee Cindy Hampton, the hits keep on coming.

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Fox Caught With Its Pants Down on ABC Attacks

As Think Progress noted, despite Fox’s whining about ABC’s upcoming special on health care reform which will include a town hall conducted in the White House, it turns out that when George W. Bush was President, Fox did exactly what they are accusing ABC of.

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Sarah Palin Has Never Actually Seen Russia From Alaska

Just when you thought the whole "I can see Russia from Alaska" thing couldn't get any funnier ... CNN's Gary Tuchman delivers the goods: it turns out that Sarah Palin has never seen Russia from Alaska.



Tuchman went up to the part of Alaska from which you can actually see Russia, a remote island called Little Diomede located just 2.4 miles from its Russian twin, Big Diomede.



It turns out Gary Tuchman's trip to Little Diomede sets him apart from Sarah Palin -- because she's never actually been there, nor has she set eyes on its neighbor in Russia.



Here's the video of Tuchman's report:


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