Joe Scarborough is attempting the impossible dream–he is admonishing is fellow Republicans to man up and confront Sarah Palin. Today, on Morning Joe, he desperately tried to get Congressman John Shadegg of Arizona to admit that Sarah Palin was simply not qualified to be president. The good congressman talked around the question and Joe kept asking. Shadegg never would say it publicly. Mika and Joe both insist that every Republican they talk to off set says Ms. Palin simply isn’t qualified. However none will publicly state their opinion:
Here is what Joe Scarborough said in his opinion piece in Politico today:
Republicans have a problem. The most-talked-about figure in the GOP is a reality show star who cannot be elected. And yet the same leaders who fret that Sarah Palin could devastate their party in 2012 are too scared to say in public what they all complain about in private.
Scarborough outlines the problem until he begins to discuss President George Herbert Walker Bush. Then Scarborough takes on a more personal tone:
This was written by a very well-respected Virginia Republican Shaun Kenney — the Vice-Chairman of the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors, and former Communications Director for the Republican Party of Virginia.
Kenny writes this about the Rule of Law campaign:
Now defenders of the Rule of Law campaign have assiduously maintained that it has nothing to do with Hispanics per se. No no no… even if it was 20 million Canadians, they insist this is about illegal immigration (and that alone).
Which, of course, is why Prince William County uses as a metric how many Hispanics they’ve driven out in order to judge their success. Read it for yourself… 8,000+ Hispanics out of PWC.
And this about Stewart’s latest swipe at George Allen:
It’s worth watching Corey Stewart struggle for the right words to envelope his true feelings about George Allen… amusing and angering at the very same time.
So I have a theory on how George Allen redeems himself after “macaca” — how’s about running mano-e-mano against Corey Stewart on the merits of his HISPANICS OUT! Rule of Law act? How’s about we measure up how much more good Allen did both as a governor and a U.S. Senator and ask the 8,000+ Hispanics and their families what they think of the land of the free and the home of the brave?
The path to George Allen’s redemption in Virginia politics runs through the broken, tattered remains of Corey Stewart’s political career.
Between the Tea Party favorite in Cuccinelli, the mainstream GOP Senate ’12 nominee in Allen, the Catholic Church, and everyone with even the slightest twinge of doubt that this one-man crusade against “illegal aliens” is really about targeting Hispanics… that’s an army of conscience right there. I’ll gladly march in that army.
Best of all, there is a comment from a wormy sounding Greg Letiecq, already displaying the tail between his legs Corey Stewart seems to be lacking:
Greg L said:
Shaun, I really admire a lot of what you write and do, but you’re way, way off base here. I’m tempted to fire back, but instead of wrongly impugning your motives or criticizing the shallow understanding on display here I’ll just make you an offer: Come out of Fluvanna for a while and let me give you a tour of some of the places where the impacts of illegal immigration remain disturbingly significant. Let me show you personally what this looks and feels like, and allow me to introduce you to some folks who have suffered from the impacts of illegal immigration.
I can pretty much guarantee that if you really understood what so many law abiding people had to go through with this you’d find a much more productive way to address the issue than by casually branding many decent people as simple racists. I know you want to be responsible in this debate, so let me put some facts in front of you.
Greg’s best argument for Corey’s political suicide is there are still visual signs of immigrants in Manassas? Gee, and I thought the “Rule of Laughing Stock” had been a great success, that’s why it needs to be statewide even though in PWC it was quickly repealed. It’s incredible how Corey and Greg shift their story according to the argument of the moment.
It’s R on R. The Stewart/Cuccinelli saga plays on.
Corey Stewart, head bloody but unbowed, takes another poke or two at the Attorney General of Virginia, Ken Cuccinelli. Actually, it was a bit more than a poke. He compared the AG to a first year law student. This comparison is before he paints the AG as a ‘pro-Amnesty liberal.’
The opinion showed that that provision had the potential to “run afoul” of federal law.
The memo also stated that Stewart’s proposal also contained provisions similar to those found in Arizona’s illegal immigration law that were enjoined by federal court.
“He said that the federal district court’s decision in Arizona was binding on Virginia. That’s simply untrue. Any first-year law student would tell you that that’s incorrect,” Stewart said.
Ouch. Moving right along, one has to figure out how Corey Stewart, a mere county supervisor, is going to get legislation passed on an omnibus illegal immigration package after another state, Arizona, has brought on national attention, lawsuits, and injunctions from the federal courts. Perhaps, after all this, Stewart, who is not a state legislator, wasn’t planning anything really happening with the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign anyway.
That’s what we’re trying to do is take Prince William County’s policy and adopt it on a statewide basis,”Stewart said.
Stewart’s latest proposal contains considerably more provisions than the Prince William County resolution and Cuccinelli objected to many of those provisions, including one that allows a person’s immigration status to be allowed in any court.
So what is the Virginia Law of Rule Campaign then if all Corey is trying to do is find someone to pass the Prince William County resolution?
… the additional provisions were a list of various pieces of legislation introduced by various states across the nation.
“It was never meant to be introduced as legislation,” he said.
Stewart said he was surprised at the opposition from Cuccinelli’s office.
“I’m very disappointed. I run into a lot of opposition in fighting illegal immigration and almost all of that opposition comes from either pro-amnesty and the Washington Post and other liberals. I certainly didn’t expect this attack from the back by Cuccinelli,” Stewart said
So what is the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign really? What is Corey objecting to? Why is he sporting it around? If it wasn’t supposed to be legislation, what was it supposed to be? Perhaps it was just a fund-raising tool for Corey. If he put a bunch of BS and bluster out there, got people hooked and donating money, then he didn’t have to do anything with it at all. He could just take people’s money and keep feeding them bull.
So why the mock fighting with Cuccinelli? It’s just a plain ole pissin’ contest.
As the holidays bear down on us, a certain portion of the populations begins to long for tech toys. Contrary to popular myth, not all those lusting for tech are men. There are also women out there who haven’t met a tech toy they don’t want.
What is new out there and what is highly desired? It can be in the entertainment field, the latest kitchen gadget or power tool. It can be the latest and greatest must have for a kid. It can be a phone, a camera, or a new computer. What is all the buzz? The sky is the limit for this discussion.
Goldilocks searched for middle ground– her porridge had to be not too hot, not too cold, just right. Her bed had to be not too hard, not too soft, just right.
Many people feel exactly the same way about their politics. They are sick of the extremes. Apparently some of the people who have joined a new group called the NO Label group feel the same way.
When the porridge is either too hot or too cold, the moment for something in between is ripe. More Americans now self-identify as independent rather than Republican or Democrat, even though they may be forced by a lack of alternatives to vote in traditional ways.
But what if there were an alternative? There’s little appealing about either party dominated by a base that bears little resemblance to who we are as a nation or the way most of us live our lives.
Yet moderate Democrats and moderate Republicans alike have been banished. Purged, really. Some of them have landed in the No Labels camp.
Closer inspection tells more about the No Labels:
In a political culture where moderation is the new heresy, centrism is fast becoming the new black.
Political outliers – not quite Republican, not quite Democrat – are forming new alliances in a communal search for “Home.” Exhausted by extremism and aching for real change, more and more Americans are moving away from demagoguery and toward pragmatism.
Soon they may have options. A new political group, No Labels ( www.nolabels.org), is hoping to mobilize and support a centrist political movement. Led by Republican strategist Mark McKinnon and Democratic fundraiser Nancy Jacobson, the organization has raised more than $1 million so far – and the formal launch isn’t until next month. Backers include Andrew Tisch, co-chair of Loews Corp.; Ron Shaich, founder of Panera Bread; and Dave Morin, a former Facebook executive.
The group hopes to attract politicians who feel that they’ve lost elections for being too moderate and voters who feel homeless. There are plenty of each.
At this point, it seems remote that a centrist party could succeed. On the other hand, there are plenty of people out there who just aren’t satisfied with what the Democrats or the Republicans have to offer. Many folks are tired of gridlock and their representatives voting along party lines, refusing to compromise in the interest of national improvement. Voters are tired of being mired in social issues of extremists, whether the issues are Family, Faith and Flag or God, Guns and Guts, or saving minnows. Voters want their government to deal with things that affect their everyday lives.
Is it possible for third parties to begin to dominate the political horizon? Can the old Republican and Democratic parties be replaced by far right groups like the various tea party movements and the No Labels movement? There are some interesting concepts to explore.
Sarah Palin shoots from the not only the hip but also the lip. The other day, when asked about Palin, Mrs. Barbara Bush, that grand matriarch, replied that she thought she should stay in Alaska. That was pretty kind for Mrs. Bush, who also has had a reputation for decades for calling things as she sees them, albeit with a certain amount of style. Mrs. Bush has been a first lady and the mother of 2 governors, and a president.
Palin couldn’t let it slide, and she should have. She responded with an ‘with all due respect’ and an ‘I love the Bushes’ but still managed to zing them by referencing them as blue bloods:
I say that in all due respect,” Palin told talk radio host Laura Ingrahm on November 24, who said the Bushes are an example of the “Blue Blood who want to pick and choose their winners, instead of allowing competition to pick and choose the winners.”
“They kinda do some of this with some of the economic policies that were in place that got us in to some of these economic woeful times, too,” Palin added.
Tacky, Sarah, Tacky! Why does she have to engage every slight she sees or hears? How many times did those blue bloods, the Bushes, ignore events and things said and just not comment? Remember the Bush girls? One got in serious trouble for sticking her naughty tongue out at the press early in W’s presidency. No one made up excuses for her. No one said ‘well she was just tired of people saying bad things about her family.’ Remember the underage drinking incident? No one in the Bush family or administration made up excuses that time either.
President Obama issued the following Thanksgiving Proclaimation:
A beloved American tradition, Thanksgiving Day offers us the opportunity to focus our thoughts on the grace that has been extended to our people and our country. This spirit brought together the newly arrived Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe — who had been living and thriving around Plymouth, Massachusetts for thousands of years — in an autumn harvest feast centuries ago. This Thanksgiving Day, we reflect on the compassion and contributions of Native Americans, whose skill in agriculture helped the early colonists survive, and whose rich culture continues to add to our Nation’s heritage. We also pause our normal pursuits on this day and join in a spirit of fellowship and gratitude for the year’s bounties and blessings.
Its that great shopping Nirvana again–Black Friday. Black Friday actually got its name from being the day that the stores would go in the black from all the Christmas shopping. In fact, during the Depression, FDR moved Thanksgiving up a week to have a extra shopping days. People were furious. Thanksgiving finally became etched in stone as the 5th Thursday in Novemeber. I personally enjoy Cyber Monday a lot more. I hate to shop. Shopping brings out killer rage in me.
On a not so light note, a friend of mine said there was a huge fight in one of the Walmarts in the electronics department.
Wonders never cease to amaze us. Even a broken koo koo clock is right twice a day. It seems that Elena and Moon agree this one and only one time with AG Ken Cuccinelli. Over what, you might ask, knowing that the earth has not begun to rotate backwards and that something must be up.
It seems that the Office of the Attorney General has created a side by side response to Corey Stewart’s Virginia Rule of Law Campaign. The gods must not be happy because Corey got spanked– big time spanked.
There must be an internal war going on in the Virginian Republican Party, or perhaps, Cuccinelli just wants Corey Stewart out of his way since Corey has been making ‘higher office’ noises. The AG could have quietly gone to the state Republican higher ups and told them to kill Corey’s proposal before it ever got into the General Assembly. He could have easily told them that the governor didn’t like it, especially since Governor McDonnell has been rather stand-offish over the entire immigration issue.
But Cuccinelli didn’t let Corey Stewart’s baby bill die a quiet death. He did a public smack down and apparently the OAG released the comparison.
Obviously the AG sees the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign for exactly what it is: a cheap political ploy created to get Corey Stewart’s name in lights and usher him on in to higher state or national office. Corey should know he can’t ride that horse into town again and he is no Jan Brewer. Even the AG has limits on how many times he wants the state of Virginia to be sued.
[Note: the matrix showing side by side comparison was not issued by the OAG. That arrangement was made for comparison purposes.]
It appears that the AG sends a strong message implying that the Virginia Rule of Law Campaign verbage is simply a sloppily crafted piece of legislation. Stewart either violates the Virginia or U.S. Constitution or adds new laws we can’t afford at every turn. Cuccinelli points out each legal oversight, point by point.
So what caused Cucinelli to turn on Corey Stewart? Why would he shoot holes in Corey’s great claim to fame? Is this a case of clothes-lining (or in this case, piano-wiring) one’s politicial rival? Is this a rift in the Virginia Republican Party or is this just a general shake down? Will there be turf wars in Prince William County? Is Corey sufficiently embarrassed? Will he call on old friends to help him regain his political dignity?
Immigration crackdown in Prince William is a cautionary tale
AFTER 31/2 YEARS and some $3 million in public spending, Prince William County’s crusade against illegal immigrants – launched almost single-handedly by an ambitious local politician who has made nativism his stock in trade – has confirmed the county’s reputation as a national symbol of intolerance. Now, a study by scholars at the University of Virginia has exposed just what was achieved, and wasn’t, when Virginia’s second-largest locality undertook its campaign against undocumented workers.
Prince William citizens had been much less concerned with illegal immigration than with traffic and development, but in 2007 Board of Supervisors Chairman Corey A. Stewart (R-At Large) put the issue center stage and pushed through a policy that turned out to be a precursor to the one adopted this year in Arizona. Implemented in 2008, it authorized police to check the immigration status of anyone they detained who they suspected might be in the country illegally. After a public uproar, the county watered down the policy – immigration checks are now done only after arrest, and for everyone taken into custody – but the damage to the county’s name was done.
What is going on around Manassas and Prince William County? Did someone put something in the water?
We have had a young man murdered on the way home from school. He wasn’t a gang member or anything other than a popular kid, according to all I have read. The murder took place a block from Baldwin Elementary School, not in some remote area, surrounded by his peers. What is going on around here?
We had a strange white powder substance come out of an envelope at the courthouse. The courthouse was locked down and 5 people underwent decontamination. Others are being watched for signs of illness. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been called in to help with the investigation. There is no confirmation of what the substance in the envelope was. What is going on around here?
The Manassas Park Community Center was under lockdown today also. No one was allowed in or out. A warrant was being served in the vicinity. What is going on around here?
The Gainesville Lazy Boy had a sniper on the roof and there was a suicide in the Hampton Inn in Gainesville. What is going on around here?
Some driver strung out on PCP and booze careened across the median strip just south of Gainesville and killed 2 innocent people and seriously injured others. What is going on around here?
Last week a young bear was mutilated and its gall bladder had been removed. Supposedly the bear gall bladder is used in Chinese medicine. That hardly explains something that happened in Prince William Forest Park. Animal cruelty is animal cruelty. What is going on around here?
There are bad things going on. Sadly, people still clamor on about KK’s in the newspaper while children are being killed by gang violence. Bloggers myopically focus on immigration status rather than looking at the big picture. The Manassas area needs a break. I feel like I missed something. What else has been going on out of the ordinary?
Richard C0hen has a scathing op-ed regarding Sarah Palin and her lack of knowlege about other Americans, in particular, Michelle Obama. From the Washington Post, in its entirety:
When I was 11, my father thought it was time to show my sister and me the nation’s capital. I have only vague memories of that trip – the heat, the expanse of the White House’s grounds, the Jefferson Memorial. I do remember we took Route 1 through Baltimore (no I-95 yet) and it was there that I saw my first sign with the word “colored” on it – a rooming house, I think. This was 1952, and the United States was an apartheid nation.
It is Sarah Palin who brings back these memories. In her new book, she reportedly takes Michelle Obama to task for her supposedly infamous remark from the 2008 campaign: “For the first time in my adult life, I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.” Instantly, Republicans pounced. Among the first to do so was Cindy McCain, who said, “I have and always will be proud of my country.” It was a cheap shot, but her husband’s selection of Palin for the ticket and plenty of cheap shots from Palin (“death panels,” etc.) were yet to come.
