In All Modesty

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For those unfortunate few who are not regular readers of my CT Post (and other newspapers) blog here are a few recent post of particular local interest ( among many other fascinating and illuminating entries):

More Foley Follies

Foolish Tom Foley

Bloggers make a difference in MSM coverage?

More On Dodd’s Consumer Finance Retreat

Iraq is Still Broken

We recently had a discussion about current conditions in Iraq on this blog. Well, things are going from bad to worse there. The Shiites are nominating mass murderers to run for Parliament, and banning all legitimate Sunni candidates. Sectarion violence is increasing, and is only going to get worse.

We also discussed the Christian community. Here's the latest:

Today, Christian Solidarity International (CSI-USA) urged President Obama to respond to continuing targeted violence against Iraq's ancient Christian community. The appeal - conveyed in a letter from CSI-USA's CEO, Dr. John Eibner - comes in the wake of the murder of eight Christians in Mosul since mid-February and the consequent flight of over 4,300 terrorized Christians from the city.

Since the commencement of the U.S.-led Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, nearly half of Iraq's one million Christians have sought refuge abroad, while many who remain in Iraq are internally displaced. Over 700 Christians, including bishops and priests, have been murdered and 61 churches have been bombed during the past seven years, according to the Hammurabi Human Rights Organization.

Martha Dean Enters Race For Attorney General

Attorney Martha Dean, the Republican nominee for attorney general in 2002, will soon make a formal announcement that she has entered the race for attorney general.

Attorney Dean’s practice is devoted to assisting clients in understanding and complying with complex regulatory schemes while furthering their state and federal constitutional economic and individual rights.

Attorney Dean is co-founder of the Hartford Lawyers Chapter of the Federalist Society for Law & Public Policy Studies, a national organization of law students, law professors, lawyers and judges who sponsor panel discussions and debates with leading scholars and authorities on important public policy issues of the day. She is a graduate of Wellesley College ‘82, and the University Of Connecticut School Of Law ‘86, where she was an editor on the Law Review. She is a member of the Connecticut Bar (1986), U.S. District Court (Connecticut) (1995), U.S. Court of Appeals (2nd Circuit) (2000), and the U.S. Supreme Court (2001).

In connection with her 2002 election, attorney Dean filed in federal court a case --Dean v. Blumenthal -- that raises issues concening right of association and right of free speech under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Now on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the case challenges the constitutionality of an attorney general imposing a unilateral and stealth ban on potential contributions from thousands of lawyers, their spouses and their legal staff affecting the campaigns of his opponents over the years.

An active attorney of 22 years standing, attorney Dean said, "As attorney general, my plan for the State of Connecticut will be unlike that proposed by any other candidate in the attorney general race and very different from what I proposed in 2002."

According to Dean, "The State of Connecticut is entering a full-blown crisis. We can tread water and be swept over the falls, only to be crushed on the rocks, or we can take the emergency measures that are needed now.

"It will be my pleasure to work with whomever the people elect as their new Governor to take the legal steps necessary to save this great State and see it safely to the high ground of competitiveness and prosperity.”

Attorney Dean’s brief announcement is being made now in deference to Republican candidates vying for the senate who recently engaged in debate at the University of Hartford. A full statement will be made March 16, 2010 at noon in a location soon to be announced.

Foley and Friends Fund Caligiuri

Chris Healey urged Sam Caligiuri to get out of the Senate/Governor race. It was widely rumored that Tom Foley encouraged Caligiuri as well, perhaps with specific promises of financial support.

In fact, Sam Caligiuri has very little money. Of the 55K he had at year end, 37,500 came in during the last 15 - 20 days with virtually all of it coming from donors in common with Tom Foley:

Data Source

FLEISCHER, MICHAEL Donated to Sam 1000
FLEISCHER, MICHAEL Donated to Tom 2400
FLEISCHER, MICHAEL Donated to Sam 1000
FLEISCHER, MICHAEL P Donated to Tom 250
FOGEL, DAVID MR. Donated to Sam 2400
FOGEL, DAVID Donated to Tom 1000
FOLEY, THOMAS MR. Donated to Sam 175
FOLEY, THOMAS C JR Donated to Tom 4800
FOLEY, THOMAS MR. Donated to Sam 2225
FOLEY, THOMAS C JR Donated to Tom 4800
FOLEY, THOMAS MR. Donated to Sam 2400
FOLEY, THOMAS C JR Donated to Tom 4800
FRANTZ, ALLISON MRS. Donated to Sam 2200
FRANK, DANIEL Donated to Tom 500
FRANTZ, ALLISON MRS. Donated to Sam 2200
FRANTZ, L S Donated to Tom 4800
FRANTZ, ALLISON MRS. Donated to Sam 2400
FRANK, DANIEL Donated to Tom 500
FRANTZ, ALLISON MRS. Donated to Sam 2400
FRANTZ, L S Donated to Tom 4800
FRANTZ, L. SCOTT MR. Donated to Sam 2200
FRANK, DANIEL Donated to Tom 500
FRANTZ, L. SCOTT MR. Donated to Sam 2200
FRANTZ, L S Donated to Tom 4800
FRANTZ, L. SCOTT MR. Donated to Sam 2400
FRANK, DANIEL Donated to Tom 500
FRANTZ, L. SCOTT MR. Donated to Sam 2400
FRANTZ, L S Donated to Tom 4800
LEVY, STEVEN Donated to Sam 2400
LEVY, STEVE Donated to Tom 2400
MILLER, DONALD MR. Donated to Sam 2400
MILLER, DONALD Donated to Tom 4800
MILLER, DONALD MR. Donated to Sam 2400
MILLER, HENRY S Donated to Tom 2400
MILLER, DONALD MR. Donated to Sam 2400
MILLER, PRISCILLA Donated to Tom 4800
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 995
MILLER, DONALD Donated to Tom 4800
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 995
MILLER, HENRY S Donated to Tom 2400
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 995
MILLER, PRISCILLA Donated to Tom 4800
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 1405
MILLER, DONALD Donated to Tom 4800
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 1405
MILLER, HENRY S Donated to Tom 2400
MILLER, HENRY S MR. Donated to Sam 1405
MILLER, PRISCILLA Donated to Tom 4800
ORTHWEIN, PETER MR. Donated to Sam 500
ORTHWEIN, PETER B Donated to Tom 1000
STAPLETON, CRAIG MR. Donated to Sam 1000
STAPLETON, CRAIG Donated to Tom 4800
STAPLETON, CRAIG MR. Donated to Sam 1000
STAPLETON, DOROTHY Donated to Tom 4800

This may be a coincidence, of course.

Reconciliation with McCain's Nuclear Addled Brain

Heck... Reconciliation with the entire GOP echo chamber's Nuclear addled brains.

The best arguments against the so called nuclear option, widely considered as a measure that might be useful in passing the health care initiatives of President Barack Obama, Chris Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Harry Reid and the better angels of Hillary Clinton’s nature were made in 05 by the politicos mentioned above.

What Nuclear Option to pass healthcare is the GOP harping on about?

"The Nuclear Option" was when the Republicans wanted to get rid of the filibuster rule so they could push through far right wing extremist judicial appointments. Though, I suspect they would have tried to go nuclear on every issue they could have gotten away with once they had abused it for Bush nominees. And as hard as it would be to believe that there were more extremist judges than the five GOP SCOTUS activist judges that handed election funding over to foreign owned corporations and their lobbyists recently, and as much as Bush's Alito and Roberts appointments deserved to be Borked back to the typically extremist Federalist Society rocks they crawled out from under, none of that had anything to do with budgetary issues as Healthcare Reform does.

Reconciliation is an often used part of the Senate rules on passing legislation dealing with budgetary issues.

More often used by the GOP than the Democratic party, as well. Though it is used to get around filibusters it has nothing to do with going nuclear on political appointees. Healthcare reform is a budgetary issue and so is reconciliation. Get over it. The GOP abused reconciliation to kick the poor and middle class just as the GOP have always abused the filibuster to kick Americans when they are in the minority. Just look at what Bunning is doing to the unemployed and Medicare right now with his current filibuster.

Healthcare Reform has absolutely nothing to do with "The Nuclear Option" and those of you falsely using "The Nuclear Option" talking point know it. Trying to muddy the waters of the debate with nonsensical GOP talking point crap will not work. And...

You cannot rewrite history and expect to get away with it around here.

The only problem Republicans have with reconciliation is the fact that this time the Democratic party will be using it and they will be using it for something that is good policy for all of the people if they do it right. And as John McCain pointed out a while back, it is the fault of the GOP for having used it so often and so egregiously (Twice the GOP used it for Tax Cuts for the uber rich. The GOP also used it for cuts to Welfare, Medicaid and Medicare) that set the precedence to use it more often now.

MCCAIN: "I fully recognize that Republicans have in the past engaged in using reconciliation to further the party’s agenda. I wish it had not been done then, and I hope it will not be done now that the groundwork has been laid."

Since that comment last year, even McCain is talking the false GOP talking point in his nuclear addled brain, too. Now that reconciliation, a simple up or down vote in the budget process, is actually going to be used to pass a mish-mash of conservative GOP and Democratic ideas under Obama's watch?

Suddenly it is the nuclear end of the world to every right wing propagandist out there:

[McCain] then admitted that reconciliation has been used in the past, but “never before” for something as costly has health care and that using it now would all but ruin the U.S. Senate as an institution and “harm the future of our country”:

MCCAIN: The last time when there was a proposal that we Republicans in the majority would adopt a 51 vote majority on the issue of the confirmation of judges. There was a group of us that got together and said no that’s not the right way to go because that could deal a fatal blow to the unique aspect of the United States Senate which is a 60 vote majority. And we came to an agreement and it was brought to a halt.

If a 51 vote reconciliation is enacted on one-sixth of our gross national product. Never before has there been –- there’s been reconciliation but not at the level of an issue of this magnitude and I think I could harm the future of our country and our institution which I loved a great deal for a long, long time.

(Watch the video)

First, the “nuclear option” McCain referred to is not synonymous with “reconciliation” in general. It is the latest dishonest GOP talking point simply meant to derail health care reform.

Little wonder why Grampa Abe McCain needs to be reminded of what he said last year when he has to be reminded every day that he lost the last election to Obama.

Rachel Maddow takes on the whole crew of nutjobs screeching about "Nuclear" like a bomb went off in their brains:

Maddow: What's going on here is a deliberate attempt on the part of Republicans to define nuclear down -- to conflate these two totally separate things to demonize the way that Democrats have to pass health reform right now. By calling it the nuclear option even though the nuclear option is a real thing in the Senate, and this isn't that -- it has nothing to do with that. Perhaps the reason that Republicans are so unwilling to call this what it is, reconciliation is because they have a really long record of using reconciliation.

For those of you more interested in spreading propaganda and false GOP talking points than actually debating policy and issue based on facts, reality and their merits? I suggest you not try to pass that stuff off in the blogosphere.

All it will get you is a swift kick back from pragmatists on the reality side.

Below the fold and via FDL, an excerpt of some of the long list of Republicans' more recent usages of reconciliation that could just as easily be titled "The GOP plan to kick and beat the old, the young, the sick and the poor through Reconciliation" and note that healthcare legislation is, more often than not as Rachel Maddow pointed out, passed through reconciliation:

Governor Rell's New Deficit Mitigation Plan

Yesterday Governor Rell released a deficit reduction plan.


Statement of Governor Rell on New Deficit Mitigation Plan

“Connecticut faces a current budget deficit estimated by my office of Policy and Management at $503.9 million – a figure that is only likely to grow, in view of Connecticut and the nation’s agonizingly slow recovery from this economic downturn. This deficit must be eliminated now through swift and decisive action. We cannot afford to wait and hope or to count on future revenues that no one is certain we will collect.

“The plan I am proposing not only eliminates the current deficit but makes much-needed structural reforms that will improve our prospects for long-term recovery. If we do not act now, any short-term cuts we manage to make will be overwhelmed by the inexorable growth of state spending.

“These choices may not be easy – but they are necessary. These choices may not be pleasant – but they are crucial. These choices may not be politically popular – but they are the right choices to make.”

Reactions are coming in:

NED LAMONT STATEMENT ON RELL'S LATEST DEFICIT MITIGATION PRESS RELEASE

"There's nothing 'swift' or 'decisive' about kicking the can down the road. Connecticut's budget needs more than a few band-aids--we face multibillion deficits as far as the eye can see, we have nearly maxed out the state's credit card, and now Governor Rell wants to raid the remainder of our Rainy Day fund even faster, draining $219 million that will put us even deeper in the hole.

"Rell refuses to make the tough choices our state needs - as governor, those are the first challenges I'll tackle. I have already initiated a line-by-line, top-to-bottom review of the state budget so that on day one, I can begin squeezing out every last efficiency. Our next governor must call on everyone to make tough sacrifices and enact sweeping reforms that transform the way our government does business, restore our fiscal house to order, and ensure our children do not suffer an even worse crisis down the road."

Mary Glassman Responds To Governor Rell's Deficit Mitigation Plan

Governor M. Jodi Rell yesterday released her Deficit Mitigation Plan for Fiscal Year 2010. With less than 20% of her proposed cuts achieved through actual spending reductions, the remainder of the Governor's $504 million so called "mitigation" is nothing more than delays in funding pensions and Medicaid plans, and moving rainy day funds.

Mary Glassman, who is exploring a run for Governor said “Once again Jodi Rell has shown her preference for passing the buck. It’s time Connecticut had a real leader who will instead say ‘the buck stops here.’”

"The very programs that we need to survive the fiscal crisis we're in right now-- economic development initiatives that create jobs; education and health programs; and youth programs that keep kids on the straight and narrow-- are all on Governor Rell's chopping block. Connecticut's next governor will suffer the consequences of these ‘fund sweeps' and delay tactics which shift liability beyond her time in office.”

"Our towns and cities, already under attack from this administration, would suffer even more under this scheme. The funding shell game she is playing cuts municipal aid and passes the burden to local taxpayers."

Alpert-Blumenthal

Debates are tricky things. There was no one, debate coaches for example, at the University of Hartford to formally score the debate between Merrick Alpert and Attorney General Richard Blumenthal. But no one need wait for this to attempt to answer the question “Who won?

Answers please.