I guess it would be terribly naive to assume the U.S. hasn't embedded the technology to spy on everyone everywhere when the opportunity is available. Buying American computing systems-- not to mention weapons systems-- has always had that obvious downside.
Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had an ironic idea this week-- Obama pardoning Bush and Cheney for torture, making the point that what they did is illegal.
Tuesday evening Chris Hayes had Hakeem Jeffries on his show. Jeffries is one of three Members of Congress who represents the Brooklyn neighborhood I grew up in, along with Yvette Clarke and Michael "Mikey Suits" Grimm. Jeffries, a well-spoken former corporate lawyer for Viacom. He drove corrupt conservative incumbent, Ed Towns into retirement by announcing a primary largely backed by progressives who couldn't wait to see the last of Towns.
The House leaders-- afraid of midterm voters-- avoided voting for war in the Middle East yesterday and instead voted to fund what McCain insists are "moderate" Syrian rebels… you know, the ones who have been selling arms and captives to ISIS (the "non-moderates") for months. Do we never learn? Anything? Buck McKeon's slippery slope amendment passed 273 to 156 with 85 Democrats and 71 Republicans voting against it. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) has learned history's lessons.
Since first being elected to Congress in 2000, Eric Cantor has raised $32,386,930 and spent $30,889,639 on his reelection bids-- and on building power for himself inside the GOP caucus. He spent $5,794,611 in the current cycle, significantly more than the $392,316 his primary opponent no one had ever heard of spent. Eric Cantor, on the night he lost his primary election to Dave Brat addressed his supporters at what everyone assumed would be a victory party: "I believe in this country," he declared.
Yesterday, when we talked about conservative assholes who voted to deny Climate Change was real, we were able to look at a roll call vote and see who voted well and who voted badly.
Americans, dumbed down by a lazy, ignorant media and a substandard education system, are fond of the idea that both parties are at fault. OK, Republicans are idiots. What about Democrats? Here at DWT we tend to blame the crumbling from within of the Democratic Party on corporate shills like Steny Hoyer, Steve Israel, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jim Himes and Joe Crowley shredding the Democratic brand on behalf of their own careerism.
Last month, Chris Hayes repeatedly brought up a state-- Kansas-- that few Democrats ever see as a realistic election target (above). Far right extremist Sam Brownback's gubernatorial reelection is not looking like a sure thing anymore. Unless you consider being down 47-41% against your Democratic opponent, Paul Davis, "a sure thing."Kansas, the Koch-owned state, has no Democrats in federal office and was one of the only states in the country where voters gave Obama less than 40% in 2012.
There's supposed to be this huge chasm in the Maine Republican Party between the business-oriented moderates and the far right extremists (with another split in their for the Ron Paul libertarian branch). The moderates have been the home base for respectable political leaders like Senators Margaret Chase Smith, Bill Cohen, Olympia Snowe.
