Wednesday, everyone I know was either celebrating Zephyr Teachout;s landslide victory in NY-19 or trying to figure what went wrong in NY-24, where Eric Kingson came in second of three Democratic primary candidates-- or both. Dave Weigel's analysis of what went wrong in Syracuse speaks to the problem with Bernie's revolution.
A gay Zionist friend in Florida, who spends a lot of time doing drugs and listening to Hate Talk Radio, sent me this note earlier: "I went to read your story about the Orlando shooting, are you going to post one? Do you see these Muslims should not be protected by the left?
Jerry Nadler, hero of peaceAlthough one Republican-- libertarian-leaning Thomas Massie (R-KY)-- abstained, all the rest of the House Republicans voted against the Iran nuclear deal. 86% of House Dems voted for it (162 out of 188)-- as had 91% of Senate Dems (42 of 46). Yesterday the House GOP warmongers were joined by 25 faithless Democrats, these 25 faithless Democrats:
The war party-- Cheney and Lieberman (again)Democratic Members of Congress are under tremendous pressure from AIPAC to vote against the Iran deal. Here in California, both the state's senators, the liberal Barbara Boxer and the more conservative Dianne Feinstein, have already announced in favor of the deal. And so has Nancy Pelosi.
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.
When Clinton was president, my industry's trade association contributed $50,000 to the DNC in my name. I've been plagued by ravenous, contribution-hungry Democratic candidates ever since then-- and almost never good ones. Yes, it's how I came to meet Howard Dean and make him a raw vegan brunch at my house once, but other than Dean, it's been one monstrosity after another, from Dick Gephardt, the author of the legislation allowing Bush to invade Iraq, to wheeler-dealers like Terry McAuliffe.
This week I literally marveled at how deftly Alan Grayson was able to use congressional procedures beyond the ken of garden variety congressmembers to get five amendments to the defense-spending bill passed without controversy particularly one prohibiting torture. “This amendment," explained Grayson to any Members who might not be paying attention, "makes the intent of Congress clear; it makes the law clear: We. Don’t. Torture.
On Friday, the House passed Buck McKeon's tragically flawed National Defense Authorization Act, 315-108. All but 18 Republicans voted YES. The Democratic minority was much more split.
