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31 Jul 2010 10:34

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Politics: President Obama to Rep. Charlie Rangel: Drop Dead

  • I think Charlie Rangel served a very long time and served his constituents very well. But these allegations are very troubling. He’s somebody who’s at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I’m sure that what he wants is to be able to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens.
  • President Barack Obama • Saying that Charlie Rangel should retire and just go away. The House ethics subcommittee has recommended a reprimand for Rangel, which would be light compared to the censure and expulsion he could get. Still, though, Rangel won’t admit his guilt and as a result is making the situation much worse for himself. But if he’s so convinced of his innocence, should he quit? source

30 Jul 2010 13:18

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Politics: Peter King & Anthony Wiener: The Lemmon & Matthau of politics

  • Mediaite totally played up this Fox News clip as a “great television moment,” but before the two minute point or so, we were a bit skeptical. The issue? 9/11 first responder health care benefits – a bill which didn’t pass the House despite it being, you know, 9/11 first responder health care benefits. In the clip, Peter King first gets his point across, Anthony Wiener just stands there, livid. The second Wiener starts talking, it immediately lives up to the hype. For fans of wonkery, this is your “Citizen Kane.” (Side note: Thanks to Mediaite for improving your embeds!) source

29 Jul 2010 20:22

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Politics: I won’t back down, part 3: Shirley Sherrod’s Breitbart lawsuit

  • This oughta be a fun lawsuit. And Sherrod plans to make the most of it. When asked about it at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists in San Diego, she said she definitely would, adding this little bit at the end: “What do I have to be afraid of?” This led to this downright classic near-instant response from Brent Bozell of the Media Research Council and Breitbart precursor Newsbusters: “Andrew Breitbart is going to be fine. He’s done nothing wrong. I wonder if Ms. Sherrod, who is such a champion of transparency, will publicly disclose who is putting her up to this.” OMG shut up nobody cares douchebag. source

29 Jul 2010 20:09

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Politics: I won’t back down, part 2: Arizona’s immigration lawsuit appeal

  • America is not going to sit back and allow the ongoing federal failures to continue. We are a nation of laws and we believe they need to be enforced. … I will not back down.
  • Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer • Regarding her office’s decision to appeal yesterday’s decision temporarily blocking the implementation of the key parts of the state’s new immigration law. If that doesn’t sound like something that usually happens, it’s not. Usually, court cases get appealed after a trial which Judge Susan Bolton would’ve presided over. But noooooooooo … Brewer decided to jump straight to the appeal. She claims that the issue is too important to simply wait in a court for a while. source

29 Jul 2010 20:01

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Politics: I won’t back down, part 1: Charlie Rangel’s ethics charges

  • 13 ethics charges against a guy who wouldn’t back down source
  • » An unexpected result: Many in Congress expected Rangel to strike a deal to avoid a politically embarrassing trial, but instead, here we are. Some close to him, however, suggest that Rangel, a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, believes he did nothing wrong.

29 Jul 2010 11:10

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Politics: Great: Buses in big cities plastered with debate over Islam

The ad on this bus, from Stop Islamization of America, is anti-Islamic. It’s a response to a pro-Islam ad. Both ads have been showing up in cities across the country. source

29 Jul 2010 10:27

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Politics: House ethics: Charlie Rangel has all the spotlight on him today

Last chance, buddy. You gonna let this ethics trial happen today, or are you going to turn this into a Blago-style circus? source
 

29 Jul 2010 09:00

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Politics: Why immigration has been fruitful for Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer

  • 66% of Arizonans support the measure that got cut back yesterday
  • 53% of Arizonans suport her for reelection, according to a recent poll
  • 35% of Arizonans support opponent Terry Goddard instead source

28 Jul 2010 22:18

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Politics: Arizona immigration ruling: A temporary, but key, decision

  • While we understand the frustration of Arizonans with the broken immigration system, a patchwork of state and local policies would seriously disrupt federal immigration enforcement.
  • Justice Department spokeswoman Hannah August • Regarding the decision made by Judge Susan Bolton to temporarily block most of the key provisions of Arizona’s immigration law. Regarding the key provision, which would force police to check the immigration status of people they suspect may be illegal, Bolton said that the provision will lead to “the intrusion of police presence into the lives of legally present aliens (and even United States citizens), who will necessarily be swept up” as a result of the law. Bolton’s decision has a couple of effects – one, it puts pressure on the U.S. to secure the border, and two, it railroads other states’ attempts to get in on the immigration law action. All in all, big decision. source

28 Jul 2010 09:53

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Politics: Obama: The Wikileaks documents are sensitive … but not really

  • I’m concerned about the disclosure of sensitive information from the battlefield that could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations. … The fact is these documents don’t reveal any issues that haven’t already informed our public debate about Afghanistan.
  • President Barack Obama • Saying one thing but immediately contradicting himself. If this data was so sensitive, how come it doesn’t reveal an issues that haven’t already informed our public debate? Security experts suggest that the documents don’t create an immediate threat, but note that the tendency is dangerous. Tying this into last week’s “Top Secret America” thang that the Post did, it’s possible that the government’s tendency to overclassify documents hit here too. But this sort of doublespeak simply doesn’t get us anywhere. source