Month: January 2013

Frank Lautenberg’s staff is upset to hear that Cory Booker is running for Senate.

Although I think that it’s cute that BuzzFeed is pretending that it’s the Senator himself who is upset.

The party is also faced with the uncomfortable dynamic Booker’s Senate race has created surrounding Sen. Frank Lautenberg, one of the most respected, storied figures in the state’s political history, who also happens to be 88 years old and hell bent on staying in office — or at least retiring on his own terms.

Although Lautenberg would be 90 years old in 2014, running a re-election bid for a six-year term, he has not publicly indicated even the impression that he wants to retire.

It looks like there might be a highly entertaining two-or-three-way brawl in the primary between Cory Booker, Frank Lautenberg’s staff, and Rep. Frank Pallone (who is probably muttering in his beer about upstarts and show horses right now). Which is fine by me: a bloodied and battered Frank Lautenberg’s staff as the nominal winner of the 2014 New Jersey Democratic primary might be very handy indeed…

Via

“Why is my paycheck less this week?”

Hey, if Twitchy can get that happy SEO-action, so can I.

Anyway, the answer to the question “Why is my paycheck less this week?” is simple: the payroll tax cut finally expired, mostly because the Democrats had no intention of letting THAT one stick around and the GOP didn’t have the leverage to make it permanent like it did the cuts to under-$400K taxpayers and the AMT fixed-once-and-for-all.  Hijinks are even now ensuing, as people discover that the only good tax cut is a permanent tax cut.

Hey, but look on the bright side!  All those Democrats in the executive branch are still there to be very proactive when it comes to the plight of the poor.  They have to be; after all, it’s in their best long-term interests if there’s as many poor people as possible to watch over…

Barack Obama’s oh-so-diverse ‘Senior Advisors.’

Wow, but that’s a lot of white guys.  Please note that the picture below is from the White House’s own official Flickr account, which means that not only is calling them ‘senior advisors’ fair (I’m quoting the White House, after all); it indicates that nobody in that shop saw that picture and said Wow, but that’s a lot of white guys.

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Continue reading Barack Obama’s oh-so-diverse ‘Senior Advisors.’

A PSA on upcoming changes in immigration policy.

I was going to write a somewhat long and involved post on this Washtington Post article on some executive-branch changes to immigration policy (short version: if you’re an illegal married to, or parent of, a US citizen then you don’t have to “leave the United States and apply for a waiver forgiving their unlawful presence in the country” if you want to legalize your status).  But it started to get ranty, so let me be brief: in my considered opinion, this is not a good hill for hardcore anti-illegal immigration activists to die on.  I will not join them on this hill.  Large swaths of the Republican party will not join them on this hill.  If hardcore anti-illegal immigration activists decide to die on this hill anyway, it will simply rebound to the ultimate benefit of the large swaths of the Republican party that did not join them.  Which means that I should simply let hardcore anti-illegal immigration activists die on that hill, only I’m a party hack who would feel bad if I didn’t try to warn my fellow-Republicans about the buzz-saw.

Ignore or take my advice as you please.

Moe Lane

PS: Oh, yes, I am aware that it may end up that people online will line up to tell me why this is a marvelous hill to die upon. I’m not saying, Do not charge.  I am saying, If you charge, I am not backing you up.

John Boehner profanely establishes power dynamic wrt Harry Reid.

Now that it’s official that John Boehner has won the Speakership again – which, by the way, was a foregone conclusion, given that nobody wanted to go on the record as being an opposition candidate – let us note very quickly this little bit of profane drama from last week:

House Speaker John Boehner couldn’t hold back when he spotted Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid in the White House lobby last Friday.

It was only a few days before the nation would go over the fiscal cliff, no bipartisan agreement was in sight, and Reid had just publicly accused Boehner of running a “dictatorship” in the House and caring more about holding onto his gavel than striking a deal.

“Go f— yourself,” Boehner sniped as he pointed his finger at Reid, according to multiple sources present.

Reid, a bit startled, replied: “What are you talking about?”

Boehner repeated: “Go f— yourself.”

Continue reading John Boehner profanely establishes power dynamic wrt Harry Reid.

Chicago preparing for business as usual, post-Patrick Fitzgerald?

Could be, could be: “The White House is expected to name a new U.S. attorney for Chicago soon from among four finalists. Whoever it is will be an insider compared to the man he or she will replace, Patrick Fitzgerald.”  Basically, Fitzgerald is leaving the position after over ten years of putting governors (note plural) and other corrupt Illinois state officials (yes, I know, redundant) behind bars.  And it’s… interesting… that this tradition is not scheduled to continue: all four possible replacements are fully integrated into the Chicago power structure.  As ABC News noted, this is not likely to be accidental:

Appointing someone with Chicago ties may convey confidence that Chicago is no longer as corrupt as it was, said Gal Pissetzky, another Chicago attorney. He said it could signal a desire to shift focus away from corruption and on to other persistent Chicago crime, such as drug trafficking or gang-related murders.

Continue reading Chicago preparing for business as usual, post-Patrick Fitzgerald?

Tim Geithner reportedly about to cut and run from Treasury.

Reportedly by the end of the month, no matter WHAT happens.  The Mayan apocalypse could occur* and Timothy Geithner would still be (allegedly) gone.  More importantly, the fiscal situation could be triggering an epic governmental meltdown and Geithner would still be leaving vapor trails.  Ach, the lack of loyalty from this administration’s Cabinet-level appointees!

…Well, as above: so below.

Anyway, now for the big question.  Actually, now to the two big questions.  The first question is, What completely unacceptable and dangerously incompetent apparatchik will Barack Obama try to foist off on us?  And the second question is, Who will we actually end up with, once enough people gently explain to Barack Obama that he can’t have whoever his first choice is? Continue reading Tim Geithner reportedly about to cut and run from Treasury.