I figured that the political implications of the border crisis for Democrats were overblown, especially since I think all “if I were the President’s travel agent” analysis is essentially bullshit. Now, thanks to valued sponsor Newsmax, I know it for sure.
Baud
Well, it was a nice run. I’ll miss you all.
Hunter Gathers
But, but, but he needz to go to the border for teh photo ops! He’s letting Glen Beck be the face of American compassion! Why won’t he yell at a bus full of kids from the Y like a Real American? Why won’t he lead?
wenchacha
If Dick Morris claims it’s bad for Democrats, then I can safely plan on this being a good thing for Dems, correct?
rikyrah
U.S. judicial agency OKs early release of federal prisoners
By Julia Edwards Reuters
3:25 p.m. EDT, July 18, 2014
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – More than 46,000 drug offenders will be eligible for early release from federal prison under an amendment to sentencing guidelines passed on Friday by a U.S. judiciary agency – unless Congress blocks the change.
The U.S. Sentencing Commission voted unanimously to make 46,290 drug offenders eligible for review by federal judges to determine if the sentences can be reduced without jeopardizing public safety.
The commission expects eligible candidates to receive an average of 25 months off of their sentences beginning in November 2015, making retroactive an amendment to sentencing guidelines passed earlier this year.
Congress has the authority to block both amendments by Nov. 1 of this year.
“Making these new guidelines retroactive will offer relief to thousands of people who received overly harsh sentences under the old sentencing guidelines,” said Jesselyn McCurdy, senior legislative counsel at the American Civil Liberties Union, which has advocated sentencing reform.
Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-usa-justice-vote-20140718,0,279463.story#ixzz37vGsV7rM
dmsilev
That’s all well and good, but have we heard from Bill Kristol and the UNLIMITED CORPORATE CASH guy yet?
Ultraviolet Thunder
Needs more bully pulpit. because that fixes anything.
feebog
So this means we are taking back the House, right?
Gravenstone
@wenchacha: Yeah, Dick Morris is second only to Bloody Bill Kristol in being diametrically wrong in every public pronouncement.
Scotius
@Gravenstone:
I don’t know if Dick Morris is second to anyone in being wrong. Remember, he was actually fired from Fox News for being incompetent. I don’t believe even Bloody Bill has managed that achievement.
Villago Delenda Est
@wenchacha: If Bill Kristol agrees with Morris, a Dem takeover of the House is a lock.
Villago Delenda Est
@wenchacha: If Bill Kristol agrees with Morris, a Dem takeover of the House is a lock.
Keith G
Whether it is logical or not, the border crisis is softening some of the support that Hispanic population has for Democrats. It is happening to such an extent that some Congressional Democrats are getting quite anxious about it.
shelley
Dick Cheney heads most people’s list lately of ‘why does anyone give this buffoon the time of day.” But for me, the all-time favorite is Dick Morris. He’s 99.9% pure in the wrong-o department. It’s just baffling why this guy keeps getting a millisecond of air or print time.
Hill Dweller
@Keith G: Sitting home and/or giving Republicans more power certainly isn’t going to help their cause.
Mustang Bobby
I heard Peak Chutzpah this week when a Cuban whose parents brought him here as a kid — no, not Ted Cruz — complained about giving the immigrants some kind of special status because they’re claiming political oppression. I so wanted to say “I find your lack of self-awareness disturbing.”
J.D. Rhoades
@shelley:
Because he says things Faux News viewers and Drudge readers want to hear or read. Who cares if they make any sense?
Citizen_X
@Villago Delenda Est: I’m waiting to see what Karl Rove has to say.
Alex S.
All the years I’ve been following politics really closely (since 2008), the right wing has always used the summer to construct their narratives. They’ve failed every time – even in 2010 they projected more disaster than there actually was (Dems kept the Senate). I guess it’s because it’s summer and nobody cares about politics. You can try to push a certain story but people won’t care. The polls always look a little worse for the democrats because much of the democratic base has taken a break from politics until September. Is the border crisis really that bad? Are there beheaded bodies in the desert, as Jan Brewer claimed? Riots in the streets, march on Washington, angry townhall meetings? I don’t see it at all.
c u n d gulag
I’m waiting for Morris to say that Republicans calling for a ban on ALL contraception will be the best way for them to win back the White House in 2016.
And won’t all we liberals tremble in fear after he proposes it!
I know I’m shaking in my boots!
(From laughter).
Suffern ACE
@Keith G: there aren’t a lot of good options here for the democrats. All the republicans have to do is make certain the kids get met with protesters and their base is happy. They don’t actually have to solve a problem. I don’t see a solution that isn’t going to make large segments of Democrats unhappy.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Keith G: I was thinking mobs of conservatives screaming in rage at buses full of orphans is one of those over the Wingnut event horizon moments. But I can see the fact that no Democrat has the courage to say these orphans need our help would irritate those orphans relations.
cmorenc
Some of the biggest negatives about the Clintons are the times they relied on truly awful people in their inner circle of advisors – Dick Morris (force behind tactic of Bill Clinton’s “triangulation” strategy whereby we got awful things like DOMA); Lanny Davis (special legal counsel to Clinton White House), and Mark Penn in Hillary’s 2008 Presidential campaign. And then there’s Robert Rubin, Treasury Secretary under Clinton…currently one of the powerful Wall Street forces working fiercely against reform.
Suffern ACE
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: it would be easier to deal with the problem if the kids were orphans. Orphans we know what to do with.
Keith G
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: That is exactly the situation and exactly the problem – or an important part thereof. And this is why Nancy Smash has changed her mind to oppose the proposed immigration-fix bill that the administration has viewed with some favor.
James E. Powell
@Keith G:
Whether it is logical or not, the border crisis is softening some of the support that Hispanic population has for Democrats. It is happening to such an extent that some Congressional Democrats are getting quite anxious about it.
Then they ought to go on the news and say emphatically “These are children who need food and shelter and medical care. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure they get it. Who’s going to help me?”
Not only Hispanic voters, but most everybody else will agree with this. They just have to make the argument instead of cowering away from loud bigots.
MomSense
@cmorenc:
Lanny Davis was also part of the Honduran fiasco while HRC was at State. And remember David Gergen–the oh so reasonable Republican?
Keith G
@Suffern ACE: I’m a firm believer that if you fight, fight for what is morally correct, you will eventually prevail. Yes., there are few good options for Democrats, but remember that the only things that can remain in the middle of the road are squished animals.
The best option for Democrats is to fight loudly and aggressively what is the humane thing to do. The Democrats would be helped by the fact that the humane thing is also very doable, and affordable, and does not have to end with tens of thousands of kids permanently staying in United States if they are not eligible to do so.
Do the Democrats have the guts and intelligence to fight for what is right and thereby educate and inspire American citizens to follow their lead?
Suffern ACE
@Keith G: the number of kids who will be found to be intelligible will be small. That is why the number of child deportations is low. However, they aren’t refugees. Their parents don’t have the types of work permits that allow them to bring along families. The humane thing to do is allow the kids to stay, but that means others who are on the immigration visa waiting list have to wait longer. But the number of these kids who are actual run-aways or send-aways with no one to receive them on the other side is probably quite small.
MattF
@Scotius: No, but Kristol did manage to be fired by the NYT. Also… I haven’t seen him in the WaPo lately either.
Jacks mom
@Keith G: This!
gene108
@Mustang Bobby:
Rafael did not flee from Cuba.
What he went through was worse.
He was born in the socialist hell hole that is the Alberta, Calgary, Canada oil fields. He fled socialist political oppression his parents suffered at the hands of Canadian Big Oil.
He only had the courage to renounce is Canadian citizenship this summer (probably from fear of Tim Horton’s personal death squads).
Why we do not liberate Canadians from their socialist hell, I do not know.
Talentless Hack
In similar news, Joe Klein in an op-ed in Time suggests that President Obama should grant the Tea Party an audience in regard to the child refugee crisis. Shaa, as if that’s going to happen. If they want the President’s attention, they should elect one first.
gene108
@Suffern ACE:
The issue Democrats and what few surrogates they have in the media is to channel the “sad unhappy feelings” into rage against the Republicans.
The Republicans are really, really good at channeling the frustration their base has against “others”, whether it is minorities, gays and most importantly Democrats.
For whatever reason, for better or worse, Democrats get too vested into self-introspection.
The immigration activists, who are protesting President Obama to not deport people as vigorously need to understand the reason he is doing this is to try to appease the rapid, anti-immigration Republicans in Congress, whose support he will need for comprehensive immigration reform.
All our unhappy feelings needs to be channeled as anger against Republicans.
Ruckus
@gene108:
Said in the same tongue firmly in cheek style,
Because they are socialists?
I still have to wonder if there isn’t some family connection to Wisconsin with the cruz. The resemblance to Joe McCarthy is unmistakable, both physical and political.
Villago Delenda Est
@Mustang Bobby: And as you say this, the guy grasps at his throat.
Villago Delenda Est
@Talentless Hack: There’s a reason his nickname is “Joke Line”.
Villago Delenda Est
@gene108:
Death by donut.
Homer Simpson wants to know how he can sign up.
Suffern ACE
@Talentless Hack: yes . That will go well. I’m sure they will be less upset if they felt someone was listening. Although my guess is that they are upset because he won’t do what they wants them to do, which is make all immigrants suffer, get rid of birthright citizenship, guarantee that white people will always be in charge, with special preference given to the Republican Party controlling all major institutions forever.
amk
@Keith G:
No. We have seen no such thing in the last 5 years.
Rex Everything
@Hunter Gathers: What made it so annoying was the way all these hack journalists were writing it in a “savvy” tone. Like, “I’m not dumb enough to be swayed by empty theatrics, but you my readers are, which is why this will be a huge problem for Obama…”
Iowa Old Lady
@Talentless Hack: Hey, that would require getting more votes, which is a tactic they can’t manage. Hence all impeachment, obstruction, and loud screaming.
James E. Powell
@Keith G:
The best option for Democrats is to fight loudly and aggressively what is the humane thing to do.
I think I just said more or less the same thing. I am a little surprised and very disappointed that more of them haven’t done so.
Do the Democrats have the guts and intelligence to fight for what is right and thereby educate and inspire American citizens to follow their lead?
I’m getting old and my memory isn’t what is used to be. Remind me of the last time Democrats did this.
RobertDSC-Power Mac G5 Dual
@James E. Powell:
When Nancy Smash rounded up the votes and passed the Affordable Care Act.
Suffern ACE
@James E. Powell: does immigration reform as passed by the Senate actually deal with the issue? Right now it is illegal for many legal work permit holders to have their children with them. So those children are left at home. How does the reform deal with that. You may be asking Dems to get outraged at the injustice of their own reform bill.
Mike in NC
You could almost pity the poor Republicans. They’ve been trying to take down Obama unsuccessfully for six years, just as they tried to take down Clinton for eight years. These imbeciles are incapable of learning from their mistakes. They’ve concocted the “border crisis” in the middle of the summer because the media doesn’t have shark attacks or missing blondes to report on. Too bad the Ukrainian separatists and the Israeli army have stolen some of the limelight.
Iowa Old Lady
@Mike in NC: Which is why Rush Limbaugh said the shooting down of the jet was created as a distraction from the border. Or maybe from Obamacare. I forget.
D58826
iT HAS been a bad news week but once in awhile a small ray of sunshine peaks thru the clouds. Issa and his witch hunters held a hearing to ask the justice department t why they haven’t acted on the Lois Lerner contempt citation. Then assistant AG who testified said that the prosecutor had the option as to whither to proceed or not.
Well Issa hit the roof and demanded to see where it was written that the DOJ did not have to following his demands. Well he got the answer only it wasn’t what he expected:
Iowa Old Lady
I’m not sure Issa ever had a very solid grip on reality, and his fingers seem to be slipping.
amk
@Iowa Old Lady:
https://twitter.com/wayneradcliffe/status/490517745927073793
James E. Powell
@Suffern ACE:
I’m not talking about reform bill, I’m talking about an ad hoc response. And I’m talking about Democrats going on the news and very loudly and boldly establishing a Democratic brand – We are for feeding & sheltering children!
It’s got to be better than maniacs shouting at school buses.
Talentless Hack
@James E. Powell: Mayor Stephanie Miner of Syracuse is doing just that, so I heard on NPR yesterday. There’s a convent willing to put several dozen of these kids up for the couple or three weeks it takes to process them. Get them away from the border where the white sheeters and the Tea Party are.
feebog
@D58826:
Watched this exchange on CSPAN the other day. DAG Cole was absolutely brilliant. When he mentioned Ted Olson, you could see Republican chins hit the floor. Good times.
Iowa Old Lady
@amk: Hee. Obama must have to bite his tongue on a regular basis. That or laugh.
Jay C
@James E. Powell:
Well, under normal circumstances, “Listen to what Dick Morris says, and do/plan the exact opposite” is about as sage political advice one can get, but in this case, I have the unfortunate feeling that he may actually be on to something here. Maybe not an electoral disaster, but he may be right that the “immigration issue” might very well be a factor in a non-trivial number of (otherwise-) marginal House races, and/or a Senate contest. Of course, what today’s Republicans seem to usually mean by “the immigration issue” is shrill demagoguery along the lines of “disease-ridden hordes of foreign criminals and terrorists are illegally swarming across our borders!!!“. Which, of course, easily translated into political advertising, can be spun into “disease-ridden hordes of foreign criminals and terrorists are illegally swarming across our borders – and [Obama/Democrats/local Dem candidate] won’t do anything about it!!!
Yeah, simple-minded nonsense steeped in bigotry, but, rather sadly, it’s a political message that will sell in probably a lot more political markets in this country than we’d like to acknowledge – and it’s a message (probably euphemized as “secure borders”) that will energize Republican/RW turnout for the midterms. No doubt, even more-sadly, a message that will be answered poorly, if at all, by Democrats.
Suffern ACE
@Jay C: yep. The republicans on immigration get to rile up actual voters and demonize non-voters, or Donizetti voters who in most districts don’t exist in enough numbers to make a difference. Democrats get the unenviable task of defending people who couldn’t vote for them even if they wanted to.
Kicking immigrants in the teeth won’t stop until their children can vote in enough numbers to stop it. In 2010, all the Latinos in Arizona couldn’t stop it. Let alone the other democratic voters who watched Latinos being raked and didnt feel motivated to stop it. What makes us think 2014 will be different?
Keith G
@James E. Powell: The last four hours of my Saturday work day become a hectic sprint putting out (figurative, hopefully) fires. So I just now am able to read and respond.
Eventually on Civil Rights; eventually on women’s rights; eventually on Great Society issues such as Head Start and school lunch programs. These are things that come to mind quickly. Of course, as a coalition party, views on these issues were not universal, but the core of the party and its leadership were willing to fight for these things.
As I recall at the time, there was more than enough push back (read up on the history of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as one example) , but leaders such as Humphrey, Muskie, and McGovern and of course LBJ where more than willing to put a lot of skin into the game and rally as many of their fellow Democrats as they could. The point is, people who stand and fight sometimes actually win.
Jay C
@Suffern ACE:
Donizetti voters??
Suffern ACE
@Jay C: strangest auto correct ever. That’s democratic voters to you and me
Bobby Thomson
@Jay C: They tried exactly the same message in 2006. How did that work for them?
James E. Powell
@Keith G:
The point is, people who stand and fight sometimes actually win.
I agree with you. My point it is the last time that happened was 50 years ago.
Cervantes
@James E. Powell: Wait — are you suggesting that it was the Democratic Party that fought for civil rights, and won, fifty years ago?
As opposed to today’s Democratic Party that won’t “stand and fight” for anything?