.
Always nice to start the day with a new Democratic role model…
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(pic via NYMag)
Steven C. Webster, at Raw Story:
Gilberto Hinojosa, chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, said he hopes that Sen. Wendy Davis (d), who conducted a 10-hour filibuster against a bill that would close all but five abortion clinics in the state and ban all abortions after 20 weeks, will run for statewide office. Speaking to Raw Story from the Texas Capitol on Tuesday night, Hinojosa said she would likely win a bid for the governor’s office thanks to her marathon filibuster…
“She doesn’t play games or worry about what’s going to get her votes,” Hinojosa continued. “She does what she believes is right. We’ve been sorely lacking that kind of leadership in the state of Texas for more than 20 years. So, yeah. I’m hoping she runs for statewide office, and I know that should she decide to, all of these women and men that are here today, young and old, will work their hearts out for her. She’d probably get elected governor, or whatever other office she wants to run for.” …
The Washington Post explains the mechanics behind the #StandwithWendy “tweetstorm”. (Billmon tweet: Texas GOP: “Well, we thought about #STFUWendy, but a few of the gals in the office weren’t too keen on it. You know how emotional they get.”
Gail Collins, in the NYTimes:
… Texas is a state with one of the nation’s highest teenage motherhood rates, where a majority of women who give birth are poor enough to qualify for Medicaid. So, naturally, its political leaders have declared war against the right of women to choose whether or not they want to be pregnant. Funding for family planning has been slashed. This month, Gov. Rick Perry tried to pass a new law that would have shut down almost all the abortion clinics in the state, under the guise of expanded health and safety requirements.
Huge crowds showed up to protest! This was pretty remarkable because Texas is not currently known as a place where people pay intense attention to what goes on in its State Capitol. (A recent study at the University of Texas at Austin found that it has “one of the nation’s lowest political and civic participation rates.”) Also, the conventional wisdom is that when things get politically rowdy, it’s because of a visitation from the right.
Yet there the protesters were, filling the Senate gallery and overflow rooms, squishing into the halls and the rotunda, flowing down the Capitol front steps and into the mall.
The bill arrived at the State Senate, its final stop, on the last day of the legislative session. Late in the morning, Davis got up to filibuster until midnight when the clock ran out…
The anti-abortion bill will be back. Vowing not to give way to “the breakdown of decorum and decency,” Governor Perry called a special emergency session for July 1 to take it up again.
The protesters will undoubtedly be back, too. “They’ve tasted victory — what it means to organize and win,” predicted Cecile Richards…
What’s on the agenda for the new day?
raven
You left off the best part by Gail:
Linda Featheringill
That whole scene was a wonder to behold.
Hooray for Texas!
The governor’s race seems to occur next year, so now is not too soon to start getting ready for that. Maybe Wendy needs to start working with that guy who’s leading the turn-Texas-blue campaign.
OzarkHillbilly
Wendy Davis can’t say that, can she?
PeakVT
A recent study at the University of Texas at Austin found that it has “one of the nation’s lowest political and civic participation rates.”
Always a feature, not a bug, for to the GOP. They fucking hate democracy.
amk
What about that san antonio mayor guy, julian castro ? Wasn’t he supposed to be the next obama of latinos ?
geg6
@amk:
I think he will be, in the future. But I don’t think he’s ready yet. Davis has years under her belt and, now, a national profile. I hope she goes for it.
raven
Someone on television just said when “liberals” do this it’s democracy in action and when “conservatives” do it it’s an unruly mob.
Xenos
@raven:
Because it’s true.
Baud
@raven:
Tough shit.
Alien Radio
I though the Governor of Texas had very little power, in common with the preference for personal fiefdoms amongst the right, so a perfect launching point for the likes of Governor Goodhair, and Bush the Lesser, since It was quite hard to fuck up a job in which you didn’t do anything, I imagine it’s still her best shot to do something constructive.
MikeJ
@raven: Any of these protesters saying “we’re unarmed this time” or muttering about watering the tree of liberty?
daveNYC
Crap, another emergency session. Because I guess this bill is freaking critical to improving the health of women. Or something.
I know that there were two actual useful bills that got hung up because they wanted to push the abortion thing through first, I suspect that they’ll put the abortion bill up first this time in order to use the other two as hostages.
Joseph Nobles
She’ll need some job. Now that the VRA’s gutted, she will be gerrymandered out of her district. She was going to be before, but the courts blocked the plan. Nothing will be holding that back now.
Hal
This whole event featured some grade a fuckery on the part of the Texas GOP. Taking a vote after midnight, claiming discussions of cost or the previous ultrasound bill were off topic to the current debate. However conservative Texas is, people should wake up to the obvious power trip Republicans are on in this state.
JPL
Wendy Davis is on CBS this morning. The video should be available later today.
Her intent was to stop the bill and she’s disappointed that the Governor decided to call back the legislature. Texans don’t like government intrusion into private lives.
JGabriel
Be careful out there today, SW Juicers.
National Weather Service:
125F/52C in the Colorado River Valler? Jeepers.
JGabriel
Raw Story:
Hell, let’s run her for president. Put her in the primary and see how she does.
On the other hand, I suppose a few years as governor would give her the executive level experience that people look for when voting for POTUS.
.
Botsplainer, fka Todd
Got a little crush on Wendy – she’s smart, passionate, attractive….
nemesis
I read where with the VRA decision, Wendy is pretty much redistricted out of existence when she is up for reelection.
She seems like a winner. Lets find a place for her. She has a spine so that may disqualify her from current liberal politics.
OzarkHillbilly
@JGabriel:
As Governor of Texas? Some might consider that as a point against her. (remembering the 2 latest occupants of that position)
JGabriel
@Joseph Nobles:
Hmm. I seem to remember the last time Republicans blocked a woman from getting a gov’t job, she took away one of their seats in the Senate.
They may want to re-think that strategy.
artem1s
one two punch, Nancy Smash, Wendy Smash!
Poopyman
@raven: Are you watching Morning Joe again? You know that’s bad for your blood pressure.
raven
@JGabriel: Think, right.
raven
@Poopyman: Can’t say, don’t want to have a big backlash.
Poopyman
@JGabriel: Yeah, I agree that she’d do more good for Texas and everyone else if she were elected to a Senate gig.
Poopyman
@raven: Uh. Huh.
Botsplainer, fka Todd
OT – another day goes by for the asshole without a country.
My guess is that Ecuador doesn’t want him, Cuba doesn’t want him, and Putin wants him gone. Garzon won’t represent him, thereby stripping a substantial part of the asshole hacker wikileaks support from him.
And I’m guessing that his wikileaks non-lawyer legal advisor (snicker) is quickly tiring of listening to his paranoid gun nut racist Paulite bullshit.
Meanwhile, rank incompetent Greenwald is seeing the wreckage of his life laid bare as if flayed strip by strip by strip, making his beachside caipirinha taste less great as the world assails the armor of his self-absorbed narcissism.
It is a win all around.
piratedan
@JGabriel: aye, we’re bracing for the one-teens down here in the Old Pueblo too, Monsoon season can’t get here soon enough….
Brian R.
@amk:
There will be elections in 2014 for both the governor’s seat and Cornyn’s Senate seat.
If the state Democratic Party has any brains, they’ll run Wendy Davis for governor and Julian Castro for Senate. (Davis has already declined interest in the U.S. Senate seat and, while that might change, I think she has her heart set on a statewide office that keeps her in Texas for the time being.)
Both of them would be amazing candidates on their own, but they’d each mobilize a different key constituency (women, Hispanics) and bring out voters from different parts of the state (DFW, San Antonio) for a fucking tidal wave. And the down-ticket impact for state legislature seats would be impressive as well, especially with so many Republicans wearing this abortion vote on their backs.
raven
@Botsplainer, fka Todd: Obama just said he wasn’t scrambling any jets to get a 29 year old hacker!
Poopyman
@Brian R.: I like your analysis, but the qualifier up front bothers me, because if I were a betting man ….
Cassidy
@Brian R.: This seems like the best course of action and I sorely hope I’m worng about Texas from the other night. If a Democratic takeover can happen, that would be amazing.
Baud
@raven:
“No jets” means drones!
Poopyman
@raven: Yeah, but any word on whether the Confederate Air Force is scrambling?
Litlebritdifrnt
It was really amazing to watch MJ this morning when Dee Dee Myers (I think) was trying to make a point that the demonstrations in Texas were not so much about abortion but about a bunch of old men telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies and women are fed up with it. Scarboro then perfectly made her point when he shouted her down and wouldn’t let her finish the thought. Mika of course sat by and let him do it.
Baud
@Brian R.:
How are these candidates chosen in Texas? If it’s a primary, then I would hope these two would be able to win their primary if we expect them to win the general election.
PeakVT
@Brian R.: I think this is a good idea even if they don’t have much chance of winning – which in 2014 I don’t think they do. It often takes a couple of cycles to transform a state, and it will happen sooner if the Dems don’t run placeholders or corporate-friendly hacks in the interim.
Baud
@raven:
According to TPM, “Obama actually got Snowden’s age wrong, but only barely. The NSA leaker turned 30 last Friday.”
So expect about 50,000 comments and tweets on the tubes today about how Obama would scramble jets to get a 30 year old hacker.
WaterGIrl
@Botsplainer, fka Todd: I was kind of MIA for a few days. I haven’t even been watching chris hayes. What did I miss related to snowden? If you have a minute, maybe you could fill in whatever happened in the past few days? Also, is the comment about greenwald related to whatever it was that I missed, or just general dislike?
Edit: not just being lazy. had a huge tree fall on my house, deck, yard and fence a few weeks ago, and it’s all i can do to deal with all of that, not too much time for googling.
PeakVT
Related: Wonkette totally rips the NYT for barely mentioning Davis in an article about the filibuster episode.
amk
@Brian R.: Now you’re talking. But will the dnc/dscc dolts listen ?
Brian R.
@Baud:
Primaries.
And if they both run, the party should be able to line up behind them. There aren’t any other heavyweights declared for either race yet.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@JGabriel:
Wunderground is predicting 102 for SoCal’s San Gabriel Valley this weekend.
MomSense
@WaterGIrl:
Hi WaterGirl, how are you doing? I hope that you and the dog and cats are all well. I can imagine that dealing with the tree is a nightmare. Pace yourself!!
Botsplainer, fka Todd
@WaterGIrl:
Highlights –
Snowden is stuck in the transit zone at Sheremyetevo. Ecuador is slow playing his asylum request (he’s not a man of means like Assange, so someone will have to support him), and Putin expressed a preference that he move on, somewhere, anywhere. That’s difficult to do without a passport.
At the same time, Garzon (the wikileaks megalomaniac former judge) said he won’t be representing him, thus leaving him with his non-lawyer legal advisor, who doubles as the wikileaks PR rep.
Further analysis shows that he is a bog-standard right wing Paulite on economics, race and guns.
As all this went down, America’s Least Competent Lawyer (he’s in a neck and neck competition with Orly Taitz) is suffering his own scrutiny, which includes both a stake in porno that ended in dispute and a shitton of aged debt which has metastasized using the magic power of interest to an as yet uncalculated sum. Judging by age and type, I’d estimate between 500K and 800K. Plus, he doesn’t like paying taxes.
The timeline on the Asshole Without a Country and Greenwald are suspect, as he apparently hired on to BoozAllen to grab and leak data, which he previously stated that people should be “shot in the balls” for.
amk
@PeakVT: Excellent takedown of grey lady. Finally, they did some correction. sorta.
handsmile
@Litlebritdifrnt:
But the poor beleaguered blowhard was just trying to get one question answered. Fortunately his frat buddies, Dancin’ Dave and Mr. Matalin were happy to agree that the “Media” only puts a “halo” around pro-choice activists, never anti-choice ones.
It never occurred to any of the assembled worthies to mention that bombings and murders of abortion providers by anti-choice activists might have something to do with Joe’s concocted grievance. Both sides don’t do it.
Watching that show will actually make one stupider.
Litlebritdifrnt
@handsmile:
True, but then again I used to watch GMA until it went “all celebrity gossip all the time”. At least MJ sticks to politics for the most part.
lol
@amk:
The DSCC, DCCC and DGA help those who help themselves. Candidates who can’t raise money and think the nationals will bail them out are in for a bad election night. Raising lots of money doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a good candidate but not being able to raise money is usually a huge sign that you’re not making a serious time commitment to the campaign. Even terrible horrible crazy no-chance-of-winning candidates can raise insane sums of money simply by trying.
In Davis’ case, she’ll have EMILY’s List to help her get over that initial hurdle.
Brian R.
@handsmile:
Golly, I wonder if that has something to do with the simple fact that the pro-choice activists don’t have a lengthy track record of assassinations, bombings, and intimidation like the anti-choice ones do?
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@handsmile: Yeah, it would be nice if someone asked Joe how many churches have been protested and bombed for being antiabortion clinics.
lol
@Botsplainer, fka Todd:
I thought it was pretty funny that Greenwald transitioned from smugly noting that he’s been “working with” Snowden long before any of those Lamestream Media types at WaPo started talking to him to protesting “I didn’t know nothing about anything about whoever this guy is!” for that pre-Booz Allen era.
GregB
@Brian R.:
The GOP may be entering a bad period where every single issue that they once used to rally a winning voting coalition works against them.
jibeaux
I’ll be reading these amazon reviews….
Botsplainer, fka Todd
@Belafon (formerly anonevent):
It would be fun to watch him defend the folks from his former CD. Didn’t Paul Hill live there?
lol
@jibeaux:
That 1 star review is hilarious.
JGabriel
Joseph Nobles:
TPM:
DAMN, that was quick.
To be fair, I don’t know if the new map changes Wendy Davis’s district, but it seems likely.
PeakVT
@amk: Sorta, lamely, after being shamed. Better than nothing, I suppose.
@jibeaux: Lulz.
Botsplainer, fka Todd
@lol:
He was a shitty lawyer who couldn’t make a living, which is clearly the reason why he transitioned to pundit. Thing is, his victim (Snowden) may have relied on some of his interpretations of law, and like the clients of Orly Taitz, wound up with a ruined life.
RaflW
Already on my agenda for late last evening: giving Wendy’s campaign a hundred bucks.
I graduated from TCU, which is in her (current) Ft. Worth district, albiet nearly 30 years ago…
I lived in Austin when Ann Richards was governor and Molly Ivins was doing her best to kick politicians in the balls, so I’d be just thrilled to have someone like Wendy take the Gov’s office.
handsmile
@Litlebritdifrnt:
Living in the NYC media market, I’m fortunate to have access to broadcasts by both Al-Jazeera and the BBC, so those provide the initial barrage of the overnight horrors. I don’t recall where you live, but should those networks be available in your area I’d encourage you to consider viewing them.
I do occasionally click onto the Morning Joe frat party to be reminded about how “liberal” MSNBC is and I’m rarely disappointed. From what I understand, Roger Ailes’ network also “sticks to politics for the most part.” However, that conception of “politics” is simply radically different and insignificant to my own.
Higgs Boson's Mate
Will you people stop picking on Orly Taitz? She’s a lawyer, she’s a dentist. Who else can offer you two painful experiences in the same office visit?
Brian R.
@GregB:
Better yet, as the tide turns, their base is going to scream ever more loudly for a recommitment to these culture wars issues, which will only speed their party’s demise.
Go ahead, dumbshits. Cling to your fucking guns and your version of religion.
Brian R.
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
She’s a floor wax, she’s a dessert topping.
Botsplainer, fka Todd
Another thought on Snowden and why he doesn’t seem to be getting much love, is he doesn’t have much that is useful. Great power espionage these days is not as intense s it was 1930-1990. Unlike the Philby-Burgess cabal who brought out good stuff and were owed by the Soviets, and the the Soviet defectors who came West and were owed by the West, very little of what he had was of value. Sure, he may have an encrypted NOC list, but in a low intensity environment, it ain’t worth much – particularly when so many of the names are working AfPak and the third world where many of the great powers’ interests converge on the issues.
It’s kinda like the plot of Burn After Reading.
NonyNony
@Botsplainer, fka Todd:
To be fair – from what we’ve seen of Snowden so far it seems fairly likely that he was capable of ruining his life all on his own.
beergoggles
How many times can the TX governor reconvene the legislature? Is she going to keep filibustering each time?
Each time I see a Dem doing this I hate Harry Reid even more for not forcing the Repubs to have to string together their crazy for each of their filibusters.
Steeplejack
@Botsplainer, fka Todd:
Starbursts?
JGabriel
Botsplainer, fka Todd:
Greenwald was a New York litigation attorney specializing in constitutional and civil rights issues who made enough money that he could basically retire to Brazil and pursue writing:
Apparently Greenwald’s still a named partner. Love him or hate him (I’m ambivalent), that’s pretty much the opposite of “couldn’t make a living” at it.
Face
All of this is for naught, as Gubbnah Dick Perry is calling for another special session. Pretty sure they wont let a filibuster ruin their day again.
Texas….where small dicks cause their owners to be enormous dicks.
Cassidy
@Face: That’s okay. The last one and the live feed caused enough exposure that everything they will now do to make it worse will 1) only increase her popularity and 2) dig the hole deeper. This is now a losing fight for them, no matter what.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@beergoggles: He can call them as often as he wants. They last 30 days, and the governor gets to choose what the session will focus on.
This bill will pass. The people in Austin stalled the bill, but they didn’t kill it. What they did was show that Democrats can fight. And we will need to fight.
Us Texans – we will need lots of help from others – will have to make sure that this session is the last one Perry and other Republicans are in office for.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@Face:
Every person you saw on YouTube in the capitol the other night knew that they were just stalling the legislation. Even Wendy Davis knew that. But what we got was the idea that Democrats could fight.
And Republicans will do everything they can to keep a hold on their power. It’s going to be nasty.
Violet
Just love Wendy Davis. Love her! So glad to see a Democrat willing to stand up and fight, especially in Texas. I hope she runs for statewide office too! Just in case anyone wants to send her a little support of the financial kind, her website has a Donate button in bright red on it.
PeakVT
@beergoggles: It’s not just Reid (or even Reid at all, since I not certain he is opposed now). There were not 50 votes for major reform of the filibuster at the beginning of the session, and I don’t think there are now.
amk
@beergoggles: harry is a wimp.
JGabriel
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
Wow, she’s like a dominatrix without the disturbing sex appeal.
scav
The Media also drops issues that are inconvenient and not currently flashy. This helps push the still-continued actions against women’s rights back towards the spotlight nationally. Nosy delaying tactics can be multi-functional.
SatanicPanic
@JGabriel: Jeezus, that’s miserable heat. I never knew it got that hot in Bishop.
RobertDSC-iPhone 4
I like that picture of her.
ricky
Wendy Davis a courageous hero? Well, if you overlook the fact that she was chosen by the Senate Democrats to be the one who filibustered, maybe. It made sense to pick her because of her gender and life experience. Under Texas Senate rules, only one member can filibuster. Like a basketball player whose coach picks a play designed to put the ball in her hands before the buzzer goes off, she gets the shot at glory. Unlike basketball, she doesn’t have to make the bucket for some to consioder the effort heroic.
Poopyman
@JGabriel: And you’ll need the nitrous oxide for her legal opinions.
Another Halocene Human
@amk: I think he wants national office. US Senator, for starters.
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
@ricky: And you don’t pick the guy at the end of the bench to make the one shot you need to win. You pick the person you know has the best chance of making it. They’re the hero because the are already what is needed to be a hero.
You must be an awesome dad. “Well son, I know you did well, but you realize, if you’d just been born 3 months later, you wouldn’t have been part of this grade, and well, you never know what chance you would have had in the grade below.”
Another Halocene Human
@Alien Radio: veto power, baby
probably not a lot of people lining up b/c GOP has a supermajority, but someone who is willing to be an activist will show a lot of discouraged non-voters in the state that it’s possible to win things, and you just go from there. It’s tough work and requires patience.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@ricky:
Let me know when you can go 13 hours standing up without taking a break or a pee.
Cassidy
@Higgs Boson’s Mate: There’s always one.
amk
@ricky: Idjit.
handsmile
@beergoggles:
Note that only 26 Democratic Senators – less than half the current caucus – signed a letter to Wendy Davis to thank her for her filibuster efforts in Texas:
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/26-senators-send-letter-thanking-texas-sen-wendy
Happily both of my Senators (even Schumer, proly cuz he’s good on gesture if rarely substance) signed the letter.
As PeakVT noted above (#76), “it’s not just Reid.” (And his recent remarks on filibuster reform due to on-going GOP obstruction of judicial and executive branch appointments do seem encouraging – albeit in a “Lucy and the football” sort of way.)
But as Senate majority leader, Reid was instrumental this past January in sidelining the Merkely-Udall “talking filibuster” reform proposal and advancing the far weaker (i.e., ineffectual) McCain-Levin filibuster “reform” package.
piratedan
@JGabriel: I dunno,. from what I understand, he still has some outstanding bills with the IRS(low six figures is the number I’ve seen posted @ LGF) and he’s currently suspended from the bar for not paying his professional dues…
Another Halocene Human
@Brian R.: please, let this happen, I hope FSM loves us enough, even if there aren’t too many noodles per se in texmex food
I think Hinojosa is trying to make this happen. He seems sincere. And then the game is about voter registration and GOTV.
piratedan
@Higgs Boson’s Mate: or a drink of water or even lean on anything. The R’s were there to monitor her, not to listen to her. The Lt. Governor himself is a heinous pious POS.
Another Halocene Human
@Baud: Texas is a huge state. If they’re going to run they’ll need money lined up before the primary. Also, having the promise of strong candidates lifts all boats with the state party, and will synergize with other efforts to get people registered D.
ricky
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
Well clearly I didn’t go thirteen hours without peeing on your notion of what constitutes heroism by simply pointing out the fact that Davis’s role was simply taking the point in a team effort.
I guess that merits the courageous comment attacking me as a father by non-event.
Another Halocene Human
@Brian R.: I wonder if she was abused as a child.
It’s either that or bipolar. And I don’t think it’s bipolar. Between the multiple degrees and fanaticism, it’s like her whole life is devoted to running away from something (that something being herself, since she has somaticized the pain and shame of the abuse).
Botsplainer
@JGabriel:
*chuckle*
Let me educate you on incompetent famewhore legal resume puffery – after 25 years in this business, I’m decent at it.
He graduated law school in 1994 and went to work for a generic commercial transaction and litigation firm that served Wall Street. As a baby associate at a white shoe business firm, he did contract revisions and research on briefs and motions, but wouldn’t have been trained in any of the mechanics of initiating and sustaining litigation (the administrative requirements of suit filing, how to get discovery rolling, how to find a court reporter to schedule a depo, how to economically do motions for reconsideration, etc.). As far as the courthouse was concerned, if he didn’t have a GPS, he wouldn’t have gotten there on his own; his courthouse trips would be those of a drone, sitting cluelessly behind a partner or senior associate who made arguments.
In the nineties, anybody go out and hang a shingle without a fee or could form “their own firm” as a PC for a filing fee of $40.00; I think that has gone up to $50.00. Of course, you could lease some office space or sublet off an existing firm for not a lot of money, and basic word processing has always been cheap. In New York, there would be the bonus of a surplus of law libraries, so he wouldn’t have had to spend anything ther. Those who came from some money could afford better space and amenities.
As to the constitutional law thing, two things come to mind. The first is that any lawyer can call themselves a constitutional and civil rights lawyer while really sucking at it. Also, most of the time, those things don’t pay well at all, and when they do pay, it is over an arduous course. For me, the thing I noticed most was his undertaking on Gluteus Maximus Matthew Hale, something which demonstrated atrocious judgment from both the knowledge of legal economics angle and the knowledge of constitutional law angle. I remember when that thing was going on and thinking “what a fucking douchebag – he’s just not getting it on the purpose of the character and fitness reviews”. Later, when he was shitting all over the victims of Hale’s shooters, my negative opinion was reinforced.
At 10 years, a competent litigator is just coming into the knowledge that he needs to control his cases and present them coherently, and is the time when practice is the most fun. Conversely, mediocre talent punches out at the 8-10 year mark – they see their friends and peers succeeding materially and professionally, and try and move on to something that they feel more skilled at. AAfter all, it is a big investment in time and money, and can’t be shucked on a whim. Quitting at 10 years makes about as much sense as quitting a governorship halfway in, if you’re actually good at it.
Interestingly, Greenwald Christophe has no website beyond a bare Findlaw listing. That doesn’t scream “prosperity” or “ongoing partner draws” to me.
Another Halocene Human
@Botsplainer, fka Todd: You’re right. The US and USSR spent enormous resources chasing useless leads (like the CIA investigating paranormal powers, or the Soviets buying worthless nuclear intel) because of the high degree of paranoia. Each side didn’t know what the other side knew and they acted as if their lives depended on it.
Case in point, a Soviet spy plane came down and into US hands after the transistor revolution and they discovered that the Soviets were using vacuum tubes. Such was the paranoia that the fizz kids asked the pocket protector brigades what possible utility the old vaccy tubes could have over transistors and all the eggheads could come up with was, well, during an EMP (caused by a nuclear bomb going off), a transistor would fail but a vacuum tube would not. Aha! So the spooks had the US go back to vacuum tubes because OBVIOUSLY the super-advanced Soviets knew something they didn’t.
That level of paranoia is simply not present today in US-Russian relations.
Another Halocene Human
@JGabriel: Greenwald was a New York litigation attorney specializing in constitutional and civil rights issues
who made enough money that he could basically retire to Brazil and pursue writing:who extorted former business partners to GRQ and dodged enough bills that he was able to scrape up the dosh to fly to Brazil where his creditors and the taxman would have a tough time collecting.eemom
@Botsplainer:
Effin word, and thanks for saying it so I don’t have to AGAIN.
The biggest joke of the many Glennzie has pulled on his braindead groupie fanbase over the years is that he’s an experienced or successful “constitutional lawyer.”
“Because I could” is because he’s a fucking trust fund baby. Insufferable asshole.
The Raven on the Hill
Davis for President in 2020!
JGabriel
Botsplainer: Fair enough, that’ll teach me not to trust wikipedia.
Seriously, though, I didn’t know most of that. Do you any links?
Origuy
@Another Halocene Human: Not the same level, although assuming a certain level of paranoia from Russians is usually a safe bet. It seems to be a cultural trait. I agree, though, that if the Russians thought Snowden had anything really useful, he wouldn’t be cooling his heels in Sheremetyevo. They would find a way to let him into the country, and he would be a guest at the Lubyanka. It may not be the HQ of the KGB any more, but it’s still not a friendly place.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@ricky:
You denigrated her achievement. The goddamn team wasn’t standing there beside her for 13 hours.
Courageous comment? You obviously don’t know what courage is.
Ted & Hellen
We’re still sorely lacking that kind of Democratic leadership in Washington D.C. too.
Obama and Reid should be taking notes, but more likely they’re considering ways to stop this amazing woman from continuing to make them look by comparison like the sackless wonders they are.
slag
@jibeaux: Seeing those reviews on a site named Amazon, I just kept thinking…”Wonder Woman!”
I liked Wendy Davis a lot. She was direct, honest, and quite frankly, brilliant in her speech. Not grandstanding or overblown. In that sense, she did a much better job than some of our other progressive heroes might have done in similar circs.
That said, my favorites of the evening were the two Democratic men who were playing dusky-hued Statler and Waldorf to the chair’s Sam the Eagle. Loved how they tag-teamed him, re-running him through the order of events and repeatedly, good-naturedly nudging him to go back to the tape. The chair couldn’t find a good way to maneuver around them, so eventually, he just pretended like they didn’t exist. I laughed and laughed.
ricky
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
I am not denigrating Senator Davis, but I will denigrate those who falsely elevate her.
I served as a staff manager for two filibusters in the Texas Senate, one of which more than doubled the time Davis spent on her feet and the other of which well exceeded it. And while not on my feet in one place and talking myself, I was awake throughout, orchestrating the materials used by both the filibustering Senator and those sympathetic members called to assist, and coordinating the schedules so they would be there as was necessary for a filibuster which goes all night and into the next day. Because of that experience I was called upon to assist other Senate staffs when their members decided to launch a talkathon.
I have a great deal of respect for the physical toll the action takes on the member who engages in a filibuster. I have greater respect for the conviction in a cause which usually motivates a member to do so. I also know they are rarely effective in doing anything other than raising the profile of the
member. Ms. Davis and her colleagues did not yet stop the bad abortion bill from becoming law. They delayed it.
Whether than translates into future political gain both remains to be seen and can never be proven or disproven.
I know what courage is. I also suspect you don’t know your cabeza from your culo when it comes to real politics and real legislative bodies.
ET
Did anyone see the other day that CNN is bringing back Crossfire? And guess who is going to be on it.
Newt Gingrich S.E. Cupp, Stephanie Cutter, and Van Jones.
johnny aquitard
@Poopyman:
Not necessary. Her legal opinions evoke fits of uncontrollable laughter all on their own.
Fred
I want to have Wendy Davis’ love child.
AxelFoley
@Ted & Hellen:
Don’t you have some pre-teen boys to molest?