December 11, 2014

League of Conservation Voters SILENT On HILLARY'S SILENCE On KEYSTONE XL

Here's a lesson in how to have zero impact as an advocate for the environment. When a journalist asks you why Hillary Clinton hasn't yet taken a stand on one of your top issues—the Keystone XL pipeline—don't answer with this:



That's Tiernan Sittenfeld, senior VP of government affairs for the League of Conservation Voters, and those were truly the first words out of her mouth last week during an MSNBC interview with Ed Schultz. For a little background, Hillary Clinton has attracted some negative headlines of late for failing to take a position on the Keystone XL pipeline and whether it should be approved or scrapped. MSNBC's Schultz was giving LCV a chance to weigh in on that silence. In fact, Schultz asked Sittenfeld three different times why Hillary's been so dodgy on the topic. All three times, Sittenfeld failed to pressure Clinton. At one point, Schultz, sensing Tiernan's hesitation, nearly apologized, saying, "Well, I'm not trying to get your organization to pick a fight with Hillary Clinton, but I think it needs to be profoundly pointed out that if you're concerned about the environment, how can you be for Keystone?"


This is a lesson in inside-the-Beltway groups and what I call access advocacy—when access comes first and advocacy comes second. All Beltway groups do it: the Human Rights Campaign for LGBTs, the National Council of La Raza for immigration, LCV for the environment. All of them are prone to sacrificing advocacy in pursuit of access. Because having the president of the United States (or perhaps the next president) come speak at your fundraiser pays off big. Literally. It's great for an organization's bottom line. HRC, for instance, welcomed Obama to their annual gala in both 2009 and 2011. NCLR did the same in 2011. LCV did it earlier this year.


And so it starts all over again with Hillary. This is a real problem because it's not at all clear that Clinton will have formidable primary opponents to mitigate her centrist tendencies. So getting Clinton to make progressive policy pronouncements for which she could be held accountable if elected president will be up to the progressive groups. The DREAMers are currently doing this better than just about any other activists right now. They confronted Clinton on the 2014 campaign trail several times, pressuring her on her commitment to taking executive action on immigration. She never answered. But she's been put on notice and that is certainly generating conversation among her and her aides.





cont'


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/10/1350613/-League-of-Conservation-Voters-silent-on-Hillary-s-silence-on-Keystone-XL

December 11, 2014

NOT JUST Liberal Dems Back Warren: Sen. Manchin Opposes Treasury Nom

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) added his name to the list of senators agreeing with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) in opposition to Lazard banker Antonio Weiss for undersecretary of the Treasury for domestic policy. Manchin announced his opposition in a speech on Wednesday afternoon.




Manchin's announcement follows Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) earlier in the day also announcing her opposition to Weiss.




Sens. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) also oppose Weiss.

Arguably, Warren has been the loudest opponent of Weiss, who was nominated by the Obama administration. Warren argues that Weiss's background at Lazard and his involvement in the corporate tax inversion merger between Tim Horton's and Burger King proves that he would just be the latest banker to benefit from the revolving door between Washington D.C. and Wall Street.




http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/joe-manchin-elizabeth-warren-oppose-antonio-weiss

December 10, 2014

Elizabeth Warren BLASTS Wall Street SWEETHEART DEAL In Spending Bill

Republicans planning another future looting................



Sen. Elizabeth Warren is not happy about the plan to weaken regulation of big banks that Republicans managed to insert in the spending bill. She's so not happy, in fact, that she's calling on Democrats to oppose the overall bill unless that provision is removed:





We've seen that one before, and it led to a giant economic crash. You might remember it. Shoot, you might still be unemployed after losing your job as a result of it. Congressional Democrats are right to want to pass a bill to keep the government open. But that doesn't mean Republicans should be able to get any old terrible thing they ask for and set our economy up for further domination by Wall Street.



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/10/1350800/-Elizabeth-Warren-blasts-Wall-Street-sweetheart-deal-in-spending-bill

December 10, 2014

CALLS GROW For Dick Cheney and George W. Bush To Be PROSECUTED FOR TORTURE

A top international official is calling for the criminal prosecution of top members of the Bush administration for torture and other war crimes. United Nations Special Rapporteur on counter terrorism and human rights, Ben Emmerson called for prosecutions of former Bush administration officials at the highest levels,






The prosecutions would involve the highest levels of the Bush administration. Former CIA directors, Dick Cheney, and maybe even former President Bush. The CIA may have misled the Bush administration about the severity of the tactics, but it was the Bush administration that set up a torture program that was a clear violation of international law. The odds of the Bush administration officials being turned over for prosecution are zero, but those who have referred to the Bush administration as war criminals have new justifications for their claims.




cont'

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/12/09/calls-grow-dick-cheney-george-w-bush-prosecuted-torture.html

December 9, 2014

Key Takeaway From Torture Report: DICK CHENEY IS A DIRTY, STINKING LIAR

Former Vice President Dick Cheney, in 2011, peddling one of his favorite claims in defense of torture:







And today, from the initial release on the torture report:








http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/12/09/1350473/-Key-takeaway-from-torture-report-Dick-Cheney-is-a-dirty-stinking-liar

December 9, 2014

Senate Report Says TORTURE PROGRAM MORE GRUESOME, Widespread Than CIA Claimed

WASHINGTON -- The Senate Intelligence Committee on Tuesday released the highly anticipated 500-page summary of its report on the CIA’s post-9/11 torture program, providing a sobering glimpse into one of the darkest chapters in the U.S. government's history. In the report, a product of a 5-year investigation, Senate investigators reveal sordid details of the systemic and individual failures by the agency personnel who ran the "enhanced interrogation program" -- the government's euphemism for systematic torture -- during the George W. Bush administration. The program involved capturing terrorism suspects and shipping them to secret overseas prisons, where they were subjected to techniques such as waterboarding.


The CIA's program has long been criticized as un-American and a chilling departure from the nation’s values. Opponents allege that it resulted in gross abuses and inhumane treatment of detainees, some of whom were eventually revealed not to have been involved in terror organizations. The 6,300-page report may be the most unsanitized official account to date of the agency’s program, which the Senate investigators say was mismanaged, poorly conducted and characterized by abuses far more widespread than the CIA previously conveyed to lawmakers.


The newly released document tears apart the CIA's past claims that only a small number of detainees were subjected to the harsh interrogation techniques. The agency has said it held fewer than 100 detainees and subjected fewer than one-third of those to controversial tactics such as waterboarding. But Senate investigators found that the CIA had actually kept 119 detainees in custody, 26 of whom were illegally held. And despite CIA insistence that the program was limited in scope, Senate investigators conclude that the use of torture was much more widespread than previously thought.


The study reveals several gruesome instances of torture by mid-level CIA officers who participated in the program, including threats of sexual violence using a broomstick and the use of "rectal hydration" in instances of harsh interrogations that lasted for days or weeks on end. And, contrary to the agency's prior insistence that only three detainees were subject to waterboarding, the Senate report suggests it was likely used on more detainees. The report cites the presence of materials typically used for waterboarding being present at certain "blacksites," or secret prisons, where the agency had previously said waterboarding was not used.





cont'


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/senate-cia-report_n_6270138.html

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December 9, 2014

LOL!! - McConnell Says He's 'ALMOST CERTAINLY' BACKING RAND PAUL In 2016

LOL........Turtle helps Clown to become president.........


Incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Monday says he's likely to endorse Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) if he runs for president in 2016. In an interview on CNN’s "The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer," reporter Dana Bash asked McConnell directly if he'd endorse Paul for the White House. “I'm almost certainly going to be doing that at some point,” McConnell said. It’s the latest sign that the two men have made strides in repairing their relationship since 2010, when McConnell endorsed Paul’s GOP rival in the Senate primary. Paul campaigned heavily for McConnell this year, helping him to defeat Alison Lundergan Grimes to win reelection.





McConnell has already endorsed Paul in his reelection campaign for the Senate. Paul says that he hasn’t made his mind up yet about a potential presidential run. He says he’s weighing family considerations, and will gauge whether the public would be receptive to his candidacy. Paul is expected to announce his decision sometime in the spring. If he runs, he’ll enter as a top contender in what could be a crowded field with potential candidates like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Gov. Chris Christie (N.J.).


LOL.......a moron amongst a field of 'morans' ........




http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/226386-mcconnell-says-hell-likely-back-paul-for-president

December 8, 2014

Perhaps The BEST WAY For Democrats To WIN In Elections Is To "CLEAN HOUSE " First

Addition by Subtraction


Howie Klein had a good post-mortem of the Landrieu debacle which confirmed something I've suspected. Perhaps the best way for Democrats to win elections is to "clean house" first — to eliminate money-compromised corporatists and neoliberal privatizers from leadership positions and diminish their numbers so that progressives can control the party's direction and policies. In other words, perhaps the way to win elections is to "win the caucus" first. After all, the corporate Democrats sure look like they care more about "winning the caucus." I wrote about that here, and there's more evidence below. Consider these thoughts from Klein's piece, starting with his opening paragraphs (my emphasis and some reparagraphing):



Democratic voters again showed they don't want corporate Democrats in office, which hands wins to Republicans. More and more it seems entirely likely — it's at least worth considering — that to defeat Republicans, we have to take control of the party first and remove bought "leaders" who are electorally weaker than we are. Because more and more, electoral losses are on them and not on us. For example (again from Klein's piece):

"...As we've pointed out, Blue Dogs and New Dems-- the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- were the big losers in this past cycle. With just one or two exceptions (and in red-leaning districts) progressives kept their seats and won open seats.

Ted Lieu (CA-33) is a good example. Henry Waxman with a well-financed conservative opponent in 2012 had a close call (54-46%). But Lieu never deviated an inch from his cutting edge progressive values-- his first ad was about his legislation reigning in unconstitutional domestic spying-- and, although Adelson and his allies dumped close to a million dollars in media smears against him, Ted beat the Adelson candidate 59.2% to 40.8% with the biggest turn-out of any of L.A.'s congressional districts..."

Above Klein compares Lieu's electoral results to Waxman's in the same district. Then he compares Lieu's results to California Assemblyman Muratsuchi's, whose Assembly district lies within Lieu's congressional district. Again, this is a straight-up progressive-to-corporate comparison:

"...What makes this even more interesting is that, Al Muratsuchi, the conservative Democratic Assembly incumbent in AD66, a part of the congressional district that Ted did really well in (his South Bay home turf), campaigned as a Republican-lite candidate and lost to a Republican, breaking the Democrats' 2/3s supermajority in the Assembly.

Democrats have a 40.4- 32.6% registration advantage in the Assembly district, which stretches from Manhattan Beach to the Palos Verdes Peninsula and east to Carson and Gardena, and Jerry Brown was in the district campaigning for Muratsuchi. Obama won the district against Romney 54.2- 43.2%. Muratsuchi only managed 49.7%..."

Klein offers other examples as well, including the fact that a corporatist will set up the party's "Post Mortem" committee. (That committee will include the ultimate corporatist, Google's Eric Schmidt.) The lesson of these examples is clear. In today's electoral climate, progressives mainly win and corporate Democrats mainly lose. (Muratsuchi's loss just cost the Democrats their super-majority in the CA Assembly.) Yet as seems more and more obvious, corporate Democrats in leadership positions would rather keep Money happy than keep voters happy, and it's costing the party at the booth.





cont'


http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/12/addition-by-subtraction-by-gaiuspublius.html


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December 8, 2014

ANTONIO WEISS IS NOT QUALIFIED To Be Under Secretary for Domestic Finance

Antonio Weiss has been nominated by President Obama to become the next Under Secretary for Domestic Finance at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Mr. Weiss’s supporters argue that he is highly qualified for this senior fiscal policy job. They are wrong. Mr. Weiss has no known relevant qualification or experience for this position. In the organizational structure of the Treasury Department, the Under Secretary for Domestic Finance is “primarily responsible for policy formulation and overall management” at the Office of Domestic Finance – a very important role. This Office is central to our debt management policies, but the Under Secretary also guides the administration’s fiscal policies much more broadly,




Here is the detailed org chart of Domestic Finance. On paper, this Under Secretary is the third most senior official in the executive branch with regard to fiscal decision-making. Given the way the Treasury Department works, along with the position of the United States in the world economy, on a day-to-day basis, this person is effectively the number two on many budget- and debt-related issues. There is no disagreement on what Mr. Weiss has been doing for the past 20 years. Writing recently in the New York Times, Andrew Ross Sorkin said, Antonio Weiss is “a longtime adviser on mergers at the investment bank” [Lazard]. And “He has spent his career whispering strategic advice in the ears of corporate leaders.” (More detail on his career advising corporations is in the New York Times news coverage.)


Bloomberg reports his title as global head of investment banking at Lazard. For more details of the firm’s activities and clients see this Lazard page on their “M&A and Strategic Advisory” and their most recent results. You can also search the Lazard website for mentions of Antonio Weiss. Or look at Mr. Weiss’s job description, from Lazard’s press release on his March 2009 promotion to his current position. Without question, Mr. Weiss is experienced in advising companies how to buy other companies, particularly across international borders. Mr. Sorkin thinks Mr. Weiss is the right pick because, “the job requires deep experience in the capital markets and global relationships.” But Mr. Weiss’s “high profile M&A activities” are completely unrelated to the central task of this position: running responsible federal government finances. The Under Secretary for Domestic Finance does not typically buy and sell companies – or engage in any activities remotely related to advising companies on acquisitions. The treasury job requires knowledge of sovereign credit, experience with the practicalities of public debt sustainability, and an understanding of the intricacies of our national budget. From the public record and otherwise available information, Mr. Weiss has no substantial knowledge or expertise on any of these issues.

Mr. Weiss was one of 12 people who signed a paper on fiscal issues published by the Center for American Progress in 2012 (co-authored with Robert Rubin, among others). However, Mr. Weiss’s role in formulating ideas or writing that paper remains unclear. This is the only paper Mr. Weiss has written with CAP or, as far as can be determined, elsewhere on this topic (or on anything else to do with economics or public finance.) There are also no other publicly available speeches, op eds, or other writing by him on issues that might touch on the substantive duties of the Under Secretary position. Mr. Sorkin suggests that failing to immediately confirm Mr. Weiss could have serious negative implications for our national cash flow. Citing Ben White of Politico (who got this from an anonymous “Wall Street exec”), Mr. Sorkin says,

“if the interest on the securities the Treasury sells was just 20 basis points higher for a year because of uncertainty or mismanagement, it would cost taxpayers $32 billion — more than it would cost to fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau for 50 years.”

cont'

http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/27861-antonio-weiss-is-not-qualified-to-be-under-secretary-for-domestic-finance

December 8, 2014

The FLORIDA Supreme Court Is Hearing A Case That Could MAKE STAND YOUR GROUND EVEN WORSE

~snip~