Keystone Cops - government on the move

[Lamplighter]

As expected... but de GOP jes caint hep demselvs.

Override of Obama’s Keystone Veto Fails in Senate
Administration retains ultimate decision on contentious cross-border project
Wall St Journal - Amy Harder - March 4, 2015

An effort by Senate Republicans to override President Barack Obama ’s veto
of a bill approving the Keystone XL pipeline failed Wednesday,
the latest twist in a lengthy saga over the contentious project.

The 62-37 vote fell short of the required 67 yes votes needed to override Mr. Obama’s veto
of a bill that would have authorized a Canadian company to construct a 1,179-mile pipeline.

Democrats opposed to the project took to the floor before the vote to criticize
the project for its environmental risks. They also said the company behind it, TransCanada Corp. ,
faces permitting challenges in states the pipeline would traverse, which cast doubt on when
—or even if—the pipeline will be built.
<snip>
“As we vote, the pipeline’s route through Nebraska is still in doubt,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.),
who opposes the project and voted against overriding Mr. Obama’s veto.
“Even if the bill becomes law, the Keystone XL pipeline will not get built anytime soon.”

[Griff]

I was trying to remember the last time our government looked forward thinking. It's been a while, maybe 1990?

[Lamplighter]

Since Senator Menendes is a Democratic from New Jersey, this situation
presents a serious example in the question of "nature versus nurture".

I'm fairly certain that given that he, a Democrat, and Chris Christie, a Republican,
are both from NJ, it must be that nurture is the dominant operating force.

Sen. Bob Menendez Denies Wrongdoing as Feds Consider Corruption Charges
ABC News - ARLETTE SAENZ and AARON KATERSKY - Mar 6, 2015
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, is speaking out about the possibility
of facing corruption charges that may come from an investigation into whether he received gifts
from a Florida eye doctor in exchange for promoting the doctor’s business.

A federal official familiar with the case told ABC News a criminal charge is a “good possibility,”
but a decision may be weeks away. Grand juries in Miami, Florida and in Newark, New Jersey
have heard evidence against Menendez that centers on his relationship Dr. Salomon Melgen,
a close Menendez ally and Democratic donor.
…
Menendez said his close relationship with Dr. Melgen and his family dates back more than two decades.
The New Jersey senator declined to answer questions about the case due to the “ongoing inquiry.”

[Lamplighter]

Not the final, but the next step in the legal sequence...

With Bridge Case Charges, a Cloud Descends on Christie’s White House Hopes
NY Times = MICHAEL BARBARO - MAY 1, 2015

The 37-page charging document recounts a ruthless act of political retribution:
to punish a small-town mayor for refusing to endorse Mr. Christie’s 2013 re-election,
the governor’s confidants unleashed a major traffic jam that gridlocked ordinary commuters,
emergency responders and children on the first day of school.

2 Indicted in George Washington Bridge Case; Ally of Christie Pleads Guilty MAY 1, 2015

Nowhere does the indictment say Mr. Christie, a Republican, knew of the scheme or was involved in it.

Now, the growing risk for Mr. Christie is that the very belligerence that electrified voters,
the press and the Republican Party, and catapulted him into a credible contender
for the White House, may wind up putting the presidency out of his reach.

[Lamplighter]

Details of the federal indictment of Gov. Chris Christie's "acquaintances" are nicely presented in this article:

U.S. Indictment Details Plotting in New Jersey Bridge Scandal
NY Times - KATE ZERNIKE - MAY 1, 2015

Bill Baroni, Bridget Anne Kelly and David Wildstein waited for the first day of school.
They held off on telling people so their secret would not get out.
They steered cars to a cash lane, to make drivers sweat even more.
...
But an indictment released by federal prosecutors in New Jersey
on Friday fills out in more detail the specifics of how and why,
presenting the lengths three accused conspirators, aides and an ally of Gov. Chris Christie,
went to, and the delight they took, in concocting their scheme and the sham story to cover it up.

Two of the three, Mr. Baroni and Ms. Kelly, were indicted,
while the third, Mr. Wildstein, pleaded guilty.<snip>

The fed's timeline in this article seems pretty convincing.
So with trials and sentencing in the near future, it will be interesting to see
if deals are made and Christie joins this elite group.
Wildstein's attorney has already said publically that documents exist that involve Chris Christie, himself.

My political reaction is that Christie either knew, or should have known.

.

[busterb]

Hi-jack. Wonder who got rich in that cash for clunker scam? Sure didn't take around here.

[Lamplighter]

Who is Marilyn Jones Mosby ?

From Wikipedia:

Mosby was raised in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester, by her grandmother.
Her mother and father were both police officers;
her family traces its association with the police back over five generations.

She attended Dover-Sherborn High School, an hour away from her home.
She served in the Student Government Association and was co-editor of the school newspaper.

Her interest in practicing law was sparked by the murder of her 17-year-old cousin outside her home,
when he was mistakenly identified as a drug dealer and killed by another 17-year-old.

Mosby received a scholarship at Tuskegee University, Alabama,
where she studied and subsequently met her future husband Nick Mosby,
who presently serves on the Baltimore City Council.

Mosby earned her Juris Doctor degree from Boston College Law School.

Mosby served as Assistant State's Attorney for Baltimore City from 2005 to 2012.
She became a litigator for Liberty Mutual Insurance in 2012.

In 2013, she announced plans to run for State's Attorney for the city of Baltimore.
She ran against incumbent Gregg L. Bernstein in the Democratic primary.
In the Democratic primary, Mosby defeated Bernstein with 55 percent of the vote.
She faced no opposition in the general election.

I think she has all the credentials she needs to be a real powerhouse !

[Lamplighter]

Sorry, my post above went into the wrong thread.

Maybe the mods can move it to the "baltimore" thread.

[Lamplighter]

Sorry to disappoint all you folks out there on the distant right.
But hooray for those of you who were waiting breathlessly for his advice.

John Bolton will not run for president in 2016
MSNBC - 5/14/15

Bolton, who was recess-appointed to his ambassadorship by President George W. Bush
after failing to win confirmation in the Senate in 2005,
discussed the move with reporters shortly after the video went live.

According to Bolton, he will play an active outside role in the race through John Bolton PAC
and super PAC, which will focus on foreign policy, track the presidential campaign
and could run ads in Senate races. He said he has also been in conversation
with some of the 2016 presidential candidates and would offer his advice
throughout the campaign.
...

Yeah, sure.

But here come the other GOP 'stache's to take it's place.

The spitten' images of Keystone cops

[Lamplighter]

You knew it was coming....

Rick Perry announces presidential bid, joining crowded GOP field

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry made it official on Thursday,
joining the already-crowded field of candidates for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.


Perry, whose infamous “Oops” moment during the last GOP primary derailed
what had been a promising start to his 2012 campaign, announced his latest bid
at a rally inside a hot airplane hanger north of Dallas.

Below is the % of GOP's that will vote for Rick.
But, more GOP's will either not vote for any of these, or not vote at all

[Lamplighter]

One could take the high road:

The Roberts Supreme Court is on a roll.
Gay marriage, national health care and a surprising vote of support for the Fair Housing Act,
all in a couple of days.

Or one could take the low:

Hug a bigot today, they’re having a bad week

But the GOP is tunneling into it’s own morass

Supremes Hit a High Note
NY Times - Gail Collins - June 26,2015

“The Supreme Court just upheld Obamacare yet again,” said Jeb Bush in a fund-raising shout-out.
“This is the direct result of President Obama.
He deliberately forced Obamacare on the American people in a partisan and toxic way.”

Whoever actually wrote Bush’s email did a brilliant job since it,
a) manages to blame Barack Obama for a Supreme Court dominated by Republican appointees, and
b) does sort of sound like the way Jeb Bush talks.
...
Once again, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee led the field in howling,
demanding that the people “resist and reject judicial tyranny, not retreat.”
Once again we will contemplate the fact that Huckabee used to be known as the tenderhearted Republican.

Donald Trump blamed Jeb Bush for the court’s gay rights decision,
which is even more creative than Jeb Bush blaming Barack Obama for the one on health care.
...
“The only alternative left for the American people is to support an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution to reaffirm the ability of the states to continue to define marriage,”
said Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

...<snip>

[Lamplighter]

This man is planning to be the GOP nominee for President of the United States.

Bobby Jindal administration says Louisiana won't recognize gay marriage yet.
The Times Picayune - Julia O'Donoghue - June 26, 2015

Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration says gay marriage will currently not be offered or recognized in Louisiana,
but his staff acknowledged it's likely coming.
…
Local court clerks issue licenses in the other 63 parishes, but the Louisiana Clerks of Court Association
and Attorney General Buddy Caldwell both advised them Friday to wait 25 days
to begin issuing licenses to same-sex couples.

Mayor Mitch Landrieu criticized Jindal and Caldwell after couples were denied licenses in New Orleans.
"We are a nation of laws, and Louisiana is no exception.
The State has no legal authority to delay issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples even a moment longer,"
Landrieu said in a written statement.

—————————

Bobby Jindal: ‘Let’s just get rid of the court’
MSNBC - Adam Howard - 6/27/15

In the wake of Friday’s historic Supreme Court ruling on marriage equality,
Republicans did not hold back their rage
– but few politicians went as far as 2016 candidate Gov. Bobby Jindal.

The Louisiana Republican, who launched a longshot bid for the presidency last week,
suggested that the 5-4 ruling, which made same-sex marriage legal throughout the nation,
was cause for disbanding the entire Supreme Court.

Although several other 2016 GOP candidates came out in opposition to the decision,
with a few even suggesting the need for a Constitutional Amendment to overturn it,
they all stopped short of advocating for what amounts to an undemocratic insurrection.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Jindal was, is and always will be an asshole. The only reason he's running for the nomination is to increase his public speaking fee.
There's no way the money behind the party would let him be a contender. They just let him run to make the guys they want look less bad.

But to be fair, he's probably surrounded himself with yes men who are telling him half the country agrees with him, so I guess he's stupid too.
Next he'll want to punish those straight parents who produce gay babies.

[Lamplighter]

GOP Senator Ted Cruz can't help himself.




He's broken a taboo of the Senate, by calling the Senate Leader, Mitch McConnell, a LIAR !

And now his fellow GOP Senators are asking one another:
Where is Joseph Welch when you need him ?

Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last?
Have you left no sense of decency?

[xoxoxoBruce]

You mean the GOP Senators are just finding out what everybody else already knew?