Three days old now but I didn't know if you guys/gals saw this (preach on, Brother Cummings):

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/09/2 ... hypocrisy#

Republican Ben Carson has started a petition calling on the IRS to target the nation's largest Muslim advocacy group.

The retired neurosurgeon accused the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Thursday of violating its nonprofit tax status in a Facebook message. Carson said the organization "brazenly violated IRS rules" when it called last month for him to leave the 2016 presidential race.

"Under the Obama administration, the IRS has systematically targeted conservative nonprofit groups for politically motivated audits and harassment," Carson wrote. "The agency should now properly do its job and punish the real violators of America's laws and regulations."

GOP......

Chaffetz's committee handles the PP hearing in ham handed fashion. He personally produces a chart that is held up for national ridicule. Then a few days later he launches a bid for speaker. Big week.

who would he even take votes from

whoever he was voting for before he entered, well vote anyways.

pacino wrote:who would he even take votes from

I guess in the wake of McCarthy putting his foot in his mouth a bit with the Benghazi comments, there's an appetite among the anti-status quo folks for more of a fight over the speakership. Seemed like they were willing to accept McCarthy and fight over the leader and whip positions initially. The only person who had stepped forward so far was Webster from Florida who doesn't have any real constituency within the House GOP. Chaffetz, as a committee chairman, at least has some leadership cred.

He is super ambitious - he beat a sitting GOP congressman to win his house seat and seriously considered primarying Orrin Hatch last go-around before realizing he'd lose. I don't think he has anything close to the standing within the caucus to take on McCarthy head to head, but maybe he's banking on McCarthy being more weakened than he appears and then emerging as an acceptable alternative. I don't really get how 'Not Kevin McCarthy' would become Chaffetz though. I'd guess Price or someone else who's already running for leadership or one of the big names from the right side of the caucus (Hensarling, Jordan, etc.) would run if McCarthy could actually lose. Most likely he thinks this is a move with limited downside, and he's throwing his name out there so next time there is a leadership contest he's one of the talked about people.

jerseyhoya wrote:[Chaffetz] is super ambitious....

Kind of reckless too. PP CEO owned him on that chart and his associated tall-tale "facts", which he almost eagerly walked back. The few times I've heard him making public remarks, it seems like he was only too happy to allege any cockamamie thing in support of rightwing dogma.

More politically surefooted than McCarthy, though (of course that's not saying much)

Depends what you mean by politically sure footed. McCarthy knows how make deals and protect his caucus and pass legislation and raise money and recruit candidates and keep most of the different parts of the House GOP caucus happy. Chaffetz is better on TV.

did we talk about this?

http://www.salon.com/2015/10/02/jeb_bus ... f_happens/

“We’re in a difficult time in our country and I don’t think more government is necessarily the answer to this, I think we need to reconnect ourselves with everybody else,” Bush offered in response to a question about the shooting.

“But I resist the notion—and I had this challenge as governor—because we had—look, stuff happens, there’s always a crisis. And the impulse is always to do something and it’s not necessarily the right thing to do.”

Bush doubled-down on his remarks when he was pressed by New York Magazine’s Ryan Lizza, denying that he had misspoken when he referred to America’s latest mass shooting as “stuff happens.”

“No, it wasn’t a mistake. I said exactly what I said. Why would you explain to me what I said wrong? Things happen all the time—things—is that better?” Bush said defensively.

you start

jerseyhoya wrote:".. protect his caucus

uhmmm, that's just what he didn't do. In fact he sort of set a good portion of it on fire

and pass legislation

now you're just being silly

and raise money

no doubt of this, that's all he's there for

and recruit candidates

see "set them on fire" comment

and keep most of the different parts of the House GOP caucus happy

because there's probably a thousand thirteen different special little parts of the GOP caucus beyond the rabid teapotters, birthers, jingoists, anti-immigrationists, voter-suppressionists, anti-choiceists and god knows what allists to keep happy. Which of those factions is Trey Gowdy a member of? Because he can't be happy

Chaffetz is better on TV.

you mean in front of people who might cast votes? Yeah, you're right, that's irrelevant to Republican politics

John Boehner isn't good on TV, and there are 247 Republicans in the House.

jerseyhoya wrote:John Boehner isn't good on TV, and there are 247 Republicans in the House.

Are you going for the mother of all non sequiturs here? As I understand it, his current official role in the US House of Representatives is essentially the same as yours or mine

And anyway, regarding TV skills, Boehner makes McCarthy look like - well, another McCarthy we both hate to see on TV because he's no good at it

CalvinBall wrote:did we talk about this?

http://www.salon.com/2015/10/02/jeb_bus ... f_happens/

I'm no Jeb Bush fan, but it seems like a silly "gotcha" moment. One can certainly argue that when the same thing happens again and again, maybe legislation isn't being just reactive and a knee-jerk effort to be seen "doing something." But it's really being attacked as some sort of callous dismissal of the lives lost, and that's not really fair within the context of the interview.

Stuff happens! What can we do? just need to reconnect.


It's pretty clueless.

drsmooth wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:John Boehner isn't good on TV, and there are 247 Republicans in the House.

Are you going for the mother of all non sequiturs here? As I understand it, his current official role in the US House of Representatives is essentially the same as yours or mine

And anyway, regarding TV skills, Boehner makes McCarthy look like - well, another McCarthy we both hate to see on TV because he's no good at it

McCarthy's skill set appears to be similar to Boehner's. The House GOP has been doing pretty good with people who cast votes as there are more House Republicans now than at any other point in the past 85 years. Having someone who excels at the Sunday show circuit doesn't seem important.

Huckabee mentioned that one of the problems is gun-free zones. except this school wasn't gun-free. but, you know, stuff happens

but really, what's wrong with more background checks? what's to fear for law-abiding citizens?

The government! Don't want it in our lives unless we do.