Month: August 2014

Steve King admits border bill is set-up for impeachment

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impeachmentThe Rush Limbaugh of The Republic, Doug MacEachern, was pushing the GOP narrative last week that all this impeachment talk is just Democrats trying to rally their base and raise buckets of money. Dems chant: Impeach him, please!

MacEachern has never been one to let the facts get in the way of mindlessly parroting GOP talking points. Apparently he has not run across the ‘Impeachment Store’ that sells all things Impeachment (graphic).

For the love of God, will someone please buy a gold pocket watch and a cake and throw Doug a surprise retirement party — then have security escort him out of the building! This guy has degraded the value of The Republic as a credible news source for far too long.

Iowa Congressman Steve King admitted today on, where else, FAUX News Sunday, that the Tea Party Caucus non-compromise border emergency funding bill that he drafted was just a set-up for what Tea-Publicans really want: to impeach the president. It is their way of saying, “Go ahead, make my day. Take action on immigration on your own and we will file articles of impeachment.”

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Meet Steve King, the face of the GOP on immigration

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The GOP’s border emergency funding bill was crafted by Iowa’s Steve “cantaloupe calves” King and the Minnesota Loon, Michele Bachmann.  The bill is a Tea Party Caucus non-compromise which incorporates the worst of all ideas into a border bill. Rep. Steve King Praises GOP Border Bill: ‘Like I Ordered It Off The Menu”:

From cutting requested funding by 80 percent to possibly incorporating a “papers please” provision, the end result is something so odious it’s even been condemned by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, hardly a liberal band of brothers.

Roll Call reports on Rep. Steve King’s reaction:

Conservative Republicans are now more positive about the package and the process by which changes were made, with some of the earlier, harshest critics, like Rep. Steve King of Iowa, now leaning toward voting “yes.”

King said he was extremely pleased with the concessions he was able to extract from leadership.

“The changes brought into this are ones I’ve developed and advocated for over the past two years,” he told CQ Roll Call. “It’s like I ordered it off the menu.”

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Political Calendar: Week of August 3, 2014

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The Political Calendar is posted on Sundays. Please send us notice of your political events prior to the Sunday before your event (7 days would be most helpful). See the calendar icon in the right-hand column of the blog page for easy access to the calendar.

It’s time for “Take Ten” again. Take ten of your family members, neighbors, coworkers and friends to vote early,  or to the polls on election day for the primary election. It’s the power of ten.

The Citizens Clean Elections Commission debates are available online. View Replay of Candidate Debates Online.

Note: For Event Notices and Fliers, click on the “Calendar” button in the menu options above.

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Political Calendar for the Week of August 3, 2014:

Monday, August 4: President Barack Obama’s birthday (53).

Monday, August 4, Noon: Democrats of Greater Tucson luncheon, Dragon’s View Restaurant (400 N. Bonita, South of St. Mary’s Road between the Freeway and Grande Avenue, turn South at Furr’s Cafeteria), buffet lunch costs $8.50. Featured speakers are Rep. Stefanie Mach (LD 10) and Rep. Macario Saldate (LD 3) . Next Week: Rep. Rosanna Gabaldon (LD 2) and Rep. Sally Ann Gonzales (LD 3).

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Marriage Equality in the Courts of Appeal

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EqualCongress may be on recess for the next five weeks, but during this time a number of same-sex marriage cases will be heard by the Courts of Appeal.

On Wednesday, August 6, at 1:00 p.m. the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear six same-sex marriage appeals from four states. Notice to the Media (.pdf):

DeBoer, et al v. Snyder, et al, Case No. 14-1341 (E.D. Michigan)

Obergefell, et al v. Himes, et al., Case No. 14-3057 (S.D. Ohio) consolidated with Henry, et al. v. Himes, Case No. 14-3464 (S.D. Ohio)

Bourke, et al v. Beshear, et al, Case No. 14-5291 (W.D. Kentucky). consolidated with Love, et al. v. Beshear , Case. No. 14-5818 (W.D. Kentucky)

Tanco, et al. v. Haslam, Case No. 14-5297 (M.D. Tennessee)

 The Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals is dominated by conservative judges appointed by Republican presidents. So far, every court since the U.S. Supreme Court marriage decision in U.S. v. Windsor in 2013 has struck down state same-sex marriage bans as a violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. If there is a Court of Appeals panel that could go the other way and create a conflict among the circuits, it is the Sixth Circuit (and the equally conservative Fifth Circuit).

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