Credit Where Due

April 9th, 2011
by F. Grey Parker

Yesterday, I wrote a piece on the right wing's callous double standards regarding election fraud. I stand by my arguments and my critique of their tactics immediately following the apparent victory of the Democrat in Wisconsin's Supreme Court Race. Although I am not walking back any of my statements on arch-conservative John Fund's history of fear-mongering nor letting him off the hook for his still despicable April 7th WSJ column written prior to the stunning discovery of "uncounted votes" favoring the Republican, I need to make a clarification.

Mr. Fund has written a piece in today's WSJ that demands he not be grouped with the other conservatives I went on to expose as crass opportunists in the wake of the "magic vote" affair. He has very clearly stated what so many of his fellow travelers will not.

"Ms. Nickolaus {Waukesha, WI County Clerk Kathy Nickolaus} ought to resign her position out of a sense of shame. An independent investigation is called for, if for no other reason than to clear the air and to recommend procedures to ensure such errors don't happen again. Just as many Wisconsin officials have ignored or downplayed evidence of vote fraud (see the Milwaukee Police Department's 2008 detailed investigation) so too have sloppy election procedures been allowed to fester in some counties.

If the mistake was innocent, it resulted from a lack of transparency. Ms. Nickolaus has long been criticized for keeping her county's election data on private office computers that are not part of the county network. But of equal concern is her decision to no longer report the individual breakdown of results from cities in her county on her office's website. If she had, everyone could have seen that the city of Brookfield was listed as reporting that no votes had been cast. In addition, Ms. Nickolaus's office never reported what percentage of the county's vote had been counted at any point on election night.

Ms. Nickolaus still hasn't provided a full explanation of what happened, but the public deserves answers. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says she ended the prior clerk's practice of reporting election results for individual cities because it was "not her responsibility" and she didn't "have the staff to enter all the data that's required for such reporting." That is an absurd excuse. Many smaller Wisconsin counties are able to post such data on their websites and provide proper transparency."

Hear hear. I think, as he goes onto posit, it may well be true that there is no actual fraud. Perhaps, the candidate I supported with much passion has indeed legitimately lost this race. I might not like it, but that's not germane. Which was my whole point yesterday. The only reasonable American response is to shine a whole lot of light on Wisconsin. Then certify a result that is confirmed to be true. Either way.

Again, John Fund has argued for justice and fairness. I challenge all the members of the right who have been mocking calls for a full investigative review to grow up. And join him

Bachmann? Really? Okay then.

April 9th, 2011

I do sometimes find Mark McKinnon to be interesting. Less often, I find him to be incisive. But it wasn't until this morning that I found him laugh out loud, knee-slappingly funny. He has a piece that appeared in yesterday's Daily Beast which, to tell you the truth, I am not sure is meant to be taken seriously. This is because, in it, he seems to be taking Michelle Bachmann very seriously. You can read it for yourselves but here is a screencap of the sub-header in bold type

Wow. "Fire in the belly?" This may well be. However, he seems to have not taken into account the rocks in her head, the ice in her veins, or the "closed for repairs sign" that sits just outside her center of reason. Was this one of those unfortunate late-night posts about which we all feel regret at one time or another?

I have made a couple of gently glib remarks in the past week about actually wanting the Reagan vision back within the Republican party. The Gipper may have called ketchup a "vegetable." But I honestly think Bachmann would try and find a way to conflate ketchup with a "threat to our freedoms" if it might give her some momentary edge.

The journey through the looking glass continues...

Quote Of The Day

April 9th, 2011

"A creditor is worse than a slave-owner; for the master owns only your person, but a creditor owns your dignity, and can command it." -- Victor Hugo

Strange Bedfellows

April 8th, 2011

Sometimes, the truth of an issue runs way too deep to let general ideological differences or even past animosities interfere with cooperation. Last night, Judy Woodruff shone a light on a very strange limited political-partnership indeed. Ben Jealous and Grover Norquist are working together to fight for major reform of America's unfair, destructive and way too expensive penal system. No. Really.



Key points from the transcript:

Ben Jealous: So, on the one hand, we know that, for instance, drug rehab, dollar for dollar, is seven times more effective for dealing with nonviolent drug addicts, which are the bulk of people in prison, than jail or prison. On the other hand, we also know that, if you look, for instance, at the state of California, when California was known to really have the best public universities in the entire world, like in the '70s and '80s, they were spending 3 percent of their state budget on prisons and 11 percent on their colleges and universities.

Grover Norquist: And when you look at it, you're seeing a lot of people are sent to prison who perhaps ought not to be in prison, in terms of some cost-benefit analysis. And, again, we're conservatives. I think there are a bunch of people who deserve to be in prison forever. I think there are some people that deserve to be in prison for a long time. I don't get weepy about the whole idea. But we are keeping some people in prison who might be better off in drug rehabilitation or under other kinds of house arrest or other kinds of control, other than very expensive prisons.

Beyond the fact that I deeply support substantial overhaul of the corrections culture, this seems to me to be the way America is supposed to work. Put aside the differences. Get together. Move forward.

Oh, It's Different If THEY Might Have Done It

April 8th, 2011
Please CLICK HERE to petition the Justice Department to investigate "magic votes" in Wisconsin.
by F. Grey Parker
UPDATE: 4/9/2011 John Fund did the right thing today

An incredibly ugly thing happened yesterday in America. I am not explicitly referring to the discovery of "magic votes" that were previously uncounted due to "human error" in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race. That is a factor in what disturbs me, to be sure. More troubling than this potential impropriety is that the previous day's media cycle began with a coordinated series of attacks

throughout the usual conservative outlets making baseless claims of "potential fraud" by Democrats in the race. At that time, it looked like the liberal was winning.

This is the modern, post-election playbook for the American Right. If they win, even by the slimmest of margins, it is called a "mandate." Ah, but if they lose, well then they goose step to their laptops and TV cameras and imply illegitimacy. It is red meat for those who believe that Americans with whom they disagree are, well, not really American.

Prominent right wing commentator and activist John Fund fired the first shot in Wednesday's WSJ. He laid the usual groundwork for mistrust and it was widely linked to by organizations like FOX.

Some selections from his agit-prop:

"Any recount will be scrutinized for irregularities and possible vote fraud. A recount in a similarly close race in neighboring Minnesota's 2008 U.S. Senate race stretched on for months, amid charges that some counties counted absentee ballots according to different standards than others did. Al Franken, the Democrat, was eventually sworn in after pulling ahead by 315 votes. His victory gave—for a time—Senate Democrats the critical 60th vote they needed to pass ObamaCare over a potential filibuster."

Kathy Nickolaus' Shaky Presser

April 8th, 2011

Please CLICK HERE to petition the Justice Department to investigate "magic votes" in Wisconsin.

This warrants a serious investigation. Mrs. Nickolaus has a long history of questionable behavior. Many on the right think this is funny. Had these votes, which if confirmed are just over the requirement for a state funded recount under Wisconsin law, been for Kloppenburg, I don't think the right would be so gleeful. Do you?
UPDATE -This is the longer full video

Quote Of The Day - Waukesha Edition

April 8th, 2011
Please CLICK HERE to petition the Justice Department to investigate "magic votes" in Wisconsin.
In light of the questionable events in Waukesha, WI yesterday, we are trying to round up as much information on the submission of "magic votes that favor Prosser in the state's Supreme Court race as we can. There is strong and somewhat damning coverage at AlterNet.

"It is fraud to conceal fraud" - Legal Maxim

Quote Of The Day

April 8th, 2011
Please CLICK HERE to petition the Justice Department to investigate "magic votes" in Wisconsin.

"If humanity does not opt for integrity we are through completely. It is absolutely touch and go. Each one of us could make the difference." - R. Buckminster Fuller

MSNBC - Banksters & Government Exposed FINALLY by Mainstream News!

April 7th, 2011

We've held off on posting some interesting and important recent videos for a reason. We were waiting for the release of Rep. Paul Ryan's Path To Poverty. Viewing much of this now helps to put his "pamphlet" into better perspective. Rep. Ryan would have us double down on the same fiscal philosophies and monetary policies which have nearly ruined this great nation.

A Scandal

April 7th, 2011

Last month, we published the Sen. Sanders (I-VT) list of the "10 worst tax avoiders." Here is video of the Senator making his case about this on the floor.

Quote Of The Day

April 7th, 2011

"It is better to be defeated on principle than to win on lies." -- Arthur Calwell

Only Progressive Special Interests Are Bad

April 6th, 2011

That would seem to be the message on FOX. Media Matters notes that more outside money went to Prosser than Kloppenberg. That sure didn't make this segment from America Live.

Facebook, Political Speech, And Me...

April 6th, 2011
from F. Grey Parker
UPDATE  9:23pm CST 4/9/2011 Facebook has returned The Hand to unrestricted share status.


UPDATE 12:37am CST 4/7/2011 The primary site is postable again on FB but only through copy/paste. The share button system is still blocking it as offensive. Still no explanation FB. Thank you to everyone who has attempted to contact them and moved the ball towards the goal line.

original post
Well. It's been a heckuva few hours. A funny thing happened. Apparently, a group of organized pro-Scott Walker trolls has targeted me. They have successfully flagged this URL as "abusive." This was brought to my attention by members of a group on FB called "Recall Scott Walker." They let me know that my work was no longer postable.

I was taken aback to say the least. I have made no violations of Facebook's "terms of service." I have not abused anyone in chats. I have not posted my work in conservative forums. Hell, I haven't even had a friendly argument with my favorite archly-conservative personal friend in the last week. But, you know, the Tea Party is all about "freedom." They're trying to protect the country from all of us "freedom hating progressives."

Riiiiiiiight. I encourage all readers who appreciate my work, and even the ones who don't, to please attempt to share THIS LINK from the past weekend on Facebook if they have accounts. And then fill out the form explaining that my site is not "abusive or spammy." This link is one of the little things I post to bring a smile in between the politics. It's Snoopy. Ice skating. I hope that this encourages Facebook to acknowledge the absurdity of their actions. You will receive the image below... unless the situation has been rectified.

Libyan Legality

April 6th, 2011
by F. Grey Parker
UPDATE 11:54PM CST 
As Ben Smith noted earlier, some very prominent partisans are really pushing impeachment:
"Bruce Fein, a former Reagan administration official in the Department of Justice and chairman of American Freedom Agenda writes in his 15-page argument of Obama's course that "Barack Hussein Obama has mocked the rule of law, endangered the very existence of the Republic and the liberties of the people, and perpetrated an impeachable high crime and misdemeanor."

Read on to learn how wrongheaded Mr. Fein and his cohorts are.
Original Post

There has been plenty of chatter from across the spectrum stipulating that Obama's use of military power in Libya was "not legal" because he "failed to get authorization from congress."


Although I was utterly opposed to this excursion, what I actually find shocking is that so many people don't have a clue what they're talking about.

Pat Buchanan smarmed about it. Howard Kurtz wrung his hands over it. Right wing loon Jeffry T. Kuhner shrieked that it was an offense worthy of impeachment. Papers from the left and the right wasted ink and interweb space over Security Council Resolution 1973. Dr. Abdul Ruff, "terror expert," not only argued it's being illegal but dusted off the phrase "technocracies" in doing so. This was an impressive and rare moment of creativity from the chorus.

I agree that the Libyan intervention is incredibly ill-conceived. However, it would seem that none of these critics have ever actually read a standing American law called The United Nations Participatory Act. That's just plain lazy. Perhaps they are Google-challenged.

There are dozens of cogent arguments against this misadventure. Legality is not one of them.

I direct your attention to section 22 U.S.C. § 287d, of the UNPA and this passage in particular:

"The President shall not be deemed to require the authorization of the Congress to make available to the Security Council on its call in order to take action under article 42 of said Charter and pursuant to such special agreement or agreements the armed forces, facilities, or assistance provided for therein"

So. Libya. Our involvement is a really stupid set of incredibly bad moves resulting from poor strategic thinking. However, until we outlaw hubris or repeal the UNPA, it's also perfectly legal.

Major hat tip to Jenkinsear for illustrating this better than I.

Scott Walker Dimisses Half Of Wisconsin

April 6th, 2011 5:30pm CST

Well, the Prosser/Kloppenberg showdown turned out to be one of the most exciting statewide elections in recent U.S. history. All the results are in. Turnout for a Springtime off-year election was a staggering 1,479,976 ballots cast. Kloppenberg leads Prosser by a mere 204 votes. There is talk of a recount but no firm declarations of intent to pursue one at this time. It is being referred to as "likely."

So. What does Gov. Scott Walker have to say about all this? Is he proud that so many more Americans turned to vote than was expected in a nation crippled by apathy? Does he make a temperate statement while he awaits the decison of the Prosser camp to either concede or demand a recount? Certainly not.

From WisPolitics:

"Gov. Scott Walker said this afternoon that the spring election results show there are "two very different worlds in this state. You've got a world driven by Madison, and a world driven by everybody else out across the majority of the rest of the state of Wisconsin," Walker said at a press conference in the Capitol."

Really? Walker's first public reaction the the election is to engage in not-so subtle smears of half the participating electorate? Yup.

"In particular, he said the results in the race for his former post as Milwaukee County executive reflected its status as a "dark blue county."

"Dark?" Yes. The governor just referred to the highest minority populated region of his state as "dark."

"Walker added that Justice Prosser's performance in many parts of the state bodes well for GOP senators who may face recall elections later this year. "For those who believe it's a referendum, while it might have a statewide impact that we may lean one way or the other, it's largely driven by Madison, and to a lesser extent Milwaukee," the governor said. "But those Senate recall elections on both the Democrat and Republican side aren't being held in Madison, they aren't being held in Milwaukee."

I submit the results map below for consideration. Gov. Scott Walker has no shame. He can portray this race as having been seemingly won by weirdos, minorities, whatever. But the claim has no more basis in fact than anything else the man says.

Bachmann Keeps Talking

April 6th, 2011

We can't believe this is the face of a modern political movement.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Quote Of The Day

April 6th, 2011

"I got involved because I wanted to help inspire more people to get off their butts and register and vote - not just in this election, but in every other election from now on, you know?" -- Jello Biafra

On Political Machines

April 5th, 2011

The Boss

We received some amazing feedback from a former Chicagoan regarding our missive which compared Gov. Scott Walker's corruption to some of the old time Chicago political hooligans.

This reader shared a perspective on the late 1960's Richard J. Daley Machine you don't hear too often these days. Heads up, life within it sounds pretty damn good.

"Ah good old Chicago. I remember when my husband and I moved into our first apartment in the city, and the local ward heeler turned up -- a dear little man named Harry Jacobsen as I recall -- just to let us know that if we needed a job or any help with city services or anything at all, he was there for us.

There was no bribery -- no quid pro quo -- no overt or implicit corruption: just the kind of "constituent service" designed to keep the voters loyal. What Walker and the Kochs are doing is shamelessly, openly corrupt, and their habit of deflecting it with their usual "we didn't do it, what about those wicked liberals" crap doesn't change the facts.

It's a simple little illustration of the Chicago of the late 1960s. All that's gone, now, of course, but for a few generations it's how most of our cities thrived. The book and movie The Last Hurrah touch on this a little bit, the Boston version -- Boss Curley ran the same kind of operation as Mayor Daley.

The corruption was never in the neighborhoods (though the same cannot be said for things like bank deals and construction projects) -- instead, the GOTV model was to make sure nobody went hungry or jobless, that streets were clean and safe, and that widows and orphans were tended to." EMPHASES OURS

Bagman's Boy Bumped Down A Bit

April 5th, 2011

We posted yesterday about the wild nepotism in Wisconsin Governor Scott Walkers administration. We also had a little fun comparing the Walker machine to some famous old-time Chicagoans. It's amazing what a little sunlight can do.  From The Journal Sentinel:

"Gov. Scott Walker abruptly reversed course today and demoted the son of a large campaign contributor to his former job with the state Department of Regulation and Licensing."

Translation - Walker got scared shitless when he discovered that in spite of his best efforts, we still live in the 21st Century.

"The move comes one day after the Journal Sentinel reported that Brian Deschane, 27, had landed an $81,500-a-year job in Walker's administration overseeing environmental and regulatory matters and dozens of employees at the Department of Commerce. The promotion amounted to a raise of 26%. His father is Jerry Deschane, executive vice president and longtime lobbyist for the Madison-based Wisconsin Builders Association. The group's political action committee gave $29,000 to Walker and his running mate, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, last year, making it one of the top five PAC donors to the governor's successful campaign. Members of the trade group also funneled more than $92,000 through its conduit to Walker's campaign over the past two years."

Translation - Yes, they rewarded the unqualified baby boy of a Bagman with a massive salary on the public dime while telling highly qualified professionals that they were greedy leaches for expecting half that much.

"The younger Deschane has no college degree, little management experience and two drunken driving convictions."

Translation - It is our humble speculation as to it being very unlikely anyone else would actually give the Bagman's Baby any job in this economy that does not have paper hats.

"Brian was moved to (the Department of) Commerce at the request of (Regulation and Licensing) Deputy Secretary John Scocos to head up a division that was eventually going to be moved to DRL," the statement said. "Deputy Secretary Scocos worked with Brian at DRL earlier this year and thought he could help with the transition of the Commerce division to DRL. "When Governor Walker learned of the details of this agency staffing decision, he directed his administration to move in another direction."

Translation - This is called covering your ass in an effort to protect the seedy, grimy inner-workings of your corrupt den of villainy.

"Walker chief of staff Keith Gilkes recommended Brian Deschane for a job with the Regulation and Licensing Department. In January, he became bureau director of board services, a position that paid $62,728 a year. His pay will return to the lower amount when he resumes duties Wednesday at the Department of Regulation and Licensing, Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie said."

Translation - Walker and his team still don't have a clue that it's wrong for the Bagman's Baby to have this position at all. Or that the salary is still way too fucking much.

Beckwatch - Paul Ryan WTF?! Edition

April 5th, 2011

As my feeds and inbox were deluged today with Rep Paul Ryan (R-WI) and his Path To Poverty, I came across all kinds of nutty stuff. Nothing was as weird as this. Listen to Glenn Beck and Paul Ryan say "I love you" to one another. Then, hold onto your butts, listen to Beck rationally condemn the plan for not seriously addressing defense waste.