ColemanMaskell
ColemanMaskell's JournalObama writes about obstructionism on Supreme Court nomination in Huffington Post
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"Republican Obstruction Is Undermining The Supreme Court, Enough Is Enough"
10/04/2016 11:45 am ET | Updated 6 hours ago
Barack Obama
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/republican-obstruction-is-undermining-the-supreme-court-enough-is-enough_us_57f3cb16e4b0d0e1a9a9cfce?
This week, the Supreme Court returns to work. The Justices will hear important cases on issues ranging from the separation of church and state to intellectual property to Congressional redistricting to the death penalty. Many of the cases address questions that are fundamental to our democracy: the right to vote, for instance, or what constitutes U.S. citizenship. Yet – regardless of the stakes – Republicans in Congress have forced the Court to weigh these pivotal issues one Justice short of the Court’s full panel of nine.
In a city of self-inflicted wounds, this one is more dangerous and less defensible than most.
It’s been 202 days since I nominated Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court. That’s more than five months longer than the average nominee has had to wait over the last 40 years to receive a hearing in Congress – let alone an up or down vote. This delay has nothing to do with Judge Garland’s personality or his qualifications. Senators on both sides of the aisle acknowledge that he is a distinguished legal mind, a dedicated public servant, and a good and decent man.
Leader McConnell argues that with an election looming, the Supreme Court should remain short staffed, and he certainly knows his way around DC. But the last time a Supreme Court seat was kept vacant through Election Day was in 1864. At the height of the Civil War. So, this isn’t about precedent. This is about the obstruction of a broken Republican-led Congress.
Every day that GOP Senate leaders block this nomination, they hamstring the entire third branch of government. The Supreme Court is the final destination in a federal judiciary that routinely weighs some of society’s biggest questions. Already this past June, we saw a deadlocked Supreme Court, with no tie-breaking vote, unable to reach a majority on a major immigration case – leaving our Nation’s immigrants in limbo.
Part of what makes Judge Garland a remarkable jurist is his understanding that justice isn’t an abstract theory. It touches people’s lives every day. As long as Republicans continue their brinksmanship, America pays the price. Our most basic workings as a nation aren’t possible without a functioning judiciary at every level. Commerce is hindered and lives are put on hold. If we ever hope to restore the faith in our institutions that has eroded in recent years, we cannot tolerate a politically motivated, willfully negligent vacancy on the Supreme Court.
But this breakdown at the highest level is part of a bigger pattern.
By hobbling the Supreme Court for what could be a year or longer, Republicans are eroding one of the core institutions of American democracy. This cannot be the new normal.
. . .
etc -- click the link, read the article
Election satire from Chris Lamb -- List of things blamed on Hillary
Somehow I only just found this -- Anyone who hasn't seen Chris Lamb, this is hilarious satire.
Trump Campaign Releases List of Other Things They Blame on Hillary Clinton
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/gop-releases-results-of-3_b_12154670.html?
*** SATIRE *** *** SATIRE *** *** SATIRE ***
On Tuesday morning, the Trump campaign released a list of other things it blames on Clinton.
Zero “Bubba” Honor, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said the list also includes a number of other reasons that conclusively shows that Clinton is unfit to be president.
“Once the American people see this,” Honor said, “they will see her for who she really is.”
Honor said it’s important that voters know the truth about the candidates when they vote on November 8.
“They can vote for someone who believes in equal opportunity, equal justice for all, a living wage, and compassionate treatment for the ill and elderly,” he said, “or they can vote for Donald Trump. I hope they make the right choice,”
Allegations include:
Clinton removes the tag off mattresses in blatant violation of the law.
Clinton jaywalked in New York City in 2007 - and if she denies it, we have the video to prove it.
Clinton is responsible for Donald Trump’s lies because her campaign checks his facts.
Clinton is responsible for perpetuating the hoax of global warming.
Clinton caused the breakup of the marriage of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
Clinton once tried to go through the express checkout line at a grocery store with 13 items.
Clinton is responsible for why police can’t just arrest anyone they want.
Clinton believes in racial and gender equality - and not just for white men.
Clinton is responsible for why the United States can’t deport all Mexicans, who we all know are all drug dealers, criminals, and rapists.
See other hilarious satire by Chris Lamb here:
Fact Checkers Threaten To Boycott Next Presidential Debate Unless Trump Agrees To Use At Least One Fact
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/fact-checkers-threaten-to_b_12253166.html?
Gary Johnson Changes Name To ‘None Of The Above’ To Improve Chances Of Winning Presidential Election
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/gary-johnson-changes-name_b_12111604.html?
WikiLeaks Confirms That Donald Trump Is Son Of Satan
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/wikileaks-confirms-that-d_b_12070168.html?
NC Governor Won’t Release Birth Certificate After Report Says Gender On His Birth Certificate Was Blank
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/post_12998_b_11759952.html?
Fox Network to Air Quiz Show, “Are You Dumber Than a Trump Supporter?”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-lamb/fox-to-air-quiz-show-are-_b_11921068.html?
"If Donald Trump Sues The Times Over His Tax Returns, He’ll Probably Lose Badly"
"If Donald Trump Sues The Times Over His Tax Returns, He’ll Probably Lose Badly"First Amendment experts overwhelmingly say the businessman almost stands no chance in court.
10/04/2016 09:16 am ET
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-lawsuit-new-york-times_us_57f2486fe4b082aad9bbf04c?section=us_politics
WASHINGTON ― If Donald Trump were to put his money where his mouth is, his lawyers should already be preparing to sue The New York Times over its weekend publication of a 1995 tax return. The document shows him declaring a loss so big, that it suggests his business acumen maybe isn’t as great as he claims.
In that watershed report, one of the GOP presidential nominee’s longtime lawyers, Marc Kasowitz, is on the record warning the newspaper that going public with the tax return would lead to “prompt initiation of appropriate legal action.”
But legal experts with an in-depth knowledge of the First Amendment are highly doubtful Trump stands a chance in the courts ― especially if the Times did its due diligence and didn’t coerce the information from the person who anonymously mailed it to them.
“This is open-and-shut,” said in an email Geoffrey Stone, a University of Chicago law professor who is a leading scholar on freedom-of-the-press issues. “As the Supreme Court made clear in the Pentagon Papers decision, the press cannot be held liable for publishing truthful information that is relevant to the public interest in the absence of a clear and present danger of grave harm.”
The Washington Post’s Callum Borchers pointed to a federal statute that makes it a crime for “any person” who unlawfully receives tax information to publish it. But some have pointed out that the statute only applies to disclosures originating from government officials ― and here it appears to have been made by someone within the Trump organization.
Hillary Shimmy vids
These are so great I just want to share, in case anyone hasn't seen them yet.
There are various versions. These two are the best I found. Someone else might have better ones.
Saw on internet where it might start being a dance move, the Hillary Shimmy.
Here you go, the links:
The Hillary shimmy:
best version imho:
variation:
Foreign money legal and abundant in U.S. elections, laundered through corporations
https://theintercept.com/2016/08/03/citizens-united-foreign-money-us-elections/From The Intercept
Three Paths Citizens United Created for Foreign Money to Pour Into U.S. Elections
. . .
the 2016 election has seen a surge of contributions to Super PACs by so-called ghost corporations, which appear to exist solely to make those donations and whose ownership is unknown. Whether any of these corporations are ultimately owned by foreign nationals is likewise unknown.
…
501(c)(4) and 501(c)(6) organizations are, in fact, much more attractive than Super PACs to anyone hoping to influence elections anonymously, because, unlike Super PACs, they are not required to publicly disclose their donors. This is why contributions to politically active nonprofits are often referred to as “dark money.”
This additional layer of obfuscation makes it even less likely that money originating with foreign nationals would be noticed.
…
Consider, for instance, that the American Petroleum Institute is partially financed by the U.S. subsidiary of Aramco, the state-owned Saudi oil company. In the 2010 midterm elections, API was one of the funders behind attack ads that helped the Republican Party take back the House of Representatives from the Democrats and stop most of Obama’s plans in their tracks.
Similarly, the American Chemistry Council, partially funded by U.S. subsidiaries of Saudi, Japanese, and Belgian corporations, also spent hundreds of thousands of dollars that year to elect its favored politicians. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest undisclosed outside spending group in federal elections, which has already spent over$16 million on congressional elections this year, has acknowledged that it receives foreign money.
…
Hillary humor
Here are links to some funny Hillary videos.
To be redistributed to people you may know who think HRC standoffish, aloof, stiff.
Hillary Clinton Funny Videos
From the Conan show, video doctored to give HRC comical eye movements.
Another Conan doctored-video bit demonstrating that she’s healthy.
SNL with HRC as bartender
ultrashort with Arnold as Terminator
with Jimmy Fallon as Trump on telephone call to HRC
Jimmy Fallon show, HRC does small Trump impression
HRC with Jimmy Fallon discussing Republican primary
HRC with Jimmy Fallon discussing Republican primary debates
title: "Hillary Clinton Is Not Intimidated by Donald Trump"
Hillary recently – Between Two Ferns
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/b2fc974d1d/between-two-ferns-with-zach-galifianakis-hillary-clinton?_cc=__d___&_ccid=4ec89754-816e-4340-abb6-a727faaaaefa
Animals Can't Vote in this Election -- You Can
Just a Reminder
Animals can’t vote in this election – You can
https://cruxnow.com/commentary/2016/08/13/trump-bothers-hunting-trip-cautionary-tale-animal-rights/
http://www.snopes.com/donald-trumps-son-game-hunting-photos/
http://gothamist.com/2012/03/13/photos_donald_trump_sons_awesome_at.php#photo-2
https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/protecting-animals-and-wildlife/
The way our society treats animals is a reflection of our humanity
HOW THE TRUMP ORGANIZATION'S FOREIGN BUSINESS TIES COULD UPEND U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
Source: Newsweek
The Trump Organization is not like the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation, the charitable enterprise that has been the subject of intense scrutiny about possible conflicts for the Democratic presidential nominee. There are allegations that Hillary Clinton bestowed benefits on contributors to the foundation in some sort of “pay to play” scandal when she was secretary of state, but that makes no sense because there was no “pay.” Money contributed to the foundation was publicly disclosed and went to charitable efforts, such as fighting neglected tropical diseases that infect as many as a billion people. The financials audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers, the global independent accounting company, and the foundation’s tax filings show that about 90 percent of the money it raised went to its charitable programs. (Trump surrogates have falsely claimed that it was only 10 percent and that the rest was used as a Clinton “slush fund.”) No member of the Clinton family received any cash from the foundation, nor did it finance any political campaigns. In fact, like the Clintons, almost the entire board of directors works for free.
On the other hand, the Trump family rakes in untold millions of dollars from the Trump Organization every year. Much of that comes from deals with international financiers and developers, many of whom have been tied to controversial and even illegal activities. None of Trump’s overseas contractual business relationships examined by Newsweek were revealed in his campaign’s financial filings with the Federal Election Commission, nor was the amount paid to him by his foreign partners. (The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for the names of all foreign entities in partnership or contractually tied to the Trump Organization.) Trump’s financial filings also indicate he is a shareholder or beneficiary of several overseas entities, including Excel Venture LLC in the French West Indies and Caribusiness Investments SRL, based in the Dominican Republic, one of the world’s tax havens.
Trump’s business conflicts with America’s national security interests cannot be resolved so long as he or any member of his family maintains a financial interest in the Trump Organization during a Trump administration, or even if they leave open the possibility of returning to the company later. The Trump Organization cannot be placed into a blind trust, an arrangement used by many politicians to prevent them from knowing their financial interests; the Trump family is already aware of who their overseas partners are and could easily learn about any new ones.
Many foreign governments retain close ties to and even control of companies in their country, including several that already are partnered with the Trump Organization. Any government wanting to seek future influence with President Trump could do so by arranging for a partnership with the Trump Organization, feeding money directly to the family or simply stashing it away inside the company for their use once Trump is out of the White House. This is why, without a permanent departure of the entire Trump family from their company, the prospect of legal bribery by overseas powers seeking to influence American foreign policy, either through existing or future partnerships, will remain a reality throughout a Trump presidency.
Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/2016/09/23/donald-trump-foreign-business-deals-national-security-498081.html
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