Senatorial Misfire

As expected, the Senate failed to move forward on any firearms legislation.

The most popular proposal--toughening penalties for straw purchasers and weapons traffickers--failed by a vote of 58-42, with only Republicans voting against it.

The second-most popular proposal--a Republican plan to gut states' rights by mandating reciprocity for concealed-carry permits issued in any state, whether that state required an extensive training course or that the applicant collect three box tops from Remington products--failed 57-43.

The weakened background checks proposal from Sens. Manchin and Toomey, which was already a compromise of a compromise, failed 54-46.

Reinstating the ban on high-capacity magazines failed with no Republicans supporting it. Same with the Assault Weapons Ban.

No matter how the issues may split us, we are all united in the common belief that Congress is overpopulated with cowards and idiots.

Also, what he said:

Wait...CNN did investigative reporting?!!

AC360 does the obligatory "how easy is it to buy a gun at a gun show without showing ID?" hidden-camera investigation.

The answer, as it has always been, is "really damn easy."

And yes, for the record, these were all illegal purchases under federal law, since they were made outside the buyer's home state. So if someone tells you that they don't want new gun laws but do want to see more enforcement of the laws that we have, remind them that we need to expand background checks for precisely that reason.

In the Memphis city rain

Protest in Memphis features 61 Klansman, 47 teeth.

It's good that only 61 racist twits were willing to show up, even with a massive police presence there to keep them from getting their hoods shoved up their asses.

It's bad that any Klansmen were anywhere, because they are all massive assholes.

It's interesting that they chose to protest because parks named for Jeff Davis, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and the Confederacy were being renamed. The obvious conclusion is that having stuff named for Jeff Davis, Nathan Bedford Forrest, and the Confederacy makes the Klan happy. So, you know, DON'T HAVE THINGS NAMED FOR SLAVERY-LOVING RACIST JERKS WHOSE VERY EXISTENCE IS A BLIGHT ON AMERICAN HISTORY. Because having stuff like that makes the Klan happy. And they shouldn't be happy. Because they are all massive assholes.

Hey, Towson University has a Nazi Club!

College boys at Towson U. Went in dumb, come out dumb too.

I'm sure the people of Baltimore will be just thrilled to have white supremacist vigilantes wandering around.

Today's Tragic Juxtaposition

...comes to us from the Great State of Colorado:

Colorado prison chief shot dead on eve of gun laws signing

(Reuters) - The head of Colorado's prison system was shot dead at his home in what police said may have been a targeted killing, just hours before the governor on Wednesday signed new gun control laws spurred by a rash of deadly mass shootings in Colorado and elsewhere.

Police said Tom Clements, 58, appointed two years ago as executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, was shot on Tuesday night at his home in a secluded wooded area near the picturesque town of Monument, 45 miles south of Denver.

The killing did not appear to be linked to any break-in or robbery attempt, said El Paso County Sheriff's Department Lieutenant Jeff Kramer. He said the shooting did not appear to be random.

Meanwhile, on the Governor's Facebook page, gun nuts are trolling in full force, because apparently "the right to keep and bear arms" means "the right to own whatever kind of guns and magazines you feel like without ever submitting to a background check." Because freedom.

Marijuana Legalization Initiative Kept Off Ohio Ballot

The same thing happened to Ralph Nader in 2008: a shockingly high number of petitions were deemed invalid for a variety of reasons. I wonder if there's a higher than average signature rejection rate in Ohio:

COLUMBUS — An effort to legalize medical marijuana in Ohio was stopped in its tracks Wednesday when supporters failed to get enough valid signatures on petitions, according to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine’s office.

The proposal needed 1,000 signatures, but just 534 of the 2,134 turned in by supporters were deemed to be valid, according to a release to the media from DeWine’s office. That's about a 75% rejection rate for signatures. I've seen quite a few blog posts and tweets laughing about this as though the petitioners were just stoned slacktivists who didn't step up to the challenge. But getting over 200% of required signatures seems pretty on-the-ball to me. Something about this feels off.

This video should become the next bunker scene from "Downfall"

Ask Lily a question that takes about 19-20 seconds, then let her give her opinion.

(This video is part of the Slow Clap for Congress Project, at http://slowclapforcongress.com/)

On backstabbers

Following Del. Sam "Zell" Arora's inexplicable will he/won't he over voting for gay marriage in Maryland (the bill didn't pass the House this year, and is on hold until next January), I had a few chores to do.

First, I had to rip the "Sam Arora for Delegate" sticker off my bumper.

Second, I had to post a public apology on AmericaBlog.com for having donated to his campaign.

Third, I had to check the list of donors to his campaign against the dozens of names I'd given him from my fundraising database, to make sure that my donors weren't going to hold it against me forever that I'd given their info to a cheap, cowardly liar.


Finally, I had to start looking for a candidate to run against him in three years, when he's up for re-election (sadly, we don't have a recall provision here in MD).

Treachery doesn't just hurt feelings: it takes up a lot of time, too.

"Now, the WALRUS, on the other hand..."

John Bolton is not the duck, apparently.

He's also not a contender.

Wow, this is annoying.

First the power goes out for a night, which is understandable, what with a blizzard hitting. Then it's restored. Then the cable and internet go out. Odd that this happens the day after the blizzard, but such is life. Then, as I was leaving for rehearsal (the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society's production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens in two weeks!), the power went out again.

Grr.

All of this would be fine if the cat could just grasp the concept of shitting in the litter box instead of on the floor nearby. Now my house is dark and cold and smells like crap.

Looks like the Class of 2010 may have its first dropout

According to numerous sources, Republicans are making plans to cope with an ongoing scandal involving newly elected Representative David Rivera.

In my experience, the first step in "draining the swamp" is to stop dumping in water. Just sayin'.

Sargent Shriver, dead at 95.

Hard to call this an untimely passing, but we're still a poorer nation for the loss.  Condolences to his family.

Great piece in TNR

Jason Zengerle writes a powerful account of State Sen. Jeff Smith's (D-MO) fall from grace. If you're into campaign speech or finance law at all, you should give it a look.

What's wrong with the Senate.

The guys who will be the beneficiaries of filibuster reform soon enough only seem supportive of the part that lets them pervert legislation.

Actually, that's fine.  Having the GOP make every legislative vote uncomfortable is still better than having them filibuster 136 times in two years.

R.I.P. 2010 (January 1, 2010-December 31, 2010)

A life cut short.

No, seriously, last year sucked.  I know everybody else is piling on, and it's bad form to hit a year when it's down, but 2010 was an epic disaster, personally and globally.

Massive unemployment continued, the war in Afghanistan continued, the Gulf of Mexico exploded, Haiti exploded, Greece imploded, the only Republicans who lost their federal races were either former witches or guys who dressed like members of the Waffen SS, Sarah Palin got a TV show about shooting animals, Snowmaggedon and Snowpocalypse both struck, my mother died of lung cancer, Ted Sorensen died, Tony Curtis died, Elizabeth Edwards died, and every top song featured autotune.

On the plus side, we have "Fallout: New Vegas," a trip to Cardiff, a great run of "Chicago" with the Georgetown Gilbert & Sullivan Society ("A Midsummer Night's Dream" opens next month: come see me playing Egeus) and the discovery that I can rock a fedora.  Nationally, we got rid of a few truly bad laws, made a few good new ones, pretended to end the Iraq War, and--though it's not my thing--the McRib returned.  Internationally, Putin sang "Blueberry Hill."

Can't even pretend I'll miss 2010.  Good riddance.

They can't seriously be thinking this

Last month, Joe "Three-Way Tie for Third Place" Lieberman said he'd been asked for a meeting by Patty Murray, the incoming head of the DSCC, to discuss running for the Senate again in 2012 as a Democrat.

Of course, any meeting between Joe and the DSCC wouldn't be about him running as a Democrat, but about the national party sitting out the race and not backing any Democratic candidates who run against him, giving him a better chance at the seat.

This is lunacy.  Joe Lieberman isn't getting re-elected.  His approval figures in Connecticut are only slightly above cancer's.  And the only way the Senate Democratic Caucus can hold that seat is if they help to knock him out of the Senate.  If the party won't field a real Democrat in Connecticut, and the Republicans nominate anyone who's 1) to the brighter side of Palin and 2) to the left of Attila the Hun, they'd crush him in a two-way race.

If Murray agrees to sit out the Connecticut race in 2012, and our nominee is halfway decent, she'll look like an idiot when the party inevitably reverses course as the President gives in to activist pressure to campaign with the Democratic candidate.  If our nominee sucks, then the GOP gets the independents and centrists who don't like Lieberman, and the seat's theirs.   And the best-case scenario would be that a high-order miracle allows Lieberman to squeak out a victory, whence he will remain extremely unpopular and politically unmoored.

Keeping that seat Blue requires a better standard-bearer than someone with a 54% disapproval rating.  Our best bet at holding the seat with Lieberman running would be a three-way race with three strong contenders and no institutional support for Lieberman.  Our best bet overall would be getting Joe the hell out of the way.

Patty Murray needs to step up.  Helping Joe Lieberman lose by a more respectable margin isn't her job.  Keeping that seat in the Democratic caucus is.

An easy way to tell Georgians from Non-Georgians:

See if they are surprised by Chick-Fil-A sponsoring an anti-gay marriage group's conference.

Real Georgians will probably already know at least one even better "Truett Cathy helps hate on gays" story.