Archive for the ‘Joe Wilson’ Category

Two weeks ago, a Democratic operative sent news of a curious online ad – with a link to this new web site – that he had run across at nyt.com.

It was an attack on Nick Ayers, the former aide to Gov. Sonny Perdue who made good in D.C. as the executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

The anonymous web site takes a look at a DUI charge that Ayers, at age 24, was hit with in 2006 while he was campaign manager of Perdue’s multi-million dollar re-election bid. The charge was later reduced, as these things often are in Georgia.

Without knowing the source of the attack, we let the tip pass. But the Ben Smith team at Politico.com, knowing a little more about the Internet, did not:

”We’ve tracked an anonymous site set up to attack Ayers to the IP address of a Georgia Democratic consulting firm with informal ties to former governor and losing 2010 gubernatorial candidate Roy Barnes….

An email to the site was not answered — but an IP tracking tool in a …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Post-election intrigue and an attack on the RNC’s Nick Ayers »

If he isn’t above such things _ some jurists are _ U.S. District Judge Clay Land down in Columbus is enjoying the shower of thanks from both right and left this morning, for his withering dismissal Thursday of the latest “birther” lawsuit.

Land, appointed by President George W. Bush, tossed the filing and put the dentist-turned-real-estate-agent-turned-lawyer Orly Taitz on notice that he didn’t want to see another “frivolous” request like it.

A “great American hero,” declared Erick Erickson of the right, at PeachPundit. On the left, Tom Crawford of Blog for Democracy pronounced Land’s findings as evidence “that there are still a few sane people left in the United States.”

In law school, judges are often trained to write like Keanu Reeves acts. This ruling is an exception. The Columbus Ledger-Enquirer has kindly posted the verdict online, from which we draw these excerpts:

To press her “birther agenda,” Plaintiff’s counsel has filed the present action on behalf of Captain …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: From the judge who slapped down a ‘birther’ suit »

So far as we can tell, NBC made the most extensive use of President Jimmy Carter’s observations about race and Barack Obama.

Here’s the clip from Carter’s interview with Brian Williams in Atlanta:

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Said Carter:

“I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he’s African-American. I live in the South. And I’ve seen the South come a long way. And I’ve seen the rest of the country, that shared the South’s attitude toward minority groups at that time, particularly African-Americans.

“That racism inclination still exists. And I think it’s bubbled up to the surface because of a belief among many white people, not just in the South but around the country, that African-Americans are not qualified to lead this great country. It’s an abominable circumstance, and grieves me and concerns me very deeply.”

The …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Jimmy Carter on the ‘abominable’ issue of race »

In survey numbers just released, Public Policy Polling of North Carolina says U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson’s two-word eruption _ “You lie!” _ during President Barack Obama’s health care speech on Wednesday has cost him dearly back home.

Wilson now trails Democratic challenger Rob Miller by 44 to 43 percent. Wilson defeated Miller with 54 percent of the vote in 2008.

“In a matter of seconds, Joe Wilson turned himself from a safe incumbent into one of the most vulnerable Republicans in the country for 2010,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. The Miller campaign says it has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last 36 hours.

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports this:

House Democrats intend to purse a formal resolution chastising Representative Joe Wilson for his outburst against President Barack Obama during Wednesday’s Congressional address unless the South Carolina Republican apologizes on the floor…

House rules and precedents provide substantial …

Continue reading ‘You lie!’ doesn’t go over well with voters in Joe Wilson’s S.C. district »

If politics is all about reading between the lines, U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson’s remarks to WABE (90.1FM) on Thursday afternoon were double-spaced.

He left plenty of room for future maneuvering.

Reporter Denis O’Hayer reminded the DeKalb County congressman that, weeks earlier, he’d referred to the public option approach to health care reform as a “dealbreaker.” O’Hayer asked if that were still true. Johnson gave this yes-but reply:

Yes, it is. I do reserve the right to look at any bill that is arrived at through conference committee, to see whether or not it actually gets the job done. I want to wait and see what we call this animal which everyone knows now as the public option.”

In the same broadcast, O’Hayer interviewed U.S. Rep. Tom Price of Roswell, the Republican surgeon.

Price accused President Barack Obama of delivering yet another “campaign speech” on Wednesday, but admitted his party and private industry have also failed to address the gaps in health care coverage. “It …

Continue reading Your morning jolt: Hank Johnson gives himself some wiggle room »