DOWNLOADS: (83)

PLAYS: (276)

Embed

Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint on Monday said that he opposed a bipartisan plan for comprehensive immigration reform because "unlawful immigrants" could live "another 50 years" and take advantage of government benefits that they earned by paying taxes.

At a press conference on Monday, the Heritage Foundation released a report that claimed the immigration reform bill offered by the "Gang of Eight" senators would cost Americans $6.3 trillion.

"The number over the 50-year lifespan of an amnesty for unlawful immigrants, it's $6.3 trillion to the American taxpayer," DeMint told Fox News host Martha MacCallum prior to the press conference. "And we know over time that this is going to increase more debt, increase taxes. That has a depressing effect on our economy. And we know that unlawful immigrants -- once that they have amnesty -- are going to replace the jobs of many Americans and depress their salaries."

"So there is no way you can look at this and conclude that it's good for the American taxpayer, and that includes immigrants who are here lawfully."

MacCallum noted that most benefits would not be available to immigrants for 13 years under the proposed plan.

"I'll believe that when I see it," the former South Carolina senator quipped. "Even if they follow through, unlawful immigrants are already receiving many benefits. A lot of their children are legal American citizens, whether its public education or Medicaid. But if you just look at a 13-year window when the life expectancy of unlawful immigrants goes another 50 years and once they get on Social Security and Medicare -- I mean, the average cost of an unlawful immigrant is hundreds of thousands of dollars."

DeMint added that he was all for immigration reform as long as "lower-skilled, less-educated" immigrants were excluded from the plan.

"In 1960, the average immigrant had about the same education and skill level of an American citizen. Today, immigrants have -- they're four times less likely to even have a high school diploma. And now with all of our welfare benefits, the arithmetic for immigration is totally different."

(h/t: Twitter/@igorvolsky)

DOWNLOADS: (85)

PLAYS: (629)

Embed

This parody of an actual product meant to instill tolerance could land the makers in legal hot water. News report by WGN, Chicago.

via Opposing Views

A greeting card picturing a talking Muslim terrorist doll on the front with the message “Hope Your Birthday Is a Blow Out” is causing controversy in Chicago.

The Chicago Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) wrote an official letter to the greeting card maker, NobleWorks Inc., over the card. The doll pictured on the cover wears a traditional headscarf, a Hijab, and messages on her box read “The Talking Doll, Pull string for message, if you dare,” and “She’ll Love You To Death! She’ll Blow Your Brains Out!”

"There are those who will claim Muslims do not have a sense of humor," wrote CAIR-Chicago director Ahmed Rehab. "But one would like to think humor comes with (even a minimal degree of) intelligence."

CAIR-Chicago pointed out card makers may have also infringed on copyright. The dolls are an actual Arabic language product made by Desi Doll Company.

Aamina the Talking Muslim Girl is a bilingual plush doll is described as a “fun way for young children to learn languages” and “learn about Islam and its teachings.” Aamina recites words from the Quran like “As-Salamu-Alaikum” (peace be upon you) and “Insha’llah” (if Allah wills).

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (144)

PLAYS: (906)

Embed

Digby flagged this segment from this Sunday's Fareed Zakaria GPS, and as she noted, Zakaria seems to be singing a very different tune now on whether austerity is popular with the masses in Europe than he was four years ago. And as she noted, being wrong never seems to get anyone kicked out of the club once you've gained entry as one of the Very Serious People by our corporate media.

Fareed Zakaria four years ago in a post called The Center Holds: In Britain even pain is popular":

Three weeks ago the new chancellor, 39-year-old Tory George Osborne, presented a budget that promised to get Britain’s fiscal house in order with sharp cuts in spending, coupled with tax increases. It landed in the midst of a heated debate across the industrialized world about how to best get the economy back on track. Osborne and his boss, Prime Minister David Cameron, have come down firmly on one side of this debate, hoping that a major effort to reduce the deficit will reassure bond markets and investors that Britain is a safe and compelling place to put their money.

Leaving aside the economics of this, what struck me as I spent time in Britain last week was the politics of deficit reduction. Having announced major cuts in popular programs, plus hefty tax increases, the Cameron government might be expected to be losing popularity by the day. But in fact the budget was well received by the public—though attacked ferociously from the left—and the governing coalition has actually inched up a bit in the polls.

There are several possible reasons for this. Cameron has played the public role of prime minister exceedingly well, making a pitch-perfect apology for the British Army’s wrongful use of force in Northern Ireland in 1972, and handling himself on the global stage with grace and ease. It’s also true, of course, that the effect of the cuts and taxes have not yet been felt, and when that happens, the government’s poll ratings might plunge. But clearly the honesty of the budget has resonated with voters.

It’s heartening to see a government do something that it must have thought would be deeply unpopular, and then be rewarded by the public...

I love this description of how he reacted to the commentary from his guests. Potted plant indeed:

Zakaria still rails against "entitlements" (which his earlier guest Stephen Haas described as a "cancer" to no objection from anyone) but he hasn't exactly come clean about the disastrous effects of the austerity measures in Europe that "heartened him" so strongly, has he? No, today he sits there like a potted plant while the bill of indictment rolls right over him.

But then he's a card-carrying Very Serious Person which means never having to say you're sorry.

Ain't that the truth? I don't always get a chance to watch all of his show every week, but I don't recall seeing him doing much to rebut that flawed economic study by Reinhart and Rogoff which the right has used to justify austerity as well. Most of our corporate media has done their best to ignore that, even as many of them, as Zakaria was here, have finally been forced to admit that maybe that whole push for austerity isn't working out so well.

Full transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (121)

PLAYS: (1097)

Embed

Rep. Jason Chaffetz was more than happy to help continue the Republican witch hunt on Benghazi this Sunday, but as Josh Israel over at Think Progress took note of, when pressed by Chris Wallace about his claims that there are witnesses from the State Department who are being threatened by their bosses, he couldn't name any examples.

Asked about a claim by a witness’s lawyer that whistle-blowers had been blocked from testifying (a claim rejected by the Department of State), Chaffetz said that “more than one” witness has indeed been “suppressed” by the Obama administration. [...]

Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) quickly debunked his colleague: “There’ve been two attorneys involved here, the only reason they haven’t received information is that they haven’t asked for it yet… there has not been a request for documents from these attorneys to the State Department.”

The only “retaliation,” Lynch noted, was that one of the witnesses wants a reassignment and a promotion and feels he’s being retaliated against because has not yet gotten the promotion.

As they reminded their readers and we have here as well, there are plenty of reasons why anything Victoria Toensing, who is representing some of these potential witnesses, attaches her name to, and who has been peddling conspiracy theories for months now, ought to be looked at with more than just a healthy dose of skepticism.

Full transcript below the fold.

Continue reading »

DOWNLOADS: (139)

PLAYS: (862)

Embed

On this Saturday's Fox News Watch, the fake outrage that's been going on for months on end on the network over the embassy bombings in Libya continued, with the talking heads on the panel of course doing their best to hype Darrell Issa's upcoming hearings this week. When host Jon Scott asked his guests why the other networks weren't giving this story the same type of media of coverage as Fox, hilarity ensued.

The National Review's Rich Lowry claimed there's some conspiracy with the rest of the media to do the administration's bidding and help stonewall the issue and then later call it old news and say “let's move on.” Regular and Fox token “liberal” Ellen Ratner claimed that the other networks were just “jealous” after quoting someone saying anything that comes from Fox “ought to be taken with a grain of salt.”

Scooter Libby stenographer Judith Miller called the administration refusing to answer all of her network's questions “chutzpah” and Fox's Jim Pinkerton criticized the Washington Post for running a story about protests at a nuclear facility and how dare they write that story while ignoring Fox and their fake Benghazi outrage.

Judith Miller wrapped things up by having the “chutzpah” to actually claim it's “lamentable” that this story has become “politicized.” Well, there's one thing I agree with that was said here, but it's been the Republicans and her network that are responsible for it.

DOWNLOADS: (104)

PLAYS: (813)

Embed

A regular Fox News commentator on Sunday said that teen pregnancies should be "celebrated," and pointed to President Barack Obama's speech to Planned Parenthood and the alleged horrific crimes of abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell as part of "what’s wrong with our culture."

Fortune magazine's Nina Easton told Fox News host Chris Wallace that the Obama administration was in a "tough spot" after a federal judge ruled that women of all ages should have access to emergency contraception like the Plan B morning-after pill, even though the Food and Drug Administration had previously tried to limit access for girls younger than 15.

"I do think there’s a case to be made for conservatives or anybody who cares about the rate of abortions in this country to deregulate birth control more, although I also understand a need for parents to be involved," Easton explained. "One of the things out of all of this news, including the president’s speech to Planned Parenthood and this Gosnell case of murdering babies, is we’re looking at a culture that produces 1.2 million abortions a year. We’re losing sight of that fact."

"I would say that in addition to deregulating birth control, another thing we need to do is celebrate young women who bring a baby to term and find an adoptive parent," she opined. "There’s such a stigma today to being an adoptive birth mom that you’re more willing to admit that you’ve had an abortion than that you are delivering a healthy newborn to a loving family."

"What’s wrong with our culture that that’s where we are today?"

Think Progress' Aviva Shen observed on Sunday that Easton had "offered up Obama’s speech to Planned Parenthood and the Gosnell trial as evidence of how young women who choose to carry babies to term for adoption are being stigmatized."

"Easton glosses over the difficulty involved in maintaining a normal life for 9 months as a pregnant teenager," Shen wrote. "Moreover, birthmothers under 17 are more likely to change their minds about the adoption and keep the baby, making them vulnerable to dropping out of high school and a permanent cycle of poverty that entraps the majority of teen moms."

DOWNLOADS: (88)

PLAYS: (763)

Embed

Democratic strategist James Carville on Sunday praised tea party-backed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) as "the most talented and fearless Republican politician" in the last 30 years.

In a panel discussion on Sunday, ABC News host George Stephanopoulos noted that recent news reports indicated that Cruz had been examining a possible run for president in 2016.

"The people love Ted Cruz because he's taking on his own party, his own leadership, he's taking on the other party," former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) opined. "He's trying to rock the boat to get us to stop moving towards this cliff that we're headed for as a country. So I've been in about 25 cities in the last few months, all you have to do is mention Ted Cruz and people get on their feet."

"I think he is the most talented and fearless Republican politician I've seen the last 30 years," Carville agreed. "I further think that he's going to run for president and he's going to create something. I'm not sitting here saying that he's going to win. And I think Sen. DeMint is right. I've listened to excerpts of his speech in South Carolina, he touches every button, and this guy has no fear. He just keeps ploughing ahead, and he is going to be something to watch."

"And a lot of Republicans feel this way," he continued. "You hear this a lot, 'If we only got someone who is articulate and was for what we were for, we would win elections. And we get these John McCains and these Mitt Romneys these squishy guys that can't do anything.' Well, there's one thing this guy is not: He ain't squishy, not in the least."

"We're anti-squishy men," Republican strategist Mary Matalin, who is married to Carville, volunteered. "We like really hard men."

(h/t: Mediaite)

DOWNLOADS: (94)

PLAYS: (738)

Embed

Former Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Sunday said that the debate over rights for LGBT people was "one sided" because Catholics were also being oppressed.

During a panel discussion on NBC's Meet the Press about gay NBA player Jason Collins, Gingrich quickly tried to change the subject from equal rights for gay and lesbian Americans to religious discrimination.

"I haven't heard you say if you think a Republican nominee for president can support gay marriage," NBC host David Gregory asked Gingrich.

"I doubt it," the former House Speaker replied. "I think that's up in the air, because I do think things are changing."

"But what I'm struck with is the one-sidedness of the desire for rights," Gingrich continued. "There are no rights for Catholics to have adoption services in Massachusetts, they're outlawed. There are no rights in D.C. for Catholics to have adoption services, they're outlawed. This passing reference to religion -- 'We sort of respect religion.' Well, sure. As long as you don't practice it."

"I think it will be good to have a debate over -- beyond this question of are you able to be gay in America, what does it mean? Does it mean that you actually have to affirmatively eliminate any institution which does not automatically accept that?"

The Grio Managing Editor Joy Reid pointed out that Catholic charities in Massachusetts had made the decision to halt all adoptions to prevent same sex couples from becoming parents.

"They withdrew them because they were told that you cannot follow Catholic doctrine, which is for marriage between a man and a woman," Gingrich insisted.

"I think the point is that you don't have the state telling religion what to believe," Reid observed. "If they oppose the idea of gay marriage within their religion they have the absolute right to do so. The question is whether or not religious institutions can make public policy."

"If the church is going to make our public policy, are we any longer a secular state?"

DOWNLOADS: (143)

PLAYS: (1325)

Embed

Fox News host Chris Wallace on Sunday told Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA) that he was "getting off track" when he suggested that Republicans were hypocrites for continuing to attack President Barack Obama's administration over last year's attacks in Benghazi after pressuring the State Department to cut funding for security personnel by voting to cut embassy funding.

During a discussion to promote upcoming testimony by whistleblowers who Republicans say will tell the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that the Obama administration intimidated them into not speaking out about the attacks in Benghazi, Lynch pointed out that Fox News had not made Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) answer for his vote to cut security funding.

"We're talking about -- including my colleague, Mr. Chaffetz -- when Secretary [Hillary] Clinton and the State Department asked for additional funding for embassy security, they all voted no," Lynch said.

"No, no, no," Chaffetz grumbled.

"We're getting a little bit off the track," Wallace interrupted.

"They've already admitted this on CNN," Lynch added.

"I understand there's an issue about security, it's a little bit off the track," Wallace insisted. "I want to try to stay on course here."

"No, this is the point!" Lynch pressed. "They're complaining about a lack of security at the embassies after they voted against funding for security at the embassies. That's what they're complaining about... Is that not related?"

"The chief financial officer for the State Department sent in an email that finances had nothing to do with the decisions about funding at the facility," Chaffetz replied. "This is a facade, it's a distraction. There are four people dead here, Chris."

"And I want to talk about... Let's talk about beforehand," Wallace said, changing the subject. "Two weeks ago, the Republican chairs of five House committees -- and I will agree with Congressman Lynch here, it was just the Republicans, not the Democrats -- issued an interim report on Benghazi in which they charged that then-Secretary of State Clinton misled Congress when she said she had never seen any request for more security."

DOWNLOADS: (94)

PLAYS: (763)

Embed

From this Saturday's Fox & Friends, regular guest and host of his own show on the weekends, Mike Huckabee is very sad that there are people "on the left" who are making him feel bad about being able to demonize Muslims. Here's what he said while discussing the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing:

HUCKABEE: But they still don't want to just come out and say, we have a serious threat because of radicalized Islam. Not all Muslims are terrorists, for heaven sakes. No one I know of suggests that. But it's just, it's dishonest and disingenuous for us to continue to say, right after the bombing, this is probably the work of some right-wing anti-tax, anti-government person when no one knew.

And there was never like an on-air apology from some of the people who made those ridiculous speculations. That's why I think that it's very important that Americans understand, we do have a threat. That threat is jihad. It is not about what we've done to them. That's nonsense. It is a fundamental part of their doctrine to believe that we're all infidels and that we must die. [...]

Well, take it a step further. Christians who are still, you know, holding to old fashioned traditions about marriage for example are cast as bigoted homophobes. Now, what is the position in Islam regarding homosexuality? Not same sex marriage. Just homosexuality. It's death by stoning.

I don't understand. We have a very harsh, radical, carried out kind of zaniness going on. Same thing with honor killings.

CARLSON: If these radicals came to the United States, the first people to be executed would be liberals.

HUCKABEE: Yeah.

CARLSON: So I don't understand why they don't perceive the threat for themselves.

HUCKABEE: There is no rationale for the way in which the left basically treats Islam in the public square. It just doesn't make any sense.

Sorry, but there are plenty of reasons for treating every citizen, no matter what their religion, the same under the law and it has nothing to do with what "liberals" want, unless of course you think just wanting everyone to obey our laws is somehow a "liberal value."

And to Huckabee's remarks, he wants to pretend we've never had any "Christian" terrorists like abortion clinic bombers doing harm to or killing their fellow citizens. Huckabee needs to go take a good long look in the mirror when it comes to domestic terrorism. He's right up there with Bill-O when it comes to whipping up the hatred with the extremists on that issue.

In the mean time, he's happy to play the victim card for his audience while pretending Muslims are the only people capable of committing acts of domestic terrorism.