Waxing Progressive

You can shoot me for the pun later. But it’s true: the progressive moon is on the rise. Here’s the latest great good news:

In a stinging rebuke of the Blue Dog caucus, Henry Waxman has defeated John Dingell for Chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Why, it seems like only yesterday the Blue Dogs were sniffing that the Steering Committee who recommended Waxman were a bunch of unrepentant hippies who didn’t reflect the overall makeup of the Democratic caucus. (In fact, it was.)

This is a huge defeat for the Blue Dogs, who were hoping to use Dingell as a roadblock to keep any meaningful change from happening with regard to issues under the Committee’s jurisdiction — telecommunications and health care, energy and environmental protection, interstate commerce and consumer protection.

Dday adds:

This, more than anything, could be the biggest change in the federal government in 2009 and beyond. Waxman’s Safe Climate Act sets the targets needed to mitigate the worst effects of global warming. It now becomes the working document in the House for anti-global warming legislation. And his constituency doesn’t include a major polluting industry.

From a policy standpoint, it’s a major progressive victory.

Indeed it is. And this, with Daschle’s helming DHHS, tells me that we are, at long last, going to see some actual progress.

I feel like I can breathe again after nearly a decade of drowning. Anyone else experiencing the same?

Waxing Progressive
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Happy Hour Discurso

Today’s opining on the public discourse.

I had to use my coworker’s strong shoulder as a bulwark against which I could bang my head today:

As the CEOs of Detroit’s Big Three automakers pleaded for a $25 billion bailout from Congress this week, conservatives have been looking for an easy culprit to blame for the auto industry’s seeming collapse. First it was the unions. Now conservatives have turned their attention to the modest fuel economy (CAFE) standards — fleetwide average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020 — imposed in last year’s Energy Independence and Security Act. Last night on Fox News, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney echoed other conservatives in pointing the finger at the fuel economy changes…

[snip]

– SEAN HANNITY: They [the government] — you know, between the unions, between trade policy, safety standards, CAFE standards, you know, economy, fuel economy standards, they’re forcing these auto companies to be in a position where they’re not as competitive. [11/14/08]

[snip]

Last year’s stonewalling attempts by the auto industry notwithstanding, improving fuel economy is not difficult for the Big Three. As the Sierra Club explained in 2006, “The technology exists today to make all new vehicles average 40 miles per gallon within ten years.” A 2002 report by the Board on Energy and Environmental Systems of the National Research Council found that technologies existed then that “would significantly reduce fuel consumption within 15 years” — technologies that manufacturers were “already offering or introducing” in overseas markets.


This bullshit about how American automakers can’t compete because we have standards just infuriates me. For fuck’s sake, my fucking Nissan lives up to all of the same fucking standards as American makes. The problem isn’t standards, but lack thereof. The problem is that we let American automakers pay their CEOs outrageous salaries while they eviscerated their companies and made shitty cars nobody wanted to buy. But Cons, of course, think it’s standards that cause all of Big Business’s ills.

Give me a fucking break.

And then the ratfuckers are suprised when they get poll results like this:

It seemed at least possible that in a post-election environment, the parties would get a honeymoon of sorts, at least until January.

Unfortunately for Republicans, that’s not the case. A new Gallup poll shows support for the GOP slipping even further now that the election has come and gone. (via Atrios)

The Republican Party’s image has gone from bad to worse over the past month, as only 34% of Americans in a Nov. 13-16 Gallup Poll say they have a favorable view of the party, down from 40% in mid-October. The 61% now holding an unfavorable view of the GOP is the highest Gallup has recorded for that party since the measure was established in 1992. […]

By contrast, the public’s views of the Democratic Party remain as positive after the election as they were just prior to it. More than half of Americans, 55%, currently hold a favorable view of the Democratic Party and only 39% an unfavorable view, highly typical of views toward the Democrats all year.

I thought, at first glance, that deteriorating economic conditions would put the public in such a dour mood that approval numbers would drop pretty much across the board. But that’s not the case — Republicans’ support is reaching new lows, while a clear majority continues to have a favorable impression of the Democrats.

You know why this is? It’s because one party is full of insane assclowns who get stuck on inane social issues and the cut-taxes-and-standards-and-regulations rut, and they don’t fucking solve a damned thing, while the other party is somewhat in touch with reality. Yet the Cons think the problem is they’re not being Con enough.

At this rate, we can expect them back from their sojourn in the wilderness in, oh, say, never.

Dana Perino, alas, is their perfect mouthpiece:

The Associated Press reports today that, as part of its long-fought campaign to gut the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Bush administration is pushing a last-minute regulatory change that would significantly weaken the ESA:

The rules would eliminate the input of federal wildlife scientists in some endangered species cases, [by allowing] the federal agency in charge of building, authorizing or funding a project to determine for itself whether a project would be likely to harm endangered wildlife and plants.

At today’s White House press conference, a reporter asked if the Associated Press had accurately described the proposed regulatory change. Perino responded first by saying she didn’t have the documentation with her, but suggested that the rule change would have little effect because the ESA doesn’t help protect “any species, including ours” anyway:

PERINO: I don’t have [the documentation] with me. I know conceptually what we support. And I know that the Endangered Species Act is a tangled web that doesn’t actually help support any species, including our own. …

Republicon, party of stupid. Holy fucking shit.

And the stupid, it runs deep and strong, from the base right up through their so-called leadership:

I can appreciate the fact that the Senate operates with a certain degree of cordiality, but surely members realize that when the election season comes, party leaders on both sides want to increase the size of their caucuses.

With that in mind, I have no idea why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) feelings are hurt.

[D]espite a previously solid working and personal relationship with his Democratic counterpart,
McConnell
chose to ignore both the election night call and a subsequent follow-up call from Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), whose party had dumped more than $6 million into Kentucky in an ultimately futile push to knock off the Republican leader.

[snip]

Republicans warned that Reid should be prepared for a full-court press during his own 2010 re-election bid, and that the sudden deterioration in relations, no matter how short-lived, is a direct result of what they view as an overly aggressive Democratic effort to unseat McConnell.

“The Majority Leader made a tactical error that could potentially cost him his job when he signed off on $6 million of attack ads the last few weeks in Kentucky. McConnell never takes political attacks personally, but he is someone who has never hesitated to repay his opposition for their courtesy,” a senior Republican official said, adding that identifying a high-quality opponent to challenge Reid will be a priority for the party in the coming months.

So, let me get this straight. The relationship between the two parties’ Senate leaders is in “tatters” because the Republican leader thinks the Democratic leader supported an effort to win a competitive Senate race. The Big Bad Harry Reid was mean in trying to help his party gain another seat.

That’s all they know how to do. Whine, snivel, and throw tantrums when they don’t get their way. Whine, snivel and throw tantrums when the Dems don’t treat them with the deference due royalty. Whine, snivel and throw tantrums… well, all the fucking time. No wonder the majority of Americans are fed up. It’s like watching preschoolers try to govern before they’ve learned the concept of sharing.

And as for reality… they’ll just never get it:

Since the GOP’s dismal electoral performance on Nov. 4, many conservatives have been engaged in a massive game of cover-up, arguing that despite the results, America is still a “center-right” country. (But it’s not). During a recent interview with Time magazine, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) was the latest to take up the baton, saying there is “no question” that both the nation and Congress are “center-right”:

BOEHNER: America is a center right country.

TIME: Still?

BOEHNER: Yes, no question. When you look at all the exit polling, Americans don’t want bigger government, they don’t want higher taxes. And frankly, I think the Congress is still a center-right Congress.

Apparently, Boehner hasn’t noticed the fact that Dems have swept the House, Senate and White House.

At least we’re not left to wonder what went wrong over the last eight years. All we have to wonder is why we didn’t kick the fuckers to the curb sooner.

Happy Hour Discurso

Progress Report: Holy Shit, Look at the Time!

24,505

I love my job for one reason: we have a health clinic. I took advantage of same today because one of my tonsils insisted on catching the latest ick and my glands are swelling to the size of kumquats, which doesn’t sound like much until you look in the mirror and realize that, compared to the size of the average human neck, that’s huge. In the interests of not having things explode and thus derail NaNoMadNess, I decided it was time for drugs.

This does have something to do with NaNo. I’m getting there.

So, after handing me the blessed antibiotics, John the medical guy asks me, “What are you doing for Thanksgiving?” I told him about NaNo. His eyes got larger than my glands. He stared at me for a moment, repeated, “Fifty thousand words?” and then reached for a calculator and a calendar. Hilarity ensued as he calculated what I have to pull out in order to make the deadline: 2,500 words per day from now to the bitter end.

I don’t think he really believed me when I told him I’ve crossed the finish line when I was running further behind before. Seriously. Ten thousand word weekends aren’t impossible. Keep that in mind, all of you who are running behind and starting to panic. We’ve got two weekends left, and we’re going to do this thing.

Even with glands the size of kumquats.

Tonight, I had an entirely too delightful time, and have thus nearly reached the peak o’ the mountain. If I didn’t have to go to bed in order to survive work tomorrow, I probably wouldn’t. Here’s one of my favorite bits from tonight:

CONFUSION #5: BUT THERE’S NO PURPOSE WITHOUT GOD!

Of course there is. You’re just not in a position to see it.

We’re going to spend some time on this one, because it seems to be such a sticking point for many Christians. I know people who have deep doubts, who are on the verge of giving up the faith that’s making them miserable, but won’t because they believe that without God, there’s no meaning or purpose in life. Evolution without an Executive Director terrifies them. The idea that we’re all accidents of fate, that there’s no ultimate reason for our existence, is appalling to them. They can’t handle it. They don’t understand how we can.

Both they and the deeply religious constantly demand us to answer the question: “But without God, how can life have any purpose? How can you make sense of anything that happens?”

Let’s begin with a parable.

There’s an old Welsh tale of a house haunted by an evil spirit, so dire that no one could even approach the place. A wise old woman heard of it and decided something needed to be done. She took a candle and her misal and went to spend the night.

Surrounded by darkness, sitting in a pool of light, she eventally came face-to-face with the demon. Cool old eyes gazed steadfastly into burning, hateful ones.

“Woman, your faith is in that candle flame,” it sneered.

“Demon, you lie,” the old woman said, and calmly put the candle out, plunging them both into utter darkness lit only by those raging red eyes. She never flinched. Defeated, the demon vanished, and has not returned to this day.

You say to me that the only purpose in life is in that candle flame. I’ve blown it out, yet purpose remains. That’s why I’ve told you this story.

(No, I don’t think you’re a demon. It’s just an awesome story, and other than the fact that you’re not a demon, it illustrates my point very well.)

When I blew out the candle flame, it was dark, at first. But I looked up, and there was a night sky blazing with stars. Everywhere I look, there’s purpose. Meaning shines out from everything. Where does it come from, if it doesn’t come from God?

From us.

From there, I’m ashamed to admit, I babbled like a brook. But hey, right now we’re after quantity rather than quality. One thing that will absolutely stay, though, is that old Welsh story. I’ve always loved that story, and I’m pleased it fits so well here. Or so I like to think.

I also hit the nihilist myth, which if you really want me to, I’ll post as a special bonus over the weekend. It’s snarky goodness, if I do say so myself.

Time just flew by tonight, but now it’s time for me to fly. As always, thoughts, snark and suggestions in comments, should the mood strike you.

Progress Report: Holy Shit, Look at the Time!

I *cough* I'm Not *hackcough* Feeling Well

Lavender flu, I’m afraid:

National Day Without A Gay has been called for December 10, International Human Right Day, and organizers are encouraging people to “call in gay” and spend the day being of service as volunteers in the community:

Day Without A Gay seeks to shift our strong feelings about injustice toward service! Let’s fight for equality by out-loving those who would deny us rights. Call in “gay” on December 10th (International Human Rights Day) and volunteer for your local LGBT and/or human rights organizations.

[snip]

In Southern California, gay-out participants are readying themselves to help fire victims along with helping out other service groups, and Day Without A Gay has a a state-by-state listing of volunteer opportunities.

Terribly sorry. I’ll be in tomorrow, though. Don’t mind the possible splotches of paint, or the papercuts from stuffing envelopes – it’s all part of my therapy.

I *cough* I'm Not *hackcough* Feeling Well

Folks Who Won't Need "How to Talk to an Atheist"

PZ’s cheering on Catholics for Choice, who apparently borrowed my Smack-o-Matic 3000 when I wasn’t looking and used it to belabor Bill Donahue:

  • From the beginning, the Catholic League was marked by a schizophrenic attitude that would become its hallmark: It simultaneously argued for the right of conservative Catholics to impose their values in the public sphere, while arguing against the right of others in the public sphere to offer legitimate criticism of Catholics or Catholicism.

  • The Catholic League tactics are i) manufacture controversy; ii) try to intimidate the “enemy”; iii) bully the opposition; iv) complain early and often; v) attack popular culture; and vi) silence the loyal opposition.

I haven’t had a chance to read their full takedown, but judging from what PZ quoted, it’s a thing of beauty.

I thought of my heart sister NP when I read this. She’s one of the people who kept me from looking at Catholics as a whole with a jaundiced eye, and now she’s got a whole army’s worth of backup. These folks probably won’t need to read my book, but they’re the kinds of Christians I mean when I say Christians and atheists have plenty to talk about. I don’t mind standing shoulder-to-shoulder with religious folk against stupid, intolerant fuckwits.

In fact, I think we could all have a good time of it.

Folks Who Won't Need "How to Talk to an Atheist"

Amicus Curiae for the Lord!

Somebody drive me to the ER. I think I’ve just ruptured myself laughing:

The California Supreme Court will take up various legal challenges to the constitutionality of Proposition 8, with oral arguments to begin around March and a decision expected by next May. I’m sure we’ll see a host of arguments between now and March, but the amicus brief on behalf of the Lord is a new one. It’s a PDF, but here’s the opening statement:

Acting on behalf of the Almighty Eternal Creator, who is holding sole ownership to His creations, all planets, including the earth and everything above, below and on it, myself as His heiress, and the Kingdom of Heaven World Divine Mission (also known as Rebuild My Church Divine Mission), a Non-Profit Corporation in the State of California, submit this Amicus Curiae brief to the address the legal standard for granting “yes” on Proposition 8, passed with 52% of California voters votes, as the State of California Constitution Amendment: “Marriage between one man and one woman only!”

Later on, there’s this section:

After a night full of dreams, before dawn on November 11, 2008, before I woke up in the morning, the Almighty Eternal Creator ordered me, saying “You explain to them the consequences that follow each and all of their actions. Once they understand, they will listen!”

These two matters (gay-lesbian and abortion) are just a couple of many major cases where people are exercising their free-will rights for wrong purposes. This has gone on for a hundred-thousand years and has contributed heavily to extreme weather, global warming, financial crisis, recession, global hatred, lying, violence, war and murder, serious sickness and diseases – often for the purpose of gaining rights for wrong purposes, power and money.

I mean, if you want to deny that a non-trivial part of your coalition is out in la-la land, go ahead. But ultimately, conservatives are responsible for giving this kind of nonsense talk a presentable forum and a place in their party. They made a devil’s bargain and now they’re trying to act like the Dominionists in their midst are perfectly normal.

The woman actually filed this amicus brief in all seriousness. She actually thinks she speaks for the Lord Hisownself. Fair takes my breath away, that does.

You know what image comes to my fertile mind? God paging through this thing at breakfast, having a good chuckle at all the inanity, and hitting that “myself as His heiress” line just as he’s taking a deep draught of dark-roasted Columbian. The Lord’s coffee sprays across the table. “My who-wha?”

I’d feel sorry for the poor bugger if he existed. Far too many of his followers are mortal embarrassments.

On a somewhat related note, Blue Texan has a little something to say about Kathleen Parker and the Con’s souring courtship of the frothing fundies:

For years, Democrats have been told that we “just don’t get” those nice people who believe the Earth is 5,000 years old or that being gay is a choice or that science is the devil’s magic or that Jesus rode around on dinosaurs. We’ve been told that our concerns about the religious right’s theocratic impulse is naked bigotry, and that we’d keep losing elections so long as we failed to genuflect to their nutty demands. Well.

Precisely.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get this hernia seen to…

Amicus Curiae for the Lord!

Blowing With the Winds of Change

Forgive me if I’m a little breathless. There’s been a flurry of news around Obama’s transition, and, well. Damn. I’ve spent the last several minutes on YouTube watching my favorite Scorpions video and grinning like an idiot. If you were hoping for a trip to the woodshed, I’m afraid you’ll be going away very disappointed indeed.

I didn’t have many concerns on the Rahmbo front to begin with, and after today, you couldn’t fill a teetotaler’s shot glass with ’em:

My biggest concern about Rahm Emanuel becoming the next White House chief of staff is his record of incrementalism.

With that in mind, it was hard not to find his comments yesterday very encouraging. Talking to a group of CEOs and business leaders, Emanuel said incremental changes wouldn’t be enough, and urged his audience to work with the Obama administration’s push for universal health care.

“When it gets rough out there, a lot of business leaders get out of the car and say, ‘We’re OK with minor reform.’ I’m challenging you today, we’re going to have to do big, serious things,” Rahm Emanuel said, speaking to The Wall Street Journal’s CEO Council, a conference convened to elicit corporate opinion on the challenges facing the new president. […]

Mr. Emanuel promised that a major economic stimulus would be “the first order of business” for Mr. Obama when he takes office Jan. 20. The focus of spending will be on infrastructure, specifically “green infrastructure,” which he said would include mass transit, upgraded electricity transmission lines, “smart” electrical meters that allow consumers to save money by using electricity at off-peak hours, and universal broadband Internet access, which he said would encourage telecommuting.

He stressed that the new administration would “throw long and deep,” taking advantage of the economic crisis to push wholesale changes in health care, taxes, financial re-regulation and energy. “The American people in two successive elections have voted for change, and change cannot be allowed to die on the doorsteps of Washington,” Mr. Emanuel said.

[snip]

This didn’t sound like an incrementalist, promising to go slow and work around the edges; it sounded like someone ready to help the president make real changes real soon.

Methinks Obama’s inspired somebody. Watching Rahm on a “yes, we can!” tear is going to be purely awesome.

Then came word of Obama’s choice for health czar:

In a sign that he may adopt a comprehensive approach to solving the health care crisis, President-elect Barack Obama has chosen former Sen. Tom Daschle (D-SD) to head the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ezra Klein points out, “you don’t tap the former Senate Majority Leader to run your health care bureaucracy. That’s not his skill set. You tap him to get your health care plan through Congress.” Earlier this year, during an address at the Families USA Action Conference, Daschle concurred with the need to ‘think big’ on reform:

Incremental change in our system is no longer a viable option. Instead we need comprehensive reform. In growing numbers the American people are demanding that we do something. Our goal should be to build what current and retired members of Congress have today, and make that available for all Americans.

Daschle is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Center for American Progress and is the author of Critical: What We Can Do About the American Health-Care Crisis.

No, not just secretary – I said czar and I meant czar:

Daschle is also set to take on the position of “health care czar” in the Obama White House. CNN’s Ed Henry is also reporting he negotiated the “health care czar” position in order to be “the point person on all White House health-related issues.”

You wanted to know if Obama’s serious about health care reform? There’s your answer. Not to mention this is the second person closely associated with the Center for American Progress that Obama’s tapped. Extraordinary. He may govern from center-left, but he’s salting progressives in there, and I think that’s a sign of what he means to do.

Several of his staffing choices, announced today, also give me a good feeling about this presidency:

As expected, the Obama team announces via press release that David Axelrod — one of the “architects” of Obama’s victory — is heading to the White House to serve as senior adviser to the President.

[snip]

Lisa Brown, Staff Secretary

Lisa Brown is the Executive Director of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy. Lisa was Counsel to Vice President Gore from September 1999 through January 2001, and Deputy Counsel from April 1997 through August 1999…

[snip]

Greg Craig, White House Counsel

Gregory B. Craig served under President Bill Clinton as Assistant to the President and Special Counsel. Prior to his appointment to that post he served for two years as Director of Policy Planning under Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Craig also worked for Senator Edward M. Kennedy as Senior Advisor on Defense, Foreign Policy and National Security from 1984-1988…

[snip]

Chris Lu, Cabinet Secretary

Christopher P. Lu has worked for President-elect Obama in a number of roles over the past four years. He was Legislative Director and Acting Chief of Staff in Obama’s Senate office, as well as a policy advisor during the presidential campaign. Chris is now the Executive Director of the Obama-Biden Transition Project, where he manages the day-to-day operations of the transition. From 1997 to 2005, he was Deputy Chief Counsel to Rep. Henry A. Waxman on the Democratic staff of the House Government Reform Committee (now the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee)…

If there’s a theme here, it’s that Obama’s not getting stupid with the Team of Rivals meme – he’ll have a few rivals in there, but what I’m mostly seeing so far in the official announcements is a group of tough, experienced Dems who can carry his vision forward.

And all of this was excellent. It would have been enough to make me happy indeed, but then Oba
ma deftly topped my sundae with the best cherry evah:

As most of you know, I firmly supported Janet Napolitano for Attorney General and the new alarm administration. It looks as if Eric Holder will be in the Attorney General instead, but it CNN has just announced that Napolitano will be the choice for Department of Homeland security. Here is the Reuters headline:

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s top choice to lead the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing multiple sources.

The Democratic governor, a supporter and campaigner for Obama’s presidential campaign, had been reported to be on a short list of people to fill cabinet posts in the new administration.

Assuming she makes vetting and is confirmed, Janet will make a fantastic Secretary of DHS. Some of the skills and abilities I pointed out as qualifications for AG will serve her very well as Homeland Security.

Understand, my darlings: I utterly adore Janet Napolitano. She was my governor, and I was justifiably proud of that fact. Alas, Arizona, it looks like you’re going to lose her, but your loss is the country’s gain.

She really is fabulous.

So is all this news. It’s fantastic to not wince in agony at every announcement coming out of Washington these days.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go back to my Scorpions.

Blowing With the Winds of Change

Happy Hour Discurso

Today’s opining on the public discourse.

And you thought that, with the McCain/Palin ticket going down in flames, we wouldn’t have fun ethics complaints against Sarah Palin to play with:

A resident of Gov. Sarah Palin’s (R-AK) hometown of Wasilla filed a new ethics complaint against the governor, arguing that her recent media blitz broke state ethics rules because portions of the interviews took place in the governor’s office. The Anchorage Daily News reports:

Jane Henning, a North Slope worker from Wasilla, said he filed the complaint with the attorney general. He says Palin is promoting her future political career on state property, pointing in particular to the governor’s Nov. 10 interview with Fox News Channel host Greta Van Susteren. […]

“The governor is using her official position and office in an attempt to repair her damaged political image on the national scene,” Henning wrote.

The state executive branch ethics rules say officials can’t use state resources to help or hurt a political candidate. Or a potential candidate.

Makes you wonder how many ethics violations she’ll have racked up before she plays Don Quixote with national politics again, dunnit?

As far as the far-right conservative future, Kathleen Parker has a few thoughts about that. The religious frothers won’t like them one bit:

In September, Kathleen Parker, a conservative syndicated columnist, raised quite a few eyebrows when she explained that Sarah Palin had no business running for national office. “If BS were currency, Palin could bail out Wall Street herself,” Parker said, before urging Palin to quit the Republican ticket. She was rewarded with literally thousands of angry right-wing emails.

Parker, to her enormous credit, continues to push back against conservative orthodoxy. In a Washington Post piece today, she encouraged the Republican Party to realize that its religious-right base is a leading cause for the party’s electoral troubles.

[T]he evangelical, right-wing, oogedy-boogedy branch of the GOP is what ails the erstwhile conservative party and will continue to afflict and marginalize its constituents if reckoning doesn’t soon cometh.

Simply put: Armband religion is killing the Republican Party. And, the truth — as long as we’re setting ourselves free — is that if one were to eavesdrop on private conversations among the party intelligentsia, one would hear precisely that.

The choir has become absurdly off-key, and many Republicans know it.

But they need those votes! So it has been for the Grand Old Party since the 1980s or so, as it has become increasingly beholden to an element that used to be relegated to wooden crates on street corners.

Parker is surprisingly candid in her assessment, criticizing the Republican Party for having “surrendered its high ground to its lowest brows.” By becoming the party of the Dobsons and Robertsons of the world, the GOP, Parker insists, has alienated “other people of faith (those who prefer a more private approach to worship), as well as secularists and conservative-leaning Democrats who otherwise might be tempted to cross the aisle.”

Expect two things: few Republicons will take her sound advice, and she’s going to get creamed by the fanatics. But I’m happy there are, at least, a few lone voices of near-reason out there on the right. Maybe once the lunatics implode, that means we’ll have a conservative moment worth contending with again.

Before they head over to Parker’s place with pitchforks and torches, I hope they make a stop at Bill O’s:

For years, Bill O’Reilly has been ranting about an alleged “War on Christmas,” claiming liberals are unjustly replacing “Christmas” festivities with “Holiday” festivities. News Hounds notes that O’Reilly isn’t practicing what he preaches, as he is showing off a “holiday reading list” on his website…

“Friendly fire,” eh, Bill? Wonder if he’ll end up on Focus on the Family’s list of businesses and entities who don’t say “Merry Christmas.” That would be amusing to the extreme.

It’s a day ending in y, so you know Dana Perino’s said something stupid:

Ever since Iraq’s cabinet “overwhelmingly approved” a proposed security agreement that mandates the full withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of 2011, the White House has been engaged in a rhetorical dance — in large part due to President Bush’s long-held opposition to “artificial timetables.”

On Monday, White House press secretary Dana Perino tried to mold the agreement to fit her boss’s view, saying that the withdrawal timeline contained within is only “aspirational” and tied to conditions on the ground remaining favorable. (It’s not). Today, Perino went further, claiming that the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) represents a celebration of victory in Iraq:

Q: Can you remind us again why this agreement is not the timetable that the president fought so hard against? […]

PERINO: This is a mutually agreed to agreement. And that’s what one of the things that is different about an arbitrary date for withdrawal when you say you’re going to leave win or lose. We believe that the conditions are such now that we are able to celebrate the victory that we’ve had so far and establish…a strategic framework agreement.

“A mutually agreed to agreement” that’ll allow us to “celebrate the victory.” She sounds like she’s been listening to Sarah Palin, doesn’t she? Good to see that t
he tradition o
f Bush-league stupidity is alive and well. I was afraid they’d get less amusing in the waning days of their rule.

Some rats are jumping ship and striking out for reality, though:

When it comes to the Bush administration’s environmental policies, there’s a fairly predictable pattern — scientists will weigh in, career EPA employees will agree with them, and Bush’s political appointees will ignore all of them.

This one, though, is a little unusual.

The Environmental Protection Agency is finalizing new air-quality rules that would make it easier to build coal-fired power plants, oil refineries and other major polluters near national parks and wilderness areas, even though half of the EPA’s 10 regional administrators formally dissented from the decision and four others criticized the move in writing.

Documents obtained by The Washington Post show that the administration’s push to weaken Clean Air Act protections for “Class 1 areas” nationwide has sparked fierce resistance from senior agency officials. All but two of the regional administrators objecting to the proposed rule are political appointees.

Got that? Several regional EPA administrators are opposing Bush’s new air-quality rules for national parks and wilderness areas, despite having been appointed by Bush.

It’s only a matter of time before Bush’s dog Barney bites him, too, I suspect.

But there is a drop of comfort for the Cons today. They didn’t lose Missouri:

It took a little longer than expected, but we now know the results of the presidential race from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Missouri, the lone holdout, was called today for McCain.

With all jurisdictions reporting complete but unofficial results, McCain led Obama by 3,632 votes Wednesday out of more than 2.9 million cast — a margin of 0.12 percentage points.

Cold comfort indeed when set against this:

I was holding off a bit, waiting to see if there’d be a statewide recount, but thankfully, Senator and convicted felon Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) conceded this afternoon.

Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens has conceded defeat to Democratic challenger Mark Begich in the Alaska Senate race.

Stevens, 85, was the longest serving Republican senator in the chamber’s history.

“Given the number of ballots that remain to be counted, it is apparent the election has been decided and Mayor Begich has been elected,” Stevens said in a statement.”

Stevens’ concession officially makes Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich a senator-elect, and officially brings the Senate Democratic caucus to 58. There are, of course, two remaining races that are unresolved: Minnesota (where a statewide recount began today) and Georgia (where there will be a runoff election on Dec. 2).

Dear, oh dear. I do believe that’s what’s called an overfuckingwhelming majority.

The era of neocon ascendency is over. Thank you for playing.

Happy Hour Discurso

Progress Report: Want Sleep

22,247

Trying to debunk Christian confusions about atheists without sounding like a list of “thou shalt nots” is rather harder than it sounds. But we’re giving it ye olde college try:

CONFUSION #1: ATHEISTS DESERVE PITY

Whether an atheist has given up their faith or never had it to begin with, a common reaction from believers is pity. You feel that we’ve lost something vital, and you feel sad for us. You feel so sad for us, in fact, that you constantly pester us about being sad.

“Aren’t you lonely without God?” “Doesn’t it make you sad to think that there’s no life after death?” “How awful it must be not to believe in anything.” Those are some common variations on the theme. Every time we’re a little blue, you take the opportunity to remind us that if we believed in God, we’d have someone to pray to for relief.

And it seems to really flummox you when we refuse your pity. You mean well, but your pity isn’t necessary, and it’s really annoying.

I try not to pity you. I could pester you right back with questions just as valid. “Isn’t it horrible to believe that your loving God’s going to torture your heathen friends for all eternity?” “Doesn’t it make you sad to think God’s punishing you with ill health/natural disaster/financial hardship?” “It must be exhausting to try to reconcile all those contradictions in the Bible.”

Irritiated yet? I thought as much. Look, if you’re happy being a Christian, and I’m happy being an atheist, let’s just try to be happy we’re happy. Let’s put the pity in a box and leave it gathering dust on a shelf.

We can certainly explore those questions. For instance, the big one, eternal life. It makes you happy. Knowing death is the end makes me happy, oddly enough. We could talk about the reasons why we feel that way. We could discuss why God makes you less lonely, while the idea of having a god underfoot all the time leaves me cold. But if we go spelunking through each other’s philosophies, pity isn’t going to be of any use.

I’ve also hit upon CONFUSION #2: ATHEISTS ARE EVIL… BUT YOU’RE AN ATHEIST, AND YOU’RE NICE! and CONFUSION #3: YOU’RE NOT REALLY AN ATHEIST! If you all have some confusions you’d like me to cover, now would be an ideal time to say so.

The cat is snoring. I want to emulate my cat. Therefore, I am going to bed.

We are now officially at the “NaNo is kicking my ass” stage, but it’s still fun. Hope all my fellow sufferers are, too!

Progress Report: Want Sleep

Obama's Attorney-General: Steve Benen Gets His Wish

Earlier today, Steve Benen at the Washington Monthly was waxing poetic over the possibility that Eric Holder would be our next AG:

I’m very encouraged by some of the names who may be joining Barack Obama’s cabinet. Here’s the latest report on the would-be Attorney General.

President-elect Obama has decided to tap Eric Holder as his attorney general, putting the veteran Washington lawyer in place to become the first African-American to head the Justice Department, according to two legal sources close to the presidential transition.

Holder, who served as deputy attorney general during the Clinton administration, still has to undergo a formal “vetting” review by the Obama transition team before the selection is final and is publicly announced, said one of the sources, who asked not to be identified talking about the transition process. But in the discussions over the past few days, Obama offered Holder the job and he accepted, the source said. […]

Holder, 57, has been on Obama’s “short list” for attorney general from the outset. A partner at the D.C. law firm of Covington & Burling, Holder served as co-chief (along with Caroline Kennedy) of Obama’s vice-presidential selection process…. A New York City native who graduated from Columbia University and Columbia Law School, Holder spent years as a federal prosecutor—a job in which he earned a reputation as tough and aggressive foe of public corruption. After serving in the public integrity section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and later a District of Columbia Superior Court judge, Holder was named by President Clinton as U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. He became deputy attorney general in 1997 under Janet Reno and was viewed as a centrist on most law enforcement issues, though he has sharply criticized the secrecy and the expansive views of executive power advanced by the Bush Justice Department.

The AP reports that Obama aides have already reached out to Senate offices about whether Holder’s confirmation would go smoothly.

Everything I know of Holder is positive (check out this speech he delivered to the American Constitution Society a few years ago). He’s universally respected and as a former deputy AG, knows a bit about how the Justice Department is supposed to work. And after eight years of Bushies trashing the joint, that’s an important skill to bring to the table. (No, don’t pay any mind to that Marc Rich issue.)

Steve should be a happy man come tomorrow:

NBC news confirms that Eric Holder will accept the position as Barack Obama’s Attorney General. NBC’s Savannah Guthrie talked to Mark Whitaker who reports that Holder was the front runner for the position.

John Amato:

Holder comes out of the Clinton administration and was linked to the Mark Rich pardon which will have Conservatives up in arms, but supported Barack Obama for president. We need an AG for the people and not like the Bush crony Alberto Gonzales. It’s no shock that Obama will appoint ex-Clinton people to his staff as his administration takes shape. Many capable people came out of that administration.

And Looseheadprop over at Firedoglake is going to have to find a new moniker, because her head’s going to explode. There’s wailing and gnashing of teeth over at Daily Kos, too, but that’s only a brief interruption to the histrionics over Lieberman.

Myself, I think this is a fine choice, and I’ll sum it up in Eric Holder’s own words (pdf):

The choices that are being made by those conservatives, those neo-conservatives, who control all three branches of our government, threaten to undermine the real progress that this nation has made in so many areas over so many years. With all due respect to President Reagan, the problem is not government. The problem is with those who run the government. In the struggle against terrorism, these people have made a mockery of the rule of law.

[snip]

The notion that the Department of Justice would in essence sanction the use of torture as part of the President’s plenary power over military operations is as wrong as it is shortsighted. This position flies in the face of the entire history of American law, helping to create a climate in which unnecessarily abusive conduct can somehow be considered legitimate.

[snip]

When government lawyers are asked how prisoners, how prisoners held by our government must be treated, it is inconceivable to me that they would fashion arguments to bolster the obviously false claim that torture and abuse are permissible tools of American policy.

[snip]

Now when I spoke to you last year, I said that we were engaged in a battle for the soul of our nation. That battle continues today, and if anything, has become even more consequential. The arrogance of our conservative brethren in the exercise of the power that they temporarily hold is breathtaking. From redistricting schemes, to attacks on abortion rights, to energy policies that are as shortsighted as they are ineffective, to tax cuts that disproportionately favor those who are well off and perpetuate many of the inequities in our nation, the conservative movement has been unafraid to push the limits in advancing this agenda.

[snip]

The nation must be reminded that the word liberal is more than a conservative slur. The nation must be reminded that it was the progressive, liberal tradition that brought about the social and economic changes that were necessary many years ago. The nation must be convinced that it is a progressive future that holds the greatest promise for equality and the continuation of those policies that serve to support the greatest number of our people.

You know what? There’s a lot more, but I’ll stop there. Go read his speech, and read Deoliver47’s wonderful diary giving us a snapshot biography, and remember one thing: this man is megaparsecs better than what we’ve had, and even if he’s not our personal favorite choice, he’s an excellent one indeed.

Besides, Steve loves him, and I’ve trusted Steve’s judgement now for – ye gods, approaching two years. He hasn’t let me down yet.

I think Obama picked a winner.

Obama's Attorney-General: Steve Benen Gets His Wish