Former House speaker Newt Gingrich appears to be running against the Constitution as much as against President Obama these days. Gingrich has been promising to round up judges who do not agree with him — statements that have even conservative figures like Michael Mukasey, former attorney general during the George W. Bush administration, denouncing him. Mukasey was the attorney general who blocked prosecutions into torture, but finds Gingrich truly scary. I am currently scheduled to be on Hardball tonight to discuss this latest attack on the judiciary.
On CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Gingrich indicated that he would call judges who hand down controversial opinions to appear before Congress to answer for their transgressions and would send federal law enforcement to arrest judges failed to appear.
It is the latest attack on the judicial branch — attacks that led Mukasey to denounce his proposals as “dangerous, ridiculous, totally irresponsible, outrageous, off-the-wall and would reduce the entire judicial system to a spectacle.”
Here is one of the exchanges:
SCHIEFFER: Let me just ask you this and we’ll talk about enforcing it, because one of the things you say is that if you don’t like what a court has done, the congress should subpoena the judge and bring him before congress and hold a congressional hearing. Some people say that’s unconstitutional. But I’ll let that go for a minute.
I just want to ask you from a practical standpoint, how would you enforce that? Would you send the capital police down to arrest him?GINGRICH: If you had to.
SCHIEFFER: You would?
GINGRICH: Or you instruct the Justice Department to send the U.S. Marshal. Let’s take the case of Judge Biery. I think he should be asked to explain a position that radical. How could he say he’s going to jail the superintendent over the word “benediction” and “invocation”? Because before you could — because I would then encourage impeachment, but before you move to impeach him you’d like to know why he said it.
Now clearly since the congress has….SCHIEFFER: What if he didn’t come? What if he said no thank you I’m not coming?
GINGRICH: Well, that is what happens in impeachment cases. In an impeachment case, the House studies whether or not — the House brings them in, the House subpoenas them. As a general rule they show up.
It is the very definition of demagogy to dangle out the image of judges being clapped in irons to satisfy citizens angry over decisions by judges. Article III is designed to guarantee independence from people like Gingrich so that judges can rule in favor of the Constitution and, yes, at times take positions disliked by the majority.
Source: Washington Post
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Bron: ” rafflaw: the progressive movement in this country has it’s roots in mid 19th century German philosophy as did the Nazis. So Anacap has a good point.”
*****
Well I guess we’re into Godwin territory now- generally signaling the end for any effective discourse on a thread.
[Godwin’s Law: As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches.]
BTW, for a good description of ‘bag man’ one needs look no further than the Speaker of the House:
“Boehner hands out ‘tobacco checks’ on floor of House:
In late June of 1995 then-GOP Conference Chairman John Boehner handed out “about a half-dozen” checks from the political action committee of tobacco company Brown & Williamson Corp. to fellow Republicans on the floor of the House.
Boehner’s chief of staff Barry Jackson stated, “We were trying to help guys who needed to get their June 30th numbers up, their cash-on-hand numbers up. All leadership does this. We have to raise money for people and help them raise money.”
Boehner was forced to stop handed out the checks when two freshmen Republicans, “appalled by it,” confronted him and voiced their displeasure. Boehner’s reaction was one of tempered apology, “I thought, ‘Yeah, I can imagine why somebody would be upset. It sure doesn’t look good.’ It’s not an excuse, but the floor is the only place you get to see your colleagues. It was a matter of convenience. You make a mistake, admit it and go on. I just feel bad about it.” (Associated Press, 5/10/96)
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Boehner
Of course the progressive movement was all the same as the nazi movement really, aside from the anti-jewish stuff and other racist crap. It was a rejection of laissez-faire in favor of the planned economy, mercantalism on steroids, which is fascism unless its direct state ownership of the means of production and then its socialism- which cannot exist.
Amerika is fascist. The progressives are fascist. The conservatives are fascist. None respect property rights. We have the pretense of private property but the state loots all it wants to fund its authoritarian empire from hell. Ownership means exclusive control over use and disposal. In Amerika, the US Nazi reich doesn’t even allow you to own your own body, regulating what you put in it, regulates how you move, what you say, where you go and how, on and on. Disobey and get kidnapped, tortured and murdered. Its EASILY the most evil country in the history of the world, by far. And its getting worse ever second..
Anarcho-capitalist,
A major category you omitted is the extensive history of support for convenient dictators all across the globe by the United States.
Lists here and here.
The US has even toppled democratically-elected governments in order to replace them with US-aligned dictators, as we did in Iran.
I think most Americans believe that the US is somehow morally entitled to a global empire for simply espousing certain values on paper, even though the US government frequently does not live up to these values in reality. People are sold on US exceptionalism and the brand “America” from a very young age, in the same way Madison Avenue sells them all the rest of their aspirations and beliefs.
Bron, you are, and have been proven in many postings, to be totally full of shit. I don’t have to prove anything to you. You were the one that made the tie in. We don’t rely on ipse dixit around here. Where are YOUR proofs? A full logical dissection without resorting to ad hominems, strawmen or appeals to ignorance. And cites from blogs and pundits are not proof as has been demonstrated repeatedly by all those who have egg on their collective faces.
““It is the most evil empire in world history.”
****************
I am always amazed when some advocate takes such an extreme position that it alienates both opponent and observer to such an extent that both just quit listening. If the point of the exercise is persuasion, how can this be called anything like a strategy? If the point is affirmation instead of information, why should we bother to listen?
Otteray Scribe:
Why dont you prove me wrong. I stand on solid historical evidence. I am not saying that the American Progressive movement would put people in concentration camps or gas them, only that the roots are most definitely the same.
It is almost laughable that you deny that fact. It shows a complete lack of understanding of the origins of the progressive movement and a complete lack of understanding of the history of America during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. And the broader implications of what we are now experiencing as a society.
Gene….
How hard is it for a rock to think for itself…..
Wow…this has some folks coming unglued…Ya never know what triggers folks to act the way they do…
Bron, you have drunk far too much Kool Aid. There is absolutely nothing the progressive movement and the Nazi party have in common. That is the straw man of all straw men. It is the Colossus of Rhodes of strawmen. You really don’t have any shame or sense of decency do you? Or sense of history, philosophy or politics. Nazis and progressives grown from the same tree? You really need to join the human race and stop following the alien worms that inhabit your mind.
All that history is rock solid and even mild. I also didn’t mention many more wars on empire. You all are just brainwashed with lies.
rafflaw:
the progressive movement in this country has it’s roots in mid 19th century German philosophy as did the Nazis. So Anacap has a good point.
You should read Justice Kagan’s senior thesis, it is quite interesting and actually quite good.
http://infidelsarecool.com/elena-kagan-thesis.pdf
A/C
Most of your latest response is just crap. Hitler modeled his fascism on the Progressive movement? BS, pure and simple.
american Indians, slavery, provoking germany to attack in order for an excuse to enter WWI in order to aid the british empire, complicity in the versailles treaty which created much of the atmosphere which led to hitler in addition to the fascism that he embraced was in part modeled on the progressive movement in america which was of course fascist. amerika created nazi germany, along with some help from others particularly England who was trying to stave its youth, many of which became loyal nazis since he fed them for a while before they died, japanese-american internment in concentration camps and mass seizure of their property which wasn’t absolute as you love, provoking japan to war through sanctions, free trade infringements, interference in their local and regional affairs and refusing to make a non-aggression pact and cutting off diplomatic relations, then insisting on unconditional surrender when the only counter-demand was to keep the emperor even if only ceremonial, nuking them- aiming specifically for civilian populations, twice, and then accept their surrender and allow them to keep the emperor anyway all as political theatre to impress Stalin, aggressive wars, jim crow, korean war of aggression based on lies, vietnam war of aggression based on lies, aggressive warmaking and warmongering all over the middle east, concentration camps and far beyond guantanamo, indefinite detention, torture and murder of anyone in the world, either secretly if they feel like it or bragging about it on the state licensed, regulated, taxed and owned press, massive use of bills of attainder, cameras on the roads, nazi tsa violating travelers in the airports and now more and more the trains, buses and roads, massive electronic surveillance of the population of the world including amerika, trillions of violations of the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th amendments on a daily, not monthly, basis,drone bombings of amerikan citizens even minors for speech, and on and on all throughout the entire course of the us government. This isn’t even a slight beginning of the amount of evil its done and is doing. It has killed more people than any other government ever to exist, is the most unlimited, huge, power and dangerous entity to ever exist and is the worst empire to ever exist. It must be destroyed.
Gene,
great response to Bron on his reversal of the term “bag men”. It is amazing that even when corporations are abusing the system, somehow it is the government who is enticing them to take it over. Bron,the individuals are limited to how much they can contribute but a corporation can give unlimited amounts of funds. Why is their speech more free than mine? The corporations that use the pass through are doing it to dodge taxes. Corporations of any kind are not people, notwithstanding what the Supremes say. As individuals they can say what they want, but if you let corporations continue to pour money into politics, you will continue to get politicians answering to their Masters instead of to the people.
Further, any American citizen-slave that isn’t angry at the US government is a fucking moron. It has no respect for anyone’s rights. It is the most evil empire in world history. It is a completely lawless criminal agency stealing from the entire population, violating the common law rights of the people. Just the fact it extorts my money, which is obviously theft, to bomb innocent people, let alone 16 year old American citizens for speech, makes paying taxes immoral. Yet it is committing TRILLIONS of civil rights violations monthly. And here I see morons arguing for the state to have more power, more money, and more rules. Anyone not angry at such evil is a moron or evil.
“It is the most evil empire in world history.”
A-C,
I’m not happy about the direction of this country but I use my real name if they want to find me. However, your statement above is ridiculous. I’ll give you a few examples:
NAZI Germany
The Roman Empire
The USSR
Japan
Mayan Empire
Aztecs
Incas
That’s just a few that are much worse than we are. This is’t blindness by the way, or jingoism, just a knowledge of history which you should learn.
Hey!
Quincy was a damn fine medical examiner. He didn’t realize his job stopped at the lab door, but he was a damn fine M.E. We wouldn’t have had CSI without him!
Bron,
“Government has the force, lobbyists are nothing but bag men for government”
False. Government doesn’t hire lobbyists. Corporate and other special interests hire lobbyists. They are bag men alright. But they do indeed work for the private sector. Who pays for their activities? Master and servant is the key to agency law. For example, the Koch Brothers own Koch Companies Public Sector LLC. What do the employees of Koch Companies Public Sector LLC do? They lobby. He who writes the checks and issues the orders is the master in an agency relationship Bron. And they are but one of many.
The setup is a bribery; pay for play. Not a shakedown for protection.
“I bet lobbyists give congressmen and senators money to pass more laws that just jam up the works, not of their clients but other potential clients in the hopes that they could increase their client base when those companies have been screwed by some new government regulation. And the senators and congressmen are probably very good at shaking down lobbyists for money.
Make it illegal for politicians to be able take more than $100.00 from any one person, institution, org., pac, corp, union, etc. and get rid of bundling. And include political advertisements specifically geared toward a particular candidate as well.
Dont limit free speech, limit the ability of politicians to accept money. You take the bottle away from the alcoholic you dont shut down the distillery.”
Almost correct. Maybe you are learning something. No one is suggesting limiting free speech of individuals – human individuals that is. Corporations aren’t real people. Their personality is a fiction designed to allow them to enter into contract and own property. By giving them free speech in Buckley v. Valeo and expanding that right once retained to human citizens with Citizens United, the SCOTUS erred grievously on the side of fascism. People should have a maximum limit on donations. They did before FECA was dismantled. It was limited to $5000. Deregulation brought so called soft money into play. That soft money resulted in buying the influence necessary to let horrific and anti-democratic precedents of both Buckley v. Valeo and Citizens United go uncorrected by Congress and the multitude of graft related malfunctions you see before you today. The problem isn’t the power of government to do things necessary for society. The problem is the power of government being corrupted to narrow private interests instead of working for us all.
Your solution is a variant the same one many of us – including me – have been advocating for some time, but your reasoning on the causation of the problem and the link to free speech is slightly flawed. However, you are very close to understanding the true nature of the problem as indicated by your proposed solution.
There may be hope for you yet, Bron.
It’s truly a Christmas miracle.
None of you lot can make a difference. You all embrace authoritarianism while complaining about its symptoms. I see no one person in this thread arguing for nonviolence, for freeing all nonviolent prisons. gene h is such a moron he doesn’t even realize he advocates putting nonviolent people in jail, for say “practicing law without a license” or “tax evasion” or “driving without license.” These things are nonviolent crimes he supports imprisoning people for. hiding behind saying its a fine for some things is nonsense. Don’t pay the fine. Eventually they will come to kidnap you. Resist and they will murder you. All laws are backed by biolence. 99% are used against peaceful people. gene h wants millions upon millions of peaceful people in jail, anyone who resists his authoritarianism, just like any pathetic power-lusting scumbag.
Bron:
Why, yes I have. I ‘ll see your Krugman and raise you a Quincy. 😀
Mespo:
Is that Jack Klugman? He was really good as Quincy, M. E. although I dont know what kind of an economist he is. 🙂
Have you been hitting the scotch this fine winters afternoon?