In the last couple weeks, it has been astonishing to watch Democrats once again abandoning a core principle — in this case the protection of the free press — to excuse another abuse of the Obama Administration. The new talking point for defenders of the Obama Administration is that it is really not that bad to seize the records of journalists or label a journalist a potential criminal co-conspirator so long as they are not actually prosecuted. None however are quite so adamant as Georgetown Professor and MSNBC Political Analyst Michael Eric Dyson who called Eric Holder our “law giver” and “the Moses of our time.” In this case, of course, Moses came down from the mountain and endorsed the killing of any citizen deemed a national security threat, allowed warrantless surveillance, blocked public interest challenges to abuses of power, and attacked the free press. While some of us believe Holder should be fired, Dyson apparently believes Holder should be be beatified.
Here is Dyson holding forth on the miracle that is Holder:
MICHAEL ERIC DYSON, MSNBC POLITICAL ANALYST: I think the attorney general should step down too – off of that plateau where he resides in high principle and whip some head. But he shouldn’t give up his office. What he should understand is he’s the chief law giver of the United States of America so to speak. He’s the Moses of our time, and at least for this administration.
So, yes, some people want to put him outside of the ark of the legal community. That’s just ridiculous. He is the bully, he is in one sense the whipping boy for so much of the frustration of the right-wing. As Joy Reid has brilliantly indicated, their inability to reconcile themselves to the fact they lost the election means that they will be perennially pursuing a person like an Eric Holder. In sense, they perceive him to be the most vulnerable. They attack him. But I think what he has to do is continue to hold fast. I think the president has given strong indication that he will support Mr. Holder, and, therefore, together they should go forward.
And here’s the real problem. The real problem is it’s not against the law to leak classified information. That’s what we need to get into our sights here. That what we need to do is shore up the law. Not figure out how to scandalize the name of Eric Holder or President Obama. Let’s deal with the undergirding legal principles that are not present, and as a result of that figure out a way to get beyond this morass. Otherwise we’re going to repeat this in the next administration and the administration after that as well.
Dyson captures particularly the cult of personality surrounding this president. Not even the protection of the free press is enough to break faith with this president. By the way, last time I check, leaking classified information was a crime so we can move beyond the view that “The real problem is it’s not against the law to leak classified information.” Moreover, in our tripartite system, Holder is not a law giver of any kind. He is supposed to be enforcing the laws given by others — specifically the legislative branch — and of course protecting the Constitution.
As I mentioned in my surprising disagreement with CNN’s Jeff Tobin last night on the Situation Room, no one denies that such leaks can be crimes. It is how they are investigated. There was no excuse for this fishing expedition into the records of journalists. Also, Bashir joins Dyson in mocking the concerns of journalists that the Administration searched these records since the targets were not prosecuted. He laughed with Dyson at the fact that Rosen was described as a potential criminal co-conspirator. It is perfectly other worldly. The free press rests on guarantees of confidentiality. The administration attacked that guarantee and in so doing created a chilling effect on the work of all reporters.
As for Moses, I shudder to think who Dyson considers to be the Messiah that Holder is foretelling . . . but I can guess.
SOTB,
“Remember I am ashamed of my and Barrack’s Machiavellian viewpoint on life. We just feel the ends justifies the means and I know that’s not very ethical of us.”
You can change your viewpoint if you’re so ashamed of it.
Of course, with the “we” and “us” I understand why you don’t.
Gene H. – Re: Banks – I guess I’m just a cynic too… I don’t have the same outlook on our financial future you do. I tend to look to the dark-side of people. Occupational hazard?
I don’t disagree with you that Mr. Obama may have some “strings” attached to people like Buffet, Soros, and others. I think it’s the nature of the business (cynical statement I know)… Remember I am ashamed of my and Barrack’s Machiavellian viewpoint on life. We just feel the ends justifies the means and I know that’s not very ethical of us. But in today’s world how else can anyone survive otherwise? Being totally honest and above-board on everything; I can’t see how anyone can maintain that with all the sharks in the water. With all due respect to gramps, I think you know the old saying “Money talks…”.
Observin’ ftmp – “…bloviator”? How did you know my people are from Ohio? That was popular with the 1st allegedly Black American POTUS Warren G. Harding.
Exactly what is your back-story sur’ that allows you to be so judgmental of my cyber-pontifications on the particular subject matter of my specific choosing. (Said in the southern accent of Foghorn Leghorn) 😆
You know that also is a slam at my cyber-buddy BLOUISE who is also from the Buckeye state… And she’s my SISter! 😎
Careful we might arrange for “Chris” to pay you a visit… He might love to look up your skirt… 😆
SOTB,
As my grandfather used to say, “Bullshit.”
And that was a lovely appeal to emotion (namely fear) you trotted out there.
By lovely, I mean weak and tedious.
The same thing would happen to the banking industry as in any other industry if a bunch of crooks at the top got their comeuppance. Newer, smaller entities willing to play by the rules would rise up to fill those market voids. There would be no “crash”. There would be a massive correction, but the economy would march on. And justice would be had.
So save your vomitous apologetics for someone who buys them.
You’ve got no sale here.
And spare me the “Eric’s got style” gibberish.
He’s a bought and paid for corporatist goon just like his boss.
Oky1 – Do you have anything like “specific facts” to back up your Tea-Bag-esque diatribe? I suppose if the so-called leaders looked a little more like yourself you might have a different opinion on their leadership style. I guess if you found out like Craig Cobb did recently that you have 14% commonality with Eric and Barrack you’d be singing a different tune. I think this discussion would go better if people would just stick to specificity and stay away from generalities.
1st those that call themselves leaders would have to wish to fix the errors.
We know for a fact from the past Bailouts & now their” Bailing You In”, Your Money & Assets anyway, the DC Polecats have zero desire to fix anything!
(They Ain’t never Fixing Sheeet” Get over it. Until we cut them off from their Addiction, your Money/Assets!)
Like Warren Buffet’s main squeeze said, you people just need to “Suck It Up” & think Gawd you taxpayers Bailed Us Billionaires Out with a One Page Form Govt Welfare Check & Pray to Jeebus.
Gene H. – So you feel that if Eric mustered his forces tomorrow (SEC, FBI, FCC, FTC, etc.) and did a “grand tour” bust on all of the Fortune 50 to 500 Wall Street crooks we (USA) would not be plunged into some sort of economic dark-age rivaling 1929? Obama averted a crisis with the car manufacturers who arguably are just as crooked. If he let them fail what would have happened to the American car industry? Would be forced to buy Yugos?
If Golden Sachs, CitiBank, Wells Fargo, Chase, etc. were all rolled up into a federal court cases with heavy sentencing to medium security facilities for the execs, where would that leave us on mortgages, stocks, investment banking, monetary funds, etc.?
Remember when they got John Goti and he was sentenced to a long term but died in jail? Look what filled the vacuum left by his absence. The Russian Mob, Japanese Yakuga, and Chinese Triads. The same scenario would follow. The hidden wannabe Bernie Madoff’s would come out of the woodwork and infest the void left behind IMO.
Don’t get me wrong… I’m all for Eric to prosecute vigorously against these Wall Street moguls. However, I’d like to see him do with with more stealth and guile than some later day Elliot Ness. BTW Elliot was no real law-giver. He was a wannabe top-cop insurance salesman. I think we need to give Eric a little more credit for having some moxy and will think of something creative to give these Wall Street cretins a swift kick in the pocket-book at least. Jail time just doesn’t sound do-able at this juncture (as poppa Bush would say). 😎
“I’m just saying that Eric knows that if he took out the “big-guys” it would negatively impact our economy on a grand scale.”
And letting the world know that if you’re a financial sector criminal, you get a free pass doesn’t?
There is no such thing as too big to fail. That’s a myth. Or in less polite terms a damned lie, SOTB.
Bought and paid for by the very criminals you apologize for in apologizing for the bought off pols who provide them cover.
What’s it feel like to aid and abet a massive fraud after the fact and to obstruct justice?