Stereotyping Texas

John Cornyn is irritated that Jim DeMint is meddling in the upcoming Republican primary to replace Kay Bailey Hutchison.

By Friday, Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina fired a shot across the hypothetical, non-existent Dewhurst campaign bow by sending an email to members of his influential Senate Conservatives Fund. In his email, DeMint ripped Dewhurst and praised two lesser known Texas Republicans: Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams and (perhaps more interestingly) former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz.

DeMint’s comments irritated at least one important Texas political figure, and not for the first time either.  When asked about the DeMint email, Senator and Texas political giant John Cornyn sardonically quipped “is that guy from Texas?” What sounds like a harmless joke to the untrained ear was aimed for an audience of Texans that understand full well what Cornyn is saying: “Jim DeMint isn’t one of us.”

Fair enough. But then the reporting by Jeb Golinkin at Frum Forum gets really irritating:

Texas really is different.  The Lone Star State fancies itself as (and in many ways is) far more like a country than a state.  Indeed, to find a society that is collectively as fascinated with its own culture or as prepared to guard against attacks on it, one must look past the rest of the United States.  Indeed, Texas’ only obvious peer in this regard is (ironically) France.  And as is the case with France, the stereotypes about Texas are there for a reason.

Any candidate that seems too close to national figures like Palin, DeMint, or Bachmann opens themselves up to suspicion that they are allowing outsiders to meddle in places they are not welcome, namely, Texas.  DeMint’s email demonstrates just how unprepared his organization is for Texas politics.  The “establishment” that DeMint denounces and anticipates will line up behind the current Texas Lt. Governor is really the Texas establishment. Texan voters are apt to look upon a candidate they associate with the state political establishment far more kindly than they will look upon a candidate they associate with a group of outsiders lacking ties to the state.

For this reason, talented candidates like Ted Cruz ought to be careful not to seem too cozy with “outsiders”. Or else, Dewhurst may flip the tables and accuse them of pushing a national agenda upon the voters’ beloved Lone Star State.

Can we lay off the cheap Texas stereotyping for a second here? Yes, Texas is a different state. Yes, Texans love to talk about themselves. For all I know, Golinkin may be a Texan himself--Texans stereotype about themselves as much as non-Texans.

But none of this has to do with the matter at hand--whether Jim DeMint can insert himself into the Texas primary. And I see no reason that he can't. Is there any empirical evidence that Texans get cranky enough at outsides to change their votes in a primary? Especially when that interference is going to go to the most conservative candidate? I can't see any Texans saying, "I like Candidate A. He hates immigrants, abortion, and the queers. But that gosh durned foreigner DeMint is telling me to vote for him. So I'm going to vote for Candidate B, even though they only want to build a 100 foot wall along the Rio Grande and not actually expel all Mexicans from Texas."

It's not going to happen that way. And to say that it will, that John Cornyn's irritation at DeMint is going to matter a hill of beans in what is to be sure an extremely scary primary race, is just lazy reporting that substitutes stereotypes for analysis.

Go DeMint?

I'm almost happy Jim DeMint has decided to declare himself King of the Senate and hold up all legislation as long as he wants to do so. On the face of it, this is a terrible thing. But the Senate is already a nonfunctioning disaster. The longer there's any illusion that the Senate works, the longer it is before something drastic happens to fix it. I'm not trying to make a Leninist "let's cheer for things to get worse so the revolution can begin" argument. Things are already so bad that all DeMint is doing is making it increasingly obvious for all to see.

The Problem of the Honduran Inauguration, and the Stupidity of Claims of Zelaya's "Radicalism"

I'm a little late in getting to this, but RAJ pointed out the lack of a good solution for the impending inauguration of Porfirio Lobo in Honduras at the end of the month. Lobo is saying he should be inaugurated by the head of the legislature, which has happened regularly - so regularly, in fact, that in 2006, we got this now-amazing photograph of Roberto Micheletti giving the presidential sash to....Manuel Zelaya. And while Lobo's solution may seem like a decent idea at first, as RAJ points out, "Lobo still has this difficulty to solve: while he can duck being given the regalia of power by Micheletti, he still has to be deemed to be receiving power from the previous president," who is, of course, Micheletti. It's going to be interesting to see how the inauguration plays out, both in Honduras, and in the world more generally.

And finally, if the photo above isn't amusing enough, RAJ also found this nugget that effectively obliterates any notion that Zelaya was some crazy leftist opposed to the United States (as if this photo wasn't evidence enough that Zelaya was not some Chavez pawn):

PS: The little trip down memory lane to find a photo of the investiture of President Zelaya in 2006 also produced this interesting tidbit:

Thousands of Hondurans filled the National Stadium in Tegucigalpa, with a capacity of some 40,000 persons, to witness the passage of command from the exiting government official, Ricardo Maduro, of the National Party, to Manuel Zelaya, of the Liberal Party, both conservatives.

Pretty fascinating stuff, and makes claims by the likes of DeMint and his ilk even more ridiculous.

DeMint's One-Man War on Labor

Given what almost happened in Detroit, I sure am glad Jim DeMint is holding up Obama's head of TSA nominee because he fears TSA could join unions!

This kind of thing is the real threat the collapse of the Senate as a functioning democratic institution presents to the nation. Filibusters and nominee holds prevents the government from functioning as smoothly as it should, thwarts democratic will, and could endanger national security.

But hey, TSA workers joining unions is a far greater threat than terrorism! And really, aren't union members and terrorists more or less the same thing....

Shorter Jim DeMint: Unions Are Terrorist Organizations

Via Duss, Jim DeMint keeps it classy, even compared to his own standards.

Chris, I am concerned, because it’s related to another issue that we’re dealing with now in the Senate. The administration is intent on unionizing and submitting our airport security to union bosses’ collective bargaining. And this is at a time, as Senator Lieberman said, that we’ve got to use our imaginations, we’ve got to be constantly flexible, we have to out-think the terrorists. And when we formed the airport security system, we realized we could not use collective bargaining because of that need to be flexible. Yet that appears now to be the top priority of the administration. And this whole thing should remind us, Chris, that the soft talk about engagement, closing Gitmo, these things are not gonna appease the terrorists. They’re gonna keep coming after us, and we can’t have politics as usual in Washington, and I’m afraid that’s what we’ve got right now with airport security.

The Very Real Economic Effects of George LeMieux's Stupidity

Republican Senator George LeMieux's oh-so-brave, principled stand against Barack Obama's nominee for ambassador to Brazil, is having a negative effect on more than just our diplomatic relations:

Boeing Co. may lose a $7.5 billion jet fighter sale to Brazil unless the U.S. Senate lifts a four- month delay in confirming President Barack Obama’s nominee for ambassador to Latin America’s biggest country, a former top U.S. diplomat to the region said. [...]

“This will cost thousands of U.S. jobs,” said Aronson, who served as top envoy to the region from 1989 to 1993 for Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. “It’s an insult to Brazil to tell them they’re not important enough to have an ambassador like so-called advanced countries but that we want them to buy our planes over the French.”

Boeing is working to prevent Dassault from winning a contract that analysts estimate could be valued at as much as 5 billion euros ($7.5 billion). The Chicago-based company delivered its final offer for the F/A-18 Super Hornets in October, after French President Nicolas Sarkozy traveled to Brazil and won a promise from his counterpart, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, to open exclusive talks to buy Dassault’s Rafale jet.

That's right - because of LeMieux's pigheaded and completely unnecessary stubbornness, the U.S. may lose thousands of jobs when we desperately need some good news in the employment front. Not only that, we would lose those jobs to France, who just a few years back Republicans excoriated because France wouldn't support the Iraq war. Such moments as these often lead to hyperbole, but I'm not so certain that, at this point, calling LeMieux an economic traitor is too far off the mark.

Republicans Once Again Blocking Obama's Nominee for Ambassador to Brazil

A few weeks back, I wondered if the U.S. was about to finally get its ambassador for Brazil, as Jim DeMint had decided to stop his grandstanding and obstruction on one of the most increasingly important ambassador positions for the U.S. It seemed that things would finally get resolved.

Well, meet Senator George LeMieux, the new Jim Demint:

Shortly after Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) agreed to drop his opposition to President Barack Obama’s nominee for Ambassador to Brazil, interim Sen. George LeMieux (R-FL) decided to pick up where DeMint left off. DeMint had been blocking Thomas Shannon’s nomination over the Obama’s policy on the coup in Honduras; LeMieux, on the other hand, is accusing the former Bush nominee of being soft on Cuba. According to an anonymous Republican aide, LeMieux is delaying Shannon’s confirmation over the role he played in initiating talks with Cuba on migration and direct mail service when he was Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs under the Obama administration.

DeMint's excuses were absolutely risible, but LeMieux's complaints about Shannon make DeMint look like a seasoned veteran of international affairs. Obstruction because of an individual's role in talks over direct mail service to Cuba? Clearly, Shannon is a massive communist threat who cannot take office!!!!!

As Erik has repeatedly said, this is the kind of thing Democrats absolutely need to be broadcasting loud and clear to the American public in order to show how childish, ridiculous, stupid, and hypocritical Republican politicians have become. And while that kind of tactic won't appear with the older generation of Democratic politicians, we can still hope younger and up-and-coming Democrats adopt them.

U.S. to FINALLY Get Ambassador to Brazil?

I'd been wanting to blog about this for awhile. The ever-classy Jim DeMint, friend to coup-mongers, had been stalling Obama's appointment for the U.S. Ambassador to Brazil for months. DeMint claimed it was because of Obama's position in the Honduras crisis, which began on June 28. Still, as Brazil had (of yet) anything to do with Honduras, DeMint's position really just came off as a bunch of hollow and useless grandstanding. DeMint's position was indefensible, and it was absurd that the U.S. still did not have an ambassador to Brazil, one of the top ten largest economies in the world and an increasingly important global power in economic, political, and diplomatic issues. DeMint's attention-grabbing measures were stupid and damaging to developing relations with Brazil. I was all ready this weekend to go into great detail on the possible consequences of DeMint's actions.

However, it seems that post is not necessary, as apparently, Obama's policy towards Honduras has "shifted" enough that he now is willing to unblock Thomas Shannon's nomination to the post of ambassador to Brazil. DeMint claims he's had a change of heart because Obama's administration has now said it will recognize Honduras's elections this year whether Zelaya is in office or not, a shift from its previous stance. If that's what DeMint wants to use as his window dressing, then I guess that's fine, but I'm still not buying it, especially since Obama's administration only announced that it would not recognize the elections back in September, which again doesn't really serve as an explanation as to the need to block the nominee from July (when Shannon was nominated) to September. Still, I guess if Jim DeMint wants to wage his battles on useless battlefields that are uninteresting to most of the electorate, that's his prerogative. Still, part of me deeply hopes that the Obama administration gets Shannon to his position, and then reverses its stance and doesn't acknowledge the elections of Honduras as legitimate due to their occurring during an illegal administration. Though I guess that would give DeMint another opportunity to grandstand and feel important, so maybe it's better the administration deny him that opportunity, and let him continue to be the little man Jim DeMint truly is.

This is What the Honduran Coup Looks Like

This is the Honduran coup and the military that supports it:

Rosamaria Valeriano Flores was returning home from a visit to a public health clinic and found herself in a crowd of people dispersing from a demonstration in support of the ousted president, Manuel Zelaya. As she crossed the central square of the Honduran capital, a group of soldiers and police officers pushed her to the ground and beat her with their truncheons.

She said the men kicked out most of her top teeth, broke her ribs and split open her head. “A policeman spit in my face and said, ‘You will die,’ ” she said, adding that the attack stopped when a police officer shouted at the men that they would kill her.

Ms. Valeriano, 39, was sitting in the office of a Tegucigalpa human rights group last week, speaking about the assault, which took place on Aug. 12. As she told her story, mumbling to hide her missing teeth, she pointed to a scar on her scalp and to her still-sore left ribs.

What's even more disturbing is the support the coup is getting from Senator Jim DeMint and many other major Republicans. Sarah has a great article about this at Global Comment. I think some of this support comes from a desire to replicate the neo-imperialistic American relationship with Latin America during the Cold War. I also wonder how much of this isn't a dark fantasy of what conservatives could do in the United States to a popularly elected but (to them) detestable government. I think a lot. I think DeMint might just support this because he thinks such actions, and the beatings of hippies and unionists and anti-war protesters and other undesirables that result, is a desirable response to the Obama presidency. Certainly the violent rhetoric coming out of the teabaggers (when their mouths aren't full of testicles that is...) suggest extremist and authoritarian desires. I don't want to read too much into DeMint's actions, but I do think it's worth considering.

More DeMint

So it looks like Jim DeMint and his merry band of right-wing lunatics are going to visit Honduras after all to support the coup leaders, even though doing so violates the Logan Act of 1799 stopping unauthorized U.S. citizens from negotiating with foreign governments. Mitch McConnell made a big deal out of it and of course the Obama Administration caved.

I suppose it doesn't matter since DeMint's not going to be able to actually do anything except hold up Obama's appointments. He's not going to save the coup leaders. But the moral compass of the Republican Party is somewhat below sane.

Jim DeMint--Irresponsible Even for a Republican Senator!

DeMint comes out for the Honduran coup.

“I am hopeful that as President Obama grows in office, he will eventually turn
away from despots like Ahmadinejad, Chavez, Castro, and Zelaya, and give the
United States’ full-throated support to the people of any country who are
fighting for the same values we cherish and defend in America,” the South
Carolina lawmaker said. “President Obama’s call for the reinstatement of Zelaya
is a slap in the face to the people of Honduras…The rule of law is working in
Honduras. President Obama should not undermine the democratic institutions that
guarantee freedom by forcing an illegitimate President back into power.”

Wishing it was 1982 and the US could explore some covert ops I see.

The Fireeaters

I love watching the Republican party implode.

And implode they are doing. They have no idea how to deal with defeat. They have no agenda. The best responses come from what I will call the Fireeater Republicans. The original Fireeaters were the extremist pro-slavery secessionists in South Carolina and other southern states in the years before the Civil War. Not surprisingly then, the leader of the new Fireeaters is South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, who has decided that actual ideas or civility is not the answer. No, the Republcians must retreat into the most batshit of their ideas and scream about them VERY LOUDLY. DeMint spews:

“We have to have a remnant of the Republican Party who are recognizable as freedom fighters,” Mr. DeMint said. “What I’m looking to do as a conservative leader in the Senate is to identify those Republicans, and even some Democrats, and put together a consensus of people who can help stop this slide toward socialism.”

OK then. Who is DeMint's strongest supporter in the august body? None other than Diaper Dave Vitter, who is salvaging his post-prostitute reputation by challenging DeMint for the most right-wing senator. Together, these men and their allies (Sarah Palin likely included) will make the Republican Party relevant again by a) talking about how much they love Ronald Reagan, a man who has not been in public office in 20 years; b) talking about how much they love their guns; c) supporting torture; and d) promoting the white man.

Why am I not scared about a return to Republcian domination in the near future?

Interestingly, the first person I thought of when I read this was the Pope, who has said similar things. With the Catholic Church too open to liberal ideology and people who exist in the modern world, he has openly hoped for a leaner, meaner Catholic Church, with a return to principles and members who believe in strict, conservative Catholic dogma. Like the future of that declining church, I don't think the Republican Party has a lot of hope in coming years.

To some extent, this is reminiscent of the Democrats after 1972. After McGovern's crushing defeat, the party was in the wilderness for a very long time. Yes, Jimmy Carter won in 1976, but he was a quite conservative Democrat who repudiated many of the policies of the McGovernites and who lost to an even more conservative Ronald Reagan in 1980. The difference I think between the Democrats of the 1970s and 80s and the Republicans of today is essentially a moral one. Ultimately, the Democrats wanted to help people and give them things. That it was black people and counterculture types is what cost them in the end. The Republican Fireeaters maintain deep-seated anger and hatred.

The way for the Republicans back to electoral success in the medium term is to move the party to the left, where the American public has moved. This is how Bill Clinton won two elections. But I see absolutely no movement that way yet, and think that the Republicans are going to have to lose more elections to come to this conclusion. Either way, it's good for America.