{"id":10338,"date":"2013-05-22T02:33:22","date_gmt":"2013-05-22T09:33:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=10338"},"modified":"2013-05-22T02:33:22","modified_gmt":"2013-05-22T09:33:22","slug":"open-thread5222013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2013\/05\/22\/open-thread5222013\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–5\/22\/2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

This will be today\u2019s only article, because I had a rough day yesterday.  I wracked up my leg again by stumbling and catching myself on it the wrong way, and the pain interfered with my rest.  So I think I\u2019d better not push myself at this point.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:12 ( average 4:45).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a broad overhaul of the nation\u2019s immigration laws on a bipartisan vote, sending the most significant immigration policy changes in decades to the full Senate, where the debate is expected to begin next month. <\/p>\n

The 13-to-5 vote came as the committee reached a deal on one of the final snags threatening the legislation \u2014 and agreed to hold off on a particularly politically charged amendment, which would have added protections for same-sex couples. <\/p>\n

After intense behind-the-scenes negotiations, Senator Orrin G. Hatch, Republican of Utah, struck an agreement with the group of eight senators who drafted the original bill to address his concerns about visas for skilled foreign workers who could fill jobs in the high-tech industry\u2026<\/p>\n

It is truly sad that the only way to get this bill past Committee Republicans had to include a hate offering and a greed offering. Gay couples should have the right to apply fore green cards for their spouses. American workers will take big pay cuts or lose their jobs to foreign skilled workers, but there will be no savings for US consumers, just more profit for the 1%. Nevertheless, in spite of all its flaws, it is the most significant step toward immigration reform in a generation.<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>President Obama\u2019s handling of controversies about the I.R.S., the Justice Department, and Benghazi has raised \u201cgrave doubts\u201d about his ability to cope if he ever became involved in an actual scandal, prominent Republicans said today. <\/p>\n

\u201cIf this is how he handles this stuff, Lord have mercy on him if he ever has to deal with a real scandal,\u201d said newly elected Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S. Carolina). \u201cQuite frankly, I don\u2019t think he has what it takes.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cThe true test of a leader is this,\u201d Rep. Sanford added. \u201cWhen he gets in a fix, does he have the presence of mind to lie about his whereabouts? Sadly, I don\u2019t think President Obama passes that test.\u201d <\/p>\n

Mr. Sanford\u2019s concerns mirror those of another leading Republican lawmaker, Sen. David Vitter (R-Louisiana). <\/p>\n

Perhaps Trail Walker and Diaper Dave should head up a new federal agency: the Department of Adultery.<\/font><\/p>\n

From The Nation<\/a>: <\/font>Here are just five examples of bogus 501(c)(4) groups that deserve more scrutiny under the law:<\/font><\/p>\n

The American Action Network <\/strong><\/span>is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit run by<\/a><\/font> corporate lobbyists like Vin Weber (of Sallie Mae<\/a><\/font>) and Tom Reynolds (of Goldman Sachs<\/a><\/font>)… <\/font><\/p>\n

…The Commission on Hope, Growth and Opportunity<\/strong><\/span> is a 501(c)(4) organization reportedly set up by lobbyist Scott Reed\u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

…The American Justice Partnership<\/strong><\/span> is a 501(c)(4) group run in part by<\/a><\/font> Republican consultants Dan Pero and Cleta Mitchell\u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

…The American Future Fund <\/strong><\/span>is a 501(c)(4) group set up by a number of Republican operatives, and has aired millions of dollars<\/a><\/font> in attack ads against President Obama and Democratic candidates for Congress\u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

…The 60 Plus Association<\/strong><\/span> is a front group designed by Republican operatives to appeal to senior citizens\u2026<\/font><\/p>\n

…It\u2019s clear why these Republican operatives used 501(c)(4) organizations as tools to move millions in political money. Big publicly traded corporations have been eager to exploit the Citizens United decision but have avoided Super PACs because Super PACs face regular disclosure requirements. 501(c)(4) never have to disclose donors. For instance, health insurer Aetna accidentally revealed that it had provided $3 million<\/a><\/font> to the American Action Network, a fact the company apparently wanted to keep secret…<\/font><\/p>\n

<\/font><\/p>\n

Click through for much more, including the details of how these Republican groups are using anonymous donations to fund political activity illegally. Where there are Democratic organizations that do so as well, the extent of Democratic crime does not begin to compare with Republican.<\/font><\/p>\n

Cartoon<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

\"22Cartoon\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This will be today\u2019s only article, because I had a rough day yesterday.  I wracked up my leg again by stumbling and catching myself on it the wrong way, and the pain interfered with my rest.  So I think I\u2019d better not push myself at this point. Jig Zone Puzzle: Today\u2019s took me 4:12 ( […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,3,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-open-thread","category-personal","category-politics","category-35-id","category-3-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10338\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}