TV

Debate: Financial Reform, Airline Regulation, and the Supreme Court

Guest: Republican Strategist Mike Lane

Let’s Take the “Islamic” Out of “Islamic Extremism”

Mark was on FOX News this morning to defend Obama’s toning down of anti-Islamic rhetoric in our national security policy.

Justice Stevens: A Model of Principle and Judicial RestraintMark Levine on MSNBC

Justice Stevens retirement will mark the end of the era.  His long service on the Supreme Court — the second-longest in American history upon his retirement — marked a profound shift rightward in the Republican Party.  Stevens, appointed by Gerald Ford, was, when chosen, in the mainstream of the Republican Party.  Now he’s considered, even by Democrats, to be on its liberal side.

There was a time when Republicans cared about environmental protection, worried about unfettered corporate power over American citizens, believed in upholding the constitutional rights of everyone (including those accused of a crime), and even, dare I say it, practiced social justice.  What a difference 34 years makes.  Stevens represented the old school of conservativism that combined compassion with the rule of law, which ironically has become the heart and soul definition of liberalism today.  Stevens fervently opposed the judicial activism practiced by today’s Supreme Court–the most audacious and radical in US history–a court that is so contemptuous not only of the People’s Representatives in Congress but so disdainful of the People themselves that it has declared corporations to be “We the People” and “human citizens” to be at best, a mere afterthought.

And Stevens believed in democracy.  He actually thought that the People, rather than his 5 black-robed ideologues, should choose the President of the United States through the electoral college. He fought the authoritarian, lawless urges of his brethren on the Supreme Court with passion, reason, grace and aplomb.

Such a principled, restrained Republican judge as Stevens, so respectful of the people’s elected representatives–a brand so common in the 1970’s–is practically extinct today. To fill Stevens’ great shoes.  Obama will have to find an intelligent, passionate and compassionate, strong rule-of-law liberal: one that believes that the court should defer to the electorate and should interpret the law rather than make the law, one that understands that judges are not kings or Presidents; they are public servants.

He will be sorely missed.

Mark Levine on O’ReillyRips Laura Ingrahamand Stuart Varney on Taxes

Mark takes on Laura Ingraham and Stuart Varney on The O’Reilly Factor. Ingraham and Varney both try to scare her viewers into believing Obama will break his campaign promises to raise taxes on the middle class. Obama won’t do it. Why does she think she know more about the Democrats than Mark does? Mark used to work for them!

Here’s the clip featuring Mark:

And here’s the clip in its full context after Laura Ingraham’s talking points (full size):

Mark Fights Hard on FOX — Monica Crowley Hosting

Thousands of safety violations
At least twenty-five dead (probably 29)
Think FOX’s Monica Crowley will support tough regulation on Massey Coal Company?
Think she’ll even mention it on the show?
Think again.

In 60 minutes, Monica Crowley could not afford ten seconds to talk about the dead miners and the company that killed them. Instead she brings up non-issue (the Value-Added Tax, which she falsely claims Obama will do) after non-issue (the purported Democratic strategy in November 2010 to run against Bush).

The only real issue she brought up is Iran (near the end of the broadcast). The other important issues were ones I brought up (such as regulating Wall Street) and issues the other liberal brought up (such as the nastiness of the Republicans applauding spitting, racial epithets, and threats of violence).

Why do you think FOX is running away from the miner story?
Could it be because even they are embarrassed that a big energy corporation/polluter that they love so much ended up massacring innocent coal miners?
I am given 30 seconds at the end of the hour to address the issue.