Daily Clips: September 25th, 2015
John Boehner will resign from office in October: I have a lot of conflicting emotions about this news. On the one hand, I’m (super) excited that this dud-of-a-leader has decided to hang up his boots, but on the other hand, I feel like I owe my progressivism largely to John Boehner. In the infancy of my political conscience, I would watch Keith Olbermann’s show where Boehner was regularly one of the host’s “Worst People In The World.” His obstinate conservatism helped shape my contempt for the modern GOP. Fiscal cliffs, farm bills, Obamacare, Department of Homeland Security, and now the latest government shutdown – these are Boehner’s great accomplishments.
I understand that he was caught “betwixt and between” the establishment and the Tea Party, as Chris Cilliza put it. But that doesn’t excuse him for his partisan leadership. Moreover, it doesn’t excuse him from showing no backbone to the American people. He was a coward who let a bunch of racists, misogynists, and homophobes control him. As Boehner walks away from this esteemed position, he should know that he has handicapped this nation instead of moving it forward. He will go down as one of the worst Speakers of the House in US history.
How many wars is the US really righting? Our nation loves war – there’s no doubt about that. But we probably don’t know the full extent of our military aggression, particularly our special forces who are staged all across the world. Here, The Nation has a neat article on our special-ops and the breadth of their engagement in the wider world.
Huckabee: ‘What kind of Christian’ is Obama? Hear that dog whistle, Tea Party?
Jeb Bush: The Pope shouldn’t discuss climate change because ‘he’s not a scientist': By this logic, Jeb! shouldn’t talk about Planned Parenthood because he’s not a woman. If only…
EPA says to take tougher stance on auto emissions tests: According to Reuters, US environmental regulators said the will be “stepping up emissions testing activities in response to Volkswagen’s alleged violations of pollution laws.” About time.
