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Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2015 5 Comments
It's not like we didn't see this coming. On May 19, 2015, I wrote that Hillary has a Blumenthal Problem - Two of Them:
I knew that Hillary was going to have a Blumenthal problem for her 2016 campaign. But I expected that the problem would be Max Blumenthal, son of close Clinton advisor Sidney Blumenthal. Max, the virulently anti-Israel activist, has been the subject of much controversy because of his penchant for vituperative and outlandish attacks on Israel, not the least of which was his call for Israeli Jews to be indigenized after the end of the Jewish state. See our Max Blumenthal Tag for some background. The issue with Max was whether Hillary could have Sidney as an advisor given Sidney’s seeming support for Max’s antics, if not his anti-Israel agenda. Buzzfeed reported on the problem back in November 2013, Clinton Adviser Sid Blumenthal’s New Cause: His Son’s Anti-Israel Book....
Max Blumenthal is toxic to any mainstream political candidate. Indeed, he'd be  too toxic even to most left-wing candidates, his anti-Israel venom is so notorious. Max's anti-Israel conspiracy theories were a big hit with the Overland Park shooter. Liberal professor and author Eric Alterman termed Max's book, Goliath, The Israel Haters Handbook. Recently, Max and a friend chased a German lawmaker into a bathroom because the lawmaker called them anti-Semites: [caption id="attachment_106023" align="alignnone" width="560"]http://youtu.be/KQUpUGCfT3s?t=1m18s [Max Blumenthal and David Sheen chase German lawmaker Gregor Gysi into bathroom][/caption]Things just got a whole lot more interesting.

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Posted by Amy Miller on July 01, 2015 48 Comments
Today, popular department chain Macy's announced that it is pulling Donald Trump's line of menswear from its stores. Progressive activists renewed pressure on the company to adopt a more "inclusive" image following comments Trump made about immigrants. Trump instigated a mass freakout last Sunday during an appearance on State of the Union with Jake Tapper. After repeating his desire to finally finish a southern border fence, Trump stumbled over a politically correct tripwire:
"I like Mexico. I love the Mexican people. I do business with the Mexican people, but you have people coming through the border that are from all over. And they're bad. They're really bad," he told CNN's Jake Tapper. "You have people coming in, and I'm not just saying Mexicans, I'm talking about people that are from all over that are killers and rapists and they're coming into this country," he maintained.
Reaction was swift. Univision dropped the Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants (Trump is suing for breach of contract.) NBC Universal also cut ties. A petition posted to MoveOn.org demanding the mogul's head fielded hundreds of thousands of signatures, prompting Macy's to end its silence on the issue and cave. More from Time:

Posted by Amy Miller on July 01, 2015 13 Comments
Back in December, the Administration announced that they were engaged in secret talks with Cuban officials about shifting away from the "diplomatic mission" model and toward full diplomatic relations between our two countries; and today, President Obama announced that on July 20, the United States will open an embassy in Havana, Cuba, and take what he says are the first public steps toward normalizing relations that have been hostile since the 1960s. Via Fox News:
"This is a historic step forward in our efforts to normalize relations with the Cuban government and people and begin a new chapter with our neighbors in the Americas,” Obama said. “As part of that effort, President Raul Castro and I directed our teams to negotiate the reestablishment of embassies,” Obama said. “Since then our State Department has worked hard with our Cuban counterparts to achieve that goal and later this summer Secretary (John) Kerry will travel to Havana formally to proudly raise the American flag over our embassy once more.”
Although the President does have the authority to open embassies and establish relations, it is the Senate that will eventually have to screen and confirm Obama's pick for the Ambassadorship. You can count on this being a divisive issue from now until the day a hypothetical ambassador is confirmed---a move that some Republicans say won't be made absent the resolution of major issues regarding diplomatic and overall human rights in Cuba. Florida Senator and presidential hopeful Marco Rubio has been an outspoken critic of Obama's soft handed policy, and lashed out against when he calls "unilateral concessions" to the Castro regime:

Posted by Mike LaChance on July 01, 2015 7 Comments
What was once considered unthinkable has now happened. Having missed the June 30th deadline for payment on its debt, the country of Greece has effectively defaulted. This is going to have a considerable effect on the economy of the European Union, which Greece might now leave. It's likely that this situation will get worse before it gets better. First, the basic facts. Michael Birnbaum of the Washington Post:
Greece fails to make key IMF debt payment Greece lost its financial lifelines Tuesday, as the country missed a crucial payment to the International Monetary Fund amid growing questions about whether it would be able to remain in the euro zone. Greek leaders had made a last-ditch attempt to come up with the necessary cash, asking European countries for a new bailout hours before its last ones were set to expire, but E.U. finance ministers rejected the request as unrealistic. The missed payment, confirmed by the IMF, was a landmark moment in Europe’s five-year battle to preserve its common currency. The E.U. finance chiefs were set to reconvene Wednesday as Greece’s cash dwindles and its banks remain closed. The ministers’ decision to hold firm was a sign that they believed they had successfully put in place the defenses­ against instability in Europe if a country left the euro zone. But as Greece became the first developed nation to miss a payment to the IMF, E.U. leaders were confronting the prospect of a European country plunging into intense financial misery as it was forced to abandon the currency.
In the coming days, you're going to hear some quibbling about whether or not this was a default.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2015 28 Comments
A group called Disarm NYPD plans to celebrate the 4th of July with an July 1 event featuring the burning of American flags. It started as an event to burn the Confederate Flag. But other groups around the country turned such events into burning both the Confederate and American flags, so the Disarm NYPD group changed the name of the event, as announced on a Facebook Event page:
We changed the name of this event to "Burn the American Flag." We did this for several reasons, all of which are hopefully obvious, and should ring true to everyone with a conscious. The Confederate flag has long been a symbol of white supremacy, slavery, and Jim Crow. However, the Confederacy lost the war the American flag has unceasingly, from the first day it was ever hung, represented the exact same thing.

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Posted by Jay Caruso on July 01, 2015 11 Comments
When a 2 or 3 year old is caught doing something wrong, they often react with complete shock they did something wrong. They genuinely believe whatever it is they were doing was perfectly fine and cannot comprehend why they're being scolded. The media is often like that of a small child. A toddler. At the start of June, the NY Times and Washington Post weighed in with articles about Marco Rubio's finances. The headline at the NY Times read, "Marco Rubio’s Career Bedeviled by Financial Struggles." Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post quipped, "Here’s the real issue with Marco Rubio’s finances" and wrote:
That's all totally fine. If Rubio wants a boat, he can buy a boat. The issue for Rubio is that he is investing so much of his appeal on his "I have lived the American Dream" story that he necessarily has to accept that that story will be inspected closely to see what it tells us about him and how he might run the government if he is entrusted with doing so.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 01, 2015 10 Comments
As part of my effort to reach new audiences, I have a post at IJ Review regarding my recent trip to Israel, I Spent Two Weeks Talking With Israelis. Here’s What They Had To Say About President Obama and Iran:
While anecdotal, our interactions were consistent with polling showing that Israelis don’t trust Obama on Iran and that Obama has low favorability. That polling has grown worse for Obama in recent weeks. Indeed, Americans have very low confidence that any Iran deal will prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. In other words, Israelis live in the real world, not the world of Obama’s delusional hope. And they don’t appreciate Obama taking risks with their lives.
You want more? You know the drill. Go over to the link, and share it on Facebook and Twitter. Here are the links to my Israel posts:

Posted by Amy Miller on June 30, 2015 11 Comments
Will they, or won't they? Signs point to yes---the Illinois government will "shut down" at midnight tonight. Republican Governor Bruce Rauner spent the majority of today touring various agencies in an effort to calm the nerves of state employees who can't be assured of a paycheck after mid-July. Democrats in the Illinois legislature led by House Speaker Michael Madigan plan on pitching an alternate, short-term spending plan tomorrow that would fund "essential" programs for the next month; Rauner, however, has already vetoed one Democrat-drafted budget, and indicated that short-term fixes aren't a viable funding option. Still, Rauner is a Republican pilgrim in an unholy "blue" land, and the pressure is mounting. Will Rauner cave? It doesn't look like it:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 30, 2015 6 Comments
Presidential hopeful Sen. Cruz is a long-time fan of The Simpsons. In April, Sen. Cruz joined the crew at The Federalist to chat about his favorite episodes show off a few of his best impressions. "Cruz talked about how much he loved “Round Springfield”, the episode where Jazz musician Bleeding Gums Murphy passed away, imitating the voices of James Earl Jones as Mustafa, Darth Vader, and Jones himself," wrote The Federalist. Today, BuzzFeed News released video proof of Cruz's love for the animated TV show. "Hi, I'm Ted. With Harry Shearer retiring, I'm auditioning for any part I can get in The Simpsons." Having been part of the show since it debuted in 1989, Shearer announced his retirement from the show in May. The New York Times reported:
It is not looking like an okely-dokely day in the town of Springfield: Harry Shearer, an Emmy Award-winning cast member of “The Simpsons,” who provides the voices of characters like the irritatingly upbeat neighbor Ned Flanders, the billionaire tyrant Mr. Burns and his faithful manservant, Smithers, has indicated that he is parting ways with this long-running Fox animated series.”
Enter BuzzFeed News and Sen. Cruz:

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on June 30, 2015 42 Comments
Out of the sea of rainbow-frocked Facebook profile photos, corporate logos, and colorfully lit buildings emerged a seemingly innocuous black and white video. With a mission to, "educate and inspire Americans of all faiths to prioritize the issues of life, faith, and family," Catholic Vote is the brains behind the video that has publications like Ad Week up in arms. Billed with the hashtag #SpeakTruthWithLove and filmed as a coming out video of sorts, 'Not Alone' illuminates the flip-side side of the gay marriage coin -- those who believe in traditional marriage. "I am a little nervous about people hearing that I am this way and people thinking, well, you know, she's not welcome here," says one woman. "Most people probably already think I'm weird anyway, so I don't think society's impression of me is going to change drastically based on one or two discoveries that come to light after this video," expresses another. "It's pretty scary, you know? You wonder how many people can I really, truly, honestly be open with?" The big confession? "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman." Take a look:

Posted by Mike LaChance on June 30, 2015 48 Comments
Charles Krauthammer appeared on the O'Reilly Factor last night and was asked by Bill O'Reilly to name three reasons for the recent rapid changes in America, with a focus on recent U.S. Supreme Court cases. Krauthammer cited culture as one of the reasons and he's absolutely right. Andrew Breitbart frequently voiced his belief that politics is downstream from culture. Watch the entire exchange below: Krauthammer recently called the SCOTUS ruling on gay marriage a loss for democracy.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 30, 2015 13 Comments
We highlighted recently resolutions at the United Church of Christ's 30th Synod in Cleveland seeking (1) divestment from certain named companies (such as Caterpillar), and (2) declaring Israeli guilty of the Crime of Apartheid as defined in the 1998 Rome Statute creating the International Criminal Court. These take place through years-long efforts by anti-Israel Christian groups like Sabeel, which use Jewish Voice for Peace as religious cover for the noxious efforts. The divestment resolution originally was limited to specified companies, but in committee at the Synod was amended to include sweeping language governing any company that does business, directly or indirectly, in "occupied" territory. United Church Christ Israel Divestment Resolution 1 This would include, for example, companies doing business in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, which was illegally captured by Jordan and then enthically cleansed of Jews and Jewish landmarks before Israel liberated it in 1967.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 30, 2015 11 Comments
Controversial cartoonist Bosch Fawstin has received more than a dozen death threats since he took the top prize at the now-famous "draw Muhammad" free speech rally in Garland, Texas last month. The event descended into chaos after two armed terrorists attempted to storm the venue. Fawstin appeared on last night's (technically this morning's) episode of Fox News' Red Eye, and had great things to say about the threats against his life, the work he does, and the importance of boldly insisting on free speech. Watch: As Americans, when we're told not to do something, we tend to do it. I love this. It applies across the board, to every issue currently dominating the 24 hour news cycle.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 30, 2015 27 Comments
Illinois' new budget year starts tomorrow, and unless Republicans and Democrats can come to an agreement on fiscal policy, the state will kick things off without the ability to pay the bills. Illinois has a reputation for being largely rural, yet bafflingly Democratic. The Chicago machine---not those languishing in my old stomping grounds in the capitol of Springfield---runs things, but for the first time in over a decade, a solidly Democratic legislature is dealing with a Republican governor. Bruce Rauner has spent his time bucking the trends that have run Illinois into the ground, but Democrats have, in turn, bucked his pro-business agenda and are demanding a massive tax increase to make up for a $4 billion dollar shortfall. The AP has the back story:
The back-and-forth is the latest in a months-long fight between Rauner and majority Democrats over how to resolve Illinois' massive financial problems and — more recently — who will take the blame if state government begins grinding to a halt and critical services are cut off. The two sides have been deadlocked over how to eliminate a deficit that's the largest of any state in the U.S. Illinois already is billions behind in paying its bills and has the nation's worst-funded state pensions, with a more than $100 billion shortfall.

Posted by Amy Miller on June 30, 2015 23 Comments
We'll be covering the announcement live here. He's supposed to kick off any time, and already correspondents are describing the mood in the venue as "a madhouse." Sounds apropos, considering Christie's tendency to buck at the rhetorical trends his colleagues embrace. Live stream hat tip to Save Jersey (UPDATE: the current embed has the full announcement and pre- and post-game coverage): We're off! Kicking things off is a teacher, friend...and registered Democrat. Will this end up on the union websites first, or the conservative ones?

Posted by New Neo on June 30, 2015 71 Comments
If you had asked me twenty years ago to predict what the 21st century would hold in store, “religious wars” probably wouldn’t have been tops on my list. But it should have been. Right now we're seeing many forms of religious war. The most obvious has raged between radical Islam and everybody else. Yes, radical Muslims are somewhat of a minority within Islam; but they’re a huge, activist, vocal, sometimes violent, determined, and ruthless minority, they’ve been fighting the fight for the better part of a century (centuries, that is,) and have really stepped it up since their victory in Iran in 1979. During Obama's time in office their threat has grown in numbers, in strength, and in barbarity. I wrote that it’s a war “between radical Islam and everybody else.” The war against the Jews has been going on for a long time, with Israel/Palestine as the epicenter (that war isn’t just a religious one, but it certainly is a religious one as well as a political one). The war against the Hindus also is of great antiquity. The ancient war against Christians took somewhat of a breather in Western Europe after the Siege of Vienna. In recent years, however, radical Islam’s revived war against Christians has reached a violent fever pitch.
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