Booman Tribune ~ Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fascist'

Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fascist'

by BooMan
Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:10:02 PM EST

Mehlman is pushing Meirs's credentials as an apologist for torture, renditions, and the indefinite detention of American citizens. Never mind her position on abortion he says, she won't micromanage the war on terror. From The Hill:

White House and Republican Party officials are scrambling to rein in conservative activists critical of President Bush’s nomination of White House counsel Harriet Miers to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

Ken Mehlman, chairman of the Republican National Committee, yesterday held a conference call with conservative leaders to address their concerns about Miers. He stressed Bush’s close relationship with Miers and the need to confirm a justice who will not interfere with the administration’s management of the war on terrorism, according to a person who attended the teleconference.

And this past weekend, Karl Rove, the White House deputy chief of staff, sought to persuade conservative leaders that Miers was a nominee they could trust if confirmed to the high court. In particular, Rove “worked over” Dr. James Dobson, chairman of Focus on the Family, who is one of the most influential conservatives in the country, according to one conservative leader...

Conservatives began expressing their anxiety about Miers soon after Bush announced her nomination early yesterday morning.

One member of the Senate Judiciary Committee closely allied with the conservative base, Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kan.), declined to state his reaction to Miers yesterday...

Mehlman yesterday unveiled a politically powerful argument linking Bush’s nomination to the war on terrorism. He said that as a former White House counsel Miers would know the importance of not letting the courts or the legislative branch “micromanage” the war on terrorism.

But Mehlman deflected questions about Miers’s political contributions and Reid’s endorsement of her, saying that he was not fully aware of what Reid said about her and that the party would conduct further research about her.

Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fascist' | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fa (4.00 / 2)

Bwahahaha! This is great, the true believers are so upset that their reality disconnect is clear to the non-political mass. Can we somehow arrange for Harry Reid to kiss Harriet Miers on primetime Fox News? Why do I think Harry is laughing up his sleeve today. This is getting better and more chaotic by the hour. See the elephants bugling as they run around bumping into each other. Ken Mehlman must feel distictly like an idiot saying this stuff. Awwww, did Georgie just shoot himself in the foot? He just wanted everybody to be happy with what he thought was a safe generic choice, he forgot about the old saying "Trying to please everyone, and pleasing no one."

by rolfyboy6 (rolfyboy@NOSPAMsonic.net) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:46:23 PM EST

More Good News! (4.00 / 2)

Oh wonderful. Not only is she a fundamentalist theocrat wingnut, she's also a believer in the Imperial Presidency. Anyone still doubt that the "right-wing" complaints about her are anything more than an "echo chamber" attempt to make her look more moderate? Anyone?

Kill because somebody was killed. Get killed because he killed. Do you think peace will ever come like that?

by Egarwaen on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 01:28:41 PM EST

more on Miers (4.00 / 3)

Some female supporter of Miers was just on CNN and when asked about Miers' "softer side" she went on and on about how Miers makes Christmas dinner for her 2 dozen relatives. That experience should come in handy on the Supreme Court. She may not know anything about the Constitution but she can cook a damn fine turkey!

by catnip (llamg88 at hotmail.com) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 01:34:30 PM EST

This Is (none / 1)

really shaping up to be a weird kind of political debate, huh. Fucking Bushie just pleading with his base to accept his judgment. Must have been an effort to head off wild right-wing attack ads against Miers, huh? But I still have to guess she is a fascist and anti-abortion rights. And we won't know it until she writes the concurring opinion in the case of Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided.

"Have you no sense of decency, sir. At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" -- Boston Attorney Joseph Welch, taking down Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

by BostonJoe on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:20:34 PM EST

Re: Mehlman Reassures (none / 1)

Ken should have talked to:

ROGER PILON
Founder & Director, Cato Institute's
Center for Constitutional Studies
-- who was a guest on Charlie Rose last night, and who is incredibly disturbed by this nomination

Conservative base: Bush's press conf. today was ALL about reassuring that base.

The WOT thing : Good lord. We're a nation of torturers.

And then there was Bush's meme today about getting Congress to only cut non-security-related spending.

Hickok: "You know the sound of thunder. Can you imagine that sound if I ask you to? Ma'am, listen to the thunder."

by susanhu (susanhuatearthlinkdotnet) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:24:46 PM EST

Re: Mehlman Reassures (4.00 / 2)

Think about it. Mehlman is saying that this woman will protect Bush from any attempt to stop him in violating people's rights in the war on terror. Period.

by BooMan on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:31:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

And That Is (4.00 / 3)

a selling point. Enough said. Time to pack up, and join the European Tribbers, assuming they would be generous enough to have us.

Where have we gone in five short years. Fucking Torture is a good thing. I just never thought I'd have to debate that issue. Sorry. I just never fathomed it for one fucking moment.

In law school, in Constitutional law we argued about rights to live and die, to procreate as we choose, or not. To strictly enforce the commerce clause, or not. But never did we talk about whether it would be a good thing to torture people. Not once. And I imagine that is on the syllabus now. Probably a whole weeks worth.

Arrrghhh!!!!

"Have you no sense of decency, sir. At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" -- Boston Attorney Joseph Welch, taking down Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

by BostonJoe on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:36:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mehlman Reassures (none / 1)

He'd be right there with the people who still cheer Pinoche.

That Condor documentary ... can't get it out of my head. (Made me also want to read Christopher Hitchens' polemic against Kissinger.)

Hickok: "You know the sound of thunder. Can you imagine that sound if I ask you to? Ma'am, listen to the thunder."

by susanhu (susanhuatearthlinkdotnet) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:37:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I was (none / 0)

a little dissappointed with the Condor documentary. It was good for getting the reaction of some of the victims, but it never discussed for a moment the actual threat of terrorism. It just said that a war on terror was declared and carried out, but it never mentioned a single act of terror, or if and terrorism ever occurred.

A good polemic takes into account the opponent's argument.

by BooMan on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:46:07 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Mehlman Reassures the Base (none / 1)

Yeah, that's what we need, someone to maintain the status quo. It must be so reassuring to those who would continue the war on terror and the assault on civil rights. Because it is all important to continue the march toward feudalism.

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

by boran2 (blogistan@yahoo.com) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:46:33 PM EST

Just Saw (none / 1)

My first Miers Ad. Republican leaning. (Or maybe the sneaky Democrats, I don't fucking know). Basically, said Roberts was a successful nomination because Bush consulted with 70 Senators before hand. And after "22 hours of testimony" even Democratic Senators said Roberts was brilliant. And call your Senators and tell them they want another fair process and an up or down vote on Miers. I am remembering a line from Gibbon's Decline and Fall... "And the Senate, plied with wine and circuses, ceased to be a check on the authority of the Emperor, after the fall of the Republic."

I've taken 22 hours of testimony on drunk driving cases. Why the fuck wouldn't we take a few weeks to examine a woman who has little or no record of public decision making. Fuck.

I am feeling strangely fatalistic. This must be what it is like for Hurricane veterans to gather at a bar and await oblivion with a drink and a song.

"Have you no sense of decency, sir. At long last, have you left no sense of decency?" -- Boston Attorney Joseph Welch, taking down Sen. Joseph McCarthy.

by BostonJoe on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:48:23 PM EST

Re: Mehlman Reassures the (none / 1)

They're talking about Mehlman's call right now on Al Franken / Air America.

Hickok: "You know the sound of thunder. Can you imagine that sound if I ask you to? Ma'am, listen to the thunder."

by susanhu (susanhuatearthlinkdotnet) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 12:56:45 PM EST

Oh (none / 0)

And about that heavy, black eyeliner of hers: call the Makeup Police, there's been a violation!

by catnip (llamg88 at hotmail.com) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 01:40:24 PM EST

SC quotes Bush, Roberts and Miers (none / 1)

Supreme Court Nomination Quotes - Roberts

"He's the kind of judge that all of us want -- someone committed to applying the law impartially rather than legislating from the bench." -- Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah.

"The burden is on a nominee to the Supreme Court to prove that he is worthy, not on the Senate to prove he is unworthy." -- Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y.

Parties Conflicted Over Miers Nomination

"She will not legislate from the bench," President Bush said as the 60-year-old former private attorney stood with him in the Oval Office.

"If confirmed, I recognize that I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure that the courts meet their obligations to strictly apply the laws and the Constitution," said Miers. She has worked on previous judicial nominations with many of the same senators who now will judge her candidacy.

Miers immediately began visiting senators in the Capitol, meeting with Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid, all of whom had words of praise for her.

But some conservatives aren't yet sure. "I have said in the past that I would like a nominee with a proven track record on important issues to all Americans and whose judicial philosophy is well-formed, said Sen. Sam Brownback, Kan., one of Congress' most fervent anti-abortion lawmakers. "I am not yet confident that Ms. Miers has a proven track record."

In a round of television interviews Tuesday, White House counselor Dan Bartlett sought to reassure conservatives who have expressed concern that Miers might not be conservative enough for their tastes because she had no strong record on hot-button issues like abortion and gay rights. "She shares President Bush's judicial outlook and that is that justices shouldn't be creating law from the bench, they should be strictly interpret the Constitution," Bartlett said on CBS' "The Early Show".

George W. Bush Quotations

Bush Calls for 'Culture Change' Bush spoke passionately about his resolve to establish a free Iraq, his desire to promote cultural change in the United States through his faith-based initiative, and his belief in the power of prayer. Appearing relaxed and self-assured, the President also reaffirmed his support for a Federal Marriage Amendment, urging the American people to become more involved.

Florida Supreme Court Decision

▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY

by Oui on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 01:49:38 PM EST

40,000 Complaints from Innocent yet (none / 0)

tortured Iraqi's?

PMS Purchase More Shoes

by Militarytracy on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 01:59:33 PM EST

David Sirota says (none / 0)

She's a union-busting Ken Lay clone.
here

by Alice on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 02:17:41 PM EST

bushco's culture of change (none / 0)

Bush Calls for 'Culture Change' Bush spoke passionately about his resolve to establish a free Iraq, his desire to promote cultural change in the United States through his faith-based initiative, and his belief in the power of prayer. Appearing relaxed and self-assured, the President also reaffirmed his support for a Federal Marriage Amendment, urging the American people to become more involved.

A free Iraq, free of all its oil given to Bushco's OIL industry crony's.

Promoting TALIBAPTIST Hegemony to circumvent the US Constitution and insure a religious/corporate state.

Federal Marriage Amendment to insure that GBLT peoples will never have any true civil rights in the US.

What a wonderful culture of life change that will be and of course, Bushco's Imperialistic desire to be the ultimate authority on who gets to have human rights and who doesn't, after all God speaks to GWBush, you know GOD <George Orders Death>

click on me

by ghostdancers way (ghostdancers_way@hotmail.com) on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 02:20:59 PM EST

Re: Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fa (none / 0)

Don't see where you got that headline from. What I see is Mehlman reassuring the base that she is a conservative Republican. The latter does not equal fascist. Using fascist this way empties the term of all meaning by rendering it a mere epithet along the lines that 'feminazi' or 'communist' are used by the conservative base.

by MarekNYC on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 02:57:04 PM EST

He's (none / 0)

saying she will uphold any attempt to protect the civil rights of people caught up in the war on terror. In other words, we can continue to torture people, render them, and throw them in jail without charges. I could have called it totalitarian, but the Bush regime is cut from a right-wing totalitarian and fascist corporate mold. They are not Nazis because they do not have a racial-based ideology, nor are they intent on eliminating a race of people or acquiring new territories. But they do resemble, increasingly the Franco regime.

In any case, Mehlman isn't saying she is conservative, he's saying she is pro-torture, pro-Guantanamo, pro confining Jose Padilla indefinitely, pro-Patriot Act, etc.

by BooMan on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 03:05:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: He's (none / 0)

Fascists tortured and murdered people. So have a wide variety of both democratic and non-democratic governments. In fact most governments fighting counter insurgencies do so. Think of the Brits in the seventies using mass internment without trial on their own citizens plus death squads and torture. Criminal yes, but nothing specifically totalitarian about it. That's the general fallacy with all the 'Repubs = fascism' arguments - they point to various aspects of the current Republican party, point out that they resemble certain aspects of fascist regimes and QED. Problem is, that same type of argument could 'prove' that the Bush admin is Leninist or social democratic or anything else for that matter.

BTW the question of whether Francoist Spain is best described as fascism or authoritarian conservatism is a matter of some debate.

by MarekNYC on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 03:55:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Lesbian/Gay Political Coalition of Dallas (none / 0)

Quiet but Ambitious White House Counsel Makes Life of Law

WASHINGTON WaPo June 21, 2005 -- Ask White House counsel Harriet Miers when she first met George W. Bush, and she is less than specific. "I met him on a variety of occasions over the course of time," she replied recently, explaining their long-ago encounters in the social and power corridors of Texas. "But not in a memorable way."

Ask her what it was like to be the first woman elected president of the Texas Bar Association, and she invokes not gender, but the geographic rivalry that frequently underlies bar elections in the state. "It was a very vigorous campaign against a lawyer from Houston," said Miers, who is from Dallas.

Miers's reticence is not to be mistaken for a lack of assertiveness or ambition. Rather, friends and associates say, it reflects her scrupulous discretion and selflessness -- the same qualities that propelled her rise through the legal ranks and into President Bush's inner circle.

"The thing that comes to mind when I think of Harriet is that she basically puts her clients' interests ahead of everything, including her own personal life, sleeping hours and all those things," said Jerry Clements, a partner at Locke Liddell & Sapp, the 400-lawyer Texas firm where Miers was a co-managing partner before coming to Washington. "She is defined by hard work, dedication and client loyalty."

Ask what motivated her to seek election to the Dallas City Council in the late 1980s, she says only: "I was asked to run."

SusanHu comment - link to questionnaire ::

Lesbian/Gay Political Coalition of Dallas

CITY COUNCIL & MAYORIAL QUESTIONNAIRE
1989 CITY COUNCIL ELECTION

Yes
(a) No » My personal views - my concern for representing entire community ...
(b) No »
(a) Yes
(b) Yes - assuming need & resources
(a) prefers legislative solution - I am willing to consider [discuss the need and make a decision when advised]
(b)
employer to pick best qualified candidate

OPENING STATEMENT:

AIDS Legal Clinic « ◊ » would have access to counsel ...
Arose from President of OBA ...

√ My personal conviction is not consistent wf homosexual lifestyle ...
... to de-criminalize behaviour ...

« ◊ » generally not turning? ...
on? of sexual orientation ...
▼ ▼
that issue will not be burning(?) factor

▼ ▼ ▼

by Oui on Tue Oct 4th, 2005 at 03:10:20 PM EST

Mehlman Reassures the Base: 'She's a Solid Fascist' | 21 comments (21 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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