the players

double standards

Washington Monthly: RIGHT FOCUSES ON DUPNIK…. On Saturday night in Tucson, Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik lamented societal factors — most notably, the toxicity of our political discourse — that he fears may have contributed to the day’s violence.

….It appears many conservatives believed the sheriff was referring to them, and began responding in kind.

…Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) said he didn’t think the sheriff’s words “had any part in a law enforcement briefing.” Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) said he was “disappointed” in the sheriff. Conservative talk show host Neal Boortz said Dupnik was looking for political gain, and Fox News anchor — in an interview with the sheriff — wondered aloud why he would “inject political speculation” into the story.

And that’s really just the start. Dupnik has also drawn fire from Malkin, Red State, one of the Breitbart outlets, and National Review, among others.

It’s not entirely surprising the right wouldn’t care for the sheriff’s concerns, but (a) they hardly seemed excessive, under the circumstances and they weren’t partisan in the slightest; and (b) if conservatives are really concerned about intemperate rhetoric from Arizona sheriffs, Dupnik is hardly Exhibit A.

As John Cole noted, “Oddly enough, I’ve never seen wingnuts react this way to any of Joe Arpaio’s briefings.”

What’s more, as Media Matters noted, conservative outlets have “repeatedly praised a different Arizona sheriff, Paul Babeu, who regularly engages in vitriolic attacks against President Obama and Democrats.”

Read the full article here

Thank you Ladyhawke for the link

“i hope i don’t get in the way of your christmas shopping”

Politico: Vice President Joe Biden has no sympathy for senators who haven’t yet hit the malls. In an interview on NBC airing Thursday, Biden called on Senate Republicans to ratify the New START treaty this month, and blasted lawmakers who have cited Christmas as a reason to postpone.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Tuesday that getting START through the Senate would “disrespect” senators, staffers and their families by working up until Christmas. Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) on Wednesday told POLITICO that a vote as late as Christmas Eve was “sacrilegious”.

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Get this: DeMint insisted it was too early to vote on the START treaty because it is too complex and needs to be studied. So, he demanded the entire treaty be read out in the senate, a process that would take 12-15 hours …. all designed to hold up its passing.

But? DeMint only attended five of the 12 Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on START, nor was he present for the final vote to order the treaty reported on the 16th. So, is he actually interested in the treaty’s contents, or blocking every inch of progress the President is trying to make?? Hmm.