This is definitely the story of the day for my money, just in terms of the pure nonsensefest of the moment and the entertaining historical parallels. Frank Gaffney, high-profile neocon who until quite recently had as his expertise ICBMs and the military threat of China, gets brought in to a court in Murfreesboro, Tennessee as an ‘expert’ on the threat to American communities and the Constitution posed by Sharia law. The court is hearing a request to issue an injunction against the building of a Muslim community center in Murfreesboro.
Albeit appearing as an expert witness, Gaffney said: “I don’t hold myself out as an expert on Sharia Law. But I have talked a lot about that as a threat.”
Think about that quote for a moment.
For those of you keeping score at home, the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro is the one which had its construction site torched a few weeks ago.
Behold! The new TPM video studio! Video from today’s Hardball after the jump. Read More
Coming up on thirty days out from the mid-term, what does the generic ballot tell us? Here’s our latest trend chart.
(Click the TPM logo to see full sized chart.)
We’ve had a slew of new polls since last we looked. And they vary from a 9 point GOP advantage to a 4 point Dem advantage. If you look a bit deeper into the particulars though, there’s a surprising convergence. Read More
Former President to remain in hospital overnight but appears to be okay and ready to resume book tour.
A second contingent of readers comes to Obama’s defense:
TPM Reader RL:
Where do all these comments come from? Obama is not scolding anybody he is just pointing out the futility in venting your frustrations in a way that will certainly ensure all you value is destroyed. Don’t vote its your choice and it is the GOP’ers choice too. They are going to vote like never before..
There really is no excuse for Democrats to feign ignorance here. Sit out the election and sit in on the GOP’s plans for you. It’s that simple and it’s that stupid.
Friends and associates of federal prosecutor Nicholas March, who committed suicide last week, tell TPM that he felt like he was being scapegoated by the Justice Department while being investigated for alleged prosecutorial misconduct.
TPM Reader LB doesn’t take too kindly to Obama’s comments to Rolling Stone:
I saw your quote of the President wagging his finger at those who might not vote and have to point out that the President is committing (once again) a huge tactical error. Temper, temper Mr. Cool is all I can say. Methinks Obama doth protest too much and seeks a scapegoat for his own failure of vision and leadership. It’s just too damn bad he couldn’t have gotten mad at his enemies at any point since becoming President and instead saves his disdain and anger for his allies. It’s kind of the story of his Presidency.
This is so rich it might deserve a modern-day Inherit The Wind to really do it justice: Neocon rabble-rouser Frank Gaffney testified as an expert witness yesterday in the lawsuit locals have filed to try to stop the mosque in Murfreesboro, TN, from constructing a new building. Gaffney testified about the threat the local Muslims pose to the community and the larger threat of Sharia law being imposed on America — even though Gaffney admitted: “I don’t hold myself out as an expert on Sharia Law. But I have talked a lot about that as a threat.”
From Obama’s interview with Jann Wenner:
It is inexcusable for any Democrat or progressive right now to stand on the sidelines in this midterm election. There may be complaints about us not having gotten certain things done, not fast enough, making certain legislative compromises. But right now, we’ve got a choice between a Republican Party that has moved to the right of George Bush and is looking to lock in the same policies that got us into these disasters in the first place, versus an administration that, with some admitted warts, has been the most successful administration in a generation in moving progressive agendas forward.
The idea that we’ve got a lack of enthusiasm in the Democratic base, that people are sitting on their hands complaining, is just irresponsible…It has been hard, and we’ve got some lumps to show for it. But if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren’t serious in the first place.