Shorter Cliven Bundy apologists: His pro-slavery remarks are just a distraction from the righteousness of our cause.
The reaction of Cliven Bundy’s defenders to his pro-slavery rant is proving quite entertaining. Exhibits A, B, C, and D.
The deeply personal back and forth this week between Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor over race is without parallel in the court’s history, legal experts tell Sahil Kapur.
Part of the reason for that of course is the unhappy historical fact that racial and ethnic minorities haven’t had a seat on the Supreme Court bench until the last 47 years. But part of it, too, may have been the calculation by the likes of Thurgood Marshall that a direct public confrontation would not be productive in the long run.
The highlight of Sahil’s piece may be the anecdote offered by a former Marshall clerk in which Marshall pulled his punch toward the other justices in his dissent in a 1973 case.
Conservatives are not pleased with Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s dissent in yesterday’s affirmative action case, even if they reaffirmed the right to ban it. Instead, Sahil Kapur reports they’re complaining that she’s “legally illiterate” and writing about “emotion.” If those aren’t codes for her race and gender, I don’t know if I know what is.
Ed Kilgore: Despite its origins with business-minded Republicans, “opposition to Common Core is rapidly becoming a ‘true conservative’ litmus test, and a major factor in the ‘invisible primary’ leading into the 2016 presidential cycle.”
Apparently Texas has its own “Bundy Ranch” situation. And the state’s AG – also candidate for Governor – is ready to back up these new Bundys.
You’ve probably read about that Princeton University study that said that America transforming from a democracy into an oligarchy as politicians have become responsive only to the very wealthy. We talked to the scholar behind the study and here he explains what he thinks the study means.
TPM Reader BG hits on a point I’ve been thinking about a lot in this “Fox Effect” series. As we’ve noted, you don’t just stand up a cable news network and suddenly everyone’s a cranky racist sending Obama witch-doctor emails. If only it were so easy. But I also don’t think it’s just as simple as saying that Fox is a mirror of the political journey/worldview of one generation or cohort of the American population. It’s clearly been a driver of political ideas and, for many, political identity, coupled with and growing out from conservative talk radio.
One key in my mind has been to affirm and normalize views that have been considered unacceptable to express or at least express out loud. And that’s no small thing.
Hometown Mayor who turned out to be a big supporter of guy who allegedly shot up that Jewish Community Center has resigned.