Joe Conason: “In Defense Of Acorn”

Joe Conason in Salon says the right-wing crusade against ACORN is “a far bigger fraud than any misdeeds a few employees may have committed.” And, yes, ACORN does have its problems:

Like so many conservative attacks, the crusade against ACORN has been highly exaggerated and even falsified to create a demonic image that bears little resemblance to the real organization. Working in the nation’s poorest places, and hiring the people who live there, ACORN is not immune to the pathologies that can afflict institutions in those communities. As a large nonprofit handling many millions of dollars, it has suffered …

Texas School Board Member: Women Get To Vote Because “The Men Did It For The Women”

If it weren’t for the majorities, minorities wouldn’t have civil rights, proclaims Texas Board of Ed member Don McLeroy during a hearing on what should be included in history textbooks.  McLeroy was struggling with explaining how the minority has rights in America because the majority voted for them.  Thank you, white men, of all you’ve done for us!

McLeroy then says, “The way I remember history, it was predominantly passed by a Republican majority more than a Democratic majority when it was passed in 1964,” and he goes on to say that there must be some Republican leaders who were …

Reagan And Bush Advisors Defend Term “Czars”

The right wing loves referring to “czars” in the Obama administration, because it makes it seem as though the White House is overrun with commies. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson, for example, wrote a piece in the Washington Post last week called “Czarist Washington”. But David B. Rifkin, Jr. (left) and Lee A. Casey (right), who served under Reagan and Bush 41 take exception to this (h/t Think Progress).  They make the case that, in fact, it would be unconstitutional to subject every hiree to a nomination process.

Far from undermining the separation of powers, however, the president’s right to …

Woman Pays $63,500 To Have Dinner With Sarah Palin

Cathy Maples of Huntsville, AL, a big fan of Sarah Palin, won a charity auction online to benefit wounded veterans.  She gets to dine with her heroine, who she thinks would make a great president.  The auction benefits Ride 2 Recovery.  Maples says she loves the military. She also owns a defense contracting company.  For the privilege, she gets to pay her own way to Alaska to meet the former governor.…

It’s The Friday Night Free-For-All

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Meet The Right Wing’s Next Targets: Mark Lloyd And Chai Feldblum

Mark Lloyd was appointed by the White House as the FCC’s Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer.  Chai Feldblum was nominated by President Obama to be the next head of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Lloyd is being accused of wanting to stifle talk radio (poor conservatives!) and of being in love with Hugo Chavez. Think Progress notes his accomplishments.

Lloyd has a distinguished career on communications policy issues. Most recently he was a vice president at the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress. He taught communications policy at the …

“Values” Summit Features Beauty Queen Who Posed Semi-Nude

Carrie Prejean, the former Miss California who believes she was was denied the Miss USA crown because of her opposition to gay marriage, was hailed at the “Values Voter Summit.”

In he pageant days, Prejean claimed that a photographer sneakily took racy photos when a gust of wind blew her way and vowed that just one photo was taken before more surfaced.  At the time a series of emails between Prejean and pageant official Keith Lewis revealed a less-than cooperative attitude.  But she was a big hit among the conservatives as she bragged about not being politically correct,  and …

“Values” Summit Promotes The Value Of “Interruption”

At the so-called “Values Voter Summit” they didn’t seem to like the idea of having media cover the event.  MSNBC’s Brian Mooar and FOX News’s James Rosen were both rudely interrupted while doing their jobs.

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On Friday’s Radio Show…

• President Obama is touring the Sunday talk shows, but can he say anything to convince the skeptics of the urgency of health care reform? Alan discusses what’s at stake.

• Plan to wager on football this weekend? Alan thinks it’s harmless fun for fans, but Pastor Bill Keller says gambling is a dangerous sin. You can bet they’ll debate it.

• It’s the Friday Night Free-For-All!…

SNL Explains the Joe Wilson Incident

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Obama: Legalize Illegals And Get Them Health Care

President Obama has often talked about the need to bring undocumented workers into the system. They do work. They also fill out tax forms.  And the president knows that leaving them out in the cold is not the solution.

“Even though I do not believe we can extend coverage to those who are here illegally, I also don’t simply believe we can simply ignore the fact that our immigration system is broken,” Mr. Obama said Wednesday evening in a speech to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute. “That’s why I strongly support making sure folks who are here legally have …