Holy smokes -- the Minnesota Republican Party has picked a tenther candidate for governor, State Rep. Tom Emmer, who makes Virginia's Ken Cuccinelli look like Eleanor Roosevelt or something. From TPM:
Emmer was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2004. He is a co-author of a proposed state constitutional amendment that would, to borrow the words of Nigel Tufnel, turn the Tenth Amendment all the way up to 11, with Minnesota preemptively nullifying all federal laws unless a state supermajority consents to them. Here is the key quote from the amendment's text: "A federal law does not apply in Minnesota unless that law is approved by a two-thirds vote of the members of each house of the legislature and is signed by the governor. Before voting to approve a federal law, each legislator must individually affirm that the legislator has read the federal law and understands it."
The best part? Emmer got the blessing of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who's aiming at the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
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Oh man... Considering the level of crazy of this dude, can you imagine Minnesota creating a "Papers, Please!" immigration law and pulling over suspected Canadians?
This guy is on the very fringe right. The good news is that he is so far right that he will probably lose in the general election. He said, after winning the nomination, that he has no intention of trying to appeal to independents, which is definitely political suicide, especially here in Minnesota. He also said in a recent newspaper interview that he believes it is impossible to be a democrat and still be a patriotic American. The nutjobs that vote for Barking Mad Michele Bachmann will support him, but that is a very small minority statewide, and with a Independent Party candidate also running, I wouldn't be surprised to see this clown come in 3rd in the fall election.
It's quite staggering to see the degree to which secession talk has become acceptable. ("It's in the fringe" - no, if someone can launch a statewide campaign with these views, we need to rethink what we call 'fringe' and who's just a run-of-the-mill far-right-winger.)
As a Canadian myself (Don't know why I follow US politics; is it masochism?), I was slightly worried about the prospects of a crazy 'papers please' law in Minnesota, with or without this guy. Then I looked in the mirror and was immediately reassured: nobody wants to stop people who look like me from crossing the border.
The height of the irony is that the 'patriotism' crowd of 2000-2008 is now the secession crowd of 2009+. Their logical limbs are more flexible than mine, to keep that worldview together in one mind. It's also funny that this "states rights" business is getting started just as the federal Supreme Court is busily dismantling the kind of state-by-state and city-by-city law that these guys hate: gun control.
Anyhow, a second Civil War is not upon us (or rather, you). That said, socially speaking it would have made more sense to re-assign territories between the US and Canada: Alberta, for example, can join Minnesota, Arizona and Texas quite happily, and the East and West coasts fit in much better with the political atmosphere of most of the rest of Canada. Wait, I shouldn't have said that. Some conspiracy theorist might read this and start to get ideas.
Hsun-tsu, Would you please keep your ideas for reshaping the Americas, to yourself? And, stop planting ideas for the comspiracy theorists. If you didn't know, we have some wingers down here. But, if you're going to join Alberta with Minnesota , please take it as part of Canada. There must be something about that Northern air that is affecting brains. Might as well put all of them together. Just leave our coasts alone. We like the sun and turf. Fitting in with Canada is questionable. There's probably not a bathing suit in your wardrobe. And, while we're at it, giving Texas to Mexico might work, but joining it with Arizona wouldn't. John McCain and Gov. Perry are way too much alike to work together. However, joining it with Mexico would solve the need for immigration reform. Let's give this some more thought.
As a Minnesotan, I would much prefer we join with Canada, and leave the tomfoolery of American reichwing politics behind. We were all a bit sad when Bush finally left office, as we recognized it would be hard to find such a rich resource of humor again, but fortunately, our nation is a cornucopia of political nutjobs. Whether it is Emmer, or Cuccinelli, or Palin, or Bachmann...the list goes on and on....it seems that the right wingers are falling all over themselves, straining to appear more outrageous, ignorant and intolerant than the previous one. In some ways, it reminds me of an accelerated version of the trend toward audacity and shock in popular music. First we had Bette Midler and her bawdy songs and stage show, (absolutely magnificent, by the way), then Cyndi Lauper had to one-up her. Then came Madonna, with a couple decades of controversial videos and behavior, and now the torch is passed to Lady Gaga. I guess the only question now is... who is the repub Lady Gaga? It seems that Cuccinelli is in a pitched battle with Emmer for that title now.
Note to self: don't try to be funny. No bad joke goes unpunished.
Hsun-Tsu, Oh, don't be like that. Your jokes weren't bad so they're not being punished. Actually, there were some good ideas in there, (somewhere). We like our Canadian neighbors. That's you, right?
If you insist on getting serious, then our politics are probably not good fodder. You really will need a good sense of humor. BECAUSE...If you get offended easily, you are going to be one miserable person. If you take a close look, there is a lot of lack of intelligence involved. Humor helps a lot.
Could there be any bigger (scarier) flip flop than this?? And....well said
'The height of the irony is that the 'patriotism' crowd of 2000-2008 is now the secession crowd of 2009+. Their logical limbs are more flexible than mine, to keep that worldview together in one mind. It's also funny that this "states rights" business is getting started just as the federal Supreme Court is busily dismantling the kind of state-by-state and city-by-city law that these guys hate: gun control.'
Minnesota elects people for comic effect: Jesse Ventura, Michelle Bachmann, Al Franken... no wait, Al Franken actually makes sense.
Never mind.
See Hsun-Tsu, Dan BV even agrees that 'comic effect' is in great demand, especially in that cold area where water comes in chunks and ice sickles are the appropriate weapon of choice. Minnesota politicians lie, then laugh about it. With the exception, of course, of Al Franken. He made people laugh for a living before becoming a politician with a grin. He's trying to be serious, but it's not easy in Washington D.C. He still grins a lot, but the Republicans are working on him. He'll be scowling before too long. You can bet your long underwear on that. Then, alas, he'll have to start lieing to make things funny.
Do you sweet Canadians really want to have to learn how that works?
Yes, Minnesota will again be a bastion of lunacy this coming election season, as we have to deal with Emmer and these other GOP extremist candidates:
Stay tuned...
As a Southerner whose ancestors fought in the Army of Northern Virginia, I'm pretty sure we had this dicussion already: It was called the Civil War and the South lost the nullification argument.
Wow. I mean, I knew from way back that John C. Calhoun was the father of the right; but, wow. Forget the Civil War: the whole nullification thing was settled by Andy Jackson threatened to send troops into South Carolina unless they backed down on their nullification of the 'Tariff of Abominations'. It was that incident that convinced the Southern right that secession was the way to go. Today's right can't seem to make up their minds, even though both secession and nullification are long-settled matters. Besides which, there's still the supremacy clause and, oh yeah, the 10th Amendment isn't an opt-out provision.
I'm from Minnesota and I would appreciate it if you (and Richard Van Ingram) would call Tom Emmers and let him know these things. You may have to remind (or inform) him that Virginia, south Carolina AND Minnesota all belong to the United States. He might not know that.
ps thanks for not laughing too hard at us.
If Emmers didn't pay attention in school (surely they taught American history back in his day, rather than Texas history), why would he pay attention now?
Besides, why should I laugh at you? Every state has it's right-wing prats to contend with.
How very Confederate of them. The Federal government suborned to the whims of the states. I think Richard Van Ingram put it well, "I'm pretty sure we had this dicussion already: It was called the Civil War and the South lost the nullification argument."
I remember well the best lectures I ever heard about the Civil War. It was back in my undergraduate days and the professor really knew his onions. I'm going to give the whole thing right now. Ready? Here it is: 'The North won.'
I mean, really, what more is there to know? But some people are just slow learners, I guess.
The most annoying thing about the modern resurgence of the Right following the Election of 1980 has been the resurrection of issues everyone thought long-settled. Generally, it's just annoying, but nullification and secession are dangerous. As the posters above rightly said, those issues were settled in the 19th Century. This time around these issues should be dealt with as treason, which is what they are. You cannot advocate treason and still claim to be a patriot. Choose one or the other.
Although I'm strictly opposed to secession, I'm open to the idea of selling land. If Canada is willing to make a bid for the state of Minnesota, I'm open to the idea. And currently I'm not overly emotionally attached to Alaska. Canada, do I hear any bids?
I read a book years ago, (I can't remember if it was a Dan Brown book), where the Us was in such deep debt to Japan that Japan demanded we give them Hawaii to settle the debt, (must have been the 80's when we were all worried about Japan, Inc.). I suggest we sell the South to China to pay off our debts. They can have South Carolina, and the baggage that is Sanford and DeMint and Graham. Let them have Texas, Rick Perry and the televangelists. They are welcome to Mississippi and Haley Barbour. If the red states think that Obama is a tyrant that is trying to take over everything, let them see what a REAL dictatorial government looks like up close. Give them a week of that kind of treatment, and they'll be begging to be back in America, and won't care about Obama's birth certificate or healthcare death panels or taxing the rich.
Sheriff, what did Canada ever do to you? ;)
Now, that's the best idea, yet. Obviously, the South has no 'united' propensity. They're still mad over loosing their slaves. And, they're really mad when, (in their eyes) one is in the White House. Let's just give them their wish (threat) and kick them out on their own, or even better, as Uffdaguy suggested, give them to China to settle our debt. They are, after all, property of the Federal Government, so it should be no problem with trading them or trashing them. There is no Sheriff in charge.
Of course, our discourse on this site is tongue in cheek, but the 'point' is there's two ways to settle any dispute. If people insist on being total idiots and actually believe that they're being taken serious, then they need to know that wishing for division by lieing about our country, could get them division from our country. And, there's more than one way to do that.
They might need to listen to the words of former Pres. Bush, when he said, "You're either with us or against us," and fact check what happens when citizens are against the good of all. I'm not a Bush fan, but what so many of us are seeing the reichwing, (I loved that emphasis made by Uffdaguy) develop is a movement to diminish the power of a black man because they think 'white men' should own the United States. THEY think we are, either, stupid, or they are being led around by the nose by a few reichwing intelligent bigots who are using them as their slaves and getting them to do the dirty work. In other words, THEY ARE STUPID. And, they ain't black!
When these idiots talk about 'Our country", they really believe they own it.
In reality, they don't even own themselves. We are all a part of a whole. In the case of the United States, we have some choices that we call freedom, but none of us would survive without the others. And, Friends, that wasn't ordained by Republican or Democrats, that is a natural law of survival. We are ordered by that Law to make choices for the good of all, or we will ALL suffer the consequences. Sometimes the 'good for all' natural law requires the decision to throw the outlaw overboard. Note to you fundamentalists, You'll find that in your Bible. If you can't read, let me know or call your 'leaders'.
The Emmer bill was a ludicrous grandstanding play. Even if it was legal to refuse to follow federal laws unless approved by a 2/3 majority of the Minnesota legislature, (which I think is highly unlikely), the impracticality of the procedure would make it impossible to follow the intent of the bill. There are literally tens of thousands of federal laws out them, many of which have no applicability to Minnesota in the first place. The Minnesota legislature is not a full-time legislature, but even if it were, it would take decades to simply go through and approve every federal law already in existence, much less the new ones that get passed every year by Congress. I don't mind if the fools down south want to spew inanities as policy; it's entertaining as hell, as long as nothing comes of it. I do object when that kind of foolishness spreads to other areas of the country. As Chris Hayes said last night, that is the same fearful 20% that have always been around, usually residing in the Goofy Old Party. Today, however, the party is encouraging what can only be called seditious behavior, and the nuttiest of them are also arming themselves. I'm only half-jesting when I suggest that perhaps we should not only allow, but encourage some of the red states to leave the Union, giving them the release that the nuttiest among them so desperately want. Think of it as the Promised Land for the ignorant, the angry, the fearful...the Israel of the reichwing. In fact, that could be their motto..."Give me your ignorant, your angry, your fearful, yearning to be safe from all threats, real and imagined". Their Statue of Liberty, standing tall on Galveston Island, would be clothed not in regal robes, but in bib overalls, and topped not with a crown, but a NASCAR baseball cap.
That about sums it up. Sounds like a great plan to me, and entertainingly stated. Galveston Island is the perfect spot. Hurricanes and oil spills would be lapping at his feet, but that would just enhance their view of their perfect world; The Land of Power- The Hell with Peace.
There is no fringe right. The amoeba that is the GOP swallowed it in its belly center. Just ask Michelle Bachmann.