Zachary Roth: May 23, 2010 - May 29, 2010

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Zachary Roth

Cuccinelli: Health Care Is 'Secondary' Issue In My Health Care Lawsuit

Zachary Roth | May 28, 2010, 1:38PM

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

Presenting his lawsuit against health-care reform in apocalyptic and grandiose terms, Ken Cuccinelli has said that health-care itself is a "secondary" issue in the legal challenge. The real goal, the Virginia Attorney General acknowledges, is to limit federal power. "If we lose, it's very much the end of federalism as we've known it for over 220 years," he said.

Cuccinelli's comments came in response to the Justice Department's motion, filed earlier this week, to dismiss his lawsuit.

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Topics: Health Care, Health Care Reform, Justice Department, Ken Cuccinelli, Virginia

Ken Cuccinelli

UVA Fighting Cuccinelli's Climate-Gate Subpoena -- Prez: Demand 'Sent A Chill' Through Academia

Zachary Roth | May 28, 2010, 11:45AM

VA Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli

The University of Virginia will fight a demand from Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli that it hand over documents relating to the work of a former UVA climate scientist.

In a court filing, the university argued that Cuccinelli's subpoena for the records of government-funded work conducted by climate scientist Michael Mann goes beyond the AG's legal authority, and threatens academic freedom.

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Topics: Climate-Gate, Ken Cuccinelli, Michael Mann, University of Virginia, subpoena

Right-wing extremism

Planned Muslim Cultural Center Near Ground Zero Prompts Massive Right-Wing Freakout

Zachary Roth | May 28, 2010, 11:03AM

An imam at a meeting about the Muslim cultural center proposed for near Ground Zero

We told you earlier this month about Mark Williams, the top Tea Party leader who was so enraged by plans to build a Muslim community center near Ground Zero that he referred to the Islamic deity as a "monkey-god" and to Muslims as "the animals of Allah."

But it turns out that Williams isn't the only conservative driven to apoplexy by this local development project. Lately, we've seen a massive right-wing freakout over the plan for the community center. That freakout has been couched as concern about dishonoring the memory of 9/11 victims. But it's been so widespread and so vitriolic as to suggest it might just have some uglier roots.

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Topics: Feisal Abdul Rauf, Islamic Terrorism, Mark Williams, Pamela Geller, Right-wing extremism, Robert Spencer, Tea Parties

John Ensign

Mulling Re-Election Bid Despite Scandal, Ensign Gears Up Fundraising

Zachary Roth | May 27, 2010, 4:06PM

Sen. John Ensign (R-NV)

After everything that's come out about Sen. John Ensign (R-NV), it seems implausible that he could run for office again. But he may be thinking about doing just that.

The Nevada Republican has been planning fundraisers and making calls to donors, with a view to a possible re-election bid in 2012, reports the Los Angeles Times.

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Topics: Doug Hampton, Fundraising, John Ensign, Justice Department, Senate Ethics Committee, Sex

Rand Paul

Rand Paul's Upstart Ophthalmology Group Leaves Little Mark

Zachary Roth | May 27, 2010, 11:26AM

KY-SEN candidate Rand Paul (R)

Rand Paul's reputation for marching to his own drummer may extend to his medical career. The GOP Senate candidate is the founder and president of a certifying board for eye doctors, which he appears to have set up as a rival to the existing certification board. But his organization has left little public record, and the legitimacy with which it's viewed remains unclear at best.

In 1999, Paul created a new non-profit organization, the National Board of Ophthalmology (NBO), headquartered at his home in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in order to "provide information to the public concerning physicians with exemplary qualifications in the medical specialty of ophthalmology," according to the organization's founding document, filed online with the Kentucky Secretary of State's office. Page One, a Kentucky politics blog, first noted the group's existence last month.

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Topics: American Board of Ophthalmology, National Board of Ophthalmology, Rand Paul

Bryan Fischer

Top Social Conservative: Hitler Used Gay Soldiers Because They Had 'No Limits'

Zachary Roth | May 26, 2010, 11:16AM

Bryan Fischer, issues director at American Family Association

A top official with a leading social conservative group recently laid out the view that Adolf Hitler deliberately recruited gays to be his "enforcers," because they had "no limits" to "the savagery and brutality they were willing to inflict."

During a radio broadcast, Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association explained:

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Topics: Adolf Hitler, American Family Association, Bryan Fischer, Donald Wildmon, Michele Bachmann, Mike Huckabee, Mike Pence, gay

Guns

New Gun-Rights Gambit Sweeping Nation: 'Firearms Freedom'

Zachary Roth | May 26, 2010, 9:24AM

Protestors come armed at the "Restore the Constitution" gun rights rally at Gravelly Point Park on the Potomac River in Alexandria, VA. on April 19, 2010

Supporters of gun rights have hit on a new gambit that ties in perfectly with the far-right's fears during the Obama era.

Under the rationale that the federal government only has the power to regulate issues that affect inter-state commerce, they've been pushing legislation in states from Florida to Alaska that would exempt guns and ammunition made within the state from federal gun laws. The idea is "the latest crack cocaine for gun-rights advocates," says Peter Hamm of the Brady Campaign.

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Topics: Guns, Health Care Reform

Joe Sestak

Even CREW Says Sestak's Claim Of Job Offer Is No Scandal

Zachary Roth | May 25, 2010, 3:28PM

Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA)

Republicans have been launching a full-court press to trumpet the claim by Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) that the White House offered him a job in exchange for dropping out of the Democratic primary race for the U.S. Senate, in an effort to clear the field for its favored candidate, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA). One GOP lawmaker has called for a criminal probe, alleging possible illegal conduct. But several experts tell TPMmuckraker this is much ado about nothing.

Last month, Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) urged the Justice Department to appoint a special counsel to look into Sestak's claim, which Issa says amounts to an accusation of a bribe. The White House has said that nothing inappropriate happened. And on Friday, reports Politico, DOJ responded by denying the request.

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Topics: Arlen Specter, Darrell Issa, Joe Sestak, Justice Department, Karl Rove

Tim D'Annunzio

GOPers Try To Derail Tea Party Favorite

Zachary Roth | May 25, 2010, 10:42AM

North Carolina congressional candidate Tim D'Annunzio

North Carolina Republicans are circulating court documents that suggest a far-right Tea-Party-backed congressional candidate claimed to be the Messiah, tried to raise his stepfather from the dead, believed God would drop a 1,000-mile high pyramid as the New Jerusalem on Greenland, and found the Ark of the Covenant in Arizona.

Tim D'Annunzio also has written that he wants to abolish several key government departments, including the IRS. But there's more going on here than just another wacky conservative politician. The effort by GOP leaders to stop D'Annunzio at all costs offers an intriguing test case of their ability to keep control of the party in the face of challenges from the Tea Party wing. Or as D'Annunzio himself has put it: "The power brokers in Raleigh and in Washington are willing to go to any length and use any unscrupulous tactic to try to destroy somebody. They think that they're losing their control over the Republican party."

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Topics: Charlie Crist, Larrry Kissell, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Tea Parties, Tim D'Annunzio

Joe Arpaio

Arpaio Slams Mexican Tourism Ad That Appears To Reference Immigration Law

Zachary Roth | May 24, 2010, 2:04PM

Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Sheriff Joe Arpaio is up-in-arms about an unusual newspaper ad placed by the Mexican Tourist Board, which appears to reference Arizona's controversial new immigration law.

The ad, which ran Friday in the Arizona Republic, declares: "In Sonora, we are looking for people from Arizona." Below those words is a picture of a man in what looks like a military helmet, holding binoculars to his face.

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Topics: AZ Immigation Law, Arizona, Immigration, Joe Arpaio

Right-wing extremism

Far-Right Extremists Gather At 'Liberty Convention'

Zachary Roth | May 24, 2010, 12:05PM

Red Beckman

A star-studded lineup of right-wing extremists graced this weekend's "Liberty Convention" in Montana.

The event -- organized by far-right activist Mona Docteur, and her Celebrating Conservatism group -- was predicted to attract 5000 conservative foot soldiers. In fact, only around 250 showed up. But what the event lacked in numbers, it more than made up for in the anti-government animus -- and sometimes outright wackiness -- of some of its speakers. (See a flier for the event here.)

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Topics: Chuck Baldwin, Kitty Werthmann, Mona Docteur, Red Beckman, Richard Mack, Right-wing extremism

Rand Paul

Paul Slams MSNBC 'Bias' (VIDEO)

Zachary Roth | May 24, 2010, 9:51AM

KY-SEN candidate Rand Paul (R)

On the advice of Karl Rove, Rand Paul has been staying away from national interviews since his disastrous appearance on MSNBC last Wednesday, in which he suggested he opposed a key provision of the Civil Rights Act. But he hasn't shut out local media. And in an interview with a Kentucky TV station Friday, the GOP Senate candidate continued his damage control campaign.

Paul downplayed his comments to Rachel Maddow, saying they were part of "a philosophic debate about a moot point." But he also blasted MSNBC for "bias," charging that in the days after his appearance, commentators on the network had inaccurately accused him of wanting to repeal the Civil Rights Act. (On Thursday, MSNBC's Chris Matthews corrected that error.) "I need to be very careful about going on certain networks that seem to have a bias," Paul told WHS's Joe Arnold. "Because it really wasn't the interview so much that was unfair. The interview I think was very fair. But then they went on a whole day repeating something over and over again. It makes me less inclined to go on a network."