I knew Levin would be chomping at the bit to comment on Thursday's RINO reactions to Rand Paul's filibuster...and he discussed it thoroughly throughout the first half of the program!
On Thursday's Mark Levin Show: Mark defends Rand Paul's filibustering and praises him and other conservatives for standing up to the Obama Administration. Meanwhile, Lindsay Graham and John McCain, rather than help the Republican conservative cause, went to the Senate floor and undermined Rand Paul and those that questioned the use of domestic drones.
This is the way I heard it...
However, there was one moment towards the beginning of Levin getting warmed up that I just knew would invariably be misconstrued by some, and I feel the need to reemphasize the facts that cut through this confusion. Mark clarified the difference between the actions (or rather inactions) of an American citizen on American soil vs. the actions of an American overseas whose thrown in with our enemies. By the end of the discussion, one should determine that he emphatically agrees with Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and Mike Lee, that targeting the inactions of an American citizen on American soil with an armed drone is unquestionably unconstitutional. However, Mark also explained how it is absolutely legal to target a person whose joined up with an enemy overseas, even if they're an American citizen, because in taking such action, they've actually relinquished their citizenship. He uses a couple of legal items to prove the point:
U.S. Code Title 8 Section 1481 Subsections a3A and b:
(a) A person who is a national of the United States whether by birth or naturalization, shall lose his nationality by voluntarily performing any of the following acts with the intention of relinquishing United States nationality—
(3) entering, or serving in, the armed forces of a foreign state if
(A) such armed forces are engaged in hostilities against the United States
(b) ... Any person who commits or performs, or who has committed or performed, any act of expatriation under the provisions of this chapter or any other Act shall be presumed to have done so voluntarily, but such presumption may be rebutted upon a showing, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the act or acts committed or performed were not done voluntarily.
And then Mark later backs that up with Congress' power "to define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offenses against the Law of Nations," under Article 1 Section 8 of our U.S. Constitution.
Persons under these codes and powers are not afforded due process, because they're no longer observed as citizens. That's all Mark's point was...and he's correct about it. So, getting hung up on this segment, and making the blanket statement that 'Mark Levin disagrees with Rand Paul on drones' is misleading and inaccurate...
"So let us not rewrite our Constitution, let us not rewrite our federal statutes, let us not rewrite our war-making abilities to defend this nation against terrorists and other enemies, and pretend that's the argument of the civil libertarian when it's not."
Now that that's clear, onto what we were all waiting to hear...his rippage of McLame and Goober Graham...
"...John McCain and Lindsey Graham, these two guys are menaces. These two guys are independent operators, and I don't mean that for the good, I mean for the bad. And the truth is if John McCain was not a war hero, a POW hero, I don't think he would have won election or several reelections in Arizona, because he's a complete political lightweight. Lindsey Graham...is a joke, an intellectual lightweight, he doesn't even understand that he's seen as sort of a bizarre Senator who just seems to follow around John McCain. I don't get it."
After reviewing the means in which a citizen can become a targetable foreign enemy according to the U.S. Code and the Constitution, Levin spoke directly to the Arizona senator...
"Senator McCain, you're a destructive force in the United States Capitol. Almost everything you touch turns to crap!"
Then Mark went through the litany of sellouts...
(For the extended version, refer to the top video posted)
Here's a link to the full program...as always, well worth the listen.
...and yet so hard to get! It took a filibustered teeth pulling to get this simple answer:
Come to his attention? What a smartass. Nonetheless, perhaps more will now begin to understand the difficulty in dealing with, well, pretty much anything, with this deceptive administration.
Here's Rand's reaction to finally receiving an answer. Also, pay attention to what he says about the RINO naysayers...
Related link: Sen. Paul declares 'victory' after Holder offers assurance on drones
(h/t Ron B.)
Rush's monologue gave an excellent assessment of what was witnessed in last night's Country Class filibuster, with particular criticism, and appropriately so, of the Ruling Class reaction...
ADDENDUM: Prior to receiving a new letter from the Justice Department, Rush interviewed Rand...
Typical. Last night, the Country Class vs. the Ruling Class was on full display, capturing the attention of millions and lighting up the twitterverse (positively, I might add). While the Country Class representatives conducted an epic 13 hour filibuster led by Rand Paul, accompanied by Ted Cruz (who pried an answer out of Holder yesterday), Mike Lee, Marco Rubio and others, challenging Obama and his administration over the important constitutional issues of civil liberties and due process, the Ruling Class of McCain, Graham, and the like, were dining with the Statist-in-Chief. One side fights, while the other plays footsie. And instead of joining conservatives in the daily struggle for liberty under this administration, the Ruling Class Repubics (h/t Levin), specifically McCain and Graham, dismiss the fight and criticizes those who dare to lift a finger against their friend...who by the way is dismantling our Republic.
After dining with Obama, Graham said, "This idea that we’re going to use a drone to attack a citizen in a cafe in America is ridiculous."
(h/t GatewayPundit)
Then McCain, who also dined with the President last night, went a step further. He took to the Senate floor this morning to slam Paul's filibuster, saying that it was 'not helpful' and that it took the conversation into 'the realm of ridiculous'.
I'm certain the old bull wanted to call Rand a hobbit.
And it's a shame that it took a tweet from media mogul Brit Hume to get McConnell's 'butt on the floor to support Rand Paul'...but then again, he's part of the old guard problem.
These guys really want to talk about ridiculous? It's ridiculous that immediately after date night with Barack, these guys seek their chosen outlets to ridicule members of their own party simply because genuine conservatives dared to take on their evening's host...and it keeps happening like clockwork. They want to call somebody ridiculous? What about former military men, one of which is constantly referred to as 'the war hero', behaving like timid little lemmings when it comes to standing up to this President for liberty's sake. Damn ridiculous.
Arizona...South Carolina...it's way past time to tighten the screws on these disgracefully weak, old guard COWARDS; then in their next election cycles, 'throw the bums out!' and replace them with vibrant and COURAGEOUS young conservatives!
ADDENDUM: Btw, if McCain and Graham are still wondering 'what's the point?'...the White House finally answered Rand's question, that's the point!
WashingtonExaminer: Attorney General Eric Holder wrote Sen. Rand Paul,R-Ky., to confirm that President Obama does not have the authority to kill an American on U.S. soil in a non-combat situation, Obama’s spokesman announced today.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney quoted from the letter that Holder sent to Paul today. “Does the president have the authority to use a weaponized drone to kill an American not engaged in combat on an American soil?” Holder wrote, per Carney. “The answer is no.”
That's all he wanted. The fact that it took a 13 hour filibuster to get it...ridiculous.
“As a rule of thumb, Congressional legislation that is bipartisan is usually twice as bad as legislation that is partisan.” ~ Thomas Sowell
When Obama talks about a common sense caucus, I think he's using several of the urban dictionary's definitions for 'common sense':
bunch of bullshit, used to support all sorts of bullshit... Common sense is what -I- think others should know.
Pretty much. And that's what Republicans should expect from Obama's GOP date night (yes, even McRINO, Grahamnesty and other wobblers)...
theAtlanticWire: Obama will have dinner Wednesday night with 11 Republican senators: Ron Johnson, John Hoeven, Pat Toomey, Lindsey Graham, John McCain, Bob Corker, Kelly Ayotte, Dan Coats, Tom Coburn, Richard Burr, and Mike Johanns. He will attend Senate Republicans weekly lunch next week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced. "Senate Republicans welcome the President to the Capitol. And I appreciate he took my recommendation to hear from all of my members," McConnell said in a statement. (Obama hasn't lunched with them since May 2010, Roll Call notes.) Obama will also meet with House Republicans, House Democrats, and Senate Democrats. And Obama has been making phone calls, The New York Times reports, to at least six Republicans since the weekend.
And now senators being courted are praising Obama for the courting. "I think this is going to pay dividends for the country," Graham told Roll Call. (Graham has floated agreeing to $600 billion in new revenue in a budget deal.) "It's long overdue," Maine Sen. Susan Collins said, but, "Even though it may be belated, at least the president does seem to be extending an olive branch." She is hopeful for the common sense caucus. Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson echoed that sentiment to the Times today: "I've always said I'm willing to work with anybody who's willing to acknowledge the problem to solve it. Maybe that got noticed." Tellingly, Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt tells Roll Call a phone call won't get Obama more tax revenue, but then, Blunt hasn't gotten one of those coveted phone calls yet. Obama aides have only made overtures.
Senators, don't fall for this shyster's bullshit...particularly when the public by a nearly 2-1 margin (61% - 33%) supports cutting the overall budget along the lines of the sequester that took effect last Friday! The President's fear-mongering is not paying off.
Oh, and while you're sipping wine and feasting on filet with the President, why don't you guys ask him why he's not making similarly equal across-the-board cuts in entitlement programs as he's making in defense?
Real common sense would dictate that forming a bipartisan alliance with the despotic intentions of this manipulative president is an absolute mistake.There can be no 'common sense' caucus with Barack Obama, by definition.
After Holder's 'extraordinary circumstance' response to Rand Paul's letter concerning the authorization of drone strikes within the US didn't sit well with the Senator, Ted Cruz took a stab at Holder and actually managed to get an admission out of our squirmy Attorney General that killing Americans with drones on U.S. soil is indeed unconstitutional...
Nonetheless, Rand Paul is filibustering John Brennan's nomination to CIA director over his dissatisfaction with the Obama administration's response.
ADDENDUM: Follow Sen. Paul's filibuster here (C-SPAN2). Bravo! to those Senators who are joining him.
FoxNation is also carrying Paul's filibuster live...
Sen. Rand Paul launched into an old-fashioned filibuster on the Senate floor Wednesday as he tried to hold up the nomination of John Brennan for CIA director over concerns about the president’s authority to kill Americans with drones.
Paul, R-Ky., is one of several lawmakers – on both sides of the aisle – who has raised concerns about the legal justification for launching drone strikes against Americans overseas. But Paul took to the floor after receiving a statement from Attorney General Eric Holder that creaked open the door to the possibility of using a drone to kill an American inside the United States.
“No one politician should be allowed to judge the guilt, to charge an individual, to judge the guilt of an individual and to execute an individual. It goes against everything that we fundamentally believe in our country,” he said.
Paul, who started speaking shortly before noon, said he will filibuster the nomination “until I can no longer speak.”
Levin also weighs in, emphasizing who's actually fighting for us in Washington...
theRightScoop: Mark Levin says that it’s our guys in Washington making a difference right now, it’s our guys fighting back, it’s our guys giving us hope for the future, not the Republican establishment types.
At a time when the MSM are touting and gushing over the mythical memory of Venezuela's former dictator, Hugo Chavez, David Asman of Fox Business has submitted quite possibly the only bit of truth about Chavez that we'll likely hear from anyone in the media...
If embedded video is not working, here's the link.
Here's another interesting accessment, referring to Chavez as an 'icon of controversy'...ya think?
Yeah, I guess anyone reducing poverty by making everybody poor, while personally amassing a $2 billion fortune, could be perceived as controversial.
In related news: Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Or perhaps another meltdown. Either way, about time..."This Is Just Bull-Blank!"
FoxNation: During tonight’s Talking Points Memo, Bill O’Reilly expressed his frustration with the president. The Factor host said it’s obvious that President Obama is not trying to solve America’s fiscal mess. He’s unwilling to cut spending and hasn’t put forth any plans to do so.
O’Reilly referenced a Washington Post article that provides insight on why President Obama is unwilling to compromise. On March 2, Scott Wilson and Philip Rucker reported, “The goal is to flip the Republican-held House back to the Democratic control, allowing Obama to push forward with a progressive agenda on control, immigration, climate change and the economy during his final two years in office, according to congressional Democrats, strategists and others familiar with Obama’s thinking.”
Don't get too excited, folks...Bill O will invariably disappoint down the road...
UPDATE: See...Rush and Levin briefly addressed the insensitive comments. One reason I can't watch the guy anymore...inconsistently all over the place.
Why can't John Boehner and the GOP leadership fight, damn it?! They just keep rolling over to statism...and once again prove that they're no more concerned with responsible governance and budgeting than their Democratic cohorts.
Mark Levin explained on Tuesday's program how the House is bringing the Continuing Resolution up for a vote, with Obamacare funding fully intact, and the majority of Republican's are going to vote for it instead of standing up to President Obama. Too many of these Republicans are forgetting why they've been sent to Washington; and that's quite apparent when they aren't even putting the survival of the Republic on the front burner.
theRightScoop: Mark Levin explains how the Republican leadership is ramming through a Continuing Resolution that funds the government for 6 months and it includes funding for Obamacare. The House rules committee has also voted to not allow for any amendments on the CR.
Levin says they were supposed to vote on it on Thursday, but the leadership moved it up to tomorrow in hopes that you won’t call, complain to your House member that it includes funding for Obamacare, and sway the vote against it.
Because of this, Levin is going to check the roll call vote tomorrow and he’s going to tell you who voted for Obamacare on the air tomorrow.
He's already submitted a list of '30 House Republican patriots' who attempted to strip Obamacare funding out of the CR, but were blocked by the GOP leadership and their colleagues:
Amash (MI), Barr (KY), Black (TN), Blackburn (TN), Bridenstine (OK), Broun (GA), DeSantis (FL), Duncan (SC), Fleming (LA), Franks (AZ), Gingrey (GA), Gohmert (TX), Hanna (NY), Hudson (NC), Huelskamp (KS), Jones (NC), LaMalfa (CA), Lamborn (CO), Massie (KY), McClintock (CA), Meadows (NC), Pearce (NM), Rothfus (PA), Salmon (AZ), Schweikert (AZ), Stewart (UT), Stockman (TX), Wilson (SC), Yoder (KS), Yoho (FL)
Here's more from Breitbart:
House Speaker John Boehner and House GOP leadership rapidly scheduled a Wednesday morning floor vote on legislation that will fund the government—including the controversial Affordable Care Act—for the rest of the year, Breitbart News has learned.
As Breitbart News reported late Tuesday, 30 House Republicans have signed a letter demanding Boehner and House Majority Leader Eric Cantor not pass a Continuing Resolution that funds Obamacare at all. Jim Bridenstine of Oklahoma and Tim Huelskamp of Kansas sought to get other members to support the effort.
When Boehner and Cantor received the letter, a senior GOP source told Breitbart News that both were shocked by the large response and frantically scheduled the CR vote for Wednesday morning.
There's very little time to call your congress members in the morning...and that's precisely how Boehner and the boys planned it. Peculiar how they similarly operate like their Democratic cohorts when it comes to avoiding you, isn't it? Flood their phone lines anyway.
UPDATE I: Erick Erickson points to House conservatives as the problem...
RedState: Today, House conservatives will join with their Republican colleagues to vote on what is called a “closed rule.” This is a vote that will allow Republican leaders to bring to the floor of the House of Representatives the continuing resolution without...being able to defund Obamacare.
Today, House Republicans will vote on a rule in the House of Representatives that, once approved, will allow the continuing resolution to pass while enabling and funding Obamacare.
House Conservatives will make it happen. In fact, House Conservatives who vote for the rule are voting to fund Obamcare. Passing the rule then conveniently voting against the actual continuing resolution cannot be given a pass.
Today, conservative groups must set a new standard — voting for the rule on the continuing resolution must be scored against.
Scoring on the rule must be the new standard because conservatives in the House of Representatives are all too often voting for rules to pass legislation they ultimately oppose when, had they blocked the rule, the legislation would not pass.
They will enable passage of the continuing resolution while voting against it. They will try to have it both ways.
Erickson said to watch to see how Jeb Hensarling, Tom Price, Jim Jordan, and Steve Scalise, supposed conservative leaders in the House, vote today.
See which of these conservative leaders and others fail us and fund Obamacare, while spinning their way through denial. Watch as they vote to fund Obamacare, then go home and tell you how much they oppose it because they ensured the continuing resolution would pass before voting against it.
I'd say that if they participate in this kind of unprincipled and crooked politics, then they weren't actually 'conservatives' to begin with...just more wearing of sheep's clothing.
UPDATE II: Passed...with even fewer patriots.
Of the 151 members of the House who voted against this CR, only 14 were Republicans. They included: Justin Amash (Mich.), Jim Bridenstine (Okla.), Broun (Ga.), Ron DeSantis (Fla.), Scott DesJarlais (Tenn.), John J. Duncan Jr. (Tenn.), Phil Gingrey (Ga.), Louie Gohmert (Tex.), Jack Kingston (Ga.), Tom McClintock (Calif.). Thomas Massie (Ky.), Bill Posey (Fla.), Matt Salmon (Ariz.), and Steve Stockman (Tex.).
Despite the vow they made in their 2010 "A Pledge to America" to post bills online for at least 72 hours before bringing them up for a vote, the House Republican leaders brought this CR up for a vote a little less than 48 hours after posting it.
Time for some perspective. Does any of this look like Obama's federal government is winding to a halt under sequestration?
$253.5B—Obama Borrowed Nearly 6x as Much in February as Sequester Cuts All Year
Feds keep hiring with sequesters in place: 400 jobs posted on first day back
What sequester? Obama Admin Approves $37 Million Deal To Increase Aid To Pakistan...
Ummm...nope. Priorities...maintaining the bloat of government.
But when it comes to affecting you, the citizen, he wants to personally inflict as much pain as possible.
WashingtonTimes: The Obama administration denied an appeal for flexibility in lessening the sequester’s effects, with an email this week appearing to show officials in Washington that because they already had promised the cuts would be devastating, they now have to follow through on that.
In the email sent Monday by Charles Brown, an official with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service office in Raleigh, N.C., Mr. Brown asked “if there was any latitude” in how to spread the sequester cuts across the region to lessen the impacts on fish inspections.
He said he was discouraged by officials in Washington, who gave him this reply: “We have gone on record with a notification to Congress and whoever else that ‘APHIS would eliminate assistance to producers in 24 states in managing wildlife damage to the aquaculture industry, unless they provide funding to cover the costs.’ So it is our opinion that however you manage that reduction, you need to make sure you are not contradicting what we said the impact would be.”
“This email confirms what many Americans have suspected: The Obama administration is doing everything they can to make sure their worst predictions come true and to maximize the pain of the Sequester cuts for political gain,” said Rep. Tim Griffin, Arkansas Republican.
Thus, further proving the Limbaugh theorem.
