The founder of “Muslims for Bush” has quit the GOP and has joined the Democratic Party.
It’s amazing to me that for him the turning point was not his treatment at the GOP convention when he ran for Colorado state treasurer, but rather the utterly meaningless Park 51 debate. But hey, ok man, whatever – as long as you’ve finally seen the light.
Great diary on this at DailyKos also worth a read.
Guantanamo closure delayed again.
The White House wants to buy a maximum security prison in Illinois to hold the ‘detainees.’
The federal Bureau of Prisons does not have enough money to pay Illinois for the center, which would cost about $150 million. Several weeks ago, the White House approached the House Appropriations Committee and floated the idea of adding about $200 million for the project to the military spending bill for the 2010 fiscal year, according to administration and Congressional officials.
But Democratic leaders refused to include the politically charged measure in the legislation. When lawmakers approved the bill on Dec. 19, it contained no financing for Thomson.
The Democratic party will have nobody to blame but themselves in the mid-term elections when their supporters don’t show up at the polls due to discouragement.
a great series at Open Left by diarist dreaminonempty has been chronicling the future decline and fall of the Republican Party on the basis of demographic trends, ethnic and religious. The post on religious trends had a extensive section on how muslim voting trends, which have been much more volatile in response to policy than comparable groups like African Americans or Jewish Americans. I take these results at City of Brass and re-open an old debate about whether there is/should be a "muslim vote" and whether it would necessarily be aligned with the political Left.
Analysis of ‘West Asian’ voting patterns in most recent US elections at Open Left. An example:
Money quote: “It is simply astounding that Republicans have been able to take their relationship with several different communities who have ties to this region and alienate so many, so well, so quickly. “
The Democratic party’s response to Republican outrage at Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize:
“Either sensing an opening to cast the Republican Party as actively rooting against America, or just fed up with the stream of negative responses,” writes Sam Stein, “the Democratic National Committee put out an unusually blunt statement Friday morning. The gist: that the GOP sides with the terrorists.”
“The Republican Party has thrown in its lot with the terrorists — the Taliban and Hamas this morning — in criticizing the President for receiving the Nobel Peace prize,” wrote DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse. “Republicans cheered when America failed to land the Olympics and now they are criticizing the President of the United States for receiving the Nobel Peace prize — an award he did not seek but that is nonetheless an honor in which every American can take great pride — unless of course you are the Republican Party.
The 2009 version of the Republican Party has no boundaries, has no shame and has proved that they will put politics above patriotism at every turn. It’s no wonder only 20 percent of Americans admit to being Republicans anymore – it’s an embarrassing label to claim.”
Chris Bowers lauds this response: “That is just about the most aggressive, hard-hitting rhetoric I have ever read from a Democratic Party committee. It is like Alan Grayson wrote this response.” Glenn Greenwald pans it: “Apparently, according to the DNC, if you criticize this Prize, then you’re an unpatriotic America-hater — just like the Terrorists, because they’re also criticizing the award. Karl Rove should be proud.”
Im with Chris….the teabaggers pull this all the time and when some rolls back on them they scream with fauxrage like stuck pigs.
less QQ more pewpew, retards.
Media Matters has produced a video in the same spirit.
Cheney’s torture trap for Democrats.
Just five days after Cheney admitted that George W. Bush personally signed off on the CIA’s plans to extract information out of detainees by no matter how they got it, the debate in Washington isn’t even remotely focused on the ethical and moral repugnance of torturing your enemies. Instead, the city is buzzing about what House Speaker Nancy Pelosi knew about waterboarding. There’s a little side conversation going about whether torture is effective — but not whether it’s wrong. And the Obama administration, which is trying desperately not to get involved in an endless battle over what Bush officials were doing behind closed doors, is getting dragged into it, too, and infuriating liberal supporters in the process.
Wow – Illinois Governor Blagojevich was arrested by the FBI this morning. I suspected Blago was dirty, but had no idea he was such a scumbag. The Illinois governor was (among other things) trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Our interview with Gov. Howard Dean is up at altmuslim. (There’s another five great interviews lined up for the next two weeks.)
Now I’m all suspenseful!
Who else is getting interviewed?!
you’ll see. we’re transcribing now. another one will be published wed, fri, and then the following week. we’re on a roll!
Completely bypasses the fact that “Democrats voted for the Iraq War” and begins waffling about what Bush didn’t do. Fact is, Democrats are as much a war party as the Republicans.
Howard then goes onto state:
…we hope the Pakistanis regain control of those territories. But if they don’t, we’re not going to stand idly by as our troops are attacked.
So, he supports bombing Pakistan… as has been authorised by Bush recently?
At least he shows some awareness that Afghanistan should always have been the major concern for the US, and realises that solving the problem is not about killing as many bearded Pashtuns with guns as possible. (I hope.)
Nancy Pelosi’s comments on abortion upset the Catholic Church.
Slate discusses the Democratic Party’s new approach to abortion.
A new book entitled Why I’m A Democrat asks 55 Americans why they support the Democratic Party. My case as to why Muslims should be Democrats can be found on pages 173-8.
aziz, 
MT, and 
thabet are discussing. 
shams are discussing. 
thabet 1:21 pm on December 12, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
BREAKING NEWS: Man quits one pro-war party for another pro-war party.
aziz 8:50 pm on December 14, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
i dont dispute that, either, it’s why i am not a Democrat myself (but am politically aligned as far as my domestic agenda goes).
should be noted that teh diarist at DKos was wrong about Dubai Ports World – the GOP was on the right side of that one and the Dems demagogued it.
thabet 1:29 pm on December 12, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
The way some people seamlessly move from one party to another shows how much ‘faith’ they actually have in the supposed ideological underpinnings of these organisations.
To use another ‘Muslim’ example: Rehman Chisti stood for Labour in 2005 against Frances Maude. Labour, of course, is meant to be a party of working people. How far did Chisti’s affiliation with the labour movement extend? Well, not that far or deep: somewhere between 2005 and 2010, when he jumped shipped, moved to the Tories and even started working as an aide to Maude. He was selected as a candidate in Kent, and was voted as MP for Gillingham and Rainham earlier this year.
MT 3:58 pm on December 14, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
thabet has a point. If this guy had left the GOP and gone independent he would have more credibility. He could have set up an unaffiliated organization for politically conservative Muslims or something like that. Instead he dove headfirst into Pelosi’s arms, which doesn’t sit well with his claims that he’s “been a vocal fiscal conservative for years”. And he seems unaware that many prominent Democrats, such as Howard Dean, also oppose Park 51. I’m guessing that Pelosi conveniently forgot to mention that!
aziz 4:27 am on December 15, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
since when is P51 a muslim issue? many MUSLIMS oppose it too. I have taken major issue with Park51 on my own blog and I resent the way its advocates have tried to equate their financial interest wth the self interest of the entire national muslim community.
MT 8:54 am on December 15, 2010 Permalink | Log in to Reply
I didn’t say that P51 is a Muslim issue. However, Muhammad Ali Hasan seems to think that it is.
aziz 7:38 am on December 20, 2010 Permalink
you seemed to suggest implicitly you agreed that P51 was a muslim issue when you cited Democrats’ opposition to it as evidence. my apology.