Councilman pushing for Nashville to go English-only

By GottaLaff

Je ne comprend pas. No entiendo. Or as we say in my neck of the woods, wtf:

In a proposal that has defined him publicly and dominated local politics for two years, [Eric] Crafton hopes to make Nashville the largest city in the United States to prohibit the government from using languages other than English, with exceptions allowed for issues of health and safety. On Jan. 22, city residents will vote on the proposal, which Mr. Crafton calls English First and critics call English Only. [...]

But the vision he does have for Nashville — and eventually America — has drawn criticism from Mayor Karl Dean and a broad coalition of civil rights groups, business leaders, ministers and immigration experts. The leaders of nine institutions of higher education in Nashville wrote an opinion article in The Tennessean newspaper opposing the proposal, which they said would sully the city’s reputation for tolerance and diversity.

“The irony of the city known as the ‘Athens of the South’ becoming the first major metropolitan community in America to pass ‘English only’ is a distressing prospect,” they wrote. [...]

Jonathan Z. Crisp, a former chairman of the county Republican Party and a supporter of the proposal, said: “Our opponents talk about Nashville being the ‘Athens of the South.’ But if you go to the other Athens, in Greece, all of the government workers are speaking Greek.” [...]

[C]ritics say he has wasted at least $350,000 of taxpayer money on a special election for an issue that does not matter to most voters. “I don’t think English Only would be an issue if it weren’t for Eric Crafton,” said Mr. Schulz of the Chamber of Commerce. But Mr. Crafton insists that momentum is on his side in Nashville and across the country. “We’ll make English the official language here,” he said. “After that happens, we’re going to go city to city, show them how we’ve done it here, and let the dominos fall.”

I have two words for Crafton, universally understood in nearly any language. But since he insists on English, I'll use what's left of my self control and leave them to your imagination. Hint: I'd be quoting Cheney.

"Hard Work" Bush is proud of his accomplishments

By GottaLaff

It's "hard work" screwing up an entire country planet. And the really ironic part is, the Chimpenfuhrer still believes that people trust him:

President Bush in his New Year’s message to the nation vowed to keep working hard in the less than three weeks that he remains in office.

Bush, who has held several interviews in recent weeks that looked back at his presidency, used his last New Year’s message to “thank the American people for trusting me with the honor of serving our great country.

“It has been a tremendous privilege, and together we have accomplished a great deal,” he stated.

Oh-h yeah, he's responsible for a "great deal", alright. Among those accomplishments:

• Patient neglect at Walter Reed Army Hospital
• US Attorney firings
• Outing a CIA agent
• Iraq war (occupation)
• Iran saber rattling
• The War on Terror (failure to capture Osama bin Laden, dubious allies)
• Military Commissions Act (torture, kangaroo courts, indefinite detention, and loss of habeas corpus)
• Hurricane Katrina and the drowning of New Orleans
• NSA warrantless wiretapping
• Black sites and rendition
• Cheney Energy Task Force (and hiding info about it)
• Tax cuts for the richest of the rich, Subprime mortgage bubble
• Global warming (denial and stalling)
• Budget deficits and a greatly increased national debt
• Stacking of the Supreme Court (Roberts and Alito)
• Healthcare general mess
• Preventive war doctrine
• Loss of US prestige
• Karl Rove
• No Child Left Behind (an uneducated President’s predictable approach to education)
• White House email on RNC servers (in contravention of White House Records Act)
• Inaction on Israeli-Palestinian peace process
• Signing statements
• Unilateral Executive
• Abuse of the National Guard, Breaking the Army
• Patriot Act and its Extension
• War on Science, Vetoing stem cell research
• False military reporting (Pat Tillman, Jessica Lynch)

Many, many more here. That's some big ol' legacy.

“Among other things, we have advanced the cause of human freedom; we have strengthened our military and our Nation's security; we have empowered parents to demand educational excellence for their children; and we have revolutionized the fight against poverty, corruption, and the scourge of disease around the world.”

Bush also stressed that he was not yet done working.

Good for him! Keep up that momentum! Nose to that environmentally-destroyed grindstone! Continue your great work! It's not as if you haven't already indelibly and malodorously stained everyone and everything with your stench-laden, toxic Bush-infested waste matter.

Be proud.

Perfect: Kenneth Starr to defend gay marriage ban before state Supreme Court

By GottaLaff

One name I never wanted to hear again is Ken Starr. I'm guessing he never got professional help for his voyeuristic obsessions. Now he's expanded his repertoire to include same-sex marriage.

Hey Ken, here's a thought: Stay out of other people's private lives; while you're at it, go to your vast library of law books and look up the term "equal rights":

Kenneth W. Starr, the former U.S. Solicitor General who led the inquiry into President Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica L. Lewinsky, will argue the case in favor of upholding a ban on gay marriage before the California Supreme Court. [...]

Opponents of the proposition argued that it amounted to a constitutional revision instead of a more limited amendment. [...]

The court could hear oral arguments as soon as March.

The Evil Starr-Man is back. There is no escape.

The ugly Bush stain: Fishing industry edition

By GottaLaff

Bush's latest New Rule smells worse than dead fish:

Sen. Ted Stevens may be leaving a final holiday gift behind for one of his most loyal constituencies: the Alaska commercial fishing industry. Using loopholes in the Magnuson-Stevens Act, the outgoing Bush administration is looking to allow fishery management councils, dominated by fishing interests, to determine whether new policies would harm the environment.

I'd have used the "something's fishy" line, but this isn't funny.

A bipartisan alliance of more than 75 lawmakers and dozens of interest groups are protesting the proposed rule change, saying it lessens protections that keep U.S. fisheries from harming the environment. [...]

The Joint Ocean Commission, Greenpeace and other environmental groups say that up until now, the environmental law has helped protect endangered sea turtles and rebuild shrinking fish populations.

But Bush’s proposed changes would significantly weaken those protections, they say, by allowing the interest-group-heavy councils to be in charge of the environmental compliance.

Currently, the commerce secretary has the final say on proposed fishery management activities. But the National Marine Fisheries Service is responsible for ensuring the environmental reviews are done properly and the councils provide recommendations.

This proposed rule would instead allow the councils to ensure the review is done fairly.

“It doesn’t take much to decide how the fishing industry is going to review their own fishing activities and decide whether they’re environmentally friendly,” said Lee Crockett, fisheries policy director for the Pew Environment Group. “They’ll do a full NEPA analysis and then promote alternatives that they want to do.”

Environmentalists argue that this could weaken the environmental regulatory process in the Interior Department and other agencies.

For instance, greens say it would allow special interests to decide whether fishing-related activity would threaten wildlife protected under the Endangered Species Act.

The only thing Bush wants to keep alive is profit.

Memo lists Bush talking points sanitizing the past eight years

By GottaLaff

I opened up what's left of my L.A. Times (thank you Sam Zell), and surprise! I got to read all about Bush's effort to convince us all what a success the past eight years have been:

A two-page memo that has been sent to Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials offers a guide for discussing Bush's eight-year tenure during their public speeches. [...]

The document presents the Bush record as an unalloyed success.

It mentions none of the episodes that detractors say have marred his presidency: the collapse of the housing market and major financial services companies, the flawed intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war, the federal response to Hurricane Katrina or the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib.

Get your pencil and paper out, kiddies! It's note-taking time!

• In a section on the economy, speakers are invited to say that Bush cut taxes after 2001, setting the stage for years of job growth. [...] Bush "responded with bold measures to prevent an economic meltdown."
• "Above all, George W. Bush promised to uphold the honor and the dignity of his office. And through all the challenges and trials of his time in office, that is a charge that our president has kept."
• "He promised to raise standards and accountability in public schools -- and delivered the No Child Left Behind Act," the talking points read.
• Bush "kept the American people safe" after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks
• He curbed AIDS in Africa

I hadn't realized what an accomplished, benevolent, humble man Bush is. All that somehow went right by me.

I know it'll be tough, but I fervently hope President-elect Obama can live up to his predecessor's standards.

Bush's New Rule: Abortion, artificial insemination, birth control subject to 'right of conscience'

By GottaLaff

We have fewer than 50 days left until Obama is sworn in, and the talking heads on the Tee Vee Machine have been wondering out loud what further damage Bush the Cretin could do. Here's a stupefyingly appalling, jaw-dropping example of another toxic power play:

The outgoing Bush administration is planning to announce a broad new "right of conscience" rule permitting medical facilities, doctors, nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare workers to refuse to participate in any procedure they find morally objectionable, including abortion and possibly even artificial insemination and birth control.

For more than 30 years, federal law has dictated that doctors and nurses may refuse to perform abortions. The new rule would go further by making clear that healthcare workers also may refuse to provide information or advice to patients who might want an abortion.

It also seeks to cover more employees. For example, in addition to a surgeon and a nurse in an operating room, the rule would extend to "an employee whose task it is to clean the instruments," the draft rule said.

The "conscience" rule could set the stage for an abortion controversy in the early months of Barack Obama's administration.

There now. Isn't that a super duper special reminder of what the Chimpenfuhrer has up his sleeve?

While the rule could eventually be overturned by the new administration, the process might open a wound that could take months of wrangling to close again.

Health and Human Services Department officials said the rule would apply to "any entity" that receives federal funds. It estimated 584,000 entities could be covered, including 4,800 hospitals, 234,000 doctor's offices and 58,000 pharmacies.

Proponents, including the Christian Medical Assn. and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, say the rule is not limited to abortion. It will protect doctors who do not wish to prescribe birth control or to provide artificial insemination, said Dr. David Stevens, president of CMA.

"The real battle line is the morning-after pill," he said. "This prevents the embryo from implanting. This involves moral complicity. Doctors should not be required to dispense a medication they have a moral objection to."

Critics of the rule say it will sacrifice patients' health to the religious beliefs of providers.

Gee, ya think?

Judith Waxman, a lawyer for the National Women's Law Center, said Leavitt's office has extended the law far beyond what was understood. "This goes way beyond abortion," she said. It could reach disputes over contraception, sperm donations and end-of-life care.

"This kind of rule could wreak havoc in a hospital if any employee can declare they are not willing to do certain parts of their job," she said.

During his interview with Charles Gibson, Bush said:

"The president ends up carrying a lot of people's grief in his soul."

Au contraire. The grief is all ours.

Campbell Brown's double standard

By GottaLaff

On CNN right now, Campbell Brown is ripping into Barack Obama for bantering with a reporter today when he was asked about his previous remarks about Hillary Clinton during the primary election. Here's the exchange:

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President-elect.

You’ve talked about the importance just now of having different voices and robust debate within your administration. But, again, going back to the campaign, you were asked and talked about the qualifications of the — your now, your nominee for secretary of state. And you belittled her travels around the word, equating it to having teas with foreign leaders. And your new White House council said that her resume was grossly exaggerated when it came to foreign policy. I’m wondering whether you can talk about the evolution of your views of her credentials since the spring.

OBAMA: Well, I mean, I think — this is fun for the press to try to stir up whatever quotes were generated during the course of the campaign. No, I understand. And you’re having fun.

But the — and there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m not — I’m not faulting it. But, look, I think if you look at the statements that Hillary Clinton and I have made outside of the heat of a campaign, we share a view that America has to be safe and secure. And in order to do that…

OBAMA: … the statements that Hillary Clinton and I have made outside of the heat of a campaign, we share a view that America has to be safe and secure. And in order to do that we have to combine military power with strength and diplomacy. And we have to build and forge stronger alliances around the world so that we’re not carrying the burdens and these challenges by ourselves.

I believe that there is no more effective advocate than Hillary Clinton for that well-rounded view of how we advance American interests. She has served on the Armed Services Committee in the Senate. She’s knows world leaders around the world. I have it extensive discussions with her both pre-election and post-election about the strategic opportunities that exist out there to strengthen American’s posture in the world.

And I think she is going to be an outstanding secretary of state. And if I didn’t believe that, I wouldn’t have offered her the job. And if she didn’t believe that I was equipped to lead this nation in such a difficult time, she would not have accepted.

Campbell "no bull, no bias" (oh, puh-leeze) Brown accused Obama of being flip, avoiding "a legitimate question", and playing games with the press. Whether she's right or wrong about his obligation to answer that particular question, I don't seem to remember her ever ranting about that in regard to the Bush administration, who virtually spit in the faces of anyone daring to ask so much as one "legitimate" question, let alone a follow-up. Nor would (or could) Bush make even a minimal attempt to give an honest, or coherent, response.

If evasive, nasty little retorts were middle fingers, Bush managed to blatantly flip off the press on a regular basis... if and when he held any press conferences.

Maybe Mrs. Dan Senor should have had the same set of standards, and intestinal fortitude, to face off with the current president before lashing out at the future one.

Bush: “I think I was unprepared for war.”

By GottaLaff

ABC News' Charlie Gibson interviews President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.

(Eric Draper/ABC News)

True to form, Bush somehow manages to sink even deeper into the rancid swamp he inhabits, farting out comments that further foul what's left of his already malodorous presidency. Via The Daily Beast:

President Bush tells ABC News “I think I was unprepared for war.” He also calls the incorrect intelligence that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction the “biggest regret of all the presidency.” When asked, however, if he would have still gone to war if he knew Hussein did not have WMDs, Bush said “That is a do-over that I can't do.” He also said that he regretted partisanship in Washington. “"I also knew that the president has the responsibility to try to elevate the tone. And, frankly, it just didn't work, much as I'd like to have it work." And he seems to have a grasp on the reality of the last election: “I think it was a repudiation of Republicans. And I'm sure some people voted for Barack Obama because of me.”

In what respect, George?

Transcript here.

Lieberman contributed to GOP Senate and House candidates

By GottaLaff

Via Think Progress:

[T]he Washington Post reports today that Lieberman was also supporting at least four Republican lawmakers. His Reuniting our Country PAC gave $5,000 to Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) and another $5,000 to Rep. Peter King (R-NY) in October. He wrote an op-ed in the St. Pioneer Press defending Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), and publicly endorsed and contributed to the re-election of Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). More recently, Lieberman has said that he fears “America will not survive” if Democrats receive a filibuster-proof majority.

All that and supporting John McCain, too. What a guy.

So how do we repay him? By rewarding him with the retention of his key committee chairmanship. That's tellin' him.

Crawling out of the woodwork

By GottaLaff

It's time for another TPC department! From the Department of They're Already Crawling Out of the Woodwork. Josh Marshall:

Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) says Obama is planning to create a American Gestapo.

"It may sound a bit crazy and off base, but the thing is, he's the one who proposed this national security force. I'm just trying to bring attention to the fact that we may -- may not, I hope not -- but we may have a problem with that type of philosophy of radical socialism or Marxism. That's exactly what Hitler did in Nazi Germany and it's exactly what the Soviet Union did. When he's proposing to have a national security force that's answering to him, that is as strong as the U.S. military, he's showing me signs of being Marxist."

"A bit crazy and off base"? More like rubber room material, Paul "screw loose" Broun. Forget "crawling out of the woodwork". More like, crawling out from under a rock.

Way to welcome the new prez.

VIDEO: Joe the Skinhead

By GottaLaff

Via TPM:


This nothing plucked from nowhere who represents the worst of the worst is now one of the principle spokesmen for a critical presidential campaign.

So here "Joe" is on TV just about an hour ago saying that people shouldn't vote for Obama because he doubts Obama's "loyalty to America".

I guess saying Obama reminded him of Sammy Davis, Jr. wasn't bad enough. But isn't it time someone ask McCain whether he's really willing to associate with this extremist?

Two more days. Say it with me.

Coffin with Obama's photo displayed at early voting station

By GottaLaff

Crossing the line has become a habit with anti-Obama types. This is disgusting:

A former North Carolina County Commissioner displayed a coffin carrying the photograph of Sen. Barack Obama outside an early voting station Saturday, setting of a firestorm from the NAACP.

The National Association of Colored Persons wrote a letter today asking both political parties and its members to condemn the coffin. The NAACP's Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II says the symbol suggests a death threat as a way to demean a candidate, and possibly intimidate voters, or frighten them away from the polls.

The coffin was displayed by a former Craven County Commissioner, Bill Harper for several hours at the firestation used for early voting in Craven County.

Craven, indeed.

Election officials and polling staff were aware of the display and told Harper that he needed to stay behind the line where political supporters and political signs must stay.

[...]Harper was not fined or arrested as the coffin display did not violate any laws.

Harper said he displayed the coffin because it "symbolizes his belief that democrats will tax Americans to death if they are elected" and that he first displayed it in 1992 when Bill Clinton ran against George H. W. Bush.

What is happening to this country? Two more days.

Chris Matthews: Gramm-pa McCain "deserves the Nobel Peace Prize"

By GottaLaff

On Hardball just now, Chris Matthews said that Gramm-pa McCain "deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for not bringing up Jeremiah Wright." He lauded Grammps ad nauseam for the way he's handled himself. Yes, I'm serious. And yes, there is now a fork in my right eye.

Earlier he chided an Obama spokesman for saying it's been a tough campaign, using Liddy Dole's "Godless" attacks against Kay Hagan to illustrate what a nasty campaign really is. He said the Obama v. McCain battle was (paraphrasing) like throwing puffballs (or something equally benign and ridiculous).

No, I'm not kidding. I need a fork for the other eye.

Halloween witch-o'-the-year: Candy for McCainers only

By GottaLaff

What is really upsetting to me is that I'm not surprised to hear something like this about a Gramm-pa McCain supporter. The mean-spirited nature of his campaign has crossed every line. This is only the latest example of vile, hurtful behavior.

Way to take it out on the kids, Shirley Nagel:

A suburban Detroit woman has decided to scare up the vote among neighborhood children by just offering treats to John McCain supporters.

Shirley Nagel of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., handed out candy Friday only to those who shared her support for the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate Sarah Palin. Others were turned away empty-handed.

TV station WJBK says a sign outside Nagel's house warned: "No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters."

Nagel calls Democrat Barack Obama "scary." When asked about children who were turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: "Oh well. Everybody has a choice."

Call me confused, but I thought McCain/Palin supporters were anti-choice. But that's not important now. What is important is that we organize a posse and t.p. this witch's house... among other things.

Here's an idea: Let's show her what real treaters can do. Let's win this election.

John Boehner: Obama present votes "chicken s***"

By GottaLaff

The Boehner (pronounced phonetically) is such a classy guy, isn't he? Maybe he should try pallin' around with a brain:

House minority leader John Boehner's spokesman confirms the accuracy of this quote, from an Ohio student newspaper:

"Now, listen, I've voted 'present' two or three times in my entire 25-year political career, where there might have been a conflict of interest and I didn't feel like I should vote," Boehner said. "In Congress, we have a red button, a green button and a yellow button, alright. Green means 'yes,' red means 'no,' and yellow means you're a chicken s***.

"And the last thing we need in the White House, in the oval office, behind that big desk, is some chicken who wants to push this yellow button."

UPDATE: Boehner spokesman Don Seymour, er, clarifies: "Boehner’s point was that Barack Obama consistently avoided making tough decisions and taking tough votes, and voters need to know that. You can’t take a pass on a tough issue when you’re President of the United States."

Oh-h, that's what he meant. Thanks for the clarification, Don.

For a minute there, I thought he was a dips***. And by saying dips***, my point is that Boehner consistently avoided making acceptable comments and taking rational positions, and voters need to know that. You can't take a pass on a tough issue by making offensive comments about a future president when you're a House minority leader.

H/t: Ellen

Gramm-pa McCain Camp Launches Lame October ‘Surprise’: Rezko

By GottaLaff

According to CNN, Gramm-pa's campaign is convinced their tax talk is working. But, of course, that's not dirty enough for them:

In what appears to be an attempt to gin up an “October Surprise,” the McCain campaign teamed up with the American Conservative Union today to make a campaign issue of Sen. Barack Obama’s ties to convicted Chicago real estate developer Tony Rezko.

The ACU quietly filed a formal complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee — the group’s Website features no mention of the action — against the Democratic presidential nominee. From The Boston Globe:

Rezko was convicted in June on federal corruption charges not involving Obama. [...]

[I]ndependent fact-checking groups have concluded that there’s no proof that Obama was involved in any wrongdoing.

Still, the American Conservative Union filed a formal complaint with the Senate Ethics Committee today alleging that Obama’s home purchase violated the Senate’s gift ban. In the letter to the Ethics Committee, ACU Chairman David Keene said that “sufficient information exists to demonstrate that Sen. Obama solicited, received, and accepted a gift greater than $50 from Mr. and Mrs. Rezko, and Sen. Obama failed to disclose this gift.”

Right on cue, the McCain campaign held a conference call with reporters that featured former Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.), who was a colleague of Obama’s for two years in the Illinois Senate, and Ed O’Callahan, a former federal prosecutor in New York.

During the call, the participants wanted to know why Obama has never answered questions from the media about the matter, while acknowledging Obama did answer questions about the matter from The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times in March.

O’Callahan, clearly reading a script, veered off-topic into McCain campaign talking points:

“Obama needs to come clean on this deal before the election, so that voters can judge whether Obama received monetary benefits from these Rezko favors.

Since the Democrats took control of Congress only two years ago, they have driven our economy into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. What’s their solution to the problem? To spread more of our wealth around by giving it to those who don’t pay a single penny of federal income tax. With friends and priorities like these, Barack Obama and his Democrat allies lack the judgment to lead our country.”

Fitzgerald and O’Callahan had taken just one question from the reporters before the call was abruptly ended.

I’ve sat in on dozens of these conference calls, and I’m pretty sure this is a record for fewest questions allowed from reporters.

The obvious question is: If this is such an important controversy, why did the ACU wait until five days before the presidential election to file its complaint?

With no new information being offered, the complaint appears to be a stunt aimed at influencing the election. However, if this is what the McCain campaign has been holding up its sleeve, to be sprung at the last moment, it doesn’t look like Obama has much to fear from this year’s October surprise.

The wrong people are being reported to the ethics committee.

I'm running out of derisive adjectives. See "labels" for what's going through my mind right now.

The good news is, it's a lame attempt that will fail. Four and a half days. It can't come soon enough for me.

VIDEO: Kay Hagan fights back against Liddy Dole with "Belief"

By GottaLaff

Touche:


Background.

UPDATE:

Democratic challenger Kay Hagan has filed a defamation lawsuit against Sen. Elizabeth Dole (R-N.C.) for questioning Hagan's faith in what is shaping up as the nastiest campaign of this cycle.

Gramm-pa McCain loses Joe the M.I.A.: The Video

By GottaLaff

I posted the story here. Now we've got the video, courtesy of Think Progress:

Joe Sudbay writes: "Maybe Joe was meeting with his PR team trying to get his country music deal. No matter, even Joe the Plumber has gotten what he can out of John McCain."

Joe the M.I.A.

By GottaLaff

The Further Adventures of the Worst F***ing Campaign Ever:

McCain aides told CNN's Dana Bash Wurzelbacher would appear with the Republican presidential candidate at his first campaign event in Defiance, Ohio. But in what was a slightly awkward moment for McCain, Wurzelbacher was nowhere to be seen when the Arizona senator called out for him.

A campaign aide later said Wurzelbacher had "decided not to come" and may join McCain later in the day.

But reached at his home by CNN's Mary Snow, Wurzelbacher said it was "news to him" that he was supposed to be at the McCain rally. Wurzelbacher said nobody from the McCain campaign confirmed he was attending the event and called the incident a "miscommunication." [...]

UPDATE: Contacted by CNN a second time, Wurzelbacher said the campaign only called him to confirm after the event in question already took place. He will now try to meet up with McCain later in the day.

Wurzelbacher also said he had gotten an initial call about coming to the morning rally, "but no one called back to confirm," and was "not happy" that McCain had called out his name and he wasn't there.

Yeah, I'd trust this team with the Big Red Button.

Lieberman Likely to Lose Chairmanship

By GottaLaff

Tsk, tsk, tsk. What a pity. Couldn't happen to a schmuckier traitor:

"There's a good chance Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman will lose his only committee chairmanship next year," according to CQ Politics.

"Members of the majority party's leadership have discussed taking away Lieberman's gavel on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, perhaps replacing it with a subcommittee gavel."

Good riddance. The Republicans can have him.