By Michael J.W. StickingsSee, this is why Chief Justice Roberts’s recent little hissy fit over being challenged by President Obama was so ridiculous. (Well, it’s one of the reasons why. Basically, Roberts should grow a spine.)According to Roberts, Obam…

When we’ve heard about the wife of Justice Clarence Thomas before, it was usually as his fellow RV road warrior. But Ginni Thomas is now much more high-profile. The Los Angeles Times reported this weekend that she has launched Liberty Central Inc., a conservative non-profit inspired by the Tea Party movement.

From the organization’s website:

LibertyCentral.org will serve the big tent of the conservative movement and assist all viable individuals and organizations with education and engagement. The site’s primary focus will be on emerging and new citizen activists – helping them discover a viable path to effective and efficient activism, along with an understanding of why their participation matters in accordance with founding principles and limited Constitutional governance.

Experts tell the L.A. Times that Thomas’ work doesn’t violate ethical rules for judges, but that it could give rise to conflicts of interest for her husband.

People are already pointing out that the 5-4 decision in Citizens United cleared the way for Liberty Central to fill its coffers with corporate cash.

So what exactly does Virginia Thomas plan to do with Liberty Central? From the L.A. Times:

The group plans to issue score cards for Congress members and be involved in the November election, although Thomas would not specify how. She said it would accept donations from various sources — including corporations — as allowed under campaign finance rules recently loosened by the Supreme Court.

“I adore all the new citizen patriots who are rising up across this country,” Thomas, who goes by Ginni, said on the panel at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “I have felt called to the front lines with you, with my fellow citizens, to preserve what made America great.”

As Adam Liptak wrote this weekend, the Tea Party movement is all about ordinary citizens engaging the Constitution.

Liberty Central has some strong endorsements, including one from former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld:

Ginni Thomas has been a good friend for years. I followed her work at the Heritage Foundation and more recently at Hillsdale College. Like so many others, I am impressed by the energy and enthusiasm Ginni Thomas brings to the cause of freedom and individual rights. Ginni can help channel the frustration felt by millions across America at the current course of our country. Leaders committed to smaller government, fiscal prudence, and a strong national defense will be returning to Washington D.C., and I am confident that Ginni Thomas will be part of the reason it will happen.

Her bio on the site does not include mention of her Supreme husband, though it does recount her love of RVs and her dabbling with Glenn Beck:

That would be the Mark Levin who wrote Men In Black: How The Supreme Court is Destroying America.

UPDATE: Interesting perspective from Eugene Volokh. Gavel bang: commenter 12.

Justice’s wife launches ‘tea party’ group [Los Angeles Times]
Tea-ing Up the Constitution [New York Times]
Why Virginia Thomas is creating a conflict of interest for Justice Clarence Thomas [True/Slant]

Supreme Court – Liberty Central – Politics – United States – Ginni Thomas

The behavior of Bart Stupak over the last several months, but particularly the last few weeks, in the hcr debate has been deplorable. He refuses to acknowledge the reality that his crusade is built on a lie–the lie that there is federal funding for abortion coverage in the Senate bill. Now that he’s not the center of leadership attention anymore, he’s escalating his lies and his crusade.

First he attacked Henry Waxman saying Waxman’s argument against his effort was to tell Stupak “But we want to pay for abortions.” Then, in an interview with NRO, levelled this bizarre accusation against his colleagues:

Stupak notes that his negotiations with House Democratic leaders in recent days have been revealing. “I really believe that the Democratic leadership is simply unwilling to change its stance,” he says. “Their position says that women, especially those without means available, should have their abortions covered.” The arguments they have made to him in recent deliberations, he adds, “are a pretty sad commentary on the state of the Democratic party.”

What are Democratic leaders saying? “If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more. That’s one of the arguments I’ve been hearing,” Stupak says. “Money is their hang-up. Is this how we now value life in America? If money is the issue — come on, we can find room in the budget. This is life we’re talking about.”

Many Democrats in the House do believe that a person should not be denied a legal, medical procedure because of her gender and her economic circumstances. There is broad opposition in the party to the Hyde amendment that has enshrined that cruel discrimination. Stupak’s saying that this is actually the Dems being anti-baby because they cost too much is a lie worthy of Glenn Beck. But he sure as hell knows how to play to his audience.

But here’s what Stupak’s real problem is: “They’re ignoring me.” Since his bluff was called, he’s not the center of attention from leadership and the White House any more. The limelight is fading, and the only attention he’s likely to get now is over the issue whether the years he received subsized rent at the living in The Family’s C Street house violated House rules.

And the politics of the issue are pretty rough. “This has really reached an unhealthy stage,” Stupak says. “People are threatening ethics complaints on me. On the left, they’re really stepping it up. Every day, from Rachel Maddow to the Daily Kos, it keeps coming. Does it bother me? Sure. Does it change my position? No.”

Poor, poor Bart Stupak. My heart bleeds.

Call it the calm before the storm. Democrats in Washington are going through one of those “It’s quiet out there… too quiet…” cliché moments, as…

As you may have heard, Glenn Beck has gotten himself into some serious hot water by suggesting that people (or more specificially, Christians) leave their…

By Capt. FoggEverybody’s a Communist. Everything you say or do or want or don’t want is Communism. The sun comes up in the Communist East and sets in the Communist West. Hamburgers are Communist, hot dogs, apple pie and motherhood. Reality itself is…

Glenn Beck tells his radio audience about an amazing conversation he had with a Fox News executive. The key quote:

I was in this meeting and I pulled one of the guys out, he’s a vice president of Fox. And I said, “When I first started working with you — let’s have a frank conversation here — you thought I was nuts.”

And he smiled and he said, “No, I would say I just thought you were on the cutting edge.”

And I said, “okay, alright, sure.” I said.

“Now?” he said, “Glenn, everything you’re talking about is coming. Everything you’re talking about — everything you’ve been talking about for the last year and a half. It’s all here now. And what you’re saying is coming, I don’t see any other way.”

Beck went on to say that the executive told him “we have to convince the audience that this is really truly true.”

So what is the “this” that the Fox executive wants Beck to convince people is true? None other than Beck’s crazy theories like his week-long special from last August claiming that “America is burning to the ground.”

If you didn’t see it, it was a perfect encapsulation of Beck’s lunacy…lunacy that apparently Fox execs want him to convince his audience is “really truly true.”

Beck’s big problem is that his fantasies aren’t grounded in reality. At some point, his bubble will burst — things that aren’t sustainable just aren’t sustainable. Don’t ask me…ask Morton Downey, Jr. All bad things come to an end.

Never mind that within Republican ranks sit the following incumbents:

1. David “Diapers” Vitter

1. John “I screwed my top aide’s wife (and she was also a staffer!)” Ensign

1. Mark “Hiking the Appalachian Argentine Trail” Sanford

Never mind that just 48 hours ago Republican House Leader John Boehner’s leadership office was embracing Eric Massa’s conspiracy theory and telling people to watch Glenn Beck to find out all about it.

Forget all that, because Republicans are now positioning themselves as the voices of truth and righteous indignation on all matters sexual — as long as they have to do with former members of Congress…from the Democratic Party:

GOP wants Massa ethics probe reopened

WASHINGTON — House Minority Leader John Boehner wants the House ethics panel probe of former Rep. Eric Massa to be reopened.

The Ohio Republican said Thursday there are many unanswered questions surrounding the sexual harassment allegations that were made against the New York Democrat. Boehner (BAY’nur) said he plans to file a House resolution on the matter later Thursday.

Next thing you know, Boehner will claim that Massa’s resignation was part of a conspiracy to cover up the truth, and he’ll hold up Republicans as the paragon of transparency because their sex-scandal plagued incumbents decided to stay in office.

Well, if Republicans want to have a “sex-scandal” debate between the parties, by all means, bring it on…with the widest stance possible. They can scream about Eric Massa’s resignation…as long as they explain their incumbents, Vitter, Ensign, and Sanford.

So Glenn Beck is trying to paper over his dimwitted, overly-credulous embrace of Eric Massa’s conspiracy claims by…blaming Massa.

On his radio show today, Glenn Beck lit into former Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) for his disastrous, rambling appearance on the Tuesday episode of Beck’s Fox News Show.

“America, have you ever heard of a 50-year old man having a tickle-fight — five men tickling each other so hard that they can’t breathe?” said Beck. “I think we found out who he is — someone who can’t be trusted to tell the truth about his life.”

The thing is, Glenn Beck never should have believed Massa in the first place. From the very start, Massa’s story didn’t add up — but it fit neatly into Beck’s narrative about the Obama Administration and Democrats in DC, so Beck fell for it.

But even now, even after Eric Massa’s admission that he engaged in tickle fights with staff members, Glenn Beck is refusing to fully concede that Massa’s wild allegations were bunk. Amazingly, Beck is still leaving the door open to the possibility that Eric Massa is a victim of a grand conspiracy:

Beck indulged the “possibility” that somebody “got to” Massa and turned him — at the very least, said Beck, the former congressman “lied” in a pre-interview.

Sigh. I know this will be hard for Glenn Beck to believe, but sometimes a sleazy congressman is just a sleazy congressman. Outside of Glenn Beck’s imagination, there is no conspiracy. There’s just a gullible radio host with a television show on Fox.

Beck may be on top of the world right now, but if keeps on being this sloppy he’s going to experience the same career arc as did Morton Downey, Jr.: a fast rise…followed by an even faster fall.

3 pm ET, 90 minutes!

By Michael J.W. StickingsYesterday, I called Eric Massa the Worst Democrat of the Day for a variety of reasons.Well, Massa went to Glennbeckistan last night and admitted to having “groped” and “tickled” a male staffer at his 50th birthday party:He also…

With over 100 advertisers (and counting) abandoning Glenn Beck’s show, it’s obvious that what’s left is the dregs of the world, like these guys. But the gold dealers dominating the ranks of his advertisers have new competition:

Yup. All those Beck viewers are suckers, because their gold stockpile will be worth less than seeds! But that’s not all! You know how Obama wants to steal your guns and shit? That’s not all he’s trying to confiscate!

Phew! That’s a relief. Because as we all know, the Second Amendment protects an American’s right to bear arms … and seeds! Then again, no seeds are truly indestructible. They are, after all, living things. The Glenn Beck patriots can’t just wait for the apocalypse, and then plant them in the ground.

Of course, they don’t need to wait long. Obama is obviously a one-termer, so will need to trigger the end of the world before Sarah Palin can take him out in 2012. So we’re pretty much talking two years before the End of Times. Better to start planting now, before the first nukes strike.

They they better hope the apocalypse happens during rainy season, because it’ll be tough to irrigate a whole acre without electricity. (And that’s assuming they don’t need municipal water.)

On the plus side, they won’t have any trouble with fertilizer.

p.s. Given that they are a Glenn Beck advertiser, this should go without saying, but yes, they’re a scam.

While watching Eric Massa on Glenn Beck’s show today we couldn’t help but think “he’s a little bonkers.” Normally, if you’re watching Beck’s show, anything bonkers becomes comparatively normal–even safe–so we knew that something special was …