Via Slog:

Tim Eyman’s 2/3 majority requirement for raising new state revenue is unconstitutional, according to King County Superior Court Judge Bruce E. Heller.

The law enacted through Initiative 1053 is ruled unconstitutional; it directly contradicts the Washington State Constitution, Article II, Section 22:

No bill shall become a law unless on its final passage the vote be taken by yeas and nays, the names of the members voting for and against the same be entered on the journal of each house, and a majority of the members elected to each house be recorded thereon as voting in its favor.

Of course, the ruling will be appealed and, ultimately, settled by the Supreme Court. With any luck, the Supreme Court won’t be able to weasel its way out of a substantive ruling this time….

The next question: If I-1053 is unconstitutional, what should be the fate of its latest incarnation, I-1185, should it get enough signatures to qualify for the ballot? Will AG Rob McKenna sue Eyman to keep an unconstitutional initiative off the ballot?

You know, like AG Christine Gregoire did with Goldy’s Horses’ Ass initiative.

Rob McKenna is being sued by some 90 women. The reason is his participation in the Attorneys General lawsuit against the 2009 Patient Protection and Affordable Care act (i.e. “Obamacare”). The group argues that:

[…] McKenna violated his ethical duties as an attorney by pushing for the entire health-care law to be overturned; that McKenna should be forced to file a corrective pleading with the US Supreme Court saying that he only opposes the individual mandate aspect of the health care law, which requires every US citizen to get insurance; and that the court should find McKenna guilty of issuing “false and misleading statements” about the health care law because he claimed that his lawsuit was aimed not at overturning the entire act, but only at eliminating the individual mandate.

McKenna has been lying to Washingtonians. He has repeatedly claimed that he supports some aspects of the law, all the while participating in the effort to overturn the entire law.

Today we learn that King County Superior Court judge Sharon Armstrong will not issue preliminary injunction directing McKenna to fix the inconsistencies between his public and legal positions by amending his Supreme Court briefings.

The meme in the mainstream media seems to chalk the ruling up as a perliminary victory for McKenna. But Publicola political uberwonks Erica C. Barnett and Josh Feit (now at Crosscut) catch the more nuanced meaning of the ruling—the courts won’t judge McKenna for his political lies:

Although King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong’s rejection of a request to enjoin McKenna from arguing against the federal health care law certainly looks like a win for McKenna, the ruling effectively finds that, contrary to his public statements, he has in his legal motions consistently opposed the entire Affordable Care Act, not just the requirement that every American buy health insurance. The judge specifically said that McKenna’s public statements were “political statements” that had to be judged in the political realm rather than the courtroom. As to McKenna’s going along with other states’ attorneys general in seeking to have the law overturned in its entirety, Armstrong said the court lacked authority to second-guess whether it was a wise legal strategy.

In other words, Judge Armstrong leaves it to the voters of Washington to judge McKenna for his political lies.

Please join us tonight for an evening of politics, conversation and birth certificate scrutiny over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally. We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm, but some folks show up earlier for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night as well. Also next Monday, the Olympia, Yakima, and South Bellevue chapters of Drinking Liberally meet.

With 232 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and three more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s a chapter near you.

Young Turks: Americans are fundamentally progressive says new poll.

Thom: The myth of the 1% job creator.

Sam Seder: Bigoted Pastor wants to round-up gays & wait for them to die.

Kimmel: Mitt’s first day in office.

Actual Audio: Mitt on Bain.

Young Turks: Barry Obama & The “Choom Gang”:

Thom with the Good, the Bad and the Very, Very Ugly.

Sam Seder: Iowa G.O.P. platform is insane.

Alyona’s Tool Time Award: Missouri experiments with execution.

A A rallying call for Democrats.

Susie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Memorializin’ the War on Women.

Young Turks: Which Presidents have higher spending growth, Democrats or Republicans?

Thom: Why Joe Biden needs to blurt out a defense of pot.

Sam Seder: Rush Limbaugh gets creepy with 14-year-old girl.

Ann Telnaes: Pelvic Politics.

Thom with some Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Young Turks: Pres. Obama is right about same sex marriage.

Letters to the President: Tanisha’s Story.

Pap: The worst Republican Party in history.

Sam Seder: FAUX & Friends nutty ideas about food stamps and the unemployed.

Stephanie Miller: Lessons Romney needs in education.

And the Drone Goes On:

• Ann Telnaes: Drone strikes and collateral damage.
• Mark Fiore: Dronetopia!

Thom with Nick Hanauer: Is Romney a preditor?

Alyona’s Tool Time Award: Stigmatizing Poor People is Good?!

Roy Zimmerman: Vote Republican, Wisconsin edition.

Maddow: The Reverse-Robin-Hood Republicans.

Mitt Romney: Not a job creator.

Sam Seder: Heartland institute gets blowback over Unabomber/Climate Change denial campaign.

Alyona: Romney’s education plan FAIL:

Fred Karger for President.

White House: West Wing Week.

Obama and the fight for LGBT rights.

Greenman: How to talk to an Ostrich.

Maddow: Anti-abortion activists terrorize doctors in Georgia.

Thom with even more of the Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Alyona’s Tool Time Award: Alabama doubles down on undocumented immigrants.

The Neo-Racists Birfers:

• Ed and Pap: Romney is embracing Birfers.
• Young Turks: NBC should fire birfer Donald.
• Bill Maher: Countering Birferism with Wiferism.

Buzz 60: Summer of presidential politics.

Obama speaks to Iowans:

Young Turks: Clinton poses with porn stars.

Ann Telnaes: Physical limits in Afghanistan.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for another evening of politics and conversation over a pint at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally.

We meet this (and every) Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm, but a few folks show up earlier for dinner.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? Tonight the Tri-Cities and Bellingham chapters also meet. The Burien chapter meets on Wednesday, and the Woodinville chapter meets on Thursday.

With 232 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and three more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s a chapter close by.

Thom: Can Romney win by lying?

Obama on protecting a woman’s right to choose.

Newsy: Catholic church is investigating girl scouts.

Thom with The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Mitt Romney: Hot problems:

Thom: The right’s obsession with female body parts (i.e. the Republican War on Women™).

Jen: Shadowy organizations work to suppress the vote.

Daily Show on Space.

Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) and Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) team up to do comedy.

Stephanie Cutter: Get the facts on Karl Rove’s BS.

Hey, good luck getting laid, Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman.

Liberal Viewer: FAUX News fucks up on “liberal intolerance”.

Romney economics and the Bankruptcy and bailouts at GST Steel.

ONN: Republicans stalling Obama’s agenda by speaking & moving in slow motion.

Daily Show: Energy.

The Bane of Romney’s existence.

The Partisans: ZOMBIE AYN RAND:

Jen with Reich: The odd case of Romney praising Clinton.

Obama: One item on the #CongressToDoList.

Mitt Romney: “I stand by what I said, whatever it was.”

Gay Politics:

• Young Turks: FAUX’s Dr. Ablow is “a moron” for gay adoption comments
• Young Turks: NC on gay marriage.
• Sam Seder: RI Governor issues executive order recognizing same sex marriages
• Mark Fiore: Dogboy and Mr. Dan on gay marriage.
• Ann Telnaes: Mitt devolving.
• Sam Seder: Lesbian couple denied a driver.

Obama’s accomplishments on Higher education.

Newsy: Minority births outnumber white births for first time in history.

The GOP primary candidate performances embodied as butt plugs:

Thom with more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Ann Telnaes: Firing up Romney.

Sam Seder: Someone gives Teh Birfers a bone.

ONN: Alabama hosts first desegregated mass suicide.

Alyona’s Tool Time Award: Bill-O’s “Income inequality is bull”..

Ed and Pap: Obama campaign finally gets tough on Romney.

The Wright Stuff:

• Young Turks: Herman Cain says Rev. Wright Smears are ‘Fair Game’ on FAUX News.
• Thom: Wright vs. Mormonism ?!?
• Young Turks: Sean Hannity says Romney ‘made a mistake’ by not using Rev. Wright.
• Buzz 60: Race returns as an issue.
• Young Turks: The Wingnut plan to bring back failed Rev. Wright strategy.
• Glenn Beck (remember him?) offers $150,000 for Rev. Wright ‘Obama’ box

Maddow Show: Ugly echoes of 2008 encroach on Romney message.

Young Turks: ‘Professor Cenk’ breaks down Bain Capital’s buyout of GST.

The Daily Show on mobile devices.

Sam Seder: Mitt will “stand by” what he said.

Thom: Why Common Cause is suing the U.S. Senate.

Jonathan Mann: Mitt Romney’s Mirthless Laugh:

Actual Audio: Mitt Romney on his high school prank.

Sam Seder: DOJ says it is your Constitutional right to video tape the police.

Pap: Republicans are the losers in the War on Terror.

Thom: Even more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

White House: West Wing Week.

Maddow Show: Improving economy undermining Romney’s message.

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

Please join us tonight for another evening of politics under the influence at the Seattle Chapter of Drinking liberally. Tonight we’ll go out of our way to ignore the Oregon primary, given that the presidential primaries are settled and there isn’t even a Senate or gubernatorial race happening. But there is plenty of local, regional and national politics to keep us engaged for the evening.

We meet every Tuesday at the Montlake Ale House, 2307 24th Avenue E. Starting time is 8:00pm, but a few folks show up earlier for dinner.

Notice: Transpartisan Alliance Monthly Salon for May is “Earth’s Natural Resources: Power Down, Power Up, Power Over or Power With?” It’s this Wednesday, May 16, 6:30-9:30 PM in the Conference Room, Intiman Theater, Seattle Center. Panelists are Derik Andreoli-Energy Transitions Northwest (ETNW), David Wright-BCRA Design/Co-Founder-Sustainable Ballard, Rick Forschler-SeaTac City Council, and Joe Tomlinson-Physicist/Independent Researcher.

Can’t make it to Seattle tonight? There are other DL meetings this week. The Tri-Cities chapter of Drinking liberally meets every Tuesday night. Drinking Liberally Tacoma meets this Thursday.

Next Monday there are meetings of the Olympia, Yakima, and Shelton chapters.

With 232 chapters of Living Liberally, including twelve in Washington state and six more in Oregon, chances are excellent there’s a chapter near you.

Roy Zimmerman with a Michigan edition of Vote Republican.

Thom: Why is FAUX News supporting the Christian Taliban?

The truth about the Recession.

Thomas Friedman is an enormous mustache.

Craig Pridemore is running for WA State Auditor.

Thom with some Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Marriage Equality:

• Stephen on Obama’s rainbow button.
• Suzie Sampson’s Tea Party Report: Gay marriage.
• Jon on Obama’s big announcement.
• Ann Telnaes: North Carolina votes on gay marriage ban.
• Stephen on Obama’s announcement that he’s gay.
• Roy Zimmerman with a North Dakota edition of Vote Republican:
• Darcy Burner on President Obama’s support for marriage equality.
• Top Lines: Obama is gay…friendly.
• Alyona: Obama endorses gay marriage.
• Thom: Gay marriage rant — it’s NOT a state’s rights issue!
• Newsy: Obama endorses gay marriage.
• Mitt Romney: Backward on marriage equality.
• Young Turks: Bristol Palin gives Obama advice about parenting?!?
• Jen: The sound of history in the making.
• Jon on the gay marriaging of America.
• What can I say about this one but, “fucking INSANE”!
• Sam Seder: The bigots’ Last Hurrah in North Carolina.

ONN: In bipartisan spirit, Obama makes deal to get kicked in the balls.

Alyona’s Tool Time Award: McChrystal’s ‘off the record’ lectures at Yale.

Pap: Republicans are a threat to National Security.

Young Turks: Sheriff Joe Arpaio lawsuit.

Scott Walker:

• Scott Walker in early 2011: “Divide and conquer” the Unions.
• Thom: Walker is using taxpayer dollars to bribe voters.
• Sam Seder: Scott Walker ‘Divide and Conquer’ union strategy caught on tape.

White House: West Wing Week.

Bill Maher on Citizens United.

Nurses for Obama.

Ann Telnaes: Regime change in Russia.

Mitt Moments:

• Young Turks: Romney was a bully in High School.
• Jen: Bullygate memory problem or simple lying?
• Newsy: Romney accused of gay bullying as teen.
• Young Turks: Mitt is lying about not remembering.
• Mitt Romney: More severely conservative than Rick Santorum?
• Sam Seder: Mitt takes credit for Detroit auto bailout he opposed.
• Jen: ‘Romney bubble’ is separate from harsh realities many Americans.
• Buzz60: Romney was a high school bully.
• Romney versus Reality: Auto Bailouts
• Ed: “Let Detroit go bankrupt.”:

Thom with more Good, Bad, and Very, Very Ugly.

Alyona: Trayvon Hoodie target sells out.

Pap: Fear rules Republican minds..

Sam Seder: A Trayvon Martin gun range target sells out in 2 days.

The Republican War on Mothers™ (and other Women):

• The 7 dumbest things GOP politicians have said about abortion recently.
• Obama: We don’t need another fight about women’s reproductive health issues.
• Ann Telnaes: The best country for mothers.

Thom: High School student suing over global warming.

Mark Fiore: Assaulting Austerity.

ONN Week in Review.

Succeed: Obama for America.

Thom with The Good, the Bad, and the Very, Very Ugly.

Kathleen Drew is running for WA SOS.

Young Turks: Is Wall Street upset with Obama?

Last week’s Friday Night Multimedia Extravaganza can be found here.

It was sad to read Josh Feit’s announcement of the death of Publicola yesterday. Publicola has become a daily stop for me, and an important source for certain types of news. They filled a unique niche in the Pacific Northwest mediasphere.

It seems like the success of Publicola as media emerged from pure hard work–Erica and Josh appeared to be working their asses off. They hunted down political stories with enviable energy and tenacity, and presented it in their own style.

It took some time, but the mainstream media eventually warmed up to Publicola (indeed, folks at KUOW sounded like they had lost their best friend this morning). You can only break so many stories before your competitors have to sit up, pay attention, and consider you a peer.

The good news is that it looks like Crosscut will pick up Josh and Erica in some form or another–Publicola will live awhile longer under new management. (It’s almost like Crosscut wants to become relevant or something.) I hope the Publicola part of Crosscut can be as inspired as the independent Publicola.

An interesting and not so well known side story is Goldy’s role in the gestation and birth of Publicola. There is more behind that story for Goldy to divulge….

Finally, it is only fitting to point out that today is the 8th blogoversary of HorsesAss.

Goldy started this blog on May 10th, 2004 with this first post, with its first “fuck”, first commenter, and even the first fucking troll.

Eight years later, this is post number 10,222. We’ve had something over 511,000 comments, too many “fucks” and way too many fucking trolls to count.

Thanks to you, dear reader, we still have reason to be here because, like Publicola, our “financial model” certainly isn’t providing it.

A day following passage of Amendment 1 in North Carolina, banning same-sex marriage in the state, Obama finally reaches the tipping point in his evolution toward support of same-sex marriage:

So what was the response “across the isle?”

RNC Chair Renee Blatherspoon (or whatever the fuck his name is): “…President Obama has played politics on this issue…”

Ahhh…Obama, who has been talking about his position “evolving” on this issue has, like an evil genius, picked THIS moment to capitalize on the issue for maximum political advantage!

And elsewhere:

Ralph Reed, a top organizer among religious conservatives, said Obama’s announcement was a “gift to the Romney campaign.” […] “The Obama campaign doesn’t have to worry about New York and California,” Reed said. “They have to worry about Ohio, Florida and Virginia and I don’t’ see evidence that it’s a winning issue in those states.”

and

“This decision may have made Barack Obama a one-term president,” Bob Vander Plaats the head of The Family Leader, a conservative faith group focused on politics in Iowa, said. This will stoke a part of the religious base even more against Obama, Vander Plaats said. “They were already fired up to get rid of Obama. This will only make them more on fire to get rid of Obama. And if I’m Romney today, I’m smiling,” he said.

In other words…this move was political suicide.

A politically shrewed move AND political suicide at the same time.

Clearly, Obama is Master of the Jedi mind trick….