Michael Tomasky: Stop the Obama ‘Enemies List’ GOP Lies

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This whole thing is utterly insane. I loved these sentences, from a Heritage Foundation blog post: “There are subtle differences between Obama’s and Nixon’s enemy lists. President Nixon kept his secret, and allegedly used the force of the government to punish adversaries. President Obama’s list is open and designed to elicit public scorn, shame, and rebuke. There is no current evidence the president has manipulated the federal machinery punitively.” Yes, subtle differences all right—in other words, one was an enemies list, and the other isn’t. Aside from that, they’re exactly alike.

McConnell’s speech was astonishing. Now you might be wondering something here. Remember in Blazing Saddles when Cleavon Little asked Alex Karras, “What’s a high roller like Hedley Lamarr care about Rock Ridge?” What’s a high roller like Mitch McConnell doing slopping around in this kind of mud?

Here’s what. A long time ago, back in the days of McCain-Feingold campaign-finance reform, conservatives opposed it but offered their alternative: no money limits on anything, but immediate disclosure. This was made allegedly even more attractive as the Internet grew. We can have immediate disclosure, conservatives would say—essentially on the same day a contribution comes in. That way it’s all out in the open.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/19/michael-tomasky-stop-the-obama-enemies-list-gop-lies.html