Opening In NYC: Clinton, The Musical

Via press release:

If President William Jefferson Clinton behaved like two different people—one moment noble, the next naughty—that’s because he was! Clinton The Musical explores the two very different sides of the 42nd President of the United States: “WJ,” (Tom Galantich) the wholesome, intelligent one, and “Billy,” (Duke Lafoon) the randy, charming one. With Hillary (Rodham) Clinton (Kerry Butler) at their side, the two will handle issues from The White House to Whitewater, the sax to the sex, social security to social climbers, and in the process make history. Maybe. You cannot miss this “Hillary-ous” new musical and outrageous double Bill! The cast features Tony Award nominee Kerry Butler as Hillary (Rodham) Clinton, Tom Galantich (Tail! Spin!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) as WJ Clinton and Duke Lafoon (MONICA! The Musical, A Wonderful Life) as Billy Clinton, Emmy Award winner Judy Gold as Eleanor Roosevelt, John Treacy Egan (Nice Work If You Can Get It, Sister Act) as Newt Gingrich, Veronica J. Kuehn (Mamma Mia!, Avenue Q) as Monica Lewinsky. 

Previews begin March 25th at New World Stages.

GREECE: Atheist Prime Minister "Politely" Rebuffs Clergy For Swearing-In Ceremony

Via the Economist:

Greece's new prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, made history within hours of his victory by informing the Archbishop of Athens, very politely, that clerical services would not be required for his swearing-in ceremony. An avowed atheist who has nonetheless made a point of dealing courteously with senior clergy, Mr Tsipras lost no time in making known that his oath of office would be a secular procedure. It was also explained that when the whole cabinet was sworn in, a more junior cleric (but not the archbishop) would be invited to assist those who wished to take a religious oath.

It's hard to overstate what a rupture this marks with the ceremonial culture of Greece. For as long as anybody can remember, every senior office-holder, from socialists to right-wing dictators, has assumed the post with a ritual involving Bibles, crosses and often holy water, sprinkled about with a sprig of basil. The opening words of the Greek constitution recall the theological formulas of the early church which predate by the Hellenic state by more than 1,300 years: "In the name of the holy, consubstantial and indivisible Trinity......"

An Orthodox Christian leader praised Tsipras for declining to take a "false oath." (Tipped by JMG reader Rob)

FRANCE: Neo-Nazi National Front Party Sees Opportunities In Wake Of Attack

France's neo-Nazi National Front Party is already working to capitalize on nationalistic and racist sentiment in the wake of yesterday's terror attack by Islamic extremists. Via Slate:

For the first seven hours after the attack on the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, the National Front, France’s far right political party, kept an old feature about the influx of Roma and “gypsies” into French cities on its website. Then, shortly after noon, Marine Le Pen, the leader of the increasingly popular party with the slogan “The French Come First,” appeared in front of three French flags and hammered out her demands—and a selfless offer. It is time for “frank and clear responses” against “inaction and denial,” she declared. In other words: The country’s two main political parties have failed to stem the Islamist tide, and you the voters now have all the evidence you need that France requires new leadership. “I intend to assume this vital responsibility so France can defend itself in the war that has been declared upon her,” she continued. Marine Le Pen told a talk show host on Thursday morning she was “still waiting for her phone to ring” with an invitation from the prime minister to participate in Sunday’s national unity march. But Le Pen’s phone has remained silent. Government leaders are gambling that they don’t need her and can keep the National Front at a safe distance from its street-level display of strength and solidarity. For now, she will continue to taunt them from the other side of the barricades.

PREVIOUSLY ON JMG: Last month the Kremlin lent the National Front €9M in the first installment of a reported €40M payment presumably meant to help tilt France's government to the far right. The National Front is a backer of the anti-gay Manif Pour Tous and has supported its numerous, vicious and often violent rallies, as have hate group leaders Brian Brown and Tony Perkins.  Founder Jean-Marie Le Pen has been convicted six times for inciting racial hatred, including for denying that the Holocaust took place. Last year he "joked" that his critics, who include Madonna, will be in the next "batch" headed for the gas chambers.  He has also "joked" that ebola is the "solution" to Europe's immigration problems. In 2013 Le Pen's daughter, Marine Le Pen, herself a failed candidate for France's presidency, praised the man who committed suicide at Notre Dame Cathedral in protest of same-sex marriage. In February of last year Le Pen's granddaughter, 24 year-old Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, led a massive anti-gay march through the streets of Paris. In January of last year the youth leader for the National Front called for France to institute anti-gay laws similar to those in Russia.

John Oliver Breaks Down Influence On Legislatures By Right Wing Outfit ALEC

David Mixner Reveals Having Helped Eight Friends With AIDS Commit Suicide

Noted activist and former Clinton White House aide David Mixner made a startling revelation during the premiere of his show here in New York City. Via the Daily Beast:

It is the morning after. We are speaking about Mixner’s emotional on-stage confession—unelicited by anyone but himself—Monday night to the assisted suicides he oversaw of friends dying of AIDS in the 1980s. As Mixner bluntly revealed during Oh Hell No!, his one-man autobiographical stage show: “I killed eight.” One of those eight was his beloved partner Peter Scott, who—along with the seven others—was in the debilitating final stages of the disease and had asked Mixner to help him die. Mixner revealed that he had been part of an underground euthanasia network, aided by medical professionals, who were now “all gone” and could therefore not be punished professionally or prosecuted. Mixner, whose activism spans 40 intense years, himself consulted lawyers before confessing on stage and says he feels a legal prosecution is “unlikely. I am not worried, and what I did was right. In the end I wanted people to know about these decisions I had to take in my 30s that no one should have to take in their 30s.”

Mixner says he would insert a morphine drip into his friends' IV and then call their loved ones so they could be there at the end. Hit the link for much more about Mixner's work in the early years of the movement.

Hillary Clinton In 60 Seconds

From Britain's right-leaning Telegraph.

LPAC Announces 2014 Endorsements

Via the Washington Post:

The country’s only lesbian-backed political action committee, LPAC, will unveil a first wave of political endorsements Thursday -- including five openly gay candidates seeking congressional seats and state offices ranging from governor to attorney general. The endorsement list includes 15 Democrats so far. Among them: gubernatorial hopefuls Wendy Davis of Texas, Heather Mizeur of Maryland, Martha Coakley of Massachusetts and Pat Quinn, the Illinois incumbent who is facing a tough reelection fight this year. The announcement, including a $1 million fundraising goal for 2014, will be made by the incoming board chair of the organization, Laura Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, the first openly gay woman owner of a major league baseball franchise. She is the daughter of Joe Ricketts, founder of TD Ameritrade who launched Ending Spending, a group that backs fiscally conservative candidates from both parties.

TRAILER: Citizen Koch

Clip description:

In this searing exposé on the state of democracy in America and the fracturing of the Republican Party, Academy Award®-nominated directors Carl Deal and Tia Lessin (Trouble the Water; co-producers of Fahrenheit 9/11 & Bowling for Columbine) follow the money behind the rise of the Tea Party. CITIZEN KOCH investigates the impact of unlimited, anonymous spending by corporations and billionaires on the electoral process, featuring stories of life-long Republicans whose loyalty is tested when their families become collateral damage in the GOP fight to take organized labor out at the knees. Alternately terrifying and funny, CITIZEN KOCH is an essential and powerful portrait of our political times.

State Of The Union: Open Thread

President Obama's State Of The Union address begins at 9pm Eastern. Watch live here and give us your reactions.

UPDATE: The address has concluded. Jason Collins appeared onscreen seconds before the president delivered these lines: "We do these things because they help promote our long-term security. And we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion, creed or sexual orientation. And next week, the world will see one expression of that commitment – when Team USA marches the red, white, and blue into the Olympic Stadium – and brings home the gold." That was some good directing.

The only other mention of a gay-related issue came early in the address: "Across the country, we’re partnering with mayors, governors, and state legislatures on issues from homelessness to marriage equality." Despite the hopes of some activists, there was no mention of ENDA or of a related executive order regarding companies that do business with the federal government. The fact sheet sent by the White House during the speech contained this paragraph under the heading "Continuing To Work With Congress":

Workplace Equality for LGBT Workers. Today, federal law prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and disability. It’s time to add sexual orientation and gender identity to that list, so that no American worker can lose his or her job simply because of who they are or who they love. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act would provide strong federal protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender workers. Last year, a bipartisan majority of the Senate passed ENDA, and the President renews his call for the House to do the same.

UPDATE: The Human Rights Campaign didn't like absence of an ENDA mention.

“The President’s message tonight failed to address the needs of LGBT workers looking for a fair shake in this economy. Not only was there no call for the House to pass a federal law to protect LGBT workers nationwide, President Obama also sidestepped his commitment to take action where Congress has left off, leaving out an order prohibiting discrimination by federal contractors. Unfortunately, President Obama missed a real opportunity to use the State of the Union to improve the lives of LGBT people by taking immediate executive action to address anti-LGBT discrimination for the millions of Americans employed by federal contractors. No federal contractor like ExxonMobil should be able to take billions in taxpayer dollars without safeguards in place to prevent discrimination. The President promised this action in 2007 and we will continue to work with him and Congress to ensure that all Americans can contribute to the economy without fear of anti-LGBT discrimination.”

UPDATE II: And here is the reaction from the Task Force.

"The President is right to urge congress to fix our broken immigration system this year, the creation of more jobs, equal pay for women, and the restoration of the Voting Rights Act. We are also pleased that the President is using his pen like he said he would to move things forward: in this instance by signing an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contract workers. However, he must go further and sign an executive order that bans discrimination against the same contract workers who are LGBT. The irony is that some LGBT federal contract workers will get a pay raise but they could still be fired for who they are and who they love. The longer the President waits the more damage LGBT people will face; discrimination is a painful reality that is too often the lived experience of LGBT people. The President has to act when Congress won't."

Barbara Bush: Family Dynasties Should Not Dominate The White House

Barbara Bush appeared on C-SPAN yesterday to say that while she feels Jeb is the most qualified person to be president in 2016, the same three families (Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes) should not dominate American politics.

"I think this is a great American country, great country, and if we can’t find more than two or three families to run for high office, that’s silly, because there are great governors and great eligible people to run. And I think that the Kennedys, Clintons, Bushes, there are just more families than that. [snip] But there are a lot of ways to serve. And being president is not the only one. And I would hope that someone else would run, although there’s no question in my mind that Jeb is the best qualified person to run for president, but I hope he won’t, because I think he’ll get all my enemies, all his brother’s, all — and there are other families. I refuse to accept that this great country isn’t raising other wonderful people."

Jeb Bush subtweeted his reaction to the interview.

PAC For Bearded Pols Launches

A political action committee was launched today to support candidates with beards.  The group has already filed with the FEC. Andrew Sullivan will be thrilled.

The Bearded Entrepreneurs for the Advancement of a Responsible Democracy (BEARD) was founded by 30-year-old Jonathan Sessions, who sits on the Columbia, Mo., Board of Education, according to his website. “With the resurgence of beards in popular culture and among today’s younger generation, we believe the time is now to bring facial hair back into politics,” Sessions said in a statement.

Sessions notes that the last bearded major party candidate to run for president was back in 1916. And that guy lost. The last bearded man to win the presidency was Benjamin Harrison in 1888. (Tipped by JMG reader Gustav)

BULGARIA: Jammed Gun Foils Would-Be Assassination Of Political Leader

Reuters reports:

A man jumped on stage and pointed a gun at the leader of Bulgaria's ethnic Turkish party before security guards wrestled him to the ground during a televised conference on Saturday. Ahmed Dogan, the long-time leader of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) escaped unscathed, and it was not immediately clear why the attacker had targeted him at the party congress in downtown Sofia. Television footage showed the man jumping out of the audience and interrupting a speech by 58-year-old Dogan, who has led the party for almost a quarter of a century. Security guards were seen beating and kicking the attacker. "Ahmed Dogan is in good health. Everything is under control," MRF official Ceyhan Ibryamov told journalists.

Some reports say the gun was a "gas pistol" which is not considered lethal is most situations. But it probably could be at point-blank range.

NEW YORK: Yet Another State Senate Democrat Arrested For Finance Scam

It never ends for New York's insanely corrupt Senate Democrats. Sen. Shirley Huntley (Queens) has been hauled away in handcuffs.

State Sen. Shirley Huntley was arrested this morning and pleaded not guilty to charges that she allegedly funneled taxpayer money through her Queens non-profit program. Huntley and several other defendants did not speak during their initial appearance in a Mineola courtroom. They were all released on their own recognizance and ordered back to court on Sept. 14. Outside court, Huntley repeatedly said “It’s a great day” to every question fired at her. The Post first reported last year how Huntley, a who represents Jamaica, Laurelton and South Ozone Park, tried to direct $155,000 to her Parent Workshop nonprofit. She’s been charged with conspiracy in the fifth degree, tampering with evidence and falsifying business records. Prosecutors will claim that Huntley and other defendants falsified papers, making it appear that Parent Workshop performed services stated in the contract, when no such services were ever performed, sources said.

You may recall that Huntley once famously declared about New York's marriage equality bill: "If they gave me a million dollars, tax free, I just wouldn't vote for it." During her successful 2010 reelection bid, Huntley claimed that gay activists were harassing her with death threats and that she'd received a funeral bouquet at her home. Those claims were never substantiated, but Huntley used the supposed threats in her campaign materials. Huntley abruptly changed her mind and did vote for the marriage bill once all the other Democrats (except Sen. Ruben Diaz) fell in line.

Huntley is the fourth New York Senate Democrat to be arrested in the last couple of years. Closet case Carl Kruger is now serving a seven year prison sentence for a bribery and corruption scam he ran with his gynecologist boyfriend. Hiram Monserrate was expelled from the Senate in 2009 after being convicted of charged with slashing his girlfriend's face with a broken glass and he will be sentenced next month after being convicted of ripping off the state to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars. In May of this year, Pedro Espada was convicted of stealing more than $500,000 from the federally funded health agency he managed. He remains free while facing retrial on other charges which deadlocked the first jury.

Chelsea Clinton Mulls Politics

Chelsea Clinton says she's no longer totally against following in the footsteps of her parents.

"Before my mom's campaign I would have said no. Not because it was something I had thought a lot about but because people have been asking me that my whole life," Clinton, speaking of her mother's unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid, said in an interview for the September issue of Vogue. [snip] "If there were to be a point where it was something I felt called to do and I didn't think there was someone who was sufficiently committed to building a healthier, more just, more equitable, more productive world? Then that would be a question I'd have to ask and answer."

In the Vogue interview, Chelsea credits her friendships with gay men as helping change her father's stance on same-sex marriage.

One night, over dinner at Cheddar’s, Chelsea mentions that a lot of her male friends are gay. “It was something that I wasn’t even aware of until Marc pointed it out,” she says. Observing the strength of those friendships—many of Chelsea’s friends spend every Thanksgiving with the Clintons at Chappaqua—was one of the key factors in changing Bill Clinton’s position on gay marriage. “Those conversations often start in families and then billow out into the community. Change is hard. And I was really proud of my dad.”

Open Thread Thursday

Assuming that everybody here votes, what other election-related activities have you been involved in? Phone banking? Petition campaigns? Personal donations? Do you feel like you've personally made a difference?

SEATTLE: Occupy Activists Dump $5000 In Marked Bills From A Hotel Window

Via Seattle Times:

Activists tossed $5,000 off a downtown Seattle building Wednesday to protest money in politics. Dollar bills came swirling down just after 5 p.m. at Seventh Avenue and Pike Street, to the delight of tourists. The money was printed with the words "money as speech silences us all," a statement of protest against court rulings that consider political donations from businesses a form of free speech. According to the activists' website, the money will go back into general circulation and get their message out. Holly Rozner, a tourist visiting Seattle from Chicago with a group of friends, fetched $14 from the sky. "I just saw it coming down," she said. "I didn't think it was real." Matthew Toles, a photographer taking pictures of the money drop, said a "shower of money" lasted between five and 15 minutes. At first, people carried on with their business, not realizing that it was money fluttering down, he said. The wind blew some of the money onto a bar awning and into a nearby alley, sending people hunting for cash on windowsills and Dumpster lids.

Full Video: Vladimir Putin's Presidential Inauguration Ceremony At The Kremlin

Fascinating to see such stiff-legged pomp and circumstance. It all almost feels like a parody of the Soviet era.

French Politician Gets Flour-Bombed

This makes glitter-bombing look rather mild, does it not? (Tipped by JMG reader Kevin)

How The Public Views Political Terms

(Source)

NEW YORK CITY: JMG Wins Village Voice 2011 Web Award For "Best Politics Blog"

Tonight my loyal companion Dr. Jeff accompanied me to some new hipster nightclub on the Lower East Side where this here website thingy was feted as the 2011 Village Voice Best Politics Blog! Squee! Just like last year! Re-squee! Like last time, I wasn't told who the other blogs in my category were. So I can't congratulate anybody just for being nominated. Which I would totally do. Yes.

The room was packed with the digerati of Manhattan, who were on hand for a slew of web awards such as Best Sports Blog (Deadspin), Best Music Blog (Stereogum), Best Food Blog (Chowhound), and Best Arts Blog (Art Fag Blog). Congrats to all and thanks to the Village Voice for the honor and all that free Chinese beer. I'll add a couple of photos to this post tomorrow and provide a link to the full list of winners when it goes up.