Justice's wife launches 'tea party' group

[boedicca]

It sure looks like we know just how fringe Roberts beliefs are.

Yes, to the Obama Administration, proper protocol is a fringe thang.

 

[Truthmatters]

The tea party is fringe even if you REFUSE to faced that fact.

 

[boedicca]

Yes, just keep telling yourself that if it gives you comfort. When a person can't handle reality, it's often soothing to resort to a fantasy life.

 

[Modbert]

Dogbert, would you just clarify for everyone what your thoughts are regarding the article?? Is there an issue with her being the wife of a SCJ and/or a political activist and/or the full disclosure aspect and/or something else??

The wife has a right to her political beliefs, and I wouldn't want to take those away.

However, I am troubled by a couple things. Though I will state for the record we all know at this point that Clarence Thomas is likely the most Conservative member of the SCOTUS, excluding Scalia.

1.) The fact her husband just cast the 5-4 deciding vote in the loosening of Finance Laws, such loosening his wife is now taking full advantage of with this group.

2.) The fact that thanks to her husband's casting vote, she does not have to release full disclosure of donors despite what some on here believe.

So if a SCOTUS's wife is taking donations, yes, I would want full disclosure. However, it won't be given and legally it doesn't have to be. However, anyone can see the implications and problems that go along with this sort of backroom dealings.

Especially when Corporations can now make donations to these non-profit entities in large unlimited amounts.

I'd have a problem with this if it were any member of the SCOTUS, not just Thomas. There are many issues that go beyond the political spectrum, this is one of them.

 

[Truthmatters]

I do find comfort in the truth

 

[CrusaderFrank]

It sure looks like we know just how fringe Roberts beliefs are.

Roberts is sexing up Thomas's wife? Yeah?

 

[traveler52]

Virginia has the same right as any citizen to engage in the political process.

Right.

And if a more Liberal member's wife or husband of the SCOTUS created a Coffee Party and took unlimited amounts of donations from corporations, I don't think you'd be feeling the same way.

It's called ye Olde Repuglican Standard. Yes, there is a conflict of interest here. It's nice to the cons living to their usual standard of conduct, what ever is good for them is good for them as long they are only one's doing it.

 

[Truthmatters]

It sure looks like we know just how fringe Roberts beliefs are.

Roberts is sexing up Thomas's wife? Yeah?

OOPPPs sorry I blew it.

It is Thomans and not Roberts.

For some reason I pictured Roberts face when Thomas was first mentioned.

I dont think hes sexing her up.

 

[Valerie]

The tea party is fringe even if you REFUSE to faced that fact.

>>>

"We share some of the views of the Tea Partiers," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on ABC's This Week yesterday.

The Weekly Standard

 

[goldcatt]

What da problem is??

Conflict of interest.

While Justice Thomas was hearing and participating in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was busy putting together a political organization which will benefit financially as a direct result of her husband's vote in that case.

Hardly coincidence.

 

[boedicca]

Every politician and political group benefits from the decision - it doesn't discriminate based on ideology.

Just sayin'.

 

[goldcatt]

Every politician and political group benefits from the decision - it doesn't discriminate based on ideology.

Just sayin'.

What the Thomases have done here is no coincidental "everybody benefits" scenario. While Justice Thomas was involved in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was, at the same time, organizing a group which will financially benefit from his vote. An organization whose first order of business, I might add, is to state they will accept the corporate donations directly affected by her husband's vote.

Ideology doesn't matter. Ethics and integrity do. At least to *some* of us.

Just sayin'.

 

[Political Junky]

Cons have no shame.

 

[Yurt]

What da problem is??

Conflict of interest.

While Justice Thomas was hearing and participating in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was busy putting together a political organization which will benefit financially as a direct result of her husband's vote in that case.

Hardly coincidence.

without more, that is not a legal conflict of interest and no where near the level necessary for thomas to recuse himself...

 

[boedicca]

What the Thomases have done here is no coincidental "everybody benefits" scenario. While Justice Thomas was involved in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was, at the same time, organizing a group which will financially benefit from his vote. An organization whose first order of business, I might add, is to state they will accept the corporate donations directly affected by her husband's vote.

Ideology doesn't matter. Ethics and integrity do. At least to *some* of us.

Just sayin'.

You haven't provided one shred of proof that Thomas did anything unethical - or that his wife has either.

 

[goldcatt]

What da problem is??

Conflict of interest.

While Justice Thomas was hearing and participating in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was busy putting together a political organization which will benefit financially as a direct result of her husband's vote in that case.

Hardly coincidence.

without more, that is not a legal conflict of interest and no where near the level necessary for thomas to recuse himself...

You gotta admit it looks bad, Yurt. Especially considering the SCOTUS' position as the final arbiter on ethics. All of the Justices should be completely beyond reproach ethically for that reason alone. Regardless of politics. The highest position creates the highest standard.

I wouldn't have a problem if she'd still been at the Heritage Foundation, then it would have been coincidental. But the timing of this smells questionable at least, and it's not Thomas' first time involved in something questionable involving his wife's activities.

I haven't found anything and it probably isn't public yet, but has anybody found anything on how much Virginia Thomas stands to make as head of this thing?

 

[Yurt]

Conflict of interest.

While Justice Thomas was hearing and participating in the Citizens United case, Virginia Thomas was busy putting together a political organization which will benefit financially as a direct result of her husband's vote in that case.

Hardly coincidence.

without more, that is not a legal conflict of interest and no where near the level necessary for thomas to recuse himself...

You gotta admit it looks bad, Yurt. Especially considering the SCOTUS' position as the final arbiter on ethics. All of the Justices should be completely beyond reproach ethically for that reason alone. Regardless of politics. The highest position creates the highest standard.

I wouldn't have a problem if she'd still been at the Heritage Foundation, then it would have been coincidental. But the timing of this smells questionable at least, and it's not Thomas' first time involved in something questionable involving his wife's activities.

I haven't found anything and it probably isn't public yet, but has anybody found anything on how much Virginia Thomas stands to make as head of this thing?

you're making a very serious accusation without much evidence. you haven't offered any evidence that thomas's decision was influenced by his wife's activities....and btw....corporate funding for her nonprofit organization is just one of many groups of people who she is seeking funding from....

i do not see the connection at all. you're basically suggesting that since thomas is a scotus justice, that his wife shouldn't be allowed to form nonprofit political organizations and that she should stay home and bake cookies....

 

[goldcatt]

without more, that is not a legal conflict of interest and no where near the level necessary for thomas to recuse himself...

You gotta admit it looks bad, Yurt. Especially considering the SCOTUS' position as the final arbiter on ethics. All of the Justices should be completely beyond reproach ethically for that reason alone. Regardless of politics. The highest position creates the highest standard.

I wouldn't have a problem if she'd still been at the Heritage Foundation, then it would have been coincidental. But the timing of this smells questionable at least, and it's not Thomas' first time involved in something questionable involving his wife's activities.

I haven't found anything and it probably isn't public yet, but has anybody found anything on how much Virginia Thomas stands to make as head of this thing?

you're making a very serious accusation without much evidence. you haven't offered any evidence that thomas's decision was influenced by his wife's activities....and btw....corporate funding for her nonprofit organization is just one of many groups of people who she is seeking funding from....

i do not see the connection at all. you're basically suggesting that since thomas is a scotus justice, that his wife shouldn't be allowed to form nonprofit political organizations and that she should stay home and bake cookies....

Straw man.

I'm saying she chose the very time her husband was hearing this case to organize her own group after spending years with Heritage. I'm wondering about the timing, and what made her choose that exact time to get a leg up on the competition by putting herself into the market. And how much both of them are going to benefit as a result. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to put the pieces together.

 

[Anguille]

Yes Virginia, there was a pubic hair on my Coke.

 

[boedicca]

Correlation does not necessarily prove causation.

You have no proof she has done anything wrong. This is just a smear job. And a rather transparent one at that, considering that one of the objectives of her non-profit organization is to score members of Congress according to there adherence to conservative values.