THEN:
You can see him there on the right, little Jimmy Sensenbrenner, before he became an embarrassment for the state of Wisconsin in the House of Representatives:
But let’s hand it to the underfunded and virtually unknown other opponent, Green Party candidate Bob Levis of Brookfield.
He’s been passing around an amusing picture from the 1959 Milwaukee Country Day School yearbook that features both him and onetime schoolmate Sensenbrenner on the same page – which might be the only time you’ll witness that phenomenon.
Pictured is the ’59 Country Day basketball team that Levis has subtitled: “Bob Levis Team Captain; Sensenbrenner water boy.”
The tallest guy in the picture – by a head or more – is sophomore “Jamie” Sensenbrenner, but he’s the only one in loafers, bowtie and suit. He’s the “ball boy” or “water boy” if you’re asking Levis, or the “team manager,” perhaps, if you ask Sensenbrenner, which I would’ve done had his staff not told me he wasn’t interested in talking about the picture.[…]
Since the congressman wasn’t talking, I asked Levis why the tallest kid in the shot wasn’t a shooter, or at least a rebounder.
“It takes awhile to develop your coordination,” he said tactfully, explaining Sensenbrenner never played sports but was the football team’s manager, as well. Then not-so-tactfully, “he was a little “gawky.”
NOW:
He grew up to become one of the one of the biggest bullies in Washington, as Matt Taibbi reminds us in the latest Rolling Stone:
The GOP’s “take that, bitch” approach to governing has been taken to the greatest heights by the House Judiciary Committee. The committee is chaired by the legendary Republican monster James Sensenbrenner Jr., an ever-sweating, fat-fingered beast who wields his gavel in a way that makes you think he might have used one before in some other arena, perhaps to beat prostitutes to death. Last year, Sensenbrenner became apoplectic when Democrats who wanted to hold a hearing on the Patriot Act invoked a little-known rule that required him to let them have one.
“Naturally, he scheduled it for something like 9 a.m. on a Friday when Congress wasn’t in session, hoping that no one would show,” recalls a Democratic staffer who attended the hearing. “But we got a pretty good turnout anyway.”
Sensenbrenner kept trying to gavel the hearing to a close, but Democrats again pointed to the rules, which said they had a certain amount of time to examine their witnesses. When they refused to stop the proceedings, the chairman did something unprecedented: He simply picked up his gavel and walked out.
“He was like a kid at the playground,” the staffer says. And just in case anyone missed the point, Sensenbrenner shut off the lights and cut the microphones on his way out of the room.
He’s come a long way, that nativist, racist windbag. If you’re as sickened by his record as I am, you might want to go give some support to Bryan Kennedy, making his second run as the Democratic nominee.
Personally, I’m glad I don’t have to vote in that district (being lucky enough to be represented by a true-blue liberal, Gwen Moore in the 4th District), as Kennedy’s wishy-washy position on abortion pisses me off …
In my view, the issue is not whether abortions should happen – I think nearly all Americans can agree that we want fewer abortions and unintended pregnancies. The question remains, though, under what circumstances is it acceptable to criminalize women that seek abortion and doctors who treat them?
Most agree abortion should be an option for victims of rape and incest, and when continuation of a pregnancy could imperil the life or health of the mother.
In other situations, however, some people are more ambivalent about abortion. Zealous advocates on each side seem bent on making it a partisan political issue. They insist it’s a black and white matter: one must either be PRO-CHOICE or PRO-LIFE.
Real life decisions are rarely so sharply defined. The opinions and needs of real people are far more nuanced and thoughtful. I see it as an issue of “RESPONSIBLE CHOICE” – starting with policies that actually reduce the need for abortion and support healthy childbearing, rather than seeking to make it more difficult and dangerous for women who feel desperate. Let me explain:
There is nothing more beautiful and sacred than a child – who represents our hopes and dreams for the future. As a parent, I know the joy of making the responsible choice – the commitment – to raise children.
… but at least he doesn’t come out and say he wants to pass laws to limit them. I wish him luck against the terrible Sensenbrenner. Sad that Jimmy couldn’t just continue to carry water for a basketball team, instead of carrying water for our new dictator.
