| Good afternoon, Progressive Electorate readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
As always, this is a crosspost from Congress Matters. This is the most important news of the day... okay, maybe only some of it. So if you disagree, go watch CSPAN. The House is still waiting for the Senate, so watch your government in neutral on CSPAN2.
Here's some of my own thoughts.
UPDATE: Does Joe Lieberman sound like a politician worried about burning his bridges? Does he want to take a few people into the river with him? Remember, some creatures just can't help themselves, not without reconciliation. |
Every committee. Every bill. The amendments just kept coming. An organization just had to be indicted. Put both Rep. Alan Grayson D-FL and Glenzilla on this and their conclusion is different than that of Rep. Michele Bachmann R-MN, tax attorney.
The irony of all of this is that the Congress is attempting to accomplish an unconstitutional act: singling out and punishing ACORN, which is clearly a "bill of attainder" that the Constitution explicitly prohibits -- i.e., an act aimed at punishing a single party without a trial. The only way to overcome that problem is by pretending that the de-funding of ACORN is really about a general policy judgment (that no corrupt organizations should receive federal funding). But the broader they make the law in order to avoid the Constitutional problem, the more it encompasses the large corrupt corporations that own the Congress (and whom they obviously don't want to de-fund).
On Friday a United States District judge issued a ruling. Since it was unhelpful the judge is an activist.
a liberal, Clinton-appointed activist Judge has ruled to usurp the prerogatives and authority of the United States Congress. This left-wing activist Judge is setting a dangerous precedent that left-wing political organizations plagued by criminal accusations have a constitutional entitlement to taxpayer dollars.
Why am I not surprised that this is the reaction of Rep. Darryl Issa R-CA?
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Maybe you noticed less Rep. Spencer Bachus R-AL, and more Rep. Jeb Hensarling R-TX and Rep. Scott Garret R-NJ last week.
As the Financial Services committee wrote the bill this fall, Hensarling and Garrett, both in their fourth terms, often replaced Bachus in the ranking member's chair, sitting next to Frank, running the Republican side of the show. It was no scheduling conflict. Bachus was often present, sitting one chair down.
And on the eve of the floor debate, while Bachus prepared for a hearing on the bill before the Rules Committee, Hensarling, Garrett and Price summoned reporters to their own press event to make the Republican case against the signature financial legislation of the year.
So you are demoted for being too bipartisan? Why does POTUS keep trying?
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One of our Senators was all optimistic and stuff.
Now that Lieberman clinched the Monday morning headlines and will get the most attention on Morning Joe, what will drama queens John McCain and Ben Nelson do to get back in the news?
Meteor Blades says we have to be nice.
Meteor Blades says we have to be nice.
Meteor Blades says we have to be nice.
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Once upon a time that guy whose name has already been noted and Sen. Tom Harkin D-IA agreed on something.
It was after the election in which Republicans claimed congressional majorities, but the two Dems said it didn't matter -- even if the GOP would find it easier to pass legislation, the Senate needed to be able to pass bills by majority rule. (That year, there were 39 cloture motions filed. Last year, there were 139.) Their bill failed miserably, 76 to 19.
We now know, 15 years later, that filibuster abuse has gone completely mad, institutionalizing obstructionism at a level never before seen in American history. Lieberman, of course, is a shell of his former self, and now embraces the tactic he once denounced.
And we were told this was all about Sen. Byron Dorgan Dorgan D-ND.
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My dad joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor. I did not note it's anniversary last week. I was struck mute by teh Sarah.
many Americans gave what little money they had to buy the war bonds that funded it all
So let's talk taxes, bills which are supposed to originate in the House.
Among the qualities that uniquely define Sarah Palin is that she doesn't know what she doesn't know.
Happy Birthday, Dad. I promise I won't mention her name again.
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In case you were wondering.
A check of aisle-crossing votes in The Washington Post's congressional voting database shows that Bayh is the most conservative Democratic senator in the 111th Congress, voting with the Democratic majority 72 percent of the time. (By comparison, Bayh voted with his party nearly 84 percent of the time in the 110th Congress, when he was being considered as a vice presidential nominee, and nearly 91 percent of the time in the 109th Congress, when he was considering a presidential run.)
That explains everything.
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At first they were against everything this Congress has done.
But the biggest challenge facing the movement is how to organize hundreds of local groups, and dozens of Tea Party leaders nationwide with divergent interests, into a force that can influence elections - and how to fund that effort.
[snip]
Next year, the group hopes to raise at least $5 million to focus on 15 to 20 congressional races, particularly on Reid's, Wierzbicki said.
"There are two battles that are going to happen for the Tea Party, and one is over the Republican Party," he added.
Now they want to join them. Well, some of them.
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In another entry in the Halls of Hypocrisy: Airports to Nowhere?
Two of the biggest earmarks are from Republican senators Thad Cochran and Roger Wicker of Mississippi, at a cost of $8 million for improvements to four rural state airports.
One airport serves fewer than 100 passengers a day and another -- the Mid-Delta Regional airport - sees even less. The new funds would come on top of $4.4 million the airports just received from the stimulus package.
So, you think they both voted for both the bills, right? Well, you would be wrong.
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This one is for David.
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Some may view this as more democracy for the residents of the nation's capitol.
Nestled in the $447 billion omnibus spending bill approved Sunday by a vote of 57-35 is language that frees up Washington D.C. to use local money to implement a medical marijuana measure approved in a referendum by nearly 70 percent of voters in 1998, resurrecting an effort that has been stalled since Congress imposed a rider blocking money to actualize the measure. The House version of the spending bill passed last week included similar language, and President Obama is expected to sign the legislation this coming week.
Others will view this as more of teh socialisms and their heads will explode.
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Just in case you want to go back to this guy. |
