Category Archives: Congress

May 24, 2011 · 10:16 pm

Democrat Wins Republican Seat in Special Congressional Election in NY-26

Congratulations to Democratic Congresswoman-Elect Kathy Hochul.

This Congressional district is so Republican it has only elected a Democrat something like 3 times since the Civil War.

The Ryan Republican plan to destroy Medicare handed this race to the Democrats.

I just hope the Democrats take note and stand by their position as protectors of Medicare and Social Security.  And I hope they make damn sure everyone knows the GOP wants to destroy them both.  Now we have them on record.

From The Hill:

The emergence of Medicare reform as an issue in the New York special election “changed the climate,” presenting Democrats with an opportunity to capture the heavily Republican district, according to Rep. Steve Israel (N.Y.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The House GOP’s budget plan converts Medicare to a type of voucher system for those currently under 55 as a way to rein in costs. Instead of government-run Medicare, seniors would buy private insurance and the government would foot some of the bill.

Only four Republicans voted against the proposal when it came up in the House in April and Jane Corwin, the GOP nominee in the 26th district, embraced the plan.

“Whether the Democrat is elected or not, Medicare changed the climate in that district,” Israel told The Ballot Box.

via Dem campaign chief: Medicare ‘changed the climate’ in NY-26 – The Hill’s Ballot Box.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Elections

Tagged as , , , , , ,

May 24, 2011 · 9:02 pm

Elizabeth Warren Called Liar At CFPB Hearing By Republicans Who Botched Facts On Agency

This is an interesting article that shows several things:

  1. The total breakdown in civility in Congress
  2. How Republicans don’t know their facts
  3. How Republicans distorted the truth
  4. What a classy lady Elizabeth Warren is
  5. How NC GOP Rep Patrick McHenry is a total dick

The subcommittee chairman, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), began the proceedings by suggesting Warren had lied to the committee in a previous hearing that had questioned the CFPB’s role in offering advice to state attorneys general negotiating a settlement with abusive mortgage servicers.

At the time, Warren said she was proud her agency had been able to help, at the request of the Treasury Secretary. But McHenry brought up the memo again, suggesting it showed that she hid a larger role in the negotiations from Congress.

“This is our job, and we’re trying to do our job, to be helpful to other agencies, and to help those agencies to hold those who break the law accountable,” Warren said, repeating that she was proud of the work.

The exchange prompted Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.) to say he was sorry.

“I apologize to the witness for the rude and disrespectful behavior of the chair,” Yarmuth told Warren. “The questioning of your veracity when there is documented evidence that you are being totally truthful indicates to me that this hearing is all about impugning you because people are afraid of you.”

But perhaps the ugliest moment in the contentions sessions came at the end, when Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, pointed out that based on the emails his staff had gotten, McHenry was keeping Warren later than an agreed 2:15 p.m. ending time.

The session had been moved repeatedly, with the timing changing as late as Tuesday morning.

But McHenry insisted there had been no agreement, even though he, the subcommittee members and Warren all arrived there an hour early.

“I’m not trying to cause you problems, Ms. Warren,” McHenry said.

“You are causing problems,” Warren answered. “We had an agreement for a later hearing. Your staff asked us to move around so that we had to change everything on my schedule to try to accommodate your time…”

“We agreed that I would be out of here at 2:15 because there are other things now scheduled at 2:30,” she said.

“That was a request, ” McHenry snapped.

“Congressmen, you told us one thing,” Warren responded

“I did not tell you anything,” he shot back, before adding to audible gasps in the hearing room: “You’re making this up, Ms. Warren. This is not the case.”

A shocked Cummings intervened, saying: “You just accused the lady of lying. I think you need to clear this up with your staff.”

Cummings noted the time changes in the hearing, and a CFPB source later confirmed to Huffington Post that there had been a specific agreement.

via Elizabeth Warren Called Liar At CFPB Hearing By Republicans Who Botched Facts On Agency (VIDEO).

1 Comment

Filed under Congress

Tagged as , , , ,

May 22, 2011 · 5:24 pm

Even Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Thinks Sarah Palin Is ‘Stupid’: New York Magazine

But they still push her out there and give her a platform to share her stupidity….

From Michael Calderone in New York Magazine:

Fox News still dominates the cable news ratings, but chairman Roger Ailes wants something more: to help elect the next president.

That’s the takeaway from Gabriel Sherman’s New York magazine cover story hitting newsstands Monday. Sherman, who’s currently writing a book on Fox News for Random House, looks at how Ailes — who built up a stable of possible presidential contenders after the 2008 election, including Sarah Palin — isn’t so pleased with their chances at beating President Barack Obama in 2012.

Ailes doesn’t speak on the record in the article, but several Republicans close to the Fox News chief describe his concerns going into an election year.

“He thinks things are going in a bad direction,” another Republican close to Ailes told [Sherman]. “Roger is worried about the future of the country. He thinks the election of Obama is a disaster. He thinks Palin is an idiot. He thinks she’s stupid. He helped boost her up. People like Sarah Palin haven’t elevated the conservative movement.”

Ailes, a television titan, has schooled past presidential candidates on how to handle the media. Before helping Rupert Murdoch launch Fox News in 1996, Ailes worked as a strategist for Republican presidents Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush (whom he still talks to regularly).

via Fox News Chief Roger Ailes Thinks Sarah Palin Is ‘Stupid’: New York Magazine.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Media, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 11, 2011 · 8:30 pm

Poll: Obama’s Approval Rating Hits Two-Year High

Now, if he can just keep it up until next year’s elections….

Fully six in ten Americans now approve of President Obama’s job performance, according to an AP poll released Wednesday morning, the highest level recorded in their surveys in exactly two years.

In addition, the poll showed the president’s reelection prospects getting a boost too, as it found that more Americans now think Obama deserves to be reelected than the percentage who said the same two months ago.

In the poll, 60% of respondents said they approved of Obama’s job performance, compared to 39% who disapproved. That’s the best rating Obama has received since May 2009 when, riding high after his inauguration, 64% of Americans approved of his job performance.

The poll is the latest in a flurry of surveys conducted since the death of Osama bin Laden that have shown the president getting a boost to his approval rating. Prior to the news of bin Laden’s death, the TPM Poll Average showed Obama’s approval rating slightly underwater. But now, the average finds him nearly cracking the 50% threshold, as it shows that 49.4% of Americans approve of his job performance, compared to 45.0% who disapprove.

via Poll: Obama’s Approval Rating Hits Two-Year High | TPMDC.

1 Comment

Filed under Congress, Politics

Tagged as , ,

May 11, 2011 · 8:38 am

Democrats up 50-46 Percent in Battle for House

I suspected this would happen once the Republicans in the House proposed doing away with Medicare….

Duh…..

I just hope the notoriously short sighted American electorate remembers this by next year….

From CNN:

Washington (CNN) – It’s one of the storylines for 2012: Can the Democrats win back control of the House of Representatives?

A new poll suggests that they may have a chance.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday, the Democrats have a four-point margin over the Republicans in the battle for control of Congress. The poll indicates that 50 percent registered voters say if the election for Congress was held today, they would vote for the Democrat in their district, with 46 percent saying they would cast a ballot for the Republican in their district. The Democrats’ four-point margin is within the poll’s sampling error.

The GOP won 63 seats in last year’s midterm elections, taking back control of the House for the first time in four years. CNN’s last poll conducted before the midterms indicated the Republicans had a six-point advantage over the Democrats.

GOP victories in 2010 were due to some major historical shifts. More women voted for Republican candidates than Democratic candidates in 2010 for the first time since exit polling began in the early 1970s. Voters who never attended college – generally considered to be the bulk of the blue-collar vote – voted Republican in House races for the first time since 1994. And 56 percent of independents voted Republican in 2010, the highest that figure has ever been in exit polls.

“Now the Democrats are seeing some of their natural constituencies coming home,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “In the latest generic ballot, Democrats have a ten-point lead among women, and a nine-point lead among voters who never attended college. But the Republicans still have a plurality of the Independent voters, 47 percent to 43 percent.”

The poll also indicates a geographic split that may favor the Democrats, with Democratic candidates pulling a majority in the Northeast, Midwest and West. Republicans win a majority in the generic ballot only in the South.

“It’s far too early to use these results to accurately forecast the 2012 congressional elections,” Holland notes. “But it does indicate that some of the shifts that swept the GOP into power in 2010 may be shifting back.”

The generic ballot question asks respondents if they would vote for a Democrat or Republican in their congressional district, without naming any specific candidates. It’s used by many polling organizations, including CNN/Opinion Research Corporation surveys.

via CNN Poll: Democrats up 50-46 percent in battle for House – CNN Political Ticker – CNN.com Blogs.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Elections, Politics

Tagged as , , , , ,

May 10, 2011 · 5:18 pm

GOP Rep. Aaron Schock, and His Abs, On “Men’s Health” Cover

Mark my words….

It’s only a matter of time…

If he’s straight, Judy Garland never touched a pill….

How does this play in Peoria?

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) is taking an unconventional approach to promote a new healthy lifestyles campaign, flaunting his chiseled chest on the cover of the new Men’s Health magazine, which declares him “America’s fittest congressman.”

Schock, who represents central and western Illinois in the House, already had the distinction of being the first U.S. congressman born in the 1980s. The Huffington Post declared him “hottest freshman.” Now, Men’s Health says that he’s the first politician to ever appear shirtless in the magazine.

An article in the June issue describes Schock as “pretty fly for a Republican from Peoria.” Appearing at a photo shoot in a “form-fitting Zegna suit and tapered shirt that show off both his musculature and his fashion savvy,” it adds that he “looks more like a hit man from a European spy thriller than a boring politician.”

Schock, who turns 30 later this month, had previously drawn attention from gossip sites like TMZ, which posted a photo of him wearing only a bathing suit. He said he wanted to use the notoriety for a positive cause.

via Rep. Aaron Schock, and his abs, land on Men’s Health cover – latimes.com.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress

Tagged as , , ,

May 4, 2011 · 9:41 pm

Dems To Force Vote On Ending Oil Subsidies

This should be interesting…

I hope the Dems can continue to “out” the Republicans and their true agenda of supporting the Corporations and the Rich at the expense of the Middle Class…

Or what’ left of the Middle Class after the GOP policies of the Bush Administration….

From the Huffington Post:

Eager to prove that Republicans don’t want to end oil subsidies despite public GOP opposition, House Democrats plan to force a vote Thursday on a measure that would block a major tax break for the five largest oil companies.

As Republicans call for major cuts to domestic spending, Democrats are pushing for tax code changes that would allow the government to bring in more money, particularly from high-profit industries Democrats say do not pay their fair share. President Barack Obama and key Democrats have called for an end to some oil and gas subsidies, arguing gas prices are high enough to sustain industry investment in the United States.

John Hofmeister, the former president of Shell Oil, said in February that major oil companies do not need government help given the high price of gas.

Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) made a similar point at a Tuesday briefing with reporters, shooting down questions about whether ending oil subsidies could increase the price of gas.

“The gas companies are making record profits,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a credible argument that reducing the subsidy on a product that is now getting record prices…will lead to higher [gas] prices.”

House Speaker John Boehner indicated some support for reconsidering those subsidies last week, telling ABC News that they “ought to be paying their fair share.” Obama quickly jumped on the statement, sending a letter to Congress urging an end to the tax breaks.

Boehner quickly walked back the statement, and last Thursday turned down a request by Democrats to vote on legislation to eliminate billions of dollars of oil subsidies.

via Dems To Force Vote On Oil Subsidies.

1 Comment

Filed under Congress, Energy, Oil Dependency, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

May 4, 2011 · 9:28 pm

The Associated Press: Americans 45 and older are new voting-age majority

Uh, maybe the GOP should have read this before they went after Medicare…

But I’m glad they didn’t….

I’ve said it many times:  Demographic trends are against the Republicans in the longterm.  We just have to survive them in the short term….

From the AP:

For the first time, Americans 45 and older make up a majority of the voting-age population, giving older Americans wider influence in elections as the U.S. stands divided over curtailing Medicare and other benefits for seniors.

Along with the information about the growing influence of older adults, preliminary census estimates also show a decline in the number of married couples with children, slight growth in household size and a rapid rise in the number of Mexicans.

The findings, based on the latest publicly available government data, offer a preview of trends that will be detailed in the next round of 2010 census results being released this month that focus on age, household relationships and racial subgroups.

As a whole, the numbers point to a rapidly graying nation driven largely by the nation’s 78 million baby boomers, who are now between the ages of 46 and 65 and looking ahead to retirement.

“The center of American politics gets older,” said E. Mark Braden, a former chief counsel to the Republican National Committee who now advises elected officials and state legislatures. “Given the current fiscal concerns, it’s going to be a test case whether Republicans or Democrats can talk about entitlement reform without getting killed” politically.

via The Associated Press: Americans 45 and older are new voting-age majority.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Elections, Politics

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 30, 2011 · 10:57 am

Your Pain, Their Gain: How High Gas Prices Impoverish The Many While Enriching The Few

Can someone.  Anyone.  Justify why the Republicans- and some Democrats- still vote for Government subsidies for Gas and Oil companies?

Talk about Socialism….

They are redistributing the wealth from everyday Americans to the Oil Companies and their rich stockholders and management teams….

The next time you’re gritting your teeth as you fill your tank with $4 gas, here’s something to consider: Your pain is their gain.

The last of the Big Five oil companies announced first-quarter earnings Friday, so the totals are in. Between the five of them, ExxonMobil, BP, Shell, Chevron, and ConocoPhillips made $34 billion in profits in the first three months of 2011 — up 42 percent from a year ago.

That’s about $110 for every man, woman, and child in the United States — in just three months.

Exxon alone cleared a cool $10.7 billion profit from January through March, up 69 percent from 2010. That’s $82,175 a minute.

Why the staggering increase in earnings? Precisely because you’re paying $4 a gallon for gas.

via Your Pain, Their Gain: How High Gas Prices Impoverish The Many While Enriching The Few.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Politics, The Economy

Tagged as , , , , ,

April 27, 2011 · 8:43 pm

The shocking truth about the birthplace of Obama’s policies – Ezra Klein – The Washington Post

Great article from Ezra Klein in The Washington Post…

He points out that the positions President Obama and the Democrats are taking are the same positions the Republicans once had…

Shows how far to the Right everything in Washington has moved over the last couple of years…

If you put aside the emergency measures required by the financial crisis, three major policy ideas have dominated American politics in recent years: a health-care plan that uses an individual mandate and tax subsidies to achieve near-universal coverage; a cap-and-trade plan that attempts to raise the prices of environmental pollutants to better account for their costs; and bringing tax rates up from their Bush-era lows as part of a bid to reduce the deficit. In each case, the position that Obama and the Democrats have staked out is the very position that moderate Republicans staked out in the early ’90s — and often, well into the 2000s.

via The shocking truth about the birthplace of Obama’s policies – Ezra Klein – The Washington Post.

Leave a comment

Filed under Congress, Politics

Tagged as , , , , , , , , , , , ,