It looks like the “F$#@ Coburn Omnibus” failed to get the necessary votes to end debate.
OK, fine. Stop letting the Republicans filibuster without talking. You already did that to Chris Dodd on civil liberties, so do it to Senator Tom Coburn.
Make them do a real filibuster.
It already passed the house, so it will go to Bush, who says that he will sign it.
My guess on the total effect, very little, since there is no mechanism to encourage lenders to actually cut a deal.
The single thing that would help the most, and it would cost the government nothing would be to allow bankruptcy judges to modify mortgages for primary residences, as they can for investment and vacation property.
Maybe after January 21.
Well, it appears that Senator Patrick Leahy has merged two draconian IP bills to create a bill that combines the worst of both.
I think that the problem is two fold:
So, we now have
Bad law, bad policy, and a fundamental misunderstanding of the reasons behind copyright and patent protections.
CQ politics 14 districts have shifted in a Democratic direction. Good stuff, though I could deal without Melissa Bean.
It looks like the worm is finally turning on the antedeluvian Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy of the US Military,with Congress looking at changing the law.
Of course, Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, a right wing group, claims that it will drive away too many allegedly straight soldiers, but honestly this is not likely to be the case, and as the people most likely to leave are those who are attempting to make the US military an explicitly Evangelical Christian institution, it’s a net win for everyone.
We get needed skilled soldiers, and the religious whack-jobs who are creating a religiously hostile institution in contravention of good military order.
That is clear from the appointments made to the so-called ethics review board in the House of Representatives, where Nancy Pelosi has made Porter Goss co-chairman of the board.
If you recall, Goss was forced to resign from the CIA when a hooker/lobbyist scandal tied into the Randall “Duke” Cunningham affair hit the news, and tied him to those involved.
Un-fracking-believable.
I’ve mentioned the Downpayment Assistance Program before, and it’s one of the worst scams in real estate, and the housing rescue bill shuts it down.
The FHA requires a down payment of 3%, and “non-profit” agencies will front the money to the buyer. That money, plus what is typically a $500 fee, comes from the seller, who raises the price of his house to cover it, effectively meaning that the buyer pays an additional $500 (plus taxes and commission) to create a phony downpayment.
Huzzah!
I don’t know about you but I’m crushed that they feel that Bush betrayed them.
This has been your daily dose of schadenfreude.
They now say that he will sign the bill.
I guess that he doesn’t want another override this month.
Ah….Yes…Republicans…..
Senate Republican leaders are now allowing senators to vote as they wish in an attempt to keep seat losses to a minimum in November.
We also have reports that Republicans see Bush as a “jinx”, and that they are trying to avoid the party brand.
No wonder they aren’t letting press into Bush fund raisers. They are afraid of pictures of the candidate and Bush together showing up in the press.
Maybe Republicans should campaign with a more popular member of the Bush administration, like Dick Cheney….I think that I just threw up in my mouth.
I’ve always been a doubter that speculation is responsible for much of the run up in oil prices, but I wholeheartedly the proposed “Stop Excessive Speculation Act”, which would crack down on speculators by allowing the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CTFC) to regulate futures market and, “differentiate between “legitimate” and “illegitimate” hedge trading”.
The reason that I support this is because it is a real sea change. It is a refutation of the myth that completely unsupervised markets self-regulate to the benefit of society.
It is the arbitrage and exotic financial vehicles that have been created in the past nearly three decades of free market fundamentalism, frequently lauded by Alan “Bubbles” Greenspan, which are at the core of our current credit crunch.
The markets have devolved into complex self-serving insider deals that have harmed everyone.
I think that this bill is a baby step, but it’s a step in the right direction.
If you look at the list of where the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is making media buys, you learn where they think that they will be competitive, “more than $15 million in buys in North Carolina, New Mexico, Minnesota and Maine, with the buys in Maine and North Carolina exceeding $5 million each.”
They are going hard after Collins in Maine, and Dole in North Carolina, though Dole seems far more secure. Minnesota is definitely in play, and Tom Udall seems comfortably ahead in New Mexico.
According to Rasmussen Reports™, Democrat Mark Begich is ahead of Ted Stevens 50% to 41%, and he is ahead 52%to 44% when “leaners” are counted.
Buh bye uncle Ted.
The last time Alaska sent a Dem to Congress was 1974.
Michael Mukasey, George Bush’s new bottom at the department of justice is now saying that allowing Gitmo detainees to actually be physically present in court to contest their detention would constitute an “extraordinary risk”, so Congress needs to act to prevent this.
His proposal:
One hopes that the Dems have some backbone on this, but I doubt it.
Seriously. I Can’t make this up.
Go to Crooks and Liars to see Senator Larry “Happy Feet” Craig saying, “Don’t let foreigners jerk us around by the gas nozzle.”
Good day for Schadenfreude.
I don’t expect the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet to do much this year, but it appears that they are legitimately concerned about deep packet inspection by advertising firms and ISPs acting in concert to market to consumers.
Hopefully, momentum will build for opt-in-only over the next few years.
It appears that he is unhappy about the provision requiring full notification of the members of the House Intelligence Committee in order to release 75% of the funding.
The Bushies also hate the provision prohibiting the use of contractors in interrogations, which is also a good provision.
Well, the head of the House Financial Services Committee is saying that there limits on executive pay and dividends as a quid pro quo for any deal being done.
He’s talking about inserting language into the bill which would require regulatory approval of senior executive pay, and that any government purchased stock would be first in line for dividend payments.
Additionally, he’s looking at language to explicitly tie any monies involved in the bailout to the Federal Debt limit, which is responsible thing to to.
I think that Frank is one of the 10 best congresscritters out there.
In the latest Rasmussen Reports™ poll Jeff Merkeley has taken the lead, 43% to 41%, over Gordon Smith (R), the incumbent.
Smith has been below 50%, which is trouble for an incumbent, for some time, but I think that this is the first time that he has been shown in the lead.
Remember when I said that Pelosi has said that the Judiciary Committe might hold impeachment hearings?
No such luck. It appears that the committee will instead investigate the behavior of Bush and His Evil Minions™, and if they find something inappropriate, I’m sure that they will write a very strongly written letter, and perhaps hold a very upset press conference.
But as to impeachment, and a possible vote on impeachment, that’s just:
NOT ON THE TABLE! NOT ON THE TABLE!
Wimps.