Good.
I’m not sure if the bailout is good or bad policy yet, but it should be painful for those who made the decision, to make sure that they think 2 and 3 times before doing it again.
Category: Congress
Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY), To Retire
As you may recall, he almost lost in 2006, because he was hip deep in the Foley congressional page sex scandal.
Chet Edwards (TX-17-D) Looks Safe This Year
It appears that the Republican party cannot find anyone interested in running this year.
‘State secrets’ privilege fuels surveillance bill battle – Yahoo! News
In the discussion of the House FISA bill, I’ve frequently discussed the telco immunity, it also represents a a significant change to the much abused state secrets privilige.
It now requires that evidence be presented to the judge, though not the litigants.
This is important because the state secrets privilege has been rotten to its core from its first use, which the Supreme Court heard as U.S. v. Reynolds, that had no actual state secrets involved.
The government just lied to the court in claiming that the B-29 involved in a crashwas on a secret mission, when the aircraft was not on a secret mission.
They simply did not want to admit that the crash was caused by grossly negligent maintenance.
The state secrets privilege should be abolished.
Disgraceful.
Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Kendrick Meek have declined to support Democratic candidates running against Republicans incumbents in Florida.
Here’s the kicker. If you want a house leadership position, and Meek is a member of the 30-Something Working Group, and has been a vice chairman of the DCCC, and Wasserman Schultz is co-chair of the Red to Blue committee.
These are leadership positions. If you take those positions, you have an obligation to do your damn job.
I don’t care if your daughter is running as a Republican, and her alleged rapist is running as a Democrat, you work for the Democrat. If you can’t hack it, then go and be a back bencher.
We need to go after both of these folks in the 2010 primaries, hard.
Money quote on the real reason:
However, Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the Rothenberg Political Report, which tracks political campaigns, said the lack of support from top Democrats could make donors leery.
”Debbie Wasserman Schultz is a favorite of leadership, somebody on the move,” Rothenberg said. “When somebody like that doesn’t want to be a major player in taking on a Republican, that’s a signal.”
Yet Rothenberg says the situation is not without precedent: He noted several Republican and Democratic senators from the same states honor nonaggression pacts.
Both Meek and Wasserman Schultz have benefited from a close affiliation with the U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC, which since its founding in 2003 has contributed $22,000 to Wasserman Schultz’s campaign committee and $10,500 to Meek’s.
Wasserman Schultz said the PAC support played no role in her decision, but she acknowledges she’s closer to the Republican incumbents on Cuba issues than she is to the Democratic challengers, who favor easing restrictions on family travel to the island.
When Castro dies, can we send tham all back to Cuba? Let them f$%# up that country.
HouseTelco Free Fisa Bill
From The Gavel, Pelosi’s Blog:
House Passes FISA Amendments Act
March 14th, 2008 by Jesse LeeThe House has just passed the House amendment to the Senate amendment to H.R. 3773, to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 to establish a procedure for authorizing certain acquisitions of foreign intelligence, and for other purposes, by a vote of 213-197-1. The revised House legislation to amend FISA grants new authorities for conducting electronic surveillance against foreign targets while preserving the requirement that the government obtain an individualized FISA court order, based on probable cause, when targeting Americans at home or abroad. The House bill also strongly enhances oversight of the Administration’s surveillance activities. Finally, the House bill does not provide retroactive immunity for telecom companies but allows the courts to determine whether lawsuits should proceed.
You can find the vote here.
In the anti-American crowd (Nays), you have 12 Democrats, including Lampson and Shuler.
Nick Lampson I keep getting emails from, because he bought Richard Morrison’s mailing list when he took over the campaign.
As to Heath Shuler, he was an overpaid, no brain, no guts punk when he played for the Redskins, and he’s an overpaid no brain, no guts punk now.
House and Senate Pass Phase Out of Bush Tax Cuts
It’s a, good start, but we are in a deep hole, both in terms of the Federal budget deficient and the economy, and the Wall Street types who created this whole, and benefit from this hole, need to pay more of their share of the hole.
The maximum marginal tax rate needs to be increased, probably into the 45% to 50% range for people making over $½ million a year, because we are going to need massive government spending to avoid Japan’s 15 year deflationary trap, and we have massive infrastructure needs that have to be addressed regardless of the state of the economy.
House to Hold Closed Session over FISA Update
This is not a common event, and if you have a “blue dog” representative, call him, and make it clear that you will never vote for him for anything under any circumstances if he approves Telco immunity.
I’m still not sure what put some spine in the House dems, but when Pelosi is saying things like, “the president is wrong, and he knows it“, it’s clear that something has given them the will to resist Mr. Nineteen percent.
My theory is that when they left without passing telco immunity, they were overwhelmed at the support that they received, and that they realize that opposing Bush on anything for any reason is a winning tactic.
Of course, Senator Rockefeller is still determined to put telco immunity back in there. My guess is that he was briefed and signed off on it, and thinks that it will harm him politically.
Net Neutrality as Anti-Trust
The Judiciary Committee has had hearings on this.
It’s a good sign, but I think that it’s more inside baseball than anything else. Specifically, has been before Ed Markey’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet of the Energy and Commerce Committee, and in order to get it in front of the Justice Committee, they are looking at putting it in antitrust legislation.
The fact that two committees are now competing to get this passed is a good sign for network neutrality legislation.
House Votes to Create Outside Ethics Panel
This involved a lot of arm twisting, and the divide appears to be between older and newer representatives, I’m not sure that this proposal will make it past the Senate though.
Andre Carlson (D) Wins IN Congressional Special Election
54-43 against the Republican, though there is still a May primary and the November general.
House Fails to Override Bush Veto of Anti-Torture Bill
I’m not surprised, but I am disappointed.
Anyone who voted to uphold the veto, which includes 3 Dems, and does not include 5 Republicans are criminally complicit.
Losing Hastert’s Seat Is Like the Toppling of the Saddam Statue In Baghdad For Republicans
I just love that quote from Politico.com from an unnamed, “aide to one top GOP lawmaker”.
Pass the popcorn.
Mark Prior to Run Unopposed for US Senate
This is stunning, even more so because it is in reliably red Arkansas.
The Republicans have no bench, and their first stringers are retiring, or not running at all.
This may look like 1932 or 1964.
The Minnesota Election Is About Him, Al Franken
Mike Ciresi has dropped out of the Democratic nomination race for Senate, which leaves Al Franken in the driver’s seat, as the only other opponent is an obscure college professor (note to Al, so was Wellstone, IIRC).
It looks like Al can focus on the general against, Norm “Capped Teeth” Coleman.
Finally, the House Files Contempt Suit
The House Judiciary committee has finally filed suit to compel Bolton and Miers to testify.
Should have happened 6 months ago. If I were Speaker of the House, I would have already sent out the sergeant at arms to take them into custody, and locked them in that jail cell in the House basement.
Bill Foster (D) Wins Hastert’s Old District
He won 52 to 48% in a reliably Republican district against perennial loser, and Republican candidate Jim Oberweis.
The Republican Congressional Campaign Committee dumped a few million dollars into this, and I’m sure that they are not happy.
I am though.
Corrupt GOP Congressman Renzi Defrauded Pro-Life Groups
He ran an insurance agency, but hetook their premiums and applied them to his first campaign.
Schadenfreude time.
It’s amazing how the Tom Delay era is unwinding. In trajectory, if not in scope, it mirrors the unwinding of the credit bubble.
Speaking of Bitch Slapping: Them Dems on FISA
Glenn Greenwald has the scoop, and I need a drink.
Oh well, Purim is not that far away.
Iraq Forever Pact Back on Track
Yes, Bush and His Evil Minions™ are asserting that the original authorization to invade Iraq gives him the authority he needs to sign a deal on a permanent military presence.
Seriously, when he gets out, we need to find the laws that these folks have broken, and throw the lot them in gaol for a very very long time for breaking those laws.