Category: Congress

The Definitive Word on Partisan “Gridlock”

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Greg Seargant nails it when he says, “The way to reduce “Partisan Gridlock” is to further weaken the GOP.

….

These questions are kind of relevant. Partisan gridlock happens because people — and by extension, political parties — disagree about stuff. One party wants to do one thing on a particular issue. Another party says No. The first party offers a few concessions. The second party still says No. That’s where “partisan gridlock” comes from — underlying disagreement on issues — and in our current case, the fault for our “partisan gridlock” isn’t equally distributed between the two parties. Rather, it’s almost exclusively the fault of the Republicans.

You aren’t allowed to say this, but it’s true. If you don’t believe me, ask the bipartisan Iraq Study Group. They proposed a bunch of solutions to Iraq. The Democrats largely embraced these solutions. The Republicans, by contrast, didn’t. ….

In fact, I would argue that over the past 30 years, the Republican party has lost any interest in governing. Instead, what we have is a desire for power and wealth.

I went to school at UMass with former Tom Delay Deputy Chief of Staff, and now a convicted member of Abrahmoff’s “entourage”, Tony Rudy.

I served in the SGA Senate with him with him, and we were both nominally “Conservatives” in that body*, and we got along fairly well, he was the first to shake my hand when Nummo News†, the Black Student newspaper, condemned me on its front page for calling for their sanctions as a result of illegal electioneering in the SGA presidential race. We got along, and we sometimes traded private snarky comments during debates.

This has given me some insight into Tony’s feelings on governance, and considering the positions that he has held since UMass, it is not unreasonable to extend those views to a significant portion of the Republican party.

Republicans, with the qualifiers listed above, believe government to be evil. If a government program exists, it is a bad thing™. If it is successful it is even more evil, because it weakens our morality‡ and compromises out strength.

When you come to government service with this philosophy, there are only two reasons for that service, money and power.

This makes Republican obstructionism fairly easy. There is no other goal to be accomplished.

It’s why, at least for now, reaching across the aisle is a waste of time. There are no Everett Dirksens in the current Republican Party leadership.

*It’s not that I had an epiphany and became a liberal. It’s that the left wing of the SGA Senate were all the “US Out of North America” crowd.
†Seriously, I think that half the Senate shook my hands before someone told me why….Strange political experience.
‡Yes, it does seem like General Jack D. Ripper’s “Purity of Essence” from Dr. Strangelove.

Blue Bush Dogs: Not Moderate, Just Corrupt

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Davit Sirota has a very good analysis of the despicable betrayal of the American people by the so called “moderate” Blue Bush Dog Democrats with regards to basic fairness and the economic stability of the United States.

The bill in question, HR 3609, is rather simple: It would allow a bankruptcy judge, “To ameliorate the terms of abusive “subprime” mortgages.” Under the current law, judges can already do this for investment properties, and for vacation homes, but for primary homes? Das ist Verboten.

So the judge could vitiate prepayment penalties to allow for refinance, or change interest rates, or modify fees charged for things like taking a phone call from a customer, though it would not give the judge power to forgive principal, since a mortgage is, after all, a secured loan.

While I favor a more expansive bill, one that would cover all consumers, this could go a long way towards fixing the system. As it currently stands, many loan servicers are legally unable to modify the terms of a loan, because their contracts with the bond holders prohibit it.

Even when they can, there is little incentive for them to negotiate in good faith.

What this means, of course, is more Chapter 7 liquidations, as opposed to Chapter 11 reorgs, more foreclosures, more empty houses blighting more neighborhoods, and more turmoil on wall street. It is The Tragedy of the Commons writ with trillions of dollars to be eventually be baid for by all of us.

Whisky Tango Foxtrot: The Dems Cave on SCHIP????

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What the hell are they thinking????

They just passed a bill extending SCHIP as it currently exists until March 2009. This is acutally a cut, because Bush has issued executive orders to reduce the scope of the existing program.

I understand the extension, but they could have extended it for 3 months, or 6 months, or 9 months, and forced the Republicans to come back to this tremendously popular program, again, and again, and again.

Instead of this, which is a win-win, the kids get their insurance, and the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot, they took it off the table.

**sigh**

Senate Democrats Considering Removing Byrd as Appropriations Chair

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Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) is not doing well health wise.

At 90 years old, he needs help walking, and there are suggestions that he is no longer physically able to run the appropriations committee, so there are discussions about moving him aside.

At this point, it is just talk, and any move would set up a battle for who would head the powerful committee, so my guess is that nothing will be done until 2008.

Unfortunately, he was re-elected in 2006, so this will have to be sorted out sooner or later.

Russian Head of Nuclear Forces Says Retargeting Europe Under Consideration

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Remember when I mentioned that Obama’s Senate subcommittee never met? It was the Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Europe.

It might look at things like, I don’t know, the fact that the Russians are threatening to retarget Europe over the US Missile shield in Poland and the Czech Republic.

General Nikolai Solovtsov, head of strategic missile forces says that Russia might just do this if the installation is seen to, “undermine the Russian nuclear deterrent capability”.

Just because it doesn’t get a whole bunch of press doesn’t mean that it isn’t important work. John Kerry, in a similar position, was instrumental in breaking open the criminal terrorist money laundering operation known as BCCI.

Obama as a Do Nothing?

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Steve Clemons compares what Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have done in the senate, and the difference is striking. While neither of them chair a full committee, pretty much every senator gets a subcommittee.

Clinton has the Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health, and Obama has the Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Europe.

The Subcommittee on Superfund and Environmental Health last held a hearing on October 17, the Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Europe has had no meetings.

None…Zip…Nada…

Let’s be clear, it is a chair of committees that senators get executive experience. What’s more, it where a senator who wants to be president learns how to deal with Congress.

Clemens excuses saying that he’s, “not trying to find a minor, nuanced difference between Obama and Clinton and inflate that to inappropriate levels.” I agree. This is not minor.

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) accuses Senate Democratic leaders of developing “Stockholm syndrome”

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Well, at least one Democrat gets it:

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.) accuses Senate Democratic leaders of developing “Stockholm syndrome,” showing sympathy to their Republican captors by caving in on legislation to provide middle-class tax cuts paid for with tax increases on the super-rich, tying war funding to troop withdrawal timelines, and mandating renewable energy quotas. If Republicans want to filibuster a bill, Rangel said, Reid should keep the bill on the Senate floor and force the Republicans to talk it to death.

Mr. Dodd Goes To Washington

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Dodd promised to filibuster teleco immunity, and he has kept his word.

Unfortunately, the Senate voted 76 to 10 to stop his filibuster.

As I predicted, Obama did not show up for the vote, and neither did Clinton or Biden.

Obama issued a statement to Firedog Lake:

“Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies and has cosponsored Senator Dodd’s efforts to remove that provision from the FISA bill. Granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same. It’s not clear whether he can return for the vote, but under the Senate rules, the side trying to end a filibuster must produce 60 votes to cut off debate. Whether he is present for the vote for not, Senator Obama will not be among those voting to end the filibuster.”

I understand the basic mechanics of cloture, but I would like to see him a reason to bloody show up for work.

This applies to Biden and Clinton too.

Harry Reid Betrays the Constitution. Chris Dodd Calls in Markers to Try to Preserve It

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Harry Reid has announced that he will put forward the FISA bill from the intelligence committee, the one with few protections and teleco immunity.

I don’t know why he is choosing George W. Bush over the constitution of the United States, though I think it may have something to do with the fact that he’s gotten a lot of campaign donations from them.

He is also refusing to recognize Chris Dodd’s hold on the bill, which means that Dodd will have to actually filibuster.

I’m not sure why. After all he allowed Neanderthal Tom Coburn to block an investigation of the brutal racist murder of Emmett Till and other unsolved racial crimes.

In any case, Chris Dodd is reminding Senators Clinton and Obama of their promise to support his filibuster.

A Letter from Dodd Campaign:

Dear Tim, Today, that FISA fight we’ve all been waiting for begins — and it’s time to separate the leaders from the capitulators.

In a few hours, Majority Leader Harry Reid will ask for something called a “motion to proceed” on FISA, effectively disregarding Chris Dodd’s “hold” on the bill.

It’s unfortunate that he chose to go this route, to introduce a bill including retroactive immunity when another route could have been chosen just as easily.

So … that means Chris Dodd will start by introducing an amendment to strip retroactive immunity out of the bill.

But if that doesn’t work, he will do all he can to stop this bill that threatens our security, and that may include a “filibuster.”

Remember when this all started playing out? A lot of people rushed to send out strongly worded press releases about how committed they were to “supporting a filibuster.”

They’ll have a chance to show they are true to their word.

Call or email the Senators that pledged their opposition to this bill to support the Dodd Amendment and a filibuster if necessary. And ask them to be there with Dodd when it counts.

http://chrisdodd.com/filibuster

You don’t demonstrate leadership in the footnotes of a press release, or parroting responses from focus groups.

Leadership is demonstrated through action.
Tim Tagaris
Chris Dodd for President

Hillary I expect to stick to her word, Obama, I expect him to miss the vote.

Democrats Cave on Spending

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David Obey had a suggestion, if Bush is adamant about his bogus numbers, cut out earmarks, the idea was to make lawmakers, particularly Republican ones, pay more than lip service to budget restraint.

Of course, this was shortly followed by a story titled Pelosi backs down.

Am I the only one who thinks that this headline occurs far too often?

Mr. 33% is a lame duck. If he wants to trigger a shutdown, well f#$@ him.

How about some guts, Mrs. Pelosi.

Telco Immunity: Reid to Choose Which Surveillance Bill to Send to Senate Floor

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It makes a big difference if it’s the Senate intelligence committee or the Senate Judiciary Committee version.

The former has retroactive Telco immunity for the illegal wiretaps that the Telcos did for Bush and His Evil Minions™.

Senators are aggressively lobbying Senate Leader Harry Reid on this.

Chris Dodd has already made it clear that he will filibuster, and because Reid won’t extend the courtesy that he does to the obstructionist Rethuglicans, this will mean him talking, and talking, and talking, and talking on the floor of the Senate.

It would take Dodd off the campaign trail, but the spectacle would be the best thing that could possibly hit his candidacy.

The following letter was sent to him:

Dear Majority Leader Reid:

We understand that the Senate will shortly be considering amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. As you know, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the Senate Judiciary Committee have reported very different versions of the FISA Amendments Act, S. 2248, and it is up to you, as Majority Leader, to decide how the Senate considers this legislation.

We urge you to make the version of S. 2248 reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee the base bill to be considered by the full Senate. While the structure of Title I of both bills is the same, and both make improvements over the Protect America Act, the reasonable changes to Title I made in the Judiciary Committee ensure that the FISA Court will be able to conduct much-needed oversight of the implementation of these broad new surveillance authorities, and help to better protect the rights of innocent Americans. While we appreciate the hard work that the Intelligence Committee has done on this legislation, the process by which the Judiciary Committee considered, drafted, amended and reported out its bill was an open one, allowing outside experts and the public at large the opportunity to review and comment. With regard to legislation so directly connected to the constitutional rights of Americans, the results of this open process should be accorded great weight, especially in light of the Judiciary Committee’s unique role and expertise in protecting those rights.

We also believe that the Judiciary Committee bill is preferable because it does not provide immunity for telecom companies that allegedly cooperated with the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program. As this is such a controversial issue, we feel it would be appropriate to require the proponents of immunity to make their case on the floor.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Russell D. Feingold (D-WI)

Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT)

Barack Obama (D-IL)

Bernard Sanders (I-VT)

Robert Menendez (D-NJ)

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE)

Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Tom Harkin (D-IA)

Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD)

Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)

Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI)

Jim Webb (D-VA)

Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)

Barbara Boxer (D-CA)

For your convenience, I have highlighted the presidential candidates who have objected.

Those Morons in Washington Are Doing It Again

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I mean, of course, the Democrats, particularly the DSCC and DLCC.

There are two very good posts on open left (here and here) discussing the losses in the special elections in Virginia and Ohio yesterday.

The basic point is that the candidates, and the DCCC which backed them made no mention of the war.

These guys are still running away from ending the war. The Democrats took control of congress on this issue, despite these guys ducking covering on this issue in 2006, and they are doing it again.

It’s the war stupid, no matter how much these guys, largely ex-Clintonistas, want to make it the 1992 election.

No money to the DSCC or DCCC. When I give, it’s only to candidates who are clear and vocal about their opinion on the war. It does not have to be the centerpiece of their campaign, but it has to be out there and clearly visible.

‘Nuff said.