Posts tagged house
Kagan Emails Reveal ‘Politically Savvy, Hard-Edged Strategist’
Jun 19th
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of pages worth of documents from Elena Kagan’s past have left President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee relatively unscathed and important details about her still a mystery heading into confirmation hearings for a lifetime job as a justice. Documents from Kagan’s service in the Clinton White House, including her own e-mails as a policy aide and lawyer, reinforce the portrait that’s emerged in recent weeks: a politically savvy, sometimes hard-edged strategist whose views of the Constitution are at odds with those of conservatives. In a 1997 e-mail about former Justice Thurgood Marshall, Kagan wrote admiringly of her legal mentor’s view of the Constitution as a “living charter” and his concern as a justice for “the underdog.” It’s not surprising language coming from a Democratic president’s nominee.
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Loading ...Donnie Fowler: Make the Republicans Filibuster on Energy & Climate. Make Them Stand Up for Big Oil Day After Day, Night After Night.
Jun 19th
The Senate Democratic leadership said this week that there aren’t 60 votes to pass a climate & energy bill this year. “I don’t see 60 votes for it,” said California’s Dianne Feinstein.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Chris Weigant: Friday Talking Points [128] — Merry Bartonmas!
Jun 19th
Christmas has come in June for the Democratic Party. Republican Joe Barton just delivered a huge, nicely wrapped present to Democrats. The only question is whether they’ll open it and make use of it, or halfheartedly play with it once and then throw it in a corner (since the Democratic Party is kind of fickle about using such free gifts from Republicans, for no explicable reason whatsoever)
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Van Hollen: DISCLOSE Act Obituaries ‘Very, Very Premature’
Jun 18th
With Reporting by Arthur Delaney Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said on Friday that any obituaries being written about his push for new campaign finance legislation are “very, very premature.” Speaking the morning after House leadership pushed back consideration for the DISCLOSE Act, the Maryland Democrat said that the delay is not an indication of flagging support.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Eugene Scalia, Antonin Scalia: Father And Son Appear Divided Over Campaign Finance Law
Jun 18th
Eugene Scalia, son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, thinks the provisions drawn up in the DISCLOSE Act, the legislative response to the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision earlier this year, are misguided, despite the fact that his father has signaled his support for the disclosure provisions. In an op-ed penned for Politico , Eugene Scalia argues that the DISCLOSE Act, which will face a House vote on Friday, has been formulated to “stifle only corporate speech, while simultaneously enabling unions — and Democratic incumbents — to benefit from the enhanced First Amendment freedoms recognized by the court.” Eugene Scalia writes that the legislation, which has specific measures that limit political speech by foreign owned corporations and a now-famous ” stand by your ad ” requirement, “systematically constrains corporate First Amendment rights, while leaving unions essentially untouched.” The younger Scalia, an outside counsel to the U.S.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Rep. Luis Gutierrez: Time for Wall Street to Ex Ante Up!
Jun 18th
If you have been watching the conference committee deliberations on finance reform on C-SPAN, you know the debate has included a discussion of the ex-ante fund.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...No Clear Path Forward After Jobs Bill Fails Again In Senate
Jun 18th
Deficit concerns once again trumped jobless aid in the Senate as Republicans, a lone Democrat and Sen.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Texas Congressman Joe Barton BP Apology, ‘Shakedown’ Comments, Met With Angry Calls For Him Resign From House Committee
Jun 17th
After Republican Rep. Joe Barton issued an apology to BP CEO Tony Hayward at a Capitol Hill hearing Thursday — calling the Obama administration’s efforts to hold the oil giant accountable a “shakedown” — lawmakers on both sides of the aisle swiftly responded to the Texas congressman’s remarks by demanding he step down as the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Daniel Cluchey: An Oil Well That Ends Well?
Jun 17th
This week, President Obama learned a crucial lesson about oil spills that so far has gone sadly unrealized by nearly a thousand dead birds : at a certain point, when the water becomes too thick to wade through, you have to take to the air. The president did just that on Tuesday evening, and ended up delivering a speech that, according to observers across the political spectrum, was more turkey than eagle — CNN’s Gloria Borger likened Obama to “a company man with a PowerPoint presentation,” while Slate’s Daniel Gross, in one of the stupidest string of words ever assembled, declared the effort so lacking that it was “almost enough to make you miss… the platonic ideal of the presidency of George W
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...GOP Leaders Threatened To Strip Barton’s Seniority For BP Apology
Jun 17th
House Republican leadership threatened to strip Rep. Joe Barton’s seniority on the Energy and Commerce Committee if the Texas Republican didn’t immediately retract an apology he had issued to BP earlier on Thursday, a GOP leadership aide told HuffPost. His post, however, is still not secure.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Tom Andrews: VIDEO: Courage Makes Appearance in Congress
Jun 17th
You probably missed it, but General David Petraeus’ easy ride through Congress yesterday was interrupted by three members of the House Armed Services Committee:Â Chellie Pingree of Maine, Carol Shea-Porter of New Hampshire and Niki Tsongas of Massachusetts. Â Fortunately for Petraeus, mainstream media had already fled the committee room before it was their turn to question the General
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Lanny Davis: President Obama’s Opportunity for a "Sister Souljah Moment"
Jun 17th
Two events last week involving elements of the Democratic Party who call themselves the “true progressives” show a danger they represent to the progressive change they say they want to effect. Together they offer President Barack Obama an opportunity for a “Sister Souljah moment” — perhaps to save the Democratic Party majority in both houses of Congress, as well as his progressive agenda in the last two years of his administration. First was the success of Sen.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Josh Nelson: Will Any Republicans Join Democrats in Holding BP Accountable?
Jun 17th
Steve Benen and Greg Sargent have been making an important point lately that hasn’t yet received the attention it deserves: to the extent that Republicans intend to oppose efforts to hold BP accountable this summer and fall, they are extremely vulnerable politically. Here’s Benen first , commenting on Republican confusion over just what lengths they should go to in their defense of big oil companies: It’s no doubt tricky — the GOP has been allied with oil companies for years — and considering the party’s rhetoric of late, I’m not sure Republicans have decided exactly what point(s) they want to emphasize.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Democrats Challenge Pentagon On Afghanistan
Jun 17th
WASHINGTON — A schism deepened Wednesday between U.S. war leaders and Congress as lawmakers – crucial Democrats among them – challenged Pentagon assertions that progress is picking up in Afghanistan.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team Woefully Unprepared: Report
Jun 17th
WASHINGTON — The federal agency in charge of securing the government’s computer systems is unable to monitor the networks or analyze threats in real time, and it lacks the authority and staff it needs to do its job, according to an internal report. The U.S
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...Chris Weigant: Sunday Bloody Sunday
Jun 17th
Most Americans know U2′s song “Sunday Bloody Sunday.” It’s a highly recognizable piece of music, and the song’s been popular ever since they wrote it. But most people in this country who at least can sing along with the chorus simply have no idea what the song’s about
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