Carper Named to Senate Finance Committee
From the NJ — Tom Carper takes on an assignment to the Senate Finance Committee and gives up seats on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, and the Senate Special Committee on Aging. He keeps his other assignments on Environment and Public Works and on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.
I guess that the good news (for somebody) here is that Carper still gets to be a fully paid lobbiest for the state’s banking industry. There is no doubt that the Senate Finance Committee is a prestigious position though.
Also — according to The Hill Democrats in the Senate will have a 3 vote advantage on all committees, except for Armed Forces and Appropriations which will have a 4 vote advantage.
Tags: Senate, Tom Carper
It would be irony if Carper has to push through regulations on the banks. I’m sure he’ll make it as watered-down and loophole-full as possible.
I wonder if he’ll feel as beholden to banking now since they are winding down operations here.
Carper will feel beholden to banking until the Sun goes out. But will banking be beholden to Carper? ….ehh… why not, he doesn’t cost them much.
Then their is also the ‘voter’ angle. I think a lot of Delawareans supported Carper either because they were making their living off banking and honestly thought they were voting their pocketbook…. Or simply because their bosses and bundlers told them to support Carper. Will laid-off bank workers turn against Carper?
It will be interesting to watch Carper, Lieberman, and all the other Dem Senators who happily served as “bottoms” to Bush’s “top.”
Will they continue to show the same deference to President Obama’s agenda? Or will they create havoc by continuing to push their Bush agenda?
If they stick with their Bush agenda, I’d at least respect them for having principles.
Why wouldn’t he want to help banks? They do employ an awful lot of people here…
They are one of the state’s biggest employers and revenue contributors… it would be political malpractice not to help strengthen the state’s industries. That’s why we elect these guys, to look out for our interests. Unfortunately, yes, fat cats at the top get a lot of the cream, but that doesn’t mean that we should just stop the milk entirely.
Dupe. I pity your sorry ass.
Excellent news that additional savvy Democrats, including TRC, get onto SFC.
“savvy” to be sure.
It is a pity that Carper’s savvy has been so effectively put to use by banks to screw consumers.
Oh well.
Carper’s votes on the ’05 bankruptcy bill were horrid, but they were identical to those of the next vice president of the United States.
C’mon man that was weak. Anyway, I guess I’m glad you didn’t try to defend the ’05 votes.
“C’mon man that was weak.”
Your point?
My point? That the comment was weak.
Bringing Biden in to justify Carper sounds like all those wingnuts saying that every Bush fuck-up is excusable because Clinton got a blow job.
It is interesting trivia, but not relevant.
The last post gives an indication why this site can be so shabby. A comment that questions the prevailing POV is met with insult, frequently semi-literate [here, cramming buck, fush, and jow blob into one sentence], defensive [“that was weak”] and off-point. One encounters a higher level of discussion at a bar or sports talk radio.
The name Carper is mentioned. Getting onto the Senate Finance Committee is big news. During the Carper administration, Delaware tax legislation took a notably progressive turn. In the House, Carper was a booster of the ’86 federal tax reform act that cleared so much seamy slag from the tax code, resisting pressure from many financial interests. In the Senate, Carper successfully filibustered estate tax repeal and other dreck.
The keeper of enforced wisdom mentions the ’05 bankruptcy bill. Agreed that much of this bill was hideous. Yet, JRBjr also voted for it, in fact led the charge for it, as top Democrat on Senate Judiciary. For this, Kos, Atrios and others referred to him as [D-MBNA]. Fair point, but Joe’s record was far more complex and compelling than that one episode.
Joe gets nominated for VP. All is forgiven. Carper pays repeatedly on this message board for the bill that Joe shepherded through the Senate. Joe becomes Cole Hamels; Tom is Mitch Williams.
Almost every liberal Senator disappoints from time to time. Shumer protects the carried-interest tax dodge for hedge fund managers. Dodd watches over insurance. Bill Bradley voted occasionally for Contra aid. Need one mention the ill-conceived War on Drugs pushed by our senior Senator over the last quarter-century? None of these things poisons the record of these fine folks. Life is complex, full of compromise and dissent.
Unfortunately, this well-designed site underperforms because snark frequently fills the room. Banter can disintegrate on even the best sites, but too often, there is an enforced outlook, coupled with we-versus-they divisions reminiscent of a high school cafeteria.
It is true that Joe’s past sins don’t get much play here. But Joe has redeemed himself with other positions, in particular on Iraq, torture, and domestic surveillance. Carper has not.
Plus, it is easy to forgive Biden now that he is not voting on banking bills.
As