Monthly Archives: February 2010

Maverick

John McCain is facing a competitive Republican primary for his U.S. Senate seat. He’s facing wingnut former Rep. J.D. Hayworth and even wingnuttier Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Some of McCain’s previous votes are getting him in trouble so he’s trying to Castle. His latest move is to pretend he didn’t really vote for bank bailouts.

McCain sat down recently with the Arizona Republic editorial board. Reports the paper:

[T]he four-term senator says he was misled by then-Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. McCain said the pair assured him that the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program would focus on what was seen as the cause of the financial crisis, the housing meltdown.

“Obviously, that didn’t happen,” McCain said … “They decided to stabilize the Wall Street institutions, bail out (insurance giant) AIG, bail out Chrysler, bail out General Motors … What they figured was that if they stabilized Wall Street — I guess it was trickle-down economics — that therefore Main Street would be fine.”

We all remember that McCain “froze” his campaign to go to Washington to deal with this crisis. Of course, McCain’s attempt to rewrite history is running up against actual history.

Here’s how McCain explained the bailout plan in a September 22, 2008 interview: “‘We’re going to take over these bad loans. And we’re going to have the taxpayer help you out. But when the time comes and the economy recovers, then anything that’s gained back is going to go to the taxpayers first.” As the Chicago Sun-Times explained in reporting McCain’s comments: “The plan would dole out huge sums of money to financial firms to purchase bad mortgage-backed securities so the firms can resume normal lending operations.”

In a speech the following day about improvements he was seeking to what became the TARP legislation, McCain made clear that he knew the measure was targeted at Wall Street, declaring: “No Wall Street executives should profit from taxpayer dollars … The senior leaders of any firm that is bailed out should not be making more than the highest paid government official.”

Has there ever been a bigger fiction story than McCain the independent maverick?

Carper On Board? ***Updated*** Carper Says No

TPM is reporting that Tom Carper is now saying that he will sign onto the letter to pass the public option through reconciliation!

Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE) tells TPMDC that he plans to sign a letter urging Senate leadership to pass a public option via reconciliation.

“I expect that I will” sign, Carper said. The letter, written by Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), has been signed by 23 senators so far.

That’s a bit of a departure from his position just yesterday. Asked by TPMDC if he thought passing a public option via reconciliation was appropriate or desirable, Carper said he thought it wouldn’t fly procedurally.

“I don’t know that that’s going to be part of a reconciliation bill,” Carper said. “In fact, I don’t know that you can actually do public option in the context of a very narrow reconciliation–I just don’t know if that’s possible.”

He doesn’t sound too hopeful that it will work – so I wonder if this is a free pass for Senators – they can pretend they care about the public option without actually having to vote for it. Keep up the pressure on the Senate to give it a try.

Update

Carper’s spokesman says Carper misunderstood the question:

His spokeswoman now tells us the senator misunderstood the question, thinking that we were referencing another proposed letter which promises House Democrats that fixes to the Senate bill would be passed via reconciliation.

It’s a letter basically to shore up commitment from wary House Democrats that if they pass the Senate bill in its current form they won’t be hosed.

“The senator just misunderstood your question, thinking you were talking about the proposed reconciliation letter,” the spokeswoman said. “He does not support public option in reconciliation.”

This sounds a lot more like the Carper we know.

A Miscarriage Of Justice

Utah’s proposed legislation is hardly surprising since we already knew the pro-life movement is all about controlling and punishing women.

A bill passed by the Utah House and Senate this week and waiting for the governor’s signature, will make it a crime for a woman to have a miscarriage…. In addition to criminalizing an intentional attempt to induce a miscarriage or abortion, the bill also creates a standard that could make women legally responsible for miscarriages caused by “reckless” behavior. Using the legal standard of “reckless behavior” all a district attorney needs to show is that a woman behaved in a manner that is thought to cause miscarriage, even if she didn’t intend to lose the pregnancy.

Reckless behavior?  Like wearing high heels?  This is just crazy.  It also promises to be a bureaucratic nightmare – not that conservatives will have a problem with government spending over this.  But how exactly would you prove such things?  Dan Savage asks the same questions…

If every miscarriage is a potential homicide, how does Utah avoid launching a criminal investigation every time a woman has a miscarriage? And women have a lot of miscarriages: one in four pregnancies end in a miscarriage. And how is Utah supposed to know when a pregnant woman has had a miscarriage? You’re going to have to create some sort of pregnancy registry to keep track of all those fetuses, Utah. Perhaps you could start issuing “conception certificates” to women who get pregnant? And then, if there isn’t a baby within nine months of the issuance of a conception certificate, the woman could be hauled in for questioning and she could be indicted for criminal homicide if it’s determined that she intentionally or accidentally induced a miscarriage. Of course, lots of women miscarry before they even realize their pregnant… so Utah will have to pass another law, one that compels all sexually active women—actually, let’s just say all women, Utah, since some sexually active women claim they’re chaste—to come in for mandatory monthly pregnancy tests…

One in four pregnancies end in miscarriage.  Guess doctors are going to have to start reporting patients to the government of Utah.  And these idiots are the ones screaming about freedom and comparing Democrats to nazis.  Project much.

The Goldilocks Health Care Bill

First the health care bill was too long…

A spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner today ridiculed President Obama’s health care proposal because it’s too short.

“The White House’s ‘plan’ consists of an 11-page outline, which has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office or posted online as legislative text. So they want to reorganize one-sixth of the United States’ economy with a document shorter than a comic book, and they’re complaining that they can’t find our plan on their own website? C’mon,” said the spokesman, Michael Steel, in an email to reporters.

Remember the complaints – the bill was too long, it was done in secret, it wasn’t shown on CSPAN, etc. Now Republicans are complaining because the health care summit is going to be shown on CSPAN and Obama’s guideline is too short.

In other health care reform related news, a bit of cold water was thrown on the push to add the public option by reconciliation by Jay Rockefeller. Also, Daniel Inouye added his name to the letter to add the public option back into the bill, making him #23 (we need 50). Keep calling Ted Kaufman and Tom Carper, neither of them have signed on yet.

Tuesday Open Thread

How is your Tuesday so far? I’ve been incredibly busy, how about you? Why don’t we get started with this open thread?

A woman calls into a tech show because her wireless access disappeared. It turns out she had been stealing a neighbor’s wifi for more than a year.

The tech guy offers some good advice. I’m still giggling about how she bought an extender. I guess she thought she was just entitled to free wifi?

Sour grapes:

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee — who finished tied for sixth place with just 4 percent of the vote in the Conservative Political Action Conference’s presidential straw poll over the weekend — slammed CPAC on Fox News afterward.

The conference, he said, “has become increasingly more Libertarian and less Republican.”

…

And is CPAC corrupt? Huckabee didn’t quite go that far, but…

Because of the way that it solicits sponsors, it’s almost becomes a pay-for-play. It’s kind of like, who will pay money to be able to be a sponsor and to get time on the program. That’s one of the things that has hurt its

It sounds like Republicans are quite worried about the results of the CPAC straw poll. Ron Paul has the power to cause the Republicans a lot of headaches in 2012. All this grassroots energy that Republicans keep talking about – a lot of that comes from Ron Paul followers.

The Right Continues To Embrace Terrorists

Do you remember Prof. Ward Churchill?

In January 2005, Churchill’s work attracted publicity because of the widespread circulation of a 2001 essay, “On the Justice of Roosting Chickens”. In the essay, he claimed that the September 11, 2001 attacks were a natural and unavoidable consequence of what he views as unlawful US policy, and he referred to the “technocratic corps” working in the World Trade Center as “little Eichmanns.”

Immediately Ward Churchill became a controversial figure. He was uninvited to several appearances and was personally condemned by the president of his university. He eventually lost his job at the university.

Churchill’s contention was that 9/11 was a result of U.S. policies and that the victims deserved it.

Is Rep. Peter King (R-IA) the right’s Ward Churchill?

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) told a crowd at CPAC on Saturday that he could “empathize” with the suicide bomber who last week attacked an IRS office in Austin, and encouraged his listeners to “implode” other IRS offices, according to a witness.

King’s comments weren’t recorded, but a staffer for Media Matters, who heard the comments, provided TPMmuckraker with an account.

So, currently serving member of Congress Peter King thinks the victims probably deserved it and that more IRS offices should be targeted. So far the reaction has been – yawn.

Just so you know, here’s domestic terrorist Joe Stack’s victim:

When Ken Hunter first heard about a plane crashing into his father’s office building in Austin, he said he hoped his dad, Vernon Hunter, wasn’t there.

After several attempts to reach his father, a 67-year-old IRS worker, he discovered his dad was missing.

…

“There was just too much going on about what the guy did and what he believed in, and enough’s enough,” he said. “They don’t need to talk about him. Talk about my dad. You know, some people are trying to make this guy out to be a hero, a patriot. My dad served two terms in Vietnam. This guy never served at all. My dad wasn’t responsible for his tax problems.”

…

Foster said Vernon Hunter was a proud Vietnam Vet and a great neighbor.

“He was just a real tender man,” he said. “It was always good to talk to him. He was just a nice guy.”

Now, as cars gather in front of the Hunter residence, a neighborhood braces itself and offers support.

Vernon Hunter leaves behind a wife, a son and daughter and six grandchildren.

Vernon Hunter, IRS employee, Vietnam veteran, husband, father and grandfather was the victim of the senseless act of Joe Stack.

Heart Broken

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is being treated at The George Washington University Hospital for chest pains. Now, I am of course loathe to wish ill on my political adversaries (….moving to side a little bit to avoid the lightning strike…), but I do have to say that Dick Cheney is iron clad proof that only the good die young. What is it now, four or five heart attacks? Over the last 30 years? Now, the mystery here is why Cheney isn’t dead?

For at least three of those heart attacks came while the former Vice President was receiving government funded and provided health care. Indeed, if government health care is so horrible and evilly socialist, then Cheney should have been dead decades ago. But of course it was not and is not, and Dick Cheney is alive today because of it. How wonderful for him, and so outrageously horrible for rest of humanity (in fact, is there a doubt in anyone’s mind that if Dick Cheney left this Earth tomorrow to begin shoveling ash for all eternity that the world would instantly become a better place, but I digress….).

Of course, the real mystery here is how they can do all this surgery on an organ he doesn’t have. Why are the Republicans not complaining about this obvious example of government waste?

Seriously though, we wish Dick Cheney a speedy recovery. And of course he will recover. He is our lot in life.

Scott Brown Is a Big, Fat RINO!

I’m dyin’ here.

Scott Brown was in and out of the Senate chamber and had voted against his party before most of his colleagues had even arrived.

“It’s a small step, but it’s still a step,” Brown told reporters after casting a procedural vote in favor of the Democratic jobs bill, bucking his party leaders and the strategy of opposition they have carried out since President Obama took office.

Unlike Republicans I never had high hopes for Scott Brown – I never chanted #41!  I am however enjoying this… immensely.

Welcome to the Blogosphere, Gov. Markell

Today, Governor Markell launched his new blog.  His first post is titled Dedicated to You: Amazing and Awe-Inspiring and it details some of the heroics of state workers during the storm.  Right on cue, a commenter identifying themselves as “Employee” made this comment:

It’s so nice to hear about how hard my fellow employees work. However, you forget to mention the money we have lost, and the benefits that some of us don’t have. I have been working for the state for over two years with no raise, a pay cut, and no benefits. The tasks required to do our jobs sometimes require extra time, because as we all know these things need to be done in a timely mannor. So thank you for telling us how much we are appreciated, however, some of us would be like to be compensated for the dedication, hard work, and long hours we have had to endure.

It was promptly deleted and comments appear to be off now.  Nice.

I’m Sure Republicans Will Support This

Because tax breaks just rock!

Cash-strapped legislators have recommended spending cuts for Missouri schools and shelters for battered women, but so far the yachting class can enjoy another season of clear sailing.

Thanks to a longstanding tax exemption, Missouri’s marina set can opt to pay a small fee in lieu of sales taxes and shave as much as $30,000 off the purchase of a $500,000 boat.

That tax exemption alone is depriving state and local coffers of more than $6 million a year, according to some estimates. It’s just one of more than 130 untaxed transactions that are getting renewed attention in Jefferson City because of the state’s continuing budget crisis.

For now, however, yachts are treated like baby formula for the poor, tickets to the state fair and even newsprint —all are exempt from state and local sales taxes.

I’m beginning to think we’re doomed because there’s something so very wrong with this picture.

White House’s Health Bill

President Obama announced the White House Plan for HCR this AM and, as promised, it is up on the web.

The Wonk Room is fast out of the gate with a good summary:

The Obama plan maintains key elements of the Senate proposal but also incorporates stronger anti-fraud provisions and allows the federal government to review insurance rate hikes. On a call with reporters Pfeiffer insisted that the administration has not determined “on which path to move forward with”, but the bill’s substance suggests that Obama is hoping to bypass a prolonged-Senate debate and use the reconciliation process to fix the Senate bill and convince reluctant House progressives to pass the Senate legislation. “The American people deserve up or down vote on health reform,”Pfeiffer said. “We can get an up or down vote if opposition decides to take extraordinary steps of filibustering health reforms.”

They did a nice comparison of the WH, House and Senate Plans too, if you scroll down the Wonk Room article. Just looking at this summary, it looks as though the elimination of the anti-trust exemption is not here.

Greg Sargent of the Plum Line has some more, mainly that the WH won’t object to the Public Option being passed via reconciliation if there are the votes for it. But there is more on the new and much needed demand for an “up or down” vote on HCR:

Pfeiffer said no decision had been made how to proceed, pending the outcome of the summit. But he added that Obama’s proposal is designed to have “maximum flexibility to ensure that we can get an up or down vote if the opposition decides to take the extraordinary step of filibustering health reform.”

Translation: If the GOP doesn’t cooperate with us in any meaningful sense, we’re moving forward on our own.

So the Public Option needs enough votes to pass in reconciliation and reconciliation is on.

More as we get it!