Snowe’s Sway Over Baucus Committee A Good Thing

It’s no secret that Republican Olympia Snowe holds a lot of power in the Senate.  Her power comes from her willingness to reach across the aisle and work with the Democrats who are in the majority.

Snowe is reasonable.  She works with others, she’s willing to listen and then offer her own input and ideas on issues.  She does not name call nor does she practice obstructionism.  These are differences for the Maine Senator which set her apart from most of her fellow Republicans who are becoming, it seems more so every day, increasingly fanatic and unreasonable.

No more has Snowe’s power through reasonableness been felt recently than on the Senate Finance Committee headed by Montana Democrat Senator Max Baucus.

Snowe, working with New York Senator Charles Schumer, successfully amended the Committee’s health care reform bill which has been sharply criticized by both sides for its harsh penalties, including jail time for those without insurance, to force every American to purchase private insurance without applying any cost restrictions to the insurers.

Snowe’s efforts on the panel, with this new amendment, will now soften the impact of the personal mandate requiring people to purchase private insurance.

The Snowe / Schumer Amendment, which passed the Committee 22 to 1, would reduce the penalty for a family not having insurance down to $200 starting in 2014 and go up to $800 in 2017.  It would also exempt millions who would suffer financial hardship by purchasing insurance.

This amendment also overturns criminal penalties, including jail time, for not purchasing insurance.

“The obligation should be first and foremost on the United States government to ensure that these plans will be affordable in the marketplace.  It surprises me that we would have these high-level penalties on the average American when we have have no certainty about whether or not these plans will be affordable.  I just don’t understand why there’s this impetus to punish people,” Snowe said according to the NY Times.

Read this:  Panel Finishes Work on Health Bill Amendments – NYTimes.com.

 

Iowa’s Harkin Is Positive About Health Care Reform Passage

Senator Tom Harkin  is sure that Congress will have a health care reform bill on the President’s desk which will include a public option “before we go home for Christmas,” according to the Associated Press.

The Iowa Democrat told reporters on Sunday that a “silent majority” are in favor of real health care reform which includes a public option.

Harkin is picking up the baton for the late Senator Ted Kennedy in the Senate, according to the Boston Herald, replacing Kennedy as the Chair for the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Commitee.

Links:  1.  The Associated Press: Harkin: `Silent majority’ back health care reform.

2.  BostonHerald.com:  Tom Harkin to fill Ted Kennedy’s Senate health-care role.

 

The Associated Press: ‘Clunkers’ rebates look likely for another month

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Senate Majority Leader, told his colleagues that, unless they wanted to miss some of their August vacation, they better get moving on extending the “Cash for Clunkers” program.  According to the AP, it looks like his push is working (see link below).  The Senate is scheduled to leave this Friday.

The House, before leaving for their recess, already approved $2 billion more to extend the popular program which gives qualified buyers up to $4,500 for their gas-guzzling trade-in.

Even though people like Glenn Beck call these trade-in’s, which get less than 18 MPG, “perfectly good cars,” the “Clunkers” program is not only getting older inefficient vehicles off the road, it is also spurring the economy!

The Associated Press: ‘Clunkers’ rebates look likely for another month.

 

Pelosi: “Wholesome Dynamism” on Health Care

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D - California)

Speaker Nancy Pelosi is attempting to rally legislators to move forward on Obama’s health care by declaring that everything’s okay and on schedule and the Congress is acting with “wholesome dynamism,” according to Fox News.

Huh?

Pelosi appears to be in denial of the truth.  The Democrats’ expensive health care reform legislation, which could cost $2 trillion or more inside a decade, is losing ground fast.  The bill  barely passed 2 committees – one by only 5 votes and the other by 4 votes.  A bipartisan group of six senators, including Independent Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, is warning that they will not  be bullied into rushing the legislation through.

But yet Nancy Pelosi acts as if nothing is wrong!

Democrats, including the president, know that they have to act fast if they have any chance of getting this bill through.  The president’s popularity numbers continue to decline as people are waking up to the fact that Obama is all about spending and no real change.

Obama, with Pelosi’s support and Harry Reid in the Senate, is demanding that both houses of Congress ram his health care bill through before the August recess but it appears that more Dems are now bucking the president’s orders.  Democrats in both houses are now realizing that if they go along with the president, they will lose support at home with voters.  And, after all, each member of Congress is more concerned about keeping their own power rather than complying with the President, their party, Reid, or Pelosi.

Link: House Democrats Use Key Votes to Rally Support to Health Care Plan, Despite Hurdles | Fox News

 

Sotomayor Plays Dodge Ball With Senators

Senator Tom Coburn (R) of Oklahoma

The only thing we know for sure about Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor is that she is a master dodge ball player.  At times boring all of us – except perhaps the most adept legal eagles - with her equivocating answers, Sotomayor has not directly answered any of the questions put to her by the Senators.

Today’s exchange with Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn was an exercise in futility.  For nearly one hour, Coburn asked her questions on several key issues including gun control vs. the right to ownership, abortion, and what constitutes a fundamental right that can not be overturned by a Court or the Congress.

Sotomayor’s answers were consistently boring and laden with legal terms and case citings.  She never once answered how she would rule on any of these cases or what her own views are on these issues.

What does she think the purpose of this hearing before the Senators is all about?  Does she think it’s so we can see her face?

The purpose of appearing before the Senate committee is to ascertain how a nominee for the Supreme Court thinks, what their decision process is, how they arrive at decisions, and their belief system.

The reason why it’s so important to find out how a potential member of the Supreme Court believes and thinks is because Supreme Court justices are, once confirmed, on the Court for life or until they voluntarily retire.

Dodging questions or refusing to answer how she feels about issues does not help the Senators nor any of us understand what kind of justice she will be if confirmed.

At one point, Senator Coburn became so frustrated with her equivocation that he let her know it:  ”If I can’t get you to go there, I want to quit and go on to something else, if I can.”

Coburn wrapped up his time raising doubts about Sotomayor.  ”And the problem I’m having is, I really see a dissonance,” Coburn told Sotomayor, “about what you said outside of your jurisprudence,” most likely referring to her “wise Latina” comment.  ”And the only thing…the only ability we have to judge is what that passion has relayed in the past and your statements here, in combination with your judicial practice…I have yet to decide where I’m going on this, because I am still deeply troubled because of the answers I couldn’t get in the 50 minutes…and also deeply troubled because I believe what you’ve spoken to the law students, what you’ve spoken in your writings truly reflect your real passions, which I sometimes find run in conflict with what I think the Constitution has to say.”

Transcipt of Coburn questioning Sotomayor | The Washington Post

 

Senator Byrd Opposes Cap and Trade

Senator Robert Byrd of West Virginia is not in favor of cap and trade legislation because of its threat to West Virginia’s economy which has a large coal industry.

“I cannot support the House bill in its present form.  I continue to believe that clean coal can be a ‘green’ energy.  Those of us who understand coal’s great potential in our quest for energy independence must continue to work diligently in shaping a climate bill that will ensure access to affordable energy for West Virginians,” Byrd said according to the Wheeling News-Register.

Byrd is expected to return to the Senate floor, after a hospital stay, before voting begins on cap and trade.

The House recently passed cap and trade (House Resolution 2454) in a close vote 219-212.  This bill is now being reviewed by the Senate and voting is expected to begin this Fall.  If passed by the Senate in its current form and signed into law by President Obama, H. R. 2454 will result in the largest tax increase ever and is expected to drive up consumer costs on energy and virtually all consumer goods including food.

Link to Wheeling News-Register article:  Byrd Blasts ‘Cap and Trade’ – News, Sports, Jobs – The Intelligencer / Wheeling News-Register.

 

Dems Acknowledge Cap and Trade Will Kill American Jobs

According to Peter Roff in U. S. News & World Report, the Democrats acknowledge that their cap and trade legislation, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Obama, will not create jobs but will be responsible for killing jobs, as many as “3 million by 2030.”

“The House-passed version of cap and trade,” says Roff, ” is all about jobs:  jobs lost, jobs never created, jobs sent overseas, and, unbelievably, jobs people will be paid for doing long after they cease to exist.”

Roff says that Democrats acknowledge the loss of American jobs in the legislation itself – they have inserted language which will pay the disemployed weekly checks “for up to three years” plus  other monetary “generous benefits” which will cost the American taxpayer billions.

Read Roff’s article at this link:  Democrats Admit That Their Cap and Trade Bill Is a Job Killer – Peter Roff (usnews.com).

 

Senator John Ensign Resigns Committee Leadership

Breaking News:  On the heels of announcing yesterday that he had a brief affair in late 2007 through part of 2008, Senator John Ensign of Nevada resigned this morning his leadership of the Republican Policy Committee, according to a a local Las Vegas television station.

Ensign left Washington yesterday to return to Nevada where he appeared briefly before cameras to announce that he had an affair with a married staffer from December, 2007, to August, 2008 while he and his wife were separated.

Ensign stepped down this morning as chair of Republican Policy Committee.

Sen. John Ensign resigns from his leadership post – KTNV ABC,Channel 13,Las Vegas,Nevada,News,Weather,Sports,Entertainment,KTNV.com,Action News .:.

 

Technorati Tags: Ensign,Senator Ensign,Nevada,John Ensign,Washington,Politics,Ensign affair

 

Will Specter’s Switch Now Equal Justice for Our Troops?

Equal Justice for Troops blog.

Arlen Specter has been trying, since 2007, to work with the Republican blockheads in the Senate to cease their resistance to a bill that would provide the same equal protection under the law for our Military as every other American citizen.

What’s even worse about these Republican members of the Senate is that these same individuals who would deny our soldiers the right to appeal to the Supreme Court have already allowed our enemies that same right of appeal!

Specter has tried, while as a member of the Republican party, to reason and work with these extremists.  But, like many of us, he probably knows now that these new Republicans no longer reflect the ideals of Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan.  Most shameful about this is, where is John McCain on this issue?  Remember that McCain is a Veteran and former POW who claims he stands up for our troops!

By joining the Democrats, however, Specter may give the Democrats the necessary power of the vote to finally pass this important law that would bring equity to our honorable members of the military.

So much for the Republican claim of supporting our troops!  It amounts to no more than a wave of a little American flag while shouting “Go get ‘em boys!”  Sports fans support their teams better than that!

What really bothers me the most about this is that  currently the law looks at our enemies with greater equity than our troops!  Why would anyone who calls themself an American dishonor those who defend us by denying them their due rights?

 

Will It Work?

The House and Senate have tentatively reached a deal on the Stim Package today but will it work or will it just be another big-money expenditure for which taxpayers must pay the bill?

Senator Harry Reid of Nevada said that in order to reach the deal there was “a lot of give and take” but the final result shows that there was more giving to Republican obstructionists than anyone else.

This new version will cost taxpayers $789 billion, down from the $800-plus billion which the Senate approved earlier in the week.

Obviously absent from the announcement ceremony of this tentative plan was Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  It might have been a scheduling conflict or it could be her way of expressing unhappiness with the final result.

Gone is much of the money for education and schools and in are Republican tax cuts which were inserted to maintain the three Republican Senate votes (and potentially garner more).

The purpose of this Stimulus Package was to originally emulate a “New Deal” program which would create immediate jobs:  jobs rebuilding infrastructure like failing bridges and bad roads; modernizing our energy grid to become less dependent on oil; upgrading communication making high-speed internet available everywhere, and modernizing our schools so our kids have state-of-the-art science labs and computers.  Programs like these would provide jobs across the country as well as inspire small business creation and innovation.

Senator Olympia Snowe of Maine said that this deal is “right sized” and asserted that “every dollar is spent efficiently and effectively” but many of her colleagues in both the Senate and the House may not agree.

Democrats are feeling there isn’t enough to jump-start the economy and Republicans still feel that this bill is too much.  As I write this, breaking news is that Senate Democrats are not happy with Majority Leader Harry Reid because they feel he jumped the gun by shaking hands in agreement with the Republicans. 

Maybe they’re right…instead of rushing to pass a bill, any bill, like Congress did with the Wallstreet Bailout, perhaps Reid in the Senate  should review what we’re really getting in order to cater to a few obstructionists in the Repulican party who threaten filibuster.  Reid should call them on it because, if they do filibuster, they will have to explain to the American People their actions.

Instead of Reid trying to prevent a filibuster by working with the Republicans to get 60 Senate votes, Reid should instead say “go ahead and filibuster if that’s what you want to do.”  In trying to maintain only three Republican votes, Reid is making those three votes extremely powerful.

 Those three Republican Senators can call the shots on both Houses of Congress and, like we witnessed already with this economic package, those three people can make demands on what goes in and what stays out of the bill.

This is too important and, furthermore, what Reid does on this bill may determine how legislation will be handled for the next four years.

By instead calling the Republicans on a filibuster, it puts the ball back in their court.  If they do filibuster, they will have to have the support from their own party members to maintain the filibuster.  With instantaneous news to our cell phones and live Senate coverage on C-Span, the American People will witness in real time their lawmakers reading newspapers and cartoons on the Senate floor to block any further discussion or legislation.  And if the few obstructionist Republicans do convince the rest of their party’s Senators to go along with such a scene, it will not look good to the American people and the Republicans will pay the price in the 2010 elections.