Republicans Vote Against Moms; No Word Yet on Puppies, Kittens

Video at Think Progress

This has been coming for a long time. I’ve been watching the politicians in Washington very closely to see exactly how they intended to manage an administration that is so extremely neo-conservative that they are dangerous to this country and the world. I’ve seen heroic stances by some like Dennis Kucinich, Bernie Sanders, Patrick Leahy, Russ Feingold and even Ron Paul. However, this is not enough. We’ve seen Cynthia McKinney disenfranchised as well as others that have stood up to tyranny and war. Meanwhile, while all of this has taken place, the Democratic Party has been split down the middle and has offered no protection or support to any that oppose the horrendous regime in Washington.

Personally, I think another free trade deal at the current time is a bad idea. And as I wrote last night I think Pelosi was making the right moves demanding something of Bush before a vote and not accepting promises after. We all know how well Bush keeps his promises. So, Pelosi did it today. She hosed the president. And I disagree with Nelson: I think she did a good thing. But I'll let you read Nelson and decide for yourself:

Today's other "bomb" was exploded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As promised, the Democrats un-did Fast Track by a 224-195 vote, in order to avoid being forced to start the 90-day clock on the Colombia FTA.

From the Nelson Report:

SUMMARY: Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the House will vote tomorrow to change the rules right out from under the Administration's attempt to force a vote on the Colombia FTA within 90 days.

Cue cries of outrage from said Administration, business and financial leaders, bemusement from worried trade partners, and general confusion, including, "can they DO that?"

Answer: you bet. Fast Track is a rule of the House and Senate (separately) and can be changed any time you have the votes.

Question: OK, but is this a good idea?

Answer: it depends...are the Dems still serious about negotiating (our argument), or is this a lame, transparent effort to avoid being blamed for a strategic disaster (as some in the Administration's fear)?

I am very excited to see Mike Gravel “jump ship” and align himself with the Libertarian Party. I’m sure that anyone who that has read any of my articles knows that I too have come to the conclusion that there is basically very little difference between the Democrats and Republicans when it comes to the central core issues. We have of course, Republicans that espouse “progressive” stances as well as a good number of Democrats that could be considered liberal/progressives. The premise that the two parties have radically different ideologies when we look at their centrist bases however, belies the fact that the two parties have any real substantive differences.

It just goes to show that some people will never “get it”. The Progressive Press has whipped up a cauldron of molten ire against George W. Bush’s statement that the war in Iraq was “worth it”. My God, how could he say such a thing? The Progressive Press remarks; “Doesn’t he know that almost 4,000 Americans and untold Iraqi’s have died in a quagmire? Doesn’t he realize that the cost of this war is in the trillions? Doesn’t he realize that we are no closer to victory than we were five long years ago?”

Sure he does. He just doesn’t really care. He feels that as long as the defense contractors are making windfall profits along with Halliburton and their subsidiary KBR, and are getting gigantic no-bid contracts, and the Federal Reserve pours trillions of dollars at interest into the economy, making the bankers rich, and as long as the oil companies can get their hands on that Iraqi oil, the world is a great place. If you believe that he sees anything as wrong or right, you have a problem with your perception.

The Winter Soldier is underway in Washington DC. There, brave Iraq Vets are testifying to criminal acts committed while on duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. These orders came from the top down and the rules of engagement changed from day to day, all outside the scope of International Law. These soldiers and sailors have been vetted and they are speaking “Truth to Power”, something that also happened during 1971 at the First Winter Soldier.

The Seminar is getting huge mainstream media attention, however this is mostly International attention, the US media doesn’t seem at all interested in reporting on this, which is par for the course. The facts are that the Iraq War has only 1% of the coverage of the MSM. This is different than the pre-surge level of 15%. It seems as if the perception in this country is that the US has “turned the corner” in Iraq. This is the farthest thing from the truth. This week alone was one of the most violent weeks since before the surge. 12 US soldiers were killed last week alone.

Apparently the House did the right thing, passed the FISA bill, stripped retro-telecom immunity from the bill and played a nice little parliamentary trick, thus punking Bush, the Bluedogs and Senate Republicans. Well played.

Jim Abrams | Washington | March 11

AP - House Democrats, trying to restore integrity to the chamber's tarnished image, pushed through a measure Tuesday to create an outside panel to review possible ethical lapses by its members.

The new Office of Congressional Ethics would bring fundamental changes to how the House investigates itself. It would be charged with reviewing cases and referring them to the House ethics committee, which has drawn wide criticism in recent years for its partisanship and ineffectiveness.

The vote was 229-182, with much of the opposition coming from Republicans who argued that lawmakers should be able to police themselves.

LoL!

Pamela Hess | March 11

AP - House Democrats on Tuesday failed to overturn President Bush's veto of a bill that would have prohibited the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects.

The vetoed legislation would have limited the CIA to using only the 19 interrogation methods approved in the Army field manual. That guidebook bans the use of waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning. CIA Director Michael Hayden has confirmed that the spy agency used the technique on three terrorist suspects in 2002 and 2003.

The 225-188 House roll call was 51 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to overturn a veto. Bush has vetoed seven bills during his tenure, and only once has Congress mustered the votes to override his veto.

Why do we continue to support The Democrats in this day and age? I said the same thing in 2004 and I was told that we must change the party from within. Hogwash, the Democrats won’t change because their base is just fine with the way they are. The so-called “progressives” that vote for Democrats are not really progressive at all, the point being that if you vote for the “lesser of two evils” you are still voting for evil. The Democrats have supported this war since the beginning. Hillary Clinton supported the war and Obama supported the funding for this war.

The Democrats have not done the will of the people since they took control of Congress in 2006. We have heard only excuses on why this is so. The long and short of this matter is that a large percentage of Democrats have voted in lockstep with George W. Bush. They have not been censored by the Democratic Party because they are the majority of Democrats. This charade that the Democrats have been running on the American people has got to stop. The reason that progressives have not had a voice in the government can be laid at the feet of the Democrats. If the Democrats did not exist, there would be nothing to stop Progressives from getting behind Progressive candidates.

This Bush presidency will probably be compared to the presidency of Andrew Jackson if only for the power that has been infused into it. The eight years of power that Bush held will more than likely be looked at as the strongest presidency that never accomplished anything except a misguided war in a nation we should never become involved in. The backlash will be tremendous, the American people are already tired of this imperial presidency. Just as the presidency was weakened after Jackson, the presidency will be weakened after Bush, mainly because most Americans are extremely wary of this “unitary presidency”. With Cheney and Addington (Cheney's Chief of Staff and the chief proponent of the "unitary presidency") gone, there will be few proponents of a strong presidency working in the halls of power anywhere near Washington.

Feb 29

AP - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Friday she intends to sue the Bush administration in response to Attorney General Michael Mukasey's refusal to refer the House's contempt citations against two of President Bush's top aides to a federal grand jury.

Pelosi, in a written statement, accused the administration of "continuing to politicize law enforcement."

"The House has already provided authority for the Judiciary Committee to file a civil enforcement action in federal district court and the House shall do so promptly," she said. "As public officials, we take an oath to uphold the Constitution and protect our system of checks and balances and our civil lawsuit seeks to do just that."

Pelosi's statement closely followed Mukasey's letter Friday to Pelosi saying White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers were right in refusing to provide Congress White House documents or testify about the firings of federal prosecutors.

Mukasey says they committed no crime.

This letter is addressed to every individual in this country that has managed through their own perseverance and hard work to reap the benefits of the American Dream. The accumulation of wealth is not a means to an end however; the accumulation of wealth is only that, an accumulation of wealth. What one does with that wealth is the true measure of a person. I realize that many wealthy people in this nation have done great things with the fortunes they have accumulated, and this is one of the great reflections of the American spirit. There is unfortunately, a crisis that we are facing in our nation. This crisis has come about due to the way wealth has been distributed and used in the political arena. The sad truth is that the people of this nation no longer control the political landscape. We no longer enjoy a free, unfettered election process that is free of special moneyed interests. The media is controlled by a small number of corporations, and the major political parties are controlled by corporate donations that dwarf the donations that are made by average citizens.

H. Josef Hebert | Washington | Feb 27

AP - Democrats in Congress are relying on record oil prices and a surge in gasoline costs to make another attempt at imposing $18 billion in new taxes on the largest oil companies.

With crude oil prices exceeding $100 a barrel and gasoline prices moving well over $3 a gallon - and indications that $4 is not out of the picture as the summer driving season approaches - the House scheduled a vote on the tax measure for late Wednesday afternoon.

The House bill, similar to one that failed to win Senate approval last fall, would roll back two lucrative tax breaks for the largest U.S. oil companies, and use the money for tax incentives to support wind, solar and biofuel industries as well as energy efficiency programs.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sought to use the soaring prices at the pump as a way to garner support for the bill. Her office distributed a state-by-state list of high gasoline prices - up by more than 75 cents a gallon from a year ago - compared with oil industry profits, including a record $40.6 billion in earnings by ExxonMobil Corp. last year.

So much has happened in the last decade. Americans are bewildered and confused…at least this one. I have always had faith in America, always believing that although Americans are reluctant to criticize their government, they will eventually act and set about changing its course as to reflect the people’s wishes. The war in Vietnam was a good example. It took years for the American people to understand that it was a very different kind of war than they had experienced in the past. They were reluctant to believe that their own government had been less than honest with them. Still, they managed to understand that no matter who won, the nation couldn’t afford the cost of continued involvement in that war.

It’s about time that Liberals were proud of being called…well, Liberals. There has been change in this country, brought on by the radical Neo-Conservative movement that seems to have been utterly rejected by the American people. The Neo-Cons and their right-wing radio personalities and their Faux-News network have found their days numbered, and their audience shrinking. The constant bromating and discordance has provided no defense against the surge of Democrats that flock to the caucuses and primaries to remove the Republican Neo-Con stain that has sullied our government. The people in this country want change, and for the moment, that change is being touted by Barack Obama who seems certain to win the Democratic Primary by a significant margin, that is unless the super-delegates swing the tide to Hillary, and that doesn’t seem likely.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


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A graduate of the London School of Economics, Brent Budowsky has been quoted by name recently on CNBC. The following is an excerpt of his regular Tuesday column in The Hill.

The economic crisis

By Brent Budowsky

President Bush, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) should be applauded for bipartisanship, but the pending stimulus falls short, with a gathering storm of economic danger upon us…

The possibility of a cascading recession that spreads to global markets is real. The need for an anti-recession “insurance policy” is urgent. Chairman Greenspan, Chairman Bernanke, President Bush, Secretary Paulson, Congress and Wall Street leaders have all been wrong about this crisis. They must restore their credibility with policies equal to the task.

Rob Schneider | Indianapolis | December 15

IndyStar.com - U.S. Rep. Julia Carson never forgot what it was like to go to the poor-relief office to ask for food as a child when her mother was sick. Carson, who spent a lifetime speaking up for those who couldn't speak for themselves -- the poor, victims of discrimination and the homeless, died today from cancer. She was 69.

When she was elected to the Indiana House, her first bill was to bring domestic workers under the minimum wage.

A steadfast Democrat, Carson opposed President Bush's request for authority to wage war in 2002 and, in 1999, won enactment of a measure awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to civil rights figure Rosa Parks. She was also a supporter of organized labor, environmental protection, abortion rights, gun control and government health-care programs.

People who underestimated her did so at their own peril. She never lost an election.  more

Many stories on Carson,not a national headliner but an Indy legend, at indystar.com

From The Hill’s Pundits Blog:

Did Democrats and Republicans Endorse Torture?

Brent Budowsky

The reason a special prosecutor is needed in the torture tapes obstruction of justice case, and the reason there is private panic in many Democratic and Republican circles, is that it now appears that some prominent Democrats, along with some prominent Republicans, gave a private thumbs-up to torture in 2002…

It is time for truth. It is time for truth without fear. It is time to end torture. It is time for those who were wrong, in either party, to put their wrongness to the side and call for a full and complete investigation, no matter where the truth may lead, because it is clear where the cause of right must stand: End torture now.

Apparently Curt Weldon, former Congressman from Cuckoo, Pa, is caught up in some nasty business in Russia. This doesn't surprise me one bit. First, he took multiple trips to Moscow several years back. And when I say multiple, I mean many. He visited some rather, shall we say, edgy places in the Moscow scene, too. All I can say about this is that when you do business in Russia at some level the money is dirty. Full stop. It is unavoidable. Maybe the money you get is clean, but then it's been laundered already. Maybe the clean money you got is clean. Well, that just means it was laundered one level higher. Anyone, and I mean anyone doing 'biznis' in Russia knows this.

Now, I'm no fan of Weldon, and he probably got caught up in something he quickly lost control of. And there is no doubt a political revenge factor taking place here in the States vis-a-vis this investigation. But all things equal, anyone else doing business in Russia is at risk for the same kind of treatment Weldon is getting. That's the risk of doing business in Russia.

... wants you to read this pdf:

“Iran: Realities, Options, and Consequences. Part 3 – Regional and Global Consequences of U.S. Military Action in Iran.”

The request to disseminate it throughout Blogland comes from Larry Johnson at No Quarter where he relays this note sent:

This is a pamphlet for tomorrow’s hearing entitled, “Iran: Realities, Options, and Consequences. Part 3 – Regional and Global Consequences of U.S. Military Action in Iran.” (LINK: iran-3-pamphlet.pdf) Any help you can give us in distributing this to the “Blogosphere” would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

That would be today. Look for any records of the meeting at Waxman's page here.

That is all.

;)

Johanna Neuman | Washington | Nov 8

LA Times - The House of Representatives voted today to extend the nation's employment discrimination protections to gay Americans, the first time the long-proposed bill has advanced to the House floor.

In a debate that lasted more than five hours, some members of Congress made reference to the historic civil rights fight against racial prejudice while others appealed to the majority not to infringe on the religious rights of Christians who consider homosexuality an affront to God.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), who survived the beating of southern sheriffs during marches for civil rights, said that he had "fought too long and too hard to end discrimination based on race and color not to stand up against discrimination against our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters." Noting that protesters in the 1960s "broke down those signs that said 'white' and 'colored,' " Lewis said that today's vote was an opportunity "to bring down more signs."

But Rep. Mark Souder (R-Ind.), who narrowly won reelection last year amid a torrent of opposition ads in a district targeted by Democrats, argued that because of the bill, "religious rights will now be trumped by sexual rights." Calling the bill "a disaster for 85% of religious bookstores" that could be required to hire gay workers, he said the measure invited litigation and set "precedents that we will regret."

Here's another gem from Mark Fiore...

http://www.markfiore.com/spineocrat

...if only this was a real, I'd send some to Rahm.