Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com Politics Daily http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.politicsdaily.com/media/feedlogo.gif Politics Daily http://www.politicsdaily.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Democrats Could Lose Senate, Biden Warns Partyhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/democrats-could-lose-senate-biden-warns-party/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/democrats-could-lose-senate-biden-warns-party/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/democrats-could-lose-senate-biden-warns-party/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Democrats are only four seats away from losing control of the Senate to Republicans in 2012, Vice President Biden warned supporters in a online appeal for donations Tuesday.

"I am writing to you today because at a moment when the stakes are highest, Democrats in the Senate face the toughest electoral climate we've seen in a long time," he said in his e-mail from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Politico reported.

"Democrats are defending 23 seats in 2012, five of which are open. Republicans only need to pick up four to take control of the Senate," Biden wrote.

In late January, RealClearPolitics' Sean Trende identified 2012's most vulnerable Democrats as Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Jon Tester of Montana, Missouri's Claire McCaskill, Florida's Bill Nelson, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Virgina's James Webb (who has since announced he will not seek re-election). In North Dakota, Republicans have their sights on the seat now held by Democratic Sen. Kent Conrad, who after 24 years will not seek re-election.

Here's Biden's e-mail, posted at Politico:

I am writing to you today because at a moment when the stakes are highest, Democrats in the Senate face the toughest electoral climate we've seen in a long time.

Democrats are defending 23 seats in 2012, five of which are open. Republicans only need to pick up four to take control of the Senate.

President Obama and I believe that government has a responsibility to invest, to give people the tools to make the most of their own lives. But many of today's Republicans have a different vision.

That's why I'm writing to you today. The end of the month's FEC deadline is a crucial test of our strength. By giving to the DSCC, you have the power to prove to the pundits and our opponents that grassroots Democrats are standing together to defend our firewall.

Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. The DSCC must raise $233,533 by March 31 to build campaign infrastructure. Not meeting this deadline will mean not having the resources to win.

While Republicans in Congress are trying to drag us back to the past, President Obama and I are working to win the future.

We're working not only to create jobs in the short-term, but to make sure our nation can out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the competition in the long-term. To succeed, we need a Senate that's working with us.

Your gift to the DSCC is the best way to ensure just that. More than 90% of donations come from grassroots supporters who are standing with President Obama and me as we work toward an America that works for all Americans.

Click here to give $5 or more to the DSCC. The DSCC has an important FEC deadline on March 31, and it must raise $233,533 to recruit top candidates, build winning campaigns and keep the Senate blue.

Please stand with President Obama and me by standing with the DSCC. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Joe Biden

 

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]]>Democratic Senatorial Campaign CommitteeJoe BidenPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-22T18:30:00+00:00Republican Sen. Scott Brown: GOP's Planned Parenthood Cut 'Goes Too Far'http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/republican-sen-scott-brown-gops-planned-parenthood-cut-goes/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/republican-sen-scott-brown-gops-planned-parenthood-cut-goes/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/22/republican-sen-scott-brown-gops-planned-parenthood-cut-goes/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts has broken ranks with his party over an effort to defund Planned Parenthood, saying the move "goes too far."

"I support family planning and health services for women. Given our severe budget problems, I don't believe any area of the budget is completely immune from cuts," Brown said in a statement Tuesday.

"However, the proposal to eliminate all funding for family planning goes too far. As we continue with our budget negotiations, I hope we can find a compromise that is reasonable and appropriate."

Related Stories

Earlier, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) raised similar concerns about the House's proposal, Politico reported.

The House voted in February to cut more than $300 million from the organization as part of its $61 billion in proposed reductions in the current federal budget. Indiana Rep. Mike Pence represented his successful gutting of the funding as a victory in preventing abortion, even though the Hyde Amendment, enacted in 1977, prohibits federal funding of abortion except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the mother.

The GOP budget bill is the subject of negotiations between the House and the Senate. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has said he would not accept a bill that strips Planned Parenthood of federal dollars, The Hill reported.

In a related development, 29 fiscally conservative organizations have called for the immediate defunding of Planned Parenthood, according to The Hill.

"On economic merit alone, Planned Parenthood should be near the top of the cut list," the groups' letter to Congress says. "To begin with, as Chuck Donovan at the Heritage Foundation has pointed out, Planned Parenthood is awash in net income. From 2002 to 2007, the national organization and its affiliates took in $388 million more than they spent on programs and services. Even in the midst of the recession, the president of the organization still received more than $337,000 in an annual salary and tens of thousands more in benefits and allowances. Planned Parenthood is receiving a rolling, annual bailout, and they don't even need it."

 

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]]>Lisa MurkowskiPlanned Parenthoodplanned parenthood federal fundingScott Brown MassachusettsPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-22T15:44:00+00:00Obama in Brazil, Balancing Latin American Swing With Libyan Crisishttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/obama-in-brazil-balancing-latin-american-swing-with-libyan-cris/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/obama-in-brazil-balancing-latin-american-swing-with-libyan-cris/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/19/obama-in-brazil-balancing-latin-american-swing-with-libyan-cris/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

President Obama, balancing the crisis in Libya with a long-planned trip to Latin America, arrived in Brazil Saturday at the outset of a three-country swing aimed at strengthening the nation's economic relationship with its neighbors and improving regional security.

"As we respond to these immediate crises abroad, we also will not let up in our efforts to tackle the pressing, ongoing challenges facing our country, including accelerating economic growth," Obama said in his weekly address before departing.

Related Stories

Latin America is experiencing rapid economic growth, the president said, and is open for business with North American companies. "We now export more than three times as much to Latin America as we do to China, and our exports to the region will soon support more than two million jobs here in the United States," he said.

After Air Force 1 landed in Brasilia, the capital, Obama was briefed on the fluid situation in Libya by National Security Adviser Tom Donilon.
On a drizzly day, Obama was met at the Brasilia airport by U.S. Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, prior to a formal welcoming ceremony and bilateral session with Brazil President Dilma Rousseff at the presidential palace. Rousseff accepted an invitation to visit the United States later this year.

Later at a meeting with CEOs, Obama said the two countries would enter into a new trade and cooperation deal and also an open skies agreement, liberalizing the countries' respective rules for air routes, capacity and pricing of commercial airliners.

The president was accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama, their daughters Sasha and Malia, and Marian Robinson, the president's mother-in-law. He will also visit Chile and El Salvador in Central America.

Speaking in Brasilia Saturday at a youth cultural event, Michelle Obama noted that she had come from a modest working class background. "I want you all to look at me and see that anything is possible, That's why I'm here... " she said. "I hope that you all will keep pushing yourselves. I hope you all will keep pushing one another. I hope that you all continue to work as a commnity, you support each other, that you encourage each other...."

In Washington, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), top Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said Obama should consider proposing a reciprocal tax treaty with Brazil, so companies doing business with both nations can avoid double taxation, the Associated Press said.

Watch Obama's weekly remarks.




 

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]]>BrazilChileLatin AmericaPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-19T11:59:00+00:00Stopgap Spending Bill Approved by Senatehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/stopgap-spending-bill-approved-by-senate/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/stopgap-spending-bill-approved-by-senate/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/17/stopgap-spending-bill-approved-by-senate/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

The Senate on Thursday approved another stopgap spending bill that cuts $6 billion more from the federal budget and keeps the government running until at least April 8, the Washington Post reports.

The bill passed 87 to 13. The House has already approved the legislation, so it now goes to President Obama, who is expected to sign it.

The bill would give House and Senate negotiators breathing room to try to hammer out a longer-term spending plan for the rest of the fiscal year.

An earlier stopgap bill passed in early March trimmed $4 billion in federal spending

The $10 billion in cuts so far are far short of the $61 billion the GOP-controlled House agreed to trim from the federal budget for the rest of the fiscal year. But the Democratically controlled Senate rejected the larger House bill, and the impasse over the budget has forced Congress to consider short-term measures until a compromise can be reached.

Following Thursday's vote, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said the modest trims would amount to $140 billion in savings over the next decade -- "All in all, a good day's work."

 

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]]>deficitfederal budgetspendingspending cutsstopgap spending billPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-17T15:56:00+00:00Sen. Rand Paul Heading to Key Presidential Contest Stateshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/16/sen-rand-paul-heading-to-key-presidential-contest-states/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/16/sen-rand-paul-heading-to-key-presidential-contest-states/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/16/sen-rand-paul-heading-to-key-presidential-contest-states/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

A father and son running for president at the same time? It seems highly unlikely, but Rep. Ron Paul says the odds are 50-50 that he will again seek the Republican presidential nomination, and his son, Sen. Rand Paul, has trips planned soon to South Carolina and Iowa -- two of the states where the 2012 race will begin.

Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is headed to Charleston, S.C., Monday for an off-the-record meeting of influential conservatives, CNN reported. He is slated for a return trip to the state to promote his new book, "The Tea Party Goes to Washington," and he has a speaking engagement at a GOP dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 2.

The first-term senator, who shares his dad's libertarian leanings, has made an impression with his uncompromising stands on spending issues. But he probably wouldn't even flirt with the notion of running nationally unless his dad decides to take a pass on 2012. Even so, when a senator starts spending time in states like Iowa, South Carolina and New Hampshire in the months preceding an election year, his travel schedule gets the attention of the political press.

Ron Paul (R-Texas) ran for president in 2008, winning 16 delegates and a strong following drawn to his fiscal conservatism and opposition to the war in Iraq. In 1988, he ran nationally as the candidate of the Libertarian Party, getting 430,000 votes nationwide.

Two father-and-son combos have served in the White House -- John Adams and John Quincy Adams, and George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush -- but none competed against each other.

 

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]]>dailyguidanceRand PaulRon PaulPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-16T09:30:00+00:00Fox News Adds Indiana Democrat Evan Bayh as Commentatorhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/fox-news-adds-indiana-democrat-evan-bayh-as-commentator/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/fox-news-adds-indiana-democrat-evan-bayh-as-commentator/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/15/fox-news-adds-indiana-democrat-evan-bayh-as-commentator/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Former Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh, an influential voice for moderation during his 12 years in the U.S. Senate, has signed on as a political commentator with Fox News.

Bayh, 55, chose not to seek reelection last year -- and his seat was subsequently lost a Republican in November, Dan Coats.

"I'm pleased to offer analysis of public policy and politics to the millions of Americans who get their news from Fox," Bayh said in a statement issued by the network. He will "lend a valuable point of view" and will be part of Fox's coverage of the 2012 presidential race, Fox Senior Vice President Michael Clemente said.

In Indiana, Bayh is a household name. He is a former governor and the son of Birch Bayh, who also served in the Senate and ran for president in 1976, losing the Democratic nomination to Jimmy Carter.

A lawyer, Bayh recently joined the Washington firm of McGuireWoods and became an adviser to the New York-based private equity firm of Apollo Global Management, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Fox News, often criticized for leaning too heavily on conservative Republican commentators, recently suspended former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum from their contributor roles because both are edging toward candidacies for the GOP presidential nomination.

 

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]]>birch bayhdailyguidanceDan Coatsevan bayhPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-15T12:58:00+00:00The Gridiron Club's 2011 Political/Media Roast and Toast Lyricshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/the-gridiron-clubs-2011-political-media-roast-and-toast-lyrics/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/the-gridiron-clubs-2011-political-media-roast-and-toast-lyrics/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/13/the-gridiron-clubs-2011-political-media-roast-and-toast-lyrics/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Once again, you won't see this costumed spoof on C-SPAN or YouTube, unless someone among the record 633 invited guests at Saturday night's 126th annual Gridiron Dinner surreptitiously captures the singing, dancing and wise-cracking and posts it online.

Of course there's always a chance an adroit cellphone or camera-toting guest will violate club rules, either at the dinner or at Sunday's matinee reprise show, thus busting an image-less tradition in place since 1885.

Say what you will about the irony or hypocrisy of a group of journalists barring media cameras from broadcasting the onstage antics (C-SPAN has been asking to do just that for a quarter century). Only the speeches by President Obama, Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana (cracking jokes for the Republicans) and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius (doing stand-up for the Dems) will be on the written record, although many more details will likely leak out.

In a nod to the times, tweeting, Facebooking and other instant communication about all aspects of the dinner were embargoed until it ended.

So in the interest of semi-transparency, herewith the lyrics from every parody performed
this weekend by nearly 100 journalists and a handful of vocally-blessed ringers with truly great voices.

Don't Stop Believin' (Journey/Glee)

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADERS singing about Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Obama

DEM CHEERLEADER 1

He came from Ha-wai-i, with hope, change and audacity.
Now two years later and he is on the run.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 2

In a designer blouse, not long ago she ruled the House. She lost her power, and it's just no damn fun.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 1

He calls her on the telephone.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 2

Says Nancy, are you all alone?

BOTH

For a moment, they both shut their eyes, and dream on and on and on and on.
What if midterms, had turned out very differently?

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 1

What if red states had turned blue?

CHEERLEADER 1

What if we could, cap and trade and then we'd save the whales.

CHEERLEADER 2

Health care for all,

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 2

Dental too!

BOTH

Don't stop, believin'.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADERS 1& 2

Who are you deceivin'?

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 1

We're cooked.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 2

We're through.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADERS 1 & 2

Whoa oh oh!
Don't stop believin'.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADERS 1& 2

Dudes, you must be dreamin'.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 1

Farewell.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADER 2

Aloha.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADERS 1 & 2

Whoa oh -oh!

CHORUS

Don't stop!


LIVIN' ON A PRAYER (Bon Jovi/Glee)

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADER 1

Boehner used to work in a bar.
Palin hunts for moose, they're not very far.
Like Russia, they're in her yard.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADER 2

Bachmann would repeal this whole room.
Newt is back for more, O'Donnell might fly in soon, On her broom.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADER 1 & 2

Now, that we're run by the Tea Party
Let's fire all the unions, make them work for free.
With God and money we rule the House for now,
Just don't ask us how.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADER 1

Are we screwed next year?

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADERS 1 & 2

Hell yeah! You haven't got a prayer.

REPUBLICAN CHEERLEADER 2

Senate seemed to be so near.

DEMOCRATIC CHEERLEADERS 1 & 2

No way, you haven't got a prayer.

CHORUS

Haven't got a prayer!


TIME WARP (Rocky Horror Show/Glee)

SPEAKER

And now the part, where we sing 'bout ourselves.
I apologize, boss, if this causes any stress.
But fair is fair, and no one is exempt here,
So now it's time, to poke fun at the press.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 1

I remember, when newspapers were dying
Network ratings in the dumps, it surely looked like the end.
The furloughs were appalling, but then Bloomberg started calling.
We're back in business again.

CHORUS

We're back in business again.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 2

There's Arianna on the left.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 1

Glenn Beck's on the right.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 2

Juan Williams works for Fox now.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 1 NPR?

Not so bright.

PRESS CHEERLEADER 2

Is that Jul-i-an Assange there?

PRESS CHEERLEADER 1

No, he's not that insane.

BOTH

But thanks, Jules, your leaks were our gain.

CHORUS

We're back in business again.

REPORTER

I took a flogging, before I started blogging,
Each morning I write tweets, then switch to video.
I like to write at Starbucks, it's like the newsroom 'cept it don't suck,
Maybe I'll go to work at Patch, and cover 'burbs in Kokomo.
Politico sent out a news alert, in just one hour it's the thirty-third.
The cycle never stops, 24-7 in the know.
Enrollment's up in J-school. We're the cool kids but not that cool.

DEMOCRATIC AND REPUBLICANS CHEERLEADERS AND REPORTER

So welcome to Gridiron, my friends.

CHORUS

Welcome to Gridiron, again.
Wel-come to Grid-iron, a-gain.


KNOCK AROUND BARACK (Rock Around the Clock, Bill Haley)

Cast portraying Republican Reps. Eric Cantor, Kevin McCarthy, Paul Ryan, Darrell Issa

CANTOR

House went up 63, thanks a lot Barack
Six more seats in the Senate, thanks a lot Barack
Boehner's now the Speaker, and the Dem's are still in shock
We're gonna knock Barack around the clock
Pick your spending cuts, and come with us
We'll put it all in an Omnibus

RYAN, McCARTHY, ISSA

We're gonna block Barack around the clock
We're gonna block block block it's our bedrock
We're gonna rock gonna rock our great big voting bloc

CANTOR

When health care dies, and earmarks flee
We'll owe a debt to the tea par-ty

TRIO

We're gonna move Obama to the right
We're gonna mock mock mock his election fright
We're gonna talk, gonna talk, and then we might indict

CANTOR

Republicans will have our way
We'll protect your wealth when you pass away
We're gonna knock Barack around the clock
It's just a recipe for more gridlock
We're gonna block, gonna block Barack around the clock.

CHORUS

We're gonna block Barack around the clock
It's a recipe for more gridlock
We're gonna knock, gonna knock Barack around the clock.


A BOEHNER MEDLEY (From: Johnny Angel, Shelley Fabares, and It's My Party, Lesley Gore)

Cast portraying John Boehner

LEAD SINGER

Johnny Boehner (GIRL GROUP: Johnny Boehner), he's our Speaker (he's our speaker)
He's got charm and grace and such élan
We Republicans are thrilled
That he's our No. 1 man

Johnny Boehner (GIRLS: Johnny Boehner), how we love him (how we love him)
He's the one who some of us adore
How we hold our breath when votes
Are counted on the House floor

He gets headaches
All his ducks in a row
Shot down by his own folks
No wonder that he smokes
In his loafers, and his bright-colored ties
At least he wears a shirt
While others online flirt

Johnny Boehner (GIRLS: Johnny Boehner), we still love him (we still love him)
He's so orange, suave and doctrinaire
If his convictions have to die
At least he'll do it with flair

ALL SHOUT: LOOK! HERE HE IS NOW!

BOEHNER (It's My Party and I'll Cry If I Want To)

Nobody knows just how hard it can be
Keeping a caucus in line;
Right wingers go their own way.
They pay their speaker no mind.

I'm try'n to show them some leadership here
Some gravitas and some gu-uts;
How did I end up in bed
With all these Tea Party nuts?

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to,
Cry if I want to, Cry if I want to;
You would cry too if it happened to you.


LADIES OF MAINE (Lady of Spain, Eddie Fisher)

Cast portraying: Republican Sens. Jim DeMint; Sen. Rand Paul; Sen. Olympia Snowe

DUET

Ladies of Maine, we abhor you
Loyalty means nothing to you
How could you work with those yahoos?
Just when we needed you most?

Stimulus money, how could you?
Gays and abortion, why would you?
Tea party's now aiming for you
Ladies of Maine, you'll be toast.

CHORUS:

Ladies of Maine, you'll be toast


REPUBLICAN MEMOIRS (Paperback Writer, The Beatles)
Cast portraying George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Dick Cheney

BUSH

Hey Dick and Rummy, did you read my book?
It took me DAYS to write, you should take a look
it's based on my mem'ry of decider days
how I got Saddam,
Even when I learned that he had no weapons

CHORUS

He had no weapons

RUMSFELD

Iraq's my story and I do confess
How because of YOU it became a mess
Paul Bremer, Condi Rice and Colin too
Screwed the whole thing up
Never told me that we needed more troops there
Needed more troops there

CHORUS:

Needed more troops there...troops there....troops there...

CHENEY

Mine will come out soon and then I'll settle scores
Like Iraqi prisoners you'll be on all fours
Al Qaeda's working to destroy this place,
Still a real grave threat
But Obama knows that we did the right things

CHORUS:

We did the right things

BUSH, RUMSFELD, CHENEY

If you really like them you can have our rights,
We can make a movie for you overnight.

BUSH: Brad Pitt, RUMSFELD: George Clooney, CHENEY: and Matt Damon too.

They can play our parts
Just as long as they can make us look macho
Make us look macho

CHORUS:

Make them look macho...macho...macho


FINGER IN THE WIND (Candle in the Wind, Elton John)

Cast portraying GOP Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham

MCCAIN:

Gays in the military
Used to never bother me at all
I was happy once letting
The Joint Chiefs make that call
And on immigration,
You know my old stance was withdrawn
And my message, it became:
"Hey Juan, get off my lawn." [shout this line]

And it may seem to you I lived last year
With my finger in the wind
Never knowing what to cling to
'Cause I had to win
And when it comes to all your judgments
Frankly, I don't give a damn.
I still have my Senate seat
And my best friend, Lindsey Graham

CHORUS
He still has his Senate seat
And his best friend, Lindsey Graham


LEADER OF THE PAC (Leader of the Pack, the Shangri-Las)
Cast portraying Mitch Daniels and Girl Group

SPOKEN:

MITCHETTE 1

Is she really gonna give to HIM ?

MITCHETTE 2

Well, there she is. Let's ask her.

MITCHETTE 1

Betty - Is that Mitch's PAC you're supporting?

BETTY:

Mm-hmm

MITCHETTE 2

Gee - it must be great giving to Mitch.
Is he doing anything for you?

BETTY

Uhn - uhn

MITCHETTE 1

By the way, where'd you meet him?

SUNG:

Betty:

I met him at the O-M-B
He read tax code and rules to me
You get the picture?

MITCHETTES

Yes, we see

BETTY:

So now I give to the AIMING HIGHER PAC.
(Motorcycle Noise)
Some folks say he's a true heavyweight (Mitchettes: weight, weight)
Though he may come from a really dull state

MITCHETTES

(Watcha mean when ya say that he comes from a really dull state?)

BETTY

They said he had no height
But I fell for his might
That's why I give to the AIMING HIGHER PAC
(Motorcycle Noise)
One day I might want somebody new (Mitchettes: new, new)
But till then Mitch will just have to do

MITCHETTES

(Watcha mean when ya say that ya might want somebody new?)

BETTY

My Hoosier's plans are grand
But sometimes he seems bland

CHORUS

But still she gives to the AIMING HIGHER PAC

THE IMPOSSIBLE TWEET (The Impossible Dream, from Man of La Mancha)

SARAH PALIN character

To tweet the un-thought-about tweet
To own my own name through trademark
To scorn those who opine against me
To shoot caribou on a lark

To give those at C-Pac the shaft
To star in reality shows
To bear the unbearable liberals
To blog about things I don't know

This is my quest
To side-step the press
To run if I want to
Not under duress

To fight for the right
And to lay waste the left
To be willing to refudiate
Without knowledge or heft

And I know if I only stay true
To my Tea Party base
That my books and my speeches will sell
If I just show my face

CHORUS

And her world will be richer for this
Who needs work or an office to seek

PALIN

I'll rise as a modern-day Shakespeare
To tweet the un-thought-about tweet


I'VE SEEN EVERYONE (I've Been Everywhere, Hank Snow)
Cast portraying Karl Rove and various GOP presidential candidates names in the song

ROVE

Well, back in the day, you know
They called me the ARCHitect
I had a certain knack for knowin'
Who the people WOULD elect

But this time I dunno unless
There's someone I've missed
And, listen, man, I've looked at
Every hopeful on the list!

I've seen every one, man
I've seen every one, man
Sure as the mornin' sun, man
They all wanna run, man
Egos by the ton, man
I've seen every one.

I've seen...
Romney, Huckabee, Christie, Giuliani
Johnson, Huntsman, Daniels and Pawlenty
Roemer, Cain, DeMint, Santorum
Trump, Bush, Bachmann, Barbour and Bolton
Perry and Pence and Palin and Paul
Gingrich, too, I've seen 'em all.

Tim is excitin' -- NO, not very
But HE's got Red Hot Smokin' Mary
Cain's an expert with a pizza
Mitch, he's shorter than Scalia
Haley hopes he can win it all,
And history'll get an overhaul.

I've seen every one, man
I've seen every one, man
Sure as the mornin' sun, man
They all wanna run, man
Egos by the ton, man
I've seen every one.

I've seen ...
Huckabee at his weekly weigh-in
Sarah Palin out surveyin'
Eye of Newt and chin of Romney
Guy in drag, that's Giuliani
Mitt, he's drivin' fast and far
With man's best friend strapped to his car.

John McCain, I guess he's history
What he's thinkin', it's a mystery
Where the heck is Harold Stassen
Guess he's pushin' up the grass..an'
Someone mentioned Alan Keyes

CHORUS (Shouted)

Not again!! Oh, spare us please!

CHORUS

We've seen every one, man
We've seen every one, man
Sure as the mornin' sun, man
They all wanna run, man
Egos by the ton, man

ROVE

I've seen every one.


EVERYTHING's COMING UP ROSES (Gypsy)

Cast portraying Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid

PELOSI

Things are swell!

REID

Things are fine!

PELOSI

Harry's still got his JOB, I got mine

REID

Now we're back.

PELOSI

Frick and Frack.
REID

Nancy, everything's coming up roses!
PELOSI

Lost the House
REID

That's okay

PELOSI

Running things was a drag anyway

REID

Budget cuts? Not for us

PELOSI

Honey, we would be holding our noses!

REID

Who needs winning! Power's lost its lus-TER

PELOSI

My head was spinning!
REID

It's our turn to filibus-TER!
PELOSI

We give up! To the right!
REID

Let them get 60 votes every night!
PELOSI

Our stimulus ... will stimulate!
REID

Any year now! Just you wait!
PELOSI

There's really nothing left for us to do!

REID

Nancy, everything's coming up roses for me and you!
PELOSI

Boehner's in charge; let's see how much that he can do!
BOTH

The mess that we left him will mess up his Tea Party!
CHORUS

Everything's coming up roses for you and for me!



JUST LIKE A LIBERAL (Bob Dylan's Just Like a Woman)

Cast portraying Howard Dean

HOWARD DEAN

Nobody feels any change
Since that election night Chicago - it's all the same!
Everyone supposed, we knew `The One' we chose
But lately we seen the emperor has no clothes
Now we're wondering: Who's that man?

(refrain)
He looks just like a lib-ral
Yes he does and he writes books just like a lib-ral
Yes and his knee jerks just like a lib-ral
But he works with ... the Re-pub-li-CANS


John Boehner's his new friend
Can you believe they cut the rich man's tax again?
What were those campaign pledges worth?
Quell the oceans, heal the earth
Don't ask don't tell the country of your birth
End the war, close Guantanamo - "No we can't!"

(refrain)
He's so cool just like a lib-ral
Yes he is Harvard Law School just like a lib-ral
Suffers us fools, just like a lib-ral
SOLOIST and CHORUS: But he rules with Republi-CANS


MY FAVORITE FRIENDS (My Favorite Things from "The Sound of Music")

Cast portraying Sec. of State Hillary Clinton and global leaders named in the skit:

(Spoken) Oh, no! We said WHAT about WHO?

How dare that Wiki-Leaks publish our super-secret cables? Can you imagine
a world where diplomats say what they really think about foreign leaders?

Well it would certainly make it more fun to listen to Hillary Clinton. Here
comes our frequent-flying secretary of state now.

HILLARY CLINTON, singing:

A thin-skinned French MIDGET who goes by Sar-KO-zy
A dirty old man that they CALL Berlus-CO-ni
A nut job named KARzai who we must defend
These are a few of my favorite friends

Kim JONG-il's a drunken delusional FAT man
MedVEDev and Putin are Robin and BATman
In a Mafia state run by Russian made-men
CHORUS: These are a few of my favorite friends

Germany's MERK-el is timid and NER-vous
QuaDAffi's had sexy UKRAINian nurses
Prince ANdrew's bad language can SOMEtimes offend
CHORUS: These are a few of her favorite friends

After long flights
When this job bites
When I'm feeling bleak
I simply imagine my favorite friends
When they see their WI-ki leak

IT WAS NEWS TO ME (You Belong to Me)

Cast portraying CIA Director Leon Panetta:

PANETTA

See the pyramids along the Nile.
Authoritarians were just our style.
Revolutions brewing all the while
How was I to see?

Tunis, Cairo, those kids ran amok
Hid their plans where we would never look
A very secret place they call Facebook
It was news to me.

Could it be that after all those years
Of giving tyrants cash and guns and gear
Egypt, Bahrain all that oil so dear
Won't belong to us?

CHORUS

Won't belong to us!

_________________________________________________

TSA MEDLEY (Heigh-Ho from "Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs" and Give up the Funk)

TSA SCREENER

Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! To frisk you we must go! We'll reach way down and grope around!
Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho.

Heigh-ho Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! We'll goose you 'til you glow!
We're going to look, in every nook! Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!

If you say NO, say NO! To X-Ray you must go! And we'll divulge your every bulge!
Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!

Heigh-ho Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho! This may feel kind of low!
If it's a pain, then take the train! Heigh Ho! Heigh-Ho

HARRIED AIR TRAVELER

You got a late flight to catch, you're in line, losing time
There's a whole lot of waitin' goin' on (Heigh-ho!)
You feel a hand on your waist, moving 'round, slidin' down
There's a whole lot of feelin' goin' on (Heigh-ho!)

Don't touch my junk! (Heigh-ho!)
CHORUS: Don't touch my junk! (Heigh-ho!)
I know my rights! (Heigh-ho!)
Stay outta my tights! (Heigh-ho!)
When did the courts (Heigh-ho!)
Let you into my shorts? (Heigh-ho!)
Yo, screener punk! (Heigh-ho!)
CHORUS: Don't touch my junk!
_____________________________________________________________

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW (from the Wizard of Oz)

Cast portraying Health Sec. Kathleen Sebelius and characters from The Wizard of Oz

SECRETARY SEBELIUS

Somewhere over the rainbow
Mandates lay.
We made sure they won't start 'til
After Election Day.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Cost curves bend,
And the savings we promised
Will cause the debt to end.

But if you have a slacker son
Who's sitting home upon his bum,
He's covered.

And if conditions pre-exist,
You won't lack coverage due to risk.
Don't you just love this?!

Somewhere over the rainbow
Folks will see
A better system if it's fine
with Justice Kennedy.
Some day they'll thank us, yes they will,
But only after
They...get...very ... ill.


TRIANGULATE (Twist and Shout)
Cast portraying Bill Clinton

Well, take it from Bubba now (CHORUS: take it from Bubba)
Tri-ANG-u-LATE! (CHORUS: tri-ang-u-late)
Fake it, fake it, Obama now (CHORUS: fake it Obama)
For me it worked great. (CHORUS: It worked great)

You're going to look so tight (CHORUS: look so tight)
You're going to look so slick (CHORUS: look so slick)
Play the left against the right now (CHORUS: left against right)
Just like I did in 96 (CHORUS: ninety-six)

[8-bar dance break]

CHORUS

Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah, (squeal)

Well, it's really not that hard now (CHORUS: not that hard)
Tri-ANG-u-LATE! (CHORUS: triangulate!)
Your opponents aren't that smart now (CHORUS: not that smart)
You know they'll take the bait (CHORUS: Take the bait, oooh!)

You're a silver-tongued devil, (CHORUS: silver-tongued devil)
There's no one so deft (CHORUS: none so deft)
You can own the whole center now (CHORUS: own the whole center)
If you freak out the Left (CHORUS: freak out the left!)

CHORUS

Aaah, aaah, aaah, aaah


"MAKE IT STOP" ("Start Me Up" Rolling Stones)

RED CHEERLEADER 1

Yeah we started up
So long ago you thought we'd never stop
Since we started up
You wondered when the show would ever stop

We've been on so long
Bill Daley's nappin' on a table top
Seventh course is done
Alan Greenspan's beggin'make it stop, make it stop, make it, make it, make it stop

We've made you ladies sigh
We've made you grown men cry
We singe but never fry
Sometimes we're cute, sometimes we're mean
Sometimes out meaning is impossible to glean

CHORUS

Time to stop
Time to stop


"THE GRIDIRON PLAYERS'' ("Livin' on a Prayer" Bon Jovi)

BLUE CHEERLEADER 1

They got some nerve to stand up on stage

They're barely employed, they don't act their age
They lust for . . . your gaffes

They been from Dogpatch to Camelot
Coverin' politicians some were clean some not
For tellin' truth to power they're OK but -- for laughs
Is this all they got?

Whoa-oh the Gridiron players
Whoa-no they don't have a prayer
They got a band, pretty costumes to wear
But whoa-no they don't have a prayer

CHORUS

Whoa-oh the Gridiron players
Whoa-no they don't have a prayer
They got a band, pretty costumes to wear
But whoa-no they don't have a prayer


"THE GRIDIRON-RON'' ("Da Doo Ron Ron," Crystals)

RED CHEERLEADERS; BLUE CHEERLEADERS; OLD NEWSBOY;
GOOD-GIRL & BAD-GIRL GROUPS
RED CHEER 1

Tonight we showed the world the way to get along

RED DUET

At Gridiron-ron at Gridiron

RED CHEER 2

Just drink a glass of wine and sing a silly song

CHORUS

At Gridiron-ron at Gridiron
RED DUET

Strange bedfellows
Dancing dosi-dos
'Til the curtains close
CHORUS

At Gridiron-ron at Gridiron

BLUE CHEER 1

Sebelius tried sell us medicine

BLUE DUET

At Gridiron-ron at Gridiron
BLUE CHEER 2

Mitch Daniels rocked us like a crazy man
CHORUS

At Gridiron-ron, at Gridiron
BLUE DUET

Monday we will fight
But we're friends tonight
By the rosy light
Of Gridiron-ron of Gridiron

OLD NEWS

We started up the show in 1885
CHORUS

The Gridiron-ron, the Gridiron

OLD NEWS

Some of us remember 'cause we're still alive

QUINTET

At Gridiron, son, at Gridiron

QUINTET

O say can you see
Sweet Civility
Baby 'tis of thee
We sing at Gridir'n at Gridi-ron

CHORUS REPEATS VERSE

O say can you see . . .

 

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]]>Annie Groer2011-03-13T11:43:00+00:00Obama Calls for Passage of Workplace Fairness Act for Womenhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/obama-calls-for-passage-of-workplace-fairness-act/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/obama-calls-for-passage-of-workplace-fairness-act/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/12/obama-calls-for-passage-of-workplace-fairness-act/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

President Obama, who has two young daughters, pressed Saturday for passage of a bill meant to make it easier for women to have their day in court when they feel employers are underpaying them simply because of their gender.

Obama, in his weekly address, said he was disappointed when the Senate fell just short of approving the Paycheck Fairness Act last year. He urged Congress to take another crack at it and vowed, "I'm going to keep up the fight to pass the reforms in that bill."

The legislation would treat gender discrimination involving wages in the same manner as discrimination related to race, age or disability -- effectively opening up another avenue for court challenges. Many business interests oppose it because they fear a flood of litigation.

"At a time when folks across this country are struggling to make ends meet -- and many families are just trying to get by on one paycheck after a job loss -- it's a reminder that achieving equal pay for equal work isn't just a women's issue. It's a family issue," Obama said. "It is something I care deeply about as the father of two daughters who wants to see his girls grow up in a world where there are no limits to what they can achieve," he said.

Women have made great strides, he said. For instance, they are now more likely to attend college than men. Yet American women are also more likely to live in poverty and still earn only 75 cents for every dollar made by male workers, the president said.

For the Republicans Saturday, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) talked about energy costs as the price at the pump for motorists continues to rise in part due to the crisis in Libya. Murkowski acknowledged the upheaval in oil-producing Libya and the middle east. But she said the U.S. needs to produce more of its own energy from the Gulf of Mexico, the Rocky Mountain states and Alaska. "Our own shortsightedness and restrictions have played a role" in the cost increases, she said.

Watch video of Obama's remarks.


 

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]]>dailyguidancewomens payPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-12T16:33:00+00:00White House Longs for 'Golden Era' of Balanced Budgetshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/white-house-longs-for-golden-era-of-balanced-budgets/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/white-house-longs-for-golden-era-of-balanced-budgets/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/white-house-longs-for-golden-era-of-balanced-budgets/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , ,

Ah, those were the good old days.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, peppered with spending questions, couldn't hide a little nostalgia Wednesday for a simpler, more prosperous time a little more than a decade back -- a time of balanced budgets.

"There was a golden era in an administration long, long ago, where balanced budgets were created, where surpluses were created," Carney during an exchange with a reporter at his daily briefing. "Surpluses were envisioned as far as the eye could see: 1999, 2000."

Right. So it wasn't that long ago. In fiscal year 1999, with President Bill Clinton in the White House and Republicans holding a majority on Capitol Hill, the nation's budget was balanced and produced a $1.8 billion surplus. The following year the federal surplus grew to $86.4 billion. And at least some of the credit for that goes to peace, prosperity and a bipartisan, tax-raising budget deal in the early 1990s between President George H. W. Bush and the Congress.

The burst of the dot-com bubble, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq soon erased the surplus -- and President Obama faces a deficit likely to exceed $1.5 trillion this year.

With the clock winding down on another stopgap spending plan, Carney said "we need to get very soon to the hard work, the important but achievable work of negotiating a budget deal that funds government through the end of the year, cuts spending substantially in a way all sides can agree on, and that maintains the important investments to keep our economy growing." The spokesman was back on message.

 

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]]>Bill Clintondailyguidancefederal spending cutsspendingspending cutsPolitics Daily Staff2011-03-09T17:40:00+00:00Rival Budget Bills Fail in Senate, Shutdown Countdown Beginshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/cliff-rival-budget-bills-fail-in-senate-shutdown-countdown-b/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/cliff-rival-budget-bills-fail-in-senate-shutdown-countdown-b/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/09/cliff-rival-budget-bills-fail-in-senate-shutdown-countdown-b/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

The Senate voted Thursday to defeat two rival plans to cut federal spending through the end of the year, reflecting deep divisions over the best course to tame the country's spiraling debt.

The impasse means that lawmakers will continue negotiations ahead of a March 18 deadline. That's when the current short-term spending measure expires and the government could shutdown without a new agreement.

The first bill, approved by House Republicans last month, was rejected in the Senate by a vote of 44 to 56. All 53 Democrats and three Republicans voted against it. Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) said the cuts in the GOP bill did not go far enough.

Related Stories

Then the Democratic alternative failed 42 to 58. All 46 Republicans voted no, along with 11 Democrats and one independent.

The GOP bill would have sliced $61 billion from the current budget through cuts to programs dear to Democrats' hearts, like implementation of health care reform, Pell grants, early learning programs, nutrition for women and children, and funding for Planned Parenthood.

The Democratic measure would have trimmed $6.5 billion this year by eliminating earmarks and zeroing out funds for several highway projects and programs that President Obama has agreed to end.

The three-hour debate leading up to the votes became heated at times, with Republicans accusing Democrats of ignoring the debt problem, and Democrats warning that the GOP plan would harm women, children, homeless veterans, the sick, the poor and the elderly.

"If this were a plan to get us to a balanced budget, I would support it, but it's not," said Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). "It's just a plan that compromises our national security without doing much else. When a real plan is presented, I'll vote for it. Until then, I'm voting no."

But Republican senators argued that no matter what had led up to this moment, the country is burning cash at a rate that will cripple the nation and its ability to prosper in the future.

"For goodness sakes, we've got to stop spending money we don't have on things we don't absolutely need," said Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a longtime budget hawk.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized GOP efforts to cut non-defense discretionary spending alone. He said reductions to all programs, as well as "revenue raisers," or tax hikes, must be discussed during the next round of budget negotiations.

"This is a Trojan horse spending proposal and we should not be fooled by it," he said. "These cuts will harm our ability to prepare for the future because they gut the very priorities we need to be investing in to help our economy grow -- education, energy investment, technology and infrastructure."

Other Democrats wondered why Republicans have become so concerned about the budget under President Obama, but made no attempt to deal with deficits that George W. Bush presided over as president.

"We borrowed the money for [the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan] -- one that went way beyond what it was ever supposed to be and the other we should not have been in in the first place," said Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). "We also cut taxes for oil companies and rich people and everyone else."

For their part, Republicans said the Democratic proposal did not go nearly far enough. Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) called the plan to cut $6.5 billion at a time when the deficit is growing by $4 billion per day "pathetic and entirely inadequate."

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) warned that current spending levels had put the United States on a path toward European-style socialism.

"Are we going to be a country with a constitutionally limited government that limits the burden of taxation on individuals and families and businesses, or are we going to become Europe?" Hatch asked.

Several senators voted against both proposals, criticizing both parties for failing to put a serious and fair budget proposal forward for senators to consider.

"In my view, neither is serious," said Sen. Ben Nelson (D. Neb.). "These bills are loaded down with tricks, treats, gimmicks, and games."

With the two votes completed, senators said they are ready to go back to the negotiating table, a process that began last week with a meeting presided over by Vice President Joe Biden, but complicated by his current trip overseas.

Funding for the government will expire at midnight on March 18 under a short-term measure called a continuing resolution. On Tuesday, House GOP whip Kevin McCarthy said Republicans have little hope that a seven-month budget agreement will be reached before then, so are prepared to negotiate another continuing resolution to keep the government operating while the talks continue.

With a lengthy negotiating process ahead, Coburn warned Wednesday that time is running out for Washington to solve the problem.

"We can no longer kick the can down the road without spilling the soup all over our kids. The time for action is now," he said.

 

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]]>senate abd budgetsenate and spending cutsspendingspending cutsPatricia Murphy2011-03-09T17:01:00+00:00Donald Trump Lashes Out at Lamar Alexander for Dissing His Presidential Chanceshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/donald-trump-lashes-out-at-lamar-alexander-for-dissing-his-presi/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/donald-trump-lashes-out-at-lamar-alexander-for-dissing-his-presi/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/08/donald-trump-lashes-out-at-lamar-alexander-for-dissing-his-presi/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

Whether Donald Trump actually runs for president remains an open question, but the New York tycoon and reality show host certainly is milking the speculation for all its worth. Now he is miffed with Sen. Lamar Alexander for having the temerity to say that Trump "has absolutely no chance of winning" a White House race.

Alexander, who ran for president in 1996 and 2000, told CNN that Trump is "famous for being famous." Alexander himself is at least semi-famous for being the former secretary of education and president of the University of Tennessee.

Trump, who flirted with presidential politics in the past but got cold feet, said he didn't know Alexander personally and hasn't heard much about him -- "perhaps because of a certain ineffectiveness." In any event, he said the Tennessee Republican had simply stolen his line about Rep. Ron Paul -- Trump recently told conservatives that Paul no chance of winning in 2012. Alexander, Trump said, should "stop trying to get free publicity on the back of Donald Trump."

Free publicity? That's Trump's forte. Endless speculation about his possible entry into the 2012 Republican race certainly qualifies. Trump, a billionaire who has never held any elective office, says he will not decide until June.

Roger Stone, a friend of The Donald's -- not an adviser in 2011 but head of Trump's 2000 White House exploratory effort -- insists Trump "is serious this time" and says he's a "strong decisive leader -- truly a giant in a field of pygmies."

But Stone, an adviser to candidates and presidents ranging back to Richard Nixon, says he is not certain whether the famed dealmaker will take The Plunge. In his newsletter, the StoneZone, he questions whether Trump will "submit himself to the grueling schedule and the public scrutiny" of a national campaign.

"I do think he could save this country," Stone says. "I hope he runs."

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

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]]>dailyguidancedonald trumpLamar AlexanderTom Diemer2011-03-08T13:02:00+00:00Obama to GOP: Let's 'Step Up Our Game' and Nail Budget Dealhttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/obama-to-gop-lets-step-up-our-game-and-nail-budget-deal/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/obama-to-gop-lets-step-up-our-game-and-nail-budget-deal/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/05/obama-to-gop-lets-step-up-our-game-and-nail-budget-deal/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

President Obama said Saturday he has already met Republicans halfway in the on-going budget dispute and is "prepared to do more" in an effort to responsibly cut spending and avoid a government shutdown later this month.

A temporary two-budget that kept the trains running expires on March 18 as Republicans and Democrats wrangle over how much to trim from a longer-term plan that would fund government operations through Sept. 30, the close of the 2011 fiscal year.

"We've got to step up our game," Obama said in his weekly address. "We can't do business two weeks at a time... We've got to keep that momentum going."

The Republican majority in the House and most GOP senators want to reduce government outlays by $61 billion during the seven remaining months on the fiscal calender. The Obama administration countered with an offer to cut $6.5 billion on top of $4 billion included in the current stopgap budget. That leaves a $50 billion void for the Senate to cover in the next two weeks.

"We need to come together around a long-term budget that sacrifices wasteful spending without sacrificing the job-creating investments in our future... we'll only finish the job together by sitting at the same table, working out our differences and finding common ground," the president said. "... And it can't be just about how much we cut. It's got to be about how we cut and how we invest. We've got to be smart about it."

The president offered little in the way of specifics. The details, presumably, will emerge behind closed doors in negotiations between congressional leaders and Obama's team led by Vice President Biden.

But Republicans, in their weekly remarks, spoke harshly of Obama's approach. His new budget, proposed for 2012, "doesn't match his words" about government living within its means, said Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) "It continues out of control spending, it adds to our $14 trillion debt and it adds to the uncertainty that makes it harder to create jobs," Black said.

Obama delivered his statement from a high school classroom in Miami during a visit to Florida Friday. Watch it here.


 

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]]>dailyguidanceTom Diemer2011-03-05T10:45:00+00:00Jobless Rate Dips Below 9 Percent but White House Holds the Applausehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/jobless-rate-dips-below-9-percent-but-white-house-holds-applause/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/jobless-rate-dips-below-9-percent-but-white-house-holds-applause/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/jobless-rate-dips-below-9-percent-but-white-house-holds-applause/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , ,

The Obama administration greeted news that unemployment finally fell below 9 percent with caution and restraint, calling the February downtick "encouraging" but warning against reading "too much into any one monthly report."

"Though unemployment remains elevated, we are seeing signs that the initiatives put in place by this administration -- such as the payroll tax cut and the investment tax credit -- are creating the conditions for sustained growth and job creation," said Council of Economic Advisers Chairman Austan Goolsbee. Declines in the jobless rate over the last three months -- to the lowest mark in nearly two years -- and overall economic trends are encouraging, he said. "But there is still considerable work to do to replace jobs lost in the downturn."

The Labor Department said Friday that 192,000 jobs were added to the economy in February -- compared to just 63,000 the month before -- as the 8.9 percent unemployment rate was down a hair from 9.0 percent in January. The biggest gains came in manufacturing, construction, business services and health care. But jobs were wiped off payrolls in strapped state and local governments. Across the country 13.7 million Americans remained unemployed -- one stark reason for Goolsbee's pointed caution.

The news wasn't good enough for the Republican National Committee. RNC Chairman Reince Priebus said even with the better jobs numbers, "we have yet to see the leadership we need coming out of the White House to restore sustainable economic growth. . . . Frankly, if the answer doesn't involve more spending, this administration is simply out of solutions."

But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) saw a better day ahead and warned that cutting the federal budget too deeply this year could cost jobs in a fragile economy. "Republicans should work with us to quickly pass a long-term budget that reduces the deficit while protecting jobs, and [giving] business certainty," he said. Similarly, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said the improving economy "remains threatened by irresponsible budget cutting in Congress and in states and cities."

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

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]]>Austan Goolsbeedailyguidanceharry reidReince PriebusRichard TrumkaTom Diemer2011-03-04T12:04:00+00:00Ohio's Sherrod Brown Tells Senate: Hitler and Stalin Busted Unions Toohttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/ohios-sherrod-brown-tells-senate-hitler-and-stalin-busted-unio/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/ohios-sherrod-brown-tells-senate-hitler-and-stalin-busted-unio/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/04/ohios-sherrod-brown-tells-senate-hitler-and-stalin-busted-unio/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Not that he's making any comparison with current events, mind you, but Sen. Sherrod Brown reminded his fellow lawmakers this week that Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin had little tolerance for unions.

Neither did Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Brown (D-Ohio) told the Senate on Thursday. "These autocrats in history don't want independent unions," he said. "Some the worst governments we've ever had -- you know one of the first things they did? They went after the trade unions."

Twenty-four hours later, he had second thoughts, explaining that he felt passionately about the current union struggle to preserve negotiating rights in Ohio. "But in speaking about this, I should not have mentioned the hostility of tyrants, like Hitler, to unions," he said in a statement. "I don't want my mistake to distract from the critical debate in Ohio, and I apologize for it."

Brown had gone the Senate floor Thursday to defend the American labor movement as state legislatures in his home state and in Wisconsin moved to strip public employees of many of their collective-bargaining rights.

Brown's office pointed out the to The Plain Dealer that he made it clear he wasn't trying to link events in the U.S. to the horrors of Nazi Germany or Stalin's Soviet Union. In his speech, the first-term Democrat said, "I'm not comparing what's happened to the workers in Madison or Columbus to Hitler and Stalin, but I am saying that history teaches us that unions are a very positive force in society that creates a middle class that protects our freedom."

Brown, a former congressman and Ohio secretary of state, has a record of close ties to unions.

Watch his Senate speech, courtesy C-SPAN:

 

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]]>collective bargainingdailyguidancelabor movementSherrod BrownunionsTom Diemer2011-03-04T09:50:00+00:00Sen. Tom Coburn Talks to Ethics Panel in John Ensign Probehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/sen-tom-coburn-talks-to-ethics-panel-in-john-ensign-probe/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) spoke privately with Senate investigators looking into Sen. John Ensign's affair with a former staffer, Politico reported Thursday.

The news of Coburn's conversation with members of the Senate Ethics Committee is the first information about the Ensign probe since the panel appointed a special counsel, Carol Elder Bruce, last month.

Coburn and the Nevada Republican are longtime friends. Politico said Coburn's appearance before the panel took place "recently."

Ensign has not yet been interviewed by ethics investigators.

He is being investigated over his admitted affair with Cynthia Hampton, his former campaign treasurer. Her husband, Doug Hampton, was once a member of Ensign's congressional staff.

The ethics panel is looking into whether Ensign broke federal law and congressional rules by helping Doug Hampton find lobbying work after he left the senator's office in April 2008. He has denied any wrongdoing.

Ensign, 52, caught a big break late last year when federal prosecutors announced he would not face charges related to payments he made following the extramarital affair.

The Federal Election Commission dismissed a complaint against Ensign over a $96,000 payment his parents made to his former mistress and her family. The FEC disagreed with allegations that the money given to Cynthia Hampton amounted to an illegal political donation.

The appointment of a special prosecutor suggests the probe could last well into the 2012 election season.

Ensign is moving forward with his reelection campaign, despite concerns by some Republicans that the scandal could hurt GOP chances in Nevada. He has been raising money simultaneously for his campaign and his legal defense.

A poll last month by the Las Vegas Review-Journal found Ensign trailing his potential GOP challenger, Rep. Dean Heller, by 15 points.

 

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]]>dailyguidancejohn ensignsenate ethics committeetom coburnChristopher Weber2011-03-03T20:00:00+00:00John McCain Pressing Hard for Consideration of Libyan No-Fly Zonehttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/john-mccain-pressing-hard-for-consideration-of-libyan-no-fly-zon/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/john-mccain-pressing-hard-for-consideration-of-libyan-no-fly-zon/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/03/john-mccain-pressing-hard-for-consideration-of-libyan-no-fly-zon/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , ,

Sen. John McCain said Thursday that establishing a no-fly zone over Libya should be a viable option for the United States military -- and saying so does not amount to "loose talk."

McCain (R-Ariz.) did not mention Defense Secretary Robert Gates by name at the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, according to the Associated Press. But Gates has warned Congress about loose talk in connection with the difficult task of setting up a no-fly zone in response to Moammar Gadhafi's air offensive against rebel positions.

On Wednesday, in an appearance before House Appropriations Committee, Gates said establishing a no-fly zone to police Gadhafi's warplanes would involve a "big operation in a big country." It is doable, Gates testified, but he added, "Let's just call a spade a spade. A no-fly zone begins with an attack on Libya to destroy the air defenses. . . . And then you can fly planes around the country and not worry about our guys being shot down."

The debate came as Gadhafi launched airstrikes Thursday against two rebel-held towns. Gates, the highest ranking Republican in the Obama administration, is well respected on Capitol Hill, but McCain also has credibility as a onetime Navy pilot whose plane was shot down over Hanoi during the Vietnam war.

McCain said Thursday U.S. experience in southern Iraq beginning in 1992 suggests that keeping the skies clear over a contested zone is "not hard to do," The Hill newspaper reported. Even threatening a no-fly zone would amount to a "strategic deterrent," he said during an exchange with Army Gen. Martin Dempsey. "Deterrence" is an option the national command "should always have," Dempsey said.

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) also endorsed serious consideration of a no-fly zone.

 

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]]>dailyguidanceRobert GatesTom Diemer2011-03-03T12:06:00+00:00GAO: Eliminating Overlap in Federal Programs Would Save Billions of Dollarshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/02/gao-eliminating-overlap-in-federal-programs-would-save-billions/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/02/gao-eliminating-overlap-in-federal-programs-would-save-billions/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/02/gao-eliminating-overlap-in-federal-programs-would-save-billions/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

Twenty federal offices devoted to the problem of homelessness? Forty-four for job training programs? Fifty-six programs dealing with financial literacy? And more than 100 addressing surface transportation issues?

Yes, all true.

The Government Accountability Office said this week the federal government, in its quest to reduce the deficit, could save tens of billions of dollars by simply merging hundreds of overlapping and duplicative agencies and programs. Some of them could just be eliminated, the GAO said in its new report, "Opportunities to Reduce Potential Duplication in Government Programs, Save Tax Dollars, and Enhance Revenue."

"These areas span a range of government missions: agriculture, defense, economic development, energy, general government, health, homeland security, international affairs and social services," the GAO said in the 345-page report. "Reducing or eliminating duplication, overlap, or fragmentation could potentially save billions of tax dollars annually and help agencies provide more efficient and effective services."

In one example, the watchdog group said a broad restructuring of the military's health care system could save up to $460 million annually. On the energy front, losses to the Treasury of as much as $5.7 billion could be eliminated by dealing with duplicative policies in federal programs promoting ethanol production.

Sounds simple enough, but the reality is that virtually every program mentioned in the report has its own constituency and employees who value their jobs as well as the service or product they provide.

Even so, Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut independent who chairs the Homeland Security Committee, called the report a "battle plan for the on-going war against wasteful federal spending. The weak economy and an unsupportable debt demand that we find cost savings wherever we can."

The study was ordered by Congress last year in a bill extending the nation's debt limit. The GAO is a non-partisan investigative arm of Congress.

Folo Tom Diemer on Twitter http://twitter.com/tomdiemer

 

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]]>dailyguidancedeficit reductionGAOGovernment Accountability OfficeJoe LiebermanTom Diemer2011-03-02T09:58:00+00:00House Passes Stopgap Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown, 335 to 91http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/house-passes-stop-gap-bill-to-avoid-government-shutdown-335-to-9/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/house-passes-stop-gap-bill-to-avoid-government-shutdown-335-to-9/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/03/01/house-passes-stop-gap-bill-to-avoid-government-shutdown-335-to-9/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,

With funding for the federal government scheduled to expire Friday at midnight, the House of Representatives voted 335 to 91 Tuesday to keep the government operating through March 18. More than 100 Democrats joined 231 Republicans to pass the measure, while six Republicans joined 85 Democrats in voting no.

The Republican-sponsored measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), would avoid a government shutdown for two more weeks while House and Senate negotiators try to hammer out a longer-term budget for the rest of the year. It would also retroactively cut $4 billion from 2010 federal spending levels over the next two weeks. The measure now goes to the Senate for a vote.

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It passed over the strong objections of some Democrats, who disagreed with both the substance of the Republicans' cuts and the short time frame that they cover.

"This is no way to run a government -- a two week CR? It should be seven months," said Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.), who opposed the bill. "And it should not be a dump truck for every controversial issue that this Congress has dealt with for the last 30 years. This bill has more poison pills in it than Rasputin's medicine cabinet."

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi also opposed the resolution after accusing Republicans, whom she called "sanctimonious," of causing the nation's economic crisis by running up substantial deficits under a Republican president.

"I just want to know where everybody was when the deficit grew during the eight years of the Bush administration?" Pelosi said. "What is before us today is a short term CR-- we must use that time to do the right thing, to have a reality check on how we got here in the first place."

Even Republicans who voted for the bill said they wanted many more cuts than those contained in the measure.

"I'll support this measure, but I've been pushed to my limit," said Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), who compared the ongoing House budget debate to the movie "Groundhog Day."

House Speaker John Boehner called the vote "a responsible path forward," but slammed Democrats in the Senate for leaving the House no choice but to cobble together short-term spending bills.

"A long-term CR through September 30 would be the right move," Boehner said. "Why isn't the Senate working on it this week? The House did its job."

The House vote came a week after the chamber agreed to slash $61 billion from the federal budget for the rest of the year, including money for programs favored by Democrats, like Planned Parenthood, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the recently passed health care reform bill.

But with the Democratically controlled Senate unlikely to act on the House budget-cutting bill, Republican leaders quickly redrafted the short-term plan to pull the funding from sources that President Obama has already proposed to cut, like earmarks and highway funding, but also keep the lower spending levels that conservatives House freshmen insisted on.

Just before the House vote Tuesday afternoon, White House spokesman Jay Carney insisted that the president would sign only a "clean" short-term bill this week, which does not include additional Republican-favored cuts to programs that Democrats have long supported.

But Carney also indicated that the president wants to avoid a showdown with Republicans that would disrupt government operations. To that end, Carney said that Obama reached out to Boehner on Tuesday to begin discussions that could lead to a larger compromise on overall spending.

"The president is committed to making tough choices on spending and he is equally committed to not going down a road on spending that does harm to our economy," Carney said. "There are reasonable proposals out there that Democrats and Republicans can agree on."

In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid predicted Tuesday that the chamber will pass stopgap legislation within 48 hours.

"We'll pass this and then we'll look at funding the government on a long-term basis," Reid said, calling the two-week funding mechanism a terrible way to govern.

"It's obvious that we would want more than two weeks to do this, but the Republicans are bound and determined," Reid said. "The sooner we get this short-term funding of the government done, the longer we'll have to to a long-term CR."

That's a scenario that most Americans say they are looking for. A poll conducted by Gallup last week showed that 60 percent want lawmakers to compromise on a budget rather than force a government shutdown.

 

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]]>continuing resolutionfederal budget cutsfederal government shutdownJohn BoehnerNancy Pelosishort-term funding billPatricia Murphy2011-03-01T17:00:00+00:00Obama: Government Shutdown Must Be Avoided for 'Sake of Our People'http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/26/obama-government-shutdown-must-be-avoided-for-sake-of-our-peop/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/26/obama-government-shutdown-must-be-avoided-for-sake-of-our-peop/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/26/obama-government-shutdown-must-be-avoided-for-sake-of-our-peop/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , , , , ,

President Obama he expects Republicans and Democrats in Congress to find "common ground" on a short-term budget to avoid a government shutdown next Friday when the current stopgap spending plans expires.

"For the sake of our people and our economy, we cannot allow gridlock to prevail," he said in his weekly address. "There will be plenty of debates and disagreements, and neither party will get everything it wants. Both sides will have to compromise... It won't be easy."

The basis for compromise emerged Friday as House Republican leaders offered a plan that would put in place a two-week budget -- running to March 18, and pruned back with $4 billion in spending reductions. That would allow time for the Democratic-controlled Senate to consider the broader spending plan for the fiscal year running through Sept. 30, which the House passed a week ago with nearly $60 billion worth of cuts in current spending.

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Obama, who prefers a lengthier extension, did not comment directly on the GOP's proposed agreement, put together by House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Jon Summers, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said Democrats were "encouraged" to hear that the GOP would not press for "extreme" cuts in critical programs such as border security and food safety inspections in the temporary plan. Reid's aide said the Republicans were "moving closer to the Democrats' position that we should cut government spending in a smart, resposible way."

In their weekly remarks, Republicans focused on the president's budget for 2012, saying Obama should have dealt with costly entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. "Our goal as Republicans is to make sensible reductions in this spending and create a better environment for job growth, not to shut down government," said Rep. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) who served as former President George W. Bush's budget director.

Obama. for his part, said he was "willing to consider any serious ideas to help us reduce the deficit -- no matter what party is proposing then. But instead of cutting investments in education and innovation we need to out-compete the rest of the world, we need a balanced approach to deficit reduction. We all need to be willing to sacrifice, but we can't sacrifice our future."

If a bipartisan deal is not reached in the next few days, many government operations would have to close their doors next weekend and halt delivery of basic services -- a situation that leaders on both sides say they want to avert. "Given that, I urge and expect them to find common ground so we can accelerate, not impede economic growth," the president said.

Watch Obama's address.



 

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]]>dailyguidanceTom Diemer2011-02-26T11:30:00+00:00Majority Leader Harry Reid Among 'Most Liberal' Senatorshttp://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/25/majority-leader-harry-reid-among-most-liberal-senators/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/25/majority-leader-harry-reid-among-most-liberal-senators/http://politicsdaily.com/2011/02/25/majority-leader-harry-reid-among-most-liberal-senators/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , , ,

New rankings of the Senate's most liberal members -- a list including Harry Reid and powerful committee chairmen Carl Levin and Patrick Leahy -- suggest moderates are fading from the scene on Capitol Hill.

Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-Nev.), who was elected to a fifth term in November, has become more liberal in his voting record in the past three years, the National Journal said in its annual rankings. The magazine had the Senate leader as the 22nd most liberal lawmaker in 2009 and 25th on its list the year before that.

Writer Ronald Brownstein said the vote ratings marked a peak in polarization in the Senate. For only the second time since 1982, every Senate Democrat last year earned a more liberal rating than every Republican -- and every Republican had a more conservative voting record than every Democrat.

The magazine monitors votes on a range of economic, social and foreign policy issues to measure ideology. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) tied with seven other Republican senators on the most conservative list.

Reid's fellow liberals include Levin of Michigan, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, and Vermont's Leahy, who heads the Judiciary Committee which screens Supreme Court nominations as well as other federal judicial appointments. Also tied for first on the liberal list: Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio; Ben Cardin of Maryland; Barbara Mikulski, also of Maryland; Debbie Stabenow of Michigan; Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. All are Democrats except Sanders, an independent, who caucuses with the Democats.

Seven House members shared first place on the National Journal's most liberal list -- all are Democrats, four of them are women. They are: Reps. Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin; Judy Chu of California; John Lewis of Georgia; Jerrold Nadler of New York; John Olver of Massachusetts; Jan Schakowsky of Illinois and Linda Sanchez of California.

 

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]]>barbara mikulskiBen Cardinbernie sanderscarl levindailyguidancedebbie stabenowharry reidNational Journalpatrick leahysheldon whitehouseSherrod BrownPolitics Daily Staff2011-02-25T13:50:00+00:00