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07 Feb 2011 11:00

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Politics: California Rep. Jane Harman ditches Congress for pure wonkery

  • what California Democrat Jane Harman will likely reveal plans tomorrow to vacate her seat in Congress.
  • why She’ll be the new President and CEO of the Woodrow Wilson Center in DC. Ah, think tanks. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Jan 2011 11:21

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Politics: Tea Partiers: We’re NOT trying to usurp Paul Ryan’s SOTU response

  • I think you get a variety of opinions and all Republicans aren’t the same, but I don’t see it as trying to usurp somebody else’s prerogative. I think one main Republican message, but other voices as well.
  • Sen. Rand Paul • Defending Michele Bachmann’s decision to offer her own, secondary, Tea-Party-focused response to the State of the Union speech tonight. (We’ll be covering this as much as we can tonight, by the way.) Anyway, Paul is trying to make it clear that Bachmann’s speech isn’t meant to take the wind out of the sails of Paul Ryan’s speech, but just to offer a different perspective. To which we say, don’t do this, Michele. People already don’t take you seriously, and this only makes you look worse. It also greatly damages your party, which, based on the “R” next to your name, is not the Tea Party. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

24 Jan 2011 23:15

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Politics: Antonin Scalia speaks to Congress, world stays relatively normal

  • event Tea Party Caucus leader and all-around accurate human being Michele Bachmann invited Antonin Scalia to speak to Congress about the Constitution. Some cried “conflict of interest.”
  • result Roughly 30-35 legislators showed up, four of them reportedly Democrats. (!!!) “I told them to pay attention to the Constitution,” Justice Scalia said. See, he did what he was asked! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2011 18:03

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Politics: State of the Union: There’s a response to Paul Ryan’s response

  • reasoned The GOP’s official response to Obama’s State of the Union will feature Paul Ryan’s uniquely reasonable principled fiscal conservatism on display.
  • crazy But wait, there’s another “official” response. Michele Bachmann will be on the Tea Party Express Web site after Ryan gets done to offer a second response. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Jan 2011 13:54

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Politics: Paul Ryan’s Republican State of the Union response: The right guy?

  • Paul Ryan, here’s your potential moment. If the GOP wants to get any leverage on Obama’s upcoming State of the Union address, they’d be crazy not to go with someone like Ryan for the response. Already a political lifer at age 39 (almost 40), his thoughtful approach to the budget crisis, which still emphasizes extreme cuts, is at least put a little bit more nicely than anything Mitch McConnell has ever said. Obama even takes him seriously, and we’ve taken notice of him in the past, too. The thing is, if Ryan keeps at what he’s good at – his honest likability, his sincere belief in the issues and his nicer approach than some of his colleagues – he’ll do better than some of the other guys recently in this spot, like Bobby Jindal (though Bob McDonnell did well in 2010). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Jan 2011 13:37

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Politics: Republicans reel back rhetoric, to a remote extent

  • job-killing An awkward choice of words for congressional Republicans to use against the Health Care Reform law, in light of recent events.
  • job-crushing A change of rhetoric that clearly ushers in a new age of civility in our politics. Or, a less pointed way of saying “job-killing.” source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 1 Comment • Permalink

18 Jan 2011 20:30

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Politics: Joe Lieberman’s polling: Here’s why he isn’t running, kids

  • 31% Lieberman’s approval rating in Connecticut as of right now – he’s a bit of a loose cannon these days
  • 66% of Connecticut residents want to throw the bum out in 2012; now they don’t have to! source
  • » Democrats lick their chops: After Lieberman deftly tiptoed into a 2006 victory over Ned Lamont and some Republican we don’t care about, Democrats felt a little wounded. Now they’ve got reason to be happy, as they actually stand a chance of winning the seat back. On the other side, word is that Linda McMahon plans to run again, giving us more opportunities to link to wrestling videos of her getting tombstoned.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Jan 2011 13:34

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U.S.: America needs the healer’s touch

  • 129 million may suffer from preexisting conditions source
  • That’s the high-end estimate, thankfully. The study by the Department of Health and Human Services, aimed at Americans under 65, does state a low-end estimate of 50 million, but notwithstanding- that’s a whole lot of sick.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jan 2011 20:46

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Politics: Underdog 2012 candidate of the day: Meet The Hermanator

  • From the standpoint of our conservative beliefs and values, Sarah Palin and I are probably identical.
  • Wannabe 2012 nominee Herman Cain (better known as “The Hermanator“) • Emphasizing his desire to become the GOP nominee. Cain, who is black, first drew the attention of political crowds while the CEO of Godfather Pizza, when he successfully got a blow on Bill Clinton’s health-care plan. Since then, he’s done much more in business (he sits on many corporate boards) and entered politics as a late-life hobby. If Cain can get some name recognition out there – he’s trying pretty darn hard – he might just have a shot. He might have a little of that Howard Dean voodoo power, he’s charismatic like Samuel L. Jackson (Joshua Green’s words, not ours), he survived cancer, and that anti-health-care calling card might win over some people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Jan 2011 20:33

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U.S.: Gun control advocates in Congress get their legislation ready

  • 30+ number of rounds of ammo gunman Jared Lee Loughner was able to hold in the magazine he used in Saturday’s shooting
  • 10 maximum number of rounds magazines could have if a bill from Rep. Carolyn McCarthy and Sen. Frank Lautenberg passed source
  • » A personal cause: Carolyn McCarthy has first-hand experience with what gun violence can do. She entered politics in 1993 after her husband was killed and her son injured during a shooting on Long Island. Even considering her own personal feelings on the matter, even she’s not sure what can pass. “I have to look at … what can actually pass in Congress and have it signed by the president,” she said Tuesday. “The House and the Senate are pro-gun houses.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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