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06 Jan 2011 19:44

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Politics: Boehner not a birther, won’t clamp down on GOPers who are

  • The state of Hawaii has said that President Obama was born there. That’s good enough for me.
  • House Speaker John Boehner • Speaking on the topic of birthers, a topic that found itself in the news today thanks to someone who really likes shouting during a formal recitation of the U.S. Constitution. Despite his own personal feelings on Tea Partiers, don’t expect Boehner to stomp on the political beliefs of his fellow members of Congress, no matter the party: “People come, regardless of party labels, they come with all kinds of beliefs and ideas. It’s the melting pot of America. It’s not up to me to tell them what to think.” Ultimately, we pretty much agree with that sentiment, even if it means a couple of weirdos get in there. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jan 2011 13:14

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Politics: “Help Us Jesus!” Birther interrupts House’s Constitution-reading

  • Look, it’s great that Congress is doing this, seeing as it’s never ever been done, but please, don’t shout any imagined amendments to the Constitution while it’s being read. It’s just kind of lame. (thanks joshsternberg for the tip) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

05 Jan 2011 10:43

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Politics: Ninth circle of hell? Michele Bachmann may run for president

  • Nothing is off the table. The congresswoman is excited about her first trip to Iowa this year.
  • Rep. Michele Bachmann’s chief of staff, Andy Parrish • Suggesting that Bachmann may be interested in running for president in 2012. And you thought Sarah Palin was bad … (thanks apsies) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2011 21:23

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Politics: From Pelosi to Boehner: The changing of the Twitter guard

  • I’m now @NancyPelosi – 2 characters shorter than @SpeakerPelosi. RTers rejoice!
  • A tweet from @NancyPelosi • Regarding Pelosi’s change from Speaker to mere House Majority Leader. In case you’re wondering, John Boehner can be found at @SpeakerBoehner. And the ceremonial change of the Twitter guard commences. Hey, @SpeakerGingrich is open! So is @SpeakerHastert! And @SpeakerNewt! Anyone wanna make a parody account? (thanks pantlessprogressive for the tip) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Jan 2011 11:20

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Politics: Obama’s optimistic that GOP will be less obstructionist in 2011

  • And so my expectation, my hope is that John Boehner and Mitch McConnell will realize that there will be plenty of time to campaign for 2012 in 2012, and that our job this year is to make sure that we build on the recovery.
  • Barack Obama • Offering up a pretty solid statement of intent for 2011. Obama, whose vacation to Hawaii just ended, says that he expects some playing of politics in 2011 (McConnell has already promised it). “But I’m pretty confident,” he continued, “that they’re going to recognize that our job is to govern and make sure that we are delivering jobs for the American people and that we’re creating a competitive economy for the 21st century, not just for this generation but for the next one.” Wishful thinking? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2011 21:15

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Politics: House GOP plans useless, ineffective Obamacare repeal vote

  • You’ve seen that the more people learn about Obamacare the less they like it. So we will put forth a clean repeal bill of Obamacare, and you’ll continue to see us make that fight because that’s what the American people want us to do.
  • Rep. Michele Bachmann • Speaking about the House GOP’s plan to vote on a repeal of the health care bill – before the president’s State of the Union later this month. Between this and the reading-the-Constitution thing, the GOP is big on symbolic measures that waste everyone’s time, aren’t they? Then again, the Democrats did something similar with the tax compromise, so maybe we should just hush. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2011 12:25

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Politics: Tea Partiers upset because they get upset about everything

  • Choice quote of the freaking day: “For them to legislate when they’ve collectively lost their mandate just shows the arrogance of the ruling elite. I can’t imagine being repudiated in the way they were and then coming back and saying ‘Now that we’ve been repudiated, let’s go pass some legislation.’ ” That’s a Tea Party dude, Mark Meckler of the Tea Party Patriots, ripping Democrats for taking advantage of their lame-duck session to get some actual work done. Then after ripping the Democrats, he ripped the GOP for letting it happen: “The Republicans, frankly, have been a disaster. They stood strong on some things, but the only reason they stood strong is because we stood behind them with a big stick.” Nobody cares, Mark. Stop whining. (thanks inothernews) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

26 Dec 2010 12:15

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Politics: Robert Gibbs: Obama’s cabinet likely to stay mostly the same

  • I think we’ve had a very capable and good cabinet that has helped move the president’s agenda forward.
  • Obama’s Press Secretary, Robert Gibbs • Emphasizing that there shouldn’t be major changes to the cabinet on the horizon, despite the departure of at least one major figure, top economic adviser Larry Summers (he’s stepping down). However, not all reports agree with that assessment. Among other things Gibbs said on “State of the Union”: Obama is likely to run in 2012, though he hasn’t made it official yet, and he offered hope that the GOP would work more with Democrats in the upcoming session, referring to the “cranky bipartisanship” that the successful lame-duck session wrought. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Dec 2010 11:55

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Politics: Democrats could kill (or fix) the filibuster with simple majority

  • obvious Democrats, having had a solid two years of hell as a result of the filibuster giving the minority party insane leverage over every major decision, have had enough, and want rules to change so that things can actually get done.
  • ironic On the first day of a Senate session, a simple majority is needed to change rules – such as the filibuster. Which means they could kill (or significantly change) the filibuster without fear of it getting filibustered. source
  • » Two proposals: Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) are the guys fighting for the changes hardest. Udall and Merkley, both first-termers, have different ideas about how to handle the change. Udall wants rotating changes based on weaknesses that show up in the system after each session. Merkley wants to bring the rules in line with what the country expects of a filibuster – only allowing them on complete bills and out in the open. (Thanks Samuel Rubenfeld)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

21 Dec 2010 21:04

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Politics: Yo Obama: Congress just gave you another triangulation opportunity

  • Remember how in 1995 when the government shut down? Well, guess what we just set ourselves up for in March? See, as a stopgap to avoid a massive omnibus spending bill from getting through the pipe with a crapload of earmarks, Congress agreed to set up a temporary spending bill that gets us into late Winter. (Obama should sign it before he heads off to Hawaii to be with the fam.) Which means that if Obama and the GOP are at one another’s throats come the Ides of March, the government could shut down 1995-style. Or Obama could switch parties and weird everybody out. Et tu, Brute? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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