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01 Dec 2010 09:54

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Politics: Heckuva job: Senate fails to extend unemployment benefits

  • God forbid we actually think ahead … working together and coming up with a common solution. It makes no sense to me.
  • Sen. Scott Brown • Arguing that the Senate missed a golden opportunity to work on an unemployment extension, instead working on other things while a bipartisan opportunity passed them by. Instead, a bill to extend unemployment for some by an entire year was introduced Monday night, which made it hard to draw consensus support, especially since the benefits weren’t paid for. “I’m not sure why it took so long to get to his point while we spent seven days on food safety,” Brown said. “I’m very, very curious to see what’s next.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2010 08:38

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Politics: People all excited that Tom DeLay got convicted and stuff

  • You cannot wipe the grin off my face with a stick of dynamite. I think it’s important that he has to face the consequences of his actions.
  • Blogger Susan DuQuesnay Bankston of Richmond, Texas • Exclaiming her utter joy about Tom DeLay’s conviction for money laundering yesterday. DeLay, who left Congress under a firestorm of controversy in 2005, was convicted of illegally channeling $190,000 to GOP candidates in Texas with a money swap. The money helped lead to a Texas legislature that was strongly GOP, which helped the former House Majority Leader push through a redistricting plan that was advantageous to DeLay politically. What a plan! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Nov 2010 17:08

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Politics: Norm Coleman to Joe Miller: Pot calls kettle, says “don’t do this”

  • Without criticizing Joe Miller, I would offer him advice. I think it’s the same advice that Fred Thompson and others have offered recently. It should be time to move on.
  • Former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman • Offering Joe Miller the kind of advice that Coleman himself probably needed in the wake of 2008’s Minnesota Senate campaign, which he lost to Al Franken after approximately six months of fighting tooth and nail. (Though, granted, Coleman’s tally was much tighter – literally hundreds of votes) The fact that Coleman is saying that Joe Miller should call it a day in his race against Lisa Murkowski offers a lot of heft which it otherwise wouldn’t have. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Nov 2010 20:40

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Biz: Timothy Geithner to GOP: Don’t screw with us. You’ll regret it

  • It is very important to keep politics out of monetary policy. You want to be very careful not to take steps that hurt our credibility.
  • Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner • Telling Republicans in no uncertain terms to stay out of the Federal Reserve’s BIZ-NASS. As we noted last night, Republicans are coming down hard on the money people pretty heavily, with some threatening to strip the Fed of some of its rights. May we offer a suggestion here? How about the legislators stick to legislating and the Treasury sticks to the money stuff? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

16 Nov 2010 10:29

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Politics: Mitch McConnell flip-flops on earmarks, making the GOP happy

  • Make no mistake, I know the good that has come from the projects I have helped support throughout my state. I don’t apologize for them. … [but] unless people like me show the American people that we’re willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government.
  • Sen. Mitch McConnell • Agreeing to support an anti-earmarks moratorium. This is a big deal because just a few days ago, he came out against it. His support shows that the GOP is willing to bend to Tea Party interests. Obama in particular supports McConnell’s decision. “I welcome Senator McConnell’s decision to join me and members of both parties who support cracking down on wasteful earmark spending, which we can’t afford during these tough economic times,” he said. In other news, Robert Byrd is rolling in his earmarked grave. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

10 Nov 2010 21:34

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U.S.: Obama’s fiscal commission: Cut defense spending, lose the contractors

  • $4 billion in deficit cuts proposed over the next freaking decade
  • $3T the cost to keep the Bush tax cuts for households that make under $250,000 over the next decade
  • 3/4ths of the proposed cuts would be from the Defense Department; the rest would be from tax revenues
  • 250k number of contractors whose jobs would be eliminated under the proposal, saving $18.4 billion source
  • » How will Congress adopt these ideas? Don’t expect a wholesale adoption of these ideas pushed forward by a bipartisan team of Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, but the ideas will definitely push Congress in a fiscally mindful direction.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

07 Nov 2010 21:09

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Politics: Rep. Paul Ryan: We’re gunning for healthcare, wanna kill it by 2013

  • This bill is such a fiscal and economic train wreck for our country and for the health care system itself. We’re going to do everything we can to try and repeal and replace this thing. And ultimately, I think 2013 is when it will be done the right way.
  • Rep. Paul Ryan • Explaining the GOP’s plan for taking on health care after the midterms. First, choke the funding sources. Then, hopefully, after Obama has been kicked out of office, repeal the damn thing entirely. Look, we like Paul Ryan. Paul Ryan is a good member of Congress and has good, well-intentioned reasons for pushing what he’s pushing. Unlike someone like Mitch McConnell, we don’t think he plays politics for the sake of playing politics. Plus, he looks like he could’ve been the third Darren from “Bewitched.” But we simply think that the lead item on the GOP’s agenda should not be repealing health care. Figure out ways to work with the president and get people more jobs, then work on your beef with health care. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Nov 2010 11:52

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Politics: Republicans benefited from Democrats’ inaction on gay rights

  • 31% of gays went GOP, a big increase from 2008 source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Nov 2010 12:52

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Politics: Mitch McConnell: Partisanship or nothing at all. (Whatta jerk!)

  • Know who’s kind of a jerk? That’s right. Mitch McConnell. The Senate Minority Leader, who’s still the minority leader after Tuesday’s elections, isn’t looking to compromise with Obama on anything. He’s digging in his heels. “If our primary legislative goals,” he said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation Thursday, “are to repeal and replace the health spending bill, to end the bailouts, cut spending and shrink the size and scope of government, the only way to do all these things it is to put someone in the White House who won’t veto any of these things.” Your primary role is to end gridlock and get things done, and to find ways to reach your goals while working within the system. Not to keep the system stagnant for two whole years until you get what you want. In fact, we’d argue that part of the reason you didn’t do better on Tuesday is because of the gridlock. Obama would be smart to not bend to this guy. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Nov 2010 01:08

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Politics: Fox News on Sharron Angle: Her loss leads to Tea Party questions

  • This is a race where there’s going to be a lot of Monday Morning Quarterbacking regarding the Tea Party.
  • Fox News analyst Carl Cameron • Bringing some perspective to the whole Harry Reid/Sharron Angle situation. As Cameron notes, the seat seemed likely to turn GOP … until Angle became the nominee. Reid was that unpopular in Nevada. But Angle proved to be a very weak competitor (even though she was in it until the end), meaning that Reid gets another six years, as well as another run at Senate Majority Leader. Honestly, this was the biggest loss of the night for the GOP, and one that they can attribute directly to Tea Party influence. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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