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05 Dec 2009 09:48

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Politics: Max Baucus wasn’t cheating; he was just ethically unsound

maxbaucus1205

  • There has to be a public option joke we can make here. The Montana senator, who was in the news for months due to his role in the health care debate, recently admitted to nominating Melodee Hanes for the U.S. attorney post while he was having a romantic relationship with her. She backed out, however, after they decided they wanted to move in together. Unlike most situations like this, BTW, this wasn’t cheating. The relationship began when he was separated from his wife – who he has since divorced. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2009 16:31

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U.S.: Senator Bob Corker: OnStar saved my daughter’s car!

  • I was telling the lady who handles that for me in Chattanooga, each month I was saying, ‘I don’t want to pay this, I don’t want to pay this.’ … Certainly it paid off tremendously last night.
  • Sen. Bob Corker • Describing how OnStar helped him get his daughter Julia’s car back after it was jacked from her on the mean streets of D.C. Wednesday night. The Tennessee Republican chose to keep the $18-a-month service, which came in handy when it helped police find the suspects – and the vehicle – at a Taco Bell in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. Dudes, you’re supposed to run for the border, but you’re not supposed to just stop there! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Nov 2009 10:28

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U.S.: Sen. Robert Byrd is about to become the longest-serving congressman

  • 20,774 number of days – or 56 years, 10½ months – Byrd has served; he (finally!) breaks the record at midnight source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Nov 2009 21:38

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Politics: Olympia Snowe could get snowed out by her own party

  • Well of course there is an audience that would love to see Olympia Snowe out of office, within the ranks of social conservatives, that’s for certain.
  • Family Research Council Action PAC president Connie Mackey • Describing social conservatives’ newfound desire to get moderate Maine Senator Olympia Snowe out of office. The group is encouraged by a recent study by Public Policy Polling that showed Snowe would lose 59%-31% to a generic Republican challenger in a primary. For some reason, they think it’s a good idea to make their party more conservative, not less. We just don’t understand it. (hat tip Andrew Sullivan) • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Nov 2009 20:48

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Politics: Lindsey Graham: Obama didn’t do the hard stuff to close Gitmo

  • And let me just say, the president, quite frankly, has screwed this up. You know, he announces on the first day of his being inaugurated that he’s going to close Guantanamo Bay and he didn’t do the hard stuff.
  • South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham • Describing his disappointment with the Obama administration’s handling of the Guantanamo Bay closing, noting the lack of prosecution of terrorism suspects which would make a closing possible. Graham, by the way, supported Obama’s plan. In response, the White House says the Bush administration left them with a lot of work to do. More than 200 cases for 200 inmates need to be sorted out. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

19 Oct 2009 10:18

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Politics: Senator: Should college be a three-year deal, instead of four?

  • The three-year degree could become the higher-education equivalent of the fuel-efficient car. And that’s both an opportunity and a warning for the best higher-education system in the world.
  • Senator Lamar Alexander • Describing why a three-year undergraduate program, rather than a four-year, could become beneficial for students, schools, and parents alike. Alexander suggests that it’s problematic that many school facilities stay closed for nearly half the calendar year. He also notes that by condensing the college experience into three years, it costs less – in the case of Hartwick College, which is trying a three-year program, 25% less. We think there’s social benefits to not pushing college through in three years that Alexander’s not considering, probably because he’s old. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Oct 2009 23:53

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Politics: John McCain: Obama is living Ricky Nelson’s “Garden Party”

  • I think the great danger now is a half-measure, sort of a – you know, try to please all ends of the political spectrum. And, again, I have great sympathy for the president, making the toughest decisions that presidents have to make, but I think he needs to use deliberate speed.
  • Sen. John McCain • Doing what he always does – sounding brilliant when the stakes are low for him. Regarding Afghanistan (but really relevant for every part of his presidency), he tells Obama that it’s alright now, as long as he learns his lesson well. You see, he can’t please everyone, so he’s got to please himself. And he needs to do it fast. So, why didn’t we elect this guy for president? Oh yeah, because he fell victim to the very indecisiveness and political gaming that’s muddling Obama’s presidency. McCain speaks from experience, Barack. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Oct 2009 22:57

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Politics: Olympia Snowe may be alone on health care, but she doesn’t mind

  • I’d rather have company. But it’s a different political world we’re in. . . Most people represent either red states or blue states.
  • Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine • Discussing her status as the lone GOP member of congress willing to stick her neck out to get health care approved. Unlike a lot of Republicans, Snowe doesn’t really have much to lose. She won with 74% of the vote in 2006, and many are supportive of her stance in the state. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Oct 2009 23:06

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U.S.: John Ensign shows how a sex scandal can quickly ruin your life

  • Ensign, a Nevada senator, looked like one of the great hopes for the Republican Party in 2012 and was regularly named as a possible presidential candidate. source
  • Battered after months of dealing with a sex scandal with a staffer, Ensign can’t even get love from Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Ouch. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Sep 2009 10:10

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U.S.: The Senate health care plan: The Democrats may not like it

  • $880 billion the estimated cost of the health-reform bill pushed by Sen. Max Baucus, which concedes a lot of things to the GOP to help gain bipartisan support source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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