Rep Keith Ellison Breaks Down in King’s Witchhunt Hearings

Rep. Keith Ellison is the only Muslim member of Congress.  Today he spoke before Peter King’s hearings about radicalized Islam in America.  This is the conclusion of his remarks, he tells a moving story of a Muslim-American being posthumously demonized.
I find it inconsistent that Muslims are oversensitive when leaders paint them and their religion with [...]

Republicans’ Big Day

The GOP’s first full session was yesterday – a
recap.

John Shadegg Shouldn’t Drink and Talk

I saw Rep. John Shadegg(R-AZ) on Morning Joe on Tuesday morning.  He made a complete fool of himself.
First, he says (and then doubles down), on his belief that unemployed people save their money, rather than spending it.  Then he can’t get the gumption to criticize Sarah Palin as he evades  a direct question over and [...]

Congress Is Out Of Excuses On DADT

The results of the Pentagon study on the repeal of DADT found that >70% of the military supports the repeal.

Financial Reform Conference

Right now the Financial Reform bill conference is taking place and it’s being broadcast.
You can go to this link to watch the hearings.
Here’s a great post by Joan McCarter at Daily Kos on what to watch for during the hearings.

Wednesday’s Evening Read

Time Magazine looks at 10 Ideas for the Next 10 Years. Here is Gregory Rodriguez on The White Anxiety Crisis.
The Times’ Washington correspondent Giles Whittell looks at the our health care crisis, Obama is bashing on the brick wall of unlogic.
Politics editor of The Atlantic Marc Ambinder comments on 3 Reasons Why Republicans Might Not [...]

This Can’t Be Right

The Obama Administration asked for funds to buy a prison in Illinois to transfer Gitmo prisoners to:
Rebuffed this month by skeptical lawmakers when it sought finances to buy a prison in rural Illinois, the Obama administration is struggling to come up with the money to replace the Guantánamo Bay prison.
As a result, officials now [...]

Where Did You Hear That Before?

Lobbyists ghostwrote a few, no, several, no, many speeches that uttered during the historic health care debate last week reports The New York Times.
Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies.
E-mail messages obtained by The New [...]

Ethics Document Accidentally Released

A document from the US House Ethics Committee that details ongoing ethics investigations currently in play was inadvertently released reports The Washington Post.
The 22-page “Committee on Standards Weekly Summary Report” gives brief summaries of ethics panel investigations of the conduct of 19 lawmakers and a few staff members. It also outlines the work of the [...]

Put Up Or Shut Up – More Of This Please

Anthony Weiner (D-NY) hits it out of the park by double-daring Republicans to back up their trash talk about government run health care… by voting on eliminating medicare.

It’s about time someone called them out.  Make them put their vote where their mouth is – if they dare.  It’s quite a dilemma for the GOP, and [...]

Thwart Rethug Delaying Tactics By…Speed Reading?

Henry Waxman has come up with a novel way to speed up consideration of climate change legislation currently being slow-walked to death by the Rethugs…a speed reader:

According to the Wall Street Journal, here’s why he might be needed:
Committee Republicans, who largely oppose the measure, have said they may force the reading of the entire 946-page [...]

Book Review — Where Does The Money Go?

Some weeks back, I heard the authors of Where Does the Money Go? — Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson — give an interview on Fresh Air that I really wish I could have finished listening to (work gets in the way sometimes). They were riveting, engaging and remarkably clear in discussing and answering questions [...]