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filibuster 
Thu Feb 02, 2012 at 20:09:28 PM MST
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Senator Michael Bennet has seemingly renounced lobbyists and the fine art of lobbying with his contribution to an ethics-inspired set of amendments submitted to his senate colleagues:Not to be outdone, freshman Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) offered an amendment that would impose a lifetime ban on lawmakers ever becoming federal lobbyists. Since the Senator presumably would apply this rule to all Americans, and knowing he would only submit amendments with the full intent they pass congress and are signed into law, one can only presume he will hold himself to this same strict standard. Bottom line: I expect that Michael Bennet will hold to this principle and never become a lobbyist once his term of office completes.
Or, this could be just another P.R. move by a senator who has learned the broken ways of our capital well enough to denounce them at the same time he uses them to his political advantage. I certainly hope it's the former and not the latter....I fear he would be a much better lobbyist than senator.
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Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 11:30:22 AM MST
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Here's my highly edited, medium opinionated* SOTU roundup:- Ministry of Truth at Kos:
My friend told me after the State Of The Union that the Republicans looked like a bunch of "miserable old sourpusses."
"How so?" I asked.
"He is talking about uplifting stuff and they look miserable." I wasn't even planning to watch, but happened upon it as it was just starting. The terminal, chronic negativity of the GOP was on full display. They were not moved by any rhetoric and were not inspired by any of The President's ideas. If the DNC wants some ideas for TV spots, they should just take the closeups of Republican leaders during that speech and run them in an infinite loop. - Colorado's sublimely daft Doug Lamborn decided he had to stand up for something besides killing the EPA and Big Bird, so he played the ignorance card and skipped the address. Let's imagine the reaction to a Democrat doing that to President Bush. Unfortunately, the voters in CD-5 will never look back on their decision to choose Lamborn over Jay Fawcett in '06. (Hi, Jay!)
- Despite Mark Udall's continuing, lame attempts to foster bipartisanship (God Damn it, Mark, it's Dead, and you're the Last to know! (Even the Supes couldn't contain their pettiness and only a quorom of them showed up. ) If Udall has put this much effort into condemning the automatic filibuster used by Senate Republicans on almost every vote they take, no one would ever know it.
- And despite his late, and most likely futile, efforts to retake the debate on the budget and taxes, Obama's invitation to the speech of Warren Buffet's secretary (who pays a higher tax rate than her Billionaire Boss), showed that Republicans couldn't manage just 1% Solution of Sympathy for that tax dilemma. The result was heapings of scorn and derision for the hard-working woman.
That's the only view of the nation Repubs love: a Gospel of Greed, Dog-eat-Dog, Fuck thy Neighbor, Leave us 1% Alone!!!!!! Free Market Corporate Orgy of Tax and Regulation-free, Profit-taking Society.
Anything less, and they are all frowns - exactly like last night.
(* - Apologies if I was a little harsh. - Z)
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Wed Jan 26, 2011 at 13:15:32 PM MST
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( - promoted by Fong)
Deep down I knew they were probably bullshitting us again, but I had somehow hoped Democratic Senators wouldn't get punked on filibuster reform by their intransigent colleagues.
They did: "To be able to invoke the constitutional option, a resolution has to be placed on the Senate calendar and to place something on the calendar you need unanimous consent," a Senate aide said. "Unanimous consent was rejected last night." So I don't want to hear this bullshit from Mark Udall. And I don't want to hear this bullshit from Michael Bennet.
When they are fired for dereliction of duty by Colorado's voters they should know the primary reason is they were too cowardly to take on the most dysfunctional institution in DC: The United States Senate. They instead chose to bullshit their constituents and pretend they were going to do something about the filibuster.
They didn't.
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Sat Jan 01, 2011 at 15:23:06 PM MST
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( - promoted by Fong)
OK, no one is 100% happy with TSA and what we have to go through at airports before getting on a flight. Obviously, the first blame must go to George Bush and Dick Cheney who allowed 9/11 to happen on their watch. This has forever changed the way we fly to our business meetings and overdue vacations. Bush and Cheney were sufficiently warned of the dangers of terrorist attacks by hijacking and ignored those warnings completely.
The next set of blame must also be laid at the feet of Bush/Cheney as well as Tom Ridge and Karl Rove, who implemented TSA protocols for political reasons, who've kept the pay scale down, and who surely intimidated and influenced management from Day 1 to always keep TSA wanting for resources and as a target of anti-worker sentiment.
Republican Congressmen and Senators like Jim DeMint also played that game.
If anyone thinks the procedural mixups and hindrances to our travel are all due to TSA workers, and only those workers, they could only be an incoming Republican Committee Chairman who loves privatization, hates your friends and neighbors and family members, and who wants to privatize yet another key public safety function of government: "If you look at [the TSA's] performance, have they ever stopped a terrorist? Anyone can get through," Mica said in an interview. "We've been very lucky, very fortunate. TSA should focus on its mission: setting up the protocol, adapting to the changing threats and gathering intelligence." None of us should allow this to happen and this will be the constant fight of the next congress: preventing the complete defunding of government and dismantling of the key services it provides by Republican anarchists like John Mica and Jim DeMint, brought to you by a political party on the steroid of pure green cash given in fatal doses.
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Sun Dec 19, 2010 at 09:31:20 AM MST
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( - promoted by Fong)
After giving a questionable victory to Obama on the economy, then finally acquiescing to the 3-year-too-late-possible repeal of DADT, Republican senators have renewed their mission to make President Obama a one-term failure while guaranteeing further Billions wasted on the boondoggle that will never die - "missile defense":"I've decided I cannot support the treaty," said McConnell on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday morning. "I think the verification provisions are inadequate, and I do worry about missile defense implications." Mitch McConnell was Obama's key "partner" in the bipartisan tax law that will begin the serious erosion of Social Security. And the petty Homophobe McCain?
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Thu Sep 30, 2010 at 09:48:35 AM MST
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Another freshman Senator has introduced a plan to limit the Republican-Teabagger Party's ability to abuse the filibuster.
There are good and bad parts to this news, in my opinion.
Starting with the good: Sen. Udall is at least somewhat engaged on this issue. The Republican Teabaggers' abuse of Senate rules has become the leading issue of our day. Given the very real harm that global warming is exerting and threatens in the future to our civilization, that's saying something. But I think most of you will agree - nothing gets done without Republican Teabagger approval in the Senate today. Not global warming, not immigration, not education, not health care, etc. That's a disgusting situation and it needs to end now. Not next January, but now.
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Thu Jul 08, 2010 at 06:47:25 AM MST
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It is time to start hitting the Republicans in the Senate and one Democrat (I am looking at you Ben Nelson!) on this totally bogus look to the future but screw the present issue of extending unemployment benefits, and more importantly the issue of another major stimulus package to get people back to work. So, lets hit them where it hurts, let's call them out on their total lack of patriotism.
There has been a flight to patriotism in the Republican Party since the 9/11 attacks. They have reaped the benefits of being (falsely as it turns out) the party that stands for the good ol' U.S. of A. and it is time to make that flag they have wrapped themselves in a hell of a lot less flattering.
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 at 06:22:23 AM MST
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Since the Republicans have managed to stand tall on their instance that up to 2 million unemployed Americans should lose their meager benefits, perhaps it is time to start introducing them to some of the unemployed. We have heard the Dickensian pronouncements on the Senate floor that the unemployed are lazy, that the benefits they receive are keeping them from looking for work, that it is more important in a financial crisis to cut spending (and thus cut the over all recovery off at the knees) than it is to help our fellow Americans who, through no fault of their own, are now paying the price for financial deregulation.
As long as this debate is kept in abstract terms it is easy for those Republicans who have a conscience (all three of them) to talk about how we should be burdening our children and grandchildren with debt. It is time to use the very effective method of hearings to bring the real face of the long term unemployed right into the face of the heartless and petty Republican majority.
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