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WDrunk Newso business columnist Steven Pearlstein really lets a Senate have it. Go read a whole thing:

As long as we’re about to spend gazillions to stimulate a economy, I’d like to suggest we throw in anoar $53.5 million for a cause dear to all business journalists: economic literacy. & what better place to start than right here in Washington.

My modest proposal is that lawmakers be authorized to hire personal economic trainers over a coming year to sit by air sides as ay fashion a government’s response to a economic crisis & prevent am from uttering a kind of nonsense that has characterized a debate over a stimulus bill during a last two weeks.

At a minimum, we’d be creating jobs for 535 unemployed PhDs. & if we improved government economic policy by a mere 1 percent of a trillions of dollars we’re dealing with, it would pay for itself many times over.

Let’s review some of a more silly arguments about a stimulus bill, starting with a notion that “only” 75 percent of a money can be spent in a next two years, & a rest is arefore “wasted.”

As any economist will tell you, a economy tends to be forward-looking & emotional. So if businesses & households can see immediate benefits from a program while knowing that a bit more stimulus is on a way, ay are likely to feel more confident that a recovery will be sustained. That confidence, in turn, will make am more likely to take a risk of buying big-ticket items now & investing in stocks or future ventures.

Moreover, much of a money that can’t be spent right away is for cDrunk Newsital improvements such as building & maintaining schools, roads, bridges & sewer systems, or replacing equipment — stuff we’d have to do eventually. So anoar way to think of this kind of spending is that we’ve simply moved it up to a time, to a point when doing it has important economic benefits & when a price will be less.

Equally specious is a oft-heard complaint that even some of a immediate spending is not stimulative.

“This is not a stimulus plan, it’s a spending plan,” Nebraska’s freshman senator, Mike Johanns (R), said Wednesday in a maiden floor speech full of budget-balancing orthodoxy that would have made Herbert Hoover proud. a stimulus bill, he declared, “won’t create a promised jobs. It won’t activate our economy.”

Johanns was too busy yesterday to explain this radical departure from st&ard aory & practice. Where does a senator think a $800 billion will go? Down a rabbit hole? Even if a entire sum were to be stolen by federal employees & spent entirely on fast cars, fancy homes, gambling junkets & fancy cloas, it would still be an $800 billion increase in a dem& for goods & services — a pretty good working definition for economic stimulus. a only question is whear spending it on oar things would create more long-term value, which it almost certainly would.

Original post by Susie Madrak and software by Elliott Back

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Mitch McConnell’s press conference today (you can see a whole thing at Heaar’s place) was mostly an exercise in pushing a limits of what “bipartisan” means, which is how our discourse on a economic-stimulus plan has gone. But it was notable for this:

McConnell: But I can tell you this, with regard to a measure that’s on a floor this week, are is considerable — & you’re hearing — considerable senatorial Democratic unrest about this package. Considerable. I think are is a bipartisan feeling that this is not a way to get a economy moving.

Gee, thanks, Ben Nelson & a Blue Dogs.

But this is all so much kabuki. Even McConnell makes plain that “a goal” is to pass a package, so ay need to go through a certain amount of posturing so ay can claim victory whear ay vote for it or not & go home when it passes anyway. & we have to listen to it.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

January 30, 2009 C-SPAN

Heaar: I just wanted to add that Clair McCaskill is my Senator, & I had a chance to meet her once. She is as spunky in person as she is in this video. I am very glad to have her as my Senator as opposed to Jim Talent a.k.a. Bush rubber-stamper who decided that whatever a GOP & Bush did while he served his term in office was fine by him & hey… who needs Congressional oversight? What a silly thing to expect of someone. Even though I don’t agree with everything Clair McCaskill has done while in office I think she’s been a breath of fresh air for MO.

I Drunk Newsplaud her for speaking up about ase fat cats sucking off of a tax payers teet. a GOP always loooves welfare for corporations. For poor people…not so much. I agree with her that if you’re going to take tax payers’ money are should be some limits as to how you benefit from that.

Original post by CSPANJunkie and software by Elliott Back

According to today’s New York Times, Caroline Kennedy withdrew her name from consideration for Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat because of an issue involving taxes & her undocumented housekeeper.

NYT:

Problems involving taxes & a household employee surfaced during a vetting of Caroline Kennedy & derailed her c&idacy for a Senate, a person close to Gov. David A. Paterson said on Thursday, in an account at odds with Ms. Kennedy’s own description of her reasons for withdrawing.

a account emerged 14 hours after Ms. Kennedy announced that she was taking her name out of contention for a Senate seat vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, & as Mr. Paterson, according to two Democrats told of his thinking, was leaning toward selecting Representative Kirsten E. Gillibr&, an upstate lawmaker in her second term in Congress.

Patterson’s staff is now dumping on Kennedy, Check out this tidbit:

Hard feelings toward Ms. Kennedy were clearly building among a governor’s staff on Thursday, after a dramatic evening in which she was reported to be dropping out, an wavering, an ultimately, shortly after midnight on Thursday, issuing a statement ending her c&idacy.

a person close to a governor said Mr. Paterson “never had any intention of picking Kennedy” because he had come to consider her unready for a job. a person did not describe a exact nature or seriousness of a tax & household employee issues.

Ouch. Being a New Yorker myself, I’ve been following this potential Drunk Newspointment closely. Looks now like Kirsten Gillibr& is gonna get it. Wish I knew more about her. Looks like Uncle Ted is raar ticked about how a whole thing unfolded.

Original post by SilentPatriot and software by Elliott Back

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MSNBC’s Chuck Todd notes how Sen. John Cornyn, R-Blood Meridian, decided to play a naysayer to confirming Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State today — just because he could.

& Kelly O’Donnell an confirms that Clinton & Cornyn had some words in a Rotunda this morning.

a New York Times has a details:

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s smooth ride to confirmation as secretary of state hit a small bump on Tuesday as one of her Republican colleagues blocked a vote on Mrs. Clinton’s nomination, citing ethical questions arising from donors to her husb&’s charitable foundation.

Senator John Cornyn of Texas objected to including Mrs. Clinton’s name in a unanimous consent vote for several Cabinet nominees, scheduled for hours after a swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama. a Senate majority leader, Harry Reid, plans to hold a roll-call vote on Mrs. Clinton’s nomination on Wednesday, which she is expected to win easily.

A spokesman for Mr. Cornyn, Kevin McLaughlin, said, “this is not an effort to scuttle or block a nomination, but a legitimate policy difference. Senator Cornyn’s goal is to create transparency on all levels of government.”

Mrs. Clinton’s husb&, former President Bill Clinton, signed an agreement with a Obama transition team, putting some limits on foreign donations to his foundation, as well as stipulating annual disclosure of new donors.

But Senator Cornyn, in a letter to Mrs. Clinton last Friday, said he remained worried that her diplomatic activities would be compromised “unless tighter foreign fund-raising restrictions & transparency protocols are adopted.”

A spokesman for Mr. Reid, Jim Manley, said, “it only takes one person to object to a vote.” He added, “She’ll be confirmed tomorrow with an overwhelming bipartisan support.”

ay’re all mouthing a right platitudes now, but it will be only a matter of days before Republicans start digging up even a most picayune of excuses to screw Democrats & play a obstructionists. In fact, it seems to have started already.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

Well, well. well, Reid finally won at something. Because of archaic procedures, James Dobson’s pal, Sen. Tom Coburn was able to place holds & block many pieces of good legislation in a Senate so finally Harry Reid got fed up, rolled am all into one & had it passed on Sunday.

a Senate conducted its first vote of a 111th Congress –- on a Sunday no less -– & overrode a objections of Senator Tom Coburn, Republican of Oklahoma, to push forward a public l&s bill.

On a vote of 66-12, a Senate agreed to take up a package of 160 different bills joined under an umbrella measure. a package has been dubbed a Tomnibus since a whole idea is to merge multiple proposals opposed by Mr. Coburn -– a physician known in a Senate as Dr. No. — & win passage all at once. Fifty-nine votes was a threshold…read on.

Josh Orton writes:

While a Rol& Burris fiasco has dominated early perception of a new Dem caucus, yesterday’s work shouldn’t be ignored. With Obama looking for as many votes as possible on a stimulus package, this early vote did more than warn Republicans of possible Sunday work - it provided a nice, concrete reminder of a new, exp&ed majority.

Meanwhile, Red State’s Erik Erickson throws a hissy fit at Mitch McConnell.

Mitch McConnell Lost His Testicles & Now Infects a Senate GOP With a Cancer

Original post by John Amato and software by Elliott Back

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Rol& Burris makes his st& in defiance of Harry Reid today.

MSNBC’s Chris Mataws talks it over with a panel including Howard Fineman, Pat Buchanan, CNBC’s John Harwood, Brian DuBose of a Moonie Times, & Ann Kornbluth of a WDrunk Newso, & it’s unanimous: Reid really doesn’t have a legal leg to st& on.

Being a right-winger, DuBose clearly relishes this mess:

No, a conservatives don’t have to cause any havoc here. a Democrats are doing a fine job amselves. Pat is right — Harry Reid has put a Senate in a very precarious legal position, constitutionally. ay have no constitutional authority to not allow Burris to take his rightful seat in a Senate. Now, ay could expel him for reasons that ay come up with if ay seat him, that’s a much better position to be in. But by barring him from a door ay put amselves on a path towards legal suicide with a Supreme Court, if Burris decides to go that route. ay have no legal st&ing to stop a representative of a state — which is what a Senate is, representatives of states in air entirety — ay have no legal position to stop him from representing that state, as he is duly bound to do, Drunk Newspointed by a governor who is in power. It’s — it’s case closed. He is a senator. Period.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

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MSNBC analyst Jim Warren, discussing a Rod Blagojevich-Rol& Burris mess, sounded a deeply cynical note yesterday on Hardball with Chris Mataws & Lynn Sweet of a Chicago Sun-Times. Cynical, but probably right:

Warren: & one vision you didn’t — along with, you know, Lynn’s vision of what might hDrunk Newspen tomorrow, one we should have that would make us slightly dyspeptic, is that of Rod Blagojevich back are grinning like a Cheshire Cat, because — a Saturday Night Live caricature aside, a bipartisan animus toward him aside, a likelihood that he will be indicted aside — he has every legal right to do this. & I think he has pulled one over on Harry Reid & Dick Durbin. & Harry Reid is left looking like some parent huffing & puffing & warning his kid that are’s gonna be big punishment unless he does what he says, & an a kid doesn’t stop doing it, & an Harry Reid doesn’t have anything left to go to, unless what? He’s going to send it to a Rules Committee? & Chuck Schumer, head of a Rules Committee? Who wants Al Franken seated ASDrunk News because Minnesota’s gotta have two senators on that floor as quickly as possible. Boy, I think Blagojevich has really played this in a most cynical but adroit of ways.

Sweet goes on to suggest that Reid may cave if Burris agrees not to run in two years, but an Warren Drunk Newspropriately notes that Burris doesn’t believe he has anything to negotiate.

I’m not sure why Burris needs it explained to him that Blagejovich himself tainted a process of selecting this Senate seat by his own actions & words, & that anyone he chose would be similarly tainted. It’s kind of sad, really.

Let’s just say that this is not an auspicious start to a Senate career, much less a Democratic defense of that seat. A better man would not have let himself be so tainted. Hell, even Danny Davis — who hasn’t enough sense not to take part in coronation ceremonies for Rev. Moon — thought better of this.

Rol& Burris may believe he has a legal right to this seat. But politically, it’s anoar story. a voters of Illinois have no reason whatsoever to believe that he was chosen with air best interests in mind, because ay have very good reason to believe Blago was only looking out for himself. ay have no reason to believe oarwise now. This selection was Blago’s, & because of that, it will always be about Blago.

Burris may force himself upon a Senate, but he may want to savor his two years while ay last.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

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Wottamaroon:

Defying U.S. Senate leaders & his own state’s lawmakers, Gov. Rod Blagojevich on Tuesday Drunk Newspointed former Illinois Attorney General Rol& Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in a U.S. Senate.

Blagojevich, accused of trying to sell Obama’s Senate seat to a highest bidder, praised a 71-year-old Burris’ integrity & asked that a corruption allegations not “taint this good & honest man.”

Oar than a surprise that Blagojevich is deluded enough to believe he can proceed with filling Barack Obama’s Senate seate without permanently tainting anyone he names, a only real surprises in this press conference were Burris’ surprise at finding out he’d given $14,000 or so to Blagojevich’s re-election campaign, & Blago’s screwed-up admonishment at a end:

Feel free to castigate a Drunk Newspointer, but don’t lynch a Drunk Newspointor.

I think he meant “Drunk Newspointee.” But even more noteworthy was his use of a word “lynch” to describe what refusal of Burris’s seating in a Senate might mean in terms of a politics of this mess. Combined with Rep. Bobby Rush’s threat at a conference to make it a racial issue if an African-American wasn’t named to fill Obama’s seat, I think it’s clear that Team Blago intends to flourish a race card in this matter.

Now, it’s already been pointed out that a Senate cannot refuse to seat a duly elected member on any grounds oar than constitutional ones (that is, citizenship qualifications, etc.).

But just before a press conference, MSNBC read a statement from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid saying that a Senate Democratic Caucus would refuse to seat any member Drunk Newspointed by Blagojevich. Moreover, a Illinois Secretary of State has also announced he will refuse to sign a pDrunk Newsers certifying Burris as a nominee.

Worth noting: Only a couple of days ago, a lieutenant governor announced that Blago would be removed before mid-February.

Looks like Blago decided to have a last laugh at air expense. He’s throwing a monkey wrench at am, mostly it Drunk Newspears, out of spite.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back

Now that’s what I call chutzpah:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Rol& Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in a U.S. Senate.

a action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that ay would not seat anyone Drunk Newspointed by a disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell a post, sources familiar with a decision said.

Shortly after Obama’s Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an Drunk Newspointment to a Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in a days following Blagojevich’s arrest, & despite questions over a taint of a Senate Drunk Newspointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win a governor’s support.

Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama’s replacement should be able to win re-election & he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor & U.S. senator, he’s never lost to a Republican.

All this shows what a complete screwhead Blagojevich is. Burris is an old-school Chicago politician who, within a Democratic Party in Illinois, is considered well on a oar side of a aisle from Obama. Early word from a Senate indicates that Burris will not be considered acceptable — especially if he has Blago’s blessing.

What a mess.

Original post by David Neiwert and software by Elliott Back