While I appreciate the Gator sentiment in this House floor appearance by Jacksonville Congresswoman Corrine Brown, word that she is mulling a U.S. Senate bid makes me think that perhaps we might want a Senator who could actually read a simple congratulatory message.
By Lorna Bracewell
PoHo contributor
In a presidential proclamation issued on Monday, President Barack Obama officially recognized the month of June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The president’s call for equality and his acknowledgment of the many contributions LGBT people have made to America’s culture, society and politics despite being culturally, socially and politically marginalized are truly moving. However, I can’t help feeling slightly ambivalent about the whole thing. Here’s why:
Sen. Charlie Justice has gotten out ahead of the Democratic field of those who want Bill Young’s three-decade seat in Congress by announcing today that he is in the race.
Young has not signaled his intentions, but his retirement has been rumored for at least a decade. Yesterday, Politico mentioned him again as a leading retirement prospect because he raised virtually no campaign money in the first quarter.
In a written statement, Justice said, “The impact of the faltering economy can be seen all across our community in the form of short sales, foreclosure signs and shuttered businesses. Florida families are pulling together at the dinner table and in churches and synagogues because they are determined to succeed. We need more leaders in Congress who share that determination.”
The full statement after the jump.
In testimony in front of a House subcommittee, AIG Chairman and CEO Edward Liddy dropped this gem that was not in his prepared remarks: He has asked all AIG employees getting bonuses above $100,000 to return half of the money.
“I’ve asked the employees of AIG financial products to step up and do the right thing,” Liddy told the panel this afternoon. “Specifically I’ve asked those who received retention payments in excess of $100,000 or more to return at least half of those payments, some have already stepped forward and offered to give up 100 percent of their payments.”
You can read my earlier post about his prepared remarks, and download them in their entirety, at this link.
And here’s a video excerpt from Liddy’s testimony.
Read the rest of this entry »
Edward Liddy, public enemy No. 1 in today’s hypernews cycle, is set to testify in front of a Congressional subcommittee about the millions of tax-subsidized dollars that are being paid to AIG employees as a thank you for tanking the company and forcing a taxpayer bailout. Liddy is AIG’s chairman and CEO since late last year, and let’s make this clear, he didn’t create the mess there; he is trying to clean it up at the request of our government.
Nonetheless, the public demands a head, and today, that head is Ed’s.
From Liddy’s prepared remarks, these gems:
Mistakes were made at AIG on a scale few coudl have ever imagined possible. The most critical of those mistakes was that the company strayed from its core competencies in the insurance business. This was typified by the creation of what grew to become an internal hedge fund, which then became substantially overexposed to market risk.
And:
From The New York Times:
“Close them down, get them out of business,” Mr. Shelby, the senior Republican on the Banking Committee, told ABC’s “This Week With George Stephanopoulos.” “If they’re dead, they ought to be buried.”
While the Alabama senator did not say which banks to shutter, he suggested that Citigroup might be on that list, saying the bank has “always been a problem child.”
Mr. McCain, appearing on “Fox News Sunday,” echoed that sentiment without identifying any banks. Mr. McCain, who lost the presidential election last November, also accused the Treasury Department of avoiding the “hard decision” to let “these banks fail.”
An 1,100-page budget bill starting to move forward in Congress has provisions that would relax the nearly 50-year-old Cuban embargo, our nation’s longest-lasting foreign policy mistake over the last half of the 20th Century. The Palm Beach Post reports:
The bill, which is expected to be voted on by the House on Wednesday, already has Cuban-American lawmakers balking.
The 2009 budget bill would:
• Prevent the U.S. government from spending any of its budget enforcing 2004 rules that keep Cuban Americans from visiting their homeland more than once every three years.
• Create a general travel license for Americans who sell food and medical supplies to Cuba.
• Let Cuba pay for the American produce it buys when the products arrive in Havana. Current law forces Cuba to pay up front before products leave U.S. ports.
• Require the U.S. Treasury Department to issue a report showing how much of its staff and funding is spent on enforcing the ban on travel to Cuba.
And there is a growing chorus that the embargo did not work and is not going to work. This from the Miami Herald:
MIAMI — The Obama administration should take “a serious look at U.S. sanctions towards Cuba,” Fareed Zakaria, CNN analyst and editor of Newsweek’s international editions, urged Tuesday at a foreign policy summit at Florida International University.
“We’ve had a policy of punitive sanctions, and the idea has been that we would topple Fidel Castro’s regime,” Zakaria said.
“Fidel Castro and his brother are the longest-lived heads of government in the world. Surely, that suggests the policy is not working.”
The United States has sustained a 47-year-old embargo that prohibits trade with the island.
Influential Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana declared recently that the embargo “has failed.” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has ordered a review of the embargo.
As President Obama preps for his first address to a joint session of Congress tonight at 9 p.m., the punditocracy is going wild with predictions and desires of what he will/should say. He’s catching heat for being a doomsayer so far instead of the hopeful candidate whose pop art depiction graced untold Hope posters. This is a tough speech for him: he must be hopeful and realistic at the same time. He must explain how his borrowing trillions of dollars from the Chinese squares with his desire to cut deficit spending. He has to roll out an austere budget proposal yet still pad it with social programs and safety-net spending that his party demands.
The New York Times sets the table for him by polling and finding Obama remains enormously popular:
President Obama is benefiting from remarkably high levels of optimism and confidence among Americans about his leadership, providing him with substantial political clout as he confronts the nation’s economic challenges and opposition from nearly all Republicans in Congress, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.
A majority of people surveyed in both parties said Mr. Obama was striving to work in a bipartisan way, but most faulted Republicans for their response to the president, saying the party had objected to the $787 billion economic stimulus plan for political reasons. Most said Mr. Obama should pursue the priorities he campaigned on, the poll found, rather than seek middle ground with Republicans.
Jacob Heilbrunn uses that poll data as his jumping off point for labeling Obama’s speech on the economy tonight as the epitaph for the conservative movement:
Today brings a break in the 2001 Chandra Levy murder case. You remember, the Hill intern for then-Congressman Gary Condit, who was suspected of killing his secret lover and dumping her body in a D.C. park.
Now, it turns out it was a different scumbag who did it. This from the AP:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in a wide-ranging interview with Rolling Stone, says at least three senior Bush Administration officials could be prosecuted for crimes they committed while in power.
RS wrote in its latest issue:
Do you foresee a scenario in which senior members of the Bush administration are actually prosecuted?
I think so. The American people deserve answers. Where we are now, in terms of prosecution of White House staff, is that we have charged them with contempt of Congress. We’re talking about Harriet Miers, Josh Bolten and Karl Rove. The natural course of events from here is that the speaker will determine what charge we’re going to pursue, because there are more than one. Under Bush, the Justice Department told the U.S. attorney not to prosecute the case. So the beat goes on – it just gets worse. We don’t know what will happen, because they’ve delayed it a long time.
I’m talking more about the level of a Donald Rumsfeld – people who authorized torture and greenlighted the kidnapping and rendition of innocent people.
I didn’t like their policies, which is why we needed to win the election – to get them out of power.But I don’t know what the evidence is against them on any specific charge. When you have a truth-and-reconciliation commission . . . look, I’m still fighting the bombing of Cambodia. I still have my gripes with the administration that bombed Cambodia before you were born, so I think it’s important to bring these things out. If you have a case against someone, you bring a case.
Pelosi was supportive of legislation aimed at a kind of “Truth Commission” that would look at the wrongdoing in the previous administration.
The Republican Party’s anti-Obama stimulus gambit appears not to be paying off. A poll by AP/GfK shows the public widely is siding with Obama and Democrats in Congress on the economic recovery plan — and panning the GOP.
Obama’s approval rating on the economy is 68 percent. The Democrats in Congress get a 49 percent approval, while Congressional Republicans score only 33 percent approval.
Bipartisanship in our future? Not if the House Republican leaders have their way, as they are furiously working to ensure another party-line vote when the compromise stimulus bill shows back up for a final vote. The prospect, however, doesn’t look good, as 10-15 House Republicans seem ready to support the economic recovery act. Politico adds it up:
ZERO SUM GAME: House Republicans are trying to give Dems another goose egg in terms of GOP support on the final stimulus package. As Politico’s Patrick O’Connor reports: “There’s a lot of safety in zero. That, at least, is the message Republican leaders are taking to their wavering rank-and-file. House Republican made headlines – and won some much-need unity – when they denied President Barack Obama a single GOP vote on the House version of his economic recovery plan late last month. Few expect the same results when the House takes up the final version of a $789 billion package Friday; Republican members and aides were braced Thursday night for 10 to 15 defections.”
UPDATE: House minority leaders got their way, and not a single Republican in the lower chamber voted for the Obama Stimulus Plan.
The California congresswoman has been through redlining fights, predatory lending fights, and lots of other grievances with the banking system. And she’s seen nothing like the current screwing that credit cardholders are taking from U.S. banks that are enjoying TARP money.
Watching this is 7 minutes and 8 seconds well spent, even if it does mean listening to Waters’ convoluted (and I’m being extremely generous) questions.
Today’s side skirmish in the economic stimulus package debate is between the large and monied public employees’ union, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and 21 targeted Republicans in the House of Representatives. AFSCME and Americans United for Change, a larger pro-labor group that it is part of, today dropped television and regional radio commercials in those lawmakers’ districts.
Here’s the TV vid:
Eric Cantor, the rising star of the far right in Congress, had his own brand of comeback, with his aide telling Politico that an old, redubbed AFSCME commercial would serve as Cantor’s official response. (View it after the jump, plus an update with AFSCME demanding an apology.)
The two hottest searches on Google today are for Americans for Prosperity and No Stimulus Petition, which links you to the anti-Obama stimulus package movement and an online petition. Evidence enough that Barack Obama faces an uphill battle for the hearts and minds, as his White House has allowed the anti-stimulus package forces to define the legislation and the terms of battle. Classic framing theory, and surprising to see just how rookie the Obama Administration handled it.
One reason is likely that he won’t/can’t stand up publicly to the self-destructive House Democrats. Sure, less than 1 percent of the House bill was really pork. But it was pork that was indefensible, and at a total tab of more than 800 billion, it was pork that individually ran into the tens of millions of dollars.
Out in Real America, that kind of cash is still big money and can’t be p’shawed away so easily. For the past week, my email inbox has been stuffed with pointed, funny and (mostly) successful anti-stimulus propaganda: The Libertarian Party, “America’s third largest party tonight urged Senate Republicans and Democrats to scrap plans their joint plans for a $780 billion package of wealth transfers and expanded government spending;” the National Black Republicans, “The fierce urgency of pork;” and the new House Republican plan website that “details the smarter, simpler stimulus plan proposed by House Republicans that will create twice the jobs at half the price “
(Take a look at this cool WaPo graphic on where the money would be spent if you need help visualizing where it is all going.)
So as Obama preps for his Fort Myers dog-and-pony on Tuesday and a prime-time news conference tonight to try to take back the high ground in his first major legislative battle, here are 10 Talking Points for what he must say and commit to do:
In an interesting turn of events, it seems State Rep. Seth McKeel likely won’t be running for Congress. McKeel was among those publicly considering running for Congressman Adam Putnam’s seat when (if?) Congressman Putnam announces his bid for Commissioner of Agriculture.
At least one person looking at the race and a handful of business community members say the McKeels, who recently had their second child, have already decided that Seth will stay in the Legislature where he is posed to become a rising star.
Over the next week or two I will be researching and publishing where the largest chunks of campaign money went in 2008, the consultants, media buyers, printers and pollsters who — no matter how their clients did at the ballot box — won by bringing home the bacon.
I’ll start with a look at the Tampa Bay U.S. congressional races, and our beginning point is the District 9 race between incumbent Republican Gus BIlirakis and Democratic challenger Bill Mitchell.
BIlirakis raised $1.3 million and spent $922,000, according to FEC campaign finance reports filed through mid-October, the latest available.
Media consultant Stevens Reed Curcio & Potholm of Alexandria, Va., (the same folks who brought us those the Vern Buchanan TV ads) did Bilirakis’ television production and buying, at a total tab of nearly $172,000. EM Campaigns, Randy Enwright’s national consulting firm in Tallahassee that has strong connections into both the state GOP and Jeb!, was paid $16,000. (Enwright was political director of Fred Thompson’s slow-motion train-wreck of a presidential effort.) The The Catalyst Group RW, LLC, out of D.C. was paid $10,000 for fund raising and fundraising events.
On the direct mail side, the work went to Ponte Vedra Beach over near Jacksonville, with Sam Van Voorhis’ Majority Strategies getting $42,000 in fees and printing costs. (For those with long or conspiratorial memories, Voorhis was caught up in an investigation into kickbacks in Ohio politics, but the Department of Justice dropped the probe and no charges were filed. Some have suggested that the probe was dropped as part of partisan meddling in the Alberto Gonzalez DOJ.)
Pollster The Tarrance Group made $10,000.
Locally, Mark Proctor’s MPA Consulting out of Brandon was paid $4,000 ($1,000 a month). Sunrise Consulting of Trinity in Pasco County got $33,000 for consulting and direct mail.
Over on the Democratic side, Mitchell’s top paydays went to D.C.-based media consultant Laguens Kully Klose Partners ($14,000), pollster Momentum Analysis $22,500, Fairfax, Va.-based Media Strategies for TV advertising ($75,800), and direct mail firm The Strategy Group ($43,000).
Mitchell raised $146,000 and spent $249,000, leaving a $100,000 debt, according to FEC records.
Turns out that President-Elect Barack Obama can still pack ‘em in post-election. His appearance Sunday on 60 Minutes netted the news show its highest ratings in nine years.
Yes, it’s a bit harshly lit. And yes, Christine Jennings’ eyes don’t quite connect with the viewer as she reads the script. And she isn’t all warm-and-fuzzy looking. Aesthetics aside, however, this new TV ad gets away from the accusations-trading that has marked her challenge to incumbent Republican Congressman and gazillionaire car dealer Vern Buchanan by talking about the economic issues.
It went up this morning, and I already saw it on the Today Show earlier. The full script follows the jump.
We’re combining forces to bring you a more complete set of morning headlines in politics, media and pop culture. Joe Bardi’s Short List on the Daily Loaf and Wayne Garcia’s Morning Roundup in PoHo blog will now be combined, giving you even more news to start your day with.
Here’s a great idea. Too bad it’s illegal in Florida:
From her press spokeswoman, Kathy Castor’s statement in the wake of the failure of the $700 billion bailout plan in the House:
After thoughtful consideration and review, I voted against President Bush’s $700 billion bailout. The Bush plan does not provide sufficient help to middle-class families in the housing squeeze or taxpayer protections.
I assisted hundreds of Tampa Bay families at my foreclosure workshops this summer and I understand the need for direct, immediate action. The Bush plan failed to provide such action.
I will work to ensure that this freewheeling deregulation that has brought our great country to this serious day does not happen again. I strongly support the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee investigations which begin this week, and will push for accountability for those responsible for the damage to our communities.
Congress should go back to the drawing board as soon as possible this week to tackle the issue.
On the day that C.W. Bill Young was pictured on 1A supporting a family as their 23-year-old Marine arrived home in a casket from Iraq, Dunedin Mayor Bob Hackworth, a Democrat, says he’ll run for Young’s Republican-held seat this year.
From Young’s PR-happy announcement:
The Mayor of Dunedin, Bob Hackworth, is joining the race for U.S. Congress. Earth Day, April 22nd, Hackworth will formally announce that he is a candidate for the Congressional seat currently held by 19-term incumbent U.S. Rep C.W. “Bill” Young. Hackworth looks forward to representing Florida’s 10th District, which covers most of Pinellas County.
“Dunedin is the poster child of a well-governed city,†says Bob Hackworth (D-FL). “I couldn’t run for Congress as the mayor of a better community.
Dunedin is acclaimed for having a sense of community. Its safe neighborhoods are enriched with arts, culture, libraries, parks and recreation. It is also one of the first cities in the state to go “greenâ€.
Under Hackworth’s leadership, Dunedin began cutting its tax rate long before state-mandated property tax relief efforts hit last year. As a result, Dunedin weathered the budget-reduction storm better than most cities.
“We didn’t have to cut services like many cities did,†says Hackworth. “Instead, we made government more efficient in order to provide the same level of service for fewer dollars. That’s what our citizens wanted and that’s what people deserve from every branch of government.â€
Samm Simpson, a fave of Pinellas progressives, is also running. She lost to him two years ago and is not widely seen as a major competitor. Even some strongly pro-Democratic bloggers have questioned some of her actions since then.
Bonus cut: an anti-Young blog here.
On a scale from 1-10: Iran’s a 2.
Former Plant City Mayor John Dicks made it official today that he will try to challenge Congressman Gus Bilirakis in 2008.
Dicks is a lawyer by trade (and a fellow UF journalism school grad) and is a Democrat. He could face Tampa attorney Bill Mitchell in the primary. Biliarkis is a Republican and holds both the advantage of incumbency and geography, since Bilirakis’ home base in Tarpon Springs gives him closer contact to Pinellas-Pasco voters who make up about 60 percent of this district.
Dicks’ full news release after the jump.
Just heard from Rep. Gus Bilirakis’ office on a query for my story on the CAFE fuel efficiency standards battle in the House of Representatives. The options include the Markey-Platts bill that is backed by environmental and consumer groups and the auto industry-and-union-supported Hill-Terry legislation. Press secretary John Tomaszewski writes:
The Congressman supports improvements to existing CAFE standards. He has not come to a decision about which piece of legislation he would support.
Anyone looking for an example of just how “business-as-usual†Congress is despite a changeover in party leadership in 2006 needs look no further than the current fight over fuel efficiency standards for automobiles.
The Democratic-controlled Senate has already voted to require a substantial increase in fuel efficiency, a 10 mpg increase to an average of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, the most substantial change in the three decades since the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards were adopted.
Republican governors such as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Charlie Crist support stricter auto-fuel levels and lower emissions.
Even President Bush in his State of the Union speech this year called for a 4 percent increase in fuel efficiency annually as a way of weaning the United States off its dependency on foreign oil and fighting the War on Terror.
Then why is the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives seriously considering legislation that would water down those fuel efficiency targets, costing the U.S. 1.1 billion gallons of fuel every day?
The answer can be traced to money and influence — as personified by Democratic Congressman John Dingell. He is the chairman of the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee considering the CAFE legislation. He is from Michigan. The home of Detroit. The epicenter of America’s foundering auto industry.
This week, Dingell publicly threw his support behind legislation known as Hill-Terry, an auto-industry supported bill that dilutes the Senate’s efforts to achieve fuel efficiency. Reps. Baron Hill and Lee Terry propose to give carmakers more time (until 2022) to hit a lower target (at least 32 mpg). It would also prohibit the federal government from setting that standard any higher than 35 mpg, even if technological changes between now and then make that an easy goal.
Perhaps the worst pill in Hill-Terry is a provision that would stop individual states from setting tougher emissions and fuel standards than the federal government, as has been done in California and 11 other states.
That hasn’t stopped Dingell from pimping the bill. Read the rest of this entry »
