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S/SW blog philosophy -

I credit favorite writers and public opinion makers.

A lifelong Democrat, my comments on Congress, the judiciary and the presidency are regular features.

My observations and commentary are on people and events in politics that affect the USA or the rest of the world, and stand for the interests of peace, security and justice.


Tuesday, March 24, 2009

What's up with Congress?

[3/24/09]
On the hot seat -- President Obama will hold a prime time news conference tonight. And Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke are testifying before Congress today. It looks as if the Senate may put off dealing with the AIG bonus situation. Key Senator, Chris Dodd picked up some vulnerability due to his handling of the AIG controversy, according to Fox News. Due to a sense of potential Obama and Republican reservations about the House clawback bill, action will not take place until after the April 6 recess, according to the Washington Post.

Approval up -- Last week Democrats pointed to a new Gallup poll showing congressional approval ratings at the highest point in 4 years, 39%. To quote Glenn Thrush at Politico,

Republicans are trying pry behind those numbers to show that they’re mostly driven by Democrats who are finally content, rather than independents or Republicans. The poll shows 57 percent of self identified Democrats in the poll approve of Congress, up just 14 points
in a month.
Split on the budget -- Regarding President Obama's budget battle in the Senate, Republicans are warning that they intend to play hardball when it comes to using the reconciliation process, that would not require 60 votes to pass. They threaten to "shut down the Senate" through the use of parliamentary procedures. And a few conservative Democrats could join them. Monday, Senate Budget Committee Chairman, Kent Conrad (D-N Dakota), was reported to be pressing to cut up to $28 billion, or almost half, of the increased appropriations sought by President Obama. This leaves a 6% increase intact. The House process generally seems easier than the Senate, but the budget bill faces an uphill battle there, also, due to the increasing tension between Liberals and the Blue Dog coalition.

Winners and losers -- Naturally, my two Texas Senators, Hutchison and Cornyn, voted to confirm former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk to be the U.S Trade Representative. He was confirmed 92-5. They both voted against the Omnibus Land Management Act of 2009. It passed the Senate, 77-20. My Representative, Kay Granger voted against the GIVE Act, a bill to reauthorize and reform national service programs. It passed the House 321-105. Granger also voted against the bill to impost an additional tax on certain TARP recipients. That vote passed 328-93. Despite these losses Republicans can't wait to take advantage in the mid-term elections, of what they see as missteps by the Obama administration as well as Democrats in Congress.

Looking to after the recess -- House Members and Senators will leave town the first week in April. By that time a lot of the AIG mess will have died down and the stock market will have taken the measure of the new plan for removing troubled assets from the books of financial institutions. Congress must still send President Obama's remaining nominations to the floor for approval. And by the time Congress returns to town, a lot more will be know about how the President's 2010 budget will fare with the legislators. It will all be fun to watch.

See also Behind the Links for other Congressional info.
My all-in-one Home Page of websites where I post regularly: Carol Gee - Online Universe
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4 comments:

billie said...

i haven't been online much so i'll have to give an 'imo' instead of actual references :) hold on because my head is still foggy and my nose still hurts from the virus i have-

congressional dems have had to pretend that they have ethics because they have been in bed with lobbyists for as long as the rethugs. they have just been the minority party for so long- they forgot that now in the majority- they get looked at more closely and have the spotlight shone on them. pres. obama's quest for ethics in the white house has been marginal at best simply because there are so few washington insiders who have any. i give him kudos for making the attempt.

the rethugs- they don't even pretend. they just keep repeating the same things over and over hoping desperately that their 20% will believe and that the moderates will suddenly become partisan zombies again and vote them in on the same tired ideas that got them voted out.

and the rest of us just shake our heads. kleenex is calling my name....

Carol Gee said...

Hi betmo, your opinion counts with me.
I have no idea how our country will break the strangle hold of the lobbyists. I guess the only ways amount to three: 1)public financing of elections; 2)force the media to give free time for candidates to speak or advertise and 3)limit the length of the campaigns severely. I'm sure there other ideas out there. I, like you, applaud President Obama for trying to make a difference.
Sorry you're sick, my friend. Hope you feel better soon.

The Future Was Yesterday said...

"They threaten to "shut down the Senate" through the use of parliamentary procedures."

How do you tell who the Republicans are????

Carol Gee said...

Hi Future --
Several things to look for: Their mouths form a permanent "No." They look like they have stomach aches. They are dressed well. They are members of an endangered species.
Conservative Democrats are somewhere in between. I do not think they will go so far as to use parliamentary procedures to obstruct legislation.
Yours was a fun comment to which to respond. Thanks, my friend