Good afternoon, Congress Matters readers. This is your afternoon open thread to discuss all things Hill-related. Use this thread to praise or bash Congresscritters, share a juicy tip, ask questions, or post manifestos.
Crossposted from Congress Matters, by the way.
Sure, you could go play in the current open thread on the front page, but what fun would that be? We have three epic right wing fails all in one place plus golf outings that cost more than your annual salary.
Sit back, relax, and prepare to be outraged at the right and take comfort in knowing that we won in 2008.
President Obama is taking the very un-cowboy approach to war strategy by actually meeting with Congressional leaders before announcing his new Afghanistan strategy.
And Obama does not appear to be limiting invitations to those lawmakers at the top of the leadership ladders. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), the No. 2 Democrat and Republican in the House, are planning to attend, leadership aides said.
Lawmakers from a variety of committees, including each chamber's armed services and foreign relations panels, have also been invited.
Aides to Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Armed Services Committee Ranking member Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), and Foreign Relations Ranking member Sen. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) have confirmed the lawmakers's attendance.
As we are all aware, these are the people who will decide how to pay for the war effort.
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It's not that John Boehner wasn't invited to last night's state dinner as the Washington Times reported. Both he and Harry Reid turned down the invite.
A spokesman for the House minority leader said that the White House has invited Boehner to attend next week’s state dinner with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, but that Boehner has declined because he already has plans to be back home in Ohio for the Thanksgiving holiday.
Maybe he went golfing: Wedge issue: John Boehner PAC splurges on golf
That's $82,998 his PAC spent on golf this year for those of you keeping score at home.
The Hill has the full guest list of the state dinner if anyone is interested.
And no, I didn't get an invite, either.
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In more important news, the White House has released its visitor list. TPM will be combing through the list for anything interesting.
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President Obama is going to Scandinavia next month. First, he is going to Copenhagen to commit the country to a short-term Global Warming agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. Then he's going to hop over to Oslo and pick up his Nobel Peace Prize.
There had been doubts about whether the president would attend the climate change conference. Obama said for weeks that he would go only if his presence would help produce a meaningful result.
His decision to attend -- and for the first time, commit to an emission reduction target "in the range of" 17 percent below 2005 levels -- prompted an outpouring of support from the environmental community and its Democratic allies, and it drew criticism from GOP opponents.
The target amounts to a 5.5 percent cut below 1990 levels, well below what most other nations have called upon the U.S. to make.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair John Kerry:
"This could be one hell of a global game changer with big reverberations here at home," said Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.). "For the first time, an American administration has proposed an emissions reduction target, and when President Obama lands in Copenhagen, it will emphasize that the United States is in it to win it. This announcement matches words with action."
Kerry, the Democrats' lead legislator on the Senate global warming bill, stressed that Obama's provision target is "contingent on the support of Congress" but still outlines a politically important path for both developed and developing nations to follow as they outline their own plans for reducing emissions.
"It lays the groundwork for a broad political consensus at Copenhagen that will strip climate obstructionists here at home of their most persistent charge, that the United States shouldn't act if other countries won't join with us," Kerry said. "It is an enormous shot in the arm for those of us working overtime to get a comprehensive bill passed in the Senate. And the fact that the president will attend the Copenhagen talks underscores that the administration is putting its money where its mouth is, putting the president's prestige on the line."
Note: bring warm clothing.
This is very significant. If Congress continues its foot dragging on the Global Warming bill, it is possible that the president may direct the EPA to act independently, likely under the clean air act.
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In other Global Warming news, today's Washington Post editorial destroys the deniers and blasts some goofball hacker who gathered and released some likely fake emails that lead one "skeptic " to proclaim, "This is not a smoking gun; this is a mushroom cloud."
Whatever:
Not quite. Assuming the documents are genuine -- the authenticity of all has not been confirmed -- critics are taking them out of context and misinterpreting at least one controversial e-mail exchange. None of it seriously undercuts the scientific consensus on climate change. But a few of the documents are damaging for other reasons.
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Doug Hoffman conceded again. Of course, in Bizarro Conservative Land, this is a double win for their side.
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Ruth Marcus: Never fear. The Public Option is not unconstitutional.
This is actually very good news. The legal slippery slope of such a ruling could lead to reasoning that things like Medicare, the Interstate Highway System, national parks, and even Social Security are unconstitutional as well.
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Also on the health care front, the New York Times reminds us what we are really fighting for:
NASHVILLE — Some of the debtors sitting forlornly in this city’s old stone bankruptcy court have lost a job or gotten divorced. Others have been summoned to face their creditors because they spent mindlessly beyond their means. But all too often these days, they are there merely because they, or their children, got sick.
The article is pointedly headlined: "From the Hospital to Bankruptcy Court"
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In Terry McAuliffe news, T-Mac himself is working to bring auto manufacturing to southern Virginia. The story claims that these will be "green" jobs, building hybrid cars. The bad news:
McAuliffe's continuing attention to Virginia suggests that another run for office, possibly for governor in 2013, is possible. And a focus on job creation in rural Virginia could help erase the perception that McAuliffe is a carpetbagger with big ideas but without deep ties to the state. It would also help him build support in areas where Democrats typically don't perform well.
I guess it is not particularly bad news to have a multimillionaire on your side, but he got beat in the primaries by Creigh Deeds.
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AT&T really doesn't like the notion that they will be forced to treat all Internet traffic equally.
AT&T doesn't like the idea of new regulations mandating unfettered access to the Internet, and recent comments from the Obama administration that connected the issue to censorship in China have really gotten under its skin.
The telecom giant responded forcefully this week to remarks by White House deputy chief technology officer Andrew McLaughlin, who said that free speech and network neutrality are "intrinsically linked." Net neutrality rules are being crafted by federal regulators that would restrict Internet service providers such as AT&T from blocking or prioritizing content on the Web.
Boo freaking Hoo! Cry me a river.
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The NRSC and the NRCC seem to have grown a brain cell or two, which might be dangerous.
A Republican operative tells us that if the Republican National Committee ends up passing the so-called "purity" resolution - which would cut off party support for candidate that violate three or or more out of ten key conservative policy positions -- it's unlikely that party campaign committees will actually abide by it.
"The litmus test puts too little emphasis on people's most pressing concerns of spending and taxes and therefore cannot be considered an effective tool to fully judge a candidate," the source said. "Because of this, its doubtful this will be a major factor in candidate support."
I guess the Democrats will have to rethink the "let them destroy themselves" strategy for 2010.
Meanwhile, Mr. "Noun, verb, 9/11" might beat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand if he runs for Senate next year.
And in another important race, Democrat John Spratt (SC-05) might have some trouble with his reelection campaign for daring to vote for health care reform.
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Today's Right Wing Fail report:
A single LOL @DanaPerino: Perino said no terrorists attacked the U.S. while President Bush was in office. Of course Sean Hannity did not challenge the claim.
And a double LOL @LouDobbs who claims to be the best friend of Latinos now that he is considering a presidential run.
And Finally a triple LOL @SarahPalin who wants to reform the Canadian health care system by privatizing it. Dear Ottawa. We're sorry about her.
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Happy Thanksgiving everyone, especially the non-essential federal workers who worked a partial day today.