Good afternoon, Daily Kos 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, offer critiques and suggestions, or post manifestos.
No real programming notes today, so here's the news...
Nunn-McCurdy breach
Here's a rule for all of you legislative process junkies and it could affect the future of the military's next generation of fighter jets.
Air Force: Joint Strike Fighter delayed, will cost much more than once expected
The high-profile F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program will be delayed by two years and will be significantly over cost, Air Force Secretary Michael Donley said on Tuesday.
"We think it is probable that there will be a Nunn-McCurdy breach," Donley said at a breakfast with defense reporters.
~snip
The program, under contract to Lockheed Martin, has suffered significant setbacks and has been the subject of continuing reviews by the Pentagon to tamp down delays and cost growth.
Nunn-McCurdy was an amendment to the FY 1982 Defense Authorization Act. Democrats Sam Nunn of Georgia and David McCurdy of Oklahoma -- a couple of tax and spend big government ultra liberals, I'm guessing (snark) -- offered the amendment to control spending on weapons systems.
Known as the Nunn-McCurdy amendment, the language called for the termination of weapons programs whose total costs grew by more than 25 percent above original estimates, unless they were certified as critical systems by the Secretary of Defense or if the cost growth was attributable to certain specified changes in the program.
You can read the military's F-35 promo literature here.
The real question, of course, is whether the tiny government tea party faction would support a huge cost overrun for some fighter planes that would presumably far outclass most of the fighters a potential enemy could put in the air. Liberals will have the fight the battle of whether cutting military spending in general and the F-35 program in particular is the best way to cut the deficit.
****
Health Care Reform
Some political scholars, including Charles O. Jones, argue that there is a distinct difference between bipartisanship and cross partisanship. Bipartisanship is broad agreement from both parties on an issue. Cross partisanship is more common and refers to a situation in which the majority party has broad consensus on an issue and they generate more votes from certain coalitions within the minority party.
We are all pretty well aware that most of the Senate Republicans are in the Coalition of No. That leaves very few options for cross partisanship on the Health Care bill. Regardless, President Obama is giving the Republicans (more realistically a few Senate Republicans) a chance to show that they will accept a bill that includes some of their ideas.
Obama 'open' to four GOP ideas on health care
President Obama signaled Tuesday that he will embrace four Republican ideas on health-care, including a greater investment in medical malpractice tort reform, as he begins what an aide agreed was the "final act" in the administration's effort to overhaul the health-care system.
In a letter to Congressional leaders, Obama said he is also "open" to increasing Medicaid reimbursements for doctors, stepping up efforts to combat fraud in the health-care system, and ensuring that people who buy insurance on so-called insurance exchanges could participate in Health Savings Accounts.
~snip
But the White House is hoping that by appearing willing to compromise in the face of unanimous opposition, the president will provide Democratic lawmakers with more ammunition against their Republican adversaries.
In other words, the president wants the majority party to act like it has a freaking majority.
There is some other good news, though I am wondering if I should place the term in quotes.
Nelson defends Senate health bill, signals strong backing for reform
Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), who withheld his support for the Senate-passed healthcare reform bill until practically the last minute, strongly hinted that he is prepared to back the final push to finish the job this spring.
"Doing nothing on healthcare reform might seem like a reasonable option to some, but in my opinion it’s not. Our nation’s healthcare crisis will only get worse the longer we delay," Nelson said at a conference hosted by the Federation of American Hospitals.
Nelson took aim at Republicans who have called for President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats to scrap the bills that passed the House and Senate last year and begin anew.
In other news, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania has announced that he would vote for a public option if it were to pass through reconciliation.
Three More Senators Join Public Option Effort
Sen. Bob Casey, a centrist Democrat from Pennsylvania, has committed to voting for a public option if it's included as part of a package of health care reform fixes passed through the majority vote process known as reconciliation.
~snip
"Sen. Casey thinks that all options should be considered for moving forward legislation to insure more Americans, crack down on insurance company abuses, and get a handle on health care spending that is raising the deficit and threatening our economy," said Casey spokesman Larry Smar in a statement released to DFA, PCCC and Credo Action and provided to HuffPost.
As of now, more than 30 Senate Democrats have committed to the public option, which was our compromise from single payer all along.
Finally, on the health care front, there was a time when it was admirable for politicians to make principled but unpopular decisions. Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said:
But the American people need it, why are we here? We're not here just to self perpetuate our service in Congress. We're here to do the job for the American people.
According to rightwing hate radio, that makes her a terrorist.
On his radio show yesterday, Rush Limbaugh took that a step further, saying that "Mullah Nancy Bin Pelosi" was "no different" than those who "convince all these people to put bombs on their kids."
And people wonder why it is getting harder and harder to take the right wing seriously.
****
Bunning: Good baseball player, but a jerk of a Senator
Yesterday, Jim Bunning gave ABC News the one-finger salute when a reporter pressed him for an explanation on his decision to block a bill that, among other things, would extend unemployment benefits. Instead, Bunning extended his middle finger.
When Senate producer Z. Byron Wolf spotted Bunning exiting his office, Bunning said, "I’m not talking to anybody." When Wolf asked him to stay and talk to our cameras, Bunning walked toward the elevator and shot the middle finger over his head.
Bunning, as you may remember, is the lone Senator holding up the bill.
In face of criticism, Sen. Bunning blocks jobless benefits again
Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) stood firm Tuesday in single-handedly blocking the Senate from extending unemployment benefits, highway funds and other programs in the face of mounting criticism from Democrats and pleas from his own party.
Bunning objected to a request from Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to pass a 30-day extension of the measures, then defended his stand in a debate with Senate Majority Leader Harry M. Reid (D-Nev.). Other Republicans sought to use the Senate's morning business period to change the subject, but several Democrats hammered away at Bunning's use of Senate rules to prevent approval of the stopgap legislation since Thursday.
Never fear, though. Politico says that a deal may be in the works.
Republicans negotiating a Jim Bunning deal
The Jim Bunning show may be coming to an end on the Senate floor.
Senate Republicans say they’re negotiating a deal to get Bunning a vote on how to pay for the highway funding, health care and unemployment package Bunning has filibustered for four days on the body's floor. Whether Democrats give Bunning anything at all after his one man filibuster remains to be seen.
Republican leadership would not offer details on any deal being worked out.
So all you have to do to get your way is to be a star baseball player decades ago, get elected to the Senate, and make sure that a bunch of unemployed people are completely broke. And no, this year's nominee for biggest asshole in the Senate is not running again so there is no real political liability on his part.
****
Halter in, Ford out
Senator Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas has a problem. Lincoln, not a big favorite of the left, has attracted a major primary challenger in Lt. Gov. Bill Halter.
Halter files for U.S. Senate race
LITTLE ROCK — Lt. Gov. Bill Halter made his entrance into the race for U.S. Senate official late this morning, filing paperwork at the state Capitol to challenge incumbent Blanche Lincoln in the Democratic primary.
Halter arrived shortly after 11:30 a.m. and spent several minutes filling out campaign papers before registering them with the Secretary of State's office.
Speaking to reporters afterward in the second floor Capitol rotunda, Halter would not compare himself directly with his primary opponent.
While Lincoln has a war chest of about $5 million, the AFL-CIO has already pledge 3/5 of that to Halter and you DFHers are doing a great job too.
Halter, Running Against Lincoln, Touches A Nerve With Progressive Donors
Only one day after declaring he will challenge conservative Democrat Blanche Lincoln in Arkansas's Democratic Senate primary, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter is raking in an incredible amount of money from outside groups supportive of his candidacy.
On Monday, executives with AFL-CIO voted to not only endorse Halter but also to commit $3 million in an independent expenditure campaign to help him unseat Lincoln, according to an official with the union group.
Halter also has received roughly $620,000 from MoveOn.org, which initially set a fundraising goal of half-a-million dollars, only to up the number to a full million as the money flowed in.
Moreover, most of us have only heard of Bill Halter in the last few days, but he has $144,570 in ActBlue donations.
What is really interesting, though, is the union donation.
Labor Jumps Into Arkansas Senate Race
Organized labor rarely supports challengers to sitting Democrats, but the A.F.L.-C.I.O. announced on Tuesday that it was so dissatisfied with Senator Blanche Lincoln, a Democrat from Arkansas, that it had endorsed Lt. Gov Bill Halter of Arkansas. He is challenging her from the left in the May 18 Democratic primary.
In announcing the endorsement, Gerald McEntee, chairman of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.’s political committee and president of the American Federation of State, County Employees, said organized labor would be far less automatic in endorsing Democrat incumbents.
"I think it does represent a new strategy," he said. "We’re going to take into consideration, for Democrats or Republicans, their record toward working people."
This, of course, is great news for John McCain according to the Christian Science Monitor.
A primary fight for Sen. Blanche Lincoln: Good for Republicans?
The liberal wing of the Democratic Party cheered Monday upon learning that Arkansas' Sen. Blanche Lincoln, a conservative Democrat and one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the 2010 midterm election, will have a primary challenger. But political handicappers say the contest with a fellow Democrat is likely to further weaken her, even if she wins, and, if she loses, will put Republicans in a stronger position to grab the seat in November.
To self-styled progressives, Senator Lincoln might as well be a Republican, given her voting record on issues dear to their hearts. They had wanted someone in this race they could support, and on Monday they got what they'd been waiting for when Lt. Gov. Bill Halter released an online video announcing his intent to run.
His move means that Lincoln will be forced to spend from her $5 million campaign war chest early – something Republicans were hoping would happen.
In other primary news, Harold Ford Jr. has dropped his bid to primary Kirsten Gillibrand. That, naturally, has not stopped Ford from attempting to organize a circular firing squad.
Harold Ford Isn't Running, But Still Hitting Gillibrand
After announcing he won't seek the Democratic nomination in the 2010 New York Senate, former Congressman Harold Ford Jr. took to the airwaves to criticize the woman who would have been his primary opponent, New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.
Speaking on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Ford suggested that Gillibrand, who was appointed to the seat formerly held by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, didn't spend enough time with upstate voters and that she is out of touch with her constituency.
Because a guy from Tennessee is the best positioned to talk about Elmira, Binghamton, Syracuse, and Buffalo. Here's a hint, Harold. You have to be a former First Lady from Arkansas in order to run for Senator from New York.
****
More hangups about teh gay
Usually, The Most Important News of the Day™ is for a funny or stupid bit of news out of Washington. That cistern is unusually dry today, so today we are asking that a certain Senator come out of the closet so to speak.
Feldblum confirmation on secret hold for now
At least one senator has put a secret hold on the confirmation of openly gay law professor Chai Feldblum and four others to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
A Senate committee approved all the nominations, including Feldblum’s, as a group in December.
~snip
There has been no public indication yet of which senator has placed the hold on the EEOC nominees’ full Senate confirmation vote.
And yes, I sincerely believe that the hold was placed by one of the uptight Republicans who don't like teh gay.