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 your manifesto.
I'm back! Thanks to CA Berkley WV for filling in last week.
This is an open source project, so feel free to add your own insights. Here's the news I found lurking around the Internets...
This week is going to feel a little like the weeks when Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert go on vacation. Congress is out for the Easter holiday, which I hear is coming around soon. Never fear, though. There is plenty of copy to fill the news hole.
For example...
And now he's running for governor
Remember Nathan Deal? He was the Republican who was resigning from his House seat to run for governor of Georgia. However, he graciously agreed to stick around in Washington tocast a vote against the health care bill.
Due to his heroic self sacrifice, nothing changed. We still have this evil commie bill that will do horrid things like mandating that insurance companies cover kids and eliminating rescission and pre-existing conditions from the insurance lexicon. So what was Rep. Deal doing while hating on kids and poor people?
Ethics office: Former Rep. Deal acted improperly by continuing side business
Former Rep. Nathan Deal (R-Ga.), a candidate for governor, far exceeded House limits on earned outside income and used his staff to help maintain a stream of income from a no-bid state business deal, according to an Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) report.
The OCE released the 138-page report on its months-long investigation on Monday. The probe focused on allegations first reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Deal and his business partner made hundreds of thousands of dollars from a vehicle salvage and disposal business, called GSD, and that Deal used his office resources, including his chief of staff’s time, to prevent Georgia state officials from making changes to the state vehicle inspection system that would hurt the business and revenue streams from it.
In 2008 Deal made at least $75,000 in earned income, the OCE found, nearly triple the limit of $25,830. He listed $50,000 to $100,000 in unearned income from the salvage business on his financial disclosure form. However, he described the same income as earned wages on his 2008 personal income tax forms.
Deal's side of the story is that this is a damned witch hunt, he did nothing wrong, and the Dems are scared that they will lose the governor's mansion. Never mind that the OCE is a quasi-independent body created by the House to assist the bipartisan Ethics Committee with their investigations.
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No bills on Saturday?
I'm not talking about a global warming bill. The Post Office is looking to eliminate Saturday deliveries in an attempt to close deficits projected in the hundreds of billions of dollars over the next decade.
Poll says most Americans back halting Saturday mail but not closing post offices
A majority of Americans support ending Saturday mail delivery to help the U.S. Postal Service solve its financial problems, but most oppose shuttering local branches, according to a new Washington Post poll.
The public support for moving to five-day delivery might bolster a proposal to end six-day delivery as the mail agency faces declining mail volume and expects at least $238 billion in losses by 2020. Cutting Saturday delivery would save $3.3 billion in the first year and about $5.1 billion by 2020, Postmaster General John E. Potter said Monday. But the changes would mean cutting the equivalent of 40,000 full- and part-time jobs through layoffs and attrition, Potter said as he prepared to formally submit his proposals to postal regulators Tuesday.
The 40,000 lost jobs is frightening, but it seems like they will handle the change by simply not hiring someone new as a replacement. Shorter lesson: Mommas, don't let your babies grow up to be letter carriers.
Congress' role is minor, but they would have to make an important change.
If the changes are approved, Saturday delivery cuts probably would not occur before March 2011. The Postal Regulatory Commission would have to issue a nonbinding advisory opinion, a process that should take six months, Potter said. Congress would have to eliminate a rider in the annual appropriations bill that mandates six-day delivery, a process that would probably be concluded by fall. The Postal Service would then wait six months before implementing any approved cuts, allowing time for customers to shift delivery schedules and for an advertising campaign to explain the changes, Potter said.
Incidentally, the poll show pretty bipartisan support.
The drop in revenues is linked to greater use of e-mail and paperless billing. The poll cited also shows less support for closing small, low volume post offices like this one.
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Signed, sealed, delivered
Throughout the health care fight, the only thing that could be taken for granted is that President Obama would sign the bill into law. Earlier today, the president put the finishing touches on the sausage making process.
Obama caps off 'extraordinary week' by signing health fixes
President Barack Obama put the finishing touches on the healthcare reform overhaul Tuesday, signing into law a package of fixes to the new healthcare code.
In capping off what he called an "extraordinary week," Obama also authorized a sweeping reform of the college student lending industry that was combined with the fixes to the healthcare law he signed last week.
As part of an effort to emphasize the student lending aspect of the bill, Obama appeared at Northern Virginia Community College to give remarks and sign sign the legislation. Dr. Jill Biden, who is an adjunct professor at the school, introduce the president.
The president spent most of his time talking about the much overlooked changes to student loans. Naturally, the Republicans decried a government take over of student loans -- they obviously never had to deal with private banks to get students loans -- and stoked fears of rising tuition rates -- which is going to happen regardless.
And a sidenote: I have had some really interesting professors here in DC, but how cool would it be to have Jill Biden giving the lecture?
And in related news, the President gave away at least 14 more pens that were used in the signing ceremony.
Finally on the health care front, Mother Jones introduces us to the lobbyist who had Bart Stupak's ear and even helped to write the Stupak amendment. Meet Richard Doerflinger.
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Political violence
Here is the legal definition of "domestic terrorism."
(5) the term "domestic terrorism" means activities that -
(A) involve acts dangerous to human life that are a violation
of the criminal laws of the United States or of any State;
(B) appear to be intended -
(i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population;
(ii) to influence the policy of a government by
intimidation or coercion; or
(iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass
destruction, assassination, or kidnapping; and
(C) occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of
the United States.
18 U.S.C. § 2331 : US Code - Section 2331: Definitions
So there's that. Illegal or not, it's not getting any safer out there. To wit:
Man Threatened To Kill Cantor In YouTube Video
A 38-year-old Philadelphia man was charged today with threatening to kill Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) in a profanity-strewn Youtube video that has since been pulled down.
In the video, Norman Leboon says Cantor will "receive my bullets in your office, remember they will be placed in your heads. You and your children are Lucifer's abominations."
The San Francisco office of the FBI received a copy of the video on March 26, according to the affidavit in the case. You can read the press release and affidavit on the case here.
This guy, Leboon, seems more deranged than ideological. He donated money to the Obama campaign but seems to have made some threats against the president. Dave Weigel looked into this guy's YouTube videos and found one real gem:
Leboon threatens movie studios over the movie "Babe." "That movie pig, that Babe, was created by Lucifer, because he was a disgusting pig. A greedy, fat pig. That’s all he was. He was a pig god."
But the bullet that was fired at an unmarked campaign meeting room outside of his district remains a random shooting.
And then there was this:
Nine in radical militia group charged in police-killing plot
Hillsdale County -- Following a lengthy standoff, FBI agents on Monday arrested the last of nine militia members charged with plotting to kill police officers and "levy war" against the United States.
Joshua Matthew Stone, 21, was taken into custody about 8:30 p.m. Monday, along with five other adults and a toddler. They had been holed up inside a trailer in the rural Pittsford/North Adams area.
Stone, of Clayton, is the son of David Brian Stone Sr., the alleged leader of the Hutaree, a group that describes itself as a Christian militia preparing to battle the forces of the Antichrist. The group was plotting to kill a police officer and use bombs to attack the scores of officers who would gather for the funeral, according to a grand jury indictment unsealed Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit.
Talking Points Memo has what appears to be wedding photos of the only woman who was arrested. The Detroit News story linked above has wedding photos of one of the other members. The groom looks stunning in his vintage army fatigues.
On the other side of the ideological divide, I have not come across any arrests in those brick throwing incidents in spite of stories like this:
Former militiaman unapologetic for calls to vandalize offices over health care
"To all modern Sons of Liberty: THIS is your time. Break their windows. Break them NOW."
These were the words of Mike Vanderboegh, a 57-year-old former militiaman from Alabama, who took to his blog urging people who opposed the historic health-care reform legislation -- he calls it "Nancy Pelosi's Intolerable Act" -- to throw bricks through the windows of Democratic offices nationwide.
Meanwhile, the attacks on Democratic members is the fault of Democrats. LOL Wut? Yep. A lot of Americans have taken a "blame the victim" mentality.
Poll: Americans Blame Democrats For Post-Reform Violence
A new USA Today/Gallup poll out this morning shows that more Americans blame the Democrats more than any other group when it comes to the inciting the violence and vandalism that have spread across the country in the week since health care reform became law. Fifty percent said passing the bill was a "bad thing," while 47% said it was a good thing.
When asked about the violence, 49% of the 1,009 adults surveyed over the weekend said the "Democratic tactics" are a "major reason" for the violent incidents. Forty-six percent said conservative media was responsible, and 43% blamed the attacks on the rhetoric of Republican political leaders.
But I'm sure that the real explanation couldn't be the Glenn Becks of the world convincing people that the Democratic tactics are the major reason for the violence.
At the risk of drawing a false equivalency, William "The Bloody" Kristol said flat out that The Russians ‘in some ways have brought’ suicide bombings ‘on themselves.’
KRISTOL: Yeah, they’ve been pretty brutal in Chechnya and in some ways have brought this, I’ve got to say, on themselves. But, you know, the trouble is that people use legitimate grievances and of course become — a fair number of Chechens went to Afghanistan to fight against us and the Chechnyans were treated just horribly, have been treated horribly by the Russians. But obviously that’s no excuse for being a suicide bomber.
BENNETT: Yeah, between, we were talking earlier, between a repressive regime and an Islamist terrorist, I guess you’ve got to side with the repressive regime.
Finally, the New York Times discussed the problem with people who have PhDs.
When Does Political Anger Turn to Violence?
The mercury is running high, all right, and it has nothing to do with the weather.
Public displays of political anger have been a staple of the American scene for the last eight months or so, but in recent days a handful directed at members of Congress have gone a bit further than noisy, sign-carrying assembly to window-smashing, spitting, threatening faxes and phone calls, even a cut propane line on a barbecue grill. At the end of last week, Democratic and Republican leaders, while denouncing any violence or threat of it, reached the point of trading accusations over who was most responsible.
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Nate Asks...
Can the Democrats Win the Midterms?
For some time, I've been part of the doom-and-gloom brigade when it comes to Democrats' fortunes at the midterm elections this November. As early as last August, on a panel at the Netroots Nation conference, I said that I expected a loss of 20 to 50 Democratic seats, which necessarily implied that a loss of their majority was quite possible. I've since revised the low end of that estimate downward, to a loss of 20 to 60 seats.
I'm not sure that there's yet been enough time to assess whether the Democrats' passage of health care reform seven days ago could mitigate -- or broaden -- their losses. Most polls suggest that the health care reform bill itself has become somewhat more popular since passage. But President Obama's approval ratings are little moved, and there has thus far been little new polling on the generic ballot or perceptions of the Democratic congress. Moreover, any changes in the polling may prove to be temporary.
~snip
If the Democrats do not want their agenda to be substantially injured, then, they probably have an implicit goal of not losing more than about 20-23 House seats, and not more than about 3-4 Senate seats. Coincidentally, this is pretty close to the average loss suffered at the midterms by the incumbent party since World War II
It's probably inevitable that the Democrats will lose some seats. Keeping control of the chamber is certainly important for retaining control of the committees. My main question, though, is how large will the Blue Dog/DINO caucus be in 2011?
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The Party of Fiscal Restraint
Where else would The Most Important News of the Day™ venture today but the Voyeur Club in West Hollywood. I used the Google Machine to find their website and it looks like a nice place. So did some of the employees of the Republican National Committee. The club is modeled on the dreadfully boring movie Eyes Wide Shut.
First the Traditional Media version from the Washington Post:
RNC expense report renews criticism about Steele's spending
The Republican National Committee and its chairman, Michael S. Steele, were engulfed in controversy again Monday after new financial reports showed that the party used tens of thousands of donor dollars for luxe hotels, private jets and other questionable expenditures.
The disclosures, some of which stem from Steele's travels to California in January and a subsequent RNC retreat to Hawaii, reignited criticism from fellow Republicans who are troubled by the chairman's financial stewardship of the GOP's main committee since he took over more than a year ago.
Although it is not unusual for either party to spend money in tony settings to cater to wealthy donors, the RNC's latest filings captured widespread attention for one expenditure at a risque nightclub: $1,946.25 for "meals" at Voyeur in West Hollywood, which features topless dancers wearing horse bridles and other bondage gear while mimicking sex acts.
But let's remember that this story was first reported by The Daily Caller, presumably after someone pored over numerous FEC filings. Their latest:
Two top RNC officials had to sign off on fired staffer’s reimbursement of Voyeur nightclub expenses
Two top Republican National Committee officials have to sign-off on every dime the committee reimburses to staffers.
Both RNC finance director Rob Bickhart and chief administrative officer Boyd Rutherford are required to approve each reimbursement that staffers request, according to a source familiar with the inner workings of the RNC, but who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid disrupting relationships.
Over the last day, the RNC’s reimbursement practices have been questioned after The Daily Caller reported that the RNC reimbursed almost $2,000 of a bar tab at a risqué, bondage-themed nightclub in Hollywood for young donors. Following the report, Allison Meyers, the staffer who submitted the re-imbursement, was fired.
I'm guessing the chances are pretty high that Bickhart and Rutherford get to keep their jobs. Even if it is impossible to review every single expenditure, one would assume that a place called "Voyeur" would raise a red flag or two. Just to be clear, I have no problems at all with the lifestyle. However, this is the party of family values and stuff, so I would assume that pretty much any adult themed club would be out of bounds.
The first person to find himself firmly under the bus on this was Erik Brown, a GOP donor who owns a marketing firm that has received business from Republicans. His "crime?" He was present when the bill came due and covered the expense when an RNC staffer's card was declined. Technically, he was in hot water yesterday for accepting a reimbursement and the RNC was demanding the reimbursement back.
And the next casualty was Allison Meyers, who ran the RNC's Young Eagles program which was charged with cultivating new donors. If you have a few thousand bucks to give to Micheal Steele which his staffers plan to spend on electing more Republicans waste on posh hotels and high end bars, the Washington Independent has the Young Eagles' fundraising events for 2010.
Finally, Red County, a blog that is definitely not on our side ideologically, has more on the ground details.
I'll leave you with this thought that I offered last night:
In all seriousness, though, the RNC has become quite the self parody. They are a sideshow at this point and are in danger of becoming hopelessly irrelevant. We should be concerning ourselves more with the growing donations to the far right PACs and candidates.
And I stand by that assessment.