By Kyle Trygstad

The death of Sen. Robert Byrd means Democrats have one extra vote to pick up to give final approval to Wall Street reform, which was first reported out of conference committee late last week. But the shuffle for votes was on well before the nine-term West Virginia Democrat passed away Monday morning, and that fact was reemphasized over the last two days.

The conference committee reconvened late Tuesday afternoon and agreed on new ways of funding the bill's increased regulation, removing a $19 billion bank tax that threatened the votes of a handful of Republicans. The committee agreed last night to Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-Conn.) proposal to effectively end TARP now, three months before its scheduled sunset, and increase the percentage banks with more than $10 billion in assets pay into the FDIC's Deposit Insurance Fund.

Democrats hope the move will bring enough senators on board to pass the conference report this week, before a replacement for Byrd is appointed.

At least six senators' votes have been in flux since May 20, when the Senate approved the plan with no margin for error. Four Republicans joined Democrats on final passage of the Senate bill -- Iowa's Chuck Grassley, Massachusetts' Scott Brown and Maine's Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- and two Democrats opposed it, Wisconsin's Russ Feingold and Washington's Maria Cantwell.

However, on Tuesday, Feingold and Brown had already announced they would not support the bill as written. In a letter to the lead proponents of the bill, Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, Brown wrote that he could not support it after the conference committee inserted the bank tax.

"This tax was not in the Senate version of the bill, which I supported," Brown wrote. "If the final version of this bill contains these higher taxes, I will not support it."

Brown's reluctance to support a bank tax pushed negotiators back to the table Tuesday afternoon in search of alternate ways to pay for the new regulation. Meanwhile, Feingold wants the bill to go further, explaining that his opposition is due to the bill's failure to stop a future financial crisis, including leaving out his push to break up "too big to fail" banks.

Continue reading "Dems Alter Wall Street Reform Bill In Dash For Votes" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink

By Kyle Trygstad

Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown announced today he will not support the Wall Street reform conference report in its current form because of its inclusion of a bank tax. Brown announced his opposition in a letter to Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, the lead Democratic negotiators on the bill.

"I am writing you to express my strong opposition to the $19 billion bank tax that was included in the financial reform bill during the conference committee," wrote Brown. "This tax was not in the Senate version of the bill, which I supported. If the final version of this bill contains these higher taxes, I will not support it."

Brown was one of four Republicans to support the original Senate version of the bill, which passed May 20. The House-Senate conference committee concluded negotiations Friday and both chambers were expected to vote on the conference report this week, enabling President Obama to sign by July 4.

With the death of West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd and Wisconsin Democrat Russ Feingold's announcement yesterday that he will not support the bill, Democrats are struggling to come up with the 60 votes necessary to overcome a likely GOP filibuster.

Three other Republicans -- Iowa's Chuck Grassley and Maine's Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- have yet to announce whether they will support the bill. And Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell remains undecided as well. For Democrats to pass the bill this week, they will need all four of their votes.

Democrats could re-open the conference committee to continue negotiations. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid could also choose to hold off the vote until after next week's Fourth of July recess, when a replacement for Byrd can be appointed. But Democrats will still need GOP votes to pass it.

UPDATE: Dodd and Frank announced the conference committee will in fact reconvene at 5 p.m.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

While Democratic leaders ramp up for an effort to push immigration reform to the floor of the Senate, the general sense among Senate Republicans is that it has no chance for success, GOP aides tell RealClearPolitics. If it fell well short of passing in 2007 after extensive bipartisan work, how exactly will 60 senators come together in the next month on a bill that has yet to be written?

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's decision yesterday to back off from pushing immigration ahead of climate change reflected that.

On June 28, 2007, just 46 senators voted in favor of cloture on the comprehensive immigration bill, 14 shy of the 60 needed to overcome a filibuster. Among the 46 were 12 Republicans, including Arizona Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain, and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham -- all of whom could now oppose a new bill.

Continue reading "Immigration Reform's Unclear Path" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Democratic leaders professed confidence this morning that the House would pass both the Senate bill and the accompanying bill of "fixes" today. Having promised members at least 72 hours to look at the new bill, the earliest House Democrats could call a vote would be 2:07 p.m., though it's not expected to take place until this evening.

"We're going to get those 216 votes," Hoyer said on NBC's "Meet the Press," saying they're within "low single digits" of getting to 216. "I think we're going to have 216 votes when the roll is called, yes. There's still members looking at it and trying to make up their minds. But we think there are going to be 216-plus votes when we call the roll."

House Democratic Caucus Chairman John Larson went a step further, saying on ABC's "This Week": "We have the votes, we're going to make history today...We have the votes now, as we speak."

A House Democratic leadership source, speaking on background, sounded equally confident that the bills would pass. When the vote takes place -- which previously was reported would likely be between 6 p.m. and midnight -- depends on how many delaying tactics Republicans invoke, but it is still expected tonight.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The debate on Capitol Hill now is whether or not there will be an up-or-down vote on health care reform in the House if Democrats go forward with the "Slaughter Solution" -- whereby there will only be one roll call vote on a bill that fixes unsavory parts of the Senate bill and thereby automatically approves the Senate bill.

Republicans continue to push the message that this will remove any accountability for the bill, allowing House Democrats to tell voters they never voted for the unpopular Senate bill.

On the House floor today, Minority Whip Eric Cantor called for an up-or-down vote, and Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence said the proposed process showed Democrats are "willing to trample on the traditional rules of the House and Senate and even trample on the Constitution of the United States" to pass health care reform.

Minority Leader John Boehner announced this afternoon he would introduce a resolution that would force an up-or-down vote on the actual Senate bill.

Democrats argue that the legislative maneuver they are considering was used countless times by Republicans when they were in the majority -- including on a massive lobbying and ethics reform package in 2006 -- and that there is no hiding the fact that the vote on the accompanying reconciliation bill will lead to the passage of health care reform.

"Frankly, what we want to do is do the Senate bill as amended by reconciliation," House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer told reporters today. "If we pursue this process, it is consistent with the rules, it is consistent with former practice, and in my opinion will be consistent with having members express themselves on the Senate bill as amended by reconciliation."

"We will vote on it in one form or another," he added.

Republicans are highlighting the process of passing health care reform as they go district-by-district warning vulnerable House Democrats that their vote could be fatal to their political future. The National Republican Congressional Committee just launched the latest in a string of TV ads in Democratic districts. This one is airing in the Cincinnati-based district of freshman Rep. Steve Driehaus, who unseated Republican Steve Chabot in 2008 and will face the former congressman again in November.

That effort could be having an effect on Democrats getting the necessary 216 votes to pass reform, as Majority Whip James Clyburn says he still does not have enough vote commitments from his members.

Hoyer argues that while Republicans "have done everything in their power to undermine" the ability of Congress to move reform through both chambers of Congress, process is not what Americans are focused on. Republicans lost power in 2006 "because of substance," not process, he said.

"I don't think any American...is going to make the distinction," said Hoyer, adding that both parties have used this process and that few voters care that Republicans actually used it more often than Democrats. "Process is interesting, particularly to all of us around this room. But in the final analysis, what is interesting to the American public is what does this bill do for them and their families."

The House Budget Committee marked up and voted on the reconciliation bill yesterday, and Democratic leaders are still waiting for scoring from the Congressional Budget Office, which will tell them how much the bill will cost. Hoyer said he expects the bill will come up later this week.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

As House Democrats consider a new legislative option for moving health care reform to President Obama's desk, Rules Committee Ranking Member David Dreier (R-Calif.) said only an up or down vote in the House on both the Senate bill and its reconciliation accompaniment would be appropriate for such a large piece of legislation.

"It's very painful and troubling to see the gymnastics by which they're going to avoid accountability," Dreier told reporters today during an off-camera briefing.

Under the proposed solution by Rules Committee Chairwoman Louise Slaughter (D-N.Y.), the committee could "deem" the Senate bill passed upon passage of the accompanying reconciliation bill, which would fix some of the issues that House Democrats had with the Senate's bill. The move would theoretically save Democrats in vulnerable districts from technically voting for the Senate bill; they would only be voting to fix it and remove certain undesirable aspects from it, such as the now infamous "Cornhusker kickback."

But their vote, which Dreier said could take place Sunday, would still directly result in the passage of the Senate bill. Because there would be no vote on the Senate bill itself, "There is absolutely no accountability," Dreier said. "To resort to these kinds of tactics to deal with this is just plain wrong."

"While the process of lawmaking should be ugly, I have never seen it as ugly as it seems to be coming before us this week," he said. "The fact is every amount of energy that is being applied today is trying to avoid the accountability of an up or down vote on this process."

Reporters noted to Dreier that Republicans used similar tactics for large pieces of legislation when they were in power from 1995-2006. Dreier and one of his advisers said there was no comparison and that instances of deeming a bill passed without a vote were "pretty rare."

However, Dreier did admit that what the Democrats are doing is well within the rules. "It's something they can clearly do if they have the votes."

"There was nothing of this magnitude that was done" under GOP control, Dreier said. "The notion of having the federal government move to take control of what is one-sixth of the economy is something that deserves a much more open process than we are getting here."

In recent weeks and over the weekend, Democrats have sought to put the focus on what health care reform would mean for Americans and take the spotlight off the process of passing it.

"The one thing I'm sure of is that the American people don't know or care much about the sequencing of parliamentary procedures," White House senior adviser David Axelrod said yesterday on NBC's "Meet the Press." It's "not about procedure. It's about what are we going to do to protect the American people and give them the security they deserve?"

Noting Axelrod's statement, Dreier flatly disagreed, saying: "Process is substance."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is an update on some 2010 Midterm primaries:

PA-12 -- Hafer Drops Out: Former State Treasurer and Auditor General Barbara Hafer is dropping her bid to succeed the late Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), leaving a mostly clear Democratic path to November for Mark Critz -- whom state party leaders already nominated for the May 18 special election. Hafer announced her bid one week after Murtha's death in early February. However, party leaders preferred Critz, a former Murtha aide.

GA-7 -- No Ralph Reed: Former Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed announced this morning he will not be running for the open seat in Georgia's 7th District. Reed drove up speculation in the last day that he would run by announcing a forthcoming announcement. It did, however, draw attention to his work founding the Faith and Freedom Coalition -- which he said will work to register "an estimated one million new faith-based voters and make tens of millions of voter contacts" in the 2010 and 2012 elections.

MI-1-- Stupak Gets Primaried: Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) is now most well known for leading the charge of pro-life Democrats to include stricter abortion language in the stalled health care reform legislation. Because of this, a Democratic activist named Connie Saltonstall, who is a former Charlevoix County commissioner, has announced she's challenging him in the primary. "It's his willingness to not have health care pass over his abortion position that has people like me upset," Saltonstall said. Stupak represents the Upper Peninsula and 16 of the state's northernmost counties on the Lower Peninsula.

OH-10 -- Kucinich Gets Kos Warning: Liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich's (D-Ohio) opposition to the health care bill because it doesn't go far enough could earn him a Netroots-backed primary challenge, according to DailyKos founder Markos Moulitsas. "I don't think he gets a pass," Moulitsas said last night on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." "I don't care what his excuse is." Moulitsas, who called the reform bill "a good first step," compared Kucinich unfavorably to Ralph Nader, who "paved the way for eight years of George Bush" by running against Democrats in presidential elections.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The two committees responsible for electing Republicans to the House and Senate indicated yesterday that GOP candidates will be well served by running on health care reform, which Democrats are still attempting to get to President Obama's desk. Yet an interesting question has arisen -- would Republicans be better off if the legislation passes or fails?

Publicly, the National Republican Congressional Committee and National Republican Senatorial Committee say passing the plan would be disastrous for Democrats. However, both are also making efforts to stop it.

In a memo to House candidates, NRCC Executive Director Johnny DeStefano wrote that challengers can affect the outcome of health care in Congress right now by warning their Democratic opponent that their vote will not be forgotten.

"Regardless of how your opponent voted in the past, you can make a major impact on his or her political calculations by reminding these Democrats that a 'YES' vote on the Senate-passed bill will guarantee them an all-out, full-throated blitz from your campaign and national Republicans throughout the spring, summer, and fall," wrote DeStefano.

Likewise, NRSC Chairman John Cornyn told reporters yesterday that Democrats would be wise to give up on the party's current reform plan, if they know what's good for them in November.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid "are being told that it's better to pass something" than nothing, said Cornyn. "But if they pass this bill, this is going to be the issue in November 2010. If they don't pass it and move on to something else, they at least have a fighting chance."

Pelosi and Reid "seem to have no regard for their members' electoral prospects," Cornyn added.

Democratic pollster Stan Greenberg said today on MSNBC's "Daily Rundown" that the Democrats' best move would be to pass the bill, and explain to Americans exactly what's in it and why they should like it. Republicans won back Congress in 1994 shortly after Democrats ended their health care reform efforts.

"In 1994, it was the end of September -- six weeks before the election -- that they gave up on health care," he said. "So it was late in the process, they failed on it, they didn't explain it, the president did not give a major speech saying what it is."

Asked why Republicans wouldn't just let the Democrats vote on the bill if they're certain it will hurt the party in November, Cornyn dismissed it, saying: "There's politics and then there's policy."

The same dynamic is true in the NRCC memo, which calls for Republican challengers to help defeat health care reform while simultaneously noting that any Democrat who votes for it will pay for that vote in the election.

"We are on the road to victory," DeStefano concludes. "Now we must work together to capitalize on the monumental opportunity to stand with the American people and prevent an historic disaster."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The office of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer flatly denies the accusation of outgoing Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) that the White House and Democratic House leadership got rid of him in an effort to pass health care reform.

"That's completely false. There is zero merit to that accusation," Hoyer spokeswoman Katie Grant told RealClearPolitics.

Massa announced his departure from Congress on Friday after an ethics investigation was launched into his conduct with a male staffer in his office. His resignation becomes official at 5 p.m. today.

Massa opposed the Democrats' health care plan for reasons opposite of Republicans -- the bill did not go far enough.

"There's a reason that this has all happened," Massa said on a New York radio station on Sunday.

With the departure of Hawaii Rep. Neil Abercrombie and the untimely death of Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha, he said, "Mine is now the deciding vote on the health care bill. And this administration and this House leadership have said -- quote, unquote -- that they will stop at nothing to pass this health care bill. And now they've gotten rid of me and it will pass. You connect the dots."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The House ethics committee confirmed today that it is looking into allegations made against Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.), who announced yesterday he won't return to Congress next year due to health concerns related to cancer.

However, it was reported that Massa was also leaving amid an allegation that he harrassed a male staffer in his office. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office released a statement last night confirming that Hoyer knew about the allegations and insisted they be reported to the ethics committee.

The ethics panel, referred to officially as the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, released a brief statement today saying it is "gathering additional information concerning matters related to allegations involving Representative Eric Massa."

Massa denied the charges yesterday during a conference call with reporters to announce he would not seek re-election to a second term.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 05:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Senate Democratic leadership released this video to reporters today, jokingly calling New Hampshire Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.) their "new spokesman to explain why reconciliation is a simple up or down vote that the American people deserve."

"It is totally inappropriate for a senator to come to this floor and represent that this is some sort of unethical act, as was implied," Gregg said. "We are using the rules of the Senate as they are set up to be used."

Gregg made the comments from the Senate floor on March 16, 2005.

"We appreciate Senator Gregg's support and his explanation of reconciliation," said Senate Democratic leadership spokesman Rodell Mollineau. "We could not have expressed it better ourselves."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

After about a day of serving as acting chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee, Rep. Pete Stark (D-Calif.) is out and Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) is in, Speaker Pelosi confirmed this morning.

Roll Call reported the move earlier, writing that "Democrats on the committee resisted the idea" of the the outspoken liberal taking over the reins in place of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), who stepped down amid a number of ethics investigations against him -- including one that ended in a public admonishment of his actions.

Stark, who represents the Bay Area-based 13th District, is known for "his incendiary debating style" and remarks that he concedes are at times "unnecessary," according to the Almanac of American Politics. The 69-year-old is serving his 19th term in Congress.

Levin, the older brother of Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin, is serving his 14th term in the Detroit-based 12th District. The Almanac describes Levin as a "hard worker and a details man, willing to spend endless hours with others working out solutions."

Speaker Pelosi released the following statement:

"Congressman Pete Stark has informed me that, due to his desire to remain as subcommittee Chairman of the Health Subcommittee, he has resigned as acting Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Pete Stark has been a leader in health insurance reform, and we will continue to rely upon him as we enter the final stretch of ensuring health care for all Americans.

"With Congressman Stark's decision, Congressman Sander Levin is now acting Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. As Chairman, Sandy Levin will be a powerful advocate for addressing the urgent needs of the American people."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:05 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Rep. Eric Massa (D-N.Y.) denied yesterday that reported ethics charges factored into his decision not to run for a second term in Congress this year, citing a third recurrence of cancer and doctor recommendations that he slow down. In a short statement to reporters over a conference call yesterday, Massa said articles referring to the rumors were "unsubstantiated without fact or backing."

However, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's office confirmed last night that the charges do exist and that he knew about it.

Here is the statement from Hoyer spokeswoman Katie Grant:

"The week of February 8th, a member of Rep. Massa's staff brought to the attention of Mr. Hoyer's staff allegations of misconduct that had been made against Mr. Massa. Mr. Hoyer's staff immediately informed him of what they had been told. Mr. Hoyer instructed his staff that if Mr. Massa or his staff did not bring the matter to the attention of the bipartisan Ethics Committee within 48 hours, Mr. Hoyer would do so. Within 48 hours, Mr. Hoyer received confirmation from both the Ethics Committee staff and Mr. Massa's staff that the Ethics Committee had been contacted and would review the allegations. Mr. Hoyer does not know whether the allegations are true or false, but wanted to ensure that the bipartisan committee charged with overseeing conduct of Members was immediately involved to determine the facts."

Politico reported yesterday that the ethics charges dealt with allegations Massa "made unwanted advances toward a junior male staffer."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Embattled New York Rep. Charles Rangel (D) told reporters this morning that he has requested a "leave of absence" from his post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. Rangel was admonished by the House ethics committee on Friday for accepting corporate-paid travel and remains under investigation by the panel for other possible transgressions.

From the New York Times:

"I have, this morning, sent a letter to Speaker Pelosi asking her to grant me a leave of absence until such time as the Ethics Committee completes its work," the congressman said in a brief meeting with reporters.

He declined to answer questions in any detail, however, saying that to do so would raise issues that "would distract me from what I have to do in terms of completion of the president's health bill as well as making sure our committee gets a good jobs bill."

Republicans had been pressing for a vote to remove him from his chairmanship. Mr. Rangel said he acted in order to avoid forcing his colleagues to defend him during an election year.

The move saves Speaker Pelosi from the uncomfortable position of either removing a senior House member from his chairmanship or defending a member under multiple ethics investigations.

UPDATE: Pelosi released the following statement: "Chairman Charlie Rangel has informed me of his request for a leave of absence from his duties and responsibilities as Chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means. I will honor his request. I commend Chairman Rangel for his decades of leadership on jobs, health care, and the most significant economic issues of the day."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:15 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Over at RCP Blog, Tom rounds up the new National Journal rankings of the most liberal and conservative members of Congress.

Here, a look at the most liberal Republicans and most conservative Democrats in each chamber:

Most Liberal Republicans: House
1. Mike Castle (DE)
2. John McHugh* (NY)
3. Dave Reichert (WA)
4. Joseph Cao (LA)
5. Mark Kirk (IL)

Most Conservative Democrats: House
1. Bobby Bright (AL)
2. Parker Griffith** (AL)
3. Gene Taylor (MS)
4. Travis Childers (MS)
5. Jim Marshall (GA)

Most Liberal Republicans: Senate
1. Olympia Snowe (ME)
2. Richard Lugar (IN)
3. Susan Collins (ME)
4. George Voinovich (OH)
5. Judd Gregg (NH)

Most Conservative Democrats: Senate
1. Evan Bayh (IN)
2. Ben Nelson (NE)
3. Arlen Specter (PA)
4. Russ Feingold (WI)
5. Jim Webb (VA)

*Retired to become Army secretary
**Switched to the GOP

Posted by at 10:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The House Ethics committee has found that New York Rep. Charles Rangel (D) broke House rules by accepting trips to the Caribbean that were paid for by a company that lobbied Congress, the Associated Press reported first. The report could have an effect on his status as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Rangel told reporters Thursday evening that he believes he will only be "admonished."

In its report, released Thursday evening, the panel's chair and ranking member wrote that Rangel was the only one of the six members being investigated who acted knowingly and violated rules. Rangel violated the "House gift rule" for accepting payment for travel.

Officers and employees at Carib News, the organization that hosted the members and accepted corporate contributions to help pay for it, were found to have given false or misleading statements to the ethics panel, which has referred their actions to the Justice Department.

"It is the intention of the Committee that publication of this Report will serve as a public admonishment by the Standards Committee of Representatitve Rangel," the report reads.

Rangel continues to be under investigation for other potential improprieties not connected with the Caribbean trips, including some tax-related issues. As Ways and Means chairman, he helps write the country's tax laws. He's been under investigation since mid-2008, when he called for an ethics investigation on himself.

The 79-year-old has represented Harlem since 1970. He spent Thursday at the Blair House attending President Obama's health care summit.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Speaking to reporters during the lunch break at today's health care summit, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin hinted that Democrats are expecting to press ahead on health care through reconciliation, a tactic Republicans have decried for this legislation.

"I'm glad the president is trying, the American people want him to try," he said, according to a pool report. "If nothing comes of this we're going to press forward. We just can't quit. This is a once in a political lifetime opportunity to deal with a health care system that is really unsustainable."

The use of reconciliation was actually a flashpoint early on in today's summit, with Senate GOP Conference Chairman Lamar Alexander asking President Obama to renounce the use of the procedural tactic.

"You can say that this process has been used before, and that would be right, but it's never been used for anything like this," he said.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid later responded.

"No one has talked about reconciliation but that's what you folks have talked about ever since that came out, as if it's something that has never been done before," he said. "The Speaker and I have not talked about doing reconciliation as the only way out of all this. Of course it's not the only way out. But remember, since 1981 reconciliation has been used 21 times. Most of it has been used by Republicans, for major things, like much of the Contract for America, Medicare reform, the tax cuts for rich people in America. So reconciliation isn't something that's never been done before."

Posted by at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Thirty years after the Miracle on Ice in Lake Placid, Team USA wins another upset in Olympic hockey. Our side defeated the Canucks (Team Canada, that is) in Vancouver Sunday night 5-3, thanks in part to a solid performance in goal by Ryan Miller. Both teams move on to the elimination round, but the Americans get a bye.

Here in Washington, it's another busy week.

White House: At 10 am today, the Obama administration will officially post its latest health care proposal. Early reports on the draft call for the federal government getting new power to regulate excessive premium increases, on the heels of Anthem Blue Cross of California's announcement of a 25 percent hike.

"The status quo is good for the insurance industry and bad for America," Obama said in his weekly video address. "And as bad as things are today, they'll only get worse if we fail to act."

This all comes ahead of a planned bipartisan summit on Thursday where the president has promised to give Republicans a chance to pitch their ideas. Today, President Obama is set to speak to the National Governors Association at the White House (the governors enjoyed a state dinner there last night). Wednesday he'll speak to the Business Roundtable in Washington.

Capitol Hill: House members never made it back to town two weeks ago as Washington was pummeled by snow, and last week was lost to the previously scheduled Presidents Day recess. So the House returns today -- a day early -- for a week in which health care heads back to the headlines. The president's health care summit is set for Thursday -- so far House Republicans haven't said whether they will attend, but Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Sunday he and other Senate Republicans will be there.

On the docket in the House this week could be a portion of the Democrats' comprehensive health care bill -- removing health insurers' antitrust exemption. The Senate picks up on some leftover business from two weeks ago as well with a cloture vote on a jobs bill scheduled for 5:30 pm tonight.

Politics: This is the final full week of campaigning before the gubernatorial primaries in Texas on March 2. Gov. Rick Perry (R) seems to have a commanding lead in the Republican primary, but he's still short of the 50 percent threshold he needs to avoid a runoff, likely against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. We haven't seen polling since a third candidate, Debra Medina, drew criticism for comments about the 9/11 attacks on Glenn Beck's radio show.

Speaking of Beck, his Saturday night speech capped off a busy weekend at CPAC. The biggest surprise was not Vice President Dick Cheney's unscheduled visit, but instead the victory of Ron Paul in a 2012 presidential primary straw poll. Expect that to lead to continued discussion of the role of the tea party movement as well as libertarians like Paul in the GOP ahead of elections this fall.

Governors also made their mark this weekend at the NGA meeting, with considerable discussion on Sunday shows from both leaders in both parties about the political environment in Washington. Check back here for more from an interview with Gov. Jack Markell (D) and conversations with other state leaders this weekend.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 47.1 / Disapprove 46.0 (+1.1)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 20.4 / Disapprove 73.4 (-53.0)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +1.1

**In Case You Missed It: Speaking of governors, New York's David Paterson kicked off his re-election campaign Saturday. Judging by the headlines in the Big Apple, it didn't go well. Oddly enough, Paterson sat at a table with White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel at Sunday night's state dinner, after the White House pushed him to announce he wouldn't run.

Speaking of strange pairings, here's video of Michelle Obama talking about her obesity initiative with Mike Huckabee on his Fox News Channel show.

Medal Count: U.S., 24; Germany, 18; Norway 12; Canada, 9; Korea, 9; Austria, 8; Russia 8.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The Winter Olympics opened Friday evening under a somber cloud following the accidental death of a luger just hours earlier. The Vancouver-hosted games continued on, however, with an exciting first two days. Tops was the men's and women's freestyle skiing events. Canada's first gold medal on home soil was won last night in thrilling fashion by Alex Bilodeau -- who barely defeated Canadian-turned-Australian Dale Begg-Smith. America's Hannah Kearney turned in an equally awesome performance the night before to win gold ahead of Canadian favorite Jenn Heil.

White House: The threat of snow shortened what was to have been a long weekend for President Obama at Camp David. He is back at the White House today with no events scheduled on the holiday. His schedule for the rest of the week includes a mix of domestic and foreign policy, as well as some politics. Tomorrow he'll have another event focused on jobs in the DC area. On Wednesday, Obama welcomes Spain's King Juan Carlos I to the White House, followed Thursday by a meeting with the Dalai Lama.

Also Thursday, Obama will travel to Denver one year and one day after he signed the Recovery Act into law. This trip is about politics, though -- he'll be attending a fundraiser for Sen. Michael Bennet (D), appointed last year and facing a tough primary and general election this year. After the event, Obama travels to Las Vegas for a DNC fundraiser. Then on Friday, he'll have events to boost Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's re-election bid. Reid still faces an uphill climb, but he did get some good news with the decision of Lt. Gov. Brian Krolicki (R) not to run, and the qualification of a Tea Party candidate.

Capitol Hill: Just before the weekend, Obama signed into law a bill raising the country's debt limit by nearly $2 trillion, as well as a requirement that any new spending or tax cuts by Congress must be offset by a corresponding spending reduction or revenue increase.

Both chambers of Congress are on recess this week in celebration of Presidents Day. Due to snow, the House was out all last week as well. Senators and Representatives will return next Monday, Feb. 22. The Senate will open with a reading of George Washington's Farewell Address by Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.), then take up a new jobs bill it was unable to compromise on last week.

Politics: Two big conferences are on the schedule later this week. The annual CPAC gathering starts this Thursday in Washington, with Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio delivering the keynote in the morning. Also due to speak are Glenn Beck, Tim Pawlenty, Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney, Mike Pence, Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.

Then on Saturday the nation's governors descend on Washington for the annual NGA Meeting. NGA Chair Jim Douglas of Vermont had chosen health care as his policy focus for the year, so you can expect to hear the state leaders weighing in on the national debate. On Sunday night the governors have dinner at the White House.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 47.6 / Disapprove 45.3 (+2.3)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 20.4 / Disapprove 73.4 (-53.0)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.0

**In Case You Missed It: Today is Presidents Day, but Sunday was Vice Presidents Day on Sunday talk shows. RCP Video has clips from Joe Biden and Dick Cheney's dueling appearances, focused on the Obama administration's prosecution of the war on terrorism. This is a topic that will continue to be debated.

Medal Count: U.S., 6; Germany, 4; France, 3; Canada, 3; Korea, 2; Italy, 2.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy is retiring from the House after eight terms in office, AP reports.

"Now having spent two decades in politics, my life is taking a new direction, and I will not be a candidate for re-election this year," Kennedy says in a taped statement that will be played Sunday on local TV stations.

While his late father's Massachusetts Senate seat was won by a Republcian last month, Kennedy's House district is heavily Democratic and he never won re-election with less than 60 percent of the vote -- including 2008, when he won by a 45-point margin. The 1st District is the eastern half of the state's two House districts, and includes Pawtucket and Newport.

UPDATE: DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen expressed confidence in a statement this afternoon that Democrats would hold on to the seat. "We are confident that a Democrat who shares Congressman's Kennedy commitment to public service, particularly during these difficult economic times, will continue to serve the 1st District with the same passion that Congressman Kennedy has throughout his tenure in Congress," he said.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer announced this afternoon that the House will not hold votes this week due to weather-related travel troubles for members attempting to get back into town. The House was already scheduled to be out of session next week for the President's Day recess.

"As a result of the inclement weather affecting Members' ability to travel to Washington, DC this week, there will be no votes in the House for the remainder of the week. The change this week means that we will add two days to the schedule as we look to take action on a jobs bill and other critical measures. Therefore, the House will reconvene on Monday, February 22, one day earlier than previously scheduled. The House will now also be in session on Friday, February 26th."

For more on the crazy weather we're having here in the D.C. area, check out the Washington Post's excellent Capital Weather Gang blog.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The immediate reactions are in from the congressional leaders in attendance for a small gathering at the White House today to discuss a jobs bill.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid:

"Today's meeting with the President was productive. I applaud his continued efforts to work on a bipartisan basis to strengthen our economy. One of the most important issues on the minds of people in Nevada and across the country is the need to create jobs. Last year we took steps that prevented a bad situation from becoming worse, but it's time to make our country strong again. Senate Democrats remain hopeful that our Republican colleagues will work with us this week to take swift action and pass legislation to help businesses thrive and create jobs."

Continue reading "Congressional Leaders React To White House Meeting" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

President Obama's recently proposed White House health care meeting was immediately met with skepticism on Capitol Hill -- Republicans are wary of the motives behind the move, while Democrats doubt the result will be any different than negotiations with the GOP over the past year.

Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.), chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee, called it "a hollow PR blitz," adding, "Republicans welcome honest discussion, but this event reeks of political gamesmanship." GOP House leaders John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Eric Cantor (R-Va.) sent a lengthy letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel outlining their many concerns with the meeting.

On the Senate side, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) indicated a willingness to talk as long as the plans that passed the two chambers are scrapped and the two sides start from scratch, which Boehner and Cantor called for as well.

"If we are to reach a bipartisan consensus, the White House can start by shelving the current health spending bill," said McConnell.

Meanwhile, some liberal members aren't convinced Republicans are willing to negotiate and believe the opposing party has simply adopted an obstructionist political strategy -- and the event could provide a televised forum for political posturing.

"If there is an earnest effort to come to some kind of understanding, then it's worth the effort," Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said Monday in an interview with RealClearPolitics. "Personally, I'm not optimistic."

President Obama announced the Feb. 25 meeting during an interview with CBS News just before the Super Bowl, hoping the televised effort will help bring transparency and solutions to the Democrats' stalled effort of reforming the health care system. Democrats and Republicans from the House and Senate will be invited, though it's unclear which of the many factions in the debate are willing to compromise their priorities to solve the impasse.

For instance, liberals are still pushing the public option, which was left out of the Senate bill after failing to receive enough support and assumed to be a nonstarter in bicameral negotiations. With weather permitting, Grijalva and other Progressive Caucus leaders will meet late this afternoon with several senators, including Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), to discuss the government-run insurance option, an insurance exchange and other reform measures.

"We don't think they're dead," Grijalva said of the progressives' priorities. "I hate to be pessimistic about the White House meeting, but regardless of what happens with that we're still working to get something done."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is a look at John Murtha the man and congressman by Politico's David Rogers.

President Obama:

Michelle and I were deeply saddened today to hear about the passing of Congressman John Murtha. Jack was a devoted husband, a loving father and a steadfast advocate for the people of Pennsylvania for nearly 40 years. His passion for service was born during his decorated career in the United States Marine Corps, and he went on to earn the distinction of being the first Vietnam War combat veteran elected to Congress. Jack's tough-as-nails reputation carried over to Congress, where he became a respected voice on issues of national security. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife of nearly 55 years, Joyce, their three children, and the entire Murtha family.

And here are reactions from members of Congress:

Continue reading "Reactions To Murtha's Death" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Rep. John Murtha (D-PA 12), an 18-term congressman from southwestern Pennsylvania, died today at age 77. He had been hospitalized for complications related to gallbladder surgery.

Murtha's death comes just days after he became the longest-serving member of Congress in Pennsylvania history. Murtha represented the 12th District since winning a special election in February 1974. Beginning with his election to a full term later that year, Murtha never won re-election with less than 58 percent of the vote.

Murtha's passing will set the stage for the seventh House special election in the 111th Congress, in a district that was evenly split in 2008 between John McCain and Barack Obama. Murtha had faced his toughest race that year as well, on the heels of a controversial remark about people in his district being "racist." He's also been the subject of scrutiny over earmarks he's secured for his Johnstown-based district.

This year, Murtha was facing a primary challenge from Ryan Bucchianeri, a former Naval officer and placekicker on the Navy college football team. Republican Bill Russell, whom Murtha defeated with 58% in 2008, is running again, as is Republican businessman Tim Burns.

Whoever replaces Murtha will have the impossible task of filling in for one of the more powerful members of Congress. Murtha, the first Vietnam veteran elected to Congress, was an Approprations committee "Cardinal" -- a title given to the chairmen of the various Appropriations subocommittees. Murtha chaired the Subcommittee on Defense.

The area that now makes up the 12th District was heavily Republican from the Civil War to the 1930s, according to the Almanac of American Politics. Without Murtha, it is the quintessential swing district. McCain won it by fewer than 1,000 votes; John Kerry won it by 8,000 votes four years earlier.

Democrats have won every special election in this Congress, including one pick-up from the GOP in New York 23. Another is set in the Florida 19th on April 13, with yet another seat opening soon when Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI) steps down to run for governor.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink

We survived the Snowmageddon in Washington this weekend, but don't look now -- there's more coming this week. Meanwhile, what a weekend in New Orleans: a landslide mayoral win for Mitch Landrieu preceded a big win for the Saints in Super Bowl XLIV -- and Mardi Gras is just a week away. Laissez les bons temps rouler.

** White House: President Obama managed to sneak in some news during his pregame interview with Katie Couric last night. He's invited leadership from both parties for a health care summit at Blair House next week, all of which will be televised. The practical effect is a delaying tactic on health care legislation.

The leadership was already scheduled to come to the White House this week for a session that is due to focus on other legislative priorities, a jobs bill in particular. Also on tap this week: the president hosts another White House concert, this one in honor of Black History Month. Also on Wednesday, Vice President Biden will give a broad speech on nuclear threats facing the nation.

** Capitol Hill:: Congress will likely be slowed this week by the District's massive snowstorm, with more snow expected Tuesday. The House wasn't expected back until Tuesday anyway, while the Senate delayed votes until tomorrow that had been scheduled for today. With jobs the No. 1 priority for Democrats this year, the Senate -- now with 59 Democratic votes -- is having trouble coming to a concensus on a jobs bill that was supposed to be voted on this week. Meanwhile, the House may vote this week on a piece of their comprehensive health care reform bill -- ending the antitrust exemption for insurance companies, titled, "Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act."

** Politics: Is New York Gov. David Paterson (D) resigning? During last night's Super Bowl, a report indicated that he would, with a coming bombshell in the New York Times being the trigger. Paterson's office quickly denied it. If Paterson did resign, it would elevate a man most New Yorkers would be hard-pressed to identify -- Richard Ravitch -- to the state's top job. Ravitch was only appointed lieutenant governor after a court fight this year over whether that position could be filled by the governor. If Paterson resigned, or at least announced that he won't run for election, it could speed up Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's entrance into the race. It's quite a saga in the Empire State that began with Eliot Spitzer's surprising resignation in 2008.

Speaking of scandals, Illinois lieutenant governor nominee Scott Lee Cohen officially announced Sunday night that he would withdraw his candidacy -- a move that spares state Democrats of a potentially disastrous situation this November. Though Cohen won the nomination last week on his own, state law calls for him to run jointly on a ticket with Gov. Pat Quinn this fall. Now, the state Democratic committee gets the luxury of picking a new candidate for that slot -- which could provide an opportunity to find someone more electorally potent for the entire slate.

The Texas governor's race continues to heat up. Sarah Palin, fresh off her Tea Party Convention keynote address and Fox News Sunday appearance, joined Gov. Rick Perry yesterday for a rally. Meanwhile, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison paid for some Super Bowl ad space to air this attack on the incumbent.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.4 / Disapprove 46.9 (+1.5)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 22.4 / Disapprove 70.2 (-47.8)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.8

** In Case You Missed It: It was a somewhat lackluster "SNL" this weekend, but this gem late in the show saved it. Andy Samberg's imitation of Rahm Emanuel wasn't great, but he nailed the White House chief of staff's attitude.

A bonus note: this fascinating behind-the-scenes look at one of the few good Super Bowl ads, the Oprah-Dave-Jay spot for "Late Show."

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

This week will be capped off Sunday with what should be an excellent Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints -- two teams with high-powered offenses and underrated defenses. Until then, our attention will be on Democrats' continued efforts at passing health care reform, a forthcoming jobs bill and President Obama's new budget blueprint. The most exciting moment, though, will be Tuesday night when Illinois primary election returns come in.

** White House: Today is budget day at the White House, and the administration's plan for fiscal 2011 will set the tone for the week. The $3.8 trillion budget is highlighted by the three-year discretionary spending freeze President Obama announced in last week's State of the Union address. Obama and administration officials will be highlighting the plan today. Also, Obama continues his State of the Union sales job with a "YouTube interview," where he takes questions submitted from users and selected by YouTube officials. Tuesday, Obama travels to New Hampshire for an event on the economy. Looking ahead, he'll meet with governors on Wednesday to talk energy policy, and speak at the National Prayer Breakfast Thursday.

** Capitol Hill: The week on the Hill begins at 8 a.m. today, when the president's budget arrives. Meanwhile, health care remains the big question mark, as it's unclear if anyone knows what's going to happen -- if Democrats do attempt to pass a bill, how will they do it? Try reconciliation? Break it up in pieces? Or could House Democrats pass the Senate bill, even though Speaker Pelosi has said the votes aren't there? As the L.A. Times reports, conversations between Democratic leadership in both chambers is happening quietly, while the public focus is on creating jobs. We'll find out where unemployment is on Friday, when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its January report.

The House will also vote this week on statutory PAYGO legislation, which the Senate passed on a party-line vote last week. The bill requires any new spending to be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.

** Politics: Tuesday is Election Day in Illinois! It's the official start to the 2010 midterm elections, and it couldn't come any sooner. We were spoiled with the exciting Massachusetts special election two weeks ago, but the primaries for House, Senate, and governor in Illinois mark the beginning of what looks like it will be an eventful year. To see all the candidates running in Illinois, click here.

Of the House primaries, there should be some drama in a few districts, including the 10th, which Republican Mark Kirk is vacating to run for Senate. In the 14th, former House speaker Dennis Hastert's son, Ethan, faces a GOP primary in his quest to win his father's seat, which has been held by Democrat Bill Foster for a term-and-a-half. Also up for grabs this year is Obama's former Senate seat and the governor's race, still stained from the memory of Rod Blagojevich -- with competitive primaries in both races.

And don't forget, campaign finance reports were due last night. The latest reports will show how much money candidates have to begin the year, and will indicate which incumbents are vulnerable and which challengers have a chance.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.3 / Disapprove 46.3 (+3.0)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.3 / Disapprove 66.3 (-40.0)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +3.2

** In Case You Missed It: Obama had two straight days of favorable national TV time. On Friday, Obama stood before the House GOP Conference at their annual retreat in Baltimore and answered questions for more than an hour. The Q-and-A was televised live and covered by all the nightly news programs. By Saturday, Organizing for America had emailed its millions-strong list of supporters with a link to the entire session, which can be found here.

In a far less political appearance, Obama and Vice President Biden attended Saturday's Georgetown-Duke basketball game at Verizon Center in downtown D.C. (Georgetown won!) In the second half, Obama sat with the play-by-play announcers for a brief period of time and even analyzed one of the plays -- which drew rave reviews from the broadcasters. You can see video of that here.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

While job creation is said to be the legislative priority this year, the president and Democratic leadership in Congress say health care reform must be completed. With Senate Democrats down to 59 votes after losing the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy's Massachusetts seat, compromising the House and Senate reform bills got a lot more complicated.

Conversations between the two chambers now focus as much on the process by which the bill will get through, as on what's in it.

"We're going to do health care reform this year," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Thursday. The only question, he said, "is procedurally how do we do it."

One option being considered is a two step process where the House would pass the Senate version of the bill and the Senate would then pass budgetary changes to the bill using reconciliation -- a parliamentary move that would require only 51 votes. The House would also vote on the changes.

It was a struggle for Reid to find the 60 votes necessary to pass the Senate bill early Christmas Eve morning. By changing the bill, some Democrats are expected to drop their support, either because they don't like the changes or are against using the reconciliation process, which allows the majority to circumvent the filibuster on matters pertaining to the budget.

So far, Senators Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) have announced they would not support this process. Both are running for re-election this year, and Lincoln particularly is in danger of losing her seat. Meanwhile, a poll released this week showed Bayh trailng Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) in a hypothetical match-up, though Pence said shortly thereafter he was running for re-election and not interested in challenging Bayh.

Still, that knocks the Democratic votes in favor of reconciliation down to 57, with just seven to spare. (They would need only 50 votes, as Vice President Biden could break a tie.)

Other Democrats who could join Lincoln and Bayh are Senators Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), although both said this week they're not necessarily against using reconciliation.

"If I support a bill, I would vote for it whether it takes 50 or 60 votes. I'm not focused on the process," Nelson told the Lincoln Journal Star.

According to the Arkansas News, Pryor said reconciliation was not his first choice but "he was not necessarily opposed to the idea." Pryor also indicated doubts that it would be attempted.

On Wednesday, Politico identified a total of eight Democrats (including Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., who caucuses with Dems) who were wary of reconciliation, including Senators Mary Landrieu (La.), Mark Begich (Alaska) and Claire McCaskill (Mo.). Nelson was included in that count as well.

As Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad said this week, reconciliation is no easy fix for health care. Unlimited amendments and the necessity of cutting the annual deficit by $1 billion represent two possible bumps in the road.

Democrats could turn to breaking the bill up and voting on pieces of it separately, leaving comprehensive reform for the future.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Just out of their annual conference, Senate Republican leaders told reporters they hope to hear several things from President Obama tonight during his first official State of the Union address: that he's putting the health care bill "on the shelf" to focus on jobs, not letting the Bush tax cuts expire this year and clearing up confusion about prosecuting terror suspects.

"What we're hearing is the hope of the American people that tonight the president concentrate on jobs, on debt, on terror," said Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), the Senate Republican Conference chairman. "And if he stopped right there and focused on that until he got all three on a better track, we believe most Americans would be happy with that."

Asked what grade they would give Obama on his first year in office, all seven senators on stage at the press conference remained quiet and none stepped forward to the microphone. After a few moments of silence, Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said, "We're pretty tough graders."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) professed his preference that Obama rethink his plans for Guantanamo, saying it was the best place to hold military commissions and house terrorists.

He also referenced an NPR poll out today that found Republicans leading the generic congressional ballot by 5 points. It's a far cry from Election Day 2008, when Democrats led it by 12 points and increased their majorities in both chambers of Congress.

"People are much more open to voting for Republicans -- and we saw that in New Jersey and Virginia and Massachusetts -- certainly than they were in November 2008," said McConnell.

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Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

As President Obama prepares to deliver his first State of the Union address tonight, few Democrats expected the first year of his presidency to end with the party in such poor shape politically heading into this year's midterm elections. So before we hear about the overall state of the country, here is a quick rundown on the state of its politics:

• House Democrats hold a 256-178 majority in the House, with one vacant seat (Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Fla., resigned this month), while Senate Democrats hold a 59-41 seat advantage following the Massachusetts special Senate election of Scott Brown (R).

• Nearly 20 percent of Democrat-held congressional districts (49) are listed as competitive races by the Cook Political Report; 5 percent of Republican seats (10) are competitive.

• After losses in New Jersey and Virginia last November, Democrats' advantage in governors' offices is down to 26-24. In the 2010 elections, 11 Democrats are retiring or term-limited, as are 11 Republicans. Of 14 races rated as "toss-up" by the Cook Political Report, 10 are Republican-held seats.

• In 2008, John McCain won 49 congressional districts where a Democrat was elected to the House; one such Democrat, Parker Griffith, recently switched to the Republican Party. Barack Obama won 34 districts that elected a Republican.

• Ten Democrat-held congressional districts are competitive open-seat races, where the incumbent is retiring. Republicans so far have two such seats.

• Seven of Democrats' 18 Senate seats up for re-election this year are considered competitive, according to Cook; four of 18 Republican seats are competitive.

• Democrats are in serious danger of losing both President Obama's and Vice President Biden's former Senate seats. In both cases, the appointed senator is not running for re-election (in Illinois, that's a good thing), and the party failed to recruit its top choice candidates -- Attorneys General Lisa Madigan of Illinois and Beau Biden of Delaware.

• Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is in deep electoral trouble, trailing two Republicans who may not even end up on the general election ballot. The GOP is reportedly still seeking a top-flight candidate to take on the vulnerable Reid.

• Arkansas is a microcosm of Democrats' troubles. Its congressional delegation currently stands at five Democrats and one Republican. With Reps. Marion Berry and Vic Snyder retiring and Sen. Blanche Lincoln facing a potential GOP knock-out, Republicans could hold four of the six seats in the 112th Congress.

• Democrats' best news this year has been the retirement of five-term Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd, who was likely to lose in November. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal currently holds big leads over his potential GOP opponents.

• Pennsylvania is one of the more awkward situations, as the White House and Democratic leadership promised Sen. Arlen Specter significant support if he switched parties. Now, he's up against Rep. Joe Sestak in a bitter Democratic primary and trailing Republican Pat Toomey in early polls. Plus, he no longer represents the 60th vote.

• Democrats are looking at four GOP-held Senate races in particular as potential pick-up opportunities, all of which the Republican incumbent is retiring: Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire and Ohio.

• The national Democratic House and Senate campaign committees had great fundraising years, outpacing both Republican counterparts. This will certainly help in protecting its many incumbents in GOP-leaning districts, while some Republican challengers may not get significant monetary assistance from the national party.

While the landscape looks rough for Democrats, party leaders say they were not caught by surprise as they were in 1994, when Republicans dominated the midterm elections two years after Bill Clinton won the White House. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, maintains that the party was expecting a tough political environment, as history shows the party that wins the White House often loses congressional seats in the following midterms.

"Even as the president was being sworn in -- and we were all still celebrating the election of President Barack Obama and even bigger majorities in the Congress -- we told our members to prepare for a very challenging cycle," Van Hollen told reporters in December, adding, "This is not going to be 1994 all over again."

Some Republicans, however, think it could be, and put the blame squarely on Democratic congressional leaders who "overreached" on their agenda last year. In a memo last month, Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said the party expects "to make significant, if not historic, gains" in the House this year.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Championship Sunday in the NFL gives way to a very busy week in the world of politics. Congratulations to the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts and the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints, who will face off in Miami in Super Bowl XLIV. Hard not to root for the Saints, whose first-ever Super Bowl appearance comes less than five years after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city of New Orleans.

** White House: The main event in Washington is on Wednesday, when President Obama delivers his first official State of the Union address. It's actually his third address to a joint session of Congress; a year ago he delivered a "budget address," and then a September speech on health care. Obama hunkered down at the White House this weekend working on drafts.

We always tend to say these are critical moments, but in the wake of the Massachusetts Senate result and with health care in the balance, it's safe to say this is. The White House is clearly feeling the heat, as shown by the announcement this weekend that David Plouffe, campaign manager of Obama's successful 2008 campaign, is taking a more formal role in the White House's political operation. In Sunday's Washington Post he wrote: "If Democrats will show the country we can lead when it's hard, we may not have perfect election results, but November will be nothing like the nightmare that talking heads have forecast."

Obama starts the week with a meeting with the Middle Class Task Force today. The hoopster-in-chief will also meet with the NBA Champion Lakers this afternoon. After Wednesday's address, the president and vice president will have a rare joint event outside Washington, in the key swing state of Florida. Friday, Obama will head to Baltimore to join Republicans at their issues conference.

** Capitol Hill:: The House will only be in session two days this week, with Monday off and Republicans holding their issues conference Thursday and Friday. The Senate this week will continue work on raising the debt limit, and also is expected to vote on the confirmation of Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, who's four-year term is up at the end of the week. Both chambers will, of course, welcome the president on Wednesday evening.

** Politics:: Another busy week in politics. The RNC is meeting in Obama's home state of Hawaii starting today, where Michael Steele's leadership will be a hotly-debated topic. On Thursday, the House GOP's Issues Retreat kicks off in Baltimore, with the title of "Winning Back America." There will be considerable focus Obama's visit on Friday, but former House Majority Leader Dick Armey also gives a keynote on Thursday. Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell, who delivers the GOP response to Obama's State of the Union address, will also speak at this retreat.

Democrats are reeling with yet another retirement, this time Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry. It's the first such retirement since Brown's victory. Another potential sign of Democrats' midterm anxiety is in Delaware, where some in the party fret that Beau Biden may not seek his father's old Senate seat as expected. A Wilmington News Journal report quoted Joe Biden as saying he thought his son would not make the race, but the VP's office said the author misquoted him.

And don't look now, but there's another election on the horizon. This is the final week of campaigning in Illinois, where voters head to the polls to choose nominees for the Senate and gubernatorial races on February 2. A Chicago Tribune poll out Sunday showed Alexi Giannoulias and Mark Kirk leading in the Senate primaries.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.6 / Disapprove 44.9 (+4.7)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.0 / Disapprove 66.2 (-40.2)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.5

** In Case You Missed It: Is this the first time someone has ever used, "I'm giving the State of the Union address this week" as an excuse to get out of jury duty? AP reports that President Obama received a summons at his Chicago home to appear at a suburban courthouse Monday. "A White House official said Sunday that the president has alerted the court he won't be able to make it," the report says.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

In the wake of stalled health care negotiations between the House and Senate, House Democrats are considering alternatives in an attempt to get at least something done. Democrats met this morning in a closed-door caucus.

"There is discussion still going on between the Senate and the House, but there is also talk about other alternatives," Rep. Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) said after the meeting in an interview with RealClearPolitics. "Let's scale down, get something through, that truly at least helps in what we wanted to get done. Or, let's just vote on single, individual pieces at a time."

Many assumed the loss of the Massachusetts Senate seat Tuesday meant the end for health care reform, as Senator-elect Scott Brown gives Republicans enough votes to filibuster the bill. However, Democratic leaders indicated yesterday that they were moving ahead as planned.

Still, the Massachusetts race has left Democrats more worried about their own necks come the November midterm elections. Asked whether members of the House Democratic Caucus were increasingly nervous about keeping their jobs, Sestak said, "Yes. Without a question."

UPDATE: Speaker Pelosi backed up Sestak's comments this morning, saying there are not enough votes in the House to pass the Senate bill as is.
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Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Along with holding a Capitol press conference, House Republican leaders hit the TV rounds yesterday in the wake of the GOP's Senate win in Massachusetts on Tuesday. The win, they said, was evidence that Americans don't want the health care reform currently being negotiated by House and Senate Democrats.

"While it was a lot about health care, it's not just health care. It's all the spending and debt that's being accumulated here. It's their national energy tax. It's their -- bringing the terrorists to America to put him on trial," Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) told Greta Van Sustren on FOX News. "The American people are opposed to all of these policies, and they are saying, stop."

Minority Whip Eric Cantor (Va.) appeared on at least three TV shows on CNBC, FOX News and CNN, while Mike Pence spoke with Dylan Ratigan on MSNBC.

"The American people are tired of the borrowing, the spending, the bailouts, the takeovers that have been accelerated under now Democrat and previously under Republican administrations," said Pence. "They want us to put our fiscal house in order in Washington, D.C., and want us to set aside all these big government schemes and focus on the kind of measures that are going to get this economy moving again."

Meanwhile, Democrats indicated that health care reform was moving forward. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said as much yesterday during her speech to the mayor's conference on the Hill. Majority Whip Jim Clyburn concurred during his appearance alongside Cantor on CNBC.

"I do believe that we will have a health care reform bill, and we will have one that the American people can be proud of," said Clyburn.

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Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The electoral fallout of the Massachusetts special Senate election won't crystallize for several months, but its effect on health care could be known as soon as today.

Before the polls closed last night, House Democrats were steadfast in their belief that Congress would pass health care even if Republican Scott Brown won. However, Senate Democrats will meet today to discuss their options going forward.

There were rumors before Tuesday that Democrats could attempt to ram through a bill before Brown's election became official, which could take at least 10 days. However, there does not appear to be support for that within the Democratic Caucus.

"It would only be fair and prudent that we suspend further votes on health care legislation until Senator-elect Brown is seated," Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) said last night.

Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), no moderate, agreed with Webb: "I feel strongly that the Democratic majority in Congress must respect the process and make no effort to bypass the electoral results."

Senate Republicans are holding a press conference at 11 a.m., and will likely say the same thing.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

House Democratic leaders met this afternoon to discuss the status of health care reform in Congress, where Democrats in both chambers continue to negotiate a compromise both sides can agree on. There is no Republican support in either the House or Senate, where Democrats' filibuster-proof 60th vote is on the line in today's Massachusetts special election.

Congress is "on the brink" of passing health care reform, Pelosi told reporters following the meeting. "And regardless of what happens in Massachusetts, we believe that that will happen."

"Regardless of what happens in Massachusetts, we still have to resolve the difference between our two bills," continued Pelosi. "Our eye is on the ball of passing legislation. In order to do that, we have to resolve some differences, establish some priorities, make some decisions and that's what we're doing. Whatever happens in Massachusetts, we have to do that, and whatever happens in Massachusetts, we will pass quality, affordable health care for all Americans and it will be soon."

Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D-S.D.), though, said today that if Democrats lose the Senate seat, "the chances would diminish significantly for achieving health care reform this year because of the Senate's inability to get anything done without 60 votes."

House GOP leadership responded to Pelosi's comments, with Boehner spokesman Michael Steel saying: "Regardless of what happens in Massachusetts, it's clear that jamming this government takeover of health care through Congress will set off a political firestorm. The American people are screaming, 'stop' at the top of their lungs, and out-of-touch Democratic leaders ignore them at their peril."

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Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 06:40 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Martin Luther King Jr. was born 81 years ago. Today we celebrate all of his and other Civil Rights leaders' accomplishments, which were made even more obvious last year when Barack Obama was sworn in as president. As we look back to the past, it's impossible not to wonder what the future holds -- specifically tomorrow's special election in Massachusetts and its impact on comprehensive health care reform in Congress.

** Politics: Polls clearly show the momentum in the Massachusetts Senate special election race quickly moving toward Republican Scott Brown, who just a couple weeks ago was still considered a longshot. A palpable shift in the mood of the country is on display as the seat held by Edward M. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy since 1952 (except for two years and some change) is in danger of going Republican.

The stakes are so high that President Obama himself went to Massachusetts Sunday. It's worth noting how health care seemed to be barely mentioned in his remarks, as instead he relied on the party's push on the so-called bank fee, which was just announced last week. Returning from the event, press secretary Robert Gibbs reaffirmed the belief of the White House that Coakley would win. "That was the theme of what this race has been, I think what the President will talk a lot about for the next year," he said.

If Brown wins, look for one major topic to be how soon he's sworn in. We've written about the potential delay Democrats could seek to take advantage of, which would then raise the question of whether they can still muster 60 votes needed to pass the bill quickly. A defeat for Democrats in Massachusetts of all places certainly would raise the possibility that one of the wavering votes -- Ben Nelson or Blanche Lincoln, perhaps -- feel pressure to change sides.

It's a bad mojo weekend for Democrats leading up to the vote, as there are fresh reminders of other defeats. Bob McDonnell (R) was sworn in as Virginia's governor Saturday. And as Massachusetts voters go to the polls Tuesday, New Jersey will see its new Republican governor, Chris Christie, take office.

** White House: What could make a Coakley loss so damning for the White House is the timing -- on the eve of the one-year anniversary of President Obama's inauguration. Just think back to the president's 100th day in office -- it came just after Arlen Specter switched parties and handed Democrats what, pending the Al Franken result being made official, would be their 60th vote. Now, if Brown wins, they'll lose that supermajority on another milestone day.

The White House is not marking the anniversary in any formal way. Monday, the president marks Martin Luther King Day with an event featuring African American seniors and their grandchildren. Thursday, a delegation from the U.S. Conference of Mayors will visit the White House. On Friday, Obama heads to Ohio for another stop on his "White House to Main Street Tour."

** Capitol Hill: The Senate returns to official business Wednesday after a much-needed break. It seems like a year ago, but less than a month ago the senators gathered on the chamber floor Christmas Eve to vote on health care reform. It passed, and negotiations between the House, Senate and White House on a compromise bill has been in the works ever since.

A week ago, many Democrats in Congress still weren't taking the threat of a Republican win in Massachusetts seriously. Remember -- the big news last Monday was Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's awkward comments about Obama's skin and speaking pattern. By the end of the week, however, the White House announced that the president would indeed be deployed to the Bay State, while Democratic leaders in Congress were trying to figure out a contingency plan in case they fell below 60 Democratic seats in the Senate. The Capitol awaits Tuesday's results.

** Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.1 / Disapprove 44.5 (+4.6)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 26.3 / Disapprove 67.5 (-41.2)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.0

** In Case You Missed It: Three of the top four top seeds in the NFL playoffs -- AFC's Colts (1), and the NFC's Saints (1) and Vikings (2) -- all advanced to this weekend's NFC and AFC championship games, which will decide the Super Bowl contenders. Missing from that list: the San Diego Chargers, who were upset in the only competitive game of the weekend by the New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets. Those Jets only got into the playoffs thanks to the Colts pulling their starters in the second half of their Week 16 matchup. Now they'll get a test of the team at full strength for four quarters.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Sunday made for a great day of TV -- the Arizona Cardinals topped Green Bay in overtime after combining to score nearly 100 points, and one of our favorite shows of all time turned 20. Now let's take a look at what Monday and beyond holds in store for us in The Week Ahead:

The White House: What happened to the "hard pivot" back to the economy? The Christmas terror plot delayed that somewhat, but it is expected to be on display this week in the White House. At the same time, President Obama will make a visit to Capitol Hill midweek to meet with Democrats on health care. There is sure to be some increased pressure to move quickly, with the yet-to-be-scheduled State of the Union address looming, and perhaps some nervousness about the potential for a Republican upset in the Massachusetts special election next week.

The President's schedule for the week is light on details for the week, but today's rundown includes a meeting with labor leaders. Thursday, he'll speak at a forum on modernizing government. Also on tap: a Tuesday meeting between the president and female golfers. Vice President Biden remains in Wilmington, where services are scheduled Monday and Tuesday for his late mother, Jean Finnegan Biden.

The Capitol: "Vacation" is officially over for representatives in the House, which opens for business again Tuesday at noon. Of course, Democratic leadership has been back for a week continuing the push for a health care reform compromise with the Senate, which doesn't return to session until next week. A few outside factors -- which we delve into in the next section -- have added increased incentive for Democrats to get something done quickly.

As for the year ahead, no matter what happens with health care, the president and Congress have indicated that jobs will be a legislative priority in the second session of the 111th Congress. Another issue to watch for is immigration reform -- 80 House Dems introduced a new resolution in mid-December.

Politics: So much to talk about -- where to begin. The fallout from "Game Change," a new book from Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, has rocked the political world with salacious details about the 2008 presidential campaign. Harry Reid is looking to put controversial comments about Obama's race behind him. Politico reported on a claim in the book over tension between running mates Obama and Biden. An excerpt about John Edwards will bring his scandal back to the forefront. And "60 Minutes" featured new-ish details about Sarah Palin's chaotic run as John McCain's vice presidential nominee.

Michael Steele, plugging his own new book, will continue to be in the headlines as well. Reid's troubles made for a convenient distraction from increasingly public concerns from GOP types about his leadership. In the run-up to the RNC's winter meeting in Hawaii next week, look for more talk about his role.

State of the races: by week's end, we should have an official accounting of the fundraising totals for all the candidates for Congress this fall. FEC reports for the final quarter of 2009 should be public by Friday. Open Secrets had a good post this week using some already public numbers outlining some of the races on the House side where challengers had outraised incumbents.

Finally, this is the final week of campaigning in Massachusetts in the special election to finish Ted Kennedy's unexpired term. New polling this weekend showed very different results, but most Democrats will concede that it's closer than they'd like it to be. Make no mistake: if a Republican upset happens here with Scott Brown victorious, it will make the Democratic retirements this week look like the good old days. It also could mean health care never gets approved, at least in its current form. Bill Clinton headlines a Martha Coakley rally Friday. Perhaps Biden will be dispatched, or the president will record a TV ad. The candidates have one more debate tonight at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute.

Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.8 / Disapprove 46.0 (+2.8)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 (-38.4)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.8

In Case You Missed It: Last night Fox marked the 20th anniversary of "The Simpsons," and the 450th episode. In honor of the great cartoon show we recall one of its great episodes, and what The Hotline (where both of us once worked) once called one of the greatest political satires ever: the season two show called "Two Cars in Every Garage and Three Eyes on Every Fish." That's when Mr. Burns runs for governor. No clips online, but here's a good summary.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

As House leaders meet today to discuss their priorities in the upcoming negotiations with the Senate on reconciling the two health care reform bills, controversy is growing over the reported decision to bypass a conference committee and instead hold informal talks out of the public eye. Although the "ping pong" practice is nothing new, a recent report showed its use drastically increased when Democrats reclaimed power in Congress.

In the 109th Congress (2005-2006), the last under GOP control, the House and Senate reconciled major bills through a conference committee 18 of 19 times, according to a report by congressional scholar Don Wolfensberger that was cited in an August 2008 Congressional Research Service analysis of the committee process. In the 110th (2007-2008), major bills were reconciled in conference just 11 of 19 times -- meaning Democrats negotiated eight times as many bills outside of conference as their Republican predecessors.

"While the conference bypass approach is just as legitimate under the rules as going to conference (and sometimes advisable when there are only minor differences to iron out), the procedure is more suspect when used on major bills on which numerous substantive disagreements exist between the houses," Wolfensberger wrote in his April 2008 column, printed in Roll Call.

Wolfensberger notes that Republicans were "not entirely blameless" for the increase in out-of-conference negotiations when they transitioned to the minority, but the point was that "the lack of conference deliberations shuts out majority and minority Members alike from having a final say on important policy decisions."

Skipping the formality of a conference committee allows Democrats to speed up the process of merging the bills by forgoing the necessary Senate floor procedures required to begin negotiations. The 2008 CRS report offers three reasons for the difficulty in convening a conference committee: the filibuster, increased polarization in the Senate and "the exclusion of minority party conferees from participating in the bicameral bargaining process."

A separate 2007 CRS analysis further describes the process of moving a bill from the Senate to a conference committee:

"There are several opportunities for extended debate and delay on the Senate floor in the process of sending, or trying to send, a bill to conference. Three separate, debatable motions must be made before sending a measure to conference. Other motions, including a motion to instruct conferees, are also in order, and Senators may choose to exercise their right to debate any or all of these motions at length."

Instead, Democratic leaders in the House and Senate simply send amendments back and forth until an accord is reached. Republicans have not always opposed the maneuver, according to Wolfensberger, but now it removes all opportunities for GOP input. Just one Republican in either the House or Senate voted with Democrats upon passage in each chamber.

Of course, Republicans are hardly the only group complaining about the decision to skip committee. House liberals are worried many of their preferences in the House bill may fall by the wayside when leaders merge it with the less progressive Senate bill, which barely passed in late December and therefore has far less wiggle room for modification than the House bill.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

We love Washington and all, but -- no matter your political stripe -- one almost feels bad for President Obama's return home. It was nearly 80 degrees when he stepped on Air Force One in Honolulu Sunday night and likely will be in the high 20s when Marine One touches down on the White House lawn this morning. But all vacations must come to an end, so check out what to watch in RCP's Week Ahead:

The White House: President Obama and the first family was due to officially return "to the Mainland," as Hawaiians put it, at 11:30 am when Air Force One lands at Andrews Air Force Base. The White House has not put out a full schedule for the week, but one issue is sure to have found its way on to the president's crowded desk in the Oval Office: terrorism. Obama's counterterrorism czar was on the Sunday shows talking about the new threats from al Qaida, including those that led to the closure of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen.

The Capitol: The House and Senate remain on break this week, while Democratic leadership aides continue backroom negotiations on a compromise health care reform bill. As Reuters reports, the difficult task is highlighted in the two chambers' differences "over the use of federal funds for abortion, new taxes to pay for the plans, a government-run insurance option and the level of subsidies and penalties for the uninsured." Politico notes that, as it did during the August recess, the GOP has been trying to win the media war over the winter break as well.

Politics: Welcome to midterm election year 2010, when history and polling now stand on the Republican Party's side. AP's Liz Sidoti broke down the landscape in a great piece published over the weekend:

"But they face an incumbent-hostile electorate worried about a 10 percent unemployment rate, weary of wars and angry at politicians of all stripes. Many independents who backed Democrats in 2006 and 2008 have turned away. Republicans, meanwhile, are energized and united in opposing Obama's policies."

The first election in 2010 happens in just over two weeks, when Republican Scott Brown and Democrat Martha Coakley compete for the Senate seat in Massachusetts once held by Ted Kennedy (and now being kept warm by Paul Kirk). There are two debates this week, with another scheduled for a week from today at the Kennedy Institute.

The first regularly-scheduled primary is February 2, when the gubernatorial and Senate nominations will be decided in Illinois. For a full rundown of the primary calendar for the new year, check back to this post.

Look for Democrats this week to focus on the growing number of open seats that Republicans will need to defend next year. There are now 14 Republican congressmen not seeking re-election -- Rep. Henry Brown (R-S.C.) is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, and Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) announced his exit last week.

Poll Watch:
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.8 / Disapprove 44.6 (+5.2)
Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8 (-38.4)
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +1.7

In Case You Missed It: While most have focused on Democratic incumbents not seeking re-election next year, there is a growing number of Democratic recruits that have opted against running. This past week, freshman Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kans.) lost an opponent in state Sen. Laura Kelly (D), the fifth Dem challenger to drop out in recent weeks.

--Kyle Trygstad and Mike Memoli

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Are you ready for the Eagle Bank Bowl? UCLA vs. Temple is about all that you can count on this week in the nation's capital. Here's the RCP Week Ahead.

The White House: Mahalo! President Obama is enjoying a "working vacation" in the nation's 50th state this week. It's a week away that became less of an escape when a Delta flight was subject to an attempted terrorist attack. While the Obama family hit the beach on Sunday, Obama himself is on guard monitoring the new situation in airline travel. He'll make a statement to the press on camera this morning.

Members of Congress are already talking about hearings to look into the new potential threat. From the administration, an unfortunate gaffe by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. "The system worked as it should," she said on CNN this Sunday, responding to the incident on a Detroit-bound flight.

The Capitol: Members of Congress are at home this week, but the leadership of both chambers is hard at work negotiating differences in the House and Senate versions of health care legislation this week. Senators claimed Sunday that the final draft will more closely resemble the Senate's version of the complicated legislation.

"If we are going to have a final law, it will look a lot more like the Senate version than the House version," Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) said on "Fox News Sunday." "I'm sure there'll be some compromises, but at the end of the day, I would expect that it will look very much like the Senate version."

Politics: As we mentioned last week, the pressure is on vulnerable incumbents and top GOP recruits to make a show of strength in their campaign fundraising for the period that ends this Thursday night. Don't be surprised to see a retirement or party switch this week, Rep. Parker Griffith's decision to become a Republican is likely the biggest blow for Democrats this month.

On "Fox News Sunday," Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Chris Van Hollen said Democrats are "not going to be surprised like in 1994." "We've been preparing from day one," he said. "Is this going to be a tough year? Yeah, and we're ready to fight. Is it going to be another 1994? No."

** Poll Watch
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.5 / Disapprove 45.1
Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.5

** In Case You Missed It: For this final week of the decade (the '00s? the oughts?), our friends at "First Read" have a good round-up of "Best of" lists, including Best Speech, Biggest Risers, Biggest Downfalls, and Statewide Races.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

By a 60-39 vote margin, the Senate passed early this morning comprehensive health care reform, just before Democrats' Christmas deadline. With the House having already passed its version of the bill, the 7 a.m. Christmas Eve vote begins the next big step in the process -- House and Senate conference.

Now, reconciling the two bills may be at least as difficult as passing them out of each chamber, and it's unclear whether it will happen before President Obama's first State of the Union Address next month or the beginning of February.

This is the closest Congress has ever come to passing health care reform, and Democratic leadership didn't take that lightly in comments following the vote.

"This is a victory for the American people," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), whose colleagues lavished praise on him for guiding the massive bill through a highly partisan Senate. "We have affirmed that the ability to afford a healthy life in America is a right and not merely a privilege for the wealthy."

Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said Reid "navigated the waters" and Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said Reid will always be remembered for making this one of the "shining chapters of the United States Senate." Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he "watched with awe" as Reid sheparded the bill through.

Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who presided over the HELP Committee's work on the bill in Ted Kennedy's absence, called this "probably the most important vote that every member of this Caucus will cast."

Kennedy's widow, Vicki, watched the vote from the Senate viewing gallery.

In sub-freezing temperatures in the nation's capital, Cadillacs and Suburbans lined up outside the Capitol awaiting the senators who would scurry out en route to the airport.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) was the first to leave, waving to his colleagues as he jogged out of the chamber. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) skipped the post-vote press conference to make her flight. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), no stranger to snow which is still blanketing the Capitol grounds, was wearing New Balance sneakers during the vote.

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), the longest serving member of the House after being elected in 1955, watched the vote from the Senate viewing gallery. Just outside the gallery doors, Dingell said, "I've been waiting for this for 54 years."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

House Republican leaders welcomed Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.) to the party yesterday, though their statements mostly focused more on criticizing the Democratic majority than on Griffith himself. Here are excerpts from some of the statements::

Minority Whip Eric Cantor: "When a Member of Congress decides to leave a 258 seat majority to join a deep minority, it is a sure sign that the majority party has become completely disconnected from seniors, young workers, and families in America. From the massive stimulus bill that wasted billions of dollars and failed to create jobs, to a job-killing cap and trade energy tax, to a government takeover of health care - the Democrat majority has pursued an agenda far outside the mainstream."

Minority Leader John Boehner: "Democratic leaders should seize this opportunity to reevaluate their entire job-killing agenda, starting with Senator Reid's 2,733-page government takeover of health care. House Republicans will continue to offer the American people better solutions to address their everyday challenges, an effort that will surely benefit from Congressman Griffith's leadership."

GOP Conference Chair Mike Pence: "Congressman Griffith's historic decision should send a deafening message that the Obama-Pelosi agenda of borrowing, spending, bailouts and takeovers is being rejected by the American people."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:10 AM | Email Author | Permalink

With the Senate set for a final vote on health care reform Thursday morning at 8 a.m., the forthcoming House and Senate conference moves front stage as the two chambers figure out how to reconcile their differences.

The House bill, which passed by a slim 5-vote margin, contains the public option, which some liberal members have demanded to be included in a final bill. However, Senate Democrats are expected to have no wiggle room, as getting the necessary 60 senators on board for the less progressive Senate bill has taken months. If just one Democrat declines to support the conference report, the bill will die.

So the spotlight is on liberal Democrats and how they will react if the bill that comes out of conference does not include the public option, as well as what the abortion language will look like.

In a statement released yesterday, Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chair Raul Grijalva (D-N.M.) was vague on what exactly he and his 82-member group would support. He did not demand the public option be included in the merged House and Senate health care reform bills, but instead ticked off components of the House bill "that must not be dismissed": public option, strong insurance regulatory reform, affordability protection, employer mandate and a tax surcharge for the wealthy.

"I look forward to working with the House and Senate leadership to pass a final bill that will help the most people and create a realistic pathway to future improvements," said Grijalva. "My support for the ongoing reform effort is predicated on the belief that such a bill is within reach and can be passed in the short term. If a bill with these features is pursued, I will be proud to support it."

In an interview with Roll Call, Grijalva did say there would need to be changes to the Senate bill in conference for it to win enough support in the House, whether Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) like it or not. "They've had their way up to this point," Grijalva said. "For either them or the Senate to expect to send their bill as is through the House is going to be very difficult."

For their part, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have only indicated that they are ready to work with the Senate to merge the two bills.

"We welcome the developments today in the Senate, and we look forward to reviewing the bill the Senate passes," they said in a statement Monday morning. "The Democratic Caucus is committed to middle class affordability, security for our seniors, responsibility to our children, and accountability for the insurance industry. On that basis, we look forward to working with the Obama Administration, the Senate, and our Caucus to reconcile our bills and send final legislation to the President's desk as soon as possible."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink

For the second time in 31 hours, Senate Democrats suceeded in getting 60 votes this morning -- advancing health care reform one step closer to final passage.

The successful party-line vote leaves one more procedural hurdle for Democrats, scheduled for tomorrow at 1 p.m., with a final vote on the bill coming Thursday at 7 p.m. However, with the bill appearing likely to pass and Christmas Eve falling on Thursday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were working on a timeline that could get senators home before the holiday.

"We are working on an agreement that will give certainty to end this session and hopefully the two of us together will be recommending something that makes sense for both sides in the not too distant future," McConnell said from the Senate floor following the rare morning vote.

Before McConnell spoke, Reid had been pushing senators on both sides of the aisle to get in the Christmas spirit, despite the heated debate over health care that has kept senators working weekends for much of the past month.

"I hope everyone would keep in mind, that's a time when we reflect on peace and good things in life," said Reid. "I would hope everyone would kind of set aside all the personal animosity -- if in fact they have any -- for the next little bit, and focus on that holiday."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The Senate worked through one of the biggest snow storms in D.C. history over the weekend, and it will continue cranking during this holiday week -- when members, staff and reporters all are wishing they could fly home. In the meantime, this is what to watch for this week in Washington:

The White House: President Obama's only scheduled public event Monday focuses on government efficiency. He'll also meet with his National Economic Council. On Tuesday, Obama will again meet with bank CEOs, this time representing small and community banks, with an eye on the economy and loosening the credit markets. Obama is due to head out with his family to Hawaii for the holidays, as is their custom. He's expected to return after the New Year.

What remains to be seen is whether health care legislation will be passed by the Senate before his departure. David Axelrod, senior White House strategist, did his best to spin the apparent compromise that should give Democrats 60 votes it needs to get there. "I think that we're going to have some work to do when we come back," he said of the conference committee process that will begin after the holidays.

The Capitol: Should things fall in line and Republicans continue to filibuster, the Senate will take a final vote on health care reform Thursday, the evening of Christmas Eve. After a procedural vote early Monday morning -- 1 a.m. -- Democrats proved they had the necessary 60 votes to end the filibuster and bring the reform bill up for final adoption.

The vote schedule this week is likely to look like this: a second cloture vote Tuesday morning at 7 a.m., a third Wednesday at 1 p.m., and voting on final passage of the bill Thursday at 7 p.m.

The party-line debate and votes has put on display the level of partisanship that still exists in Congress. As a New York Times story put it this morning: "A year that began with hopes of new post-partisanship has indeed produced change: Things have gotten worse."

After Christmas, the majority staffs from the House and Senate will begin negotiations on a conference report -- the next major hurdle for health care reform.

Politics: In the final days of 2009, there may not be much activity on the surface but it's an important week behind the scenes. There's incredible pressure on candidates to keep raising big bucks for the fundraising quarter that ends December 31. And, with all the focus on the holidays, don't be surprised in the weeks ahead to see more retirement announcements from House and potentially even Senate Democrats.

Michael Steele continues to bang the drum on his "Listen To Me" anti-health care campaign, with a conference call today with Dick Armey. And speaking of health care opposition, here's a reminder that one shouldn't make any snap judgments about anyone's political fate: Mike Huckabee drew 1,800 people in Omaha, just across the river from Iowa, for a rally on Sunday meant to pressure Sen. Ben Nelson to vote against the final health care bill. Also, its quotes like this, from an interview on "Hannity" Friday. Speaking of the president, Huckabee said: "I would almost venture to say he's broken more promises than Tiger Woods, and I'm not sure we can give him a mulligan."

** Poll Watch
Obama Job Performance: Approve 49.3 / Disapprove 44.9
Congress Job Performance: Approve 27.4 / Disapprove 65.8
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +2.3

** In Case You Missed It: Depending upon where exactly in the Washington area you lived, you may have seen as much as 20 inches of snow this weekend in what was the worst December storm ever. How's this for a whopping stat: 25 million pounds of snow needs to be cleared from FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, before tonight's big Monday Night Football matchup between the Redskins and the Giants. The Redskins Blog has the story on getting the field ready.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Senate Democratic leadership released the following talking points, as it hopes to drive the conversation on the health care debate -- focusing on increasing momentum for a reform package to pass, its benefits and the GOP's attempts to obstruct the legislative process, including stalling the funding of troops overseas.

Continue reading "Democrats' Talking Points On Health Care" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

As the House winds to a close this week, it's only natural to contemplate what lies ahead in 2010. For Democrats, who for the first time in 16 years control both the White House and Congress, much of the discussion next year will focus on the midterm elections. Based on historical standards and the current political atmosphere it's almost a foregone conclusion that the party will lose seats.

Democratic leadership is publicly looking ahead as well -- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen has scheduled a press briefing on Capitol Hill this morning to discuss the midterms, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi held court yesterday with a group of reporters. Pelosi assured them that Democrats would indeed hold on to a majority in Congress after November 2010; however, following four retirement announcements in as many weeks from congressmen in swing districts, Pelosi said she is "in campaign mode."

"A swing of 110 seats," said Pelosi, "That is really challenging to sustain. But that is our goal, is to sustain our majority. And we will have a strong majority."

While few political observers expect Republicans to pick up the 41 seats necessary to win back control of the House, a close look at the raw numbers shows exactly why the GOP feels the wind at its back.

In his 2008 bid for president, John McCain won 49 congressional districts that are represented by a Democrat in the House. Beyond that, President Obama won 37 Democratic districts that voted for George W. Bush in 2004, including New York-23. While many districts regularly vote differently at the congressional and presidential level, a total of 86 Democratic districts -- exactly one-third of the Democratic seats -- have voted Republican in at least one of the last two presidential elections.

Of the 49 McCain-Democrat districts, nearly half are represented by a Democrat serving just their first or second term, including 14 freshmen and nine sophomores. Of those 23 districts, four Democrats won by 3 points or less in a district McCain won by double-digits: Bobby Bright (AL-02), Walt Minnick (ID-01), Parker Griffith (AL-05) and Frank Kratovil (MD-01).

The retirement announcements of Dennis Moore (KS-03), John Tanner (TN-08), Brian Baird (WA-03) and Bart Gordon (TN-06) in recent weeks signals the potential for more Democrats from moderate districts to bail out of a tough 2010 political landscape. It also bumped up to seven the number of competitive open seats.

While losing seats appears inevitable, Democrats do have opportunities to play offense, and the DCCC this week began running radio ads in five GOP districts that could be vulnerable: Dan Lungren (CA-03), Mary Bono Mack (CA-45), Lee Terry (NE-02), Charlie Dent (PA-15) and Joe Wilson (SC-02). Obama won four of the five districts, and Wilson won with just 54 percent of the vote -- as did McCain.

Obama won a total of 34 districts held by Republicans. Of those, three will be open seats in 2010, as Mark Kirk (IL-10), Mike Castle (DE-AL) and Jim Gerlach (PA-06) are all running for higher office. An even bigger target for Democrats, though, is Lousiana's 2nd District, where Joseph Cao defeated longtime incumbent William Jefferson -- who was sentenced last month to 13 years in federal prison -- by 3 points. Obama won the district by 52 points.

As it was in 2008, the state of the economy is sure to be an overriding factor in the outcome of the midterms. Looking ahead to November, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told RealClearPolitics this week: "I think people are looking at jobs. What is going to happen with the jobs landscape?"

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 08:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Here's one man's reaction to Fed Chair Ben Bernanke being named Time magazine's 'Person of the Year.'

Much to this person's chagrin, Bernanke was also named Foreign Policy's 'Global Thinker of the Year.'

Continue reading "Reaction To Bernanke As Time's 'Person of the Year'" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

After Senate Democratic leaders agreed to drop the Medicare buy-in for those 55 and older, Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) appears ready to support the Democratic health care reform package. Here is a statement the senator released today regarding his past statements on the Medicare buy-in -- of which he appeared to support just months ago, though he is now against -- and how he sees the future of the bill:

Continue reading "Lieberman Now On Board?" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Now the fourth Democrat to announce his retirement in four weeks, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) said this morning in a released statement that he will not run for re-election next year.

Gordon, a moderate Democrat from a Republican-leaning district, follows three other Democratic congressmen in similar political situations -- Brian Baird (WA-3), John Tanner (TN-8), and Dennis Moore (KS-3). President Obama won Moore and Baird's districts in 2008, but both were also won by President Bush in 2004.

"Turning 60 has led me to re-evaluate what's next," Gordon said in a statement. "I have an 8-year-old daughter and a wonderful wife who has a very demanding job. I am the only child of my 83-year-old mother, Margaret. They have made sacrifices to allow me to do what I love by serving in Congress, and now it's my turn."

Originally elected in 1984, Gordon has regularly been re-elected with more than 60 percent of the vote -- including every election this decade. He is chairman of the Science and Technology Committee. According to National Journal, his voting record places him near the middle of the House.

Tennessee's Sixth District is V-shaped and located in the middle of the state. John McCain won the district with 62 percent in 2008, and Bush won 60 percent four years earlier.

"When I was elected, I was the youngest member of the Tennessee congressional delegation; now, I'm one of the oldest," said Gordon. "In fact, I have members of my staff who weren't even born when I took office. That tells me it's time for a new chapter."

The run of retirements of Democrats in swing districts is a clear sign to Republicans that 2010 is going to be a good year -- one in which the party, down and out in the last two congressional elections, will at least cut into the Democrats' strong hold on Congress.

"It's official: Democrats now have a retirement problem," said NRCC spokesman Ken Spain. "After being forced to toe the line for Nancy Pelosi's reckless agenda too many times, Blue Dog Democrats would rather roll over and retire than face the political headwind that is barreling toward them. This is evidence of the fact that the Obama-Pelosi agenda of government takeovers, permanent bailouts, and fewer jobs is taking a political and mental toll even on incumbent Democrats who were once-perceived to be firmly entrenched."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

An overwhelming majority of Democratic voters want to see Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Ct.) stripped of his committee chairmanship if he joins Republicans in filibustering the health care reform bill, according to a new poll.

Huffington Post reports this morning that a survey of 800 registered voters, conducted by Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Democracy for America, found that 81 percent of Democrats think Senate party leaders should remove Lieberman from his post as chairman of the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.

Two-thirds of Republicans say Democrats should not punish Lieberman. Thirty percent of independents agree with Republicans, while 43 percent say he should be punished.

Lieberman reportedly told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Sunday that he would filibuster the current form of the health care package should it be brought up for a vote. He, as well as Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), said on "Face the Nation" yesterday that they cannot support allowing people under 65 to buy into Medicare -- a key compromise negotiated last week.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

It's the last full week of business before the holidays. Here's RCP's Weekly Planner with what to watch in politics.

** This Week At The White House: On Monday, President Obama meets with representatives from the financial industry, "to discuss economic recovery, small business lending, improving lending practices for homeowners and the Administration's plans for financial reform," the White House says. The gathering comes after Obama bluntly criticized Wall Street executives in a "60 Minutes" interview Sunday night.

"The people on Wall Street still don't get it," Obama told Steve Kroft. "They're still puzzled, why is it that people are mad at the banks. Well, let's see. You guys are drawing down $10, $20 million bonuses after America went through the worst economic year that it's gone through in decades, and you guys caused the problem. And we've got ten percent unemployment. Why do you think people might be a little frustrated?"

The other main item on Obama's schedule this week is a trip back to Europe Thursday night, where he'll take part in the Copenhagen summit on climate change as it wraps up.

** This Week On Capitol Hill: The Senate had a busy weekend, working overtime to pass a $446 billion omnibus spending bill that includes six of the 12 annual appropriations bills that will fund the federal government in fiscal year 2010. The bill now heads to the White House, where President Obama is expected to sign it this week. Congress had already passed five appropriations bills, leaving only the Defense Appropriations bill, which the House is scheduled to take up this week.

The Senate went back to work on health care legislation on Sunday, and Democrats will push to complete a compromise this week. On "Face The Nation" yesterday, Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell highlighted the trouble Democrats are having coming to terms. "It's noteworthy that you had to have three Democrats on to explain the Democratic position," he said, referring to previous guests Sens. Jay Rockefeller, Ben Nelson and Joe Lieberman. "In fact, there are more Democratic positions than you'd find in a stack of newspapers, and therein lies the problem."

Be sure to check out the RCP Video page for more highlights from the Sunday shows.

**This Week In Politics: There was a noteworthy milestone in Texas this weekend, as the nation's fourth-largest city elected a lesbian as mayor. Annise Parker won Saturday's runoff with just under 53 percent of the vote. "Parker's name identification and experience as a candidate and elected official were too much for the well-connected Gene Locke," the Houston Chronicle reported. Expect that to get some national focus, coming as it did in a red state and at a time when gay marriage efforts have stalled in several states.

Also worth watching this week: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) makes his first visit to New Hampshire as a potential 2012 candidate. He'll speak at a fundraiser in Concord for the state Senate Republican fundraising committee. Iowa has seen its share of Republican hopefuls in this very early going, but this is one of the first big forays in the home of the first-in-the-nation primary.

** Poll Watch
Obama Job Performance: Approve 48.6 / Disapprove 45.2
Congress Job Performance: Approve 28.8 / Disapprove 63.3
Generic Ballot Test: Republicans +0.8

** In Case You Missed It: Check out Sarah Palin's surprise appearance on "The Tonight Show," where she turned the tables on William Shatner by reading portions of his autobiography.

--Mike Memoli and Kyle Trygstad

Posted by at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

When the Democrats reclaimed Congress in the 2006 midterm, then-House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pledged to "drain the swamp" of Congressional ethics violations that allegedly went uninvestigated under Republican rule. On the evening of Nov. 26, 2008 -- Thanksgiving eve - Pelosi, now House Speaker, released a statement to the press regarding the ethics investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), in which she stated, "I have been assured the report will be completed by the end of this session of Congress, which concludes on January 3, 2009. I look forward to reviewing the report at that time."

Now, more than a year later, as the 1st Session of the 111th Congress crawls to a close, the investigation into multiple potential improprieties by the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee remains incomplete. Many, including watchdog groups like the Sunlight Foundation and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, are left wondering how exactly the ethics situation in Congress has improved.

"I don't think things have changed in the way the ethics committee operates -- it's still very slow going, and they're loath to hold members of Congress responsible for misconduct," CREW executive director Melanie Sloan told RealClearPolitics. "The committee is nonpartisan, and in being nonpartisan they do not like to go after members of either party."

As more evidence was brought to light, the committee was forced to expand its investigation at least two times this year; in announcing an expansion of its Rangel investigation in early October, the House ethics committee said it had already issued "close to 150 subpoenas; interviewed approximately 34 witnesses resulting in over 2,100 pages of transcripts; reviewed and analyzed over 12,000 pages of documents; and held over 30 investigative subcommittee meetings."

However, Pelosi and Democratic leadership have swatted away any attempts to temporarily remove Rangel -- who among other things is being investigated for cheating on his taxes -- from his chairmanship of the tax-writing committee until the ethics investigation is complete. Republicans, who were swept from power in the 2006 elections partly because of their own ethics troubles, have continually criticized Democrats for this.

"To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman of the very committee with IRS oversight...and with no end in sight to his ethics investigation, sends a clear message to the American public that this government refuses to abide by the same laws they impose on the working people of this country," Rep. John Carter (R-Texas) said in October.

Continue reading "Democrats Have Yet To 'Drain the Swamp'" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 09:00 AM | Email Author | Permalink

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called on Republicans in the House and Senate to step up to the historical standard of bipartisanship and begin debating major pieces of legislation in good faith.

"One of our two great parties is now an organization committed to an unprecedented level of lockstep opposition to the president," said Hoyer. "A 'Party of No,' whose political strategy is an investment in failure for our country and paralysis for its institutions."

In a 30-minute speech yesterday to the Center for American Progress, Hoyer cited a number of instances in which both parties in the last half-century worked toward compromise on major legislation: civil rights in 1964, Medicare in 1965, Social Security in 1983, tax reform in 1986, No Child Left Behind in 2001. He also included environmental legislation under Richard Nixon, welfare reform under Bill Clinton and the 1956 interstate highway bill.

"No one expects Republicans to roll over for President Obama," said Hoyer. "But the 'Party of No' strategy is so disappointing because the history of Congress is full of loyal oppositions that shared responsibility for governing in trying times and shaped some of the most important legislation of their eras."

Hoyer's comments come as the Senate engages in bitter floor debate on comprehensive health care reform -- debate that has seen Republicans use tactical, parliamentary tools to slow the progress of the bill. Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), who is retiring at the end of next year and turned down the Commerce Secretary position in the Obama administration, became the face of the GOP's maneuvers when his memo to colleagues on how to slow debate was leaked to the press.

Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) said in an MSNBC interview yesterday that Republicans have used "91 different efforts to stop and slow down debate" this year.

House Republicans scoffed at Hoyer's comments. When reached for comment, the office of Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (R-Ind.) directed RealClearPolitics toward a website that houses the GOP's alternatives to the Democrats' legislation for stimulating the economy, energy, health care and the budget (http://www.gop.gov/solutions).

"House Republicans have brought forth several plans to lower health care costs, create jobs and bring our fiscal house to order," Pence said in a statement to RCP. "Unfortunately, Democrats and the Administration have refused to work across party lines to create common-sense solutions that help our nation's hard-working families. Republicans will continue to put politics aside to move our country in the right direction."

While Hoyer admitted that Democrats have not been perfect, the speech centered on the failings of Republicans in the current Congress -- as opposed to Democrats and Republicans in years past that worked together to craft legislation.

"It is easy to understand why the Majority Leader is more eager to attack Republicans than defend his own Leadership's record," Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner, said in a statement to RCP. "Every time out-of-touch Washington Democrats have chosen to go it alone on some liberal scheme this year, Republicans have offered a better solution, rooted in our principles. Democrats need to stop whining about us and actually get something done to help the American people."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Sen. Bob Corker's (R-Tenn.) daughter was carjacked last night in Northwest Washington. Corker's chief of staff Todd Womack released the following statement:

On Wednesday evening around 9:15 p.m., Senator Corker's daughter, Julia, 22, was involved in a carjacking in Northwest Washington. She was driving to the apartment she shares with her father approximately nine blocks from the Capitol and stopped at an intersection when she was pulled from her vehicle, a Chevy Tahoe, and thrown to the ground. She did not suffer serious injuries. She is a bit sore and shaken up but doing well. Senator Corker was nearby and able to get to the scene of the incident very quickly. The perpetrators were caught shortly after, were positively identified, and are in custody in Seat Pleasant, Maryland. Senator Corker is very grateful that Julia was not seriously injured, that those who committed the crime were quickly apprehended, and he is extremely appreciative to the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department, the Capitol Police, the FBI, and the Seat Pleasant Police Department for their quick response and professionalism.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

When four members of Congress joined Tuesday afternoon for a press conference outlining their displeasure with President Obama's commitment of 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, it was not surprising to see Republican Rep. Walter Jones (N.C.) standing alongside three liberal Democrats. However, his remarks to a few reporters following the event offered further insight into Jones's opposition.

About a month ago, Jones said, a retired general -- whom Jones would not name, but said he was well known enough to be instantly recognized -- told him the military cannot withstand another increase in troops.

"We are about to break the military. Tell your colleagues not to support the president in sending 45- or 50,000 more troops. Because I don't want to make the same mistake I made in Iraq," Jones said the general told him.

The eight-term congressman then said if Congress were able to vote on whether or not to send troops, he would not be the only Republican to vote against it.

"There are seven to 10 Republicans that believe we need to have an end to this policy," said Jones, who emphasized that they would only vote no on the policy, not necessarily a vote to fund the troops.

Jones's 3rd District covers most of the North Carolina coastline and is home to the Marine Corps's Camp Lejeune and Cherry Point air station. Fifteen percent of the district's population is military veterans -- one of the highest percentages in the country.

After voting to authorize the use of force in Iraq in 2002, Jones became deeply affected by the mounting combat deaths and decided he no longer could support the war effort. He joined Democrats in pushing Bush for a timetable for withdrawal in 2005 and in the 2007 vote disapproving of Bush's troop surge in Iraq. He has also written thousands of letters to the families of soldiers that were killed in Iraq.

So it was no surprise to see Jones standing next to three of the most liberal members of Congress in opposing the latest troop surge: Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). They all agreed that Congress should be able to debate the surge before troops are deployed, though that is not expected to happen.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is an excerpt from my story this morning on liberal reaction in Congress to President Obama's troop surge in Afghanistan:

For most of the public policy decisions in the first 10 months of his presidency, President Obama has enjoyed the backing of the liberal wing of his party. However, Obama's latest move -- sending 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan -- places him at odds with many of his most ardent supporters in Congress.

The two co-chairs of the 82-member Congressional Progressive Caucus -- the largest subgroup in Congress -- oppose the troop surge and are just two of a sizeable number of Democrats who are likely to vote against its funding.

"I believe that the majority of Democrats are going to vote against funding for an escalation in Afghanistan," Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) told RealClearPolitics in an interview last night following Obama's speech at West Point.

You can read the rest here.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

With 60 Democrats in the Senate, the party has enough votes to pass any bill it pleases -- but that total includes two independents that caucus with the party and leaves no room for error. The tight margin is on display once again as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) searches for enough support to both bring health care reform up for a vote and actually pass it.

While many Republicans do not support passing comprehensive reform at all, Reid is struggling to win over the centrist members of his own party on a couple sticking points: a government-run insurance option and banning federal funding for abortions.

Following House passage of its reform legislation Saturday night, President Obama expressed confidence that the Senate would follow suit. The president has done his part, meeting personally with a number of centrist Democrats to discuss reform. How successful he and Reid can be remains to be seen, but there is consensus on the fact that it will be far more difficult than passing it out of the House.

As the Senate awaits cost estimates from the Congressional Budget Office this week, all eyes remain on a select group of senators whose support or opposition could alter the ultimate success of the bill. Here are Five Senators To Watch as Senate Democratic leadership looks to pass its own health care reform by the end of the month:

Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska)

As the Almanac of American Politics puts it, "He often is found in the middle of battles between the extremes of both parties." That was true in 2005, when he was part of the Gang of 14 that sought to allow President Bush's judicial nominations to move forward, and it remains true today, as Nelson continues to be at the heart of each battle over health care.

Nelson is against the public option, even with an opt-out clause, which had been the center of debate until this week. Now, since House Democrats passed a bill Saturday that bars federal dollars from being spent on abortions, Nelson says he will not support a bill that doesn't do the same thing. "If it doesn't make it clear that it does not pay for abortion then I wouldn't support it," Nelson told reporters Monday, according to Reuters.

The second term senator could introduce his own amendment that would solve the issue. House Democratic leaders were forced to include the Stupak amendment to get enough Dem votes for passage, and Senate Democratic leadership will likely be in the same boat.

Olympia Snowe (R-Maine)

As a moderate Republican who has joined Democrats in previous key votes, Snowe is often mentioned in the health care debate. Her vote in the Senate Finance Committee helped move health care reform to the cusp of the Senate floor. However, she made sure to note at the time that she will not necessarily support the final bill that is introduced to the full Senate.

Snowe's voting record pits her in the middle of the Senate, and Democrats are hoping to win her support on this crucial vote. But Snowe has said she does not support a public option, even with an opt-out clause. So winning her vote does not appear likely -- as Reid announced the bill will indeed include it -- unless Democrats decide to give the public option a "trigger," which Snowe supports.

Continue reading "Five Senators To Watch On Health Care" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

House Democrats were able to pass comprehensive health care reform Saturday night by a 220-215 vote, despite the defection of 39 members of the Democratic caucus. The tight margin is indicative of the divisive nature of the bill, as well as the volatile political atmosphere of the country.

Members know that each major vote cast on the floor of the House chamber could be the issue that defeats them in the following election. All but one Republican opposed the bill, and the party, down 81 seats, is already using the vote as a wedge issue for next year's midterm elections.

The National Republican Congressional Committee released the following statement shortly after the vote to media in the congressional districts of nearly 50 of the Democrats who supported the bill:

"As the country recoils against the Democrats' reckless crusade for higher spending and more government control, Dina Titus just walked off a cliff at the request of her party bosses by voting for a bill that hikes taxes, slashes Medicare, kills jobs, and puts small businesses and middle class Nevada families in an even bigger bind."

In 2008, John McCain won 49 districts that also elected a Democrat to the House. On Saturday, 31 of the 39 Democrats who opposed the bill represent districts McCain carried, including 19 where McCain won 55 percent of the vote or more. Of the 31 McCain districts, 11 are represented by freshmen.

Fifteen of the 41 Democrats elected in 2008 voted against the bill, while just two from the even larger 2006 class opposed it. Just fewer than half of the centrist Blue Dog Coalition, whose votes the Democratic leadership aggressively lobbied for, voted against the bill -- the 24 Blue Dogs made up more than 60 percent of the bill's Democratic opposition.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), one of the most liberal members of Congress and whose Cleveland-based district Obama won with 59 percent, opposed the bill because it didn't go far enough. Kucinich favored a "robust" public option, which leadership eventually concluded could not win enough support to pass.

Two of the opposing votes came from Members who are running for higher office next year -- Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.), who's running for governor, and Rep. Charlie Melancon (D-La.), who is challenging Sen. David Vitter (R-La.). McCain won at least 59 percent in both states in 2008.

Other noteworthy opposing votes came from Reps. Rick Boucher and Glenn Nye, both from Virginia, whose congressional districts were won Tuesday by Republican Bob McDonnell in the race for governor. The other two
Virginia Democrats whose districts McDonnell won, Reps. Gerry Connolly and Tom Perriello, voted in favor of the bill.

The lone Republican to support the bill was Rep. Joseph Cao (R-La.), whose district leans heavily Democratic and has one of the 10 highest percentages of African American voters. Cao is widely considered the most vulnerable incumbent in the country, as his election in 2008 hinged on ethical and legal woes of incumbent Bill Jefferson (D-La.).

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 07:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Republicans argue that Tuesday's election results were enough to make some Democratic lawmakers - especially moderates from districts that lean Republican -nervous about their re-election viability, and in turn, cause them to think twice before voting to enact comprehensive health care reform.

But one of the Democrats who fits that description, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia's 11th Congressional District, told RCP in an interview that using the gubernatorial results on Tuesday to determine vulnerability in the 2010 midterm elections makes no sense, and that he's not reading much into them.

"Prudence dictates you don't overanalyze one election," Connolly told RealClearPolitics.

However, none of the four Democrats in Virginia whose congressional districts were won by the Republican gubernatorial nominee have said which way they will vote tomorrow night. While all four are on record professing skepticism of the House reform bill well before Tuesday, any 'No' votes will likely be construed as a political decision.

Calling his colleagues "principled individuals," Connolly says "they're not going to be somehow spooked by one election cycle."

Wednesday morning, the National Republican Congressional Committee singled out the four Virginia Dems who could be feeling the heat after Gov.-elect Bob McDonnell (R) won their districts -- Reps. Rick Boucher, Glenn Nye, Tom Perriello and Connolly. The latter three are freshmen serving in districts long held by Republicans, and John McCain's largest vote percentage came in the 14-term Boucher's 9th District.

"Turn the clock back," said Connolly, referring to Virginia Democrats' success at the House, Senate and presidential level in 2008. "If I had said Bob McDonnell was in trouble a year ago, how would my comment look now?"

"Everything ultimately hinges on the economy" improving, he said. "We've got a whole year for that to happen."

Of the four, Connolly may have the least to worry about, even though his Northern Virginia district was represented by Republican Tom Davis for 14 of its 17-year existence. With Davis retiring last year, Connolly won 55 percent against businessman Keith Fimian; President Obama won 57 percent there -- his third largest percentage in the state.

McDonnell's 55 percent take in the 11th District Tuesday was his smallest of the four Democratic districts he won. Fimian, who outspent Connolly last year, is taking on the congressman again in 2010.

Republicans, including Republican Governors Association Chairman Haley Barbour, quickly began comparing this year's gubernatorial results in New Jersey and Virginia to 1993, when Republicans also swept the two elections and went on to win back Congress the following year.

Connolly says that to ensure nothing like that happens again, Democrats need to "prove we can govern. That's why passing health care reform is so important."

According to his spokesman, as of this afternoon Connolly is leaning toward voting for the health care reform bill that will likely come up for a vote Saturday night, but so far he's alone in that category. Jessica Barba, Perriello's spokesman, told RCP this afternoon that the congressman is still undecided, while spokesman Clark Pettig confirms Nye has not yet announced his decision. Boucher did not return a request for comment.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Currently down 81 seats in the House and 20 seats in the Senate, Republicans represent a minority of Americans in Congress. However, they continue to contend that they stand with mainstream America in opposing the Democrats' "tax and spend" agenda, including health care reform.

Calling Democrats' efforts to pass health care reform "gangster government at its worst," Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) invited people from all over the country to the Capitol today, to "tell their Representatives to vote no to a government take-over of one-fifth of our economy." Thousands of people showed up to the West Front of the Capitol as House GOP leaders, Bachmann, actor Jon Voight, and radio host Mark Levin bashed President Obama and congressional Democrats.

The event used populist themes in its disapproval of reform, as the word "freedom" was uttered countless times by speakers. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called the Dems' bill "the greatest threat to freedom that I've seen in my 19 years in Congress."

"I'm going to stand with you and all freedom-loving Americans against this bill," he continued.

Asked at a press conference later in the day about some racist signs that turned up in the crowd, Boehner said he didn't see any. Asked if he worried that the signs that appeared on the Capitol grounds today might show that the GOP is out of the mainstream, Boehner said it was just the opposite.

"I think Republicans are standing with the mainstream in opposition to Pelosi-care," he said.

Earlier in the day, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said she was excited for Democrats' special election victories Tuesday in California and New York, not only because it gave her two more votes for health care reform, but because "health care was the issue" in both races. She did not mention the Democrats' losses in the New Jersey and Virginia governor's races.

Asked about Pelosi's comments, Boehner laughed and said he disagreed with her analysis of the races. As evidence, he pointed to the election results in New York's 23rd District, where 46 percent voted for Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman and 5 percent voted for GOP nominee Dede Scozzafava, who left the race days before the election.

"A majority of the people who voted in that election in New York on Tuesday night voted against the Obama-Pelosi agenda here in Washington," he said. "And so they can spin it any way they want, the leaders can, but let me tell you what: Their members saw what happened Tuesday night."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In a statement from the House floor today that is surely already making the rounds in Democratic circles and in the liberal netroots, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) said Americans should be more fearful of Congress passing the Democrats' health care reform legislation than terrorism.

"I believe that the greatest fear that we all should have to our freedom comes from this room -- this very room and what may happen later this week in terms of a tax increase bill masquerading as a health care bill," Foxx said. "I believe we have more to fear from the potential of that bill passing than we do from any terrorist right now in any country."

National Democratic campaign committees are e-mailing video of the statement by Foxx, of teapot museum earmark fame. Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse called her "an extreme right wing Republican" and criticized her for making such an "outrageous" comparison. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee reacted similarly.

"Representative Foxx believes that reducing health care costs for consumers is a greater danger to Americans than terrorists?" asked DCCC spokesman Jesse Ferguson. "It is outrageous that a representative of our nation that was hit by terrorists would have the gall to claim that Americans reducing their health care costs is a greater threat. The question is: Does Virginia Foxx's leadership agree with this Republican extreme right wing ideology?"

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Just when you thought you weren't connected enough to the Capitol, the House Republican Whip team is launching a BlackBerry application to provide up-to-the-minute updates and news.

"Today's launch of the WhipCast BlackBerry app is the latest demonstration of our commitment to modernize the way we communicate with Americans from coast-to-coast," said Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.). "The WhipCast enables the Whip Team to communicate with the public in a faster, smarter, and more effective way."

Not only will the app demonstrate that the GOP is up with new technology, it will also allow the party to more directly connect with voters. Professional athletes and other celebrities have taken to new technologies like Twitter, and found it to be an effective way to circumvent the media.

The app will feature "talking points, policy discussions, polling information, floor schedule updates, and more," according to Cantor's website, as well as video and audio updates.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:55 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic leaders today announced House Democrats' health care reform legislation, which will cost less than $900 billion over 10 years and expand coverage to 36 million currently uninsured Americans. As Pelosi has stated many times in recent weeks, the bill "will not add one dime to the deficit."

The principles of the legislation, titled, "Affordable Health Care for America Act," are "affordability for the middle class, security for our seniors, responsibility to our children," said Pelosi, who noted that the bill will include "a public option to boost competition" and "will end discrimination for a pre-existing medical condition."

Speaking at a grand ceremony on the west front of the Capitol, Pelosi promised that the bill will be online for all Americans to review, and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said much of the bill has been available online for more than three months. Republicans have criticized Democrats for not allowing enough time for proper review, but Hoyer said it will be available for 72 hours before it goes up for a vote.

Congress, Hoyer said, is "one step further on a long, hard road -- a road to bring quality, affordable health care to every one of our fellow citizens."

"I told members of the press and the public over and over and over again, there is not one member of our caucus -- from every region of the country -- who did not say to us, 'We need to adopt health care reform,' " said Hoyer, indicating any argument within the House Democratic caucus has been on the details, not the overall goal.

The Congressional Budget Office will release its scoring of the bill later today, and the speaker's office says the bill will cost $894 billion over 10 years and is fully paid for.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 10:50 AM | Email Author | Permalink

When it comes to health care reform, Republicans in Congress are trusted less than their colleagues across the aisle and President Obama, according to a new Gallup survey (Oct. 16-19, 1521 A).

Just more than one-third (37%) of American adults have a great deal or fair amount of trust in congressional Republicans on reforming the nation's health care system, while nearly half (48%) trust congressional Dems and more than half (55%) trust the president.

Only counting those who said they have a "great deal of trust," 4% said Republicans, 10% said Democrats and 23% said Obama.

Republicans not only lag in trustworthiness among the nation as a whole, but also among members of their own party. Just 61% of Republicans nationwide trust the Republicans in Congress on health care, while 81% of Democrats trust congressional Dems and 86% of Democrats trust Obama.

As for independents, 36% trust Republicans in Congress, 39% trust Democrats and 51% trust Obama.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Two-thirds of the country could opt out of the public option, based on a Real Clear Politics analysis.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is promoting a federal government-run insurance option that states would be able choose whether or not to participate in. But if the decision falls to the state legislatures and governors, as indications are it would, the vast majority of states could choose to opt out.

Ten states are completely controlled by Republicans (including the state House, Senate and governor's mansion). Meanwhile, Republicans have control of at least one chamber of the state legislature or the governor's mansion in 23 states.

Potentially, any state with at least partial Republican control could choose to opt out of the public option. That would leave 33 states, totaling 200 million people, that would not be included in the most decisive, and divisive, portion of health care reform.

If only states totally controlled by Republicans were to opt out, 70 million people would be without a public option.

In Virginia, Democrats currently control the state Senate and governor's mansion, but Republican Bob McDonnell leads by more than 10 points with one week to go in the gubernatorial election. Should he become governor and the option be available, McDonnell would opt out.

"Bob McDonnell does not support nationalized heath care," said McDonnell spokesman Tucker Martin. "As a result, he does not support Virginia's participation in a federal public health insurance system. As governor he would opt Virginia out of such a system."

Whether or not Reid's proposal ever goes up for a vote on the Senate floor remains in flux, however. Sen. Joe Lieberman (ID-Conn.) said today he was against the public option, even with an opt-out clause, and would join Republicans in withholding it from a floor vote.

Should Reid's plan make it through both chambers of Congress, the public option would likely remain in at least 17 states where Democrats have complete control and 97 million people reside.

Washington D.C. was not included in RCP's analysis. Population data was taken from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 population estimates.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 05:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) announced today that the House will stay in session beyond its scheduled adjournment date in order to pass health care reform legislation.

Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) blasted Democrats this week for wasting time on the House floor with unimportant bills instead of working to improve the economy. It's unclear how the minority leader will respond to news of overtime hours being scheduled to pass comprehensive health care reform, which most Republicans do not support.

Here is Hoyer's statement:

"After months of work addressing critical issues like economic recovery and protecting American consumers, the House will meet beyond the targeted adjournment date as we continue to advance health insurance reform legislation and other matters. As is often the case when we come to the end of a session, the voting schedule is subject to change as the House and Senate work together to complete action on legislation, as well as to accommodate committee work and provide time for Members to review major legislation before voting.

"To that end, we are scheduled to be in session for the entire week of November 2, and are prepared to be in session the first weekend of November if necessary. We are also scheduled to be in session the entire week of November 16. In addition, we have marked several days on the calendar for Members to reserve in case they need to be here to pass health insurance reform. Those days are: Monday, November 9th; Tuesday, November 10th; Monday, November 23rd; and Tuesday, November 24th."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced today that the health care reform bill that hits the Senate floor in the coming weeks will include a public option. The decision to include or exclude government-run health insurance had been in flux, as one of the two Senate bills being merged over the past week did not include it.

"I believe that a public option can achieve the goal of bringing meaningful reform to our broken system, will protect consumers, keep insurers honest, and ensure competition," Reid said at an afternoon press conference in the Capitol. "And that's why we intend to include it in the bill that will be sent to the Senate."

Reid and senior advisers from the White House have been involved in backroom negotiations with the leaders of the two Senate committees that passed health care bills -- Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who ushered a bill through the HELP Committee, and Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). In doing so, a compromise was brokered to allow states to opt out of the public option by 2014.

"As we've gone through this process I've concluded, with the support of the White House and Senators Dodd and Baucus, that the best way to move forward is with the public option with the opt-out provision for states," said Reid, who cited recent national polling as evidence that the American public is in favor of the public option. "Under this concept states will be able to determine whether the public option works well for them and will have the ability to opt out if they so choose."

Republicans have argued that a government-run insurance plan would lead to the demise of private insurance companies, while Democrats say its purpose is to keep the insurance companies honest and protect consumers by promoting competition.

"It will be a thousand-page, trillion-dollar bill that raises premiums, raises taxes and slashes Medicare for our seniors to create new government spending programs. That's not reform," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who has previously said he is against comprehensive health care reform, with or without a public option. "So, wholly aside from the debate over whether the government gets into the insurance business, the core of the proposal is a bill that the American public clearly does not like, and doesn't support."

Reid said he was disappointed that so few Republicans appear willing to negotiate on health care reform, or many other issues that have come before the Senate this year, including extending unemployment benefits, which is currently being debated on the Senate floor.

"I'm always looking for Republicans" to support legislation, Reid said. "It's just a little hard to find them. ... When I came here to the Senate, we had a lot of moderate Republicans who worked with us on everything, and we worked with them. But of course now the moderates are extremely limited. I can count them on two fingers."

Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) was the only Republican on the Finance Committee to vote in favor of the Baucus bill, but she does not support a public option of any kind -- including one with an opt-out provision for states. However, Reid hopes she will eventually support the bill.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs released a statement saying President Obama is "pleased that the Senate has decided to include a public option for health coverage, in this case with an allowance for states to opt out. As he said to Congress and the nation in September, he supports the public option because it has the potential to play an essential role in holding insurance companies accountable through choice and competition."

Later this afternoon, Reid will send the Congressional Budget Office a series of proposals that includes alternative versions of a melded bill, and he'll wait to hear back on how much each version would cost. Democrats need 60 votes to pass the bill, so Reid is looking for the most cost-effective, yet comprehensive, plan to do so. While there are 60 Democratic senators, not all of them have indicated support for the bill.

"As soon as we get the bill back from CBO and people have a chance to look at it," said Reid, "I believe that we will clearly have the support of my caucus to move to this bill and begin legislating."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Close followers of the health care reform debate in Congress may want to keep their eyes glued to the TV at 3:15 p.m. today, when Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is scheduled to make an announcement regarding Senate legislation.

The Reid press conference comes as he, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), and senior White House advisers are completing negotiations on merging the two health care bills that have passed out of separate committees. A scoring from the Congressional Budget Office is expected this week, though Reid's press conference will provide further details on exactly where in the legislative process health care reform is, and perhaps what the merged bill will look like.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Three in 10 Congressional Democrats say their party leadership is not doing enough to police ethics enforcement in the Democratic Party, according to National Journal's latest Congressional Insiders Poll.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has caught the most heat for refusing to make any moves regarding Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), chairman of the powerful Appropriations Defense subcommittee, despite numerous investigative media reports depicting potential misdeeds. Despite calls for Rangel to step down from his post, Pelosi has maintained that she will wait for the ethics committee to complete its investigation.

"Leaders should not attempt to influence the timing or outcome of an ethics investigation," one Democrat, who thinks leadership isn't doing enough, told National Journal. "However, they should ask any subject of an investigation to step down from positions of leadership during the review of serious charges."

Just 62 percent of House and Senate Democrats surveyed said party leadership was doing enough, nearly 20 points less than the number of Republicans who say the same about their own leadership. But, reminds one Democrat, "Let's not forget: It wasn't until the Democrats took over the majority that Congress adopted strengthened rules of ethical oversight."

While 19 percent of Republicans say their party leaders are not doing enough, most say the tables have turned since 2006, when Democrats rode a "drain-the-swamp" wave back to power.

"All of the Republican ethical issues resulted in them losing power--lesson learned," said one Republican.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Pushing back on a Politico article this morning, which reported Republicans are worried about a 2010 electoral backlash to conservative activists and media personalities, House Republican Conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) took to the House floor today and called it "hogwash."

"Lately the national media has taken aim at conservative commentators in radio and television -- suggesting that they only speak for a small group of activists, and even suggesting in one report today that Republicans in Washington are 'worried about their electoral effect.' Well, that's hogwash," Pence said. "So to my friends in the so-called 'mainstream media' I say, conservative talk show hosts may not speak for everybody but they speak for more Americans than you do."

You can download and watch the clip here.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Democrats are promoting a national survey released this afternoon by CNN/Opinion Research (Oct. 16-18, 1038 A, MoE +/- 3%), which finds 61% of Americans in favor of a government-run health insurance plan to compete with private insurance companies. The poll comes as the House and Senate are each merging separate health care reform bills for an eventual vote on the chamber floors.

At a morning press conference, CNN's Dana Bash asked Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid whether the fact that six-in-10 Americans approve of a public option has any effect on whether it would be included in the Senate plan. Reid refused to answer, as he remains deep in negotiations with Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), whose bill does not include the option, and Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), who as the acting chairman of the HELP Committee included the option in his committee's bill.

The press conference was held to announce that Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy's (D-Vt.) Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act of 2009 will be introduced as an amendment to the eventual bill that reaches the Senate floor. The amendment would strip insurance companies of their antitrust exemption status, which Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) described as "an accident of American history."

Schumer said that in 40 states, two insurance companies dominate the market, allowing them to raise health care costs on consumers . "This exemption is antiquated, out of date, and doesn't belong," he said. "We can't pass effective health care reform if we don't hold health insurance companies to the same standards as other American industries."

The CNN poll found 49% favor President Obama's health care plan overall, while 49% oppose it. However, when asked which would be better for the country, passing a bill similar to Obama's plan or leaving the current system in place with no changes, 53% say Obama's plan would be better compared with 44% who say nothing should change.

The 61% of Americans in favor of the public option is up 5 points since late August.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

As the head of the House of the Representatives, Speaker Nancy Pelosi is a divisive figure in the national political scene, but a new poll finds unhappiness with her even in her home state and among members of her own party.

A Field Poll released over the weekend found just 51% of Democrats in California approve of the job Pelosi's doing as speaker, while 23% disapprove and 26% have no opinion. Overall, she has a 34% approval -- her lowest since May 2008 -- and 44% disapproval rating. Just 7% of California Republicans approve of the speaker, while independents are split.

The two months Pelosi was most popular were March 2007, just after becoming speaker, and March 2009, following President Obama's inauguration.

The state's two Democratic senators, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, have positive approval ratings, though both are under 50%. Boxer, who's up for re-election next year, has a 44% approval and 37% disapproval rating, while 46% approve of and 35% disapprove of Feinstein.

The survey was conducted of 509 registered voters from Sept. 18 to Oct. 5 with a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:45 AM | Email Author | Permalink

The issue of White House policy "czars" is heading back to the Hill next week. The Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee announced today it is holding a hearing Thursday to examine the history of czars in the White House, as well as their policy implications and oversight considerations.

This will be the second Senate hearing this month on the topic.

The hearing, titled, "Presidential Advice and Senate Consent: The Past, Present, and Future of Policy Czars," will feature the following witnesses:
--Tom Ridge, former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Secretary of Homeland Security
--James Pfiffner, public policy professor, George Mason University
--Lee Casey, partner of Baker Hostetler law firm and former Attorney-Advisory Legal Counsel office at DOJ
--Harold Relyea, former Congressional Research Service specialist in American National Government

Obama's czars have been a hot topic of discussion this year, with Republicans criticizing the lack of advise-and-consent usually attached to top presidential appointments. However, some Democrats have joined in the criticism. Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisc.), chairman of the Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, has been outspoken on the topic and held a hearing last week.

Democrats argue that Bush had at least as many czars as Obama, so GOP criticism amounts to the pot calling the kettle black.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is not giving up his fight on behalf of Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion. McCain and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) sent a letter to President Obama today asking for a posthumous pardon for the boxer, who was imprisoned in 1913 for his romantic relationships with white women.

In the letter, McCain and King "say it is regrettable that neither Obama nor anyone from his administration responded to their first letter, sent in August," AP reports. "They say they hope Obama would be eager to erase what they call an 'act of racism' that sent the first black heavyweight champ to prison."

McCain and King introduced legislation in April calling on Obama to pardon Johnson. At the time, McCain said Obama "will be more than eager" and "the last person I have to convince." The Senate passed the resolution June 24 and the House followed suit July 29, both without the need for a roll call vote.

The White House had no immediate comment, according to AP.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In her weekly press conference, Speaker Nancy Pelosi once again argued for the need for a government health insurance option.

"The need for a public option is very clear, and, as I have said, our House bill will have a public option," she said. With a mandate included and news that private insurance rates will increase next year, "the idea that we would have health insurance reform without a public option becomes less likely."

The Senate is currently blending the two bills passed out of the Finance and HELP committees, and Pelosi said the House will finish merging its three bills in the next week. Should the blended bills pass the House and Senate, they would be sent to a joint conference, followed by each chamber voting on one combined bill.

Pelosi demurred when asked if Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the lone Republican on the Finance Committee to support the Baucus plan, has more influence than the Speaker in the health care debate. Snowe has said that the kind of robust public option Pelosi prefers is one she could not support, and Senate Democrats and the White House want her support in order to make it a bipartisan bill.

"It is not about who has what kind of influence. It is the question of what is the best approach for America's middle class when it comes to affordability, and a public option, in our view, is what takes down cost," Pelosi said. "The robust public option that is being considered in the House saves $110 billion. How can you ignore that: $110 billion?"

Pelosi cited two polls released this week by CBS and Marist -- each found more than 60 percent of Americans approve of the public option. That statistic may come in handy not only in debate with Republicans, but in negotations with centrist Democrats in both chambers.

"We are also saying if you are going to mandate that people must buy insurance, why would you throw them into the lion's den of the insurance industry without some leverage with a public option?" said Pelosi.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) announced this morning he is stepping down from his Congressional seat to accept the position of president of the Center for Middle East Peace, a D.C.-based think tank aimed at ending the Arab-Israeli conflict. Wexler announced the decision this morning at his Boca Raton office, and his exit from Congress is effective as of January 2010.

"Taking over as president of the Center for Middle East Peace offers me an unparalleled opportunity to work on behalf of Middle East peace for an important and influential non-profit institute," Wexler said. "After much discussion with my family, I have decided that I cannot pass up on this opportunity."

Wexler, one of the more liberal members of Congress, was an outspoken surrogate of Barack Obama last year during the presidential primaries and general election campaign, and he served as the campaign's Middle East adviser. He currently serves as the chairman of the Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Europe and sits on the Middle East subcommittee.

The congressman is in his seventh term representing the 19th District of Florida -- a long and skinny stretch in Palm Beach and Broward counties, landlocked by the 22nd and 23rd districts. It has one of the highest percentages of Jewish residents, and is firmly Democratic. President Obama won 66% of the vote in 2008, the same as John Kerry in 2004 but down from Al Gore's 73% in 2000.

"I am proud that everyday I have sought to advocate for and provide a voice to my constituents: whether it was fighting for a legitimate vote during the 2000 election, working toward enacting a voter verified paper trail in Florida, or advocating for health care, education, Social Security and countless other issues," said Wexler.

Gov. Charlie Crist (R) must now set a special election date to fill the vacant seat. While the winning party is in little doubt, there will surely be a group of ambitious Democrats lining up to run. They include state senators Jeremy Ring and Ted Deutch, West Palm Beach Mayor Lois Frankel, Broward County Mayor Stacy Ritter and former Broward County Commissioner Ben Graber, according to the Miami Herald.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:30 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Following the Finance Committee's 14-9 vote to pass Chairman Max Baucus's health care bill, the Democratic and Republican Senate campaign committees quickly released statements calling out members from the opposite party for their votes. Meanwhile, the Democratic and Republican Senate leaders focused their statements on Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the lone Republican to vote in favor of the plan.

"Sen. Snowe is also to be commended for voting for this proposal in the face of immense pressure from opponents of reform," said Majority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.). "Her courage to stick with her principles in the face of an increasingly partisan environment in Washington, DC is heartening and should serve as a reminder that health care is an issue that should defy party labels."

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.), firmly against the bill, focused on Snowe's continued reservations with the plan, which she voiced this morning to McConnell as well as in committee.

"Sen. Snowe called me this morning to let me know that while she continues to have serious, substantive policy reservations with this proposal, she wanted to keep the process moving," said McConnell. "I share her concerns about the direction of this bill once it leaves the committee, and her call for transparency before we vote to proceed to any bill on the floor."

Both leaders recognized that while this was an important vote that continued to move Democrats' health care reform initiatives forward, this bill is not the one that will end up on the Senate floor. Reid and a committee of senators will now merge the Finance bill with the one passed three months ago in the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, formerly chaired by Ted Kennedy.

That will not be a simple process, as the HELP bill contains a public insurance option, unlike the Finance bill. Should a bill pass the full Senate, it would then need to be combined with the House bill and voted on again. Snowe maintained that by voting today, it did not guarantee her continued support.

"My vote today is my vote today, it doesn't forecast what my vote will be tomorrow," said Snowe.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee is focusing on Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), who is up for re-election next year and whose vulnerability could be decided by how she votes on health care and other issues.

"It very troubling that Senator Lincoln went back on her word and decided to vote in favor of a bill that will ultimately shift costs to voters in Arkansas who are still struggling to make ends meet," said NRSC spokeswoman Amber Wilkerson Marchand. "Despite her assertions to the contrary, Blanche Lincoln has effectively opened the door with this vote for a government-run program that will come between her constituents and their doctors and potentially cause over 88 million Americans to lose their coverage."

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee went after Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), the Finance ranking member. Grassley is up for re-election next year as well, but not considered vulnerable at this point.

"With today's vote, Senator Grassley affirmed his loyalty to insurance companies," said DSCC spokesman Eric Schultz. "Instead of championing the people he pledged to serve, Grassley sided with the special interests and toed the Republican Party line by voting to obstruct progress at every turn. Senator Grassley owes the people of Iowa an explanation."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The House Ethics committee announced today it will expand its investigation of Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) to determine if he "violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation or other standard of conduct applicable to his conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities with respect to all Financial Disclosure Statements and all amendments filed in calendar year 2009 by or on behalf of" Rangel.

The committee said that in its year-long investigation into Rangel, it has so far issued 150 subpoenas, interviewed 34 witnesses for more than 2,100 pages of transcripts, reviewed more than 12,000 pages of documents, and held more than 30 investigative subcommittee meetings.

A Republican resolution introduced in the House yesterday to remove Rangel from his role as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee was shot down by Democrats in a legislative maneuver. It was the second resolution filed this year by Rep. John Carter (R-Texas), with both ending similarly.

Republicans have already jumped on the Ethics committee's announcemnt, calling on Speaker Pelosi to remove Rangel until the committee has completed its investigation.

"Given the expanded investigation announced today, it is past time for Speaker Pelosi to insist that Chairman Rangel step aside until the Ethics Committee completes its work," Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said in a released statement within minutes of the Ethics committee's announcement. "The American people won't stand for having a chairman of the House's tax-writing committee who is under investigation for not paying his taxes. What more has to happen before Speaker Pelosi does the right thing?"

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) criticized Democrats for attaching a hate crimes measure to the Defense Authorization bill, scheduled for a vote today on the House floor. Boehner is opposed not only to adding charges to a crime if the accused committed a violent act based on the victim's sexuality, but mostly the Democrats' use of a troop-funding measure to get it passed.

"This is just an abuse of the legislative process," Boehner said during his weekly press conference. "It's an abuse of power by Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid. And it's offensive, it's offensive to me and a lot of my colleagues. And that is why I will vote no and urge my colleagues to vote no."

Boehner will not be alone in voting against the bill, as Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Conference Chair Mike Pence (R-Ind.) have also stated that they will not support the bill. Cantor called it a "political ploy and symbolic of everything that is wrong with Washington."

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) also criticized the Democrats' legislative maneuver during a briefing with reporters yesterday, but he said he will likely vote for it when it hits the Senate floor.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded this morning to a National Republican Congressional Committee press release that stated General McChrystal should "put her in her place" regarding Afghanistan war policy.

"It's really sad they don't understand how inappropriate that is," Pelsoi said. "I'm in my place, I'm the Speaker of the House, the first woman Speaker of the House. I'm in my place because the House of Representatives voted me there. But that language is something I haven't heard in decades."

Pelosi was asked for her reaction during her weekly press conference, which focused on health care and the economy.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid met with President Obama at the White House this afternoon to discuss the economy and the potential for further spending bills to stimulate more growth. In a statement released following the meeting, Pelosi indicates her willingness to do so:

"Today's meeting with President Obama reaffirmed our top priority as a nation: getting Americans back to work. The President, Leader Reid, and I all agree that we must respond to the urgent need to promote the creation of good jobs, rebuild our workforce, and restore stability to our neighborhoods. Congress stands ready to partner with the White House to keep our economy moving in the right direction and lay the foundation for growth long into the future.

"Our recovery efforts have brought our economy back from the brink. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Cash for Clunkers, and a series of other steps have halted the freefall and have begun put us back on the path to long-term prosperity. The House has passed measures to invest in the clean energy jobs and to extend unemployment benefits to workers hardest hit by the recession.

"We are beginning to see signs that the economy is turning around. But we are committed to take further action on behalf of the millions of Americans out of work or at risk of losing their jobs, their savings and their homes."

Here is Reid's statement:

Continue reading "Pelosi, Reid: Open To a Second Stimulus" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 05:25 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Congressional Budget Office said today that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus's (D-Mont.) health care bill would cost $829 billion and reduce the federal government's annual deficit by $81 billion during the years 2010 to 2019. By 2015, 94 percent of Americans would have health insurance, according to CBO's preliminary analysis (large .pdf).

The CBO score appears to be the "clean bill of health" Baucus had been hoping for, and the Finance Committee could vote on the plan as early as tomorrow. Should the committee pass the bill, a conference will gather to mesh the plan with the one passed in July by the HELP Committee.

The report also indicated that states would take on an additional $33 billion in Medicaid costs from 2010-2019, something that governors around the country are worried about.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 05:10 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is my story today on the Democrats' efforts to pressure Republicans to support comprehensive health care reform:

While the Senate Finance Committee awaits a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office on Chairman Max Baucus's (D-Mont.) health care bill, Democrats are ramping up their efforts to build support among the American people and pressure Republicans to eventually back comprehensive reform.

In a briefing with reporters Thursday, Senate Democratic leadership focused solely on what they referred to as the Republicans' obstructionist efforts on reform.

...

In pressuring Republicans, Democrats have also utilized recent quotes from prominent Republicans around the country who have stated a desire for Congress to work in a bipartisan fashion to pass reform this year.

Read the rest here.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.) is again working to remove Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his post as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee until the House ethics committee completes its investigation into his potential impropriety.

Carter read aloud his privileged resolution on the House floor at 12:55 p.m. today, and by rule it will be voted on. However, his previous resolution, introduced in February, was tabled by Democrats and today's vote appears to fare a similar outcome.

"We cannot tolerate a double standard in this country, one for the common man and another for the rich and powerful," Carter said in a press release this morning. "To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman of the very committee with IRS oversight, without paying a nickel in penalties, and with no end in sight to his ethics investigation, sends a clear message to the American public that this government refuses to abide by the same laws they impose on the working people of this country."

An investigation into Rangel has continued for more than a year now, as the ethics committee first announced on Sept. 24, 2008, the formation of an investigative subcommittee to look into his dealings. The committee announced a separate inquiry in June for trips he has taken to the Caribbean.

The full text of the resolution can be read here.

UPDATE (1:51 p.m.): The House voted to refer the resolution to the ethics committee, ending the chance for any debate. The resolution is now dead as the committee has no mandate to do anything with it.

Two Democrats voted with the Republicans to not refer the motion to committee: Reps. Gene Taylor and Travis Childers, both of Mississippi. Childers represents a swing district, but Taylor is regularly re-elected with well more than 60% of the vote.

"These votes show that support for the Democratic Leaders' decision to sweep this matter under the rug is starting to crack," said Michael Steel, spokesman for Minority Leader John Boehner.

Continue reading "Carter Again Seeks To Remove Rangel From Ways & Means" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:00 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The Senate Finance Committee is awaiting a cost estimate, or "score," from the Congressional Budget Office, and Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said today he's unsure when it will come.

"I'm hopeful it's tomorrow, but I can't guarantee it," Baucus said after emerging from the Senate Democrats' weekly luncheon.

Movement on his health care bill has stalled so senators on the committee, especially Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), can cast their vote knowing how much the bill will cost. As for when a vote will take place, Baucus said it all depends what the CBO score looks like.

"If it's a clean bill of health," the vote will take place sooner, said Baucus.

Asked if he had spoken with CBO during the process and what he expected in the score, Baucus smiled and said, "I'm not discouraged."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is a list of the bipartisan group of congressional party and committee leaders who trekked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House this afternoon for a briefing with President Obama and Vice President Biden on Afghanistan and Pakistan:

US Senate
• Senator Harry Reid, Majority Leader, D-NV
• Senator Dick Durbin, Majority Whip, D-IL
• Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican Leader, R-KY
• Senator Jon Kyl, Republican Whip, R-AZ
• Senator Carl Levin, Armed Services Chairman, D-MI
• Senator John McCain, Armed Services Ranking Member, R-AZ
• Senator Daniel Inouye, Appropriations Chairman and Defense Subcommittee Chairman, D-HI
• Senator Thad Cochran, Appropriations Ranking Member and Defense Subcommittee Ranking, R-MS
• Senator John Kerry, Foreign Affairs Chairman, D-MA
• Senator Richard Lugar, Foreign Affairs Ranking Member, R-IN
• Senator Patrick Leahy, Foreign Operations Appropriations Chairman, D-VT
• Senator Judd Gregg, Foreign Operations Appropriations Ranking Member, R-NH
• Senator Dianne Feinstein, Intelligence Committee Chair, D-CA
• Senator Kit Bond, Intelligence Committee Ranking Member, R-MO

US House
• Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA
• Representative Steny Hoyer, Majority Leader, D-MD
• Representative John Boehner, Republican Leader, R-OH
• Representative James Clyburn, Majority Whip, D-SC
• Representative Eric Cantor, Republican Whip, R-VA
• Representative Ike Skelton, Armed Services Chairman, D-MO
• Representative Howard McKeon, Armed Services Ranking Member, R-CA
• Representative Howard Berman, Foreign Affairs Chairman, D-CA
• Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Foreign Affairs Ranking Member, R-FL
• Representative David Obey, Appropriations Chairman, D-WI
• Representative Jerry Lewis, Appropriations Ranking Member, R-CA
• Representative Nita Lowey, Foreign Operations Appropriations Chairman, D-NY
• Representative Kay Granger, Foreign Operations Appropriations Ranking Member, R-TX
• Representative John Murtha, Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee Chairman, D-PA
• Representative Bill Young, Appropriations, Defense Subcommittee Ranking Member, R-FL
• Representative Silvestre Reyes, Intelligence Committee Chairman, D-TX
• Representative Peter Hoekstra, Intelligence Committee Ranking Member, R-MI

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

German Chancellor Angela Merkel will speak Nov. 3 to a joint session of Congress, Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office announced today. Merkel will be the first German leader in 52 years to address the legislative body, and her speech comes just six days before the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.

"Congress will warmly welcome Chancellor Merkel to the Capitol next month as part of her visit to the United States," Pelosi said in a released statement. "We look forward to hearing the Chancellor's views on how we can continue to work together to confront international security threats, to implement necessary climate change measures, and to resolve the global financial crisis."

The last German leader to speak before Congress was Konrad Adenauer, a German spokesman said at a news conference held this morning to announce Merkel's speech.

Reuters reports that "Adenauer, like Merkel a member of the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), was West Germany's first postwar chancellor and an ally of the United States in the Cold War."

Merkel's speech will take place Nov. 3 at 10:30 a.m. in the House chamber.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:50 PM | Email Author | Permalink

While Republicans have repeated the phrase, "Where are the jobs?" all year as a criticism of the Democrats' economic stimulus package, Democrats continue to request a Republican alternative to health insurance reform.

"I think it's important to spend a little bit of time on the Republicans' plan," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said this afternoon at the weekly Democratic leadership briefing with reporters. "It's very clear what that is -- and that is to keep things the way they are, the status quo."

Majority Whip Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) conceded that as the "loyal opposition," it's no surprise that Republicans have been critical of the Democrats' proposals. Still, he said, he'd like to see how they would tackle the imminent problem of the rising costs of health care.

"At the end of the day they don't have anything to offer the American people," said Durbin. "The Grand Ol' Party's coffers are empty when it comes to health care reform."

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) offered a financial metaphor as well in criticizing the GOP.

"All you have to do is sit at the Finance Committee and you realize the bankruptcy of the Republican Party," said Schumer. "The number of positive amendments, even if you disagreed with them, was small. Almost every amendment was negative, aimed at some kind of message and doing nothing to move health care forward. They have nothing to say. They have nothing to offer."

Schumer went on to say that the GOP's strategy may have worked in 1980, "when the American people were feeling good about themselves and feeling everything was fine -- they don't need government anymore," but not in 2009.

Following the briefing, Schumer told a scrum of reporters that he's spoken with "almost all of the moderate Democratic Senators and they are open to" the public option. That includes Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), whose bill does not include the option and who voted against the amendments introduced by Schumer and Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) that would have added the option to his bill.

Baucus told Schumer he was not ideologically against the public option -- he just doesn't think Democrats can get 60 votes if it's included in the bill.

"I said, give us a chance to show you," said Schumer. "And he said, fine. So that's what we're trying to do."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Speaker Nancy Pelosi didn't say Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) should apologize for his recent comments about Republicans and health care, but she did say that if he does apologize the Republicans who have used similar language on the House floor should apologize as well.

"If anybody is going to apologize, everybody should apologize," Pelosi said this morning at her weekly press conference. "Apparently Republicans are holding Democrats to a higher level than they hold their own members."

During a late Tuesday speech on the House floor, Grayson was criticizing Republians when he uttered the words that have caused an uproar within the GOP.

"If you get sick, America, the Republican plan is this: Die quickly," said Grayson. "That's right, the Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick."

Republican Study Committee Chairman Tom Price (R-Ga.) has threatened to introduce a privileged resolution of disapproval for Grayson's comments if he does not apologize -- similar to the tack taken by Democrats following Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) "You lie!" outburst during President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress last month.

However, as Pelosi noted, Republicans have made similar comments on the House floor.

In July, Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) said from the floor that the Democrats' plan was a message to senior citizens to "drop dead."

"Last week Democrats released a health care bill, which essentially said to America's seniors, 'Drop dead,'" Brown-Waite said.

Pelosi said she'd prefer to move on to a discussion on the issues within health care reform, rather than focus on these distractions. "Republicans are using this as a distraction from the fact that they have no plan to move us forward," she said.

The Speaker reconfirmed that the Democrats' House reform bill will include a public option and reiterated that it will not go to the House floor until it is fully paid for.

"We will know we are ready when the bill is deficit neutral," she said. "We won't go to the floor until we're ready."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 11:40 AM | Email Author | Permalink

Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) introduced today the Senate version of a climate change bill, one they call "The Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act."

"Our health, our security, our economy, our environment, all demand we reinvent the way America uses energy," Kerry said in a statement announcing the bill. "Our addiction to foreign oil hurts our economy, helps our enemies and risks our security. By taking decisive action, we can and will stop climate change from becoming a 'threat multiplier' that makes an already dangerous world staggeringly more so."

The Senate Republican leader quickly released a statement criticizing the bill for the costs he says will be taken on by the American public -- the same argument House Republicans consistently used earlier this year.

"While many details are missing, this latest draft of the Democrats' new national energy tax appears to be even more expensive for consumers and for our economy than the bill that passed the House," said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). "The last thing American families need right now is to be hit with a new energy tax every time they flip on a lightswitch, or fill up their car--but that's exactly what this bill would do."

The House passed its version, the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, on June 26 by a narrow, 219-212 margin. Here are some reactions from House leaders, Democrat and Republican, on the new Senate bill...

Continue reading "Kerry, Boxer Introduce New Climate Change Bill" »

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:30 PM | Email Author | Permalink

From the AP:

The Senate Finance Committee has voted against creating a new government health insurance plan to compete with the private market.

The 15-to-8 vote could forecast the fate of the public option in the Senate as a whole. The outcome was expected but still a defeat for liberals who view government-sponsored insurance for the middle class as a key component of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Five committee Democrats, including Chairman Max Baucus, joined with all 10 committee Republicans to defeat the measure by Democratic Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) also has an amendment that includes a public option up for a vote today, though the Rockefeller amendment vote result makes Schumer's proposal a long-shot, even though it is less progressive than Rockefeller's.

You can follow along on the New York Times' excellent live-blog of the committee proceedings.

UPDATED 3:51 p.m.: The committee just voted down Schumer's amendment on a 10-13 vote.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 03:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Pro Publica pulls back the curtain on the Leadership PACs of members of Congress, and the fact that they allow lobbyists to provide public officials with some of life's luxuries they might not otherwise be able to afford.

When it comes to golf, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., has champagne taste.

...

Fortunately for Chambliss, a political fund covers the costs of his golf hobby. The fund received $692,618 during the 2008 election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Almost all of it came from lobbyists, political action committees (PACs) and corporate leaders.

The public might be forgiven for thinking the days are gone when lobbyists and special interests could pay for a lawmaker's cross-country golf outings. After all, both the House and Senate in 2007 responded to a spate of scandals by banning members of Congress from accepting gifts of any value from lobbyists or the companies that hire them.

But those reforms preserved a major loophole: leadership PACs like Chambliss' Republican Majority Fund [1], which have far looser rules and get far less scrutiny than campaign committees. At first, only a few rising stars in Congress had them. Now, 70 percent of the members do. So do a dozen former members.

Click here to see how your member of Congress spends his Leadership PAC money.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

House Democrats are still waiting for Republicans to introduce their own health care proposal, which Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), chairman of the GOP's health care working group, guaranteed in June they would do. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer's (D-Md.) office released a timeline today to illustrate the point, and the DCCC sent out a reminder Thursday night that Friday marked 100 days since Blunt's promise.

DCCC Chair Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said that night on MSNBC that the GOP hasn't introduced it's own proposal "because they're afraid that people will realize that the plan they're putting forward won't do the job."

Since June, party leaders have gone back and forth in remarks to reporters on whether a bill would indeed come forth from their side of the aisle, though they've maintained that whether they have a complete bill or not, the party has presented alternatives to President Obama's plan.

Most recently, though, Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said the party's most imminent goal is stopping the Democrats' bill. "The problem right now is they're in this big rush to pass this bill, and the American people want us to do everything we can to stop it," he said Sept. 9, the day Obama spoke to a joint session of Congress.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:05 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Asked at a press conference today if she was concerned that "anti-government rhetoric" could lead to violence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi alluded to the assassination of gay rights leader Harvey Milk and said people will "have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause."

"We are a free country and this balance between freedom and safety is one that we have to carefully balance," she said. "I have concerns about some of the language that is being used because I saw this myself in the late '70s in San Francisco, this kind of rhetoric was very frightening and it gave -- it created a climate in which ... violence took place."

Pelosi, of course, represents San Francisco. Though she doesn't reference President Obama, it's a delicate matter to be discussing political assassination when there is real concern about the president's safety. The remarks are especially stunning when you consider the uproar caused by comments Hillary Clinton made late in the 2008 Democratic primary about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, which some viewed as her suggesting then-Senator Obama could be killed as well.

Pelosi said she wishes people would "curb our enthusiasm" since some who are hearing some strong rhetoric "are not as balanced as the person making the statement might assume."

"Again, our country is great because people can say what they think and they believe, but I also think that they have to take responsibility for any incitement that they may cause."

You can see the question that lead to these comments, and the speaker's full response, after the jump.

Continue reading "Pelosi Concerned Rhetoric Could Incite Violence" »

Posted by at 12:46 PM | Email Author | Permalink

In a statement released to the press this afternoon, Speaker Nancy Pelosi compares the proposals that came out of the three House committees working on health care reform to the plan released today by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.):

"We are pleased that Senator Baucus' plan mirrors some key provisions in the House proposal, including sweeping insurance reforms and consumer protections. The House bill clearly does more to make coverage affordable for more Americans and provides more competition to drive insurance companies to charge lower premiums and improve coverage. The House bill also does more to help seniors afford prescription coverage, closing the donut hole completely, while the Baucus proposal simply reduces the cost of brand name drugs in the donut hole.

"As this proposal evolves, we hope to see modifications that result in the Senate bill better reflecting the work of the House to make health care more affordable for all Americans and promote competition that is key to keeping costs lower. I believe the public option is the best way to achieve that goal."

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 01:20 PM | Email Author | Permalink

The House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct (a.k.a. the Ethics Committee) announced today that it is investigating potential misconduct by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.), but will defer its consideration of the matter until the U.S. Department of Justice concludes its investigation into the scandal over President Obama's former Senate seat. An indictment of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is still pending.

In a letter sent Friday to Ethics Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich requested the committee "defer further action" until the Blagojevich trial and "related investigations" are complete.

The Board of the Office of Congressional Ethics voted July 24 to recommend the Ethics Committee begin an investigation into Jackson and his efforts to secure Obama's Senate seat. The Board recommended the inquiry based on evidence that a Jackson "emissary" offered to raise money for Blagojevich in exchange for the Senate appointment and that "staff resources" in Jackson's D.C. and Chicago congressional offices were used to mount a "public campaign" for the appointment.

The committee is also investigating Reps. Sam Graves (R-Mo.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) for separate incidents. The committee did not identify the reasons for the Graves or Waters investigations, but Roll Call reports that Graves "invited his friend and neighbor Brooks Hurst to testify before a Congressional hearing on renewable fuels, without mentioning that his wife and Hurst are investors together in renewable fuels plants in Missouri." Waters was questioned in the media earlier this year for her role in securing OneUnited Bank $12 million in federal bailout funds.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Here is the resolution of disapproval for Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) behavior during President Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress next week:

Raising a question of the privileges of the House.

Whereas on September 9, 2009, during the joint session of Congress convened pursuant to House Concurrent Resolution 179, the President of the United States, speaking at the invitation of the House and Senate, had his remarks interrupted by the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson; and

Wheras the conduct of the Representative from South Carolina was a breach of decorum and degraded the proceedings of the joint session, to the discredit of the House: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved that the House of Representatives disapproves of the behavior of the Representative from South Carolina, Mr. Wilson, during the joint session of Congress held on September 9, 2009.

The House is currently in temporary recess, though House members have now been called to the chamber to discuss and vote on the resolution.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 04:15 PM | Email Author | Permalink

From a gaggle on Air Force One today with Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton:

Q Actually, Bill, do you have a comment on the resolution on Joe Wilson -- now on the floor today?

MR. BURTON: I don't. That's House business. The President has already -- Congressman Wilson called the White House to apologize. The President accepted his apology. And this is something that the House is doing.

Posted by at 01:35 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) spoke on the House floor today, just a few feet from where President Obama stood last Wednesday when Wilson yelled "you lie!" Wilson was on the floor for the opening prayer and pledge of allegience, and gave a short statement on health care. Wilson spoke on the floor yesterday as well.

Later today, Democrats are expected to introduce a resolution of disapproval for Wilson's actions during Obama's speech to a joint session of Congress. Some Republicans are expected to support the measure, though Minority Leader John Boehner announced yesterday he would not be one of them.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 12:06 PM | Email Author | Permalink

If it was ever in question, it isn't anymore. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) announced today that he will vote 'No' on a potential resolution that condemns Rep. Joe Wilson's (R-S.C.) actions last week during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress.

Greg Sargent reported today that Democrats are planning a "resolution of disapproval," the lowest of four levels of condemnation in the House (below reprimand, censure and expulsion).

"Rep. Wilson has apologized to the President, and the President accepted his apology," Boehner said in a released statement. "Last Thursday, Speaker Pelosi said that she believed it was time to move on and discuss health care. I couldn't agree more, and that's why I plan to vote 'no' on this resolution. Instead of pursuing this type of petty partisanship, we should be working together to lower costs and expand access to affordable, high-quality health coverage on behalf of the American people."

Since Wilson's "You lie!" outburst last Wednesday, both he and his Democratic challenger in the 2010 election, Rob Miller, have reportedly raised more than $1 million. The action has clearly energized both conservatives and liberals.

Posted by Kyle Trygstad at 02:45 PM | Email Author | Permalink

Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said today he plans to introduce his health care reform proposal tomorrow and begin mark up on the plan next week.

"I believe that by the end we'll have some significant bipartisan support," said Baucus.

Baucus was speaking with reporters after emerging from a morning meeting with a bipartisan group of six senators on the Senate Finance Committee who have been meeting regularly to negotiate a reform bill. Baucus said they discussed Medi