Recently in Congress Category

Forgive my language this morning, folks. I don't like to get my blood pressure up this early on a Saturday morning, but this latest action by 40 Republicans plus Ben Nelson in the Senate in killing the extension of unemployment benefits really pisses me off. And every time one of these lying, elitist assholes opens their mouths it pisses me off that much more.  Like Olympia Snowe, who sent a letter to Harry Reid "urging"...

Commenting on a Huffington Post piece about how Republicans and Ben Nelson (excuse my redundancy) appeared poised to kill the tax-extenders bill in the Senate, which they succeeded in doing late yesterday, Steve Benen at Washington Monthly wrote: "In the real world, this means millions of jobless Americans will lose their already-modest benefits, and hundreds of thousands of workers will be laid off over the next year, including teachers, police officers, and firefighters. All of this...

The Republicrats in the Senate gave a big middle finger to the long-term unemployed yesterday, as 12 Democrats joined all the Republicans in voting down the extension of unemployment benefits, citing their hypocritical concerns about increasing the deficit as the reason: "I've said all along that we have to be able to pay for what we're spending," said Sen. Ben Nelson, a Nebraska Democrat who voted against the bill. "$77 billion or more of this...

"I could while away the hours, conferrin' with the flowersConsultin' with the rain.And my head I'd be scratchin' whilemy thoughts were busy hatchin'If I only had a brain.I would not be just a nothin' my head all full of stuffin'My heart all full of pain.I would dance and be merry, life would be a ding-a-derry,If I only had a brain."Everyone's favorite loony tune, Congresswoman Michele Bachman, was interviewed by Ben Shapiro of biggovernment.com recently. Quoting...

Financial reform is once again on the agenda as the House--Senate conference committee attempts to reconcile the differences between the 2 bills beginning on Thursday. This article from McClatchy doesn't give me reason to be optimistic about the outcome:"A group of lawmakers who are about to write an historic overhaul of the nation's financial regulatory system has been stacked carefully with veteran compromisers -- and one wild card.""Veteran compromisers." To me, that translates into someone...

Something to look forward to if Republicans re-gain control of the House in November--impeachment. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA) and the right-wing noise machine are revving up impeachment chatter over the allegations of Joe Sestak being offered an unpaid advisory position to stay out of the senatorial primary in Pennsylvania. Issa:"It's very clear that allegation is one that everyone from Arlen Spector to Dick Morris has said is in fact a crime, and could be impeachable,"...

President Obama held a meeting with Senate Republicans yesterday-no cameras present. I would assume GOP senators learned a lesson from the dressing-down their House counterparts took in January with cameras rolling and insisted on that. Afterwards, Bob Corker of Tennessee and Pat Roberts of Kansas gave their versions of what transpired, and what they allegedly said to the president.Corker spoke with Greg Sargent of The Plum Line:"He got all uppity I felt like there was...

I read the news today:Arlen Specter switched parties because he couldn't win the Republican primary, now he loses the Democratic primary to Joe Sestak. This just in Arlen, it's not about party this year, the key word is "incumbent." You're 80 years old, you've been in the Senate for 30 years. Your time is up. Mitch McConnell's hand-picked candidate to succeed Jim Bunning got smoked by Tea Party favorite Rand Paul in the Republican senatorial...

Republican Minority Whip Eric Cantor has launched a new web site called You Cut, which "is designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact." The first five cuts on which to vote are (and remember, only ONE of these will be chosen):The Presidential Election Fund. Savings-$260 million over five...

Any time anything passes in the Senate by a vote of 96-0 I'm suspicious. Those numbers are usually reserved for meaningless proclamations declaring 'National Be Kind to Puppies and Kitties Day.' But such a vote took place yesterday on Sen. Bernie Sanders' amendment to audit the Federal Reserve. Sanders' original amendment would have required the Fed to submit to regular audits, but the watered-down version passed yesterday is for a one-time audit with a specific...