I Don’t Hate America!

Today in Congress, the House of Representatives has under its consideration H.R. 3161, a bill dealing with agriculture spending. Having already passed the policy-centered Farm Bill last week, H.R 3161 would appropriate $91 billion on agriculture.

For about the past three hours the House has been debating an amendment offered by Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) which would reduce the appropriation by $50,000 to the office of the Secretary of Agriculture.

Almost immediately the Democrats announced they would accept the amendment. Regardless of the non-controversial nature of the amendment, the House Republicans have used this time to debate State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) appropriations which will likely be brought to the House floor later this week.

Yes, during debate on an amendment about agriculture, they are talking about health care.

Much like common friggin’ sense would dictate, House rules state that debate must be germane to the subject under consideration, and Speaker Pro Tempore Rep. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) has reminded members of this rule countless times. One bloviating member in particular, Rep. John Shaddeg (R-AZ), didn’t like that the rule was applied to him and moved to appeal the decision of the chair.

Ugh.

Members are now in the middle of a roll call vote on this!

“Considering the cost of the clerk, air conditioning, and lights to keep this place open we have spent more money to hear this rhetoric than what is saved in this amendment,” Rep. Dave Obey (D-WI), House Appropriations Chairman, said.

House Republicans today are doing nothing today but grandstanding on the taxpayer’s dime. It’s downright shameful that a party which touts “fiscal responsibility!!!” like an ice-cream man would tout “soft serve cones with sprinkles!!!” would do this.

And according to all the conservative talking heads, it’s the DEMOCRAT LEADERSHIP’S fault that nothing is getting done in Congress? Spare me that song and dance, please!

If I were there I would rise and move the previous question.

Someday. Hee hee.

Earlier I insinuated that Rep. Michele Bachmann, sixth district Republican congresswoman from Minnesota, votes party line on everything.

Well, I was wrong, and must apologize.

It appears to Bachmann has finally seen the light and has stepped away from the hard, partisan conservative right of the Republican caucus in the House.

Bachmann did so by being one of only 22 Republicans to vote against the goofy dinner-hour motion to adjourn tonight.

We will have more more here at IDHA! as this story develops.

Debate has officially kicked off in the US House of Representatives about the 2007 Farm Bill. I don’t follow floor debate in the US House too often but I am already having a flashback to the rhetoric from Marty Seifert and Tim Pawlenty when the Minnesota legislature had under its consideration a proposal to include inflation in budget forecasting. Those two Republicans falsely characterized it as “budget increases on autopilot.”

This time, the Farm Bill would close a loophole which allows for corporate overseas tax shelters. The elimination of this loophole, which would create $4 billion of revenue, is falsely being referred to by Republicans such as a tax “increase.”

I liken it to being shorted on your paycheck and upon notifying to your boss/payroll clerk/HR/whatever being told you shouldn’t be entitled to a pay increase.

Ugh. And due to this provision, these Republicans, such as Agriculture committee ranking member Bob Goodlatte (R-Virginia), are intending to vote against the bill.

Nevertheless, Minnesota elected officials will get some spotlight, such as Agriculture committee chairman Collin Peterson, who has been heralded for his efforts to find compromise, and Tim Walz who is a member of the committee.

Based on a quote from this story yesterday, it doesn’t appear John Kline will support the bill.

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., commended Peterson’s effort but had some reservations, including how a $4 billion increase to nutrition programs would be paid for.

“We have to see how these concerns are met,” Kline said in a statement.

I can only assume Michele Bachmann will vote against it because, well, she votes against everything so why even bother to find some real basis for that conclusion.

We will try and offer updates from time to time here at IDHA and of course Bluestem will continue to provide stellar coverage on this issue.

[UPDATE] Quick Farm Bill update (trying not to live blog as I will not hear the end of how “lame” live blogging C-SPAN is):

The controversial Ron Kind/Jeff Flake delete-everything amendment failed on a voice vote with a roll call vote to be taken later.

In opposition to the amendment, Tim Walz said it was well intentioned but doesn’t address the needs of his district, Minnesota’s 1st, which he described as one of the “richest pieces of agriculture land in the world.”

Walz, in his usual blunt tone, showed irritation at some of the rhetoric being presented in opposition to the bill.

“When I need advice about agriculture, I go to Kevin Paap at the Minnesota Farm Bureau, not the ideology at the Cato Institute.”

13 amendments were approved “en bloc” via voice vote with 17 more remaining. Final passage is expected to take place tomorrow. [/UPDATE]

[UPDATE 2] The Kind/Flake amendment fails 117-309. Looks like that will be all for the Farm Bill tonight.  I always laugh when the parliamentarian has to guide the Speaker Pro Temp through every little process and still has to ask “Now what?” into the microphone. [/Update 2]

From the old news that we missed department, MnSCU announced last week that David Olson, president of the Mnnesota chamber of commerce, was elected chair of the system’s Board of Trustees. Ruth Grendahl will be vice chair and Scott Thiss will grab the reins as treasurer taking over for former, ahem, I mean, current, ahem, I mean, soon departing four-year university student trustee Michael Boulton.

The replacement for Boulton, who’s term was scheduled to conclude June 30, has yet to be announced. I am sure candidates Adam Weigold, Ezra Kazee and Luke Hellier are all anxious to find out, not to mention the 70,000 some-odd students at Minnesota’s state unviersities being left hanging.

Is Gov. Tim Pawlenty really trying to wait for the brouhaha to settle down before making an appointment? Did the rounds of golf with other governors in Michigan take up too much of his time?

Really T-Paw, what gives?

Seriously, it seems that everywhere I turn I see Barack Obama’s face. In the most current edition of Newsweek we saw a different side of Barack.
Barack Obama Schedule: Last Monday, Senator Obama stood in solidarity with workers, walking the picket line with employees of the Congress Hotel in Chicago. Tuesday, he addressed the Planned Parenthood Action Fund in Washington, D.C. before holding a press conference to announce the endorsement of D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. That night, he visited Cincinnati, Ohio, for an energy-filled “Evening with Barack.” Wednesday, in Southeast Washington, D.C., Senator Obama laid out his urban poverty agenda. After visiting several New Hampshire towns on Friday, he spent the weekend participating in the AFSCME Iowa Council 61 Convention in Des Moines and the National Council of La Raza’s annual conference. Monday evening, Barack Obama “hit a home run” in the CNN/YouTube Democratic presidential debate at The Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina. This Thursday, he’ll be the keynote speaker at the College Democrats of America National Convention at the University of South Carolina.
Michelle Obama Schedule: Last Friday, Senator Dick Durbin and hundreds of volunteers joined Michelle Obama to cut the ribbon at the grand opening of the new Obama for America volunteer headquarters in Chicago. Then, Michelle and the Obama daughters dropped by campaign headquarters to host a pizza party for staff and their families. This week, Michelle makes a swing along the West coast to meet with supporters in Seattle and San Francisco.

CNN/YouTube Debate: The reviews are in, and Barack Obama was “off the charts” at Monday night’s Democratic presidential debate. Viewers in New Hampshire and South Carolina enthusiastically and overwhelmingly chose Senator Obama as the winner, making it clear he’s the one candidate with the experience we need to change Washington – the experience of bringing people together so we can take on the special interests that have stopped us from making progress on health care, energy, and our other critical challenges.

Obama for Commander in Chief Tour: Last week, General Scott Gration, an Air Force fighter pilot who flew more combat missions than any other American while overseeing both the northern and southern no-fly zones in Iraq, led several Iraq war veterans in a statewide Obama for Commander in Chief Tour. General Gration met with Iowans at 13 stops across the state, and explained that the courage, strength and wisdom he sees in Senator Obama make him the best person to be the next Commander in Chief.

Changing the Odds for Urban America: On Wednesday, July 18, Barack Obama outlined his plan to combat urban poverty. Highlighting innovative ideas that work, his strategy focuses on helping children, supporting families, encouraging work that pays, incubating inner-city businesses, and providing safe, affordable housing.

Planned Parenthood Action Fund: On Tuesday, July 17, Senator Obama addressed the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on issues ranging from a woman’s right to choose to judicial nominations to the tired old culture wars that distract the nation from more important priorities. After watching the candidates’ speeches, Planned Parenthood supporters voted – and 42% resoundingly agreed that Senator Obama “made the best case for women’s health” of all the candidates

Recent Developments: Last week, Senator Obama introduced a bill to make sure none of our service members are denied the health care benefits we owe them. He also joined a bipartisan group of Senators in an effort to overturn a recent Supreme Court decision that could make it harder for women and racial minorities to fight pay discrimination – because Senator Obama believes that no American should be denied equal pay for equal work. He also reintroduced his Hospital Quality Report Card Act, which would increase public access to information about the quality of health care at America’s hospitals.

Iraq: Barack Obama knows that the time for us to ask how we were going to get out of Iraq was before we went in. He opposed the Iraq war before it was popular to do, and he has a plan to end the war by commencing a phased redeployment of U.S. troops out of Iraq with the goal of redeploying all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008. Letting the Iraqis know that U.S. forces will not be there forever is our last, best hope to pressure the Sunnis and Shi’a to come to the table and find peace.

Fundraising: In a record-breaking outpouring of grassroots support, more than 258,000 donors – 154,000 in the second quarter alone – have joined Barack Obama’s movement for change. The campaign raised $31.6 million in primary funds for a total of $32.9 million in the second quarter – all of it without accepting any money from PACs or Washington lobbyists. $10.3 million was raised online, with 90% of all online donations in amounts of $100 or less and 50% of all online donations in amounts of $25 or less.

Web: Senator Obama is running a different kind of campaign, empowering people with the tools to take organizing into their own hands. The result: more people are more deeply involved than ever before. Since the website was launched in February, more than 5,000 grassroots groups have been created, and more than 70,000 people have created profiles on my.barackobama.com.

Biography: Senator Obama moved to Illinois over two decades ago with little money and no family connections, getting a job for $12,000 a year as a community organizer in some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. Later, Obama graduated from Harvard Law School, became a civil rights lawyer, and taught constitutional law before winning a seat in the Illinois State Senate.

As a State Senator, he joined both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education and the strongest ethics reform in Illinois in 25 years. After a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, Obama has worked with the Republican leader of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar, to pass a law that would secure and destroy some of the world’s deadliest weapons. He has also helped lead the fight for the most sweeping ethics reform since Watergate, and found common ground on issues including energy policy, helping push through a provision that will offer tax credits to gas stations for installing refueling pumps with E85 – a blend of 85 percent clean-burning, domestically grown ethanol and 15 percent petroleum gasoline.

ECM capitol reporter T.W. Budig offers a thought provoking column about the situation concerning Minnesota State Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) who was recently convicted of a misdemeanor in the domestic assault case involving him and his wife.

An ethics complaint could await Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake, in the near future.

Olson, sole and presiding member of the House Independent Republican Caucus — a body he formed after being booted out of the House Republican caucus — was recently found guilty of one count of misdemeanor domestic assault.

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, has been making inquiries about the ethics complaint process, indicating while his would not be one of the two signatures needed to advance an ethics complaint, volunteers are found within the Republican ranks.

Seifert doesn’t argue that there’s a certain selectivity when it comes to ethics complaints.

Two DFLers in recent times were arrested for drunk driving — the President of the Senate, a colorful House committee chairman — and both have apparently escaped sanction by their peers.

Not that human suffering fits nicely into categories — or should — but drunk drivers kill many more people a year than are claimed by domestic violence.

Serious about complaint

At any rate, House Republicans seem serious about filing an ethic complaint. “I don’t think it’s appropriate to look the other way,” said Seifert of the domestic assault conviction.

In a sense, Olson may be more vulnerable for being on the receiving end of an ethics complaint than other lawmakers.

The Legislature is not unlike high school, and Olson is lawmaker in the periphery — the kid with the bag lunch at the end of the table.

House Republican leaders have express frustration over Olson’s unwillingness to back the caucus — for years he has routinely voted against his Republican colleagues on big bills.

This is not an endearing trait.

And there’s a starkness between the crime and the dizzy world of idealism Olson luxuriates in a like a warm tub.

Quotes George Washington

Olson quotes George Washington more frequently than Martha Washington ever did.

(Quotes from Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan brighten his Capitol office door).

On the House floor, Olson has spoken at length for the need of character development in students and the virtue found in the Great Books.

If his voting record has cost him supporter, his House floor speeches may have cost him more.

Olson himself has noted lawmakers slipping out the House chamber or rolling their eyes during his speeches. (The origins of Olson’s apparently self-defeating behavior might be pondered.) But listeners sometimes raise their eyebrows, too.

In one memorable speech, Olson seemed to suggest the best form of cancer screening might be litmus paper.

On an environmental issue, Olson detailed experiments he had conducted at home that had led him to question one alleged symptom of global warming.

Lawmaker image

The image of the lawmaker making definitive strives in the kitchen sink is one a person might think lawmakers would cherish.

Some do not — it’s late session, they’re tired, and this guy won’t sit down.

Still Olson persists.

This is not to say he is without some support.

One local DFLer, after House Republicans ejected Olson from their caucus after the domestic abuse allegations surfaced, spoke of kicking someone when they’re down.

During a special session, when Olson repeatedly tried a parliamentary maneuver aimed at breaking the deadlock, some lawmakers, along with Olson, kept count.

Resignation or don’t run

Seifert opined if Olson does not resign his House seat he should at least consider not running again.

The leader predicted Olson, serving out his eighth term, will face Republican challengers next time around.

It’s unlikely Olson will be expelled from the Legislature because that virtually never happens.

Whatever does happen, Olson will probably enjoy the full backing of the House Independent Republican Caucus.

Maybe that’s the support he cares about the most, anyway.

I have sat through many a Mark Olson nonsensical amendment and speech combo and I can see why members on both sides of the aisle get frustrated with him whether he is a member of the GOP caucus with an an “independent streak” or a true independent.

Regardless of that though an ethics complaint or effort to remove him should be based squarely in the situation concerning his legal troubles or other unethical behavior violating House rules, not just because he was/is a pain in the ass.

Speaking of being a pain in the ass, I’m watching the US House debate the Transportation and Housing appropriations bill, and is it just me or is there a similarity between Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Olson?

Not from the perspective of spousal abuse, rather the endless array of “gotcha” roll call floor amendments!

Once again it seems that the man got me down, I had to work yesterday otherwise I would have been able to see the democratic debate. However, I have gotten numberous emails all saying the same thing, Obama won Hilary lost. Here is some analysis that I have gotten from the Obama campaign…
CNN: Randi Kaye on Focus Group Votes for Debate Winner: “When the debate ended the same group moving meters actually rated each candidates’ overall performance. And here is how they staked up take a look, Obama, Biden, Edwards, and on the bottom Clinton, Anderson back to you.” [Image: Who do you think performed the best during the debate you just viewed?: Obama 33%,Biden 21%, Edwards 17%, Clinton 8%] [Video]

Fox News South Carolina Focus Groups (Frank Luntz): “He is off the charts. I mean, this is as high as it can go. He’s explicit. He has drawn the contrast. He has hit a home run. What I would like to do is I want to play for you the sound of what they had to say about Barack Obama so you can really understand it’s not that he is a good politician and not his experience. It’s as much his presentation and more importantly it’s that he seems to represent people rather than politics. If you guys back there can roll the sound, this is why Obama will be shown as the winner of tonight’s debate.” [Video]

CNN New Hampshire Focus Groups (Mary Snow): “We’re here with 24 Democrats, independents, who thought that Senator Hillary Clinton would be the best performer here tonight, but the results that we just got in, this is a focus group, show that Barack Obama got the most favorable in terms of the best performance from the 24 people who are here tonight.” “Senator Barack Obama was showing some favorable responses to his answers. Some of the things that he got favorable responses were when he talked about fighting lobbyists, particularly on health care.” [Video]

…And the Pundits Agree

Blue State: Editorial: Obama Wins Democratic Debate : The CNN-Youtube Democratic presidential debate came and went. Our editors have voted, and we agree that it was Barack’s night. In what was definitely an improvement from his past performances, Obama was always prepared when confronted by his Democratic opponents, whereas in the past he tended to lose his temper. Tonight he also appeared very presidential, pragmatic and charismatic. Here was how we thought each of the candidates did — from best to worst. Remember, we are grading on effectiveness: 1. Barack Obama - Independent, thoughtful, charismatic and trumped Hillary on looking “presidential.” [LINK]

The American Prospect: Tapped Blog on Overall Performance: Barack Obama owned this debate. He started off with a series of clear, crisp answers that deftly turned questions to his advantage, and he was doing that Obama thing that he does where he manages to look luminous and transcendent, as if he just stepped out of a Wordsworth poem, trailing clouds of glory. (He doesn’t do this all the time, but when he does, watch out — this is when he binds people to him.) [LINK]

Time: Mark Halperin on Overall Performance: Grade: A- : When he was good, he was very, very good. .. Still, his best performance to date, positioning him to return in later forums to the change-change-change contrast he wants (and needs) to define his candidacy. [LINK]

Newsday: The anything-goes format coincided with a more aggressive and sure-footed performance from Obama, accused of being flat and long-winded in previous debates. Obama, who opposed the war from its start, said he was unimpressed by Clinton’s recent push to get the Pentagon to release details of their strategy for withdrawing eventually from Iraq. [LINK]

CNN: Amy Holmes Reaction to Sen. Obama’s response to Race Question: “Oh I think it’s very important. I think both candidates knocked it out of park. I mean as someone who can speak on both of those issues I thought that those were high moments especially when Barack Obama, he referenced the fact that he believes in the core decency of the American people. I think that holds him in good stead in the democratic primary but even more importantly in the general election where if he were to be the democratic nominee where he would be campaigning for all of America, not just Black America.” [Video]

New York Post: “Obama Chills Hill”: Sen. Barack Obama ripped into front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton last night on the Iraq war in a sometimes-absurd debate that had voters on video - and even a talking snowman - tossing questions at the presidential contenders. Obama, eager to bloody the poll-leading Clinton, jabbed the former first lady for her recent spat with the Pentagon over whipping up pullout plans from Iraq. “I think it’s terrific that she’s asking for plans from the Pentagon, and I think the Pentagon response was ridiculous. But what I also know is that the time for us to ask how we were going to get out of Iraq was before we went in,” poked Obama as Clinton stood expressionless next to him on the debate stage at the Citadel military college. [LINK]

ABC News: If the Obama video is an indication of the ad war to come, wow, this Obama guy could be for real. I jest, but that was a nice piece his campaign put together. Obama with a good summation of sorts. He definitely came in with a message he wanted to deliver this evening — which has made this perhaps his best debate performance to date. [LINK]

Washington Post: Time and time again Obama sought to take specific questions and broaden them into a conversation over who represented real change in the field. He castigated lobbyists and special interests in Washington, offering a sweeping condemnation of business as usual (by both parties) in the nation’s capital. “We don’t need just a change in political parties,” said Obama. “We need a change in attitudes of the people representing Americans.” [LINK]

Well you can explore these various news outlets and their perspective on the debates for yourself. All I can say is this guy is for real!

Today, well technically yesterday (but after sitting in a car for 8 hours, I decided to post today) Senator Russ Feingold sent out mass emails declaring his censure resolutions for President Bush, VP Cheney and the entire Bush Administration. As Feingold announced on Meet the Press, he will shortly be introducing censure resolutions in the U.S. Senate. His plan included these reasons for why the President, and others should be censured…
The focus of Senator Feingold’s first censure resolution intends to condemn the President, Vice President, and the administration for getting the United States into the Iraq war under false pretenses. Possibly including:
The assertion that Iraq was linked to al-Qaeda;
The claim that Iraq harbored weapons of mass destruction that threatened the U.S.;
The knowingly false declaration in the 2003 State of the Union Address that Saddam Hussein tried to purchase yellow-cake uranium from Niger;
Insufficient war planning;
The failure to protect troops and preserve the military;
Fiscal mismanagement of the war.
The focus of Senator Feingold’s second censure resolution will likely focus on the Bush Administration’s relentless refusal to abide by the rule of law. Possibly including:
The implementation of the illegal, domestic wiretapping program and for misleading the American people regarding the legality of the warrentless program;
The use of military commissions;
Redefining torture;
The politicization of the U.S. Attorney scandal;
The refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas.

Zach over at MN Publius, along with just about every other fan of the series, is upset that spoilers have been released about the newest Harry Potter book.

George W. Bush has the lowest approval rating of any sitting president in the past 35 years.

No Congress has been as unpopular as the current one since polling began.

The only thing left to save the public perception of both the president and Congress is quite simple:

Bush must do whatever he can (that is allowed in the constitution, of course) within his executive powers to put a stop to the release of these Harry Potter spoilers.

Furthermore, Congress must hold hearings and subpoena individuals under oath who may have knowledge of how this was allowed to occur.

It’s been a while since we have discussed higher education funding here at IDHA, but the US Congress is taking up the issue this week.

An amendment offered by Sens. Ben Nelson (D-Nebraska) and Richard Burr (R-North Carolina) to the Higher Education Budget Reconciliation which would have restored $2.4 billion in cuts in subsidies to student lenders (down to a total of $15 billion) failed today in a wide, bipartisan fashion. Insiders thought the vote would be close, but that ended up being very untrue as it did not even get 40 votes in the affirmative.

Both Sens. from Minnesota, Amy Klobuchar (D) and Norm Coleman (R) voted against the amendment.

Critics of the cuts said that they would force smaller lenders out of the market and lobbied against the cuts, but student advocates have thought it is time for more money to go directly to students, not lenders.

We will have more on this throughout this process.