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Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Congressman Charles Rangel Temporarily Steps Down As Ways and Means Chairman
hat tip-W.E.E. See You
From the NYTimes
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
From the NYTimes
Under Fire, Rangel Steps Aside as Leader of Committee
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and CARL HULSE
Published: March 3, 2010
WASHINGTON — Caught in a swirl of ethics inquiries, Representative Charles B. Rangel, the dean of the New York Congressional delegation, announced Wednesday that he would temporarily step down from his powerful post as chairman of the tax-policy-writing Ways and Means Committee.
“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, 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 to avoid forcing his colleagues to defend him during an election year.
Last week the House ethics committee admonished Mr. Rangel, an ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, for violating Congressional gift rules by accepting corporate-sponsored trips to the Caribbean in 2007 and 2008.
The ethics panel is still investigating more serious accusations regarding Mr. Rangel’s fund-raising, his failure to pay federal taxes on rental income from a villa he owns in the Dominican Republic and his use of four rent-stabilized apartments provided by a Manhattan real estate developer.
And with Republicans preparing to force a vote Wednesday seeking to oust Mr. Rangel from his chairmanship, support among his fellow Democrats had been crumbling. He huddled on Tuesday evening in a meeting with senior party leaders, including Ms. Pelosi, and officials said Democrats were urging him to step down, at least temporarily.
But he had insisted after that meeting that he would not step aside, even temporarily.
A growing number of rank-and-file Democrats had said they could not envision standing behind the beleaguered chairman given the likelihood that he would soon face further reprimands by the ethics committee, and Republican challengers would criticize such a vote in the fall elections.
Monday, March 01, 2010
The Five Most Important Black Politicians Of The Last 30 Years
Since Barack Obama's election in 2008, much ink has been spilled debating if we have reached the end of Black politics. My answer to that question is an emphatic "no." Still, that got me thinking about which politicans have mattered most. Therefore, I ask, "Who are the five most important African American political figures of the last thirty years?"
Here are my top five:
1. Barack Obama
It is so obvious that if you have to ask….
2. Jesse Jackson
He was by Martin Luther King Jr.'s side on April 4, 1968, the day we lost the most important civil rights leader America ever knew. He parlayed his close relationship with King into a position as America's most important unelected African American leader of the last thirty years. His spirited, motivated runs for the presidency in 1984 and 1988 demonstrated that white voters would and could take African American candidates seriously. Although he did not win, Jackson demonstrated that the impossible was not so impossible.
Read the rest at The Loop.
Here are my top five:
1. Barack Obama
It is so obvious that if you have to ask….
2. Jesse Jackson
He was by Martin Luther King Jr.'s side on April 4, 1968, the day we lost the most important civil rights leader America ever knew. He parlayed his close relationship with King into a position as America's most important unelected African American leader of the last thirty years. His spirited, motivated runs for the presidency in 1984 and 1988 demonstrated that white voters would and could take African American candidates seriously. Although he did not win, Jackson demonstrated that the impossible was not so impossible.
Read the rest at The Loop.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Republican Senator Holds Unemployment Benefits Extension Bill Hostage
hat tip: W.E.E. See You
From The AP:
The Democrats are to blame for not forcing this clown to stand up on the floor, and any of his co-conspirators to STAND ON THE SENATE FLOOR - FOR ALL TO SEE - as they hurt at least 1.2 million American citizens. If they're so big and bad - FORCE THEM TO FILIBUSTER. This mamby-pamby bullshyt of letting them get away with it - without shouting it from the rooftops everytime a Democrat gets on tv - is pathetic.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
From Bob Cesca:
and what was Bunning's response when asked about all the unemployed people who would stop getting their benefits?
TOUGH SHIT
I kid you not.
From The AP:
Unemployment Extension Fails in Senate
GOP Sen. Jim Bunning Blocks Action over Concerns About Swelling Deficit
(AP) The Senate failed late Thursday to extend programs for laid-off workers, jeopardizing unemployment benefits scheduled to expire over the weekend.
The benefits are part of a larger package of government programs, from highway funding to loans for small businesses, set to expire Sunday because senators couldn’t agree on how to pay for an extension.
The House passed a bill Thursday extending the programs for a month while lawmakers consider how to address the issues long-term. Senate Democrats repeatedly tried to follow suit Thursday night but they couldn’t overcome the objections of a single lawmaker, Republican Sen. Jim Bunning of Kentucky, that the $10 billion bill would add to the budget deficit.
The Democrats are to blame for not forcing this clown to stand up on the floor, and any of his co-conspirators to STAND ON THE SENATE FLOOR - FOR ALL TO SEE - as they hurt at least 1.2 million American citizens. If they're so big and bad - FORCE THEM TO FILIBUSTER. This mamby-pamby bullshyt of letting them get away with it - without shouting it from the rooftops everytime a Democrat gets on tv - is pathetic.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN NOW?
From Bob Cesca:
Funding
* No reimbursements to States for previously-committed Federal highway funds. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) will not be able to approve any expenditures from the Highway Trust Fund beginning on Monday, March 1. This will prohibit FHWA from reimbursing States for any previously-committed Federal highway funds.
* No ability to commit additional Federal highway funds. Due to both a statutory prohibition and the furlough of its employees (described below), beginning on Monday, March 1, FHWA will be unable to approve States’ commitment of any Federal highway funds.
* No ability to commit additional Federal transit funds. FTA will be unable to approve any new transit grants from all transit programs that are funded out of the Highway Trust Fund. This will prohibit States, transit agencies and MPOs from receiving funds from any of the following programs: Bus and Bus Facilities, Urban and Rural Formula, Metropolitan and Statewide Planning, Fixed Guideway Modernization, Formula Grants for Elderly and Disabled, Job Access and Reverse Commute, New Freedom and Transit in the Parks.
Furloughs
* Shutdown of Agencies and furloughs of over 4,000 Federal employees. The entire FHWA, the entire Federal Motor Carrier Administration (FMCSA), some portions of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and some portions of the Research and Innovation Transportation Administration (RITA), will cease operations and furlough their employees (totaling over 4,000 employees) beginning on Tuesday, March 2.
ARRA
* ARRA “Recovery Act” Impact: Due to the furlough of FHWA employees, any remaining obligation of funds by States may not be processed. This could cause States to lose some unspent ARRA funds.
Highway Safety
* No new MCSAP or new entrant grants. The shutdown of the FMCSA will prevent the agency from entering into new obligations for its 11 grant programs and funding vouchers for work performed during the duration of the lapsed authority. In particular, two highly visible programs, the Motor Carrier Safety Assistance Program (MCSAP) grants and the New Entrant grants, would be greatly affected. The MCSAP program provides funding to States to reduce the number and severity of crashes and hazardous materials incidents involving commercial motor vehicles. The New Entrant program provides funds to States to prevent unsafe motor carrier companies from entering the industry.
* All of NHTSA’s State highway safety grant programs would shut down. In addition to the furlough of its personnel, NHTSA would have to shut down operations of Highway Safety Research and Development; National Driver Register (NDR); and Highway Safety Grants, and would have to stop paying all bills for the programs under these accounts.
and what was Bunning's response when asked about all the unemployed people who would stop getting their benefits?
TOUGH SHIT
I kid you not.
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President Obama Signs Executive Order to Strengthen HBCU's
President Obama signs an executive order to strengthen the capacity of and increase access to Federal funding for the Nations Historically Black Colleges and Universities. February 26, 2010.
Friday, February 26, 2010
The Coffee Party: The Anti-Tea Party
The genesis of the idea for the Coffee Party Movement and its purpose is best explained by the video above. It all started with documentary filmmaker Annabel Park venting her frustrations on her Facebook page about media coverage that made it seem that the Tea Parties were representative of the “real America.” She vehemently disagreed and her comments on Facebook got a lot of feedback from people who similarly felt pent-up and frustrated.
Their name the “Coffee Party” directly references the Tea Party movement and presents itself as an alternative. Park argues elected officials who represent us should work towards positive solutions to the problems the country faces instead of adopting obstructionist political tactics that play on peoples’ fears and which are driven by deliberate misinformation.
The Coffee Party is currently organizing nationwide. It is stressing the message that its members are voters who intend to hold elected officials accountable to holding up progress. Its members will participate and be engaged in the political process.
In addition, the Coffee Party values diversity, is, itself, diverse and completely comfortable with the changing ethnic demographics of the US. Park argues that politicians are exploiting the anxieties people feel regarding these changing demographics for political gain and that it is wrong.
Cooperation is needed to solve problems and that no practical solutions can be reached when there is no cooperation in Congress. Dialogue is impossible when one side—a reference to the Republicans and the Tea Party movement in the healthcare town hall meetings over the summer of 2009—is engaged in tactics designed to shut down discussion.
Park says the Congress works for us – the American people – not corporations and not just a sliver of the total demographic. Congress should stop the endless fighting and get down to work on problem-solving and representing our interests as their constituents. The Coffee Party Movement is an open invitation to participate to anyone who believes that government should be part of problem-solving and representing our interests.
The Movement is Growing
I was able to speak with an organizer of the Coffee Party. He argued that many Americans are tired of the Tea Partiers portrayal in the media as the representation of the "Real America." Many Americans oppose the Tea Party and their tactics and rhetoric and need a vehicle to represent their side on the debates and issues of a country in crisis.
In addition, the Coffee Partiers want to give voice to real economic populism that is designed to address the concerns of middle and working class Americans. The Coffee Party organizers don't want the Right to have a monopoly of the populist side of the debate on economics and economic issues.
Their main struggle at this point is to come to a consensus on core principles and areas of focus. Their Facebook note on developing a platform for the movement reflects a desire to demonstrate, through practice and example, their commitment to (a) inclusivity and respect for a diversity of opinion and (b) a commitment to small "d" democracy and consensus-building.
We will try to show by example what a participatory democracy can and ought to look like. We need to show that we can come together as a community, despite our differences, and engage in a constructive dialogue that leads to solutions.
The movement is currently centered around social media networks. They have a website, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.
- coffeepartyusa.com
- www.facebook.com/coffeeparty
- twitter.com/coffeepartyusa
- www.youtube.com/user/coffeepartyusa
Since they started the social media sites in early February, there are now over 40 chapters nationwide and growing everyday. Their Facebook group had over 20,000 fans as of the time I am writing this (late February) and growing rapidly.
Potential and Challenge for the Future
The Coffee Party Movement has the potential to really take off and spread like wildfire much the same way the Tea Parties started through social media and grassroots networks. I am very pleased that a citizen-centered, grassroots uprising other than a right-wing one is in the works which seeks to address the gridlock and polarization in Congress and the dysfunctional politics in general in Washington DC.
The very fact that within a month of launching that they have established nearly 40 chapters nationwide and have passed the 20,000 member mark in the Facebook page bodes well for their future.
The real test for the Coffee Party will come when they have reached critical mass, have established an organizational structure and then are in a position to DO something. Either support or oppose some political measure, or apply pressure on a politician by giving or withholding support. Once the Coffee Party Movement has passed the stage of conversations and meetings and are in a position to execute their ideas into practice will determine what type of organization and movement they will be.
Another big test would be how they are portrayed in the mass media and if the media portrayals create momentum that will allow the Coffee Party to control the narrative in the public consciousness regarding the issues it wishes to address. The American mass media is notorious for leaning towards sensationalism and soundbites instead of substantive, in-depth treatment of serious issues. And let us not forget the influence of Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck in allowing the Right to set the stage, climate and control the debate and to derail the momentum of any fledgling movement that they oppose.
Their organizers told me that they are non-partisan and fully intend to reach out and appeal to Republicans and conservatives as well as independents. Reading their Facebook wall comments and general thrust of their communications, they appear to have a primarily left-leaning membership and leadership (so far) with a focus on supporting the aims of the more progressive policies of the Obama administration.
The question in my mind is this a grassroots movement that independents can participate in?
The Coffee Party would do well to heed the findings and statistics in this study:
People who self-identify as independents now outnumber those who self-identify as either Republican or Democrat. They have found both major parties inadequate, and are cynical about the two major national parties for solutions or leadership. Independents like me are independent precisely because we reject that the frame and scope of political debate and discourse in the U.S. should be limited to the Republicans and Democrats. Like the Coffee Party, we want solutions and problem-solving, not gridlock and endless partisan bickering.
If the Coffee Party Movement will succeed in truly transcending narrow partisanship it would have to watch out about becoming subsumed into or being perceived by the public as an appendage of the Democratic Party. Being a primarily liberal or Democratic organization and one which seeks to apply pressure to politicians to adopt more progressive positions is fine. The danger for the Coffee Party in appealing to non-Democrats lies in being seen as just another vehicle to elect Democratic politicians into office.
I gather that the Coffee Party Movement intends to be independent of the major parties. It bodes well for them to keep that vision in mind as they grow and develop their organization.
Some Great Exchanges from the Healthcare Summit
In case you couldn't watch it yesterday, here are some of the good exchanges at the Healthcare Summit
Thursday, February 25, 2010
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