Blue Dogs raking in the Lobbyists Cash

From Faiz Shakir at Thnik Progress:

The 52-member Blog Dog Coalition has been constantly attempting to weaken President Obama’s efforts to pass progressive health care, clean energy, and economic recovery legislation through Congress. According to a new report by the Center for Public Integrity, many of the industries that are opposing Obama’s agenda are now contributing heavily to the Blue Dogs:

So far this year, the political action committee attached to the fiscally conservative House Democratic voting bloc is on track to shatter all its fundraising records, raising more in the first six months of 2009 — more than $1.1 million — than it did in the entire 2003-04 fundraising cycle.

Nearly 54 percent of the Blue Dog PAC’s haul this year comes from the energy, financial services and health care industries, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to analysis of CQ MoneyLine data by the Center for Public Integrity.

And from Politico:

Whether the subject is health care reform, climate change or pay-as-you-go budgeting rules, almost everyone, it seems, suddenly wants to talk with the Blue Dogs.

And they’re willing to pay handsomely for the opportunity.

So far this year, the political action committee attached to the fiscally conservative House Democratic voting bloc is on track to shatter all its fundraising records, raising more in the first six months of 2009 — more than $1.1 million — than it did in the entire 2003-04 fundraising cycle.

Nearly 54 percent of the Blue Dog PAC’s haul this year comes from the energy, financial services and health care industries, up from 45 percent in 2004, according to analysis of CQ MoneyLine data by the Center for Public Integrity.

These contributions poured in as President Barack Obama and the Democratic Congress have been making a major push to reform health care, develop a new energy policy and restructure oversight of the banking sector.

Clearly, these Dogs are having their day.

Clearly we have a fight ahead of us to discount these Blue Dogs and show people that they are in it for their money. Remember, House terms, unlike the Senate, are two years. The way to get these Blue Dogs in line is to run against them and get behind the Progressive candidates. And another way is to embarrass them in their own Districts and States.

Tally Ho Progressives! Keep on fighting!

GOP pushing to delay Health Care Bill

The AP has an article out this morning saying:

House Republican Whip Eric Cantor charged on Thursday that too much of the burden of bankrolling a new health care system would fall on small businesses at a time when job creation is virtually nonexistent.

At the same time, the Virginia Republican said he doubts that a version of the plan in the House can win passage before members of Congress leave for their August recess. "If they're going to get this passed next week, it's going to have to be a changed bill," he said.

Rep. Eric Cantor was on c-span this AM touting his and the GOP stance on this. Will it work? Will the Blue Dogs hold up the bill helping the GOP postpone the bill until after the August Recess?

The article goes on to quote David Axelrod:

Senior White House adviser David Axelrod reiterated President Barack Obama's plea for lawmakers to act now.

"The bottom line here is right now health care premiums have doubled over the last decade. Out-of-pocket costs up by a third," he said. "Health care costs are growing three times the rate of wages."

"It's an unsustainable path," Axelrod added, "and the government is being crunched by it, businesses are being crushed by it. We have to respond."

And the moderates (Blue Dogs) are holding up the works:

In the House, Democratic leaders struggled to win over rebellious moderates and conservative rank-and-file party members who are demanding changes to the bill. The dispute has forced Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., to postpone work on the legislation for three straight days while he negotiates.

Waxman's committee is the last of three panels trying to finish the legislation. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Wednesday she has the votes to pass a bill in the House, which is scheduled to break for its monthlong recess at the end of next week. However, the Speaker hasn't scheduled a vote.

So what is the solution? We need to get at least one Bill passed before the break. It would be good if it were the House bill.

FireDogLake is circulating a petition. Here's their email about it and a link to sign the petition:

Great news - in just one day, more than 17,000 people signed our petition to tell the House to not go on vacation until it passes health care reform. Thank you for your support!

Can we make it to 25,000 by tomorrow? Forward this email to your friends and ask them to sign our petition

.

Tomorrow we'll deliver your signature to the Representatives who'd rather go on vacation than pass health care reform - and we'll show you what happens afterward.

Thanks for your help,

We have to get moving on this or, as Obama said, we will lose the opportunity "The Stars are aligned".

What are your thoughts?

Tammy Duckworth not running for House seat again

From the Chicago Tribune:


Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq War veteran now serving as director of the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, said that "she has decided not to run again next year against U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam (R-IL) in the 6th Congressional District," according to the Chicago Tribune.

"As a Democrat and political newcomer a year ago, Duckworth fell just a few percentage points shy of Roskam as they vied for an open seat in a west-suburban district that has long been a Republican stronghold. The race to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde became one of the most hotly contested in the nation."

"In the end, Roskam bested Duckworth with 51.4 percent of the vote to her 48.6 percent, providing one of the few disappointments for Democrats in a year when they swept into power in Congress -- but the slim margin of defeat left Democrats believing the seat is within their reach."

House Vote: Bush stripped of authority to appoint US Attorneys on an interim basis

The House just joined the Senate on this issue. Here's the excerpt from Raw Story:

In a 329-78 vote last night, the House of Representatives followed the Senate and stripped President George W. Bush of the authority to appoint United States Attorneys on an interim basis, ending the ability of the Bush administration to do an end run around the Senate in putting controversial US Attorneys in office.

The bill sponsored by Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA) places a 120-day limit to the term of a United States Attorney appointed on an interim basis. Democrats allege that the previous authority to appoint interim US Attorneys on an unlimited basis, inserted stealthily into the 2006 reauthorization of the USA Patriot Act, was used as a 'loophole' to insert Bush administration political loyalists into office.

The congress is finally coming to life and voting to keep their constitutional power.

Rep. Berman pointed to an e-mail from Kyle Sampson, the former chief of staff to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who said "We should gum this to death. Our guy is in there so the status quo is good for us. Pledge a desire for a Senate-confirmed U.S. Attorney and otherwise hunker down."

"They quickly figured out that the provision created the possibility to circumvent the Senate and decided to exploit that power," Berman added.

House Republicans offered thin opposition on the House floor. Rep. Lamar Smith, the Ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, described his objection as primarily procedural, and voted to support the bill.

And now to the president:

The Senate measure passed on a 94-2. The measure will proceed to the White House for approval after being considered in a House-Senate conference.

Pelosi Ask for Gonzales resignation.

Nancy Pelosi,Speaker of the House of Representatives, gave an interview to WGN-TV and met with the Trbune Editorial Board and said "I believe we need a new attorney general.''

Here's an excerpt from the Chicago Tribune:

Pelosi calls for new attorney general

By Jill Zuckman
Tribune national correspondent
Published March 19, 2007, 11:31 AM CDT
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) added her voice to the growing chorus of discontent over the Justice Department's firing of eight federal prosecutors, saying today, "I believe we need a new attorney general.''

In a meeting with The Chicago Tribune editorial board and in an interview with WGN-TV, Pelosi said there was a reason Republicans feared a Democratic victory last November.

"They knew that the era of no oversight was over and that they would have to be held accountable,'' she said, citing the scandal at Walter Reed over the treatment of wounded soldiers, as well as questions about whether politics played a role in the dismissal of the U.S. attorneys.

"I think what is unfolding looks pretty bad for the administration as well as Alberto Gonzales,'' Pelosi said, noting that Republicans have begun calling for his dismissal in addition to Democrats.

In this article she goes on to say:

"I don't think Alberto Gonzales fundamentally understood the difference between being the president's lawyer and the attorney general of the United States and the premier defender of the Constitution,'' she said. "I think what is important is for us to have the hearings, which will be thorough and reasoned and put the facts on the record."

"I don't think it looks good for him right now," Pelosi said of Gonzales.

So the Speaker of the House has joined many who ask for Gonzales removal from office. Some are Republicans. It's time for "Alberto" to go!

UPDATE: Arlen Spector is now on the Senate floor saying that the US Atty's should not be removed while in the middle of an investigation. He's looking for an amendment to correct this in the future.