Thursday, January 15, 2015

How To Interpret The New Congress

++Barney Frank was pretty nonchalant about the efforts to roll back Dodd-Franks financial reform even though the GOP managed to get the regulations on derivatives removed. Frank's assessment is that the core will be preserve ed and the Obama Administration is committed from blocking more erosion. I wish I could believe him.

++Jonathan Bernstein says that Hillary has the Democratic nomination sewed up. Hiring Jon Podesta and other heavyweights seals the deal for him. 

++The House Republicans voted to deport the DREAMERS even though the handful of moderates tried to restrain them. We are talking about the first tranche of immigrants Obama ruled on. How's that for minority outreach.

++One problemo is that the House Republicans defunded Homeland Security which cancels border security and deportations. Obama's action are funded through fees. So the national security party leaves the country defenseless out of a temper tantrum. 

++Rick Perry says he will defend the border even though Obama won't. FYI--there is a net negative immigration on the border--more people are going to Mexico than coming here.

++There are some strange doings in our Congress. John McCain is going after the Jones Law, which mandates that American goods must be shipped on American ships. The idea was to bolster the American shipbuilding industry.

++The House passes without debate an obscure bill that would undo almost all state regulation--from EPA to the SEC. Kudos to the Huffington Post for catching this one. It is one of the most pernicious bills from this Congress.

++You can travel to Havana tomorrow. The restrictions on tourist travel have been lifted.

++President Obama has mandated that methane emissions be reduced by 40% by 2025. Mother Jones thinks this is a big F****ing Deal. This almost cements President Obama's legacy as the most active environmental president since TR.

++George Will thinks Democrats are klutzes on the Keystone XL Pipeline. The last few days we in the Beltway have heard incessant ads for the pipeline. 

++I always think there will be a time when the right just gets hoarse from the nonsense about President Obama. Now the grand conspiracy is that President Obama--Obama to you laypeople--is blackmailing General Petraeus with the threat of an indictment over the leaking of classified documents to his mistress. The fear is that Petraeus could reveal the "truth" about Benghazi--whatever that is.

++Rudy Guiliani thinks Romney can win if he stresses Benghazi again. 

++Because Congress thinks President Obama has weaponized the IRS, you will not be receiving your tax refunds in time because they cut the IRS's budget, which also means about $300billion will not be collected.

++The GOP presidential race has opened with the Mitt-Jeb wars. Chris Christie is telling big donors to wait .It's too early. Christie is backed by Mr. Hobby Land,the person whose corporation has a religion. That's all you need too know.

++The RNC has scheduled its Cleveland convention early to get an edge on the Democrats and have limited the number of debates in case you get the idea they are wacko-birds.

++Speaking of which Alex Jones of Infowars fame endorses Rand Paul and Carnival Cruz as the ticket.

++President Obama is about to authorize maternity leave for federal employees and may push for mandatory overtime of all employees.

++Andrew Sullivan, recovering from his cold,reiterates that Obama is to the center-left what Reagan was to the center right. I buy that. The New New York magazine has extended pieces on historians evaluating what will be Obama legacy.

++Secretary of State John Kerry is in Paris to meet with the Iranian foreign minister on the nuclear talks. Meanwhile the Senate has readied two bills to enforce stricter sanctions against Iran because the Senators do not trust President Obama being "tough enough" on the Iranians.

++And I conclude with Ben Carson,GOP candidate for President, saying today that ISIS is like our Founding Fathers they will die for their beliefs.

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