++Yes,it's Monday that the Senate will vote on Janet Yellin and make her the most powerful women in the world.
++The New York Times reports that John Kerry has been negotiating behind the scenes for a major Climate Change Treaty in 2015.
++John McCain said he told Karzai better put up or shut up about the security agreement on Afghanistan. He says he will confident it will be signed. Iraq's government has also weighed in to urge Kazai to avoid their mistake.
++Fox News is getting older. It has seen the largest decline in the 25-54 demographic in its history. A -30%. A similar thing happened to CNN and it became the least watched tv channel.
++The Mississippi governor has a new unique way for opposing the expansion of Medicaid. He claims he is protecting the state when Obamacare is repealed.
++Did you know the states of the Deep South have literally no minimum wage? I didn't. I thought that was stunning.
++Cantaloupe man Rep. Steve King says he is just like Papa Duck. Papa Duck now not only doesn't like gays or blacks but he said he's against the Chinese and Muslims are "killers".
++Sarah Palin has made a New Year's resolution to make "government irrelevant". Like her in other words.
Showing posts with label Janet Yellin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Janet Yellin. Show all posts
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Friday, December 20, 2013
Harry's Sick,Senate and Obama to Leave Town
++Harry Reid was hospitalized this morning and will stay in the hospital and miss today's votes.
++Janet Yellin won't be confirmed until January.
++The Senate will go home with no Farm Bill, extended unemployment benefits and judicial nominations may or may not have to be re-submitted.
++Democratic chairpersons revolted against the Nuclear Free Iran Act and President Obama said he would veto. But Rachel Maddow quite correctly pointed out that with the number of Democratic cosponsors,if the stand alone bill came to the floor it might have passed with a veto proof majority and paved the way to war with Iran.
++Unsurprisingly,the Senate did passed by a whopping vote of 84-15 a Defense bill of $552.1 billion and $80.7 billion for the War in Afghanistan and other overseas operations.
++The Bill does allow President Obama to send Gitmo prisoners to third countries but still doesn't allow for the remaining prisoners to be tried in American courts.
++The Bill actually does allow the U.S. to pay for the destruction of the chemical weapons in Syria.
++Jack Lew says the debt ceiling will have to be raised sometime in February or early March. Watch this space.
++The GDP's Third Quarter was revised upward to 4.1% from 3.6%, the second best quarter since the 2007 Recession.
++Even Huffington Post had to admit that the state exchanges for ACA are running at top speed and enrollments are surging in states that are part of the Union.
++New Mexico's Supreme Court OK'd same-sex marriage. Weirdly,LGBT activists are predicting Indiana will be next.
++President Obama is supposed to address the press before he leaves for his Christmas Holidays in Hawaii.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
The Senate Is Out Of Session This Weekend
++The Senate recessed Friday because the GOP ran out of gas to block Obama's nominations. A few dozen were confirmed during the all-night sessions this week.
++Next week they are to take up the budget and the NDAA and confirm Janet Yellin. We should be free again by Wednesday as all Congresscritters will be home for the holidays.
++With the new school shooting in Colorado and the commemoration of the Newtown shooting, we forget the anniversary of the killing of John Lennon on the 8th. Since then,over 1,000,000 Americans have died from guns. That is staggering and there doesn't seem to be any movement to reverse this trend.
++The Washington Post writes this Sunday that President Obama had the worst year in Washington and Politfact gave "You can keep your insurance." as the "Lie of the Year". Here's to a better year for everyone.
++Business Insider says that with the stability of the budget and the projections for growth next year, we could be entering into a period of Clinton-era economic growth. That is, if the GOP doesn't screw it up.
++Mother Jones has an excellent article with great graphics about the Defense Budget and all the items the Pentagon buys. A great thing to know is that the military has over 170 golf courses.
++We are entering the season for countless lists. I will spare you. I can't stand them.
++Next week they are to take up the budget and the NDAA and confirm Janet Yellin. We should be free again by Wednesday as all Congresscritters will be home for the holidays.
++With the new school shooting in Colorado and the commemoration of the Newtown shooting, we forget the anniversary of the killing of John Lennon on the 8th. Since then,over 1,000,000 Americans have died from guns. That is staggering and there doesn't seem to be any movement to reverse this trend.
++The Washington Post writes this Sunday that President Obama had the worst year in Washington and Politfact gave "You can keep your insurance." as the "Lie of the Year". Here's to a better year for everyone.
++Business Insider says that with the stability of the budget and the projections for growth next year, we could be entering into a period of Clinton-era economic growth. That is, if the GOP doesn't screw it up.
++Mother Jones has an excellent article with great graphics about the Defense Budget and all the items the Pentagon buys. A great thing to know is that the military has over 170 golf courses.
++We are entering the season for countless lists. I will spare you. I can't stand them.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
The Most Powerful Woman in American History Will Be?
++Not Hillary Clinton and not Elizabeth Warren. Drumroll. Tomorrow, President Obama will nominate Janet Yellin as the Chairwoman of the Federal Reserve. Feathers in both their caps. Before the shutdown fight, Yellin had support from both sides of the aisle and would have been seen as shoe-in. Given the distemper of the GOP, it's unclear whether they will bring the nasty to the table. She had significant support among the GOP before the nomination on the strength that she was not Larry Summers. Since the United States is teetering on default, she will face perhaps the greatest challenge since Bernacke dealt with the global economic collapse. But, congratulations,she really deserved it. She has been a terrific member of the Fed and has expressed her concern about one of the pillars of that institution's mission--the creation of jobs. On the strength of her new position and the power it wields,she will be the most powerful woman in American history.
++We left the Capital tonight with the House GOP still grousing and then voting to create a commission--now to negotiate raising the debt ceiling. Why don't they just establish a Central Committee and deliberate endlessly on ideology?
++The White House issued a call to the House to stop screwing around and pass an immigration act since the Senate passed one two months ago. Today, thousands gathered at the National Mall to rally for immigration reform. Unlike the tea baggers who charged the war monuments without reaction, six Democratic congressmen were arrested, including legendary civil rights leader John Lewis.
++Andrew Sullivan reflects my frustration tonight in his post expressing disgust with the diametrically opposed belief systems of the Democrats and the Republicans or better the clash between reality-base arguments and the fantasy world of the Republicans. He jokes that the GOP are acting as Saul Alinsky, while Obama is the true conservative. An unnecessary insult to Alinsky. But I share his sentiments about the level of the discussion or lack thereof in Washington.
++Boehner is quite cracked. In the morning, he cheers his caucus on saying they must put some points on the board after all this. By late afternoon, after President Obama put him down, he tells his team the Democrats are trying to annihilate us.
++Just a reminder, there really are enough votes in Congress to pass a clean CR, and also enough votes to pass a clean debt ceiling.
++I've read at least two posts today that suggest President Obama will do something to direct the Treasury to issue treasury bonds to cover the government's debt, if Congress doesn't act. Josh Marshall's well-reasoned piece before President Obama's press conference argues why he won't. But Sean Wilentz's op-ed in the Times makes a compelling case why he should. We know that Prof. Tribe, Obama's former professor in constitutional law argues strongly against his actions but Dr. Posner at the University of Chicago is just as articulate why he must. Here, we are entering a zone where the Constitution is unclear. The pro-argument says that President Obama should declare an economic state of emergency since an artificial default would trigger a catastrophe or be similar to a nuclear explosion,according to Warren Buffett, and would require the President to step in to save the day. Right now, that seems to be the issue dwarfing the shutdown and the GOP is actually hardening their positions in a stance resembling a "coup".
++We left the Capital tonight with the House GOP still grousing and then voting to create a commission--now to negotiate raising the debt ceiling. Why don't they just establish a Central Committee and deliberate endlessly on ideology?
++The White House issued a call to the House to stop screwing around and pass an immigration act since the Senate passed one two months ago. Today, thousands gathered at the National Mall to rally for immigration reform. Unlike the tea baggers who charged the war monuments without reaction, six Democratic congressmen were arrested, including legendary civil rights leader John Lewis.
++Andrew Sullivan reflects my frustration tonight in his post expressing disgust with the diametrically opposed belief systems of the Democrats and the Republicans or better the clash between reality-base arguments and the fantasy world of the Republicans. He jokes that the GOP are acting as Saul Alinsky, while Obama is the true conservative. An unnecessary insult to Alinsky. But I share his sentiments about the level of the discussion or lack thereof in Washington.
++Boehner is quite cracked. In the morning, he cheers his caucus on saying they must put some points on the board after all this. By late afternoon, after President Obama put him down, he tells his team the Democrats are trying to annihilate us.
++Just a reminder, there really are enough votes in Congress to pass a clean CR, and also enough votes to pass a clean debt ceiling.
++I've read at least two posts today that suggest President Obama will do something to direct the Treasury to issue treasury bonds to cover the government's debt, if Congress doesn't act. Josh Marshall's well-reasoned piece before President Obama's press conference argues why he won't. But Sean Wilentz's op-ed in the Times makes a compelling case why he should. We know that Prof. Tribe, Obama's former professor in constitutional law argues strongly against his actions but Dr. Posner at the University of Chicago is just as articulate why he must. Here, we are entering a zone where the Constitution is unclear. The pro-argument says that President Obama should declare an economic state of emergency since an artificial default would trigger a catastrophe or be similar to a nuclear explosion,according to Warren Buffett, and would require the President to step in to save the day. Right now, that seems to be the issue dwarfing the shutdown and the GOP is actually hardening their positions in a stance resembling a "coup".
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Could We Get Real?
++The Republican House is now at war with Republicans in the Senate because they want the Senate GOP to take the lead in de-funding Obamacare. Tan Man Boehner's idea of getting a temporary budget solution by adding defunding Obamacare has now been withdrawn by the House Republicans because it did not suit The Club of Growth and Americans for Prosperity and other right-wing interest groups. They knew that it would be stripped from a Senate version and sent to Obama for his signature. The GOP budget would hamper Medicare, cut foodstamps by $50 billion and continue the sequestration. This little gambit by Boehner and Cantor didn't even sell well to their own Caucus.
++Nancy Pelosi rightfully called this the abyss of GOP dysfunction. How anyone in their right mind could vote for a Republican now is beyond me. They are virtually incapable of any form of governing.
++House Teabaggers wants to throw the ball to Ted Cruz and a handful of Senators to force the Senate to vote on defunding Obamacare and face a veto by President Obama.
++Remember all this is just to avoid a government shutdown, which both the House and Senators went off to recess, pledging to avoid.
++None of this makes any rational sense. The GOP criticize President Obama has embarrassed the United State before the world. What do you think the last three years of incompetence by the GOP done?
++President Obama needs to do two things to avoid the total meltdown of the political system into Teabag anarchy. 1. Appoint Janet Yellin as the new Fed chair to avoid a long drawn-out battle in the Senate. 2. By executive order, unilaterally raise the debt ceiling to avoid market chaos.
++Sequestration will start taking big hunks out of the military budget this year and less than the devastation it has wrought to domestic discretionary spending. The Democrats have a logical plan for ending sequestration but they have to remember the other side is a few planks short of a full deck. It is unlikely there can be any meaningful bipartisan movement on the budget this year and the next.
++One of the cut tricks little Ricky Cantor came up with was to pass a budget at the current sequestered amount that is about $200 million less than the Senate approved cuts. That would mean the base budget would be the already reduced budget and then add on the mandatory cuts for this year. All this in the pursuit of cutting the national government below 2008 levels.
++Remember, dear reader, the majority of Republicans do not want Obamacare defunded. This is the sole interest of the corporately funded anarchists.
++Nancy Pelosi rightfully called this the abyss of GOP dysfunction. How anyone in their right mind could vote for a Republican now is beyond me. They are virtually incapable of any form of governing.
++House Teabaggers wants to throw the ball to Ted Cruz and a handful of Senators to force the Senate to vote on defunding Obamacare and face a veto by President Obama.
++Remember all this is just to avoid a government shutdown, which both the House and Senators went off to recess, pledging to avoid.
++None of this makes any rational sense. The GOP criticize President Obama has embarrassed the United State before the world. What do you think the last three years of incompetence by the GOP done?
++President Obama needs to do two things to avoid the total meltdown of the political system into Teabag anarchy. 1. Appoint Janet Yellin as the new Fed chair to avoid a long drawn-out battle in the Senate. 2. By executive order, unilaterally raise the debt ceiling to avoid market chaos.
++Sequestration will start taking big hunks out of the military budget this year and less than the devastation it has wrought to domestic discretionary spending. The Democrats have a logical plan for ending sequestration but they have to remember the other side is a few planks short of a full deck. It is unlikely there can be any meaningful bipartisan movement on the budget this year and the next.
++One of the cut tricks little Ricky Cantor came up with was to pass a budget at the current sequestered amount that is about $200 million less than the Senate approved cuts. That would mean the base budget would be the already reduced budget and then add on the mandatory cuts for this year. All this in the pursuit of cutting the national government below 2008 levels.
++Remember, dear reader, the majority of Republicans do not want Obamacare defunded. This is the sole interest of the corporately funded anarchists.
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