I hate being gone from Daily Kos because then I feel like I have no idea what is actually going on in the world! Took me awhile to get up to speed.
So, the media is "buzzing" as it normally does about McCain's comments yesterday that he will not support the stimulus without changes. Why is this news to anyone? Could I be any less shocked? I think I remember that John McCain ran his campaign on the platform of continuing Bush's policies on the economy. And he also lost pretty decidedly. Of course he is going to push for more tax cuts, because that is the only answer that Republicans have for this economic crisis. And unfortunately for Republicans, Americans pretty overwhelmingly chose the economic philosophy of "that" other guy.
Also, Russ Feingold wants to end the practice of Senate appointments... just think how much drama we would have been spared!
John McCain made "big news" on the Sunday talk show circuit by announcing he will not vote for the stimulus as it stands now. Who cares? If I remember correctly, John McCain lost pretty convincingly in a big election a few months ago - an election that was incredibly focused on the economy. I think the majority of the American people pretty soundly rejected his economic philosophy. Steve Benen also wonders why this is so shocking to the media:
The news, apparently, can by summarized this way: "Conservative Republican still embraces conservative Republican economic agenda." It's not exactly a stop-the-presses revelation. Of course McCain opposes an economic stimulus -- he thinks the economy is "fundamentally strong."
Let's not forget that 71% of Americans think Obama has a mandate for major new social and economic programs. The Republican philosophy of tax cuts, tax cuts and tax cuts is not major or new. Joan Walsh correctly wonders why bipartisanship only applies to Democrats, in response to a question Chuck Todd asked at a press conference:
But on Friday he asked whether Obama would consider vetoing any stimulus package that didn't get Republican votes, to show he's serious about bipartisanship. Again, I ask, why does bipartisanship always mean Democrats caving in to Republicans? Did anyone in the White House press corps suggest that George W. Bush, who won by a slimmer margin than Obama, ought to veto bills that didn't get Democratic votes in 2001 or 2005? I don't think so.
So true. It drives me absolutely batty. Meanwhile, John Kerry and Kent Conrad have an op-ed in today's Wall Street Journal calling for quick action in Congress on the economy.
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Stuart Rothenberg at Roll Call thinks 2010 will be another tough year for Republicans in the Senate:
After being pummeled two cycles in a row — losing six seats in 2006 and what looks like eight seats in 2008 — Senate Republicans face another challenging cycle. Even though they hold just 41 Senate seats, they are defending 19 of the 36 Senate seats that will be on the ballot next year.
Rothenberg thinks Jim Bunning may have a hard time in Kentucky and predicts that all of the GOP's open seats will be battlegrounds. Interestingly, Rothenberg thinks Burris' seat in Illinois "clearly favors" the Dems, which wouldn't have been my first guess.
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So, I obviously didn't see Blagojevich on the Today Show on Sunday, but apparently it was quite the sight:
In the NBC interview, portions of which aired Sunday and others to be aired today, Blagojevich said that when he was arrested on federal corruption charges last month, "I thought about Mandela, Dr. King, Gandhi, and trying to put some perspective in all of this."
The governor was referring to civil rights leaders Nelson Mandela of South Africa, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and India's Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Um... is he really comparing himself to Mandela, King and Gandhi? This guy is an embarrassment to Democrats everywhere. The only possible explanation I can think of is that he is laying the groundwork for that insanity defense... don't you ever wish that some people would just get lost?
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Mike Lupica is not impressed with Paterson's pick of Kirsten Gillibrand pick, but Paul Begala loves her. You didn't think the drama would stop just because an announcement was made, did you?
Russ Feingold wants to put an end to the practice of Senate appointments, which is something I would wholeheartedly support:
Feingold, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution, plans to introduce an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to require special elections in the event of a Senate seat vacancy.
Just think how much unnecessary drama we could have avoided over the past few weeks if Illinois and New York had both held special elections for their Senate seats? Sign me up!
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I was very happy to see Obama reverse the ridiculous Mexico City policy on Friday. Barbara Crossette looks at how damaging that policy was for women in developing nations:
Millions of women and their families were the direct victims of these shortsighted steps, taken in the name of people who called themselves "pro-family," but appeared to be woefully ignorant of the harm they caused in homes around the world. The International Planned Parenthood Federation, based in London, estimates that in the last eight years alone as much as $100 million in US aid was lost to its affiliates in 100 countries because of their refusal to accept an abortion ban. The federation estimates this lost aid could have prevented 36 million unintended pregnancies and 15 million abortions, often acts of desperation. More than 80,000 women and more than 2.5 million children might not have died.
That's not very pro-family, is it? Steven Sinding, the former director general of the International Planned Parenthood Federation sums up the reaction I felt:
He described President Obama's reversal of the order as something akin to "a glorious sunrise after a long and exceptionally dark night."
Ah, change...
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Finally, the International Criminal Court starts its first trial today, as Reuters reports:
A Congolese militia leader will be the first suspect to go on trial at the International Criminal Court on Monday, in a test of the credibility of the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.
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So what's on your mind this morning?
I probably won't be posting very often over the next few weeks... moving, buying a house, buying a car and finding a job will be taking up the vast majority of my time, but then I want to get back to a regular posting schedule!