Thursday, February 04, 2010
As far as he knows there is not a large Jewish population in his Indiana Congressional district. However, Rep. Mike Pence often rushes to the House floor to deliver speeches on Israel. He's simply a Bible-believing Christian, he says, who loves the country.
Watch what else the Chairman of the House Republican Conference had to say about how President Obama is handling peace in the Middle East.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Everyone is always paying so much attention to, and talking about what First Lady Michelle Obama is wearing. You don't hear much about the President's wardrobe (unless he's wearing those unfortunate "dad jeans"). But lucky for you, I am just nerdy enough and pay close enough attention to detail to notice a little, bipartisan touch over the last week or so.
Has anyone else noticed the purple ties?
Here's President Obama Friday, when he met with House GOP members:
And here he is today, as he met with Senate Democrats:
Purple ties, both days. Maybe the other guys are trying to take the edge off too. Did you see Senator Harry Reid sporting a pink tie and Rep. John Boehner in light green?
Note: During his State of the Union address, President Obama was wearing a red striped tie, while Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were matching... in purple.
There you go, for what it's worth.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The Old Dominion started a new era Saturday. Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell took the oath of office and carried his wife, Maureen, over the threshold of the governor's mansion signaling a drastic shift in political power after an eight year rein by Democrats.
He succeeds Gov. Tim Kaine, who is also the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. McDonnell, like virtually ever other governor in the Union, faces lots of challenges. Most of them stem from the Commonwealth's $4 billion budget shortfall. McDonnell has pledged to use conservative Republican principles to close the budget gap. He'll also be asking God for guidance.
Speaking at a prayer breakfast before his inauguration Saturday, McDonnell compared his public service to a "ministry." Beltway Buzz was there and captured this exclusive video (McDonnell's full remarks run eight minutes). Read highlights of his remarks below.
"The book of Romans says, there is a Scripture there that is very important, says the civil ruler is the minister to do you good and then to punish the evil doer, but primarily he's a minister so I look at this role in public service really as a form of ministry and it truly is public service.
Jesus said something very important. His disciples were bickering over who was going to be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven and he calmed them down and they were all sullen after he looked at them and he said the son of man came not to be served, but to serve and in fact that the greatest among you is the servant of all. What a remarkable definition of greatness. That is in service to one another, service to others and loving one another and the giving of ourselves that we become great. Very different definition than we often read and see in modern life.
So as I embark on this journey I just want to say, as the Attorney General-elect prayed, I do pray for the wisdom of Solomon. Last year I prayed for votes and money, (laughter) this year, this year it's wisdom....and money, but uh, that's public money that I'm praying for this year. "
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, in a briefing with reporters today, said it is "feasible" for House and Senate leaders to reach a compromise and pass health care legislation within the next 15 days. That's an important number because if Republican Scott Brown wins today's special election in Massachusetts to fill the senate seat vacated by the late Sen. Ted Kennedy he would have to be seated within the next 15 days.
When asked what the close race says about the state of the Democratic party Hoyer said he doesn't need a special election in Massachusetts to know the American people are angry and concerned about the direction of the nation. He says it's a tough time to have a special election because of the anger and the fact that people are looking to get out of this ditch.
If Brown wins the race Democrats will have to make some tough decisions on how to proceed with health care. One option would be to have the House consider the Senate bill, but pro- life Democrats led by Rep. Bart Stupak have already said the legislation doesn't meet their requirements on prohibiting the public funding of abortion.
Meanwhile, Hoyer also took the opportunity today to offer the top objectives of House Democrats in the new year. Ironically health care wasn't on the list. Instead job creation and stabilizing the nation's financial posture top the leadership's agenda.
Friday, January 08, 2010
If the first full week of the new decade is any indication of what's in store for Democrats, then they're in for a bumpy ride. The White House and intelligence agencies are taking a beating for the blunders that led to the botched Christmas day bombing plot of Northwest flight 253.
Two senior senators announced they're not seeking reelection in 2010. Two gubernatorial candidates (one in Colorado, the other in Michigan) also gave their political swan songs. And then there's December's newly released unemployment numbers: another 85,000 jobs lost to conclude 2009.
With just ten months left before voters head to the polls, Washington lawmakers had better find a way to jumpstart the economy and create jobs or else they'll find themselves out of work like the millions of Americans who've gotten pink slips in the recent recession.
Democrats are particularly vulnerable because they're the party in control, while Republicans stand to make gains. Democrats don't need a crystal ball to see that they're going to lose seats. Their only hope to fend off major losses is for an economic turnaround that'll put millions of Americans back to work, but that won't happen without effective policies.
According to a Rasmussen poll taken in December, 38% of Americans said they thought the stimulus plan actually has hurt the economy. Only 30% believed that it has helped. Democrats will have to do much better than that to make the case they're on top of the problem and that their policies are working.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
About 60 Pennsylvanians took their concerns about health care reform directly to Sen. Bob Casey today, or at least to his Capitol Hill office. They gathered there to pray that the senator, a self described pro-life Democrat, will put his allegiances as a Catholic Christian before his allegiances as a Democrat when it comes to casting key votes on health care legislation. Here's the exclusive video.
Senator Casey's senior staff met with the health care opponents down the hall. CBN's camera wasn't allowed inside the meeting, but we got a sneak peak when staffers opened the door in an effort to cool off the room. You can can gauge the temperature for yourself...here's more exclusive video.
Pro-life activists are urging Casey to vote "no" on cloture or ending debate on the health care bill. They say a vote for cloture, even if Casey votes against the final health care bill, will be like voting "yes" on public funding for abortion. As the senate gets closer to reaching compromise on other issues, public funding for abortion remains a divisive force. Sen. Casey voted in favor of an amendment offered by Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson that would have blocked tax dollars from funding abortions, but the amendment failed.
Here's a statement from Sen. Casey's State Press Secretary, Stephanie Zarecky:
Senator Casey voted for the Nelson amendment on the Senate floor as well as similar amendments he supported during the HELP Committee consideration of the bill in July. Both efforts were defeated. He is continuing to work on this issue as the Senate works to wrap up debate on health insurance reform.
He also believes that this bill presents a unique opportunity to provide new and critical support for pregnant women. Too many women face pregnancy frightened and alone. No woman should have to walk that road alone. That is why he has introduced two amendments to help ensure that pregnant women have additional support and assistance to properly care for herself and her child. He believes there is bipartisan agreement for providing this kind of affirmative assistance to pregnant women.
Another priority for him is the treatment of children in health care reform, particularly low-income children and children with special needs. He believes that no child should be worse off as a result of health care reform. That is why he introduced an amendment, supported by over 500 national and state advocates, to protect and secure funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
About 60 Pennsylvanians took their concerns about health care reform directly to Sen. Bob Casey today, or at least to his Capitol Hill office. They gathered there to pray that the senator, a self described pro-life Democrat, will put his allegiances as a Catholic Christian before his allegiances as a Democrat when it comes to casting key votes on health care legislation. Here's the exclusive video.
Senator Casey's senior staff met with the health care opponents down the hall. CBN's camera wasn't allowed inside the meeting, but we got a sneak peak when staffers opened the door in an effort to cool off the room. You can can gauge the temperature for yourself...here's more exclusive video.
Pro-life activists are urging Casey to vote "no" on cloture or ending debate on the health care bill. They say a vote for cloture, even if Casey votes against the final health care bill, will be like voting "yes" on public funding for abortion. As the senate gets closer to reaching compromise on other issues, public funding for abortion remains a divisive force. Sen. Casey voted in favor of an amendment offered by Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson that would have blocked tax dollars from funding abortions, but the amendment failed.
Here's a statement from Sen. Casey's State Press Secretary, Stephanie Zarecky:
Senator Casey voted for the Nelson amendment on the Senate floor as well as similar amendments he supported during the HELP Committee consideration of the bill in July. Both efforts were defeated. He is continuing to work on this issue as the Senate works to wrap up debate on health insurance reform.
He also believes that this bill presents a unique opportunity to provide new and critical support for pregnant women. Too many women face pregnancy frightened and alone. No woman should have to walk that road alone. That is why he has introduced two amendments to help ensure that pregnant women have additional support and assistance to properly care for herself and her child. He believes there is bipartisan agreement for providing this kind of affirmative assistance to pregnant women.
Another priority for him is the treatment of children in health care reform, particularly low-income children and children with special needs. He believes that no child should be worse off as a result of health care reform. That is why he introduced an amendment, supported by over 500 national and state advocates, to protect and secure funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Washington is keeping pretty busy in the run up to Christmas. Health care, of course, still dominates the headlines coming out of the Senate, where Democrats appear to be a tad bit upbeat after reaching a tentative agreement on an alternative to the public option. Republican Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., told CBN News that Americans won't be fooled.
"My first thought is they think people are stupid," DeMint said. "They really do think they can put a different costume on the same idea and that Americans won't notice it."
Whatever the case, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., still needs 60 votes to push his legislation across the finish line. Whether the so-called national health plan will gain enough traction among liberals and moderates remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the same group that pressured the U.S. House of Representatives to adopt language that blocks federal dollars from being used to pay for abortions is now blasting the Senate for failing to follow suit. Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, called the defeat of the Nelson amendment "a serious blow to genuine health care reform". He went on to call the failed vote deplorable and vowed to oppose the Senate bill "because it abandons both principle and precedent."
In the House, lawmakers just passed the Tax Extenders Act. It's touted as a tax-cutting, job-creating measure to help millions of middle class Americans. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said it's "another step forward in our drive to create more jobs, strengthen our economy, and lay the foundation for long-term prosperity."
The virtual party-line vote, 241-181, comes one day after President Obama outlined a jobs plan that would take advantage of leftover TARP money. Pres. Obama summoned a bipartisan delegation of lawmakers to the White House to discuss his proposals further. Republicans marched out of the meeting, saying the Administration is out of sync when it comes to Americans' number one concern: jobs. Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, said they continually raised that point to the president.
Here's how Pres. Obama responded, according to Mr. Boehner: "It's not my agenda, it's you Republicans who are there scaring the American people."
Perhaps the policies being pushed by Democrats may stir unrest. And, perhaps Republicans may be guilty of unnerving an already anxious public. But if unemployment remains at record highs, Washington politicians are the ones who need to be scared ... especially the ones facing an angry electorate in 2010.
Thursday, November 05, 2009
by Dana Ritter, CBN News Producer
Some parties require a lot of planning and preparation. You know the kind, with formal invitations and RSVPs and official head counts and what not.
Today's "House Call" on Congress was anything but that. In fact, it was less than a week ago that Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican from Minnesota, urged people to come. She brought it up during an appearance she made on Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Channel. Six days ago.
Some people apparently got the invitation. Thousands showed up on the West Front of the United States Capitol. I was surprised at the size of the crowd when I first saw it out the window of the taxi cab. I didn't really know what to expect, I mean how many people could there be on a random Thursday in the middle of November, with less than a week's notice, right?
But, they came. And these people were passionate, too. I saw lots of home made signs that said things like "No Obamacare" and "Hands off my health care." There were people dressed in colonial attire, people waving American flags and "Don't Tread On Me" flags. I could literally hear people calling their Congressmen on their cell phones as I walked through the crowd.
I heard people chanting "Kill the bill!" and "U-S-A!" I saw a guy playing bagpipes and another man playing a saxaphone.
I met people from Virginia, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Florida, Texas and Ohio. It was definitely a lively crowd!
When the press conference with Members of Congress started, the crowd quieted down to listen. Rep. Tom Price, a Republican from Georgia and also a Physician started things off saying he had a diagnosis "Legislative malpractice."
The crowd went wild. They cheered Rep. Bachmann as she quoted Thomas Jefferson, "A revolution every now and then is a good thing." They booed when she brought up House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's name - so loudly that I couldn't catch what it was that Bachmann said about Pelosi.
House Minority Leader John Boehner made a surprise appearance. Other attenders included Tony Perkins of Family Research Council and conservative celebrities John Voight and John Ratzenberger.
After the event, activists were encouraged to go find their Congressmen's offices. I don't know how each and every one of those thousands of people would have done that, but I wouldn't be surprised if many of them did. I know one thing for sure, I wouldn't want to be standing in that line to go through security! I'm happily back at the office now, writing this blog for you. Hopefully that's a little taste of what it was like to be there today. *I'm working on getting some video up here on the Beltway Buzz, check back for that!
I heard about counter protests, but I didn't see any of those people from where I was. Like I said, it was quite a crowd. Don't ask me to put a number on it though, I could more accurately guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. I'm not a good judge of things like that.