When it finally came time for the Committee to meet and vote the result was almost anti-climactic. Jack Hanna, the Chair of the Rules Committee said that there that there was "great concensus in support of this resolution" and urged that the entire membership be permitted to consider it." Democratic Chair T.J. Rooney shepherded the resolution to the floor, and in seconds it was over. The resolution was passed by acclamation.
The last main event at the PA Progressive Summit this past weekend was a Senatorial Forum with Senator Arlen Specter and Congressman Joe Sestak.
During the Q&A with Sen. Specter, there was one man who spent the entire time standing with his back to the stage. It was rather obvious, one man standing while the rest of the room was seated. We caught up with the protester, Joe Ferraro, better known to the online world as Joe the Nerd, and got a chance to chat with him about what he was doing and why:
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Cross-posted at Daily Kos and MyDD.
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Senator Specter addressed the floor yesterday about his letters to the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. (This is what I get for flipping on C-SPAN late at night! ; - )
U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) today spoke on the Senate floor regarding his concerns about sending additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan without greater clarification and assurances that an increase in force is "indispensable" to the defeat of al Qaida and homeland security
Hmm... is there something else going on? - promoted by ek hornbeck)
It seems there is too much to see and too many people to talk about (as well as too many Tequila and Coke's to consume) to have time to post in a timely manner form Netroots Nation. So you are getting the news kind of a day behind. Sorry about that, the Dog is only one hound and he can only do what he can do.
Progressives should remember well the lessons we have learned through Arlen Specter in the last few months.
That lesson seems to be.
A. Politicians care about nothing more than staying in power and gaining power.
B. A Politician that fears losing their seat will do anything to prevent it.
C. If they don't fear you, they will not respect you.
D. Bi-Partisanship = Cow Pie
Specter, the agile old lizard that he is, seems to only have one skill, which is judging the wind in Washington. Many other Senators do not have this skill. There careers will be much shorter than his because of it.
These Senators do not realize, or do not care, that average Americans are fucking dying out there do to lack of health care coverage, whether it is preventative or emergency.
And now they are compromising with "NO!"
Well, good Senator, there is a phrase I would like to reacquaint you with.
On Monday afternoon, I posted a diary discussing the Uniting American Families Act. It also got Front Paged here (thanks, benign overlord administrators) I also received an excellent e-mail about the issue.
At any rate, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a very informative hearing on the bill Wednesday morning.
To recap, UAFA does one simple thing. It would allow American citizens to sponsor same sex partners for immigration just like married couples. The Senate bill is sponsored by Patrick Leahy of Vermont while the House version is sponsored by Jerrold Nadler of New York. Follow me below for a recap of the hearing.
Brian Buetler of TPM is reporting that Congressman Sestak will run against Senator Specter in the Pa. Democratic primary.
Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA) is privately telling supporters that he intends to run for Senate, TPMDC has confirmed.
"He intends to get in the race," says Meg Infantino, the Congressman's sister, who works at Sestak for Congress. "In the not too distant future, he will sit down with his wife and daughter to make the final decision."
Follow the link and read the handwritten note to a supporter in which Sestak announces he will run and asks for a contribution. And give TPM some views, because they broke the story.
This is surprising, but I'm glad he said this. Nancy Pelosi has her faults, but the attacks on her for telling the truth about the CIA, i.e., that they lie, are wrong. It's misdirection by Republicans to avoid justice for Bush and Cheney (and many others) for violating international law. Pelosi did not shine on this (an understatement) but she is not Bush or Cheney. She may not have stopped it (and she may not have been able to do so), but she did not create the criminal policies.
Arlan Specter coming to the rescue. Well, it's a start. Now he needs to support EFCA.
Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) took the opportunity Wednesday to defend House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who has come under fire in recent weeks over a controversy surrounding when she was told of the use of enhanced interrogation techniques being used by the CIA.
"The CIA has a very bad record when it comes to - I was about to say 'candid'; that's too mild - to honesty," Specter, a former chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a lunch address to the American Law Institute. He cited misleading information about the agency's involvement in mining harbors in Nicaragua and the Iran-Contra affair.
snip
"Director [Leon] Panetta says the agency does not make it a habit to misinform Congress. I believe that is true. It is not the policy of the Central Intelligence Agency to misinform Congress," Specter said. "But that doesn't mean that they're all giving out the information."
Okay, there is nothing the Dog hates more than having to admit to being wrong (being a member of the First Church of the Fonz it is nearly against our religion!) but when you start to try to be in any fashion credible in commentary, even as a lowly poster on a community blog you have to be ready to walk back statements or arguments that are wrong.
In the grown up world, honorable and reasonable people may initially disagree but eventually compromise upon a collective review of empirical evidence. It was in this spirit, that the nascent Obama administration reached out to Republicans with respect to their proposed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which finally passed both houses of congress yesterday.
This diary is in the way of a community alert. Over the fold is the body of an email being sent out by Don Siegelman about Specter's hold on the Holder confirmation. Let's sound off on this. These creeps are trying to subvert justice.
The confirmation of President Obama's choice for U.S. Attorney General, Eric Holder, is being held up by Senator Arlen Specter and others.
March on Washington
