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Politics : View from the Center and Left -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JohnM who wrote (103296)	2/5/2009 11:21:15 PM
From: JohnM	Respond to of 542043

This takes care of one concern about Judd Gregg's appointment at Commerce. ----------------------------- CENSUS WON'T GO TO GREGG.... The specific day-to-day responsibilities of the Commerce Secretary are a little hazy, but one of the key tasks is overseeing the census. With Republican Judd Gregg poised to take the job, it's the census, more than anything else, that's caused the most heartburn among Democrats. As Matt Cooper reported on Tuesday, "The methods of Census collection are often in dispute. In 2000 Democrats pushed for statistical sampling to achieve a better count of underrepresented groups -- the homeless, transient poor, and so on. They lost. It's not clear that there will be as much controversy in 2010 when the next Census will take place but by putting Gregg at the Commerce Department -- which oversees the Bureau of the Census -- Obama has handed a potentially very politically sensitive position to a Republican." Fortunately, he didn't. CQ's Jonathan Allen has the story. The director of the Census Bureau will report directly to the White House and not the secretary of Commerce, according to a senior White House official. The decision came after black and Hispanic leaders raised questions about Commerce Secretary nominee Judd Gregg's commitment to funding the census. Gregg, New Hampshire's senior senator, voted in committee and on the floor for a 1995 Republican budget that envisioned the elimination of the Commerce Department. Of even more concern to black and Hispanic leaders, Gregg battled President Clinton over a request for "emergency" funding for the 2000 census. The prospect of Gregg overseeing the census drew intense criticism this week from the Congressional Black Caucus and the National Association of Latino Elected Officials, among others. Taking the census out of Gregg's hands should go a long way in assuaging concerns. It's also evidence that the White House will take notice when a decision draws fire from Obama's base. —Steve Benen 12:00 PM washingtonmonthly.com

To: JohnM who wrote (103296)	2/6/2009 1:24:57 AM
From: Sam	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542043

Asked to clarify, Sessions said he wasn't drawing a direct connection between the GOP and the Taliban. "I simply said one can see that there's a model out there for insurgency," Sessions explained. That will make a great commercial in '10 against Republicans who vote against everything. Taliban sympathizers. Cute. Especially after the way they treated Democrats when they were the majority.

To: JohnM who wrote (103296)	2/6/2009 8:29:37 AM
From: Dale Baker	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 542043

He added that if Democrats don't give the minority party more "options or opportunities," Republicans "will then become an insurgency." Karl Rove must be very proud of him; that is such classic 50.x% politics, playing the victim against the Evil Other and catering to your base to come out against them. Old politics.

To: JohnM who wrote (103296)	2/6/2009 9:18:35 AM
From: Mary Cluney	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 542043

<<<Why don't negations between the White House and congressional Republicans produce more results? Perhaps because a few too many congressional Republicans are stark raving mad.>>> Recent remarks by Republicn leadership (eg, Mitch McConnell, Lindsay Graham, John Boehner, John McCain, and the 37 Senators that endorse McCain's proposed stimulus package that is completely about tax cuts) is proof that bipartisan ship will not happen. Republicans want to continue Bush's Economic and social policies. They want to disown the economic mess that those policies have led and will blame Obama for the failure of the economy. Bipartisanship is DOA. Obama gave it a try. The handwriting is on the wall. It is time to be bold. Obama has to show what he can do to lead. Now is the time to act boldly. Give up on this non partisan gambit. Take the case directly to the American people.