Opening the Day: One Week to Go

by: Matt Stoller

Wed Oct 29, 2008 at 08:00


And now it gets even dirtier and crazier.

  • McConnell calls on Ted Stevens to resign.

  • Ted Kennedy is coming back to DC.

  • Are credit cards the next group of debt instruments to collapse?

  • The Democrats have a lot on their plate.

  • Lieberman's going to be ousted from his committee chairmanship, but he won't be kicked out of the caucus.

    Democratic leaders are discussing a major reshuffling of Senate committee chairmanships, according to multiple sources, and the proposed changes include ousting Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) from his coveted chairmanship.

    Lieberman, a former Democrat who supports Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for president, is likely to lose his gavel on the Homeland Security Committee he has chaired since January 2007, say the sources who see him being replaced by Sen. Daniel Akaka (Hawaii), the committee's third-ranking Democrat.

  • Members of Congress grew 13% wealthier in 2007.

What are you reading?
Matt Stoller :: Opening the Day: One Week to Go

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Opening the Day: One Week to Go | 11 comments
Joementum (4.00 / 2)
I'm cool with that decision...   Removing his committee chairmanship punishes the guy and effectively removes any power he has.    Whether he is part of the caucus is inconsequential... my guess is he removes himself officially anyway, as he pretty much already has.  If not and he wants to vote with us, then I have no issue with that.. I'll take a rank and file vote from a senator with no committee or party power any day of the week.
heh (0.00 / 0)
I posted this in another thread, but I think it's the perfect analogy.



Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!

[ Parent ]
Does it matter that much which caucus you belong to (if any)? (4.00 / 1)
After all, they're generally going to vote for or against bills based on their own opinion, not what they're caucus leader tells you to do.  Aren't they?

Anyway, even if it doesn't make a difference, what's the point of kicking him out?  He's already a well known suckup.  By leaving him in the caucus, and holding up a carrot saying that if he behaves himself the next two years, he can have a chairmanship again (but not that one), he might behave himself so that his Democratic buddies will like him again.  :)

[ Parent ]
Pre-empting the whining (0.00 / 0)
As you probably know, how many Senators a caucus has determines Senate leadership.  Now that doesn't matter much now because the Democrats are clearly going to have a majority in the Senate even without him.

My guess is that this is a sign of Democrats tip toeing around Lieberman's fragile psyche.  I image Lieberman expected to lose his committee chair, probably since before he endorsed McCain.  But I am not sure he is anticipating the public rebuke involved in his not being a part of the caucus, and so he might take it hard.  I would not put it past Lierberman to never vote with the Democrats on a cloture vote if he is embarrased that way.  

[ Parent ]
Who is the committee's 2nd ranking Democrat? ... (0.00 / 0)
and why would Akaka get the chair? .. also ... isn't Feingold the 2nd ranking member of Judiciary? .. or is Teddy?
[ Parent ]
If it's Teddy... (0.00 / 0)
I hate to be blunt, but considering his prognosis, it's a victory for him to make it to election day to see Barack win. He might not make it to inauguration. Even if things go pretty well, and he makes it a few more years, his health and the treatment he'll be going through will probably keep him from being able to really fulfill the role of a committee chair.

Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!
[ Parent ]
Well .. Teddy is already chaor of another committee .. (0.00 / 0)
and I just read that Leahy is has no intentions of giving up Judiciary(not that his name was ever mentioned) .. because Leahy expects Obama to win .. and Leahy can see the judgeships and Supreme Court nominations coming
[ Parent ]
Let Joe Leave On His Own (0.00 / 0)
Kicking Joe out of the party just let's him rail against how doctrinaire the Democrats have become.  If he is simply marginalized Joe will probably just leave on his own initiative.  
[ Parent ]
"Are credit cards the next group of debt instruments to collapse?" (0.00 / 0)
Since the powers that be didn't like working people organizing and actually gaining their fair share (or less), I have some proposed slogans for the new era to replace "This is what democracy looks like"

"This is what credit default looks like"
"This is what 30 years of idiotic policymaking looks like"
"This is what a 'flaw' in the model looks  like"

re: consumer credit/personal debt (0.00 / 0)
For more than a month now, I've been calling for a $10K per taxpayer distribution to pay off personal debt. Such a distribution could effectively wipe out credit card debt in one fell swoop, freeing up taxpayers to pay their mortgages and reduce personal credit risk across the board.

Roubini made the same case in early October, albeit in general terms, for reasons which that NYT article spells out.

Eliminating personal debt will kill several birds with one stone. The $10K Solution -- personal debt reduction package, Stimulus 2.0. Follow/pair with re-regulation of financial/credit industries and it's a winner for all classes, for individuals, for businesses, for the whole country.

Google $10K Solution for more.

DCCC dumped (0.00 / 0)
550k into Darcy's district and 300k into Perriello's today

John McCain: Beacuse lobbyists should have more power
Opening the Day: One Week to Go | 11 comments
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