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TGIF …&some News


Tell Republicans to STOP obstructing legislation that will help ALL Americans!!!

SAY NO to Republicans in NOVEMBER!!!

Today, The President will be in Detroit to talk about cars.

It is with great pride to know that his efforts to help the auto industry is giving GM and other auto companies the opportunity to move into the 21st Century and make profits. He will explain more while in Detroit how saving the automobile industry saved probably millions of jobs despite Republicans and strangely enough some people of other industries wanted the industry to fail. It was not only surprising but  disturbing to hear so many say let them fail because it seems people did not really understand the need to help the auto industry The other thing that did not make a lot of sense is that there are a lot of Republicans located in the Mid-west and the South where most  auto-plants, drivers,  auto-parts and the list goes on of businesses that are connected to the industry. This opportunity also helped save their jobs or small businesses too.

Republicans in both Chambers of Congress said No to legislation that would help Americans…fellow citizens, constituents get back on track and create jobs… It is offensive and embarrassing to see people of American vote against Small Business/Jobs Bill/said No to helping first responders.

If you were watching cspan last night our beloved Anthony Weiner stood up and got fired up …We need more Democrats in both Chambers of Congress to stand up and show the public what is going on. The passion Wiener showed goes far and is important for the public to finally get the Political Party of No -the obstructionist behavior and the yes we want but we will not vote for the People, are on the side of Chamber of Commerce and Corporate entities… Shame on the four Democrats that voted against this legislation …against first responders

The rants are obvious and they are many but first … voted for Patty Murray, Jim McDermott, and Frank Chopp and sending it back today…Primaries Matter!

The Mid-term elections are coming up and it is obvious to me that we Voters need to Stop listening to the likes of Mitch McConnell and John Boehner. We keep hearing and seeing the same people continue to use fear as the only way to break the Presidents progress. I have to say after watching Republicans decide to act in their own best interest and not in the interest of the people of the United States or their own constituents, it is hard to hear sane people still planning to vote for politicians who obviously are not willing to be a part of the solutions.

The Political Party of No continues to put fear into people now they not only are against the people they are against doing what is right for even the people they supposedly represent. We the People voted for change, voted to get Americans back on track and though change is happening, it is slow but it is steady despite Republicans

We also need the public to know that Congress creates and or passes laws. The President needs Congress to do their jobs for the People of the United States. As an American and a voter the question we all have to ask ourselves daily are the Republicans that hateful that they would try to break Obama. A Republicans stated that HealthCare would be his water-loo … such comments by the old guys such as McConnell, Boehner , Shelby, King, Hatch, Newt, r Limbaugh is an example of self-interested people and politicians who are possibly still upset the American People voted for a man of colour. Which includes the Birther people… are afraid … lou dobbs, liz cheney, demint, john campbell, mike castle  …are these the kind of Politicians you want for America?

It would be great to have another Question-Time like the one held on 1/29/2010. It was one of the best national political debates in many years and citizens who watched the event were impressed, by many accounts. Journalists and commentators immediately responded by continuing the conversation of the ideas put forward by the president and his opponents — even the cable news cycle was disrupted for a day. America could use more of this — an unfettered and public airing of political differences by our elected representatives. Therefore, we call on President Barack Obama and House Minority Leader John Boehner to hold these sessions regularly — and allow them to be broadcast and webcast live and without commercial interruption, sponsorship, or intermediaries.

Other News …

C-SPAN …

President Visits Detroit to Support Auto Industry’s Progress

President Obama travels to Detroit today to visit GM and Chrysler plants and to discuss the auto industry’s progress since the federal bailout last year. He is expected to express confidence in the industry and reassure taxpayers that “we are going to get back all the money that we invested in those car companies.” The White House indicated in a report yesterday that a failure to rescue GM and Chrysler would have led to the loss of nearly 1.1 million jobs. In the strongest year of industry job growth since 1999, they have added 55,000 jobs since the bankruptcies. David Welch of Bloomberg Businessweek joined the Washington Journal this morning to discuss the federal government’s assistance of select U.S. automakers.

2nd quarter GDP is 2.4%, Growth in U.S. economy slowing

The Commerce Dept. released its report on the second quarter gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the U.S. In the previous three months the economy grew at 2.4%. In the first three months of the year the economy grew by 3.7%, which was an upward revision from previous estimates of 2.7%. This report is comparable to the monthly unemployment figures because it shows where the economy is headed and how much growth took place the last 3 months.Last week, Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said the economic outlook was “unusually uncertain,” but was unlikely to go through another recession in the near future. Meanwhile, economists are uncertain themselves over whether the loss of movement in the second quarter will be prolonged.

House and Senate finalize work Before August Recess

As the Congressional August recess approaches, the House and Senate finalize work on their legislative agendas. First, House members deal with two bills in response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The bills seek to overhaul offshore drilling regulations and extends whistleblower protections to oil and gas workers on the outer continental shelf. Once the House completes its work, members will recess until September 14th.Before the Senate adjourns for break, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has scheduled debate on U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would replace retiring Justice John Paul Stevens and become the fourth female Justice in the Supreme Court’s history. The Senate is expected to be in session until the end of next week.

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Senate Democrats V Senate Republicans …reality v mis-information


Prior to a vote on the small business jobs bill, Senator Olympia Snowe, who eventually voted no, described her frustration with the countless delays this legislation has encountered, by her Republican colleagues nonetheless.

Tonight on the Senate floor, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell claimed that the small business jobs bill was “all snarled up.” This is the same Senator who complained about taking a vote on the DISCLOSE Act just a day before because it was taking away time from small business legislation. Well, you can’t have it both ways Senator McConnell. Republicans need to stop holding up this job-creating legislation and join Democrats in standing up for small businesses. ..

Following a failed cloture vote on the DISCLOSE Act, the bill’s sponsor, Senator Chuck Schumer, and his colleagues Senators Ron Wyden and Al Franken held a press conference to explain that they won’t give up this fight. “We will keep fighting and fighting until this passes, until we get that one courageous Republican,” said Schumer.

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Washington State …Tell WA Senators to Support Kagan


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Tell Your Senator(s) to Confirm Elena Kagan

Take Action

Tell your Senator(s) to declare their support of Elena Kagan’s nomination to be Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.

Take Action

We haven’t heard from your Senator yet.

The Senate will soon be voting on Solicitor General Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court. Many Senators have come out in support of her nomination, but your Senator(s) has not announced his or her position.

It is time for the Senate to take swift action on this outstanding nominee. The Senate may leave Washington for the August recess as soon as the end of next week. Urge your Senator(s) to declare their support and to act quickly to confirm the nomination of Elena Kagan before the Senate adjourns.

Elena Kagan’s sterling credentials, outstanding accomplishments, exceptional legal abilities, and testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee inspire great confidence that her approach to legal questions will be open-minded and scrupulously fair. Moreover, her record demonstrates that she will respect the intent of the law and understands the impact of the law, including the constitutional and legal rights upon which women rely, upon all Americans.

With Elena Kagan’s confirmation, three women will serve together on the Supreme Court for the first time in 221 years. In addition, she will be just the fourth woman to ever serve on the highest court in the land.

Many Senators have announced their support of Elena Kagan’s nomination, but there are still some Senators who have not indicated where they stand on her nomination.

Tell your Senator(s) to support the confirmation of Elena Kagan today.

As always, thank you for all you do to advance the rights of women and girls.

Marcia GreenbergerSincerely,

Marcia Greenberger
Co-President
National Women’s Law Center

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The impact of SB1070 on people of color… by Joel Dreyfuss


The Source: The Root …This is a Re-Post

If you’re black and think that state’s new immigration law has nothing to do with you, think again. By: Joel Dreyfuss

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A law that makes people suspects on the basis of their looks should outrage African Americans, even if they are worried about illegal immigration.

The immigration law passed in Arizona last week is the kind of reckless act that keeps us minorities paranoid in America. The new law compels local law enforcers to verify immigration status based on “reasonable suspicion”–whatever that is–and has created the potential for cops to stop brown people in the streets and demand to see their papers. Even the sheriff of Pima County, Ariz., (which borders Mexico) says the law is “stupid,” “racist,” and would force his officers to racially profile people. The scope of the law was narrowed after its passage in order to assure Hispanics, who make up 30 percent of the state’s population, that they would not be the victims of racial profiling.

But those assurances that people won’t be suspects because of the way they look have little credibility when the experience of black and brown people in America has been so contrary to those promises. Being stopped for Driving While Black (or Brown) is such a common phenomenon that comedians make jokes about it. And a city like New York, which operates a massive stop-and-frisk policy that probably violates a dozen constitutional principles, keeps trying to explain why black and brown citizens make up 80 to 90 percent of those questioned by police. The latest rationale: They fit the description of suspected perps when 98 percent of those stopped and questioned are innocent of any crime.

The reason people of color get worked up about such policies is America’s nasty habit of making everything racial in a panic. We have a long history of lynchings and runaway convictions that were triggered by fears that black people were getting out of hand in some fashion, whether it was interracial sex or talking back to massa. The roundup of Japanese Americans during World War II will forever stain this country’s history.

After 9/11, looking Arab or simply wearing a turban, whether you are Muslim or not, turned out to be a grave danger in some parts of the country and a constant annoyance in others. No Muslim American believes that the frequent “random” checks they endured at airports in the months after the tragedy were really a matter of chance. And last week, the front page of the Boston Herald illustrated a cover story about the crackdown on benefits for illegal immigrants with a photo of black, Hispanic and Asian models, their foreheads stamped with the following: “No Tuition, No Welfare, No Medicaid.” Ironically, the headline at above the newspaper’s logo announced a “workplace diversity job fair.”

Of course, the concept of white or blonde illegal aliens is apparently beyond the capacity of the people passing the laws or the editors at the Herald. But nearly 600,000 of those in the United States illegally were estimated to come from Europe or Canada in 2005; and while I knew many Irish, English and other Europeans who had overstayed their visas when I was growing up in New York, I never heard of a raid of an Irish bar, except when ATF or the FBI were trying to trap Irish Republican Army gun runners during the “troubles.”

Now Arizona, better known for resorts, retirees in golf carts, and college basketball teams whose players never graduate, is suddenly at the center of a debate that could shape U.S. politics for the next 10 years. The only surprise is that it took so long. All the great economies have been struggling with the immigration issue for years. Just last week, France was in tizzy about the burqa, the full-length outfit with only an eye-slit that conservative Muslim women wear. Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has considered banning the burqa on security grounds (you can’t identify the person), but the real reason behind this initiative, Arizona’s or any of the dozen being considered in other states or countries is fear of change.

No doubt, the Great Recession of the last three years has heightened American insecurity. Although the downturn has hit blue-collar workers the hardest, many people who thought they were solidly in the middle class have seen their savings, their safety net, even their homes evaporate in the financial collapse. The next step for many of them would be to step “down” into the blue-collar workforce. Suddenly, the Mexican, Salvadorian and African immigrants they hardly noticed during boom times are now potential competitors.

African Americans, who lost more than their fair share of blue-collar jobs in the downturn, have long been ambiguous about illegal immigration. As Cord Jefferson noted here a few months ago, a growing number of experts believe that blacks and Hispanic immigrants battle for unskilled jobs at the bottom of the labor pool. Black Americans have not turned out in large numbers at immigration rallies, despite the fact that many African-American politicians talk of the need for coalitions with Hispanics.

But a law that puts you in jeopardy for being has special resonance with black Americans. We already know the peril of living in a state where you are presumed guilty by the color of your skin. A law that makes a suspect of anyone who might look illegal should make us vigorously resist this encroachment.

Joel Dreyfuss is managing editor of The Root. Follow him on Twitter.

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NATIONAL SECURITY: Republicans Hungry For Nuclear Pork


The debate over the New START arms control treaty with Russia is winding down. Senate committees have held nearly 20 hearings, and treaty opponents are now repeating the same tired arguments that have already been thoroughly debunked and discredited. With the debate over START largely exhausted, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has moved to schedule a committee vote for next week. If passed, the treaty will go to the Senate floor, where it will need 67 votes to be ratified. The efforts by those opposing the treaty — like Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and the Heritage Foundation — to rally Republican opposition seem to have largely failed with few GOP Senators arguing against the merits of the treaty. A growing number of Republican senators have now expressed hope that the treaty can be ratified. But instead of expressing their intention to vote for the treaty, many of these senators — including Bob Corker and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee — are now demanding backroom deals to get more pork for the home states’ nuclear weapons bureaucracy — something that should have absolutely nothing to do with START. Having vigorously attacked side deals during the health care debate, these Senators are now engaging in their own sunbelt shakedown. In the midst of complaining about government spending, they are demanding wasteful pork that would have the United States absurdly spending vastly greater sums on its nuclear infrastructure, when it is planning to significantly reduce its nuclear stockpiles. Senators should not put pork and politics over American nuclear security, and the White House should resist efforts to succumb to such blackmail.

DEBATE IS OVER: After the New START treaty was signed in early April in Prague, opponents and skeptics initially sought to nitpick and take down the treaty on its merits. Their arguments on issue after issue — from missile defense to verification — have been disproven, debunked, and shown to be extremely dangerous. To make matters worse for treaty opponents, the top military brass unanimously came out in support of the treaty, the Senate’s foremost nuclear expert Richard Lugar (R-IN) vigorously supports it, and a litany of Republican foreign policy establishment figures, such as Henry Kissinger, James Schlesinger, Brent Scowcroft, and Stephen Hadley, have all testified in support of this treaty. And yesterday, seven former commanders of U.S. Strategic Command — the military commander in charge of overseeing missile defense and the nuclear arsenal — expressed their support of the treaty. Faced with a growing bipartisan consensus, Senate conservatives — led by Jon Kyl (AZ) and John Thune (SD) — insisted that the Senate was rushing the treaty, and in a ploy reminiscent of the health care debate, called for slowing things down. But the debate, with nearly 20 hearings completed, has become so stale and repetitious that claims of “rushing” have lacked credibility. Few Senate Republicans are actually arguing against the merits of the treaty now.

THE SUNBELT SHAKEDOWN: The main obstacle to treaty passage now appears to be demands from certain Republican senators for even greater funding for the nuclear weapons infrastructure and bureaucracy. In other words, the START debate is no longer about the treaty. Kyl, long an advocate for building new nuclear weapons and conducting explosive nuclear tests in the deserts of the southwest, is widely seen as attempting to extract a large price from the administration on START in order to undercut its broader arms-control agenda. Kyl seems to have immense sway. Sen. Bob Bennett (R-UT), for instance, told Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin, “I think [START is] a step in the right direction and a continuation of the thawing of the relationship between the United States and Russia that goes all the way back to the Ronald Reagan [administration]. We’re now at the point where this is probably a good idea.” But Bennett added, “I’m waiting for Senator Kyl to finish his analysis, but he’s leaning yes and I’m leaning yes.” Corker, who sits on the Foreign Relations committee, told Politico this morning that “there is about a $10 billion gap over 10 years. It’s something that can be dealt with,” noting that if the administration gave into his demands, “it’s very likely” that he would support the treaty. Corker’s chief interest is the Uranium Processing Facility in Oak Ridge, TN, which Corker seemingly arbitrarily determined needs between $4-$5 billion, well above the projected $1.4-$3.5 billion that the facilities own in contractor projects. He concedes, however, that “certainly, there’s no official estimate.” Similarly, Alexander claimed “it will depend primarily on whether we can have an adequate nuclear modernization program going forward. … I’m working very closely with Senator Kyl to make that happen.”

DEFICIT PEACOCKS GO NUCLEAR: By publicly emphasizing that their votes on START have nothing to do with the treaty and are tied to receiving more nuclear pork, many Senate Republicans are showing how little they actually care about deficits. They may insist that such funds are vital to our national security, but they aren’t. The Bush administration neglected the nuclear infrastructure, and having expressed few concerns about the nuclear weapons complex during the ratification of an arms-control treaty under Bush, Senate Republicans have now latched onto this issue demanding an arbitrary annual spending increase of about 30 percent. What makes these demands so absurd is that the Obama administration has already proposed massive increases in funding for the nuclear weapons complex. They are increasing funding this year by 15 percent over the levels during the Bush administration and are pledging $80 billion over the next 10 years. This level of funding, if anything, is excessive. Linton Brooks, George W. Bush’s nuclear administrator for five years, even said that “I’d have killed for that [Obama’s] budget.” Additionally, it is clear that the nuclear weapons refurbishment and modernization programs are working. The U.S. nuclear arsenal remains the most reliable and technologically advanced in the world and the JASON advisory panel — made up of top nuclear scientists — found in a study last year that the nuclear arsenal was reliable and could be “extended for decades, with no anticipated loss in confidence,” as long as existing programs were maintained. Furthermore, it makes little sense to spend up to 30 percent more on an infrastructure when there are plans to substantially reduce the U.S. nuclear arsenal. But all that aside, the fact is that New START is a very modest treaty that requires the U.S. to actually cut few nuclear weapons, which makes efforts to tie the treaty to concerns about the nuclear weapons stockpile disingenuous at best.