Tag Archives: John McCain

President Obama Speaks at a White House forum


by     on Apr  6, 2012

President Obama speaks about the women who have shaped his life, and explains why his Administration has worked to consider the needs of women in girls in every decision it makes. April 6, 2012

Congress: the Republican led House – the Senate Considers SJRes27-EPA SJRes6-FCC HR674-the 3% Withholding Repeal Act HR2354-the Energy and Water Appropriations bill


 Call Your Members of Congress – #PASSTHEBILLS

the Senate Convened 9:30amET November 10, 2011

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business until 10:00am with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.
  • At 10:00am, the Republican Leader, or his designee, will be recognized to make a motion to proceed to S.J.Res.27, (Cross Border Air Pollution/EPA) with up to 2 hours of debate, equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders or their designees.
  • At 12:00pm, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S.J.Res.6 (Net Neutrality/FCC) with up to five minutes of debate, equally divided between the two Leaders, or their designees.
  • At approximately 12:05pm, there will be up to 2 roll call votes in the following order:
  • Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.6, Net Neutrality/FCC (majority threshold)
  • (2 minutes of debate)
  • Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.27, Cross Border Air Protection/EPA (majority threshold)
  • At approximately 2:30pm, there will be up to 4 roll call votes in the following order:
  • McCain second degree amendment #928 (the text of S.1720) (60-vote threshold)
  • Tester amendment #927 (the VOW to Hire Heroes Act)(60-vote threshold)
  • Passage of H.R.674, the 3% Withholding Repeal Act, as amended, if amended
  • Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.2354, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill (the expected vehicle for Energy & Water, Financial Services and Foreign Operations Appropriations bills).
  • Senators should be aware we may get consent to begin the second series of votes earlier.

At approximately 12:05pm, there will be up to 2 roll call votes in relation to the following items:

  • Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.6, Net Neutrality/FCC (majority threshold)
  • (2 minutes of debate)
  • Motion to proceed to S.J.Res.27, Cross Border Air Protection/EPA (majority threshold)

By unanimous consent, the afternoon series of votes will now begin at 1:45pm. Those votes will be in relation to the following items:

  • McCain second degree amendment #928 (the text of S.1720) (60-vote threshold)
  • Tester amendment #927 (the VOW to Hire Heroes Act)(60-vote threshold)
  • Passage of H.R.674, the 3% Withholding Repeal Act, as amended, if amended
  • Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.2354, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill (the expected vehicle for Energy & Water, Financial Services and Foreign Operations Appropriations bills).

12:08pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the McConnell motion to proceed to S.J.Res.6, Net Neutrality/FCC (majority threshold): Not Agreed To: 46-52

12:36pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the McConnell motion to proceed to S.J.Res. 27, Cross Border Air Protection/EPA (majority threshold): Not Agreed To: 41-56

12:49pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the McCain-Paul amendment #928 (the text of S.1720): Not Agreed To: 41-56, 1-present

2:14pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the Tester-Murray-Baucus amendment #927 (The VOW to Hire Heroes Act). Agreed To: 94-1; 1-present

2:33pm The Senate began a roll call vote on passage HR 674, as amended, 3% Withholding Repeal and Job Creation Act. Passed: 95-0; 1-present

2:52pm The Senate began a roll call vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to HR 2354, Energy and Water Appropriations. Invoked: 81-14

The Senate is considering the motion to proceed to HR 2354, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, post-cloture.

There will be no further roll call votes today.

There will be no roll call votes tomorrow or Monday.

The Senate will debate the Energy and Water bill Monday.

Senators should expect a vote on a judge before caucus on Tuesday.

At approximately 11:00am on Tuesday, November 15, 2011, the Senate will proceed to Executive Session to consider the following:

  • Cal #354 Sharon L. Gleason, to be United States District Judge for the District of Alaska and
  • Cal #355 Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, to be United States District Judge for the Northern District of California

with one hour of debate equally divided and controlled between Senators Leahy and Grassley or their designees. Upon the use or yielding back of time (at approximately 12:00pm), the Senate will conduct up to 2 roll call votes in relation to the nominations in the order listed above.

WRAP UP

ROLL CALL VOTES

1) McConnell motion to proceed to S.J.Res.6, Net Neutrality/FCC; Not Agreed to: 46-52

2) McConnell motion to proceed to S.J.Res.27, Cross Border Air Pollution/EPA; Not Agreed to: 41-56

3) McCain second degree amendment #928 (the text of S.1720) to the Tester amendment #927 to H.R.674, the 3% Withholding Repeal Act; Not Agreed to: 40-56

4) Tester amendment #927 to H.R.674; Agreed to: 94-1-1(present)

5) Passage of H.R.674, as amended; Passed: 95-0-1(present)

6) Motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R.2354, the Energy and Water Appropriations bill; Invoked: 81-14

LEGISLATIVE ITEMS

Passed S.363: a bill to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to convey property of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the City of Pascagoula, Mississippi with a Wicker amendment

Passed H.R.398, a bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to toll, during active-duty service abroad in the Armed Forces, the periods of time to file a petition and appear for an interview to remove the conditional basis for permanent resident status, and for other purposes. (by voice vote)

Adopted S.Res.320, designating November 26, 2011, as “Small Business Saturday” and supporting efforts to increase awareness of the value of locally owned small businesses.

Adopted S.Res.321, Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Federal Executive Boards.

EXECUTIVE ITEMS

Confirmed the following:

AIR FORCE

#472 Col. Giovanni K. Tuck – to be Brigadier General

#473 Maj. Gen. Robin Rand – to be Lieutenant General

#474 Brig. Gen. Everett H. Thomas – to be Major General

#475 Maj. Gen. Ronnie D. Hawkins to be Lt. Gen.

#476 Col. Judy M. Griego – to be Brigadier General

#477 Maj. Gen. John W. Hesterman, III – to be Lieutenant General

And all nominations on the Secretary’s desk in the Air Force, Army, and Navy

———————————————————————————————————-

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF NOVEMBER 10, 2011

 112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

-The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order. The next meeting is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on November 14, 2011.2:33:48 P.M. -The Speaker laid before the House a message from the President transmitting a notification of the continuance of the national emergency with respect to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction – referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and ordered to be printed (H. Doc. 112-71).2:33:22 P.M. -The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a sealed envelope from the White House on November 9, 2011, at 12:54 p.m., and said to contain a message from the President whereby he transmits a notice concerning the national emergency with respect to weapons of mass destruction.2:32:45 P.M. -The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received a message from the Secretary of the Senate on November 10, 2011, at 11:23 a.m. stating that that body had passed H.R. 2447.2:32:14 P.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.2:32:09 P.M. -The Speaker announced approval of the Journal. Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.2:31:03 P.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Dr. Alan Keiran, Office of the United States Senate Chaplain.2:30:42 P.M. -The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.2:30:27 P.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

Congress: the Republican led House – the Senate


the Senate Convened at 10:00amET October 18, 2011

  • Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in morning business for one
    hour with Senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each with the
    Majority controlling the first half and the Republicans controlling the final
    half.
  • Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of
    H.R.2112, the Agriculture, CJS and Transportation Appropriations bill.
  • The Senate will recess from 12:30pm until 2:15pm to allow for the weekly
    caucus meetings.
  • We will work on an agreement with respect to the amendments pending to
    H.R.2112 and notify Senators when votes are scheduled.

The following amendments are pending to H.R.2112, the Agriculture, CJS, and
Transportation/HUD Appropriations bill:

  • Inouye substitute amendment #738 (text of the 3 appropriations bills)
  • Webb amendment #750, as modified (National Criminal Justice Commission)
  • Kohl amendment #755 (spending plan)
  • Cornyn amendment #775 (Operation Fast and Furious)
  • Murray amendment #772 (reconstruction of highway facilities damaged by
    natural disasters or emergencies)
  • McCain amendment #739 (critical surface transportation)
  • McCain amendment #740 (eliminate TAA funding for firms)
  • McCain amendment #741 (ethanol blender pumps and storage facilities)

11:45am The Senate has resumed consideration of HR 2112, Agriculture/CJS/THUD
appropriations bill.

Senator McCain has offered the following amendments:

  • McCain #739 (Critical surface transportation)
  • McCain #740 (Eliminate funding for TAA for firms program)
  • McCain #741 (Ethanol blender pumps/storage facilities)

LEGISLATIVE
ITEMS

Passed S.270, La Pine Land Conveyance

Passed S.292, Salmon Lake Conveyance

Passed S.333, Little Wood River Ranch hydro license

Passed S.334, American Falls Reservoir hydro license

Passed S.404, a bill to modify a land grant patent issued by the Secretary of
the Interior

Passed H.R.489, C.C. Cragin Dam and Reservoir

Passed H.R.470, Hoover Dam

Passed H.R.765, Ski Area Recreational Opportunity Enhancement

Discharged Energy and Passed S.925, Mt. Andrea Lawrence Designation Act of
2011

Adopted S.Con.Res.32, correcting the enrollment of H.R.470, Hoover Dam

Adopted S.Res.298, expressing support for the designation of October 20,
2011, as the “National Day on Writing”.

EXECUTIVE
ITEMS

Confirmed #429 Dan W. Mozena – to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the People’s Republic of
Bangladesh

Confirmed #430 Robert A. Mandell — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Luxembourg

Confirmed #431 Thomas Charles Krajeski — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Kingdom of Bahrain

Confirmed #432 Susan Denise Page — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of South
Sudan

Confirmed #433 Adrienne S. O’Neal — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Cape
Verde

Confirmed #434 Mary Beth Leonard — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to the Republic of Mali

Confirmed #435 Mark Francis Brzezinski — to be Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Sweden

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CURRENT HOUSE FLOOR PROCEEDINGS

LEGISLATIVE DAY OF OCTOBER 18, 2011

112TH CONGRESS – FIRST SESSION

. -The Speaker announced that the House do now adjourn pursuant to a previous special order.

The next meeting is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on October 21, 2011.

11:03:05 A.M. -The House received a message from the Clerk. Pursuant to the permission granted in Clause 2(h) of Rule II of the Rules of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Clerk notified the House that she had received the following message from the Secretary of the Senate on October 17, 2011 at 12:26 p.m.: That the Senate agreed to S. Con. Res. 31.11:02:35 A.M. -PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – The Chair led the House in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag.11:02:30 A.M. -The Speaker announced approval of the Journal.  Pursuant to clause 1, rule I, the Journal stands approved.11:01:05 A.M. -Today’s prayer was offered by Reverend Andrea Martin, St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church, Washington, DC.11:00:54 A.M. -The Speaker designated the Honorable Andy Harris to act as Speaker pro tempore for today.11:00:40 A.M. -The House convened, starting a new legislative day.

The Plan …Steve Israel


The numbers are in! Thanks to you, we narrowly beat out our Republican counterparts in July and maintained our advantage year-to-date.

 Make no mistake: you’re driving our success. Over a quarter-million of you have made a contribution this year to help us take back the Speaker’s gavel from the reckless Tea Party Congress.

 I’m pleased to report we’re ahead of schedule in our drive to win the Majority. We’ve laid out our campaign plan in our “Drive for 24” Grassroots Investor Report. Download your copy here >>http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63c960/1b9dd8ab/425abfe1/4e0cedc9/2048910014/VEsH/

 Some key stats I wanted to make sure you see:

  We only need 24 seats to win the House.
  The math is simple: There are 61 seats President Obama won now held by Republicans – including 18 districts won by Senator Kerry in 2004. If we win 10 of 18 Kerry-Obama seats and 15 of 43 Obama-only seats, that’s 25 seats, more than enough to win the Majority:

But we won’t stop there. We are also targeting seats that John McCain won in 2008 to put Republicans on the defensive across the country.

 In each of these races, we are aggressively holding Republicans accountable for their wrong priorities. Thanks to your support, this month we launched our “Accountability August” campaign holding 44 Republicans accountable for their bad budget choices.

Our message is breaking through. Voters are fed up with Republicans playing political games with our economy and their plans to end Medicare.

 The latest polls show a serious case of buyer’s remorse:

Gallup poll (August 12th): Democrats lead Republicans in the generic ballot by 7 points (51-44).
PPP poll (August 10th): Independent voters overwhelmingly disapprove of the Republican Majority in the House (68 disapprove/20 approve). If the election was today, PPP thinks Democrats would win the House.

 One more stat: We have all-star recruits running in 45 Republican and open districts throughout the country. That’s well ahead of where we thought we’d be at this point. Our goal is to put at least 60 Republican seats in play when all is said and done.

 Read more about our campaign in your Grassroots Investor Report >>  http://www.dccc.org/page/m/1d63c960/1b9dd8ab/425abfe1/4e0cedc9/2048910014/VEsE/

 More than the how, it’s the why we are doing this.

 We’re fighting to create jobs. We’re fighting to protect the rights of women, workers, seniors, and the middle class. Republicans are fighting to end Medicare to pay for more tax breaks for Big Oil and right-wing special interests. Simply put, the Tea Party agenda is not working for middle-class Americans.

24 seats puts us back in charge so we can create jobs, protect Medicare and Social Security, and out-innovate, out-educate, and out-build the rest of the world.

 Thank you for everything you do to make that possible.

 Steve Israel
 DCCC Chairman

TGIF &some News


We are all waiting, watching, listening, and judging not only the behavior of President Obama but comparing and contrasting it to the current rhetoric and behavior coming from the Republican Party. It is obvious for me that Republicans put Party and Profit before the People; folks like Senator John McCain, who called himself a maverick throughout the 2008 campaign turned out to be a big flip flopper.  I am not sure which Republican came  out first but the flip flopping of Republicans definitely caused their own constituents to blink then rise up at most of the town hall meetings in disbelief. I have to say it took way too long for the truth to come out but a certain amount of buyer’s remorse has set in- Finally. Now, mostly in Republican controlled states American workers have had to fight back against the lie that is the Republican Political Party.  Who knew that a Grover Norquist maybe some other outsiders have such a power over the people we call public servants, and their votes.  I have to say any candidate willing to sign off on a document that would only serve or give an advantage to their Political Party and not be good for “We the People” sounds like a candidate unworthy of being in public service.  The 2012 election season is one that will affect all our lives in that this President could continue the move toward the 21st Century, nominate, and confirm another left leaning justice maybe two which could counter anything like Citizens United.  It cannot be lost on anyone that it is even more important now that those of us on the left make sure our neighbors know what is at stake as the Republicans continue to pull Americans back to the days when the privilege were in control the middle class barely living while the poor live on the street. We must all take responsibility for making sure the truth about healthcare reform, climate change, immigration reform and what positive things equality can do for All Americans not some or a selected few. Instead, we are now facing a default on our debt because of the Political Party of No who feels not cooperating with the Democratic members of Congress or the Obama Admin and get them a win in 2012. I think stripping away worker rights, trying to ban abortion, strip Veteran funding, union rights, programs that will help the elderly and the poor should be enough to prove who is incapable of governing based on that agenda alone  . The Republican Party and its leaders have managed to fool the public and side step their responsibilities while tossing double speak with a substantial amount of the vitriol.  Americans have seen members of Congress and some of our Supreme Court Justices engage in what seems like a lot of negative activism, overt discrimination, exclusion, and lack of compassion over the last two years.  I have been saying, It’s the Republicans Stupid and all you have to do to believe that is to get the facts … get informed and while Republicans managed to trick their constituents into believing they are the ones who will save them just look at  states like WI,FL,IA,OH,TX,ME,TN, ID,NH,NC,  and lean left in 2012

It is clear, at least for me that the right person is in the office of President. But it’s just my rant

Other News …

Atlantis roars into space on final shuttle mission

US jobs stall, setting back recovery hopes

Sudan officially recognizes South Sudan

Violence erupts in Karachi, Pakistan; at least 80 dead

Oakland Athletics (39-50) at Texas Rangers (48-41), 8:05 p.m.

Taxes and Billionaires

CSPAN …

Space Shuttle Launches for the Final Time

Atlantis heads into orbit for 12 day mission

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Lawmakers Examine Social Security Cuts

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Debt Talks Continue

Debt ceiling deal still uncertain

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Egypt protests: Speedier trials, reforms demanded in protests across Egypt – latimes.com