Tag Archives: Senate

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Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell: Don’t Let Wall Street Win


Can you call Sens. Murray and Cantwell? Tell them that voters support Elizabeth Warren for head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that we’re counting on them to stand up to Wall Street.

Senator Patty Murray
Phone: 202-224-2621

Senator Maria Cantwell
Phone: 202-224-3441


Report your call

Support is growing to nominate Elizabeth Warren to become the head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the new agency created by the financial reform bill dedicated to protecting consumers.  This weekend Senator Al Franken told progressives he would fight for her1, and The New York Times endorsed her as well, saying:

“The banks don’t oppose Ms. Warren because she doesn’t get it. They oppose her because she does.”2

But we have to keep the momentum going. The next week could decide whether she’s seen as a serious candidate or not. Senator Tom Harkin is circulating a letter of support for Warren,3 but he needs more senators to sign on to put Warren over the top.

Can you call Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell and tell them to sign on to Sen. Harkin’s letter? Tell Sens. Murray and Cantwell that voters support Elizabeth Warren to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and that we’re counting on them to stand strong against Wall Street.

Here’s where to call:

Senator Patty Murray
Phone: 202-224-2621

Senator Maria Cantwell
Phone: 202-224-3441

Then, please report your call by clicking here:

http://pol.moveon.org/call?tg=FSWA_1.FSWA_2&cp_id=1417&id=22072-9640874-onLrXUx&t=2

Elizabeth Warren is a Harvard law professor, and a tough consumer advocate, and the idea for CFPB was hers to begin with.

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what’s going on in Congress -Wednesday


The Senate Convenes: 9:30amET July 28, 2010

Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will proceed to a period of morning business for 1 hour with senators permitted to speak therein for up to 10 minutes each. The Republicans will control the first 30 minutes and the Majority will control the next 30 minutes.

Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of H.R.5297, Small Business Jobs bill. Cloture was filed on the substitute amendment #4519 and the underlying bill. As a result, there is a 1:00pm filing deadline for germane first degree amendments to the Reid for Baucus-Landrieu substitute amendment (SA4519) and HR5297.

**************************************************************

The next meeting in the House is scheduled for 10:00amET July 28, 2010

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i just added my name -add your name too …thanks


Hi,

I just added my name to a birthday card that the Obamas are giving the President for his 49th birthday on Wednesday, August 4th.

Can you join me?

It’s a great way to help make it a memorable birthday for him, and to show we’re ready to stand alongside him, fighting for change in the year ahead.

http://my.barackobama.com/barackbirthday-inv

Thanks,

Carmen

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tough Tuesday &some News …


Today, Senate Democrats need to hang in there and force Republicans to filibuster the Disclose Act … Call your member of Congress and tell them to let Republicans Filibuster all legislation from this point forward until the November elections because everything waiting to be voted on will likely get the stall and block treatment. Despite the hot and heavy reporting on the wikileaks, most folks in the news expect the war-funding bill to pass.

The Disclose Act is important to level the campaign field and as Chuck Schumer stated, “It is the right thing to do”. We all know Republicans are big spenders when it comes to big Corporations, Campaigns are no different, and since Justice, Roberts changed the definition of of equality. The Campaign finance reform did not get a lot of discussion in the news and we all know that members on both sides of the aisle would def prefer to have more money to spend to get their word out there. Republicans, the Party of No will continue to treat Americans as a pawn to taking down President Obama. It would be great to not only show Americans just exactly what side these folks are on finally it will and could wear somebody down to then acknowledge their chances to actually make change to the current ruined system. If anyone watched, their member of Congress vote against progress and the obvious decision would be to change Political Parties.

In the News, we are two days away from the implementation of SB1070, the people on the Gulf Coast have been stalled and apparently blocked from getting their money from BP. Americans have important legislation on the table and will continue to as we move into the November election cycle. We need Senate and Democrats in the House to be strong and push though comprehensive legislation we do not seem to be getting there on one vote –we have started getting the change we need but those changes will need to be adjusted as we go into this President’s 2nd term.

The airwaves were heavy with voice of Bernie Sanders this morning calling a spade a spade. Then moved on to talk about the people this President has surrounding him, specifically the larry summers types…etc. The first thing that came to mind was if Senator Sanders remembers that words to matter. Though knowing he definitely is old, enough to know that the saying has all kinds of negative racial connotations it was a comment that had me wondering exactly where he was going with it. He continued on with his personal disappointment then stated he hopes that elizabeth warren will be the consumer agency head to possibly balance the others in that group. It is clear that Senator Sanders and progressives are obviously furious with the President because he has people connected to Wall Street in his circle. My question is do progressives feel what the President has accomplished is small, have they forgotten that progress usually requires everyone to take part in and that is not happening because of the 60 vote rules in the Senate. It is disappointing to hear Senator Sanders make such negative comments, it is hard maybe offensive to hear progressives on TV or the airwaves starting to make threats about the office of President based on one or two issues because that can confuse the viewer. In a time when supporters of this President, not that people don’t understand or know that the progressives you see on TV are pundits and TV personalities that on occasion feel they have power to make comments that can be persuasive and possibly change a vote or two.  These pundits, cable heads and talking heads are not there to sway the viewer to vote a certain way they are suppose to deliver the news and it goes without saying they all give their opinions. The fact we all need to remember is fact v opinion. I appreciate challenging the President but hearing them put out threats to this President about the elections because they are not seeing the change they voted for is beyond offensive and should not be completely tolerated by our party. I am a Mom, a Democrat,  person of colour and worked my ass off to get this President elected. I don’t hear much News from progressives these days but a smidgen of the News laced with negative comments and how bad this or that will be because as Senator Sanders so offensively put it…Progressives worked the hardest to get this President elected. I am not a progressive, thought i was but I am not of the mind to throw my presidential candidate under the bus because he is not acting the way i want. I believe actions speak louder than words and while the words of Senator Sanders clearly have made me upset his view are important. The Democratic Party has a huge tent of varying views attitudes and votes. It is disappointing that we do not tend to rally around an issue and press hard as the Republicans do because they all agree that they want to be in control and are willing to do whatever they need…even if that means bringing down their constituents down into poverty do get back in control.

Other News …

Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate Ron Johnson, an avid drilling proponent, has received scrutiny for retaining over $100,000 in BP stock. Two weeks after he told reporters that he would get rid of the stock, Johnson backtracked yesterday, saying that he hasn’t yet decided what to do.TP

House leaders are “rushing to hold a vote on a critical war-financing bill,” fearing they could lose liberal votes in the wake of the WikiLeaks disclosure. Meanwhile, Gen. James N. Mattis, nominated as the next commander of Central Command, will likely have to answer questions on the matter today during his confirmation hearings in the Senate.TP

The Senate is expected to vote on the DISCLOSE Act today, and President Obama yesterday “pre-emptively” criticized Republicans for opposing the campaign finance measure. He said blocking it would be “nothing less than a vote to allow corporate and special-interest takeovers of our elections.” The Senate is expected to fall short of the 60 votes needed to avoid a filibuster.TP

Yesterday marked the official launch of OutServe, an “organization of gay and lesbian active-duty service members” who will work with the Pentagon to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Starting on Facebook last October, OutServe now has 450 members who help the organization “bring information and statements to the Pentagon while preserving members’ anonymity.”TP

C-SPAN …

watch White House Briefing
watch Pres. Obama on Campaign Finance

watch Briefing & Panels: From Earlier

Gulf Coast Tourism Industry Expected to be Hard-Hit by Spill

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is in session and assessing the impact of the oil spill on tourism along the Gulf Coast. Committee members are exploring the damages suffered by the region’s tourism industry as well as the process by which the independent Gulf Coast Claims Facility will evaluate tourism-related claims.

Tourism today is the region’s second-largest industry, behind only oil and gas exploration and processing. According to one report, about 46 percent of the Gulf economy, or more than $100 billion a year, comes from tourism dollars.

Tourism executives from the region and Kenneth Feinberg, President Obama’s designee to oversee the $20 billion BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill compensation fund are testifying. The Senate Small Business Committee holds a hearing to probe the impact of the temporary federal moratorium on Gulf drilling. Panels will provide a broad economic analysis of the moratorium and will include small business owners discussing its impact on their businesses.

visit LAT: Spill may cost Gulf $22.7 billion in tourism
read AP: Group Seeks $500M for Gulf Tourism
watch House Energy Hearing: NOW on c-span.org

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ENVIRONMENT: Meet The New Boss…BP boss


Over the weekend, news broke that three months after his oil company’s rig set off the largest oil spill in American history, BP CEO Tony Hayward would be stepping down. Dispatched to a non-executive position at BP’s Russian venture, the embattled CEO will be replaced by BP managing director Robert Dudley, an American who grew up in Mississippi. BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg explained on MSNBC this morning that Dudley is simply a fresh face to help BP rebuild “our brand.” The oil giant is, no doubt, hoping that replacing Hayward will convince the public that the company is getting its act together in response to the Gulf oil spill. Yet the fact remains that Hayward’s replacement is little more than a new face on the same old ideology that places profits over safety.

HAYWARD’S CATASTROPHIC TENURE: Hayward’s departure will mark the end of a disastrous legacy that was spent botching the company’s response to its oil spill in the Gulf. Almost a month after the gusher released 32 million gallons of toxic oil into the surrounding ocean, Hayward told Sky News that “the environmental impact of this disaster is likely to be very, very modest.” Since that time, an additional 60 million gallons of oil have poured into the Gulf of Mexico. Yet the executive hinted that he feels most sorry for himself. In May, Hayward told a reporter who asked him about the victims of his company’s oil spill, “We’re sorry for the massive disruption it’s caused their lives. There’s no one who wants this over more than I do. I would like my life back.” Unfortunately, as thousands have been put out of work by the oil spill, Hayward will continue to rake in a hefty amount of cash from his company. He is slated to “receive an immediate £600,000-a-year ($930,000) pension when he leaves the firm in October.” Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Energy and Environment Subcommittee, sent a letter to BP’s chairman decrying Hayward’s oversized compensation. “BP should be dedicating its resources to compensating the residents of the Gulf Coast who are victims of this tragedy, not handing out multi-million dollar golden parachutes. BP has an obligation to the residents of the Gulf that it must meet. Therefore, BP’s board of directors should not approve any compensation package for Mr. Hayward until every resident of the Gulf Coast has been fully compensated,” he wrote.

MORE OF THE SAME: Hayward will be replaced by Dudley on Oct. 1. Dudley, a “chemical engineer by training,” is “now in charge of BP’s Gulf Coast response.” While BP is likely hoping that replacing Hayward with Dudley will boost the company’s image with the public, the Wonk Room’s Brad Johnson writes, “There is little reason to expect that the incoming BP CEO will change anything other than the accent.” In his public appearances, Dudley has defended Hayward, minimized the toxic threat from BP’s dispersant Corexit, and greenwashed BP’s awful environmental record. During an appearance on PBS’s Newshour last May, Dudley described Corexit as “essentially like soap. It’s like dish soap.” In July, he once again returned to Newshour to say Corexit’s toxicity is “not far off of the toxicity levels of dish soap.” Additionally, he downplayed the threat of oil to the Gulf Coast, telling host Judy Woodruff that “we’re not seeing anything like what you see in Louisiana in any of the other states. … I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Dudley also praised Hayward’s stewardship of the company, saying, “I think he’s done a great job of leading a company to stand up and do the right thing. … I think Tony’s doing a fantastic job.” When pressed about BP’s enormous profits and why it should continue to make them despite the devastation in the Gulf, he compared the oil giant to a dog gratefully returning a bone to its owner: “I think I would look at some of the process today as just making sure that through that sentiment we don’t actually shoot the dog who is trying to bring home the bone.”

BP’S CONTINUED MALFEASANCE: By replacing its CEO, BP is simply putting a different face on the same old corporate malfeasance. Alabama’s Mobile Press-Register finds that BP has hired scientists from Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University, and Texas A&M to “work on behalf in their Natural Resources Damage Assessment process” that determines how much ecological damage the Gulf of Mexico region is suffering from BP’s toxic black tide. Alarmingly, the contract the scientists are signing “prohibits [them] from publishing their research, sharing it with other scientists or speaking about the data that they collect for at least the next three years.” “It makes me feel they were more interested in making sure we couldn’t testify against them than in having us testify for them,” said George Crozier, head of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab, who was approached by BP. Despite the commitments it made in a deal struck last month with President Obama, BP has so far failed to deposit any money into the $20 billion escrow fund it promised to create, despite the fact that its profits are up $2.9 billion from the same period last year. Ken Feinberg, who is in charge of administering oil spill claims, told reporters that he would like to start paying out claims from the fund, but he doesn’t “want the checks to bounce.” To add insult to injury, BP “plans to offset the entire cost of its Gulf of Mexico oil spill against its tax bill, reducing future contributions to U.S. tax coffers by almost $10 billion.” Unfortunately, the oil giant’s malfeasance doesn’t end at the Gulf Coast. Evidence has surfaced that BP lobbied the British government to release Abdel Basset al-Megrahi, who was convicted of terrorism, to Libya in order to win lucrative oil contracts. Additionally, BP has paid a million dollars per quarter to the American Petroleum Institute, which is actively involved in lobbying the government to limit the liability from current and future oil spills. While one would imagine that the disastrous result of the drilling at the Deepwater Horizon would make BP think twice about the benefits of offshore drilling, the company continues to drill all over the world. It is readying or commencing deepwater drilling off the coast of Libya, just three miles away from the environmentally fragile coast of Alaska, and extracting oil from Canadian tar sands, which produces four times the amount of carbon dioxide as conventional drilling and has been called “the biggest environmental crime on the planet” by representatives from the indigenous Cree population.