One month, 12 months and 15 months.

That’s how long it has been since we learned of Congressman Charlie Rangel’s (D-NY) most recent failure to disclose financial assets, since the New York Times first called for him to step down as Chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and since the House Ethics Committee began investigating Rangel’s previous violations, respectively.

Yet through all that — despite all the revelations of not disclosing income and not paying taxes — Mr. Rangel still runs the committee that oversees the IRS and enforces the tax laws for all Americans, except for himself.

To allow Mr. Rangel to continue to serve as Chairman is the same as allowing a confessed bank robber to serve as Chairman of the Banking Committee during the trial.

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While we are all focusing on H.R. 3200, the House Democrats’ health care plan, we should at least glance at H.R. 3221, the House Democrats’ plan to kill off higher education access. (PDF)

The legislation is opposed by many major universities including Notre Dame, among others. Basically, the bill would shut down all private providers of student loans, drive up costs for universities, and become a bureaucratic nightmare for institutions of higher learning. The professors may be leftists, but the administrators have to pay attention to the bottom line.

The Director of Student Financial Strategies at University of Notre Dame warns in a letter to Congressman Miller, “Any legislation that eliminates choice and competition and mandates that all institutions adopt an all-government run program for the 2010/11 academic year is filled with immense risk and would create massive confusion.”

Get that? The Democrats want an “all-government run program” to provide people access to money to pay for college. And if they do that, then they can force universities to comply with lots of new rules or deny students the right to use federal student loans to go to particular colleges.

But it gets better. Boy does it ever get better.

§ 343 of the plan creates a Green Schools Czar. No kidding. A Green Schools Czar (and committee naturally) would examine the impact of more environmentally friendly universities and find ways to create even more environmentally friendly universities. Oh . . . I have an idea . . . if students need financial assistance and they are forced to go through the feds, the feds can simply tell universities to become compliant or they won’t let students use their student loans to go there.

What is so funny is that §312 of Obama’s stimulus plan also sent money to schools to become more environmentally friendly. That was the carrot. Well, this new law will become the stick.

Final: 240-179-5
Republicans: 7-167
Democrats: 233-12-5

7 Republican votes for the resolution:
Cao
Emerson
Flake
Inglis (from South Carolina)
Jones
Petri
Rohrabacher

Give Joe Money by Clicking Here

After Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC) rejected Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ultimatum to offer a mea culpa on the floor of the House for his outburst during President Barack Obama’s address on Wednesday evening or face a formal admonishment, Democratic leaders are now moving to introduce a resolution to censure Wilson.

But Republican responses to the pending censure might explain why some prescient Democrats, perhaps guilty of similar actions under the last administration, were uneasy with assuming the role of disciplinarian: several key Democrats are weathering their own controversies, including Reps. Charlie Rangel (D-NY), chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means committee, Jack Murtha (D-PA), and Pete Visclosky (D-IN).

“Call it the Glass House of Representatives effect,” writes Politico’s Glenn Thrush.

The censure is “another stunning example of hypocrisy,” said Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele in a statement. “Congressional Democrats are wasting taxpayers’ time and resources on a legislative measure to censure Congressman Joe Wilson so they don’t have to talk about their exceedingly unpopular health care plan.”

While the proposed censure has galvanized Republican legislative opposition to the President and Speaker Pelosi, it represented low-hanging fruit for many Capitol Hill communicators – an opportunity to revive fading Democratic controversies.

“If we are going to march Members down to the well of the House to apologize, Joe Wilson is going to have to get in line behind Nancy Pelosi, who attacked the intelligence community who protects us, Charlie Rangel who cheated on his taxes, Jack Murtha – a walking scandal, and we all know how the Democratic leadership tried to protect William Jefferson” said Steele.

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The House Republicans have been passing around the information below. We got a copy of it and wanted to post it for you.

In a nutshell, the Democrats lack enough moderates to pass H.R. 3200 with the government option and if they ditch the government option, the Democrats would lack enough liberals to pass it. Sucks to be them.

Here is what the GOP is circulating:

NOTE: At least 44 more moderate Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record in opposition to the current health care bill in the House. Likewise, at least 57 liberal Members of the Democrat Caucus have gone on the record saying they will vote against a health care bill without a strong public option. In other words, unless multiple Democrats flip on their stated position on health care, Speaker Pelosi lacks the votes to pass a bill through the House on the strength of Democrat votes alone. How will the President address this intra-party squabbling during his speech tonight?

WHIP COUNT

44 Democrats Opposed

1. Rep. Altmire
2. Rep. Adler
3. Rep. Barrow
4. Rep. Boren
5. Rep. Boucher
6. Rep. Boyd
7. Rep. Bright
8. Rep. Carney
9. Rep. Childers
11. Rep. Cleaver
12. Rep. Cooper
13. Rep. Costello
14. Rep. Cuellar
15. Rep. Dahlkamper
16. Rep. Davis
17. Rep. Driehaus
18. Rep. Ellsworth
19. Rep. Gordon
20. Rep. Griffith
21. Rep. Halvorson
22. Rep. Hill
23. Rep. Holden
24. Rep. Kanjorski
25. Rep. Kaptur
26. Rep. F Kratovil
27. Rep. Marshall
28. Rep. Massa
29. Rep. Melancon
30. Rep. McIntyre
31. Rep. Minnick
32. Rep. Murtha
33. Rep. Oberstar
34. Rep. Ortiz
35. Rep. Perriello
36. Rep. Peterson
37. Rep. Polis
38. Rep. Pomeroy
39. Rep. Ross
40. Rep. Shuler
41. Rep. Stupak
42. Rep. Tanner
43. Rep. Taylor
44. Rep. Titus

57 Liberal Democrats to vote no on a bill without a strong public option

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The House Democrats have shut their Republican counterparts out of the legislative process. Normally, the minority gets the right to offer amendments over spending bills, but the House Democrats have decided not to allow the GOP that right.

The Democrats claim the GOP is slowing things down — you know, so members have time to actually read the legislation they are voting on, etc. Nonetheless, Rep. Eric Cantor has offered to compromise with the Democrats on the issue. The GOP would be allowed to offer up to 20 amendments and would abide by time limitations. Democrats won’t commit.

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Monday formally asked House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) to cut Republicans back into the debate on spending bills, promising they would offer a maximum of 20 amendments to each bill and would abide by a set of time limitations during the debate.

Cantor had proposed the deal verbally on Friday; Hoyer has not yet responded, and a Democratic aide voiced doubt that the majority will sign on.

Why won’t the Democrats commit? Because the GOP can’t keep its members toeing the party line. My friend Paul Broun (R-GA) tried to shut the House down the other day. He made a motion to adjourn. The Speaker called a recess instead of putting it to a vote because Broun would have won.

With the GOP routinely able to outmaneuver the Democrats under the Democrats’ own rules, the Dems don’t want to play nice.

Here’s the problem for the Democrats — majorities do not last forever. The GOP will one day take over the House again. And payback is hell.

The Democrats in the House of Representatives have voted to destroy the United States economy unilaterally. The vote was 220-203. 5 people did not vote. (As of 7:15 p.m.)

The vote was extremely close. 8 Republicans voted yes. 43 Democrats voted no.

Your persistent phone calls kept the margin very narrow and now make it extremely difficult to pass the Senate.

We must keep up the pressure in the Senate. We also now have a lot of momentum going into the healthcare fight. Democrats cannot expect to hold the same economy destroying coalition together.

Also, several Democrats are now dead men walking. We will clean their clocks next year.

UPDATED: Both James Inhofe and Harry Reid predict the legislation is dead in the Senate.

Republicans voting yes: Bono Mack; Castle, Kirk, Lance, LoBiondo, McHugh, Reichert, Smith(NJ)

Add these Republicans to the list of people to call about Cap and Trade.

Tell them to vote no on H.R. 2454.

Vern Buchanan (FL-13): 202-225-5015
Joseph Cao (LA-02): 202-225-6636
Vern Ehlers (MI-03): 202-225-3831
Rodney Frelinghuysen (NJ-11): 202-225-5034
Jim Gerlach (PA-06): 202-225-4315
Tim Johnson (IL-15): 202-225-2371
Mark Kirk (IL-10): 202-225-4835
Chris Smith (NJ-04): 202-225-3765

It has been said on numerous occasions and by various politicians and pundits that it was an extraordinary week in the life of the nation of Iran. On June 12, from the very moment that the Iranian presidential election results were announced, the international community and the international press questioned the results. The primary reason for our disbelief in the declared result is that millions of paper ballots were collected and counted in mere hours. This occurred even before the extraordinary demonstrations in the street began.

The disbelief on the part of the international community was shared by many Iranian citizens. And while the defeated candidate launched a legal appeal, what ensued on the streets of Tehran, at least according to the BBC, were the largest public demonstrations in the Islamic republic’s 30-year history. It seems that many Iranians have gotten a whiff of freedom and are willing to lay down their lives in the streets of Iran to secure that freedom.

Sadly, as the people have rallied the Iranian government has responded with more violence and oppression, causing numerous fatalities and the arrest of dissidents. We have learned of reporters prevented from making their reports public and the jamming of electronic communications. We may well be witnessing a Tiananmen in Tehran.

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The House Democrats tonight have denied Republicans the opportunity to offer any amendments at all on spending bills.

Any.

This is the first time in the history of our Republic that this has happened.

Senate Republicans should stick up for their House brethren and shut down the Senate as the House GOP is now pretty much powerless.

Today Congressman Mike Pence - a member of the House Republican Leadership - introduced a resolution to make clear that the US supports the brave dissidents who are risking their lives for democracy in Iran.

This ought to be a no-brainer. The United States has helped make the world’s most dangerous hot spot somewhat safer by supporting democracy in the Middle East. As Moe has pointed out, the emergence of a democracy in Iraq has encouraged other nations to demand the right to choose their own leaders. The world can only become safer if the people of Iran win their fight to choose the man who replaces Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Pence’s resolution says:

Whereas the United States supports the right of the citizens of Iran to have free and independent elections for the selection of their political leaders;

Whereas Article 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that ‘‘(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives; (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country; (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures’’;

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The Blue Dog Democrats have genuinely boxed themselves in lately on their consistency regarding Iran.

On September 25, 2007, all the Blue Dog Democrats who were then in Congress voted in favor of H.R. 1400, the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act of 2007. The legislation would have prevented Iran from joining the World Trade Organization, imposed economic sanctions on the nation including banning the import of all goods originating from Iran, etc.

The bill never made it through the Senate, but all the Blue Dogs in the House supported it.

On March 31, 2009, Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade sent Barack Obama a letter regarding their conversation on “the need to prevent funding from the G-20 package from going to Iran.”

According to Sherman’s letter, “the World Bank has been providing assistance to Iran throughout this decade, and continues to do so as we speak. From 2000-2005, some $1.35 billion was approved for Iran in nine separate loan packages.” Further, Sherman insisted, “Iran should not receive any benefits from any of the institutions - World Bank, IMF or any other multilateral institution - that will be utilized by the G-20 to assist with the global recovery while Tehran insists on violating United Nations Security Council Resolutions concerning its nuclear program.”

You can read Brad Sherman’s letter here (PDF).

Despite the Blue Dogs uniting in 2007 to try to defund Iran and despite the Blue Dogs, via Brad Sherman (one of their own), expressing concerns over the IMF funding Iran as recently as March 31, 2009, some of them are even still considering voting for H.R. 2346, the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act.

Below the fold are the targeted members of Congress we need you to call ASAP. Find your state. Make the calls. Tell them to vote no on H.R. 2346, the 2009 Supplemental Appropriations Act. Report back what they say.

[UPDATED:] Brad Sherman wants it known he is not and never will be a Blue Dog Democrat. He’s just your typical left wing Democrat without any conscious about spending. I regret the error.

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From Republicans in the House of Representatives:

Our commanders in the field, Generals Petraeus and Odierno, oppose releasing photos of prisoner interrogations. General Petraeus has said, “Newly released photos depicting, or that could be construed as depicting, abuse of detainees in U.S. military custody in Iraq and Afghanistan would place U.S. servicemen in Afghanistan at heightened risk.” General Odierno has said, “I strongly believe the release of these photos will endanger the lives of U.S. Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors and civilians as well as the lives of our Iraqi partners.” And, “I believe these images will be used to inflame outrage against the U.S. and be used by terrorist organizations to recruit new members.”

Unfortunately, in an effort to cater to the far-left wing of the Democratic Caucus, the House Democratic Leadership has removed language in the supplemental troop-funding bill that would block release of these photos. Later today, the House will vote on a motion to – among other things – restore the language that prevents the release of these pictures (the Graham-Lieberman language).

Everyone should be clear about this vote: A “yes” vote is a vote to stop the release of these photos, a “no” vote will allow their release.

——————
From Erick: This is a “motion to instruct.” You will want to go here, get the name of your Congressman, call him/her, and ask for a yes vote on the motion to reinsert the Graham-Lieberman language.

We’re digging around on this one. From what House Republicans are telling us, Nancy and the gang have turned Fox News off throughout the entire House of Representatives complex.

UPDATE: Nope, wasn’t Nancy. It was God. From an email:

Apparently a lightning strike took out some of the channels. It’s not just Fox News and Fox Business that got taken out (though, they are the only news channels) but also, from our review, C-SPAN 2, History Channel, Discovery Health, DIY, Golf Channel, Weather Channel, HGTV, WE, A&E, AMC, ABC Family, NatGeo, Travel Channel and TLC.

Key Political Developments

Senate Update

Arkansas: A new Public Policy Polling survey (3/20-22; 600 registered AR voters) shows some surprising vulnerability for so-called moderate Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D). Against former US Attorney Tim Griffin (R), she leads only 46-37%. Paired with state Sen. Gilbert Baker (R), her advantage is a similar: 48-37%. The Senator’s job approval number is a lackluster 45:40.

California: Confirming previous speculation, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) stated publicly that he will not challenge Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) next year. Boxer now becomes a heavy favorite for a fourth term.

Connecticut: Research 2000, for the ultra-leftwing Daily Kos national blog, released the results of their Connecticut survey (3/23-25; 600 likely CT voters), and it shows ethically challenged Sen. Christopher Dodd in a bit better position than from last week’s Q-Poll (Quinnipiac University; Dodd trailing Simmons 43-42%). Here, Dodd leads former Rep. Rob Simmons (R-CT-2) 45-40%, with a job approval rating of 47:40. The Senator has a much bigger lead when paired with another potential GOP candidate, state Sen. Sam Caligiuri: 51-30%. CNBC business news commentator Larry Kudlow ended speculation that he would run for the Senate via public announcement earlier in this week.

Florida: Gov. Charlie Crist (R) may soon take his most definitive step toward running for the state’s open Senate race next year. Insiders claim that he will now form a Senatorial exploratory committee before the state legislature’s scheduled recess on May 1. Democrats will virtually concede the Senate seat to Crist in order to try and win what promises to be a competitive gubernatorial race.

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Alan Mollohan has been under investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a few years. Today it’s reported that his charitable foundation received free rent from a high-tech consortium that he blessed with millions of dollars in earmarks:

The West Virginia High Tech Consortium has provided more than $75,000 in free rent and administrative services to the Robert H. Mollohan Family Charitable Foundation, according to tax records, while receiving millions of dollars worth of earmarks from Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W. Va.), who serves as the family foundation’s secretary.

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Well this is a new one on me.

According to Congressional Quarterly this morning, House Republicans led by Jack Kingston (R-GA), took to the House floor to demand to see Porkulus.

Despite a unanimous vote of the House of Representatives to not vote on the bill until people had 48 hours to see it, the Democrats sought to back track and vote on Porkulus sight unseen.

From CQ:

Rep. Jack Kingston, R-Ga., complained this morning on the House floor that lawmakers were being asked to vote, sight unseen, on “the largest single bill in the history of Congress.” Some Democratic lawmakers fired back that Republicans didn’t need to see the bill anyway, since none of them voted for the stimulus when it moved through the House the first time and would probably stand in opposition.

There you have it. The GOP will have to remember this when they get the House back. If you are inclined to vote against something, you don’t get to see it.

America’s Mother-in-Law, by the way, caved around noon and decided not to bring Porkulus up for a vote.