334 Days until Election Day
MORNING UPDATE:
Staff and volunteers headed down to Ohio yesterday to provide the Ohio GOP with a helping hand for the upcoming special election coming up this next Tuesday. Special thanks to the College Republicans for stepping up with several car loads of “motivated volunteers” who will suffer through Buckeye country for the good of “our” country and party…you want to talk about personal sacrifice!
I want to thank everyone for their comments and suggestions on the presidential primary proposal Debbie Dingell and I offered as a possible bipartisan solution. There are many plans floating around out there at this time and we are now starting the process to re-evaluate how the system should work for 2012 and beyond.
Chuck , Holly and I are going over options and strategy on how to best approach the upcoming Rules Committee process and best represent Michigan’s interests.
The major issues I have heard most is that folks are frustrated with how soon the “next campaign” starts, the front loading of the process, why NH and IA always go first and the concern for some to be relevant while others are not during one cycle or another.
I think the plan we have proposed addressed many of those concerns. By creating regions around the country and then selecting states (sub regions) from each geographic region to hold their primaries on the same day, which makes the process much more representative and fair. Also, have a lottery every cycle 14 months before the general election will allow everyone the chance to be first or second…arguably more relevant than not…and making that random again creates a “fairer” chance to allow each and every state to “play”.
No plan is perfect, but after reviewing the other options that are out there, we tried to take the best of several options discussed and put another possibility on the table. Most importantly, something that could also be approached in a bi-partisan manner.
I suspect we will see several other proposals floated and options discussed. We will be voting and discussing much of this during our January RNC meeting. I will be posting updates and additional information about how this plan moves along on this blog site, with downloads, maps and additional information added regularly. Keep your thoughts and ideas coming!
http://migop.blogs.com/blog/2007/12/dingell-anuzis.html
Give a Gift this Holiday Season that Will Last a Lifetime!
The Michigan Republicans moved their headquarters to the Secchia-Weiser Republican Center in 2006 and plan to install a legacy site to honor those who have served the party and the citizens of Michigan. The legacy site will create a well-deserved tribute to honor Michigan’s past, present, and future Republican leaders! Buy a brick to celebrate, to inspire, or to commemorate friends, family, or yourself this holiday season! They are a great way to honor others in memoriam, birthdays, anniversaries, or any special occasion. Your honoree will receive a certificate commemorating their personalized brick. Choose from our four different options and be a part of the Michigan Republican Party Legacy!
To order your personalized Legacy Brick please visit www.migop.org/legacy, or contact Erin Meteer, Major Donor Program Manager at emeteer@migop.org.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
No further commentary today.
Saul Anuzis
STATE STORIES
http://www.mlive.com/news/kzgazette/index.ssf?/base/columns-3/1197043023306480.xml&coll=7
Rotate regional presidential primary
Kalamazoo Gazette
Friday, December 07, 2007
Sometimes, when people from opposing political parties put their heads together, sanity happens. Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis and prominent Democrat Debbie Dingell -- apparently as dismayed as the rest of us that Michigan's presidential primaries are utterly fouled up -- have come up with a plan to hold six regional presidential primaries, starting in 2012. But unlike a proposal in Congress, offered by U.S. Rep. Sander Levin, D-Michigan, and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida, that would also have six regional primaries -- the order of which would be changed every four years on a rotating basis -- Dingell and Anuzis are proposing that the order in which the regions would vote be determined by lottery.
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/457jcxov.asp
Through the Roof!
Democrats fall in love with taxes again.
by Stephen Moore
12/17/2007, Volume 013, Issue 14
It wasn't so long ago that politicians assured voters that they would "raise taxes only as a last resort," as Michael Dukakis put it in 1988. When lawmakers did increase taxes, they would wring their hands and somberly declare how painful and distasteful this decision was. But nowadays in the Democratic party, raising taxes is regarded as a badge of honor and cause for celebration…
Then there is the glamorous Michigan governor, Jennifer Granholm--who raised business and income taxes this year despite polls showing intense opposition. Granholm fought doggedly for the tax package, even telling a statewide television audience that she would shut the government down in Lansing if she didn't get her infusion of cash from taxpayers. Michigan was the only state in the nation last year suffering a recession, and the state's unemployment rate is highest in the nation, so new taxes couldn't have come at a more inopportune time. But Granholm is convinced that raising business taxes in Michigan is an "investment" and that the higher costs for doing business will somehow lure more companies to her state. A darling of liberals, Granholm would be high on the Democrats' vice presidential list if only she hadn't been born in Canada.
http://theoaklandpress.com/stories/120707/opi_20071207185.shtml
Legislators should approve bill to expand sex offender registry
The Oakland Press
PUBLISHED: Friday, December 7, 2007
House Bill 5349, introduced by state Rep. David Law, R-Commerce Township, just makes sense. It appears to be a matter of simply setting things straight - completing something that should have been done a few years ago. Law says Michigan's sex offender registry isn't a complete list of dangerous predators because offenders convicted before 1995 aren't required to register. His bill would change that. It would require some individuals convicted on or before Oct. 1, 1995, to register. It would cover offenders who were age 17 or older when they sexually assaulted a child younger than 13.
http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/POLITICS/712080401/1022/POLITICS
DNR fees won't rise in '08
Michigan lawmakers decide to plug agency's shortfall with funds from other, unnamed sources.
Detroit News and wire services
Saturday, December 8, 2007
LANSING -- Hunting and fishing license fees won't go up this budget year under a tentative agreement announced Friday by a state lawmaker and confirmed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm's administration. Neither will environmental permit fees paid by businesses. "This is great news for Michigan's hunters and anglers," said Michigan United Conservation Clubs Executive Director Dennis Muchmore. The hunting and fishing fee increases will be avoided by using extra money elsewhere in the state budget to fund shortfalls in the Game and Fish Fund, said House Tourism, Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources Chairman Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch. "There isn't much stomach for raising fees in the House and the Senate," Sheltrown said.
Foreclosure nightmare must end
By Mike Cox
Published 12/6/2007
Michigan’s foreclosure For most families, the purchase of a home is a dream come true. That’s because they spent years saving their hard-earned money to make homeownership a reality. They are so proud when they sign those papers to buy their home. Unfortunately for many in this state, that dream has quickly turned into a nightmare because of job losses and layoffs, the depreciation of property values, and skyrocketing monthly mortgage payments. These problems have caused Michigan’s foreclosure rate to spiral out of control. Unfortunately, metro Detroit’s foreclosure rate is now the second highest in the country and the state of Michigan as a whole has the fourth highest foreclosure rate in the country.
http://battlecreekenquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/NEWS01/312080010/1002
State lawmakers try to cure foreclosure ills
The Enquirer
12/8/07
While the federal government has announced a deal that could freeze interest rates for up to five years for borrowers with subprime mortgages, Michigan legislators are working on a package of bills to offer financial assistance to homeowners in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure. Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm earlier this week applauded the state House for passing bills that would authorize two new refinancing programs through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. “We have developed a great program and some great mortgage tools to help protect hard-working homeowners who are facing mortgage foreclosures,” she said in a press release.
State’s Future Hinges on Education
Tom Watkins
December 7, 2007
Wake up Michigan – education matters! Michigan is at a tipping point. Are we going to invest in our people and our collective future or become an economic backwater? Many in our state capitol claim the latest budget "fix" of raising taxes will allow us to invest in education. However, the reality is the one percent increase schools may receive will not even cover the fixed cost of keeping our schools open and will do little to stem rising tuition at our community colleges and state universities. At best, this modest increase in educational funding helps our schools from falling further behind. Yet, in this time of hyperactive global competition, staying even is falling behind.
Michigan AFL-CIO chief: Clinton needs to get better on trade
12/7/2007, 4:23 p.m. EST
By KATHY BARKS HOFFMAN
The Associated Press
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton is the only major candidate running in Michigan's Democratic primary, but some Michigan AFL-CIO members may be reluctant to back her if she won't back changing some of the trade deals they say have cost jobs, President Mark Gaffney said Friday. "Hillary needs to be stronger on trade," Gaffney said during the taping of public television's "Off the Record" program. "We're not opposed to trade. ... We understand selling products overseas. But we want to ship products overseas, not ship jobs overseas."
http://freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071208/NEWS03/712080336
Cobo expansion backers still have some work to do
December 8, 2007
BY JOHN WISELY
The estimated construction cost for expanding Cobo Center may be coming down, but operating costs and who would contribute to the project remain issues. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who proposed a $1-billion replacement for Cobo in 2003 to secure the future of the annual January auto show and other events, said Friday that a pared proposal led by Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano could cost about $300 million -- or less. "It's a much more focused, well-designed plan," Kilpatrick said at a business breakfast in Troy. Ficano said $300 million could cover construction costs for an expansion, but a planned endowment to pay operating costs would be more.
http://blog.mlive.com/flintjournal/newsnow/2007/12/williamson_sets_flint_campaign.html
Mayor sets campaign spending record
Posted by Marjory
December 06, 2007 18:25PM
FLINT -- Mayor Don Williamson pumped a record-setting $460,000 of his own money into his successful re-election campaign, including $250,000 in the final days of the race. "We ran our campaign to win our election," Williamson said. Williamson far outpaced challenger Dayne Walling, who spent $280,000 -- including a $10,000 debt -- with the help of more than 1,000 people who contributed to his campaign. Combined, the two dumped nearly three-quarters of a million dollars into the super tight race -- falling just short of the city's most expensive race ever. Williamson did set a record for the most spent by a single candidate.
http://blog.mlive.com/kalamazoo_gazette_extra/2007/12/video_pastors_baptize_33_at_st.html
Video: Pastors baptize 33 at St. Joseph County Jail
Posted by Lynn Turner
December 07, 2007
CENTREVILLE -- When John Vincent Grogan III was in prison, he'd see other inmates claim to have found God, use it as a way to earn an early release -- then leave behind their Bibles when paroled. So he understands people will be skeptical to learn someone with eight felonies, "a couple of dozen misdemeanors" and a criminal record dating to age 12 -- and going back to prison for 18 months for a parole violation -- has changed his ways and accepted Jesus Christ into his life. "I don't want to be a poster boy," the heavily tattooed 29-year-old former Detroit gang member said. "I want to show people there can be a change."
NATIONAL STORIES
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/651/republican-candidates
Public Still Getting To Know Leading GOP Candidates
Many Republicans Unaware of Romney's Religion
Pew Research
December 5, 2007
Even as the 2008 presidential campaign draws increasing news coverage, the public shows limited awareness of the personal backgrounds of some of the top GOP candidates. While 86% of the public is able to name Rudy Giuliani as the former mayor of New York City, only about half as many – 42% of the public – correctly identified Mitt Romney as a Mormon and even fewer (35%) knew that Romney was the former governor of Massachusetts. Romney's speech on religion and politics, scheduled for Dec. 6, is widely seen as an effort to assuage concerns that some religious conservatives in the GOP have raised about his Mormon faith. Among Republicans, 60% could name Romney as the Republican candidate who is Mormon, but 40% could not.
http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110010955
Mormon in America
How Mitt Romney came to give The Speech--and how he did.
Peggy Noonan
Friday, December 7, 2007 12:01 a.m. EST
Did Mitt Romney have to give a speech on religion? Yes. When you're in a race so close you could lose due to one issue, your Mormonism, you must address the issue of your Mormonism. The only question was timing: now, in the primaries, or later, as the nominee? But could he get to the general without The Speech? Apparently he judged not. (Mr. Romney's campaign must have some interesting internal polling about Republicans on the ground in Iowa and elsewhere.) But Mr. Romney had other needs, too. His candidacy needed a high-minded kick start. It needed an Act II. He's been around for a year, he's made his first impression, he needed to make it new again.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23850
Romney Gained From Speech
by John Gizzi
Posted: 12/07/2007
“What will Romney say tomorrow?” was the most-talked of topic over lunch on Wednesday with two of my colleagues in the Fourth Estate and a seasoned Washington election-watcher. We were referring, of course, to Mitt Romney and his much-ballyhooed address on religion and politics set for the following day. The consensus of the group at lunch was that the Republican would not specifically deal with his Mormon faith, but discuss, rather, his personal values and the importance of religion in politics. “So if we want to learn more about what it’s like to be a Mormon, we won’t get it from Romney,” was how one of my luncheon companions put it.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZDliNzdlMTViNmY4YjA3MjAwMTMwODJhZjYyYWYwZDk=
Leap of Faith
A different side of Romney.
By Rich Lowry
December 7, 2007 12:00 AM
Mitt Romney has run a textbook presidential campaign, and, at the same time — given his overwhelming resources, organization, and TV advertising — he has underperformed. He suffered from an enthusiasm gap even when his lead in early states like Iowa was unchallenged, which it is no longer. The undertow on Romney has been doubts about his authenticity and Mormon faith. In “The Speech” at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas, Romney helped himself on both fronts, perhaps the former even more than the latter.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=23839
Rudy Tougher, Mitt Softer on Illegals than Perceived
by Deroy Murdock
Posted: 12/07/2007
Former Massachusetts Gov. Willard Mitt Romney has accused fellow GOP presidential contender Rudolph W. Giuliani of operating a “sanctuary city” while New York mayor. Presumably, Giuliani waved illegal aliens into Gotham, like a third-base coach urging runners home ahead of a mighty outfielder’s throw. In fact, Giuliani was tougher on illegal immigrants than Romney claims. Conversely, Romney was easier on illegals than his current hard-line posture suggests. In last month’s CNN/YouTube debate, Romney quoted Giuliani: “If you come here, and you work hard, and you happen to be in an undocumented status, you’re one of the people that we want in this city.” Romney conveniently omitted this sentence from Giuliani’s June 1994 press-conference remarks:
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=Nzk4MmY2N2I5NGEzOTk4ZWNkYzU2ZWY0Njk5NWRkNjI=
Huck’s Unholy Dance
Mormonism should be a total irrelevancy in any political campaign. It is not.
By Charles Krauthammer
December 7, 2007 12:00 AM
When Mitt Romney’s father ran for the presidency 40 years ago, his Mormonism was not an issue. When Mo Udall was a major challenger for the Democratic nomination in 1976, his religion was so irrelevant that today most people don’t even remember that Udall was a Mormon. Five members of the Senate are Mormon. Are there any intimations that the Mormonism of Harry Reid, Orrin Hatch, Gordon Smith, Michael Crapo, or Robert Bennett corrupts, distorts or in any way diminishes their ability to perform their constitutional duties?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/12/huckabee_is_far_from_reagans_h.html
Huckabee is Far From Reagan's Heir
By Kimberley Strassel
December 07, 2007
DES MOINES, Iowa--Stepping out for a press conference here Monday, Mike Huckabee fielded the ultimate question. Just how conservative are you? "I'm as conservative as anyone could hope to be, or want to be, or needs to be," replied the smiling former Arkansas governor, never missing a beat, and following up with a boilerplate summary of his belief in "lower taxes," the "sanctity of human life" and a "strong military"--before moving ever so swiftly on to the next question. It was trademark Huckabee: Sounds great, explains little. It's a strategy that has so far served him well, rocketing his campaign in recent weeks to the top ranks of the Republican presidential field.
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071207/UPDATE/712070413/1361
Poll: Huckabee leaps into second place in GOP race
Alan Fram / Associated Press
Friday, December 7, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Mike Huckabee has vaulted from nowhere into second place in the Republican presidential race, riding a burst of support from evangelicals, Southerners and conservatives, a poll showed today. The upsurge by the former Arkansas governor has come largely at the expense of Fred Thompson, according to the national survey by the Associated Press and Ipsos. Thompson has dropped after failing to galvanize the party's right-wing core as much as some had expected. Rudy Giuliani remains the front-runner, yet while his support long has been steady it shows signs of fraying. Huckabee's growing strength in the South has come as the former New York mayor's support there has dropped, the poll found.
http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10251179
The case for John McCain
Why the Republicans should take another look at Arizona's senior senator
Dec 6th 2007
From The Economist print edition
THERE are all sorts of reasons to be puzzled by the state of today's Republican Party. How did the party of fiscal responsibility become the party of out-of-control spending? How did a party that prided itself on its foreign-policy skills become the author of the fiasco in Iraq? But from the narrow point of view of the election, an even more pressing question arises: how did the Republicans lose their ability to spot star power? A month before the primaries the Republicans have no idea whom to nominate. Rudy Giuliani? He's ahead in the national polls, but he lags in the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire; and many social conservatives hate him.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119699609744016722.html
McCain's New Hampshire Glimmer
By JUNE KRONHOLZ
December 7, 2007; Page A4
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- Campaign volunteer and retired physicist Bill Machell says he sees a change from a few months ago when he began telephoning voters on behalf of John McCain: Fewer people are hanging up on him. Could the Arizona Republican senator, at 71 years old, be this election's comeback kid? With one month to go before the Jan. 8 primary here, polls show the presidential hopeful regaining some of the ground he lost during the summer because of his support of an immigration bill and his campaign's collapse amid disorganization and poor fund-raising.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7245.html
Ron Paul blimp charts unprecedented course
By: Kenneth P. Vogel
Dec 6, 2007 05:36 PM EST
Look! Up in the sky: It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s ... Ron Paul? If a whimsical publicity stunt goes as planned, a blimp hyping the long-shot Republican presidential campaign of the Texas congressman will launch next week. The Ron Paul blimp is set to fly from North Carolina, over Washington, New York and Boston, before heading to New Hampshire, where the Jan. 8 primary offers the iconic libertarian perhaps his best chance of translating his zealous Internet support into votes. Like the unprecedented online fundraising behind Paul’s bid, the blimp effort, which appears on pace financially, isn’t affiliated with the official campaign and pushes traditional political conventions.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/12/07/EDIITPJD3.DTL
Bundle of trouble
San Francisco Chronicle
Friday, December 7, 2007
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted Norman Hsu - a businessman who pledged to raise more than $100,000 for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign - on six counts of mail fraud, six counts of wire fraud and three counts of breaking federal election law. A jury can later decide whether Hsu has broken any federal laws. Before then, Hsu will have to account for fleeing the United States after he pleaded no contest in 1992 in San Mateo to defrauding investors of $1 million. The New York senator can't be blamed for any of Hsu's business misdeeds. In a sense, the Clintons were used. Hsu boasted that former President Bill Clinton was an investment client - which the Clinton team denies.
Bill Hurts, Not Helps, Hillary Campaign
By Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
Friday, December 7, 2007
Bill Clinton’s poll ratings are very high so Hillary figures he can be of great help to her on the campaign trail. So far, so good — but then they extrapolate that view and conclude that he would be a good pe rson to make her negative attacks on opponents, to answer charges against her and to take the media to task for their coverage. And that’s where they are wrong. Bill’s high ratings are largely due to his nonpolitical activities in recent years. His book Giving, although largely a payoff to those who have given to him or to his wife’s campaign, portrays him as a philanthropist par excellence.
Dukakis says Obama not capitalizing on grass roots
December 7, 2007
Michael Dukakis, a former Massachusetts governor, says he's "baffled" why Barack Obama's campaign has not turned his grass-roots following into a more powerful ground organization. Dukakis, who has not endorsed anyone in the Democratic presidential race, said Wednesday night at Emerson College that Obama has not yet tapped the power of the crowds that turn out to hear him speak and has not capitalized on the hundreds of thousands of Internet contributions he's received. He said his wife, Kitty, an Obama supporter and contributor, routinely gets e-mails from the campaign asking her to donate more money, but the e-mails never ask her to volunteer to run a precinct for the campaign.
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/TheNote/story?id=3105288&page=1
THE NOTE: Double-Oh Show:
Overflow arenas on tap await Oprah and Obama, while Romney clears the bar
By RICK KLEIN with NANCY FLORES
Dec. 7, 2007
To a campaign that's seen everything, toss in the woman who can do anything: Oprah. There are endorsements, celebrity endorsements -- and then there's Oprah. Ms. Winfrey makes clear that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is one of her favorite things at this white-hot moment of the campaign, with a full weekend scheduled that will bring Obama some glitz, energy, and enthusiasm in all the right places. No campaign surrogate -- up to and including Bill Clinton and Barbra Streisand -- can do what Oprah is poised to do for a campaign. And consider that Oprah -- unlike the former president -- will introduce voters to her favored candidate who aren't all that familiar with him (or all that convinced he's the right choice).
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/not-feeling-the-oprah-love/
Not Feeling the Oprah Love
By Katharine Q. Seelye
December 7, 2007, 2:16 pm
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The coming Oprah phenomenon on behalf of Senator Barack Obama is already having a ripple effect on rival campaigns. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is sending Bill Clinton here to South Carolina on Saturday, the day before Oprah Winfrey arrives. The former president has spoken here often on behalf of his wife and has proved enormously popular with South Carolina voters. And on a conference call today, supporters of former Senator John Edwards expressed dissatisfaction with Ms. Winfrey for coming here but not addressing issues like education, health care or poor conditions facing senior citizens.“If you can build a school in South Africa, build one in South Carolina,” Linda Dogan, a member of the City Council in Spartanburg, said on the conference call, which was organized by the Edwards campaign.
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/652/hispanics-2008-election
Hispanics and the 2008 Election: A Swing Vote?
by Paul Taylor, Executive Vice President, Pew Research Center and Richard Fry, Senior Research Associate, Pew Hispanic Center
December 6, 2007
After spending the first part of this decade loosening their historic ties to the Democratic Party, Hispanic voters have reversed course in the past year, a new nationwide survey of Latinos by the Pew Hispanic Center has found. Some 57% of Hispanic registered voters now call themselves Democrats or say they lean to the Democratic Party, while just 23% align with the Republican Party -- meaning there is now a 34-percentage-point gap in partisan affiliation among Latinos. In July 2006, the same gap measured just 21 percentage points -- whereas back in 1999, it had been 33 percentage points.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TCPEPG0&show_article=1
NBC Rejects Ad From Conservative Group
Dec 7 01:54 PM US/Eastern
By JIM KUHNHENN
WASHINGTON (AP) - NBC has rejected a TV ad by Freedom's Watch, a conservative group that supports administration policy in Iraq, that asks viewers to remember and thank U.S. troops during the holiday season. NBC said it declined to air the ad because it refers to the group's Web site, which the network said was too political, not because of the ad's message. "Anybody in the world who would look at this ad would come away with nothing other than we should thankful for their service," Freedom's Watch president Brad Blakeman said. The spot was to be part of a seven-figure campaign that includes newspaper ads and television commercials.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7254.html
Pelosi calls Cheney swipe undignified
By: Mike Allen
Dec 7, 2007 12:22 PM EST
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says a swipe that Vice President Cheney took at Democratic House leaders is “beneath the dignity of his office.” Capitol Hill was abuzz Thursday with discussion of the vice president’s assertion in an interview with Politico that House Democratic leaders had been surprisingly supine: “They are not carrying the big sticks I would have expected.” Cheney added that when he served in the House, “We would not have had a Speaker who, from my perspective, is that far out of the sort of mainstream — she is a San Francisco Democrat, certainly entitled to her views, but able to dictate policy as effectively as she apparently does to the rest of the caucus.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/washington/07scene.html?_r=1&ref=washington&oref=slogin
All the Makings of a Carnival, Except the Fun
By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN
Published: December 7, 2007
WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 — As if there was any doubt that Congress was on the verge of devolving into a carnival atmosphere, Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, on Thursday proposed doing cartwheels down the center aisle of the Senate chamber to draw attention to Republican efforts to block legislation. Here, in the Cirque du Senate, there is trash-talking, whining and finger-pointing, bickering and, occasionally, brief flashes of serious disagreement on policy. But with the clock ticking swiftly toward the end of the year and a stack of stalled legislation piling up, little is getting done in the Senate these days. And tempers are starting to boil over.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1207/7248.html
Two GOP congresswomen quit Page Board
By: Patrick O'Connor
Dec 6, 2007 04:32 PM EST
Two Republicans on the House Page Board resigned Thursday because the House clerk failed to notify them of two incidents involving high school-age students, including shoplifting charges and improper sexual conduct. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Florida sent House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a letter Thursday announcing her intention to step down from the bipartisan panel that monitors the congressional page program in the House. And Rep. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) followed later with her own statement. The page incidents did not involve members of Congress.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071207/D8TCHO9O0.html
Tax, Spending Issues Frustrate Democrats
Dec 7, 5:08 AM (ET)
By CHARLES BABINGTON
WASHINGTON (AP) - Cracks are emerging in congressional Democrats' solidarity, as frustrated lawmakers concede their majority status is not enough to overcome Republican resistance on taxes, spending, Iraq and a host of other issues. The fissures, which became obvious this week, are undermining Democrats' hopes for several key achievements this year. They also point to a bruising 2008 election in which Democrats will say Republicans blocked prudent tax and spending plans to score political points on immigration and other hot-button issues. Republicans say they simply want to prevent higher taxes of any kind, even if the targets are not-so-sympathetic groups such as oil companies and hedge fund managers.
http://money.cnn.com/2007/12/06/news/economy/easton_1206.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2007120610
Paulson's bailout may boost GOP's prospects
Free-market Republicans may not like the fact that he's meddling with the economy, but his efforts may serve them well come November '08
By Nina Easton, Washington editor
December 7 2007
WASHINGTON D.C (Fortune) -- Among those free-marketers inside the administration and out, who unapologetically label themselves ideologues, Henry Paulson has a nickname: "Mr. Fixit." This is not a compliment. Staunch free-marketers harbor a special brand of disdain for government officials like the Treasury Secretary, who combines an instinct for action with a corporate chieftain's confidence that he can untie even the most gnarly financial knot.
http://www.nysun.com/article/67648
1-888-995-4FDR
New York Sun Editorial
December 7, 2007
One of the questions about President Bush's new housing plan is whether it creates more trouble for markets or less. Mr. Bush is offering to help families in danger of losing their homes by extracting promises from investors who own the mortgages to freeze adjustable rate loans, potentially forgoing interest rate increases that were part of the original loan contracts. In other words, the President is choosing to injure one party — those to whom the money is due — in the name of helping another, the borrowers. Families in trouble, the president offered, could call a number for a private foundation — not a government office — to begin credit counseling: 1-888-995-HOPE. Mr. Bush explained his choice Thursday in the White House Roosevelt Room.
'Polars bears on the brink? Don't you believe it'
By DAVID JONES
7th December 2007
When you're up above the Arctic Circle, on the trail of polar bears who haven't eaten a square meal in months, it's advisable to follow a few basic rules. Number one, as perishing cold as you may be, is don't drink too much coffee. Unfortunately, as an incurable caffeine addict, wildlife documentary maker Nigel Marven can't adhere to this great unwritten imperative while filming his latest series out on the frozen North Canadian tundra. As a result, I find myself peering anxiously from the safety of a frosten-crusted Jeep, wondering whether I am about to witness the moment that Nigel becomes his star performer's lunch.
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8TCPUE80&show_article=1
China Says West Should Deal With Warming
Dec 7 02:27 PM US/Eastern
By MICHAEL CASEY
BALI, Indonesia (AP) - China insisted Friday the U.S. and other wealthy nations should bear the burden of curbing global warming, saying the problem was created by their lavish way of life. It rejected mandatory emission cuts for its own developing industries.
Environmental activists, meanwhile, labeled the United States and Saudi Arabia the worst "climate sinners," accusing them of having inadequate polices for climate problems while letting greenhouse gas emissions rise. But the activists also said no country is doing enough. Su Wei, a top climate expert for China's government attending the U.N. Climate Change Conference, said the job belongs to the wealthy.
http://townhall.com/Columnists/RobertDNovak/2007/12/08/blocked_vatican_envoy
Blocked Vatican Envoy
By Robert D. Novak
Saturday, December 8, 2007
WASHINGTON -- President Bush's nomination of Harvard Law School professor Mary Ann Glendon as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican is being held up in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, raising the possibility that the post may be vacant when Pope Benedict XVI visits the United States in April. The selection of anti-abortion advocate Glendon is opposed by Catholics for a Free Choice. No official holds on her confirmation have been filed, but failure to schedule a hearing blocks her confirmation. She is caught up in blanket Democratic opposition to Bush's final nominees.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1196847275418&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
IDF to show US nuclear data on Iran
By YAAKOV KATZ
Dec 6, 2007
Disappointed after failing to make their case on Iran and influence the outcome of the United States's National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) released this week, Military Intelligence will present its hard core evidence on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program on Sunday to the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff during a rare visit he will be making to Israel. Admiral Michael Mullen will land in Israel Sunday morning for a 24-hour visit that will include a one-on-one meeting with IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, as well as with Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/07/news/Syria-Facebook.php
Syria blocks Facebook access, citing Israeli 'infiltration'
The Associated Press
Published: December 7, 2007
DAMASCUS, Syria: Syrian authorities have blocked Facebook, the popular Internet hangout, over what seems to be fears of Israeli "infiltration" of Syrian social networks on the Net, according to residents and media reports. Residents of Damascus said that they have not been able to enter Facebook for more than two weeks. An Associated Press reporter got a blank page when he tried to open Facebook's home page Friday from the Syrian capital. Syrian officials were not available for comment Friday because of the Muslim weekend, but some reports have suggested that the ban was intended to prevent Israeli users from infiltrating Syrian social networks.
