Barack Obama

TPMDC Fourth Of July Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 4, 2009, 1:04PM

Obama Recognizes Fourth Of July -- And Goes After His Naysayers
In this weekend's Presidential YouTube Address, President Obama paid tribute to the Independence Day Holiday, and the spirit of those who built America. Furthermore, he tied this into his own agenda on energy, health care and other issues, and against his critics who say he's doing too much:

"These naysayers have short memories," said Obama. "They forget that we, as a people, did not get here by standing pat in a time of change. We did not get here by doing what was easy. That is not how a cluster of 13 colonies became the United States of America. We are not a people who fear the future. We are a people who make it. And on this July 4th, we need to summon that spirit once more."

McCain Stands With Iranians In GOP's Independence Day Address
In this week's Republican Address we have President Obama's rival in last year's general election, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), who also paid tribute to the founding ideals of the United States. For his part, McCain took the opportunity to stand with the dissidents of Iran

"They do not ask us to arm them or come to their assistance with anything other than public declarations of solidarity, and public denunciations of the tyrants who oppress them. We have a moral obligation to do so," said McCain. "There are those among us who warn that a strong and unequivocal declaration of moral support for Iranians would be used by the cruel regime in power there to convince their subject people that the United States is behind the civil unrest they have attempted to hide from the world. But the regime will make that claim no matter what we say or do."

Read more »

Supreme Court

In Response To GOP Allegations Of Racial Extremism Judiciary Committee Releases More Sotomayor Documents

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 5:58PM

The Senate Judiciary Committee has posted documents to its website relating to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's tenure on the board of a group called LatinoJustice PRLDEF (formerly the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund).

The release comes on a holiday Friday after the committee's ranking member, Sen Jeff Sessions (R-AL) called the group "extreme" and demanded the White House release them.

Yesterday, White House Counsel Greg Craig sent a letter to Sessions, calling his demands out of line. "You have now individually sought from a third party, LatinoJustice PRLDEF...documents that were not written, edited, reviewed, or approved by Judge Sotomayor," Craig wrote.

The documents you are now seeking are not relevant to her nomination, just as similar documents not written, edited, or approved by past nominees have not been viewed as relevant to the Committee's consideration of those nominees.

Anti-Sotomayor groups are no doubt poring over the memos, looking for controversial details, and, though the White House is quick to point out that Sotomayor isn't responsible for them, their timing and defensiveness indicates they may be concerned that some of the papers will be politically embarrassing.

Sotomayor's supporters and the White House have compared LatinoJustice PRLDEF to the NAACP Legal Fund and similar groups. For his part, Sessions once called the NAACP "un-American."

AK-GOV

Bill Kristol Stands By Palin

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 5:42PM

Here's Bill Kristol's analysis of Sarah Palin's resignation:

Kristol: A Contrarian Take

If Palin wants to run in 2012, why not do exactly what she announced today? It's an enormous gamble - but it could be a shrewd one.

After all, she's freeing herself from the duties of the governorship. Now she can do her book, give speeches, travel the country and the world, campaign for others, meet people, get more educated on the issues - and without being criticized for neglecting her duties in Alaska. I suppose she'll take a hit for leaving the governorship early - but how much of one? She's probably accomplished most of what she was going to get done as governor, and is leaving a sympatico lieutenant governor in charge.

And haven't conservatives been lamenting the lack of a national leader? Well, now she'll try to be that. She may not succeed. Everything rests on her talents, and on her performance. She'll be under intense and hostile scrutiny, and she'll have to perform well.

All in all, it's going to be a high-wire act. The odds are against her pulling it off. But I wouldn't bet against it.

AK-GOV

Alaska Dems Blast Palin's "Lack Of Commitment"

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 5:36PM

The Alaska Democratic Party has released this statement on Sarah Palin's resignation:

"Alaskans are dismayed yet not surprised that Governor Palin is abandoning her obligations to our great state. Sarah Palin's decision to step down as governor is a shock to Alaskans, coming at a time when leadership is needed secure a gas pipeline and address rising unemployment. Palin's lack of commitment to her sworn obligation to serve her term to the best of her ability is a betrayal to all Alaskans," said Patti Higgins, Chair of the Alaska Democratic Party.

AK-GOV

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Sarah Palin's Campaign Wardrobe

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 5:30PM

Check out this slideshow we made back in 2008, of a great memory from that campaign: The super-expensive campaign wardrobe that Sarah Palin wore on the RNC's dime:

AK-GOV

Alaska GOP: We Will Still Support Palin For President If She Runs

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 5:25PM

The Alaska Republican Partry released this statement on Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) resignation:

Alaska Republicans Grateful For Palin's Leadership, Excited For Soon To Be Governor Parnell.

Republicans across Alaska and the nation were surprised to learn today our Governor, Sarah Palin will be stepping down and not seeking re-election.

The party shares mixed feelings as we lose a valued public servant who raised Alaskan issues and concerns in the national consciousness in a way no Alaska leader had previously been able. While sadden to see Gov. Palin leave we are excited to see a conservative of Lt. Gov. Parnell's character enter the Governor's office.

Gov. Palin's decision not to run for re-election means there will be a vigorous race for the Republican gubernatorial nomination in 2010. Alaska has an impressive cadre of conservative candidates we are confident will vie for the office of governor and the party stands ready to fully support which ever conservative candidate our members choose to represent them in the general election.

The Alaska Republican Party has not been informed whether Gov. Palin plans another run for national office and as such cannot comment on that possibility. The party does feel, however, there needs to be a strong challenge to President Obama's attack on Alaskan values waged by his administration since taking office six months ago. If that challenge comes from Gov. Palin the party ready to support her as all Alaskans should.

Health Care

Johanns: SEIU Should Save The Fireworks For Tomorrow

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 5:19PM

Sen. Mike Johann's communications director Ann Marie Hauser has released an official statement about today's mini-kerfuffle outside of a Nebraska health care roundtable. "Sen. Johanns has been a public servant for 25 years and he has no problem with people protesting. He came to UNMC today to hold several productive discussions with concerned Nebraskans and members of the health care community, including the SEIU and Jane Kleeb. UNMC's security personnel took it upon themselves to enforce university policy of no protesting on their property. It's a shame Jane's politcial agenda takes priority over participating in a constructive discussion on an issue of such importance to Nebraskans."

Kleeb notes that her work in politics and health care advocacy long predates her introduction to her husband, Scott Kleeb, who ran against Johanns in the Nebraska Senate race in 2008, and that her work in Nebraska--including the event today--is not about political retribution in any way.

Notwithstanding the political disagreement, though, there's still the unanswered question of who, if anybody, called security on the activists.

Sonia Sotomayor

The Mark-Up, 07-03-2009

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 5:00PM

TPMDC's update on the biggest legislative initiatives on the Hill:

• Health Care: The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will in all likelihood advance their health care reform bill--public option and all--after Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) drops her opposition.
• Nominations: In a holiday-Friday news dump, the Senate Judiciary Committee has released hundreds-more pages of documents dating back to Supreme Court Nominee Sonia Sotomayor's tenure on the board of the Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund
  PERMALINK | COMMENTS (0) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
  Topics: Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court

AK-GOV

Republican Govs. Association Looks On Bright Side: Alaska Will Still Have GOP Governor

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 4:56PM

The Republican Governors Association released this statement on Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) resignation:

Republican Governors Association Executive Director Nick Ayers issued the following statement in regards to Sarah Palin's announcement today that she will not seek reelection in 2010 and will step down from the governorship on July 25th.

"While we regret the news announced by Governor Palin today, Alaska will continue to have a Republican governor through 2010 and we are confident the state will elect a Republican in next year's election.

The RGA's focus remains firmly on the gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia this year, and the 37 gubernatorial elections that will take place in 2010. We know that winning these races is the most important task facing our Party over the next two years."

DNC

DNC: Maybe Palin "Simply Can't Handle The Job"

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 4:35PM

Democratic National Committee spokesman Brad Woodhouse has put out this statement about Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) resignation -- taking what might just be the final opportunity to rip into her:

"Either Sarah Palin is leaving the people of Alaska high and dry to pursue her long shot national political ambitions or she simply can't handle the job now that her popularity has dimmed and oil revenues are down. Either way - her decision to abandon her post and the people of Alaska who elected her continues a pattern of bizarre behavior that more than anything else may explain the decision she made today."

AK-GOV

Palin's Resignation Speech

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 4:29PM

Here's Gov. Sarah Palin's (R-AK) rather...interesting resignation speech:

AK-GOV

In Big Shocker, Palin Resigns As Governor

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 3:22PM

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), the unsuccessful 2008 nominee of the Republican Party for Vice President, has announced that will resign her office, effective at the end of the month.

Initial reports had been that she simply wasn't going to run for a second term in 2010, seemingly setting up a 2012 campaign for the White House. But this sure is something...

Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK), the unsuccessful 2008 nominee of the Republican Party for Vice President, has resigned her office, effective at the end of the month.

Initial reports had been that she simply wasn't going to run for a second term in 2010, seemingly setting up a 2012 campaign for the White House. But this sure is something...

Late Update: Reporter Andrew Wellner from the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman just appeared on CNN after attending Palin's press conference. She said, Wellner reported, that she could be more effective outside of government.

And she wholly blamed the national press, saying they were creating national distractions that cost the state money. Palin said: "You are naive if you don't see a full-court press on the national level, picking apart a good point guard."

Late Late Update: Here's the video. Part 1:

And Part 2:

AK-GOV

Report: Palin Not Running Again In 2010

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 3:11PM

CNN reports that Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) is set to announce soon that she will not run for a second term as Governor in 2010.

There are any number of reasons she might not be running again -- but it's worth pointing out that Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) also recently announced his retirement, which most people see as a step towards a potential run for President in 2012.

And given the huge distances involved, it's hard to travel all around the Lower 48 while also being an actual Governor of Alaska. Palin had to essentially leave the state during the two months that she ran for Vice President back in 2008.

Could we be seeing a Palin/Bachmann ticket in 2012?

CA-50

Busby Meets With Sheriff: "He Was Receptive"

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 2:28PM

Democratic House candidate Francine Busby (CA-50), whose fundraising house party last Friday night ended disastrously with a now-infamous raid by the San Diego Sheriff's Department, met yesterday with the county's new Sheriff William D. Gore, who was just sworn in yesterday, and she told me today that it was a constructive meeting.

The incident began after an unnamed person, believed to have been a heckler who reportedly shouted obscenities and anti-gay slurs at the event, phoned in a noise complaint.

"I congratulated him on being sworn in. We had a conversation about this incident. I told him that I'm going to be completely cooperative with him, because I think it's going to be so important that we find out how this happened, and why this happened, and make sure it doesn't happen again," said Busby. "And I told him that it's very important to me to find out that if there was political motivation behind the phone call, for two reasons. One, is these types of political meetings occur all the time for all candidates. It's important that people feel safe when they attend one of these, and it should be a protected right in our democratic process. And two, law enforcement should never be put in a position to be used in a political way."

Read more »

SEIU

Health Care Organizers Confronted By Police At Event With Nebraska Senator

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 1:31PM

Did Sen. Mike Johanns (R-NE) sick the cops on a group of health care reform organizers? That's what the Service Employees International Union is claiming. The group had received permission to gather at the Nebraska Medical Center to meet Johanns who was scheduled to appear at a roundtable discussion on health care--but Johanns apparently wasn't interested.

"SEIU along with teachers and members of the military set up a table with apple pie and signs welcoming the Senator and urging him to support an American solution to healthcare reform," noted Jane Kleeb, SEIU State Director. "Instead of coming by and saying hello, the Senator walked right by us as we were surrounded by police and said 'good luck with that.'"

Johann's staff, however, portrays things rather differently. They contend that the organizers were confronted by hospital security and asked to move their protest off hospital grounds. They also deny complaining--either to the police, or to hospital security--about the protesters' presence, and say the roundtable proceeded, with Kleeb's participation, after the controversy was resolved.

Those are two very different versions of events, obviously. We'll try to tease out exactly what went down.

Late update: It's certainly worth pointing out that Jane Kleeb is the wife of Scott Kleeb, who was Johanns' opponent in the 2008 election for Chuck Hagel's old Senate seat.

Late, late update: I just got off the phone with Jane Kleeb who stuck to her version of events and provided more details. According to Kleeb, she and about 10 other advocates set up out front with two home made signs--one which read 'Sen. Johanns, we can't wait' and one which read 'Health care '09, we can't wait'. She says that soon thereafter four cars rolled up--both medical center security and Omaha police. According to Kleeb, the police waited in their cars while she spoke with hospital security officers, who told her that Johanns' staff had indeed called to complain about the protest.

According to an email Kleeb provided from the hospital, "[e]xternal groups can distribute literature on public sidewalks, so long as they are not obstructing pedestrian or vehicle traffic, and do not interfere with those entering and exiting the buildings." Kleeb says she and the group gathered on a walkway several feet from the medical center's doors, but that security moved them to the other side of a barrier about several feet further from the entrance.

Al Franken

Pawlenty: "It's Time To Move On" From Senate Race -- And From Michael Jackson, Too

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 1:00PM

Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) gave what he perhaps hopes can be a final comment on the 2008 Minnesota Senate race: That he's glad it's over, and let's stop talking about it.

"I think we're all relieved the Senate race is over," Pawlenty said on his weekly radio show. "There's been some frustration over how long it took."

Pawlenty, of course, did add that "I wish it had come out the other way," but he respects the process.

Interestingly, as the Star Tribune points out, Pawlenty declared that it was "time to move on" -- the exact same turn of phrase he used to describe the media coverage of Michael Jackson.

Wal-Mart

Will Wal-Mart Cash In Support For Health Care Reform To Crush EFCA?

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 12:03PM

One of the biggest developments on the health care front this week was Wal-Mart's decision to back an employer mandate as a major provision of reform legislation. The move rankled the Chamber of Commerce, which accused the retail giant of using the government to build competitive advantage against its competitors--all despite the fact that Wal-Mart is the Chamber's largest member. But liberals were by and large pretty happy with the development.

At least as far as health reform goes.

But Wal-Mart is a major stakeholder on a number of key issues, and some wonder whether the Arkansas-based behemoth will try to cash in their support for health reform with the White House when the focus in Washington eventually turns to employee free choice.

Labor sources, well-acquainted with Wal-Mart's anti-EFCA tactics, have suggested or acknowledged this concern to me in the days since the administration announced the deal--and as hard as it is to imagine Wal-Mart fighting that legislation harder than they already do, the sources say both sides may turn up the temperature in the fight over employee rights in the weeks and months ahead.

It's unclear where the basis of this concern lies--whether it comes from internal knowledge of Wal-Mart's negotiations with key health care players in Washington; or from an understanding of the company's incentives; or whether some in the labor movement are using this moment to launch a pre-emptive strike against their main EFCA opponent.

But either way, it's clear that the uneasy alliance between labor and Wal-Mart on the question of health reform does not translate into rapprochement on the issue of unionization. If anything, it makes the fight over that issue bloodier.

MoveOn

Hagan Comes Out In Support Of Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 3, 2009, 9:05AM

As I reported yesterday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee unveiled its plan for a public health insurance option after a weeks-long delay, and leaders announced that it had the support of every Democrat on the panel...including Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC).

Last night, Hagan made it official in a joint statement with committee members. "My colleagues and I on the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee have been working on a plan to reform the health care system in this country," Hagan said. "We have crafted a plan that will stabilize health care costs and includes a Community Health Insurance Option, which I support."

This clears the path for the legislation to be moved out of committee. Until now, her objections to the public option were blocking it. That raised the ire of liberal groups like MoveOn, which targeted her directly. Now, everyone's friends again. "MoveOn commends Senator Hagan for deciding to support the health care reform bill that the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released today, which includes a national public health insurance option," MoveOn Executive Director Justin Ruben said in a statement.

A public health insurance option will lower the cost of insurance and medical care for everyone, and put an end to many of the predatory practices of private insurers. This measure is the heart of health care reform and is supported by MoveOn's five million members as well as the majority of the American people. With the support of legislators like Senator Hagan, we can come closer to our goal of making quality health insurance accessible and affordable for everyone.

Mark Sanford

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 3, 2009, 8:59AM

Sanford's Book Deal Falls Through
Gov. Mark Sanford's (R-SC) book publisher, Sentinel, has released him from his contract. Sanford had been set to write a book on fiscal conservatism, entitled Within Our Means, to be released in March 2010. However, the deal fell through after Sanford got in trouble for disappearing to Argentina to visit his mistress, and he and publisher have agreed to part ways.

Obama At Camp David Today
President Obama has no public events scheduled, but is spending the day at Camp David. He will return to the White House tomorrow.

Read more »

Mitch McConnell

DNC Ad Attacks McConnell In Kentucky -- A Peculiar Choice

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 6:15PM

The Democratic National Committee has this new TV ad in Kentucky, set to run on cable in the Lexington and Louisville media markets, attacking Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell for having supported the Bush agenda, and now obstructing the Obama agenda:

"But this year -- when it came to supporting legislation to create and protect Kentucky jobs -- he said," the announcer says, followed by audio of McConnell's voice: "No."

To be perfectly blunt, this seems like an odd choice of how to spend party resources. McConnell was just re-elected in 2008, and his home state of Kentucky voted for John McCain in a 58%-41% landslide.

"He should still care about what his constituents think - and hopefully it'll send a message to others," said DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse in an e-mail to TPM, when asked why the DNC was doing this.

Family Research Council Ginning Up Opposition To Gay Appointee At Dept. Of Education

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 5:29PM

The Family Research Council has embarked on a new public relations effort against a particular Obama Administration appointee, Kevin Jennings, saying he should not be in his new position at the Department of Education because of his previous position in private activism -- as executive director of GLSEN, the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

Jennings is set to begin his new job on Monday, as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Education for the Department's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, after his appointment was announced about a month ago. And this week, FRC launched a last-minute Web petition to oppose him. It asks a pointed question: Would you choose this teacher to guide your children?

(Click image to enlarge.)

Many of the quotes here, regarding youthful drug use and other misadventures, are from Jennings' autobiography, Mama's Boy, Preacher's Son, about his coming of age in the South.

Read more »

Health Care

Will Obama Strike A Deal With The Hospital Lobby?

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 4:55PM

In recent weeks, the Obama administration has struck a number of deals with several health care industry stake holders, and they may be on the brink of another breakthrough.

The hospital industry is close to a deal with the White House and congressional Democrats in which the industry would agree to federal funding cuts of $150 billion to $170 billion over the next decade to help pay for a health system overhaul, according to people familiar with the talks.

The deal, which isn't final, could be announced within days. A critical feature is an agreement on phasing in the Medicare and Medicaid cuts.

That's inside scuttlebutt from Kaiser Health News. The details--where the cuts will come from, and what concessions they've been promised--still seem murky, and will be crucial. Hospitals are a powerful interest group, and haven't always been friendly negotiators. Earlier this year, the American Hospital Association distanced itself from a pledged it had signed on to with several other stakeholders to reduce health care costs by $2 trillion over 10 years.

Health Care

Snowe: Give The Private Insurance Market Another Shot

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 4:20PM

Earlier this week, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) came under fire from liberal health reform advocates for restating her opposition to offering a national public insurance option as an immediate feature of comprehensive health care reform. In an interview with the Associated Press she explained her reasoning.

"If you establish a public option at the forefront that goes head-to-head and competes with the private health insurance market ... the public option will have significant price advantages."

As I noted previously, this is a sort of strange critique of the public option--what's so bad about an insurance program that's more affordable to consumers than most private plans?

To clear up the confusion, I asked a Snowe aide to further explain the senator's reasoning. He said that the two sections of the AP quote were meant to address separate aspects of Snowe's opposition to the plan.

Read more »

Al Franken

Franken To Be Sworn In Tuesday, After Six Months Of Waiting

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 4:15PM

Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) will be sworn into his new position on Tuesday, July 7, CNN reports.

Fun fact: This means Franken will be sworn in exactly six months plus one day after when he would have been sworn in along with all the other folks elected to the Senate in 2008, if not for the legal battle that kept his super-narrow election victory in limbo.

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton To Do Fundraiser For Carolyn Maloney

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 3:43PM

In an interesting development in the 2010 New York special Senate race, where appointed Democratic Sen. Kristen Gillibrand is facing a primary challenge from Rep. Carolyn Maloney, Bill Clinton will now headline a fundraiser for Maloney, despite the extensive efforts by the Obama White House to clear the field for Gillibrand.

Interestingly, Bill previously did a fundraiser for Gillibrand herself, as he has done for many politicians who supported Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. Both Gillibrand and Maloney supported Hillary during the 2008 primaries.

When asked for comment, Gillibrand spokesman Matt Canter instead pointed us over to a statement by an unnamed aide to Bill, who told PolitickerNY that this was not a shot against the incumbent: "The former president believes that Senator Gillibrand is doing a good job as senator and this type of thank-you event, and any other he may do, should not be read as an endorsement or un-endorsement."

CA-50

Homeowner's Attorney: San Diego D.A.'s Office Taking Busby Raid Seriously

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 2:44PM

The extensive press coverage, both local and national, that has surrounded this past Friday night's sheriff's raid on a fundraiser for Democratic House candidate Francine Busby (CA-50) seems to have had a real effect on the officials overseeing the case itself.

I just spoke with Christine Carlino, the long-time personal attorney for homeowner Shari Barman, who was arrested at the event, and she told me there could be some significance to the fact that the San Diego District Attorney's office is now personally involved in looking at the charges against Barman and a guest who was also arrested. (Note that Carlino is a civil attorney, not criminal, but she does still bring some local expertise.)

The key thing to understand here is that San Diego County is divided into several jurisdictional regions -- for example, Barman's home is in the North County region, as opposed to the city of San Diego itself, where the county's District Attorney is based.

Under routine circumstances, an arrest made in North County would stay with the North County prosecutor. But the county's D.A. in San Diego has taken over the case, which is out of the ordinary.

This doesn't really speak either way to whether charges will be dropped or dismissed. But what it could mean is that the D.A. might be aware of just how controversial this has become, and how important it is going forward to get this right.

Health Care

Anti-Health Care Reform Group Targets Centrists, Vulnerable Democrats

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 2:20PM

Pressure from outside interest groups isn't just a liberal phenomenon, of course. The conservative group Americans for Prosperity has begun running ads targeting both conservative and vulnerable Democrats, warning of a government take over of the health care sector. Here's the version running in Montana, aimed at Sen. Max Baucus.

The ad is also running in 11 other states, bringing pressure to bear on Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA), Ben Nelson (D-NE), Evan Bayh (D-IN), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Tim Johnson (D-SD), Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Kent Conrad (D-ND), Harry Reid (D-NV), Mark Begich (D-AK), Michael Bennet (D-CO), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO), It will air on both network and cable channels.

NJ-GOV

Corzine To Campaign With Obama

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 2:19PM

President Obama will be headed to New Jersey later this month, in order to campaign for Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine in his tough re-election fight this year.

The event will be held at the main campus of Rutgers University, on July 16.

Polls have consistently shown that Obama is very popular in this blue state -- but Corzine is not, with low approval numbers and higher disapproval ratings. Corzine is currently trailing his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, and an appearance alongside the popular Obama could help boost his numbers and remind voters of the importance of voting for the Democratic brand.

Health Care

Pesky Lieberman Of Less Concern To Reform Advocates Than Other Public Option Skeptics

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 2:01PM

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) drew the ire of liberals and health care reform advocates this week by airing his objections to a public option. In an interview with the New Haven Independent, Lieberman said he's working with an informal group of Senate centrists he meets with regularly to move health care reform efforts without a public option.

As frustrating as that is for reform advocates, though, they're generally more concerned with public option foes and skeptics who serve on the committees with jurisdiction over health care legislation. On that score, progressive groups have launched ads against players such as Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA)--who sits on the Senate Finance Committee--and Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)--who sits on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, Committee--for trying to block the provision (Hagan seems to have dropped much of her opposition). Lieberman isn't as poised as they are to weaken or kill the public option. At least for now.

As such, for the time being, reform advocates seem to be holding their fire. But that doesn't mean Lieberman won't ultimately become one of their targets.

CA-50

Busby Campaign, Supporters And Allies Publicly Mobilize Against Sheriff's Raid

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 1:09PM

Democratic Congressional candidate Francine Busby (CA-50) and her allies have been embarking on an extensive public relations campaign in the wake of a raid on a campaign house party by the San Diego Sheriff's Department -- due to a noise complaint that is believed to have come from a person who heckled the event -- which ended in multiple people being pepper-sprayed and the full complement of deputies, including a dog unit and helicopter, coming in to arrest one of the hostesses and a guest.

On Monday, three of the women held a press conference, blasting the arresting officer, Deputy Marshall G. Abbott. "He had a raged look in his eyes and his head was bobbing from side to side," said Kimberley Beatty, who said that she had called 911 to report that he "appeared to be out of control."

And last night, the San Diego ACLU put out a press release, which was forwarded to us by Busby herself, lambasting the Sheriff's Department for all manner of improper behavior here, and calling for greater transparency as the process of investigating this whole mess goes forward. The opening paragraph of the press release is essentially a dry narration of the reported events -- ending with an extraordinary closing sentence, emphasis ours:

On Friday, June 26, 2009, according to press reports and witness statements, a San Diego County Sheriff's deputy, responding to a noise complaint, entered the home of Shari Barman who was hosting a political gathering to support Francine Busby, a candidate for Congress. When the homeowner questioned why she had to provide her date of birth, the deputy grabbed her arm, put it behind her back, and brought her to the ground. Feeling intimidated by a group of mostly middle-aged women, he pepper-sprayed a number of guests and arrested Barman.

Read more »

WaPo Does Damage Control After Cash-For-Access Scheme Leaks

Versha Sharma | July 2, 2009, 12:21PM

This morning, Politico published a story detailing an interesting flier apparently being passed around DC health care lobby circles: a dinner invitation from the Washington Post at the house of CEO and Publisher Katherine Weymouth, selling access to its news and editorial staff and top Obama officials for $25,000 to $250,000. A health care lobbyist passed the missive on to Politico staff because he felt "it's a conflict of interest for the paper to charge for access to, as the flier says, its 'health care reporting and editorial staff.'"

Two and a half hours after the story was published, executive editor Marcus Brauchli sent an internal memo entitled "Newsroom Independence," in which he stated that the news department will not be attending the dinner. The sentiment echoes the statement WaPo spokesperson Kris Coratti made to Politico:

The flier circulated this morning came out of a business division for conferences and events, and the newsroom was unaware of such communication. It went out before it was properly vetted, and this draft does not represent what the company's vision for these dinners are, which is meant to be an independent, policy-oriented event for newsmakers.

As written, the newsroom could not participate in an event like this.

Read the full text of Brauchli's memo and the original flier after the jump.

Read more »

Senate HELP Committee

HELP Committee Circulates Health Care Legislation--Public Option And All

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 11:55AM

Fast on the good news from the Congressional Budget Office, the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee has circulated its finalized language on the two key issues that had slowed progress on its health care reform bill to a crawl: The public option and the employer mandate. You can see the new language of the bill--if that sort of thing appeals to you--here (PDF).

HELP chairman Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) and his chief deputy Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) sent a letter to committee colleague touting the provisions and urging them to support the full bill. You can read that letter here.

One reason for the delay has been the objections of Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC). I have a call out to her office to see if she's now on board with the public option.

Late update: Committee leaders seem confident that every Democrat will vote to move the bill forward. That would include Sen. Hagan.

MN-GOV

Potential Coleman GOP Rival: I Love Norm, "But He Lost To Al Franken, For Goodness' Sake"

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 11:51AM

I just got off the phone with Minnesota Republican state Rep. Marty Seifert, who recently stepped down from his position as state House Minority Leader to run for Governor, about a very important topic: What might happen if former Sen. Norm Coleman runs for the GOP nomination, too. And Seifert gave a sneak preview of what lines of attack Coleman will face from his intra-party rivals if he makes the race, as he's reportedly looking at.

Seifert struck a careful balance between praising Coleman, but also making clear that he himself won't step aside. "Well certainly, his name ID and the ability to raise money is gonna be there, but we're Republicans and we believe in the marketplace and choices," said Seifert. "So I'd say the more people in the race the better. I believe in a multiplicity of choices -- it's not the Politburo, it's the Republican Party."

As for what lines of argument Seifert might take with state Republican caucus-goers, to show that he's the better candidate: "I think my appeal is that I'm electable and that -- you know, the bottom line is, I love Norm as a person and as a public servant, but he lost to Al Franken, for goodness' sake."

Read more »

Al Franken

Franken: Inhofe's "Clown" Comment "Might Be An Incredible Compliment"

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 9:51AM

Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) appeared on the Bill Press Show this morning, and responded to Sen. Jim Inhofe's (R-OK) remarks about the recent election victory by "the clown from Minnesota."

"I don't know how Sen. Inhofe regards clowns, but it might be an incredible compliment," said Franken.

Health Care

Health Reformers Get The CBO Score They Want

Brian Beutler | July 2, 2009, 9:15AM

After an embarrassing miscue, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee can now say near-universal should be achievable at a relatively low cost. Last month, HELP Democrats asked the Congressional Budget Office to score an incomplete version of its health care reform bill--one that had been voided of its most controversial provisions. The results were embarrassing. They suggested that the bill--which lacked an employer mandate and a public option--would leave many uninsured, at a nonetheless tremendous cost.

Now, the committee has received a new CBO score--this one of the complete bill--and the results are much, much better. At a glance, they imply that the HELP bill will cover most Americans at a cost of just over $600 billion, but as TNR's Jon Cohn explains, the results are actually a bit more complicated than that. His conclusion? As experts expected, a comprehensive reform package will likely cost about a trillion dollars over 10 years. That may sound like an unholy amount of money, but as a percentage of the next 10 years worth of overall health care spending, it's a drop in the bucket.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 2, 2009, 9:00AM

Poll: Obama's Disapproval Numbers Rising, But Approval Still Strong
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that President Obama's approval rating remains stable at 57%, but his disapproval rating has shot up from 30% a month ago to 37% now, as more undecided voters shift into the disapproval category. From the pollster's analysis: "He still has a ways to go before his coalition becomes politically unstable, but there are some groups and issues - especially the economy - where he needs to make sure this trend does not continue."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will have a closed meeting with business leaders to discuss innovation and job creation, at 1:45 p.m. ET. At 2:20 p.m. ET, he will deliver public remarks about innovation and jobs. At 4:30 p.m. ET, he will depart from Fort McNair en route to Camp David.

Read more »

NH-SEN

Former GOP Sen. Sununu Won't Seek Comeback In 2010 New Hampshire Senate Race

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 6:13PM

Former Sen. John Sununu (R-NH) has announced that he will not run for the open Senate seat of retiring GOP incumbent Judd Gregg.

Sununu lost his seat in the 2008 Democratic landslide to Democratic former Gov. Jeanne Shaheen, a rematch from his previous victory over her in the Republican year of 2002. New Hampshire has very much realigned to the Democrats in a lot of ways since then, and Sununu was swept out along the way.

The presumptive Democratic nominee for the open seat in 2010 will be Rep. Paul Hodes. The Republicans do not yet have a candidate, though a lot of people were waiting on word from Sununu first. This appears to be leaning towards a Democratic pickup, but the cycle has obviously just begun.

Barack Obama

Obama White House Staff Salaries Revealed

Versha Sharma | July 1, 2009, 6:04PM

The Obama Administration publicly released its Annual Report to Congress on White House Staff today, which contains the title and salary details of all White House staffers. Of those, 22 make the maximum salary of $172,200, including Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, Senior Advisers David Axelrod and Valerie Jarrett, Director of Speechwriting Jon Favreau, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, and Director of the National Economic Council Larry Summers.

On its official blog, the White House noted that it has been required to submit such a report to Congress every year since 1995. The implied difference this year is that, "consistent with President Obama's commitment to transparency," the report has also been published for the public to see on their website.

See the full report after the jump.

Read more »

Health Care

The Mark-Up, 07-01-2009

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 6:03PM

TPMDC's update on the biggest legislative initiatives on the Hill:

• Health Care: In contravention of their previous position, and of the position of the Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart has come out in support of an employer mandate. That'll help woo Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) aboard the efforts to advance legislation in the Senate Finance Committee. But that means little for the more contentious issue of the public option, and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) just pulled a Dianne Feinstein, saying there aren't enough votes in the Senate for a public option, and that he'll work with conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans to pass a bill without one.

Mark Sanford

Pressure Mounts On Sanford To Resign

Versha Sharma | July 1, 2009, 5:15PM

One day after Gov. Mark Sanford (R-SC) held a press conference in which he admitted to having an affair with a woman from Argentina, 50% of registered voters in South Carolina said they wanted him to resign.

Now, nearly one week and many more affair confessions later, the calls for his resignation from elected officials are piling up. Today, 14 of the 27 state GOP senators are asking him to step down. That number has already grown from last night, when six senators took the step of signing a letter calling for Sanford's resignation. This group includes Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler and "five of [Sanford's] dozen closest allies," according to local Columbia TV station WLTX.

State Senator Jake Knotts, who initially called the State Law Enforcement Division two days after Sanford left for Argentina to find out his whereabouts, has also called for the governor to leave office.

See other sources of pressure calling for Sanford's resignation after the jump:

Read more »

Al Franken

Franken To Headline Big Tom Harkin Fundraiser

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 4:48PM

Fresh off his narrow and long-awaited victory, Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) will be going on a victory lap of sorts, headlining the Tom Harkin Steak Fry in Iowa this September.

The Harkin event is of course a frequent stop for prospective or actual presidential candidates, leading Jonathan Martin to jokingly (?) wonder if Franken has his eye on 2016. There is of course a simple explanation, consistent with everything we've known for years: You can't keep Al Franken away from a big, raucous Democratic fundraising event.

I attended just such a gathering for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, held in a backyard in Madison in November 2003. Franken stood up in a super-crowded tent that was filled way beyond the hosts' expectations, on top of a heater that had been put in to warm up the space, and opened his speech by joking about how safe he felt. It was a fun time.

NJ-GOV

Poll: Corzine Trails Christie By Six Points

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 4:33PM

Yet another poll shows Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ) trailing his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, in this year's gubernatorial election.

The new numbers from Fairleigh Dickinson: Christie 45%, Corzine 39%, with a ±3.5% margin of error. It could be worse for Corzine -- most other polls have put Christie ahead by double-digits.

Corzine's approval rating is only 36%, to 49% disapproval. By contrast, Christie's favorability number is 47%, to only 25% unfavorable. The big question is whether Corzine will be able, as many Democrats in New Jersey before him, to reverse Christie's positives through sufficient attacks on his conservatism and the national GOP between now and November.

Health Care

AMA President Confuses CNN Anchors Into Thinking He Supports Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 3:51PM

Earlier today, American Medical Association president J. James Rohack appeared on CNN and, to the great confusion of the network's anchors, waffled a bit on the question of a public option.

Last month, the AMA told the Senate Finance Committee, in no uncertain terms, it opposed the public option altogether. "The A.M.A. does not believe that creating a public health insurance option for non-disabled individuals under age 65 is the best way to expand health insurance coverage and lower costs. The introduction of a new public plan threatens to restrict patient choice by driving out private insurers, which currently provide coverage for nearly 70 percent of Americans." Within a week, though, the doctors' lobby was looking for some wiggle room.

In this segment, however, Rohack is not endorsing a public option. He's endorsing a system of managed competition that provides members of Congress and other federal employees a choice of heavily regulated private insurance plans. In the FEHBP, the government is not the insurance provider as it would be in the case of a public option--and that's a substantial difference.

Michele Bachmann

GOP Congressmen Condemn Bachmann's Call For Defying The Census

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 3:39PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) appears to be getting just a little too wacky for some of her Republican colleagues -- particularly on her new crusade to get people to refuse to completely fill out their census forms.

Bachmann has said she won't provide any more information than the number of people in her home, stating that this is all the Constitution requires and she won't let her personal information fall into the hands of ACORN. (Note: ACORN will not be collecting census data. Also, the law clearly says that the action Bachmann advocates is punishable by a fine of up to $5,000.)

Now three very conservative Congressman -- Reps. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA), and John Mica (R-FL) -- have put out a statement: "Every elected representative in this country should feel a responsibility to encourage full participation in the census. To do otherwise is to advocate for a smaller share of federal funding for our constituents. Boycotting the constitutionally-mandated census is illogical, illegal and not in the best interest of our country."

"Furthermore, a boycott opens the door for partisans to statistically adjust census results," the statement warns.

Fun fact: Many observers think Minnesota could lose a seat in the House after the 2010 Census. And of Minnesota's eight current House members, which one do you think might be in the most danger of being turned out of office when the lines are redrawn?

Al Franken

Inhofe Ridicules "The Clown From Minnesota"

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 2:57PM

Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) had some kind words for the newest member of the U.S. Senate, Al Franken.

"I'll tell you what a lot of people are thinking," Inhofe told the Tulsa World, discussing the decreasing likelihood of successful Republican filibusters, "and that is it looks like things are going to be over and we are going to get the clown from Minnesota."

"I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I don't know the guy, but ... for a living he is a clown,'' Inhofe added. "That's what he does for a living."

Franken was, indeed, a funny-man for a living. So what's Inhofe's excuse?

And by the way, folks, the Republican Party celebrates as their greatest hero a former actor who starred in a movie in which his character became the adoptive father of a chimpanzee. There's nothing wrong or disqualifying about acting alongside a chimp, of course -- it sounds kind of fun, actually. But the complete double-standard, and the seemingly total unawareness of it, are pretty striking.

Al Franken

Franken's New Capitol Hill Office Seals Final Victory Over Coleman

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 2:37PM

Now that he has won his seat in the United States Senate and will be sworn in next week, Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) has officially been assigned office space on Capitol Hill -- with some very special significance to it.

A Senate staffer has sent TPM this photo of Franken's new office, complete with his name on the plaque outside the door:

It just so happens that Franken's new office in the Hart Senate Office Building, Suite 320, previously belonged to none other than former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN), who Franken narrowly defeated in this long and drawn out race.

Presumably the office was being kept vacant on the off-chance that Coleman might have won his lawsuit against the election results, and then he would have been able to return to it. In the end, somebody else from Minnesota will be moving in.

Al Franken

An Emotional Franken Thanks His Supporters, His Family -- And Recognizes Wellstone's Legacy

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 2:13PM

Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) just held a victory rally at the Minnesota state Capitol in St. Paul, celebrating his hard-fought and heavily-litigated victory that finally came true yesterday. In some of the most heartfelt terms possible, he thanked his staff, all of his supporters and volunteers, and especially his family -- and paid tribute to a departed friend, the late Sen. Paul Wellstone.

"Well, it was close," he began his remarks, to the laughter of the crowd, alluding to his final certified victory margin of 312 votes out of about 2.9 million. "But we won." And the crowd applauded.

"And when you win an election by this close a margin, you know that not one bit of effort went to waste," he later added. "And so I want to thank every single person who knocked on a door, marched in a parade, made a phone call, gave money, gave time, gave energy, gave of themselves to this effort. Thank all of you, thank you, thank you, thank you."

The longer his speech went on, Franken became more emotional, clearly touched in a very deep way at the amazing victory he has won, and all the effort that other people put into it on his behalf.

Read more »

Health Care

Wal-Mart Signs On To Employer Mandate

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 1:00PM

Despite being the largest member of the Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart isn't normally seen as a major obstacle to broader health care reform efforts. But their announcement yesterday was nonetheless surprising: They support a mandate that would require employers to provide insurance to their employees.

You can see their letter, co-signed by SEIU president Andy Stern and Center for American Progress president John Podesta here.

I've put out some calls on this, and hope to have more soon, but a few things to keep in mind.

1. Most of Wal-Mart's employees already have coverage of some kind--but that has a lot to do with Wal-Mart's ability to cherry pick employees who have outside coverage of some sort.
2. Wal-Mart could be jockeying for marginal advantage over their larger competitors. See here and here for how that might work. Whatever you (or Wal-Mart) think about the merits of the policy, that's shrewd business. And Wal-Mart is nothing if not shrewd about its business. Keep in mind that the Chamber of Commerce is still strongly opposed to this measure.
3. From the White House side of things, having Wal-Mart on board with health care reform could be a major boon to passing legislation. Keep in mind that Sen. Blanche Lincolnd (D-AR) is a Finance Committee member who opposes a public option

Those are some preliminary thoughts, but I'll be looking deeper into this development.

Al Franken

Murdoch Press Blows Gasket Over Franken Victory

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 12:15PM

Here's a fun dose of schadenfreude.

Sen.-elect Al Franken's (D-MN) long-awaited victory in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race seems to have caused quite a lot of stress in the Murdoch-owned press. Remember, this is the same corporation that sued him for his Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them book back in 2003, with the unintended consequence of giving him tons of free publicity to sell books -- and elevating him into being a hero of liberal activists, without which he might never have become a politician!

On Fox News yesterday evening, Glenn Beck was quite alarmed by the development:

"This is like having me in the Senate," Beck said. "You don't want me as a Senator! What is that? I mean, it shows how crazy our country has gone -- you don't want me as a Senator, you don't want Al Franken as a Senator."

Regardless of whether you agree with that comparison, you do have to admire Beck's honesty about himself.

Read more »

Al Franken

DSCC E-mail: Help Congratulate Al Franken

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 11:42AM

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has now sent out a DSCC fundraising e-mail celebrating the victory of Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN), and inviting recipients to congratulate him.

"Sen.-elect Franken's vote will be crucial as we work to pass President Obama's change agenda - a stronger economy, health care for more Americans, and energy policies that protect the planet," the e-mail says, with the emphasis in the original. "We'd also like to thank all of those dedicated supporters from Minnesota and across the nation who helped make it happen. Al Franken couldn't have won without your help, and his victory is your victory, too."

Technically, the e-mail is not a fundraising letter, as there is no appeal for money in the body of the text. There is a standard button at the bottom to contribute money to the DSCC -- and the Dems would obviously appreciate any donations that might come in to mark the occasion -- but they put that in all their e-mails.

The full e-mail is available after the jump.

Read more »

Climate Change

Americans United Ad: Climate Bill Creates Jobs "Not In India Or China, But Right Here"

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 11:08AM

Americans United for Change has this new TV ad in the D.C. media market -- essentially aimed at the political and journalistic classes -- praising the energy bill that was passed in the House and now faces a tough fight in the Senate:

The ad gives a patriotic fervor to the bill, focusing on the development of clean-energy jobs in this country. "Last month, Congress met President Obama's challenge to create millions of clean energy jobs," the announcer says, "not in India or China, but right here, in America."

Health Care

MoveOn Targets Landrieu For Ties To Insurance Industry, Opposition Of Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 10:49AM

The groups MoveOn, Democracy for America, and Change Congress are out with a new ad in Louisiana targeting Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) for her opposition to a public option.

MoveOn hasn't shied away from criticizing Democrats who are trying to kill the public option. In the last couple weeks, the group has loudly criticized Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Kay Hagan (D-CA) for their positions on the public option, and their lukewarm attitude to health care reform more generally.

VA-05

NRCC Ad Attacks Energy Bill -- And Obama

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 9:19AM

The National Republican Congressional Committee has launched this new TV ad going after freshman Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA) for his vote on the climate bill -- and attacking President's Obama's statement during the 2008 campaign that electricity rates would "skyrocket" under a cap-and-trade system.

This is the first attack ad from the Republican Party during this cycle that uses President Obama in a negative manner:

"That's right -- 'skyrocket,'" the announcer says. "It'll destroy jobs and cost middle-class families $1,800 a year, every time you turn on a switch. On Tom Perriello's voting with Obama and with Nancy Pelosi over and over."

The following other Democratic members of Congress are on the target list for radio ads, phone calls and Web ads: Rick Boucher (VA); Vic Snyder (AR); Ike Skelton (MO); Baron Hill (IN); Harry Teague (NM); Bruce Braey (IA); Bart Gordon (TN); Betsy Markey (CO); John Boccieri (OH); Zack Space (OH); Alan Grayson (FL); Debbie Halvorson (IL); and Mary Jo Kilroy (OH).

Late Update: DCCC spokesman Ryan Rudominer gives us this response: "Instead of offering solutions, the Republican Party of No is trying to block progress on creating clean energy jobs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and getting America running on clean energy. It's no wonder the American people don't trust Republicans when all they offer are false attacks on President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Congressional Democrats."

Health Care

Lieberman: I Stand With The Small Minority Of Americans Who Oppose Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 9:12AM

The surfeit of polling data showing broad public support for the public option hasn't swayed Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, who's joining conservative Democrats and moderate Republicans in staunch opposition. Check out this video from Paul Bass at the New Haven Independent.

His two key objections are:

1. "If we create a public option, the public is going to end up paying for it."
2. "My fear is...[health care providers] would end up getting levels of reimbursement from the public plan...comparable to what they get today from Medicaid."

He should probably take a look at the work the relevant Senate committees are doing, though. The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee is contemplating a public option that finances itself (i.e. no public subsidy), and the likeliest outcome of the legislative process will be a public option that either exists on a level playing field with private insurers (and pays comparable rates for care), or a public option that pays Medicare like rates, or something in between.

Supreme Court

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | July 1, 2009, 9:03AM

SCOTUS Moving Rightward Under Roberts
The Washington Post reports that this past Supreme Court session shows the Roberts Court to have moved definitely to the right, through a cautious and incremental -- but definitely conservative -- approach. "One thing I think is going on is that the Chief Justice has a devotion to the institution of the Supreme Court, and not wanting to get it out on a limb in front of public opinion," said Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute. "But Roberts is, after all, a conservative." The New York Times says the same thing, pointing to the key role played by Justice Anthony Kennedy as the swing vote.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will hold an online town hall discussion on health care at 1:15 p.m. ET, hosted at Northern Virginia Community College. At 4:45 p.m. ET, he will sign a bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the Women Airforce Service Pilots.

Read more »

Health Care

Poll: Just As Last Week, Public Still Overwhelmingly Supports Public Option

Brian Beutler | July 1, 2009, 8:54AM

A new Quinnipiac poll finds that a large majority of Americans would like to see government increase its involvement in health care. Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed said they support a public option.

Interestingly--though perhaps predictably--most of this support seems to be in the abstract. A majority of those asked (53%) most suggested they'd rather be covered by private insurance than by a government-run option--reflective, perhaps, of the reality that most Americans are already insured and most of them are pleased with the quality of their health care. But they nonetheless want other citizens to have the option. Twenty-eight percent of respondents said they want government-run health insurance.

MN-SEN

Al Franken's Victory Speech

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 7:39PM

Here's video of Sen.-elect Al Franken's (D-MN) victory speech and press conference:

Al Franken

Franken vs. Coleman: Our Top 10 Moments

Rachel Slajda | June 30, 2009, 6:12PM

It's been a strange eight months following the Minnesota elections. Here are 10 of our very favorite moments (post election), care of TPMDC reporter (and Franken-Coleman authority) Eric Kleefeld:

Nov. 5: Franken Says Race "Too Close to Call"
The day after the election, Franken releases a statement vowing that the race is not over. He doesn't know the half of it...

Jan. 6: Coleman Files Lawsuit Contesting Results
Coleman's lawsuit is filed right after the recount is completed, and is filled with contradictions and flimsy legal arguments. Basically, Coleman and his lawyers say the entire election was tainted, and he deserves to win. In Eric's words, his strategy is "overall throw[ing] everything against the wall to see what sticks."

Jan. 29, Feb. 4: Coleman Tries To Get Ballots Counted Despite Forgery
In so many cases we lose count, Coleman's lawyers try to get ballots OK'd despite the fact that the signatures on the ballot applications were forged. One such argument led to this memorable exchange with lead Coleman attorney Joe Friedberg:

Friedberg: In point of fact, even though I did something I wasn't supposed to do with the application, my ballot should still count because my signature is genuine.

Deputy Secretary of State Jim Gelbmann: Not according to the procedures we use to determine whether the signature is genuine.

Friedberg: I don't care about your procedures.

(Franken lawyer calls an objection, is sustained.)

Friedberg: OK, I do care...

Feb. 27: Franken Team Catches Coleman Hiding a Witness
The courtroom devolves into chaos when Franken's lawyers catch Coleman's team havinghidden a witness, a Republican poll worker from Minneapolis, during the discovery phase of the trial. This came after they'd been caught having withheld notes that were made by this same poll worker. Franken then moved to have Coleman's claims of double-counted ballots dropped. The witness's testimony was ultimately kept in the record, but the damage to Team Coleman's credibility was clear.

March 30: Cornyn Says Election Could Take "Years" To Resolve
NRSC John Cornyn promises resistance to any attempt to seat Franken, saying that the litigation could take "years" to sort out. Nice try, John.

April 13: Franken Declares Victory, Quotes Paul Wellstone
After the election contest court rules in Franken's favor, he holds a press conference outside his home, quoting Paul Wellstone, the Minnesota senator and close friend of Franken's who died in 2002. "It's like what Paul Wellstone always said: Politics isn't about winning, it's about improving people's lives." Wellstone's death clearly had a big personal effect on Franken, spurring him to get seriously involved in politics, which ultimately led to this entire hullabaloo.

April, May: Polls Show Minnesotans Want Coleman to Concede
Three polls show that a majority of Minnesota voters -- from 54%, 63% and 70% -- want Coleman to step back and let Franken take the Senate seat.

May 4: Franken: "Why Am I Grumpy? Oh, I Know Why"
An annoyed Franken describes his strange transition process (one in which he can't pay any of his staffers) and admits that, yes, sometimes we all get a little cranky.

June 30: Coleman Concedes. It's Over.
After the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously rules that Franken legitimately won the election, Coleman holds a (rather classy) press conference in which he finally concedes the race. Minnesota (and TPM HQ) breathes a sigh of relief.

June 30: Franken Accepts Victory
A jubilant Franken holds a press conference to accept victory and thank Coleman, saying "I'm so excited to finally be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota."

Finally indeed, Senator-elect Franken.

MN-SEN

Franken Thanks Minnesota -- And Coleman

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 5:56PM

Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) held a press conference outside his Minneapolis home, celebrating his win in the long drama that has been the Minnesota Senate race.

"Franni [his wife] and I are so thrilled that we can finally celebrate this victory, and I'm so excited to finally be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota," he said. "I received a very gracious call from Sen. Coleman a little while ago. He wished me well, I wished him well, and we agreed that it is time to finally bring this state together."

It should be noted that during all the litigation and back-and-forth attacks, the Franken campaign and legal team would refer to Norm Coleman as "former Sen. Coleman." But now that the race is over and it's a time for civility and unity, the inherent insult of the "former" has now been put aside.

Franken said that the country faces many challenges in the economy and world affairs. "So even though Franni and I are thrilled and honored by the faith that Minnesotans have placed in me, I'm also humbled," he said, "not just by the closeness of this election, but also by the enormity of the responsibilities that come with this office."

He also said that much has been talked about, that he'll be the 60th Democratic Senator. "The way I see it, I'm not going to Washington to be the 60th democratic senator. I'm going to Washington to be the second Senator from Minnesota, and that's how I'm going to do this job," he said, to the applause of his supporters.

Read more »

MN-SEN

Steele: "I Am Deeply Disappointed" By Minnesota Supreme Court's Decision

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 5:37PM

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele has released this statement on the final conclusion of the Minnesota Senate race, in which Democratic activist and comedian Al Franken defeated Republican Sen. Norm Coleman after a long process of recounting and litigation:

"I am deeply disappointed in the decision made by the state Supreme Court, and I share the frustration of Minnesota's voters. At the core of our democracy lies two concrete principles: No valid vote should go uncounted and all votes should be treated equally. Sadly, those principles were not adhered to during this election. While I would have proudly stood behind Norm Coleman had he chosen to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, I know that his decision to withdraw from this race was not an easy one, but one that he felt was the best decision for the people of Minnesota. For the last six years, Norm represented the people of Minnesota with distinction, earning a much deserved reputation as one of the hardest-working members of Congress. I, on behalf of all Republicans, thank him for his service and will miss his leadership in Washington."

Health Care

The Mark-Up, 06-30-2009

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 5:13PM

TPMDC's update on the biggest legislative initiatives on the Hill:

• Health Care: A staffer leaked some preliminary details of the public option Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee plan to include in their reform legislation. Those details imply a significant retreat from the bold plan the committee intended to offer at the outset of the process, but still leave room for a robust public insurance option. Still unknown: whether those details will be acceptable to Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC) who's been unwilling up until now to accept a public option, and whose vote may be required to move the bill out of committee.
• Senate politics: This doesn't really belong under the "legislative initiatives" rubric, but it will impact all of them, and much, much more. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of Sen.-elect Al Franken, and Norm Coleman conceded defeat. Franken will likely be seated next week, becoming the Democrats' 60th caucus member--which, as we've detailed before, will change Senate politics and legislative math in a number of ways.

MN-SEN

Norm Coleman's Concession Speech

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 5:02PM

Here's a big part of former Sen. Norm Coleman's (R-MN) press conference today, conceding defeat to Democratic activist and comedian Al Franken in the much-litigated 2008 Minnesota Senate race:

John Cornyn

Cornyn On Minnesota Race: "It's Troubling To Think" What Dems Will Do With 60 Seats

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 4:58PM

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, has released this statement on Sen.-elect Al Franken's (D-MN) victory:

"I would like to commend both Norm Coleman and Al Franken on a hard fought campaign. In particular, I would like to be among the first to welcome Al Franken to the United States Senate.

"This has been a long process and while both sides would have preferred a speedier outcome, full, fair and free elections are what make our nation great. That's why I have so much respect for Norm Coleman. I've known Norm not just as a friend and colleague, but as a devoted public servant who recognized that this legal challenge was not just about him. It was about making sure no Minnesotan was disenfranchised in this election.

Read more »

MN-SEN

Reid: I Appreciate That Coleman Fought Hard, And That He Is Now Stepping Aside

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 4:44PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has issued this statement, on former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) having conceded defeat to Democratic Sen.-elect Al Franken in the long-fought and long-litigated 2008 Minnesota Senate race:

"I know a thing or two about close elections, and I appreciate both that Norm Coleman fought hard throughout his race and recount, and that he is now stepping aside and letting the people of Minnesota have the full representation they deserve.

"I enjoyed my time working with Norm Coleman in the United States Senate, and wish him the best."

MN-SEN

Pawlenty To Sign Franken's Certificate Today

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 4:29PM

Our good friends at The Uptake report that Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN) will sign Democratic Sen.-elect Al Franken's certificate of election today, now that Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman has conceded defeat after the state Supreme Court upheld Franken's super-narrow win.

Pawlenty was put in a tight spot, due to his position as a potential Republican presidential candidate and the possibility of further litigation by Coleman. But with Coleman's concession, Pawlenty has only to exercise a purely ministerial duty.

Franken won't be sworn in as a Senator until next week, because the Senate is not in session. But all the various legal issues that have surrounded this race, from the political to the legal and the most technical, have all been resolved.

Al Franken will be able to go to Washington next week, and be sworn into the Senate seat formerly held by his old friend, the late Democratic Sen. Paul Wellstone.

Barack Obama

Obama: "I Look Forward To Working With Senator-Elect Franken"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 4:17PM

President Obama has released this statement on Sen.-elect Al Franken's (D-MN) much-litigated and now final victory in the 2008 Minnesota Senate race:

"I look forward to working with Senator-Elect Franken to build a new foundation for growth and prosperity by lowering health care costs and investing in the kind of clean energy jobs and industries that will help America lead in the 21st century."

MN-SEN

The Minnesota Senate Race Is Over -- Coleman Has Conceded Defeat To Franken

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 4:04PM

Who would have thought that something bizarre would happen when Al Franken ran for public office?

In a press conference just now, former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has conceded defeat to the Democratic comedian Franken in the 2008 Senate race -- nearly eight months after Election Day, and six months after the seat went vacant when Coleman's single term had expired. Coleman said that further litigation would damage the state, and congratulated Sen.-elect Franken on his victory. He said his future plans in politics "are a subject for another day."

Coleman also said he would no longer contest the much-litigated matter of which previously-rejected absentee ballots should and should not be let into the count, for which both campaigns had picked out lists to argue over. "I'm not questioning what's counted and what's not counted. The Supreme Court has decided," he said. "We are a nation of laws and not men and women. Now that the court has spoken, it's time to move on and not look back."

Coleman said his phone call with Franken was civil. "It couldn't have been any closer and he understands, what his family has gone through, and what me and my family have gone through," said Coleman. "It was a very personal discussion. I congratulated him and wished him the best, and he responded in kind."

It's been a long and strange journey from there to here. Coleman had initially been ahead of the long-time Democratic activist and dirty comedian right after the election, seemingly winning by around 700 votes the day after the election. But then the state went through the standard process of having the counties all proofread their spreadsheets -- and it turned out he only led by 215.

Then the recount commenced, with ballots from malfunctioning machines or with markings that were too light to be scanned cutting into the lead. Then after the State Canvassing Board adjudicated the ballots that had been challenged by the campaigns for voter intent or illegal voter signatures (and most of these challenges from both sides were completely frivolous, designed to manipulate the totals), it was now Franken who was ahead by 49 votes. Then after extensive litigation on absentee ballot envelopes that had been rejected due to clerical errors by local officials, Franken was then up by 225 votes.

Then Coleman filed a lawsuit to contest the results, contending that a) ballots were let in for Franken that shouldn't have been, b) ballots for Coleman that should have been allowed were not, and c) damaged absentee ballots that had been duplicated ended up being counted twice, favoring Franken. After months and months of litigation, the three-member trial court rejected all of these claims -- and some more previously-rejected ballots that were put in only expanded Franken's victory to 312 votes.

Read more »

Health Care

Gibbs Hesitantly Acknowledge Tactical Advantages Of Reconciliation Option

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 3:57PM

Lingering in the background of the health care debate in Congress has been the possibility that Democrats won't be able to get as much as they want from Republicans through the normal legislative process and will be forced to advance reform (or elements of reform) through the reconciliation process, which can't be filibustered. That may be a remote possibility, but it significantly changes the political dynamic on the Hill--in absence of this alternative route, meeting the expected 60 vote threshold in the Senate would become, to a greater extent than it already is, the guiding force behind the process.

But ever since Democratic leaders won a battle (with Republicans and conservatives within their own party) to keep the reconciliation option open, they've been notably silent about it, and completely unwilling to wield the threat publicly. Today, Robert Gibbs went as far as anybody I can recall in recent weeks--but he also held his fire.

Read more »

MN-SEN

Minnesota Sec. of State: I Will Co-Sign Election Certificate As Soon As It Is Issued by Gov. Pawlenty

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 3:30PM

Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie (D) has released this statement on apparent Sen.-elect Al Franken's (D) victory at the Minnesota Supreme Court:

I thank the Minnesota Supreme Court, the three-judge election contest panel, the State Canvassing Board, local election officials, and all campaign staff and volunteers for their extraordinary efforts in bringing this U.S. Senate election to its conclusion.

This unanimous opinion of the Court affirms the accuracy and fairness of Minnesota's election laws and recount procedures. As required by Minnesota law, I will co-sign the election certificate as soon as it is issued by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a Republican and a potential presidential candidate, has not yet released a statement.

MN-SEN

Top Senate Dem Aide: We Are Prepared To Swear In Franken "As Early As Possible Next Week"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 3:26PM

I just asked a top Senate Democratic aide what the expectation is over there for the Minnesota Senate race, and whether Norm Coleman will concede and/or Al Franken will be finally declared the winner now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled in Franken's favor.

"Based on everything we have seen so far, we assume this is moving towards closure once and for all," the source said. "Once the Secretary signs the certificate, and sends it to the Secretary of the Senate, we are prepared to swear in Sen.-elect Franken as early as possible next week."

MN-SEN

Coleman And Franken To Do Press Conferences Later Today

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 3:15PM

Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) will be holding a press conference at 4 p.m. ET, reacting to today's ruling by the Minnesota Supreme Court that Democratic comedian Al Franken is the winner of the 2008 Senate race.

The big question is whether Coleman will concede the race, or instead try to fight on at the U.S. Supreme Court. It's been nearly six months since this Senate seat went vacant, stuck in the limbo of all this litigation. We could know today whether this is truly the end, or if instead this will keep on going.

Apparent Sen.-elect Al Franken (D-MN) will then give his own press conference at 5:15 p.m. ET.

MN-SEN

DNC Chair Kaine: Today's Ruling "Marks The End Of The Line For Norm Coleman's Legal Battle"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 3:08PM

Democratic National Committee chairman Tim Kaine has released this statement on Al Franken's victory at the Minnesota Supreme Court:

"On behalf of the Democratic National Committee, I congratulate Al Franken on his election to the United States Senate. Senator-Elect Franken must be seated as soon as possible. The people of Minnesota rightfully elected Al Franken to serve in the Senate and there is far too much work to be done for the state and the nation to drag this process on any longer."

"Today's ruling from the Minnesota Supreme Court marks the end of the line for Norm Coleman's legal battle. For too long, Minnesotans have been denied their proper representation in Congress while Norm Coleman pursued his political ambitions. In light of today's decision, Norm Coleman should concede and Governor Pawlenty should sign the election certificate which Al Franken is entitled to, and which he pledged to do upon guidance from the court. Doing so will finally put this saga to an end and give Minnesotans their full voice in the U.S. Senate."

It should be noted that Coleman's legal battle theoretically could keep going, if he were to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court and be able to get an injunction against certifying Franken's victory. That scenario doesn't seem too likely, but we'll see how this all plays out.

Robert Byrd

Byrd Released From Hospital

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 3:02PM

Speaking of Democratic votes, Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV), who has been hospitalized for weeks, has been released to recuperate at home.

Though it's unclear when exactly he'll be able to return to the Senate to vote, his absence--like Al Franken's--has complicated Democratic efforts to accomplish key goals, including confirming DOJ-nominee Dawn Johnsen.

Al Franken

People For The American Way: "Sen. Franken's Victory"

Rachel Slajda | June 30, 2009, 3:00PM

Progressive group People for the American Way released this statement from their president, Michael B. Keegan:

It's taken quite a while, but Senator Franken's victory is now official. That's good news for Minnesotans and for all of us. Governor Pawlenty has said he would certify the election results, and he should do so immediately.

Senator Franken's victory should finally put to rest GOP threats to filibuster President Obama's agenda. With any luck, Senate Republicans will take this opportunity to stop obstructing the important work that needs to get done for the country and actually start helping to get it done.

MN-SEN

Minnesota Dems: "We Trust That Senator-Elect Franken Will Be Seated Without Delay"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 2:54PM

The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has released this statement from chair Brian Melendez and associate chair Donna Cassutt, on Al Franken's victory today at the Minnesota Supreme Court:

"We offer our heartfelt congratulations once again to Senator-elect Franken, his wife Franni and their family. Throughout this long process, Minnesotans have seen what kind of senator Al Franken will be: determined, patient, thoughtful and ready to work for our state. Now it is time for the senator-elect to be seated so that Minnesota is once again fully represented in the United States Senate.

"The Supreme Court's ruling also proves that Minnesotans can take pride in our election process. The close vote, the long recount and the ensuing election contest may have confounded other states. But Minnesota has shown the nation that our system is meticulous, transparent and fair.

Read more »

MN-SEN

Reid: "I Congratulate Senator-Elect Al Franken, The Next Senator From The State Of Minnesota"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 2:40PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has released this statement on Al Franken's victory at the Minnesota Supreme Court:

"I congratulate Senator-elect Al Franken, the next Senator from the state of Minnesota.

"The people of Minnesota will now finally get the brilliant and hardworking new senator they elected in November and the full representation they deserve. After all the votes have been counted and recounted, the Minnesota Supreme Court has made the final determination that Minnesotans have chosen Al Franken to help their state and our country get back on track.

"The Senate looks forward to welcoming Senator-elect Franken as soon as possible. He will play a crucial role as we work to strengthen our economy, ensure all Americans can access and afford quality health care, make our country more energy independent, confirm the President's outstanding nominee to the Supreme Court, and tackle the many other challenges we face.

"I once again encourage Governor Pawlenty to respect the votes of his constituents and the decisions of his state's highest court. He should put politics aside, follow his state's laws and finally sign the certificate that will bring this episode to an end."

Al Franken

White House "Pleased" With Ruling for Franken

Rachel Slajda | June 30, 2009, 2:37PM

Politico reports:

And at the White House, press secretary Robert Gibbs told POLITICO they were "pleased" with the result.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (0) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Al Franken, MN-SEN, Norm Coleman

MN-SEN

Change To Win: It's Time To Seat Franken

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 2:34PM

The big interest groups are already starting to react to the big news from Minnesota, where Al Franken's victory in the 2008 Senate race has just been reaffirmed by the state Supreme Court. The Change to Win labor federation came out with this statement, calling for Franken to be seated:

WASHINGTON, DC -- Change to Win chair and SEIU Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger issued the following statement on today's decision by the Minnesota Supreme Court that Al Franken is entitled to a certificate of election as Minnesota's next U.S. Senator:

"Now that the Minnesota Supreme Court has made its final ruling, it is time to recognize Al Franken as the duly elected Senator from Minnesota. As is appropriate after any extremely close election, Minnesotans took the time to conduct an extensive and thorough recount process, but now that all reasonable legal options have been exhausted, Minnesota deserves its full representation in Congress. We call on Governor Pawlenty to pursue the state's best interests and end this contest instead of favoring those who would allow the recount to continue for purely partisan reasons.

Read more »

AFL-CIO

AFL-CIO: Franken Crucial For EFCA Passage

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 2:32PM

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney is out with a statement on the Supreme Court's verdict in favor of Al Franken. "[I]t is essential that Minnesotans have both their Senators to represent them," Sweeney said, "and we urge Governor Pawlenty to immediately sign the election certificate so Franken can get to work."

"The seating of Senator Franken is also a crucial step towards passing the Employee Free Choice Act," Sweeney added. "We urge the Senate to move forward swiftly on this crucial piece of legislation as well as health care reform, financial re-regulation and all the crucial issues facing working families."

You can read the entire statement below the fold.

Read more »

MN-SEN

DSCC Chair Menendez: "Congratulations To Senator-Elect Franken"

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 2:23PM

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has released this statement on Al Franken's victory at the Minnesota Supreme Court:

"Congratulations to Senator-elect Franken for today's courtroom victory affirming his electoral victory. As we've seen over the past 238 days, no matter how many times Norm Coleman goes to court, the result of the election never changes: Al Franken earned more votes than Norm Coleman. Al Franken was elected to the Senate and he ought to be able to get to work for the people of Minnesota. We've always said that Norm Coleman deserved his day in court, and he got eight months. Now we expect Governor Pawlenty to do the right thing, follow the law, and sign the election certificate. From health care to the Supreme Court to getting our economy moving again, the challenges facing us are complex and we need Al Franken in the Senate. In this historic and urgent moment in our history, Minnesotans have gone long enough without full representation. Al Franken will be an critical voice on the issues before us and it's time to let him get to work."

MN-SEN

Minnesota Supreme Court Rules On Coleman's Appeal: He Lost, Franken Won The Election

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 2:08PM

The Minnesota Supreme Court has handed down its much-expected ruling in the heavily-litigated Minnesota Senate race from 2008 -- and it's a unanimous one -- deciding against Republican former Sen. Norm Coleman's appeal of his defeat in the election trial and affirming the lower court's verdict that Democratic comedian Al Franken is the legitimate winner of the race.

The courts finds that "Al Franken received the highest number of votes legally cast and is entitled under Minn. Stat. § 204C.40 (2008) to receive the certificate of election as United States Senator from the State of Minnesota." This means that when Franken is ultimately seated, the Democrats will have 60 seats and be able to beat any Republican filibuster if they stay completely united (though good luck with that, obviously.)

It's been seven and a half months since Election Day, and five and a half months since the seat went vacant after Coleman's term expired -- but the state's process of recounts and litigation is now over, barring the unlikely event of a higher authority stepping in and forcing them to do more. Franken has won by 312 votes, out of roughly 2.9 million -- a difference of 0.011%.

The big question now is what comes next. Will Coleman concede, or will he take another path -- as national GOP leaders like Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) have urged -- and take this to federal courts, where he might try to get an injunction against Franken receiving a certificate of election? And if Franken does get his certificate, will the Senate GOP attempt to filibuster its acceptance?

Read more »

Sarah Palin

Vanity Fair Palin Piece Touches Off GOP-on-GOP Hate

Rachel Slajda | June 30, 2009, 1:41PM

Looks like Bill Kristol read Todd Pardum's much-ballyhooed Sarah Palin story today, in which several faceless McCain campaigners talk about the, um, complexities of working with the Alaska governor.

Kristol, ever the Palin defender, took issue in a blog post on The Weekly Standard and zeroed in on one McCain aide. Pardum had written, "Some top aides worried about her mental state: was it possible that she was experiencing postpartum depression?"

So Kristol is naming names: "In fact, one aide who raised this possibility in the course of trashing Palin's mental state to others in the McCain-Palin campaign was Steve Schmidt."

Oh no, he didn't!

Arlen Specter

Torsella Endorses Specter In Pennsylvania Senate Primary

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 1:16PM

When Sen. Arlen Specter (D-PA) announced that he would switch parties and run for re-election as a Democrat he all but forced Joe Torsella--former Deputy Mayor of Philadelphia--out of the race. Were it not for the likely candidacy of Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), that would have cleared the field for Specter, who would almost certainly have sailed to the Democratic nomination.

But Sestak didn't go the Torsella route. And so, the Democratic establishment--which immediately lined up behind Specter--has been forced to roll out the endorsements. The latest name on that list? Joe Torsella.

In my campaign I spoke often of the need for new ideas and a new approach in Washington. In the weeks since I ended my candidacy, I have spoken at great length with Senator Specter and watched his work in Washington to advance the President's agenda for change. I have become convinced that years of service do not preclude the ability to promote change; in fact, under the right circumstances, they enhance it. My conversations have convinced me that Arlen Specter will work hard to do just that on the issues most important to me and families across Pennsylvania.

According to Greg Giroux at Congressional Quarterly, Specter once hired Torsella's wife to serve as a counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee back when he was a Republican and the Republicans were in the majority.

CA-50

Busby Raising Money Off Of Sheriff's Department Raid Against Fundraising Event

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 12:18PM

Democratic House candidate Francine Busby (CA-50) has now sent out a new fundraising e-mail for the final day of the second quarter, trying to make lemonade out of her fundraiser from this past weekend, which ended when the San Diego Sheriff's Department raided the event and after somebody -- believed to have been a heckler who had shouted anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd -- called in a noise complaint against the Dem event.

"It's the 11th hour to show that you have the courage and the commitment to stand with me against the strong forces that are gathering against us," Busby writes.

The fundraiser ended with a homeowner being arrested, and multiple people being pepper-sprayed. The deputies went all out, too, going so far as to bring in a helicopter to deal with a crowd of middle-aged Dems raising money for a local candidate!

"So what am I going to do about this travesty? Fight harder. Fight for the truth. Fight to defend our civil rights. Fight to defend free speech and Democracy," Busby adds (emphasis in the original). "I am going to fight even harder to stop this hateful intimidation. I hope that I can count on you to fight this battle with me."

Full e-mail after the jump. Special thanks to TPM reader SG.

Read more »

Oklahoma Republican Blames Economic Woes On Obama, Debauchery

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 11:57AM

The Oklahoma legislature isn't a stranger to wacky right wing political posturing--but now, via Jonathan Turley, comes a doozy.

[W]hat caused the economic problems that caused the stimulus package that aroused Gov. Sanford? Oklahoma Rep. Sally Kern has finally answered that question: our sins. Kern has drafted a resolution that puts the current economic crisis squarely on the backs of libertines and godless people who have produced a moral crisis. This includes Obama's refusal to "uphold the long held tradition of past presidents in recognition of our National Day of Prayer."

You can read the entire resolution below the fold. But the basic gist of it is that the country is suffering because it "has become a world leader in promoting abortion, pornography, same sex marriage, sex trafficking, divorce, illegitimate births, child abuse, and many other forms of debauchery." Good to know complex financial products had nothing to do with it.

Read more »

NJ-GOV

Poll: Christie Leads Corzine By Ten Points

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 11:47AM

A new survey of New Jersey from Public Policy Polling (D) finds incumbent Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine trailing his Republican opponent, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, by a margin of 51%-41%.

To a great extent, this is a vote against the incumbent. Among the quarter of the electorate that doesn't know enough about Christie to have formed an opinion, Christie is leading by an even bigger margin of 48%-30%.

From the pollster's analysis: "There's not much doubt Jon Corzine's in a pretty big hole," said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. "If there's good news for the incumbent it's that about a third of voters say they could change their minds between now and November. He'll need a lot of folks to move over to his column if he's going to get reelected."

New Jersey is a deep-blue state, albeit with a large number of very reluctant Democratic voters, and has often shown a tendency of Dem candidates surging in the home stretch after attacking the conservatism of the Republicans. Corzine has a big job ahead of him if he wants to repeat that pattern.

Al Gore

Al Gore Sends Fundraising E-mail For Senate Dems

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 11:37AM

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has brought out a big name for the final rush of fundraising before the end of the second quarter tonight: Former Vice President Al Gore, who has written a new e-mail sent out to the DSCC's support list.

The e-mail reminds Dem supporters of the memory of 1994, when one-party Democratic rule of the White House and Capitol Hill was so abruptly overturned with a Republican mid-term landslide. After noting that the historic trend is for a president's party to lose seats in the mid-terms, Gore then asks recipients to imagine what it would mean if they can buck the trend and expand the already big margins.

"We could stop having absurd debates about whether or not global warming is real. We could get moving to ensure every man, woman, and child gets the health care they need," Gore writes. "We could put Americans back to work with investments in jobs and infrastructure and stop pretending that all economic problems can be solved with tax cuts for the super-rich."

Check out the full e-mail, after the jump.

Read more »

Health Care

HELP Committee Leak Details Likely Outline Of Public Option; Andy Stern Pleased

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 11:28AM

A source has leaked details to Politico of what reporters there describe as a "draft of HELP's likely public option proposal." Here are the key details:

The option would be one of the Gateway choices. It would follow the same rules as private plans for defining benefits, protecting consumers, and setting premiums that are fair and based on local costs....

The payment rates paid by the option would be no more than the local average private rates - but could be less. The Secretary would negotiate these rates.

Initial reports of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions process suggested that the committee's draft would call for a public option that paid providers Medicare rates plus about 10 percent--a robust plan which would have left a wide middle ground on the issue between that committee and the Senate Finance Committee. This leak doesn't rule that configuration out explicitly--but if it's accurate, then the committee's kicking the issue back over to the executive branch, and insisting only that the public plan operate on at least a level playing field with private insurers.

It's unclear whether this language will please freshman Sen. Kay Hagan (D-NC)--the HELP Democrat whose reservations about the public option have forced the committee to modify their plan and delay it's roll out.

Still, the developments on that committee seem to have pleased SEIU president Andy Stern who last night wrote, "HELP Committee working hard on solid public option," on his Twitter feed.

Jeff Sessions

Sessions: We Will Question Sotomayor on Ricci Case

Rachel Slajda | June 30, 2009, 10:06AM

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), the ranking GOP member on the Judiciary Committee, said yesterday that the New Haven firefighters case will come up at Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearing.

This case sharpens our focus on Judge Sotomayor's troubling speeches and writings, which indicate...that personal experiences and political views should influence a judge's decision. That theory is a breathtaking departure from the proper role of the American judge and will clearly be the subject of questioning at the upcoming hearing.

This case will only raise more questions in the minds of the American people concerning Judge Sotomayor's commitment to treat each individual fairly and not as a member of a group.

Health Care

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Snowe Talks Triggers

Brian Beutler | June 30, 2009, 9:27AM

This idea sort of came and went a few weeks ago, but some legislators just can't let it go. According to the Associated Press, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME)--a potentially key moderate on the Senate Finance Committee--hasn't forsworn signing on to a health reform bill that includes a public option. But she's holding out to see it affixed to a "trigger mechanism," which would, in theory, give insurance companies a years-long window to lower costs on their own and only "trigger" the public option if they failed to do so.

"If you establish a public option at the forefront that goes head-to-head and competes with the private health insurance market ... the public option will have significant price advantages," Snowe said. But this was her argument against making the public option available as soon as the bill becomes law.

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), the committee's Democratic point man on the public plan, has basically ruled this option out, as has the health reform campaign Health Care for America Now. Their principles call for a public plan available "on day one."

CA-50

Homeowner Blasts Sheriff's Department For Raid On Dem Candidate Fundraising Event

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 9:22AM

Shari Barman, the homeowner who was arrested at this past weekend's fundraiser for Democratic Congressional candidate Francine Busby (CA-50), put out a statement yesterday evening. She condemns the sheriff's department's raid as having been based on a non-legitimate noise complaint by a politically-motivated neighbor, who had allegedly yelled anti-gay slurs towards the event, and she accuses the arresting deputy of having committed unprovoked brutality.

Key quote:

Contrary to what has been reported, I did not in any manner strike Deputy Abbott. He and I had only been conversing for a minute or two when he grabbed my arm, twisted it behind me and threw me on the floor. His actions were completely unexpected, excessive and I believe, unwarranted. The remaining guests who witnessed what occurred and who were pepper sprayed were stunned and outraged.

Also contrary to what has been reported, this was the first time any deputy had been to my home that evening. I believe the noise complaint to the police may have been politically motivated based on the shouting we heard during Ms. Busby's speech.

In my opinion the charges brought against me are unfounded and were brought only in order to cover up Deputy Abbott's unprofessional behavior. What happened in our home was shocking and I don't believe would have happened had the situation been handled properly.

Full statement after the jump.

Read more »

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 30, 2009, 9:01AM

Iraqis Gain Control Of Cities As U.S. Troops Pull Back
U.S. combat troops have officially pulled out of Iraqi cities and towns, handing control over to the Iraqis. "This day, which we consider a national celebration, is an achievement made by all Iraqis," said Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. At the same time, there was a significant increase in violence over the last few weeks, in the run-up to the pullback, leaving questions as to what the future will hold.

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will speak at 2 p.m. ET from the East Room, highlighting innovative nonprofit programs from across the country. At 3:15 p.m. ET, he will meet with Sec. of Energy Steven Chu.

Read more »

Cap-and-Trade

The Mark-Up, 06-29-2009

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 6:06PM

TPMDC's update on the biggest legislative initiatives on the Hill:

• Climate Change: The House did its part on Friday, passing the landmark American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. And they did it in a way that could, in theory, hold a great amount of sway with fence-sitting Democrats in the Senate. (Republicans are a different story--eight GOPers voted for the bill, but the rest sided with House Minority Leader John Boehner who called it a "pile of shit.") But success (and a successful bill) will depend in large part on factors like the Senate schedule, and White House involvement, which remain big unknowns.
• Health Care: The House of Representatives will begin the mark-up process on a health reform bill, drafted by three different committees of jurisdiction: Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, and Ways and Means. Thus far, the roll out in that chamber has been pretty seamless, especially by comparison to the action in the Senate. But figuring out how to keep things moving smoothly while three committees make changes to it independently turns out to be a bit tricky. We should know more about that process soon.

Congress is not in session this week.

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (0) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Cap-and-Trade, Climate Change, House of Representatives, Senate

MN-SEN

GOP Congressman: Coleman Should Keep Fighting -- And The Courts Should Declare No Winner At All

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 5:54PM

If former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) does decide to fight on at the U.S. Supreme Court after his much-expected defeat with the Minnesota Supremes, he'll have at least one public supporter back home in the continuing litigation of this 2008 Senate race: Minnesota GOP Congressman John Kline -- who says that the courts should decide there's no winner at all!

" I encouraged [Norm Coleman] to carry this through the courts until we can get as much confidence here in Minnesota and in the nation that the results are accurate," Kline told Minnesota Public Radio. But he also added something that has been pitched by Coleman and his legal team in the past -- that we can't truly know whether Coleman or Democratic comedian Al Franken was the true winner of a race this close.

Read more »

FL-SEN

Club For Growth Considering Intervention In Florida Senate Republican Primary

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 5:34PM

The continuing battle between the Republican establishment and the hardcore conservative activists in the Florida Senate primary could soon be intensifying, the Washington Times reports, with the Club For Growth actively considering the idea of getting into the race in support of conservative insurgent Marco Rubio, against the moderate Gov. Charlie Crist.

"We recently interviewed Marco Rubio and were impressed," said Club president David Keating. "We are very concerned about the two major tax increases Charlie Crist recently signed and believe there's no excuse for his active support of the Obama big-government 'stimulus' spending bill. We are actively considering the race."

The Club had previously been planning on a different major project for the 2010 Senate primary season: former Rep. Pat Toomey's challenge to then-GOP Sen. Arlen Specter in the Republican primary. But now that Specter has become a Democrat in order to avoid that very same primary, Florida might now be the new Pennsylvania.

But if they do get in, they'll have their work cut out for them. A new Mason-Dixon poll has Crist ahead of Rubio by 51%-23%. However, Rubio's biggest problem right now is a lack of name recognition, with 47% of Republican voters not recognizing the former state House Speaker's name -- something that Club money might be able to help correct.

LA-SEN

Vitter Fundraising Letter Doesn't Mention Protecting Marriage

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 4:50PM

Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), the champion of social conservatism whose career became mired in the D.C. Madam prostitution scandal of 2007, has a new fundraising letter that warns of the liberal/socialist threats on a whole range of issues -- though one particular item is mysteriously missing.

The letter warns of the threat posed by Democrats on such issues as abortion, union card-check, the dreaded Fairness Doctrine to eliminate conservative talk-radio, and big liberal spending.

This sentence sums it up: "The left-wing blob of trial lawyers, union bosses, environmental zealots, abortion activists, socialists and gun grabbers along with the Washington Democrat establishment have already trained their sights on me."

But there is one issue that we're used to seeing from conservatives like Vitter, which doesn't show up at all: Protecting the sanctity of marriage.

Health Care

Survey: Medicaid Recipients Considerably More Satisified With Care Than Those With Private Insurance

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 4:45PM

An interesting bit of data from Mark Blumenthal over at National Journal puts a cherry on top of a familiar theme: Conservatives who insist that people want government out of health care are either dishonest or in denial.

Numerous recent polls have indicated this with respect to a government run public option. Voters broadly support the idea. And Medicare enrollees have long reported high levels of satisfaction with their access to and quality of care. But here are some hard numbers.

Only 40 percent of consumers report a high level of satisfaction with their insurance. Compare that to 51 percent of Medicaid enrollees, 60 percent of Medicare Advantage enrollees, and 56 percent of Medicare fee-for-service recipients. That's a particularly interesting finding vis-à-vis Medicaid, which is often stigmatized as a low-quality program for the poor. Yet Medicaid recipients are, on average, happier with their care than are consumers with private insurance.

That's an interesting factoid for those who are concerned that Congress will enact a weak--and, ultimately, stigmatized--public option. Leaving aside for a moment the moral failure of leaving about 50-million people without health care, the vast majority of people (and, notably, voters) in this country already have health care, and like it at least OK. For them, a public option along the lines of Medicaid might not sound like an appealing alternative--and that's why Democrats are insistent that health reform legislation not force anybody currently enrolled on the private market to give up their plan. But for those who are uninsured, or those who are unhappy with the care they already have, even the weak version of the public option might well still be a step up from the status quo.

CA-50

San Diego Sheriffs Launch Probe Into Raid At Democratic Candidate's Fundraising Event

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 4:40PM

The Los Angeles Times reports that the San Diego Sheriff's Department is now undertaking a review of a raid over the weekend against a fundraiser for Francine Busby, a Democratic candidate for the 50th Congressional District.

A neighbor made a noise complaint against the event, and this neighbor is also suspected of being the same man who heckled the event with anti-gay remarks shortly before the complaint was made. Other neighbors told the local media that there was no noise problem. After the officers arrived, attendees ended up being pepper-sprayed and a hostess was arrested.

In an interview with TPM, Busby said the noise complaint was not legitimate and was based on the neighbor's political agenda, and she blamed the arresting officer for the violence that resulted.

"We cannot take action based on media accounts and will conduct a thorough inquiry to include interviews of witnesses at the fund-raising event," said Undersheriff Bill Gore -- who as it turns out will become the full sheriff effective this Friday, upon the retirement of his predecessor.

CA-50

Busby Blames Local Resident's Political Agenda, Sheriff's Department Officer In Raid On Fundraiser

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 3:47PM

I just spoke on the phone with Francine Busby, a previous and once-again Democratic candidate for California's Fiftieth House District, about Saturday's raid by the San Diego Sheriff's Department on a fundraiser she held, in which multiple people were pepper-sprayed and a hostess was arrested after a neighbor made a noise complaint.

Busby strongly denied that anyone at the fundraiser did anything to provoke violence by the sheriffs. (For their part, the sheriffs claim that somebody kicked an officer.) And she put the blame squarely on a neighbor who heckled the crowd, then called the sheriffs to complain of loudness from Democrats.

"You could hear his voice very clearly, it was loud. But as far as the actual words, I didn't hear them," Busby explained. "I heard my name, and obviously derogatory words. Other people heard profanity, and somebody heard something about gays, as well."It should be noted that the event was hosted by a lesbian couple.

"The deputies were telling people that they were taking statements from, that the call came in about noise from a Democratic rally, or Democratic demonstration," said Busby. In fact, she said, she had last spoken at about 8:30 p.m., and the police arrived an hour later when most of the attendees had left. "It was a nuisance-noise call, because there was no noise, and the fact that it was described as a Democratic rally or demonstration indicates to me that this person was calling for his own political motives."

Read more »

Robert Gibbs

Gibbs: Ricci Decision Won't Stop Sotomayor Confirmation

Rachel Slajda | June 29, 2009, 3:46PM

In his press briefing today, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said he doesn't believe the reversal of Sonia Sotomayor's decision in the New Haven firefighters case will hurt her chances of getting confirmed to the Supreme Court.

"I don't foresee that this will represent anything that will prevent her from a seat on the Supreme Court," he told reporters.

Gibbs said the decision was "a fairly definitive opinion that she follows judicial precedent and that she doesn't legislate from the bench." He went on to chide her critics for warning she would be an activist judge, saying today's majority opinion is a "new interpretation" of Title VII.

Barack Obama

With Climate Change Vote, House Tries To Prod Senate Into Action--Will It Work?

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 3:23PM

The White House and Democratic leaders in Congress were in top political form on Friday, ushering the Waxman-Markey bill to passage by the narrowest of margins. In so doing, they picked off Democratic fence sitters strategically, to use what leverage they have to pressure Senate moderates into voting for passage as well.

For instance, a number of Democratic reps from states like Indiana, Missouri, and others voted for passage, which could make it harder for skeptical senators like Claire McCaskill and Evan Bayh to filibuster, or vote against it.

They also tailored the bill in such a way that it will be more palatable to Democratic senators from manufacturing states--like Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania and Sherrod Brown in Ohio--than past climate change bills have been.

But much will also depend on the timeline.

Read more »

CA-50

Dem Congressional Candidate's Event Raided By San Diego Sheriffs

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 3:07PM

Now this is a truly bizarre story, about a Democratic Congressional candidate's fundraising event being raided by a whole squad from the San Diego Sheriff's Department -- including pepper-spray and a helicopter!

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that a fundraiser for Francine Busby, who previously ran for the deeply-Republican Fiftieth District and came close to winning in the 2006 special election and subsequent regular election, was raided by sheriffs after an unnamed neighbor made a noise complaint. Busby now calls it a "phony" noise complaint, and the article says that multiple neighbors said there was no great noise at all.

Here's the twist: The fundraiser was hosted by a lesbian couple, and shortly before the sheriffs came a particular neighbor had shouted anti-gay slurs at the assembled crowd. "It was a quiet home reception, disrupted by a vulgar person shouting obscenities from behind the bushes," Busby says.

Read more »

Sonia Sotomayor

Conservative Meme: Did All Nine Justices Disagree With Sotomayor?

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 1:11PM

This is already making the rounds. Conservatives are alleging that, in today's ruling, all nine Supreme Court justices have disputed the reasoning of the Second Circuit Court of Appeals--and therefore of Sonia Sotomayor herself--in the Ricci case. See here and here.

But where did they come up with such a claim? It turns out they're citing the 10th footnote in Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's dissenting opinion, which reads "The lower courts focused on respondents' "intent" rather than on whether respondents in fact had good cause to act. See 554 F. Supp. 2d 142, 157 (Conn. 2006). Ordinarily, a remand for fresh consideration would be in order. But the Court has seen fit to preclude further proceedings. I therefore explain why, if final adjudication by this Court is indeed appropriate, New Haven should be the prevailing party."

Ergo, Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Stevens, and Souter all think Sotomayor is unfit to serve on the Supreme Court. Or something.

Climate Change

Bachmann Raising Money Off "Liberty Or Tyranny" Speech Against Cap-And-Trade

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 12:43PM

Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is now raising campaign cash off her floor speech this past Friday, Greg Sargent reports, in which she boldly called the climate-change bill a government takeover of "every aspect" of people's lives by a tyrannical government.

"When I spoke on the floor during the debate, I laid the question out in its most bare-boned terms: this is about liberty versus tyranny," Bachmann writes.

She later adds: "Please help me show that conservatives will not simply stand by while they destroy jobs, delete liberty, and decimate our economy."

Delete liberty? Remember, patriotic Americans, there's still time to go to the Dock at the bottom of your screen, and grab that liberty file back out of the Trash!

Full e-mail after the jump.

Read more »

Sonia Sotomayor

Leahy To Conservatives: It Would Be Wrong To Use Today's Decision To Criticize Sotomayor

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 12:23PM

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT)--chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee--is out with a statement criticizing the Supreme Court's opinion in Ricci v. DeStefano and warning conservatives not to wield it as a cudgel against Sonia Sotomayor. "It would be wrong to use today's decision to criticize Judge Sonia Sotomayor, who sat on the panel of the Second Circuit that heard this case but did not write its unanimous opinion," Leahy said.

Judge Sotomayor and the lower court panel did what judges are supposed to do, they followed precedent. It is notable that four justices would have upheld the Second Circuit's ruling, including the retiring Justice Souter, who Judge Sotomayor is nominated to replace. The dissent concludes: "This Court has repeatedly emphasized that [Title VII] 'should not be read to thwart' efforts at voluntary compliance.. . . The strong-basis-in-evidence standard, however, as barely described in general, and cavalierly applied in this case, makes voluntary compliance a hazardous venture."

You can read his entire statement below the fold.

Read more »

Sonia Sotomayor

Conservative Meme: All Nine Justices Disagreed With Sotomayor

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 12:13PM

Within an hour of the Supreme Court's ruling in the Ricci case, the Federalist Society hosted a conference call for reporters with a number of conservative legal experts--speed readers presumably--each of whom hit upon a couple themes we're already seeing Sonia Sotomayor's opponents trumpet.

Roger Clegg of the Center for Equal Opportunity suggested that the ruling "gives the Senate Judiciary Committee a lot to ask about" and that it brings to light her past statements on this issue.

He was joined by Gail Heriot, a professor at the University of San Diego School of Law in the insistence that each of the nine Justices had rejected Sotomayor's reasoning in her Second Circuit decision, a frame the Judicial Confirmation Network is also using. This, of course, despite the fact that four of the justices think the second circuit decided the case correctly.

House '10

John Kerry, Madeleine Albright Send Fundraising E-Mails For House Dems

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 12:00PM

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is bringing out some big names for the final days of the second fundraising quarter, with new fundraising e-mails signed by Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) and former Sec. of State Madeleine Albright.

The Kerry e-mail, which was sent out today, alludes to the way Kerry was Swift-Boated in 2004. "I've seen first hand how the far right reacts when they see their failed policies challenged," says Kerry. "Rush Limbaugh calls for failure, and Republican House leaders back him up. When their attacks start flying, we need to hit them hard."

The Albright e-mail, which was sent out over the weekend, is a rare occurrence of a former Sec. of State taking a role in full-fledged partisan politics. "After eight years of Republican foreign policy mistakes, President Obama is attempting to restore America's international reputation and leadership," Albright says. "Not surprisingly, he is running into opposition from the same misguided politicians who led America into disaster under President George W. Bush."

Check out the full e-mails, after the jump.

Read more »

Sonia Sotomayor

Conservative Activist Revels in Court Ruling Against "Sotomayer"

Rachel Slajda | June 29, 2009, 11:58AM

Conservative reactions to the Supreme Court's Ricci ruling are trickling in. Wendy Long, the leading face of the Sotomayor opposition, posted a press release on the web site for the Judicial Confirmation Network. The best part is the misspelling of Sonia Sotomayor's name (Long went for Sotomayer).

There's also this mystifying gem:

"Frank Ricci finally got his day in court, despite the judging of Sonia Sotomayor, which all nine Justices of U.S. Supreme Court have now confirmed was in error."

The ruling, of course, was 5-4. Oh, and this:

"What Judge Sotomayor did in Ricci was the equivalent of a pilot error resulting in a bad plane crash. And now the pilot is being offered to fly Air Force One." That's poetry, folks.

Check it out here, and let us know if Long fixes her spelling.

Late update: Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), a member of the Judiciary Committee, took a shot at Sotomayor without calling her by name. "The Second Circuit should have recognized the serious and unique issues this case raised and given it the thorough treatment it deserved," he said in a statement.

Here's the full statement:

"The Supreme Court today correctly held that race-based employment decisions must be justified by facts, not fear," said Hatch. "These firefighters, who worked long and hard for it, were denied the chance for promotion because of their race.

"In the twenty-first century, race discrimination requires more justification than the fear of being sued. The Second Circuit should have recognized the serious and unique issues this case raised and given it the thorough treatment it deserved."

PERMALINK | COMMENTS (7) | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)
Topics: Sonia Sotomayor, U.S. Supreme Court

Barack Obama

Obama Mocks GOPers Who Say Cap And Trade Will Cost $3,000 Per Household

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 11:32AM

Over the weekend, after the Waxman-Markey climate change bill passed the House by a predictably slim margin, President Obama sat down with some climate and energy reporters to discuss the state of play of energy reform.

Addressing the political risk some Democrats took by voting for the bill, Obama mocked the GOP for perpetuating a myth that should be familiar to readers of TPMDC. "So are there going to be nay-sayers?" Obama asked. "Absolutely."

Are there going to be short-term instances where you can get political gain by scaring the bejesus out of people and telling them that their electricity rates are going to go up a thousand percent and this is going to be a tax of $3,000 -- even though the studies that they cite the authors of say that these guys are just lying about these costs? Yes. Those political talking points will, in some cases, have some short-term impact.

Read more »

Sonia Sotomayor

Supreme Court Overturns Sotomayor's Ricci Decision; Conservatives Rejoice

Brian Beutler | June 29, 2009, 11:02AM

In a 5-4 decision--in which Anthony Kennedy was once again the swing vote--the Supreme Court has rejected a decision by Sonia Sotomayor and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, finding that the city of New Haven's promotion policy for firefighters, amounted to discrimination against whites. The city had tossed out a promotions test on which black firefighters performed poorly, prompting a number of white firefighters to sue.

The ruling can be found here (PDF). This move could reignite the fight over Sotomayor, who Obama nominated to the Supreme Court this spring. Conservatives have repeatedly cited the case--Ricci v. Destefano--as evidence that the New York judge would favor minorities in her decisions as an Associate Justice.

Already, the RNC has released a "Research Briefing" called "Reaching on Ricci" in which they allege that Sotomayor has now had seven of her decisions go before the High Court, and the Court has agreed with her reasoning only once."

To reach that ratio, though, they cite one case--Knight v. Commissioner--in which the lower court's ruling was upheld.

Conservative groups and Sotomayor supporters alike will be weighing in throughout the day. We'll let you know what they have to say.

Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty's Statement That He'll Certify Franken Doesn't Really Change Much

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 9:58AM

A lot of talk is going around about Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R-MN) statement on CNN yesterday that he would sign a certificate of election for Al Franken. But in fact, nothing new was said here -- he reaffirmed stuff he's said before, that he'll sign a certificate under the orders of the state Supreme Court, but if a federal court intervenes to stop him then he will follow that order, too:

"Well, a federal court could stay or put a limit on or stop the effect of the state court ruling. If they chose, if they do that, I would certainly follow their direction," said Pawlenty. "But if that doesn't happen promptly or drags out for any period of time, then we need to move ahead with signing this, particularly if I'm ordered to do that by the state court."

The big question here is whether Pawlenty is playing a wink-wink, nudge-nudge of subtly encouraging such a federal challenge, or if he's simply saying that he'll follow court orders while also laying out the potential permutations that can happen. His tone in this particular interview maybe seemed a bit more in favor of the second option than last time. But there's only one way to find out what will actually happen.

Barack Obama

TPMDC Morning Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2009, 8:59AM

Obama Opposes Trade Penalties In Climate Bill
President Obama has come out against a provision of the climate-change bill that passed the House on Friday, which would impose tariffs on other countries that don't accept limits on pollution. "At a time when the economy worldwide is still deep in recession and we've seen a significant drop in global trade," Obama told reporters, "I think we have to be very careful about sending any protectionist signals out there."

Obama's Day Ahead
President Obama will meet one-on-one with President Alvaro Uribe of Colombia, at 2:15 p.m. ET, with an expanded meeting at 2:45 p.m. ET. At 4:25 p.m. ET, President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama will host a reception for LGBT Pride Month. At 7:15 p.m. ET, Obama will attend a reception for National Finance Committee members.

Read more »

Barack Obama

TPMDC Sunday Roundup

Eric Kleefeld | June 28, 2009, 1:12PM

Axelrod: Obama Won't Rule Out Middle-Class Tax Hike
Appearing on This Week, Senior White House David Axelrod did not rule out the idea of President Obama raising taxes on people making under $250,000 -- which Obama pledged not to do during the 2008 campaign -- in order to fund health care. "One of the problems we've had in this town is that people draw lines in the sand and they stop talking to each other. And you don't get anything done," said Axelrod. "That's not the way the president approaches us. He is very cognizant of protecting people -- middle class people, hard-working people who are trying to get along in a very difficult economy. And he will continue to represent them in these talks."

McConnell: We Have Best Health Care System In The World
Appearing on Fox News Sunday, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) attacked the Democrats' health care proposals. "Well, listening to them, you wouldn't recognize that America has the finest health care system in the world. We have some problems with access and with cost, which can -- addressed without wrecking the best health care system in the world," said McConnell. "What they really have in mind, Bret [Baier], is to create a government-run plan after which there won't be any private insurance companies."

Read more »