TPMDC Richard Lugar
Medicare
Senate Republicans Vote Overwhelmingly To End Medicare
Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
The GOP continued its bloody walk into the Medicare buzzsaw Wednesday, when 40 out of 47 Senate Republicans voted in support of the House GOP budget, and its plan to phase out and privatize the popular entitlement program.
The test vote failed by a vote of 57-40. But the roll call illustrates that Medicare privatization -- along with deep cuts to Medicaid and other social services -- remains the consensus position of the GOP despite the growing political backlash against them.
Voting with all of the Democrats against debating the plan were Sens. Scott Brown (R-MA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME) -- both 2012 incumbents -- along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK). Rand Paul (R-KY) voted against it because it wasn't radical enough.
Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Pat Roberts (R-KS), and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) did not vote.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Barack Obama, Budget, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Kirk, Medicare, Olympia Snowe, Pat Toomey, Rand Paul, Republicans, Richard Lugar, Scott Brown, Senate Republicans, Susan Collins
Roundup
TPMDC Sunday Roundup
Hillary Clinton: Libya Mission's Progress 'Demonstrates Really Remarkable Leadership'
Appearing on This Week, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said of the mission in Libya: "But what is quite remarkable here is that NATO assuming the responsibility for the entire mission means that the United States will move to a supporting role. Just as our allies are helping us in Afghanistan where we bear the disproportionate amount of sacrifice and the cost, we are supporting a mission through NATO that was very much initiated by European requests joined by Arab requests. I think this is a watershed moment in international decision making. We learned a lot in the 1990s. We saw what happened in Rwanda. It took a long time in the Balkans, in Kosovo to deal with a tyrant. But I think in -- what has happened since March 1st and we're not even done with the month demonstrates really remarkable leadership."
Gates: 'No, No,' Libya Did Not Pose Threat -- 'But It Was An Interest'
Appearing on This Week, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates was asked whether Libya posed an actual threat to the United States. "No, no. It was not -- it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest and it was an interest for all of the reasons Secretary Clinton talked about," said Gates. "The engagement of the Arabs, the engagement of the Europeans, the general humanitarian question that was at stake. There was another piece of this though that certainly was a consideration. You've had revolutions on both the East and the West of Libya...Egypt and Tunisia. So you had a potentially significantly destabilizing event taking place in Libya that put at risk potentially the revolutions in both Tunisia and Egypt. And that was another consideration I think we took into account."
Topics: Hillary Clinton, Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Libya, Richard Lugar, Robert Gates, Roundup, Sunday Shows
John Boehner
Strikes In Libya Divides GOP, Puts Boehner In A Bind
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH)
Freshmen House Republicans are already putting House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) in a bind over the budget, with a contingent of Tea Party-backed fiscal conservatives refusing to vote for any more continuing resolutions. Now a group of libertarian-leaning Republicans are balking at President Obama's missile strikes in Libya.
Republican Reps. Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), Ron Paul (R-TX) and Justin Amash (R-MI) over the weekend objected to the President's decision to use military force to contain Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, with some questioning the constitutionality of the operation and others opposing U.S military intervention in another Arab country because they aren't convinced that the U.S. has a clear national interest in the action.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Dianne Feinstein, Jason Chaffetz, John Boehner, John Kerry, John McCain, Justin Amash, Libya, Lindsey Graham, Muammar Qaddafi, Richard Lugar, Ron Paul, no-fly zone
Libya
Kerry and Lugar to Obama: Where Are You On Libya?
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) and Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)
Congressional supporters and opponents of U.S. military intervention in Libya on Capitol Hill are calling on President Obama to clearly define U.S. interests in the Arab country as well as the type of air strikes and other options the administration is pushing in an attempt to prevent Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi from prevailing against rebel forces.
In hearings Thursday, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Sens. John Kerry (D-Ma) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), respectively, expressed opposite views on imposing a no-fly zone in Libya. Kerry views it as vital to the success of opposition forces; Lugar thinks it would be too costly. But both want the President to step in and use the bully pulpit to clearly articulate his views on the increasingly violent clash.
Topics: Bob Corker, John Kerry, Libya, Marco Rubio, Muammar Qaddafi, Richard Lugar, Senate, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, State Department, no-fly zone
Libya
Senate Republicans: Don't Turn Libya Into Iraq!
Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN)
Some Senate Republicans, less than enthused by saber-rattling from Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) on Libya, warned on Monday that sending military aid to anti-Qadaffi rebels could draw the US into all-out war.
"Dependent upon the method of delivery and what we decide to do we could decide to have a war in Libya to join the war in Afghanistan and Iraq," Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN) told reporters, saying he opposed arming the Libyan resistance or imposing a no-fly zone. "You know, people need to be very thoughtful about entering wars without a declaration and without much more congressional scrutiny of what's involved."
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Joe Lieberman, John McCain, Libya, Lindsey Graham, Richard Lugar
START treaty
Dems Close In On START Ratification
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama
At this point it's all but certain that the Democrats will be able to ratify the new START treaty before the end of the week. Yesterday was a breakthrough, as key on-the-fence Senators announced their support or near support. But the dam fully broke this morning when Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN) -- the Senate's third-ranking Republican -- broke with his leadership team, including anti-START ringleader Jon Kyl, to announce his support.
"I will vote to ratify the new START treaty," Alexander said on the Senate floor. Even after the arms reductions the treaty demands, Alexander said, the US will still have enough weapons to blow "enemies" to "kingdom come."
He joins Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) as the most recent Republican to announce their intent to support the treaty; Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) is widely expected to solidify his support for the treaty as well.
PERMALINK | COMMENTS | RECOMMEND RECOMMEND (0)Topics: Bob Bennett, Bob Corker, Dick Lugar, George Voinovich, John Kerry, John McCain, Johnny Isakson, Judd Gregg, Lamar Alexander, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Kirk, Olympia Snowe, Richard Lugar, START treaty, Scott Brown, Susan Collins, Thad Cochran
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