Rush Holt

Rep. Rush Holt Defeats Supercomputer 'Watson' In Jeopardy

Jillian Rayfield | March 1, 2011, 6:09PM

Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.)

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) proved on Monday that man can still dominate machine -- as long as that man is a trained rocket scientist and former five-day Jeopardy! champ.

Holt defeated IBM supercomputer "Watson" in a round of the game show. Take that, robot overlords!

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Social Security

Top Democrat Identifies Another Threat To Social Security In Obama Tax Plan

Brian Beutler | December 15, 2010, 8:45AM

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

An outspoken and respected House liberal is concerned that President Obama's tax cut plan will pose more than one threat to Social Security.

Progressive advocates, and a wide swath of the Democratic party, oppose Obama's call for a partial employee payroll tax holiday. Not because they don't want workers to have extra cash in their pocket, but because they worry that a supposedly temporary payroll tax rate will become the new normal and jeopardize Social Security in the long run. Next year, they worry, Republicans will characterize allowing the holiday to lapse as a "tax hike" on workers, and Dems will be cowed into extending it.

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) shares that fear. But even if things don't shake out that way, he says, treating the funding mechanism for Social Security as a variable that can be tweaked to fund stimulus or reduce deficits will erode Social Security's status as the third rail of American politics, and leave it vulnerable to future attacks from the right.

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BP

Put Up Or Shut Up: Dems Press Boehner To Get Serious About Making BP Pay

Brian Beutler | June 16, 2010, 12:10PM

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) And House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH)

Democrats are asking House Minority Leader John Boehner to put his money (or at least his signature) where his mouth is. Boehner took to the Sunday shows this weekend to say he supports forcing BP to pay for the full cost of damages in the Gulf, but has been largely mum on how, legislatively, he proposes to do that. Now, Reps. Rush Holt (D-NJ) and Jay Inslee (D-WA), authors of a bill that would retroactively and permanently remove the $75 million liability cap on BP and other oil companies, are inviting him to join their efforts

In a letter delivered to Boehner today, which was passed my way, Holt and Inslee question Boehner's commitment to forcing BP to pay up, and suggest a way for him to clear the air. "[W]e ask that you personally state whether you will lead your caucus in supporting legislation to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to require BP to pay, in a timely manner, for all containment and removal efforts and reasonable damages resulting from this disaster."

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BP

Would The GOP Plan To Hold BP Accountable Actually Work?

Brian Beutler | June 14, 2010, 11:12AM

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA)

The Republican plan to stick BP with the full cost of the Gulf oil spill lacks the teeth to actually make BP pay for the damages caused by the worst spill in U.S. history, according to Democrats and experts on offshore drilling law who spoke with TPM.

Until House Minority Leader John Boehner went on the record this weekend in support of lifting the $75 million cap on BP's liability for damages caused by the catastrophe, he and his party for weeks had opposed Democratic efforts to retroactively and permanently lift that cap so that BP ponies up for this spill and so that damages from future spills are the full responsibility of the oil companies that cause them.

Last week, as controversy over the GOP's position on BP raged, Boehner's office suggested to me that a better way to hold the oil giant accountable for the current spill would be to pass legislation sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) who proposes lifting the cap on BP, but leaving the $75 million cap in place -- punting for now on the question of what to do about future spills.

The big problem: Democrats and experts say it won't work.

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BP

Holt: Boehner And Chamber Are Wrong On Oil Spill Costs

Brian Beutler | June 10, 2010, 3:02PM

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ)

Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ), lead sponsor of the Big Oil Bailout Prevention Act, says Minority Leader John Boehner and the Chamber of Commerce are wrong, wrong, wrong if they believe the government should pitch in to help BP cover the costs of the spill.

"The Minority Leader and the Chamber are wrong," Holt says. "BP is responsible for this disaster and BP - not the American taxpayer - should be responsible for every last cent of the cleanup costs and economic damages caused by the spill. My sympathies aren't with BP and Big Oil - my sympathies are with the small business owner, the restaurateur, the vacation home renter, the fishermen, and  the American taxpayer."

Holt's bill would raise the liability cap on oil companies and apply it retroactively to BP, whose exposure is limited to $75 million under current law.

NJ-GOV

Biden/Corzine Rally Ties Corzine To Obama -- And Christie To Bush

Eric Kleefeld | October 19, 2009, 3:57PM

Vice President Joe Biden and Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ)

Vice President Biden campaigned today with Gov. Jon Corzine (D-NJ), with a clear message of hitching Corzine to the Obama administration and the national Democratic brand -- and tying Republican nominee Chris Christie to the unpopular Bush Republicans.

Biden said that the Obama administration relied on Corzine's advice while crafting the stimulus package. "I literally picked up the phone and called Jon Corzine and said 'Jon, what do you think we should do?'" said Biden. "The reason we called Jon is because we knew he knew about the economy, about world markets, about how we needed to respond."

Biden ridiculed Christie for saying he would turn down some stimulus money. "Where do these guys live?,'' Biden said of Christie. "They are talking about lowering property taxes while turning away stimulus money.''

Also at the event, Rep. Rush Holt attacked Christie, a former U.S. Attorney, as a Bush appointee: "He wants to continue their ideas. He wants to work with people who are no longer there, and thank goodness."