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Mr. Franken goes to Washington

05 Jul 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Minnesota Supreme Court Tuesday declared media figure-turned-politician Al Franken the winner of the state’s U.S. Senate race, ending an eight-month-long election saga and giving Democrats a 60-seat majority that theoretically would allow them to block GOP filibusters. Political analysts, however, as well as Franken himself, cautioned Democrats not to be “too elated,” to use Saint Paul’s words in this Sunday’s second reading. In a unanimous ruling the court rejected the legal arguments of Franken’s Republican opponent Norm Coleman that some absentee ballots had been improperly counted and that some localities had used inconsistent standards in counting votes. The ruling led Coleman to concede his Senate seat to Franken, who could be sworn in as soon as next week, when the Senate returns from a recess. Democrats now have their largest majority in the Senate since 1978, but their ability to prevent filibusters is likely to prove illusory. A pair of prominent Democrats, Senators Edward M. Kennedy (Mass.) and (W.Va.), have missed many votes this year because of illness. “The idea that you’ve got 60 reliable Democrats for votes for sweeping policy change simply doesn’t work; it’s not the reality of it,” said Norman J. Ornstein, a congressional expert at the American Enterprise Institute. “The larger challenge for [Senate Majority Leader] Harry Reid or Barack Obama is managing expectations of people who are thinking: When you get 60 votes, you get do to whatever you want. And they most assuredly do not.” An article by Perry Bacon, Jr. for the Washington Post

barack obama norman j ornstein filibuster robert c byrd edward m kennedy republicans democrats us senate minnesota supreme court al franken norm coleman harry reid american enterprise institute
The passing of the “Lion of the Senate”

30 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

As the leader and rule-giver of the Jewish people, Moses speaks to the people in this Sunday's first reading. For nearly a half-century Senator Ted Kennedy (D.-Mass.) was a leader in the Senate who compiled an impressive list of legislative achievements on health care, civil rights, education, immigration, and other issues. Kennedy died Tuesday evening on Cape Cod after a year-long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77. In a brief statement to reporters at his rented vacation home on Martha's Vineyard, President Obama eulogized Kennedy as one of the "most accomplished Americans" in history--and a man whose work in Congress helped give millions new opportunities. "Including myself," added the nation's first black president. Kennedy's own hopes of reaching the White House were critically damaged in 1969 by the scandal that came to be known as Chappaquiddick. He sought the White House more than a decade later, lost the Democratic nomination to President Jimmy Carter, and bowed out with a stirring valedictory: "For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die." More than a quarter-century later Kennedy handed then-Sen. Barack Obama an endorsement at a critical point in the campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, explicitly comparing the young contender to the senator's brother, President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy's death leaves a vacancy atop the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee during the healthcare reform effort. Under Massachusetts law his successor will be chosen by special election. In his last known public act the senator urged Massachusetts state legislators to give Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick the power to name an interim replacement. It is uncertain, however, if that will be done, potentially leaving Democrats in Washington with one less vote this fall. Source: Articles by Glen Johnson and Bob Salsbert for the Associated Press, CNN, and Manu Raju for Politico

barack obama senate democrats edward m kennedy ted kennedy chappaquiddick jimmy carter deval patrick
Health care debate enters critical phase

13 Sep 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In the reading from the Book of Isaiah this Sunday, the Lord opens the ear of the prophet so the prophet might hear. President Barack Obama hopes that Congress and the American people heard his message on health care reform in a major address delivered Wednesday evening. Obama offered his most detailed outline for legislation: "Under this plan, it will be against the law for insurance companies to deny you coverage because of a pre-existing condition. As soon as I sign this bill, it will be against the law for insurance companies to drop your coverage when you get sick or water it down when you need it most. They will no longer be able to place some arbitrary cap on the amount of coverage you can receive in a given year or a lifetime." He called for serious proposals from Democrats and Republicans to address chronic health care problems and rising costs, and warned, "I will not stand by while the special interests use the same old tactics to keep things exactly the way they are. If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. And I will not accept the status quo as a solution. Not this time. Not now." The President also sought to lay to rest what he termed "bogus claims." "The best example is the claim, made not just by radio and cable talk show hosts, but prominent politicians, that we plan to set up panels of bureaucrats with the power to kill off senior citizens. Such a charge would be laughable if it weren't so cynical and irresponsible. It is a lie, plain and simple. "There are also those who claim that our reform effort will insure illegal immigrants. This, too, is false--the reforms I'm proposing would not apply to those who are here illegally. And one more misunderstanding I want to clear up--under our plan, no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions, and federal conscience laws will remain in place." Reaching out to Republicans and independents, Obama said his administration would authorize a series of test programs in some states to check the impact of medical malpractice changes on health-insurance costs. Responding on behalf of Republicans, Rep. Charles Boustany of Louisiana said the country wanted Obama to instruct Democratic congressional leaders that "it's time to start over on a commonsense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality." Source: Text of President Obama's healthcare speech posted at Politico.com and articles by David Espo for Associated Press and CNN.com contributors Ed Hornick, Ed Henry, Suzanne Malveaux, and Dana Bash

barack obama health care reform democrats republicans insurance companies malpractice charles boustany
Partisan politics leads to heated climate-bill debate

08 Nov 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Because of their pretentiousness, the scribes will receive "severe condemnation," Jesus warns in this Sunday's gospel. Republican senators who oppose climate-change legislation working its way through the U.S. Congress condemned it in the strongest way possible Tuesday by refusing to show up for a committee hearing on the bill. Only one of the seven Republicans on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee--Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio--showed up for the panel's opening session. He then left the meeting after delivering an opening statement. Committee rules require at least two minority party members to be present to reach a working quorum. An exception, however, could allow the committee to proceed without any Republicans, according to committee staff members. Matt Dempsey, a spokesman for the committee's Republicans, warned that applying the exception would be a "nuclear option" on the part of Democrats that would worsen the panel's already strained political climate. In his remarks Voinovich asked the committee to hold off its debate until getting a full Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) analysis of a bill that he said would affect every American. Committee chairwoman Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) responded that the panel had held dozens of hearings on the issue and that she had taken the unprecedented step of scheduling a session with EPA experts later Tuesday to answer any questions by committee members. When the hearing proceeded, Voinovich exited the room, leaving only Democratic members at the table. Boxer said the panel would continue to meet, including the session with the EPA representatives later in the day. "We're going to just be here every day until they join us," Boxer said. She criticized the Republican boycott, saying, "The reason they give to not work on it just doesn't hold up to the light of day in fairness and objectivity." Source: An article by Lesa Jansen, Evan Glass, and Tom Cohen for CNN

senate republicans democrats legislation climate change environmental protection agency congress
Mass exodus from Democratic agenda?

24 Jan 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The opening verses of Luke’s gospel this Sunday set out the intention to write a narrative of events just as they had been handed down by “those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning.” The largely Democratic and independent voters of Massachusetts handed down a stunning mandate on Tuesday when they elected Scott Brown, a little-known conservative Republican state senator, to fill the U.S. Senate seat long held by the late liberal icon Edward M. Kennedy. Republicans are rejoicing and Democrats reeling nationwide in the wake of Brown’s triumph, a devastating Democratic defeat that triggered soul-searching within President Barack Obama’s party over how to stem further losses in November’s midterm elections. Obama himself grimly faced the need to regroup on Wednesday, the anniversary of his inauguration, in a White House shaken by the realization of what a difference a year made. The most likely starting place will be finding a way to salvage the health-care overhaul Democrats have been trying to pass. The election of Scott deprives Democrats of their filibuster-proof majority of 60 members. They also will need to determine how to assuage an angry electorate, in particular independent voters, after a year of Wall Street bailouts, economic stimulus spending, and enormous budget deficits. The president suggested the same forces that elected Brown “swept me into office” in 2008. People are frustrated “not just because of what’s happened in the last year or two years, but what’s happened over the last eight years,” he said in a Wednesday interview. White House spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters at his daily briefing: “That anger is now pointed at us because we’re in charge. And rightly so.” Brown, in his first meeting with reporters after the special election, portrayed his victory as less a referendum on Obama or the president’s health-care proposal and more of a sign that people are tired of Washington politics and deal-making. He said his victory sends “a very powerful message that business-as-usual is just not going to be the way we do it.” Source: Articles by Michael Cooper for the New York Times and Glen Johnson and Liz Sidoti for Associated Press

barack obama senate robert gibbs health care reform us senate democrats republicans massachusetts scott brown
Centrist Senator Bayh’s retirement another blow to bipartisanship

21 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist’s plea this Sunday for the Lord’s assistance in time of trouble is answered: God promises to be there in periods of distress. Democratic leaders were troubled and distressed this week when popular Democratic Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana announced he would not seek reelection this year because of the rancor and partisanship in Congress. Bayh’s surprise announcement, in which he criticized the “brain dead” politics and hyper-partisanship of Congress, dealt a triple blow to the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama, analysts said. The decision unexpectedly puts his seat--and, some forecasters said, possibly his party’s Senate majority--in jeopardy, sends a discomforting message to already demoralized Democrats about this year’s political climate, and reminds voters that Obama has yet to usher in the post-partisan era, a major theme of his 2008 campaign. Norman Ornstein of the American Enterprise Institute said the timing of Bayh’s announcement could affect politicians in both parties, prodding more Democrats to consider retiring and more Republicans to take a chance on challenging an incumbent because the climate looks so favorable. “It’s a self-fulfilling mechanism,” he said. Tom Mann of the Brookings Institution, arguing that Bayh “did no favor to his president and his party,” said the senator’s announcement could further damage Democrats’ hopes of passing a major health-care bill. “It weakens the spine of Democrats at a time when they need to finish one job,” he said. “Because falling short on that, it’s hard to see how they stop the bleeding and gain some measure of stability, if not control, moving into the midterm elections.” The unwillingness of the two parties to compromise to control a national debt that is rising to dangerous heights is causing serious concern internationally as well. After decades of warnings that increased spending, escalating health-care costs, and an aging population would lead to a day of fiscal reckoning, economists and the nation’s foreign creditors say that moment is approaching faster than expected. “I used to think it would take a global financial crisis to get both parties to the table, but we just had one,” said G. William Hoagland, who was a fiscal policy adviser to Senate Republican leaders and a witness to past bipartisan budget summits. “These days I wonder if this country is even governable.” Articles by Dan Balz for the Washington Post and Jackie Calmes for the New York Times

barack obama national debt tom mann norman ornstein partisanship democratic party evan bayh democrats health care reform congress g william hoagland
Health-care reform endgame

28 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's gospel says that Peter, John, and James "fell silent" after witnessing Jesus' Transfiguration. President Barack Obama has invited Republicans and Democrats to speak up on health-care reform during a high-stakes televised "summit" Thursday. The president weighed in with compromise legislation unveiled Monday in hope that the week's events will provide the momentum needed to pass a bill. Obama's plan is not meant as the last word on legislation, the White House said on Wednesday, sounding a conciliatory note a day before the meeting with Republicans on the $2.5 trillion U.S. medical care industry. Republicans in Congress are staunchly opposed to Democratic plans for sweeping health-care reform and are widely expected to remain so after the summit, analysts said. The general public seems to agree with the experts. Americans overwhelmingly doubt that the summit will succeed in reaching an agreement on a health-care bill, a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll finds, setting low expectations for the high-profile event. More than three in four said their "best guess" is that the president and congressional leaders will leave the six-hour session empty-handed. Just one in five predict they'll reach a deal. Once the summit is over, the White House faces political and substantive problems in getting a comprehensive package approved. Many centrist Democrats are up for reelection in November in conservative states and districts, and Republicans are eagerly trying to use Democrats' health-care positions against them, commentators said. In an effort to rebuild popular support, Democrats have targeted health insurers who announce large increases in premiums. They turned up the pressure with a hearing on a recent premium increase by insurer WellPoint Inc. and a planned U.S. House of Representatives vote on repealing its antitrust exemption. They said a recent premium increase for some Anthem Blue Cross customers in California was a function of greed rather than need and highlights the need for comprehensive reform. In the end Obama may have to settle for much less than what he proposed Monday--or nothing at all. But many Democrats said that despite all the bad-news polls and the loss of their filibuster-proof Senate supermajority in a special-election upset, it would still be better to pass a sweeping bill than make small changes or none at all. Source: Articles by Susan Page for USA TODAY, David Lightman for McClatchy Newspapers, John Whitesides and Donna Smith for the Associated Press, and Reuters

barack obama health care reform democrats republicans insurance companies health care summit wellpoint inc anthem blue cross
Reaction to historic healthcare legislation reaches fever pitch

28 Mar 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The Passion narrative this Sunday describes the disciples debating and breaking into argument during the Last Supper. The health-care legislation passed in a contentious session of the U.S. House of Representatives last Sunday and signed into law Tuesday will continue to be a flash point for national debate, to the media pundits' delight. As Democratic supporters celebrated the bill's passage, Republicans opened a campaign to repeal the legislation and to use it as a weapon in this year's hotly contested midterm elections. "We will not allow this to stand," Representative Michele Bachmann, Republican of Minnesota, promised Monday afternoon as the House reconvened a day after the bitterly partisan vote. Democrats said they would focus on explaining the measure to their constituents and on highlighting some immediate benefits, such as insurers being barred from dropping coverage when someone gets sick or refusing to insure a child with pre-existing conditions. They called on Republicans to ease off on their attacks now that the legislation had passed. "It is time to chill out, Republicans," said Representative Bob Filner, Democrat of California. "Let this bill work. Let our constituents finally get health care." That won't happen if the attorneys general of 13 states--12 of them Republicans--get their way. Minutes after President Barack Obama signed the landmark legislation into law Tuesday, they filed a lawsuit that claims the new law's requirement for all Americans to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. Legal scholars say that there are significant legal hurdles in establishing the states' standing to challenge the health-care law and in persuading federal judges that it violates the Constitution. Most constitutional law experts say the health insurance mandate is clearly within Congress' reach under the Constitution. Around the country reaction to the bill's passage was emotional, and in some cases violent. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat from Maryland, contends the health reform bill will wind up being politically popular after people realize what it really does. "We're going to make sure . . . that the American public understands what this bill does--understands how it positively affects them and their families and their small businesses in our country . . . ." Source: Articles by James Rosen for McClatchy Newspapers, Mike Allen for Politco, Brenda Farrington for the Associated Press, John Schwartz, David M. Herszenhorn, and Robert Pear for the New York Times, Alex Nussbaum for Bloomberg.com, Pat Wechsler for BusinessWeek, Mark Z. Barabak for the Los Angeles Times, Brett Michael Dykes for Yahoo News, and Jonathan Cohn for The New Republic

health care reform democrats republicans bob filner steny hoyer michele bachmann
Many no longer count on finding a job

18 Jul 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The author of the Letter to the Colossians talks of having a commission from the Lord he needs to “bring to completion” for the Colossians. Having largely brought their work to completion for another decade, the U.S. Census Bureau is shedding hundreds of thousands of workers--about 225,000 in only the last few weeks--putting further pressure on an already tight job market. In past decades the bureau faced a challenge just keeping workers around to close up shop, as most dashed for new jobs that might pay better. Not this time around, said observers. Jobs remain scarce. “Typically, at this point in the process, we’re losing a lot of people because they’re taking jobs,” said Kathleen Ludgate, the bureau’s regional director in Boston. “I wish we had that problem now.” Stubbornly high unemployment is causing political headaches for Democrats. Four months before the November congressional elections, Republicans have tried to paint Obama and Democrats who support him as anti-business. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a leading business group, issued a rebuke of Obama’s economic agenda Tuesday, accusing him and Democrats in Congress of neglecting job creation and hampering growth with burdensome regulatory and tax policies. Polls have reinforced Democrats’ fears of big losses in November. A survey by the Washington Post-ABC News showed 54 percent of Americans disapproved of Obama’s leadership on the economy. In a CBS News poll, only 40 percent of Americans said they approved of Obama’s handling of the economy. To counter such perceptions, the administration trumpeted an analysis from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) that said government funding of clean energy, economic development, construction projects, and other initiatives was spurring “co-investment” by the private sector. The report, unveiled by CEA Chairwoman Christina Romer and Vice President Joseph Biden, estimated that Obama’s $862 billion economic stimulus package had saved or created roughly 3 million jobs and was on track to meet its goal of 3.5 million jobs by the end of this year. Source: Articles by Michael Powell for the New York Times, Caren Bohan for Reuters, and Dow Jones News Service

unemployment kathleen ludgate jobs census bureau economy republicans democrats elections business chamber of commerce
Voters agree on one thing: They’re not happy

31 Oct 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s gospel Zacchaeus went to great lengths--or should we say “heights”?--to catch a glimpse of Jesus. He had heard the buzz but wanted to make up his own mind. One-third of U.S. voters still are up in the air concerning their voting decisions as the midterm election cycle enters its final week. But one thing they seem to agree on—they are not happy. Indecision remains despite record political spending and months of frenzied campaigning. Even many of those who favor a candidate say they could change their mind, according to an Associated Press-GfK Poll. One thing that is not likely to change, however, is the level of their anger and frustration. Pollsters say the anger is directed at Washington, at politicians, at President Barack Obama and the policies he has put in place, at the explosion of government spending, and at the rising debt. There is anger especially at the nonstop partisanship and bickering between the two parties. Along with the anger, though, voters express fear, worry, nervousness, disappointment, anxiety, and disillusionment. Voters are consumed not only by the immediacy of the economic distress that has hit virtually every household in the nation but also by fears that it might take years for everyone, from the average family to the federal government, to climb out of the hole created by the worst recession since the Great Depression. While the reading from the Book of Wisdom says God rebukes “little by little” with warnings and reminders, Democrats, as the party in power at a time of this unprecedented national malaise, are expected to receive a sharp rebuke at the polls next week. Republicans and “tea party” enthusiasts are poised to reap the benefits of the enormous dissatisfaction with the status quo. But the winners should take little comfort from the results, pollsters say. Polls indicate that dissatisfaction with Republicans is even greater than with Democrats, and voters have conflicted expectations about what should happen in Washington over the next year years. “The mood is a combination of frustration and fear and desperation and down,” said Peter Hart, a Democratic pollster who jointly oversees the NBC News-Wall Street Journal Poll. Source: Articles by Dan Balz for the Washington Post and Alan Fram for Associated Press

barack obama recession united states elections democrats republicans midterm elections voters

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