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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
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
Is the health-care debate ready for prime time?

14 Feb 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The just person “delights in the law of the Lord and meditates on his law day and night,” the psalmist informs us this Sunday. Republicans responded with anything but delight this week to President Barack Obama’s invitation to discuss health-care legislation in a half-day, televised gathering on February 25. House and Senate Republican leaders said Obama and his fellow Democrats must first shelve their long-debated health care bill, which was on the verge of becoming law until Republicans won a special U.S. Senate election in Massachusetts last month. “Why are we going to talk about a bill we can’t pass?” asked House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). The White House says Obama, who has made health-care reform his top domestic priority, has no plans to start over but is willing to hear Republicans’ ideas on providing millions of Americans with medical insurance and other aspects of the health program. “Let’s put the best ideas on the table,” he said. He also stated that his goals continue to be expanding health insurance coverage for most Americans, eliminating abuses by insurance companies, and lowering the costs of health care. “I am going to be starting from scratch in the sense that I will be open to any ideas that help promote these goals,” Obama said during a brief Tuesday press conference “What I will not do, what I don’t think makes sense and I don’t think the American people want to see, would be another year of partisan wrangling around these issues.” Republicans may have little incentive to cooperate with Obama on health care. They won the Massachusetts seat campaigning against Obama’s plans and hope to use the issue to score big gains in the November congressional elections. Source: Articles by David Jackson for USA TODAY and the Associated Press

barack obama health care reform republicans john boehner us congress
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
The Supremes are back in the spotlight

18 Apr 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday's reading from the Book of Acts, the apostles are brought for questioning before the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court. Associate Justice John Paul Stevens, 89, the longest-serving member of the U.S. Supreme Court, announced late last week that he will retire at the end of this term after 35 years on the high court. He presents President Barack Obama with his second opportunity to fill a Supreme Court vacancy. Speculation as to the selection is in high gear. The White House list of potential nominees to fill the latest vacancy on the Court comprises an ethnically and geographically diverse group of candidates that includes established jurists and politicians, moderates, and progressives, insiders said. As for the Senate confirmation process, Republicans have a weapon they lacked last year when Sonia Sotomayor was tapped for the court: enough votes to conceivably mount a filibuster and block the nominee outright. A more moderate pick could defuse a potential powder keg before it's lit. A more progressive one could lead to fireworks. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, top Republican on the Senate confirmation committee, said Sunday his party won't rule out a filibuster. Still, he said he hopes "we do not do that" to block President Obama's as-yet unnamed nominee for the high court. Only under "extraordinary circumstances" would it be appropriate for the GOP to scuttle Obama's second pick for the high court, Sessions said. Speaking Monday, Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R.-Utah) said a moderate judge could be confirmed "in a relatively short period of time." But if the White House chooses an "activist judge," as Hatch termed it, "we ought to do everything in our power to defeat that person." With midterm elections looming, however, both parties may want to avoid a fight over social issues, which often become the focus of contentious Supreme Court confirmation hearings, observers said. Source: Articles by James Gordon Meek for the New York Daily News, James Oliphant and Christi Parsons for the Los Angeles Times, and James Rosen for Fox News

barack obama supreme court republicans filibuster jeff sessions john paul stevens orrin hatch
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
Proposed mosque location raises questions of religious tolerance

22 Aug 2010 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday’s readings focus on the worldwide scope of God’s promise of salvation. Religious pluralism and tolerance were challenging notions in biblical times and they remain so today. The controversy over the proposed construction of an Islamic cultural center and mosque near New York’s “Ground Zero” attests to that. The issue had been a local one for some time but gained national prominence in recent weeks when national political figures began weighing in. Republican leaders including Sarah Palin, House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R.-Va.), and Newt Gingrich, among others, spoke out against the proposed location of the $100 million Park 51 Islamic Cultural Center. Noting the project developers’ commitment to improving interfaith relations and countering the influence of radical Islam, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg forcefully defended the project and said it stood as a strong statement that the horror of 9/11 had not destroyed New York City’s and the nation’s historical commitment to religious freedom and tolerance. At a White House meal commemorating Ramadan last Friday, President Barack Obama defended the constitutional right of project developers to construct the center near Ground Zero—though the next day he said he had not explicitly endorsed their plan. Many Republicans have called the proposal an affront to the memory of those killed in the 2001 attacks, although a few have warned their colleagues not to turn the issue into a political football. The tone of the Republican opposition to the mosque marks a shift in the party’s posture toward Islam, observers say, from a very public tolerance after Sept. 11 to an openly aired sense of mistrust. This week, former Bush aides were among the very few Republicans siding with Obama. Muslim leaders say, regretfully, that they also see a dramatic change. Republicans have “shifted completely away from the Bush administration line on relations with Islam and they’ve obviously made the political calculation that bashing Islam and Muslims is a winning issue for them,” said Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who blamed the “tea party movement [for] liberating the inner bigot in people.” Few religious groups in the U.S. have spoken in support of the proposed Islamic center. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has not taken a position, and according to a spokesperson has no plans to do so. Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley, however, supported the project in a blog post. Commenting on an interviewer’s question, he wrote: “I told her it is a sign of the value we have for freedom in this country, and for religious freedom in particular." Homilists have an opportunity to discuss the issue in the context of this Sunday’s readings. Surely it was not easy for the Jewish people, “God’s chosen people,” to hear the words the prophet Isaiah spoke on behalf of the Lord: “I come to gather nations of every language; they shall come and see my glory.” Centuries later, Jews may have felt offended to hear Jesus say that “people will come from the east and the west and from the north and the south and will recline at table in the kingdom of God.” Jesus was calling his people to open their minds and hearts to a wider appreciation for God’s saving power. People outside the original covenant were invited to participate in God’s glory. That is still the case today. Source: Articles by Michelle Boorstein for the Washington Post, Kevin Hechtkopf for CBS News, NBC News, Karen Dewitt for WNED ALBANY, Ben Smith and Maggie Haberman for Politico.com, Margaret Talev for McClatchy Newspapers, CardinalSeanBlog.org, and Daniel Trotta for Reuters

barack obama ground zero park 51 islamic cultural center toleration michael bloomberg ibrahim hooper tea party sean omalley republicans religious freedom new york city mosque

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