Washington Watch: Week 19 - "Let's Play Ball"

"Let's Play Ball"  The Administration played offense this week....the President, the Attorney General, and even the First Lady. 

Rice for National Security

This past week the President nominated his embattled UN Ambassador Susan Rice for the post of National Security Adviser. The highly capable Rice was the victim of much vitriol from Senate Republicans when she was mentioned as a possible Secretary of State.

By nominating Rice, the President signifies that his Administration is moving forward with or without GOP support (of which there has been NONE!).

The New York Times summarized the President's action in an article entitled: In Personnel Appointments, Obama Takes Assertive Tack, which says:

"Mr. Obama made no secret of how upset he was when he passed over Ms. Rice for secretary of state last winter amid a furor about the handling of the deadly attack on the American mission in Benghazi, Libya. But ever since, he has been choosing appointees and nominees he knew would provoke fights with Republicans, almost as if trying to redeem the moment.
The unapologetic selections reflect a conclusion in the West Wing that when it comes to choosing personnel, the president can never satisfy Republicans who will find almost anyone objectionable."

Read More

Three Judicial Nominees

Still battling to get his judicial nominees confirmed, the President nominated Patricia Millett, Cornelia Pillard, and Robert Wilkins to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. This is expected to start a confirmation battle with Senate Republicans and just might lead to Senate leader Harry Reid taking the 'nuclear option' he threatened a few weeks ago.

The Economist reports:

"If Republicans filibuster Mr Obama’s nominees, a showdown over the filibuster itself will follow. Harry Reid, the Democrats’ leader in the Senate, has threatened to use his majority to end the filibuster for presidential nominees. (A filibuster needs 60 out of 100 votes to defeat it; an ordinary vote just 51.) This would probably cause the Republicans, in retaliation, to wreak havoc in all other areas of Senate business."

Read More

The importance of these confirmations cannot be understated considering The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington is described as the nation's second most important court, following the Supreme Court. Cases on their way to the Supreme Court often go through the DC Circuit court.

Speaking of the Supreme Court....the next few weeks will be MAJOR as they rule on SIGNIFICANT civil rights cases (voting rights, affirmative action, gay marriage), as stated in NPR's Court Prepares To Write New Chapters In Civil Rights History:

"By June's end, Americans will know if and how public colleges and universities may administer programs designed to enroll more minority students.
Whether a key 1965 Voting Rights Act provision will survive, and with it federal monitoring of places with histories of discriminatory voting practices.
And if congressional action barring federal recognition of same-sex marriage is constitutional, and similar state restrictions enforceable."

Read More

Holder Not Ready to Step Down

Another embattled Administration figure...Eric Holder, made clear he is not ready to step down as Attorney General. The GOP has made Holder the 'face' of the many 'scandals' they are spending MUCH time on.

Holder told NBC's Pete Williams he has "no intention of stepping down." As reported:

"When it comes to his future tenure Holder said, "There's some things that I want to do, some things I want to get done” before relinquishing the post he has held since February of 2009. “I've discussed that with the president. And once I have finished that, I'll sit down with him and we'll determine when it's time to make a transition to a new attorney general."
Asked, directly, if he would step down, he responded, "No, I have no intention of doing so now."

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Americans of all political stripes are 'concerned' over allegations of domestic spying with the NSA collecting phone and internet communications.  The Administration says all of this is part of the fight to keep America safe (and yes most of it was started during the Bush years.) The President said, during a speech in San Jose this week, that the data sweep is not targeting Americans and "nobody is listening to your phone calls."

I think we can assume that every phone call, email, text message, web search, online purchase,etc. can be part of the public record.  Privacy restrictions and access rules haven't kept up with the technology...AND it seems the government can override restrictions ANYWAY!!!

This CNN op-ed by Bruce Schneier, from a few months ago, sums it all up:

"The Internet is a surveillance state"

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President Obama's First Term

A Look Back at Week 19 - 2009:

(Excerpts from my blog National Scene -- Week 19)

6/2-6/9/2009:  During his 2008 campaign, candidate Obama described a speech he would one day present to the Muslim world if he became President. This week, in Cairo, Egypt, President Barack Obama delivered that speech. From Cairo University, the President used his outstanding communication skills—and his ability to bridge cultural divides—to speak of a ‘new beginning’ between Americans and Muslims. He addressed the world’s 1.5 billion followers of Islam and received positive responses from Muslims around the globe. Obama also got tough on the economy this week… instructing his Cabinet to move faster with Recovery Act funds, and signaling the urgency of health care reform legislation to Senate leaders.

• Obama Rolls-Up-His-Sleeves for Health Care Reform. On the other hand, maybe we should say—the President is putting on his boxing gloves for what is sure to be a battle to get health care reform passed this year. In a meeting with lawmakers, Obama expressed the importance of health care reform stating, “We can't afford to put this off, and the dedicated public servants who are gathered here today understand that and they are ready to get going, and this window between now and the August recess I think is going to be the make-or-break period. This is the time where we've got to get this running.” In a letter addressed to Senators Ted Kennedy and Max Baucus, the Chairmen of the key committees in the Senate handling health care reform, the President made clear that, “in 2009, health care reform is not a luxury.”


• Obama Visits Buchenwald Concentration Camp.The President visited German Chancellor Angela Merkel at Dresden Castle in Germany and toured the Church of Our Lady. This was followed by a trip to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, where Bertrand Herz, a survivor of the camp, and Nobel Laureate and fellow holocaust survivor, Elie Wiesel, joined them. During the emotional visit at the former camp, the President recounted his great uncle, who was part of the 89th Infantry Division, the first Americans to reach a concentration camp. They liberated Ohrdruf, one of Buchenwald's sub-camps.

....Read More on Week 19, 2009

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And Finally.....back to 2013:

"Michelle Don't Play That"

Speaking at a fundraising event Mrs. Obama was heckled by a protester. The first lady left the podium, addressing the heckler directly and reportedly telling her audience,“One of the things I don’t do well is this.” She walked toward the heckler telling the woman she could, “listen to me or you can take the mic, but I’m leaving. You all decide. You have one choice.” The heckler was escorted out of the room.

Here she is with high school students who know how to RESPECT the First Lady of the United States:

First Lady Michelle Obama talks with students from William R. Harper High School in Chicago, Ill., in the Diplomatic Reception Room of the White House, June 5, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

Washington Watch: Week 16 - "The 'Scandals'"

Week sixteen of the Obama second-term Presidency found the administration playing 'whack-a-mole' and the term 'Scandal' being thrown around even when it came to the President asking Marines to hold umbrellas for himself and a visiting head-of-state during a rainy-day press conference. 

Critics of the Administration, many of them in Congress, are chomping at the bit to cast aspersion on the man they couldn't beat at the polls. (And then there are those southern ultra-conservative school board members who are probably looking for ANY reason to keep President Obama's name out of future textbooks.)

Where's Olivia Pope When You Need Her?

Olivia Pope (played by actress Kerry Washington) is the lead character in ABC's juicily-delicious drama Scandal. She runs a crisis management firm that specializes in restoring reputations...or hiding the facts that could destroy them. She calls herself a fixer.

Week sixteen of the Obama Administration's second term needed a fixer.

I hate to add to the media outcry by calling all of the revelations that were brought into the public eye recently 'scandals.' When that kind of feeding frenzy starts everything is questioned. Hence an article in the Washington Post:  Even Obama’s umbrellas are a scandal now.

These 'scandals' will be on-going political battles that won't go away because....What else does the Republican-led Congress have to do? Certainly not GOVERN!

Instead of scandals, let's call these, "Items that need fixing."

Item #1 -- The revelation that the IRS targeted conservative groups for added scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. Apparently, these included 'tea party' activist groups. 

During the Bush Administration, it was liberal groups like the NAACP that received scrutiny from the IRS.  Alex Seitz-Wald reminds us of this in a couple of articles in SALON this past week. The first takes MSNBC host Joe Scarborough to task for his hypocrisy with this matter, and the second piece examines "When the IRS Targeted Liberals." 

The IRS itself, should be non-partisan and non-political.  So...heads are rolling, including the acting Director of the IRS, and investigations are starting.
  
The President's response? (I think Olivia Pope would approve.) .....expressing righteous indignation right along with those who will try to mire him in the muck with this.

Not only that...the President suggested that the law for determining if these 'activist' organizations should be tax-exempt is vague and should be looked at.

The Los Angeles Times summed up the problem the Federal Election Commission is having in monitoring the activities of such groups in an article entitled, IRS problem started with vague tax exemption rules, which says:

"At the heart of the issue is the murky role occupied by nonprofit "social welfare" organizations, set up under Section 501(c)4 of the tax code, which are allowed under IRS regulations to engage in a certain amount of campaign activity, as long as politics is not their "primary" purpose. The groups pay no tax on the money they bring in. They can accept unlimited donations and, unlike political committees, can keep their contributors secret.

That status became especially valuable three years ago with the Supreme Court's decision in the Citizens United case, which lifted the ban on direct campaign spending by corporations, including many nonprofit groups. The ruling triggered the boost of applicants to the IRS."

The potential fallout from this?

1. Republicans will try to link it to the President's 2012 election campaign and see how high they can take the 'Who knew what, when' link. 
2. Smearing the IRS will help them to try and repeal Obamacare...which they voted to derail for the 37th TIME last week!!  The IRS is tasked with overseeing portions of health care reform, including implementing the mandate that everyone purchase coverage or pay an income-based fee.
3. 2014. Republicans will most likely hold on to the House and will make a major grab for the Senate by suggesting the Administration is corrupt and the country would be in better hands with the GOP.
4. Overreach...some think the GOP will go too far...even conservative Newt Gingrich is warning Republicans not to make the same mistakes they made during the Clinton impeachment process. However, chances are they will because they are tone deaf to what Americans...everyday Americans, are concerned with....their families, their jobs, and thriving, safe communities.

Still...the IRS is not popular with Americans and the President is right to jump on the side of those expressing 'outrage.'

Item #2  -- The seizing of phone records from Associated Press (AP) journalists. The Attorney General, Eric Holder, in a testy exchange at a House Committee meeting, implied the action was a matter of National Security...determining the source of a leaked CIA operation.

More 'righteous indignation'  from all sides, but Holder's tact was to stand his ground at a Congressional hearing which covered The AP action, the IRS, and even the nomination of 

the Justice Department's Thomas Perez as Secretary of Labor.

"In one of the sharpest exchanges, Holder defended Thomas Perez's tenure as head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division and said he would make a great secretary of the Labor Department.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., was critical of Perez and repeatedly pressed Holder, who at one point refused to stop talking and accused Issa of repeatedly mischaracterizing the work of the Justice Department.

"That is inappropriate and is too consistent with the way in which you conduct yourself as a member of Congress. It's unacceptable and it's shameful," Holder told Issa."

He wasn't done....

"Toward the end of the hearing, in another fierce exchange with a Republican lawmaker, Holder said that despite any personal animosity toward him, the office of attorney general deserved some respect.

He bemoaned the "toxic partisan atmosphere" and said "a level of civility doesn't exist."

The fallout from this?  The AP story appears to be losing interest already -- remember the media seems to only push one major story at a time these days and the IRS controversy is getting the majority of the press.

Item #3 -- The Benghazi tragedy, and again-- 'Who knew what, when?' The major point seems to be, when was it called a 'terrorist' activity? This 'controversy' may be more directed at Hillary Clinton's presidential ambitions. I doubt anyone believes the Administration knowingly put diplomats in harm's way or didn't try to protect them. 

So these are the items that had Washington abuzz this past week. 

The DC pundits led the chorus on using the word 'Scandal' (I wonder if the TV show is causing the frequent use of the word these days.)  

Some say this was the worst week of the Obama Presidency, however Chris Cilizza of The Fix says no...there were others in a piece, called "The Worst Week of Obama's Presidency? Close, But No.  

The question is -- where will all of this go?  'Derailed agenda' is a phrase some are using to describe the President's second term....as if there is anything getting done is Washington anyway!

Keep in mind, while some perch upon their pedestal of manure and start throwing stones, there are real issues that need fixing, including:

1. The sequester -- budget cuts are still happening. Workers are still being furloughed and Congress is nowhere near a solution on this debacle.

2. Health care for all is coming soon...which is a good thing...BUT people need to know what's coming and what to sign up for.

3. The economy IS improving but many are still out of work.

And what about immigration reform!

Thinking about it -- this might be a good time to play some offense for the Administration and Democrats.  Harry Reid's got the right idea by saying he just might go the 'nuclear option' to change filibuster rules. He will use a simple majority to bring about reform and therefore make it easier to get some of the President's judicial nominees approved.

HuffPo reports Reid is looking at July to implement his plan:

"Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has told top advisers that he is prepared to take action if Senate Republicans block three upcoming nominations, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Reid is reportedly focusing on the month of July to approach filibuster reform and possibly execute the "nuclear option," which would change the Senate rules and no longer require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

“This would take away the right to filibuster on nominations,” a senior Senate Democratic aide told the Washington Post. “All executive branch and judicial nominations would be subject to majority votes. He would not do it on legislative items.”

Go Harry!!

Should be a 'fun' hot summer in DC, while the TV show Scandal is on hiatus.

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President Obama's First Term

A Look Back at Week 16 - 2009:

(Excerpts from my blog National Scene -- Week 16)

• Poetry Jam at the White House -- In the East Room of the White House, the President and the First Lady hosted an evening celebrating poetry, music and the spoken word. With a coffeehouse, jazz-club-like, atmosphere – the East Room was transformed for the event with small, candle-laden tables and dim lights. Speakers and musicians included, Joshua Bennett, Eric Lewis, Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio, Mayda Del Valle, Esperanza Spalding, and James Earl Jones—who gave a mesmerizing speaking performance from “Othello.”
• "Healthcare Reform This Year" --The President met with members of Congress, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, House Education and Labor Committee Chair Rep. George Miller, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Rep. Henry Waxman, and House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Charlie Rangel—to discuss his desire to pass healthcare legislation in the House by July 31, before their August recess. Calling the meeting encouraging, the President stressed that “urgency and determination” are needed to achieve “what I believe will be historic legislation!”
• "Protecting the Country Comes First" -- Stating, "This is the best way to protect our country, while upholding our deeply held values,” President Obama restarted a Bush-era military trial system for a small number of Guantanamo detainees.
• Joined by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, as well as auto industry executives, President Obama announced new auto emissions and mileage rules designed to combat pollution from greenhouse gasses. The National emissions standard is patterned after policies in California sought by the Governor.

For more on Week 16, 2009 CLICK Here

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And Finally.....back to 2013:

Surrounded by portraits of Washington and Lincoln, and busts of Lincoln and King.......

The President

President Barack Obama gestures during a meeting in the Oval Office, May 14, 2013.
(Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)