Mr. Biden plans to “restore” the Vice Presidency to what he considers to be its classic role: doing nothing.
Dialing back his predecessor’s expansive view of the office, Vice President-elect Joe Biden plans on “restoring the Office of the Vice President to its historical role” as adviser to the president and tie-breaker in the Senate, an aide to Biden said Saturday…
…“The primary role of the vice president of the United States of America is to support the president of the United States of America, give that president his or her best judgment when sought, and as vice president, to preside over the Senate, only in a time when in fact there’s a tie vote,” Biden said.
So Mr. Biden wants to reduce the VPs role to purely advisory.
Wasn’t the Democrats that harrassed President Bush from taking too much advice from Mr. Cheney? I don’t seem to remember Al Gore doing much advising to President Clinton.
I thoroughly understand that Mr. Cheney has expanded the Vice President’s role during his time in office, but not in unconstitutional ways. It seems like Mr. Biden would want to use this as an opportunity to be more effective.
But I guess he just want’s the VPs pay without doing any extra work.
It seems that despite outspending John Mccain 4-1 during the campaign, the Obama camp still has some reasonable funds left.
Obama’s organization retains some $30 million after his successful presidential bid, but it’s unclear how the Democratic president-in-waiting might use the money.
Why not redistribute it among his donors? But only the ones that aren’t like… George Clooney and stuff. If it works for our tax dollars it can work for his campaign dollars…
Representative Barney Frank, despite being completely WRONG in his past economic predictions, is now coming forward begging for money for US Automakers.
With new data showing U.S. employers axed more than 533,000 jobs in November — the highest monthly job-loss in 34 years – Rep. Barney Frank urged the White House on Friday to use money from a $700 billion bank bailout program to assist Detroit…
…Frank, the Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, said the economy would be devastated if an automaker were forced into bankruptcy or shut down.
“In the midst of the worst economic situation since the Great Depression it would be an unmitigated disaster,” he told a hearing with the CEOs.
Mr. Frank, if you remember correctly, has for the last 8 years been a staunce supporter of companies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, often saying that their subprime lending practices were a good thing and the programs were an “asset.” I think that all of his economic credibility is gone.
Anyone that read Mrs. Noonan’s articles during the campaign could tell that she was no fan of the McCain/Palin ticket. The Friday before the election, she all but endorsed Mr. Obama. But this Friday’s WSJ editorial, though not her most eloquent, marks a return of the Peggy Noonan we all love. For the first tme in probably 10 weeks, Mrs. Noonan’s grace brings about a strong defense of Republican’s, particularly President Bush while offering an underhanded jab at President elect-Obama.
”But he kept us safe.” In the seven years since 9/11, there were no further attacks on American soil. This is an argument that’s been around for a while but is newly re-emerging as the final argument for Mr. Bush: the one big thing he had to do after 9/11, the single thing he absolutely had to do, was keep it from happening again. And so far he has. It is unknown, and perhaps can’t be known, whether this was fully due to the government’s efforts, or the luck of the draw, or a combination of luck and effort. And it not only can’t be fully known by the public, it can hardly be fully known by the players at all levels of government. They can’t know, for instance, of a potential terrorist cell that didn’t come together because of their efforts…. Someone—someones—did something right… (Emphasis added)
She continues to talk about all the reports that are coming out about a potential terrorist attack in the next five years.
Why does Congress prepare such reports? To inform, and to win support for new plans. To show they are doing something. And to be able to say, in the event of calamity—forgive my cynicism—that they warned us. This hasn’t been the first such report. It won’t be the last. But it comes at a key moment for Mr. Obama, because it gives him a certain amount of cover to be serious about what needs to be done. What’s at stake for him is two words. When Republicans say, in coming years, “At least Bush kept us safe,” Democrats will not want tacked onto the end of that sentence, “unlike Obama.”
Slightly disturbing but ever so true. If these Democrats KNOW that the Bush plan worked on preventing terror attacks, and they KNOW that their plan won’t, or at least feel that it won’t enough to prepare for another one, then why go with the change? Dont fix what ain’t broken, as the phrase goes.
I am particularly worried that my city might be next. Nashville is a reasonably sized southern city and has been mentioned to be a prime potential target for terrorists. It worries me enough to hope that Obama makes the right decisions to protect us, rather than make the wrong ones and suffer politically.
Well it seems that the Dollar, though strengthening, isn’t good enough for the people of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Residents from the Milwaukee neighborhoods of Riverwest and East Side are scheduled to meet Wednesday to discuss printing their own money. The idea is that the local cash could be used at neighborhood stores and businesses, thus encouraging local spending. The result, supporters hope, would be a bustling local economy, even as the rest of the nation deals with a recession.
The idea is people won’t buy stuff from Chain’s from Wal Mart or McDonalds. They’ll go to Alice’s Restaurant and Bob’s Hardware.
I dont think this is necessarily a bad idea, and it is perfectly constitutional. I just think its an interesting look at how Monetary policy works. It reminds me of a speech by the one and only Dr. Ron Paul in the 80s.
One of these ideas is that money is only what people say it is. You have to have something that people seek after to back up your money (ie Gold, cigarettes, etc.). In this sort of circumstance in Milwaukee, they are trying to back up their money with the idea of local business success. And they’ll have competitive currencies.
I really haven’t come up with an opinion on this yet. I wonder if it will work.
So a Washington woman was given an opportunity to create an ornament for the White House Christmas Tree; and she used it to make a political statement denouncing the President.
The nine-inch ball is covered with swirly red and white stripes — and, in tiny glued-on text, salutes the Democratic congressman’s support for a resolution to impeach President Bush. (Also showcased: Washington state’s 1919 labor strike, its suffrage movement and the violent anti-World Trade Organization riots of 1999.) Lawrence sent it off to D.C. in September and was very surprised it was accepted for the tree — and that she was invited to this afternoon’s White House reception for the artists, which she flew to D.C. to attend.
“Apparently, they didn’t read it — or Laura Bush is more progressive than I believed,” Lawrence told us.
By “progressive,” Ms. Lawrence must mean bitter and stupid.
Seriously folks, the guy is gone in less than 2 months. Grow up and find a new hobby.
(4) And this is my biggest one: let’s say it is all true. Let’s say Obama really is from Kenya. Let’s say the birth certificate, despite being validated by a Republican administration in Hawaii and despite a birth announcement in a Hawaiian newspaper — let’s say it’s all a fraud. So what? Does anyone really, really think five justices of the United States Supreme Court are going to throw him out of office or deny him the right to run again? Seriously? After over 50% of the nation voted to elect him? That will not happen. And if it did, there’d be a greater percentage of people up in arms over than voted for the guy.
So, in all of this talk about the birth certificate, the people pushing the story are distracting themselves from the real news. I bet Obama is really, really thrilled that so many people are focusing on the birth certificate because these same people will wholly ignore all the other stuff.
This should have been something that was brought up back in February 2007 when he started running. Not now. He’s been elected and even if he IS removed from office because of this, which he will not be, there will be a massive public uprising the likes of which this country has never seen.
He’s been elected. Let’s give him a chance to screw up and get him out of there in 2012. I don’t wanna hear people say in 3 years “Barack Obama would have done it differently.”
Chris Matthews is dead serious about running for the Senate in Pennsylvania — and is shopping for a house in the state and privately discussing quitting MSNBC as proof of his intense interest, according to NBC colleagues, political operatives and friends.
Mr. Matthews joins Al Franken in the ranks of left wing celebrities running for office. And to do so, he’s moving to Pennsylvania. Franken moved [back] to Minnesota after living most of his professional career in New York. HIllary Clinton moved to New York to run for Senate.
Good luck Mr. Matthews. You have made my list of people Not to take seriously in 2010.
I am so tired of these auto execs trying to haggle with the taxpayer.
AP reports, “Some members of Congress have urged the Big Three executives to take major pay cuts as part of the deal. Chrysler Chief Executive Robert Nardelli said he would work for $1 a year, and a similar commitment is expected from GM CEO Rick Wagoner. Ford plans to include a pay cut for Ford CEO Alan Mulally, although the size of the cut was not immediately available.”
Just this morning, Ford’s CEO said he would take $1 a year in pay if Ford got bailed out. Chrysler and GM’s CEOs joined the salary-reduction pledge as well.
So first its “we made a good business plan!” Then it was “we wont take our private jets!” Now its “we’ll work for $1 a year.” My question “So What?”
Taxpayer money is not something to be bartered with. All of these proposals may be great ideas, and may help the business. I’m sure GM could do quite a bit by saving $15 Million in salaries. They could do well by saving millions on private jet flights. But, like I said before, those are their business decisions they are going to have to make if they want to pull their business out of the red.
By using these ideas to try to persuade Congress to give them money, they are essentially saying “we aren’t confident enough in our business plan to actually risk our own money with it.”
If you’re plan works, find some private investors and implement it.
I wonder if these auto execs just think the American People are stupid or if they really believe that the reason they lost the chance for a bailout last week was because they came in private jets.
The auto executives this time made the 520-mile trip to Washington in hybrid cars. Underscoring the different approach, GM chief executive officerRick Wagoner and other executives with his company ate lunch Wednesday at Quiznos at a Pennsylvania rest stop along the way.
Omygod Quiznos?! Really? Man these guys are skimping! things must be awful for them! Let’s give them $36 Billion!
The point is, I don’t care if they drove 520 miles or if they came in private jets. Is it wrong that they because of their poor management they have been laying off taxpayers and now demanding taxpayer money?
Many people are offering different business strategies for these companies. “Declare bankruptcy” some say. “Sell!” say others.
I am not in the auto business so I have no reccomendations. It’s none of my business. But my money is my business, and I do have a reccomendation for that. Let me keep it.
"I have little interest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I mean to reduce its size. I do not undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extend freedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not to inaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones that do violence to the Constitution, or that have failed in their purpose, or that impose on the people an unwarranted financial burden. I will not attempt to discover whether legislation is 'needed' before I have first determined whether it is constitutionally permissible. And if I should later be attacked for neglecting my constituents' 'interests,' I shall reply that I was informed their main interest is liberty and in that cause I am doing the very best I can."
Barry Goldwater, Conscience of a Conservative
