If the GOP has issues with the financial reform bill, then why not offer an amendment?

Yglesias has a point. Rather than trying to kill the reform bill, why not just offer an amendment to make it better? It's not like Republicans haven't been successful in the past wooing Democratic votes.

Yglesias: “On financial regulation, over the months I’ve heard a number of Republican Senators say reasonablish things about the bill, or about problems with the bill. But it’s time to put up or shut up. If you’re concerned the bill doesn’t address something, then write an amendment to address it. If you think the bill is too tough in some respect, then write an amendment to weaken it. There’s no good reason to insist that everything be done in a secret Shelby-Dodd negotiating process.”

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The Bob Evans automatic sausage-flavored gravy dispenser

Only $595. And it's for real. Read More......

Large study on mobile phones and health effects launched

This is going to be a very interesting study to follow. The Independent:

The biggest study to date into the effects of mobile-phone usage on long-term health was launched yesterday, aiming to track at least a quarter of a million of people in five European countries for up to 30 years.

The Cohort Study on Mobile Communications (COSMOS) differs from previous attempts to examine links between mobile phone use and diseases such as cancer and neurological disorders in that it will follow users' behavior in real time.

Most other large-scale studies have centered around asking people already suffering from cancer or other diseases about their previous mobile-phone use. They have also been shorter, since mobile phones have only been widely used for about a decade.

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President blames Republicans for financial reform stalemate

This statement by the President is surprisingly strong. He doesn't usually like to mention the Republicans specifically when assigning blame. This is interesting:

Statement by the President on Financial Reform

“I am deeply disappointed that Senate Republicans voted in a block against allowing a public debate on Wall Street reform to begin. Some of these Senators may believe that this obstruction is a good political strategy, and others may see delay as an opportunity to take this debate behind closed doors, where financial industry lobbyists can water down reform or kill it altogether. But the American people can’t afford that. A lack of consumer protections and a lack of accountability on Wall Street nearly brought our economy to its knees, and helped cause the pain that has left millions of Americans without jobs and without homes. The reform that both parties have been working on for a year would prevent a crisis like this from happening again, and I urge the Senate to get back to work and put the interests of the country ahead of party.”

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Ben Nelson joins Senate Republicans in voting to stop financial reform bill

It's not dead yet, but it's the first filibuster vote, and the Dems (America) lost.

A sweeping proposal to revamp Wall Street suffered a legislative setback today when the Senate failed to bring the measure to the floor for debate.

Voting 57-41, Senate Democrats could not muster the 60 votes needed to overturn the threat of a GOP filibuster and begin formal debate on the bill, which has become President Obama's top priority following his success on health care.

Sen. Ben Nelson, a centrist Democrat from Nebraska, voted with 39 Republicans against advancing the measure. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., switched his vote to "no" on the measure -- a procedural move that allows him to call for a new vote later this week.

Here's the vote tally. And David over at DailyKos has some great analysis of the political dynamics.

Senate Democrats likely think the issue of Wall Street reform breaks down fairly well for them in terms of putting pressure on the Republicans blocking reform, such that repeated attempts at invoking cloture won't be seen so much as a failure to "get things done" as an illustration of Republican intransigence on behalf of Public Enemy #1: Wall Street tycoons who love to rip off ordinary working people and then wallow naked in their stolen retirement funds. Let's hope they're up to the game. There's no reason to think protecting the Gordon Geckos of the world is going to become more popular any time soon.

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More people are giving up their US citizenship because of the double tax burden

Do they have a point? Read the article first - I was surprised that it changed my feelings, a bit.

Amid mounting frustration over taxation and banking problems, small but growing numbers of overseas Americans are taking the weighty step of renouncing their citizenship.

The Federal Register, the government publication that records such decisions, shows that 502 expatriates gave up their U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status in the last quarter of 2009. That is a tiny portion of the 5.2 million Americans estimated by the State Department to be living abroad.

American expats have long complained that the United States is the only industrialized country to tax citizens on income earned abroad, even when they are taxed in their country of residence, though they are allowed to exclude their first $91,400 in foreign-earned income.

One Swiss-based business executive, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of sensitive family issues, said she weighed the decision for 10 years. She had lived abroad for years but had pleasant memories of service in the U.S. Marine Corps.

Yet the notion of double taxation — and of future tax obligations for her children, who will receive few U.S. services — finally pushed her to renounce, she said.

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Air fares to go up because of volcano

Funny, I don't remember all the air fare increases and new fees coming down when oil prices came down (now they're back up). These price increases might be valid, but I'm kind of sick of the whole industry at this point (charging for carry-ons, etc.) Read More......

From the wisdom of Twitter

RT @pourmecoffee Yankees at White House today, assuming Kyl and McCain don't stop Mariano Rivera and ask to see his papers. Read More......

McCain calls bigoted AZ law 'useful tool,' doesn't know if it's legal or not

ThinkProgress:

On Friday, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) signed a draconian immigration bill into law, which gives local police officers the power to detain anyone suspected of being in the U.S. illegally. The law has raised serious concerns about racial profiling and potential violations of Americans’ civil rights.

Before the bill was signed, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) hailed it as “a very important step forward.” His spokeswoman, however, clarified to reporters that McCain’s comments “did not represent an endorsement” of the bill. At town hall meetings in Arizona this weekend, McCain continued to straddle the issue, calling it a “good tool” for law enforcement, but also saying that he didn’t know “whether all of it is legal or not.“

McCain should have learned last year that he's not at his best when he pretends to be a winger. Read More......

AZ immigration law goes too far for Tancredo

Now I'm just confused. It is interesting that Tancredo has limits, or feels the need to pretend that he has limits. Read More......

Refried beans in the shape of swastikas

Brilliant.

The conflict over a sweeping crackdown on illegal immigration in Arizona intensified Monday as vandals smeared refried beans in the shape of swastikas on the state Capitol's windows.

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Is this joke offensive?

I'm not Jewish, so I'll admit up front that I may not have the sensitivity to things like this that I might have about anti-gay slurs. But I listened to the joke, and I'm not sure I get the slur. What do you think? The ADL is ticked, but the pro-Israeli audience howled with laughter and applause. From Tapper at ABC:

Jones tells the joke “in order to set the stage for my remarks,” and then proceeds to tell the story of a “member of the Taliban separated from his fighting party.” The Taliban member stumbles upon a shack, which it turns out is a "little store owned by a Jewish merchant.'

“I need water,” the Taliban fighter says to the merchant. “Get me some water.”

“I'm sorry I don’t have any water but would you like to buy a tie?” the merchant says. “We have a nice sale of ties today.”

The Taliban warrior goes on a tirade against the merchant, against Jews, about Israel. “I need water you try to sell me ties, you people don’t get it.”

"Well I'm sorry I don’t have water for you,” the merchant says, “I forgive you for all of the insults you’ve levied against me, my family, my country...But I will help you out."

The merchant steers the Taliban towards a restaurant two miles away.

“They have all the water you'll need,” the merchant says.

The Taliban fighter walks towards the restaurant, then returns about an hour later.

"Your brother tells me I need a tie to get in the restaurant,” he says.

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Halperin: Obama has been boldly successful

I want the President to be bold and successful, but Halperin's story just doesn't ring true. Here's how Halperin begins:

Barack Obama's right-wing opponents have cast him as a socialist failure. His left-wing hecklers see him as an over-cautious hedger. But, critics notwithstanding, President Obama is on the path to be a huge success by the time of November's midterm elections.

Before the Right jabbers (what about the huge debt, the broken tax pledge, the paucity of overseas accomplishments?), the Left yammers (Guantanamo hasn't been closed, gays aren't serving openly in the military, too many policies cater to business interests!), and the media chides (POTUS and party poll numbers are down, Washington is more partisan than ever), look at the two key metrics that underscore Obama's accomplishments.

It's cute to be dismissive and condescending to civil rights advocates and civil libertarians, but the fact remains that the right is mad that Obama is a "socialist" - which is insane - and the left is mad that the President has refused to keep many of his campaign promises, which is a fact. Halperin is being sloppy equating the two. Then there's this:

The passage of health care and the pledge to help Democrats wherever possible with fundraising and political assistance has (for now at least) quieted the Capitol Hill voices that until recently were questioning the White House's competence and commitment.

The Capitol Hill voices were questioning the White House's competence because they made a mess of health care reform by refusing to engage for over a year. So the "voices" were correct. Once the President finally decided to lead, people were happier. Of course. That doesn't disprove the questioning - if anything, it shows that the concerns were right. That the President needs to lead more often, and when he does, he can win.

Secondly, let's remember what we got with health care reform versus what we were promised. The President promised a heck of a lot more than what he ended up with. And he didn't end up with less because "you always have to settle for less in a negotiation." He got less because he started negotiating with himself, caving on his promises, from the beginning. That, again, is why people on Capitol Hill, and many other places, questioned his approach. And in the end, we got much less than we could have gotten because of the President's approach. Again, this does not prove that he is a boldly successful President. It proves his critics right.

Then there's this:

Over the past sixteen months, both Biden and Emanuel have expressed concern internally that Obama has been too bold, risking his presidency on big bets. But those disagreements with the President have been fleeting and mostly futile — and, as it happens, unwarranted. So far, most of Obama's big bets have paid off.

Too bold? And his boldness paid off? Where was the President too bold? He pushed for a stimulus that was less than half the size it needed to be, from the git-go, then gave 35% away in tax cuts to woo the GOP, who would not be wooed. He wasn't bold on health care reform. He hasn't been bold on gay rights, or immigration, or climate change. Where was he bold?

More on the stimulus:

Quibble all you wish about the dimensions of the stimulus law or the administration of the TARP or the Detroit bailout, but the actions taken were professionally handled, apparently necessary, and, so far, constructive.

The "quibble" is that the President tried to do less than what he thought necessary to stop the country from falling into another Great Depression. That's hardly a quibble. Secondly, we are in a jobless recovery because the stimulus was too small, as predicted. And because of that jobless recovery, among other factors, we may lose control of the Congress this fall. How is all this a quibble?

I want President Obama to succeed. That's why I came out swinging for him in the primaries. But I don't think it does him, or any of us, much good to pretend that the last sixteen months have been an amazing example of bold success. We are in some significant trouble as a party because of the President's lack of boldness, from the economy to his handling of health care reform (a topic that is still hurting Democrats in the polls). We don't learn from our mistakes if we white wash them. Read More......

Poll: Public wants stricter financial reform

Polls are all well and good, but the public was on our side on health care reform as well, then the GOP lied about it, a lot. At least on financial reform the Democrats are hitting back hard. Washington Post:

About two-thirds of Americans support stricter regulations on the way banks and other financial institutions conduct their business, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Majorities also back two main components of legislation congressional Democrats plan to bring to a vote in the Senate this week: greater federal oversight of consumer loans and a company-paid fund that would cover the costs of dismantling failed firms that put the broader economy at risk.

A third pillar of the reform effort draws a more even split: 43 percent support federal regulation of the derivatives market; 41 percent are opposed. Nearly one in five - 17 percent - express no opinion on this complicated topic.

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Some potentially good news on jobs

Optimism is one thing but at this point, people want to see the jobs, not reports about jobs. Wouldn't it be great if this report turns out to be accurate?

Seventy percent of those recently surveyed by The National Association for Business Economics believe real GDP will grow by more than 2 percent this year, up from 61 percent who said the same in January. Twenty-four percent are predicting real GDP will grow by more than 3 percent in 2010, up from 14 percent earlier this year.

"Industry demand moved higher compared to results in the January 2010 report, pointing to stronger growth in 2010," said William Strauss, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. "After more than two years of job losses, job creation increased in the first quarter of 2010, suggesting a better outlook for hiring over the next six months."

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Monday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

The big action today in DC is in the Senate. The Democrats are trying to end the GOP filibuster of Wall Street reform. This afternoon, there will be a cloture vote on S.3217, Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010. If Republicans are serious about reform, they'll end their filibuster. But, Mitch McConnell is still beholden to his Wall Street benefactors and is instructing his caucus to filibuster for Wall Street. The GOPers talk compromise and bipartisanship, but the Democrats went down that path with them on health care, to no avail. Today, we'll see just how much the Republicans are controlled by Wall Street. My guess is that they're a wholly owned subsidiary. The Republicans meet the definition of a Wall Street toxic asset.

And, the Wall Street fun continues tomorrow when the top execs from Goldman Sachs will be testifying tomorrow before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

Today, Servicemembers Legal Defense Network (SLDN) is launching a campaign titled, “Stories from the Frontlines: Letters to President Barack Obama.”. Every day, a servicemember impacted by Don't Ask, Don't Tell will send an open letter to Obama asking him to fulfill his promise in the State of the Union to end DADT this year. We posted the first letter from Major Mike Almy here. The men and women who are writing these letters are willing to put their lives on the line for the rest of us.

For what it's worth, the New York Yankees are at the White House today.

Let's get it started... Read More......

Gulf of Mexico oil spill threatening Louisiana coast

Shutting down the oil is proving much more difficult these days. Where is "drill baby, drill" and her big talk and love for the environment these days? Maybe they could use her hot air and bluster to shut it down. This disaster only reinforces the concern about expanding drilling along the US coastal waters. BBC:

There are fears of an environmental disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, as efforts to clear up an oil spill have been suspended because of bad weather.

A drilling rig leased by the oil company BP exploded and sank off the Louisiana coast last week.

Some 1,000 barrels of oil a day are leaking into the sea from the damaged well, officials say.

They say the oil leak has the potential to damage beaches, barrier islands and wetlands across the coastline.

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British polls remain close, talks of coalition government

The Tories appear to be holding a solid lead with the governing Labour Party trailing in third place and even slipping. The latest issue to hit the campaign is that the second place Liberal Democrats would not organize a coalition with Labour if Labour finished in third place. Labour (and the current) law says that if there is a draw in the elections, the current PM has the first offer to organize a new coalition. Labour is trying to make an issue out of the comment but many comments Labour makes these days sound desperate. The Guardian:

The latest tracking poll from YouGov in the Sun suggests that Labour remains in third place, but the Conservatives are not drawing away from Liberal Democrats. The poll shows the Conservatives on 34 points (no change), the Liberal Democrats on 30 (up 1) and Labour on 28 (down 1).

The Lib Dems insisted that Clegg's remarks were being over-interpreted, and he was merely rejecting the constitutional assumption that the prime minister in the event of a hung parliament would always have the first opportunity to try to form a minority government.

Clegg said he would not prop up Labour if it came third in the vote yet secured the most seats. He said: "It seems to me that it's just preposterous, the idea that if a party comes third in terms of the number of votes, it still has somehow the right to carry on squatting in No 10 and continue to lay claim to having the prime minister of the country.

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