Big Brass Blog is a group blog founded in February of 2005 by Pam Spaulding of Pam's House Blend and Melissa McEwan of Shakesville (formerly Shakespeare's Sister). The mission of this collaborative effort is to stand as the premiere forum where strong, enduring voices of Progressivism provide what liberal politics has been missing: the unapologetic, unrelenting voice of liberalism in the darkness visited upon our world by Right-wing extremists, their ruinous policies, and their hypocritical beliefs.
In a major victory for transparency at the Federal Reserve, the Senate today passed an amendment by Sen. Bernie Sanders to audit the Fed and make the central bank reveal which banks received more than $2 trillion in emergency aid during the financial crisis.
“The Fed can no longer operate in virtual secrecy,” said Sanders (I-Vt.).
Under his amendment, the Government Accountability Office would conduct a top-to-bottom audit of all emergency actions by the Fed since the start of the financial crisis in 2007. The non-partisan research arm of Congress specifically would be directed to investigate apparent conflicts of interest involving the Fed and CEOs of the largest financial institutions in the country.
In addition to the audit, the Fed for the first time would have to reveal by Dec. 1, 2010, the identities of banks and other financial institutions that took more than $2 trillion in nearly zero-interest loans.
Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke repeatedly refused to tell Sanders and others the names of the banks which took the loans.
“Let's be clear,” Sanders said. “When trillions of dollars of taxpayer money are being lent out to the largest financial institutions in this country, the American people have a right to know who received that money and what they did with it. We also need to know what possible conflicts of interest exist involving the heads of large financial institutions who sat in the room helping to make those decisions.”
The amendment, approved by a vote of 96 to 0, was a combined effort by conservative and progressive senators and a wide spectrum of grass roots organizations.
The Senate voted 96 to 0 Tuesday to open the secretive Federal Reserve Board's emergency lending practices to a congressional audit, as well as require a detailed disclosure of who's getting the funds.
"We are on the verge of lifting the veil of secrecy on perhaps the most important government agency in the United States of America,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Bernard Sanders, Ind.-Vt., "an agency which has control and spends trillions of dollars. They do it behind closed doors."[snip]
The audit is the Senate's latest change to legislation that would overhaul the nation's financial regulatory system, making it easier for the government to break up ailing banks and provide a strong, independent consumer agency to help people with credit questions and problems.
The Senate debate is in its second week, with Democratic leaders hoping for a final vote later this week. Still to come are disputes over how to deal with derivatives, the exotic financial instruments that helped spur the 2008 economic collapse, as well as questions about how to deal with government-sponsored mortgage finance titans Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
If the Senate passes the legislation, next it will have to be reconciled with a similar bill that the House of Representatives passed last year, with final compromise terms then having to pass both houses of Congress before President Barack Obama could sign it into law.
May 11: Senator Bernie Sanders explains the scope and expected outcome of his "audit the Fed" amendment which passed the Senate Tuesday in a 96-0 vote. [ 8:35 ]
The House passed legislation Wednesday that would ban misleading mailings designed to appear they're from the Census Bureau, following criticism that Republican groups were sending fundraising letters using the census name.
Under the bill, mailings marked "census" will be required to state the name and address of the sender, along with an unambiguous disclaimer that the survey was not affiliated with the federal government.
The legislation passed 416-0, after two Republicans who sit on the House panel overseeing the census, Rep. Darrell Issa of California and Jason Chaffetz of Utah, agreed to co-sponsor the measure. Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., has said he intends to move forward with legislation in the Senate.
"With millions of census forms due to hit mailboxes within days and a multimillion advertising campaign meant to encourage completion and return of those forms, too many nongovernmental organizations are trying to piggyback on that brand awareness," said the bill's chief sponsor, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
Earlier this year, the Republican National Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm, put out letters that were labeled "census document." The mailings made a plea for money along with a form asking voters to identify their political leanings and top issues.
The RNC appeal came in the name of GOP Chairman Michael Steele while the NRCC letter was from House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio.
Two former Republican members of Congress have accused their GOP colleagues of putting party politics over the Constitution during the Bush years, arguing that they failed dramatically to check the White House's use of executive powers.
Former Reps. Mickey Edwards (R-Okla.) and Chris Shays (R-Conn.) made the argument that if the Republican-controlled Congress had exhibited greater oversight during former President George W. Bush's time in office, they could have prevented some of the most calamitous results of that administration and even saved thousands of lives. [snip]
Shays said the Bush White House abused its powers in a way that resulted in many of the domestic and international problems that have unfolded recently.
"This past Republican Congress hurt this administration by not having some hearings," said the Connecticut Republican. "Had we had hearings it would have nipped those problems in the bud."
Edwards was even more critical. He mocked members of Congress when it came to flexing their constitutional oversight authority. In particular, he lamented the House Republican lawmakers' unified opposition to holding hearings to investigate the firing of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush White House.
"One of the most shocking things was when the House voted to hold [Counsel Harriet] Miers and [Chief of Staff Josh] Bolten in contempt because they refused to obey a congressional subpoena," said Edwards. "Every single member of my party, except for three, walked out. Members of Congress walked out of the chamber rather than stand up as members of Congress so that congressional subpoena (would) be obeyed. Party trumped Constitution."
It not like others haven't been complaining about some of that very same stuff, for years. Sheesh. Thanks for catching up, way after the fact; too bad you couldn't have spoken out much earlier.
The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval on Monday to a bill that will create an independent commission to investigate the cause of the U.S. economic meltdown and give federal prosecutors more legal clout and staff to crack down on financial fraud.
On a vote of 338-52, the House passed the bill, which the Senate had previously approved. It now goes to President Barack Obama, who is expected to sign it into law within days, a Democratic leadership aide said. [snip]
The bill extends anti-fraud legislation to cover Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, stimulus money and extends mortgage fraud law to all mortgage lending businesses.
The legislation is also designed to step up the battle against white-collar crime. Mortgage fraud is believed to have been a significant factor in the U.S. subprime mortgage collapse and subsequent international financial downturn.
The bill authorizes $165 million for each of the next two fiscal years to investigate fraud, with much of the money going to the Justice Department -- in particular, the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Title: An Act to improve enforcement of mortgage fraud, securities and commodities fraud, financial institution fraud, and other frauds related to Federal assistance and relief programs, for the recovery of funds lost to these frauds, and for other purposes.
Lawmakers sped for the exits Friday as Congress was to begin a five-week recess after a summer session noteworthy for bitter partisanship and paralysis on the issue topmost in the minds of many voters: the cost of gasoline.
As its last major act, the House passed by a 409-4 vote its first spending bill, a $72.7 billion measure awarding generous increases to veterans programs and military base construction projects.
More noteworthy however, was what Congress failed to do: pass energy legislation and other measures aimed at lowering the price of gasoline.
Senate Republicans blocked a bill aimed at curbing speculation in oil markets, while a similar bill and several others by House Democrats — including a plan to encourage drilling in already available coastal areas and in Alaska — failed to advance after party leaders brought them to the floor under procedures that required supermajorities to pass. That procedure blocked Republicans from forcing a vote on opening new areas to oil drilling.
Republicans have been pressing to allow oil exploration in areas that are currently off limits, including the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic and Pacific coasts. They have been relentless in their assault on Democrats over the topic, even though opening the Outer Continental Shelf to new exploration wouldn't put any oil on the market for a decade or more.
I'm informed via InterTube e-mail that House Republicans are playing Model Congress (yes, like in middle school) on the House floor, having the "energy debate" they feel they were denied in the actual House.
Naturally, in their version of "debate," there are no opponents. The House is adjourned, and everyone has gone home except the protestors, who, though they're dressed in suits and ties, are staging a full-on hippie freak-out sit-in. Power to the people who can charge the fees for changing their airline departures to the federal government, man!
House Conservatives Engage In Political Stunt, Demand A Vote On Gas Prices After Obstructing A Vote
House conservatives engaged in political theater today, storming the floor after Congress was adjourned “to attack Democrats for leaving town without doing something to lower gas prices.” Politico reports, “At one point, the lights went off in the House and the microphones were turned off in the chamber, meaning Republicans were talking in the dark.”
A small band of Republicans, protesting the decision to adjourn without an oil vote, started to speak from the well — even though the lights weren’t on, the microphones were turned off and most of their colleagues were scrambling to catch flights out of town.
An empty floor is one thing when TV cameras are there, but C-SPAN’s cameras, which typically broadcast every word uttered on the floors of both chambers, were not allowed to broadcast the revolt since the chamber was officially closed for business.
Turn out the lights, the party’s over (or perhaps not)
There’s probably a general impression among voters that the House of Representatives is a silly, dysfunctional institution, made up of a few too many people who love to hear themselves talk, but aren’t especially fond of governing.
Today is perhaps the single best example in recent history of lawmakers going out of their way to prove that caricature right.
* * * * *
Before you rush to C-SPAN to watch the circus unfold, don’t bother — C-SPAN isn’t broadcasting this. In fact, no one is actually watching this unusually stupid display except the Republican House members, their staffers, some tourists in the gallery, and some reporters who happen to be around.
But the GOP seems quite excited to play this little game, whether anyone can see it or not.
* * * * *
The point of the spectacle is … well, it’s not quite clear what the point is. Republicans apparently want some tourists to know that they support drilling the coasts for oil. It wouldn’t lower the price of gas, and wouldn’t help consumers in any way, but darn it all, they really want to talk about drilling anyway.
* * * * *
It’s hard to overstate how truly ridiculous these unhinged fools really are. One wonders how long it will take for the Republican Party to rediscover the value of acting like grown-ups.
Since when do Republicans oppose routine auto maintenance?
Barack Obama reminded an audience yesterday that American consumers can save money and improve fuel efficiency by keeping their tires inflated and getting regular tune-ups. I thought this was just common sense, and one of those simple steps that everyone already knew about.
Apparently, Republicans have decided that it’s worthy of mockery.
* * * * *
Well, Obama didn’t say we could break our dependence if we inflated our tires; he said we could save money and improve fuel efficiency. It won’t “break our dependence on Middle Eastern oil” if we open up more of America’s coastlines to oil drilling, either, but it’s suddenly become the basis for McCain’s entire energy policy.
But it seems Republicans really are worked up about this tire thing. Here’s Newt Gingrich on Fox News.
While Gingrich ranted, you could hear one of the Fox News personalities laughing a bit, as if the notion of routine auto maintenance, as a method of improving energy efficiency, was necessarily hilarious.
Is making sure your car tires are inflated properly to save energy and gas money “loony tunes?” The federal government doesn’t think so. Neither does the auto industry.
This actually is the best picture of that fat bastard I have ever seen. And maybe by being a no-show to a subpoena from the Congress, as several others from this pitiful, inept in all things good, excelling in all things bad misadministration have also done will force many in the Congress to finally come to the conclusion that this is a Constitutional Crisis. No shit. Sherlock.
Is it just possible that even some of the more reasonable dims and repukes will actually check out their conscience and realize that they have their backs against the wall and now is the time to assert their power as a co-equal branch of government? This seems to me to be their opportunity, but if they drop the ball on this one, then you might as well kiss the Constitution goodbye, since precedent will have been set in stone and only a literal act of Gawd could change things.
Hopefull they get off their ass and act quickly, I can't wait around forever.
And if that isn't enough, get a load of this pile of shit, only slightly shorter than our six-foot-tall-steaming-pile-of-shit chickenhawk-in-chief, but you know that the DICK cheney would surround itself with feces ripe and putrid.
I cannot believe this shit, it amazes me.
You couldn't make this shit up in fiction, unfortunately it's real.
So is this, I was surprised, but not as much as I thought.And this one made me feel better.
The Senate is famed for its longwinded debates, but on Friday it took Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown just seconds to stop Republicans in their tracks.
With the Senate entering the first day of its Memorial Day recess, the Ohio senator was briefly in the chair, before a near-empty chamber, to gavel in and gavel out what is called a pro forma session. Without that procedural move, the Senate would technically be adjourned and President Bush could install administration officials or judges as ''recess appointments'' -- without Senate confirmation. [snip]
The mini-sessions must be held every three days to keep the Senate from officially going into recess. Next Tuesday, Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., who also got pro forma duty over the New Year holiday because he lives nearby, will take the chair. On Thursday, Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., will do his few seconds' worth.
...The House passed the the Temporary Tax Relief Act of 2007, H.R. 3996 by a vote of 216-193, which would provide millions of middle-class families with tax cuts and help grow our economy without increasing the national debt. The Temporary Tax Relief Act will provide immediate tax relief for working families by preventing 23 million middle class families from paying higher taxes this April. The legislation also closes unfair tax loopholes that benefit Wall Street millionaires and cost middle class taxpayers billions. The Republican Party had an opportunity to offer a substitute, but declined to do so, having decried the PAYGO rules instituted during this Congress which would have prevented new deficit spending.
The bill passed without a single Republican vote, and Republicans declined to offer any alternative after denouncing the PAYGO rules.
This bill contains must-pass provisions that provide Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) relief and extend a number of popular tax provisions set to expire this year. It also includes an increased refundable child credit and a deduction for property taxes paid by homeowners. Specifically, the bill would:
Cut Taxes for Millions of Middle-Class Families
• Protect 23 million middle-class families from being hit by the Alternative Minimum Tax;
• Provide 30 million homeowners with property tax relief;
• Help 12 million children by expanding the child tax credit;
• Benefit 11 million families through the State and local sales tax deduction;
• Help 4.5 million families better afford college with the tuition deduction;
• Save 3.4 million teachers money with a deduction for classroom expenses; and
• Provide thousands of American troops in combat with tax relief under the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Restore Tax Fairness
• Close tax loopholes that allow the privileged few on Wall Street to pay a lower tax rate on their income than other hardworking Americans, such as teachers and firefighters.
• Stop hedge fund managers and corporate CEOs from escaping income taxes by using offshore tax havens as unlimited retirement accounts, while middle-class families play by the rules and pay their fair share of taxes.
Ensure Fiscal Responsibility
• Reverse years of failed Republican policies that have mortgaged our grandchildren’s future with additional foreign-owned debt.
• Protect future generations by not asking them to finance current tax cuts. Republican policies have resulted in $9 trillion of national debt, with an average daily interest payment of more than $1 billion. Each American’s share of this debt exceeds $30,000 per person.
• Responsibly pay for middle-class tax relief by cracking down on special-interest tax breaks for the privileged few.
Grow the Economy
• Extend the R&D; tax credit to promote innovation and high-paying jobs.
• Provide tax relief to millions of homeowners suffering from the current housing crisis.
• Ensure long-term economic growth by adhering to pay-as-you-go budget rules. These rules helped produce record budget surpluses and a robust economy in the 1990s by mandating no new deficit spending.
Vote Number: 407
Vote Date: November 8, 2007, 11:04 PM
Required For Majority: 1/2
Vote Result: Nomination Confirmed
Nomination Number: PN958
Nomination Description: Michael B. Mukasey, of NY, to be Attorney General
President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency Thursday as the Senate enacted a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects.
The 79-14 vote included 34 Republicans who defied the president. Enactment was a foregone conclusion, but it still marked a milestone for a president who spent his first six years with a much friendlier Congress controlled by his Republican Party.
Alternate reality comedy interlude:
Bush's spokeswoman portrayed the issue as a divide between a budget-conscious president and a big-spending Congress.
"The president is standing up for the taxpayers," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "No one is surprised that this veto is overridden. We understand that members of Congress are going to support the projects in their districts. Budgeting is about making choices and defining priorities — it doesn't mean you can have everything. This bill doesn't make the difficult choices; it says we can fund every idea out there. That's not a responsible way to budget."
We now return you to our scheduled program:
The House voted 361-54 to override the veto Tuesday. Both votes easily exceeded the two-thirds majority needed in each chamber to negate a presidential veto.
Democrats are sure to remind such Republicans of their rejection of Bush's budgetary concerns when debate turns to several spending bills he also vows to veto.
I just read an item at Think Progress that about nine Repub. congressmen will not be running for re-election because of the 5-day work week which has been imposed by the Democratic leadership. Well, boo-freakin'-hoo. Since when is a 5-day work week an aberration? When have these people actually WORKED? I would love to see a resume on one of these clowns.
CONYERS: We're hoping that as the cries for Cheney and Bush now reach 46% and 58%, respectively, for impeachment, that we could begin to become a little bit more cooperative, if not even amicable in trying to get to the truth of these matters.
We have so much more work to do, George, as you know. And we keep getting stalled. They keep pressing us. We’re seeking cooperation. This is not partisan in any way whatsoever. I would have the same attitude if it were a Democratic president.
STEPHANOPOULOS: Congressman, we’re just about out of time. But I’m surprised you put impeachment on the table there. Are you open to pursuing that?
CONYERS: No, I didn’t put impeachment on the table. I was just telling you that 46 percent of the American people polled want Bush impeached, and 58 percent want Cheney impeached. I’m saying…
A defiant White House on Monday dared the Democratic-led Congress to take it to court for refusing to provide information and testimony demanded in an investigation into the firing of federal prosecutors.
Congressional leaders disagreed, and made it clear they were prepared to battle in court -- unless they reach a compromise with the White House on access to documents and witnesses.
"While we remain willing to negotiate with the White House, they adhere to their unacceptable all-or-nothing position, and now will not even seek to properly justify their privilege claims," said House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat.
"Contrary to what the White House may believe, it is the Congress and the courts that will decide whether an invocation of executive privilege is valid, not the White House unilaterally," Conyers said.
Congress can hold a person in contempt if that person obstructs proceedings or an inquiry by a congressional committee. Congress has used contempt citations for two main reasons: (1) to punish someone for refusing to testify or refusing to provide documents or answers, and (2) for bribing or libeling a member of Congress.
It's not in the Constitution. It is an implied power of Congress, just like executive privilege is an implied power of the presidency.
The Supreme Court said as early as 1821 that without the power to hold people in contempt of Congress, the legislative branch would be "exposed to every indignity and interruption that rudeness, caprice, or even conspiracy, may mediate against it."
Contempt of Congress is a federal misdemeanor, punishable by a maximum $100,000 fine and a maximum one-year sentence in federal prison.
It is time for you the readers here at Big Brass Blog to tell Congress what to do for the next two years. Should the newly empowered Democratic majority go about the unglamorous but entirely responsible work of trying to repair the village the Republicans have torn up for the past six years, or should they take on the flashy but risky work of building the gallows for the cabal that created the mess? It's your call; help the next Congress choose the right path by voting in our latest Big Brass Blog poll.
DeLay himself drew the line sharply the day after the 2004 elections. "The Republican Party is a permanent majority for the future of this country," DeLay declared. "We're going to be able to lead this country in the direction we've been dreaming of for years."
Grover Norquist, the president of Americans for Tax Reform and a leading figure in both the DeLay and Bush political operations, chose more colorful post-election language to describe the future. "Once the minority of House and Senate are comfortable in their minority status, they will have no problem socializing with the Republicans," he told Richard Leiby of The Post. "Any farmer will tell you that certain animals run around and are unpleasant. But when they've been 'fixed,' then they are happy and sedate. They are contented and cheerful."
Artifacts of hubris and arrogance: In every way imaginable, the Republican Party behaved as though it would control the levers of power for the next thousand years. Abuses of majority rule. Refusal to consider compromise. Neutering the filibuster tool. Rejection of comity and reciprocity. Attempts to shield corrupt party leaders. These are the acts of a party detached from reality and blind to history, a party that actually thinks that it will hold a majority position forever.
I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
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