A.I.G.: Ain’t Gettin’ Better

Janes, today we followed the Senate Banking Committee hearing on what happened to A.I.G. and what we’re all supposed to do to save it, and the global economy, from itself.  In the words of Sen. Chris Dodd, the discussion was “very troubling.” 
We posted a few Tweets live during the proceedings, but here’s what was said:

AIG [...]

Dems launch “I’m sorry Rush,” CJP warns of playing with fire.

The Janes know we at CJP are strictly non-partisan, so we pass along the following web site, ImsorryRush.com, to highlight it for several reasons. 
First, political stunts usually bore us, but the site created by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, complete with an automated apology letter for Republicans to send to Rush Limbaugh after insulting him, strikes us as [...]

Do the Bush years need a “Truth Commission”?

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) thinks so.  To that end, the senator, who is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, is holding a hearing on Capitol Hill this morning to discuss “Getting to the Truth Through a Nonpartisan Commission of Inquiry.”  In plain English, Leahy wants to create an independent commission to investigate the Bush [...]

Money Men Head to the Hill…

 With the masters of the universe taking a demotion to mere federal employees, the world now looks to Washington to fix Wall Street’s woes.  To that end, you may be interested in the trio of money men from the Obama administration heading up to hearings on Capitol Hill to defend the president’s budget.  If you’re [...]

Desparately Seeking Susan

After two months of talk, up to $920 billion of proposed spending and tax cuts, one bi-partisan White House cocktail party and three weeks of heavy duty back-and-forth, the fate of the entire stimulus package seems to be coming down to one woman:  Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican  of Maine.
Collins, a former Capitol Hill staffer [...]

Why do senators need 60 votes? Welcome to “cloture.”

Several inquiring Janes have asked why President Obama keeps reaching out to Republicans to pass the stimulus bill when there are already 58 Democrats the Senate.  Majority rules, right?  Wrong.
Welcome to the mysterious world of Senate procedure, specifically the pesky “cloture vote.”
Before the Senate can vote on a bill, senators must first vote to end [...]

100 Days in 100 minutes: Day 8

Janes, welcome to our newest feature, “100 Days in 100 Minutes,” when we tell you what  President Barack Obama has done after each of his first 100 days.  By our count, today is Day 8, and in a minute, here’s what happened:

Obama went to the House to sell his stimulus package to reluctant House Republicans;
He [...]

Fair Pay Act Passes the Senate, Only Men Vote No

Janes, we here at CJP are strictly non-partisan and not overly girly, but we couldn’t help but notice that the only senators who voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act yesterday were Republican men.   All of the Republican women, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe and Lisa Murkowski, plus Arlen Specter, voted yes.  [...]