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 [...]

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 [...]

Hot Topics at Holder Hearings

Today on Capitol Hill, the Senate Judiciary Committee finished its hearings on Eric Holder to be Attorney General.  CJP was your johnny on-the-spot, and here’s what we can tell you:

Holder made lots of news, telling the senators:

Waterboarding is torture and therefore illegal;
Guantanomo Bay will be closed, although he didn’t say when;
Military tribunals need to be [...]

Your Government Inaction, Part Deux

Hardly a national championship goes by that home-state senators don’t bet a pot of the “world’s best jambalaya” against a platter of Philly cheese steaks on the outcome. CJP finds these bets tedious. What we do not find tedious is this- Oklahoma’s Sen. Tom Coburn paying up for the Sooners’ loss to Florida [...]

Change is the only constant in the Senate…

The changes coming to the White House are pretty obvious, but let’s take a moment to note the incredible turnover in the U.S. Senate right now.  Nine new senators joined the Senate as freshmen two weeks ago, on top of 10 freshmen from the 110th Congress.  Today, one Senate seat still remains undecided in Minnesota, [...]