Politics Blog

A lot of readers have sent in comments about the plan to ask a list of 20 questions from every Member of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Frankly, a lot of people don’t expect much from these elected politicians, and others don’t think Congressmen understand why it’s important to respond to a national blog or make their intentions and positions clear. I think one way to explain why this is important, is to present a quote from a man known for his rapport with the average American.

From Craig Shirley’s truly indispensable book, “Reagan’s Revolution“, page 217:

“Jeff Bell once recounted how Reagan spent so much time reading and answering his mail, which Bell thought was a waste of time: “Reagan would spend endless hours reading and answering his personal mail. I now believe it was at the heart of his populism. It gave him a vivid window on how voters think.”

That, dear Congressmen, is exactly what the readers are doing by sending you these questions. These are the issues they care about. These are the questions they want answered. If you are paying attention and answer these questions, this can be a step in improving your visibility and credibility with the nation as a whole.

Congressmen, please answer the questionnaire.

UPDATE 3: Franken kept up the suspense until the end of his show today; then he chickened out of the race.

Al Franken is expected to announce on his radio show todaythat he’ll run for the Minnesota Senate seat opened up by Senator Mark Dayton (D-MN) yesterday.

This is great news for Republicans! Franken would be almost as weak a candidate as Dayton would have been. Meanwhile, the GOP will have a strong candidate in Congressman Mark Kennedy.

UPDATE: BulldogPundit predicted this yesterday.

UPDATE 2: BTW, you can listen to Franken’s show online at noon Eastern.

Unfortunately I am going to have to go pick my daughter up in about ten minutes so I will not be able to write on the President’s stop in NC until later today. The most important point he has made in the first part of his presentation has to do with the politics of Social Security, rather than the reform plan itself. He said that SS has been known as the third rail of politics, but that it is no longer true because he has run on the issue twice now. He didn’t mention it, but if I am not mistaken, Elizabeth Dole also used the issue in her campaign and she won by a sizeable margin.

I hope that those politicians that are sitting on the fence, afraid to address the issue for fear of voter reaction, are listening closely. I predict that before long, due to the popularity of SS reform among younger generations, that it will be more dangerous politically to vote against SS reform than to vote for it.

President Bush is now speaking to the crowd warning them to beware of the scare tactics in ads warning that if Social Security reform is attempted that they won’t get their checks. He is spending a lot of time addressing the politics – very smart.

I have to run and he has not taken a question yet. I will update this evening.

The White House has signed onto a couple of the more brass-knuckled components of the U.S. House’s vision of immigration/border control reform.

UPDATE: Californians should be aware that the deadline for getting a proposal, on this year’s ballot, to prevent illegal aliens from obtaining driver’s licenses, is coming up in two days.

Hat tip: Ed.

SECOND UPDATE: The House just passed the requirement that proof of citizenship or a Green Card must be presented before states can grant driver’s licenses. The roll call was 261-161. Yeah, another “slim majority.”

The German government has little to no interest in taking up one of the lunatic left’s more recent pet causes.

Using the time-honored liberal tactics of relativism, circular reasoning, and intellectual snobbery, CBS News’ Dick Meyer argues against the concept of “bias” in the news media.

Oh, well. At least he refrained from telling us that his organization is not “biased” because none of us really exist . . .

Both on workforce-adjusted and even nominal bases, fewer people are being laid off from their jobs, as of last week, when compared to the number of layoffs which prevailed during the following, comparable periods of Bill Clinton’s terms in office: Feb. 1993, Feb. 1994, Feb. 1995, Feb. 1996, Feb. 1997, Feb. 1998, and Feb. 1999.

That is all.

Additional data sources: Here, here, and here.

Last year, the far left castigated President Bush for spending too much taxpayer money. Now, of course, in connection with the President’s latest budget, they’ve moved the goalposts, pulled a 180, in several respects, and have begun to castigate him for cutting programs.

It must be tough being a liberal these days, huh?

In any event, and as pointed out by this piece, the shrill fearmongering about those budget “cuts” is, predictably, quite hollow.

In this essay, Ann tears apart Univ. of Colorado “Professor,” Ward Churchill, the way a trust-funded, McGovern-era war protesting, Lexus-riding “librule,” might tear apart truth, facts, and logic.

Hat tip: Marty.

The U.S. Senate just passed President Bush’s class action reform bill by the narrow margin of 72-26.

Once the conservative-dominated House approves of it, the bill will be signed into law.

Next up: Asbestos reform and medical malpractice reform.

And, yes, winning elections does matter.

UPDATE: Here’s the roll call.