Romney on Afghanistan: which Mitt(en) do we listen to? The left one or the right one?
Feb 02, 2012

Romney in June:

"It's time for us to bring our troops home as soon as we possibly can," Mitt Romney said during Monday's presidential debate. "Only the Afghanis can win Afghanistan's independence from the Taliban," he said.

[From: POLITICO Breaking News <breakingnews@politico.com>; Date: June 13, 2011 9:48:45 PM EDT; POLITICO Breaking News

=======

Romney in February:

Mitt Romney offered harsh criticism of a plan outlined by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to possibly withdraw U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan in 2013, calling the administration’s decision to announce its military plans to the world “misguided” and “naive.”

Stop the Presses: Is That A Real Increase in Pentagon Spending?
Feb 01, 2012

Tired of those messy debates about how to measure the growth on Pentagon spending?

Not to worry!

Should one use a straight percentage increase or decrease? Or should one adjust those numbers each year by factoring in inflation estimates (deflators, to use budget parlance, although I thought those were doohickeys to empty air out of a tire).

Should one say the Pentagon budget has increased, say by 4% (nominal), or by 1.8% (real) after adjusting for inflation (you know, the dollar does not buy this year what it used to).

House Republicans are determined to put an end to this pesky problem.  The House is scheduled to take up this week H.R. 3578 , which they have given the title: “Baseline Reform Act of 2011.” (no, not ensuring that the Washington Nationals base paths are straight).  

Heinrich Holds Commanding Lead in NM Senate Primary
Jan 30, 2012

To: Interested Parties
From: Mike Bocian
Date: January 19, 2012

Heinrich Holds Commanding Lead in NM Senate Primary

A new poll of Democratic primary voters in New Mexico shows Martin Heinrich with a commanding lead over Hector Balderas, 52 – 22 percent. Heinrich’s standing is very strong and his lead is built on more than name identification – he leads by a huge margin among voters who can identify both candidates, 51 – 28 percent.

The following are key findings from a survey of 600 likely Democratic primary voters in New Mexico conducted January 8th – 11th, 2012. The survey was conducted by live interviewers, reaching voters on land lines and cell phones. The results are subject to a  4.0 percentage point margin of error at the 95 percent confidence level.

= Democratic primary voters view Heinrich incredibly favorable. 58 percent of voters  give Heinrich a favorable rating, while just 12 percent view him unfavorably. Moreover,  66 percent of voters approve of the job Heinrich is doing as Congressman. Heinrich’s standing is equally good among Hispanics and Anglos. Balderas has good standing (37 – 12 percent favorable-unfavorable, 46 percent job approval), but nowhere near as good as Heinrich’s.

= Heinrich overpowers Balderas in a vote matchup. With a 52 – 22 percent lead, Heinrich dominates Balderas among every segment of the electorate. He leads 57 – 15 percent among Anglos and 46 – 30 percent among Hispanics. Heinrich also holds a strong lead in each of the state’s three congressional districts.

= Heinrich’s lead is very robust. Heinrich’s lead is not driven by name identification; he leads 51 – 28 percent among voters who can identify both candidates.

Vote among all   Vote among voters who can
        Voters           identify both candidates

52%             51%     Martin Heinrich
22%             28%     Hector Balderas
26%             21%     Undecided

Pollster Mark Mellman’s Analysis of 2012 Presidential Race
Jan 27, 2012

Well-regarded pollster Mark Mellman* recently gave an upbeat look at President Obama’s re-election.  

He disagrees with those who think that Obama is “toast” (Mellman spoke before the South Carolina primary, which if anything reinforced his calculations).

Mellman gives the following reasons;

1.    Americans are reluctant to throw a party out of the white House after one term. Only one President in the last century has lost a second party term (Jimmy Carter in 1980; George H.W. Bush was running for a fourth Republican term in 1992).

2.     Per capita real disposable income, rather than unemployment numbers, is the best indicator of re-election prospects, and while the income numbers have not dramatically increased, they have increased enough for Obama to be re-elected.

American Democracy on Trial?
Jan 24, 2012

Well, not really.

But in some instances, yes, particularly very tight elections where the candidates are divided by only a handful of votes.

Take the recent Iowa Republican presidential caucus results, for example.  But more on that in a second.

Republicans have different concerns.  Supposedly worried about illegal voting, regarding which there is very little evidence, Republicans in many states have added new legal hurdles to voting, such as requiring picture ID’s and limited advance voting in an election.

This is not good government; this is targeted at low-income, minority voters and seniors without drivers’ licenses who will find it more difficult to vote and are more likely to vote Democratic.

What Republicans, indeed all Americans, should be concerned about is the inability of the American voting apparatus to get the count right in a timely fashion in extremely close elections.

Philip Taubman: Time to cut nuclear weapons
Jan 09, 2012

There is increasing momentum for reductions in the massive American nuclear weapons stockpile.

Over the weekend, Philip Taubman of the New York Times penned a column recommending cutting the size of the arsenal by two-thirds.

Taubman recently wrote a book entitled The Partnership, analyzing the work of four former nuclear hawks and a renowned scientist now working for a world free of nuclear weapons.  As Taubman noted, Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former Republican secretaries of state; William Perry, former secretary of defense; Sam Nunn, a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sidney Drell, a Stanford physicist, “are not exactly pacifist hippies”.

Taubman calls for more than nuclear weapons reductions.  He also urges the Pentagon to scale back nuclear war-fighting plans, remove the requirement that most American land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles be capable of launch within minutes, and terminate the aging B-52 bomber fleet that could deliver nuclear weapons.

Just in time for the holidays: 2012 Congressional, Political, Cultural, Sports and Holiday Schedule
Dec 15, 2011

January
Sunday, Jan. 1: New Year’s Day (federal holiday is Jan. 2)
Tuesday, Jan. 3: Iowa presidential caucuses
Monday, Jan. 9: BCS national college football championship between LSU and Alabama
Tuesday, Jan. 10: New Hampshire presidential primary
Monday, Jan. 16: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (federal holiday)
Tuesday, Jan. 17: House of Representatives convenes
Saturday, Jan. 21: South Carolina presidential primary
Monday, Jan. 23: Senate convenes
Tuesday, Jan. 24: President’s State of the Union address to Congress
Tuesday, Jan. 31: Florida presidential primary

February
Saturday, Feb. 4: Nevada presidential caucuses
Sunday, February 5: Pro-football Superbowl in Indianapolis, IN
Monday, Feb. 6: Likely date for submission of Fiscal Year 2013 budget to Congress
Tuesday, Feb. 14: Valentine's Day
Friday, Feb. 17 – Monday, Feb. 27: Senate and House President’s Day recess
Monday, Feb. 20: Presidents Day (federal holiday)
Wednesday, Feb. 22: Ash Wednesday
Sunday, February 26, 2012: 84rd annual Academy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles
Wednesday, Feb. 29: Leap Day

Anatomy of a Surprise Win: Senate Urges Accelerated Troops Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Dec 08, 2011

On November 30, 2011, Sen Jeff Merkley (D-OR) stood on the Senate floor to speak on behalf of an amendment he and other Senators had offered to require the President to develop a plan for an expedited withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

After his speech, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) bitingly criticized the amendment as “another accelerated plan [that] would obviously have the result of even greater risk to the men and women in the military.”

A few moments after railing against the provision, McCain called for a voice vote, and it was approved. It was a stunning and unexpected victory for critics of the war in Afghanistan.

Five months earlier, 27 Senators signed a letter circulated by Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Mike Lee (R-UT) and Tom Udall (D-NM) urging President Obama to order a “sizable and sustained” withdrawal of troops.

The effort demonstrated that a significant bloc of Senators wanted to see the American military effort in Afghanistan wind down.

How Barney Frank’s staff really feels about him
Dec 05, 2011

In his Nov. 30 column, “A bully leaves his pulpit,” Dana Milbank grossly mischaracterized how I and my colleagues, members of Rep. Barney Frank’s staff past and present, feel toward him. I feel fortunate to have worked for him, and I have the highest respect for his integrity, brilliance and dedication to enduring democratic principles. But my colleagues and I also are grateful to him for his absolute loyalty to us, for his graciousness in sharing credit for what we collectively accomplish and for his respect for our personal lives outside the pressure-cooker environment of Capitol Hill.

In a congressional culture of deference, we all know him simply as Barney. He demands that we deliver at the highest standards of government service, but he often praises us publicly and privately for our work and dedication. He allows us to take time to care for our loved ones and to raise our children, and he respects the importance of family. If he makes a bad decision, he personally takes the heat; he doesn’t use staff as a shield.

This isn’t only my opinion. I speak here for 60 of my colleagues who asked to co-sign this letter. But one simple metric tells the heart of the story: Barney has one of the most tenured offices on Capitol Hill. Where career longevity in “tough” offices can be measured in weeks or months, Barney has 10 staff members who have been with him for more than 10 years.

I have real affection and the highest regard for Barney Frank. When a caller to our office who disagrees with Barney’s politics asked me how I could work for him, I said simply, “with great pride and honor.” I know my colleagues would agree.

Bruno Freitas, Washington

The writer is chief of staff and legislative director for Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.).

Last picture show: Senate finishes Defense Authorization
Dec 02, 2011

Yesterday, the Senate voted 93-7 to approve the bill. Senate and House conferees will meet this month in conference to reconcile differences between the Senate and House versions of the bill.  

The seven “no” votes were cast by three Republicans, three Democrats and one independent:  Coburn (R-OK), Paul (R-KY), Lee (R-UT), Harkin (D-IA), Merkley (D-OR), Wyden (D-OR) and Sanders (I-VT).

The bill contains $527 billion for the basic Pentagon budget, $117 billion to pay for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and $18 billion for Department of Energy, for a total of about $662 billion. The total authorization is $27 billion less than the President’s request and $43 billion less than enacted in Fiscal Year 2011.

By unanimous consent, the Senate adopted a package of 11 “non-controversial” amendments.  It also adopted other amendments by voice vote.  The Senate rejected two amendments offered by Sen. Feinstein (D-CA) to alter the controversial provisions on detainees in the bill, but later approved a compromise amendment offered by Sen. Feinstein by vote of 99-1 that would leave it to the Supreme Court to make the final decision on the constitutionality of holding American citizens in military custody. It is unclear if this compromise language will be enough to prevent the White House from vetoing the final version of the bill.