Category Archives: Congress

Former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates on Benghazi

  By Pamela Leavey | May 12, 2013 - 7:59 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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The Benghazi Kabuki theater continues as House Republicans push on with “hearing” that some are calling a witch hunt. An apt description… Former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates told CBS’ Face the Nation that ”some critics of the administration have a “cartoonish impression of military capabilities and military forces.”” Gates, a Republican who was appointed by then-President George W. Bush in 2006 and agreed to stay through more than two years of President Obama’s first term, repeatedly declined to criticize the policymakers who devised a response to the September 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead, including the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. “Frankly, had I been in the job at the … Continue reading →

Jeanne Shaheen Trounces Scott Brown in Dem Poll

  By Pamela Leavey | April 23, 2013 - 5:48 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
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Former Massachusetts senator Scott Brown has been contemplating jumping the MA/NH border to challenge Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen. Not such a good idea perhaps for Brown. Politico reports that Brown “trails his could-be opponent by double digits in a new poll conducted for the League of Conservation Voters.” Brown’s personal favorability numbers are tepid: 37 percent of Granite Staters said they have a favorable view of him, while 42 percent said they have an unfavorable view. Asked whether Brown should run for Senate in New Hampshire or not, 54 percent answered in the negative. Scott Brown should heed the poll, lest every Democratic activist in Massachusetts crosses the border to help Jeanne Shaheen trounce him on election day, should he … Continue reading →

Boston Marathon Bomb Suspect Is Charged, To Be Tried In Federal Court

  By Pamela Leavey | April 22, 2013 - 8:18 pm | , , , , , , , ,
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One week after unleashing hell on the city of Boston, Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev has been charged with “using a weapon of mass destruction.” The Boston Marathon bombings resulted in three deaths and wounded more than 200 people with injuries that included amputations. In a criminal complaint unsealed today in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, Tsarnaev is specifically charged with one count of using and conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction (namely, an improvised explosive device or IED) against persons and property within the United States resulting in death, and one count of malicious destruction of property by means of an explosive device resulting in death. The statutory charges authorize a penalty, upon conviction, … Continue reading →

Senator Boxer’s Statement on 43rd Earth Day

  By Pamela Leavey | April 22, 2013 - 6:47 pm | , , , , , ,
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Today is the 43rd anniversary of Earth Day as Walter Brasch noted below. Senator Barbara Boxer released the following statement on Earth Day: “As we celebrate Earth Day, it is important to remember the significant progress we have made since the first Earth Day in 1970 and prepare for the serious work that lies ahead.  “The first Earth Day helped lead to the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.  It also helped spur strong bipartisan legislation, such as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Safe Drinking Water Act, and the Superfund law, which have been some of the most successful laws ever enacted in the U.S. “Over the past four decades, we have made a tremendous difference in … Continue reading →

NRA Liars and Congressional Cowards

  By Walter Brasch | April 18, 2013 - 8:07 am | , , , , ,
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    by Walter Brasch   President Obama cast off his “No Drama Obama” garb, and became the fiery leader of hope and change that Americans first elected in 2008. At a speech in Hartford, Conn., the President, frustrated by Republican obstructionism, demanded of his audience, “If you believe that the families of Newtown and Aurora and Tucson and Virginia Tech and the thousands of Americans who have been gunned down in the last four months deserve a vote, we all have to stand up.” He demand, “If you want the people you send to Washington to have just an iota of the courage that the educators at Sandy Hook showed when danger arrived on their doorstep, then we’re all … Continue reading →

Mitch McConnell’s ‘Whack-a-Mole’ Dirty Politics Campaign

  By Walter Brasch | April 11, 2013 - 6:53 am | , , , ,
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was mad. Not the kind of mad you get when your favorite team blows a big lead and loses its eighth straight game, but Red-Faced-Exploding-Blood-Pressure Mad. This is what you get from the political Left in America,” McConnell bellowed to the media. “That is what the political Left does these days.” McConnell’s campaign manager, Jesse Benton, added his opinion—“We’ve always said the Left would stop at nothing to attack Sen. McConnell.” They demanded the FBI launch a criminal investigation. The FBI response to the media was, “[W]e are looking into the matter.” Not long after, McConnell approved a campaign slogan, exhorting voters to “Stand with McConnell against the liberal media’s illegal and underhanded tactics.” … Continue reading →

Holding the American People Hostage

  By Walter Brasch | March 15, 2013 - 8:27 am | , , ,
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by Walter Brasch   Judges who wish to assure that a jury has no outside influence will sequester them. Legally, a sequestered jury is seized by authority and isolated from all outside influences. The jurors are escorted into and out of the courtroom. They aren’t allowed to read newspapers, listen to radio news, or watch TV news, ’lest they could be influenced by the media. They are escorted to and from meals, and isolated from other customers. They can’t discuss the case with family or friends. They can’t even go home at the end of the day; they’re housed in hotel rooms. In the summer of 2011, a bipartisan “super-committee” was supposed to come up with a reasonable budget to … Continue reading →

John Kerry Confirmed as Secretary of State

  By Pamela Leavey | January 29, 2013 - 10:14 pm | , , , , , , , , ,
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Longtime readers of The Dem Daily know that I hold John Kerry in the highest regard and had the honor of working on his ’04 presidential and for his PAC in ’06. So yes, I’ll just admit it, I’m biased. I am so pleased for John Kerry that he has been confirmed as our next Secretary of State.  I have great faith in his abilities to be a fantastic Secretary of State who will use his great skills of diplomacy for the better of the United States and the world: The 69-year-old Kerry, a veteran of the Vietnam War, has deep roots in foreign service. His father, Richard, was a Foreign Service officer, and Kerry noted at his confirmation hearing … Continue reading →