DSCC

Is Rob Portman Joining The Birther Bandwagon?

Arjun Jaikumar

Per TPM, two Ohio Republicans made "birther" jokes about President Obama at a dinner on Saturday...while introducing Senate candidate Rob Portman.

According to audio recorded by someone at the dinner and obtained by TPMDC, the joke concludes with: "Lincoln was a skinny lawyer. Obama is a skinny lawyer. Lincoln was a Republican. Obama is a skinny lawyer. Lincoln was highly respected. Obama is a skinny lawyer. Lincoln was born in the United States. Obama is a skinny lawyer."

That was followed up with a more subtle crack from State Rep. James Zehringer, who said he read over Portman's Wikipedia entry, which starts by identifying him as an American lawyer. "Rob Portman is an American lawyer. That's the first sentence [on his Wikipedia page]. That's something our president can't say," Zehringer said.

Portman has yet to denounce these statements, and his campaign will not answer directly whether Portman believes President Obama was born in the United States.

VIDEO: On Jobs Bill And Unemployment Benefits, Richard Burr is Out In Right Field

Arjun Jaikumar

This quite befits the man who says it's impossible to get to his right, from an ideological standpoint...

Jobs Bill Passes House: Kirk, Castle, Blunt, Boozman Vote Against

Arjun Jaikumar

The HIRE Act passed the House today, no thanks to Reps. Mark Kirk of Illinois, Roy Blunt of Missouri, Michael Castle of Delaware, and John Boozman of Arkansas.

Each of these would-be Senators voted against the job creation package.

The bipartisan bill, has four key provisions including a payroll tax holiday for businesses to encourage hiring, additional funds to help small businesses expand, an extension of the Highway Trust Fund to allow more infrastructure investments, and an expansion of the Build America Bonds program to allow states finance infrastructure projects.

Each of these four Republicans stands in opposition to the Senators they would replace on job creation.

Bunning Blockade Ends...But Burr Sides With Him

Arjun Jaikumar

First, the good news: Senator Jim Bunning finally stopped his blockade and allowed a vote on short term extenders for unemployment benefits, COBRA, flood insurance, highway funding and small business loans.

The bad news is that Senator Richard Burr voted against the extensions anyway.

The bill still passed, 78-19, but the vote leaves us shaking our heads, wondering why Richard Burr chose to cast a vote that hurt hundreds of thousands of struggling North Carolinian families.

Key Republican Candidates Supporting Bunning

Arjun Jaikumar

Sen. Jim Bunning has become a national news phenomenon of late for his cruel filibuster…and many of his fellow Republicans, including would-be Bunning replacements Trey Grayson and Rand Paul, are publicly supporting Sen. Bunning.

For a recap, here is the cost of the Bunning blockade:

For four days, he has been on a one-man campaign to cut off unemployment benefits, kick the unemployed off of health insurance, cut Medicare payments to doctors, deny satellite TV to rural Americans, shut down federal flood insurance and highway projects, and furlough thousands of federal workers.

Quite a laundry list of accomplishments – and one that Grayson and Paul are not ashamed to endorse, though they certainly should be.

Stop Senator Bunning - Sign the DSCC's Petition

Arjun Jaikumar

Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) is filibustering an unemployment benefits extension for more than 1.2 million out-of-work Americans. Struggling families count on these benefits to put food on the table, pay bills and keep a roof over their heads.

As they usually do, Senate Republicans are standing with Jim Bunning and his obstruction, not with American families. Is railroading President Obama’s agenda more important to Republicans than helping Americans struggling through this poor economic climate?

Ask GOP candidates this question: Do you support Jim Bunning’s cruel filibuster?

Blunt Skips Key Vote In Order To Raise Wall Street Cash

Arjun Jaikumar

Roy Blunt skips a key vote in the House to strip monopolies from health insurance companies...for a Wall Street fundraiser.

Congressman Roy Blunt was caught red handed today by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for skipping a key vote yesterday on ending insurance company monopolies in order to raise campaign contributions from Wall Street. In a bipartisan vote yesterday, the House of Representatives passed a bill that will rein in big insurance companies by ending their monopolies. Congressman Blunt was nowhere to be found however, because he was in New York City raising money from Wall Street hedge fund managers.

Well, we know whose side Blunt is on...

Primary Problems: Jane Norton Pilloried By Fellow Republicans In CO

Arjun Jaikumar

The GOP primary is turning out to be nothing but trouble for Jane Norton in Colorado. Her primary opponents are already running stinging ads accusing her of supporting tax increases as Lieutenant Governor.

From Politico:

Colorado Senate candidate Jane Norton is getting walloped in television and radio for her support of a controversial 2005 ballot initiative that her opponents label “the biggest tax increase in state history.”

Former state lawmaker Tom Wiens, who is competing with Norton for the GOP Senate nomination, has launched a 60-second radio ad that targets her position on Referendum C without ever using her name.

It seems that all of Norton’s kowtowing to the right – vowing to abolish the Department of Education, sitting and smiling as the President was called a Muslim in front of her, and muttering about the President’s concern for “terrorist rights” – hasn’t gotten her to the right of her Republican primary opponents. Which is a frightening indictment of the political alignment of today’s GOP.

CBO Releases Report on Recovery Act Success

Arjun Jaikumar

The Congressional Budget Office has come out with their estimates for jobs created by the Recovery Act in the final quarter of 2009, and they point to continued economic recovery.

The CBO says that the Recovery Act added up to 2.1 million jobs in the fourth quarter alone, boosting the economy by up to 3.5% while lowering the unemployment rate by 2.1% relative to expectations.

We look forward to the continued success of the Recovery Act in 2010!

Grassley, McCain, and Vitter Vote Against Job Creation Bill: Burr Can’t Be Bothered To Show Up

Arjun Jaikumar

The majority of the Republican Senate caucus – including Senators Charles Grassley, John McCain, and David Vitter – thumbed their noses at the unemployed residents of their own states yesterday as they voted against the HIRE Act, once again putting craven political games ahead of the needs of the American people.

The bipartisan bill has four key provisions including a payroll tax holiday for businesses to encourage hiring, additional funds to help small businesses expand, an extension of the Highway Trust Fund to allow more infrastructure investments, and an expansion of the Build America Bonds program to allow states finance infrastructure projects.

The HIRE Act promises to create over a million jobs across the nation – even one of Sen. McCain’s close advisers claims that a single key provision in the bill could itself create 300,000 new jobs. Nevertheless, these Republican Senators once again prioritized their game of obstructing the President and Senate Democrats at every turn over real progress for the American people.

Richard Burr, meanwhile, couldn’t be bothered to show up for the vote.