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June 29, 2009

GOP's Message Targets Sotomayor, Energy, Health

Congressional Republicans will carve out as much time as they can between patriotic parades, flag-waving ceremonies and church picnics over the July Fourth recess to hammer Democrats on energy, health care and the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor.

Liberal Agenda Back on Deck

After avoiding contentious social issues for six months, House Democrats are throwing bones to advocates for gay rights and immigrants — key liberal constituencies — in an effort to keep a lid on simmering tensions until they finish with larger priorities: health care and energy.

Anti-Jaywalking Cop Retires After 34 Years

Officer Garland Thompson was in the middle of writing a ticket on Sept. 11, 2001, when a passerby told him and the man he was ticketing that a plane had just flown into the World Trade Center.

Bipartisan Health Bill Gets Cold Shoulder

With President Barack Obama and lawmakers in both parties continuing to struggle for a bipartisan health care reform deal, sweeping legislation — pushed by a bipartisan Senate duo — that would fundamentally restructure the way Americans get their health insurance has been gathering dust.

Heard on the Hill: Body Politic

We’ve heard Congress defined as a legislative body before, but we rarely think of it in the rather bawdy way Rep. Mike Pence recently put it.

Health Care Ads Could Pick Up After the Break

The intensifying health care debate is following Members of Congress home to their districts during this week’s recess. A long list of industry and interest groups have taken out advertising spots, are activating grass-roots networks and are planning Member meetings outside the Beltway.

Office Space: Part Congressional Office, Part Art Gallery

While many Members of Congress decorate their offices with art borrowed from galleries back home, Rep. Joe Pitts (Pa.) prefers to display his own work. The seven-term Republican is a legislator by day and a talented artist by night.

Members Lost Big on Real Estate

Like many property owners in a declining real estate market, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and his wife lost thousands of dollars when they were compelled to sell a rental unit last spring.

Editorial: Register Everybody

Among the developed countries of the world — and even some less-developed ones — the United States has the lowest voter registration rate with just 68 percent of registered voters actually signed up to do so.

N.C. Controversy Reveals Perils of Reporting on Polls

One of the growing problems with political reporting is the explosion of polls and the tendency — particularly among local TV reporters and editors, cable TV hosts and bloggers — to report all of them as if they are equally reliable and newsworthy, and to draw dramatic conclusions from small subsamples and from statistically insignificant changes.

Congress Must Create Some Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Crisis

As we navigate through the economic miasma, Congress has to keep in mind one of the greater long-term dangers that America faces: the flight of venture capital from a United States seen by many investors as stagnant in its growth prospects — and competing with places like India and China and other emerging nations that look to have much more robust growth for several years.

More Light Is Shed on Requirements for Lobbying Registration

As the president of a small local lobbying firm, I read with interest your last column about how it has recently become easier for lobbyists to terminate their registration. We are looking into whether any of our lobbyists can take advantage of the ruling you discussed allowing lobbyists to end their registration if they limit their government contacts to one per quarter for each client.

The Case for a Diverse Bench — and Congress

In the midst of the heated rhetoric surrounding Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s potential ascension to the Supreme Court, it’s time to ask how much we value fair representation, particularly of women.

Michael Jackson

The latest cartoon from R.J. Matson.

A Stalk in the Woods

The latest cartoon from Mike Mikula.

Big States Set to Host Hottest Contests Next Year

It is impossible to predict what the national political environment will be next year, but a handful of battleground states are guaranteed to be a hotbed of activity.

GOP Hopes for Big Smack on the Kissell

As both parties gear up for the high-stakes midterm elections, Republicans are keeping a close eye on North Carolina’s 8th district, where freshman Rep. Larry Kissell (D) rode the 2008 Democratic wave to victory over five-term Rep. Robin Hayes (R).

Parties Get Busy Over This Recess

There was a time not so long ago, when a recess break early in an election cycle offered Members a welcome respite from the politics of Capitol Hill.

Pennsylvania: Colleagues Help Fill Specter's Coffers

Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) has received about $70,000 so far from his Democratic colleagues in the Senate since he announced he was switching parties in April, according to a source familiar with the donations.

Kentucky: Canceled Bunning Event Could Be Bad Sign

One of the main reasons why Sen. Jim Bunning (R) is widely regarded as the most vulnerable Senate incumbent heading into 2010 is because of his poor fundraising performance. On the day that he reported raising $263,000 in the first quarter, Bunning admitted to local media that his fundraising was going “lousy.”

Michigan: Land Could Be Heir Apparent If Ehlers Bails

Rep. Vernon Ehlers (R) said last week that he has not decided yet about whether he will seek a 10th term in Congress, but he added that he does not normally think about making a decision until February.

Illinois: It's Official: Biggert Has Rematch With Harper

Democrat Scott Harper announced Friday that he will run for a second consecutive cycle against Rep. Judy Biggert (R).

Alabama: Second Republican to Enter 5th District Race

Madison County Commissioner Mo Brooks (R), who spent the later part of last week meeting with GOP officials and conservative groups in Washington, D.C., will formally join the 5th district race this week.

Florida: Race Against Kosmas Attracts More Interest

State Rep. Dorothy Hukill (R) said Friday that she’s close to making a decision on whether she’ll challenge freshman Rep. Suzanne Kosmas (D) in the east central 24th district.

A Time for Patriotism

Earl Morse was a physician assistant at a Veterans Administration hospital in Ohio when the National World War II Memorial finally opened in May 2004, almost 59 years after Japan surrendered.

Holiday Concerts Are a Capitol Affair

The Fourth of July isn’t just an important day in the nation’s history. It also happens to be a significant day for the history of celebratory concerts in the nation’s capital.

Hill Climbers: Ginny-ing Up New Staffers

Cassie Smedile got the short end of the stick.

Hill Talk: The Making of Capitol Hill Town Square

On behalf of a task force that has been studying ways to improve the Eastern Market Metro Plaza, designer Amy Weinstein will host a community meeting at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the basement of St. Peter’s Church, 313 Second St. SE.