Specter’s Spectacle

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senator Arlen Specter
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Senator Arlen Specter (Penn.) says that he left the Republican Party because they had stuck their nose into party affairs to the point of breeding extremism. Ironically the Democrats are doing the exact same thing to their newest member. Micromanaging from the highest level doesn’t seem to be exclusive to the Republicans.

Yesterday Specter walked away from the party he has been with for nearly four decades, because he felt they were ignoring moderate voice. Specter announced his decision to defect to the Democratic Party, only the twenty-first time that a Senator has done such a thing since 1890.

President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have both said they will fully support Specter in his 2010 election, but Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Penn.) was not sure that the party establishment should be backing Specter in this way.

“If decisions and candidates are being chosen in Washington, you may just reemphasize that divisive barrier that’s between the parties,” Sestak said. “I think we cannot afford to have a decision that is so important to Pennsylvanians be decided by the party establishment,” and that the voters should be the ones to choose their candidate.

Sestak is rumored to be considering running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, and would come up against Specter in the Democratic primary. When asked directly, Sestak said he had not decided yet whether or not he would run. Another contender, Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) said today that she would not run for the seat.

The republican response has ranged from anger to confusion. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steel likened Specter to Benedict Arnold.

“Clearly, this was an act based on political expediency by a craven politician desperate to keep his Washington power base - not the act of a statesman,” Steel said. “Arlen Specter handed Barack Obama and his band of radical leftists nearly absolute power in the United States Senate.”

Specter responded, “I have not represented the Republican Party, I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.” He was referencing the fact that in the past months there has been an exodus from the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, where over 100,000 individuals changed their party registration from Republican to Democrat.

Specter is defending his position as being one of riding with the tides of his constituency, instead of bowing to the will of a national political party. Critics see it as a survival move of a desperate politician.

Speaking today with President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, Specter said that staying in the Senate would allow him to carry forward important initiatives for his constituents, speaking specifically about expanding medical research.

Specter would prove to be the 60 Democrat in the Senate, provided that comedian Al Franken prevails in his court case for the Minnesota Senate. Sixty votes, called a supermajority, is enough to override a Republican filibuster. Specter said previously, though, that he was not going to simply back the Democrats automatically, and President Obama acknowledged that, saying, “I don’t expect Arlen to be a rubber stamp.” According to Obama, he and Specter agree in the areas of health care, education, medical research

President Obama celebrates St. Patrick's Day with the Irish Prime Minister

Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Brian Cowen brought some St. Patrick's Day cheer today, as he met with President Barack Obama and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on his visit to Washington D.C. The trio were greeted with the sound of bagpipes from the United States Air Force Reserve Pipe Band as they walked down the House of Representative steps. The Irish Prime Minister later discussed his visit with press outside the Cannon House Building.

Federal Reserve to be more transparent about lending policies

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

Federal Reserve Board Chairman, Ben Bernanke testified before the House Financial Services Committee concerning "An Examination of the Extraordinary Efforts by the Federal Reserve Bank to provide Liquidity in the current Financial Crisis."

Chairman Barney Frank, (D-Mass) said in his opening statement: "I read before coming here, the new Treasury of the Secretary's announcement of his plans to use the TARP funds. It is very clear that the Obama administration, as did the Bush administration is using the money in the TARP program in conjunction with the lending authority of the Federal Reserve."

"There are also some important questions in the ways in which we govern ourselves. The Chairman of the Federal Reserve and indeed the Federal Reserve system, I believe were responding to the very real needs in society and people need not agree with every specific decision that the Federal Reserve made, to appreciate the sense of very important public purpose that has motivated them," Chairman Frank said.

The Trouble Assets Relief Program (TARP), was a program set up, in October 2008, by the United States government to allow them to purchase assets and equity from financial institutions to help strengthen them during the economic recession.

The Ranking Member of the Committee, Representative Spencer Bachus, (R-Ala) said: "I believe in a democracy it should be a requirement in any agreement or transaction involving the government that...in the event that our governing officials come to the decision that the commitment of public funds is necessary, if a commitment of taxpayer funds or guarantees cannot be disclosed because of the circumstances involved it cannot and should not be made."

Chairman Bernanke answered questions for over two hours to the Committee concerning the Federal Reserve’s problems in this economic crisis.

"I firmly believe that central banks be as transparent as possible both for reasons of democratic accountability and because many of our policies are likely to be more effective if they are well understood by the markets and the public...The Federal Reserve is committed to keeping the Congress and the public informed about its lending programs and its balance sheet."

"To improve public access to information concerning Federal policies and programs, Federal Reserve staff are developing a new website that will bring together a new systematic and comprehensive way to find a full range of information the Federal Reserve already makes available, supplemented by new explanations, discussions and analysis. Our goal is to have this website operational in a few weeks."

Chairman Bernanke also referred to a new committee that will revue the Federal Reserve’s current publications and disclosure policies that will relate to the Federal Reserve's balance sheet and lending policies.

"Venezuelan government must quickly change its tune"

By Kayleigh Harvey - Talk Radio News Service

This was a said at the Subcommittee meeting on the Western Hemisphere today, by committee Chairman Eliot Engel, (D-NY). February 4, 2009.

Kennedy moves to digitize medical records

On Wednesday Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and Representative Tim Murphy (R-Pa) held a press conference to discuss the Health IT portions of the economic stimulus package. Health IT refers to the maintenance of Medical records electronically and the sharing of them over the internet in a uniform and connected way, as opposed to conventional paper methods of filing. Representative Kennedy said that Healthcare in America is going to undergo an “enormous transformation”, and that everyone has a stake in Health IT. He continued that Health IT would deliver efficiency to the system and would make it more user friendly. Representative Murphy said that the legislation would eliminate $162 billion in waste in current programs and $150 billion worth of lost work time. Stephen Lieber, President and CEO of of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), said that Health IT would be necessary to meet President Obama’s call to computerize health records in 5 years, and that Health IT is both good stimulus and good policy. Critics of the legislation cite privacy as a main concern, but Representative Murphy stated that HIPAA rules would apply to the documents contained in the system, which would protect the privacy of patients.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico - Talk Radio News Service