Boehner Upset At Dems Over Prospect Of Early Dismissal

In response to reports that House members may leave as early as this week to hit the campaign trail in their respective states and districts, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement:

“It appears Democratic Leaders would rather adjourn than help our economy create jobs by stopping all of President Obama’s job-killing tax hikes, even though a clear bipartisan majority in the House supports doing so. Instead of coming up with new ways to thwart the will of the people, Democratic Leaders should be working with Republicans to stop all of the tax hikes and cut government spending. Anything less fails our economy and shows that out-of-touch Washington Democrats are more focused on keeping their jobs than doing them.”

OMB Nominee Passes First Hurdle

Jacob “Jack” Lew passed his first hurdle on his way to becoming White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Monday after he was approved 9-0 by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee Tuesday.

The nominee, who served in the position during the Clinton administration, now requires the consent of the Senate Budget Committee before his nomination is voted on by the Senate as a whole.

Lew will be replacing Peter Orszag, who left the post in late July. He will be joining the White House from the State Department. Prior to that Lew was an executive at Citigroup, where he received a $950,000 bonus after the company was bailed out via TARP funds.

Lieberman Backs Bush-Era Tax Cuts Extension

In today’s address to the Stamford Chamber of Commerce in Connecticut, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) voiced his strong support for extending the Bush-era tax cuts and expressed hope that a bipartisan coalition can form to break the political gridlock.

 

In his remarks, Senator Lieberman said:

 

“The surest way for Congress to help bring about a double-dip recession is to allow taxes to be raised on anyone during this uncertain economy we are struggling through.”

 

“I think there is a path forward on extending the tax cuts that can also cut through the partisan gridlock and heated rhetoric that has been paralyzing Washington and keeping us from taking the actions that we need to get our country back on the right track.  I have had promising discussions over the past several days with colleagues from both sides of the aisle who see a bipartisan path forward on a permanent extension of the middle-class tax cuts and a temporary extension of the tax cuts for the highest income brackets to make sure that nobody’s taxes go up while the economy is still struggling to recover.”

President Ahmadinejad of Iran: New Millennium Calls For A Return To The "Divine"

Addressing the General Assembly on day two of the MDG (Millennium Development Goal) Summit, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran stated that the world’s “unjust” and “undemocratic” injustices call for a return to the “divine mindset”.

“Divine mindset based on the perfectionist and justice-seeking nature of mankind and on the monotheistic world-view is in fact, the very heavenly mindset which makes man’s blissful talents blossom…free from egoisms, hegemonic tendencies and envies.”

He sharply criticized the democratic order of Western nations and their dominance over developing countries in Africa and Asia. He said he was optimistic, however, as developing nations were fighting back and building coalitions against the West. 

“Now that the discriminatory order of capitalism and hegemonic approaches are facing defeat and are getting close to their end, all-out participation in upholding justice and prosperous interrelations is essential.”

Senator Carper Believes In Lew As OMB Director

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) released the following statement after he voted to confirm Jacob “Jack” Lew for the role of Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 

 

“As our national deficit continues to grow, it is up to the Administration and Congress to work together to regain control of our budget and put this country’s fiscal house in order,” he said. “We need a strong leader to work with the President and Congress to do just that. I am confident that Jack Lew can - and will - effectively fill that role. There is no silver bullet to solving our nation’s financial woes, but I trust that Mr. Lew can outline initiatives and guide policies that can continue to chip away at the monstrous debt our nation has incurred and lay the groundwork for long-term, money-saving programs and practices. I will work with my colleagues in the full Senate to see to his swift and fair confirmation.”