Ticklish Politics

Mar 10, 2010 — Politico

Jonathan Allen

HOUSE BALKS AT WHITE HOUSE SCHEDULING EFFORT

White House deadlines for health care legislation aren’t sitting well with House Democratic leaders, who must be missing the section of the Constitution that gives the president the power over the congressional floor schedule. POLITICO’s Patrick O’Connor reports: “It’s taken Democrats a year to finalize their health care bill, so it should come as no surprise that they’re now fighting about the endgame — including an increasingly public spat about when a final push for passage should take place. [House Majority Leader] Steny Hoyer … took a not-so-subtle shot at White House press secretary Robert Gibbs on Tuesday for suggesting the House could wrap up its work on health care reform by the end of next week. ‘None of us has mentioned the 18th other than Mr. Gibbs,’ Hoyer told reporters … But Gibbs didn’t back down. Instead, the White House spokesman said, ‘The information I gave out last week was based on conversations I had with staff here in the building. ... I’ve been given nothing that would change that advice that I was given last week.’” The Huddle wonders which White House aide or aides control the House floor.

NO ‘GANG’ FOR YOU, SEN. GRAHAM

POLITICO’s Carrie Budoff Brown and Chris Frates write that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) wants to revived the “Gang of 14” who saved the Senate filibuster to work on a health care deal. But the idea’s not gaining much traction. “[M]ost of his moderate Democratic colleagues aren’t rushing to R.S.V.P,” Carrie and Chris write. “‘Who are they going to get?’ asked Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.), a member of the original Gang of 14. ‘It is not the same as it was before.’”

CORKER FIGHTS FOR PAYDAY LENDERS

Someone is NOT HAPPY with Sen. Bob Corker, the Tennessee Republican who has been negotiating a financial regulatory reform deal with Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd. Corker’s work to carve out an exemption for payday lenders ended up on the front page of the New York Times this morning. Corker “pressed to remove a provision from draft legislation that would have empowered federal authorities to crack down on payday lenders, people involved in the talks said. The industry is politically influential in his home state and a significant contributor to his campaigns, records show,” writes the Times’ Sewell Chan.

FRANK FIGHTS FOR C-SPAN

Civics teachers rev up your DVRs. House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank is floating the idea of convening an actual, honest-to-goodness House-Senate conference on regulatory reform – and televising it on C-SPAN. POLITICO’s Vicki McGrane: “Republicans who moaned about President Barack Obama’s broken C-SPAN promises on health care negotiations, beware: Barney Frank plans to demand an old-school conference on financial reform. ‘Remember this, ‘Let’s do it all on C-SPAN? … Clear your calendar,’ Frank told POLITICO, adding that he has spoken to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and personally with Majority Leader Steny Hoyer about his intentions. … House and Senate negotiators would debate the points of disagreement between the two chambers, voting point-by-point in open session … There would still be plenty of behind-the-scenes arm-twisting and deal-cutting for votes, but Frank’s plan would force Senate lawmakers to go on the record as choosing weaker proposals on the consumer protection piece and others.”

TAX CUTS, JOB CREATION TOP LEVIN’S AGENDA

“In one of his first interviews as chairman, Levin (D-Mich.) said that job creation will be his top priority in the run-up to this fall's congressional elections. But he said he also plans to wade aggressively into the debate over national tax policy and return his committee to its customary position at the center of the coming battle over tax reform. ‘I don't think [the Senate Finance Committee] should run the show’” Levin said, according to the Washington Post’s Lori Montgomery. Adds the Wall Street Journal’s Greg Hitt, Levin “said he favored giving small businesses a new capital-gains tax break to help spur job creation” and “also proposed to restore the estate tax with a more generous exemption than would otherwise prevail next year.”

SAME AS THE OLD BOSS?

Mark Critz, a former aide and would-be successor to the late Rep. John Murtha attended a meeting on an earmark for a controversial Air Force project at the center of a case that resulted in three criminal convictions, Roll Call’s Paul Singer reports. “According to documents obtained by Roll Call, Air Force lawyers discouraged military officials from attending the meeting, arguing it was an inappropriate mixture of lobbying and congressional and contracting interests, though it is not clear that Critz knew about these reservations at the time. But the meeting went forward, and with Murtha’s support, the group launched an Air Force program that was funded entirely through earmarks.” Critz’s spokesman told Roll Call “Some may say Mr. Murtha fought too aggressively to bring economic development and jobs to Western Pennsylvania. Mark disagrees, he will continue to fight for jobs and economic development in Congress. Families are really struggling right now and he’s going to work.” Two attendees of the meeting pleaded guilty to a plot to skim money from the earmark in question and a third was found guilty by a jury, Singer reported.

‘RED TO BLUE’ CANDIDATES ANNOUNCED

Amid a lot of chatter about Republicans picking up House seats by the dozen in November, House Democrats released a baker’s dozen of candidates selected for their ‘Red to Blue’ program, which seeks to flip Republican-held districts into the Democratic column and retain Democratic-held open seats. “These candidates have come out of the gate strong and the Red to Blue Program will give them the financial and structural edge to be even more competitive in November,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said. The list, with the district number and the sitting incumbent noted parenthetically: Ami Bera (CA-03, Republican Rep. Dan Lungren), Paula Brooks (OH-12, Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi), John Callahan (PA-15, Republican Rep. Charlie Dent), John Carney (DE-AL, Republican Rep. Mike Castle, who is running for the Senate), Suzan DelBene (WA-08, Republican Rep. Dave Reichert), Lori Edwards (FL-12, Republican Rep. Adam Putnam, who is running to be state Agriculture commissioner), Raj Goyle (KS-04, Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt, who is running for the Senate), Roy Herron (TN-08, Democratic Rep. John Tanner, who is retiring), Bryan Lentz (PA-07, Democratic Rep. Joe Sestak, who is running for the Senate), Rob Miller (SC-02, Republican Rep. Joe Wilson), Steve Pougnet (CA-45, Republican Rep. Mary Bono Mack), Dan Seals (IL-10, Republican Rep. Mark Kirk, who is running for the Senate) and Tom White (NE-02, Republican Rep. Lee Terry).