Mediaboss Marketing

Senate Republicans want to vote on energy proposals that could bolster their partys candidates in the November election.

Their problem: Majority Leader Harry Reid wont let them.

Mitch McConnell, the top Senate Republican, is pressing for a vote to help Kentuckys struggling coal industry just two weeks before his Republican primary contest. Hes trying to bar the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing new carbon standards for U.S. power plants, a step that may shutter plants in his home state.

Coal is something that the senator wants to use to localize a national issue, said Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the Rothenberg Political Report. Incumbents are saddled with the negatives of incumbency. They have to try to find a way to leverage their office into a campaign positive.

Republicans have accused President Barack Obama and his administration of waging a war on coal. McConnells proposal is among changes Republicans want to a bill promoting energy-efficient buildings as they seek to rein in the EPA or boost domestic energy production.

Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has said he wont allow any amendments.

Instead, hes promised a separate vote on whether to force approval of TransCanada Corp.s Keystone XL pipeline as way to entice Republicans to help advance the energy-efficiency bill.

McConnell, who faces Louisville businessman Matt Bevin in the states May 20 Senate primary, has made his support for eastern Kentuckys coal industry a central theme of his bid for a sixth term.

Kentuckians in the eastern part of my state are experiencing a depression that the presidents energy policies are making worse, McConnell said today on the Senate floor. Coal is a vital industry to our economy and to the livelihoods of thousands of people in my state. We should be allowed to help them. But the majority leader said no.

If he beats Bevin this month, McConnell will face Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general election. His campaign is gearing up to link Grimes to Obamas energy policy, though Grimes has been a critic of the administrations approach to coal.

See the article here:
Senate Republicans Seek Electoral Gain on Energy Bill

FILE: Outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius testifies.AP

Republicans are fuming after outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius declined to testify on her own departments 2015 budget request before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Wednesday.

According to Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., the secretary skipped the hearing not due to a scheduling problem, but because "she doesn't want to" testify.

"Her absence speaks volumes about transparency," Sen. Mike Johanns, R-Neb., said, adding he was "astonished, absolutely blown away that she is not here today."

Sebelius absence was unusual as heads of departments typically speak at such hearings to defend their agencys budget requests. In her place, leaders from each department of HHS testified on their specific budget allocations.

Several Republicans used their time during the hearing to blast Sebelius for not attending.

The subcommittee chairman, Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, said at the hearing he never formally asked Sebelius personally to appear, and in his view it makes sense she would not testify as she will not be here for the next fiscal year. However, he noted that the nominee to replace her, OMB director Sylvia Matthews Burwell, has not yet been confirmed, leaving the hearing in "limbo."

But the subcommittee's ranking member, Sen. Jerry Moran, said he was disappointed Sebelius did not appear, saying it is the first time he or his colleagues can remember a department head not showing up to one of these hearings.

Moran, R-Kan., said lawmakers worked with Sebelius to try and accommodate her schedule but she still said she wouldnt appear. He said in his view, Sebelius "refused" to testify.

"I want to make clear from my perspective that the committee is deserving of an appearance from the secretary," he said.

Read the original here:
Republicans fuming as Sebelius skips hearing on HHS budget

North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis captured the Republican nomination in North Carolina's senate race. Other mainline Republicans in three states also held out against tea party challengers.

North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis captured the Republican nomination to oppose imperiled Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan Tuesday night, overcoming anti-establishment rivals by a comfortable margin in the first of a springtime spate of primaries testing the strength of a tea party movement that first rocked the GOP four years ago.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

In Ohio, Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald won the Democratic nomination to challenge Gov. John Kasich in the fall. US House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, rolled to re-nomination for another term in Congress, his 13th.

On a night that was kind to Republican incumbents in three states, GOP Rep. Susan Brooks of Indiana easily fended off a challenge from the right, rolling up 75 percent of the votes in a three-way race. First-term Rep. David Joyce of Ohio had a slightly tougher time but was running well ahead of his tea party rival.

Anti-war Republican Rep. Walter Jones defeated his challenger in North Carolina.

In North Carolina, Tillis was winning about 45 percent of the vote with ballots counted in 72 percent of the state's precincts, easily surpassing the 40 percent needed to avoid a July runoff. Greg Brannon was trailing despite support from tea party favorite Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Mark Harris, a Baptist pastor, was third.

Also in North Carolina, former "American Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken had a narrow lead as he sought the Democratic nomination to oppose Republican Rep. Renee Ellmers in the fall. A Democratic runoff was possible.

Democratic State Rep. Alma Adams was comfortably ahead for a pair of nominations at the same time: in a special election to fill the unexpired term of former Rep. Mel Watt, and also for the November ballot in the heavily Democratic district.

See original here:
Primary roundup: Establishment Republicans defeat tea party primary challengers

Progressives Needed in the House
Thom Hartmann and callers talk with Marianne Williamson, Candidate for Congress (I-CA, 33rd District) / Author of 10 books / Lecturer thought leader (www.marianne.com) Website: http://www.marianneforco...

By: thomhartmann

Read the rest here:
Progressives Needed in the House - Video

Progressives united outside the Capitol building on Wednesday in a rally against the TPP. (Photo: Rachel LaBruyere/ Twitter)Braving thunder and rain, hundreds of protesters rallied outside of the Capitol building in Washington DC on Wednesday to declare to the government that "the entire progressive movement is united" in the call to reject unjust trade deals and embrace an economy for all.

"They say 'Fast Track!' We Say 'Fight Back!'" the group chanted, referring to recent efforts by President Obama to push through legislation to cement the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, or TPP, without congressional deliberation. Thus far, the details of the deal have been negotiated behind closed doors, with the only information made available to the public via leaks.

Under the banner "Fair Trade is Not Free," a diverse coalition of environmental organizations, good government groups, farm groups, and over a dozen unions took part in the protest, carrying umbrellas and placards, which read: "Stop Secret Trade Deals."

"Let's show Congress that the entire progressive movement is united in the fight for a 21st century global economy that works for everyone," declared the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which organized the rally.

The TPP has been blasted by critics for undermining labor and environmental standards, as well as the open Internet. "The TPP is a horrific thing," said Kian Frederick, national field director for Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch. "There's something for everyone to hate."

Frederick, who attended the action, told Common Dreams that she believed the aspect of the deal with the most potential harm is the Investor State Dispute Resolution, which grants global corporations state status, much like NAFTA, allowing them to sue a country for supposed loss or damages if they amend their laws. However, according to Frederick, the TPP goes a step further by allowing a corporation to sue for the loss of future expected profits.

"It's an absolute race to the bottom," Frederick declared, citing the myriad ways a government will be handcuffed to old legislation: food safety standards, environmental standards, labor laws. "If we go through with it, taxpayer money will all be recouped by the corporations."

Public Citizen is hoping the rally draws attention to an upcoming congressional vote on whether to eschew legislative authority and "Fast Track" the trade deal without deliberation or input. The vote will likely occur after the midterm elections.

Speaking before the crowd, Tefere Gebre, Executive Vice President of AFL-CIO America, declared: "This is what solidarity looks like!" Gebre was joined by other speakers including Reps. Rosa deLauro (D-Conn.), Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), Mike Michaud (D-Me.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.).

_____________________

Read more here:
Progressives Unite in Call Against 'Horrific' TPP