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democrat mayor encourages voters to vote twice at landrieu event
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvdFUIDmg5A.
By: Martin Brodel
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democrat mayor encourages voters to vote twice at landrieu event - Video
Senator Elizabeth Warren challenged the credentials of President Barack Obamas nominee for a top Treasury job, saying a well-oiled revolving door between Wall Street and its regulators favors banks interests at the expense of consumers.
Antonio Weiss, the global head of investment banking at Lazard Ltd. who has specialized in international mergers and acquisitions, lacks experience to be undersecretary for domestic finance, Warren said in a speech today in Washington. She criticized Obama for nominating an executive who has worked on corporate tax-inversion deals, which the administration is attempting to curb.
Not every person who swoops in through the revolving door should be offered a top job without some serious cross-examination, she said in prepared remarks at an event organized by Americans for Financial Reform, the Economic Policy Institute and the Roosevelt Institute. Qualifications matter, and Weiss doesnt have them.
Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, is opposing the nomination partly because she said his selection would perpetuate close ties between the government and banks. She cited figures showing the amount of time and money Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and other financial companies spend trying to influence regulators in Washington.
Antonio Weiss, global head of investment banking at Lazard Ltd., speaks at the Bloomberg Markets 50 Summit in New York, on Sept. 13, 2012. Close
Antonio Weiss, global head of investment banking at Lazard Ltd., speaks at the... Read More
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Antonio Weiss, global head of investment banking at Lazard Ltd., speaks at the Bloomberg Markets 50 Summit in New York, on Sept. 13, 2012.
As undersecretary, Weiss would coordinate policies on banking, capital markets and regulation. The undersecretary also works on implementation of the Dodd-Frank financial law. One of his main responsibilities is managing the issuance of the countrys debt.
Warren said Weisss banking expertise doesnt fit with the position, calling him a corporate dealmaker, not a bond trader.
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Warren Dubs Weiss a Bank Dealmaker Lacking Resume for Treasury
Police departments must be involved in investigating sexual assaults on campuses to ensure colleges dont minimize the crime to protect their image, a U.S. senator said at a hearing today.
I am concerned that law enforcement is being marginalized when it comes to the crime of campus sexual assault, said Sheldon Whitehouse, a Rhode Island Democrat who leads a Senate Judiciary subcommittee.
A lack of law enforcement response sends the message that what happened to the victim didnt matter, he said. This message fits too neatly with the pressure school administrators may feel to downplay campus sexual violence.
Lawmakers at the federal and state level are seeking more prosecutions of sexual assaults and tougher penalties for educational institutions that fail to pursue cases. While many rape victims have been reluctant to report crimes to police, a wave of assaults has fueled calls to direct more complaints to the justice system.
The hearing took place weeks after the University of Virginia campus in Charlottesville was tossed into turmoil by a now-discredited Rolling Stone magazine article about an alleged gang rape of a woman at a fraternity that wasnt reported to police.
The publication has since [bn:URL=http:\www.rollingstone.comculturenewsa-note-to-our-readers-20141205
k] backtracked [] from the Nov. 19 article, saying last week there were discrepancies in the supposed victims account. Local law enforcement is investigating the allegations.
Senator Claire McCaskill said at the hearing she is saddened and angry about the bad journalism in the Rolling Stone article.
The article was a setback for survivors in this country, said McCaskill, a Missouri Democrat. This is not a crime where you have rampant false reporting and embellishment.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat, echoed McCaskills concerns.
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Campus Sexual Assault Response Criticized by U.S. Senators
Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call File Photo
Texas Democrat Gene Green appears poised to take the top Democratic slot on the House Energy and Commerce panel that handles health legislation next year after current ranking member Frank Pallone Jr. takes the top Democrat spot on the full committee.
The move would put Green currently seventh in seniority among committee Democrats parrying Republican attacks against the 2010 health care law with many of the GOPs legislative and oversight efforts likely to surface in the Health Subcommittee.
Green said the role would not be a problem for him, noting hes long worked to expand access to care, as the law was designed to do. But he acknowledged that the role he's assuming could be more difficult for other Democrats, because the overhaul has become such a political issue.
He said hell be looking for opportunities in the new Congress to fix some of the laws flaws, noting that the House ended up having to accept the Senate's version of an overhaul bill without going to conference.
I wouldnt mind sitting down with Democrats or Republicans and saying, Okay, what can we do to make the act work better, Green said. Hes particularly concerned that states including his own have not opted to expand their Medicaid programs.
Born, raised and educated in Houston, Green served for roughly two decades in the Texas legislature before winning a seat in the House in 1992. He crosses party lines on some issues, supporting the Keystone XL pipeline, for example. But Green continues to back the health law. Hes also worked with Republicans on other health matters, including a provision designed to provide incentives for developing new antibiotics to treat drug-resistant infections that was included in a five-year reauthorization of the Food and Drug Administrations user fee programs.
Next in Line
New Jerseys Pallone won a tight race last month to succeed Henry A. Waxman of California as the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, opening up his current position as the top Democrat on the Health panel. Pennsylvania Republican Joe Pitts chairs the subcommittee and will continue in that role next Congress.
The Energy and Commerce panel handles the lion's share of health policy, sharing jurisdiction with the Ways and Means and Education and the Workforce committees.
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Texas Democrat Seeks Top House Health Committee Post
Troy
Republican Joel Abelove won the Rensselaer County district attorney office in November, but spent less on his campaign than Democrat Carmelo Laquidara did.
According to the most recent election finance filings at the state Board of Elections, Laquidara's campaign spent at least $116,976 while the Friends of Joel Abelove shelled out around $84,000.
"I'm fiscally conservative," Abelove joked Monday. "We spent what we thought we had to and I guess we were right."
Abelove defeated Laquidara by 492 votes, winning 22,981 to 22,489. The results were finalized after the board spent three days counting absentee ballots.
Laquidara and his campaign manager, Cohoes Councilman Ralph Signoracci, spent more than $40,000 on campaign literature and postage and $38,000 on television advertisements. The Democrat also spent $9,000 for direct mail and consulting from Blue State Strategies in Albany. Signoracci was paid $11,622 for his work.
Abelove, who had no specific manager, spent at least $32,000 on television and radio spots, literature and postage, according to the filings. His campaign likely spent more than that as the last days of the campaign wound down but Abelove has yet to file an updated itemized list of expenditures.
Abelove and his family loaned his campaign $40,000.
Laquidara took out a $15,000 loan to help his campaign, according to the filings.
Republicans believed the backlash over Gov. Andrew Cuomo's SAFE Act boosted their appeal with voters, especially in rural areas.
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Democrat top spender in losing bid