Stimulate Me! January 29, 2009

So after all of the bleating, bloviating, foot stamping and whining from the Repugnants, what happens? Not one of the House Repugnants voted for the Stimulus Bill.  It now goes to the Senate for some more sculpting and one only hopes there is some resemblance to a Stimulus Bill when it gets bounced back to the House in its final form. Yes, it will pass. And yes, I think some of the 188 House Repugnants will ultimately vote for it, but right now, they look mighty foolish. So much for reaching across the aisle. The bailout bill passed 244 – 188 – 1. Eleven Democrats voted AGAINST the bill. These are the Dreadfulcrats who chose to vote ‘Nay’.

Allen Boyd (FL -2)
Bobby Bright (AL – 2)
Jim Cooper (TN – 5)
Brad Ellsworth (IN – 8)
Parker Griffith (AL – 5)
Paul Kanjorski (PA -11)
Frank Kratovil (MD – 1)
Walt Minnick (ID – 1)
Collin Peterson (MN – 7)
Heath Shuler (NC – 11)
Gene Taylor (MS – 4)

The NY Times has a cover story about how this money will begin to trickle into the economy. An interesting read. “At first, it will trickle into paychecks in small, barely perceptible amounts: perhaps $12 or $13 a week for many American workers, in the form of lower tax withholding. For the growing ranks of the unemployed, it will be more noticeable: benefit checks due to stop will keep coming, along with an extra $25 a week. At the grocery store, a family of four on food stamps could find up to $79 more a month on their government-issued debit card. And far bigger sums will appear, courtesy of Washington, on budget ledgers in state capitals nationwide: billions of dollars for health care, schools and public works. There is no doubt that the impact of the $819 billion economic stimulus package advanced by President Obama and approved by the House on Wednesday will start to be felt within weeks once the final version becomes law.

–  Dick Armey To Joan Walsh: ‘I Am Glad That You Can Never Be My Wife’ on Chris Matthew’s Hardball. Gasp!

–  Don’t forget to look at today’s truth-o-meter. It covers topics like, “In Chicago, school is never canceled” because of winter weather (Barack Obama). Democrats compare the infrastructure programs in the stimulus to the Eisenhower interstate program, “but he proposed a $500 billion highway system, and they’re going to put $30 billion” into roads and bridges (Eric Cantor).

–  Rachel talks to Russ Feingold about investigations of the Bush administration, Congressional oversight, the Eric Holder nomination and his proposal to amend the Constitution so that Governors cannot appoint Senators any more.

–  File this under ‘shit happens.’ In Fecal Delicto’ : Californian Man Assaults Lawyer and Jury With Feces in Court. These are the types of dangers that law school simply does not prepare you for. Weusi McGowan, 37, wanted San Diego Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Fraser to replace his public defender Deputy Alternate Public Defender Jeffrey Martin. Fraser refused, so after a break McGowan returned to court and promptly produced a plastic baggie with fecal matter and smeared in on the face and hair of Martin. He then tossed the waste at the jury. The home-invasion robbery suspect got a new trial, a new lawyer, and presumably a new assault charge. It appears that feces is a common form of expression for McGowan who previously wiped feces on himself.

–  Campbell Brown asks about Obama’s transparency and his new rules over lobbyists:

–  Yes, my interest in torture has not abated. Neither has Keith’s nor my guy, Jonathan Turley:

–  January 28, 2009: The Day in 100 Seconds thanks to Talking Points Memo.

– This cracked me up: