Analysis: Some Republicans see new scandal in Sebelius fundraising

This is amazing.. even as the current raid of “scandals” has hurt the Repubs brand and raised Obama’s approval – they just keep at it. 

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Analysis: Some Republicans see new scandal in Sebelius fundraising:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – With the White House already reeling from three major controversies, some Republican lawmakers are zeroing in on what they perceive is another possible scandal tied to President Barack Obama’s landmark health reform law just as it nears implementation.

On top of the troubles the administration is facing over its handling of the attack on the Benghazi mission, the Internal Revenue Service’s targeting of conservative groups, and the Justice Department’s seizure of Associated Press phone records, Republicans hope to target Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

(Via Reuters: Top News)

Only Republicans Think They’re Scandals

As partly expected – all this drumming only makes the Repubs lose the middle, which is exactly what they don’t need.

From Pwire:

Greg Sargent digs into the latest polling and finds that in the case of the IRS and Benghazi stories, “the lurid and nefarious view of Obama’s involvement in them being peddled by the right is held only by Republicans — big majorities of them — while most moderates and independents, i.e. the middle of the country, believe the White House’s arguments.”

Paul Brandus: “One reason Republicans are so obsessed with exploiting these ‘scandals’ is because the one issue that Americans truly care about — jobs and the economy — is getting better.”

(Via Pwire.)

How the Boston Attacks Will Shape Our Politics

Interesting points.. on the ramifications of this…

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From Pwire:

“Details are emerging in the Boston Marathon bombing that suggest the case will not only be remembered as a local tragedy, but also one with broad political and economic implications,” Politico reports.

“Authorities believe the two suspects may have ties to Chechnya, news that could rock the debate on immigration reform unfolding in Congress. A police officer in Cambridge died in a shooting, two days after the Senate voted down a gun-control bill. And law enforcement has the city of Boston on lockdown, just as billions in across-the-board spending cuts are hitting local authorities.”

Elizabeth Warren: ‘So I just want to get this straight …’

More of the Warren Show:

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From dailykos:

Elizabeth Warren once again reminds us why we love her, pinning down government banking regulators on why they aren’t telling the public—or even the homeowners in question—more about illegal foreclosures. In what’s becoming a familiar scene, Warren first methodically asks the regulators what they do and don’t know and what they’re actually doing to hold banks accountable or at least let foreclosure victims do so, and then she flatly lays out the implications of what they’ve just told her, making clear how weak the current oversight system is.

The Brain Project.

This Brain Research Project is simply fantastic. Curing diseases and removing fear of a decaying and dysfunctioning brain with age is a great initiative. Props to Obama.

House Of Cards

Just started a new series – Kevin Spacey is fantastic. Dark politics and everything Washington D.C.

A Hot Topic: Climate Change Coming To Classrooms

About time.

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A Hot Topic: Climate Change Coming To Classrooms:

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For the first time, new federal science standards recommend teaching K-12 students about climate change.

By the time today’s K-12 students grow up, the challenges posed by climate change are expected to be severe and sweeping. Now, for the first time, new federal science standards due out this month will recommend that U.S. public school students learn about this climatic shift taking place.

Mark McCaffrey of the National Center for Science Education says the lessons will fill a big gap.

“Only 1 in 5 [students] feel like they’ve got a good handle on climate change from what they’ve learned in school,” he says, adding that surveys show two-thirds of students say they’re not learning much at all about it. “So the state of climate change education in the U.S. is abysmal.”

[…]

(Via News)

U.S. Senate narrowly passes first budget in four years

Wow, seems like America is starting to get going again!!

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Reuters by David Lawder on March 23, 2013

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Senate on Saturday narrowly passed its first federal budget in four years, a move that will usher in a relative lull in Washington’s fiscal wars until an anticipated summer showdown over raising the debt ceiling.

The budget plan passed 50-49 at about 5 a.m. after a marathon voting session in the Democratic-controlled chamber. Four Democratic senators facing tough re-election campaigns in 2014 joined all the Senate Republicans in opposing the measure, which seeks to raise nearly $1 trillion in new tax revenues by closing some tax breaks for the wealthy.