Contempt for Congress
Charlie Rangel says he was denied due process because he walked out of his ethics hearing and wasn’t there to defend himself. After spending $2 million of his campaign funds on legal council he decided things had gone far enough when it came to his own money. The ethics panel found him guilty.
All Ears
Mitch McConnell has signed on to Republican plans to end earmarks. The last time they were in power, the earmark habit got the GOP thrown out on their ears.
Smoke and Mirrors
The FDA plans to require cigarette manufacturers to place large images on each pack showing the wages of smoking. The images include a toe tag on a corpse, cancerous lungs, gums, and smoke exiting a hole in a cancer patient’s throat. Some tobacco companies have sued claiming the mandate is a first amendment violation.
Staying Power
Nancy Pelosi seems to think nothing is changing except her job title – from “Speaker of the House” to “Minority Leader”. Not all members of her party are going with the flow. Mike Quigley of Illinois tells the Boston Globe she’s “politically toxic”.
My political pledge – no more melting metaphors. UPDATE: Here’s a good explainer by David Broder about how the Democratic leadership changed its rules to avoid change.
Not Quite the Worst Person In the World
Keith Olbermann was suspended indefinitely from MSNBC for making a total of $7200 in campaign contributions to three Democratic candidates. Upon further review it was determined there were no blows to the head and his suspension was reduced to 2 days. Everybody had something to say about this, I thought Michael Kinsley said it as well as anyone in Politico.
