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The House voted unanimously today to condemn last month’s act of vandalism against the Vietnam War Memorial last month. Here’s what Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Texas, had to say about the vandals who tossed an oily substance on the memorial:

I find this vandalism unconsionable and un-American. Why on earth would someone want to reignite the pains of the past? Defacing the wall was the ultimate act of cowardice. … It breaks my heart to think that someone would senselessly harm and deface the names, the honor, the legacies of great patriots” whose names are listed on the memorial.

Categories: Military, Texas, 110th Congress, History, Sam Johnson

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Tribute speeches to state and local heroes are a common occurrence on the House and Senate floors, but few people ever see them. That could change, though, if lawmakers follow the lead of Rep. Steve Cohen, who today posted a tribute speech about an evangelist in Memphis, Tenn., to the YouTube video-sharing site.

“The city of Memphis, Tennessee, has lost one of its finest citizens: Kenneth Whalum Sr.,” said Cohen, D-Tenn. “Kenneth Whalum Sr. passed away last night. He was a pastor; he was a two-time city councilman; he was a father; he was a family man; he was a leader in our community. … There have been few people like Kenneth Whalum Sr. in the city of Memphis; there will be few to come.”

The video already has been viewed by 23 people. Outside of family and friends, that’s probably more than the number who pay attention to such speeches when originally aired on C-SPAN or who read them in the Congressional Record. It’s a fascinating way to move the old-fashioned obituary into the era of online video.

Categories: Tennessee, Steve Cohen, 110th Congress

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The House erupted in chaos late Thursday after a procedural vote that Republicans said they won 215-213, but Democrats said the vote ended in a loss on a 214-214 tie. More than 100 GOP members walked out of the chamber in protest.

The National Republican Congressional Committee put video of the episode online under this description: “Democrats strongarm their vulnerable members into flip-flopping on taxpayer benefits for illegal immigrants as chaos ensues.”

Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., addressed the controversy the next morning in a one-minute floor speech: “I have left the House frustrated; I have left the House encouraged; I have left the House proud; I have left the House not so proud. But I never left the House ashamed before. … The remedy for the House that would solve this problem is to let the vote stand.”

And earlier in the week, Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, accused House Democrats of imposing “martial law to further stifle the voices of those of us in the minority who represent nearly half of the American people.”

Categories: House, Missouri, Ohio, Producer's Picks, Democrats, 110th Congress, Roy Blunt, John Boehner

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Congress is set to begin its annual congressional break this weekend, but a dozen Republican senators being tagged as obstructionists may not find it to be a relaxing vacation.

Americans United for Change and the Campaign for America’s Future today announced plans for a campaign aimed at calling attention to the tactics of those senators in Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia. An online video titled “The Plot To Bury Progress,” featuring actor Jason Alexander (George Costanza of “Seinfeld” fame), is part of the effort.

The campaign targets Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as “Senate Obstruction Leader” and lists 10 specific “obstruction votes.” The broader numbers for the year: 43 “filibusters” in seven months and 31 vetoes threatened by President Bush between May 1 and Aug. 1.

“The Republican minority in the Congress is now planning to use this August recess to rail against the ‘do-nothing’ Congress,” Campaign for America’s Future co-Director Robert Borsage wrote on the group’s blog. “Already the House and Senate minority leaders are trotting out laugh lines about the ‘post-office Congress’ that does nothing but name post offices and launch divisive witch hunts against the administration.

“This is akin to someone mugging the postman and then complaining that the mail isn’t delivered on time. In fact, the Bush White House and Republican minority have pursued a systematic and openly admitted strategy of obstruction.”

Categories: Senate, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Producer's Picks, Mitch McConnell, 110th Congress, Republicans

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Promises kept or broken? That’s the debate Democrats and Republicans in Congress are having these days.

House Republicans made the “broken promises” argument just before lawmakers recessed for Independence Day. At about the same time, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada countered in the Democratic Party’s weekly radio address that he and his colleagues have delivered on their promises in the face of GOP stonewalling.

He cited the drafting of a “balanced budget with tax cuts for working people,” as well as action to increase the minimum wage, extend health insurance to working-class Americans and provide disaster relief for farmers. And he blasted Republicans for blocking moves to bring U.S. troops home from Iraq and to overhaul immigration law.

“In these first six months [of the 110th Congress], we have kept our commitment to make America safer, stronger and more prosperous,” Reid said. “But it’s more than fair to say that the progress we’ve made has not come easy. Too many Republicans have stood in the way of progress instead of helping us lead the way.”

A week later, former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind., called attention to Congress’ failure thus far to fulfill the recommendations of the anti-terrorism commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Roemer, a member of the panel, noted that both chambers of Congress have passed versions of legislation to implement the recommendations, but movement toward a final version has stalled.

“Congress needs to finish the job and get this bill to the president’s desk,” Roemer said. “And to secure the American people, the president must support and sign, this bill, not threaten to veto it.”

Categories: Nevada, Harry Reid, Democrats, 110th Congress

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