ST. PAUL — This is the city of the Republican convention, but the biggest news tonight, at the end of the first full day of festivities, was the keynote speech delivered by a former Democrat — and not just any Democrat but the one who ran for vice president eight years ago.
Connecticut Sen. Joseph Lieberman, now an independent after being defeated in a re-election primary two years ago,
Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of this kind of senseless partisanship. George Washington himself — in his Farewell Address to our country — warned that the “spirit of party” is “the worst enemy” of our democracy and “enfeebles” our government’s ability to do its job.
George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is — today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name. And that brings me directly to why I am here tonight. What, after all, is a Democrat like me doing at a Republican convention like this?
The answer is simple. I’m here to support John McCain because country matters more than party. I’m here tonight because John McCain is the best choice to bring our country together and lead our country forward. I’m here because John McCain’s whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important. But it is not more important than being an American.
Both presidential candidates this year talk about changing the culture of Washington, about breaking through the partisan gridlock and special interests that are poisoning our politics. But only one of them has actually done it. Only one leader has shown the courage and the capability to rise above the smallness of our politics to get big things done for our country and our people.
Federal income-tax returns are due to the Internal Revenue Service, making this week a politically opportune time for Congress to debate tax issues.
The House today debated a “taxpayer assistance” bill that would end the private collection of federal taxes, strengthen taxpayer protections from identity theft and tax fraud, stop federal contractors from using foreign subsidiaries to evade Social Security and other employment taxes, simplify the reporting of cellular telephone taxes, and expand tax help for low-income taxpayers.
Democrats who spoke in favor of the bill included Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, Brad Ellsworth of Indiana and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois.
Today’s caucuses in Iowa marked the end of the longshot presidential runs by two of the four U.S. senators in the race. Joseph Biden Jr. of Delaware and Christopher Dodd of Connecticut barely registered in the first vote of the year. Here are their farewell speeches:
Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut is leading the charge against a proposal to grant telecommunications companies retroactive immunity for helping the Bush administration spy on terrorist suspects without first getting warrants. The Democratic presidential candidate has vowed to filibuster a bill with such language if necessary.
Dodd explained his opposition to telecom immunity today in a live chat on the blog Firedoglake. He answered questions in the chat via a live video feed from Iowa, the home of the first presidential caucus.
Dodd criticized Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee for joining Republicans last week in backing retroactive immunity for telecom firms that disclosed information about their customers. He praised the firms that Qwest Communications International that reportedly refused to help the administration without warrants.
“I just find that shocking and reprehensible,” he said of the firms that participated in the spying efforts. “This is yet one further beat of the drumbeat that’s going on here with this administration to trample on the constitutional rights of Americans.”
Federal policy is not a passion for many college students, but the House Education and Labor Committee hopes to make them passionate about at least one bill that President Bush signed into law Thursday.
The legislation would increase funding for Pell Grants to college by $11.4 billion over five years and boost the maximum award from $4,310 to $5,400 over that time period. Grants would be available year-round.
The interest rate on student loans also would be cut in half, saving an average of more than $4,000 per borrower. And people in the military or leaving it could defer loan payments under certain circumstances.
The benefits won’t do any good if students don’t know about them, though, and the committee has opted for a little online creativity in spreading the word. It has created a video with the feel of an online dating service.
“I’ll be honest: I’m into college students,” says a student holding a mock $4,400 check signed by “Congressional Democrats.” “I’m not looking for anything exclusive. I’d just like to get with as many students as I can.”
Here are Bush’s comments about the law at the White House bill-signing ceremony:
UPDATE, 9/30: The Education and Labor Committee also created videos with three panel Democrats — Joe Courtney of Connecticut, Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania — to tout the new law.
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