• Automaker Bailout

    Auto Bailout Prospects Improve in the Senate – Late Night Session – Reid Hopes for Vote and Passage Tonight; Update: Cloture Vote Fails Bailout is Dead for This Session

    +++++Update+++++

    Cloture Fails 52-35 and Harry Reid says bailout bill is dead for this session. But. Reid prevails upon President Bush to extend financing to automakers from TARP funds starting tomorrow.

    Ford Motor Company employee

    A Ford employee works on the assembly line in Dearborn, Michigan. Lawmakers Wednesday battled over a 15-billion-dollar bailout for the stalled US auto industry amid lingering Republican doubts that the jumpstart is more than a quick fix

    Prospects for an automaker bailout bill passing the United States Senate dimmed this afternoon but to be revived at the last minute tonight.

    Prospects for an auto industry bailout revived in the U.S. Senate on Thursday as surprise negotiations on a compromise moved forward and a vote was possible later in the day.

    Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on the Senate floor that the deal, if struck, “would overwhelmingly pass” the chamber that just hours ago seemed resigned to sending the automakers back to Detroit empty-handed.

    The scenario at the core of the possible compromise was proposed by Sen. Bob Corker, a Tennessee Republican, who would grant loans under stricter conditions than favored by Democrats and the White House.

    “Good faith negotiations are going on as we speak,” Reid said.

    General Motors Corp and Chrysler LLC are seeking billions of dollars in immediate aid, while Ford Motor Co wants a hefty line of credit.

    GM and Chrysler have warned they could collapse without billions in immediate federal intervention. Auto sales have plummeted amid a global economic slowdown.

    The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation on Wednesday. But the Republican minority in the Senate appeared to have more than enough votes to stop the White House-backed legislation with a procedural roadblock.

    In the meantime, Drudge is screaming the General Motors has retained bankruptcy counsel.

    General Motors Corp hired outside advisers to weigh bankruptcy, but the board determined that a filing was not an option for the struggling automaker, a GM spokesman said on Thursday.

    The hiring of outside legal and restructuring advisers by GM was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The newspaper said GM had retained Harvey Miller, a bankruptcy specialist at the New York law firm Weil Gotshal & Manges LP.

    The newspaper also said GM retained restructuring advisers, including William Repko of Evercore Partners, Arthur Newman of Blackstone Group and Jay Alix.

    Last minute, late night, BS, and a sell-out compromise is being worked out in the Senate as Flap writes this post.

    Watch it now and hope the GOP does not sell out its principles again.

    Senator John Ensign is on the floor now (this was a tape). Their currently is a Senate Quorum call while negotiations continue in each caucus.

    Update(s):

    6:30 PM Pacific:

    Officials say Republican and Democratic senators are struggling to resolve one last dispute standing in the way of an emergency bailout for U.S. automakers. The top Senate Democrat says the compromise could see a vote tonight. Majority Leader Harry Reid says the lead Republican architect of the deal is briefing colleagues on its outlines, and Democrats were prepared to move forward on it quickly.

    His announcement came after hours of marathon talks at the Capitol between labor, lawmakers and the auto industry to salvage the Big Three rescue. The talks centered on wage and benefit concessions from the United Auto Workers union as well as debt restructuring by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

    It wasn’t immediately clear what was standing in the way of a final agreement.

    Uh Oh!

    Stay tuned and Follow Flap on Twitter for the latest developments ————>


  • Barack Obama,  Rod Blagojevich,  SEIU,  Valerie Jarrett

    Was the SEIU an Obama – Blagojevich Intermediary for the Senate Seat? Part Two

    Obama and hot rod

    Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and President-Elect Barack Obama

    The New York Times is out with a piece today that dots the I’s and crosses the T’s on the SEIU’s involvment with Hot Rod Blagojevich, Valerie Jarrett and the Obama Transition Team.

    The Service Employees International Union has long boasted that it is on the cutting edge of the labor movement. But it found itself badly embarrassed this week when it was linked by name to Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich’s maneuvering to secure some financial gain from picking the next Senator from Illinois.

    The federal criminal complaint filed against Mr. Blagojevich said his chief of staff, John Harris, had suggested to a service employees’ official that the union should help make the governor the head of Change to Win, the federation of seven unions that broke away from the A.F.L.-C.I.O. The complaint said Mr. Blagojevich was seeking a position that paid $250,000 to $300,000 a year.

    In exchange, the complaint strongly suggested, the service employees union and Change to Win would help persuade Mr. Blagojevich to name Valerie Jarrett, President-elect Barack Obama’s first choice, as the state’s new senator. And the union would get help from the Obama administration, presumably for its legislative agenda.

    Several union officials in Chicago and Washington said that the service employees official approached by Mr. Harris was Tom Balanoff, the president of the union’s giant janitors’ local in Chicago and head of the union’s Illinois state council. Mr. Balanoff, one of the union officials closest to Mr. Obama, is widely seen as an aggressive, successful labor leader, who has helped unionize thousands of janitors not just in the Chicago area but also in Texas.

    Read the entire piece.

    Interesting that the SEIU can be the “DEAL” makers absolving Obama and his staff from any of the dirty business of getting Valerie Jarrett, an Obama friend, appointed to his Senate seat. Plus, there is deniability which Obama did earlier today.

    A surrogate “pay for play” deal maker for BlagoGate.

    Sure beats taking the fall yourself……

    Stay tuned…….

    Previous:

    Barack Obama on BlagoGate:”Absolutely Certain” No Deal Making From Transition Team – But, Who Tipped Off Valerie Jarrett?

    The Blagojevich Private Conference Call, Valerie Jarrett and The Obama Transition Team

    Was the SEIU an Obama – Blagojevich Intermediary for the Senate Seat?


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  • Barack Obama,  Rod Blagojevich,  Valerie Jarrett

    Barack Obama on BlagoGate:”Absolutely Certain” No Deal Making From Transition Team – But, Who Tipped Off Valerie Jarrett?

    Obama reacts to Blagojevich “Pay for Play” Scandal

    Allah does a good job here about documenting what “The One” said today about BlagoGate.

    He never spoke to Blagojevich personally, he insists, and is “absolutely certain” there was no dealmaking by anyone on his team, which is quite an assertion when the facts haven’t been gathered yet.

    The presser was called ostensibly to talk about the economy and introduce Daschle, his new health-care quarterback, but the number of questions about the scandal shows that the media’s got Blago on the brain. Skip ahead to 1:45 for his initial statement about it and then to 13:00 or so for Q&A, including him calling on Blagojevich again to quit. (84 percent of Illinoisans agree.) Highlights come at 15:30, when he tries to contain his glee at being cursed out in the transcripts for refusing to play ball, and then again a minute later when a reporter asks him the question on everyone’s mind. The One, for once, has no easy answers.

    But, who tipped off Valerie Jarrett?

    And, how was Barack Obama involved in her appointment to another position? Somebody on the Obama Transition Staff had to inform Obama and make the switch.

    Was it the Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel?

    Update:

    Here is the transcript of what Barack Obama said this morning:

    Obama: I have never spoken to the governor on this subject. I’m confident that no representatives of mine would have any part of any deals related to this seat. I think the materials released by the U.S. attorney reflect that fact.

    I’ve asked my team to gather the facts of any contacts with the governor’s office about this vacancy so that we can share them with you over the next few days.

    Finally, on this matter, let me say that this Senate seat does not belong to any politician to trade. It belongs to the people of Illinois, and they deserve the best possible representation.

    They also deserve to know that any vacancy will be filled in an appropriate way so that whoever is sent to Washington is going to be fighting for the people of Illinois. I hope and expect that the leaders of the legislature will take these steps to ensure that this is so.

    But, who from the Obama Transition Team warned Valerie Jarrett that Blagojevich wanted a “quid pro quo?” And, were you told?


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  • Barack Obama,  Rod Blagojevich,  Valerie Jarrett

    The Blagojevich Private Conference Call, Valerie Jarrett and The Obama Transition Team

    Valerie-Jarrett-and-Obamawe

    Barack Obama and Valerie Jarrett

    Fox News is reporting this story as breaking news but the Wall Street Journal had this piece last night: Blagojevich’s Big Conference Call and Valerie Jarrett’s Clean Break

    Among the hundreds of hours of conversations involving Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich secretly recorded by the FBI since Oct. 22, one phone call is drawing particular scrutiny among politicos, journalists and others in Washington. It was a marathon conference call on Monday, Nov. 10.

    The call lasted about two hours. On the phone were Mr. Blagojevich, his wife, his general counsel, an unnamed adviser, and John Harris, the governor’s chief of staff and his co-defendant in this week’s case.

    But what’s drawing the most interest is who was on the line from Washington, and the sequence of political events that followed that same night and in the ensuing days regarding Barack Obama’s close friend and adviser, Valerie Jarrett.

    According to the FBI, there were “various Washington, D.C., based advisers” on the call with Mr. Blagojevich & Co., although the Washington callers are not named. The FBI also said participants popped on and off the line throughout the conversation.

    Ok, so who from the Obama Transition Team was on THAT call? Did they report to Rahm Emanuel, Obama’s Chief of Staff?

    In other words, who in the Obama operation knew what was transpiring with “pay to play” and warned off Obama’s friend, Valerie Jarrett?

    Obama needs to come clean about this and NOW.

    Who will “The One” throw under the bus?

    Stay tuned…….


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  • Barack Obama,  Rod Blagojevich

    Updated: Why is Barack Obama Lying About Contact with Hot Rod Blagojevich? Part Two

    During a meeting with former Vice President Al Gore, Barack Obama told reporters that he was not aware of the corruption surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, December 9, 2008

    Why is Barack Obama lying about contact with Illinois Governor Blagojevich? The above video (3:31) shows Obama explicitly stating on December 9, 2008: “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”

    Yet, this photograph of one week previously (December 2, 2008) shows otherwise:

    Obama

    President-elect Barack Obama, right, greets Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich, left, at the Bipartisan meeting of the National Governor’s Association at Congress Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pa. Looking on are Gov. of Indiana., Mitch Daniels, left center, and Gov. of Ohio, Ted Strickland, right center.

    So, say what?

    The question is: Does Patrick Fitzgerald have Obama or close Obama aids on tape discussing Obama’s Senate seat with Hot Rod Blagojevich?

    Certainly, Obama had motive and opportunity to discuss the Senate replacement matter personally with Hot Rod.

    Exit Question: Will Obama be called before the Chicago Grand Jury to answer questions in the matter before the inauguration?

    Stay tuned…..

    Update:

    Now, Ed Morrissey has another photo from Rod Blagojevich’s own newsletter:

    obama-blago3
    Governor Blagojevich confers with now President‐Elect Barack Obama, undated

    Go over to the Volokh Conspiracy and look at their timeline of events and see despite Obama’s denials that the actions of all the parties, including those purporting to speak for Obama, are consistent with Obama and his staff learning about Blagojevich’s corrupt plans on Monday, Nov. 10.

    Stay tuned……


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  • Barack Obama,  Rod Blagojevich

    Why is Barack Obama Lying About Contact with Hot Rod Blagojevich?

    During a meeting with former Vice President Al Gore, Barack Obama told reporters that he was not aware of the corruption surrounding Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, December 9, 2008

    Why is Barack Obama lying about contact with Illinois Governor Blagojevich? The above video (3:31) shows Obama explicitly stating on December 9, 2008: “I had no contact with the governor or his office and so we were not, I was not aware of what was happening.”

    Yet, this photograph of one week previously (December 2, 2008) shows otherwise:

    Obama

    President-elect Barack Obama, right, greets Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich, left, at the Bipartisan meeting of the National Governor’s Association at Congress Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008 in Philadelphia, Pa. Looking on are Gov. of Indiana., Mitch Daniels, left center, and Gov. of Ohio, Ted Strickland, right center.

    So, say what?

    The question is: Does Patrick Fitzgerald have Obama or close Obama aids on tape discussing Obama’s Senate seat with Hot Rod Blagojevich?

    Certainly, Obama had motive and opportunity to discuss the Senate replacement matter personally with Hot Rod.

    Exit Question: Will Obama be called before the Chicago Grand Jury to answer questions in the matter before the inauguration?

    Stay tuned…..


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  • Harry Reid,  Las Vegas

    Harry Reid Jeopardy: Las Vegas Casino Revenues Tumble Again

    Holder and Reid

    U.S. Attorney General nominee Eric Holder (L) meets with Senate Majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) on Capitol Hill in Washington, December 9, 2008

    Las Vegas Casinos are in trouble with tumbling gaming revenues.

    It just went from bad to worse.

    Nevada gaming revenues tumbled 22.3 percent in October, the single largest monthly drop in state history and the 10th straight month gaming revenues have fallen in the Silver State. For the year, gaming revenues are down 8.3 percent statewide.

    Casinos statewide won just under $905 million during October, compared with $1.165 billion in October 2007, according to figures released Wednesday by the Gaming Control Board. The figure was the lowest statewide one-month total since April 2005.

    Compounding the matter was the comparison with the statewide gaming win total from a year ago. The October 2007 figure was the single-largest monthly win in state history.

    On the Strip, gaming revenues were $475 million, a drop of 25.8 percent compared with $639.9 million a year ago. Analysts looking at the figures said gamblers wagered less but won at an above-average percentage rate.

    Democrat Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is up for re-election in 2010 and the GOP would love to defeat him as they did Democrat Tom Daschle in South Dakota when he was Majority Leader.

    Most of Reid’s base of voter support is in Clark County (Las Vegas area), based upon the clout of the large casino employee unions.

    Should the economy NOT improve and should there be continuing problems with home foreclosures in Southern Nevada, Reid could be in trouble.

    The Nevada GOP should be recruiting a good candidate to challenge Reid post haste.


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  • Gay Marriage

    California Proposition 8 Aftermath: California Voters Dying Paves the Way for Gay Marriage

    Yes on prop 8 400

    Flap has NEVER read such a ridiculous piece of advocacy journalism for gay marriage – if you can call this scribble journalism.

    The thesis is older people voted against gay marriage and demographics say they will die, therefore gay marriage will eventually pass –  and in 2010.

    Stupid advocacy with logical fallacies abounding.

    Move along……


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  • Barack Obama,  Day By Day,  Rod Blagojevich

    Day By Day by Chris Muir December 11, 2008 – Ruling on the Ruling

    Day By Day 121108

    Day by Day by Chris Muir

    When Illinois Governor Hot Rod Blagojevich starts to flip to the Feds to save his own ass, more Chicago scandals WILL see the light of day.

    How will this affect President-Elect Obama?

    Well, Michelle Obama is purportedly named in the complaint against Hot Rod and who on Obama’s staff will have been caught on tape talking to him or Blagojevich’s staff?

    This Flap will not be going away anytime soon and then there is Tony Rezko, Blagojevich’s bag man.

    Previous:

    The Day By Day Archive


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  • Del.icio.us Links

    links for 2008-12-11

    • U.S. House lawmakers as early as today are likely to approve a $15 billion automaker bailout plan that will run into Republican stalling tactics in the Senate and the opposition of at least one Democrat.

      “It will pass the House, the question is will Senate Republicans block this,” said Representative Earl Pomeroy, a North Carolina Democrat.

      In the Senate, the Democrats aren’t completely united. Democrat Max Baucus of Montana, the chairman of the Finance Committee, said he will oppose the legislation.

      (tags: bailout)
    • The UN global warming conference currently underway in Poland is about to face a serious challenge from over 650 dissenting scientists from around the globe who are criticizing the climate claims made by the UN IPCC and former Vice President Al Gore. Set for release this week, a newly updated U.S. Senate Minority Report features the dissenting voices of over 650 international scientists, many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN. The report has added about 250 scientists (and growing) in 2008 to the over 400 scientists who spoke out in 2007. The over 650 dissenting scientists are more than 12 times the number of UN scientists (52) who authored the media hyped IPCC 2007 Summary for Policymakers.
      ++++++
      But but it is Al Gore and he invented the internet!
    • We haven't gotten the whole story on this. We know the Obama camp didn't want to play ball with Blagojevich, and that's reassuring. But who heard what from the corrupt governor? What was the response? Did anyone go to Fitzgerald or the FBI? And who gave Blago his answer that all he would get in return was "appreciation"?
      ++++++
      The tape what is on the tape?
    • From the evening of Nov. 10 until yesterday, Blagojevich, Obama, and his transition team acted in ways that are consistent with a knowledge of Blagojevich’s bribery attempt and a rejection of that attempt. What doesn't fit easily with the timeline is Obama's statement yesterday.

      It should be noted that it is not a crime to fail to report a bribery attempt. The federal misprision of felony statute would seem to make it a federal crime to fail to report a federal felony…
      +++++++
      Smells like a cover-up.

      (tags: barack_obama)
    • Outraged by California voters’ ban on same-sex marriage, a new wave of advocates, shaken out of a generational apathy, have pushed to the forefront of the gay rights movement, using freshly minted grass-roots groups and embracing not only new technologies but also old-school methods like sit-ins and sickouts.
      ++++++
      More confrontational and less effective. The Yes on 8 campaign was very wired into new media. More so than gay marriage proponents.