Brown and Kaptur Seem Surprised, Kucinich Saw it Coming

Obama backs away from reforming free trade deal
By: Susan Ferrechio
Chief Congressional Correspondent
The Washington Examiner
05/17/09 8:30 PM EDT

Congressional Democrats from economically struggling regions are getting frustrated as President Barack Obama backs away from campaign promises to renegotiate NAFTA.


"I’m disappointed,” Brown said. “There is pent-up demand for a new approach that starts with fixing what is not working, including NAFTA.”




Obama not only verbally promised voters there a NAFTA re-do, he did it in writing. “Bad Trade Deals Hit Ohio Harder Than Most States and Only Barack Obama Consistently Opposed NAFTA,” declared an Obama campaign leaflet picturing a shuttered factory.

“He made those statements in the Youngstown area,” Kaptur recalled. “And when these words are heard, they mean something. Now people are waiting for the results of that.”




“There is no way the Obama administration is going to reopen NAFTA,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate and staunch opponent of the trade agreement. “The candidates always say that.”



Congressional Democrats from economically struggling regions are getting frustrated as President Barack Obama backs away from campaign promises to renegotiate NAFTA.

“I am greatly disappointed that the administration seems to have backpedaled on trade, specifically on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement,” said Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine., who says his state has lost thousands of jobs because of NAFTA. “President Obama campaigned on this issue, and I’m disappointed that he’s walking away from that commitment.”

Just last month, Obama’s trade representative, Ron Kirk, backed off the much tougher stance on the 15-year-old trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada that the president took last year as he vied for votes in some of the most economically depressed areas of the country.

“The president has said we will look at all options,” Kirk told reporters in April. “But I think they can be addressed without having to reopen the agreement.”

Kirk’s statement dealt a blow to senators such as Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., who blame NAFTA for destroying the manufacturing economies in their states.

“I’m disappointed,” Brown said. “There is pent-up demand for a new approach that starts with fixing what is not working, including NAFTA.”

Kirk’s words also surprised Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, who accompanied candidate Obama last year though places like Youngstown and Toledo, which she says have been devastated by cheap Mexican imports.

When Obama was trying unsuccessfully to close the gap on Hillary Clinton in the 2008 Ohio Democratic primary, he pushed hard against the trade agreement Clinton’s husband had championed.

Obama not only verbally promised voters there a NAFTA re-do, he did it in writing. “Bad Trade Deals Hit Ohio Harder Than Most States and Only Barack Obama Consistently Opposed NAFTA,” declared an Obama campaign leaflet picturing a shuttered factory.

“He made those statements in the Youngstown area,” Kaptur recalled. “And when these words are heard, they mean something. Now people are waiting for the results of that.”

In December, Obama decided to appoint Kirk to the job of U.S. trade representative. The former mayor of Dallas is a vocal supporter of NAFTA, as trade with Mexico has created jobs in Texas and a steady stream of truck traffic through his city.

In February, anti-NAFTA Democrats bent Obama’s ear on the matter at the Democratic retreat in Williamsburg, Va. To their horror, one witness said, Obama listened to their arguments, then simply blurted out “We can’t stop trade.”

An undeterred Democrat responded, “The option isn’t no trade, it’s balanced trade.”

But as comprehensive reform for health care and energy consume the legislative calendar, optimism for a NAFTA rewrite is fading.

“There is no way the Obama administration is going to reopen NAFTA,” said Rep. Dennis Kucinich, a former Democratic presidential candidate and staunch opponent of the trade agreement. “The candidates always say that.” Click Here to Read More..

Kaptur VS Considine

Marcy Kaptur explodes at AIG trustee
By EAMON JAVERS | 5/13/09 7:10 PM EDT

Read more: "Marcy Kaptur explodes at AIG trustee - Eamon Javers - POLITICO.com

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) grilled members of AIG’s board of trustees during a hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Wednesday – but the real fireworks started when the hearing ended.

Approached by AIG trustee Jill Considine after the hearing had been gaveled to a close, Kaptur unleashed a burst of anger, alleging that AIG is sending money to banks and other institutions that are exploiting her constituents.

Standing just a foot or two from Considine, Kaptur said, “You are defending the worst-behaving corporations that are too big and too irresponsible.”

“They hire outside people to come in and rape us,” Kaptur said, her voice rising. “It’s outrageous.”

Chastened, Considine did not respond, instead folding her hands until Kaptur left the room.

Earlier, the two women had another head to head battle over Considine’s role as chairwoman of a Bermuda-based company that provides administrative services to offshore hedge funds.

Considine is one of three trustees appointed by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to control the roughly 77 percent of AIG stock purchased by the taxpayers. But she also chairs the board of a Bermuda-based company that administers offshore hedge funds, called Butterfield Fulcrum Group. Who, Kaptur wanted to know, are that firm’s clients?

“Mainly hedge funds,” responded Considine.

Which ones? asked Kaptur, pressing for names.

“Very small, that wouldn’t be on your radar screen,” said Considine.

“Pick two,” said Kaptur.

“We are a private company and usually don’t come out with the names of our clients,” Considine said. “It’s not a U.S. company, it’s incorporated in Bermuda, its senior management is in the U.K.”

President Barack Obama has targeted offshore hedge funds as tax shelters for the wealthy. Asked whether her company’s business practices are at odds with Obama’s rhetoric, Considine said her company is perfectly legitimate. “What we're talking about is a global company that was actually founded in Bermuda,” she said. “It’s not one of these companies that just went there.”

Throughout the hearing, members of Congress of both parties struggled to understand who the trustees are and where their loyalties lie. At issue was whether they represent the interests of the American people as they say, or instead report to the Federal Reserve Board of New York, which is itself controlled by a board of directors heavily stocked with Wall Street banks. Many of the committee members seemed skeptical that the trustees were as independent of the Fed and the U.S. Treasury as they claimed to be.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) wanted to know whether the trustees release minutes of their weekly meetings.

Chester Feldberg, who served as a Federal Reserve Bank employee for 36 years and is now an AIG trustee, said the minutes of the trustees meetings are released to the New York Fed. But he said he was unsure whether he could send the minutes along to Congress.

“It is my understanding that the minutes belong to the Federal Reserve,” Feldberg said.

Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) pronounced himself a skeptic of the creation of the AIG Trust in the first place. “It is inappropriate for shadowy regulators and bureaucrats to use any legal sleight-of-hand to obscure their influence in running the U.S. financial sector,” he said.

After more than an hour of questioning the AIG trustees, Chairman Edolphus Towns (D-N.Y.) threw up his hands in confusion. “It’s not clear to me and the other members exactly what you do,” he said.
Click Here to Read More..

Kucinich Rattling the AIG Cage!

Kucinich: This is NOT acceptable, Mr. Liddy. I'm not going to let you get away with it!

Click Here to Read More..

Kucinich: Talk to Iran before sanctions

Kucinich: Talk to Iran before sanctions

Thu, 14 May 2009 01:39:04 GMT

US lawmaker and former presidential contender Dennis Kucinich says the US must try diplomacy in dealing with Iran before pushing for more sanctions.

The Ohio Congressman from the Democratic Party told Press TV that the US has not the right to toughen sanctions on Iran before exhausting diplomatic ways. "I think it's important to engage in diplomacy with Iran we haven't tried it, why wouldn't we try diplomacy before we take other steps," he said.

The Obama administration seems to be pushing any deal with Iran to oblivion, as the State Department is following in the Bush administration's footsteps.

The liberal-wing of the Democratic Party, however, is entirely opposing more sanctions on Iran or pushing for "a regime change" in the country.

Kucinich added the US was going on with "a wrong policy" on Iran.

Rep. Brad Sherman, (D)-California believes that the US must slap more sanctions on Iran saying, "the time is ticking" for Iran's nuclear program and more sanctions are required in dealing with the country.

While the US says it is willing to change its approach towards Iran a group of lawmakers are pushing for a package of tougher sanctions which might include restrictions on selling gasoline to Iran.
Click Here to Read More..

House Republican Leader Calls on Obama to Fire Adviser Who Attacked Catholic Church

Obama has proven that he is not a fan of Free Speech. Remember when the Obama Campaign lawyers threatened Ohio T.V. Stations that their FCC license would be revoked if they ran a T.V. commercial produced by the National Rifle Association (NRA)which revealed Obama's voting record on gun control.

There is no provision in Article II of the Constitution—the article that created the Office of the Presidency—that allows the president to create any such thing as a faith-based initiative program or a so-called Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

House Republican Leader Calls on Obama to Fire Adviser Who Attacked Catholic Church
Thursday, May 14, 2009
By Fred Lucas, Staff Writer

“Harry Knox is a hate-filled antithesis of this noble objective” of the advisory council, the letter says. “Knox is a virulent anti-Catholic bigot, and has made numerous vile and dishonest attacks against the Church and the Holy Father. He has no business on any council having to do with faith or religion.”

(CNSNews.com) – House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) joined nearly two dozen other prominent American Catholics on Wednesday in calling for President Barack Obama to fire a White House adviser who has attacked the Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI.

Boehner is the most high-profile public official so far to speak out against the appointment of Harry Knox to the President’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

Knox is director of the Faith and Religion Program at the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a homosexual rights organization. Among other things, Knox has accused the pope of “hurting people in the name of Jesus” of "morally reprehensible" behavior and of "blatant falsehoods." He has accused the Catholic Church of "insulting" Jesus.


Rep. Thaddeus McCotter (R-Mich.) also signed the letter, which was released Wednesday.

In recent weeks, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) has criticized Knox for his attacks on the Catholic Church, and Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind) has called on the president to remove Knox from his advisory council.

Obama, who named Knox to the council on April 6, said that his faith-based program would “bring everyone together from both the secular and the faith-based communities.”

However, a May 13 letter from lay Catholic leaders said Knox does not fit that criteria, citing numerous examples of harsh comments Knox has made about the church, the pope, the bishops, and the Knights of Columbus.

“Harry Knox is a hate-filled antithesis of this noble objective” of the advisory council, the letter says. “Knox is a virulent anti-Catholic bigot, and has made numerous vile and dishonest attacks against the Church and the Holy Father. He has no business on any council having to do with faith or religion.”

The letter gives President Obama the benefit of the doubt on whether he has thus far been aware of Knox’s attacks on the pope and the church. However, the letter suggests that the president must act on Knox now that he has been made aware of his adviser's attacks on the Roman Catholic faith.

“As Catholics, we call on you to remove Mr. Knox from his position and to formally disassociate yourself from his militant anti-Catholicism. Failure to do so will result in the tainting of your Faith-Based Council--and indeed, your entire administration--as anti-Catholic.”

“As a leading Catholic lawmaker, Rep. Boehner felt it was important to weigh in, in condemning the abusive rhetoric this appointee has used towards the church and the pope,” Boehner spokesman Michael Steel told CNSNews.com.

The letter calling Obama’s attention to Knox's anti-Catholic statements comes just days before Obama is set to give the commencement speech and receive an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Notre Dame, one of the most well-known and most prestigious Catholic universities in America. The impending speech and honorary degree have sparked immense controversy.

The White House did not respond to written questions about Knox from CNSNews.com yesterday. Nor did the White House respond to earlier requests from CNSNews.com to comment about a statement by Knox that the pope was a "discredited leader."

Neither Knox nor the Human Rights Campaign responded to inquiries from CNSNews.com on Wednesday.

Knox, however, did speak with Newsmax on Wednesday. Concerning the letter from Boehner and other Catholics, Knox said: “It’s clearly not the truth.”

"I love the Catholic Church and love my Catholic sisters and brothers very much,” Knox said. “I have a tremendous amount of respect for the Roman Catholic Church and for all the good that it does. I do think that we have a real disagreement about the role of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people, both in the role of the church and in the role of public service."

L. Brent Bozell III, president of the Media Research Center, the parent organization of CNSNews.com, was one of the signers of the letter. Concerning Knox’s comment about loving the Catholic Church, Bozell said: “If Harry Knox truly loved the Catholic Church, the first thing he’d do is formally and publicly apologize to the Holy Father for his anti-Catholic bigotry.”

In addition to Boehner, McCotter, and Bozell, the letter was signed by Judie Brown, president of the American Life League; Larry Cirignano, founder of CatholicVote.org; Eileen Cubanski, executive director of the National Association of Private Catholic and Independent Schools; Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights; Chuck Donovan, executive director of the Family Research Council; Deacon Keith A. Fournier, editor-in-chief of Catholic Online and founder of Common Good; Deal W. Hudson, director of InsideCatholic.com; Phillip F. Lawler, editor of Catholic World News; Leonard Leo, president of the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast; Tom McClusky, vice president of government affairs for the Family Research Council; Kate O’Beirne, president of the National Review Institute; Thomas Peters of the American Papist Blog; Al Regnery, publisher of The American Spectator; Patrick J. Reilly, president of the Cardinal Newman Society; Charles Rice, professor emeritus at Notre Dame Law School; Austin Ruse, president of the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute; Phyllis Schlafly, president of Eagle Forum; Fr. Robert Sirico, president of the Acton Institute and Richard Viguerie, president of American Target Advertising.

“I don’t care about people who criticize the Catholic Church on public policy issues, let them have at it,” Donohue said. “But Knox is not content to disagree. He must demonize. He says the pope is not simply wrong about condoms, he implies he is lying.”

On March 17, in a statement published on the HRC Web site, Knox wrote: “The Pope’s statement that condoms don’t help control the spread of HIV, but rather condoms increase infection rates, is hurting people in the name of Jesus. … On a continent where millions of people are infected with HIV, it is morally reprehensible to spread such blatant falsehoods.

“The Pope’s rejection of scientifically proven prevention methods is forcing Catholics in Africa to choose between their faith and the health of their entire community. Jesus was about helping the marginalized and downtrodden, not harming them further,” Knox wrote. (See Previous Story)

On March 19, the San Francisco Bay Area Reporter quoted Knox as saying, “The Knights of Columbus do a great deal of good in the name of Jesus Christ, but in this particular case [Proposition 8], they were foot soldiers of a discredited army of oppression.”

Proposition 8 was a California ballot initiative--which passed in November--that amended the state constitution there to define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

The Bay Area Reporter further reported that Knox said the Knights of Columbus “followed discredited leaders,” including bishops and Pope Benedict XVI. ‘A pope who literally today said condoms don’t help in control of AIDS.’”

Knox made several other comments in opposition to the pope and the church.

In 2007, when a Catholic bishop in Wyoming decided that a lesbian couple advocating same-sex marriage should not receive communion, Knox accused the Catholic Church of "insulting" Jesus.

"In this holy Lenten season, it is immoral and insulting to Jesus to use the body and blood of Christ the reconciler as a weapon to silence free speech and demean the love of a committed, legally married couple,” Knox said in a written statement posted on the Human Rights Campaign Web site. Knox also accused the church of an "act of spiritual and emotional violence" against the lesbian couple.

When the Catholic Church refused in December to support a United Nations resolution that would have equated all sexual orientations--and, in the view of the church, created an instrument to pressure nations into legalize same-sex marriage--Knox accused the church of indicating that violence against homosexuals was acceptable.

“By refusing to sign a basic statement opposing inhumane treatment of LGBT people, the Vatican is sending a message that violence and human rights abuses against LGBT people are acceptable," said Knox in a document posted on the Human Rights Campaign Web site. He declared the church's position on this UN resolution an "immoral stance in the name of religion.”

On April 6, the day Knox was named to the council, he told CNSNews.com: “The Pope needs to start telling the truth about condom use. We are eager to help him do that. Until he is willing to do that and able, he’s doing a great deal more harm than good--not just in Africa but around the world. It is endangering people’s lives.”

Donovan said he would expect similar outrage if a presidential appointee insulted another religion.

“We would be similarly concerned if there was a Christian or Catholic member of the council who publicly said a Synagogue had no right to have a bar mitzvah for a particular young person,” Donovan said. “It is simply inappropriate and it indicates that this gentleman, for whatever reason, is not aware of boundaries.”

Bozell said Knox’s appointment would essentially mean he is speaking for the federal government.

“We are working on the presumption that the president didn’t know about this man--as improbable as it may be in the vetting process that none of these statements, that are so easy to come by, were available to those who would vet,” Bozell said.

"They are now public comments and they are part of the public record. There is no longer any excuse on the part of the president not to act on this,” Bozell added.

Regnery said the Knox appointment goes against what Obama promised in forming the faith-based office.

"Certainly, having someone like Harry Knox on that committee does not do anything to bring people together,” Regnery said.
Click Here to Read More..

Way to Grow the Government

In this time of recession, many workers are facing either taking a cut in pay, or a cut in benefits or even losing their job altogether. There is one stark contrast to the losses that every wage earning Ohioan faces, that is the gains in government.

As income for hard working Ohioans shrinks, jobs disappear and homes are foreclosed, the government is increasing pay and hiring more staff.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray boosts staff and payroll
Posted by Reginald Fields/Plain Dealer Bureau Chief May 10, 2009 21:00PM
Categories: Open, Real Time News

COLUMBUS -- During his first three months in office, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray increased the size of the staff and raised the agency's payroll by nearly 5 percent, while the state's revenue dropped sharply and the governor pleaded for spending restraints.

The increases can partly be attributed to the fact that Cordray, who had been state treasurer, hired 42 people from that office to join him at the attorney general's office and gave all but two of them pay raises.

Between Jan. 3, the weekend before he took office, and April 11, the Democrat hired 131 people, while 79 employees quit or were fired during that period.

The office payroll per two-week pay period increased from $4.4 million in early January to $4.7 million -- a 4.6 percent jump in three months.

Cordray says the numbers don't tell the whole story, and that he has taken steps to eliminate positions, lower salaries and reduce overtime to address the state's financial difficulties.

Ohio's finances have been circling the drain. The state is struggling with plummeting tax revenues that have blown a hole in the current budget and have left lawmakers with another gap to fill as they plan for the next two-year budget.

Gov. Ted Strickland in April again urged state agencies and executive offices to comply with his written order from January 2008 to limit, not increase, payroll expenses.

But Cordray made dozens of hires, largely out of necessity after taking over an office riddled with vacancies following a sexual harassment scandal that led to the resignation of former Attorney General Marc Dann last May.

As a separate office not directly under the governor's administration, Cordray is not bound by Strickland's call for spending restraints. But the attorney general said he is sensitive to the state's budget troubles.

"We have eliminated a number of vacancies," Cordray said. "We've had to absorb budget cuts, so we are not going to fill some of those."

The attorney general said he took office with 177 vacancies and has since permanently eliminated 43 positions. He also lowered the top end pay for the office from $149,000 to $125,000 a year. And he said he is lowering overtime costs.

"Do we have more employees than we did in January? Yes," Cordray said. "But is that a fair comparison? I don't think so."

After The Plain Dealer inquired, Cordray said his office is now calculating payroll differently, too, eliminating certain "fees and processing costs." That brought the payroll figure to just below $4.4 million at the end of April, but it will fluctuate, he said.

A similar cost adjustment intended to lower the payroll figure was not made, however, for the January payroll numbers released by his office, making a direct comparison difficult.

Cordray, who was elected in November to finish Dann's vacated term, has also been generous with the pay he offered his newly acquired staffers, especially those most loyal to him.

For example, his top media representative, Holly Hollingsworth, earns $98,000 a year. The highest earner in that position under Dann and his appointed successor, Attorney General Nancy Rogers, earned $75,000.

Cordray, who is up for re-election next year, noted that he has three people working directly with the media while Dann had four. He also said the communications job at the attorney general's office is tougher than at the treasurer's office.

And the person directing communications for Cordray, Leesa Brown, who also handled communications for his campaign last year, earns $115,000 annually. The equivalent position under Dann paid $102,000, and Rogers' acting director made $75,000.

Cordray explained that Brown, whose title is executive director of policy and public affairs, has more duties and supervises more people than her predecessors.

The job still oversees external communications, constituent services and media relations but now also includes more outreach services and policy research.

In addition to Hollingsworth, Brown manages employees with titles like senior new media designer and senior new media strategist. Some of the titles did not exist prior to Cordray; others did but were shifted from other sections in the office.

Cordray brought along 42 employees from the treasurer's office -- including Hollingsworth and Brown -- and gave all but two raises. Twenty-three of them got a hike of 5 percent or better, including a dozen who got at least a 10 percent pay bump.

"If they had broader duties here than in the treasury, then I took that into account. I think there were minor salary adjustments for a lot of people," said Cordray, who doesn't believe money was the determining factor for most of those employees.

"I don't think I had to lure people over to the attorney general's office," Cordray said. "People who wanted to work for me came to work for me." Click Here to Read More..