By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) talks with Ron Brownstein of the National Journal at a breakfast on Capitol Hill. Reid, President Barack Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden all said that they would personally support Arlen Specter in his 2010 election. Reid said that support was not conditional.

“I’m not going to be in a forever, never position, but the facts are that [Specter is] going to vote with us most of the time,” Reid Said. “I can’t foresee him doing anything that would be so mean spirited that Obama, Biden, and Reid would turn against him.” (00:44)

 

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By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
One-time giant Chrysler filed for bankruptcy protection today, but President Obama says he has every confidence it will emerge from this process stronger and more competitive.

After speaking with the President today, U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) said that the auto industry is important to the U.S. defense industrial base and the economic power of Northern Ohio. “Most important are the 30,000 jobs saved at Chrysler,” said Kaptur.

Kaptur said that the auto industry was brought down by Wall Street and it deserves to flourish. “The government will stand behind the working capital for Chrysler in the form of working capital and loans,” said Kaptur.

Striking comparison with other bailouts, Kaptur said that if you look at who got the big money, “the AIG gets 70 billion, one company?” She went on to say that TARP should have been opened up for vehicle sales
and for the financing of dealership showroom floors. Instead, there was a total credit strangle hold, which still is impacting this industry, and unemployment started to tick up all across the country.

The federal bankruptcy court will ultimately determine Chrysler’s immediate future, but Jeeps might still get a chance to four-wheel over mountains.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

“We all have an inherent right to self defense in international waters,” according to Senator Jim Webb (D-VA). This remark came out of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing that saw testimony from Richard Phillips, Captain of the Maersk Alabama. Phillips received international media attention several weeks ago while being held hostage by pirates off of the coast of Somalia.

Both the Senators and the witnesses acknowledged that Piracy off of the coast of Somalia has been on the rise recently. Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) said that America’s “ability to project naval power and to help ensure the free passage of goods and humanitarian aid is as important as ever.”

Phillips acknowledged that more needs to be done to secure vessels of the merchant marine, specifically arming the crew.

“In my opinion, arming the crew cannot and should not be viewed as the best or ultimate solution to the problem. At most, arming the crew should only be one component of a comprehensive plan and approach to combat piracy,” he said.

The comprehensive approach the committee discussed could include increased U.S. Navy presence in the most dangerous areas, the creation of a protected corridor that civilian ships can travel within, the rooting out of pirates in their land based sanctuaries and the “hardening” of ships, to make the ships structurally more resistant to pirates. “Hardening” measures include razor wire on railings, fire hoses to repel the pirates, and unbolting ladders that lead onto the boat. Phillips does not believe this will stop the pirates, but rather, that they will find a way to adapt.

Maersk Chaiman John Clancey, also present at the hearing, does not believe that arming the crews is a good idea.

“Our belief is that arming merchant sailors may result in the acquisition of even more lethal weapons and tactics by the pirates, a race that merchant sailors cannot win. In addition, most ports of call will not permit the introduction of forearms into their national waters,” Clancey said.

Clancey also posed that greater liability may be assumed by the companies if sailors are traveling with weapons. Neither Chairman Kerry nor Phillips felt that this argument was strong, because of the intense amount of training that mariners go through already. Kerry, a former member of the U.S. Navy, feels that the benefits outweigh the risks, and that multinational agreements can be reached to work out the issue of bringing weapons into port.

Richard Phillips is scheduled to testify next week before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

This morning at a press conference on Capitol Hill, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed the public on the H1N1 flu and the ‘Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights that is being voted on today.

Pelosi said the recent outbreaks of the swine flu are a high concern and advised people to use common sense.

“Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands,” said Pelosi.

Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) also attended the conference and spoke about the ‘Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights Act of 2009”
saying that it will provide consumers protection from consumer fraud and deception.

Maloney said that the bill will help level the playing field between credit card issuers and consumers and will ban some abuses like raising interest rates on existing balances and double cycle billing where they are charging interest rates or balances that have already been paid.

“This bill will provide 45 days notice if they’re going to raise an interest rate going forward so consumers can move on to another card, putting more competition into the system. It stops many of the tricks and traps of changing the terms and changing the due dates that trap consumers and very importantly, it stops the any time, any reason, the unrelated activity which they then say cause a rate increase and it will help many many consumers,” said Maloney.

Maloney called Molly Gordy, a working mom who lives in Manhattan and has two credit cards, a model consumer.

Gordy who has always paid her credit card bills on time recently received a notice from her card company that the interest rate on her card would increase from 13 percent to 19 percent on her existing balance along with new purchases.

“I called and yelled at the company and asked them ‘Why are they doing this? This is not what I signed up for!’ The customer service representative told me ‘Its because of the tough economy.’ That made me really mad because when I lost my job a few years back they didn’t
lower my rate.”

A week later Gordy says she received another letter from a different division from the same company offering her a new credit card with a zero percent interest on balanced transfers for the next 16 months.

“I had to laugh, well one part of the company is telling me there is no money to lend to me, as an existing customer, another party is offering me free lending as a new customer. In my world we call that bait and switch…. If I make a contract with someone they should not be able to change it just because they can.,” said Gordy.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Regarding Arlen Specter changing parties, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Penn.) said that it’s better for the constituents of Pennsylvania to decide which candidate should win the primary. He feels like the Democratic National Party backing Specter may be giving him too much of an advantage in the Pennsylvania primary. President Barack Obama and Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have already committed to personally supporting Specter in his 2010 election. (00:47)

 

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By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

Senator Arlen Specter
Photo by Michael Ruhl

Senator Arlen Specter (Penn.) says that he left the Republican Party because they had stuck their nose into party affairs to the point of breeding extremism. Ironically the Democrats are doing the exact same thing to their newest member. Micromanaging from the highest level doesn’t seem to be exclusive to the Republicans.

Yesterday Specter walked away from the party he has been with for nearly four decades, because he felt they were ignoring moderate voice. Specter announced his decision to defect to the Democratic Party, only the twenty-first time that a Senator has done such a thing since 1890.

President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) have both said they will fully support Specter in his 2010 election, but Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Penn.) was not sure that the party establishment should be backing Specter in this way.

“If decisions and candidates are being chosen in Washington, you may just reemphasize that divisive barrier that’s between the parties,” Sestak said. “I think we cannot afford to have a decision that is so important to Pennsylvanians be decided by the party establishment,” and that the voters should be the ones to choose their candidate.

Sestak is rumored to be considering running for the Pennsylvania Senate seat, and would come up against Specter in the Democratic primary. When asked directly, Sestak said he had not decided yet whether or not he would run. Another contender, Representative Allyson Schwartz (D-Penn.) said today that she would not run for the seat.

The republican response has ranged from anger to confusion. Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steel likened Specter to Benedict Arnold.

“Clearly, this was an act based on political expediency by a craven politician desperate to keep his Washington power base – not the act of a statesman,” Steel said. “Arlen Specter handed Barack Obama and his band of radical leftists nearly absolute power in the United States Senate.”

Specter responded, “I have not represented the Republican Party, I have represented the people of Pennsylvania.” He was referencing the fact that in the past months there has been an exodus from the Republican Party in Pennsylvania, where over 100,000 individuals changed their party registration from Republican to Democrat.

Specter is defending his position as being one of riding with the tides of his constituency, instead of bowing to the will of a national political party. Critics see it as a survival move of a desperate politician.

Speaking today with President Barack Obama and Vice-President Joe Biden, Specter said that staying in the Senate would allow him to carry forward important initiatives for his constituents, speaking specifically about expanding medical research.

Specter would prove to be the 60 Democrat in the Senate, provided that comedian Al Franken prevails in his court case for the Minnesota Senate. Sixty votes, called a supermajority, is enough to override a Republican filibuster. Specter said previously, though, that he was not going to simply back the Democrats automatically, and President Obama acknowledged that, saying, “I don’t expect Arlen to be a rubber stamp.” According to Obama, he and Specter agree in the areas of health care, education, medical research

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

General David Petraeus
Photo By Michael Ruhl

According to General David Petraeus, an educated American soldier that can bridge the cultural divide with the Muslim world can more effectively fight the War on Terror. This soldier would understand the social context they are operating within, and would understand the broad implications and consequences of military action.

General Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command, discussed U.S. military strategy in the Middle East and South Asia while testifying today before Congress.

“While additional military forces clearly are necessary (in Afghanistan), they will not by themselves be sufficient to achieve our objective,” said the General. America’s objective, he said, is to make sure extremists do not have a haven from which to plan and execute another attack on the level of the 9-11 attacks.

A smarter military can better understand the necessary social infrastructure to facilitate lasting peace within a region. This combined with intelligent military action, international cooperation, the building of infrastructure and a swath of other initiatives will help America secure the region, according to Petraeus. “You cannot kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency,” the General said.

“We also need to expand just the basic knowledge of Afghanistan among our forces,” Petraeus said. He continued that greater knowledge will lead to a “nuanced and granular understanding” that will enable the Army to undertake the kind of sophisticated reconciliation processes in Afghanistan that were important in Iraq.

Congressman Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) agreed that soldiers should be educated, and brought attention to the U.S. Army’s Homestead Program. Dicks said this program involves an Officer taking a year off from active service to live in a country, learn the language, and understand the culture. Retired Army General John Abizaid did a program similar to this. Abizaid was former Commander of U.S. Central Command.

The U.S. Army could not be reached for comment on the current funding of the program, but Dicks expressed concern on the small number of individuals enrolled in it.

The necessary approach to success involves placing security in the hands of the Afghans, Petraeus said, which means helping them collectively realize that the biggest security threat in the region comes from dissident extremist elements within the country, most notably Al-Qaeda. He emphasized that America’s presence in Afghanistan is not permanent, and that Afghanistan’s government and economy must be encouraged by its citizens.

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

General David Petraeus says before Congress that it is important for soldiers to have an expanded understanding of Afghanistan, so that the army can function better as a whole. (01:18)

 

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By Kayleigh Harvey – Talk Radio News Service

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s weekly press conference took a different turn today as she fielded questions from children instead of reporters.
A young boy asked Pelosi: “Why did you join them and not us, and by them I mean the Democrats, and by us I mean the Republicans?” Pelosi responded in good humor. “I am delighted you associate yourself with a political party. I wish more people would and I hope the next generation will take back the Republican Party for the grand old party that it used to be,” she said.

 

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By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service
Summing up President Obama’s first 100 days in office as “spending, taxing, borrowing, and ducking the hard choices,” Republican Minority Leader John Boehner (OH) said that in his eyes “the grade would not be very good.”

Boehner gave a news conference before his meeting later today President Obama and House and Senate leaders from both parties.

“The American people want us to work together, Democrats and Republicans, to deal with the issues that their confronting everyday,” he said, adding that Democrats are working strictly on their own agenda, and that “behind closed doors, they’re continuing to put their finishing touches on their budget.”

Boehner said that this Sunday marks “Debt Day,” in which the federal government revenue for this fiscal year will be gone. Boehner said that any money spent by the government after Sunday April 26th through Sep. 30th, has not been budgeted and will increase the national debt.

The money “is going to have to be borrowed from our kids and grandkids,” Boehner said.“This is the earliest debt day in history. It’s some four and a half months earlier than it was last year when it was August the 5th.”

Considering Democrats took control of both houses of Congress in the midst of the economic crisis “they clearly had a lot on their plate,” said Boehner.

“You’ll continue to see us (Republicans) try to be the party of better solutions,” said Boehner. “The stimulus bill was supposed to be about jobs, and it turned into “spending, spending, and more spending.”

After Democrats released memos last week outlining torture techniques used by the Bush administration, Boehner said “I’m hopeful that Americans will begin to understand there is a bigger story here about what happened, what was done to keep America safe.”

Boehner said that both parties were briefed on the interrogation methods, “and not a word was raised at the time.”

Although he supports the President’s plan for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Boehner questions the bigger picture of what the administration is doing to keep America safe.

The world “didn’t suddenly become safer in January of 2009,” Boehner said Democrats have “decided to close the detainee base down in Cuba without having any plan for what they’re going to do with those terrorists who are hell bent on killing Americans.”