BeltwayBlips - Latest Peter DeFazio News Articles

Sanford impeachment panel to examine new ethics charges

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:06:56 +0000

(CNN) – A panel of South Carolina lawmakers who gathered Tuesday to formally consider impeaching Gov. Mark Sanford voted to broaden the scope of their inquiry to include 37 new ethics charges against the Republican. Those civil charges were revealed Monday by the South Carolina Ethics Commission, which had conducted a three-month investigation into Sanford's use of state finances. The governor and his legal team now face a hearing before the Ethics Commission to determine if Sanford broke any state laws by charging the state for first- and business-class flights, using state-owned aircraft for political travel and tapping into campaign funds for personal use. The lawmakers, members of a special subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, decided to include the ethics charges in their review and scheduled four more meetings of the subcommittee for December. The legislators will now review the Ethics Commission report over Thanksgiving and decide if the charges should be included in ...

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RNC resolution won't 'handcuff' Steele, co-sponsor says

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:51:40 +0000

RNC members have drafted what's being described as a 'purity' resolution. WASHINGTON (CNN) – One of Republican National Committee members who helped draft resolution that would prevent moderate candidates from receiving party money said Tuesday that the measure is not intended to challenge to the leadership of Michael Steele, the RNC chairman. "I think it's sufficiently broad so as not to handcuff him," Nebraska committeeman Pete Ricketts said of the so-called "purity" resolution, which first leaked to reporters Monday. The resolution, sponsored by Indiana committee member Jim Bopp Jr., proposes a ten-point ideological platform for the Republican party and would require GOP candidates to adhere to at least seven of those points. If not, a candidate be prohibited from receiving financial assistance from the RNC. Bopp told CNN Monday that the resolution will help Steele avoid criticism from the right-wing of the party. "This resolution will establish ...

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Palin has signed 20,000 books, aide estimates

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:09:25 +0000

Palin has signed 20,000 books, aide estimates. Washington (CNN) – Sarah Palin has signed 20,000 copies of "Going Rogue" during her nationwide book tour, a staffer traveling with the former Alaska governor estimates. Palin will have visited 13 cities and traveled 4,000 miles by the end of Tuesday, with 80 percent of that travel done aboard the "Going Rogue" bus, according to Jason Recher, an adviser to Palin during her vice presidential bid now assisting with book tour logistics. Recher ticked through the statistics while riding the bus to Palin's stop at The Villages retirement community in central Florida. He said Palin has sold 700,000 copies of her memoir so far. "She is truly enjoying it," Recher told CNN. "I think she'd rather spend her time talking to folks like this rather than going to to fundraisers or talking to donors. She'd rather be signing books and meeting people than being a politician." Recher said Palin is paying attention to some of the media ...

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Santorum adds South Carolina to 2012 itinerary

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:54:59 +0000

Washington (CNN) – Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum doesn't appear to be shy about his 2012 intentions. The Republican, who was thumped by 18 points in his 2006 re-election bid, has met with conservative activists in Iowa, delivered a speech to a Right to Life dinner in Michigan and has stepped up his public criticism of President Obama. Now he's headed to another early primary state: South Carolina. Santorum will campaign for Republican gubernatorial candidate Gresham Barrett in Bluffton, Spartanburg and Greenville on December 8 and 9. Barrett, currently a member of Congress, is one of five candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor. "I'm also looking forward to visiting with South Carolina families to discuss the issues that matter to them and the future of this country," Santorum said in a statement announcing the trip. "Too much is at stake to sit back and not participate in the critical discussion of how to address these issues." ...

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South Carolina panel hits Sanford with 37 ethics charges

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:33:19 +0000

(CNN) – The South Carolina Ethics Commission has charged Gov. Mark Sanford with 37 counts of violating state ethics laws, according to a complaint released by the commission on Monday. The complaint follows a three-month investigation into Sanford's use of taxpayer money. Sanford is accused of using tax money to purchase business-class airfare on domestic and international flights, flying on a state-owned aircraft to political gatherings or events "which involved no official business," and spending campaign funds for personal use such as purchasing a ticket to attend President Barack Obama's inauguration in January. South Carolina law requires state officials to purchase the lowest fares available for flights, and bars the use of state aircraft for personal use. Sanford's office did not respond to requests for comment about the charges. The governor, once a rising star in the Republican party before he revealed an extramarital affair in June, will now face a hearing along with his ...

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RNC 'socialist' resolution returns

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:00:52 +0000

Washington (CNN) - Conservative members of the Republican National Committee are circulating a new resolution that calls on party members to stand up to President Obama's "socialist" agenda and would prohibit RNC funds from going to GOP candidates who disagree with elements of a proposed ten plank ideological platform. The language of the proposal is still being tweaked ahead of January's RNC Winter Meeting in Hawaii, where it could be submitted for a vote before the full committee. Jim Bopp, Jr., an RNC committee member from Indiana and the chief sponsor of the resolution, said the goal of the resolution is to "re-establish the party's conservative bona fides." "This would establish standards for candidates and hold them accountable to RNC's conservative platform," he told CNN. Bopp said such standards would insulate RNC chairman Michael Steele from the kind of conservative criticism he faced last month for supporting a moderate Republican, Dede Scozzafava, in the special election in New ...

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Republicans bullish on 2010 governor's races

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:10:15 +0000

Washington (CNN) – In the early days of his campaign for governor in Virginia, Republican Bob McDonnell hired veteran GOP pollster Glen Bolger to take the pulse of the state's notoriously independent-minded voters. Bolger asked voters if they'd rather elect of governor who would work with President Obama to implement his plans for the economy, or a governor who would serve as a check on Democrats in Washington. Fifty-five percent wanted a governor who planned to stand up the president, Bolger discovered, while just 35 percent desired someone who would help the White House. It wasn't what he'd expected to find. "I was kind surprised by that result, because I thought people would say that's not really a factor in the governor's race," Bolger said, noting that McDonnell won the race by a similar margin. "But people saw it as almost like Democrats are oversteering too much in one direction, and they wanted correction." After dismal election cycles in 2006 and 2008, Republicans are ...

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Sanford impeachment measure to be formally considered

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:59:22 +0000

Sanford impeachment measure to be formally considered. (CNN) – A special House committee in South Carolina will formally consider an impeachment resolution against Gov. Mark Sanford for the first time next Tuesday, the Republican chairman of the committee told CNN Friday. The resolution, filed by a handful of House Republicans earlier this week, will be examined by an ad hoc committee of seven lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. The group will meet for the first time next week, after Sanford provides the legislature with the results of a state Ethics Commission investigation into the governor's travel expenses, Judiciary Committee chairman Jim Harrison said. The first meeting of the special committee on Tuesday will likely focus on Sanford's infamous trip to Argentina this summer, which led to revelations of an extramarital affair and calls for his resignation. Harrison said the group will then spend the Thanksgiving holiday poring over the Ethics Commission ...

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Peter Orszag: Bills offer clear path to better health care

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:07:19 +0000

The bills under discussion will put us on a path to a high-quality, low-cost system.

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Parnell on Palin book: "I have enjoyed it"

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:54:59 +0000

Cedar Creek, Texas (CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday he has read "significant portions" of Sarah Palin's new memoir and called it "a great re-telling of her story thus far." Parnell, who succeeded Palin in Juneau when she resigned her office in July, said he read parts of the book during his flight from Alaska to Texas, where he is attending the Republican Governors Association's annual conference. Palin did not send him a copy of the book, he said. "It's such a conversational tone, and there is so much in there that I have lived with her, except for the presidential campaign," Parnell told CNN. "I have enjoyed it." But Parnell said Alaskans have moved on from the drama of the 2008 campaign and are now primarily concerned with local economic issues. "Most of our focus has returned to our state issues, the gas line, resource development," he said. "People are just concerned about their jobs, just like here. People are focused on the economy. ...

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Parnell on Palin book: 'I have enjoyed it'

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:54:59 +0000

Parnell on Palin book: 'I have enjoyed it' Cedar Creek, Texas (CNN) – Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday he has read "significant portions" of Sarah Palin's new memoir and called it "a great re-telling of her story thus far." Parnell, who succeeded Palin in Juneau when she resigned her office in July, said he read parts of the book during his flight from Alaska to Texas, where he is attending the Republican Governors Association's annual conference. Palin did not send him a copy of the book, he said. "It's such a conversational tone, and there is so much in there that I have lived with her, except for the presidential campaign," Parnell told CNN. "I have enjoyed it." But Parnell said Alaskans have moved on from the drama of the 2008 campaign and are now primarily concerned with local economic issues. "Most of our focus has returned to our state issues, the gas line, resource development," he said. "People are just concerned about their jobs, just like ...

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Reporters, former aide dispute claim about Palin daughter

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 09:39:52 +0000

Palin's daughter Piper, pictured above to Palin's right, traveled with the former Alaska governor throughout the 2008 campaign. WASHINGTON (CNN) – In her new memoir, "Going Rogue," Palin accuses two national reporters of trying to corner her young daughter Piper on the street in Juneau for an interview several months after the presidential campaign ended - a charge both the journalists and a former Palin campaign aide reject. Palin writes in her book that after the race ended, "members of the national press continued to hang out in Alaska sniffing for tabloid stuff." "In one early press conference we noticed that our local reporters were flanked by a couple of reporters from the Lower 48 who'd been hanging out around Juneau in search of material for their own Sarah Palin book," Palin writes. "We never shut our doors to anyone, so people of all kinds attended these press availabilities. But glancing along the side wall, I recognized these particular folks as the ...

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Palin helps RGA get discount on 'Going Rogue'

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 23:54:30 +0000

Palin helps RGA get discount on 'Going Rogue'. (CNN) - Sarah Palin helped the Republican Governors Association get a discount on "several thousand" copies of her new book so the group can use them as a fundraising tool, RGA chairman Haley Barbour said Tuesday. Barbour, the governor of Mississippi, said Palin has been "very gracious as a former governor" and helped the group negotiate a bulk purchase price. "We purchased them at a great discount, at the publisher's price, God bless her," Barbour said during a conference call with reporters ahead of the RGA's annual conference in Austin, Texas. "I suspect we are going to raise a whole lot of money with this," Barbour predicted. "Hopefully we'll have to re-order."

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Reporters, former aide dispute claim about Palin daughter

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:10:37 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – In her new memoir, "Going Rogue," Palin accuses two national reporters of trying to corner her young daughter Piper on the street in Juneau for an interview several months after the presidential campaign ended - a charge both the journalists and a former Palin campaign aide reject. Palin writes in her book that after the race ended, "members of the national press continued to hang out in Alaska sniffing for tabloid stuff." "In one early press conference we noticed that our local reporters were flanked by a couple of reporters from the Lower 48 who'd been hanging out around Juneau in search of material for their own Sarah Palin book," Palin writes. "We never shut our doors to anyone, so people of all kinds attended these press availabilities. But glancing along the side wall, I recognized these particular folks as the same ones who had cornered Piper on her walk home from Harborview Elementary School and talked to her for who knows how long about who knows what." ...

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No media allowed at Palin speech in Missouri

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:51:54 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Reporters won't be allowed to cover Sarah Palin's convocation speech at the College of the Ozarks in Missouri on December 2, according to the school. Elizabeth Andrews, the college's communications director, called the decision "mutual." "This was per the agreement that the College of the Ozarks had when had when we booked governor Palin for the convocation," she told CNN. "This didn't come from our end or theirs. It was a mutual consent kind of thing." Andrews said the agreement is not unusual for the school, a Christian college in southern Missouri. She said past events with prominent speakers have also been closed to the press. "This isn't the first time this has happened," she explained. Free tickets were distributed when the appearance was first announced in November, but were quickly snatched up. Before the speech, Palin will be signing copies of "Going Rogue" in Springfield, Missouri, about an hour away from the college. ...

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Palin: 'I will forever question' Rev. Wright strategy

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:53:27 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sarah Palin's new memoir, "Going Rogue," contains plenty of second-guessing about the way John McCain's presidential campaign was conducted. But Palin writes that the campaign's biggest mistake may have been not making a greater issue out of Barack Obama's former pastor, Jeremiah Wright. "I was told not to discuss Obama's pastor of twenty years, Jeremiah 'God Damn America' Wright," Palin writes in the book. "I will forever question the campaign for prohibiting discussion of such associations. All the more since these telltale signs of Obama's views, carefully concealed with centrist campaign-speak, have now been brought into light by his appointments and actions in office." Though much of the book is devoted to re-hashing the internal squabbles that took place within the McCain campaign, it's clear Palin does not hold Obama in high regard. Looking back at the first presidential debate in Oxford, Mississippi, Palin writes that Obama won - but only because reporters ...

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Plouffe: Palin would be 'catastrophic' as 2012 GOP nominee

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:43:26 +0000

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Barack Obama's former campaign manager and John McCain's former campaign manager agree: Sarah Palin would be "catastrophic" for Republicans if she is the party's presidential nominee in 2012. Steve Schmidt, McCain's former campaign head, first made the assertion in October, telling a Washington audience that the GOP "could have a catastrophic election result" if Palin wins the Republican nomination. David Plouffe, Obama's 2008 campaign manager, echoed Schmidt's remark in a newly published interview with The New Yorker. "I think it would be catastrophic for them to nominate her," Plouffe said, according to the November 16 issue of the magazine. "A lot can change, but I doubt she'll run. Right now, in terms of her ability to sell books and get speaking fees and just go out there and be a prominent voice in the Republican Party, she's at a pretty high level. But if you run a race you're going to get nicked up and you may fall from grace." Looking at the ...

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Graham hit again for cap-and-trade support

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:02:39 +0000

Washington (CNN) - An energy industry group is launching another television ad in South Carolina taking aim at Sen. Lindsey Graham for his support of energy legislation that would include a cap-and-trade program. The 30-second spot is the latest salvo in an ongoing campaign against the Republican by the American Energy Alliance, a group funded in part by oil and gas companies that has spent roughly $375,000 over the last month knocking Graham on South Carolina's radio and TV airwaves. The newest ad comes one week after Graham was censured by the Charleston County Republican Party for supporting the legislation, the latest indicator of the senator's difficult relationship with grassroots conservatives in his home state. "Energy is the lifeblood of our economy, from home to work to play," a narrator says in the ad, as viewers are shown images of basic everyday tasks that require electricity, oil and gas. "Energy fuels us. "So why would Senator Lindsey Graham support a new national ...

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