Gov. Kathleen Sebelius was among the bipartisan governors who strongly supported Congress’ expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and now she wants to see the House override President Bush’s veto and give more uninsured children the benefits of taxpayer-funded coverage.
"If it’s good enough for our kids and congressional kids and I think the president’s kids, hopefully it should be good for the low-income children of America who are desperate for this preventive care," Sebelius said in a telephone news conference Thursday with other Democratic leaders from around the nation.
The Senate has enough votes to override the veto. The House could vote Oct. 18.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Not everyone swoons when a celebrity graces Capitol Hill. House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (in photo), D-Wis., greeted U2 rocker Bono’s lobbying about AIDS funding with the words "The hell with you." Obey told Bloomberg news service: "I don’t need any lectures from an Irishman to tell me what the hell our obligation is." Obey has been bipartisan in his verbal abuse over the years, but his prime target at the moment is the White House: "Who is getting screwed in George Bush’s budget? It’s the little guy. He’s going to veto our bills" because Democrats want to give "a few table scraps to the people in this society who get so damn little."
Asked about his sharp tongue, Obey said: "In this town, there’s too much tolerance for bull—-."
Posted by Rhonda Holman
You know the Republican Party is in trouble when the public trusts Democrats much more on foreign policy, the economy and the budget — traditional GOP strengths. Democrats have a 15-point lead over Republicans on Iraq, an 18-point lead on the economy, and a 23-point lead on the federal budget deficit, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. Democrats also have a 30-point lead on health care. The only issue favoring Republicans was the campaign against terrorism, and that was by only 1 percentage point.
The poll also found that nearly 70 percent of the public wants Congress to reduce President Bush’s $190 billion funding request for Iraq and Afghanistan, and 70 percent support the proposed expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
The western Kansas Republicans who run the Legislature — Senate President Steve Morris (in photo), R-Hugoton, and House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls — clearly want Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to get its state permits to build new coal-fired power plants, sooner rather than any later. But Morris and Neufeld were premature at best in creating a six-member panel this week to investigate how long the permit is taking. State law gives KDHE 18 months — which run out Dec. 1 — to approve or deny Sunflower’s application. If legislative leaders think the permitting process is too leisurely and deliberative, they can always change the law later. For now, they shouldn’t blame KDHE for taking all the time allowed. Nor should lawmakers spend tax dollars trying to rush or intimidate the agency.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
Anti-smoking advocates are putting pressure on the major film studios to go smoke-free. The lobby wants to see studios keep all smoking and tobacco use out of any film with a PG-13, PG or G rating, reserving light-ups for R and NC-17 rated flicks.
First Amendment issues aside, the crusade to clean up the media for children sounds like a noble cause. But how clean do we really want it? Once cigarettes are out of films, will other activists block McDonald’s signs?
Posted by Kristin Mehler
“My latest wife looks young enough to be my own grandchild,” Fred Thompson (or, rather, Randy imitating him) sings in our satirical video about the age and looks gaps between two presidential candidates and their wives. Dennis Kucinich (Richard) sings later: “Who cares what anybody thinks? I am my wife’s grandpa.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
As if he had nothing better to do, President Bush rambled on for 76 minutes to an invitation-only Lancaster, Pa., crowd Wednesday, much as he did early last year at Kansas State University for nearly two hours.
Some of Wednesday’s quotes: “Tax cuts matter.” “My job is a decision-making job. And as a result, I make a lot of decisions.” “This has been a joyous experience being the president.” And “I got to go, I hate to tell you. You’re paying me too much money to be sitting here talking.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman