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-Great Cultural Revolution

Group pushes for gender equity in vehicle crash testing

2021-12-18

They do have a need for Dummies [FoxNews] Car crash-test dummies may help demonstrate how well vehicles withstand hazards, but safety advocates argue current models aren’t doing enough to protect typical American drivers. The group Verity Now, Vehicle Equity Rules in Transportation, is urging the Biden Administration to bring equity and equality to the government’s 5-star safety rating program. The advocate group, which is co-chaired by a former GOP member of Congress, is urging Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to require more diversity in the use of crash test dummies. In a letter sent to the secretary this week, the group argued it's a matter of life and death. "Government standards for vehicle crash testing are outdated and unequal, causing thousands of women to be needlessly killed and injured every year," said former Congresswoman Susan Molinari, co-chair of VERITY NOW. In an interview with FOX on Wednesday, Molinari insisted the public was likely unaware how many government tests rely on a male-shaped dummy first developed in the 1970s. Verity Now’s letter was co-signed by a large group of notable Washington insiders including former Senators Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration insists it is using a variety of dummies on many of its tests.

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Home Front: Politix

Did lawsuit factor in Olympia Snowe's departure?

2012-03-01

Last August, while Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, was in the midst of an intensive round of fundraising for her 2012 reelection bid, a four-year-old civil lawsuit alleging fraud by an education company in which she and her husband are heavily invested became public. Nationally, most of the coverage of Snowe's decision to drop her reelection bid has focused on the centrist Republican's frustration with the polarized politics on Capitol Hill. But in Maine, a few newspapers have speculated that her husband's legal entanglements had a role in Snowe's sudden and surprising decision, which left her with more than $3 million in her campaign coffers and her party without a Senate candidate less than three weeks before the filing deadline for Maine's June 12 primary. According to the senator's most recent financial disclosure form, she and her husband, former Maine Gov. John McKernan Jr., have investments worth between $2 million and $10 million in Education Management Corp., a Pittsburgh-based company that operates for-profit higher education institutions. McKernan is chairman of the board of directors of the company, now embroiled in a lawsuit in which the federal goverment, 11 states and the District of Columbia are seeking to recover a portion of the $11 billion in federal student aid that the education firm has received since July 2003. Originally filed in April 2007 by a pair of whistleblowers, the lawsuit alleges that the company violated a federal law that prohibits schools from paying admissions officers based on the number of students they recruit and enroll. Those numbers can affect a school's revenues because more students mean a school is potentially eligible for more federal aid dollars. The whistleblowers alleged, and provided documents indicating, that they were paid bounties for the number of students they enrolled. The Justice Department's decision to intervene on Aug. 8 made the lawsuit, which had been under seal, public. In its complaint, Justice alleged that Education Management Corp. submitted "knowingly false, misrepresented, and/or improper certifications" to the Education Department, stating that it did not offer enrollment incentives to its admissions officers. Without those certifications, students enrolling at the the company's schools, which include Argosy University, Brown Mackie College and South University, would not be eligible for federal financial aid. The complaint names Snowe's husband, noting that in December 2006, while he was the company's chief executive officer, McKernan personally signed certifications that Education Management Corp.'s schools complied with the ban on offering compensation to admissions officers based on the number of students they recruit. Education Management Corp. has asked that the case be dismissed. In a press release issued after the suit was announced, Bonnie Campbell, spokesperson for the company's legal team and a former attorney general of Iowa and Justice Dept. official, described the suit as "flat-out wrong." Campbell stated that the company's compensation policies for admissions officers were based on a number of factors, not solely the number of students they recruited, and had been developed with the aid of outside consultants to ensure they complied with federal law. According to the company's most recent proxy statement, McKernan, who was briefly named as a defendant in the suit but removed, owns more than 835,000 shares in the company, worth more than $14.9 million at current prices. That was up from the 128,000 shares he owned when he became CEO in 2003. He joined the company in 1999, and stepped down from the CEO position in February 2007. A report from New America Foundation's Higher Ed Watch noted that Education Management Corp. in the words of its founder, Robert Knutson, was "oriented to the needs of [its] students" until 2006, when a group of private equity investors led by Goldman Sachs acquired the company. A filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission shows that McKernan was involved in the acquisition talks, receiving the first contact about an acquisition and serving on a special committee to advise the board on the progress of talks. Goldman Sachs retained McKernan, but did away with the rest of the management, according to the Higher Ed Watch Report. The new management greatly increased enrollment at Education Management Corporation's schools, doubling it to 160,000 students. The company's most recent annual report filed with the SEC shows that 74.3 percent of the company's revenues--some $2.6 billion--came from programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, which requires recipients to certify that they don't offer incentives to admissions officers based on the number of students they enroll. When news of the lawsuit was released, political opponents of Snowe's raised the issue, the Lewiston (Me.) Sun Journal reported. Scott D'Amboise, a Republican challenging her in the Senate primary, called on her to resign, while Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Shripal Shah charged that Snowe and her husband may have personally profited while defrauding low income students. At the time, Snowe dismissed the charges, citing the care the company took in developing its compensation policies. Her office did not respond to requests for comment.

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Economy

Senate rejects GOP bill to expand, speed up offshore drilling

2011-05-20

The Senate on Wednesday rejected Republican-backed legislation intended to speed up and expand offshore oil and gas drilling. In a 42-57 vote, the Senate failed to move forward with the bill, which was opposed by the White House and most Senate Democrats. Republicans needed 60 votes for the measure to proceed. Every Senate Democrat voted against the motion to proceed along with five Republicans: Sens. Jim DeMint (S.C.), Mike Lee (Utah), Richard Shelby (Ala.), Olympia Snowe ...senior United States Senator-for-Life from Maine, putatively a member of the Republican Party. In 2006 she was named one of America's Top Ten Senators by Time Magazine, for what that's worth... (Maine) and David Vitter (La.). Those five Republicans need to be primaried.

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Home Front: WoT

Misanthrope Liberal Democrat Communist Gun-Rights Advocate Arrested For Threatening Everybody

2011-04-07

A self-professed liberal democrat and communist was arrested this week for sending threatening letters to politicians including Maine Republican Governor Paul LePage, Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker and Republican U.S. Representative Steve King of Iowa, U.S. Senators Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins, and Independent Joe Lieberman. Authorities also found a gun and an ammunition clip in Michael Thomas' desk drawer when he was arrested Friday. FBI Special Agent Pamela Flick testified that Thomas told her that if they had showed up later, he would have launched a shootout with police. Thomas described himself as a liberal Democrat and a communist and said he is a strong proponent of gun rights.

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Home Front: Politix

Obama won't leave DC until nuke deal is done

2010-12-10

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs says President Barack Obama is prepared to delay his holiday trip to ensure Senate ratification of a US-Russia nuclear treaty. Gibbs told reporters Friday that he believes Obama, who's set to vacation in Hawaii for the holidays, will stay in Washington until the New START pact is done. Some key Republican senators continue to express skepticism about whether there's enough time this year for adequate consideration of the deal. But Maine Republican Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins both expressed support Friday. Said Gibbs: "Congress won't leave before START is done. START will get done. And START will get done with a strong, bipartisan vote." It doesn't seem to be a very good treaty, for the U.S. at least. Is it meant to be a payoff to Russia to stop building nuclear power stuff for Iran? That's what the cancellation of the missile defense system in Poland was supposed to buy, remember ...

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Home Front: Politix

Nebraska's Nelson Becomes First Democrat to Oppose Kagan for Supreme Court

2010-08-01

Democratic Senator Ben Cornhusker Kickback Nelson of Nebraska said he will vote against confirming Elena Kagan to the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the first in his party to announce opposition. Also today, Senator Judd Gregg of New Hampshire said he will vote for President Barack Obama's nominee, the fifth Republican to do so. Nelson said he had heard "concerns" from people in Nebraska about Kagan. "Her lack of a judicial record makes it difficult for me to discount the concerns raised by Nebraskans, or to reach a level of comfort that these concerns are unfounded," Nelson said. "Therefore, I will not vote to confirm Ms. Kagan's nomination." Still, Nelson said he would oppose any filibuster of Kagan's nomination and favor allowing an "up or down vote." It takes 60 votes to force a final vote. With 59 votes controlled by Democrats and five Republicans in support, Kagan's nomination would have enough to end a Republican filibuster. In announcing his support for Kagan, Gregg said she "has pledged that she will exercise judicial restraint and decide each case that comes before her based on the law, with objectivity and without regard to her personal views." "Ms. Kagan and I may have different political philosophies, but I believe that the confirmation process should be based on qualifications, not ideological litmus tests or political affiliation," Gregg said. Republican Senators Lindsey Endangered South Carolina RINO Graham of South Carolina, Richard Lugar of Indiana and Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine also have announced their support for Kagan. The Senate plans to vote on confirmation next week.

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Home Front: Politix

Hugh Hewitt: Choices for Charlie Crist and Lindsey Graham

2010-04-20

Gov. Charlie Crist almost certainly cannot beat former House Speaker Marco Rubio for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat in Florida this year. But Crist almost certainly could be the GOP nominee in 2012 in the race against Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., might be able to power a cap-and-tax bill through the Senate this year with the help of Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe of Maine, and the assistance of Sens. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass. But Graham will greatly decrease the chances of his friend Sen. John McCain's re-election bid in Arizona if he does so. The choices confronting Florida's governor and South Carolina's senior senator carry with them probabilities of outcomes that have to be weighing on both men this week. Crist is far, far behind Rubio in polling on the race for the Sunshine State's GOP primary. McCain is a handful of points ahead of former Rep. J.D. Hayworth's challenge in the Arizona GOP primary. If Crist bolts the GOP and runs as an independent, his future with the national GOP is damaged beyond repair, and even if he wins the Senate seat, his career as a national figure will be in ruins. If he instead runs a good race as a Republican and accepts a defeat with grace and determination to come back -- as a Republican -- he could do so, as many political figures in the past have come back from losses -- like Barack Obama and Ronald Reagan. Losses don't end careers or cap upward mobility. Bolting a party does. Crist is 53, and a two-year delay in his ambitions is hardly the crushing end that defeat in a three-way scramble would mean. And Graham must know his long association with McCain is a bond that is securely forged in the public's mind, and the mind of the Arizona electorate. Championing cap and tax in 2010 is close to a political death wish for a Republican. Graham may figure his future is so secure in South Carolina that he can survive any policy apostasy, but the same is clearly not true of McCain. The GOP's 2008 nominee has been assembling a successful re-election bid in Arizona with the help of 2008 running mate Sarah Palin and former rival Gov. Mitt Romney. But a finger-in-the-eye play by his closest ally in the Senate for higher taxes in the service of a flawed regulatory scheme designed to address a "threat" that is not widely understood to be immediate or even subject to influence by a single country is an enormous blow to the conservative comeback McCain has been staging. Crist could retool his national image by leading an effort to pass a different teacher tenure and pay reform act, one that would help heal the deep wound he opened with conservatives with a veto last week of just such a bill. Crist could also negotiate with Rubio a pledge for the popular former Florida House speaker's support in 2012 in exchange for Crist's wholehearted support now. John Thune lost in 2002, won in 2004 and is now on the short list of future GOP presidential prospects. Good things happen to politicians who keep themselves on the eligible list. And proposed laws that don't work in some years make sense in others. A cap-and-tax bill that is toxic in 2010 could muster large, bipartisan support in 2011 if the economy is growing, the science less troubled, and a plan for overall fiscal sanity accompanied it. Patience in politicians is rare. We will see in the next few weeks if Crist and Graham have this most unusual of political virtues.

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Home Front: Politix

Snowe, Lincoln: Start healthcare reform with small businesses

2010-02-25

A duo of key centrist senators urged their colleagues today to set down comprehensive healthcare reform temporarily and instead start with reforms for small businesses. Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) said the Senate could "breathe bipartisan life" into the healthcare debate if they passed the Small Business Health Options (SHOP) Act. The bill, which was included in the comprehensive Senate Finance Committee legislation, would give tax credits to small businesses to buy coverage, establish an exchange for small businesses to compare plans, and allow national plans to be sold across state lines. "Our SHOP legislation is an essential building block that we believe can serve as the foundation of health care reform moving forward," Snowe and Lincoln said in a joint statement. The statement comes as both parties are preparing for a healthcare summit at the White House tomorrow. If the summit doesn't provide any meaningful bipartisan breakthroughs, Democrats will likely use a tactic called "reconciliation" to pass reform with 51 votes in the Senate. Should Democrats take that rout, they wouldn't need the votes of Snowe or Lincoln. Nevertheless, the duo said Congress shouldn't give up on bipartisanship. "We remain convinced that convening a bipartisan group of Members who are committed to reform is essential if we are to breathe new life into the broken health care reform process and rebuild confidence that our government is able to set aside partisan bickering and achieve meaningful results for working families facing enormous health care insecurity," they said.

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Home Front: Politix

GOP's Brown branded turncoat for jobs bill vote

2010-02-24

A month after being crowned the darling of national conservatives, Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts is being branded "Benedict Brown" for siding with Democrats in favor of a jobs bill endorsed by the Obama administration. Looks like politics don't work on him. Don't say you weren't warned. As long as he keeps healthcare takeover at bay. He told everyone up front who he was. He's a moderate Republican. It was him or Coakley ... Like the four other GOP senators who joined him, the man who won the late Democrat Edward Kennedy's seat says it's about jobs, not party politics. And that may be good politics, too. The four other GOP senators who broke ranks - Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins of Maine, George Voinovich of Ohio and Christopher "Kit" Bond of Missouri - also were criticized on Tuesday. But Brown was the big target on conservative Web sites, talk shows and even the Facebook page his campaign has promoted as an example of his new-media savvy. "We campaigned for you. We donated to your campaign. And you turned on us like every other RINO," said one writer, using the initials for "Republican-In-Name-Only." The conservative-tilting Drudge Report colored a photo of Brown on its home page in scarlet. The new senator responded by calling into a Boston radio station. "I've taken three votes," Brown said with exasperation. "And to say I've sold out any particular party or interest group, I think, is certainly unfair." The senator said that by the time he seeks re-election in two years, he will have taken thousands of votes. "So, I think it's a little premature to say that," he said. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky wasn't particularly perturbed about Brown's vote, saying his election last month has "made a huge, positive difference for us and for the whole legislative agenda." "We don't expect our members to be in lockstep on every single issue," McConnell added. Political observers said each of the five Republican senators had solid reasons locally for voting as they did, to cut off a potential Republican filibuster on the bill. The measure featured four provisions that enjoyed sweeping bipartisan support, including a measure exempting businesses hiring the unemployed from Social Security payroll taxes through December, and giving them a $1,000 credit if new workers stay on the job a full year. It would also renew highway programs through December and deposit $20 billion in the highway trust fund. It faces a final Senate vote Wednesday. Snowe and Collins hail from economically ailing Maine, and they can't stray too far from the Democrats who populate much of New England. And Voinovich and Bond also are from states hard hit by the recession. The latter two also have the ultimate protection from retribution: They're not seeking re-election this fall. "When you have decided to retire and you are a free agent, you can pretty much do what you want," said Peverill Squire, a political scientist at the University of Missouri-Columbia. And Squire doubted that Bond, retiring after 24 years in the Senate, would have paid much of a political price even if the famous appropriator were seeking re-election. "He's had no shyness in trying to send money," he said. While conservative columnist Michelle Malkin used her blog to accuse Voinovich of being a traitor, even suggesting he got some unspecified goody for his vote in favor of the "porkulus" bill, Ohio's governor defended him. Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, praised the senator for "standing with the people of Ohio over the majority of his party." For Voinovich, a Republican from a Democratic stronghold, the party defection was nothing new. The two-time Ohio governor and former Cleveland mayor has sprinkled his political career with independent votes that can agitate the GOP. Former President George W. Bush famously visited Ohio in 2003 in an attempt to secure Voinovich's support for a tax cut package. Voinovich still voted no. Snowe and Collins, meanwhile, "survive in New England by a unique set of rules," said Dante Scala, political science professor at the University of New Hampshire. He said: "The way they survive with voters in their homes states is by making it clear that, first and foremost, they're the servants of their constituencies, not the party label. So, they'll make a point of defying their party and going their own way." Brown got little such leeway, despite campaigning as an "independent Republican" and publicly eschewing national supporters. National Republican groups, as well as "tea party" members and an array of conservative special interests, all claimed a share of the credit for his upset win in the battle to succeed the legendary Kennedy. They felt especially justified after funneling millions to Brown's campaign, including $348,000 on late television ads paid by the California-based Tea Party Express. "You've already turned out to be as big an idiot as Obama," said one Facebook poster. "Enjoy your one term as senator." One local political scientist believes the vote was anything but dumb, considering Brown faces re-election in less than three years. "Scott Brown knows that he's going to be judged differently in 2012 than he was in 2010," said Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at the senator's alma mater, Tufts University. "He's facing a different electorate, with more Democratic voters, and Barack Obama at the top of the ticket, in what is still a blue state."

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Home Front: Politix

Weiner: 'This is a 51 vote plan, not a 60 vote plan'

2010-02-23

President Obama's new healthcare proposal will likely gain only Democratic support, and that's a good thing, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) said today. "[T]his bill is a 51 vote plan and not a 60 vote plan -- that is great news," Weiner said in a statement. "Democrats wasted a year bowing to the altar of Olympia Snowe, Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson and it got us nowhere." Weiner's comments suggest that Obama hopes to pass his plan using budget reconciliation, which would only require 51 votes. Democrats probably couldn't pass an entire piece of legislation using that tactic, but could use it to push through some of smaller modifications that Obama announced today. Nevertheless, Weiner said he was disappointed Obama didn't include a public option or a broader, national insurance exchange. "These concessions to Republicans are in the hopes of winning their support," Weiner said in a statement. "This will simply not happen. We need to stop bargaining against ourselves. Who are we making concessions to? Republicans have shown over and over again that they have no interest in real reform."

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Home Front: Politix

Democrats Liken Federally Funded Viagra to Federally Funded Abortion

2009-12-10

(CNSNews.com) -- The debate on the Senate floor Tuesday about whether to add an amendment to the Senate health care bill that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion has led some senators to compare a woman getting the procedure to a man who gets a prescription for a sexual enhancement drug such as Viagra or Cialis. They have also referred to these drugs as part of reproductive health care for men. "Imagine if the men in this chamber had to fill out a form and get a rider for Viagra or Cialis and it was public." Sen. Barbara Boxer said during debate on the Nelson-Hatch amendment. "Forget about it. There would be a rage in this chamber." Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) also used the comparison, saying that he wanted his daughters and granddaughters to have access to all "reproductive health care." "What if we were to vote on a Viagra amendment and it had the same limits would apply for abortion?" Lautenberg said during Tuesday's debate, adding that the reaction would be "outrage." Boxer, Lautenberg and other Democrats opposed the amendment that Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) introduced on Monday which would explicitly ban any federal dollars from being used for abortion. They said that it would discriminate against women by limiting access to abortion while allowing men access to "reproductive health care services," including drugs like Viagra and Cialis. But Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), co-sponsor of the amendment, said during the debate that the majority of Americans do not support using federal dollars to pay for abortion under any circumstance, especially those who are morally opposed to the procedure. "Why should people of conscience be forced to participate in any aspect of abortion?" Hatch said. Nelson rejected the claim by Democrats that the amendment would prohibit women from using their own money to pay for an abortion or an insurance policy that covers abortion or requires them to get a special rider to have it covered in their insurance. "It only ensures that when taxpayer dollars are involved, people aren't required to pay for other people's abortion," Nelson said. In a narrow vote of 54 to 45, the Senate on Tuesday evening rejected Nelson's amendment -- a move that could prompt him to fulfill his threat to filibuster the bill unless it includes restrictions on taxpayer-funded abortion. Seven Democrats, including Sen. Robert Casey of Pennsylvania, voted in favor of the amendment, while two Republicans -- Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins -- voted against it.

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Home Front: Politix

Reid set to unveil new public option, breaking Senate impasse on healthcare

2009-12-03

A new measure on the public option will be unveiled next week, which Senate Democratic leaders hope will break the logjam on healthcare reform. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), who has been tapped by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) to come up with a Plan B approach to the public option controversy that has divided Democrats, has been working closely with liberal and conservative Democrats, as well as Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). In an interview, Carper acknowledged that Reid's "opt out" public option bill does not have 60 votes necessary for passage, even though it cleared a procedural hurdle last month. If it attracts widespread support, the Carper measure could be added to Reid's bill, which is expected to be debated on the Senate floor over the next several weeks. Sensing that his bill may need changes, Reid recently called on Carper and Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mary Landrieu (D-La.) to come up with new legislative language on the hot-button issue of the public option. Carper indicated that significant progress has been made and it is a question of when, not if, the new healthcare plan will be unveiled. Carper initially said an outline of his measure could be issued later this week, but later said it is more likely to emerge next week. Legislative text may not be available next week, Carper said. "I expect early next week we'll have something to share -- not just with our colleagues, but with the broader community," Carper told The Hill. The 62-year-old former governor said he is trying to "thread the needle" between conservative Democrats such as Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) and Independent Joe Lieberman (Conn.), who oppose a public option, and liberal senators such as Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Roland Burris (D-Ill.), who are insisting on it. Carper, a junior member of the Finance Committee, was tight-lipped on the details of his plan, but noted that he has been talking extensively with Snowe. He pointed out that he served with Snowe, and her husband, former Maine Gov. John McKernan (R), in the House. Snowe favors a trigger proposal, where a public option would go into effect if the private health insurance market falters. The trigger has been soundly rejected by some liberals in Congress. Carper has been working on variations of the public option for months. Recently, he has touted a so-called hammer public option that he believes answers centrists' criticisms that the public option in Reid's bill is government-run and government-funded. The public option would kick in for states where insurance companies fail to meet standards of availability and affordability of plans. Carper's proposal would establish a national public insurance program founded by the government but managed by a non-governmental board. In addition, the plan would be unable to access any taxpayer dollars beyond its initial seed money. This public option would operate alongside private insurance and, potentially, the nonprofit healthcare cooperatives and state-based public plans authorized by Reid's bill. This plan is fluid and final details are expected to be ironed out in the coming days. A final vote on the underlying Senate bill "must" happen before the end of the month, Carper said, adding that the upper chamber has been tackling healthcare reform throughout 2009.

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