A Blog Called Hope

Congressman Langevin officially files for re-election in second Congressional District

Today, Congressman Jim Langevin (D-RI) formally filed for re-election, seeking to serve his fifth term as Representative of the Second Congressional District of Rhode Island.

Here is the press release from the Congressman’s office:

Congressman Jim Langevin today filed with the Secretary of State’s Office to run for his fifth term as the Representative from Rhode Island’s Second Congressional District. Langevin released the following statement after filing:

“It has been an honor for me to serve the constituents of the Second Congressional District for nearly eight years. While the Democrats, under the leadership of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have made great strides to move this country in a new direction after 12 years of Republican leadership, more still needs to be done.

“I look forward to continuing my travels throughout the district in the coming months to hear the concerns of my constituents and reassure them that their voices are being heard in Washington.

“As I campaign for my fifth term, I pledge to work to get our economy back on track, advocate for an end to our military involvement in Iraq and last, but certainly not least, solve our nation’s health care crisis. These issues, among many others, will be my priorities once re-elected.”

Lynch files formal ethics charge against Carcieri regarding nepotism violation

Yesterday afternoon, the Rhode Island Democratic Party filed an official complaint with the Ethics Commission about the Governor’s well-publicized nepotism violation.

Here is the press release from the Party:

PAWTUCKET- Rhode Island Democratic Party Chairman Bill Lynch filed a formal complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission today over the governor’s 2002 hiring of a niece who continues to earn more than $52,000 annually working in Carcieri’s State House office.

In May, the governor recognized the likely conflict and announced he would seek an “advisory opinion” on the matter. But Lynch says the Ethics Commission can only issue advisory opinions when a person subject to the ethics code seeks a ruling on a potential conflict prior to committing the act, which in this case, would be the hiring of his niece. The only other way the Ethics Commission can issue a binding decision is after a complaint is filed.

Earlier today the commission voted to acknowledge receipt of a letter from the governor asking for an interpretation of the code of ethics but was procedurally bound from issuing a definitive ruling.

“We need to hear from the Ethics Commission on this matter, and since no binding opinion can be offered after the fact, I am filing a formal complaint today and I believe the commission will agree that Governor Carcieri violated the spirit if not the letter of the ethics law when he hired his niece to join the executive staff,” Lynch said.

“The ethics laws are in place to prevent elected officials from doing exactly what the governor has done – handing out taxpayer-funded positions as a reward for campaign work, and that’s why I’m asking to have this issue properly investigated and adjudicated,” Lynch continued.

Lynch also questioned whether it was appropriate for the governor to replace a member of the commission with his own appointment at a time when he was supposedly seeking an opinion from the ethics board. On Saturday, The Providence Journal reported that Carcieri had recently appointed Edward A. Magro – an unsuccessful Republican candidate for the State Senate – to replace the current chairman. The chairman had continued to serve on the commission even though his term expired two years ago. Commission appointments do not require Senate confirmation.

“I find the governor’s timing suspicious. He was in no great rush to remove the former chairman for nearly two years and now, as more questions are raised about the governor’s ethical judgment, he conveniently finds Mr. Magro, who just happens to be another failed GOP candidate,” Lynch said.

“If the governor was really serious about getting an honest and complete opinion from the ethics commission, shouldn’t he have waited until the nepotism issue was settled before making a new appointment?” Lynch questioned.

For more about this story, visit the Providence Journal, WPRI, ABC 6, and NBC 10.

In interview with Matt Lauer, McCain proclaims bringing American troops home from Iraq is “not too important”

After several months of attacking Barack Obama for his ‘naiveté’ on Iraq, it seems McCain himself is the one of touch.

During an interview with Matt Lauer last week, John McCain was questioned about his stance on Iraq; particularly his position on a timetable for withdrawal. McCain took the opportunity to downplay the significance of the potential of our brave men and women returning home, and instead spewed more nonsensical foreign policy and took another jab at Senator Obama.

Here is a portion of Matt Lauer’s interview with the Republican Presidential candidate:

MR. LAUER: When the president, though, came up with this surge at a time where everyone, it seemed, was thinking the contrary, you endorsed it with great conviction and great courage. And a lot of people now say the surge is working.

SEN. MCCAIN: Anybody who knows the facts on the ground say that, yes.

MR. LAUER: If it’s working, Senator, do you now have a better estimate of when American forces can come home from Iraq?

SEN. MCCAIN: No, but that’s not too important. What’s important is the casualties in Iraq. Americans are in South Korea. Americans are in Japan. American troops are in Germany. That’s all fine.
American casualties and the ability to withdraw — we will be able to withdraw. General Petraeus is going to tell us in July when he thinks we are.
But the key to it is we don’t want any more Americans in harm’s way. And that way they will be safe and serve our country and come home with honor and victory, not in defeat, which is what Senator Obama’s proposal would have done.

So what’s not important to John McCain is soldiers’ being safe and spending time with their families and loved ones. What IS important to McCain is “victory”, what IS important to McCain is pride. Is pride and “victory” worth the 120,000+ American lives that are on the line in?…

“I would rather be a one-term President and do what I believe is right than to be a two-term President at the cost of seeing America become a second-rate power and to see this Nation accept the first defeat in its proud 190-year history…Let us understand: North Vietnam cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that.” -President Richard Nixon, 1969.

Couple these insensitive and ill-informed assertions with those he recently made about Iran, it is becoming clear John McCain does not have a handle on his own cash cow, foreign policy.

John McCain is expected to call for more offshore drilling today. His campaign recently released an ad meant to champion him as a supporter of renewable energy. The same day that ad was released, McCain left for Texas to meet with his friends at Big Oil.

During his last run for the presidential nomination, McCain supported a moratorium on drilling. He will also reverse his stance on the need for a windfall profit tax for oil companies. Just six weeks ago McCain said he was open to a tax on excessive oil company profits; tonight, he will take the opposite position when he rejects the tax.

His new ad claims to eliminate the US’s dependence on foreign oil by supporting renewable energy although he has repeatedly voted against such green jobs and technologies.

Democratic National Committee Communications Director Karen Finney attacks McCain’s new ad as “universally misleading”:

“How can we trust John McCain to confront soaring gas prices or break America’s dependence on foreign oil when he caved in to Big Oil on drilling and tax breaks when of his top economic advisors helped create the problem in the first place, and he has repeatedly opposed incentives for green jobs and renewable energy?”

McCain has not voted to promote renewable energy
John McCain has repeatedly voted against efforts to promote renewable energy, as with his vote against an amendment mandating renewable energy sources to produce a minimum of 10 percent of the electricity sold by electric utilities by 2020. Many bills failed to pass by only a few votes.

In 2007 alone, McCain missed numerous votes on the passage of energy policy legislation, including a missed vote on a bill that would increase the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards to 35 miles per gallon by 2020. Other missed votes included bills for tax credits for renewable energy production, for renewable energy R&D, and for energy related tax incentives worth $18 billion. [2007 Senate Vote #98, 3/22/2007; 2007 Senate Vote #223, 6/21/2007; 2007 Senate Vote #416, 12/7/2007; 2008 Senate Vote #8, 2/6/2008 2006 Senate Vote #42, 3/14/2006; 2005 Senate Vote #158, 6/28/2005; 2001 Senate Vote #125, 5/21/2001]

McCain blocked tax credits for green jobs
A 2008 economic study by Navigant Consulting found that “over 116,000 US jobs and nearly $19 billion in US investment could be lost in just one year if renewable energy tax credits are not renewed by Congress.” The study shows that over 76,000 jobs are put at risk in the wind industry and 40,000 more are put at risk in the solar industry.

The Enron Loophole
Years after the Enron scandal, the loophole that helped bring Enron to its demise still lives on. McCain Campaign Co-Chair Phil Gramm tucked the Commodities Future Modernization Act into a separate piece of legislation which would later be known as the Enron Loophold. Evidence shows that investors looking to make an easy gain are causing prices in oil to rise faster than ordinary market forces could. The loophole allows unregulated trading on energy futures markets where investors can essentially “bet” on oil prices at a given point in the future.

Press Release from the office of Senator Sheldon Whitehouse:

WASHINGTON, D.C.-U.S. Sentaor Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) took Senate Republicans to task today for blocking legislation that would extend unemployment insurance benefits for millions of out-of-work Americans, inclduing a former law clerk from Rhode Island who has applied for 65 positions since losing his job in January.

The bill would give extra help to several states with the highest unemployment rates, including Rhode Island, whose unemployment rate now hovers around 6 percent.

“These are difficult times for many, many families. But for millions of Americans who are looking for a job today, the challenges seem almost insurmountalbe,” Whitehouse said this morning in a speech on the Senate floor. He also joined Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) at a press conferenece today highlighting the importance of the bill.

Whitehouse told the story of Brian Peny, an East Providence man struggling to make ends meet while he searches for a new job. “Because he couldn’t afford to pay both his mortgage and his montly COBRA payments, Brian has been without any health insurance since the end of January,” Whitehouse said. “He says it’s become more and more difficult to afford groceries, and some nights, he goes to bed hungry. He could go to a food pantry, of course, but he has not-yet-because he think there are too many people who are worse off than he is.”

Unemployment insurance supports workers who are laid off, or whose companies go out of business, as they search for a new job. The system is funded largely by payments from employers. While unemployment benefits almost never replace the full amount a worker would have received in a paycheck, the assistance helps families make mortgage or rent payments, or meet other regular living expenses.

The federal unemployment insurance program generally funds 26 weeks of payments for workers, but in today’s worsening economy, many see their benefits run out before they are able to find another job. Last month, the national unemployment rate saw its biggest one-month increase in over 20 years, reaching a four-year high of 5.5 percent. In Rhode Island alone, there are more than 18,000 workers in need of a job whose benefits have already or will soon run out.

The Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act (HR 5749) woud temporarily extend unemployment benefits 13 weeks beyond the ordinary 26-week eligibility period. In states like Rhode Island, where people have been hardest-hit, eligible job less workers would recieve twice that: up to 26 extra weeks of unemployment insurance. The bill passed the House of Representatives last week by a bipartisan vote of 274-137, but this morning, Senate Republican leaders blocked its consideration in the Senate.

“Millions of Americans go out pounding the pavement each and every day, looking for work to support themselves and their families,” Whitehouse said. “The Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act could help over 3 million Americans pay the mortgage or rent or feed their families as they continue to navigate a periolous job market.”

McCain violates agreement with FEC by unilaterally withdrawing from campaign spending program; DNC files official complaint

When the John McCain’s campaign commenced, he entered into an agreement with the FEC. That contract, now the focal point of the complaint filed by the Democratic National Committee, dictated limits on matching funds, campaign spending, and that the FEC must approve any withdrawal from the agreement.

However, John McCain unilaterally withdrew from the arrangement as questions emerged about a $4 million loan acquired by his campaign.

In response to McCain cavalier move, FEC Chairman David Mason sent a letter to the McCain campaign stating that he (McCain) cannot formally withdraw from the system until the FEC obtains more information regarding the terms of a $4 million loan his then cash-strapped campaign obtained last year as well as a formal vote from the commission.

Failing to honor his agreement with the FEC, or the parameters of campaign spending program, John McCain asserted that the letter from the FEC Chairman was, “Not a decision. It’s an opinion.”

Today, Howard Dean issued a statement as the Democratic National Committee formally filed a complaint with the FEC.

“The law is very clear. He can not withdraw if he has used the promise of matching funds as collateral for his loan. John McCain cannot unilaterally withdrawal from the spending limitations.” -Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean.

For more on this, visit the Democratic Party, MSNBC, and the Wall Street Journal.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy is announcing funding for U.S. Army vehicles.

Kennedy’s office says he secured a $2.5 million appropriation for the project. He’ll announce the funding at a news conference Tuesday morning in Warren.

The funds will be used in a partnership between TPI Composites, a maker of composite structures, and the Volvo Group.

TPI will create composite cabs that can be used inside Army vehicles and also as commercial sleeping cabs for truckers.

Kennedy says the funding will improve Rhode Island’s defense industry and equip the Army with a product that could save lives. (News 10).

Reception this evening

Tonight, there is a reception with Barack Obama’s chief health-care adviser, David Cutler, and Attorney General Patrick Lynch at the Hi-Hat, 3 Davol Square, Providence.

The event will begin at 5:30pm, and you still have time to RSVP to Jeffrey Padwa. Contributions for the reception are $150 per person and $250 per couple.

Unite for Change house meetings

On Saturday, June 28th, more than a thousand supporters like you are hosting Unite for Change house meetings all across the country.

Ordinary people will be opening their homes and inviting friends and neighbors to come together and talk about our common cause of change.

See what Barack has to say about these Unite for Change events and sign up to host one in your community:

http://my.barackobama.com/uniteforchange

In an insightful piece in today’s New York Times, David M. Herszenhorn details Senator Jack Reed’s (D-RI) steadfast efforts to assist homeowners ravaged by the current mortgage crisis.

Here are a few snippets from the Times article:

“In the West End, with its 19th-century Victorians and clapboard triple-deckers, dozens of homes are up for auction and dozens more have been seized by banks. And Rhode Island, which has the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country behind Michigan, California and Alaska, is among the top 10 states for subprime foreclosures.

Rhode Island’s housing woes receive little notice compared with the more serious plight of states like Florida and Nevada. Similarly overlooked is Mr. Reed’s central role in clinching an agreement on a foreclosure rescue bill last month — the latest sign of his rising stature as a quiet dealmaker respected by colleagues in both parties. Mr. Reed’s name even appears on some lists as a potential running mate for Senator Barack Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee.

It was Mr. Reed who accompanied Senator Christopher J. Dodd, Democrat of Connecticut and chairman of the banking committee, to meet with Senator Richard C. Shelby of Alabama, the committee’s top Republican, when they brokered the final terms of the foreclosure rescue plan, which will widen access to federally insured mortgages without tapping taxpayer money.” (New York Times, June 17, 2008)

“He is to be commended for his tenacity, for his never-give-up,” said Mr. Shelby, who, like Mr. Reed, prefers to flex his legislative muscle behind the scenes.

Senator Charles E. Schumer, Democrat of New York and a fellow member of the banking committee, said Mr. Reed pressed for years to create the affordable-housing fund, and finally found the perfect moment.

“Once again,” Mr. Schumer said, “Jack does it in his quiet, steadfast way, and it is extremely effective.”

“There is sometimes a tendency to assume that everyone in this great country has adequate housing. But when you go to certain places, certain neighborhoods, both urban and rural, you find out that’s not the case, and I think we have to do much more… Average Americans, you know, they don’t have any traction economically. That was always in the back of their mind and sort of part of their financial plan, which is, If I really got into a problem, at least I have the equity in my home, I can use that. Now, they don’t know if they do, and in many cases they don’t.” -Senator Jack Reed, (New York Times, June 17, 2008).