To see a copy of my resolution, click here.

Ted Kennedy was one of us

by Dave Feinman

http://youthroll.com/ted-kennedy-was-one-of-us/

When Edward Moore Kennedy died on Wednesday, we did not just lose a great Senator.  We lost someone who, in my opinion, was a representation of every American.

Ted Kennedy was born into privilege, but found his calling in serving his nation, both in the Army and in the United States Senate, and in both capacities sought to preserve freedom, equality, and opportunity for all of us.  He was the third-longest serving Senator in the history of our nation and was personally involved in the passage of an incredible amount of critical legislation that impacts our daily lives.  The Civil Rights Act of 1965, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, Title IX, increases in the minimum wage, and the expansion of Medicare to children with disabilities are just a few of his accomplishments.

Senator Kennedy was also an incredible partisan and a proud liberal, and often earned the rancor of many on the right side of the political spectrum, but he was also among the best at reaching across the aisle to achieve compromise, and nearly every piece of legislation he introduced that became law was equally championed by a Republican, often a conservative.

He was also a very flawed human being who succumbed to vices that tarnished his image, led to the end of his first marriage, and often exposed him to unnecessary scandal and shame.  His involvement in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick also haunted him both personally and professionally for the rest of his life and created a stigma of irresponsibility he could never shake.

Let us remember, however, the immense amount of personal tragedy he had to endure throughout his life.  Living through the assassinations of his brothers, John and Robert, and the tragic deaths of countless other members of the Kennedy family over his life, Ted Kennedy endured more personal tragedy than most of us could ever imagine.  Such losses undoubtedly impacted his life significantly.

Ted Kennedy was equally as great as he was flawed.  He was often brave, but at many times in his life cowardly.  He achieved incredible highs and suffered incomprehensible lows.  He positively impacted the lives of millions, but left indelible pain on the lives of a few.  He was a human being, like all of us.  He was larger than life in many ways due to his extensive service to our nation, but still much like all of us, and undoubtedly at the worst of times, he felt smaller than all of us, if only in his own mind.

When I look back on his life, I see all that I mentioned above, and believe that his extensive accomplishments and his desire to improve the lives of so many not as fortunate as him were rooted in his personal insecurities and his desire to make amends for his many flaws and errors in judgment.  Whether he actually achieved that is for each of us to decide individually, but his quest to do so is uniquely American because we live in a society where people get second chances.

Ted Kennedy sought his second chance for much of his life, and while some may have forgiven him for his indiscretions and others have not, he never stopped seeking that second chance, and believed the best way to make amends was to improve the lives of those who needed the most: the poor, the disabled, and those who sought equality under the law.  For that, I believe, he deserves praise and respect.

So as we honor his life in the coming days, let us remember that he deserves praise and condemnation equally for various aspects of his life, but that he should be judged as fairly as any of us would want to be judged at the end of our lives.  We have all wanted a second chance at some point in our lives, and we all deserve it, including Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Dem Congressman’s Office: His Life Has Been

Threatened Over Health Care Bill

Rep. Brad Miller (D-NC) will not be hosting any town hall events this August — instead, he’s making himself available to constituents for one-on-one meetings about health care reform — and at least part of the reason is this: His offices have received threatening phone calls, including at least one direct threat against his life.

“We had no town hall events scheduled for the August recess anyway, but in light of everything that’s happened — we have received a threatening phone call in the D.C. office, there have been calls to the Raleigh office,” said Miller communications director LuAnn Canipe, in an interview with TPM. The threatening call in question happened earlier this week.

“The call to the D.C. office was, ‘Miller could lose his life over this,’” said Canipe. “Our staffer took it so seriously, he confirmed what the guy was saying. He said, ‘Sir is that a threat?’ and at that time our staffer was getting the phone number off caller ID and turning it over to the Capitol Police.”

They haven’t heard anything back from the police yet, but they did get the caller’s number. So this could develop into something soon enough.

Canipe explained that Miller had no plans for a town hall before and won’t be holding any now, due to this event and the examples he’s already seen from the around the country: “Our point is, we’re not gonna be bullied into having a town hall so it can then be interrupted by the fake grassroots folks.”

“We don’t want to people to think we’re shutting out our constituents,” Canipe added.. “We’re meeting with them one on one to discuss health care reform.”

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/08/dem-congressmans-office-his-life-has-been-threatened-over-health-care-bill.php

It’s August, and on Capitol Hill, that means recess.

To the public, who don’t really get how the congressional calendar works and don’t understand why we have a “recess,” they believe we all just take off and do nothing for five weeks while the troubles of the nation grow and grow.

In reality, the recess is the longest of what we call “district work periods” during which Members of Congress go home to their districts and hold town hall meetings and visit with constituent groups.  It is a crucial period, and the longest such period of the year at five weeks.  Aside from holiday periods around the calendar, rarely are there seriously extended periods during which Members can do this.  Everyone complains their Members of Congress aren’t back in the district enough, interacting with those who elected them.  Well, now you have them.

So yes, our bosses are out of DC.  What does that mean for a Hill staffer?  A little rest and relaxation, slightly shorter hours, and relaxed dress code? Check.  The possibility of a week or two of vacation? Check.  No more work to be done? (insert game show buzzer here)

Not…even…close.

I can’t speak for everyone in every congressional office, but in our office, there is no shortage of work to be done.  I’d venture to say this has been one of the busiest years in the history of the Congress, and as a staffer for a member of the majority who has been involved in a number of critical issues, there is always more to do because there are always things that can’t get your immediate attention.  The trick to being successful on the Hill is learning how to prioritize things quickly and correctly and manage your time well during the blur of a day during session.  I’ve mastered that, but with that prioritization, many things get left behind for recesses like now.

In my case, constituent letters.  Tons of them.  Everything from health care to animal rights to gas prices to Iran sanctions to Chinese drywall.  I went into the office today sporting jeans and a polo, thoroughly excited that I’d be getting out early for the next five weeks and figuring I’d be able to kick back and catch up on some reading that’s been waiting for my brain to absorb for countless months.  Nope, not a chance.  Stacks of letters to work on.  If I don’t get them done in the next five weeks, they won’t get done until December.  Not acceptable.

Yes, the office is a lot quieter.  A lot fewer calls, a lot of the staff is away, and no constant chatter from the House floor on the TV.  Just me, my fingers typing, and my brain clicking trying to get all of my circuits working during a time I feel I should be laying on a beach somewhere.

I know the American people think that’s what’s going on up here right now (or to some of the more pessimistic, that’s what goes on here all the time), but at the risk of sounding cliche, the work of the people never stops.  Not during session, and not during recess either.  At least for me.

Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA)

Today’s announcement by Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter that he is switching from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party, on the face it, appears to give the Democrats (once Al Franken of Minnesota is seated) the 60 seats they need to have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate.  That’s all good and dandy, but the reality is, nothing changes in the vote count in the Senate as a result of this move.

As a good friend on the other side of the aisle said today, “He’s been a (D) anyways for years,” and this good friend is correct.  Senator Specter also said today, while committing himself as a loyal Democrat, that his positions on issues will not change, and there are certain critical pieces of legislation that are coming up that he will still vote against the party on, including the Employee Free Choice Act.  Essentially, aside from the fact that he’ll caucus with the Dems instead of the GOP and a (D) will be next to his name instead of an (R), it’s all the same.

So what’s the big deal?  Let’s hear Senator Specter’s reason for making this choice.

“As the Republican Party has moved farther and farther to the right, I have found myself increasingly at odds with the Republican philosophy and more in line with the philosophy of the Democratic Party.”

Let’s be honest here though.  Arlen Specter didn’t leave the Republican Party.  The Republican Party left Arlen Specter.  An honorable statesman who has represented the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for 28 years and who has always defended Republican ideals and policies, even while being more moderate than many of his colleagues, Specter was made the target of every possible viable Republican candidate for his seat in 2010 purely because he decided to put our nation ahead of politics by voting for the stimulus package.

It is further evidence that the Grand Ole’ Party is really the Grand Only Party, as in you can have “only” one view, or you’re kicked to the curb.  The Democratic Party will gladly embrace Senator Specter and his values to put the American people ahead of politics, and while his choice may not change any votes in the Senate, it once again reassures us that the GOP is driving itself into the ground.

Broward U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz reveals cancer battle

After telling The Miami Herald that she had successfully fought breast cancer, Debbie Wasserman Schultz vowed to warn younger women about the risks.

BY LESLEY CLARK

lclark@MiamiHerald.com

It is time for us to move on.  President Obama, in what I feel was a valiant and necessary effort to try to bring both parties together to find a solution to our economic crisis, extended his hand to the Republican leadership, asking them to bring their ideas to the table to produce meaningful legislation the entire country can get behind.

Instead, the GOP brings the same old ideas.  Ideas which failed us for eight years and led us into this situation.  As a result of Obama’s attempts to bring this nation together behind a bi-partisan consensus, something the GOP never planned to play a part in, the door has been opened for them to destroy this bill, and they have succeeded in many ways of gutting the original bill, which held the best chance of bringing us out of this recession.  If action is not taken quickly and substantively, this will likely to turn into a depression.  We already have the highest unemployment rate since 1992, and 600,000 people lost their jobs last month alone.

This crisis is too imminent and too grave to allow this to happen as a result of the GOP choosing to lollygag and rip the bill apart line by line on the basis of their failed economic policies.  President Obama and the Democratic Party were given a mandate with their victory in November, and it is now time to make good on the change they sought with their votes.   It’s time to get tough and to impose the majority opinion on this legislation.  Start over, bring the original bill back, vote yay or nay, and sign it into law.  While this bill isn’t perfect, it is the best solution we have available to us, and it certainly stands a better chance of succeeding than any old, tired, failed policy the GOP tries to push.  If their policies were so successful, we wouldn’t be where we are now.

I need to get back into my routine.  It’s been a while since I’ve had a real routine.

Obviously, I didn’t update during Inauguration Day as planned.  Safe to say nothing went as planned that day, at least from a personal perspective.  Downtown DC was an absolute mess as far as security perimeters, and it literally took us 5 hours to get to our security gate and through it, just in time to get to our section, only to not have a view of the stage nor the jumbotron setup for our section, which was strategically placed behind two trees.  The only thing that actually went right was that Barack Obama was actually inaugurated President of the United States, and even though we went through hell and back to get there and not actually see it, the euphoria of being there was incredible, and all that effort was worth it.

That summed up what was a very nice weekend with my father, and it was special to be able to share that moment with him.  I also got to share it with my good friend Jeannie, a big Obama supporter who came up to DC for the inauguration with her friend Michelle.  While they stayed with me, I truly felt like I was sharing the moment with 1.8 million friends, and even though it was chaotic at best, it was an incredible moment and it is one I will share with my children and grandchildren and everyone I know until the day my body turns cold.

Following the inauguration and my guests leaving town, Chris made his debut in DC.  That involved playing tour guide, which was a lot of fun since I don’t really get a chance to get out to the museums and monuments unless people are here who want to see them, but after what was an incredibly long and tiring week, to then have another weekend of going out and walking miles around the city was exhausting.  I never fully recovered from the first event, and then the second, while fun, pushed me to my limits.  God I feel old just describing how it felt.  Nonetheless, it was fun, and it was also much needed bonding time for two long-time best friends.

Work has been a whirlwind.  We’ve been pretty much non-stop since the inauguration, and while nobody seems to be thrilled about the new economic stimulus package, I feel confident that it will have the desired impact.  Will it fix everything? No.  Will it do it quickly?  No.  Will it start to turn things around?  Absolutely.  You may think otherwise, but I believe history will prove me right, and only time will tell.

Outside of the stimulus, it seems a million and one things are going on.  Personally for me, my crusade to make the issue of global road safety is ramping up, and I’m excited about my progress.  You’re probably asking, what the hell is global road safety.  That’s what most people say.  I don’t have the energy after a long week to explain it all, but if you’re interested in learning, visit http//asirt.org and http://makeroadssafe.org.  That should give you some perspective.

My other big project at the moment is the Robert Levinson case.  Mr. Levinson is a constituent of Congressman Wexler’s from Coral Springs, Florida who has been missing in Iran for nearly two years.  A former FBI agent, he was allegedly investigating cigarette smuggling in Iran when he disappeared en route to the airport to come back to the United States.  He has not been seen or heard from since, and despite efforts by his family to trace him and seek assistance from the Iranian government to investigate his disappearance, nothing has come up.

Next Tuesday, my boss and Senator Bill Nelson of Florida will hold a press conference to discuss this case and will be introducing resolutions in both chambers of Congress urging the Obama Administration to open diplomatic channels with the Iranian government to address this issue, as well as urging the Iranian government to investigate Levinson’s disappearance and share its results.

This is a difficult case because there is so much mystery to it and, at least at this point, so few channels by which to investigate.  We are hopeful, however, that a new administration and a new diplomatic approach may break the silence on this issue and many others we must address with Iran.

All in all, I’m being kept pretty busy, and its great.  2009 has been a pretty good year so far personally, and while there are still some questions to be answered about where my future lies professionally, I am focusing on what is in front of me for now.  That’s the only way to bring about change and progress.

Oh, and I have twitter now!

Moi

I am 30 years old and I reside in Washington, DC, where I work as a legislative assistant for a Member of Congress.  I am also a graduate student, completing a Master of Arts in Political Analysis and Public Policy, and a weekly columnist for Youth Roll, an online source for all that inspires and consumes our world through the lens of a uniquely youth perspective.  Be sure to check out my column, View from the Hill, every Friday.  Knowing all of this, it should be obvious I don’t have much of a life, but somehow, I manage to squeeze in some semblance of one here and there.

My hobbies and interests generally revolve around a main course of sports and politics, with an appetizer of a fondness for travel and culture, a side dish of shooting pool and Texas hold’em, and finding ways to improve myself for dessert.

I am a proud alum of the University of Florida and am a die-hard Gator fan.  When I’m not cheering on the Gators, I’m competing in way too many fantasy football leagues and talking smack about the success (or sometimes failure) of my sports teams.  I played sports for many years and pride myself on my nearly unbeatable level of sports trivia knowledge.

I am also a political junkie and have a strong desire to impact policy and the progress of our nation and the world through my work on Capitol Hill.  Don’t let that fool you though…I’m not important, and am but a small cog in the engine.  With hard work and a little luck, that may change one day.

I’m a veteran of the blogging world who has decided to return from a lengthy hiatus.  I was a blogger when blogging was considered strange by most.  Starting in 1997 and ending in 2005, I wrote on three successful domains, all of which averaged a few thousand hits a day.  I’m not hoping for, expecting or working towards such attention through this blog.  This will merely serve as a sounding board for my opinion on various issues and discussion of certain aspects of my life, and a way for my many friends who live quite a distance from me to keep in tune with my life and my mindset.

If you’ve actually read this far, I’m impressed.  Thanks for your interest.