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Holly Bailey

Katie Connolly





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Another Reason 2010 Isn't Exactly Like 1994

2:19 PM, November 5, 2009 | Comments (19)
Earlier this week Holly wrote a really interesting piece about the electoral parallels between now and 1993—and the fact that the GOP is hoping for a dramatic Democratic defeat in next year's midterms, similar to what happened in 1994. Holly points out...

Reid vs Obama Drama Not So Dramatic

2:11 PM, October 29, 2009 | Comments (1)

Sarah Palin Charging $100K for Iowa Speech? Not Exactly.

1:27 PM, October 29, 2009 | Comments (13)

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  • What Do Members of Congress Do in August?

    Katie Connolly | Aug 5, 2009 04:39 PM

    When the Senate breaks for recess this Friday, the Capitol will become an eerily quiet place. House Members have already fled swampy DC, along with many of their staffers. So what do they all do over these sweltering weeks? (Aside from boning up on health care policy, that is.) Some take a break, some travel. For most, it's a chance to visit with constituents, fundraisers and home-state lobbyists. They also tend to do something your Gagglers love doing in summer: going to state fairs of course! (Holly will never forget the butter sculpture of Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson at last year's Iowa State Fair.) We asked Gaggle pal Rebecca Shabad to call a few folks on the Hill to find out exactly what their plans are.

    Al Franken: America's newest Senator will be traveling to just about every corner of his state to meet with constituents. He'll hold a couple of roundtables on healthcare during August. (The Gaggle will be curious to see how many protestors the well known freshman attracts.) After spending some time in Maine with his wife's family, you"ll be able chat to the Senator himself at the Minnesota State Fair, where he plans to have his own booth.

    Ron Paul: Unlike most of his peers, the former presidential candidate will spend much of his break in D.C. But don't worry -  he's still hosting his annual Ron Paul Family Barbeque in Galveston, TX, on August 15. He's not doing it out of the kindness of his heart though. The BBQ will raise funds for his re-election bid, so tickets cost $20 a pop.

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  • The Advocate Dings Obama on Gay Rights

    Holly Bailey | Aug 5, 2009 10:44 AM
    courtesy The Advocate
     

    Looks like President Obama’s efforts to smooth things over with the gay and lesbian community aren't going so well. Check out the latest issue of The Advocate, which illustrates its cover story on Obama’s short-comings with LGBTs with a take on those famous Shepard Fairey campaign posters. Instead of the cutline “HOPE,” The Advocate asks, “NOPE?” Inside, the story goes through a litany of campaign promises to gays and lesbians that Obama has failed to deliver on, including a roll-back of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and a repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act. During the campaign, the magazine writes, Obama had seemed like a hero to the community. But now, not so much—even Dick Cheney is more supportive. “The hero,” the magazine says of Obama, “was a player.” Ouch.

    But the article isn’t as harsh as you may think.

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  • Fake Grassroots Outrage Over Health Care? What's New?

    Holly Bailey | Aug 5, 2009 02:45 PM
    If there’s one thing clear about the battle over health-care reform, it’s this: Washington never changes. As Katie blogged yesterday, one of the big White House talking points this week is going after “fake” grassroots groups who are rallying their supporters to show up and cause commotions at town halls sponsored by members of Congress. Their goal is to defeat some of the proposals included in the health-care bill being debated in Congress, including a President Obama-endorsed, government-run insurance option.

    Among the coalitions working against the plan: FreedomWorks, a conservative group aligned with former GOP majority leader Dick Armey. This group is hardly new to the Washington game of ginning up what some would describe as fake grassroots momentum. Your Gaggler profiled the group four years ago when they were on the other side of the argument, working in tandem with the Bush White House to push Social Security reform through. Back then, President Bush hit the road to stir up, you guessed it, grassroots momentum in hopes of pressing Congress to reform Social Security by adding so-called private accounts. He held rallies and did question-and-answer sessions at town-hall meetings, all to give the appearance that the public with him. But it wasn’t quite so. The deal was, as we discovered, that the White House had been stacking its panels of “ordinary people” with FreedomWorks members and other pro-reform activists. Meanwhile, the White House controlled access to who could attend the town-hall meetings. Only people with tickets could attend, and as we wrote back in April 2005, one of Bush’s town halls was stacked with FreedomWorks members.
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  • Gibbs Backtracks on Whether Ahmadinejad Is 'Elected Leader' of Iran

    Holly Bailey | Aug 5, 2009 12:53 PM
    White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs caused quite a stir yesterday when he referred to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as the “elected leader” of Iran—this in spite of all the violent protests over June’s disputed election results in that country. Opponents say Ahmadinejad stole the election, but nonetheless, he was sworn in today for a second term as president of Iran. While countries like Russia were quick to congratulate Ahmadinejad on his re-election, the U.S. and other allies have been careful not to get mired in the electoral dispute. For instance, France this week emphasized that they recognize states, not particular governments. This afternoon, Gibbs retracted his “elected leader” comment and said it was not for him or the US to judge whether Ahmadinejad was legitimate but up to the Iranian people. “He’s been inaugurated, that’s a fact,” Gibbs told reporters on Air Force One. “it's not for me or for us to denote his legitimacy, except to acknowledge the fact.” Here’s Gibbs’s full remarks: More
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  • Cash for Clunkers' Impact on Economy and Environment Is Negligible

    Daniel Stone | Aug 5, 2009 11:02 AM
    The popularity of Cash for Clunkers is, by now, undeniable. Only a couple days after it revved into operation last week, car dealers were already in jeopardy of running out of gas. Congressional leaders early Monday huddled over a $2 billion extension of the $1 billion program, which passed easily through the House and is now pending before the Senate. (Remarked a friend of your Gaggler who has worked on the Hill for several years: “I’ve never seen anything up here happen so fast!” No kidding).

    A product of the Obama White House, the program was sold on the premise that it would not just provide jumper cables to the economy, but also contribute to the loftier goal of decreasing carbon emissions. The two would be noble accomplishments if actually true. Unfortunately, the effect on both is at best negligible.
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