Cut back on missions to Mars? No way, backers say

By doris | Published: February 10, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com

WASHINGTON — Scientists say NASA is about to propose major cuts in its exploration of other planets, especially Mars. But even before the cuts are unveiled, lawmakers are vowing to fight “tooth and nail” to preserve missions to the Red Planet.

With limited money for science and an over-budget new space telescope, the space agency essentially had to make a choice in where it wanted to explore: the neighboring planet or the far-off cosmos.

Based on the advance word about NASA’s budget for the coming year, Mars lost out.

Posted in Democrat, Money, NASA, Republican | Leave a comment

Contraception controversy consumes D.C., campaign

By doris | Published: February 9, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Washington (CNN) — Congressional Democrats and Republicans escalated their rhetorical war Thursday over a pending federal rule requiring religiously affiliated employers to provide full contraception coverage to women — one day after hints emerged of a possible compromise between the White House and conservative religious critics.

Numerous rank-and-file Democrats urged the White House not to back away from its support for the rule, while Republicans demanded a full retreat.

“It is time for the extreme right wing to stop playing football with women’s health,” said Rep. Nita Lowey, D-New York. “My colleagues and I stand in solidarity with American women who have waited decades for equity in contraceptive coverage. We have fought for too long.”

Posted in Campaign, Contraception, Democrat, Federal, Republican | Leave a comment

Obama signs off on Super PAC donation encouragement

By doris | Published: February 8, 2012

Full Story at FirstRea.msnbc.msn.com

President Obama personally signed off on his campaign’s decision to actively encourage donations to Democratic Super PAC Priorities USA, according to senior campaign officials who spoke on a conference call with reporters Tuesday morning.

But an official would not characterize the tone of Obama’s agreement to back a policy that is at odds with his previous vocal opposition to the Citizens United decision that allows Super PACs to solicit unlimited donations.

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Romney calls birth control rule a ‘violation of conscience’

By doris | Published: February 7, 2012

Full Story at FirstRead.msnbc.msn.com

CENTENNIAL, CO — Mitt Romney injected himself into a battle between religious groups and the Obama administration on Monday night, calling a new requirement that health care plans include coverage for contraception a “violation of conscience.”

Before one of the largest crowds of his campaign, Romney decried the new rule, which requires religious institutions like hospitals, universities and charities to provide coverage for contraceptive services as part of their health care plans, regardless of the particular group’s teachings on contraception.

While churches are exempt from the new requirement, it has quickly become a lightning rod issue for social conservatives, with the Catholic Church leading the charge against it.

Posted in Candidates, Health Care, Wrong Doing | Leave a comment

Did Obama make the economy worse? Not according to most statistics

By doris | Published: February 6, 2012

Full Story at FirstRead.msnbc.msn.com

Over the past two days, Mitt Romney has resurrected this claim hitting President Obama: He has made the economy worse.
Yesterday, when receiving Donald Trump’s endorsement, Romney said:
“He’s frequently telling us that he did not cause the recession, and that’s true. But he made it worse.”
And today, according to NBC’s Garrett Haake, he said something similar:

“This has been a tough time. And I know the president didn’t cause this downturn — this recession. But he didn’t make it better, either. He made it worse. He made it worse because instead of focusing his energy on the economy and getting people back to work, he used his mandate being elected– he used that to put through a series of programs that he and his base and his friends thought were important but frankly made it harder for our economy to recover. And so we’ve suffered.”

Posted in Economy, Presidental | Leave a comment

Romney on ‘poor’ comment: I misspoke

By doris | Published: February 5, 2012

Full Story at PoliticalTicker.blogs.CNN.com

(CNN) – One day after Mitt Romney took heat for a comment he made about the poor, the Republican presidential candidate characterized his remark as a “misstatement.”

“I misspoke,” Romney said Thursday in an interview aired on KSNV, a CNN affiliate in Las Vegas. “When you do I don’t know how many thousands of interviews, now and then you may get it wrong, and I misspoke.”

Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

Romney made the original comment in an interview with CNN on Wednesday morning, in which he said he was not “concerned about the very poor” because there is a safety net in place for them—but added, “if there are holes in it, I will work to repair that.”

Posted in Campaign, Government, Politcal, Republican | Leave a comment

Congress may OK short-term stimulus, but fiscal train wreck looms

By doris | Published: February 4, 2012

Full Story at NBCPoliticsmsnbc.msn.com

The signs look hopeful for a short-term accord in Congress on extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment benefits.

But right after Election Day, a lame-duck Congress will face a horrific fiscal train wreck: sharp tax increases, combined with automatic spending cuts — and scanty reserves of political goodwill to help clinch a deal to avert that outcome.

A House-Senate conference committee met Thursday to try to push ahead with a full-year payroll tax cut. The committee will keep working next week as Congress heads to a Feb. 29 deadline.

Also as part of that deal, there’s bipartisan accord on the committee to not allow Medicare spending cuts enacted in 1997 to take effect. The payroll tax cut package will include another in a long series of postponements of the cut in Medicare payments to doctors.

Posted in Congress, Money, Stimulus | Leave a comment

Obama proposes $5-10 billion for home refinancing

By doris | Published: February 2, 2012

Full Story at NBCPoliticsmsnbc.msn.com

President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on Congress to approve a $5 billion to $10 billion effort to help U.S. homeowners refinance as part of a wider package of proposals to shore up the depressed housing market.

Obama had sketched out the proposals in his State of the Union address last week, including a tax on banks to pay for the plan that Republicans quickly rejected.

The White House offered more details on Wednesday ahead of a speech by Obama to expand on his initiative, which some Republicans have derided as an election-year ploy.

Posted in Family, Government, Money, Mortgage, Presidental | Leave a comment

Obama hosts Google ‘hangout’

By doris | Published: February 1, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Washington (CNN) — While reaching out to supporters through one of the latest high-tech means, President Obama expanded his social media experience by holding a Google+ video chat room interview Monday afternoon.

In an election year, it’s probably not good politics to talk about what you look forward to doing after your time in the White House, but that’s exactly what President Obama did when asked about the frustrations of living in the security bubble.

Posted in Interview, Presidental, technology | Leave a comment

Obama’s tax record

By doris | Published: January 31, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — Republicans portray President Obama as the tax-hiker-in-chief.

Obama portrays himself as a tax cutter for the masses but not the rich.

The truth isn’t so cut and dry.

The fact is, the president’s record on taxes is a mixed bag. In three-plus years in office, Obama has raised some taxes even as he has cut others.

The end result: Both sides get their election-year talking points, and families and businesses get a maze of temporary or soon-to-expire tax laws mixed in with some new ones on tap.

Low- and middle-income households: The president wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent for anyone making less than $200,000 ($250,000 for couples). In the meantime, as part of a deal with Congress in December 2010, he supported a two-year extension of them through the end of this year.

Posted in Government, IRS, Presidental, Tax | Leave a comment

Senate rejects attempt to prevent debt ceiling hike

By doris | Published: January 30, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Democratic-controlled U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected a measure that would have prevented a $1.2 trillion increase in the debt ceiling, putting an end to legislative debate on the politically contentious issue until after the November presidential election.

A procedural motion to move forward with the bill was rejected in a largely party-line 44-52 vote. The measure, approved by the GOP-controlled House of Representatives last week, had little chance of either passing Congress or surviving a certain presidential veto. It was considered a largely symbolic gesture on the part of Republicans.

Posted in Debt, Democrat, Education | Leave a comment

Santorum cancels events to be with sick daughter

By doris | Published: January 29, 2012

Full Story at NBCPoliticsmsnbc.msn.com

Updated at 1 a.m. ET: WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum canceled his Sunday morning campaign events and planned to spend time with his hospitalized daughter.

“Rick and his wife Karen are admitting their daughter Bella to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia this evening,” spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement Saturday night, adding “Rick intends to return to Florida and resume the campaign schedule as soon as is possible.”

Santorum had been scheduled to appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” and attend church in Miami. Officials did not cancel Sunday’s afternoon events in Sarasota and Punta Gorda.

Posted in Cancels, Candidates, Children, hospital | Leave a comment