In which our Senators do a little ass kicking
Carla Axtman
I admit to being deeply disappointed in the US Senate Democrats complete inability to get a decent health care reform bill passed. It's just so damn depressing. I even had to turn the radio off during my commute this morning because it was just more than I could stand.
And then, Senators Wyden and Merkley start to undo my Eeyore mood by actually trying to do some good stuff.
Wyden may have effectively ended the long-running timber disputes in Eastern Oregon:
Timber executives and veteran tree huggers are standing shoulder to shoulder in Washington D.C. this morning to help Sen. Ron Wyden roll out a bill to change the rules for logging on National Forest lands in eastern Oregon.If it becomes law, the bill would enshrine protections for old growth trees and greatly accelerate the logging of smaller trees through forest thinning projects.
There's still a little ways to go on this one--but this is Oregon's small scale version of peace in the Middle East. The two sides have been so intractably entrenched in their positions for so many years. To have this ironed out would be a monumental achievement for our state.
And Merkley? He's using his position on the Senate Banking Committee to throw down against the Federal Reserve's failure to enact fundamental change in the financial system, which is what paved our path to recession in the first place. How's he doing it? By VOTING NO TO CONFIRM Fed Chair Ben Bernanke. From Merkley's press release:
WASHINGTON, DC - Oregon's Senator Jeff Merkley, a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Development, issued the following statement on his intention to vote against Ben Bernanke's nomination to a second term as Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System:"Tomorrow, I will vote against confirming Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The reason, in short, is that as Chairman, Dr. Bernanke failed to recognize or remedy the factors that paved the road to this dark and difficult recession. Following our economic collapse, it is also apparent that he has not changed his overall approach to prioritizing Wall Street over American families.
"My decision is based on my fundamental belief that our economy cannot recover if we do not put Main Street first."
David Sirota at Open Left calls it a "genuinely courageous stand".
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connect with blueoregon
Dec 16, '09
No, genuinely courageous would be threatening to filibuster Bernanke and trading that for a real consumer finance protection law (which has already been mostly neutered). Voting no just to express yourself is just theater. As Goldwyn said, "If you want to send a message, use Western Union."
11:33 a.m.
Dec 16, '09
George: This is a committee vote, not a floor vote. There is no filibuster.
Dec 16, '09
"Tomorrow, I will vote against confirming Ben Bernanke as Chairman of the Federal Reserve. The reason, in short, is that as Chairman, Dr. Bernanke failed to recognize or remedy the factors that paved the road to this dark and difficult recession. Following our economic collapse, it is also apparent that he has not changed his overall approach to prioritizing Wall Street over American families."
It may not be precisely true that Bernanke "failed to recognize ..." I read somewhere around the time the bailout was being rigged in Congress that Bernanke recognized the problems but he surrendered to the dictates of Hank Paulson. Same result, though.
Dec 16, '09
I'd posted this earlier on Kari's Wyden piece, it bares repeating:
The long knives come out courtesy of Howard Dean. I earlier misjudged this man's influence. The kook fringe is on FIRE with this assault on Reid/Obama Care from the LEFT! What a brilliant framing of the issue ...
Howard Dean: Health Care Bill 'Bigger Bailout for Insurance Industry Than AIG' - ABC News
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HealthCare/howard-dean-health-care-bill-bigger-bailout-insurance/story?id=9349392
Dec 16, '09
Props to Merkley on voting against Bernanke confirm.
Dec 16, '09
How can Merkley betray us like that? He is making us all look like fools voting against Time magazine's "Person of the Year!"
Now I remember why I won't even pick up this rag if it was free hanging on the hand rails in a bus station men's room.
11:49 a.m.
Dec 16, '09
Why is voting for thinning a good idea, exactly? There's enormous scientific debate about the efficacy of such practices. It may be beneficial to do post-fire brush cleanout in certain situations, but I suspect this discussion of "thinning" involves healthy, viable trees (otherwise the timber industry wouldn't bother harvesting them) that don't really prevent anything except more trees.
But that's my educated layman's sense. I'm sure some of the enviro pros who hang out at BlueO can offer some greater insight.
11:50 a.m.
Dec 16, '09
Oh, great job by Merkley on Bernanke, however. And BOTH Senators get serious props for bucking the White House and voting Yes on Dorgan's drug reimportation bill. That one is particularly galling--30 Dem yeses.
11:51 a.m.
Dec 16, '09
I mean 30 Dem No's, of course. Props also to John McCain, who is sincere about his desire to see that bill pass--and boos to jackasses like Ensign, who admitted they were just trying to kill the overall bill by making Dorgan a poison pill.
11:56 a.m.
Dec 16, '09
Why is voting for thinning a good idea, exactly? There's enormous scientific debate about the efficacy of such practices.
Part of the plan, as mentioned in the story, is a new scientific panel and local collaborative groups helping to direct Forest Service priorities for the forests.
While we're on the topic, which scientific studies cast down on the efficacy of thinning to promote and maintain forest health?
Dec 16, '09
Yes, I get that. Point stands though: announcing nonsupport is meaningless theater absent a move to actually stop Bernanke when the committee votes to reconfirm despite the no votes.
Dec 16, '09
SEIU pulling back on support of Reid/Obama health care debacle:
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/72537-union-pulls-back-on-supporting-senate-bill
12:03 p.m.
Dec 16, '09
announcing nonsupport is meaningless theater absent a move to actually stop Bernanke when the committee votes to reconfirm despite the no votes.
Will it stop Bernanke? We don't know yet. But it's a hell of a great move and it deserves props. When our legislators do something good..we should say so. Frankly, by saying this isn't good enough--you're damning him if he votes for Bernanke and damning him if he doesn't.
Dec 16, '09
If you read the stories - the New York Times and Oregonian each posted one earlier today - many of the leading environmental organizations in the state negotiated this agreement with Wyden and the timber barons. The Oregon Wilds, Andy Kerrs, and other familiar-sounding names obviously think thinning is a necessary and good idea.
I probably know about as much about forests as you do, but I think the issue is that millions of acres of these forests are dangerously overcrowded due to plantation logging and a century of man-devised and disastrous fire suppression in those forests. Better to thin than clearcut and destroy old growth, I think.
12:09 p.m.
Dec 16, '09
"While we're on the topic, which scientific studies cast down on the efficacy of thinning to promote and maintain forest health? "
Don't you remember the brouhaha at OSU a couple of years ago, when a grad student attempted to publish a study paper that disputed that contention...and was quickly shouted and shut down by the ag-friendly head of the department? That's emblematic of the discussion.
But more immediately concrete: Defenders of Wildlife did a nice review in 2000 {pdf} of the pitfalls, advantages and in fact the lexical issues surrounding "forest restoration."
12:13 p.m.
Dec 16, '09
I should also clarify that the OSU dispute was more specifically about post fire salvage logging, just one specific kind of thinning. My point was to question why it's considered "kicking ass" prima facie.
12:31 p.m.
Dec 16, '09
The OSU student researcher in question is Daniel Donato. His research wasn't critical of thinning per se that I recall. His findings demonstrated that regrowth rates for conifer seedlings in a post-burn setting is abundant while comparatively few survived the harvesting and hauling of salvaged logs.
This is "kick ass" because Wyden has brought together two sides that have been historically at each other's throats and got them lay down arms, negotiate together and come to an agreement.
1:11 p.m.
Dec 16, '09
I agree with those above - and especially appreciate Sen. Merkley's role on the banking committee. Given the narrow passage of the bill in the House, the battle will be even tougher in the Senate.
But the opposition is not without its own fault lines. Yesterday the CEO of the American Bankers Association sent out an alert in preparation for the Senate fight; here's an especially interesting part:
Dec 16, '09
"The reason, in short, is that as Chairman, Dr. Bernanke failed to recognize or remedy the factors that paved the road to this dark and difficult recession."
That's his reason? Well, then maybe we should fire every economist, financial advisor, and anyone else on Capitol Hill who was involved in this crisis (which dates as far back as the late 1990's when the over-the-counter derivatives were being utilized by our large banks, including Goldman-Sachs)Oh, geez, there's nobody in the Obama Administration with ties to Goldman, is there?
Merkley acts like he's taking the high-road, but Hine's Sight is 20/20. There were very few Americans - let alone politicians or financial gurus - whoever expected the severeness of this recession. It's always easy to blame, isn't it Senator Merkley?
Dec 16, '09
"Merkley acts like he's taking the high-road, but Hine's Sight is 20/20. There were very few Americans - let alone politicians or financial gurus - whoever expected the severeness of this recession. It's always easy to blame, isn't it Senator Merkley?"
There were many who were critical of repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act with dire warnings of potential consequences that became reality.
Dec 16, '09
Re: "Well, then maybe we should fire every economist, financial advisor, and anyone else on Capitol Hill who was involved in this crisis (which dates as far back as the late 1990's when the over-the-counter derivatives were being utilized by our large banks, including Goldman-Sachs)Oh, geez, there's nobody in the Obama Administration with ties to Goldman, is there?"
Good plan. And, while we're at it, let's impeach all war criminals in the present administration and jail all from past administrations.
Then let's try democracy for a change.
Dec 16, '09
Bodden is correct, Jason. You may have not heard warnings, because the mainstream [corporate] media played cheerleader for the don't-get-in-the-way-of-us-making-fast-money financial sector and their bought-off politicians. I read plenty of predictions of the economic collapse from serious economists and financial journalists.
Dec 16, '09
Pretty exciting to see this momentous proposal to end the forest wars in eastern Oregon. Kudos to Wyden, Oregon Wild and others who worked on it to make it a reality. J
Dec 16, '09
Interesting combo thread here... To address Wyden's eastern Oregon legislation - as one of the enviro pros at Oregon Wild - I have to agree with Carla Axtman about the historic nature of this proposal. Oregon Wild's thinking has evolved along with the scientific understanding of the need to both protect AND restore our old-growth forests. When our past management - like logging, building roads, and suppressing fires - leads to conditions that are out of whack, it can be beneficial to do careful, science-based activities that aim to bring forests and watersheds back into whack (?). This can include some thinning (yes, sometimes the trees are worth something to the timber industry), lighting prescribed fires, removing roads, and other things based on the best available science. It's our hope that Wyden's new bill will do that, and that traditionally-opposed sides can work towards this common goal.
Dec 16, '09
Don't you remember the brouhaha at OSU a couple of years ago, when a grad student attempted to publish a study paper that disputed that contention...and was quickly shouted and shut down by the ag-friendly head of the department? That's emblematic of the discussion.
That's how all science works. The climate change debate isn't helped by the fact that one of the two competing models is based on cronyism and the other on wingnuttery.
Which isn't to say that the environment isn't going to hell in a handbasket. As I mentioned a year ago, looking forward to Copenhagen, our plodding ol' body politic ranks the economy first, war second, and the environment third on the priorities list. It is still a bridge too far to realize that the first two will be dictated to more and more by the third.
When history asks what we were thinking about, I don't know that I'd feel justified in showing that I'd given a lot of quality time understanding the American business fraud du jour.
FWIW, Libertarians laid out these new learnings years ago. I'm more interested in if the motivation in the motivated self interest has changed, rather than hearing how to tweak the mechanics of a broken, con ridden financial system.
Dec 16, '09
Just read what Defenders of Wildlife say about thinning. What? Defenders of Wildlife endorsed the Wyden thinning bill today? They are wrong. Oregon Wild blew the whistle on the Donato affair, so ask them. What? Oregon Wild endorsed it, too? They are all wrong. Anything Wyden does is wrong, and if you disagree, you are wrong.
Dec 16, '09
The Wyden forest plan (in fairness probably the Wyden/ DeFazio plan, as I think Pete proposed something similar a few years ago) sounds like a great compromise. For too long, federal forests of OR have sat idle while fire danger has increased and more and more mills have closed. This certainly won't revive OR's timber industry to anything close to what it was, but it will bring back some jobs and revenue to struggling rural counties.
Gordon SMith ran as an Eastern Oregonian, but never even bothered to show up in Wheeler/Gilliam Counties, where I grew up. Senator Wyden often makes those two counties his first stop on his annual county visit circuit. He is a senator for all of Oregon. I trust that Senator Merkley, who is the son of a millworker and has already stopped in Fossil/Condon and many small towns of Eastern Oregon, will be the same.
Dec 16, '09
Great job Merkley. Wyden, not so much. Grandma Dina, whose 100th birthday Wyden quite literally crashed for a photo op while running for congress, is rolling over in her grave. What a pathetic display of wimpiness on MSNBC last night you were, Wyden. PATHETIC! Caving to that little creep Lieberass. You should be ashamed. How are you going to explain to young Democratic voters that there is a mandate for them to purchase shitty private insurance and no public option? This thing really is a shit sandwich and Wyden is part of the problem.
At the very least, Wyden should put up a resolution to eliminate the mandate.
No Option No Mandate
One more day like this and I'm doing a direct mail piece featuring Grandma Dina, who RON WYDEN USED TO GET ELECTED THE FIRST TIME.
Dec 16, '09
We're laughing our asses off and enjoying the show.
Dec 16, '09
The Wyden bill bears zero relationship to the DeFazio bill. The DeFazio bill was a complete replacement of the NW Forest Plan. This Wyden bill only applies to non-NW Forest Plan forests, and doesn't apply to any of the forests in DeFazio's district.
Dec 16, '09
Forest thinning needs to be done. It's a good thing. It used to be done naturally by fire but since we've had fire suppression for decades all that's happened is that massive loads of fuel have built up to the point where once a small fire starts, it no longer just burns the undergrowth; in short order it explodes into a giant uncontrollable forest fire.
This compromise is a good thing.
Dec 16, '09
The important thing to remember is that it is not just the number of votes required to end the Filibuster, but rather that the Senate can now conduct other business at the same time that a Filibuster is proceeding. It used to be that the Senate could not get anything else done during a Filibuster, thus making it politically costly. For example, a jobs stimulus bill could not get passed while a Filibuster was being conducted on Healthcare. This would allow deals to be cut, and legislation moved forward.
Dec 16, '09
Across from my desk I have copies of the United States Code and the Code of Federal Regulations. In my world, unless a Senator's action leads to a change in the law or (indirectly) a change in federal regulations, the Senator's action is meaningless. No confidence votes, "rolling out" legislation that is never passed and impassioned speeches are meaningless and in my opinion hardly rise to the level of an "ass kicking".
Dec 17, '09
Are you real posters, or is this some kind of test blog, where bots post? I guess all the spam and troll crap answers my question, or you hold a world record. The autogenerated text is pretty good, though. It comes pretty close to a real discussion. Does Mandate Media do the software, or just market it?
Not too bad.
Dec 17, '09
To "NOPE": Thanks for the clarification on the DeFazio plan. This article, among others, indicated there were similarities between the Wyden and DeFazio plans.
I see that today's Oregonian has a map on the front page highlighting the locations of the OR forests that would be affected by the Wyden plan.
Dec 17, '09
It is worth noting that Senator Wyden's forest legislation is actually drawing a mix of reactions inside Oregon's environmental community, as it was negotiated largely behind closed doors with only a small number of groups involved. Here is the Oregon Sierra Club's statement.
The bill is legitimately a mixed bag, and punts on a lot of key issues by delegating to a science panel appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture. It would seem that in this Congress and with this President a much more environmentally friendly bill could have been introduced that still accomplished a number of the restoration objectives spelled out in this piece of legislation.
Despite the press coverage, it is unclear whether the bill will lead to a significant improvement over the status quo with type of logging we see on the eastside, or conversely whether it will deliver on increases in logging that have been suggested are on the way. This will certainly be debated in the weeks to come.
Regardless of whether it were to pass, much like during the Bush years, the direction for forest management set by the White House in coming years will matter tremendously in terms of how the laws are interpreted and carried out.
Dec 18, '09
Now if we could only get Merkley to co-sponsor Senator Sanders bill S. 604 to get an Audit of the Fed. The House version of Audit the Fed has already passed. Let's put the pressure on Merkley to actually be the progressive he says he is.
Dec 19, '09
Posted by: James M Earle III | Dec 17, 2009 2:12:44 AM
Are you real posters, or is this some kind of test blog, where bots post? I guess all the spam and troll crap answers my question, or you hold a world record. The autogenerated text is pretty good, though. It comes pretty close to a real discussion. Does Mandate Media do the software, or just market it?
Not too bad.
Yeah, triumphalism is pretty easy to do. Carla would have been much better than Graham Chapman in the "French Taunter" scene. The French guy is silly about it, but Carla knows how to do it straight, which is the difference between politics and comedy.
Posted by: Matilda De Kieken | Dec 16, 2009 2:23:53 PM
We only tweak details in the US. Would a country that really wanted to get real have a non-parliamentary system? That 50% + 1 magic vote mentality is vitally critical if you're going to game the system. The business of America is business, and that business, if it's of any consequence, prefers to get things done via fraud. The only hope and change one ever gets here is that one will die before it gets much worse. "Love it or leave it" isn't even an option anymore. Every place in the world either tows the US line- particularly with US citizens abroad- or is reactive to it. Ex-pats don't have the option of living the life of another civilization. They will now always be Americans abroad.
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