Everyone’s looking at you, Blago

By Jennifer J. Foster

As Congress deliberates President Obama’s ginormous economic stimulus package, reporters have reviewed the language and are starting to pick interesting pieces out of it.

For example, did you know that in addition to carving out 10 percent of the stimulus for “persistent poverty counties” (Section 1113) and tweaking eligibility requirements for workers’ compensation among employees in the recreational marine industry (Section 9101), Congress has taken the time and made the effort to specifically forbid the state of Illinois from receiving any federal stimulus funds as long as the possibility exists that they could pass through the hands of Gov. Rod Blagojevich (Section 1112).

That’s right: Unless Blagojevich resigns or is removed from office or the State Legislature directs the acceptance of the funds through legislation after the stimulus is passed, Illinois’ state agencies will get nada—zippo—from the feds.

There are exceptions, of course. Local government entities have an out if their funding is provided directly from a federal entity or distributed based on a formula.

In other words: If Blago can touch it, the feds aren’t going to send it.

Such is the nature of being persona non grata in politics. But being singled out like this in federal legislation shows the heights—or is it the depths?—of the governor’s dubious fame.

Actually, when I heard about this, I thought about that scene in “Goldmember” when Scottie replaces Mini-Me in Dr. Evil’s circle of accomplices.

DR. EVIL: All right, it’s geting crowded in here. Everyone out, everyone out, come on.

Not you, Scottie. Not you, Number Two. Not you, Frau. Not you, Goldmember. Not you guys back there. Not you, henchmen holding wrench. Not you, henchman arbitrarily turning knobs making it seem like you’re doing something.

(Everyone turns and looks at Mini-Me.)

DR. EVIL, sighing: Oh ... this is uncomfortable.

GOLDMEMBER: Ah, the tiny one can’t take a hint. He mustn’t understand; he is small.

And then Mini-Me sadly powers his evil powerchair out of the circle. 

Blago can’t take a hint. But by the weekend, he’ll probably be “former Gov. Rod Blagojevich,“ anyway, since the Ilinois Senate will hear closing arguments its impeachment trial against him tomorrow.

With all his legal problems, it’s probably for the best that Blago doesn’t have to worry himself with spending billions in federal stimulus money. He’s got his hands full enough as it is. 

See also:

Blago has apparently changed his mind about whether to acknowledge the Senate’s impeachment proceedings against him. After saying for the last two weeks that he’ll have nothing to do with them, he has now asked to make a statement during closing arguments.

But it’s probably going to be too little, too late. Illinois State Senate President John Cullerton didn’t appreciate Blago’s media blitz in New York earlier this week:

“If he wants to come down here instead of hiding out in New York, and having Larry King asking questions instead of the senators, I think he’s making a mistake,“ Cullerton said.

“He should come here, and answer the questions and provide the context that he claims these statements are being taken out of,“ he added.

And just in case you’re wondering, no; Blagojevich won’t be answering any questions from senators tomorrow.

... Not that you were holding your breath.

NOOOOOOOOOOO

By Jennifer J. Foster

If you’re having a good day, I apologize in advance that I am about to ruin it.

This week’s sign that the Apocalypse is upon us is yesterday’s revelation (sorry, religious pun) that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has opened a political action committee. She has given it the imaginative and creative name of SarahPAC.

PACs raise money for candidates to spend on other candidates—or, more often, themselves.

I probably don’t have to spell it out for you, but just in case, this is a disturbing sign that Palin plans to run for president in 2012.

AAAaargh.

Since Palin is already on Facebook, we can at least hope that she’ll be playing a lot of GeoChallenge between now and then.

But if all else fails, we will get Tina Fey back on SNL.

Stimulus mania

By Jennifer J. Foster

President Obama spent some time Tuesday meeting with Republicans on Capitol Hill, trying to assuage their concerns about and objections to the massive spending that is the centerpiece of his $825 billion stimulus package.

Politico has this great article about how, even though the men and women on each side played nicely and used their manners, Obama and his ideological opposites just couldn’t find common ground.

Well, that’s not exactly true. They did find some common ground, and Obama addressed it before he had even arrived on the Hill: He sent word to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi through U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) that she could forget her grand idea about packing $200 million in contraceptive funding into the stimulus bill.

The speaker is, by all accounts, a heroine to abortion-rights activists, and she figured she’d take her newfound expanded majority out for a spin. She even appeared on ABC News to defend the contraceptive funding as stimulative.

What a dope.

Pelosi may be the speaker, but she’s obviously clueless when it comes to tactical politics. Here was the new Democratic president, was set to square off with Republicans in the Senate over his most important initiative yet. The GOP was on its heels, struggling to find a message; they didn’t like the big spending, of course, but they didn’t have a handle on any tangible examples to lend heft to their opposition.

Enter Pelosi with a gift for the GOP.

In the contraceptive plan, Republicans found an easily communicable rallying point. Here was an example, they said, of wasteful and inappropriate spending: What were Democrats doing inserting money that wouldn’t create jobs or stimulate the economy into a bill that is supposed to create jobs and stimulate the economy?

Message delivered. Americans began wondering whether Obama’s stimulus package was beginning to go the way of the ill-fated and basically useless TARP program.

So Obama, on his way to meet with Republicans and anxious to show that he’s serious about listening to their concerns, picked up the phone and sent a message to the ambitious but reckless speaker: Knock it off. Forget about the contraception provision. And for goodness’ sake, please don’t “help” me anymore.

Well, maybe not quite in those words. But that was the gist.

As for the bipartisan summit that followed, the result was probably a foregone conclusion: Obama wouldn’t budge on plans to give all working Americans, even those who don’t pay taxes, a tax cut, and Republicans politely explained that they just can’t support the president’s plan ...

... But it was nice of him to ask.

When it was over, the president and the Republicans emerged—though not together—and expressed their respect for one another while noting the ideological divides that will mark their relationship throughout the next four years. And that’s where the real news was made.

All in all, the meeting didn’t accomplish much in terms of shaping the stimulus package itself. But it was an important opportunity for the new president and his political foes to feel each other out, get a handle of sorts on what to expect from each other.

... And Obama began to lay critical groundwork for how he will pursue future initiatives, like health care reform, in Congress.

See also:

Obama downplays expectations of GOP support (includes a 2:15 interview of Obama)

Obama presses Republicans on stimulus plan (includes clip of Obama’s post-meeting interview)

Bell named to NASBE post

By Jennifer J. Foster

Alabama State Board of Education member Stephanie Bell has been named to the governmental affairs committee of the National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE).

As one of 18 members on the committee, Bell will help develop federal policy recommendations and communicate with Congress and Obama Administration officials about the education improvement priorities of state boards of education, according to the Montgomery Advertiser.

According to its mission statement, the NASBE “exists to strengthen State Boards as the preeminent educational policymaking bodies for students and citizens.“

Bell has represented District 3 on the SBOE since 1995.

See also:

The Alabama Republican Party’s news release congratulating Bell.