New Questions Surface About Bernanke’s Role In AIG Bailout

Sources on the Hill tell Big Government that the nomination of Ben Bernanke to remain Chairman of the Federal Reserve is in deep trouble.  A Senior Capitol Hill Staffer said to Big Government, “if [Senate Majority Leader] Reid does not file for cloture tonight, I don’t think they have the votes to confirm him.”  The Wall Street Journal thinks the vote will be “tight,” yet the White House is spinning that they have the votes.  Hill sources say that this nomination is trending in the wrong direction for the Obama Administration and many on the Hill are stunned by the news that, according to CNBC, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) has announced her opposition to the nomination.  There is growing opposition to this nominee remaining in charge of the Federal Reserve for a second term.

Senators have made public statements indicating that there may be non-public information that is hurting this nominee.  Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) said that “the Fed continues to stonewall Congress and the public.”  Senator Jim Bunning (R-KY) referenced “ongoing examinations by Congress and the GAO of the Fed’s AIG bailout” and that there are “unpleasant facts for the Fed and Chairman Bernanke” that will come out after “full public disclosure of all information about the AIG bailout” that has only been shared with “select Congressional Committees and the GAO.”  Senator David Vitter (R-LA) said, “it is vitally important that Congress has the ability and time to adequately review the Federal Reserve’s bailout of AIG.  Although some of our offices have had time to review some of the documents, not all are available at this time and Congress should wait until GAO’s review before proceeding with his nomination vote.” (more…)

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Tags: AIG, AIG bailout, Barbara Boxer, Ben Bernanke, David Vitter
Posted Jan 22nd 2010 at 3:52 pm in Economics, Featured Story, Politics, federal spending | 6420661 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/capitolconfidential/2010/01/22/new-questions-surface-about-bernankes-role-in-aig-bailout/New+Questions+Surface+About+Bernanke%E2%80%99s+Role+In+AIG+Bailout+2010-01-22+23%3A52%3A25Capitol++Confidential

Why Senator Jim Demint is Right to Challenge TSA Unions

On Christmas Day, what was intended to be a far worse terrorist attack was narrowly thwarted, thanks to the prudence and bravery of a handful of airline passengers and flight crew.  No one knows yet how Nigerian terror suspect Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (aka “Farouk1986″) made it past every airport security checkpoint, with bomb materials literally strapped to his groin, and boarded a Northwest Airlines flight ultimately headed for Detroit.  Nor does anyone know how the 23-year old made it onto one watch list but not the no-fly list.

But the now infamous PantyBomber incident has since sparked a heated debate over workers in the Transportation Security Administration that has both Democrats and Republicans fuming, and labor unions chomping at the bit to wage a war of an entirely different kind.

In October, 2008, then candidate Obama wrote a letter to John Gage, President of the American Federation of Government Employees union, promising collective bargaining rights to TSA workers and vowing to make it a priority for his administration.

(more…)

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Tags: AFGE, airport security, collective bargaining, erroll southers, Homeland Security
Posted Jan 3rd 2010 at 10:03 am in Congress, Defense, Politics | 54870158 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/libertychick/2010/01/03/why-senator-jim-demint-is-right-to-challenge-tsa-unions/Why+Senator+Jim+Demint+is+Right+to+Challenge+TSA+Unions2010-01-03+18%3A03%3A32Liberty+Chick

Friday Funnies: Term Limits Edition

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Tags: Jim DeMint, Sen. Jim Demint
Posted Nov 13th 2009 at 7:31 am in Congress, Politics | 2993029 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/sgor/2009/11/13/friday-funnies-term-limits-edition/Friday+Funnies%3A+Term+Limits+Edition2009-11-13+14%3A31%3A35Sergio+Gor

DeMint Proposes Constitutional Amendment Targeting Career Politicians

From the Washington Times:

Charles Rangel (D-NY) was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1970.

Sen. Jim DeMint says Washington politicians are like fruit on the vine: the longer they hang around, the more rotten they get.

The South Carolina Republican – hearkening back to the days of the party’s “Contract with America” – on Tuesday offered a fix to the corrupting influence of “permanent politicians,” introducing an amendment to the Constitution that would limit Senate members to three six-year terms and House members to three two-year terms.

“As long as members have the chance to spend their lives in Washington, their interests will always skew toward spending taxpayer dollars to buy off special interests, covering over corruption in the bureaucracy, fundraising, relationship building among lobbyists, and trading favors for pork – in short, amassing their own power,” said Mr. DeMint, who is running for a second term next year. (more…)

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Tags: Charlie Rangel, Constitution, Contract with America, Jim DeMint, lobbyists
Posted Nov 11th 2009 at 12:07 pm in Congress | 2910696 Commentshttp://biggovernment.com/publius/2009/11/11/demint-proposes-constitutional-amendment-targeting-career-politicians/DeMint+Proposes+Constitutional+Amendment+Targeting+Career+Politicians2009-11-11+19%3A07%3A13Publius