Psycho Talk: Is Pawlenty abandoning his own state?
Gov. Tim Pawlenty recently signed an executive order banning Minnesota cities and businesses from applying for federal grants made available since the health care law went into effect. As a result, the state could miss out on billions of dollars in federal funds.
US Senate fails to advance campaign finance bill Posted on 7/28/2010
Republicans have blocked a bill to require an unprecedented level of public disclosure of who pays for political campaign advertising.
Disclose Act Fails The Disclose Act fell short of the 60 votes needed to stop a Republican filibuster.
The vote was 57-41.
The bill would require any political organization to make their donors public.
The measure would ban foreign controlled corporations and government contractors from making political donations.
President Obama Comments President Obama said, "Big corporations, even foreign-controlled ones, are now allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on American elections."
Obama said, "They can buy millions of dollars worth of TV ads, and worst of all, they don't even have to reveal who's actually paying for the ads."
Sen. Durbin Comments Assistant Senate Democratic Leader Dick Durbin, D-IL, said that many Republicans had earlier favored more disclosure.
Durbin said, "But this year, they're betting that most of these ads are going to be on behalf of their candidates and against Democrats. That's what it comes down to."
Sen. Schumer Comments Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, said that Democrats would hold round-after-round of votes on it until it passes.
Schumer slammed Republicans for holding up the response to the Citizens United Supreme Court case.
Sen. Schumer said, "And we will go back at this bill again and again and again until we pass it."
He said, "It's that vital, not to Democrats, not to Republicans, but to the future of people's faith in the functioning of this government."
Sen. Murray Comments Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, said, "The Supreme Court decision was a true step backwards for this democracy."
Murray said, "It allowed corporations and special interest groups to spend unlimited amounts of their money influencing our democracy and it opens the door wide for foreign corporations to spend their money on elections right here in the United States."
The House of Representatives passed the bill in June.
