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Obama: Aloha ‘Oe Hawaii; Back to Grind and Fiscal Cliff

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President Barack Obama departs his Hawaii vacation for a tortured return of jousting with House Republicans who are bent on taking the country over the fiscal cliff

In the Hawaiian language “Aloha ‘Oe” means “love you and farewell to you” which is clearly on President Barack Obama’s mind, as he boards Air Force One this evening to return to the White House from his shortened traditional Hawaiian holiday vacation.

Upon his return, Obama is confronted with the unenviable task of making a legislative deal with House Republicans which would prevent the country from going over the proverbial “fiscal cliff”.  As everyone knows by now in America, if a deal is not made between Obama and the House Republicans (it remains to be seen if Democrats will support a definitive package if it contains cuts to Social Security) before January 1, 2013, we are all staring into an economic abyss referred to as the “fiscal cliff”.

But media reports now indicate that Obama plans to work with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, to initiate a stop-gap measure for compromise and avoid a fiscal disaster by sending the House a measure they just cannot refuse.

Even with the prospect of a public that appears to be growing increasingly unhappy with Congress, it remains to be seen if Republicans will blink, or pull the fiscal cliff trigger.

Television networks are reporting that Speaker John Boehner has yet to send out the standard 48 hour in advance notification for House members to return to the capital for business.  Time is running out.

The earliest House members could be expected to return to Washington D.C. is Sunday.

According to the New York Times, the tax cuts passed in 2001 and 2003 under former President George W. Bush, would automatically expire in the first two days of January.  The lowest tax rate of 10 percent would automatically rise to 15 percent and the rate of 39.6 percent would rise from 35 percent.  Everyone would take a hit in their first paycheck issued in January.

Opinion polls are tanking on the public’s assessment of members of Congress, whose views have waned on whether Congress can get its act together to make a deal with Obama.

Not a happy prospect for the country that has enjoyed steady, if not slow growth in unemployment, recently marking its lowest level in the past four years at 7.7 percent.  Unemployment was bolstered by housing starts which increased to 3.6 percent, new growth since September.  All economists predict that if the Congress chooses not to make a deal with President Obama, the entire country will take an economic hit.

Business is taking the issue seriously.  Starbucks has initiated a campaign urging lawmakers to “come together”.  CEO Howard   Schultz has asked employees in the Starbuck’s D.C. stores to write “Come Together” on coffee cups on Thursday and Friday to build awareness and put pressure on Congress to cut a fiscal deal.

Image of Kaneohe Bay is courtesy of Wikipedia

Tanya L. Domi is the Deputy Editor of the New Civil Rights Movement blog.  She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and teaches human rights in East Central Europe and former Yugoslavia.  Prior to teaching at Columbia, Domi was a nationally recognized LGBT civil rights activist who worked for the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force during the campaign to lift the military ban in the early 1990s. Domi has also worked internationally in a dozen countries on issues related to democratic transitional development, including political and media development, human rights and gender issues.  She is chair of the board of directors for GetEQUAL.  Domi is currently writing a book about the emerging LGBT human rights movement in the Western Balkans.

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Ethics Committee Reveals Latest Republican to Come Under Review: Report

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The House Ethics Committee has reportedly announced that U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is facing a review by the Office of Congressional Conduct.

The origin of the review was not been disclosed. Under committee rules, officials are prohibited from stating whether the matter constitutes a formal investigation or identifying its underlying cause. The Committee only stated that there is a “matter regarding Representative Nancy Mace.”

“The Committee notes that the mere fact of a referral or an extension, and the mandatory disclosure of such an extension and the name of the subject of the matter, does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, or reflect any judgment on behalf of the Committee,” the Ethics Committee statement reads. It was posted to social media by congressional journalist Jamie Dupree.

The statement also says the committee will “announce its course of action in this matter on or before March 2, 2026.”

Congresswoman Mace is currently running for governor of South Carolina.

Earlier this month Mace warned that Republicans may lose control of the House, saying they have not “done enough” and could “do a lot more” to implement President Donald Trump’s agenda, The Hill reported.

 

Image via Shutterstock 

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Republican Vows to Block Trump’s Greenland Push

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A prominent Republican lawmaker is vowing to thwart any attempt by President Donald Trump to acquire Greenland through force or financial means.

Speaking from Copenhagen as part of a bipartisan delegation of U.S. congressional lawmakers, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), told reporters it is “an important message for the people of the Kingdom of Denmark to understand” that the United States has “three separate but equal branches” of government.

Reminding them that under the U.S. Constitution it is Congress that controls spending, Senator Murkowski, who has broken ranks and stood up to President Trump at times, said, “In Congress, we have tools at our disposal under our constitutional authority that speaks specifically to the power of the purse through appropriations.”

She noted also that “Congress has a role. Certainly, when it comes to spending authorities, the Congress has a role in basically helping to facilitate the message that comes from our constituents, to be reflected in whether it’s legislation or appropriations, or actions or measures, that can indicate, again, the will of the Congress.”

READ MORE: Trump Dangles Another Insurrection Act Threat for Minnesota

The “vast majority” of Americans do not support the acquisition of Greenland, Senator Murkowski added, noting that “some 75 percent will say we do not think that that is a good idea.”

“Greenland needs to be viewed as our ally, not as an asset,” Murkowski also told reporters.

Politico reported that U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) “also took part in the visit by House and Senate lawmakers,” and “said he would push ahead with legislation to curb Trump’s power to act unilaterally.”

He also denied President Trump’s claims that Greenland is necessary to be owned by the U.S. for national security reasons.

“Are there real, pressing threats to the security of Greenland from China and Russia?” Coons said. “No, not today.”

READ MORE: With Shutdown Looming and Crises Growing Trump Heads Off for Long Mar-a-Lago Weekend

 

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Trump Dangles Another Insurrection Act Threat for Minnesota

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Just one day after threatening to invoke the Insurrection Act in Minnesota, which would allow him to unleash domestic military forces onto American streets, President Donald Trump once again on Friday hinted he would do so while suggesting he may be “forced” to take action.

Trump targeted Governor Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, both Democrats, claiming they “don’t know what to do” after he deployed roughly 3,000 federal troops to the city.

“In Minnesota,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, “the Troublemakers, Agitators, and Insurrectionists are, in many cases, highly paid professionals.”

“The Governor and Mayor don’t know what to do, they have totally lost control, and our currently being rendered, USELESS! If, and when, I am forced to act, it will be solved, QUICKLY and EFFECTIVELY!”

The Guardian labeled Trump’s claims that protesters are paid as baseless.

Attorney Aaron Reichlin-Melnick wrote: “Note that the Trump admin hasn’t yet been able to produce evidence of a SINGLE ‘paid protestor.’ They’ve had total control of the FBI and the DOJ and ICE HSI and yet despite all of that, they can’t even find ONE person who they can accuse of being paid to protest.”

Separately, The Steady State, a group of over 365 former national security officials, while not referring to Trump’s remarks from Friday morning, noted that the Insurrection Act is “an extraordinary power meant for true emergencies, not a shield for unconstitutional policing. Using it to silence dissent or justify unlawful paramilitary activity at the hand of ICE undermines the rule of law.”

READ MORE: With Shutdown Looming and Crises Growing Trump Heads Off for Long Mar-a-Lago Weekend

 

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