Inside the Dome: April 27th, 2010

April 27th, 2010, Washington, DC–From ALG News’ Capitol Hill Correspondent Derek Baker:

In the Senate, the cloture vote on Dodd’s Wall Street takeover bill failed last night by a vote of 57-41, with Sen. Ben Nelson joining all Republicans present to vote no. Negotiations continue between Sens. Dodd and Shelby on a compromise, though Reid plans to hold at least one more vote this week (Reid voted no as well, seeing it was going to fail, so he could bring it up again rapidly) regardless of a deal in an effort to peel off a moderate Republican. One of the most likely targets, Sen. Snowe, suggested she didn’t appreciate Reid’s tactics and they won’t work going forward. Snowe asked “Why did we have the vote today? It didn’t serve a purpose, frankly, other than politics.”

Meanwhile, in high political theater, the Senate hearing begins today on the Goldman Sachs scandal, with CEO Lloyd Blankfein and several other senior staff set to appear. Blankfein’s prepared testimony made it clear that he and others at Goldman Sachs are taking a hard line against the accusations, as he categorically denied any wrongdoing. Sen. Levin, chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, already released a statement accusing Blankfein and Goldman Sachs of “misleading” the country.

Also, the fight by Democrats to keep “climate” legislation alive continues in the face of opposition by one its allies. Sen. Graham, responding to Reid’s statement to Sen. Lieberman that energy legislation would move first (before immigration), said “I think I have made it pretty clear that if you bring up immigration you are breaking faith with me. Immigration brought up this year is nothing but a political stunt. It will divide the country.”

Bottom Line: There continues to be speculation that the SEC’s charges against Goldman Sachs were orchestrated with Reid’s schedule to move Dodd’s bill, and Dems clearly view the scandal as bolstering their chances of passing a far-reaching financial reform bill… or painting Republicans as beholden to Wall Street. Republicans need remember one thing: there is no higher priority than the economy right now, and a Wall Street takeover bill doesn’t create new jobs. Americans will respect a No vote if done for the right reasons.

In the House, several Republicans are not waiting to see how the Senate votes on financial reform, opting instead to try and influence the vote and the American people to affect a different outcome. Though the House passed Barney’s version of financial reform months ago, Leader Boehner sent a release out yesterday blasting Dodd’s bill and touting a Republican House alternative. Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking member on the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, also appeared on CBS’ The Early Show yesterday urging Senate Republicans to reject Democrat efforts to enshrine Obama’s “To Big To Fail” policy. Issa stated “So, yes, we want to have reform, but it’s clear that a ‘no’ vote today by 41 Republicans is a ‘yes’ vote to do more comprehensive reform, more balanced reform…”

Bottom Line: Though Puerto Rican statehood is on the docket this week in the House and should be viewed with skepticism, Republicans in the House are wise to keep their eye on the broader picture. Boehner, Issa, Pence, and several other members are right on message, and should be commended for their efforts of late.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama went (more) into campaign mode yesterday, sending out a three minute video on the necessity of turning out the vote in November, and specifically trying to rally all of those first-time voters that were key to Democrat gains in 2008. Moe Lane on RedState suggested in a post this morning that BO was conceding loss of the House by basing the entire Democrat strategy on GOTV. Obama and top Democrats seem particularly concerned by the next two special elections in Pennsylvania’s 12^th district (May 18^th) and Hawaii 1^st district (May 22^nd). As Obama’s place of birth, a loss in Hawaii (normally a safe Dem seat) would be a particularly heavy blow since it’s BO’s back yard.

Also, Obama’s tone and attacks against political opponents have become even more pointed recently, showing signs of anxiety and desperation about the upcoming November elections. BO actually stated, “Mitch McConnell is in bed with Wall Street movers and shakers” and is using “cynical and deceptive” arguments against his Wall Street takeover plan. He even attacked Sarah Palin (which it should be noted is not even an elected official or running for office), saying she can be ignored on the arms control issue because she’s “not exactly an expert on nuclear issues.”

Bottom Line: While this kind of vitriol (what he accused Limbaugh and Beck of spewing) may encourage BOs liberal base, it denigrates the office of the president and will undoubtedly backfire. Millions of Americans are coming to realize they have been duped and even lied to, having once been inspired by Obama and his campaign promises. The more BO engages in baseless personal attacks, the more his star will fall in the minds of the people.

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