May 28th, 2010, Washington, DC–From ALG News’ Capitol Hill Correspondent Derek Baker: 
In the Senate, last night the $58.8 billion Supplemental Appropriations bill passed by a vote of 67-28, with 26 Republicans voting against the measure largely due to the fact that over $40 billion was deemed “emergency spending” and would be added to the federal deficit if signed into law.
On the political front, several breaking news sources just reported that the White House asked former President Bill Clinton to intervene with Rep. Joe Sestak regarding his then-primary bid against Sen. Arlen Specter. Sestak has repeatedly claimed that a White House official approached him with a job offer in exchange for dropping out of the race against Specter, who was strongly backed by Obama and Democrat leadership. The White House is expected to issue a formal statement later today, but has suggested that the Clinton-Sestak discussions were “informal” and completely legal and appropriate.
Bottom Line: Thus far, Sestak has been consistent in his brief but damning remarks on the episode, but the potential damage to him or the White House – or both – still loom large. As Rep. Issa stated yesterday, “If he’s (Sestak) telling the truth, an investigation must take place and justice must be served. If he’s lying, then he should immediately resign the race for Senate.” Either way, Pat Toomey’s chances in PA are looking strong.
In the House, debate on the Defense Authorization bill and related amendments continues today, though action is still likely on the Deficit Extenders package before members recess for the Memorial Day break. Action this week on the Democrats’ DISCLOSE campaign-finance bill have been delayed until after the recess, though it’s expected to receive action almost immediately after the break. The Extenders package is the primary reason for all the shuffling and delays on the floor schedule this week, as Democrat leadership had to contend with a revolt from the BlueDog Caucus who objected to the significant cost and deficit spending contained in the package. The revised package (containing various fixes and cost reductions in the rule) still contains increased federal spending by $102 billion over ten years and increases the federal deficit by $54 billion – deemed as “emergency spending” to overcome PAYGO rules – over the same period.
Last night, Rep. Patrick Murphy succssfully offered an amendment on DOD Authorization to repeal the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy that currently prohibits military service for openly homosexual military personnel. The vote was 234-194, though several Democrats are threatening to vote against the overall bill if the amendment is retained. Rep. Murphy’s amendment coincided with a vote last night in the Senate Armed Services Committee, which passed a similar amendment 16-12 to repeal the policy. Notably, current Democrat legislative efforts to repeal the 1993 military policy are effectively ignoring an ongoing military review of the DADT to determine if and how to amend or overturn the policy. The amendment would essentially decide the “if” by determining to completely overturn DADT, but wait until the military review is published to do so.
Also, Republicans made good on the first step in their promise to eviscerate ObamaCare, as a bill was introduced last night to “repeal and replace” the new healthcare reform law. Rep. Wally Herger, as the ranking member on the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Healthcare, introduced the bill.
Bottom Line: Republicans are clearly on the offensive on a variety of fronts and Democrats – particularly those in leadership – are feeling the heat and becoming rather irritated. Interestingly, Democrat leadership has responded not by sticking to more popular, moderate issues pertaining to jobs and the economy, but continue to pursue more fringe policy initiatives to appease their liberal base, such as DADT repeal and the DISCLOSE Act. Further, Dems are singlehandedly killing any ability they might have had to tout fiscal discipline, instead moving bills that increase deficit spending every single week the House is in session. This is likely to increase the Dem disaster come November… if effectively exposed to the populace.
At the other end of the Avenue, amid political press and mounting criticism in the press on his response to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Obama heads to Louisiana and the Gulf region today to personally survey the devastation. In a rare press conference appearance yesterday where he took questions from the press, Obama stated frankly, “In case you were wondering who’s responsible, I take responsibility.” He went on to say that the “federal government is fully engaged, and I am fully engaged.”
Attempting to get ahead of the unfolding disaster and related political fallout, Obama also fired the head of the Minerals Management Service yesterday morning, who is responsible for oversight of the off-shore oil drilling industry. A recent Gallop poll revealed 53 percent of Americans believe Obama has done a “poor” or “very poor” job in responding to the disaster. Further, Democrats have become increasing critical of Obama’s efforts thus far. Sen. Landrieu, who represents Louisiana, stating yesterday, “The president has not been as visible as he should have been on this, and he’s going to pay a political price for it, unfortunately.”
Bottom Line: Obama’s “lackadaisical” style (Democrat strategist James Carville’s charge) is beginning to seriously harm his credibility and respect for his leadership ability among Americans, including many Democrats. What many are seeing is he displays his strongest leadership when championing liberal causes, but is seen as incompetent or impotent in taking charge on a variety of other more mundane and tedious issues, such as the economy, responding to natural disasters, or foreign affairs. The American public rarely shows an appetite for the details, but they demand a president who embodies strength and wisdom in times of crisis. Obama doesn’t seem to have these traits in sufficient degree thus far. As pressures mount, time will tell.
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