Who's the Masked Senator?

[SoFlaJDM]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

why? did he do something illegal?

[Scrum]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

Masked Senator Reveals Himself

TPMmuckraker August 30, 2006 01:59 PM

A spokesman for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) just confirmed his boss was the man behind the secret hold on the Coburn/Obama spending database bill, which has captivated a segment of the political blogging community in recent days.

"Sen. Stevens does have a hold on the bill," said the spokesman, who would only speak on the condition he not be named. He added that Sen. Tom Coburn's (R-OK) office was notified of the hold after it was placed. So Coburn's comments two weeks ago may have been duly informed.

So why does Stevens say he placed the hold? Why did it take this long for him to say so? And will he lift it?

We'll have more soon...

I fucking called it.

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

Oh please let it be Stevens

[SoFlaJDM]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

why isn't this on CNN or anything? WTF the MSM sucks balls

it was mentioned for about 15 seconds on cnn

[Publius]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

why? did he do something illegal?

By removed I mean voted out by his constituents. He is trying to prevent transparent government, and doing it in the most underhanded fashion possible.

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by Thorgrim

why isn't this on CNN or anything? WTF the MSM sucks balls

it's on fox news

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: The secret hold goes national (Update: 58 Senators deny)

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by Publius

By removed I mean voted out by his constituents. He is trying to prevent transparent government, and doing it in the most underhanded fashion possible.

some think it's just a personal vendetta

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

it was mentioned for about 15 seconds on cnn

Yeah but for discussion they should have their talking heads all discussing it...but only on MR, and DailyKos and other blogs do you see the story getting any coverage...fucking stupid MSM

[Thorgrim]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

it's on fox news

Hot Air » Blog Archive » Video: The secret hold goes national (Update: 58 Senators deny)

On Fox News they are talking about Ernesto

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

some think it's just a personal vendetta

That makes it better?

[SoFlaJDM]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

some think it's just a personal vendetta

oh, so that's ok then

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by SoFlaJDM

oh, so that's ok then

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

That makes it better?

i'm not defending this guy, i'm just giving facts. settle down nancy and mary

[SoFlaJDM]

against coburn?

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

i'm not defending this guy, i'm just giving facts. settle down nancy and mary

by using the word "just" (as in, downplaying the action) you are giving more than just fact, you are splicing in your opinion (or the opinion of the copied sentence)

[ballz2wallz]

Originally Posted by Ardentfrost

by using the word "just" (as in, downplaying the action) you are giving more than just fact, you are splicing in your opinion (or the opinion of the copied sentence)

yes, i'm suggesting it's possible he's not really against the transparency bill, but it's nothing more than a personal vendetta. what i said inflects no personal opinion.

[Thorgrim]

more material for the democrats to use in '06, i love it

[Ardentfrost]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

yes, i'm suggesting it's possible he's not really against the transparency bill, but it's nothing more than a personal vendetta. what i said inflects no personal opinion.

if so, then your first sentence misrepresented your meaning.

Do better next time

[Stylerod]

What a dick. He needs to go and they need to change the rules that one person can secretly hold up a bill like this.

[SoFlaJDM]

Bill's Cost Troubled Me, Pork King Says

Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) held up a bill that would create a free, searchable database of government contracts and grants because he was worried about the proposal's price tag, his spokesman told me this afternoon. Its cost has been estimated at $15 million.

Stevens' office has asked Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), the sponsor of the bill, for "a cost-benefit analysis to make sure this does not create an extra layer of unnecessary bureaucracy,” spokesman Aaron Saunders said. The Senator “wanted to make sure that this wasn’t going to be a huge cost to the taxpayer and that it achieves the goal which the bill is meant to achieve.”

Saunders added that Stevens' hold was not "secret," and that he would back the bill if the analysis shows that "it achieves it’s goal and it achieves it’s goal well."

But Sen. Coburn's spokesman John Hart questioned Stevens' motive. "The only reason to oppose this bill is if he has something to hide," Hart said.

Hart said that Stevens, who's on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, failed to attend any hearings on the bill, an assertion backed up by vote tallies. "If he had concerns, he should have addressed them in regular order rather than blocking something that will benefit millions of taxpayers," Hart said. He added that after Stevens' office raised the concerns, Coburn's office requested a meeting, but never got one.

The Congressional Budget Office has calculated that Coburn's proposal would cost "$4 million in 2007 and about $15 million [total] over the 2007-2011 period." By comparison, Stevens -- who's been called the "King of Pork" by one government watchdog -- was recently publicly lambasted for his appropriation of more than $200 million for the so-called "Bridge to Nowhere," which would link Ketchikan, Alaska (population 8,900) with its airport on Gravina Island (population 50).

get the rest here: TPMmuckraker August 30, 2006 03:56 PM

[ballz2wallz]

scenility seems to be finally taking its toll

[SoFlaJDM]

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

scenility seems to be finally taking its toll

yes it does