by jpitney | Jan 7, 2021 | Journalism
In response to events today in Washington D.C., the Committee to Protect Journalists issued the following statement: “We are gravely concerned by today’s attack on American institutions, including the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., where journalists as well as...
by jpitney | Jan 6, 2021 | Congress, Constitution, Elections, Electoral College, House of Representatives
We have sworn an oath under God to defend the Constitution. We uphold that oath at all times, not only when it is politically convenient. Congress has no authority to overturn elections by objecting to electors. Doing so steals power from the states & violates the...
by jpitney | Jan 5, 2021 | Journalism
President Trump signed into law the Fallen Journalists Memorial Act, authorizing the planning and construction of a memorial in Washington, D.C., to slain journalists. The push behind this act came after the 2018 Capital Gazette shooting, where a gunman killed five...
by jpitney | Jan 4, 2021 | Elections, Electoral College, Nixon
On January 6, 1961, after the official counting of the electoral votes in a joint session of Congress, Vice President Richard Nixon announced the election of his 1960 opponent, John F. Kennedy. Mr. Speaker, since this is an unprecedented situation, I would like to...
by jpitney | Jan 3, 2021 | Bipartisanship, Congress, House of Representatives
On C-SPAN, Tom Davis previews partisanship in the 117th Congress:
by jpitney | Jan 2, 2021 | Congress, House of Representatives
At Roll Call, Lindsey McPherson reports on the House rules package for the 117th Congress: The rules package is expected to get a vote on Monday, the second day of the new Congress. One of the main requests from Democrats across the caucus was that leadership either...
by jpitney | Jan 1, 2021 | Congress, House of Representatives
D.C. is full of former House members, many that are registered lobbyists or “consultants.” A bunch wear former member pins, making them virtually indistinguishable from current lawmakers. But some check out of the political life, fully or mostly. A few interesting...
by jpitney | Dec 31, 2020 | civic virtue, Civility, Religion
York Moore at Christianity Today: While my belief that civility will die a swift death in this Winter of despair, I have a hope in something greater-basic human desire. There are basic human desires that I believe will allow us to re-plant the seeds of civility once...
by jpitney | Dec 29, 2020 | Journalism
From the Fallen Journalists Memorial Foundation: Who will be honored by the memorial? The memorial will honor fallen journalists and the U.S.’s commitment to a free press. It will not name individual journalists. What will the memorial look like? While no...
by jpitney | Dec 28, 2020 | Budget, Congress, Debt, Economic Policy
Scott Newsome at LegBranch.org on reforming the Congressional Budget Act (CBA): First, section 310(a) of the CBA, which outlines the reconciliation process, is currently silent on the issue of whether it can be used to increase or decrease deficits. This leaves that...
