As we continue to celebrate the historic vote on health care reform (and continue to lament the right-wing's response of threats and violent rhetoric), it's important to remember that we're just 72 hours away from the end of the pivotal first fundraising quarter of 2010. Now is the time to contribute!

For your contributing convenience, there are ActBlue pages set up for specific groups.

Of course, I manage my "Expand the Map!" ActBlue page, promoting Democrats running for Senate seats currently held by Republicans and, this cycle, better Democrats running in primaries against conservaDems (i.e. Bill Halter taking on Blanche Lincoln) and recent Republicans (i.e. Joe Sestak taking on Arlen Specter). I hope you'll check it out and contribute what you can to our Democrats for U.S. Senate.

Daily Kos' Adam Bonin runs the "We've Got Your Back, v2.0" ActBlue page, promoting House Democrats in swing districts who supported health care reform despite the political risk. Standing up for these politically brave Democrats makes it easier to persuade Dems from swing districts to take politically risky votes for reform in the future. Some of my favorite Democrats, including Representatives Alan Grayson and Carol Shea-Porter, are represented on the page.

MyDD has established the "Going On Offense" ActBlue page, promoting Democrats running for Senate, Governor, and House - challengers and incumbents. Featured are Democratic campaigns including Tom White for Congress from Nebraska, Matt Dunne for Governor of Vermont, and Senator Russ Feingold's re-election. MyDD's Nathan Empsall went into further detail about the on Going On Offense effort on Thursday.

Remember, the contribution you can make isn't just a donation to a single candidate or political campaign. It's an investment against Republican obstruction (and conservaDem enabling) at all levels of government. Every dollar these Democrats are able to report before the end of the fundraising quarter on Wednesday night will demonstrate Democratic strength against their Republican/Teabag opposition. It makes a big difference and a real impact.

72 hours. Please chip in if you can on any of these pages - or directly to your favorite Democratic candidate for office in 2010. This is an open thread.

For news and analysis on the U.S. Senate races around the country, regularly read Senate Guru.

After months of obstruction by Senate Republicans, the White House announced on March 27:

“The United States Senate has the responsibility to approve or disapprove of my nominees. But if, in the interest of scoring political points, Republicans in the Senate refuse to exercise that responsibility, I must act in the interest of the American people and exercise my authority to fill these positions on an interim basis,” said President Barack Obama. “Most of the men and women whose appointments I am announcing today were approved by Senate committees months ago, yet still await a vote of the Senate. At a time of economic emergency, two top appointees to the Department of Treasury have been held up for nearly six months. I simply cannot allow partisan politics to stand in the way of the basic functioning of government.”

 

Following their appointment, these nominees will remain in the Senate for confirmation.

Obama Administration appointees have faced an unprecedented level of obstruction in the Senate.

* President Obama currently has a total of 217 nominees pending before the Senate. These nominees have been pending for an average of 101 days, including 34 nominees pending for more than 6 months.

* The 15 nominees President Obama intends to recess appoint have been pending for an average of 214 days or 7 months for a total of 3204 days or almost 9 years.

* President Bush had made 15 recess appointments by this point in his presidency, but he was not facing the same level of obstruction. At this time in 2002, President Bush had only 5 nominees pending on the floor. By contrast, President Obama has 77 nominees currently pending on the floor, 58 of whom have been waiting for over two weeks and 44 of those have been waiting more than a month.

I put the full list of recess appointees with their bios after the jump. In the good news column, Obama named Craig Becker to the National Labor Relations Board. Unfortunately, he also named pesticide and biotech lobbyist Islam A. Siddiqui as the U.S. Trade Representative's Chief Agricultural Negotiator. More than 100 organizations opposed Siddiqui's nomination "as a textbook case of the 'revolving door' between industry and the government agencies meant to keep watch."

Also bad news: Obama did not use his recess appointment power to name Dawn Johnsen as head of the Office of Legal Counsel. I thought she had already been confirmed, because in January it became clear that there were 60 senators supporting her nomination. However, the Senate Judiciary Committee has repeatedly postponed considering her confirmation, raising questions about whether the Obama administration really wants Johnsen to do this job.

 

There's more...

From the diaries, jerome.

In a way, the fact that a public option wasn't included in the health care reform law is a great opportunity for progressives. It would have been preferable to include the public option in the original law, without a doubt. And it would would certainly be nice to pass a public option during a second round of budget reconciliation in this session of Congress - but I'm not holding my breath. Nevertheless, defeat in this session may be a blessing in disguise, since progressive Democrats now have a clear and popular issue they can, and should, rally around for the mid-term elections.

The polling forecast for Democrats in the mid-term elections has been looking rather miserable for a while now, both in the House and in the Senate, and while there appears to be a health care bounce, it's too early to say whether that will be long-lived, or whether it will be enough to revive Democratic election prospects.

But whatever happens to Congressional Democrats, fighting for the public option in the mid-term elections is a good short-term strategy for progressives. What's more, it may yield significant long-term benefits as well. More in the extended entry.

There's more...

Enjoy.

• Shai Sachs sees a short term strategy for Democrats with a long term benefit: Run on the public option.


• NRDC's New Videos On Clean Energy Reveal the Faces and Potential of the Green Economy. (jamesboyce)


• Racial profiling in Georgia a microcosm of what's happening all over the U.S. (Restore Fairness)


• The first (of many?) "remixes" of House Minority Leader John Boehner's "No You Can't" rant in nhavey's CRUSH: Facebook in the Time of Syphilis.


• Wisconsin May Be First State to Enact Automatic Voter Registration Law. (Project Vote)


• Chuckie Corra asks Why is the Subject Always About Who Won?


• Next Up: A Climate Bill says Heather Taylor-Miesle NRDC Action Fund.


• And The Media Consortium agrees... sort of... in their Weekly Mulch: Clock Ticking for Climate Change Legislation

Meet John Barrow.

He's a member of the Blue Dog Coalition.

And he represents the 12th congressional district of Georgia, a congressional district won by President Obama in both the primary and the general election.

Congressman Barrow was among the 34 Democrats who voted against the health care bill [SOURCE:  Roll Call 165].  That vote earned Barrow the ire of Democrats within his district.  Several Democratic lawmakers have either withdrawn their support from Barrow or endorsed his primary opponent, former state Senator Regina Thomas [Peterson, Larry (2010-3-24).  Black backlash against health care vote looms over Barrow's re-election prospects.  Savannah Morning News.  Retrieved on 2010-3-27.].

Tony Center, the local Democratic county chair, says Barrow is in some real trouble. 

"I think it has brought his whole voting record to the forefront," Center said.

Center said he's "very disappointed" and that the [Chatham County Democratic] committee repeatedly called on Barrow to back the bill.

CQ Politics reports there are rumblings of a bigger name challenging Barrow in the July primary.

There's more...

The CNN poll shows Romney as being the slight frontrunner among the GOP 2012:

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney 22%
 Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin 18%
 Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee 17%
 Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich 8%
 Texas Congressman Ron Paul 8%
 Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty 5%
 Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum 5%
 Indiana Congressman Mike Pence 4%
 Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour 1%

This morning at the AAPC pollies conference, I listed to Stan Greenberg describe the recently passed HCR as a bill based on Republican ideas (individual mandate, market-driven), and a number of writers have pointed this out lately. The bill was, as Nancy Pelosi pointed out, “built on a series of principles that Republicans espoused for years.”

So, for Romney, there's an initial reaction that he's toast, and Pawlenty's campaign is seeking to tie Romney to the bill. He does have a positive:

One thing Romney can say, and that Democrats can't, is that Romney's bill was bipartisan. He worked with his Democrats, with Sen. Ted Kennedy. This won't play well with a primary audience, however, especially if "Obamacare" remains as unpopular with Republicans as it is right now.

Waldman says there's a real possibility of HCR not even being an '12 threshold issue, and that seems a distinct possibility given the bills guiding principles. Here's one way to look at Romney:

His transparent lack of beliefs, his willingness to adopt any position he thinks will win a moment's affection from the person he's talking to, his eagerness to say and do absolutely anything, no matter how ridiculous, in the pursuit of power -- it has a kind of purity, a phoniness so complete it's charming.

 

The student loan reform that Congress just approved as part of the budget reconciliation bill has been overshadowed by the health insurance reform process, but it's very good news for future college students. Senator Tom Harkin's office summarized some benefits in a March 18 press release, which I've posted after the jump. The most important change is that the government will stop subsidizing banks that currently make big profits on student lending. Instead, the federal government will expand its direct student loans, saving $61 billion over 10 years. Most of the savings will go to increase Pell grants.

Just a couple of months ago, student loan reform appeared endangered because of Republican obstruction and corporate-friendly Democrats who didn't want to cut student loan companies like Sallie Mae out of the equation. In early February, the New York Times reported on the extensive lobbying campaign against this bill. (One of the key lobbyists for the banks was Jamie Gorelick, a familiar name from Bill Clinton's administration.)

Scott Brown's victory in the Massachusetts Senate election made it even less likely that Democrats could round up 60 votes to overcome a filibuster of student loan reform.

Fortunately, Senator Tom Harkin and other strong supporters of this reform were able to get the measure included in the budget reconciliation bill that was primarily a vehicle for passing "fixes" to health insurance reform. Not only is student loan reform a good idea in itself, I agree with Jon Walker that adding it to the health reform improved the political prospects for getting the reconciliation bill through the Senate. Democrats from several states were said to be balking on the student loan reforms, but only three senators who caucus with Democrats were willing to vote no on yesterday's reconciliation bill.

This reform is scaled back somewhat from the original proposal, which would have saved $87 billion over 10 years and passed the House of Representatives last September on a mostly party-line vote. The original proposal would have provided larger increases in Pell grant funding, because it was budget neutral. In order to be included in the budget reconciliation measure (and therefore not subject to a Republican filibuster in the Senate), the student loan reform had to reduce the deficit. But that compromise was well worth making in order to move to direct lending by the government.

Regarding health insurance reform, financial regulation and many other issues, I'm one of those "cynics and naysayers" President Obama decried in yesterday's speech in Iowa City. But this student loan reform is a big step in the right direction, and the Democrats in the White House and Congress who kept pushing for it deserve credit.

There's more...

Today is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's birthday, and in light of the occasion -- as well as the monumental achievement over the past few days that was the passage of healthcare reform legislation (with student lending reform, to boot) -- I thought it worthwhile to take a moment to lay down a few thoughts on the Pelosi speakership.

When Nancy Pelosi was first elected Democratic leader in late-2002, the time was bleak for her party. The Democrats, who had been expected to fare well in the midterm elections -- perhaps even retaking the House of Representatives -- not only lost seats in the House but also lost control of the Senate. Indeed, the party's caucus in the chamber (205 members, including Independent Bernie Sanders) was as small as it had been in 54 years.

Today, after two straight elections in which Republicans sought to make Nancy Pelosi an issue, the Democratic caucus is strong and robust. At its peak earlier in this Congress, before retirements and a death marginally reduced the Democrats' numbers, the Democratic majority stood larger than any Republican majority in the House since just after the 1928 elections. Think about that. The current Democratic majority is larger than the Republicans have had in nearly 80 years -- this, after Republicans sought to make the last two battles for the House about Nancy Pelosi. Yes, there were hiccups along the road, and House Democrats lost further ground during the 2004 election. Still, today, it's quite clear that Pelosi has been, at least on an electoral level, a boon for her party rather than the albatross Republicans sought to make her.

And over the past few days, weeks and months, we have come to see that Nancy Pelosi has been a historically effective leader of the House. This week, the President signed the most monumental piece of domestic legislation in nearly a half-century. Just as Barack Obama was able to do what no President in more than 100 years had been able to do in making the case for universal healthcare coverage, so too was Nancy Pelosi able to do what no other Speaker in more than 100 years had been able to do in shepherding such legislation through the House. And not just healthcare reform legislation. The House has also passed, with the agreement of the Senate, major legislation in the areas of student lending reform, economic stimulus, jobs, anti-discrimination, credit reform, and tobacco regulation. The House under Pelosi's Speakership has also moved the ball forward on important climate change legislation, which while not yet passed by the Senate has nonetheless kept the issue at the fore. 

This is an historic Speakership -- there's no other way of describing it. So happy birthday Nancy Pelosi, a leader of the House of Representatives whose name is now firmly on path to join the names like Henry Clay, Joseph Cannon, Champ Clark, Sam Rayburn and Tip O'Neill.

It wasn't nearly as suspenseful as Sunday's vote, but the House of Representatives passed the revised budget reconciliation bill tonight by a vote of 220-207 (roll call). The bill contains changes to the health insurance reform President Obama signed into law on Tuesday, as well as a student loan reform that replaces subsidized private loans with direct lending by the government. The Senate had approved the bill earlier today, but minor changes were made in the section regarding Pell grants, which is why the House had to vote on the new version.

Here's your laugh for the day: MSNBC's Chris Matthews still thinks he was right and Representative Alan Grayson was wrong about whether changes to the health care bill could be passed using the budget reconciliation process.

The DCCC’s “Red to Blue Program” has the right idea for the 2010 elections: The best hope for Democrats is to play offense, not defense. Here are five progressive candidates taking it to the GOP who need our help today.

With the jobs picture improving and Repubs reeling on health care, the cycle isn’t looking nearly as bleak as it was just two weeks ago, but it’s still a midterm election and the President’s party almost always faces an uphill battle in its midterms. The best way for us to off-set losses in blue districts is to pick up seats in red districts. This will help expand the party’s map, build a deeper bench for our future, and maintain a progressive governing majority.

The first quarter of this election year ends in just six days, on March 31. The FEC financial statements that follow will be our first real chance to show the media that we are NOT going to shrink or back down in the face of right-wing hate this year. We’ve set up an Act Blue page called “Going On Offense” for five strong progressives running solid races for open red seats. Please give at least $10 to at least two of the five before March 31.

Jack Conway, KY-Sen – Jack Conway is the true progressive in the Democratic primary for Kentucky's open Senate seat. He supports health reform; his opponent, Dan Mongiardo, does not. He supports marriage equality; Mongiardo does not. Like Robert Byrd, he opposes mountaintop removal mining; Mongiardo supports it. We need Kentucky, and we need Jack Conway's record of success. Here’s his latest ad:

Paul Hodes, NH-Sen – Paul Hodes has been an outspoken, aggressive and unwavering proponent of real health care reform since his recent election to Congress. A true progressive hero, Hodes refused to give up when things were at their darkest after Scott Brown won the MA-Sen seat, writing on the Huffington Post, “The Washington Republican Party and their tea-party allies would take us back to the Bush years… Now is not the time for Democrats to shy away from a fight, to back down or run away from who we are. There is too much at stake.” Help Hodes, one of three Senate candidates endorsed by the Sierra Club, continue the remarkable red-to-blue trend New Hampshire has experienced in the last two cycles.

Robin Carnahan, MO-Sen – They say that as Missouri goes, so goes the nation, and in 2010, this might be the closest thing to a true toss-up anywhere on the Senate map. Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, a Missouri resident who still runs her family's farm in Rolla, has cracked down on financial predators and helped guide her office into the 21 Century. Her opponent, Roy Blount, was one of Tom DeLay's top lieutenants during the Bush administration. The choice is clear.

Matt Dunne, VT-Gov –Spend just ten minutes with Matt Dunne and you'll realize that he has one of the deepest commitments to service and firmest grasps on public policy of anyone you’ve ever met. Matt, an executive at Google, is the former director of Americorps-VISTA and a former state senator. His resume and his values are the right choice for Vermont and for the Democratic Party.

Tom White, NE-02 – For the first time in history, a state split its Electoral College vote when NE-02, which includes Omaha, cast its vote for Barack Obama. Let’s keep this district blue and send Terry packing. Help state Sen. Tom White, the author of Nebraska's Military Family Leave Act in 2007, take his record of success on education, civil rights, and workplace discrimination to Congress. White is one of the DCCC’s 13 “red to blue” candidates.

On April 1, we’ll expand this page to include other progressive heroes like Alan Grayson and Bill Halter. For the first quarter, however, we need to send the media and our volunteers a strong message. We can do this.