JK to be on supercommittee!!!

[MBS]

Just heard it on Hardball..other two are Max Baucus and Patty Murray

Not shaping the debate, huh?!!!

[Inuca]

1. Just saw that elesewhere

and came to post. Not sure whether to applaud or not... it's going to be one TOUGH assignment. But slefishly, hell yes, I am VERY glad he is on.

Any comments on the other two?

[MBS]

2. My first thought is that the three were picked to represent various wings

of the Democratic party, with Sen. Kerry at the liberal end. Not thrilled with Max Baucus, but I admit that he represents a (blue-dog) constituency that probably had to be included. (Unfortunately). Don't know much about Patty Murray's approach to these things.
But glad that Kerry will have a voice.

[Inuca]

3. Kos brand new

diary on this http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/09/1005114/-Breaking:-Reid-Appointees-to-SuperCommittee?via=siderecent. On eposter commented about Baucus that he is an "institutional guy", therefore less likely to "betray the group". I think it's a good point.

[karynnj]

18. agree that it will be a very tough assignment for any Democrat

The charter of the committee starts on Republican terms. ALL the Republicans start against any tax increases and no closing loopholes.

Still this is a job that is critical to have people who really can do the best possible on this - as it will define the type of country we are. I think it will by a personal no win situation for the Democrats on the committee. I do think all three are good - and remember when a Congressional committee was proposed for this back in 2010, Baucus sponsored an amendment that required that if SS was cut, it needed 60 to pass, not the 50 that was otherwise called for.

[ObamaKerryDem]

4. OMG, my wish for this came true!!!!1

:bounce: :D

This is fantastic! Now we definitely have a voice on this committee (though Murray is also great and Baucus, though a bit Blue-Doggy for my taste, is far from the worst!)! This was seriously one of my first thoughts when I first heard that Harry Reid (who I also really like!) would be appointing members to this. I kept thinking "Wouldn't it be awesome if JK were picked?" But with his duties on the SFRC, etc I wasn't sure...but I sure am glad to hear it!! :)

So I presume JK along with others have accepted it?? Wonderful, encouraging news about an otherwise rather troubling topic!

[Luftmensch067]

5. I am totally in shock!

But happy!!!!

and LOL re "not shaping the debate"!!!!

[Mass]

6. Good committee. I am less thrilled by Baucus, but altogether, he is better than Warner or Conrad

would have been or even worse McCaskill.


But it is clear it is a hard assignment. The ordinary stars are not there (Too hard for Schumer?).

So, what will Joannie say?

[MBS]

7. thanks for your comments!

yes, I am also glad that we don't have to deal with Warner, Conran or (shudder) McCaskill.
Out in general DU-land, everyone seems to be frothing at how "horrible" the committee is.. they seem not to have given much thought to how truly horrible it could have been (not to mention that they're equating Kerry with Baucus. . go figure:crazy:
And your comment about Schumer was spot-on (it also gave me my first laugh in a very hard day.. THANKS!):7
Yes, what will Joannie say, I wonder? :evilgrin:

[Inuca]

8. Surprised at what it may mean, if anything, that

Durbin is not in. I would have prefered him to Murray, maybe just because I know him better.

[Mass]

9. Actually, I am happy it is her. Durbin has shown to ready to compromise on these issues and

to talk the language of compromise. Also, I guess he was on the two last committees and they may have wanted new eyes.

[MBS]

10. Well, that very interesting daily kos article you mentioned

suggested that not all of the members of the committee were necessarily the first-choice picks..
Maybe Durbin was one of those who felt they were too busy.

[wisteria]

14. Diplomacy will be necessary for this committee to work, in that respect, Sen. Kerry was a good pick.

[Inuca]

11. A comment on a related Kos thread

that I think people here will appreciate:

I've met and talked to Kerry a few times(2+ / 0-)



When I was working with VoteVets. He has always impressed me. Each time I've talked to him he has come across as razor sharp and a lot smarter than most people give him credit for. I'm not doubting him.

Because of course the shit started already to pour on, both here on DU and Kos.

[Mass]

12. The comments on GDP are not too bad for Kerry.

I have stopped visiting Kos a long time ago, and honestly, some of the concerns I have seen on GDP about cutting programs for the poor are concerns I share. I am not sure Kerry would be more prone to doing that than for example Sherrod Brown or Harkin, but generally, this is the risk of such a committee. You have to cut somewhere, but where?

[Mass]

13. BTW, the problem comes from what Kerry said on MTP about SS, Medicare, and Medicaid

being the problem for our deficit. Because he did not think useful to explain how this could be solved, people heard what they wanted. Once again, when will Dems learn to communicate.

[JI7]

15. not all the time, there are many who purposely mislead about what was said

[Mass]

16. There is nothing to do with those, but you can avoid the honest ones by being clear on topics like

that. This absence of care for these details helps the right by accepting their narrative (See Brown saying that Medicare, Medicaid and SS would be cut. He could actually use Kerry's interview to explain Kerry agrees with him. Disingenuous, but efficient, as all it takes is to except what Kerry said, without even cutting him). It also gives people the impression they care as little as the GOP.

And, Kerry has said several times he would not cut, but people like Warner or McCaskill actually advocate capping Medicaid, which in substance means cutting it. Or Innouye saying that young people will not mind if Medicare is cut... plan does not that, though. Sorry, but I am tired to see Dems accepting the GOP narrative, and this includes president Obama.

[politicasista]

17. Sounds good. Wish him the best. :)

Rough crowd out there. :hide: Hopefully, he will prove the doubters and worry warts wrong.

Does the President have to approve also?

[Inuca]

19. So now we know who he will have to deal with

Toomey?!?!?!? Portman I do not know enough about to comment much, and no additional comment is needed about rattlesnake Kyl. I do not know much about Boehner's choices except that Henserling or whatever the correct spelling of his name is is an idiot.

I decided that I am glad after all that Kerry is in the committee, but that's NOT going to be fun. Especially in the middle of a country and world that seems to goto hell in a handbasket :-(. I am getting scared, guys...

[politicasista]

20. Yikes!

They do not sound like a compromising trio.

Hopefully Senator Kerry will not have pay for Baucus' corporatism and Reid's sometimes timid approach.

[wisteria]

21. Toomey will make it impossible to get anything done-he despises social programs for anyone but the

rich. His appointment absolutely means there will be no compromises coming from Repubs. I feel for Senator Kerry, this committee is going to be nothing but frustrating and unproductive.

[Inuca]

22. After I wrote the above, I

read and heard a bit more about Portman. I already knew he was Bush's OMB director, but supposedly he is knowledgeable and not too extreme, relatively speaking. The speculation was that id there is a chance of one R to "turn", act rational and vote with the Ds, he is probably the one. One of the comments along these lines came from Jonathan Alter, saying that he is far form optimistic, but he has some hope for Portman. The fact that he is a brand new senator and does not have to worry about re-election for a while is also a +. We shall see...

[ladym55]

35. Portman is the invisible Senator from Ohio

Done ZIPPO for the state since his election last November. He is a corporate lobbyist guy, busy doing things for the national Rethuglicans while conditions in Ohio continue to deteriorate. He will be all about protecting the very wealthy and throwing the people of this nation under the bus.

[MBS]

23. WaPo editorial this morning

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/deficit-supercommittee-more-predictable-than-super/2011/08/10/gIQAWWDa9I_story.html
Warning: this is from the actual editorial dept, not an oped. Their editors are pretty conservative,and, frankly, I don't usually bother reading their stuff. However, this was , for me, a useful summary of who's who on the supercommittee . Here's the bit on JK:

The third pick, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), may be the most intriguing. Mr. Kerry’s passion and expertise lies in the foreign policy arena, yet he has expressed sympathy for the balanced approach of the bipartisan Gang of Six, which modeled its efforts on Simpson-Bowles. “I think it could be a component of whatever the debt deal is,” he said after the Gang of Six plan was released. We hope to be able to say the same after the supercommittee produces its proposal this fall.

[MBS]

24. National Journal on Dem senate picks (including JK)

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congress/democrats-murray-baucus-kerry-on-super-committee-20110809

Here's their perspective on all 3 Dem senate choices.

Reid’s decision to tap Murray will likely be met with scrutiny, as she is also chairing the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for the 2012 election cycle. But she is also a member of leadership, a senior member of the Budget Committee, and a woman on what is likely to be a male-dominated committee.
Baucus is chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee with jurisdiction over many areas, including entitlement programs, that the committee is expected to examine. Kerry, meanwhile, was selected for his stature and Senate tenure.

[Inuca]

25. What's with the fuss over

Murray being head of the DSCC? Am I missing something? I don't see any "conflict of interest" here.

[Mass]

34. DSCC has to fundraise and some of this fundraising goes to big donors with special interests.

So, Murray has some conflict of interest as does the guy from the RCCC that is not named in this article as the Republican choices were not known then.

[Luftmensch067]

26. By current standards of journalism, this report is much fairer...

http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/08/10/5661/john-kerry-dem-appointee-super-congress-has-record-working-across-aisle

In a quarter century in the Senate, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts has made the transformation from a brash young iconoclast to respected senior statesman. He brings the liberal bona fides of a former Democratic presidential candidate to the Super Congress deliberations and a less-heralded but successful record at enlisting and working with Republican colleagues on thorny issues.

It does contain some idiocy and my new favorite weird description of JK: "Inside the Senate club, the tall military veteran with aristocratic ancestry and a billionaire wife has shown a knack for cutting deals with his Republican colleagues..." But mostly it's more fact than stupidity.

[YvonneCa]

27. Douglas Brinkley...

...

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2011/08/13/kerry_is_the_perfect_choice_for_committee/

[MBS]

28. This is a very nice piece.

Thanks for posting this!

[YvonneCa]

30. It is, isn't it? It is very...

...respectful of the Senator's leadership skills. Brinkley seems...unlike some others...to actually be aware of what Keryy has been working on over the years. ;)

You are very welcome, MBS. :hi:

[Inuca]

29. Outstanding

Beautifully and inteligently writen. "quiet listning skills" - nice.

The comments OTOH... what stones do these people crawl from under with the sole purpose of posting on web sites? And why ar ethere so many of them?!?!?

[YvonneCa]

31. I missed the comments. I will...

...have to go back later and read them (MUCH later). :7 I am sure they are the usual suspects...crazies that will never like anything JK does or says. Haters, generally.

They are hopeless...they are sort of like a virus that appears on any story about the Senator. I wish McAfee or Norton would create a fix...

;)

[karynnj]

32. This is fantastic

It is the perfect counterbalance3 for all the articles, like the Hill's suggesting Kerry "needs" to get something here - as he has few legislative accomplishments. This takes the opposite approach that it is his negotiation skills that mean he may find solutions when others would not - then gives 3 concrete examples - one US and two foreign where he accomplished things that others thought impossible or had failed at.

I love that they credit JK's upbringing with his dad. (The 2004 media seemed to cast him as a loner with little close family - when we all know he was blessed with an extraordinary family, who loved him. His crediting his dad when speaking to Brinkley was a really nice gesture - especially when he had risen far beyond his dad's accomplishments at that point.

Reading it, it is really unfortunate that a man with these skills and the personality to really do this - something many are too arrogant to ever do - will never be President.

[YvonneCa]

33. I liked it, too. Actually positive...

...for once, as opposed to less negative when compared to other articles. :) I only disagree with one thing...never say never. :7