Frank James

Capitol Hill's Partisan And Racial Divide Cast In Bronze

Frank James — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 22:15:00 +0000

A 7-foot-tall statue of famed, lion-maned abolitionist Frederick Douglass that was dedicated Wednesday on Capitol Hill is perhaps best understood as a bronze symbol of the partisan divide in Washington and of racial politics.

The ex-slave, who later became a friend of President Abraham Lincoln, was a federal official and an important journalist of his day.

Boehner Seeks To Reassure House GOP On Immigration

Frank James — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 22:50:00 +0000

Faced with the threat of mutiny for what seems like the umpteenth time during his speakership, John Boehner moved to mollify fellow Republicans on Tuesday, saying immigration legislation would need the support of a majority of the House GOP before it could be brought to a floor vote.

After emerging from a meeting with House Republicans, following days of warnings by conservatives that the Ohio Republican had better not try to pass an immigration bill with mostly Democratic votes, Boehner sought to calm the roiling Republican waters.

"I also suggested to our members today that any immigrati

Obama's Unplanned NSA Discussion

Frank James — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:26:00 +0000

You have to wonder if President Obama ever thought, when he first ran for the White House, that he would need to defend himself from accusations his presidency would be a mere extension of his Republican predecessor.

But there he was with journalist Charlie Rose having to explain why his approach to national security wasn't really like that of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.

The main reason Obama is no repeat of that previous administration?

Voting Rights Groups Get High Court Win As Bigger Case Looms

Frank James — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:15:00 +0000

Advocates of tougher voter registration standards have racked up wins in recent years — voter ID laws have taken hold across the nation, for example.

But those who believe that government should make voting as easy as possible just gained a significant victory with the U.S.

Think Your Job's Hard? Try Being A Congressional Spy Watcher

Frank James — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:42:00 +0000

As the controversy over the National Security Agency's phone and Internet data gathering reminds us, one of Congress' most challenging assignments is oversight of the nation's intelligence community.

Keeping tabs on the part of the federal government that constantly invokes national security to justify its opaqueness has its obvious difficulties and frustrations.

Those frustrations came through in a conversation I had with Rep.

GOP Lawmakers Greet Obama's Syria Step, But Urge A Leap

Frank James — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:57:00 +0000

Now that the Obama administration has declared that Syrian President Bashar Assad has crossed a "red line" by using chemical weapons against his own people, another rare bipartisan moment has arrived in the nation's capital.

Republicans welcomed the White House announcement Thursday that it was prepared to offer military assistance to the rebels, but their reaction contained implied criticisms of President Obama's approach to Syria up to now.

For example, there was

Massachusetts Senate Race May Be Feeling D.C. Scandal Fallout

Frank James — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:55:00 +0000

With two weeks until the Massachusetts special Senate election, the obvious question is: Can Republicans pull off another stunning upset like they did three years ago?

Back then, in the very blue Bay State, Republican Scott Brown won the seat left vacant by Ted Kennedy's death by riding a Tea Party and anti-Obamacare wave amplified by voter distress over a sour economy.

An improved economy has changed some of the dynamics since Brown's 2010 win.

Senate's New GOP Stars Show Party's Range On Immigration

Frank James — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 23:35:00 +0000

Forget, for a moment, about the bipartisan Gang of Eight, whose members crafted the original version of the immigration bill being taken up by the Senate this week.

There's another, very partisan gang to watch on the issue. Let's call them the Gang of Four, a high-profile group of relatively new Republican senators whose trajectories are set for the national stage.

Obama's Immigration Dilemma: Leading While Following

Frank James — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 19:20:00 +0000

If you want to observe one of Washington's most delicate balancing acts, look no further than President Obama's effort to assert leadership on immigration legislation without its coming to be identified as a new Obamalaw.

Because they're keenly aware of how nearly any legislative effort that becomes known as the president's baby almost immediately makes his political foes hellbent on stopping it and denying him a victory, Obama and other White House officials have been committed to letting Congress take the lead on major legislation like immigration reform.

His challenge is to show just en

Lawmakers Work To Gauge Public Mood On NSA And Leaker

Frank James — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 23:24:00 +0000

When it comes to secrets leaker Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency's phone records and Internet snooping, some in Congress face a dilemma.

Namely, how to read public opinion.

Speaking off the record, aides for Republican and Democratic House lawmakers told me they are getting constituent calls on both sides: from those urging that Snowden not be prosecuted and those insisting he should be.

An aide for one congressman told me her boss's staff was holding off on issuing a statement until it had the chance to further gauge the voters' mood.

Another aide told me that of all th