The other vote we’ve been waiting for the Senate to hold, other than the one on the Ryan budget that ends Medicare, is a vote on ending $21 billion in fossil fuel subsidies to the Big 5 oil companies. This is another vote that has electoral potential, and it’s already proven to be a fairly [...]

Republicans seemed to make it clear that they would both strip Lisa Murkowski’s leadership position and top committee assignment after she “betrayed” the caucus by mounting a write-in campaign in Alaska against Joe Miller and Scott McAdams. In doing so the Senate GOP would merely be responding to the grassroots, who demanded this. And operatives [...]

That’s Lisa Murkowski, in her first general election campaign ad, explaining why she will go forward with a write-in campaign. Within a week of that announcement, the Republican leadership in the Senate acted quickly, not only stripping Murkowski of her Vice-Chair position, but taking away her plum committee assignment. Senate Republicans just said they will [...]

David Roberts gets people up to speed on the Kerry-Lieberman (formerly Kerry-Graham-Lieberman) climate and energy bill, set for release tomorrow. He reasons that the chances for passage are low, but may grow if the bill improves on its way through the Senate. The BP Gulf oil disaster has completely scrambled the politics of this stuff. [...]

Later this morning, CEOs from BP and Transocean as well as executives from Halliburton will testify about the underwater volcano in the Gulf of Mexico which has to date leaked four million gallons of oil. The Senate Natural Resources Committee and the Environment and Public Works Committee will hold hearings today on the matter. Dan [...]