CODELs and Cliff Hangers
| By Weekly Reid - Aug 13, 2008 7:46:15 PM ET |
| Also listed in: Featured Bloggers |
Where in the world is Harry Reid? What's Schumer's First Rule Of Political Campaigning? And what does Han Solo have to do with Al Franken? Reid on!
Nevada First: Prevention Funding. There are few things in the world as tragic as suicide. Our country has made great strides in its efforts to combat suicide. Sadly, Nevada’s rural counties have a suicide rate twice that of the rest of the country. Thankfully, Nevadans have Harry Reid representing them, and he’s been one of the Senate’s loudest voices for suicide prevention. Sen. Reid penned an op-ed last week, in which he outlined some of the ways to reduce suicides in rural communities - starting with telemedicine. The Weekly Reid mentioned the way the VA is using telemedicine a few weeks ago - and now Sen. Reid wants to apply the same principals to suicide prevention. Read the whole op-ed, and pay particular attention to the part about the Stop Senior Suicide Act. Sen. Reid lost his father to suicide 35 years ago - so the issue is a deeply personal one.
Must Reid: CODEL-rific. Sen. Reid took to the skies last week, on a Congressional Delegation to Afghanistan and the surrounding region. One of the first stops was Kyrgyzstan, where Sen. Reid and his wife had lunch with five Nevadans stationed at the Manas Coalition Air Base, which is just outside the capital, Bishkek. He also met with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, with whom he discussed the burgeoning democracy in his country. From the Department of Understatements of the year: After the meeting, Sen. Reid said, "While many Americans may have never heard of Kyrgyzstan, as an important developing democracy in Central Asia, ensuring its success is vital, especially given its proximity to Afghanistan and the role this country plays in our fight against terror." Many Americans have never heard of Kyrgyzstan? Come on!
In Afghanistan, Sen. Reid met with President Hamid Karzai, and also with American generals who are leading the fight against a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida. The meeting was productive, and Sen. Reid left the meeting sure of two things: First, we need to focus more attention on Afghanistan. And second, one of the keys to stabilizing the region is reconstruction. “I am proud of our men and women in uniform and what they are doing to defend our country. Their service fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as helping the people of Afghanistan, is invaluable and has not gone unnoticed,” Sen. Reid said.
Setting the Agenda. Before he left for his CODEL, Senator Reid also weighed in on the September work period in the Senate. There’s a lot left to do, and Sen. Reid laid out an aggressive agenda. On that agenda (described by Roll Call as “hectic”): Tax Extenders (blocked numerous times), an energy bill (blocked countless times), the DOD Authorization (which didn’t come to the floor before recess because Obstructionist Republicans preferred to talktalktalktalk about offshore drilling), LIHEAP (blocked), the Tom-nibous (more exciting the second time around), an expansion to the Americans With Disabilities Act, and, just for kicks, a CR that would fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Just so you have something to look forward to, the Weekly Reid will be providing a blow-by-blow account of each and every Republican filibuster.
Reid's Watching: Schumer's First Rule. Kay Hagan went up today with her first ad of the general election - it’s great, because it reminds North Carolinians what Kay Hagan’s been doing for the last ten years: balancing budgets and standing up for North Carolina’s families.
And Al Franken, the winner of the Give ‘Em Hell Harry “Pick A Candidate” contest, is also up with a new ad. The Weekly Reid loves this ad because it follows Schumer's First Rule of Political Campaigning: If they hit you, hit ‘em back. Hard. And the stay tuned bit at the end? America loves a cliff hanger. Like when the Weekly Reid saw “The Empire Strikes Back” and put his Han Solo action figure in the freezer until “The Return of the Jedi” came out. Classic.
Nevada First: Prevention Funding. There are few things in the world as tragic as suicide. Our country has made great strides in its efforts to combat suicide. Sadly, Nevada’s rural counties have a suicide rate twice that of the rest of the country. Thankfully, Nevadans have Harry Reid representing them, and he’s been one of the Senate’s loudest voices for suicide prevention. Sen. Reid penned an op-ed last week, in which he outlined some of the ways to reduce suicides in rural communities - starting with telemedicine. The Weekly Reid mentioned the way the VA is using telemedicine a few weeks ago - and now Sen. Reid wants to apply the same principals to suicide prevention. Read the whole op-ed, and pay particular attention to the part about the Stop Senior Suicide Act. Sen. Reid lost his father to suicide 35 years ago - so the issue is a deeply personal one.
Must Reid: CODEL-rific. Sen. Reid took to the skies last week, on a Congressional Delegation to Afghanistan and the surrounding region. One of the first stops was Kyrgyzstan, where Sen. Reid and his wife had lunch with five Nevadans stationed at the Manas Coalition Air Base, which is just outside the capital, Bishkek. He also met with President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, with whom he discussed the burgeoning democracy in his country. From the Department of Understatements of the year: After the meeting, Sen. Reid said, "While many Americans may have never heard of Kyrgyzstan, as an important developing democracy in Central Asia, ensuring its success is vital, especially given its proximity to Afghanistan and the role this country plays in our fight against terror." Many Americans have never heard of Kyrgyzstan? Come on!
In Afghanistan, Sen. Reid met with President Hamid Karzai, and also with American generals who are leading the fight against a resurgent Taliban and al-Qaida. The meeting was productive, and Sen. Reid left the meeting sure of two things: First, we need to focus more attention on Afghanistan. And second, one of the keys to stabilizing the region is reconstruction. “I am proud of our men and women in uniform and what they are doing to defend our country. Their service fighting the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as helping the people of Afghanistan, is invaluable and has not gone unnoticed,” Sen. Reid said.
Setting the Agenda. Before he left for his CODEL, Senator Reid also weighed in on the September work period in the Senate. There’s a lot left to do, and Sen. Reid laid out an aggressive agenda. On that agenda (described by Roll Call as “hectic”): Tax Extenders (blocked numerous times), an energy bill (blocked countless times), the DOD Authorization (which didn’t come to the floor before recess because Obstructionist Republicans preferred to talktalktalktalk about offshore drilling), LIHEAP (blocked), the Tom-nibous (more exciting the second time around), an expansion to the Americans With Disabilities Act, and, just for kicks, a CR that would fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Just so you have something to look forward to, the Weekly Reid will be providing a blow-by-blow account of each and every Republican filibuster.
Reid's Watching: Schumer's First Rule. Kay Hagan went up today with her first ad of the general election - it’s great, because it reminds North Carolinians what Kay Hagan’s been doing for the last ten years: balancing budgets and standing up for North Carolina’s families.
And Al Franken, the winner of the Give ‘Em Hell Harry “Pick A Candidate” contest, is also up with a new ad. The Weekly Reid loves this ad because it follows Schumer's First Rule of Political Campaigning: If they hit you, hit ‘em back. Hard. And the stay tuned bit at the end? America loves a cliff hanger. Like when the Weekly Reid saw “The Empire Strikes Back” and put his Han Solo action figure in the freezer until “The Return of the Jedi” came out. Classic.
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