I agree with Oberstar that we should pass a new transportation bill instead of simply extending the old one. That would create a lot of jobs, as well as giving us a chance to put mechanisms into place to start repairing and updating our aging infrastructure.
But passing a bill by Christmas, when Congress is still hung up on health reform? Sorry, it’s just not gonna happen.
Republican leaders, led by Ohio Rep. John A. Boehner, are protesting a move by Democrats to end the six-year term limits on committee chairmen and roll back other protections for the minority party.
Democrats are expected to include these changes – which would rewrite reforms first established by the GOP in 1995 — in a biennial rules package that will be among the first measures the House takes up later this week.
Why is this a big deal in Minnesota?
Jim Oberstar is Chair of the House Transportation Committee. He’s also 74. If term limits remained in effect, Oberstar would have been forced from his chairmanship after the 2012 elections. That would have been a strong incentive for him to retire at that time. But now he won’t have to give up his committee, and he can stick around as long as he wants to. Same goes for Colin Peterson, who also would have had to give up his gavel of the Ag Committee in 2013. Thus the odds of an open congressional seat in the 7th or 8th congressional district in the next few cycles has just decreased significantly. Tony Sertich will just have to wait.
There are also redistricting consequences. Minnesota will probably lose a seat in the 2010 redistricting process. If Oberstar or Peterson had announced their retirement before the new maps were drawn, it might have been tempting to collapse their districts, because that would allow the other House members to keep their seats. But with these two senior members sticking around for at least a few more years, it seems unlikely that there will be any open seats in 2010 or 2012 (with the usual caveats about making predictions four years out).
Franken was at a rally in Two Harbors, a meeting with workers in the iron range, visited a parade in Cloquet and a celebration in Virginia. In Duluth, Franken and Congressman Jim Oberstar talked about their stimulus plan:
Franken says Congressman Oberstar inspired the proposed deal that is expected to create thousands of jobs nationwide while repairing the nation’s infrastructure.
Oberstar and Franken propose to take money President Bush currently has earmarked for Iraq infrastructure repair and spend it on roads and bridges across America.
“My plan will create 150,000 jobs, put money in the pockets of middle class families who are going to spend it and at the end of the day we’ll have repaired a significant part of our infrastructure.”
DFL Senate candidate Al Franken had a welcoming audience Monday to announce an infrastructure plan.
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“I’m calling for a new stimulus package designed to create jobs, and bolster the middle class economy while at the same time doing something that our economy badly needs: rebuilding our infrastructure and investing in new transportation options,” Franken said.
Franken said he would pay for the plan by asking for $7 billion intended to go toward Iraq’s infrastructure instead to be redirect back to the United States.
The Brainerd Dispatch covered Al Franken at a Labor Day picnic in Baxter:
Franken’s arrival at the picnic was greeted with fanfare from those attending, especially when he jogged through the crowd giving high-fives and shaking hands. Though the picnic itself was nonpartisan, a majority of those attending wore shirts or stickers of support for Democratic candidates ranging from Rep. John Ward, DFL-Brainerd, to presidential candidate Barack Obama.
In a brief speech, Franken touched on several campaign issues: health care for all citizens, the need for renewable energy, the need for better funding for education, improving the economy and cutting taxes for the middle class.
“What really creates prosperity here in America is when the middle class is doing well,” said Franken, who is challenging Sen. Norm Coleman in November’s election.
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