The joys of a new hearing aid, and how I lost my hearing, and basically a lot of malarkey.

Because Seminal lets me. What joy! *G*

The recent Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court has caused a lot of consternation, to say the least. The main concern is that decision is so broad that, if they care to, any cooperation could spend unlimited amounts of its collective money to influence the election of a Senator, a Representative or even state level judges and elected officials.

Today the House Judiciary Sub-Committee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties held a hearing on the impact of this decision and where there might be legal curbs placed on the now unlimited money. There were four witnesses today, Professor Laurence Tribe from the Harvard School of Law, Monica Youn from the Brennan Center for Justice, Sean Parnell the President of the Center for Competitive Politics (an anti-reform group) and Donald J. Simon of Sonosky, Chambers, Sachse, Endreson & Perry, LLP, a law firm that specializes in representation of Native American interests. He is also General Council for Democracy 21.

All but Mr. Parnell testified to the expected negative impact of the Citizens United ruling. Mr. Parnell, of course, does not think that the Supreme Court stripping away all limits on corporate spending on elections is a problem, as his group tends to think that if you have the biggest stick you should get what you want.

Congratulations to all who have worked to demand that Single Payer Universal Healthcare be included in discussions on healthcare reform! Some cracks in the edifice of exclusion are beginning to show.

Congratulations to all who have worked to demand that Single Payer Universal Healthcare be included in discussions on healthcare reform. Some cracks in the edifice of exclusion are beginning to show.

Today I’m looking forward to Kucinich’s Domestic Policy Subcommittee (of House Oversight and Government Reform) hearing with Treasury’s Kashkari (TARP czar holdover from Bushco and Paulson’s Treasury, previously of Goldman Sachs) on TARP waste and abuse. When Kashkari testified before this subcommittee in November, Kucinich and Issa (!) teamed up to expose Kashkari and the TARP generally. Still one of my favorite hearing moments:

kucinich to kashkari: no one questions that you are working hard. our question is who are you working for?

Kucinich actually comes to hearings prepared and frequently asks both good questions and good follow up questions.

The big hearings today are Ben Bernanke at the House Financial Services committee, and Timothy Geithner at the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs committee. My apologies for being a little late with today’s list. The full week’s list should be up later today.

Live streaming is expected at most committee websites (see links below) and CSPAN (schedule).  Direct realplayer links are: CSPAN, CSPAN-2, CSPAN-3, CSPAN Radio.

Only the Senate is in session today so it’s a light day for hearings. I’m curious to hear from Brad Setser at the Senate Budget committee’s hearing on the global economy. Setser, who has worked at Treasury as a staff economist, used to blog with Roubini at RGE and now continues to blog (Follow the Money) while a fellow at Council of Foreign Relations.

Below is a list of today’s Congressional Committee hearings (or see complete list). Live streaming is expected at committee websites (see links below) and CSPAN (schedule). Direct realplayer links are: CSPAN, CSPAN-2, CSPAN-3, CSPAN Radio.

Just a quick note on two important hearings today (see weekly list for more of today’s hearings).

For anyone who has ever wondered why our Senators sound so idiotic when they attempt to discuss important issues of the day, today’s hearing provides one answer. Thomas “Suck on This” Friedman, whose only qualifications are to have gotten everything disastrously wrong as well as being a “pretty hideous human being, one which all good people should shun”, is who the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources goes to today for advice on the economy and technology to mitigate global warming.

The United States Congress’ House Committee on Financial Services is now calling the Madoff scandal a Ponzi scheme. Hugh calls it “a metaphor for the current financial system and its failures.”