by Olga Pierce, ProPublica – May 10

Before Elena Kagan was a Supreme Court nominee, she was Obama’s nominee for Solicitor General, a position she now holds.

And as an administration nominee, she was required to file a financial disclosure, and an ethics agreement – outlining potential conflicts of interest and what she plans to do about them — which are both posted on our site for your perusal.

Much has been made, in particular, over the $10,000 “stipend” she received for being a member of the Goldman Sachs Global Markets Institute advisory council.

And while any connection to the toxic Goldman Sachs brand is likely to be political fodder during the confirmation process, the jury is out on how substantive the connection really is.

As the disclosure shows, the $10,000 was a pittance next to the $427,299 salary she reported as a Harvard Law School dean.

And, according to reports [3], the advisory board was more likely to discuss policy issues than ways to profit from complex securities.

In other news, we’re guessing that – if confirmed as Supreme Court Justice – Kagan will probably abandon her plan to return to Harvard after a two-year leave of absence.

See anything [1] we missed [2]? Flag it in the comments below — or e-mail reporter Olga Pierce [4].

Write to Olga Pierce at Olga.Pierce@propublica.org [5].

Article published from ProPublica via Creative Commons license. Photo from Wikimedia Commons also via Creative Commons license.

DSN Newswire (Office of the Press Secretary)

What:             Hampton University 140th Commencement Ceremony

Where:          Hampton University Armstrong Stadium

When:            May 9.  Processional begins at 9 a.m., Ceremony begins at 10 a.m.

Hampton, Va. – Hampton University is pleased to announce that President Barack Obama will serve as the University’s 140th Commencement speaker on May 9, 2010.  We are honored that President Obama has accepted Hampton’s invitation to speak to our 2010 graduates during our commencement exercises.

CEREMONY DETAILS
The stadium gates will open at 6:30 a.m. No one will be allowed entry after 9 a.m. Procession begins at 9 a.m. and the ceremony begins at 10 a.m. Due to the popularity of this event, there are no more tickets available.  Please visit commencement.hamptonu.edu for additional ceremony details.

Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“Now more than ever, Floridians need leadership in Washington. With unemployment at an all-time high in Florida, they want a Senator to exercise strong fiscal discipline and be a catalyst for job creation. Without question, the Republican nominee this fall will offer those qualities. Governor Charlie Crist, however, will not be that candidate”

“Over the years, he has served this party well, which is why his decision to run as an Independent is so disappointing. To be sure, he left this party. This party did not leave him. His decision will in no way impede our path to victory in Florida. The challenges that Floridians face are many. And this November, we will have a nominee in place that will listen to them and put forth solutions to get Floridians back to work.”

Josh Gerstein & Patrick Gavin write an article for Politco that details the Obama Administration’s relationship with reporters.  Of course most pundits claim the media has been ga ga over the President, but this article outlines why that’s not necessarily the case.

Most of what Obama says in the video above about the media is right on point.  I don’t blame the writers on the White House beat for doing their jobs, but they do ask the same questions over and over and over.  They do take “we’re not ruling anything out” as liberty to insert their own policy predictions.  Cable networks do try to drum up controversy even when there is none.

Here is one key section of Politico’s extensive article on the subject:

Reporters say the White House is thin-skinned, controlling, eager to go over their heads and stingy with even basic information. All White Houses try to control the message. But this White House has pledged to be more open than its predecessors, and reporters feel it doesn’t live up to that pledge in several key areas:

— Day-to-day interaction with Obama is almost nonexistent, and he talks to the press corps far less often than Bill Clinton or even George W. Bush did. Clinton took questions nearly every weekday, on average. Obama barely does it once a week.

— The ferocity of pushback is intense. A routine press query can draw a string of vitriolic e-mails. A negative story can draw a profane high-decibel phone call or worse. Some reporters feel like they’ve been frozen out after crossing the White House.

— Except toward a few reporters, press secretary Robert Gibbs can be distant and difficult to reach — even though his job is to be one of the main conduits from president to press. “It’s an odd White House where it’s easier to get the White House chief of staff on the phone than the White House press secretary,” one top reporter said.

— And at the very moment many reporters feel shut out, one paper — The New York Times — enjoys a favoritism from Obama and his staff that makes competitors fume, with gift-wrapped scoops and loads of presidential face time.

Even still, the President as always in a no win situation.  The article says that Obama “hasn’t done a full-blown news conference for 10 months,” yet when he was networks were complaining that they wanted to run other program.  When he is on TV, you hear the President is overexposed and we’re seeing too much Obama.

It’s the same thing between athletes and the media.  An athlete and coaches gets “ripped” when he uses cliches or talk “coach speak.”  But as soon as they have an opinion, they get roasted for that too.  Makes it easier to just say nothing.

I can see the Obama White House being controlling, though some of what the media considers controlling is actually discipline.  Media outlets jump on Joe Biden’s BFD moments, but would rather talk about Peter Orzag’s personal life than his thoughts on new initiatives of the federal government to work with small businesses.

From the DSN Newswire (House Republican Conference)

U.S. Congressman Mike Pence issued the following statement today calling for President Obama to impose crippling sanctions on Iran in light of their continued progress towards nuclear weapons capability:

“Iran’s steady progress in its nuclear program represents a severe threat to American national interests and an existential threat to our cherished ally Israel.

“Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons could lead to the proliferation of these weapons throughout the Middle East and beyond, destabilizing the global non-proliferation regime and greatly increasing the likelihood of such weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.

“A nuclear-armed Tehran would assert greater influence over the region and amplify its interference in the domestic affairs of its neighbors, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan where our troops have made significant steps towards victory.

“Over a year ago, President Obama said there must be ‘real and immediate consequences’ for countries that defy their responsibilities under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In light of this week’s summit and Iran’s continued intransigence, the international community led by the U.S. must act.

“I’ve joined colleagues from both sides of the aisle in drafting a letter urging the President to impose crippling sanctions on Iran immediately. With more than 360 Members of the House of Representatives signed onto this letter, it is clear that the will of the People’s House is to move forward decisively.

“The hour is late.  Now is the time for action.”

Background:

Congressman Pence joined Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL) in writing a letter to President Obama, urging him to exert his “existing authority on Iran.” Currently the letter has over 330 signatories, including 171 House Republicans. The letter is available HERE.

Numerous reports have surfaced that U.S. Representatives and their families have been the victims of threats since the passage of health care legislation.  I report from CNN.com expounds on the threats as well as a press conference held by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and Majority Whip James Clyburn:

• House Democrats are concerned about their security due to increased threats since Sunday’s vote to pass the health care bill, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said Wednesday.

• Hoyer told a news conference that “a significant number, meaning over 10,” had reported either threats, vandalism or other incidents. Capitol Police officials have briefed House Democrats on reporting suspicious or threatening activity and taking precautions to avoid “subjecting themselves or their families to physical harm,” said Hoyer, D-Maryland.

• Earlier Wednesday, the Albemarle County Fire Marshal’s Office in Virginia confirmed the FBI was investigating a suspicious incident at the home of Virginia Democratic Rep. Tom Perriello’s brother, days after the brother’s home address was posted online by a Tea Party activist.

• Democracy “is not about violence,” Hoyer said at the news conference joined by House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina. “It is about making sure everybody in America feels free to express their opinion and to take such actions as they deem to be necessary without subjecting themselves, their families or others to behavior, and frankly criminal behavior in some respect, that undermines democracy and undermines the safety of individuals.”

I was first alerted to the threats after reading the following Tweet from Texas Railroad Commissioner:

Repeal Obamacare. Enjoin it in the courts. Win back majorities in the Houe and Senate. But do not threaten oppo members & their families.

Surprising….no.

Unfortunate…yes.

Serious….of course.

Hopefully more elected Republicans will speak out against the threats as Commissioner Williams has.  It ain’t right.

By U.S. Rep. Mike Pence

Last weekend our family had the privilege of joining colleagues from both political parties on a walk through the historic sites of the Civil Rights movement in Montgomery and Selma, Alabama. We will never forget the experience. I served as co-leader of the 10th Congressional Civil Rights Pilgrimage sponsored by the Faith & Politics Institute.

We arrived in Montgomery on Saturday afternoon and made our way to the home church of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Sitting in the front pew at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama, we heard from Dorothy Cotton about her years working with Dr. King. She spoke of the faith that sustained their work and the historic importance of music and singing to the movement.

We then made our way to the Civil Rights Memorial, where our kids were given the privilege of laying a wreath to honor those who had lost their lives in the struggle for equality, and into the nearby museum with its inspiring displays of history. But it was the personal stories of segregation, told by the people who lived it and peacefully fought against it, that were most moving to us. Hearing firsthand accounts of how African Americans in the South were systematically denied the right to vote, intimidated, beaten and even killed fighting for that right will never leave us.

The next day, we traveled with my colleague and legendary civil rights leader, Congressman John Lewis to Selma, Alabama. John Lewis was personally recruited by Dr. King as a college student and his courage and moral authority continue to inspire millions.

John took us to Selma to mark the anniversary of a day that changed his life and America: March 7, 1965, also known as “Bloody Sunday.”

As John recounted that momentous day, he told of how he and several hundred courageous activists crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma during a march on the state capitol and were beaten by state police waiting on the far side of the bridge. The images of that day were transmitted around the world and would sear the conscience of the nation. It set the stage for more protests and was the catalyst for Congress to enact the Voting Rights Act later that year.

We gathered for worship at Brown Chapel in Selma, and after a rousing service, we left the church to walk to the Edmund Pettus Bridge. As a leader of the trip, I had the privilege to walk at the front of the march with John Lewis and other congressmen and dignitaries and I had the great honor of walking the entire way alongside Dr. F.D. Reese, pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Selma.

Congressman Pence and Dr. F.D. Reese

As we began the march, I asked Dr. Reese if he could tell me about that day 45 years ago, and he did. As we strolled the historic route, surrounded by thousands, I was enthralled by this pastor’s description of that fateful day. He said that when they reached the crest of the bridge and could see the other side of the river, the first thing they saw was the state police waiting to stop the march. He said, “All you saw was a sea of blue,” but still they marched.

I asked if they thought of turning back when they saw the array of police. He smiled and said, “No, we had prayed at the Brown Chapel and decided we would go on regardless.” And so they did.

After pausing at the base of the bridge for prayer, he told me how the tear gas and the beatings with night sticks overtook the crowd. My friend John Lewis was among those most severely beaten.

Congressman Pence and Congressman Lewis

As our march came to an end, I extended my hand to Dr. Reese and thanked him not only for what he had done for the civil rights movement, but I thanked him for what he, John Lewis and others had done for America that day. Dr. Reese replied humbly, “God did something here.” And through these brave Americans, I believe that with all my heart.

Every American should know the story of Montgomery and Selma. Thanks to courageous Americans like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congressman John Lewis, Dorothy Cotton and F.D. Reese, these cities have become an integral part of the American story in our nation’s unrelenting march toward a more perfect union.