Emanuel Cleaver

Stop the presses! Congress has apparently solved the jobs crisis, reduced unemployment to 0%, ended global warming, brought all of our troops home and achieved world peace!  Beacuse of the overnight success of solving all the world's problems, they have spare time to do things like pass resolutions regarding our national motto.

Wait.  You're telling me unemployment is still above 9%?  And we have troops around the world?  Are you sure global warming is still real?  No world peace?  I'm crushed.  I'm not sure I can go on with this entry.  I'll let Congressman Cleaver take it from here:

Friends, obviously we are a Nation Under God. It has been our national motto since 1956, and as a minister, I needed no reminding. It is my personal motto as well. My vote on H.Con.Res. 13, a non-binding resolution that carries no force of law, was a stand on principle. This resolution was brought to the Floor at a time when our nation’s economy is in deep peril and our constituents are depending on us to create jobs – not to reaffirm mottos. We need to be working for the people in our districts, in our states and in our country on real legislation that can help put them back to work right now, help keep them in their homes right now, and help them feed their children right now. And yes – In God We Trust – and In God I Trust.

Can I get an Amen?

On behalf of the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver testified before the Senate Committee on Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights and Human Rights during their hearings about new Photo ID requirements implemented in many states around the country.

He focused on how these requirements are truly a solution in search of a problem:

Requiring voters to provide a specific, narrowly defined, piece of photo identification is unnecessary. The safeguards currently in place to verify voters’ identity works. That much is clear because there has been no evidence of substantial voter impersonation fraud, the only type of fraud requiring voters to provide a specific type of government issued photo ID guards against.

Read the full testimony below:

CBC-Cleaver Voter Suppression Testimony-FTR (1)

Democrats in the United States House of Representatives sent a letter to the United States Department of Justice requesting that they look into new laws that require voters to possess photo identification in order to cast a ballot. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon vetoed voter photo ID legislation earlier this summer because it would put the voting rights of hundreds of thousands of Missourians at risk. 

Here is an excerpt from the House Democrats' letter:

Approximately 11 percent of voting-age citizens in the country -- or more than 20 million individuals -- lack government-issued photo identification. We urge you to protect the voting rights of Americans by using the full power of the Department of Justice to review these voter identification bills and scrutinize their implementation.

The Voting Rights Act vests significant authority in the Department to ensure laws are not implemented in a discriminatory manner... [T]he Department should exercise vigilance in overseeing whether these laws are implemented in a way that discriminates against protected clauses in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act.

.Missouri Democratic Representatives Russ Carnahan, Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver all signed the letter.  

h/t Salon

"In a brief exchange, [Jonas Hughes] said only that he voted yes 'Because my congressman asked me to.'"

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver will be on Meet the Press this Sunday along with Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, Sen. John McCain, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell,  AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka; and WSJ editorial board member Kim Strassel.

h/t KMBC

On Hardball yesterday, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver expressed support for the general idea of limiting the ability to carry guns at political rallies or events, as proposed this week by Rep. Peter King (R-New York).   "There is no excuse, absolutely no excuse, for anyone to attend a political gathering with a gun," Cleaver said. "That sends a bad signal, and it could create some bad, bad things if things somehow got out of control."

Meanwhile, Lt. Governor Peter Kinder is advising officials and staffers to start "packing."  Speaking to KOMU: "I think more members of Congress and probably other public officials may want to have aids that are packing concealed carry permits and are packing a weapon." 

NBC has posted today's Meet the Press roundtable, which included Rep. Emanuel Cleaver. Also see the Star's summary of the roundtable.

Set your TiVo: New Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Emanuel Cleaver will be on Meet this Press this Sunday.

Cable subscribers in Columbia will have to catch it online, I guess. 

The U.S. House of Representatives voted 270-175 this afternoon to repeal the federal "don't ask, don't tell" policy barring openly gay and lesbian soldiers from the military.  Representatives Russ Carnahan, Lacy Clay and Emanuel Cleaver all voted for repeal.  Representatives Todd Akin, Roy Blunt, Jo Ann Emerson, Sam Graves, Blaine Luetkemeyer, and Ike Skelton voted against repeal.  The full roll call vote is here.

Nearly 80% of Americans support repeal. It's time. 

From the Star: "As House Democrats regroup after major losses in the midterm elections, members of the Congressional Black Caucus chose Missouri Rep. Emanuel Cleaver on Wednesday to lead them through the new political terrain...After his unanimous approval Cleaver told the group, 'Because we now occupy the minority, the challenge we are faced with will be greater …. If we walk together, we will accomplish our aim.'"

Image credit: Congressional Black Caucus

Earlier today:

African-American Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), a protege of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who helped organize the March on Washington, went to the House floor today to tell Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) that a Tea Party protester called him a "n-----."

Another Democratic source confirms to NBC News that openly gay Congressman Barney Frank (D-MA) was called a "f--" by somebody in the Tea Party crowd.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), another African-American member, was apparently spit on by a Tea Party protester.

The U.S. Senate passed a $17.6 billion jobs bill today by a 68-29 vote, sending it to the White House for the President's signature. "The bill includes a payroll tax break for small businesses and highway funding designed to spur job growth," according to Politico.

NPR has a really impressive analysis and interactive map on their website today breaking down the uninsured population in each Congressional district. As has been noted elsewhere, some of the strongest health care obstruction efforts are coming from leaders who represent huge uninsured populations. NPR:

Of the 100 congressional districts with the highest percentage rates of uninsured people, 53 are represented either by Republican lawmakers who are fighting the overhaul, or by conservative Blue Dog Democrats who have slowed down and diluted the overhaul proposals.

For the first time, US House members are required to publicly disclose their earmark requests. The deadline to do so came and went on Saturday, and according to Taxpayers for Common Sense, Roy Blunt, Todd Akin and Blaine Luetkemeyer had not complied as of 1:45 this afternoon. 

Following up on TCS's research, Blunt and Akin have definitely posted their requests on their websites -- we don't know if TCS missed the info, or if their documents were added after being called out on The Huffington Post for noncompliance, but they're up now. 

• Blunt's requests for appropriations are available on his website. 
• Akin's requests are on the front page of his website now.

We haven't had any luck finding Luetkemeyer's list of earmark request yet -- if it's there and we've missed it, please leave a note in comments or drop us a line.

Links to view the requests from the full delegation can be found after the break.

The Drum Major Institute for Public Policy has issued its 2008 Congressional Scorecard breaking down the most important votes for middle class and low income families from last year.  It was a mixed bag from the Missouri delegation:

To create the rankings, the Drum Major Institute looks at "the good and the bad decisions Congress made in 2008—from the February stimulus bill to the Senate filibusters that killed legislation to address the home mortgage crisis and to assist the struggling auto industry."

The full scoop is at www.TheMiddleClass.org.