ss1026
07-23 09:03 AM
Though not directly related with immigration, I really think everyone should see this movie and hope they would not get into a mess by some sudden medical emergency and the related medical costs. I guess we are ok as long as we work some big company providing reasonable health coverage. Bench time with the desi firms could be a wrong time to get sick.
Moore is somewhat one sided but the scam that this is, I can forgive him for it
Moore is somewhat one sided but the scam that this is, I can forgive him for it
wallpaper To make long hair look its
kirupa
03-29 12:12 PM
Hey HybridIllusion,
It all depends on what format your 2d image is in. If it is in AI or EPS, you can automatically import the image into Swift 3D and animate it. If it is a JPG or GIF, you might have a few more steps before importing into Swift 3D.
Take your image and import it into Flash. Export the Flash animation as AI (adobe illustrator) by going to File | Publish Settings | File Types tab. Check the AI box and then publish the movie. The image will be exported in the AI format. From the AI format, you can import into Swift 3D and animate with no limitations.
It all depends on what format your 2d image is in. If it is in AI or EPS, you can automatically import the image into Swift 3D and animate it. If it is a JPG or GIF, you might have a few more steps before importing into Swift 3D.
Take your image and import it into Flash. Export the Flash animation as AI (adobe illustrator) by going to File | Publish Settings | File Types tab. Check the AI box and then publish the movie. The image will be exported in the AI format. From the AI format, you can import into Swift 3D and animate with no limitations.
aspireus
05-19 03:57 PM
My I 140 approved under Eb3 if i want to change my job and my employer is willing to do in EB2 can I use my old PD from I140 EB3 ?
2011 New Emo Hairstyles for girls
rajuram
09-10 12:42 AM
One thing is clear just lecturing members to go meet up with the lawmakers is NOT working. IV needs to come up with some fresh ideas, I mean, we all need to come up with new ideas.
Lets start brainstorming again. Here is a start
1. Some how IV meets with the president or his staff and requests visa recapture an interim fix. Ask for visa lottery numbers to be allocated to EB numbers for 3 years
Ask for relaxation in rules for changing jobs.
2. Run full page or a big advertisement in a national daily asking for the above. I am sure people will contribute if IV takes initiative.
3. Get USCIS working on our FOIA request asap. Complain to the president about it.
4. Legal action
Lets start brainstorming again. Here is a start
1. Some how IV meets with the president or his staff and requests visa recapture an interim fix. Ask for visa lottery numbers to be allocated to EB numbers for 3 years
Ask for relaxation in rules for changing jobs.
2. Run full page or a big advertisement in a national daily asking for the above. I am sure people will contribute if IV takes initiative.
3. Get USCIS working on our FOIA request asap. Complain to the president about it.
4. Legal action
more...
hope_4_best
05-26 08:16 PM
One of the information required in I-485 form is:-
C. List your present and past membership in or affilation with every organization , association, fund....
I am currently a member of the below listed service oriented/not for profit organizations.
1.http://www.indiateam.org/
2.http://www.helpsavelife.org/
3.http://www.albanytamilsangam.org/
Do I need to tell about them?
Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.
---
the post is already in the 485 discussion thread. Thanks.- Admin
C. List your present and past membership in or affilation with every organization , association, fund....
I am currently a member of the below listed service oriented/not for profit organizations.
1.http://www.indiateam.org/
2.http://www.helpsavelife.org/
3.http://www.albanytamilsangam.org/
Do I need to tell about them?
Thanks in advance for all your suggestions.
---
the post is already in the 485 discussion thread. Thanks.- Admin
ramaonline
07-12 09:51 PM
http://www.alternet.org/asoldierspeaks/56397/
more...
chanduv23
05-24 08:19 AM
HOW TO HANDLE "TENSION".
The movement you are in TENSION
You will loose your ATTENTION
Then you are in total CONFUSION
And you will feel IRRITATION
Then you will spoil personal RELATION
Ultimately, you won't get CO-OPERATION
Then you will make things COMPLICATION
And you may have to take MEDITATION
Instead, understand the SITUATION
And try to think about the SOLUTION
Many problems will be solved by DISCUSSION
Which will work out better in your PROFESSION
Don't think it is my free SUGGESTION
It is only for your PREVENTION
If you understand my INTENTION
You will never come again to TENSION
The movement you are in TENSION
You will loose your ATTENTION
Then you are in total CONFUSION
And you will feel IRRITATION
Then you will spoil personal RELATION
Ultimately, you won't get CO-OPERATION
Then you will make things COMPLICATION
And you may have to take MEDITATION
Instead, understand the SITUATION
And try to think about the SOLUTION
Many problems will be solved by DISCUSSION
Which will work out better in your PROFESSION
Don't think it is my free SUGGESTION
It is only for your PREVENTION
If you understand my INTENTION
You will never come again to TENSION
2010 images scene hairstyles men.
Anders �stberg
February 6th, 2005, 02:06 AM
A classic type of picture... this fruit is not very "photogenic" though, looks sticky and bruised... does not make me want to go buy some if you know what I mean. :)
more...
Blog Feeds
05-17 01:40 PM
Vivek Wadhwa always has interesting things to say about skilled immigrants. Here is a snippet from his recent Business Week commentary: I have a suggestion for Grassley and Durbin. Pass a bill to deregulate the H-1B visa program, and eliminate the restrictions that make it difficult for H-1B holders to travel, switch jobs, or get promoted. Create a fast-track status to U.S. citizenship for H-1B holders providing they launch a company that employs more than 10 American workers within three years. And grant residency to the nearly 1 million H-1B holders and their families waiting in limbo to obtain permanent...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/05/wadhwa-free-h1b-workers.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/05/wadhwa-free-h1b-workers.html)
hair scene hairstyle photos. scene
Blog Feeds
02-01 08:30 AM
The Government Accountability Office has released a new report studying the accuracy of the E-Verify database. According to the report, the number of tentative non-confirmations has decreased by 5% over the last two years, an indicator that the system has more complete records than in the past. The report also praised USCIS for instituting new measures to protect the privacy of employees and improve oversight of employers proper use of the system. But the report has also raised concerns as well. The report concluded that false tentative non-confirmations are more likely to relate to foreign-born employees which could lead to...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2011/01/gao-report-discusses-state-of-e-verify.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2011/01/gao-report-discusses-state-of-e-verify.html)
more...
pd052009
04-04 10:13 AM
Countdown: 27 More days to go (Incl. today)
Required Yes Votes : 5000
Read from the below link for more details
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/2243885-post2.html (Support Thread for "I485 filing w/o Curr. PD" initiative)
Required Yes Votes : 5000
Read from the below link for more details
http://immigrationvoice.org/forum/2243885-post2.html (Support Thread for "I485 filing w/o Curr. PD" initiative)
hot scene hairstyle tips. blonde scene hair
Macaca
04-27 09:43 AM
Sen. Luddite Strikes Again (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602257.html) -- Once more, a mystery Republican blocks electronic filing for Senate candidates, Friday, April 27, 2007
JUST AS she did on April 17, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) went to the Senate floor to call for unanimous consent on a common-sense bill that would require candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically. And just as he or she did on April 17, Sen. Ima Luddite (R-Who Knows Where) voiced opposition. This time the mouthpiece was Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). "On behalf of the Republican side," he said, "I object." We object to the obstruction.
Honestly, what is the big deal here? Filing campaign finance reports electronically has been standard operating procedure for candidates for the House of Representatives and the White House for years -- as it has been for political parties, political action committees and "527" groups. Yet Senate candidates are still trudging down to the Senate Office of Public Records with paper copies of their reports, which are then passed along to the Federal Election Commission, which sends them to a vendor that punches in the information and zaps it back to the FEC electronically. That finally makes them widely available, sometimes too late for voters to see who's donating to whom and how the money is being spent. With this seeming fear of modernity, it's a wonder the Senate isn't calculating budgets with an abacus. Or is it a fear of disclosure?
After the bill was blocked, Ms. Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said, "It is very hard for me to understand who could oppose this and what their reason for opposing it could be." It is very hard for us, too. Sen. Luddite -- whoever he or she may be -- should come out of the shadows and explain the irrational fear that is keeping the Senate from joining the rest of us in the 21st century. Senator anonymous -- Another Day, Another Hold On Finance Bill (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602249.html) By Matthew Mosk (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/matthew+mosk/), Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, April 27, 2007
Sen. Anonymous struck again yesterday.
The infamous unnamed senator (or senators) has for more than a week blocked passage of legislation that would require Senate candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically.
Electronic filings would make the names of campaign donors readily available -- it's how members of the House and presidential candidates have been doing it for years. When Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) first brought the bill to the floor last week, though, he was told that an unnamed lawmaker objected.
Long-standing Senate custom allows the objection of a single senator to stop a bill in its tracks -- it's known as a secret hold. A measure that passed the Senate earlier this year, and awaits a House vote, would eliminate the practice.
The hold unleashed a torrent of activity on the Internet, as bloggers tried to flush out the identity of the senator responsible for the hold. But after an onslaught of phone calls to Senate offices, the bloggers have no answer. No one owned up to being the culprit.
Yesterday, the bill's sponsor tried again. And again, the Republican floor leader objected. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he is sure the name of the secret senator is known "in the cloakroom," but he said that misses the point.
"A hold can't stop something from coming to the floor," Don Stewart said. "It can only stop it from being pushed through without a full and open debate on the bill."
That's true -- sponsors had been trying to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which does not permit amendment or debate. But Feingold told the liberal blog Daily Kos that the path was typical for a bill with 35 bipartisan co-sponsors that did not elicit a single objection in committee.
Writing on the blog yesterday, Feingold said: "The fact is that someone anonymously blocked the bill, . . . that person has made no effort to resolve his or her concerns with us, and the Republican leadership won't even tell us who that person is."
JUST AS she did on April 17, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) went to the Senate floor to call for unanimous consent on a common-sense bill that would require candidates to file their campaign finance reports electronically. And just as he or she did on April 17, Sen. Ima Luddite (R-Who Knows Where) voiced opposition. This time the mouthpiece was Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.). "On behalf of the Republican side," he said, "I object." We object to the obstruction.
Honestly, what is the big deal here? Filing campaign finance reports electronically has been standard operating procedure for candidates for the House of Representatives and the White House for years -- as it has been for political parties, political action committees and "527" groups. Yet Senate candidates are still trudging down to the Senate Office of Public Records with paper copies of their reports, which are then passed along to the Federal Election Commission, which sends them to a vendor that punches in the information and zaps it back to the FEC electronically. That finally makes them widely available, sometimes too late for voters to see who's donating to whom and how the money is being spent. With this seeming fear of modernity, it's a wonder the Senate isn't calculating budgets with an abacus. Or is it a fear of disclosure?
After the bill was blocked, Ms. Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, said, "It is very hard for me to understand who could oppose this and what their reason for opposing it could be." It is very hard for us, too. Sen. Luddite -- whoever he or she may be -- should come out of the shadows and explain the irrational fear that is keeping the Senate from joining the rest of us in the 21st century. Senator anonymous -- Another Day, Another Hold On Finance Bill (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/26/AR2007042602249.html) By Matthew Mosk (http://projects.washingtonpost.com/staff/email/matthew+mosk/), Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, April 27, 2007
Sen. Anonymous struck again yesterday.
The infamous unnamed senator (or senators) has for more than a week blocked passage of legislation that would require Senate candidates to file campaign finance reports electronically.
Electronic filings would make the names of campaign donors readily available -- it's how members of the House and presidential candidates have been doing it for years. When Sen. Russell Feingold (D-Wis.) first brought the bill to the floor last week, though, he was told that an unnamed lawmaker objected.
Long-standing Senate custom allows the objection of a single senator to stop a bill in its tracks -- it's known as a secret hold. A measure that passed the Senate earlier this year, and awaits a House vote, would eliminate the practice.
The hold unleashed a torrent of activity on the Internet, as bloggers tried to flush out the identity of the senator responsible for the hold. But after an onslaught of phone calls to Senate offices, the bloggers have no answer. No one owned up to being the culprit.
Yesterday, the bill's sponsor tried again. And again, the Republican floor leader objected. A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said he is sure the name of the secret senator is known "in the cloakroom," but he said that misses the point.
"A hold can't stop something from coming to the floor," Don Stewart said. "It can only stop it from being pushed through without a full and open debate on the bill."
That's true -- sponsors had been trying to pass the bill by unanimous consent, which does not permit amendment or debate. But Feingold told the liberal blog Daily Kos that the path was typical for a bill with 35 bipartisan co-sponsors that did not elicit a single objection in committee.
Writing on the blog yesterday, Feingold said: "The fact is that someone anonymously blocked the bill, . . . that person has made no effort to resolve his or her concerns with us, and the Republican leadership won't even tell us who that person is."
more...
house scene hair tips for girls
SparK_BR
07-09 09:08 AM
heheh
Yepp, i did put a pixel-art orange in wally's hand... (waldo for USA users) :megaman_classic:
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5238/whereswallyandtheorange.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/whereswallyandtheorange.jpg/)
Yepp, i did put a pixel-art orange in wally's hand... (waldo for USA users) :megaman_classic:
http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/5238/whereswallyandtheorange.jpg (http://img269.imageshack.us/i/whereswallyandtheorange.jpg/)
tattoo Emo Scene Hairstyle photo high
shernil_s
04-27 03:32 PM
Hello Friends,
I am in 7th yr of my H1B and I have got 3 yrs extension on my H1B after
completing my 6 yrs. I have got my labour appliation and I-140 approved 1 year back and filed my I-485 in MAR'2005. My PD is Jan 2002, India EB3.
In SEP'2005, I got married and my spouse came to this country on H4 Visa.
Because of retrogresion.I couldn't file I-485 for my wife. Now I am waiting for my PD to get current to file 485 for my wife.
My question is, Can I change my employer by doing H1B Transfer. So that my
spouse wont be losing H4 Status. Also, when my PD becomes current can I ask my new employer to file 485 application for my spouse.
My lawyer has told me that filing Spouse's 485 has to be done with the same
employer who filed your application. Is it true? or Can I change my employer.
Thanks for your reply in advance
I am in 7th yr of my H1B and I have got 3 yrs extension on my H1B after
completing my 6 yrs. I have got my labour appliation and I-140 approved 1 year back and filed my I-485 in MAR'2005. My PD is Jan 2002, India EB3.
In SEP'2005, I got married and my spouse came to this country on H4 Visa.
Because of retrogresion.I couldn't file I-485 for my wife. Now I am waiting for my PD to get current to file 485 for my wife.
My question is, Can I change my employer by doing H1B Transfer. So that my
spouse wont be losing H4 Status. Also, when my PD becomes current can I ask my new employer to file 485 application for my spouse.
My lawyer has told me that filing Spouse's 485 has to be done with the same
employer who filed your application. Is it true? or Can I change my employer.
Thanks for your reply in advance
more...
pictures emo scene hair tips
sw33t
07-27 03:33 PM
SENATOR CORNYN IS THE CHAIR OF THE INDIA CAUCUS IN THE U.S. SENATE
WHO: U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas
WHEN: Thursday,August 9,
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Speech: 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lakeway Inn, New Glass Ballroom
SPONSOR: Rotary Club/Lakeway
Lake Travis
COST: $250 per table of 10,
or $25 per individual
RESERVATIONS: MANDATORY!
10 Tables are being reserved
for Rotary & Guests
20 Table reservations will
be taken and must be paid for
by July 27, 2007!
Please PM me if you are interested.
WHO: U.S. Senator John Cornyn of Texas
WHEN: Thursday,August 9,
Lunch: 11:30 a.m.
Speech: 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Lakeway Inn, New Glass Ballroom
SPONSOR: Rotary Club/Lakeway
Lake Travis
COST: $250 per table of 10,
or $25 per individual
RESERVATIONS: MANDATORY!
10 Tables are being reserved
for Rotary & Guests
20 Table reservations will
be taken and must be paid for
by July 27, 2007!
Please PM me if you are interested.
dresses Scene Hairstyle for Girl 2010
.jpg "long scene hairstyle")
Blog Feeds
09-01 10:20 AM
I was pleased to learn about this web site. Here's how DHS describes the TRIP program: The Department of Homeland Security�s Travel Redress Inquiry Program (DHS TRIP) is a single point of contact for individuals who have inquiries or seek resolution regarding difficulties they experienced during their travel screening at transportation hubs--like airports and train stations--or crossing U.S. borders, including: denied or delayed airline boarding denied or delayed entry into and exit from the U.S. at a port of entry or border checkpoint continuously referred to additional (secondary) screening Why DHS TRIP? DHS TRIP is a central gateway to address...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/08/dhs-provides-online-complaint-system-for-travelers-experiencing-entry-problems.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2009/08/dhs-provides-online-complaint-system-for-travelers-experiencing-entry-problems.html)
more...
makeup images Scene Hairstyles For
freddyCR
February 5th, 2005, 07:38 PM
Mangos...mostly ripe
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/alcorjr2/mangosMedium.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v629/alcorjr2/mangosMedium.jpg
girlfriend Their hair partially covers a
casionojoy
12-17 05:48 AM
Non-Immigrant visa
Wednesday, 18 October 2006
Requirements for non immigrant visa:
A foreigner applies for a non-immigrant visa when he/she wants to stay or work in Thailand. This visa has several categories:
* diplomatic visa (D) is for those employed by an embassy,
* a business visa (B)
* or a mass media visa (M) are for accredited business or press representatives,
* a dependent visa (O),
* an expert visa (EX) are for those performing skilled or expert work,
* an investor visa (IM) is for foreigners who set-up their companies under the Board Of Investment BOI
* and a study/education visa (ED) is for teachers.
* Official ( F). Performance of official duties (involving the Thai government).
* Capital Investment ( IM ).
sports betting (http://betonline.com)
lingerie sexy (http://www.laurensilva.com)
Wednesday, 18 October 2006
Requirements for non immigrant visa:
A foreigner applies for a non-immigrant visa when he/she wants to stay or work in Thailand. This visa has several categories:
* diplomatic visa (D) is for those employed by an embassy,
* a business visa (B)
* or a mass media visa (M) are for accredited business or press representatives,
* a dependent visa (O),
* an expert visa (EX) are for those performing skilled or expert work,
* an investor visa (IM) is for foreigners who set-up their companies under the Board Of Investment BOI
* and a study/education visa (ED) is for teachers.
* Official ( F). Performance of official duties (involving the Thai government).
* Capital Investment ( IM ).
sports betting (http://betonline.com)
lingerie sexy (http://www.laurensilva.com)
hairstyles New Scene Hairstyles For Scene
Blog Feeds
08-26 07:30 PM
Think Progress explores the subject. It notes the Miami Herald's interview of a prominent Miami-Dade Republican. Cuban-Americans make up a critical part of the Republican base in Florida and they are increasingly unhappy with the xenophobia expressed by many in their party. GOP lobbyist and fundraiser Ana Navarro, who dropped her support for McCollum after he proposed a law �tougher� than the controversial immigration bill in Arizona, said McCollum�s stance lowered his margin of victory in Miami-Dade � and kept many Hispanic voters from going to the polls. �I think he can blame [immigration],� Navarro said. �I think if you...
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/08/extreme-immigration-position-likely-cost-mccullom-florida-governor-job.html)
More... (http://blogs.ilw.com/gregsiskind/2010/08/extreme-immigration-position-likely-cost-mccullom-florida-governor-job.html)
Macaca
11-01 09:51 AM
Committee of One (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/31/AR2007103102559.html?hpid=opinionsbox1) By Robert D. Novak | Washington Post, November 1, 2007
A story told in cloakrooms of the House of Representatives shows how ironic life on Capitol Hill can be. Jim McCrery, the low-key, hardworking ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, has spent all year trying to establish good relations with the tax-writing committee's first Democratic chairman in 12 years, Charles Rangel. He succeeded, only to discover that Rangel does not really run Ways and Means. Nancy Pelosi does.
Rangel, a crafty New York politician, so far looks like the weakest Ways and Means chairman during my 50 years in Washington. That's only because Pelosi so far is the most powerful speaker of the House during that same period, a reality obscured by her historic role as the first woman to hold that office. She does not confer with or defer to standing committee chairmen, whose predecessors made previous speakers dance to their tune.
On both sides of the aisle, the 67-year-old grandmother from San Francisco is referred to as the "Committee of One" who rules the House. Many speakers over the years relied on their majority leader, as Republican Dennis Hastert let Tom DeLay handle day-to-day operations. But not Pelosi, who actually opposed Steny Hoyer's election as majority leader.
Ruling absolutely does not mean all Democrats think she rules well. Her misguided effort to pass a resolution condemning the 1915 Armenian genocide constitutes a rare public blunder, but beyond that she has not crafted a coherent Democratic message. This month's Harris Poll puts her nationwide job disapproval ("fair" or "poor") at 57 percent. But she is an icon at the Democratic grass roots, and none of the committee chairmen who have been downgraded by her -- certainly not Rangel -- utters a word of public criticism.
Rangel's massive tax reform proposal, released last week, gets less respect than is normally accorded to a Ways and Means chairman's plan, because Pelosi is not on board. Rangel's desire to compromise with the Bush administration on international trade agreements has been frustrated because the speaker defers to Rangel's trade subcommittee chairman, Sander Levin, who follows organized labor's protectionist line.
Much the same treatment has been experienced by John Dingell, the senior member of Congress, as Energy and Commerce Committee chairman. In bygone days, Dingell deferred to neither Democratic presidents nor speakers. But Pelosi is determined to pass an energy bill this year even though it means crossing Dingell, who as a Detroiter opposes Californian Pelosi on vehicle mileage and emission standards. A sage old professional, Dingell knows there is no political profit in publicly clashing with Madam Speaker.
No committee chairman wants to take the risk of going public against Pelosi, including one who sought her advice -- and, hopefully, support -- on a controversial matter of House business. This anonymous chairman was rebuffed by the speaker, who declined to talk to him, in person or over the telephone.
Being the "Committee of One" does not mean Pelosi is without lieutenants. She is close to two fellow Californians, both fiercely partisan, who head committees: George Miller (Education and Labor) and Henry Waxman (Oversight and Government Reform). Miller is regarded as her consigliere, always at her side. She is also considered close to moderate chairmen Ike Skelton (Armed Services) and John Spratt (Budget), plus liberal chairman Barney Frank (Financial Services).
That does not mean, however, that she always takes their advice. Witness her big blunder as speaker. Skelton, a seasoned student of international relations, told her the Armenian resolution would antagonize Turkey and thus constituted a foreign policy debacle in the making. Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, also opposed it (as he had when serving as President Bill Clinton's political aide). Pelosi insisted until some 45 House Democrats -- including Skelton -- opposed her.
The Armenian episode suggests a Pelosi decision has to approach the brink of disaster before Democrats speak out. Her popularity in the party beyond Capitol Hill is too great. When I asked one esteemed Democratic operative whether Pelosi's authority is without restraint, he called that a sexist question because I never would have asked that about Sam Rayburn or Tip O'Neill. Indeed, I would not have. They were not that powerful.
A story told in cloakrooms of the House of Representatives shows how ironic life on Capitol Hill can be. Jim McCrery, the low-key, hardworking ranking Republican on the Ways and Means Committee, has spent all year trying to establish good relations with the tax-writing committee's first Democratic chairman in 12 years, Charles Rangel. He succeeded, only to discover that Rangel does not really run Ways and Means. Nancy Pelosi does.
Rangel, a crafty New York politician, so far looks like the weakest Ways and Means chairman during my 50 years in Washington. That's only because Pelosi so far is the most powerful speaker of the House during that same period, a reality obscured by her historic role as the first woman to hold that office. She does not confer with or defer to standing committee chairmen, whose predecessors made previous speakers dance to their tune.
On both sides of the aisle, the 67-year-old grandmother from San Francisco is referred to as the "Committee of One" who rules the House. Many speakers over the years relied on their majority leader, as Republican Dennis Hastert let Tom DeLay handle day-to-day operations. But not Pelosi, who actually opposed Steny Hoyer's election as majority leader.
Ruling absolutely does not mean all Democrats think she rules well. Her misguided effort to pass a resolution condemning the 1915 Armenian genocide constitutes a rare public blunder, but beyond that she has not crafted a coherent Democratic message. This month's Harris Poll puts her nationwide job disapproval ("fair" or "poor") at 57 percent. But she is an icon at the Democratic grass roots, and none of the committee chairmen who have been downgraded by her -- certainly not Rangel -- utters a word of public criticism.
Rangel's massive tax reform proposal, released last week, gets less respect than is normally accorded to a Ways and Means chairman's plan, because Pelosi is not on board. Rangel's desire to compromise with the Bush administration on international trade agreements has been frustrated because the speaker defers to Rangel's trade subcommittee chairman, Sander Levin, who follows organized labor's protectionist line.
Much the same treatment has been experienced by John Dingell, the senior member of Congress, as Energy and Commerce Committee chairman. In bygone days, Dingell deferred to neither Democratic presidents nor speakers. But Pelosi is determined to pass an energy bill this year even though it means crossing Dingell, who as a Detroiter opposes Californian Pelosi on vehicle mileage and emission standards. A sage old professional, Dingell knows there is no political profit in publicly clashing with Madam Speaker.
No committee chairman wants to take the risk of going public against Pelosi, including one who sought her advice -- and, hopefully, support -- on a controversial matter of House business. This anonymous chairman was rebuffed by the speaker, who declined to talk to him, in person or over the telephone.
Being the "Committee of One" does not mean Pelosi is without lieutenants. She is close to two fellow Californians, both fiercely partisan, who head committees: George Miller (Education and Labor) and Henry Waxman (Oversight and Government Reform). Miller is regarded as her consigliere, always at her side. She is also considered close to moderate chairmen Ike Skelton (Armed Services) and John Spratt (Budget), plus liberal chairman Barney Frank (Financial Services).
That does not mean, however, that she always takes their advice. Witness her big blunder as speaker. Skelton, a seasoned student of international relations, told her the Armenian resolution would antagonize Turkey and thus constituted a foreign policy debacle in the making. Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, also opposed it (as he had when serving as President Bill Clinton's political aide). Pelosi insisted until some 45 House Democrats -- including Skelton -- opposed her.
The Armenian episode suggests a Pelosi decision has to approach the brink of disaster before Democrats speak out. Her popularity in the party beyond Capitol Hill is too great. When I asked one esteemed Democratic operative whether Pelosi's authority is without restraint, he called that a sexist question because I never would have asked that about Sam Rayburn or Tip O'Neill. Indeed, I would not have. They were not that powerful.
Steve Mitchell
September 14th, 2007, 11:06 AM
Performance in a few years should be mind blowing