Even though no member of Congress has scheduled hearings on the Fairness Doctrine, it remains on a hot topic on both liberal and conservative shows.

Today, radio host Mario Solis Marich asked former President Bill Clinton if it was time for “some type of enforced media accountability.”

“Well, you either ought to have the Fairness Doctrine or we ought to have more balance on the other side,” Clinton said, “because essentially there’s always been a lot of big money to support the right wing talk shows and let face it, you know, Rush Limbaugh is fairly entertaining even when he is saying things that I think are ridiculous….”

Clinton said that there needs to be either “more balance in the programs or have some opportunity for people to offer countervailing opinions.” Clinton added that he didn’t support repealing the Fairness Doctrine, an act done under Reagan’s FCC.

In the past week, a couple Democratic Senators, Debbie Stabenow and Tom Harkin, have both spoken favorably about the Fairness Doctrine, or holding hearings on radio accountability.

Popularity: 11% [?]

After benefiting enormously from the Latino backlash against GOP anti-immigrant race baiting Democratic legislators will have their first reality test, albeit a modest one, on this hot button issue.

This week SCHIP will hit the floor of the House of Representatives and head for the US Senate. SCHIP provides health insurance funding for children from moderate to low income families. The much lauded children’s health care insurance program was derided in 2007 as a budget busting big government program. The derision occurred while we were spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and before we bought $1 trillion of bad bank stock. Current spending environments being what they are no one legislator may be able to kill the bill on the cost alone. Lets face it these days 35 billion additional bucks looks like the budget for a tax payer funded, AIG lead, training seminar at an all inclusive day spa with bottomless Champaign service .

But what some politicos will focus on is a provision that will allow DOCUMENTED immigrant children to benefit from SCHIP.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

By Mario Solis-Marich, NuestraVoice.com

The big “Caution Under Construction” signs on Change St. are bilingual this week. The yellow hatters on Change St. are scratching their heads about the now heated scramble touched off by an Obama offer of the position of US Trade Representative to Congressman Xavier Becerra. While the details of the offer are back and forthed just the idea of Becerra giving up two big positions to join team Obama is creating a vacuum that puts Hoover to shame.

While Becerra would give up a safe Congressional seat to be USTR the scramble to replace him in Los Angeles is the calmer of two dust-ups. The bigger battle is in DC.

Becerra had just been elected Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Caucus with Speaker Pelosi’s blessing. Now as his eyes wander away from the House a new race for the coveted leadership post of Vice Chair has emerged. The race has added passion since Latino leaders are beginning to feel slighted by the Obama transition team. The idea of potentially coming into a historic political period, that Latinos had a huge hand in delivering to Democrats, as second stringers is not setting well. The added sting of potentially losing the House power post earned by Becerra is salt to an opening wound.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus last night considered endorsing a Vice Chair candidate to replace Becerra should he become the next USTR. Congresswoman Hilda Solis and the controversial Congressman Joe Baca have both put their hats in the ring. The Hispanic Caucus vote was stalled when members were reminded that not only was the Becerra body not cold yet, in fact the patient was not even dead. Becerra is still very much the Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Elect. However that has not stopped and in my opinion, should not stop, Latinos from gathering support from House Dems to for a viable Hispanic replacement.

But so far realistically there is only one Latina/o candidate that has any chance of landing in the vice chair position and that is Hilda Solis. While Baca has proven himself adept at maneuvering internal processes within the Congressional Hispanic Caucus the larger Democratic Caucus feels no compunction to please him. Baca’s unfortunate and embarrassing confrontation with Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez (ya, he is that Congressman Baca) still burns in the memory of most of the members of the Democratic Women’s Caucus. Couple that with the influence those women members have in the Progressive Caucus and it doesn’t take a math major to see that the Baca quest for Vice Chair is an exercise in futility.

In addition should Baca somehow gather enough votes to be a real contender there is reason to believe that Pelosi would send subtle but strong signals to end the rally. The Speaker has proven to be risk aversive and one look at the national negative media splash that is sure to follow a Baca vice chairmanship is sure to cause a Pelosi intervention.

I once believed that Becerra would stay in the House. I am beginning to think otherwise. But either way: better safe than sorry. Latinos need to aggressively support a viable candidate for the Vice Chair position. If not they should resign themselves to the beltway back bench, that is until they are needed again in 2010.

Popularity: 12% [?]

Her confirmation will be the hot fight ticket in the beltway. No I am not talking about Senator Clinton I am talking about Governor Napolitano.

While pundits and bloggers continue their Clinton obsession (now both right and left are Hillary addicted) right wing strategists are targeting Governor Janet Napolitano for confirmation fun and games. Unlike the media types like Dick Morris and Hugh Hewitt who need to fill their philosophical void with good old fashioned Clinton bashing the real GOP strategists know that the Senate will confirm Clinton and that she will be the next Secretary of State. While there is sure to be a couple of embarrassing names on the Clinton Foundation donor list, the Clinton Foundation projects funded are laudable and President Clinton will be seen as no more guilty than a preacher who takes tithes from his sinner parishioners.

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Popularity: 8% [?]