Now this is interesting

Isaac Smith is floating a trial balloon about the concept of far-left Democrats finding a primary challenger for Steny Hoyer in 2010:

After Steny Hoyer's shameful performance in pushing the FISA bill through the House [which just sailed through the cloture vote in the Senate --IS], there's been talk about putting up a primary challenge to him in 2010. Even if it's only a protest candidacy, it might at least register the outrage many Democrats feel about their party's leadership giving in to Republicans' demands to let telecom companies break the law, and then turning around and portraying it as a victory for Democrats. It was infuriating enough when Democrats were in the minority, but to see Hoyer, et al, do the same thing as the majority party is almost inexplicable.

But is a primary challenge the best way to hold Hoyer accountable?

Interesting to see the Democrats also considering more "eating their own" tactics, much the same way that Maryland has been saddled with one Congressional extremist, Donna Edwards, this month already. I can't see a scenario where any serious Democrat will challenge the House Majority Leader while it still looks like Democrats will retain both Houses of Congress, but it'll be interesting to see how much play the idea gets.

Problems Solved

Once again, all of our problems seem to be solved at the national level:

Forget government corruption or corporate fraud. Three members of Congress want the Justice Department to investigate whether college football's Bowl Championship Series is an illegal enterprise.

Reps. Neil Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.) and Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) are introducing a resolution rejecting the oft-criticized bowl system as an illegal restriction on trade because only the largest universities compete in most of the major bowl games. The resolution would require Justice's antitrust division to investigate whether the system violates federal law.

Again, I am glad to see that members of Congress solved the current financial crisis, won the war, and cut the size of government enough to deal with this pressing issue...

Running on Fumes

Apparently, Congressional Democrats have drank the O'Malleynomic Kool-Aid, because they have decided to raise gas prices by taxing gas companies:

The House approved $18 billion in new taxes on the largest oil companies yesterday as Democrats cited record oil prices and rising gasoline costs in a time of economic troubles.

The money collected over 10 years would provide tax breaks for wind, solar and other alternative energy sources and for energy conservation. The legislation, approved 236-182, would cost the five largest oil companies an average of $1.8 billion a year over that period, according an analysis by the House Ways and Means Committee. Those companies earned $123 billion last year.

Anybody who thinks that these prices will not be passed on to consumers is also deluding themselves. But I find it very odd that Congressional Democrats would consider legislation to raise taxes on American working and middle-class families during an already existing economic downturn...