Senators Tom Coburn, Chuck Schumer to Sit Together at State-of-the-Union Speech
From the Associated Press today:
WASHINGTON – Two senators from different parties say they’ll skip tradition and sit together during President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address.
The decision by Republican Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York comes amid calls for greater civility in political discourse following the fatal shootings last weekend at a political event in Tucson, Ariz.
Schumer says he and Coburn hope other lawmakers will follow their example and skip the partisan seating arrangements that usually come with joint sessions of Congress.…
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Congressman Boren Sets Town Hall Meetings
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, released a schedule today of upcoming town hall meetings in his eastern Oklahoma district. The announcement comes less than a week after a shooting rampage killed six people and injured Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 13 others at a Tucson event. Boren said earlier this week that he would notify law enforcement agencies in all of the counties in which he holds meetings.
Boren said in a press release today: “Town hall meetings are great opportunities for constituents in eastern Oklahoma to come together as a community and share their thoughts and concerns, as well as ask questions about legislation being considered by Congress.…
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President Inivted to Give State of the Union Address on Jan. 25
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, invited President Barack Obama to give the annual State of the Union address in the House on Jan. 25.
January 11, 2011
The Honorable Barack Obama
The President of the United States
The White House
Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear Mr. President:
A new Congress provides us a renewed opportunity to find common ground and address the priorities of the American people. Our actions must be driven by their desire for freedom, economic recovery, and fiscal sensibility, as well as a need to rebuild the broken bonds of trust between the people and their government.…
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Rep. Dan Boren Staffers Received Threatening Phone Calls
The FBI in Oklahoma investigated threatening phone calls to the office of Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, in 2007, according to investigative files obtained by the New York Times.
The file does not identify the caller, who was questioned by phone by an FBI agent and “never confessed he made threatening calls.”
“Since the threatening phone calls of June 2007 (name redacted) has been in telephonic contact with Congressman Boren’s office. (Name redacted) is believed to have left rambling messages on the voicemail system of Congressman Boren’s office.…
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U.S. Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Jeff McMahan
The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear an appeal from Jeff McMahan, the former Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector who was was convicted of three federal corruption charges in 2008. McMahan was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison.
The court rejected the appeal without comment.…
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Reps. Tom Cole, Dan Boren React to Giffords shooting
Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said this today in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona Democrat, in Tucson:
“I am stunned and saddened by this tragic and senseless act. My thoughts and prayers are with Congresswoman Giffords and all the victims and their families.”
Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, said, “Today a senseless tragedy has occurred in Tucson, Arizona. Gabby Giffords is a very close friend. We came to know each other before she came to Congress, serve together, share campaign staff, are fellow blue dogs, and friends.…
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Rep. James Lankford Reads from Constitution
Freshman Rep. James Lankford, R-Oklahoma City, was among the House members who read part of the U.S. Constitution on the House floor today.
The new Republican majority, which has pledged stricter adherence to the Constitution, organized the reading of the entire document. It took about 90 minutes. Lankford read Section 3 of the 25th Amendment, ratified in 1967, which describes what should happen if the president dies or is removed from office or can’t function.
Here’s what Lankford said after the reading.…
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Dan Boren Votes for Shuler Instead of Pelosi
U.S. Rep. Dan Boren, D-Muskogee, broke with most other Democrats today during the vote for speaker of the House. Boren voted for North Carolina Rep. Heath Shuler instead of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat, who was speaker for the last four years and will now be the minority leader of the House. Boren wanted Pelosi to step aside after the November elections, blaming her and her closest allies for the drubbing Democrats took at the polls.
Boren was one of 19 members who didn’t vote for Pelosi or Boehner.…
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