HUFFPOST HILL - SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2010

As the Quran conflagration died down and journos shifted their attention to next week's congressional session, America's lawmakers seemed to be focused on everything BUT legislating. Congressional Democrats are signaling that they want to cut the legislative calendar short, Republican staffers are debating whom to take to the dance, Carolyn Maloney is stuck in some bizarre Bill Clinton-Russell Simmons endorsement-off and GOP lobbyists are working out their self-esteem issues. JB says there's some Jabba The Hut-level pollen out there so pack your Kleenex, Washington. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Friday, September 10th, 2010:

This was, like, the worst week ever. http://bit.ly/9sgm6U

Senate Schedule: The small business bill will get the first hearing on the Senate floor. Why, HuffPost Hill wants to know, aren't the small business lobbies scoring the small business bill? Couldn't be a partisan favor for GOP senators who wanna vote no without jeopardizing their 100% ratings, could it? And don't look for final passage of anything tax-cut related before the election, says Reid's man Jim Manley. "I don't believe the Republicans are interested in dealing with this. I think they're more interested in the politics of it," he says.

OBAMA HOLDS FIRST PRESS CONFERENCE SINCE MAY - "My position is, lets get done what we all agree on," said the president on reaching an agreement. "What they've said is, 'We all agree that the middle-class tax cuts should be made permanent. Let's work on that, let's do it.' We can have a further conversation about how they want to spend an additional $700 billion dollars to give an average of $100,000 to millionaires. That, I think, is a bad idea. If you were going to spend that money there are a lot of better ways of spending it. But more to the point, these are the same folks who say they are concerned about the deficit -- why would we borrow money on policies that won't help the economy and help people who don't need help." Sam Stein: http://huff.to/atC7Xn

Obama used the presser to officially tap Austan Goolsbee to replace Christina Romer, making sure nobody from outside snuck into the circle. Goolsbee, though, is a funny guy. Here he is on the "Daily Show": http://bit.ly/ZihEm

WARREN WATCH - Obama also came awful close to naming Elizabeth Warren head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, calling her a longtime friend, crediting her with the idea for the agency and added the he was "not going to make an official announcement until it's ready." Warren would need neither Senate confirmation nor recess appointment if she is appointed as acting director. The law allows the Treasury Secretary to appoint an acting director until the Senate confirms the first official director. So if he names Warren as "acting" and then doesn't nominate a replacement, she could serve out Obama's term(s).

Our favorite Wall Street Journal editorial ever. From today: "We hate to pick on Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren, the front-runner for the consumer post, because the other candidates floated so far may know even less about banking than she does. The White House should step back and review a new list of prospects with an eye toward a healthy banking market, not merely a positive reaction from the Huffington Post."

The Warren opposition have the Journal, but the pro-Warren forces have a big sign on the side of the road outside a Santa Monica private school: http://bit.ly/9rlxZ1

Obama Stands Up For Mosque, Pushes For Gitmo Closing - Obama was at his strongest when standing up for the right of Imam Rauf to build a mosque and cultural center a few blocks from Ground Zero and when telling the American people to stop being so scared of a tiny band of nutjobs, especially ones that are in handcuffs: "This country is so resilient; we are so tough. We can't be frightened by a handful of people who are trying to do us harm, especially when we've captured them and we've got the goods on them," he said. "We should be able to lock them up and make sure that they don't see the light of day. We can do that. We've done it before. We've got people who engaged in terrorist attacks who are in our prisons -- maximum-security prisons all across the country."

Transcript and video: http://huff.to/cuBe8m

@ktumulty: At Obama news conf, no questions yet about radical cleric terry jones. nice job, white house press corps.

Michael Steele wishes people would stop focusing on Michael Steele: After the press conference, the GOP chairman deflected questions from Fox host Jenna Lee about his post-RNC plans. "You know, if all my critics spent less time worrying about what Michael Steele is doing and more time worrying about how they're gonna help Republicans win in November, I think we'd be well down the road to securing or 'guaranteeing' -- your word -- control of the House and Senate this coming November." GOP12: http://bit.ly/daSVcD

CONGRESS MAY BREAK FROM FIXING NATION'S PROBLEMS TO TELL PEOPLE HOW IT'S FIXING NATION'S PROBLEMS - Roll Call: "House and Senate Democratic leaders are seriously considering adjourning a week earlier than planned -- at the end of the month -- to allow their vulnerable Members more time to campaign, several aides told Roll Call...Senate Democratic aides acknowledged Friday that talk of cutting the planned four-week work period short is growing, and senior House aides said they don't see any reason to keep Members in town if the Senate cannot get much accomplished beyond a small-business bill and a continuing resolution keeping the government operating past the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year." FWIW, Dem and GOP aides are telling HuffPost Hill the same thing. Go ahead and book those fall vacations. http://bit.ly/9AtgIQ

LETTER FROM A PARANOID, SELF-LOATHING GOP LOBBYIST - A GOP K Streeter who dutifully reports his work on behalf of business clients who want to influence legislation says his moral compass goes haywire when he is "paid by the limousine liberal hedge fund douchebags" to gather "political intelligence" on whether the Hill will take up, say, Chinese currency manipulation. His liberal hedge fund clients, who don't show up in the LDA database, don't care one way or the other; they just want to trade on the intel. It was Chuck Schumer's statement on China's energy subsidies yesterday that has him fired up. "And guess what," the lobbyist wrote in an email, "when Congress goes home in September, it's likely we made it through an entire session with a 59-41 Senate, a 40 seat majority in the House and liberal president who claims to want to raise taxes on the rich without a single vote on carried interest. And then Obama invites them to the White House like 100 times. In my next life, I'd like to be a hedge fund manager or a political intelligence lobbyist. Oh wait, I'm already there. How come I want to vomit?"

DAILY DELANEY DOWNER - The OC Register reports that "Congress returns to work Monday, Sept. 13, with a full plate of bills before it, including a measure to provide a fifth tier of unemployment benefits for those who have already exhausted their aid or soon will." Dem staffers don't know if the bill will come to the floor or what, and it's still not clear if it adds to the deficit. If it does, add it to the heap. How can you justify that deficit spending? People on unemployment make WAY less than $250,000 a year. http://bit.ly/aMYiOR

Social Security Letter - A Conyers-Grijalva-Maffei letter opposing any cuts to Social Security as part of the deficit commission assault is circulating and now has 24 signatures. MoveOn.org is asking its folks to call Congress and get their member to sign on; P Street is doing direct lobbying.

MEL MARTINEZ IS THE NEW 'IT' GIRL - A piece in the Times today examines the effort by lobbyists to recruit Republicans in anticipation of a GOP blowout this November. Apparently Mel Martinez is the prettiest girl at the ball: "Lobbyists, political consultants and recruiters all say that the going rate for Republicans -- particularly current and former House staff members -- has risen significantly in just the last few weeks, with salaries beginning at $300,000 and going as high as $1 million for private sector positions. 'We're seeing a premium for Republicans,' said Ivan H. Adler, a headhunter for the McCormick Group in Washington who specializes in placing lobbyists. "They're the new 'It' girl." http://nyti.ms/994f8g

TODAY'S TERKEL TAKEDOWN - "Who's afraid of the big bad debate? Ends up, there are debate chickens all over the country this election season. According to a HuffPost analysis, nearly one in three Senate candidates and nearly one in four gubernatorial candidates have made headlines this season for either refusing to debate or expressing a palpable aversion to participating in such forums. (Not to mention a slew of House candidates.) Hilarious incidents include a candidate debating a cardboard cut-out of his opponent, a senator's wife getting involved and calling for a debate, and candidates going on a hunger strike in order to get a response from the incumbent." http://huff.to/apOBtl

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DEMS MAY HAVE DECREASED MAJORITY IN LAME DUCK SESSION - Bloomberg reports: "Quirks in state election laws may reduce Senate Democrats' majority right after the November election, making the always-difficult task of legislating during a possible lame-duck session even tougher. The terms of Democrats Roland Burris of Illinois, Ted Kaufman of Delaware and West Virginia's Carte Goodwin, all appointed to their seats, will expire with the Nov. 2 elections. None are on the ballot, and their successors may take office that month rather than in January when winning candidates are normally seated, state election officials said." http://bit.ly/9bZmm8

WRITE-IN BID PRESENTS OBSTACLES FOR MURKOWSKI - AP on local precedent: "For U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the odds of waging a successful write-in candidacy to try to keep her job would be exceedingly long, and the personal political stakes sky-high. Plus, history wouldn't be on her side.Though others in Alaska have tried the write-in route -- Wally Hickel in 1978, Robin Taylor in '98, both in gubernatorial races, as examples -- none that historians and elections officials can think of has pulled it off. Hickel, a Republican, did win the governor's office for a second time in 1990, though, running on the Alaskan Independence Party ticket. AP at Anchorage Daily News: http://bit.ly/aSZMXN

A new survey out from PPP finds that Maine Democrats have a higher opinion of Olympia Snowe than their Republican counterparts. "Our Maine poll this week finds that Snowe continues to be one of the most popular Senators in the country with a 50/40 approval rating, which in this political environment is great. Her numbers are very unusual though in that her highest level of popularity is with Democrats at 59/29. She's on solid ground with independents as well at 52/39. It's the voters in her own party bringing down her overall numbers- a 51% majority of Republicans disapprove of her with only 40% giving her good marks." http://bit.ly/aIr84x

HuffPost Hill's takeaway: Snowe is up in 2010 and is in line to become ranking on Intel in January. Republicans don't want her there; her views on torture and such are very un-GOP. But her upside down numbers among Maine Republicans, and the threat of primary challenge from the right, makes her a party-switch threat if they play too rough with her.

Tim Geithner will address a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute conference on Monday.

Nate Silver sees a 2-in-3 chance the GOP takes the House: http://bit.ly/9yDTBk

AMERICAN FAMILY ASSOCIATION EQUATES MUSLIMS WITH WHITE SUPREMACISTS - But they aren't...but this is just so...but how could they...Ughhhhhhhhhhhhh. "Bryan Fischer, the director of issue analysis for government and public policy at the American Family Association (AFA), says whatever the U.S. government does in efforts to 'make it unthinkable for America's youth to join a white supremacist group,' they should use 'to make it as unthinkable for a resident of America to embrace Islam.'...Fischer's comments follow a similar blog last week where he said Muslim values are 'grossly incompatible with American values,' and therefore no community in America should allow a mosque to be built. He later argued that Muslims could be guilty of treason, since Islam is "determined to wipe out the Constitution." Iowa Independent: http://bit.ly/azwNsz

BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - Here's a narcoleptic dog: http://bit.ly/yiK9e

BILL CLINTON SUPPORTS CAROLYN MALONEY, RUSSELL SIMMONS BEGS TO DIFFER - Only in New York: "Bill Clinton is siding with Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney over her primary challenger, former Hillary fundraiser Reshma Saujani, who has Simmons' backing. Maloney's campaign just sent out a fundraising email from the former president that harkens back to the first bill he ever signed--one that Maloney voted for--after the two were both sent to Washington in the 1992 elections. 'Carolyn is what I call a 'how' politician-and a very good one,' he wrote." Observer: http://bit.ly/9TT1Ju

Yesterday we reported that former soap star Sydney Penny was publicly supporting Staten Island congressional candidate Michael Grimm. WELL, MOVE OVER SYDNEY PENNY BECAUSE THAT GUY WHO DISCOVERED RUN-DMC AND MAKES THOSE FUNNY ARGYLE SWEATERS IS DOIN' IT UP BIG, MANHATTAN-STYLE. The 'hip-hop and fashion mogul' (why are businesspeople associated with hip-hop always referred to as 'moguls?')has endorsed Saujani. "Reshma is exactly the type of person we need to send to Washington right now," Simmons said in a statement. "It's refreshing to have a politician who speaks her mind and advocates for what she believe is right -- no matter the political consequences." Daily News: http://bit.ly/dAUGRd

This week we reported that some conservatives are voicing concern about the frequency with which President Obama employs FEMA, suggesting that Republicans have fallen squarely in the FIRE GOOOOOOD camp. Well, as is the custom in this polarized society, liberals seem to be aligning themselves with the FIRE BAAAAAAD camp. Evan McMorris-Santoro in TPM:
"Burning symbols in public has developed something of a bad reputation this week, so perhaps this is no surprise: "the Oregon progressive blogger's plan to organize Confederate flag burnings at 9/12 tea party rallies this weekend appears to have gone basically nowhere." http://bit.ly/9Fr4LQ

The House Softball Tournament is this weekend. It's not to late to get your bracket in: http://bit.ly/9x13vy

JEREMY THE INTERN'S WEATHER REPORT - Tonight: Clouds will most likely not clear tonight, as we're right at the jet stream, which is mixing the dry and moist air. This causes the clouds right now. Tomorrow: It should warm up a bit, as the jet stream will shift to the north. You can expect late showers heading into Sunday. Thanks, JB!

And oh yeah, the pollen scale: There will be a bit of it, so I'm going to say on the runny nose scale, it's just north of Jabba the Hut, yet not quite Slimer from "Ghostbusters." Have tissues at the ready. Ah--AH-AHHHH-CHEW, JB!

COMFORT FOOD

- The most ridiculous magazine covers ever, selected by our intrepid comedy editors. http://huff.to/98yfFT

- We didn't realize Tucker Carlson wrote as a child. http://bzfd.it/cLslDc

- A New Zealand couple apprehended two youths vandalizing their home and forced them to dance until the cops showed up. http://bit.ly/aL9IXh

- The city of Toronto can barely contain its excitement over taking your old electronics. http://bit.ly/bEaRFw

- What in Helen of Troy is going on in this daycare center? http://bit.ly/c1bQvt

- Chicken gives birth to kitten. Darwin Refudiated. http://bit.ly/A6gsU

- What Taiwanese CGI Obama wanted to really say in his Ohio speech. http://bit.ly/aFh659

- A British hipster anthem. Everybody plays synth. http://bit.ly/bmjtby

TWITTERAMA

@delrayser: Screw that FL guy. I'm declaring tomorrow "Berne a Yuan Day." We'll all deposit Chinese currency into Swiss bank accounts.

@HeyItsLiam: My fellow Americans - please don't burn any Qurans until my plane lands safely in the US. Or after, actually.

@markknoller: Almost as many cameras in the East Room as at the Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville. http://twitpic.com/2n3jcj
@aaronsw: RT @ryangrim WSJ says Obama would be picking Elizabeth Warren for "merely a positive reaction from the Huffington Post." || That explains why he keeps working the phrase "double rainbow" into his weekly youtube address.

Cox Responds To Shocking Decline In Twitter Followers: - "Losing 1.3% of my Twitter followers is the kind of tragedy I would write a mocking Tweet about had I not come to realize that covering the minutiae of the lives and careers of the 'famous-for-DC' is exactly sort of bottom-of-the-bellybutton scraping that has caused so many Americans outside the Beltway to look upon our insular culture as something repellent, pitiable and possibly untenable," Cox wrote in a statement to The Awl. "By the way, is Fishtank hiring?" http://bit.ly/cv2ymX

THE TUBE

TONIGHT: Laura Bassett made her TV debut today (!!!) when she spoke to Taeron Hall. Austan Goolsbee and (Oh captain, my captain) Arianna Huffington was on Ratigan's show. Sherrod Brown is on Ed Schultz. Chris Van Hollen TOMORROW: Ron Paul and Austan Goolsbee are on the Situation Room.

SUNDAY SHOWS

Meet the Press: David Axelrod, Rudy Giuliani, Dee Dee Myers, Reza Aslan, Mike Murphy, Ron Brownstein.

This Week: Austan Goolsbee, Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Eboo Patel, Irshad Manji, Reverend Richard Cizik, Arianna Huffington, Kate Zernike, Jonathan Karl, George Will.

Face the Nation: John Boehner, Keith Ellison, Tom Kean.

State of the Union: Dick Armey, Trent Lott.

ON TAP

TONIGHT

5:00 pm - 8:30 pm: This week's Jazz in the Garden features the tooting of Bruce Swaim, a saxophonist [National Gallery of Art, Sculpture Garden, 700 Constitution Avenue NW].

5:00 pm - 12:00 am: More DC Shorts Film Festivalat Navy Memorial and E Street. Schedule: http://bit.ly/9r0XGu

6:00 pm - 11:00 pm: Fashion Night Out in Georgetown is a street fair in which local stores sell their goods outside. Cirque du Soleil performers will be on hand, along with a cooling station located at the Dean and Deluca on M Street. A great opportunity to buy some Rocawear.

TOMORROW

12:00 pm: The Kennedy Center Arts Festival celebrates Mexico's 200 years of independence featuring musical performances by Mexican acts, family activities, art exhibitions and other pleasant ways to spend your Saturday [Kennedy Center].

6:00 pm: As of this morning, there are still tickets available to the Vampire Weekend show tomorrow evening. In case that's changed, best you get on Craigslist and start trolling [Merriweather Post Pavillion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, MD].

7:00 pm: Miami Horror performs at U Street Music Hall. YouTube "Holidays." It's swell [U Street Music Hall, 1115 U Street NW].

8:00 pm: Cirque du Soleil, which brings together families and recreational drug users with Pixar-level certainty, performs at National Harbor [National Harbor, Waterfront Street National Harbor, MD].

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