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ACTION: Time to Get Behind the "Better Than Nothing" School Lunch Bill

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 10:40:31 AM PST

I'm assuming that by now you've gotten over your joy that Harry "Better Than Sharon Angle" Reid eeked out a victory in his election (god, what a low bar), and - like me - you're now bracing yourself for a Republican led House and hoping they don't make Kent Conrad the Chair of the Senate Ag Committee.

Well. Get ready to get excited for one more fight for something that's not quite what you believe in but, well, it's better than nothing. The Senate version of the school lunch bill.

OK, so it ain't perfect. But it does 2 of the 3 major things it needs to do. First, it sets stronger nutrition standards for school lunch. Second, it makes sure more hungry kids will get fed. And, third, well... it doesn't really give as much money as the lunch program needs. But it does give a whopping $.06 per meal and a total of $4.5 billion in new money over 10 years. And THAT is a LOT MORE THAN YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE REPUBLICANS.

At first we were asking Congress for the perfect bill. Then we were asking them to at least pass the House version instead of the Senate one. And now, with little time left in this Congress, we're down to just asking them to pass the Senate. For this, you need to focus your action on the House (bug the Senate about the DREAM Act and repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell).

Details here. Take action by writing, faxing, or calling your Representative.

Jill Richardson :: ACTION: Time to Get Behind the "Better Than Nothing" School Lunch Bill

Tags: school lunch, Senate, Blanche Lincoln, Child Nutrition Reauthorization, (All Tags)

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ACTION: Time to Get Behind the "Better Than Nothing" School Lunch Bill | 15 comments

Kent Conrad? (4.00 / 2)

Ben Nelson?

by: count @ Wed Nov 10, 2010 at 18:51:47 PM UTC

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Senate... (4.00 / 1)

Wait, what? You mean to tell me Democrats still control the Senate? But they don't have 60 100 votes!

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 01:54:01 AM UTC

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Senate (4.00 / 1)

No, Dems do not control the Senate. They have more than 50 votes on good days, but they do not control the Senate. Republicans control the Senate, even though they do not control the committees of the Senate.

by: count @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:19:21 AM UTC

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Committees... (4.00 / 1)

See now, I'm waiting for the point in the next session when we'll see Senate Dems scolded by Obama and told that they have to "compromise" on committees. By giving Republicans control of at least half. Far-fetched? These days? Sadly, I wouldn't rule it out...

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:22:37 AM UTC

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For the record... (4.00 / 1)

This comment is only 1/3 tongue-in-cheek.

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:23:24 AM UTC

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now people are talking about Kent Conrad :( (4.00 / 2)

although he'd have to step down as chair of Budget to take over Ag.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

by: Jill Richardson @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:42:50 AM UTC

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Amazing where that came from, btw... (4.00 / 1)

I remember the article from a week or so ago you linked to in the Sampler Platter. Makes even more sense now since the R's came up one or two Senate seats short (thanks, Sarah Palin!) of what they were hoping to get and be able to pick off a Ben Nelson or a Joe Manchin to their side of the aisle and take the (official) majority.

Yeesh, the fucking Senate. It's like a haunted fun house, no? Around every corner, there's potentially something to jump out and scare the shit out of you.

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 02:50:49 AM UTC

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I don't understand. (4.00 / 1)

Why are "people" talking about anyone except Stabenow at this point, and who are "people"? Did Stabenow do something to really really really tick off somebody?

This suggests to me that the original discussion about Ben Nelson wasn't about Ben Nelson at all, and any discussion about Conrad isn't really about Conrad, it is about opposition to Stabenow. It suggests to me that big ag has mounted an aggressive campaign to derail her ascension to the chair. This stinks. Very very very unfortunately, Reid is a strong supporter of big ag, not to say in the hip pocket of big ag.

Did I mention that this stinks?

by: count @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:18:27 AM UTC

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Corollary (4.00 / 1)

If I'm correct, and if Conrad declines the benediction (who wants to step away from the Budget chair?) we'll next see other scenarios designed to keep Stabenow in her non-Chair place.

by: count @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:26:29 AM UTC

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Stepping away from Budget... (4.00 / 1)

Frankly, if anybody would walk away from Budget to take Ag I've gotta think it would be a Democratic Senator in a (now) blood red Big Ag state who's up for reelection next year.

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:33:49 AM UTC

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2012... (4.00 / 1)

Whoops, meant 2012 rather than next year of course. But frankly, his campaign has began last Wednesday as we all know these days...

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:34:46 AM UTC

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Budget... (4.00 / 1)

And after all, Budget is lowest of the three (including Finance and Appropriations) $$$ committees too, isn't it? It's basically the US Senate's accounting department, as far as I know...

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:42:25 AM UTC

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I don't think she... (4.00 / 1)

..."pissed anybody off", per se, rather it's just the nature of the beast.

She's in the club herself, after all. I don't think Debbie Stabenow is at all bad person (in fact, she's probably one of the better Dem Senators), but I don't doubt she's beyond the horsetrading and whatnot herself. After all, you don't rise to that level in American politics by regularly ruffling establishment feathers. If leadership says "we need this and we'll give you that, that and some of this over there", I highly doubt she'd turn it down. After all, Michigan isn't a Big Ag state and in its current form needs quite a bit of help in other areas.

Combine that with the fact that Senator Stabenow has pitiful approval ratings at home right now (38% Favorable, 50% Unfavorable in this recent poll) and that she's up for reelection in 2012 in a purple-ish state where R's just won the governorship in a walk, and I've gotta think she's up for some dealmaking herself. I wouldn't necessarily blame her, either. "Hate the game, not the player", as they say.

Yes, it absolutely reeks. Totally agreed there. Especially missing out on the chance to have an Ag Chair from a state where urban gardens are huge right now. Ain't a done deal yet, but sadly I doubt Detroit urban gardeners and Michigan asparagus farmers have the clout to match Harry Reid's Big Ag Boyz and all that...

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:31:20 AM UTC

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polling (4.00 / 1)

If Stabenow's Michigan numbers aren't good, she needs a position from which she can do some good for Michiganders. Ag Chair might be that position. It isn't merely about Detroit urban gardeners and Michigan asparagus growers - over the years I have been tremendously impressed by the role of both the University of Michigan and Michigan State University in sustainability research, organic agriculture development, small enterprise development, international ag and economic development, etc. Hell, I think it was a Michigan State project, the PEARL project (a joint venture with a Texas school and USAID), that rebuilt the Rwandan coffee industry after the civil war and genocide of the mid-1990s. (It was a great and very effective project until USAID pulled the plug under GWB.)

I think Ag Chair could be a perfect place for Stabenow. She definitely would be in the eye of the storm, but she also would have opportunities to do a lot of good.

by: count @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 03:46:55 AM UTC

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Good points... (4.00 / 1)

I hope you're right, and that she sees things this way as well. Rather than selling out for some highway funds, a judge or three and a few favors for Detroit or Flint developers as most Senators would do.

by: JayinPhiladelphia @ Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 04:00:14 AM UTC

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